DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, so please don't Sue me.
Notes; This is a sequel. There is a part one to A Different Point of View. So, while it's possible to read this and not read the other, you'd be better served if you at least skimmed over the first.
A thanks in advance to Souless Warlock for letting me use Jack Harmon and a possible cameo from Felicia Beasley in the future. Also, a thank you to Cola-Flavoured-Sherbet for letting me use Dylan Armstrong and possibly Jenn McGraw in the future.
On a final note, I've once again recasted Michelle. Her model is now that Lindsay girl from The Glee Project. For some reason, I saw her and instantly thought of Michelle, so there you go.
GLEE: A Different Point of View Part II
Chapter 1 - "Audition"
A new year.
Mitchell Marcus Mason couldn't help but compare this new beginning to the one from last year. This time around, he was no longer the new kid, no longer without any friends, and he had a beautiful, stable, girlfriend. Yes, Mitchell Mason and Quinn Fabray were still in each other's arms after an eventful yet pleasant Summer vacation.
As Mitchell headed down the halls of McKinley for the first time of the new school year, he was almost immediately met by Jacob Ben-Israel, who had a microphone in his hands and a camera man backing him up. Mitchell wasn't sure what was going on, but Jacob enlightened him...
"I'm doing a news piece for my Blog," Jacob informed, "What everyone did during Summer vacation. You're next on the list."
"Next?" Mitchell asked, curious, "Who's already done this?"
"Just about everybody."
That seemed a little sketchy, "School's only been on for five minutes, man."
Then, out of nowhere, Jack ran past them in a mad dash for safety. Not seconds later, a band of jocks, lead by Azimio and Karofsky ran by as well. However, they were covered in blue paint and white fluffy hats that were crudely stuck to their heads.
How the hell had that happened?
"Be that as it may," Jacob was persistent, ignoring the chaotic display that had just taken place, "Care to share your exploits?"
Mitchell sighed, "Okay. Just hanging out with Quinn a lot. Saw a lot of movies. Took some dance lessons with Brittany. That's... about it."
"And what's this I hear about the rumor that Quinn Fabray refuses to punch your v-card?"
Mitchell glared, cracking his knuckles.
"Okay, that's enough for now," Jacob scrambled away with his camera man in tow.
:::Glee Club:::
It felt good being back. Kind of like riding a bike. It just felt right and was easy to get back into. Minus Matt, all the members of New Directions from last year were still a part of it this year. A little older, a little wiser, and a little more determined to not only place first at Regionals this time around, but rocket all the way up to the top of Nationals as well.
Wouldn't that be sweet?
Mitchell and Quinn sat together in the front, Finn and Rachel also sitting together. To the side, Mike and Tina were showing the world that they were a new couple as well. Love was in the air, and it seemed to be spreading to everywhere and everyone.
Well, almost everyone.
Artie and Puck were both in sour moods, not happy about having to watch their former girlfriends in the arms of another. Jack didn't appear all that pleased, either. He was still smitten with Rachel, though he wouldn't outright admit it to anyone, seemingly even himself.
"Welcome back!" Will exclaimed happily as he entered the room, "Wow, it's so good to see you guys! How was everyone's Summer?"
"Great," Rachel's grin stretched across her face, happily holding onto Finn's arm.
"Could have been better," Artie frowned.
"Could have been worse," Mercedes followed.
"Awesome," Mitchell answered, a twinkle in his eyes, holding hands with Quinn.
"Awesome," Puck mocked.
"You're the one that let me go," Quinn reminded the father of her baby, "Remember? So, you can stop with the negativity towards Mitchell."
"Please," Puck retorted, "You were practically jumping out of my arms."
"Okay," Will stepped in, "Okay, let's not lose our cool on the first day back."
"Yes," Rachel stood, ready to lead, "This year is going to be big for all of us. I just have this amazing feeling that this is the year we take the championship home."
"So much for hoping she'd be different this year," Santana sighed, already annoyed with The King of The Drag Queens.
"Totally," Brittany chimed in.
"I'm with Rachel on this one," Kurt spoke up, "This year can be our year if we just focus. We had a lot of adversity to overcome last year. This time around, we have our mission laid out in front of us. Our goals are set and we know how to achieve them."
"I like that type of thinking, Kurt," Will was happy to hear it, "But, there are a few hurdles to leap over. First off, we all know Sue is going to be on our backs. And this time around, she's got a full year to do it. Second, we lost Matt, so we need a new member. Anybody know anyone?"
"What about the girl that was friends with Mitchell?" Tina raised an interesting idea, "She almost joined last year when Jack bailed."
"I didn't bail," Jack finally piped up, sporting a fresh shiner and ice pack, "It was merely... A temporary separation due to a conflict of interest."
"I haven't talked to her since last year," Mitchell answered Tina's question, "I don't even know if she still goes here."
Will sighed, crossing his arms, "Sign-up sheets didn't do anything. So, any ideas on how we can hook a new member or two?"
"We should have extra," Finn said.
"Extra members? Why?" Kurt asked.
"Like in football, you have back-ups," Finn explained, "Considering last year was pretty much a revolving door, we should have extra members just in case."
"Like who?" Jack liked the idea, but he didn't honestly see there being a long line of potential glee clubbers.
"Jack has a point," Quinn agreed, "We're not really holding anyone back, if you know what I mean."
"Let's just focus on getting the one that we need first," Will wanted them all to focus, "Again, any ideas?"
"We should show them what we can do," Rachel's idea, "Perform in a populated place. Draw attention to ourselves. There's bound to be at least one person that will like what they see."
"It has to be a cool song, though," Finn said, prompting a brief glance from Mr. Schuester, "Uhh, no offense, but showtunes aren't gonna cut it."
"He's right about that," Puck said.
"We do have more rep than we did last year," Mitchell said, "Could work to our advantage."
"That's true," Quinn followed her boyfriend, "It's not a lot more, but all we need is just enough."
"All right, then let's do that," Will made it official, "This week, during lunch, we'll go outside and put on a big performance for all of McKinley to see. And, hopefully, we snag ourselves the latest member of New Directions."
:::A couple days later:::
They were all dressed to impress, ready to put on a show for the students of McKinley High. New York t-shirts, black pants, and most of them wearing hats sideways or backwards. Mitchell chose to wear his sideways, trying not to think too hard about how much of a poser he must have looked like. Nonetheless, it was time to hopefully lure in some potentials.
Artie took the lead, being pushed by Kurt, "Yeah I'm out that Brooklyn. Now I'm down in Tribeca. Right next to DeNiro. But I'll be hood forever. I'm the new Sinatra. And since I made it here, I can make it anywhere. Yeah they love me everywhere."
Finn took the reins next, "I use to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicanos. Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonalds. Took it to my stash spot, 560 State Street. Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them pastries."
During the performance, Mitchell noticed a fellow student looking a little interested. At the very least, mouthing the words to the song. Of course, that may have been just due to being a fan of the source material. Mitchell wasn't sure, but he knew he would keep an open mind. Maybe even approach this guy during normal school hours this week.
Puck's turn to rhyme, "Cruising down 8th street, off-white Lexus. Driving so slow, but BK is from Texas. Me? I'm out that Bed-Stuy. Home of that boy Biggie. Now I live on billboards, and I brought my boys with me. Say what up to Ta-ta, still sippin' Mai Tais. Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets gimme high-five. Jigga, I be spiked out, I could trip a referee. Tell by my attitude I'm most definitely from..."
"New York! Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do. Now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you. Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York," The girls stepped up for the chorus, all looking hot and sounding even more so.
After their part, it was Mercede's turn as she drove it home, the boys all sitting down for a moment, "One hand in the air for the big city. Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty. No place in the world that can compare. Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah."
"Everybody say yeah. Yeah! Yeah, yeah!
Everyone joined together, dancing on the concrete steps. Mitchell couldn't believe it, he was actually doing the dance-steps and not screwing them up like last year. Those lessons from Brittany really paid off, "In New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing that you can't do. Now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you. Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York."
Everyone sat down for the last little bit, "Bah, bah bah bah bah. Bah, bah bah bah."
Performance done, and nobody seemed to be all that interested. They went about their usual business, almost like there never was a performance that had ever taken place. Not cool.
"That sucked," Puck commented.
"No," Jack corrected, "What sucked was the song choice. We're in Lima, Ohio. Not New York. Nobody in Ohio cares about New York. Just like nobody in New York cares about Ohio."
"Well, what else should we have done?" Mitchell responded sharply, "The Ohio State Buckeyes fight song?"
"Would have been better than this drivel."
"Dude, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys aren't drivel," Puck again.
"They are when we sing them," Jack stood his ground.
"Guys," Artie grabbed their attention, "Maybe we should go inside before we start arguing?"
Yep, everyone was looking right at them. Uncomfortable. But, ironic in a way, considering that was the overall point of doing this in the first place.
:::In the Halls:::
On his way to his last class before school was over, Mitchell spotted the dude he saw grooving with the song earlier. Well, if you could consider mouthing the words to be grooving. When the coast was clear, Mitchell approached...
"Hey," Mitchell greeted at the lockers.
"Hey," the boy seemed a little unsettled.
"Oh," Mitchell extended a hand, and proudly introduced himself, "Mitchell Mason of New Directions!"
"You have any idea how corny that sounded?"
"Sadly... yes," his hand was still out, and the kid decided to shake it, "I saw you earlier. You looked like you were digging on the performance."
"Dylan Armstrong," he told his name, "And, yeah, I like the song."
"Oh," so it was just because he was a fan of the source material. Embarassing.
"You guys were good," he then said, "Crazy, but good."
"Crazy?" with a little more confidence, Mitchell decided to walk and talk.
"Dancing in front of the whole school? Wearing those outfits?"
"You have a point," Mitchell chuckled, "Listen, not to put you on the spot, but we have an opening. We have a lot of openings actually."
"Nah man," Dylan wasn't interested, "Not for me. I mean... I like to sing and all. But, in front of everyone? There is no way I could do that and not end up with a steady diet of slushee facials."
"I was the same way," Mitchell remembered when Mr. Schuester first approached him last year, "But, I tried it and I'm really glad that I did."
"What if I don't make it?"
"Anyone who auditions gets in," Mitchell explained, "That's the policy."
"What if the whole school auditioned?" shocking that he was the first person to ask that question.
"I don't know, I guess... We'd be the world's biggest Glee Club," Mitchell nervously laughed a little, "Definitely get us into the Guinness Book of World Records."
Dylan shrugged his shoulders, walking away, "I don't know, maybe. I'll think about it."
"Just go to the choir room," Mitchell made sure he knew what to do next, "If you decide to."
Mitchell clapped his hands and spun on his heels, delighted with himself, "Oh, you sly boots!"
Cue one Sue Sylvester, "What in the world did you just say?"
Mitchell froze in place, "Uhh... Umm... Err..."
"Let me be the first to welcome back," oh, maybe she had turned a brand new leaf over the course of the Summer, "Stinky The Lamb!" okay, guess not.
"Could you maybe... Not torture me this year?" Mitchell was hopeful.
"Not possible," all hope was lost, "You might as well be a foreignor during World War II. And, the only way to get into my good graces is to show me you've seen the error of your ways and are willing to work both sides of the conflict. You know, kind of like your girlfriend."
That struck a sensitive nerve, "That was last year."
"No, no, no, Stinky," Sue shook her head, amused, "I'm not talking last year's unsuccessful yet not wholly useless sabotage attempt."
"Then wh..."
"Oh, you don't know yet?" Sue was eating this up with a spoon and some chocolate syrup, "Wow, this is going to be extra sweet, then."
What was she going on about? Definitely made Mitchell feel very uneasy.
"Stinky," she savored the moment, "Do tell your girlfriend that I've decided to accept her back into the fold, and that cheerleading starts bright and early Monday morning."
Back into the fold? Cheerleading? Monday morning?
What the hell?
:::School Bell:::
They met in the choir room. Upon entering, Quinn was unaware of the true nature. All she knew for sure was that her boyfriend wanted to meet her in the choir room after school. She assumed that it had something to do with him finding a potential for New Directions. Or at least something to do with the Glee Club in general. Yet, as she walked to the centre of the room, she realized very quickly that this wouldn't be a happy conversation.
Mitchell stood with arms crossed, the mix of disappointment and frustration bleeding through his face.
"What?" Quinn asked innocently, unaware of what he knew.
He hesitated before speaking. He wasn't angry. Just... hurt, in a way, "When were you going to tell me?"
And then it became obvious. The reason for his attitude and the impromptu conversation alone was to do with Quinn returning to her roots in cheerleading for Sue Sylvester. She took a breath before explaining, "I wasn't going to say anything until I found out for sure I was back on the squad."
"Well, congratulations, you are," sarcasm from Mitchell.
Quinn was both happy and sad, seeing how badly this was affecting Mitchell, "I know, I'm sorry. But, I want to be a cheerleader, Mitchell. It's something I really like doing."
"It isn't that you're a Cheerio again," and it wasn't, "It's all because of Sue. Don't you remember being humiliated last year - on more than one occasion - because of her? She almost destroyed Glee. Had me kicked out of it."
Quinn took a seat, "I lost so much last year. My popularity, my spot on the Cheerios, Finn, my father, my body and... my baby girl," she held back a tear or two, absent-mindedly touching her belly, "I had so much fun this Summer with you and everyone else. But, now that school is back, I want more."
"Being popular d..."
"Do not say it doesn't matter," Quinn quickly interrupted, "That's not what I mean. I want to be special, I want to mean something."
"You mean something to me!" he exclaimed, "To... The whole Glee Club."
"Mitchell," she sighed, "Like I said, that's not what I mean."
"What if she dumps you again?" Mitchell didn't want Quinn getting hurt, "What if she tries to break you? She's Sue frickin' Sylvester. You can't trust her."
"I don't trust Sue Sylvester," she made sure Mitchell understood that, "Just because I'm a Cheerio again, doesn't mean I'm going to go back to being her protege. I just want to cheer. And yes, I want people to like me again. Honestly, that's not a bad thing to want."
Mitchell heaved a sigh, running his hands over his head, "I'm sorry, okay? I know this makes me a horrible boyfriend, but I seriously do not want you on that squad."
Quinn looked into Mitchell's eyes, knowing he meant no harm by his words and that it was all rooted in his distrust of Sue Sylvester, "Whether I'm on the Cheerios or not, isn't your decision to make."
He hated it, but she was right. Quinn was seventeen, very capable of making decisions for herself. After all, it was her decision that lead to them being a couple in the first place. So, he backed off for the time being. He wouldn't push the issue any further. Not that she needed it, but Mitchell silently let Quinn know that she had his blessing.
Quinn stood back up, "You're okay?"
He shrugged, "Yeah."
"Don't worry," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "This doesn't change anything between us. I'm still yours and you're still mine."
Mitchell simply nodded.
:::In The Halls:::
While it certainly wasn't contributing to a recipe for a break-up, there was definitely some tension being built between Quinn and Mitchell. She just wanted to be a cheerleader once again, and it was just something that Mitchell was going to need to accept. Though, truth be told, as Mitchell said, it wasn't because Quinn was a Cheerio again. It was the darkened soul of the infinitely dangerous Sue Sylvester hovering overhead like a darkened storm cloud.
At any rate, roughly forty-eight hours had passed since the bombshell had been dropped, and Mitchell was still somewhat wrapped up in it. To the point, actually, where he didn't even realize the boy from before, Dylan Armstrong, had approached him...
"You there?" Dylan asked, waving a hand, "Uhh... Mitchell, is it?"
Mitchell turned away from his locker, facing the student, "Oh, hey, sorry. Kind of in my own little world."
"Yeah," he could tell, "I heard that about you."
So much for a better reputation. Nonetheless, matters to discuss, so they walked and talked like before, "Did you change your mind about joining Glee? We could still use someone else."
"Actually, yeah," Dylan was ready to take the plunge, "I know it might not be great for my rep, but I wanna give it a shot."
"Sweet," Mitchell replied, "Okay, well, Mr. Schuester's busy today. So, what if you swing by the auditorium tomorrow after school?"
"Cool, sounds good," Dylan nodded and then went on his way, "I have practice today, anyway."
"What for?" Mitchell asked curiously.
"Boxing," Dylan called back before disappearing into the sea of students.
Mitchell nearly choked. Boxing? Dylan Armstrong was a boxer? Added muscle could definitely come in handy for New Directions. There were rumors and murmurs that the jocks were going to work especially hard this year at tormenting the gleekers. But, with a Tyson in their midst? Could really work to their advantage.
"Hey, Number Three," the sudden voice of Jack Harmon took Mitchell away from his thoughts, "Why is the choir room door locked?"
Mitchell wasn't fond of his new nickname...
It was the last day of school for the previous year. New Directions was walking out of the building together as a group for a show of solidarity. Rachel and Finn, Quinn and Mitchell, Jack and the rest. It was then when Mitchell and Quinn were busy talking to each other, that the blonde girl didn't notice an out of control skater barreling right towards her...
Instinctively, Jack called out, "Hey, Pregn... wait a minute... I can't call you that anymore, can I?"
The skater ended up colliding into both Quinn and Mitchell, knocking them down onto the concrete. They both glared up at Jack who appeared to be lost in thought...
"I'll need a new one," he tapped his chin, glancing up at the sky, "I suppose Bambi needs a new name, too. Ah, but that'll be easy..."
"Hey, Number Three," the sudden voice of Jack Harmon took Mitchell away from his thoughts, "Why is the choir room door locked?"
Mitchell knew why, but he didn't want to say anything. After all, he had been sworn to secrecy...
Finn approached Mitchell in the school halls yesterday, "Hey, man, any luck with new recuits?"
"There's this kid, Dylan Armstrong," Mitchell replied, "I don't know if he's gonna be in or not, though."
"Cool," Finn nodded, "Listen, I might have found somebody, too. The guys are gonna join up in the choir room tomorrow. Don't tell, Jack, though, okay? We don't want him scaring the new guy off."
"Will do."
"Crap, crap, crap," Mitchell muttered under his breath, frantically searching for an excuse, "Uhh... I don't know, probably the janitor cleaned something up with chemicals or whatever and doesn't want anybody in there."
'Are you for real, Mason? That's the best you can come up with?'
"All the more reason for me to bust out the skeleton key!" Jack declared, turning on his heels, heading straight for the secret stash spot he had hidden his key in the school.
"That ain't good," Mitchell winced before hearing shouting from around the corner. He heard a screech that sounded a lot like Quinn, "What the hell?"
Mitchell turned so fast that he tripped and stumbled down, but that didn't hurt his forward momentum any as he somehow kept going. He nearly collided with Mr. Schuester, who suddenly appeared next to him, and there was Quinn and Santana locking horns in the middle of the hallway.
"QUINN!" Mitchell yelled.
"You god damn bitch!" Santana growled angrily, ready to dig her claws deep, "You really screwed me this time! I know it was you that told Coach Sylvester about my Summer surgery!"
"A surgery is when you have your tonsils or appendix out," Quinn firmly stood her ground, "You didn't have a surgery, Santana. You... Had... A... Boob... Job!"
"Yep," Santana landed a smack right across Quinn's face, igniting a fire inside Mitchell, "Sure did!"
"SANTANA!" he barked loudly, but it wasn't enough to break up the action. And he and Mr. Schuester still had a couple dozen feet before they reached the scene. Made all the more difficult by having to swim through the sea of students that had gathered.
"You can't hit me!" Quinn wasn't fazed by the shot, only made all the more angry.
Santana smiled in a sickening manner, "Oh, sure I can. Unless you got knocked up by Mitchell already. Slut!"
That was the last straw for Quinn, and she lunged at Santana, tackling her into the set of lockers. Not to mention, pulling tightly at her hair. Santana retaliated, though, throwing Quinn down to the hard floor.
"Stop the violence," Brittany's bold statement, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
"HEY!" Mr. Schuester and Mitchell finally arrived, though Mitchell was frozen at this point, "What is this? Get a hold of yourselves! Mitchell, a little help?" Mr. Schue was having trouble keeping the two girls apart.
Mitchell had no idea why, but he found himself unable to act. This was way over his head, but he didn't even know why. Then it dawned on him. It was seeing Quinn in the cheerleader uniform again. It was the thought that maybe he wouldn't be able to keep up with her anymore. Case in point, she had it on for five minutes and had already returned to form.
"She already has a family!" Santana spat, "Remember? She's a mother! Have fun with your used merchandise, Mitchell!'
"Shut up," Mitchell responded quietly as Santana and Brittany made their exit.
"WALK AWAY!" Quinn yelled louder than Mitchell had ever heard her before, "AND DON'T FORGET TO TIGHTEN UP YOUR PONY BEFORE YOU GET TO CLASS!"
"Quinn, that's enough!" Mr. Schuester tried calming her down.
"That bitch!" Quinn growled through gritted teeth.
"Okay, my office, now," Mr. Schue laid down the law.
"Are you serious?" did Quinn hear him right? "Classic! She attacks me and I'm the one in trouble?"
"Trust me, she's in trouble, too," Mr. Schuester explained, "But, I'd feel a lot better if we calmed you down before you start a round two."
"And what about you?" Quinn glared at her supposed boyfriend, "Why didn't you do anything? Too afraid to piss off your ex 'cause you're thinking of going back to her?"
"That's not fair," Mitchell said, taking steps forward, "And this is stupid! You've been in that thing for five minutes and you're already the..." he stopped himself, knowing he just stepped in it deep.
"The what?" Quinn growled again, the fire in her eyes, "The bitch, Mitchell? You know, for all of last year you obsessed over me when I was the poor girl that needed help. And now it's like you're looking for excuses to break-up because I'm finally reclaiming some of the confidence that I lost."
"Okay, you know what?" Mr. Schuester grabbed their hands and lead them away, "What you two need right now is a little guidance."
:::Guidance Office:::
By this point, both of them were angry. They even refused to look at each other as they sat side by side in front of Ms. Pillsbury's desk. Somewhat ironically, the one who started this wasn't there; Santana Lopez. Mr. Schuester had explained the situation and then left, wanting to track down Santana and talk to her in private about acting violently in school.
"Okay," Ms. Pillsbury began, "Who would like to start?"
"This is stupid," Quinn rolled her eyes, arms acrossed.
"At least we agree on something," Mitchell spoke.
"Don't agree with me," Quinn spat.
"Fine!" Mitchell barked, ironically agreeing again.
"All right, all right," if this was going to be sorted out, then some order needed to be restored, "This is the first time I've spoken with either of you this year. But, I have talked with Rachel once, and she said that you two had a great Summer together. That you were practically inseperable?"
They both calmed down a little, fondly remembering the Summer they spent together.
"So, what happened?" Emma asked curiously, "How did you two go from that to this?"
Neither said anything.
"I've been ordered by Mr. Schuester to not let either of you leave until we sort this out."
Quinn sighed, "His self-esteem is too low," she spoke freely, "His confidence, too. At least, when it comes to me. He's under the impression that just because I'm on the Cheerios squad again, that I'm going to leave him."
"Mitchell? Is that true?"
Mitchell's turn to sigh, eyes closing for a moment or two before he began, "This Summer was perfect. The best one of my life. I guess... I didn't want anything to change. And yeah, I'm afraid of losing her. But, who could blame me? I mean... The head cheerleader dating a Glee loser?"
"I'm not concerned with that," Quinn tried to explain, "And, I don't think of him as a loser. Why would I? Just like, why would I stop liking him just because somebody else doesn't like him? That's insane. It's not going to happen, but he has it fixed in his head that it is. He thinks I'm Santana."
"Santana seems to be at the root of this entire thing," Emma commented.
"She is!" the kids exclaimed in unison.
"Wow, okay, that solves that."
"I like you, Mitchell. I like spending time with you. I like being your girlfriend. This uniform isn't going to change that, and neither is Coach Sylvester."
Mitchell hesitated before saying anything in return, "I admit it; The uniform scares me. Just... I hear stories and I remember a little about how you were when you wore it before. And, it's not even that I don't like that girl, because I do. She's the one I fell in love with. It's just... I'm worried that... She won't want to be with me."
Quinn looked at him, leaning forward, gazing right into his eyes, "Trust me, she does."
Emma smiled warmly, feeling happiness in her heart for these two. How funny young love was, right? It could so quickly go from the bottom to the top. In minutes, everything went from horrible to great. And maybe, they remembered why they liked each other in the first place.
If only adults could move through the process so quickly and with such ease.
:::The Auditorium:::
A setback. A minor one, but still a setback. The guy that Finn had brought in, Sam Evans, didn't end up joining, even though he was more than welcome and more than suitable to do so. Making matter worse - at least for Finn - was Sam ending up taking the starting quarterback position for the Titans. So, that was a major downer. Adding even more distress was that Rachel had found a girl to audition, but for whatever reason sent her to a crack house.
"I can't believe you did that," Santana said, "I mean, even for me, that's downright evil."
Quinn and Mitchell glared at Santana from the corner of their eyes.
Jack was practically floating in the air, butterflies and birdies chirping around his head as pink hearts filled his eyes, "That was vindictive, cruel and completely uncalled for. I loved it. Marry me!"
Yeah, Rachel Berry was pretty much in the doghouse with the rest of New Directions - save for Jack - because of it.
Meanwhile, speaking of Mitchell and Quinn, they had settled their recent argument and fell into what they both considered to be the comfortable role of pleasant boyfriend and pleasant girlfriend. They were once again sitting next to each other, holding hands, and enjoying each other's company. Also, sharing a mutual anger and disgust for one Santana Lopez.
Mitchell stood up, ready to address the group, "Okay, so, while we're all here... I want to introduce you to who I'm hoping might be the next member of New Directions. His name's Dylan Armstrong."
"The soccer player?" Kurt cocked a brow.
"He's a boxer, too," Mitchell said, "Which, god knows, could come in handy this year. Anyway," he gestured to the stage, "Take it away, Dylan."
"Hey," Dylan greeted everyone, walking to the centre of the stage where the microphone was awaiting, "Like Mitchell said, I'm Dylan Armstrong."
The girls appeared a bit more interested than the guys. One in particular; Brittany. There seemed a brighter sparkle in her eyes than usual.
"Little nervous," he chuckled, "Okay, I'm going to be singing 'I've Been' from the Broadway musical 'Next To Normal'."
"Standing in this room. Well I wonder what comes now. I know I have to help her, but hell if I know how. All the times that I've been told, the way her illness goes."
"Ugh, here we go," Jack groaned quietly as the boy sang, "He's gonna ruin it, I just know it. Aaron Tveit will roll in his grave!"
"He's not dead," Rachel corrected her friend, "Besides, he doesn't sing lead for this song in Next To Normal, anyway."
"Just wait," Jack replied, "He will be dead once the world catches wind of this travesty in the making."
"You know," Tina had something to say, "This isn't the first time you've been defensive of that actor."
"That's right," Artie followed suit while the new kid kept singing, oblivious to the ramblings going on in the small crowd, "You claimed that Gossip Girl was watchable when he was on it."
Jack played dumb.
"Gossip Girl's lame," Finn rolled his eyes, "Blake Lively is pretty hot, though. Did you hear she's gonna be in the Green Lantern movie?"
He bumped fists with Mitchell, who then found a none too pleased Quinn looking at him, "I just did that so Finn wouldn't be left hanging."
"Riiight."
Dylan tried his best, determined to impress the club, "I've been here, for the show. Every high, every low. But it's the worst we've ever known. She's been hurt, and how. But I can't give up now. 'Cause I've never been alone. I could never be alone."
Once finished, New Directions all applauded for him and joined him on stage. Mr. Schuester was the first to say anything, "Welcome to New Directions!"
"I must say," Rachel spoke up, "On behalf of the Glee Club..."
"The girly half," Puck snickered, warranting stares from Mercedes and Quinn.
"Not now Noah. Ahem, we want to say that that performance was indeed very very good. Occasionally flat, but we'll work on that in time for Sectionals," cue everyone rolling their eyes at Rachel's comments.
Dylan wasn't bothered by it, just laughing and smiling at her words, "Thanks. So, uhh... Introductions? Or should I just use long awkward silences when we talk to each other?"
Everyone laughed.
Santana and Brittany took the intitiative, "Allow us; Artie's the kid in the wheelchair. He's been slumming it ever since Tina," they pointed to the goth, "Dumped him while at Asian Summer Camp to be with McKinley High's only other notable Asian," that was wrong on so many levels, "Mike Chang. Also known as Changster."
"That right there goes by many names. Man-Hands. Hobbit. Rupaul. King of the Drag Queens. But, we're supposed to call her Rachel Berry. The one next to her is essentially the male version of her; Jack Harmon. Or, as we like to call him, Jack Ass. We also prefer Jack Off and You Bastard."
"Weak as ever, Dry Dock!" Jack fired back.
"Okay, okay," Mr. Schuester stepped in, "I'll take care of the rest. Finn Hudson's right there. Then you have Noah 'Puck' Puckerman. You already know Mitchell, and that's his girlfriend, Quinn Fabray. Then we have..."
"Excuse me, Mr. Schuester?" Rachel interrupted, "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You introduced Quinn as Mitchell's girlfriend, yet neglected to inform Dylan that Finn and I are an item."
Mr. Schuester sighed, "Santana, finish us off."
"The obviously gay Kurt Hummel is right there," Santana resumed, "Seriously, we suspect he farts fairy dust. One of these days, I half expect Tinkerbelle to..."
"Brittany, instead!" Mr. Schuester quickly stopped her.
"The pretty girl next to Kurt is Mercedes," she finished, "The end. Now, wasn't that a lovely story? Would you like to hear another?"
Santana nudged Brittany.
Brittany quickly realized her mistake, "Oh, she's Brittany and I'm Santana."
"You mean," Dylan was a little caught off-guard, "You're Brittany and she's Santana?"
"That too."
"Okay," he shook his head of the confusing thought, "Nice to meet you all."
"You too," Brittany spoke again. The two of them then started on a conversation by themselves as everyone gathered their things and started out of the auditorium.
Mitchell and Quinn decided to hang behind, everyone else leaving, "Looks like someone's got a crush."
"Which one?" Quinn responded, "Dylan or Brittany?"
"Maybe I was referring to both?"
"Maybe you weren't, but realized it was a good idea?"
They shared a quick laugh. Then quieted down and met on the stage, arms around each other...
"I'm sorry about how I've been acting," Mitchell apologized, "I shouldn't keep thinking you're about to leave, and I should have stepped in when you and Santana were fighting," he took a deep breath, "I promise, though, I'm not gonna act like that anymore. I'm not gonna waste my time with you on worrying about when it's gonna end."
"I should say sorry, too," Quinn confessed, "I should have said something before I got back in the Cheerios. I shouldn't have taken it so personally when you didn't do anything during the fight, either."
"Wow, we both suck, huh?" Mitchell laughed.
Quinn smirked, leaning up and planting a quick kiss on Mitchell's lips.
GLEE: A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW PART II
I wasn't originally going to post so soon, as I'm in the midst of a ADPOV break, so I'm not sure when chapter two will be posted. But, I figure, since this was already done, I might as well get it out there.
Hopefully it's enjoyable. I did have a couple scenes with Michelle, but they felt a little too out of place, so ended up deleted. She'll be in the next chapter, though, for anyone that may or may not care. I want her to have a bigger role this season, but nothing too big.