He could feel Rachel's eyes on their backs as he walked away with Jesse. Finn knew that he had made too many mistakes to count with Rachel, that he had probably lost the best chance he had with her, but they had been friends once and he knew that he could at least do this right.

They had another hallway to walk down before they would be at the auditorium. Finn made a split second decision and suddenly grabbed Jesse by the collar and shoved him into a classroom, slamming the door behind him.

"What the hell—" Jesse started.

"Shut up," Finn said. He crossed his arms over his chest, standing to his full height and glaring down at Jesse from his formidable advantage. "You might be able to kick my ass in a sing-off in the parking lot, but I can beat the hell out of you, so just listen." He stared down at the other boy, enjoying the flicker of apprehension in his usually-confident gaze.

"Okay," Jesse said slowly. He set his bag down, crossing his own arms and staring at Finn defiantly. "What's this about?"

"What do you think it's about?" Finn said slowly. "It's about Rachel."

"Dude, you missed your shot," Jesse said with a smirk. "It's not my fault you wasted your chance with her. I got her fair and square."

"Okay, first, she's not a prize," Finn snapped. He stepped closer to Jesse, fists clenching. "Second, she's my friend more than anything. Third, no matter how much stress she causes in glee club, she's one of us and we all will have her back." He took another step forward and felt a thrill of adrenaline as Jesse unwillingly stepped back.

"So," Finn went on conversationally. "If you hurt her, you can bet your ass that Puck will lock you in a Port-a-Potty and roll it down a hill. Mike and Matt will beat you up until you won't walk for a month. And trust me. You really don't want to know what Santana and Quinn are capable of. She's one of us," he repeated. "We all have our issues, but we all get what it means to be on a team, and we will watch out for her."

Jesse stared at him appraisingly. "And you?" he said. "I'm sure you didn't just conveniently forget to mention your own threats. Are you going to beat me within an inch of my life, too?"

"Me?" Finn said. He shrugged. "After they're through with you, there probably wouldn't be anything left. But if there is?" He shrugged again. "You're going to make it big, right? Broadway star and all that."

Jesse nodded slowly, another flicker of fear passing through his eyes. Finn sneered at him. "I may beat you up. I'm pretty sure you would lose a fistfight with a Barbie doll. I could probably break your jaw in one hit. Or maybe I'll shove sand down your throat until you can't sing a note. I haven't decided yet." He shrugged once more and took a third step forward, eliminating the distance between them. He towered over Jesse by nearly a foot.

"Rachel is my friend, even before she's my teammate," he said softly, the menacing undertone to his voice unmistakable. "If you hurt her at all, I will end you without a second thought."

"Okay," Jesse said. Finn smirked at the tiny waver in his voice. He clapped a hand down on Jesse's shoulder, squeezing tightly and enjoying the wince the singer couldn't hold back.

"Great," Finn said brightly. His smirk vanished, replaced by his usual easy sigh. "Glad we got that out in the open." He turned to pick up his backpack from where he'd dropped it by the door. "We should get going. Mr. Scheu wants us to do a dress run of that new number."

Jesse wordlessly picked up his own bag, moving cautiously towards the door. Finn moved to open the door, then paused and turned back around to face Jesse.

"One more thing," he said slowly. He dropped his backpack once more and, without warning, drove his fist into Jesse's stomach. The other boy staggered back, a strangled breath escaping his lips; he caught himself on a desk before falling and sagged against it, his hands pressing against his stomach gingerly.

"What the hell was that for?" he gasped out.

Finn walked over to where Jesse leaned against the desk and leaned down to speak softly. "She's not a prize," he repeated softly. "Talk about her like that again, even if she's not around to hear it, and I won't wait to see if you hurt her."

With a satisfied smile, feeling high on the feeling of at least being able to look for his friend—he may have lost his opportunity to be with her, but he could still be there for her—he strode out of the room. "Don't be late for rehearsal," he tossed over his shoulder. "You've got a lot of choreography to learn."

Puck looked at him questioningly when Finn walked into the auditorium with the widest smile on his face anyone had seen since the truth came out about Quinn's pregnancy. Finn, still floating on the feeling of one good deed, clapped a hand firmly down on Puck's shoulder and nodded at him briefly as he continued towards the stage.

Sometimes, he thought as he sat on the stage and went over his sheet music, being the bigger man wasn't so bad.