Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I do own Mouse, Sarah and Candy though.
Thank you to those who read and reviewed.
Read on, oh faithful ones.
...
Chapter Twenty Four
...
"Excuse me, Mr. Schuester?" Rachel asked before their morning practice began.
He looked up from his seat, trying not to convey his frustration and desperation in his face. Will had been up almost all night, and still hadn't thought of an appropriate song for Regionals. He had no idea what they were going to do, and was already trying to think of ways to convince Figgins to keep Glee club running next year, despite their forfeit or complete defeat this year.
"We all talked last night and knew that you'd over think the song selection for Regionals. Therefore, we all came up with our own ideas to sing. We'd like to run them by you now, and you can choose, or give us your ideas," Rachel offered, smiling briefly.
Will didn't know whether he wanted to cry or just hug all of them until they couldn't breathe.
"All right, that's great. Let's hear your ideas for Regionals. Why don't you sing a small part so I know the song you're talking about?"
Most of them looked a bit nervous at having to sing without the band knowing the music, but Candy smiled brightly and put his hand up.
"Can sweet sing first?"
Everyone immediately agreed unanimously, and hurried to take their seats before Candy could change his mind.
Standing on the stage, Candy tried to click, frowning slightly when his fingers didn't cooperate. Clicking her fingers, Mouse grinned slightly when everyone joined in quickly. He grinned happily, waiting a moment before starting to sing.
"You ask me over, and over, and over,
Have you seen my peacock-feathered hat?
If it was under a four-leaf clover,
I'd be on the lawn looking for that.
"Where is your heart at?
Nobody knows that,
Even though you've him, her, me," he pointed to Puck, Rachel and himself,
And an army searching!" he sang, his hands spread as he indicated all of them.
Candy stopped singing, looking to Mr. Schue with a slight frown. "Is that small enough?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes, thank you. That was great, Candy. Why don't we listen to all of the songs before deciding?" Will said, smiling at the young boy.
He nodded, smiling once more and going to sit down amidst their applause.
"All right, who wants to go next?"
There was a moment of hesitation, and surprising Will, it was Tina who put up her hand next. He clapped quickly, the others joining in as she made her way onto the stage.
"Some people talk about ya,
Like they know all about ya.
When you get down, they doubt ya,
And when you tippin' on the scene.
Yeah, they talkin' bout it,
'Cause they can't tip on the scene.
When you talkin' 'bout it,
T-t-talkin' 'bout it."
Tina was making her way across the stage, dancing as if she were on a tightrope, her arms balanced as she made exaggerated movements.
"When you get elevated,
They love it or they hate it.
You dance up all them haters,
Keepin' it funky on the scene.
While they jumpin' 'round ya,
They're trying to take all your dreams,
But you can't allow it.
"'Cause baby, whether you're high or low,
Whether you're high or low,
You got to tip on the tightrope,
T-t-tightrope.
Baby, whether you're high or low,
Baby, whether you're high or low,
You got to tip on the tightrope,
Now, let me see you do the tightrope,
And I'm still tippin' in it."
Applause broke out, Mike and Artie leading it, the former for her dance moves, and the latter for her singing. Blushing slightly, Tina bowed quickly with a broad grin on her face.
"All right, very good, Tina... Quinn, how about you go next?" Will volunteered for her, smiling as he indicated to the stage.
She managed to stand with some help, making her way up to the stage slowly. Her entire body felt ridiculously big, her stomach heavy as lead, and her back was killing her. She wasn't sure that she'd make Regionals, but didn't want to voice that concern. Quinn was fairly certain that Mr. Schuester might have a heart attack.
Taking a deep breath, she rested her hand on her stomach, hoping to calm the baby inside.
"Walks in to the room,
Feels like a big balloon.
I said, hey girls, you are beautiful,
Diet coke, and a pizza please,
Diet coke, I'm on my knees,
Screaming big girl, you are beautiful!
"You take your skinny girl,
I feel like I'm gonna die.
'Cause a real woman,
Needs a real man, here's why...
"You take your girl,
And multiply her by four.
Now a whole lotta woman,
Needs a whole lot more," she finished singing, laughing to herself, and looking on the verge of tears at the same time.
The applause that followed was hesitant, getting louder when Quinn didn't burst into tears. Shaking her head with a grin, she made her way down to the seats once more, extremely grateful for the ramp.
"Are you okay?" Mouse asked quietly, frowning briefly.
"Fine," she replied with a nod. "Perfectly fine."
Mouse didn't look convinced, but Will called on her next. Giving Quinn another small frown of concern, she made her way up to the stage.
"I think I finally found,
A note to make you understand.
If you can hit it,
Sing along and take me by the hand.
Just keep me stuck inside your head,
Like your favourite tune.
You know my heart's a stereo,
That only plays for you.
"My heart's a stereo,
It beats for you, so listen close,
Hear my thoughts in every no-o-ote.
"Make me your radio,
And turn me up when you feel low.
This melody was meant for you,
To sing along to my stereo.
"I only pray you'll never leave me behind,
'Cause good music can be so hard to find.
I take your head and hold it closer to mine,
Thought love was dead, and now you're changing my mind!"
Grinning at their applause, she took a quick bow, trying to catch her breath.
"I'll go next, Mr. Schue," Artie offered, going up the ramp to the stage.
"All right. Thanks for volunteering, Artie," he replied quickly.
Mouse sat next to Quinn, her eyes flicking to her in concern once more. Quinn pretended that she couldn't see her and kept her gaze on Artie.
"I could be in love,
But I just don't know (don't know, girl).
Baby, one thing is for certain,
Whatever you do is working.
Other girls don't matter in your presence,
Can't do what you do.
There's a million girls around,
But I don't see no one but you.
"Girl, you're so one in a million,
You are - baby, you're the best I ever had,
Best I ever had.
And I'm certain that,
There ain't nothing better,
No, there ain't nothing better than this."
Artie returned to his seat by Tina, and Matt and Mike stood, saying that they'd go next.
"I've paid my dues, time after time,
I've done my sentence, but committed no crime.
And bad mistakes, I've made a few,
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face,
But I've come through."
Everyone started to quietly sing along with them, grinning at each other when Mike and Matt encouraged them all to sing louder.
"We are the champions, my friends,
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end.
We are the champions,
We are the champions.
No time for losers,
'Cause we are the champions,
Of the world!"
Watching as they laughed and clapped, Will wondered if they'd just found their song for Regionals.
"All right, Rachel, Puck, Finn, Santana, and Brittany are left. Who wants to go next?" Will asked, grinning broadly.
"I will, if you don't mind?" Rachel asked the other four.
"Go for it," Santana said quickly, not particularly wanting to sing after that song.
"Fine by us," Puck said, nodding.
With a smile, Rachel stood and went up to the stage.
"People,
People who need people,
Are the luckiest people in the world.
We're children, needing other children,
And yet letting a grownup pride.
Hide all the need inside,
Acting more like children than children.
"Lovers are very special people,
They're the luckiest people in the world.
With one person one very special person,
A feeling deep in your soul.
Says you were half now you're whole.
No more hunger and thirst,
But first be a person who needs people.
People who need people,
Are the luckiest people in the world."
Applause echoed loudly in the auditorium, and Puck nudged Finn, nodding to the stage.
"We'll go next," Puck offered.
"Great, thanks!" Will said quickly, glad that they were getting into the rhythm of volunteering again.
Puck and Finn sat on the edge of stage, tapping out a rhythm on their legs. They sang the lines together, alternating between their rhythms.
"Hey, see it my way,
If we all had a dream,
We could bust this place,
And we could take it down,
Like a runaway train.
I bet you could make me smile,
Like I'm going insane.
So pick your style,
And pick your place.
And we can burn like the summer,
With amazing grace.
Gonna win now,
Cause I know you are.
You are my one true love,
And you got me this far.
"Always a winner,
Yeah, you're always a winner for me.
Always a winner,
Yeah, you're always a winner for me."
Santana sighed heavily when Brittany stood up before the applause for Puck and Finn had even finished. She took her friend's hand and followed her onto the stage, a tie in her free hand.
"We just heard this on the radio, and couldn't think of anything else," Brittany admitted, grinning briefly.
"That's fine. Anything is better than nothing. Go ahead!" Will said encouragingly.
Santana stepped forward, adjusting the tie she put on with a smirk and starting to sing.
"The D.A. is dressed to the nines,
In the mirror, he practices all his lines,
To his closing argument, twelve hearts beat in favour,
I'm guessing that he read the morning paper,
The headline reads "The man hangs", but the jury doesn't."
Brittany took a deep breath, stepping forward as Santana stepped back.
"When everyone's looking for relief,
United States versus disbelief.
Mothers cast tears on both sides of the aisle,
Clear your throat, and face the world.
The verdict falls like bachelors for bad luck girls,
Only breathing with the aid of denial."
Grinning at each other briefly, Brittany and Santana stepped forward, singing together.
"Case open, and case shut,
But you could pay to close it like a casket.
Baby boy can't lift his headache head,
Isn't it tragic?"
"He glances at his peers sitting seven to twelve,
Stacked on one to six, the gallery is hushed.
Boys in three-pieces dream of grandstanding and bravado,
The city sleeps in a cell, notwithstanding what we all know.
Hang on a rope, or bated breath,
Whichever you prefer."
Everyone began to applaud before they'd even finished singing. Their routine made it obvious they hadn't simply heard it on the radio that morning. Will sighed slightly. He could imagine them singing the song so well - all dressed in suits and the lead singer acting out the lyrics - but he'd need more singers than the twelve that the Glee club currently had. With Kurt leaving, they'd barely scraped through to be able to compete in Regionals. Maybe he should hold last-minute auditions for back up singers.
"Okay, let's put it to a vote," Will said, turning over a sheet of music to tally the results. "We need one group song, and one individual. We'll work out who sings the individual song once we have the song in question," he added, though he did note the look of disappointment on Tina's face.
"Wait, Mr. Schue. What song did you think of?" Mercedes asked with a slight frown. "It could be better than anything we've suggested."
Will faltered for a moment. He hadn't thought of a song, and yet, they'd all thought of something to sing. Licking his lips briefly, he said the first thing that came to mind.
"I thought of writing an original song. A group effort, something you could all contribute to in some way," he added quickly.
There was a moment of stunned surprise, but Will noticed that they all looked interested at the idea, at least.
The bell rang loudly, stopping anything they could have said, and delaying the vote until that afternoon after school.
"Don't forget, we're meeting in the auditorium this afternoon, not the choir room!" Will called as they hurried to leave with their bags.
...
"Hey guys, we're all eating here today," Mouse called, waving the footballers over to the table that she and the rest of the Glee members were sitting at.
"It's kind of small to fit all of us, isn't it?" Terrence asked, sitting in the seat Candy pulled him down onto.
"You're right. We'd better make some room then," she replied.
Without warning, most of the Glee club and footballers left the table, leaving Terrence, Mercedes, Artie and Tina seated around the small table.
"Terrence, this is Mercedes. She enjoys singing, has three brothers, and wants to be the next Beyonce. Mercedes, Terrence likes football, is good with kids, and while reluctant, can sing fairly well... See you later," Mouse said, grinning.
Mercedes blushed slightly as she realised that this was Mouse's solution to her boyfriend dilemma. Within moments, the four were left alone. Next to Mercedes, Tina was blushing as well.
"Do you have the feeling we've just been tricked into something?" Artie muttered to Terrence.
"Exactly what I'm feeling," he agreed. "Would you care to tell us what's going on?" he asked, looking at Mercedes.
"Hell to the no," she muttered, playing with her food and not looking up.
Terrence frowned slightly, glancing over his shoulder to glare at Mouse and the rest of his team. Instead, he saw Candy a few tables down, watching them with a bright and eager smile. He sighed softly, returning his attention to Mercedes again.
"So, you have three brothers? Are they older or younger?" he asked.
Surprised at his question, Mercedes looked up at Terrence. He didn't seem to hate her for being tricked into this, at the very least.
"I have two older brothers and one younger," she replied, continuing when he looked interested. "My eldest brother is graduating from college at the end of the year, while my second eldest brother is travelling around the country before going to college next year, and my younger brother is still in middle school. Do you have any siblings?"
"Older sister. She's studying to be a politician."
Beside them, Artie and Tina were talking quietly.
"You didn't have to set this all up, you know," Artie said, grinning briefly. "I was going to ask you out after Regionals."
"You were?" Tina asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I thought you might be too busy with practicing for Glee to say yes if I asked you sooner," he admitted.
"I would've said yes, no matter when you asked," she replied with a grin.
Artie chuckled softly. "Should have asked sooner then... Will you go out with me, Tina?"
Tina nodded happily. "Definitely."
Mercedes was surprised at how well her conversation with Terrence was going. It seemed that talking about their family had been a good way to start, and now he was talking about politics, his eyes lighting up in the same way her own did when talking about music.
"So what sort of music do you like?" she asked.
"Jazz and blues, mostly. I don't listen to a lot of ... current music," Terrence admitted.
"You've heard of Beyonce though, right?"
"Yes," he replied with a grin. "We danced to Single Ladies to win our first game of the season, and Candy sings a lot of her songs while we play football at lunch."
The bell rang loudly, startling Mercedes. Tina and Artie left the cafeteria, Tina pushing his wheelchair and laughing at something he'd said.
"Would you like to continue this conversation at another time? Maybe at BreadstiX?" she asked hesitantly as Terrence stood up.
"Yeah, I'd like that," Terrence replied, smiling at her. "How about we go out after Regionals are finished? I know what a big thing that is for everyone in the Glee club."
"Just as big as a championship game," Mercedes said. "Will you be at Regionals?" she asked as she walked out of the cafeteria beside him.
"Already got my ticket," he said with a nod. "Couldn't let the team's mascot perform and not be there to support him," Terrence said, chuckling. "I'd like to see you sing too," he added, looking to her.
"I'd like that too," Mercedes said with a bright smile.
Terrence stopped, seeming stunned. Worried that she'd said something wrong, Mercedes stopped beside him, frowning briefly.
"Are you all right?"
"Oh, yeah, fine," he said quickly, looking embarrassed. "You have a really great smile; you should smile more often," Terrence said.
Surprised at his admission, Mercedes smiled again, even brighter than before.
...
"All right, you pansies. You've warmed up enough! Get off the floor and start running. Q, you sit on the bleachers and heckle," Sue said to Quinn.
She nodded, moving to the bench to watch her classmates run around the gym.
"Come on, pick up the pace! Whoever doesn't finish three laps in the next three minutes will be proclaimed Loser of the Year, and have to wear my megaphone as a hat!" Sue yelled.
Loser, loser, loser... The words followed Mouse, mocking and taunting her with each footfall.
"Can I just give up and wear the hat now?" Tina asked beside her, panting heavily.
"Oh, come on. You've got a date with Artie, you should be floating on clouds or something," Puck said as he jogged past them.
"I've got a date, not wings on my feet!" she called.
"You can't wear the megaphone as a hat anyway, Tina. I'm taking that title for myself. It'll be the first time I've won anything," Mouse said, sniffing dramatically as she tried to keep up her jog.
"Come on, Jane, come on Tina! Haul those asses," Mike said with a laugh, going past them.
"Don't look at their asses, you ass!" Santana muttered, whacking him on the arm as she passed him.
"Where's Mercedes?" Brittany asked, catching up to Santana easily.
These laps were nothing to them; Sue had the Cheerios run twenty laps before and after practice.
"She's running like the hounds of Hell are after her," Finn said, looking to the girl ahead as he went past Mouse and Tina.
They were left alone as the rest of the class passed them quickly. Mouse decided that she was unfit and if the zombies ever rose, she would be the first to go.
"Think we can both wear the megaphone?" Tina asked, puffing.
"Sure, why not? I'll wear it for ten minutes, and then you can wear it for the next ten."
"Come on, losers! Run faster!" Sue yelled.
Most of the class had finished three laps and were waiting for the stragglers - Mouse and Tina were two of five. Four, Mouse corrected silently as Mercedes finished her final lap, sinking onto the bleacher next to Quinn tiredly.
"I really don't know why I picked P.E. for my senior year," Tina muttered.
"Because it doesn't have an exam?" Mouse asked with a grin, continuing her jogging pace.
"That's probably why," she agreed.
"Last lap, losers!"
"Loser, loser, loser, loser," Mouse began to chant with her steps, Tina joining in with a laugh.
They finished their final lap in two minutes, their steps getting faster as their chant became faster.
"All right. Now that you've all finished, you can do sprints. Come on, up, up, up!" Sue yelled through the megaphone.
"Ms. Sylvester?" Mouse asked, trying to calm her racing heart.
"What?"
"We'd like to wear the megaphone now," she said, grinning.
"Like I'd let my precious megaphone go near the likes of you. Get to the line, Franklin. You too, Asian girl," she shooed at both of them.
"Hey, she didn't call me Emo Wannabe this time," Tina said in surprise.
"You prefer Asian girl?"
"Not really, but it's better than Emo Wannabe."
"Wannabe Loser?"
"I don't think anyone wants to be a loser."
"Especially not a loser like me?" Mouse asked, laughing.
Tina frowned slightly, humming their earlier chant. "Wanna be a loser like me... It could be a line of a song, you know."
"Are you two all right?" Rachel asked, looking to them in concern. "You took a long time to run the laps around the gym, and I'm worried you might pass out during sprints."
"We'll be okay," Mouse said with a slight grin. "We're trying to think of a song to write for Regionals."
"Oh, really? Do you have anything so far?" Rachel asked, smiling.
"You wanna be a loser like me," Tina sang quietly.
Rachel looked to Sue, who was yelling at Santana and Brittany, and nodded briefly. "I can see where that came from. I like it though. I was going to raise the concern of some other songs referring to us as champions and winners because, as we all get told on a daily basis, we definitely aren't champions nor winners," she said with a sigh. "Do you mind if I join you to work on the lyrics further?"
"We can't run as fast as you, you'll probably be yelled at," Tina pointed out.
"I have a feeling that due to my involvement in the Glee club, I'd be yelled at either way, so I might as well spend my time productively."
The whistle blew loudly, and they started to run from one end of the gym to the other.
"You wanna be a loser like me," Mouse sang in time with her jogging.
"You can put me down, but one day you'll see," Rachel added, keeping up the leisurely pace to focus on her singing.
"You wanna be a loser like me," Tina repeated.
"Any reason you're not running?" Puck asked as he slowed down to jog beside Mouse.
"We're thinking of a song for Regionals," she replied, grinning.
"How's it going?"
"We have two possible lines so far," Mouse said, nodding to Rachel and Tina.
They sang the lines for him, Puck grinning as they passed by Sue, who did not look impressed at their slow pace.
"Come on, people! This isn't that hard! You want hard, try living with gangrene! That's hard!"
"Doesn't gangrene result in a loss of limbs?" Rachel asked with a frown.
"I think that's only if it's left untreated... But I'm not a doctor, so I really have no idea," Mouse replied, shrugging.
"See you on the next sprint," Puck said, catching up to Mike and Matt.
"So, thought of anymore for the song?"
"Something about shaking off the pain, maybe?" Rachel suggested.
"Yeah, no one really wants to be called a loser."
"Come on, girls, run a bit faster. I can't watch you run if you don't run," Jacob said, jogging to stay beside them. He glanced down at their breasts, leering when they caught him staring.
"One day, Israel, I'm going to be your boss. And then I will fire you in the most humiliating way possible," Mouse said with a glare. "Now get going, or I'll shove Ms. Sylvester's megaphone down your throat."
"Such a kind temperament from someone who wants to work with kids all day," he sneered at her, running ahead now.
"I'm kind to people who aren't creeps!" she called after him, ignoring the looks she received from people passing her.
"Oh, I like that song," Tina commented, grinning.
"Radiohead are good," Mouse agreed with a nod.
"What do you think of adding that part about being his boss? One day, I'll be your boss," Rachel murmured, a lilt to her voice.
"I'll shake it off, one day I'll be your boss," Tina said, incorporating Rachel's earlier line.
"That works for me," Mouse said, grinning.
"Hey, girls. You might want to run a bit faster. Sylvester's talking about shoving megaphones down throats," Finn warned as he passed them.
"It's scary that you thought of the same threat as Sue Sylvester," Tina commented to Mouse, even as they obligingly jogged faster.
"Would it be better or worse if she thought of the same threat as me?"
"Worse," Rachel and Tina chorused immediately.
"Mouse, why is Jacob spreading rumours about you?" Puck asked, jogging beside her once more.
"He was being a creep," she replied. "What sort of rumours?"
"The kind that result in him getting beaten up. Or thrown in a dumpster. Maybe both. Just how creepy was he being?"
"He said he wanted to watch us run, and he stared at our breasts, and leered. It was creepier than his usual creepiness," Tina added, shuddering.
"Hey, Matt, Mike. Would you throw Jacob in a bin or beat him up if he stared at your girls' breasts and was being all creepy?"
"Does this really need to be a group discussion?" Mouse asked.
"It depends how long he was staring and just how creepy he was. I mean, he's creepy enough already, how much worse can he get?"
"I agree with the first part of what Mike said, but people can always get creepier. And it also depends on how much of the jealous boyfriend you want to come off as. You don't want people to be scared to talk to Mouse just in case you might beat them to a pulp," Matt said.
"So, dumpster only?" Puck asked.
"He was staring at all of us, not just Mouse," Tina added helpfully.
"How about you let this one slide? It's almost the end of the year, and you don't want something to go on your school record just in time to make you look bad for college," Mouse said.
"Q, I can't hear you heckling!" Sue called.
Grinning briefly, Quinn looked at the small group that had originally started with Mouse, Tina and Rachel. "Come on guys, I can run faster than you!"
"I'd like to see you try," Mike called over his shoulder as they passed by her.
"Move it!" Sue yelled so loudly that the megaphone screeched in protest.
Mike, Matt and Puck ran faster, and Mouse was fairly sure that they were still discussing Jacob's demise. Sighing to herself, she quickened her pace, Tina and Rachel catching up.
...
End of the twenty-fourth chapter..
I hope you liked it!