"My name is Brittany S. Pierce," Brittany said, as she walked down the hall cradling a stack of books and looking dazed. "And I am on top of the world. Senior year was awesome, and now I get to relive every minute of it! I'm head Cheerio, vice-Rachel of the glee club, and now I'm planning a Middle East style sham election that will install me as senior class President for life."

"Brittany, who are you talking to?" Artie asked, as he caught up with her and wheeled up beside her.

"I thought I was doing a voice-over," she said, in a ethereal manner. She glanced down at him. "Are you posting the cast list today?"

"Finn, Kurt, and I sat around and talked about it yesterday after auditions," he said. "I'm almost ready, but I did want to talk to you first. You said you're okay with a small part, right?"

"Right," she said, nodding. "'Cause being head Cheerio, vice-Rachel, and running for senior class President keeps me pretty busy."

"Right," Artie echoed. "Well, okay, I don't know if you've seen the movie, but there's this cheerleader character, Patty Simcox. She's great comedic relief for the show, plus she's featured a lot at the school dance. Will you play her?"

"Of course," Brittany said, without hesitation.

Artie was relieved, because he thought maybe Brittany would dislike the idea and turn him down. "Great!" he exclaimed. "It's like they say, there are no small parts, only small actors."

Brittany frowned. "Artie, that's offensive to little people," she scolded him. "Just because they're small, it doesn't mean they're not good actors."

"Oh... right." Artie grinned up at her, always enjoying her accidental humor. And he was curious about one thing. "Hey, Britt? If you're vice-Rachel, who is, uh, the new Rachel?"

They'd all decided on day one that "the new Rachel" wasn't really something they ought to discuss. They could all possess gifts and talents all their own and no one needed to be the new Rachel. But Brittany obviously had someone in mind.

"Blaine, of course," she said, as if that should have been perfectly obvious.

"Oh... of course," Artie said. "Well... thank you for signing up, it's going to be great! We may not need you to be at every rehearsal, so when the time comes, I'll give you a schedule. And we can work around anything extra you have to do as head Cheerio. Congrats, by the way, on that."

"Thanks, Artie!" she beamed at him. "Oh, one small problem though. I hope I keep the job. Coach already said she's going to demote me if I dip below a C average this year. Plus, I don't know if I can repeat senior year again..."

Artie couldn't believe she'd had to repeat in the first place. Even though they all benefited from having her stay, last year, she'd finally been diagnosed as having a learning disability. It was too bad Brittany's parents didn't fight it. In any case, he knew what she was asking of him before she even finished talking.

"I'll make time for you, Britt," he said. "And if I'm busy, well, I know Tina or Blaine would do the same..." (He, Tina, and Blaine were currently all vying for the top spot in their graduating class.) "We'll make sure you pass."

Brittany leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight squeeze. "You're the absolute best ex-boyfriend, Artie," she told him. "And I can't wait to be Patty what's-her-name in your show. Count me in. Oh, also, do you have a part for Jordan Stern? She didn't make it to auditions, either, but she was going to come!"

"Sure!" Artie actually did have a great part for Jordan Stern, the Cheerio who inexplicably almost always was seen in a neck brace.

One down, one to go, Artie thought, as Brittany resumed walking down the hall and doing her voice-over, now talking excitedly about the show. His next objective – find Marley.

There had been a long discussion about how to cast the girls in the show the previous day. After everyone left, he, Kurt, and Finn hashed it out. The guys had been relatively easy to cast, but there was some disagreement about how to cast Sandy. Finn thought the part ought to go to Kitty, based on the performance she'd given and her cold reading, even despite having a weaker partner for the scene. Kurt, though, had immediately spoken up to reject that idea.

"That's just asking for trouble," Kurt had protested. "That girl may look like Quinn, but make no mistake, she's not Quinn. I don't think you can depend on her to carry your show. But Marley, now, she was great. And what about Tina? Tina was good, too."

"She was, but I want her for Rizzo," Artie had said, biting his lip and worrying about how Tina was going to take the news that he wouldn't be giving her the lead. In fact, she wasn't even his second choice. It was down to Artie to be the tie-breaker between Kurt and Finn. "I agree with you, Kurt. It should be Marley."

So now he was off to find Marley and offer her the part. He wanted to talk to her before posting the list, though, which was why he was hanging around her first period class.

"Artie!" she noticed him first, and he turned around to grin up at her. "Um, what brings you this way?" She was wise to the fact that Artie's first period class was not in this hall.

"Came to find you," he said, then looking around furtively, he wheeled closer, closing the space between them as she leaned over with interest. "Before I post the list today, I wanted to see if you were up for playing Sandy."

"The lead?" she blinked in surprise. "You want me to play the lead?"

"Well... yeah?" Artie asked, questioning why she was now giving him what looked like a panic-stricken expression in response to his good news. "Isn't that what you wanted? I assumed so, since you auditioned with Sandy's most famous solo."

"Only because I already knew it," Marley said, looking like she was torn now, as she pressed her lips together tightly and hugged her book closer to her chest. "Artie, I'm flattered but... I don't think I'm ready to play the lead. I was hoping maybe you'd cast me as one of the Pink Ladies, but I don't think I'm up to playing Sandy." She looked really sorry as she said this, but she also didn't look like she was second guessing herself. "Sorry."

"Would you at least consider being Sandy's understudy?" Artie asked, as he made the next decision there on the spot. He was giving her someone else's part. "And if you want to be one of the Pink Ladies, well, how about Marty? She has a fun solo, 'Freddy My Love.' I'd at least like to see you have a solo."

"Yes to both of those ideas," Marley said, looking relieved. "Oh, um, as long as Sandy doesn't get sick. Hey, speaking of understudy, supposing I did have to go on for Sandy, who would take my part?"

"Oh, like understudies for the understudies, you mean?" Artie asked, grinning up at her. There wasn't time to explain it, but this was one of his more brilliant ideas. "I have that covered. Listen, I'll explain later, I better get to class."

Artie spent the rest of the morning thinking this one through. His second choice for Sandy was Kitty, but there were two problems. One, Kitty wasn't even a member of the Glee club yet, and originally, Artie had wanted everyone to be part of both so that they could perform some of the show songs for Sectionals. And two, Kitty hadn't really sung a ballad for him. He really needed to know if she could sing. Otherwise, he'd have to cast Tina, but then who would play Rizzo?

It was a good thing he already understood Calculus and could have taught the class, because he wasn't paying a lick of attention that class period. Instead, he was texting. His teacher had even seen him texting but said nothing. They had a surprise quiz as their "exit ticket" that day, but as usual, Artie was still the first one finished. He handed in his test, tucked his phone between his legs, and wheeled off before the hallways could fill with bodies and make it harder for him to get from point A to point B quickly. Right now, point B was the auditorium and someone had agreed to meet him there before lunch. She was already seated on the edge of the stage when he arrived.

"Sorry," he said, a little out of breath. "My class is on the other side of the school. Anyway – thank you for meeting me here."

"No problem," Kitty said, hopping off the stage and approaching him, her hands on her hips. "So, you need to hear another song before you cast me as one of your beauty school drop-out girls in the background?"

"Nope," Artie said, and he thought Kitty might have been wiser than she let on, for everyone knew that the Pink Ladies and Patty donned the capes and curlers in that particular scene. "I need to hear a ballad if I'm going to be able to consider you for one of the larger roles." He paused. "If you're up to it. It's a big commitment and I know you have Cheerios."

"If I had to choose, I'd rather be in this," Kitty said, and she never ceased to surprise him. She seemed completely serious. "What do you want me to sing?"

"'Hopelessly Devoted,'" he said. "Do you know it?"

"I grew up on musicals, especially 'Grease,'" she said, tossing her ringlet ponytail over her shoulder. "Yes, I know it. By heart."

With that, she turned and hopped back up on that stage as Artie angled his chair to face her, expectantly. Naturally, he'd made this extra challenging, for he was now expecting her to perform this acapella. She didn't act fazed.

'I guess mine is not the first heart broken...' Not only did she perform this on the fly, she did know every word by heart. Kitty sang with emotion, making the listener feel every word she sang. She didn't need anything but her voice to bring down the house, as her strong voice filled the auditorium and echoed off the walls. Artie sat absolutely still, entranced by her, as he realized his first instinct to cast Kitty had been absolutely right. Had he heard this yesterday, she would have been his first choice instead of Marley.

"Brava," he said, after she'd finished, and gave her her due applause. She gave a little curtsy.

"It's my mother's favorite musical and favorite song," she explained, and Artie noticed how she looked away and seemed to need a moment to compose herself. But the moment passed quickly and she resumed being her usual cool and collected self. "So, was that what you needed to see?"

"That was," he said, nodding solemnly. He needed to ask her the same thing he'd asked Marley, just to be sure. "If... and I'm not saying you have it yet, because I need to discuss with Kurt and Finn... but if we gave you the part of Sandy, could you commit to coming to all the rehearsals?"

"Coach likes me," was Kitty's answer. "Even if she decided to punish me by taking away my chance for head Cheerio because I came to this..." Kitty shrugged, seemingly indifferent to the consequence she'd received. "She likes me. She'll do whatever it takes to keep me on the squad. So, to answer your question, yes. I can be at all the rehearsals."

"Great." Artie fell silent then, and so did Kitty. "Well, uh, thank you for letting me hear you sing. Do you think you might consider Glee club? You could still do Cheerios, you know, and one goal I had was to take the songs from 'Grease' to Sectionals. It would be easier to do that if our Sandy did both."

"Are you saying I have to join your glee club to be Sandy?" Kitty asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Not saying that," Artie quickly replied. "Not saying you have to do anything. Just... strongly encouraging you to think about it, I guess."

Kitty dropped her arms. "I'm messing with you," she said, and she actually reached out and gave his shoulder a shove. Artie, who really wasn't accustomed to being touched by someone who didn't know him well, froze at that. But then again, she had ridden in his lap once. Maybe she knew him better than some. "You guys won Nationals, and you need to do it again, right? I already decided I'd join, if you put me in your show."

"Oh, uh, great." Kitty sure knew how to rattle a guy. She was so unpredictable and he wasn't exactly used to her talking to him this much, after it seemed like she went out of her way not to talk to anyone while they were all working at the pool. "Well... I'll post the list right before Glee club today. Check the list on your way to the choir room today."

She nodded and abruptly left. He was glad he'd packed a lunch in his backpack, for he'd decided to spend the lunch period in the auditorium calling Kurt and Finn. He knew he didn't need their blessing to change the cast list, but seeing as they were helping him, he wanted to be sure he had their support.

He called Kurt first. "Hey... I know you said you're not sure about Kitty," Artie said, when Kurt picked up. "But Marley doesn't want the lead. She said she'd understudy and play Marty. Kitty just stopped by the auditorium and sang 'Hopelessly Devoted' for me, and she was incredible. Are you okay if I cast Kitty as Sandy?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a heavy sigh. "It's your show," he said. "Just make sure your understudy is ready to go on in case she bails. And... if Marley does have to go on as Sandy, who would play Marty?"

"Rachel Berry," Artie said, grinning and feeling proud of the understudy plan he'd cooked up. "She's going to understudy all of the Pink Ladies for me, since she already knows the show by heart, or so she says. I'm going to see if any of the other alumni will be understudies, too, like maybe Mike, Quinn, Mercedes, Puck, or Santana. And you, would you do it?"

"Sure, but I'd be desperately hoping not to have to go on," Kurt said. "People already call me a sad sack and a has-been, for living at home still and for coming up to the school all the time."

"I thought that didn't bother you," Artie said, thinking of the day before when he'd seen Kurt and Blaine at their own table during lunch. He didn't look too bothered then.

"Well... I pretend it doesn't," Kurt said. "But it does. I don't want people to see me this way."

"Sorry," Artie said, not sure what else to say about that. "Well... so, you're good with it? Kitty opposite Blaine as Sandy and Danny?"

"I'm good with that," he confirmed.

Tina had a very large chocolate chip cookie in her hand as she came into the choir room. She made a point to catch Artie's eye before taking her seat – behind him and not beside him today – and taking a very large bite out of what he guessed was supposed to be his cookie, if he'd given her the role of Sandy. He couldn't believe she had the nerve to be unhappy with Rizzo. It wasn't like he'd given her scraps.

Everyone came in, reacting to seeing their parts on the list. Wade walked in first and gave Artie a thumbs-up, clearly fine with being cast as Roger, even though it probably wasn't his first choice. Sugar, who was obviously pleased with Frenchy, came in, kissed Artie's cheek, and told him she couldn't wait to get started. Joe clapped him on the shoulder and told him he wouldn't regret casting him as Doody and letting him sing 'Magic Changes.' Artie had to look away from those stupid dreads as he told Joe he was glad to have him in the T-Birds. Ryder came in next, happy about being the T-Bird called Sonny. He was arm and arm with his dancing partner, Marley, who had been cast as Marty and Sandy's understudy. It looked like Ryder hadn't been expecting the lead or anything, but Artie had also given him the task of being Danny's understudy. Brittany skipped in, still content with Patty Simcox. And Sam positively lifted Artie out of his chair as he hugged him, happy to be cast as Kenickie. (Like there was any doubt?) And when he put his arm around Tina and referred to her as Rizzo, he actually got her to smile as she wiped the chocolate off the corners of her mouth. Finally, Blaine came in, grinning from ear to ear about being Danny Zuko. Aside from Kenickie, Danny had been the easiest part to cast. Blaine clearly gave the standout performance.

Last to come in was Kitty, who looked uncharacteristically nervous as she surveyed the room and tried to decide where to sit. Since Tina had avoided her usual seat by Artie, opting to sit behind him, between Blaine and Sam instead, that left the seat next to Artie open. As Kitty sat by him, Artie turned at that exact moment and glimpsed Tina giving them the stink eye. He quickly pretended he'd just been stretching and shifting his weight in his chair, as he usually did this time of day.

"I take it everyone saw the cast list!" Mr. Schuester said, as he came into the room, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I'm excited to be playing Vince Fontaine. I won't let you down. That said, since everyone here is in the show, we'll officially be giving all of our rehearsal time to 'Grease' rehearsals from here on out. And the best part is, we'll be able to choose some of the best numbers from 'Grease' to make our Sectionals set list."

"Darn," said Tina. "I was planning to suggest 'Gangnam Style.' It's sung almost entirely in Korean, and I spent the whole summer learning it."

"Um..." Artie could see that their teacher was trying to think of a way to be tactful, but that really was an awful song and there was no way they'd win with it. And, for someone who spent an awful lot of time complaining about things being "racist," this was a weird suggestion from Tina. "Well... we could always consider that for Regionals..." Hell to the no, Mr. Schue. "But, for now, I'm glad we can all support Artie's show. And speaking of..."

He'd just noticed that they had a new face on the front row. Kitty sat cross-legged on the chair in her Cheerios uniform, and judging by the way Schue had done a double-take, he might have briefly mistaken her for Quinn sitting there.

"Oh, hi," she said, giving a little wave. "Kitty Wilde. I figured if Glee is good enough for Quinn Fabray, it's good enough for me. Besides, since I'm going to be Sandy and all, it made sense."

With Artie, Tina, Brittany, Sam, Blaine, Sugar, Joe, Marley, Wade, Ryder (who had told Marley, who told Artie, that he'd be joining right after auditions the previous day), and now Kitty, that now made eleven. They still needed one more to compete at Sectionals.

"Welcome, Kitty!" Mr. Schue said. "And you too, Ryder, we're happy to have new faces." He turned to Artie. "Who else is in the show but not in New Directions yet?"

"Well, Lauren and Mohamed," Artie said, naming the two he'd chosen for Jan and Eugene the stereotypical nerd. "But I already asked them again during AV Club this morning, and neither wants to join us for Sectionals. I told them that's okay. And then... depending on if he accepts the part... there's Jake."

He'd cast Jake Puckerman as Teen Angel because all he would have to do would be to sing, in one scene. He was planning on having Kurt understudy the part, though that surely increased the chances that Kurt would have to go on if and when Jake bailed on them.

"Doubtful, but I could ask him again," Kitty said, glancing over her shoulder at Marley as she added the next part, smugly, "He listens to me."

Artie wasn't sure what that was about. But he'd noticed Ryder seemed to have won the silent war for Marley. So, where did that leave Jake Puckerman? Judging from the smirk on Kitty's face, he'd found a way to stay busy.

"Well... great," Mr. Schuester said, and Artie decided he'd also figured out by now that Jake Puckerman was related to their Puck, and therefore, probably not too reliable as a general rule. He turned around to write something on the board, with grand flourish.

"Grease is the word!"

Cast

Kitty Wilde ... as Sandy Dubromski

Blaine Anderson ... as Danny Zuko

Sam Evans ... as Kenickie

Tina Cohen-Chang ... as Betty Rizzo

Marley Rose ... as Marty

Ryder Lynn ... as Sonny Latierri

Sugar Motta ... as Frenchy

Joe Hart ... as Doody

Lauren Zizes ... as Jan

Wade Adams ... as Roger

Brittany S. Pierce ... as Patty Simcox

Mohamed Omar ... as Eugene Florczyk

Jake Puckerman ... as Teen Angel

Jordan Stern ... as Cha-Cha

Will Schuester ... as Vince Fontaine

Finn Hudson ... as Johnny Casino

Shannon Beiste ... as Miss Lynch

An Artie Abrams Production