Hey guys! It's me again… :p

Sooo I don't want to lose track of the underdog quality in Gina: she doesn't have confidence when it comes to herself. I want to picture that side of her coming out again in this chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"And that, would be the Ursa Major."

Nick points to a constellation in the sky. Gina snorts at him. "You're making them up," she accuses. "You don't have the slightest clue about star constellations, do you, you smug idiot?"

"What?" Nick gapes at her. "How dare you underestimate me, you – okay, you got me. Yeah, they're all just random blots in the sky to me." Gina laughs, and he likes the sound of it. "Um, can we play pretend though? Let's just say that one's Ursa Major, okay?"

Nick and Gina are sitting on a roof, staring at the beautiful stars in the night sky. They had sneaked into an abandoned restaurant with an open roof and climbed upstairs. Underneath them, though, the traffic is crazy. Every two minutes they hear a car honking or angry drivers shouting curse words from opened windows.

"We chose a horrible spot," Gina points out as she watches a fortyish, balding man cursing the car in front of his, which apparently had stalled. "And a horrible time, too. It's like rush hour. What were you thinking?"

"I guess I wasn't thinking at all," he laughs. "So let's not mind those insane drivers. Let's just talk. How's school?"

"You sound like my Mom," Gina teases, before letting out a sigh. "I don't know, I've been kind of lost," she admits. "They're preparing for Regionals, and they want me to be one of the star dancers along with Brittany and Jake, but to be honest, sometimes I'm worried I can't keep up with them. I mean, they are so good."

"You're wonderful, too," Nick says. "I saw you dance. You were great."

Gina pinches his cheek. "Aww, you're too sweet," she says. "But honestly? Sometimes I feel lost when I'm on Glee club too. It's hard being the new kid, you know? You don't know the inside jokes, the traditions, the things people do. I still feel like an outsider."

"I heard they haven't really been all that nice to you," he says, frowning. "Didn't you get into a nasty fight with that Kitty girl? Boy, she really scares me."

"Yeah, Kitty's kind of my mortal enemy, but whatever," Gina waves the topic of the blonde cheerleader off. Thinking of Kitty makes her remember what she'd said to her about Nick, but she really doesn't want to think about it now, so she puts the thought aside. "I think Unique doesn't like me very much, either. I'm not sure why."

"Maybe they're jealous of how talented you are," Nick suggests with a smirk.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Gina rolls her eyes at him. "All those great performers in the room? Yeah, right. Sometimes I feel like a prancing pony, dancing next to Brittany." She burrows herself in her arms. "I'm going to suck at Regionals. Crap, crap, I can't be the star dancer. I'll just ruin everything. I'll –"

"Hey, cut it out," Nick stops her. "Do you even hear yourself? You're not going to ruin everything for Regionals. It's the other way around. You'll kick some asses."

Nick seems thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, is the Glee club making you feel bad about yourself?"

Gina perks up at this. "What?"

"Is the Glee club making you feel bad about yourself?" he repeats, his eyes somber. "Are they saying things to you that makes you feel like you can't do it, things that discourage you, or –"

"Hey, hey, let's not get too carried away here," Gina says, chuckling. "No, they don't make me feel bad about myself. It's me, okay? I'm self-pitying myself again. It's lame, I know."

"Oh," Nick says. After a while, he adds, "Anyway, you should fight back, Gina. If they ever push you around or degrade you, fight them back. Let them show how fierce you truly are."

A laughter escapes Gina's mouth. "I swear, you give the worst advices." She slaps him gently on the arm.

"But I'm serious," Nick insists. "You need to defend yourself. They don't sound that nice to you. They still treat you like you're a stranger. I mean, what's up with that? You've been with them for, what, almost two months? They need to start treating you better or you'll just have to show them your fangs, Gina Halim."

Gina shrugs. "You think they don't… like me?" she asks timidly. This is a secret she has kept to herself for some time. A thought, a rational fear, that the kids on Glee club don't actually like her. She doesn't really want to know the answer, but she needs to ask it anyway.

"I don't know," Nick shrugs. "But I'm just saying. I'm kind of pissed off that they treat you like that. Like you're not worth it, you know? When truly, you are." He caresses her cheek, and she smiles at his touch. "As I said, you need to let them know that you're superior, too. Give them ideas, make them say yes to you, don't take no for an answer. Show them that they can't mess with you. That you're a strong and independent girl, and don't let anyone dare to bully you."

Nick takes her hand then. He grips it, tight, and Gina's cheeks explode. She is now as red as a tomato. She weaves her fingers around his, and they seem to fit perfectly.

"Oh look," she says, pretending to return her attention back to the starlit sky. "It's another constellation. Let's just pretend that one's Sagittarius, shall we?"

I've always loved star gazing, I think it's very romantic…

Why do you think Unique doesn't like Gina very much? ;0)