CHAPTER 1

With things having settled down in the halls, barely anyone was paying Tina any attention, though there was still some judgment hanging around. Since Alexander had recovered, Scott had returned to the hockey team, but still faced Xavier's wrath. The school's first football game started that night, which a majority of the students were all too excited for. Coach Beiste had been working the team hard to prepare for the game, which they were insistent on winning. In addition, Halloween was around the corner.

During lunch, Scott and his friends began acting up again around the other students, shoving aside anyone that got in their way. They suddenly stopped in confusion, having heard loud metallic clanks from the opposite end of the hallway. The students at that end were dispersing left and right, and Scott quickly noticed why the students were intimidated. Alexander was marching forward in a menacing manner, and his eyes were glowing blue under the shadow of his hat, which was hiding the rest of his face. His stride required the use of his cane, the tip of which was banging against the floor with each step. It didn't take long for Alexander to come close enough that Scott could talk.

"Hey, look, dude, before you go nuts, I just want to say that…"

His speech was interrupted, however, by Alexander grabbing the back of Scott's head and staring directly into his eyes. The eye contact was so frighteningly piercing that Scott could feel his fear taking over, and Alexander's glare was practically burning into Scott's nerves, amplifying his fear. After about ten seconds of nothing else happening, Alexander let Scott go and walked away, and Scott found that he was actually paralyzed with fear.

INTERLUDE

During the first football game of the season, the Titans were losing with the third quarter closing fast. Coach Beiste had been throwing mini-tantrums all night long, and the players were less than enthused. It wasn't the same without Finn, Puck, and Mike, and everyone there knew that Kurt had proven himself to be an excellent place kicker. None of the current players not in the Glee Club were fine with Blaine being on the team, and they had barely used Artie in any of their plays. Sam, Matt, and Joe had all proven to be admirable players, and Rory couldn't understand the plays.

In the stands, Mr. Schuester, Emma, Xavier, Alexander, and the Glee Club girls were showing their support, and Amanda, Gina, and Dina were leading the Cheerios to cheer the team on. Mr. Schuester was sitting as far away from Brittany as he could, as he wasn't sure how to proceed with talking to her. The opposing team had proven themselves to be formidable opponents, sending several players off with injuries.

Coach Beiste eventually called for a timeout with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Titans were down by one touchdown.

"Okay, we've got five guys out with injuries, but we're still hanging on", she said.

"Barely hanging on is more like it. Coach, these guys are tough", said a left-fielder.

"It may not look like we've got what it takes, but I know that we can bring the pain. We've got time to get a touchdown and an extra point. We just need to believe in ourselves", said Matt.

"We can't afford to second-guess ourselves now. Come on, this is our first game and moping about this isn't going to bring our self-confidence up", said Sam.

"I'm already considering putting Artie into the game. We haven't gotten him in since he joined, so I say we give him a shot", said Coach Beiste.

"Yeah, we can do that. He's brought up that idea of using him as a human battering ram. Those guys will think twice before beating up on a disabled person", said Blaine.

"Maybe they'll think twice before beating up on you, seeing as how you're not as tough as you claim to be", said a player, causing Blaine to turn to him.

"I've taken some self-defense classes, so whether you're my teammate or not, I'll know how to beat you up."

"Boys, stay focused. We've got a game to finish here. It's high time you cooperate with each other", said Coach Beiste, "Now, Artie will be in these last few minutes, and Donaldson, no more complaining about Blaine, seeing as how you two will be working together to get that extra touchdown in. Matt, keep the big guys occupied, Sam, you throw, and Joe and Rory, work together with the others to make sure that Sam has a clear shot to either Artie, Donaldson or Blaine. Okay, let's get back out there."

The boys headed out to the line of scrimmage, and assumed their respective positions. Artie was ready to go, with another player ready to push him to the end-zone. Sam started the play, and Artie was pushed towards the end-zone at high speed. He turned ready to catch the ball, while his wheelchair was pushed forward, causing opposing players to avoid him. Blaine and Donaldson were already waiting at the end-zone, ready to catch the ball as well.

Matt was dealing with two big players at once, and one of them got through to rush to the end-zone. Rory had leapt into action, intending to block the player despite being significantly shorter than him. Another opposing player was headed for Blaine, and Sam could hear Coach Beiste calling to Donaldson to back Blaine up. Donaldson wasn't listening and allowed Blaine to be taken down. Rory, having caught up with the player at the end-zone, was ready to catch the ball, and Sam seized the opportunity to throw it to him. Rory, being small and nimble, easily maneuvered around the player to catch the ball, and nearly succeeded in doing so, but the player easily elbowed him in the face and intercepted the throw, running quickly to the other end-zone. The Titans ended up losing the game, and retreated to their locker room in shame, and Coach Beiste was the first to speak up.

"Disappointed. That's what I am, gentlemen. After all our hard work and practice, you still don't know how to work together to make something work."

"Coach, come on, we can't possibly win with weaklings on the team", said a player.

"I don't care whether you win or lose. Most of what I was trying to get you guys to do tonight was work together, to tolerate each other, and make it so that it shows that your efforts paid off. Donaldson, you could hear me call you to back Blaine's position, and instead you let him get taken down."

"Coach, he said he learned how to take care of himself. If so, he should have been able to hold his own."

"That's not an excuse for not helping him out like a good, true teammate should."

"Yeah, well, at least I don't fail at catching the ball like some people", he said, jutting his head to Rory, who was holding a tissue up to his nose.

"Whoever was ready to catch the ball still needs backup", he said with difficulty.

"None of us can be everywhere at once", said the player who was helping Artie downfield.

"Yeah, and where were you? I clearly tossed the ball to Rory and you could have helped", said Sam.

"Artie was wide open, too. Why didn't you throw it to him?"

"Rory was a more direct shot. Besides, you could have moved Artie to Rory's position in case he didn't catch the ball."

"Or maybe you just wanted to see him crushed", said the player.

"Sam would never do that to me", said Rory, "And what he says is pretty logical. You could have helped."

"You know what, I don't care what you think, small-fry", said the player, and he shoved Rory hard, causing him to trip over the benches. Sam and Matt quickly went to help him, but Rory had already gotten up and started a fistfight with the guy, which Beiste immediately broke up.

"That's enough. Now we've all had a hard night. Hit the showers, and go home."

The boys picked up their stuff and did as they were told, keeping in mind that this loss had to be their last.