I'm SO sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! With work and school it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Plus I slipped on some ice walking to school last week and destroyed my arm and got a mild concussion… A wonderful Christmas present… Anyway, I'm feeling better now, and I have the next chapter underway. I'll post it ASAFP, promise.
CHAPTER SIX:
This Is What It's Like
Rachel finished her homework quickly that night and started restlessly pacing her bedroom. Normally she would update her MySpace page or go down to the basement, where her dads had created a makeshift ballet studio for her, and practice for a few hours, but she couldn't concentrate.
When she caught sight of herself in the mirror she stopped and stared. The other kids were right; Santana's jeans did make her ass look fantastic. Maybe she should work some more conservative clothes into her wardrobe… She spun around suddenly and looking back over her shoulder inched her shirt up. She frowned, you couldn't see her tattoo unless… Her eyes widened as she lowered the waistband of the jeans- you could see it now that her pants were riding incredibly low, almost to the point of indecency. What had she and Noah been doing on the football field, in front of everyone, while Mercedes was recording it? She groaned in embarrassment, at least her dads hadn't been there. Noah wouldn't be allowed within 10 feet of her ever again if they had.
Rachel looked over her shoulder again and stroked a finger over the small tattoo. It was pretty small and very simple; just a star with the letters ARL inside it. ARL, for her birth mom: Abigail Rachel Logan. She and her dads had been in contact with Abby until she'd died a year ago. The tattoo had been Rachel's idea of commemoration which her dads had grudgingly agreed to- just so long as it wasn't visible.
Turning away from the mirror she walked over to her closet and threw the doors open. She sighed as she surveyed its contents. She needed help. Sighing again she flopped onto her bed and grabbed the phone off her nightstand. Idly humming Whispering from the Spring Awakening soundtrack she waited for someone to answer.
"Isaac Berry."
"Hi dad."
"Rach. It's so good to hear your voice! Where's your father? Nate! Nathaniel, Rachel's on the phone!"
Rachel rolled her eyes fondly, that was her dad. Isaac Elijah Berry was a short man with thick dark hair, glasses and an unreasonable love of sweater vests. He was a lawyer, who spent a lot of hours at work, but when he was home he showered so much affection on Rachel and her other dad, Nate, that they hardly knew what to do with themselves.
Nathaniel Matthew Berry was her other dad, her pop. He was tall, dark skinned and would do anything to make her dad happy; including dressing up in a sweater vest and smiling goofily for a portrait. Pop loved sports and cars and other manly things, he was actually as different from her dad as a man could be, but he loved her and he loved her dad more than anything.
They may have been different, as families go, but she wouldn't have them any other way. She smiled as she heard pop squeeze up beside her dad. "Hey Monster."
"Hi pop. How's New York?"
"It's fabulous, pumpkin." Her dad answered. "We're going to see Rent tonight."
"That's awesome dad. I can't believe you got tickets."
"Yeah," Rachel could practically hear pop rolling his eyes, "can't wait."
"It'll be great, pop. You'll love it. I promise."
"Sure, Rach. So what's up with the phone call?"
Rachel took a deep breath "Well, I was talking to some friends from glee today and they want to take me shopping and I was wondering if I could use the credit card you guys left me to buy some new clothes. Please, daddy? Papa?"
"You have lots of clothes Rach…" Her dad started, doing the whole frugal, level headed dad thing- plus he loved that she wore sweater vests.
"Different clothes, dad. More casual."
"Like, jeans and stuff?" Pop asked.
"Exactly."
"Jeans, Rachel? I don't know-"
"Go for it Rach." Pop interrupted. He was always trying to get her to tone down her uptight ways, to just throw on a pair of jeans and sweatshirt and toss a baseball around with him- it was unfortunate that apart from dance she wasn't the least bit athletic.
"Thanks pop. Enjoy the show tonight. Remember every detail; I want to hear all about it when you get back."
"You got it, monster. Have fun shopping with your friends. Say goodbye Isaac."
"But Nathaniel, I really think-"
"Just say goodbye, we'll talk about it later."
"Goodbye, pumpkin."
"Bye dad. I love you."
"We love you too." Pop assured her.
Rachel sighed when she hung up the phone. Now to get Kurt and Brittany on board.
Brittany sighed as she watched Mike climb out her window- they'd heard her mom and sisters get home a couple minutes ago, and she'd be so dead if her mom caught her doing the dirty… She gave her boyfriend one last smile as he disappeared from view and grabbed a magazine just as her mom came into her room.
"Hi mom." Brittany smiled.
"Brittany," her mom sighed, "you do know that that magazine is upside down, don't you?"
The blonde looked down and grimaced, sure enough the cheerleading magazine she'd grabbed was upside down. "Mom-"
The 36 year old woman shook her head "Just tell Mike to use the door next time, okay? He could break his neck climbing down that tree." Brittany just stared at her mom in shock. "The phone's for you."
"Thanks-"
She was about to leave when she looked back at her oldest daughter- who was making no effort to pick up the phone. "And Brit?"
"Yeah mom?"
"Be careful, okay?"
"I promise."
"And if one of your sisters ever walks in on you, so help me, you are going to be the one to give them the talk."
Brittany shivered at the thought of giving one of her younger sisters the 'birds and the bees' speech. "Okay mom."
Her mom nodded and grinned at her "Phone."
Brittany shivered again as her mom made her way down the hallway. How did she always know stuff like that? She must be psychic or something… The blonde shrugged as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Brit?"
"Oh, hey Kurt. What's up?"
"Only a dream come true. Rachel just called me. She's got a credit card and her dads' permission to update her wardrobe."
"Huh?"
"Makeover. Rachel Berry. Meet us at the mall in 30 minutes."
"Oh my gosh," Brit smiled, scanning her room for her purse "I can be there in 20."
"Good. We'll meet you in the food court."
"Bye Kurt."
Brit grinned as she scrambled to find her stuff- how had her shoes ended up behind her desk? Then she blushed as she remembered her and Mike's haste to get undressed earlier. She found her purse and bounded down the stairs. "Mom, I going to the mall!"
"With who?" her mom asked poking her head out from the kitchen.
"Some of my friends from glee. It's a makeover emergency!"
Her mom laughed. "Okay Brit, have fun. Don't forget your curfew."
"Thanks mom!" Brit ran from the house to her car. She loved makeovers! Well, actually, she'd never actually given anyone a makeover before, but they looked really fun in the movies…
Rachel groaned as another pile of clothes were shoved over the change room door. "Kurt! I can't possibly try on all these clothes!"
"You can and you will!" the fashionista replied forcefully, before flouncing away to find more.
"So anyway," Brittany continued from the other side of the door "then she said Mike should just use the door 'cause he might break his neck falling out of the tree… Do you think she has, like, ESPN or something?"
The brunette rolled her eyes fondly. "ESP Brit, not ESPN."
"Right," the Cheerio said, "whatever. Do you think she has it?"
Rachel laughed softly as she exited the change room wearing a short jean skirt, a plain gray t-shirt and a recently purchased pair of black leather boots. "No, I don't think your mother has psychic abilities Brittany. Do you think this skirt is too short?"
This time Brittany laughed as she walked up to Rachel and tugged the skirt down until it was resting on the tilt of her hips. "It's not that short, you're just wearing it too high."
"Oh," The brunette said as she shifted in front of the mirror, trying to get as many different views of the outfit as possible, "but now the shirt's too short."
Brit laughed again, with the skirt pulled down to the right height about an inch and a half of Rachel's midriff was visible in the gap between it and the t-shirt. "It's supposed to look like that Rach. Trust me, you look hot. Although-"
"It needs a belt." Kurt commented as he and Mercedes came back into the changing area, each of them with armfuls of clothes.
Mercedes nodded her agreement. "Black- to go with the boots. And maybe a necklace."
This time Kurt nodded "Silver and yellow."
Mercedes and Brittany smiled. "Perfect. Back in you go." Mercedes shooed Rachel back into the change room with her pile of clothes, then as Rachel closed and locked the door she turned to Brittany. "So what'd I miss?"
"Her mom knew she and Mike had sex even though he was gone, now she thinks she has ESP!" Rachel yelled from inside the stall.
Mercedes chuckled and patted the blonde cheerleader's arm knowingly. "It's not ESP, girl, moms just know."
"My dad always gives me this look when I keep something from him." Kurt added. "Like he knows when I'm lying. I don't know how he always knows… It's so annoying."
Rachel laughed softly inside her change room as the others continued to commiserate about their parents. So this was what it was like to have friends.