Chapter 45
"Hello Rachel, sweetheart"
"Evening Andrea" Rachel smiled as she looked into the smiling face of James mom. She'd been sat at home alone, her Dads working late and decided to go to James' house to spend some time with him and his mom. "Can I come in?"
"Of course sweetie" Andrea replies, standing aside to allow her into the house "James is just in the kitchen putting the last few details to his Julliard application"
"Oh…maybe I should come back later when he isn't busy, I don't want to distract him" Rachel says, biting her lip. As much as James said otherwise; while at school he was able to do a reasonably good job of keeping his attention focused on his work, outside of school was a different matter and he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself.
"Don't worry about that Rachel dear, he's nearly done and besides we both know he'll be distracted regardless if you stay or not" Andrea replied laughing as Rachel giggled slightly.
Slipping her pumps off her feet, Rachel walks down the corridor towards the kitchen / dining area at the back of their house; smiling as she sees James look up from the table as she walks into the room, a broad smile on his face.
"Hey Rach" He says, leaning back in his chair as she walks over to him; leaning down to kiss him softly on the lips. "Come to safe me from this?"
"No" She murmurs; rolling her eyes at his smirk as she sits down next to him, sitting side on so that she can watch him. "In fact I've come to make sure you actually get this finished lazy"
"Lazy?" He scoffs "I resent that accusation; I just have a short attention span for school things outside of school"
"Well, remember that this is important because it means we can be in New York together next year" She replies, grinning at him as he smirks.
"Good point" He concedes, licking his top lip. "I'm nearly done, just running through it to make sure I've got all the important bits of information in there; qualifications, work experience and letters of recommendations"
"Who did you get to write them?" Rachel asks curiously, resting her elbow on the table to support her head as she rests it on her palm, glancing over at the lose pieces of paper.
"Mrs Tantor, my old principal: Harold, who ran the community theatre in Portland and Mr Atherton" He replies, reading another sheet of paper that talked about his show choir experience.
"You didn't ask Mr Schuster?" Rachel asked, putting the three letters down again.
"I've had them done for months" He shrugs "I would have done if I needed to"
"How is your NYADA application coming together Rachel?" Andrea asked from the cooker she was stood at.
"It's essentially ready to be sent away; I just want to wait for the Student Body election" Rachel answers, biting her lip at the mention of the last thing. The last few days, since she had seen James and Kurt talking in the choir room, Rachel had been having second thoughts about her campaign and whether she should drop out to try and help Kurt. She still felt that she could make a difference at McKinley but she missed her friend and especially after her conversation with Shelby earlier that day; Rachel wanted to help him even more.
"You've got it in the bag" James says supportively as he starts putting all the sheets of paper together in the application folder with the beautiful Julliard emblem emblazoned on the front. Attaching the clip, he puts it back down on the table and leans back stretching in his chair. "All done, Mom you going to take a look later tonight?"
"I will do sweetie" Andrea replies smiling, "I'll post it off tomorrow for you when I head up to Akron"
"Thanks Mom" He says before turning to look at her; his hand reaching across to touch her shoulder. "Did you talk to Shelby about your last letter?"
"I did" She confirms, nodding her head. "Thankfully she was more than happy to"
"See told you" He smirks.
"You did" She rolls her eyes. "I would have gotten around to asking Shelby eventually…but I'm glad you gave me a push to go and see her. Thank you"
James shakes his head at her, a warm smile on his lips. "Don't thank me; I'm just glad you and her are having a relationship…even if it is just small stepping stones"
"Thanks baby, me too" Rachel replies, leaning forward to hug him loosely; adding quietly in his ear. "I need to talk to you about something later"
James nods his head at her and winks as they pull away, mouthing an okay before he stands up and walks towards his mom. Rachel follows him, watching as he kisses his mom on the cheek and hovers at her side. "Is dinner nearly ready, I'm starving?"
"Ten minutes" Andrea says, laughing at her son. "Are you joining us, Rachel?"
"I'd love to" She replies grinning. "Where else could I get to enjoy my favourite cooking?"
"Don't let your fathers hear you say that" Andrea responds as the three of them laugh. "James, will you set the table please sweetheart"
Dinner with James and his Mom, as always, is a nice moment; a quiet, relaxing experience as Rachel sits with them talking about anything and everything. Andrea takes a high interest in everything her son and his girlfriend do and is so kind and relaxing just to talk to her that Rachel can't help but feel surrounded in the warmth of this cosy family moment. The next week, the last before sectionals, Andrea is going home to Oregon to make the final arrangements for the restaurant before coming back to Ohio to watch her son and his friends perform. Rachel can't help but smile when she hears that Charlie is coming the week after that for her birthday to spend it with her little brother and mom. Although they'd only spent a couple of days together, Rachel loved his sister and couldn't wait to see her again.
After helping James with the dishes, after laughing as he had complained about having to do them, the two of them retreated to his room and she was sat at his desk using his computer while he led sprawled out across his bed watching a replay of his team's game on TV.
She was giggling at something on her Facebook wall when she heard James groan, turning to look at him with a smirk as he was shook his head at the game.
"Everything okay?" She asks, watching as he gives her a smile and shrugs his shoulders.
"I'm just glad that I'm not anywhere near Matt right now; He'd give me so much shit about the Seahawks losing the last few weeks" He says rubbing his forehead.
"Maybe you should avoid seeing Daddy as well" Rachel giggles and James smirks at her.
"Maybe" He murmurs, standing up and making his way over to her, leaning down to kiss her softly. "What did you want to talk to me about earlier, Shelby?"
Rachel nodded, smiling slightly. She loved how sensitive he was about the issue and more importantly, how sensitive he was to her emotions; many times it was as if he could sense what she was thinking or feeling. Standing from the chair and taking his hand, she led him over to bed where they both sat down comfortably leaning against his pillows. "I went to see her about my letter of recommendation…as I told you; I thought it would be amazing to have her as one of my references….
….
Peeking through the curtain nervously, Rachel spots Shelby sat at the piano in the centre of the stage in the April Rhodes auditorium as she plays a few notes; probably preparing something for the Troubletones to perform at sectionals in little over a weeks' time.
She couldn't belief James had convinced her to do this, it was nerve wracking. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, because despite the fact that Rachel had built a relationship with her mom over the last weeks; filled with short conversations about her school life and curious questions from Shelby about her fathers, Rachel couldn't help the nervous little girl that always showed herself around her birth mother.
Gripping the folder in her arms tighter, Rachel steps out from behind the curtain and starts walking out onto the stage towards her mo…Shelby, gulping slightly at the sound of the high heels of her shoes clicking on the floor. Looking up from the ground, Rachel saw Shelby sitting watch her with a smile on her lips as she approaches her birth mother. Returning the smile, before speaking, Rachel takes a breathe
"Hi Shelby…are you busy?"
"Hey Rachel" Shelby replies moving her hands and putting the lid down over the piano keys. "Not I'm not busy, is there something I can help you with?"
"Yea…Yeah there is" Rachel pauses to lick her lips, letting out a breathe before continuing; "As you might remember me saying…I'm applying to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts."
"I remember" Shelby replies smiling, "You're perfect for NYADA; All the girls that beat me out in New York graduated from there, it gives you an edge as you try to move into performing. Need some pointers about your application?"
"Not exactly…as you know…my grades are perfect and I was the lead in the school musical; I've got a ton of extra-curricular activities thanks to all the clubs that I've joined over the years and hopefully next week, I'll have won the election for student class president" Rachel says, pausing and looking from Shelby to the folders she just set down on top of the piano; rubbing her lips together before continuing; "I need three letters of recommendations to accompany my application and I have two already…one from Mr Schuster and one from my ballet tutor. I need one last one, a killer letter and I was wondering…"
Rachel voice tails off towards the end, growing quieter as she smiles shyly at Shelby who honestly looks surprised at what she's being asked to do.
"You want me to write it?" Shelby asks, her eyebrows rose.
Rachel nods her head, smiling at her birth mother whose own lips curve into a smile after a short moment.
"I would be honoured to Rachel"
"Really?" Rachel asks in clarification, grinning when Shelby nods her head. "Thank you so much, I wanted you because of your pedigree as a national champion show choir coach would make some noise with the admissions board"
"Absolutely" Shelby says, stretching her hand out towards the folder. "May I?"
"Please" Rachel nods her head and watches smiling as Shelby takes it and carefully opens it up and starts reading the first page. It's such a little thing, but it means the world to her knowing that Shelby would do something for her.
"Such an impressive résumé; you have the school musical and all the clubs, your grades are outstanding…and maybe even student council president" Shelby observes as she reads it, smiling as she looks up and meets her gaze again. "You have such a good chance of getting into NYADA"
"Hopefully"
"I'm so proud of you for this" Shelby says, an affectionate warm look in her eye. "Watching you in West Side Story was incredible; I don't think I've ever seen someone shine as bright as you do. You are truly a star and I'm glad that I can be around to watch you grow into this amazing young woman"
Rachel feels the tears welling in her eyes as she looks at her birth mother, gulping to hold them back as she murmurs a quiet response "Thank you"
"I'm a little jealous of all these amazing things you have lying ahead, but I am so, so proud of you and I'll be cheering you on"
"That means a lot to hear" Rachel replies, raising her hand and wiping her eyes with her thumb. "Maybe one day you can come to my Broadway debut"
"Oooh, try to stop me" Shelby says and they both laugh. Rachel bites her lip a few seconds and observes Shelby smiling at her.
"It means a lot to me that you're here…and being part of my life"
"I'm glad I can be too" Shelby replies, chewing her lip as she glances at the clock on the wall behind Rachel. Do you want to talk for a little bit? Unless you have class of course, I can't be distracting you from class"
Rachel feels her heart beat faster, nodding her head as she moves over and sits next to Shelby at the piano bench. "I have a free period; talking would be nice"
"I'm glad to hear that" Shelby replies, her eyes sparkling as she smiles. "Now, tell me about you and that cute boy I saw you with the other day in the corridor"
"James is a sweetheart" Rachel replies. "He is very handsome"
"He treats you right?" Shelby asks and Rachel nods instantly.
"He's amazing, perfect and I love him"
"I'm glad you're happy" Shelby says and Rachel lets out a breathe; glad that she can have this bonding time with her mom. "How are your Dads?"
"Well, Daddy…"
The two of them spend a good half an hour talking, as Rachel tells Shelby about her father's work; even though her dads had been upset to hear about Shelby's appearance in her sophomore year and then the reappearance this year, they were happy that Rachel was happy with her birth mom being around and they were content to allow their daughter explore this relationship. It was easy because Shelby thought highly of her fathers and Rachel was just glad to have another older female to talk in her life besides Andrea; not that Andrea wasn't amazing. In exchange, Shelby told her a little about Beth and when she had returned to New York last year.
"Did you ever think about applying to NYADA?" Rachel asks, playing with the frill of her dress.
"I didn't have the same opportunity that you have" Shelby replies, "They only accept the very best and for people without huge big ticket items; there is next to no chance that they will"
Rachel smile faded as she heard that, remembering how important the student council election was; what it meant for Kurt and his chance of applying to NYADA.
"Rachel? Are you okay sweetie?"
"Yeah, yeah" Rachel says nodding "Sorry, I just drifted off into my own little world…could we do this again sometime?"
"Of course" Shelby replies, smiling. "Anytime you want"
…..
"Talking to Shelby…I realised why I was so involved in the student council election straight from the start; it was because I knew how much it meant to Kurt and the two of us had planned his election to make sure that he could get into NYADA and the two of us could go to New York with you next year" Rachel says, twiddling her thumbs as she sits opposite James on his purple colour bed.
"Yeah…and we talked about this when you decided you wanted to run for it" James replies, running a hand up her arm. "Right? That it was important for you as well"
"It was…but only because I didn't think that I was going to win the Maria role in West Side Story" Rachel explains, licking her lips before continuing "But when I did get that part, Kurt was mad at me and you know how I can be; I don't like admitting that I might be wrong about something so I couldn't give up the election because I had this stubborn way of thinking that I was only doing it to help the school"
"What are you saying Rach?" James murmured, frowning slightly across from her. "You don't want to run in the election anymore?"
"Maybe" Rachel shrugs her shoulder.
"Rach, the election is next week"
"I know that and I'm not sure what I'm trying to say…" Rachel says quietly, watching as James lets out a sigh.
"It sounds to me like you're having second thoughts about this whole thing" James replies, smiling at her as he squeezes her hand. "Like I said to you last time; I love you and I'll support any decision you want to make alright?"
Rachel smiles back at him, nodding her head as she moves forward and kisses him. "Thank you"
"Don't mention it, Rach" He says winking at her. "Just make sure you think about it before you do anything okay? "
"I will" Rachel says softly, smiling at him as she speaks again; "Can we cuddle for a bit?"
"My absolute favourite thing to do" He replies, winking at her as he stretched out on his bed and beckoned her to come closer towards him with his hand.
Rachel grinned and slid across the bed towards him, settling on her side and cuddling into his body; resting her head against his chest and securing her arm across his waist as their legs tangled together. No matter what or how she was feeling, this was by far one of her favourite things to do; the time they spent alone together holding each other made all of her worries wash away in his soothing presence.
The two of them spent the rest of the night in that position; gradually drifting off to sleep in the arms of the person they loved.
…
The next couple of days passed by in a flash and Rachel thoughts were conflicted in the approach to the Student council presidential debate that was occurring after school that night. She, along with James, continued to campaign for her own election but in the back of her mind; there was a lingering thought that she would rather step aside and support Kurt to try and regain her best friend.
She had tried a couple of times to talk to him. The first time had been during the game of dodge ball between the New Directions and the Troubletones where he had dismissed her. Apart from having to watch her best friend walk away from her, it had been a surprisingly enjoyable experience; James and Noah had been determined to try and the game for New Directions. Rachel had loved seeing James pumped up, and in particular he wore a tight t-shirt that exposed his well built muscles to her.
The a second time when she'd spotted him talking with Blaine outside of school after Glee club rehearsals the night before, but her former best friend had practically ignored her and she had been forced to talk to Blaine instead. It killed her to see him look at her with a passive look and wanted nothing more than to be able to enjoy Kurt's company again.
Mr Schuster had cancelled glee club rehearsal for that night to allow both her and Kurt to prepare and after going over her prepared notes, Rachel was walking hand in hand with James towards the debate.
"You okay?" She heard James ask as they approach the gym.
Pausing, Rachel turns to face him and looks up through her eyelashes at him. "I'm nervous"
James nods at her, stepping closer and placing his arms on her shoulders, his hands stroking the bare skin on her back. "You'll be fine, I believe in you"
"I still don't know what I'm going to do" Rachel murmurs, rubbing his sides with her hands as she bites her lip. James gives her a smile and nods his head gently.
"Just do whatever feels right okay" James says, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "I love you and good luck"
"Love you too" Rachel murmurs, tilting her head and kissing him; moaning gently as he cups her face in his hands. "Let's go"
Rachel took a deep breath before the two of them stepped inside the gym, looking around and smiling as she saw a few dozen people sitting in the stands already; gripping James' hand tighter as they made their way towards Quinn and Noah were sat at the back. Most of the New Directions had been quiet about who they would be supporting in the election aside from James, Noah and Quinn who had all come out in support of her and had been assisting her with her campaign.
The four of them sat together talking for a few minutes before they were interrupted by Principal Figgins asking the candidates to take their positions in the middle of the gym.
"Good Luck Rachel, you'll be great" Quinn assured her.
"In the bag princess" Noah said giving her a wink. Smiling, Rachel turned and kissed James; pulling back and taking a deep breath as he squeezed her hand.
"Love you" He murmured as she nodded a smile on her face as she stood up and made her way down the steps towards the row of four chairs that had been set out in the middle. Rachel gave Kurt a nervous smile as she sat down next to him which he returned and gave her a quick nod of his head.
"Quiet please children" Principal Figgins voice rang through the gym, amplified by the microphone. "Welcome one and all, to McKinley High's senior class presidential debate. Such a magnificent turnout reflects this schools passion for democracy and also a reminder that it is against school policy to pass gas into jars to be sold in the cafeteria"
Rachel frowned in the direction of the muffled laughter's, rolling her eyes as she saw two jocks laughing and fist bumping each other before returning her gaze back to the centre of the gym.
"And now our first candidate…Rick "The Stick" Nielsen"
Rachel was going to be the last candidate to speak and she sat with her legs crossed, clasping her hands together in her lap as she listened to the hockey player spouting some rubbish about how teachers had to listen to the teen that they taught, trying to keep the frown of her face. It was hard to believe that he was actually competing with herself and Kurt judging by the fact he had yet to come up with a worthwhile issue to campaign upon; but then again, Brittany was running her campaign by making false promises so maybe it wasn't so hard to believe.
When it was Brittany's turn, Rachel couldn't help the way that her head instinctively tilted to the side as she sat bewildered by the speech she was giving. The blonde cheerleader started by talking about Hurricane and in typical manner considering how she'd run her campaign; promised to ban tornados at McKinley to protect students and their families. It was completely ridiculous but of course that meant that the student body ate it up, roaring and clapping when Brittany added that she would go topless every Tuesday.
Glancing into the crowd, Rachel saw James sat there with an amused smirk on his face as he shook his head at what he'd heard and the reaction it had gotten. Smiling at him, their gaze met and he winked at her and held two thumbs up causing her to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling.
Kurt was up after Brittany and Rachel pursed her lips as he made his way to the centre of the gym and reached into his pocket to remove the notes. Clearing his throat, Rachel listened with interest as he started his speech;
"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel. The past few weeks, I have tried to address the real problem of obesity at this school. But my opponents chose empty promises and smear tactics. Although she knows it to be untrue, Brittany stated that my face was used at the model for Hasbro's successful line of mylittlepony's" Rachel looked at the girl next to her, frowning, and shook her head as Brittany nodded her in agreement with what Kurt was saying.
"Well, I refuse to be bullied; in fact I refuse to let anyone be bullied." Kurt says and Rachel tilts her head as she listens to him. "Today, I want to make a stand against bullying at McKinley. I would like to hear by pledge that if I am elected I will move to ban Slushies' at this school along with to ban Dodge ball."
Rachel eyebrow rise instinctively as she hears him, there are a few murmurs in the crowd.
"Too many of my friends and people I know; even me have been the victim of slushies' and it's about time that someone stood up for people that have to suffer this abuse" Kurt takes the microphone of the stand and moves forwards towards the people sat in the stand. "Dodge-ball is another extension of that; since its invention in 1831 by Stylus W Mangould, dodge ball has been used as a school yard instrument of suppression. Its violent, it's painful and it's humiliating; just as humiliating as a slushy being thrown in your face. I believe that it is an equivalent to modern day stoning; let's end these here at McKinley High and send a strong message that violence isn't okay. Stand up for the people that you care about and protect them from bullying"
Rachel can't control the smile that spreads across her face as she listened to him talk passionately about defending people form bullying. The message about protecting the people that you care about rings true in her ears as she remembers how James had been targeting by slushies' as had so many of her friends in the Glee Club. Turning to glance at James in the audience, she saw him clapping and Rachel nodded to herself she knew what she had to do; his speech had made her realise what this was all about, not only NYADA but also making a difference and she knew that Kurt was the one who would have the most chance of that.
"Hello, I'm Rachel Berry and I have campaigned for president on a crusade for school book covers; a plan to save the schools thousands of dollars" She says, pausing to take a breath. "While I still consider this plan an inspired stroke of political genius…I hereby withdraw my candidacy and urge you all to vote for Kurt Hummel"
In the crowd she sees James grin at her and give her two thumbs up; taking a breath, Rachel continues a smile on her lips. "He's the only candidate that never went negative in this whole campaign; the only one that cares about making a true honest difference at this school and he's the one that deserves to be your president. I will be casting my vote for Kurt Hummel and I hope that all of you can do the same; Vote Hummel McKinley, make the right choice"
….
"Well…that was unexpected" Noah said, gazing at her with a raised eyebrow. "I wished that you would have decided on that before I spent the last few weeks slaving away putting up posters for your campaign"
"I'm sorry" Rachel murmurs, smiling at him. "It was sort of unexpected to me as well. Thank you for helping me and I'm sorry that I wasted your time"
"Don't worry about it princess" He shrugs, giving her a smirk. "I'd do anything for you and that was a really nice thing you just did for Kurt up there. I'm proud of you"
"So am I" James added and Rachel turned to face her boyfriend; flashing him a smile. "You were amazing up there"
"Thanks" She replies, stepping closer to him. "I had to; when he was talking about actually wanting to do some good at McKinley I just knew….especially when he mentioned the whole stopping slushing; its so horrible to experience that…and to watch someone you care about experience that"
James nodded at her, closing the distance between them and pulling her into a tight embrace. She grinned when she heard him whisper in her ear; "You're the most amazing girl and I love you angel"
"I love you too" She says softly, pulling back and looking up at his proud face, feeling like a million dollars. "I just hope Kurt can forgive me"
"That depends" She hears a voice, turning around to see Kurt stood with Blaine and Finn. "Can we talk?"
Rachel nods eagerly, stepping out of James' arms and following Kurt as he turns and leads her away from the group of people. She bites her lip nervously as they sit down on the far side of the gym on the benches.
"Why did you do it?" Kurt speaks up after a few minutes of silence.
"I should have withdrawn from the race when I got the lead in the musical" Rachel replies softly, rubbing her hands together. "You needed the resume boost to get into NYADA; you're already so spectacular but being senior class president will be like this exclamation point, make you stand out to the admissions board and I should have remembered that"
"But its more than that; You are such a special person and listening to you up there, you want to make a difference and help people at this school. Help them be able to come and not get bullied or have slushies thrown at them and I respect that incredibly so"
Kurt observes her for a few seconds before he smiles at her; "Only Rachel Berry could perk up an old, boring High school debate with such a riveting twist"
"Drama Queen I know" Rachel giggles. "I hated you hating me"
"Me two, scowling gives you frown lines and I am way too young for Botox"
"I was just focusing on my dream of going to New York and forgetting that such a big part of that is going with you ; having my best friend there with me as well as James" She says smiling, and Kurt nods at her with a tear in his eye "So, now I am all about helping you win; making up for the times I should have been there to support you. Consider me your campaign slave"
"Come here and hug me dummy" Kurt remarks and they both giggle before they embrace, hugging each other tightly for the first in several long weeks that they had been fighting. "I forgive you; you are my best friend and I love you including all of your crazy and drama"
"I love you too Kurt" Rachel says, pulling back and grinning at him. "Best of all is that I happen to have a couple of hunky boys that will definitely help you win as well"
….
Rachel is over the moon, ecstatic and all of the adjectives you can think of to describe how happy a person can be, over the next few days. Kurt was speaking to her again, the two of them had resumed their best friend status and Rachel was enjoying it. Sure, it meant that she wasn't going to win the election for student council president because withdrawing from the race was one of the ways that she made up to Kurt for the previous month of being a bad friend but she didn't care; Rachel had her best friend back and it felt amazing.
The two of them became pretty much inseparable over the remaining couple of days of that week as they caught up and filled each other in what had been happening in the others life in the space they hadn't been talking. That included a conversation about Kurt's first time with Blaine as well as Rachel telling him about how she had nearly gone that far with James; Kurt understanding why both her and her boyfriend had seemed out of sorts and down over the two weeks. He told her that he had wanted to ask her what was wrong but he felt guilty for not being able to due to his feelings of betrayal. Rachel promised him that while she could have used his friendship, it wasn't his fault in the slightest; she had been the one to betray their friendship and they could just put it under the bridge and move on.
The Friday night of the week, the two of them invoked their old traditional movie night at her house; sitting together on her bed watching musicals and soppy love stories just like they had done before all the nastiness. The renewed peace and happiness in their friendship continued over the weekend as they walked around the mall with their boyfriends before all four of them had dinner at Breadsticks on Saturday night. Surrounded by two of her closest friends and her boyfriend, Rachel couldn't help but grin as they all enjoyed teasing one another.
The following Monday, James was jokingly pretending to be upset at the fact she had barely spent much time with him all weekend and now in their first two classes of the day she had practically ignored him and sat next to Kurt. She had kissed him and told him to stop being a big baby and that she'd make it up to him another time, to which he assured her he was only kidding and didn't mind in the slightest seeing the two of them friends again.
Things were going good in her life; her application to NYADA was almost done, she was happy with her boyfriend in Ohio and she was reunited with her best friend. Normally when things seemed this perfect, something went wrong but Rachel knew this time was going to be different; no drama, no breakups and she was honestly, utterly happy.
…
A/N : Well she has to go jinx it!
Kurt and Rachel made up (yay!) The election is going to go a little differently in this story, mostly because I want to give Kurt the best chance of getting into NYADA I can, and honestly I hated that Brittany won it in the show. Sure it was funny because of the dinosaur prom but really?!