A/N: It's been a while. I wish I had a good excuse, but if you've seen all I've written while this has languished in no-update-land, you know I don't have one. A new chapter is here, though, and I'm hoping it makes up for my absence :D
Chapter Eleven
Throughout high school, Rachel had been enchanted by dances. Even when she wasn't dating the captain of the football team, she had looked forward to Homecoming, beginning her dress search the moment the Fall styles hit the stores. It had been one of those typical high school experiences that Rachel loved, despite her social standing or relationship status.
She thought dances were in her past, though. She rarely heard of college dances – and the ones she did hear about were lame and held in some dorm's musty party room with stale beer and outdated playlists. NYADA was apparently different, though. Megan was going on about some dance, and it actually sounded good. Listening to Megan describe a night on a boat overlooking the Hudson River, Rachel felt the same rush of excitement she felt at McKinley.
"I got you a ticket," Megan said, pulling the red slip of paper from her wallet. "It sold out about five minutes after I got there. You can thank me later."
Rachel looked down at the ticket, running her finger over the embossed letters.
The Thespians Ball
"Despite the awful name, I hear it's the absolute event of the year," Megan said. "People wait in line to get these babies. I just happened to be in the building early for class."
"It says we can bring someone," Rachel said, glancing up from the ticket. "They mean like, a date?"
"In theory yes," Megan said. "But I guess you could just invite a friend. In case you were wondering, I'm inviting Jesse to save you from the arduous debate of whether or not you should chance toppling your precarious friendship by offering him an invitation."
Rachel rolled her eyes. Ever since karaoke, Megan had been dropping increasingly obvious hints about her and Jesse.
"How considerate of you," Rachel deadpanned.
"Anyone special you were thinking of inviting?" Megan asked, waggling her eyebrows.
"No. What was that eye brow waggle for?"
Megan shrugged, lips pressed into a goading smirk. "Jealousy can work wonders on certain people."
"And who would I want to work wonders on?"
Megan gave her a look. "Rachel, we both know if anyone is going to man up and admit they have feelings, it's Jesse."
"Megan," Rachel sighed, drawing out her name as she shook her head. "Are we ever going to move on from this?"
"No. I prefer to beat it like a dying horse."
"How poetic," Rachel deadpanned. "And might I add disturbing?"
"You should bring Roger," Megan said suddenly, grinning wide. "He would be perfect."
"For what?"
"For making Jesse jealous, silly," Megan said. "Just imagine his face when he sees you walk in with Roger."
Rachel frowned at the imagery. "Yeah, not the best sell."
"Maybe it would force him to act, because we all know you won't."
"Can you just accept that Jesse and I aren't going to be together and move on, please?"
"No, I can't," Megan said. "Because both of you are openly rejecting happiness, and that bothers me. Therefore, I will continue badgering until one of you pulls your head out of your ass and does something."
Rachel sighed, seeing that there was nothing she could do to dissuade her friend from her misguided matchmaking. She cringed when she thought about the dance, and the myriad of ways that Megan could force them together. She imagined Megan taking her date for a spin and pushing her and Jesse together. As the scene unfolded to her and Jesse dancing, his arms around her waist and their bodies close, she scene became admittedly better.
"We're going dress shopping tomorrow," Megan said, interrupting her thoughts. "And you better ask Roger soon. He's one of the good ones, Rach. It won't be long before someone else swoops in."
Rachel thought of another good one, and her stomach twisted at the thought of anyone else getting a piece.
"No, take that off immediately," Megan said, shaking her head. Her and Rachel were at Macy's, trying on different dresses for the dance. Rachel had on a knee-length cocktail dress in a deep crimson. She liked it on the hanger, and didn't mind it on, but Megan seemed to feel differently.
"What's wrong with it?" Rachel asked, admiring herself in the mirror. The skirt hung nicely and she swung her hips side to side, watching the material swirl around her legs.
"Everything. Everything is wrong with it."
"I kind of like it."
"Rachel, look at yourself. You are young. You are hot. You should not be wearing a cocktail dress."
"What if I like cocktail dresses?"
Megan made a disgusted face. "Be serious, Rachel."
"I am being serious."
"You're wearing a knee-length dress when you have better legs than Sutton Foster. You cannot be serious."
Rachel smirked. "Go put on your dress. I'm taking this one."
"You cannot be serious!"
"Go," Rachel said, pushing her into the dressing room. Megan made a disgruntled noise, but did what she was told. Rachel stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room, turning around to see the dress from different angles. The skirt really did lay nicely and the halter neckline actually made it look like she had a bust. Yes, it was a bit modest, but she felt like a 1950s movie star in it, and she could just imagine Jesse's-
"No," she said aloud, shaking her head. She didn't care what Jesse would think of the dress. No, sir. She did not care one bit.
"I think we found a winner," Megan said, emerging from the dressing room. She was wearing a shimmering gold mini-dress that set off her dark, almost ink-black, hair. She did a little shimmy in front of the mirror, grinning wide.
"Oh, I am so reeling one in at that dance," she enthused.
"The dress is definitely you," Rachel said, smirking at the stark contrast between her and Megan's choices.
Megan glanced at Rachel and frowned. "Alright, I hate to admit it, but that dress is growing on me."
Rachel smiled. "No, it's not. But thanks for saying it."
"Well, I tried," Megan said off-handedly, returning her attention to her reflection in the mirror. "Alright, you ready to go?"
That night in the dining hall Rachel was on her own, Megan camping out in the practice rooms to prepare a piece for Friday. She saw Jesse sitting by himself at one of the corner tables and she joined him.
"Hey," he said, smiling casually up at her. She saw he was nearly finished with his dinner and she said, "You don't have to stay if you're finished. I just saw you over and here and-"
"It's fine," he interrupted, same smile in place. "It's either this or Pawn Stars re-runs with my roommate, so…"
Rachel laughed. "Well, I'm glad I rank above Pawn Stars."
He nodded along and said, "Yeah, just about anything ranks above Pawn Stars."
"Oh, I'm absolutely flattered then," she joked. She waited a beat before saying, "So, I heard Megan asked you to the Thespian Ball."
"Yeah, we're just going as friends, though."
"I know," Rachel said, nodding. "She told me."
"Great. So, uh, who are you going with?"
"I was thinking of asking Roger," she said off-handedly, gauging his reaction. Sure enough, she noticed his jaw tense and he glanced away for one tense moment before saying, "That's great."
"As friends," she added. "I'm going to ask him as friends."
"Well, I'm sure you two will have a good time."
"I think we're going as a group," she said tentatively. "You know, Megan, you, me and whoever I ask."
"Oh, right."
"Anyway, we went dress shopping today," she said, desperate to get on any topic of conversation that did not include dates or Roger. It was her own fault for bringing up, but it didn't changer her wanting to hightail it from the topic. He took the bait and said, "And how did that go?"
"Megan got a dress suited for working corners."
He smirked. "How fitting."
"And she, of course, hated my dress. I like it, though."
"What's it like?" he asked.
"Halter. Full skirt."
"Sounds like the ones you guys wore to Regionals," he said. She thought back on the gold Betsey Johnson's they wore her sophomore year, and she realized that they did have the same silhoutte.
"It's crimson," she said after a moment. "Not gold."
"Well, I'm sure you look great in it."
It was one of the stock things that a guy said, she'd heard it said a dozen times back in McKinley, but it still made her palms itch.
"We'll see," she said primly, taking a bite of her salad. "You have a tux?"
"Of course," he said. "Just as every self-respecting man should."
She smirked. "Well, then it sounds like both of us will be well out-fitted for the dance."
"I couldn't envision anything less," he said smoothly. "Well, I actually do need to head out. I need to run a few songs before class."
She nodded. "Sure, I'll see you later in dance."
"See you then." He picked up his tray and turned toward the exit. Taking a bite of her salad, Rachel watched him leave the cafeteria, her eyes following his form until he was out of sight.
A/N: You know what would make my night/day? Feedback! I'd love to hear your thoughts :D
