Disclaimer: I do not own the insanely sexy cover of Blondie's "Call Me" by Franz Ferdinand. Look it up on YouTube and listen to it when you come to the dance sequence. It's uber hot.
Author's Note: Hello, all! I was seriously delighted in reading the wonderful feedback from all of you (reviews, alerts, favourites, the whole sha-bang). I appreciate even a 'favorite story' or 'story alert' and even more so a 'favorite author' as much as I love your reviews. It makes me feel like my story-telling is relevant and very much a part of your daily entertainment, haha. So, thank you so much.
I'm glad you guys liked the Center Stage reference in the previous chapter because I was very much inspired by that little warm-up session of theirs. Obviously, I changed the song to make it more current and... well, I love Justin Timberlake's music. His songs are alright in my book.
Lindsey G: When will it move into the mature section? Hm... well, I haven't really thought of that because Rachel and Jesse barely know each other in this story considering it's pre-'Hello'. Granted, there is a LOT of sexual tension between them. Though, I'm not so sure about them acting upon it. But, hey... who knows? Perhaps I'll sneak in a sexy, little dream on Jesse's part? Only because I think he's got more imagination and experience to come up with something wild. Haha... we'll see.
FromtheBrain: How AU will the story be in terms of them ending up together or not? I'll just say that their history from 'Hello' and forwards will definitely stay true to the series. The good, the bad, the ugly, everything... and then some. The some part is a surprise, it's the grand finale after all. But, I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it immensely. Just stay tuned and keep me fuelled with your reviews so I can deliver it to you all quicker.
Alright, onto Chapter 5. This is the longest chapter I've written to date, and it was done with love and affection and pure fun from seeing things through Jesse's P.O.V. He's a guy, he's sexy, he's cute... his thoughts can prove to be typical and surprising all rolled into one. Be forewarned that Jesse's frame of mind isn't exactly censored, so there is some strong language, sexual innuendos, the works. There's my disclaimer right there.
This chapter depicts Jesse finally taking notice of Rachel (took him 5 chapters to do it, but he's finally THERE!) and the internal progress he takes with him as he observes her.
There are new characters, the foreshadowing of new characters and then some in here, so tell me what you think of them!
Also: I learned a hell of a lot on dance terms and dancing in general when writing this chapter. I researched on jazz and ballet, watched videos on YouTube and all that jazz to write out the dance scene in this one. I can now say Grande Plies and know what the hell it is I just babbled, haha.
So, there really is nothing left for you to do but read, enjoy, fantasize about Jesse in between and leave a review. Have fun!
"What I wouldn't do to see her naked, man..." Nick Mitchell mumbled as he eyed the instructor who addressed the class from the middle of the floor.
Jesse crossed his arms over his solid chest as he squinted at the sight of Tania, appraising her carefully. He then turned to his comrade, who had been awaiting a response for a good few seconds by then.
The St. James offspring merely gave a shrug.
"What the hell is..." Nick exaggerated a shrug, mimicking Jesse's gesture.
"Come on, I've seen better," came his honest reply as he kept his voice low (not wanting to interrupt their topic of conversation's little spiel).
"You're trippin', man," Nick grunted, shaking his head.
"First of all, you know I'm not; and secondly, shut the fuck up," Jesse uttered, his voice maintaining its calm, quiet tone as he kept his eyes on Tania who seemed to be asking for volunteers.
This was routine for the two guys. They had known each other since middle school and were always exchanging lacerating remarks. Nevertheless, they were good friends and once, Nick even managed to convince Jesse the tear-jerking truth behind the code of "Bros Before Hos". Granted, they were wasted out of their minds at the time, so such an event may or may not have counted.
But, the point was: Jesse was Nick's brotha-from-anotha-motha and vice versa.
"Oh, yeah. That's right. You live with Madison. Of course you've seen better," Nick smacked his forehead with mock realization.
Jesse cringed in disgust at the mention of his sister in such a lurid light.
"What you just said... that actually transcends comedy and reaches the pinnacle of repugnance on so many different levels."
Nick simply chortled smugly in reply. Sure, Madison St. James could be sometimes deemed crazy what with rumours of her biting bat heads off and sleeping with Marilyn Manson running around... but, she was hot. In a 'I'll-run-you-over-with-my-Harley' kind of way. There was a time when everyone referred to the two siblings as 'the Addams family' seeing as Jesse never strayed from his black attire and Madison with her dark dreads, tongue piercing and heavy eyeliner.
That was until Jesse suddenly became a god at Carmel High (much to the dismay of those who spent the entirety of freshman year making the boy's life a living hell with name-callings of 'queer' and 'choir boy bitch') and Madison became entirely capable of kicking your ass so far into next week (she made a reputation for herself by pulling that stunt off once with some dude who publicly made a wager to get into her pants on a first date).
Jesse ignored his friend with a shake of his head. The Carmel High senior silently watched Tania point out a girl from the crowd. A petite brunette blinked and became the perfect example of 'a deer in the headlights' as her lips parted wordlessly.
Nice lips, to be exact.
Jesse found his eyes lingering on them before travelling up a little higher.
Her brown orbs landed on him and he readily met her gaze without a shred of hesitancy.
At that very moment, Tania had joked about the said girl testing her flexibility on any one of the guys.
As the room erupted in a series of giggles and snickers, a smirk tugged on one corner of Jesse's lips while he maintained their gaze on each other.
She hastily looked away from him, flustered.
Nick groaned in exasperation from beside him.
"Aw, hell no. It's only been fifteen seconds and you're already undressing her with your eyes."
And then some.
"No, I'm not."
Oh, he clearly was.
"Jesse... the girl's squirmin', man. She knows you're sending her sex vibes."
Well, in his defence... what harm can really come out of having eye sex, right?
"This is just my face, Mitchell."
Yeah, just like 'The Sistine Chapel' is just a doodle.
"Whatever... she's cute. And fifteen seconds has got to be a new record or something," came Nick's bemused reply as the two friends (along with the rest of the class) watched the brunette take a few dainty (yet self-assured) steps to where Tania stood.
"She kind of looks familiar too," Jesse mumbled, furrowing his brow as he further studied her features from a distance.
"Wait... you didn't already...?"
Jesse shook his head slowly. "Nahh... I mean..." his eyes absent-mindedly began to trail down her lean body at the entertaining thought. He paused, rubbing his chin lightly. "I think I'd know," he affirmed simply, glancing to his wing man.
"I'll volunteer!" a new voice suddenly broke into the picture. The acid blonde known as Freddy what's-his-face trotted forward with a smile as he moved towards 'mystery girl'.
"Looks like you missed your shot," Nick uttered in a matter-of-fact tone.
Jesse didn't bother to turn to his friend as he watched Freddy and the girl get into position on the floor.
"I didn't miss anything. Even if I did, it'd be because you couldn't keep your big-ass mouth shut."
Nick checked his watch. "A minute and a half. You're getting all defensive after a minute and a half worth of this girl. Another record."
Jesse let out a deep chuckle, genuinely amused.
"It's just a girl," he stated, his tone final.
"A hot one," Nick wiggled his eyebrows in reply.
"They're all hot," Jesse answered unfeelingly.
"Yeah, but you sexed this one up after fifteen seconds."
"Well, she looks like she could use some sexing. Badly."
"I think Freddy's got that covered for now."
At hearing that, Jesse turned his attention to the said pair.
She lay down on her back from underneath Freddy, him situated between her legs. One of his hands pressed firmly on her thigh to keep it straight as the other lifted her other leg high up over his shoulder. He gently pushed the said outstretched leg more and more, causing her thigh to meet closer with her chest during each slow thrust.
Obviously, it was an exercise to stretch out the back thigh muscles. Right.
"How does that feel? Better?" the blonde asked as he pushed the leg further and further towards her chest, his body pressed against hers.
"Yeah, that feels good," she uttered, nodding her head, tilting her chin upwards.
Jesse found himself staring unabashedly at the scene before him. Sure, they carried out this type of exercise hundreds of times before... But, there was something about this girl that amplified the whole thing to a different level. She seemed so untainted... it was almost obscene (if that made any sense). And he always had a soft spot for 'obscene'.
"She's pretty," Nick suddenly voiced.
"Jesus, Mitchell. You're such a chick," Jesse scowled, suddenly thinking 'yes, it was his asshole of a friend's fault that it wasn't him thrusting and pushing up against her (even if it was just for exercise)'.
"What?"
"The girl's got her legs spread wide open in a precarious position and all you can think about is how 'pretty' she is?"
"You don't think she's pretty?"
"Fuck no. She's gorgeous."
At that point, Freddy pulled her up to her feet for the next position as Tania gave the green light for everyone to pair up and follow suit.
The blonde moved behind her, pressing his waist against her back as she bent forwards. Keeping her legs straight, her face touched her knees as her partner held onto her hips securely.
"Jesse!" a feminine voice caused him to reluctantly pull his eyes away from the demonstrative pair.
He looked down to see Tara wait for him to pull those stunts on her. That was one advantage of being Jesse St. James. When it came to things like these, they always came to him. Even when he was blatantly fascinated with the new girl and how she made even the 'flamer extraordinaire' of the class seem like a stud.
Within seconds, the entire class was engaged in stretching each other out as pairs.
As Jesse carried out the first position demonstrated just now on his partner, he felt someone's eyes on him. He glanced to his side just as 'mystery girl' looked away from him at the last second. He felt a smile curve one corner of his lips.
So, he kept glancing to her as well, not really paying heed to Tara who moaned louder and louder from underneath him to catch his attention. At one point, someone on the other side of the room gleefully yelled "Yeah! Get it, St. James!" at hearing Tara cry out loudly.
"Fuck, Tara... keep that up and I'll have to show you what it's like to not fake it," he whispered, his tone bordering on annoyance as he looked into his partner's clear blue eyes. In turn, the girl gasped before breaking out into a blush. She was pretty sure she'd die and come back to life only to die again if he were to keep his word.
Tara wasn't ignorant. She heard the stories amongst the girls in the locker room. They compared notes even.
One thing that rang true with all of them was the common statement: 'When Jesse St. James fucks you... he really fucks you.'
It was probably all that theatricality overflowing within him which drove the guy to perform like there was no tomorrow (in every aspect of his colourful life). In any case, the prospect of being fucked brainless by him was one that most girls jumped at the chance for (though, he was picky). Go figure.
As every woman in the room mulled over this thought, Jesse's own mind kept going back to the brunette who probably (at this point) thought he was a sex fiend, thanks to his ever-vocal partner.
He concluded that she was beautiful and there was just something about her that kept him looking over. It wasn't something you could put in words. And she seemed oddly familiar. But, Jesse found that she was also talented when Tania began teaching them the choreography.
She quickly picked up the steps and executed the pirouettes, the demi-plie(s), the grand jete(s), the Fouetté en tournant(s) well. Clearly she was classically trained. Yet, she still maintained an edge to pull off Tania's rock-and-roll-esque choreography.
The class was spent perfecting the week's choreography. The instructor chose Franz Ferdinand's cover of "Call Me" by Blondie and split the girls and guys up into two groups at the beginning. The girls would start off and the guys would get their turn during the second verse before the girls took over once more in the bridge and they'd pair off briefly, ending by dancing as a group altogether.
Jesse and a few other guys were excluded from the pairing-off, considering the uneven ratio of the girls to boys. He noticed Freddy was paired off once more with 'the girl'. Looked like they had great chemistry together, which was saying something considering that Freddy looked down on anything and anyone most of the time. She really must be something, then.
At the end of the class, they were to end the day with a run-through of the choreography. Sweaty, tired and flushed, everyone still had a mountain of enthusiasm to get by as the dance itself was a major adrenaline booster.
"I want you all to forget about everything and just dance, alright? I want to see character out here!" Tania clapped her hands as everyone cheered while the girls got into position. Jesse grinned easily, stretching out his neck muscles as he watched the brunette cup her hands over her mouth to amplify her cheers.
With that, the music started.
The girls began, moving to the tempo of the rock song. Getting into the groove of the sultry vocals, they were unstoppable. A blend of contemporary ballet, hairography and classic jazz, it was the perfect mix of sex appeal and skill. The brunette at the front exhibited the most expression, biting on her bottom lip as she rolled her hips whilst staring into her reflection, carefree. Jesse smiled to himself, unable to take his eyes off of her as she moved. The seemingly innocent girl was gone.
At the chorus, their dance picked up speed as they executed more leaps and turns, starting off with a series of calypso leaps. Ending their segment with a grand jete, it was now the boys' turn now that the song began to move into the second verse. Jesse glanced to her as she moved past him before focusing all his attention on the choreography. Now to show them how it's done.
The boys step-ball-changed before swiftly sliding on their knees to the front, immediately jumping to their feet in one motion, perfectly on cue. Thrusting their hips in time to the music, it produced a loud laugh from the girls' as some of the guys contorted their faces in exaggeration for humour value (one of them being Jesse). The guys' choreography was meant to be more rough around the edges, filled with stag leaps, hip thrusts and feet stamping.
As the song rose into another chorus, contemporary ballet was infused with the dance's Chasse(s), ending with a series of pirouettes. Nailing the movements, one could clearly see the intensity on Jesse's face as he, along with the other guys, swiftly gave the floor to the girls once more by backing away in time with the music.
"Ooh, she speaks the languages of love"
The girls daintily spun and sauntered their way onto the floor, teasing smiles playing on their faces. One that really captured Jesse's attention even gave him a fleeting glance, her smile growing before she turned her full attention on her Saut de Chat. He grinned, breathing a little heavily from the work-out as the other guys wolf-whistled and cheered along.
"Ooh, amore, chiamami chiamami"
As the girls continued their sensual ballet movements, a couple of the guys got into position to prepare for their slides toward their designated partners. Jesse glanced around the room, realizing that the 'mystery girl's' partner was nowhere to be seen. He furrowed his brow. Where the hell was Freddy?
"Oo, appelle-moi mon cherie"
Oh well, you snooze you lose.
Jesse expertly stepped into position and slid on his knees towards the brunette, along with the rest of the few guys who too stopped in front of their designated partners.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she looked down to face his easy smile. He was further impressed by her professionalism as the shock was short-lived, seeing as she got into gear and performed the next movements as practiced.
"Anytime"
She slipped her fingers through his hair, making it look as if she dragged him to the right masterfully...
"Any place"
... And to the left...
"Anywhere"
Jesse rolled onto a sitting position directly in front of her as she towered above him before lifting himself up to drag his fingertips up along her side.
"Anyway..."
Her breath seemed to hitch as Jesse's grasp became a little firmer once his hand reached the outline of her ribs.
"Anytime anyplace anywhere any day, anyway..."
He rolled onto squat beside her form and slowly stood up, running his hand along up the side of her body from her ankle to her forearm before the song rose into the last chorus. Jesse's mind was whirring as her back pressed into him for the briefest of moments before the song exploded once more.
As the chorus began, the boys leapt to the front and began the next segment of their intricate choreography, this time with the girls following suit at the back. They put their absolute all into it, building up for the last portion of the composition, which was without a doubt, going to need a hell of a lot of focus and energy.
As the song repeated the phrase "Call Me", it was their cue to perform the Fouetté en tournant, basically a series of spins on one leg, repeating the motion again and again until the song ended. Once it did, the room erupted with loud, breathless cheers from all around.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" Tania shouted over the noise with a bright laugh as she applauded them.
Jesse wiped the sweat from his brow with the hem of his shirt before clapping his hands as well with a chuckle. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the brunette jump into Freddy's arms for a hug, asking about where he went.
The handsome, young lead half-smiled, allowing them to their own devices. For now.
It was always a flurry of movement after class. Everyone was out the door and at the parking lot within seconds and this time was no different.
Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, Jesse walked out, meeting the cool evening breeze. He dug in his pockets for the keys to his red Mustang. As he did so, a car horn caught his attention. Looking up, he saw a car-full of girls yelling out to someone.
"Freddy, get your diva ass in here, bitch!"
That caught his attention. Not Freddy or the 'diva' comment, but the fact that he watched the said guy leave with the brunette awhile ago in the midst of what seemed to be an animated conversation.
His gaze flickered to where the yells were directed to and sure enough, the blonde boy pecked the 'mystery girl' on the cheek before jogging off to get into the car. Watching the car drive off, Jesse took his time in striding towards his desired target.
"You did great up there," he offered, approaching her lone figure.
Turning to look at him, she gave a soft smile. "Thanks. You were good too."
There was a silence between them as they seemed to appraise each other's presence.
This felt somewhat foreign to him. He was captivated.
"I'm sorry... at the risk of sounding cheesy... have we met before?" it was an honest question Jesse had been pondering on ever since he saw her. Especially her voice. There was definitely a familiar ring to it.
She cleared her throat, crossing her arms across her chest with a shrug. "Um... no, I don't think so."
Jesse stared at her. Either he was the biggest idiot in the world or she was just this serendipitous thing that happened to him. He didn't know which idea was more daunting.
"Jesse! Come on, let's go!" a shrill voice screamed from the direction of his car.
Crap.
He turned to see Tara standing there with her hands on her hips, obviously impatient with him. He had almost forgotten the ride he promised he'd give her.
And no, that was not an innuendo.
He meant an honest-to-goodness car ride (not that she knew that yet).
Turning back to the brunette, he saw the look on her face drop briefly before she met his eyes once more with what seemed to be a determined strength.
"Again... Good job back there," he repeated, uncharacteristically not knowing what to say as he backed away towards his car. He lifted his hand as a sign of goodbye as she smiled and nodded in response.
Jesse walked to the Mustang, forgetting about Tara once more as he ran a post-mortem of their interaction.
She readily accepted his eye-sexing.
She kept throwing him longing looks from across the floor.
Yet, she seemed hesitant in engaging in a conversation with him.
Hell... she kind of blew him off (if that was even in the realm of possibilities).
Sliding into the driver's seat, Jesse realized...
He was fucking intrigued.
And he kind of liked it.
Author's Note: Why did Rachel react the way she did? What did you realize she forgot (or did she?) to do? Hint: It's kind of important when trying to establish even a semi-relationship with another person. Where the hell did Freddy go? Will we see Madison? When will Rachel and Jesse see each other again? Can you think of any other loose ends?
Your questions shall be answered in due time.
For now, I will say this: We're going to see a whole different side to Jesse in the next chapter. It'll be humorous and foreign and we'll get to see Rachel handle a situation she's never quite found herself in. Especially not with a boy she seriously would like to jump.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review/comment/question/assumption. Feedback is always, always appreciated. Don't forget to keep tabs on this story as we're going to delve further and further into the evolution of the Rachel-Jesse Dynamic: Pre-Actual Relationship.