It's time for sectionals :D Prepare yourselves for the longest chapter in this stories history! This chapter is dedicated to the lovely Ven Mercy :D
Seth and Nicole sat on that same park bench where Seth had been sitting the first time the talked outside of school. It was a sunny Friday afternoon, complete with happy children playing loudly, cheery birds singing and newly cut, green grass. Robyn and Evan were swinging in the monkey-bars, laughing loudly. She was wearing her chocolate-y hair in pigtails, tied up with those pink ribbons again. The rest of the girl still screamed "tomboy". Evan's short-cut strawberry blonde hair was unruly and his clothes were dirty. Robyn's clothes pretty much looked like she'd walked a thousand miles through a desert in them.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Seth asked Nicole, who had spaced out a little watching their younger siblings. She shook herself out of her reverie, focusing on her boyfriend of about a week. Even if they had dated for a week, she couldn't grasp the concept. Still, there he sat, this handsome and amazing boy, with her.
"A bit," She admitted, biting the nails of her right hand, a very bad habit of hers. "It's more that I haven't even found which trait I want on my shirt."
"You haven't? Me neither," Seth said, looking at his hands. He couldn't really see why Nicole was having a problem finding a good trait to show the world, there were so many great things about her. Her eyes, her hair, how adorable she was, her voice, she was simply beautiful. "You're beautiful."
Seth hadn't planned on actually saying it out loud, but he had, and he did think she was beautiful, so he wasn't going to take it back. Both he and Nicole blushed and looked away from each other. They were both all too shy to give or receive compliments without feeling embarrassed.
"I mean it, you know." Seth added, this time building the courage to look her in those sweet, green eyes. Every time Seth actually managed to look her in the eyes she could feel her heart skip a beat and her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, Seth leaned toward Nicole, kissing her tenderly. It was when he kissed her like that Nicole's heart really went crazy. It started beating like there was no tomorrow. Her brain on the other hand, shut down completely. His hand gently caressed her soft cheek. They were both blissfully oblivious to two young children watching them, wrinkling their noses in disgust.
As the New Directions stepped into the local theater where the competition would be held, they were meet by a huge white banner hanging from the roof, which read: "Western Ohio Show Choir Sectionals". The twins were beaming, Nicole and Seth looked terrified, while the other were varying in degrees of excitement and calm. Will Schuester was smiling, and wasn't very nervous. He knew his Glee Club would do great, and it didn't really matter all that much if they made it to Regionals, as long as they had fun.
Maybe Will didn't care all that much about winning or losing, but to some in the club, it was nearly life-or-death. The only reason Chrystal had joined Glee Club was to go to New York for Nationals, and there was no way she'd lose at Sectionals. Chrystal was an achiever, she reached her goals, she wasn't someone who lost in the first round of a competition. The twins refused to be that someone either. They were both all too sure of themselves to let their choir loose. It wouldn't look good for their college applications either.
"Okay, guys, we'll be up second, according to the program." Will read from a program he had been given by a tall man, who looked like a security guard. Second wasn't that bad, it meant they'd get enough time to calm their nerves, but they'd also get it over with pretty soon. The twins however, did not look pleased with their slot, but kept their mouths shut. "The Warblers are first, and the Chickadees are after us. We have about half an hour before the competition formally starts, so make sure you're there when it all begins. Have fun guys!"
Mr. Schuester headed over to some cafe like part of the theater, where Ms. Pillsbury stood waiting for him. Some of the kids' parents were coming, but none in New Directions would rather ride with their parents, when they could ride in the bus. Paige's mother and stepfather were of course not coming, while Sandy and Tony's dads found coming the most natural thing in the world. Then again, neither of them had ever hit their children.
The New Directions all wore their t-shirts under their jacket, it was a very cold Saturday. The boys wore jeans with their, and the girls all wore matching skirts. In a moment of creativity, Ms. Pillsbury had suggested the kids wore bottoms with matching colors, to seem more like a team. As she was Will's muse, he had went along with the idea, resulting in the Glee Club boys now wearing matching electric blue jeans, and the girls equally blue skirts. Will had demanded that the New Directions kept their jackets on at all time to keep from spoiling what their t-shirts said. The rule bothered Tyler, as he had something really important to show Tony.
The hall was filled with people and eager chatting. A group of boys in dark blue uniforms were sitting in a half-circle formed by chairs and two couches. One of them, a small boy with black hair and glasses, sat stuffing his face with oreos, looking nervous. Another boy, a tall one with platinum blond hair with hot pink streaks, sat tapping his foot. A very tall and athletic-looking boy stood talking to them, most likely calming them, or giving them some last minute instructions.
Girls in matching dark red dresses were all over the place, and most of the New Directions figured they had to be the Chickadees. One of them, a girl bushy brown hair and green glasses was talking to a taller girl with long, blonde hair. Parents and others associated with the competition were also walking around. A tall woman with choppy auburn hair ran around snapping pictures of just about everyone and everything.
"Can I talk to you?" Tyler asked Tony, who had been ignoring him on the trip over. Tyler understood why, but it still hurt. The smaller boy turned toward him, a bored look on his face.
"Why?"
"I need to tell you somewhere private," Tyler answered cryptically, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking terribly nervous. Tony wrinkled his forehead in confusion, why would Tyler need to talk to him alone? It looked really important, judging by Tyler's nervous weight-shifting. That, or he really needed to pee.
"Sure," Tony replied, still looking very much confused. Mouthing a "Be right back", to Sandy the petite boy headed after the taller one over to the elevator. Tyler figured the lower levels of the building would be less crowded, the perfect place for his news. He swore silently as the girl with bushy hair, strangely resembling Hermione, and a tan boy a bit shorter than himself, also stepped into the elevator.
"So, you guys excited?" the part-Brazilian boy tried making conversation, partly because he talked more or less non-stop normally, and partly to distract from the terrible elevator music. No one answered him, so he just answered himself. "I know I am. It's my third year on the warblers. Last year we made it to Nationals, first time in a decade, I think. Not that it's all that important. I mean, it's this year that counts, right?"
The warbler kept going on like that through the ride down. His constant babbling filling the silence and drowning out the awful elevator music. He didn't seem to mind the others' silence, it seemed like he was used to it. Tyler just wanted to get out of the elevator to somewhere private so he could get things straight(no pun intended) with Tony. Tony also wanted to get out, just to hear what Tyler had to say that was so important. The Hermione-look-alike didn't really seem to mind the elevator much.
Suddenly, the elevator stopped moving, causing the teens to loose their balances. With a startled yelp Tony nearly feel to the floor, but was caught by a somewhat unsteady Tyler. The girl let out a sound of surprise as well, but she managed to catch herself by grabbing the railing. She let out a relieved sigh as she straightened herself.
"What the hell was that?" The boy with the motormouth asked, breaking the silence. Again. He was the only one who had actually fallen completely.
"I don't know," Tony breathed, still quite shaken by the sudden stop. He knew elevators stopped abruptly sometimes, but it had never happened while he was in one. As the doors didn't open, the teens assumed they were somewhere between two floors. Awesome.
"Oh, well that's just great," the talkative boy exclaimed, standing up to push at the doors. They didn't open and once again, Tyler swore internally.
"Where is he?" Oswynn Ismena hissed, scanning the hall for his missing warbler, Xavier Northcliff. Xavier had always been unorganized, but he was always there reasonably early before a performance. This was really not the time to change that.
"Chill, dude, he'll be here. He always is," a thin and lanky boy, Sean Jackson, tried to calm his fellow counsel member. Sean had shaggy light brown hair, which contrasted heavily with his preppy school uniform. Oswynn, on the other hand, had his black hair cut short. "He probably just went to the bathroom or something, he'll come."
"Then I'll kill, How can he just run off now, we're on in less than half an hour!"
"He's not the only one running off, River's not here either."
"But River is River! He always arrives exactly when we need him, Xavier isn't like that!" The taller boy exclaimed, nervously biting his nails.
"Oz, you're biting your nails." Sean cautioned the beat boxer, who had recently stopped biting his nails, but old habits die hard. Oswynn angrily stuffed his hands into his pockets, to avoid temptation. "He'll some, just relax."
Back in the elevator, the four kids were all trying to make the best out of it, and failing. The part-Brazilian boy, Xavier, was sitting in one of the four corners with his arms around his knees, muttering non-sense to himself with his eyes closed. The girl with bushy hair and slightly pointed features, stood leaning against one of the walls, staring at the elevator doors with intense hate. Tyler stood beside her, his face completely empty of expression. Tony sat by his feet, leaning his head against Tyler's leg, being partially over his anger with the taller boy.
"Claustrophobic much?" Tony asked Xavier, who seemed to be quite out of it. Still the tanner boy, smiled nervously.
"Why do you think I came out of the closet?" Xavier replied, awkwardly chuckling as he tried to joke away the tension. When Xavier said "out of the closet", Tony shot Tyler a pointed look, still not quite over his anger.
"So you're gay?" The girl who reminded Tyler of Hermione spoke for the first time, shifting her gaze from the doors to the boy on the floor. She didn't sound disgusted or excited, she sounded more curious than anything.
"And look, it speaks!" The taller of the sitting boys joked again, and again no one laughed. Tough crowd. "Yes, I am. Out and proud. Or well, locked inside and proud at the moment, but still."
The girl didn't seem to have anything else to say, so again they fell into silence. Silence, except for Xavier's mutters. At least the elevator music had stopped.
Catarine sat by herself watching the children play in the corner held off specifically for them. Some were playing tag, others were drawing and a some were playing with the toys that lay scattered all over the floor. A pretty blonde girl, probably about two years old sat playing with a little pink toy-horse, looking absolutely delighted. She was wearing a white dress with pink flowers, and a matching pink hairpin held her short hair out of her face.
While watching the little girl, Catarine thought about her child. She didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl, she didn't want to know, because it would only make it harder to go through with the abortion. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what her child might look like, or what they might be like. Would her child look as happy as this little girl did? Would they giggle in such a high-pitched voice?
"Mummy!" a small voice cried out in glee. The little girl she had been watching was grinning widely at a girl who was walking toward her. The girl the child was stretching he arms out to, could hardly be older than Catarine, maybe 18 tops.
"Hi, sweetie!" The girl grinned back at the two-year-old, sitting down to hug the little one. This girl was blonde too, her hair only a slightly brighter shade of honey. The resemblance was striking. They had the same slight curls, same peach skin, and the same heart-shaped faces. Obviously, the young woman was the child's mother. "You having fun?"
The little girl eagerly nodded, smiling up at her mother. Catarine wondered if she would look that happy with her child. This girl couldn't have been older than herself when she had he child. If this girl had managed, then why couldn't Catarine?
"Hi, dolls!" A young man, about the woman's age, sat down by them. His butterscotch colored hair was shaggy, and he had the same hazel eyes the little girl had. He kissed the woman on the cheek and hugged the little girl, who squealed happily. Catarine was pretty sure he had to be the father.
"Daddy!" The baby-girl smiled, confirming Catarine's suspicions. He was the reason that girl had made it, and Catarine probably wouldn't. Her baby-daddy didn't care, while this man was clearly more of a family guy. Catarine couldn't help but envy the little family, especially the woman. While Catarine got a guy who didn't give a damn, this woman got a sweet guy who seemed to really love both her and their baby. Somehow, it didn't seem fair.
Besides, she couldn't just think about herself, she had to think of Nikko too. Taking care of Catarine and their little sisters was already hard enough for him. Throwing a baby in too would make it near-impossible for him to manage. Catarine still couldn't help but envy the little family, while watching them from a-far.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for someone. You haven't seen a girl with green glasses around, she wears a red dress. Real bushy hair?" Addison Palmer went around asking everyone she could find if they had seen her best friend Ellen, who had gone to put her contact lenses on, but hadn't come back. So far, no one had. "Please, I need to find her."
"Hey, Addy, where's the fire?" One of the other Chickadees asked Addison as her search was getting more frantic. They were on in under an hour, and the lead chick was missing.
"I can't find Ellen."
"Yeah, and? She's probably around somewhere. Maybe she met a guy," the other chickadee really didn't see the problem. Ellen was responsible, she would be there.
"She isn't the type," Addy replied a little too quickly, but caught herself almost instantly. "She doesn't just stop and talk to guys, she's all too shy, you know that."
The other chickadee shrugged and walked away to do something or other, Addy really didn't care. She only cared about finding Ellen before they were going on, she had to win.
With a sound that was strangely like the sound an old radio makes, the elevator music was suddenly back. The four high schoolers in the elevator were startled, but was even more shocked when the elevator suddenly dropped a couple feet, sending Tyler and Ellen, who were the only ones standing, falling to the floor. With a "pling", the elevator doors opened in an all too casual manner. Had that elevator not kept them inside for about half an hour?
"The hell was that?" Xavier asked as they quickly scrambled out of that goddamned elevator. He looked back at it with a look of terrified disgust. "You just kept us locked inside for like an hour, and now you're just letting us go? What is up with that, you bloody monster of a tin-can?"
Tony rolled his eyes, they couldn't have been there for more than half an hour, and yelling at an inanimate object wasn't going to help them get to their respective choirs. He was still very much relieved he was out of that terrible box. Being locked in with strangers was bad enough, but being locked with a stranger with a motormouth? Indescribable.
"I am never, ever, in a million years, riding an elevator again, ever!" Mentioned chatterbox kept going. Noticing the blocks in front of the stairs, Elle sighed deeply. Of course they couldn't just take the stairs back up again, that would be way too easy. Xavier sighed too, but he wasn't looking at the blocked stairs, he was looking at his watch. "Damn! I'm on in like two minutes!"
Ellen was all about fair play, but if a singer on another team missed the performance, she wasn't exactly going to grieve. Tyler and Tony felt pretty much the same way, but they were concerned with whether or not they would make their own performance.
"There ought to be some other way out," Tony reasoned, looking around the corridor they were currently standing in. The walls were all white, and the corridor seemed to stretch for quite a bit. Finding a door wasn't the problem, there were doors all along the walls, but it was about finding the right door. Tyler could count about two dozen doors, and that was before the corridor swung away.
"Murphy's law, right?" Xavier muttered under his breath, trying the first door. It swung open eagerly, but only revealed a square room with white walls and no other doors. Obviously, not the one they were looking for. The next door led to a room with no lighting, causing the teens to skip that one two, they really didn't need to be lost in the dark too.
"What's with Oz?" A tall boy with neat blond hair sat down gracefully beside a small boy with brown doe-eyes and short light brown hair. The smaller boy sat chewing on his lower lip, looking nervous. Oz looked like he was about to die from stress, he was muttering non-sense and bit his nails so frantically Sean was scared he might bite one of his fingers off.
"We can't find Xavier," Timothy, the boy with chocolate eyes explained. He wore a glasses, and pretty much reminded of a doe, or a young deer. "Oz is worried it might cost us sectionals."
"We'll manage," the taller boy shrugged. Timmy looked at him like he's gone mad, how could they manage with one less singer? "He's a tenor, right?" Timothy nodded, he was pretty sure Xavier was a tenor. "We've got plenty of tenors, they'll just have to work a bit harder that's all."
"It doesn't look like Xavier's going to make it," the lanky counselor with shaggy hair, Sean admitted.
"I told you!" Oz cried out from the seat where two other warblers were holding him down.
"Shush, Oz. But we'll do the best we can, none the less." Sean's voice wasn't really much higher than anyone else's, but if you listened closely you could hear he was a countertenor. "So, gentlemen, let's go."
Getting in line, the warblers calmly went backstage to prepare for their number. Hopefully it would work with one less tenor.
"YES!" Xavier shouted suddenly, as he opened a door leading to fresh air. He burst out, not thinking about the three others, who non the less followed at his heel. The wind had never felt so good, and refreshing. The building hadn't seemed so big when they came or when they were inside, but it certainly took time to get around it.
The New Directions minus Tony and Tyler, shuffled into the theater, along with the rest of the audience. They were all excited to see the competition, to see if they were any better than themselves. The cheerios were all fired up with the thought of competition, Sandy was a-buzz waiting to perform while most were different mixes of nervous and excited.
Before the actual competition began, the host had a lot to say. First he would welcome everyone to the Western Ohio Showchoir Competition, before introducing the judges, who were pretty unknown, as it was only sectionals. Then he would again remind everyone where they were, and why. He'd eventually make the audience clap once for all the show choirs, though none had done anything yet, before he introduced the Dalton Academy Warblers.
As the curtains opened to reveal the first choir, the hearts of mentioned choir beat like hell. Most had performed before, but not for such a big audience, and certainly not in front of judges. Luckily the main-man was cold as stone, completely indifferent to the crowd. The warblers stood in perfect formation, forming a triangle, one of it's pointed ends toward the audience. Their lead was hidden behind them, it had taken a lot of work to figure out how to hide him, as he was about 5'10, and a lot of the other warblers were really short.
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
The warblers' harmonies were clear and sounded beautiful. The beginning of the song was a capella in the original too, but after the first refrain the guitars, drums and piano kicked in. Being an a capella choir the warblers of course skipped mentioned instruments. They had also added a harmony, just to make it sound more impressive. There was a lot of instrumental in the original, most of that had been dropped too.
When the first refrain ended, and the verse was about to begin, the warblers all parted like the red sea to let their lead-man through. His complexion was acne-free, and he had high cheekbones with a slightly pointed chin. The boy was very handsome, and his voice was strong. Sandy felt like she had seen him before.
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
By the end of the verse the boy had made it all the way to the front, and the warblers were spread more evenly across the stage. The more she saw of the boy the more certain Sandy became that she had seen him before. She just wasn't sure where. Through the next verse the lead-warbler walked between the other, looking more like he was walking through a forest than anything.
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say
As the refrain came around again the other warblers sang out their harmonies in words, instead of "da"-ing. Their lead boy now stood on top of the stairs that were placed on stage. It made him the man focus, although his talent could easily have gained him enough attention. Just as the refrain came to an end Sandy realized who the boy was.
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
"Tony, that's him. River, the guy I told you about!" Sandy whispered to the person to her right, who she had assumed was her brother, as he always sat to her right. When she turned her head expectantly thinking she'd find a Tony with realization written all over his face, she instead looked into the arm of a very fat, very grumpy man. Blushing she quickly looked away.
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know
For the third verse too, the lead-warbler walked down from the top of the stairs, but this time the warblers didn't stand evenly spread across the stage, they stood in two lines, one on each side of the main-man. The boy in the middle looked absolutely comfortable with all the attention. Kevin envied him that confidence and calm, he was always a wreck before performances. He usually managed, and he wasn't as bad as Seth, but he still wished he could own the stage as calmly as the warbler did.
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say
When the boy sang "sea of moving emotion", the other warblers swayed, creating an illusion of wave-like movement. Somehow all the warblers got the timing right, even the ones who looked a bit awkward while dancing. Chrystal remembered doing something like it with the cheerios, it had been a complete disaster. No matter how hard Ms. Sylvester pushed them, they never managed to have all the cheerios moving in synch.
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
No!
The lead boy was the only one shouting the "No". He was now standing in the middle of the stage, the other warblers forming a circle with him as the center. They called and he replied as the song neared the end.
(Warblers are normal, River's is underlined)
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty,
But surely heaven waits for you
The warblers really brought it for the last refrain. All standing more or less still, singing straight at the audience. Just before the last line all the warblers, except the main-man turned around, so only River faced the audience. He sang the last line by himself, looking rather lost and worn.
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more!
The room burst with applause, as the warblers turned and bowed, all at the same time. It was kind of creepy how they always managed to stay in synch. River was practically glowing, but it was a controlled sort of radiation. Most of the warblers around him, on the other hand, were grinning uncontrollably as they strode off stage, still in formation.
Tyler, Tony, Ellen and Xavier just made it into the entrance hall as the New Directions headed back-stage to prepare for their own performance. Some felt rather depressed at seeing how good the warblers had been, while some seemed even more eager to win. As the escapees burst through the doors and saw the New Directions, Tony, Tyler and Ellen thanked their lucky stars. Xavier, however, cursed his, or rather, his lack thereof.
"There you are, I didn't see you inside!" Will exclaimed as he saw his two missing choir-members. He was confused as to where they had been, but he trusted they had a good reason. Just before a performance was no time to lecture anyway. "We're on in five guys, so hurry."
As the New Directions quickly made their way back-stage, Sandy sent her brother a questioning look.
"I'll explain later," was his muttered reply. It never ceased to amaze Tyler how the twins always managed to read each other like that. Just the raising of an eyebrow, or the slight pursing of their lips told the other exactly how they felt. It was very much creepy.
As they stripped off their jackets in a hurry, the McKinley high glee club hardly had time to whisper "good luck"s or "break a leg"s before they had to get on stage. Swearing internally for about the millionth time that day, Tyler realized he still hadn't told Tony what he was supposed too. He figured he might have to just let the young tenor see it for himself.
When the curtains opened the New Directions were standing in two lines with their backs to the audience, showing their best traits. Only Catarine stood facing the audience, showing them her "preggers"-flaw. She was going to sing the first verse, while the other stood still in the background. Her voice was soft, yet strong as she looked out to the audience.
Made a wrong turn
Once or twice
Dug my way out
Blood and fire
Bad decisions
That's alright
Welcome to my silly life
Paige turned too, as she began singing. She had volunteered to take the next part of the verse, as she felt it applied to her. As she turned the audience could clearly read her flaw, "Bullhead".
Mistreated
Misplaced
Misunderstood
Miss knowing it's all good
It didnt slow me down.
When Paige stood to Catarine's right, Kevin turned and walked to her left, singing his part of the verse. His shirt read "Misunderstood", which had caused Will to originally want him for Paige's verse, but Kevin would rather have Paige have it, as he felt it was better for her.
Mistaking
Always second guessing
Underestimated
Look I'm still around
The choreography was pretty loose, partially because Will felt they were better when they had the freedom to just live in the moment, and partially because he wanted the audience to be able to read the shirts. The entire New Directions sang the refrain, their harmonies sounding amazing.
Pretty, pretty please
Dont you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than
F*cking perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing
You're f*cking perfect to me
Nathaniel and Isabella sang the next verse together. Will hadn't really thought of how good the blonde cheerio and the caramel-skinned jock sounded together, not until he randomly paired them up to hear how they sounded. Isabella replied to Nathaniel's lines, as they danced around the stage.
You're so mean (so mean)
When you talk(when you talk)
About yourself, you were wrong
Change the voices in your head (change the voices – in your head)
Make them like you instead
Liberty and Felix did the next few lines, they were another random couple he'd paired up. The Asian boy and the girl with light-brown hair, also danced around the stage in the same way. They also had obvious chemistry.
So complicated
Look how we all make it
Filled with so much hatred
Such a tired game
The most curious pairing was definitely Ramiele and Chrystal though. They clearly did not like each other, but Chrystal's "lullaby"-voice and Ramiele's husky one. When he thought about it he didn't think he had ever arranged a duet with two such different voices before.
It's enough
I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons
I've seen you do the same
Sandy ended the verse on a high note, reminding Will quite a lot of Rachel Berry. The way she sang it, and the way she craved the attention of the audience. The resemblance was striking. All of the New Directions sang again as the refrain came around.
Oh
Pretty, pretty please
Dont you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than
F*cking perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing
You're f*cking perfect to me
Joshua calmly sang the next verse, his deep voice catching the audience' attention easily. He stood quite still while singing, practically radiating with confidence.
The whole worlds scared
So I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking
Is an ice cold beer
Tony stepped forward to sing the next line, and Sandy joined him for the last two lines. Will knew how good the twins sounded together, and he wasn't going to throw that away.
So cool in line
And we try, try, try
But we try too hard
And it's a waste of my time
Jasper took over, singing the next verse in his strong baritone. Everyone had agreed he should sing that verse, mostly because of the "hair"-line. He had been going a bit back and forth between "distrusting" and "hair", before settling for the first. The brown-haired jock had decided to go with "Distrusting", as he saw that as a flaw, while he himself loved his hair.
Done looking for the critics
Cause they're everywhere
They don't like my jeans
They don't get my hair
The next lines were Tyler's, and as he sang Tony caught a glimpse of what his shirt said. On the back it said "Teenage Dream", something the girls had come up with. Tyler pretty much summed up "Teenage Dream", he was handsome, smart and a genuinely nice guy. Still, the trait wasn't what caught Tony's eye. It was the front of his shirt, his flaw. It didn't say "Dwarf", but something that made Tony heart leap.
Exchange ourselves
And we do it all the time
Why do we do that?
Why do I do that?
Why do I do that?
Sandy interrupted Tyler's verse, and again sent them into the refrain. Most people had laughed a Tyler's face when he said "why do I do that?". The way he said it had been the twins' idea, to get some laughs into the performance.
Yeeeeaaaahhh
Oooooooh
Oh baby pretty please
Pretty, pretty please
Dont you ever feel
Like you're less than
F*cking perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing
You're f*cking perfect to me
Toward the end they changed the key, to make it more impressive and fun. It also made it a heck of a lot harder to sing, but they really wanted to win. Huge smiles covered all the glee clubbers' faces as they sang their last notes. The choreography on this part was more of less non-existent, but the kids were so into the moment, they made it up as they went. Most managed OK, some were brilliant, and a few looked absolutely terrible, but still smiled.
You're perfect, you're perfect
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing
You're f*cking perfect to me
Once again the hall burst with applause, causing the grins of the McKinley high glee club, to grow even bigger and brighter. Some were cat-calling as the New Directions bowed, still smiling like mad-men. The twins looked like they were about ready to spontaneously combust from pure glee. Nicole and Seth looked relieved and Chrystal looked very much smug. Still very much high from the performance the New Directions hurried off the stage, to get back into the hall to watch the last choir of the competition.
"Your shirt," Tony began as he walked toward the hall again, turning to Tyler. The taller boy looked down to the other one, half-smiling.
"Yeah, I changed it," Tyler explained, or stated-the-obvious would be more like it. Tony didn't really see why ha had done it,hadn't he wanted to tell his family first? Wearing the "Gay"-shirt hadn't seemed like Tyler's intention the last time they spoke.
"But why?" Tony asked, at a complete loss. Tyler stopped walking to look the petite boy in the eyes. Tony looked curiously up at the tanner boy. "You said you wanted to come out to your family first?"
"I did, and I have." Tyler answered, still not breaking eye contact. The rest of the group was already inside, and Sandy was probably wondering where her brother went off to again. "I told my mom yesterday, and I think she told dad. My brothers will find out soon enough."
Tony still looked up at Tyler quizzically, he still didn't quite see why Tyler would come out to them so early. He had said he wasn't ready. Tyler could read the uncertainty in Tony's eyes and kept half-smiling as he explained.
"I just didn't want to hurt you," Tyler looked very sad when he said it, like he felt guilty. Tony was about to protest, but Tyler cut him short. "No, don't say you weren't hurt, I could tell you were. You know, for an actor, you're a pretty sucky liar."
Tony half-laughed at Tyler's joke, he didn't think he had ever met someone that sweet. Tyler really was a teenage dream, cheesy as it sounded.
"Want to go in?" Tyler asked, looking expectantly at the smaller boy and holding out a hand. Tony smiled, meet Tyler's gaze quickly, before the boys walked in holding hands.
Slam it to the left
If you're having a good time
Shake it to the right
If you know that you feel fine
Chicas to the front
Uh Uh go round
Slam it to the left
If you're having a good time
Shake it to the right
If you know that you feel fine
Chicas to the front
Hi Ci Ya Hold Tight
As Tony and Tyler walked in they just caught the Chickadees finishing up their number. They were very good, their harmonies were well-rehearsed and their dancing was rather mind-boggling. To Tyler at least, it seemed a miracle how someone could dance like that, especially while singing. The boys slid down into their seats as the applause came to an end. The chickadees went off stage and the host went on again, telling everyone to just take some time to relax while the judges discussed the performances and decided who won.
"I think we can all agree, that most of those New Directions, could not dance." Robert Dino, a blond man who owned a local dance studio, stated. He was one of the judges, but didn't really care much about show choirs. The only thing he really knew about show choirs was that they should be able to dance, at least partially.
"Well, I for one think their song was highly inappropriate," reverent Micheal Forks, declared. Swearing in show choir, what were they thinking? He took things very seriously and saw swearing as highly inappropriate for teens, and it was a terrible habit for adults too.
"But you must both agree that a Spice Girls song is just tacky!" said Mrs. Olivia Johnson, a woman in her late thirties, with a very snobby and classy look about her. She didn't seem very interested in the actual competition though, as she had been sitting studying her artfully manicured nails all though the performances.
"At least those girls could dance," Robert defended.
"But very inappropriately!" the reverent interrupted, those girls had been all too vulgar when dancing, at least according to the reverent.
"I must agree with the good reverent here," Mrs. Olivia said, not looking up from her fashion magazine.
"You weren't even looking!" The dancer exclaimed. How could she know if the dancing was inappropriate if she hadn't even seen it? "You didn't look up from your nails one single time!"
"Now, now, dear, let's not get personal." She blew him off, still not looking up. Micheal Forks looked rather pleased with himself. "Those t-shirts were very original, though."
"How do you know that if you didn't even look?" The blond man was getting rather irritated with this woman.
"I have my ways, darling." She answered cryptically, looking up for the first time. Mr. Dino couldn't help but roll his eyes at her. "If you boys don't have anything more to add, I would like to get to voting."
"And now, the moment we've all been waiting for," the host stood in the middle of the stage, grinning wickedly at the audience. Behind him, the choir members were holding their breaths. Most looked nervous, some looked terrified and some looked determined to win. The host held a gold envelope in his hand, and painfully slowly he pulled out a note. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the first runner-up of the western Ohio Show choir competition."
The teens held their breaths, this was one of the defining moments. The choir whose name was called would both be seen as winners and losers. Winners because they beat one of the other choirs, but losers because they wouldn't make it to regionals.
"The Warblers!"
Mentioned choir burst into smiles and cheers, and was accompanied by polite applause from the other choirs and the audience. As the warblers went off stage, the New Directions and the Chickadees felt their hearts beat louder. If they didn't get the first runner-up, they either won it all, or lost it all. The silence was nerve-wrecking. Ellen Oakley closed her eyes, her scholarship could all depend on this. Addison Palmer looked out into the crowd determinedly, fighting her need to pace. Isabella felt as if her intestines were dancing salsa, or like they were writhing snakes. Seth on the other hand, felt like he had no intestines at all. Except for his heart, his heart was definitely there, beating like there was no tomorrow.
"The winner of the western Ohio show choir competition, is," the host paused for the dramatic effect. While the twins both loved drama, they silently cursed the man for keeping them in the dark for a little longer than necessary. "The New Directions!"
Okay, songs first:
Carry on my Wayward son – Kansas(some of you may know it from Supernatural)
F*cking Perfect – Pink
Spice up your life – Spice girls (because I had to xD)
Like I said, this chapter was dedicated to Ven Mercy, who has been amazing, making me tons of characters(for example Felix, Ellen, River and a bunch of others :D) Thank you :)
I would also like for you to see this: http:/ mitusha. deviantart. Com/#/ d3kui24 which is a link to a drawing of a character made for this story. She isn't in it yet, but she will be in the next chapter(I think). So if you feel like it check that out, and don't forget to remove the spaces in the link.
I'm sorry if this extremely long chapter seems a bit rushed(most of my writing is rushed:P) I have been very busy lately, planning my Sweet Sixteen. Because I turn sixteen on Saturday :D So, yay me :D
As always, tell me what you think, and also tell me if you feel like I'm neglecting someone, or letting someone have a bit more spotlight than they deserve. I know the ending probably was pretty bad, but I'm in sort of a hurry, sorry. This is probably the second to last chapter before school starts. I'm going to the states around the twentieth, and probably won't post anything while I'm there. I will, however, try to get to chapters done before I go, but I can't promise you anything.
Klainebows and Klisses
Laiquahen