This is how Season Four should start. After the Glee Club has graduated, think about it... what happens? More students obviously join New Directions, right? But isn't New Directions completely unpopular? No one would want to join! Dilemma! (I just love that word. Reminds me of Snape.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!
In the town of Lima, Ohio, four sandwiches were being made.
The four sandwiches in Lima, Ohio were being made at relatively the same time.
The first was already complete. Wheat bread slice on the bottom and going up it would be turkey slice, lettuce, cucumber, light mayonnaise, wheat bread slice. It had been made before on occasion and now was no different. It had been slipped into a simple zip lock bag.
With the second, a simple bologna and cheese with mayo and toasted bread couldn't be more complicated. Did the mayonnaise go on top or bottom? Did it need to be spread or just left to melt its way on the bread? And how much mayo was needed? And what went on that, the cheese or the bologna? How toasted did the bread need to be? Too much and it was burned and crunchy, yet too little and it was soft and not worth the effort of toasting. Was it even mayonnaise at all? Was it mustard!
With the third, gloves were needed. The gloves had no problem, however, going through the process of making the peanut butter and jelly sandwich like every other morning. Creamy peanut butter from the jar in the airtight bag and grape jelly from the bottle in the other airtight bag. Just enough peanut butter to cover the bread slice and the exact same amount of jelly on the other slice, using separate knives. Put them together carefully and then cut off the crust with yet another knife. Put into separate containers and proceed to...
Okay, so it was on a level three. Hopefully the bread won't burn or be too soft or anything. So the cheese went on the bologna? Yes. The cheese when on the mayonnaise. It was surely mayonnaise. But if the cheese went on the mayonnaise, the mayonnaise had to be spread. Then the mayonnaise would be spread! But what kind of cheese was needed!
The fourth sandwich was slowly making its way into existence. After much debate, it was finally decided on to be an egg salad sandwich. The boiled eggs in the fridge had to be used for something, or they'd be spoiled by the next day. The eggs were chopped and mixed with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper before being spread on two slices of white bread. Finished.
Toasted bread (came out perfect!), then mayonnaise, followed by American cheese (it was the only kind in the refrigerator anyway) and two slices of bologna. Topped off with the other slice of bread and slipped into the baggy. About time.
The drive was a short one. Sometimes he wondered why he even drove a car. It's not like it could go over 40mph anyway. It was old as dirt like that. He really should pick up a new one, but he just couldn't afford that sort of thing. That's how he ended up with the dinosaur in the first place. Money money money. Must be funny, in a rich man's world.
But at least the radio worked. He clicked to a random station. It was just one of those days where he could do that and not want to scream into a pillow or puke his guts out or curl up in his sock drawer and cry for days.
… smokey room
Smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the ni—
As he turned it off abruptly, he took back his previous thought. He wanted to do all three at once, which was rather difficult when he was driving.
Two pairs of feet were walking along the sidewalk in step.
"S-So you're telling me you aren't prepared? At all?"
"Well, no. Not really. But hey! At least I have my lunch! I'm not totally worth... less...?" The pairs of feet stopped walking and one pair turned full-circle, apparently looking for something.
"Here?" The voice was rather hopeful. Or was it concern and doubt? Either way, the zip lock bag containing the bologna and cheese with mayonnaise on toast was handed over.
"... Y-You? Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"
"Not in those exact words. But please, continue."
The tape measure was stretched across the desk. Each item was lined up at the inch or half-inch, depending on the size and what needed to be where. It was perfect, as it should be. The tape measure was carefully retracted.
The stacks of pamphlets were carefully lined up with one another and put in a holder. Pregnancy: Because Teen Mom is Cool was between I Want to Die: Is Suicide the Option? and What Color is Your Poo in the Morning? All was in order and perfect, as it should be. The holders were set aside at exactly half an inch apart.
The tape measure was tucked into the desk drawer. It could have a quick ten minute break before it was taken out and used again. The window wiper was busted out to keep the window perfect, as it should be. The students would be arriving shortly for another year and messing with the glass, which was a sin against nature.
A year at McKinley could not be longer. But students came and students went, never seeing faces for longer than seven years, when the education stopped being free. There were cliques and slushie facials and dumpster dives, as tradition. Freshman Friday was still a popular affair.
Singing and dancing was still for pansies.
Glee Club hadn't seen darker days since when Sandy Ryerson (no relation to Ned) was in charge. All of five members, not exactly enthused, were apart of the Glee Club by this time. They constantly teeter between having fun and quitting. All of the members are sophomores as of today, and are no longer as naïve as they used to be. They're going to quit Glee Club...
… Today.
"Everyone knows the plan, right?"
"Obviously. We've only spent the last two weeks of our freedom going over your screwed up, so-called plan."
The five members walked in sync. They would quit fast and rip it off like a band-aid. They didn't want to hurt Mr. Schuester's feelings; he was a really nice guy. But being in Glee Club would do nothing for their image, and image was everything in High School.
As they made it through the front doors, they split off. They would never be seen with each other in public.
One headed off to a group of Cheerios—she was newly accepted this year. She knew the responsibilities and harshness of the coach, and she was willing to accept this. She was going to work to get to the top of that pyramid, Head Cheerio. She was a year late on the bull, and hoped she could still manage it. Glee Club would ruin her; no one can be apart of the highest social ring and the geek squad.
Another headed off with the hockey guys. He was often shoved around for being in that fag club. He was the one that tossed around the thought of quitting as a constant. But he liked Glee, he did, which is why he's stayed with it so long. An outlet that sports itself cannot quell. He can't walk the line between popular and loser for any longer, though. His team had threatened to slushie him if he continued for another year. So he just couldn't.
Two others headed off on their own; they were just losers. But slushies and locker slams were just too much to have all the time. Joining glee was a joint choice between them, but they fell from the first floor to the sub-basement with that choice. No one noticed they were there until they joined Glee a month into last year. Suddenly, they were noticed, and not in the good way. It was time to bring the endless suffering to an end.
The last one just wandered. No friend in sight. Nowhere to feel safe, no one to feel safe with. Just wandering, barely making it to class on time. What was the point of it all, really? Was there an ultimate reason to making it to class with a smile, acting like nothing was wrong? Glee Club was everything. It the only safe haven, even if it was just temporary. Getting behind that plan was not something of choice; everyone else wanted to, so they voted. 4 to 1, outnumbered.
Not a single one of them paid any attention to the two new teachers wandering the halls in the morning. It could be that none of them passed that way or they just didn't care. But the new teachers were ready to tear the place apart, starting with their respective classrooms. And it wasn't exactly fate that all of the glee members had at least one of the new teachers. It was scheduling.
Life at McKinley High School just got interesting.
Anyone who correctly guesses the four people, what sandwich belongs to who, and who the new teachers are gets a Red Vine!
I originally planned this as a oneshot, but I decided to split it up into two. Let's see how it works out.