Chapter 6
After Rachel sends him a text message, a confused Finn turns around to go back to Shelby's house for the second time since he dropped her off not even an hour ago. He spots her walking away from the house and stops the car. Rachel wipes her tears away as she takes her place in the passenger seat.
"Hey. What's wrong? Did St. Jerk-"
"Jesse didn't do anything. It was all Shelby," Rachel says.
Finn swallows. It would be easier for him if Jesse made her cry. He could beat Jesse up. He doesn't know what to do when Shelby's the one hurting Rachel. He can't beat exactly beat Shelby up.
"What did she do?" Finn asks.
"What didn't she do?" Rachel snaps. Finn's face falls and she sighs. She didn't mean to take her anger out on him. "She told Jesse to seduce me," Rachel explains.
Shocked and horrified, Finn stares at Rachel with wide-eyes. "But, why would she do that?" Finn asks.
"She signed a contract prohibiting her from contacting me until I'm eighteen. Jesse pushed me to find her," Rachel replies.
"So she had one of her students take your virginity?" Finn asks.
Rachel looks at Finn. "I have a confession to make. Jesse and I didn't do it. I'm sorry I lied, but it's so much better this way. My first time will be with you," Rachel says.
"Yeah," Finn mumbles.
"Clearly I can't go back there. She's awful. You think I could stay with you for awhile?" Rachel asks.
Finn nods his head. His mom loves Rachel. Rachel is polite and well mannered, sweet and kind, smart and motivated. If Carole let Quinn stay with them, there's no way she won't let Rachel stay with them.
When they get to the Hudson-Hummel house, they find Carole unloading the dishwasher in the kitchen. Carole glances over her shoulder and smiles when she sees Rachel.
"Hi, Honey…Rachel," Carole says.
"Mom, can Rachel stay here for a few days?" Finn asks.
Finn's words freeze Carole. The last time Finn asked if a girlfriend could stay with them, his girlfriend was pregnant. She looks up slowly. Finn is visibly worried, and Rachel's red eyes and tear-stained cheeks scream that she's upset. Carole hopes that history isn't repeating itself.
"Is Rachel pregnant?" Carole asks.
"No. She's not pregnant. We haven't even had sex," Finn says quickly.
"I'm not a teenage harlot," Rachel says.
Carole breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry. Of course you can stay here as long as you need to," Carole says.
"Thank you. I really appreciate your hospitality," Rachel says.
They don't have a guest room, so Carole tells Rachel to take Finn's bed and he can sleep on the floor in the room he shares with Kurt. She knows nothing will happen as long as Kurt's in the room, too. As Finn is showing Rachel where toiletries and towels are in the bathroom, Kurt walks in.
"Finn?" Kurt says, stepping into their room. He stops when he sees Finn and Rachel. "Oh, hi, Rachel," Kurt adds.
"Hello, Kurt," Rachel says.
"Uh, Rachel's staying here for a few days," Finn says.
"Did you finally come to your senses and realize that your mom is pure evil?" Kurt asks.
Narrowing his eyes, Finn glares at Kurt. "Hey, she's upset. Don't," Finn warns.
"It's okay," Rachel says quietly. She focuses on Kurt. "You'll be happy to know that your description of my mother is accurate," Rachel says.
"If you're going to stay here, you can't wear anything you own," Kurt says. He gestures to the animal sweater and plaid skirt she's wearing. "This is an eyesore," Kurt says.
Rachel looks down. Suddenly she realizes that this is the only thing she has. She left everything at Shelby's.
"I stormed out without my things, and I'm not going back," Rachel says.
"Going back would make the storm out less effective," Kurt agrees.
As Kurt and Rachel are buying a new wardrobe at the mall, Shelby is waiting for Rachel to come home. When Rachel left, Shelby figured she just needed time to cool off and would come home soon. Soon would have been a few hours ago. Shelby dials Rachel's cell phone number and waits as it rings. It only rings a few times before going to voicemail. Rachel's not answering.
By the time it gets dark, Shelby has called Rachel five times. Rachel's phone has stopped ringing and started going straight to voicemail. She must have turned her phone off. It's clear that Rachel has no intention of talking to Shelby.
Shelby's worry soon turns into fear. Leaning back in her chair, she closes her eyes. She has to find Rachel, and she doesn't know where to look. She doesn't know where Rachel hangs out. She doesn't even know who Rachel's friends are. Worst of all, she doesn't know if Rachel's okay.
Rachel isn't okay. She should be having a good time, but she's not. She's spent almost six hundred dollars and is laden with shopping bags. And, she still feels just as miserable as she did when she left Shelby's house.
"You could at least try to look like you're happy," Kurt complains.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not happy. When I thought Jesse played me, I understood. It still hurt, but I know what it's like to be willing to do anything to win. I just can't understand how my mom could hurt me this much," Rachel says.
"Retail therapy always makes me feel better," Kurt says.
"The clothes are lovely, but they're not making me feel better," Rachel says.
"We should get back anyway. We always eat dinner at seven. Maybe Carole's cooking will make you feel better. She's a gourmet chef compared to my dad. When it was just my dad and me, we practically lived off frozen pizza until I finally learned how to cook," Kurt says.
The mention of Kurt's dad makes Rachel think about her dads. The two people that were always there for her, the two people that would never hurt her. She misses them every day. It's a wound that will never heal. Since they died, the agonizing pain has turned into a dull ache. Now, it's hurting more than ever. She wanted to believe that she had that again with Shelby. But, if Shelby could do this, how can she ever believe that?
"Can we stop at the cemetery?" Rachel asks.
Kurt stares at her. "You want to go to the cemetery at night? That's insane," Kurt says.
Rachel's eyes silently plead with him. "I just want to talk to my dads," Rachel explains.
"I get it. I go to the cemetery once a week to talk to my mom. I miss her. But, I go during the day like a normal person," Kurt says.
Nonetheless, Kurt stops at the cemetery. He follows Rachel through the cemetery. Standing a few feet away to give her privacy, he watches as she approaches their gravesite.
"Dad…Daddy, this week has been really hard. We didn't win Regionals. We didn't even place. Glee is over, which means my life is over. I found out that my whole relationship with Jesse was part of Shelby's plan. She would do anything to get what she wants, even if I get hurt in the process. I miss you so much. I just want you to hold me and tell me that everything's going to be okay," Rachel says.
As Rachel talks to her dads, a few tears roll down her cheeks. She wipes them away and takes a deep breath. When she's composed, she turns around to face Kurt.
Kurt grabs her hand. It takes Rachel by surprise. Whether it's for solos or Finn, they're almost always competing against each other. They're both fierce competitors that will do anything to win, and have. Sometimes they forget that they're on the same team. They could be friends. Right now, Rachel needs all the friends she can get. Smiling slightly, Rachel holds on tight.
While Rachel is eating dinner with the Hudson-Hummels, Shelby finally breaks down and asks for help finding Rachel. She dials Will's number, and he answers after the first ring.
"Shelby. I'm glad you called. I didn't get a chance to say congratulations at Regionals."
"Thanks." Even through the phone, Will can tell that Shelby is upset. Shelby debates whether to tell him what happened or simply ask for Finn's number. "Listen, can you give me Finn's number?"
Will hesitates for a moment. He doesn't know if he should give out his students' contact information.
"I can give him a message for you tomorrow at school."
Shelby takes a deep breath to calm down. If she screams at Will, the last thing he's going to want to do is help her.
"I have to talk to him tonight. I don't know where Rachel is."
Will can hear the worry in her voice. It's not the first time one of his students forgot to tell their parents where they were going.
"Rachel's a good kid. She probably just lost track of time. You have nothing to worry about."
"She didn't just lose track of time!" Frustrated, Shelby raises her voice. "She's so angry with me. She's not answering her phone. I don't think she's planning on coming home."
"What happened?"
He won't help her unless she tells him what happened. But, the admission will make her look like an awful person. Shelby sighs.
"I asked Jesse to befriend her. That's why he asked her to go on a date with him. He was supposed to get her to come to me. She found out today, and she just left."
"Rachel does that when she's upset. Storms out. She usually comes back."
"You think she'll come back?" There's a hint of hope in Shelby's voice.
"I didn't say that. Honestly, I don't know. Rachel is forgiving, but what you did…it's really bad, Shelby."
He's judging her. And, his verdict is fair. She knows she's the one in the wrong here. She's already confessed. She's willing to pay her penance. She'll rebuild Rachel's trust. She'll prove she can be a good mom. She just has to find her daughter first.
"Tell me what to do." Shelby's tone is pleading.
Sighing, Will drags a hand through his hair.
"I don't know if there's anything you can do. You don't understand how much you hurt her, do you?" Will waits a few seconds for her response. Taking her silence as a no, he continues. "Rachel isn't popular. You can count on one hand the number of friends she has. She dated Finn and Puck, but it didn't work out. I don't think she really loved them. But, Jesse…they were together for over a month. She loved him. She took it pretty hard when he went back to Vocal Adrenaline. I've never seen her like that. To find out that her mom was behind it isn't the kind of thing she can just move on from."
"She has to forgive me!" There's a hint of desperation in Shelby's voice.
"I know you're upset. I'm sorry. Maybe I should come over."
When Shelby opens the door, there's no sign that she's been crying. She doesn't show weakness even at her weakest moments. Looking hard is better than looking weak.
"Shelby," Will says. He can't muster up a smile.
"Thank you for coming," Shelby says.
Will follows Shelby in and they sit down on the couch.
"I talked to Finn. Rachel's okay. She's staying at his house," Will says.
Shelby nods her head. She expected as much. It takes everything she's got not to go get Rachel and drag her home kicking and screaming. Rachel's more likely to forgive her if she gives Rachel a day to cool off.
Sensing Shelby's fear, Will puts a hand on her shoulder and offers reassurances.
"Finn's family is really nice," Will says.
Shelby stares at him. Somehow he always seems to know exactly what she's thinking, how she's feeling. He reads her like an open book. Not that she's easy to read. No, she has a perfect poker face, but this isn't the first time he's called her bluff. And, he knows just what to say. She only called him because he was the only one that would have the contact information for all of Rachel's friends. It's not until this moment that she realizes he's exactly what she needs right now.
She leans in and kisses him. He hesitates for just a moment. His eyes darken with desire. Closing his eyes, he kisses her back. As they deepen the kiss, they fall back on the couch.
As Shelby finds comfort in Will's arms, Rachel is lying down on Finn's bed. He's sleeping on an air mattress on the floor next to his bed. She's tried really hard to hold back her tears. She knows Finn hates it when she cries. Now that Finn's asleep, she buries her head in a pillow and lets her tears escape. She didn't know it was possible to hurt like this. When she thought Jesse played her of his own volition, it hurt. But, she always knew he could hurt her if she gave herself to him. She decided it was worth it. She took the risk, and it cost her dearly. She would never, not once in a million years, think her own mother would hurt her.
Finn wakes up when he hears Rachel crying. He lies down next to her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. Finn starts singing Edwin McCain's I'll Be. His voice is low. It has a calming effect on her. She falls asleep in his arms.