Here's what really sucked last time:
Will brought a kid named Matt home after his parents were murdered.
"It must really suck."
Rachel is let down.
"You suck!"
She returns to the Schuesters just in time for their audition.
The manager then lets them all down.
"You guys... Suck!"
And that's what sucked in the
Family.
"I'm sorry, guys." Will sat down with his family.
"It's not your fault," Tina said, avoiding using her stutter in hopes of possibly increasing his hope.
"It's ours," Artie whimpered, "we sucked."
"I told you it would suck," Puck kicked the ottoman.
Will ran his fingers into his curly mess of hair, as Kurt attacked his stressball.
"Will?" Matt mumbled.
"Huh?"
"Are you okay?"
Puck yelled, with an ear piercing tone, "Does he look okay? Of course not; we just failed - bigtime! Face it, we sucked. We're losers!"
"I thought Rachel was supposed to be our key to victory?" Finn reminded them all, putting Rachel's failure on display.
"Finally we agree on something!"
"I know, right?"
"I just spoke with the manager," Will said.
"And...?" Puck raised an eyebrow.
"And he's giving you all another chance."
Many cheered and celebrated, while others prayed that they wouldn't suck again.
"Come on, guys. You're sleepwalking on me, here!" Will put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "Give me some energy!"
Some grunted and moaned.
"The audition is in two days. I thought you guys were all excited?"
"Yeah, but practice is boring!" Puck bitched.
"We need to practice to be at our best."
"Oh, please!" Mercedes pshawed, "It's going to be a breeze."
"But if the manager accepts the audition, we'll qualify for the competition. We've got to be on our game!"
Will took the kids to rehearse in the art center's auditorium. That left Terri home alone for a while.
Sue was aware of this. This was the perfect time to strike. This plan was going to work. By tearing Will's relationship with Terri down, he would focus on the hurt, and forget all about those kids.
Terri welcomed Sue in. "Take a seat."
"Let me be frank." Sue said. "Your husband is hiding his kielbasa in a Hickory Farms gift basket that doesn't belong to you."
"What? With who?"
"Counselor. Real floozy and a man-eater. Wears creepy brooches like the kind my Nana was buried in. Same old song... Wife puts on a couple extra pounds..."
"Oh, I'm pregnant."
"That's no excuse."
"Are you sure about this?"
"A woman always knows."
Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air...
"No, just...no." That one verse was all the manager had to hear to decide they weren't good enough.
Finn yelled, with Will nodding in agreement, "No, just listen to us. You won't regret it."
The manager sighed and returned to his seat. What did he have to lose, really? "Fine, I'll listen. But it had better be worth it."
If I should die before I wake,
it's 'cause you took my breath away.
Losing you is like
living in a world with no air, oh.
I'm here alone, don't wanna leave.
My heart won't move, it's incomplete.
Wish there was a way I could make you understand.
But how do you expect me
to live alone, with just me?
'Cause my world revolves around you,
it's so hard for me to breathe.
"I just got a letter in the mail from the manager of the arts center," Will stepped into the family room, "and he said that we... Weren't very good, and that he has seen better..."
A few dropped their heads to the ground, disappointed in themselves.
"He doesn't... Like us."
Tina began to cry, as Artie turned around to pout. This was embarrassing.
"Wait, he also said that..."
Brittany and Quinn lifted their heads.
"We qualify for the competition! Just barely!"
Everyone screamed, and celebrated. Artie high-fived Will.
"And," Will said over the excitement and joy, "I just got the competition bracket, and we aren't in very good shape. There are four other teams. We beat them, and we get enough money to pay Figgins for a year, and we stay a family!"
"Who are the other teams?" Rachel inquired, on her toes.
"Aural Intensity, Vocal Adrenaline, Haverbrook's group, and an unnamed group from Jane Addams Academy."
"Jane Addams?" Mercedes smirked, "That's a half-way house for girls just getting out of juvie!"
Tina bit her lip in glee. "Th-Th-This is great!"
"People who can't hear what they're singing and criminals who don't care!" Puck said happily. "And some other people, I guess..."
Artie reached out for another high-five. "It's going to be a cake walk!"
Brittany remarked, "Yummy!"
"If you want to keep your husband, get creative."
Terri thought for a while. What did Sue mean by creative?
First, she would gather more information. She would go to Emma's apartment. She would spy.
She peeked into the peephole of the door. There was a boy's head blocking the way. Damn it!
She slammed her fist on the door, attempting to maybe scare him off. Instead he opened it. She scurried out of sight. They boy shrugged and closed the door.
She seen that he had accidentally left it cracked open, just barely. She put her ear near and listened.
"The kids just don't seem very into it," she heard Will's voice. "It's like the fire's gone out."
"When did this start to happen?" she heard Emma smooth voice reply.
"A week ago. The audition didn't go well, and they lost all hope. And just yesterday, we were accepted into the competition, but they still seem to not care. I need a way to motivate them."
That reminded Terri of a deep secret from her past life.
She used vitamin D for energy.
She dealt with many issues that caused stress caused her to lose sleep, and she couldn't focus.
Every morning before school, she gulped pills loaded with vitamin D so she could maintain good grades. Before cheerleading practice, she gulped more pills so she felt alive and ready. Those pills saved her life on many occasions - until she was eighteen and her boss discovered the so-called "abuse". He gave her a choice: to either stop, or risk getting in trouble with her parents and the police. So she quit. And she grew out of the habit.
The memory reminded her that she still had some of those pills hidden away, in case she ever needed a boost. Those pills subliminally motivated her to do everything she had to do by making her full of energy.
Those kids needed to be motivated. Those pills would give them that energy. That would do the trick!
She now had a plan.
She would give those kids the vitamin D, then she would blame Emma for giving innocent kids drugs - since Emma knew about them needing motivation. Will would no longer be interested in the ginger bitch and focus on Terri.
But it wouldn't work. Will knew Emma wouldn't do such a thing.
She then though up plan B. She would give those kids the vitamin D, and they would have energy, pleasing Will.
Plan B made more sense. It had higher chances of working, also.
"Plan B in action."
"Competition!" Will taped pictures up on the wall for his kids to see. "Every one of these the people or elements was a champion in-"
Kurt interrupted, "I don't know how lightning is in competition with an above-ground swimming pool."
Will shook his head. "Whatever, just go with it!"
Finn yawned, swaying, trying to keep balance.
"Split up into two groups. Boys near the door, girls near the couch."
After everyone had sorted themselves, Kurt sauntered over to the couch.
"Kurt."
He looked up to see Will directing him to go with the boys.
Will waited for him to move before continuing, "Two teams. Boys versus girls. One week from today, each of you will perform a mash-up of your choice."
"What's a mash-up?" Puck wondered.
"A mash-up is when you take two songs and mash them together to make an even richer explosion of musical expression. Boys will perform Sunday, girls will perform Monday. I want you to go full-out with costumes, choreography, and everything. Whoever performs the best..."
Finn awoke from his two minute snooze.
"Gets to choose the number we do for Sectionals!"
Rachel stopped him "Who will be the judge? Your gender makes you biased."
"Ah...There is going to be a celebrity judge."
"Who?"
"You're going to have to be in this room to find out."