Park Lights // Glee AU One-Shot

Park Lights

Rachel Berry was heartbroken. Utterly heartbroken. From not getting into Funny Girl to losing Finn, it seemed like the entire world was against her. Of course, she had Kurt, but he had Blaine. She also had Santana, but she was too busy at her job at the Spotlight Diner.

So, Rachel did what she hadn't done before: stay in bed. For more than a month. She only got up when she needed to pee and eat, but other than that, she pretty much laid there on her bed. She dropped out of NYADA, which was so unlike her. She pretty much gave up on life.

Then Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He walked into Rachel's room - which was brave, because it stunk like a bitch - and dragged her out of bed, when asked about what the hell he was doing, he replied, "What I should've done a long time ago." He dragged her all the way to the bathroom, where he left her with some clothes and a towel before locking her inside.

"What the hell, Kurt!" she shouted, pounding on the door.

"I am not letting you out until you are fully dressed and clean," he replied. He stood on the other side of the door, listening as she finally turned on the shower. He also heard her let out a gigantic grunt out of annoyance, to which he chuckled.

After a good hour of water turning on and off, she knocked on the door. "Ready," she said.

Kurt opened the door and took a look at his friend. He had given her a black one-piece that had fringe so it looked like a top, along with a pair of dark skinny jeans and matching heels. She surprisingly rocked the outfit. Her makeup was also done, which reminded him that Santana always kept her makeup in there.

"So, where are we going?" Rachel asked. "You had the decency to drag me out of bed and throw me into the bathroom, so I have a right to know."

"And you will," Kurt replied, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door. "When we get there."

She sighed, knowing that she would never get out of it. She quickly grabbed her jacket and let Kurt pull hear out of the apartment and into the car, where he drove for about an hour. They arrived at a house, where loud music was playing and the stench of alcohol was evident as soon as she opened the door. God, what is this place? she thought to herself as she walked in behind Kurt.

As soon as she walked in, it was a madhouse. She noticed Kurt's expression as well as her own as they both took in. The scene: spilled drinks on the floor, girls half naked, couples - or strangers - making out on the couch, and about twenty more drunk people outside, paired with loud music. She noticed Kurt walking in more, so she quickly followed him until he found someone, and she recognized the face.

"Elliott?" she asked.

"Rachel!" the flamboyant man replied giving her a hug. "Hi! Oh my gosh, I did not expect you here!" He pulled away. "I'm not drunk, by the way. I swear."

"I thought this was just a get-together," Kurt said, raising the loudness of his voice.

"I thought so too," he replied. "Then more people showed up, and someone had brought tequila, causing this train wreck."

She looked around, seeing the drunktards make utter fools of themselves. "Yup," she said, "I'm going for a walk. Text me when you're going home." She walked away from the pair and made her way to the door.

After exiting the house, she went west and ended up in a park, sitting on a bench. She then thought about why she was out here in the first place. Sure, Kurt pretty much forced her to get out, but was she doing it for him? Or was she really sick of sitting in bed all day instead of getting on with her life? This wasn't the Rachel she knew. The Rachel she knew would've obviously cried about not getting the role, but she'd move on with her life. She would mourn over Finn, but she'd hide her pain as she lived her life.

But I don't even know myself anymore, she thought.

As she thought about all of these things, she felt the bench get heavier. "The park is really beautiful at night, isn't it?"

She turned her head to see someone, a blonde, occupy the seat next to her. He was wearing a darkish blue shirt, and his hands were folded in front of him. Her eyes met his, which were the color of the ocean. "But it only adds to your own."

She raised an eyebrow. Who does this guy think he is, hitting on some random chick in the park? "Do you say that to every girl you meet?"

"Depends," he replied, running his hand through his hair. It looked blonde, but the moonlight was doing nothing in terms of lighting.

"On?"

"If it's working."

He shot her a wink, which made her snicker. "So I'm assuming this was your first time hitting on someone?" she asked.

"This was my first time I've hit on someone I didn't know," he replied. He held out a hand. "Might as well do it the old fashioned way, right? I'm Gabe."

"Rachel." She shook his hand. "So, what are you doing out here?"

"Escaping life," he said, looking out into the distance. "And college homework." He turned to her. "You?"

"My friend dragged me to some party that had too much alcohol." She chuckled. "But I'm glad he got me out of the house. I recently went through some tough times in my life."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," she quickly responded, "it's fine."

They sat in silence, not knowing what to talk about. This gave Rachel the opportunity to take in the scene: the moon, despite being a really crappy light, illuminated the park perfectly, while the park lights - that only turned on a minute ago - made everything clear. 

She looked back at Gabe, whose face was clearer in the light. He looked deep in thought, like he was conflicted about something. He honestly seemed like an innocent guy, minus the really bad flirting he demonstrated only a few minutes ago. Plus, he was pretty easy on the eyes. He looked over at her, and she gave him a small smile before looking away. 

"Would you like to go with me somewhere?" he suddenly asked, breaking the silence and taking her by surprise. She had a nice time talking to this guy, but she still felt something was wrong. She knew that Finn would want her to move on, but could she bring herself to do that?

Do it, the voice in her head urged. Go have fun. You've been cooped up for too long. It's time to let him go.

But what if he was a rapist or a murderer? She could be putting herself in a boatload of danger by going with him. Still, he could just be another person looking for an escape. Just like her. 

"Sure," she finally replied, smiling at Gabe. "What the hell?"

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Gabechel. Anything in the fictional universe, and I write about them. AND on the 1 year anniversary of Cory's death (video for that on the side, not mine).

Wow, I'm horrible.

I hope you enjoyed this anyways! :)

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