A Threat to Rachel Berry
Chapter 9

Rachel glanced at the source of her frustration. He was only sitting there, innocently, with his pencil drumming against the desk and a finished pile of graded test papers. She looked away from him before he could look back at her. He noticed this and smirked. "You can stare at me if you want. I don't mind."

She snapped her neck toward him again, her hair flipping in the process. One might have thought she was practicing hairography with the way it moved so dramatically, "You are so full of yourself," she spat at him angrily while trying to turn her attention back to the packet that was handed out to her.

He only shrugged, "Oh, don't be so angry just because you got in trouble for talking to me during class. You should know when it's appropriate, Ms. Berry."

"I accept my punishment gracefully, however I don't understand why I'm stuck with you in the room!" she whispered to him with gritted teeth.

Jesse leaned against the back of the chair, moving his hands behind his head, "Mrs. Pendergast had to take care of the situation outside. Shouldn't you be working on that punishment packet?"

Rachel ignored the latter sentence, "Yes, the situation that you were supposed to handle!'"

"I'm only a student. I don't think those kinds of matters fall under my jurisdiction."

Silence.

"Ok, so maybe I might have been the one to throw the rock at Karofsky's thick head and Jacob was just nearby."

"Ah-hah!" she shouted at him, while pointing her finger at him. "I knew it…"

"What do you mean, 'I knew it.' At least I didn't leave that poor kid to Karofsky's mercy," he said while crossing his arms.

"If you were really feeling sympathetic toward him, then you could have called for any of the other teachers that were closer to the scene! You didn't have to come back here just to get Mrs. Pendergast. You could have gotten Mr. Schuester whose classroom was nearer."

Jesse shrugged and made up an excuse, "Mr. Schuester was busy with Mrs. Pillsbury in his office," he said nonchalantly.

Rachel blinked at that. She shook it off and continued to try and reprimand him, "You aren't really acting like my friend."

"What do you mean? You told me earlier that a friend helps you out, greets you whenever possible, eats lunch with you, rescues you from any trouble, and tries to spend as much time as possible with you," Jesse listed Rachel's ideal friend conditions. "So, basically everything that I was doing for you when we were dating. Hmm, perhaps you are giving me those conditions to try and keep our relationship, while in denial?"

Rachel was speechless. She hadn't thought about it that way, but was he right?

"What's wrong, Rachel? Could my speculation have been right?" he tilted his head to the left and smirked at her.

Rachel stuttered out, "O-of course not," she closed her eyes, turning away from him. She tried to bring her focus back to the packet. She only had 1 of the 3 pages done. And she wasn't allowed to join the rest of the class while they were going on a field study to write a sonnet about nature. Originally, Rachel was supposed to stay in the classroom with Mrs. Pendergast, while Jesse was to watch over the students outside. However, a "frantic" (Damn him and his acting skills) Jesse had rushed into the classroom after only five minutes about Karofsky pounding Jacob. Mrs. Pendergast had rushed out to the scene, while she left Jesse in the classroom with Rachel.

"I don't see why it was necessary to throw a rock at Karofsky's head," Rachel commented, while finishing the second page.

Jesse only sighed, "He was irritating," he said as if that were a good enough explanation.

Rachel only rolled her eyes as she continued working on the grammar packet. She turned the page finally at the last page. She finished it in silence, all the while, she noticed that Jesse wasn't even looking at her; he had his eyes closed the whole time. She had to admit, she missed his constant attention toward her, as if she was a princess. She closed the packet and she began pulling her binder out to begin writing her sonnet. She started to go out the door, but Jesse didn't move. She cleared her throat, but Jesse still sat there, with his eyes closed.

She confusedly approached him. Is he sleeping? she wondered to herself. She scrutinized his face, wondering how a human being could possibly have no imperfections about them. She realized that there was such a person, Jesse St. James. She looked at the way his nose didn't jut out of his face, but it wasn't too small to seem unnatural. His jaw-line was lacking any unattractive hair and the bone seemed to have been sculpted by a god. Her eyes lingered on his lips and she gulped. Aren't you supposed to be suspicious of him? Why are you thinking of him like this? her mind kept on asking as she moved closer to him. However, her heart was screaming, Do it already! When she was so close, she stopped, listening to her mind.

She had moved away quickly and she gathered her things, starting to exit the classroom. She inclined her head and looked into the classroom, still finding a sleeping Jesse St. James. She rushed out the door, outside, clutching the punishment packet in her arms.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, a pair of blue eyes snapped open and a smirk played across his face as he looked toward the door where Rachel had just disappeared. "Damn me, and my irresistibility," he said cockily. He rose from the seat and began to follow her out the door. He caught up with her easily and joked, "If you leave without me again, I'll tell Mrs. Pendergast that you tried to sneak away." He only laughed at her gasp of incredulity.

They made their way outside and Jesse had wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She uncomfortably moved out of this position and he narrowed his eyes. He tried placing her hand in his, but she slipped hers out. He sighed and gave up on physical contact while they walked. He just walked alongside her, 7 inches apart.

Rachel noticed his obvious dissatisfaction with only walking side-by-side. Just this once and only because no one is here. She weaved her arm with his, linked together. He looked at her with astonishment and smiled. She only blushed and looked away. He laughed at her as they walked out the door, finally reaching the location of the rest of the class.

She quickly removed her arm before any of her classmates could see, and he was disappointed, but accepted it anyway. Upon arrival, a finger was pointed at him. "It was him! He was the one who threw the rock at Karofsky, not me!" Jacob had accused Jesse quickly, trying to prove his innocence.

Jesse only stared at the finger and then feigned disbelief. "Me?" he placed a hand on his chest and blinked innocently.

Jacob only narrowed his eyes angrily, "Yes, you! After Karofsky had bad-mouthed Rachel, you picked up a rock and threw it square at the back of his head!"

Jesse only tilted his head to the side. "Why would I do that? Isn't that more like something you would do? Don't you hold an undying devotion for Rachel?" Jesse pinned those questions on Jacob. He glanced at Rachel whose expression was unreadable.

Jacob couldn't say anything, since they were true. Maybe he wouldn't have actually thrown it at Karofsky, but he would play that heroic scene in his mind. "I…"

Karofsky cut him off, "Yeah, don't try and pin the blame on someone else, Afro! The rock came from your direction!"

Jacob turned to Karofsky and gave up arguing. If he did, it would only serve to bring more dumpster dipping for him, (which was already an inevitability).

Jesse left the scene, as Mrs. Pendergast finished up writing two detention slips for both Karofsky and Jacob. "Two detentions in one day, Karofsky. I must say, I'm impressed. And Jacob, don't try and blame others for your own deeds."

Jacob puffed his cheeks and sighed, giving in. He took the detention slip and had one thought in mind, Bring down Jesse St. James.

Jesse walked by Rachel, and she only shook her head at him. "Was Jacob telling the truth?" she asked him with her arms crossed.

"About what?" he asked with a fake smile.

"You know what I mean!" Rachel exclaimed and sighed, "I mean… about hitting Karofsky because he was insulting me," she said while trying to search his face for any form of dishonesty. She waited for his sincere response.

Jesse sighed, "Yeah. He called you promiscuous and 'active' with men, because of your affairs involving Finn, Puck, and me." He looked anywhere except at her. He didn't want to look at her too when she would lecture him.

"Thank you," she said as she sat against a tree, and began writing her sonnet. She had a thoughtful expression as she began brainstorming ideas on what to write.

Jesse blinked at the "thank you" he had received from Rachel. He quickly regained his composure as he responded, "No problem." He sat down against the tree next to her, and tried to look at her page. She quickly hugged it to her chest, "No peeking." she said childishly while sticking out her tongue.

He sighed, "Fair enough." he leaned against the tree, attempting to take a nap. Maybe Rachel might continue what she was doing in the classroom.

It was silent for another 10 minutes. The quiet serenity was broken with Rachel's voice, "Jesse, I know you're awake. You just smiled. Would you please stop pretending to sleep when you're next to me?" she requested as she finished up her sonnet, placing the piece of paper into her binder and her pencil in her pencil case.

He sighed, "Okay, okay, you caught me," he stood up and held out his hand to help her stand up. She hesitated. "C'mon, we're going to be late for Glee." she took his hand and they walked to the choir room together. They walked on silently through the halls and Rachel tried to move her hand out of his hand when they were getting closer to the choir room. Jesse caught her hand before she could and he looked at him, astonished.

"Jesse?" she called his name, confused.

He looked away before releasing her hand, "Nothing." He walked past her and took a seat nearby Mercedes and Kurt who were chatting about which stores to go to after school. He stared around the room, and he came across a revelation. Everyone in Glee belonged in a clique. Finn would sit with Santana and Brittany, Mike and Matt would sit in front of the cheerios, Kurt and Mercedes would chat freely with Tina and Artie, and Puck would sit next to Quinn. That was the status quo. I don't belong with any of them, except with Rachel. His eyes flickered toward her, and she was sitting alone, staring at her sheet music thoughtfully.

A friend of mine would want to be by my side whenever they could. Jesse reviewed that statement of Rachel's in his mind. He got up from his seat and took the seat next to hers and she looked up at him. He grinned down at her while she simply smiled back. She leaned against him happily, as a friend would. She gave in and showed him her sonnet and he commented on it. He told her where it could use some improvement, and how it would help to make the transition a little more obvious by changing a few words. She nodded at each one and changed each of the words.

"All right, guys, I know how ecstatic you all are to hear who I've chosen for the solos of 'Can't Help Falling in Love,'" he placed his book bag onto the chair, and started to leaf through the papers inside. He found the sheet music and started leafing through it. "All right, male lead will be… Jesse! Come up here."

Jesse smirked as if he knew it was coming. He left his seat and looked expectantly at Rachel. Rachel, however sat there, nervously, her eyes shifting side to side. He watched her with confusion. What's wrong with her? He watched her for a while longer. Awww, she thinks I might be singing with a different person and she—

"And female lead will go to Rachel," Will said as he smiled at Rachel. He held out the sheet music to her, beckoning for her to stand up next to Jesse.

Rachel didn't accept the sheet music happily like she normally would; she didn't come up with some speech either as if she were accepting an academy award. She only remained in her seat and glanced over at Kurt who was looking at her expectantly. Her eyes shifted from both Kurt and Jesse. Finally, they stopped on Kurt. She turned back to Mr. Schuester, standing up. He was still holding the sheet music to her, and he looked slightly annoyed at her wasting practice time. "Mr. Schuester," she said finally, "I can't accept this solo."

Everyone in the room stared at Rachel in disbelief, except Kurt, who smirked. The whole time, Jesse's eyes were trained on her, and she walked toward Kurt. She remained there and she gestured to him, "I think other Glee members deserve the limelight as well, like… Kurt," she said as though every word was bringing pain to her.

"Rachel, the song has a high F," Mr. Schuester said, while still trying to give her the sheet music.

Kurt frowned at this, but Rachel wouldn't allow it. "I'm sure Kurt can reach it now, can't you?" she asked, looking at Kurt.

"Yeah, I'll help Kurt through it if he can't, Mr. Schuester!" Mercedes tried to offer her assistance to the possible chance that Kurt will get his own solo. She smiled at Rachel, as if trying to show that she appreciated her generosity.

Kurt looked nervously at Mr. Schuester, Mercedes, and Rachel. "If-if I work on it, I'm sure—"

"Guys," Mr. Schuester interjected. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Rachel, I understand your opinion, and I like that you're willing to share the spotlight, but this song is not meant to be a duet between two males—"

Rachel went into her "I-have-two-gay-dads" mode, "I'm sure the audience can appreciate it. It will show that the Glee club of William McKinley embraces all forms of sexuality, and that we are not in the least bit homophobic."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jesse entered the banter. He looked between the Glee Club, Rachel, and Mr. Schuester. "I won't sing with another guy, especially not a song like 'Can't Help Falling in Love.'"

"Can't you just try?" Kurt pleaded. He sighed and stood up. "I know that it's awkward for two males to sing this song, but I really want my shot at the spotlight. But, I don't want my voice to be overpowered by power-house voices like Mercedes or Rachel's. Will you just let me try singing soprano?"

Mr. Schuester pinched the skin between his eyebrows. "This is really unconventional. I don't think you understand that we are facing Vocal Adrenaline, last year's champions at Regional's! It's not going to be like Sectionals where our competition wasn't exactly strong." He tried to reason with the club, but they seemed dead set on letting Kurt sing the solo.

He sighed, "All right. Fine. Kurt, I'll let you try singing the solo, but if you can't reach the high F, then I can't let you have it." He handed the sheet music to Kurt and he walked to Jesse. "I'm sorry, Jesse. I can't have ill feelings from the club right now. Can you try and cooperate for now?" he requested the previous star of Vocal Adrenaline.

He breathed through his nostrils, as if trying to calm down. "Fine, I'll try it out. But I get to decide whether or not I want to perform it."

Will nodded in understanding and signaled for the pianist to play the accompaniment. Jesse breathed deeply and sang the first two lines of the song, waiting for Kurt's entry. Kurt's entry was smooth, and his voice seemed to have reached a whole new quality. Kurt became more emotional as the song continued and Jesse could only stare at him as if there were a dancing stuffed animal atop Kurt's head. Kurt smiled at Jesse and took his hand, trying to get Jesse to move into step with him.

Everyone in the Glee Club smiled at the performance, some in amusement, and others in support. Rachel, on the other hand, tried to hide away from Jesse's glaring. I asked him to be my friend, but is it really fair for me to not return the gesture? She watched Jesse in his clear discomfort. Her eyes flickered to Finn, who seemed to be upset with the number. Why is Finn so upset?

What is wrong with this guy? I really don't like the way that he's staring at me… Jesse thought to himself, as Kurt was dancing around him. Jesse escaped to the piano and he tried to stay opposite Kurt, but no matter what, he kept trying to follow his uncomfortable partner. He looked over at Rachel, who was hiding her face from him.

I never noticed this before, but the shade of Jesse's blue eyes is much prettier than Finn's dull brown color. I feel like I could drown in the ocean of them. His voice has much better quality than Finn's too. I could definitely see myself doing more duets with Jesse in the future. I wonder what Jesse is thinking right now? Kurt thought to himself as he kept on trying to follow Jesse's constant escaping behind the piano. Wow, I feel so confident singing with him. I feel like… His thought process stopped as both he and Jesse approached the ending of the song. Kurt reached the high F with ease and Jesse was, of course, hitting his final note as well.

Jesse quickly escaped from the room, with Kurt looking quite proud of himself. He stared after Jesse. Goodbye, Finn. Hello, Jesse.

Rachel got out of her seat and chased after Jesse before anyone could interject. She looked around the hallway, trying to find which way he had gone. She looked to the left, and started going that direction, when a hand caught her arm from behind. She squealed in surprise before she was pulled away. "What was that all about, Berry!" Jesse whispered to her angrily.

"I'm sorry! I promised Kurt that I would give him my next solo!"

"Did it have to be my first solo as a part of New Directions?" Jesse asked her and walked away from her. "I wanted to sing that song with you!" he pointed at her as he paced back and forth, "or at least with someone who wouldn't ruin my sexual orientation!"

"What do you have against Kurt?" she asked now, narrowing her eyes.

Jesse looked at her now, both confusion and anger were etched on his face.

"Kurt is my friend. I know that it may not seem that way at times, but he's a very good friend of mine, he's a part of my team, and now he's a part of yours too. My team is very important to me, and I expect you to respect that."

Jesse moved closer to her, but he didn't look the least bit happy. "Rachel, I left Vocal Adrenaline to be with you, not to become friends with your team."

"Then leave," Rachel said simply, trying to show sternness in her expression.

Jesse clenched his teeth. "Fine."

Damn the plot and its inconsistency. It seems like Jesse and Rachel were only together for like the first half, huh? There's always difficulty when it comes to true love, though, right? :P