Weeks have passed, and Rachel wavers in between speaking and retreating back into herself. According to her therapist, they call it 'selective mute-ism' but Rachel isn't entirely sure what's so selective about it. She noticed Quinn and her mother growing closer and in a way, she's happy about it. Since Quinn's own family was rather awful, Rachel felt a sense of pride almost whenever she saw the two interacting. If anybody deserved to be happy, it was Quinn, Rachel thought to herself as she reflected back on what the blonde had told her in the car so many moons ago.

Police had yet to find the man who had physically, mentally, and emotionally torn her apart from the inside out but it didn't mean they had stopped looking. In fact, which surprised Rachel-they had expanded their search even further. According to one of the officer's, the guy had a rough past and currently a warrant out for him. Rachel had been told they knew his name, but she asked them not to tel her. She wasn't sure if she could take it. She doesn't think she would really want to know his identity, she's not sure what would happen if she did.

It's been a few weeks since she's gone back to school, Quinn included. Both her mother and her fathers had decided it was probably best she stay away from there until everything died down. After all, gossip these days' is a bitch. Quinn, unsurprisingly, had refused to go without Rachel. Not because she was scared but because she refused to physically leave Rachel's side for more then a few minutes. Today though, today was different. Today was Rachel's first day back after so much time away. Quinn had wanted to go as well, but her doctor insisted she be home schooled for the rest of the semester as she was so far along in her pregnancy. Rachel can't help but chuckle to herself as she thinks back on the conversation, running a brush through her long, pin-straight hair. Quinn put up one hell of a fight with that, not wanting for Rachel to have to face the first day back by herself but after Rachel sat her down and assured her time and again that she would be alright and update her every hour on the hour, Quinn finally conceded. Shelby, thankfully, was willing to stay home as well and help Quinn with her school work as she had only recently decided to resign from Carmel High. It just 'wasn't her thing,' anymore, she had told Rachel one night as Rachel sat bewildered over the sudden bomb dropped.

"Rachel!" A sigh left the young girl's lips as she turned around to check her reflection one last time in the mirror and grab her bag for school. It was as good as it was going to get. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs when she saw Quinn's face light up, followed by her mother's as she too, appeared beside her-keys and purse in hand. "You look great!" Quinn gushed, happily. "I told you that you would!" She added with a giggle. Rachel smiled faintly, wringing her hands and she brushed out the wrinkles in her teal blue and green dress, pulling at the sleeves on her black cardigan. It was warm enough out to wear such clothing now, as opposed to the below freezing weather it had been previously and Quinn refused to take no for an answer when Rachel had mention shopping for a new wardrobe. She didn't want anything sexy, but she didn't want anything too childish either. Mainly, she rationalized in her head, she figured she would need an outfit or two if they ever managed to catch her attacker and take him to court but then Quinn suggested a shirt she thought would be perfect, and then a dress and viola-she ended up with a closet full of brand new clothing.

"Thanks," She mumbles softly after a moment.

"Are you ready to go sweetie?" Shelby asks after a beat. She's not sure why, but she thinks she may be just as nervous as her daughter is about today. Rachel wearily nods her head and clears her throat, smiling weakly as Quinn grabs her hand tightly and walks with her to the car.

It only takes a moment for the three to get settled and pull out of the driveway and Shelby is quickly struggling for a way to fill the awkward, nerve-wracking silence that's resonating throughout the car. Swiveling the dial around a few times on the radio, she finds a song that's not entirely ear splitting and not talking about someone's ass or tits and leans back into her seat-continuing the drive to McKinley High.

Today was certainly going to be interesting enough-that is, if Rachel could get through it.

She sat frozen in her seat for a good twenty minutes after the late bell had gone off. She was ready, she repeated to herself in her head. She could do this.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Shelby says a few seconds later, as if reading her mind. "You can always wait another day."

"No," Rachel counters-shaking her head. "If I don't go today, then I never will. I-I'll be fine."

"Maybe I should go in with you? Walk you to your first class?" Quinn pipes up. Shelby shoots her a quick look, as if to say 'don't think so,' from the rear view mirror.

"Nice try Quinn," Shelby deadpans. "But your doctor said no school until after you give birth."

"I would only be walking her to her class- jeez, you would think someone just told me I was terminal or something," She muttered unhappily as she folded her arms over her chest. Rachel chuckled quietly to herself and Shelby flashed her a small, sympathetic and almost apologetic, smile.

"Doctor's orders, sorry." Shelby adds.

"I should go..." Rachel pipes up suddenly, as if pulling herself out of the fog she had been in for the last few seconds as she stared up at the foreboding building before her. Clutching her bag in her hand, she swallowed back the lump of bile in her throat and opened the car door.

"You call me right away if you need to come home, understand?" Shelby questions gently, as Rachel slowly nods her head and steps from the car. She turns back, hand on the door and locks eyes with Quinn.

"I'll be fine...promise," and with that she closes the door and turns on her heel towards the building.

She refuses to look back because she knows that if she does then she'll see Quinn's watery eyes and her mother's worried looks and she'll drop everything and come running back to them. She doesn't want to do that anymore.

She won't.

The double doors feel heavy as she opens them up and walks into the front hallway. It's quiet, eerily so as she makes her way down the hall-quiet as can be. She doesn't want to disturb any of the classes, though she knows she won't. She makes a quick left into the front office and hands the secretary her absence note who in turn just stares pitifully at her for the next few minutes before finally giving her a late pass to class and a small smile. Rachel struggles the inner demon inside of her yelling at her to just tell the woman to stop staring at her like she had cancer or something and quickly rushes out and towards her first class.

She attempted to slide in unnoticed but knew that she wouldn't be able too. Heads immediately turned her way as soon as the door creaked open and she found herself clutching her tote in one hand and her late pass in the other. Mr. Schuester gives her the faintest of smiles and takes the pass she hands over to him with shaky hands before motioning for her to take a seat. She ducks her head down as she walks toward the back of the room to take a seat at one of the spare desks. She'd rather be in the back then the front. In the front, everyone would be able to stare her down like a piece of meat but in the back-they had no choice to keep looking to the front if they wanted to get away with the fact that they were only pretending to pay attention.

She struggles to pay attention, finding she had no clue what he is actually talking about-most likely due to the mounds of make up work she will have to complete in order to even attempt to catch up to where he is now and instead fishes around her bag for her phone. She sends a quick text to Quinn, letting her know she was in class and then placed her phone back in her bag.

As she stole a quick glance at the time, she noted there wasn't all that much time left in class before the bell rang, only about five minutes. She sat through it though and as soon as the bell rang she jumped to her feet and rushed from the room, not wanting to listen to Mr. Scheuster's words of remorse and pity or listen to one of his motivational speeches. She makes it as far as her locker before several Glee members surround her. Santana is the first one.

"Hey munchkin, where you headed to next?" Rachel shrugs, grabbing the schedule from her bag and handing it to the other girl. It had been so long since she had been here and so much had gone on that she actually couldn't remember what order her classes were actually in.

Kurt drapes an arm around her shoulder and grins widely.

"If anyone gives you any shit, you let us know and we'll make sure it's taken care of," Mercedes pipes in, reaching from behind to hug the small brunette around the waist and plant a small kiss on the side of her temple. Rachel smiles back and nods her head.

"Have you figured that thing out yet?" Kurt asks, ripping the schedule from Santana's hands who quickly shoots a glare toward the young boy.

"I was looking at more then just one class, you know!"

"Well you're taking too long," Kurt quipped, causing Mercedes to laugh wildly.

"Um, I should probably head to my next class now..." Rachel stated, trailing off. Kurt nodded his head.

"Good, then we'll go with you."

"But you all have different classes?" Rachel questioned.

"Obviously, but that doesn't mean we still can't walk you to yours," Santana stated, sarcasm evident.

"You're offering to walk me to class? You?"

"What? I can be nice when I want to be!" Santana countered, defensively. Rachel chuckled lightly.

"Okay, Santana. Okay," Mercedes says, giving Rachel an 'she's crazy,' look.

"So," Kurt says suddenly, after a few minutes of walking in silence. "Glee today?" He asks, looking toward Rachel.

She waited a moment, thinking it over before a smile grazed her lips.

"Glee today."