After School Special
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or anything associated the show.
Chapter 4: Something is Afoot
DECEMBER 2010
With sectionals only two weeks away Will and New Directions were hard at work making adjustments to the songs they were singing.
"Okay guys, settle down. We need to finalize everything for Sectionals, so that we can finish working on the songs." Mr. Schue said, as he walked into the classroom. "Brittany. Mike. What do we have going on for choreography?"
Brittany let Mike do the talking, because she wasn't good with words; "Well Mr. Schue we thought we would be a little more free style for I'll be There for You since everybody associates the song with 'Friends'. It would make sense to keep it loose and simple kind of like last year, but you know rehearsed so it looks clean. For I've Got a Feeling we thought go more upbeat and high energy. We want to make this our actual dance number, so it will require the most work. We were wondering if Artie wouldn't mind playing base and if Finn could be on the drums for it; if that's okay with you guys," Mike finished and looked over to Finn and Artie to see them nodding in agreement.
"Okay and Rachel you have the music for Way Back Home," Mr. Schue asked.
"Yes, Quinn and I have been practicing. Did you find out if they will let us sit on stools for that song?"
"They said the ballad would have to be out last song, but otherwise there should be no problem… and I already checked; they cannot deduct points if you sit while performing, as long as it's during the ballad, so we are fine."
"Thanks Mr. Schue," Rachel smiled.
"Whoa, you're singing a Hannah Montana song? I thought you were never gonna do that again after the Laryngitis fiasco; you said all of her songs were cursed if you were a talented singer," Puck said.
"No Noah, the song is not from she who shall not be named; although she does have a song with the same title. The version that Quinn and I are going to do is from a different group.
"Dude, how do you know Hannah Montana songs," Finn asked.
"Sarah is obsessed with her music," he answered.
"Okay, back to Sectionals talk," Mr. Schue intervened before anything could happen. "We need to figure out what order we want to sing the songs and what instruments we need to bring. I believe the only instruments we should need besides a piano would be drums for Finn and base for Artie" he said, as he listed them on the board. "Artie can you both bring your own instrument?" Artie said I wouldn't be a problem
They started to work on the songs as a group to see who should sing what part. It was decided that everyone would have a solo in I'll be there for You and that Rachel and Santana would take Fergie's parts in I've got a Felling and Puck, Artie, and Mike would be taking the male parts. As Rachel and Quinn were finishing Way Back Home the bell rang.
Quinn and Rachel were holding hands walking down the hall, "I have History now, so that means you have…" Quinn stopped to think of what class her girlfriend had.
"Biology, so I need to leave you here, I will see you in Pre-Cal?"
"Yup, see you in a little," Quinn said, then gave Rachel a quick kiss; before she headed off to the History corridor.
When Rachel got to her Biology room Mr. Wilde smiled and waved at her; she waved back before going to her desk. She quickly went over her notes one last time before the test she had today. The last few students were just walking in when the bell rang.
"Alright everybody, please clear your desk except for a pen and pencil. This test is thirty-five questions; thirty are objective/multiple choice and five are short answers. I want to see complete sentences for the short answers or you will lose points," Mr. Wilde said, and then he began to pass out the tests. "Keep your test face down until I say so; if I catch you cheating, talking or texting; you will receive an automatic zero and will spend the rest of the class in Figgins' office.
Rachel sighed as Mr. Wilde went over his pre-test speech. He gave the exact same speech before every test and quiz. It really annoyed her because everyone knew his stupid test rules and despite the fact that he always said them; someone always managed to get thrown out. Why doesn't he just save his breath and the students time and not give the speech; she wondered. Finally he told them that they could begin their test. Rachel prided herself on being a good test taker. She was always able to remain calm even if she didn't know an answer; she chalked this up to years of performing, after all stage fright is just as bad as test anxiety. As Rachel was working on her test, she started to feel like someone was watching her. She looked up from her paper and calmly looked around, but everyone was focused on their own paper. Then she looked up to Mr. Wilde's desk and saw that he was the one who was watching her. This fact alone scared her a little bit, she didn't like to be the center of attention unless it was music or acting related. Shaking her head she went back to her paper. When Rachel got to the second to last answer on the test her mind went blank she could not think of the answer for her life. She calmly but down her pen and rested her head on the desk. All she needed to do was clear her head and the answer would come to her
Rachel had just begun to relax when she suddenly felt someone start to gently rub her shoulders. At first she thought she was imagining it, but then she felt a hot breath in her ear, "Relax; you know the answer, you can do this, he whispered while moving is hands slowly down her arms. Rachel recognized the voice immediately as Mr. Wilde's. She turned her head around to look at him, but he already moved on to someone across the room. Now she was more paranoid than she was before. She started to shake as she picked up her pen to start to write the answer down to the last question. When she finished the test; she kept looking around the classroom to make sure that her teacher was never near her. When the bell rang she practically jumped out of her seat and ran out of the classroom to the bathroom. When she got to the bathroom she looked herself in the handicapped stall and began to hyperventilate. When she was sure she was able to breathe normally; she reached into her bag and got her water bottle and took a long sip. She felt herself start to relax slightly. She came out of the bathroom and went to her locker to switch her books and quickly took some Advil, to stop the headache she felt coming on. When she was calm enough to move on to class; the bell had already rung. She took her hoodie from her locker and threw it on and pulled the hood up to avoid being seen. She knew she couldn't go to class late without a note so she had to make a stop. When Rachel got to Sue's office she knocked on the door lightly.
"Who is it," Sue asked, slightly annoyed.
"It's me, Miss Sylvester," Rachel answered loudly and clearly so that Sue would know it was her.
"Come in and close the door behind you."
When Rachel came into the office, Sue motioned for her to sit down without even lifting her head from her desk. "What can I do for you Rachel; shouldn't you be in class?"
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about… I was feeling a little queasy after my last class ended. I went to the girl's room and splashed my face with some water and had a little bit of water to drink. I still felt a little weird, so I stayed in case I would need to throw up, but I didn't I feel better now and I was wondering if you could write me a note for Mr. Sampson."
"Why don't you go to the nurses' office if you don't feel well; that is what she is here for?"
"I don't really trust the nurse after she misdiagnosed your Cheerio with menstrual cramps when she had the stomach flu," Rachel answered hoping that would help her case.
"And you sure you are ok," Sue questioned.
"I promise I'm fine."
Sue wrote a note for Rachel saying; that she was talking to her about something private; Mr. Sampson accepted the note and had Quinn catch Rachel up on what she missed. When Quinn asked Rachel why she was late, Rachel just said that she felt nacreous and needed to relax for a few minutes.
By Wednesday after the test Rachel had somewhat convinced herself that she imagined what happened on Friday with Mr. Wilde. She met Quinn at her locker and the two girls went off to homeroom together holding hands the whole way. Rachel went through her whole day as if nothing was wrong. During her study she helped Mr. Schue with all the arrangements of where people would be placed during their performance at Sectionals. This was always Rachel's favorite part of the day. She liked being able to help Mr. Schue. It gave her a chance to get to see all the work that goes into making a number work for glee. She also used this time to get to know him better. She learned a little bit about him through Shelby when she had started to date him. But most of the time when Shelby and Rachel talked it was more mother-daughter like as opposed to who they were dating at the time. Rachel enjoyed learning about Mr. Schue; he told her stories about when he was in high school and how he was on the soccer team and glee club. All in all she just really enjoyed spending time with him, where it was in more of a relaxed environment as opposed to when she had him in Spanish or in Glee.
When the bell rang ending lunch, Rachel realized that she only had one more class until her she had Biology. Rachel went to her English class, happy that she shared it with her girlfriend. By the time the English was over Rachel was lightly nervous to go to Biology. When she got to the classroom she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for seeing Mr. Wilde. When she stepped into the classroom a few other students were seated at their desks, but Mr. Wilde was not in the classroom. Rachel got to her seat and got her books out when Mr. Wilde came into the classroom, right as the bell rang. After he greeted the class Mr. Wilde began to start the next chapter in the book.
Throughout the whole class Rachel focused on two things; what Mr. Wilde was teaching and Mr. Wilde himself. He didn't seem to be doing anything too out of the ordinary; he did keep looking in her direction, but Rachel wasn't sure if she was just being paranoid of if he was actually paying more attention to her. As the class went on Rachel was less stressed than she was at the beginning; until Mr. Wilde began to pass out the tests that they had taken on Friday. As he was passing out the tests he offered an extra credit project to help students bright their grade up. Rachel was the last person to receive her test; there was literally only a minute left in the class. When she turned over her paper, she saw that she got a one hundred, but she also notice that he left a note on her paper; asking her to stay after class. When the bell rang Rachel put her books away and went up to Mr. Wilde's desk. Mr. Wilde waited until the last student left the classroom and shut the door behind them. This made Rachel slightly nervous, but she tried not to focus on that, before her thoughts could get the best of her.
"Mr. Wilde walked up behind Rachel and rubbed her back gently, "I told you, you knew the answer to that question," He said and began to move her hair to the side.
Turning around quickly, Rachel smiled, "Yea, I just needed a minute to collect my thoughts; I forgot the answer for a little while."
"Well I am glad that I was able to help you," he smiled.
"I'm sorry Mr. Wilde, but I really need to get going I have a dance class that I need to get to and I really can't afford to be late. Is it okay if I leave now?'
"Sure Rachel go ahead," Mr. Wilde then picked up Rachel's bag and handed it to her.
After she took her bag Rachel left the classroom and headed to the parking lot where her car was. Little did she know the Mr. Wilde, had watched her walk down the hallway until she turned the corner.
Rachel was not lying about having dance class, so by the time she got home she was exhausted. When she pulled her car into he driveway she noticed that Shelby's car was also there. This was strange because Shelby rarely comes on weekdays. Taking her belongings out of the car, Rachel was happy that she finished her homework at school and at dance today; there was no way she would have been able to complete it now.
As it got closer to the Winter break Mr. Wilde was becoming more touchy feely with Rachel. He would linger by her desk when he was passing out papers and brush is hand against her arm or hair. He would stop by her desk during a test or an assignment and watch over her shoulder while giving her a gentle massage. He would leave more notes on her papers and tests stating how beautiful and smart she was; on one note he even left his phone number in case she every needed extra help or just needed someone to talk.
Finally it was the day of Sectionals, all of the glee kids were excited to perform, especially because there was no baby drama like last year. They had a quick meeting early in the day before homeroom, going over last minute things like where to meet and one time. As the day went on, Rachel was getting more and more anxious for Sectionals. By the time it was last period she could barely contain her excitement, she walked in the Biology classroom and got ready for class to begin. When the belly finally rang Rachel heard her name before she finished packing her bag.
"Miss Berry," Mr. Wilde called out. "Can I see you for second?"
Rachel sighed, she really wants to head to the choir room with the rest of the New Directions and maybe make-out with Quinn to calm her nerves. But, she strolled up to the side of his desk right after class.
He took a couple of steps towards her and tripped over one of the wheels of his rolling chair. He put his hands out to catch his fall. One hand grabbed hold of the ledge of the blackboard, while the other landed squarely on her right breast. When he straightened himself up, he removed his hand, but Rachel's convinced she felt her breast being squeezed before he let go.
"I'm so sorry about that," he apologized. "I just wanted to wish you good luck today. I know this means a lot to you."
"Thank you, Mr. Wilde. But, I have to go meet up with my teammates." She turned to leave, but he grabbed her by the shoulder again.
"Wait," he stammered as his hand slid down towards her chest again, "I…uh…thought you should know that your report could use a little more research. But, you are going in the right direction. I'd be willing to help you if you'd like."
"Thank you. I'll consider that," she replied stepping back. "But, right now I really should go."
"Go," he smiled after her. "Good luck again. But, I know you'll do amazing. You are a star in the making, Rachel."
The ride to Sectionals was pretty uneventful, and now the Glee kids were waiting in the green room.
"Has anyone seen Rachel or Quinn, we go on in a few minutes." Tina asked, looking around the room
"There probably somewhere making out," Brittany answered. "Rachel says it calms her down."
"I'll go look for them," Puck volunteered.
"Hold it there captain Horny, I'll go look for them, we don't need another baby scandal on our hands," Santana said leaving the room taking Brittany with her.
When Santana and Brittany found the girls they were just talking on one of the couches in the hallway. "Guys we need to go were on stage soon," Brittany called out.
On her way to the stage Rachel was pushing what happened in the biology classroom outside of her head; she kept thinking about performing. I have to be on stage I can't let this cloud my thoughts; right now I need to be in performance mood. Was the mantra that Rachel repeated to herself over and over again until the curtain rose.
Luckily her mantra worked because once again New Directions was coming home with a first place trophy from Sectionals. The ride home was spent laughing and talking. Mr. Schue said he was so proud of them. By the time they got home Rachel was sound asleep cuddled up into Quinn. Not wanting to disturb her girlfriend Quinn had Puck carry Rachel to her car. Right when Puck picked her up, Rachel tensed and began to mumble and squirm.
"Relax sweetie, it's just Noah, I am having him carry you to my car," Quinn whispered into her ear. Once she noticed that Rachel relaxed in puck's arms she placed a kiss on her cheek. All the kids said goodbye to Mr. Schue and Miss. Pillsbury and told them they would see them after the winter break.
Once, Puck got Rachel in Quinn's car, Quinn drove off to Santana's house for the sleepover the girls were having. Quinn looked at Rachel sleeping in her front seat and smiled. Quinn sighed; she was looking forward to a relaxing winter break with her girlfriend and her best friends.