I've waited all day to watch St. Berry on "We Built This Glee Club".
Finally. Thank you RIB.
Walls
"Are you sure about this?" Jesse asked, his voice filled with doubt. He briefly glanced at Rachel and furrowed his brows as he noticed she was only staring into space.
Shelby nodded. "I don't see any problem with it."
"But isn't this song a little unusual for Vocal Adrenaline standards?"
Shelby leaned back in her black swivel chair and smiled.
"It's something different. And Vocal Adrenaline could use something different and new." She lifted her finger and pointed at Rachel. "Until now she was the only one that carried the team to success. Don't get me wrong. I think she could always do it again. But we have fallen into a routine that Vocal Adrenaline simply cannot effort anymore. We need something new. Something that the judges don't expect from us. And if that means you two are going to sing this song… I don't see any problem with it."
Jesse laughed dryly. He hadn't got anything against the song choice and he really liked the song. But the girl to his side just didn't want to chime in. He had gotten to know Rachel by her continuous need to give her opinion to everything. She was the first protest if something wasn't going her way. But now it seemed like she didn't even care. And he honestly doubted that she was going along with her mother's plan.
"Rachel?" Shelby questioned.
The girl raised her view. She was moving the chain of her necklace back and forth. Shelby looked at her with raised brows. Rachel got up and walked to the door.
Jesse was staring at her back in confusion. He hadn't got a problem with singing this duet with her. But her weird behavior confused him. He thought that maybe she didn't want to sing this song- didn't want to sing this song with him.
And if he was honest with himself, he would admit that it was making him angry. Rachel wasn't acting professional and he just couldn't understand what was going on with her. They both knew they worked great together and this little duet would only proof that they would win Sectionals together.
He was watching her as she reached for the door knob, her hair neatly braided down to her back.
"Rachel?" He asked quietly.
She opened the door and stopped for a moment before she answered "I like the song" and closed the door behind.
The school bell rang out and the presenter announced that the competition was starting in five minutes.
Rachel and Jesse's heads rose up when they were standing in line to get themselves something to drink. Luke was already looking for their seats and Coach Corcoran was talking to one of the coaches of their rival glee clubs.
Rachel started tapping her foot impatiently to the ground.
Jesse let out an annoyed sigh. He turned her around so that she was facing him.
"Really, Rachel?" He asked.
She glared into his blue eyes and suppressed the feeling to tell him to mind his own business.
She clenched her teeth and forced a smile onto her face.
"Sorry," she muttered.
Rachel was about to turn around again when Jesse grabbed her aside and pulled her out of line.
Her mouth dropped open in protest as she glanced back to the line.
"Great. Thanks to you I'll never get my coffee." She looked downright pissed.
"What's wrong with you?" Jesse suddenly questioned.
Rachel gave him a confused look. She furrowed her brows and looked into his wondering face. He seemed like he cared and wanted to help. But Rachel knew better. She was just annoying him and he wanted her to shut up.
"There's nothing wrong with me. What's wrong with you?!"
Jesse groaned. He watched his coach going through the doors of the auditorium and took a watch at his clock.
He wanted to know what was going on because he really didn't knew how to deal with this kind of Rachel.
He was just about to open his mouth again when the cafeteria lady called for the next customer and Rachel stepped back into line to order herself a double vanilla coffee.
The auditorium started to fill with people who were looking for a place to sit. The upcoming Sectionals performances were the official start of the show choir competition and the others were soon following. When Jesse reached his seat the others were already talking about the information of the brochure. He had scanned it briefly before remembering the attending glee clubs being Aural Intensity, the Hipsters and New Directions.
Jesse was about to sit down as he noticed Quinn. She was beckoning him to come backstage. With a glance at the others who were still engrossed in their conversation he walked back through the tier again. Jesse furrowed his brows. He felt the stare in his back as he walked down the aisle.
He reached the stage and climbed the few stairs that were leading up to the stage. Quinn was standing on the other side of the curtain, her body half hidden when she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of sight.
"What's going on with Rachel?" She asked worried.
Jesse shrugged his shoulders exhaling deeply. "I have literally no idea. She just won't talk to me."
Quinn groaned. "That's so typical for her. If there's something that's bugging her she retires completely."
Jesse raised a brow. "I tried to talk to her before but she rejected me for a coffee."
Quinn giggled.
"That's not funny," he responded scowling.
She was smiling at him cheeky when her name was called.
William Schuester was waiting on the other side of the stage. He motioned to the clock on his wrist and shot Jesse an apologetically look. Quinn nodded.
"Okay, you know what?" She said after turning around again. "Get her into room 13. It's our dress room. I will make sure that our whole glee club watches the other performances and get you some time. Whatever it is that she don't want to talk about… Get it out."
Her words replaying all over his head he made his way back to his seat.
The lights started to dim and the judges of this competition were introduced.
His left arm was lying on the armrest and his face resting in his palm. His head raised as the first notes of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's Lucky were filling the auditorium.
Sam and Quinn were making their way onstage their voice harmonizing nicely.
Jesse couldn't stop himself to compare. Where his and Rachel's voices were powerhouses theirs were lightweights. They sounded good together. Nice and sweet and soft.
Jesse's view drifted to Rachel again. He remembered them rehearsing. Powerful, strong and full of passion. They made really great music together.
He was watching Rachel's face lit up at Quinn's performance and he knew he couldn't make that kind of music- that really great music- together with her in a state like this.
Jesse was slowly rising to his feet. He was looking down on her and taking a long breath.
"Room 13. Two Minutes."
Rachel was entering the dress room and closed the door behind. She was crossing her arms in front of her chest as she watched Jesse on the other side of the room. He was standing in front of the windows and the light was complementing his appearance.
"So?" Rachel started. She was leaning her back on the door and raising a brow.
"So?" He repeated. He was shaking his head in amusement. If he had thought that it would be easy to get her to talk after she had entered the room he had made a fool of himself.
"Look, Jesse. I have better things to do than this and I would rather watch the rest of the competition before we are staring the other into the ground."
Jesse nodded in agreement. "Good. Me too."
Rachel was rolling her eyes and about to turn to the door again.
"Tell me what's going on and we can leave. The door's locked."
"I can sit here all day, Rachel."
Rachel clenched her jaw. She was desperate to leave. The tension in the room was unbearable and Rachel couldn't let herself down to talk to him.
She was mad at Quinn who was obviously involved in this arrangement. Her coat was still hanging on the wall and she saw the belongings of Quinn's teammates spread all over the room.
"The second act is up by now. If you hurry you can maybe make it to the award ceremony."
Rachel glared at him. Jesse was leaning down a chair he had decided to sit on while trying to get her to talk. Even though he looked as cool as a cucumber Rachel knew that he was getting really impatient. Realizing this put a smug grin on her face.
"She smiles! Someone call the Pope."
Rachel's smile grew bigger.
"Well now that irritates me," he stated.
"You want to get out of this room as much as I want it," Rachel responded.
Jesse shrugged. "I have time. And the last time we happened to be in a situation like that … Well I think it had become really cozy." He was grinning smugly and Rachel wanted to wipe that smile out of his face. Rachel scowled.
"What do you want to know?"
Jesse was already thinking of a witty response when her words sunk in.
"What?" He suddenly asked.
Rachel was raising her brows in annoyance.
"What do you want to know?" She calmly repeated.
Jesse's eyes widened for a second. Now that he was getting her to talk he didn't knew what exactly he had wanted to ask. And What's wrong with you? didn't seem like the right choice of words anymore.
Quinn's voice was echoing in his head. "You are retiring completely. You won't talk to anyone if it isn't necessary and I thought that we had already gone onto good term with each other. And now you are only staring into space with your bad mood and… I don't know, okay? This isn't you. And I want to know the reason of it."
Rachel was snorting lightly. She was looking up to him to meet his intense gaze again.
"Maybe it's something you don't want to talk- or even hear about."
Jesse shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want to work with you like that."
"You're pissed because Brody isn't answering?" Jesse asked doubtfully.
"Yes, no- I don't know, okay?"
"My god, Rachel. He's only living in New York for some weeks now. Let him settle in first."
"I know but-"
"No but! He's building himself a new life..." He looked into Rachel's face and noticed something else. She wasn't telling him the whole truth. "What's really going on with you? You can't tell me that this is bugging you that much. You aren't that kind of girl. What's the real problem?"
Rachel was raising her view. He was staring into her eyes with enough force to make her heart race.
"Do you want me to pour my heart out to you?" Rachel shouted angry. She wasn't going to let him manipulate her.
Jesse rolled his eyes.
"What's going on?" He repeated patiently.
Rachel swallowed hard and her eyes started to fill with tears. She was staring at him and trying to control her emotions the best she could.
But when her breath started to calm down again and she took another look into Jesse's sorrowful face to proof him that everything was fine her walls broke. He was taken aback for a second but restrained his posture quick. Rachel was hysterically throwing her hands up and down and he shortly expected that she was going to punch him. She was taking two deep breaths and wiped her tears away before she looked at him again.
"It's nothing," she repeated with a shrug.
He raised a brow and pointed to her red puffy face.
Rachel sighed. She slid down the wall in her back, planted herself on the ground and then she started talking.
"So you're problem isn't that he isn't replying but that you actually don't care if he does or not?" Jesse squinted his eyes together. "But isn't that actually good?"
Rachel glared at him.
"You've got problems..." He quietly muttered.
"So?! How would you react if you knew that your girlfriend came to the realization that it didn't make any difference if you left or not? That she didn't seem to mind at all? Huh?"
Jesse titled his head. "Just to make that clear: she would mind. She would actually be very devastated."
Rachel stared at him. Her mouth dropped open as he flashed her an apologizing smile.
"You are unbelievable."
She was telling him everything. From the day she and Brody had met and performed together on stage for the first time. How she had supported him on his audition for NYADA and how she had been there to pick up the pieces of his failure. She remembered their fights. Fights that had first been fought after Jesse had replaced Brody as male lead. Brody's jealousy wasn't anything that Jesse needed to know about -not any more than what had been obvious of course.
Rachel rested her head against the wall in her back.
"What do you think does that mean for Brody and me?"
Jesse mirrored her movement.
"Maybe he just isn't the right guy for you."
Rachel responded with a hmm. She remembered that a similar thought had crossed her mind not that long ago. On their way back home from the airport.
They were silent for a moment both occupied with their own thoughts.
And then they started talking.
They were telling each other stories of their victories at singing and dancing competitions. They made each other laugh.
They were talking about their upcoming Sectionals performance. Ideas for Regionals and Nationals. The rehearsals for Funny Girl which were soon starting. How they imagined the musical.
Their plans for the future. Every single college they had applied for, New York, Broadway.
They missed the fact that New Directions won their Sectionals and that the audience had long left. That Shelby and Luke had been looking for them and that both of their phones were wildly blinking in their pockets because of unanswered calls and text messages.
They missed the fact that the sun had long sunken even though there was only darkness left around them.
Brown eyes locked with blue eyes.
And with this last view in their heads they somehow ended up falling asleep next to each other before Quinn gently shook Rachel awake and took her home.
"Are you, Rachel Berry, actually nervous?" Jesse chuckled. "I remember when I used to get nervous."
"I am not nervous," Rachel protested. "I've already done this a few times."
"Yeah, but this time it's different."
"That's stupid. I am still going to sing in front of the audience out there and I am still going to win Sectionals. There's no difference."
"We are," Jesse corrected. He shrugged his shoulders. "But you are right."
"Thank you," Rachel replied with a grin.
Jesse shook his head back laughing.
Rachel was adjusting Jesse's gold tie when their names were called and they made their way onstage.
Rachel was flatten her black dress another time. The gold stripes were perfectly harmonizing with Jesse's tie and definitely going to shine brightly in the spotlight.
Jesse laughed softly. "Are you sure you're not nervous?" He was making himself comfortable on the piano bench.
Rachel leaned herself against the musical instrument.
"I'm kinda nervous."
Jesse nodded. "Sure you are."
Rachel's eyes widened as she placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was racing fast. "Oh my god. I don't know what's going on with me."
"You are Rachel Berry- two Nationals winning Rachel Berry. We are going to win this thing. Just look at me, okay?"
"AND NOW: FROM AKRON, OHIO. LAST YEARS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS FROM CARMEL HIGH:
VOCAL ADRENALINE."
"Okay," Rachel answered quickly. He was confidently nodding at her and giving her a last smile before their performance begun.
The curtain was rising and the spotlight was shortly blinding the teenagers on stage.
The applause quietly faded and Jesse started to play.
I've been alone with you inside my mind
Rachel was watching him closely as the first notes were leaving his mouth.
And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
He turned around singing to her with passion and watching her like a lover would.
I sometimes see you pass outside my door
The way he was performing was giving her thrills.
Hello, is it me you're looking for?
This and the way she was feeling underneath his look was taking her last nervousness away as she started to join.
I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile
This one line they were singing together already sounded brilliant and they started to smile.
You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide
Their eyes were locking and the audience around disappeared.
'Cause you know just what to say, and you know just what to do
Their chests were rising and falling to the rhythm of the music.
And I want to tell you so much I love you
During the next line Jesse was excitedly watching Rachel
Oh, yeah
They were watching each other closely without missing a beat.
I long to see the sunlight in your hair
Rachel was joining Jesse on the bench with a smile on her face.
And tell you time and time again how much I care
She was watching him from her spot and she felt herself being amazed by his appearance when the violins started to play.
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow
Hello, I've just got to let you know
They were getting closer to each other with every word they sung and taking turns with motivating the other to become better with every look they shared.
'Cause I wonder where you are, and I wonder what– wonder what you do
Jesse's eyes fell briefly on her lips.
Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you?
They were raising their voices and perfectly belting out the next lines together.
Tell me how to win your heart, for I haven't got a clue
With a last glance and a smile at each other they shared the last line winning their first competition together.
But let me start by saying I love you
Songs:
Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat "Lucky"
Lionel Richie "Hello"
March 14, 2015 π
in which St. Berry was finally reunited on screen. *cries*