ACAFELLAS

[EXTERIOR HALLWAY, AFTER RACHEL'S FAILED ATTEMPT TO BRING SCHUE BACK TO GLEE WITH I'M SORRY COOKIES – what if Finn forced Rachel to talk about the Showmance kiss?]

"Wait wait wait. Is this about what happened in the auditorium? Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, it isn't, and no, I don't. And neither do you."

"Well actually, maybe I do."

"Well, that's just too bad then, as I have decided to focus on my career, therefore I've moved on. It's clear you have too, so–"

"You're hurt."

"What? No I'm not."

"Yes you are. I hurt you, right? When I left you sitting on that picnic blanket alone. You're hurt and you're mad at me. And... well, you should be."

"You're wrong. I'm none of those things, Finn. I have far too much dignity and self-respect to allow any boy to have that sort of power over me."

"Rachel... that kiss was–"

"Pointless. And a mistake. Don't you have a blondecliché of a girlfriend to get back to Finn?"

"If I knew what a cliché was, maybe I could answer you–"

"Why are you wasting your precious popular face time on me anyway? Shouldn't you be off assisting Puckerman and the other degenerates toss some poor unpopular soul into a dumpster?"

"No! I'm not, I mean, I-I don't wanna be that guy, Rachel! That's not who I really am. I kinda thought maybe you knew that about me... And I'm not wasting anything on you. I just–"

"You just what, Finn? You can't answer that, can you? Okay then, I will. You just can't admit that you have feelings for me, and there seems to be a clear reason for that."

"What? What reason? And who says I can't?"

"You CAN'T Finn, and we both know why. I'm not popular, I'm not pretty like those cheerleaders, like your girlfriend.I'm not the typical beauty that someone like you is expected to be with. We're from different worlds traveling on different paths and never the twain shall meet."

"Whoa whoa, wait a minute... What's a twain? Look, you just said alotta stuff and I don't know what any of that means, but, but Rachel that kiss was a lot of things, but a mistake wasn't one of them. I'm not sorry for kissing you. Are you sorry you kissed me back?"

"Honestly, would it matter either way?"

"Honestly? ... I don't know. I mean... Maybe. Yeah, I think it might."

"Really, Finn? How so? It's not like you're suddenly going to change everything about your life and stoop down to my level, to be with someone as low on the social food chain as me. Therefore, I simply don't see the point in pursuing this conversation any further."

"Rachel, that's crap. Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Put yourself down like that. It's just not – I mean, can't you see? I wouldn't be the one STOOPING. You're like, so far outta my league, there just aren't binoculars strong enough to see that far out in the distance!"

"You're just being facetious now. I hardly think that's true, considering I AM the one wearing the slushies tossed by YOUR barbaric friends on a regular basis."

"That's... that's just because they're a bunch of ASSHOLES, Rach. That doesn't make you the loser, it makes THEM the losers. And as you just pointed out, apparently I'm one of them, since most of them are people I always called friends. But that doesn't mean you deserve how they treat you. In fact, you deserve like a hundred times better than that."

"I wasn't calling you a loser, Finn, because you're NOT one! UGH, you just frustrate me! Why can't you see how amazing and talented and wonderful you are?! Why don't you know that you're a LEADER, that you can choose your own path and think for yourself? If you think your friends are – well, A-holes, then, perhaps you should do some self reflection and change the things that make you unhappy. I thought maybe you had already. I thought that was why you came back to Glee... but apparently I thought wrong."

"I... I don't know how to do all of that, Rachel. But you DO. And you just... you freak me out, okay? Because you're just so, so fearless. And you just seem to know, like, everything – and I don't mean that as in like you're a know-it-all, like a put down, I mean it as in it freaks me out because I CAN'T do those things and you... you kinda impress me and scare me at the same time. And you don't care what other people think about you, you just do what makes you happy."

"Are you kidding? Of course I care. I care more than I would ever let on... but..."

"But what?"

"But people just don't like me, okay? And it's okay, that's a fact of life I've come to accept. I have a certain path set ahead of me, one that leads directly to Broadway. I realize I'm overbearing and I have high expectations for others, but it's usually because I can see their potential being wasted and it just, it breaks my heart."

"So why don't you tell people that instead of like, bossing them around so much."

"I just did. And it got me exactly where it always does – nowhere."

"Maybe that's where you're wrong. I think... I think you know what changes you wanna make, you're just afraid to make them."

"Shouldn't you be saying those things about yourself?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't make me wrong."

"Well you are. Why would I possibly be afraid?"

"Because you're afraid to let people get too close, because then it means you might care about them, and maybe then they could hurt you... or, maybe even break your heart."

"Is there a point to this dialog, Finn?"

"I don't know... But I want there to be. You're right, Rach. I'm supposed to be some kind of leader, but I let what everyone thinks about me hold me back. So yeah, I guess I've been afraid, because yeah, we are so different, you and me. But... that's what I like best about you. You... you surprise me. All the time. In a good way though."

"I do?"

"Yeah. I already told you how your singing makes me feel, but it's not just your voice. It's just... you. The person who you are. And, well I don't know about you, but I can't get that kiss outta my head. I'm pretty sure I don't want to either... Do you?"

"Not really."

"Then don't." He leaned in, his lips a mere breath away from hers when she stopped him.

"Finn?"

"Huh?" He licked his lips and watched hers as she spoke.

"I-if you think there's a chance we're going to keep doing this, you need to know that I won't be the other woman. And I don't think it's right for you to have a girlfriend whom you'd be cheating on. Again."

He sighed and stood up straight, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, then stared intensely at her for a long beat before finally agreeing. "Yeah. You're probably right. In fact I know you're right... Can I... Do you think I can come over to your place later tonight?"

"Well, my dads are out of town this week and I'm not really supposed to have company when they're away... Why?"

"Oh. Well, because by then we can pick up where we left off– only, without any worries of me cheating on anyone."

She smiled as the meaning behind his response took hold. "Okay."

. . . . .

~️❤️~