Thanks for all your nice comments! Things have calmed down in my world, so I'm getting better at updating. I hope you enjoy Chapter 4. Please comment if I should continue.

Chapter 4: So Close, Yet So Far Apart

Finn looked up at the scoreboard. The baseball team of nine and ten year olds he was coaching this summer was losing five to nothing. They hadn't won a single game all summer. It was discouraging to the boys, but discouraging to Finn as well. He'd tried hard with the boys, tried to be a good coach and not give up on them, but it was a struggle. As one who was all too familiar with failure, he knew how hard it would be for these kids. It wasn't the best luck that they'd gotten an eighteen-year-old coach who was just out of high school while some of the other teams in the city's recreational league were coaches of high school teams, something Finn blamed himself for. Coaches of the other teams had wondered if he was the brother of a boy on the team and he himself was sure he'd only gotten the job because not enough adults will had signed up. As the umpire called a time out, Finn looked at the discouraged members of his team to give them a pep talk.

"Okay, guys, we're going to win this game," he said. "I just have the feeling that today we're going to win."

"Yeah right," one of the boys mumbled. "We'll probably lose again."

Finn sighed. The boys knew they weren't any good. "You've been improving in practice. Just show that other team what you've got."

"You guys look like you could use some refreshments." Finn turned to see Rachel walking over, pulling a cooler and carrying a plastic bag.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked.

"I came to support you and your team," Rachel said with a smile. She turned to the boys. "How would you guys like some gatorade and chips?"

"Boys, this is my best friend, Rachel," Finn said. He didn't want to tell the boys she was his girlfriend, but they probably could have figured it out for themselves.

"She's really pretty," one of the boys said.

Finn smiled. "I think so, too." He helped Rachel give each boy a gatorade and a homemade cookie.

"I want you guys to get this sugar in your system and then get out there and show the other team what you're made of!" Rachel said.

The boys gulped their gatorade down and ate their cookies before heading back to line up. Rachel's strategy ended up being successful and the sugar seemed to help the boys. They ended up winning the game 14-6 and seeing the excitement on their faces reminded Finn of why he took this job.

As he watched his players pack their bags, Finn gave Rachel a kiss. "How did you do that? You just won my team their first game of the season!"

Rachel kissed back. "Because I'm Rachel Berry!"

Finn laughed. "You're amazing." He turned to see that his players had just noticed the kissing between him and Rachel.

"Coach Hudson has a girlfriend!" one of the boys declared.

"Boys, I've been telling you since the first practice, call me Finn," Finn said. "And yes, I do. Remember, I'm eighteen."

"Well, your girlfriend makes good cookies," another boy said.

"You should come to the rest of our games and make cookies for us again," another boy said.

Rachel smiled at Finn, then at the boys. "I'd love to."

And that had only been the first game Rachel had helped them to victory in. There must have been something about Rachel's presence. Every game for the rest of the season, Rachel brought gatorade, homemade cookies and encouragement to the boys. Against all odds, Finn's team had made it to the championship game and won. Many of the parents of boys on his team complained that their sons had a coach young enough to be their own son at the beginning of the season. Finn liked to think that Rachel had something to do with the championship win.

x

Finn rolled over in his bed, realizing that he was just having a flashback. What a great memory that day was! Having Rachel to share it with him had made it extra special. And that was just one memory from this summer. He and Rachel had so many great memories together. This past year had been the best year of his life. He and Rachel had been together and happy all year, enjoying every moment as much as possible. Nothing was getting in their way. What he wouldn't give to be back home with her now!

The first night at OSU had been one of the worst nights of Finn's life. Already he couldn't stand his roommate, Derek, who was from the Dayton area. Derek had already managed to make a bunch of friends and was rude during Finn and Rachel's skype date. (During which Finn discovered Rachel now had short hair, three additional ear piercings and a bunch of new clothes.) They'd been so obnoxious Finn had ended the talk with Rachel early and gone into the RA's room sobbing. When he returned, he asked Derek and his friends to leave the room, claiming he had a headache and wanted to go to bed. The truth had been that he wanted to be by himself. He spent the evening on his computer looking at photos of himself and Rachel, himself and his family, himself and his high school friends, mostly him and Rachel though.

Finn hadn't expected to be homesick. Homesickness had never been an issue at camp or school trips growing up. He thought since he'd been fine when he was younger he'd definitely be fine at college. It was only the first night and he was dying inside about everything. He wanted Rachel. He wanted his mom, and his stepdad, and Kurt, and Ally.

"Finn! Time to get up!" Finn rolled over to see his roommate, already fully dressed. "How was your first night? Is your headache gone?"

Maybe this boy wasn't all bad. "Yeah, I'm feeling better. Thanks for asking."

"Hey Finn, could you maybe take me and my friends to the Alpha Phi Delta party tonight? We need someone to clean up the mess and walk us home to make sure we get back okay," Derek said. "We couldn't drink as much as we wanted last night because no one was there to take us home if we were wasted."

Finn rolled his eyes and shook his head. This boy was exactly as he'd predicted. "Sorry, I have football practice." Technically football was over at six, but Derek didn't know that.

"Damn!" Derek shouted. "I'll see if Scott's roommate can do it."

Finn looked away. Hoping Rachel would still want to talk tonight, he got out his phone and sent her a text: "Good luck in classes today! Can't wait to hear all about it tonight. XO Finn."

Almost immediately, Finn's phone beeped with a reply from Rachel: "Thanks so much! Have fun at football."

Finn smiled and replied to the text. "Can't wait to skype tonight :)"

Again, Rachel took no time at all to reply. "Neither can I :) I miss your sexy face :("

Finn started typing a reply when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID to see that it was his mom. "Hey Mom," he said, picking up the phone. "I miss you."

"Finny!" Carole cried. "I miss you too! It's so weird now that you're both gone. Ally can tell you're both gone. She was crying last night and it was so hard for Burt and me to console her. I think she needed you and Kurt to sing to her."

Finn felt a tear coming to his eye. "I miss you, Mom. So much."

"So how was your first night?" Carole asked.

Finn sighed. "Not so good. Homesickness hit me pretty hard. I really miss you and Burt and Kurt and Ally and Rachel. I skyped with Rachel."

"How's Rachel doing? I miss my other daughter."

"I think she's doing fine. She went out with her roommates her first night and she starts classes today. I miss her a lot though."

"Separation is hard, but you and Rachel will see each other on breaks and you can talk every day if you want."

"We're planning on talking every day. I hope this relationship survives the separation though. I always hear about couples in high school who think they're going to last forever and then in college their lives go in two different directions and it kills the relationship. I just don't want that to be Rachel and me."

"That won't be you two!"

"How can you be sure? Rachel's probably going to be some big star and I'm probably going to be stuck in Lima. What is there for me in New York?"

"You'll find something. This won't hurt you and Rachel."

"I hope not."

"Do you two plan on talking today?"

"Yup, at seven. I'm done with football at six."

"Tell me how your first practice with the Buckeyes goes!"

"I will, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Finny."

The welcome weekend activities were okay. Finn barely focused on the lectures. He'd been here less than twenty-four hours, but already wasn't sure if he wanted to stay here. EVERYTHING was too big and overwhelming. The exploratory program welcome was packed with noisy freshman, then convocation was too loud as well. Noise and crowds had never really bothered him before, but everything was different now.

Football practice was not what Finn had hoped it would be. He knew he should be grateful that the team took him, especially because he had to sit out his senior season with a dislocated shoulder, sprained wrist and three fractures in his arm after the quarterback from the opposing team tackled him in their first game. He didn't complain at practice, but he got one message: he was sidelined. The coaches told him flat out that he could go to practices, but they wouldn't be using him unless it was an absolute last resort.

It was just one blow after another. College was not fun at all. Finn wanted to go home. As he picked up dinner on the way back to his dorm room, he felt his eyes filling with tears. He couldn't do this. All he wanted was to go home.

Rather than humiliating himself by eating alone in public, Finn brought his dinner back to his room and began looking around it. His eyes fell on the picture of him and Rachel taken at graduation that sat on the shelf of his desk. They both looked so happy in that picture. He had his arm around her, she was leaning against him and they had such big smiles on their faces.

Such a contrast to now. They were in different states now. Finn texted Puck and Sam (who both loved college) until Rachel called him on skype.

"I'm so excited to see you!" Rachel said right away.

"You too," Finn said. "So, how were classes?"

"They were all right," Rachel said. "In one of my classes we had to write a paragraph about where we see ourselves in five years and -"

"And what?" Finn asked.

"Oh, never mind," Rachel said.

"Now you've got me wondering, Rachel!" Finn said. "Tell me!"

"I said that I wanted to coach a Glee club in five years if I can't be on Broadway," Rachel said.

"Really?" Finn said. He was surprised Rachel was now thinking of career options beyond Broadway. Personally, he'd hoped she would say she wanted to marry him. "I never thought I'd see the day that you ditched your dreams of Broadway. I still think you may end up on Broadway one day."

"Awww, you're so sweet!" Rachel said. "So, how's OSU?"

"Football was all right today," Finn said. "But they probably aren't going to play me much."
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"What I said," Finn said. "They had me sit out part of practice because they're having the lower level kids not play as much."
"But you got a scholarship!" Rachel gasped.

"Guess that's not good enough," Finn said. "Ugh."

"Well, I'll always be watching and looking for you," Rachel said. "It sucks that you guys don't have any games close to me."

"I know!" Finn said. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," Rachel said. "I miss everyone. I mean, I talked to Quinn the other day and I texted Kurt and Mercedes but other than that I haven't really talked to anyone."
"Yeah, I've talked to Sam and Puck," Finn said. "And Kurt, but since he's my brother..."
"Yeah," Rachel said. "Mercedes met up with Matt Rutherford and he asked her out."

"Are you serious?" Finn said. "I thought he like, dropped off the face of the planet."

"Apparently not," Rachel said. "Everyone I've talked to is doing great."

"Well, are you?" Finn asked.

"I'm doing fine, still getting used to it," Rachel said.

"I'd say that's how I'm doing, too," Finn said.

"Finn, you'll be fine," Rachel said. "You're Finn Christopher Hudson. You're amazing. I have no doubt in my mind that college will be great for you."
"I could say the same thing for you," Finn said.

For nearly an hour, Finn and Rachel talked as if they'd never left about Glee memories and weird people at their college. "Maybe I should go now," Finn said, and Rachel knew why.

"Don't fall in love with any hot girls down there," Rachel said.

"Don't fall in love with ANYONE," Finn said.

"Too late," Rachel said.

Finn blew Rachel a kiss before logging off. It was nice seeing her face, but what he really wanted was to back with her in person. This was only the first day. How much harder would things get?