DynamiX: The Second Generation of Glee
Disclaimer: So, apparently, I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter. I will now creatively come up with one off the top of my head. Drumroll, please! ...I don't own Glee...
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews for the first chapter! Seriously, they make me better. I want to know what's good and where I'm screwing up. Please keep reading and reviewing! And enjoy Chapter 2!
Chapter 2 – That's What Friends Are For
When Anna Maria entered the building the next day, she knew that she'd have to spend the day dealing with people. And Anna Maria wasn't really a fan of people. With the exception of her circle of friends (and even they often tested her patience), the girl preferred to be left alone. But what with her mom legalizing gay marriage in the state and all…she knew that solitude wasn't gonna happen today.
She'd been socially busy throughout the day: absentmindedly thanking those who congratulated her and surprisingly keeping her cool when the more closed-minded students gave her dirty looks.
After all, she still had detention to serve for cussing out her homeroom teacher. Didn't need anything else on her record. At least…not this early in the year, anyway.
Anna Maria was currently standing outside the entrance of her homeroom class. She prepared herself for the expected onslaught with a deep breath and walked into the room.
"THERE SHE IS! OH MY GOD, ANNA MARIA, CONGRATULATIONS!"
"Julia," the Latina managed to croak as the blonde restricted her air supply with a bone-crushing hug, "you already congratulated me last night."
"I know that silly!" said Julia, letting go. "I was there! Remember? You cried on my—"
"Okay, who's next?" Anna Maria interrupted loudly, cutting Julia off and saving herself from embarrassment.
"Save it, A.M.; we all saw you," Trey said, walking to her, "and we won't hold it against you."
"We won't?" asked Cameron snidely. Steph quickly punched him in the arm.
"Congratulations, Anna Maria," Trey said with a smile, opening his arms for a hug.
"Thanks." The girl actually didn't mind hugging the Asian boy. He was actually pretty tame and decent…as long as his boyfriend Cameron wasn't around.
Steph was next. After their hug, she asked, "So when's the wedding?"
"Don't know. They don't really want a big to-do, but the press is probably gonna be there, so they'll have no choice."
"Think of it this way: you guys could get a reality show!"
"Who'd watch that?" asked Cameron, finally walking to Anna Maria with an unreadable grin.
"Anything else smart to say, Trouty?" asked the Latina.
"Actually, no," he replied, resisting the urge to cover his mouth. "I'm honestly really happy for you guys." She let him hug her, and during so, he whispered, "And the second this hug is over, our temporary truce is over."
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
The hug ended, and the biracial boy promptly called the girl a bitch before going to his seat next to Trey. Finally, it was Cole's turn. He simply hugged her and whispered a soft "Congratulations" into her ear before taking a seat. Cole Hudson was a man of few words, and that was exactly why Anna Maria loved him. He was sweet, often using his few words of the day to defend her honor, even against their friends. Other than her mothers, Cole was the girl's closest friend.
They were all broken from their post-engagement trances by the entrance of their teacher, the two-hundred-year-old Mrs. Hamilton.
"Let's have a seat, students!" she announced. Her eyes then rested on the girl that she had given a week's detention the day before. "Oh, and Anna?"
Cole took her hand and squeezed it before Anna Maria earned herself another week of detention. She looked at the woman with a fake smile. "Yes?" she asked, through gritted teeth.
"I watched the news last night…congratulations."
That was the last thing she expected to hear. She stuttered, "…T-thank you…"
"But the next time you plan to cry on camera, wear waterproof mascara, dear."
"I'm proud of you, honey," said Steph. It was the nearing the end of their lunch period, and the group was seated at their now-usual table. "She went out of her way to burn you, made the entire class laugh, and you only gave her the finger behind your back! You're growing up!"
"Only cause that brother of yours had my other hand," Anna Maria warned. "That bitch was about to get cut." She turned to Cole. "You always have my back, you know?"
"Tha-that's what friends are for, I guess," he responded shyly.
"Um…so…Julia, are you still…trying out for glee?" Steph asked very rapidly and suddenly. Cole could tell that she was purposely trying to change the subject. He noted to call her out on it later.
"Well Stefania," the blonde replied, "while I have accepted the fact that you all choose not to live the impressive legacies left behind by our parents, I still want to become an integral part and prove my worth."
"Honey, all that question took was a 'yes' or a 'no,'" Anna Maria quipped.
Julia rolled her eyes and turned to Cameron. "So do you want to meet up after school? We can get to work then."
"Get to work on what?" asked Trey.
"Uh-school project," Cameron quickly responded, not ready to let his friends know that he was trying out for the glee club in a duet with Julia.
"On the second day of school?" Steph inquired.
"Well, the teacher's Old Lady Hamilton's son, you know? Runs in the family, I guess," he chuckled, a little proud of his quick thinking. Luckily, it wasn't a complete lie; Julia and Cameron's history teacher was, in fact, the son of their homeroom teacher.
Anna Maria scoffed. "Sucks for you!"
The bell rang, and Julia immediately shot out of her seat. "I've got to go to the bathroom. Um…Cameron, just meet me at Hummel-Chang's after school for our…project. See you in class." She left without another word with a smile, but everyone could clearly tell that the Hummel-Anderson girl was faking.
The others stood up, and Trey spoke. "She must be really upset about us not doing glee with her."
None of them noticed Cameron's guilty expression. He knew that it was his fault and no one else's that Julia was so suddenly upset. He merely responded with a soft, "Yeah."
After many successful years on Broadway alongside his husband and best friend, Kurt Hummel-Anderson was in a rut for a short while. After having their children, Blaine and Rachel had gone on to become producers while still performing in the occasional show as special and esteemed guests; Kurt, however, was not content with that. At this time, the second-time pregnant Tina Chang came to Kurt with a business offer, wanting to expand her small, yet successful clothing line. Years later, Hummel-Chang's was one of the Midwest's most popular fashion sites, with its main store located in the heart of Cincinnati.
When Cameron entered the building after school, he maneuvered through the busy crowds and was able to find the co-owner, who had just finished assisting another satisfied customer.
"Hey Uncle Kurt. Is Julia here?"
"Hey Cam! Yeah, she's here. She seemed a little upset when she came in, though. Any idea why?"
"No." The boy answered a little too quickly for Kurt's liking, and the father looked at him sternly. "Okay…I may have upset her a teensy little bit earlier today. But it was so long ago, that it's probably insignificant now, right?"
"Hmm…." Kurt still looked skeptical. "She's upstairs. Don't make me regret having told you that."
"Thanks." Cameron smiled and went through a door marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and took the stairs to the attic, which had been converted into an impressive sewing room slash lounge. Currently, Tina Chang was at a desk sketching a new design, while Julia sat on an old couch looking for songs on her laptop. They both looked up upon seeing Cameron. Julia, however, immediately looked back down.
"Hey Aunt Tina!" A pause. "Jules…"
"Hey Cameron," Tina replied softly. Julia had apparently chosen to ignore him, and Cameron frowned. Tina took the hint that neither teenager had given to her.
"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, getting both of their glances. "I just remembered! Someone's coming to model some new clothes for me, and I have to go outside to meet him. Can you guys chill out up here until I get back?"
But by the time Tina had asked the question, she was already down the stairs.
There had never been a silence more awkward.
Cameron opened his mouth, but Julia beat him to the punch. "I'm surprised you even showed up. Especially considering how disappointed you are in me."
"I am, in no way, disappointed you," Cameron tried to assure her.
"You are disappointed in what I love more than anything other than my dear fathers. Therefore, you are disappointed in me. Although, perhaps 'disappointed' isn't the correct word. Maybe 'ashamed' would suit you better."
"You're right," the boy agreed and Julia huffed angrily. "But not with you! With myself. I'm ashamed of myself."
"We've had this conversation before, Cameron."
"I know—"
"And what happened to 'I guess I'm ready to show who I really am?'" she asked, mocking what he had said the day before.
"I'm sorry, alright," he said tiredly. "Look, if you don't want to help me, then fine. I won't worry about it."
As he turned to leave, Julia called out to him. "Wait…" She went to him. "I'm going to use some of my many years of experience in acting classes to try and understand your position in this."
Cameron fought the urge to roll his eyes before the girl spoke once more. "For years, our friends have preached avidly of their hatred of glee due to the influences of our parents."
"'Hatred' is a little dramatic."
"Well, I'm a little dramatic. Seriously, how long have you known me?"
"True story. Continue."
"My point is that you don't want to be embarrassed, right?" The boy nodded. "And you're afraid that our friends will think less of you if they learn this." She stated this instead of asking, knowing that she was right. When he nodded again, Julia continued, "Well, if they're really your friends, why would they think less of you for this?"
The Evans boy still looked unconvinced, so the girl just kept going. "And besides, why should you worry about what others think, anyway? If they don't like it, screw 'em!"
Cameron was shocked. "That was very un-Julia of you."
"I've been sitting in on Uncle Finn's football talks with Grandpa Burt to enhance my scale of the American psyche. It'll be beneficial for my new screenplay, Rocky Hunter: Female Quarterback."
For the first time in the conversation, Cameron smiled. Albeit, it was small, but a smile nonetheless.
"I mean, look at me!" Julia added. "You guys may joke with me because I'm a little dramatic, and I ever so slightly worship Aunt Rachel. But at the end of the day, we're still friends. They may mess with you for a while, but they won't disown you.
"You know," Cameron began, "I really don't deserve your pep talk. You should be furious at me. You should be yelling at me and kicking and spitting on me."
"Don't worry. I will in our song."
Cameron paled, so Julia decided to appease him. "Relax, silly! The kicking will be merely theatrical!"
"And the spitting?"
"All real. Like you said, you deserve it."
She gave a wide, cheesy grin, and the boy couldn't help but smile back. At this point, they heard a loud voice from the stairs.
"WELL, TREY! HERE WE COME BACK UP THE STAIRS RIGHT NOW!"
"Mom, why are you yelling?"
The door opened slowly and Tina poked her head back in. Seeing the two children smiling, she sighed with relief and entered. Behind her, holding so many outfits that he could barely see where he was going, was Trey.
"Dude, what are you doing here?" asked Cameron.
"Yeah, Aunt Tina. I thought you were going to get your clothes model."
Tina forwarded to her son. "This is my clothes model!"
Julia frowned. "But…the major clientele of Hummel-Chang's primarily consists of women and gay men…"
"This is what happens when you delete your mother's Young and the Restless episodes to make room for highlights from the World Cup," Trey grumbled. "And I will pay each of you twenty dollars to not take pictures."
"Not gonna happen." Cameron's phone was already out.
"Fifty."
"You know," said Julia, "they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think a thousand dollars is also equivalent."
"Each!" Cameron added.
"Come on, honey," Tina said to her son. "Let's get started."
Trey looked at his mother, eyes begging her not to make him do this. She returned his look with an evil glare of her own.
"Oh dear God, it's her Asian vampire look; Jules, get me into this sequined top!"
It was a few days later. The day of the glee club auditions to be specific. The school day had just ended, and Trey Chang was walking down the hallway when a familiar voice stopped him.
"Hey Trey, wait up!"
The Asian looked behind him and saw Steph. "Oh, hey!"
"Listen." They continued walking as she spoke. "Could you give me a ride home, today? I just found out that Cole needs to stay after school today."
"Yeah, that's no problem," he replied. "He didn't mention anything at lunch. Why does he need to stay?"
"All he would tell me was that 'Anna Maria needed moral support.'"
Trey smirked, and Steph immediately stopped him. "No way. Don't even go there. That is NOT gonna happen, Trina."
"I will never live that down, will I?" Trey asked darkly.
"Nope; I still have the pictures on my phone, iPad, and computer."
"Damn."
"So, speaking of moral support," started the brunette, "I was thinking that we could swing by the glee tryouts—"
Trey's loud groan interrupted her. "Why?" he whined. "I. Hate. Glee."
"Yeah, me too. But we should go support Julia…and Cameron!"
"Whose sudden interest in glee is completely confusing to me, by the way."
"Maybe he's always liked the arts?"
"No way. Cam's always been as vocal with his glee-hate as me. I bet it's Julia. She must have corrupted him with that speech she gave on the first day! I knew she was evil!"
Steph smiled dryly. "Well, whatever the reason, they're both trying out, and we should support them."
"Fine…"
At this point, they were outside of the auditorium. Upon entering, they noticed the eight to ten people prepared to audition. They were also shocked to find…
"Cole?"
"A.M.?"
"Crap."
"Hey guys." Cole waved shyly as Trey and his sister approached their seats.
"Moral support, huh?" Steph grinned.
"What are you guys doing here?" asked Trey.
Cole responded for the pair. "Anna Maria is trying out, and I'm her cheering section."
"Is that true?" Steph asked. The Latina rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Why are you keeping it a secret?" inquired Trey.
"Honestly, I wanted to do this from the beginning; my moms made it sound fun, and I love to sing," Anna Maria told them. "But I just couldn't deal with Rachel Berry, Jr. finding out and getting all up in my face about it."
"WHERE IS SHE? WHERE IS SHE? WHERE IS SHE?"
"Crap."
Though her voice beat her, Julia soon ran into the choir room, Cameron struggling to keep up. The blonde soon pulled the Latina into an unwilling hug.
"OH MY GOD! I just checked the sign-up sheet one more time, and OH MY GOD! Anna Maria, I just KNEW I could convince you!"
"Get…off of me…you hobbit…"
"Jules, you might wanna back off," Cole warned her. Reluctantly, Julia pulled away as Cole placed a hand on Anna Maria's shoulder to relax her.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's get this party started!"
Everyone in the room turned to the stage where a blonde woman in her twenties stood with an enthusiastic smile.
"I'm Beth Corcoran, and I welcome you to the tryouts for Vocal DynamiX!"
Cheering and applause erupted for a few seconds, and soon Beth had control once more.
"Let's get the auditions underway! First up," Beth paused to check her clipboard, "is Anna Maria Lopez-Pierce!"
There was applause for the Latina as she made her way to the stage. Julia, however, was confused.
"Wait…I signed up before she did. Why does she get to go first?"
"She got another detention, so Ms. Corcoran's letting her sing now so she can get to it," Cole answered.
"What'd she do now?" Trey asked.
"They caught her sneaking out of the cafeteria during class. No one could prove anything, but…just don't eat the chili tomorrow," he responded morbidly.
They all grimaced, but they soon shifted their focus when the on-stage pianist started to play.
ANNA MARIA:
Some people live for the fortune.
Some people live just for the fame.
Some people live for the power, yeah.
And some people live just to play the game.
Some people think that the physical things
Define what's within, and I've
Been there before. But that life's a bore,
So full of the superficial.
Some people want it all. But I don't want nothing at all!
If it ain't you, baby. If I ain't got you, baby.
Some people want diamond rings. Some just want everything.
But everything means nothing if I ain't got you! Yeah!
Across the room, there were smiles at the girl's raw passion. Anna Maria had a combination of raspy soul with powerful conviction that could send chills up people's spines.
Trey was stunned that none of them ever knew how good of a singer she was.
Cameron, despite his mock hatred of the girl, had to admit that even Alicia Keys would be impressed.
Julia was already planning their many, many duets.
Cole was just proud, but not surprised. While he had never heard her sing, he knew that she had it in her.
Steph was worried. Everyone else focused on the girl's voice, but Steph was looking into her eyes. And the Latina's eyes here staring right into Cole's. Poor, oblivious Cole. This was not good.
After a second verse and a repeat of the chorus with even more power, the girl softly repeated the final lines of the song as the piano played the final chords. Needless to say, the girl got a standing ovation. She smiled gratefully as Beth Corcoran returned to the stage from her front row seat.
"Thank you, Anna Maria! That was remarkable."
"Thanks, but I've got to go…" She pointed subtly to the door, silently reminding Beth of the detention session that she was late for.
"Of course! Results will be up in a week. Thanks for trying out!"
On her way out, the girl paused at her friends. "Thanks for coming, Cole." She left.
Julia scoffed. "Not even a 'good luck?' The girl won't last five minutes!"
"It kinda seemed like she had something else on her mind, Jules," Cameron responded. "I'm sure she didn't mean it personally…probably…"
"Like what?"
"Dunno. Maybe plotting other ways to poison the student body?"
Steph turned to her brother, ignoring the others. "What did you think of her performance?" she asked curiously.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from her," he replied with a smile. "She may not really show it front of the rest of you, but when A.M. is passionate about something, she'll go the distance. She's awesome like that."
"Just…be careful…"
"How do you mean?"
Beth's voice on-stage interrupted her. "Next up…is a duet from Julia Hummel-Anderson and Cameron Evans!"
There was applause as Julia squealed happily, making her way to the stage with her singing partner. She gave the pianist her sheet music, then stood on one side of the stage with Cameron on the other end. The piano player gave an introductory chord, and then:
J: (spoken) Anything you can do, I could do better.
C: HA!
J: (singing) I can do anything better than you!
C: No you can't.
J: Yes I can.
C: No you can't.
J: Yes I can.
C: No you can't.
J: Yes I can. Yes I can!
(They begin to walk towards each other rhythmically as they continue.)
C: Anything you could be, I can be greater! Sooner or later, I'm greater than you!
J: No you're not.
C: Yes I am.
J: No you're not.
C: Yes I am.
J: No you're not.
C: Yes I am. Yes I am! I can shoot a partridge with a single cartridge.
J: I can get a sparrow with a bow and arrow!
C: I can live on bread and cheese!
J: (spoken) And only on that?
C: (spoken) Yup!
J: (spoken) So can a rat!
C: Any note you can sing, I can sing higher!
J: I can sing any note higher than you!
C: (higher) No you can't!
J: (higher) Yes I can!
C: (higher) No you can't!
J: (higher) Yes I can!
C: (higher) No you can't!
J: (higher) Yes I can!
C: (higher) No you can't!
(Dramatic pause.)
J: (even higher) YES I…CAN!
C: (spoken) How do you sing so high?
J: (spoken) I'm a GIRL!
(Overdone eye roll by Cameron that makes the audience laugh and Julia inwardly beam, but outwardly glare…because, of course, she would never break character.)
As the pair continued through the next few verses, the entire room was quite impressed. Especially Beth Corcoran. Sure, their voices were great and the boy, she noted, was very light on his feet, but what impressed the director was their perfectly combative chemistry. The way they played off each other was remarkable, and as all of the previous glee club members had either graduated or quit (due to it being Beth's first year at the school), she was looking for fresh new faces to properly represent what the club stoo—Did she just spit on him?
"Did she just spit on him?" Steph whispered to Trey.
"He made her mad, and she put it in the song as punishment. Long story."
Eventually, the duo finished with Julia holding out a long note as Cameron fluidly danced around her. Another standing ovation.
Cameron spoke through his gritted smile. "Did you really have to spit? I thought you were just gonna stage it."
"Changed my mind midway through the song," she replied through her own smile. "Good job keeping up with the change. You have potential."
Instead of rolling his eyes at her, Cameron's forced smile turned into a genuine one. The girl was crazy, but…there was just something about her.
A few days later, Anna Maria was standing at the bulletin board right when school got out. Steph walked up and joined her.
"Hey, what are you staring at?" she asked. The Lopez-Pierce girl pointed to the board silently.
Steph's eyes followed her gaze and landed on a sheet with the heading, "BUCHANAN HIGH'S VOCAL DYNAMIX OFFICIAL ROSTER: Please see Ms. Corcoran for further details before the end of the week." Further down the paper, she saw "Cameron Evans," "Julia Hummel-Anderson," and "Anna Maria Lopez-Pierce" among other names.
"Congratulations!"
"Thanks," she replied with a smile. "I couldn't have done it without your brother, actually. I was a little nervous about the audition, and he really calmed me down. Where is he anyway?"
"He got sick from the sloppy joes at lunch and went home. I'm getting a ride with Trey."
Anna Maria whispered to herself. "I knew they just recycled old chili to make those things!"
"What?"
"Nothing."
While she could have tackled her friend's latest potential lawsuit, Steph decided against it and turned to her previous topic as they left the board. "So…about my brother…"
"Yeah?"
"Well, you know we're really close. And…I'm very protective of him."
"Yeah…" Anna Maria had no idea where the brunette was going with this.
"All I'm saying is…I know him a little better than you do, and…I don't think he's really ready for a relationship right now."
Anna Maria stopped dead in her tracks. "Who said anything about a relationship with Cole?"
"You did. Well, you sang it, actually."
Not even the distant elated screams of Julia Hummel-Anderson learning that she made the glee club could cut the tension between the girls.
"Look here, Hudson," she began threateningly, "what happens or doesn't happen between me and your brother is not of any concern to you, so back off."
"All I'm saying is that…you're not exactly his type."
"And what's that supposed to mean? Suddenly, I'm not good enough? What the hell!"
"Anna—"
"I'd expect this from Trouty, but not you. I really thought we were better than that!"
"We are!" Steph desperately stated. This was going about as badly as she had expected…but it was better than the potential alternative. "Just, don't get your hopes up. Feelings could really get hurt here! I'm really just trying to help you both!"
"Want to help?" the Latina replied. "Mind your own damn business!"
The girl stormed out in a huff, leaving Steph with only one thought:
"This will not end well."
That's a wrap for Chapter 2! Couldn't keep things happy forever! Please let me know what you think!
FEATURED SONGS:
"If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys
"Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" from the musical, Annie Get Your Gun
In the Next Chapter: Anna Maria continues to pursue her crush on Cole, and Steph and Trey bond after he learns a secret about Cameron.