A/N – I'm so, so sorry for the delay. I wish I had a good excuse, but I've just been so super busy at work and that carries over when I have to bring it home and continue to work here. I have days where I feel like I never get to stop. I should be getting a bit of a reprieve soon. So please stick with me. I can't thank you guys enough for all of the reviews and for reading. It really does mean the world to me.
Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.
Rachel could feel the icy drinks making their way under the neck of her shirt and down her body. She kept her gaze trained on Shelby and she could see the woman's look of shock and confusion. Shelby had stopped dead in her tracks; not that Rachel really blamed her. It's not like Shelby knew how unpopular she was before. Rachel could hear the people laughing around her and in this moment she wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
Shelby watched in horror as Rachel's face registered hurt once more as someone called out that she was a loser. She hadn't known Rachel very long, but Shelby could see the shame and embarrassment written all over her daughter's face as the girl shivered and broke her gaze to look down at the floor.
The crowd of kids was still laughing as Shelby quickly crossed the distance so she could get to Rachel. Quinn and Santana were still smiling as they watched Shelby start to move. Brittany was walking towards them but Shelby pointed to her and told her to go and find a teacher. Brittany gave her friends a questioning look as she stepped past them and headed towards the choir room to get Mr. Schue. The girls weren't going anywhere because they were too curious to find out what Shelby Corcoran was doing.
Shelby pulled her left arm into the sleeve of her jacket as she was walking and didn't hesitate in her actions when she reached Rachel. She cupped the back of Rachel's head with her right hand and used the sleeve covering her left hand to wipe some of the slushie from the girl's face. Kurt was still standing against the lockers as he watched and noted to himself that Shelby's jacket cost over $500. Probably not anymore.
"Honey," Shelby cooed as she wiped again at Rachel's face, this time being sure to clear some of her tears away as well.
"Shelby?" Rachel said softly, but still didn't look back up at her. Rachel had the presence of mind to remember that Shelby being her mom was still a secret.
Shelby frowned and then pulled Rachel to her and held her tightly. "What is going on?" Shelby rubbed her back to try and soothe her.
Quinn and Santana's smiles had faded somewhat and they glanced at each other and furrowed their brows at Shelby's actions. Why was she hugging Rachel Berry of all people? Especially after she'd been slushied? Quinn sobered a bit when she saw just how upset Rachel was. Now that she had been kicked off the Cheerios she knew what it was like to be slushied. It was a horrible feeling.
"Nothing," Rachel said. "I just got slushied is all."
"Is all?" Shelby asked. "Has this happened before?" She was incredulous.
Rachel didn't say anything and just kept her eyes trained on the floor. She hadn't even moved enough to wrap her arms around her mother and just let Shelby support her. Shelby looked around at the group that was now staring at them and listened to the casual laughter that still played on some people's lips and understood that this was not the first time this had happened to her girl.
Shelby's eyes landed on Kurt and she asked, "Has this happened before?"
Kurt looked at Rachel who still wouldn't look up and nodded sadly. He'd been slushied a couple times, but Rachel got it a lot. It was as if he was just now realizing that these were the emotions Rachel always hid so well. She usually held her head high as she retrieved clean clothes from her locker. It hadn't ever really occurred to him that her confidence may turn to tears when she was alone in the bathroom.
"She probably has clean clothes in her locker," Kurt said.
"Kurt," Rachel scolded sadly. There wasn't really any use in hiding it now, but it felt just as bad to have it verified out loud for Shelby.
"You're Kurt?" Shelby softened her look for the boy as he nodded. "She's told me a lot about you."
"She's told me a lot about you too," Kurt said with an affirmative nod when Shelby gave him a questioning look.
Shelby understood immediately that this boy knew the truth and she felt Rachel stiffen in her arms.
"I'm sorry," Rachel said softly through fresh tears. "I know I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."
"Hey, it's ok," Shelby said. She kissed Rachel's forehead as she tried to reassure her. "It's fine, Rachel."
"I didn't tell anyone," Kurt added.
"Thank you," Shelby said. "Do you know who the boys are that did this?"
"Yes," Kurt confirmed.
"Good. Will you go and get the principal so we can tell him," Shelby instructed.
"No," Rachel said. "It's not a big deal."
"Yes it is," Shelby said. "This is completely unacceptable."
"But-"
"Can I help you?" Will asked when he stepped out into the hallway with Brittany following him. He passed the other kids who were still watching. A glance at Santana and Quinn was met with innocent shrugs. "Oh my god," he said when he got closer and realized who it was. "You're-"
"Rachel Berry's mother," Shelby cut him off loudly and clearly so everyone in the hallway could hear and understand her.
There was a gasp and the three members of glee who lingered were not the only ones whose jaws dropped in shock. Kurt covered his mouth and tears formed in his eyes because he knew the implications of revealing the secret. Rachel's eyes went wide and she finally lifted her gaze from the floor and stared at her mother. Shelby looked at her with a calm and reassuring smile and kissed her head once more. Shelby even spared a quick glance at the kids who already had their phones out and had been taking pictures of her.
"You're… Rachel's mother?" Will asked in disbelief. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Shel-"
"Shelby Corcoran. I am," Shelby said.
"I'm Will Schuester, her glee coach," Will said, still in awe. "It's nice to meet you." He held a hand out that she didn't take because she was still holding her daughter.
Shelby wanted to start in on this man about slushies and how he had completely ignored the kid who had been attacked thus far, but she knew she had to keep her senses about her so she could get them out of the spotlight and away from the instant media of the hallway.
"Can you escort us to the principal's office?" Shelby asked. "I need to talk with him to make sure that this is the last time this type of bullying happens in this school." She did make sure to say that for all of the phones and cameras. That was a sound bite that she was ok with getting out.
"Uhh, sure," Will said. He turned back to the hallway and so he could address all the students. "All of you need to move along now. And you three need to get to the choir room he said to the trio of Cheerios that were still watching. I'll be there soon." He puffed out his chest as he took control of this situation. "Follow me."
Shelby shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes as she and Rachel started to follow after him. "Come on, Kurt," she said to the boy when she noticed him lingering.
"Mom," Rachel said softly. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I just want to get changed so I can get to glee practice."
"It is a big deal, Rachel," Shelby said. "Do your dads know this is happening?"
Rachel nodded. "They've come in to talk with Principal Figgins and he keeps telling them he's trying to make the slushies stop, but it hasn't so far."
"Yeah right," Kurt chimed in. "Like they're ever going to do anything about the slushies. The popular kids love it and no one else matters."
Shelby pursed her lips and kept her comments to herself for the moment.
"Mom, your jacket is all messed up now," Rachel said as she tried to pull away from her mother.
"It's fine," Shelby said. "I'll have it cleaned."
"I'm sorry," Rachel said.
"This is not your fault," Shelby told her. "I'm going to call your dad so that he's here for this."
"No," Rachel whined. "It's going to take forever if you do that. Why can't we just skip it so I can change and go to glee?"
Shelby stopped walking and stared at her daughter for a second and tried to figure out why she wouldn't want anything done about this. "Honey-"
"It's not going to change anything," Rachel said. "We're just wasting time."
Shelby honestly didn't know what to say to that. As a mother, even as new as she was to that role, she was furious and heartbroken on her child's behalf. She thought back to herself in high school and knew she probably would have started a fight if someone had done this to her. She probably would have lost, but that's not the point. Why didn't Rachel want to fight back?
"Hello!" Principal Figgins said as he rushed out of his office to greet them. It was clear that someone had tipped him off about there being a star in his school.
"Principal Figgins, this is Shelby Corcoran," Will introduced them.
"It's wonderful to meet you," Principal Figgins smiled warmly at her.
Shelby knew that smile. He was ready to do anything for her because she was a star. He didn't seem to care at all about the cold child standing right next to her.
"Principal Figgins," Shelby said. "I'm sure you know my daughter, Rachel."
"Your dau- What? I mean, of course I do," Principal Figgins said.
"I figured you did," Shelby said. "Because I know that this is not the first time she's been assaulted in your school and I know that her fathers have talked to you about it."
"Oh. Umm, yes. Her fathers and I have spoken before," Principal Figgins said. He was a bit flustered.
"Well as you can see, it has happened again," Shelby said. She noticed as Principal Figgins looked down at Rachel and seemed to really notice her for the first time.
"Yes, it looks like it has. Umm-"
"Kurt was there and witnessed it," Shelby continued. "Kurt, please tell Principal Figgins who it was."
"Karofsky and Azimio," Kurt said.
"Why don't we go into my office," Principal Figgins said. This conversation was getting away from him and he needed to try and get some sort of control back.
"Mom," Rachel whined again.
"That's a great idea," Shelby said. "I just wanted you to see that an atrocious act had been committed against one of your students, but I won't keep them. Rachel and Kurt are anxious to get to their glee rehearsal. And I want Rachel to get cleaned up as soon as possible." Shelby turned to Rachel and smiled for her. "Sweetheart, you go ahead and get cleaned up and then go to glee. I'll only be a minute."
Rachel gave her a skeptical look, but finally nodded.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Schuester," Shelby said.
"Oh, uhh. Did you need anything else?" Will asked.
"No," Shelby said. "Thank you."
"Ok. Ok, Kurt let's get to glee," Will said.
Will and Kurt walked away and Shelby quietly asked Rachel which bathroom she was going to change in before letting her walk off. She followed Principal Figgins into his office and didn't bother taking a seat when it was offered to her.
"I'm going to make this quick since, as you can imagine, I'm anxious to get back to my daughter. This will be the last time Rachel or anyone else is assaulted in such a manner in your school," Shelby said. Figgins was so caught off guard he was stuck halfway between standing and sitting in his chair at the desk. "I know for a fact there were students filming me in the hallway when I came in and saw Rachel so I imagine news that involves your school is going to break very soon. I would hate for the only thing people find out about the school is that it's a safe haven for bullies and that the children aren't protected, even after repeated meetings with their parents. Katie Couric is a personal friend of mine and I'm sure she would love an exclusive about bullying and your methods as an administrator and disciplinarian, or lack thereof. So unless you want camera crews crawling around here for all the wrong reasons, I suggest you start to act. You can start with finding the boys who did that to my daughter and making sure they are dealt with accordingly. I'm going to check back in with you tomorrow to see what progress you've made. And if I ever hear of something like this happening again, I can promise you that you won't even get a warning call because when I pick up the phone it'll be to call the news."
Principal Figgins just stared at her and all he could do was nod.
"Wonderful," Shelby said. "Thank you for your time." And with that she was gone.
Figgins finally sat down and took a breath. Once he processed everything he had just been told, he turned to his computer and started to pull up the files of the two boys he knew to be tormentors.
When Shelby got into the hallway she quickly pulled out her phone and called a number. "Meredith," she greeted when her publicist answered the phone. "Remember that thing we talked about just before Christmas? We're going to need a statement." She listened for a second and then said, "I'll give you all the details in a little while. But it's coming." Shelby thanked her and then hung up the phone and dialed a different number. "Hiram."
"It came out, didn't it?" Hiram asked.
"I had to," Shelby said. "There was no other choice. I wasn't going to pretend I wasn't her mother. You didn't see her face."
"Shelby," Hiram said in a calm voice. "It's fine. We'll deal with it."
"Ok," Shelby sighed in relief. "I'll fill you in on all the details when we get home." He told her again not to worry about it before they ended their call.
Hiram put his phone down next to him on the couch and leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Things were about to change.
Shelby found the bathroom easily enough and was surprised to see that it opened up into a larger locker room. Well, that made sense she supposed. She could hear the shower running and so she sat down on a bench and waited for Rachel to be finished.
Rachel appeared close to ten minutes later in clean clothes with wet hair. She didn't say anything to Shelby as she stepped past her and up to one of the sinks so she could plug her hair dryer in. Shelby couldn't get Rachel to meet her gaze and it made her so sad to think about her daughter needing to bring a change of clothes to school.
"Rachel?"
"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked and then shut her eyes because of how harsh it sounded. "I mean, I'm happy to see you, but how are you here? You have your show."
"I wanted to surprise you," Shelby said. "I took a few days off from the show. Your dads and I have been planning it for a couple weeks now. I've been wanting to see you so badly."
"Me too," Rachel said. "Thank you for coming out here. But I can't believe you took time away from the show."
"Just a few days," Shelby said. "It's ok to do so. Especially for you."
Rachel could only nod before turning back to the sink.
"What did you say to Principal Figgins?" Rachel asked.
"Nothing much," Shelby said. "He assured me that this won't happen again and he knows he can expect consequences if it does."
"Consequences?" Rachel asked.
"Yes," Shelby said. "But I don't want you to worry about it, ok? Just promise me you'll tell me if it happens again."
"You don't have to worry about it," Rachel said.
"I will worry about it," Shelby said.
Rachel sighed heavily, but stayed silent as she finished up.
It didn't take Rachel long to get ready and she was soon packing up all of her stuff so that it could be returned to her locker. Shelby took the bag from her and carried it as they left the room.
"Are you ok?" Shelby asked as they walked together in the empty hallway.
"Yeah," Rachel smiled for her. "I'm fine."
"Rachel…"
"Honestly, Mom," Rachel said. "It's fine. Will you come to glee with me?"
"I wouldn't miss it," Shelby smiled for her and let the subject of the slushie drop. She didn't know how Rachel could care so little about it. She'd been in tears earlier.
The choir room was buzzing when they entered, but it didn't take long for the noise to stop and soon all eyes were focused on them. Rachel tried to pretend that she didn't notice all the attention as she led Shelby into the room and they sat down. Shelby just followed Rachel's lead and smiled at the girl doing her best to pretend that everything was perfectly normal right now.
"Rachel," Will said. "Why don't you introduce us to your guest." He couldn't keep the smile off his face. He was a huge fan of Shelby's. He didn't know the hows or the whys about how Shelby Corcoran was Rachel Berry's mother, but he assumed he'd hear about all of that later. But right now there was a huge star in his choir room and he was ecstatic.
Rachel stood up and walked to the front of the room and turned and smiled at everyone. "As some of you may have heard earlier, I have someone very special visiting with me right now. My mom." Her voice wavered and her eyes filled with tears.
Rachel looked over at Shelby and everyone else in the room did the same. The woman was seated on a chair on the risers and offered a small wave. She could see the questions about to explode from them.
"So wait," Santana said. "All this time you've had a mom who happens to be a movie star and into all that Broadway crap you like and you never shared it with anyone? I don't believe it." She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. No way was this true.
"Yeah, Rach," Finn said. "You're always talking about your dads, but never a mom. Not until you sang that song the other day."
Shelby looked at Rachel and raised an eyebrow. She wanted to know what song Rachel sung to the class. Rachel smiled at her but then ducked her head in an embarrassed manner.
"I think she's just been lying to us," Quinn said. She turned in her seat and looked at Shelby. "How did she get you to come out here and do this? Why would you want to hang out with Rachel of all people?"
Rachel rolled her eyes at Quinn's words. She never quite knew where she stood with the girl. Sometimes she thought they were making strides and sometimes it felt like they were back at square one.
Quinn kept the glare in her eye because she wasn't about to admit that she was going to be insanely jealous of Rachel if this turned out to be true. Rachel has two loving fathers and now she gets a famous mother on top of it? Quinn didn't even get to have parents anymore and she had no idea what to do about this baby.
Shelby narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl and her scowling cheerleader friend next to her. She was surprised to see them in the choir room because she had watched them laugh at her daughter not more than an hour before. Shelby stood from her spot and walked to the front of the room to stand by Rachel.
"It is not a lie," Shelby said. "And Rachel hasn't been keeping something from any of you. I am Shelby Corcoran and I am her mother. It is going to come out in the press soon, but I will give you an abridged version right now. I was the surrogate that was chosen by her fathers to carry Rachel for them. She only recently discovered who I was and we met just before Christmas. She didn't know I would be here today; I flew in this morning to surprise her for a weekend visit. But I don't want to take up anymore of your rehearsal time and I'd love to see what you are all working on."
Rachel beamed at her looked to Mr. Schue to start the practice. She desperately wanted to be able to show off right now. However, everyone started talking at once to ask questions. Shelby held up her hands and smiled and everyone started to quiet down. Rachel was taking mental notes because Shelby knew just how to work her audience.
"I know you all have questions, but that's enough from me right now," Shelby said. "Like I said, everything is going to be coming out soon and you will all know. I just want to get to watch you guys as a normal mom."
The questions started again and Shelby looked to Will in hopes that he would take control of his practice.
"Ok, guys," Will said as he stepped to the front of the room. "Let's give Ms. Corcoran some room to breathe. We need to get started on some of our numbers."
The kids were admittedly nervous as they worked on some songs, but Will was just as on edge. Shelby was a professional and he wanted to impress her with his teaching abilities. They were all trying way too hard. Kurt was practically shaking and Santana and Quinn stood up straighter as they went through their moves. Mike tried to make sure every step was on point. Maybe Rachel's mom could introduce him to some choreographers in New York City. For her part, Shelby was just happy to sit back and watch. She kept a critical eye out of it and was proud to watch her daughter. Shelby was in awe to find out how much Rachel was like her even though she hadn't been there for her entire life.
"Guys," Will said as the practice neared its end. "I hope you can help me talk Ms. Corcoran into singing for us while she's here."
There was a collective nod of excitement and the kids all looked back at Shelby who shook her head.
"No, not today," Shelby said. "I couldn't possibly follow up after your wonderful performances." There was a groan, especially from Kurt. "But if you'll let me, I'd love to sit in again tomorrow and I promise I will sing for you then."
"We're going to hold you to that," Will said with a nervous laugh and a huge smile.
Shelby picked up Rachel's school bag and waited as she said goodbye to everyone. Kurt stayed by Rachel's side the whole time.
"I wish I had something for her to autograph," Santana whispered to Quinn and Brittany.
"Me too," Quinn whispered back.
"Want to hit up the store and see if we can find something?" Santana asked.
"Sure," Brittany said and Quinn nodded.
Shelby narrowed her eyes at the group of girls once more as she watched them. She was already planning to have a little chat with those girls about laughing at her kid before left town.
Rachel led the way out of the choir room and back towards her locker so she could get her dirty clothes. She was embarrassed once more as she retrieved them but held her head high like she wasn't bothered.
"Do you need a ride home, Kurt?" Shelby asked.
"I usually just walk," Kurt said quickly. "I can just- It's not very far." She had him flustered.
"We'll give you a ride," Shelby said. "It's pretty cold out."
"Thank!" Kurt gushed.
"I'd love to get to chat with you some more," Shelby said as they walked towards the car. "Rachel has told me about you. Maybe we can do lunch or dinner sometime this weekend, just the three of us."
"Really?" Kurt squeaked.
"Yeah," Shelby smiled. "We'll talk about whatever you guys want. I'll answer all your Broadway questions."
"Really?" it was Rachel this time. She and Kurt shared a wide smile.
"Absolutely," Shelby said. She understood that she had to let them get it out of their system. "But tonight I'm all Rachel's and her dads."
"Oh of course," Kurt said. "That's understandable. Obviously." He gave a nervous laugh as he got into the back of the car.
It didn't take long to get to Kurt's house and then Shelby and Rachel were home. While Rachel went to greet her fathers, Shelby checked her phone for the first time since she'd made those earlier calls. She'd silenced it so she wouldn't be interrupted from watching Rachel at glee. Just as she suspected, she had multiple missed calls and voice mail messages. The number of emails and texts she had to read were also increasing. She sighed and put the phone away. She would have to deal with that a little later.
Shelby walked into the kitchen and greeted the men who had just started with dinner.
"Rachel was just telling us how you surprised her at school," Hiram said as she walked into the room and leaned against the counter.
"I did," Shelby said. "I'm so happy to see her."
Rachel smiled and said, "I can't believe you guys have been planning this behind my back. But I'm so excited. What are we going to do while you're here?"
"Whatever you want," Shelby answered.
"You're going to school tomorrow," LeRoy said before Rachel could even open her mouth to say something.
"Yes, after school," Shelby said with a laugh as Rachel slumped her shoulders.
"Well, I will have to think on it," Rachel said. "If you had given me advance warning, I could have planned something out."
"We can wing it," Shelby said.
"I'm not very good at winging it sometimes," Rachel admitted.
"You'll do fine, sweetheart," Hiram chuckled. "Why don't you take your bags upstairs and get them out of the way? Do you have any homework?"
"Not much," Rachel said. "I can do it lat-"
"Go ahead and knock it out," Hiram said. "You'll probably be done before dinner."
"Fine," Rachel huffed as she turned to leave the room. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Shelby. "Mom, maybe you can help me with it."
"Sure," Shelby smiled. "Give me ten minutes to make a phone call and I'll be right up."
"Ok," Rachel said and she left the room.
"She's wearing different clothes," LeRoy said to Hiram once Rachel was up the stairs and out of ear shot.
"I know," Hiram sighed. "We need to set up a meeting for tomorrow. This has got to stop."
"You're talking about the slushies," Shelby said.
"She told you about them?" LeRoy asked.
"I saw it happen," Shelby said. "I had just gotten there. Two boys did it and it was awful. She was so hurt and embarrassed."
"It happened three times before she actually told us," Hiram said. LeRoy and I have been in to talk with the principal twice now."
"I don't think you'll need to do it again," Shelby said. "I went to her, of course, and there were a bunch of kids taking pictures and video on their phones and I said that I was Rachel's mother. Some of those kids were still laughing at her. But I don't get it because she didn't want to tell the principal. She kept saying she didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
"Rachel does her very best to keep her head held high at school," LeRoy said. "She only lets it bother her when she comes home. Knowing that you saw it would have upset her."
"She was crying," Shelby said.
LeRoy and Hiram shook their heads and shared a look. "Rachel has a bit of an image problem. She wants so badly to be popular and well-liked, but she has never been one of the popular kids. She is picked on and bullied, as you saw. We are doing our best to stop it, but the school is no help and she would rather pretend it never happened and pretend not to be affect by it."
"I think she's worried that you won't like her as much if she's not popular," Hiram said.
"What?" Shelby breathed out.
"You're her idol, Shelby," LeRoy said. "She wants to impress you. I know she was mortified."
"She doesn't have to impress me," Shelby said.
"She just doesn't understand that yet," LeRoy said. "She will though."
"I'll talk to her later," Shelby said.
"You did make her tell the principal, right?" Hiram asked.
"Yes. And then I sent her away and threatened the principal and the school," Shelby told them.
"What did you say?" Hiram asked.
"I reminded him that his school is probably about to be on the news and then I told him that my personal friend Katie Couric would love an exclusive about the bullying that he encourages by doing nothing."
"You're friends with Katie Couric?" LeRoy asked, full of excitement.
"We're more acquaintances than anything else," Shelby said. "But I'm sure I could get her interested in a story like that. Anyway, the principal promised to take care of the boys who did that to her and put a stop to it all together. I told him that I would be checking in with him tomorrow to see what progress has been made."
"Well done, mama bear," Hiram said.
"Thank you," Shelby couldn't stop her smile.
"So what do we do about the news of you being her mom getting out?" Hiram said.
"I called my publicist, Meredith, earlier and I've got about a million messages from her, I'm sure," Shelby said. "We can put out an official statement explaining everything and asking for privacy for the family. That won't work, of course. It'll probably help if we agree to an interview with someone. Or one magazine and one television news. 60 Minutes or something."
"Do you think it's already out?" LeRoy asked.
"If one of those kids in the hallway stuck it online it might be," Shelby said. "Meredith will be able to tell me and we can go from there. If it's already out, we should do a statement sooner rather than later. In this case, it'll be best to cut the gossip off before it has a chance to get going."
"Ok," Hiram said. "We'll follow your lead on this."
"I'm sorry we weren't more prepared," Shelby said.
"You were defending your daughter," LeRoy said. "Our little girl. You did the right thing. We'll deal with everything else as it comes."
"Hey, did you make your phone call yet?" Rachel asked as she walked into the room with a basket of laundry. "I'm just going to start this load and then I'll finish up my homework."
"Sounds perfect," Shelby said. "I'll be up to help you."
"I'll hurry," Rachel said as she continued on her way to the basement to get to the washer and dryer.
Shelby had to put off calling Meredith again because Rachel was back in a flash and the woman followed her up so she could get her first look at her daughter's room. It was pretty much everything she imagined. Rachel showed her around and pointed things out, including the brand new poster she'd received for Christmas.
"And this must be the infamous eBay poster," Shelby said when she stood in front of the poster of herself that Rachel had won.
"Mom," Rachel flushed red.
"It's a good poster," Shelby said. "That's one of my favorites I ever released."
"Really?" Rachel asked.
"Yep," Shelby said. "And the autograph looks legitimate."
"It is," Rachel said. She was certain of it.
"Ok," Shelby decided to change the subject. "Show me that homework."
"Mom," Rachel whined.
No one brought up the slushies or Shelby's discovery of the bullying for the rest of the night. They enjoyed a great dinner together and Rachel reveled in Shelby's attention. Shelby thought she could see her starting to relax, but not completely. She wanted Rachel to really let her guard down, but the incident at school seemed to have rejuvenated the girl's attempts to make sure her mother thought the best of her.
Shelby and the men decided it would be best not to bombard Rachel with any details until they were sure of them themselves. Rachel knew that something was up with them and she could only assume that it had to do with her mom telling everyone that was watching that she was her mother. She knew the news would be getting out soon, but she didn't really know what to do about it. Besides, bringing up her worries meant she'd have to bring up what happened that afternoon and she didn't want to do that.
Rachel did not want to have to go to bed that evening, but tried not to put up a fight or whine about it. She didn't want to be seen as acting like a child. Shelby asked Hiram and LeRoy if it would be ok if she talked to Rachel for a little bit before she went to sleep. They agreed and Shelby knocked on Rachel's bedroom door fifteen minutes after the girl had gone up.
"Come in," Rachel said.
"Hey," Shelby said when she opened the door and peeked in.
"Mom?" Rachel asked.
"I wanted to talk with you for a few minutes before you went to bed," Shelby said as she stepped in the room and closed the door behind her.
"Oh? About what?"
"Rachel, this afternoon-"
"It was nothing," Rachel said. "It doesn't bother me."
"Honey, yes it does," Shelby said. "And that's ok. You should be bothered. That shouldn't be happening to you."
"But it does," Rachel shrugged, but Shelby could tell she was losing some of her bravado.
"Not anymore," Shelby said.
"Maybe I won't be such a loser now that people know you're my mom," Rachel said quietly.
"Oh honey, you are not a loser," Shelby said as she stepped forward and engulfed the girl in a hug.
"Yes I am," Rachel said as she latched onto her mother. "You saw. You know it now too."
"Rachel, I do not think that about you," Shelby said.
"But I am," Rachel said as tears welled in her eyes. "Most people don't like me. I want you to like me."
"I love you, sweetheart," Shelby said. She cupped Rachel's face in her hands and looked her in the eyes. "You are perfect exactly as you are. I want you to be yourself around me. Let me know my beautiful baby girl."
"But you're so perfect and amazing," Rachel said. "Don't you want a daughter that's more like you?"
"I don't want anyone but you, no matter who you are," Shelby said. "I'm not perfect or amazing. I'm just Shelby. I'm just your mom."
"But that's not all you are," Rachel said.
"It is all I am," Shelby said. "My job is awesome and we can talk about that all you want. But I want you to try and remember that there is more to me than being an actress and a singer. Just like there is more to you than how some of your peers see you. I don't want you changing anything about yourself for me. You are not a loser. You do not deserve to be bullied. You are insanely talented and beautiful and I love you so much, but I don't need you to be on or poised or trying to please or impress me all the time. I want you to be the good kid I know you are. Please just relax, Rachel."
"Ok," Rachel nodded through her tears and she hugged Shelby once more. She could actually feel some of the pressure lifting from her shoulders.
Rachel crawled into bed and asked Shelby to sit with her for a while. Shelby sat up against the headboard and ran her fingers gently through Rachel's hair until she fell asleep. Once Shelby was sure she was sleeping, she got up and made sure Rachel's blankets were in place and then quietly left the room. She stepped into the guest room where her stuff was for a little bit of privacy and pulled out her phone and finally called Meredith back.
"Hey," Shelby said. "Sorry for the delay. What's going on?"
"Rumors are already starting to circulate," Meredith said.
"I figured," Shelby said. "You have a statement ready?"
"Yeah," Meredith answered. "I emailed it to you. Look it over and get back to me as soon as you can. I can get it out in the morning."
"Ok. Who has the rumors?"
"Nothing major yet, but a videos have surfaced on YouTube," Meredith said. "So that's Rachel, huh? What happened? What is she covered in?"
Shelby shut her eyes as the realization hit her. She didn't know why, but it hadn't really occurred to her that people would see Rachel covered in slushie. Of course they would. She knew that was just going to make Rachel feel worse. How could she not have thought about that before?
"A couple of idiots tossed their frozen drinks at her," Shelby answered.
"Jesus," Meredith said. "Kids are so awful towards one another sometimes."
"I know," Shelby said. "Please add something to the press release about Rachel being strong and rising above the bullying she endures. She thinks she's a loser."
"I'll take care of it," Meredith said. "I'll add it to the draft and email you again."
"Ok," Shelby nodded. "Thank you so much."
"No problem," Meredith said. "And don't worry about; everything is going to be fine."
"I know," Shelby said. She hoped.
A/N – Again, I'm very sorry about the delay. I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review if you can. Your feedback means so much to me. Thank you all so much for your support and I'll have a new chapter soon.
