Chibi-Kari: Wow, I didn't expect such wonderful feedback...please give me more! I'm trying not to stray too far outside of the characters. Obviously, Rachel is OC, but I'm trying to keep Jesse just as pompously lovable as ever. And I'm trying to make Shelby a bit deeper than origionally protrayed. I'm not sure if I'm going to have New Directions come into this or not. I'm not 100% sure where everything is going. And yes to the few people that did get it right. Sparkle Motion is from the movie Donnie Darko! Virtual love for all of you! I don't own, but would love you forever if you left a message after the button!
Chapter 2
The next day was tiring. Of course, it didn't help that thoughts of Rachel overcame Jesse's brain leaving sleep to the rest of his team. He felt like he was trapped in the movie (500) Days of Summer. He dissected every moment he was with Rachel. Every second they spent smiling at each other. Every word that slipped from her mouth. He needed to know what went wrong. The whole, already confusing situation, was only compounded by today's pre-National's activities.
Jesse hated the fact that there was a group number with all of the teams performing together at the beginning of the competition. It had only been instated last year when one of the directors decided unity among the top show choirs would be a good thing. Jesse thought it was simply an annoyance and added a little more naivety than he liked to his life. Half of these kids couldn't keep up with VA and he didn't need to look sloppy because another team was simply inferior. If this group number fostered anything it was resentment, not unity of like minded young adults. He glanced over at the surrounding five groups. The only one that was on a similar level as Vocal Adrenaline was Sparkle Motion; and that killed him.
He glanced over at Shelby. She was staring at Rachel, as the young girl threw her head back and laughed easily at something the male lead had said. The way the group functioned unnerved him. It was almost as if they gave off waves that made you want to think you were inferior. Granted it was true, VA knew they were better so it didn't affect them, but some of the other teams didn't look as unaffected.
The lead male placed his arm on Rachel's hip and Jesse had to stuff down the feeling that bubbled up in him. It was that same feeling that he always got when she used to sing with Finn. He didn't want to name it as jealousy, but he knew that was exactly what it was. He needed to get his mind off of her and fast, before he started a fight between the two clubs. VA and Sparkle Motion were both quick to anger and he was sure punching their male lead in the face would end in a free for all. Shelby would not be happy with kids in leotards and dance clothes rolling around on the floor. Both teams would be disqualified and he most definitely didn't want to see one of the blatantly inferior teams get anywhere near the first place trophy and national title because of his reckless emotions.
He approached Shelby quickly, trying to turn his back on the situation. She noticed his approach and cocked an eyebrow, "Trying not to think of World War Three?"
Jesse rolled his eyes before glancing back and clenching his hand, "You know me too well." He shook his head slightly. "Will you say something to the coach of Rhythmic Mirage? The girl they have me dancing with needs to stay on pitch or I'm going to throw her off the stage."
Shelby nodded, "Come on. They're both right over there. You might as well tell her, or it'll cause some problems and God forbid we have any more right now."
It was true. Shelby could only handle so much. Rachel was completely out of control and didn't mind flaunting it. Jesse was bringing angst to a level beyond that of Harry in the Potter Puppet Pals. And the rest of Vocal Adrenaline looked somewhere between sick and astonished. She wasn't sure what the story there was, but she wasn't exactly willing to breech it. She had heard some mumblings about eggs, but really…she didn't want to know. Right now she was most concerned about how to get through to her daughter and making sure Jesse didn't do anything stupid. Following that was making sure Vocal Adrenaline performed up to par and, of course, her newest daughter.
Within steps of the other coach, Jesse and Shelby's previous conversation was forgotten. Rhythmic Mirage's coach and lead singer were getting louder and the heated argument was starting to draw attention of some of the surrounding kids.
"I don't see how they only got a year suspension. It should have been longer than that." The small red head glared over at Rachel's team before turning back to her coach.
The coach sighed. He was getting too old for this and his graying hair wasn't the first hint of that. "Hayley, it was the board's decision what to do in that matter. Sparkle Motion served their time and they have every right to compete again."
"Why couldn't they compete last year?" Jesse couldn't stop himself from interrupting them. He remembered the night before Rachel had mentioned some sort of an incident.
His dance partner turned along with her coach before scoffing, "Don't you listen to the news? It was all over it last year. Those kids shouldn't be allowed around other people let alone in a competition. They're psychotic. Every last one of them."
"Hayley." The coach chastised before turning to Shelby and raising an eyebrow, "I am surprised that you don't know, though. It was all over the news and quite a scandal in the show choir community."
"I try to stay out of the politics. My group needs my focus." Shelby tried to shrug off the underhanded attack. Most of the time the show choir community was up in arms it was about costumes. They were too slutty or too glittery or too ugly. She couldn't be bothered with the superficial so she stopped paying attention to the "major scandals" a long time ago.
Hayley just scoffed slightly before throwing her loose hair over her shoulder, another thing that annoyed Jesse. Dance practice was a place for buns. That was something that Rachel always knew and every other girl in the room except Hayley, obviously. Hair in the mouth was never a pleasant experience for a dance partner.
"They practically killed a kid." The small girl sneered glancing over at Sparkle Motion who had come to a complete halt at her raised voice.
"That's not true. It was a little hazing that went a little bit out of control." Her coach tried to nudge Hayley back towards her team and close the discussion, but it only seemed to frustrate her more. She was coming close to crossing that fine line that the committee members upheld. It wasn't another team's place to pass judgment no matter how much he wanted to.
"Just a little hazing!" Her outburst caught the attention of the entire studio and there was no question from the silence that covered the room that everyone knew what was being discussed. "My cousin knew the kid! He has brain damage. They tried to drown him!" She quickly turned and pointed at Rachel and the male lead, "You are the reason he's still in rehabilitation. He'll never be the same and none of you care! You shouldn't be here. You should all be in jail!"
Sparkle Motion's coach, a mousy woman in her mid thirties, came forward hurriedly. "I'd appreciate if you'd shut your pitchy singer up."
Rhythmic Mirage's coach nodded tightly. "Hayley, stop right now or get out."
She reeled around. "No! Someone needs to say something! I won't compete with them!"
A clap silenced the room as one of the show choir committee members came forward, "One of the biggest lessons we try to teach in the world of competitive show choirs is professionalism. You, my dear, haven't shown any. You shouldn't question the board's decisions. You will get your wish. You're excused and if you try to perform with your team, all of Rhythmic Mirage will be disqualified."
Hayley stood in shock for a moment before turning around and stomping out of the room. She purposely slammed the door behind her as she went. Everyone was still and silent as the echoing of the door rang out through the room.
The committee member sighed slightly, "Anyone else?" No one dared move a muscle.
Something didn't sit well with Jesse and he glanced at Shelby. There was no reason that they only got a one year suspension. If what Hayley said was true then they should have at least gotten banned for longer. And that was if the entire team wasn't forced to be disbanded. Instead, they were just disqualified from competing in Nationals that year. There was something else going on, or someone was being bought off in a very big way.
"We'll have to reassign partners. Luckily, we haven't been practicing for too long. Vocal Adrenaline, you won't have a problem performing with Sparkle Motion will you? I think it would be wise if we kept Rhythmic Mirage and Sparkle Motion apart for now."
Shelby eyed Jesse slightly before shaking her head no, "All of my students are professionals."
The committee member just shook her head in agreement, "Mr. St. James you'll be partnered with Ms. Berry." He eyed the rest of Sparkle Motion for a moment, "Mr. Allen, Ms. Kincade, and Mr. Matthews please see me. We'll rework a dance number for you in the back. Everyone else, please pair up with a new partner."
The three students smiled at each other before hurrying forward. Jesse couldn't help but roll his eyes. The kids from Sparkle Motion almost put cheerleaders to shame with the amount of enthusiasm they put into everything they did. But that was what would make them tough competition. Shelby always told them to look like they had so much talent it hurt and always look like you enjoyed it. These kids did enjoy it, or they put on a really good façade. And they really did have too much talent. It was almost overkill. Almost…not quite.
"The rest of you break a half hour for lunch. We'll work on this again when you come back."
Jesse turned immediately for the door. Hayley might be pitchy and the type of diva that he avoided at all costs, but she knew a whole lot more than she was letting on.
He didn't have to walk far to find her. She was about five paces from the room just sitting on the floor staring blankly at the floor. "Hayley, right?"
Her head snapped up and she wiped her eyes. "Careful, they might disqualify your team for talking to me."
Jesse wasn't sure if he was supposed to take that in jest, but her serious face made him think twice. "I wouldn't worry about it. VA is three, soon to be four, time National Champions. It would be hard to throw us out."
She eyed him cautiously before nodding slightly, "I hope you guys win, again. I couldn't stand it if Sparkle Motion won." She laughed sarcastically, "And my team will have a hard time winning without me."
Jesse just nodded noncommittally. They wouldn't win either way. Rhythmic Mirage was subpar at best, but he needed information and insulting her wouldn't get it. "You said they almost killed him? What happened?"
She glanced down the hallway before tearing up again, "Brad had just gotten into Sparkle Motion. Their tryouts are ridiculous and they start training the new recruits out of middle school so they are ready to compete by their first year."
"So what happened?" Jesse could understand dedication and VA did recruit out of middle school, but they didn't start training until their first day of Freshman Year. He wasn't even sure it was legal to start training them beforehand. It seemed like an unfair advantage.
She shrugged lightly rubbing at her eyes, "They don't start initiation until later on in the year. I guess it is a kind of hazing. But they call it trust exercises. He was excited to go. It meant he was really going to be a part of the team. He was excited and they almost killed him!"
He leaned closer, "What happened?"
She shook her head and kind of shrugged, "They drowned him. He would have died, but they called the police and left him almost dead by the ocean."
Jesse shuddered slightly. Sure VA hazed their new recruits, but it was more along the lines of making them run down the street in only their underwear or on the rare occasion naked. It was never something dangerous. "How could drowning someone be considered a trust exercise?"
"If you trust your teammates and don't panic in any situation you're fit for Sparkle Motion. If you can't keep a level head or you can't trust your team to know when you are in too deep you don't deserve to be on the team." The voice startled Jesse and Hayley making them jump apart. "You shouldn't go around fishing for answers, Jesse. It's unbecoming of a professional. Or if you do, don't do it where you can be overheard." Rachel was leaning against the wall about five feet from them. "We're going to start practice in a few minutes, Jesse." She turned to walk back in the room before stopping and looking at them again. "And Hayley, loose lips sink ships."
"Good luck." Jesse mumbled quietly to Hayley as he followed Rachel's retreating form. He really shouldn't have followed Hayley in the first place and he didn't know if Rachel would tell the board members about his prying. He just didn't know this Rachel and it was frightening. It was really stupid to take such a huge chance. VA was a champion, but Sparkle Motion had to have someone in their corner.
