Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. All original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.
This chapter made me dizzy. Sorry for all of the viewpoint changing and just outright dribble.
SO close...
Brittany S. Pierce. McKinley High School's best kept secret; Lima Ohio's best kept secret. Perhaps the fudge'n best kept secret of these blessed United States. It was a well kept secret because as far as anyone knew Brittany S. Pierce had the IQ of a stillwater ameba.
Branded as 'below average' because Brittany did 'poorly' on all her tests, Sue had come to find that this simply wasn't accurate for the girl. Because these classroom and national aptitude tests were geared toward the mainstream, jello-brained adolescent that couldn't dump out a glass of water even if it had the instructions written on the bottom, Brittany was a contradiction to the norm. The harder the test, the better she did, as long as you could read her hieroglyphics. Not a hard thing to do when you'd cracked the code and Sue had done so.
But just because the girl was a genius didn't mean she was smart.
Well the mechanics of it could provide material for a whole conference so we'll skip it.
So what do you do when you've discovered a genius in your midst? Cultivate their natural talent and focus their energies on solving the problems of humanity? Purely a waste of time when you had a colonoscopy scheduled for 5:30 in the morning and two gallons of laxative to guzzle in the next 12 hours. Oh yes, and you forgot your continuing education is due by midnight. So, you pull the 'genius' out of her next four classes and have her finish 56 hours of CE's for you.
"Coach Sylvester," Brittany said as she was escorted to the large leather chair behind Sue's desk, "Aren't you supposed to do this stuff so you can enrich our education or whatever?"
With the closest thing to a motherly smile Sue could construct she patted the wide eyed girl's head, "Continuing education is for people who didn't get it right the first time. The difference was I didn't care to 'enrich your education' first time and actually I don't care now."
But just because the girl wasn't smart didn't mean she couldn't notice an email foolishly left open and go squeal to that perm headed, keebler elf Schuster.
Will Schuester was pissed. He had tried to be a level headed, mature adult who gives the benefit of the doubt but this time Sue Sylvester had gone too far. As he burst into the staff break room he set his jaw.
This time? Every time she goes too far. This time he would not be the peacemaker. He would lay it on the line!
Sue sat with her back to him at a cleared table, a paper and pencil in hand. There were other teachers there, but Will took it the the mattress...the mafia definition.
"Sue!" He fumed as he came to stand beside her at the table.
Not even bothering to look at him, Sue continued to write her sentence on the lined notebook in front of her.
"Hello William. I should have know it was you when I heard the footfalls of pathetic doing a tap dance from 'Singin in the rain' as they approached." She said all in one breath.
"Sue. How could you do it?! You gave out our set list to our competition five days before regionals!?" He clenched his fists.
Still unbothered, Sue put up her hand for pause, "Wait just a minute. I'm at the end of my fan fiction crossover between two of my favorite stories, 'The Shining' and 'Toy Story 2'."
His frustration was stoked by her inattention and he put a hand down on the table with a mild slam.
"These kids have worked hard to prepare for this competition. What sort of a horrible person sabotages that out of pure spite!?" he struggled for civility.
Funny none of the other teachers in the room paid them any mind and continued with their lunches.
Taking off her thin rimmed glasses, the Cheerio's coach dabbed at a tear that nestled at the corner of her eye.
"This is really a beautiful A/U William. I'll send you the link when I upload it." She finally pivoted her face to him. "Now don't get all worked up. Vocal Adrenaline has way too much taste to steal both of your numbers as poorly chosen as they were."
"The point is we have a chance to win this and these kids have put everything they have into their music. They have problems in their lives that they're dealing with and to be able to have a bit of victory and recognition, it helps them face those other challenges with a bit more confidence. Why are you trying to take that away?" Demanded Will.
Sue sat quietly through his diatribe then squinted, her eyes not quite meeting his, "I know what it reminds me of. Those weird llama toes...your chin."
It was futile. The woman had no regret, conscience or capacity for empathy. Just once Will would like to have something go smoothly for the Glee club but it seemed they would have to scramble to pull something together last minute...again.
Closing her locker with a clap, McKenna started to turn to go to orchestra. Pausing at a corner she saw Dave talking to an enthralled audience of his football peers. His nose was bridged with white tape that didn't cover the sprawling bruise that reminded McKee of one of those inkblots. Shrink-blots…
Swinging his fists she could tell he was giving an inaccurate account of his fight with Sam, demonstrating in slow motion a haymaker and then flailing backward, with a overly dippy facial expression, as if hit. There was a burst of laughter and cheering from the boys in red.
It was kind of sad.
A sultry voice sang in her ear, "There you see him...sitt'n there across de way…." Crooned Santana with a smug smile.
Brittany was next to her and finished for her, "Boy he's got a lot to say and there's something about him."
"And you don't know why but you're dying to try. You wanna slap the guy!" Santana patted McKee's cheek. "Sha-la-la-la-la-la don't be scared just get the sting prepared. Come on and smack the guy whoa whoa!"
Brittany busted out, "Sha-la-la-la-la-la give him a slap! It's not like he can hit you back, go on and slap the guy!"
The two laughed as they walked away, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip and ankle to ankle. They could be an olympic champion three-legged racing team.
Sighing McKee looked back to Karofsky who had been left to himself and was thumbing about on his phone.
She crossed over to him and his eyes cooled when they set on her.
Hugging her orchestra music folder to her chest she spoke delicately, "Hey."
He pressed his lips together and glanced down the hall defensively.
"How's your sniffer...I mean your nose." Just in case there was any question.
Dave clad himself in his invisible armor of badarseness (that's not a word) and sarcasm, "Great. What do you want?"
She hadn't seen him all weekend and was surprised at wondering how he was. He was a tough kid. But usually she had found the bigger they are the squeeshier, emotionally.
"I guess I just wanted to know how you were…"
"I'm not going to break our deal if that's what you mean. I don't really feel like being mushy today so we'll pretend we had a fight or something. And don't worry, I won't talk to Fabray just because Evans sucker punched me. He's lucky I wasn't looking…" The excuses and rationalities had bloomed beautifully and he said them completely convinced that that was what had happened.
McKee just watched him, not even really listening. No. Obviously she didn't have feelings for him and she was positive he didn't have a thing for her. But she felt she understood him as much as he was willing to let her.
"What Bringhurst? What are you staring at?" he bristled as he put his phone back in his jacket pocket.
"Dave, You're a pretty good boyfriend. You should do it more often." She smiled at him and started to turn to go but he called to her. When she stopped he took a few conceding steps to get to her.
Glancing around self consciously he spoke quietly, "Hey McKenna. Uh, sorry about the keys. It was kind of a jerk thing to do."
"Nothing wrong with a little teasing. So...you know what you reminded me of? Lying in the parking lot? One of those earthworms after it rains…" She winked at him and held up a chocolate glob. "Chocolate covered cinnamon bear...have mercy!"
A sour shadow of irritation flickered across his face but then the corner of his mouth inched up.
"Kinda felt like one...being a worm." He took the candy and strode off down the hall.
'Quinn, I'm back at school today. You here?' Finn's text came under the pseudo name of 'Aunt Phyllis'.
Quinn glanced at her phone. She sat in english class as the teacher was introducing their new book 'My Name is Asher Lev' and she flipped the screen over and sat the phone on her leg under the desk.
She redirected and rededicated herself to the teacher, a pen poised alluringly at her glossed lips. The time away from, everything, had her thinking more clearly. She would be with Sam. Although Finn had that indescribable draw that she put down to an 'x' factor, something chemical that was beyond her control, Sam was every bit as attractive. Also she had to admit, now having gotten to compare the two in close increments; Sam was a very, very good make out.
Finn, something about him, she felt it was unstable. Rachel.
The phone screen lit up around the edges of her pleated skirt, her hand flipped it over. She would tell him it was over. 'Quinn you gonna keep a guy suffering? It isn't humane.'
'Yes, I'm here. Still feeling gross. I need to talk to you.' She texted with her index finger expertly, her eyes only looking down briefly just incase the teacher should catch her.
A message responded quickly, 'Me too. Been wanting you bad. Can you come to the auditorium for a little somethin' before Glee?'
That same old shiver took her and she bit at her lip in anticipation. Why not? One more time? She and Sam were to do a duet for regionals but he had been pretty withdrawn during her time at home. She had felt a little neglected.
Giving the tip of the pen a bite she stifled the smile and responded, 'Been wanting you too. C u soon.'
Thinking up her excuses for being late into Glee, Quinn decided she would dowse the front of her uniform with a bit of water and say she had been brutally attacked by that drinking fountain by the culinary classroom.
Pulling her cashmere, red cardigan closer around her she slipped into the dimmed auditorium. Instantly she slowed. It wasn't butterflies in her stomach, it felt more like the first drop on a rollercoaster and she reached up to smooth back any fly-aways that had escaped her pony.
Finn wasn't there sitting on the edge of the stage. She had beaten him here and she breathed in deeply at the inconvenient, tantalizing prospect of having to wait. So she moved out to center stage and the sound of a voice cracked the silence.
"For all those times that you rained on my parade. And all those clubs you get in using my name."
Sam's voice had her spinning around to see him coming down the aisle, guitar slung over his shoulder, "You think you broke my heart oh girl for goodness sake. You think I'm cry'n on my own but I ain't."
Shock. The theme from 'Cops' might as well be playing, blue and reds lit up, and a flash bang tossed at her feet. She had that numbing feeling buzzing in between her shoulderblades, reaching to your zygomatics when you know you're caught.
"And I didn't want to write a song, 'cause I didn't want anyone thinking I still care. I don't but you still hit my phone up…" He had reached the stairs on the side and was climbing them, "And baby I'll be moving on. And I think you should be something I don't wanna hold back…"
Quinn's folded her arms defensively as he started over to her, she wasn't going to stand here through a whole dumb guilt trip song. She didn't have to because he suddenly stopped. There was a healing cut on his lip which he had told her he had earned from another fight with Dave Karofsky. His eyes were shaded by his overgrown fringe but she could tell he was hesitating the way he compressed his lips together and sighed. It gave her confidence that he loved her enough to maybe be a little pissed but let it slide. Not like Finn who had thrown everything away when he found out about her and Puck.
"Sam." She said calmly. "I was looking for you."
She didn't know why she lied, maybe hoping he knew less than she suspected.
"Don't ok. I know. I sent you that message. Well Santana did." He took a phone out of his pocket, it was Finn's. "She swiped it."
She could only glance over it, trying to give it little respect. "Since when have you and Santana been hanging out?"
Taking his guitar off and setting it on the floor he said sharply, "Doesn't matter. Look. I was going to act all hurt and like I was a victim here but the deal is that I'm not. I'm actually kinda relieved."
He was babbling again. That gravitating mouth could be annoying and so confusingly sexy at the same time.
"I...I was going to break it off with him. I want to be with you Sam." It wasn't the swave Fabray rhetoric she had meant to orate.
But Sam just walked over to her, his hands in his jeans pockets.
"Seriously Quinn. I should be jealous of my girlfriend and her ex making out behind my back but I'm not. I'm jealous...of Karofsky…?!" He let slip a short chuckle with no joy in it, as if he couldn't believe it himself.
"What are you talking about Sam?" Quinn put her fingertips to her bowed forehead, giving up on ever understanding him.
"I was never with anyone else physically but I'm in love with McKee. I have been the whole time." he confessed, toeing at the stage.
The tables had suddenly turned and Quinn could now look up to him with searing golden eyes. It hurt. Being lied to, your time wasted, someone you felt intimate with wanting someone else...being 'cheated on' hurt.
Continuing on in her silence Sam said, "Everyone thinks I'm dumb. Maybe they're right, I was about you anyway. At first I didn't know it. But every time I was with you I wanted you to be her, and it killed me. I wouldn't wish that on anybody Quinn. I just want to say I'm so sorry. You deserved better than that. So I guess that's it. You can go to Finn, no problem."
Completely blank, Quinn could only let her pink lips part and release worthless air. Sam nodded his head once, holding out Finn's phone. Quinn took it slowly despite herself. To punish him or to admit her own guilt?
Then Sam turned and walked away, picking up his guitar on his way out.
Glee was a disaster. They were to leave for Chicago in two days and now they had to prepare two new songs just in case; parts and choreography.
A funky disconnect hung in the air. Sam and Quinn's duet was painful to watch and listen to and Rachel began having a panic attack. Frustration on the parts of all the other members foamed up like vinegar and baking soda until the carbon dioxide and liquid acetate of arguing and a little bit of physical pushing and shoving got the best of the show choir.
Then there was a band kid come in and whispered into Mr. Schuster's ear and he finally lost it. Throwing sheet music across the room he stormed out and slamming the door behind him.
The glee members had all gone in different directions. But walking down the hallway, Sam felt semi-free. There was something about being honest with yourself that, even though things weren't how you wished they were, was liberating. His feet started moving, not towards the parking lot but towards the art department. He wanted to tell McKee.
Tell her what?
He hadn't figured that out yet but he was hoping something would come to mind. He just wanted to see her and hear something McKennaish.
The seeing happened at length. She was coming towards him, piggyback on Mike and a smilie face painted on her cheek.
As they passed she saw him and reached out with a post it note and applied it to his forehead.
"Bring Quinn!" She tossed back at him.
He pulled the note off and read it.
'3 am bonfire Thursday at Bringhurst's. Take that money watch it burn, sink in the river the lessons I've learned…PS, it's gonna be cold.'
Sited in text: J Bieber's 'Love Yourself' and One Republic's 'Counting Stars'