𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗘 | 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭

CHAPTER I : THE PURPLE PIANO PROJECT

I walked down the halls of McKinley High. Alone. I didn't know anyone here and to be honest, it was a little frightening being the new kid at school. I had no idea how I was going to make friends, but one thing I did know was that I was going to join the Glee club. They went to the Nationals last year in New York! How cool is that? As I walked through the corridors on my way to my first lesson, I saw a boy with an afro interviewing a group of people. I overheard snippets of their conversations, the afro kid asked questions like "What are your plans after high school?" And "What do you want to be when you grow up?" But he also made vague comments about the glee club. I walked straight to where the lady at the reception said my locker was and put my backpack in it after taking out the books I needed for my first few lessons. I asked the lady who told me where my locker is when and where Glee practice was and had made a plan to go there and ask to join. All I had to do was get through today, and tomorrow I could properly start my life here at McKinley.
__________
When lunchtime, the next day finally arrived, I ate quickly and then made a beeline straight for the choir room. When I arrived a group of men was pushing a few purple pianos into the room. I waited for them to enter, and listened in on the conversation they were having. The ' Purple Piano Project' was a way for them to get new members, and luckily for them — there was one right here. Hopefully. I knocked on the door gently and all eyes focused on me. Butterflies began to flutter in my stomach as the Glee Club teacher — Mr. Schuester smiled warmly at me and waved. I cleared my throat shyly and stepped further into the room. "Is this the — Uh — Glee Club?" I asked nervously. Mr. Schuester turned properly to face me and nodded his head. "It is. What can we do for you?" He asked kindly. I pulled the sleeves of my shirt further down and balled the fabric up in my hands — a nervous habit of mine, and smiled as confidently as I could. "I was wondering if I could join. I'm new here and I love to sing, I'm not sure if I'm any good but I would love to join" I rambled, taking a deep breath "Absolutely!" Mr. Schuester said happily "We need new members. What's your name?" "Naya — Natalia Vasquez but I prefer Naya," I said, risking a glance at the group of students that watched me. They all looked at me with encouraging smiles and the bundle of nerves in my stomach settled down a bit. "Do you mind performing a song for Naya? So we can see your talent" He asked politely. I nodded silently and headed toward one of the purple pianos. I gestured towards the piano and looked up at Mr. Schuester "May I?" "Of course, of course," He said moving out of the way. I sat down at the piano, releasing my sleeves from my grasp, and place my books on top of it. I slipped a piece of paper out of my folder quickly before placing the folder back with my books. I cleared my throat and place my hands on the keys. This was it, the moment I had been waiting for.
Elastic Heart — Sia.
[Naya]
And another one bites the dust
Oh, why can I not conquer love?
And I might have thought that we were one
Wanted to fight this war without weapons
And I wanted it, I wanted it bad
But there were so many red flags
Now another one bites the dust
Yeah, let's be clear, I'll trust no one
You did not break me
I'm still fighting for peace
Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart
But your blade might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard
Yeah, I may snap and I move fast
But you won't see me fall apart
Cause I've got an elastic heart
I've got an elastic heart
Yeah, I've got an elastic heart
And I will stay up through the night
Yeah, let's be clear, won't close my eyes
And I know that I can survive
I'll walk through fire to save my life
And I want it, I want my life so bad
I'm doin' everythin' I can
And another one bites the dust
It's hard to lose a chosen one
You did not break me
I'm still fighting for peace
Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart
But your blade might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard
Yeah, I may snap and I move fast
But you won't see me fall apart
Cause I've got an elastic heart
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart
But your blade might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard
Yeah, I may snap and I move fast
But you won't see me fall apart
Cause I've got an elastic heart
Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart (Woah, woah)
But your blade might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard (Woah, woah)
Yeah, I may snap and I move fast
But you won't see me fall apart (Woah, woah)
Cause I've got an elastic heart (Woah, woah)
I've got an elastic heart.
Once I finished the song I took a deep breath. I turned around in my seat to face the Glee club and they all sat there, slack-jawed and stunned "Wow, Naya. I think I speak for all of us when I say, we would be glad to have you in Glee Club" Mr. Schuester said, snapping everyone out of their 'trances' "Wait really?" I asked stunned. Mr. Schuester nodded happily. I smiled brightly as a few people stood up and congratulated me. A brown-haired boy held his hand out to me and helped me up off my stool. He placed his hands on my shoulders and smiled kindly "I'm Kurt Hummel" He said introducing himself happily "I'm Naya, but you already know that" I said, mumbling slightly. He tilted his head slightly, still smiling when a brown-haired girl with bangs came bouncing up beside him "Kurt we should go see Miss. Pillsbury" She said, pulling Kurt's hands off my shoulders. I frowned slightly when she glanced over at me with her lips pursed. She looked me up and down slightly and extended her hand "Rachel Berry, the New Directions resident star" I looked down at her hand and back at her, slowly accepting the handshake. She snatched her hand back a few seconds later and walked off dragging Kurt behind her. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously and picked up my books and folder off of the piano as the men who brought the pianos in, took them out again. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to face another girl, she had black hair and brown eyes. Beside her was a taller boy with black hair who had his arm around the girl's shoulders. The girl smiled warmly at me and I smiled back "Naya, right? I'm Tina Cohen-Chang, and this is my boyfriend Mike Chang" She said, the boy — Mike — waved excitedly "We just wanted to introduce ourselves and welcome you to the club" Tina continued, tucking some of her hair behind her ear "And tell you how amazing your voice is" Mike said. I chuckled shyly and looked down at the ground, shuffling awkwardly on my feet "Thank you" I said "We were just going to find one of the pianos and play a song, would you like to come with us?" Tina asked. "Are you sure?" They both nodded enthusiastically "Okay, yeah!" Tina linked her arm through mine and pulled me off down the corridor "So are you a senior, junior, or a sophomore?" Tina asked as we hunted down one of the purple pianos "Junior, I just transferred here from a school in LA" I said, shifting my books in my arms "Really? You moved from LA to Ohio?" Mike asked in astonishment "My parents got transferred here" I explained and he nodded. We finally came across a piano and Tina unlinked her arm from mine. She sat down at the piano and began playing 'Chopsticks'. Mike took my books out of my hands and placed them on top of the piano before taking my hand and spinning me around as Tina played. I chuckled breathlessly as we danced along in the corridor. Suddenly a lady in a purple tracksuit came storming up to the piano. Tina stopped playing as Mike and I stopped dancing, we all stared at the woman in shock. The woman pulled the lid off the piano and whipped out some cutters, snipping away at the strings inside the instrument. I exchanged a shocked look with Tina and Mike as the woman threw the string to the floor "Oh, I'm sorry. I just realized that song might be the national anthem from whatever country you're from" The woman said "That's really offensive" Mike said quietly. The woman pulled out the cutters again and continued yanking out the inside of the piano "You know, I was really humbled when your Glee Club made my sister's funeral so very touching! In fact, I was so moved that I have spent the entire year being nothing but kind to you people!" She shouted over the noise of the piano "Today's only the second day of school" Tina pointed out. The lady stopped being destructive and pointed her finger at Mike, Tina, and I "You have no right to disturb the learning environment of this school by playing your jangly national anthem on Liberace's piano" Tina sighed loudly and grabbed her bag from where she had put it on the floor. I gathered my stuff from where it had been flung off the piano and followed Mike and Tina as they walked off angrily. But before I left, I stopped and faced the woman "Look lady, I have no idea who you are but considering you here, your probably a teacher so I'm going to say this as nicely as possible. Just because you don't like music or the arts or whatever doesn't mean you get to put other people down for liking it. You're a teacher, you're supposed to encourage people to pursue their passions, not squash their dreams. So maybe you should rethink your career choice if you are just here to be mean to children" I said with a sarcastic smile on my face. I went to walk off but stopped again turning back to say one more thing "Also what you said to my friends was really offensive so I really think you need to think about what you're saying before you say it" I stormed off after Mike and Tina who both patted me on the back as we walked to our lessons.
__________
After school, I walked into the Lima Bean to grab some coffee for my family. I cued up, ordered my coffee, and went to leave when I heard someone call my name "Naya!" The person called. I turned in the direction of the voice and saw Kurt sitting with a boy I didn't recognize. He was very good-looking, he had beautiful hazel eyes and gelled hair, but not so gelled that you couldn't see his natural curls. He sat in a blue and red blazer and tie and smiled warmly at me as I approached the table they sat at "Hi Kurt" I said waving at him before turning to the unknown boy "And...?" The boy was quiet, just staring at me, only snapping out of his daydream-like state when Kurt kicked him under the table "Ow! Sorry, hi. Uh—I'm Blaine Anderson" He said holding his hand out to me. I shifted the coffee in my arms so I had an available hand and shook it "Naya Vasquez" I said introducing myself "Naya, tell Blaine why he should transfer to McKinley" Kurt said pulling a chair out from under the table and gently pushing me down into it "Oh, uh —because Kurt's there? I don't know" I said confused "Yeah, see I'm there," He said pointing at himself "Me, your best friend" I chuckled slightly at Kurt's dramatics "It's not like you'll be the only new kid, I mean, Naya just joined this week and you already know most of the Glee Club so you won't be alone or anything" Blaine sighed and turned to look at me "Do you think I should transfer?" He asked, leaning back in his seat. I shrugged my shoulders and cleared my throat "I don't think it's my place to have an opinion. I've only just met you and I know nothing really about your current school" I said, avoiding his gaze "But I want your opinion" He said leaning in closer to me. I subconsciously moved a little further back in my seat "After all, this is a big decision and I'm going to need all the advice I can get" I looked up and noticed just how close he had gotten. I cleared my throat again and straightened up in my seat "Do whatever you think will make you happy, not other people. If you think you'll be happier at McKinley with Kurt and me, then transfer. If you think you'll be happier at your current school then stay there. It's all up to you" Blaine nodded his head and leaned back in his seat "But, you seem like a nice guy and I would like to get to know you more so even if you don't transfer to McKinley, I'll see you around" I smiled brightly at the two boys and stood up out of my chair. I pushed into the seat and picked up my coffee "I have to go before these get too cold. I'll see you tomorrow Kurt" Kurt nodded and I patted him on the shoulder "It was nice to meet you Blaine" He smiled back and nodded his head too "Nice to meet you too Naya" I nodded my head as well and walked out of the coffee shop, feeling the weight of Blaine's stare as I left.
__________
The Glee Club and I all sat in the cafeteria, eating our lunch and just chatting amongst ourselves when Rachel came bounding up to us. She slammed her hands down on the table and leaned down, giving us all death glares "Why are you guys ignoring Mr. Schuester's assignment?" She asked loudly "Wait, there's a purple piano in here?" Finn asked although I couldn't tell if he was playing dumb or genuinely didn't see the piano "Wow. How did any of us miss that?" Mercedes asked sarcastically, making me chuckle "Okay, we have to do the number" Rachel stated forcefully "We have to survive lunch" Artie pointed out "It's not fair that Mr. Schue put the piano in here. It's too much pressure" "I agree. That is like wearing a red dress to a bullfight" Kurt said from beside me "Yeah, it's not a good idea. We'll get food thrown at us or something" I said, stabbing a carrot onto my fork "Look, new girl, we've all been here a lot longer than you so why don't you let us decide" She said snidely. I frowned at her and pointedly impaled a piece of cucumber onto my fork "Rachel! She's right. Don't be mean just because she doesn't agree with you"  Kurt defended "Your right, I'm sorry" She said unconvincingly "The point of the assignment was to find people who couldn't help but join, okay? The more people that we sing in front of, the more chances we have of getting one. Okay? It's simple mathematics" "Which I stopped attending years ago" Puck stated offhandedly "No, no, hold on. Rachel's right. How's anyone supposed to believe we can go to Nationals if we don't even believe in ourselves?" Rachel smiled in a sickly sweet way at Finn which made me want to gag "Thank you" She said 'cutely'. Finn looked over her shoulder and nodded at the band who seemed to appear out of nowhere. The music started playing "Oh so we're doing this? Okay" I said as Kurt pulled me out of my seat and we began to dance in between tables.
We Got The Beat — The Go-Go's [Sung By The New Directions]
During the song, Tina pulled me up onto a table to dance and by the end of the song, I had been pulled back to the front by the band. We stood in our end poses, everyone in the cafeteria silent when a short cheerleader girl walked up to Rachel. The hopeful look on Rachel's face died the second she got a bowl of peas thrown at her. Then a bowl of spaghetti. Puck — who stood beside me — looked down at the spaghetti, then at Rachel — a look of horror on his face "God, no" He muttered in fear What?" I asked curiously. but my question was answered when the kid with the afro stood up from his seat "Food Fight!" He yelled across the cafeteria and suddenly, plate after plate of food was flung at us. Puck grabbed my wrist and pulled me down behind the drums but not before I got hit with multiple bowls of spaghetti and anything else the students had. I spotted Kurt on the floor, using a tray as a shield, and quickly jumped out of my hiding place. I grabbed his elbow and helped him along behind the drums with Puck and me, picking some of the peas out of his hair "Is this a regular thing at this school?" I shouted over the screams in the room "No we usually just get slushies thrown at us!" Kurt replied and I grimaced — I was not looking forward to that.
__________
After the food fight, we all went back to the choir room- our clothes covered in food. I sat beside Kurt picking bits of food out of his hair as Tina helped me pull my hair into a bun. Mr. Schue was trying to clean up the purple piano that had gotten trashed "I thought slushies were bad, but spaghetti sauce in the eye is so much worse" Artie exclaimed as he wheeled past the piano "I have pepperoni in my bra" Brittany stated "Those are your nipples" Santana pointed out "Mr. Schue, if you are trying to break us down to rebuild us, it's working" Mike said as he wiped his hands. Mr. Schue sighed disappointedly "Not one single person was inspired by our hot lunch jam to try out, Mr. Schue!" Mercedes exclaimed frustratedly "It's true," An unknown voice said from the doorway. We all turned to look at her, she had brownish-red hair and was quite short. She looked like she could be rich from the type of clothes she was wearing "You guys sucked ass" "I'm sorry. And you are?" Rachel asked, clearly taking what she had said personally "Sugar Motta. And I have self-diagnosed with Asperger's, so I can pretty much say whatever I want. I'm like a diplomat's daughter" She explained, tilting her head to the side "How can we help you, Sugar?" Mr. Schue asked kindly "Here's the deal. I'm awesome, and I want to be a big, big star. And when I saw you guys singing and dancing in the cafeteria, I thought 'I am so much better than you' Sorry. Asperger's" I exchanged a look with Kurt and Tina and turned in my seat so I could face Sugar fully. I crossed my arms and crossed one leg over the other "Well, great" Mr. Schue said — ever the optimist "You see, guys? You have inspired an audition. Good Job!" I rolled my eyes straightening up in my seat "Sugar, why don't you show us what you can do? You know, take your time. Whenever your ready" "Sugar Motta — why does that name sound familiar?" Kurt asked leaning closer to me and Mercedes who sat in front of us. Mercedes turned around to face us "Her daddy's the rich dude that donated the purple pianos" Mercedes explained "Really? Wow" I said leaning back in my seat "Get ready to taste some sweet ear candy," Sugar said before turning to the band "Hit it, hottie"
Big Spender — Cy Coleman & Dorothy Fields (Sung by Sugar)
She sang off-key and I tried my hardest not to laugh "Holy sh—Sugar..." "Text me re: our rehearsal 'sled'" She said as if she was oblivious to how terrible she was "Of course—" "Mr. Schue, stop speaking," Rachel said cutting him off by kicking his chair "Okay. Sugar, we'll be in touch" She said smiling sweetly "Thank you, bye" She said before walking out and leaving "Okay! I think I speak for everyone when I say — never gonna happen" Rachel said snidely "Guys, I know she was a little rough, but we've always had the policy that anyone who tried out gets in" "You're not doing her any good sheltering Sugar from the truth, okay? High school is where you learn — survival of the fittest. She's going to drag the New Directions down, and that's not fair for those of us who don't want to spend our lives rotting in this insignificant town. You said the other day that you would do anything to get us to Nationals. Okay, and she is going to keep us from winning that elusive crown. If anything, she's going to kill all of our chances"
__________
Kurt and I stood by his locker a few days later when Blaine came walking up to us. I looked him up and down — he didn't have his uniform on, he had a black shirt, red pants, and a bowtie on with a pair of yellow glasses hanging from his belt loops. I furrowed my eyebrows, watching him as he approached "Hey, you two" He said leaning against the lockers "Well aren't you a sight for these sore eyes" Kurt remarked, closing his locker. Blaine chuckled and looked over at me "Hi, Naya" He said smiling warmly. I smiled back "Hi," I said. He smiled a bit brighter and then turned back to Kurt "Bad day?" Kurt sighed deeply and started walking off, linking his arm in mine and pulling me along with him "Bad week, more like it. Right, Naya?" I sighed as well and nodded my head "Yep. Got covered in food and had a piano destroyed in front of me. Just fabulous right?" Blaine grimaced, coming up beside me "Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Warbler practice? You know, putting fine-tuning touches on your new Katy Perry showstopper?" Kurt asked "Warbler? Like the bird?" I asked confusedly "Yeah it's the name of the Glee Club at Blaine's school" Kurt explained. Blaine came to a stop in front of Kurt and I "Okay, for someone who loves clothes so much, I can't believe you haven't noticed that I'm not in my Warbler outfit" Blaine said, fighting a smile. I smiled softly and unlinked my arms from Kurt's. I grabbed my camera out of my bag and held it discreetly, so the boys couldn't see it "Wait, wait" Kurt said, looking Blaine up and down. Kurt suddenly gasped and threw his arms around Blaine, giving him a friendly hug, and making Blaine chuckle. I took the cap off the camera lens and moved to get a good shot of the hug. I clicked on the picture menu and looked at the photo — it was perfect, completely capturing all the friendship that a single hug signified "Wait, wait you didn't do this for me, did you?" Kurt asked worriedly "Because if you did this for me, I mean it would be the most amazing thing a best friend could do for one, but it could lead to resentment, which could lead to anger, which could lead to a horrible, horrible, nasty ending of our friendship like on—" "Hey, I came here for me" Blaine said calming Kurt down "I took Naya's advice and did what would make me happy, plus it's boring at that school without my best friend there" "Well, I guess we'll have to find a way to ease you into the New Directions now, huh?" "I already have that figured out," Blaine said vaguely, he then grabbed my hand, discreetly intertwining our fingers and Kurt's wrist. He ran down the corridor, pulling us out into the courtyard at the top of the staircase. He let go of Kurt and me and put on his yellow glasses which were hung on his belt loops. I quickly put my camera up to my eye, wanting to catch a shot of him dancing. The band started to play, multiple cheerleaders joined Blaine where he stood and started to dance as Blaine began to sing.
It's Not Unusual — Tom Jones (Sung By Blaine)
By the end of the song Kurt and I had moved down to the bottom of the courtyard and sat at a table near one of the purple pianos and Blaine chucked me his yellow glasses — which I, of course, put on. I had managed to get a nice shot of Blaine smiling as he danced and looked forward to showing him it. Then a girl with pink and blonde hair — Quinn I think her name was, at least according to Tina — threw a cigarette in the direction of the piano. It landed on the keys and suddenly the piano was engulfed in flames. Everyone was shocked into silence. Once everything had calmed down we went about our days as usual, after school Blaine came and found me "Hey!" He said cheerfully as he approached me at my locker "Hi" I said back with a small smile as I closed the locker "Where's Kurt?" "He went with Rachel to check out a college I think" Blaine explained as we started walking out of the school "You didn't go with him?" "I'm only a junior, don't have to worry about that for another year" "Same," I said, shifting my bad over my shoulder "Where are you off to?" He asked as we reached my car "Probably home" I said, unlocking my car "Mind if I tag along?" I looked up at his smiling face and any second thoughts I had about him coming with me completely flew out of the window "Sure" I said, returning his smile and I got in the car. We drove to my house, chatting the whole time. When we arrived, neither of my parents was home yet and my older sister had moved to Ohio last year with her family so he was in her own house. We have the house to ourselves. I dropped my bag by the front door, pulled my camera out of it first, and sat down on the sofa. Blaine sat down beside me and leaned over my shoulder, looking at the camera as I flicked through the pictures "I saw you had that camera whilst I sang. Do you use it a lot?" He asked "Yeah, I've been doing photography since I was in middle school but I've always loved pictures since I was like seven" He gently took the camera out of my hands and flicked through the pictures from today, finding the one I took of him and Kurt. He smiled softly at the picture and looked up at me "These are amazing. What do you do with them after?" "I print them out and if they're of my friends — I hang them up, if they're artsy shots — I stick them in my photo wallet" "Is this what you want to do? Like when you're older?" I nodded my head, taking the camera back "No, I want to either be an actor or a singer. Photography is just a hobby, the amount of love and happiness you can capture in a photo it's amazing" I said, smiling as I thought about my future "You're cute when you're happy" He said, smiling back at me. I felt my face flush red and looked away from him "Are you and Kurt like — together?" "Oh, oh no. I mean, I'm bisexual but Kurt and I are just friends" I nodded my head and leaned back on the sofa "You're in Glee Club with Kurt, right?" "Yep, joined this week" "I haven't heard you sing yet. You've heard me sing but I haven't heard you" He said, smirking. I raised my eyebrows at him and sat up straight "I'll sing, but only if you sing with me" He raised his eyebrows back and nodded his head. I stood up pressing play on my playlist. Blaine stood up as well and took my hand, spinning me around.
A Thousand Years — Christina Perri (Sung By Blaine & Naya)
[Naya]
The day we met
Frozen, I held my breath
Right from the start
I knew that I'd found a home for my heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone?
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
[Blaine & Naya]
One step closer
[Naya]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
[Blaine]
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
[Blaine & Naya]
I will be brave
I will not let anything take
[Blaine]
...away
What's standing in front
[Blaine with Naya]
...of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
[Naya with Blaine]
One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you For a thousand years
[Naya]
I'll love you for
[Blaine & Naya]
A thousand more
And all along, I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more...
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
[Naya]
I'll love you for
[Blaine & Naya]
A thousand more!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
One step closer
[Naya]
I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you For a thousand years
I'll love you
[Blaine & Naya]
For a thousand more
And all along, I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years
I'II love you for a thousand more
I will love you
A thousand years
Mmm, mmm.
During the song, Blaine and I danced around the living room, laughing as we sang. When we stopped, we sat back down on the sofa again "You're an amazing singer" He said, slightly out of breath. I smiled brightly, feeling my cheeks go red "You're fantastic too. Honestly, I was so impressed when you were singing earlier" He smiled back and reached towards the camera on my other side. He scooted closer to me, his arm around my shoulders, and handed me the camera "Take a picture of us, when you were flicking through your pictures I noticed there weren't any with you in there. And singing with you was fun, I want to capture this moment" I took the camera from his hand, flicked off the cap, and turned the lens to face us. I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled at the camera, pressing the button to take a picture. Once the picture had been taken, Blaine took the camera from me and clicked on the picture of us "See, perfect. All the happiness at this moment — captured. Make sure to frame that"
__________
The next day in Glee, Kurt and I sat at the back of the choir room, a seat in between us as we waited for Blaine. As everyone settled down, Mr. Schue walked in, with Blaine trailing behind him "Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it for Glee Club's newest member, Blaine Anderson!" Mr. Schue announced to the group. I applauded excitedly for him — but no one else did so I stopped quickly "Thank you so much, everyone. I'm so thrilled to be here. It's going to be a great year, I can feel it. We're all gonna go to Nationals!" This time everybody clapped and I joined in with them. Blaine stood, smiling happily and excitedly at the front. Mr. Schue looked around the room, his eyes landing on Finn and his smile faded "Is there a problem, guys?" Mr. Schue asked concernedly "I just want Blaine to know that we're not the Warblers" Blaine's smile faded slightly and he walked away from the front of the room, taking the seat in between Kurt and I "You know, we're not into the bells and whistles or the ball hogging, you know?" Finn said defensively. I frowned slightly at his behavior "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Blaine asked, his smile completely disappearing "Well, yeah you set a bonfire in our courtyard" "Actually, doorknob, that was an act of political protest" Santana said, shutting
Finn up "Which leads me onto the next order of business" Mr. Schue said, changing the subject. I turned to Blaine, patting his hand which rested on his knee. I went to take my hand away but he quickly took hold of it, interlocking our fingers. I gave him a confused look but he just shrugged his shoulders "Santana, you need to leave. It was you and the Cheerios who set fire to our piano. How could you do that?" "Mr. Schue, Sue made me," Santana said, defending herself "Brittany didn't do it" "Well, yeah, I was gonna help, but I don't know, I'm a water sign, so..." "You're banned from Glee. Don't come back unless you can be as loyal to this club as the rest of the people in this room" Mr. Schue gestured towards the door and I felt my heart break for Santana, I thought this was all a bit
extreme "You know what? I could use a break" Santana said as she stood up and walked out of the room. The room was silent until Mercedes spoke up "You know, good for you, Mr. Schue. It's about time we got some allegiance up in here" "I've said it before and I will say it again.
If we want to win Nationals this year, we need to be united. Rachel, you had an announcement?" Mr. Schue said before making way for Rachel to speak "Yeah, um, after pushing the envelope last year, I strongly believe that we should secure the rights to a, shall we say, less controversial show for our school musical. Wait for it. West Side Story!" "Is that the one with the cats?" "And it just so happens to have a lead role that showcases my talent and essence perfectly: Maria" "For which there will be open auditions, right? Because Mercedes is feeling extremely pretty this year" "Yeah, um — I know I'm new here but if there was any role I could ever hope to play it would be Maria" I said, gathering any confidence I had to oppose Rachel "I don't know Naya as you said — you're new here. Are you sure you want to audition for this big of a role so soon?" Rachel said with fake concern, what she was doing was trying to psych me out. But I had had enough. I let go of Blaine's hand and stood up, walking over to Rachel "You know, Rachel, I've only been here for a week and I'm already sick of your behavior. You have constantly been talking down to me, whether it's for having an opinion on performance, wanting to play a role, or even for talking to Kurt. Yes, I'm new but that doesn't have anything to do with what I can or can't do or what I can or can't have an opinion on. So if you could just stop I would appreciate it" I blew a piece of hair out of my face and spun on my heel, walking back to my seat. Blaine and Kurt looked up at me in awe, as did most of the class. Rachel, who had been stunned into silence, sat back down, avoiding everyone's eyes. Mr. Schue sighed and then changed the subject "Kurt, you had something too, right?" "Yes! Kurt Hummel is wading into McKinley High's shark-infested political waters and running for senior class president. All right, I thank you in advance for your votes" "Okay! So much. excitement. Now let's rehearse" "Look at what they did to us, Mr. Schue," Tina said, drawing all eyes to her "Just like these purple pianos, they ripped out our guts, threw crap all over us, and burned us up" "Yeah, we got hit pretty hard. But, these pianos are still making music and so are we" "Mr. Schue, as always, you and I are on the same page" Rachel stood up, gesturing for the piano man to follow her and went over to a piano — I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.
You Can't Stop The Beat — Hairspray (Sung By The New Directions)