CHAPTER 3

Emma and Will entered Principal Figgins's office to find him, Sue, and Roz Washington waiting for them. There was another man in the room, and Will and Emma took quick note of him. He was a hair taller than Figgins and somewhat well-built, but had a small potbelly, light brown hair, and a jawline that rivaled John Cena.

"Have a seat, both of you", said Figgins, and Will and Emma did as they were told.

"Will, Emma, I'd like you to meet Lawrence Cooper, an old, shall we say friend, of our dear old Principal Figgins", said Sue.

"Mr. Cooper here is the father of the captain of the hockey team, Scott Cooper", said Roz.

Will and Emma hesitantly shook hands with Lawrence, who had an unsurprisingly strong handshake.

"Ms. Sylvester and Ms. Washington have informed me that things have taken somewhat of a downward spiral in this school in terms of authority and responsibility."

"Well, I can assure you, nothing wrong is happening", said Mr. Schuester.

"Oh, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about Figgins here. It seems to me that the way he operates tends to form a rather questionable environment, particularly where money is concerned."

"Lawrence and I are old high school enemies. He's been after my job ever since I got it", said Figgins.

"Oh, come on, Figgins, you can't deny that my authority pretty much supersedes yours."

"Wait, hold on, why exactly are you here?" asked Emma.

"It turns out that Figgins's time as principal of this school is up. He's been given a generous offer by the Ohio State Board of Education, of which I am a member, to take the position of superintendent of a school system in New Jersey", said Sue.

"Principal Figgins, you can't possibly believe that that job is what you really want", said Will.

"Believe me, William, the last thing I want to do is leave this school in the hands of a tyrannical, unscrupulous, imbecilic, selfish brute."

"Is that the best you can do, Figgins? I distinctly remember giving you far more appropriate names when we went to school together."

"Most of which were extraordinarily racist!"

"Okay, before you two get down and dirty, let's cut to the matter at hand. Will, Emma, spread the word, Figgins is no longer the principal of this school. Roz and I agreed early on that his ways will inevitably lead to the school's destruction and ultimate downfall, so we went to the only person within walking distance who stands a chance of keeping this school on its feet", said Sue.

"We presented our case reasonably, and we got a lot of agreements", said Roz.

"I have already given my week's notice. My final day is Monday", said Figgins.

"And don't worry, the school will be in good hands", said Lawrence.

Will and Emma exchanged worried looks, considering that Lawrence was not to be trusted.

INTERLUDE

The next day went by very slowly for Tina. She still wasn't able to cope with being pregnant, and had to hide it from everyone. She understood how hard it was for Quinn and how being pregnant had changed her life for the better.

While she was able to pay attention in class, her mind couldn't help but wander back to how much was going change for her. Tina was going to have to explain why she would need copious amounts of food and a lot of rest. However, she did not want to slack on her studies or become a roadblock for the Glee Club. Even as she walked out of her third period class, she kept thinking about how this would affect Mike as well. She knew that he promised to be there for her and help out any way he could, but on some level, she didn't want him to. She wanted only what was best for him, and being a father at such a young age was not going to help him.

She was so deep in thought that she ran into Emily while rounding a corner.

"Sorry, Emily, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. So, what's going on?"

Emily looked over Tina's shoulder at Alexander, who was putting stuff into his locker.

"I think it's about time you tell him how you feel."

"I r-r-really don't know. Every time I see him, I just clam up and just can't get any w-w-words out."

"I used to feel that way. But once you start to talk to him, it gets easier."

"I guess so. How come you look so flushed?"

"Oh, I've just had a long day."

"Wait, Tina, um, my aunt's had two kids recently, so I can tell if someone's pregnant. Are you pregnant?"

Tina pulled her aside, having noticed that several people had looked in their direction.

"You know when Mr. Schuester said that you need to speak up? Now is not the time."

"Sorry, but are you pregnant?"

"Yes, but I haven't told anyone else, so please keep it a secret."

"Okay, yeah, I promise."

"Thank you."

"And congratulations. You can let me know if you need help with anything and stuff."

"Thanks again. Now, let's get you talking to Alex over there. Come on."

With Emily protesting with every step, Tina pulled her in Alexander's direction.

"Go for it, or it'll never happen."

"What are you talking about? What am I supposed to say to him?"

"Ask him about his life, his interests, his disinterests, that kind of stuff. He'll respond with the mutual questions about you, and you guys will have a conversation. Quick, go, before he leaves."

Tina then pushed Emily in Alexander's direction, which he quickly noticed.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Well, Emily here just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

Emily shook her head nervously, but Tina gave her an encouragement sign and left. Emily turned to face Alexander, who was waiting. Emily, not having the slightest idea what to say, decided to try and improvise.

"So, uh, um, Orenda, huh? That's, uh, the Iroquois word meaning magic power, right?"

Alexander looked her in the eyes intensely before responding.

"You know your Native American cultures?"

"Uh, yeah, I, uh, studied it in Mr. Schuester's history class."

"That's great. Didn't Tina say that you wanted to tell me something?"

Emily realized that improvising was a mistake, but she had no choice but to do it again.

"Well, I was just wondering if, uh, you, um, were b-ready for Sectionals."

"Yeah, I'm ready. Are you ready?"

"I think so."

"Is everything okay with you? You seem very nervous right now."

"No, I'm not nervous. Why would I be nervous? What makes you think I'm nervous?"

"You're talking fast, shuddering, knocking your knees together, gripping your books tightly, and not making eye contact."

It took a moment for Emily to realize that he was right and attempted to straighten up. The next few words that came out of her mouth were the ones that she instantly regretted saying.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

This caught both of them by surprise, and Emily did not dare look into Alexander's eyes.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Kind of. I don't know. Maybe."

"I'm kind of in a relationship right now."

"Yeah, I know. I just thought I'd give it a shot. I'll see you later."

She began to leave, but Alexander stopped her.

"But there's nothing wrong with two friends in a get-together, is there?"

Emily instantly relaxed at this, knowing that Alexander wouldn't chastise her.

"No, there's nothing wrong with it at all."

Alexander tilted her head up so that he could look into her eyes.

"Do you like BreadstiX?"

Amanda was not too far away, having heard everything. She quickly approached and got between them.

"So, you feel like having dinner tonight? At BreadstiX?"

"Well, I was intending to go there tonight to discuss Sectionals with Emily, but you're welcome to join us."

"Oh, actually, I was kind of hoping Emily wouldn't be there."

"Why not?"

Amanda looked back at Emily, who was backing away slowly.

"Because she does that."

Amanda quickly broke into song, singing Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman". She concluded the song with a satisfied expression on her face, and noticed that Alexander was looking at her with extreme hatred.

"Amanda, I don't think we should see each other anymore."

He then left, leaving Amanda to wonder what she did wrong.