Chapter 2

It's a New Day

Will drove his car into the parking lot. He started to walk. Finn helped Rachel with her suitcase.

"Oh, thanks, Finn. You're so chivalrous."

"Thanks. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah."

Will walked into Emma. Actually, she walked into him. "Oh, sorry, Will."

"Emma, hi," Will smiled. "Thank you for the advice the other day."

Santana walked by and said, "Get a room."

Quinn said, "Mr. Shue, Coach Sylvester wants to see you in her office. She doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Will entered Sue's office. The bitch coach told him, "I had a chat with Figgins and according to the show choir rule book, you need 12 members to qualify for Regionals. Last time I checked, you only have six. One of them's in a wheelchair. You want to be in the spotlight. I can respect that. But if you don't show at Regionals, the deal's off. You can be my coaching assistant."

"Are you threatening me, Sue?"

"Threatening you? You betcha."

"Look, Sue, I politely decline your offer. Glee Club is here to stay. We are gonna show at Regionals. You have my word on that."

"Yeah? We'll see."

In the choir room, everyone was rehearsing with "Le Freak." Mercedes said, "Hell to the naw. This song is terrible!"

Kurt said, "It is the song. Coming from me, it's really gay."

Artie said, "We need more modern music, Mr. Shue."

Will said, "You guys, I'm sorry. There's no more time to discuss this. We have to sing something at the pep assembly this Friday."

Tina asked, "In front of the whole school?"

"Exactly."

Kurt said, "But they're gonna throw fruit at us. And I just had a facial."

Rachel said, "I'll press charges if that happens."

Will said, "Guys, we need to recruit more members. There are only six of you. We need 12 to qualify for Regionals, or the club is over."

The next day, Will walked into the choir room after Kurt and Mercedes were dissing each other's appearances. Will said, "All right, guys, how about a little Kanye?"

Mercedes gasped, "For the assembly?"

"No, we won't have enough time. But we can still fold this into our repertoire. Communication is the foundation of any successful music group. You guys wanted modern music. I found some. Mercedes, you know this?"

"Oh, I got this." That was when they started, "Gold Digger." It does not get any more modern than that.

Rachel and Finn were practicing in the auditorium a week later. She played a note on the piano. "Try it."

Finn sung to imitate the note. "La!"

"Good!"

"That was good." Rachel played another note. "La! Was that okay?"

"Yeah. It's like the Holy Grail for a baritone, so it's a good note. Alright, I'll start at the bottom and then we'll go up higher."

"Can we take a break? I mean, singing kinda makes me a little hungry."

"Sure. Lucky I prepared for that." She showed him a picnic.

"Wow! I wondered what that was all about."

"Do you want to sit?"

"Yeah." He walked to the pillows. "Absolutely."

"I was wondering why you asked me to help you with your singing. You kicked butt at the assembly." They sat down.

"Well, this is my only chance to be…you know, good like you."

"You think I'm good?"

"Well, when I first joined, I thought you were kind of insane. I mean, you talk a lot more than you should and…to be honest with you, I looked under the bed. But then I heard you sing. I don't know how to say this, but you touched something in me. You're cool, Rachel."

Rachel smiled. "Thanks. Uh, do you want a drink?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Well, cheers."

"Cheers. Cups are like the airplane cups." They sip.

"You know, if you want, we can… but you don't have to."

"I want to." They leaned forward for a kiss. Finn stood up suddenly.

"What? What is it?"

"I just have to go. Look, please don't tell anybody about this, okay?" He walked out without another word.

Puck was kissing Santana in the hallway. Mercedes looked at them with disgust. Kurt walked to his locker and opened it. MJ asked him, "Have you ever kissed anybody?"

"Yes, if by anybody, you mean my elbow." He put on hairspray. "No, I haven't. But I'd like to. Okay, stop it. Mercedes, we are in glee club. That means we are at the bottom of the social heap. Special ed kids will get more play than we will. The only thing that gets me by is that we are superior to all of them." He took her arm and started to walk together. "What are you wearing for our field trip?"

"Is there a dress code?"

"No, but every moment of your life is an opportunity for fashion. We'll hit the mall after school. Meet me at lunch."

Outside they were doing a car wash. Mercedes stood up and glared at Kurt's work. "Those rims are clean. We've polished them three times already."

"Did you bring a change of clothes? We're going straight with the Sound of Music."

"Kurt, this is the third time we've gone out. Can we just make it official?"

"Make what official?"

Rachel stood up and squeezed a sponge.

Kurt said, "Mercedes…I'm gay."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I've never told anyone before."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are, Kurt. You should tell people, especially the guys in glee. The whole point of the club is about expressing what's really inside you."

"I guess I'm just not that confident." He walked off.

Rachel was stretching. "I've always tried to be a team player. Let's face it, Mr. Shue, you don't like me very much."

"That's not true. I am your biggest fan."

"Look, I know who I am. I know I can be abrasive, bossy and conceited. I know it sounds awful, but I know that I'm the best one in there. I tried the hardest and I want it the most."

"Everyone knows that."

"I'm not quitting glee. I'm just looking for a reason to stay. Everyone on the team is getting something out of being there. You're doing a great job of getting them out of their shells."