Authors Note: All I can say is GLEE! Glee, glee, glee, glee, glee, glee, GLEEE XD Can you tell what my new favourite show is? Hahahahahahaha :D
Ok so I'm going to try writing this shizzle :D be nice to me okay? Love you all xx
Journey
A Glee Fan fiction
Chapter 1 – First Off...
Zoe Howard ran a hand through her red hair exasperatedly. She loved to sing, really she did. But honestly? Being in Vocal Adrenalin was a like singing suicide. You had to eat what you were told, sleep when you were told, shower when you were told – okay maybe not shower but Vocal Adrenalin was close enough to running her entire life. She hated it. She didn't get along with anyone in it, except one. Jesse St James. And she had the sneaking suspicion that he only was friends with her because everyone else hated him for going the New Directions and then coming back again.
Frankly Zoe quite liked Jesse. He was nice to her, helped her with her singing. He didn't let the others push her around and he believed in her – or so he claimed. Privately Zoe thought Jesse was gorgeous and would have loved to go on a date with him. But he was Jesse St. James – so in other words he was off limits. He belonged to Tana – a powerful black girl who sang with such strength it made Zoe shake with fear.
Whenever Zoe and Jesse hung out neither mentioned Tana. It like an unspoken rule. Zoe didn't ask why he hung out with her, and Jesse forgot about Tana. Zoe had heard rumours that Jesse had taken up with the lead female from New Directions, Rachel Berry, for awhile. To her it didn't seem like it was going anywhere. It was a major clash of personalities.
Zoe didn't have the courage to ask Jesse personal questions. Hell she never had courage. Her father always made sure of that. She had the bruises to prove it. Zoe often burned to break down and tell Jesse what was happening to her, and beg him to help her. But Jesse wasn't a real friend. He had never proved otherwise.
Zoe was retying her hair after Vocal Adrenalin rehearsals, so that it would stay out of her bottle green eyes. Being Irish was often a pain as whenever she sang her accent gave a different lilt to the song. It tended to piss the new coach of Vocal Adrenalin off – a lot. Shelby never cared. In fact she had loved Zoe's accent. It was one of the reasons why she had welcomed Zoe into the fold.
Zoe picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. They had just finished rehearsals. Coach had left and all the girls had followed, talking about dates or their singing lessons. She was the last one left in the change rooms. She followed a quiet corridor out onto the stage and leapt down onto the carpet of the auditorium.
"You're leaving late"
Zoe started but relaxed when she spotted Jesse on the stage, his own bag on his shoulder. He looked comfortable, confident, relaxed and amazing up on the stage. He was smiling at her.
"St. James" she teased "I thought you lived here"
"Hey now" he said "That's not fair"
"Life isn't fair" she said softly and busied herself with the strap on her bag.
Jesse's expression changed quickly. Zoe couldn't quite tell what it was, she watched him move to the edge of the stage and leap down onto the carpet, and walk towards her. It was then she noticed he was being generous with the weight on his left side.
"Jesse" she said "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine" he said quickly. Zoe caught the lie, only because she herself had told it so many times. She had a terrible feeling in her gut.
"Come on" she said "I want to show you something"
The roof of the auditorium was always a great place to relax. Zoe often escaped there. Sometimes she sang some of the Irish folk songs her mother taught her, before her death that is. Now she and Jesse sat cross legged on the roof, bags tossed aside, looking out at the view.
"Who hurt you?" Zoe asked finally.
Jesse shot her a sharp glance. "No one" he lied.
"Jesse we're not good friends but I can tell when you are lying and –"
"Okay stop there for a nano second" Jesse cut her off. "What do you mean we're not good friends?"
"Well I always thought that you just felt sorry for me. And well you are with Tana and she does hate me" Zoe said.
Jesse laughed sourly. "Tana is a self centred, controlling bitch" he said "She is the very last girl I'd consider dating"
Zoe flushed; embarrassed she had jumped to conclusions. "And for the record" Jesse continued "You are my best friend"
"Thank you" Zoe whispered happily. "Now – who hurt you? And don't try to lie – I can tell those sorts of lies immediately"
Jesse sighed. He reached around and grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, revealing his left side to be a sick artwork of red fist marks, and blues of bruises starting to show their faces. Zoe gasped and felt tears spring up.
"Jesse" she breathed "Who did this to you?"
Jesse let his shirt fall over his bruises. "The guys – two days ago and then again today"
"Even Jon and Shaun?" Zoe asked, referring to Jesse's closest friends in Vocal Adrenalin.
"They started it"
Zoe let her tears fall. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Jesse's face. He stared back at her steadily and then looked shocked when he saw her tears.
"Don't cry Zoe" he said and leaned over to wipe her tears away.
"That's horrible. You have to report them!" Zoe cried.
"Yeah and Coach would probably hand them flowers. He hates me because of my old ties to Glee club"
"Glee club?" Zoe asked confused.
"It's another name for New Directions" Jesse informed her "Originally I went there as a favour for Shelby to help reacquaint her with Rachel, her daughter"
"But?"
"Now I'm regretting leaving" Jesse said grimly and shook his hair back. "Picture this – being accepted for everything you are, faults and good qualities. No crazy training schedule. Fun and laughter. Everything that Vocal Adrenalin isn't"
Zoe followed his gaze out to the panorama of houses. "It sounds like a dream" she said. "Dad was already thinking of moving me to McKinley High – on account of my apparent bad attitude"
"My parents want me to go back. They said it made me the happiest they'd ever seen me" Jesse admitted.
Zoe looked at her hands. Maybe McKinley High and New Directions were the answer. Maybe they would get her dad off her back, stop him beating her and she could be happier and healthier. Maybe, even maybe, she could have a chance to be with Jesse. Ha! Wishful thinking.
"Zoe" Jesse said.
"Yeah?"
"What did you mean by you could tell my sort of lies?" Jesse asked "I only ever lied to you about what those assholes were doing to me"
"I – uhh" Zoe floundered, searching for an excuse "I just recognise the signs that's all. I see them everyday"
"In whom?" he asked. He was oblivious. Zoe knew he had no clue that she too was suffering from violence, just much more than he was.
She took a deep breath and did the one thing she had wanted to for ages, told him the truth: "Me"
Jesse's eyes widened. "What?" he hissed.
"You speak much quicker when someone asks you how you are – so do I. You limp – so do I occasionally"
"Who?" Jesse asked an expression of pure anger and sadness on his gorgeous face.
"Dad" Zoe admitted. She hid her face and felt her body start to shake.
"Zoe –look at me" Jesse commanded. She looked up at him and saw that he was sitting closer to her, looking very serious. "Is your dad beating you?"
"Yes" she whispered.
Jesse face slipped into a mask of outrage, followed by pain. "Son of a bitch" he swore.
Zoe shrank away. She wasn't scared but she didn't want to drag Jesse down in all her crap. He had enough problems of his own.
"Jesse"
"Why didn't you tell me before?" he demanded.
"It wasn't important at the time" Zoe cried.
"Wasn't important!" Jesse shouted "Your dad is beating the shit out of you and you think it's not important!"
Zoe began to cry in earnest, angry with him for shouting and angry with herself for judging him. "I'm scared okay!" she shouted.
Jesse's eyes rounded and he went soft. "Oh Zoe" he whispered.
"Look ever since Mum died we've both been basket cases and he just – ok he's a bastard and its wrong but he's my Dad. I love him" Zoe sobbed "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to bring you down with me"
Jesse reached out to her and brought his hands over her face. "Honey" he said "You'll never bring me down"
"I care about you too much to risk it"
"It's my choice to make the risk" he said and kissed her forehead. "You're my best friend"
"Don't tell anyone" Zoe begged.
"Of course not" he said, and then he opened his mouth and began to sing:
You say you're cried a thousand rivers Now I'm praying to God I'll be there for you
And now you're swimming for the shore
You left me drowning in my tears
And you won't save me anymore
You'll give me one more chance, girl
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
Zoe smiled at him, recognising the song and she joined in: her Irish lilt bringing a new flavour:
I'd live and I'd die for you I know you know we're had some good times And baby you know my hands are dirty I'll be there for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what a love can do
I'll be there for you
How they have their own hiding place
I can promise you tomorrow
But I can't buy back yesterday
But I wanted to be your valentine
I'll be the water when you get thirsty, baby
When you get drink, I'll be the wine
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
End of Chapter 1: First Off...
Please read and review! :D mwah!
Song lyrics are: I'll Be There For You – Bon Jovi