[The fact that Rachel Berry - Rachel Barbara Berry - is nearly pushed to tears is probably even more effective than any slap could be. And it has him standing there, watching like a deer caught in headlights for a moment until his mind catches up with him, until sighs and raises a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose in frustration]

I don't think of you like that. I haven't for a while. But everyone has their weaknesses. Yours are boys who can sing and mine are boys with a proper love of fashion and the ability to pull off Katy Perry.

But I am not going to apologize for simply doing what needed to be done, Rachel. Jesse is a danger, not as much as some of the others here, true, but emotional warfare is the worst one of all, and he's an expert at that. And seeing as I don't quite have the same sort of influence over Solve as you do, given most of them just stop listening, I only had one course of action to let people know just why Jesse can not - no matter how much he bats his eyes at you and sings Broadway love songs - stay here.

I was speaking with your best in mind. As a friend.