Return to Lima

Back on square one

"Has your bed shrunk?" Nick says as he jumps on his sisters, Gabby's, bed. "Yeah, it's almost as small as your dick." Gabby responds with a sarcastic smile, while pulling the comforter over her head. "Hey, be nice to each other." Finn says as he walks down with a small Chloe in his arms. 

Gabby knows how lucky she is. Her father was the starting quarterback for the Giants for 10 years. Her mother was in four different Broadway musicals in which she got three Tony's from. There was nothing more that the 14 year old wanted, other than to be a little less shorter than 6 feet. 

It seems like she got her dramatic side from her mother, the height and athletic talent from her dad, and a whole lot of something else from someone else. She goes down for breakfast with her family, who's more than happy that they moved back to their hometown, Ye ole Lima, Ohio. Her parents are a big deal, of course, but she doesn't want to be known as Rachel's daughter or Finn's daughter, or the Hudson girl. 

She wants to be Gabby, just Gabby. Either way, she hates living in Lima. Sure she lives in one of the richest neighborhoods on the rich side of town. Big house, big yard, big pools. It's big, we get it. But she feels like nothing can compare to her penthouse in New York City. She's a city girl, she thought that if they moved, it would never be out of the state of New York. But, Ohio?

The only reason she went to Ohio is to visit her grandparents. But, now? Now that they live here, fans and paparazzi just want to line up around their house just to smell them. When she goes downstairs, she sees her mother behind the stover, her brother is setting the table, Cecilia practically screaming at the top of her lungs, and Dad is...being dad, reading the newspaper and practically ignoring his surroundings. 

"Good morning, my little princess!" Rachel says as she serves her food and kisses her on the forehead. "Mom, I'm too old for you to be calling me that." She says as she wipes the kiss off her cheek. "Hey, your mother gained 45 pounds and was in labor for 4 hours for you." Her father says from behind the newspaper. "Show her the appreciation she deserves."

Breakfast was served and the conversation flowed until it got to the part about school. Nick was giddy that he would start 7th grade, meaning that he would attend John Quincy Adams middle school and Gabby would go to McKinley. "So aren't you excited for your freshman year at high school?" Finn asks her.

"Maybe." She says as she shrugs her shoulders. Her parents look at each other and excuse Nick. "What's wrong?" Finn asks her. "You can tell us anything." She shrugs her shoulders again. "I-I-It's nothing."

"You afraid that you won't make friends? Subject material too tough?" Finn asks her. "Do you think that boys don't like you?" Rachel adds. "And we sure hope they don't." Finn mumbles as the girl rolls her eyes. "No, no...and no. I just..." She trails off and mumbles the last part of her sentence. "don't...want them to know who I am."

"What do you mean?" Finn spits out. "People look at me and they don't see Gabby. They see Finn and Rachel's daughter." Gabby says as she sighs. "Listen, if this puts you more at ease, you can tell me what you would think will help you in school." Finn adds.

"Okay...don't get mad. But...I don't wanna use Hudson as my last name." The room goes silent and Finn chokes out a: "What?" Rachel sighs and says: "Honey, we have tried so hard to make the Hudson name a name you could be proud of and now...now you don't wanna use it? Come on."

"I understand." Finn says, gaining stares from the girls. "You want people to like you for you, not because your parents are famous. If that's what you want, then that's what you'll do. But why do want to do it?"

"It's just that...last year, remember when we went to buffalo when you were going to play against the bills? I met a few kids that were from the area and when they found out that I'm a Hudson, they started talking about how mom was such a great singer, that they wanted you autograph. They forgot about me. I don't want that to happen in high school. I'm going to be stuck like that for four years. That's way too long." Gabby confesses.