THE NEW YEAR CHAPTER 1
It was the start of the new school year. So much had changed before now that not everybody had been able to adjust very well. Among these unsettled individuals was Will Schuester, who was currently roaming the halls looking for a place to post the glee club signup sheet. He passed by numerous students and faculty members, ignoring most of them.
Only when he took the occasional sideways glance at the students was he reminded of those members of the club that had graduated not too long ago. He thought about how much they had gone through together as a practical family, and how much he was going to miss them. Will was especially going to miss Rachel, Finn, Quinn, Kurt, Mercedes, and Puck, and knew he would miss Santana, Lauren, and Mike just as much. They all had a hand in making the club successful and changing their lives as well as those who still remained.
Will finally reached an open spot on a wall and posted the sheet, stepping back to examine it. He couldn't help but remember all the good times he had with the club, all the melodic voices and impeccable dance moves, all the drama, heartbreak, laughs, loves, and overall happiness that came from those who have left and those who remained, and couldn't shake the feeling of sadness that he may never see them again. He was so deep in thought that he didn't see Sue beside him.
"Hey, buddy, hoping for new recruits?"
"Yeah, I just posted it."
"Well, remember, I'm trying to make your dream a reality so that mine will come as well."
"You have two dreams, Sue: coaching the Cheerios on your own, and raising a child."
At this, Sue placed a hand gently on her baby bump.
"You have eight members left, Will. Have them bring in new people on their own. I'm willing to help any way I can."
"Thanks, Sue. And you can let me know if you need any help and stuff."
"Right on, Will. By the way, I'm going to go try and find some Rogaine for you. Your hair still looks like it's been rubbed in slug slime."
Before he could retort, she had disappeared into the crowd. He shook his head and headed off to teach History.
THE NEW YEAR CHAPTER 2
An hour and a half passed, though Will paid it no attention as he had been spending most of it talking about the Civil War. He passed by the signup sheet, and was surprised to see that no one had still signed up. He sighed heavily and saw Emma in her office. Just seeing her lifted his spirits and he knocked on the door.
Emma looked up and smiled.
"Hi, honey."
"Hey, how are you doing?"
"I'm okay, how are you?"
"Can't complain. What's been going on?"
"I just got these new pamphlets in, though they're nothing really spectacular."
Will looked at the pamphlets and saw "New Beginnings Are A Good Thing".
"So, um, any luck getting anyone to sign up?"
"No, unfortunately. I'm going to assign the kids to bring in potential new members later on."
"Hmm, anything I can do to help?"
"Well, if you can find anyone who is interested, that'd be great."
"I can certainly try."
Will smiled warmly, leaned forward, and kissed her.
THE NEW YEAR CHAPTER 3
Will walked into the choir room and saw Artie, Tina, Brittany, Blaine, Sam, Rory, Sugar, and Joe waiting for him. He managed to work up a smile and motioned for them to take a seat.
"All right guys, now I know that we've said goodbye to nine of our friends last year, but I have a strong feeling that we'll be making new friends real soon."
"Mr. Schue, while that's really great, it's not going to be the same. This room feels different without them", said Sam sadly.
"Well, we all knew that day would come. We can't stay in high school forever", said Will, trying hard to mask his sadness.
"We'll be able to adjust, but it will take time", said Blaine, trying to keep up the optimism, but everyone could tell that he was already missing Kurt a great deal.
"And it's doesn't feel like we can do much without Finn, Rachel, Kurt, and Mercedes. I even miss Puck and Quinn", said Artie. Joe seemed to drop his head slightly at the mention of Quinn's name.
"And I don't think I can make it through a performance without Mike around", said Tina.
"Even Santana and Lauren were fun to perform with", said Sam.
"Guys, come on! Let's try to keep our spirits up. Now, there are eight of you left, and we need twelve or more members to qualify for show choir competitions. So, I'm going to assign each of you to go out and find someone with any artistic ability and see if you can convince them to come in and audition. If they can sing, dance, draw, paint, even pull off incredible feats, your assignment for the week is to get them to come in and let us know that they've got the goods."
"I agree that that's a good idea, Mr. Schue, but we're only beginning to climb out of the social heap. It could take us a while before we can even get anyone to listen", said Tina.
"Not to worry, because Emma and Sue have also volunteered to help out. But this is something that I know you can do. Think of it this way, we are going to Nationals in Hollywood, one of the many cities in the United States notorious for its glamour and incredible music reputation. People are sure to listen if this comes up. Oh, one other thing: Finn and Rachel were elected as co-captains. This year, I'm giving this honor to Artie and Tina, as you two are the longest-running male and female members now in your Senior year. Congratulations, guys. Let's give them a big round of applause."
The others did so, and Artie and Tina exchanged happy glances.
"All right, guys, you heard Mr. Schue, let's go out and make some new friends", said Artie confidently, and they left as the bell rang.
