A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome back. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me still, everyone who has come back to this story just as I have. I fell in love with all your characters and I just couldn't leave them, so here we are. Please let me know what you think. I hope to talk to you all again soon.

Enjoy

With less than two weeks until Sectionals, every glee club meeting was buzzing with nerves and excitement. And Levi, well, he was bored beyond belief.

They had spent the last three practices trying to teach Speedy how to count out steps in his head during the dance number, and it was not going very well. Him and Sabrina were the only people who could actually dance, which was why they had gotten the leads, Levi supposed, but it also made for multiple painful practices. Anya was uncomfortable with doing anything more than swaying in the back, but Ms. Rodgers had insisted that everyone had to participate in the number. Shay was full of unsavory comments about everyone's dancing, as usual, and Greg had already whacked both Sunny and Elizabeth in the face.

Needless to say, it wasn't going extremely well.

"Think we can sneak out the back?" Levi grumbled to Sabrina has he spun her into his arms for probably the forth time, his steps slow and lazy now. The two of them knew their part of the dance inside and out, it was the others who needed help, which was why he didn't get why he had to be here.

The British girl chuckled. "I think Ms. Rodgers would notice," she responded. "Besides, just give them a chance Levi, they are getting better," she said optimistically.

Levi raised a questioning brow at Sabrina's words, glancing over her shoulder at Speedy, who was still doing to steps three times too fast. He met Sabrina's eyes. "Are they?" he asked sarcastically.

Sabrina chuckled sheepishly. "Okay, maybe not yet, but they will," she assured, though she didn't look completely convinced. "Besides, we have plenty more time to practice."

Levi scoffed. "Not enough," he grumbled. More practise was exactly what Levi wasn't looking forwards to. It just meant an unknown number of hours spent trying to teach kids who couldn't dance how to dance, and then praying that they could hide the fact that they couldn't dance once they got on stage. It would no doubt feel like forever, just like this current practice did.

Sabrina tilted her head to the side, still smiling. "Lighten up, will you Levi?" she asked. "We've got plenty of time," she repeated.

Levi still didn't look convinced. He dropped Sabina's hands as someone messed up once again, stepping away from her with a sigh. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was better if he didn't see who had screwed up the steps, because then it would make him want to punch them less, or at least that's what Levi was telling himself. As painful as this was, he wasn't going to get kicked out when he had spent so much time working his ass off in this damn auditorium.

He looked back up to Sabrina, who was waiting patiently as Ms. Rodgers talked to the others. "Think we can leave yet?" he wondered, eager to be anywhere but here. Well, not anywhere. This was probably still better than home.

Sabrina shook her head, finally looking a bit tired. This made Levi smile. At least he knew that he wasn't the only one.

"Okay everyone," Ms. Rodgers called, hopping off the stage to go back and take her seat in the audience. "Once more from the top."

Levi didn't even bother to suppress his groan. Here we go again, he thought.

Dylan sat in the school library, head pillowed on his history textbook. He was fast asleep, just as he had been for the past hour, despite the fact that he had an essay due in two days that he hadn't even started. Not his fault that he hadn't been getting much sleep, you could blame that on the nightmares.

Suddenly, and much too soon, Dylan was shaken awake. He lifted his head abruptly, looking around for the person who had been stupid enough to wake him. It was Evan, his green eyes full of concern. Dylan wanted to punch the look off his face.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he growled loudly, earning a shush from the librarian. He rolled his eyes and ignored her, brushing his bangs from his eyes. With his luck, she would tell his mom anyways.

Evan's eyebrows shot up. "Sorry, man," he said, holding up a hand in surrender, the other holding tightly to the books in his arms. "I was just trying to help, that essay is killer," he said, motioning to the textbook that Dylan had been sleeping on and the empty piece of paper that sat next to it.

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever," he said. "Next time just let me sleep, will ya?"

Evan nodded. He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something. Dylan was about to tell him to get lost, but Evan spoke first. "Have you started yet?" he asked.

"No," responded Dylan gruffly. "What's it to you?"

Evan ran a hand through his hair. "I was just going to offer to help you," he admitted with a kind smile. "I finished mine last week, and it's a lot of stuff to write in a couple days," he explained.

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going to fail or anything," he assured. "No need to panic about your precious Glee club, I'll be there," he assured. If he got one more F then there was no way he would be allowed to go to Sectionals, and everybody knew that.

"That's not why I'm offering to help," Evan replied, looking somewhat saddened by the accusation. "Seriously, I just though you might need a hand, and I'm good at writing essays," he continued.

Dylan raised a brow. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Well, not that good," Evan admitted, running a hand through his already tousled hair. He set his books down, taking Dylan's hesitation as acceptance of his offer. "But probably better than you," he continued. "Besides, what do you have to lose?"

Dylan looked down at his textbook and then back up at Evan. "Guess you're right," he said with a shrug. "Alright, I guess you can help me," he said, leaning back in the uncomfortable plastic library chair.

Smiling, Evan sat down across from him, flipping his textbook open. "Alright then," he said. "Let's get started."

Jordan tapped her foot rhythmically against the ground, glancing up at the clock. She really didn't want to be here, but the again there wasn't anywhere else for her to be, considering Ms. Rodgers had surprisingly given them a day off from practise. Still, she would much rather be at Glee club, or at home. Her grandfather was going to start wondering where she was all the time...

"I'm ready for you, Jordan," Mr. Wayne called from the door of his office, breaking Jordan out of her train of thought.

Jordan stood, rolling her eyes. "Finally," she said, not quiet enough for the guidance counsellor not to hear, either way Jordan didn't really care.

"So," Mr. Wayne began, sitting back in his chair and folding his hands on top of the desk. "Jordan, sit." He watched as the small girl slowly sat, nodding to himself. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

"I've been busy," Jordan snapped back immediately.

Mr. Wayne sat forwards, sighing. "Jordan, you can't skip our meetings."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "I can do whatever I want," she defended, knowing full well she wasn't required to come. It was surprising she showed up at all.

"Your mother and I agreed that you would come here."

Jordan crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not my mother," she said, nostrils flaring. "And just because I'm not neurotypical doesn't mean I need to sit here and listen to you telling me how I can change myself to be "better"."

"Jordan," Mr. Wayne began. "We ought to talk about your issues. Asperger's can be difficult to over come," he said simply.

Jordan scoffed at his words, rolling her eyes. "As if you know," she shot back. "You aren't a doctor, or a therapist, you're just a school counsellor who was probably wasn't smart enough to get any other job. If you were, you wouldn't be here talking to me."

Mr. Wayne did not look to be affected by her words at all, he just continued talking. "Though I know that you've joined Glee club, which is a good start."

Leaning back in her chair, Jordan shrugged. All she really did was sway in the background and let people know if they looked stupid -which happened quite often. "Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. "It's stupid anyways."

Mr. Wayne sighed. He looked like he wanted to scold her but held his tongue, taking a deep breath. "Your mother wanted me to talk to you about some strategies that I think w-"

Jordan stood abruptly. "I don't want to talk," she stated simply. "And I don't have too, it's not like you do anything anyways." She straightened her sweater, turning quickly and exiting the room.

"Jordan!" Mr. Wayne called.

Jordan could hear him shouting for her, but she ignored it, like an annoying buzz in her ear. She didn't need this, she had sections to prepare for. Not that she actually cared or anything...

Riley Rodgers shot upright as her alarm rang, spinning to the side to quickly shut off the annoying beeping. She slid quickly out of bed and padded to the bathroom, pausing to pet Charles on the head before she slipping into the washroom. Riley moved to the sink, running cool water over her hands before cupping them and quickly washing her face. She inhaled sharply, the water jolting her out of the haze of sleep that she had been in.

Riley gasped as the cold water hit her face, looking up at her reflection in the mirror. She exhaled, long and slow. Today was the day.

The teacher grinned at her reflection. "We can do this," she said to herself. And then louder, with more confidence. "We can do this."

It was cold out, so cold that EJ could watch his warm breath dissipate into the morning air every time he exhaled. It was wet, the damp pavement soaking through the soles of his sneakers as he stood and waiting for the bus. Around him the rest of the Glee club stood in scattered clumps of sleepy teenagers. It was much too early, and much too grey out for EJ's liking. November was slowly turning to December in the ugliest way possible, and EJ was really wishing he had grabbed a hat like his mother had suggested.

Evan approached him, rubbing his hands together and blowing some warm air into them. "How much longer do you think we'll be out here for?" he wondered.

EJ shrugged. "No clue," he said, glancing around for Ms. Rodgers. When he found her, she looked to be in deep conversation with Sunny and Sabrina, so EJ just turned back to Evan. "Not much longer, I hope," he said, glancing a Evan. The other boy wasn't shivering, in fact he didn't look all to cold, other than his pale, shaking hands, and he wasn't even wearing a coat.

EJ furrowed his brows. "Aren't you cold?" he questioned.

Evan shrugged. "Not really," he responded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "This has got nothing on Canada," he continued, glancing around at the wet, chilly, parking lot. "I actually can't wait until it snows," he admitted, green eyes bright.

"That should be soon," EJ said, nodding. He didn't know that Evan was Canadian, but then again he had never asked. But why would someone move from Canada to a small town in Washington? "It normally snows by Christmas, so we've got almost a month."

Evan nodded, smiling. He looked behind EJ, grin growing. "Look, the bus," he pointed out.

EJ turned around to watch as a small school bus rolled into the school parking lot. He could hear the relieved groans from the rest of the group behind him, and Mrs. Rodgers claps right on cue.

"Alright team," the teacher said. "Let's get moving."

EJ shuffled towards the bus, Evan closely behind him. As they climbed into the bus, which thankfully had the heat blasting, Evan leaned forwards to speak into EJ's ear. "Hey, wanna sit together?" he asked.

EJ glanced over his shoulder at Greg, who seemed to be having a conversation with an animated Speedy. He looked back to Evan, smiling. "I'd love to."

The bus ride to the theatre was short, but loud.

In the back, Sabrina and Ashleigh were trying to get some sort of sing-a-long going, but nobody seemed interested in joining in, much too occupied by the cold morning and the nerves of their upcoming performance.

Liz was seated next to Perry, leaning against the window. She was wearing a black toque that she was dreading having to take off for competition, because she knew that her hair was a total mess underneath. Her hands were cold, and she had them balled up inside her baggy jacket.

Speedy was seated in front of them. He had turned around about five minutes ago to start talking about a math test that he hadn't taken last week. He had been describing how he completely forgot how to factor when Elizabeth had zoned out. Math wasn't really her forte, but then again it didn't seem like it was Speedy's either. At least Perry had to decency to pretend that she was listen, even if it was clear that she was bored with the conversation. Still, the Latina was nodding along as Speedy spoke, asking him questions at all the right times. As rough as Perry was around the edges, Liz had noticed that she was always really good with the younger kids.

"What about you, Liz?"

Elizabeth blinked, refocusing on the conversation. "Huh?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Speedy didn't even seem to notice that Liz clearly hadn't been listening to them talk. "What's your least favourite class?" he asked.

"Math," Liz answered without missing a beat. "God am I glad I don't have to take it anymore," she admitted with a sigh. Lack of math was definitely the best thing about being a senior.

"I like math," commented Perry from next to her, frowning slightly at the look that Liz gave her. "What?"

Liz exchanged a look with Speedy. "You're weird," she stated.

Perry raised a brow, her look almost challenging. "Am I?" she questioned.

Liz could feel her mouth going dry. She swallowed, unable to form a proper sentence. Thankfully, Speedy spoke up before the silence became to long.

"Think you could take my next test for me, then?" he asked hopefully.

Perry chuckled. "Sorry, kid, you're on your own there," she said.

Speedy sighed. "Thanks anyways," he said with a shrug. He looked strangely optimistic. "I'd probably fail either way," he declared simply, then turned back around and sat down.

"They are really really good."

Sabrina nodded, which was the only indication she had heard Ashleigh at all. Sabrina's eyes were glued to the stage, mouth hanging slightly open as their competition finished their performance. She chewed on her bottom lip as they flawlessly belted out the finishing notes to Seasons of Love, silently cursing herself for not thinking of doing that song. Everybody loved Rent, it was such a crowd pleaser.

Sabrina hadn't been worried before, she had a decent amount of experience with performing, but she sure was now.

"Sabrina? S, you alright?" Ashleigh asked as the auditorium burst into applause around then. She elbowed her friend. "Snap out of it."

Sabrina blinked, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she assured, though she looked significantly more pale than she had just five minutes ago.

Ashleigh raised a brow at her. "You sure? Because if you are nervous, don't be, you're going to rock it."

Sabrina tore her eyes from the stage to look at her friend. Ashleigh's smile made her feel a bit better, but she couldn't match it. "Alright," she breathed, turning as the house lights came up. Intermission. "Let's go," she said. "We're up next."

Sunny sat in the corner of the greenroom, back straight as they waited to be called backstage. The room was full with voices, nervous chattering and excited squeals. On the opposite side from her, Levi and Dylan had started an arm wrestling contest, which was entirely inappropriate for the situation, but Sunny was much to preoccupied to pay attention to their antics.

She glanced up at the clock, biting her lip. If the show was one time, they were due backstage in less than 5 minutes.

Greg slide into a chair next to Sunny, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, grinning at her as he took in her appearance. "You nervous?"

Sunny turned her head away from him, silently shaking her head. If she were to admit she was nervous, then there was no way of avoiding it anymore.

Greg shrugged, apparently not taking the hint that Sunny wished him to be quiet. "It's okay to be nervous, you know," he informed her. "Hey, even I'm nervous, and I don't even have a solo or anything..."

Sunny set her jaw, trying not to let his words worsen her nerves. "I'm fine, Greg," she assured him, maybe with a bit too much sharpness to his voice.

Again, Greg didn't seem to notice what Sunny was thinking, or the subtleties of her actions, or maybe he just didn't care. It wasn't that Sunny didn't like Greg, in fact she actually did enjoy his company, but she just needed to be alone to prepare herself right now. Not that she was going to tell him that though, because that meant admitting that she was completely terrified of performing. Out of her peripheral vision she could see him nodding to himself, readying to speak to her again. She sighed inwardly, preparing to brush him off again when the lights flickered above them.

Greg stood, grinning. "That's our cue," he said, giving Sunny a pat on the back. "You ready to kick some ass?"