"Wait, so he did what?" Kurt asked, lounging on his bed as Rachel sat on Sam's bed facing him. The two best friends had blown off their classes, choosing to catch up on the week of each other's loves they'd missed by relaxing in Kurt's room instead.
Rachel nodded her head, having just recounted her run in with Jesse from the previous week. "Yep, handed me a slip of paper with all her information and everything. You know, her phone number, name, address, the works."
"Wow. Just...wow. All those years of wondering who she was, and now you know. What are you going to do about it?"
Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Part of me wants to go meet her, but the other is hesitant. What if she wants nothing to do with me and tells me to get the hell off her property? I don't know if I could handle that kind of rejection. And if we do hit it off, what am I supposed to tell my dads? They did everything in their power to hide this information from me. I mean, wouldn't they have a good reason to do that?"
Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Or maybe they didn't want to lose you. I mean, this woman is your mother. She can give you something they'll never be able to give you. She's your flesh and blood, and maybe they were worried about that connection forming."
Rachel laid back on Sam's bed, looking at the rotating ceiling fan. "I don't know what to do, boo. Nothing seems like the right thing to do. If I don't meet her, I'm always going to be wondering what if. And if I do, I'm going to feel like I'm betraying my dads."
"Rach, I've known you basically my whole life. You're always worried about everyone else. You like to think you're driven and selfish, but really you're not. You never do something just because it's what you want. You could have gone to New York-you got into Julliard. But because I didn't get in anywhere in the city, you went to California, even if it wasn't what you really wanted."
Rachel wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. Of course, she was glad she had come to California instead, but Kurt had a point. Every choice she made in her life was for someone else. She never did something because it was only what she wanted. In the end, she was always trying to please someone else in her life, whether it be Kurt, her parents, her teachers, or anyone else. Even when it came to the band, none of the songs or dances were her ideas. It was what Will wanted, or what she thought Puck would like.
"Okay, so maybe you're kind of right," Rachel admitted after a moment. "Maybe I do do things because it's what other people want and not what I want, but this is different, Kurt. It's my dads. I don't want to hurt them."
"Why would doing something you want hurt them? They want you to be your own person, diva. You gotta do things sometimes that are going to end up hurting people."
"So, you're saying you think I should go and meet her?"
"I'm saying you should do what your heart tells you to do," Kurt explained. "Don't do something because I think you should. Do it because you think you should."
Rachel looked at Kurt for a long moment. "If I decide to do this, will you come with me and wait outside?" she asked. "I don't know if I could handle going over there all alone."
Kurt looked across the room and smiled with a nod of his head. "Of course, doll face. I'm not coming in because that might be a bit awkward, but I'll wait outside for you, no problem."
Rachel nodded her head, staring up at the ceiling once more. This was what she wanted, and Kurt was right about her doing things because she wanted to, but she was terrified. Not just about the meeting, but about what her dads would say when they found out. There was no if-she knew her dads would discover what she had done eventually.
"Maybe next week we can go," Rachel suggested. "I don't want to put this off and keep waiting, it'll just make me anxious. But after the parents leave, of course."
Kurt nodded his head. "Yes, after they leave. How about next Friday? We'll go before classes or something."
Kurt nodded his head. "Yeah, and if I miss freshman English again it's not the end of the world," he laughed, tossing his pillow at her. "In fact, I'd love it if I could miss that dreadful class two Fridays in a row."
"Bad student," Rachel teased. "I'm stunned you're not failing everything already."
"Hey now, diva. I do actually do my work. I just think that class is a waste of my time. I mean, my senior year English class was harder than this is. And we read more interesting things in that class. I mean, we're reading a book now that I read sophomore year. Talk about boring."
Rachel covered her mouth as she let out a giggle. "You'll get over it. It's just for the semester, then you can take more interesting and stimulating classes."
"Yeah, I suppose," he said as the door opened and Sam walked in, dropping his bag by the door. He did a double take after spotting Rachel lounged across his bed.
"Have my dreams come true? Is Rachel Berry really in my bed?" he joked. Rachel stuck her tongue out at Sam as he continued talking. "You two made up, then?"
Kurt nodded his head. "It was forced on us by Rachel's dads, but I realized I did miss her for some strange reason, and maybe I was being unnecessarily harsh about the situation. Besides, if I screwed up, I wouldn't want her to just stop talking me and treat me like the devil."
Rachel grinned at Kurt and laughed quietly. "Exactly. You should treat me like you'd want me to treat you if we ever get into a giant fight like this again," she reminded him, placing her feet against the wall with her head hanging over the edge of Sam's bed.
Sam walked over, taking a seat on his bed next to where Rachel was lying down. He placed a hand on her arm for a moment before leaning back on the mattress, looking over at Kurt. "Wow, this room already seems more cheerful," he joked.
"Aw, is that because of me, Sammy?" Rachel teased, hitting him in the thigh momentarily. "I would think you would be relieved to have a break from me after I kick your ass with my talent every band rehearsal," she joked.
"Watch yourself, diva," Sam warned with a grin. "Or I'll just have to play the drums a little louder next Thursday to drown you out."
Rachel laughed a little as she threw a pillow over at him. "Do that and Will and Cooper will totally kick you out of the band. Just remember they love me more than they love you."
Kurt nodded his head in agreement. "They do. They worship the ground she walks on. In fact, most of the guys she knows do that as well. Like Brody," Kurt teased.
Rachel's face went red at the mention of Kurt's teammate who was still relentlessly pursuing her, unbeknownst to Puck.
"Whoa whoa whoa, what's going on here? I feel like I'm missing something," Sam said, looking between the two best friends. "One of you fill me in. I don't like being the kid outside the joke."
"It's that kid who's always hanging around Rachel with hungry eyes. The one who looks like he's going to jump her bones as soon as he can get her away from her he-man boyfriend, of course."
"The dark-haired kid, right?" Sam asked. "The one who has a distinct 'I'm-a-perv' face on at all times?"
Kurt nodded his head. "The very one. Well homeboy asked the dear sweet virgin-wait, you are still a virgin, right? I didn't miss the cherry-poppin' while I was being a stubborn ass?"
Rachel shook her head as she laughed. "No, you didn't miss that. Hymen still in tact. Puck is still as sexually frustrated as he was when we met, I promise."
Kurt nodded once. "Just making sure. Right, well the creep of the year asked the diva out like, two days after Marleygate happened. I think those older guys are like, sharks or something. They can smell vulnerability a mile away or something. Anyways, he shows up outside Rachel's dorm with coffee and offers to walk her to class. No big deal, right? I mean, that's something you would do. So Rachel lets Brody walk her to class. The douche spends the entire time telling Rachel about how Puck has nailed basically every chick at the school."
"Classy," Sam muttered.
Rachel laughed a little and Kurt nodded. "Right? Then as they reach the music school he tells her that she's going to dinner with him the next weekend. Doesn't ask. He basically orders our little diva to go with him."
"Oh boy."
"Well, we both know how Rachel reacts to being told what to do."
"It usually involves cursing and middle fingers," Sam joked. "Please tell me you told that guy he could go fuck himself or something."
Rachel laughed and shook her head. "No, I was nicer than that. And Brody has stopped hitting on me all the time," Rachel pointed out. "He's been a good friend, even if he is slightly pervy half the time."
"Try all the time," Kurt laughed. "I saw him pulling you towards the football team like a farmer leading a lamb to the slaughter at the bar Thursday."
"He was drunk," Rachel justified. "He hasn't asked me out since that one time. He's actually a good listener. He gave me good advice about you," she pointed out.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Kurt asked, arching his eyebrows at her.
Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "His Wednesday Spanish class gets out at the same time as freshman English and they're right next to one another. He walks me to dance 115 after and we talk. There's nothing wrong with that, so stop giving me those judgy eyes!"
Kurt sighed. "You don't get it, Rachel. Guys like Brody don't just walk a girl who looks like you to class every week without having an ulterior motive. Just...please be careful around him. I see the way he looks at you onstage, and I'd be shocked if he hadn't thought of six ways to steal you away from Puck by now. The boy is head over heels for you, Rach."
Rachel scoffed. "He's a friend, Kurt. I'll admit he can be pervy and vulgar, but that doesn't mean he's still trying to sleep with me. He knows I'm with Noah. I made it clear I just want to be his friend and he understands that. Do you not trust me to resist him?" she asked, slightly offended.
Kurt shook his head. "That's not it, I promise. Of course I trust you."
"It's Brody we don't trust," Sam added.
Rachel sighed a little. "Look, Brody and I just have a lot in common is all. He understands me in a way that even you can't, Kurt. He's never met his mother, either. He's been helping me with the whole bomb Jesse dropped on me. Do you get that?"
Kurt looked at her impatiently. "I guess I do. Just please promise to be careful with him. I don't want to see your relationship with Puck fall apart because you have the biggest heart I've ever seen and are won over by every sob story you hear."
Rachel laughed and nodded. "I promise. Nothing's going to happen between Noah and I because of Brody." Her phone beeped and she glanced down, seeing a message from Quinn.
Come home now! 911!
She stood up, kissing Sam on the cheek before going over to Kurt and doing the same. "I'm being summoned home by the rooms. It's an emergency, apparently. And I get what you're saying, boo. I'll be careful, I promise." She waved goodbye before walking out the door and heading down the hall and unlocking the door, walking into her room.
Quinn was sitting on her own bed, her face buried in her hands. She was dressed in a pair of sweats and an oversized tee shirt. Oh, and she was crying.
She looked up when Rachel walked in and sprung to her feet, launching herself into her roommate's arms and hugged her tight. "Oh Rachel," he sobbed, burying her face into her shoulder as she continued crying. "I've made a huge mistake."