Chapter Text
Anywhere has to be better than here, Lucy reasoned with herself as she loaded the last of her boxes into the moving van. Anywhere had to be better than Lima, Ohio. It wasn't so much the place that she hated, it was more the people in it.
Despite Lucy's best efforts to be friendly with everyone, it seemed like nobody wanted to be her friend. Her large frame, hideous glasses, too large nose, and her love of reading seemed to scare everyone away. The kids at her school were obsessed with popularity and only good-looking people were popular. Lucy sometimes dreamed of being popular, winning prom queen, and dancing with the homecoming king, but that was just a schoolgirl fantasy.
She kept asking her parents to move somewhere far away from here. She wanted a fresh start in a place where people would be more likely to accept her and her offers of friendship. Her father was always quick to shut her down, exclaiming that no Fabray would run away from their problems under his roof.
She got a lucky break when her parents announced that they were getting a divorce and that Lucy would be moving with her mom to a small apartment in New York City. Lucy was so excited about moving, that she didn't get upset about the divorce until later that evening.
Two months later and moving day was here. Lucy and her mother finished packing all of their boxes into the moving van and drove towards New York in her mother’s small red car. The drive was long and tiring, but Lucy was able to finish her book by the time they pulled up in front of the new apartment. The moving truck carrying their things was already there and Lucy ran inside the apartment to take a look inside. It was small, but it was comfortable and roomy. Much of their furniture had already been moved inside the house and Lucy stepped in to the small bedroom that would be hers. It wasn’t much, but it represented a new beginning to Lucy.
Lucy and her mother spent the rest of the day unpacking boxes and making the apartment look more like an actual living space. They stopped midway to get bacon cheeseburgers at the nearby diner, Lucy’s favorite sandwich. By the time evening came, Lucy and her mother were exhausted and Lucy fell asleep as soon as she curled into her bed.
The next morning started with breakfast sandwiches and coffee at the diner. Lucy’s mother suggested a walk through Central Park and they hailed a taxi to take them there. As soon as they stepped into the park, Lucy was overwhelmed by how vast the park was. They walked through the park, a light breeze blowing to keep them cool in the August heat. There were many different types of people walking around the park, many of who were walking dogs of all shapes and sizes.
A little farther down her walk, Lucy saw the most beautiful girl standing near the side of the trail, an open, empty guitar case lying in front of her. She was short with long brown hair and brown eyes. Despite her size, she seemed larger than life and seemed to be able to command a room with her presence. Lucy’s heart started to pound in her chest upon seeing her, signaling her attraction to her.
Lucy had found out pretty quickly that she felt an attraction for girls that she never had for boys. Her father didn’t approve of that lifestyle so she had kept it hidden from everyone, forcing herself to feel any type of attraction she could muster to the popular boys at school that her father would be more likely to approve of. After her parents announced their divorce, Lucy had been unable to keep it a secret anymore. She came out to her mother with tears in her eyes, and to her surprise, only asked her if she wanted more bacon in her omelet. After the initial shock wore off, her mother confessed that she had suspected for a while and that she loved her no matter what. They shared their first real hug in a while and their relationship had been closer since then.
A crowd gathered around the girl, and Lucy got the impression that her presence in the park was a regular occurrence. “Thank you for coming,” said the girl, beaming brightly, “I’m Rachel Berry. If you think I’m brilliant, or simply outstanding, feel free to donate to my NYADA college fund.” She gestured to the empty guitar case in front of her. She locked eyes with Lucy and gave her a small smile. Lucy smiled back, a blush forming on her cheeks. Clearing her throat, Rachel began to sing a Broadway show tune that Lucy had heard on the radio once. Rachel was both brilliant and outstanding, her voice was the most beautiful thing Lucy had ever heard.
As soon as Rachel finished performing, the crowd clapped for her, Lucy and her mother included. A couple of people threw dollar bills into the guitar case before continuing about their day. Lucy pulled a five-dollar bill out of her wallet and walked up to Rachel. “You were brilliant,” Lucy said to her as she placed the bill into the case. Rachel grinned and Lucy could hear her heart race.
“Thank you,” said Rachel, “Have a great day.” Lucy debated internally whether she should say something else to the girl. Her nerves made the decision for her and she simply said goodbye as she went back over to her mother.
They continued their walk through Central Park and they soon came upon an area with a large fountain and several benches surrounding it. Lucy and her mother sat down and watched the people walk by with their dogs. A group of older boys walked past them and one of them pointed to Lucy as they walked by and whispered, “Look at that fat girl,” to his friends.
Unfortunately, Lucy heard the comment and wanted to cry as the boys sniggered at her. She had been hopeful when they moved that people here would be different. That they wouldn’t laugh at her ugly appearance and that they would be much friendlier towards her. She apparently had been wrong. She was sick of being ugly. She was sick of the weight that didn’t seem to go away no matter what she did. She was sick of her large nose and her hideous glasses. She wanted to be pretty for once.
An idea crossed her mind and she walked over to the fountain, pulling a penny out of her wallet. She reached the base of the fountain and closed her eyes. I wish I was pretty, Lucy thought to herself as she threw the coin into the fountain. It sank to the bottom, joining the numerous other coins representing ungranted wishes.
Lucy sighed and walked back to the bench, where her mother smiled at her. “What did you wish for?”
“I thought wishes were supposed to be secret,” Lucy replied. She sat back down in her seat and took a deep breath.
Her mother looked a little disappointed, “I suppose.” They sat for a few more minutes before resuming their walk. Lucy took one last glance at the fountain as they continued their walk through the park.