Chatper 2: Meeting
Rachel's POV
On a Saturday morning, Rachel was sitting comfortably in her favourite cafe in Lima, waiting for her old teammate who her new team was clearly interested in. She opened the file again and skimmed through the most basic info, not believing that it was his name on the list. Not that he wasn't talented enough – maybe he was. What Rachel couldn't believe was that he was even there, considering his present allegiance. When she had spotted the familiar name at Justin's place, she was mainly astonished that anyone thought it appropriate to take into consideration anyone from the New Directions. Then, after considering the case carefully, she was inclined to give it a try – or at least, talk to him herself rather than send someone other.
She felt it was personal.
"Rachel?" she heard an uncertain question.
Rachel looked up, closing the file as soon as possible. She smiled at the boy in front of her and showed him to sit down. Understandably, he looked around and frowned before taking the offered seat. Less than ten seconds later, Rachel passed him the other cup of coffee and greeted her old teammate.
She was met with a hesitant glance of Mike Chang.
"Hi, thank you for coming," she said formally. "I appreciate it very much."
Mike looked around. Then, he looked at Rachel again. Rachel suppressed a sigh. She understood the hesitation very well; they never were particularly friendly. In fact, she could barely remember exchanging few words with him over the couple of months that marked her history with the New Directions. That's why she was positively surprised when he agreed to meet her when she called earlier in the first place.
"I honestly don't know why, though," Mike Chang spoke up with hesitation. "I mean, may I ask why the call?"
Rachel took a deep breath and decided there was no good way of putting her proposition forward that wouldn't sound bad or awkward or simply unbelievable. That's why she just cleared her throat and passed him the file.
"As you may well know," she started while Mike reached out for the documents and opened them. "I'm the newest lead of Vocal Adrenaline and since six of our performers graduated in June, we're holding auditions."
Mike gaped at her. Then he looked down on the papers in his hands and then, again, at her. Rachel moved uncomfortably in her chair.
"Where did you get all those information?" he asked with astonishment flipping the pages marked with his name. "Why does it look like you were spying on me? Is that even legal?"
Rachel shook her head.
"No, it's not like that. Nothing there is illegally obtained; I checked it like ten times, so no worry. All it took was an hour and my friend's show choir blog."
Mike Chang blinked several times. Rachel pushed a strand of unruly hair behind her ear and pointed to one of the pages in the file.
"You have won several major awards in the state dance competition, which makes you one of the best dancers in Ohio. And I don't mean guys who can learn the choreography and do the routine properly – I mean dancers. And I saw you move when I was in the New Directions so..."
"Wait, Rachel," Mike interrupted her rant. He closed the file and passed it back to her. "I'm not sure I know what you are trying to achieve here."
She raised her eyebrows. She's told him just a moment before, hasn't she? Mike looked like he couldn't decide whether to stay there with her or leave the cafe without looking back. Rachel could see that her praise of his dancing skills worked a little magic and convinced him to stay a bit longer. She took her chance and smiled again.
"As I've said, we're holding auditions," she said simply. "And we're looking only for the best we can get."
"You're offering me a spot in Vocal Adrenaline?"
That was much better than the reaction she anticipated; she sort of assumed that he would just laugh in her face. Instead, he looked as if he was almost considering the offer – at least, judging from his astonished but also pleased tone of voice. Mike's family didn't want him to pursue education in arts, which might've been a potential trouble but it might've as well depend on the possible encouragement from Shelby. Leave it to Shelby, and she would convert Satan himself. The question was, whether Rachel wanted her mother to be that persuasive.
"No," she stated calmly. "I'm here only to advertise the possibility of an audition. Vocal Adrenaline is highly selective; we don't accept just anyone," she added making a clear implication to some other glee club they were both familiar with, which Mike grasped immediately. "But we know how to appreciate talent."
"But I don't sing," he reminded her in a matter-of-factly tone.
Rachel waved her hand nonchalantly.
"It doesn't matter," she assured him. "Me and my male lead sing. The rest does backups and dances."
Mike was silent for a couple of minutes. She gave him the time, herself trying to figure out how to handle the rest of the conversation. It went further than she had anticipated in the very beginning. She considered Mike's thoughtful face in silence. He was looking at the file drinking his coffee slowly to gain some additional time but he didn't look outraged or hateful. Despite his clear interest, however, Rachel wasn't sure he would budge; somehow, she was certain that all she would hear from him was a polite but firm 'no'.
Rachel smiled slightly. It was obvious that Mike appreciated the offer – Vocal Adrenaline had best singers in the country, true, but they were also famous for their routines. Mike, as a dancer, was surely flattered that someone like them noticed him and voiced their interest; Rachel didn't need to know Mike to get it – his dancing was her singing. The mere chance of getting to know their opinion on him was tempting.
So she wasn't surprised to hear his next question:
"How binding is this audition? I mean, what if I come to this audition and pass it," he asked carefully and slowly, as if thinking about every word before it leaves his mouth. "But change my mind?"
"Nothing," she promised. "I cross you out, you go home. You can trust me on that. No complications or bad blood."
She looked at the time and sighed – she was late for the dinner with her dads. She pulled out a piece of paper with the necessary details about the audition and passed it to Mike, saying:
"Listen, I know that the New Directions is your club and that your loyalty lays there. I'm not going to convince you otherwise because I know the feeling. It was hard for me to say goodbye, believe it or not: I loved being part of that team and the way you all seemed to accept me. But now I'm not going to lie: the only reason I'm here telling you this is that I have a three-pages-long list of names of potential candidates and you were one of the few names that I was acknowledged with. So, whether you want to come to Carmel just to know if you are good enough, or for the real thing, no one is going to judge you – the least of all, me. Honestly? I never particularly liked you simply because I never got to know you other than in rehearsals. You were neutral – neither a bully nor the one to interfere in any way."
Mike avoided her eyes as she was talking. Rachel's mood fell slightly at the memories of her past high school experience but she wasn't telling all this to make Mike Change angry, embarrassed or uncomfortable. She was stating the facts. Her life wouldn't change whether he would transfer schools or stayed where he was, in Lima. She never meant to become his friend. But he was on the freaking list and it seemed like a lot better idea to talk to him on her own rather than leaving it to Shelby or Justin.
"So this offer..." Mike started.
"Is just a formality," Rachel explained keeping her voice flat. "To say that there are people who can showcase your talent in much more effective ways than the New Directions. No one, me especially, expects you to show up. We're mortal enemies, after all," she added dryly, thinking of how unfair that sounded. The New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline wouldn't be in the state of such an enormous conflict if it wasn't for the stupid prejudices that McKinley held towards Jesse and Jesse's stupid behaviour last year.
Feeling that the imminent end of the conversation was approaching quickly, she stood up and gathered her belongings in silence. She was halfway through the cafe when she heard her name being called again. She turned around and looked questioningly at her ex-teammate. Mike Chang stood up from his chair and approached her. She had no idea what was in his head but smiled when she heard his next words:
"I will think about it," he said. "I mean, I won't change teams but I will consider coming to the audition if you say it a no-strings-attached deal. Just... how private it would be?"
"Vocal Adrenaline will not leak out the list, but if there's someone who recognises you, it's on you."
Mike gulped and she could see the hesitance in his eyes. If the New Directions found out about his audition, they would be likely to confront him and that would end up badly. It was up to Mike to handle it or not.
She nodded her head in a silent goodbye and turned around again but Mike touched her arm, stopping her once more.
"Something else?" she asked politely, thinking how her dad would be angry about her late arrival.
"Yeah, about that thing you've said, me being neutral," Mike winced and scratched the back of his head. "I can't speak for the rest, but I'm sorry we've put you through it."
Rachel froze. Honestly, she didn't know what to say; it was the first time any one them apologised directly – she didn't count Kurt because he was her friend now. Even Mercedes didn't manage to get the words through her throat. Mike was the first member of the New Directions who said he was sorry for treating her the way they were without any reason. She felt her throat go dry when she nodded curtly.
"Apologies accepted," she smiled forcefully. "Besides, it turned out well for me now; I lead the best show choir in the country, after all, right?"
Mike nodded his head and, finally, left her alone. Rachel took another deep breath before exiting the cafe after him. She ran up to her car and jumped in, trying not to get too wet because of the small deluge people called 'rain'. She hated bad weather; she wondered if the weather in New York was any different. Her hands itched to type another message to Jesse but she forced her fingers to grab her car keys instead; she didn't want to seem desperate, after all. And besides, she had a Skype date scheduled with Jesse for the evening. She would manage those few hours until she sees him.
On her way home, she hummed happily along the lines of her favourite songs. She couldn't stop the grin that appeared on her face when the next single hit the speakers; it was recorded by Jesse himself and his voice filled the room of the Range Rover. She recognised the particular piece immediately, especially that it was recorded in such a way to give her chance to join him in between lines that he omitted on purpose. She was finishing the last note when she pulled up in front of her home.
Groaning at the miserable weather, she jumped out of her car and stormed inside the building.
"Rachel? Is that you?" she heard from the living room.
She called out in confirmation and quickly shed off her soaked coat. Fall in Ohio was the worst. When Jesse was in Lima, or she in Akron, she would spend such horrible afternoons with him in their rooms, singing jolly songs to make the miserable moody atmosphere disappear. Rachel smiled to herself sadly; if it only was that simple. She missed him more than she was ready to admit; she knew that saying goodbye to her best friend would be hard – but telling goodbye to her best friend who happened to be her soulmate was simply insufferable. She wondered if Jesse was thinking the same.
Just as she entered the living room to be greeted by Hiram, her phone buzzed against her leg. She quickly pulled it out and grinned at the name displayed on the screen.
Miss you.
Biting her lip, Rachel typed the reply straight away and pushed send. She noticed that Hiram was observing her with an affectionate smile.
"Tell Jesse we say hi," Hiram kissed her temple. Rachel nodded her head, not even trying to figure out how he knew who she was texting; her showface tended to drop off her face whenever Jesse was concerned.
"I will," she promised. "What's for dinner? I'm famished."
She followed Hiram into the kitchen where Leroy was finishing up the soup. Her other dad laughed when Rachel hauled herself at him and hugged.
"Gosh, I missed being home," she fell to her chair, looking around the kitchen. "You don't plan on turning my room into some sort of storage room or something, right?"
The two men glanced at each other and then at Rachel, who only shrugged.
"I know I've been here most of the summer, but I won't be able to come over every weekend now," she reminded them. "So, just so you know: I love my room. And you don't need a private gym hall no matter what your favourite magazine says."
They laughed. Rachel picked up her phone when it vibrated again. Greedily, she pushed the button and sighed reading Jesse's message:
Raining you say? I know what would make it better – shame I'm not with you.
I need to learn how to deal with weather on my own, I suppose. She smiled.
I have afternoon classes in ten minutes. Don't go anywhere near Hudson while you're in Lima. Love you.
She smirked despite her disappointment at his soon withdrawal.
I have some self-respect left, Jesse. Skype in few?
Can't wait.
"Dinner's ready, Rachel. Put the phone down, if you can, please."
Quickly shoving her phone down her pocket, Rachel looked up and reached out to take the plate offered by Leroy. She sniffed with an angelic expression. She missed her dads, but their cooking was even better.
"Someone's hungry," Hiram noticed jokingly. "Isn't Shelby feeding you enough?"
"She didn't put you on any sort of diet, did she?" Leroy asked with suspicion. "To improve your performance or some other nonsense?"
Rachel swallowed her first spoon of the crème and shook her head vigorously.
"No worries, it's just I'm famished after the rehearsal and the drive here," she assured Leroy. He still wasn't Shelby's biggest fan despite Rachel's fervent assertions that living with her mother was great. On the other hand, Rachel suspected it might have been why he didn't like her too much in fact. "I'm cooking mostly, she doesn't have time."
Leroy didn't seem happy at that revelation but Hiram was quicker to ask another question.
"How was the first week of school?"
Rachel's mood changed completely; she abandoned her worries about Leroy's hostility towards Shelby and smiled widely.
"It's been totally amazing," she answered with excitement. "Lately I realised how occupied I was last year... you know, with rehearsals, catching up and preparations. With Jesse and his feelings – I was so busy I never managed to slow down and appreciate my new situation."
Hiram chuckled.
"I mean," Rachel continued enthusiastically. "I have a bunch of great friends, the scariest teacher in Carmel tells me I'm smart, people I had no idea exist call my name in the hall, compliment me and invite to parties."
"Oh really?" Leroy repeated. "Parties?"
"Not that I'm going to attend any of them," Rachel assured them quickly. "Shelby would rather lock me up than allow go somewhere without a trusted friend to tag along. But! Apparently, since I took over Vocal Adrenaline, I became the it girl. I mean, I had no idea that many people knew my name. Everyone seems to, you know, like me. And I know that it's not a completely new – I was recognizable last year but I was so focused on Vocal Adrenaline that I never got a chance to indulge myself in this."
Hiram and Leroy exchanged looks.
"And by everyone you mean..." Hiram prompted.
"Everyone. Jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, you name them."
"Boys?"
Rachel frowned. She stopped eating and threw her dads curious look before she understood what they were trying to imply. She folded her arms across her chest and grimaced.
"I'm dating Jesse," she reminded them coldly.
Leroy grunted.
"We know, honey, but Jesse's out of town and..."
"No," she protested firmly, not even willing to listen to that. She was the most aware of the painful fact that Jesse was two states away. "I love Jesse. I would never look at anyone while he's away. How can you even think so?"
"We're not thinking anything, sweetie," Leroy jumped to assure her. "We just want you to remember this when someone other shows interest. I'm sure someone will, eventually, and the last thing we want is for you to try to seek consolation with someone since Jesse is not there."
Oh, Rachel felt her cheeks turn red. She understood her dads' concerns and it tugged at her heart but she didn't like the way it sounded – as if they assumed she would just...
"I'm not going to look at anyone else," she said finally. "Really, dad, daddy. I don't care that Jesse's in New York; he could be in Alaska for all that matters – I will never do anything to hurt him."
Hiram lifted the corner of his mouth and planted a soft kiss on her temple. Relieved that the awkward interrogation was over, she excused herself.
"You look positively... sweaty."
Jesse laughed at her comment and ran his hands through his locks.
"Just got back from the classes," he explained. "I had to run and jump all over the hall for my intro to drama classes. Exploring emotions and opening up, the usual stuff."
Rachel irked an eyebrow at those words. She chuckled.
"You're paying tons of money so that they would make you jump all over the room?"
Jesse laughed.
"Don't forget that I have scholarship, Rach. They pay themselves for me to run all over the place."
Rachel grinned at the screen.
"You love it, don't you?"
"The best week of my life so far," Jesse grinned back at her. Rachel snorted and Jesse corrected himself quickly: "Apart from the time I've spent with you because I love you and every day with you is a dream come true."
Rachel chuckled satisfied in response.
"That's better," she admitted.
"How was your week?" Jesse leaned in and propped his chin on his hand. Rachel put down her laptop on the bed and went to lie down beside it.
"Long," to prove her words, she yawned.
Jesse nodded his head with understanding.
"Sure, how are the files going?"
Rachel sighed. She had told Jesse all about it the first day; he suggested helping her but Rachel had to say no. She needed to do it alone if she wanted to prove everyone she deserved the spot as lead. Proving it to others, however, was as important to her as proving herself that she was good enough to take over Jesse's legacy.
"Slow. I never realised it would be so hard to do on my own," she admitted. "When I helped you, it seemed more like fun."
Jesse chuckled.
"Yeah, because you were not the one to make decisions. So what d'you got for me?"
She chuckled at the way he seemed to be so eager to help her. She knew he missed Vocal Adrenaline – it used to be his team, after all. Even if he wasn't a part of it anymore, formally, he would always be connected to the place. She gave him an excuse – a viable reason, as he called it himself – to prolong the connection even more.
Rachel shrugged. She managed to get it over with almost on her own until now. She supposed, she could let Jesse share his opinion on a person or two.
"I've the list of people that I've selected with Justin. Then I went through most of them at home again and divided those certain and those in-between, just like you taught me," she said. "We've rejected those with obvious health issues, any sort of nasty background and left those with decent grades and some sort of special skills."
"What about the wild card? You know, people from other teams?"
Rachel's memory went back to her meeting with Mike. She decided to leave out the juicy bits for later.
"I have..." she glanced down at the list in her hands. "Four names of those most promising. I was actually thinking about..."
She was interrupted by the sound of a loud thud and a nasty curse. Rachel froze when she realised that the sounds were definitely not coming from her house and that the voice insulting some 'fucking chair' belonged to a girl. Her heart stopped when Jesse turned alarmed in the direction of his door and then glanced back at the screen and opened the mouth. She didn't let him even start, though.
"Jesse, who was that?" she asked coldly, trying to remain relatively calm outside but inside, she was furious.
There she was, assuring her dads that she would never look at anyone else while Jesse was in New York and there he was, having some skank in his apartment not longer than two weeks since he's moved in.
"Jesse, where the hell did you put my dress from last night?" the same voice called from nearby.
Her heart not only stopped working but her whole body just froze.
"Rach, it's just..." Jesse started looking at her with worry.
She was about to shut the computer down when the skank appeared in the view. Rachel felt like dying when she recognized the long legs and dyed blonde hair.
"Ups, I didn't know you were talking," Rebecca St. James giggled. She made big eyes when she recognised Rachel's face on the screen. "Hi, Rachel."
And she went on to giggling again while Rachel tried not to faint from relief. She felt so stupid about jumping to conclusions and Jesse was sure to get back at her for that.
"Hi, Becks," Rachel managed to get out of herself nervously. "Jesse didn't tell me you were in New York."
"Because I had no idea either," Jesse threw sarcastically in the direction of his sister who rolled her eyes. He turned to look at Rachel. "She just barged in last night. I was going to tell you as soon as we were finished with the auditions."
"Oh. I'm sorry I just thought..."
Jesse smiled but rolled his eyes upon hearing her words.
"I know what you thought and how many times do I have to tell you that you can sleep peacefully?"
"Three to four times a day?" she replied jokingly, hoping to unload the tension. "I'm sorry, it's just..."
Becca groaned. She pushed Jesse aside and grabbed his laptop. Her face filled up the screen.
"Rachel, bun," she said pointedly. From the moving background, Rachel deduced that Becca moved across the room to jump onto Jesse's bed. "Don't get your nerves up because of him. My brother has totally lost it for you and when a St. James reaches this stage, there's no coming back. It runs in the family."
Rachel frowned, not really sure where this was going. She heard Jesse groan in the background but Becca shut him off somehow. She focused on the screen instead.
"I mean, look at my parents. My father has a mile-long stick shoved up his ass and my mother is biologically unable to focus for more than a few minutes on someone other than herself. My father hates children and she talked him into having two of them, bun. They are like two completely different people and still they never entertained the thought of leaving each other because they are so helplessly and bizarrely well-matched."
Rachel nodded her head, feeling like her good mood returned bit after bit. She more than once wondered how Jesse's parents managed to stay out of their throats being so totally different people. But then she always saw something that would make her heart swell in adoration; like when she would notice how Jesse's dad would comment on his wife's behaviour or even try to drag her a peg or two in one second, and on the other he would look at her in silent admiration. So she could see the point of Becca's words. She briefly reminded herself that Jesse was very much alike, too, despite his fervent protests when she compared him to his father – he might've been an ass to other people but Rachel was always first in his eyes.
"So, now, stop worrying and just make sure he doesn't forget to whom he belongs to," Becca knocked at the screen three times. "And that would be you, bun."
Rachel smiled with gratitude. She needed those words like air. Becca, seeing her lightened mood, sent her a sloppy kiss and dropped the computer nonchalantly.
"Here, she's all yours again. You owe me a beer," Rachel heard her giggle the last sentence. "I'm leaving. Be back in the morning, maybe, so you are free to have that Skype sex as loud as you wish, loverboy."
Rachel couldn't stop the blush forming on her face when she heard the last remark. Becca was far from being a sweet girl like her, Rachel knew, but her being so blunt about her own brother's sex life wasn't placed in her comfort zone either. She heard another thud and Jesse's face appeared in the picture again. He smiled apologetically.
"She's a bitch."
"She's your sister," Rachel admonished Jesse half-heartedly.
"And only that keeps me from strangling her sometimes," Jesse snickered and turned serious. "But she was right about me having lost it. Seriously, Rach, please don't worry."
Rachel nodded slowly. She moved on her bed and looked at the closed door of her bedroom and then back at Jesse. She grimaced.
"My dads are down the hall," she explained when he questioned her sour expression. "So I guess I wouldn't be able to pull off that loud sex she's suggested.
Jesse looked as if he was about to faint when he heard the words from her mouth. His jaw looked as if it was about to hit the floor.
"You know that you considering this alone made me totally turned on, right?" he glanced down and ran his hand through his hair.
Rachel giggled.
"Then it's a shame, I still have my dads few meters away, right," she teased him on without mercy. "Now, coming back to the auditions."
Jesse jumped into his chair.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he called with a hint of panic to his voice. "You don't just change the topic right now, Rach."
"Why not? I'm Rachel Berry, I'm the girl who wouldn't put out, remember?"
Jesse snorted and Rachel grinned.
"Are we talking about the same Rachel Berry? Because I remember rather vividly that you do."
Blushing at the comment and Jesse's suggestive tone of voice, Rachel cleared her throat. It was hard to concentrate when Jesse's eyes – even via the camera – drove into her own, making her unable to put together a logical sentence.
She sat on her bed, shaking her head and trying to focus. Jesse was in New York, there was no use reminiscing about him being there if that was going to happen no sooner that in a few weeks. Until then, she had more pressing matters to attend.
"Jesse, focus."
"I don't want to," he grumbled. "I want to kiss you."
"Jesse," she rebuffed him softly, but with a smile playing on her lips. "Auditions. I know a few names on the list."
Jesse blinked at the sudden piece of information. He opened his mouth to ask at first but then his expression hardened when he pieced the facts together.
"Who the hell picked people from the New Directions?" he barked, completely dropping his husky tone of voice. "Is Shelby out of her mind?"
Rachel chuckled at Jesse's outrage.
"It's only one person from McKinley," she said. "And no one particularly unwelcome, to be honest."
"Kurt?" Jesse asked with doubt. "I don't want to offend him in any way, but Kurt is not Vocal Adrenaline material, Rach."
Not surprised at all, Rachel nodded her head. She loved Kurt and considered him to be a great singer, almost like her, but VA was a powerhouse with certain expectations that Kurt, unfortunately, failed to meet.
"You're right and I'm not talking about Kurt. Besides, he's in Dalton now, remember?" when Jesse confirmed, Rachel continued. "Remember Mike Chang? He didn't sing, but his dancing..."
Jesse raised an eyebrow at her words. He remained silent for a few seconds, clearly thinking over the candidature – finally, he nodded his head with hesitation.
"He has decent moves," Jesse admitted. "And no singing would be a plus for you. No one to challenge your position."
No wonder she loved him so much – Jesse understood her like no one else. She nodded her head in agreement and went to describe her meeting with her old teammate; Jesse listened to her words and seemed to approve of her tactics: being blunt but not desperate.
"Do you think he will come?" her boyfriend wondered out loud.
"I have no idea. I don't know Mike that well, to be honest. But I assured him that he wouldn't be forced to decide anything if he decides to show."
Her telephone rang. Rachel excused herself and picked her cell up looking at the screen.
"It's Kurt," she told Jesse. "We're meeting tomorrow morning. I'll be right back."
She turned her back and answered the call.
"Hi, Kurt, what's..."
"What the hell do you mean you want Blaine in Vocal Adrenaline?"
Busted. Again. Rachel groaned loudly and tightened the grip on her phone.
"Kurt, it's not what it looks like," she said calmly. "Seriously, I don't want Blaine to join my team."
Rachel sat down on her bed and glanced at screen of her laptop. The video chat was still on but Jesse disappeared somewhere. She took a deep breath.
"You called him this morning to meet him," Kurt growled. "Blaine told me it wasn't the first time Carmel reached out to him. Stay away from my boyfriend, you... you lead-boyfriend stealing... bad, bad woman!"
Despite Kurt's angry tone of voice and his obvious fury, Rachel couldn't help but burst into laughter. That was the best he could come up with?
"Kurt..." she started again, trying to suppress the giggles. "I swear I don't want to steal your boyfriend."
"What?" It was Jesse's voice this time. Rachel glanced back at the screen and grinned at the total confusion painted all over Jesse's face. Kurt huffed something incoherent.
"Then why did you ask him to meet you? I will not believe that it's just a coincidence."
Rachel cleared her throat.
"It's not but I'm talking with him only out of formality."
Shortly, she explained Shelby's conditions for such cases. Kurt was silent for a few seconds and Rachel knew he didn't believe her fully. She sighed and continued to convince him:
"Ask Blaine yourself," she said. "Jesse or Giselle surely must've talked to Blaine in the past and he still had the right to refuse. We both know that he'd refuse this time as well, Kurt. I'm not even going to pursue any action apart from giving him the date and place."
"Hey, what are you talking about?" Jesse cut into the conversation again. Rachel scowled at him warningly. Luckily, Kurt had no chance to hear him. "You have to get him into the team, Rach."
Rachel ignored Jesse and focused on her talk with Kurt. Her friend murmured something under his breath.
"Let's just say I believe you," he said, obviously not believing her. "In that case, can I bring him tomorrow to Lima Bean without you jumping out with anything?"
"No problem," she assured him. "Listen, Kurt. I have Jesse on Skype so if I can call you later..."
"Sure," Kurt replied. He sounded a bit better now. "Say hi to him."
Rachel murmured something and disconnected. Slowly, adopting her sweetest smile, she turned again to the screen and fluttered her eyelashes.
"Don't you even try distracting me," Jesse barked. "What do you mean you are not going for Blaine Anderson? You need him, whether you like it or nor, Rachel."
"Oh, so we're on the full name basis now?" Rachel smirked. "Come on, Jesse, I don't need Blaine to get my own National title."
Jesse snorted.
"Maybe you don't need him but the Warblers are the second strongest team in Ohio. Their loss is your gain."
Oh. Rachel hit her head against the desk. Jesse was right bur she couldn't just do that to Kurt. He would never forgive her – and, besides, Blaine would not agree for nothing in the world. But she will never know if she doesn't try, huh?
No, she scolded herself. She could do it – win Nationals – without Blaine. Jesse had to simply believe in her.
"You sound as if you don't think I can do it," she crossed her eyes, deeply offended. "Thank you for your strong faith in me, my dear boyfriend."
Her sarcasm hit Jesse's face.
"Rach, of course I believe in you," he promised. "I'm just trying to show you a broader perspective. Please, don't be mad."
"You're lucky," Rachel murmured. "I can't stay angry at you. And I don't need Blaine the Warbler for anything. I have an amazing team, my genius coach-mother and my voice. Plus, I thought we've established this once and for all in New York, Jesse: I am a better singer than you. So if I can beat Jesse St. James, then I can do pretty much anything."
Jesse laughed at her words. He stood up from his chair. Biting her lip, Rachel watched like Jesse took off his T-shirt and threw it to the side. Then, he grabbed a towel and a pair of pants he's usually sleeps in. Finally, he returned to the computer but didn't sit down; instead, he leaned against the desk and grimaced.
"I need to take that shower, Rach," he said apologetically. "I'm totally exhausted. Can we talk tomorrow?"
Rachel's face fell. She knew Jesse was probably tired after the whole day of classes but she waited a pretty long time to see him (even on the screen). They were completely busy, both of them: Jesse with his orientation, trying to adjust to his new school, new people and the new everything while she spent most of the past week going through the candidates' files, her re-auditions (which she conquered like always) and trying to figure out the set list for Invitationals. She hoped to be able to devote this weekend to Jesse. That's why she couldn't stop her smile from disappearing completely off her face at hearing his words.
"Um, yeah, sure."
"I miss you, too," Jesse told her with serious expression. "So freaking much."
Rachel nodded her head. She missed him, too.
Jesse straightened his back but didn't go away. He glanced back at the door to his bathroom and sighed.
"I know," he turned to look at her again with a small smile. "How about I take that shower, come back here as soon as I can and we will watch some movie together?"
She almost laughed with relief.
"I'd love that."
"But," Jesse threw warningly before he disappeared. "I can't promise I won't pass out in the middle. If I do, you won't be mad?"
"It's enough if you stay with me a bit longer," she assured him.
Jesse's POV
Jesse woke up at the sound of a loud thud. His head snapped upwards and he yawned, swearing loudly. Looking around, he saw that his computer was still turned on and his phone was resting neglected on the pillow. He grabbed it and checked the time; it was seven thirty. According to the log record, Rach ended the call at eleven. He wouldn't remember that since he really passed out somewhere in the middle of the movie they've been watching.
He was so freaking tired all week - the classes and after-school activities made him almost constantly occupied. plus, he spent most of his evenings trying to socialise with people from Julliard. He wasn't going to become everyone's friend, of course, but finding the right people who would help him in the future was the first thing he was taught by his father many years ago - a good network of useful contacts could open almost every door. His father was many things but no one could refuse him the skill to maneuver among crowds.
Unfortunately, his busy schedule made it harder for him and Rachel to keep in touch as much as they would. It wasn't only his fault, of course - Shelby would always made sure that the entire team wasn't lazying around during the first two weeks of school; the re-auditions, sorting out audition candidates, and initial Invitational preparations made the beginning of the school year especially unbearable. It was Shelby's test of stress-handling after the summer break. Those who weren't able to keep up were automatically out of the team.
All in all, apart from occasional texts and calls, Jesse and Rachel were struggling to keep up with each other until their respective schedules would clear out. Jesse knew that Rachel recognized it as a temporary difficulty - besides she was most often the one to hang up on him. That was why he was partially relaxed, knowing that Rachel wouldn't give him a hard time or start imagining that he was trying to keep her arm's length or some other foolish fear brought about by her insecurities. They were doing well despite that.
But nothing of that made Jesse miss her any less. Maybe Jesse was busy, maybe he barely had time to get a proper meal at the end of the day, maybe all these new people were interesting or possibly helpful - maybe. But as long as Rachel wasn't there to share it with him, it felt only half as good as it should. He grew accustomed to share almost everything with his best friend when he was younger - Rach was there with him every time something good happened in his life. To be suddenly unable to drive over to Lima and take her out to go and see the movies together was a real drag.
Jesse wanted to call Rachel and apologise but realised that she was probably still asleep. Having this in mind, he quickly typed her a text and sent it. The sounds from the living room grew more and more so Jesse crumbled off his bed and out of his room to find Becca sprayed all over his sofa.
After a quick inspection, he immediately knew that her party was a success. She was lying with her eyes closed, breathing softly, still full dressed fortunately. Jesse sighed; his sister was twenty four and there he was, babysitting her like a baby. She told him the day before that she came to New York to get some photo shoot done; despite her loose attitude towards, well, everything, Becca was pretty good in what she was doing so he had no doubts that it wasn't just some lame excuse. The problem was, she could've sent a word or two before.
"Becks, come on, go to bed," Jesse pulled her up by her hand. Becca opened her eyes and looked around but let him pull her to her feet. "I need that couch."
"Jesus, what time it is?" she asked.
"Eight in the morning," Jesse murmured, leaving her to enter the kitchen. He pulled out a glass and filled it with water. He added two aspirins and followed Becca to the guest room.
"Here," he said putting the water and pills on the nightstand. "You're gonna need that."
Becca ignored him and dropped semi-conscious on the bed sheets. She rolled on her back and groaned.
"I'm never drinking again," she whined. Jesse focused on her face for a moment and nodded his head; she wasn't totally wasted, fortunately, but the all-nighter plus alcohol must've pushed her to her limits.
Jesse chuckled.
"If someone gave me a dollar every time I hear it," he joked. "Are you going to be fine? I have to read a few chapters for tomorrow."
"Always the smartest one in the family," Becca threw with irony.
Rolling his eyes, Jesse wanted to leave her to rest but she reached out and caught his hand.
"Is everything okay with Rachel?"
"Sure it is," he chuckled at her concerns. "Seriously, Becca go to sleep. No offence, but you look like shit."
She laughed dryly.
"Believe me, I feel worse."
"Get some sleep," Jesse told her.
Becca yawned and nodded her head turning over to her side. She was out in less than five seconds. Jesse pulled a blanket over her sleeping figure. He was about to stand up when he noticed a glimmer on the finger of her left hand.
-s.