Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace - St. Berry - 1/?
Title: Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Author: charmx_serenity
Chapter: 1/? (Chapter 2 is here.)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Rachel/Jesse (St. Berry) with Rachel/OC friendship.
Word Count: 3776 words. (I'm proud of myself. XD)
Summary: "She is your mirror shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." Jesse-centric with St. Berry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, because if I did Jesse wouldn't have a hidden agenda and St. Berry would be endgame (and Jonathan Groff would be in Glee FOREVER!). My Junk is not owned by me either (but you totally should listen to it!) Title of the chapter comes from a song by Morrissey. Title of the story is from a song by The Foo Fighters. Summary comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert.
A/N: This will be mildly Jesse-centric with heavy hints of St. Berry. A new character and her story is introduced to give Jesse more depth to his character and so we could see him more as just "the cocky Vocal Adrenaline captain who wants nothing more than win his fourth consecutive National's title". The first character would be OC-centric but the second chapter will most definitely be Jesse and/or Rachel-centric. Enjoy!
Warning: Rated for slightly mature topics for later chapters.
Jesse was curious as to why he was needed in the Principal's Office. He was neverin trouble and he always made sure that his grades were in tip-top shape. Truth to be told, he was slightly annoyed because he had to miss Glee practice to go to the office in the first place. And out of all the things Jesse St. James didn't like, it was missing practice.
But as he neared the principal's office, he felt a sick sense of dread come over him. What if it was Shelby Corcoran who was in the office? What if she was here to fetch his papers so he could return to Vocal Adrenaline? What if his time was up? So he found himself hesitating before pulling himself together and entering the office.
"You asked for me, Sir?" he asked the principal, whose name he didn't bother to know much less remember. He kept his eyes straight at the principal (and no, he was not averting his eyes from the seats so he wouldn't know if it was his coach or not).
"Ah yes, Mr. St. James," Principal Figgins started with his normal tone as he set aside some paperwork that were on his desk. "There is a new transferee student from Carmel High. She has noted that she knew you and that you might be willing to give her a tour around William McKinley High."
A Carmel High student? Jesse asked himself with confusion. It was then that he turned his eyes to look at the occupied seat in front of the principal's desk. All he saw was the back of her head and his eyes widened at the familiar sight of her wavy light brown hair. It couldn't be, he said to himself.
It was then that the girl had turned her head to face him. Familiar light green eyes met his blue ones. The corners of her lips tugged up in a well-remembered smirk."Hi Jesse," she said as her eyes danced with mirth at his obvious surprise. "Didn't you miss me?"
***~***
Rachel was worried. When Jesse had told her that he would need to miss Glee practice to meet with Principal Figgins, she understood (the fact that he promised that he'll see her as soon as Glee finished practicing helped). But it had been precisely five minutes and fourteen seconds since Glee had finished rehearsing and still, no Jesse in sight. So she had resorted to waiting outside the office.
She had told herself that if Jesse didn't appear within the next fifteen minutes, she would go. (But she knew to herself that she wouldn't stop waiting until he comes out.
Truth to be told, Rachel was getting anxious. What if something had happened? What if something bad happened to his parents, or worse, what if they were back to bring Jesse back to Vocal Adrenaline? So Rachel found herself pacing outside, worrying.
Ten minutes have passed when the door to the office had opened and Jesse came out. Rachel's eyes brightened but her mood was suddenly dampened when he saw that he had his arm slung around another girl (a very not-ugly girl, Rachel noted grudgingly) and he was talking animatedly with her. Rachel instantly marched up to him and curled her arm around his free arm possessively.
"Jesse, care to explain?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. Because Rachel was not the jealous type (no, she really wasn't. It was not jealous that was urging her to snatch Jesse's arms away from the girl's shoulders. It was also not jealously that were making unpleasant knots in the pit of her stomach when she saw that Jesse clearly enjoyed this other girl's company. It really wasn't.) She glanced at the other girl and was satisfied that she had a confused look on her face.
"Jesse?" she asked uncertainly, as she shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "Who's this?"
***~***
When Jesse had gotten over the initial shock of actually seeing her here in the country, he immediately went up to her as she stood up and enveloped her in a tight hug - which she hesitantly returned.
"I can't believe you're finally back," he said as he released her. He couldn't stop the grin that was forming on his lips. "I thought you wouldn't be back from London for another week."
"Well, I got a call from a friend in Carmel High who notified me that she wasn't seeing you around anymore," she said as she brushed her bangs away from her face. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder with much difficulty. "So I immediately booked a flight home because I got worried that you did something to have you expelled or something. I came back two days ago and the first day I came back, I immediately went to Carmel to ask Ms. Corcoran what happened to you and she told me you transferred here."
"But if you came back two days ago…where are you staying?" Jesse asked in confusion.
"I'm staying over at Aunt Eliza's place, but considering her place isn't in this school's district I might need to move soon," she said with a shrug.
"Why are you wearing a scarf?" Jesse asked as he tugged at the leopard-printed fabric around her neck, noticing how she slightly shied away from his touch. Jesse sighed as he pulled his hand away after her eyes became guarded. "It's just me. Just me."
She immediately closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "I know. I'm sorry." She immediately gave him a bright smile. The transition was so fast that she almost fooled him - well, almost. "This is a La Redoute scarf. It's fashion, Jesse. Didn't you use to complain that I didn't have a fashion sense?"
"And you're wearing a beret, why?" Jesse asked teasingly with a smirk. "I thought you went to London, England not Paris, France. Is that from Urban Outfitters?"
"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that," she said with a slight laugh as she placed a protective hand over her beret. "I never realized how much I missed all of this."
Jesse found himself smiling at that. It was really refreshing to see her face again. "So, how was the whole foreign exchange program?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"It was amazing!" she said happily as she sat at the seat in front of the principal's desk again. Jesse soon followed suit. "It was difficult at first, trying to adjust to the time zone and their culture but my school mates were kind enough to help me through it. I felt a little homesick though."
"She would just have to finish a few things with her paperwork then she could go," Principal Figgins said, interrupting their conversation. He placed a paper in front of her and a pen. "Just finish filling that out and you can go."
"Oh Principal Figgins," she said, as her eyes lit up as if she was remembering something. "I was wondering if I could ask a copy of my papers so I could show them to Mr. Schuester."
"Mr. Schuester?" Jesse asked with a confused look on his face. Comprehension immediately dawned upon him. "You're not actually considering…" He paused to gather his thoughts. "But you can't sing."
"Everyone can sing, Jesse," she said pointedly as she started to fill out the form Principal Figgins had given her. "It's just that, not everybody is necessarily good at it."
"And you're one of the few people not gifted with a good voice," Jesse pointed out as she shot him a glare. "I'm just telling the truth here."
"I have a fairly bearable voice, Jesse," she said with a huff as she finished with the form. "Could I take my copy now, Principal Figgins?"
"Just take that copy and bring it back after you show it to Schuester," Principal Figgins said with a wave of his hand. She nodded in understanding.
"Well, if you're actually serious about this," Jesse said as he stood up. She quickly followed suit, taking the form with her. "Then we better hurry. Glee practice is probably over by now."
He then casually slung his arm around her shoulders, noting the way she slightly flinched while hers found itself around his waist. "I take it you're enjoying yourself here? I am wondering though, why are you here Jesse?"<
"You know Mom and Dad are in Bali," Jesse said with a shrug. She nodded but still looked at him, probing him to continue. "And Uncle Spence's place is in this school's district." He then reached out to open the door for her
"Aaaanddd?" she asked, still asking for more details.
"Well…" He was interrupted when his actual reason appeared and wound her arm around his. His other companion raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Jesse, care to explain?" Rachel asked, her voice completely void of emotion. Jesse sighed. He knew Rachel was only like that if she was absolutely angry.
"Jesse?" his companion asked him with a mildly confused look on her face. She immediately shrugged away the arm that was around her shoulders. "Who's this?"
"This is Rachel," Jesse said as he slipped his arm away from Rachel's firm grasp to wrap it around her shoulders. Comprehension dawned upon her face, like the way it did on him earlier. "My girlfriend. Rachel, this is…"<
But he didn't get to finish his sentence because it was at that moment that she decided to grab his hand before he had the chance to introduce her properly. "Jesse, didn't you say we needed to hurry because Glee practice might be over? I want to be part of your little Glee club before the day's over!"
He was so surprised that he accidentally let go of Rachel - who let out a very audible sound of disapproval. He knew he would get in trouble for this later but he couldn't possibly deny the newcomer's request. So he just sighed and threw Rachel a very apologetic glance, pleading that she understood. Her eyes softened as she took Jesse's other free hand.
"Come on, then," Rachel said in a resigned tone. "If we're lucky enough, Finn might still be around and so will Mr. Schuester. I think that you can try out with the two co-captains present."
With that, her eyes brightened and she grinned happily. As Rachel started to lead the way towards the Glee club room, she followed silently. Rachel had begun to chat away, talking about countless of ideas for song numbers and dance numbers, and she listened patiently. She kept on glancing at Jesse, trying to see if he was getting annoyed by her countless chatter but he seemed completely devoted to whatever saying and even occasionally chimed in some suggestion.
She found herself smiling thoughtfully at this. If Jesse was happy, then so was she. It was as simple as that.
Rachel had suddenly stopped in front of a room so she assumed that they had arrived at their destination. Rachel pushed the door open and sighed in relief when he saw half of the club was still in the room, rehearsing for their new dance number.
"Guys," Rachel started but she was completely ignored. She knew it was because not much of the glee club were dancers so they were having a little difficulty learning the dance but it was important. So she took in a deep breath and with as much volume as she could muster, suddenly shouted, "GUYS!"
They immediately stilled their actions as Mr. Schuester stopped the music. They all turned to her with irritated looks while their coach sighed. "What is it, Rachel?"
"There's someone here to try out," she said with a smile as she stepped aside, pulling Jesse with her, to show the newcomer. She looked around the room with curious eyes but when she felt their eyes on her, she shifted uncomfortably.
"She just transferred here," Jesse supplied as the other Glee clubbers turned to look at him. Their eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Another Vocal Adrenaline snitch?" Santana sneered viciously.
Rachel felt Jesse grow rigid beside her. She watched as the younger girl held her head up high. "I wasn't even in Vocal Adrenaline, and I merely wanted to join."
"Great!" Mercedes exclaimed. "I have finally lost all hope for getting a solo."
"I'm not here to steal any solos," she admitted as Mercedes turned to look at her. "I know the quality of my voice and I know that it's only worth back-up vocals. I just thought you needed another person. And here's the form, if you're still thinking that I'm another spy. I officially study here in McKinley." She walked towards Mr. Schuester and gave him the form.
"Well, at least you have more fashion sense than a certain female lead I know," Kurt interrupted as he scanned her outfit before throwing Rachel a pointed look. Rachel returned the look with a scathing one.
"Come on now guys," Mr. Schuester said. "Let's be fair and let her try out." He then scanned her form for her name. He looked surprised as he saw her last name. "Okay then, Arisande…"
"Arissa," she interrupted as she blushed lightly. "Please call me Arissa."
"Okay then, Arissa," Will said as he returned her form. She took it and put it inside her bag. "Let's see what you got." He then stepped aside as she started towards the piano but not before she heard Rachel whisper, Brad's always just around.
She smiled at that before she searched her bag for the sheet music that she printed out last night. She gave Brad the sheet music and walked over to the band and gave them copies too. She put her bag down before facing the glee club, who had sat down at Mr. Schuester's request.
Rachel raised her eyes in surprise when the familiar intro notes of My Junk started to fill the room.
"In the midst of this nothing, this miss of a life," she started to sing as she tried to familiarize herself with the feeling of performing in front of an audience. Rachel noted how though she didn't have the strength of Lea Michele's voice, she had the same tone as Phoebe Strole's feminine voice that got her through with singing those mildly high notes. "Still there's this one thing just to see you go by."
She watched as she turned to Jesse as she sang the next few lines, "It's almost like loving, as sad as that is. May not be cool but it's so where I live." Rachel found herself smiling, though she really should be raving mad, when she sent a little wink in his direction which he chuckled at. Rachel watched with amusement as she started to act out the lyrics with her dramatics and she noticed how much she and Jesse were so alike. "It's like I'm your lover or more like your ghost, I spend the day wondering what you do where you go."
"I try and just kick it but then what can I do?" Even the other glee clubbers who were wary of her found themselves smiling at the little shrug she did at the last word. "We've all got our junk and my junk is you."
As the pace picked up, she could see how she was getting used to performing in front of them because she started to move with the music. She didn't have the grace of a ballerina and her voice mildly - by mildly, that means it was only Rachel who noticed - suffered because of her dancing but Rachel couldn't deny it was fun watching her. She didn't show her discomfort in dancing in heels nor did the smile leave her face.
Though Rachel couldn't help the slight tremble in her voice nor could she ignore how she couldn't always reach the notes right but she suspected that with a little help, she would be flawless. She was so preoccupied with correcting her voice that she was surprised when she started to walk towards her and Jesse, urging everyone to join her.
"See us, winter walking after a storm." Rachel was the only one who knew the lyrics by heart and Arissa shot her a grateful look. She even started to dance along with her when she noticed Jesse doing the same. "It's chill in the wind but it's warm in your arms. We stop all snow blind, may not be true." At this point, even Kurt and Mercedes couldn't help but join in and pick up a copy of the song. Even Matt and Mike couldn't resist the random dancing they were doing. "We've all got our junk but my junk is you."
"Well, you'll have to excuse me, I know it's so off," Kurt started to sing. Rachel was surprised at how fast he could pick up the tone of the song. She also couldn't help but giggle a bit as Kurt started to sent not so subtle looks towards Finn's direction that the jock fidgeted and looked away. "I love when you do stuff that' rude and so wrong."
"I go up to my room, turn the stereo on," Jesse sang along as he wrapped an arm around Arissa. Rachel watched them and couldn't shrug off the sense of similarity between them. "Shoot up some you, in the you of some song."
"I lie back just drifting and play out these scenes," Mercedes sang as she glanced at the lyrics. "I ride on the rush all the hopes, all the dreams."
"I may be neglecting the things I should do," Arissa sang and Rachel marveled at how perfect her voice was for Anna's part. "We've all got our junk and my junk is you!"
"See we keep talkin' after you're gone," Rachel and Jesse sang together as he walked over to her. "You still with me then feels so good in your arms." He gave her a little twirl as she spun into his open arms. Rachel laughed but still continued on with the song. At this point, everyone - well, except for Finn and Santana who were both wary of the new girl - joined in with the singing. "They say you go blind! Maybe it's true. We've all got our junk and my junk is you."
"Oh, it's like we stop time!" they all sang as their dancing became livelier with the girls bouncing and the boys spinning. "What can I do? We've all got our junk and my junk is you. My junk is you. My junk is you. You! You! You!"
As the song ended, everyone started to cheer. Rachel heard Arissa let out a tiny squeal as Jesse picked her up and twirled her around. She laughed and begged for him to put her down. When her feet touched the ground again, she turned to the Glee club.
"I guess that's a yes then?" she asked with a laugh. Everyone looked at each other before shrugging.
Mr. Schuester walked over to her and said, "Welcome to the club, Arissa." Arissa smiled but flinched when Mr. Schuester suddenly patted her on the back. Her cheery demeanor quickly returned, making Rachel wonder if she just imagined her flinching. But it definitely happened, Rachel told herself.
"Where has this performer side of you been hiding all along?" Jesse asked her teasingly as she shrugged at him.
"Never found a reason to show it," Arissa said with a smile. "I'm an artist, Jesse. Sure, I could act but I was pretty sure I couldn't sing or dance. I mean, you're already a performer for both of us."
"Arissa, could I possibly give you a few pointers that could act as constructive criticism?" Rachel asked tentatively. Arissa shot Jesse a questioning look which he returned with a shrug before she nodded.
"I'll go gather your things," Jesse said as he walked away to give the girls some privacy. Rachel gave him a thankful glance which he returned with a look that clearly said "go easy on her".
"I will go straight to the point," Rachel said slowly. The other girl nodded. "You don't have the strength of Lea Michele's voice but you do have the femininity and gentleness of Phoebe Strole's voice which is why your voice fit Anna's parts perfectly. Your pitch is slightly off and your breathing technique is terrible but I suspect that a few lessons from yourz truly can correct that. And perhaps a few rounds in the ballet studio could help your gracefulness." Rachel paused, waiting for the indignant explosion that would sure follow. But the younger girl kept quiet and just nodded. "But you have talent, you do. It just needs some work. And I mean, you have what we had when we won Sectionals. You have heart and you definitely know how to bring fun in your performance."
"Thank you," she said quietly but gratefully. "I would be honored to have those voice lessons with you. But I guess this will prove that I'm not after any solos."
Rachel laughed at that. "Believe me, after a few lessons with me, you'll be belting Celine Dion flawlessly."
Arissa nodded and grinned but her smile fell when she noticed the suspicious looks were back. "I don't think they like me."
"Don't worry," Rachel said. "I experience that everyday and I've been with them for quite some time. But I think they're going to tolerate you because they know you're in no shape to steal solos."
Arissa couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're a fan of Spring Awakening?"
"Are you kidding me?" Rachel asked her as her eyes lit up. "A coming-of-age story about teenagers struggling with sexuality, depression about pressure and abuse - it's genius."
"Hm," she said thoughtfully as she sent Jesse a glance. He looked away guiltily as he approached them and gave Arissa her bag. She leaned over and whispered quietly, "So that's why you wanted to borrow my Spring Awakening soundtrack."
"Hush," Jesse told her quietly.
"So you and Jesse seem to be close friends," Rachel started conversationally.
"It's more than that actually," Jesse said with a smile as his arm wound around her shoulders again. Rachel's smile fell from her face. If they were exes, Rachel couldn't possibly compete with someone like her - someone who shared so much with Jesse.
But instead, Arissa stepped away from his arms and held out her hand. "I'm Arissa St. James." Rachel looked up at her, surprised and confused at the same time. St. James? she asked herself in her thoughts. Oh, God. No." I'm Jesse's younger sister."
-------------------------------------------------------------------A/N: Okay, PHEW. I finally finished this. I've always wanted to give Jesse some back story because he's my favorite character (even if he's acting like a complete douche in the coming episode). And I've always wanted to give Rachel a friend (and I couldn't do that with existing characters without destroying their characterization completely.) I've always loved guys with close bonds with their siblings, especially with their little sisters (but that may be just my longing for an older brother) so I made Arissa. Her name was originally going to be Jessica but that would be cliché in two ways. One, Jesse and Jessica are like twins and they're in no way twins (and I cringe at that. XD) And my name is Jessica so that would automatically make my character a Mary Sue just by naming her.
Just in case you're wondering, Arissa is a few months younger than Rachel making her a freshman (and I'm still struggling with the fact that Rachel was born in 1994. O_O). And her full name is Arisande Ophelia St. James.
And I know that My Junk has no piano part in it whatsoever but Brad is always around and it would be a shame if he wasn't used. XD
And the Glee club members aren't fond of her yet. Like Rachel said, they're going to tolerate her because of two things. It's another person for the dance routine and she's not out for any solos. But they're going to treat her the same way they treat Jesse because they're still convinced that she's a spy.
So that's it.
Author: charmx_serenity
Chapter: 1/? (Chapter 2 is here.)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Rachel/Jesse (St. Berry) with Rachel/OC friendship.
Word Count: 3776 words. (I'm proud of myself. XD)
Summary: "She is your mirror shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." Jesse-centric with St. Berry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, because if I did Jesse wouldn't have a hidden agenda and St. Berry would be endgame (and Jonathan Groff would be in Glee FOREVER!). My Junk is not owned by me either (but you totally should listen to it!) Title of the chapter comes from a song by Morrissey. Title of the story is from a song by The Foo Fighters. Summary comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert.
A/N: This will be mildly Jesse-centric with heavy hints of St. Berry. A new character and her story is introduced to give Jesse more depth to his character and so we could see him more as just "the cocky Vocal Adrenaline captain who wants nothing more than win his fourth consecutive National's title". The first character would be OC-centric but the second chapter will most definitely be Jesse and/or Rachel-centric. Enjoy!
Warning: Rated for slightly mature topics for later chapters.
Jesse was curious as to why he was needed in the Principal's Office. He was neverin trouble and he always made sure that his grades were in tip-top shape. Truth to be told, he was slightly annoyed because he had to miss Glee practice to go to the office in the first place. And out of all the things Jesse St. James didn't like, it was missing practice.
But as he neared the principal's office, he felt a sick sense of dread come over him. What if it was Shelby Corcoran who was in the office? What if she was here to fetch his papers so he could return to Vocal Adrenaline? What if his time was up? So he found himself hesitating before pulling himself together and entering the office.
"You asked for me, Sir?" he asked the principal, whose name he didn't bother to know much less remember. He kept his eyes straight at the principal (and no, he was not averting his eyes from the seats so he wouldn't know if it was his coach or not).
"Ah yes, Mr. St. James," Principal Figgins started with his normal tone as he set aside some paperwork that were on his desk. "There is a new transferee student from Carmel High. She has noted that she knew you and that you might be willing to give her a tour around William McKinley High."
A Carmel High student? Jesse asked himself with confusion. It was then that he turned his eyes to look at the occupied seat in front of the principal's desk. All he saw was the back of her head and his eyes widened at the familiar sight of her wavy light brown hair. It couldn't be, he said to himself.
It was then that the girl had turned her head to face him. Familiar light green eyes met his blue ones. The corners of her lips tugged up in a well-remembered smirk."Hi Jesse," she said as her eyes danced with mirth at his obvious surprise. "Didn't you miss me?"
***~***
Rachel was worried. When Jesse had told her that he would need to miss Glee practice to meet with Principal Figgins, she understood (the fact that he promised that he'll see her as soon as Glee finished practicing helped). But it had been precisely five minutes and fourteen seconds since Glee had finished rehearsing and still, no Jesse in sight. So she had resorted to waiting outside the office.
She had told herself that if Jesse didn't appear within the next fifteen minutes, she would go. (But she knew to herself that she wouldn't stop waiting until he comes out.
Truth to be told, Rachel was getting anxious. What if something had happened? What if something bad happened to his parents, or worse, what if they were back to bring Jesse back to Vocal Adrenaline? So Rachel found herself pacing outside, worrying.
Ten minutes have passed when the door to the office had opened and Jesse came out. Rachel's eyes brightened but her mood was suddenly dampened when he saw that he had his arm slung around another girl (a very not-ugly girl, Rachel noted grudgingly) and he was talking animatedly with her. Rachel instantly marched up to him and curled her arm around his free arm possessively.
"Jesse, care to explain?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. Because Rachel was not the jealous type (no, she really wasn't. It was not jealous that was urging her to snatch Jesse's arms away from the girl's shoulders. It was also not jealously that were making unpleasant knots in the pit of her stomach when she saw that Jesse clearly enjoyed this other girl's company. It really wasn't.) She glanced at the other girl and was satisfied that she had a confused look on her face.
"Jesse?" she asked uncertainly, as she shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "Who's this?"
***~***
When Jesse had gotten over the initial shock of actually seeing her here in the country, he immediately went up to her as she stood up and enveloped her in a tight hug - which she hesitantly returned.
"I can't believe you're finally back," he said as he released her. He couldn't stop the grin that was forming on his lips. "I thought you wouldn't be back from London for another week."
"Well, I got a call from a friend in Carmel High who notified me that she wasn't seeing you around anymore," she said as she brushed her bangs away from her face. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder with much difficulty. "So I immediately booked a flight home because I got worried that you did something to have you expelled or something. I came back two days ago and the first day I came back, I immediately went to Carmel to ask Ms. Corcoran what happened to you and she told me you transferred here."
"But if you came back two days ago…where are you staying?" Jesse asked in confusion.
"I'm staying over at Aunt Eliza's place, but considering her place isn't in this school's district I might need to move soon," she said with a shrug.
"Why are you wearing a scarf?" Jesse asked as he tugged at the leopard-printed fabric around her neck, noticing how she slightly shied away from his touch. Jesse sighed as he pulled his hand away after her eyes became guarded. "It's just me. Just me."
She immediately closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "I know. I'm sorry." She immediately gave him a bright smile. The transition was so fast that she almost fooled him - well, almost. "This is a La Redoute scarf. It's fashion, Jesse. Didn't you use to complain that I didn't have a fashion sense?"
"And you're wearing a beret, why?" Jesse asked teasingly with a smirk. "I thought you went to London, England not Paris, France. Is that from Urban Outfitters?"
"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that," she said with a slight laugh as she placed a protective hand over her beret. "I never realized how much I missed all of this."
Jesse found himself smiling at that. It was really refreshing to see her face again. "So, how was the whole foreign exchange program?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"It was amazing!" she said happily as she sat at the seat in front of the principal's desk again. Jesse soon followed suit. "It was difficult at first, trying to adjust to the time zone and their culture but my school mates were kind enough to help me through it. I felt a little homesick though."
"She would just have to finish a few things with her paperwork then she could go," Principal Figgins said, interrupting their conversation. He placed a paper in front of her and a pen. "Just finish filling that out and you can go."
"Oh Principal Figgins," she said, as her eyes lit up as if she was remembering something. "I was wondering if I could ask a copy of my papers so I could show them to Mr. Schuester."
"Mr. Schuester?" Jesse asked with a confused look on his face. Comprehension immediately dawned upon him. "You're not actually considering…" He paused to gather his thoughts. "But you can't sing."
"Everyone can sing, Jesse," she said pointedly as she started to fill out the form Principal Figgins had given her. "It's just that, not everybody is necessarily good at it."
"And you're one of the few people not gifted with a good voice," Jesse pointed out as she shot him a glare. "I'm just telling the truth here."
"I have a fairly bearable voice, Jesse," she said with a huff as she finished with the form. "Could I take my copy now, Principal Figgins?"
"Just take that copy and bring it back after you show it to Schuester," Principal Figgins said with a wave of his hand. She nodded in understanding.
"Well, if you're actually serious about this," Jesse said as he stood up. She quickly followed suit, taking the form with her. "Then we better hurry. Glee practice is probably over by now."
He then casually slung his arm around her shoulders, noting the way she slightly flinched while hers found itself around his waist. "I take it you're enjoying yourself here? I am wondering though, why are you here Jesse?"<
"You know Mom and Dad are in Bali," Jesse said with a shrug. She nodded but still looked at him, probing him to continue. "And Uncle Spence's place is in this school's district." He then reached out to open the door for her
"Aaaanddd?" she asked, still asking for more details.
"Well…" He was interrupted when his actual reason appeared and wound her arm around his. His other companion raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Jesse, care to explain?" Rachel asked, her voice completely void of emotion. Jesse sighed. He knew Rachel was only like that if she was absolutely angry.
"Jesse?" his companion asked him with a mildly confused look on her face. She immediately shrugged away the arm that was around her shoulders. "Who's this?"
"This is Rachel," Jesse said as he slipped his arm away from Rachel's firm grasp to wrap it around her shoulders. Comprehension dawned upon her face, like the way it did on him earlier. "My girlfriend. Rachel, this is…"<
But he didn't get to finish his sentence because it was at that moment that she decided to grab his hand before he had the chance to introduce her properly. "Jesse, didn't you say we needed to hurry because Glee practice might be over? I want to be part of your little Glee club before the day's over!"
He was so surprised that he accidentally let go of Rachel - who let out a very audible sound of disapproval. He knew he would get in trouble for this later but he couldn't possibly deny the newcomer's request. So he just sighed and threw Rachel a very apologetic glance, pleading that she understood. Her eyes softened as she took Jesse's other free hand.
"Come on, then," Rachel said in a resigned tone. "If we're lucky enough, Finn might still be around and so will Mr. Schuester. I think that you can try out with the two co-captains present."
With that, her eyes brightened and she grinned happily. As Rachel started to lead the way towards the Glee club room, she followed silently. Rachel had begun to chat away, talking about countless of ideas for song numbers and dance numbers, and she listened patiently. She kept on glancing at Jesse, trying to see if he was getting annoyed by her countless chatter but he seemed completely devoted to whatever saying and even occasionally chimed in some suggestion.
She found herself smiling thoughtfully at this. If Jesse was happy, then so was she. It was as simple as that.
Rachel had suddenly stopped in front of a room so she assumed that they had arrived at their destination. Rachel pushed the door open and sighed in relief when he saw half of the club was still in the room, rehearsing for their new dance number.
"Guys," Rachel started but she was completely ignored. She knew it was because not much of the glee club were dancers so they were having a little difficulty learning the dance but it was important. So she took in a deep breath and with as much volume as she could muster, suddenly shouted, "GUYS!"
They immediately stilled their actions as Mr. Schuester stopped the music. They all turned to her with irritated looks while their coach sighed. "What is it, Rachel?"
"There's someone here to try out," she said with a smile as she stepped aside, pulling Jesse with her, to show the newcomer. She looked around the room with curious eyes but when she felt their eyes on her, she shifted uncomfortably.
"She just transferred here," Jesse supplied as the other Glee clubbers turned to look at him. Their eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Another Vocal Adrenaline snitch?" Santana sneered viciously.
Rachel felt Jesse grow rigid beside her. She watched as the younger girl held her head up high. "I wasn't even in Vocal Adrenaline, and I merely wanted to join."
"Great!" Mercedes exclaimed. "I have finally lost all hope for getting a solo."
"I'm not here to steal any solos," she admitted as Mercedes turned to look at her. "I know the quality of my voice and I know that it's only worth back-up vocals. I just thought you needed another person. And here's the form, if you're still thinking that I'm another spy. I officially study here in McKinley." She walked towards Mr. Schuester and gave him the form.
"Well, at least you have more fashion sense than a certain female lead I know," Kurt interrupted as he scanned her outfit before throwing Rachel a pointed look. Rachel returned the look with a scathing one.
"Come on now guys," Mr. Schuester said. "Let's be fair and let her try out." He then scanned her form for her name. He looked surprised as he saw her last name. "Okay then, Arisande…"
"Arissa," she interrupted as she blushed lightly. "Please call me Arissa."
"Okay then, Arissa," Will said as he returned her form. She took it and put it inside her bag. "Let's see what you got." He then stepped aside as she started towards the piano but not before she heard Rachel whisper, Brad's always just around.
She smiled at that before she searched her bag for the sheet music that she printed out last night. She gave Brad the sheet music and walked over to the band and gave them copies too. She put her bag down before facing the glee club, who had sat down at Mr. Schuester's request.
Rachel raised her eyes in surprise when the familiar intro notes of My Junk started to fill the room.
"In the midst of this nothing, this miss of a life," she started to sing as she tried to familiarize herself with the feeling of performing in front of an audience. Rachel noted how though she didn't have the strength of Lea Michele's voice, she had the same tone as Phoebe Strole's feminine voice that got her through with singing those mildly high notes. "Still there's this one thing just to see you go by."
She watched as she turned to Jesse as she sang the next few lines, "It's almost like loving, as sad as that is. May not be cool but it's so where I live." Rachel found herself smiling, though she really should be raving mad, when she sent a little wink in his direction which he chuckled at. Rachel watched with amusement as she started to act out the lyrics with her dramatics and she noticed how much she and Jesse were so alike. "It's like I'm your lover or more like your ghost, I spend the day wondering what you do where you go."
"I try and just kick it but then what can I do?" Even the other glee clubbers who were wary of her found themselves smiling at the little shrug she did at the last word. "We've all got our junk and my junk is you."
As the pace picked up, she could see how she was getting used to performing in front of them because she started to move with the music. She didn't have the grace of a ballerina and her voice mildly - by mildly, that means it was only Rachel who noticed - suffered because of her dancing but Rachel couldn't deny it was fun watching her. She didn't show her discomfort in dancing in heels nor did the smile leave her face.
Though Rachel couldn't help the slight tremble in her voice nor could she ignore how she couldn't always reach the notes right but she suspected that with a little help, she would be flawless. She was so preoccupied with correcting her voice that she was surprised when she started to walk towards her and Jesse, urging everyone to join her.
"See us, winter walking after a storm." Rachel was the only one who knew the lyrics by heart and Arissa shot her a grateful look. She even started to dance along with her when she noticed Jesse doing the same. "It's chill in the wind but it's warm in your arms. We stop all snow blind, may not be true." At this point, even Kurt and Mercedes couldn't help but join in and pick up a copy of the song. Even Matt and Mike couldn't resist the random dancing they were doing. "We've all got our junk but my junk is you."
"Well, you'll have to excuse me, I know it's so off," Kurt started to sing. Rachel was surprised at how fast he could pick up the tone of the song. She also couldn't help but giggle a bit as Kurt started to sent not so subtle looks towards Finn's direction that the jock fidgeted and looked away. "I love when you do stuff that' rude and so wrong."
"I go up to my room, turn the stereo on," Jesse sang along as he wrapped an arm around Arissa. Rachel watched them and couldn't shrug off the sense of similarity between them. "Shoot up some you, in the you of some song."
"I lie back just drifting and play out these scenes," Mercedes sang as she glanced at the lyrics. "I ride on the rush all the hopes, all the dreams."
"I may be neglecting the things I should do," Arissa sang and Rachel marveled at how perfect her voice was for Anna's part. "We've all got our junk and my junk is you!"
"See we keep talkin' after you're gone," Rachel and Jesse sang together as he walked over to her. "You still with me then feels so good in your arms." He gave her a little twirl as she spun into his open arms. Rachel laughed but still continued on with the song. At this point, everyone - well, except for Finn and Santana who were both wary of the new girl - joined in with the singing. "They say you go blind! Maybe it's true. We've all got our junk and my junk is you."
"Oh, it's like we stop time!" they all sang as their dancing became livelier with the girls bouncing and the boys spinning. "What can I do? We've all got our junk and my junk is you. My junk is you. My junk is you. You! You! You!"
As the song ended, everyone started to cheer. Rachel heard Arissa let out a tiny squeal as Jesse picked her up and twirled her around. She laughed and begged for him to put her down. When her feet touched the ground again, she turned to the Glee club.
"I guess that's a yes then?" she asked with a laugh. Everyone looked at each other before shrugging.
Mr. Schuester walked over to her and said, "Welcome to the club, Arissa." Arissa smiled but flinched when Mr. Schuester suddenly patted her on the back. Her cheery demeanor quickly returned, making Rachel wonder if she just imagined her flinching. But it definitely happened, Rachel told herself.
"Where has this performer side of you been hiding all along?" Jesse asked her teasingly as she shrugged at him.
"Never found a reason to show it," Arissa said with a smile. "I'm an artist, Jesse. Sure, I could act but I was pretty sure I couldn't sing or dance. I mean, you're already a performer for both of us."
"Arissa, could I possibly give you a few pointers that could act as constructive criticism?" Rachel asked tentatively. Arissa shot Jesse a questioning look which he returned with a shrug before she nodded.
"I'll go gather your things," Jesse said as he walked away to give the girls some privacy. Rachel gave him a thankful glance which he returned with a look that clearly said "go easy on her".
"I will go straight to the point," Rachel said slowly. The other girl nodded. "You don't have the strength of Lea Michele's voice but you do have the femininity and gentleness of Phoebe Strole's voice which is why your voice fit Anna's parts perfectly. Your pitch is slightly off and your breathing technique is terrible but I suspect that a few lessons from yourz truly can correct that. And perhaps a few rounds in the ballet studio could help your gracefulness." Rachel paused, waiting for the indignant explosion that would sure follow. But the younger girl kept quiet and just nodded. "But you have talent, you do. It just needs some work. And I mean, you have what we had when we won Sectionals. You have heart and you definitely know how to bring fun in your performance."
"Thank you," she said quietly but gratefully. "I would be honored to have those voice lessons with you. But I guess this will prove that I'm not after any solos."
Rachel laughed at that. "Believe me, after a few lessons with me, you'll be belting Celine Dion flawlessly."
Arissa nodded and grinned but her smile fell when she noticed the suspicious looks were back. "I don't think they like me."
"Don't worry," Rachel said. "I experience that everyday and I've been with them for quite some time. But I think they're going to tolerate you because they know you're in no shape to steal solos."
Arissa couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're a fan of Spring Awakening?"
"Are you kidding me?" Rachel asked her as her eyes lit up. "A coming-of-age story about teenagers struggling with sexuality, depression about pressure and abuse - it's genius."
"Hm," she said thoughtfully as she sent Jesse a glance. He looked away guiltily as he approached them and gave Arissa her bag. She leaned over and whispered quietly, "So that's why you wanted to borrow my Spring Awakening soundtrack."
"Hush," Jesse told her quietly.
"So you and Jesse seem to be close friends," Rachel started conversationally.
"It's more than that actually," Jesse said with a smile as his arm wound around her shoulders again. Rachel's smile fell from her face. If they were exes, Rachel couldn't possibly compete with someone like her - someone who shared so much with Jesse.
But instead, Arissa stepped away from his arms and held out her hand. "I'm Arissa St. James." Rachel looked up at her, surprised and confused at the same time. St. James? she asked herself in her thoughts. Oh, God. No." I'm Jesse's younger sister."
-------------------------------------------------------------------A/N: Okay, PHEW. I finally finished this. I've always wanted to give Jesse some back story because he's my favorite character (even if he's acting like a complete douche in the coming episode). And I've always wanted to give Rachel a friend (and I couldn't do that with existing characters without destroying their characterization completely.) I've always loved guys with close bonds with their siblings, especially with their little sisters (but that may be just my longing for an older brother) so I made Arissa. Her name was originally going to be Jessica but that would be cliché in two ways. One, Jesse and Jessica are like twins and they're in no way twins (and I cringe at that. XD) And my name is Jessica so that would automatically make my character a Mary Sue just by naming her.
Just in case you're wondering, Arissa is a few months younger than Rachel making her a freshman (and I'm still struggling with the fact that Rachel was born in 1994. O_O). And her full name is Arisande Ophelia St. James.
And I know that My Junk has no piano part in it whatsoever but Brad is always around and it would be a shame if he wasn't used. XD
And the Glee club members aren't fond of her yet. Like Rachel said, they're going to tolerate her because of two things. It's another person for the dance routine and she's not out for any solos. But they're going to treat her the same way they treat Jesse because they're still convinced that she's a spy.
So that's it.