A/N 1: Hey everyone! Sorry about the lag in updates - I've been busy. The rest of this story will be posted after the New Year.
A/N 2: There are only 4 chapters left of this story.
A/N 3: The sequel - The One At Horse Camp - will be posted soon. I have the first two chapters written and I really am happy with where that story is going.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
(chapter title - Alyssa Greene)
Rachel Karen Greene was born on May 5th, 2008 to loving parents Leonard and Sharon Greene. Rachel also had two sisters - Amy was the oldest and Jill was the youngest.
Rachel met her best friend, Monica, when the two of them were six-years-old. A boy had been teasing Monica and Rachel stood up to the boy.
Monica and Rachel did everything together, including gymnastics, horseback riding and putting on their own plays and musicals that both of them wrote.
In high school, Rachel blossomed and became popular. She was a cheerleader, played violin in the school orchestra, showed horses and became active in the theater department. She and Monica auditioned for numerous plays and musicals in high school. Usually, Rachel would get the lead, with Monica being a supporting role - that was until their freshman year of high school.
The two girls auditioned for the musical The Sound of Music. Both girls auditioned for the lead role - Maria. That role went to Monica, with Rachel playing the Baroness Von Schrader. The two girls were happy for each other, but it didn't let it affect their friendship.
Now at theater camp, Rachel watched Lily sing Alyssa Greene. Rachel sat in the audience, looking over her lines with a bright green highlighter and making notes with a pencil.
"You know what my mother's like! She's a complete and total control freak!" Lily said to Monica. The two of them were sitting on a bench outside the school backdrop.
"The hair has to be perfect
The A's have to be straight
You have to join the debate club
On that there's no debate
You'll have Bible Camp each summer
To keep you pure and clean
Endless rules apply when you're Alyssa Greene" Lily sang.
This song reminds me so much of my life growing up Rachel thought to herself as she continued listening to the song.
"Trophies have to be first place
Ribbons have to be blue
There's always some competition
Or hoops for jumping through
Your mom's made sacrifices so win Homecoming Queen
'Cause it's do or die when you're Alyssa Greene" Lily continued singing. Monica listened to Lily sing, her eyes glued to her.
Exactly my life growing up Rachel thought.
"And you wish there was a world where you
Were simply free to live
And when people criticize you, you had no more
Shits to give
And in this other lifetime when you tell yourself 'be brave'
You won't cave
That's the one thing I truly crave" Lily sang, her voice cracking a bit.
"Sing it girl!" Rachel said out loud, instantly cupping a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry!"
Lily and Monica giggled before turning serious in the scene.
"But your feelings have to be phony
Your weight has to be tracked
If you don't like shaking pom-poms
You'd better learn to act
Just have everything perfected
By the time you reach eighteen
Don't ask how or why when you're Alyssa Greene" Lily sang.
Rachel sighed, ain't that the truth she thought.
"Improve all of your strong points
And hide things that you lack
'Cause mom's convinced if you're perfect
Your father might come back
You're not yourself
You're not what she wants
You're someone in between
Your whole life's a lie when you're Alyssa Greene" Lily sang, walking and moving around the stage as she sang. She sat down across from Monica and looked into her eyes as she sang the final lines.
This song hits home for me Rachel thought, feeling tears in her eyes.
"Great rehearsal ladies! You're free to get some dinner" Carol said, smiling.
The three girls gathered their things and exited The Performance Space.
"I'm so sorry for my outburst" Rachel said as they walked to the Mess Hall.
"It's okay" Monica said, smiling.
"Yeah, I found it pretty funny" Lily said.
The three of them chatted for a bit before entering The Mess Hall.
"Can we hang out after camp ends?" Rachel asked, helping herself to some dinner, which was spaghetti & meatballs, salad, fruit and various sweets for dessert.
"Of course! We don't live that far from each other - we're all located around New York" Monica said, getting some dinner.
"That is except Robin" Lily muttered under her breath.
The girls found an empty table and sat together, talking and laughing.