Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace - St. Berry - 2/?
Title: Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Author: charmx_serenity
Chapter: 2/? (Chapter One 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 sadly don't own Glee because if I did, Jesse and Rachel would be endgame (but Jesse would still transfer back to Vocal Adrenaline -because he wouldn't be Jesse if he didn't - but will prove to Rachel through a public declaration that he loves her and will do anything to win her back). And Jonathan Groff would be in Glee forever. And I also don't own the song Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace by the Foo Fighters. I'm merely borrowing it to title my fic (because I'm rubbish at titles.) I also don't own Gabriel by Lamb. (Which is like Arissa and Jesse's theme song. XD)
A/N: So if I understand correctly, Jesse is eighteen (since he's a senior) so if Arissa is three years younger than him it makes her fifteen (since her birthday is in February but I absolutely have no idea what time of the year it is in Glee so I'll just make her fifteen). And there is a slight reference to my fic, "Set Me Free, Leave Me Be" in the bathroom scene. Uforgot to mention it in the earlier chapter but this is set before "Funk" (considering because of the switch, Theatricality is now before Funk). I will (and have to) address the "issue" (Funk - Vocal Adrenaline promo viewers, you know what I mean) in this story but it wouldn't happen until later chapters. And since this is after Theatricality, I suspect that (since Jesse had his Spring Break with the VA people) Glee is now set post-March or April-ish? So I'll set this around April (which means that Arissa was in London from October to April-ish which would explain why she doesn't know Rachel.) I don't study in America and our system is different here in my country so I apologize for any factual errors. I thank hmsharmony for telling me the exact months of Spring Break. Title of the chapter comes from Gabriel by Lamb (which I think is the whole summary of Arissa and Jesse's relationship.) The title of the story comes from a Foo Fighters song of the same name. There's also a line that references a line from Vampire Diaries. (But it's not the exact line.) And just so you know, I'm completely rubbish at characterization so if Rachel and/or Jesse seem off to you...it's completely my fault. Summary comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert (and I absolutely need to stop with these UNREASONABLY long author's notes.)
Warning: Rated for slightly mature topics for later chapters.
"I can fly, but I want his wings
I can shine even in the darkness but I crave the light that he brings
Revel in the songs that he sings
My angel Gabriel"
- Gabriel ; Lamb
"Why didn't you tell me that you had a younger sister?" Rachel asked Jesse while they waited for Arissa at the parking lot. Apparently, their Aunt Eliza had dropped her off at McKinley earlier but had expected that Jesse would drive her back home.
"I honestly didn't think it was necessary," Jesse admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't expect her to come back this soon and I've always expected that she would stay in Carmel High."
Rachel couldn't deny it. His response stung - a lot. But she ignored that familiar ache in her heart - the ache that was brought by Jesse's inability to let her in his life - and focused on the problem at hand. For once, Rachel will not put herself first. "Why did you expect that she would stay at Carmel High?"
"Carmel High has the most exclusive arts program in the district," Jesse said matter-of-factly. "And like my sister said earlier, she wasn't part of Vocal Adrenaline because she's not a performer. She's an artist and she has a scholarship for the next four years at Carmel High."
"Wouldn't your parents be mad that she let that go?" Rachel asked at her eyes widened at everything the younger girl had dropped just so she would be with her brother.
"I don't think so," Jesse said truthfully. "My parents could handle paying for her education, the way that they could handle paying for UCLA."
Rachel was about to tell him how easy he -they - had it but Arissa chose that time to come out of the school. Rachel's eyes widened as she saw the state she was in.
"Apparently, some jocks have problems with Glee kids," Arissa said as she walked over to them with her upper torso - and face - mildly covered in apple-flavored slushie. Some parts of her dress and her face were slightly wet, indicating that she tried to wash off as much of the sticky beverage off of her before giving up.
"You're covered in slushie," Jesse stated because his incoherency decided to show up now. He was completely speechless just by seeing his little sister suffer the consequences of being in Glee club in McKinley High.
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Jesse," Arissa stated sarcastically as she tried to wipe off the remaining slushie on her face, and even some that found themselves on her hair.
"But how did they know so fast?" Rachel asked as Jesse sighed and took off his jacket to offer it to his little sister. This was why he didn't want her to transfer in the first place. He knew how difficult it was to get the stains off their clothing. When he had witnessed it firsthand, when his girlfriend was the one who was slushied, he became white with fury. But Rachel begged for him to let it go, made him promise that he wouldn't do anything about it (and not to mention she gave him those puppy eyed looks that made him cave) and he let it go. But now that it was his little sister that was slushied, he didn't know if he could let this one slip.
"They said something about a blog?" Arissa said with mild confusion as she took her brother's jacket gratefully. She brushed her sticky hair away from her face.
"I should teach those guys a lesson," Jesse said as he clenched his fists. He, of course, never got slushied in his entire stay in McKinley. He may seem slightly gay with the show tunes and hair gel but the jocks knew better than to piss off one Jesse St. James because he had a mean right hook.
"Jesse, don't," Arissa said warningly but her eyes said something entirely different. He sighed and looked away. He knew where she was getting at. "Remember what happened last time? And it's just slushies. It will come off. It's not worth a suspension."
"Last time?" Rachel asked aloud. Suspension? She asked herself in her thoughts.
"It's nothing, Rach," Jesse said with a sigh as he put his hands in his pockets. Maybe he'd find a way to get back at those jocks for doing this to two of the most important girls in his life.
"Though what I'm wondering about is what these jocks are doing in school after school hours," Arissa said, trying to change the subject.
"They probably served detention then scored some slushies in the nearby store," Jesse said as Arissa untied the scarf from her neck so she could use it as a handkerchief. She immediately stilled her movements as she tied it back again but not before he noticed the familiar mark on the side of her neck. He closed his eyes and looked away.
Rachel noticed the tension in the air and tried to change the topic. "If it was a blog then it must be Jacob. Seriously, sometimes I think about slapping a law suit on him."
Arissa smiled at the sudden vigor in her voice. "We should probably get home now. I feel so sticky that I'm scared that ants will start coming my way."
"We should probably stop over at my house first," Rachel suggested as they all started for Jesse's car. "I don't think your aunt would appreciate it if you looked like that. I could help you with the stains on your dress."
"I would appreciate that," Arissa said gratefully and Rachel smiled at her before taking a seat in the passenger side of the car. Arissa, on the other hand, sat on the back seat while Jesse sat in the driver's seat. She leaned forward before her brother started the engine, deciding to tease him. "And it's actually not a dress."
Rachel and Jesse looked at her in confusion. "Then what is it?" Jesse asked tentatively.
She smirked and leaned back with her hands behind her head. "It's a tank top."
"I agree, Rachel," Jesse said as he started the engine. "We should definitely stop over at your house first to find my sister something that's long enough to cover every part of her body."
________________________________________
"So if you have an aunt that's in Carmel High's school district, why did you stay with your uncle to go to McKinley?" Rachel asked as she steadily held her pink handheld shower over Arissa's light brown hair to get rid of the slushie that still remained. They were currently in her - yes, pink - bathroom with Arissa sitting on a stool while leaning back at the bathtub, Rachel sitting on the edge of the bathtub to rinse her hair and Jesse leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
Rachel noticed that Arissa was shaking. With a concerned glance, she realized that she was laughing. "Jesse had an unfortunate experience with Aunt Eliza's daughter."
"You mean when she tried to rape me or when she tried to slip me one of those absurdly fake and god-awful tasting love potions?" Jesse asked with a frown as Arissa laughed even louder. "It's not funny."
"Both," Arissa said as Rachel gave her a towel, signaling that it was alright for her to sit up now. She took the towel and started to pat her hair dry.
"She tried to rape you?" Rachel asked with a grin as she stared at Jesse - completely missing seeing Arissa wince at the sound of the word.
"Every night while we were staying with them when we were younger," Jesse started as he straightened up and tried to explain. "Monique would sneak into my bedroom and just try to deflower me. She would just literally come into my bed and try to seduce me or whatever. I was fifteen at that time and Arissa was twelve. The only salvation I had was whenever Arissa would sneak into my room and come to bed with me whenever there was a thunderstorm."
"And that is why I got so used to sleeping with him, in a non-sexual way of course because that would be just disgusting, whenever there was a thunderstorm," Arissa said matter-of-factly. "I'm completely terrified of thunder while Jesse is terrified of lightning."
"Lightning?" Rachel asked as she bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.
"I'm not terrified of lightning," Jesse disagreed indignantly as Arissa murmured a sentence of disbelief. "I hate lightning. There's a difference between fear and hatred."
"Whatever you say, Jesse," Arissa said with mirth in her tone.
"Why are you so keen on making my life miserable, Arisande?" Jesse asked as Rachel watched their banter with amusement.
"I'm your little sister," Arissa said simply as she grinned at Jesse. "And my job is to make your life completely miserable either by embarrassing you through horrible childhood stories or just by being snarky and sarcastic."
"Well, you're doing a spot on job then," Jesse said grudgingly as Rachel laughed at the pout he gave Arissa. She rolled her eyes at her brother's immaturity.
"I have no idea why you're staying with him," Arissa told Rachel as she shrugged. It was at that instant that Jesse grabbed a roll of tissue and threw it at Arissa's head. "HEY!"
"So why do you hate lightning?" Rachel asked as Arissa picked up the roll of tissue and set it aside.
"There's just that feeling of anticipating something that you're not even sure will come back that irks me," Jesse said with a shrug. "When lightning comes, I'm completely fascinated by it but it catches me off-guard whenever it comes which is probably why someone thinks I'm afraid of lightning." Arissa just stared back at him innocently. "And when it goes, I keep on hoping it would come back and just that feeling of waiting… I don't like it."
"And it is proven that my brother is not as shallow as a kiddie pool," Arissa announced. Apparently, the older boy had enough because he stalked over to her, grabbed Rachel's handheld shower and sprayed water all over Arissa. "JESSE!"
"Does that quench your curiosity?" Jesse asked Rachel, ignoring his sister completely. Arissa stood up and grabbed the handheld shower from him and tried to spray water on him but he became surprisingly nimble and avoided the water. Rachel was the one who ended up getting hit by the water.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Arissa said apologetically but she couldn't help it. She erupted into a fit of giggles at the sight of her brother's girlfriend covered in water.
"Arissa!" Rachel said as she flicked her hands to get rid of the excess water on her. She didn't seem offended though, Arissa noted with relief. In fact, she was slightly amused by it.
The younger girl was surprised when Jesse walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Get her, Rachel!" She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but her brother was far too strong.
Rachel stalked over to her mischievously and took the handheld shower. She aimed the nozzle at her face but before the water even touched her, she ducked. Jesse sputtered out the water that came in contact with him in disbelief.
"I think it's time to call it even, don't you think?" Arissa suggested lightly as they all stared at each other. They all laughed and nodded simultaneously.
"I'll go get you some dry clothing," Rachel said as she disappeared back into her room, leaving the two siblings in the bathroom.
"She seems sweet, Jesse," Arissa commented lightly. "But she also seems to be one of those girls who are extremely fragile."
"Don't go there, Arissa," Jesse said warningly.
"I'm just reminding you of your promise to me," Arissa said with a shrug. "I've only known her for a few hours and I already want to keep her around. What you have with her is already serious, Jesse. She's in this too deep now for you to back out. She's not one of your flings that you can just set aside whenever you want to."
"I know, okay?" Jesse said in exasperation. "I'm not going to hurt her, Arissa. I actually like her. I won't treat her the way I treated Sophie or Tanya, okay?"
"Good," Arissa said, looking contented with his answer.
When she didn't say anything else, he tried to change the subject. "The marks haven't vanished yet, have they?" he said casually. She raised her eyes, looking both alarmed and confused. "I saw the ones on your neck."
"The ones on my arms are gone," Arissa said with a sigh. "But the doctor did say that the ones one my neck would take longer to heal because they were deeper."
Jesse just nodded and Arissa understood his desire to not explore the topic any further. It had always been a touchy subject between them. How could it not be? So they just stood there in silence, waiting for Rachel to come back.
"I'm sorry if I took so long. I had to turn my closet upside down to find a shirt that doesn't have an animal on it," Rachel said as she offered Arissa a blue top that had a floral print on the upper part and a plaid skirt. She noticed that Rachel had a new shirt on and she felt mildly guilty for spraying water on her in the first place. "Now, come on Jesse. Let your sister change out of those wet clothes."
Jesse nodded and followed her out of the room. He was halfway out of the bathroom when he heard Arissa say, "Please don't make any smooch-y sounds while I'm in the bathroom." He snuck back in to childishly stick his tongue out at her.
________________________________________
"Would you like some cheese to go with your omelette?" Rachel asked as she raided their kitchen for something to eat. She had insisted that they all grab a bite while waiting for Arissa's clothes to dry. "I know Jesse would want some cilantro and ham in his but I don't know what you would want."
Arissa raised an eyebrow at how much Rachel knew her brother. "Cheese would be fine, Rachel." Jesse helped her up the counter, like he always did when they were little kids.
"So, you're a freshman right?" Rachel asked conversationally as she waited for the pan to heat up. When she was satisfied with the temperature, she put the butter to melt it.
Arissa nodded. "I just turned fifteen last February. My brother was slightly irked by the fact that he couldn't celebrate it with me since I was in London."
"So that's why you were in such a foul mood," Rachel said teasingly. "I always thought that you were still mad at me because of the whole Run, Joey, Run incident."
"Run, Joey, Run?" Arissa asked, a little confused. Then her eyes widened with disbelief. "Oh my God, please don't tell me you sang that song. That was like one of the worst songs ever written."
"Well, Rachel wanted to do a video for an assignment in Glee club," Jesse started, slightly hesitant about talking about the touchy subject again. "And she ended up casting two other guys, aside from yours truly, to play the boyfriend."
"Oooh, bad move," Arissa commented.
"Then he ended up not talking to me for a week or so," Rachel said as she expertly flipped the egg on the pan. "He even went to Spring Break with Vocal Adrenaline to purposely avoid me."
"I did not," Jesse said indignantly. "I already made plans with them before I transferred to McKinley. And I couldn't just cancel. They were my friends."
Noticing the heavy tension in the air, Arissa tried to change the subject. "Okay, let's change the subject."
"Real subtle, Arissa," Jesse said teasingly. Arissa just rolled her eyes.
"Did you know my brother could play the piano?" Arissa said suddenly.
Rachel smiled as she offered her the plate of cheese omelette while she settled the plate of cilantro and ham omelette in front of Jesse. She grabbed a chair and settled beside her boyfriend so they could share. "Yes, I do."
"I played the piano in the book store where we met," Jesse said as he took a bite of the omelette. "This is so good, Rach."
"Please tell me you didn't do one of those impromptu concert s again," Arissa said, looking a tad bit embarrassed. "He used to do it all the time when we were kids. He mostly does it in the park where he would just stand on top of a picnic bench and start singing. It's very High School Musical."
"I might have to kill you for comparing me to Troy Bolton," Jesse told her.
"Who said I was comparing you to Troy?" Arissa asked. "I was actually thinking more along the lines of Sharpay, considering your drama king tendencies." As a result, Jesse reached out and pinched her thigh. "Ouch!" In retaliation, she reached out and smacked him on the shoulder. "Anyways, what song did you sing?"
"Hello by Lionel Richie," Rachel said with a smile on her face, probably remembering the way that they met. Arissa's eyes softened at that and she seemed genuinely touched. She also turned to Jesse and gave him a look that clearly said, 'you better mean it when you said you wouldn't hurt her' which Rachel completely missed. "I always envied him for his piano skills."
"You did?" Jesse asked, looking interested.
"If there's one lesson that my dads didn't enroll me in, it's piano," Rachel said with a slight laugh. "I wanted to focus on vocals and dancing."
"Wait, dads?" Arissa asked in surprise.
"I have two gay dads," Rachel said proudly.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Jesse," Arissa said with a laugh. Everything about Rachel interested her. "So did you ever find out who's your Mom?"
At that, Rachel's expression became sad. Arissa turned to her brother who merely shook his head. "It was Ms. Corcoran."
"Vocal Adrenaline's coach?" Rachel noted that as she said it, her eyes flickered towards Jesse. She then turned back to Rachel who nodded in response. "Rachel, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
Rachel smiled in appreciation as she suddenly asked, "Favorite song?"
Arissa was surprised at the sudden shift in her demeanor. She then paused for a moment to think about it before a gentle smile graced her lips. "Gabriel by Lamb."
Rachel seemed surprise by her choice. "Why?"
"It reminds me of my brother," Arissa said with a shrug as she and Jesse exchanged a look. Rachel saw a glimpse of sadness cross Jesse's features before it disappeared completely. Something about that look was telling Rachel that maybe the two siblings were hiding something important from her. Arissa had distracted her from her train of thought when she started to sing a few lines from the song. "I can shine even in the darkness but I crave the light that he brings. Revel in the songs that he sings. My angel Gabriel. I can love but I need his heart. I am strong even on my own, but from him I never want to part. He's been there since the very start. Oh, my angel Gabriel."
"You can be such a kiss-up," Jesse said as he messed up her hair, earning a yelp from her. But somehow, Rachel could feel that there was an underlying message in what Arissa said. Because she knows that beneath that happy smile, the girl was hiding a secret.
And Rachel intended to find out what that secret is.
________________________________________
A/N: And okay, I lied. I said there would be more St. Berry in this chapter but I couldn't help it. Plus, I'm still trying to figure out how in the world I'm going to tackle this whole Rachel-knows-about-her-mom-while-Jesse-is-still-in-New-Directions. (Damn you Glee and your continuity issues.) And yes, Arissa's (and Jesse's) secret has something to do with why she flinches whenever a guy touches her. I hope I'm not giving too much away. And I know that Arissa's character did a total 180 (or 360) from her character in the chapter before but you have to know that she's trying to get on Rachel's good side. This is who she is. Snarky and a little sarcastic.
Author: charmx_serenity
Chapter: 2/? (Chapter One 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 sadly don't own Glee because if I did, Jesse and Rachel would be endgame (but Jesse would still transfer back to Vocal Adrenaline -because he wouldn't be Jesse if he didn't - but will prove to Rachel through a public declaration that he loves her and will do anything to win her back). And Jonathan Groff would be in Glee forever. And I also don't own the song Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace by the Foo Fighters. I'm merely borrowing it to title my fic (because I'm rubbish at titles.) I also don't own Gabriel by Lamb. (Which is like Arissa and Jesse's theme song. XD)
A/N: So if I understand correctly, Jesse is eighteen (since he's a senior) so if Arissa is three years younger than him it makes her fifteen (since her birthday is in February but I absolutely have no idea what time of the year it is in Glee so I'll just make her fifteen). And there is a slight reference to my fic, "Set Me Free, Leave Me Be" in the bathroom scene. Uforgot to mention it in the earlier chapter but this is set before "Funk" (considering because of the switch, Theatricality is now before Funk). I will (and have to) address the "issue" (Funk - Vocal Adrenaline promo viewers, you know what I mean) in this story but it wouldn't happen until later chapters. And since this is after Theatricality, I suspect that (since Jesse had his Spring Break with the VA people) Glee is now set post-March or April-ish? So I'll set this around April (which means that Arissa was in London from October to April-ish which would explain why she doesn't know Rachel.) I don't study in America and our system is different here in my country so I apologize for any factual errors. I thank hmsharmony for telling me the exact months of Spring Break. Title of the chapter comes from Gabriel by Lamb (which I think is the whole summary of Arissa and Jesse's relationship.) The title of the story comes from a Foo Fighters song of the same name. There's also a line that references a line from Vampire Diaries. (But it's not the exact line.) And just so you know, I'm completely rubbish at characterization so if Rachel and/or Jesse seem off to you...it's completely my fault. Summary comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert (and I absolutely need to stop with these UNREASONABLY long author's notes.)
Warning: Rated for slightly mature topics for later chapters.
"I can fly, but I want his wings
I can shine even in the darkness but I crave the light that he brings
Revel in the songs that he sings
My angel Gabriel"
- Gabriel ; Lamb
"Why didn't you tell me that you had a younger sister?" Rachel asked Jesse while they waited for Arissa at the parking lot. Apparently, their Aunt Eliza had dropped her off at McKinley earlier but had expected that Jesse would drive her back home.
"I honestly didn't think it was necessary," Jesse admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't expect her to come back this soon and I've always expected that she would stay in Carmel High."
Rachel couldn't deny it. His response stung - a lot. But she ignored that familiar ache in her heart - the ache that was brought by Jesse's inability to let her in his life - and focused on the problem at hand. For once, Rachel will not put herself first. "Why did you expect that she would stay at Carmel High?"
"Carmel High has the most exclusive arts program in the district," Jesse said matter-of-factly. "And like my sister said earlier, she wasn't part of Vocal Adrenaline because she's not a performer. She's an artist and she has a scholarship for the next four years at Carmel High."
"Wouldn't your parents be mad that she let that go?" Rachel asked at her eyes widened at everything the younger girl had dropped just so she would be with her brother.
"I don't think so," Jesse said truthfully. "My parents could handle paying for her education, the way that they could handle paying for UCLA."
Rachel was about to tell him how easy he -they - had it but Arissa chose that time to come out of the school. Rachel's eyes widened as she saw the state she was in.
"Apparently, some jocks have problems with Glee kids," Arissa said as she walked over to them with her upper torso - and face - mildly covered in apple-flavored slushie. Some parts of her dress and her face were slightly wet, indicating that she tried to wash off as much of the sticky beverage off of her before giving up.
"You're covered in slushie," Jesse stated because his incoherency decided to show up now. He was completely speechless just by seeing his little sister suffer the consequences of being in Glee club in McKinley High.
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Jesse," Arissa stated sarcastically as she tried to wipe off the remaining slushie on her face, and even some that found themselves on her hair.
"But how did they know so fast?" Rachel asked as Jesse sighed and took off his jacket to offer it to his little sister. This was why he didn't want her to transfer in the first place. He knew how difficult it was to get the stains off their clothing. When he had witnessed it firsthand, when his girlfriend was the one who was slushied, he became white with fury. But Rachel begged for him to let it go, made him promise that he wouldn't do anything about it (and not to mention she gave him those puppy eyed looks that made him cave) and he let it go. But now that it was his little sister that was slushied, he didn't know if he could let this one slip.
"They said something about a blog?" Arissa said with mild confusion as she took her brother's jacket gratefully. She brushed her sticky hair away from her face.
"I should teach those guys a lesson," Jesse said as he clenched his fists. He, of course, never got slushied in his entire stay in McKinley. He may seem slightly gay with the show tunes and hair gel but the jocks knew better than to piss off one Jesse St. James because he had a mean right hook.
"Jesse, don't," Arissa said warningly but her eyes said something entirely different. He sighed and looked away. He knew where she was getting at. "Remember what happened last time? And it's just slushies. It will come off. It's not worth a suspension."
"Last time?" Rachel asked aloud. Suspension? She asked herself in her thoughts.
"It's nothing, Rach," Jesse said with a sigh as he put his hands in his pockets. Maybe he'd find a way to get back at those jocks for doing this to two of the most important girls in his life.
"Though what I'm wondering about is what these jocks are doing in school after school hours," Arissa said, trying to change the subject.
"They probably served detention then scored some slushies in the nearby store," Jesse said as Arissa untied the scarf from her neck so she could use it as a handkerchief. She immediately stilled her movements as she tied it back again but not before he noticed the familiar mark on the side of her neck. He closed his eyes and looked away.
Rachel noticed the tension in the air and tried to change the topic. "If it was a blog then it must be Jacob. Seriously, sometimes I think about slapping a law suit on him."
Arissa smiled at the sudden vigor in her voice. "We should probably get home now. I feel so sticky that I'm scared that ants will start coming my way."
"We should probably stop over at my house first," Rachel suggested as they all started for Jesse's car. "I don't think your aunt would appreciate it if you looked like that. I could help you with the stains on your dress."
"I would appreciate that," Arissa said gratefully and Rachel smiled at her before taking a seat in the passenger side of the car. Arissa, on the other hand, sat on the back seat while Jesse sat in the driver's seat. She leaned forward before her brother started the engine, deciding to tease him. "And it's actually not a dress."
Rachel and Jesse looked at her in confusion. "Then what is it?" Jesse asked tentatively.
She smirked and leaned back with her hands behind her head. "It's a tank top."
"I agree, Rachel," Jesse said as he started the engine. "We should definitely stop over at your house first to find my sister something that's long enough to cover every part of her body."
________________________________________
"So if you have an aunt that's in Carmel High's school district, why did you stay with your uncle to go to McKinley?" Rachel asked as she steadily held her pink handheld shower over Arissa's light brown hair to get rid of the slushie that still remained. They were currently in her - yes, pink - bathroom with Arissa sitting on a stool while leaning back at the bathtub, Rachel sitting on the edge of the bathtub to rinse her hair and Jesse leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
Rachel noticed that Arissa was shaking. With a concerned glance, she realized that she was laughing. "Jesse had an unfortunate experience with Aunt Eliza's daughter."
"You mean when she tried to rape me or when she tried to slip me one of those absurdly fake and god-awful tasting love potions?" Jesse asked with a frown as Arissa laughed even louder. "It's not funny."
"Both," Arissa said as Rachel gave her a towel, signaling that it was alright for her to sit up now. She took the towel and started to pat her hair dry.
"She tried to rape you?" Rachel asked with a grin as she stared at Jesse - completely missing seeing Arissa wince at the sound of the word.
"Every night while we were staying with them when we were younger," Jesse started as he straightened up and tried to explain. "Monique would sneak into my bedroom and just try to deflower me. She would just literally come into my bed and try to seduce me or whatever. I was fifteen at that time and Arissa was twelve. The only salvation I had was whenever Arissa would sneak into my room and come to bed with me whenever there was a thunderstorm."
"And that is why I got so used to sleeping with him, in a non-sexual way of course because that would be just disgusting, whenever there was a thunderstorm," Arissa said matter-of-factly. "I'm completely terrified of thunder while Jesse is terrified of lightning."
"Lightning?" Rachel asked as she bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.
"I'm not terrified of lightning," Jesse disagreed indignantly as Arissa murmured a sentence of disbelief. "I hate lightning. There's a difference between fear and hatred."
"Whatever you say, Jesse," Arissa said with mirth in her tone.
"Why are you so keen on making my life miserable, Arisande?" Jesse asked as Rachel watched their banter with amusement.
"I'm your little sister," Arissa said simply as she grinned at Jesse. "And my job is to make your life completely miserable either by embarrassing you through horrible childhood stories or just by being snarky and sarcastic."
"Well, you're doing a spot on job then," Jesse said grudgingly as Rachel laughed at the pout he gave Arissa. She rolled her eyes at her brother's immaturity.
"I have no idea why you're staying with him," Arissa told Rachel as she shrugged. It was at that instant that Jesse grabbed a roll of tissue and threw it at Arissa's head. "HEY!"
"So why do you hate lightning?" Rachel asked as Arissa picked up the roll of tissue and set it aside.
"There's just that feeling of anticipating something that you're not even sure will come back that irks me," Jesse said with a shrug. "When lightning comes, I'm completely fascinated by it but it catches me off-guard whenever it comes which is probably why someone thinks I'm afraid of lightning." Arissa just stared back at him innocently. "And when it goes, I keep on hoping it would come back and just that feeling of waiting… I don't like it."
"And it is proven that my brother is not as shallow as a kiddie pool," Arissa announced. Apparently, the older boy had enough because he stalked over to her, grabbed Rachel's handheld shower and sprayed water all over Arissa. "JESSE!"
"Does that quench your curiosity?" Jesse asked Rachel, ignoring his sister completely. Arissa stood up and grabbed the handheld shower from him and tried to spray water on him but he became surprisingly nimble and avoided the water. Rachel was the one who ended up getting hit by the water.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Arissa said apologetically but she couldn't help it. She erupted into a fit of giggles at the sight of her brother's girlfriend covered in water.
"Arissa!" Rachel said as she flicked her hands to get rid of the excess water on her. She didn't seem offended though, Arissa noted with relief. In fact, she was slightly amused by it.
The younger girl was surprised when Jesse walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Get her, Rachel!" She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but her brother was far too strong.
Rachel stalked over to her mischievously and took the handheld shower. She aimed the nozzle at her face but before the water even touched her, she ducked. Jesse sputtered out the water that came in contact with him in disbelief.
"I think it's time to call it even, don't you think?" Arissa suggested lightly as they all stared at each other. They all laughed and nodded simultaneously.
"I'll go get you some dry clothing," Rachel said as she disappeared back into her room, leaving the two siblings in the bathroom.
"She seems sweet, Jesse," Arissa commented lightly. "But she also seems to be one of those girls who are extremely fragile."
"Don't go there, Arissa," Jesse said warningly.
"I'm just reminding you of your promise to me," Arissa said with a shrug. "I've only known her for a few hours and I already want to keep her around. What you have with her is already serious, Jesse. She's in this too deep now for you to back out. She's not one of your flings that you can just set aside whenever you want to."
"I know, okay?" Jesse said in exasperation. "I'm not going to hurt her, Arissa. I actually like her. I won't treat her the way I treated Sophie or Tanya, okay?"
"Good," Arissa said, looking contented with his answer.
When she didn't say anything else, he tried to change the subject. "The marks haven't vanished yet, have they?" he said casually. She raised her eyes, looking both alarmed and confused. "I saw the ones on your neck."
"The ones on my arms are gone," Arissa said with a sigh. "But the doctor did say that the ones one my neck would take longer to heal because they were deeper."
Jesse just nodded and Arissa understood his desire to not explore the topic any further. It had always been a touchy subject between them. How could it not be? So they just stood there in silence, waiting for Rachel to come back.
"I'm sorry if I took so long. I had to turn my closet upside down to find a shirt that doesn't have an animal on it," Rachel said as she offered Arissa a blue top that had a floral print on the upper part and a plaid skirt. She noticed that Rachel had a new shirt on and she felt mildly guilty for spraying water on her in the first place. "Now, come on Jesse. Let your sister change out of those wet clothes."
Jesse nodded and followed her out of the room. He was halfway out of the bathroom when he heard Arissa say, "Please don't make any smooch-y sounds while I'm in the bathroom." He snuck back in to childishly stick his tongue out at her.
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"Would you like some cheese to go with your omelette?" Rachel asked as she raided their kitchen for something to eat. She had insisted that they all grab a bite while waiting for Arissa's clothes to dry. "I know Jesse would want some cilantro and ham in his but I don't know what you would want."
Arissa raised an eyebrow at how much Rachel knew her brother. "Cheese would be fine, Rachel." Jesse helped her up the counter, like he always did when they were little kids.
"So, you're a freshman right?" Rachel asked conversationally as she waited for the pan to heat up. When she was satisfied with the temperature, she put the butter to melt it.
Arissa nodded. "I just turned fifteen last February. My brother was slightly irked by the fact that he couldn't celebrate it with me since I was in London."
"So that's why you were in such a foul mood," Rachel said teasingly. "I always thought that you were still mad at me because of the whole Run, Joey, Run incident."
"Run, Joey, Run?" Arissa asked, a little confused. Then her eyes widened with disbelief. "Oh my God, please don't tell me you sang that song. That was like one of the worst songs ever written."
"Well, Rachel wanted to do a video for an assignment in Glee club," Jesse started, slightly hesitant about talking about the touchy subject again. "And she ended up casting two other guys, aside from yours truly, to play the boyfriend."
"Oooh, bad move," Arissa commented.
"Then he ended up not talking to me for a week or so," Rachel said as she expertly flipped the egg on the pan. "He even went to Spring Break with Vocal Adrenaline to purposely avoid me."
"I did not," Jesse said indignantly. "I already made plans with them before I transferred to McKinley. And I couldn't just cancel. They were my friends."
Noticing the heavy tension in the air, Arissa tried to change the subject. "Okay, let's change the subject."
"Real subtle, Arissa," Jesse said teasingly. Arissa just rolled her eyes.
"Did you know my brother could play the piano?" Arissa said suddenly.
Rachel smiled as she offered her the plate of cheese omelette while she settled the plate of cilantro and ham omelette in front of Jesse. She grabbed a chair and settled beside her boyfriend so they could share. "Yes, I do."
"I played the piano in the book store where we met," Jesse said as he took a bite of the omelette. "This is so good, Rach."
"Please tell me you didn't do one of those impromptu concert s again," Arissa said, looking a tad bit embarrassed. "He used to do it all the time when we were kids. He mostly does it in the park where he would just stand on top of a picnic bench and start singing. It's very High School Musical."
"I might have to kill you for comparing me to Troy Bolton," Jesse told her.
"Who said I was comparing you to Troy?" Arissa asked. "I was actually thinking more along the lines of Sharpay, considering your drama king tendencies." As a result, Jesse reached out and pinched her thigh. "Ouch!" In retaliation, she reached out and smacked him on the shoulder. "Anyways, what song did you sing?"
"Hello by Lionel Richie," Rachel said with a smile on her face, probably remembering the way that they met. Arissa's eyes softened at that and she seemed genuinely touched. She also turned to Jesse and gave him a look that clearly said, 'you better mean it when you said you wouldn't hurt her' which Rachel completely missed. "I always envied him for his piano skills."
"You did?" Jesse asked, looking interested.
"If there's one lesson that my dads didn't enroll me in, it's piano," Rachel said with a slight laugh. "I wanted to focus on vocals and dancing."
"Wait, dads?" Arissa asked in surprise.
"I have two gay dads," Rachel said proudly.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Jesse," Arissa said with a laugh. Everything about Rachel interested her. "So did you ever find out who's your Mom?"
At that, Rachel's expression became sad. Arissa turned to her brother who merely shook his head. "It was Ms. Corcoran."
"Vocal Adrenaline's coach?" Rachel noted that as she said it, her eyes flickered towards Jesse. She then turned back to Rachel who nodded in response. "Rachel, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
Rachel smiled in appreciation as she suddenly asked, "Favorite song?"
Arissa was surprised at the sudden shift in her demeanor. She then paused for a moment to think about it before a gentle smile graced her lips. "Gabriel by Lamb."
Rachel seemed surprise by her choice. "Why?"
"It reminds me of my brother," Arissa said with a shrug as she and Jesse exchanged a look. Rachel saw a glimpse of sadness cross Jesse's features before it disappeared completely. Something about that look was telling Rachel that maybe the two siblings were hiding something important from her. Arissa had distracted her from her train of thought when she started to sing a few lines from the song. "I can shine even in the darkness but I crave the light that he brings. Revel in the songs that he sings. My angel Gabriel. I can love but I need his heart. I am strong even on my own, but from him I never want to part. He's been there since the very start. Oh, my angel Gabriel."
"You can be such a kiss-up," Jesse said as he messed up her hair, earning a yelp from her. But somehow, Rachel could feel that there was an underlying message in what Arissa said. Because she knows that beneath that happy smile, the girl was hiding a secret.
And Rachel intended to find out what that secret is.
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A/N: And okay, I lied. I said there would be more St. Berry in this chapter but I couldn't help it. Plus, I'm still trying to figure out how in the world I'm going to tackle this whole Rachel-knows-about-her-mom-while-Jesse-is-still-in-New-Directions. (Damn you Glee and your continuity issues.) And yes, Arissa's (and Jesse's) secret has something to do with why she flinches whenever a guy touches her. I hope I'm not giving too much away. And I know that Arissa's character did a total 180 (or 360) from her character in the chapter before but you have to know that she's trying to get on Rachel's good side. This is who she is. Snarky and a little sarcastic.