Decided to post the real first chapter because the first one was like a prologue-ish thingy that is borrinnnng.

Enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters used in this fanfic. I do own the plot.

"Rachel!"

"I did sing 'Take a Bow' before...but 'Disturbia'? Ick. I'm sorry, Deonne, but I adore Rihanna but that song just made me hide in a corner. I'm fine with 'Russian Roulette', I suppose."

"Rachel!"

"Oh, that's lovely. I'll punch in…hmm, six o'clock? Oh, of course, six-ten. Dramatic en-"

"Rachel!"

"Yes?" I say curtly. I try not to say it through my teeth, because that's not classy and Rachel-esque. It makes me seem…rough.

"Hi, Rachel." The girl tucks a strand of her dingy brown hair behind her ear. I mumble a 'Bye' to Deonne and snap my phone shut.

I do a quick scan of the girl. Short coffee brown hair, quivering lips, a shaky smile, Ugly Betty glasses. A name pops into my mind. Of course. It's Suzy Pepper. Psychotic Shuester-lover.

"Suzy Pepper. Why, I haven't seen you around." I greet vaguely. I pull out my trust Yves-Saint-Laurent and begin applying Cotton Candy gloss on my lips.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about our past rows. I used to think you were a snobbish man-stealer, but now it seems that role belongs to Ms. Pilsbury. Anyways, after weeks of contemplating, I listened to your album and let's just say I fell in love. I am truly, deeply sorry that I confronted you in such an angry manner in the past. Oh, and I give full rights for you to pine after Will now."

What can I say? Star power changes everything.

"Mmm hmm…You see, Suzy, those things you told me in the bathroom left deep mental scars on me and it hurts my self-esteem. And you know, celebrities need all the self-esteem they can harness. You know how my album is positioned at number three right now? I could've been at the top if your words hadn't been uttered."

Suzy's eyes widen in horror. I'm lying (ahem, acting), of course. Like crazy Pepper would hurt me.

"Oh…I'm terribly sorry, Rachel-"

"Don't worry. I'll recover in time for my next single." I wave my hands to dismiss it. "And I no longer harbor any romantic feelings for Mr. Schuester. He's a teacher, I'm the student."

I see a glint in Suzy's eyes. I mentally roll mine. She was just speaking words, not saying it (If you know what I mean.)

"Now, excuse me, Pepper." I say bitterly. "I've got glee club. As you know, I'm the star songstress, and a star songstress has no time for stalling."

"Of course?" She said it like a question. I wave and skip away, my oversized Coach bag over my shoulder and annoyingly smacking me each time I landed.

***

"Voila, c'est Rachel!"

I burst through the doors, my arms outstretched and my oh-so famous smile on.

"Heyyyyyy Rachel…." Mercedes dragged her words, giving me a small smile. The others gave me a weak wave and returned to watching Mike breakdance on the floor. I spotted Brittany trying to pop-n-lock. Ew.

"Hey, where's Mr. Shuester?" I question to no one in particular. I glance at the clock for a fleeting moment.

"Oh, I think he was photocopying tests for tomorrow."

I turn around to see none other than Finn Hudson. Finn Hudson. Innocent, smiling face beckoning me. He's like my Brad Pitt. Except we were never in a (literally) explosive movie where we cheated off our partners. And…we're not exactly 'going out'.

I suck my breath in and desperately want to take out my compact.

"Oh, okay. Thanks Finn." I say softly, blinking twice. He nods and Matt Rutherford jabs him in the ribs. Both of them start fake-punching each other. I'm supposed to roll my eyes here, but I don't. Finn's involved.

My heart suddenly jumps as I remember something. I drop my Coach bag beside the music stand and rummage through it until I find my trusty R.B index cards. I settle them on the bridge of the stand and loudly clear my throat.

"Oh, lovely. Drama queen is going to ask for cake again." I hear Santana mutter to Brittany. I shoot a glare at the blonde, who hides her giggles with her palms.

"Attention, please!" I yell. "I have a proposition for a ballad number for regionals."

"Um, isn't it only sectionals that have a mandatory ballad number rule?" Quinn asks. Mr. Shue left his regionals handbook on the music stand. I discreetly skim through it, barely looking down.

"Oh, no. Regionals have the same requirement." I act. My whole plan would be busted if I told them the truth.

"Hey!" Mercedes bounces to her feet, her hands on her hips. Our eyes lock in an intense glare until she pulls away and averts her gaze elsewhere.

"You got to sing at sectionals. I was supposed to sing, except those Jane Adams chicks took my song. I should get this ballad."

I gulp. I should've seen this coming.

But no worries. Rachel Berry takes care of any problem.

"Please wait for me to fully explain my proposition until you criticize." I give her a sugar-sweet smile before continuing. "As you all know I released my album a month ago. My album contents have a wide range of different genres, which, of course, the critics are quite impressed at. Since I am an active balladeer, I have a ballad on my album. For the people who have no listened to my album, the ballad is called In your eyes. I can-"

"Hey guys!"

Oh, wonderful timing Mr. S.

"Hey, Rach. Another suggestion? " he nudges me playfully. I chuckle back weakly. At the corner of my eye, I could see Kurt breathing a sigh of relief. What can I say? Jealousy gets the best of people.

"So, what were you talking about?" Mr. Shue continues. A genuine smile returns to my face. I tap my index cards.

"I was explaining how our ballad part of our regional performance could be a song from my album. Have you heard of In my eyes?"

Mr. Shue bites his lip. "Sorry, Rachel. I haven't yet."

I huff. "No worries. You'll listen to it…sooner enough!" I side-step away from the music stand and breath in correctly.

"I have no time for this." Quinn speaks up. She stands up and crosses her arms. "This practice has already gotten me running late. I have…a check-up at two-ten." She quickly drops her arms to barely cover her baby bump.

I bite my tongue. Quinn is always running off. But at this time? Today was certainly not my day. I cast a worried look at Finn, whose head in bowed. My gaze averts to Puck, whose carelessly fooling around with Matt. I sigh.

"Right. But I will get my chance." I say with dignity. I march to the very back of the bleachers, right beside Finn. I inhale his scent; sporty with a hint of super-light cologne.

"Hey, Finn." I murmur kindly. He looks up, his cheeks flushed. Wow. Natural boy-blush. Cute. "Are you okay?"

He smiles. "Yep. Just a bit…tired." He puts his hands behind his back and listens to Mr. S. I sink in my seat and wait until we can finally get up and dance.

After fifteen minutes of talking, we spend the rest of glee practice choreographing to music. Artie tries his luck to some Michael Buble and Mike breakdances to it. I constantly look at the clock.

"Rachel, Finn. How 'bout we try some more Jordin Sparks?"

"Battlefield, I'm guessing?" Santana raises a brow. Mr. S nods. I stretch my arms casually, finally ready to sing.

"I didn't know Jordin Sparks sang songs about the World Wars…" Brittany says vaguely, twirling her ponytail. Kurt scoffs, looking up at Brittany.

Mr. S gestures at the piano player, and the intro of 'Battlefield' starts to flow. I take one look at my paper and turn it upside down. I have lyrical photographic memory.

The last of the intro notes are tumbling. I try to get into the vibe of Battlefield. Love is a battlefield. I love Finn. He likes me, but he's overlooking me. Okay.

I'm ready.

(But…it's about love gone wrong. Like I said. We're not even dating!)

Crap. I just lost my vibe. I suddenly panic, but the last note plays. No turning back. Rachel Berry never turns back.

Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute its love and suddenly
It's like a battle-field

Finn flashes me a smile before his part. Damn. Why do you have to do that? My vibe is already ruined.

One word turns into a
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down
My world's nothing when you don't
I'm not here without a shield
Can't go back now

Duet time.

Both hands tied behind my back for nothing.
Oh no

I see Puck look away, his face obviously shamed.

These times when we fall so fast to fall again.

Why we gotta fall for it now?

I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for.

I see Quinn start zipping up her backpack. It may seem like she's getting ready for her check-up, but I can see a small tear quickly fall down. She hastily says something to Puck in a low tone before jetting off to Mr. S. and quickly bidding goodbye. I look at Finn. He's staring at me.

I somewhat feel ashamed.

Why does love always feel like
A battlefield (Battlefield)
A battlefield (Battlefield)
A battlefield (Battlefield)

Why does love feel like…

12/11/09 A/N: I'm not really happy with my choice of song. I know, it doesn't really suit it. I had musical writer's block at this exact chapter, and I won't be doing very well with song choices, but hopefully I improve.