"Wait, she said what?"
"'Maybe I like you.'"
"I knew it," Santana scoffed. "That tiny little shit isn't fooling anyone."
"San, come on," Brittany sighed. "Don't be like that."
"Don't be like what?" Santana asked in a low voice as she moved to straddle the blonde. She leaned down and tenderly kissed her neck. "You know you're mines."
"Just like Jayden is ours...right?" Brittany asked, moaning softly when the Latina nipped at the skin of her neck.
"Mhm," Santana hummed as she sucked gently on her pulse point, that very thought driving her crazy.
Jayden is ours.
She didn't know what it was, but there was something about the tiny Jewish girl that made her different from everyone else. She didn't care anymore that she and Brittany were so close, and she'd found herself growing more and more attached to her every time she'd smile at her when they passed each other in the hall, her cute dimples adding to her freshman innocence.
"We can't let anyone else have her," Santana said as she looked into Brittany's beautiful blue eyes.
"So what are we gonna do about it?" Brittany asked.
"I don't know."
****
The New Directions girls were all hanging out in the choir room. As usual, Jayden sat with Santana and Brittany. She didn't know if continuing to hang out with them would make it harder to cope with her growing crush on them, but to suddenly stop spending time with them would look suspicious.
And the last thing she wanted was anyone confronting her about her feelings.
"Can I ask you guys something private?" Rachel spoke up.
"Yes, you should move to Israel," Santana said as Jayden covered her mouth to hide her amused smile.
"It's about dating," the diva said as she sat down in a chair at the front of the room. "Not that I'm dating anyone," she quickly said when she noticed her sister's raised brow. "We all know that Finn and I are no longer an item, and for the sake of the team, I broke up with Jesse. But let's just say I was dating someone. Let's just say, hypothetically, we went to a Wiggles concert last Friday night, and then because my dads weren't home and Jayden was out with Tina and Artie, we went up to my room and started making out."
"Oh my god," Jayden muttered as she hid her face in her hands.
"It was erotic and romantic. And then he said that we should do it," Rachel continued. "What if then he got really crabby and left, and didn't even take home the care bear I won him playing Skee Ball?"
"Would you please stop talking?" Santana scoffed. "You're grossing out my baby– I-I mean, your baby sister."
Jayden sat up and turned her head to look at the Latina. Tina exchanged a look with Mercedes, who raised a brow, and Rachel looked confusedly between Santana, Brittany, and Jayden.
What in the name of Fanny Brice is going on here?
"I-I just want to be ready," Rachel continued. "I know I'm getting older, and these things are going to happen someday, but how do I stop a guy from getting mad at me for saying 'no?'"
"Just do what I do. Never say 'no,'" Santana shrugged.
"Oh, totally," Brittany agreed. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Sorry, Quinn."
"Look, girl, don't ask me," said Mercedes. "The last guy I liked was the mayor of Gaytown, and I can't wait to get a guy mad at me for saying 'no.'"
"We just have to accept that guys don't care about our feelings," said Tina. "Like, the other day, I was walking with Artie and he said that I should ditch the vampire make-up and wear tighter clothes if we were going to be an item."
"He did not," Jayden gasped.
"He did," Tina nodded.
"That's gotta sting," said Rachel.
"Hey, guys," Mr. Schue said as he walked up to the group of girls. "I'm sorry to interrupt your little sorority, but I couldn't help but overhear. Are you really having that much boy trouble?"
"You wouldn't understand, Mr. Schue," Quinn spoke up. "You're a guy."
"Well, then maybe you should talk to someone else about it," the teacher said. "Like Ms. Pillsbury."
"I tried that," Rachel sighed as the bell rang loudly overhead.
Brittany and Santana linked their pinkies together, and the Latina linked her other one with Jayden's as they got up to leave. Again, Rachel watched confusedly, her head tilted slightly to the side.
"The fact is, women still earn 70 cents to every dollar that a man does for doing the same job," Quinn said as she walked up to Mr. Schue. "That attitude starts in high school."
****
Jayden sat on the bleachers in the gym with her algebra homework, not that she was even focusing on it since her attention was glued to the routine the Cheerios were practicing and the way their skirts moved with them.
She'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, and she decided that she hated the idea of putting a label on herself. But to tell herself that she was straight would be a lie, and to say she was a lesbian would be an overstatement.
She was attracted to both boys and girls, but if she had to choose between dating one or the other, she'd pick girl, but maybe that just had to do with her feelings for Santana and Brittany.
Ultimately when it came down to it, she didn't really care if who she dated was a boy or a girl. It was what was on the inside that mattered, right? Gender has nothing to do with it, and there's so much more to a person's gender than the sex they were born with.
She wasn't attracted to Brittany and Santana because of their looks or the fact that they were born with a vagina, but more because of their personalities and the way that they treated her.
Sure, she had a rocky start with Santana, but as she spent more time with her, she learned that she was just a huge softie who needed time to warm up to new people. She still had her moments where she could be a little mean, but Jayden knew that was just part of her personality and that she'd never intentionally try to hurt her feelings.
Then there was Brittany, who was the nicest, most caring person she had ever met in her entire life. She was always so sweet to her, and she always knew how to cheer her up if she was having a rough day.
Both Cheerios were protective of her, and Santana was willing to fight someone if it meant protecting Jayden, and that meant more to her than words could even begin to describe. It wasn't everyday that someone cared that much.
"Sloppy freakshow babies!" Sue yelled into her megaphone. "Somewhere in the English countryside in a stately manner home, Madonna is weeping. Hit the showers!"
Jayden brought her attention back to the math problems in front of her and began working through one. She had to make it look like she had at least tried to do her homework.
"Little Gup!" Santana called from the bottom of the bleachers. "Quit pretending you're doing your homework when I know damn well you were staring at my ass the whole time!"
Jayden's face flushed bright red.
Caught.
Busted.
You gotta be more careful when you start zoning out.
"I...I wasn't," Jayden said as the older girl climbed up to her.
"Oh, really?" Santana asked as she crossed her arms, raising a brow as she looked at the unanswered homework questions. "We were practicing for over an hour, which was more than enough time for you to get through at least half of those problems."
"It-It was just hard to concentrate cause the music was so loud, and-and the number looked really cool," Jayden said as she tried to come up with an excuse.
"Mhm, sure," Santana scoffed with a playful roll of her eyes.
"You think this is hard?!" Sue yelled. "I'm passing a gallstone as we speak! That's hard!"
Santana shook her head at her cheer coach's insanity as Jayden put her things away in her bag. She put an arm around the smaller girl as they walked down the steps of the bleachers to meet up with Brittany.
Sue watched the three girls curiously, observing the way the sophomores interacted with the freshman. She had noticed for a couple months now that her two top cheerleaders had taken a liking to the dancer, and something clicked in her mind when Santana tapped Jayden's nose, making her giggle.
"Ah," the cheer coach sighed with a small smile as the three girls left the gym with their pinkies linked. "Young love."
Sue wrote down a couple notes on her clipboard, a slight smirk spreading across her lips as a plan formulated in her head.
****
"What comes to mind when you see that name?" Mr. Schue asked as he underlined the word Madonna on the board.
"Genius," said Rachel.
"Icon," Kurt breathed.
"Hall of Fame MILF," Puck smirked.
"So, we're all aware of Madonna's musical and cultural significance, which is why this week, your assignment is to come up with a Madonna number," Mr. Schue said as the girls gasped in excitement.
"Uh, Mr. Schue?" Puck frowned. "As a dude, Madonna makes me kind of uncomfortable."
"As a girl, he makes me uncomfortable," Jayden mumbled.
"Yeah, she's smokin' and everything, but can't some of us do something else?" Finn asked. "Like the guy version of Madonna? Like, you know, Pantera?"
"You know, it's come to my attention that many of you haven't been treating the young ladies of our group very nicely lately," said Mr. Schue. "You're disrespectful, bullying, sexist, and I hate to say it, misogynistic."
"I have no idea what that means," Finn said confusedly.
"When I pulled my hamstring, I went to a misogynist," Brittany mumbled.
"What it means is, put yourself in their shoes for a change," Mr. Schue explained. "Culturally, Madonna's legacy transcends her music, because by and large, the subtext of her songs are about being strong, independent and-and confident, no matter what your sex. But more than anything, Madonna's musical message is about equality. And that is something I think you guys need to work on."
"Mr. Schue, I don't think we can have an honest conversation about Ms. Ciccone without acknowledging that her images are as indelible as her songs," said Kurt. "I would like to honor her contributions by tackling a multimedia project with Mercedes."
"Great," Mr. Schue smiled. "Go for it, Kurt."
"I'm still not down," Puck scoffed. "And no chick intimidates Puckzilla. I just don't think her music translates to show choir."
"Really?" Rachel asked as she exchanged a look with Jayden beside her. "Well, we couldn't disagree more."
The two sisters got up and whispered the name of the song to the band.
"Come on girls, do you believe in love? Cause I got something to say about it. And it goes something like this."
****
There was a soft knock on Sue Sylvester's office before it opened and Jayden Berry timidly walked in. Sue took off her glasses and motioned for her to take a seat.
They stared at each other for a moment. The cheer coach took note of the dancer's nervous posture, clenched fists, and anxious leg bounce. She was struggling to keep eye contact, her blue orbs darting all around the office.
"Unclench your fists. You're gonna hurt yourself," Sue said as she broke the silence.
Jayden did as she was told and looked down at her palms, crescent moons being left behind from her nails digging into her skin.
"Let's cut to the chase," Sue began. "You dance, right?"
"Yes ma'am," Jayden nodded.
"Flexible?"
"Yes ma'am."
"And those dimples," Sue said as Jayden smiled a little. "You're perfect. You're adorable. You're just what we need."
"I'm confused," the brunette said.
"I've been keeping a close eye on you, but, more importantly, I've seen your interactions with a couple star members of my squad."
"Did I do something wrong?" Jayden asked, worry filling her voice. "I didn't mean to upset you. Santana, Brittany, and I are just friends, I promise."
"I never said it was more than that," Sue shrugged. "I have a proposition for you, one that I think would bring the three of you closer than ever."
"What is it?"
"The opportunity of a lifetime."
****
Out of everything that happened this year in Glee Club, no one saw this coming.
"What the hell?!" Finn was the first to snap. "It seems like now everybody's doing things just to hurt my feelings."
"I thought you all would take this news a little better," Jesse St. James said as he stood in front of the New Directions. "I'm a star. You can learn from me."
"We were already fighting for second leads, and now that you've shown up, I've lost all hope at ever getting a solo," Kurt complained.
"Yeah, that's right," Mercedes nodded in agreement. "And y'all just trot me out at the end of every number so I can wail on the last note. How is that okay?"
"He's a spy, Mr. Schue," Santana scoffed. "I would know."
"I don't trust him," Jayden shook her head.
"Woah, woah, woah, guys," Mr. Schue silenced the club's protests. "I saw all the paperwork, I spoke with his parents."
"They winter in Bali," said Jesse. "It's a very expensive phone call."
"Jesse just moved in with his uncle, which is in our school district," Mr. Schue explained. "It's all above board, guys. He goes to this school now."
"But this isn't fair," Artie sighed.
"Guys!" the teacher snapped. "Everyone who's ever auditioned for this group has gotten in. That's how we do things here. Okay, to suddenly change the rules now, that would be unfair."
Brittany raised her hand. "Mr. Schue, is he your son?"
Jayden cocked her head to the side in confusion. If she squinted, she could see a slight resemblance.
"I don't understand why you're doing this," Rachel finally spoke up.
"Because when you love something, you gotta go for it," said Jesse. "You would never be with me completely if I were on the opposing team, and I care about you more than winning another national title. So I left Vocal Adrenaline. For you."
"I call BS on that," Jayden muttered as Santana nodded in agreement.
"Alright, guys, we have got a lot of work to do," said Mr. Schue. "Jesse, great to have you here. Welcome aboard. Okay! From the top."
****
Music blasted through the gym as the band played Madonna's 4 Minutes and the Cheerios danced out, Rachel's jaw dropping when she saw their three newest additions. Up there with Kurt and Mercedes was Jayden in all of her barely-5-foot glory with her hair pulled up into the signature Cheerios high-pony and iconic red and white uniform.
"Any comment on your sister becoming a Cheerio?" Jacob asked as he held a microphone out to the diva.
"Not now!" Rachel snapped at the boy, her eyes not once moving off of her little sister.
Why hadn't she talked to her about this? They used to tell each other everything, and part of her had a feeling that there was something – or someone – influencing her.
Ever since Jayden became friends with Brittany and Santana, she's seemed to become a bit more distant. She talked back more, and sometimes it seemed like they were acquaintances instead of family.
She had no idea what was going on in her head. She knew she was keeping secrets from her, and she wished that she would talk to her about it like she used to. But ever since she started high school and became friends with two of the most popular girls in the 10th grade, she had changed.
Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe she just didn't like the idea of her baby sister growing up.
The gym erupted in cheers and applause as the Cheerios finished the number. Rachel stood up and made her way down the bleachers, pushing past band geeks and jocks to get to her sister.
"Jayden Bernadette!"
The younger Berry turned around, bracing herself for her sister's confrontation.
"Why didn't you tell me you joined the Cheerios?" Rachel asked, her hands on her hips.
"Surprise?" Jayden shrugged. "Sue asked me to join."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I'm 14, Rachel," Jayden said as she crossed her arms. "I'm allowed to not know. I'm a kid. We're not supposed to have the answers for everything."
"Don't use that tone with me," Rachel scoffed.
"You're not my mom!" Jayden snapped. "God, quit being so bossy all the time! So what if I joined the Cheerios? I don't see what the big deal is."
"What's going on?" Santana asked as she walked over to them.
"Stay out of this, Santana," Rachel said as she sent the Latina a look. "This is none of your business."
"It involves Jayden, so I think it is my business," Santana said, crossing her arms.
"Rach, can we please just drop it?" Jayden sighed. "It's really not a big deal."
"Fine, but the minute jocks start objectifying you, you're quitting," Rachel said before walking away.
"God, what is her problem?" Santana scoffed.
"She just doesn't like you," Jayden said as she nervously looked around at the football boys, who were whispering and laughing about something. "This skirt is really short," she mumbled.
"You look cute, don't worry about it," said Santana. "Besides, you know I'll beat the ass of anyone who looks at you the wrong way."
"I know," the brunette mumbled as the Latina put a hand on the small of her back and led her out of the crowded gym.
****
Jayden laid flat on her stomach on Brittany's bed as she scratched Lord Tubbington behind the ears, smiling as the cat leaned into her hand.
"He likes you," Brittany smiled as she sat down.
"He's such a cutie," Jayden cooed as she rubbed down his back.
"Don't let that fool you," Brittany said with a slight shake of her head. "He can be a real trouble maker. He's always up to something."
"Like what?" the younger girl asked as she sat up.
"You don't want to know."
"You like giving Britt a hard time, huh?" Jayden asked the cat, who squinted his eyes in unamusement.
"Don't give her that look," said Brittany. "You know what you did."
Lord Tubbington let out a sassy 'meow' and jumped off the bed. He walked out of the room with his tail held high like he owned the place.
"Drama king," the blonde scoffed with a roll of her eyes as Jayden chuckled. "So, what's up? How come you asked to sleep over?"
"I don't know," the brunette sighed. "I just don't really want to be around my sister right now. I think she's mad that I joined the Cheerios...or mad that I didn't talk to her about it first."
"You don't owe it to her to tell her anything," Brittany said as she moved closer to the younger girl. "Besides, it doesn't matter what she thinks. Your feelings are all that matter."
"Feelings are confusing," Jayden mumbled, lowering her gaze.
"How so?"
Jayden didn't know how to answer that question without giving away everything she had been questioning throughout the school year. She wasn't ready to come out, and she definitely wasn't ready for Brittany and Santana to know about the crush she had on them.
Even though she already kind of admitted it.
"I don't know," Jayden sighed. "They just make me...feel?"
"That's why they're called feelings, silly," Brittany chuckled.
"Feelings is a weird word," Jayden mumbled.
"I know right," the blonde agreed as she leaned back against the headboard and opened her arms up for the smaller girl, who wrapped her arms around her torso and rested her head on her chest. "Also orange. Like, how do I know if someone's talking about the fruit or the color?"
"Right? What is up with that? The English language confuses me."
"Feelings confused you two minutes ago."
"Well, now it's English," Jayden shrugged. "And life. Life in general is just confusing."
"Wanna know something that's not confusing?" Brittany asked as Jayden turned her head to look up at her. "You're cute. That's not confusing at all."
The brunette felt her cheeks heat up, signaling that she was blushing. Her gaze drifted from the older girl's eyes to her lips and back to her eyes.
"I'm cute?" Jayden questioned as she sat up.
"Mhm," Brittany nodded with a soft smile. She reached a hand out, gently cupping Jayden's cheek as she slowly leaned in. "You're adorable," she whispered as she softly connected their lips.