Note: During the texting section of this chapter, Rachel's texts are bold and Jesse's are in italics.
This chapter is in honor of the return of Jonathan Groff on Glee =D My lack of St. Berry syndrome will soon be cured!
"Rehearsals start tomorrow. Come to the Ohio State Theatre. We start at 7:00 AM."
That was the only thing written in the e-mail Shelby had sent Rachel the morning after her visit. They had talked for what seemed like hours the night before, relaying stories of glee club experiences, Shelby discussing her past, and Rachel discussing her future. Mostly, they just enjoyed each other's company. For once in Rachel's life, everything was working out.
Soon after Shelby left, the phone had rang, and Hiram had given it to Rachel with a confused look on his face.
"Rachel, its Mr. Schue," the voice in the phone began. "What happened in glee club today was completely uncalled for, and I apologize for the behavior of New Directions. I felt so awful about what happened, and I tried to find you after you ran out of the room, but it was like you disappeared out of thin air. I want you to know that I fully support you with your decision to join Funny Girl. Heck, if I had that kind of offer when I was your age, I wouldn't have even put my fellow glee members into consideration as you did."
"Thanks, Mr. Schu. I really appreciate what you're saying, but I don't think I'll ever be able to fully forgive New Directions for what they did to me. The whole debacle is still pretty fresh in my mind, you know?"
"I completely understand. It was bothering me, though, and I knew I had to at least call you. Listen, Rachel, I'm late for a date with Emma so I better be going, but I wish you the best of luck on the tour. Don't forget to thank your old Glee Club advisor when you're accepting a Tony, okay?"
Rachel laughed. "You got it, Mr. Schu."
After Rachel hung up the phone, Hiram pressed her for details of the conversation. "Honey, is it about your grades in Spanish? I told you we should've hired that tutor. So what if she just came out of jail?"
"Daddy! It's fine. Mr. Schuester just called to wish me good luck with the tour. I'm going to bed. It's late."
"Okay, but are you sure you don't want me to call that tutor? I saved her number!"
The next morning, Rachel was looking over Shelby's e-mail when suddenly, her cellphone vibrated. Looking at the caller-ID, she flipped the phone open and read the message.
The cast of FG is meeting up for lunch today. Can you make it? –JSJ
Rachel frowned. Realization began to dawn on her. As a replacement, she would be the odd one out in the cast. She'd be the one they'd have to explain inside jokes to. The one who wouldn't have a partner for dance warm-ups. The one who always stood by herself during the vocal exercises. Oh God. How would she be able to survive like that for six whole months?
Jesse, I'm not sure I'm willing to meet the cast just yet. For that matter, I'm not sure the cast wants to meet me.
She sat nervously as she waited for his reply, jumping when the phone finally buzzed.
What the hell are you talking about? Of course they want to meet you! I wasn't going to even invite you until they insisted I do.
Rachel rolled her eyes before texting a quick reply. Liar.
Jesse responded within seconds.
Ugh. Well, even if that was a lie, you should still come. You're going to have to meet these people at some point, Rach.
She bit her lip. Jesse was right; she'd have to meet the cast at some point. But did it really have to be so soon?
I'm nervous, she texted.
Then you must've changed because the Rachel I used to know NEVER got nervous.
Don't start with that crap, Jesse. People change.
And yet how do I remain so utterly handsome and charming?
You don't. You weren't so "utterly charming" when you were cracking an egg on my forehead. Ring a bell?
Does "new beginning" ring a bell? Rachel, you said you'd drop that.
You started it.
….Are you coming to lunch?
No. I'll just meet the cast at rehearsal tomorrow.
Rachel waited for a reply, but after ten minutes of staring at her phone, she gave up. He must just be pissed at me, she thought. Rachel carried on with her daily schedule which basically consisted of vocal, dance, and acting exercises. After eating a lunch consisting of a vegan salad and water, Rachel was about to put in her Funny Girl DVD when the doorbell rang. Normally, Rachel wasn't allowed to answer the door when her dads weren't home, but whoever was ringing the bell wouldn't let up.
Flinging the door open, Rachel shouted, "I have a rape whistle!" before noticing the mass of brown curls staring down at her. "Jesse," she began cautiously, taking a step back into her house, "if you think you're bringing me to lunch with you…what the hell?"
Jesse lunged for her torso, but Rachel swiftly manuevred out of the way.
"I just told you that I carry a rape whistle!"
"Rachel, you're coming to lunch with me. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way."
"Funny," she said, glaring at him. "I choose neither. You better get going or you'll be late for your lunch date."
"I prefer to be fashionably late," Jesse said, trying to grab Rachel's arm. "Why won't you just come?"
"I don't want to! You can't force me to go. I'll call the cops on you, or worse, my dads."
"You'd never do that to me, Rach. You love me too much," he smirked.
"I think you're confusing "love" with "hate"," Rachel muttered, this time unsuccessfully dodging his outstretched arm. He pulled her hand around his neck, and gracefully knelt down to pick her up off of her feet.
"Jesse! I swear to God you better put me down! I'm going to kill you. I am seriously going to kill you!" Rachel screamed at him as he walked them to his Range Rover. He deposited her in the passenger seat before hopping into the driver's seat.
"Would you just stop whining?" Jesse asked. "This is going to be fun, and you're going to thank me after it's all over."
"Doubt it," Rachel murmured, keeping her head down as Jesse put the car into drive.
"Oh, come on! Would you feel better if I told you that most of the cast is vegan? It's some sort of obsession, I guess. That's why we're not actually going out to a restaruent to eat. Everyone decided to meet up at the park for a picnic, and each person is going to bring their own type of vegan food."
Rachel gasped. "And I'm going to look completely ridiculous because I don't have anything to bring! You did this to me purposely, didn't you?"
"Relax! I brought two dishes. One for me, and one for you."
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Were you really that confident as to assume I'd actually come with you to this lunch?"
He smiled. "You're here, aren't you?"
"Against my own will!" Rachel screeched.
"Well, let's not think about the particulars, okay? Besides, we're here."
Rachel looked through the window and saw that they were pulling into the parking lot of Akron Valley Park. Up ahead there were a bunch of picnic blankets set up, and Rachel groaned.
"There are so many people."
"You're not even going to get to talk to half of them," Jesse replied. "I'm just going to introduce you to the people I'm friends with. But if you want to go off and make friends on your own…"
"No! That's fine. Uhm. Let's just get this over with," Rachel said quietly, eyeing all the people by the blankets.
Jesse and Rachel made their way slowly over, with Rachel a few steps behind Jesse. A tall man spotted the two and motioned for them to come over.
"Caleb! Hey man, mind if we crash on your picnic blanket? I forgot to bring one. By the way, this is Rachel. She's taking over the part of Fanny." Jesse pushed Rachel forward to shake hands with the man. He was completely bald, and verging on albino. His black glasses boldly stuck out against his skin.
"So this is Rachel!" Caleb said excitedly. "Shelby has told me so much about you! I look forward to working with you. Now, why don't we all sit down and chat for a while?"
Rachel smiled politely and casually sat down next to Jesse on the blanket. Jesse placed the food he had brought in the center of them and gently patted Rachel's arm. "See?" he whispered to her. "This isn't going to be all that bad."
"Oh my God! Is that Jesse St. James? Did he really come here and NOT say hi to me? Wow." A red-headed girl came running over to their blanket and threw herself down on the other side of Jesse.
"Marisa, would you stop being so obnoxious? Jesse just got here." Caleb rolled his eyes and gave Rachel a sympathetic look. "Marisa is our choreographer. Marisa, this is Rachel. She's the Fanny replacement."
Rachel leaned over Jesse to shake her hand, and she could see Marisa eyeing her up and down. "You told me you weren't dating anyone, Jesse," Marisa muttered.
He glanced at Rachel. "I'm not dating her, Marisa. We've just known each other for a while."
"Ah," Marisa said quietly, still staring at Rachel. "noted. Well, Rachel, welcome to the cast. I hope you're a good dancer."
Rachel smirked. "I won my first dance competition at two years old."
Marisa glared at her. "What a shame. I won my first one at 18 months."
Jesse shifted uncomfortably beside Rachel. "Marisa, I think Jenna is calling you over," he said loudly.
Marisa jumped up and ran off without saying goodbye.
"Dear God," Rachel muttered under her breath. "She's worse than I am."
Caleb laughed. "I like you, Rachel. You'll fit in just fine around here. See, nobody likes Marisa. She's a bitch."
"A bitch who wants to hook up with me," Jesse moaned.
"So that's why she was acting like she was jealous of me. You better watch out for her, Jesse. She seems kinda sneaky."
"I already know that, Rach. Look, Doris is coming over. You'll definitely like her."
A young girl around Rachel's age came running up to them. Her hair was cut short, and she had dirt all over her knees.
"Hi Jesse, Caleb, er, person."
"Rachel," Caleb interjected. "Her name's Rachel. She's the new Fanny."
Doris brightened up at his words. "Oh! That's so awesome! Hi, I'm Doris. The name's ridiculous, but my mom was obsessed with Doris Day. Excuse my appearance, I was just teaching some of the guys how to really play kickball."
Rachel smiled. "Wait, so does that make you a fan of Doris Day, too?"
Doris laughed. "Of course! Although, I couldn't see how you wouldn't be a fan of hers. I mean, she's just so great! Don't tell me you're a fan, too?"
"One of the biggest," Rachel exclaimed. "What's your favorite movie of hers?"
"Uh, Jesse, we better leave these two alone. I think my ears are going to bleed from all this shouting. Feel like playing some b-ball?"
Jesse stood up, looking down at Rachel. "We have to leave in exactly one hour. I have to make sure you're home before your dads get back from work. I don't think they'll be appreciative of my kidnapping you."
Rachel nodded and turned back to Doris. "Doris Day only comes in second to Barbra Streisand. I mean…"
The two girls remained deep in conversation, discussing topics from Doris Day's best movies to the worst parts of Grease 2. Rachel was sincerely upset when Jesse came and told her it was time to go.
"Are you sure we have to go so soon? My dads are probably stuck in traffic…"
"I don't want to risk it, Rach. We have to leave. Say goodbye to your new friend and meet me at the car." Jesse waved goodbye to Doris and headed back to the car. Rachel watched as Marisa tackled him into a bear hug, making him drop all the left-over food he was carrying.
Doris snorted. "She's a total slut," she muttered, motioning to Marisa. "By the end of this tour, I'll bet she'll have slept with every guy in this cast. Starting with Jesse."
Rachel's face turned a light shade of red, and she cast her eyes down to the ground. Doris stared at her, wide-eyed. "Wait…do you like Jesse?"
"No!" Rachel shouted, a little too loud. "We're just friends. I just, um, don't want him to get hurt."
Doris laughed. "Jesse seems like a sturdy guy. I doubt anything could hurt him. Ugh. He's looking right at us. And he's motioning to his watch. Hey, let me write down my cell number for you. Make sure to text me later!"
The ride back to Rachel's house was mostly silent. Rachel was contemplating whether or not to bring up Marisa. She didn't know why, but something about that girl really ticked her off. Rachel could tell she had a huge crush on Jesse, and for some reason, that really bothered her. Rachel also knew, though, that she, Rachel Berry, was not developing deeper feelings for Jesse. That could not possibly happen because…well, it couldn't.
Finally, Rachel couldn't hold it back any longer. "You don't like Marisa either?"
Jesse rolled his eyes. "She's so annoying. I just wish she'd leave me alone, you know? Give me some personal space."
"Yeah," Rachel murmured, looking out the window. She didn't know what else to say, and the rest of the ride was spent in total silence. When they got back to her house, Rachel's dads still weren't home.
"Yes! We made it back in time. Do you want me to come inside with you?" Jesse asked, coming around to open her door.
Rachel shrugged. "If you want."
Jesse led her up the front walk, and taking the key from Rachel, opened the door for her. "I don't really know if I should be here when your dads really do come home."
Rachel laughed. "They don't know anything about what happened last year. They actually like you, still."
"You never told them about what happened?" Jesse frowned.
"Nah, I was too embarrassed," Rachel shrugged, taking a seat at her kitchen table.
"What were you embarrassed of?" Jesse asked, sitting across from her.
Rachel twirled a piece of her hair. "My lack of judgment," she whispered.
"What are you talking about?"
"I trusted you. I thought you'd never break my heart. There was no doubt in my mind that you were my soulmate. I was stupid," Rachel muttered, picking a pretend piece of lint off of her sweater.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Jesse slammed his fist on the table.
"God! What are you trying to do? Scare the crap out of me?" Rachel shouted.
"I am an asshole. A complete jackass. Why the hell do I even deserve to be around you after what I did? After the pain I caused you?" Jesse jumped up. "I gotta go," he muttered, storming out of the house, ignoring Rachel's pleas to stay.
She texted him, left messages on his phone, and on a whim, wrote on his Facebook Wall. Yet, no reply. Rachel couldn't help but think that this was all her fault.
At dinner, Rachel sat in silence and ate her food as quickly as possible. In the middle of the meal, her phone had started ringing, and Rachel ran to retrieve it. It was only a text from Doris, though, and Rachel threw the phone back down.
"Rachel, you know that we don't answer our phones during mealtime," Leroy chasitised.
"I know, Dad," Rachel said miserably, sitting back down.
"Is everything okay?" Hiram questioned.
Rachel sighed. "It's just one of those days."
Why did it always seem to be "one of those days"?
Author's Note: Before I start my crazy spazz attack: I had severe writer's block while writing this. And well, it's not my favorite chapter. Now this story will enter fast-foward mode, and I'm thinking that after one chapter filled with moments from rehearsals, we'll skip ahead to opening night of Funny Girl! Sound good? Thanks so much for reading, and I have to say, I LOVE all the reviews I'm getting. Please, keep them coming!
Spazz attack time!: YESYESYESYES! JON GROFF IS COMING BACK TONIGHT AND ALL WILL FINALLY BE WELL! Did anyone see the sneak peak of Jesse talking to Rachel about how he's sorry about what he did? And when he asks what she's doing for prom? WOW! I nearly had a heart attack. I even had a BIGGER fake heart attack when I saw the scene of them singing Rolling in the Deep (which was just released today)! I couldn't ask for anything more perfect...well...actually I could. It would've been a little better if Rachel actually took Jesse's hand during that one part..and you know..smiled? But hey, I can only ask for so much! At least they were singing together! Now, depending on the way tonight's episode goes, I either have a hate letter or a love letter to the Glee writers, which I may or may not include in next chapter's Note. Or maybe I'll just wait to respond to reviews until tomorrow and include it there. I dunno. You tell me which is better! Ahhh! SPAZZSPAZZSPAZZ. The End =)
