I do not claim to own or be affiliated with Glee. It belongs to RIB and Fox network.
Here's what you missed last time... Dixie tries to avoid Beth after she slushied her. Sam's not too impressed by the glee clubs dancing and makes them watch cringe dance videos and brings back bootycamp. Deja gets mad cause she can't dance and Sam tells her they need her in the glee club plus some other good advice. Jake can't some because he has family stuff, but he's allowed to stay in glee, after some convincing. Roz and Sue have weekily weigh ins and Beth isn't happy about her weight. She and Deja start working out together. Ferris gets glitter bombed, but he plays it off as nothing. Deja plants pot in the God Squad lockers and tells Sue
GLEE CLUB MASH
The New Directions moved around the choir room, hanging spider webs and taping pumpkins to the wall. June and Nick walk in, carry a plastic box and threw it on some chairs.
"This is the last of them," June huffed and Dixie came running over. "Why do we have so many halloween decorations?" she asked rhetorically. Nick leaned over the back of June and kissed her neck.
"I don't know." he shrugged. "Hey look at this…" he says and pulls out a bloody doll, the reason for nightmares. June scrunched her nose up and squirms away from the doll.
"That's the reason I have nightmares." Nick smiled and taunted her with the doll. Dixie was fed up and swiped the doll from Nick's hand.
"And this shall stay in here," she commanded and started going through the box. June and Nick sighed and went to help Pete, who had gotten tangled up in lights with Taylor. Dixie pulled a wispy looking ghost and hanges it up over the risers.
"Why do you have to be a sponge?" Jake sneered and took the doll from the box. "Let's have some fun," he said to the group and a couple of kids roamed over. Dixie rolled her eyes and went back to setting up the choir room. He opened one of the closet doors and stuffed the doll in there. The New Directions minus Dixie and Chad snicker and go back to putting up decorations. The huddle around the piano and watch Chad come in. He puts his bag down while glaring at his fellow glee members.
"Hey Chad," Deja asked, holding in her laughter. "Can you grab me a warmup book?" Chad nodded and went over to the closet. He opens the door without a care and bends down to the warm up books.
"Which one?" he asked, not noticing the doll.
"Choir builders, fourth shelf," she says, biting her lip. Chad stands and goes to the fourth shelf and notices the doll. He let out a shriek and puts his hands over his heart. He hears behind him the new directions snickering and giggling from his reaction.
"Har har, very funny," he sighs and takes the doll. He threw it at them, causing more fits of giggles and an eye roll from Dixie.
"Oh please lighten up," Francesca groans and goes over to the class iPod.
"Hey hey," Dixie calls and runs over and swipes the iPod. "That is Mr. Evans' personal property." Beth comes over and takes the iPod back from Dixie.
"Chill out. Besides, I was at his house this weekend. Personal property doesn't apply to me. Here," she hands the iPod over to Francesca.
"I think we need some tunes up in this joint," Francesca explained with a side of sass and plugs in the iPod. Monster Mash plays over the speakers and the New Directions get back to unloading the decorations and singing along. Jake taunts people with creepy decorations, Nick and June danced together. Taylor and Pete eskimo kiss while hanging lights. The music soon fades and the kids are left laughing.
Deja and June met outside the history classroom after glee club.
"Did you get a text too?" June whispers, too nervous to raise her voice. Deja nodded and flashed her phone. There was a text from an unknown number that said to meet them in the history room after school. They waited until the door opened and an arm pulled the two girls in. Taylor stood in the doorway and led them to two chairs in the middle of the room. The desks were formed in a crescent circle and Francesca sat on the desk to the right of Beth. Taylor takes her seat on the left. They sat identical with their right left crossed and wearing their white rash guard shirts under the cheerios uniforms. June gulped and avoided eye contact with the cheerleaders.
"You're probably wondering why we texted you," Francesca says and lights the candle next to her. The small candle flowed in the dark room. The lights were out and the blinds drawn. Taylor lit her candle as well and stared at the glowing flame, memorized. Beth flicks the match and her handheld candle and holds it under her chin. She nodded to Taylor and she hoped of the table and ran to the portable chalkboards that had pulled down canvases.
"It has been a long standing tradition that the three of us have dressed up together…" She points to Taylor who pulls the canvas and reveals an assortment of pictures of the three cheerleaders.
"We've been the powerpuff girls, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mean girls. Just to name a few," Francesca adds and Taylor holds up a couple of costumes.
"And why are we here?" June asked. "And why did you tell us not to tell Dixie?" Taylor hopes back on the table.
"Because she asks like a toddler and an old woman at once. No one likes her," Taylor mutters. Francesca nodded.
"Since we have become, kinda friends, we wanted to include you in this long standing tradition," Beth explains.
"Is this some type of joke?" Deja accuses. Beth shakes her head.
"Can we go trick or treating?" Taylor asks.
"It's not a joke. We need to ride up to Alex Walsh's halloween party," Beth informs. June and Deja's jaw fall to the floor.
"Alex Walsh? Like senior quarterback Alex Walsh?" June shrieks. Beth nodded.
"Five tickets to his annual halloween party," Beth brags. "And that's why we need to come up with the best costume." The girls nodded and Taylor continued to stare at her candle. "Any ideas?" No one speaks.
"M n Ms?" June proposes and is quickly shot down by Francesca.
"Fairies?" Francesca mentions and Deja shakes her head. Beth lays on the table. Ideas were proposed and shot down by someone else. Deja leans up against the led of the table a half hour later and there are still no ideas.
"I got it…" she says.
The next day in glee club, Sam comes in and sits with the boys and Dixie.
"Is there going to be a lesson today or…?" Dixie sneers.
"There will be, but we have a performance," Sam says and plugs in the iPod and shuts the lights off. The girls come running in as the music starts in a classic Spice Girls look, but this was just a preview. Spice up your life blasted through the room and each of the five girls showed off their dance moves and amazing vocals. When the music stopped, the five of them were heavy breathing.
"Can you guess?" Francesca teased as the boys in Dixie sat in awe.
"This year the God Squad, plus a few friends is…" Beth says and drum rolls on her legs.
"Spice Girls!" they all yell and the boys clap. Dixie sits with a scowl on her face.
"And why should we care?" she snapped. Beth rolled her eyes and pulled paper from her bag. She hands them out to the rest of the glee club.
"Because each year, everyone looks forward to seeing this amazing creation. This year, I was able to score tickets for Alex Walsh's halloween party after the game on Friday, which is on halloween this year. But if that's not something you're interested…" she taunts Dixie with the paper and she swipes it. Beth smirks and the five girls take their seats. Sam stands and addresses the glee club.
"Guys this room looks really good," he says and turns to the whiteboard. "This week's lesson is expression," he writes and turns back. "Halloween is about expressing who you are on the inside. This is the one time of year that you can wear whatever you want and no one will question it. So this week, express yourself through song and… costume," he announced and there were murmurs through the New Directions. Jack goes to meet the other football players and Pete, but Dixie is faster and grabs his hand.
"Do you want to sing with me?" she asked and batted her lashes. Jack looked down to Dixie and hugged her.
"The boys and I have something planned. Sorry," he said sincerely. Dixie nodded and looked down. "Hey, hey," he says and lifts her chin. "Next time okay?" she nods and steps down the risers. She starts thinking about her ideas.
Francesca sits next to Taylor in history class the next day. They were secretly on their phones, texting each other. They snickered at the texts the other one sent. If they had been paying attention, they would have seen a runner coming in to talk to Sam. They were snickering in the back when they were called to attention by Sam. Francesca slid her phone between her bare legs and tucked her cheerleading skirt over it.
"Miss Luís, Miss Wift, Coach Sylvester's office please," he says, sitting behind his desk. Francesca tucks her phone in her bag and grabbed Taylor's arms and dragged her out of the classroom.
They run down the hall and see Beth sitting outside of Sue's office. Francesca tilts her head and crosses her arms at Beth and Taylor copies her, however unsure of which arm to cross.
"What don't look at me," she snapped and got up when she saw the door open. They took their seats and Sue excused Robyn from the room. Roz Washington leaned up against a filing cabinet in the back.
"I know what you three did!" Roz screamed and slammed the desk. Sue took her glasses off and tapes Roz's hand, telling her to calm down.
"Girls, there have been some concerns about an illegal substance…" she explains and places the packet of Chronic Lady on her desk. Beth swipes it and shows it to the other cheerleaders.
"Pot's not even illegal in Ohio," She explains and puts the packet back on the desk.
"You're gonna wanna rethink that little miss peroxide!" Roz yells and is once again told to calm down by Sue.
"It is legal for medical use. Not recreational," Sur says. "Now, if it were legal, the use of it on school grounds is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate expedition. Now, I can't stand Principal Butt-Chin, so I won't be reporting you three. But as of this time, your placement on the Cheerios is revoked."
"Coach Sylvester you can't do this! We don't even smoke" Beth protests.
"Speak for yourself," Taylor mutters.
"I'm sorry Mini Q, but drugs are strictly prohibited which calls for immediate relinquishment"
"See, Mini Quinn. I don't care what you do with dwedle dumb and dumber, but you can't kick me off the team!" Sue sighed and took her glasses off.
"Enchilada and Dumbo, get out. I want to see your uniform on my desk by tomorrow, 6am sharp." The two girls sighed and got up from the folding chairs. They didn't have the guts to stand up to Sue Sylvester. Beth waited before the two girls were out of the room before she let loose on Sue.
"You can't kick me off the team!"
"Actually I can," Roz added and was pushed away by Sue.
"Mini Q, mini Quinn. I'm the daughter right your best cheerio," she hated using that card, "I was the only freshman to make varsity, I've been on the top of the pyramid and have been perfect. You want to know how many pounds I've lost? 5! 5 freakin pounds and everyone else lost 3 as a team!" she yells.
"There was marajunia found in your locker by a student and they came to me. Recreational abuse of drugs is strictly prohibited…"
"I didn't know you could use such big words," she snapped.
"Don't get smart with me peroxide," Sue snapped stands up and slaps the desk.
"Well you know what? I quit!" she ripped the bow and threw it on the desk.
"You can't do that Puckerman!" Roz yells.
She walks backwards to the door. "Too bad, already did," she sneered and walked from the office.
The three ex-cheerleaders walked down the hall, not making eye contact with anyone who looked at them. They could feel the eyes of anyone who galred confusing looks in their direction. But it didn't matter. Before they were cheerleaders in glee club, now they're just in glee club. Which meant…
Francesca could feel the ice cold liquid burning her face. Taylor licked her lips as the red ice chunks slid down her face. Beth stood up against the lockers and covered her mouth, to hide the snickers. Francesca gasped and wiped the slushie from her face.
"Why didn't you get it?" she shrieked, pointing to Beth.
"I punched a guy. It pays to be a bitch." she smirked. "Here let me help," she started and walked over to wipe the slushie off Francesca's face, but the latina was quicker and grabbed Beth's hand. "What are you doing?" she asked with a smile.
"You did this to me," she sneered and let go of her hand. "I was a cheerleader in glee club, now I'm just in glee club," Francesca sobbed and ran off with Taylor. Beth sighed and started walking down the hall before she was stopped by Jake.
"Nice clothes," he mocked, looking down at her sweater and ripped jeans. Beth rolled her eyes.
"I traded them in for polyester cheerios uniform," she groaned and walked past Jake. He hurried after her.
"Blondie," he called and Beth turned around.
"I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone," she sighed and went to class.
As the day came to an end, Dixie was running over her song in her head as she and the rest of the glee kids entered the choir room.
"Oh my," Deja uttered upon entering the choir room. The jaws of the new directions hung on the floor after not seeing 3 ex-cheerleaders sat on the risers. Beth was seemingly normal wearing a sweater and jeans. Francesca was worse, she wore something from Playboy magazine. Bedazzled bra and flare legged jeans that had jewels and patches of naked baby angels. Taylor's hair was in a side ponytail and she was wearing an oversized cat T-shirt and bathing trunk with hawaiian flowers. Beth looked up and glared at them as Francesca glared at her and Taylor glared at the piano.
"If anyone says anything," Beth sneered. "I will slap someone."
"What happened?" Dixie questions, pushing herself to the front of the group.
Beth stands up and runs her hands through her hair. "Did you not hear anything." Dixie screams and the rest of the glee club stands in front of her."What-what happened to me? Are you serious? You're going to stand there, looking all innocent, and pretend you don't know?" Beth snapped.
"I didn't do anything," Dixie cried. Deja looks down because she knows the truth.
"We should just forget about this," she says, but no one notices her.
Beth sighs. "Just admit it. And we go our separate ways. It'll be fine."
"I. Didn't. Do. Anything." Dixie sneers through her teeth. She pushes past the boys that were protecting her. Everyone took this a moment to take a seat before Beth could run after Dixie. Beth plopped down next to Francesca.
"Please," she sighs. "I know it's her." Francesca adjusts her bra and looks over at the blonde.
"Will you ever give it a rest?" she sneered. Beth gives an innocent look. "Come on. We all know it was you."
"Then why didn't you tell Coach Sylvester," she snickered.
"Because I don't have the balls you do. And that's not a compliment. So suck it up and tell her the truth so I can get back on top."
"Please you'll never be on top. On the pyramid, in bed, you name it." Francesca gave her signature raised eyebrow and lips pressed together.
"Ladies, ladies," June says and sits between the girls. "Let's just let it go and get our spice on," she grinned and wrapped her arms around the two girls.
"Please you're making me claustrophobic," Beth sighs and takes June's arm off her shoulders.
"Wait, what does that mean again?" Francesca asked as June removed her arms. Beth goes to open her mouth but is cut off by Taylor.
"It means she was scared of Santa Clause," Taylor adds. Beth tilts her head and furrows her brows.
"Ho ho ho," Jake jokes.
"Please you're making her scared," Taylor mutters and goes to wrap her arms around Beth. Both girls rolled their eyes and leaned back into their seats as Sam Evans walked in.
"Ok ok let's get started," he says and leans up against the piano. "First up, we have Jack, Jake, Nick, and Pete," he says and the boys come to the front.
"So we'll need five minutes to get ready, but sit tight and… yeah," Jack says and the boys run to the changing room. There was an awkward silence in the choir room. No one shifted in their chairs to create a sound. Chad licked his lips and Ferris sighed, waiting for the boys to come back in. Maybe it was dumb luck or a silent prayer, but the boys came back a moment later, dressed in tan jumpsuits and had black packs on their back.
"Hit it boys," Jack calls and the band starts to play the cult classic, GhostBusters. Everyone in the audience was laughing along to the hilarious antics. When it was over, there was a round of applause and the boys sit down.
"Very nice, very nice," Sam says and moves from his plastic chair on the risers to the piano. "What does that have to do with the lesson?"
Pete raises his hand. "Sometimes we can't all be heroes, just pretend to be one."
"That's depressing," Jake grumbled. "I think that it's just fun to dress up."
"It's a way to not be afraid of who you really are," Nick added.
"Can this class for once not ruin a holiday," Francesca sneered.
"I think Halloween is just commercized. Like Christmas," Chad mentions.
"Yeah but candy," Dixie snickers.
"I swear… if you start singing…" Beth snapped, but she was too late. Dixie hopped out of her chair and started to sing, I want candy. She pulled everyone from their seats and the New Directions danced and sang around the choir room while Sam watched on. It was truly a scene from Glee, High School Musical, or both.
Beth leaned up against the piano, staring at the front of her notebook. She sighed and looked at the pictures she taped on like some 90s girl did. Her memories came flooding back from her first days of cheering. She was an energetic child, as told by her parents, so scraping enough money, her parents enrolled Beth into gymnastics and dance classes. Upon entering middle school with tumbling tricks in her reputar, she entered the gymnasium and performed her best for the upperclassmen cheer captains. Then her parents packed up their lives and moved from the bustling city of Los Angeles to the quiet town of Lima Ohio. There was nothing in Ohio after Sue Sylvester semi-retired and the Cheerios had been taken over by Roz Washington.
Deja entered the stage and saw the back of Beth.
"You ready?" she asked and startled Beth a little.
"Oh yeah," she laughed it off. "I did this last night…" she says and turned the notebook to Deja. She glanced over the paper and avoided eye contact with Beth. She nodded slowly, feeling nausea. Deja didn't say any words and gave subtle nodes in agreement. Beth saw her walk over to the speaker system. "Nu-uh," she called and Deja stopped. "Let's try something different. I saw this sound on TikTok." Beth plugs her phone and the heavy beats of Howlin' for you flowed through the speakers and Deja nodded and smirked. She let Beth lead her through a grueling workout. Deja's forehead was pooled with sweat and she sunk into the floor. Beth smiled and packed up her bag.
"You said you did this last night," Deja teased. "This is why you're so skinny." Beth chuckled nervously.
"I need a way to stay active," she explained. "After the whole Cheerio debacle." Deja didn't say anything and went pale. "It actually gives me time to have a life. I was able to read a book and catch up on all the current 36 seasons of the Simpsons," she joked.
"Why did you do it? Join the Cheerios?"
Beth sighs. "My parents signed me up for gymnastics and stuff when I was little and I guess I fell in love with it. Then I came here and social popularity is as important as… well life. So my first day, being the new kid, I hoped in the pre-screening line for the Cheerios and the rest is history. Or was history."
"I'm sorry," she mutters. For the solemn gravity or for the fact Deja was the reason she was off the team.
"It's fine. Get up, we have to meet the girls at the thrift store," Beth explained and slung her backpack on. She held out her hand for Deja, who accepted and walked with the blonde to her mom's car.
"You're late," Francesca snapped, leaning up against her car.
"Not everyone has their license and rich bratty parents buy them a car the day they turn 16," Beth snapped back and waved to Deja's mom and walked with the girl to the store.
"You're just jelly that I have a license." Beth rolls her eyes and starts looking through the racks of 90s style clothes.
"How the hell am I supposed to find a union jack dress?" Beth sighed and Francesca lifted an almost exact replica of the classic Ginger Spice outfit. Beth goes to reach for it, but Francesca pulls it away.
"I'm still upset about the whole mary jane scandal," she sighs. "And this looks a lot better than what Baby Spice wears," she shrugged.
"I. Didn't. Do. It." she said through gritted teeth. "Why would I bring myself down with you? You will never measure up to me," she sneered. Francesca's brows furrowed.
"Did your baby daddy tell ya that?" she scoffed and felt the cold slap of Beth's hand. Francesca didn't think and let her hand do the same thing. It was close to freezing outside, but both faces of the girls were stinging with heat. Francesca groaned and tossed the dress to Beth and she picked up some clothes. "I'm not doing this you us, I'm dressing up because I'll look hella sexy." Beth chuckles and both girls walk to the changing room.
On the other side of the store, Deja and June walked up and down the aisle.
"... So I'm probably gonna trade with Taylor. I'm not really feeling Posh, you know?" June says and looks to Deja, who was scanning the racks of clothes. "Dejee, you good?" This brought Deja from her glance of the sizing rack.
"Fine," she mutters and walks up the aisle more.
June stops walking and crosses her arms. "Just tell me," she sighed. Deja takes a deep breath.
"Look at me! I'm fat!" she shouted. People around them turned at the noice. "Nothing here fits me." She holds up a dress. "I could fit one of my thighs in here," she exclaimed in a whisper.
"No one is perfect," June calmly explains. "If we all looked the same, the world would be pretty boring. And I know for a fact that Deja Smith is not boring." Deja cracks a small smile.
"It's easy for you to say, look at you," she whispers, trying not to shed a tear. June smiles.
"I may not be the thinnest girl in the world, but my mom, god love her, taught me that you don't have to love yourself on the outside, but you have to love yourself on the inside. And if you worried about having a boyfriend, which you don't need, look at Nick and I. I'm happy, he's happy, everyone's happy," she smiles.
"God love your optimism. But can I tell you something?" Deja paused and June nodded. "I've been talking to this guy, nothing's official yet…"
"Oh my goodness, who?"
Deja couldn't help but smile. "Dejin Wright." Both girls smiled and then giggled.
Francesca sat on the bench outside the changing room with head leaned up.
"Hurry Queenie," she grumbled. "Tay's stomach has been going off and mama's gotta eat." Francesca turned to see the door snap open.
"Cool yourself fuego," she snapped, turning around to show off the union flag dress.
"Muy bonita," Francesca mocked and did a petty clap.
"Really?" Beth looked in the mirror. "Look at me, my stomachs sticking out."
"You get yourself knocked up again?" Francesca snickered.
"I'll slap you," she warns. "But does it look good?" Francesca shrugged and filed her nails as Taylor grabbed her stomach and chewed on her hair. Beth sighed and went back into the changing room. Francesca clutches her clothes as Deja and June walk over.
"Taylor, are you sure you don't mind being Posh?" June asked.
"Posh-tactly," she cracked the unhumorous joke.
"Just waiting on Queen B," Francesca says and doesn't look up from her nails. The girls adjusted the clothes they held and Beth popped open the door.
"Let's get our spice on!"
Friday nights they called it. There was a faint smell of rain in the air as fog rolled over the back of the field and cast a onomoniness and unsettling feeling amongst the spectators and players alike. Jack sat on the benches, waiting for the game to start. He looked longingly into the fog as the lights cast his long shadow over the field. He fiddled with his pads and felt two gloved hands cover his eyes.
"Guess who?" the voice sang. Jack chuckles and takes the hands from his eyes.
"Hi Dixie," he laughed and pulled her around. She sat down next to him and pulled out a small gift bag from her own purse. SHe handed him the blue gift bag and motioned for him to open it. HE pulled apart the wrapping paper and pulled out a self-serving size of Froot Loops. "Froot Loops?"
"Well for opening night on Broadway, you get someone flowers and I thought it would be weird of I got you flowers, so I got Froot Loops. I know how much you like them," she explained and Jack fiddled with the cup. "I knew you wouldn't like them-" Jack threw himself at her and kissed hre on the lips.
"I love them," he said and put them back in the bag. "I'll see you at the party." Dixie smiled, unbenosited to what would happen.
Jack clung his bag against his thigh as he walked to the locker rooms. He popped open his locker and put the bag in, or at least tried to before Mitch Daniel snagged the bag.
"Did mommy pack you breakfast," he taunted and held up the cup of cereal. Jack smirked and tried to grab the cup back.
"Didn't the freshman team have a game last Friday, or were you too busy warming the bench?" Jack snickered and tried to grab the cup back. Mitch chuckles and slams his locker shut.
"Ooh, this little lady got tude…" Mitch teased and two of his buddies laughed with the rude joke. Jack's eyebrows fuse together and his lips pursed together. Before he can unleash his anger on the boy, Jake comes to aid everyone in the room.
"Heeyyyyyyyyy," he sings and stands between Mitch and Jack. "Let's all just worry about winning so we don't look like jokes tonight," he encouraged and Mitch shook his arm off.
"You're already jokes. You're in glee club," he said and stormed from the locker room. Jake turns to Jack, who lets the boy's arm rest on his shoulders. The two boys stayed in the locker room with the other varsity players. There was tension between them, but the unspoken law was that they had to stick together. They were the only sopheremores on the varsity team. They felt lost without Nick Chen. But he wasn't really involved with the two of them. They met at football camp in 6th grade, but something about Jack and Jake clicked. Maybe it was the fact they both had deadbeat dads, or were just really into football. Jack's mom had taken the two of them out for ice cream after they lost their flag football game at the end of the summer. Then Nick started hanging around them more. Soon, they met Francesa and Taylor, whom they had known since kindergarten, but were never really friends. But something about becoming an upcoming cheerleaders it was a right of passage to be friends with the football player. Jack was never really interested in girls until he met the new girl that Francesa and Taylor befriended. But she was more into Jake. They texted all the time and would duo on TikTok or whatever. So at the end of freshman year, Jack mustered the courage and asked BEth out on a date. To his surprise, she had said yes. After eating lunch with her for a year, he thought the date would go different, but she was not slutty or pushy, she was gentle and nice. It didn't last long and the three of them became bitchy. Social status went to their head. Jack couldn't help but go along with it and Jake was living for it. Nick was really only the one that stayed humble.
"We should go," Jake sighed as he noticed the other players leaving the locker room. Jack nodded slowly and got up from the bench.
The chilly October wind nipped as the announcer belted over the speaker.
"GOOD EVENING FOLKS! TONIGHT WE HAVE VISITING FROM WAPAKONETA, THE REDSKINS!" With the last breath of the announcer, cheers from the opposing team and the tall, muscular players in white in red burst through the colored paper and ran onto the field as the cheerleaders stood, shaking their pom poms. "AND FROM OUR HOME AT WILLIAM MCKINLEY HIGHSCHOOL, THE MCKINLEY TITANS!" They ran out in red uniforms with white letters, not to be confused with the opposing white with red lettering. The Titans ran down the line up of cheerleaders, who violently shook their pom poms. Francesca scrunched her nose and Beth rolled her eyes as they led a cheer. The titans huddled around Coach Bieste, but the fans couldn't make out what she was saying. After a few moments, both teams lined up in the starting line for the game. Within the first two minutes of the game, Francesca pulled at Beth's arm and pulled her from the bleachers.
"Come I wanna watch," she hissed as Francesca held tightly to her arm.
"To watch your boyfriends get slaughtered?" she snapped. "Let's go." Beth sighed and followed Francesca. She gripped her hand and carried the two girls to the bathroom.
"If you need to pee, just ask," Beth jokes and Francesca pulls her makeup bag from her fanny pack. She applies her lipstick and smacks her lips together as Taylor kicks her dangling over the counter.
"Nope, just hate football."
"Then why did you come?" Francesca smacks her lips again.
"Cause I need to show up, make an appearance then leave. It's classic party going behavior for a party you don't want to be at. Make a strong impression, usually a photo taken and stuff, say something people will remember, and lastly, witness something unique to talk about later that everyone saw." Beth chuckles. "And you owe me. You know, for weed-gate. Do you have any blush?" she asked, rifling through her makeup bag.
"I'm not M.A.C," Beth replied.
"I'm Taylor," the girl said and picked at her nails. Francesca noticed and grabbed her hand.
"TayTay you gotta stop picking your nails," she said and turned back to Beth. "We already went through the whole slappy thing. Now it's time just to own up to your mistakes. Just tell me," she taunted.
Beth raised her eyebrows. "Tell. You. What?" Francesca snickered.
"March your white privilege $$ to Coach Sylvester and tell her that you put pot in my locker. I'll hold your hand if you're too scared to," Francesca mocked. Beth sighed and turned to walk to the door.
"Didn't do it. Don't know how many times I need to tell you."
"Wait B, tell Pete to meet me under the bleachers in 3 and a half minutes," Taylor says and Beth nodded, making a glare at Francesca before waking back to the bleachers.
Beth walked from the bathroom and sat with the glee kids. They were decked out in their McKinley swag and were cheering on the titian's as they scored another touchdown. She slide into the group, hoping she would go unnoticed, but eagle eye Dixie grabbed her and embraced her in a hug.
"Oh my gawd!" she cried over the cheers of the fans. "I'm so glad you're here!"
Beth peeled the brunette off of her. "If you're gonna be two faced, at least make one of them pretty," she sneered and moved past the bubbly girl and walked to Pete.
"Taylor wants to see you. Behind the bleachers. Says it's urgent," she yells over the crowd. Pete smiles and let's go of Deja, who was shivering. Pete trades seats with Beth, who laughed at the shivering girl.
"H-h-how a-are y-y-you n-n-not c-c-cold," she stuttered. Beth laughed and put her sweater over the shivering girl. "A-are you used to it being warm Miss Hollywood?" Beth chuckled and turned her attention to the game.
"I lived in Lima before. And Connecticut. Then California."
"Well I've lived here my whole life and I'm still cold." She said and plastered a fake smile on her face.
Pete walked down the stairs of the bleachers he was sitting on and made his way under them to find Taylor kneeling over something.
"Hey," he called and Taylor looked up. She shot up and ran over to Pete and kissed him before pulling him over to what she was kneeling over. "Tay, what's this?" He asked, looking down at a pile of sticks and leafs.
"It's Bernard," she says and pulls seeds from her sweatshirt pocket. "C'mere," she called and a bird hobbling along on one leg attempted to make its way to the food. Pete opened his mouth and bent at his waist, constricted by his leg braces.
"Tay-" he starts but Taylor puts her finger to his lips.
"Shh, Bernard needs quite to eat," she explained and threw seeds at the depressed bird who sat in the pile of sticks. When the bird was done eating Taylor stood up from the ground and hugged Pete.
"I love him," she whispered in his ear. Pete doesn't say anything and hugs her back. Taylor looks down into his eyes and kisses his nose. "And I love you too, but not as much as Bernard the Bird and Leo."
"Wait, who's Leo?" Pete speculated another man in her life. She probably forgot they were even dating, if you could call it that.
"Leo. Lord Everton Orvell." She lifts her head and places in on his head, Pete's black hair falling flat. "My cat," she explained and Pete was able to breath. "He's my brother." Pete pulls her head from underneath her chin and stands on his toes. He placed his lips on hers and soon, they were two teenagers, making out under the bleachers.
The rest of the glee kids along with the fans returned to their seats after half time. McKinnley was up 10 points and entering the second half. Alex Walsh scored 2 touchdowns and Jake intercepted 3 passes from the other team. In the final minutes of the game, Alex Walsh threw the ball to Jack, who ran it into the end zone as the clock ran out. Cheers roared from the crowd and two other players lifted Alex on their shoulders, who pumped two fists into the air as Beiste cheered to herself, getting ready for the water cooler to be dumped on her head. The opposing team didn't look surprised at the lost as they walked from the fields. The Titans' fans flooded the field in support of their latest victory.
Jack looked in the stands after the game and smiled from his latest win. Maybe it was the latest win, or sheer stupidity, but he ran up to Beth, who was chatting with some of the other cheerleaders.
"Hey can I talk to you?" he asked as the cheerleaders walked off.
"Yeah-yeah sure," she mutters and Jack leads her under the bleachers.
"Look," he says and places his hands under his neck pads. "I don't know what happened between you and Jake, nor do I want to know. But I know that you're not telling the truth. You wouldn't do that. And I hate that I kissed Dixie before we broke up. It was wrong of me, I should have told how I felt. I'm sorry and I want to ask you for a second chance." He bit his lip and didn't blink, nor did Beth.
"I-I should be the one apologizing," she mutters. Jack runs his hands through his sweat dampened hair.
"I don't really know what's supposed to be normal. But if you're not dating Jake, could we… maybe go to Breadstix?"
"What about Dixie?" Beth questioned, using the girl's first name.
"I'm not dating her. Just kissing. If kissing was dating then Francesca and Taylor would be dating," he explains. Beth looks confused but shakes it off.
"Can I have time to think?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah sure take all the time you need. I'll see yea later B," he says and walks off. Beth stands there, the chilly October air brushing up against her. She pulls out her phone and texts Jake.
B: meet me in our spot
She clicks off her phone before Jake can respond. Moments later, he comes jogging over.
"Hey what's the matter?" Jake asked, noticing Beth picking at her nails and pacing around.
"I-I don't, umm, know… how to-to-to say this. But-Jack-asked-me-out-and-I-know-actually-I-don't-
know-what-what's-going-on-but-the-timing-and-it-all," she stuttered and Jake grabbed her shoulders.
"Pump the breaks sweet cakes," he teased. "Deep breath." Beth inhaled and exhaled with Jake.
"Jack asked me out," she admits.
Jake didn't seem mad or happy. He had no emotion. "What did you say?"
"I said that I need time. And I wanted to talk to you first," she explained.
"Why didn't you say yes?" Jake joked. Beth chuckled.
"I just, we never put a label on this."
Jake chuckled. "You never like labels anyway."
Beth bit her lip. "So we're just friends?" she croaked. Jake nodded.
"Friends."
"But I want you to know, I love you. Just the timing of it all."
"I know."
"Will you wait?" she asked. Jake opened his arms for a hug.
"I'll wait," he says and rests his chin on her head and looks into the distance. He was right, he would wait, but he wanted her now.
Dixie hopped from her mom's car down the street from the party and saw Chad, Pete, and Ferris walking towards her.
"Nice costume," Chad teased looking at Dixie's pink dress and tall blush pink crown.
"I'm Glinda the Good Witch," she admired and twirled around. "What are you supposed to be?"
"Where's Waldo, and Mario and Luigi," Pete said, ushering to himself and Chad and Ferris. Dixie snickered and started to Alex's house, clutching her invitation.
The boys entered the house, which smelt of beer and weed, after Dixie and merged together with June and Deja, who looked out of place without the rest of the Spice Girls.
"Shouldn't you be with your passé?" Dixie sneered as she stood cross armed, watching the events of the party unfold. The music was blaring and LED lights glowed different colors.
"They went to try and break the McKinley High beer pong record. Previous set by Santana Lopez," Deja added, eating a piece of candy.
The original glee clubbers all felt out of place in the basement of the party. This is where the majority of the people were, throwing back drinks or breathing in the haze of pot from their cigarettes. Pete held onto a cigarette, just seen cooler. A boy in a football jersey and a monster mask, junior maybe, danced over to the six of them.
"Try this," he yelled over the music and handed Pete a vape. "It's so much better than that sh!t!" He shoved it in Pete's hand and threw the unlit cigarette on the floor. Pete fiddled with the vape in his hand. June looked longingly at him.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to," he gulped as the music got louder. None of them moved, until Nick came over, high as a kite, and pulled June from the group and pulled her to the dance circle. June blushed as she was pulled into the circle as Nick danced with her. Pete shifted around and stuck his head into the crowds of people. He noticed Francesca throw her hands in the air and throw a shot back. Deja scrunched her nose.
"Screw this, I'm doing it," she huffed and walked over to the beer keg. They followed her and each took a cup of beer. "Ok, 3, 2, 1…" they all threw their heads back like they were taking shots. Dixie squirms at the taste and puts her cup down.
"That was nasty!" she cried and walked into the dance mob. Deja filled her cup again and chugged a second, and third, and fourth before Pete grabbed her hand.
"You've had four, your good." Deja chuckled and grabbed his arm over to the swarm of people. Chad and Ferris shrugged and followed. They all stood around a ping pong table where some of the seniors held tiny glass cups.
"There are cups of water," the boy, most recognizing Alex, starts and notices the rest of the kids come over. He see them stare and wonder. "Grab one," he said and hesitantly, they did. "And the rest are filled with vodka. Take a shot and if you get agua, you're out!" he cried. He threw his head back and squirmed at the sour taste. Five more people went next around the table until it was Beth's turn. She held the cup tightly, unsure.
"Come little Bea!" Alex coaxed along with others.
"To hell with it!" she screamed and threw it back. She shook her head at the sharp taste and screamed. Everyone cheers and Beth reaches up for Jack. Her heart didn't beat any faster than it would. Her eyes were fixated on his brown eyes. It all happened so fast. She could taste the salt from the pretzel he had just wanted on her own lips as they touched together. Before it started it was over, and it was the next person's turn, which happened to be Jake. Dixie stood on the other side on the table and clutched her shot glass that it might break. Her eyebrows furrowed together and her eyes became narrow on the blonde in the tight union jack dress. Chad witnessed the event and reached for Dixie's arm.
"Let's go outside," he said and tried to pull the girl away. Dixie let Mario pull her out of the room before she killed Beth. Jack noticed Dixie leave and followed her out of the house.
"Dixie!" He yelled as the two of them sat on the curb. Chad turned around and glared at him. "Dixie, please. Let me explain." Dixie snapped her head around. She scurried up and stormed over to him.
"You!" she screamed and started to push his chest. "You! Filthy low life cheating screw over! Why?! And with her!" Jack let Dixie scream at him and when she was finished, he grabbed her hands.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Dixie huffs. "I'm sorry," she mocked. "I'm sorry is the best thing you can do?! You are unbelievable!" She ran her hands through her hair.
"Why are you mad?" he asked, still calm. "Because the last time I checked, we weren't dating." Dixie flashed a smirk.
"Really because I remember I asked if we were an item, you. said. yes."
Jack chuckled. "I think you're just mad that a drunken Beth kissed me. I wanted to talk to you, but whatever this is, I don't think it's gonna work out."
"So what, you're just going to dump me for… for her. The girl that cheated on you, with your best friend?"
"It's more complicated than that…"
"Just. Just stop. Go run into the arms of your clique romance. Be happy being her pet," she hissed and walked back into the house. Jack stood in awe as Chad bumped passed him and followed Dixie.
Meanwhile, cheers went around the table as it was Francesca's turn.
"Alright Frannie," Alex cheered as the latina threw the shot back. The next person went and sighed as it was filled with water. They went around the circle of the table until Francesca and Alex Walsh remained.
"Ok Fran," Beth says to hype her best friend. "You just gotta find the one that looks darker than the rest!" Beth jumped up and down using Francesca's shoulders. Taylor put twenty dollars on the table and Mitch Daniels placed down ten.
"Ok Frannie, you turn," Alex says. She smirked and picked up one of the shot glasses and threw it back. The glee kids held their breath as she swallowed.
"Hey hey hey," she laughed and slammed the shot glass back on the table. Alex chuckled and picked up the last shot glass.
"Come on baby," he prayed and flung the shot glass back. His face remained normal as he swallowed the water. Kids surrounding Francesca screamed as Alex raised her hand in defeat.
"Speech! Speech! Speech!" The crowd declared. Francesca blushed and held her red solo cup and grabbed Alex's hand as a microphone.
"I want- want," she stuttered, drunkenly, "I want to thank mi madre for always believing in me. And I want to thank my gay clubber people and TayTay," she cried and pulled the blonde toward her, dipping her before kissing her infront of half the school. After they kissed, Francesca took a swing of beer and went back to celebrating with the others.
"Fran just kissed your girlfriend," June informed Pete. He stood wide eyed as Taylor pulled him over to dance.
"Petey!" she cried, "Come dance with me!" Pete smiled and kissed Taylor before joining her. Francesca slowly sipped her beer. She was totally wasted, gone by the by, but all of a sudden, she felt her heart flutter when she saw Taylor. Her stomach filled with butterflies, her hands get clammy. And seeing Taylor dance and laugh with Pete made her feel uneasy. She wanted to be the one dancing with Taylor. She never really found a guy attractive or cute or anything like that. She did have celebrity crushes, but could never see anyone loving her. The only person who had really loved her was Taylor. She said that she loved her friends, but Taylor loved her, she could tell with her messed up brain.
Continuing into the night, the music was blaring and the lights flashed.
"Can I kiss you?" Ferris asked, dancing with Chad.
"What?"
"Can I kiss you?" Fetus's repeated again.
"I'm your boyfriend. Of course you can kiss me." Ferris smiled and pulled Chad closer. Their lips touched and Chad's heart fluttered with every second.
"Hey lovers it ain't Arkansas!" Beth cried, sipping more beer as she danced past Chad and Ferris kissed. They shook their heads and went back to kissing in the middle of the dance circle.
Jack danced around with some of the other football players when Dixie came up next to him.
"I want to talk," she cried over the music. Jack continues to dance.
"Ok so I should have talked to you first about it. But I- I don't know. It was wrong of me not to discuss things with you," he yelled over the music that cut out like it had been sliced with a knife. Heads turned to the speakers of the basement. Static came through the speakers as Alex Walsh hopped on the microphone.
"Uhh… hey guys so we've kinda got a problem here," he explained and scratched the back of his head. "But uhh… we got some kids in the glee club here that might be able to help us." The heads turned to the back of the room and stared at Dixie, June, Deja, Pete, Chad, Ferris, Nick, Jake, and Jack. If blinks had sounds, they would fill the room. Beth sipped on her straw and started to slow clap. Francesca added on and motioned for Taylor, who was passed out on the floor. The whole party was clapping for the kids to get up on stage. Deja swiped the mic from Alex Walsh.
"This one's for you!" she cried and started singing. Everyone on stage joined in on singing Purple People Eater drunkenly as the kids danced.
"Why aren't you up there?" Mitch asked Francesca who danced.
"Drunk!" she cried and threw herself at the boy. As the song finished, the audience didn't clap or make a sound. Our fateful performers stood, breathing heavy, eyes shifting to what would happen. Feet shuffled around from the back and made their way to the front, clutching cups.
"Oh," Francesca started, knowing what would happen.
"No," Beth finished and bit the straw of her cup. The none kids were in shock as they wiped the cold liquid from their faces. For the kids that had never been slushied before held their eyes as the high fructose corn syrup burned into their eye socket.
"And you thought being in glee club was cool? That people would enjoy you singing and dancing to your little show tunes? That coming to my Halloween party would make you cooler?" Alex sneered and put his phone down. "This'll make a nice momento to remember wouldn't it?"
"Please don't…" June whispered.
"Oops, already posted," he smirked. "Now please go, you're making me sick," he said and turned down before puking his guts out.
"That might be the vodka," Nick smirks as they walk from the front of the room. Francesca and Beth help Taylor from the basement.
"Well this was fun," Jack said sarcastically as they stood on the sidewalk.
Deja rubbed her temple. "Yup sure was." They we're all picked up one by one until Jake and Dixie were left, sitting on the sidewalk.
"Is someone coming?" she mentioned to break the silence. Jake shook his head.
"I brought my bike," he chuckled. Dixie turned to face him.
"Let my mom drive you. You can put your bike in the back of her car."
"Thanks, but it won't fit."
"You know this is the first time you've actually talked to me," Dixie pointed out. Jake avoided eye contact and fiddled with a leaf he had picked up. Dixie grabbed his chin and kissed him on the lips.
"Look Mellon, you're cool or whatever, but this can't happen," he added as he pulled away.
"Be my muse. You want Beth and I want Jack, but obviously that can't happen. So let's just pretend to be a thing so they'll get jelly and it'll all be good," she smiled and played with her crown.
"That's the first smart idea you've had," he says and kissed her back.