A/N: I am writing this chapter while listening to Disney music on Pandora...don't be a hater. Also, I have put up the poll for the rename of Devine Tragedy. Be sure to give me suggestions and vote!

Say what you mean, tell me I'm right

And let the sun rain down on me

Give me a sign, I wanna believe

Whoa, Mona Lisa

You're guaranteed to run this town

Whoa, Mona Lisa, I'd pay to see you frown

Panic! At the Disco — The Ballad Of Mona Lisa

Samantha pulled the Charger up to the stoplight, her palms smacking the steering wheel to the tune of Fall Out Boy's "Thanks For The Memories." The song had never ceased to ease up the crappiest mood and - she hated to admit it - made her think of her ex-boyfriend, C.J. Fuentes. She had grown up with him and had a deep, personal friendship with him. Because their fathers had grown up together and had been in the same unit for decades, they usually went to the same places. Occasionally, Samantha missed him, but it was for the best that they parted.

She pulled into the Starbucks parking lot, leaning her head against the seat. What she really needed was the will to move and get out of the car. After the song finished, she turned off the car and slid the keys into her pocket. Samantha shoved the door open to the car and got out, leaning against it again.

"I need to get my tail in there and face it," she said aloud before slamming the door to the car, tucking her purse over her arm, and walking into the cafe. Rachel waved to her with a tall cup between her hands. Her expression was one of nervousness as Samantha walked closer to her. "What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly.

Rachel played with the tag on the string that stuck out of the white cardboard cup, biting her lip as she clearly struggled with the words. "You've been a good friend to me in the few weeks you've been here and I just wanted to thank you and to apologize for my jealous and erratic behavior," she said, raising her pretty brown eyes to meet Samantha's blues. "I know there's nothing going on with you and Finn and I've treated you like some Benedict Arnold when I think you're the first person to treat me with outright respect and kindness. You didn't deserve it, Samantha."

Samantha was stunned by Rachel's words. How badly did the other kids in Glee treat her before she had come along? "I treat people with respect who treat me with it first. Hell, you were the first person to willingly show me around school. Quinn and Santana told me to back off the Cheerios and stay out of their spotlight," she replied.

"And I pretty much told you the same thing once I found out about your talent," Rachel murmured. Samantha smiled wryly at her as she leaned back in her seat.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a triple threat. I sing, I play instruments, and I used to be a kick-ass cheerleader," she remarked as she let out a deep breath. "I'm just glad I was able to be a good friend to you. I wasn't always a nice person."

"Can you and I start over? I think we could really complement each other as far as singing goes," Rachel requested. Samantha nodded and tucked a lock of her raven hair behind her ear.

"I could also give you tips about how to stretch out your voice without making it go out. And also how to mature your look a little bit," she said, tilting her head.

"And I could educate you about Broadway," Rachel added slowly. Samantha fought a laugh. If there were two people who would ever get along, it would be Adrienne Romero-Devine and Rachel Berry. Both vegans and crazy about Broadway with hearts to succeed.

"Well, I'd like that, Rachel," she replied. She stood up to look at the menu at Starbucks. One thing she loved about the fall (besides her birthday) was the fact that they had pumpkin pie lattes and frappes. "Here, I'm gonna go get something to drink and we'll talk more."

Samantha knew Rachel was lying. She didn't like to be taken for a fool, but the other girl would learn a few things about messing with Samantha Devine if that was her motive. Out of the blue, shortly after the photos from the mash-up, no less, did Rachel want to talk to Samantha about starting over. There was something fishy about it and Samantha was a lot smarter than most people gave her credit for, but it still infuriated her that someone actually was trying to play her. She clenched the steering wheel tightly in her hands as she blew out her breath. There was only one thing she could do to get rid of the agitation and frustration she felt and that was to either go to the gym, grab Shasta and go to the park to run, or crank up angry music as she drove around town.

All three were very tempting, but the latter seemed the most appeasing. Samantha slammed the door shut on the car after pulling into the driveway and stormed into the house.

"I'm going to go for a run. Can someone get Shasta's leash and her water dish?" she called as she ran up the stairs. She yanked off her jeans and threw them into her hamper, scrounging for her sweatpants.

Once she was dressed in her black sweatpants, a white sports-bra, and her blue high-top running shoes, she tied her hair back into a ponytail.

"Shouldn't you wait until the morning? It's going to be dinnertime soon," Adrienne fretted. Samantha shrugged as she pulled out a couple of water bottles out of the fridge and pulled a granola bar out of the box.

"I won't be long, maybe an hour. I'll have my phone on me and I've got water to keep me and Shasta hydrated," she assured her mother and kissed her on the cheek.

"Put a jacket on over that, please, and be back by six so you can at least prepare Blake's and your dinner," Adrienne relented. She was a vegan and preferred whole foods without processed sugars and animal products. Samantha was like her father and brother and liked meat, sugar, and animal products. Her compromise was to eat meat straight from the farmers' and eat organic foods, which wasn't terribly bad. Yet she didn't mind a little processed food every now and again.

She slid her yellow jacket on over the sports-bra and fixed her hat on her head before taking the leash to help Shasta into the car. A little fresh air and vigorous exercise never hurt anything and the early November air was chilling her through the jacket. Her phone rang in the little armlet she had for jogging and running.

"Hello?" she answered the call patiently as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Hey, Sam, it's Finn. I, uh, heard you met up with Rachel today."

Samantha arched her eyebrow as she pulled off of the street and to the stop sign. "Yeah, I did. She wanted to apologize for her behavior and start over as friends," she replied slowly.

"Did she mention anything about Jesse St. James?"

Samantha's eyebrows shot up as she drove down the street. "No, she didn't. Is there something up with St. Jackass?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"You've met him?"

She chuckled. "Yes, I have. I used to go school with him, but we'll save that little piece of information to discuss on a later date," she replied.

"Do you think I'd have anything to worry about with him? I found out they're talking again," Finn asked. Samantha sighed as she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She knew firsthand how seductive Jesse St. James would be and while Rachel had a strong heart, she had a schoolgirl fantasy where there was good in everyone.

"My advice would be to talk to her about it, let her know how you feel about her talking to her ex again," she told him. When it came to relationships, she knew exactly what she was doing.

"Yeah, I might do that. What are you doing right now?" he asked suddenly. Her eyebrow arched as she pulled into the park.

"Well, I'm at Limerick Park to go for a jog with my dog. You?" she said as she exited her car. Shasta wriggled excitedly as Samantha attached the leash to her collar.

"Eh, just hanging out with Puck. He says hi and he wants to get into your leather pants," Finn informed her. Samantha let out a giggle as she pictured it.

"No offense to Puck, but I don't think he'd fit into a pair of petite leather pants. They'd look atrocious on him," she fired back. Looking around the abandoned park, a sense of unease swept over her and she heard Shasta growl. "I don't think I'm gonna go running alone tonight. Limerick's kinda creepy at night, like something out of a horror. And not Rocky Horror."

"Yeah, there have been a number of rapes at Limerick, I wouldn't recommend it," he stated. Her eyes rolled to the starry sky.

"Well, damn. This is the only park that's dog-approved," she sighed. She leaned against the car and looked down at Shasta. "But yeah, talk to Rachel and I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."

"See ya, Sam, and thanks," Finn replied. Samantha hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket. Her blood froze when she felt something press against the small of her back and Shasta growled.