Faced with a problem she couldn't even begin to fathom - Jesse and Claire, really? - Rachel did the most obvious approach to dealing with it, as she had learned to in recent times: she didn't.

She could, really, but she was aware that she didn't know the whole story and while she knew Jesse wasn't telling her the whole story of why he was in New York City, she knew him well enough to know he would never throw her a curve ball like dating Claire Beaumont without telling her. And from what Claire had told her of her boyfriend, he preferred Claire as the one in the spotlight, and wasn't a star-in-the-making himself, which technically ruled out Jesse. But the question remained, what were they doing together? Did they seek each other out? How did they know each other? Were they friends? Why did they look so cozy together?

Yes, she saw them from across the street at night and under a street lamp and can't actually attest to "cozy" under oath, but still.

It would have been so easy, too, to jump to conclusions, but Quinn had talked her off that metaphorical ledge and common sense had kept her from storming into rehearsals and yelling at Claire.

Claire, who had enough self-possession and poise to return any insult hurled at her, and then some. Claire, who had earned Rachel purely-positive remarks and nothing but constructive criticism from her instructors since they started working together.

Claire, who despite her protests that she didn't really make friends, was the first real friend she had made in New York: Brody didn't count because they had ended up dating. Claire spoke to her candidly, honestly; actually when she thought about it Claire treated her as an equal, someone who could relate to the same high maintenance behavior as a diva-in-training, someone who understood the demands of wanting to be the best. Claire was the friend Rachel had always wanted, and at least she didn't come with the baggage of being Rachel's former tormentor.

It didn't stop her paranoia from jumping to conclusions when it came to Claire knowing Jesse and not telling her about it. After years of going through the elaborate scenarios her fathers would set up to teach her a life lesson, and the elaborate ploy Shelby had set up just to meet her in high school, well, it stood to reason why Rachel didn't believe that Claire and Jesse knowing each other was a coincidence.

But paranoia wasn't fact and Quinn had told her that if she really had to know, surely there was a well within Rachel where she could dig deep and face Claire (or Jesse) with a calm and composed disposition.

Too bad she had barely scratched the surface of her twisted feelings before Quinn had to head back to New Haven and thus depriving Rachel of a sympathetic and reasonable ear.

But avoidance wasn't an option, not when she started receiving messages from Claire on Sunday afternoon, messages asking if she could call to talk to Rachel, but Rachel felt woefully unprepared, and chose to tell the older girl she was busy and couldn't talk. She felt guilty, because she knew there had to be a reason why the taciturn girl had to be calling, but she wasn't ready, and didn't want to confront Claire when the other girl clearly needed to talk about something. Rachel figured that if she could avoid any confrontations until the end of the week, Spring Break followed and she could regroup before asking Claire about Jesse (unless the curiosity ate her up first). However avoidance became an unlikely option when Rachel arrived in school on Monday for their morning session to find an empty room (Claire was always early). Ten minutes later, Amy entered the room, supported by crutches.

Rachel stood up abruptly, rushing over to help the girl with her things. "What happened?"

Amy smiled wryly. "Roller skating."

Rachel winced as she sat down beside Amy on one of the benches in the studio. "How bad is it?"

"Not too bad. It's just a muscle strain but if I want to do the show after Break I should rest it."

Rachel looked up, and Amy nodded.

"You don't know the worst of it," Amy told her, telling her the whole story.

She had gotten a call from Dan Mantel, their troupe's faculty moderator, to tell her they were going to stage a preview, and as a response she had gone out with friends to celebrate what she had deemed her last days of freedom. She had taken a bad fall on Sunday morning, and when she had called Mr. Mantel to tell him the bad news, he had cursed up a storm, hung up, and called back nearly twenty minutes later with Cassandra July and Marco on the line.

It was everything Rachel dreaded, as Amy told her that their show, scheduled to start in a scant three weeks, was going to have a preview for casting directors and other dance instructors in the city in currently-undecided few short days, and their lead - their star - was hurt. To top it all off, their troupe's faculty advisor had heard through the grapevine (disgruntled mumblings in the group) that Janet was flaking off, and they were considering getting a new understudy.

Rachel frowned, "When did this happen?"

"They decided yesterday."

Rachel froze as she put the facts together. "Does Claire know?"

"Cassie said she would." Amy exhaled. "Although this is kind of my fault, when I said something about how it sucks Claire can't just step in."

Cassandra July was consulting the show, and if she was calling Claire up to talk about Amy's injury, especially if Amy was being honest about what she'd told Ms. July, it had to mean the very thing Claire had been hoping to avoid ever since they started attending rehearsals with Amy.

"Actually, I'm surprised she didn't tell you practice was cancelled this morning," Amy admitted. "Marco's decided he's going to be working solely with Janet today, to see where she is performance-wise."

Rachel grimaced, because she could be wrong, but she very well must have failed her very first test of being Claire's friend. "Why didn't you tell me? This seems like the kind of thing I would like to have known."

Amy gave her a dry look. "I don't have your number. And, newsflash, I was busy crying in pain from my literal tragic downfall."

Rachel stopped, and gave Amy a weak smile. "Right."

Amy shrugged, waving it off. "Don't worry, we're all drama queens here, it's almost expected."

Rachel glanced at Amy. "This doesn't bother you?"

Amy looked at her oddly. "Of course it does, nobody likes to be reminded of the fragility of their career ambition."

Drama queen, indeed. Rachel thought, amused. "I mean Claire potentially taking the role."

Amy winced at the prospect, revealing her personal sentiment. "Of course it does. The entire dance department's practically falling all over themselves for her, and the rest of us get so few chances to shine and, you know, this happens." Amy glared at her foot, as if it was entirely to blame for her current state. She sighed, and smiled faintly. "But I know she doesn't want it, and that kind of makes it a little better, because it means she actually feels bad about this whole thing."

"But you've worked so hard..."

"Yeah, but she's worked just as hard, and if they really make her do the preview, I know just how good it's going to be, because I know how good she is." Amy shrugged again. "It'll suck that when I do the show, we'll be compared, but if her doing the preview and doing it well will mean people will actually come to see the show, then, I don't know, that makes it OK."

Rachel smiled wryly. "You're being awfully good-natured about it."

"Good thing we're friends, huh?" Amy laughed weakly. "I have my whole life to be jealous of Claire. This is just a start."

"Some people - not me! - think you two have some kind of rivalry." Rachel told her, as if it was some well-kept secret.

"Well, sort of," Amy conceded, but hesitated to confirm. "I mean, sure, in that we're both dancers, but there's a difference in how our stories will play out: I'll be sure to find work? But dance companies would be fighting over her with everything they've got. Side by side, now, we might be competitive. But in the future? She'll be leaps and bounds better, because she has that little bit of edge that will make every director want a piece of her."

"So why..."

"Because there's only one Claire. And being around her, working with her, knowing how much greater she'll actually be, it makes me try harder, it makes me want to be as good as her." Amy admitted. "Back home I was the best, and luckily our best was good enough to get me into NYADA, but everyone here was the best in their hometowns, so you adjust what you think is the best. The standard is different. I was the best at home, and one of the good ones here, but, God, when Claire stepped on that stage during the Winter Showcase last year? I've heard rumors about her, but I saw her and I understood. If she hadn't gone and picked a song that nobody's heard of that had a down beat... She should have won. But even her choice of music proved she wasn't just another future prima ballerina."

Rachel felt intrusive asking, but she was curious and was never subtle or tactful with her approach. "Do you know why she chose NYADA over any of the other schools that wooed her?"

Amy shook her head. "No. It's weird, I've known her since she started in NYADA, but I never really talked to her before we started rehearsals, and now I can't believe we've never hung out before. She's always been focused on her training, you know?"

Oh yes. Claire's training. Besides school, and their sessions, Claire managed to find the time to have lessons with some professional classes around the city, apparently one of the conditions her longtime mentor had provided when she had allowed the girl to pursue NYADA instead of a stricter, more ballet-focused conservatory. It was both daunting and awe-inspiring, the amount of effort and discipline Claire applied to her dancing, and Rachel often wondered what Claire's boyfriend thought about it, since she doubted it left Claire a lot of time for him.

"It's weird," Amy noted suddenly, breaking through Rachel's introspection. "I know I should worry that with her around I'll never really shine, and I know some people feel that way, but to me it just makes me better, you know?"

Rachel smiled wryly. "Maybe you just never had to give up the spotlight to a ringer before."

Amy laughed. "I've actually been on both sides of the ringer experience, so that can't be it."

Rachel turned to stare at her. "You were a ringer?"

"Not as wildly successful as Claire was, but yeah," Amy confessed. "So many Nutcrackers..."

Rachel wondered why the fact that Amy was a ringer came as such a shock to her, when it was obvious that Amy was one of the best dancers in NYADA. Maybe it was because Claire had the ringer role down pat - aloof, standoffish, cold, ruthless and ambitious - while Amy, like Brittany Pierce, was nice, a sweet and friendly person (although Amy, unlike Brittany, didn't seem to have a penchant for making random, uncalled-for insults).

But Claire wasn't just that person. Rachel had been around the dancer often enough to know she wasn't just the girl who was a ringer, that deep down, there was a girl who was nice enough and friendly enough who was probably pissed as hell that her well-intentioned act of wanting to learn from Marco and to work with Amy was backfiring all over the place.

By lunch, the news had spread, and it spoke volumes to Rachel that even Brody had stopped to ask her if she knew what was going on, since it wasn't exactly a secret that she was working with Claire, or that they were working with Amy and Janet. It had been a little awkward, definitely, but apparently having something to talk about not related to their former dating relationship was proof they could be civil, and testament that they could someday be friends again.

But Rachel had more important things to consider than forging a friendship with Brody Weston, and that included curbing this wildly-spreading piece of gossip.

This was a big deal, obviously, because they all knew Claire was one of NYADA's best and brightest, but usurping a role? Actually, that was almost expected, but to do it to an upperclassman was unheard of.

It took her until the end of the day, but Rachel eventually found Claire in the library, tapping away at her laptop. Claire was consulting a book, and it amused Rachel to realize other people (not named Quinn or Rachel) actually still used library books for their research papers. She leaned over one of the free chairs at Claire's table, waiting for the dancer to notice her.

Finally, Claire gave her a glance. "Oh, are you done avoiding me now?"

Ouch. Justified and fair, but ouch. "I had my reasons, I promise."

"And now I'm Hester Prynne of NYADA and you want to be the Good Samaritan who talks to me?" Claire retorted, well aware that she was mixing her literary references.

Okay, that was a little unfair. Rachel frowned. "Not everybody thinks you stole the role."

"But some people do, and not a lot of people are coming up to me to ask for details."

"I thought only the opinions of the people you care about matter?" Rachel asked, referring to something Claire had previously told her.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Claire argued. She sighed, and leaned back in her seat. "It would be easy to say no, tell Cassie she's nuts, or maybe Amy is, for even suggesting it in the first place, but if Janet can't do it, the whole group's screwed, and I can't have that on my conscience."

Oddly, that was a sentiment Rachel could relate to. She had always known the individual members of New Directions were talented by their own right, but good enough to win competitions? She could trust a handful to perform at competition-level, but she was never certain about the group as a whole when it came to competition. Jesse found it laughable that they thought the Sectionals tie with The Warblers their Junior Year, when she had been relegated to the background, was considered a win, when it could have easily been a definite victory. And last year's win, when Rachel had been suspended, was widely perceived in show choir circles and forums as a result of the judges' perspective that the New Directions were a more cohesive group than The Unitards or The Troubletones.

She had no doubt they were good, but if she had done what Jesse had wanted, to join Vocal Adrenaline and be his female lead, would the New Directions have gotten as far as they did?

Or, for that matter, would Vocal Adrenaline have won that forsaken fourth National Championship without Jesse?

"Amy thinks you hate her." Rachel told her, taking a seat now that she knew Claire wasn't going to make her leave. "Forcing this whole thing to happen."

Claire smiled weakly. "It's not her fault she sucks at roller-skating."

Rachel leaned forward. "Are you?"

Claire gave her a confused look. "Angry at Amy, or good at skating?"

"Either."

"No." Claire drew out the single syllable, and gave Rachel a pointed look that was nearly a scowl. "And do you seriously think my instructors even want me going near those things? I'm on their hot list enough that I'm taking tap in my free time, so you can rest easy that I'll never be in a production of Xanadu."

Rachel went ahead and assumed the first part of that answer was about being angry at Amy, and addressed the issue. "So why have you been in hiding?"

"I haven't been hiding," Claire corrected defensively. "I've just been avoiding everyone."

"Why?"

Claire sighed in exasperation. "Because I don't want to have to explain to anyone. And it sucks to have the decision taken from you, even though you know it's the right one."

Rachel smiled weakly. "It's been seen as a sign of weakness."

"Let them." Claire grumbled. "I'd rather be perceived as weak than be persona non grata and yelling if anyone tries to ask me anything at the wrong time."

"Well, since you've been Miss Antisocial today," Rachel began, feeling compelled to inform Claire of what had been happening in her seclusion, "for some reason, even though Amy's the one who suggested for you to take over, people seem to think you're stealing the role from..." Rachel's voice drifted off as she realized just why there was a certain spin on most of the rumors going around the school. Amy was busy hobbling around school, Claire didn't have a lot of friends to start with, and everybody expected Rachel to defend Claire, so only one obvious person would feel slighted in the situation.

"Must have gone and whined to her insipid show choir friends." Claire muttered. As an aside to Rachel, she added, "No offense."

"None taken," Rachel assured her. Although now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Kurt the whole day: Rachel had taken to leaving for school early because of her rehearsals, and taking different classes meant they hardly saw each other while in campus. But something this big, and knowing Rachel would have the inside scoop, would have been too much for Kurt's inner gossip queen to resist, and should have sent him hunting down Rachel for some insider information.

Unless he already had some other "insider"...

Rachel found herself wondering how this was going to play out, the next few days, leading up to the preview and the actual show. From what Amy had told her, Claire was only a provision, someone who would step in for the preview if Marco and the two faculty advisors thought Janet was unprepared and shouldn't take lead; but if you had professional critics coming in, why wouldn't you choose the best? And what if Amy's ankle and foot didn't heal in time? Would Claire have to take over the role even if she wasn't part of the dance troupe?

"Does this mean our lessons have to stop?" Rachel asked suddenly.

Claire glanced at her. "You want to stop, Rachel Berry?"

"Well, no, but if you'll be busy..."

"Nothing's going to change. Amy will have to do a lot more sitting in the meantime, but we'll still be working like always." Claire sighed. "Well, for you. I have to stay late the next few days, since we haven't been attending their rehearsals with the rest of the troupe, and I don't even know their names... Should be so much fun."

Rachel smiled at the dry sarcasm in Claire's last statement. "I can stay with you. You know, for moral support."

Claire smiled at her. "That's nice of you to offer, but..."

"It'll be a new experience for me." Rachel insisted. She knew she was laying it thick, and Claire could probably tell, but she felt compelled to be there for Claire and Amy, especially if Janet was selling the whole scenario as being the victim. Not to mention she wanted to see how the choreography they have been learning would meld with the rest of the group. "Please?"

Claire gave her a discerning look, trying to gauge her sincerity and figure out how much was it an honest appeal to learn and how much was Rachel's half-baked attempt at defending her friend.

Which brought up the question, when had Claire decided to make friends?

Claire shut her laptop and began to gather her things, keeping them in her bag.

Rachel looked alarmed at the girl's sudden move to prepare for her departure. "Where are you going? Did I say something wrong?"

Claire shook her head. "It just occurred to me that we hardly ever get to leave this early, and if we're going to be stuck in rehearsals for the next few nights, we should take advantage."

Rachel beamed, because her offer had been taken without too much hesitation. She happily followed Claire out of the library and towards the exit.

She stopped halfway there. "Is Ms. July going to be there?"

Claire smirked, understanding the younger girl's trepidation. "Regretting your act of goodwill already?"

Maybe a little. "No." Rachel answered, hesitantly. She liked Claire, and wanted to be there for her for what was sure going to be some difficult rehearsal periods, but did she really want to subject herself to Cassandra July again?

Was she really still that girl, who had questioned her professional, if albeit hungover (or sometimes outright drunk), professor? Who had barely gotten accepted into NYADA but thought she didn't have to take Ms. July's abuse, even if they all had gotten it in her freshman class?

Was she still that girl, who had no friends and sat alone missing her friends and family in Ohio instead of enjoying all that New York and NYADA had to offer?

"No," Rachel repeated, more decisively. Claire wouldn't have tolerated her this long if she were, she was sure of it.

Claire smiled. "Hey, maybe she'll be too busy criticizing me to even notice you."

Fat chance of Ms. July passing up the opportunity to take shots at the freshman who had left her tutelage as soon as she could, but it was sweet of Claire to try and make Rachel feel better.

They were nearly at the exit when Claire suddenly stopped, and dropped her bag. Rachel turned to look at her questioningly, but the other girl was already speed-walking towards a boy, who welcomed her in a tight embrace.

Rachel hesitated, wanting to keep staring but certain that it was rude to watch such an intimate display.

"He wanted to surprise her, but we didn't know where to start looking."

Rachel turned, and saw Jesse sidling up beside her. She paused, and glanced briefly at Claire and... her boyfriend? She turned back to Jesse inquiringly.

Jesse smiled at her, a smile that was reassuring, but still showed some hesitation.

What he was hesitant about, she wasn't sure.

Jesse met her gaze. "Can we talk?"