"So," Jesse set their walking pace at a comfortable speed, "I know it might be a bit clichéd and maybe a tad bit too Pretty Woman, but I figured this would be a good place to start. This is classic California shopping at it's very best. It would be completely insulting to the entire committee of Los Angeles tour guides that I'm putting out of business by giving you the tour by myself if I did not show you here. Plus, as I've learned from my personal experience with women and the plot of the one romantic comedy I was in, all girls love shopping."

"Your talk as if you've taken girls on this very trip before," Rachel commented. Her voice was saturated with nonchalance, but a part inside of her hoped that she was the first he had done this for.

"Though I could easily be," Jesse answered her unspoken question, "I'm not a man whore. Believe it or not, Ms. Berry, but you are taking my 'shopping with a girl' virginity."

"You speak as though I should be honored."

"I would retort with a comment that I would hope would boost your admiration of me, but in the end I'm sure your response would only serve to wound my ego that has suffered from more abuse in the short time I've known you than it had in my previous years."

"Smart boy," Rachel smiled. "Though, you've seemed to have left a minor plot hole in your plan."

"Really?" Jesse asked, genuinely perplexed. "One of these stores is bound to sell animal sweaters. I'm sure-"

"Not that," Rachel frowned. "Jesse, I can't afford anything here."

"Please," Jesse scoffed. "That's what your concerned about? Anything and everything is on me."

"But-"

"Don't finish that sentence. Consider it-"

"You've already used the investment in my future line for the piano."

"That's not what I was going to say," Jesse lied. He thought for a split second and quickly recovered. "You can pay me back. Trust me. In a few years, when you're a big star you'll have more than enough money. Deal?"

Rachel hesitated slightly, but sighed with resignation.

"Deal."

"Great! And speaking of that piano, I think you owe me a private concert."

Jesse smiled easily, and Rachel ducked her head in slight embarrassment.

"I'm really not all that good, but I've been working on it. I've considered dedicating a considerable amount of my spare time to perfecting my skills. Of course, my grasp on the matter would be firmer if I could apply more of my time towards the cause. Unfortunately, glee has been consuming the majority of my day. We have Sectionals coming up soon, and we cannot lose."

"This glee club is really important to you," Jesse observed.

"More than important," Rachel confirmed. "I'm not going to lie. Before New Directions, I had no friends. Nobody liked me, I was just the overly dramatic freshman who didn't know how to tone down her show face long enough to see that the smile she wore everyday was fake. My social reticule level was much higher than anyone else that walked McKinley High's halls, and that's saying something. I got slushied daily. I got so used to it that I automatically bring a spare pair of clothes to school everyday."

"Slushied?" Jesse asked. She couldn't mean –

"The football players and Cheerios are known for carrying around slushies from the closest gas station in the hallway. They toss them on people they don't like to humiliate them publicly."

"That's sick!" Jesse said with a slight edge to his tone. "And nobody does anything about this? You do have a principal don't you?"

"Of course," Rachel answered. "Not that he carries much weight."

Jesse threw her a questioning look, and she continued.

"Coach Sylvester is the coach of the Cheerios. She's rash, cruel, and extremely intimidating. Not to mention ruthless, deceiving, and just plain mean. She rules everything about the school because the Cheerios are the reigning National Champions for quite a few years now. She's why the glee club has basically no budget. Which brings me back to why we really can't lose at Sectionals because if we don't win Sectionals we don't go to Regionals. If we don't go to Regionals, we can't place at Regionals. If we don't place at Regionals, Principal Figgins drops the limited school funding we already have. Thus, the end of glee club."

"Wow, Rachel. That's awful. Is there-" Jesse was suddenly cut off by a voice calling out from behind them.

"St. James!"

Rachel thought the voice sounded slightly familiar, but she followed Jesse's lead and kept walking anyway. She assumed Jesse knew it was a fan and just didn't want to be bothered, but then the voice continued.

"I know you hear me, St. Jackass. Just because you've got a lady with you doesn't mean you get to walk away from your bro!"

Jesse stopped walking, and Rachel followed suit. Before turning around, Jesse quickly spoke to Rachel in a low voice, "Just so you know, I'm apologizing for this in advance."

Rachel turned around as Jesse did and stiffled a gasp. There stood who she recognized as Noah Puckerman. Jesse had spoken about them being friends before, but she didn't register that she might meet him when she visited this week.

"Puck," Jesse said in an annoyed tone, but below his annoyance lied a hint of fondness in running into his best male friend.

"'Bout time you turned around," Puck bit back. "Fortunately for you, I don't get into fights in front of ladies."

Rachel tried to appear at ease as Puck gave her an obvious once over.

"I could pretend I don't know who you are, but I think I've got a pretty solid guess. You must be Rachel. Jesse talks about you all the time."

"I do not," Jesse muttered.

"Never shuts his mouth about you."

"I do too!"

"He's really defensive about it."

"I am not defensive!"

"See?" Puck raised his eyebrows and effortlessly ignored the growing glare being sent to him by his best friend. Instead he stuck his hand out to Rachel, and she shook it with a giggle.

"Guilty as charged," she said.

"Well," Puck said, "in that case it's nice to meet you. I would introduce myself, but I'm sure you know who I am."

"Noah right? I've heard a few of your songs," Rachel smirked. She had a mischievous twinkle in her eye that caused Jesse to smile with pride.

"A few, huh? And don't call me Noah, I go by Puck."

"Of course you do," Rachel smiled. "Trust me, I understand. You think the name that your parents gave you sets you in a sea full of commonality. Thus, you've decided to set yourself apart from the norm in the form of a self applied nickname that you undoubtedly came up with while stroking your own ego. I found your last hit to be a contrived effort lacking the emotional feel that you could fathom out of some of your earlier work. I would further commend you on your success, but I'm sure that you get enough of that from the posse you only allow to hang around due to their constant remarks on your amazingness. Am I right, Noah?"

Puck stood staring at Rachel for a moment. For a split second, she wondered if she had gone too far. She was cursing herself for always having to speak her mind until Puck spoke.

"I'm not sure I understood all of what you just said, but I know an insult when I hear it. You've got spunk. More so than the wuss of a guy you're letting show you around town. She has my approval, Jesse."

"Thanks," Jesse said sarcastically. "That means so much to me."

"Shut it, St. James. If she's going to be around for awhile, I've got to get to know her."

"Meaning?" Jesse questioned.

"Let's have lunch."

And there we have Chapter 7!

Chapter Eight will pick up with the Puck/Rachel/Jesse lunch date!

Sorry this update took so long, and sorry that it's so short!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story/PMed me about it! You guys rock!

Thoughts?