Welcome to the Jungle

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Part Two: Sixteen

Chapter Twenty-Four: Change

On Thursday afternoon, Harry's almost unsurprised when Puck, Mike, and Matt walk into the auditorium. He'd not expected it, per se, but after Santana, Quinn, and Brittany, he'd stopped expecting much of anything from the Glee Club, and if his friends' surprise entrance is anything to go by, the philosophy will serve him well.

"What happened to Glee Club being for losers?" Harry asks Puck later, once Mr Schuester has formally welcomed them.

"I'm a badass," Puck shrugs, but his expression is downcast. Presumably, his mind is on his as yet unnamed hookup, "I can rock anything. Even Glee Club."

Harry opts not to question him further. Puck surely has his reasons - or maybe he's just stopped giving a shit about other peoples' opinions - but he's obviously not interested in explaining them, and Harry doesn't want to bother him. Puck's got other - more important - things to concern himself with, after all, and in the grand scheme of things, Glee Club and high school reputations and peer expectations are rather inconsequential. Maybe like the rest of them, Puck's just begun to realise that.

Besides, like Puck, Harry has more important things to concern himself with. His first lot of IGCSE exams are coming up, finals too, and the issue of Leo and Ursa has hardly strayed from his thoughts. Maybe Puck's getting over himself, maybe he isn't, but either way, it's not something Harry needs to dwell on.

"Right," Harry acknowledges instead, "We're sorting out our setlist for sectionals today. Regionals and Nationals too, I guess."

Puck grunts his acknowledgement. "What's up with your sister and Berry?"

Rachel and Kate hadn't stopped smiling since they'd realised what Puck, Matt, and Mike's inclusion meant for the Glee Club. In fact, they're almost manic with their excitement, and Harry won't be surprised if he finds Rachel at their place in the next couple of days, organising vocal arrangements and/or choreography for the setlist they'll be sorting out today.

"We needed 12 members to qualify for sectionals," Harry explains, "With you guys, we have 14. The three of you probably just made their year."

"Is that all for today? Just the setlist?"

"Rachel will probably perform something," Harry shrugs, "She usually does. Kate and Kurt too, sometimes."

"So we can do that?" Puck wonders, "Just perform songs?"

Harry nods his confirmation. "Yeah. Why? Do you want to play something?"

Puck shrugs, but he glances thoughtfully at his guitar case. He'd brought it a long - apparently, joining the Glee Club wasn't a spur of the moment decision - and replies, "Maybe."

Harry shrugs again. "It's up to you. Just let Schue know if you decide you want to."

Puck nods wordlessly, and Mr Schuester calls them all to order. Rachel and Kate lead the discussion regarding their setlist, there are recommendations and disagreements and eventually, a list of songs they vote on. By the end of it, no one is fully satisfied - such is the nature of democracy, Harry supposes - but no one is necessarily unhappy, either.

"What do you think?" Brittany asks him. She watches as Harry packs away his laptop, and nearby, Santana and Puck exchange banter that skirts the very edge of civility. They'd been hooking up for a while - casual, as always - but things had come to a jarring halt in the last few days, and they're both still licking their wounds.

"It's not any of Schue's 80's Disco, so I'm satisfied," Harry replies. In the orchestra pit, Daphne Greengrass and Theodore Nott start arguing in hushed, rapid whispers, and Harry looks away, uncomfortable and awkwardly curious.

He really needs to get the hell over his interest in the bassist. SHe's unavailable, Harry's pretty sure he is too, and it's not fair to anyone to continue the way he has been.

"Do you think Mr Schue will let me help with the choreography?"

"He lets Kate and Rachel handle most of it, so I don't see why not."

"Do you think they'd mind if I helped, too?"

"They've been trying to get the rest of us involved since day one, so I'm pretty sure they'd be thrilled. Do you want me to ask for you?"

"Please?"

"I'll ask Kate tonight," Harry assures her, and Brittany hugs him gratefully, a delighted smile on her face.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Kate interrupts them. Rachel stands by her, a pink binder clutched to her chest, and she's still smiling.

"Just about," Harry confirms. He shoulders his guitar case, Puck follows suit, and Harry gathers up his backpack and laptop case with a reluctant sigh.

Santana, diverted from her verbal spar with Puck, links pinkies with Brittany, and in a group, they exit the choir room, joined on the way by Mike and Matt. They chat on the way to the parking lot, about homework and evening plans and their newest members' respective impressions of Glee Club thus far, and Rachel reaches her car without incident. Jacob Ben-Israel has made himself scarce in recent weeks, but Harry's cautious, Puck is too, and Harry expects Rachel won't be left to her own devices for a long time to come.

In fact, they should probably expand things to include the other girls, too - JBI isn't the only creep floating around McKinley High - but that's a thought for later.

"Brit and I are going to hit up Breadsticks," Santana informs him, "Want to come?"

"I'd better not," Harry says regretfully, "We've got Judo tonight, so we'll probably just hit up a drive-thru on the way."

"Your loss."

They part ways then, Brittany with another lipgloss-sticky kiss to Harry's cheek. She leaves with Santana though, Matt with Puck, while Mike joins he and Kate for the drive to the community centre.

Kate's quiet, content to listen to Paramore's 'Riot!' album, to gaze absently at the scenery passing them by, to text intermittently with Colin and Tina and whoever else. Mike fidgets restlessly in the passenger seat - when he isn't texting Hermione, anyway - and he quizzes Harry about Glee Club, about Brittany, about anything and everything else that crosses his mind. They grab Burger King for dinner, and Mike explains his decision to join the Glee Club.

"I wasn't going to, to be honest," Mike says candidly, "I'm busy enough as is without adding more commitments on top of things, but I was eating dinner last night, and dad was telling me about how he's already made a shortlist of schools for me to apply for, and all I could think about is how much I don't want to be a doctor."

"So… You're rebelling?" Kate clarifies.

Mike shrugs. "Not really? I mean, I'm not sure if I want to pursue Dance, but I'd rather leave my options open."

"Why do you think you want to be a doctor?"

"It's not what they think I want," Mike answers, "It's what they expect from me. Anyway, I was thinking about it last night, and then this morning, Puck said he was going to join, and I figured it must've been a sign or something, so here I am. Anyway, the Academic Decathlon and the Debating seasons are finishing up soon, so I'll need something to keep me busy."

"Do you know how to relax?" Harry wonders.

"Relax?" Mike echoes, "What is this thing you speak of?"

Kate rolls her eyes, and presses Mike for details about Puck's and Matt's respective reasons for joining. Mike doesn't have answers though - neither does Harry - and Kate reluctantly settles for disappointment.

"Why are you questioning it, anyway? Shouldn't you just be grateful we have the numbers now?"

"I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop," Kate shrugs, "It seems too good to be true."

Harry drains the last of his Sprite, and advises her, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Kit-Kat. Besides, you never know, Chang here might just be tone deaf."

Kate eyes Mike, oddly suspicious. "Are you?"

As Mike gathers up his rubbish, he offers Kate a teasing grin, and replies, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."