Chapter 7
Three months later
Making her way through one sweaty body after another, she felt nervous. The heels her mother forced her to wear tonight were nowhere near appropriate for their location. One jump up from the sitting people they were walking past, she'd be tumbling down the steep steps of their school's outdoor baseball/ football stadium. (Their school was definitely low on budgets and setbacks due to different clubs that they couldn't really afford, but took on anyways.)
Finally finding the "reserved" seats in the crowd, Rachel sat next to her mother and Christopher. Huffing to her mother's dismay, she straightened out the light pink dress that she wore. She thought the idea of coming straight here after a full day of more banquet presentations, tea time, and girl gossip was absolutely preposterous. Needless to say, her mother thought it was the perfect idea. So, here they were.
It was the last baseball game of Finn's high school career tonight. Also, it was her first baseball game attendance in her high school career, so she could imagine the significance. Necessary, not voluntary, was how her mother presented it to her. Not a bone in her body wanted to be among this large crowd of people dressed in the complete opposite attire as her and her mother. But, "It's going to be great stories for your children in the future," she assured her.
What children? This was all Rachel could ask herself with all the humor her mind could muster. Things had been distant and strained between Finn and Rachel since that conversation in his backyard three months ago. Since then, their parents had been doing all the talking for them.
As for when it came time for them to be alone, such as the copious amounts of date-nights their parents planned every weekend for them, they drowned in complete and awkward silence. This was usually only shared in the car rides to and fro. Any other hours of their "dates" were spent with their loved ones.
They'd developed a plan amidst the restraint from each other. They'd make sure their parents were convinced they were going on dates together around town, never giving them the locations. After Finn would pick her up from her house, he'd drop Rachel off with her friends.
So, in reality, it felt more like she was dating Santana and Quinn. Meanwhile, Finn was still sneaking around with Sugar behind his father's back. He seemed really happy. She didn't find this out by asking him, they'd actually have to be on speaking terms for that. She usually observed his facial expressions when he'd pick her up after. It was also often the music choices he made after being with her. He began listening to a lot of up lifting songs, tapping along on the steering wheel.
She was content that he was happy. She just couldn't help but feel a little envious. It wasn't because of the fact that he was sneaking around with Sugar. It was because of the fact that after everything they'd been through, he was the one who got to have the happy ever after.
She, on the other hand, was still trying to find herself. Since her last year of high school was right around the corner, she deemed it necessary to start focusing on her future.
She decided that once she turned eighteen, her mother would no longer be able to tell her what to do. She didn't know how far along that went into detail with the whole wedding arrangement. She was pretty sure that she still would have no say in the matter. But, she knew that she could control the path in which her career life went. And she'd be damned if her mother tried to stop her from following her dreams.
She wanted to do something in the medical field, she made up her mind. She remembered all of the dreams she had about being on Broadway, but with everything going on around her, there was just no way. Plus, a lot of that dream was based around impressing her daddy, and since he was no longer here it would be pointless. She could only imagine an empty seat in the audience and her heart broke just thinking about it.
The medical field, however, fascinated her. It always did, from the time she was a small child. She felt like if she put in all her effort she could really focus on saving people. She'd always wanted to give to the community and the feeling of satisfaction knowing that she'd be helping people get their lives back would make up for so much trauma her teenage years caused her. Just because her father couldn't survive a car wreck, that didn't mean that another person wouldn't, and the thought of giving them back to their families, alive, would be able to help a lot with closure for her own self.
A nurse, or a doctor, she thought… Hell, even being a surgeon would bring inner peace to herself. The schooling didn't matter to her. She'd go for as long as she had to. She just wanted to put her screaming conscious at rest. She didn't want to be known as that sad girl who had the world in front of her, but fell because everything was thrown at her. She didn't want to lavish in the money, forget the important things in her life, and then take everything out on her kids with a glass of wine in her hands and a bottle of pills hidden in her handbag. She REFUSED to become her mother.
But, her mind was already repeating itself as it always seemed to. It was a recurring thought process. She always seemed to be thinking about her dad and how she missed him, and how she never wanted to be like her mom. She'd focused on changing herself to become the better person for so long… It was just a necessity at this point. She had to be different. She didn't know what she would do if she ended up like her.
When the roar of the people around sounded in her ears, she flew back to reality. Confusion began to seep into her mind, until she looked down at the field.
Apparently something good was happening. She didn't really know much about the sport of baseball, so she couldn't tell you what. All she saw was a white ball flying toward the people in the outfield. Finn was at bat. When the guy from the other team dropped the ball from his hands, the crowd went wild and Finn ran around the squares as fast as he could. While everyone stood around her, Rachel watched as her mom held a firm grip onto Christopher's arm as she cheered in her tall heels.
"Woohoo, go Finn!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Anyone could tell you that Shelby absolutely adored Finn. She could only hope that Christopher felt the same way about her. These hopes were answered when the two of them headed to the concession stands during the fifth inning.
"This really isn't your scene, is it?" Christopher asked with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Unlike Rachel and Shelby, he didn't have any events to attend, so he dressed the proper way. Rachel didn't have any pockets on the dress she was wearing, so instead she held her hands at her sides and focused on the sound of her heels against the concrete. "The good ole Friday Night Lights", he joked, even though they weren't at a football game.
"Not really," she admitted, knowing that she could be completely honest with him. Within the time of these past couple of months knowing the Hudson's, she'd developed a close relationship with Christopher. She wouldn't say that she'd start calling him "dad", but it definitely felt nice knowing that there was a male figure in her life that she could look up to. "Sports aren't really my thing."
"It wasn't ours either," he laughed.
"Ours?" she asked.
"Me and your fathers," he told her.
"I thought daddy was the quarterback of the football team," she asked. "Shelby said he was just like Finn."
"Yeah, I unfortunately lost him to that crowd our junior year of high school." He smiled at her as they stood in the long line of people.
"What about before then?" she asked, becoming curious at an opening about a past she never knew her dad even had.
"You see those woods over there?" he pointed out in the further distance. She nodded her head. "Well, that's where we used to hang out." He seemed to be reminiscing. "We used to give the policeman so much trouble." He laughed.
"So you were Neanderthals? " Rachel asked in shock, not being able to believe that her dad was once a trouble to the law enforcement. The only time she'd known him, he led the law enforcement of the town.
"Basically," he laughed. "Getting drunk and high, and making fun of the players and the people at the games wasn't exactly an honorable thing."
"My dad got high?" she asked, flabbergasted.
"As a kite," he laughed. "Did I mention we were a little on the rebel side?"
"That just doesn't sound like him, I guess." She replied. "Where was Shelby?"
"Where else would she be?" he asked like she was supposed to know the answer. She assumed that she did, but she wouldn't open her mouth until he told her. "I can sit here and tell you that John Berry was a dear friend of mine that I spent most of my high school life with, because he was. But, my absolute best friend spent her Friday nights cheering on the sidelines."
"So what, you introduced them and the three of you became the Musketeers?" She asked, gaining a loud round of laughter from Christopher.
"The sarcasm that comes from you just kills me sometimes," he commented red in the face. "Unfortunately, they didn't meet from me." He began.
"Shelby absolutely loathed the fact that I hung out with your father. She convinced me to drop him every moment she could. John made fun of her to my face and usually made cruel jokes that I didn't want to laugh at, but at the same time couldn't help it. That's usually when we got drunk off of our tails."
"So, you were the-?" she was cut off.
"The middle child," he confirmed. "Yes, and it was the worst thing that a simple teenager like me could go through. They ran to me about every problem they had with each other."
"Then how'd they get to how they were?" Rachel asked.
"Their parents introduced them at a dinner that I was unfortunately dragged to by Shelby." He answered as they moved up in the line. "The night that I brought Finn over to your house seemed like an exact repetition of history, because the bickering and harsh words were nothing more of what your parents shared." He explained to her. What he didn't know was that she already knew these details, by eavesdropping on them after everything had blown over that night after dinner.
"Then what happened?" she asked, more intrigued in this story than she expected.
"Well, I can't tell you exact details. We all sort of drifted away after high school. I met Carol and had Finn and Sam, your parents had you. The only time that that I'd heard from them again was when Carol passed away. It was like I was in the presence of completely different people though. They really loved each other, and any fool could tell you it."
She felt jealous of her parents' love story but at the same time, outraged if they thought that they could make Finn and Rachel their historical repetitions. It didn't matter how similar they were in comparison, Rachel knew that Finn would never turn into the person with the biggest heart and humbleness in the world, like her father possessed. It just wasn't him and she'd already made that point to her mother.
"What about James?" she asked, trying to change the subject to interrupt her lingering thoughts about Finn and Sugar. It wasn't fair that she got the attention that Rachel craved. It wasn't even that it was attention from Finn. It was the fact that, yes even though the two of them did go through many conflicts and problems in their relationship, they were in love. They treated each other as Romeo and Juliet had. Air always seemed to escape her chest when the realization that she was the one getting in the way of that, entered her mind.
All the while, Finn was right. At the age of seventeen, Rachel Berry had never even kissed a boy. Yes, she'd had those on-and-off crushes; Finn being one of them. But, never had she gotten what she'd always longed for. She wanted to belong with someone.
She wanted to be someone's everything. She wanted a person that was her perfect match. She wanted a love like the TV shows and movies. Lastly, she wanted someone to save her. From her mother, from James, from this situation, from the crap of her life… It didn't matter. All she wanted was a knight in shining armor. And Finn seemed to be Sugar's, and that's what fueled her envy. It didn't help that he took out all of his aggravation on her when she was the reason why he couldn't be with her.
But, they never talked about it. They never talked about anything and that's what Rachel assumed to be the root of all of their problems. They'd been holding everything in, trying to avoid saying the wrong things to each other, ending up like the last painful fight they shared a few months ago. Instead, they danced around everything, only discussing particular songs on the radio, or the weather…
What scared her to the brink of death was that they'd be like this for the rest of their lives. Always staying silent, only sharing awkward silence in fear of triggering another hurricane between the two of them. It wasn't her to hold her tongue when she didn't like how things made her feel. She'd be living a life that wouldn't truly be hers. It'd be the life of the shell of her and that's where she always wanted to draw the line.
Every time she waited for Finn to pick her up for their "dates", she convinced herself that she would finally open her mouth and voice these inner feelings to him so they could talk about it. But, every time she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck, she always chickened out, because it was him.
He was Finn Hudson. He wasn't just a guy that she could open up with and talk about anything like with Sam. She was afraid to speak to him because of the things he'd already said to her, because of all the levels he'd already knocked her down to. She was afraid of him and what he would do to her if she let down all the walls she'd been building up these couple of months.
When Christopher's voice entered her head, she sighed with relief, hoping that whatever he had to say would take her mind away from its wandering.
Watching her mom laugh at something James had to say over by the other side of the field; she remembered why she asked the question. The past three months had been a rollercoaster for them as well. She'd finally found out the reason why her mother was making those sad stares at her phone and acting out more than usual when Shelby and Christopher came back from Columbus.
Apparently, Shelby found out that James was seeing other girls behind her back. The pervert that her dear old uncle James was didn't see anything wrong with it because according to him they were just casual with no commitments. Shelby stayed mad at him for a whole month, which was a benefit for Rachel seeing as though that's how long she didn't have to see him at her house. Then, he showed up out of the blue with an expensive bottle of wine, an apology that he obviously grabbed from searching on Google, and they made up. She remembered that night so clearly because that was the same night that she had to sleep downstairs, to avoid any noise that she could have heard otherwise.
"James was always in the background," Christopher explained. "He was a bit antisocial so he didn't seem to have any friends for as long as I knew him. He mostly just worked at Mickey's."
She could only shake her head at the creepiness behind all of it.
"He wasn't around when you were born and when your parents took in Finn." She only remembered him vaguely in her childhood. He'd show up at a few of her birthday parties or family events and give her flashy presents. But mostly, she remembered the fear and uncomfortable feelings she'd gain whenever he was around. That's when she hugged her dad's leg and shied out the most, whenever James was around.
"In fact, I don't think he truly came back until after your father's funeral." She wished with every part of her being that he hadn't.
She was about to say something insulting about her uncle when they arrived at the front of the line. One of the baseball player's moms spoke to him.
"Hello, Mr. Hudson. What can I get for y'all tonight?" the aged blonde woman flashed her eyes onto Rachel.
"Wow, is this the famous future daughter-in-law that you keep gushing about?" she asked.
"This is Rachel," he introduced her. Rachel smiled at the woman as best as she could to avoid any present awkwardness that she was feeling. "You remember John Berry? Well, this is his daughter."
"No freaking way," the lady's features dropped. Rachel smiled at the ground in embarrassment. She hated when grown-ups did this. She hoped no one would do this to her children in the future.
"I went to prom with your dad," she informed Rachel.
"Congratulations, I guess?" Rachel answered, instantly regretting it when the woman looked at her with a confused face. Sometimes her sarcasm got the best of her. Christopher's face was beet red, showing that he was trying not to laugh. But the woman's anger started to show, causing him to get serious and try and explain for Rachel's words.
"His death has impacted her a lot. Her sarcasm is a coping strategy. Don't take it personally."
She shook her head in understanding, looking to Rachel.
"I'm really sorry, ma'am. Sometimes my words escape me without my mind even knowing." Rachel chimed in. "It doesn't help that Shelby Berry is my mother." This time Christopher chuckled a little under his breath.
"Can we just get some skittles and cokes please, Maria?" Christopher asked.
"Coming right up," she smiled while returning to her job.
Once they got their treats, they walked away in pure laughter. This was the first time she could laugh so hard about something without Santana and Quinn at her side, since her father died. It felt nice.
"Did you see her face?" Rachel asked.
"She was so stupefied. She couldn't believe that you actually said that." He replied, laughing just as hard. "I couldn't believe that you actually said that. Oh well, Maria's always been a bit of a bitch to me so I'm not too upset about it. Now, if it would've been Jane Santos, we'd be having a different conversation."
She eyed him playfully. "Mr. Hudson," she elbowed him. "Who's Jane Santos?" she laughed, placing a red skittle into her mouth. "Was that like your high school love that got away?"
"More like the high school love that never existed. Or, at least, she never knew that I existed." They both continued a round of laughter while they walked up the stadium stairs back to their seats.
"Is it normal for me to be scared?" she asked, stopping and becoming more serious.
He stopped also, looking at her with a shocked look. Then, his face turned to an understanding one, instead of her mother's usual angered one when she asked questions like this. She finally felt the will to let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding. She guessed she feared what he would respond with.
"It's a human emotion isn't it? You're human." He reminded her. "We all are." Once they got back to their seats and saw that Shelby was still downstairs with James, Rachel continued.
"I just don't want any of this, Christopher." She made herself clear for the one-hundredth time since this whole charade began. "And, I know I sound like a broken record by repeating the same thing every time. I just can't help it. I really don't think it's right that all my freedom just goes out the window by the time I graduate college. I think I deserve a voice and no one is giving one to me."
"Rachel, you know that I wouldn't be putting you and my son into this situation if I didn't think that it would benefit you, right?" he asked, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"What's benefiting about being forced to become a wife and a mom before the age of 25?" she asked, horrified.
"Your mom said the same thing and look how well your parents turned out." Before he continued, Rachel interrupted him.
"Can we not talk about my parents? I mean, I get that they were in a similar situation, but they're very different people from us. Hell, Finn and I are two completely different people alone. It's like mixing fire and ice, any outcome is just negative and I don't want to spend my whole life feeling miserable." She explained.
"You just have to have a little faith, that's all." He reminded her.
"If I didn't have faith, do you honestly think I'd be trying so hard with a person who has no regards for my feelings?" She held her breath, knowing damn well that everyone already knew her feelings about Finn. She also knew that the majority around her didn't give a rat's-ass. At the end of the day, according to everyone besides her own self, she was going through with this no matter what she said. "It's just not fair."
"Life isn't fair, Rachel." He reminded her of a life lesson she'd heard so much she wanted to roll her eyes and stomp away like the little girl she used to be. She had that same burning sensation in her throat when she didn't get what she wanted. She was screaming on the inside.
"If it was, Carole would be sitting here next to me and watching her son play his last baseball game," he explained with an increased amount of emotion behind his words. "If life was fair, your father would be here too and none of this would be happening to any of us." She looked towards the ongoing game to avoid looking at him. She knew that if she did, the tears would fall like rain.
When he grabbed her hand, the shock sent her gaze back in his direction.
"Just listen closely, okay? No one can begin to explain why all of these things have to happen in life. They just do and it's totally out of our control. I'm not saying that every unexpected curveball that life throws our way is negative, because if that were the case I wouldn't have Sam. Life is very mysterious and undetermined, which can make us scared. But, there's always a hidden meaning and reason behind it all. So, it's our job to remain strong, through everything until we learn that reason." She almost choked over her skittles when she remembered her dad saying the same to her all those years ago when she was being bullied by Finn and Sugar because of her excessive weight problem.
"Just stay strong, princess. The way things are happening now may not be so great, but there's a hidden meaning behind what you're going through. You're better than all of them, and one day you're going to be even better. You're going to do big things for the world, following your dreams, and I'll be so proud of you. They'll see you shining outside of this town, and that's when they'll realize how wrong they were."
"I know the things he says to you aren't very nice, and they hurt you tremendously." John's voice began to correlate with Christopher's. She was flabbergasted to say that it was as if Christopher was reading a script from that time on the kitchen counter sitting next to her dad. All in all, John's voice played over Christopher sitting next to her.
"You just have to be the bigger person for people who don't know any better. Set an example, even though it pains you. Smile that beautiful smile of yours, and be the girl that I know you're capable of being. I'm so proud of you, Rachel. Everything you've accomplished so far, it's remarkable. I know for a fact that you're going far in life. Even if you can't have it all, I know for a fact that you're going to try your damn best."
"Thank you," Rachel smiled. "You didn't really say anything that my dad hasn't told me before, but it's still taken with the same appreciation." He chuckled to himself, causing Rachel to look at him with confusion.
"Who do you think told him all of those words of wisdom?" he asked. "Your father could never go a day without them. He was always finding himself in trouble," they both laughed this time.
Rachel was going to respond, but then the crowd rose to its feet and began roaring when another ball was hit past the outfielders. Just about the same time, Shelby and James returned with messy hair, wearing their apparel that wasn't as neat as it was before.
Rachel only looked forward at the people on the field instead of rolling her eyes. Her head was a crowded house. So many things were going through it, with Christopher and her father's words being at the top. While the crowd roared on the side of her, her mind roared to her. That's how everything stayed, until the last run was scored at the end of the seventh inning and the Titans pranced around the field in victory.
Sugar and Finn exchanged looks, but never got close enough to reveal anything about their secret relationship. They were smart enough to know that Christopher was watching. After that, the team lifted Finn up into the air and the crowd cheered even louder. Rachel sat and watched everything, with no awareness of what was actually going on around her.
Shelby, along with Christopher and James, sent her questioning looks. They disapproved of her less than cheerful projection.
Everything after that happened in such a blur to her. One moment she was sitting there, the next she was getting up and heading back downstairs, and then she was sitting in front of the red locker that read Hudson.
She sat there for some time, taking in nothing but complete silence. Well, that was, with the exception of the buzzing of the lights above her and the creaks in the walls, of course. It was long before she heard a door being opened and two voices were heard.
"We have to be quick before anyone comes in here." It was his voice.
"Okay," the girl giggled and Rachel immediately knew what was happening. When she watched the baseball jersey fly past her hidden position, she immediately stepped out before things could go any further.
"Finn," Sugar exclaimed, desperately trying to cover herself. He looked to Rachel and annoyance immediately presented itself on his face.
"Rachel, what are you doing here?" he asked, finding his shirt and putting it back on.
"What's with the ridiculous dress?" Sugar asked, placing her cheerleading uniform back on as well. "It's a baseball game, not homecoming."
Rachel ignored her, because this was more important than firing back at them. Her pride was already pushed aside and if looking like an idiot had to come along with this, then so be it.
"I need to talk to you, Finn." She crossed her arms and looked to him. He looked at her for a few moments before making up his mind. When he looked to Sugar, she nodded her head and kissed his cheek.
"Come over after." She whispered loud enough for Rachel to hear. "My parents are out of town."
He smiled at her figure as she exited, before dropping the grin and looking back to Rachel. He sat on the bench next to his locker, crossed his arms, and looked to her. "You got me alone, so spill."
That's when the bubble formed in her throat, just as it had those times she'd completely chickened out in telling him how she felt. Her mind screamed at her. He's Finn Hudson, you idiot. You're scared of him. You can't tell him how you feel. Not Finn Hudson.
But then her heart screamed just as loud. You're Rachel Berry. You don't let anyone walk all over you. You have to be strong and face your fears head on. This is the only way to prevent you from becoming miserable for the rest of your life. It's now or never, don't hold back. It's all laid on the table. Don't chicken out.
His eyes trained on her while waiting for her to speak only made her more nervous, but she knew she'd feel terrible if she chickened out again. All those times she'd held her tongue and never said what she was thinking really got to her. It made her miserable burying everything deep within. She knew it would be no better if she did the same now.
Finn was waiting for her to speak for so long; she could see the annoyance only build up more in his face. That's when she took her chance, and finally listened to her heart.
"I had to talk to you, for whatever reason. I was just sitting in the stands and I didn't feel right. I haven't been feeling right for a long time, because we're not right."
"We've never been right," he replied.
"Can you let me talk, please?" she asked, aggravated that he interrupted her. He only nodded and allowed her to continue.
"Gosh, I told you everything was okay and it's not," she huffed, feeling those damn emotions that she didn't think he deserved from her.
"Rachel, what are you talking about?"
"Three months ago, we both agreed to say that everything would be okay. Well, I lied to you." She felt her tears pooling. "I've been holding this back since then. I've been so scared to tell you how I feel. I've been so scared of what you would say, what you would lash back with. I've been scared of you."
"That's not how it should feel if everything's supposed to be okay."
"Rachel," she interrupted him before he could start. "We should've-"
"It's exhausting, Finn. I'm literally losing sleep over this. There are so many problems between us just sitting there, and we're not doing anything to change them. I mean, we haven't spoken to each other in three months about anything serious. We're so afraid of hurting each other, that we don't realize we're hurting ourselves."
"Why were you afraid to talk to me about this?" he asked. "I was feeling the same way."
"I was scared of starting another fire, because that's what we do. We can't sit down and talk about things. We become so malicious and poisonous towards each other. And I'm telling you right now, that it's not okay anymore. I'm not going to let myself go through that anymore. Whether you like it or not, I'm putting my foot down. And you can say all the venomous things in the world for actually defending myself, but nothing's going to stop me from changing my mind and changing our situation. I'm not fighting with you anymore. I'm not putting up with this version of us. We need to change. Either for ourselves, or for the future of this town, this isn't going to stand anymore."
He didn't lash out; he didn't reply with some snarky comment, he just remained silent until he found the right words to say. "I understand."
"I need to remove all of the negativity from my life, Finn. I need to be happy," she reminded him. "My life depends on it. I refuse to be miserable for the rest of my life. I refuse to let us make each other miserable. We need to talk things out when we're feeling certain ways, we can't avoid each other when we have a problem, and we can't be venomous towards each other anymore. We can't let each other get hurt, by ourselves, or other people."
"We both agree, then?" he asked.
"As hard as it will be for me and my pride, I agree." She confirmed.
"Me too," he looked at her for a moment before reaching out his hand to her. "Hi, I'm Finn Hudson, and let's just say I'm new to town." She laughed but let him continue. "Would you like to be my friend?"
"Hi, Finn, I'm Rachel Berry, and I'm going to be the best friend you've ever had." She smiled, grabbing his hand and shaking it.
"This feels so weird," he admitted with a chuckle.
"I know, but it's a good type of weird. I haven't felt this way in a long time." Rachel replied.
"Me too," he said.
"Crap, they're going to be pissed at us." Rachel said looking at her phone. "They're probably looking everywhere."
"Let's go," he told her. Getting up from the bench in the locker room, Rachel and Finn sneaked out and tried to find their group of people, hand still in hand. In the midst of their search, they came upon Tory Mitchell, the yearbook editor. She was walking towards them with a camera in her hands.
"Finn, Rachel, hold on!" she called. They both looked to each other with confusion before facing her. "Mrs. Jennings wanted me to do a feature in the yearbook for the two of you. Can I get a picture?" she asked.
"For what?" Rachel asked.
"For the future hierarchy of Lima." She smiled, holding up her camera. "Mr. and Mrs. Hudson smile for the camera!" she chanted, before giving them time to pose. Placing his hand on the small of her back, she wrapped her arm around his waist. When they flashed their smiles, the light almost blinded the both of them. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, and then she was off.
"That wasn't weird at all," Finn commented, leaving Rachel to chuckle.
When they finally found the group of grownups, they were heading toward the parking lot. "Where the hell have the two of you been?" Shelby asked, grabbing Rachel's arm to pull her closer to her. "I was worried sick."
"We were talking," Finn admitted, showing that he was capable of not being ashamed of her. She knew it was a step-up, but wouldn't truly believe him until he said the same thing to Sugar and all of his friends. "We settled some things out and agreed to become friends."
"Really?" Christopher asked, looking to Rachel with a meaningful smile. She knew what the message was behind it. It said, I'm so proud of you for taking my advice. In a way, she was proud of herself, and Finn, for listening to her. It wouldn't be easy for them to become the best of friends, things may be just a little awkward, but she didn't see why they couldn't do it if they didn't try. She hoped he felt the same.
Sam smiled at the two of them as well. He looked proud of the both of them.
"I'm very happy for the both of you," Shelby admitted. "But, Rachel, it's time to go home. These heels are killing my feet. C'mon James, please go start the car for us."
Shelby grabbed Rachel's arm and led her to the row of cars. Turning around, she gave the Hudson family a last smile of farewell before letting her mother lead her further. When they returned to their house, Rachel followed the two in as Shelby flung her heals off of her feet. Before she could go up the stairs, Shelby stopped her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Going to bed," she answered, wondering whether or not it was the right answer.
"I mean what are you and Finn doing?"
"We're doing what you want us to do. We're trying to be friends."
"Do you really think we're that stupid?" James stepped in.
"Excuse me?" she asked, wondering where these accusations were coming from; especially if they were leaving James' mouth. He had no right.
"I've known about your little arrangements since they began," Shelby crossed her arms. "I've known since Santana's mom called, wondering if I knew you were at her house when you were supposed to be at the movie's with him." "And don't think I didn't miss those looks that Finn was shooting toward Sugar Motta. I just thought you'd fess up by now. Guess you're not the daughter I thought you were."
Crap, Rachel thought. They knew, but she didn't know what any of this had to do with tonight. She figured she'd smart-ass her way out of this one as well, because it was late and she was tired.
"In case you didn't figure this out by now, I stopped caring about what you thought of me a long time ago," she crossed her arms, standing at the foot of the stairs, stepping down to be level with the two grownups in front of her. "What does any of this have to do with tonight anyways? I went to the stupid baseball game like you told me to."
"There's no way that the two of you expect us to believe that you're friends all of a sudden." James stepped back in.
"The last time I checked, this was a conversation between me and my mom," she told him. The nerves got ahold of the best of her.
"Rachel," Shelby warned. She'd done it so often, that it was beginning to lose its effect.
"Yes, it may be all of a sudden, but it's because we sat down and talked things out. I don't care if you don't believe me, because I do."
"It sure didn't look that way to me when you ran out of the stands." He fired back.
"How could you even pay enough attention to know? You were too busy screwing Shelby."
"You think you're so great, don't you?" he narrowed his eyes towards her.
"Not all the time, but Christopher does and that's what matters. He is the only REAL adult in this circle." She yelled back. By this time, her mother gave up interfering. This was the fight she'd been longing to have with James, and she was so glad she'd finally been given the opportunity.
"Right, because Christopher Hudson is just the perfect example. He gave up his own child, for Pete's sake." Rachel was thrown back. She felt the anger bubble from deep within. Hearing that was like hearing someone insult her father. She instantly became defensive of the only good male figure in her life right now besides Sam, and maybe Finn in the future.
"James, that was taken way out of proportion," Shelby defended her best friend as well.
"Shut up," he brushed her off. "Your girl wants to fight like a grown-up, she's not going to be treated like a child anymore."
"Don't you dare talk to my mom that way, you boastful bastard! You want to talk about good examples?" she asked, laughing with amusement. All the while, the heat coming from her face flared, like a warning sign for the man standing in front of her. "You've never been one to any of us. You run around, cheating on Shelby like everything's okay, and then expect her to believe that some crappy apology you pulled off the internet and an expensive bottle of wine will fix everything. You can't even own up to your own mistakes."
"You're a freaking coward!" she looked at him in disgust. "You shouldn't judge Christopher Hudson, because he's 10 times the man that you are; maybe even a little more, you pervert."
Before she even knew it, her mother was screaming. "James, don't you dare!" Then she felt it.
On the floor, she raised her hand to feel the area of pain on her face. Around her eyes, she could already feel the swelling begin. Curling into a ball, she cried a little at the stinging of the pain. Looking up, she watched her mom violently usher James out of their house. She couldn't believe any of it had just happened.
"I'm not going to coddle you, if that's what you're thinking," Shelby handed her a frozen bag of peas to place against her cheek a few minutes later. "You shouldn't have talked to him like that. Now it's all just a big mess!"
Turning, she looked to her mother with disbelief. She decided that she wouldn't say anything to this woman. Instead, she continued to cry in pain, holding the peas against her face. It took a moment before she was sure she was alone. The creaks in the wooden floor, heading away from her curled up figure, proved it.
She didn't know how long she stayed there. All she tried to do was process things in her mind. She still couldn't wrap it around in her head. She didn't know what hurt her worse.
Was it the fact that James Berry had just punched her in the face? Or, was it the fact that her mother blamed her for it?
It all hurt the same.
Here's chapter 7! I'm finally back! I know, i'm a terrible person for taking way longer than I said I would to upload this! I'm so sorry! Due to my recent failure to keep my promise, i'm deciding not to put anything on a schedule. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up when i say that i will post, and then i don't until days after. If only i could catch a moment to breath from school work and just have all the freedom to write! But, unfortunately, that's not how my life wants to work out right now! Anyways, i'll quit complaining! I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! Until next time, xoxo :)