gold star

“Oh- what.. sorry, I wasn’t talking to you I was talking to… well- the dogs.” Kristoff commented with a small embarrassed smile as he gestured to the three sheep like dogs that were sat beside his feet. 

“Talking to the dogs?” she tilted her head to the side slightly in confusion. “Why? I wouldn’t imagine they’d have much to say.”

“That is a fantastic selection,” Elphaba observed out loud when she noticed which books one of her customers was holding.

“Thank you, it’s one of my favorites,” she replied with a puffed up chest, turning around to the voice only to find her own caught in her throat. “You– I?” Rachel blurted stupidly.

There was an incline of John’s head an a smile before he answered. “I do. I am Professor Smith. Or Doctor Smith. My pupils call me either of those though the do seem to be partial to Doctor.” And he couldn’t say he hated it either. “Ah…Well unless you take physics in University, I wouldn’t expect you to recognise me.”

“Oh you’ve got a PhD! Sorry, doctor then,” Rachel corrected herself. “Ah yes, that explains why I didn’t recognize you right away,” she nodded, glad to know her memory was still pretty intact. She liked to be in the know of everything. “Do you like your job?”

The fact that the girl was immediately worried about her wrinkles made Veronica chuckle. “If saying that helps you sleep at night.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Last time I checked you aren’t one of my professors, which means you aren’t an authority figure to me.”

“And even if I’m not one of your professors, is there really any reason to be disrespectful?” Rachel bit back. “I’d be careful with who you spat with on the street. You never know who they could be.”

“Who cares if they cry? Rather they cry now then be embarrassed later.”

“Not sure the school board would agree with you, but thank you for the input regardless.”

Blaine was thrilled. Although he adored teaching music and loved his students, his passion laid in performing of all kinds. He could appreciate Rachel’s position, and he couldn’t wait to work alongside her with the school’s auditions. “Ah, but the question is if you are able to handle my stubbornness,” he teased lightly in response, a wide grin set in his features. Of course, he knew Rachel well enough to know that painfully stubborn was a pretty accurate descriptor for her, but he was also very aware that he could match her. Especially when it came to the performing arts. “It would be an honour, Rachel. Thank you. We can discuss it over coffee, if you’d like? My treat.”

Rachel beamed, “Perfect!” she reached to squeeze the other in a tighter embrace than necessary before letting him go. “We’ll just out-stubborn one another. Let’s just say it’ll never be boring!” she mused, moving to grab some folders before coming back to him with a pleased look on her face. “Sounds like a plan,” the petite brunette agreed, moving to link her arm with his. “I sure hope you’re ready for me to talk your ear off about all this,” she added as they made their way to grab the aforementioned coffee.

“I doubt even security could stop Rachel Berry when she wants something,” Jesse sighed. “What will I get from such arrangement?”

“Observant. I’ll give you that,” she replied, seeming to stand up straighter at that comment. She took it as a compliment. Rachel saw nothing wrong with ambition and drive– probably because she carried it in spades. “Why more promotion for your theatre of course. Do you not thrive off of having performances here like any other theatre? Plus it’ll paint a pretty picture humanitarian-wise since all the ticket sales will go to a charity of the kids’ choice.”

Veronica just watched, she could see the frustration growing in the other but this was more fun than stopping. “Given the fact that you’ve already got worry line wrinkles, you should probably be worrying about your own skin instead of mine.”

Rachel’s hand immediately flew to her forehead, as if they would smooth out the wrinkles the other girl was supposedly talking about. “I do not have worry line wrinkles,” she insisted with an offended huff, already planning to add several skin treatments and face masks to her evening routine. “Do you always speak to authority figures with disrespect like that?”

It didn’t pass John the way the girl seemed to almost preen under the attention. Well, he knew what she responded to at least. Perhaps it was the teacher in him that sought to figure out how people ticked. Though he supposed he always sought to know how everything ticked. “I see. I should have known that really.”

When the man said he should’ve known that, Rachel took a moment to process why the man looked familiar, “Oh– you teach physics don’t you? Is it at the high school or at the university? That’s where I have a blank,” she replied after racking her memory. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner. I’m a little preoccupied with preparations for the spring musical at the moment. I guess everything outside of the theatre-verse goes fuzzy when I’m in the zone,” Rachel rambled with a soft laugh to herself.

“Easy, ‘hey kid, you’re not good at singing’,” Lizzie replied.

“I said without making them cry,” she echoed herself impatiently. “That tactic usually ends in tears.”

“Rachel Berry. I will make a note of that. The pleasure is all mine.” Taking the others hand and giving it a shake. “I take it you teach music?”

“I like to be remembered,” she admitted, puffing her chest up a little bit. “I’m a performing arts teacher at the high school. My friend Blaine Anderson holds the music teacher title actually,” Rachel clarified. “But you were close enough.”

The entire time the girl was ranting Veronica just stared, if she could deal with and of the Heathers, this girl would be a breeze. “Turns out, it’s surprisingly easy to ignore all those warnings.” She said easily, taking another drag on her smoke, resisting the urge she had to blow it in the others face. “Especially when you really need one.”

“There are healthier ways of dealing with whatever’s bothering you,” she tried to get through to the other. “At the risk of sounding like a worried mother you should really reconsider how it’ll impact you in the future. Your skin isn’t always going to look that great if you continue.”

“Better if they find out now than when they try to audition somewhere,” Nora shrugged.

Blaine was torn. Rachel was right, the world was harsh, and if the kids weren’t taught that now, it would hit harder further down the line, should they try to pursue a career in the performing arts. Even so, Blaine didn’t think he had the heart to be that harsh to the kids. “You do have a point,” he admitted, then gave a hum as an idea came to mind. “If you’re serious about getting me to come to help with the auditions, maybe we’ll balance each other out? It’ll teach them the realities of the industry, while also giving them areas to improve?”

“Honestly... I don’t know why I didn’t think to offer that position to you earlier,” Rachel admitted, feeling foolish she hadn’t asked Blaine to help her with the high school’s auditions in the first place. “You’re one of the few people in this entire town that can even remotely keep up with my level of talent and understanding in regards to the arts,” she mused, more to herself. “If you’re not too busy or not put off by having to work with my painfully stubborn self, I would love it if you would help me out with the auditions Blaine.”

John’s lips quirked upwards slightly. “You know that I am not your teacher… at least not in the manner which makes it so you have to address me as ‘Sir’ or ‘Professor’. My name’s John.”

“John, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied with a brief nod, noting it down for herself mentally. “I’m Rachel, Rachel Berry,” the brunette all but announced, sticking her hand out to the other.

A somewhat amused expression unfolded on John’s face at the singular word that fell from the woman’s mouth and a little chuckle escaped him. “Everyone has lessons to learn. No one is ever completely done. Perhaps that should be your aim; to learn how to break news in a more considerate manner?”

“I can give it a go, that’s for sure,” Rachel considered with a little shrug, not sure where she would start. “I can’t promise I’d be very good at it. At least not at first. Setting a new ambition could be potentially beneficial for me though. Thank you, sir.”

Veronica watched the other and took a long drag from her smoke, before exhaling it slowly. “I’m sure it is absolutely dreadful.” She said. “And yet, I don’t care.”

“That’s incredibly foolish on your part,” Rachel replied, unable to believe that someone could just not care like that. “Do you not ever read those warnings on the packets you buy? Or look at those unnecessarily graphic pictures of black lungs they put on them sometimes?” she rambled, definitely working herself up about this. “What are you gaining from smoking besides an increased risk of having lung cancer?”