Disclaimer: Okay so this might be a little bit early, but I did promise that I would update before the episode, right? Oh well, I guess this can be something to read while waiting for the finale! Enjoy!
Chapter 13
Firsts
It was another week at McKinley High and the members of the New Directions were relieved. They had gotten through Saturday pretty well, even if some of their wrists were sore due to pulling each other. The mentors and the students seemed to have bonded well over those 3 hours, but others, still had difficulty.
"I don't know why but I still can't stand her." Lindsay slams her locker shut. "I mean, I apologized and everything, but when we met a while ago…she just nodded. I mean, what is that?"
Marissa laughed. "At least she didn't ignore you. She seems…pleasing, at least from Finn's perspective."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "So, are you and your mentor like buddies now? I won't be surprised if you'll soon be watching football games and playing Xbox on weekends."
"He's cool. He's the guy who doesn't think badly about anyone. And, I'm really not into sports or video games."
She leaned on her locker, looking at the side. "Uh-oh. Here comes Rachel. And with Damo…"
Both of them see Rachel, pulling Damian's hand, approaching the two of them. "Both of you are going to practice after Glee Club meeting, all right?"
She shots a look at Lindsay, looking at her from head to toe. "By both of you I mean Damian, and you, Marissa. I hope you practiced the song on your own."
The redhead nodded and raised her eyebrows. Rachel nods as well and releases the Irishman. "Well, all of you better get going to the auditorium now."
She turns around and walks on the hallway, heading to the auditorium. The three of them looked at each other. Marissa then sighs. "Ugh. Who the hell voted for us?"
"Is Rachel serious? I can't believe she's still thinking I'm trying to steal the duet from you!"
Both of them turned to Lindsay immediately. "What?" Damian continued. "Why would she think that?"
"Well, she did see me singing to you that time you were supposed to practice." Lindsay looks at him. "We were both at the piano, remember?"
Damian nods and looks away. He does remember. He was reaching to touch her hand, and he wasn't sure, but he felt that she also wanted to touch his hand. Yet, Rachel had to cut in and prevented what could've possibly happened.
Lindsay looks down. Every time she sees him, her mind always wandered to that moment when he touched her hand. What did that mean? If Rachel didn't butt in, she would've known. And on top of that, she still thinks that she's trying to steal the duet from Marissa. She wanted to have a duet with Damian, but is she really that kind of person? Do I look like someone who would put down my friend to get what I want? What could possibly stop Rachel from assuming that she's taking the duet?
"You know what? I think I need to not hangout with you guys for a while…"
"What? Linds, what are you talking about?" Marissa frowned.
She shakes her head. "We can't give Rachel more reasons to think that I'm trying to pry you away from the duet. I'll be going to the auditorium now."
"Lindsay, if I did anything—"
"No Damian. This is not about you." She nods slightly and leaves the two behind.
"Lindsay wait!" Marissa looked at the brunette, not even looking back as she sprinted down the hallway. She turned to Damian, who was looking away, looking a bit flustered. Oh…something must've happened between them that day. She bit her lip. She wanted to help them, at least in some way.
"Okay! Let's get going to the auditorium then!" She grabs Damian's hand, as they followed Lindsay. "I wonder what our homework assignment will be this time…"
They arrive at the auditorium, the other New Directions members also filing in. Marissa sees Emily and Samuel seated together, just at the left side of the center seats, and walks toward them, still holding Damian's hand. She sits beside Emily, while Damian was seated beside her. Mr. Schue was on the stage, just in time.
"First off, I want to congratulate all of you for putting up with the handcuffs last Saturday! Now I know we're going to win Sectionals!"
They all applauded, but deep inside they really weren't too happy about that day.
"Today's Glee Club assignment is…Tributes! You will all be choosing songs from artists who, let's say, died too soon."
"Sweet!" Puck exclaimed. "We can finally do Nirvana songs!"
Mr. Schue nodded. "It's up to you to choose to perform in solos, duets or groups. Carry on guys!"
The auditorium became fairly noisy at that point. Rachel immediately approaches Tina, Mike, and Artie.
"All right you guys, first mission of Operation MD. Let's observe first what their actions will be…if it doesn't go as planned, we intervene." The other three nodded, looking at Damian and Marissa.
Kurt sees the four close together, and he calls on Blaine and approach Sam and Mercedes. "Okay, Operation MC is underway. Observe the ginger, and we'll start planning from that."
Finn, who was frowning because Rachel left him, turned to Puck and Matheus. "Let's say we do some Nirvana!" He gives a high-five to both of them. "Now let's wait if the other guys will join us…"
"It seems like Finn and the guys might be doing something cool…" Samuel looks at the three huddled together.
"You could join them if you want to." Emily smiles at him "I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities for duets."
"And I'll make sure it won't be long." He plants a kiss on her cheek as he walks towards Puck. They welcome him immediately.
Emily looks at the two to her right. "So, I guess I'll be going solo this time." She looks at the other members. She smirked. The tall gangly boy was walking towards them. Finally, dumpster dude, finally…
She bumps her friend's shoulder and points to Cameron. The ginger lets out a reserved smile. Damian on the other hand, looks at Lindsay, who was still seated in a far corner. There's no way that she would want to have a duet with him.
"Well, I guess I'm going solo on this one…"
Marissa turns to Damian, who was sulking in his seat. She didn't want to see him like this. And Lindsay…she couldn't bear the thought of not even speaking to her. If she wanted the duet, she would gladly give it to her. Her urge to be helpful to others is rising once again, but with these two, she doesn't know how.
Artie looks at Cameron, now motioning towards their two targets. "Should we overtake him?" He was looking at their ringleader. She shakes her head.
"Come on Cam, you have to do the job this time…" Blaine muttered, as him, Kurt, Sam, and Mercedes watch on.
All their eyes were fixed on him, now nearing the two. Emily smiles at him as she moves to the other seat, letting him sit beside Marissa, who was facing Damian. He takes a deep breath.
"Marissa, I—"
She immediately turns to him, her face painted with worry. "Cam, I would love to be your partner, but I think there is one tiny favor I have to ask of you."
"S-Sure." He nodded and smiled. "What is it?"
"Can we add another person?" She tilts her head towards Damian. "Look, I know that I owe you this duet, but right now, Damian really needs support and encouragement, and I need someone who could—"
He places a finger on her mouth, signaling her to stop talking. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes widening. She was looking at him, who looked relaxed and at ease. And again my freaking heart won't slow down!
"You don't have to say anything else." He smiled. She immediately puts his hand down and calls Damian's attention. "S-So, Damian…" She clears her throat. "T-The three of us are going to be performing together. Is that okay with you?"
He shrugs. "Yeah, I guess. Whatever…" He looks down again, not wanting to get involved in the conversation. The ginger rests her back on her seat and takes a deep breath.
"What's up with him?" asked Cameron, leaning towards her.
"I'll explain later…if he'll let me."
Emily looked at the three of them frowning. "What? You three are teaming up?"
Cameron and Marissa looked at her and nodded.
"Well that sucks…I was hoping for a little action between the two of you." She flips her hair and smiled. "But a threesome's cool too."
The tall boy blushed a bit as he leant back his seat. He wanted to share the stage with her, and only her. But, she needed help, so that was what he was going to give her, even if it meant performing with Damian.
"What the hell is she thinking?" Rachel's eyebrows furrowed, seeing Marissa seated in between Cameron and Damian. "Are the three of them singing together?"
"Looks like it." Tina said, as she looked at Kurt and his group. "I guess it's going to be a fair fight between Operation MD and MC."
"Of course not!" Rachel yelled. "We need a song number that will make them realize that we are right and they are wrong!"
"Oh, I have the perfect song…" Artie raised his hand smiling.
On the other end, Sam nudged Kurt. "Cameron did get her. And a plus one." He glared at him, and then looked at the three. "This is not acceptable! We must do something!"
"Well we are doing something. We're observing." Mercedes turns to him. "Why don't we let this thing roll on its own for a while? I'm pretty sure it's going to be entertaining."
The pale brunette sighed. "I suppose you're right…at least our boy is with her…that's good enough for me."
"I have an idea." Blaine pulled them closer. "Let's do a number which…maybe describes Cameron's feelings. It might help her realize his real intentions with her." The other three nodded, Kurt looking at him. "How many times have I said thank you for transferring here?"
"So, want to do a number? For old times' sake?" Santana looks at Quinn and Brittany, seated beside her.
Quinn looks at her and nods. "I guess that'd be—"
"Ahem…"
The three girls look to their left. Bryce was standing, his arms at his back. "Quinn, would you mind doing a duet with me?" He remembered his conversation with Sam. Quinn strikes him as this good girl, wearing sundresses and being an honor student. And, somehow, he wanted to be friends with her.
The blonde's eyes widened, her lips relaxing. Santana nods to Brittany as they stand, looking at the guy with the bonnet. "She'll probably say yes, so I guess we're going to go off with Kurt and the others."
The two of them start walking and the Latina shots a look at Bryce and Quinn. "Britt and I need a little rest from singing duets…strains our chords…"
The tanned guy sits beside her and smiles, placing his hand on the armrest. "If you're not okay with this, I can—"
"No." She places her hand on his. "Sure, let's do a duet." She smiled. She wanted to have friends other than Brittany and Santana. And, Bryce might be it. She stresses. Just friends. She withdraws her hand again, as they discuss their duets.
Hannah looks at Cameron, Marissa and Damian. She remembers the video she watched on Tina's laptop. For the past days, she had been analyzing what that video meant. If she tells Cameron…what would he think of Marissa, the girl who captured his heart? It would be better to ask the ones in the video first. They would have a lot of explaining to do. But, if she told the others, they might help her know what to do or figure it out…
"I guess it's going to be the three of us…" Ellis stated, looking at her and Alex.
"And it's going to be fabulous! I have some ideas for our number now!" the flamboyant guy snapped his fingers.
Hannah gestured them to lean closer. "Guys, I think I have to tell you something. But you have to keep it a secret!"
Both of them looked at her, curious as to what she would say. They leaned a bit closer, as she whispers to them.
"What?" exclaimed Alex, as she continued. After a few moments, Ellis nodded. Hannah withdraws, finishing that certain something.
"I must say that is juicy news!" the bald one smiled. "What are we going to do about it?"
Ellis' eyes narrowed. "I think we have to confront the two…we can't assume anything just yet." She looks at Marissa and Damian, seated with Cameron. "And if Cameron finds out, his heart is going to break."
Hannah nods. "Okay. That's great!" She turns to Alex. "Now, about that number…"
Mr. Schue looks at all the students, who were busy within themselves for this next Glee Club assignment. "All right guys! I guess we'll call it a day. See you on Wednesday for your presentations! Rachel, the auditorium is in your hands now."
Matheus grinned and faced Puck. "Hey! Maybe you could invite McKynleigh that day! So that she would know how awesome the club is!"
"Matheus!" Puck went near him and rubbed his fist on his head. "I can't believe you're coming up with these awesome ideas!"
"McKynleigh? The school?" Finn was frowning and looking puzzled. Samuel goes near him, placing a hand over his shoulder. "She's this girl Puck met, and she supposedly has an awesome voice.
Puck shrugs. "Another Glee Club addition wouldn't hurt…"
Finn slowly nodded, quite getting what they are talking about. "Let's get to our house for our initial practice then…"
The four walked up to stairway, exiting the auditorium. Samuel passes by Emily, both giving a 'see you tomorrow' look, as the others file out as well. Rachel goes to the stage and signals Damian and Marissa to join her. They slowly approached her and arrived at the stage. Cameron stands to start leaving too, but Emily blocks his way. "Sit, Hipsteron."
"What? Hipster—"
"Sit down!"
He immediately goes back to his seat. He faces the Latina. "Don't tell me you're letting me watch them perform…I'm just going to torture myself and imagine being in his shoes…"
"I just want to talk to you…and I'd like someone to keep me company while I wait for them."
He frowned. "What? Why?"
"M's my ride home. So, I have to endure this too." She fixes her hair, and straightens herself. "But I think they have to endure a lot more than me. I can't imagine myself being in a room with that girl…alone."
He smirked. "I know what you mean…" His eyes drift back to the stage, watching as Rachel was animatedly explaining what their facial expressions should be while singing, and that included eyebrow control with Damian.
Emily looks at him, her face serious this time. "Take care of her, okay?" He looks at her, confused.
"She's my best friend, and I can't let anyone hurt her. Not that you will, but…I just want to make sure."
He let out a polite smile. "If she gives me a chance, of course I'll take care of her."
"Good." She sighs. "Now, let's see how these two are going to bear with Theatre Girl from Hell…oh, and you can leave. Sorry for keeping you here."
He shakes his head. "Nah, changed my mind. I'll accompany you."
She turns to him and smiles. You and Marissa are going to be one hell of a cute couple…
Lindsay slams her door shut. She lies on her bed and stares at her white and bare ceiling. Her bedroom was of medium size, but it can create the illusion that it was smaller, due to the posters of broadway musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables plastered on the wall. Her bookshelf contains lots of books of sheet music, but in contrast, one can find a Lord of the Rings set in the bottom corner, just beside the complete set of Harry Potter.
She takes a deep breath, taking one of her pillows and covering her face. She imagined Marissa's face as she left her and Damian in the hallway. She was one of the first few real friends she had in the school, and she temporarily destroyed their friendship. It hurts pushing away people she wanted to keep in her life, but it also hurts seeing her with Damian.
"No Damian. This is not about you."
She clenches her teeth and pushes the pillow on her face. It was about him. Everything that she's been thinking about is all him. It hurt her seeing his face all frowned and confused. She wanted him to know that she too wanted to touch his hand that time. She wanted to let him know that she cared about him, a lot.
She removes the pillow and stares at the ceiling again. She sighs and sits upright. She has to clear her mind. She only needs to stay away from them until their duet is perfectly polished, so that Rachel won't ever suspect her of stealing it again.
She smirked. She's always been working hard to get the approval of other people. She's always been trying to be perfect in other's eyes. Yet…Rachel… She stands up and faces the mirror on her desk. What is wrong with her, in the eyes of Rachel? Is it her blue eyes? Her fair complexion? Her hair? Her body? She wanted to smash the mirror, but it's going to be too much of a mess.
She goes back to her bed and lies down. Rachel doesn't matter anymore. Whatever she does, it's not going to affect her anymore. She should do what she thinks is right. She should do what her heart is telling her to do. She should tell Damian how she feels.
It was another morning practice at the school gym. Sue Sylvester was looking intently at the Cheerios. Her eyes were narrowed, looking at every girl, all of them in their final pose of the routine. However, after a few seconds, she suddenly saw something that caught her attention.
A quiver!
She brings the megaphone to her mouth. "All right! Hit the showers!"
The girls get down from their positions and hurriedly exited the gym. Sue goes down the bleachers and approaches one of the girls.
"Marissa, right? A little tired, are we?"
She turned to the coach, biting her lip. "Just a little…We had a lot of homework and I had to practice for a duet for Sectionals, for the Glee Cl—"
"Carry on then." Sue's eyebrows met, still looking at the redhead, who slowly exited the gym. She sighed and left the gym as well, walking towards her office. She sat on her chair and brought out her journal and a pen.
"Dear journal. I knew this would happen, and I let it happen. The Glee Club is once again getting a hold of my Cheerios! That quiver did me in. Seeing it again reminded me of the horrors that I endured trying to get that club to hell, but it seems that I have to do it again. That deal with Figgins was just an assurance. This time, I think that I have to put matters in my own hands!"
She signs her rant and forcefully closes her journal. She sighed. How is she going to bring down that club?
Bryce was at his locker taking his books for his first class. Yesterday's Glee Club meeting was more than what he bargained for. He thought he and Quinn chose the perfect song, and he's really looking forward to their practice at the choir room, alone.
"So, you and Quinn Fabray, huh?"
He closes his locker and looks at his left, seeing Cameron who just arrived, now opening his locker. "Didn't know you had a thing for older girls…"
He smirked. "We're just friends…and how about you? You scored two dates at once."
"Shut up." He closes his locker, and brushes his hand on his hair. Bryce lightly punches his chest, causing him to cough a bit. "Bryce…"
"Ha! You're still a scrawny nerd, even with your new look!"
"Stop it! I did this for Marissa. Oh and guess what!"
"What?"
The lanky boy grinned. "We're practicing after class, at her house!" He closes his fist, pumping his elbow backwards.
"Good for you Cam. Except, she may be paying more attention to Damian."
"I don't care. At least I get to see her house. And her room!" He gazes at the ceiling, imagining what could happen. Bryce shakes his head and leans on his locker. He sees Marissa approaching them fast.
"Quinn Fabray! Really Bryce?" She looks the boy beside him. "Hey Cam."
The other boy nodded and looked away, wanting to dabble in his imagination again.
"What? Is it a big deal?"
"What exactly are you expecting from her?"
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Emily told me that she wanted to stop dating for a while." She leans closer to him. "In her own words, boys screwed her up so much, and she's not looking for a relationship right now."
"And I'm not either. Trust me, we're just friends." He raises his right hand, as if promising it.
She sighed and turned to Cameron. "So, any thoughts on our song yet?"
He clears his throat. "Sorry, I got none at the moment. We could search for some later at your house."
"Okay, sure…" She looks around. "I wonder where's Damian…"
"I saw him a while ago." Bryce points to another path in the hallway. "He went to his class immediately."
"Damn…I hate this…" She turns around, seeing Lindsay going towards them. She smiles widely. "Lindsay! I—"
"Cameron, could I talk to you for a while?" She glances at Marissa and Bryce. "In private?"
The three of them frowned, but Cameron suddenly smiles, to not upset the brunette. "Sure Lindsay." He starts following Lindsay in a corner, turning to the two he left behind and shrugging.
"Why is she doing this?" Marissa leaned at Cameron's locker.
"What? Are you two fighting?"
She shakes her head. "She's just…I don't even know…" She starts walking. "I'm going to class." Bryce frowned. What is up with these two? He sighed, having no choice but to go to his class as well.
Meanwhile, Lindsay and Cameron were at the other end of the hallway. Cameron looks at her, still smiling. "So what's up?"
She takes a deep breath. "What was going on your mind when you sang 'Valerie' to Marissa?"
He slightly flinches. Why would she ask that? It seemed like a very random question. "Well, I just wanted to acknowledge what she's done for me…" She immediately shakes her head and leans on the wall. He looks at her, her face looking disappointed.
"I don't know if I can do this…"
"Do what?" He goes in front of Lindsay.
"Sing…to Damian."
His eyes widened. Wow. He didn't know that she liked Damian. And the fact that she was telling him this was…not what he was expecting at all.
"Well, what are you going to sing to him?" She hands him some sheet music, which he reads. "Hey, this is a good song…"
"You think so? Well that's great because—"
"Lindsay, you don't have to practice. Just sing. The message will come out, I'm sure of it."
Lindsay looks at Cameron, smiling and reassuring her. She nods. "T-Thanks Cam. I guess I'll be going to class now." She takes one last look at him and leaves, heading to her classroom. He thinks of Damian for a while. Maybe Lindsay's the reason why he's so down…it's too early to assess yet. Wait! Marissa knows why Damian's acting this way. Hmm, lunch chatter is going to be very interesting…
"Have you texted McKynleigh yet?"
Matheus, Puck, Artie, Samuel, Emily and Lindsay were seated at a table during lunchtime. Puck nudges the small guy. "Keep it down. And yes, I have texted her. She will be meeting me at the parking lot tomorrow."
"Sweet." He nods, taking a bite on an apple.
Emily was looking at Lindsay, while eating her salad. She never spoke to Marissa during Cheerios practice. But, her best friend didn't say anything about them fighting during the drive to school. Something was off about the both of them. She leaned towards the brunette. "Are you okay Linds?"
She turns to the Latina, nodding. "Yeah…I'm fine." The blue-eyed girl continued eating her sandwich. Emily was not convinced. Something is going on with her friends. And she needs to know.
On the other table, we have Bryce, Cameron, Marissa, Damian, Hannah, Ellis and Alex. The latter three looked at each other, noticing that their companions were quiet.
"You think you can ask Damian about the video now?" Ellis whispered as Hannah shakes her head. "A private setting is much better. Plus, Cameron might hear, and we don't want that, right?"
The three continued observing while eating their meals. Cameron, on the other hand, had just finished his lunch. He turned to Marissa, still busy eating. Although he didn't want to bother her, he wanted to confirm his beliefs.
"So, why was Damian upset yesterday?"
Marissa turned to him, just gulping. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you." She leaned closer and whispered. "You see…Damian's having some problems…with a girl…"
"Lindsay?"
She nearly jumps from her seat. "Wait, what? How did you know?" She looks at him, her eyebrows furrowed. He thinks for a while. Should I tell that Lindsay's planning to sing to him? No! It might ruin the surprise…
"I-I kinda noticed that…during her diva-off with Rachel…" His mind was thinking of a million possible excuses. "He was p-pretty much looking at her the whole time…"
She grabs his shirt. "You too? Wow, I can't believe we both caught him…" He smiles at her. Nice one, Cam...
"You see, this is the reason why I wanted Damian to perform with us. He's feeling kinda down, and I think we should perform a song that would—"
"Wait, I have an idea!" He raises a finger.
Hannah and Ellis finish their meals, their eyes glued to Cameron and Marissa, whispering. Alex looks at Damian, who was playing with his food now. He then looks at Bryce, still preoccupied with eating his hamburger.
"Now this doesn't support what you saw in the video!" Alex pulled the ginger closer.
"I know right!" Hannah frowned, looking at the two in front of them conversing . "I knew I should've studied lip reading!"
"Are you sure that video was real?" Ellis asks, doubting her.
"Yes!" She thinks for a while. Maybe she should copy the video…for evidence…I'm gonna try that soon…
The three of them continued watching the two, as if watching a suspense movie.
Cameron smiled. "What if we let Damian sing a song to Lindsay? One that expresses his feelings for her!"
"How about us? Are we going to sing background for him or something?"
He takes a deep breath, his eyes looking up in thought. He looks at her and smiles again. "We'll sing a duet! Let's help them realize that they're both experiencing the same thing. Love!"
Marissa leaned on her seat. He really has some great ideas. Damian singing a song to Lindsay would be fantastic. In addition, Cameron and her finally singing a duet…it would be the cherry on top of what they had to do. She faced him and smiled. "If we find the exact songs, I just might take you up on that offer."
He grinned. "Trust me. We won't have difficulty finding these songs."
Classes have ended and majority of the New Directions members were heading to practice their 'Tribute' performances. One pair, however, was still in school.
"We're using a ukulele?" Quinn was frowning, yet smiling at the same time. She asked permission to use the choir room for practice. Bryce chuckled. "I think it's cool." He strummed the little instrument and smiled. "Should we start?"
She nods, as he started strumming the song. She starts singing, walking around the choir room. She turns to Bryce, as he sings his part. He looks at her while singing. His eyes focus on her yellow sundress, flowing as she continued walking around. She sits at one of the elevated platforms, both of them singing their lines. He stands from his stool and goes beside Quinn, still strumming the ukulele. They sing the rest of the song together. Bryce ends with the ukulele, playing a last strum.
They both look at each other, smiling. Quinn remembers the time she and Sam were at the Astronomy classroom. It was the same feeling, but with a different guy. She leans a little bit closer, but suddenly, Bryce stands, returning the ukulele in its stand. He turns to her and smiles.
"So, I guess that's enough for practice. You did well, Quinn."
She just sat there, her mouth slightly open, her eyebrows slightly meeting. He was serious…with being just friends? Well, she is too, but…her heart…goose bumps…
"Are we good? Or do you want another try?"
She shakes her head and looks at him. "N-No…no…I'm fine. We're fine." She stands up. "We're good."
He smiled and walked to her. "All right then. I'll walk you to your car." She nods as they lock up the choir room and walk down the hallway.
Quinn was so confused. She promised herself…just friends. Yet, the things…the emotions she feels when she's with Bryce…Once again she's conflicted with her thoughts and her feelings. She has to take care of herself, especially that every time something bad happens, it's because of a boy. Quinn, this is YOUR year. You are not letting a boy get close to your life, at least not now.
They arrive at Quinn's car. Bryce opens the door for her, as she nods to him. She closes the door, lowering her window. "Thanks Bryce." She starts the car as he steps aside. She starts driving and looks at the mirror, seeing him waving at her.
Bryce lowered his hand and sighed. He knew Quinn was motioning to get closer. But, he knew that she was just reacting to her impulses. Although it would've been good to get that close to her, he couldn't. He has to respect her decision of not wanting a relationship. He nods. I'm totally fine with being friends. However, his heart is not convinced at all.
Damian and Cameron's eyes were widened. They were looking at a two-storey house, the walls made of brown bricks, the area surrounded by a few trees and a freshly-trimmed lawn. "This way, gentlemen."
They walk a short concrete pavement, leading to the front door of their house. She opens the door, leaving it open. "Welcome to our humble abode."
The two boys stared in awe. In front of them was the living room, the grandfather clock and the 18th century furnishings catching their attention. They slowly turned to the kitchen and the dining room, the transition from 18th century to modern furniture smooth and well-done. Cameron nodded, approving of the interior designer's style. Just beside the kitchen were the stairs, leading to their bedrooms.
Marissa closes the door and goes to the kitchen, finding a note posted on the refrigerator. She reads it out loud. "Going to accompany your sister to watch a local production of Aida. I made some pie for you and your friends. Have fun, love Mom."
"Your mom seems cool." Damian looks at her. She looks at them, raising her eyebrows. "The pie can wait. Let's go up to my room."
She rushes upstairs, the two following her. She enters the only room to the right. The two guys nudge each other, not knowing who should go first. The Irishman sighed and goes first. Both arrive at the doorway, and again their eyes widened.
On the left corner was a typical dresser with a mirror facing the right, which was where her bed was placed. Just beside the mirror were hooks on the walls, where she hang all the necklaces she had. No posters were seen on the walls, just a shade of sky blue wall paint. On the head of her bed, however, was a dream catcher, about a foot in diameter.
"You think that works?" Cameron asks, pointing at the circular object. She looks at it, hanging her bag at a chair. "A bit…I've had no bad dreams recently." She goes to her desktop and turns it on. "You better start searching our songs now…I'm going to go change."
She takes some clothes on her dresser and goes out of her room, leaving the two boys inside.
"So, how does it feel like Cam? He gets a wooden stool beside the door and sits beside the computer. "To be in the room of the girl of your dreams?"
"Wait, you know too?" He sits on the chair in front of the computer. "Did I make it that obvious?"
The other nodded and pushed Cameron slightly. "By the way, are you sure this'll work? I mean, me singing to Lindsay?"
He turns to him and smiles. "You're asking me? The guy who dedicated a song to a girl on his first performance of Glee Club and was considered the best that day? Of course it'll work." He smirked. "Look at where I am now."
He opened the internet browser and searched for a specific artist and two specific songs. Damian's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" After a few types and clicks, he opened two sheet music files. "All done."
"That was lightning fast!" He shook Cameron's shoulders. "How'd you do that?"
"Nerd power. That is all."
Marissa enters the room, wearing a white tank top and pink shorts just above her knee. Cameron made a big gulp watching as she places her clothes on her hamper, while Damian doesn't even dare to look. Both immediately face the computer screen as she approached them. 'W-Well, what do you think, Marissa?"
She leans forward, her eyes widening. "Oh wow…Cam, you are a genius!" She messes up his hair. "Those songs are perfect! Especially yours Damian! She's going to love it!"
Damian looks at the both of them, finally smiling after two long days of sulking. "You guys…we have to start practicing then if we're going to get this right!"
Author's Rant (another long one, because the show's going to end in a few hours) :'(
And that's the end of it! Chapter 13 is finally over. And I'm quite surprised with it actually. So…about the firsts…I think there are a lot but let's see. We have a first glimpse of someone's bed (Lindsay and Marissa). We have a first look at someone's house (Marissa). We have a first couple alone time (Bryce and Quinn). We have a first conversation (between Cameron and Lindsay). And yeah, the most awaited first song dedication to each other (Damian and Lindsay) and first duet (Cameron and Marissa). Hmm, I wonder I left some out, but anyway…there you have it. Firsts!
I'm freaking out because of the Finale later on…I honestly don't have a clue who wins, and I genuinely will feel happy for any of them winning. What I really want to happen though is that not only one of them gets to be on Glee. Ryan, Ian, and Brad must realize that they got a handful of talent this season and would truly be wasting on a lot of potential if they didn't give them roles or even cameos. Now, I've got my fingers crossed for TGP Season 2. Hope we see another batch of talented contestants.
And now, we have shoutouts (to those who reviewed my previous chappie!)
natural diaster: Don't worry! I wasn't offended at all! My skill of conjuring mash-ups is not that good, but I will try to come up with some. And McKynleigh is visiting next chapter! Yay for her!
xxxNam-niCxxx: The Rachel-Lindsay rivalry has a build-up this chapter, and it's going to continue next chapter! You'll have to wait for the video though. Hannah's going to try to get her hands on it next time.
LilyLunaCho: I love that you take time to post a review even if it's short. Every word in the reviews means a lot to me.
rmya55: Here you go! The long wait is over! ^^
beyerdoubts: Thanks so much! I'm now wondering what line you will get from this chappie…haha. I really really love Emily and I guess their friendship was already there in real life and I just based on it. Directly quoting Emily from her blog at the official site, "I could right tell off the bat that I was going to love Marissa! I live for her! She is funny, talented, and so down to earth." And there are not enough impatient readers for me. Haha, you're the ones that keep me writing.
chisukyaa: Here's the update and glad you're loving the story!
ehghru7: Thanks for that big smiley!
Erinlee: To be clear, Nancy is the adult female that accompanied Samuel when he enrolled. Yep. Haha, and yes Emily cannot be cheated on. But Matheus and Ellis don't know that…so…yeah, another plotline. And to clear another thing up, Mr. Schue isn't going to know that Mike uncuffed them earlier. They love each other too much to tell on each other hahaha! And lastly, Marissa and Cameron in their first duet! I'm excited for that one too.
Lindsay Pearce: Is that really you? I adore you too much! Haha, kidding aside, the big Damsay moment is next chapter, so I know you'll be jumping for joy for that one…
slotes123: Aww…I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Chapter 14 will be titled Tributes and Dedications. As always, reviews and suggestions are appreciated! And I have three questions to ask.
1. Will you be still reading this when The Glee Project is done?
2. Looking at my story outline, this may last about 40+ chapters or probably more, so are you guys still going to read it even if it's this long?
3. Are any of you up for another double post? :)
Thanks once again for reviewing and let's all watch The Glee Project Finale together. Let's raise our glass to the 12 contenders!