Its honestly been a while since I've worked on this story and planned ahead for future chapter... but I have a perfectly legit explanation! I've been reading the fanfic "Dalton" by CP Coulter... AND IT JUST SUCKS YOU IN! It's like a black hole... a very entertaining black hole... Its soooo good! I mean, whats not to like about it? Harry Potter references... Alice in Wonderland nicknames... magic cookies? (For those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, you're probably very confused... and for those of you who do, you are probably laughing a bit in agreement!) And i love Reed :D he is just SO adorable! So go read the story now! (Well after you read this of course!) P.S. This chapter will include a cameo by two CP Coulter's characters. I won't say which two yet ;) I DO NOT own them! The only character that I own is Jillian. And I am allowed to use them because it says it on CP Coulter's tumblr as long as credit is given to her... so ha! Also, have you checked out the songs released from the episode "The Prom Queen" yet? Rolling in the Deep is great! (mainly because of Jon Groff!) Oh, and this chapter is actually really long... so yeah... Now that that's out of the way, time for chapter 10!
Chapter 10: The Tables Are Turning
"Okay, I think the taffy will hold them for about two or three performances..." Quinn huffed, quickly making her way back into the wannabe "green room." Tina was still in tears, Mercedes was no where to be found, and there were only 7 people in the audience: four of which didn't really want to be here, one who was hiding in the back row, and the other two I had never seen before. So far, this benefit had been going horribly.
"Okay, then lets hurry this up. Mike, you're on. Then Jill, then Kurt and Blaine. Hopefully Mercedes will come back and go on before Rachel closes for us." We all nodded at Mr. Shue's orders.
"I'll go talk to Mercedes. I'm the only one who understands her right now!" and with those words, Rachel sped out of the room. Mike kissed Tina on the cheek and twirled out after Rachel. He turned the other way though, heading to the auditorium. Hopefully he wont get booed off the stage... I noticed that Blaine was all flustered. Kurt was comforting him, patting him on the shoulder and telling him that everything will be okay... but Kurt didn't look like he entirely believed his own words.
"Blaine? You alright?" I asked curiously, approaching my two friends.
"He's worried... that's all..." Kurt answered for him. He looked rather worried too.
"They really shouldn't have come..." Blaine mumbled under his breath.
"What? Azimio? Jacob? Just ignore those jerks. You'll be fine!" I said with a smile.
"No, Jillian. Not them..." Blaine said, his expression even more worrysome.
"We saw Karofsky in the hall... and Blaine's younger brother and our friend from Dalton are here... together..." Kurt began. It wasn't hard to understand what he way trying to say.
"And Blaine thinks Karofsky will go after them because he won't be able to find you guys in here?"
"Basically..." Kurt sighed.
"But Shane can't control himself all that well! What if he freaks out on Karofsky? He could get himself killed!" Blaine heaved in a panic.
"Blaine-" I began.
"I told him that he shouldn't come in the first place-" he interrupted, even more panicked.
"Blaine-"
"And then he comes and even brings Reed to make it worse-"
"BLAINE!"
"What? !" He shouted.
"Calm. the hell. down." I said sternly. Kurt looked at him and nodded.
"You're over thinking this." Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder.
"Shane is just so damn unpredictable! And let's face it, Reed can't go five minutes without getting hurt!"
"That may be true, but they just wanted to come support us and our friends," Kurt began.
"And if Karofsky wants to start trouble, he has to go through us first!" I said, putting my fists on my hips. Blaine laughed a little at my attempt to sound "heroic."
"Alright. I guess I was overreacting a little..."
"A little? !" Kurt remarked. We all laughed at Blaine's jokingly offended expression.
The room was pretty silent for a few minutes. Blaine fiddled with his tie, Kurt was fixing his hair, Santana was trying to explain to Brittany that Mike and Tina weren't related (even though they had the same last name), and I just stood there, messing with my black blouse. It was one of those poofy ones that hang over your shoulders. I wore a matching black skirt and black wedges that I could barely walk in.
Mike strolled back into the room with a grin on his face.
"I assume it went well," Mr. Shue said happily. Mike nodded and walked back over to his sobbing girlfriend.
"Alright then Jill, you're up. Good luck out there! Let's hope their mouths are still stuffed with taffy!"
Everyone gave me encouraging nods. I inhaled deeply and slid out the door... and tripped while quickly walking down the hall. My feet came out from under me and I landed on my back. Thank goodness no one was around! I got up slowly, dusted myself off, and proceeded to the stage. I noticed that Kurt and Blaine had snuck around to the side of the stage to watch my performance. What I didn't notice was Sam, who had taken a position in the back right corner of the wide auditorium. I only saw him when I strolled onto the stage and looked out to the back row in search of Jesse... and shockingly, I didn't trip. Jesse gave me a bright smile. I smiled in return and prepared myself to sing. I was actually very happy that Sam was watching... since I chose the song for him:
Making my way downtown, walking fast
Faces pass and I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead, just making my way
Making a way through the crowd
I held the mic on its stand and looked out at the almost vacant audience. Jesse nodded in approval of the song choice. I could see his smirk from across the auditorium.
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
Tonight
I pulled the microphone off and strolled around the stage, looking right at Sam.
And I, I
Don't wanna let you know
I, I
Drown in your memory
I, I
Don't wanna let this go
I, I don't
Making my way downtown, walking fast
Faces pass and I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead, just making my way
Making a way through the crowd
He smiled back, making my grin triple in size.
And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder
I twirled around the stage, astonished that I didn't trip over my shoes.
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass us by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
I slowed down and looked out at the blonde boy hiding in the corner once more.
If I could just hold you
Tonight
I noticed that Jesse had stood up to clap. Sam applauded to, as did the two boys that I assumed to be the friends of Kurt and Blaine. Becky, Azimio, Jacob, and Sandy remained in their seats, chomping down on the taffy.
I quickly curtsied and ran of stage. As soon as I got off, I tripped over the ropes of the curtain. Blaine had caught my arm and Kurt helped me regain my balance. Thank goodness they were there or there would have been a very loud thud.
"She's almost as bad as Reed," I heard Kurt mumble to Blaine. He gave a short laugh in return.
"Good luck guys!" I whispered, heading off to the hallway. I slipped a few times (damn shoes!) and ran around to the side doors of the auditorium so I could see Kurt and Blaine perform. I turned the corner and slammed right into Sam! I fell to the floor (again) and my face turned completely red with embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Here let me help-" Sam held out his hand for me. I carefully took hold of it.
"Thanks." I gave him a nervous smile as he helped me up.
"No problem. Where are you off to?" He asked curiously, not releasing my hand just yet.
"I was going to go watch Kurt and Blaine- Care to join me?"
"I would love to... but Mercedes and Rachel aren't back yet so Miss Holiday is gonna sing after intermission. And, if they still aren't back, I'm going to sing..."
"Miss Holiday? Weird." I giggled. I noticed that he was blushing a bit.
"Well...uh... I better go. See you!" Sam waved goodbye as he took of down the hall. I had to take a deep breath before I could continue on my way to the auditorium.
(plain italics = Kurt, bold italics = Blaine, underlined italics = both)
I took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage from the right as the music began to play:
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone
I watched carefully as Blaine walked towards to where I stood on the center of the stage.
You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain
He looked carefully into my eyes, as though he was trying to read what I was thinking. It wasn't hard to tell. I loved the way it sounded when we sang together.
Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me
We kept our distance, sort of like how we sang "Candles." Emotional, yet not all up in eachother's space. It was sweet.
You loved me 'cause I'm fragile
When I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while
And all my fragile strength is gone
Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me
I noticed that, in the audience, Shane and Reed were laughing quietly to themselves... I'll maim them later. Right now, I'm focused on singing with Blaine.
I live here on my knees
As I try to make you see
That you're everything I think I need
Here on the ground
But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know
Is that you're keeping me down
You're keeping me down
You're keeping me down
You're on to me, on to me and all over
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
We didn't even bother to look over at the little crowd who was clapping. We just looked at eachother for a good 30 seconds. We could hear Jillian's cheers and a few catcalls from Shane and Reed. When we realized that it was time for intermission, Blaine held out his hand for me. I hastily grabbed it and we walked off together. We were quickly met by a surprise hug from Jillian.
"You guys were AMAZING!" she raved, nearly choking us.
"Thanks! You were-great too!" I said, gasping for air. She released us and we all walked out into the hallway.
"Well aren't you two just adorable!" a familiar voice cried from behind us. I turned on a heel and came face-to-face (sort of because I'm taller) with the strawberry blonde boy.
"Reed!" I jeered pulling him into a ridiculously tight hug. I'm surprised I didn't accidentally snap his neck.
"Uh-Kurt... You're-choke-ing-me!"
"Oops... sorry!" I hastily released the little "Dormouse."
"What about me?" Shane asked impatiently.
"I didn't forget about you!" I said, turning to give the younger Anderson a 'pat-on-the-back' hug. Blaine and Shane began to blabber on about life so I decided to chat with Reed.
"Well? Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Reed said, gesturing to Jillian. The word "us" caught Shane's attention.
"Oh, right! Shane, Reed, this is our friend Jillian!" Blaine stated. "Jill, this is my younger brother Shane and our friend Reed."
"Nice to meet you guys." Jillian said with a vibrant grin.
"Pleasure's all ours," Shane said charmingly. He took Jillian's hand and shook it gently. She kept a cool expression, flashing the same smirk as her brother. Reed laughed a bit.
"So... You two finally settled things?" I decided to ask. Reed face turned as red as a tomato. He blushed WAY too easily! Shane gave a nervously forced laugh. At that moment, Puck came around the corner.
"Kurt, Blaine, Jill, we need you guys back in the green room. Intermissions almost over." he said quickly. We all nodded and bid our friends goodbye.
"Hey beautiful..." an all to familiar voice whispered into my ear. I gasped and jumped a bit in surprise. I turned on my toes and came face to face with the boy in the leather jacket.
"You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous... and what are you doing back stage?" I asked in a bit of a panic.
"I had to come see the incredible Rachel Berry perform!... Oh, and my sister." He said, nonchalantly bringing up Jillian.
"Well Rachel Berry will not be performing tonight."
"And why is that?" Jesse pouted, grabbing my hands.
"Mercedes needs this. I just talked her out of a 'diva fit.' I had no choice but to give up my closing spot." I murmured.
"Well, that's very kind of you, Rach." I blushed a bit. I noticed that Miss Holiday was coming onto the stage from the left. A small orchestra was already on stage. Jesse pulled me back a bit so we were definitely out of view. We both watched as the intro to ADELE's "Turning Tables" began to play. He could tell that I had something on my mind... he could read me like and open book...
Close enough to start a war,
All that I have is on the floor,
God only knows what we're fighting for,
All that I say, you always say more,
"...What's wrong?"
I can't keep up with your turning tables,
Under your thumb, I can't breathe,
"Nothing..."
"Rachel..."
"It's just-"
So I won't let you close enough to hurt me,
No, I won't rescue, you to just desert me,
"Yeah?"
I cant give you the heart you think you gave me,
It's time to say goodbye to turning tables,
"I-I just got you back a-and..."
To turning tables,
"And what?"
"I don't want to lose you again... I feel like you're just going to slip away as fast as you came back." Jesse looked taken aback by what I said. We didn't speak for a few moments.
Under haunted skies I see you, ooh,
Where love is lost, your ghost is found,
I braved a hundred storms to leave you,
As hard as you try, no, I will never be knocked down,
"Rachel... I'm not going anywhere," he murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist pulling me closer to him.
I can't keep up with your turning tables,
Under your thumb, I can't breathe,
"Promise?" He gave me a soft smile in reuturn.
So I won't let you close enough to hurt me,
No, I won't rescue, you to just desert me,
"Promise." He said, looking deeply into my eyes. There was another long pause between us.
I cant give you the heart you think you gave me,
It's time to say goodbye to turning tables,
"Do you not believe me?" I gasped a bit and looked back into his eyes.
To turning tables, ooh
Next time I'll be braver,
I'll be my own savior,
When the thunder calls for me,
"I... I'm not sure... I just have this weird feeling of uncertainty..." This caused him to think carefully for a second.
Next time I'll be braver,
I'll be my own savior,
When the thunder calls for me,
"Does this make you feel more certain-?" He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. My mind went blank. All of the problems and fears that crowded my head melted away.
I won't let you close enough to hurt me,
No, I won't rescue, you to just desert me,
I can't give you the heart you think you gave me,
It's time to say goodbye to turning tables,
He broke the kiss for only a moment to quietly whisper three words:"I love you."
To turning tables,
It took me a second to find my voice. I leaned in close to him and murmured: "I love you too, Jesse." He smiled brighter than I've ever seen anyone smile before. This time, I leaned in for the kiss.
To turning tables, ooh
Turning tables...
Rachel had no idea that she and Jesse were not alone backstage...
Santana had heard about 50% of that conversation. She gasped quietly as the couple kissed... not believing what she saw at first. She abruptly turned on her heel and ran out into the hallway.
Hello again readers! I have but one small favor to ask: Please look up "The Rotaries" on itunes and tell me what you think of their music. You can also find them on facebook and twitter!