#hm30

Everything seemed to be coming in from all sides all at once. 

Her entire life, she’d dreamed of one thing: Broadway. When she was merely 3, her fathers had taken her to see Annie at the theater, and Rachel knew, even if she wasn’t a redheaded orphan, that stage was her calling. And while growing up in a very privileged home allowed her to see every musical that graced the stages midtown - so long as they were age appropriate, of course - she was determined to make it there on her own. 

With her fathers connected to some of Manhattan’s most important businessmen, she probably could have used her flamboyant charm and sheer determination to make important connections. She could have demanded they put her on that stage, turn her into the next young Eponine or even a straggling orphan, but while her fathers paid for her dance, acting and voice lessons, they weren’t ready to let her strive for the spotlight just yet. 

Instead, she was forced into a private school a few blocks away, spending her afternoons in Central Park while her nanny watched her and her friends play, and whiling away the midnight hours with homework and lessons. Even as a child, Rachel moved a million miles a minute. One thing was never enough - and while she would often try and drag her only two friends with her, dance and singing was never really in the cards for them. 

And now...the role was hers, even if it wasn’t the role of her dreams. She wasn’t even sure the show would take off, truthfully, but it had a simple enough plot and a cohesive book and the songs - well, Rachel would make them come to life. Her co-star was someone who’d been in the chorus for years, flitting from Les Mis to Phantom to On The Town, who was thrilled to be given his chance as the lead for once. Two new names, a chance the producers were taking, and Rachel was terrified it would all fall through. 

Her fathers were, of course, over the moon. Being on MTV for a sitcom wasn’t as magnificent a feat as landing on Broadway was, not in the Berry household, and though she’d been nervous they would be upset at her for risking her job, they weren’t. 

No one really expected her to stay at HumorMe, but she supposed that was understandable. No one really knew what HumorMe had done for her. 

Audition after audition, being turned away because her nose was to big or her stature too small, she’d seen an ad for extras in a video for the website and shown up on a whim, hoping for the chance to at least add a credit to her name. And she kept showing up, until they advertised the need for a singer, and Rachel knew - this was her shot. 

Though she knew now that Sebastian didn’t just hand out compliments, even after working as hard as you could to prove you earned them, he’d hired her for the parody and, ultimately, hired her aboard for future work. She’d only written song in the privacy of her bedroom, never anything to share, and suddenly the entire world would be seeing her work. 

It was terrifying. 

Over the span of two years, her best friend came back from California, her other moved on to new opportunities, and Rachel herself found a confidence she’d never really felt before. She was proud of her work, successful in a field she’d never considered, and now she was going to be on television and Broadway. 

In a roundabout way, all of her dreams were coming true.