"The most iconic male singer of the 70's. Born in England, he was well known for his extravagant persona, Ziggy Stardust, and for his open bisexuality, which was completely taboo at the time. Do any of you imbecilies have the first idea of who I am talking about?" It was midday, and The Doctor had called the entire club out for an emergency meeting. "Well, do you?"
Russell raised her hand, smiling uncertainly. "I could be wrong, but are you talking about Freddie Mercury?" She shortly had to duck. The Doctor had thrown a marker at the girl, her death glare in full swing. "No. You idiot! Freddie Mercury only fits three of these categories. He was never known as Ziggy Stardust. Does anybody else care to take a guess?" Louis, who had stooped to pick up the marker, which had dented the back wall of the choir room nodded, and reached up his hand a little. "Cowardly lion. Speak." The Doctor grabbed the marker back from him, daring him to get it wrong. "David Bowie." She grinned. "Exactly. Now, tell me. Why is it that only this beast, as slow as he obviously is, was able to tell me? Are you not interesting in singing?" Celeste leaned over to Mary. "If I wanted a history lesson, I'd go back to 's class." Mary giggled, nodding. "Oh, tell me about it, Cici." The marker when flying again, and they both ducked, still giggling. "There will be silence, save when you sing. Understand me?" They both nodded, silently cursing the Doctor. Natty, once again perched on the piano, swung her legs up and jumped, landing mere inches from the Doctor's shiny patent leather shoes. "The history's awesome, Doc, but why do we need to know this? Do we have to write a research project on him for the Glee Club? Isn't this supposed to be fun? That doesn't sound fun."
Patrick shot her a smile which she pointedly ignored. "Are you all dull? Were you used as playthings for the family pet when you were younger? We are going to be performing David Bowie. He was an icon. He was fluid. He was a dancer, an actor, and singer. He survived over three decades of the music business. He is still popular today. How many of you have seen the Labyrinth? The Man who fell To earth? David Bowie acted and helped with the soundtrack for both." Elle looked at her. "The Labyrinth's the one with the muppets and the guy in the sparkly pants, right?" "That 'guy in sparkly pants', as you so drolly put it, is none other than David Bowie himself." There was a slight knocking on the door, and the Doctor turned to glare. "You may enter, if you so desire." There was the slight creak of the door opening, and a well build, square jawed boy entered, grinning sheepishly. "I was told I could find the Glee Club here?" The Doctor nodded curtly. "You were informed correctly. What do you wish?" DJ smiled at her. "I want to try out, if that's cool with you, Miss." The Doctor nodded the smallest amount. "I have one condition; the song you sing must be one that David Bowie is known for." DJ's smile faltered. "I don't know who he is. I was thinking I could sing something by the Beatles', or the Beach boys." The Doctor shrugged. "Your ignorance is no fault of mine. You sing a David Bowie song, or you don't try out for the club. It is as simple as that."
"Across the universe." The entire room turned, to look at Louis with surprise. By his regular standards, he was a complete and utter chatterbox to day. "Isn't that a Beatles' song?" DJ was looking at him, waiting for an explanation. "Cover." "So, you're saying he sung a cover of it? Was it a popular cover?" Louis nodded, almost smiling. "Is that all right with you, Miss?" The Doctor sighed, rubbing her temples with the air of a woman who has all the patient in the world. "It fits the criteria, I suppose. Show us what you've got, boy." DJ shot a quick grin at Louis, trying to ignore the obvious signals that Skyler was sending to him. She just wasn't his type, but she refused to admit that. He avoided her eyes, staring for a short while at somebody else before shaking himself. "All right. Here is goes. Across the Universe." He grinned again, and closed his eyes, searching for the words he knew by heart.
"Words are flying out like endless rain from a paper cup." He couldn't open his eyes. He was shaking now, and he could see it. Nobody else could, but if he opened his eyes, they would all see now. What he was. How he felt. It wasn't fair, really.
"They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe." They were all slipping away from him. His tough words, his guard. He wasn't feminine, far from it, but he was allowed to feel. He needed to relax, and football no longer helped as it used to. He had changed.
"Pools of sorrow waves of joy, are drifting thorough my open mind." He was open to the world. He didn't need to see. With eyes, you could see the pain, feel the hurt in the world. He didn't need that. He was the king, he was the only rock. He was the strongest thing in the world now.
"Possessing and caressing me." He wanted a boyfriend. He wanted to feel love for somebody. Was that so wrong? He had known he was gay for as long as he could remember. That didn't make it any easier.
"Jai guru deva om." He mumbled the words. He didn't know what they meant, and yet, he understood. He began to smile whilst singing, and was surprised to hear another voice join his.
"Nothing's going to change my world." He opened one eye. It was Louis, and he was grinning again. DJ was surprised. He hadn't expected the other to have a particularly good voice. He was a wrestler, and he'd always assumed him to be a brute. But now, he was smiling with all the innocence of a child.
"Nothing's going to change my world." Natty tapped Louis on his shoulder, motioning to him. She too was grinning. They both approached DJ, opening their arms in welcome.
"Nothing's going to change my world." Shawn too had stepped forward, his smile neither as wide as Natty's, nor as bright as Louis. But it was a smile all the same. He was followed by Patrick, though in voice alone. Patrick remained in his corner, though his shoulders were no longer as tense as they once were.
"Nothing's going to change my world." Mary and Celeste's sweet voices had joined the mix. Celeste was resting her head on Mary's shoulder, and they were smiling at each other; the sweet smile of two who alone know the answers to everything. Mary winked at Celeste, and the other grinned back, her voice becoming slightly stronger. By the end the song had finished, the club had formed a welcoming half circle around DJ, though Skyler and Leanne had refrained from joining in the singing. Skyler registered with some surprise that Celeste and Mary were holding hands. They were best friends, naturally, and Mary was known for being affectionate, but the smiles the two had exchanged were hardly platonic. She tapped Leanne's foot with her own, and motioned toward the two. They exchanged a slight nod. They had found their fuel for the fire. Now they just needed to find a match to light to it.
There was silence, as every face in the room turned expectantly toward the Doctor. "It wasn't too bad, for an amateur. It could have done with more motion, but it was filled with emotion. I almost felt something. You are accepted into the club." DJ felt himself move forward slightly as a huge hand clapped him on the back. It was Louis, not smiling as he was before, but obviously happy. Natty looked at him with surprise, and was about to say something when the bell rang. "I will see you after school. Four o'clock, sharp. And you better have some Bowie for me."
Elle caught up with Natty and Louis after the club. "Hey! You two! Wait up." They both stopped, pulling to the side. Natty was looking at Louis with slight surprise. "What's with you today? You spoke more than I've seen you in a while. You also were smiling." Louis shrugged noncommittally. "Did you tell him to join?" Louis shook his head. Elle looked at the two of them. "That was awesome. Did you see how happy everybody looked?" Natty smirked knowingly. "It's all because of this one's boyfriend." Louis shook his head violently. He wasn't blushing quite yet, but he was obviously embarrassed. "Natty! It's not nice to call people what they're not!" Elle was looking at the other girl, but Natty seemed unimpressed. "He hasn't told you, yet, has he?" Louis was looking at Natty, shaking his head slightly. "Told me what? I don't understand, Natty."
Natty rolled her eyes. "My dear friend here spends a bit too much time in the closet. He really enjoys watching superhero movies, if you get my point?" Elle shook her head, and Natty sighed. "He's gay. Like men in spandex? Is emotionally and sexually attracted to the same gender?" Elle nodded. "Y-yes, I understood the first time." She looked at Louis. "Isn't he a bit manly to-"Natty shook her head. "Oh. No way. That's an urban legend, Elle. Louis is both highly into other men, and highly manly. Just the way it works for him." Elle shook her head slightly, trying to digest this new information. "O-oh. Well. It takes all kinds in this world. I hope we can still be friends?" She looked directly at Louis, but it was Natty that answered for him. "We're not stopping you." Elle looked at her. "Well, it's a bit much to digest in one minute. Please forgive me." She sounded abnormally sharp. Elle has always been taught that she should love everybody with all her heart, but what her parents practiced at home wasn't anywhere near as pleasant. If anything went wrong, her father would yell something about the faggots, and her mother had forbidden her from any piercings, pointing at how her 'disappointment of an older sister' had turned out after being allowed to pierce her belly button. All same, Elle had a good heart. "I'm sorry. Of course we can." She smiled sweetly at the two of them, but as she walked away, she found herself singing, softly, but singing all the same.
"I was walking through the counters of a national concern and a cash machine was spitting by my shoulder." She didn't really know what the words meant. It was one of her father's favourite songs, and when he was younger, and she was still ignorant to all the hurt in the world, he would pull her up onto his lap, and sing to her, his voice husky and unused.
"And I saw the multitude of faces, honest, rich and clean." How many people were there like that out there? She'd always assumed you would be able to spot them from the way they dressed, the way they acted. She hadn't assumed that they might be normal. Her father had always told her there was something wrong with their brains, but Louis was clearly an intelligent and honest boy. It didn't make any sense. Was it possible that her father was wrong? It had happened before.
"As merchandise exchanged and money roared." Wasn't it something that could be fixed? After all, they had sent her sister to therapy for it. And she had run away. Something clicked in her head, and she began to run, out the door of the school. She had never skipped before, but she really needed to clear her head. Sometimes you just have to run.
"And a woman hot with worry slyly slipped a tin of stewing steak into the paper bag at her side." It wasn't as if they stole anything from her. He had never done her any harm. But if somebody like him could be gay, who else was gay? She found herself pulling against the strain of an arm, and turned to face Kyle. His breathe reeked of alcohol. "Where are you going, little kitten?" She shoot her head, pushing away from him. He shouldn't be drunk so close to school. She couldn't be drunk at all. Surely there was more wrong with the Kyle's of the world than the Louis'.
"And her face was white with fear in case her actions were observed." Kyle chuckled as she ran off, throwing the empty beer can into a nearby bush. "Run all you like, Kitten. I can catch you later." She looked back in fear, still running, and stumbled.
"So she closed her eyes to keep her conscience blind." She closed her eyes, and was surprised to find she had landed into somebody's lap. It was Lise, and she was on crutches. She had used them to steady herself and Elle, and had somehow managed to stand up. "Elle? Are you all right, girl?"
"Crying God knows I'm good." Elle shook her head, and Lise shot a glare at Kyle. "Hey! Jerk. Beat it. You shouldn't be drinking at school." Kyle brushed past the two of them, his lips ghosting over both their cheeks before they could stop him. "I'll see you two lovely ladies later."
"God knows I'm good." Elle was leaning on Lise. The tears started to come then. Lise sighed, and motioned towards the football field. "Science really isn't that important. What's wrong, Elle?"
"God knows I'm good." Elle followed Lise as they made their way slowly to the bleacher. "It's s-silly really. I'm just confused." Lise looked at her. "Is this about Kyle? Because he's a dick. Not worth it." Elle shook her head, smiling weakly. "You know how Louis and I sung the duet, and I said he was acting really weirdly? It turns out he's gay." Lise looked at her best friend, sighing. "Did you like him?"
"God knows I'm good." Elle shook her head. "Not like that. He's my friend. I just don't understand. My parents say there's something wrong with them, but he's so nice!" Lise sighed. "You can't blame your parents. They grew up hearing how bad homosexuality was. Has he tried to hurt you?" Elle shook her head. "Is he nice?" Elle nodded this time, and Lise smiled slightly. "So, there's nothing wrong with him. He might have different tastes, but its like you and I. I like blondes, and you like brunettes', but that doesn't mean your taste is wrong and mine is right. It's just the way people are, Els."
"God knows I'm good." Elle nodded, finally grinning. She gave Lise a warm, quick hug. "We should get to class." Lise laughed. "But it's such a nice day. Let's sit out here until Glee Club." Elle looked at her friend. "You're going to join then?" Lise nodded. "It sounds like fun." Elle thought for a little while, then nodded again, slowly releasing her best friend. "What happened to your leg?" "It's just a sprain. Cross Country training before cheer tryouts. The coach says I'm on the team if I join Glee Club." Elle nodded for the fourth time in so many minutes, then snapped her fingers. "Lise, how much do you know about David Bowie?"
The Doctor gave Lise's crutches a disapproving look. "How long will you be on those for?" Lise smiled sweetly at her. "Not too long, now. I have a song I'd like to sing. I've already talked to Elle, and some of the other members, so it's a David Bowie song. I'll need everybody's help with it though." She grinned at Elle, and grabbed her hand, in the way best friends do. Elle smiled, and turning to Louis, grabbed him. He shrugged, and offered his hand to Natty, who, also shrugging, took it, with her best, "U mad Bro?" face. It took a little while, and some convincing on the part of Skyler and Leanne, but soon they were all holding hands. Lise grinned. "But we'll need to dance." The connection was broken, as she began the song.
"When the sun goes down…" She began the song, and the slight eerie echo came from Elle, who was still smiling at Louis. She hadn't dropped his hand just yet. She squeezed it one more time, a tight burst of pressure that told him she truly excepted who he was.
"And the Bats are back to bed…" Celeste and Mary were back to back, rubbing shoulders, and giggling. Skyler raised her eyebrow at Leanne, but she was already lost in the song.
"The brother's come round…" DJ nodded slightly at Kyle, who was standing, unnoticed for the moment, in the corner of the room. He came forward, whispering in the Doctor's ear. "I'm going to join, but don't stop the song." She tried to ignore the slight stench of stale alcohol as he clapped DJ's shoulder.
"I get out of my dirty bed…" Leanne smirked, taking note of how Celeste's face was slightly flushed, and how Mary's smirk was for her alone.
"I shake my pretty little head…" Louis had ruffled Natty's hair slightly, and she was shaking her head, determined not to laugh.
"I tap my pretty little feet." Skyler stood, her foot tapping impatiently, before Kyle grabbed her, dipping her as if they were Tango-ing. She giggled, and tried to ignore the look Leanne was giving her.
"Feeling brighter than sunlight." The sun had just begun to set, and the reds and blues were shinning together behind the glass of the skylight.
"And louder than thunder." Louis' voice was the only one audible as he sung the lyric, still not smiling, but filled with joy.
"Bouncing like a yo-yo." Celeste and Mary had found a dance to suit the words are were dancing in the circle of the club. The Doctor stood to the side, frowning lightly. Singing was a serious business. She suspected that she might have lost control of the club, and decided that the performance was so good, it didn't really matter.