Another two weeks before the next update. I haven't been able to make as much progress on new chapters recently, so I'm spacing things out.
Chapter 9: Life's RealitiesThere was a period of time when things felt like they were normal. Rachel was engaging more; she was going to school and work. She got a sense of satisfaction and purpose helping with the winter classes. She was busy, but she was present. It felt… a little like the old Rachel was still there. The days were great – if not a little fake. She had Kurt and Santana fooled.
Partially…
To Kurt and Santana, it felt like maybe their initial concerns were overblown. Maybe it was just the holidays and everything piling up and overwhelming her. It didn't feel like that at the time, but maybe. They were wary because the absentee zombie with emotional breakdowns she was before absolutely scared them, but now she was… Rachel. They didn't forget, but they were happy to see her act more herself. It was enough to pacify them in the interim.
Soon after New Year, Rachel was back at NYADA prepping for her TA position and helping with the winter classes. The first few days there, she was terrified. Her eyes were constantly wandering, wondering if he would show. After reading all the messages he had sent her, she had another meltdown, but was determined to move past it.
Showface, Rachel. Showface…
It helped that the messages eventually stopped coming once she finally blocked him. She couldn't handle his texts or calls or anything related to him.
Her motto… If she believed it didn't happen, then it didn't happen.
She needed to move on. She needed to be normal. That was where her headspace was.
It was only when she heard Cassie talking to another professor about Jasper, discussing how he wouldn't be around for the winter classes at all, that Rachel felt she could relax, tension evaporating. She could breathe and she could be without all the pretending. Nothing was ok, but it was just the tiniest bit better.
That helped her put her best foot forward during lessons and at home. She was acting better because the fear had lessened. She was still a mess, still panicked, but he wasn't texting her and he wasn't around. It gave her the slightest slice of peace. But nothing lasted forever.
One day, a few weeks after the holidays, Shelby stopped by the apartment. On Shelby's end, she had been trying to be patient and wait to see if Rachel would reach out to her, but she was itching for more. She remembered the chat she had with her sister on Christmas.
"That was her, wasn't it? Your daughter?" Kim asked once Shelby was in a more private space.
"You guessed that just by looking at her?"
"Shel, Mom and Dad are kind people, and I have no doubt they would take in a student of yours for the holidays for no other reason than that…"
"But?"
"But only a daughter could give you the look she was giving as she walked by."
"What look is that exactly?"
"That 'I love you, but I really want to hate you and can't stand you' look that we always gave mom. It's a child's right."
"I don't know what you're talking about Kim."
"Alright, well… I'm waiting. Confirm what I already know."
Rolling her eyes, Shelby stated, "Yes, Kim. It's her. Rachel."
"Knew it! Ugh. She fits right in with the family."
"You barely saw her. How would you know?"
"Look, I don't have a lot of time here. Matt's mom is going to be all over me to help with dinner any minute, so let's jump to the good stuff. How did this happen? When? How? Tell me everything. I didn't know you were in contact with her again."
"I wasn't…"
"I'm going to need more detail, Shel. Make it the highlights version for now."
"It was all a coincidence, really," Shelby started, telling her sister about the run in and the worries that followed.
It was a strange series of events that led them there. Shelby would be the first to admit that, while she was thrilled, she was surprised Rachel agreed to come.
"It's been the longest stretch of time we've been in the same space together."
"And? How does it feel?"
"Amazing… Scary. Thrilling… Terrifying."
"That's a lot of feelings happening."
"I know. It's just… I've met her before, but I never had the quiet moments. I've never seen her just sit on the couch and watch tv to see the way her eyes wrinkle when she finds things stupid or how she mouths the words to parts she really knows… I've never seen her interact with Beth and be so… sisterly… It's incredible."
"I sense a but coming."
"I worry about her. A lot."
"That's what mother's do, Shelby."
"But I haven't been her mom. I'm not as far as she is concerned."
"Yet she's there with you on her holiday break instead of anywhere else."
Sighing, Shelby said, "She's been drinking. I know it's normal. I know I did at 20… It's not even how much she's drinking. It's…"
"What?"
"Maybe it's situational. I don't know, but she was holding onto the glass and sipping like her life depended on it."
"Have you asked her about it?"
"Kim. Come on. It's Christmas with a daughter who sees me as little more than an acquaintance. I'm not going to ruin what little time we have questioning her drinking habits. She could just be nervous being around us. I just want to enjoy this – I want her to enjoy this. I don't know if it will ever happen again."
"You know, Shelby. I've known you your whole life, and I've never known you to be so hesitant to speak your mind. Not with anyone… Ever. Except her."
"I've hurt her enough," Shelby said.
"I'm not going to argue that. You're a real idiot where she is concerned, but that's not even what we're talking about. You're afraid. That's not like you."
"Her fathers called me. They're worried about her. For them to call me… I think they'd have to be pretty scared. She broke down in tears today… At the diner, she had a panic attack. It was terrifying to watch, and when I mentioned it, she denied it ever happened."
"You think she just didn't want your help?"
"I think she's going through something and I can't help her, and that's my fault."
"You made mistakes, Shel, but I know you love her."
"I do… So much it hurts."
"I'm not the one you need to convince. She is. Your actions haven't matched the words."
"I know that."
Kim sighed and Shelby watched her inhale deeply.
"Shelby… Do you remember when you first told me about Rachel?"
"Of course."
"The family was all together. Dan and Jaimie just had Max. I was pregnant with Caleb at the time. Jake was four. Max was just about one, I think."
"Rachel was only two months old."
"Mom was throwing a baby shower for me even though I insisted she didn't. Thankfully it was a small party, mostly just family."
"I was there," Shelby said, ever the smart-ass little sister.
Meeting Shelby with a matching scowl, Kim continued, "I was eight months pregnant, miserable, tired, achy… all of it, and all I could think at the time was how you looked more miserable than me."
"I was miserable."
"I know, hon. You were going through things we didn't understand. You disappeared right after the presents, and I knew you'd been off all day, so I went to find you. There you were, in my old room, curled up on my bed squeezing this fuzzy pink bunny crying."
"I bought the bunny for Rachel," Shelby confessed. "I never had a chance to give it to her."
"I remember getting in the bed with you, cuddling you as best I could with my big, fat stomach, and asking you what was wrong. Do you remember what you said?"
"No."
Kim would never forget it.
"You said that you thought it would be easy. That I made being pregnant look easy, but having a baby was the hardest thing you ever did. Then you looked at me with the saddest eyes, put your hand on my stomach and told me that you missed the feeling."
"She liked to move a lot. I called it dancing."
"I finally got you to tell me everything, and I was heartbroken for you and for our family. She was part of us, and we wouldn't know her. She wouldn't know us. I knew she would be beautiful, just like little Shellie Bellie was. I was right."
Shelby smiled, trying not to tear up thinking about that day and everything surrounding Rachel's birth.
"My point here is that I've always known you've loved her, but you've been afraid of her. Afraid of never getting to experience motherhood, afraid that you made the wrong choice… There was a lot of fear there."
"I…"
"Please, Shel, let me finish. I can already hear Debbie calling for me, and I think you need to hear what I have to say."
Shelby nodded.
"When you met her for the first time, you made mistakes. You'd be the first to admit that. I think you were afraid that you weren't enough. Afraid that you'd screw it up, and you created this self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, by some cosmic coincidence, you're getting another shot, but you're afraid of messing it up again. I get it. I do. But you're not the same person you were then. I'm sure she's not either. You're allowed to worry and care and want to help her. You should. Pussyfooting around her in fear won't help things. Today might not be the day to do it – it's a holiday after all and the first you're spending with her. You should savor that. I'm sure dad will say to let her come to you, let her be in charge, and I totally think things need to be on her terms, but Shelby, you're her mother. You need to be the one willing to take the first step. You can reach out to her and still allow her to control how the relationship works. So stop being afraid. Stop worrying about making mistakes, and just make them. It might just all work out."
"I don't remember you being this wise growing up."
"Trust me, I was. You just refused to see it."
Shelby could see Kim look off screen and wave someone off.
"Sorry Shel. I need to go, but this conversation isn't over. I still have so many questions. We're due for a long chat. Until then, please listen to what I said. And please figure it out quickly. I'd really like to meet her someday."
Kim was right. She couldn't be afraid. She wasn't thrilled with the way they left things. She sent Rachel a text just saying that she was happy to spend the holiday with Rachel and enjoyed the time, but Rachel hadn't responded. It was time to make the next step. Rachel would guide what happened with their relationship and Shelby had to be comfortable with the fact that Rachel could reject her at any point, but she had to try.
Shelby gave Rachel plenty of time to respond. Now, she was done putting it off. She rather Rachel told her to go to hell than to leave things in another limbo. Plus, since Christmas, Shelby has started a collection of vinyl to replace Rachel's stolen records. There would probably be some duplicates, but at least it was something. A peace offering.
The holidays were over, life was back to normal, and, for Shelby, that meant reestablishing herself in her daughter's life. She gave her time, and time was up. Grabbing everything she needed, Shelby headed to work with the intention of seeing Rachel right after.
But the day seemed to drag. Minutes felt like hours and the anticipation and fear weighed on her. When the time finally came, Shelby contemplated checking the restaurant before heading to Rachel's apartment. She quickly thought better of it.
Apartment it was.
Shelby was happy she took her car into work. Usually, she didn't. The GPS spouted instructions and the ride reminded her why she seldom drove in the city. But she was there. Box in hand, she pressed the lock button on her fob and headed into the building.
This time, she was a little less hesitant to knock, though she did hear some muffled voices on the other side that she swore sounded like arguing.
When the door slid open, Shelby was surprised to find the blonde on the other side.
"Quinn?"
"Shelby?"
Seemed she was equally surprised.
"Quinn who… Oh… Shelby," Santana said, walking up behind Quinn. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to drop this off for Rachel. Is she here?"
Shelby's eyes peered around. No sign of Rachel, but she did notice the shared stare Quinn and Santana seemed to be conversing through.
"She's not here," Quinn finally said.
"She's at school, then work. She's always somewhere," Santana told her. Deep breath, she added, "Maybe you should come in."
Nodding, Shelby moved into the apartment, waiting as they closed the door behind her. Santana told her to put the box wherever. Shelby obliged, happy to get the heavy weight out of her hands.
Santana sensed two things. One, she and Quinn were on the same page. Shelby for all of her faults, could prove useful if for nothing else but providing some answers. Two, Quinn needed some time to speak with Shelby about Beth and life things, Santana assumed.
"What's in the box?" Santana asked.
"Oh, just some records. Rachel mentioned something happened to her collection and I had some extras."
Eyes narrowed, wondering just what Shelby knew, Santana fiddled with the box.
"I'll put the box in Rachel's room," she said, giving Quinn the opening she needed.
Shelby took the chance to say, "It's been a while since I've seen you. How's Yale?"
Quinn smiled and responded, "It's great. I'm doing well there."
There was some shallow small talk before Quinn asked about Beth.
"She's wonderful. I hope you got the pictures I sent."
"I did. She's so big now."
"She's growing so quickly."
"You haven't responded to any of my emails. You do know you can see her if you'd like to," Shelby gently told her.
Quinn shook her head and quietly replied, "I love her enough to stay away."
Shelby offered a kind, knowing smile. She once thought staying away from Rachel was the right thing. No way was she inviting Quinn to take on any parental role, but she knew the pain of not being involved and was offering an olive branch.
"She knows who you are Quinn, and you know where to find us if you want to."
With a gentle nod, Quinn quietly said, "Thank you."
She wanted to see Beth. She wanted to ask so many questions. But, for whatever reason, she couldn't. It was too hard, and she knew Beth was happy and loved. Shelby gave her updates in emails, and, with most of them, she only glanced at the pictures.
Somewhere in their continued small talk, Santana returned saying that she disappeared to give Quinn space or whatever but they were in the middle of something.
"So if there's nothing else you need, we should get back to that."
"Is everything ok?" Shelby asked.
The girls didn't have a conclusive answer.
Sensing there was more going on, Shelby tried to break some of the awkwardness by asking how they'd been. She already had some answers from Quinn, but now it was Santana's turn. Santana had a few questions of her own, so she played along until she saw her opportunity.
"So, how did Rachel end up spending the holidays with you in Connecticut?"
"Is that why she was there? She was going to stay in my dorm while I was away."
"Well, I convinced her not to stay alone in your dorm room, Quinn, but thank you for giving her that option."
"Wait, how did she end up in Connecticut… With you?"
"With my family," Shelby corrected. "She didn't tell you?"
"She told me some. I'm sure it wasn't the whole story. I'd like to know what you have to say about it. I don't get why she ever agreed to go."
"Because it's unfathomable that someone would want to spend time with me?" Shelby grumbled.
"Because as crazy as Rachel is, she's not a glutton for punishment, and as hard as it is to imagine – believe me, it's even hard for me to imagine – Rachel is one of my best friends and we talk. Let's just say that her spending Christmas with you, never mind the family she knows absolutely nothing about, was a shock to us all."
"It was to me too. Trust me. I wasn't expecting her to say yes. In fact, she flat out told me no, that she had other plans, but changed her mind last minute."
"Wait? What?"
Before Santana could ask any further follow ups and get her answers, all three women's attention was drawn to the opening door.
"I'm back and we can let operation Rachel commence," Kurt started, unaware of their visitor. "I left Rachel at NYADA. She's not working today – had someone take her shift and told her she wasn't needed – so we have about two hours before she gets back. Let's make it count… Oh. Shelby. Hi."
His narrowed, questioning eyes met Santana's. In return, she just shrugged.
"Operation Rachel?"
"Ms. Corc – Shelby…. What are you doing here?"
"I came to see Rachel, but it seems she's never here and you have some kind of planning happening. What's going on, guys?"
The three young adults glanced at one another.
"Kurt?" Shelby tried.
He remained tight lipped and looked at the others hoping Santana and her quick tongue would think of a way out for them, but the truth was that she wasn't sure whether they should use an out. They suddenly felt over their heads. Rachel was seemingly better overnight, and then the previous night happened. It was like everything was erased again… Though Rachel was back to "normal" by morning. Whatever that meant. She was just so up and down.
Shelby's coincidental timing might have been perfect. But the older version of Rachel staring at them with a penetrating gaze was unnerving and uncomfortable.
Kurt, realizing neither Santana nor Quinn was going to throw him a bone, went with the first truthful and inconspicuous thing he could think of.
"Rachel's been working too much. Between helping out at NYADA and then evening shifts at the diner, and now with classes back, she's barely home and we're worried about her."
Shelby sighed. She knew a cover when she heard one. Of course, she was sure that was true, but it wasn't the whole story. Even still, it opened the door for a deeper dialogue.
"Can I ask you all something?"
The three young adults looked around at each other before returning their gaze to Shelby, a silent okay.
"Before you left for the holidays, was Rachel seeing someone?"
Santana laughed, earning glares from Kurt and Quinn.
"What? It's funny. Rachel hasn't been with anyone since Finn's death."
Ignoring the antics, Shelby asked, "Are you sure?"
"We're sure," Kurt answered.
Quinn narrowed her eyes.
"Why do you ask?"
"Have you noticed any odd behavior then? Bruising? Irritability? Her withdrawing?"
Now they were all on defense mode.
An edge in her voice, Santana asked, "What are you asking?"
"I didn't come here to discuss Rachel with you, and maybe it's not my place, but you are her friends. I know you care about her, and I'm not going to shy away from asking hard questions when it can help her. Whatever you might think of me, I love her. So I'm going to talk, you're going to listen. Okay?"
No response was response enough.
"Rachel showed up in Connecticut last minute with bruises and a hurt wrist."
"She told us she hurt it at dance."
"She told my family that she slipped on ice at the train station."
"Why do I feel a but coming?" Santana asked.
"My mother was a nurse for many years. Rachel insisted she was fine, but we wanted to make sure, so she checked Rachel over. There were other bruises… Including one that looked like finger marks."
"What?"
There was a collective gasp.
"And my mother said that the wrist injury looked like one she had seen many times in domestic violence cases in the ER." Shelby took a deep breath. "So I'm asking again if there was anyone in her life that might have done that."
"You think it was one of us," Santana accused.
"No. I don't. I don't really know anything. That's why I'm asking."
"There was no one," Kurt answered. "But…"
"But what, Kurt?"
"Rachel had been wrapped up in the showcase and school for months."
"It was her coping mechanism," Santana added.
"I've barely seen Rachel since I've come back from Ohio. That girl is crazy busy."
"Is that what you meant when you said that Rachel's always somewhere else?"
"Yes…" And no.
"She's been avoiding us," Santana added. "We weren't sure why. She avoided most people after Finn's death, but it got better. She got better. Until the end of the semester. Then it was hard to get her to be in the same room for more than a minute and getting her to have a real conversation was like pulling teeth."
"You're saying she hasn't been herself?"
"Of course she hasn't been herself! She has been a mess since Finn's death. Then it got better. Then it got worse. Then it got better again. Then…"
"Then what?"
Santana paused. They all knew something happened the other night, but they didn't know the extent of it. Santana was the only one there. It was worse than New Year's.
"Listen. I'm only saying this because we don't know what to do, and I don't think she'd appreciate going to her dads. I don't think she'd appreciate us involving you either, but this is where we're at. You're more the not-so-fun aunt than a parental figure, so I guess that's better."
"Santana," Kurt chastised, hand reaching out to stop her. He was silently trying to stop her. This wasn't the plan.
"Shut up Kurt. I thought New Year's was the scariest night of my life. Seeing her like that, but last night, I swear I was a second away from calling an ambulance."
Concern at a new high, Shelby asked, "What happened on New Year's?"
Shelby wanted to know what happened the night before, but felt she needed all the details, especially if things were escalating. She was nervous. This wasn't the conversation she came there to have, but she wanted to have it now.
"She was a mess," Kurt responded.
"We were in Time's Square. We'd been drinking," Santana said. Immediately, her narrowed eyes met Shelby's. "And don't even give us shit for that. You know you did it too, and it was New Year's."
Shelby rolled her eyes but kept silent.
"She disappeared."
"Really, we looked everywhere for her."
"We eventually found her at the apartment."
The roommates looked to each other, recalling the scary sight.
"When we got home, she was in my room," Santana started, "completely inconsolable. She was crying and hiccupping."
"It was terrifying."
"I got her to calm down, but she blacked out and couldn't remember anything the next day."
"Has she been drinking a lot lately?" Shelby tentatively asked.
"Not a lot…" Kurt answered, "But more than normal for her."
Rachel was going to kill him, but it did feel good to get off his chest with someone outside of them.
Sighing, Shelby shared that Rachel had a similar episode with her at the diner which shocked them all.
"Has she ever had a… moment like that before recently?"
She didn't know what to call it. A panic attack? Probably.
"The only time that I know of was after she choked in her NYADA audition. She couldn't fathom messing up her big moment and it spiraled. But it wasn't as bad as that was. She rebounded and became determined to fix it pretty quickly… Well, relatively quickly and in her own dramatic way."
"Last night? What happened?"
The three friends looked to one another. Once again, Santana was the one to bear the brunt of it. Kurt had been in his room when he walked in on the… incident. Quinn wasn't there. She was called in the middle of the night by a flustered Santana crying that she didn't know what to do anymore. It was enough for Quinn not to ask many questions and get on the early morning Metro North to Grand Central. Time for another Rachel Glee-vention.
"I don't even know how to explain it."
"Start from the beginning," Shelby encouraged.
"Rachel and I were… Talking."
"Bickering," Kurt corrected.
"That's how we show each other we care," Santana defended.
Shelby eyed them both, trying to get them back on track already.
"Anyways, she was distracted and in a weird mood all day. It usually makes it more fun to mess with her and her to mess with me."
Santana watched Rachel pace and, naturally, made a snide remark. Already irritated, Rachel snaped right back. It started one of their usual quarrels of wit and charm.
"What do you need your phone for anyway? It's not like you have a surplus of friends rushing to talk to you."
"I'm waiting for drama exam results to be posted, Santana. Either help me find it or leave me alone," she griped.
"Fine, let me get my phone and I'll call it for you."
"Thank you," Rachel replied with a tone of saying, "finally."
Only they didn't have to wait for Santana to get her phone before the tone went off.
"Ah! Got it," Rachel squealed, grabbing it from the ringing couch cushion.
Without even looking at the ID, Rachel answered the phone saying, "Whoever you are, thank you for calling!"
Santana was unable to hear the person on the other side of the conversation, but she could see Rachel viscerally deflate. Her shoulders slumped, but body tensed. The grip on her phone turned her knuckles white.
"Why are you calling?" Rachel asked, and Santana listened intently despite Rachel turning away from her as if that would give her privacy.
"I don't want to talk. Bye."
Rachel quickly hung up. Whatever was said definitely put the diva on edge and got Santana curious.
"Who was that?"
"No one," Rachel responded.
"Seemed like someone to me."
"Mind your business, Santana," Rachel sniped.
Rachel went to walk away when a notification popped up on her phone. Opening it, her whole body stilled, and audible gasp escaped her lips.
"What, failed your drama test? Choked again?" Santana laughed.
Rachel didn't respond, but Santana could see the other girl's shoulders start to shake.
"Rachel, come on. It can't be that bad."
Santana slowly approached her, but when her hand went to Rachel's shoulder, Rachel flinched and moved away.
"Hey, it's just me. It's ok. Tell me what's going on."
Rachel wouldn't or couldn't speak. Everything after that just spiraled and Santana had no idea what happened.
"I don't think I can even explain what happened because I'm not even sure. I went closer to her to see what was wrong and she jumped away. But she was crying, and it just kept getting worse, so I tried again, and she physically pushed me away and ran into her room. She just started throwing things."
For effect, Santana got up and opened Rachel's door for them to see. Clothes and objects were strewn about the room like the remnants of a tornado passing through.
"I kept calling her name, but it was like she couldn't hear me. At one point, she threw something made of glass, cut up her hand, and I don't even think she realized that happened. It was like she wasn't really there."
"Rachel, what are you doing? Stop," Santana pled as clothes were thrown her way.
The shattering of glass pulled her attention.
Blood was dripping down Rachel's hand, but the girl kept going.
Not knowing what else to do, Santana ran over to Rachel and embraced the girl, trying to keep her still – squeezing and squeezing against squirming, crying Rachel.
"I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do or not, but it was all I could think to do. She was shaking. It wasn't even really crying anymore, but like choking heaves. Like she couldn't get enough air. I thought she was dying. She couldn't breathe. She barely muttered, but I thought I heard her say it felt like she was having a heart attack."
"I'm going to call an ambulance. You'll be ok. Please be ok," Santana cried, literally cried. She had seen Rachel in a state before, but this was something so out of her capabilities.
But for the first time that night, instead of pushing Santana away, Rachel gripped her harder and muttered a mumbled, stuttered, "Nuh… n… no."
"I will not have you die on me."
"She wouldn't let me go. There was blood all over her arm and me. I was panicking and she actually threw up on herself. I thought she was going to choke to death. I managed to get her into the bathroom and clean her up a bit after she calmed a little, but she passed out. I… I have never been so scared, and I've seen some shit. I come from Lima Heights adjacent."
"When I saw what was happening," Kurt started, "it was already near the end. Santana looked petrified. Rachel was bleeding and passed out. There was no yelling… nothing like that. It was just chaos. But when I saw Santana holding her and looking at me… I was scared and lost. Santana just looked at me an motioned for help, so I helped her get Rachel to the bathroom… I was sure we should call an ambulance."
"Why didn't you?" Shelby asked.
"She was ok then – physically I guess – and, honestly, I didn't know what would happen if I did. If she freaked out… I just don't know how she would have reacted."
It got quiet for a moment. A picture of events playing in their minds. Then, quietly, Santana added, "I tried to see what was on her phone… You know, to see what set her off and who called… But I couldn't get in. She doesn't use fingerprint and I couldn't get her code right."
"Santana called me in hysterics after that happened," Quinn said. "I was on the phone guessing passwords with her."
Shelby really didn't know what to say. The three of them obviously cared for Rachel, but it was so above their pay grade. She was at a loss too.
"Well, let's hear your plan, then," Shelby said.
"We were just going to confront her… talk to her. That worked when we talked her out of doing a topless scene in a student film."
Shelby's jaw slackened, but quickly went back to focusing on the matter at hand. That was something for another day.
"Whatever is going on with her, it's serious. These… panic attacks are not an isolated incident. She needs help," Shelby said.
"And you think you're the person to help her?" Santana quipped.
"I think the more support she has, the better it is."
Santana couldn't argue that.
"We don't really know what to do anymore," Kurt said. "I considered calling her dads, but they're getting divorced and lying to Rachel about it, so she hasn't really been talking to them much. They love her, but I don't think they're in a place to help, and I don't know that she would accept their help even if they were. Everything is just a mess."
"Alright," Shelby started. "I know Rachel and I have had issues, but I'm here, and I want to help. Let's start from the beginning. You said she has been acting odd for about a month now. Was there anyone in her life then who she was spending a lot of time with outside of you?"
Yes.
But they didn't answer. They weren't going to throw out names.
"Maybe," was all they said. "But we can't be sure. She spent a lot of time at school and work. There could have been any number of people."
"Anyone dangerous?"
"If you really think Rachel hangs out with a knowingly dangerous crowd, you don't know her at all."
Shelby sighed.
"I just want to help her. Let me help you help her," Shelby pled.
At best, Rachel had some kind of anxiety issue that needed to be addressed. At worst… Well, Shelby didn't have a clear picture of that because she didn't dare let her mind drift there. None of them could.