Hey! This is a new St. Berry fic that I decided to write because I've read all of the other ones. Reminder that this takes place in a world where Rachel goes to Tisch, and has not seen or spoken to Jesse since the end of season 1! It has cussing in it, so beware.

It had been about 4 days since Regionals. 4 days since he lost his chance at anything with a certain Berry girl who he surely was not in love with. That idea would be absurd. What was there to like about her flowing brown hair that always got in her face when she leaned down to pick up something, or her big eyes that had filled with hurt and anger on the day they both lost everything?

Even if he was, she already knew Shelby was her mother. There would be no way in hell Shelby would let him go back there, even if she wasn't his coach anymore. She claimed that it was because she cared about Rachel, but everyone knew that wasn't true. How could you hurt someone that you cared about so badly like Shelby did to Rachel?

You should know. You did just that, you fucking dimwit.

And his teammates! They would kill him if they discovered it was even a possibility that the infamous Jesse St. James had feelings for the female lead of an opposing show choir, even if they weren't exactly competition anymore. Vocal Adrenaline was like that—they only cared about the competition. Nothing else mattered, not even the person who carried the team's feelings. If they did, then maybe he wouldn't have been forced to throw eggs at a vegan. Who he happened to have feelings for.

Don't even get started on Rachel's friends. They would beat his face in if he even went near Rachel. They had a right to. What he did last time to Rachel and the team was inexcusable and honestly just downright cruel. And then there was the infamous William Schuester, who would not let Rachel be in the Glee club and date Jesse at the same time. It would tear the team apart, and they barely had a shot at winning anything the next year as it is. That team was holding it together by a thread—that thread being the common hatred they currently shared for Jesse St. James. But let's face it, Jesse could never make Rachel choose. Ever. Of course, let's not forget the fact that Rachel Berry absolutely wants nothing to do with him. Quite frankly, Jesse was surprised that she stayed around to watch him perform Bohemian Rhapsody beautifully at Regionals. Even though it was one of the most beautiful performances he had ever done at a competition, he knew that his former girlfriend was not strong enough to take in her defeat and misery.

That's correct. He saw her, and oh boy, was she easy to spot. He could see the talent radiating off of her, the beauty shining through her face, her kindness blooming in her eyes. But he had to win Regionals for his scholarship, so he didn't look at her for more than 10 seconds before returning to his soulless self during performance. Obviously, they put on a great show, so they won. But New Directions deserved at least second. Aural Intensity sucked. Their dance moves were lackluster, and their female lead was nowhere as good of a singer as Rachel Barbra Berry. He knew that if they didn't place at Regionals, the WMHS Glee club would be over and he couldn't bear to imagine the pain that would put Rachel through.

He pushed all of these feelings aside and looks up at his teammates. They were counting on him to win Nationals for them. Some of the kids depended on the win to go to college, and he couldn't let them down, no matter how stupid they were.

"All right, idiots, let's get one thing straight. I get the male lead, as I have every year. It's obvious that I'm the one with the most talent, considering I won us Regionals. That's all I have to say. See you tomorrow," he said. That was the last time he spoke to them before Nationals. After that, all he did was sing.

This is going to be my year, Rachel Berry thought as she walked through the doors of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Finally, she was in college and ready to be the star of the show once again. Rachel knew for a fact none of the others, male or female, compared to her talent wise and definitely not in terms of ambition. Obviously, Rachel Barbra Berry could not be compared to anyone anywhere. She had gotten a scholarship to Tisch after her win at Nationals in her senior year, something that people from Nowhere, Ohio rarely received. It was going to be the start of a brand new year, with nothing from her past holding her back.

Kurt was the only person who she knew that was also living in New York, and they barely had a chance to see each other when she was running around, trying to get settled in and he was working at Vogue. Finn was still back in Lima, having broken up with Rachel right after Nationals. He claimed that with the distance and their differences, their relationship just wouldn't work, and Rachel couldn't say he was wrong. The girl was always in love with the idea of dating the quarterback after months of pining after him. It was familiar, welcome—but nothing special was happening. Now that they had left McKinley, there was no idea to be in love with. And while she didn't really like it and was still sore from the break up, it was okay.

As soon as she got in the dorm hall, she raced up to her room to find out who her roommate was. According to the sign, she was in room 221 with a girl named Megan who was a junior. She didn't mind the age difference, considering that would mean that she had a mentor to teach her how to get around. Rachel hauled her bags into the elevator and went straight to her room. The door opened with ease and already she was greeted by a friendly looking girl with shoulder length dark brown hair. The roommate helped put stuff where it belonged and then they both sat on the couch in the middle of the dorm.

"Hey! I'm Rachel Berry, future Broadway star and female lead of Nationals winning team New Directions!" Rachel said, smiling brightly. Megan smiled and replied, "I'm Megan. I take it that you're a musical theatre major. So am I! I hope you don't mind, I researched you before and I have to say you're twice as good as me." She continued to talk to Rachel about classes and stuff before saying, "You know, I have a friend that you would totally like. I have a few classes with him, but we all share lunch. I'll introduce you two then. You have about 3 classes with me, so sit next to me!"

Classes didn't start for about 4 days, so for those 4 days, the two new friends hung out in their dorm and talked about Broadway shows and common interests. It turned out they had a lot in common, like what they like to do and their favorite actress (Barbra Streisand, duh!). For example, one day, they sat down and watched a recording of Funny Girl 4 times consecutively and sang along to every part. That was the moment they truly bonded over their love of musical theatre. They went down to the vending machine about 2 times a day and spoke with other girls who were MT majors. By the end of the four days, Rachel had many friends to chill with in class and out of class.

Then, of course, there was the first day. Her first class, Acting with Emotion, was at 9 AM and Megan shared it with her and 4 more of their friends. They arrived at precisely 9, almost late. There were no seats in the front, so they sat in the back, where it was dark but they could still see up front. Professor Hillenburg, their teacher, ran in with a cup of coffee and a binder and set them both on the dark table in a rush. As soon as she got up front, she sighed.

"Sorry guys, I was running late. Anyways, I'm Professor Hillenburg, but call me Mrs. H, because I know it's a mouthful. Let's start with some facial expressions. Everyone, stand up," she yapped. As they stood up, Rachel caught a glimpse of familiar brown curls. However, when she looked back, she saw nothing there. Guess it's just a figure of my imaginations, she thought while cheerfully grinning. Mrs. H complimented her show face and after an hour and a half of talking about the importance of emotions and chemistry in acting, they were released. The other classes were just as boring on the first day, making Rachel upset. This was supposed to be fun, not mind numbing. Luckily, she was distracted by the fact that lunch in the dining hall was in 15 minutes, and she was hungry. The moment that they were released, she, Megan, and their other friends ran to the dining hall to get food.

"Hold on, let me text our dear friend to meet us," Megan announced, whipping out her phone. The other girls looked at her phone dreamily and sighed.

"Oh my God, he's so hot and talented, I would die for a chance to date him," Jamie mumbled, with the other girls agreeing with her. Apparently this friend was very popular, and not just with the MT majors. Everyone seemed to know this guy, considering the way the people talked about him. No one even needed to mention his name for them to understand who was being spoken of. Rachel guessed he was a very coveted person, so she couldn't wait to meet him. Maybe there was somebody who was her equal at Tisch.

"He's heading here right now. Rachel, he was in some of our classes, but we didn't talk to him. You may recognize him," Megan stated. "Oh, here he is now. Hey, bro!"

Rachel looked up slowly and her entire body froze. Her eyes locked with someone she hadn't seen since her sophomore year, and she had intended to keep it that way. The boy seemed just as surprised to see her, gaping at her with his mouth hanging open. Rage suddenly coursed through Rachel, but she managed to suppress it for a minute.

"Um, guys? Is something wrong?" Megan asked, smiling nervously.

"Jesse St. James. What the fuck are you doing here?"