Chapter 1: The top
Rachel's POV
(Rachel's sophomore year; Invitationals in Carmel)
Are you here already?
Rachel looked around to make sure no one's looking over her shoulder and glanced back at the screen of her cell phone. Smiling, she texted back as quickly as she could:
I'm entering the auditorium. You sure you can't sneak out for a sec?
She waited only few seconds before her phone buzzed again. She read the message immediately but her face fell at the text:
Not really. Shelby is still in the audience.
Rachel looked around and, indeed, spotted Vocal Adrenaline's coach few meters from her. The woman was talking with an important-looking middle-aged lady. However, as if feeling Rachel's look on her head, Shelby turned to look in Rachel's direction. Rachel smiled and waved discretely; Shelby returned the smile nodding ever so slightly to greet the girl and before returning her attention to her interlocutor. Sighing silently, Rachel focused on her phone again.
It's stupid that she wouldn't let you come out for a second.
Jesse's answer was almost immediate:
I know, it sucks. But I can see you from the wings.
Rachel's head snapped to the direction of the stage and she smiled widely seeing Jesse dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks, glancing from behind the curtain. He looked ridiculously good and grinned to her in response to her own smile. She saw him moving his fingers over the keyboard of his phone – soon after that, her phone gave out a distinct buzz.
Where's the rest of your team? he wrote.
Rachel looked around again but her friends were still out in the hallway.
Outside. I'm saving the seats.
Come here.
Rachel didn't need any further encouragement. She jumped to her feet and started walking down the aisle. She wanted to wish Jesse good luck – not that he needed any – herself and, before all, just see him. The last few weeks were crazy for her, with glee club, Finn and many other things, and Jesse's visits were limited by Shelby's exhausting schedule for Vocal Adrenaline. Carmel's Invitationals gave them a great opportunity to meet, that's why she was so enthusiastic about coming over to Akron – even if with her team who couldn't know she knew Jesse.
Rachel was almost by the stage when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She threw Jesse a quick glance and saw the dismay displayed all over his face. She didn't need to turn around to know whose hand was holding her.
"Rachel, take a seat. Don't distract him," Shelby told her with a raised eyebrow.
As if she could distract him from showing a crowd of people what an awesome singer he was.
"I just wanted to wish him good luck," she pouted with innocent expression.
"I'll pass the message," the woman smiled at her warmly and Rachel felt a pang of guilt in her heart. No, she couldn't say anything yet. Then, Shelby looked up and her face sobered instantly. "I think your coach is looking for you."
Rachel turned to see that, indeed, Mr Schue and Ms Pillsbury were by their seats, looking around in search of something – most probably her. Kurt, Tina, Artie and Mercedes were with them and Kurt was the first to spot her. He frowned and looked at her questioningly. Rachel sighed and nodded curtly at Shelby, praying at the same time that Kurt or anyone do not recognise Shelby as the coach of Vocal Adrenaline.
She pulled out her phone again and, walking back to her seat, typed a short message to Jesse.
Break a leg.
She returned to her seat and took it without a comment.
"Who's that woman?" she heard Kurt's whisper over her ear.
Rachel looked behind her to see Shelby talking with some man now.
"I don't know," Rachel replied trying to sound nonchalant. "She wanted to know the time."
Kurt looked at her for a moment and then he lowered his head to look at her cell phone that she was still holding in her hand. Rachel turned away from him and focused on the stage purposefully ignoring his stare. He obviously didn't believe her but Rachel had no intention of telling them that she was friends with their competition and knew their coach. And that the said coach was her biological mother.
Not for the first time, Rachel wanted to just ran up to the woman and tell her she knew. Telling her mother that she wanted them to be close was something she never considered seriously, until she met Finn. Suddenly, she craved a woman's opinion and advice. Her dads were great, Jesse even more, but she simply wanted a mum to talk to. Rachel grimaced under her nose. Telling Shelby would solve many problems; but until she was eighteen, she couldn't. Opening her mouth would be troublesome for Shelby, to say the least. And getting her into trouble was out of question – her dads would have been able to restrain their contacts completely.
"Hey, guys, so this is supposed to be our 'competition'," Mr Schue's voice brought her back to reality.
Rachel blinked and saw the man make a quote marks with his fingers. Rachel muffled a snort at the arrogant and confident tone of her teacher's voice. He was in for a surprise, apparently.
"But I honestly don't think that they've got the talent that we have."
Oh, he definitely was in for a surprise. Not that Rachel didn't believe in the New Directions. She totally did but her glee club were just at the threshold of their show choir adventure, she just had to admit that to herself. The team was in desperate need of new members, more backups for her solos and definitely better attitude. They had a potential but they needed to work hard before they are really good.
Someday, they will be just as lethal as Vocal Adrenaline – better even – but not yet. Until that day comes, they will watch the best club in the US with smiles on their faces, cheer them – Jesse – on and play it nice. When the time comes, Rachel will show Shelby that she didn't need to transfer to Carmel to get National title with her team.
Her considerations were interrupted by the beginning of the first performance. The lights dimmed and the host's voice announced Jesse's team to the stage. Rachel straightened up and smiled. The curtain went up and they saw Vocal Adrenaline gathered in the middle of the stage, standing there with their heads lowered. Jesse was situated in the back; he was the only one not to look at his feet. Instead, he was looking directly ahead of him with a smirk.
Then they began.
And that was something Rachel called a show. She discretely looked sideways to spy on other's reaction and forced her expression not to betray her feelings; they were all sitting with terrified and astonished faces that screamed disbelief and terror, even Mr Schue. She moved a little and focused back on the stage and then again on Shelby. The woman was standing by the wall to her right, carefully observing the scene and her performers in silent evaluation and nodding her head slowly.
And as suddenly as it started, the number was over.
The auditorium erupted in a thunderstorm of applause and whistles when Vocal Adrenaline finished singing. Rachel blinked several times, trying to focus back on the Carmel auditorium. Her hand twitched in the similar reaction to the people around her but the rest of the New Directions didn't move; they seemed to be in too much of a shock to react in any way. Rachel thought that applauding the competition wouldn't be a fortunate in these circumstances.
"We're d-d-doomed," Tina stuttered out with horror.
Rachel rolled her eyes, even their coach didn't seem to be in a good mood. Where was their war spirit? Gathering her strengths, Rachel quickly jumped to her feet and started clapping her hands. Her companions threw her stunned looks.
"Come on, they were good," she told them encouragingly. "Heads up. Show some class."
Slowly, one by one, they joined her. Rachel looked at the stage again, hoping to give Jesse her own private applause, but the team was off the stage already. Just as if Jesse was reading her mind, her phone buzzed for the tenth time this day.
You can always transfer. I have Leroy wrapped around my finger and I bet I could convince even Hiram.
Rachel shook her head to herself reading Jesse's message. She was getting tired of hearing the proposal over and over. She would love to go to Carmel, sure, but her dads couldn't just throw everything – their job, friends and her school – away. Besides, as long as Shelby was teaching there, it was highly unlikely for her dads to seek any sort of closeness with the woman apart from Rachel knowing her as Jesse's coach.
To move to Akron? They would never do that, Jesse.
She didn't need to wait long for his answer. She laughed silently to herself when she read:
Then, to allow you move in with me. You could sleep in my bed while I'm on the floor, guarding you.
She raised her eyebrow.
Don't you have like three spare bedrooms in your house?
But with you in the guest room there would be no fun.
"And now, a round of applause for guests invited by our own Vocal Adrenaline especially for this occasion. From the Dalton Academy in Westerville, The Warblers!" the host announced and Rachel looked up. That was unusual – Vocal Adrenaline rarely shared their performance space. Looking around, Rachel saw how Mr Schuester frowns and whispers something to Ms Pillsbury's ear.
In meanwhile, the all-boy team was already on the stage. Rachel has heard about this team, they had a good lead – not as good as Jesse and she but a decent one – and were currently the second best glee club in Ohio. Hit with a sudden realisation, Rachel let out a short breath. There's nothing simpler than inviting the enemy on the stage to observe and learn their weaknesses, Rachel thought. Indeed, Shelby was still in her spot, watching the group of teenagers on her stage. Giselle was with her, nodding her head and making notes.
Shaking her head, Rachel focused back on the stage. The Warblers started their performance and Rachel felt another buzz against her leg. She looked around the dark audience and read the message.
We are better. Jesse wrote simply.
Are you watching them from the wings?
I'm right behind you.
Rachel froze.
What do you mean behind me?
She heard someone move in the row behind her and felt a hand going through her hair. She bit her lip while doing everything in her power not to react in any way. Jesse was sitting behind her and she couldn't even move her head not to reveal them. She really didn't need anyone to see the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline playing with her hair.
She pulled her cell phone up to her face.
Someone will notice you, she sent to Jesse.
His hands released her locks. Rachel quickly pulled away and pushed her hair over her shoulder away from Jesse's hands.
It's too dark. They have a good lead.
Rachel focused on the stage again. The dark-haired guy who was singing was called Blaine Anderson and she just had to admit that Jesse was right; he had a good voice and moves. She looked around to see if her colleagues shared her opinion and noticed that Kurt was observing the boy intently. She smiled.
We tried to bring him in but he's too stubborn. Like you. So Shelby invited his team to show him what he's losing by his refusal.
Rachel raised her eyebrows.
Poaching is a sin. She wrote with a sober expression. She couldn't understand why Shelby needed to bring in people from other teams to Carmel if they were already a perfectly programmed winning-machine.
Poaching is a strategy.
"Who are you texting, Berry?"
Rachel jumped in the air at the sound of Mercedes' annoyed voice by her ear. She looked at her teammate and prayed that the girl didn't look behind her to see Jesse's hands on her hair again.
"Focus on the stage, will you?" the girl grumbled on.
"I'm not texting anyone," Rachel whispered back. "I'm taking notes to analyse later."
"Uh-uh," Mercedes replied and turned away from her.
Another buzz.
What was that about?
So Jesse was still watching her. She smiled to herself.
You. Texting me.
The Warblers' show was over and people around Rachel stood up from their seats to clap their hands. She quickly followed suit and finally, under the cover of general chaos, turned back to look behind her and stole a glance at Jesse. He was clapping his hands as well but his eyes were focused on her. He leaned in and Rachel understood that he wanted to use the general hustle and bustle to cover up his voice.
"Why are you even so bound on them not knowing about me? Are you ashamed of me, Rach?" he asked with a fake hurt in his voice. In response, she only snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Okay guys," she heard Mr Schue's voice. He tried to sound optimistic but the terror was much too visible in his voice to be ignored. Rachel suppressed a roll of her eyes this time. "It wasn't that bad. Let's meet in the parking lot in twenty minutes."
Rachel nodded her head and watched how the rest of her team got up and felt the auditorium along with the people around them. She called after her colleagues that she will join them in a minute, and making sure she was alone, she turned around and grinned at Jesse who leaned against the back of his chair and smiled at her lazily. He was still in his costume but his white shirt was covered by the blue Vocal Adrenaline jacket.
"So, Ms Berry, scouting the competition, aren't we?" he mocked her.
Rachel rolled her eyes. Jesse changed his position and leaned in, closer her. His hand reached out to her bag before she managed to react. He grabbed it and started going through her stuff, ignoring her attempts at snatching her belongings back to her.
"You are ridiculous, Jesse. Why would I spy on you since my infiltration started years ago," she threw back in answer to his question, while trying to get a hold of her bag. Jesse was now standing on his feet and she was too short to jump over to catch her bag that he was holding in her hand. She swore that sometimes Jesse was just a big child. "There's nothing more I can learn about you."
Jesse smirked.
"And you know how hot that is?" he replied with raised brow. "You know everything about me, I know everything about you and we're still just a pair of innocently decent best friends."
Rachel rolled her eyes; it was because she knew more than she wanted about him that they were just friends. She hated when Jesse used that mocking tone towards her; like she was a toddler and he wanted to show Rachel her place. Finally, Jesse found his CD that he was looking for in Rachel's bag and gave it to her back without another comment.
"Speaking of hot, the Warbler's lead was kind of cute," she noticed, remembering the sweet smile he threw at the audience at the end of the song. "I wish I could be pretty enough to date such boys," she added with a twinge of sadness when the face of one special quarterback appeared in her mind.
Jesse grimaced.
"I don't think you would ever be pretty enough for him," he noticed and Rachel glared. Jesse could be a jerk sometimes, seriously. She opened her mouth to hiss at him but he continued. "He's gay, Rach."
Oh.
"Kurt can have him, then," she murmured trying to keep her face straight.
Jesse chuckled.
"You are just pretty enough to get any straight guy in this city, Rach," Jesse ruffled her hair and she jumped back, trying to mend her hairdo. "But we will focus on that later. Now I gotta go back to Shelby. Say hi to Hiram and Leroy from me."
Jesse strode away and Rachel laughed after him:
"Hey, Jesse!"
He turned his head to look at her for the last time questioningly.
"We'll give you the run for your money this year," she shouted
Jesse burst into laughter.
"Can't wait to witness that, Rach!" he called back and disappeared in the crowd.
Rachel's POV
(present day)
"Rachel, I'm leaving in ten minutes," Shelby called from the kitchen. Rachel finished brushing her hair and put down the comb, looking at her reflection in the mirror critically. She sighed at the sight; she had dark circles under her eyes due to her last-night late talk with Jesse.
He has gone to New York over three weeks earlier and the only form of contact they had was through phone or Skype – none of which was enough for Rachel, to be honest. She and Jesse did whatever they could to stay in touch, even if it meant spending long hours talking to each other on the phone. Rachel thought that it should be illegal to let girls' boyfriends study in another state – it robbed the couple of the well-needed proximity and connection.
Shelby knocked at the door again and entered Rachel's room.
"Do you really want me to ban late phone calls with Jesse?" her mother threatened Rachel half-heartedly. "I can't have you sleeping on your legs at school or in rehearsal."
Hearing the words, Rachel quickly turned and shook her head.
"Just a bit of coffee and I'm good to go," she promised fervently. "Five minutes."
Shelby nodded her head and left the girl alone again. With more life this time, Rachel grabbed a bit of fluid and covered the dark evidence of the lack of sleep. Few seconds later, she was good to go.
"How are you feeling?" Shelby asked her when they jumped into her car. Rachel decided to get a ride with her mother before she had a chance to get her Range Rover to their place. Rachel smiled under her nose at the memory of her deal with Jesse; she filled her end of the bargain and it was time to collect her possession.
"I miss Jesse," she murmured with a shrug. "It will be the first time I'm here without him."
Shelby nodded her head in understanding. She looked around before turning the engine on and pulling out of the parking lot.
"The team meets up after your last period," Shelby said, but her eyes were focused on the road ahead of her so that she didn't see the way Rachel's head slumped; another place that Jesse should be and wasn't. "We need to go over some purely organisational stuff but I'd like you to be there."
Rachel nodded her head. She pulled out her cell and sent a short message to Jesse. She grinned when he responded almost immediately.
"How many people we need to close the numbers?" Rachel asked, realising that Jesse wasn't the only senior that left the halls of Carmel.
Kate was off to Columbus. Rachel knew that she went to college there, probably even with her mysterious "Columbus guy" who none of them never really had a chance to meet face to face in the end. But, Kate being Kate, completely cut herself off their group not long after graduation. So, whatever Rachel thought was up with Kate, it all came down to wild guesses. Even Jesse was none the wiser – Kate stopped answering his calls soon after the end of June.
At the beginning Rachel was worried and slightly confused but Jesse remained calm, saying that Kate was a free spirit and probably in the midst of preparation for college or any other occupation. According to him, Kate had a summer internship in her friend's father's company and it probably took up most of her time.
As far as the rest of the seniors were concerned, they were more likely to show up from time to time. Andrea and Dave both got into Yale. Giselle couldn't resist the warmth and sun of California and ended up in Los Angeles. But before they all left, they would meet from time to time, either the girls alone or with Justin, Dave and Jesse as their bodyguards. However that was, Rachel always ended up glad that they were still there; she grew to love their company over the few months. But now, the team would seem... empty without them. Like something was missing.
Let's face it, she thought to herself. She would miss even the one girl that barely tolerated her presence; who was better to motivate her to give her best than Giselle's glare and more or less sneaky comment.
With this reflection, Rachel turned to look at Shelby who considered her words in silence.
"It depends on the rehearsal tomorrow," she answered. "We have obviously lost the core six but it doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't lose their spot after the summer."
"So we have to re-audition," Rachel guessed matter-of-factly.
Shelby threw her a short glance.
"It's not that I don't think any of you shouldn't be on the team..."
"It's just to re-establish some organisation and morale," Rachel finished for her mother with a smile. "I have no problem with that. In fact, I have the perfect song ready."
It was a nice improvement in the glee policy since the New Directions; Mr Schue accepted almost anyone and the mere idea of auditions for anything ended up in a fight and whines from Finn, Santana and Mercedes. Rachel believed in auditions being the only objective way of selecting the most proficient and valuable players in the team. Seeing that Shelby shared the view, Rachel couldn't hide the smile – again thanking for the possibility of being a part of her mother's group. She loved being in Vocal Adrenaline more and more.
In meantime, Shelby parked her car in the parking lot of Carmel. Rachel jumped out of the vehicle and stopped, looking around. She took another deep breath, remembering how nervous she was the first time she escaped Shelby's car like that – it was her first day in Carmel after her transfer in March. The nervous mess she'd been back then was now replaced by a surge of confidence and peace.
She was Rachel Berry, the lead of Vocal Adrenaline and this year would be hers to take.
Smiling to herself, she waved at Shelby and strode towards the entrance. Some time later, she was by her locker fighting with the new code, when a mass of dark curls hit her arm and almost tackled her to the ground. Blinking, Rachel managed to get out of the dead hug and looked oddly at Jackie.
"Why the enthusiasm?" she asked raising her eyebrow. She and Jackie spent the summer apart; Rachel with Jesse and the rest, while Jackie was out in Europe with her boyfriend.
"Ready to take the school in the strides?" Jackie asked with a vicious smile. "It is going to be perfect. Oh, I can't wait – the homecoming, all the show choir competition ahead of us... the prom!"
Rachel chuckled at the last bit.
"Don't look so condescendingly, Berry," Jackie scowled at her. "You might've been to every possible prom for the past two years but I haven't, so suck it up and be happy for me."
Rachel nodded her head. The truth was, if she counted the last two proms she had gone to Jesse with and her own junior and senior prom in the following two years – it would seem she had a real chance of attending a prom every year her of high school experience. Her, Rachel Berry. The McKinley loser and weird Broadway diva. Where does it put Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez then? she thought with satisfaction, closing her locker with a loud thud. Jackie was going on and on about her prom dress and other exciting plans for the forthcoming months and Rachel only smiled in response. She grabbed Jackie's schedule to confirm they still had most of their classes together.
"Fine, let the new year begin," Rachel officially announced.
Jackie seemed to finally calm down; she stopped talking and pulled out her cell phone, tailing Rachel closely while typing furiously.
"Hi, Rachel," someone called nearby. Rachel looked up and turned but the owner of the voice was long gone. Shrugging, she went on but noticed the looks she received from majority of people; they weren't the usual curious or, fortunately, hostile glances. Instead, looking around, she was met with smiles, nods of heads, and short shy greetings from people she had no idea existed.
"Oh my god, I love that necklace," some small blonde who Rachel vaguely recognised from Spanish approached her. "Where did you get it?"
"Thanks," Rachel replied carefully – she wasn't used to getting that much positive attention. She touched the said piece of jewellery that she'd gotten from Jesse's mom for her 'birthday' and looked at it with a smile. "It was a present."
"Oh, it's super cool. Well, see you later, Rachel," the blonde waved her hand.
Feeling her confidence raise even more, Rachel lifted her head and tucked Jackie's arm into her own, for once looking into her forthcoming high school days with hope and excitement.
Jackie was right: it was going to be amazing.
Entering her first class, she was surprised to see her old desk surrounded by people. She exchanged the quick looks with Jackie who shrugged, as lost as she. Only when Rachel came closer she met familiar blue eyes.
"Justin," she smiled uncertainly. "Hi."
The boy who was most probably going to end up singing his leads beside her, jumped to his feet. The girls around scowled at her initially but Rachel only shook her head in reassuring manner.
"I'm still dating Jesse St. James," she clamed down the glares. "This one is still on market," she assured the gathered crowd, gesturing to Justin's smug smirk.
It caused the expected reaction; the girls – mostly cheerleaders – scattered around but kept looking at them with suspicion. Only when they were left relatively alone, Rachel focused on Justin again. She finally noticed the tall pile of files on her desk.
"What's that?" she asked looking down and opening the first one. It contained the birth certificate and resume of a girl named Cecilia Brandston. She instantly realised what she was looking at. "Oh, right."
Justin nodded his head.
"We wanted to spare you the necessity while Jesse was still in town," he said. "But we need to get back on the track with the missing people. Did Shelby get you through the mechanics of the first two or three rehearsals?"
Nodding her head, Rachel analysed the remaining documents in Cecilia Brandston's file critically. She didn't even finish reading the second page of her health history when she grimaced.
"This one is a no-no," she declared. "Knee surgery two years ago."
Without waiting for Justin's approbate, she placed the file on her desk, pulled out her pink marker and put a big X on it. Justin whistled impressed.
"You know the ropes, I see," he grinned at her. "Great, this is only a part of files on people from Carmel. I have the rest and the ones from other teams worth considering."
"I did it with Jesse every year," Rachel answered, finally looking up at her teammate. "I'll get it done by the end of the week, is it possible? Then I'd like to have a look at your part."
"I think we should get this done by the end of this week. Let's just meet up tonight after rehearsal at my place?"
Eventually agreeing with Justin, Rachel nodded her head. The bell rang and the students around them started taking their seats.
"I feel we're going get a good job done this year, Berry," Justin threw over his shoulder.
Sighing happily, she opened her books and tried to concentrate on the board but found it impossible. It was unbelievable, she'd texted with Jesse less than half an hour earlier and yet she couldn't resist typing another few words.
Heading to meet my mentor, Jesse replied. How is Carmel without me?
Great but would be better if you were here, she texted back. I can't stop thinking about you. Is this normal?
She could imagine Jesse, somewhere on the campus, chuckling at her silly question.
Can't say if it's normal but it's definitely the way I spent my last eighteen days, thirteen hours and... twenty four minutes: thinking about you.
Blushing slightly, Rachel grinned to herself. So she wasn't the only one counting the days, huh?
"Earth to Rachel."
Rachel's head snapped upwards. She looked at Jackie who was pointing subtly to the teachers' desk. Mr Towell, her new algebra teacher was glaring at her phone.
"Ms..." the man started.
"Berry, sir," she stammered nervously. It was the firs time she was caught daydreaming by a teacher.
"Can you tell us, Ms Berry," Mr Towell smirked. "What's so interesting on that phone?"
Rachel's face turned red.
"Nothing, sir."
She had a hunch the teacher would not be her greatest fan. Luckily, algebra wasn't her worst school subject so she would make sure not to slack off in classes.
"I thought so," the man threw standing up and approaching her. Glancing nervously at Jackie, she noticed her friend's scared expression. Great, just what she needed: making a new teacher mad on her first day; Shelby would be so happy.
Rachel was sure the man would confiscate the device but he only took it from her hands and threw a quick glance at the screen. Rachel opened her mouth to protest but before she could get out a single word, Mr Towell grimaced.
"Jesse St. James? He's not even in the same state and he somehow manages to disturb my classes again."
Someone nearby muffled a chuckle. Towell looked in that direction but Rachel only frowned. But she remained calm when the teacher threw her an evaluating look.
"You are in that team?" he asked impassively.
Rachel nodded.
"I'm the new lead," she answered confidently but trying not to sound too proudly. The man didn't seem to like show choirs or at least its members.
"Lead?" the man repeated. "Then I guess we won't be seeing much of each other, at least. Works for me."
Rachel opened her mouth in confusion and was about to ask but the teacher simply gave her back her phone and returned to his desk. Stunned, Rachel opted for the safest way-out she saw: keeping silent for the rest of the class, not to make the teacher change his mind about throwing her outside or worse – telling Shelby. The only exception was when Mr Towell would try to test her randomly. Fortunately, she managed to get most of the equations right. Looking up, she almost expected to see the sight of irritation at his failed attempts at making her feel bad or uncomfortable by her, assumed, lack of knowledge. But instead she noticed the impressed expression with every correct answer.
Her phone stayed tucked inside her bag for the rest of the class, just in case.
"Another one. Who would be so kind as to..." Mr Towell smirked, looking straight at Rachel but he was interrupted by the distinct sound from the corridor.
Saved by the bell, Rachel let out a relieved breath. She jumped to her feet and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but decided otherwise. Whispering to Jackie to wait for her outside, she approached the teacher's desk.
"Yes, Ms Berry?" Mr Towell asked, fortunately without the anticipated hint of dismay in his voice.
Rachel cleared her throat.
"I wanted to apologise for my behaviour at the beginning of the class," she sighed trying not to lose a grip on the pile of documents in her hands. That thing weighted a tone. "That won't happen again."
"I hope so. Tell Mr St. James not to text you when you're in my class," the man told her simply.
When she didn't go away immediately, Towell threw her another curious look.
"Something else?"
"Yes, actually," Rachel frowned. "What you've said earlier, about us not seeing each other often?"
The teacher stood up and started collecting the papers scattered across his desk.
"Well, assuming from the fact that Shelby Corcoran managed to get Mr St. James off the hook and send in some poor kid to take the classes for him for four years, I don't expect to see you here more frequently than those traditional five times per semester."
Rachel let out a small sigh, finally understanding the teacher's words. She shrugged.
"I had the same opportunity last year and I still took most of my classes," Rachel declared. "I plan on doing myself as much as I can, sir."
Towell seemed surprised. Finally, he nodded his head.
"Good. You're smart, Berry. St. James was lazy, don't turn into him."
Jesse? Lazy? Rachel contained a chuckle. He was the most hard-working person she knew – but, true, it held mostly in the case of music. She threw a hasty goodbye and finally, exited the classroom.
"Oh my god," Jackie exclaimed as soon as she saw Rachel. "Do you know what you've just done?"
"Huh?" she didn't understand. "I apologised my teacher for disturbing the class?"
Jackie rolled her eyes.
"It's one thing to interrupt Towell's algebra," Jackie hushed admonishingly. "The other is forcing him to look at you after class once more. You just don't apologise to him... But I'm sure he told you this much himself."
Rachel shook her head.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," she said to Jackie. "He told me just to tell Jesse to be off the phone next time. And I told him I wasn't going to send anyone in for me like Jesse had."
Jackie irked an eyebrow.
"He let you talk?" she asked with disbelief. "I went to him to apologise once, in my freshman year. He first threw a tantrum and then me out."
"You've caught him on his bad day or something. He seemed civil to me. Called me smart," Rachel added proudly. She liked being called smart.
"Who called you smart?" they heard a girl's voice next to them. Rachel turned and noticed that Briana joined them on her way to her own classroom.
"Towell," Jackie answered for Rachel which earned her a glare. She could speak for herself, really. "Can you believe it? She was texting Jesse and he called her smart after the class."
"Well, I have answered correctly almost all his question in class," Rachel crossed her arms across her chest. "I am smart."
Briana made a face and whistled.
"Towell had a soft spot for Jesse," the girl admitted. "But it was rather difficult relationship, I've heard. The one where Jesse could have done better but didn't give a damn despite Towell's fervent attempts. No wonder he's glad he doesn't have to put up with another rough diamond from VA. Oh, that's my stop," Briana called soon afterwards, gesturing to the open door nearby. "I'll see you two at lunch. Bye!"
"I like her," Jackie declared after the girl was gone. "And that reminds me..."
Jackie went through her bag in search for something. After a couple of seconds, she threw victorious 'a-ha!' and pulled something out. Rachel raised her eyebrow at the small recorder in Jackie's hands.
"Why do you need that?" she asked.
"We're going to have a little chit chat," Jackie announced. "During lunch? My readers are dying to know some juicy news about the team and their favourite show choir powercouple."
Rachel smiled at the term Jackie used. Jesse will be thrilled to hear that they managed to gather a considerable amount of fans outside; Jackie's blog was a well-reviewed site, with numerous entries and good notes. Rachel suspected most of that reputation came from the fact that she was so close to Vocal Adrenaline; more recently, with Rachel transferring and befriending Jackie, her insight became more thorough and her notes more interesting for possible glee-lovers.
She and Jesse used to provide her with some fresh gossips or news on record, so Rachel wasn't surprised by the request. But she wanted to get through some more urgent things first – like the damned heavy pile of documents she was trying to fit in her locker.
"Can we do it next week?" she asked pleadingly. "I have re-auditions this week and this," she finally managed to get rid of the last file.
Jackie smiled.
"Sure. How about Sunday afternoon? I try to post every Monday."
"It's a date," Rachel grinned.
The rest of her day was less eventful, Rachel admitted gladly. After the nerves of her algebra classes, Rachel was careful to keep her phone somewhere where it wouldn't tempt her to write to Jesse. He called her during lunch to tell briefly about his new mentor and she couldn't stop grinning like a madman when she heard his voice telling her with enthusiasm about the guy. Rachel was happy hearing his excited description; a good mentor was the foundation of his successful college career. Rachel spent almost twenty minutes talking with him until he sadly announced that he had a lecture.
When she returned to the table, she didn't even need to explain who called her. As usual, Vocal Adrenaline members had their lunch hour scheduled for the same slot so Rachel was able to meet the remaining members before the rehearsal. She wasn't the only one to notice the remarkable absence of the six oldest members – and they pried every piece of information on them. As it turned out, it was mostly her, Justin and Briana who were close enough to share some private news.
Soon after, the conversation shifted to the most pressing issue connected to that loss. Justin smiled looking at Rachel.
"There would be no problems," he assured the rest. "Jesse left us a rather effective player."
Rachel rolled her eyes. Briana and Paula chuckled at that.
"Don't be shy, Rachel," Paula noticed turning serious. "The way you think is very Jesse-like; if he could select only those who fitted, you can either."
Flattered by the comparison to Jesse, Rachel grinned and didn't even try to argue. There was nothing to argue, to be honest; she was Jesse's female counterpart, after all.
She glanced at Justin who went on to talk with Briana about something. The way Justin acted right now, and how the rest of the team treated him, it looked like he assumed the spot of the male lead for himself without any sort of discussion with her. True, Shelby changed the dynamics of the team for the Nationals last year to fit her solo into the show, but Rachel wasn't sure it had been only a temporary change to bribe her into staying in the team, or whether her mother planned on turning Vocal Adrenaline's single-centred show into duet performances permanently. She never thought to ask. Justin asked her to put in a good word for him last year and she had; maybe it gave him this sort of confidence.
And, surprisingly, Rachel had no problems with that whatsoever – assuming, of course, that she would play the role of the main lead and get a solo in every major competition. As much as she hated to admit it – and if anyone would ask she would deny it fervently – she wasn't totally sure she would be able to do it on her own. That was why she almost wanted Justin to take up the second lead; leading a small newbie team like the New Directions was one thing – being solely responsible for the powerhouse like Vocal Adrenaline, with all its victories and people's expectations towards it – her – was a completely different matter.
Jesse would have laughed at her 'silly' concerns, she knew. But after last year Rachel needed to regain her strengths that were seriously harmed by McKinley. Jesse seemed to harbour no doubt about the fact that she would be great. Shelby never made a direct reference. Jackie... was Jackie.
Rachel arrived at the rehearsal as the last one. Briana and Justin immediately waved at her saying that they kept the spot for her. Smiling to herself, Rachel jumped into the seat and focused on Shelby, who entered the stage soon after. The woman threw them an evaluating look before speaking:
"Three things to discuss today," she announced without small talk. "First of all, we continue the last year's Nationals pattern; I gave it a long consideration and decided that with the loss of our former lead certain traditions must go as well. Fresh ideas are what we need not to end up in a box."
Rachel looked at Justin who chuckled.
"You didn't think she was going to put you in the back after last year, did you?" he whispered.
Rachel shrugged and answered in similar manner:
"I wasn't totally sure if you didn't want the lead for yourself," she admitted.
"No, it's cool," he assured her quickly. "I'm graduating this year and my parents would kill me if I didn't ace my classes because I was too busy with the team. I wanted the second lead – and I've got it."
Rachel blushed lightly. She wasn't sure if Justin was sincere but his words calmed her down slightly. Shelby's decisions concerning the team were based not only on the voice but also general wow factor and personality; it was no mystery that Rachel wasn't known for being the most popular choice when it came to her relations with other people. Justin seemed to be just as good choice as her.
"Second thing," Shelby interrupted her considerations. "Auditions. There are seventeen people here now. Depending on the outcome of the internal re-auditions, we'll need eight to nine new members to keep up the numbers and the dynamics of the dancing routines. Rachel told me she'd received her portion of files already, so we'll hold the auditions next Saturday. Any questions?"
They shook their heads. Nodding in content, Shelby continued:
"In meantime we'll focus on Invitationals. We need to get back to work as soon as possible. Invitationals are in four weeks and I want to show Rachel off to the local clubs"
Rachel straightened in her chair. She caught Briana's look and the girl smiled. Instantly, Rachel remembered the last time she was in Carmel's Invitationals. It was last year and she went there with the New Directions to 'check out the competition', as Mr Schue had put it. Little did he and her old team know that Rachel went there mostly to cheer on Jesse, their 'competition' being the last thing she was thinking about. Thinking back to her excitement about the New Directions and being able to compete with her own team, Rachel was sure of one thing: if someone would have told her back then that twelve months later she would be sitting in Carmel auditorium trying to figure out the set list with Vocal Adrenaline, she would have laughed the person in their face.
She grimaced; she didn't expect the day of Invitationals to go on without problems, though. Rachel was certain that if the New Directions decided to show up next month, they would make sure she knew they were there. She didn't mind, though; she only hoped Finn would be rational enough to stay out of her way. Their few summer encounters always ended in some sort of confrontation between the ex-couple or Finn and Jesse – and gave Rachel nothing but headaches. Finn was jealous of Jesse and, for some unexplainable reason, wanted her back – that much was clear. She was finally beginning to see the end of the drama in her life – another portion of trouble would be positively unnerving. The one thing that bothered her was that she had no idea how far he would go to get her back.
"How's Jesse doing in New York?" Justin asked opening the door to his house.
As they planned, they headed straight to his place to get through the files together straight after the rehearsal. Shelby kept them for less than an hour so it was still pretty early – lots of time to get the general idea about the candidates and start sorting them out.
"New York is treating him well," Rachel replied with a fond smile. "His mentor is great; helpful and quite experienced when it comes to auditions outside the school. Not that Jesse starts any so soon – he enrolled in additional acting courses to balance the musical education."
Justin whistled.
"Sounds serious," he noticed. "But – we have a more urgent matter to attend."
Rachel put down her portion of files. She waited for Justin to join her and reached for the first file. She looked at the name and the photograph, recognising one of her classmates. She went through the biographical information, then scanned her health history: she did it in an almost mechanical manner remembering those long hours she'd spent with Jesse doing exactly this.
She sighed; she could imagine being completely new to this – it would take her weeks to make the decision.
"Where did you take those people from anyway?" she asked, nodding to herself when she marked Sylvia Hernandez as 'possible'.
Justin didn't look up from his own file and answered:
"We've been doing a consistent research all past year. Plus, many of them reached out to us themselves. Jackie dug up the information details on each person."
That was new – Rachel had no idea Jackie was helping the team. The boy next to her must've felt her surprise:
"Since we let her hang out with us, attend some rehearsals and each lunch with the team, we figured that she could be of some help here. That girl has some skills," he explained. "It took her less than a week."
Rachel knew it was true; she still remembered how Jackie managed to gather the basic info on Rachel on her first day in Carmel last year. That's why she just nodded her head.
"I'll be sure to pass on to her that you're happy with her service," Rachel laughed.
She went on to read another file – after a quick glance she threw it to the 'rejected' pile which grew steadily; Justin eliminated already three people. Another candidate was a guy, Anthony Jones – Rachel didn't know him but it was understandable since he was apparently a sophomore. She looked closely at the attached photograph; Anthony was tall and slim but well-built. He looked like someone who would be able to keep up with the choreography and do some heavy lifting if necessary. She flipped the page and learned that he was taking dancing lessons for four years. She would see if it was enough in the audition, she decided.
An hour later Rachel couldn't help but feel amazed – most of the people she'd read about were more than good in singing, dancing or both. They seemed to be serious about show choirs and really eager to join the club.
It was something totally different than in McKinley. Mr Schue accepted anyone who auditioned. If there was someone brave enough to acknowledge the New Directions openly, that is. It was always like that – to Finn, Quinn and Noah their social status was more important than the club. In Carmel, being in Vocal Adrenaline was an honour. Rachel could finally work with people who appreciated her vast talents and were just as devoted to the art as she was.
It really was a dream come true.
"I'm done with my part," Rachel announced putting the last file on the 'audition' pile. "Angelina Cransen, junior, high F caught on tape. And that's it."
Justin remained silent for a few seconds before closing his own file and throwing it into the 'rejected' area. He looked at the clock and sighed.
"It took longer than I thought... but it's fine. We have only four more people," he stood up and took out one thick file. He opened it and passed to Rachel. "Those are the people from other teams that we consider worth taking into consideration."
With certain hesitation, Rachel took the offered documents and frowned. She never was a fan of poaching, believing that stealing performers from one team to another was simply a low move. She chuckled to herself. There it was – a proof that she didn't have to agree with everything that Vocal Adrenaline did to achieve success.
"Come on, Berry. It's just the way we do it in Carmel," Justin rolled his eyes, reading through her without problems.
It wouldn't harm anyone to have a quick glance at the names, right? Rachel thought to herself, looking at the first two names name. She didn't recognise them; the New Direction never faced the local clubs that the two people came from.
"These people are different," Justin explained while she was reading. "With Carmel students, all we do is choose a bunch of them on the basis of the application forms and put up the list in the hallway. But them," Justin gestured to the unknown names. "All of them are a must picked out by Shelby herself. We meet with each of them and voice an offer with a sensible bribe if necessary."
Rachel sighed. She turned the page and raised her eyebrows at the familiar name.
"Blaine Anderson?" she read out. "There's no way he's going to jump ships."
"What makes you so sure?" Justin asked slightly surprised at her clear conviction.
"For one, he'd refused you in the previous years. Besides, I know him and I know that he wouldn't leave Dalton," Rachel looked at Justin. "Second, my friend dates him and has just transferred to Dalton to be with him. Nothing will make Blaine join Vocal Adrenaline."
"Either way," Justin shrugged not impressed by her reasoning. "We need to make an offer despite possible arguments against. You can talk to him since you know him. In fact, I think the last name will also sound very familiar to you and that's why it's in your hands as well."
Feeling sudden tension in her shoulders, Rachel looked questioningly at Justin who only smirked and showed her to turn the last page. Taking a deep breath – and swearing to herself to kill her mother – Rachel pulled out the last piece of paper and read the name.
Over her dead body was she going to accept anyone from McKinley into her team.
As promised, I'm back!
What do you think?
Jesse's gone, Rachel discovers her newly acquired popularity, she needs to find her own place in Vocal Adrenaline... There's a lot coming up in the future!
-s.
Oh, BTW, thanks to all the people who wished me good luck with my thesis – I'm one step closer from my degree in sociolinguistics ^^