⤷ the one in which the quiet girl and the dorky new guy fall for each other and sing more than a few times along the way.
♫ [s2-s6] [sam evans] ♫
published: 09.18.2020
completed: 05.21.2023
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Even though the New Directions still were dealing with their emotions and grief over the passing of Finn, they were back to the normal shenanigans and drama. Now that Nationals was just around the corner, Mr. Shue was upping their rehearsals and creating elaborate new assignments, especially after learning of the formidable show choir that they would be facing, Throat Explosion.
Somehow, Mr. Shue had come up with the decision to divide the group into "Gagas" and "Perrys" based on their performance style, then had them perform a song from the opposite artist to challenge them and make them into better performers.
Unfortunately for him, some of the New Directions were confused about the assignment. "Since when was Katy Perry a 'girl next door'..." Keilani asked Sam at her locker soon after the Glee club rehearsal when he had first made the announcement. "The two of them just have different performance and music styles. Even though her aesthetic is super bright, it doesn't make it more innocent."
"I don't think whether Katy is the girl next door really matters," Sam responded. "The only thing that matters is that we have to push ourselves to perform like Lady Gaga."
"Y'know, Katy's a little bit like you," Keilani pondered aloud. "You give off the vibe of the sweet boy next door, but, you were also a stripper for a while. So...not the most innocent, I guess?"
"So...that means I need to work extra hard to pull off Gaga. Heighten the whole 'not innocent' factor about me."
"Sam, please don't tell me this is you implying that you want to strip onstage for the assignment–"
"There probably won't be any stripping," Sam responded, which definitely didn't make Keilani feel better. He then began backing away from her, shouting as he walked away, "I've got big plans, Lani! Big plans!"
Keilani, however, was staring at him with wide eyes and muttered "Oh good Lord" before running off to follow him and figure out exactly what those plans were.
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Sam had called all the "Katys" to a meeting on the stage so they could start talking about what exactly they could do for their Gaga performance – or, mainly, his ideas for what they could do for their Gaga performance. "I'm taking over the Monster Ball. As a former teen stripper, I understand the power of theatricality and performativity." Keilani looked like she was about to say something, and – sensing what she was about to ask – he added, "And no, this does not mean any stripping onstage."
Even though Keilani was letting out a sigh of relief, the other teenagers were more focused on something else. Uneasily eyeing the elaborate sets being constructed on the stage, Ryder raised his hand and asked, "What are they building?"
