Santana was dreading the moment the bell rang. And once it did, she grabbed her bag and filed out into the hall with the other hordes of students. She slowly but surely made her way to the choir room, where Kurt and Rachel had already assembled.
"Ready to beat those Warblers?" Rachel asked energetically.
"It's not a competition, Rachel" Kurt said.
"I know, but still..." Rachel said.
"You're oddly quiet" Kurt said to Santana with narrowed eyes.
Santana gave a shrug. "I agree with you. It's not a competition."
Puck, Quinn, Brittany and Artie came in the room and slowly, everyone else did too.
Mr. Schuester walked in shortly after. He had a large smile on his face.
"Hey guys! Are you ready? The Warblers are coming today!"
"Yay" Puck said sarcastically.
Mr. Schuester glared at him. "I want you all to be nice, welcoming people."
They all murmured incoherent things, but Mr. Schuester took it as confirmation.
"Now" he began. "I'm going to greet our guests at the door. You guys go to the auditorium, okay? And if I hear that you guys were plotting anything or even uttering rude words, you'll be sitting with Figgins faster than you can say Glee."
So Mr. Schuester hurried out to the door and the members of the group went to the auditorium, where they sat. Only a few moments later, the side doors opened and in filed the Warblers, clad in their iconic blazers. Mr. Schuester and an older man in formal clothes were in the back chatting. Santana assumed he was the coach of the Warblers.
As the Warblers came closer, Santana could see Sebastian. He was in front and had a stern look on his face. Santana kept trying to meet his eye, but he seemed to refuse even looking near her.
"Welcome" Rachel said, adopting her role of co-captian.
"Hello" Sebastian said in a monotone.
After that, both groups stood awkwardly.
Sebastian finally dared to look around and his eyes fell on Santana. When their eyes met, Sebastian's steely glare was momentarily replaced with a softer expression. Santana gave a nod so small that if anyone noticed, they'd think it was just a common courtesy.
"Alright!" Mr. Schuester and the man got on the stage. "Welcome, welcome! So now that we're all here, we can begin. This is just a little sing off. Not even, it's like karaoke. So have fun. Sing songs together. Mix it up, okay? I know some of you Warblers have great singing voices and Rachel here is always looking for a new duet partner..."
Rachel gave a steady smile, but Finn, who was sitting next to her, didn't look pleased.
"So have fun. This is about us bonding over music and making friends, not enemies" Mr. Schuester concluded. "We will be in the back if you have any questions or concerns, but for the most part, you're free."
Mr. Schuester and the man got off the stage and walked to the back of the auditorium. The man had brought a stack of test papers and proceeded to mark them on the table that they used for judging.
"So..." Quinn said, getting it started.
"How about you let us start?" Sebastian began with his naturally snotty tone. "We've been working on a smashing new song."
New Directions nodded and sat down in the fourth row as the Warblers arranged themselves on stage.
Santana watched Sebastian's eyes pan them all quickly and stop on her for a moment longer, before flickering away.
Then the Warblers began to sing. Sebastian took the lead like always, singing both parts of the duet. Santana had always appreciated their a cappella abilities and interesting dance moves, but she had a whole new level of respect for Sebastian and even the others too.
'I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought
Hey, you know, this could be something
'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing
So maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember every look upon your face
The way you roll your eyes
The way you taste
You make it hard for breathing
'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing
That maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, Hey
Maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking
I can't live without you
'Cause, baby, two is better than one
But there's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
But I'll figure it out
When all is said and done
Two is better than one
Two is better than one'
When the song ended, Santana was the first to start clapping and instantly regretted it. Luckily, no one noticed and the others joined in clapping right away.
"What did you think?" one Warbler asked.
"Interesting song choice" Finn said.
"I liked it" Brittany smiled. "Do you know where I could buy one of those jackets? My cat would love one."
"They're not jackets, they're blazers" Kurt corrected. He turned back to the Warblers. "I thought you guys were a bit pitchy."
"Really?" another Warbler asked, frowning at Kurt.
Kurt shrugged a bit.
"I agree with Kurt" Rachel said. "I think you need to practice some scales. And also, you need to use the stage more."
"Wh-what did you think, Santana?" Sebastian asked, with a smug look that Santana knew was only for show.
Santana wrinkled her nose and gave a shrug. "Meh. I think you all look like you're in pain when you dance. And it's a little desperate that you had to sing a duet yourself when there's like ten other dudes who could sing with you. But I didn't fall asleep so that's a plus."
"Oh, hop off, Santana" Sebastian said.
"Like I'd ever hop on" she replied.
"How about we sing now" Rachel said, standing up. "Come on, gang."
Santana and her peers stood up and switches spots with the Warblers.
Rachel and Finn were taking lead on this song, which was 'Butterflies' by the Stereos, so Santana and the others were banished to the back ground.
After their song, New Directions accepted criticism from the Warblers, who gave them a loud applause too.
"You were good" a blonde Warbler smiled at them.
"Yeah, you guys have harmony under control" another Warbler said with a nod.
"But your dancing was really sloppy" another Warbler said.
"Yeah Rachel" Sebastian said with a smirk. "I liked your solo."
"I wasn't singing a solo" Rachel said slowly.
"I was singing too" Finn piped up.
Sebastian made a face. "Yeah, well, you see, I couldn't hear you over little Barbra here's screeching."
"It wasn't screeching" Rachel defensively said.
"Hmmm. And I liked your little swaying props" Sebastian added with a nod toward Santana and Puck and Artie.
"That's rich coming from you, you little weasel" Santana sneered.
Quinn nodded. "You sang solo. At least we had a duet."
Sebastian chuckled. "Wanna know the difference? The difference is that each Warbler brings a new part of the song. Each little drum beat and do-wop is from our mouths. And if we take even one person away, it'll sound different. But with you, no one even hears the Asian chick."
"My name is Tina" Tina defiantly said.
"No one cares!" a short Warbler bellowed and they all snickered.
"And I'm sure no one will care if I come over there and punch that little smirk off you face" Mercedes threatened.
"Hey! This is not the way we're supposed to be interacting" Blaine cut in.
"Blaine's right" the blonde Warbler said. "Blaine, why don't you join us for a number, like the good old days?"
"Only if Kurt can join" Blaine said.
"Sure."
For the next hour, they all sang together. Rachel did a duet with the blonde Warbler, Mike and a few of the Warblers did a cool dance and there were several other performances.
Santana joined in a few of them, as did Sebastian, but neither of them dared to sing together. It would be too obvious.
They always gave criticism to everyone and both Santana and Sebastian were on the meaner side, especially to each other.
When it was time for the Warblers to leave, Santana was glad because Mercedes had just started getting on her case about not singing a duet with anyone. The Warblers all stood up and said their goodbyes. Santana tried to make eye contact with Sebastian, but he refused again. It was only as they were about to leave did he give her a small nod.
"That was fun" Brittany said to the group as the Warblers left with the man.
"Minus Sebastian's snotty comments, they're all pretty civil" Quinn said.
"They're all nice guys" Blaine said. "They just...fall to peer pressure too easily."
"Shame" Kurt added.
"Well, that's quitting time" Puck said, jumping up. "I have a date with this hot chick I met at the beer store."
Slowly they all left the auditorium. Santana hung back a bit, in case Sebastian came back like he did the last time. But he didn't.
Santana went to her locker and retrieved her phone.
To her joy, there was already a message from Sebastian.
'I think we pulled it off :)'
A/N
I've gotten so many positive responses so far! Thank you all so much! I love you all!
The song the Warblers sang is 'Two Is Better Than One' sung by Boys Like Girls feat Taylor Swift.
I hope you liked this chapter. It was fun to write. Santana and Sebastian had to be on their game to keep it a secret. :)
Thanks again and I love you all! Byeeee