Chapter Nine: Everything's Different

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who leaves behind wonderful reviews and thanks to everyone who alerted and favorited the story. Don't worry, Finn and Rachel won't be broken up for long (maybe two or three chapters after this one, four at the most). And since I'm in a good mood on this dreary Monday where I live, I'm updating earlier than I thought. As always, I don't own the Glee characters. The chapter title come from Light in Your Eyes by Sheryl Crow.

"Chief Schuester, there's something I need to ask you." Rachel said the morning after her breakup with Finn.

"Come on in, Rachel." She went into his office and shut the door. "What's going on?"

"I'd like to request a transfer off of Dr. Sylvester's service. I don't care who's service I get moved to, but I can't be with Sylvester anymore."

"Did she say something to you?"

"No, Dr. Sylvester is a wonderful mentor. It's not her, I can assure you of that."

"Well, then I don't see what the problem is."

Rachel sighed. "Okay. Thanks, Chief Schuester."

"Rachel, is everything okay? You just seem a little off today."

"Not really, sir. But I won't let it get in the way of my job."

"Spoken like a true Berry. And if you need anything, you can come and talk to me."

"I know. Thanks again, Chief." Rachel gave him a small smile and left his office, almost running into Finn.

"God, Rachel, watch where you're going." Finn snarled. "Is Schuester in there? I need to talk to him about getting off Sylvester's service. God knows I can't work with you anymore."

"He won't do it. I already asked." Rachel said quietly.

"Hudson, Berry, I've been looking for you for almost fifteen minutes. Come on, we have a surgery to prep for." Sylvester said, walking down the corridor of the hospital.

"I can't believe I have to work with you when I can barely stand to look and talk to you." Finn hissed, not looking in Rachel's direction.

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? I swear it was all one horrible mistake." Rachel said. She felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes again, and she pinched her nose to try to stop them from falling.

"Rachel, it's not like you were late for a date. You fucking slept with fucking Jesse St. James. And I don't think I can ever forgive you for that." Finn said, stopping in front of Rachel. She looked up at him and saw he had tears of his own forming. "So just do us both a favor and stop talking to me."

"I could go to Columbia. That way I could still live here in the house and see you all every day." Rachel said that night, sitting on the couch doing research on different hospitals in the area that still wanted the fabulous Rachel Berry to work in their hospital.

"I don't even understand why you're leaving McKinley. And it looks like a severe pay cut if you go to Columbia." Kurt said, looking at a spreadsheet that Rachel made.

"Yeah, but I'd be working with Dr. Emerson, and he's a good friend of my daddies. And they always said if I wasn't working at McKinley, I had to be working at Columbia. And McKinley isn't as good of a fit for me as I thought it would be."

"But, Rachel, just a few days ago you were saying you loved it there."

"Well, I was lying. It's so hard to work there when my dads used to work there. I'm under pressure all the time. And I just can't do it."

"I think it has to be something else." Kurt said, looking over Rachel's shoulder at something she was typing up on her laptop. "Did you notice something was wrong with Finn today?"

Rachel's heart stopped. "No. I didn't." She went back to typing something.

"Oh my God. Rachel Barbra Berry, you were having sex with Finn Hudson!"

Rachel's head shot up. "What? No. No. I wasn't. That's so not even close."

"Friends with benefits?"

"No, Kurt. Finn and I weren't anything. And I don't think we're anything. Not anymore."

"But were you something before?"

Rachel slowly nodded her head.

"Oh. My. God. Rachel, why didn't you tell any of us? Or, better than that, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want anyone to know we were dating. Because I knew people would make a big deal out of it."

"No one would have made a big deal about it. I can't believe you and Finn were dating. God, I feel like the signs were there and we were all oblivious to them. When did you guys start dating?"

"Right after I had surgery."

"Rachel! You've been dating for months and I'm just know learning about it? How could you do this to your best friend?"

"Well, we were dating for months. That all went up in flames last night. That's why I don't want to work at McKinley anymore." Rachel looked out the window and saw Finn's car pull up into the driveway. "It's just too awkward." Rachel looked down at her computer and the papers scattered around the couch. "I'm going to head up to my room and finish looking things over."

"Rachel, you have a phone call." Finn said, coming into her room to give her the phone. "But make it quick because there's something I need to do too."

Rachel rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone from Finn. "This is Rachel speaking."

"Rachel, hello, it's Dr. Emerson from Columbia."

"Hello, sir. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing wonderful, thank you for asking. Now, what's this I hear about you leaving McKinley to come work here at Columbia?"

"I was hoping I'd still be able to get into the program. And to work under your wing would be amazing."

"Well, I'm sorry Rachel, but we just filled up our last intern spot last night. I wish I had better news for you."

"No, Dr. Emerson, it's fine. I knew I should have followed my gut and gone with Columbia instead of McKinley. Oh well, there's always residency."

"Yes, that is always true. Will we be seeing your application in the coming months?"

"Oh, of course. I look forward to seeing you again. Goodnight, Dr. Emerson." Rachel hung up the phone and noticed that Finn was still standing in her room. "Here's the phone. You didn't have to wait in here for me."

"You're leaving McKinley?"

"Well, you heard the conversation. I'm not leaving McKinley until the end of our internship, which ends in a few months. And what happened to not wanting to talk to me?"

"Fine, I guess I won't be taking an interest in any of my roommate's lives anymore. Sorry for making an attempt to be cordial."

"Well, it's funny that you want to be cordial after you learn that I may not be at McKinley for much longer. You need to pick what you want Finn, because I'm getting whiplash from your changing feelings." Rachel took a deep breath. "Clearly, you and me dating wasn't a good idea. But we were really good friends. I wonder if that would ever happen again."

"Well, right now I don't think it would work out."

"Oh." Rachel said. "I had a feeling you would say that."

"But, I think if we give it some time, there's a high chance that we'll be friends again."

Rachel smiled at him. "I'd like that a lot, Finn."

Finn gave Rachel a half smile and nodded his head. "Cool. So, as my friend, would you like to have pizza with me?"

"I'd love to have pizza. I'm actually starving."

"Think you could help me eat a Supreme from the shop down the street?"

"Probably." Rachel said, getting up from her bed to grab her purse. "But let's go because I'm starving, and Joe always stops making the dough for the Supreme sized pizzas at nine."

Finn looked down at his watch to look at the time. "You know, when we finish, it'll only be around eight thirty. Wanna go see a movie or something?"

"I would but I have to be at the hospital at five. So after the pizza, I plan on coming home and sleeping as much as possible. Maybe some other time?"

"Yeah, definitely." Finn said.