Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or White Houses.

Note: This is Rachel's introduction. She's probably gonna be the most in character compared to the show, so Rachel fans, get excited. Unless you only like her with Finn, in which case, don't get excited, because Finn is not in this.

We promise each other it's 'til the end

Hi. My name is Rachel Barbra Berry, and I am Broadway's Next Big Thing.

Do I sound conceited? I'm sorry, I've been told that before, and I don't really care. I know I'm a star. I was made for Broadway, and Broadway was made for me. I'm a girl who knows what she wants, and what I want is to be up on the Broadway stage with my name in lights on the marquee outside. I want to be the next Barbra, the next Patti, the next Ethel. And I know I will be, someday. Even if it means living South of Houston Street for a few years. It does have a certain charm to it, and not everyone can live on Park Avenue or the Upper East Side. Every star has to start out somewhere, and I suppose I'm starting out here for now.

There are three roles I want to play on the stage before I die. I shall be Eva Perón in Evita, Fanny Bryce in Funny Girl, and Laurey in Oklahoma!. As you can see, they are a range of roles and musicals, from the great team of Rodgers and Hammerstein to the graces of Ms. LuPone herself. I've so far played Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, and Maria in West Side Story. Again, iconic roles, and as anyone knows, the part of Maria was made for me. It really was not a surprise that I'd get it. And I was only a sophomore in high school when I played Sally. That was a really big deal. A list like that was what got me into Carnegie Mellon for theatre, right here, where I belong. Of course only now can I afford the rent of an apartment, and just barely, as I'm still in debt from school. And even though I have to share, it'll do for now.

And don't get me started on the difference between a play and a musical.

You'd think a determined girl like me wouldn't have time to date, but trust me, I do. I have a wonderful boyfriend back home in Maine. He totally understands my dreams and supports them and my ambitions. He's lucky to have a girl like me.

So I walked up to the shabby apartment that day, prepared to meet my roommates—arriving fashionably late, as one does—and right away, I was not welcomed warmly. I wondered why. Was it because I was the last one there? A feeling of dread washed over my stomach for a moment. Didn't they know who I was? Everyone knew who I was back in my hometown of Augusta, Maine. They all knew Rachel Berry, and they knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

These roommates? They didn't even acknowledge me.

"Excuse me, but where's my room and bathroom?" I asked the girl with the black hair.

"This is it," she grumbled, gesturing to the small bedroom with three beds and two dressers crammed into it. "Bathroom's down the hall and there's a half downstairs."

I blinked. "E…excuse me? I…I thought this was a two-bedroom."

"Yes, and you share this one with us. The boys get the other one." The blonde spoke up. I immediately drew back when I saw her face. It was Phantom -esque, and threw me off guard for a moment. I could tell that she used to be a pretty girl, though, like the popular girls who used to make fun of me in high school. She must've seen my gaping mouth, because she continued. "Look, maybe you're used to getting all you've ever wanted. You're probably a spoiled only child, a daddy's little girl with Big Broadway Dreams. Well look, around here, it's gonna be different. You share a bedroom, you share a bathroom, and you clean up after yourself. You got it?" I nodded. "Good. She's Tina, and I'm Quinn. The boys are Kurt and Noah. They're down the hall."

I set down my bags and started unpacking, startled at how little closet and dresser space I had. I heard a voice in the doorway, and turned around to see a well-dressed boy.

"You must be Rachel. I'm Kurt. If you're a homophobe, I hate you. If you're not, well, we just might get along."

I stood there, flabbergasted. "No, I…I'm not homophobic, I…I have two dads, I love them to death, I have no problem at all with gay people."

"Good." He said after a short moment. He gathered Tina and set off to browse the boutiques in the area.

"Hey, Quinn, wanna go to the grocery store?" A male's voice asked from the hallway. That must've been Noah. He poked his head into the room.

And he was gorgeous.

Dark eyes, hair buzzed into a Mohawk that ordinarily wouldn't attract me, but in this case, it did, and arm muscles that a girl would just love to feel and hold.

And I could just tell that he was Jewish, like me.

If I didn't have a boyfriend waiting for me back home, this Noah would be the type of boy I'd love to have on my arm while on the red carpet of the Tony Awards.

I wanted these people to like me. And I mean, genuinely like me, not just pretend to like me. I didn't really have friends in high school or college, because I was so career-driven. But maybe this is my chance to make real friends, friends that I'd have til the day I die (as a wealthy retired Broadway veteran, of course).

I guess here's the best place to start my career and the rest of my life.

No, screw guessing. I'm done with guessing.

This is where I belong.

To be continued.