I Swear, I'm Lying

A St. Faberry FanFic

Chapter 1

Finn was distant, strange, and elusive. Rachel wondered why he wouldn't kiss her deeply anymore, with feeling, like he used to. And she wondered why she still imagined it was Jesse's lips she was kissing.

Quinn was all normal again; everybody said so. She was as skinny as ever, as popular as ever. Maybe the baby drama blew over, she thought. The only remnant she had from her one night mistake was Puck. For some reason, she's been longing to get rid of it.

Jesse knew that coming back was a mistake. The whole school hated him, he was sure of that. There was just something left unfinished. Maybe it was Rachel, and the way he dreamed of her at night. Or maybe it was the other dream that just kept haunting him: the girl with the rounded belly, the girl whose name eluded him, the girl who kept him up at night, the girl who kept him singing air supply in his sleep.

Quinn knows she's dreaming. She can barely feel the twitch of her toes, the consciousness starting to seep in. She knows she is dreaming. But this doesn't stop her from wishing it was real. Oh, if it could be real.

Jesse's walking down the hall with Rachel. They are very obviously fighting, with Rachel's face bright with emotion and tears. He's trying to convince her of something, his hands moving quickly and jerkily, his eyes darting this way and that, but never coming off of Rachel's face. That is, until he sees me.

He sets eyes on Quinn, and his speech is slurred. He stumbles in his tracks, his eyes suddenly lighting up. Rachel slumps against a locker, obviously given up. That's how I know it's a dream. Rachel would just scream, tear him away, and never give it a second thought.

"What's your name?" Jesse asks. Even in the dream, Quinn's heart beats. Consciousness is becoming stronger. Her pulse is getting faster. He never even spoke to her in real life.

"I'm—" she begins, but Jesse stops her, putting a finger to her lips.

She fights waking up, fights it like never before.

"I think we can skip names for right now," he says, pulling her into the deepest and most amazing kiss she's ever known.

And she hates her alarm clock more than the devil himself.

Jesse braces himself for what's awaiting him as soon as he steps in his former high school's doors. Damn this, what am I doing here?

He doesn't even know what the feeling is that led him here. That's all this is. Feeling. A feeling torn between Rachel and who knows what, risking his perfectly symmetrical face in a fight between that Neanderthal Noah Puckerman and Finn. He had an audition coming up. Why would he risk it?

Because she was worth all of it. Rachel? Yes, she was worth it too. But that girl…those dreams…he was almost scared to admit how much he thought about her. Last week, he forgot what her face looked like. That's why I have to come back.

"Finn? Of course this is Rachel, who else would it be? I…I'm on my way. There's really bad traffic. Oh, what? No, I know where I live, fool. I stopped at the gym before school and there's a lot of traffic around that intersection, you know that. Yes, I'm stopped. No, I'm not talking while driving. Yes, that's illegal. Talk to you at school. Mmhmm. Yes, I will meet you at your locker. No, I do not have snacks. Bye."

She nervously put down her sequined phone, shaking. She was getting herself into deep trouble, standing here. She stood nervously behind the shadow of her car, anticipating her next move. She was here, and she couldn't run away. She never could. It was silly to imagine running away. She had only wished that neither of them had run.

"Well, well. Rachel Berry. Lying about where you are? And to your boyfriend too? Tsk tsk."

"Jesse St. James."

"Don't say it like it's a swear word. I've missed you."

And just like that, it was all just one more re-run, without the egging. It was one more perfect day.

Jesse wondered how he could have ever hurt her. But the other girl lingered in his mind, and somehow he felt evil giving Rachel false hope. She had absolutely no idea.

Quinn's stomach dropped. She knew she shouldn't have come to school hated the awkwardness of walking through the back lot of the school. She imagined she'd find some couple making out in the parking lot, but the one person she didn't expect to see was Rachel. Instantly, she saw curly hair, and knew it wasn't Finn. Her breathing became hitched. And when she saw Jesse on the other side, she had no idea why she ran into the girls bathroom, sobbing.