and literal star

🌟 rachel berry 🌟

[metaphoricalstar]

fabacon​:

“Taking over the New Directions?” Quinn repeated, quirking one of her eyebrows. The Rachel Berry she knew wouldn’t be settling for some lousy show choir job in Lima. Rachel had always been the one who was aiming for the best she could possibly get. And sure, they all knew about her less than graceful fall from the top, but she didn’t peg the other woman as a quitter. Still, she knew that she wasn’t in the right to be judging. She was doing the same thing in theory, except that she knew the Cheerios could win. 

“Why?” she finally asked. “This place, it’s not as glamorous as New York. I thought everything you ever wanted was out there.” She paused. “And what about Mr. Schue?” Their former Glee leader was probably off with his family, or pursuing his other dreams. Quinn was fairly certain one could only handle coaching a group of singing teens for so long before the drama got to be too much to handle and the students started boycotting when he’d suggest a Journey song.

“Me? I’m.. I’m the new coach of the Cheerios,” she told her. “Coach Sylvester is taking time away to be with her kid, and she asked me to step it. I figured I might as well. The Cheerios were at their prime when I was their captain, surely I can lead them to victory.” 

Licking her lips slowly, Quinn took a few steps closer. “Does this mean we need to hate each other again? Maybe I’ll have to fight for the budget to get cut, or make up lies to get you fired. I could leak your setlist, if that’s more appealing. That’s what Sue would do,” she said, pursing her lips. “I’m kidding, by the way. I’m not that cruel.”

Was it slightly discouraging picking up on the judgment lingering in Quinn’s tone? Perhaps, but Rachel was extremely confident that she was on the right path. Maybe trading in her centre stage spot to stand in the wings as a high school show choir director seemed unorthodox to some of her former peers and supporters, but whether it was her ultimate destiny or just a stepping stone for something greater, Rachel felt a sense of belonging and purpose for the first time in months. Nobody could take that away from her. 

“It was indeed, but it doesn’t feel like that anymore I’m afraid,” Rachel explained simply, refusing to get choked up when she reflected on all the loss she experienced in the city she once called home. “Look, I know it may seem crazy. I’ve been talking about seeing my name in lights for as long as I can remember. It’s been said my first words were literally ‘star’ and ‘Barbra’, although; I do think my dads may have embellished that childhood tale a little. Nevertheless, it was a dream of mine but sometimes dreams are meant to be outgrown. Could you imagine wanting all the same things you wanted for yourself when you were sixteen?”

“Mr. Schue is actually working with Vocal Adrenaline.” She waited a few beats after dropping that bomb since she knew the thought of their beloved and well-respected Mr. Schue committing what could be best described as “show choir treason” was a lot to take in. It certainly was for Rachel. “It’s really not as outlandish as it sounds. We may be competitors but we’ve still managed to maintain a healthy and supportive relationship as former teacher and student. Mr. Schue has actually given me a lot of helpful pointers.” 

Now it was Rachel’s turn to be shocked out of her skull. “Quinn? Are you serious? That’s wonderful!” Maybe it was slightly out of line but Rachel couldn’t fight the impulse to envelope her in a celebratory embrace. When Quinn joked about picking up where Sue had left off though, her face immediately dropped. “Don’t scare me like that Quinn. I know you’re hyper aware of what kind of trauma that scenario would plague me with,” She scoffed, trying to keep it playful but realistically, she was still catching her breath. “But really, this is tremendous news for both you and the Cheerios! You’re bound to inspire a legion of smart, confident and fearless young women, much like yourself!” 

Rachel’s elated expression was replaced by one of minor confusion when she realized she had surely missed a few chapters. She was about to blast Quinn with borderline invasive questions in pursuit of receiving a life update when she figured she’d do her one better. “Are you busy right now? Glee rehearsal’s finished for the day and I’d love to catch up over coffee. I know you were never particularly fond of the Lima Bean’s subpar espresso quality but they’ve really widened their selection since our high school years.”

[impressallofthem]

While her heels clicked down the busy hallways of McKinley, all Quinn could do was wonder how she ended up back here. When she graduated high school, she swore she wouldn’t look back. Naturally she ended up popping in here and there- Mr. Schue’s wedding for example, Thanksgiving the year after graduating, and the few times everyone came back at the same time. But once she was really getting into things at Yale, Ohio was becoming a distant memory. Things with Puck fizzled out, she lost contact with most of her former classmates, and she was being the independent woman she knew she always was.

Finding work after Yale wasn’t a walk in the park. Having a theater degree in Connecticut wasn’t worth much. She knew that if she wanted to do anything with it, she’d need to relocate. She tried New York for a few months, but still ended up getting turned down for most productions, even the ones she knew she was perfect for. That was just the beginning of her spiral back down to where it all started. She was alone, she was failing, and those were two things that Quinn never really was that good at. She hated being alone like this, despite how she told people she was better and stronger alone. Her perfectionist ways allowed her rejections to eat away at her, and it was hard to shake. She spent her entire life trying to exceed everyone’s expectations of her, even her own, and she wasn’t doing that. 

The day she got a call from the place she lived out some of the toughest years of her life, she didn’t pick up. But then when she didn’t answer, a call came in from Sue Sylvester herself. An offer to coach the Cheerios? It was hard to believe she was stepping back finally, but with her daughter growing older, she needed to be there more than in a high school gymnasium. 

That was how Quinn found herself back within the walls of the school yet again. There were some looks from other students. She didn’t want to brag, but even after all this time she was still talked about by the student body. How couldn’t she be? She had quite the reputation during those four years, that kind of thing didn’t fade away, especially with a library full of yearbooks and cabinets filled with Glee and Cheerios trophies. 

Making her way towards her office, once she’d sat in many times before, she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a familiar sound coming from the choir room. It was impossible to forget a voice like that. Quinn could recognize Rachel’s voice anywhere. She approached the open door hesitantly, peeking in to see the other woman at the front of the choir room, with a handful of students seated in the chairs the two of them once sat in. 

The bell rang moments later, and the students trickled out. Finally stepping in, Quinn bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. Rachel’s back was to her, but she spoke anyway. “What are you doing here?”

[metaphoricalstar]

They say “the good thing about being at the bottom is that the only way to go...is up” and Rachel Berry, former Broadway leading lady turned failed television star, was certainly learning that the hard way. Of course she had anticipated to experience her fair share of missteps throughout her otherwise abundantly trumphiant career in show business. But when she fantasized about these minor setbacks (and yes, she idealized every facet of her journey into stardom, even the uglier bits) she figured they’d be humbling and inspiring to her devoted fan base who read her future memoir cover to cover as they learned to ‘never give up’ and ‘to always preserve no matter what curve ball life throws out you.’

However, to dub the dumpster fire that was ‘That’s So Rachel’ as some sort of subtle hindrance would be delusional at best. This wasn’t just some laughable flop career move that she could conventionally exclude from her decorative resume. Oh no. This was the type of failure that was so astronomical that it defined her. It trumped every acolodate she had to her name, every glowing review she had received after a sold out show, every standing ovation she’d been met with following a breathtaking closing solo. It truly overwrote everything she had ever proudly achieved prior.

A foundering of this proportion should have been enough to light under a fire under her ass and motivate her to come back even stronger than before. So what nobody saw her sparkle anymore? She was Rachel Berry. She was a star and she’d burn ten times brighter if it meant proving the world wrong.

Well, that was the worst part of it. Not that she had met her defeat, but that she had no fight left in her anymore. That star had not only dimmed but it had completely burned out, likely to never shine again.

And so she found a new dream. The New Directions: Revamped. Sure being a choir director at her old high school didn’t exactly come with the same glamour and prestige as the life of an up and coming Broadway starlet, but there was certainly a quiet dignity in educating and inspiring the next generation of young, hopeful performers. It’d been a rocky launch to say the least (no thanks to Sue who was back at it again with her Glee Club sabotage tactics) but now that they were fresh off their Sectionals win, Rachel felt like they really had something special going for them.

It was 4:30 on a Friday which meant Glee practice was wrapping up for the day and for the week. As she watched her students pick up their book bags and shuffle out of the choir room, she overheard an oh-too-familiar voice from behind. Spinning around dramatically on her heels, she locked eyes with one Quinn Fabray and smiled softly. Perhaps just weeks ago, she would’ve been more embarrassed to have run into someone from her past who once saw her go on to great things. Now, she just felt dignified and excited to show an old friend the new and improved, noticeably maturer and humbled Rachel Berry.

“I could very well ask you the same thing,” Rachel noted, standing up a little straighter as she declared: “I’m taking over the New Directions.”