Down with Love

Rachel Berry raced through the house into her beautiful pink Hello Kitty bedroom; it was her favorite sanctuary – and only sanctuary of late. Before Glee club was started again in the fall, she spent more than three quarters of her free time in her room, slaving away to her MySpace page, creating new life-long goals, or exercising to keep her body in perfect shape. She felt safe in her room, away from her peers, from the world…who were only out to hurt her in the end.

Glee had opened her to a brand new world – one of color, life, and friendship. She had finally begun to find the acceptance that she spent her life craving for, and when the fates handed her a boyfriend in Jesse St. James, Rachel truly believed that life was perfect…until it was literally snatched away from her.

Jesse wasn't who he claimed to be – it was as simple as that, and no amount of singing could take away the sting of rejection completely, the memory of his kiss, of their first meeting in the library, and when he told her by the locker area that he had transferred schools – and Glee clubs – just to make her his girlfriend.

No, Jesse wasn't who Rachel thought he was, and she hated him for that: hated him for coming to McKinley High in the first place, for making her his girlfriend, and for being cowardly about his intentions. But the one thing that she hated the most about him, was that he made her love him; he was the perfect boyfriend for a few short months, and he had won over Rachel completely. Rachel hated Jesse St. James, and she hated love even more.

"Who needs love anyway!" Rachel threw her hands into the air in frustration. She had gotten through sixteen years with only the love of her fathers to help her – why should she need love from anyone else? Love just complicates everything, Rachel muttered, as she wondered what she could do to get herself out of this funk. Regionals were in a few weeks, and Glee Club was expecting her to once again lead them victory in the same way she did at Sectionals. What would Barbara do, Rachel asked herself, referring to her idol and favorite star, Barbara Streisand. Like Barbara, Rachel was Jewish, and determined to be a star – no matter what. To heck with love, Rachel muttered, sitting up. She went over to her CD player and found one of her instrumental tracks. She turned her video camera on, in case she needed to remember this performance for inspiration later.

Smoothing out her hair, Rachel began to belt out:

Down with love
With flowers and rice and shoes

Rachel tapped her feet to the beat, imagining that she was standing with Barbara, providing inspiration and insight to women everywhere.
Down with love
The root of all midnight blues

Jesse isn't worth being blue about, Rachel scolded herself inwardly; when you become a big star, he'll be a painful memory.Rachel swung along with the slow jazzy pace of the music.
Down with things
That give you that well-known pain
Take that moon
Wrap it in cellophane

Rachel did a front kick with her left leg, imagining it colliding with Jesse's skull.
Down with love let's liquidate
All it's friends
Like moon, June, roses
And rainbow's ends
Down with songs
That mourn about night and day
Down with love
Take it away, away

Rachel spun around the room, getting more involved with the music, hearing the jazzy beat speed up just a little bit. I don't care if I ever see him again!
Take it away, take it away
Give it back to the birds
To bees and the Viennese
Down with eyes romantic and stupid
Down with sighs, down with cupid
Brother let's stuff that dove
Down with love

This was Rachel's favorite part of the song, the tempo sped up drastically, and the beat was strong, giving her the opportunity to shout out her feelings through lyrics.
Down with love
Liquidate all it's friends
Like moon, June, roses
And rainbow's ends
Down with song
That mourns about night and day

Rachel was now in full force as she pranced around the room, letting go of all of her negative energy.
You are the one...
And I don't stand a chance with a ghost like you
Ah, the promised kiss of Spring is here...
What does my heart go dancin' overhead...
On the ceiling near my bed...
We go now...
Because I talk to the trees, but they don't listen to me
I tell them: You say either - I say i-ther
You say neither, I say neither - I say ni-ther
Either, i-ther
Neither, ni-ther
Let's call the whole thing off!

Rachel jumped on her bed as her hair swerved around her body.
Take it away, take it away
Give it back to the birds
And the bees and the Viennese
Down with eyes romantic and stupid
Down with sighs, down with cupid
Brother let's stuff that dove...
Down, down, down
I go on round and round
I go in a spin
Hating the spin, I'm in!
What is this thing...
What is this thing called love?

Rachel raised her hands for the dramatic finale, letting out a deep breath that she had been holding in while performing. As Rachel turned her camera off, a smile formed on her mouth, the first one in the past few days. Performing really was her calling, what she was meant to do, and Rachel wasn't going to let anyone male or female, boyfriend, friend, or enemy, keep her from her lifelong goal.