Chapter 9
However, her heart wanted what it wanted. And at the minute, it wanted Finn.
As the last of the lyrics to the song filled her room, Rachel wiped her rose red face and retreated to her feet, moving to the window to catch the three men just in time. As expected, she caught a glimpse of Finn. With hands shoved deep into the pockets of his khaki pants, his gaze remained on the ground. As Christopher stayed behind to finish the conversation he was sharing with Shelby, Finn followed closely behind Sam as they began to pile into the black Mercedes.
Thinking that that was it, she went to move away and turned to her room to call it a night. However, her attention was caught right about the same time Finn's gaze directed itself up at her. With so much emotion flowing between their looks, Rachel was taken aback a bit. Never, in her life, had she thought that Finn Hudson was capable of looking at any girl with that expression on his face; she'd never even seen it with Sugar.
His reddened eyes met with hers, threatening to move through her soul if she were to give them access. He'd been crying, but she already knew that. The tired expression behind his eyes indicated the defeat of a battle she would never let him win again. That battle being the forgiveness and path to her heart, which she'd so generously let him tread along on before. He was hurt. They both were.
Before any further reaction could leave her, he dropped her gaze as if it were on fire. He seemed to begin shaking his head slowly to himself. Tugging at the sides of his jacket, he straightened out his appearance and climbed into the passenger seat of the car.
Sighing, she ripped her view away, and closed her curtains. Turning off the lights, she fell onto her bed and under her covers. However, her mind was in no condition to let her fall asleep. Instead, she stared at the ceiling, remembering all that happened two nights ago; the night of the notorious prom. She'd only decided to go the day before. It all started three days ago.
Friday Morning
Placing the car in park, Finn turned to Rachel as she unfastened her seatbelt. When she caught his joking smirk, she smiled, knowing he was about to say something witty.
"So, you realize you're the only girl who's ever dragged me out of bed at this time, right?" he asked, referring to the truck's clock in front of them. It read 6:03.
Her predictions were right. She began to chuckle as he smiled at her with his sleepy eyes.
He'd picked her up at 5:30 this morning as she had asked the night before and they were now sitting in the parking lot of the town's library.
"Hey," she giggled. "Don't make fun of me."
Getting down from the truck, she grabbed her school bag and headed for the familiar entrance. It felt so good to be coming back here. Somewhere deep down inside, Rachel smiled at the pieces of her life slowly beginning to glue themselves back together. They had been, for some time now. She'd returned to her old habits. Student Council and the Glee club were beginning to see her face more often, as well as the loving animals she'd stepped back in to take care of. Her grades were even rocketing in an upward path. Not too long ago she was smiling down at the score of 30 she'd received on the ACT.
Although she'd lost a serious friendship with someone who she considered a sister at one point and still had her normal differences with her mother, things were clearing out on the other side. She was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Her happiness was finally returning. And, a lot of it had to do with Finn.
It was weird to her. For a person whom she used to hold so much hatred in her heart for, he was now one of the most constant people in her life; alongside Santana and Sam. She could look at Finn now, and wonder why she ever hated him. And when she thought of all the times that she was afraid to talk to him or spat out insults with him, shame took a hold of her.
She remembered the distance that they first kept, considering how fast they jumped into this friendship. But, since then they'd slowly worked their way past it.
Finn had even opened up to her, in more ways than she ever thought he would. He told her a lot about his past, and the memories that he kept of his mother. She'd also learned things about him that she would've never known if he wouldn't have told her. Like his insecurities, and his dreams of being more than a puppet for the town.
It took her a while to open up in return. But, once he'd told her enough to show that he trusted her, she began to do the same. She'd told him a lot about her father and the memories that she kept of him. She also shared about some of the problems she'd had as a kid, coping with her weight and her mother's constant neglect.
Never knowing until it actually happened, Rachel could say that Finn filled the void in her heart. The slot Quinn left behind when she walked away from her life was now Finn's. And as unfortunate as the past situation turned out, she could say that she wouldn't change it for the world.
Returning to her actions, she cleared her mind. Nearly to the library's entrance, Rachel looked to the side to see Finn nowhere in sight. Stopping and turning around, she laughed as he was jogging to catch up.
"I thought football players were supposed to be fast," she joked.
"And I thought that short people were supposed to be slower. I guess we were both mistaken," he retaliated with a joking chuckle.
"Ha-ha, real funny." She said sarcastically. "Let's get into the building before I end up kicking your ass in this parking lot."
"Berry, if your feet can reach my ass, I'll give you a gold medal." He laughed when she rolled her eyes and entered the front door fast enough for it to close on him. Getting into the quiet building, he whispered to her. "You get pointers for effort though."
"Can we just get to the table?" she playfully elbowed him. Before they could make their way towards the back, Rachel was stopped by Mrs. Puckerman.
"Someone alert TMZ," she exclaimed. "Rachel's back!" Rachel's face turned bright red when everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. When the woman took her into her arms, she smiled at a confused looking Finn.
"And this isn't who I think it is..." Mrs. Puckerman asked, turning to Finn. "Finn Hudson?"
"Hey, Mrs. Puckerman," he greeted her, shyly.
Turning to Rachel, she looked like she was about to faint. "You're a miracle worker. Now, if only you can go pay a visit to my Noah."
The two only lowered their gazes. It was true. Since their high school graduation, he'd fallen into a world of drugs and prostitution in Lima Heights. This was the reason given to her by Finn when she asked why they weren't as close as they were in high school. Out of respect to Finn's reputation, Christopher asked him to drop all contact with the Puckerman family.
Despite everything said to Rachel about the Puckerman's shattering founding family image, Rachel always had the grace to look past it all. She admired Mrs. Puckerman and always would, no matter her son's mistakes.
"I promise you this is the only time you'll see Finn in here," she laughed.
"You guys have a nice day," she smiled when they began backing up.
They both replied, "You too". As Rachel looped her arm in Finn's they turned to leave the woman to her paperwork.
"That was awkward," he whispered to her when they found the empty table that Rachel used to share with Quinn and Santana.
As she shook her head in agreement, she caught herself. Turning to him, she explained. "Yes, it's unfortunate that she's defined by her son's lifestyle, but we of all people shouldn't judge."
"You're right," he agreed. After a moment of watching him take in their surroundings, he turned to her. "So, now what do we do?"
When she moved forward, he followed her to a row of books. Reaching as far up as she could, she began to jump, signaling at her obvious struggle. "They put it back at the top shelf," she sighed with annoyance.
"This?" he asked, reaching far above her head and grabbing the small book.
"Yes," she almost exclaimed, remembering that they were in the middle of a library.
Grabbing the book from his hand, she returned to their table and turned back to him. "If you're going to be my friend, you're going to have to be friends with this book as well."
"The Great Gatsby," he read the title aloud. "Hey, they read this in English, junior year."
"Why do you say they?" she asked with a chuckle.
"I slept through the whole thing," he admitted with laugher as Rachel took the book from his hand and smacked his arm with it.
"You're going to read it," she informed him with amusement. "If there's anything in life I love passionately, it's this book."
Placing his cheek on his hand, his gaze fixed itself on her. She was intimidated for some reason. "Why?" he asked.
She looked at him for a few moments to gather the thoughts in her head. When she came up with the answer, she explained the best she could for him to understand. "I feel like I'm Gatsby sometimes. I want my life to be a certain way, and I get so focused on the expectations…"
"What are your expectations, Rachel Berry?" he asked, engrossed in the conversation for reasons she didn't know.
"Success," she replied simply. "I feel that if I can build success on my own, then all of this will be nothing to me. I'll have accomplished something instead of just taking all that's thrown at me."
His gaze retreated back to the book, taking in the cover. She couldn't help but feel the awkwardness. She felt like she offended him.
"I don't know, it's dumb," she giggled nervously. "What's yours?" she threw him off by asking in return.
"I want people to be proud of me," he told her. "I don't want to be the disappointment of the town like Puck or Brody or any of them. I want people to say good things about me and believe in me."
"Well, I believe in you," she simply shrugged, placing her hand over his, unconsciously. "One match is the beginning to a fire, right?"
"Right," he smiled, his gaze turning to her hand. When he turned back to her, she quickly took her hand away. Embarrassment flooded her insides. She became intimidated as his look never strayed from her face.
"What?" she chuckled, a light pink flooding her cheeks.
"Thank you," he replied. "Thank you for being my friend."
"Thank you for being mine," she answered. As they looked at each other, silence grew between them again. When it became too much for Rachel to bear, she looked away and Finn got the hint.
Clapping his hands together, he looked at his phone and back up at her. "I think it's time we get you to school."
Crossing her arms, she rolled her eyes again. "Oh come on, what's up now?" He asked.
"Just because you only go to class three days a week does not mean that you get to make fun of me." She laughed, elbowing him in the side as they went to check out the book.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he played along. "I was just encouraging you to be early to get a head start of your studies. You should be thanking me. I'm basically helping your education. We're at a library aren't we? Your mother already kisses the ground I walk on."
Waiting until they were out of Mrs. Puckerman's presence, she shoved the book in his hands and continued forward. "Just read the damn book, Hudson." She laughed.
"Yes, mom." He called behind her.
When they pulled in front of the school, crowds of people were watching as she told Finn goodbye and headed up the stairs to the entrance. It took her a minute to spot Santana standing by her locker. Walking up, she noticed the blonde and before she could turn and avoid the situation, it was too late. Santana was calling her name.
"Someone's early," her friend greeted her. "I was expecting you to sleep in again."
"Yeah, well Finn and I went to the library this morning." She replied with her eyes trained on the girl leaning against the locker, listening to the two.
"I'll catch you later, Tana," Quinn said before turning and walking away.
As they watched her walk away, Santana turned to Rachel. "Seriously, you guys need to patch things up. Prom is tomorrow. We've been planning our whole lives for this, Rachel. Did I also mention how awkward the two of you make me feel?"
"I'm not even going to prom. There, problem solved." She gave herself a sarcastic applause, causing Santana to gasp dramatically.
"Oh, you're coming." Santana told her.
"With what dress or date?" she asked, trying to make her point.
"Umm, fact, your mom has the town's most talented stylists at her disposal and you already have a designated husband. I don't know where the problem is here."
"My 'husband' is already designated to someone else for the night. He's taking Sugar. As for me, I'm just not feeling it this year Santana. I know we said we'd all go together, but some of the things that used to matter to me just don't anymore. I'm ready to be over with high school already."
She looked like she was gathering the thoughts in her head. It took her a few moments before she looked at her watch and closed the door to her locker. Patting her on the shoulder, she smiled. "I'm only hearing excuses, Berry; You're coming." That was the last thing she said before heading towards her class.
Rachel watched her move forward before finding her way back to the office for student council. Seeing as though she had missed so much time, they replaced her with Sam and some other short, aspiring freshman. Now, all Emma asked of her was to help with some of her paperwork. She liked this because she got to spend more time with her.
She'd gained so many more life lessons and good advice getting involved with student council again. Emma had the answers for just about everything. She always had.
All the while, Rachel learned that things with Will and Emma had really kicked off after the first date. Emma had shared every detail leading up to now. They were looking to buy an apartment together in town. Rachel was happy for them.
For a moment, she wondered if that could ever be her and Finn. She then remembered this morning when their hands met and the way he looked at her, and her heart sped up ten times the speed of lightening. She had to retract her mind from her wandering thoughts before her face turned the color of a strawberry in front of Emma. She'd have some serious explaining to do then. Hell, she had some serious explaining to do to herself.
She knew where these thoughts were taking her. And, she didn't want to go there again. She didn't want to have those thoughts again. She didn't want to have those feelings again.
"Mrs. Rachel Hudson; It has a good ring to it," Emma assured her, pulling her from her thoughts. She took a moment to process what they had been talking about before. Instantly remembering, she laughed and shook her head. Before she could answer, a tall woman with hair just like Emma's walked into her office.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Emma asked.
"I thought we were meeting for coffee today?" the woman asked. Rachel didn't know her name. Emma never really mentioned anything about her family; with the exception of the untimely passing of her older sister.
"Mom, that happened yesterday," she reminded the older woman. Standing up, she moved to her mother.
Rachel stood up and met eyes with the lady. Once she did, the woman's eyes widened and she started forward. All breath was lost within Rachel as the woman's hands found their way to Rachel's cheeks. "Oh my…" she stumbled on her wording while examining Rachel's facial features.
"I can't believe you're really here right now. When did you get back? You wear glasses now? I never thought I'd see you again." Rachel looked to Emma with all the confusion in the world. "I've missed you so much, my sweet Taylor."
Emma's expression wiped within seconds. Her face turned the palest she'd ever seen a skin tone. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at Emma. That's when Emma jumped out of her present state and walked towards the two.
"Mom, this is Rachel Berry. You remember Shelby Corcoran Berry and John Berry, right? This is their daughter." She turned to Rachel. "I'm really sorry, Rachel. She has early onset Alzheimer's."
"Shelby," the woman scoffed. "That woman ruined my sweet Taylor."
"I should go," Rachel said, pointing towards the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Rachel," Emma smiled sympathetically, moving towards her mother once more. Closing the door behind her, she lingered outside for a moment. She tried to piece what just happened in her mind. Why was Emma acting so strange? What connection did her mom have with Taylor as the woman suggested? Why was she confused for Emma's deceased older sister?
Sighing, she headed towards her first class of the day. Today would be a long one, she thought.
Once they pulled into her driveway, Rachel found that her mother wasn't home. Using the spare key hidden in the flowerpot on the side of the front door, Rachel let Finn enter before her.
Getting to the kitchen, she threw her bag on the floor and watched as Finn went digging into her fridge. It hadn't taken them long after they were friends for Finn to become accustomed to her house. Now, he wasn't even treated like a guest. The way Finn moved around her house was as if he were a resident. Shelby had no problem with it and even encouraged it, as Rachel found it amusing.
Coming out with a bottle of water and an apple in his hands, he perched himself on the counter of the island. Flipping on the TV and searching through the channels, Rachel had to turn the volume on mute to hear what Finn was saying to her. It didn't help that his mouth was full.
"You know, a little manners wouldn't kill you," she lectured, handing him a napkin. "Now, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."
"I asked what we were doing about the whole prom thing?" he said. "I mean, is there a certain color you want me to wear? Should I pick you up? You know the time, place, and all those details." He thought for a moment before his eyes widened. "You didn't want a corsage did you?"
"I thought I made things really clear?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to prom this year."
"What?" he chuckled, dropping it once he realized the seriousness in her expression. "That's insane. Rachel, you haven't been to one your whole life. Of course you're coming."
"Have you and Santana spoken lately?" she questioned curiously.
"What? No, why?"
"That's beside the point." She shook the thought away. "Anyways, didn't you say you were taking Sugar?"
"About that," he began. "I may have made some changes within the past few hours."
"What are you talking about?"
"What we talked about earlier, our expectations and all really opened up my eyes. I realized that if I want those things to come true, I have to man up and do something about it. So, I did."
"So, you broke up with Sugar Motta the day before prom?" she asked incredulously.
"Some people just aren't meant to be in your life," he paused, and then looked up at her again. "And, some people just are… It's taken me a while to realize it, but I think I'm starting to come around."
Silence filled the room as he kept his gaze on her. Again, like this morning, she became intimidated. She had no idea what was going on with them. The tension in the air could be cut with a pair of scissors. When he realized this, he cleared his throat and jumped down to his feet.
"What are you doing?" she asked as he moved past her.
"Come with me, I have something to show you." He said, leading the way outside and back to his truck. "Close your eyes," he instructed once he opened the door to the backseat. She slightly jumped when she felt his hand grab hers. He pulled them forward gently, before placing something rather large in her arms. It felt like a box.
"Open," she could tell he was smiling when he said this. She opened her eyes to confirm that he was.
"What's this?" she asked, running her hand over the designed box.
"Open and see," he urged.
Pulling the light pink ribbon from the perfectly wrapped box, she tore the paper away and lifted the lid to the large white box. Her breath caught when she saw the contents inside.
A large ball gown projected itself up at her. For a moment, she couldn't tear her eyes away from it. The black and gold sequins of the dress shined up at her with the help of the diamond necklace carefully placed in the middle. She immediately knew his inspiration.
"Finn," her mind stumbled over what she would say next. "Are you trying to bribe me?" she jokingly pointed a finger of warning in his direction.
"Well, maybe a little." He laughed, and then cleared his mind. "But seriously, I want you to come with me to prom."
"This is very beautiful. But, I could never accept. You must've spent a fortune on the necklace alone."
He chuckled. "I'm glad you like it."
"I absolutely love it." She stammered in amazement.
"I remembered how you were telling me earlier about Gatsby and how much you loved it, so I thought I would help you theme your last prom. I mean, I had to pay Kurt Hummel $200 for helping me, but when I saw it, I knew you would love it."
"No one's ever done this for me before," she told herself more than him. He still heard her.
"One match starts a fire, right? I believe in you too, Rachel." he referenced her earlier words. "I've literally been working on only this since I dropped you off for school." He chuckled, causing her outburst in laughter as well. "I almost forgot that I had a penis."
"Hey, virgin ears here," Rachel exclaimed, covering her ears. "You just ruined the moment."
"Aww, Rachel, we had a moment?" he asked in a high pitched voice. He seemed to be imitating the stereotypical cheerleader.
"So, is that a yes?" he pushed.
Laughing and nodding her head, she placed the box back on the seat in Finn's truck before she turned back to him. Pulling him into her arms, she hugged him tight. "Thank you, Finn. I really love it."
"I'm glad," he smiled behind her. "It's going to look perfect on you."
Friday Night
Getting home that night, Christopher caught Finn at the foot of the stairs. When he called his name, Finn stopped and looked directly at his father.
"So, what'd she think?" he asked with enthusiasm and excitement in his features.
"She loved it," Finn smiled, remembering Rachel's face when the box was first opened. He swore he saw all color leave her, in a good way.
"I can't believe you came up with everything on your own like that. The dress will look beautiful on her." He smiled at his son as Finn nodded in agreement. "You've come a long way. I'm proud of you son."
To hear those words leave his father's mouth left warmth in Finn's heart. He knew that things were turning out the way that he wanted them to. His father was just a small step towards the rest of the town looking at him with respect. He did admit that he still had a long way to go, but hearing these words gave him hope.
"I mean, your side commitment with Sugar is still a work in progress, but I don't see how you can't get rid of that situation soon with this attitude."
That's when his heart sank. The stinging pain in his chest returned after he'd spent the last portion of the day trying to avoid it. Turning towards the stairs again, he spoke one last time to his father.
"Yeah, well, you won't have to worry about that anymore."
Once the door to his room was closed securely behind him, he retreated to his computer as he did last night. Pulling up the documents on his computer, he resumed deleting. Every memory of Sugar and him caught on camera vanished into nothing, by the simple click of a button. A lump in his throat formed, thinking about it all.
He'd lied to Rachel earlier. Not in the sense of their relationship being over, but because he wasn't the one to end it. It also ended a lot earlier than the day before prom. Their downfall had nothing to do with his public image. Yes, Rachel's friendship had opened up his eyes to what he was missing and what he wanted with a girl, but that didn't change how he felt for Sugar. Well, used to feel… She was nothing to him now.
He'd looked like such an idiot on Monday afternoon. A part of him was glad that he hadn't knocked on his former best friend's door. Maybe they would've tried to cover it up. Hell, there would be no difference. He'd still take in the same disgusting image of a naked Puck hovering over his naked girlfriend.
Since Valerie, he didn't know that his heart could break anymore. But, he'd faced the awful reality that day running out of the apartment complex. It was the mixture of disgust and betrayal that was eating away at him now. All the more, guilt left the lump in his throat when he thought about everything.
He realized his mistake the moment he saw the two of them together on the couch that day. He was defiant and childish toward his father. He actually thought that sneaking behind everyone's back with Sugar would solve his problems. He thought she'd be able to maintain his happiness. He ignored his father's continuous preaching of how she was no good for him or their family.
He knew they weren't perfect. He wasn't even sure that he truly loved her until a few months ago. Yes, he had the habit of wandering astray a lot and it was probably the reason that she was with Puck that day, but she was the one who picked him up out of the dumps that Valerie left him in. To him, that meant something. So, he stopped everything. He stopped looking at other girls, he stopped talking to them in flirtatious ways; He even told Sugar the he loved her. He'd been more vulnerable with her than he'd been with any other person in his life. And, he told her that. He made sure she knew that he was finished playing games.
He nearly cringed when the memory popped into his head. She curled into his side as they lay on the tailgate of his truck, staring up at the stars.
"I'm about to sound like an idiot," he admitted.
"You know that's not possible, bear-bear." His heart sped up at the sound of Sugar's nickname for him. Her fingertips moved in a slow pattern up and down his arm. The moment was perfect.
"I'm really in love with you," he told her, causing her to sit up and focus all of her attention on him.
"What?" she asked.
"I know I've made past mistakes and I've hurt you a lot. And, you know I will spend the rest of my life trying to own up to it. But, you, Sugar, you're the real deal." He poured his heart out to her as she watched. "And, I don't know what's going to happen in the future. I mean, there are a lot of things that haven't been figured out like with Rachel and my position in town, but I know one thing. I want you in it. I love you, Sugar."
She smiled for a moment as she tried to collect her thoughts. Then, she took him into a sudden hug and whispered in his ears. "Thank you."
He should've seen it then. The signs were always right there in front of him. Even in that moment, she'd never said she loved him back. He'd poured his heart out to her and in return, all he'd gotten was a thank you. It continued from that point, and he never realized. Months after that time on the tailgate of his truck, he'd carelessly tossed the three words around in her direction. All times, he'd never actually get them back.
His own ignorance of the situation only added to the blow he'd taken Monday afternoon watching the two of them jump from their position, throwing on their clothes and running towards him to negotiate excuses.
He still didn't know how the neighbors of the apartment complex weren't woken up with all the commotion that day. He made sure to express his anger.
"Finn, wait!" Sugar took off in a sprinting pace to catch up to him.
"Don't touch me," he warned.
"We need to talk about this. It's not what it looks like." She pleaded.
"You know, I have been really ignorant in the past year spent with you, but don't mistake that for me being an idiot."
A muffled crying sound left the girl as she stopped in front of him and held her hand against his chest to stop him in his tracks. "Finn…"
"Sugar, just let him go." The sound of the guy he used to trust behind him made him shiver, like a fork against a plate. He turned to look at Puck, standing in the doorway. He wore only sweatpants.
"Listen to your lover," Finn spat. "I guess it's true what they say. After high school, you know who your true friends are."
"Don't you dare put all of the blame on us!" Sugar exclaimed. "You're a hypocrite, Finn. You've done this to me so many times before. Don't play the victim."
"I told you that I was finished with the games. I told you that I would spend the rest of my life paying for my mistakes. I told you that I loved you." He shook his head, looking at her with all the fury he could muster within himself. "Don't play dumb, Sugar. We all know you're a little too stupid for that. You were there, you know what I said."
"Like you didn't see any of this coming," Puck intervened.
"You know, I actually didn't." Finn fired back.
"You've ditched the both of us before you even realized it. Because, whatever Christopher Hudson wants of his sons, he gets."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"You're made of money. There was never going to be any room for misfits like us in that huge mansion of yours. It doesn't matter how much personality people like us hold. People like you and your power-hungry father look for social rank." He told him. "In fact, does he even know you're here? What would Christopher think about this? Or, is this another charity trip for future Mayor Hudson? Paying a visit to the welfare community in Lima Heights, are we?"
"You, of all the people in the entire world, should know that I'm not like that." Finn was enraged. "I stuck by your side for everything, even when I didn't have to. And now, you're using that as an excuse because I caught you screwing my girlfriend."
"Of course you did," Puck got closer. "Because, it was either me or Brody to go to."
He remained silent.
"You only have us two. Everyone else got tired of your bull. Because, Finn Hudson doesn't care who he has to hurt, as long as he gets whatever the hell he wants. Why? Because, you're an entitled asshole and you always will be."
"You're so afraid of being lonely that you've never realized that you already are." Sugar cried. "You pushed us away, Finn."
"I'm not going to lose any sleep over this," he told the girl standing in front of him. "You both betrayed me and you know it. I'm done with you."
"Don't worry, Sugar. He has that fat-ass to keep him company for all of us." Finn lunged forward at the reference to Rachel. Swinging his arm back, he didn't even feel the impact of his knuckle with all of the adrenaline pumping through him. He didn't even truly know he hit him until Puck went flying backwards.
As he looked up at him with blood pooling from his lip, disbelief flashed in his eyes. "You better pray that I never run into you on the streets again, Puckerman." Finn threatened, backing away from the scene. He was finished with these people for the rest of his life.
But, Sugar stopped him again, as she spoke while tending to Puck. "Rachel-freaking-Berry," she chuckled. "Up until yesterday, she was still that fat girl that we laughed at. She even still has chubby cheeks," she laughed. "I can still remember all the things you used to call her. Now, what, is she your girlfriend or something? You sure treat her like it." She smirked, crossing her arms and moving further toward him.
"I never thought I'd lose Finn Hudson to the elegant elephant." Anything that he was trying to hold back came flooding to the surface when those words left her mouth.
"Yeah, well at least she's not a whore." He spat out as if it were poison on his breath, leaving her flabbergasted. She didn't say anything as he turned around and walked down the hallway.
He couldn't tell you what bubbled within him when Sugar spoke about Rachel like that, because even he didn't know. The feeling was somewhere along the lines of when someone made remarks about his father and brother. It felt like he had to protect her at all costs.
It was weird to him. What Sugar said to him was true. Just a few short months ago, he was that guy who spoke those words about the short brunette who seemed to consume all of his time lately. But now, things were different.
He didn't trust their friendship in the beginning. Yes, they sat down and talked about things that night in the locker room; tried to level through all of the awkwardness that had been going on in that period after the party at his house and the things the drunken version of him said to her. He kept his guard up for a while around her as he knew she was doing the same.
They'd only had a small conversation that night, which both of them agreed to way too easily for his liking. They both knew that it would take a long period of time to really settle all of the bad blood that they had for each other. But, he decided that he was willing to give it a chance.
What he didn't know, however, was that the same girl he used to despise would become such a big part of his life; a big part of his happiness. So, when all was said and done that Monday afternoon, her house was the first direction he'd headed in.
She'd been so surprised when he showed up, as she was doing some assignment. But, they ended up talking the rest of the night and all of those bad feelings he had from before just vanished into nothing. The same thing had happened this morning when they were at the library and just this afternoon when he'd watched her open the box to her prom dress that he'd bought her. No thoughts of his previous woe interrupted.
Yes, he knew that everyone thought he was only using her for his own amusement or to hurt her in some unexpected sense. But, that wasn't the case at all. Rachel had grown on him within the past few months that they'd been hanging out. He couldn't explain it. All he knew was that when he was with her, he got a certain feeling in his chest.
She was all he could think about sometimes. Like now, sitting in his room and deleting old pictures of Sugar, his mind only focused on tomorrow night. He couldn't wait to see how Rachel would look in the dress and he couldn't wait to spend the night with her. Now thinking of it, the idea of marrying her wasn't so much of a terrible thing as it had been. She was one of the closest people in his life.
Saturday Morning
Once the Saturday sun hit Rachel's eyes from her blinds, she was officially awake. She turned to the clock on her nightstand. She silently commended herself. She was finally able to sleep past 8 o'clock on a weekend day.
It was now 9:15 and she knew her mother would jump her tail if she sat in bed any longer. So, she headed towards her closet to find old clothes to wear before she was being helped into her dress later in the day.
When she finally put something together, she turned the water as hot as it would go and she climbed into the shower. After an hour of mind-clearing, soaking, and deep cleansing, Rachel was dressed and ready to head downstairs. What she didn't expect, however, was the group of women in her kitchen.
She was taken off-guard when all attention was placed on her. That was about the same time Shelby stepped forward to explain.
"Good, you're finally up," she smiled, moving towards her daughter. Rachel shivered when Shelby's hand rested itself on her shoulder.
"Who are these people?" she asked, looking to the three women staring back at her.
"Rachel, meet your glam squad," Shelby announced commercially. "This is Jessica," Shelby introduced a short tan girl with blonde curls, perfectly sculpted down her back. "She's going to be fixing your hair."
The girl walked over to her and began running her fingers through the back of Rachel's dripping hair. "Oh, your hair is so beautiful. I'm jealous." The girl announced in a high-pitched voice, leading Rachel to believe it was her real voice.
"Thank you," she smiled shyly. "Your hair's pretty too." Jessica smiled at her.
"This is Alaina," her mother introduced next. The shorter brunette of the two stepped forward. Rachel was taken aback as she had eyes that could kill. Although no makeup was present, her bright green orbs flashed almost right through her. "She's going to be in charge of your makeup."
The girl remained at her mother's side with a widened smile.
"Your mom said you have a contact kit somewhere hidden for a rainy day? I think it'll look a lot better if we ditch the glasses. What do you say girls?"
All other women standing around them, included her mother, agreed in unison. Rachel looked to the floor. She liked her glasses. The woman spoke again.
"The acne could be a potential problem, but I don't see how we can't work with it. I have a lot of foundation and powder in my bag."
"So, you're going to make me look caked?" Rachel asked, feeling offended by the talk of her major flaws.
"Goodness no," she replied immediately. "My clients are never caked."
"Good to know," she said, nonchalantly.
"Yeah, and I'll see what I can do about those eyebrows too. We can't wax them because the eye makeup won't stay as much, but I can tweeze them. You're going to look so beautiful," she exclaimed.
"And fake," she added in her own sarcastic commentary. She received a glare from her mother.
She then brushed it off, moving forward to introduce her to the other brunette standing and watching them.
"This is Blaire," the almost-teenager smiled and waved. "She actually graduated high school with Finn last year."
"You're a total lucky one," she laughed, stepping forward to shake her hand. "All of us girls used to gush over Hudson."
Rachel felt awkward. She didn't like it when people pointed out Finn's looks to her as a joke, or made comments like "you're so lucky". She thought it made the whole situation sound like a bunch of dogs fighting over a piece of meat. Perhaps, it was.
Shelby laughed at the girl before explaining her part in today. "Blaire's going to be helping you properly get into your dress and accessorize. See, she even brought all of these shoes from her shop." Rachel took in the colorful array of high heels lined up in the dining room, next to where the large dress was hanging.
Grabbing her purse, Shelby grabbed her keys and started toward the front door. "I'll let you ladies get to it. I should be back in time to see you off and take pictures." Rachel watched her incredulously as she skipped out the front door, leaving her with strangers in her own home.
"I think I should start first," Jessica told the girls, reaching out for Rachel's arm. "If that's okay with you," she made sure first.
"Yeah, sure, go ahead." She replied as they set up at the dining table. She was just a little confused, so she made it known. "Why are we starting now? Prom's not till seven."
"It's going to take us each a while before we can actually finish," Alaina explained for all three of them while going through the huge display of makeups and brand names she'd never seen before. "Plus, pictures are being taken for the newspaper and a few reporters are coming over."
"For what?" she wondered. Why were they informing her about this rather than her mom? Her shoulders sagged as she watched the blonde behind her heat up the curling iron.
"Well, it's your first big official event together until your wedding preparations begin. You're the future of the town, its big news," Alaina explained. They looked at her as if she were stupid for not understanding. She sure felt it.
"You look nervous," Blaire observed.
"I just wasn't informed, that's all," she looked at her through the mirror in front of her.
"You're going to do fine," Jessica told her. "You're a natural. I saw the way you awed all of those women at that banquet a few months ago." She smiled.
"Thank you," all the girls giggled as they continued their designated jobs. By the time Jessica was finished, Rachel's hair was pulled into a low decorative up-do with a French braid running down the side and into the bun. She had to admit that it looked pretty.
Alaina moved onto her next. She felt like her whole entire life was changing when the girl reached forward to remove the eyeglasses from her face.
It was when Alaina placed the tiny lenses into both of her eyes when she felt it. The familiar feeling of the frames sitting on the bridge of her nose was gone, but she could still see. It was different. She didn't know if she liked it.
When the mirror was raised in front of her face, she did a double-take. A completely different person stared back at her. Yes, the acne was still there but her features seemed different. Her cheekbones seemed higher and more visible, and the brown in her eyes seemed to shine a little more.
It took what seemed like forever for Alaina to work on her face. Hell, she'd spent the first hour working on her eyebrows alone. Boy, was that painful, she thought. Then, it took her another hour to work on perfecting her skin with the millions of different face creams and foundations she dabbed into her skin. After that was finished, she topped everything with a powder and moved onto her eyes.
She didn't really express what she was doing to her face, which made Rachel nervous in turn. But, as she watched her movements at the table, she somewhat gathered an idea of what she was doing to her eyes. She watched her pickup the colors on a huge pallet that was laid at the table. First, she used a shimmery silver color and smeared it over her eye lids. Then, she picked up an even shinier gold, which she seemed to be spreading over the middle of her lid. Last, she took a distinctive black and brushed it along the end of her eyes.
When she was finished with that, she reached for a black tube of something on the table. It was liquid eyeliner, Rachel figured out when she read the label on the side. The girl turned to Rachel and she waited for what she was about to say.
"This is the hardest part of the process," she laughed before becoming serious. "A lot of my clients have trouble with this. I need you to stay perfectly still and do not blink for anything. One slip up and I need to start over again." She warned.
She replied, "Okay." When she instructed her to close her eyes, she tried with everything she had to follow the steps the girl emphasized.
She thought she'd done good when Alaina finished the top part of both of her eyes. She hadn't complained about anything. But, it was the bottom part that she had the most trouble with.
Alaina had told her to keep her eyes glued onto the ceiling, without closing her eyes for anything. She seemed to think that it would be easily accomplished like the top of her eyes. She was gladly mistaken when she felt the first poke to her eyeball and flinched.
She quickly apologized, lucky enough that Alaina didn't mess up. It was a hell process, but when she was finished, Alaina's facial expressions didn't seem worried about any mess ups on her face. She looked more satisfied than anything. Rachel was relieved. She knew what she was doing.
After that, Alaina applied the finishing touches of her makeup job. Once the fake eyelashes were glued on, the lip gloss was smeared on her lips, and the few coats of mascara were applied, she stepped back and took in her face. She smiled brightly, handing her the mirror.
When Rachel looked down, a gasp fell from her lips. For the first time in her life, she liked the picture looking back at her. The makeup wasn't as extravagant as she thought it would be, but it was still enough to make her look fierce. That's what she liked about it. For the first time in her life, she thought that she looked beautiful. And that was enough for her, even if she was the only person who thought it.
The looks of the girls around her proved that she wasn't the only one who thought it. They all smiled at her as she took in her new image. "How do I look?"
"You're going to have a hard time keeping your virtue intact tonight," Jessica laughed.
"If Hudson tears his eyes away from you, he's gay," Blaire joked.
"I second both of those statements," Alaina commented. "You look so beautiful, Rachel."
"Thank you," she smiled with a blush to her cheeks. "I love it."
"You did a really good job, Alaina," both of the other girls complimented. She smiled in thanks, and looked back to Rachel.
"Would you mind if I post a picture of you on my website?" she asked.
"Of course," she smiled. "Go ahead."
When she finished, Alaina and Jessica packed all of their things up, said their farewells, and left her alone with Blaire. When she looked at the clock, she swore she had no idea where the time went. It was almost five thirty and she still wasn't finished.
Once they moved to the other side of the room, Rachel started to examine the large selection of shoes. "So these are all from your shop?" she asked.
"Yeah," she replied, moving to her side. "Do you like them?"
"They're beautiful."
"Thank you," she told her. "I think black would be your best bet. You don't want to take any attention away from the diamond necklace and the sequins in the dress."
Rachel walked over to a pair of black heels with an ankle strap. "What about these?"
"The choice is yours," she held up her hands. "But, they'd be perfect in my opinion."
Once she held onto Blaire's arm for support, she began to put on the shoes. She made sure to be careful around her painted toes. As she was adjusting the strap on her heels, Blaire brought up Finn.
"We slept together," she informed her.
Rachel cringed because she didn't want to hear those details. Nor did she know why this girl felt the need to tell her that. She wasn't the first girl to come up to her and give her the spoiling details. A lot of girls found it necessary to let her in on their past lives with her friend. It still didn't mean that she liked to talk about it.
She understood that Finn had a past life, because she herself used to watch him run around like a dog and make fun of him with Santana and Quinn. But now, she'd liked to think that he changed. By the things she'd been seeing with him lately, it seemed like he had.
"I know you don't want to hear that, I'm sorry," she corrected herself just as she took in Rachel's facial expression.
"It's not that," Rachel assured her. "It's just that it's not exactly the first time I've heard it. There have been a lot of girls in Finn's past." She informed her.
"This is going somewhere. Hear me out?" she asked.
"Sure," Rachel responded, not knowing what else to say.
"It happened on a Saturday night in September. I was ecstatic about it. He'd just come out of his relationship with Valerie and I thought it would go somewhere. So, I gushed to my best friend about it. We just about talked on the phone all Sunday about it. I squealed, she told me she was excited for me, and that I was lucky. Because, I really thought when I walked through those doors Monday morning I'd have a boyfriend to go to."
"What happened?" Rachel asked as she finally got both shoes onto her feet.
"I walked straight to his locker just to turn around." She admitted.
"Why?" Rachel asked.
"Because, Sugar Motta, my former best friend, was standing at his side with her arms wrapped around him and a big smile plastered on her face."
"She was the one you were on the phone with?" Rachel asked. She knew Sugar was cruel and had been to her for years, but she didn't know she was capable of this level of evil.
"She didn't have any words for me. I confronted her about it and she turned into a completely different person. I never got an explanation, and since that day I haven't spoken one word to her."
"That must've been awful for you, I'm so sorry." Rachel replied.
"Yeah, well, I guess some things are just meant to happen to get you to where you need to go."
Rachel nodded in agreement, trying to think of how it could connect to her present life story. Maybe she wasn't meant to be friends with Quinn in the first place. Maybe cutting her out of the picture was a step to get herself to New York. She didn't know.
She returned from her thoughts to hear the brunette continue.
"I heard she's going to be there tonight," she told her. "And you're going to give that bitch a run for her money."
"You really think so?" she asked.
"You're as beautiful as a gem, you're going to have her man on your arm, and that dress hanging over there is prettier than any designer I've ever seen. I'd be surprised if she didn't leave the gym weeping."
She laughed, walking around in the shoes. These were definitely the ones. "Thank you," she responded.
By the time she'd carefully slid into the dress and the right accessories were added to her body, including the diamond necklace Finn had bought, it was getting closer to six.
Just a few minutes later, the same heels she'd heard leaving this morning had entered the house again. When they'd gotten closer, the noise of a bag falling to the grown errupted the silence.
Turning around, Shelby was standing with her mouth gaped open. She stared at Rachel's reflection in the mirror with shock. Meanwhile, the contents of her purse were scattered all over the wooden floor. She paid no mind. All attention was on Rachel in this moment.
It was different, she thought. Out of all the times Shelby dolled her up for the meetings, tea parties, and banquets, she'd never gotten this expression.
"So, Mrs. Berry, what do you think?" Blaire asked, moving toward the silent woman.
She stumbled over what she wanted to say. "I… Uhm… I…Finn and Christopher are going to be here in a few minutes and don't forget that the reporters and newspaper editors are going to be here soon as well." Rachel couldn't miss the way Shelby choked up in saying this. What she also didn't miss was the view of a few tears running down Shelby's face before she hastily exited the room.
Picking up the ends of her dress, Rachel tried to catch her mom on her heel. But, she couldn't. All she heard at the foot of the stairs was the door to Shelby's room slamming shut. She stared up in confusion. She had no idea what had just gotten into her mother.
"What's with her?" Blaire asked, moving behind her.
"I have no idea," she replied.
"Well, if it's okay I think I'm going to leave you on your own." She said.
"Sure," Rachel responded. "Do you need some help moving those other heels into your car?"
"Actually, your mom told me I could come back tomorrow to get them." She smiled. "Thanks though. I really hope you have fun tonight, Rachel. Enjoy it," she pointed in her direction with a playful warning. Rachel smiled and nodded. "If there's anything I learned in my high school years, it's that it's gone just as soon as it comes. Goodbye, Rachel."
"Bye," she smiled as the girl closed the door behind her. She lingered in the silence for a few minutes before heading upstairs to check on Shelby.
Knock, Knock, Knock
"Shelby?" she asked, leaning against the wooden frame. She was taken aback when the door flung open. Her mother's face was cleared of any previous struggle, and she was looking at her with a big smile on her face.
"I'm really sorry about that, sweetheart. I guess I just got a little overwhelmed."
"It's okay," Rachel replied. "Are you coming downstairs?"
"Of course I am," she smiled, straightening out her dress and walking forward to close the door to the dark room behind her. Following behind her mother, Rachel listened to the words she spoke.
"They did a really good job with everything. I don't even see a trace of that acne on your face. And those contacts, they make all the difference. I told you that those yogurt cups would help you a lot. I don't see a single trace of fat on your cheeks."
"Gee," she whispered. Any confidence she had about herself before lowered a few points. "Thanks."
"There's one more thing I need to tell you," she stopped them at the foot of the stairs.
If you're going to make another low blow at my regular appearance I don't want to hear it," Rachel snapped.
"No, it's not that." She waved the thought away without any emotion. "I sort of patched things up with James a few nights ago. I went see him today and we talked about things; you. He's on his way here." As she watched Rachel's face drop, she tried to intervene as she began shaking her head violently. "He wants to apologize."
"That's a really messed up joke, Shelby." Rachel told her.
"He feels bad, he told me that-"
"He should feel bad, as well as any other guy who thinks it's okay to openly swing at a seventeen year old girl. You were there. You know these things. I mean, how are you even trying to play the mediator right now? Are you messed up in the head?"
"That's what we were going to try and talk to you about." She told her.
"Excuse me?" Rachel crossed her arms.
"You've been through some pretty traumatic things in your life. It wasn't easy starting off in the eye of the public at such an early age, not to mention the impact of your father's death. It's understandable. And we think that if we can get you to talk to someone, maybe it can help you."
"I'm sorry, did you just say 'we'?" Rachel asked.
"I'm not trying to make excuses for him, Rachel." Shelby pointed out.
"Really? Because it sure as hell sounds like it to me." Rachel replied.
"I know what he did to you wasn't right and I'm still mad at him for it. But, he's trying to take responsibility for his actions. He's trying to apologize."
"By placing all of the blame on me and my nonexistent insanity? Are you sure he didn't knock you in the head that night as well?"
Before Shelby could respond, a knock sounded from the front door. As the door slowly opened in front of them, in walked her uncle. With all the fury in her chest at the moment, she stared at the man who left her crying on the floor all those nights ago.
She watched as he looked to Shelby for approval before moving forward in the stride she hadn't seen in a long time. Her chest ached, all previous relief she felt leaving her body. She really thought that he was truly out of their lives for good after what he did to her. She thought her mother was finally done with him. She was relieved that she would never have to see this man again in her life. Now, she couldn't have been more wrong.
Moving in front of her, Rachel stood on-guard. She was ready to defend herself if he were to attack again. Instead, his face fell when he took in her made-up one. Something was happening in front of her. His face formed in the same gaped-open mouth gaze her mother had given her moments earlier. Only, he didn't run away. Instead, a weird glance was transferred between him and Shelby; a glance that she'd never seen before.
Once they realized she was on to them, he cleared his face and slowly held up flowers in front of her. "Rachel, I have no words to describe how truly sorry I am. That man was not me the other night and I regret it with every bone in my body. I know I hurt you and your mother by all of the events of that ugly night, but I promise you that it will never happen again. I love you."
"These lilies are orange," Rachel told him.
"They're pretty aren't they?" He smiled with a little hope.
"Orange lilies symbolize hatred and dislike," she explained through gritted teeth. Her mother planted her head in her hand as she shook it.
"Rachel, I had no idea," he defended himself.
"Of course you didn't," she remarked. "There's Finn and Christopher. I've got to get my things from the dining room before we can take pictures." She said pointing to the window. The black SUV was already parked in the driveway.
She stood in the other room, listening to the approaching voices. When Finn's voice errupted into the air, relief flooded through Rachel. Calm had finally returned to her. All previous thoughts about what just happened left her, because he was finally here. James wouldn't dare try anything around Finn or Christopher for that matter.
"Rachel!"
Grabbing the small purse that Blaire had picked out to match her dress, she shoved her things into it and made the corner back to where everyone was standing. The moment she came into view of Finn, her heart immediately stopped.
Standing before her with his black tux and gold tie, he waited for her to move toward him. She smiled with everything she had inside of her taking in his appearance. She never thought she'd say this before in her life. Yes, she knew long ago that he was good looking. But now, standing in front of him and forming an ear to ear grin, the irony found its way to her head. The opinion formed inside of it almost made her chuckle. Finn Hudson was the most handsome man she'd ever seen.
When Finn walked into the house behind his father, a conversation was being shared between Shelby and James.
"Shelby, she's a spitting image." James whispered. "The resemblance is uncanny. Any fool could tell."
"I know, but I just don't get it." She replied.
"You have to make sure that she doesn't find out," he warned.
"Hi, you guys are finally here." She changed the subject, noticing the two of them. She then turned all of her attention to Finn. "Look at you," she gushed. "You look so handsome in your tux! Ugh, we need pictures for the perfect couple!"
"Thank you Mrs. Berry," he shyly chuckled.
"Rachel!" she screeched.
As her figure came into his view he immediately caught the expression in her face as she walked forward. It was a little off. He sure hadn't seen it before from her. It was a little similar to the one she wore speaking about her father. But this time, it seemed a little sadder.
He became curious about what was happening in the house with the three before him and his father arrived. He could feel some sort of tension in the air around him and he didn't like it. The whole situation seemed odd to him and he'd get to the bottom of it if he had to; if it affected the way Rachel would act tonight. That's all he thought about as he watched that expression on her face.
Then, her eyes moved forward over him and he couldn't help but take in the way her face lit up. His heart stopped. His mind was racing a hundred miles a minute in that moment. All he knew was that he never thought he could feel this way.
The way she looked, smiled, as she moved forward in that dress, it left him speechless. He wondered if it was even Rachel standing before him. But, when that contagious fit of laughter sounded through the air, he knew it couldn't be anyone but her. Every step she took left him a little more breathless. And when she was standing before him, he chuckled to himself. The irony had made itself present in his head. When he flashed back the same ear to ear grin that she was showing him, his opinion was formed. Rachel Berry was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.
So, there's chapter 9! Hope you all enjoy :)