"I can't believe we lost." Tina mumbled as she walked to her car after glee club closely followed by fellow member Blaine Anderson. "I'm so disappointed!"
"You think you're disappointed?! Think how I feel! Try being the star of the Warblers and leave them to attend you now EX-boyfriend's school. Kurt doesn't even go here anymore! And now I have to watch the Warblers go to Regionals when I could be leading them to victory!" Blaine exclaimed.
"Think how you feel, Blaine Warbler?!" Tina said angrily, turning on him. There was an emphasis on the Warbler, not used as an affectionate nickname like usual, but instead it was intended to be a jab towards him. Blaine was surprised; he did not expect this to be turned on him, he thought they were simply venting about the New Directions. Also, he didn't want to have a fight in the middle of the parking lot. "This is my fourth year in Glee Club. Fourth, Blaine! By the end of this year, Artie and I will be the longest running members of the New Directions. I've been here since the very beginning, day one, actually, and what do I have to show for it?! You've been here for a little over a year, and you've probably gotten more solos then me. Not to mention you can still be proud of all those solos you had with the Warblers."
Blaine's defensive demeanor changed, and he sighed before saying sincerely, "Tina, I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"You're not the first! No one had any idea! No one ever gives a second thought about me! It's like I was destined to sway in the background!" She said, strutting towards her car, thinking the conversation was over, but Blaine was following behind. "Last year, Rachel told me I would be the new Rachel Berry, and guess who is officially crowned the new Rachel?! You!" She yelled, pointing an intimadating finger at Blaine, who recoiled. "And, Artie had the heart to say I didn't even win second! Maybe that wasn't my best performance, or maybe he chose Brittany because he thought she was a better girlfriend than I was-"
"You dated Artie?" Blaine grinned. "Wait...Brittany dated Artie?"
"Shocking, isn't it?" Tina said quietly, but then went back on her rant, "But also completely irrelevant to the subject at hand. Like I said, I was promised to be the new Rachel, and that was taken out of my hands, just like almost everything. I was so excited to play Rizzo, and what does Finn do? Bring in one of the graduates who stole all my solos to play her instead!"
"Yes, that was quite a low blow from Finn, I agree-"
"And then, my first competition solo is ruined because stupid Marley decided to faint!" Tina said bitterly.
"Tina, I know it's unfortunate, but it's not all Marley's fault." Blaine said fairly.
"Okay, you're right, but still, there's something wrong with this situation. My first competition solo is Gangam Style! It was in freaking Korean! How can I showcase my voice when I'm spitting things out in Korean?! Oh, sure, give the Asian girl the Korean song! I don't know Korean! Do I look Korean to you?!" She spat.
"Well, I mean you do have-" Blaine began uncertainly, but Tina cut him off.
"Of course you think I look Korean, you can't tell the difference! There are different types of Asian, you know. I don't expect you to learn a song in German because you're white. You could very well be French, or Irish, Or Swedish-"
"You know, as much as I appreciate you rambling off every white country in Europe, I would like to remind you that my Mom is from the Philippines so I am of Asian descent and I do know a thing or two about Asian cultures." He said coldly. "So next time you make assumptions-"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Blaine!" Tina wailed suddenly, sitting on the hood of her car. "God, I've been such a bitch lately!"
"You haven't been a bitch." Blaine said, joining her on the hood of the car.
"Yes I have!" She cried. "But you know why, right?"
"Not exactly."
"Rachel was annoying and high-maintenance, Mercedes was a diva, Quinn was a bitch, and Santana was the ultimate bitch. And at times, we've all hated each of them. But somehow they still got what they want! They still ruled the Glee club, and took all the solos. It was because they were mean and power-hungry, so people respected them for it. So with four divas to deal with, it was easy for quiet, sweet, Tina to be pushed aside. I'm sick of being on the sidelines, I'm sick of swaying in the background! So I took a little bit of each of them to create my confident head bitch persona. But I still haven't gotten my solos and I hate how I treat others and now we lost and it was all for nothing!" She cried, and surprised Blaine by beginning to sob in his shoulder.
Blaine wanted to remind her to not get tear stains on his new shirt, but he refrained against it. He had never been that close with Tina, they had both been too busy with their boyfriends, but now that Kurt and Mike were gone after both breaking up with them, and Glee club was beginning to have serious problems, he was beginning to realize they had a lot more in common than he thought.
"Hey, hey, don't cry." He said soothingly, rubbing her back. "It's going to be okay."
"I really wanted to win." She sniffed, resting her head on Blaine's shoulder. "Just once, I wanted to prove that the New Directions didn't always need Rachel Berry to lead them to victory. I wanted the world to know that the New Directions have other stars that want to shine."
"Well, I know." Blaine smiled. "Is that enough?"
"I wish I could say it was." Tina pouted. "Four years, Blaine. All that dreaming down the drain. I hate to admit it, but I love the feeling of competition. And now I'll never have that."
"Never say never." Blaine said brightly. "I have an idea."
"And what's that?" Tina gave a weak smile.
"Let's join the Cheerios." He said suddenly, jumping off the hood of the car in excitement.
"Are you insane?" Tina scoffed. "Why would we want to be Cheerios?!"
"To perform. To Dance. To maybe incorporate a song or two. To compete. To win. And goddamit, to be popular for a change!" Blaine said, bouncing off his heels with excitement.
Tina giggled. "Even if we wanted to, Sue would never let us on. It's mid-season and she hates the glee kids."
"I'm gay. You're Asian. If she doesn't, then I'll file a lawsuit for discrimination." He said, and Tina laughed. "But seriously. They could use some male cheerleaders. And a pretty talented and good looking one if I do say so myself." He gave a smug smile.
"Then why don't you just join?" Tina suggested.
"Because..." Blaine admitted, "I don't want to go alone. I want to go with a friend."
"I see." Tina nodded, touched at Blaine considering her a friend. They had always had the teammate bond, but not much more.
"It's a shame, isn't it, that I've attended McKinley for over a year, and we've never really had a talk like this." Blaine said seriously, and grabbed her hands. "I like you, Tina. I see a forming of a beautiful friendship. I only wished I had known you sooner. Not getting to know you last year was a missed opportunity. But not trying out for the Cheerios could be plenty of missed opportunities; of fame, fun, and most importantly, friendship." He smiled, and added quietly. "The Cheerios need a star like you, Tina."
Tina found her eyes watering, and sniffled, trying to hide it. "Fine, Blaine. I'll join the Cheerios. But if Sue bites my head off-"
"Which she won't, because I will file a lawsuit-"
"Then you sure as hell better be backing me up when I take her down."
"Deal." Blaine grinned, and Tina returned it with a bright smile and a big hug.