Tina, Mercedes, Finn, Rachel, Kurt, & Artie sat in a row in a seemingly empty room.

"So, Mercedes… I figured since we don't really know each other that well…" Rachel paused. "Maybe we could have a sleepover Saturday?" Mercedes was about to respond, when Mr. Schuester walked in with some buckets of paint and some catalogs, accompanied by 2 freshmen or sophomores.

"Welcome New Directions! As you may know, I'm Will Schuester. Some of you may have me for Spanish, but here, think of me as a friend." Will placed the paint buckets & catalogs on the floor.

"These girls are Shannon Andrés & Lauren Zizes. Why are they here, you may ask?"

As Will was talking, Artie stared at Shannon. She looked back at him & smiled.

"Well, our first assignment as a club is to redesign this choir room!" Will picked up a catalog & threw it at Rachel.

"Rachel, you & Tina are in charge of interior design. We have a budget of $1000, and-" Kurt interrupted.

"Mr. Schue, if it's not too much to ask, maybe I could help with design. It's always been my dream to be an interior designer… Well, that and Madonna's backup dancer."

"Sure!" exclaimed Will. "Mercedes, Artie, Finn. That leaves you guys for painting. Shannon & Lauren will help you guys. We start tomorrow."

Quinn Fabray & Puck lay in Quinn's bed, kissing. Puck's hand went down Quinn's waist. Puck paused for a breath. "Quinn, I think we should tell Finn." He continued kissing her, when Quinn pushed him away.

"Puck, let me tell you something. I'm head Cheerio, the most popular girl, straight A student. I have an awesome boyfriend, and ruining that relationship would ruin my reputation." Puck tried to pull her back, but she rejected him again. "No, you don't understand. I will be prom queen next year. I'm gonna graduate in 2 years, and go off to college. And none of that would happen with him finding out." Quinn paused. "The only thing that would make me tell him is if… you know… the rare chance that-"

The sound of a door opening and voices chattering made Quinn's heart freeze.

"Quinnie! We're home! Quinnie?"

Quinn got up from the bed. "Hi mom!" Puck hid in Quinn's closet, & as Quinn's mother walked in, he shut the closet door.

"Quinnderella, we brought you an egg roll."

"Leave it on the counter, I'll be down soon," replied Quinn.

Quinn's mom left the room, & Puck stepped out the terrace door & jumped out, landing safely on the concrete, & drove away. Quinn sat on her bed, quietly, pondering what she should do about the Finn situation. Should I break it off? She wondered. Will he find out eventually?

And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful and it kills him inside, to know that I am happy with some other guy.

Rachel sat on her bed listening to her iPod, humming. Her phone vibrated. It was a text from Mercedes.

Tina, me + my cousin r comin 2 sleepover ur place, friday nite. Mercedes

Rachel couldn't believe Mercedes actually agreed. She skipped down to the living room, sat on the couch, & picked up her Mac. She logged onto Skype and called Mercedes.

"What, Rachel? It's 11:00 & I'm tired. Goodnight."

"Mercedes. Ummm… I just want to say thanks. I… don't really have many friends."

"Listen, Rachel. We're in the same glee club now, it's only appropriate that we talk. Ya know, if you really wanted that many friends, you coulda asked me. People don't like you 'cause you think you're all that."

Rachel stared at the screen. "Not. True."

"Yeah, it sorta is."

"Well… why don't… guys like me?"

"Well, guys like the hot girls. Not me, not you. Girls like Quinn."

Rachel still couldn't believe what she was hearing. The last thing she wanted to hear was that all the guys liked Quinn.

"Well… are… you my friend?"

Mercedes paused. "…I guess?"

"Thanks."
Rachel closed Skype and opened up MySpace to record a new video.

I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one, you see. I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this, if you're on your way.

All the members of New Directions walked in, wearing ratty clothes, ready to paint & get dirty. Kurt, Rachel, & Tina sat on the side, looking through countless issues of Interior Design magazine.

"Guys, get to work!" Will's voice sounded happy as could be. Happy about the glee club, happy that everyone's getting along.

As they painted, everyone began to socialize. Mercedes & Kurt were talking about Gucci. Rachel & Finn talked about Quinn. Tina listened to her iPod. Artie sat lonely, painting the lower parts of the wall, when Shannon came up to him.

"H-hi… Artie…" Shannon's voice shook.

"Hi… Sharon…?"

"I-It's Shannon, but you were close!" Artie & Shannon laughed awkwardly."

"Oh, hi. Nice shirt…" She was wearing her Princess Leia t-shirt.

"Thanks… Listen… wanna… go to a movie?" Shannon wasn't sure what he'd say.

"Ummm… I'll have to think about it…" Artie was obviously shaken.

"O… OK." Shannon walked off, confused. The way Artie left the question floating in the air made her wonder, does he like her? She needed a way to ensure that he did.

Rachel sat on her bed, writing in her diary:

Dear Diary,

Mercedes, Tina, & Mercedes's cousin aren't here yet. It's Friday, 7:30… supposed to be doing my friends' nails & gossiping, but instead I'm sitting here, bored. Well, until they get here, I might as well vent. Well, this guy at school, Finn Hudson, joined glee club & I sorta kinda like him… He's going out with Quinn Fabray: head Cheerio, president of the celibacy club, & prettiest, most popular girl in school. Apparently, guys like girls like her… & I like guys like him, so… I NEED TO BE A GIRL LIKE HER! I GOT IT! I need to go. Now.

Rachel picked up her phone & called Mercedes.

"Cedes, I need you here. Now. Bring Tina, & your cousin."

Finn sat alone in a booth at BreadstiX. He ate away his sorrows in the form of breadsticks, he always did. BreadstiX had a special place in his heart. It was the last place he had eaten at with his father & mother, as a family. The waitress came by Finn's table.

"Would you like to order or are you waiting for someone?" asked the waitress.

"Can I just have some more breadsticks…" he looked at her nametag. "Sandy?"

"It's what I get paid to do," she said.

Finn sat there, trying to remember what he was thinking about before the waitress came.

Right, Rachel. Well, if we're co-captains of the glee club, we need to try to get to know each other. I think I have a class with her, & I talked to her yesterday. That counts, right? We talked about Quinn, not such a great topic… Quinn's my girlfriend & Rachel likes me. Quinn hates Rachel, & Rachel hates Quinn. I like them both, so-

Finn heard a familiar voice & the sound of wheels clanking on a tile floor. Artie was seated in the handicapped booth next to Finn.

"Oh, hi Finn. You alone too?"

"Yeah," Finn replied. "You?"

"I've got girl troubles… I've never had a girlfriend. That Shannon girl from College Bowl likes me. The one who's helping out with painting the choir room."

"Well, she's cute. You should go for it!"

A moment of silence took place after that.

"I like someone else."

Mercedes came into Rachel's house, followed by Tina & Shannon.

"What's she doing here?" Rachel asked, referring to Shannon.

"She's my cousin, I told you she'd be here."

"Oh! You're the girl helping us paint the choir room!"

"Yeah…" replied Shannon.

Rachel led the girls up 2 flights of stairs to her bedroom, located in the attic. Her room was pink with posters of Barbra Streisand & Liza Minnelli all over the walls.

"Ummm… Mercedes, Tina, Shannon… I need a makeover."

Mercedes's face lit up. Rachel could tell Mercedes would be happy to do this.

"Girl, you know I'm in!" Mercedes was the first to agree.

"I guess I'm in," said Tina.

"Uh…" Shannon was standing there, biting her lip, looking like an idiot. "I'm… Not pretty enough."

"We could make you both over!" Mercedes was even happier now.

Rachel reached into her closet & pulled out a giant purple box with pink & yellow flowers painted on it. She opened it up to reveal thousands of different containers of makeup; eyeliner, shadow, lipstick, gloss, mascara, blushes, etcetera.

"Damn girl, I could make you look like Marilyn Monroe with all this!"

"Ummm… No one even asked me if I wanted a makeover," Shannon said. "I don't, really."

"C'mon, you c-c-could use it! Isn't there a g-guy you wanna imp-p-press?" Tina asked. "Anything you wanna change about yourself?"

"Shannon, if it makes you feel better," Rachel started. "I'm doing it to get a guy's attention."

Shannon was interested now.

"Who?" she asked.

"… Finn."

Mercedes & Tina gasped.

"QUARTERBACK Finn?" Rachel nodded.

"Well, there is someone I like," Shannon said. "I asked him out already, but-"

"Wait, y-you asked him?" Tina asked.

"Yeah…"

"You've got guts, girl!" Mercedes exclaimed.

"So who is he?" Rachel asked.

"Artie." Mercedes gasped again. Tina didn't say anything. She stopped doing Rachel's makeup. Actually, Rachel had only just realized she was doing her makeup.

"I, uh, I g-gotta go," Tina said, rushing to get her coat.

"What? Aren't you sleeping over?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, I-I-I c-can't." Tina ran downstairs & left immediately.

Shannon came in the next day to help paint the glee club looking better than ever. Her hair was done, makeup on her face, & she was confident. She walked up to Artie.

"So, Artie!" she said. "How 'bout that movie?"

"I thought it over, & I'm sorry, I just can't. I like someone else."

The confidence Shannon had when she walked in the room was all gone. She had a look on her face as if someone had just shot her through her heart. She stood, frozen, staring at him. She walked out of the room, ran across the hall into the bathroom, stuck her head in the sink, washed her hair & face, & came back.

"YOU LIKE ME NOW?" she asked. "IT WAS THE HAIR & MAKEUP, RIGHT? YOU LIKE ME NOW, RIGHT?" Artie saw the tears roll down her face. She tried to smile, but the tears kept coming down, like a storm.

Artie put his hand on her shoulder & tried to calm her down. "It's OK," he assured her. "You'll find someone, just not me." He kissed her on the cheek.

She turned around & went to walk out of the room, whispering 'I hate you' as she walked away. Artie sighed & looked at Finn.

Shannon sat outside in the hallway, tears wet her face.

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder. We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under. Whatever we deny or embrace, for worse or for better. We belong together.

Will walked outside to find Shannon.

"Are you OK?" he asked, acting awfully sympathetic.

"I'm fine," she said. She wasn't though.

"Are you sure? I could-"

Shannon left mid-sentence, out the school's main entrance, & left. As she left she yelled one last sentence:

"I HATE ARTIE ABRAMS!"

Finn & Quinn sat in the Lima Heights Movie Theatre, holding hands. Quinn's head was lying on Finn's shoulder. Finn, however, couldn't focus on the movie.
All he could focus on was Rachel. I like Quinn, I do. But Rachel… I love Rachel.

"I gotta go to the bathroom," Finn whispered to Quinn. He got up, shimmied in front of everyone else, & left the room. Finn walked into the bathroom, into a stall, & texted Rachel:

Meet me at BreadstiX in an hour

Finn went back in the theatre to finish watching the rest of the movie, even though he didn't know what was going. His pocket vibrated, it was Rachel:

K :)

Quinn saw Finn's phone & his message.

"Why are you texting that… thing?" Quinn demanded.

"She's nice. She deserves more credit than you give her."

"It's obvious she likes you, I'm just-" An old lady behind Quinn shushed her. "Fine!" Quinn whispered. "I just don't wanna lose you."

Finn stared at the screen. "You won't."

Do you ever think when you're all alone all that we can be, where this thing can go? Am I crazy or falling in love? Is it really just another crush?

Artie was rolling down the streets of Lima. He needed some fresh air after school today.

I tried to let her down easy. It's not my fault she overreacted. I did nothing wrong.

He tried to tell himself that over & over again, but he couldn't help feeling guilty.

No, he thought. I will not sit here feeling sorry for myself. I will not let her misery ruin my happiness.

Keep your love locked down, your love locked down. I keep your love locked down, you lose.

Kurt sat on his bed, texting his new friend, Mercedes:

Well if u tell me who u like ill tell u who i like :D

Mercedes texted back:

haha in ur dreams

Kurt was happy about this, because he had never told anyone of his affection for Finn Hudson. Kurt had actually never told anyone he was gay. So he replied:

ur never gonna get me to tell u who i like

All Kurt wanted was to be able to tell someone & be accepted.

Rachel walked into BreadstiX & sat at an empty table just as Finn entered the restaurant. He sat down next to her & smiled.

"I need to talk to you Rachel," Finn said. "I want you & Quinn to be friends. She's my girlfriend, & I'm hoping you & I could be really good friends, so…"

"I wanna be more than friends," Rachel blurted out. "I-I mean-"

Just then, Finn leaned over & kissed Rachel on the cheek.

"Me too. But this can't happen. Not yet."

So won't you please be my little baby. Say you'll be my darlin'. Be my baby now.

Kurt sat in his room, fantasizing about a life where everyone knew, & loved him anyway. A tear rolled down his face.

"It will happen. Not yet."

And I'm gonna walk right up to him, give him a great big kiss. Tell him that I love him, tell him that I care, tell him that I'll always be there.