Chapter 10: Unapologetic

Rachel's POV

Rachel stopped, allowing Rebecca to catch up with her. Jesse's sister looked around in search of their seats and let out a groan.

"Why do we have to sit in the middle of the row?" Rabecca complained out loud, earning a raise of some lady's eyebrows. "How the hell am I supposed to look gorgeous in the middle of the row?"

Rachel smiled faintly but her mind was too preoccupied with a more pressing matter than Becca's looks. She looked around the crowds of happy families and said:

"I still can't believe that your parents couldn't stay two more days instead of flying off to Bali. Again," Rachel sighed, only partially with resignation.

She lifted her chin to look at Rebecca but she just shrugged. She didn't even seem to be surprised by her parents decision, Rachel noticed.

Rachel stopped talking to push her and Becca aside to make room for a small group of grinning parents and a few teenagers in dark blue gowns and caps who were about to collide with them. Becca followed the group with her eyes, but, to Rachel's relief, held back the snarky remark that was most probably forming on her lips; the St. James sibling was not afraid of picking up pointless arguments for more trivial reasons.

That was why Rachel decided that it was high time they found their seats; she started walking down the aisle between two groups of chairs in the back of the football pitch. Because of the nice weather, the ceremony was taking place outside. The sun was sitting high on the sky and Rachel was glad she got to wear a pretty summer dress, unlike Becks who thought that a tight pair of jeans and boots was the best outfit for the event.

"I mean," Rachel picked up where she felt off a minute earlier. "It's Jesse's graduation."

In response to her words, Rebecca snorted.

"Come on, bun, it's my parents we're talking about," she reminded the younger girl with a chuckle. "They missed my graduation because my mother didn't want to leave the house during the rain."

Having been used to their parents' frequent absence, neither Becks nor Jesse cared whether their parents were around. She knew that Jesse was even rather glad that Becks' came from LA instead.

"I have no idea how you can take it so lightly," Rachel murmured. "I'm happy to see that at least you came home."

"Of course I came," Becks smiled but rolled her eyes. "It's my role to be here and guide him through the terrifying world of after high school life."

Raising her eyebrow, Rachel threw Becca a look full of doubt. It was one thing to be glad about Becca's presence – believing those words was another.

"Cheer up, Rachel," Becca grinned mischievously, suddenly pulling a camera out of her bad. "We got their invitations and I'm not going to waste them. I have every intention of making sure Jesse has the most cliché, awkward and memorable graduation experience he can imagine. It'll be just as if my mother was here."

Not really knowing how to respond to that declaration, Rachel chose not to ask about anything more. In meantime, Becca seemed to drop the topic herself as she looked around with interest.

As for her, Rachel tried to find Jesse with her eyes; she left him earlier with the other seniors before leaving to find Becca. Jesse and his fellow soon-to-be-graduates were already standing in line next to a large temporal stage, so she turned in the direction of the front, spotting him immediately. He was chatting happily with Dave. As if feeling her eyes on the back of his head, Jesse turned and sent her a kiss, which earned him a playful nudge from the other boy. Jesse glared at Dave and massaged his ribs. Rachel giggled; the general excitement was beginning to affect her as well.

"Do you think it's going to take a lot of time?" Becca's voice interrupted the short moment.

Rachel turned her head to look at Jesse's sister again.

"My friend is in town for a few days. We're meeting for a coffee," she explained matter-of-factly. "You don't mind, right? I mean, aren't you going out with that team of yours afterwards anyway?"

Rachel shook her head.

"Yes, we are. And I don't know when..."

"Can I have your attention please?"

Rachel closed her mouth when she was interrupted by the voice in the microphone. Becks put down her phone and tried to concentrate on the principal who was currently greeting the students and their families. As it turned out, "tried" was the keyword, apparently; as soon as Becca saw the man she let out a soft chuckled.

"He's still wearing that stupid dotted tie?" she murmured with amusement, referring to Principal Diggs' tie. "I swear it's older than me and uglier than his wife... Don't try to argue, you've seen the woman."

Unable to suppress the amusement at that comment, Rachel smiled, biting her lip.

"You're just being rude," she scolded Becca but didn't mean it.

She turned to look at the stage in the front. The principal finished his introductions and was ready to call out the name of the first person to get step onto the stage:

"Katherine Abram."

A small applause accompanied Kate when Rachel's teammate accepted the diploma, shook her hand with the principal and with a very Kate-like, bored expression, reached to move the tassel on her cap to the left, finally bowing with exaggeration. Few people laughed nearby and Rachel saw that Andrea, who was standing a few meters away from Jesse, rolled her eyes. Rachel enthusiastically clapped her hands with the crowd, until another name was called out.

After that, Rachel's eyes wandered back to Jesse. She really couldn't believe that this day has finally come; Jesse was graduating. It was only in that minute that she really realised what it meant; the school was over, the gruesome rehearses were no longer taking up most of their time and they could spend as much time together as they could. Rachel planned on using all of that time before the day of Jesse's departure to New York comes.

Nevertheless, watching Jesse's friends and classmates one by one receive their diplomas, she couldn't stop – not for the first and definitely not for the last time – feeling the smallest pang of anxiety. Being with Jesse was the most amazing experience in her life so far; she felt loved, respected and cherished at every step, in every moment of her day. She hoped for the summer to be the same and wondered if that bond was stronger than the inevitable separation. Jesse was confident, her dads assured her of their faith in them, even Shelby was adamant that if there was a couple that could make it, they were that couple.

It didn't help to ease her sadness, though.

Shaking her head to get rid of the irritating thoughts, Rachel straightened in her chair, ran a hand through her hair that she deliberately curled for the occasion knowing that Jesse loved them that way, and smiled to herself.

In meantime, the line by the stage was gradually melting. Rachel didn't know many of the faces present there but whenever one of the graduating Vocal Adrenaline seniors ascended the stage to accept their diploma, she would applaud loudly with the crowd of family and friends. The team was going to miss all of them for one reason or another. Even though Jesse was the lead and it was his absence that would be noticed the most by the outsiders, the loss of such amazing people like Andrea or even Giselle, however, would be equally upsetting for both the team and Rachel herself. She grew to love those people like her new family: highly unconventional and sometimes dysfunctional, but amazing.

Speaking of the family, Rachel thought seeing how Shelby stood up just after the former head cheerleader, Madison Siegel, has left the stage with a proud smile on her smile, accompanied by the loud whistles and cheers.

Principle Diggs smiled at Shelby and handed her the next diploma, shortly after announcing into the microphone:

"Jesse St. James."

By the time Jesse marched to the center of the stage to accept the quiet congratulation from Rachel's mother, Rachel's was shamelessly crying and she jumped to her feet, immediately followed by Becca. They were soon joined by Andy, Dave, Chris, and finally Kate. Jesse looked around, slightly surprised but happy, much like Shelby who sent him away few seconds after he nonchalantly pushed the tassel to the other side of his cap.

As soon as the formal part of the graduation was over, Rachel sprinted out to find Jesse. He was standing among the group of graduates, with their former teammates next to him. The people around laughed when she jumped eagerly into his open arms and he spun her happily.

She opened her mouth to congratulate him but something stopped her. Rachel felt someone's hands grab her arms and push her to the side. She let out a short gasp and was ready to tell that someone off when she realised that it was Kate. Without a word but sending Jesse an apologetic smile, the older girl pushed Rachel away from Jesse and somewhere to their left.

Unable to get free from Kate's strong hold on her shoulder, Rachel looked back at Jesse but he only exchanged confused glances with the rest and didn't move to stop them. Even if he wanted to react in any way, his sister was quicker. With a terrifying grin, she pulled out her camera and started ordering the group around. Smiling to herself at the expression of horror painting on Jesse's face, she turned back to look at her kidnapper who was still pushing her forward.

"What's going on, Kate?" Rachel asked with annoyance.

"I need some help with something and you're the most normal person out there," Kate gestured back. "It's going to take only a minute, I promise."

Feeling that arguments were pointless at this point, Rachel just nodded her head and let Kate lead her away. She was actually getting quite curious about Kate's intentions. In meantime, the girl looked around until she spotted something. With an exhausted sigh, Kate moved the two of them in the direction of a short woman who was apparently waiting for them.

"Mom," Kate addressed the woman in front of them. "This is Rachel."

Rachel blinked and her confusion grew even more. Kate threw Rachel a pointed look and Rachel looked at Kate's mother again. Why was she being introduced to Kate's mother? she thought with amusement mixed with a healthy dose of puzzlement. Kate's next words made the girl's intentions clearer, though:

"She's a friend," Kate gestured to Rachel as if she was an object in a museum. "You see? I told you I have those here."

The woman smiled warmly at Rachel and her good manners finally kicked in; she smiled back and accepted the woman's hand eagerly, introducing herself politely:

"Hello, my name is Rachel Berry, it's really nice to meet you, Mrs Abram"

"You can call me Claire," the woman answered waving her hand. "It's really nice to meet you, too, Rachel. You've known Katie from school, is that right?"

This time, Rachel muffled a smirk. Katie? Usually, anyone who dared to call Kate anything but "Kate" automatically became the object of her wrath. It was kind of sweet to know that the intimidating Kate Abram had a bit of Katie in her, at least at home.

"Yes, we were in glee club together," Rachel nodded her head.

"Show choir," Kate corrected her instantly.

Rachel rolled her eyes but her response died on her lips as soon as she heard someone call her name. The two girls turned to look at Becks who was glancing at them impatiently. Next to her, Jesse was glaring at his sister, still clearly annoyed by her behaviour. His scowl turned into a smile though, when he looked at Rachel and she returned the gesture.

"Rachel? Are you done?" Becca asked. "I need to go soon and I can't leave without first taking at least two embarrassing pictures of you and my brother."

"I'll be right back," Rachel called back. She turned back to look at Kate's mother and apologised shortly.

"Are those your friends, as well?" Claire asked with interest.

Rachel started nodding her head but Kate's short answer stopped her:

"I don't know them."

Kate's mother lifted the corner of her mouth, obviously understanding what Kate wasn't actually saying. She shook her head and raised her eyebrow with disbelief but probably decided that it was not worth asking. Finally, the woman murmured something about a business meeting and reminded "Katie" to call someone named Chris before going out for their planned graduation party.

"I will," Kate nodded her head.

"Excellent. Have a nice evening. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Rachel," Claire Abram turned to Rachel again.

With those words on her lips and not waiting for Rachel's response, Kate's mother disappeared in the crowd of people, leaving a relieved-looking Kate and slightly amused Rachel alone. For a minute the two girls were quiet but, finally, Rachel broke the silence:

"Do I even want to ask, Katie?" she chuckled, not yet moving to join Rebecca and Jesse.

Kate snorted.

"Don't you dare. Let's just go."

"Chris is your mysterious boyfriend, right?" Rachel guessed. "The one from Columbus."

"Yeah, something like that," Kate nodded her head with a twitch of her lips.

Rachel observed that reaction with curiosity. Kate never spoke about her private life more than it was necessary and Rachel suddenly realised that, despite spending almost every day with Kate for the past few months, she didn't really know much about her or her life outside school. She was actually stunned to be introduced to Kate's mother or finally learning her boyfriend's name. And that was something Rachel believed that should be different. If she thought about it, Kate's been one of Jesse's best friends, an important member of their group of friends and someone that Rachel grew to treat as her own friend as well. She wanted to know more.

"Can I meet him someday?"

Kate cocked her eyebrow and her face screamed confusion. Rachel shrugged but waited for the answer.

"Why would you want to do that?" the older girl finally found her voice; she sounded genuinely interested.

"We are friends, right?" Rachel smiled. "You can deny it all you want but we are."

Rachel smiled when Kate shook her head with resignation.

"You are weird," she spoke up. "You know that most people have no idea how you can even talk to me on the everyday basis, considering St. James and all that."

Rachel shrugged.

"I've always been known to exceed everyone's expectations in more than just singing," she declared strongly but with a playful smile that Kate returned.

"I think you need to go back to Jesse before his sister glares you to death," Kate stepped back, looking somewhere over Rachel's shoulder. "I'll see you at Jesse's place later."

Not waiting for Rachel's response, Kate started walking away. Rachel sighed and wordlessly turned and stepped in the opposite direction. Not losing the smallest smile that appeared on her lips, she slipped into Jesse's arms and pecked his cheek. Just as she was doing so, the flash of Becca's camera went off, reminding her that Becca's paparazzi time was not over yet. Silencing him with another kiss, Rachel reached out and slipped the cap off his head to save his meticulously styled hair from ruin.

"Where is she going again?" Jesse murmured into Rachel's ear, obediently posing for another picture much to Becca's childlike enthusiasm.

"Home," Rachel explained. "She'll come to the party later."

Jesse smiled, nodding his head. Rachel mimicked his move, stood up on her toes and reached up to Jesse's face to kiss him again.

It was the last time any of them heard from Kate for another four and a half months.

Rachel couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Andrea and Giselle standing next to Shelby right after she exited their green room to greet Kurt and Blaine in the backstage of the Carmel auditorium. After the first hasty greetings and hugs, the two girls explained that the homecoming gave them a good excuse to call out for a small reunion with the latest graduates.

"As it turned out," Andrea rolled her eyes. "Only we had enough time to actually come."

"And St. James told us that he'd been in Ohio not so long time ago," Giselle added. "The others..."

Their conversation was interrupted by Briana's surprised call. Rachel froze in her, earning a frown from the two girls in front of her. They all turned to see no one else but Kate in the company of a tall, dark-haired guy who Rachel immediately assumed to be Chris.

"And," Giselle spoke up again, ending her previous thought. "Abram didn't even pick up her phone."

Narrowing her eyes, Rachel folded her arms on her chest, looking at the apologetic expression forming on Kate's face. Everyone around them froze, as if waiting for Rachel to actually react; most of them were aware of Rachel's constantly growing frustration at Kate when it turned out that, despite her reassurances, she simply disappeared from everyone's lives as soon as she left for Columbus, not even bothering to answer one phone call, e-mail or text message.

For more than four months.

In the corner of her eye, Rachel saw that Justin whispered something to Kurt and Blaine before stepping forward. Kate's expression changed when she realised that she was not going to get a warm welcoming.

Kate sighed with resignation.

"Come on," the girl rolled her eyes, moving so that she was standing right in front of her. "You cannot be mad about that."

Rachel couldn't help the snort escaping her lips.

"Who says I'm mad?" Rachel snorted dryly but keeping her voice low. "In fact, I'm happy to see you here; it allows me to just enjoy the look on your face when I'll go now and be with the friends that actually care to keep in touch with other human beings."

With those words on her lips and ignoring half-shocked and half-amused stares of her teammates face, Rachel marched up to Kurt and Blaine, grabbing their arms and pulling them aside. She had her two best friends to take care of right now. Kate could do whatever the hell she wanted about that.

Outside in the parking lot, Rachel simply strode towards Kurt's car, stopping to only make sure he and Blaine followed her. They were looking at Rachel with poorly hidden interest but Kurt was the one to dare to open his mouth:

"Wait," Kurt spoke up suddenly. "Wasn't this Kate Jesse's ex-girlfriend or something? Why are you getting crazy angry at her for not calling you?"

This time, Rachel grimaced, looking for the suitable way of expressing her odd relationship with Kate. She didn't want to delve into that story again.

"We're complicated," she finally shrugged.

Pushing the unwanted considerations aside, Rachel waited for Kurt to open the door to the car and slipped instantly into the backseat, while Kurt and Blaine took their seats in the front. She saw the two of them exchange looks but they fortunately decided not to continue the topic, apparently letting Rachel be angry in silence. She didn't take up their silent offer, though:

"Do I really expect that much?" she asked again, this time with a dose of frustration.

"That depends," Blaine noticed, much more calmly. "But I don't think making a fuss over something like this is the best way to greet a former teammate."

Rachel's head snapped to look at Blaine.

"You're saying I overreacted?" her voice became dangerously low.

The response she received from Kurt and Blaine was unanimous:

"Yes."

Shaking her head, Rachel turned to look outside the window. She did not overreact. Rachel had spent months trying to figure out why Kate would just disappear from the radar literally in the matter of hours. She had been worried, angry but most of all – confused. Kate could have been everything people thought of her – arrogant, abrasive and sometimes even downright rude – but she grew to be someone Rachel hated to see go away.

She had every right to feel the way she felt: angry, slightly disappointed and extremely frustrated at the fact that Kate left them – fine: Rachel primarily – completely in the dark about her whereabouts and life and wondering if she was even alive for so much time.

It was simply unfair.

Was replying to one damned email that hard?

Rachel's attention was caught by the sight of the tall hotel building on her left. Blinking, she looked around consciously for the first time since they started driving. Only then did she realise that Kurt was driving in the exact opposite direction than her and Shelby's apartment.

"Um, Kurt?" she asked uncertainly. "I thought I gave you the instructions to get to my apartment..."

"Oh, I know," Kurt grinned, suddenly forgetting abut their earlier grimaces as if she said something funny. "We have a surprise for you."

"Yes," Blaine joined in, equally excited about that something. He turned back to look at her with a grin. "Consider it a thank you for being an awesome friend and treat as a part of the new life of Rachel Berry, the lead of the fearless Vocal Adrenaline."

What? This time, Rachel threw the two of them a look full of hesitation. New Rachel Berry? She wasn't sure she liked the sound of those phrases along with the wide grins forming on Blaine's and Kurt's faces. Those weren't smiles were which saying simply "we like you and we want to help you." Those were the kinds of mischievous grins that screamed "get ready for something super exciting but potentially dangerous."

Rachel didn't like the dangerous.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked with suspicion. When they didn't respond, she narrowed her eyes at them. "Kurt Hummel, I demand that you told me where..."

"We're here," Blaine interrupted her.

Blinking, Rachel looked around and gaped when she realised that Kurt parked the car in front of a large mall. Seriously? She invited Kurt for the weekend and the first thing he wanted to do was going shopping instead of spending this time doing all the fun activities that Rachel had prepared?

"Well," Kurt glanced quickly at her, before opening the door and slipping out of the car. Blaine and Rachel followed him with different degrees of enthusiasm. "You start a new life so to say... I mean a new start without St. James to cramp your style that is... Anyway, there's nothing that goes better with a fresh start than a good old..."

He glanced at Blaine who rolled his eyes, before he finished the sentence:

"... makeover."

Rachel froze in her spot. Makeover? There was no power in the universe able to coerce her into agreeing to that idea. The sense of embarrassment was still very much present whenever she thought about the last time she agreed to Kurt's help concerning her clothes and looks. Even though she knew it was irrational to assume that Kurt planned on making a fool of her this time around again, her jaw hardened and she couldn't stop the grimace appearing on her face. Then again, he might've still been mad at her "trying to steal" Blaine away to Vocal Adrenaline.

"Oh come on," Kurt felt read through her hesitation immediately. "This time I mean a serious business. No hidden agendas."

Rachel threw Blaine a hasty look.

"Can you promise that I won't end up looking like a clown?"

Blaine nodded his head and solemnly swore to keep her safe. Before Rachel managed to respond, Kurt nudged Blaine's shoulder and they moved simultaneously, slipping their arms under how own and leading her over to the entrance.

Three hours, five shops, one hairdresser and one drugstore later Rachel stepped into her room in Shelby's apartment, with her head up high and an armful of colourful bags in her hands.

True to his promise, Kurt made her look normal but... pretty. Rachel-like but... better?

Looking into a large mirror, Rachel tried to evaluate her new look as objectively as she could, without the constantly enthusiastic comments from Kurt and Blaine. Out were the knee-socks and plaid skirts. In were a sweet pink, knee-long A-skirt and ballet shoes. Her fingernails were matching the tiny bag that Kurt pushed into her hands just before they left the last shop. The only element of her previous outfit was the thin chain with a golden starlet hanging around her neck, which Jesse had given her a few months earlier. Sighing, Rachel brushed her brand new bangs off her eyes – yes, she actually did get talked into getting bangs – and tried to imagine Jesse's reaction.

He was the only person in the world that has never commented on her looks. If so, it was always to assure her that the way she used to dress was the illustration of her originality and resistance to conform. But somehow, she knew he will love the new Rachel.

She kind of loved it herself.

Kurt entered the room just when Rachel took a picture of her reflection and sent it in a message to Jesse. Seeing Kurt, she turned from her reflection with a smile and asked about Blaine. Kurt's boyfriend couldn't stay longer because of some family event so after they finished shopping she had given Kurt some time to see Blaine off, while she Shelby picked her up and drove home.

Kurt collapsed onto the chair next to Rachel's bed and evaluated her mood.

"I told you I can work miracles even with you," Kurt smiled with self-satisfaction.

"I have to admit, I though it would be worse," Rachel teased him back.

"Worse than before?" Kurt chuckled and shoo his head. "Doubtful."

Before Rachel managed to respond with a snarky comment on her own, Shelby's voice from outside her room interrupted them. Rachel's mother knocked at the door to Rachel's room and stuck her head in. The two teenagers turned their heads to look at the woman expectedly.

"Rachel, you have a visitor," she said with a slightly uncertain expression.

"Really? Who?" Rachel asked, slightly surprised.

She was not used to having unannounced guests. In fact she preferred not to have such – unannounced guests meant surprise and surprise was something Rachel was not good with. Besides, who if not someone from the team or Jackie would want to drop off without a reason? As far as Rachel knew, Jackie was occupied that day and her teammates were too wary of Shelby to just knock at her door.

The answer to Rachel's question came all too soon. Before any of the people present in her room could do anything, a very unhappy-looking Shelby was pushed aside by... Andy.

"Sorry, we're kind of in a hurry and Rachel was not answering her pho..." Andy apologised with a grin, stepping into the room only to stop when her eyes fell on Rachel. "O, holy shit."

"Cohen, language," Shelby scolded her ex-student harshly.

As for herself, Rachel swallowed and looked down on her clothes with a new doubt creeping up her spine. What was that supposed to mean?

"Torres, you need to see this!" Andrea called to Giselle, who was apparently waiting in the livng room. Then, the girl turned back to look at Rachel and nodded with appreciation. "That's a nice improvement."

"What's the hustle about?" Giselle's irritated voice joined their group.

She followed Andy's grin. For the shortest moment she froze but shook her head soon after, regaining her composure with a roll of her eyes.

"Awesome, now we all know that she can look like a normal person," Giselle commented sarcastically. "Can we go now? I actually have places to be."

Rachel exchanged glances with a questioning Kurt but she knew just as little as he did. Finally, the attention of everyone in the small room went back from a slightly blushing Rachel to the reason for the unexpected visit. Shelby decided it was her cue to leave the youth alone. As soon as she disappeared, Andrea and Giselle closed the door behind them, obviously not willing for Shelby to eavesdrop. The two girls looked excited about something – Andy a bit more than Giselle – and suddenly Rachel realised what "the hustle was about".

"We're having a night out," Andrea announced with a grin. "In an hour at Jimmy's."

Rachel opened her mouth and closed it again when she looked at Kurt. The boy was sitting in his spot, simply moving his eyes from one girl to another in silence. When Andy mentioned a joined outing with Vocal Adrenaline, the smallest grimace ran through his face.

"No, I can't go out tonight," Rachel protested. "I have my weekend schedule full. Kurt's here and I promised him we could..."

"You can take him with you," Giselle patted her foot against the floor. She really wanted to be out of there.

Ignoring the glare that Andy threw at Giselle, Rachel bit on her lip. She really preferred spending a peaceful, quiet evening with Kurt to being surrounded by loud music and drinks. Besides, forcing Kurt to spend the night with people he didn't know was not something she really wanted to do.

But then, Andy, Giselle and even Kate have come just for this one weekend. Having only two of them in one room was a difficult thing to achieve these days; recreating such a meeting in the future would be even harder.

Fortunately, it was Kurt who made the decision for Rachel. He shrugged and combed his hair with his hand, throwing:

"I'm always up for a good party."

Kurt's POV

The perspective of going out with the infamous Vocal Adrenaline, his glee competition and, basically, a bunch of bullies was not something that Kurt had prepared himself for when he accepted Rachel's invitation.

He couldn't help it. The past that the New Directions shared with Vocal Adrenaline, not only St. James but the whole group, was just too hard to ignore. Vocal Adrenaline teased them, called some nasty things and downright laughed at them, either on that day of afterwards. Kurt had dealt with a huge amount of intolerance in his life – he knew a bully when he met one. Even despite the fact that the relations that the Carmel club had with The Warblers were much better, Kurt still felt a great deal of connection with McKinley, which made him unable to simply forget the funkification.

Looking at everything that from the perspective of time, Kurt couldn't stop thinking that it was Rachel, who had lost most. So, when he had learned about Rachel's transfer to Carmel High, he decided that he needed to be supportive, not matter what it took. He felt like Rachel was not the person to be punished for St. James' idiotic secrecy and stubbornness. True, it was Jesse's blackmail from months before that initially pushed Kurt to seek out Rachel's friendship, but it was soon after that day that he had realised that he and Berry had a lot in common. Kurt was in no position to risk losing that one friend he had, who understood his loneliness in the crowd of ignorance.

Even if it meant dealing with the fact that Rachel was leading his greatest competition.

If he got over that, he could make it through one evening with them. Especially now, that he had a glimpse of the more or less amusing interrelations between some of the members of the team.

He was unhealthily curious to meet the infamous Casey, for example. From what Rachel was telling him, she was scheming behind Rachel's back as a revenge ploy for a past event of unfortunate public humiliation feast. As far as the other people are concerned, from what he gathered in the very short encounter in Rachel's room, it would seem that Giselle wasn't a fan of Rachel's either.

And then there was Jesse's ex-girlfriend. Or, Jesse's something, to be precise. Kurt was in almost completely in the dark about that since Rachel refused to share this particular history with him or Blaine. Even having heard Rachel's side of the story, Kurt was somewhat baffled at Rachel's reaction to Kate's arrival. He almost hoped for the girl to be at the bar that night.

Speaking of which, Rachel was waiting for Kurt to finish the last touches to his outfit before they would enter the bar that the meeting was taking place. She was wearing a Hummel-approved dress and Kurt was really proud of himself. His idea of giving Rachel a makeover was the best thing he could think of doing for her for being there for him for the past few weeks.

Besides, every time they met he just couldn't stop the grimace at seeing her in those knee-socks and ugly sweaters. But that was not something he was going to share with her openly.

Looking around, Kurt couldn't help but notice that the average age of the people standing in front of the bar was definitely higher than sixteen, which meant that teenagers weren't the usual clientele of that particular place. He glanced back at Rachel but she either failed to notice the eye's of a group of twenty-something guys and girls following her short figure – or ignored them altogether for some reason.

The reason became apparent for Kurt in a matter of seconds. Much to Kurt's expectations, they were greeted at the door by a tall, bulky guy, who looked at them with a cocked eyebrow.

"Ids?" he asked mockingly.

Kurt was ready to pull Rachel away – he had no intention of being dragged away by a some barbarian – when the girl cleared her throat and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Seriously, Chris?" Rachel sighed.

Kurt blinked when the guy just chuckled and pointed his finger at Kurt of all people.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," the guy called Chris laughed. "Your friend looked like he was going to run away every second. I couldn't help it."

For the first time, Rachel glanced back at Kurt as if seeking confirmation to her friend's words and grinned. Kurt frowned at that. He swore he could control his facial expression better than to be read through by some random person on the street.

Chris let them through with another chuckle but Kurt had other things on his mind. Not for the first time he was amazed at the clear difference between Vocal Adrenaline and the McKinley glee club. Apparently, breaking the law was not more unusual for them than having a breakfast.

Inside, the was met with a wave of laughter and loud music. Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him further in the direction of the large table in the center of the room occupied by twenty-some girls and boys, all of whom Kurt recognised as the members of Vocal Adrenaline. He immediately noticed the presence of Kate, who looked up as soon as she heard someone calling out Rachel's name. Kurt saw the girl stand up just to be immediately pushed back into her seat by Andrea Cohen.

Rachel, again, proved to have a selective attention and ignored the small scene altogether. Instead, she properly introduced Kurt to her teammates, who greeted him politely but, in some cases, with a visible caution.

And vice versa, Kurt thought waving shortly with the greatest grin he could muster.

Rachel's POV

Whatever she was doing, Rachel couldn't stop felling like she was observed. As someone who was used to be in the center of everyone's attention for the past few months, she ignored it at the beginning, but the sense of being watched have not left her for almost an hour since she and Kurt arrived at the bar. She knew who was watching her and she had no intention of making it easier for Kate. The girl was sitting in the corner of the bar; she was talking silently to her boyfriend Chris, but her eyes would from time to time scan the room. Rachel snorted internally. Kate could not just expect Rachel to suffer from being ignored for so long and to forget about the whole situation whenever Kate felt like it.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Rachel looked around the people she was sitting with. Kurt almost immediately found himself a conversation partner in Meg, their Vocal Adrenaline's impromptu dance captain. Remembering Kurt's reluctance to join her that evening, Rachel was happy to see him get along with someone from her new team. It was her ultimate goal to prevent the "Jesse mess" kind of situation from happening again this year.

On her left, Bri was glaring at the crowd of dancing people. Or more importantly, she was looking straight at one particular couple: Andy had snatched Justin to herself as soon as they came and didn't left his side for a minute since that. Judging from Justin's laughter, he was the last person to complain. Rachel sent Briana a sympathetic glance; Briana and Justin didn't officially came put as a couple yet, but Rachel was not blind and could see the secret looks and smiles that the Bri and Justin would exchange. Plus, Justin and Andy had something going on last year, which was something that now drove Bri almost mad.

"I'm going to get us something to drink," Bri announced harshly out o the sudden.

She jumped to her feet and left them in a hurry. Kurt and Meg barely threw her a glance before returning to their conversation about clothes.

"It's karaoke time!" someone called out.

Rachel looked around to see that Andy and Giselle jumped to their feet, dragging Kate away from her companion. Meg apologised to Kurt and left him with Rachel, while she went away in search for a duet partner.

Having no other choice, Kurt joined Rachel. The girl leaned in and called over the overall sounds of cheering:

"Are you having fun?"

Much to her relief, Kurt nodded his head.

"Surprisingly, I do," he laughed. "Aren't you going to sing anything?"

Grinning, Rachel reached out a hand to Kurt.

"Only if I have my second-favourite duet partner to sing with me."

Rachel led Kurt closer to the stage.

"Wait," Kurt called behind her. "I think someone took the mic before us. Maybe we should just wait and…"

Rachel didn't even stop to roll her eyes. As soon as her team noticed her, Patrick stopped and took the microphone away from Casey's hands to pass it to Rachel without another comment. It was so different from McKinley. If Kurt was surprised at that behaviour, he kept his feelings to himself, though. In meantime, Rachel grabbed the two microphones, ordered her song and enthusiastically jumped onto the stage.

"It's not McKinley, Kurt," Rachel grinned at the boy beside her. "Just smile, sing and live my life a little."

"Oh, my god, that was amazing!" Kurt laughed out loud as soon as they jumped off the stage after finishing their third song. Rachel responded with a laughter of her own and nodded her head. She loved singing, but she loved being cheered by her team even more.

"I told you, coming to Akron was a good idea!" she called, leading them both to their table.

Before they were able to grab something to drink, one of the younger girls told her that her someone called her phone. While Kurt went away to the bar, Rachel glanced at the device and noticed a missed call and a message from Jesse saying that he just finished working on his project with some people from his class but will call her later. He didn't mention her new look, though, so she wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

Still smiling to herself, Rachel looked around in search for Briana and found her sitting alone by the table. Rachel moved in her direction but stopped when she noticed that Justin slipped into the spot next to her. The girl greeted the boy with a smile and he rolled his eyes in response to whatever she told him. Meanwhile, Andy was chatting happily with Giselle at the other side of the long table.

Deciding that she wasn't in the mood to talk for a moment, Rachel found herself on her way to the ladies' room. Inside, she leaned against the cold surface of the wall behind her and sighed. She brushed her new bangs off her forehead, still not used to the unfamiliar feeling.

"I told you, I have no idea who you are," Kate's voice reached the small room just before the girl itself appeared in the doorway.

Before that happened, though, Rachel instinctively jumped into the nearest stall – not wanting to confront Kate and whoever she was talking to at the moment. She held her breath to make sure no one would find her there.

"Come on," a new voice replied to Kate's previous words. "This year's spring break in San Diego?"

Rachel frowned when she recognised Casey's voice. She had no idea Case knew Kate.

"I don't remember much from that week," Kate's voice argued monotonously. Rachel could almost imagine the girl shrug along with the answer. "Especially not some random girl I allegedly slept with."

Rachel's jaw hit the floor.

"But..." Casey tried to argue but was interrupted by the sound of Kate's irritated sigh.

"Look," Kate said. "I have something a bit more important on my head right now, okay?"

"Who? Rachel Berry?" Casey inquired. Rachel bit her lip and cursed the clear undertone of curiosity present in that question. "That was quite a spectacle in the auditorium earlier."

"Contrary to the popular belief, the world does not resolve around Rachel Berry," Kate's reply was instantaneous. "And you should stop asking everyone around her and her personal life otherwise not only keeping your spot in the team but your social life in Carmel may become significantly troublesome."

Rachel held her breath. She didn't know that Casey was asking around about her and she definitely did not like that. Not even a bit. Praying not to be noticed, Rachel ever so slightly cracked the door to the stall open to at least try to catch a glimpse of the girls outside. Holding her breath, Rachel pushed the door ajar. Kate was leaning over the sink with her face close to the mirror above it, trying to reapply her lipstick. She wasn't looking at Casey, who stood a few steps away with her arms crossed in an angry manner.

"What can she do anyway? Tell her mummy on me?"

Casey tried to sound nonchalant, but it was obvious that she did care about the answer to that question. Rachel had more and more fun, despite the situation and the fact that, technically, they were talking about her.

Kate didn't respond to Casey's words immediately. She just remained silent while making sure her make up was on spot before putting away her lipstick and, finally, looking at the girl beside her pointedly.

Rachel knew that look and was completely prepared for what came next:

"Rachel? No, she can take care of you herself. But I can make sure she knows where to hit."

Rachel frowned. That was it? she thought almost with disappointment. She somehow expected more from her impromptu defender. Without much of a surprise, she noticed that the words didn't impress Case either.

"You really think that I care about people knowing?"

"No, but they will definitely be interested in hearing that you are a little sleazy thing that cannot understand the concept of a one night stand and voices some ridiculous sentiments after more than six months. That is the greatest way to start off in a new school."

This time, Rachel had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle the chuckle. Not really caring whether what Kate said was true or not, she couldn't stop the satisfied smirk from forming on her face. If Kate was successful – and if there was one thing she was excellent at, it was intimidating other people – Rachel was sure to have some rest from Casey for the time being.

Speaking of which, the only response that Rachel registered from her hideout was a muffled curse and the sound of someone – Casey most probably – storming out of the bathroom. Kate stayed in the ladies' room for another minute and, finally, left the place as well.

And that's how Rachel was left alone. Just as the door behind the girl closed, Rachel opened the door to the stall and grinned at her reflection in the mirror.

Her considerations were interrupted by the sound of the custom ringtone coming from her bag. Rachel immediately reached for the device and pulled it out to see that Jesse was calling her. Exiting the bathroom, she answered his call just to be greeted by Jesse's laughter against the wall of background noise of the bar that she was in.

"Rach?" her boyfriend exclaimed over the overall noise. Rachel looked around and decided that she needed to get outside.

"Hi, sorry for the noise," Rachel apologised to him as soon as she was standing by the front entrance. She nodded at Chris, her ex-teammate, who smiled and called after her to say hi to Jesse. "I can talk now."

"Where are you?" Jesse asked with uncertainty.

Rachel found herself a bench to sit on and shortly told him about her crazy day, leaving out only the pieces connected with her small argument with Kate and the overheard conversation between Kate and Casey. She was certain that someone already told him that Kate was in town – bringing up her mixed feelings towards that event wasn't something Rachel wanted to delve into right now. If Jesse was interested in Kate's sudden appearance, he would ask.

"And now I'm sitting outside, talking to my second best person in the whole world," Rachel laughed slightly, earning a chuckle from Jesse himself.

"Wait, you didn't tell me you have someone on the other line," Jesse retorted jokingly.

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, Jesse, but you will always lose to Barbra."

"That I can accept."

The door to the bar opened and Rachel stiffened when she realised that the person outside was Chris. But not Chris as in their former teammate. It was Chris, as in Kate's boyfriend, Chris. And he was going in her direction

I know. Seriously, I know it's been way too long. But I have a good excuse – my MA defence is in two days, so I've been cramming for weeks (to make sure I'll do well enough to be accepted into the PhD programme next year – wish me luck!)

Because of that, you have to bear with me for another couple of days/weeks. I'll do my best to go back to posting regularly.

-s.