Singer in the back Chapter 18, a glee fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I only own Mouse, Candy, and Sarah.

Thank you to everyone for reading. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Eighteen

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Puck looked at Mouse across the hallway. He knew that she knew he was there, but she hadn't even glanced his way since he arrived ten minutes ago. He'd tried everything he knew to get her back, and yet she still hadn't given up on her stubbornness! He'd apologised, tried talking to her, and after winning Sectionals, he'd even held her hand for a bit! What else did she want?

Closing his locker with more force than necessary, he crossed the hallway.

"So, how about you and me go out this Friday?" Puck asked, grinning the same grin that made girls across town melt.

"Okay!" the girl replied happily. In her excitement, her blonde hair and her other ... assets bounced up and down.

Puck wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and walked down the hallway with her. He had needs, and the girl next to him would be more than happy to fill them. He wasn't feeling guilty, not at all. His stomach was just ... exercising his abs. That was all.

Mouse tried not to stare as they walked past. Puck didn't meet her eyes, and she looked away quickly, trying to stop the pinpricks of tears.

Closing her locker quietly, Mouse looked after them.

"Hands touch, eyes meet,
Sudden silence, sudden heat.
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl,
He could be that boy, but I'm not that girl."

"Don't dream too far,
Don't lose sight of who you are,
Don't remember that rush of joy.
He could be that boy,
I'm not that girl."

"Every so often we long to steal,
To a land of what might have been.
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel,
When reality sets back in."

"Light smile, light limb,
She who's winsome, she wins him.
Gold hair with a gentle curl,
That's the girl he chose.
And heaven knows,
I'm not that girl."

"Don't wish, don't start,
Wishing only wounds that heart.
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl.
There's a girl I know, he loves her so,
I'm not that girl."

Sighing heavily, Mouse leant her forehead against her locker.

"I'm not that girl..."

"Hey Mouse, ready to go?" Kurt asked, smiling at her.

"Yep, ready," she said, forcing herself to smile back.

She followed Kurt and Mercedes down to the English classroom, wondering what their reactions would be. What her reaction would be. Mouse wondered if Puck was already kissing that girl, his arm around her, his fingers caressing her back like he had done with her. She felt sick...

"Oh, my," Kurt murmured, stopping in the doorway.

"What?" Mercedes asked, eager for gossip.

"Ummm... How about we skip English today? Or school entirely? Yeah, let's do that. Come on..." Kurt said quickly, turning around.

"Don't be stupid, I want to see..." Mercedes said, moving to look past him. "Oh. Actually, you're right. Skipping school sounds like a great idea. Come on, let's go already!" she said, a nervous laugh escaping.

"He's already kissing her, isn't he?" Mouse asked, her voice no more than a whisper.

"If there were any less room between them, I'd say they were doing a whole lot more than kissing," Kurt muttered.

Mouse took a deep breath and walked into the classroom. Kurt and Mercedes looked at each other with worried expressions and hurried after her. The girl was sitting on Puck's lap, all but sticking her tongue down his throat.

"Classy," she muttered, trying to find any sort of humour in the situation.

It didn't escape her notice that Puck's hands were clenched by his sides, rather than holding onto the girl in his lap. He didn't seem to be enjoying it, but he wasn't exactly pushing her away either...

She sat down, feeling both relieved and claustrophobic when Kurt and Mercedes sat on either side of her. Mouse didn't know if they were sitting next to her as a show of support, or to keep her from running from the classroom entirely.

"All right, class. Settle down! And get off Puckerman's lap, Miss Richton," the English teacher said sternly.

There was a slight sucking sound as the girl did as she was told. Mouse winced and tried not to gag. It sounded like an octopus' suckers letting go of prey...

Managing a wry grin, she drew a quick picture in the back of her notebook. An octopus wrapped around a man. Actually, the same picture could have been drawn about her mother...

Next to her, Kurt stifled a laugh. Unfortunately, it was loud enough to draw the teacher's attention and a shadow fell across them within seconds. Mouse didn't have time to close her book, and it was taken from her before she could protest either.

"This is not art class, Mouse. Perhaps next time write a story instead of drawing in the back of your book," the teacher said, but there was humour in his tone as he looked at the picture.

The page was ripped out of the book and Mouse took the offered book back, her cheeks red.

"Sorry, sir."

He nodded, folding the piece of torn paper and putting it in his pocket with a small grin. Turning to face the class, his expression became stern once more. "Everyone open Macbeth to Act Three, Scene Five."

...

"Before we start today, I want to congratulate you all on winning your very first competition," Schue said, cheers erupting. He indicated for them to quiet down. "Now, we all need to work on the songs Regionals. It's going to be much a tougher competition. You've all seen Vocal Adrenaline, and you know that they're going to be the ones to beat."

The cheerful atmosphere faded as worry and doubt started to creep in their minds.

"Sing, sing, sing!" Candy said, happily oblivious to Will's words and the others' doubts.

"All right," Will said, smiling at his infectious enthusiasm. "Let's start from the top!"

He noticed that Mouse and Puck were standing as far away from each other as possible. He'd heard about what Miss Richton and Puck had been doing in English, and he'd seen the picture Mouse had drawn. He would have been surprised if any of the staff hadn't seen it - it was pinned up in the staff tea room for all to see, along with Jefferson's explanation underneath. Hell, even Sue and Ms. Lemay had laughed over that picture! While Will himself had laughed at the depicted caricature, he'd wondered how it would affect his Glee club.

Maybe he should have another talk with them? he wondered, watching as they sung and danced his routine.

The students finished the song, watching in some confusion when Will didn't immediately say or do anything.

"Great job, all of you. Tina, Mouse, you need to work on singing louder. Come to the auditorium tomorrow morning and I'll practice that with both of you, okay?" Will said, receiving nods from both girls.

No, he wouldn't talk to them about it. They had no idea he knew what had happened, and he wouldn't betray their trust in him by making a scene over it.

"All right, again from the top!"

...

Mouse waited outside the locked auditorium, Candy beside her. He was on the ground, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth as he wrote large words in his notebook, copying the words from a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

"Morning, Mouse. Hey Candy," Schue said, smiling cheerfully. "Tina's not here yet? How about we go inside and get started?"

Mouse nodded, watching as he fumbled with the keys and his coffee cup.

"Here, let me take that," Mouse said, taking his cup before he spilled it on Candy.

"Thanks," he said, grinning. "All right, why don't you get Candy settled and I'll get everything sorted?"

Nodding again, Mouse handed Schue his coffee back to him, and led Candy into the auditorium. He sat on the stage, his legs curled up underneath him as he continued with his homework.

Satisfied that he was happy, Mouse turned to see two chairs sitting on the stage. Schue was sitting at the piano, finishing his drink.

"The music sheets are on the seats. I want you to sit down and sing this. You need to work on projecting your voice more, and I know how difficult it can be to do while attempting to dance at the same time," he said with a grin.

Sitting on the seat, Mouse looked at the music score. Sara Bareilles' Love Song. Was this Schue's attempt at subtlety? Frowning, she looked over to him. Will was humming the tune to himself, his fingers pressing the corresponding keys lightly.

"Looks like Tina's going to be late... Let me know when you're ready, Mouse," he called over his shoulder.

Before she could reply, there was a crash from the entrance, startling the three on stage. Tina ran into the auditorium, her pigtails flying out behind her. Red and black socks were around her ankles, and she only had one glove on, the other was hanging out of her bag precariously.

"I'm so... sorry. Overslept," she said, doubled over as she tried to catch her breath.

"It's all right, Tina," Will said, smiling at her. "Sit down, have some water, and just breathe, okay?"

Tina nodded in response, sitting in the front row, fanning herself lightly.

"Ready?" Will asked, looking at Mouse.

She nodded in reply. With an encouraging smile, he turned back to the piano and began to play.

"Head under water, and you tell me,
To breathe easy for a while.
But breathing gets harder, even I know that.
You made room for me, it's too soon to see,
If I'm happy in your hands.
I'm unusually hard to hold on to.
Blank stares at blank pages,
No easy way to say this,
You mean well, but you make this hard on me.

"I'm not gonna write you a love song,
'Cause you ask for it, 'cause you need one.
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song,
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this.
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay,
If all you have is leaving, I'll need a better reason,
To write you a love song today.
Today, yeah.

"I learned the hard way,
That they all say things you wanna hear.
My heavy heart sinks deep down under you,
And your twisted words, your help just hurts.
You are not what I thought you were,
Hello to high and dry.
Convinced me to please you,
Made me think that I need this too,
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am.

"I'm not gonna write you a love song,
'Cause you ask for it, 'cause you need one.
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song,
Cause you tell me it's make or break in this.
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay,
If all you have is leaving, I'll need a better reason,
To write you a love song today.

"Promise me you'll leave the light on,
To help me see day like my guide gone.
Cause I believe there's a way,
You'll love me because I say...

"I won't write you a love song,
'Cause you ask for it, 'cause you need one.
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this,
Is that what you want in a love song?
'Cause you ask for it, 'cause you need one?
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song,
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this.
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay,
If your heart is nowhere in it, I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe,
There's a reason to write you a love song today."

Tina clapped enthusiastically, grinning up at Mouse broadly.

Will gave her some tips on holding her notes longer, and with a quick thanks, Mouse left with Candy as the bell rang. Tina hurried after her, promising to practice that afternoon instead.

"Mouse?" Tina said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah, Tina?"

"Mercedes t-told me what you're d-doing for her."

"Did she now?"

Tina nodded quickly, a small smile on her face. "I was wondering if... if you'd help me too?"

"I thought you and Artie were already going out?"

"Yeah, as friends. Or as fellow Glee members."

"Oh," Mouse said, patting her sympathetically.

"Yeah. Oh..." she trailed off, then looked up at Mouse again. "So, can you help me? Please?"

"I'm not sure what I can do, Tina," she said, frowning. "But I'll try," she added reluctantly when Tina looked heartbroken and disappointed. "Candy, that's the girl's toilet!" Mouse called, hurrying after him.

...

"Would you just tell me why we're here already?" Mercedes asked, not for the first time that day.

"Well, you wanted me to find someone for you. Where better than an all-boys school?" Mouse asked, smirking at her.

"Yeah, but these guys are all rich and probably have their own girlfriends already," she replied in a hiss as a group passed by.

"Oh God, I hope not," Kurt said, his eyes lingering on the group.

"You're here to be my moral support, Kurt, not to ogle the boy-candy," Mercedes said, grinning slightly as she nudged him in the ribs.

"Oh, but what lovely boy-candy there is," he murmured.

"How did you get Schue to agree to us skipping practice, anyway?" Mercedes asked, crossing her arms as she looked at Mouse.

"Dalton Academy has their own Glee club. I wanted to see them sing," Mouse replied, grinning.

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing. You're here to see the Warblers?" a boy asked, smiling at them charmingly.

Kurt couldn't help but stare at him. He was so gorgeous!

"Yes, we are. Do you know where the auditorium is? I was told they'd be singing today," Mouse replied.

The boy chuckled slightly. "The Warblers don't sing in the auditorium unless they have to. Come on, I'll show you where they are today," he said.

"I'm Mouse, this is Mercedes, and this is Kurt."

"Blaine. Nice to meet you all," he replied, smiling once more. "Great outfit," Blaine added to Kurt.

Kurt barely managed a nod as he felt his heart skip a beat. Did the gorgeous boy - Blaine, what a beautiful name - look at him longer than the others?

"Are you okay?" Mercedes whispered, looping her arm through his.

Again, he nodded. He couldn't take his eyes off Blaine, even though he was talking to Mouse.

"The whole school stops for the Warblers? That's a very ... different reaction than what we're used to," Mouse said, grinning.

"Yeah, the Warblers' are kind of rock stars," Blaine chuckled.

"Sure sounds like it," Mouse said, as even more people hurried past them, cheering.

"Take a seat, they'll start in a moment," Blaine said, smiling.

Music started playing and Blaise stood to join his fellow Warblers.

"My baby, he don't talk sweet,
He ain't got much to say.
But he loves me, loves me, loves me,
I know that he loves me anyway."

Blaine grabbed the cane that was thrown to him, dancing with a grin.

"And maybe he don't dress fine,
But I don't really mind.
'Cause every time he pulls me near,
I just wanna cheer."

Blaine was not only gorgeous, but he could sing too? Kurt couldn't help but fall head over heels in love.

"Let's hear it for the boy!
Let's give the boy a hand.
Let's hear it for my baby,
You know, you got to understand."

Mouse watched the performance happily enough. They were a great group, very enthusiastic with their backflips and everything else, but they seemed to rely on Blaine's vocals more than anything.

"Oh, maybe he's no Romeo,
But he's my lovin' one-man show.
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa,
Let's hear it for the boy!"

"My baby may not be rich,
He's watching every dime.
But he loves me, loves me, loves me.
We always have a real good time."

Mercedes watched the Warblers singing, her foot tapping along with them. She didn't care about finding a boyfriend at this moment. All she wanted to do was join in with the song.

"And maybe he sings off key,
But that's all right by me.
'Cause what he does, he does so well,
Makes me wanna yell."

"Let's hear it for the boy!"

Mouse, Mercedes, and Kurt all clapped, the room bursting into applause and cheers.

"So this is what it's like to be popular?" Mercedes asked Mouse wryly.

"No idea, never have been myself. But with the way they're all going, I think this is the mystical Popularity we've all heard so much about," she replied, grinning.

"So, what did you think?" Blaine asked, grinning at Dalton Academy's guests.

"Great performance," Mouse replied genuinely.

"Thanks. Maybe next time, we'll be able to see you sing at McKinley," he answered.

If Mouse was bothered by the fact he knew where they were from, or that he knew they'd only been there to spy, she sure as hell didn't show it. Mercedes took her cue from Mouse and just smiled.

"Sure, we can do that. I'll give you my number. Call me when you're thinking of coming up, and I'll make sure we're ready," Mouse said, grabbing a pen and piece of paper out of her bag.

"Like you did for our performance?" Blaine asked.

"I called ahead! You just didn't get the message," she replied sweetly.

Blaine just laughed and offered to show them out.

...

Later that afternoon, Mercedes pulled Mouse into the girl's bathroom.

"What's wrong, 'Cedes?"

"I thought we went to Dalton Academy for me?"

"You were one of the reasons we went there. Regionals competition was another," Mouse replied. "Why?"

"I notice I didn't come away with a boyfriend, and somehow, Kurt's gone and fallen for that Blaine guy!"

"Really? I so didn't see that happening..." Mouse mused, then grinned and looked at Mercedes.

"Mouse? What ... what if it's me? I mean, there's so many guys out there - everyone always says that there's more fish in the sea, and whatever. What if they don't want me because I'm ... well, me?" Mercedes asked. She had tears in her eyes and she hurried to wipe them away.

"Oh, 'Cedes. That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time," Mouse said, shaking her head at her. She hugged Mercedes lightly, then took her hand. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

They trailed along the hallways, seemingly invisible to the rest of the students. Mouse stood in front of a girl, her black hair covering her face, her headphones blasting, and her eyes dark from late nights online.

"Julie has a dad that might as well be dead,
A case-a-day habit and three other kids,
And she's a much more beautiful person than he'll ever know."

A picture of the girl with her brothers and sisters was sitting on the inside of her locker. All of them were smiling, except her.

"She hates the world, at least the one outside,
She's a Myspace kid living in a virtual life,
And she's a much more beautiful person than she'll ever know."

The girl's pencil case fell to the ground and she pushed her hair back to pick it up off the floor.

Suddenly, time seemed to freeze. Mercedes looked around quickly, but Mouse dropped beside the girl. A tear was trailing down her cheek.

"Close your eyes and let time tick by,
In this life it's okay to cry sometimes,
It can be hard to see when it's right in front of you."

She drew a smiley face on the back of the girl's hand, picking up all of her pens, pencils and textas quickly, replacing the pencil case on her locker shelf.

"You're gonna smile sometime,
And worlds will collide.
I know you're tired of waiting,
But when you're through with hating,
You'll be a much more beautiful person, and now you know,
And now you know."

Mouse stood up, and time started again. Mercedes could only look over her shoulder for the briefest of moments before the students blocked her view.

"Danny can't help but feeling alone,
Walking the halls with his head hung low,
He's a much more beautiful person than he could know."

The boy they were walking beside did have his head hung, his eyes focused on the ground. He didn't look at anyone around him, even when they bumped into him.

Up ahead, Mercedes could see a group of boys with slushies in hand. She wanted to call out, but her voice was stuck.

Too late for warnings of any kind, the slushie was thrown. He saw it coming and winced, raising his arms to try and block the cold blow.

"High school kids can be so nasty,
In a cut throat war for popularity,
A much more beautiful person that he'll ever know."

Time froze again. The slushie stopped in mid-air, the boy's expression still twisted in fear and dread and anticipation of the cold and stickiness.

"Close your eyes and let time tick by,
In this life it's okay to cry sometimes,
It can be hard to see when it's right in front of you."

A tear tracked down the boy's cheek slowly. Mouse moved him out of the way carefully, then drew a smiley face on his tightly-clenched hand. She adjusted his arms to be by his side, and faced him towards the girl they'd just left.

"You're gonna smile sometime,
And worlds will collide.
I know you're tired of waiting,
But when you're through with hating,
You'll be a much more beautiful person,
You'll be a much more beautiful person,
And now you know."

Mouse turned to Mercedes, looking at her intently.

"You don't feel so lucky, but I see so many things in you,
Believe me, I know just what you're going through.
So stand up and take a bow,
Hold your head high, don't ever let them get you down,
It's all about you, and it's long overdue."

Moving to her, Mouse gently turned Mercedes expression into a smile.

"You're gonna smile sometime,
And worlds will collide.
I know you're tired of waiting,
But when you're through with hating..."

Mouse led Mercedes back into the bathroom as she finished singing. Looking to her friend, she saw that Mercedes had tears in her eyes again, but this time she let them fall.

...

End of the eighteenth chapter.

I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading!

For those interested, I've posted the song list for each chapter in my Forum (the one for Glee, obviously).

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