"Five, six, seven, eight," Paul called as he demonstrated a new dance to the glee club. He continued to shout directions to the increasingly lethargic group. "Come on, guys," he finally groaned. "You're sleepwalking on me, here. We've got sectionals in a few week—"

"Please. Sectionals is gonna be a breeze," Emily interrupted confidently.

"Maybe so," Paul continued, "but if we coast through sectionals we're going to get killed at regionals. We've got to be on our game." He pounded his fist into his palm to make his point, but the kids just looked bored. Noel stifled a yawn.

Sheldon burst out laughing, and Paul raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry." Sheldon barely looked up from his cell phone. "Funny YouTube. It's a grape-stomping one."

Paul sighed. He knew they were proud of their invitationals performance from the week before, but this was ridiculous. They had to want to improve, if not for the competition, then just to get better as singers. He was disappointed in all of them.

~L~

"The kids have gotten really complacent," Paul griped to Kathy during lunch in the teachers' lounge. He took a bite of his sandwich, which left a glob of mustard on his chin. "It's like the fire has totally gone out."

"I'm," Kathy giggled. "I'm sorry, you've just, uh, got a little mustard on that cute little chin of yours."

Paul stuck his tongue out as far as it would go and licked underneath his mouth. "Gah it?" he asked, still wiggling his tongue around.

Kathy continued to giggle as she used her latex-gloved hand to wipe off the mustard. She left her thumb on his chin a little too long, and Paul stared intently at her. She blushed and removed her hand.

"Thanks, Kath."

"So, um," Kathy composed herself, trying to ignore her racing heart. "When did this start to happen?"

Paul rolled his eyes. "A week ago. I told them about the competition bracket for sectionals. You know, how there's only two other teams, the School for the Deaf in Dayton, and Jane Addams Academy."

"Uh-huh," Kathy nodded.

"Kendra laughed about Jane Addams being a halfway house for girls just out of juvie, and Noel said something like, 'People who can't hear what they're singing and criminals who don't care. It's gonna be a cakewalk.' They think they've got it in the bag, so they've simply stopped trying. I've got to figure out some way to motivate them."

Kathy thought for a moment. "Okay, well, how about a sticker board? That's how my parents got me to do chores when I was a kid."

Paul was unconvinced.

"You know, I do a chore, so I get a star…"

"Dear God, please. Please stop talking." Ryan was standing in the doorway, smirking. Paul and Kathy glared up at him from their seats at the table. "I'm trying desperately to ignore the treacly sweet inanity of your asinine conversation. But now I've got bile in my mouth."

Paul shook his head. "You're not even supposed to be in here, Ryan."

Ryan licked his lips. "Oh yeah? Who's gonna stop me? You?"

Paul stood, glaring daggers at the insufferable senior, but he decided against a fight and sat down. It wouldn't do anybody any good if he decked Ryan. He'd be out of a job, for one thing.

"That's what I thought," Ryan said smugly. "Do you know what this is?" He held up a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. "This is a list of my Cheerios. Every week, I pick someone at random. And I kick 'em out."

"Yeah, well, in glee club we do things a little bit differently." Paul gritted his teeth.

"Oh yeah, Paul? How's that working out for ya?"

Paul didn't answer. He looked at Kathy, who gave him a sympathetic smile.

Ryan snorted. "In my experience, underclassmen need to be terrified. It's like mother's milk to them. Without it, their bones won't grow properly. So if you want results, find that competitive animal within…and unleash it." He spread his arms out. "Okay. I'm done here." He turned to leave. "Oh, and Kimberly, that shirt is just insane." With that, he was gone.

Kathy looked down at her yellow blouse. It had a big bow at the neck. Paul shrugged when she gave him a questioning look.

"I can't believe he's allowed to talk to us that way," she finally said.

"Yeah." Paul was lost in thought. As mean and terrifying as Ryan was, he had made some sense. "You know Kath, he may have a point."

Kathy sat up. "Really?"

Paul just nodded, already making plans in his head.

~L~

"Competition!" Paul announced at that afternoon's glee rehearsal. "You guys have become complacent. You were great at the invitational. But. You have to up your game if you want to get through sectionals."

The glee clubbers still looked bored. Ralph yawned. Paul pressed on.

"Okay. Guys on the left side, girls on the right side."

When no one moved, Paul made a "hurry up" motion with his hands. "Let's go. Come on!"

Casey moved over to the right side of the choir room, smiling beatifically at Paul. He was really glad to have her back in glee. She was still as big a pain as ever, but she was slowly becoming less of a diva. He had even seen her and Emily giggling about something by their locker, so he knew the other members had finally accepted her as one of their own.

It took the kids a little while to change positions, but when they finally stood where they were supposed to, Paul continued. "Here's the deal. Two teams. Boys versus girls. One week from today, you will each perform a mash-up of your choice."

Derek, who had thus far been daydreaming about April Rhodes throughout rehearsal, piped up, "What's a mash-up?"

Paul smiled. "A mash-up is when you take two songs and mash them together to make an even richer explosion of musical expression." Paul was delighted when Derek actually looked interested. "Boys perform on Tuesday; girls the next day. I want you guys to go all out, okay? Costumes, choreography. Whoever wins the competition gets to choose the number that we do for sectionals."

Everyone looked pretty excited about that, especially Casey. "Wait, who's going to be the judge?" she asked.

Paul cocked his head. He thought he'd be the judge.

"Your gender makes you biased," Casey explained. Sally rolled her eyes and nudged Kendra, who made a face.

Guess glee isn't the big happy family I'd envisioned, Paul thought. "Ah," he answered, thinking quickly. "There's going to be a celebrity judge."

"Who?" Sam asked.

Paul smiled mysteriously. "You're going to have to show up to find out." He hoped the kids wouldn't be too disappointed to find out that he planned on asking Kathy.

"We've got this in the bag," Emily told the girls.

"Totally," Casey agreed. "I'm going to start storyboarding our choreography tonight."

The girls trooped out of the room, leaving the guys standing around, unsure of where to start.

"Hope you guys are up for this competition. The girls look pretty pumped," Paul told them as he turned to leave as well.

"We're planning on smacking them down like the hand of God," Noel assured him. Paul laughed.

Ralph swayed a little and yawned.

"Hey, you alright?" Paul asked, grabbing his elbow. "You seem a little out of it."

"I'm just a little worn out," Ralph replied, and Paul noticed his bleary eyes. He was about to request that they go talk in private, when Derek clapped Ralph on the shoulder.

"Come on, we're late for hockey practice."

Ralph followed Derek out of the room, and the rest of the guys exchanged worried glances.

It was obvious to everyone that Ralph wasn't sleeping very well. Paul wished he could do something to ease his mind, but it's not like he could remove the threat of his impending fatherhood. Paul decided he'd better tell Ralph about some relaxation techniques.

~L~

Ryan called Sally into his office after Cheerios practice. "You feeling alright, Albright?" he asked gruffly. She had been off her game lately, and it was jeopardizing Ryan's shot at nationals.

"I'm just really tired from glee club," Sally replied nervously.

Ryan pointed at the door. "I expect better next practice, even if you are tired. Winners don't need sleep! Get out."

Sally raced from the office and barely made it to the bathroom. This morning sickness stuff was getting really old.

"Glee club!" Ryan banged his fist on the desk. "Every time I try to destroy that clutch of scab-eating mouth-breathers it only comes back stronger, like some sexually ambiguous horror movie villain," he said to no one in particular, stroking his chin. He had to keep trying, or all was lost.

~L~

The school nurse, Mrs. Lancaster, took a tumble down the stairs the next day. A couple of freshmen could have sworn they saw Ryan heading in the opposite direction just after she hit the ground. But of course, that wasn't good enough proof for Lassiter. So it was ruled an accident, and a new nurse was hired right away.

There wasn't even time for a proper background check or fingerprinting.

And this new nurse, Barbara Stanley, just so happened to be the second cousin of a certain cheerleading coach.

~L~

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Paul settled himself in the chair opposite Kathy's desk. "Good news!" he smiled. "I figured out a way to get the kids motivated. They're going to compete against each other in a glee-off."

Kathy clasped her hands together. "Ooh, that's good!"

"And guess who the celebrity judge is going to be?"

Kathy's smile grew wider. "Me?"

"Of course! Who else?" Paul beamed back at her.

"Are you sure? Maybe your wife, someone who's not really involved…" Kathy trailed off. She was fishing, and she really, really hoped Paul couldn't see right through it. He hadn't talked about his wife in a long time, and she was curious. So sue her.

Paul grimaced. "She can't stand to hear me talk about glee. It's not her thing." Admitting that to Kathy saddened him, but it was also nice to get it off his chest. "She hasn't been very supportive."

"Ah." Kathy bit back a triumphant smile and tried to look sympathetic.

"I mean," Paul was quick to clarify, "she's busy. She's got her job at Linens 'n Things, and, well, you know…"

"It's okay, Paul. I didn't mean to pry. I'm sorry."

Paul shook his head. "Don't be sorry. It's just a busy time for both of us, that's all."

Kathy nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"So, tell me more about the glee-off," she said finally.

~L~

Ralph was losing it. He was falling asleep in his classes, could barely stay upright during hockey, and was in a permanent fog.

The worst part was the guilt. He knew he was lucky; he was a hockey player, a glee stud. He should be excited about Sally. She was hot, popular, and carrying his baby, after all…but he couldn't stop thinking about Casey.

She kinda freaked him out, in a Swimfan kind of way, but she could really sing. And her body was smokin'. (That is, if you're not into boobs.)

Ralph's body was a mess. He found a hair on his ear the other day. Was hair supposed to grow there? And he was going through a growth spurt, so his legs were killing him. He had to rub Biofreeze on his shins a couple of times a day, and it smelled really bad.

Being a fifteen-year-old guy was tough. Between glee and hockey and school and being popular, he was overwhelmed. Everyone wanted something from him, and he just didn't have the energy to do it all. He didn't know how important people, like presidents or newscasters or mob bosses, did it.

His grandma told him he was stretched too thin, so he gave up homework, but that didn't help. All he knew was that last night, he got gunned down on level two of Halo 3. Level two! He didn't even have the energy to care. He threw himself onto his bed, where he tossed and turned for the rest of the night.

~L~

"He's drooling," Sam remarked, staring at a comatose Ralph at glee the next day.

Derek strode over to Ralph's chair and said loudly, "Wake up!"

Ralph jolted upright. "Uh…sounds good." He wasn't sure what they had been talking about, but he knew he had probably missed something important.

Derek shook his head in disgust. "Rallllph."

"Sometimes when I'm thinking I like to close my eyes. I'm good, I swear."

Derek rolled his eyes. "I said, we can't let those girls beat us, right Sam?"

Sam looked askance at Derek. They hadn't exactly become friends again, but they got along well enough to perform together. Derek had been surprisingly nice to all of the guys ever since he joined glee. Sam wasn't sure if he had actually changed, or if it was all an act, but he was thankful that their interactions were drama-free. He nodded.

"Yeah. So where were we?" Ralph asked.

"We're doing a mash-up of 'It's My Life' and Usher's 'Confessions'," Noel explained.

"We should get some trash can lids, and stomp the yard up in this piece," Sheldon offered seriously.

"Sheldon, with respect, you're more helpful when you don't contribute," Derek snapped.

Sam sighed, but privately he agreed with Derek.

Ralph, meanwhile, had fallen back asleep.

Sam shook him. "You okay?"

"Uhhn," Ralph mumbled.

Derek clapped him on the shoulder. "You should go see the nurse. Every day, I say I have a headache, and I sleep for three hours. I haven't attended a math class in two years."

Ralph wiped the dried saliva from his chin and stood uneasily. "Thanks, guys. Keep up the good work." He trudged out of the room, bumping into the doorway as he went.

"I hope he remembers where the nurse's office is," Sam said worriedly.

Derek chuckled nervously, and met Sam's eyes. Each instantly looked away, but it could have been much more awkward than it was.

~L~

The girls' rehearsal was just as productive.

"Come on, we have to get to work," Casey whined, as she watched Kendra and Amy applying makeup in the mirror instead of stretching. "Where's Sally?"

"Probably down at the mall buying elastic-waist pants," Kendra snickered. She touched fingers with Amy and made a hissing sound to indicate a "burn."

Sandra and Emily giggled.

Casey ignored them. "Paul is right, you know. We can't get complacent."

Emily looked up from painting her nails. "Chills, Casey. I already picked the songs. We're doing a mash-up of 'Halo' and 'Walking on Sunshine'."

Casey's mouth dropped open. "That was my idea."

"It doesn't matter," Emily insisted. "We can do this in our sleep. Do you think we're going to get any competition from the guys?"

"Let's just wing it," Sandra agreed.

Casey could not believe their attitude. "We can't just wing it!"

Kendra closed her makeup bag and turned to face Casey. "Let's be democratic about this. All those in favor of winging it?" There were a few mumbles of consent. "All those opposed?"

Casey reached her arm in the air as high as it would go and stared pleadingly at the girls.

"Looks like the ayes have it," Kendra smirked.

"Emily?" Casey asked hopefully, but knowing she'd already lost.

Emily shrugged. "Sorry, Case. We're right."

Casey put her hands in her pockets and stomped out of the room.

~L~

"May I help you?" Barbara Stanley asked as Ralph entered her office.

"Hi, I'm Ralph Papadopoulos, and I've been really tired lately—"

"Ooh, you have really good bone structure," Ms. Stanley cooed, grabbing Ralph's cheeks. She had a wild look in her eyes that Ralph wasn't sure he liked.

"Uh," Ralph tried again. "Can I just lie down?"

"Come sit." Ms. Stanley pointed to a nearby chair. She retrieved a clipboard from her desk and began pacing back and forth in front of Ralph. "Tell me about your sleep habits. What time do you usually go to bed?" She cocked her head and smiled warmly at him.

"I dunno. I guess after Skinemax starts playing regular movies again. And I'm normally tired, but lately…I can't fall asleep. It's like…my brain won't shut up." Her pacing was making him a little dizzy.

"Well, what are you thinking about?" When Ralph didn't respond, she assured him that everything he told her was confidential.

Ralph wasn't sure he liked her very much, but she was a nurse. He could trust her. "Hockey. Girls. Dance steps. Girls…"

"Girls?" Ms. Stanley frowned. "Aren't you dating Sally Albright?"

Ralph didn't even think about how she could have known that. He was too worried about the reason 'girls' was plural. "Can a guy be into two girls at once?"

"No." Ms. Stanley shook her pen at him. "And remember, flirting is cheating. And the revenge of the jilted woman is usually pretty messy. I once…" She didn't continue, and Ralph saw that wild look in her eyes again.

"Can I take my nap now?"

"You can't sleep your life away, Ralph. Here." She pulled a package of pills out of her pocket. "Pseudophedrine. It's the stuff they put in decongestants to make them non-drowsy. It's kind of like a…like a vitamin. Pop two of these every morning and you'll be a firecracker for the rest of the day." She popped out the back of two slots in the foil packaging and handed Ralph the long blue pills.

He picked one up and examined it. "Are they safe?" His grandma had always told him that drugs were bad, but if the school nurse was giving him some…

"Of course. They're over-the-counter." She handed Ralph a bottle of water. "They stock them next to the candy bars."

Well, if they were just like candy…

Ralph tossed both pills in his mouth and squirted some water in after them. He closed his mouth and swallowed.

~L~

Ralph's eyes were wide open as he returned to the choir room. "Hey, guys, how's it going? God, it's a beautiful day! Let's run through the number! I can't wait to do the number! I'm ready and excited!" He motioned for everyone to stand up. They stared blankly at him. "Stand up! Come on! Let's get this joint jumping!" He pulled Sam up by his shoulders and patted his chest.

"Has your soul been taken over by caffeinated space aliens?" Noel asked, afraid of what Ralph would do next.

Sure enough, Ralph strode over and pulled Noel out of his seat. "Nope just visited the school nurse got this great vitamin I feel fantastic! I can't wait to do the number! Let's do the number! And afterwards we can build a house for Habitat for Humanity!"

Derek eyed Ralph carefully. "What kind of vitamin did you take?"

"Vitamin C?" Sheldon asked. "Vogue magazine says it boosts energy levels and brightens the complexion."

Ralph smiled. "Vitamin D! And I got you guys some!" He pulled a package out of his pocket and tossed it to Derek. Derek read the label and showed it to Sheldon, who shrugged.

~L~

At their glee-off performance, the guys were all in high spirits. They wore leather jackets and jeans and commanded the stage like never before.

"This ain't a song for the brokenhearted," Ralph crooned, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. He had never had this much energy in his life, and he planned to capitalize on it. "No silent prayer for the faith departed…"

The guys danced as Ralph continued to sing. He noticed that all of the girls were watching them with their mouths open in surprise.

"It's my life! It's now or never!"

Paul and Kathy exchanged bemused glances. His idea looked like it was working so far. The guys were pumped.

"It's! My! Life!"

The music segued into "Confessions."

"These are my confessions!" Noel took over on lead vocal. "Just when I thought I said all I could say…"

The irony of the lyrics about an unwanted pregnancy were lost on Ralph, who could not stand still. He jumped from one riser to the other, bopping to the beat.

"I don't know what to do, but to give part two of my…better stand tall when they're calling you out…" As the song switched back to Bon Jovi, the guys broke out of their choreography and began doing spins and flips. The girls stared at them in awe.

"These are my confessions…I just wanna live while I'm alive…"

For the last line, they all jumped down from the top riser to the bottom. "It's! my! life!"

Their performance was met with whistles and applause from Paul, Kathy, and the girls, although the girls looked more than a little intimidated as they clapped.

"Awesome, guys!" Paul got up to shake each of the guys' hands, and exclaimed, "I didn't know you had it in you! It's like somebody slipped something in your juice boxes!"

Ralph, Derek, Sheldon, Sam, Noel, and Max laughed nervously. There was no way he knew…he was just kidding, right?

"You girls better bring it tomorrow," Paul continued.

It was the girls' turn to look nervous.

"Otherwise, we've got our opening number for sectionals!" Paul decided.

Ralph let out a whoop, and the guys began jumping up and down, congratulating each other.

~L~

Sally walked slowly down the hall. She had heard the commotion from the choir room, but didn't have the guts to go in.

Casey had just left, and she spotted Sally down the hall. "Wait up!" she called. When Sally stopped, Casey ran to catch up with her. "Haven't seen you at glee rehearsals," she said kindly. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm not Superwoman," Sally snapped. "I know glee is your whole life, but I have the Cheerios, I'm on honor roll, I have friends…"

Casey bit her lip. She knew Sally was just overwhelmed, and taking it out on her. And Sally had no reason to like her or trust her. But Casey couldn't stand to see someone hurting. And she knew Sally was a good person, underneath it all. "You don't have to be embarrassed," she said comfortingly.

Sally walked more quickly to try to get away from her, but Casey matched her steps. "No one at glee is judging you," Casey insisted.

Sally went over to the wall and leaned against it, head down. She was so tired. Of school, of glee, of everything.

Casey sighed. "Look, I know everyone expects us to be enemies and be in competition, but I don't hate you."

"Why not? I've been awful to you."

"That was before you knew what it felt like to be an outsider," Casey explained gently. "More people are going to start finding out about you, and you're going to need friends who can relate."

"How can you relate to me?" Sally scoffed. "You're not…you know."

"Maybe not. But I do get slushie facials several times a week. People whisper about me as I walk down the halls. I barely have friends. I can't get a boyfriend." She looked down, thinking of Ralph.

Sally made a sympathetic sound. "Yeah, well…"

"You have seven months of your youth left. You should enjoy it," Casey pressed on. "You won't be able to cheer in a couple of months, the Celibacy Club will kick you out, and, let's face it, glee will be all you have left." She wasn't so sure why she wanted an ally in Sally. She just knew that the Ralph thing wasn't working out, so there was no reason for them to be enemies. "Just come back to practice, okay? It's boys versus girls, and it's fun, but we could certainly use your voice right now. You're a good singer, Sally. Occasionally sharp, but that's just because you lack my years of training."

Sally knew Casey well enough by now to know that that had been a compliment. "I would have tortured you if the roles were reversed, you know," she said quietly.

Casey nodded. "I know." She smiled and walked away, leaving Sally staring after her. Maybe she would decide to come back to glee after all.

~L~

It was the night before the girls' performance, and they had gathered in the choir room after dinner.

"I told you guys—"

Kendra interrupted Casey with an icy glare. "We know. You've been berating us for the better part of an hour."

Casey raised her eyes skyward and shook her head.

"Were they really that good?" Sally asked.

"They were, Sally," Casey replied. "Look, I was fine with arranging, choreographing, and directing this number free of charge. But we underestimated the boys. Their number will go to sectionals, and once again, I will be humiliated."

"How were we supposed to know they'd rock the house?" Emily threw up her hands.

"Yeah, they've never been good," Amy whined.

"How did they do it?" Sandra wondered aloud.

"The real question is: what were they on?" Sheldon asked from the doorway, surprising everyone.

"Though I was paired with the boys, and rightly so, my allegiance lies with you girls," he continued, winking at Emily, who smiled. "All my artistic decisions have been derided as too costly because they involve several varieties of exotic bird feathers. I owe them nothing."

Casey raised her eyebrows. "So?"

"So, they took something. We all did."

Emily cringed. "Really, Shel?"

He looked at the floor. "Yes."

The girls stared at each other in horror.

~L~

"Hey Paul, I put that paper about Bill Gates on your desk for you," Ralph called as he passed Paul in the hallway the next morning.

"But it's not due for another two weeks," Paul said in surprise.

Ralph grinned. "I know! I am on fire!"

Paul just shook his head and kept walking. Looked like those meditation exercises he had told Ralph about were working.

Casey ran up to Ralph and pointed a finger in his face. "Cheater!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You took performance enhancers before your mash-up! Sheldon told us!"

Ralph ignored her and turned to go in the other direction, but Casey kept yelling.

Derek turned the corner and saw Casey and Ralph arguing. He sidled up behind them and began eavesdropping on their conversation.

"It's deplorable, contemptible, and it's just plain wrong," Casey was saying. "It's also cheating! As a matter of fact, I'm going to start calling you R-Rod."

Derek finally caught up to them, making his presence known with a hand on Casey's shoulder. "That's a lot of big words for such a little girl," he smirked.

She ignored him and shrugged out of his grasp.

"Back off, D," Ralph reprimanded. "And I'm nothing like A-Rod, okay Case? I'd never take steroids. They make your junk fall off."

Derek agreed, and he and Ralph exchanged friendly shoulder-shoves.

Casey made a face.

"Listen, Casey," Ralph continued. "You don't know what it's like for me. The kind of pressure I'm under."

"Oh, please. We all have pressures. But do you know how I deal with it? The natural way. With a rigorous diet-and-exercise routine."

Derek laughed. "Oh, yeah, that's how you do it? I've seen diva behavior from you that proves otherwise."

For lack of a better comeback, Casey stuck her tongue out at him. Derek just laughed again.

"For your information, boys," she huffed, "I get up at six every morning. I have my protein shake, with banana and flax seed oil. And by six-ten, I'm on the elliptical."

Both Ralph and Derek tried to push inappropriate thoughts of a sweating, bouncing Casey out of their heads.

"I set a goal, and I won't rest until I reach it," Casey was saying. Right now, she had a picture of a Grammy with her name on it taped to her wall.

"Yeah, but that's personal pressure," Ralph countered. He was starting to come down from the Vitamin D he had taken that morning, and he really just wanted to get away from her and go take a nap. "If you don't reach your goal, you're the only one who loses. I have to play hockey, be the male lead, and deal with a pregnant girlfriend who yells at me about ice cream. You know what I'm saying, right, Derek?" He turned to where Derek had been standing, but he had disappeared somewhere around the word "pregnant."

"That still doesn't justify cheating," Casey said, exasperated.

"I helped me and my teammates out a little bit, but it's only because I'm sick and tired of working so hard and still losing."

"Yeah, but winning by cheating isn't winning."

Something dawned on Ralph. "The only reason you're so pissed about this is because you know you can't compete with us! Ha!" He was starting to learn that with Casey, everything was about the performance.

"I'm offended by that accusation," Casey spluttered. "We haven't performed yet, but if I may say, our mash-up is spectacular."

"Still isn't gonna be as good as ours. We're gonna win. You're gonna lose." He leaned in towards her and whispered, "Deal with it."

Casey bit her lip as he walked away. There was no way he was right, right?

~L~

Barbara Stanley looked up to see six girls knocking on her office door. They all wore identical hopeful smiles.

"You're here for some Vitamin D, I take it?"

They all nodded, and filed one by one into the office.

Ms. Stanley handed out the packages, but when she got to Sally, she motioned for her to go over to the supply closet. "Folic acid for you, mama," she explained, rooting around for some in the closet.

"How did you—"

"Ryan Sylvester is my cousin," she whispered. "He asked me to keep an eye on his Cheerios, so I looked up your medical file. But don't worry, I won't tell Ryan about your, uh, condition."

Sally wondered briefly if he had also asked her to sabotage glee. Getting caught taking performance enhancers would be a pretty good way to do it. But, she reminded herself, she couldn't say anything. She was supposed to be a double agent, after all.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Casey asked as Ms. Stanley and Sally rejoined the group.

"It's over-the-counter. You can trust me, I'm a nurse. It's good for you," she nodded brightly.

Casey popped the pills into her mouth, and the others followed suit. Sally felt a little sick to her stomach, but she tried to tell herself it wasn't guilt, it was just morning sickness. At noon.

~L~

Casey led the girls, in their sunny yellow dresses, up onto the risers in the choir room.

"Thank you so much it really is a pleasure," she began. For some reason, she was having trouble inserting punctuation into her speech. But she felt energized and ready to dance. So she got through her speech as best she could. "While the boys chose a selection of songs that casts an eye inward on the irresponsible life choices and sexual hunger of today's modern teens we have chosen a selection of songs that speaks to the nation as a whole—" Sally shot her a "wrap it up" look, and Casey tried in vain to stop her mouth from moving. "—during these troubling times filled with economic uncertainty and unbridled social woe because if there's two things America needs right now that is sunshine and optimism! Also angels!" She took a few deep breaths, but her head was still buzzing. Paul and Kathy eyed her warily, so she plastered a smile on her face. "Okay!"

She ran to take her place for the opening of the song.

"Ohhh…remember those walls I built? Well baby they're tumbling down…"

As Casey led the girls in "Halo," they danced just as energetically as the boys had. Sally suppressed a giggle at their exaggerated movements and tried to keep up. She had to admit, they were doing really well! The guys looked like they were enjoying it, too.

"Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace. Baby I can feel your halo…and don't it feel good!" They switched gears and "Halo" flowed seamlessly into "Walking on Sunshine."

Derek caught Ralph with a goofy smile on his face and looked to see what Sally was doing. But Sally was on the other side of the stage. Ralph was watching Casey. Not good. Derek tried to focus on watching anyone but Casey, and ended up worrying about Sally. Was all that jiggling and swaying good for the baby?

"I used to think maybe you loved me; now baby I'm sure…"

Paul and Kathy clapped along as the girls kept time.

"I can see your halo, halo…"

The girls' hair was flying everywhere, getting in their mouths and eyes. Casey tried to tone it down a little, but really, swinging her head around like that was so much fun!

The song ended on one last "Halo!" from Casey and the girls held their final positions, breathing heavily.

Paul and Kathy applauded profusely and the guys joined in.

"Ladies!" Paul crowed. "I don't even know what to say! You did such a good job!" He slapped each of them high-five. "I don't know what you guys did, but whatever it was, keep doing it!"

Sally smirked at the irony of that statement while the other girls tried to control their giggle fits.

Paul motioned to Kathy. "Our celebrity judge has her work cut out for her."

Kathy nodded. She'd almost forgotten that she was supposed to pick a winner. They had both been great.

The bell rang, and the girls scampered from the room. Casey threw her arms around Paul as she ran by, and he patted her back. "Okay, alright," he mumbled. She let go and raced after Kendra, Sally, Amy, Sandra, and Emily. The boys soon followed.

Paul smiled at Kathy. "Well?"

"I think your plan worked." Kathy smiled back.

"Will you walk with me?" Paul headed for the halls and Kathy followed him, stomach full of butterflies.

They weaved their way through the busy halls. "So…" Kathy searched for something to say. Paul was still beaming, high off the successful performance. "Instilling a sense of good, clean competition in these kids…I think you really motivated them."

"I consider you a co-conspirator," Paul replied. "We came up with the idea together."

Kathy gazed dreamily at him. What did he expect her to do, when he said things like that?

Paul's phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket. "My wife," he said apologetically.

"Oh, uh, yeah, take it," Kathy mumbled, and Paul ducked into an empty classroom. Kathy kept walking.

Until her curiosity got the better of her and she doubled back to see if she could catch any of the conversation.

"I need my space," Paul was saying.

Kathy gulped. He looked angry.

"I'll see you tonight," he said firmly, and hung up. Kathy darted away, blushing, but she wasn't fast enough. "Kath?"

She turned, wincing. He sighed. "Sorry about that."

"Everything okay?"

Paul put both hands on her shoulders and smiled sadly at her. Then he turned and walked in the other direction. Kathy didn't know what to think.

~L~

Sally liked her life. She liked being popular. She liked being on the cheerleading squad. She even liked being in glee club. And if she had a baby, it would all go away.

So she started researching adoption. She didn't tell anyone, not even Ralph or Derek. But she bookmarked some websites and called some agencies. Just in case. She didn't know what the future would bring, but she knew she wanted options. She could still achieve her dreams, whether or not she kept the baby. But she knew it would be a whole heck of a lot easier to do it without one. She wasn't sure she wanted to raise a baby at sixteen.

And then there was Ralph. He was a good guy. He was internalizing all of the pressure, and so far it seemed to be slowly destroying him. It would only get worse once the baby came. She didn't want that for her boyfriend. And she did not want Derek anywhere near her offspring. As far as she was concerned, what had happened between them was a fluke, and Ralph was the real father.

~L~

"What's up, A-Case?" Ralph blocked her path as she walked down the hallway. "Sweet mash-up. You guys were so…energetic." He smirked.

Casey shrugged. "We were just taking a lesson from Major League Baseball. It's not cheating if everyone's doing it. We were just leveling out the playing field." She knew her logic was faulty, but at that point, she didn't care. She didn't owe Ralph anything.

"You really believe that?" He stared at her, but his eyes were soft.

"No," she sighed, defeated. "I feel terrible. Even if we win, it's not going to be satisfying."

"That's the Casey I know," Ralph said warmly. "It's funny, I don't even remember performing. What should we do?"

"I think…the only way to make things right is to just withdraw from the competition. You know, admit that we were wrong, and disqualify our respective teams immediately. No one gets to win."

Ralph's shoulders slumped. "Cool."

"I'm sorry about what I said the other day. About calling you contemptible and deplorable." She wanted them to be friends again, and it seemed like a possibility, given the way Ralph was looking at her.

"Aw, that's alright. I didn't even know what those words meant."

He was so cute! Casey started over. "What I meant to say is that I guess I get caught up in the competitive hysteria too." She looked at her feet. "My goals are too selfish."

Ralph looked like he was following her so far, so she continued, "It's time for me to stop competing against everyone, and start competing alongside them."

Ralph smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "If anyone can do it, you can."

~L~

Paul had just heard some unsettling news. Of course, the news involved Ryan Sylvester. Of course it did. "Say that again?" he asked numbly.

Principal Lassiter shook his head gravely. "The new nurse has been supplying your students with drugs."

"They were over-the-counter, and FDA approved," Ryan jumped in smugly. He exchanged a victorious sneer with Barbara. There was no way either of them could get in trouble for this. "Besides, they would have just gotten them somewhere else anyway."

Paul put his head in his hands. "These are good kids. They wouldn't have done anything like this on their own." He was pretty confident that even Derek wouldn't do drugs.

"Nothing bad happened," Barbara said blithely.

Paul picked his head up and glared at her.

"Pseudophedrine is an ingredient in the manufacturing of methamphetamines," Lassiter explained. "You're lucky you didn't get investigated for running a crystal meth lab!"

Ryan rolled his eyes; Barbara stayed quiet.

"Now, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to resign as school nurse," Lassiter continued.

"Fine," Barbara snapped. "But I expect an excellent letter of recommendation."

"Very well." Lassiter shot a grimace at Ryan, who remained stone-faced.

Paul leaned his head back and moaned.

Lassiter turned to Paul. "I have to question your judgment in the matter as well."

Paul sat up straight. "What? I had no idea this was even going on!"

"Exactly." Lassiter sighed. "The children rely on you to create the culture. And you, with your obsession with winning and competition, have fostered an unsafe environment…"

It was complete and utter bull, but Paul didn't have the energy to fight it.

"I'm bringing in someone else to co-chair the glee club. Someone with a track record of responsibility and excellence."

Paul hung his head. He knew exactly what would happen next, and sure enough, the next words out of Lassiter's mouth were "Ryan Sylvester."

~L~

"We're really sorry, Paul," Ralph said contritely.

Casey spoke for the girls. "We didn't mean to get you into trouble."

Paul stood with his arms crossed. "I'm really disappointed in you guys. Glee is supposed to be about what's inside your heart, not what's coursing through your veins."

"We know," Casey replied. "And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we'd be happy to move forward and put this episode behind us."

"Well, it's not that simple." Boy did Paul wish it was. "Because of this debacle, it's been decided that I'm no longer fit to run glee club myself." The kids looked around at each other anxiously. "We've been assigned a co-director."

"Who?" Emily asked.

Just as Paul was about to reply, Ryan stepped into the room. "Hey kiddos," he greeted them with a cruel laugh.

Kendra, Amy, and Sally smiled thinly, while the others' mouths dropped open. The three of them were starting to really enjoy glee. And Sally, especially, wasn't sure she wanted Ryan watching their every move. They were still faithful spies, but that didn't mean they wanted him taking over.

"I gotta tell ya, I'm just thrilled to be coming on board to co-captain your little, uh, show biz cruise," Ryan smirked. "I can't wait to start singing and dancing and maybe even puttin' on the Ritz a little bit."

No one responded. Sheldon grabbed Emily's hand and squeezed it. Derek punched his fist into his palm. Casey held back tears. Everyone else tried not to show their fear.

~L~

Casey woke up the next morning at six, and began her daily routine. Just as she was about to step onto the elliptical, her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the number. Who would be calling her that early?

"Hello?"

"Hey, Space Case. Just making sure you're up."

"Who is this?" Casey already knew, and had no idea why she hadn't hung up on him already.

"You mean you don't know? It's your potential future brother. You're coming to my house for dinner tonight, you know."

Casey gagged. She knew. And she was conveniently about to develop swine flu right after school. "Why are you calling me?"

"Like I said, just making sure you're up. If my calculations are correct, you just finished your protein shake."

"Ye-Yeah." He remembered that conversation?

"Look, my family doesn't know I'm in glee, so don't mention anything about it tonight, okay?"

"You couldn't wait to tell me this in school today?" she huffed.

"Yeah, right. Like I'd talk to you at school."

Casey guessed that occasionally tossing slushies in her face and singing in glee together didn't really count as 'talking.' "Fine, I won't mention glee tonight. Can I hang up now?" She was tempted to hang up before asking, but the fact that he was actually acting like a human being made her pause.

"Yes, you may." She could practically hear his smirk through the phone. "See you at school, Case."

She hung up, and couldn't understand why she was smiling. She shook it off, and went back to her elliptical. She had taped a new goal to her wall in front of it: a pink piece of paper with the word "SECTIONALS" on it.