Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I only play with them. Please don't sue (:
Summary: There's a new student at William McKinley – and she's got a pretty set of pipes. But after being told to be good, does she want to make a scene by possibly upstaging Rachel?
Rating: M for some content. Most is T, but just to be safe.
x LG
A/N. Reviews are much-loved!
"Miss Colchester," the woman behind the desk said to the blonde student seated in front of it. "I'm sorry, but after what you've done now – you're expelled." The blonde sunk in her chair. Her parents would flip – getting expelled? She'd exhausted the school's 'three-strikes' policy, and after so many disciplinary actions, her parents wouldn't be able to talk her back into the high school. "I'm going to make a meeting with your parents explaining the situation, but it might come better from you first, okay?"
"Yeah, probably," the blonde sighed, picking up her folder from the chair beside her and went to leave the office.
"Alexa?" the principal called to her.
"Yeah?" the girl turned back to the woman who just expelled her.
"I'm very sorry it had to come to this," she said dolefully.
"Me too," Alexa lied and walked out of the school.
It was around one o'clock in the afternoon, and both her parents would be at work but she didn't go and hide out in her room. She'd have to get past her little brother's babysitter. Alexa decided to hang out at her job, seeing as how she was working in three hours anyway.
Alexa worked in an unusual store. It was part-café, part-music store, part-book store, and part-photography store. The owner had it named the Shack.
"Hey Lexi," the manager, Ricky, said as she walked into the store. He was the owner's son, and about five years older than herself. He never finished school, either, and was always looking down at her whenever she messed up and got suspended. She was more worried about his reaction than her parents.
"Hey Rick…" Alexa said detachedly, which made Ricky stand up straight from putting up new CD's.
"What's going on?" He said, looking at the clock and putting two-and-two together.
"I..." Alexa started. "I don't want to talk about it." She finished with a sigh. It was kind of hitting home what she'd done, but she was still feeling a little uncaring about the situation.
"Alexa, tell me what's up." Ricky said in his 'commanding' voice. Alexa always played it off as funny when he pulled that stance with other people – especially customers who were rude – but it was frankly a little scary when it was turned on her.
"I got expelled," Alexa told him, looking him straight in the eye. She saw his heart break – it was one thing he never wanted for her.
"Lexi…" he breathed out, and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, god… I'm sorry." Alexa closed her eyes. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come here first.
"On the plus side, Dad can take that job now…" Alexa said into Ricky's chest, revealing the reason she'd gotten herself expelled.
"Your Dad?" Ricky said, letting her go and standing an arms-length from her. "Is that what it was all about? It's in America, Alexa!" He exclaimed, dropping his arms to his side.
"We need it, Ricky," Alexa defended. "This place is going nowhere for him – and Mum can't keep us all if the business was shut down like all the others around here!"
"But Lex…" Ricky choked, tears building up in his eyes. "I'll talk to Pops… I'll –"
"No, Ricky. He can't give me extra shifts, and with school I can't get a second job. This job in America is Dad's dream job…" It hurt so much to see the hurt in Ricky's face, Alexa couldn't look at him anymore and looked down at her shoes.
Minutes passed in silence. "Lexi," Ricky whispered, sinking down to sit on the floor. Alexa joined him, sitting cross-legged in front of him. "I don't want you to go."
"I know…" Alexa whispered back, "but this is what's best for my family."
"I know…" Ricky replied. "Have you told your parents yet?" He was wiping tears from his face, and was doing a good job of holding his voice steady. He looked up at Alexa, his eyes were red. It broke her heart to see him so emotional – Rick was rarely emotional, and seeing him so broken… it wasn't right, and it was her fault.
"No, I haven't… I wanted to tell you first," Alexa said softly, wiping a tear from her own face.
"Oh," he said, and without warning, reached a hand up to Alexa's face and kissed her on her lips. It was quick, though sweet, and he pulled back as the bell on the door rang, signalling that someone had come into the store. Alexa sat, shocked, on the floor. She had a lot of feelings for Ricky, and yes, more than once she's imagined them being together, but had never in a thousand years thought he had the same feelings for her.
"Ricky? Are you okay?" Alexa heard a girl's voice say. That voice was very familiar – Alyssa Shumacker, a twelfth-grader at the town's high school – and Alexa very nearly hated that voice, not to mention who it belonged to.
"Hey Lyssa," Ricky greeted her, and Alexa turned her head to see Alyssa get up on tip toes to kiss Ricky. "Yeah I'm fine, just real shocked."
"Why? What's happening?" the over-skinny brunette asked, looking up at him, completely ignoring Alexa – that was normal.
"Uh, nothing that involves me, I can't say," Ricky said. He was loyal to the end, which made that kiss even more confusing for Alexa.
"Ricky..." Alyssa said, in her whingey 'I want' voice.
"I got expelled," Alexa said, standing up. Alyssa looked Alexa up and down. They were very different – even past the whole brunette/blonde deal. Alexa rarely got caught in a skirt, preferring jeans and a shirt, but it seemed that was all Alyssa's wardrobe consisted of. Albeit, she was in her school uniform, which was a green-plaid pleated skirt and a white blouse with the school's emblem on it, but Alexa still wore jeans to school, and the school's blouse. It was something the teacher's constantly complained about, but Alexa didn't care. She didn't want to wear the ugly skirt.
Alyssa scoffed. "It was gonna happen sooner or later," she said, smirking.
"Alyssa!" Ricky said, disgusted at her, and looking at her like she came from another planet.
"What?" Alyssa said, raising her hands in defence, "it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm just surprised it didn't happen already."
"Seriously, Alyssa?" Ricky asked her, folding his arms across his chest. "I can't believe you right now… c'mon Alexa, you can help me move some boxes of books out from the store room." With that he walked behind the counter and through a door that led to the store room.
"Right behind you," Alexa called to him. First, she stood in front of Alyssa, arms crossed and looking at her with a scowl. "What's wrong with you?" she asked her.
"With me?" Alyssa sneered. "What's wrong with you? You're nothing but trouble and you don't even know it."
"Oh, I know it," Alexa retorted. "But you're so oblivious to anyone but yourself so that doesn't come to a surprise that you think that." Alyssa tried making herself bigger by standing up straight but it
didn't make any difference. Alexa was wearing heels, so she was three inches taller than her already – she wasn't the tallest girl around so she made up for it by wearing heeled boots.
"Alexa? Are you gonna help me or not?" Ricky asked at the door, interrupting Alyssa's comeback.
"I'll help you, babe," Alyssa offered, walking towards him.
"Nah, Lyss, these boxes are pretty heavy," Ricky said kindly. "You just got your nails refilled…"
"It's fine, Ricky," Alyssa protested.
"I'm coming Rick." Alexa said, sighing, nudging Alyssa unnecessarily to go to the store room.
Ricky walked up to Alyssa, bent down and kissed her softly on her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay babe?" he told her. Alyssa smiled and nodded.
"Okay babe, text me yeah?"
"Yeah, no problem," Ricky said and walked back to Alexa, and passed her to the store room.
Alexa followed him. "I can't believe that bitch," she muttered, grabbing a box from the shelf Ricky had just grabbed one from.
"You're not a saint," he said, his way of defending Alyssa.
Alexa scoffed. "Well, if she got expelled, I wouldn't laugh at her!" She followed Ricky back to the store, putting the box up next to the register.
"Well, she's a good student – I doubt she'd get expelled," Ricky said, still playing on the fence.
"I said 'if'," Alexa replied, rolling her eyes.
"Could it kill you to be nice to her, though?" Ricky asked, a little pleadingly. Alexa shook her head, disbelievingly and walked past him out of the store. "Alexa! Wait!" he caught her by the arm. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you kissed me, okay?" Alexa said, pulling her arm from his grip and turned to walk away. Walking away, she felt a little better about getting expelled. At least if her Dad took this job in America, she'd never have to see Ricky again. Or Alysssa.
Yes, this was the best thing to do – for everyone involved.
At home, and a box of tissues later, Thomas's babysitter finally got Alexa in a coherent state. She had made the smaller blonde woman a cup of tea and wrapped a blanket around her. The only words she'd managed to hear were 'expelled', 'Ricky', 'Dad', and 'America'.
"Alexa, honey, how are you feeling?" the babysitter, Louise, asked, rubbing Alexa's arm as Thomas crawled over from his cars. He was nine months old, and was babbling like a song stuck on repeat.
"Better, thanks Lou," Alexa thanked her. "I don't know what came over me. I never cry…"
"No one 'never' does anything," Louise said sagely, which made Alexa smile.
"So care to tell me what's going on? Without breaking down, please," Louise said, making Alexa laugh.
"I was expelled, for painting disabled signs on all the parking spaces," Alexa said.
"Like on 'Balls of Steel'?" Louise asked incredulous.
"Yeah, my inspiration," Alexa said with a dry chuckle. "Three strikes, you're out… and I was in O'Hara's office being expelled."
"Well, sweetie, I'd like to think that's why you were crying, but I know it's not… what else has happened?" Louise said, seeing straight through her.
"Ricky…" Alexa said quietly, taking a sip of her tea.
"Hmm," Louise said knowingly. Louise didn't like her cousin, Ricky, all that much. She'd expressed her dislike of Alexa working alongside him often in the year and a bit that she'd worked at the Shack. "Go on," she said.
"I told him about getting expelled, and he got upset, and I got upset, and then he kissed me," Alexa said in a single breath. Louise didn't seem fazed. "And then Alyssa," Alexa said the name with poison, "came in and he was all cool and like it never happened. It's just so confusing, Louise…"
Louise nodded. "That's my stupid cousin for you – his father was like it too, Mum says." Louise told her. "But what is all this talk about America?"
"Oh… I read through some mail that came for Dad… he was offered a job in Ohio, in the U.S.," Alexa said quietly, blushing that she'd read her father's private mail.
"Oh, Alexa… you don't think he'd take the job? Uproot you from the town you've lived your entire life?" Louise said, trying to reassure her.
"I want him to take the job!" Alexa exclaimed, standing up and sitting her tea on the mantle over the cold fireplace. Thomas couldn't get it there.
"Why, honey?" Louise asked.
"Because we can't live here anymore," Alexa admitted, "all the bills are piling up, and his job's at risk, and this job would be a lifesaver and a dream come true for Dad."
"But you're happy for that? Leaving your friends, you family?" Louise asked, her face growing more concerned by the minute.
"I can make new friends…" Alexa said quietly.
"Ricky?" Louise then asked.
"I can forget him," Alexa said, her face dark, and walked into her room that was next to the living room they were in. The house was small – three small bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, and kitchen/dining. It was in good enough repair, but there was barely enough room to fit Alexa's double bed. She was thankful for the inbuilt wardrobes. Maybe a house in America would offer more room? Maybe she could lay down on the floor, stretched out? "Here's to hoping…" Alexa said to herself, lying down on her bed and putting in her earphones and turned on her iPod (a gift from Ricky, no less). She put on her favourite playlist and began singing along to it. The first song that came on was 'Little Lies' by Fleetwood Mac. Alexa skipped it, and found 'What's My Age Again?' by Blink 182 – her favourite band of all time. This song always made her smile – it reminded her of Ricky…
That wiped the smile from her face. She kept pushing thoughts out of her head about maybe talking to him – surely he was just being 'normal' to Alyssa so that he could break up with her later? She didn't know him. She didn't like his tastes in music apart from the top-40 hits, which Ricky liked anyway.
But, she was going to convince her parents to move to America, so they didn't have to worry anymore. She had to believe that Ricky was a bad guy, even if he wasn't. A guy who would lead her on and throw her away – that had to be it. Any reminder of him had to be pushed away.
Skipping another song, she came to 'Why Don't You Get A Job?' by Offspring, another favourite band. This one made her smile, even if it were a vicious smile.
That night, Alexa and her parents sat around the living room. Thomas had been put to bed and Louise had gone home long since. Alexa put down her textbook from school – a waste now. She sighed, preparing herself for the speech she'd give her parents. Maybe they wouldn't skin her alive?
"Mum? Dad?" She piped up into the silence. Her mother was reading a teen magazine, one of her own she'd left in the living room that had surprisingly escaped Thomas' hands. Her father was reading the local newspaper. They both looked up at her over their publications. "Miss O'Hara, the principal will probably call you tomorrow," Alexa offered quietly.
Her father sighed. "What for this time, Alexa?" He folded his paper and put it on the coffee table
"I was expelled today," Alexa said as evenly as she could, looking at her knees. Her mother gasped, and her father just sighed again.
"Alexa, baby girl…" her mother started, coming over and kneeling on the floor beside her, "I thought we talked about this? There's no other public school in the district – we can't afford to send you to private school. You were supposed to keep your nose clean."
"I know, Mum, I know… but," Alexa paused, knowing what she was going to admit to was almost as bad as being expelled, "but now Dad can take this job in America."
"America? Is this what this is all about? You want to be in America?" Her mother said in an almost-hysterical voice. "Your father has worked himself to the bone for the business here – he's put in endless hours to keep it afloat, you think he'd just drop it all just to get a cushy job in America?" She said angrily.
"Mum!" Alexa shouted back at her, standing up. She was no longer wearing heels, and her mother was nearly a foot taller than her even though she was seventeen. "I don't want to be living off nothing because Dad's too headstrong to leave a sinking ship!"
"She's got a point, Kath," her father said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger.
"Michael!" Her mother cried, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You did say the only thing keeping us here was Alexa in school. Thomas is much too young for anything yet, and it would be a remarkable opportunity. The deadline is August, and its only June, there's plenty of time for arrangements and – "
"I can't believe I'm hearing this Michael… I was born here, it's not that hard to…" Her father wrapped her mother in a hug as she was on the brink of tears. I kept telling myself this was for the best.
My father must have read my mind, because that's exactly what he said – more or less. "Kath, it's an amazing opportunity – Alexa and Thomas can have a much better life than they can have here."
A few hours later, Alexa's parents had disappeared into their bedroom and the walls were good so she wasn't able to hear what they were saying but their muffled voices came through them as they raised their voices. A knock rapped at the door. "Come in," Alexa called, looking up from her laptop.
It was her father. "Hey sweetie," he said, sitting next to her on her bed.
"Hey… I'm sorry about getting expelled," Alexa said, but didn't look down.
"I know, I know, and in some ways – though I severely dislike your methods – maybe this is the only way we could have done this," he told her. "Your mother and I have been talking – Would you like to move out of Australia and go to America, Ohio in particular?"
"Yes. I hate this town," Alexa confided in her father.
"It's not going to be like New York or Los Angeles – it's a small city in Ohio that has no beach whatsoever, no sky scrapers, no huge metropolis," her father said, trying to see what idea Alexa had in her head that America was going to be like.
"I know, Dad… but it beats the hell out of this place," Alexa replied, closing her laptop.
"You won't miss it?"
"Oh, I probably will… but there's always Facebook,"
Her father sighed and shook his head. "If you're okay with it, I'll make the call."