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"Rachel Barbra, would you care to explain what this is!?" Shelby said in a stern voice, showing her daughter the pieces of paper she had found. "I cannot believe you lied to me!"
Rachel looked up from the floor when she heard her mother's stern tone and gulped. She knew she needed to think fast to get herself out of trouble.
"What is that?" Rachel asked, nonchalantly. She figured the best option was to act as if she was innocent of what she was being accused of.
"You know very well what these receipts are, Rachel." Shelby said with her hands on her hips.
Rachel knew she was caught. She considered lying to her mother again and saying those receipts belonged to Kurt, but she couldn't throw her friend under the bus. She looked up again to meet her mother's eyes and the look she saw made her extremely nervous.
"I can explain, mom. Everyone was ordering all kinds of drinks and I …" Rachel was interrupted when her mother took her by the upper arm and lifted her from the floor.
"We will not be discussing this in front of Beth. Go to my room and wait for me." Shelby ordered, releasing Rachel's arm.
"No, mom, it's not what you think …" Rachel said, but was once more interrupted by her mother.
"Rachel, I am going to take Beth down to Ms. Christina's house so she can play with Anna and then we are going to have a long discussion. By the time I'm back, you'd better be waiting in my room for me. Understood?" Shelby said in a serious tone. She was doing her best to control her temper, since her youngest daughter was watching them both and she didn't want to discuss anything in front of Beth.
Rachel nodded but remained rooted to the spot.
"Mommy, Wachel and I were playing!" Beth whined.
"You can play later, sweetie. Right now, I really need to talk to your sister." Shelby explained. "How would you like to go to Anna's house?"
Beth grinned and stood up. "Can I take the doll grandma gave me?"
"Of course." Shelby replied, smiling.
Beth ran to her room, got her doll and ran back to the living room. "I'm weady, mommy!"
Shelby gave Rachel a stern look and then took Beth's hand, leading her to the front door. They walked down the stairs to the floor below and Shelby rang the bell. She hoped they were home.
Christina opened the door and smiled. "Hi Shelby, come on in."
"I'm so sorry to show up unannounced, Christie, but I was wondering if you could watch Beth for an hour." Shelby asked kindly.
"Of course. Anna was just asking when Beth could come over for a playdate." Christina said.
Christina and Shelby had become friends when Shelby moved into the building. Their daughters were the same age and even though there was a ten-year difference between them, they had hit it off right away.
"Thank you so much. Something came up with Rachel and it couldn't wait until tomorrow." Shelby said. "But I will come and get Beth as soon as I can."
"Don't worry. Anna will be thrilled to have Beth here." Christina said, smiling. "Hey Beth, Anna is in my room watching a movie, why don't you go say hello to her?"
Beth nodded and rushed inside the apartment. "Bye mommy!"
"I owe you one, Christie." Shelby said.
"Take as long as you need." Christine replied. "You know those girls can play together all day long."
"Thank you so much. If you ever need me to watch Anna, don't hesitate to ask." Shelby added.
"I'll let you know." Christine said.
"I'll come back in an hour. Thank you, again." Shelby said, walking out of the apartment and towards hers.
Shelby stood in front of the door of her own apartment and sighed. She couldn't believe her mother had been right. Rachel had lied to her about her alcohol consumption. Her mother had been able to tell, why couldn't she? She tried to calm down before she opened the door. Her blood was boiling again and she wanted to start her discussion with Rachel with a clear head.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and was glad to see her daughter was not standing in the living room anymore. She walked into her bedroom and stood in front of Rachel.
"Did you go through the pockets of my coat?" Rachel asked, accusingly.
"Is that really how you want to start this conversation?" Shelby asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I don't understand how you found them." Rachel said.
"That clearly does not matter right now. What matters is that you drank when I told you not to and then you lied to me about it." Shelby spoke, doing her best not to yell.
"Yes, I had a few drinks, so what? I am an adult and I can drink if I want to." Rachel said with an attitude.
Shelby pulled a chair in front of Rachel and sat down. That discussion was going to be longer than she had expected it to be.
"First of all, watch your attitude." Shelby said. "You keep telling me you are an adult, but you are not acting like an adult."
"Well, how can I act like an adult when I am treated like a kid?" Rachel retorted.
"Rachel, I am not going to argue back and forth with you." Shelby said. "While I am upset you drank and we will be talking about it, the main reason why I am angry is because you lied to me."
"You left me no other choice." Rachel replied. "I knew you'd yell at me, so I wanted to avoid all this. It's not my fault."
"So this is all my fault? Is that what you're saying?" Shelby scoffed.
"Yes, it is, mother. If you trusted me, this wouldn't have happened." Rachel raised her voice as she spoke. "But you treated me like a kid and even threatened to punish me if I drank!"
"How can I trust you, Rachel, when you chose to lie to me? Not only did you swear you hadn't drunk but you even showed me some fake receipts!" Shelby said, trying to control the volume of her voice.
"They weren't fake. They were Kurt's!" Rachel countered.
"Oh, I am glad to hear someone listened to me." Shelby replied.
"What did you want me to do? Come home and say I had actually had a few drinks?" Rachel asked with derision.
"That would have been the adult thing to do. We would've talked about it and you wouldn't be in trouble in this moment." Shelby explained.
"Come on! Your mother was here! I couldn't talk to you about it with her breathing down my neck." Rachel said, shaking her head.
"Oh, so this is your grandmother's fault as well?" Shelby asked, holding back a mocking laughter. She couldn't believe her daughter.
"If she hadn't been here, I would've been able to talk to you." Rachel added.
"So none of this is your fault?" Shelby confirmed.
Rachel shrugged. "You and grandma drove me to do this. I wouldn't have done it if …"
"Rachel, that's enough!" Shelby interrupted her daughter. "I thought we were past you blaming others for your own mistakes, but I can see that's an issue we still need to work on. This was not your grandmother's fault, nor was it mine. You chose to deceive me and since you cannot see the difference between right and wrong and you continue blaming others for your mistakes, I will make sure you think twice before doing something like this again. You will start owning up to your mistakes and you will learn that lying and sneaking around like a teenager has consequences."
"What does that mean?" Rachel asked, starting to lose all the fight she had in her.
"It means that this behavior won't be tolerated. You wanted a mother, so here I am." Shelby said in a serious tone. "As your mother, it is my job to discipline you when it is needed."
"Wh-what are you saying?" Rachel asked. She was afraid Shelby was thinking what Rachel herself was thinking. She was sure that her mother was just bluffing and was trying to scare her, but that look Shelby was giving her was making her very nervous.
Shelby stood up from the chair she was sitting on and sat next to Rachel on the bed. "Your attitude and your lack of remorse are a clear indication that you are still in need of some active parenting, so I am going to parent you, whether you like it or not."
Rachel shook her head as she listened to Shelby. She couldn't believe something as small as hiding the truth from her mother had turned into such a big deal.
"I never thought I'd have to do this again, Rachel, but I'm afraid you've earned yourself a spanking." Shelby declared, doing her best to steady her breath and remain in control of the situation.
"No, mom, I'm too old." Rachel whined.
Shelby couldn't help chuckling at Rachel's tone. Her whining sounded just like a young teenager's. In a way, Shelby was thankful Rachel had reacted that way, since it had broken the tension she was under and had reminded her that her daughter wasn't as grownup as the girl thought she was.
"Your behavior doesn't indicate you are." Shelby said.
Rachel looked at her mother dejectedly. "Please, mom."
Shelby's heart broke at the look her daughter was giving her, but she knew she needed to be firm and she was sure that spanking was going to help Rachel take responsibility for her actions.
"Let's get this over with, huh?" Shelby said, gently pulling Rachel over her lap. She was thankful Rachel had changed into sweatpants, since they'd be easier to lower than the jeans her daughter was wearing earlier that day. She took a deep breath and tugged her daughter's pants down and with another deep breath, she pulled Rachel's underwear down.
Rachel reached back to cover her bottom and begged once again. "Please, mom."
"Rachel, you need to learn that your actions have consequences." Shelby said, taking her daughter's hand and brushing it aside. As soon as Shelby noticed her daughter had relaxed a little, she raised her left hand and brought it down on her daughter's backside.
Rachel flinched when the first swat landed on her unprotected bottom, but she didn't complain. Deep down, she knew that what she had done was wrong. She had done her best to try to convince herself that she had been pushed to deceiving her mother, but she knew that she had planned to do it even before her mom and her grandmother started questioning her. She hated to admit it, but her mother was right, she had not behaved like an adult, and even though she refused to acknowledge it, she was grateful her mother was there to pull her back on the right track.
"Ow!" Rachel finally elicited, as the swats were building on one another and her bottom was starting to hurt. "Mom, please, stop."
As Rachel started to squirm trying to avoid further swats, Shelby pulled her daughter closer to her so Rachel wouldn't fall off her lap. She was no longer angry at Rachel, she was merely disappointed and she was sure that the punishment she was currently administering, though it was hurting both mother and daughter, was going to be good for both. As she continued spanking her daughter, she started thinking about her mother's words that morning after Rachel had showed them the receipts. Constance had been able to tell Rachel was lying while Shelby hadn't. Shelby had foolishly dismissed her mother's suspicion. If only Constance knew. Of course, Shelby was not going to tell her mother about it. It was going to stay between Rachel and her.
"Rachel, why are you getting this spanking?" Shelby asked, slowing down the swats. Her daughter's bottom was already dark pink and before she continued, she needed to make sure Rachel was reflecting about her actions.
"Ow! Because I d-drank and I-I lied to you. Ow!" Rachel sobbed, as she did her best not to reach back.
"This is not for drinking. We will be talking about that later." Shelby said, as three more swats were rattled off. "You lied to me, you elaborated a plan so I would not find out about your drinking and that will not be tolerated."
"I'm sorry! Mom, please, it hurts!" Rachel cried, squirming as she tried to avoid her mother's hand.
"I don't want to do this again, Rachel, but I will if I have to, do you understand?" Shelby gave Rachel four final swats, two to each sit spot before pulling Rachel's underwear and sweatpants back into place. She helped Rachel up and her daughter immediately crashed into her.
"I am so sorry, mom." Rachel said, sobbing into Shelby's shoulder. "I won't lie to you again."
"You're forgiven, sweetie. It's all over." Shelby soothed, as she rubbed Rachel's back and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. She smiled when Rachel tried to rub her bottom and flinched. Shelby was familiar with that. No matter how many times she'd been spanked before, every time after her mother finished, she tried to rub away the sting and found it was futile.
"Mom?" Rachel said, looking at Shelby with puffy teary eyes. "Thank you."
In that moment, Shelby knew she had done the right thing. "I love you so much, Rach."
"I love you too, mom." Rachel said, hugging Shelby even tighter. "It hurts."
"I'm sorry, baby, but it's meant to hurt." Shelby replied. "But you've been punished and we can move on now."
Rachel nodded as she looked up to see her mom. "Do we still need to talk about the drinking?"
"I'm afraid so, Rach." Shelby said, leading them both back to the bed. She sat down and then let Rachel find a comfortable position, but after a lot of squirming, Rachel decided to stand up in front of her mother. "I have realized I cannot forbid you from drinking and I don't want you to feel you cannot talk to me. So all I am going to ask is for you to be responsible when you drink."
Rachel nodded, but she was afraid to interrupt Shelby while she was speaking. She wanted to ask what that meant exactly, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to speak yet.
"And in order to make sure you know what drinking responsibly means, I want you to do some research on alcohol consumption. I want you to research the dangers of drinking, why the legal age is 21 and some ways you can be responsible when you consume some alcohol." Shelby explained. "On Sunday evening, I want to listen to an oral presentation on all the research you made."
Rachel gasped and stared at Shelby. Her mother couldn't be serious, could she? "But mom, I know how to drink responsibly!" she whined.
"Then, it won't take you that long to do that piece of research." Shelby replied, giving her daughter a look that denoted she was serious and there was no room for discussion.
Involuntarily, Rachel rolled her eyes and sarcastically said, "Do you want me to do it on PowerPoint with graphs and images as if I were in school?"
"That's a wonderful idea!" Shelby said, choosing to ignore her daughter's sudden change of attitude. "You have the weekend to work on it and on Sunday, right after Beth goes to sleep, I want to hear what you found."
"But how can I sit down in front of the computer and work on it when I can't even sit down?" Rachel asked with a hint of attitude in her voice.
"You don't have to start tonight. You can start tomorrow. By then, you should be able to sit down." Shelby said. She could imagine how sore her daughter was at that moment, but she knew there was going to be little soreness, if any, the following morning.
"I was going to spend the day with Kurt and Santana tomorrow. We are all free and we were going to go shopping." Rachel protested.
"You can still do that, Rachel. You're not grounded." Shelby explained. "You can work on your presentation whenever you want. I just want it done by Sunday evening."
Rachel crossed her arms and muttered. "Whatever."
"You might want to rephrase that, Rachel. I have full access to your bottom." Shelby said, giving her daughter, still standing in front of her, one of her signature stern looks.
"I'm sorry. I meant, yes, ma'am." Rachel quickly added, taking a step back. "A full report by Sunday evening."
"Alright. Just before this discussion is over, I want you to pay attention to what I am about to say." Shelby instructed, taking Rachel's hands. "You can always come and talk to me. I might not always like what you have to say, but I will always listen to you and I promise that we can have an adult conversation about it. If you want to go out to a bar and drink, I want you to be able to trust me enough to tell me what you did and I want you to be responsible enough to call me if you ever need me to pick you up. I love you, Rachel. You and Beth are my world."
Rachel sniffed as a few tears made their way down her cheeks. "I love you too, mom. I-I just don't know what to do sometimes. My dads were always there for me, but they … well, they were never my parents, they acted as my friends, and you … you are different. I-I like having a mom, but it's confusing sometimes."
"I know how you feel, sweetie. It is confusing for me as well. I didn't have the chance to raise you, to set some rules, and sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing." Shelby confessed, standing up and using her thumb to wipe away Rachel's tears. "But even if you are already eighteen years old, you are my daughter, you are my little girl, and we are both learning together. I love you with all my heart."
Rachel nodded and hugged her mom. "I do too, mom. But I don't like it when you … uh … well, when you do what you just did."
Shelby noticed her daughter's blushed cheeks and smiled sweetly. "I don't like it when I have to discipline you either, but unfortunately, that's the downside of parenting. We sometimes have to do things we don't want to in order to teach our children a lesson."
"I guess." Rachel shrugged. "You won't have to do that again, though. I know it was wrong to lie to you and I felt really bad afterwards. I'm really sorry, mom."
"You're forgiven, sweetie." Shelby said once again. "Do you want to go down to Christina's with me to pick up Beth?"
Rachel shook her head and blushed. "I'll take the rest of my things to my room and I think I'll start dinner."
"Okay. I'll be right back." Shelby said with a smile. "Beth and I will help you with dinner as soon as we come back."
…
Rachel woke up on Saturday and was surprised to realize she wasn't in pain anymore. She rubbed her bottom just to make sure she was back to normal and all she felt was a faint soreness, but nothing too bad. She smiled and got out of bed. She chose her clothes for that day and walked into the bathroom to have a shower. It took her forty minutes to get ready. She was excited about spending the day with her friends.
"Good morning, mom." Rachel said, walking into the kitchen.
"Good morning, sweetie." Shelby replied. "Why are you all dressed up? What time are you meeting Kurt and Santana?"
"I'm having breakfast with them at 10 and then we're going shopping in Woodbury." Rachel said, smiling.
"In Woodbury? How are you getting there?" Shelby asked with concern. She knew that outlet was over an hour away from the city.
"I think we're taking the bus at Port Authority." Rachel replied.
"Can I ask you a favor, Rach?" Shelby asked. "Can you call me when you get there?"
Rachel furrowed her brow as she thought about her mother's request, but nodded. "I will, mom. What are you and Beth doing today?"
"We might go to the park." Shelby said. "And then we might have dinner at a burger place."
Rachel shook her head in disapproval. "Did you know that most restaurants use additives to preserve and texturize the meat? That can't be good for Beth. And you should be teaching her how to eat healthily! Burgers are certainly not healthy!"
"She'll be okay, Rach. We don't have fast food very often, so one burger won't hurt her." Shelby explained.
"When she starts having health problems due to the trans-fat found in those meals, don't come and tell me I didn't warn you." Rachel added.
"Does this mean you don't want us to get you one for dinner?" Shelby joked.
"Ugh!" Rachel stormed out of the kitchen and bumped into Beth. "Two words, Beth: Organic Food."
Beth tilted her head and shrugged. She was past trying to understand what her sister told her. "Mommy, my tummy's hungry!"
"Your waffles are coming!" Shelby said from the kitchen. She placed two small waffles on a plate and set them on the table for Beth.
"I have to go now, mom. See you tonight." Rachel said from the front door.
"Wait!" Shelby spoke, rushing to her purse and getting a one hundred dollar bill. "Here you go."
"What's this?" Rachel asked, doing her own interpretation of her little sister's tilted head.
"You're going to Woodbury. Buy yourself something nice. It's on me." Shelby explained.
Rachel hugged her mom and placed the bill in her purse. It never occurred to her to refuse the money. "Thank you so much!"
"Have a great time! Say hello to Kurt and Santana from me." Shelby said, watching her daughter leave the apartment.
…
"Who are you calling?" Kurt asked when Rachel took her phone out of her pocket and made a call as soon as the bus arrived in Woodbury.
"My mom. She asked me to call as soon as we got here." Rachel explained. She didn't want a repeat of the previous night, so she was going to do everything her mother told her. "Hi mom, we're already here, yes … I don't know yet … Maybe we could all have dinner together."
Santana and Kurt both looked at each other and shook their heads. They were both hoping they weren't included in that dinner Rachel was talking about. Kurt was a little afraid of Shelby and even though Santana refused to admit it, she was also intimidated by Rachel's mother.
"I'll ask Santana and Kurt. I love you too, mom." Rachel said before ending the call. "Why are you both looking at me that way?"
"Doesn't she make you nervous?" Kurt asked.
"Who? My mom?" Rachel chuckled at the look her friend was giving her. "I don't know why she scares you so much, Kurt."
"You know Lady Hummel, he's like a scared little girl." Santana mocked.
"Oh come, Satan, Ms. Corcoran also makes you very nervous." Kurt accused. "Don't deny it."
Santana scoffed at the accusation. "Oh, please, I grew up in Lima Heights, I am not afraid of her!"
"Didn't you tell me last night that …" Kurt started to say, but he was interrupted by Rachel.
"Stop it! We are here to have fun, try on clothes and spend all the money we have on a ridiculously expensive outfit we will only wear once." Rachel said. "And just so you can see my mom is not scary, she wants us to have dinner with her and Beth tonight and you are going."
Kurt tried to argue, but Rachel linked her arm with his and didn't allow him to speak. "So, what's the first stop?"
Santana looked at her two friends and sighed. She knew she hadn't been the best friend to Rachel, but she wished they would both see her as part of the group, not as a third wheel.
"Aren't you coming, Santana?" Rachel called, smiling at the Latina.
The three friends walked around the outlet, going into different stores. After an hour, they all had several bags in their hands, but they still hadn't found an outfit they truly loved.
"What do you think of this dress?" Santana asked, showing them a tiny red dress.
"Is that for a doll?" Kurt replied, as Rachel chuckled. "That cannot possibly cover much."
"I'll try it on!" Santana declared, with a smile on her face.
While Santana was trying on the dress, Rachel walked around the store looking for something she liked. Hidden at the back, she found a dark blue dress with tiny fine sparkles. There was only one and Rachel was thrilled to see it was her size. With a big smile on her face, she walked towards Kurt and said, "What do you think?"
"That is gorgeous!" Kurt replied, feeling the fabric. "Try it on!"
Rachel nodded and skipped to the fitting rooms. A minute later, Santana opened the door to show her friends the dress she had on.
"You look like the devil in red." Kurt exclaimed. "It suits you!"
"I feel very sexy in it." Santana said, twirling slowly, so Kurt would see the whole dress.
"How does …" Rachel said, coming out of the dressing room. Her dress was the opposite from Santana's. While Santana's dress was bright red and body-hugging, Rachel's was dark blue and it flowed as she walked. "Wow, Santana, you look amazing!"
"You don't look too bad yourself." Santana replied, smiling.
"Oh Rachel, you look so beautiful. You really look like a star. You need to buy that dress." Kurt said.
Rachel beamed with joy as her best friend complimented her. "I feel like a princess."
"You both need to buy those dresses you have on. Take it from a fashion expert, you both look stunning." Kurt added. "Isabelle would be very proud."
Both Rachel and Santana went back to the fitting room to change back into their own clothes and then went to pay for their dresses.
"Oh no! It's 130 dollars!" Rachel pouted. She had immediately fallen in love with the dress and hadn't seen the price tag.
"You can borrow some money from me, Rach. I don't think I'll be buying anything else." Kurt offered.
"No, I'll just …" Rachel was about to walk back to the rack to put the dress back when she remembered her mother had given her some money. "Oh! Nevermind! I'll use the money my mom gave me!"
"How much did she give you?" Kurt curiously asked.
"One hundred dollars." Rachel replied, smiling. "See, Kurt? She's not that bad."
Kurt shrugged as he waited for his two friends. He had found Shelby intimidating ever since she coached Vocal Adrenaline and later, The Troubletones, and he was sure his impression would not change soon.
…
"Is Beth coming as well?" Santana asked as they made their way to the restaurant for dinner.
"I think so." Rachel said.
"Has Quinn ever asked about her or has she ever seen her?" Santana inquired.
Rachel shrugged. "I don't think so. And I don't think Beth knows she is adopted, so please don't say anything."
"Oh come on, do you think so low of me?" Santana asked, offended. "Okay, don't answer that."
"Have you met Beth, Santana? She is the spitting image of Quinn. She even has the same glare." Kurt added.
Rachel chuckled as she nodded. "She makes me a bit nervous at times, since she reminds me of High School. I know she is not going to bully me, but still … Though I have to say, she does bully me sometimes."
Santana laughed. "Sweet little Beth bullies you?"
"When my grandmother was here, Beth was jealous and she hit me!" Rachel said. "She's not as sweet as you think. She even hit my grandmother!"
"That little girl there doesn't look like a bully." Santana said, pointing at the sweet girl sitting next to Shelby coloring a drawing.
"I didn't say it happened all the time." Rachel responded, walking to the table where her mom and sister were sitting. "Hi, mom."
"Hi, sweetie." Shelby stood up, gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug and then smiled at Kurt and Santana. "I'm so glad you could join us for dinner. Did you have fun at the mall?"
"We did, Ms. Corcoran." Kurt respectfully replied. "How are you, ma'am?"
"Ma'am? Who do you think I am? My mother?" Shelby jokingly said. "Kurt, relax, you can call me Shelby."
"Oh no, I couldn't." Kurt said.
"Why are you being so weird?" Rachel whispered, shaking her head.
"Hi, Coach C." Santana said.
"Hello, Santana. You can also call me Shelby, if you wish. I'm no longer your teacher." Shelby reassured her.
Santana smiled and nodded.
While the four adults were talking, Beth stared at Santana as she tried to remember where she had seen the Latina before.
"Hey kid, how are you?" Santana asked, trying to break Beth's concentration on her.
"Good." Beth replied, losing her focus on Santana when she spotted the bags her sister had with her. "Is that for me, Wachel?"
"Uh, no?" Rachel panicked as she glanced over to her mom. Was she supposed to get Beth something?
"Beth, sweetie, Rachel went shopping with her friends today." Shelby explained. "They only went to boring clothes stores where there was nothing to get you."
"Oh" Beth pouted as she took a deep sigh.
"Actually, Beth, I did get you something." Kurt said, going through his bags and getting a big colorful lollipop out. "This is for you."
"Where did you …" Rachel got interrupted by a jab to her ribs.
"Wow, Beth, that looks delicious!" Shelby said, smiling. "Have you already said thank you to Kurt?"
"Thank you!" Beth got up and hugged Kurt tightly.
"You're very welcome." Kurt replied.
Rachel rolled her eyes and chuckled. She knew that her friend was doing his best to make Beth and Shelby like him and it was actually cute, but it was also a bit absurd, since there was no reason why they wouldn't like him. She knew for a fact that her mom liked Kurt, since he had actually listened to her about not drinking that night they went out.
"Can I open it, mommy?" Beth asked, holding her lollipop up.
"You can have it as dessert." Shelby replied, taking the candy away. "So, shall we sit down?"
Everyone chose a seat at the table and sat down. Rachel sat next to her mother, while Santana sat across from Shelby and Kurt sat next to Santana, across from Rachel. Beth went back to her seat at the head of the table.
"Where did you have lunch today?" Shelby asked.
"McDonald's" Santana said.
"McDonald's? Really?" Shelby asked, turning to her daughter and raising an eyebrow. "What happened to that whole burgers are evil speech?"
"Come on, mom, do you really think I had a burger? I just had a salad." Rachel replied. "I still stand by what I said this morning."
"She did, Ms. Corcoran. Rachel only had a salad." Kurt confirmed it.
"I'd better not find a receipt for a Big Mac later, huh?" Shelby said, winking at Rachel.
Rachel blushed as she squirmed in her seat. She knew her mother was joking, and she was glad Shelby could do that, but she didn't want to be reminded of what had happened the night before, especially in front of her friends.
"So, how is life in the city going for you?" Shelby changed the topic, as she spoke to Kurt and Santana.
"I love it here. I've been having a hard time juggling between school and my job, though. I like doing both things so much that I cannot give up either one of them." Kurt said.
"Where do you work?" Shelby inquired. She didn't know Kurt had a job.
"I work for Vogue, ma'am." Kurt said and blushed when Shelby raised her eyebrow at him. "I mean, Ms. Corcoran."
"You work for Isabelle Wright?" Shelby asked, surprised.
Kurt nodded. "Do you know her?"
"Not personally, but I love her work." Shelby admitted.
It was Rachel's turn to act surprised. "You know Isabelle's work, mom?"
"Why do you look so surprised? I know about fashion." Shelby said. "Ever since I was a teen, I've been interested in knowing what's in and what's out in the world of fashion."
"Wow, I had no idea." Rachel said. "I have never been too interested in fashion."
"I could never have guessed that." Santana added, chuckling. "Your style back in High School was so …"
"Peculiar." Kurt said. He wasn't sure what Santana was going to say, but he didn't want her to hurt Rachel.
"I used to love those sweaters I wore." Rachel said. "I wonder what happened to them."
"The fashion fairy came and burned them all." Santana replied, winking at Rachel.
Before a fight could erupt between Santana and Rachel, Kurt spoke out. "Ms. Corcoran, how are rehearsals for the festival going? Rachel mentioned you were working on a song from Annie."
"It's more work than I ever thought it would be, but all the children are wonderful." Shelby said. "Beth here is really excited about it."
Beth nodded and she leaned over to whisper to Shelby, "Can I show them, mommy?"
"Not here, sweetie." Shelby replied.
Beth pouted as she crossed her arms. Why didn't her mom ever let her do anything?
"Maybe Kurt and Santana can come over later and you can sing for them." Shelby added, not wanting Beth to start throwing a tantrum in the restaurant.
"Again?" Rachel asked, annoyed. She had listened to her little sister practice her song every day and she didn't think she could take it anymore.
"Are you jealous that Beth might be more talented than you?" Santana asked.
Rachel scoffed, "Nobody can be more talented than me."
"I disagree. There are many people far more talented that you. I could definitely say there is nobody as annoying as you." Santana replied, forgetting for a minute she was sitting across from Rachel's mother.
Before Rachel could reply, Shelby gave Santana one of her signature stern looks. Santana gulped as she nodded, knowing perfectly well what Rachel's mother wanted to express with that glare.
Shelby changed the topic, hoping the tension between both girls would disappear. "Santana, I heard you quit as Rachel's understudy."
"Funny Girl was not for me." Santana simply said. She didn't want to explain the real reason why she had accepted the job in the first place. She was sure that wouldn't go well.
"So, what are your plans now?" Shelby asked.
Santana shrugged. "I'm working at the diner and I've been looking into doing more tv commercials."
"More? Have you already done some?" Shelby inquired.
"Yes, mom, she had a yeast infection in one. It was so educational." Rachel mocked.
"It was a paying job." Santana stated.
"Have you considered going back to school?" Shelby asked.
"Maybe someday." Santana replied, uninterested in where the conversation was going.
They all continued talking throughout dinner and as the minutes went by, Kurt and Santana got to see a kinder and less stern side of Shelby and grew more and more comfortable around her.
"How much do I need to pay?" Kurt asked when the check was brought by the waiter.
"It's on me." Shelby said.
"Oh no, Ms. Corcoran, please, we can pay our share." Kurt insisted, handing Shelby some money, and urging Santana to do the same.
Shelby shook her head, as she got a couple of bills from her wallet and gave them to the waiter along with the check. "This meal is on me. You are my daughter's friends and as her mom, it is my job to pay for dinner when we all go out."
"Thanks, mom." Rachel said, smiling widely.
"Thank you, Ms. Corcoran." Kurt added.
"Thanks, Coach C." Santana said.
"Mommy, we going home now?" Beth asked. "I wanna sing for them!"
"Ugh no! We have plans!" Rachel said.
"Where are you going?" Shelby asked. She didn't know her daughter had plans that night.
"I don't know. Callbacks, maybe?" Rachel replied, shrugging. She didn't actually have plans, but she didn't want to spend the rest of the night watching her little sister sing the same song over and over again, especially because she had discovered Beth always sang out of tune.
"I'm not going to Callbacks dressed like this!" Kurt exclaimed. "I didn't know we were going there. Oh no, the pants I wanted to wear next time I performed are still at the dry cleaner's! This is a disaster!"
"Calm down, Lady Hummel, we're not going there tonight." Santana said. "I don't feel like spending a whole night listening to so-called stars perform. I'm tired. We walked a lot today."
"Then we can do something else!" Rachel said.
"How about you come over and you can watch a movie on the big TV in the living room? I won't be in your way, I promise." Shelby suggested.
Rachel turned to her friends, "Uh, would you like to come over?"
Santana was the first to agree and then Kurt responded with a shrug. They all left the restaurant together and walked to the apartment building.
"Mommy, can I sing now?" Beth asked, getting restless.
"I would love to hear you sing, Beth." Kurt said, smiling at the little girl.
"Me too! Show your sister you are just as talented as her." Santana added.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "You might want to get a bit farther away from her. Once she starts singing, you will thank me for the warning."
"Rachel …" Shelby said, shaking her head.
"Mom, we both know she cannot sing very well. All her notes are grating and disharmonious." Rachel explained.
"She sounds perfect to me." Shelby added, ending the discussion.
"I'll go to my room to change into something more comfortable while your daughter sings." Rachel stated, going into her bedroom to take off her skirt and change into some sweatpants.
Beth stood in the middle of the living room and smiled before she started singing. Kurt tried to suppress a cringe as the little girl was singing, but he kept his smile and when the short song was over, he clapped.
"Beth, kid, I must say, you have a gift!" Santana said, winking at the little girl. She noticed Rachel was just coming out of her bedroom, so she decided to add. "You should wake your sister up with that song every morning. I am sure she would love that!"
Rachel glared at Santana. She hadn't appreciated the joke in the very least.
Beth smiled and turned to Shelby. "Mommy, they liked it!"
"You were wonderful, sweetie." Shelby said, giving Beth a hug and a kiss.
"I wouldn't say wonderful." Rachel declared. "She might become acceptable with some voice lessons, but …"
Before Shelby could interrupt her daughter, Santana jumped into Beth's rescue. "She is only three years old. I bet you were not very good at that age."
"Excuse me? I have always been talented. Age has nothing to do with talent." Rachel explained. "I have always had a very harmonious voice. I have always been able to reach wide ranges of notes. Beth, on the other hand …"
"You know what else you have always had, Midget? A stick up your butt!" Santana added with a smirk.
Kurt gasped, as Shelby tried to break the argument. "Okay, girls, that's enough!"
While Santana and Rachel stared at each other, refusing to let the other win the argument, Beth went behind her sister and with all the strength she had, she pulled Rachel's pants and underwear down. "There's no stick!"
Shelby, Kurt and Santana burst out laughing as Rachel pulled up her pants as quickly as she could and blushed. "Beth! That was not funny!"
"Oh Rachel, it kind of was." Kurt said, still laughing.
"Mom! Beth pulled down my pants!" Rachel complained. "How could you be laughing?"
"I'm sorry, honey, but that was very funny." Shelby replied.
"That was not funny! That was humiliating!" Rachel said, stomping her foot and storming off to her bedroom. She couldn't believe her two friends and her mother were still laughing!
"Give me five, kid!" Santana said, holding her hand up. "That was epic!"
…
When Rachel woke up the following morning, she was still a bit upset with her little sister. The previous night, her mother had explained that Beth was still a toddler and Rachel needed to understand why Beth had done what she did and she needed to forgive her. Shelby assured Rachel that when they were older, it would become a very funny story to tell. Kurt and Santana had also found it very funny and had told her there was nothing to be embarrassed about. The three friends had spent a quiet and relaxing evening watching movies and they hadn't spoken about the incident again. However, after a good night sleep, Rachel still couldn't get over what Beth had done. She had purposely stayed in her room that morning while her mom and her little sister had breakfast, because she didn't know how to react to what everyone had told her was a silly thing. She was about to finally step out of her room when her phone rang.
"Hi, daddy … Very well, thank you … Today? Not much, I think I'll just relax at home … What? What do you mean? Uh yes, sure … I love you too." Rachel started pacing around her room, trying to put her thoughts in order.
"This can't be happening!" Rachel said to herself, as she packed a few clothes in a suitcase. She walked around the room, throwing stuff into the large suitcase in a panic.
Shelby could hear her daughter in her room and wondered why she was so active that early on Sunday. "Is everything okay, Rach?"
"I need to go to Kurt's for a few days!" Rachel said, without even looking at her mother.
"Why? What's wrong?" Shelby asked, trying to gain her daughter's attention. "Rachel, stop! Look at me, what's going on?"
"I can't explain right now. There's no time." Rachel declared.
"Who were you talking to some minutes ago?" Shelby asked, figuring out her daughter's strange behavior had to do with the phone call.
"My dads. They're here! They're at the airport. They want to meet me for lunch and then they want to see my apartment. My apartment, mom! The one I share with Kurt and Santana!" Rachel explained, panicking once again and pacing the floor.
Shelby grabbed Rachel's shoulders to make her stop, "So they don't know you live here with me?"
Rachel shook her head. "I need to get all this to Kurt's!"
"Wouldn't it be easier to tell them the truth?" Shelby calmly asked. "I could go with you when you meet them for lunch or you can call them and tell them we'll all have lunch here."
"But the contract …" Rachel started saying.
"The contract stated you could contact me when you turned eighteen and that we could have a relationship. You are now eighteen. You can tell them the truth." Shelby said, smiling. "Unless you're ashamed of me."
"Oh no, mom! I'm not! I love living here with you. I love having you as my mom! No, I could never be ashamed!" Rachel explained.
"Rach, slow down, I was kidding." Shelby stated, hugging her daughter. "Why don't you unpack and we figure out a way to tell them together? It'll be okay."
"Thank you so much, mom." Rachel said, melting into the hug.
Both mother and daughter stayed in that position for a minute before they broke their hug and Shelby helped Rachel put everything back in its place. Rachel was still nervous about her fathers' visit and their reaction to her living with Shelby, but she couldn't wait to have them all together. She smiled at her mom again and then texted Hiram their address. After eighteen years, she was going to get her wish. She was going to have her mother and her fathers under the same roof hanging out as a big family. She couldn't feel happier. Rachel knew she was a truly lucky girl.