A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update—it's been one hell of a writer's block. However, disclaimer, disclaimer, and the song featured is a mash-up of The Beatles "Get Back/I've Got A Feeling". The mash-up is a little complicated in the writing though, so I recommend listening to the original Stevesk0011's "The Beatles—I've Got To Get Back (Mash-up)" (I did change some lyrics) on YouTube: watch?v=fLpBOPHoHiE
A/A/N: Also, welcome back Caroline Idina Fabray, even in a somewhat limited capacity! Therefore, after this chapter we'll probably move back to her story.
Will sat at his desk staring down unseeingly at the stack of homework papers he'd been meaning to grade. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair disheveled, and he had a mild five o'clock shadow beginning to appear from not shaving the past two days.
The Spanish teacher still had not been home, instead staying in a cheap motel while he tried to sort through his own head. Nor had he talked to his wife, who, despite being obviously heartbroken over the situation, wisely chose to give her husband space. He'd been simply going through the motions of teaching and directing Glee, and was perfectly wrecked over the betrayal he still felt from Emma.
"Ah, Will" Sue greeted as she walked into the teacher's office with a thermos of coffee and a wide grin. "Just the man I've been looking for. The misery on your face makes mine glow like the effigy at Burning Man. "
"Really Sue," Will muttered without emotion. "I'm not in the mood today."
If possible, the Cheerio coach's smile brightened. "You know William, I'm not sure there's anything that could put me in a better mood than to witness your near-catatonic state under that cauliflower-styled head of yours. I honestly think it may be a toss-up between this and Eva's bawling up in her office."
The curly-haired teacher managed to pull himself out of his stupor a little. "How is she?" he asked. "Is she okay?"
"Well, considering that Andrea the Giant is trying to consoler her and not her pathetic butt-chinned hubby—that's you by the way," Sue added. "Probably not looking so good. You know Will, I knew you had a gift for destroying your personal life, but even I couldn't have imagined it to blow out this far. I haven't felt so elated since my petition to get five shoe stores' Crocs recalled based on their environmentally-insensitive naming came through."
With that, the woman turned and happily strolled back out the door, leaving Will more ambivalent about his predicament than he was just five minutes ago.
Caroline was not paying attention to lunch. That wasn't so unbelievable, considering how boring some of the gossip the girls talked about was, but she also couldn't seem to keep her mind focused on the sketch pad she had pulled out to distract herself.
Things were not going well in Cheerios. Caroline was really starting to feel overwhelmed by her lack of authority in the group—nobody seemed to listen to her. Sue was starting to voice her disappointment in the squad, even though the freshman couldn't really see anything changing much around them. She was also starting to come down harder on the brunette, which in turn irritated the girl to the point that she could barely hold her tongue. What she desperately wanted to do was remind the blonde adult that she'd practically begged her to be there, and if she wanted her help, then maybe she should try acting like it.
"Something on your mind, F Minor?" a voice commented smugly from behind her, and the group looked up to see Nikki staring at the brunette pointedly, the Twins and Jennifer Johnson backing her.
"Yeah, like an acephalic," one of the dark-skinned girls commented with a smirk, causing her sister to giggle.
"Seriously, Q2" Jennifer added. "You couldn't look more like a loser than you do now."
Caroline rolled her eyes at the trio before settling her glare on their leader. "What do you want Medusa?" she asked.
"We need to talk," the Asian girl replied. When the seated group looked at her skeptically, she added, "Alone."
"You and your little posse versus Care?" Katie asked. "Like that's going to happen."
Nikki turned to her girls and gestured her head toward their table, and with disappointed frowns, all three turned and walked away. "Okay?" she asked, eyebrows arched pointedly. "Unless you're afraid…"
The freshman captain huffed, sliding out of her seat and striding over to the exit, where the older girl had already made her way. They continued walking until they reached an empty classroom, and the junior breezed in as if she owned it.
"You ever think about the universe, little Q?" she asked, pawing at an orb on a mobile and watching it spin. "How it works?"
"What?" Whatever her nemesis had been going to say, contemplating the cosmos really hadn't been on Caroline's list of guesses.
Nikki glanced at her. "Chaos theory is the idea that something small, seemingly insignificant, has huge effects on the world around us. The butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil causes a hurricane halfway across the world, that sort of thing." She narrowed her eyes. "You, unfortunately, have seemingly become my butterfly wing, as you are an insignificant nothing who rides the coattails of her sister's popularity to get everything she wants from this school, but in the meantime is succeeding in running my Cheerios into the ground."
"Excuse me?" Caroline retorted angrily. "I'm not—"
"You are, actually; and everyone's noticed it," Nikki continued, huffing as she examined the moon in her hand. "Look Fabray; it's no secret I don't like you. I understand you've got skills that may make you semi-valuable as a cheerleader, and people find you amiable, but your methods for leading suck, and are either going to get you kicked off or bring down my team. The former thought makes me giddy, but the latter is what I worry about. You think I'm a bitch, and rightly so, but I've worked for two years learning to be a Cheerio Captain and becoming what it takes to get us a National Championship. You got dropped into all of this based on a name and a couple of gymnastics medals."
Caroline made a face, but said nothing. She wanted to throw out a snappy line to put the HBIC in her place, but in the back of her mind she couldn't help but agree with the main point of the older girl's take-home message. "So what's your point?" she finally said, still trying to look assertive. "That I should be more like you? Reduce people to stone with a glance?"
The older girl scoffed. "Like you could," she replied. "How about if you want to keep from destroying everything the Cheerios stands for, you start separating who you are as a friend from who you are as a captain. Tap into the inner bitch the Original was famous for."
"I'm not my sister," the freshman retorted, half in anger and half in regret.
"No, you're a freshman loser that thinks her shit smells better than the rest," Nikki replied. "But you're also a Fabray, and that does mean something, even if you haven't figured out what yet."
The junior paused a moment, then wrinkled her nose. "God, I feel like I've been pulled into a Bizarro After School Special," she said, glancing around, then looking at the girl in front of her incredulously. "Why don't you just do us all a favor and quit before you break someone's leg, or worse, their talent?"
With another huff of frustration, the pink-streaked Cheerio strode out the door and left Caroline puzzled and wondering about the curious encounter.
An unhappy whine cut through the dark, followed by shuffling and finally a flicker signaling the light turning on in the gymnasium storage room. Hayley quickly covered up the disappointed look that had settled on her face as Stassi looked back her way as she straightened up her uniform.
"Ugh," the older girl commented, running a hand through her hair. "I was hoping this spot would have better ventilation."
"We could always find a room with a window," the other suggested.
"Yeah, because an open window screams privacy," Stassi replied with an eyeroll, bending down to straighten her laces.
"Yeah, I guess it various moans and squeals would make for a suspicious rendezvous point," the sophomore smirked, admiring the view. She took a step forward to run her fingers along the other's back. "What's your rush? There's still another twenty minutes or so left in this period."
"Yeah, well," Stassi replied gruffly, straightening and shuffling toward the reflective glass case against the wall to fix her hair. "I thought I'd make an appearance before Castle decides I am definitely not coming to class." She glanced at the rebel. "Don't you have Schue this period anyways Hurricane? It seems kind of risky to miss his class when the counselor's taken such an active interest in your academic progress."
Hayley shook her head. "Not this week. Guy's been completely checked out the last couple of days. I don't think he remembers he's had a class."
"Hmm," the older girl smirked. "Midlife crisis or impending baby stress, I wonder?"
"I'm guessing trouble with the missus," the crimson-streaked girl replied. "I was supposed to have a follow-up meeting today for my Geology grades, since my parents sent Sara to the last one—"
"Didn't you already have a nanny named Sara?" the Cheerio asked.
"They're governesses, and two, actually," Hayley corrected. "And this will be the third my parents have fired, so the follow up meeting was supposed to be with me and…I can't remember the new one's name." She shrugged. "Regardless, Pillsbury-Schuester had to reschedule for 'personal reasons', which usually means she's either in labor or having relationship troubles. And since I don't see her popping-"
"Okay, okay," Stassi interrupted, raising her hands. "I'm so done talking about our faculty's love life. Glee is way too blurred on the line between professional and personal as it is."
"I'm surprised you're still putting up with it," Hayley commented, trying not to show that they'd finally touched on the subject she was most interested in talking about. When the Armenian gave her a surprised look, she continued casually, "I mean, it's no secret that you can't stand us, and I saw you and Medusa meeting up this morning…I would have figured that after the long con of getting the freshman on the squad was over, you'd be running back to your old life as fast as those chicken legs could carry you."
The older girl scoffed, digging her white toe into the dirty linoleum. "I can't just abandon my post," she responded.
"That sounds like someone else's explanation," Hayley replied unconvinced. "Like a certain pink-haired freak is afraid Caroline will feel betrayed by your little chess game, so you're trying to keep up this charade?"
"I do what's best for my team," Stassi asserted firmly. "It's my decision."
"Aren't the New Directions your team?" the sophomore asked. "I mean, you're good at this; and despite what you say you don't seem to hate us; you even stick up for us even when the Gorgons aren't around. Why does it kill you being here so much that you want to leave?"
The Cheerio sighed and turned back toward the glass to investigate her pony again. She was really tired of people asking her about her feelings. Considering how long she'd gone without people caring, the sudden give-a-damn felt invasive. "It's…complicated," she replied.
"Why?" Hayley pushed. "Because we're not popular? Because you and your vapid bitchy shell friends are?"
"Nikki's not a vapid shell," she defended. "So she doesn't want to be friends with everybody—big deal. She doesn't sugarcoat things, but she's real, and loyal as anyone you'll ever meet. She's the best friend I've ever had, and I trust her."
"Loyal?" Hayley repeated incredulously. "She uses and abuses people like a pimp. I've never seen her do anything that would constitute as loyal; and I wouldn't trust her with a pet rock."
She took a breath to calm down before her eyes widened again in sudden epiphany. "Wait a second," the sophomore said. "What have you trusted her with? Does she know—?"
"She knows…about me," Stassi replied. "Nikki's known since eighth grade, before I even told my family, and she's never told a soul." Hayley opened her mouth, and the girl continued, "But I haven't told her about—" She waved her hand between them, murmuring, "How could I?"
The two stood in silence as each processed the information.
"So if Nikki's this beacon of light and joy, why is it so complicated being around us?" Hayley pressed. "I mean, if you can put up with her, we've got to take ten times less effort."
"Ten times more, actually," Stassi muttered, taking a moment before she looked at the other girl. She couldn't believe she was being this honest with anybody. "With Stassi, with the other Cheerios, I know who I am—everybody does. People don't ask questions; they just accept me and go about their lives. Around you- all of you- I feel like I'm being prodded like some sort of lab rat. Like who I am isn't enough, and there's got to be more, you know?"
"Maybe that's because we know that there is more," Hayley replied softly, taking a step and placing a hand on the Cheerio's shoulder. "You're not just a frigid bitch, despite what you think."
The brunette remained quiet, then shrugged her shoulder from the other girl's touch and straightened. "Whatever," she reaffirmed, opening the door a crack to scope out the gym. "Soon enough, it won't matter. We'll all be back where we belong, and everything will be like it should."
She nodded, deeming the coast to be clear, and quickly walked through the door, across the gym, and out into the hall, leaving Hayley to watch the walls surrounding the junior quickly rebuild themselves.
"Should we just get started?" Andrew asked the group as they sat in the Music Room.
"How can we start without Mr. Schue here?" Michelle replied.
"It's not like he's really been here in the last day or so," Hayley commented.
"And we're going to need the help if we're going to face off against The American-British Invasion," Wally noted. "I hear they are tailoring their act specifically to mess with us."
"Where did you hear something like that?" Michelle asked curiously.
"Oh," the sophomore grinned. "You wouldn't believe the tongues these lips can loosen."
"I'll bet," Stassi replied slyly.
"So then let's just get started on warm-ups," Dalton spoke up, getting up from his chair. "And then anyone that's got something for the assignment can go ahead."
"That reminds me," Hayley spoke up. "Why did we decide you were in charge of this group?"
"D's got the chops and the skills," Coby responded. "Who else would you like to do it, Joan Jett?"
"And do not even think about nominating yourself," Emma interjected. "Because I can tell you right now that you'd be better off trying to get a herd of bulls to join a chorus line."
"Nina?" Ashwin proposed, looking over at the Cheerio closest to him.
"I'm good, thanks," the junior refused.
"What about Everett?" Michelle opted, knowing her own chances were slim.
"Yeah right," Hayley shot down before the curly-haired boy could refute. "We want them to be intimidated, not laughing hysterically into submission."
"Why not Caroline?" Annie opted. "She's already a captain, and she'd be great."
The rest of the team was quiet in consideration, until, "No way," Stassi countered. "I've already watched her sink two Cheerio practices—I'm not giving her the opportunity to ruin another group."
There was an explosion of arguing and dissent before Stassi's voice finally carried over. "Guys—we've got like six hours before we're facing off with the Wanna-Beatles; for now, I think Dalton's our best bet."
"Guys, this isn't a face-off," Dalton insisted, ignoring Wally's disbelieving expression. "It's just a friendly competition pre-game thing. We'll go, we'll talk—no big deal."
Hayley arched her eyebrow over at Stassi. "This is the face of our team?" she asked skeptically, to which the other girl shrugged.
"Get some sleep tonight guys," the sophomore continued to the team. "Everything will be fine, and we'll let you know all of the details tomorrow."
Ashwin felt lucky that both of his parents had taken off for a surgery convention in Cincinatti earlier that day, so he didn't have to explain why he was leaving at nine o'clock at night to go to a gay bar or sneak around anyone. He just shut off the lights and locked up behind him as Wally's truck swung into the driveway.
The two pulled into the lot just as Coby and Nina were emerging from their car, so they took the spot next to them.
"Any trouble?" the Indian boy asked as he slid from the passenger seat.
"The parentals weren't keen on date night falling on a Thursday," Coby answered. "But how could they say no to this face?" He pulled the Cheerio closer to him, cupping her chin with his hand.
The four stood together, waiting for the others to arrive.
"Going to a gay bar twice in one week," she commented dryly as she leaned on the roof. "It's every girl's dream."
"Hey, this time it's for business," Stassi said, appearing from thin air and sidling up beside her.
"You really think they're bringing us here to stir up trouble?" Coby asked her.
"You know Angel Eyes better than anyone," the Cheerio replied. "What do you think?"
Coby bit his lip and bobbed his head in concession. Gabe may be coming in peace, but he doubted it was going to be the type of scene that Dalton expected.
"My intel still makes me think we're going in short-handed," Wally commented.
"Okay, you just met this team days ago," Ashwin countered. "How can you have intel about their inner workings? What, are you sleeping with one of the backup singers?"
Wally smirked, but the junior across from him shook his head. "Those kids wouldn't know anything—they're just following orders. Like roadies."
The group chuckled, then took a deep breath and headed to the door, where Dalton stood waiting awkwardly. A couple minutes later Everett arrived, and the seven pulled out their fake IDs and headed inside the building.
Coby and Nina, obviously the most familiar with the place, led the way through the semi-populated room, followed by Wally and Dalton.
Ashwin stood tall as he trailed after them, smiling politely at the faces watching their group, then blushing slightly when one of the patrons winked. He quickened his pace to move closer to Stassi, who scoffed and rolled her eyes.
However, the boy was glad he'd made the move when a stocky man stepped over to Everett, lingering awkwardly at the end, and nodded as he greeted, "Hey short stuff. Haven't seen you around before."
"Ummm…," the curly-haired boy stammered.
The dirty-blonde twenty-something smiled, tilting his head upward. "Come on," he told the junior. "They're playing my song. I just need one dance."
Everett's eyes went wide, and as Ashwin turned around to say something, Coby suddenly stepped in between the two. "Sorry guy, he's got a previous engagement," the boy asserted with an apologetic smile, grabbing the other's hand and pulling him toward the bar where the rest were taking a seat.
They all gathered together, with Coby releasing the brunette's hand as he sat next to Nina, and pointedly looking to Dalton.
The blonde boy remained standing as he scanned the floor. "I don't see anyone yet…" he observed.
"Then might as well relax," his husky friend replied, sitting at the counter and signaling the bartender.
"I don't think a buzz is the best way to go into this," Dalton said, waving off the server.
"Besides," Stassi commented as she flicked through the bowl of nuts. "Do you know how many empty calories are in those bottles?"
"Not empty," Coby countered with a grin. "Happy, fuzzy calories that give you an extra shot of swagger and tranquility."
"Really?" Everett asked curiously.
"Don't listen to him," Nina told him. "Coby doesn't know what he's talking about."
"Yeah, I'm guessing Beer Goggles play a role in that self-portrait you just painted," Ashwin added with a smirk.
"Hey, I don't abuse anything," the husky boy argued. "I have an image to maintain at home, at school—it's nice to just sit back and get comfortable."
"Don't get too comfy," a smooth voice said from behind him, and the team turned in surprise as The Fab Four seemingly materialized right in front of them.
"Hey there," Colette greeted with a flirtatious smile, eyes dancing from one body to the next.
"Fancy meeting you here," Wally responded genially.
Gabriel smiled. "Glad you guys could make it," he told them.
"Yeah, well," Dalton replied. "We just want to keep things friendly."
"And we're all friends here," the junior conceded.
Ashwin watched the back-and-forth between the two leaders, but something felt off about the niceties.
"Jazz, how did you get in here?" Everett asked, staring skeptically at the small ginger.
The boy held up a stamped hand. "Riff told them I was DD-ing tonight," he replied with a nod to the redhead and a grin. "How you doing Gavroche?"
"I'm okay—wondering why we needed to meet at Scandals to have a conversation," the curly-haired boy answered, wishing for the first time this week that his sister was with him. Michelle would have had most of this information coming into the meeting, and she wasn't afraid to pester people for answers—girl could not be intimidated.
"Well, I mean, when I realized how things must have looked when that mob came and interrupted the Invitational…" Gabriel spoke up remorsefully, throwing a charming smile and a ten at the bartender as he set down his drink. "I mean, what could you have been thinking?"
"That you have a lot of friends and good practice in flash-mobbing?" Stassi offered.
"Are you implying that we staged our fan base?" Shala asked, her eyebrow quirking up incredulously.
"You mean, do I think that an entire school would have to be on a sad "Lucy" trip to think that that outfit was worth fawning over?" the Armenian bitch retorted, eyes appraising the red leather jacket and black leggings making up the pop factor of the sophomore's outfit. "A little, yeah."
"Well at least I fit into my clothes, whereas you've got bits of pudge bulging out of every side of that dress like a wrinkled old blind lady," the Latina spat.
"Yeah, but I'm not trying to pretend to be a dark-haired Charo fan-girling as a groupie to The Fab Faux."
"You bitch!" the raven-haired girl snapped, barely held back by Jazz. "Like those lounge-act tribute bands could hold a candle to us!"
"Sorry," Stassi countered. "All I heard was 'Coochie, coochie, coochie!'"
As Jazz desperately held on to the infuriated Latina, Ashwin stepped behind the Cheerio and grabbed her arms as Nina blocked the visual line between the rivals. Meanwhile, the angel-eyed leader remained completely serene, sipping his drink and continuing over Shala's ranting, "So obviously we've got some competitive issues to work out, and I feel like the best way to prove our intentions—" he winked at Coby "—would be to have a more unbiased performance."
"Unbiased?" Nina repeated, pushing herself up against the struggling girl behind her.
Colette smiled brightly. "Something on more equal footing," she replied, tugging coquettishly at the loops of her tight green trousers. "Give you a chance to prove you're more than just a pretty face." She arched her eyebrow suggestively at the Bulgarian.
The light-toned junior frowned uncomfortably, and Dalton asked, "What were you thinking?"
"A sing-off!" Jazz shouted ecstatically. Gabriel gave him a look, and the boy calmed himself down appropriately. "A proper duel between teams, to show who's got the goods once and for all."
"Isn't that what Sectionals is about?" Ashwin asked, loosening his grip on Stassi as she seemed to calm down.
"Let's just say this way you can go in knowing where your Karaoke-cover band stands in the grand scheme of things," Shala told him with a malicious smile.
"So what—you want to go out in the alley?" Stassi asked, shifting back to the front of the gorup. "Seven against four? Seems a little awkward."
"Of course not," Gabriel answered. "You gather your team and we'll meet you in front of the school at eleven. Sound fair?"
Without waiting for a definitive answer, the four rivals smiled in parting and headed for the door. A minute later, the seven McKinley students were once again alone at the bar.
"Okay, now I really need a drink," Coby finally said, putting his hand up to get someone's attention.
"Come on," Nina urged, grabbing the husky boy's arm and dragging him out the door, with the others closely following.
The group exited in time to watch VW roll out of the car blasting "Ticket to Ride".
"We're not really doing this?" Everett asked, watching the headlights disappear. "You know whatever they're planning can't possibly be legal."
"But if we don't go—" Coby argued, glancing at Nina.
"There's a lot at stake in this showdown," Dalton said grudgingly. "I don't want to give them the edge by having them think we're chicken."
"Anyways," Ashwin added. "They haven't heard us yet. We may surprise them."
"Not likely," Stassi retorted. "They've got experience together, and they've got game. We're playing on their turf, by their rules."
"But—" Nina asked, knowing the junior.
"But I'd rather see for myself what we're going up against. We know they're good at rehearsed music—let's see how they stack up against adlibbing under pressure."
"You guys—!" Everett argued. He couldn't believe they were actually considering this.
"Call everyone," Stassi interjected, pulling out her phone as she watched the foursome drive away. "We're having a rumble."
Michelle was bouncing excitedly in place as they all stood outside Rigby's giant auditorium. She'd gotten a text from Everett and Stassi almost simulataneously: one asking her if she thought she could sneak around their Dads and get here, and one demanding it.
Everett, on the other hand, was nowhere near as pleased. He had no desire to cross Stassi, but—
"This is insane," he whispered to Coby. "And illegal—what if we get caught?"
"Relax Roger," the larger boy replied. "We're just a couple of kids singing on school grounds. How much trouble can we possibly get into? Plus, Gabe's leading this party—I'm sure it's safe as houses."
The curly-haired junior wanted to argue further—the word of the sleazy, silver-tongued competition was not comforting—but they were interrupted by the all-too familiar revving of Red's convertible. The car pulled up to the sidewalk, closely followed by a string of SUVs, and the entirety of the Fab Four emerged onto the concrete. The boy couldn't help but notice that, while the New Directions called from bed were clad in jeans or sweats, the twenty background singers were once again all decked out in matching outfits—khaki costume jackets this time that fit the band's Shea Stadium look, complete with slightly longer, stylistically messier hairstyles—and wondered if this was really as spur of the moment as Gabriel had made it seem back at Scandals.
"So are we doing this or what?" Hayley demanded.
"Here?" The junior replied incredulously, sweeping his hands elegantly across his black jacket. "Of course not."
"We've got our own setting for proper showdowns," Shala smirked as their leader made their way to the locked building and hunched over the door.
"Whoa," Dalton said. "You can't be serious."
"What's a competition without a little danger?" Gabriel asked with a smile as he stepped back and pushed open the newly picked door. He grinned at the McKinley team as his own began filing up the stairs. "You guys coming, or what?"
Stassi, Dalton, Coby, Everett, Ashwin, Nina, and Wally all looked at each other. All of them looked uncertain to varying degrees, which scared Everett even more—if Anastassia Moran was uncomfortable with something, then he really did not think they should be doing it. The small brunette boy shook his head at Dalton, desperately trying to convey that it was not worth it.
Coby, however, looked to Wally with a tilted eyebrow, which the sophomore mirrored as they both looked to their newly-elected captain. After a moment, Stassi exhaled and shrugged, and the four began following their rivals up the stairs, the rest of the team trailing after them. Not even Emma hesitated as they filed through the door, and Everett felt he had no choice but to go as well.
The hall echoed with footsteps as the two groups trudged farther and farther upwards, and Everett kept looking from one determined face to another as he tried to feel something other than the dread that had sat with him since the conversation at Scandals. However, the only thing that changed was that his feeling was suddenly allowed a breath of fresh air as the Fab Four pushed through a door that led them outside.
Coby looked around and couldn't help but be thrilled by scene that lay before them. They were on the rooftop of the auditorium, with instruments before them and tiny lights of streetlamps and dimly lit stores surrounding them. It was all but magical, and he knew that this wasn't Gabe's first time flirting with the wrong side of the law. He knew Everett was probably right about getting into trouble, but the exhilaration of the moment easily put it out of his mind.
"I thought your group didn't play instruments," Hayley noted as she looked at the set strategically put together near the flat top.
"Those are for you," Colette told her happily, leaning back into a Khaki jacket that was no doubt Dani, though the girl looked quite stiff at the contact.
"We figured you'd probably need them," Shala sneered. "That is, unless you can't play either?"
Annie huffed loudly, drawing attention to her bright pink and green pajama set as she stomped over to the drums, sitting down and picking up the sticks. She twirled them gracefully between her fingers before doing a quick run on the heads, finishing with a pointed hit to the crash cymbal.
Teddy smiled in determination, and weaved through the crowd to pick up a bass guitar, followed by Dylan, who squeezed Katie's shoulders before standing next to the keyboard. Roxie, to everyone's surprise, grabbed Dalton's hand and pulled him to the second guitar, taking the lead in her own hands after pushing up the sleeves of her very oversized McKinley hoodie.
"Any other questions?" Annie asked.
Shala frowned, but Gabe looked thrilled. "Guest's choice," he told them.
Annie and Roxie looked at each other a moment in silent communication, and the smaller girl smiled, starting a familiar riff.
The Fab Four didn't even need the whole intro to recognize the song, and moved into place as they began to sing.
I've got a feeling, Colette's voice rang out as she began leading the grew in a dance number, a feeling deep inside
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, with Gabriel coming up from behind her with a nod, That's right
He continued, I've got a feeling, a feeling I can't hide
Oh no. no. Oh no!
Oh no, the Fab Four continued together, just as Stassi moved to face them, flanked by Hayley and Nina, singing Get Back
The quartet sang out Yeah! Yeah!, as the girls countered Get Back
As the three girls placed their hands on their hips, finishing, Get back to where you once belonged, Jazz belted, I've got a feeling. Yeah!
Suddenly the rest of the group was up behind them, Andrew leading Get Back, as Colette and Shala took lead on the Yeah!
(Get Back) Yeah!
Andrew grinned as he kept the lead, feeling the energy behind the music, Get back to where you once belonged, to Gabe's, I've got a feeling
Annie gestured to Wally, who slipped up behind her to take over on the drums as she strode over to the front line.
Nasty Shala Simons thought she was a woman she sang, stepping up into the other sophomore's space
But she was another man, she continued as her back-up girls placed their hands to their mouths to stifle a staged "oh!" and causing the Latina to glare
Nina stepped next to her lithely, All the girls around her say she's got it coming
But she gets it while she can, she and Annie nodded together
Get Back, the girls harmonized, while Colette pulled Shala back to sing Yeah!
Get Back, Andrew and Liam took over, while Jazz sang out, Yeah!
Get back to where you once belonged the four sang together, with the freshman and senior duetting I've got a feeling
Gabriel's candy apple hair suddenly came into view as he took up the lead, I've got a feeling that keeps me on my toes
Colette, Jazz, and Shala danced behind him, singing the Oh yeah, Oh yeah.
I've got a feeling, he continued, I think that everybody knows.
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, the three grinned with him
Everett noticed the boy suddenly seemed distracted by something just over the edge of the roof, even as he grinned and sang out Oh yeah, with Coby taking the Get Back
Gabriel's smile grew wider as he assessed his rival, Yeah! he sang out, as Coby continued Get Back
Yeah! the boy said, stepping within inches of the junior
Get back to where you once belonged Coby grinned as the other boy winked, I've got a feeling
Roxie and the boys suddenly stopped playing their instruments and joined the group for the final showdown as the khaki-clad singers harmonized the music.
Get Back the New Directions sang to the Fab Four's Yeah!
(Get Back) Yeah! they continued, stepping toe-to-toe
(Get back to where you once belonged) I've got a feeling!
Get back JoJo, Annie continued as the music died down, leaving the two groups staring at each other in silence.
Dalton looked back and forth between his group and theirs, finally opening his mouth to try to defuse the tension.
Suddenly the door flew open and flashlights blinded them as a deep voice shouted "Freeze!"
Hayley wasn't bothered by getting into trouble really. She'd spent most of her life making trouble, and had one hell of a school record to show for it. Even when she'd been run down by the cops, she'd always been able to bluff her way out of too much consequence. However, in her experience as a juvenile delinquent, she had come to recognize one certainty: desk cops are never a good thing. They acted burnt out and indifferent, had the book memorized, and were not easily swayed by pleas for leniency.
Not to mention it was hard to convince a group of cops that what they're seeing is just a misunderstanding when what they're seeing is forty-some odd kids up on a roof with school instruments.
They'd all been hauled into the station, and had been asked for names repeatedly. The Rigby kids seemed cult-like in their silence, as if they knew that they couldn't be identified if they stood together (which they probably couldn't, since most of them looked identical), and Hayley herself had lucked out that all of the cops working tonight were apparently new or idiots, since none of them thought to check any other county records, where she was likely on file. She'd been worried that the By the Bookie Couple might spill, but Ghandi seemed too terrified to talk and Little Miss Perfect couldn't stop crying.
So the cops, with no real names and ten fake ID's, simply took their phones and threw all of them into two holding cells, threatening to leave them there until someone came up with something that they could use to call their parents.
"This sucks," the crimson-streaked girl finally voiced, interrupting the silence and Emma's sobbing.
"Just caught on to that, did we?" Shala retorted from the other side of the bars. "I'm surprised your brain didn't explode from all of that contemplation."
"Shut up, or I'll make you shut up you Hispanic Drag Queen," the sophomore threatened, standing up and clenching her fist.
Stassi reached over and grabbed her arm, pulling the girl back into her seat. "Good Lord, both of you," she snapped, though Hayley noticed her hand lingered on her arm a moment longer than usual. It caused her to take another look at the junior, and Hayley noticed an emotion just barely hiding behind the girl's expression that she didn't think she'd ever seen Stassi show in public—genuine uneasiness.
Now Hayley was worried.
There was a loud beeping down the hall, and Dylan frowned unhappily, pushing up against the bars as if he hoped he'd be able to squeeze through them by force. "That's really important!" he shouted down the hall. "Can I please just have it back for a second?"
"Sure," the cop called back. "What did you say your name was?"
The poor boy's entire body slumped as he closed his mouth and slunk back over to where he'd been sitting on the floor with Katie.
"Can't someone just call their parents?" Michelle asked, sitting in between Everett and the bars next to Jazz. "It can't be that bad, can it?"
"Your dads are lawyers, Aubrey," the ginger next to her replied. "Couldn't they get us out of this?"
"No way," Everett spoke up. "Do you know how much trouble we'd be in if we woke up our parents in the middle of the night?"
"And you think any of us are any different?" Stassi bit.
"What about your mom, Nina?" Annie asked. "Isn't she cool?"
"We're not calling my mom," the junior replied curtly.
"I just meant since you never seem to have any trouble with curfew or anything—"
"She said no," Ashwin repeated from his spot next to his ex, who had taken the opportunity to use his shoulder as a handkerchief.
"Jeez, defensive much?" Shala commented glancing at the taller boy. "One would think you spend a little too much time defending girls that aren't yours."
"I don't hear any of you stepping up to take some responsibility in all of this," Caroline accused angrily. "After all, breaking onto the roof was your idea."
"Technically it was Riff's idea," Jazz corrected. "He always has crazy ideas like that—usually they go better. You know, with fewer cops."
"Where is Gabe?" Coby suddenly asked, shifting in his seat as he looked over the Rigby cell for a candy-apple dye job.
There was silence and uncomfortable shifting for a moment, before Hayley said, "He got out?"
"Red's always got a Plan B in case of emergency," Shala explained defensively. "He probably didn't have time to move everyone."
"He knew the cops were coming," Everett argued, suddenly livid. "I saw him while we were singing. He saw them and left in the chaos to make sure he got away clean. Bastard threw us under the bus."
"No," Colette insisted. "Gabe wouldn't do that—would he?" She looked from one side of her to the other. "Oh Dani," she whimpered sadly, leaning forward to place her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Don't Col," the khaki-clad girl snapped, suddenly standing and walking over to the other side of the room. "Just leave me alone."
"Dani?" the junior asked, eyes widening as she looked at the other's withdrawn form. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Seriously?" the back-up singer asked. "How about the fact that I've been putting up with you flirting with everything with a pulse for the last two years, and you've just taken advantage of me this whole time?"
"D, calm down," the Latina said uncomfortably, obviously not happy with the exposed chinks appearing in their armor. "Your girl's a tease—doesn't mean anything."
"It does when she's making out with the competition!" Dani cried out, glaring across the room at Wally. "I saw the two of you the other night. How could you?"
The New Directions all stared at the sophomore in their midst who only showed a hint of remorse. "Oops," he replied with a shrug.
The usually perky brunette, on the other hand, looked close to tears. "Dani…" she whimpered.
"Okay, I've had enough of this soap opera," Stassi interrupted. "We are getting the hell out of here. I vote we just throw Angel Eyes under the bus and tell the cops he put together the whole thing, then flip a coin to see whose parents have to get the midnight call."
"We're not letting you lynch Gabe," one of the backup singers said.
"He's responsible for all of this," Everett countered angrily.
"He didn't force you up the stairs, Yarn Head" Shala retorted.
The cells began erupting in anger.
Suddenly a small voice rose above them. "Everybody shut up!"
Everyone stopped for shock, and turned to see the source of the statement.
Michelle looked nervous, but determined. "I'll make the call," she told them.
Will Schuester always liked to think that he was there for his students—that they could depend on him any time they needed him. That was why he got the Teacher of the Year Award last year. However, he had to admit the last thing he expected was to be driving to the Johnston Police Station to bail out all eighteen of his students, plus twenty-four of Rigby's.
"So, these are all yours?" the monotone officer asked as he filled out paperwork.
"Uh, yeah," the teacher answered awkwardly. "They're my—"
"County's got the right to hold them all night," the man continued, apparently running off a script as he pointed to places on various sheets. "Sign here. We've got noise violations, breaking and entering—and sign here—theft, and forging fake IDs. And here. However, since they're all under eighteen and it's a first time offense, we're planning on letting them off with a warning." The officer took back the papers as Will signed them, eventually placing them on a stack of papers that looked old and unorganized. "Follow me please."
"I can't thank you enough for not filing official charges," the teacher told him as they walked through the corridors. The cop merely grunted, using his key to open the door that led to his kids.
Forty-some odd students looked up as he walked in, and every New Direction jumped to their feet.
"Daddy!" Michelle called out awkwardly.
"Whatever," the cop muttered, unlocking the doors before heading back down the hall and out into the main office.
The curly-haired teacher was still at a loss for words, so the Rigby students took the lead, quickly filing out and leading the way through the door, grabbing back their belongings and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible until they made it to the parking lot.
"How are you going to get home?" Dalton asked the rival team.
Jazz held up his phone. "We've got friends on short notice," he told them just as two Commer vans pulled up. The team piled into the van, with Shala grumbling, Dani detached, and Colette sniffling. "Yeah," the freshman said, looking around awkwardly. "Well, thanks I guess. See you at Sectionals." And with that they shut the doors and drove off into the night.
"How are we getting home?" Michelle spoke up. "No offense, Mr. Schue, but your Corolla—"
Her sentence was cut off as they all noticed the school bus parked in the lot.
"I pulled some strings," the teacher told them, and the kids gratefully piled onto the bus.
A/N: Cliffhanger! So obviously that's not the end of the story, but since it was getting so long we decided to put in a part five for Friday. I promise that it will come out faster than the other chapters…