A hundred voices rose in a cacophany of noise; cell phones buzzed, sets of keys and coin purses jangled, rubber-soled sneakers squeaked against the floor, papers rustled and locker doors slammed... but the babble sunk to below a whisper as the door marked "Coach" opened slowly, Sue Sylvestre framed in the the doorway of the locker room.
Moses would have found himself pressed to make the Red Seas part before him faster than the motely crowd of half-awake Cheerleaders parted for their Coach. Conversations halted abruptly, half-former words froze in mouths. The texters looked up from their phones, the coffee-holders paused with cups half way to their lips, and all stepped back out of the firing range.
With the poise of an goddess, who tastes her power over all living things, or a conquering war-lord, savouring his potential for destruction, Sue Sylvestre walked slowly through the masses, on the alert for anyone who seemed to think they were safe, who had allowed themselves to become overconfident...ah.
Geena Chowdhury, head Cheerio, and in her senior year, felt the ice of Sue's gaze before she heard the footsteps that announced the Coach, and her heart sank.
Never before, in all her years at McKinley, had she ever dared to do anything that might risk her position on the squad, but this morning, she'd felt her phone vibrate as Sue's door opened, and had attempted to covetly check her messages as the Coach made her morning rounds of terror.
A hand closed over the screen of her phone.
"You know I make it a point to discourage any relationships outside that of Cheerleader and Cheerleader, but I've never before had to actually destroy one..."
The phone slid out of Geenas hand.
"but then again, I've never believed that a relationship could diminish the fear I aspire to create..."
Sue paused, and then thrust the phone back into the girls hand.
"Break it off, G, or you're off the squad. And as for the rest of you..."
Sue turned to the other girls, who seemed to cower slightly.
"I see I need to do something to restore order..." Her eyes swept across the room, and then her expression hardened.
"From today, Cheerio uniforms are madatory at all times. No exceptions. And come up with any excuses you like; frankly, I don't care if your grandmothers dying wish is to be buried with your uniform, you WILL wear them at school if you want to keep your places on the squad. Clear?"
No one made a sound; Sue nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Now, to business..."
The girls ran onto the field, all bemoaning the new dictate.
"She's such a freakin'-"
"She controls our diets, our hair, our lives... now she wants our clothes too?"
"Why?"
"Its obvious..." Melissa Wilson, a junior, tied up her hair decisivly. "She just likes causing pain. I mean, she obviously doesn't have compassionate bone in her body..."
The other girls nodded agreement.
Two days previously...
"Slushy facial!"
"So what do you know, corn syrup really DOES make that top look better..."
"Definitly an improvment..."
"What do you bet that Slushy cost more than that whole outfit put together?"
"Oh, I'd bet on that!"
"Me, too!"
"You need to stop getting your clothes from the garbage dump, kid!"
A group of Juniors, Cheerleaders and some of the football team, shouted approval,as, laughing, they saunterd down the hallway and into the caffeteria; the two boys who had actually thrown their slushies exchanged high fives as they tossed their empty cups into the trash.
And fourteen year old Santana Lopez turned towards her locker, away from the crowds, tears and corn syrup burning in her eyes...
"Coach Sylvestre?"
A tall, blonde-haired girl with a hot pink backpack, knocked nervously on the open office door.
Sue looked recognized the face, not that it matterd to her really: a freshman, with a reputation for what the kind called "innocence" and the cruel called "stupidity". So far, Sue had reserved her judgement on the girl, and, at least in the eyes of the Cheerleaders, hers was the only opinion which really matterd.
Brisk, but not too harsh "Come in."
The girl did so, and stood in front of Sues desk, looking a little afraid, but determined.
"What's your name?"
"Brittany Pierce"
"Ah, yes." Sue put down her pen. "One of the only two freshmen to make the squad this year- you embarrassed yourself the least of most of the girls there, as I recall..."
"Y-yes, Coach"
"What do you need, Pierce?"
"My friend Santana to be on the squad"
The sheer audacity of the girl took Sues breath away for a couple of seconds, and then she chuckled.
"Well, my admiration for bravery keeps me from kicking you off the Cheerios right now, so you should count yourself-"
"Please, Coach-"
"She didn't make the auditions so-"
"She was afraid everyone would laugh at her for even TRYING to audition...but if you gave her a chance-"
"So I am to take it that you are, in fact, serious, and obviously very slow on the uptake...not that it makes a difference, but give me one good-"
"She needs it"
Brittany was not the only girl to beg for her friends place on the Cheerios, but the reason she gave was not one Sue had heard before, and out of sheer curiosity, she listend to the girl.
"She needs something to do, to make her happy again..." The girl bit her lip, and began to talk very fast. "She doesn't have anything right now- her parents fight all the time, her house is so crowded she shares a room with her three brothers, and they don't have a lot of money, and the kids here just make fun of her clothes and stuff. I've seen how it is here- Cheerios are on top, and everyone's nice to them. I f you make San a Cheerio, everyone'll be nice to her too, and she'll have something to think about other than her mom and dad arguing, if she has practise and stuff to go to..."
Sue opened her mouth. She sympathised with the kid but still-
"I know you're gonna say no" the girl rushed on "but Santanas got talent! She could be at least as good as Quinn, and I can teach her anything she doesn't know...Please!" she begged "I'm her best friend! If I get into this and she doesn't, she won't have anyone anymore! She'll just get left behind, and all she'll have to look forward to is those stupid jocks throwing slushys at her-"
"Brittany"
The girl paused, catching her breath.
"This goes against everything I stand for, and if you tell ANYONE at all about this, I will make your punishment more painful than you can imagine...but bring your friend down after school today, and I'll give her a try-out on her own. You have until the end of today to bring her up to standard."
"Yes, Coach." Brittany could barely hide her excitement. "Thank you, I promise you won't reget-"
"I am making a HUGE concession for your friend here...so make sure I don't regret it, understand?"
Brittany nodded.
"Oh, and one more thing...you said kids were laughing at her clothes..."
"Yes, Coach"
"Tell her not to worry about that..." Sue leant back in her chair "She'll look just like any other girl while she's part of my team..."
"Thank you"