Summary: It's Tuesday, May 19, 2009. For Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson, their freshman year is coming to a close. None of who would soon become the first members of New Directions even knew each other existed. Before summer vacation starts, we'll see where the first twelve members of New Directions are starting off before they start the 2009-2010 school year. Also, as a classification, I've put down Matt Rutherford as an incoming freshman (8th grader in this chapter) since he looked very young in the first thirteen episodes. His grade has never been mentioned.

Choir 1.

As a middle-schooler, Rachel always knew that she would pursue musical classes as often as possible throughout high school. Freshman year was no different.

'I was born to be a star. Apart from the usual freshman core classes like English 9, Algebra 1, US Government, Physical Science, PE, and an Introduction to High School seminar course, I took no hesitation to register for Choir in my freshman year. I have two gay dads, and they've totally supported me throughout all of my performing, musical, and dramatic endeavors. While registering for my freshman year they suggested that I take a foundational class like Piano, but my reasoning was simple: vocal performance! I'm already a classically trained piano player. I started tapping away at the keys to 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' when I was just ten months old. I got first place honors in my first recital when I was three. Wasting a year in piano would be such a waste of my talent! What I need now more than ever is voice training, even though I've had plenty of that in the past, too!

'See, getting to Broadway isn't necessarily just something you can say that THAT'S what you want to be when you grow up. It's a competitive industry, with thousands of kids and adults pursuing the field, but only hundreds being offered jobs. So, I need to get started as young as possible if I have any shot of making it. Choir is easily going to be my way into an amazing school for musical theater. In addition I've browsed the language selections that McKinley High had to offer, and I decided to try my hand at the language of German. Ugh, I totally regret that decision. I just can't get the dialect right and I don't have much of a passion for the German language or culture to begin with, and it's not just because I'm Jewish and my people suffered through the Holocaust. Next year, I'll be selecting a language that may prove more beneficial to my Broadway dreams, and that would be the elegant language of French.

'However, my only obstacle is the miserable excuse for a music teacher at this school: Mr. Sandy Ryerson. Honestly, while he is an amazing piano player and a great vocal coach, I'm afraid that I'm going to need a step-up if I'm ever going to get out of his insignificant town that I've had to call 'home' for the past fourteen years.

'I was smart. I sensed that Mr. Ryerson's mediocre education ways would pull no strings in college admissions boards. I instantly started involving myself in many things. I've been a JCC Tap Dance teacher for a year now. Believe it or not, I won my first dance competitions when I was just three months old. I've also just started volunteering my services as a Human Society dog walker since the New Year started. Giving back to man's best friend is so important. I'm also attempting to become a camp counselor for a camp for adopted children. Unfortunately you have to be fifteen years old to get the job, so looks like I'll have to wait for a year.

'Today is my final vocal performance for choir and I'm obviously about to try my hand at a Broadway classic.'

"Ms. Berry, what will you be singing for us today?" Sandy asked from the front of the room.

Rachel grinned like a fool and got up out of her seat and planted herself at the piano. "Today I will be singing "Castle on a Cloud" from the musical Les Miserables," she said confidently, beginning to tap away at the piano.

The song went well and Mr. Ryerson gave her extra credit for playing the background music by herself, with absolutely no help or advice from anyone. She, of course, finished the course with a 99.5% A. She would have gotten a 100% if it weren't for her midterm when her High E faltered to a High D-sharp. Damn puberty. Rachel was still a strong Mezzo-Soprano, though. The only real competition in her class was another freshman with a vocal range that was, to Rachel's fear, just a bit higher.

She was Mercedes Jones. She was the diva of the year. She didn't have a lot of friends. Her older brother was a senior at the school and he had just gotten a basketball scholarship for UCLA, so that was where he was headed in the coming Fall. Mercedes had always been in his shadow. He was skinnier and better-looking, with a much better attitude with an enormous boost of popularity. That was what drove Mercedes nuts, and probably the reason for her constant sass.

After checking up on her final Choir grade online, and seeing that it was a 98.5, Mercedes angrily burst into Mr. Ryerson's room at lunch the next day. He appeared to have been smoking. As soon as Mercedes wrenched open the door, she smelled the smoke and saw a piece of paper burning away in the trash can.

"Ms. Jones, how may I help you?" Sandy asked.

"You may help me by explaining why my rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" only earned a 98.5? I hear Rachel Berry got a 110. Where's the fairness in that?" Mercedes barked.

Sandy widened his eyes. "Well, according to my grading rubric—"

Mercedes snatched the rubric and tossed it in the garbage bin, where it began to glow with orange embers from the cigarette-infected garbage within. "I don't care about that damn rubric. I hit every note spot-on, my cover was creative, and I was easily the fan favorite of the class."

Sandy stood up, picked up a water bottle, unscrewed the lid, and moved up to Mercedes. She stood tall and rigid and refused to back down. Expected to be soaked from head to toe, Sandy rather just poured the contents of the water bottle into the garbage can and extinguished the mild smoldering trash. "I'll give you a 100, if the secret of what's in this trash can remains between us," he said, giving the zipped lips motion.

Mercedes grinned. "Deal," she said with satisfactory sass. She walked outside turned the corner, only to witness a boy outside hit with six large cups of slushy. Cherry, orange, lemon, green apple, blueberry, and grape.

"Good afternoon, fag!" Karofsky exclaimed.

"See you at the dumpsters tomorrow. 7:30 sharp!" Puck said threateningly.

"Hope you rep your rainbow-ness hard in sixth period!" Azimio hollered as the trio of football boys turned the corner.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm fine," Kurt said, brushing the slushy out of his eyes. "Get me to the ladies' room ASAP!" he exclaimed, feeling his way towards the bathroom. Mercedes nodded and obliged, giving Kurt a push towards the girls' bathroom where he planned to clean up. Upon entering the room, three girls from the cheerleading squad squealed with disgust.

"Oh my god, this is the ladies' room!" Quinn exclaimed furiously.

"He needs to clean himself off," Mercedes said pleadingly.

"Uh, no, get the hell out," Santana said sassily, holding her tube of lipstick in her finger like a little dagger.

"I don't get it… Is that a girl or a boy? Did they invent a goy or a birl?" Brittany asked.

"Ugh, let's go," Quinn said, slinging her purse over her shoulder and stomping out of the bathroom, closely followed by the two other members of her Unholy Trinity.

"Sorry about them," Mercedes said, sitting Kurt down in front of a clean sink and starting to run the water.

"Oh, don't mind them. In ten years they'll be the housekeepers at the hotel I'm staying at while I tour around the country on a musical theater tour," Kurt said, assuring the health of his nails.

"Wow, you have some big dreams," Mercedes said, starting to soak Kurt's hair to get the slushy dye out. "I wish I could be that confident in myself."

"Who says I'm confident?" Kurt asked. "I know that I probably will never be on Broadway. Too much competition. But fashion. I wouldn't mind that as a backup plan," he said, staring Mercedes down from head to toe. "Okay, girl, unless you WANT people noticing your lower legs, don't be wearing yellow-and-purple-striped socks. Try orange and purple instead. Less noticeable that way." An awkward silence followed. "I'm Kurt, by the way. Kurt Hummel."

Mercedes smiled and admired how cute this boy was. And hey, he seemed like he wanted to be famous too! They could be perfect together… And he gave really good fashion advice, too. At least if they were going out, Mercedes was confident that he wouldn't be the type of boyfriend to not notice the new clothing trends or hairstyles she tried.

The door opened and a frilly little Asian girl stumbled in. "I-I-I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered. "Is… Is this the girl's or boy's bathroom?" she asked.

"Girls'," Mercedes and Kurt said together.

"O-o-oh…" she stammered. "Um… I-I-I'm h-here with the th-the 8th grade t-tour group and I-I-I was just woller—I mean, wondering where the c-cafeteria was? We're s-s-supposed to meet there," she said.

"Go down the hall and take a right," Kurt said. "You can't miss it."

"Th-thanks!" she exclaimed, hurtling out the door.

She did find her way to the cafeteria and joined the rest of the 8th graders in the cafeteria. She arrived just in time to see the principal walking towards the podium and began speaking to the class.

"Good afternoon to the Class of 2013," Figgins said grimly. "We hope that you had a great day touring our campus, and we hope that you are all eager to begin your freshman year of high school. At this time, I would like to call up the school counselor, Miss Emma Pillsbury, up to the podium."

A little boy in a wheelchair sitting next to Tina clapped his hands very energetically.

"Good afternoon, students!" Emma said excitedly, after spending ten seconds wiping down the tip of the microphone. "Again, I hope that you had a fantastic day touring around campus. Every year, it's a tradition that some freshmen speak to the incoming class so as to make you all feel a little more comfortable about where you are headed. So, I'd like to call up one of the highest-ranking students of the Freshman Class of 2012, Mister Mike Chang!"

A handsome Asian boy grinned and stood at the podium. "Thank you very much, Ms. Pillsbury," Mike said graciously. "So, high school! Either you're super nervous about it, or you're super excited about it. First thing that I want to say is that once you enter these halls on the first day of school, just get involved! There's so much to do around school and keeping yourself busy will help you keep focused and stay on track with your schoolwork. The work here is average, but I'd definitely encourage you all to challenge yourselves by taking as many honors classes that you can, and even work your way up to AP classes in your junior year. And definitely don't be afraid to broaden your horizons. Who knows? You might find a new interest. Coming into high school, I knew that I would be joining the football team and the dance club. But I also took every honors class there is, and I joined the scholastic decathlon team! So whatever your strong suits might be, just don't be afraid to try new things. That's sort of the best part about high school, is that you get to learn more about yourself, while you express yourself. So that's pretty much all I have to say. Just be very excited for Homecoming, have a lot of school pride, and obviously, follow all the rules. So, have a good summer, and I hope to see you all next year!"

The 8th graders and teachers in presence all applauded.

"That was very interesting!" Artie whispered to Tina. "It was nice to see an athletic boy who's also very smart, too! Do you think they'll have openings on the scholastic decathlon team?"

Tina shrugged. "I think so! I wouldn't mind joining that team, either. But I just really want to join the Glee Club!"

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm totally pumped for football season!" said the tall boy behind them, Matt Rutherford.

Matt eagerly went with the next tour group to the athletic facilities, especially the football field.

"SHUT UP!" Sue exclaimed from the floor of the football field. All of the 8th graders quieted down immediately. "So since I'm under obligation to give you guys a good show, I'd like to bring out my JV cheerleading squad! My varsity team just came home from a fifth consecutive National Championship, so they're resting up for next season. FABRAY! LOPEZ! PIERCE! KICK IT!"

The Unholy Trinity led the Junior Varsity Cheerios out on stage and began working it to their latest routine. Artie, who had to sit on the running track, since he was unable to climb the stands, was grooving out in his chair next to Matt Rutherford, who was eager to start the football orientation. Once the Cheerios finished, all of the 8th graders clapped enthusiastically.

Sue raised her megaphone to her lips. "SLOPPY FREAKSHOW BABIES!" she exclaimed. The Cheerios disassembled their three pyramids and retreated to the locker rooms. Sue turned towards the 8th graders, of which there were many girls eager to try out. "TRYOUTS FOR THE JV SQUAD ARE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!"

Several girls squealed with excitement.

"I want to be cheerleader!" shouted young Becky Faye Jackson.

"Ooh, I want to HAVE one of those cheerleaders!" Jacob Ben Israel whined, attempting to hold his urges within.

Sue turned on her heel and tossed her megaphone ferociously into the chest of the next figure, Coach Ken Tanaka.

"Hello, boys and girls!" Ken called. "So a lot of you might be planning to join in on some sports next year, and that's fantastic. Sports look great on college applications. It teaches you teamwork, responsibility, focus, and time management. Now I know that a lot of you boys are seriously considering the football team. I have two of my star JV boys here today to talk to you guys a bit. Tryouts for the varsity team are this weekend. Don't count on getting in. In all my years of coaching this team, I've only accepted seven freshmen onto the Varsity team! PUCKERMAN! HUDSON! GO!"

"'Sup everyone!" Puck called with a sexy grin. The same girls fawning over becoming Cheerios swooned.

"So, raise your hand if you plan to join football next year!" Finn called. About fourteen boys raised their hands.

"And how many of you want to try out for the Varsity Team?" Finn asked.

Only Matt raised his hand.

"Go for it, dude," Puck said. "Because you know that Finn and I here are two of those seven that Coach Tanaka mentioned? We got this."

"Totally," Finn said with a grin. "And you know," he announced to the rest of the 8th graders. "Every sport is a great option, whether it be volleyball, cheerleading, soccer, baseball, tennis, or even swimming!"

"Yep. Like our buddy Mike Chang said, don't be afraid to get involved. And to all of you football boys. We'll see you on the field!" Puck exclaimed.

"And you," Finn said to Matt. "If you do make the varsity team, be sure to join us for summer conditioning!"

"I will," Matt said with much gratitude.

The whistle sounded from Coach Tanaka, signaling for the freshmen to board the buses back to their middle school. Finn and Puck headed back into the hallway.

"Finn! Ready for History?" his friends called.

"Yeah, wait up!" Finn said, catching up to them. Together, emblazoned in their red football jackets, marched through the halls of McKinley High like a royal court. All of those with lesser social status pretty much parted like the Red Sea, as Finn's girlfriend Quinn likened it to.

"So, how's it going with Quinn?" one of his friends asked.

"Pretty awesome," Finn said. "Yeah, we're going to the movies tonight. I just can't wait for the day when we both get our licenses. I'm getting mine in July!"

"Aw man, I'm so jealous!" another friend exclaimed.

Finn nodded and looked forward as they approached their classroom, as Finn made eye contact with a short but pretty girl passing the hall in the other direction. Finn didn't think anything at first, but in hindsight, something about her was just… so attractive that it was hard to look away. Finn looked back at her, right at the same second that she looked away. Hm… Well, he couldn't possibly be falling for her. He was with Quinn.

"Guys, get to class, you're late!" Mr. Scheuster called out to the football guys. Finn regained his focus and he and his friends jogged their way back to their class, as Will jogged his own way back to his Spanish Class. Will shut the door behind him and went up to the board. "Alright class! Here's one translation to get us in the mood for the day. Tenga un buen verano!"

"Have a good summer!" the class responded, erupting in tumultuous cheers.

And that's it for the Prologue! Hope you caught on to the little allusion of Finn and Rachel's scene in "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" from Season 3, Episode 10 "Yes/No."