Thank you so much for all your reviews on the last chapter! It was really nice to know that people are still reading this, I was worried that no one was! Last chapter was one of my favorite Finchel episodes, and this was a great one for getting inside both Finn's and Rachel's heads. I added a small Finchel scene and extended another. I had plans for more but I was worried it would get too long since Finn and Rachel both had a big part in the episode. Hope you enjoy it and review if I should keep going! I promise the first chapter of my new story will be up soon!
Chapter 6: Vitamin D
Finn felt his phone vibrate. He opened it and saw a new text message from Rachel. "I'm so excited for Sectionals! I'm sure you and I will lead our team to victory. You kicked butt at the invitational!"
He smiled to himself. It had been about a week, but it still didn't hurt to hear that. "I'm excited, too," Finn texted back. He was excited, but at the same time, he was glad Sectionals was a few weeks away. It felt like he was tired all the time, between school, football, glee club, Quinn, and well, his other activities, like xbox. Ever since Quinn had told him about the baby, he'd been trying to process the thought that in nine months he'd have a kid.
He wasn't sure if Quinn was the one. The truth was, she was cool and all that, but until she told him she was pregnant, he was considering breaking up with her. Things just weren't working, in his opinion. She often made him feel worse about himself and he felt happier when he was with other people, like Rachel.
Rachel. He just couldn't stop thinking about her. He knew that it was wrong to be this into someone when you were with someone else, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. He thought about her almost as much as he thought about his confusion about Quinn and the baby when he was up at night. He was so glad she'd come back to glee. He'd had such a great time bowling with her.
There was a chance Quinn would give up the baby, but what if she didn't? It was at times like this when Finn wished he could talk to his dad. He loved his mom, but he did wish his dad was here.
His thoughts were interrupted by another text from Rachel. "Today we find out who we'll be beating!"
Finn loved Rachel's confidence. Why didn't he have confidence like that? Sure enough, that afternoon in Glee, Mr. Schue came in with a letter. "Great news, guys. Just got the competition bracket for sectionals, and we are in really good shape. There's only two other teams. We beat them, we make it to Regionals."
"Uh, who are the other teams?" Rachel asked, looking a little uncertain. She was so sure they would win when they'd been texting this morning.
"Drum-roll please, Finn," Mr. Schue said. Finn did a drum roll on the drums, feeling special that Mr. Schue noticed he was good at this. Maybe he could do a little drumming at Sectionals? "School for the deaf in Dayton and someplace called Jane Addams Academy."
"Jane Addams?" Mercedes laughed. "That's a halfway house for girls just getting out of juvie."
"Th-th-this is great," Tina stuttered.
"People who can't hear what they're singing and criminals who don't care. It's gonna be a cakewalk," Artie declared.
Finn sighed with relief. He wouldn't have to work too much harder in Glee since like Artie said, this was going to be easy.
x
"You guys have become complacent," Mr. Schue lectured in Glee the next day. Finn found himself wondering what that word meant. "You were great at the invitational, but you got to up your game if you want to get through sectionals. Okay, split up. Guys on the left side, girls on the right side."
Finn went to join the other boys. If this was a boys vs. girls competition, he knew the girls would win. They had Rachel and she was going to put together the best number ever. "Here's the deal," Mr. Schue continued. "Two teams- boys versus girls. One week from today, you will each perform a mash-up of your choice."
"What's a mash-up?" Puck asked.
"A mash-up is when you take two songs and mash them together to make an even richer explosion of musical expression," Mr. Schue explained. "Boys will perform on Tuesday, girls the next day. I want you guys to go all out, okay, costumes, choreography. Whoever wins the competition gets to choose the number that we do for sectionals."
Yup, now Finn knew for sure the girls would win. Gosh, he wished they could have picked their teams. He knew Rachel was going to put together the best number ever. Sure enough, Mercedes seemed to agree with him. "We've got this in the bag!"
"Totally," Rachel said. "I'm going to start story-boarding our choreography tonight."
Mr. Schue came over to the boys. They'd been talking a little, but Finn could barely process what they were saying. "Hey, I hope you guys are up for this competition. The girls look pretty pumped."
"We're planning on smacking them down like the hand of God," said Artie.
"Hey, Finn, you all right?" Mr. Schue asked. "You seem a little out of it."
Finn nodded. "Yeah, I'm just a little worn out."
Puck nudged Finn. "Come on, dude. We're late for football practice."
Would Coach Tanaka mind if Finn missed practice?
x
The boys decided to meet up before school to work on their mashup, but Finn was too tired to contribute much of anything. He could barely listen to what the other boys were saying. He'd been up so late last night worrying about the girl issues, he began nodding off. He tried to comprehend what the other guys were saying...
"He's drooling," said Kurt.
"Dude, wake up," Finn heard Puck say.
They were on to him. Finn opened his eyes and decided to pretend he'd heard what the boys were saying. "Sure, yeah, that sounds good."
Puck looked confused. "I said we can't let those girls beat us."
Finn had to think fast. "Sorry. Sometimes when I'm thinking real hard, it helps to close my eyes."
"We're doing a mash-up of It's My Life and usher's Confessions," Artie told Finn. It was good to know the songs.
"We should get some trash can lids and stomp the yard up in this piece," Puck said.
Finn had no idea what Puck meant. Luckily, Artie agreed. "Puck, with respect, You're more helpful when you don't contribute."
Puck looked at Finn. "Dude. What's wrong with you? Go see the nurse. Every day I say I have a headache. I sleep for three hours. I haven't attended a math class in two years."
Maybe that was a good idea. "Thanks, guys. Keep up the good work," Finn yawned. Maybe the nurse would let him take a nap.
x
Finn went to the nurse's office. He was awake enough to see that this wasn't the nurse he'd seen before. He looked at the nameplate. Mrs. Schuester. This was Mr. Schue's wife?
"Hi. How can I help you?" the nurse asked.
"Hey, Mrs. Shuester," Finn said. "I'm Finn Hudson. I'm in glee with your husband."
"Oh, hi, Finn," Mrs. Schuester said. "Oh, wait a minute. Are you the one who's dating Quinn Fabray?"
"Yeah. Why?" Finn asked.
Mrs. Schuester looked at him. "Oh, you have really good bone structure."
What was that for? "Yeah, um, I've been really tired lately, and I was wondering if I could lie down in here for a while."
The nurse pointed at a chair. "Why don't you have a seat? Why don't you tell me a little bit about your sleep habits? What time do you go to bed?"
Finn sat down. "Um, I don't know. Usually, after skinemax starts playing regular movies again. And I'm normally tired, but lately I can't just fall asleep. It's like my brain won't shut up."
"Well, what are you thinking about?" she asked. "Oh, you can be honest with me. There's a code of silence in my office."
He was thinking about Rachel. But he couldn't say that. "Okay, uh, football plays... um, girls, Dance steps... Girls."
Mrs. Schuester looked surprised. "Girls? But you're dating Quinn Fabray."
Finn didn't know how to put it. He also could tell this wasn't someone he could trust. "Yeah, but... Do you think a guy can be into two girls at once?" He wasn't even that into Quinn anymore. He was into Rachel.
"No," Mrs. Schuester said. "And remember, flirting is cheating. And the revenge of the jilted woman is usually pretty messy."
Little did anyone but him and Rachel know, he already had cheated... "So can I take my nap now?"
"Do you want to sleep through your life, Finn?" Why was this woman being so difficult?
"No, but I read once that teenagers need more sleep than infants," Finn protested. He just wanted a nap.
Mrs. Schuester looked at Finn. "When I was in high school, I captained the cheerleading squad, I kept a perfect 4.0 GPA, I cultivated my popularity, and I maintained a loving relationship with the boy who would become my husband. Wow. I don't even know how I did that." She paused and took out a pill bottle. "Wait a minute. Yes, I do. Pseudo-ephedrine. It's the stuff they put in decongestants to make them non-drowsy. It's kind of like a... Well, like a vitamin. I would pop two of these blue meanies every morning and then I would be a firecracker For the rest of the day." She held out one for Finn.
"Are they safe?" Finn asked.
"They're over- the-counter," Mrs. Schuester said. "They stock them next to the candy bars. Sweetie, I'm the school nurse. I know what I'm doing."
"Can I have a few extra?" Finn asked. Maybe this was the key to winning the competition. He put the vitamin in his mouth and suddenly, he wasn't feeling so tired. The boys had plans to meet in the Glee room during their lunch hour too, and Finn couldn't wait to give them the Vitamin D. He'd finished his English test before anyone and gotten three right answers in history. Gosh, maybe this was the key.
All the other boys were already in the room when Finn arrived. "Hey, guys, how's it going? God, it's a beautiful day. Let's run through the number. I can't wait to do the number. I'm ready and excited. Are you guys? Stand up. Come on. Let's get this joint jumping." He shook his friends' chair, hoping they'd catch some of his energy. They were all looking at him like he was crazy.
"Has your soul been taken over by caffeinated space aliens?" Artie asked.
Finn reached into his pocket. "No, just visited the school nurse. Got this great vitamin. I feel fantastic. I can't wait to do the number. Let's do the number, and then afterwards, we can build a house for habitat for humanity."
"What kind of vitamin?" Puck asked.
"Vitamin C?" Kurt asked. "Vogue magazine says it boosts energy levels and brightens the complexion."
Finn shook his head. "Vitamin D. And I got you guys some." He handed each boy a vitamin. They were going to kick butt tomorrow.
x
Rachel wasn't expecting the boys to show up all dressed in costumes. Okay, they were just wearing white t-shirts, black leather jackets and jeans, but they were all dressed alike. She didn't think they had a chance of beating the girls. She'd put together a great number. She picked the songs, mashed them together and choreographed the number. She was sure none of the boys could do that.
But when the music began and Finn began singing, Rachel was turned on as ever. And the boys sounded good. She'd never seen them have so much energy.
Finn: This ain't a song for the broken hearted
No silent prayer for the faith departed
And I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud
New Direction Boys: It's my life!
Finn: It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive
New Directions Boys: It's my life!
These are my confessions
Artie: Just when I thought I said all I can say
My chick on the side said she got one on the way
New Directions Boys: These are my confessions
Artie: If I'm gonna tell it then I gotta tell it all
Damn near cried when I got that phone call
I'm so thrown
I don't know what to do
But to give part 2 of my
New Directions Boys: You better stand tall
When they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break
Baby, don't back down
These are my confessions
Finn: It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
Artie: These are my confessions
Finn: I just wanna live while I'm alive
New Directions Boys: It's my life
Artie and Finn: Just when I thought I said all I can say
My chick on the side said she got one on the way
New Directions Boys: These are my confessions
Finn: I just wanna live while I'm alive!
New Directions Boys: It's my life!
"Awesome, guys," Mr. Schuester said as he high fived the boys. "Geez, I didn't know you had it in you. It's like somebody slipped something in your juice boxes. Whoo! You ladies better bring it tomorrow. Otherwise, We've got our opening number for sectionals!"
Rachel knew that the girls had to win! Of course, since Quinn hadn't been around lately, there were six boys and only five girls. And the boys had done a great job with their number. There was no way they could win with one fewer member than the boys. Plus, they needed to practice again. Her talent and years of training could only take them so far.
"We'll have to meet during our lunch hour tomorrow," Rachel whispered to the girls. "We need to get our mash-up perfect." Of course, getting Quinn to come would be tough. She knew Quinn hated her. The next day, she saw Quinn in the hall and walked up to her. "Haven't seen you at glee rehearsals."
Quinn gave Rachel a cold look. "I'm not superwoman. I know glee is your whole life, but I have the cheerios, I'm on honor roll, I have friends."
The last comment hurt the most. Rachel was in other clubs, but she didn't feel the same way about them that she felt about Glee. She was on the honor roll too, but friends? Her only friend was Finn, and she couldn't spend too much time with him without Quinn yelling at him for it. The other kids in the glee club were probably just tolerating her for her voice. She knew Quinn was probably upset about the recent changes in her life. "You don't have to be embarrassed. No one at glee is gonna judge you. Look, I know everyone expects us to be enemies and be in competition, but I don't hate you."
"Why not? I've been awful to you," Quinn asked, almost sounding sorry.
"That was before you knew what it felt like to be me, an outsider," Rachel said. She'd been an outsider her whole life and was almost used to it by now, but Quinn didn't know what it was like. "More people are gonna start finding out about this, and you're gonna need friends who can relate."
"How can you relate to what I'm going through?" Quinn asked.
"You don't think people whisper about me In the lunchrooms or draw pornographic pictures of me on the bathroom walls?" Rachel asked. Yes, it was a different way, but she was still an outsider.
"That was me, actually," said Quinn.
Rachel tried to hold in her disgust. Those pictures had been horrible, and she wanted to find out who did it and blow up at them the minute she saw them. But she couldn't cause trouble for the team. "Look, I don't agree with the choice you're making, but you're gonna need glee. You have seven months of your youth left. You should enjoy it. And let's face it, in a couple of months, that cheerleading uniform isn't gonna fit and we're gonna be all you have left. Just come back to practice. Boys versus girls. It's fun. And we could certainly use your voice right now. You're actually a good singer, Quinn. Occasionally sharp, but that's just because you lack my years of training."
"I would have tortured you if the roles were reversed, you know?" Quinn asked.
Rachel couldn't believe Quinn was saying that when she'd reached out to her. "I know."
"Let's go," Quinn said. The girls quietly walked to the choir room, where Mercedes, Tina, Santana and Brittany were talking about how good the boys were.
"Were they really that good?" Quinn asked.
"They were, Quinn," Rachel said. "Look, I was fine with arranging, choreographing and directing this number free of charge. But we underestimated the boys. Their number will go to sectionals and once again, I will be humiliated." They had to win Sectionals. If they lost, Rachel would have nothing.
"How were we supposed to know they'd rock the house? They've never been good," Mercedes lamented.
"How did they d-d-do it?" Tina stuttered.
"The real question is, what were they on?" a voice in the door said. The girls turned and saw Kurt. "Though I've been grouped with the boys, my allegiance still remains with you ladies. They declined my offer to do their hair in cornrows and all my artistic decisions have been derided as too costly because they involve several varieties of exotic bird feathers. We all took something."
Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. The boys were taking energy pills? And Finn was behind it? All the girls now wanted to take them, too. Rachel didn't want to - but she wanted to win...
x
Finn had taken Vitamin D every day this week, and he'd gotten A's on four tests and scored a touchdown in the practice game at football. And of course, he'd kicked butt in the mashup. He'd found the solution to his problems. He passed a boy from the football team in the hall and gave him a high five. "Hey man, got next week's plays all worked out! Yeah!"
The boy gave Finn a confused look as Finn walked on, passing Mr. Schue. "Hey, Mr. Schue, got that paper on Bariloche, Argentina on your desk!"
"But it's not due for two weeks," Mr. Schue said.
"Damn straight. I am in the zone!" Finn said. That was another advantage. He'd finished all his assignments he'd gotten in advance.
Then Rachel came up to Finn "Cheater," she said.
Finn held in his embarrassment. She knew! "I don't know what you're talking about," Finn said.
Rachel didn't fall for that. "You took performance enhancers before your mash-up. Kurt told me. It's deplorable, contemptible, and it's just plain wrong. It's also cheating. As a matter of fact, I'm going to start calling you F-Rod."
She thought he was taking steroids? Rachel wasn't supposed to think low of Finn! "Hey, hey, back off. I'm nothing like A-Rod, okay? I'd never take steroids. They make your junk fall off. Listen, Rachel, you don't know what it's like for me, The kind of pressure I'm under." Of course, now that he was taking Vitamin D, he felt better.
Rachel didn't look impressed. "Oh, we all have pressures, but you know how I deal with it? The natural way, with a rigorous diet and exercise routine. I'm up at 6:00 am every day. I have my protein shake with banana and flaxseedflax-seed I'm on the elliptical. You know how I motivate myself? Not with anything artificial. I set a goal and I won't rest until I reach it."
Finn remembered how tired she was last week. "Yeah, well, that's personal pressure. If you don't meet your goal, you're the only one who loses. I have to be the quarterback, the male lead, and deal with a pregnant girlfriend who yells at me about ice cream, So, yeah, maybe I helped me and my teammates out a little bit, but it's only because I'm sick and tired of working so hard and still losing."
"Yeah, but winning by cheating isn't winning," Rachel said.
"Oh, don't give me that," Finn said. "The only reason you're so pissed about this is 'cause you know you can't compete with us."
"Oh, I am offended by that accusation," Rachel said. "We haven't performed yet, but if I may say, our mash-up is spectacular."
"Still isn't going to be as good. We're gonna win. You're gonna lose. Deal with it." Finn resisted the urge to ask Rachel to hang out again before he walked away.
x
Rachel had more energy while on the Vitamin D, but she still wasn't sure if this was a good idea. The boys had done it, but did it make it right if the girls did it, too? "Thank you so much," she said as she and the other girls stood in front of Mr. Schue, Miss Pillsbury and the boys. "It really is a pleasure. While the boys chose a selection of songs that cast an eye inward on the irresponsible life choices and sexual hunger of today's modern teens, we have chosen a selection of songs that speaks to the nation as a whole during these troubling times Filled with economic uncertainty and unbridled social woe. Because if there's two things America needs right now, that is sunshine and optimism. Also angels. Okay." What had she just said? She hadn't even planned to say much. The music began, and it was time for her to lead the number.
Rachel: Oh...
Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
They didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make a sound
It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out (New Direction Girls: out)
Mercedes with New Direction Girls (New Direction Girls): Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace (I'm walking on sunshine)
You're everything I need and more (Whoa oh)
It's written all over your face (I'm walking on sunshine)
Baby I can feel your halo (Whoa oh)
New Direction Girls: And don't it feel good!
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo (I'm walking on sunshine, woah)
I can see your halo halo halo (I'm walking on sunshine, woah)
Mercedes with New Direction Girls: And don't it feel good!
Rachel with New Direction Girls: I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I'm sure
And I just can't wait 'till the day when you knock on my door (Rachel: Oh now now)
I'm walking on sunshine, woah!
I'm walking on sunshine, woah!
I'm walking on sunshine, woah oh oh!
And don't it feel good!
Rachel with New Direction Girls: I can feel your halo halo (Rachel: Halo!) halo (Mercedes: Alright now!)
I can see your halo halo halo (Mercedes: Oh, yeah!)
I can feel your halo halo halo (Rachel: Halo-oo!)
I can see your halo halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
Rachel: I can see your halo
Halo!
The boys, Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury clapped at the end of the song. "Ladies, I-I don't even know what to say," said Mr. Schue. "You did such a good job. I don't know what you guys did, but whatever it was, keep doing it. Our celebrity judge has her work cut out for her."
But Finn gave Rachel a look, telling her that he knew.
x
Rachel didn't take Vitamin D the next day. She arrived at school, hoping the girls would win, but she knew it wouldn't be winning. Then again, the boys wouldn't really have won, either. Finn came up to her. "What's up, A-Rach? Hey, sweet mash-up. You guys were so energetic."
Yeah, he knew. Rachel didn't know what to say. "We were just taking a lesson from major league baseball. It's not cheating if everyone's doing it. We were just leveling out the playing field."
Finn looked ashamed too. "You really believe that?"
Rachel felt better after Finn said that. "No. I feel terrible. Even if we win, it's not gonna be satisfying."
"I know," Finn agreed. "I don't even remember performing. What do you think we should do?"
"I think... the only way to make things right is to just withdraw from the competition," Rachel sighed. "You know, admit that we were wrong and disqualify our respective teams immediately. No one gets to win."
"Cool," Finn said.
"I'm sorry about what I said the other day. About calling you contemptible and deplorable," Rachel said. "I guess I get caught up in the competitive hysteria, too. My goals are too selfish. You know, it's time for me to stop competing against everyone and start competing alongside them."
"I don't know how you guys on the honor roll do it," Finn said. "I had a C- average last year. Then when I went on Vitamin D, I got a bunch of grades. I felt good that my grades were improving, but like you said, when it's cheating, they aren't really A's."
Rachel felt bad hearing that. "I could study with you sometime. You're in lots of my classes, so I could help you out."
Finn smiled at her. "You'd do that?"
"Of course," Rachel said. "I really want you to succeed, Finn."
"Thanks, Rach," Finn said. "I just want to do well."
"I'll help you," Rachel said. Even studying was a way to spend more time with him. "You'll have all A's this semester, thanks to me."
Finn gave Rachel a hug. "My mom will be so proud."