Heads turn as I make my way into the choir room. I'm desperate to squelch down, to start tugging at my jumper or scuffing my boots, yet I hold my head high. I don't think I've done anything to be ashamed of. I nod my head in my recognition as Tina waves shyly. Quinn pats the seat next to her and I shuffle into it, placing my red handbag underneath my seat.

Mr Shue's face breaks out into a smile as he enters the room, swinging his suitcase. He gently places it on the top of the piano and picks up his whiteboard pen. He begins to scrawl on the whiteboard.

REINVENTION

"So guys as you have figured out right now Rachel is back in Glee and I for one couldn't be more pumped! This is the perfect time for New Directions to reconsider the direction we're going in. Aren't we supposed to be about change and new things? And with Rachel's reinvention…."

He pauses as he motions towards my outfit, a combination of skinny jeans, Ugg boots and a long red polka dot sweater. For him it seems as if I have made an amazing transformation; as if the old Rachel Berry is gone for good and Rachel 2.0 is in her place. It's funny how clothes can be seen as defining a person in so many different ways. I've been defined by short skirts and knee socks; the number on my boyfriends football jersey; my cheerio uniform and now my jeans. They like to think that the jeans are a metaphor for my new life, yet in reality? I just got a little sick of short skirts and tried a pair of jeans on when shopping with Kurt. The snow is still showering Lima so the boots are simply a practically solution.

"… it's a perfect time to reinvent Glee club. Your assignment this week? Take a song that you wouldn't usually sing and reinvent to suit your personality! Mercedes, I'm thinking a country song rather than your usual R N B mix. Puck, I want you to put the guitar down and find a song that you can simply just belt out! And Rachel? I think I speak for everyone when I say whole-heartedly: No show tunes!"

Awkward laughter fills the air. I can see that the club want to laugh at Mr Shue's joke yet some are trying to laugh with me rather than against me. I've barely sat down and the guy is already using me as a teaching opportunity. I'm usually quick to take offence yet somehow I feel different. Like I can't sing a show tune; it's no big deal. I sung Mariah Carrey at the invitational and totally rocked it, so I'll just dig a little deeper into my repertoire. Usually I'd be reaching for pen and pad to brainstorm initial ideas but part of me is a little frustrated. I already have so many things to do and now I have to find a song that, for Mr Shue at least, will sum up the events of the past few weeks in a nice little package. I just want to sing.

If only it was that simple.

"Ah Santana" Mr Shue says "perfect timing. In fitting with our new reinvention assignment perhaps you could reinvent yourself and arrive on time for class, just once?"

She rolls her eyes and manages to climbs up to the back of the room where Finn is sitting, all while perfectly applying mascara with her left hand and holding a mirror in her right. She smiles as he politely scoots away from her, giving her room to sit down. She continues to apply the mascara, only relenting when Mr Shue begins to clear his throat pointedly. I watch as she lets her hand rest gently on Finn's knee. He grimaces and flinches at the unexpected nature of the gesture, yet he lets it lie there. I see him glance towards me and I do everything to give my best non-judgmental smile.

But I do judge him. A little bit. Yes I know were friends. I've been trying, I really have. But on reflection, what did I really think asking him to be friends would really achieve? On the first day back at school we had a conversation by the lockers and it was fine; only marginally awkward. Then he asked me to go for dinner at Breadsticks. I declined. Because the truth is, as friends, what do Finn have to talk about? The only thing we had holding us together were our feelings for each other and Glee, yet now neither are secure. The day after our locker encounter he text me to express his surprise at my no show in the choir room. What did he expect, that one conversation would mean I'd simply return to Glee? It was never going to be that easy to go back.

In the end it was something far different that made me walk in the choir room today.

Quinn.

She squeezes my hand supportively as she takes in Santana's look of lust towards Finn. It's a simple, brief gesture; so brief I almost have to convince myself its real. I'm not saying that Quinn and I are suddenly best of friends or anything, our issues with boys mean there are way too many barriers to a mutual friendship.

But I don't hate her. And I'd like to think she doesn't hate me. As I got to my locker yesterday she was there. It appears that all confrontations in my life take place at my locker but Quinn assured me she wasn't looking for an argument.

"So Rachel I've been thinking," she said awkwardly "you need to come back to Glee. To be honest Finn moping around is depressing, yet Santana strolling around like she's the star after her Sectionals performance is far worse! The truth is, as much as I hate to admit, you're the only one in our club that truly is a star. It's not just about your voice Rachel, it's everything about you. It feels like we're just existing as a club without you and I miss… well I miss the way you made everyone in Glee feel. Like it was something special to be a part of. That special ingredient, the one that made it special, was you Rachel.'

Whatever her motivation, it was probably one of the nicest things anyone had ever said about me.

"I'm doing ok Quinn." I replied simply. "I know I quit the Cheerios but I'm striving to achieve a no drama status in my life and it's working out pretty well so far. I don't need Glee to come along and ruin that for me. There's nothing at Glee for me."

"He's an idiot you know" she said, awkwardly fiddling with the pretty green bracelet that adorned her wrist. "We all so think so, I mean yes you cheated with Puck, but it's pretty obvious to everyone in the club that you worship the ground Finn Hudson walks on and it's not like he's never made mistakes."

I shrugged, "it's irrelevant now Quinn, we're not even together…"

"I know," she added, "and I know he's a total hypocrite." He voice grew quieter, almost as if it was a whisper. "I know Rachel. I know that last year he cheated on me, with you."

My body stance changed to defensive, ready to argue my corner, to defend my part in it all.

"I'm not picking a fight with you," she continued. "Finn was in love you, I knew that a long while ago. What I'm saying is that despite he's intentions, he's totally flawed, yet he's taking it out all on you. Yet you're the one that's left Glee, the one thing you were truly passionate about."

"I'm passionate about a lot of things now." I said, as I closed my locker door. "Didn't you hear I'm a writer?"

She nodded. "That's great Rachel, honestly. You know how fed up I am of the guys objectifying us, placing us into a corner. You're doing such a good job of showing everyone you're not just about Glee. Yet at the same time, you love to sing, I saw you at the invitational. Despite your awkwardness in the cheerio costume, you were fantastic. Isn't refusing to be a part of Glee the easy way out? Wouldn't staying, confronting everyone, showing everyone you can be in Glee and have other interests the stronger thing to do? Can't the new Rachel Berry do both?"

It was probably the most I'd ever heard Quinn say.

But she had a point. The reasons I'd had for quitting, they didn't seem as strong anymore.

Mr Shue yelled at me. Big deal he was a teacher, that's what they did. I should've stood up for myself better, I get that now.

Everyone hates me. Okay so everyone hated me, except Quinn didn't and therefore my argument was technically invalid.

I broke up with Finn. Yes I broke up with my boyfriend. Yes he goes to Glee club. Yes he is a total wuss when confronting Santana, so why am I the one missing out on Glee?

I'm not sure if I want to sing anymore. Ok, so I'm not sure if I want to sing as a career but I still love to sing.

So, when I looked it, I don't really have one reason, let alone five, to stay away anymore. So that's why I'm here, practising the same note over and over. Trying to avoid Santana's looks and Finn's glances. Because I Rachel Berry, like to sing. But I also like to write too. That reminds me….

"Mr Shue" I say, holding my hand in the air, after we've completed the vocal warm up.

He smiles "before you say it Rachel, it's a little early to be planning for Regionals and as for the show tunes issue that's my word and it's final." He rolls his eyes a little.

Sometimes I think that Mr Shue is a really bad teacher. Or maybe just a bad guy. Either way he never understands what the girls are trying to say. Maybe that's why Ms Pillsbury married the dentist guy; he was pretty cute.

"No it's not that, Mr Shue. It's just that I need to leave in a few minutes for a newspaper thing, is that okay?"

He nods his head, "sure Rachel."

Santana stands up as I start to gather my things.

"Hey yentl" she calls "now you're journalist and all. I've got a hot story for the school paper. The new power couple: me and Finnocence and unlike past power couples…"I'm not a frickin prude, so we're totally getting it on."

Finn stands up, hurriedly. "That's not true, Rach, I swear. God dammit Santana, you know that's not true!"

"You are totally unfair Girl, quit ragging on Rachel already." adds Mercedes.

It's a different scene than a month or so ago, and I appreciate that. It's ironic that when others finally leap to my defence I don't need it anymore. Yet I still appreciate it.

"Thank you Santana for that valuable piece of information." I start, turning towards her, arms folded. The thing about newspapers is however that we have to write stories a week before we go to print. And you're such a total skank that any information on who you're dating, and by dating I mean who you're letting feel you up, would be totally out of date. It's unfortunate for you that Finn was intimate with you and was literally so ashamed that he'd rather be unpopular than admit being with a girl like you. And despite my flaws and my unashamedly prudish nature he still wanted to be with me when he could have had you in a heartbeat. Now I have a long diatribe to say to you about your fake boobs, you fake hair and your fake personality but you never will be worth wasting my breath and you will never intimidate me or make me quit Glee. So you go ahead and keep throwing yourself at him. I've got other things to focus on."

"Oh by the way" I shout as I turn on my heels. "yes I'm short and my nose is rather large. Deal with it and find some new material!"

I lean up against the wall in the corridor as I get my breath back. I have to admit that felt pretty good, oh who am I kidding, it was amazing. I've said what I need to say now, I need to move on.

I smooth my hair down and reapplying my lip balm. I hear his footsteps and feel him pause as he scans around for me.

Of all the times he could of, should of, ran after me, he's choosing now.

Why does his timing suck so much?

"Rach" he says, catching up with me. "I need you to know, I'm not with her. I swear I'm not with her."

"I know Finn" I say. And I believe him. Because Finn can sometimes be stupid, but he's not that stupid after everything that happened between us. I hope not anyways.

"I wish," he says as he moves closer. "I just wish I knew how to fix things Rach." He kisses my forehead gently. "but I'm glad you came back, to Glee I mean."

"Finn…" I start sincerely.

He leans back and shakes his head, "hey you have a newspaper meeting to get to, they'll be missing there star writer. Get going!"

I laugh and hug my notebook closer to me.

I know he doesn't watch me this time, he turns around heads back to the choir room. I hear him starting vocal practice again. And I head of to the print room.

It's a new direction. It's not going back. We're reinventing ourselves. He gets it now.

Thanks for all the reviews. I think I am going to finish this with one more chapter, as I think the popularity of the story is dwindling a little, given the reviews. Plus there's only so many more speeches Rachel can deliver! Appreciate your feedback on the ending guys, will be up soon.