Wooot, St. Berry! This is one of the requests I got, based off an idea from Mon Coeur that I absolutely adored. I'll be posting one of the other requests' first chapters soon, so keep a look out, yes? Also, have an idea for a one-shot? There's still one request left, so hurry!
Anyway, here's the first chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own glee... Do you HAVE to rub it in my face?
Rachel Berry woke up groggily, squinting at the intense sunlight streaming through her windows. Usually she woke up easily and got started on her elliptical machine, but as of late, she had essentially given up; she was already enrolled in three dance classes, what was the point of working herself to the bone? She sat up and looked for the reason as to why her blinds were open and found it quickly; her mother, Shelby Corcoran was standing at the edge of the bed, an uncharacteristically bright smile on her face. Rachel eyed her warily as she crossed her arms over her chest, wondering why her mother had woken her up. Luckily enough, it seemed that Shelby was more than willing to provide an answer.
"Rachel, sweetheart, I really need your help with something," Shelby said, an attempt at a motherly smile on her face. Rachel sighed, not at all surprised; her mother was never like this unless she needed help. Rachel climbed out of bed and stood, hands on her hips, a defiant look on her face. She watched as Shelby's smile hardened a bit; she could tell this wasn't going to be easy.
"You know Jesse St. James? He's in glee club?"
At her mother's words, Rachel stiffened; she had heard of Jesse St. James, ring-leader of the infamous show choir, Vocal Adrenaline. He was a player, a heartbreaker. Class-A jerk. Yes, Rachel knew all about him, and she also knew to stay the hell away from him.
"Yes, I know of him. He's only been over here a thousand times, going over ideas with you. He also egged Noah's car because he's in New Directions! I had to be picked up in a car splattered with dead baby chicks!" she said, her tone offended. Shelby sighed and matched her daughters stance, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"I'm aware of what they did, Rachel, and I made them sing Barney songs as punishment, and they promised to never do it again as long as I'm coaching them, alright? Come on, baby, I need you to do this for me! It would mean the world to me," She smiled gently and Rachel's expression softened a bit. She stared into her mother's eyes for a moment, trying to find some kind of mischievous sparkle, but there was none. Her mom really needed her to do her a favor.
"What is it?" she asked, still fighting to look defiant, though she wasn't exactly succeeding. Shelby beamed and gave Rachel a hug.
"Jesse just needs a ride to school today. His car broke down and I would give him a ride, but I'm already on my way out the door, and six thirty is too early for a student to be at school when it starts at eight thirty," her mother explained, handing Rachel a ten dollar bill. "That's some gas money; Jesse lives pretty far out of the way. I already texted you his address and his number so that you can text him when you're there. Thank you so much, sweetie!"
And with that, Shelby jogged out of the room, not even giving her time to respond. Rachel sighed dramatically and opened her phone, opening her message inbox to see two new messages. The first was from her mom, containing an address and a phone number. The second was from Noah. Rachel grinned and opened it, letting out a small sigh at what it said.
hey, rach. can't wait to c u tonight ;)
Rachel shook her head slowly, a slight smile gracing her lips, though it had a sad quality to it. It was obvious what Noah was thinking about, and though she loved him, she was growing tired of his perverted ways. Tucking her phone in her bag, Rachel sighed and walked into her private bathroom, stripping and climbing into the shower. After about thirty minutes she climbed out and wrapped a towel tightly around her body before blow-drying her hair. She let the hot air blasting from the dryer warm her skin as she stared into her reflection, hoping time would go slowly; anything to have a few more blissful minutes before getting into the car with Jesse St. Jerkoff. She curled her hair and straightened her bangs, smiling as she winked at her own reflection.
Rachel dressed in a simple white dress with a pink cardigan, pairing it with her favorite black ballet flats. She could have put more effort into her looks, but she was in a foul mood, and she didn't want Jesse thinking she was dressing to impress him. Last, but not least, she put on her gold star necklace, smiling as it shone against her tanned skin. Rachel picked up her bag and jogged to her beat-up old Volkswagen Beetle, climbing in and starting the engine. She smiled and gave the dashboard a gentle pat, as was her usual routine. She smiled as Don't Rain on my Parade started playing, and immediately started to belt out the lyrics enthusiastically. She had been practicing the song since she was four, and in her opinion it was a perfect rendition. Rachel double-checked the address before plugging it into the GPS in her phone.
Pulling out of the space, Rachel grumbled, "I have to drive all the way to the other side of the city? Really? I'm going to pass school on the way to picking him up to take him to school!"
Thanking god that she had left early, Rachel started on her way.
In her opinion, she got there entirely too soon. Within what seemed like minutes, her phone informed her of her arrival. She almost couldn't believe that someone lived in the house she was currently parked in front of; it was more like a mansion. It was Victorian, large and white, with white columns and a beautiful façade. Rachel narrowed her eyes; this place made her house look like a shack. She quickly texted the number her mother had given her, making no effort to be polite.
I'm here. Hurry up.
Placing her phone back in her bag, Rachel waited impatiently, watching the door, half-hoping it wouldn't open. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side, as soon, Jesse was out the door and almost jogging toward her car. He climbed in quickly, a grateful smile gracing his handsome face. Rachel just stared at him, and soon, his smile fell, replaced with a rather confused expression.
"Thanks for the ride... I really appreciate it. So... you're Coach Corcoran's daughter. Nice. It must be pretty cool, seeing your mom in action every day," he said, trying bravely to strike up conversation. Rachel almost pitied him. But not quite.
"It's not all it's cracked up to be, trust me," she said coldly, pulling away from the curb. "She's controlling, nosy, and it makes it so much harder to endure school. I used to love school, before she started working there."
Jesse seemed surprised, staring at her like she just spoke complete gibberish. "Really? I think it would be cool to have such an involved parent. Mine don't care enough to be nosy."
Rachel bites her lip, trying to keep from being sympathetic, but her heart aches a little at his words; she knows what it feels like to have uninvolved parents. Her dad, Hiram Berry, had wanted nothing to do with her after he fell in love with his now-husband Leroy.
"It's not so bad, I guess, but I have no life. It's so annoying," Rachel sighed. She glanced over at Jesse to see him toying with the stereo, and she immediately went back to rude-mode. "Excuse me, no touching the radio. This is Streisand, show some respect!" Jesse immediately raised his hands in surrender, a small grin on his face.
"Sorry, your Highness," he joked. "I was just going to see if you had some rock on there. But obviously not."
Rachel raised an eyebrow at him, her lips pressed into a hard line as she reached into the glove box, rummaging around until she found her favorite Queen CD that she had burned herself, featuring her favorite songs. She raised it in victory before handing it to him. "Don't have rock," she said scornfully. "Please. Of course I have rock. Do you know my mother?"
Jesse chuckled and slid the CD into the slot, his grin widening when he realized who it was. "Queen? Wow, good taste," he complimented, drumming the tune of the song against his knees. Rachel cracked a smile, but quickly stifled it. She was not getting along with Jesse St. James. She refused to. Luckily, her phone rang, and she quickly fished it out of her bag, smiling when she saw Noah was calling.
"Hello, Noah!" she greeted cheerfully, turning onto the freeway. She was, unfortunately, still fifteen minutes away from school.
"Where are you, babe? I came to give you a ride and you aren't here!" Noah Puckerman replied, sounding hurt. He seemed to realize this and quickly covered it with his usual smugness. "I mean, come on! Don't you want a ride from your badass boyfriend?"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were going to give me a ride. I had to pick up someone from my mom's team, I would have told you if I..."
"Wait," he interrupted. His tone was livid and Rachel grimaced; Noah could be a real jerk when he was mad. "Her team? As in Vocal Adrenaline? Rach, they egged my car!" His voice was so loud it was obvious Jesse heard every word, and she could see the cogs turning in his brain.
"Wait," Jesse said, "You're friends with someone from the competition?" he asked, his eyes disbelieving. Rachel rolled her eyes at him and covered the mouthpiece.
"Noah and I are dating, and he's not my competition, so why should it matter?" She didn't give him time to respond, quickly replying to what Noah had said before.
"Yes, I'm aware. You picked me up the day it happened, remember?" Rachel sighed. "Listen, he needs a ride-"
"He? Who is 'he'?" Noah demanded. Rachel rolled her eyes; why did he always have to be jealous?
"'He' is Jesse, Noah Puckerman, and I refuse to allow you to talk to me like this any further. I'm in the car, on the freeway, and I'm pretty sure a cop is right behind me, so I have to go! I'll see you later, okay? And no, not tonight, I have jazz and ballet!" She hung up the phone and shoved it angrily into her bag, ignoring it as it rung obnoxiously. She could see Jesse smirking slightly at her in her peripheral vision, and though she tried, she couldn't ignore it.
"What?" she snapped, hitting the gas a little to increase their speed; she wasn't really in a rush, she was just a bit reckless when upset. "What the hell are you smirking at?"
"Oh, nothing," Jesse grinned. "I was just thinking about how Coach Corcoran must have reacted when she found out you were dating someone from a rival show choir. What's he from? Snoral Intensity or No Directions?"
"He's from New Directions, and my mother reacted just fine, thank you very much!" she lied, her fists tightening on the steering wheel. She finally pulled into a parking spot at Carmel and turned to Jesse, a scowl on her face. "Not that any of that is your business. Now, if you'll please get out of my car, I'd greatly appreciate it."
Jesse chuckled and climbed out of the car, but not before sending Rachel a wink that definitely did not go unnoticed.
-holds Jesse at gunpoint- REVIEW OR ELSE!