ATTN: I DO NOT OWN GLEE OR ITS CHARACTERS

A/N: I've noticed my text separators don't show up, so I added an 'O'. You'll see it when you get to it… hopefully. Now read and review please !

8.

Rachel finally decided to attend school on Thursday. She figured that becoming truant wouldn't help her dying educational situation whatsoever, so Rachel took the initiative that morning and got ready for the day. After all she still wanted to go to college. If she had to resort to community schooling, then so be it. But it was best if she didn't mess with her chances there. For all she knew, she probably couldn't even get in at Allen Community College, which did nothing to put her in better spirits.

When she rifled through her wardrobe, she couldn't find a single thing to wear, which is seemingly impossible as the white armoire is filled to the brim with blouses, skirts, and dresses.

But Rachel was in no mood to wear what she usually wears. She likes to describe her fashion choices as fun and eccentric, and that was the exact opposite of what she was currently feeling. For the past several days she's worn the one pair of sweatpants she owns and her Daddy's white sleep shirts.

Sighing, Rachel decides on a navy blue dress that ends at her knees (the longest length she could find) and a black cardigan to match the black ballet flats on her feet. Her hair dries in its natural thick waves since she's not in the mood to straighten her hair or put makeup on. Rachel simply brushes her teeth, grabs her bag, and heads to her car.

The ride to school was awful. The entire time she repeated what Miss Tibideaux had told her and she couldn't help but wonder what the kids at school would be saying to her. They'd taunt her for being so cocky all these years, telling them after they'd toss some flavored shredded ice in her face that they'd surmount to absolutely nothing in their pathetic little lives while she shone brighter than every star up in the sky.

When she parks she realizes she doesn't have a packed pair of clothing in her backseat just in case said flavored shredded ice was tossed her way. Rachel had almost convinced herself that she was absolutely not ready to come back, but a knock on her window shook her back to reality. Her chocolate brown eyes trailed up the door to the translucent glass and saw Mercedes and her wide grin.

Mercedes took a few steps back to let Rachel get out of her car. As soon as the door opened, the smooth voice squealed.

"Diva! How have you been doing?"

Several days ago Rachel had made the choice to tell her best friends (minus Finn because she knew absolutely nothing about where the stood in their friendship at the moment) about her flop audition. She confided in them and trusted them to not spill the news to everyone they usually hung out with because it just wasn't their job to tell. She needed to do that on her own and when the time came. She was definitely not ready to rush the process. She can already hear Quinn's evil laugh and see Santana's wicked grin at her failure.

Rachel forces a small smile on her pale lips.

"I'm… I've been better."

"I know, babe, but listen, you can't let that one audition phase you. Your talent is too big to go unnoticed and you will get to where you want in life, I promise."

And for some crazy reason, Rachel can't help but feel a tad bit better at her friend's words. The tender tone Mercedes had used, and the content of what she had said was almost empowering. Rachel reminded herself to thank Mercedes later. Right now she had a demon to battle, and that demon was just taking a step into the school itself.

When she does finally make it, she nervously eyes all the students as she shuffles down the tiled hallway floor. The loud sea of students practically overwhelms her. It's been days since she's heard this, since she's really heard anyone. She made it very clear to her dads' she wasn't ready to communicate with them or anyone at the moment. Being here with so many noises… it was literally making her head spin and throb.

Rachel can't help but flinch when a few jocks pass by, each holding a Big Gulp cup. The vicious look in their eyes tells her that they're holding slushies and that she was their target, but… they walk right pass her, not even glancing her way. A group of Cheerios crowd around her locker as it's merely two down from Quinn Fabray's and they just give her dirty looks. Not one gives her a jab about her terrible audition, her ruined future.

Retrieving her books, she heads to her first class which just so happens to be Home Ec., also known as the only class she has with almost every single members of glee club. She really was dreading this. She knew for a sure that they would be suspicious and trying to get her to talk about what happened. For a minute Rachel considered telling them in glee after school today since they had their weekly meet up with Mr. Schue to rehearse, but then chickened out and just shut her mind from any news revealing topics whatsoever. It's just too soon.

She walks through the doorway of Mrs. Connaly's classroom, the smell of burnt food floating around. She wasn't the best Home Economics teacher as most of the students lacked major culinary skills and had trouble just making a pancake. However the class was a super easy A since Mrs. Connaly really didn't care and was too busy looking forward to her retirement to grade people on their actual work. Hence why every senior takes this class some point during the day.

The first people Rachel notices are Santana, Brittany, and Quinn, who all sit at one table even though they're only supposed to seat two students. The beautiful, popular Cheerio's always bend the rules, though, so who cares. But they caught her attention because they all started to laugh hysterically, and pointed at her too, which only means they're directing their mean humor at her. Heat flushed her cheeks as she tightens her grip on the books in her arm and makes her way back to her assigned seat, which unfortunately is next to the one person she'd been trying to avoid.

Finn.

He's looking at her intently, his amber colored eyes following her every movement as she sits down next to him and opens up her folder to pull out her make up work.

"They made you do make up work for this class? That's bogus. All we did was dare Mrs. Connaly to eat the "surprise" milkshake we made with every old ingredient the school is trying to get rid of," He comments humorously and she bites her bottom lip to keep from laughing, however a smile stretches across her face.

"Rachel, look," Finn starts more seriously now, making her smile slip away and her heart shatter more and more. "We really need to talk. I've been driving myself crazy since we last saw each other, always thinking about you and I really want to help you and… just please. Please come over after glee club rehearsal tonight. Burt and mom are out canvassing and Kurt will be off with Blaine. I can order some Chinese from that place that has the vegan alternatives and we can, I don't know, watch a movie. I just need to hang out with you and talk to you and make this all better."

Her eyebrows scrunch together in pain and her saddened eyes look into his.

"I don't know," She whispered. "I don't think I should-."

"Give our friendship another chance? Because I'm really sorry for being-."

"Alright class, listen up. We're going to attempt to make cake. And not from a box. Puckerman, please do not dare Mike Chang to juggle eggs this time," Mrs. Connaly interrupted Finn's apology.

Rachel looks at him with confused, sad eyes and just gives him this desperate facial expression to try and get him to understand that she just… she can't see him right now.

Her mind is not in the right place with this quite yet. So much bad news has been dropped on her in such a short amount of time that she can't even think about going to Finn's and sorting everything out this soon. It was only days ago that she found out about his departure into the military.

Tears well up in her eyes as she measures some flour and emptied it in the mixing bowl. Finn was merely across the room with the guys. It was something that the class always did. Sort of a 'bake-off', boys against girls. See who can make it better. It was always girls because, well, girls are good at stuff like this.

"Aw, is baby crying cause she has to be back at school. Oh, we know how torturous high school is for the little unpopular Jewish girl," Santana sneers next to her.

"I… no. I was just… I was sick," Rachel murmurs, wishing the mean girls would just leave her alone. There was only two weeks until graduation and they couldn't give her a break just this once? They'd spent forever ridiculing her. You'd think that it'd get old by now since their comments were always the same; Jew, Ru Paul, Man Hands, etc.

"Sick, hmm," Quinn ponders thoughtfully. "Because I could have sworn that it would have been related to your audition for NYADA."

Rachel froze completely and stared at the beautiful blonde haired blue eyed ice queen. How did she… How did they find out? Were they at the school when it happened? No, that couldn't be possible because it was completely shut down except for the auditorium. She knew that because there were no cars in the parking lot.

So this could only mean one thing… Kurt or Mercedes told people. Betrayal washed throughout her system and she felt even more worthless than anything. If the people she knew and trusted couldn't shut up for her sake then what was the point at all?

Rachel did something she'd never done in all her years of high school. When Mrs. Connaly went to her little office in the classroom and turned her Soap Opera back on the computer, she grabbed her things and just left the classroom.

Skipping school, cutting class… what was Rachel becoming? Some sort of rebel? Was she going against what she believed in as a way of dealing with all the crap her life was going through at the moment? If so, was it okay for her to deal with the pain like this?

Her head swarmed with questioning thoughts. Who was she? What was she going to do? But out of all the confusion she knew one thing for sure. Kurt and Mercedes couldn't be trusted. Another little thing that just sucks majorly because Rachel had really thought she could trust them. Senior year had brought the three so close together and they bonded on such a different level than Rachel had with anyone else, even Finn. Of course Finn and she were the closest, but she couldn't talk to Finn about feminine things. She had tried that once but he was utterly confused about menstrual cycling and current fashion trends.

Mercedes and Kurt were finally her girlfriends. And now that's taken away from her. The world has to be against her, because honestly what could be worse? What's going to happen next, she wonders as she hides in the bathroom, stowing away in the end stall she had hid in many times during her high school career. After being humiliated in public it was her comfort zone. They couldn't get her when she was in here.

Nothing was right and she felt sick to her stomach. To be honest, her NYADA flop wasn't even the base of all her problems at the moment. Or at least wasn't the cause of the churning stomach and tear stung eyes. It was Finn. She hadn't seen him in what felt like for ages yet it had merely been several days. He was leaving her.

She had tried really hard to accept his decision, but she couldn't. Not even if she felt it were heroic or inspiring. Because accepting his choice to enlist would be accepting his death, and she just couldn't do that.

Not now, not ever.

After about fifteen minutes of crying, Rachel finally makes her move from the stall to the sinks so she can wash her face with ice cold water. The cool chill it gave her made her skin feel fresh and revived. It was just what she needed. There was still five minutes until the bell rang signaling the students to their next class. A groan escaped from between Rachel's lips at the fact that it is only second period. But she had all advanced classes until sixth period, after lunch, which was her gym class time. There weren't any Cheerio's in the AP classes she took and, luckily, Quinn and Santana had gym at the very end of the day.

She could do this. Rachel had the power to do this.

Leaving the bathroom, she groans yet again, this time at herself. A huge poster with Quinn Fabray's face on it and the slogan 'Quinn for Queen' reminded Rachel of the senior formal. They plan it out to be the last Saturday before graduation. Rachel hadn't even bought her shoes or accessories yet! Of course she had gotten her dress a month ago when she was still excited about the prom, but the past couple of weeks have been such a distraction she hadn't even thought about it.

What was she going to do? She didn't have anyone to go with. The original plan was to go with Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes, and Sam. They were all going to eat at Breadstixx like they did last year. It was one of the best nights Rachel had ever had. Of course if she could do it all over again she would have tried harder to get an official date, not just go along with her friends, but… she had a wonderful time with Finn. They danced and ate the stale store bought cake and the odd tasting punch Ms. Sylvester made. It was perfectly un-perfect for her junior prom.

But this year she had wanted it to be very special as it was her very last prom. She had gotten the most gorgeous dress, and it cost her dads' a fortune, but it was worth it. Rachel has to laugh at that. She bought this really expensive dress and had forgotten completely about it. Just weeks ago she was gushing about the pink tulle material being as soft as a cloud.

Maybe she was still going with all her friends.

No, that was out of question. Rachel was very upset with Finn and she didn't even want to think about her feelings on Kurt and Mercedes at the moment. She couldn't go alone. There was no way she was going to give her peers another thing to laugh at. Maybe she just shouldn't go at all.

But it's her last prom. It's special and a very important passage to adulthood. You must enjoy your senior prom because it's the last magical, happy night of high school. It's nostalgic and energetic and something you don't want to miss out on because you'll regret it one day in your future. Rachel didn't want to be that girl.

So she needed to find a date. This would be the perfect distraction for her! It will easily take her mind off more serious matters. She has exactly eight days to prep before prom day and she was going to make this perfect.

Because unlike everything else going on in her life, Rachel has full control over what will happen. And she was more than determined to make her senior prom a night not forgotten.

**o**

The rest of the day went by like a breeze. The only time she had to avoid people was during lunch and that was easily solved by eating in the safety of her car. Sure she was really lonely, but she had spent a lot of her life alone. Then again, it had been a really long time since then. She had always had Finn, and this year she had a lot of her glee club members too. They all sort of started to bond, with the exception of Santana and Quinn. Even Brittany Pierce and Mike Chang, both popular athletes, had warmed up to her!

However the school day wasn't her hardest challenge. The big one was showing up to glee club rehearsal. She knew that people would be shocked to see her back at school since she had missed the last two practices. They'd probably be mad at her too since Nationals was coming up during the last week of school and they needed all their players to be spot on with what they needed to do if they wanted to win this year.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel walks through the door and into the choir room. Everyone went silent and stared at her, some in amusement, most in shock. Kurt and Mercedes smiled brightly and waved at her. She ignores them and sits down in the only open chair that happens to be next to Finn. She's sure he planned it out this way, but whatever.

"Rachel," Mr. Schuester smiles, "It's nice to see that you're back. Were you sick?"

"No," Santana's loud voice emits from behind her where the pretty Latina sits. "She choked at her big Broadway audition or whatever."

Rachel's eyes squeeze shut as she feels shame wash over her body.

"Hey!" Finn yelled, standing up quickly, his chair kicking behind him. "What the hell, Santana?"

"It's not my fault she isn't good enough."

An innocent look spreads across Santana's face and an evil smirk appears thickly.

Anger fogs Rachel's vision as red flashes throughout her mind. What the hell did that mean? Was it okay for her possible college mentor to tell her that she didn't have what it takes? Yes. Was it okay for herself to think that? Definitely. But was it a-okay for a girl who doesn't even know the least bit about who she was say that? Absolutely not. Sirens blare in her mind, telling her to calm down and Santana's smirk gets even sweeter (sicker) than before. That taunting grin is all Rachel sees before she lunges her body at the bitch sitting behind her.