Will energetically walked into the choir room. He made his way to the whiteboard and wrote down the word "welcome" in big, capital letters. He turned to the class and gave them a big smile.
"Hey, guys, last night I got the perfect idea for recruiting more members!" Will announced to the seven kids sitting in front of him. Natalia quirked an eyebrow, giving him a serious look. She recognized the tone of voice he was using. It was Natalia's fourth year of being in the Glee club. The excitement in his voice and the over-zealous gleam in his eyes were always two mixes in a recipe for disaster when it came to Mr. Schuester. She knew this was going nowhere except for being thrown into a dumpster extremely quick.
"Mr. Schue, it better not be some group number outside about how fun singing is. That's just going to get joke names on the audition sign-up list," Dennis said.
"Well, it does include a group number. Don't fret, guys! This is the key to getting more members. If you couldn't already notice, the theme this week is 'Welcome'," Will explained. Natalia let out an exaggerated groan. I knew Curly-Q was going to plan something stupid like this. Life was fun while it lasted, Natalia thought to herself.
"And what exactly do you want us to do with the word 'welcome'?" Antonio awkwardly asked.
"Sing a song with 'Welcome' in the title! Nothing will make new members want to sign up more than knowing how welcome they are here!" Will answered. Shantel and Glen exchanged annoyed looks before looking back at Mr. Schue.
"That's stupid. They should already KNOW they're welcome here. Are you sure you just don't have a tear fetish?" Glen asked, completely serious.
"You all must not have any faith in me as a teacher if you think I'm going to make you look stupid. Look, just listen to my plan and tell me how dumb you think it is after. You're all going to go outside during lunch and sing a song. What do you all think?"
"That's slightly better, I suppose. However, if the song is some lame nursery rhyme or something, we're going to get killed," Dennis complained.
"Dennis, I don't think 'Welcome to the Jungle' is a nursery rhyme," Will argued, a slightly cocky grin on his face. Everyone's faces lit up when they heard him say the song title.
"Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Antonio happily said. Will started passing the sheet music out to everyone.
"Let's start rehearsing right away, then!"
You know, if I ever thought I'd be standing in front of the whole school outside in early September heat, wearing a heavy leather jacket and skin tight leather pants, I would have considered myself having more than paranoia, Antonio thought. I know my friend in Akron told me that he has fun 'working in Vocal Adrenaline despite the rigorous schedule which I've heard so much about (and I know it is pretty much illegal since the coach just about kills his students from the work), but I think even he'd think this is over the top.
"Mimi, it's way too hot out to be dressed like this," Antonio complained.
"Take that up with Mr. Schue. He chose these gaudy outfits," she retorted.
"He's not out here! I was okay with doing Guns n Roses before he decided to dress us all up like Axl Rose. I think I might pass out from this tight head band," he muttered, adjusting the bandana tied around his forehead, "What Mr. Schue doesn't know won't hurt him"
"Dude, relax. It's ten times better than being out here in nothing but a G-string, right?" Glen asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"All that would accomplish is the expulsion of us, and the eternal mental damnation of the witnesses," Natalia commented. They looked below where Alexandra was bringing the boombox. She looked up at them and waved. It was the single for everyone to get into position. Antonio rolled his eyes, leaning against the railing on the stone steps. Alexandra turned the boombox on and quickly ran up the steps to join everyone else.
The music began to play. Mr. Schue had originally told them to be rocking out on air guitars here, but it was a unanimous decision to skip that step in the choreography. Antonio begrudgingly put a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and sat on the railing. He wasn't particularly happy about being denied his shutter-shades, but arguing with a teacher was as useless as tits on a boar pig in his opinion. Antonio started to slide down the rail as he began singing.
"Welcome to the jungle; we've got fun n' games! We got everything you want. Honey, we know the names. We are the people that can find whatever you may need. If you got the money, honey, we got your disease. In the jungle...welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your knees, knees! I wanna watch you bleed," Antonio sang out. He went to the nearest table and sat down, lying back slightly. Mimi strutted over to the railing Antonio had just slid down from. She took a seat, embracing herself.
"Welcome to the jungle; it gets worse here everyday! Ya learn ta live like an animal. In the jungle where we play. If you got a hunger for what you see, you'll take it eventually. You can have anything you want, but you better not take it from me! In the jungle...welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your knees, knees!" quickly, Mimi slid down the railing, singing, "I wanna watch you bleed!"
Mimi took a place next to Antonio. The two of them bumped fists before turning to look at everyone else standing at the top of the stairs. Glen put on a pair of sunglasses and began running down the stairs. He made his way over to the first girl he could find in the commons and got behind her.
"You know where you are?" he asked, moving to face her, "You're in the jungle, baby! You're gonna die!"
Everyone else ran down the concrete stairs, joining in finally.
"Oh! In the jungle! Welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your knees, knees! In the 'jungle...welcome to the jungle! Feel my, my, my serpentine! In the jungle...welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your knees, knees! In the jungle...welcome to the jungle! Watch it bring you to your...It' gonna bring you down-HA!" Everyone sang out. By the end of the song, they had all found their ways to the same table. Natalia glanced around. There was no applause or anyone begging to sign up.
"Dammit, Schuester, I knew no one would care," she muttered.
"Mr. Schue, your plan didn't work," Shantel informed, walking into the choir room. Everyone else came in after her and quickly took their seats.
"That's okay! I have another plan," Mr Schue announced.
"If it's another group performance outside, I'm going to revolt," Natalia warned.
"It's not necessarily a group performance. I asked Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester for help. I'm sending a group to go try to convince members of the football team to join and another to convince some Cheerios. Now, there is seven of you, but I'm sure you can manage one group of four and one group of three," he explained.
"I'm not doing it. You can't force me. I said no group performances, and this counts as one. I'm revolting. Now the issue with the groups being even is solved," Natalia stated, standing up and storming out of the room. Mr. Schuester looked in the direction she went, a bit concerned. He knew Natalia, though. I better not get involved. She'll get over it, he thought.
"Anyway, here's what you're all doing. Antonio, Mimi, and Alexandra will perform 'Welcome to my Nightmare' by Alice Cooper for the football players. Shantel, Glen, and Dennis will perform 'Welcome to the Occupation' by REM. I suggest you all start rehearsing. We want to blow them away," Mr. Schuester ordered.
Schuester really wants to see us all get ripped apart. No one athletic will be interested in joining. I feel sorry for the others. They will probably end up with patriotic wedgies. I don't care how cold this sounds, but it's better those morons than me. They're in for a real suicide mission, Natalia angrily ranted in her head. She walked to her locker and began entering her combination. A few feet away, she heard a couple of girls yakking.
"Ohmigosh...did you hear? Even that paranoid kid joined the Glee club. They must really be looking for losers," one said. The other snorted.
"You mean that Antonio kid? Oh, don't make me laugh. You know he actually has some paranoid disorder? Like a really real one? I also hear he's Jewish, which makes absolutely no sense. Jews are supposed to be smart, right?"
"They are. He's, like, retarded, though. Isn't that what anyone with a mental problem is? Retarded? I bet the Jew churches have banned him for it".
Natalia slammed her locker shut and stomped over to the gossiping snobs. As Natalia passed, she shoved them into the lockers they were standing beside. Natalia couldn't help but smile as she heard their whines of pain. She almost made it through the rest of the hall before a hand grabbed her shoulder and forcefully spun her around.
"Hello, Snot One and Snot Two. What can I do for you today?" Natalia calmly asked, looking right at the two girls that triggered her anger more than Mr. Schuester had in a long time.
"What was that?!"
"What was what?" Natalia asked, smiling innocently.
"You pushed us, you bitch!"
"So I did. Consider this a warning. The next time you start ragging on someone you don't even know when I'm around I will do a lot more to you than push you against some lockers. Since you're both stick figures, and I actually have muscle mass because I happen to find meat more appetizing than a leaf of lettuce, you should feel threatened," Natalia explained, quickly walking away.
That was extremely satisfying. Wait...CRAP! Does this mean Antonio really does have clinical paranoia? If it does, I walked all over him when I told him the government would be after him if he didn't audition for New Directions. Shit, I'm terrible! Ugh! I better apologize. I owe it to him.
"Okay, you babies, listen up!" Sue yelled into her megaphone, "I'm sure you're all aware that the Glee club has reached an all time low. Schuester asked me to allow you all to watch. It's probably going to be terrible, but if I don't see at least two of you sign up, I'm making you all do the fire routine one at a time, by yourselves."
Shantel twitched slightly. I really hope this convinces a lot of them. I don't like the fire routine. I'd rather try my luck in a piranha tank. Shantel walked in front of Glen and Dennis. She nervously looked at her fellow Cheerios and their intimidating glares. She swallowed her pride.
"Hey guys! My brother, friend, and I have put together this great number! It will blow you all away, I promise! So, without further ado, here's 'Welcome to the Occupation' by REM!" Shantel happily announced. Dennis pressed play on the boombox they dragged over. They turned their backs to face the crowd as the music started. Dennis was the first to turn back around.
"Throwing your collar up inside'. Hang your dollar on me'. 'Listen to the water still'; Listen to the causeway. 'You are mad and educated. Primitive and wild. Welcome to the occupation," he sang. Glen turned around, getting closer to him, singing the next part.
"Here we stand and here we fight. All your fallen heroes. Held and dyed and skinned alive. Listen to the Congress fire. Offering the educated, primitive and loyal. Welcome to the occupation." Shantel turned around and stood on the other side of Dennis.
"Hang your collar up inside. Hang your freedom higher. Listen to the buyer still. Listen to the Congress. Where we propagate confusion, primitive and wild. Fire on the hemisphere below," she sang. They all started running to random cheerios and communicating with them, singing the next part together.
"Sugar cane and coffee cup. Copper, steel and cattle. An annotated history. The forest for the fire. Where we open up the floodgates, freedom reigns supreme. Fire on the hemisphere below."
"Listen to me!" Dennis sang.
"Listen to me!" Glen sang.
"Listen to me!" Shantel sang.
"Listen to me!" they all sang together. The song ended. They looked around at the Cheerios. Most of them looked unimpressed and half-asleep. Glen rolled his eyes. Those bitches didn't even pay attention. I seriously want to light some matches and attack them for being so rude! We were amazing! ...or at least I was. But that's all that matters! He thought.
Sue took some sign-up sheets to the front of the locker room. She hung it up and turned to face everyone. A glare formed on her face. Slowly, she raised a hand and pointed to three people: One was an Asian girl with black hair and brown eyes. Another was a petite girl with light brown hair and brown eyes. The third was slightly older than them and don a head of dark brown hair and blue eyes.
"Lei. Stella. Amber. Get over here," Sue ordered. The three quickly made their ways over to their overbearing coach. Sue pulled the Asian girl and the petite one aside, leaving the older one to wonder.
"Lei, Stella, you two are signing up for New Directions. I don't care if you're not interested, I refuse to be affiliated with a Glee club that's completely packed of brain-dead weirdos. Here's a pen; start signing," Sue ordered, handing them a pen. She then walked over to Amber. She folded her arms, and gave Amber a smile.
"Coach Sylvester, I hope you don't mind, but I was thinking about not joining the Glee club. It looks fun, but I want to dedicate time to school and the Cheerios," Amber explained with a slight grin.
"Oh, you won't have to worry about that. You're cut," Sue said, patting Amber's back. Amber's eyes widened and she cocked an eyebrow.
"Excuse me? Cut? But I'm the head cheerleader! You can't just kick me off the squad!"
"Oh, yes I can. It's the Cheerios. You either die, or I kick you out. You see, I heard those nasty rumors about you. Stella told me"
"Rumors?" Amber was getting a bit worried now. She wasn't aware of any rumors that had been spread about her. The fact that Stella was involved made Amber extremely suspicious, though.
"Yes, rumors. I don't need a cheerleader that opens her legs to any boy that walks by. You betrayed me, Amber. I expect to have all Cheerio equipment from you back on my desk in the morning. Stella will be replacing you. She actually has the class and responsibility to keep her legs shut"
"Stella?! But she's a freshman! Not only that, but she's the sluttiest person in this school!" Amber complained.
"Don't tell lies about Stella. It's only making you look worse. Now get out of my sight. I'm highly allergic to the smell of high school hussies," Sue commanded, pushing her away. Amber hesitated a bit, looking down. She took the ponytail holder out of her hair, letting it fall. She slowly walked away in a depressed haze. As she left, she could have sworn she heard Stella yell at her to not let the door hit her ass on the way out.
"Shane, you're joining Glee club with me!" Stella yelled, slamming his locker shut. Shane just looked at her with emotionless blue eyes and started entering the combination again.
"Shane! I don't wanna join alone!" she whined, slapping his hand away from the locker.
"Whatever," Shane muttered. He walked away.
"You better join! Make sure to bring a friend!" Stella demanded. Shane didn't respond. Instead, he went straight toward his friend, Roderick. Shane crossed his arms and leaned up against the locker next to Roderick and sighed.
"I'm auditioning for the Glee club, apparently," Shane apathetically informed. Roderick stifled a laugh.
"Really, bro? Are you going to blow the audition?" he asked. Shane nodded.
"It's no different from everything else Stella tries to make me join. She told me to bring someone with me. You're auditioning, Roderick"
"It could be worse. I'll do it for you, bro. I've got nothing better to do today," Roderick agreed.
Antonio, Mimi, and Alexandra found themselves in a stuffy locker room full of a bunch of football players. They all felt uncomfortable. The air was humid with what was probably sweat, and it was extremely warm.
"Guys, these three are here from the Glee club. Mr. Schuester asked me to let them sing you all a song. Unless you want to run laps all afternoon, I suggest you all act maturely. Sign up sheets are located around the locker room," Coach Beiste announced. Groans were heard all throughout the room. Antonio cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"I realize it's probably extremely hard for all of you jocks to pay attention to something artsy for more than thirty seconds. However, I'm sure you can find it somewhere in your brains to pay attention and not start throwing socks at us. Now then. We are performing 'Welcome to my Nightmare' by Alice Cooper. Prepare to have your minds blown," Antonio explained. He pressed a button on the boombox, and the three of them heard the music begin. They closed their eyes and put their heads down. Alexandra jerked her head up, eyes wide open.
"Welcome to my nightmare, I think you're gonna like it, I think you're gonna feel you belong," Alexandra sang, walking toward the crowd slowly.
"A nocturnal vacation, unnecessary sedation, you want to feel at home 'cause you belong," Mimi sang, repeating the same moves as Alexandra did.
"Welcome to my nightmare," they both sang. Antonio rapidly perked his head up, eyes wide. He looked around from side to side, smiling manically.
"Welcome to my breakdown. I hope I didn't scare you. That's just the way we are when we come down. We sweat and laugh and scream here. Cause life is just a dream here. You know inside you feel right at home, here. Welcome to my breakdown...welcome to my nightmare," he sang. The three stood in a circle, holding hands. They spotted themselves to keep from being dizzy and began spinning.
"Welcome to my nightmare. I think you're gonna like it! I think you're gonna feel you belong! We sweat and laugh and scream here! Cause life is just a dream here! You know inside you feel right at home, here!" they sang out in unison. They unhooked hands and let the laws of physics stop carry them until they stopped.
"Welcome to my breakdown!" Mimi and Alexandra sang.
"Welcome to my nightmare!" Antonio finished. The music ended. Antonio's eyes scanned the room, looking for any sign of feedback. Suddenly, a boy with messy black hair and blue eyes stood, clapping.
"That was so cool! I wanna join! It looks like a lot of fun!" he yelled. Antonio smiled.
"That's great! I'm glad you enjoyed our amazing performance and actually have the guts to say it, unlike your neanderthal friends," Antonio replied.
"Atta boy, Tate! I'm proud," Beiste said.
"Anyone else? Please?" Mimi asked. The room was just silent for a few seconds as Tate signed his name on one of the sheets. A chorus of laughter and "yeah right's" erupted from the room. Alexandra, horrified, quickly ran out of the locker room. Mimi and Antonio exchanged glances before calmly leaving with their dignity still in tact.
Antonio stopped by his locker. He turned his head to look at the clock. School's about over now. I better be getting home, seeing as how Glee rehearsal is canceled for the auditions. I better hightail it out of here. Antonio grabbed his homework, shut the locker, and turned around. He was about to put his shutter-shades on until he noticed he was surrounded by five of the football players from earlier. He sighed.
"Hello boys, what can I do for you today?" Antonio asked.
"You know what we want, choir queer!" one of them yelled. Antonio smiled and put his hands up.
"Actually, I'm bi-sexual, not gay. But I do love performing, so you got the choir part right," Antonio corrected.
"Cut the attitude! We can do this the easy way or the hard way," another threatened. Antonio rolled his eyes and grinned.
"I'm in a hurry to get home, so I'll choose the hard way," Antonio said, bolting off. He heard the jocks yelling at him and knew they were definitely chasing him. He didn't particularly enjoy running from them, but he figured running would mean getting home just that much faster. The sooner he got home, the sooner he could get on MSN and talk to his friend. The door was only inches away from Antonio. He turned his head to the jocks chasing him down.
"Hey, guys, catch ya later!" Antonio yelled back at them as he burst through the door. He was stopped right in his tracks when he crashed into someone. There were more football players waiting for him outside. He stepped back, smiling at them. He raised his hands as they walked over. They picked him up and carried him to the dumpster.
"I sure hope garbage is kosher, choir queer!" one of them yelled as they threw Antonio in. He felt like he should have felt bad, but a visit to the dumpster has been a daily thing since halfway through his freshman year. The jocks would station near his locker until he came, and either escort him to he dumpster or just carry him. Antonio had tried several times to run, but never succeeded.
"Antonio, do you have a second?"
Antonio sat right up. He crawled to the front of the dumpster and cautiously sat up. He looked out to see Natalia smiling sheepishly at him. He smiled back, deciding it would be best to climb out. He approached her afterward and crossed his arms.
"I would have never guessed you're Jewish," Natalia commented. Antonio chuckled.
"Is it because my nose isn't inanely large?" he asked.
"That and your name isn't very Jewish. It's quite Spanish sounding, but not Jewish"
"That's because my great grandfather was a Spaniard that married a Jew. He agreed to let her raise her family in the Jewish faith, which carried over the generations to my family. However, I don't think you came to talk about my religion, so cut to the chase," Antonio demanded. Natalia sighed, giving him a guilty look.
"I wanted to apologize. I'm the one who told you that the government would come after you and your family if you didn't join the New Directions. I didn't realize at the time that you actually have paranoia," Natalia said.
"It's okay. My therapist explained to me that you were probably lying. I'm glad you came clean, though. It takes a lot of courage to admit what you did was wrong"
"So you forgive me that easily?"
"I don't see why not. I might not trust you for a while, but I still forgive you. Are you okay with that?"
"That's actually a lot better than I expected," Natalia cheerfully said, "And to make up for it, I will make sure to torment anyone that gives you a hard time. Deal?"
"Deal"
Songs:
"Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns n Roses - New Directions
"Welcome to the Occupation" by REM - Shantel, Glen, and Dennis
"Welcome to my Nightmare" by Alice Cooper - Antonio, Mimi, Alexandra
Only three songs this time. I swear there were more, but I just couldn't fit them in without it being awkward. Next episode is going to be exciting, though! It's a Space theme and we get to see a a bit more of Alexandra's rocker side during a certain song from Europe :)
New Directions: Underdogs Once Again
Space
Crowds of people were pouring into the halls of Carmel High School for one of the biggest yearly attractions the school held: Vocal Adrenaline Invitationals. It was practically enough to fill the entire auditorium and then some. Antonio cautiously entered the school, for he was one of the several people there to see Vocal Adrenaline perform.
I hope I'm actually allowed here. They are technically my rivals, but I really couldn't give a shit about the majority of them. I just want to see him perform, Antonio thought, looking around the halls. He was in line to find a seat in the auditorium when a hand touched his shoulder. Antonio jumped slightly at the sudden contact and was about to shove the person away. Wait! It might be him. Antonio turned around and found himself greatly disappointed.
"Oh...hello, Mr. St. James," Antonio greeted. Of course it was Jesse St. James. The coach of Vocal Adrenaline wouldn't stay home during their Invitational. Antonio just hoped he wasn't about to get in trouble for being there.
"Well if it isn't Paranoia. I was going to avoid you, but then I remembered a little tidbit of news I'd heard from my star. If you're here to spy for your pathetic glee club, don't bother. You're no competition for us," Jesse said. Antonio faked a smile.
"Oh, I hope that's not a threat. Threatening the son of a paralegal isn't the smartest choice you could make. Now, I could tell you why I'm here, or I could let you twist in the wind"
"I'm not intimidated. Besides, you're here to see Romeo, aren't you?" Jesse asked. Antonio's smile softened a bit. He nodded.
"I thought so. He'll be glad you came. Go on and enjoy the show. Just be careful. Your brain might explode by the amazing performance my kids will be giving," Jesse commented, walking off. Antonio rolled his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't be scared by the likes of St. James.
Antonio quickly found himself a seat in the auditorium. He looked toward the stage which was still blocked from everyone's view with the red curtain. I hate waiting for these things to start. They advertise it for starting as six, but it's not until 6:45 that the curtain is drawn back, he ranted in his head. He looked at his watch, which read 6:17. He knew it would take a while.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Please give a warm welcome to last year's regional state champion, Vocal Adrenaline!" the announcer finally yelled.
"It's about time," Antonio muttered as the lights started to dim. The curtains parted, and the stage lights shined to show the choir lined up five in a row. The boys were dressed in white dress shirts with the sleeves rolled up, black ties, pants and shoes, and blue suspenders. The girls were in strapless, blue polka-dot dresses with a black sash around the waist, and heels.
"Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel alive! And the world – I'll turn it inside out, yeah! I'm floating around in ecstasy, so don't stop me now. Don't stop me cause I'm having a good time. Having a good time!" they all sang together. Suddenly a blonde boy burst out onto the stage.
"I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky like a tiger defying the laws of gravity! I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva! I'm gonna go, go, go, there's no stopping me! I'm burning through the sky, yeah! 200 degrees, that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit! I'm traveling at the speed of light!" he sang.
"I'm gonna make a supersonic man out of you!" Vocal Adrenaline sang with the blonde. Antonio was already clapping, thoroughly impressed.
"Don't stop me now!" Vocal Adrenaline sang.
"I'm having such a good time! I'm having a ball!" the boy sang.
"Don't stop me now!"
"If you wanna have a good time, just give me a call!"
"Don't stop me now!"
"Cause I'm having a good time!"
"Don't stop me now!"
"Yes, I'm having a good time! I don't wanna stop at all, yeah!" The guitar solo started and the entire choir continued with the intricate dancing they had been doing around the blonde for the entirety of the song thus far. The blonde smirked.
"Oh, burning through the sky, yeah! 200 degrees, that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit, hey! I'm burning through the speed of light! I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!"
"Don't stop me now!"
"Yes, I'm having a good time! I don't wanna stop at all!" every member of Vocal Adrenaline then dropped to the floor except for the blonde. He slowly meandered off stage, singing the outro to the song.
"Ha da da da da...da da da da...ha da da ha ha ha! Ha da da...ha da da da da!"
"It was so amazing! I swear my heart just about to stop during their performance of 'Don't Stop Me Now'," Antonio said, talking to Mimi and Natalia in the choir room. Mr. Schuester walked into the choir room, five new faces behind him.
"Hey guys, attention here! I'd like to welcome the newest members of New Directions! From the Cheerios, we have Stella Romero and Lei Chen! We have football player Tate Dawson! Also, we have Roderick Jones and Shane Alcotte!" he introduced. An unenthusiastic round of applause emerged as the five took seats.
"Well, this is great. Maybe now we might stand a chance against Vocal Adrenaline. According to Antonio, they're phenomenal this year," Natalia said. Mr. Schuester cocked an eyebrow.
"Did you spy on them, Antonio? That's bad," he scolded.
"No! I just wanted to see their Invitational for my own reasons. It was a radical show, though. It was a space theme," Antonio explained. Mr. Schuester swiftly turned around and wrote "Space" on the white board.
"Vocal Adrenaline wants to do space? That's fine. We can, too," he announced. Natalia rolled her eyes.
"Really? That's terrible! There aren't any good songs with a space theme!" she yelled.
"You're wrong, there! In fact, for the pep assembly we will be doing 'The Final Countdown' by Europe. I was thinking we could give Alexandra a shot with it," Mr. Schuester winced slightly as he said Alexandra's name. Alexandra's eyes widened and she glanced around the room.
"You want...me...to sing it?" she squeaked.
"Of course. Are you familiar with the song?"
"Yes..."
"Then it's settled. We're doing space this week. Everyone, scour the internet for a space themed song you would like to sing for us. I'm looking forward to seeing what you all come up with," Mr. Schuester said with a smile. Antonio raised his hand.
"May I have the floor?" he asked.
"The floor's yours," Mr. Schue permitted, sitting down. Antonio walked over to the front of the classroom.
"I already have a space song in mind. There's no doubt in my mind that Def Leppard was the greatest band that ever lived. I've always wanted the perfect opportunity to sing this song. Now that I have it...prepare to be rocked by 'Rocket'," he stated, a smirk on his face. The music started. Antonio put his shutter-shades on, his smirk getting bigger.
"Guitar...drums!" A few of the Glee members that recognized the song began happily singing the back up vocals for him.
"White light...strange city...mad music! All around! Midnight...street magic...crazy people...crazy sound! Jack flash! Rocket man! Sergeant Pepper and the band! Ziggy, Benny, and the Jets! Take a rocket! We just got to fly!"
"I can take you through the center of the dark," the back up sang.
"We' gonna fly!"
"On a collision course to crash into my heart!"
"I will be your! I will be your! I'll be your! Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love! Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love! Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love! Rocket, baby. C'mon. I'll be your satellite of love," Antonio sang, back up helping.
"We're gonna fly," Antonio muttered.
During the instrumental break, he walked over to Alexandra, who was seemingly having the most fun. He smiled at her and offered his hand. Flustered, she quickly shook her head. Antonio rolled his eyes, grabbing her hand anyway. He pulled her up and dragged her to the front of the room. He figured this would be the perfect opportunity to get her over her stage fright. It was platonic, friendly, and helpful to the club. Alexandra seemed to go along with it, getting a bit more comfortable. Antonio invited her to do lead for the next section.
"We just got to fly!" she sang, strongly.
"I can take you to the center of the dark," Antonio sang, dragging her around in a circle.
"We're gonna fly!"
"On a collision course to crash into my heart!" he sang, clumsily placing his hands over his chest.
"I will be your! I will be your! I'll be your! Rocket, yeah! Satellite of love! Rocket, yeah! Satellite of love! Rocket, yeah! Satellite of love!" she sang out, grinning the whole time.
"Guitar! Drums! We're gonna fly! We're gonna fly! Yeah! Rocket. Yeah," Antonio finished, Alexandra singing the background vocals. Antonio laughed.
"Now that is how you get over stage fright!" he praised. Alexandra blushed at all the applause she was hearing. I really wasn't that good...calm down, people, she thought.
Amber was outside the choir room as they performed. After being kicked off the Cheerios for the false slut rumors, she pretty much found out that it's best to stick around a classroom while waiting for the halls to clear. It's the best way to avoid the bullies. She looked longingly into the choir room from afar. Her only intent was to be safe. However, she suddenly felt a want to belong to anything. She didn't care if it was New Directions. She longed to feel like she had friends. Friends that wouldn't ditch her as soon as the Cheerio uniform came off.
Amber furrowed her eyebrows a bit. It became official. Amber Rose was going to audition for Glee club. Performing songs and dances would only be slightly different than cheer leading, and if there was one thing Amber was good at, it would be adjusting. She swiftly walked away to prepare an audition song.
After Glee club rehearsal, everyone got up to leave. Roderick grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Stella quickly followed him. She stalked him all the way to his locker before approaching. She tapped him on the shoulder, putting on her most seductive smile.
"Hello, Stella," Roderick greeted.
"You were great in Glee club today," Stella blurted.
"...but I didn't do anything in Glee club, bro"
"You didn't have to. I'm only in that gross club because I'm the new Cheerio captain, and whatever Coach Sylvester demands happens. Anyway, I was wondering something"
"Spill it, bro. I don't have all day"
"You're one of the few people in this school I have yet to bang. So, you're joining me in a threesome tonight," Stella demanded. Roderick frowned.
"But aren't you together with Shane?" he asked.
"He doesn't care. Besides, he'll be the third wheel tonight"
"Would he be okay with that, though?"
"Of course. I cleared it with him first. So will you be there?" Stella crossed her arms and smiled. Roderick nodded.
"Sure..."
"Great! Be at the Super 8 Motel tonight at ten!" Stella confirmed, walking away.
Amber slightly stumbled into the choir room that afternoon. She wasn't sure what to expect, though she knew it was damn near empty. She swept a couple locks of brown hair out of her face, peering around. She had expected to find Will Schuester in there, but it was empty. She shrugged.
"If I'm going to be spending time in here potentially, I might as well get acquainted to the place. Besides, I could give my song another rehearsal. I love killing two birds with one stone," she mumbled to herself, "Sure I have no background music at the moment, but it's all in my head. That's all that matters". She began humming the beginning tune of it as it started to play out in her head.
"Only came outside to watch the nightfall with the rain. I heard you making patterns rhyme like some new romantic looking for the TV sound. You'll see I'm right some other time. Look now, look all around, there's no sign of life. Voices, another sound, can you hear me now? This is planet earth, you're looking at planet earth! This is planet earth!" she sang loudly. She acquainted herself with various different parts of the room as she sang, as well as putting in her own dancing here and there.
"My head is stuck on something precious. Let me know if you're coming down to land. Is there anybody out there trying to get through? My eyes are so cloudy I can't see you! Look now, look all around. There's no sign of life. Voices, another sound, can you hear me now? This is planet earth. 'You're looking at planet earth. This is planet earth!"
Amber squinted at the door as Mr. Schuester came in. He smiled at her and encouraged her to continue with the song. She smiled and nodded as he joined her.
"Look now, look all around. There's no sign of life. Voices, another sound, can you hear me now? This is planet earth. You're looking at planet earth. This is planet earth! 'Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop! This is planet earth! Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop! Calling planet earth! Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop! Looking at planet earth! Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop! This is planet earth'!" they both sang, smiling. Mr. Schuester chuckled.
"Duran Duran? I'm surprised to see that," he commented. Amber shrugged.
"They rock. Besides, I heard about your Space Week. I deemed it appropriate to audition for this club with a spacey song, even if it is just about the earth," she explained.
"Well, I approve of your choice"
"You better. So, speaking of auditioning...when can I audition? Can I even audition? It better not be too late. I'm not scared to take a Snapple bottle to someone," Amber threatened. Mr. Schue shook his head, grinning.
"That was the audition. I think you'd make a great addition. Could I get your name?" he asked.
"Amber Rose. You've probably heard of me"
"Aren't you the head cheerleader?" Mr. Schuester asked, writing her name down. Amber winced, looking down.
"I was. I'm no longer on the squad. I'd rather not talk about it," she stammered.
"Alright then, Amber. I guess I'll see you in Glee club tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it," Mr. Schuester approved. She smiled softly.
"Thank you, sir"
"Alright guys, we have another new member. Please welcome Amber Rose," Mr. Schuester announced. Amber smiled and took a seat next to Roderick. To her surprise, he quickly shifted to the chair next to him. She shrugged. He was probably just shy since she used to be the head cheerleader.
"Who here has a song planned for Space week?" Mr. Schue asked. Glen stood up, going to the piano. He shooed the accompanist away, sitting on the piano bench.
"I decided to pay a visit to Elton John's library for this one. It's more mellow than yesterday's, but it still rocks in it's own way," Glen said, smiling. He began playing and singing.
"She packed my bags last night pre-flight. Zero hour nine a.m. And I'm gonna be high as a kite 'by then. I miss the earth so much; I miss my wife. It's lonely out in space. On such a timeless flight...And I think it's gonna be a long, long time till touch down brings me round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh no, no, no! I'm a rocket man. Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone"
"Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact, it's cold as hell, and there's no one there to raise them if you did," Glen stood up, moving to the front of the room.
"And all this science I don't understand. It's just my job five days a week. A rocket man. A rocket man," he grinned, going into the audience to random Glee club members here and there.
"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time till touch down brings me back round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh no, no, no! I'm a rocket man. Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone," he had reached the far back of the choir room. He looked at at Lei, making his way over to her. He took her by the hands, pulling her out of her chair, and sat in it's place. He kept his hands clasped around hers.
"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time till touch down brings me back round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh no, no, no! I'm a rocket man. Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time," he stood back up, allowing Lei to sit back in her spot. She ran a hand through her hair, staring at him in awe.
"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time," he finished. The rest of the class clapped as he took a seat beside Lei. She blushed slightly. Mr. Schuester walked back to the front of the class.
"Well, if no one else has a song, let's go rehearse Europe in the auditorium," he suggested, leading the way. Most of the class stood up to follow the curly-haired teacher. Glen stalled a bit, briefly looking back. Lei piled everything into her book bag before standing up to join everyone. Glen walked a bit slowly, making sure he was the only one around for her to talk to on the walk to the auditorium. Almost as if his wish had been granted, he felt Lei tap him on the shoulder.
"Hey, uh, Glen. I really liked that song you did," she blurted. Glen smiled.
"Thanks. I noticed you were into it the most, which is why you became my amazing prop," he commented. She giggled.
"Yeah, well...to be fair, I was mainly staring because I think I know you. I was wondering...did you tutor me last year?"
"I don't know. I tutored a lot of middle school kids to make some spending money. Were you the Asian?"
"Guilty as charged. So you tutored me. I have to say I enjoyed it," she said. Glen rolled his eyes.
"It was only one session, though. Your mother hated me! You didn't need my help, anyway. You were smart enough. I usually help failing students, but you had a solid 3.5 GPA," he added.
"Yeah, well...my mom believes that my race should define my ability. An Asian 3.5 is like an American 1.5. It's pretty harsh," she muttered. Glen nodded.
"Hey, do you wanna skip the rest of Glee club today? Hang out just you and me? I never got to know you, which is a shame," he asked. Lei avoided eye contact.
"Won't we get in trouble?" she stammered. Glen shook his head.
"Nah. Schuester doesn't care, as long as we get the choreography. It's not even that hard since we're just background ornaments," he explained.
"Alright, then. Will we be back after school? I have Cheerio practice, which I really can't miss"
"Of course. I can't miss football, either. Our coaches would mind if we missed that. Trust me. There's no worries," he reassured. Lei muttered an okay, and the two of them headed toward the outside of the building. Lei rubbed her arm nervously, looking up at him. She admired the confident look on his face. It captivated her more than anything else in the world should have.
"You're so hypnotizing. Could you be the devil? Could you be an angel? Your touch magnetizing. Feels like I am floating; leaves my body glowing. They say be afraid. You're not like the others. Futuristic lover. Different DNA. They don't understand you," Lei let her hand fall into Glen's as he led her to a secluded spot outside.
"You're from a whole other world...a different dimension. You open my eyes, and I'm ready to go: Lead me into the light," they sat down under a shady tree, Lei leaning against Glen.
"Kiss me. Ki-ki-kiss me. Infect me with your love, and fill me with your poison. Take me. Ta-ta-take me. I wanna be a victim, ready for abduction. Boy, you're an alien! You're touch so foreign! It's supernatural. Extraterrestrial," she looked into his eyes. Glen gave her a comforting smile, putting an arm around her.
"There's this transcendental on another level. Boy, you're my lucky star. I wanna walk on your wavelength, and be there when you vibrate. For you I'd risk it all. All! Kiss me. Ki-ki-kiss me. Infect me with your love, and fill me with your poison. Take me. Ta-ta-take me. I wanna be a victim, ready for abduction. Boy, you're an alien! Your touch so foreign! It's supernatural! Extraterrestrial! Extraterrestrial. Extraterrestrial! Boy, you're an alien! Your touch so foreign! It's supernatural! Extraterrestrial!"
Glen wrapped his arms around Lei. She leaned against him more comfortable and closed her eyes. He leaned down slowly, bumping his nose against hers. Lei giggled softly, moving her mouth closer to his. The couple eased into a kiss. They kissed for a good five seconds and pulled away, leaning on one another.
"Be quiet, children. Quiet now. First, an announcement. There have been several reports of students smuggling vagrants from the streets in school for food. There will be zero tolerance of that. That is all. Please give it up for the New Directions," Figgins said into the microphone to a gymnasium full of restless teenagers. He stepped away as a few hundred unimpressed eyes fell onto the stage that lay in the middle of the auditorium and the curtain surrounding it.
The lights turned to a pure black. The beginning of "The Final Countdown" began playing. Colorful lights flashed around the gymnasium to the beat of the music. A few excited people cheered. A few beats before the lyrics, the curtain suddenly opened. From backstage, the boys came running from the left and the girls the right. The boys were in black leather jackets and pants, platform boots, and had random chains dangling places. The girls had regular white t-shirts, casual black vests, ragged leather skirts with knee-long leggings underneath. The leggings were ripped in a variety of places. They also had bright red platform heels. Everyone's hair was a classy mess.
"We're leaving together," Alexandra sang, walking on stage in front of everyone. She was the different one. She had on a black, leather skirt, a black v-neck with a white jacket over, and bulky black boots. Her hair was also ruffled. She resembled a fem Joey Tempest.
"But still it's farewell. And maybe we'll come back to earth. Who can tell? I guess there is no one to blame. We're leaving ground"
"Leaving ground!" Amber and Shantel sang in the background.
"Will things ever be the same again? It's the final countdown!"
"The final countdown!" she sang, New Directions doing back-up.
"O-oh! We're heading for Venus! Venus! And still we stand tall. Cause maybe they've seen us and welcomed us all, yeah! With so many light-years to go and things to be found!"
"To be found!" Stella and Lei sang.
"I'm sure that we all miss her so! It's the final countdown! The final countdown! The final countdown!"
"Final countdown! Oh!" New Directions sang.
"It's the final countdown! We're leaving together!"
"The final countdown!" New Directions sang.
"We'll all miss her so! It's the final countdown!"
"Final countdown!" New Directions sang.
"It's the final countdown!" Alexandra finished. The music faded and the entire gymnasium was quiet. Alexandra started to feel low. I must not have done good enough for them, she thought. However, suddenly there was an uproar of applause. Alexandra almost cried tears of happiness.
She turned around to see her fellow glee members applauding her as well. She looked from right to left, soaking in the kudos. The only member not applauding her (other than the obvious Stella, who was more concerned about getting kudos for her miniscule part) was Shane. He had the same apathetic look that was always on his face. Alexandra brushed some hair out of her face, slightly disappointed. Did he hate her or something?
"That was so awesome!" Amber yelled, going back towards the choir room. Lei and Shantel followed closely behind her.
"I'm surprised you're not in a deep of bottomless depression still," Shantel stated. Amber rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. The high of performing and eating real food again is worth not being a Cheerio. The only thing killing me is Stella replacing me...especially since I'm a virgin and she's an A-rank bitch of a skank," she explained. Lei and Shantel laughed. Amber looked ahead slightly, seeing Roderick walking alone.
"I'll be right back," she blurted, hurrying over to Roderick.
"Hey! I couldn't help but notice you're all alone. Did you have fun?"
"Get away from me," Roderick commanded, walking faster. Amber glared slightly.
"What?"
"Go away. I've given up on women, especially if they're anything like Stella," he coldly added, glaring.
"But I'm nothing like Stella!"
"Really? Because rumor has it you might as well be her twin. I don't need women right now, and I especially don't need sluts like you spraying your female juices all over me," he insulted. Amber stopped dead in her tracks, watching him walk away. Her jaw slightly dropped, and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall.
"Hey Amber. I forgot to tell you. Roderick is great in bed. He totally rocked my world," Stella mockingly informed, pausing only to crush Amber. Amber watched Stella strut off like the little bitch she was. Her breathing deepened a little as she fought the urge to cry. Shantel and Lei quickly ran up to her.
"Are you okay?" Lei asked. Shantel put an arm around Amber, who shook her head.
"Well isn't that a shame. Little Glee loser looks like she's gonna cry," a football player announced in front of them, almost appearing from thin air.
"Go away, you asshole!" Shantel yelled, eyes narrowing.
"Those slushies are going to make you really fat one day!" Lei retorted. The football player snickered.
"Oh these slushies aren't for me. Welcome...to..." he raised the slushie a bit. The trio in front of him looked up at the slushie, eyes wide. Two more football players appeared beside him, also carrying slushies.
"Glee club!" they said together, giving Shantel, Lei, and Amber a slushie facial they would never forget. Amber finally gave up and allowed herself to cry as hard as she possibly could.
Author's Note: I hope this chapter was better than the last one! I made sure to add more than just three songs. In fact, here is the song list for this episode:
"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen - Vocal Adrenaline
"Rocket" by Def Leppard - Antonio and Alexandra
"Planet Earth" by Duran Duran - Amber and Will
"Rocket Man" by Elton John - Glen
"E.T." by Katy Perry - Lei
"The Final Countdown" by Europe - Alexandra with New Directions
So, that's it for this episode. The next one is the New Directions Invitational! Also, there will be some Warbler stuff. The next episode is a tribute to a wonderful artist from the classic rock era!