"There you are."

Rachel looked up from her homework to see Kurt entering her room. She briefly hesitated at the pitch of his voice, which had a tone of reprimand in it, and considering he had previously expressed distrust towards Jesse - and disappointment that she continued to harbor interest in him - Rachel decided not to tell him about her and Jesse yet; she would like to revel in the giddy joy of their reunion to herself first, before letting others tell her their opinions about their relationship. As Jesse had previously pointed out, a seemingly long time ago, they probably wouldn't leave her alone. She had learned that the hard way. (At least this time they can't kick her out of the show choir she helped lead to Sectionals victory.)

"You're unbelievable." Kurt continued, not even waiting for her to return a greeting.

Now she really paused. She had been working on some homework, pleased as punch at how her afternoon had turned out - Claire actually considered her to be a friend, and she and Jesse were going to try having a normal relationship again, with the first date all planned out and everything - when all that positivity was suddenly threatened by Kurt's interruption. Not to mention the fact that this was the second time in so many hours she'd been told she was unbelievable in a not-quite-positive manner. Rachel considered her options, and having realized she had no idea what he was confronting her about, she smiled pleasantly at her friend. "How may I help you, Kurt?"

"Don't." Kurt cut her off. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked down at her with an expectant look. "How can you just sit there?"

She laughed, unsure. "A good posture is most conducive to productivity, and I am kind of working here..."

He waved off her reply. "You have to tell her not to do it."

Ah. So this was about Claire.

Considering that she had given this some thought earlier when she had realized Janet must be the one telling people that Amy's injury was circumstantial to Claire having taken the lead in the upcoming showcase, and that Janet was part of Adam's Apples, the show choir led by Kurt's current flirtation, then she had kind of expected for Kurt to confront her about the entire situation. What she hadn't expected was for him to start with telling her to tell Claire not to do the show. Or for him to accuse her of being lax about the whole thing.

"This may come as a surprise to you, and it does even to me, but I can't just tell anyone to do anything."

"If you're telling the truth and she's your friend, she'll listen to you."

"I can't do anything," Rachel reluctantly admitted. "Even Claire can't do anything."

"She can say no!"

"No, she actually can't." Rachel told him. "Amy's hurt, and-"

"And Janet is her understudy!" Kurt reminded. "Don't sit there and pretend you wouldn't be as indignant about this if the shoe were on your foot."

"Of course I would, if the circumstances were the same, but I doubt that there would ever be a circumstance where I'm not a hundred percent prepared." Really. She'd been off-book for West Side Story three days after she got the role. She would even have attended Mr. Schue's ridiculously-named Booty Camp if she hadn't already been attending her off-school dance classes.

"They can't take the lead from her, you're still in rehearsals."

"Janet hasn't been attending rehearsals." Rachel shook her head. "We've been meeting two or three times a day and she wasn't there for one on Thursday and both sessions last Friday when we were learning new routines."

"She's a dance major, she can learn it more quickly than you need to." Kurt said dismissively.

She was pretty sure that was a slight on her dancing, but Rachel focused on the more important element of what Kurt had just said. "This isn't the basic routines we were learning in Glee Club, Kurt. We're learning an entire show's worth of routines in less than a month, and with Spring Break coming up, there's really no time to be flaking off."

"Janet hasn't been flaking off, she's been working with Adam's Apples."

Rachel frowned. "I thought..."

Janet had said she'd quit the show choir to focus on the showcase, right?

"And besides, they've been practicing before you got there, and she said you have been practicing the same two numbers for days!"

"It's the highlight of the show!" Rachel protested. She'd asked the same question to Marco at one point, too, and he'd told her that he wanted to work on perfecting the two major solos before they focused on the performances with the rest of the group. She closed the lid on her laptop and set it aside, deciding she had to give her entire focus on this discussion with Kurt. "Didn't she quit show choir already?"

"Just because you're above it all doesn't mean it's the social suicide you consider it to be, Rachel."

"I was exaggerating about that, but you have to admit, you're not exactly the most competitive group in the college scene."

"I admit there's room to grow..."

They digressed. Rachel voiced her confusion. "I thought she quit show choir to focus on the show."

"She decided to split her time, since you're not really challenging her."

"That doesn't excuse her from not attending rehearsals." Rachel argued. "And if it were really about the lack of a challenge, she should have said something and made Marco give her something else to do, instead of flaking off and making Marco question her dedication."

"Is that what Claire would do?" Kurt asked cattily.

"It's what anyone serious would do." Rachel retorted. "And the fact is, right now, Marco has more faith in Claire than her."

Kurt scoffed. "If you were a choreographer, of course you'd choose Claire over anyone else."

"He wasn't choosing Claire over Amy until Amy hurt herself." Rachel countered.

"You can't really expect me to believe that you're willing to overlook this obvious breach in casting rules."

"What breach?" Rachel all but screeched. "Claire's not stepping in yet!"

"Like it's not obvious they're going to lead Janet on until the last minute for Claire to step in." Kurt looked at her pointedly. "Which I suppose explains why you're so quick to defend Claire Beaumont."

Rachel recoiled, physically drawing her head back, as if slapped. "Excuse me?"

"Every time anyone but you was the obvious choice to sing the solo in competition, somehow you manage to coerce Mr. Schuester to give it to you at the last minute." Kurt reminded. "Having Jesse 'help' Mr. Schue choose who would sing the solo at Nationals in New York? Let's not forget how quick you were to take the solo from Mercedes that very first Sectionals."

"She said I should do it." Rachel grit out. She had wanted that solo, true, but Mercedes had won it by popular vote, and she'd conceded defeat. When Mercedes chickened out and gave it to her, she wasn't about to say no and risk the rest of her undedicated, sometimes-lackluster teammates to throw away their chances at victory.

She knew there had been some resentment from some of her teammates in Glee Club, considering how many solos she'd gotten, especially in competition, not to mention she got most of the duets because of her partnership with Finn, but she still felt that Kurt's accusation was unfair. She had a dedicated vocal coach outside of McKinley, had been working with Mme. Vivienne for years, and attended jazz and ballet classes every week. She worked for her solos, and when it came down to it, she had a full repertoire of numbers ready to go, and none of the other members could say the same.

Kurt could complain all he wanted, but when she had been put on notice by Mr. Schuester and kept her from the solo, even Santana had prepared Valerie for Sectionals (Santana had brought sheet music, for crying out loud) their junior year, while he and Mercedes had not been prepared with anything but their self-confidence and talent.

Rachel glared at him. "I got those solos fair and square. And I'm guessing you're just overlooking all those times I stepped aside when everyone else wanted the big numbers?"

"It was the right thing to do, and you know it."

"So is this!" Rachel insisted.

"She's not even part of the group!"

"And you still think she has a choice?" Rachel asked incredulously. Seriously, even Brody had figured out that things must have been dire for Claire to even be considered to step in for a show of a dance troupe she wasn't a member of.

"Why is she even in the running in the first place?" Kurt gasped and stared at her accusingly. "Is that why she was in rehearsals?"

"No!" Rachel exclaimed. "I told you: Cassie July made her attend those sessions!"

Kurt narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her. "Or is that why you're there?" Kurt theorized.

Rachel's eyes widened and she shook her head, her eyes betraying her hurt at such an accusation. "Why would you even think that?"

"She hasn't run screaming from spending so much time with you, so I'm assuming the two of you have more than enough things in common, including a cutthroat determination to be a star." Kurt shrugged. He shook his head. "I can't believe you, Rachel. You should know how much this means to Janet, you and Claire shouldn't take this from her."

"We're not doing anything!" Rachel cried. "Janet has a chance to prove herself, everyone just wanted to make sure Claire was on board to step in if she had to."

"They shouldn't have the option to!"

"There's going to be a preview, Kurt! And Janet's not prepared. What was Claire supposed to do, leave all of them hanging?"

"That's not the point."

"It is the point!" Rachel shot back. "Claire doesn't need to do this, but the alternative is to have people think the production isn't ready, or worse, completely lackluster. The lead is supposed to be the best of the group, but since Amy's hurt, Janet's not ready, and nobody else can step in and learn the dance in time, it's up to Claire. Janet may not like it, and you obviously want to think the worst of Claire, but the fact is, she's the only one right now who can do the preview. Hate her if you want, but don't you dare assume to know the inner workings of what happened."

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me."

"Janet's the understudy, Rachel."

Like she could forget, with the way he kept repeating it, as if that was his only argument. She shook her head, because at this point she quite honestly had started to wonder why she was still trying to argue with him: there was literally nothing she or anyone could do, and unless Janet magically managed to improve her performance and come up to par with Marco's expectations, then any debate was futile.

"They'll hate her, you know."

Rachel exhaled. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'll be there with her."

"Rachel, if you're hero-worshipping this girl..."

"I like her. She's my friend."

"You don't need a friend like her."

"'A friend like her?'" Rachel echoed skeptically. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kurt gave her a knowing look. "You're ambitious and relentless and ruthless as it is, which I thought you were trying to tone down, so should you really be around someone who encourages that part of you?"

"She's been nothing but nice and helpful to me." Rachel retorted. "You don't even know her, Kurt."

"If she's willing to step all over someone else just to be a star, I don't need to."

Rachel stared at him, aghast, as she had never heard such a callous assessment of anyone from Kurt, and it stunned her to realize that for someone who rallied so hard for open-mindedness and equality, he wasn't willing to offer the same kind of willingness to get to know somebody before passing judgment on them. Couldn't he tell that she'd been happier, calmer since she started working with Claire? The girl had helped her regain the confidence she'd lost from Dance 101 with Ms. July, had helped her through the initial heartbreak of what she had thought to be Jesse's rejection, had actually straight-out told her that she deserved better than the pseudo-relationship she'd had with Brody. Claire was actually helping her with her dancing, helping her be better, and Kurt was criticizing her for wanting to remain friends with Claire?

Seriously?

"What's with all the yelling?" Santana asked, finally joining the fray. She had been in the apartment the whole time, probably catching up on her TV shows on her night off, and while Rachel wasn't sure why the girl had opted to stay out of the conversation until that point, it was a little disconcerting to know Santana would willingly joining a confrontation that clearly didn't involve her.

Rachel threw her hands up in exasperation, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get any support from Santana Lopez, who, much like Kurt, had complained all the time about Rachel getting most of the solos in Glee Club in high school. Santana, who in high school had seemed to dedicate all the work ethic she possessed to Cheerios instead of applying some, if any, to New Directions.

Kurt glanced at her. "Rachel's dancer BFF took the lead for a show she's not even supposed to be a part of."

Santana snorted. "Sounds like Berry."

"Excuse me?"

Santana glanced at her. "Oh, please don't tell me you wouldn't take the chance to take the starring role from someone given half a chance."

"That's not-"

Santana turned back to Kurt. "I'm gonna guess Berry thinks it's cool to just take the role from someone?"

"You don't even know what's-"

"Obviously." Kurt answered Santana, ignoring Rachel's protest.

Santana glanced at Rachel. "You know that that's not cool, Berry."

Rachel shot Kurt a glare before she addressed Santana. "There's more to the story than what you think, and more than what Kurt knows, so don't start."

"What's to know?" Santana asked. "Pale Face thinks it's obvious, and you're defending something you'd do."

Rachel shook her head, the knowledge that there was no way she could win this discussion becoming evident to her. "You're both wrong, and we're not discussing this anymore. And I also have work to finish, so if you could..." she motioned to the entryway to her room.

Santana shrugged, already dismissing the conversation. "If you're both going to keep talking, keep it down I'm watching my soaps."

Kurt frowned at her. "Are you still catching up on Pretty Little Liars?"

Santana gave him a look. "I'm all caught up, I'm watching it again and checking if it'll make sense the second time 'round. And I'm pretty sure Husky Voice Hastings plays for my team."

Rachel rolled her eyes, and grabbed her laptop.

Santana pointed at her. "Listen to your best gays, Berry. Tell your girl to back off. You don't want to go back to being the loser with no friends that everybody hated back in Lima."

Kurt gave her a look that was equal parts sympathetic and pity. "You've come a long way, Rachel. Do you really want to again be the girl who had nothing else but her ambition? Because if you stick with Claire that's exactly who you're going to be."

"You're wrong." Rachel said quietly. She kept her gaze down on her laptop screen, hoping her blatant ignorance of Kurt's faux sympathy would get him to leave her alone. She didn't want to hear anything from him anymore, not about this. She knew it sounded awful from a certain point of view, but she knew all the details, and there was no way she couldn't defend Claire.

And when she'd told Jesse the story he'd understood, and even expressed that Rachel was doing the right thing by insisting to be at Claire's side through the difficult situation. So at the very least, she knew she would have Amy, Claire and Jesse.

It wasn't much, but it would still be more than what Rachel Berry-in-high school had.