•Zero Tolerance•
Summary: When Figgins puts a Zero Tolerance bullying policy into place at McKinley High, things change drastically for Will and the Glee Club, though not necessarily for the better. Meanwhile, Sue attempts to find a more creative outlet for her frustrations.
AN: I've been thinking about writing a fic like this since Dalton's policy was mentioned in "Never Been Kissed". I think it might be a potentially funny topic to write about, as well as one I wish they did on the show! Then again, that's what fic is for!
•
Though she'd never admit it, Santana Lopez was still riding high on her victory solo at Sectionals, and following her making up with Britt over the winter break (they were bffb- best friends and fuck buddies again) she was felling better than ever.
Screw Quinn, and her shit with Puck and Finnocence's shit with Treasure Trail and the fact Wheels wasn't even completely out of the picture yet.
It was a new year, and she was gonna ride that head bitch wave for all it was worth.
Santana sauntered proudly through the halls, offering a cool grin in response to the whistles coming from all directions. Her smile only grew wider when she saw Brittany alone at her locker and the dwarf (still) pining over Finn while he and Mike Chang reenacted some football play they'd seen on TV.
"Okay, seriously, Manhands? The boy is nots coming back. So stop making the whole school throw up in their mouths and just get off on his fully-clothed picture at home, 'kay, Yentl?", she chuckled snidely, depositing her backpack into her locker, only several down from Rachel's.
"What's a Yentl? Is it like a kiwi?", Brittany asked, holding a binder to her chest.
"Never mind, Britts. I just couldn't say Treasure Trail's name out loud. It's like, moral or something.", Santana explained, shooting a vicious glare over to Rachel.
"Okay.", Brittany agreed with a slight shrug. Santana nodded self-assuredly as they linked pinkies down the hall.
"See ya, Shortcake.", the cheerleader laughed as she pulled Brittany from the door of a Chemistry class.
"We have Math, Britts.", Santana reminded her clueless best friend.
"Is that like Herpes?"
Rachel watched the two of them disappear into a classroom and shut her locker door, fighting tears and determined to make the best of the new year, no matter how hard the jocks and Cheerios might try to make it.
Newly invigorated, she strode confidently down the hallway, books in her arms and even dared smile at Mercedes and Tina, who were trying on makeup on Mercedes' locker mirror.
"Hey, gir-", Mercedes was cut off by the sloshing sound of a slushie being thrown in Rachel's face. Beside her, Tina winced.
"Happy New Year, RuPaul!", Quinn snickered as she passed the scene in the hallway, sidestepping globs of the icy drink on the ground with Sam at her side.
"I gotta say, I guess it's kind of funny when it isn't happening to you.", Sam told her, sharing a chaste kiss before they split into separate rooms at the end of the hall.
Tina handed Rachel her gym clothes, which the other girl took silently, looking down at the blue pools on the school's formerly pristine tile.
"Ummm, Mercedes, let's go. We're gonna be late for math.", Tina told her quickly, dragging Mercedes with her down the hall.
"We don't even have math!", Mercedes muttered as Tina led her down the hall.
She and Mercedes then headed for their English class, leaving Rachel cold, wet, and alone in the middle of the hallway. Sighing, she gathered her books and made a beeline for the girl's bathroom, going too fast to notice a certain Noah Puckerman watching the entire scene from around the corner.
gLee!
Will Shuester strode confidently into the choir room, freshly printed arrangements for Regionals in hand.
"Okay, let's get right down to work, guys. Santana, I want you, Mercedes and Tina to rock a Dreamgirls-", Will stopped, suddenly noticing that the entire room was empty, save for one Sue Sylvester seated behind the piano.
"Knew you were nuts, William, but do not, I repeat, do not bring any of my Cheerios into one of you depraved fantasies.", Sue remarked.
Will rolled his eyes and groaned. Hadn't they sort of worked out their issues last year?
"Okay, Sue, where are the kids? Look, you can hate me all you want but we have to get rehearsing for Regionals and we both know it would mean a lot to them if we-"
"You know what would mean a lot to your kids, Will? A last meal from McDonalds and a phone call from their parole officers so their little delinquent hearts can die happy."
Will glared at her. "Sue. I'm seriously getting sick and...wait, what?"
Now, Will found himself seated in one of the chairs opposite of Principal Figgins, surrounded by his Glee kids- save for Mercedes, who had an appointment with her hairdresser- as Figgins read a list of offenses that made even him grimace.
He knew there was a lot of drama going around the club, especially since Sectionals, and that Rachel Berry always been picked on by the group's more popular members, but he hadn't thought that the insults and catty remarks tossed around in the choir room amounted to anything more than kids being kids.
He definitely hadn't thought the entire group turned against Rachel, who sat primly to Puck's right in a cable knit red sweater, for once leaving the hysterics at the door and quietly nodding along with Figgins.
"Now, as per our new zero tolerance policy on harassment, the-"
"Hold on.", Sue ordered, suddenly rising from her own chair. "What zero tolerance policy? As school liaison to the department of defense, I should be the first to know!"
Figgins sighed and held up his blackberry. "You were. See, first on the CC's before the teachers and parents."
"You knew about this?", Sue glowered at Will.
"No! Why do you care, Sue? I stopped checking my email after Terri started spamming me."
"So...when were you supposed to tell us?", Tina asked, leaning into the right side of Mike's football jacket.
"Your parents were supposed to tell you! I sent home the email over the break specifically so parents could discuss with their children what is now appropriate!"
"Like that's gonna happen.", Santana muttered, rolling her eyes. The rest of the club muttered their agreement.
Finn glared at her and turned back towards the adults.
"Look, Mr. Schue, we're not bullies, okay? We just did a bunch of stupid things people", he paused to stare pointedly at Rachel, "-sorta took the wrong way. We're all really sorry and it isn't going to happen again.", he said, glancing around at the other Glee clubbers.
"I'm sure it won't, but I'm not backing down on the rules this time! I did that enough last year and my prayer group counselor has...ahem. All of you are banned from participation in extracurriculars for the remainder of the term. It means no Glee Club, no Football, and no Cheerios. Considering the reported actions, you are very lucky I don't want to deal with the paperwork of suspending you!", Figgins told them.
The glee clubbers jaws collectively dropped. Sue's eyes widened before her face set into a threatening frown.
"Who reported them? Who!", she raged.
Figgins shrugged. "Noah Puckerman."
gLee!
Okay, okay, yeah, it totally goes against my badass image to report everybody, but I kinda owe Berry. She's a Jew, and I mean, she was crazy for Finn and I doubt he would've flipped out as much on her if she'd kissed...I dunno, Artie or someone. Besides, it makes me look like I'm going on the straight and narrow now and my parole officer meets with Figgins this week. Pucksaurus says Win-and-win.
gLee!
After having been released from Figgins' office, the kids spilled out into the hallway, fists clenched and glares aimed at one another.
"What the hell, man, we had a chance of making it to the play offs this year!", Sam shouted at Puck, who was pulling his jacket from his locker.
"I had a scholarship. When Santana told me it wasn't a boat and it was money to be a cheerleader in college, my dad got really happy. Except now that I'm not a Cheerio, I guess I should start trying to get a job at Sea world or something.", Brittany told the group.
"You people should have thought of that before all the shit you did to Berry.", he replied, zipping the jacket against the January chill.
"Oh, I need double-buttered popcorn, extra cheese, stat.", Lauren said to herself, getting an eyeroll from Quinn as Santana and Puck prepared to face off.
"What we did to the Eighth Dwarf? Excuse me for noticing you aints exactly her biggest fan.", Santana protested.
"Yeah? You ever think what the world might be like if you weren't such a slut? Damn, Santana, you're an easier lay that Brittany.", he shot back.
"Keep Britt out of this, you deadbeat. What business you got judging me when you're the one that knocked a girl up and got sent to juvie for being a poor-ass loser?"
"Yeah, well I'm back where I belong, aren't I? Wonder why they don't do the same with you."
"What the hell is wrong with you?", Finn suddenly cried, jumping forward and nailing his former best friend to the lockers. After Babygate and Rachel, he wondered why he could even still stand to be in the same hallway as Puck.
Brittnay took an instinctive step forward towards her friend. "I think he's saying you can come to my house. My mom loves you like she loves her doughnuts...I swear, it's kinda weird.", she told Santana in her most comforting tone.
"Great. Here we go.", Artie murmured, turning away from the impending fight to call home for an early ride. He didn't think he'd ever done anything to Rachel in his life, but then again it was pointless to try and fight for Glee or the football team when he'd be the only one left, anyway.
Besides, getting in troubled for directly violating school rules was like, the next best thing to getting Brittany pregnant if he wanted to raise his rep. Which to Artie, meant a hell of a lot more than getting Karofsky and the other idiot jocks off his case.
gLee!
Meanwhile, Tina and Mike, having collected their things, were each waiting outside for their respective Asian parents to come pick them up.
"You don't think I'm a bully, right?", Mike asked as he scrolled through the songs on his iPod.
Tina shrugged. "Uh, don't take this the wrong way but you're a football player."
"What's that supposed to mean? I mean, I'm not even on first string or anything important...wait, football makes me a bully?"
"No offense, but the only reason we have a policy about it now is because of you guys and the Cheerios. So when my parents finds out I got kicked off the glee club because of bullying, don't be surprised if we can't date anymore."
"Why...Oh My God! Our parents! My mom's gonna kill me when she finds out I'm off the team! Dammit! And I didn't even do anything to Rachel.", Mike groaned.
"Don't even look at me! I was actually nice to her.", Tina sighed.
gLee!
"Hey! Hey! Hudson! Puckerman! What the hell is this?", Coach Beiste, fresh out of the locker rooms with a cart of protein shakes behind her, shouted down the hall.
She angrily marched up to the assembled group, most of whom looked like they wanted to kill one another. With a single glance, she suddenly lowered her guard.
"Guys, what is this?", she asked pulling the cuff of Finn's jacket. "Isn't Will's Glee club supposed to be about loving your enemies and all that stuff?"
"It was. Until Smurfirella over there ruined everything.", Quinn told the football coach.
"Okay, come on, guys, keep it down-", Coach began, attempting to diffuse the situation.
"Yeah, Rachel, football and Glee and the Cheerios were supposed to get a lot of us out of Lima. Just because you can't take a joke doesn't mean you should ruin everybody else's lives!", Finn shouted at his former girlfriend.
"Ruin your life? How can you say that to me when you crushed my heart like Barbra and Robert did to audiences with the ending of I Will Always Love You! How is being slushied every day and kicked and having my clothes stolen a joke?", she shot back tearfully.
"You know what, Rachel? I'm sick of your drama and all of your...everything! And so's the rest of the club! If you actually cared about anyone but yourself, you'd have friends by now!"
Finn broke free of his Coach's grip on him and stormed off down the hallway. Had it been any other time, Rachel would have commended him on a storm-out well done.
gLee!
