The Usual Rules

Chapter 40

Rachel peered around the curtain and looked out to the large crowd forming. She felt like she was going to throw up. This infuriated her, she hadn't gotten nervous about preforming in front of an audience since the first time she had done it. Rachel was a pro. If anything, Frankie had made sure of that. It was the one and only good thing he had ever given her. She could preform. Right now, she felt like a terrified little girl who desperately wanted her mothers. Rachel bounced up and down on her toes, nervous energy pouring out of her. She had to pee. Again. Being nervous always made her have to go to the bathroom. Rachel ran away from the curtain and down the hall, pushing past the other dancers backstage and into the bathroom. She tugged at her leotard and costume but couldn't get out of it. She couldn't breathe, she needed to pee and she felt like she was going to throw up.

Sharp knocks on the door made her squeal. "Rach, open up! Its Spence!"

Rachel wrenched the door open. "I can't get out of it! Get me out of it!" She yelled, trying to reach around her back and pull her costume off.

"Hang on, I'll get it." Reid quickly moved forward and unbuttoned Rachel's top, freeing her to get out of the contraption herself.

Rachel slammed the door in Reid's face. "Don't go anywhere Spence!" She yelled. "I'll be right out."

"Okay." Reid mumbled, waving to two little girls who giggled and ran past him. Little dancer girls in costumes and make-up and giggling was not something he was generally familiar with. Where the hell were Emily and JJ? Reid had seen Rachel run past him and chased after her, recognizing the look of terror on her face. The rest of the team were still in the lobby, having literally just gotten back from their latest case. Reid had been assigned to go save their seats.

Rachel opened the door sheepishly. "I can't close it back up." She admitted.

"Oh, um..I probably can."

"Okay, but no looking Spence, you're a boy."

Reid frowned, utterly confused. "I know I'm a boy, what's that got to do with anything?"

Rachel sighed. "Just zip it please." She turned around and bit her bottom lip nervously while Reid zipped up her costume. Even though it was difficult to get in and out of on her own, it was probably her favorite ever. A tight little shinny black dress, sort of in the style of the 1920s flappers; she even had a bright red flower in her hair. "Is everyone here?"

"Yep. Oh, shoot, I was supposed to save seats." Reid remembered as he stood up.

Rachel looked stricken. "There not gonna have seats! Spence!"

"No, no relax I'll go right now, you okay?"

Rachel bit her lip and tasted the red lipstick that was on it, well, had been on it, she had chewed most of it off already. "Umm...yeah I'm fine."

Reid smiled, seeing right through her bravado. "I'll send one of them back here." He bent down and kissed Rachel on the cheek, causing her to grin and blush. "You'll do great Rach, have fun."

Rachel wrapped her arms around Reid's neck before he could stand up. "I love you Spence." She whispered.

"Me too."He grinned sheepishly and gave her a little wave before heading back out to the theater. Rachel walked back to the greenroom and sat down by her things. The room was full of dancers and their mothers, helping them apply make-up, fixing and securing costumes, stretching and last minute running through their dances. Rachel's shoulders slumped. She was the only little girl without a mother present. Even most of the teenagers had theirs popping in and out. Emily and JJ had been with the rest of the team away on a case. They had just arrived back home and Kaley's mother had brought Rachel to the theater, helped her into her costume and applied her stage make-up. Or she had offered to, the only thing Rachel really needed help with was getting into her costume, she had known how to apply her own stage make-up and get her hair back for years. Frankie was certainly not going to do it.