Hey :D The song I used for this chapter is Meet Me Halfway by The Black Eyed Peas. Enjoy!
Adam put his arms around her and she kept crying. Barbra buried her face in her cousin's shirt, dampening it with her tears.
"It's okay" Adam whispered.
"No, it's not okay!" Barbra exclaimed between sobs.
"It's just one guy! I bet there are thousands of boys who would like to go out with you" the boy said.
"But I want Cody!"
"He's an idiot!"
"No, he's not!" Barbra said, breaking away from Adam's embrace. She frowned at him.
"Yes, he is" Adam said "Anyone who rejects you is a complete and total idiot"
Barbra stopped scowling and wiped away her tears, looking at him the whole time.
"You think so?" she said.
"Of course!" Adam smiled at her "You're by far the most amazing girl I've ever met"
Barbra smiled and shook her head.
"No I'm not" she said "I'm dramatic, clumsy, stubborn…"
"You're smart, nice, funny…" Adam said.
"I'm not self-confident, or brave…" the girl continued, ignoring him.
"But you're caring and loving"
"I'm too short…"
"You're beautiful" Adam said, caressing her cheek.
"Really?" Barbra asked.
Adam nodded.
"You're the most beautiful girl in the world" he said.
Barbra looked at him in the eyes. She saw that warm smile on his lips, she felt his soft hand against her cheek. And then, it hit her. It wasn't Cody who she wanted, it was Adam. It was her cousin, sitting in front of her, smiling, touching her face in that familiar way.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked, seeing her confused expression.
"I…" Barbra didn't finish her sentence.
Why didn't she realize before? Adam has always been there since they were kids, protecting her every time she needed him, playing with her when Lizzie wasn't around, comforting her every time she was sad or heart-broken… Could he possibly have feelings for her?
"No, that's ridiculous" Barbra thought "We're cousins"
Then why was she feeling that way? Why couldn't she tear her eyes from his? Why was she holding his hand, so he didn't remove it from her cheek? And where did that urge to kiss him came from?
"Adam?" she said softly, almost a whisper.
"What?"
"Do you love me?" Barbra asked.
"Of course I do" Adam said without hesitation "You're my cousin"
"No, that's not what I mean" the girl said.
"Then what do you mean?"
Barbra didn't answer, she just sat there looking at Adam. She couldn't tell him. There was no way that he had feelings for her, and she wasn't even sure of what she felt right now.
"Forget it" she said.
Adam looked like he wanted to say something, but he remained silent while Barbra stood up and left.
Barbra sighed as she remembered that day when she realized her true feelings for Adam. So much had changed since that day… Barbra rolled in her bed, unable to sleep. And like every sleepless night, memories started to come to her mind. She checked the time in her cell-phone. 3:00 a.m. Great, she was going to be exhausted the next day at school. Barbra sighed and closed her eyes, trying to get as much sleep as possible.
"You don't understand!"
Barbra opened the door of her bedroom and threw her bag on top of the bed. It bounced and fell to the floor, making the girl sigh and kick it, frustrated.
"No, I don't" Adam said, entering after her "Explain me"
Barbra shot him an angry look before she turned around. Adam walked towards her and made her look at him.
"Why are you so mad at me?" he asked.
"Because you know how I feel!" the girl exclaimed "But you act like you didn't!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Gosh, you're really clueless, aren't you?"
Adam frowned and turned around. He walked to the door, but Barbra stopped him before he left.
"Wait!" she said.
"What the hell is going on, Barbra?" Adam asked.
Barbra looked down and sighed.
"Do you love me, Adam?" she asked.
"What does this has to do with anything?"
"Just answer me!" Barbra looked at him "And don't say 'Of course I love you, you're my cousin' because we both know that's not the answer I'm looking for!"
Adam's expression softened, as he watched her cousin look down again.
"Forget it" Barbra mumbled.
She was about to leave when Adam grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her against his chest. Blush spread over Barbra's cheeks, and Adam caressed her cheek, like he always did. But this time it was different. It was more intimate than ever.
"I do" he said softly, his eyes glued to hers "Of course I love you"
Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her. Adam knew he shouldn't be doing this, that this was wrong. Because they weren't supposed to love each other this way, they were cousins. But in that moment, he didn't give a damn, because Barbra was kissing him back, and it was wonderful. And he didn't care what was wrong or not, because what he was felt couldn't be wrong, it was too wonderful, like a dream. Barbra pulled away suddenly and stepped back, freeing herself from his arms.
"No" she said "We can't…"
"Why not?" Adam said, exasperated.
"We're family!"
"I don't care, Barbra" he stepped towards her, looking intensely into her eyes "I love you. I don't care if we're cousins!"
Barbra shook her head and looked away, refusing to meet his eyes again. She knew that the moment she did, she would be lost.
"Barbra, we're not even blood-related!" Adam exclaimed.
"We were raised almost like siblings!"
"So?" Adam framed Barbra's face with his hands "The only thing I want to do is to be with you forever"
"I can't…" Barbra whispered, and her eyes welled with tears.
She ran away, and closed the door after her. Adam sat on the bed, with his elbows rested on his knees, and covering his face with his hands. He knew that nothing would ever be the same.
And he was right, Adam thought. He looked out of the window of his bedroom. He could saw a patch of night sky, completed with a couple stars. He wondered what Barbra was doing. Maybe she couldn't sleep, like him, and was remembering all that happened between them. Adam looked at the girl lying beside him. Crystal was asleep, her lips slightly parted and a few strands of her short hair fell on her face. He put it behind her ear, and Crystal scooted closer to him, still asleep. Adam put an arm around her and tried to sleep.
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked, seeing the dark circles around Barbra's eyes.
"I couldn't sleep last night" Barbra said, closing her locker.
"Damn, now she'll be grumpy the whole day" Elizabeth whispered to Sam.
"I heard that" Barbra said.
Elizabeth and Sam laughed. They entered the science classroom, and Barbra kept walking towards the Spanish classroom. She sat in a random spot, trying to ignore the headache produced by the lack of sleep and the noise produced by her classmates.
"Hey" Jonathan said, as he sat next to her with a big smile.
"Hey" Barbra said, not as cheerful.
"Guess what?" Jonathan said.
"What?"
"I got a new collar for Judy!" the boy said "It's in my locker, I'll show it to you later"
"Awesome" Barbra said, yawning.
"Are you okay?"
"I couldn't sleep last night."
The teacher entered the classroom and looked at Jonathan and Barbra. Since she caught them passing notes in class, she kept an eye on them the whole class. Both of them paid attention during the rest of the class. Well, at least Jonathan did. Barbra was trying not to fall asleep.
"I have news for you" Alma said, and everyone looked at her "Mr. Jesse St. James, coach of Vocal Adrenaline, has invited us to watch his team perform at Carmel High"
If Alma was expecting her kids to smile and cheer, well, she was disappointed.
"But" Sam said, looking at her partners "We're not going, right?"
"Why not?" Alma asked.
"Miss Schue, they're probably inviting us to kill us or something!" Kevin said, and almost everyone nodded.
"No" Jonathan said, and everybody looked at him "They're inviting us so we can see how good they are" he explained "That way, they'll discourage us"
"Then we have to go" Alma said.
This time, everyone looked at her.
"Are you crazy, Miss Schue?" David said.
"No" the teacher said "If we don't go, then we'll be seen as cowards. We have to go, and show them that no matter how good they are, it doesn't affect us."
"Miss Schue is right" Elizabeth said "We have to go"
All of them seemed to agree. It was decided. New Directions was going to Carmel High.
"I still don't think this is a good idea" Jonathan whispered to Barbra.
"Oh, come on…" Barbra said.
"Miss Schue said that it won't affect us, but I'm not so sure" Jonathan said.
He didn't say anything else, because his father walked trough the door and stood in front of him and the rest of New Directions.
"Hello" he said, flashing a bright smile at them "We invited you in are of peace, because we wanted to show you the last number we've been working on"
"Yeah, sure" Elizabeth said under her breath.
The members of Vocal Adrenaline stepped into the stage, all of them wearing red shirts and black pants. Some of the kids of New Directions shifted uncomfortably in their seats, but Alma shoot them a reassuring smile.
"Is this your old team?" Sam asked to Jonathan.
The boy nodded with a little smile that disappeared instantly when he saw a tall, beautiful redheaded girl take the stage. She saw him and winked. Jonathan looked away and sunk in his chair, like he was trying to disappear.
"Enjoy" Jesse said, and he sat next to Alma.
The girl who winked at Jonathan grabbed the microphone, as her partners took their positions behind her. She looked at them before she started to sing.
Ooh, I can't go any further than this
Ooh, I want you so badly, it's my biggest wish
Everybody gaped at her. Her voice was amazing. Her partners started to dance behind her, as a dark-skinned boy sang.
Cool, I spent my time just
thinkin thinkin thinkin bout you
Every single day yes,
I'm really missin' missin' you
And all those things
we use to use to use to do
Hey girl, what's up,
it used to be just me and you
They were amazing dancers, and they performed their choreography with flawless coordination.
I spent my time just
thinkin thinkin thinkin bout you
Every single day,
yes I'm really missin missin you
And all those things
we use to use to use to do
Hey girl what's up,
what's up, what's up, what's up
The girl sang her part, and it gave everyone goose bumps. Elizabeth bit the inside of her lip. They were even better than she thought.
Can you meet me halfway, right at the borderline?
That's where I'm gonna wait, for you
I'll be looking out, night and day
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay
All of them sang together, standing behind her in two perfect lines.
Ohh, Ohh
The redheaded girl sang her line flawlessly.
I can't go any further than this
Once again, everyone sang together.
Ohh, Ohh
The girl looked at Jonathan while she sang the next line, and it didn't escape Barbra, who looked at him, confused.
I want you so bad it's my only wish
Another boy sang next, and they kept dancing.
Girl, I travel round the world
and even sail the seven seas
Across the universe I go to other galaxies
Just tell me where to go,
just tell me where you wanna to meet
The kids had their eyes fixed on Vocal Adrenaline, and most of them were frowning. Alma looked at her kids, worried.
I navigate myself myself to take me where you be
Cause girl I want, I, I, I want you right now
I travel uptown, I travel downtown
I wanna to have you around, like every single day
I love you alway-way, I'll meet you halfway
The lead singer grabbed the microphone tightly, and sang her part.
Can you meet me halfway, right at the borderline?
That's where I'm gonna wait, for you
I'll be looking out, night and day
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay
The rest sang, looking forward.
Ohh, Ohh
She sang her line, closing her eyes.
I can't go any further than this
They sang together again.
Ohh, Ohh
The girl clenched her fists as she sang.
I want you so bad it's my only wish
They started to dance again, singing.
Ohh, Ohh
The redhead grabbed the microphone again and sang.
I can't go any further than this
Her partners sang their part.
Ohh, Ohh
She sang again, closing her eyes again.
I want you so bad it's my only wish
The boys sang together, lifting the girls off the floor. The girls danced around them as they kept singing.
Let's walk the bridge, to the other side
Just you and I, just you and I
I will fly, I'll fly the skies,
for you and I, for you and I
I will try, until I die, for you and I,
for you and I, for for you and I,
For for you and I, for for you and I, for you and I
The girl took the lead again, her beautiful voice filling the room. The rest of them stood behind her without moving.
Can you meet me half way?
Can you meet me half way?
Can you meet me half way?
Can you meet me half way?
The started to dance again as she sang.
Meet me half way, right at the borderline
That's where I'm gonna wait, for you
I'll be lookin out, night and day
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay
Everybody sang together.
Ohh, Ohh
The girl stretched her arm forward, singing.
I can't go any further than this
Once again, all of them sang.
Ohh, Ohh
She closed her fist and closed her eyes while she sang the next line.
I want you so bad it's my only wish
The rest stopped dancing and looked forward, singing.
Ohh, Ohh
She opened her eyes and sang.
I can't go any further than this
Her partners sang together for the last time.
Ohh, Ohh
She sang the last line, looking at Jonathan again.
I want you so bad it's my only wish
The New Directions kids were too stunned to clap. A small silence filled the room, until Alma started to clap. Slowly, her kids started to clap too.
"We're doomed" Lucy said.
The members of Vocal Adrenaline smiled and bowed. As Jesse stood up, they left the stage.
"Thank you for coming" he said, smiling broadly "I hope you liked our performance"
As Alma talked to Jesse, the kids remained seated, looking down and clearly depressed.
"Hey!" Jonathan said, standing up "Weren't we supposed to show them that no matter how good they are, it doesn't affect us?"
"Yes, but we didn't expected them to be that good!" Hannah said, and the rest nodded.
"Oh, come on!" Jonathan looked at Elizabeth "Lizzie, tell them!"
She looked at them and sighed, but she didn't say anything. Jonathan covered his eyes with his hand. If even Elizabeth was like that, then Lucy was right: They were doomed.
"Hello, Jonathan"
The boy turned around. The redheaded girl from before was there, smiling smugly at him.
"Nicole" he said, and nodded as a greeting.
"Who's the hobbit?" Nicole said, looking at Barbra.
Before Barbra could do anything besides looking indignant, Jonathan said:
"Nicole, this is my girlfriend Barbra. Barbra, this is Nicole"
"I would say 'Nice too meet you', but it's not the case" Nicole said with a bitchy smile. Then, she looked at the rest of them "See you at Regionals"
Once she was gone, everyone looked at Jonathan, asking for an explanation. The boy sighed.
"That's my ex-girlfriend, Nicole" he said.
"She's lovely" Barbra said, but her expression indicated the contrary.
"Why did she attack Barbra?" Kevin asked.
"She's been mad at me since I broke up with her when I realized she was a bitch" the boy explained.
"I've been there" Spencer said, raising his hand.
Alma walked towards them.
"Come on guys, it's time to go" she said.
Jonathan irrupted into the kitchen. Jesse looked at him briefly before he turned to the pancakes he was making.
"Oh, hi, Jonathan" he said.
"What the hell was that for?" the boy said furiously.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Jesse said, without taking his eyes from the pan.
"You know perfectly what I'm talking about!" Jonathan exclaimed, stepping towards his father "Why did you invite us to watch Vocal Adrenaline's performance?"
Jesse finally turned off the stove and put the pancakes on a plate, still not looking at his son.
"You know why, Jonathan"
"To show us who's the best? To bring us down, and wipe away every hope of winning we had?" the boy was furious.
"No" Jesse said, finally looking at him "I wanted to show you who you're going to compete against"
"Why?"
"To bring you down, and wipe away every hope of winning you had" the man said plainly.
Jonathan looked at his father and shook his head.
"You're a horrible, HORRIBLE person!" he said, before he stomped out of the kitchen.
Jesse heard his son's loud steps in the upper floor, and then the door closing loudly. Knowing Jonathan, he wouldn't come out in at least five hours.
"Good" Jesse said to no one in particular "More pancakes for me"
When Alma entered the choir room, she almost fell to her knees and cried because of the depressing view. The kids were sad, sadder than she had ever saw them. Instead of the usual din of voices and laughter she always found when she got inside the choir room, an unusual silence greeted her.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"We're overcome with grief" Elizabeth said.
"Lizzie, what happened to you?" Alma asked, shocked.
Elizabeth was wearing tight black jeans and a pair of fashionable white boots. Up to this point, everything was normal. But when Alma saw the old, ugly shirt she was wearing, she thought that she had been transported into another world. That was the kind of thing Elizabeth would use to clean up the dust from a shelf.
"You mean this?" the girl said, pointing at the shirt "I was dressing up today, and when I was trying to decide which shirt to wear, I realized that it didn't matter what I wore, because I was so depressed I just didn't care. I'm still depressed, actually"
"What do you mean?" Alma said.
"We stand no chance against Vocal Adrenaline" Elizabeth said "And when I saw that girl singing, I thought that she was better than me."
Alma frowned, confused, but she let Elizabeth continue.
"Singing is what I do best" she said "And if I'm not the best, then my life is not worth it"
Alma gaped at her. She looked at Sam, expecting her to disagree with Elizabeth's words, but she was looking at the ceiling, like she wasn't there to listen to all the insanity her girlfriend was saying.
"What the hell?" Alma said "I can't believe I'm hearing this!"
Her kids looked at her, and she kept talking.
"Lizzie" the girl looked at her "You're the most amazing singer I've ever seen. You have most talent in a single eyeball that the girl from yesterday had in her whole body. And that goes for all of you"
The kids looked surprised.
"Because you sing with feeling, you connect with what you're singing in a way that leaves me mesmerized every time I hear you" Alma said "And Vocal Adrenaline? They don't feel anything. They're soulless automatons!"
Alma was surprised when her kids smiled. It wasn't a huge, bright grin, it was just a little smile, but it was enough for her in that moment.
"Don't think for a moment that you can't win" the teacher said, looking at all of them "Because when I say that you're the most amazing, talented kids ever, I mean it"
This time, they broke into huge, bright grins, and Alma couldn't help but smile too. She stood up.
"Now, Lizzie" Alma said "Don't you have anything else to wear? Seeing you in that shirt is depressing"
They all laughed, including Elizabeth.
"I have an extra shirt in my locker, in case I get slushied" she said.
"Go get it" Alma said.
When Elizabeth returned, wearing her usual fancy clothes, everyone cheered. Sam kissed her.
"I missed my fashionable girlfriend" she said, and Elizabeth laughed again.
"Jonathan, come out, please"
"Get lost"
Jesse sighed and pressed his forehead against the closed door. For the last few days, Jonathan locked himself in his room since he got home from school, and only came out when he was hungry, or when he needed to use the bathroom.
"I'm sorry about doing that to your team" Jesse said "Come out so we can talk"
"I don't want to talk to you!" the boys exclaimed "You're not even sorry!"
"Jonathan, you can't stay in your room forever!"
"Challenge accepted" Jonathan said.
"Okay, you asked for it!"
Jesse started to kick the door with all the strength he could muster.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jonathan exclaimed, opening the door.
"I'm sorry, Jonathan" Jesse said "I know what I did to your team was terrible"
"You're not sorry! You do that kind of thing all the time!" Jonathan exclaimed, stepping towards him.
"Do what?"
"You do everything it takes to win, even if you have to crush everybody else's dreams!" Jonathan sighed "Including mine"
"What?" Jesse asked, confused.
"I don't care if you're sorry or not, dad, I'm not talking to you"
Jonathan returned to his bedroom and slammed the door in Jesse's nose. Then, he opened it again and said:
"And for your information, we are going to kick your asses!"
He closed the door again and locked it. Jesse rolled his eyes and returned downstairs. He took a sip of the coffee that was resting on the table and smiled, thinking about his son's words.
Adam growled and rubbed his face. He was exhausted.
"God, I thought I would never finish that stupid essay!" he said.
"It took you a long time, uh?" Mark said from the couch, where he was watching TV.
"You could have helped me, you know" Adam said. He sat next to him and took some chips from the bag Mark was holding.
"It's your homework, not mine"
"Boys" Rachel said, opening the door "Do you need something?"
"No, thanks, Aunt Rachel" Adam said and Mark smiled at her.
Rachel nodded. She was about to close the door again when she remembered something.
"Adam, your sister called you a couple hours ago, but you weren't here" she said "She wanted to know if you're going to visit her anytime soon"
"Okay, I'll call her later"
Rachel smiled and nodded. Then, she left.
"Are you going?" Mark asked.
"Where?"
"To visit your sister, dumbass"
"I don't know" Adam said "I'd like to, but I'm kinda busy…"
"You could bring your girlfriend. Your family hasn't met her, right?"
"No, they haven't. You're right, maybe I should go"
They kept watching TV, but Adam wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about introducing Crystal to his family. He knew his dads would love her, and Elizabeth too. But he wondered what would Barbra do, or what she would think. Adam sighed and threw his head back.
There's still one chapter until Regionals :D If you have some song suggestions, it would be really helpful ;) Thanks for reading, please review!