Puck, Cory, Rachel, Dianna, Amber, Chris and myself were all in a classroom for our first glee club meeting. A small Asian young woman with long straight dark hair came in and sat next to Chris. She was wearing a dark purple long sleeve sweater and skirt and fishnets, as did a blonde cheerleader. The blonde cheerleader had blue eyes. She was in her cheerleading uniform. Puck was in jeans and a long sleeve button shirt.
We were all sitting on the bleachers. There was a piano near the middle of the room.
Mr. Schue came in and passed out sheet music then sat down in a blue plastic chair a few feet from the piano.
"Before we begin I'd like to tell you about your assignment," he said.
We looked at him expectently.
"Id like each of you, to choose a song or several songs representing your lives up to now. Youll be singing it herein a few weeks. Now lets get started."
We looked at the sheet music; 'You're The One I Want".
"Grease? Seriously?" Amber asked.
"Yeah it'll be super!" Rachel crie d perkily.
"Super? This isn't the 1950's honey," Chris reminded her, with a bit of attitude.
"Hey I'm the one with the attitude, not you," Amber reminded him.
"And you're not a housewife," Rachel reminded Chris.
We laughed.
"Ok let's see...Ashely and..." Mr. Schue began.
"Me?" Serena asked eagerly.
"No, sorry. Homosexuality wasn't evident in the 1950's. How 'bout...Chris?"
"Oh but it's perfectly ok for a gay man to sing with a...?" Chris began.
"Bi," I supplied.
"Bi woman?"
"Sexuality has nothing to do with it. Everyone, at the piano please."
We stood up and gathered around the big shiny black piano.
"Ashley?" Cory asked.
I looked over at him; "yeah?"
"Grocery shopping after?"
"Yeah."
The fair pianist struck the first chords of the song and Christ began in his high soprano voice; "I've got chills, they're multi- I'm sorry."
The pianist stopped playing. Mr. Schue looked at Chris.
"Why?" he asked.
"I can't pretend to be straight when I'm not. I'm sorry Mr. Schue. Excuse me."
He left the room, Amber starting to go after him. Mr. Schue looked at her.
"No Amber," he told her.
She heaved a big sigh; "ok."
Mr. Schue looked at the Asian; "Tina?"
She nodded and left the room.
"Sorry about that guys," Mr. Schue said; "um, let's start again. Ashley and...Puck."
"Ok," I agreed.
The piano started again. Puck began in a low, controlled voice the first lines of the song. As we sang I noticed how good-looking he was. There was something about him that seemed broken, dark, somehow. Now that he was in glee club he also seemed softer.
As the group began to dance Serena put her arm around my slim waist.
"Youve not been at ballet as much," she noticed.
"Yeah, well. After you getting the lead...and I cant talk now honey I have to singand dance."
"Oh. I get it."
Her arm slid from my waist and she also left the room. Mr. Schue sighed. We resumed our singing.
After we were done we sat back down.
"Good job everyone, with the exception of Serena, Chris and Tina leaving, though I told Tina to leave."
"Thank you," Rachel said from her spot next to Cory.
He had his arm around her.
"Why not me?" Amber asked.
"I'll need to see you after to explain."
"Ok."
"I have another announcement. The Friday before winter break we'll be having an open mic night, which will include poetry readings and singing."
Puck was sitting next to me, his hand resting on the bleacher behind me.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Is it ok if I put my arm around you? Cuz I know you're with Serena and..."
I sighed heavily; "yeah. I could use some comfort right now."
"Me too."
"You guys are free to go," Mr. Schue told us.
We stood up and left the room, Amber staying behind to talk. Rachel and Cory had their arms around each other, Puck had his around me. Dianna was walking with us.
"Hey, can I come?" he asked me.
"Grocery shopping?"
"Uh huh."
"Sure."
"Can I?" Dianna asked.
"Yeah."
We walked out to Puck's big black jeep. He opened the door of the passenger side for me. I got in and he went over to the driver's side. I set my stuff on the floor and buckled. Behind us Cory and Dianna got in the backseat.
"Sorry there's not much room and...that it smells like smoke," Puck apologised.
"That's ok. It actually reminds me a lot of my brother's."
"Oh. How old's your brother?"
"19, the oldest out of all of us."
He turned the key in the ignition and adjusted the rearview mirror.
"Oh. Where's the nearest grocery store?"
I told him. He started driving.
"Wow big family?"
"Yeah, and you?"
"Uh...no. Just me and my mom who has to work 2 jobs just to pay the bills. So she's not around much."
I got the feeling he was hiding something.
"Oh. What about your dad?"
"He...uh..." he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"No, I get it."
"Oh."
He rounded a corner.
"What about your family?" he asked.
"Oh. Well, about a year or so ago I came here. I was born in New Orleans, to an Irish mother who my daughter's named after. She died when I was young, my mother. My daughter's 3 and living up in the city with my best friend."
"Your, daughter?"
"Yeah, my dad..."
"Oh. Wow."
"Yeah."
"He and I moved to Brooklyn after my mom died."
"Oh. What was up with Serena?"
"She's got a lot going on at home and I think she took it out on me."
"Yeah I get that. Would you like to come over later?"
"Yeah ok."
We found a parking spot in the grocery store parking lot and parked, then got out and went into the store.