Neck Pains

Few people know how many students were genuinely excited that the glee club was popular when the new year began. Not even Puckerman or Lopez were aware of the number of jocks and cheerios who wanted to be with them on that stage, singing and dancing their hearts out. The only thing that was holding them back was their fear of how the rest of the student body would react, and they simply couldn't muster up the same courage shown by the rest of the New Directions.

So when the glee club brought back that trophy from Chicago that sealed their popularity at the top of every list, there was a huge number of students who immediately thought "next year, I'm going to be with them". Jocks and cheerios and nerds and all other kinds of kids prepared themselves to be part of McKinley's coolest club come September.

One of those students was Nicole Basinger.

Nicole had been in the cheerios for two years, and for the past year had wanted to be a part of the glee club. But all the while she knew that it would be a terrible idea for her social status. It was a wonder how she had gotten into the cheerios - before she made the squad the only thing she was known for was being a klutz. Yet somehow during her sophomore year she had managed to pull of a quadruple backflip in front of Coach Sue. Combine that with the lovely tea set she had bought the coach and she made the team easily. Sure, she still may not have been as famous as Fabray, or as feared as Lopez, or as bangable as Pierce, but she had made the team. When she walked down the halls in that uniform it was like Moses versus the Red Sea.

Joining glee would void all of that. They were the lowest of the low, the dregs of society. Nicole had stood on the sidelines when she saw them get bullied, she had fought down the urge to dance in her chair when she saw them perform lest her teammates see her enjoy it. She even passed up the chance to see them perform at sectionals the previous year, for fear that she would be found out and be shunned by the rest of the cheerios. Those that had successfully made it into glee already had enough of a reputation that they could survive the hallways, at least for the most part.

So Nicole would sing in her room, quietly so that nobody could hear, and tell herself that she was a great singer and could totally make the ranks of New Directions if she ever got the chance. And when that trophy was paraded down the hallways she knew that chance had arrived. Every day during the summer her voice got louder and stronger, and her smile grew wider and brighter.

On the first day back at school, glee auditions were the talk of the locker room between all the other cheerios.

"I'm totally a shoo in" one girl, Theresa, said as she tied her hair in a ponytail. "My daddy says I have the voice of an angel on steroids. They'd be morons not to let me in."

"Oh hell no" Marina said as she walked in. "If anybody in here is going to get into that group it's me. I've already got an in technically - I got a paycheck from the Motta family to be part of the Troubletones, so I doubt I'll even have to audition."

"You're all losers." That was Kitty. As a freshman she had stayed fairly quiet, but she had the incredible luck of being singled out by Coach Sue at the beginning of the year as Official Head Bitch, which was apparently an actual position now. "I give that group of social rejects a week before they plummet back down to the bottom of the food chain."

"Don't be that way Kitty." Theresa seemed genuinely disheartened by the prospect of New Directions becoming unpopular again. "Sure they had a bunch of losers last year, but most of them have all graduated. Singing is fun, and we should be the ones who make it popular this year."

"What about you, Nicole?" Marina had sat down beside her, and caught her by surprise. "You a singer at all?"

Nicole smiled. For the first time she felt comfortable saying what she really felt around these girls. "Yeah, actually. I've been practicing all summer. I think I've got a good shot."

Kitty could only roll her eyes. "You're all freaks. I hope you don't get in so that you don't have to suffer when that club drags everyone around it to the bottom of the proverbial ocean."

All through Cheerios practice, Nicole couldn't stop thinking about her audition later that week. She had known which song she was going to sing for the past week - "Curiosity" by Carly Rae Jepsen. It suited her voice perfectly, and didn't suffer from being overplayed like "Call Me Maybe". She wouldn't have to do any dancing; in fact Nicole had a feeling that she would have difficulty singing and dancing at the same time. But that shouldn't be a problem - according to the rumors the glee coach was a whole lot more compassionate about Coach Sue, and was willing to help his kids with any problem they may have.

Nicole was so focused on this that she forgot to put her hands above her head during her backflip. Her head hit the ground. Hard. She felt something snap, and as she lay she was too scared to move. She had seen shows like this before - where the person's spine is only barely in one piece, and any false movement could paralyze her for life. She lay on the ground like a dead animal as other girls crowded around her. She heard Coach Sylvester somewhere in the background calling for medical attention.

The prognosis was grim, but not as bad as it could be. The doctor said that she would need to wear a neck brace, but only until January. Her parents were supportive of it, and told her that she looked perfectly fine when she saw herself wearing the neck brace for the first time.

When she returned to school, she was immediately called to Coach Sylvester's office. The imposing woman was sitting behind her desk patiently when Nicole entered.

"Hello Ms. Basinger. How are you feeling?"

Nicole shrugged, or she would have if she still had the capability of moving her shoulders. "Okay, I guess. The neck brace is definitely unfortunate, though."

"Yes, I imagine so." Coach Sylvester reached into one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a teacup. Nicole recognized it as being a part of the tea set that she had purchased in order to seal her induction into the Cheerios. "By your face I'm sure you recognize this cup. I would be lying if I told you that it had served me very well over the years because I find tea revolting and un-American. However, at long last I have been able to find a person who will buy it off of me for a hefty price. The only reason I have any pieces of it here is because I refuse to let him know where I live through courier."

Nicole nodded. "Okay..?"

"The point I am trying to make is that you have, in a manner of speaking, prove your worth to me. So here is what's going to happen: you will no longer be performing in Cheerios routines until that cone of shame is removed from your chubby neck. But you have my permission to continue to wear the uniform, since I know it gives you girls a delightful power trip. Are we clear."

Nicole can only nod once again. "Sure, Coach."

"Would you like a hug?"

This catches Nicole off guard. "Are...are you offering?"

"Of course not. I just want to make sure I get you out of here before you try to seek any kind of comfort."

That made more sense. With that out of the way Nicole excused herself from the office. She could handle not being part of the routines - it wasn't like the school was interested in the gymnastic capabilities of the team outside of the bedroom. Seeking solace, she went straight to Theresa's locker.

"Hey girl. What's new?" Nicole was surprised at how casual her voice sounded. Theresa, however, was anything but.

"Oh, hey Nicole...listen, I don't think you should be here."

Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why not?"

"Well, you're not part of the team any more. It's not like I can associate with a cripple."

"What?! I'm fine T! Okay, I can't do any flips or be in the routines anymore, but I'm still a cheerio."

"Nicole, let's be real. Sue is only letting you keep that uniform because she pities you, and because if you didn't have it on you would suck worse than the glee club did last year."

Nicole was shocked. Her mouth was open but no words came out. Theresa was one of her best friends - wasn't she? How could she say such things like that? Nicole refused to believe what she heard and stomped off. But as she walked the halls she realized that Theresa had been right. The crowds didn't part as quickly as they did, and when people finally moved out of her way it wasn't out of respect - that look in their eyes was pity. The same look that Coach Sylvester had when the two had spoken earlier.

Nicole's glee club audition was later that day. She didn't go. She couldn't bare to face them like that. Plus Kitty's warning rang in her ears every time she saw one of the members - if Nicole did get in and then glee club became lame again, she would be the worst of the worst. It was social suicide.

Lo and behold, Kitty's prediction proved true later that day. In the end Nicole was fine with it. Really, she was. Singing wasn't that important anyways. At least she still had her uniform. As long as she was popular she could power through the neck brace. It was totally fine.

Really