So far, Freshmen year had been a joke for Tanner Harris. Yes, it had only been a week, but he couldn't help but feel like McKinley was dragging him down. In the middle of Lima, Ohio, it was hard to be openly gay and accepted, and he was learning this the hard way. This aside, Tanner still loved himself and that was what was important.
Adjusting his golden hair so that it swooped up perfectly in a quiff, he walked out of the boy's bathroom and out into the wilderness that was McKinley High School's main hallway. He hummed to himself as he walked down the hall, his head held high despite the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't quite fit in. He ignored the few stares he got; in his head, he chalked this up to admiration, even if it was anything but. He couldn't help the fact that most of Lima was close-minded, but it did get aggravating sometimes.
Walking up to the Bulletin board, Tanner eagerly pulled out a pen, jotting his name on the sign up sheet for Glee Club. He knew it wasn't exactly popular, but he'd heard that nearly fifteen years ago, McKinley had actually won a National title, and that Mr. Evans, who was running the club, had actually been on that team. He smiled to himself confidently as he pivoted on his heel, his brown eyes quickly widening when he was hit in the face with a red slushy. So much for confidence.
"Be ready for more of those in the future, Lady Boy," Chucky Flood, the Tight End on the Football team, jeered at Tanner.
All of his teammates laughed and gave each other high fives, seeming to take amusement out of the smaller boy trembling with tears in his eyes, soaked to the bone in red high fructose corn syrup. That is, all but Hugh, who eyed Tanner with sympathy. Once all of the guys left, he approached him hesitantly.
"I doubt you want to sit in that all day, man. I've got some stuff you can change into. It might be a little big though, dude," Hugh said, feeling awful for the actions of his teammates. He knew that he wouldn't trust him if he were in Tanner's position, so he was shocked when Tanner nodded in agreement.
"If you're offering it up, I'll take it. I can't handle sticking like this all day long," he mumbled, wiping the syrup-y mess out of his eyes before following the Quarterback to the locker room. He jumped slightly when Hugh tossed a towel, washcloth, and then a change of clothes at him.
"What's all of this for?" Tanner asked, confused as he looked at all of the things now in his arms.
"Well I figure you might as well just wash it all off. I've got late passes written from Coach Beiste so you don't have to worry about missing your next class, just take your time. Slushies are no joke to get off," Hugh confessed, giving him a guilty smile. "I'll tell the guys to lay off of you, though," he added. "Us Glee kids should stick together if we're gonna be on the same team, right?" he asked the smaller boy, a hint of his typical goofy grin gracing his face.
Tanner couldn't help but feel like he was being pranked, but when he saw the genuine look of remorse in Hugh's eyes, he already felt himself forgiving the large jock. "Right," he echoed, before heading into the showers. What was he getting himself into with this?
"I'll see you next class, Mr. Pate," Hannah Majors said to her band teacher, flashing him a quick smile. She started quickly walking down the hallway, having forgotten her violin in her car that morning; if she was quick enough, she'd be able to get it and still get to class in time with a little bit of time to spare, or so she hoped. She avoided making eye contact with anyone in the building, having only one destination in mind.
"Hey Han, do you have the sheet music for..." Hannah heard from down the hall, but she didn't stop to see who was calling. She already felt guilty enough about leaving her poor violin in the car, but now she felt bad about blowing off someone that was sincerely interested in music. Taking a deep breath, she shoved this out of her mind as she rounded a corner, stumbling as she ran into an unknown person.
When she looked up, her eyes widened in realization of who she had run into. Her Gym Teacher, Mr. Evans. Her cheeks began to flush a bright red, and instantly she was stammering out an apology.
"Oh my God, Mr. Evans...I'm so, so sorry," Hannah said quickly, absolutely mortified.
"It's no worries, Hannah, don't stress yourself out about it. I was tackled by much worse in my day," Mr. Evans joked lightly, patting the flustered girl's shoulder. She couldn't help but let out a light laugh, the built up tension in her shoulders subsiding within seconds. "Where were you rushing off to like that, though?" he asked her curiously, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, uh, I forgot my violin in my car. Mr. Pate was letting me go out to get it," she confessed, giving a sheepish smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" she then asked, unable to make eye contact with the man out of nerves.
Sam chuckled and nodded at her. "If you're so concerned about my well being, why don't you make it up to me by joining to Glee Club? We could really use someone with your musical talent, Ms. Majors," he told her, to which Hannah beamed with pride. "Now why don't you go get your violin?" he then suggested.
"You've got a deal, Mr. Evans!" She said, relieved as she rushed down the hall again.
Zachariah DiLorenzo Starling VI was a force to be reckoned with. With a name like that, though, it should have been obvious.
Despite his bad boy persona, Six was active in many of McKinley High's clubs. He was a bit of a jock, on both the Wrestling and Swim teams, but was also a member of the Book Club and had a seat on the Student Council. If there was one thing he was, it was involved, and it seemed as if he never stopped; so when he walked down the hall and saw the sign up sheet for Glee Club, he couldn't help but consider it.
"Are you thinking about signing up?" a voice behind him asked, and Six smirked when he saw Lily standing behind him. Unlike all of the other boys she flirted with, he was fairly immune to her charms. That wasn't to say that he didn't flirt back, though.
"I see that your name is first on the list. You must really be into singing, huh?" he asked, his cool English accent making her blush, chuckling as the Cheerio flushed bright red.
"No, uh, Hughie dared me to sign up, so I made him sign up too," Lily admitted, giggling a bit with a smile. "You should totally sign up too," she added, flashing him a bright smile.
Six considered it. His mother was always encouraging him to perform, and while he didn't like singing in front of crowds, he could maybe work towards it. Plus, it would look good if he was involved in more clubs.
"Might as well," he said, giving her a casual smirk, before writing his name down on the list with a shrug of his shoulders.
Two chapters in a day? This is what weekends in the summer look like when you have no life. In this chapter you met Tanner Harris, by the amazing Yonna9queen , Hannah Majors, created by the fantastic LittleMissBrit , and Zachariah DiLorenzo Starling VI, or "Six", created by the absolutely wonderful AceSeesYouuu. Thank you all so much for reading! There's still spots enough for at least one girl and one guy
