My First and Last Love

Chapter 24- Opening Night

It has been a week since graduation. Santana had her sling off and Brittany has been having physical therapy twice a week since she got her boot off. Blaine and Sam decided to break up because Sam was in love with Mercedes and Blaine was in love with Kurt so now they are together. Mercedes moved to New York because she missed everyone and she has been working on her album. Artie is going to film school and having a blast. Sam moved in with Mercedes and so did Blaine because they thought it would help their relationship. Rachel is only 42 hours away from opening night and she is going crazy. Rachel was asleep and then she started to toss and turn and then she jumped up causing Quinn to wake up.
"Babe are you ok?" Quinn asked in a groggy voice which is the cutest thing to Rachel.
"Babe? What if I am not good on opening night?" Rachel asked and looked down at her lap.
"Babe you are going to be great. I know because you are the most the talented person I know." Quinn said and kissed her on her cheek and then her lips.
"That's sweet but your my wife you are supposed to tell me I am amazing." Rachel said.
"Kurt! Come talk to your best friend! I tried!" Quinn said and layed back down and put the pillow over her head. Rachel got up and went to the kitchen and Kurt started to make tea. Once he was finished Rachel had just finished explaining her dream to Kurt.
"I don't know why you're so anxious. You killed it in the previews in Syracuse." Kurt said pouring her a cup of tea.
"No, you didn't read any of the reviews." Rachel said.
"Yes, I did, I read every single one of them." Kurt said.
"No, you only read the legit ones. You did not read the independent bloggers or you didn't read the comments section. Rachel said.
"I told you to stay out of that comments section." Kurt said and gave Rachel her cup and took a seat.
"I know, but I couldn't help it and now it's like they're my anxiety avatars. Like the people in my dream. They are the voices of all the self doubt that I have ever had about myself. And you know, why do people become actors in the first place? You know? It's because we want to be loved. We're like a...like a bottomless cup that constantly needs to be filled with love and validation." Rachel ranted and Kurt let out a sigh.
"Give me you phone." Kurt said and held out his hand for her to put her phone in. Rachel hesitated at first but handed it to him.
"Your being unplugged until after you opening night." Kurt said getting up and going to her and Quinn's room to get her laptop.
"Wait..." Rachel said trying to reach for her phone.
"No going on the Internet for anything. All the greats do it, Scorsese, Woody, Miley. None of them read reviews or blogs or check Twitter. Okay? We are going to hermetically seal this loft into a big love bubble and fill it with positive affirmations and validation so from people who know you and love you and have no doubt you are going to be amazing. If you need your cup filled, we'll fill it right here." Kurt said standing with her phone and laptop.
"Okay." Rachel quietly whispered and went back to bed with Quinn. That next day Rachel stayed at home and watched Funny Girl on re run all day. It annoyed the crap out of Quinn but all she wanted was Rachel happy. Rachel decided to be mute until her opening night.
Then for dinner Quinn finally told Rachel to turn it off. Everyone was their Mercedes, Santana, Brittany, Sam, Blaine, Kurt, Quinn, artie and Kurt. They were waiting for Tina to get their since she changed her mind last minute to go to brown.
Knock knock knock
Kurt went to the door and said Tina and they hugged. Tina walked in and Rachel got up from the couch to say hi.
"Hello big fat Broadway star." Tina said and Rachel hugged her. "These are for you." Tina said referring to the flower in her hand. Rachel mouthed words.
"She said thank you so much." Quinn said from the couch.
"Oh,on. Do you have laryngitis?" Tina asked and Rachel shook her head.
"Oh, no, she is just resting her voice." Kurt said.
"Oh thank god. This would not be a good time for you tonsils to flare up again. Remember that? First year of glee club?" Tina said then laughed. "Hey where is everyone? Rachel opening night on Broadway is a big deal. Where is Puck, Mr. Shue, Mike, and Finn? Are they just not being supportive?" Tina said.
"Tina! Why don't you catch us up? How's Brown University treating you?" Mercedes asked obviously wanting to get off the subject. Rachel put the flower on the table and went over to the couch and buried her head into Quinn's neck and Quinn wrapped her arm around her.
"I love everything about it. Except for my dorm room, my roommates he nice but she's from Pakistan and she speaks almost no English and she's always watching that Al Jazeera channel. And no I don't have a boyfriend, but I was dating this really nice guy but he turned out to be a little..." Tina explained but cut off by everyone.
"Gay." Everyone said at the same time.
"Rachel also says gay." Quinn said.
"No." Tina said and everyone gave her a look. "Yes." Tina admitted.
"Anyway, Rachel I read this amazing story about you on BroadwayWorld.com, and they are predicting that Funny Girl is going to be a huge hit. And also everyone else, except for a few moronic bloggers."
"Oh, hey, Tina." Blaine said trying to get Tina to stop talking.
"But hey who are they to call you pitchy? And do not get me started on those anonymous comment trolls. I mean, that. . . You are not that short." Tina said.
"Shut up." Everyone said at the same time. Rachel took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"It's fine. It's fine. Frankly the only opinions that I care about are you guys. And I love you guys and you love me. So you know if I ever need any validation, I just turn to my buffet of people right in front of me. If you don't mind, I am going to take a nap. This diva needs her beauty rest. So." With that Rachel walked to her room to lay down.
"All right Tina. Get your bags your coming to my place." Mercedes said trying to get her up.
"But I thought I was staying here. What if Rachel needs my love and validation from the buffet?" Tina asked getting up.
"Just go." Mercedes whispered. Once they were out the door Quinn and Kurt exchange a worried look.
"Well I have to head to work." Quinn said and got up.
"Watch her I will be home later tonight." Quinn said to just and with that she was out the dorm and off the work.
~11:30~
Quinn had just gotten home and tiptoed into the apartment. She quietly closed the door. She took of her shoes so she wouldn't make a sound. As she got closer she saw light coming from their room and heard Rachel talking to herself. Kurt came out of his room and him and Quinn exchanged a confused look. Quinn opened the curtain and for a split second Rachel froze.
"No! Nothing!" Rachel said trying to clean up they papers she had all over their bed as if they didn't see her. Kurt ran up and closed the laptop.
"Oh, honey." Kurt said looking at her.
"Sorry." Rachel said looking down. Kurt took her phone and everything and told her to go to bed. Quinn got up and Kurt was up and she still hasn't gotten out of bed. Kurt called Sam, Mercedes, Blaine and Tina.
Knock knock knock
Kurt went to the door and they were here.
"Guys it bad. Rachel has been cyber cutting all night. She read like every negative comment ever written about her in the span of an hour." Kurt explained then let them in.
"No." They all whisper and come in.
"She says she's too psyched to go on tonight,and that her confidence is shot. We have to fill her with love and validation so she gets it back. Otherwise, everything that she has ever worked for her entire life is gonna be ruined." Kurt whispered.
"Let's do it." Blaine said. They all took turns trying to get her out of bed but nothing was working. Sam tried a song, Blaine tried a massage, and Kurt tried a gift basket but it wasn't working. Kurt has just walked out.
"I have never seen her like this." Kurt said walking out.
"Me neither." Quinn said.
"I know. She's usually pushing people away to get onstage." Blaine said talking a seat.
"It's not fair that anyone can send a hateful tweet to anyone and have access to artists." Kurt said taking a seat.
"You know I don't think that it's the criticism that got to her, I think it's the volume of it." Mercedes said.
"It Twitter." Sam said.
"I can't believe my note didn't work." Tina said.
"I know it was so good." Blaine said. As if anything couldn't get any worse it does when Sue came in the door.
"Hello losers. Well you live in the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn and there isn't even a lock on your door. You might want to look into that. Unless, of course you think the rapist is gonna just move on to the next apartment filled with nubile 19 year olds simply because your door is so damn annoying to open." Sue said and they all look confused to why she is here.
"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked.
"Oh Q that's totally something you would say. I have to come to watch Rachel Berry choke on her opening night." Sue said.
"I heard that! I'm right I here!" Rachel yelled.
"Sue, please, Rachel is freaking out!" Kurt said.
"Well, she should be, she is going to choke." Sue said
"I can hear you in here!" Rachel yelled once more.
"Oh, and to answer your question, I am staying here overnight because I realized when we arrived at the hotel that will Schuester is a big old perv and has been trying to sleep with me this whole time." Sue explained.
"Well you are not staying here. I can't have you anywhere near Rachel. No that's fine I'll stay in your room." Sue said and started for Kurt's room. "Oh, thank god there's no weird sex toys laying around." Sue added.
"This could not get any worse." Tina said.
"We have one last person who can help." Quinn said.
~20 later~
"Look all I am saying is whenever I'm nervous about choking in front of hundreds of people, I eat a spoonful of mustard to make myself puke, and I get that part over with." Sue said and then the door opened and in came the queen diva.
"All right, where is she? Kurt called me in the cab told me she was up." Santana said with Brittany following her in.
"Hi guys." Brittany said and then walked to their fridge.
"She's been in there for hours. We don't know how she is peeing." Tina said.
"Okay. Give me four minutes." Santana said tossing her purse to Mercedes.
"I will return Grey Poupon." Sue said as she walked out to door.
"What?" Santana asked quietly as she took off her coat. On her way to Rachel and Quinn's room Quinn stopped her.
"Santana can you be gentle with her please." Quinn asked her.
"You know I can't do that." Santana said and walked into her room. Her blanket was pulled up over her mouth.
"Your the best they could do?" Rachel asked.
"Hells yes, because I am the closer. And in two minutes, you are gonna be out of this bed ready to fistfight the Taliban and offering to buy me a diamond necklace." Santana said with a smile.
"No pep talks or anything are gonna work right now. Honestly. Okay? I have never felt like this before in my entire life. I never thought in a honored years that I would be too afraid to perform, but it's, like, these people and all this stuff is just, like, in my head. And now I don't even know what's real anymore." Rachel explained now sitting up.
"Okay, okay." Santana said
"It's like I am all of my insecurity." Rachel said.
"Seriously..." Santana started.
"Every single one." Rachel finished.
"I don't do...I don't do pep talks. If you want a pep talk you should callMr. Shue or rent The Notebook. I took the liberty of looking up some reviews on my phone in the cab...." Santana said.
"No, no, look, look, seriously, uh one...hundred good reviews..." Rachel said being cut off by Santana reading.
"Uh, she is an ancient Hittite princess. She's a freak. Her hands are frightening more than amusing and her her movements are wildly bizarre." Santana read.
"Those are awful." Rachel said.
"They were also written in 1964. . .about Barbra Streisand when she played Fanny." Santana said.
"I see what you did there." Rachel said.
"You suck at so many things, but not at this. And the sing is, is that you don't even have to believe me or yourself all you have to do is get on the stage and open you mouth. You can't do this badly you don't actually hive it in you. You and I only have two speeds:awesome or not at all. Who gives a crap what all the other peasant a think? I can't stand you 90% of the time, but even I know that if you drag you flat little ass out on that stage tonight you're gonna murder that crowd." And with that Santana walked out an back into the living room. Then the curtain opened and everyone turned their attention to Rachel.
"What are you all moping around for? It's my opening night!" Rachel said. Quinn jumped up from the couch and hugged her with her feet of the ground and spinning around.
~before the show~
Knock knock knock
"Come in." Rachel said putting on her make up when the door opened.
"I heard it was somebody's opening night on Broadway." Mr. Shue said.
"Oh my god!" Rachel said getting up and hugging Mr. Shue.
"Oh my gosh look at you!" Mr. Shue said. "I always knew we would end up here. That. . .that you would end up here." Mr. Shue added.
"Well, apparently some dreams do come true." Rachel said.
"Apparently." Mr. Shue said. "Well, you know where we are all sitting. If you need a little boost, just zone in on us." Mr. Shue added and Rachel took a deep breath.
"Rachel it's ok. I am so proud of you, Rachel. Tonight is the best gift that a student could possibly give her teacher. You're making my dreams come true, too." Mr. Shue said and then there is a knock at the door then Mr. Shues phone starts to ring. A man steps in and tells Rachel she has ten minutes. Then Mr. Shue answers the phone.
"Hey, Em. Yeah I'm here with Rachel. What's up? She said break a leg. What? Now? How long? Okay wait for me. Her water just broke. Oh, my god, I have to get back to Ohio. I love you. I love you. Break a leg." And with that Mr. Shue ran out of the room. Leaving Rachel to get ready. After she got ready she walked down to the stage and her heart started to speed up but she just thought of Quinn and took deep breaths and picture looking into Quinn's green eyes telling her to breath. Then showtime.
~after the show~
POP!
"I am going to have a big glass of that." Rachel said referring to the champagne Tina just opened.
"Oh my god,Rachel you were so great." Mercedes said walking in and hugging Rachel.
"Thank you." Rachel said as she hugged Mercedes. "I bawled durning "Who Are You Now?" I had to blow my nose on Sam's sleeve." Mercedes added.
"This is suede." Sam said pointing to his sleeve
"I love you guys so much. I seriously. . .couldn't have done this without all of you." Rachel said.
Knock knock knock
"Hi I am looking for Rachel Fabray." Quinn said walking in and everyone laughed.
"Hi." Rachel said with a smile on her face.
"You gotta be quiet or my wife will hear you." She said and hugged Rachel and gave her a peck on the lips.
"Is Quinn cheating on Rachel?" Brittany asked Santana.
"No babe it just a really gay thing that they do." Santana said earning a eye roll from Quinn.
"And you got flowers from Finn and Puck and Mike Chang and Principal Figgins. Clearly you are loved by many." Kurt said then the director walked in.
"Tonight you are a star." Sydney said.
"You know what you guys, let's save all the praises until after the New York Times review comes out." Rachel said.
"Yeah, yeah. You are right, you are right. We have, uh, six hours of innocence left. And then when the reviews hit the stand, we'll find out if we are the best thing since sliced bread or toast. But, we are going to celebrate tonight. We are going to have an opening night party, Elio's restaurant, Italian restaurant. Eggplant parmigiana always, always brings me good luck. Rachel, Rachel, your friends, huh?" He said.
"Yeah." Rachel said
"Bring everybody!" He said and walked out and closed the door behind him.
"I am so proud of you babe." Quinn said and hugged her lifting her up and spinning her around. Once she sat her down she pulled her into a kiss.
"I don't really feel like going to the party.i think that they're just gonna only be talking about the play,and, I don't know, I'd rather just celebrate with you guys." Rachel said and cuddling onto Quinn's side.
"I know just the place down in Greenwich Village. Trust me, Rachel, they're going to love you there.
~after the celebration~
"Who wants to rub my feet? I haven't danced that hard since Nationals two years ago." Santana said and sat down on the couch. The night was great after the left the went to this club that Blaine recommended and once we walked in they instantly got recognized. Rachel preformed and they did a little light drinking but mostly dancing. Santana had to take Brittany home since her leg was hurting and she needed her pills and her brace. Sam, Blaine, Artie,and Mercedes went to the closest stand to get the New York Times. The good news was that the review was a good one. . . No a great one so Rachel will be doing more shows. Mercedes, Sam, Blaine, and Artie went home. Kurt Went to bed the minute they got back. Rachel took a shower and made some coffee. While she was making coffee Quinn decided to take a shower as well and then layed in bed. Rachel had her head on Quinn's chest and Quinn had her arm around Rachel stroking up and down her spine which is something that has always helped Rachel relax.
"I am so proud of you." Quinn said.
"For what?" Rachel asked.
"For what? For getting on that stage and being the great big star that I know you are." Quinn said.
"You know when I was in high school people would just tell me that I was just a nobody with a dream that would never come true. And after a while I started to believe them but a charming green eyed blonde cheerleader came into my life and told me to never give up and that I would alway have someone on my side at anytime. And I am so grateful for her." Rachel said.
"Rachel are you cheating on me." Quinn asked in a playful voice earning a playful shove from Rachel.
"I love you Quinn Fabray." Rachel said looking at her green eyed girlfriend.
"I love you too Rachel Fabray." Quinn said and pecked Rachel's lips a few times.