Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter is a big one plotwise. With that also comes a rating increase for language. I normally have a filthy mouth myself, but I've tried to keep it out of the story until I deemed it absolutely necessary, and this chapter definitely qualifies as profanity-worthy. Please enjoy and review :)

xxx

The next few weeks became a blur to Jesse – between rehearsals and classes, he was occupied ninety percent of the time with something revolving around William McKinley High School. He would rise at 5 A.M. Every day to run and work out due exclusively to the fact that by the time he got home after glee and finished his homework, he was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. And text Rachel of course.

Rachel was keeping him sane however, and it was her constant presence near him that kept him out of full miva mode. She said it was strictly to protect the rest of the student population from the wrath of two glee clubbers exhibiting diva behavior. They couldn't handle it. Jesse secretly agreed. She was diva enough for both of them. Things would get ugly if he snapped. But thanks to her he didn't, and for the most part the only thing plaguing New Directions aside from the occasional Rachel Berry shriek was Finn.

After Jesse's party (and the blatant confrontation between the two male leads), Finn had kept his distance from both Rachel and Jesse, as well as seemingly losing any spark remaining for glee as well. Mr. Schuester, fond as he was of Finn, felt like he had no choice but to give Jesse and Rachel the opening number for Regionals since Finn didn't really seem to be there anymore. Of course, the "Hello" audition had pretty much solidified Will's decision before Finn went off the deep end of not caring, and Jesse's demand to do a duet with Rachel in the competition showed that the new teen actually gave a damn. Will had no choice, and even if he had, it would have gone to Team St. James.

Jesse and Rachel killed every number they tried out before deciding on one, and since the choice had been solidified, they along with the rest of the club had been working hard at perfecting the vocal arraignments for a few weeks now. That meant lots of time in the choir room, lots of late night food runs, and lots of together time. He wasn't complaining though: He and Rachel had become close friends, and even when they had that limited free time, they chose to spend it with each other, watching old movie after old movie, hanging out with her dads (who, Jesse was proud to say, had taken a true liking to him), and just whiling the hours away with conversation. He was loving his life.

But as good as it was to be seeing her every day and being the one she spent her precious free time with and as much as he repeated the just friends just friends just friends mantra to himself, he couldn't help but notice things about Rachel that someone who was more than a friend would notice. Like how she wore her hair down on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, and up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Or how the gold star she put after writing her name was always just a little bit crooked on its axis. And how in the mornings when Jesse would occasionally pick her up, she always smelled like sweet pea body spray, and the gorgeous aroma of it lingered in his car for days. He was starting to feel like she could wear a garbage bag and he would know that it looked good on her.

But the fact that he couldn't go for anything more at the moment was eating at him. She was (finally) getting over Finn from what she told him on their now routine rides home, and she was optimistic. But he knew her well enough by now to know that it wasn't fair to her to expect a full on relationship when she was barely a month out of one with a guy who she thought she had loved. Jesse's feelings for her were that deep. He wanted her to be happy more than he wanted her to be his.

He was becoming a damn softie he continually thought, but whenever he was around the petite brunette that was causing this phenomena to happen, he was more than okay with it if it kept her beautiful smile on her lips and any thoughts of Finn far from clouding her mind.

xxx

"No no no no!" Mr. Schuester yelled, throwing his hands up in the air with frustration "Finn, you have to watch your feet!"

The rest of New Directions groaned, this was the third time this rehearsal that Finn had been singled out by Schue for his two left feet, and even though Tina was being a trooper and not voicing her pain, she was starting to wince every time she took a step thanks to his clodding about.

After much deliberation on the part of Mr. Schuester, Rachel, Jesse, and a resentful Finn, they had decided to go with the song that Jesse had chosen, and continue in the vein of more contemporary songs with "Two Is Better Than One", and have Jesse and Rachel take the leads on it. It was going to be their opening number, followed by a revamped and faster version of "All You Need Is Love". Mr. Schuester had apparently been thinking of the mix of classic and contemporary for the judges and had more than readily accepted the idea of Jesse's choice for the opener to set the tone. The rest of New Directions loved the idea, and it would have gone off without a hitch if Finn had been able to control his feet.

"I can't keep my concentration on my dancing if the song is being butchered Mr. Schue" Finn spat towards his teacher, shooting the leads a dirty look.

Jesse and Rachel, who had up to this time held their tongues on either side of the stage where they had been stopped, exchanged raised eyebrows at each other.

"I'm sorry, how exactly is our magnificent rendition affecting your attempted dancing?" Jesse started, taking a step towards Finn who had been inching his way to the front of the stage since the whole exchange began.

"You're not the right one for this solo." Finn stated "I should be singing it." He turned to Mr. Schuester "I'm the male lead, this should go to me"

"Finn we've already had this discussion, the audition went to Jesse, and thats how it is. We can't go changing it with so little time left before regionals-"

"And besides" Jesse interjected, his anger apparent "This number requires walking without tripping Finn. I'm not sure you can pull it off"

"Jesse-" Rachel warned, crossing the stage to try and halt the slowly getting closer senior as he was nearing Finn "Just let it go" she whispered when she was in front of him, her hand on his arm softly pulling him behind her as she led him away from the center of the stage.

"No, don't talk to him like I'm not standing right here Rachel!" Finn bellowed "I don't want him to let it go, he shouldn't be doing this song and he knows it! He's pitchy as hell, you might as well have two chicks singing it!"

"Have you been in an explosion recently Finn?" Jesse said, his face turning bright red as he spoke, tugging his arm out of Rachel's grasp "Or have you been sacked directly on both ears whilst leading the football team to one of their 12 consecutive losses this season? Because to my years-of-training-seasoned ears, I have yet to be off pitch once. You on the other hand might want to reconsider criticizing me due to the awful habit you've developed of being as pitchy as a thirteen year old girl singing Christina Aguilera while being driven to the supermarket by her mother to buy her first box of tampons."

Finn barreled right up to Jesse's face, but Jesse didn't flinch, the only stress showing was the veins in his neck bulging. Matt and Puck both quickly got in between the two and pulled them back slightly, neither breaking eye contact with the other.

"You're forgetting that I was here before you were St. James, and I'll be here long after you graduate to mop up after the mess you leave, and that includes any relationships or annihilating our chances at Regionals because you sound like a chick"

"That would require me making a mess, and unlike you I have the ability to maintain relationships with people as opposed to crushing them to find myself" Jesse pushed at Matt's restraints, a sneer on his face, "I know how to treat people, especially ones who are fragile to begin with"

"Screw you Jesse, you're just chasing after my leftovers because the bitch is too dumb to see that you're only using her to make yourself look better-"

"Don't you DARE talk about her like that you bastard-" Jesse roared, straining again to get past Matt who seemed to be loosening his grip a bit

Rachel pushed her way in front of Jesse again "Finn back off" she threw over her shoulder, disgusted with how barbaric he was acting. She focused her attention on Jesse "Seriously, lets go" But Jesse didn't even look at her, he was so focused on his anger at Finn that it was like she was talking to a wall. He kept his eyes trained on him and only him.

"It seems like you have a pretty big issue with the song Hudson," Jesse said, goading him on still "or maybe it's just me. You sure it isn't about something else, maybe something that you willingly tossed away and then realized how bad you had fucked up?" As he said "something else", Jesse's eyes went right down to Rachel standing in front of him. Finn saw this pointed move.

At that, Finn lost it.

He threw off Puck, shoved Matt aside, and barreled straight at Jesse, who pushed Rachel out of the way just before Finn threw a punch towards Jesse's face. He ducked just in time, swung back at him, and made contact with Finn's jaw.

"Hey!" Mr. Schue yelled and jumped up, and began running towards the stage. Santana screamed, Mercedes and Kurt gasped, and the rest of New Directions stood gaping at the grappling male leads now throughly beating the crap out of each other onstage. Mr. Schuester lept up and made a grab at Jesse but missed him, as Puck made an attempt at Finn but also couldn't get hold. The boys tripped over each other and went down heavily, neither breaking the hold on the other to halt the fall. Puck and Mr. Schue used the opportunity to latch on to Jesse who had gained the upper hand and was wailing on Finn. He managed to land one more hit to the sophomore before being dragged off by the two others. Matt and Mike had rushed in and taken hold of Finn who, despite sporting a massive blooming black eye and numerous cuts and bruises was still trying to get at Jesse.

"Fuck you Jesse!" Finn was screaming, straining at the two boys' hold, his face contorted with rage "This isn't finished!"

"I know it isn't finished bitch, you're still talking" Jesse snarled back at him, spinning back around to face Finn's direction "Next time your jaws getting wired shut and Artie'll have to give you the number to a wheelchair supplier"

"That's it!" Schue shouted at the two of them "Matt, Mike get Finn back to my office in the choir room" As the two boys left, tugging a still fuming Finn along with them, Schuester turned to Jesse. The look on the young mans face actually scared Will. It was so twisted and enraged that the occasionally high strung but usually mellow Jesse St. James was almost unrecognizable.

"You need to get out of here Jesse, go home and cool off" Will glanced around for Rachel, who was being hugged by a very concerned looking Mercedes. "Rachel, can you make sure he gets to his car and off school property?"

Rachel nodded silently and started the walk to the parking lot exit of the auditorium, pausing at the doors when she reached them and waiting for Mr. Schue to release his hold on Jesse.

Will lead the young man away from the rest of the group and put both hands on his shoulders.

"Jesse you need to get out of here for awhile. Don't come to rehearsal tomorrow. You don't really need the practice, to be honest. Make sure you run through your warm ups at home or something. I don't want to see you in glee until Monday," Mr. Schue glanced back at the rest of the glee kids, all whispering to each other and looking back and forth between Jesse and Schue and each other at a blistering pace. He continued on in a quieter voice. "When you come to school tomorrow, avoid Finn at all costs. I can't afford to have my two male soloists be suspended weeks before the biggest competition we've ever faced" he look Jesse square in the eye "I hope you can understand how severe the consequences can be if Figgins or Sue Sylvester or anyone else finds out about you and Finn beating the hell out of each other, and me intentionally not reporting it"

Jesse nodded, still unable to speak from rage, thinking of his admission to the several colleges he'd been accepted into were not complete yet. They were dependent on his graduation and maintenance of a spotless record. Going at it in an onstage show choir beatdown could be grounds for him losing his future education. His mouth was firmly shut on the matter, and he would not allow Finn Hudson to be the frayed rope his future hung from.

"Okay. You need to get out of here. Go with Rachel. See you next week." Mr. Schuester dismissed him, and turned back to the rest of the club. Making sure Jesse made his way opposite to how Finn left, he saw Rachel regarding her friend with a look Will knew all too well: That boy was going to get an earful in the next ten minutes. Will felt bad for him, but he felt worse for Rachel. She had to watch two people she cared for get in a physical fight over something that had to do with her.

Will wasn't blind, he knew that there was more between those two than just friendship. Where Jesse was a determined and sometimes miva-like dominant person with others in the school, he was soft with Rachel. The way he looked at her when she sang was the way Will imagined he looked at Emma. But unlike his and Emma's relationship, Jesse hadn't lost his way with Rachel yet. He was hoping this wouldn't be something that ruined that between his students.

xxx

Jesse walked behind Rachel, who up to this point had been silent towards him. Whether from anger or fear, he didn't know. He was still internally enraged, all he wanted to do was find Finn Hudson and continue to beat the hell out of him. How dare he think that he had some sort of claim over Rachel. How dare he call her a bitch, and right in front of her nonetheless. Jesse was so offended on Rachel's behalf, and he felt rather chivalrous beating up the offender. Regardless of any other feelings he had developed for Rachel of a more romantic persuasion, she was still his best friend first and foremost, and nobody spoke about her like that. Nobody.

When she stopped by his car in the lot, she stopped and turned instead of getting into her side. He stared at her. She raised her eyebrows at him. They stood there for a moment.

"What?" he burst out, unable to keep the nonverbal awkward conversation going.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, her eyes finally betraying some of the inner worry her stubborn conscious had refused to speak aloud until now.

"I'm fine" he stiffly muttered back, unwilling to let her see that he was anything but pissed. Finn's labeling Rachel as little more than an object had infuriated Jesse beyond belief. She seemed to be alright but that didn't mean he couldn't want to find Finn again, scholarships be damned.

"It didn't look like you were fine when you were rolling around onstage fighting with Finn." she stated, the concern she had just been exhibiting swiftly gone behind a cool exterior. "I'm really disappointed in you Jesse."

Wait, what! his mind screamed I just got in a fight for her! I just sacrificed my flawless face for a few days to shut Finn up about her!

"I'm sorry, you have a problem with me hitting Finn when he calls you a bitch and objectifies you to nothing more than a possession?" Jesse said, trying to figure out if he was hallucinating or if she actually was angry with him

"Yes, I do have a problem with it. You're better than that Jesse, you don't need to jump into a brawl in some attempt to protect my honor or something" Rachel's words cut him like a blade "You honestly think that I care what Finn says about me? He was speaking out of anger and resentment, and I thought you would have been able to see that."

"Unbelievable" Jesse snarled, digging in his pockets for his keys and brushing by her angrily to his car. He turned back to her

"You should think about what you say after someone tries to protect you and your multifaceted emotions" his eyes were furious, a darker blue than she had seen before "I'm disgusted that you're reacting like this. I expected you to be thankful"

"Thankful for almost getting yourself expelled?" she fought back, angry as well and intended on him to know it "You could have really hurt him Jesse, he could have injured you! You both could have been unable to compete, therefore negating any chance at Regionals and any chance at college for you!" Rachel's voice was getting higher and higher as she spoke, a tell-tale sign she was flustered beyond belief.

"Next time someone calls you a bitch to your face, I'll make sure to talk it over with you before trying to put them in their place for it then" he spat, gesturing wildly in the air "apparently it is too much to ask of you to be even a little happy that you have someone who was willing to risk a full ride on you"

"Don't bother trying to blame me Jesse, I didn't sic you on him-"

"You might as well have, all trembling lower lips and pulling me back, there is no way that you could have expected me to have a better reaction when I see you about to cry Rachel! I thought you knew me better than that!" His words rang heavily on the silence now between them. Rachel was looking at him as if seeing him for the first time. It was a look he had only seen her give to Finn. He felt himself sweating as he realized that.

"You need to leave," Rachel said, voice cold and un-Rachel-like "Go learn how to control your temper. Call me when you figure out how to." and with that, she turned her back on him and walked back towards the auditorium without giving him a chance to respond, to apologize. He wanted to chase after her, but his legs would not move. He wanted to grab her to him and say he was sorry and that he did it because of how much she meant to him, but he couldn't pick his feet off the ground. Instead he watched her go for a moment and then climbed in his car. He squealed out of the parking lot, not looking back in the rearview, not knowing if he was more afraid to see her watching him go or to see that she wasn't.

xxx

Rachel walked slowly back to the stage. Finn, Mike, Matt, and Mr. Schue were all gone. Mercedes was holding court with Kurt, Tina, Artie, and Puck. Jesse was gone. Rachel slumped into a seat in the front row and waited for someone, anyone to come back and give direction. She had an empty feeling after her fight with Jesse, they had become so close over the last few weeks, how could he get so out of control? She felt like she could burst into tears at any second, and the one person she wanted to be near her right now was the reason for that.

In Spring Awakening terms, she was totally fucked.

She felt someone settle down into the seat next to her and she raised her head out of her hands to see Quinn Fabray there, belly as large as ever, evidently ready to pop any day now.

"So," the blonde began, eyes on Rachel "you and Jesse?"

"We're just friends" Rachel repeated dully, speaking the words she thought to herself every time she felt the flutter now associated with the boy who had just gone squealing off in the parking lot.

"You know, it's kind of really unfair to the rest of the female population of McKinley for this to be happening" Quinn continued, ignoring Rachel's answer "You wanted Finn so badly, and then when he ended it, Jesse came along to sweep you off your feet. None of the rest of us ever had a shot at the new boy because of you"

"Quinn-" Rachel was in no mood to be put in her place by the pregnant former Cheerio

"The thing that I don't get is why you refuse to admit that there is something between you. You had him from Hello. Don't act like you of all people didn't realize the underlying meaning of that song choice Rachel."

Rachel was dumbfounded at the blunt phrasing the blonde had used. Certainly she knew that they had chemistry, but there was no way that Jesse was interested in anything more than a platonic friend relationship with her. He was a dashing senior, the world at his feet, ready to go off to college to become further awesome. What did she have to offer him in terms of a romance that college girls, or even more popular high school ones, couldn't?

The answer escaped her, but if possible, she felt even worse than before. If what Quinn was saying was true, then not only did she just insult her best friend, she insulted as badly as one can insult someone who could very well be her soulmate. She couldn't tell the future of her social life near as well as she could her professional one, but she hoped that she would find someone, a hope that had recently come to replace the Finn shaped hole in her plans. She just didn't know. And she felt like she was going to start crying again.

Quinn apparently sensed this too, and got up slowly to avoid the awkwardness resulting from sitting next to someone who had the relationship that she and Rachel had, not enemies but not friends either.

"If there is one thing I've learned from being a high school cliché Rachel," she said, now heading back to the group onstage "It's that when you really mean something to a guy, they'll stick their neck out for you. Jesse told us at his party how his full ride for school depended on him passing this year and not getting in any disciplinary trouble. Beating Finn up definitely qualifies as something that could have lost him that." And with that she left Rachel alone, wishing she had the insight that the pregnant girl did, and wanting to be near the boy she now felt like she missed more than before.

xxx

He needed to get out of school, out of Lima, out of Ohio.

He sped through the streets, blowing through yellow lights and rolling through stop signs. If he slowed down, he thought of what he was running from. So faster he drove, disregarding all laws of the road.

Pulling up to his house, he took the stairs two at a time to his room, where he promptly pulled a gym bag out of his closet and started stuffing shorts and tee shirts into it. Grabbing his computer, he quickly navigated to the page he needed, pulled out his credit card, and entered the information. Making sure his passport, phone charger, wallet, and keys were all there, he shut his door and went bounding back down the stairs. Throwing his bag into the backseat, he took off for the airport.

Jesse St. James was going home to California.