Chapter 4 ~ Of Goths and Normal

1. Normal

If there's one thing Tina has ever wanted with her whole heart, it's to be normal. To not feel obligated to stutter or wear vampire make-up or dye her hair blue to fit in with the rest of McKinley High. (Not that those things helped her fit in anyway, countless slushies attest to that). When her mother invites the Corazon family over for dumplings and gossip, she takes one look at Sunshine, with her earphones and purple sweatshirt, and sees "normal." So she really can't believe it when the girl shows up in glee club, of all places. (Tina's nothing if not honest with herself, and she knows that she wouldn't have joined glee if she'd had even a tiny shot at having a normal life.)

2. Showing the Ropes

Tina really thinks there are people, (normal people), who are far more qualified to show Sunshine around, but the girl is tiny with big eyes and a nervousness that isn't quite hidden by her big smile and Tina feels her heart go out to her. (she knows what it feels like). Tina doesn't leave Sunshine's side for the rest of the day.

3. Performance

When she sings "Empire State of Mind," with the other gleeks and sees Sunshine mouthing the lyrics, she wonders if she should warn the Filipina that joining glee would be social suicide. Mike plants a kiss on her just when she decides to tell her, and Tina promptly forgets the whole thing.

4. Appreciation

Tina isn't used to being singled out. Besides those tense few days when both Artie and Mike basically stalked her, no one ever pays too much attention to the Asian girl who used to wear too much make-up and whose voice just a bit too sharp to compete for solos. So when Sunshine starts making friends of her own and Tina drops the baby-sitting routine, she doesn't really expect to hear from the freshman again. Surprisingly, Sunshine makes a point to greet her with a smile and hug every time she sees her, and Tina feels warm inside at the simple acknowledgement.

5. Insecure

Tina knows that Mike loves her. Why else would a football-player date a no-name Goth chick? Still, her stomach starts to twist when she introduces her boyfriend to Sunshine and the two hit it off. They spend a lot of time together the next couple days, and even though rationally Tina knows that there's no way Sunshine's even contemplating stealing her boyfriend, a little voice keeps asking why Mike would want to be with someone like her when he could have someone normal?

5. Affirmation

It's her birthday and she's feeling more alone than ever when her mom ushers her into the dining room and Mike is there with a bouquet of roses. He takes her to his dance studio and teaches her how to waltz, and when Tina asks how he knew she always wanted to learn, he just winks and dips her. The next day at school, she hugs Sunshine a little bit tighter and whispers, "thank you," and giggles when Sunshine high-fives Mike behind her back.

6. Perspective

Sunshine's always been a pretty decent people-reader, and Tina's not exactly used to hiding her feelings. When she realizes that Tina actually doesn't realize how awesome she is, she hatches a plan. It takes forever getting a private room at the dancing studio, and even longer for Sunshine to subtly prod Tina into admitting her favorite flowers and dance. The look on Tina's face when she sees her the next morning makes it all worth it though, and the grin on Mike's face is nothing compared to hers when they exchange their high-five of victory.

7. Selfish

Tina isn't sure whether she's being selfish when she hints at glee club to Sunshine. Mike doesn't understand why she's worrying, but Tina's seen firsthand how harsh glee can be to a person's social life. Sunshine's got a good group of friends besides Tina and Mike, an above-average report card, and a secure position as a tutor for the jocks who torment people like gleeks daily. Tina doesn't want to see her friend lose all this, but she also wants another girlfriend in glee. Mercedes and Rachel are both a bit too intense, the Cheerios are the Cheerios, and Kurt, who was always the kindest to her, transferred. Wanting another friend in glee isn't selfish, is it?

8. Guilt

She's furious when she finds out Rachel sent Sunshine to a crackhouse, and the only reason she doesn't slap the smaller girl is because she feels an equal amount of guilt for not warning Sunshine about Rachel Barbara Berry. She doesn't know what happened between the two, or why Rachel thinks Sunshine is such a threat, but she should have warned Sunshine that the diva might pull something—

She feels even worse when the truth about Sunshine's living quarters come to light and Tina realizes that all the clues were staring her straight in the face. Sunshine's subtle refusal to do anything at her place, the fact that she joined a club every school day to keep from going home, her declaration that she knew how to discourage assailants after the crackhouse incident—she should have guessed.

9. Abnormal

The longer Tina knows Sunshine, the less she considers the girl normal. Sure, she dresses stylishly, but Tina knows firsthand that those outfits are pieced together from clothing from Goodwill, garage sales, and the lost-and-found. She has a lot of friends, but Tina's sure that eating lunch with Cheerios, laughing in the halls with gleeks, and then hugging a jock for acing a quiz is not normal. She's not sure why she doesn't feel disappointed with the revelation.

10. Overrated

Sunshine laughs when Tina tells her she's normal, and laughs again when the taller Asian changes her mind. She's always wondered why Tina couldn't seem to see that, given a chance to be with a normal Tina vs. the semi-shy, honest, and gleek Tina, everyone she knew would pick the later. She thinks she spots tears when she tells Tina as much, but the girl's smile is so big that Sunshine dismisses the thought as a trick of the light.

11. Assignment

Sunshine starts grinning the moment the first the first couple notes of the piano reaches her ears. When Tina starts singing, "It's Hard to Be Humble," she and the other gleeks cheer and laugh. Tina's cheeks are red but she's grinning, and when she gestures to Sunshine, the Filipina doesn't hesitate, joining her for the last line.

O Lord, it's hard to be humble/when you're perfect in every way.