I CAN SEE YOU; jesse swanson x fem!reader

[ 08. regionals ]

| y/n's pov |

WHEN THE DAY of regionals rolled around, Stacie and I got ready in our dorm room together.

Not only was I excited to perform, but I was excited to see what the Trebles had been working on. Jesse had been talking about it a lot the days leading up to regionals.

When we got inside the Carolina University Performing Arts Center, another a cappella group — The Sockapellas — were onstage performing.

"A cappella out of sock puppets?" Amy mimicked a sock puppet with her hand. "Genius."

"Yeah, look at the black one with the white sock."

"It's making a statement."

"There's no craft there." Aubrey whispered. "Watching them will make you worse."

"At least they're different." Beca spoke back quietly.

"F you very, very much"

Their performance finished not long after that and they left the stage while the audience applauded.

"Hands in." Aubrey spoke and we all turned to form a circle. "Remember, 'ah' on three. One, two..."

A few of us, including me, got it right, but quite a few still messed it up.

"Let's give it up for the Barden Bellas!" The man on stage announced.

That's when the nerves really hit. As we walked up to the stage I felt so nervous, but very excited.

Taking our places on the stage, my eyes searched the crowd. I recognized Benji, but then I spotted the Trebles at the back of the audience, Jesse smiling widely at me.

Aubrey blew the pitch pipe and counted down. Or up, I guess.

"One, two, three, four."

Then we started our performance.

"I got a new life You would hardly recognize me" Chloe began the song. "I'm so glad. How could a person like me care for you? Why do I bother when you're not the one for me?"

Chloe and Aubrey spun together and Chloe gave her the mic.

"Is enough, enough?" Aubrey's solo made me anxious. "I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, and I am happy now living without you, I've left you all alone, I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes"

I braced myself for impact, but...

"I saw the sign." Aubrey made it through. And I think everyone was relieved by that. "I saw the sign. I saw the sign"

Aubrey passed the microphone back to Chloe.

"Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'" I had a feeling, judging by the Sockapellas and what the Trebels were usually like in performances, our performance was too slow. "Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Or am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame?"

From where he was standing, Jesse was smiling in amusement.

"Turn it around, turn it around, turn it, turn it, turn it around, turn it around, turn it, turn it, turn it around, turn it around, turn it, turn it, turn it around"