Being Apart Of Something Special
A Place For My Head (Regionals)
"Since Mr. Schue is late—again—I've taken it upon myself to put this pre-Regionals meeting together. Now, I want you all to brainstorm and discuss which songs you'd like to hear Blaine and I perform."
"Rachel, that's kind of mean to say." Blaine spoke as he attempted to bring his girlfriend into the light of her ignorance.
"Yeah, Blaine, you're right." Santana began with her infamous bitch shut the hell up tone. Now talking to Rachel, "Pinocchio, personally, I don't think you should get to sing at all at Regionals. Ever since your little hobbit of a boyfriend transferred here, we've finally got some peace and quiet from hearing your mouth snatching away ever single solo that Aretha, Jackie Chan, and myself fight for. So, hows about you do me a favor and keep that beak shut?"
Rachel looked at Blaine for comfort, but she was hurt to see that he had the expression of agreeing with Santana on his face. With defeat, Rachel erased the giant lettering 'ME' on the whiteboard, and took a seat as far away from Blaine as possible—in which he immediately responded.
"Rachel, I'm simply saying we should just let someone else sing. It's not always going to be about Rachel Berry and Blaine Anderson when we make it to Broadway. There will be other stars, believe it or not."
"But Blaine," Rachel began once again, shouting across the room with desperation in her voice, "Santana and her devilish trio had the Halloween banquet, Tina, Mike, and Artie had Sectionals, and Mercedes covered both the Christmas ball, and the New Years concert we threw. I'm sick of sitting in the cut, only singing at stupid nursing home shows!"
It was then that Mercedes entered the conversation, "Rachel, calm yourself, please. All the times that I performed, there was barely any audience besides old janitors wandering around with brooms and trash cans. So it's not like I ever got to really perform in front of an audience."
"That may be, Mercedes, but I'm simply suggesting that my voice is better suited for Regionals. No offense, but you do this thing where it sounds like you're screaming rather than singing, and I don't think the judges at Regionals will like to see that."
"And you wonder why people hate you." Mercedes snapped back with attitude. That attitude was enough for her to storm out of the choir room without looking back.
"Look, guys, we don't need Mercedes." As much as it pained Rachel to say what she was thinking, she said it anyway. "We've got Kurt—so it's not like we're down a member."
"Wow, Woodpecker, nice one." Santana's insult sent daggers through Rachel. She, and the rest of the Cheerios left the choir room with the same attitude Mercedes had. Soon after, the football players left, then Tina and Mike, Kurt followed closely behind wheeling Artie, and Lauren as well. It was just Rachel standing alone in the now deserted choir room. She didn't even want to leave, she just felt betrayed. Defeated.
The next day, auditions for the duet at Regionals were held. Mr. Schue decided that instead of doing a solo, a duet, and a group number, they'd just forget about the solo being that there was so much angst within the group directed toward that coveted position. Rachel and Blaine auditioned with their rendition of Tonight from West Side Story. After those two, were Mercedes and Santana. Santana wasn't her first choice for a partner, but Kurt turned her down, because he didn't want Rachel to hate him yet, being as he thought they had become somewhat friends.
"Amazing job you guys!" Mr. Schue applauded Blaine and Rachel as they sat down after their performance. He seemed a bit too overjoyed, but hey, that was just how he acted sometimes. "And next we have, Mercedes Jones, and—Santana Lopez?" He stared at his clipboard in a daze. He had always thought the two girls disliked each other. So to see their names together sent a whole lot of confusion through his brain.
"That's riiiiight." Santana smirked as she and Mercedes got up from their seats, and headed down to 'take the stage'.
"With much thinking, we decided it would be best to dedicate this song to Rachel, who inspired us for this choice." Mercedes' grin had an mischievous undertone behind it.
"Hit it!" Santana called out to the band. They began playing in that instant, and the two performers readied themselves. Rachel smiled in her seat, flattered that they'd choose to dedicate a song to her.
Mercedes started out,
"Can't make my own decisions
Or make any with precision
Well maybe you should tie me up
So I don't go where you don't want me
You say that I been changing
that I'm not just simply aging
Yeah how could that be logical?
Just keep on cramming ideas down my throat.."
She shot a glare at Rachel, which made her smile slowly fade as she realized the content of the song. Santana then picked up with the chorus,
"You don't have to believe me
But the way I, way I see it
Next time you point a finger
I might have to bend it back
Or break it, break it off
Next time you point a finger
I'll point you to the mirror.."
Rachel, as well as everyone else in the choir room, was completely sure that this song wasn't about praising her as they previously thought. Both Santana and Mercedes seemed to have a sheer sense of animosity toward Rachel growing with each word of the song.
"If God's the game you're playing
Well we must get more acquainted
Because it has to be so lonely
To be the only one who's holy
It's just my humble opinion
But it's one that I believe in
You don't deserve a point of view
If the only thing you see is you
You don't have to believe me
But the way I, way I see it
Next time you point a finger
I might have to bend it back
Or break it, break it off
Next time you point a finger
I'll point you to the mirror.."
For the final part of the song, Mercedes took a few steps closer to Rachel, making direct eye contact, with Santana close singing the backing vocals.
"This is the last second chance
(I'll point you to the mirror)
I'm half as good as it gets
(I'll point you to the mirror)
I'm on both sides of the fence
(I'll point you to the mirror)
Without a hint of regret
I'll hold you to it"
"Performing next in the the Midwest Ohio State Regional Show Choir Competition are The New Directions!" The announcer on the intercom spoke fast like his life was on the line. Each member of the New Directions took the stage with their back facing the audience. It was almost shocking that barely any of them had noticed that Mercedes was gone for the rest of the week after her audition with Santana. None noticed. Except for Kurt.
"Where's Mercedes?" He whispered to Santana, who was positioned right next to him on the dark stage.
"Beats me." She replied.
Short after, the lights shot on and it was showtime.
"Now, won't you give it up for Carmel High's own, Vocal Adrenaliiiiiine!"
Vocal Adrenaline's silhouetted members took the stage. They were dressed in all black, and one member in particular stood out to Kurt. He sat uncomfortable in the audience anxiously awaiting their performance. There was something about this person that made him feel like he knew exactly who it was. Thinking for a moment, he looked around his area at all of his fellow glee clubbers—still no sign of Mercedes.
"Mercedes...?"
"There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And it's bringing me out of the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out
And I'll lay your shit bare
See how I'll leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do
There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And it's bringing me out of the dark..."
Did Mercedes really betray the New Directions like that? Did she really up and leave them to join the opposing team? Did she really have that much hidden frustration that Kurt never knew about in order to leave without looking back? With her impressive performance on that stage with their rivals, it sure as hell seemed that way.
Kurt looked over to Rachel, who looked back at him, gawk-eyed. She wasn't even upset that Mercedes left them. She was more angry at herself for not seeing Mercedes' side of things when she would demand solos.
"..Baby I have no story to be told
But I hear one on you
And it's gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Making a home down there
As mine sure won't be shared.."
The other, much lesser members, of Vocal Adrenaline danced around Mercedes as she sang her heart out in hopes that the New Directions would feel the pain of losing her.
Once the song was over, and each group was backstage awaiting the results, Kurt made it his business to go over to Mercedes to see what was up and why she left.
"Kurt," she exclaimed, "I just want to be a star. And if that means taking another side just to show her, then so be it."
"Her? Her who?"
"Rachel, obviously." Mercedes pulled Kurt a few steps away from her group, and continued to explain, "She wants everything to be about her, and I'm sick of it. Time and time again, she's taken my rightful place as the leader of that club. But not anymore. I once told Mr. Schue that I am Beyonce, not Kelly Rowland. Now, I'm just bringing that to life."
"Mercedes, you can't leave us!" Kurt pleaded, "Look, I don't know the deal between us and Vocal Adrenaline, but to my understanding, some stuff went down in the past that made them our sworn enemy. You can't side with them, Mercedes, you just can't!"
There was a tear fighting it's way out of her eye. She couldn't bear to see the hurt in her newest friend's eyes. She looked down at her feet, and softly said, "I'm sorry, Kurt. It's over."