Alright, the cast list is posted. And I've done all I can think of, so let's get started with the third chapter then, huh? I love criticism, whether it's positive or negative :)
I also like to apologize, I never meant to post this late. Things came up, I constantly second-guessed myself as to how to start, and at times I did get a bit lazy but late's better than never, right?
I can't believe I forgot to mention my tumblr for this story, for those that may not have seen it yet. Links are on my profile where the family/character info can also be found.
Again, as a reminder, I do not own any of the songs that are to be featured in the fanfic, they belong to their rightful owners! I also do not own Glee or anything that's related to Glee.
Glee: The Next Generation
Labor Day had arrived, the Monday before the first day of school for all of the students attending William McKinley High School.
And boy was it a hot one for a day in September...
Meteorologist Steven Hall had warned everyone in Lima, Ohio and the surrounding areas that the 85 degree (in Fahrenheit) weather would break the local temperature records of warm temperature in September since 1967. And the humidity wasn't doing anyone any favors. Luckily, the rare warm front would only last a day.
But that didn't stop one Bree Lipoff from holding her annual back to school Cheerio tryouts. Standing on the 4th from the bottom row of the bleachers, the Cheerios coach had checked a name off of her clipboard for each Cheerio that was present on the field in formation. And all but one member from the twenty-two member roster list had arrived to perform for the newbies on time.
It wasn't like Mackenzie Lynn to be late. It was NEVER like her to be late, but when dealing with the likes of her sister, Avery, she had gotten use to expecting the unexpected.
"If Coach Lipoff kicks me off the squad for being late, I will kill you!" Kenzie hissed, power-walking through the halls as she clenched Avery's left arm, her mother clenching the other. Had Avery not tried to lock herself in the bathroom to avoid Cheerio try-outs, then maybe it would have been another situation.
Avery laughed at the weak threat. "Please, like Little Miss Overachiever would taint her golden reputation."
"Sale knows a guy, who knows a guy that can make it look like an accident or a suicide." Kenzie said, referencing her best-friend, Salem Hummel-Anderson, who was probably sitting at home in Westerville, plotting her next rebellious scheme during her last week of summer. If you wanted to get away with murder, or any other rebellious activity that wasn't as criminal, Salem was your girl to go to.
"You need new friends," Kitty blatantly put, "and you need more female friends!" She then directed toward the youngest blonde as the three finally marched out of the building and onto the field.
"Has anyone seen Mack-"
"Present, Coach Lipoff!" She ran to the field where the rest of the her teammates were, while Kitty dragged Avery to sit with the rest of the students who were also dressed in the school's P.E uniform: a red shirt that had "McKINLEY PHYS ED" written in white on the front and black mesh shorts.
"You're lucky you're one of my best Cheerios, Lynn. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been as generous to not kick you off on one of the most important practice dates of the year." Bree lectured, after checking off the rising junior's name while she looked down at the ground in shame.
"My daughter, however crazy she may be, is involved with six extra curricular activities, three of those being captain of the varsity soccer team, the junior class president, and one of the co-captains of this very squad, and yet so far, with the exception of today, she manages to arrive on time to every single one of your slave-driven practice sessions!" Kitty said as she folded her arms while approaching the woman. Meanwhile, Kenzie only rolled her eyes at another one of her mother's rants.
"I can't give your daughter special treatment, not even my son gets special treatment! I treat them all the same, despite their talent or lack thereof. I don't have favorites."
"On or off the field?" Kitty thought she mumbled only to herself, only to have Bree practically send daggers in her direction.
"Anyway," Bree initiated to get back on topic, "here's our newest routine yet. This is what I'll be expecting of you if you want to be a Cheerio. Track one!"
With a nod to verify he understood the request, Bree's youngest son, Bryce, had gotten the music started for the Cheerios.
"And so, it begins." Bryce spoke onto his fully charged camcorder, before turning it to face the cheerleading squad again. Throughout the speakers on the football field, a mashup of One Direction's cover of "One Way or Another" and "Pom Poms" by Jonas Brothers served as the background music for the routine.
One way or another I'm gonna find you
I'm gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha
One day, maybe next week
I'm gonna meet ya, I'm gonna meet ya, I'll meet ya
"5, 6, 7, 8!"
Immediately after Bree's countdown, the Cheerios had lifted their heads and began the intense routine in almost perfect unison. An even formation for a group of twenty-two wasn't easy to form, despite the even number of Cheerios, but Bree made it possible by having the cheerleaders in her own version of the simple bowling pin formation.
Yeah they come from miles away
Just to see how you get down
Feels like an earthquake
Every time you come around
Front and center of the rows of lined-up Cheerios were none other than their new co-captains: Veronica Pierce-Lopez, who gave it her all with a smile as she occasionally mouthed the lyrics, and of course, Kenzie on Veronica's left who mimicked, mirrored, and kept up, being more than capable to hold her own as well.
Behind them, many were following the same dance movements while four of the guys cartwheeled and back-flipped all over the place. The intense cheer squad even echoed after the football field speakers, as cued.
(The Cheerios)
You hear 'em saying yeah (yeah)
Every time feels like a revival (glory)
So get up, right now
We're coming for the title
Finally, the four guys had stopped flipping around everywhere and joined the rest of the group with a few quick lifts while most of the other girls were still dancing on the ground on their knees. Most of the students on the bleachers either looked amazed, intimidated, or a combination of both. Avery, on the other hand, looked rather bored.
I will drive past your house
And if the lights are all down
I'll see who's around
"Don't drop her again, Gav!" The Cheerios Coach yelled out. Soon, all the girls were up in the air with their respective guy partners using their hands as chairs for the girls to sit in while they executed rather basic cheer motions such as the "V" and the "T" to the beat of the chorus, ironically, without any pom poms.
(One way or another) More to love when your hands are free
Baby put your pom poms down for me (Okay!)
Come on shake it up 1-2-3
Baby put your pom poms down for me (I'll getcha, I'll getcha)
The 6'1 dreadlocked male that everyone knew to be Gavin Lipoff successful caught Veronica this time around, the other Cheerio pairs behind them repeating the same motion slowly.
The choreography continued to look challenging for those who were trying out once everyone was on the ground, however, the cheerleaders still managed to put wear their best game face while they managed to "shake what their mamas gave 'em".
"That looks so hard!" One of the girls sitting behind Avery complained, nervously staring down the squad.
"And so fucking hot!"
The girl sitting beside Avery then turned around and shot the girl behind Avery a wink with one of her pretty blue eyes that popped against her smoky eye makeup. Clearly disgusted, her face cringed as she ran off the football field, yelling "Ew" as if she had walked in on her parents bumping uglies. The fellow blonde beside Avery then laughed as a few of her friends glared her down. Avery couldn't help but to join in, unaware of her mother's eye-like-daggers stare from above the bleachers.
One way or another I'm gonna see you
I'm gonna meet ya, meet ya, meet ya, meet ya
Another girl sitting diagonally opposite of Avery tapped on her shoulder then leaned in so Avery could hear her. "Wow, your sister's good! Think you can compete?"
Avery sighed as she watched her older sister give her all to the routine. The look in her emerald green eyes, the genuine smile on her face, her overall confident aura as she stuck the cartwheel landing she performed with Veronica. Kenzie definitely loved being a Cheerio and clearly earned her shared co-captaincy.
"Yeah." Avery finally answered, without bothering to turn around.
She wasn't lying; both of the Lynn girls were able to dance their asses off, thanks to Kitty. And she had no doubt that she'd be able to keep up with the cheerleaders, it was whether or not she wanted to do.
Come on shake it up 5-4-3
Baby put your pom poms down for me (I'll getcha, I'll getcha)
The twenty-two cheerleaders then divided into two groups of eleven, the girls on their coach's left and the guys on her right.
Ladies to the left, fellas to the right (1-2-3-4)
Veronica and Kenzie still stood in the front, leading the group of girls, as did another cheerleader who stood between the two, named Sophie Chang. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that she was a great dancer, considering that her father was THE Mike Chang, owner of Bella's Ballet Academy who taught one special guest lesson a year at Gold Star Academy.
The vocals on the track had been muted while the Cheerios were out on the field singing and dancing, a suggestion made by Veronica.
Female Cheerios (Male Cheerios):
If you wanna see me put my pom poms down (Na, na, na, na, na, na)
Then sing it to me baby (Na, na, na, na, na, na)
Sing it right now! (Na, na, na, na, na, na)
Meanwhile, Gav and two others lead the guys while it was their turn to dance while the girls kneel on the floor that time around.
Male Cheerios:
Na na na na na na,
Na na na na na na na na,
Yeah yeah
During the short instrumental, both of the groups had regrouped quickly in the middle.
Then, somehow as the music underwent a key change, the routine intensified with more complicated dance moves and stunts from those four guys and two other girls in the back.
"I'm out!" One of the girls behind Avery exclaimed, realizing just how difficult it was to be a Cheerio. A few other girls and a few guys followed behind her, clearly intimidated.
(One way or another) More to love when your hands are free
Baby put your pom poms down for me
Come on shake it up 1-2-3
Baby put your pom poms down for me (I'll getcha, I'll getcha)
One way or another I'm gonna see you
I'm gonna meet you, meet you, meet you, meet you
Come on shake it up 5-4-3
Baby put your pom poms down for me (I'll getcha, I'll getcha)
The routine ended with a pyramid. Veronica, Sophie, and Kenzie were all lifted into the air with right hand on their hips and their left hand pumped into the air as a fist. A few other Cheerios on the ground were kneeling with both of their fists in the air, awaiting for their coach's response and critic while the remaining potential Cheerios had given a standing ovation.
Or at least most did, while Avery and the blonde beside her looked at each other and shared another laugh.
Bryce, meanwhile, turned the camcorder back around to face him. "The Cheerios are starting off strong this school year. They're the shoe-ins for Nationals this year, no doubt about it! And it's all thanks to the beautiful and lovely, Coach Bree Lipoff and co-captains Veronica Pierce-Lopez and Mackenzie Lynn."
"Mediocre!" Bree yelled, without the use of her megaphone. "If you guys weren't so busy singing and lip-synching, maybe your timing would have been better. Are you guys even trying? Because I can't tell from here!"
"Are you kidding? That routine was 'flawless'," Kitty disagreed, then sang-song the word "flawless" as sung by Beyoncé, "though the music choice was...decent."
"And Chang, turn the frown upside down! The judges stop judging once every last cheerleader is off the mat, and your little eye-roll could have cost us Nationals. That'll be fifteen more laps to add today. You may be seated."
Everyone knew better than to sigh in resentment. With the exception of Veronica, Sophie, and Kenzie, the Cheerios were headed the bleachers while Bree took a seat at the table where Bryce was seated. The only reason Bryce was allowed here was to video tape the tryouts, in exchange of video taping the rest of the experience for his own blog, the Lima Gazette. The three girls also joined their coach and her son at the table to evaluate those who were trying out.
"Let's just get this over with." Bree muttered, getting her notepad and pen ready. "I'll be calling you all randomly. When I call your name, you're gonna complete a simple cheer for us. If I say sit, you sit on the same side on the bleachers with the Cheerios and you made it to the second part of the try-outs. Leave means leave, it's that simple. First up, Avery Lynn."
Avery reluctantly marched in front of Bree, Bryce, and the three Cheerios. Her mother's cheers from the bleachers weren't helping either.
"Don't think you'll make the squad because your sister's a co-captain." Bree said, clicking her black pen.
"I didn't." Avery reassured.
While shaking her hands and arms and stretching to loosen up, Avery noticed that Kenzie looked worried, while Kitty glared anxiously down at her. There was no turning back now.
"Ready? Okay!" Avery initiated, while looking up and clapping her hand once, a smile plastered on her face. "Yell for the Titans, we can't be beat! So you better watch out, we'll knock you off your feet! Go Titans! Woo!"
Avery's tryout chant ended with a high-kick and then a back-flip. Her hands rested on her hips while waiting for a response. For someone who didn't want to try-out, Avery was great and full of energy.
"Decent high-kick and enthusiasm. Your timing's slightly off, and the landing could have been better. Sit." Bree pointed behind the bleachers with her thumb on the side where the Cheerios were sitting.
Avery sighed in relief, before waving up at her mother who nodded proudly. Kenzie couldn't help but to smile either.
"Watch out, she could take your place." Veronica teased playfully while Bree continued to take notes.
"Or your place." Kenzie replied, before the two poked their tongues out at each other as if they were kindergartners.
"Charlotte Romero!"
The blonde that was sitting beside Avery smiled as she was called, approaching the group of five quickly to get this over with, quickly stretching to humor everyone else. Had it not been for her mother, she wouldn't have been here in the first place.
"Romero?" Veronica said to herself, eyeing the 5'8 girl down.
"What?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. You just seem familiar. Did you just move here?"
"Yeah, I-"
"Can you both hush it so we can get this over with? You'll have time to make friends and gossip tomorrow." Bree demanded.
"Whatever." Charlotte sighed. "Go team go. Yay."
Charlotte hardly moved two steps for her chant. Everyone could tell she didn't want to be there just by the bored look in her eye. And if that wasn't a dead give away, her monotone voice during the chant definitely was.
What wiped the cheerleaders and its hopefuls' furrowed looks off of their faces was the herkie jump that Charlotte attempted sarcastically.
"I've seen infants come up with a better chant and rocks with better moves than that. You didn't even attempt to smile."
"Bummer." Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. Avery had to bite the inside of her lip to retain herself.
"However, you managed to execute a nice herkie. Could you demonstrate it again?"
"What's a herkie?"
"Just jump like you did earlier!" Bree said, clearly annoyed.
Without missing a beat Charlotte suddenly jumped again, her right leg kicked forward and her left kicked back and under, forming an acute angel. After executing the powerful jump, she managed to stick the landing effortlessly yet again.
"Sit."
"What?" Veronica, Kenzie, Sophie, and Charlotte asked in unison.
"She may be as lifeless as a corpse and as stiff as a board but she could make a good stunt girl or flyer. Now sit!" Bree made final to the four. Shocked, with her eyes practically popping out of her head, Charlotte went to join Avery on the bleachers.
"Damn it." Charlotte said under her breath.
"Anabelle Castle."
"It's actually pronounced Kuh-sell." Anabelle Cassel corrected with a slight French accent and a confident smile as she approached the group of five. Avery was surprised to see who the face was behind the girl that asked if she was able to compete earlier. Her cold ice blue eyes popped somewhat harshly against her fair brown skin, and she looked pretty fit as if she was a dancer herself.
"Woah! You're trying out for the Cheerios?" Bryce asked, taking his focus off the camera and onto the girl in front of him.
"Yeah. What, a girl can't have interests?"
"I'm just saying, you don't see many Cheerios that are in newspaper and photography club." Bryce remembered from the open-house, after seeing her at both stands when he too signed up for both of those clubs himself.
"Are you new here too? You look familiar." Kenzie spoke up this time.
"Uh, yeah. First time in Ohio, actually!" She verified, scratching the back of her long dark brown hair.
"Last warning." Bree blurted out.
"Anyway, here's my cheer."
Anabelle stretched shortly as well, then dove right into her cheer.
"Watch out! We're here! And ready to cheer! The black, red, and white are ready to fight! Yell black, red, and white! Fight Titans fight! Black, red, and white! Fight Titans fight! Go McKinley!"
Anabelle looked like a Cheerio in a gym uniform. Every clap, step, and cheer motion were presented as if Anabelle was cheering on the sidelines of an actually football game. And for a new girl, that was pretty impressive. Not to mention the finishing split.
"Nice!" Bryce commented, a comment that had his mother and Sophie pinch his ears for staring at the girl a bit too hard. "Ow, okay!"
"Forget what I said about Avery, that girl knocked it out of the park." Veronica whispered to Kenzie, who watched Anabelle await for her critique speechlessly. And Kenzie wasn't the only one. Everyone that was planning on trying out were clearly worried for their chances, murmuring to themselves and others. Even Kitty was nervous for both Kenzie and Avery.
"Sit." Bree finally spoke, before quietly taking notes.
"Enter the McKinley Titans, who look rather strapping and fine as hell in their gym uniforms today, ladies." Veronica introduced as a flock of guys had came out of the locker rooms after pumping it up in the weight room. Meanwhile, with the group of kids who managed to catch Bree's eye and approval, she decided to split the group in two. All that was left first group were just starting to relax and take a break while the second group were just starting their warm-ups. The Cheerios were told to stand by and stay put after Bree made her cuts for the second time.
"Is Coach Lipoff always such a tyrant?" Avery panted as she approached her sister and her friends, slouching down on the bleachers.
"Not always." Sophie answered, though with a bit of doubt.
"You think she's tough? You should see how her husband coaches the guys." Kenzie pointed at the adult with a whistle and a clipboard.
Every year, everyone on the football team had to try-out again. That was just how Coach Phil Lipoff operated. Most of the guys didn't mind, seeing as how they were use to it by now and most of the guys still had their original positions from the previous year. That didn't mean Phil wasn't hard on the guys though.
Avery managed to spot one familiar face and waved for his attention. "Good luck, Ryan!"
The brunette male turned hearing his name called and approached the bleachers, looking up to Avery, Kenzie, Veronica, and Sophie. "Thanks, but I don't need luck. Not with these guns."
"Oh, your toy guns?" Avery said with a laugh, with Veronica and Sophie giggling along while Kenzie shook her head at the immature comeback.
"Haha, Avery." Ryan replied.
"If you're anything like your brother, I'm sure you'll make the team!" Sophie encouraged with an optimistic smile.
"Yeah, thanks." Ryan responded, glancing down at the field below him for a moment.
"Ryan, hurry up!" A friend of Ryan's called after from the other side of the field. Though he was a year older than Ryan, he stood a few inches shorter compared to the freshman, who was 5'8.
"Luke, shut up, I'm coming!" He yelled back. "Alright, see ya tomorrow, Avery."
"Bye Ryan!" Avery called out again as Ryan had already turned around and jogged toward the sophomore.
"Someone's got a thing for the Puckerman boy, I see." Veronica turned to the freshman girl.
"No!" Avery quickly answered. "We're just best friends, we've been best friends since the first grade."
"Oh please, that doesn't mean anything! My moms were best friends before they started going at it like rabbits."
"Ronnie!" Kenzie said in an almost motherly tone, letting her know the conversation was going a bit too far.
"What? She's in high-school already! I'm pretty sure she knows all about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and all of the STDs involved. Right?" Veronica asked, to which Avery confirmed with a head nod. "See?"
"We're friends and nothing more."
"I don't know, there is a lot of statistics on friends marrying each other. Like did you know that by the time you turn sixteen, there's an eighty percent chance you've already met the person you're going to marry? Just look at our parents alone!" Sophie rambled on.
"I'm still fourteen, I've got two years left! We're friends and that's it!" Avery reassured again.
"Girlfriend wished you good luck?" Luke teased playfully as the guys stood in a single file line facing the bleachers and the coach, who was preoccupied with whatever was on his clipboard while pacing back and forth.
"And that's why I'm not telling you what Sophie told me." Ryan stated as he waved over at the four girls he had just left, who all waved back to his convenience.
"Sophie said something about me?" Luke immediately assumed, his blue eyes popped out of his head.
"I don't know, maybe I should ask my girlfriend..."
"C'mon, you know I was just playing and you know how I feel about Sophie!" Luke said, hushed.
"She said if you're anything like your brother, she's sure you'd make the team."
"Real...wait, I don't have a brother."
"That's because she was talking about me."
On Ryan's right stood Bryce, who snickered to himself until he met the glare of the freshman and sophomore friend duo once they realized he was eavesdropping onto their conversation.
"Careful Ryan, Snoopy's here. We wouldn't want our personal information leaked to everyone in the Lima, Ohio area!" Luke turned to Ryan as he placed his arm over the boy's shoulder and leaned a bit on him.
"Really? Damn," Ryan played along, "guess it just comes to show that some people just can't mind their own damn business." He then directed to Bryce in a much more serious tone and facial expression.
"Relax, I won't tell anyone." Bryce verified. "And besides, The Lima Gazette has a policy for posting things without any tangible evidence anyway. It was only hear-say." He mumbled the rest, mainly to himself.
"Shouldn't you be off interviewing the Chess Club or something?" Luke asked mockingly.
"Not until their first after-school meeting. If you must know, Hudson and Puckerman, I'm trying out for the team."
"You're joking, right?"
"No, Ryan, I'm not." Bryce answered. "If I can make at least second string, that'll land me a free VIP and all kinds of exclusive interviews with everyone on the team and everyone we're up against."
"That's actually...not a bad idea." Luke admitted hesitantly. "But your dad doesn't let many freshmen on the varsity team; I would know, I was one of the few last year."
"Relax, it's not any different from what we've been doing with Mr. Hudson in the summer." The three underclassmen turned their heads to confirm that the piece of advice came from the eldest Puckerman son that approached the boys, Alexander Puckerman. "You'll make the team."
"Only because your brother's the Quarterback." Caleb chimed in, who slumped and leaned on Ryan's other shoulder.
"You're one to talk, considering that last year was the first year you made varsity." Bryce shot back.
"So? Most of the guys on varsity were recruited in their sophomore year."
"Yes, but most of the guys on varsity also got their desired positions. But I guess you wouldn't know what that's like, would you?" Bryce continued, getting both Luke and Ryan to laugh and Xander to suck in his lips to refrain from doing so.
"I thought you'd never show up!"
After Caleb sighed in resentment, and before he could attempt to walk way, the five guys all saw Phil approach another student that they hadn't recognized at all. His blond hair was more of a bleached blond compared to Xander's golden locks. And he was definitely taller than the three underclassmen.
"Hot new guy alert!" Veronica announced as the group of girls continue to watch the guys, or rather, the new kid on the block. Sophie and Kenzie nodded in agreement with their teammate while Avery had more of a furrowed look on her face. He was cute at the least in Avery's eyes, but the way he carried himself just didn't sit right with her.
"I'm sorry for being late, I'm still not use to the time-zone difference." The boy surprised everyone with a British accent as he shook the coach's hand.
"Better late than never, but it better not happen again." Phil warned lightly.
"Your dad's never that nice to newcomers, what gives?" Caleb asked quietly, to which Bryce only answered with a shrug.
"Do you guys not understand what a single file line is?" Phil then turned to the group of five, who immediately straightened up before he could get angry. "For those who were wondering, this is Henry Mcflee, he just moved to Lima from the Big Ben yesterday. He will be trying out like the rest of you, and could very well be a player on this team, so watch out and give him a McKinley welcome."
The guys clapped, though halfheartedly, as Henry made room for himself between Caleb and Ryan, who didn't seem to mind.
"Alright, today we'll start with-" Phil began flipping through the papers on his clipboard before groaning. "I left it on my desk. Wait here until I get back." He ordered as he was already on his way.
"So why'd you move to Lima of all places?" Ryan asked.
"Why does it matter to you, twit?" Henry responded, receiving a high-five from Caleb.
"I was only trying to be nice." Ryan informed, something that was constantly told to him from both his parents and Xander himself.
"Nice? I'm your competition. If we're both trying out for the same position, only one of us can have it so there's no point in trying to be friendly."
"I'd still smoke you anyway. Your version of football involves a black and white spotted ball and your feet. A chump sport, really." Ryan fired back, receiving his high-five from Luke.
"You have a point. American Football isn't as big in England as it is here in the Colonies," Henry agreed to, "but even then, I'd still show you up, mate."
Most of the guys, and even most of the Cheerios that watched, jumped at the piercing sound of Phil's whistle to get his team's attention. "Alright, boys, let's get started!"
Soon after, all of the guys were drenched in sweat from all of the drills that Phil had set up. There were ten drill stations set up and after two minutes, Phil blew the whistle to signal the students to change stations in a clockwise fashion. The potential football team was broken into groups of five or six based on where they stood in the line, leaving Luke, Caleb, Bryce, Ryan, and Henry to all be grouped together.
Henry proved himself to be a worthy future member of the team as he went through the drills without breaking a sweat, and with the look on Phil's face so far, he had his approval. And though Ryan was athletic also, Henry had managed to best him in most of the drills the two had completed together thus far.
Another sharp whistle was blown. "One minute break!"
Both Henry and Ryan took a quick breather as they stood in front of the tires lain on the field, stretching before the coach could blow his whistle again.
"What are you trying out for anyway?"
"Wide receiver, why?" Ryan let out while panting as he rested his hands on his knees, bending over. Immediately, the freshman shot up once Phil blew the whistle again.
Ryan and Henry were neck and neck as they began to quickly step in and out of the tires.
"Because now I know what position I'm stealing from you, lad." Henry answered midway through the trail of tires, only to mess with Ryan. Doing so successfully, Ryan fell face first into the next tire in front of him as Henry progressed to the end.
Before he could attempt to get up on his own, Luke manage to grab his friend and dragged him to the end before Caleb could trample him as he were merely inches behind the defeated freshman.
"You alright?" Henry asked with a smug grin.
"Fine, really." Ryan answered, though the glare toward the sophomore said otherwise.
This was going to be a long day.
Like every year, September 5th crept up on all the students who were attending William McKinley High School. Three months of staying up late, sleeping in, tanning, and just chilling out under the hot summer sun and doing whatever you wanted to do all went by in a blink of eye.
That Tuesday, Carla Hudson was disruptively awaken by a yell that only one woman had the nerve to wake everyone up at 5:45 a.m. Who needed an alarm clock?
"Carly, rise and shine! It's the first day of your junior year!" Her mother felt the need to remind her as she walked into her daughter's room.
"Mom, school doesn't start until 8:50. Like every year." Carly said, with her eyes still closed as she continued to lay on her side.
"And what better way to start prepping for the day than to start it early? Studies have shown that early risers are more proactive and optimistic. And besides, the early bird gets the worm." Rachel continued as she approached her daughter's bed.
"But the second mouse gets the cheese."
"Carly, you're already up-"
"No, I'm not-"
"Carly!"
"Fine." Carly reluctantly shot up her torso, her brown eyes glaring right at her mother. "I might as well be use to it."
But then again, who could get use to waking up at quarter til six every weekday?
"That's the spirit!" Rachel smiled brightly. "Breakfast will be ready in a few. I'll go check Ryan and Luke."
"Ugh, Ryan's still here?"
The boys were practically inseparable and each other's families acted like their second. Finn was definitely a big help for Ryan while his dad was overseas, and Luke felt at ease with Xander around and really seemed to look up to him too.
"He didn't want to go home to tell his mom that he made second string while Xander's still the starting Quarterback."
"That's why he was PMSing?" Carly asked quietly with a guilty smile.
"Don't you say anything!"
"Okay." Carly agreed after sighing, getting up out of bed to stretch for a bit before she headed downstairs.
"Can you also drive him to school?" Rachel yelled from Carly's room.
"There's barely any room in the truck for us three and our stuff!" Carly said as she appeared right at her doorway.
"Can't he ride in the bed?"
"Yeah, if I'm driving under 25 miles an hour! He's only fourteen!"
"Then you better be careful." Finn yelled from the kitchen, only to get Rachel laughing while Carly shook her head no.
Marching down the stairs to actually make it to the dining area, Carly was later accompanied by both Ryan and Luke as they made their way to the table.
"Lucky! She never lets me ride in the back!"
"Riding in the bed of Carly Hudson's truck. My reputation'll be over before I walk in the building." Ryan teased, receiving a high-five from Luke and a disapproving glare from Luke's dad.
"You don't even have a reputation to maintain, second string." Carly smiled smugly as she witnessed the priceless look on both Ryan's and Luke's faces.
"Carly!" Rachel called out from the staircase.
"He asked for it." Carly shrugged, her mouth partially full of the scrambled eggs served on her plate.
"And besides, popularity isn't everything." After Finn said those five words, everything fell silent as the three kids all sent their disbelieving glares toward the adult male. "What?"
"Easy for you to say, Mr. Quarterback. People want to be liked, it's human nature." Carly admitted.
"But what would you know about human nature?" Luke teased with a smug grin. "Ow!" He called out, after getting kicked in the leg.
"Sorry, I was stretching." Carly batted her eyes and mockingly pouted her lips.
"I need to stretch too!" Luke said with an angry glare.
"Hey!" Finn finally put to halt, pointing at both of his children before any more shots were fired...or kicked.
"Did my mom drop my stuff off?"
"Yeah, it's on the sofa." Rachel replied as she arrived at the table. "What time is it? I don't wanna be late, especially on the first day."
"5:47. We still have plenty of time before we have to go in." Finn reassured.
"The staff wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I'm not the first one there."
"Well maybe if you didn't brag about it all time."
"What?"
"Nothing." Finn said into his glass of orange juice, while Carly, Luke, and Ryan giggled and chuckled to themselves.
"I don't think this skirt is very...school appropriate." Beth examined in the bathroom of the guest room, sliding her hands down the pencil skirt. "What do you think, Mimi? Does this say teacher's assistant or college grad whore?"
Beth's cousin, Miriam Puckerman, sat idly on the guest room bed, helping Beth out on her first day on the job as her mother's teaching assistant. In return, Beth promised to help Mimi for her first day as a high-school student at William McKinley.
Mimi squinted at the young adult. "You're not wearing leggings, are you?"
"No."
"College grad whore." Mimi said with a laugh that got Beth to join in too.
"You're right, I should've stuck with the slacks." Beth grabbed the dark gray pants that went well with the lighter gray cardigan and walked inside the bathroom to change.
"Mom said breakfast is ready." Mimi's older brother, Elias, had announced as he walked inside the guest room. "Where's-"
"In the bathroom." Mimi pointed at the closed door.
"Beth, Mom wants us to leave around 8! How long is this going to take?"
"Relax, Eli, I'm dressed." Beth opened the door to reveal her full ensemble. A white long sleeve blouse under her cardigan and tucked into her pants, with black leather flats that had piano keys designed on the toes. "How do I look?"
"Okay?"
"I see why you picked me to help you." Mimi winked her right brown eye, receiving a giggling reaction from Beth.
"Blind jokes are not funny." Beth tried to convince herself and Mimi, though the grins on their faces didn't buy it.
"It wouldn't be funny if it were someone else talking about you." Eli explained to his younger sister, who didn't exactly agree with her sense of humor.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not blind." She again winked her right eye with her pretty smile. And technically, Mimi was right, she wasn't completely blind. Her eyesight in her right eye was 20/300, meaning what the average person can see at 300 feet away, she would have to be 20 feet away from it to see it just as clearly. Her left eye was as blind as a bat however.
"Breakfast's getting cold!" Marley announced from the kitchen.
That was Mimi's, Eli's, and Beth's cue to head downstairs.
The trio made it to the table as Marley quickly set the plates and sat down with her family.
"Uncle Jake left already?"
"He had to be in by 6:50." Marley answered.
"That's my sister for you."
"Are your excited for your first day of high-school?" Marley then directed toward her daughter with a bright, optimistic smile.
"Very excited!"
"You're not missing out on anything, trust me." Eli advised with his mouth full. Beth then playfully hit her cousin on his shoulder. Chewing and swallowing most of what was in his mouth, Eli stuck his tongue out while a bit of chewed grits stuck. "Happy?"
"Ew!" Beth called out, cringing as Eli started closing in. Once he caught his mother's glance, the junior had gone back to eating his breakfast silently.
"This is the first time Avery and I have gone to the same school together since kindergarten. I can't wait!"
Avery had only one true female friend, a best friend actually. And that girl was Mimi Puckerman. Seeing as their parents were so close, it wasn't a shocker to see the girls click so well, despite their very different personalities. Sometimes opposites just attract.
"Have any classes together?" Beth asked next.
"Three! Algebra, English, and I convinced her to take Chorus with me. Plus, she's in my homeroom!"
"Three out of six ain't bad." Eli gave Mimi a high-five across the table, after swallowing down his last piece of bacon. "Didn't she join the Cheerios?"
"Yeah, her mom made her. She thinks she needs more female friends."
"Ah, Kitty Lynn." Marley said with a heartfelt laugh, dumping off her plate in the kitchen sink. "Oh, and Mimi, I've packed your lunch, packed your bags, and made four copies of the school map in case you lost out there today!" Marley showcased, lifting up said items from the counter (and her bag from the floor) in order.
"Uh-"
"Mom, I think Mimi will be fine on her own." Eli chimed in as he witnessed the nervous smile curl on his sister's lips. "Plus she's got me, Avery, Beth, Xander, Ryan, Kenzie even-"
"Nothing wrong with a little preparation." Marley interrupted as she cleaned the stove area while Eli mouthed "sorry" to Mimi, who smiled at him in return. "C'mon guys, it's almost ten til!"
"And we've got to get you dressed!" Beth quickly grabbed the visually impaired girl and hauled her up the stairs to her room once she realized they were both finished (or close to it at least).
"You weren't going under 25!" Ryan yelled as Carly had pulled into the seeming packed student parking lot. And to think that if the three hadn't fought over who got the hallway bathroom first, they'd already be in the main school building.
"Does he ever shut up or is he always this obnoxious?"
"Eh, he's not that bad." Luke shrugged with a chuckle.
"Yeah, compared to Satan." Carly mumbled as she took a right to find a parking space. Taking a second look around, Carly drove in to the next parking spot that caught her eye that time around, somehow managing to squeeze her truck in between two cars.
"Nice board by the way." Ryan hopped out of the back with Carly's skateboard. "May I?"
Carly locked the doors to her light blue truck. "Don't break it."
"No promises!" He yelled as he was off, rolling around the parking lot and dodging every car and person that came in sight. Or at least attempted to as he successfully missed all of the cars but occasionally bumped into the students who were either on their way inside or catching up with their friends as they hung out by their cars.
"Alright, Ryan, that's enough!" Carly yelled, as she was as agitated as the other students he rammed into.
"Luke, go long!"
Ryan tossed the junior's skateboard like a football. Going deep and running to the back of the parking lot, Luke caught it successfully with his right hand.
Carly hid her face behind her right head. "Oh God."
"That's second string for you!" Ryan laughed before walking inside the school building.
Carly sighed as she approached Luke. "Luke, could you just please pass it here?"
"I would," Luke began with a smirk that didn't settle well with Carly, "but I have to stretch."
Luke immediately placed the skateboard on the ground and kicked it under the cars on the opposite side of the parking lot. "See ya, sis." He patted Carly on the back.
"See ya, bro." Carly replied, slapping the back of Luke's head. Luke laughed as he watched Carly fetch her skateboard, who was clearly fed up with his crap. Siblings would be siblings, right?
Her skateboard continued to roll into another empty parking lot that was soon to be occupied by another vehicle. Carly stood in front of the white Mazda 3 and waited for the driver to get out.
"Oh, I'm sorry, is there a problem?" Anabelle asked, sticking her head out of the car.
"My ass of a brother kicked my skateboard under your car."
"Siblings sound like fun." Anabelle said with a giggle.
"You don't want any, trust me."
Turning the key in the ignition and placing the car in reverse, she slowly backed up her car until Carly could retrieve it. "Thanks."
"No problem."
"You new here?" Carly asked once Anabelle stepped out of the car.
"First time in Ohio, I'm Anabelle." She greeted happily.
"Carly." She accepted the handshake with a smile. "Need any help getting around?"
"Actually, I couldn't find my locker yesterday for the life of me."
"Cool, I'll help. Let me just put this back."
Watching both Carly and Anabelle as they headed for Carly's truck, Grayson Pierce-Lopez had just arrived in the student parking lot via shot gun of Veronica's car; their other sister, Desiree, was stuck sitting reluctantly in the back while she was on the phone getting an earful from Santana.
"Who's that?" Gray nudged his head in the female duo's direction as they were headed to the school building.
"Carly Hudson? We've only known her for our whole lives since our parents are friends, despite the occasional comments about Carly's mom from Mami." Veronica answered as they all got out of Veronica's black Volkswagen EOS. "And you're supposed to be the smart one."
"No, not Carly. The Cheerio she was with!"
"Oh! I don't remember. But I think it's French for...'off limits'?" Veronica smiled with a wink as the three were on their way inside as well. Gray sighed. "You know the rules, Gray, you can't date any of my girls on the squad."
"That's never stopped me before." Gray said with his smugly crooked grin.
"And that's never stopped them from taking it out on me when you leave 'em heartbroken. I can't get them ready for Nationals this year if their head is too occupied with your crouch and not in the game."
"What interesting and modern love triangle you caught yourselves in." Rae surprised her siblings from behind as they all stopped to witness. "That is, if you can even call it love."
"What?"
"You think the new girl's hot too! It was pretty obvious when I saw you staring at her." Rae answered her sister. "I don't blame you though, I'd hit it."
"Well, I did see her first..." Veronica said in a singsongy tone.
"PUT THE PHONE ON SPEAKER!" Santana yelled into Rae's right ear, causing both of her biological kids to flinch while Rae just rolled her blue-gray eyes. "Instead of getting all hot and bothered for the new girl in town and debating on who gets to bang her first, how about you two make sure that your sister auditions for Glee today?"
"You're auditioning for Glee Club?" Veronica and Gray asked, their eyes popped out of their head like a cartoon.
Both Veronica and Gray were only two of the six members of the idle Glee Club under Marley Puckerman's direction since Gavin left in his freshman year. Veronica loved the stories that their moms had told about their glory high-school days and how it had made them to who they were today.
Meanwhile, Gray saw it as an opportunity to boost his GPA while attracting the ladies. Who doesn't love a good-looking guy that sings?
"Well I'm not joining the Cheerios."
"Record it then send it to me. I'll see you when you get home!" Santana demanded, her voice dripping in annoyance. "I love you all, have a good day school. Keep it all in your pants and skirts. Bye."
"Bye Mami!" Veronica yelled before Rae could hang up. "Mind telling us what you did now that you're in a talking mood? Mami was furious!"
"It wasn't that bad."
"She was yelling in Spanish, Des." Gray reminded.
"And she only ever does that when she's in court or if you fucked up. And obviously, you fucked up." Veronica continued to her younger sister.
"Let's just say Mother will need to find a new temporary mode of transportation, okay?" Rae ended at that, before strutting inside the school in a somewhat irritated fashion.
"Think Ma'll tell us when we get home?"
"Probably." Veronica shrugged uncertainly as she and Gray both arrived inside simultaneously. "And we can always get it out of Mom if Mami doesn't say anything."
"True."
"Hey guys!"
The junior and sophomore duo looked away from each other to find their Glee Club director beckoning the two to come in the choir room. They accompanied three of their teammates, Eli, Sophie, and a blond fellow named Charles Abrams, as well as Beth, who was sitting on top of the piano.
"Working on AP World?" Gray asked as he took the seat next to Sophie.
"I finished last night, I'm studying for the quiz today."
"On the first day?" Eli couldn't believe, to which both Gray and Sophie nodded affirmatively.
"Where's Carly?" Beth asked after checking the short class role.
"I think she's showing the new girl around. They walked in from the parking lot together."
"Anabelle from yesterday?" Sophie turned to Veronica, who nodded. "They walked down the hall together not too long ago."
"One of you can bring her up to speed. Let's talk Glee Club!" Marley radiated with a smile as she walked over to Beth. "Lately, we as a club haven't been very active."
"That's the understatement of the year." Veronica blurted out, stirring a few laughs from the group.
"We need at least three more members before the end of this month. And if this year is as productive as the last few, Principal Schuester will pull the plug for good." Marley continued, her tone becoming a little more depressed.
"Our sister's back home and she's being forced to audition and join." Gray announced.
"Then there's goes our three members, if Carly doesn't leave!" Beth cheered, happily high-fiving her aunt.
"So what else are we gonna do about it?" Charlie asked.
"Last year and the year before, we just sat around basically! We were all talk and no walk, all bark and no bite! This year, we're getting serious!" Marley said, getting the groove of her determined smile back. "And that's where Beth comes in."
"Hi!" Beth happily greeted the five kids, all but Eli waved back, since she was temporarily living him anyway.
"Sometimes, a non-functioning team just needs new management. A fresh pair of eyes to offer new, inspiring ideas. Which is why, I'm proud to announce that Beth will be taking over as assistant director."
The five students then joined Marley as they clapped happily while Beth bowed politely.
"And my first order of business is to have you guys re-audition today."
"What?!" The five students then let out simultaneously in an uproar.
"If we're getting serious, we want to see if you have potential."
"But Mom-"
"Mrs. Puckerman!" Marley reminded.
"But Mrs. Puckerman, we hadn't prepared anything!" Eli repeatedly corrected.
"And what about the auditions today?" Sophie added.
"We pushed the auditions to tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week. The re-auditions will happen today after school, so you guys will have plenty of time to come up with something." Marley reassured to the students.
"Who are the other two students that are joining?" Gray asked next.
"You guys remember Mr. and Mrs. Evans?" Marley asked the students.
"Who could forget Mr. Evans' beautiful...everything?" Veronica then turned to Sophie, who high-fived each other and shared a laugh. Could you blame her? Sam wasn't a model (or, unbeknownst to the kids, a stripper) because of his personality...
"I thought they lived in New York?"
"Actually Charlie, they moved back! Their kids, Melody and Anthony, will be auditioning tomorrow!" Marley informed. "Any other questions?" The room fell silent as the five glanced at each other to see if anyone else had anything to say. "Great, then I'll see you guys later today in the auditorium! Make sure one of you tell Carly about what's going on."
"We will." Eli volunteered with a raised hand as he pointed between him and Charlie.
"And Veronica and Sophie, do you think you two could talk Gav into coming back again?"
"No promises, Mrs. P. Once he gets bored, he's gone. It's only a matter of time until his lazy ass quits the Cheerios too." Veronica replied.
"At least try?"
"Like every year, Mrs. Puckerman." Sophie playfully saluted to her director.
Marley smiled. With Melody, Anthony, and now Rae joining Glee Club, she'd be able to make the nine member minimum her employer had assigned to keep the club alive.
Maybe this was gonna work out after all...
"Do you know where Mr. Jones' room is?" Anthony appeared on Melody's right as the two were headed for their second period class.
"I think it's back there."
"Nah, that's his wife's classroom." Anthony shook his head no. "And is it just me, or do people tend to stare?"
"Aww, little Ant doesn't like the attention after all." Melody teased in a baby-talk voice while brushing her hand through Anthony's hair. He was quick to smack it away second later. "We're the new kids, what do you expect?"
"I know I'm ruggedly handsome, but it's still rude to stare!" Anthony shrugged casually before Melody had playfully pushed him. "I'll find him on my own."
"Good luck, lose-"
While Melody turned to insult Anthony once he decided to take a right in hopes to get to class on time, she dealt with a head-on collision with another, much taller person.
"Sorry, that was my fault."
"No, I didn't see where I was going either." Gav apologized. "I wouldn't have bumped into you if I saw the pretty blonde walking down the hallway sooner."
"What pretty-" Melody turned around, only to realize what the male Cheerio meant, "Oh! I see what you did there, nice! Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."
"Gavin, but everyone calls me Gav."
"Melody." She said as she offered her right hand for a handshake. Without a second to spare, Gav accepted it gladly and shook it.
"We should probably let each other go now."
"Yeah." Gav said with a laugh, brushing his left hand off on his Cheerio designed shirt.
"So you're on the Cheerios?" Melody poked the junior's chest.
"Obviously." Gav answered. "And if that's subtle way of asking, no, I'm not gay."
"Great!" Melody responded a bit too quickly, leaving a furrowed look on Gav's face. "Not that there's anything wrong with being gay or anything. Love you who you love, you know?"
"Cool. Maybe we should hang out sometime? I could show your around town or whatever." Gav played off well with his casual shrug and his calm expression.
"Sure, so long as it doesn't interfere with your practices or anything."
"That won't be much of a problem."
"You sure? Your coach seemed like a real hard-ass at open house."
"My coach?"
"Yeah, how can you stand her?" Melody continued. "She seems so bossy and uptight and acts if she's better than everyone else."
"Sure, she's strict, but you learn to live with it." Gav defended his mother calmly.
"No way in hell I could."
"But then again, that's probably because she's my mother." Gav finished, brushing by Melody to get to his original destination as the warning bell rang.
"I didn't know, I'm sorry!" Melody yelled. Gav didn't bother to turn around like she hoped he would. "Great first day so far, Mel." She sighed to herself, power-walking through the sea of students who were still trying to get to class.
Then, before anyone in McKinley knew, it was already lunch time. And with Melody's luck, she hadn't been invited to sit with anyone, so today she was riding solo.
Or maybe that didn't have to be the case.
Once she got her lunch, Melody took a sweep of the cafeteria area. Cluttered, for a small town like Lima. Every table, whether circular or rectangular, had at least three or more sitting there. And from what the junior could see outside in the courtyard through the windows, it was worse.
Walking through to just find a place to sit, Melody came across an unattended circular table toward the back. Approaching the table, she arrived at the same time as another guy. Slowly the two had place their trays down and pulled out their chairs in front of them to sit.
"Look," Melody begun, "I don't see why we both can't sit here!" She said, a bit fed up with the way the guy had eyed her.
"Me neither," Eli agreed, "I'm just really curious about you."
"Why?"
"Because most of the people that come in twenty feet of Eli run in the opposite direction." Carly answered as she took her usual seat on Eli's right as he nodded in agreement.
"Again, why? It's not like you killed anyone, right?"
"No, but we wouldn't be surprised if that were another rumor going around about him." Charlie interrupted that time, taking a seat on Eli's left.
"Wow. That must suck."
"You get use to it...kinda." Eli said lightly. "Enough about me though, what's your name, new kid?"
"Melody."
"Evans?" The trio of friends asked simultaneously.
"Yeah..." She answered, scooting her chair a few inches from the table. "How did you-"
"You're one of us, then." Carly said as she pointed at herself, Eli, and Charlie, only to see a confused expression on Melody's face. "One or both of your parents were in Glee Club with ours. You don't remember us from the reunions we had in the summer when were kids?"
"You do look familiar." Melody noticed as she glanced between the three. "Your mom is Mrs. Puckerman, you have her eyes."
Eli nodded. "Yup."
"And your parents are the Hudsons. You have a brother around the same age as Anthony, you guys use to visit us alot." Melody continued.
"Carly Hudson, guilty as charged." She waved with smile.
"And your parents are both in wheelchairs, your dad's a director." Melody finished with Charlie, who nodded as well.
"Name's Charlie." He introduced. "How's your first day?"
"Well, I insulted the first cute guy I met's mother without knowing it and I kinda miss home. So, pretty great!" Melody mocked a smile, humoring the trio with giggles and chuckles.
"Welcome to William McKinley." Carly said sarcastically. "Are your parents making you audition for Glee Club?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Puckerman guilt tripped me into it. I'm just gonna wing it."
"Well, the auditions today are postponed to tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week." Eli announced. "The returning members have to re-audition today for the new assistant coach, Beth."
"Ugh, great. I may not even re-audition." Carly moaned, her mouth partially full of what was left of her grilled chicken sandwich.
"Why not?" Melody asked, to the group's surprise.
"Last year we only held four meetings. It's dying, whether we like it or not." Carly replied, a bit hesitantly.
Melody wanted to change the subject once she immediately saw the upset expressions and frowns that all three of the students were showcasing. Was Carly right? The situation couldn't be that bad, but then again what would the new girl know?
"Is it just you three in Glee?" Melody suddenly asked.
"There's six of us." Eli said.
"Their parents were in Glee too." Charlie added
"Who are they?"
The trio looked around the cafeteria to see if they could spot any of their teammates, too occupied to think about the Glee Club's failure over the years now.
Carly then spotted two of their members. "Over there, by the table full of jocks and Cheerios. You see 'em?"
"Yeah?"
"The short brown haired girl is Veronica Pierce-Lopez. She's in Glee Club with us."
"Pierce-Lopez, like the lesbian couple?"
"Exactly." Charlie grinned from ear to ear as he received a playful hit from both Carly and Melody.
"And yes, even though she's sitting at the table full of the most hated kids in school, she's actually very nice until you give her a reason not to be. She's cool with mostly everyone and isn't afraid to speak her mind." Carly warned the new girl as they watched Veronica converse with Kenzie, Xander, Sophie and a few others.
"Sophie's in Glee too." said Eli.
"And which one's Sophie?"
"Sophie Chang, the only Asian at that table." Carly answered, seeing as the other two didn't want to be as blunt. "Her dad's probably the best dancer to ever come out of this hellhole of a school. She's no Mike Chang but she can get down too."
"And so can Carly, if she ever bothered to show you." Charlie complimented.
"She's practically her own one-man band. She sings..." Eli begun.
"...dances..."
"...plays the guitar..."
"...the drums..."
"And taught herself piano." Eli finished, after he and Charlie went back and forth about Carly's musical talents. "Which is why she could re-audition with us!"
"Anyone can teach themselves the piano, it's really not that big of a deal." Carly defended as she shook her head in denial.
"It is when you're four." Eli reminded.
Melody then started counting on her fingers. "You said there were six, where's the last one?"
"Veronica's younger brother, Grayson." Carly replied. "And he's right over...there." She spotted the teenager with another group of guys who were all dressed like him, preppy.
"Which one?"
"The Taylor Lautner look a-like with the stormy blue eyes." Carly described in better detail.
"Stormy blue? Taylor Lautner?" Eli repeated. "A bit descriptive for someone that works your last nerve." He teased.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's a F-L-I-R-T, flirt. Goes through girls as if he was a ghost." Carly said, clearly repulsed.
"He's got the looks to pull it off though." Melody stated. Then, she spotted a familiar face at the same table that had hers and her new friends' attention. "My brother's at that table."
"The kid in the green cardigan?" Charlie asked.
"It's blue." Melody corrected.
"I'm kinda colorblind, I mix up blues and greens."
"Well, I'm done." Carly said as she got up to dispose her tray and trash.
"I'll go with, these fries are cardboard!" Melody cringed, swallowing the last few fries in her mouth. She followed the junior girl to the trash bins that was on the other side of the cafeteria from where the the group was sitting.
"Carly!"
The two turned around, only to find Bree approaching the two.
"Stalker much." Melody said with a "cough".
"I didn't see you at try-outs yesterday!" Bree continued with a plastered smile on her face. "You can still try-out if you want!"
"I don't plan on it, Coach Lipoff."
"That's funny, because I heard your mother wanted you to become more involved with school extra curriculars. And yet, you weren't in the choir room during homeroom."
"Yup, I'm definitely filing for a restraining order..."
"This doesn't involve you, Blondie. Beat it." Bree finally dropped the charade as she turned to Melody. Melody stood her ground while Bree turned back to Carly with her fake, forced smile she was well known for. "So when should I schedule a private try-out session?"
"I wasn't in homeroom because I was showing one of your Cheerios around. She was new, she needed help."
"And my friend here's also planning on re-auditioning later today." Melody spoke up. "You don't want wanna miss it, right Carly?"
"Uh, yeah. It's gonna be great!" Carly forced a smile and nodded.
"Alright then, I'll see you there." Bree stated, though she didn't sound very convinced.
Both Melody and Carly sighed in relief as the coach had finally left the cafeteria.
"Why is she even allowed to teach here?" Melody finally asked, causing the two to burst into laughter. "Guess you have no choice but to re-audition today."
"Guess so." Carly agreed. "And thanks for that."
"No problem." Melody said, as the two high-fived while they were on their way back to the guys.
"She made it! Alert the presses!" Gray announced over-dramatically as Carly arrived backstage through the backdoor. He, along with the other four returning Glee Club members, were warming up for their re-audition pieces for Beth and Marley.
"Miss anything?"
The other five shook their heads no.
Charlie peeked through the close curtains to see what Beth and Marley were up to. "Beth and Mrs. Puckerman won't be the only ones watching us."
"Who else is out there?" Sophie asked as she stretched her arms and legs.
"Coach Lipoff, Daniel, and Carly's mom."
"Daniel? Who's Daniel?" Veronica asked.
"Lily's older brother. My second cousin." Charlie responded.
Carly had lightly pushed Charlie out of the way to get a look for herself. "My mom is out there!" Carly began to panic, her eyes bulging out of her head.
"My mom's out there, it's not that big of deal." Eli confronted, placing his hand on Carly's shoulder. "And besides, we all have to go out there and face her."
"Yeah, and she'll begin making lists of everything we did wrong. The only difference between me and you guys is that you don't have to hear her lecture on for hours on just how you appeared on stage."
"Not any more anyway. Gold Star alums!" Veronica cheered, high-fiving her brother, only to receive Carly's glare. "Oh right, sorry."
"And Coach isn't going to make the situation any less nerve-racking." Sophie took a quick look at Bree, who was chatting with Rachel.
Carly walked out of the closed curtains. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
"I had some free-time at work and Mrs. Lipoff told me you were re-auditioning and I miss the first one in your freshman year. I wouldn't miss this one for the world." Rachel happily explained. Carly groaned at Bree's smug smile, then she hid behind the closed curtains went backstage with the rest of her friends and peers.
"Well, I guess you all figured it out! We've got a few guest judges who'll be taking notes of your performances today as well! So let's get started!" Marley yelled from behind the red curtains. The students opened the curtains and turned on a few of the spotlights that shined down on the microphone, the microphone stand, and a wooden stool in case anyone wanted to sit.
"We'll call you randomly. First up, Veronica." Beth announced.
"Watch Carly, it won't be that bad." Veronica patting the junior girl on the shoulder.
Strutting on the stage and radiating her confidence proudly, Veronica knew she had this in the bag.
Or at least, until she saw who was seated on Beth's left once she made it behind the microphone stand. Daniel's eyes were as wide as his jaw once he saw the Cheerio walk on stage, and Veronica's expression was practically the same, though not as obvious.
"I don't remember Veronica having stage fright?" Carly whispered.
"She doesn't." Gray whispered back. "Psst, Veronica!"
Veronica looked over at Gray, who gestured to the five people at the judging table. Shaking her head, arms, and hands, Veronica was starting to come to.
"Sorry, I guess I was just thrown off with, uh, Coach Lipoff being here." Veronica finally spoke into the microphone, though Bree's suspecting glare didn't buy it one bit. The brunette looked down at the ground and took a breather. "Anyway, my name is the Veronica Pierce-Lopez and I'll be singing 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke." She continued, doing her best to avoid eye-contact with the Principal's son.
Veronica turned to the band and sent a thumbs-up and a wink, cuing the soulful and sweet introduction. To better focus, the junior closed her eyes as both of her hands enveloped the mic.
Veronica:
I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh, and just like the river I've been running ever since
Veronica made a comeback. Her unique mezzo was warm, agile, light, and clear but a little raspy, which would showcase well in a song like that one. Gray couldn't help but to smile proudly at her strong start.
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will
The calm instrumental continued as did Veronica. Her riffs and long belts were executed very well, a shocked and surprised expression taking over Daniel's former nervous state.
It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will
The five other students were swaying to the beat backstage, raising their hands in the air as Veronica had hit the high note. It was clear she had a very good, wide range. Even Bree nodded in approval as Rachel, Beth, Marley, and even Daniel wore their proud smiles too.
Oooooooooooh
There been times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will
Veronica finally opened her eyes to the applause from those she stood before and the students backstage. Veronica curtsied politely in her Cheerios skirt to both of the audiences.
"You're not like your mother, but you were decent."
"I don't know what your coach is talking about, Veronica, I thought you were amazing!" Marley complimented. Rachel agreed with a nod as she and Beth took notes quietly.
"Thanks!" Veronica said. She then glanced over at Daniel, who looked back at her with guilt. "Um, can I go to the bathroom?"
"You don't have to ask, go ahead." Marley allowed.
"Cool." Veronica said as she exited stage right.
"I actually gotta go too!" Daniel shot up, running out of the auditorium quickly.
"We're taking five!" Beth yelled for the others to hear.
Veronica paced back and forth by the water fountain way across from the auditorium, impatiently waiting for Daniel as one of her white sneakers repeatedly tapped on the tile floor.
"Oh, there you are, Dan!" Veronica greeted sarcastically once he finally approached her.
"Yeah, you were great out there, Savannah!" Daniel replied back, crossing his arms. "You lied about your name and age?" He then asked in a hushed tone, looking around to make sure no one spotted the two.
"No, I really am a rising college freshman that was visiting during Orientation." Veronica replied. "Haven't you babysat for us once? How did you not recognize me?"
"You were seven years old, you were sick and asleep, and it was for a few hours! I just played video-games!" Daniel recited. "That was way before your body...changed." He eyed the girl up and down, before she titled the young adult's head up with her index finger. "God, I'm dead."
"The law says the legal age in Ohio is sixteen, so, technically, you're off the hook." Veronica whispered, getting a relieving sigh out of Daniel. She craned her neck and head back into the wall behind her. "If Lily and I still talked, she'd kill me."
"She's the last person we need to worry about. Your mom would be out for blood if she knew!"
"Mom is as harmless as a fly!"
"Your biological mother. Santana?"
"Oh, yeah, she'd kill you in a heartbeat then rip off your privates and feed 'em to Lord Tubbington The Second." Veronica said, only getting a nervous look from Daniel that time around.
"Look, I go back in a few weeks anyway. We'll just pretend this never happened and keep it between us." Daniel said. "What happens in the summer, stays in the summer."
"Agreed." Veronica stated, shaking the older boy's hand. "And, I'm sorry." She continued, before heading back to the auditorium.
"Wait, Veronica!" He called after. She stopped immediately and turned. "You were good out there!"
"I know!" Veronica smiled, confidently sashaying back to the auditorium and leaving a chuckling Daniel.
"Eli, you're up!" Beth called out.
The teacher's son sighed before finally walking on the stage. Unlike Veronica, he decided to take a seat and adjust the stand a bit to better work in his favor.
"Hi, I'm Eli Puckerman and I'll be singing 'I Don't Want To Be' by Gavin DeGraw." He said into the microphone.
"Great choice!" Marley immediately exclaimed, only to get a few questioning glances from Rachel and Bree. "I mean, when you're ready...Son."
Eli chuckled before he started to quickly inhale and exhale a few times. He sent a head nod toward the pianist's direction to get the song started.
Eli:
I don't need to be anything other
Than a prison guard's son
I don't need to be anything other
Than a specialist's son
I don't have to be anyone other
Than the birth of two souls in one
Part of where I'm going, is knowing where I'm coming from
Despite the fact that Eli was a tenor, he had a nice, deep, lower register during the first verse with only the piano playing as his accompaniment.
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me
His voice shined during the chorus, allowing everyone to hear how clear, polished, and somewhat soulful he actually was. He had a soft but strong quality to his voice that gave him a nice tone.
I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn
Am I the only one who noticed?
I can't be the only one who's learned!
"I love this song." Sophie commented quietly on, nodding her head to the beat as did the other students. Everyone Eli was singing in front really seemed to enjoy the cover too, he really captured the appropriate emotion and mood that the song needed.
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
The frequent chords on the piano slowed down as Eli sang his way through the second run through of the first-half of the chorus, belting on the last note.
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me
Eli continued to belt a bit as he was finishing up his audition. After he finished, he managed to get the same amount of applause as Veronica from both audiences yet again, to which he couldn't help but to smile.
"Great job, Eli, that'll be all." Daniel complimented.
"Thanks!"
Eli received high-fives from all five of the students who waited backstage. While the adults were still writing and silently talking about Eli's audition, Carly pulled Eli aside.
"You should tell your mom."
"I just can't, she doesn't have to know." Eli disagreed.
"But no one deserves all that crap you've been through because of a few stupid rumors and mis-"
"I've got my problems, you've got yours!" Eli interrupted a bit harshly, before walking back to join the rest of the group.
Sophie:
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
Sophie was called next after Eli, auditioning with David Guetta's hit, "Titanium", featuring Sia. Her soft and sweet mezzo voice was able to do Sia and the song justice.
After the chorus, Sophie backed away from the microphone and the stand to freestyle for a bit across the stage, managing to add and execute hip-hop, ballet, and jazz moves all into one routine. It was stunning. Everyone had clapped to the beat of the instrumental, while a reluctant Bree tapped her foot silently to it.
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
The music slowed down as Sophie headed for the mic, with only a piano playing behind her as she requested. Sophie decided to ad-lib a bit before ending her audition piece.
"Great job, Soph!" Marley praised once the applause died down.
"You might have your mother's looks but you definitely have your father's feet. He would've been so proud!" Rachel noted as well.
"Thanks!" Sophie said with a nervous smile. She bowed in front of those she had performed in front of, pushed out the wooden stool just in case, then headed back stage with the others.
"You were great out there!" Gray complimented.
"Really?" Sophie said coyly, only to have Veronica to start gagging at the sight of it all.
"Definitely."
"Grayson, you're up!"
Immediately, the sophomore walked onto stage once he heard his name called from Marley. He brushed off his button-down, adjusted the mic stand, then grabbed hold of it with his left hand, his right holding on to the actual mic.
"I'm Grayson Pierce-Lopez and I'll be auditioning with a piano only rendition of 'All That Matters' by Justin Bieber."
Gray:
Oh whoa
A blink later, the pianist played a chord cuing Gray to start singing and scatting, something he decided to add to make this audition piece his own.
Oh oh, just as sure as the stars in the sky
I need you to show me the light
Not just for the meanwhile, for a long long time
Better believe it
"Wow." Sophie said in awe, watching Gray like a fat kid with his cake. Veronica only continued to fake gag at her friend's interest in her brother while everyone else seemed to be enjoying the performance thus far.
Uh oh, whenever you're not in my presence
It feels like I'm missing my blessings, yeah
So I sleep through the daylight, stay awake all night
'Til you back again, oh, yeah, yeah
You think I'm biased
To my significant other
You hit it right on the head
Only been missing my lover
Got a whole lotta texts on my phone and I don't reply
The next eight bars tell you why
During the first verse, Gray's soulful tenor took on a husky vibrato while he sung in his lower register. As he made it to his mid-register, the vibrato was dropped, allowing everyone to hear more of his clear, warm, and strong voice.
You're all that matters to me, yeah yeah
Ain't worried about nobody else
If I ain't with you, I ain't myself
You make me complete
You're all that matters to me, yeah, yeah,
What's a king bed without a queen
There ain't no "I" in team
You make me complete
You're all that matters to me
Oh, oh, no
You're all that matters to me, yeah
Oh, oh
Gray sung through the chorus with a confident smile and stage presence, knowing that he made this audition piece his bitch as he executed a few ad-libs and riffs he came up with at the end. He bowed at the applause of the group of five that were judging the students, and knew that the other students had cheered him on too. Even Veronica and Carly weren't too proud to add a few claps in.
"Amazing, Grayson!" Daniel said with two thumbs up.
"Thanks!" He replied. Gray waved goodbye to everyone, then exited stage left to join up with the rest of the gang. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done."
Veronica scoffed. "Please, my audition kicked ass!"
"I don't know, your brother killed it!" Sophie chimed in, shrugging her shoulders as she was on the receiving end of Veronica's glare.
"Told you." Gray sang-song teasingly, casually slinging his arm across Sophie.
"My name is Charles Abrams, and I'll be singing 'Home' by Phillip Phillips." He introduced formally, taking a seat on the wooden stool.
Charlie:
Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home
What differentiated his tenor from Gray and Eli was that his was very calm and refreshing with a bit of a country/folk twang to it, so his voice didn't sound out of place. His blue eyes were closed as he swayed gently to the acoustic guitar. It was a great change of pace.
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble, it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Finally opening up his eyes, he turned to the gang, his eyes glued to on his closest friends. He matched their smiles as he continued singing to them for a bit, before turning back to face everyone at the table.
Eli had turned to Carly while Charlie was still on stage singing. "Sorry, for lashing out earlier."
"It's okay." Carly reassured, sharing a fist-pump with Eli.
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home
Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo, Oo-oo-oo-oo
Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo, Oo-oo
Charlie's audition may have been the shortest, but that didn't mean it lacked the talent and potential the others had shown as well. Like the others, his audition was well received from everyone present.
"Great job, Charlie!" Daniel commended his cousin like the rest. .
"And last but not least, Carly!"
The junior girl sighed at the sound of name being called by her mother, the biggest and one of the toughest critics Carly has ever learned to deal with. She hadn't sung to or for her mother in years. Like removing a bandage, Carly didn't hesitate and marched right out there to get it over with.
"I'm Carly Hudson and I'll be singing 'If I Ain't Got You' by Alicia Keys."
With her hands grasped on the mic and the stand, Carly nodded to the pianist to start the R&B intro.
Carly:
Some people live for the fortune
Some people live just for the fame
Some people live for the power, yeah
Some people live just to play the game
Carly closed her eyes as she started singing. Unlike both Veronica and Sophie, Carly was an alto; her smoky voice being very husky, round, and mature for a girl her age.
Some people think that the physical things
Define what's within
And I've been there before
But that life's a bore
So full of the superficial
Carly opened her eyes as she became more comfortable with the audition, gently rocking back and forth before she slowly started to back away from the stand. She almost laughed at the sight of everyone backstage, who were waving their cellphones in the air as if it were a concert. She even looked Bree in the eye, directing the last few lyrics of the second-half of the first verse right in her face.
Some people want it all
But I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you baby
If I ain't got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you, yeah
And though Carly was an alto, her vocal range allowed her to be able to hit a few of the high notes in the chorus. Carly even casually paced around, after letting go of the stand in her left hand, pointing in the vague direction of the adults that were watching her as she sang through the chorus.
Rachel immediately shot up, only to sit right back down once the others shot her a questioning look and glare, while Carly silently laughed to herself.
"Well, this was boring." Bree said, before she got up and left once the applause had simmered down. Both Daniel and Beth shook their heads in disappointment while Marley and Rachel seemed confused.
"You were good!" Rachel smiled brightly to her daughter.
"Thanks." Carly smiled back, only hers was much more forced and nervous.
"Guys, come on out!" Marley yelled for the others, who all lined up against Carly. "You were all great."
"You all have your own strengths and weaknesses, and there's a lot more potential here than I originally thought." Beth added.
"I just wish you guys were around when I was high-school trying to get Glee up and running."
Veronica chuckled to herself. "No kidding."
"Hm?" Sophie asked.
"It was nothing, just a stupid inside joke between Rae and me."
"You guys aren't perfect but it's real. You guys have a lot of heart like we did. We can feel it. We can see it. We can hear it. You guys will be great." Rachel continued with a proud smile and an approving nod.
"This'll be fun, I can't wait to work with you guys!" Beth said clapped her hands and held them together, with an eager and enthusiastic smile.
The six students on stage all glanced between themselves with proud looks and smiles as well. Six very different people, six very different voices coming together in one club: Glee.
Maybe Carly was wrong. Maybe this time would be different after all...
Endnote: I told you all it was longer! Let me know what you think of length, because I can size it all down if you guys prefer.
How'd I do? Did you like the characters? Were they portrayed well or should I just give up now? And how about the storylines? How does Veronica know Charlotte? And how well did she know Daniel? And why does everyone seem to remember the new girl Anabelle if she's never been to Ohio? Will Melody get a second chance with Gav? And what's Eli's deal? Or Rae's deal? So many questions left unanswered, so much more to cover.
For the characters that didn't get much coverage/weren't featured at all, do not worry, I definitely plan on tackling that in the next chapter. ;)
Anyway, I hope you all had wonderful holidays with your family and I wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)
Songs Featured:
"One Pom Pom or Another" by Jonas Brothers / One Direction, mashed up by Earlvin14 (his mashups are gold!), performed by the Cheerios
A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, performed by Veronica
I Don't Want To Be (acoustic, piano only) by Gavin DeGraw, performed by Eli
Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia, performed by Sophie
All That Matters by Justin Bieber (Somo cover), performed by Gray
Home by Phillip Phillips (Shane Harper cover), performed by Charlie
If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys (Lauren Jauregui cover), performed by Carly