Chapter 35
"Coach Beiste, I have something very important that I need to discuss with you" She said confidently, leaning against the office desk. Across from her, the football coach put her lipstick down and supported her head with her hand as she rested her elbow on the surface.
"What can I help you with Rachel?" Coach Beiste asked, a polite smile on her face.
"I want to run in the election for Student body President" Rachel said keeping a relaxed look on her face despite the fact that she was already beating herself up about it inside.
...
That day had started so amazingly; she had woken up with a huge smile on her face after the weekend she'd spent with James at his new house in Lima. They'd spent most of the Saturday afternoon unpacking and arranging things in his room; she'd enjoyed that he'd let her take a large part in helping him decide where to put things, the fact he trusted her with such a personal task making her heart swell. Rachel had stood next to him smiling as he had proudly showed her the numerous trophies he had won for talent and show choir performances over the last years, each accompanied by a framed picture.
The two of them had been unpacking his dvd collection when she found the musical section of it and they had wasted a few hours lying on his bed watching a few of them after finishing unpacking his stuff. After the work they'd been doing, it was nice to relax together as she sat with her back against his chest while James murmured dialogue in her ear.
Andrea had come upstairs about four and told James she needed him to come help Leroy with moving some of the heavier things downstairs. Rachel had stood by watching and after they had helped Andrea and her Dads with the rest of the house; they sat around in the kitchen together taking a well-deserved break. Andrea had insisted she was taking them to dinner as a thank you for all the work they'd put in as well as allowing her and James to stay at their house for the past week.
Andrea's idea of thanking them was a very fancy, very expensive meal at a restaurant in Lima that her Dads normally chose for their birthday meals. She'd sat next to James, of course she had, laughing and simply just enjoying spending time with the three most important men in her life.
Later than night they had gone their separate ways. Rachel couldn't refuse when James asked her to stay over with him, so she drove with James and his mom to their new house while her Dads went home. Bidding his mom a good night, the two of them headed straight to his room. She'd enjoyed spending that first night with him in his new house as they cuddled up in his bed barely watching TV as they paid much more attention to each other.
It took her a moment to realise where she was when she awoke in the morning, only for the light snoring of James to remind her of her surroundings. Nudging him awake they had cooked breakfast together before settling down and watching TV while they ate; Andrea having headed to Akron earlier that day to deal with some of the details about the restaurant. Rachel had always found it hard to just settle and relax; always having to be up and doing something to keep herself active, but with James she was able to forget about everything else and simply enjoy being sitting in his embrace.
The sun had decided to show itself, so after driving home to pick up her bikini they had decided to spend their Sunday afternoon lounging around in his back garden. Rachel walked outside, smiling when she saw that James had thrown a blanket down on the grass next to the small pond. She'd been a little shy about being in something so revealing in front of him for the first time, but after seeing the his eyes had roamed appreciatively over her body, Rachel had felt emboldened and all the nervousness had faded away as he complimented her on how beautiful she looked. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was thinking something far more crude, morepuck-ish, but she loved that he managed to control herself and give her a much more charming description.
She'd particularly enjoyed asking him to put sunscreen on her skin, biting her lip at the look in his eye as he nodded enthusiastically before his hands had soothingly rubbed over her body. Rachel eyes had closed and she'd leant into this touch as his hands roamed over her body, seemingly loving the opportunity to touch her bare skin as he sent shivers across her body.
That afternoon was one of her favourites that they had spent together, not doing anything particular; just led there together as they talked, there was no interruptions just time spent with the boy she loved. Of course, the added benefit of seeing him without his top on was something she was very thankful for.
After spending the day doing essentially nothing at all productive, Rachel woke up at the sound of Andrea returning home later in the day; blushing at the way his mom had found them led scandily clothed next to each other in the back garden. They sat with Andrea who had made them dinner before Rachel had left to go back to her own house; sad that for the first time since her birthday she would be falling asleep in her own bed without him next to her.
It hadn't been as hard as she'd expected to fall asleep without him but she definitely did regret it in the morning; feeling sleepier and not as restored as she went about her early routine. It sounded silly and she couldn't explain it to herself but there was just something about having James next to her in bed that allowed her body to relax a lot more and enjoy sleep.
Earlier in the morning she'd been eager to get to school to see him; smiling as she saw him standing at her locker and the two of them had kissed softly before he'd wrapped her up in his embrace muttering how much he missed sleeping next to her.
"You missed me huh?" She replied trying to tease him as they separated and his hands had come up to cup her face, but he just rolled his eyes at her exasperatedly. "Okay I missed sleeping with you too"
"Good; let's never sleep apart again" He said and she could hear the half-joking, half-seriousness in his voice as she smiled up at him.
"If we have a couple of nights when we don't; it'll keep it special" She reminded him, stroking his arm as he nodded at her.
"You're right…I love you" He replied pressing a tender kiss against her forehead.
"I love you too baby" She said, opening her eyes after they had fluttered close as they always did at the feel of his lips against her skin. "Got everything you need for class?"
"Aside from you and your beautiful face?" He replied, eyes twinkling at her. Rachel bowed her head blushing at him before looking up again.
"Well, those are just the basic requirements…I meant have you got your books?" She asked playfully. It was so easy for her fall in a playful mood with him.
"Yeah I do; come on" He nodded at her, taking her hand in his. Rachel smiled at the feel of their entwined fingers. Monday was definitely going to be her favourite day at school with James in Ohio; they shared four classes and she had been looking forward to the opportunity to sit next to him for essentially all of the day since she had looked at his timetable the week before.
Kurt had rolled his eyes at the sight of the two of them looking so smitten with one another as they'd sat down at the same desk with him. Rachel giggled and poked his shoulder, he pretended that they annoyed him; but she knew that really he loved seeing her so happy, just as she loved seeing him happy with Blaine.
She wouldn't have believed you if you'd have told her that having James with her class would be anything but a distraction but honestly he was perfect; he didn't attempt to interrupt the lesson by touching her and teasing her instead they just sat side by side as if they didn't even know each other, except for stolen glances and smiles every now and then.
As part of his transfer, for the first few weeks James had to meet with Miss Pillsbury at least once a week during his lunch period so that the school could make sure that he was settling in to the new surroundings. Rachel had chastised him when he'd complained that he didn't need to go and he had rolled his eyes before agreeing to it, knowing that it would make her feel better to make sure he was doing well; she wanted him to find the transfer as easy as possible so that he wouldn't end up regretting it and leaving her alone again. She loved the fact that he did it to make her feel better more than anything. James really was incredible.
It did however, feel strange not having him with her at dinner; she'd been so used to it over the previous week that she couldn't settle with her friends and instead had headed to the choir room where she spent the rest of her lunch. She was idly flicking through sheet music for a song to practise; she'd been in there for about twenty minutes when she heard the door open and close. Spinning around on the spot, she gulped when she saw Mercedes stood in the room with a smirk on her face.
"Hello Mercedes" Rachel forced a smile. "Would you like to use the room? I was just looking for some sheet music but I can let you have it if you want"
Rachel watched as the girl walked further into the room and stood by the piano, folding her arms. The two of them stood silent for a few seconds, Rachel not really sure how to actually speak to the girl any more; Mercedes clearly didn't consider them friends so how do you speak to someone that apparently hates you? Her thoughts were interrupted by the other girl speaking; "You're not going to win"
"I don't understand" Rachel said shaking her head. Okay, she did have an idea what this was about but what did Mercedes mean she wasn't going to win?
"Maria. I was better than you" Mercedes replied snarkily. "You know I was, I saw the look on your face after your hugged that boy of yours"
"I don't think its up to you to judge and decide who was better" Rachel said, looking away from the other girl as she collected her things and started to put them in her bag. There was still that feeling in the back of her mind that she hadn't been as good as Mercedes, but she'd sang the song great right? James had told her that he thought she was perfect and he had never lied to her, he never would lie to her. "Not to mention that I don't think you've got this in the bag; I was perfect"
"Who told you that? James? He's just saying so he can continue to get in your pants" Mercedes laughed.
"Don't speak about my boyfriend like that" Rachel replied quickly, frowning at Mercedes. She didn't mind the girl aiming attacks at her, but she wouldn't let her insult James; "James is nothing but a kind, sweet guy and he would never lie to me"
"Whatever" Mercedes said rolling her eyes. "You weren't as good as me and you know you weren't. I'm going to be Maria"
"Why are you being like this?" Rachel asked softly, clenching her fists to try and keep herself from crying. "Weren't we friends?"
"I'm sick of living under your shadow; you're not as good as you think you are and it's about time that everyone sees that" Mercedes said, that dry smirk on her face. The girl's smirk seemed to widen before she turned and walked out of the choir room leaving Rachel stood there alone.
She managed about ten seconds before a tear rolled down each cheek from her eyes. She didn't sob, not letting Mercedes have that victory over her; not letting her know that she'd made Rachel cry. After about a minute Rachel wiped her face on the sleeves; thinking about how Mercedes was going to try and take this away from her and knowing she couldn't let that happen; Rachel had to get in NYADA and nothing would stop her from getting to New York and living her dreams.
As she set her face with a determined look, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder before marching out of the choir room; storming down the hallway knowing what she had to do, there was a little voice in her head that was warning her about what this meant and what could be the result.
…
She feels guilty as soon as she steps outside that office, that little voice in her head growing as it almost screaming at her "what are you doing". The thought crossed her mind as she met James at her locker, vaguely listening to him telling her that Miss Pillsbury is concerned about him because he hasn't taken the time to try other activities before delving back into the Glee club; that perhaps he is simply only straying towards the things that are familiar to him to help him adapt.
Rachel cares about what he has to say, she really does; but she finds herself for the first time not listening properly as she dwells on the fact that she's just joined the student body presidential election and how big of a mistake it might be. It was only after leaving the office that she realised she stabbed Kurt in the back, he needed the boost to his application more than she did; but it was a moment of rashness, you might even call it over reacting where when she thought that her chance at Maria was slipping away; the big ticket item she needed for her senior year to ensure her acceptance to NYADA, so she acted quickly to rectify that gap.
"She thinks that joining football would be a better idea than Glee, football, I played in middle school but honestly it's like she doesn't even understand who I am? I'm a performer, I'm in Glee Club because I get to perform"James said chuckling as they walked towards class, his arm around her shoulder. Rachel smiled at him, though she knew he'd be able to tell it wasn't a true smile if he was paying attention; which he was because it was James and he always paid attention to her, it was flattering and intoxicating at the same time to know that he loved her so much. "You okay?"
"Yeah" Rachel replied, forcing another smile on her face. How was she going to tell him that she'd basically just decided he was a liar and had been lying to her about her performance by believing what Mercedes had said and going to Coach Beiste. "You're a performer and you should be allowed to perform"
"You know that's not what I was asking" He said, tilting her chin so she was looking up into his eyes. "Babe, what's wrong; I can tell when you're upset"
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him, she loved that he knew her so well; but for the first time since she'd known him, since the first time she'd seen those beautiful brown eyes that made her feel so safe, she didn't feel like pouring her heart to him. "I'm fine really; just stressed about the whole Maria thing"
"Alright"He replies, his eyes searching hers and she just smiled at him. So it wasn't a complete lie that she had told him but it wasn't exactly the truth either. "I love you"
"Love you too" She murmured back, leaning up to press her lips against his; trying to reassure herself as she kissed him that he wouldn't be angry.
….
To her credit, she's done a good job of getting through the day without having a break down about the fact that in the space of a few hours she's gone behind her friends back as well as lying to her boyfriend. Even by her own high standards of crazy self destruction capabilities this is a new record. It helps that she doesn't end up seeing Kurt until Glee Club rehearsals, but she has to sit through two classes with James in the seat next to her and she can feel his eyes on her.
She can tell he knows that her dismissal of what was bothering her was a lie, because normally he doesn't pay much attention to her in classes; like she said, it doesn't bother her it's great that they both know not to distract one another but he keeps glancing at her in class. When he walks her to her next class, he kisses her softly; carefully as if trying to tell her that he loves her and she can tell him anything. Pulling away from him, she just strokes his face softly with her hand and gives him a smile before turning away and walking into the classroom away from him. She tries not to dwell on the hurt in his eyes that he tried to mask so she wouldn't know he's upset she isn't telling him what's wrong but it just makes her feel like a horrible girlfriend.
She'd been agitated throughout her final class of the day and she'd breathed out a sigh of relief as she arrived at the choir room before anyone else did, greeted by Mr Schuster smiling at her warmly.
"Hey Rachel. You're early"
"Hi Mr Schu"she replied, walking past him to sit down at her normal spot. "I'm not meeting James after his class, he has it with Noah so they're walking together"
Mr Schuster nodded his head, placing the sheet music back down on the piano. "How is he settling in?"
"James?" She asked and he nodded his head again. "He likes the school, he's making friends with the rest of the Glee kids"
Mr Schuster nodded again; "I'm glad, has he thought about joining other clubs apart from Glee?"
Remembering what James had told her about Ms Pillsbury telling him to expand his interests rather than settling for what is familiar, Rachel frowned; did they not want James in glee? Mr Schuster had seemed happy about him joining only a week ago, now it seemed as if he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea?
"James is a performer, he does what he loves" Rachel replied, smiling softly.
"Of course" Mr Schuster said nodding, a warm smile on his face "I just want to make sure he settles in; I can tell how much you care about each other and how much it means to you to have him here"
Rachel smiled at the comment but didn't get the chance to reply when the door swung open to reveal several of the glee club walking in. They all greeted her before settling down as she thought about Mr Schuster had said; she did need James, she'd need his support and his love.
"Dude, you gotta be kidding me" She heard James voice first, as he walked in side by side with Noah; both of them wearing amused smirks on their face.
"Nah man, I'm serious" Noah replied patting her boyfriend on the back, a glint in his eye that made her sure she didn't want to ask what they were talking about. James eyes met hers and softened as they made his way over towards where she was sitting.
"sup hot stuff" Noah said nudging her shoulder as he collapsed into the seat on her left. Rachel smiled at him, and gazed back at her boyfriend who had sat on her right as he rolled his eyes. She reached out and placed her hand on top of his squeezing it gently; she knew James didn't mind how Noah spoke to her, he'd told a couple of times already that it was funny how Noah would flirt with her but understood that's just how Noah was. Rachel was glad that he didn't let it bother him because he trusted their relationship and most of all trusted her.
She gulped at the thought, guilt rising about how she hadn't trusted his words enough or how she didn't trust him earlier and had hidden what was upsetting her. When James turned his hand and linked their finger, Rachel smiled against his lips as they met in a soft kiss.
"Hey, I missed you" She murmured as they separated, James licked his lips as he shot her his handsome smile.
"I missed you too" He replied and Rachel couldn't help but beam back at him. "You feeling better now Rach?"
Sighing, knowing that she needed to tell him what she'd done; she loved him too much to lie to him. She leaned closer to and hugged him. She could tell that he was surprised by the way he didn't hug her back straight away but after a couple of seconds, his arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer as she whispered in his ear. "I need to tell you something later"
Rachel pulled away from him and saw him nod, a small smile on his lips as he faced the front of class; squeezing her hand tightly. Rachel released out the breath she hadn't realised she'd be holding in and faced Mr Schuster again, resting her head against James' shoulder as finally a smile settled on her lips.
…..
They had spent their glee club rehearsal practising a Michael Jackson number that they were considering using for sectionals; Rachel couldn't help but feel her mood being lifted by everyone so energetic about it. Even though she had never been a massive fan of the man herself, she could appreciate that his music was amazing and the feel good factor it brought to the club was exactly what they would need to win nationals. She had giggled when Mr Schuster had asked the boys to try and do the moonwalk, only for most of them to fail at it; only James and Mike being able to pull it off much to her own delight as she watched him confidently doing it.
"The Puckerone is bad ass, I'll pull it off" Noah had insisted as he along with James walked out of the school with her.
"You know, when Rach told me you that you refer to yourself as that, I thought she was joking; but you actually do" James replied laughing, earning him a solid punch to the shoulder as Noah smirked at them.
"No-ah" Rachel said in the way he hated, emphasising his first name, smiling as he rolled his eyes. "Please don't injure my boyfriend"
"I don't want to hear about you two making out, it's bad enough watching you shove your tongue down his throat every day" Noah replied smirking
"NOAH" Rachel exclaimed loudly, slapping his shoulder gently as her cheeks blushed furiously. Next to her James wore an amused, almost proud smirk. "You're so vulgar"
Noah wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Anyway, I'm out; see ya tomorrow dudes"
After kissing his cheek, smiling as he fist bumped James; she was left with her boyfriend. Her Dad had dropped her off at school that morning and since she was staying at James' house that night, she would be getting a ride home with him. The car ride home was quiet, as they talked a little bit at first about the dance rehearsal in Glee; James wearing a smile as she told him how proud she was and how sexy he had looked dancing to Michael Jackson.
The remaining fifteen minutes of the journey was in silence however, Rachel was nervous; nervous about how James would react but as she sat playing with the bottom of her top, she knew that he was waiting for her to bring up what was bothering her. Rachel was thankful that he never forced her into anything in their relationship; he knew that she would come to him and open up when she felt comfortably; something that she was grateful for and loved him even more.
She followed him up the pathway towards his house after James pulled his car into the driveway, walking into the hallway as he let them in; as James put his keys in the bowl that sat on a table in the room, Rachel dropped her bag next to it as they kicked their shoes off. Straightening her bangs in the mirror, she noticed James heading towards the kitchen at the end of the corridor.
When she walked into the room, she saw him moving about getting a couple of glasses from the cupboard. Rachel stroked her neck nervously as she looked around, noticing that the house seemed quiet. Finally finding her voice after a couple of seconds she spoke up; "Where's your mom?"
"She's in Akron until later tonight" He replied and Rachel nodded. "Want a drink?"
"Sure" She replied, smiling as she noticed him already pouring some juice into a glass that she recognized as the one she had claimed as her favourite in Oregon; rainbows and stars printed all over it. "Is that my glass?"
James looked up at her and smirked, nodding his head. "Yeah, I made sure mom packed it"
Taking the glass from him, she smiled and leaned up to press a kiss against his lips. It was a soft, tender one and when she pulled away Rachel murmured; "Thank you"
He winked at her and the two of them walked into the living room, Rachel settling down on the couch as James flicked it on and turned it over to a sports channel. James smirked at her as she sat down next to her and she rolled her eyes, knowing he had done it to spite her; she hated it when he put sports on when they were together, before settling into his side.
They sat in silence for several long minutes, Rachel content to drink her juice and enjoy James' hand moving soothingly against her thigh as they simply sat there relaxed. When the programme he was watching went onto commercials, Rachel decided that she couldn't wait any longer to talk to him; sighing as she leaned up causing him to look at her with concern in his eye.
"You okay baby?" He asked, moving his hand to touch her arm.
"Can we talk now?" She replied softly, a smile crossing her face as he nodded before picking up the remote and turning the TV off. When he turned back to her, Rachel gulped before speaking again. "You know I love you, right?"
"Yeah I know; I love you too" He said gently, her eyes closing as a smile crossing her face. "Rachel, what is it you're scaring me"
Opening her eyes, Rachel saw that he was looking at her with concern and worry in his eyes. "Whatever it is, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"
"You haven't done anything" Rachel insisted quickly cutting him off; guilt building at hearing him think he'd done something wrong to hurt it. "It's me…something I've done"
He frowned at her, his head tilting to the side as he observed her. "What have you done?"
"I…" Rachel started to speak before her voice cut out. Gulping she frowned, looking down; the guilt of lying to him was too much, she felt so awful and she couldn't bare it if James was angry with her. When she felt his hand take hers, a smile crossed her face as she looked up and saw him gazing at her with love in his eyes that assured her that he'd always be there for her. "I joined the senior class elections"
"What" He asked, frowning at her. "Why did you do that? Kurt is-"
"Mercedes came to me when you were with Miss Pillsbury" Rachel said, biting her lip as she paused; watching James gazing at her intently. "She made me so bad about myself and she said things about you and I…I didn't think I was going to win the Maria part so I went to Coach Beiste and told her I was joining; I didn't mean to but I just have to make sure-"
"Whoa, whoa" James interrupted her, shifting forward in his seat and moving his hands to cup her face. Rachel sighed and relaxed into his touch, gazing at his eyes that while frowned were still radiating affection for her. "Slow down, what did Mercedes say to you"
"She said she was better than me at the audition" Rachel replied, biting her lip; not looking forward to telling him the next part, admitting that she thought he had been lying to her. "And she said that you were lying to me, that you didn't really think I was better"
James frown faded and it was replaced by a hurt expression, as his mouth opened and closed several times; Rachel knew that she had upset him, that her not believing in him had hurt him. When he spoke again, his voice was strained; "You thought I lied to you"
"I'm sorry, I don't; I know you wouldn't lie to me please" Rachel begged as he backed off on the couch away from her and covered his mouth with his hand as he clenched his eyes shut. "Baby, I love you-"
"You really think I would lie to you?" James asked, opening his eyes and gazing at her with a pained expression. "Rachel, I would never"
"I know, baby, I know you wouldn't; it was just a silly moment of self doubt" Rachel replied as she shifted closer to him, sitting in his lap; smiling slightly as he didn't move to stop her as she wound one of her arms around his neck, her other hand resting on his chest as she leaned her forehead against his. "I love you and I know you'd never lie to me, she just made me upset and I wasn't thinking clearly"
"I love you too" He replied, his expression softening as he sighed. "I would never lie to you; ever"
"I know" Rachel said, nodding her head before pressing her lips against his. They remained locked like that for a few minutes, each showing the other how much they loved one another. Rachel was keen to show him that she trusted him; smiling against his mouth, Rachel took one of his hands in hers and moved it to rest his palm over one side of her chest.
She'd only let him get this far a few times, concentrated mainly over the last couple of weeks when she had felt especially close to him during intimate moments, even before then she'd never let Finn get this far more than a couple of occasions; the felt of his hand on her causing her to emit a soft moan when she felt James cup her breast. The noise escaping caused him to stop his exploration of her mouth and pull away slightly to rest his forehead against hers. When he moved to remove his hand from her breast, she shook her head against his and covered his with her own hand, cradling his.
"I trust you" She said, speaking slowly; wanting him to understand that he had her heart completely, she would never doubt how much he loved her; she trusted him enough to let him touch her in this intimate, private way. James nodded at her, a smile crossing his face as he pressed a chaste, tender kiss against her lips before removing his head from hers. Smiling back at him, knowing that he understood how much she trusted and loved him, Rachel released his hand and after a second he moved his hand away from her chest and rested it on her waist. The loss of contact made her feel sad, despite how slow she wanted to take things, she was happily aware of how tender he touched her, the warmness of him did feel good against her breast. "I love you"
"love you too" He replied, kissing her cheek. "So Mercedes was a bitch and you joined the Senior class presidential race"
"Yeah" She said nodding.
"What about Kurt, I thought you were supporting him Rach?" He asked, smiling sadly.
"I was...I am" She replied, sighing. "It's just….I need to get into NYADA; I need to be in New York with you next year. If I'm not going to play Maria then I need something like this to help me stand out with the applications committee"
James observed her for a few long moments and she could tell he was taking in her words; Rachel bit her lip as she watched him finally sigh and nod at her. "Alright, I understand"
"You do?" She asked, eyes widening slightly.
"Yeah; I know that you're worried about Maria….even though I think you've got it in the bag, I can understand why you're running" James replied, smiling at her reassuringly. "I don't think running against Kurt is a good idea, but I love you and I'll support you whatever you decide"
"Really?" She asked, smile widening. "But Kurt's your friend and-"
"You are my girlfriend. I love you" He replied, touching her nose with his finger that caused her to giggle softly as he gazed at her smiling. "Just be sure you want to do this"
"I do; I think that even if my original motive was driven by what Mercedes said…maybe I can make a difference" Rachel said, chewing her bottom lip. "You'll help me?"
"If you want to be Senior Class President then I am going to help you make it happen" James replied, smiling at her widely.
"I love you so much" She said, leaning forward to kiss him again; wrapping her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss, enjoying how close she felt to him right there and then.
The two of them spent a good part of the next hour simply making out on his couch, Rachel enjoying the way his hands rested just above her bottom as she sat straddling him. This was her favourite position for when they made out, giving her control over him; she could allow him to pay attention to her neck as he loved to do, but could also get him to kiss her on the lips when she felt him nip and suck gently to mark her.
They eventually slowed down and after rearranging her clothing and hair, James loved to tangle one hand in side of her hair and gently massage her scalp with his fingers, they made their way back into the kitchen to sort some dinner out for themselves due to Andrea only getting home around nine o'clock.
After eating they settled down back on the couch, managing to keep herself from kissing him again as she knew his mom would come home and interrupt them as they watched Fame, laughing happily and singing along together while Rachel enjoyed sitting cuddling up in his arms.
Andrea had sat with them for about a three quarters of an hour before she went to bed, telling them about the plans she'd seen for the restaurant near Akron and asking them about their school day, having to get up the next morning early. Rachel and James had snuggled up in bed about ten thirty and fallen asleep after exchanging a few short kisses, wrapped up in each other's embrace.
…..
The next morning, Rachel was stood in the kitchen, cutting up some fruit for the breakfast she was making them when she heard James footsteps coming down the stairs, they'd woken up about thirty minutes earlier, after showering and getting ready Rachel had been stood in her thoughts as she waited for him to join her.
"You okay baby?" James voice asked quietly as he stepped up to her from behind. Rachel sighed as she felt his arms embrace her from her behind as his hands rested on her stomach; Rachel lent her head back against his chest, her eyes fluttering close as she felt him kiss the top of her head.
"No"Rachel admitted in a small voice. As soon as she got to school, she was going to be faced with the fact that she'd betrayed her best friend by running against him in the Senior Class President. Her original motives might have been impulse driven after her encounter with Mercedes but after speaking to James she was honestly sure that she wanted to do it. She'd spent some time thinking about what she could do for the school and with Brittany's song in her mind, the time she had been alone while James was in the shower had left her thinking that maybe she could make a difference as senior class president; certainly more than Brittany could do surely. "I don't want to go to school"
James chuckled softly behind her and she felt his hands loosen around her as he motioned for her to turn around. Complying Rachel faced him, wrapping her arms around his waist and standing close to him; feeling safe and protected nearby to him. "Rach, I suggested that exact thing last week and you shot me down"
Rachel rolled her eyes at him, though her lips curved in a smile as she remembered how he had insisted the previous Wednesday her that they could skip school and stay home to "practise"; code for lying on his bed and making out.
She knew he was teasing her to try and take her mind off what was bothering her, she loved that he tried to cheer her up but right now even he couldn't make her feel better."You want to make out at a time like this? I don't want to go because Kurt is going to hate me"
"Babe, I want to make out with you all the time" He smirked back her, Rachel couldn't help but giggle at him; resting he forehead against his chest. One of his hands moved to run his fingers through her hair and he gently tilted her head. Looking up at him, Rachel saw that the joking expression and look in his eyes had vanished, replaced by sincerity and love. "Kurt's not going to hate you"
"Yes he will-"
"No, he won't" James said to her, sighing. "Kurt could never hate you; you two are best friends, but he is going to be a little mad.
"I don't want him to be" Rachel replied sadly, Kurt was her best friend and she hated that she could lose that. Especially so soon after she had lost Mercedes friendship.
"I know" He said soothingly rubbing his hand against her neck. "But whatever happens, I'll be here for you alright?"
"Yeah I know that" She said smiling widely at him again. "I love you"
Rachel had been nervous the whole way to school; the benefit of having slept at James' house was that he was able to drive them to school now that his car was in Ohio. He had kissed her soundly as they parked up, making sure that she was relaxed before they stepped foot in school and after he'd walked her to class they'd split up before they'd see each other again at lunch.
The information spread pretty quickly through the school, surprisingly really if you thought about it considering that most of the school didn't actually care one bit about the elections. Rachel managed to stay away from Kurt for most of the morning. She got a few comments from her fellow glee clubbers that they were surprised she was going to be running against Kurt but they thought she'd do a good job as president; Tina and Mike joking that their surprised she hadn't run straight away. Rachel smiled, walking away from them; feeling better than when she'd first arrived at school.
Overall the reaction seemed to be okay, thought she hadn't seen Blaine or Kurt that day; the first negative reaction coming as she put her books away in her locker before lunch when Finn came up to her and angrily said her name.
"Rachel" He said as she faced him, a frown on his face.
"Hello Finn" She replied, offering him a smile.
"Cut the crap, what the hell Rach; you're running against Kurt?" He snapped back, glaring at her with frustration and disappointment in his eyes.
"Yes, I am" She replied coolly, holding her head high. "I decided that I can offer this school the change it needs and also help me with my application to NYADA for college next year"
"But Kurt needs it for his application as well, I thought you two were best friends?" He asked, shaking his head at her.
"We are, but-" She began to explain
"So you decide to stab him in the back? He's been there for you when you've needed him and this is how you decide to repay him? By going behind his back to steal this away from him"
"I'm not stealing it away from him" She protested weakly as his voice rose, Rachel really hates when people shout at her; it makes her feel as small as her actual size as if they are talking down to her.
"Yes you are!" He snapped again, his hand out to his side. "I can't believe you, Rachel; I thought you were better than this"
Rachel pursues his lips together as a tear builds in her eye at him continuing to shout at her like this. When she opened her mouth to speak again, she was interrupted by the sound of another voice coming from behind Finn.
"You should watch how you speak to her" James said warningly, walking past Finn and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Rachel smiled weakly at him and turned to cuddle into his side; happy to be wrapped up in his protective embrace.
"Dude, stay out of this; this is between me and Rachel" Finn said angrily.
"No it's not, you don't have the right to say anything to her about it" James said shaking his head as he squeezed her shoulder.
"The hell I don't; Kurt is my brother and she stabbing him in the back!" Finn replied, throwing his arms in the air.
"Be careful what you say" James said warningly and she saw him clench his jaw, as well as feeling his arms hold her tighter. "This isn't ANY of your business; this is between Rachel and Kurt. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't come over here and shout at my girlfriend, because then it becomes my problem with you"
Rachel quivered at the anger in James voice, and stepped closer to him so that she could lean up and press against his cheek; knowing it would relax him. The last thing she needed was him to get into a fight with Finn.
Feeling James grip lighten, she turned her attention to Finn and watched him take a deep breath and shake his head. "Whatever, I don't want to get into a fight; I'll go"
"Yeah you better" James said, his jaw still clenched threateningly as if daring Finn to say something else to him about her. Rachel sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against James shoulder as Finn turned and walked away from them. After a couple of seconds, she felt James shift his body so that she was facing him and two hands cupped her cheeks, encouraging her gently to look at him. When she did, she saw concern and love on his face as he spoke; "You okay babe?"
"Yeah" She replied, nodding with a small smile. "Thank you for standing up to me"
"I love you" He said, winking at her. "Finn has no right to judge you considering what he's done in the past"
Rachel smiled weakly at him, raising a hand to touch his cheek. "Please don't get in a fight with him over me; I thought you two were friends"
"We're never going to be friends" James replied, his thumb stroking her cheek. "We're amicable and I'll make the effort to be friendly towards him. I promise I won't get into a fight him as long as he watches what he says to you"
Rachel nodded. Truthfully, she would like her boyfriend to be friends with Finn, but she was well aware that James knowing what happened between her and Finn would make it hard for him to trust the guy let alone like him. Still, it meant the world to her that he was and had been trying to make the effort. "Love you"
"Love you too" He said smiling, moving his hand to entwine his fingers with hers. "Puck said him and Quinn would meet us out at the bleachers if you wanted to head there to eat lunch?"
"I'd love to" She replied, beaming back at him. Stepping into his side, they walked closely to one another. She didn't want to face Kurt yet, knowing the conversation wouldn't go well at all, but loving James had recognized that and made an alternate plan for their lunch that would keep them away from Kurt. Of all the glee kids, her boyfriend had bonded with Noah the quickest, and even his friendship was Quinn was surprising but as opposed to in the past, Rachel wasn't worried about the blonde former cheerleader stealing her man. James would always choose her.
…
Lunch period was amazing; as she sat there with Noah, James and Quinn laughing and joking as if she didn't have a care in the world. She had become closer with Quinn since their return to school that year; all the drama from the past had been aside by the fact Rachel had been only one to make an honest, straight from the heart plea for Quinn to return to Glee.
Afterwards, Noah and James walked her to class; rolling her eyes at Noah as he touched his cheek after she had given James a short kiss before she disappeared into the class room to take her seat next to Mike. A couple of hours later and she had yet to run into Kurt in the corridors or classroom, the one they had shared the boy had made a point of sitting far away from her; Rachel knew that she'd eventually have to speak to him but for now was content to just let things be.
"I think we should talk, don't you" Rachel heard his voice as she was busy moving books around in her locker. Luckily she was hidden by the door as she clenched her eyebrows together and gulped, steeling herself as she stepped away from her locker slightly and turned to look at him.
She'd been steeling herself, trying to reassure herself that he wouldn't be mad; maybe he would understand that what she was doing wasn't out of some angry retaliation at him but because she needed to get something to improve her chances getting into NYADA. Rachel had been more relaxed about the whole thing until she saw his face; yeah, he definitely didn't understand and was most definitely angry with her.
Looking up at him nervously, Rachel licked her bottom lip before she spoke "About the upcoming deadline for NYADA applications?"
"About you telling coach Beiste you're running for senior class president; against me" Kurt replied, not a trace of amusement in his voice.
"Look, Kurt. You saw Mercedes Okay" Rachel spoke again after a moment of silence as she collected herself; "I'm not going to get the part, so I figured if I win, I'll make you vice president and then maybe you could do vice-versa"
"Rachel" Kurt said shaking his head. She felt awful as she stood there looking at him, she could see the hurt in his eyes and it made her want to try. "If you win, yes it'll better your chances of getting into NYADA, Yes. But if I win then it could make a huge difference at this school. Things could actually change"
She looked down as he spoke, she knew that he'd hit the problem right on its head. Despite how much she had tried to tell herself, and James, that she was doing it to help the school; the fact was that she was simply doing it to get into college.
"Kurt-"
"Whatever if takes, I'm winning"
"Look, I..I just need something for my senior year that's going to make me special; that's going to make me stand out, I thought Maria was going to be that." Rachel spoke, pleading with him; she knew that if she didn't act correctly then she'd lose his friendship. She had to try and salvage it. "You understand you're just as ambitious as I am; that's why we're friends"
"Rachel, in ten years from now when you look back at this time; you're not going to be thinking about clubs you belonged to or parts you had. You'll be thinking about the friends you had and the ones you just tossed aside"
Kurt turned and walked away from her; Rachel could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she slammed her locker closed before letting them roll down her cheeks. She felt awful about hurting Kurt; she hadn't intended that to be the case, she'd wanted to support him and help him get into NYADA but when she had seen Mercedes the day before, something had just gone off inside her that made her act impulsively and rashly. Rachel had paid for it by losing her best friend.
She'd been stood in the girls bathroom, wiping her face when James found her. She'd skipped class, not feeling like facing showing her emotions in front of people; knowing that none of the kids in her classes would even care why she was upset, they'd just want to laugh at the girl they'd been making fun for the last few years.
"How long have you been in here?" She heard James voice and turned to see him stood in the door way. Smiling weakly at him, she sniffed and instantly his face erupted in worry as he quickly made his way over to her and she wrapped her arms around his waist instinctively, feeling an instant ease start to pass over her in his soothing presence. One of his hands rested in the small of her back while the other came up to cup her cheek as his thumb gently wiped the tears that had fallen.
"You're missing class" She murmured, closing her eyes at the feeling.
"Shut up" He replied, pressing a gentle kiss against her lips. "Tell me what's wrong"
"Kurt hates me" She said as he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. James simply sighed before pulling her back into a tight hug, holding her close to his body as he sought to comfort and soothe her. Rachel closed her eyes as she relaxed in his embrace; she might have lost her best friend but at least she knew James would always be there for her.
….
After final period, Rachel was sat in Miss Pillsbury's office in one of the chairs opposite the three directors. Letting out soft breath she'd been holding in, she glanced at Mercedes next to her as the girl spoke up; "Please don't tell us we have to try out again"
"No, we've come to a decision" Artie replied, and Rachel smiled at him in relieve as he beamed at the two of them.
"It's one of the hardest decisions of my life and that includes when I had to sell one of my prize donkeys to pay my gas bill. I sold Kim, but I kept Chloe." Coach Beiste added and Rachel frowned quickly before replacing it with her smile to hide her nerves.
"So, in the grand tradition of the special Olympics" Miss Pillsbury continued, and Rachel nodded at the woman; feeling slightly confused by what she was saying until the guidance counsellor added; "Everybody wins! We've decided to cast Rachel as Maria but we're also going to have Mercedes as the understudy"
Rachel smiled widely, relief coursing through her body. She had won! She'd been better than Mercedes had and they'd rewarded her with the part; All of the mind games from Mercedes hadn't worked and James had been right all along; She was going to play Maria and He was going to get special privileges for the next year for believing in her.
"Understudy? Hell to the No" Mercedes voice cut her smile right from her face, turning to look at the girl to see her face absolutely furious. "I am not understudy to Rachel Berry!"
"Mercedes, please calm down" Artie asked softly, Rachel looked at him and then to the two teachers to see them with worried looks on their faces.
"No" Mercedes declared, standing up from her seat. "I will not calm down! Why does it always have to be the Rachel Berry show around here? Why can't you bare to upset her by telling her that I was better than she was!"
"Mercedes" Coach Beiste said warningly. Rachel looked down into her lap, trying to keep out of this to try and stop Mercedes from getting any more worked up. "We didn't do this to stop Rachel from getting upset; We were impressed by her singing the song and that's why she got the role"
"Look me in the eyes and Tell me that you were better than I was" Mercedes voice rang out.
Rachel looked up to see Mercedes scowling with her arms crossed over her chest an angry look in her eye. Rachel glanced at Artie and the two teachers, both of whom seemed worried by the exchange; not really wanting to say anything to set Mercedes off anymore. Honestly, Rachel was surprised that she'd won; but the determination with which James had insisted she was the better performer came across her mind and she couldn't help but smile as she proudly announced with her head held high. "I was better"
Mercedes eyes widened, and she shook her head disbelievingly before snapping; "What a load of rubbish! You don't believe that; I'm not playing your understudy"
"Mercedes, please don't' make this a stupid pride thing" Artie interjected, obviously trying to cool everything down. Rachel closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly knowing that was probably the worst thing he could have said; everything Mercedes was doing was a "stupid pride thing", the girl couldn't bare to be told she wasn't as good as she thought.
"Oh it's a pride thing, but its not stupid; I'm not playing understudy to anybody" Mercedes said, shaking her head. "Congratulations"
Rachel watched as Mercedes stormed out of the room, letting out a sigh as she smiled again as Miss Pillsbury spoke. "Rachel, really congratulations; you were amazing at the audition and at the callback"
"Definitely, you were the best" Artie said reassuringly and her smile only widened.
"Thank you" She said, standing up and shaking each of their hands that left the three with amused smiles as she turned and walked out of the office. Closing her eyes for a moment, she let it set in; She was playing Maria! Opening her eyes again, she glanced at saw James stood at her locker watching her as he chewed his nail.
Rachel face erupted into a wide beaming smile before she took off running over to him, nearly knocking him over and she practically jumped into his arms; giggling as she felt him groan gently before he wrapped her up in his arms. Rachel smiled hugging him even tighter if possible, wanting to thank him for believing in her when she had doubted herself.
After a few minutes, she felt him pull away; one of his hands moving to her waist as the other brushed her hair back behind her ear from where it had fallen as she'd ran over to him. Rachel beamed up at him, happily noting his own wide smile as his eyebrow was raised questioningly while he spoke; "I'm guessing you got the role?"
"Yes!" Rachel exclaimed excitedly, hopping on the spot that caused them both to laugh. "Baby, I'm going to be Maria in the musical!"
"I'm so proud of you" He replied, leaning forward to kiss her softly on the lips a couple of times before pulling away again. "Tell me what they said; Mercedes didn't look happy when she left the room"
Rachel spent a couple of minutes telling him everything that had happened while she'd been in the room, what the three directors had said; by the end of it she loved seeing the huge grin that was on James' face; the love and pride in his eyes making her feel like the most amazing girl in the world.
"I told you!" He announced, pumping his fist in the air causing her to giggle at him. "I told you that you were perfect!"
"You did and I love you so much for believing in me" Rachel replied, leaning up to kiss him once tenderly.
"Baby, you're so amazing" He said simply, it was enough to cause her to blush furiously at him.
"You're amazing for supporting me" She replied, stroking his chest through his t-shirt with her hand.
"It's easy to support someone as perfect as you" He said smirking at her. Rachel giggled before hugging him again, enjoying the feel of his arms around her for several minutes before they parted. "So, what does this mean for the senior class president election?"
Rachel's smile faded as she looked up into his eyes; chewing her bottom lip as a frown set in. She'd wanted to run for president because she'd doubted whether she was good enough for the role of Maria; but now that she'd been proven wrong and actually been given it…her original reasoning was pointless now. "I don't know"
"Do you still want to run?" He asked her, holding her hand gently but reassuringly.
"What do you think I should do?" Rachel replied biting her lip; she was torn, while she'd hated falling out with Kurt, she'd actually begun to think that maybe she could help the school.
"It's not for me to decide, babe" James said, smiling at her softly. "But like I said yesterday, I love you and I'll always support you whatever you decide"
"I don't want Kurt to be mad at me…he's my best friend" She replied, a smile crossing her face. "But I really do think that I could make a difference at this school"
"Just do what you think is right baby" James said, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll always be right here when you need me"
"I love you" She replied, smiling widely.
"Me too" He said, smirking at her; "Come on, let's go to Glee"
…..
A/N: So I changed it so that Rachel won the Maria part outright, it made more sense to me when watching the programme; Mercedes just never struck me as being right for the part. I wanted James to support Rachel completely; it's just the type of guy he is, He loves her completely and utterly so when she makes a decision rather than try and convince her out of it; He makes sure he is there for her to love and support whatever it is.
I've had a busy couple of weeks in my life, but I should be back to updating regularly now! We'll be meeting James Dad in the next couple of chapters, as well as working towards West Side Story and Sectionals! It won't be all fun and games, a bit of drama coming up~!