Disclaimer: I JUST HAD TO UPDATE BEFORE THE NEXT EPISODE! ENJOY!

Chapter 7

Pairability: The First Wave

Noah Puckerman was beat and hungry. He had to admit, ever since he was single, that last meeting with the Glee Club was the happiest he had been. He was pleased with his apprentice Matheus, who did everything he could ask for. He was excited for the future of the club, and hoped that they win Nationals.

He enters a diner not too far away from their house and sits at the counter. A pretty blonde waitress takes his order.

"Hmm, I'll have a cheeseburger, and some fries to go with it. And, some Coke too."

"Your order will be ready in a while." The waitress smiled at him, although he swore that he saw her wink at him too. He sighed. None of these girls suited his taste. Maybe he was meant to be single after all.

While waiting for his order, he was looking for a radio or a jukebox. He was hearing someone singing, a calm female voice, but he didn't know where it was coming from. But, to his surprise, there were no speakers in the diner. He looked around, trying to find that voice. He scooted from his seat, and stole a look inside the door separating the diner and the kitchen. There she was. She was tall, somewhat dark-skinned. She had short hair with a touch of red. She was flipping burgers, while singing. She seems cool…

The blonde waitress now goes to him, placing his order at the table.

"Excuse me miss, can you tell me who that girl is?" he said, pointing at the kitchen.

"Oh…McKynleigh? You must have heard her sing. A lot of people ask whose voice they are hearing, especially when they eat at the counter."

Puck frowned. So someone would actually name their daughter that? It would be awkward if she went to their school.

"She's still in high school. Goes to Carmel High, I think?"

"What?" He said, looking again at the kitchen. She goes to Carmel High and has a great singing voice. Could she be a member of Vocal Adrenaline?

"Enjoy your meal, sir!" The blonde said cheerfully as she went to take the next order. Puck, on the other hand, was enjoying his meal, while listening to the sweet voice, even if she may be their competition.

"All right! Are you babies ready for your performance?"

Sue Sylvester was holding a megaphone, shouting to about 80 girls wearing their practice attire. They were all called at 5:30 in the morning, and they did not expect the tryouts to be held so early. It was nearing 6:30, and almost all of them looked sleepy and exhausted, but there were three in the front who were still rehearsing their steps together.

Sue fixes her gaze on the three: Lindsay, Emily and Marissa. They may even be better than the so-called Unholy Trinity, seeing their hard work and commitment. She didn't care what intentions they have in accepting her offer. She just knows that they did, and they will help her in her plan of domination, whether they like it or not. She then remembers her conversation with Principal Figgins at the end of the week:

"You're letting me decide what to do with the money?"

"Yes, of course. But I need one condition. If the Cheerios win at Nationals, you'll have to cut the program for Glee Club."

The principal's eyes widened. "B-but Sue, I can't. The club has been becoming successful, and—"

"Wait, let me finish. If the New Directions win Nationals, however, I'm going to stop destroying the club."

Figgins took a deep breath. "You think this is a fair deal, Sue?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. How about you? Do you think this is a fair deal?"

Luckily for her, Figgins agreed to their contract and of course, promised to keep it a secret. Five million dollars can certainly help the school start with improvements.

She plays the music, which was fast and upbeat. Looking around, she saw some competent dancers. Some were just downright awful. However, her eyes would revert to the three, whom she thought deserved those uniforms more than anyone. The routine ended, and they were gasping for breath.

"You expect me to believe you're tired? Try swimming across the Pacific Ocean! That's when you're going to be tired!"

She takes a deep breath and talks again, this time, with a calmer voice. "Blue Eyes, Twins, and Carrots...you can leave the gym. You are now officially members of the Cheerios."

The three smile at each other as they go and grab their stuff. They walked towards the exit, the eyes of the others following them, somewhat envious that they are now the Coach's pets. But their opinions were the least of Sue's concerns. These three will help the Cheerios win Nationals, and she will make sure of that.

Kurt was walking down the hallway, his full-on Marc Jacobs attire in display. Winning Prom Queen last year was a joke, but since he was not being slushied anymore, he felt that it gave him sort of a rise in his status. Whatever others thought of him, he knew he was fabulous and he loves it. As he was strutting down the hallway, his attention turned to a chubby, dark-skinned boy, who had something that made his eyes twinkle.

"Oh my god! Is that a Burberry scarf?" Kurt goes to him, holding the scarf, rubbing his palms on them and feeling the texture.

"Why yes it is," the boy said, in an unusually feminine voice. "Although I believe only someone with an impeccable fashion sense will recognize it a few feet away."

Kurt smiled. "Guilty as charged! I'm Kurt Hummel." He offers his hand as the other accepts his handshake. "I believe you are new here."

"I'm Alex Newell, and yes I am. Although I have a distant cousin around here somewhere, but he doesn't want to broadcast that we're related." He slams his locker. "Oh well, who needs him?"

The both of them giggled. "I like you already! Do you have any hobbies in particular, besides creating a wonderful wardrobe?"

"Oh, I would love to join the Glee Club around here. Do you know anyone from there?"

Kurt's eyes brightened. "You just made my day! The Glee Club is actually having a meeting today on choosing duet partners! You could audition then!"

Alex smiled. "Now you are my guardian angel! I'm so fortunate that you're the first person I met here!"

"Oh please, wait until you meet the rest of the club!" Kurt sighed, containing his excitement. "So, I would love to hear all about you as I escort you to your next class!"

The two immediate friends hurried onto the hallway continuing with their chatter.

"What? She didn't even let them perform the routine twice?"

Santana was frowning, her arms folded as she was seated with Quinn and Brittany at the choir room. "I can't believe it. Does she really think that they can replace us?"

Quinn looked to her left. The three girls were at the far side, chatting. Emily took a little glance at them. She moved a bit, giving Quinn a clearer view of them three. It's as if she was flaunting their Cheerios uniforms. They didn't even want to join in the first place. Why the sudden change of heart?

"Come on guys…if you really wonder why don't you ask Coach Sylvester?" Brittany said, almost a little tired that their conversations always revolved around those three. "We didn't even get to talk about who my next guest is for Fondue-for-Two."

"Britt's right," said Quinn. "I'm going to ask Coach Sylvester about this. If she did persuade them to join, I want to know how."

Mr. Schuester enters the choir room, surprised to see Kurt with a new student. "So, who is this young fella?"

"My name is Alex Newell, and I would like to audition for the Glee Club."

"Go ahead," said Mr. Schue, as he sits just near the whiteboard.

First I was afraid
I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side
But I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
I learned how to carry on

Alex belted out the song into numerous proportions. They were all in awe of the voice that came out of him. Mercedes was frowning. This guy could try to win solos from her, and she doesn't like it. He sang the last note as long as he could. Everyone clapped, majority giving him a standing ovation. He does a curtsy and again sat beside Kurt.

"Wow Alex! That was awesome! Welcome to the club!"

He smiled and looked around as they cheered for him. Mr. Schue then counts the total number of students in the club. There were 23. He was amazed at the increased number. Yet, one will be left out for the Duets theme…

"I think I'll sit out this one, Mr. Schue."

They all looked at Quinn, raising her hand. "The number has to be even, right?"

Mr. Schuester looked at her with concern. "Are you sure Quinn? I mean…"

"I'm fine with it. I have to work on raising my grades even higher. It's okay." She smiled. She totally lied. She could utilize her free time to figure out what Coach Sylvester is up to.

"All right then! For "DUETS", I think it's still best that you get to pick your partners. Go on now!"

Some of the members stuck with their typical partners, Rachel with Finn and Tina with Mike. Kurt decided to stick with his new BFF Alex, and together they brainstormed on possible song choices. Others played it safe by sticking with their mentors, Matheus with Puck and Samuel with Artie.

Mercedes was seated beside Sam. "I guess we could finally sing a duet together." Sam nodded and smiled.

"Brittana is on and we're going to win!" exclaimed Santana, who glanced at Brittany.

"I can't believe you pronounced my name wrong, San." The Latina just smiles.

"Hey Ellis! Want to pair up?" Hannah called her out while going near her. The smaller girl nodded. "This will be interesting…"

Emily, Lindsay and Marissa remained in their seats. Emily observes Cameron, who was walking towards them. She leaned toward Lindsay. "There goes Dumpster Dude, asking our girl. Wanna pair up?"

Lindsay looks around and sees Damian, also walking towards them. She smiled. "Just a sec, Emily." She still did not know much about Damian, but he is sure to value friendship. And, she was, sort of, his first friend here.

Marissa's eyes followed Cameron, as he was nearing to where she was. Would he pick her? Why would he? Well, of course he could. They were friends. They had established that days ago. It wouldn't be awkward if they were partners right? Looking at it competitively, their voices could blend together given the perfect song. This is just duets. Nothing is going to happen.

Cameron slowly walked up the platform. Suddenly, Damian crosses him, and goes first.

"Hey. I was wondering if you could be my partner, Marissa?"

She leaned back in surprise. She stared at those blue eyes as he smiled at her waiting for her reply. Cameron was behind him, and she could not see how he reacted. Was he really going to pick me? But to be fair, Damian asked her first, and she isn't sure why. Rejecting him is the last thing on her mind.

"Y-yeah. Let's be partners." She let out a polite smile as she could see Cameron returning to his seat, his face expressionless. Why am I feeling so bad right now?

Lindsay, on the other hand, was stunned. He was going to ask Marissa? And she said yes? Yet, she couldn't blame her friend. It would be hard to say no to him, especially with that expression. She felt so stupid, thinking that he would pick her. She turned to Emily. "Sure, let's pair up."

Emily, however, couldn't help but feel that her friends seem to think that they had the wrong partners.

Cameron was in his seat, a million thoughts wandering his mind. Damian knew. All of them knew that he sang that song to her. Couldn't they even get the hint? Was it not noticeable at all? He takes a deep breath. He didn't see how Marissa reacted when Damian asked her to be partners. Was she smiling? Did she hesitate in answering? However, she did! She said yes! Saying no would be rude. Of course she would say yes to the first guy who would ask if she could be their partner! If only he had gone faster…

"I guess we're pairs now, Cam."

He looked behind and saw Bryce, who was smiling.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

His one chance of being with Marissa…all shattered by this Irish guy. Does he even like her? Why did he pick her?

"Lighten up, bro." continued Bryce. "We're going to have an awesome performance."

He didn't even care about the performance, now that he lost a chance. But, it was unfair to Bryce. He had to be the partner that he needed. He—

Wait a minute! Hope is not lost! Bryce knows about Marissa more than anyone in this school, except maybe Emily of course. He could ask him everything about her. He started to smile. Fate seems to think that he isn't ready yet, and needs preparation. He might even have to thank Damian.

He looked at Bryce, still smiling. "Let's rock that performance!"

The Glee Club meeting has ended, yet Quinn decides to stay in school. She paced through the hallway, looking for a certain office she wanted to invade. She swings open the door, revealing Sue Sylvester reading a paper.

"My my, what brings you here Quinn? It's been so long and—"

"What did you do to persuade those three on joining the Cheerios?"

Sue looked at her, removing her reading glasses. "I never expected you to be the jealous type."

"Me? Jealous? The correct word is concerned. I don't want those girls going through what we did. It just can't happen anymore."

"Well…" she said clearing her throat. "They came to the tryouts of their own accord."

Quinn takes a step back. It was impossible. No one in their right mind would…they knew what happened last year. Why did they want to join?

"Think about this Quinn. You joined because you cared about your reputation. Maybe they have reasons less superficial than yours. Of course you wouldn't know those reasons. You're still the same person. I just needed girls who would…hmm, what's the term…grow up."

She just stood there, not moving a single muscle. Sue put her reading glasses back and continued to read. "But, if you really want to, I'd be happy to have you as a backup cheerleader. Though, you have to tryout, just like the rest of them."

Quinn immediately leaves, not bothering to close the door. She was tired of it. People always thought that she cared about her reputation. But, that is not the case anymore. Why can't anyone see past it? Tears started to trickle down her face. She hurriedly walks to the parking lot, but suddenly collides with someone. It was Bryce.

"Hey, Quinn right? Are you okay?" He bent down, trying to look at her face. She's crying.

"I-I'm fine, okay? It's just…" She takes a deep breath and looked at Bryce. It's been a long time since she felt comfort around a guy's arms.

"Want me to walk you to your car? It's okay if you won't tell me anything. I'll just accompany you."

She nodded, as she stood up straight. She looked at Bryce as he was walking beside her at the parking lot. She never had any guy friends before. Finn, Puck, and Sam were previously her boyfriends, but somehow, none ended up being her friend after their break-ups. Having a guy friend might certainly be a fresh start for her.

Puck was again seated at the counter of the diner. He hoped to see the girl named McKynleigh that night. He was tapping his hands to a beat on the counter, waiting for someone to take his order.

"What'll it be for today sir?"

He looked up and saw her, McKynleigh, holding a small notepad and a pen.

"Um…I'll have a cheeseburger. Thanks."

She nodded. "Would you like to have fries with that?"

Puck just looked at her. "Yeah…sure."

"And your drinks?"

"Just…water." Okay this is weird. Why is he taking so long to reply to her?

"Okay then! Your order will be ready in a while." She started to go to the other end to take another customer's order.

"I heard you sing the other day!"

She turned around, as her fellow waitress beat her to it and went to the customer she was supposed to attend to. She walked to Puck. "And, do you have any thoughts on my singing?"

He shrugged. "I liked it. That is all I can say."

She let out a polite smile. "Well thanks."

"Are you a member of Vocal Adrenaline?" He replied immediately, which resulted in her frowning, followed by a smirk.

"Vocal Adrenaline? Are you kidding me? I'd rather die than join them."

Puck was taken aback. They certainly could've needed her voice.

"All the girls there are competing to be America's Next Top Walking Stick, and all the guys are just too self-indulgent for my taste."

Again, he was surprised. Someone who goes to Carmel High has a big hatred for their own glee club? She was different all right…

"Anyway, it was nice talking to you. I'm gonna go and get your order." She smiled at him again and resumed to her waitressing duties.

Puck gazed at the ceiling and wondered. Her voice is a waste if she only uses it for casual singing. They already have a lot of members who are competent enough. But, he can't help but think that she could, or rather, should be a part of their club. Seducing a girl is one thing, but persuading one is another.

The next day started out to be uneventful for the New Directions. Surprisingly, no one got thrown in the dumpster or slushied. It may probably be due to the fact of the increasing popularity of the new Cheerios trio, who were also part of the Glee Club. It could also be due to the fact that Azimio and Karofsky were toning down on the bullying, so that the former's cousin Alex would not be a part of it.

Lunchtime for the new kids is now becoming crowded. On one table were seated Cameron, Hannah, Matheus, Ellis, and Alex. Other students kept glancing at their table due to their superficial differences. You wouldn't expect that they would be the ones sitting together. On another table, just right in the middle of the cafeteria were seated Lindsay, Damian, Marissa, Emily, and Bryce.

Damian was looking at Emily and Lindsay, who were chatting with utmost elation about their duet number. He then turned to Marissa and Bryce, the redhead smiling at what the guy had just said. He could still remember the conversation these two had. The one he did not mean to hear.

He recalled peeking from his locker, looking at her angry but afraid expression. Bryce telling her that he was glad to see that she was healthy now sounded so strange. Marissa telling him to keep something quiet was even stranger. It will probably be tactless and rude to ask her, since that would give away the fact that he was eavesdropping. But, he wanted her to know that whatever this thing is, he will be there to support her, as a friend.

He again turned to Lindsay, still busy planning their performance. He would've wanted to pick her as his partner. She had a spectacular voice, and he wanted to get to know her. But, his heart tells him that picking Marissa was a priority, just to clarify all the thoughts in his head.

We go back to the other table. Cameron's arms were on the surface, his head resting above them. He was again staring into blank space. Ellis bumps her elbow to his.

"Get a grip, will you? Matheus certainly did not lie when he said you were lovestruck…"

He immediately straightened up, looking at Matheus. "You told her?"

The little guy just shrugs. Alex speaks up. "It's kinda obvious that you have a thing for her. Although I must say, you have good taste."

"Cheer up Cameron!" says Hannah, shaking him vigorously. "Wait I have an idea! Why don't you ask her out and use those Lima Bean coupons?"

"Hannah! It's been less than a month since we've met and I'm asking her out already? We still haven't had a real conversation!"

"If you don't do it, Damian's going to steal her from you!" Matheus exclaimed.

He frowned. "There's going to be no stealing! Besides, no one owns her." He continued sulking in his own frustrations.

"Loverboy seriously needs our help," Ellis states bluntly.

"We'd be happy to!" acknowledges Alex. "But if you don't get the girl, it's not our fault."

Cameron sighed. They are so getting worked up on this. Nonetheless, he was grateful. They knew how he felt and they wanted to help him with Marissa. Now the bigger problem stands. Does Damian like her? And…does she like him?

Returning to the other table, Samuel, coming from out of nowhere, sits beside Bryce. "Nice to see all of you having fun…" He took a bite out of Bryce's sandwich.

Emily smiled. "And I assume you had some yourself?"

"Somewhat…I just brainstormed with Artie on our duet. Dude has solid song choices."

"Well, would you consider doing a duet with me? To be honest, your voice is to die for." she teased.

"Sure! Being an artist is all about collaborating with others." He smiled at her.

"Safe answer, dreads," she said as she sipped on her soda.

He brushed up himself and leaned forward. "Actually, we could start on our duet right now."

Emily looks at Samuel with a smirk. "We should." She leaned nearer him. "Any ideas on what we're gonna do?"

"Well, it depends." He closes in on her, only inches separating their lips. "What kind of duet are we talking about here?"

Marissa supports her chin with her left hand, her elbow resting on the table. She turned to Lindsay. "She's flirting again."

Lindsay nodded. "But Samuel's taking it pretty well. I could say he's the one flirting with her." Both girls looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay! Enough with the inappropriate flirty banter!" said Damian.

Bryce gets a hold of Samuel's shoulders and pins them gently in his seat. "He's right. Let's keep it PG-13."

Emily rested on her seat, still smiling. Samuel is a hot guy. The dreadlocks, although not clean, even make him swoon-worthy. She never considered him a candidate for boyfriend, but for him to be able to keep up with her in terms of flirting was a definite turn-on.

Meanwhile, Samuel straightened himself. He could tell that Emily was flirting with him, but he couldn't explain why he was answering back. Sure, she was a beautiful girl. She seems fun to be with too. It won't hurt trying things, right?

Author's Note:

And that's the end of the chappie! Shorter than the last one, but still it's an update! Finally all 12 are here! Surprised at Damian picking Marissa? Thoughts about Puck/McKynleigh, Bryce/Quinn and Samuel/Emily? Excited for the duets? Post all reactions on the reviews section! I would also love to hear your suggestions on the fic. I'm starting to have writer's block, so your help would really be appreciated!

BTW, Alex's song was I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. I know, I ripped it off the show, but hey it works!

Shoutout time! Thanks to my faithful reviewers LilyLunaCho, Chelsea75, slotes123, Erinlee, BelieverInLove, ronxhermioneftw, asLightasDark, xxxNam-niCxxx, and savetonight. Special shout out to beyerdoubts (You saying I could be a writer on Glee just made my day!) Fresh reviewers frimil, Searching4fabrevans (sorry that Sam and Quinn aren't together here though), Tina, natural diaster, TeamDamsay, wm3004 (Tumblr buddy!), rgburbu: welcome and I'm glad you are enjoying my fic!

Now, I know I'm teasing, but I have a challenge for all my readers. All right…here goes…

80 reviews, and I will post two chapters at once. Yep, you heard me! Double post on your way! And these chapters may reach Chapter 6 proportions (as in 5000-6000 words long :D) Hmm. And to give you another tease…I'm going to give a hint on what to expect. Chapter 8 will be Pairability: The Second Wave where we have our Duets performance plus random things I threw in! Chapter 9 will be Wet and Sticky, But Worth It. It's been a long time since someone got slushied! And it's going to be fun! So, are you guys up for the challenge? Can we reach 80? I think we can!

Thanks again for sparing some of your time, and I hope you are having fun reading as much as I am having fun writing this! You guys are awesome!