Chapter 1: First Impressions

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome, lovely readers!

I've always loved the Glee Band Dudes (I lost my shit when the bass player got a line in A Very Glee Christmas) and I thought it was high time there were more fics about them.

So here it is! I hope you enjoy.

I sat in the far corner of McKinley's choir room in between the tenor sax and the 2nd trumpet. The bass player and band leader, Dean, was rolling his eyes as the New Directions kids were once again getting over-emotional about something. It was confusing, and one of them stormed out while another one of them, ignoring all the yelling, went up and started introducing a song. Then someone threw a shoe at her.

"What's going on?" I whispered, somewhat terrified, to Lisa, the tenor sax player. She was tiny, and the tenor sax was way too big for her. Her dream was to play baritone sax which was even bigger than the tenor, but that wasn't going to happen. She probably wouldn't be able to lift it without knocking herself out and – as entertaining as that would be – Lisa was nice, and probably more pleasant company while she was conscious.

Lisa shrugged and smiled at me reassuringly. "I lose track, Andre. Just get ready to play whenever they make some vague gesture to us."

I let out a hollow laugh. This sounded difficult. And these Glee kids seemed kind of… um… "bat-shit crazy" would probably be the most accurate term.

"Don't be nervous, you'll be fine," Dean mouthed to me. At least I think that's what he mouthed... I've never been that good at lip reading. He saw how confused I looked and gave me the thumbs-up, which was much easier to understand.

I still felt nervous though. This was one of the first times I'd played in front of people, and they'd put me on lead trumpet. It was a slow number from Les Mis so it wasn't hard, and my part was echoed in the trombone anyway so it really wasn't a problem. And anyway I knew that I could-

Lisa stamped on my foot, interrupting my train of thought. The music had started. Wow they were really vague with their cues. I took a deep breath and put my trumpet to my lips.

I concentrated throughout the first verse, terrified that I would royally screw up, but after that I let my mind wander. It was a fairly straightforward trumpet line any way. I watched the singer. Rachel, I think she was called (I was just going by what one of the cheerleaders screamed at her... although she could also be called 'Yentl' or 'Hobbit' if I followed that logic). She's very good, I thought, like amazingly good. Dare I say it – better than the original Broadway cast? Oh I certainly do dare say it, she is fantastic. I looked at the rest of the Glee Club. They didn't seem too impressed with Rachel. Wow, they must have high standards. Or maybe she's a horrible person off stage... Hard to tell. Though that would explain the yelling.

Another chorus swelled up and died down, and it was time for the band break. We nailed it. Hells yeah! The glee kids didn't notice of course. Typical singers. Never notice the band.

Or did they?

The song ended and a group of glee kids who were sitting closer to me were murmuring and pointing in my direction. I could just make out what they were saying.

"Oooh! Ch-check out the y-yummy new band kid!" said one of them.

Flattered, I pokerfaced so they wouldn't realise I could hear them.

"You're right Tina!" laughed the girl next to her. "Damn he sure is fine. What do you think Kurt?"

"I'm sorry ladies," he said, in a surprisingly high voice for someone called 'Kurt'. "He's on my team."

"You can't know that," said the girl who wasn't Tina dismissively.

"He's wearing a bow-tie, Mercedes."

"S-s-straight guys wear bow ties too!" Tina objected.

Are they fighting over my… sexuality?

"Not yellow polka-dot ones," said Kurt.

"Yes, they-" Mercedes began.

"Over purple pin striped shirts," Kurt continued.

"Maybe he-"

"With matching yellow polka dot suspenders."

"But-"

"And with-" Kurt tried to continue describing my clothes (which I must say was slightly embarrassing).

"WE GET IT KURT," Tina cried, evidently louder than she had intended as she gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth straight afterwards.

I looked over at them and they immediately assumed the 'deer caught in headlights' position. After a sufficiently awkward stare off I turned back to the band.

There I found Lisa laughing into her saxophone. She'd heard the whole thing too. "You've got Glee kids after you!" she whispered between silent bouts of laughter.

"What's wrong with that?" I said somewhat defensively.

"Everything," said Dean. He heard it too? Damn these musicians and their good ears...

I didn't see how everything was wrong with it... Tina and Mercedes were both really, really pretty (it was kind of hard to be discreet and not stare at them) and Kurt too was no less than fine. I proceeded to check out the entire club. It very suddenly hit me that there was way too much sexy in the club than should be able to fit in this room. I suddenly became concerned about the structural integrity of the walls - fearing the sexy could burst them at any moment. And, getting back to what Dean had said (or rather, what I thought about what Dean had said), it wasn't that I thought their appearances determined whether everything was wrong with them. It was just that in high school something like that goes a long way – so I was surprised such attractive people seemed so hated. Anyway, before all the screaming there was a lot of hugging, so they seemed like nice people. Also, Mercedes was wearing a Beatles T-Shirt, which immediately put her in my good books. I just couldn't see how the others thought I should instantly dislike them (apart from the fact that they were singers who didn't appreciate a good jazz band when they saw one).

"Thanks guys," said the Glee club teacher, Mr Shue, to the jazz band. He was one of the first teachers I met when I'd started at McKinley on Monday. Unfortunately he spent the nearly whole time we were in the same room having abuse yelled at him through a megaphone by the cheerleading coach, Sue. Still, he seemed nice. "Let's have a hand for the McKinley Jazz band!"

There was a sparse echo of half-hearted and uninterested claps (like I said, singers are horrible people), while Artie – a kid in a wheelchair who I had been told was AMAZING at guitar – cheering like a lunatic (obviously, he's the exception to the rule). I decided right then that he was cool. He came to some of the Jazz Band rehearsals, Dean had told me. I'd only been to one at this stage so I hadn't met him yet, but I think I was looking forward to it.

The Jazz Band started packing up and the Glee Kids went back to their dramas now that performance time was over. A second shoe was thrown at Rachel and two guys in football jerseys started break dancing like bosses. Tina, Kurt and Mercedes had their heads together, and were giggling loudly. They saw me looking up at them and stared for a few seconds. I gave them a wink and an eyebrow wiggle then followed Dean out of the choir room. As soon as I got out I heard one of them (probably one of the girls... but I won't rule out Kurt) shriek "DO YOU THINK HE HEARD US?" in a hysterical high pitch, and another one of them yelling at the others to shut up.

The Jazz Band thought all this was hilarious, and Lisa dropped her tenor sax on my foot from laughing. It hurt, but it felt good to finally have some real friends. And maybe some new ones on the way...

McKinley sure was going to be interesting.