AN: I've gotten such a great response just from chapter one! I've got to say Tom Hanks you to Jacob who's given me great insight on my story as I've been working on it. This chapter is a good bit longer than the first one! Also, I lied last chapter OTL I apologize. Again, very little schueberry. In the meantime, there's SORT OF a little Finnchel to make some canon events make more sense. Sorry! I swear it will happen eventually.
While I was writing a scene with Finn, my heart suddenly dropped. I hope everyone is holding up okay!
Without six more kids, the Glee Club wouldn't even get a chance at regionals, much less a chance to survive the rest of the year.
The weight of the realization had drug Will's fantastic morning very low. Every time he saw Sue his mood fell a little lower, and to have her deliver the bad news was just adding insult to injury. Among with her usual laundry list of offensive nonsense, she'd unleashed the game-changer while staring him down in her office. "Figgins says unless you place at Regionals, he's cutting the program."
Then she had to whip out the damn show choir rulebook and make an ass of him by telling him what he should've known. A club needs at least twelve kids to participate at regionals.
Of course he would not give her the benefit of seeing him upset by this. He tried his very hardest to remain civil to the aging, condescending beast staring him in the face- with varying levels of success. Just because she was an awful human being didn't mean he would be. (Not to her face, at least.)
However, while walking briskly down the hall to his spanish room, he couldn't help but subconsciously glare ahead while thinking on the subject. He was mad at the world. Mad at those kids who he'd just seen shove Kurt into the lockers for the eighth time this week, mad at Figgins for threatening to cut the program, mad at the show choir committee for having these rules, mad at Terri for not being supportive of the club, and most of all mad at Sue for being such a foul excuse for a woman.
Will flicked on the light in his classroom, dropped his bag on his chair and leant forward, pressing his palms flat against the fake woodgrain of his desktop and sighing deeply. He ran a hand dejectedly through his hair as he straightened, staring thoughtfully ahead at the windows across the room. Then he shook his head, now rubbing his temples, and growled, annoyed.
Then he heard a soft knock at the doorframe and he turned, surprised.
It was Rachel, looking slightly embarrassed. The fact that she hadn't just bustled into the room was enough to let him know she'd seen more than she'd expected.
"Hey, Rachel," Will said softly, trying a small smile.
Rachel reflected his smile and looked down at the papers in her hands. "I found a song that I thought the club could do." She held up the stack, showing him the name of the song she'd chosen. It was a big number from some big Gershwin musical that required a very big group to pull off. Yet he felt wrong immediately shutting down her suggestion after what she'd seen, so he told her to pull up a chair so they could talk about the music.
Of course the conversation quickly became rather one-sided. Rachel had clearly thought the song through very well, and Will wouldn't have been able to get many words in edgewise even if he'd wanted to. Instead he found his mind wondering back to the situation he was in, and Rachel's words became a persistent buzzing that barely registered to him.
Then he realized she was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer to a question he hadn't heard. Will sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rachel, could we maybe talk about this a little later? I've got a lot on my mind."
She looked as if she was going to protest for a moment, but then nodded, jaw set. "Sorry to bug you," she said quietly before leaving.
He felt like an ass, but he let that be the least of his worries.
-x-
Will's lack of interest in the music happened to be the least of Rachel's worries as well.
Her morning had gone far less swimmingly than his, and had altogether remained quite awful. She'd already been slushied once, and the blue stains on the front of her pink sweater were still wet and somewhat cold when Quinn cornered her.
"Time for some girl talk, manhands," Quinn sneered, glaring down at Rachel aggressively, "you can sing with Finn, you can dance with Finn, but you will never have Finn."
Of course Rachel had scripted this very moment countless times in her head, and she was ready to throw back a scathing response when Finn passed, greeting Quinn while giving Rachel a lopsided smile.
At this, Quinn's expression darkened and she shot another glare at Rachel before storming off in the opposite direction of her oblivious boyfriend.
Rachel couldn't help but feel a bit giddy, Finn's goofy smile sticking in her mind. They were a dynamic duo, after all, the school would be expecting them to be together.
Well, the school certainly didn't expect it yet. It was just a matter of time. After all, the club was performing at the pep assembly in a few days, and after putting on a fantastic show, Rachel knew no one would be able to deny their vocal chemistry. It was a relationship that simply had to happen.
Yet Rachel couldn't envision her chemistry with Finn becoming evident through disco.
Now Will's lack of interest in I Got Rhythm was a problem. After having the music and choreography for Freak Out explained, it was Kurt who took it upon himself to announce, "This song is really... gay."
Will reminding the group to work on their "John Travolta hands" was also not very promising.
"We took Nationals back in '93 with this song," Will said, a little hurt by the club's clear vehement dislike for the song he had fond memories of. "The disco revival was in its heyday!" Yet, the kids were far less fond of the choice of music. Will chose to look down at the sheet music in his hands while saying, "Listen, guys. If we don't get six more Glee Club members, we won't be able to perform at Regionals." He didn't have the heart to tell the kids about how important Regionals would be quite yet.
He heard Mercedes mutter about the kind of kids they'd be attracting if they sang this song. Finn, standing wide-eyed next to Rachel, said, "I'm dead," with very strong conviction.
Rachel took the opportunity to hopefully prompt, "Mr. Schue, what about the song I'd mentioned earlier?"
"Come on, guys, this is a great song," Will plowed on, all but flat-out ignoring Rachel's suggestion. "From the top, let's go." She crossed her arms and sulked back to her starting position.
Had Will not been so upset by the club's dislike for the song, he would have found their performance actually somewhat humorous. Mercedes and Kurt were openly scowling as they danced, and Artie and Finn were just barely trying to keep up a smiling "show face". Granted, Finn was spending more time staring at his feet than anywhere else, so his expression was somewhat masked. Tina looked horrified that she was doing something wrong. Then of course there was Rachel, beaming dutifully despite her anger that was just visible through the way her jaw was clenched so tight.
Will supposed he could look for some more modern music. He probably should have at least considered Rachel's idea as well, he thought guiltily.
Then he realized, looking at the resolve in her eyes, he would be hearing more about her ideas whether he wanted to or not.
He braced himself when rehearsal ended and Rachel marched up to him, her jaw set determinedly. "Alright, Rachel," he said before she could open her mouth, "tell me all about your idea."
She seemed taken aback for a moment, but she didn't deny the opportunity. She had thought this through. She'd even marked some sheet music detailing who would be singing what and when. (He noticed she would be singing an awful large solo, but didn't quite get a chance to cut in to point that out.) Will had to admit, she'd worked everything out brilliantly, and he could imagine the song sounding very nice despite the small group.
Rachel was just getting on to explaining the dance break when he stopped her. "This sounds fantastic, but how would we ever get all of this done in time for the assembly?" He asked, looking up at her and raising his eyebrows. This made her stop for long enough to let him continue. "We're not bad, but this is a lot of work for a group with such little practice. At least Freak Out is fairly simple, especially dance-wise." Within the first breath of her explanation, Rachel'd already suggested choreography he didn't want to even attempt for fear of hurting someone.
He knew she wouldn't argue with him. Not on this. She especially knew that the club was rusty, after her performing background. "I guess you're right," she admitted, retracting her sheet music. "But please, Mr. Schue, we can't do disco for an assembly of high school cretins." She was pleading with him. "This is the kind of song people play when they're trying to be comical, not when they're trying to attract teenage Glee Club members."
"I'm sorry, but the disco is staying." Will said, meaning to have the final word.
Rachel crossed her arms. He thought she was going to argue, but then she just shook her head and picked up her bag. "See you tomorrow," she said stonily, walking from the room with a tangible air of annoyance.
He would definitely find some more modern music, but for the assembly, the disco was staying, whether they liked it or not.
-x-
So, it was modern music the kids wanted? Fine, then he would give them modern music.
Will had managed to track down some Kanye West song that he'd heard a few times on the radio before. He had to admit he wasn't hugely in touch with modern music beyond the occasional radio station. He did know the more modern showtunes, which he figured might please Rachel, but instead decided to go with the mainstream music route.
And so at practice a few days before the he was handing out sheet music to Gold Digger and was quite pleased with himself. Rachel looked as if she was priming herself for a solo when Will turned to Mercedes and said, "think you can handle it?"
"Wait, Mr. Schue, are we singing this at the assembly?" Artie said, and the kids lit up, looking at him expectantly.
"No, we'll never be able to get this ready in time for the assembly." Every kids' shoulders drooped. "Finn, you'll take the male lead," Will said, pointing at Finn as he did so.
He could see the panic on Finn's face. "What? No. Mr. Schue, I'm still learning how to walk and sing at the same time," Finn said quickly.
Will had sort of been hoping he'd say that. Old-time music buff or not, Will knew he could still handle modern songs. "I guess I'll just have to show you how it's done," Will said challengingly.
This sparked playful jeering from the kids, and Finn grinned. Will shucked off his coat and nodded to Mercedes.
She take my money when I'm in need
Yeah she's a trifling friend indeed
Oh she's a gold digger way over town
That digs on me
And then Will was launching off on a half-rap performance with a few flubbed words and some fancy footwork that he'd learned over the years. He could see a difference in the kids when they were singing like this, excited and lively and non-scripted. Artie stepped up and took over on a stanza Will had forgotten, nailing every note and surprising Will. Mercedes was wailing notes even Rachel had to admit were amazing. Finn had taken up his own goofy dance steps and Tina actually looked like she was having fun, instead of her usual nervous, stiff movements.
Will sort of regretted forcing disco on them, seeing them this happy with this song.
Still, it was too late to do anything about it. He decided to let today's practice be a day to have fun and they spent the rest of it improvising pieces of popular songs. Honestly, it was the most fun he'd had in a long time.
-x-
The day of the assembly rolled around with little fanfare. Most of the students were just looking forward to getting out of the last class of the day. The teachers were grumbling about losing classtime and getting a day behind.
Will was ecstatic to see the club perform after all the work they'd been putting in to Freak Out. In the end, the kids even seemed like they had come to like the song, and hadn't asked him to change it in a while. He was proud of himself for sticking with the disco. Will would introduce the club and they'd be off, singing the song that had earned McKinley a first-place trophy at Nationals so many years ago.
Meanwhile, the kids were excited for a whole other reason.
It was Rachel who'd had the idea to prepare another song in secret. She'd wanted to perform something from Cabaret but the idea was quickly gunned down in favor of Kurt and Mercedes' suggestion.
At first the club wasn't quite sure if they could pull the new song off. It would be hard to rehearse in secret all the time. They managed to put together the choreography and pull together decent vocals within less than a week, thanks to Rachel, who'd let them practice in her basement.
Rachel detested the song but upon realizing just how close she could get to Finn, she realized she didn't mind it much at all. It was very easy to manipulate the choreography to get to him, and she found it was a pretty nice situation despite the lack of solos.
Will had put on something nice to introduce his club to the small stage set up in the gym. After patiently waiting for Figgins to finish his string of announcements, Will stood and smiled widely, catching Sue glaring at him from the back of the room.
"The fact is, the Glee Club needs more members," Will began. "I would try to convince you just how good the club is, but instead, I'll let some friends convince you." The line was cheesy but he gestured excitedly to the stage, clapping for the kids as the curtain opened and he rushed to a seat.
He didn't realize until sitting down that they were not in the starting position he'd showed them.
Then, suddenly, music he hadn't taught the kids began to play, and they were off on a completely different dance than he'd shown them. And then they started to sing.
They were singing Push It.
Will felt his mouth hang open and he actually felt the need to avert his eyes due to the sheer inappropriateness of the number. He searched for Figgins in the crowd, and upon having no success, found himself looking at Sue, who had stood up and was now staring in open-mouthed shock and fury at the stage.
He didn't know what to do except let the number end. There were several seconds of stoney silence as the performance finished, and then the audience erupted. The kids were screaming and cheering, and the teachers looked as shocked as Will.
As the curtains began to close, Will saw Rachel's eyes wildly searching the audience. Then his eyes met her's and he saw her register his anger. Her stage smile slipped.
Will didn't even go to congratulate the club. He went straight to Figgins' office, because he knew he was going to be there soon anyway.
-x-
Rachel waited outside Figgins' office, leaning against the wall nervously. She had volunteered to talk to Will, it seemed appropriate to her since she was the one who'd suggested doing another song. Of course, none of the other kids tried to fight her on this.
When Will walked out immediately following Sue, Rachel quickly said, "Mr. Schue, I'm so sorry."
Will turned on her. "Do you have any idea what you've done today? You lied to me. And no parent in their right mind will ever let their kid join the glee club now." Rachel looked like she was going to interject, but he didn't let her. "Rachel, I know how much you care about Glee Club and I know why you did what you did. But you shouldn't have done it this way."
"We never meant to get you in trouble. Im sorry," she repeated.
"We might not make it to Regionals if we can't get new members." His voice stung. "You all should be sorry."
Rachel didn't know how to vocalize just how sorry she was, so she just nodded, looking down to the floor.
The news that the club may not make it now felt like a physical blow to the Glee kids. Practice was cancelled for the week. Desperate for solace and a chance to sing, Rachel decided to work on furthering her and Finn's currently non-existent relationship. They were a dynamic duo, after all, they were meant to be together.
So a few days later she set the two of them up for a romantic picnic under the stage lights, complete with singing and the best food she manage could put together. She knew that he had some feelings for her, all she would have to do is make the spark. And she figured she could kill two birds with one stone (even though she objected to the phrase, being vegan and all) by working on Finn's singing while also getting closer to him. She missed the regularity of rehearsal that week and felt like helping Finn would make her feel better.
Rachel was waiting for him when he arrived. He came in from the student door at the back of the auditorium. She subtly posed at the piano as he walked onto the stage.
"Hey," Finn said, the corners of his mouth turning up softly. She saw him glancing, confused, at the picnic basket. She hadn't told him there would be food. She thought asking him to go on a picnic would sound too much like a date.
"Hi." Rachel smiled back. "I was thinking we could start with some singing, and we can eat later." She couldn't resist bragging a bit. "I made the food myself."
Finn nodded. Evidently, the picnic wasn't too weird for him.
They busied themselves with singing scales. Rachel had run through one herself just for fun, then began to work through it with Finn. He wasn't a bad singer necessarily, but he needed a lot of practice.
"That's great!" Rachel said as Finn managed to barely hit the higher notes she'd plunked out on the piano. She was shivering the tiniest bit, her nerves twisting in a way she rarely felt. She, Rachel Berry, Gold Star Rachel Berry, was actually nervous. "Now, we should go back and-"
"Actually, can we stop?" Finn asked. Stifling feelings of annoyance at being cut off, she nodded, and he continued, "Singing just makes me hungry."
Rachel smiled, gesturing to the blanket just off center stage. "Well, we're lucky I prepared for that," she said proudly.
Finn nodded his goofy little nod, smiling his goofy little smile. "I guess we are," he said, looking at her with eyes that made her heart beat quickly. She grinned, very gently taking his hand and walking him over to the blanket.
They sat in silence as Rachel pulled various food items from the basket. Her hands were shaking, and only shook harder as Finn spoke. "You know, Rachel," he began, "When I first joined Glee, I thought you were gonna be really... weird." Rachel felt the anxious smile slip and she looked away, not wanting him to see the disappointment. Then, Finn continued, "but then I heard you sing." Rachel met his gaze, blinking, feelings rising in her chest. "Something touched me, right in here," Finn said, pressing a hand to his chest. She smiled, moving his hand to the other side of his pectorals. "Your heart is over here," she explained softly. Finn nodded, saying, "right," as if he meant to do that.
She tried to find something to say. This, to her, was the greatest indicator that something was wrong. She was speechless. Rachel had spent hours writing this perfect script in her head, going over what she would say when he said what she hoped he would. Yet as much as she tried to, she couldn't think of anything that she could truthfully say. The script suddenly seemed wrong. Rachel found herself gazing at her hands, painfully aware of his eyes darting to and away from her face.
Rachel wasn't sure if she was unhappy or not. She really thought that for the first time, after years of struggling to find a boy in high school she could stand, Finn would open up her world, give her the romantic, grand boyfriend she'd always wanted. They were supposed to be together. Desperate to regain the happy, foggy feeling in her chest, she said softly, "You can kiss me if you want."
She didn't know why the feeling didn't return as he said, "I want to."
Finn moved across the blanket, and she slid back, letting him on top of her. She shut her eyes. It felt awkward, wrong, and felt even more wrong as his lips pressed against hers. He pulled away, then kissed her again. She tried to enjoy it, she really did. Everything just felt off.
Suddenly, Finn made a gagging, choking noise and pulled away fast, climbing off of her and standing up. Trying to keep her voice strong, she asked, "Did I do something wrong?" She tried to meet his gaze, but he wouldn't look her in the eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I gotta go," Finn said quickly. "Look, please, don't tell anyone about this." He practically ran off stage, not giving Rachel a second look. She felt her shoulders shake, a sob rising in her chest. She dropped her face into her hands, waiting for the sound of his footsteps to fade before letting herself go. He couldn't even stand her long enough to kiss her. Even Finn couldn't stand her. She sobbed, feeling more alone than she ever had.
-x-
Will pushed the janitor's cart back into the closet, letting out a sigh of relief. He'd finished up early, and now he could get back to Terri at a decent hour so she wouldn't be mad. He locked the closet, then turned and walked back down the hall to his classroom to get his bag. He quickly shoved a few tests and papers inside of it, grabbed his keys, and started for the parking lot. Will paused as he passed the auditorium doors. He'd heard Rachel and Finn would be using it to practice. He decided to stop in and see if they needed help. Honestly, he was also missing the regularity of rehearsal, and even if he was mad at the kids, he sort of missed singing with them. This somehow seemed more appealing than going home, anyway. He pulled open the auditorium door in time to see Finn run off the stage.
Rachel was left sitting alone in the center of the stage. Will wasn't quite sure what the blankets were but quickly realized that the practice may be more private than he had expected. He started to turn around and leave, then saw Rachel cover her face. Will looked back at her. He could only assume the practice hadn't gone as expected. He pursed his lips, leaning against the doorframe. Rachel shook visibly, sobs raking her body.
It wasn't his business and he really should have been getting home to Terri. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave Rachel here alone. Possibly against his better judgement, he found himself walking the distance to the stage.
Rachel hadn't heard him come in. He hung back a bit, standing at the edge of the stage. "Rachel?" He called. He saw her jump, look up at him, then turn away quickly, hiding her face. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She sniffled pitifully.
He walked towards her. "I'm guessing practice didn't go too well." He crouched next to her, and she gave up trying to hide her tear-streaked face.
"Finn's just such an oaf," she muttered, wiping her eyes impatiently. "I was dumb to think he'd fall in love with me." She kept her gaze trained on her hands, unable to look Will in the eyes as she said this.
He reached up and patted her shoulder gently. He couldn't bring himself to point out that he had a girlfriend, because it felt to hypocritical after the way he'd been flirting with Emma. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
Rachel sniffed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping this on you." She stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. "Thank you, though," she said. She gave him a small smile as he stood.
"No problem." He returned the smile. "If you ever need anything, you know we can talk." She nodded, and he went on, "Are you sure you're okay?"
She nodded once more and wiped her eye a final time. "Yes. I'm okay."
"Good." He gave her a small wave. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rachel."
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Schue."
-x-
Rachel's world came crashing down for a second time when she went to see Will early a few days later. She had spent all night printing out new sheet music and looking for ways to sing her solo parts in Don't Stop Believing. She had to stop the videos every time they came to the male soloist's part, but nonetheless, she felt she had made progress and had been extremely excited to run her ideas by Mr. Schue for the night's Glee practice. Instead, she found herself shaking her head in disbelief, the sound of school life outside the room a blur. "You're giving the solo to Quinn?" She asked, unable to process the information. Will nodded, trying his best to ignore the hurt in her eyes. "Since when is Quinn even a member of the Glee Club?"
"I'm sorry, Rachel," He said, finding it easier not to look at her as he spoke. "Quinn's audition was appropriate, and she did it very well."
The way he emphasized appropriate made Rachel know his decision had to do with the assembly. "I'm sorry," Will repeated, feeling guilty. He knew he shouldn't have told her so soon, but he didn't want to tell her at practice. Giving the solo to Quinn would help please Figgins, might help keep Sue off his back, and might convince the three cheerios to stay in the club. They desperately needed the members. Trying to lighten the load on Rachel's shoulders, he said, "Rachel, what happened at the assembly was partly my fault. I shouldn't have pushed disco so hard on you guys." He smiled at her as she slowly looked up at him. He felt as if he were coaxing a scared turtle back out of it's shell. "You know," he said, endeavoring now to erase the hurt in her brown eyes, "when I did this song back in high school, disco was so cool. We based our whole show for Nationals around it. It probably would have been really embarrassing." He felt his own smile widen as a small smile came to her lips. "We had fun, and that is what Glee is supposed to be about." Rachel nodded, her gaze not leaving his at all as he spoke. "You won't always be the star, Rachel. But, I promise to try my best to make sure that you are always having fun," he said, satisfied with the lesson he had managed to fit into his peptalk.
"Thank you, Mr. Schue," Rachel said. She shifted her weight, looking away from him and instead becoming interested in her shoes. "Do you mind if I use the auditorium to practice again today?"
"Of course," Will replied. "Let me know if you want any help." He'd added the last bit on to make her feel better, saying it before he could change his mind about it. "You'd better get going. Class starts soon," he pointed out, holding the door open for her. Rachel walked to the door, quickly turned to him, and said, "Thank you, again," before brushing past him and walking down the hall.
