Glee 13 Going On 30: Finchel Edition

I kept my head down, wishing I could just melt away into the floor. I _hated_ school. Hated, hated, hated it. School was torture for anybody who was different, unique, namely _me_. I wasn't popular, I wasn't cool, I didn't feel half as pretty as all the other girls. I looked longingly at the group of cheerleaders on the opposite side of the corridor to me; I wanted nothing more than to be part of that group. My life would be perfect then, absolutely perfect, I was sure of it.

I'm Rachel, by the way. Rachel Barbra Berry, New Yorker and soon-to-be Broadway star. I'm officially thirteen years old and I'm so excited about it – I'm one year closer to leaving school, one year closer to Broadway, and one year closer to being thirty. I want to be thirty years old so badly. I saw this magazine article a couple of weeks ago saying thirty was the best age and I've wanted to fast-forward to that stage in my life ever since.

"Why can't I be thirty, flirty and thriving?" I mumbled under my breath, "Instead of being a dumb thirteen year old?"

"You're not dumb." I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of my best friend Finn's voice. "Happy birthday," He added with a smile.

"Thank you, Finny!" I squealed, hugging him. Noting his empty arms, I pouted and rather selfishly asked, "Where's my present?"

"I'll give it to you later at the party," He promised. "You're gonna love it, Rach. I know it." He paused. "Speaking of the party... Who else is coming?"

"I invited Lucy Fabray and her friends, but I don't know if they'll come…" To my surprise, the pretty blonde girl looked up at the sound of her name and waltzed over to where Finn and I were stood, her friends footsteps behind her. "Hi Lucy!"

"I can't come to your party tonight," She said, feigning sadness. "I have a science report to write and-."

"I'll do it for you!" I enthusiastically offered, honestly willing to do anything to get them to my party. "I can write the report for you; I'm an A+ student, you know."

"Awesome, thanks. So your house, seven pm?" I nodded excitedly, unable to let any words escape. Was _Lucy Fabray_, the most popular girl in my grade, actually coming to my birthday party? Was I dreaming? "I'll be bringing a few friends, if you don't mind. I've heard Jesse St James really wants to meet you." She placed emphasis on the word really and my heart fluttered in my chest.

Jesse St James.

The gorgeous curly-headed theatre star. The high school senior every girl was madly in love with, including myself.

And he really wanted to meet me.

_Me_.

I pinched my upper arm, no, wasn't dreaming. It was real. It was actually real life.

Fast forward a couple of hours and I was sat in front of my mirror, applying the finishing touches to my make-up. As I spread the shiny pink gloss over my lips, I smiled at my reflection, quite impressed with how I looked. I'd styled my hair similar to how I'd seen one of Lucy's friends, Brittany, do it before, and I had on a short pink dress. I had to look good, especially since Jesse would be there.

"Knock, knock," I heard one of my fathers call from outside my bedroom door. "How's our precious baby doing?"

I rolled my eyes, I was _not_ a baby. "Your teenage daughter is doing just fine," I responded. Hearing the clicking of a camera, I turned around, finding my papa, Hiram, snapping pictures of me from all angles. "Papa, what are you doing?"

"Taking pictures of you. You look beautiful."

"Thanks. Now would you leave? My guests will be here soon and you promised you'd keep out of our way."

"Of course," My daddy, Leroy, replied. "As long as you take that stuffing out of your dress." He nodded towards my larger than usual chest, and I blushed brightly. I'd just wanted to be more attractive and more grown-up. "You're thirteen, not sixteen or seventeen. You don't need it." I reluctantly removed the padding from underneath my dress and he smiled, leaving my room and shutting the door behind him with a soft slam.

The moment he was gone, I put the stuffing back in, refusing to look like a little girl next to Lucy, who looked so much older than her age. I stood in front of the mirror again, pulling a few poses.

The door bell rang, and I sprinted out of my bedroom and down the stairs. It was probably Finn. A smile spread on my face at the thought.

"Hey!" He beamed once I'd opened the door, a great big cardboard box in his hands. "Here's your present!" Together we walked down to the basement, and I eagerly opened the box, my smile widening.

"You know how you always wanted a Barbie dream house?" He asked, and I nodded, wondering where on earth he was going with it. "Well, I know your parents never got you one, so I decided to make one for you!"

"Finn! Oh my gosh!" I gasped as I saw the beautiful pink house, tears welling in my eyes. (I don't care if it was overly dramatic of me; he's honestly the best best friend _ever_.)

"It's your very own Rachel dream house – complete with Rachel figures on the inside." Looking closer, I could see what he was talking about. There was me playing the piano, me watching Funny Girl, my favourite movie musical of all time, and Finn was even there, too, sat next to me on the sofa eating sour patch kids, our favourite candy.

I stared at it in awe. "You seriously made this?"

"Yep. Took me a couple of weeks and a lot of hard work, but I think it was worth it."

"Aw, Finny!"

"That's not all." He pulled a small packet out of his back pocket and I peered closer. 'Magic wishing dust', it read. 'To make all your dreams come true.' Finn then sprinkled the dust all over the roof of the house, a proud look on his face. "Like it?"

"I love it, Finn! It's the best present ever!"

Just then, the doorbell rang and I hopped up from my seat on the floor. "They're here! They're here! Quick, um, hide the house in the closet!" I picked it up and hurried into the closet, placing the house on the very top shelf, way out of sight.

"What? Why? I thought you loved it?" He cried.

"I do, but we need room to dance," Came my pretty feeble answer. "Finny, turn on some good music while I let them in."

Flustered, I ran up the stairs, quickly checking my appearance in the mirror before opening the front door and finding Lucy and her best friends. I beamed.

"Hi guys! The party is downstairs. We've got music, food, games…" They didn't reply to me, simply dumping their jackets in my arms and strutting off through my house. I turned to admire them, until I heard a loud car pulling up outside my house. I looked through the open door and my mouth nearly fell open at the sight. Jesse St James. On my driveway. In a leather jacket. What. Is. Air?

When Jesse and I joined the rest of the party, I found Finn dancing alone in the middle of the floor to one of his horrible rock songs. I stifled a giggle. Dancing was the wrong word; he was bobbing his head and awkwardly moving his arms and legs around to the beat of the music. I found it kind of cute and endearing, but Lucy obviously didn't agree, rolling her eyes at him, so I did the same.

"I have an idea to liven this party up a little. Let's play seven minutes in heaven," Lucy suggested. "Rachel, since you're the birthday girl, you get to go first." Removing her scarf, Lucy tied it around my eyes as a blindfold and everything went dark as the girl explained how the game worked. Apparently I had to wait in the closet, blindfolded, and then some 'lucky guy' would come in and do whatever he wanted with me for seven perfect minutes. Jesse, Jesse, Jesse, I chanted in my mind, hoping for the gorgeous boy, with the even more gorgeous voice, to join me. And after the pretty blonde girl led me into the room, whispering that it was in fact Jesse who wanted to go in first, my heart rate sped up and a bright blush coloured my cheeks.

"Before I forget, _Rachie_, where did you put that science report?" Lucy asked through the closed door. I replied, informing her it was on the sideboard. "Thanks. No peeking."

I lowered myself to the floor, sitting and waiting for what felt like hours before Jesse came in.

Hearing the door open, I said, attempting to use a flirty tone to my voice, "I'm so glad you're here. Finally." I reached out, feeling for him, and entwined our fingers when I found them. I felt tingles course through my skin. "You have no idea how excited I am that this is finally happening."

"Me too."

Wait.

I regognized that voice.

That voice did not belong to my charming future husband Jesse St James.

It belonged to Finn.

My best friend.

Who I was about to kiss.

My eyes darted open and I tugged off the blindfold, seeing him right in front of me, his lips puckered expectantly.

"What the heck are you doing here?" I asked him. I was supposed to be having seven minutes in heaven with my dream man, not Finn! "Where's Jesse?"

"He's gone. Everybody's gone." As I stood, I was able to see the empty basement. The disappointment was pretty evident in my face. I thought they were my friends now, but clearly not. They used me for homework and free food. Tears threatened to leak from my eyes, but I refrained, trying to keep a cool exterior.

"What did you do, Finn?"

"Huh? I didn't do anything! I just left to get some more music from my house, came back and they were all gone!"

"You must have done something! What did you do?" I repeated, my anger boiling. I knew he didn't like them, but come on, making them leave my birthday party? That was pretty low.

"Nothing!" He replied back, his volume rising. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Get out, Finn!" I yelled, shoving his shoulders with all my strength. "Get out of my house!"

"Wait, Rachel- Please."

"No! I hate you! I hate you!_ I hate you_!"

And I slammed the door in my best friend's face.

"I hate everything!" I screamed, frustrated and upset. "I hate my life!"

No longer fighting against them, the tears flowed freely down my cheeks, burning at my skin as I thrashed my head against the shelving behind me. I was curled up in a ball in the closet, surrounded by nothing but darkness and I'd never felt so alone. I closed my eyes.

"I want to be thirty. I want to be thirty. I want to be thirty. _Thirty, flirty and thriving_." With one final knock against the shelf, I felt something small fall onto my hair.  
I can't remember anything after that, though, because it all went black.

* * *

**So I watched this movie the other day and I thought it was absolutely adorable. After talking to my friend Martina, I decided to try writing a Finchel version of it. This will be a multi-chapter if I get a good response, so you know what to do and it begins with the letter R.;)**

**[Disclaimer] I do not own 13 going on 30, nor do I own Glee. **


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Glee, Fantasy, Romance