𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗘 | 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐎𝐟𝐟

CHAPTER VI : MASH OFF

For some reason, Mr. Schue called the New Directions to the auditorium, claiming he had to show us something.
As far as I was aware, there wasn't really any lesson plan so he couldn't have anything to demonstrate. Unless he was going to show Puck and the guys how Van Halen should be sung, I had no idea why we were here. This all became more confusing when we spotted the 'Trouble Tones' sauntering onto the stage. Rachel, as per usual, took charge and led the group forward "What are you doing here?" She asked, defensively "Shelby told us she had something to show us. What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked, obviously as confused as us "Mr. Schue said the same thing" Finn said, crossing his arms over his chest "Let me guess, he wants to combine choirs for Sectionals. Well, it's not gonna happen. The Trouble Tones are here to stay. So why don't you shuffle your busted choir off our stage" Santana said very rudely "Look, you guys, we can compete without being enemies. Alright? We don't have to get vicious" Finn said, I nodded agreeing with what he said "Oh. I think we do. Soft Serve. See, the Trouble Tones are 31s: fierce, femme, phenomenal"Santana said, flicking her ponytail from side to side "I thought phenomenal started with a P?" I pointed out confusedly. Blaine, who stood beside me, shrugged his shoulders, smiling down at me "Oh, and, guys, hurry up, go get some moist towels. We have to keep Finn wet before we can roll him back into the sea" Santana exclaimed. A few people in the group made sounds of outrage as Rachel stepped in front of Finn protectively "Okay, you know what Santana, Finn is in great shape, and your meanness only highlights your own personal insecurities" Rachel said snidely, and to be honest, I was impressed "And Rachel, your mustache is thicker than a Middle Eastern dictator's"Santana replied, unfazed by Rachel's remark. Just as Rachel was about to reply, someone started strumming a guitar, cutting off the conversation. We all turned around to see Mr. Schue, walking along and playing the guitar, Ms. C at his side.
You And I / You And I — Lady Gaga / Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle (Sung By Will & Shelby)
"Mr. Schue, Shelby, I think we can all admit that that was weirdly amazing.
But what exactly was the point?" Rachel asked, voicing everyone's thoughts "That sometimes bringing together two conflicting things can create something totally unexpected," Mr. Schue said pointedly "We're not combining Glee Clubs, Mr. Schue," Mercedes said exasperatedly "That's not what I'm talking about. Shelby and I agree that with Sectionals coming up for both of us, it's time we all got serious with some friendly competition" "Each group's going to put together their own mashup to perform head-to-head" "For the first annual McKinley High..." "Mash-Off," They said in unison. There was a round of cheers, but I couldn't help feeling like this might be a bad idea.
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"Why don't you have your hat on?" I asked Blaine as laid across two seats with my head in his lap "What hat?" He asked, running his hands through my hair "The one you wore yesterday. The ones that looked like the ones they wear in Newsies" "Oh, because I didn't want to" "But you look cute in it" "Love, I look cute in everything" "Yeah, I know. But you look extra cute in that" "Okay, I'll wear it again soon I promise" I smiled brightly up at Blaine and chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss on my forehead "Okay, guys!" Mr. Schue called out, startling the class as he clapped his hands. I sat up so I was taking up two seats anymore and scooted my chair closer to Blaine. He rested his arm across the back of my chair "We have our work cut out for us this week with this mash-off. Now, The Trouble Tones have a lot of powerful voices, so song selection is key here. Any suggestions?" "What about The Clash?" Artie suggested, "Uh, The Police?" Blaine suggested, I made a small siren noise, earning many weird statues "REM!" Mike put forward, but none of them were good enough "No" "Spice Girls" "The Jonas Brothers" "Oasis!" "Guys, no, no, we can't use any of those bands. The only thing they have in common is that they all broke up, and right now the New Directions need to feel united" Finn said, dismissing all the suggestions in one swoop "I like what you're saying, Finn. It's not just about the music, but where it comes from" Mr. Schue said, very unhelpfully. Tina turned around to face Finn "Who do you think we should use?" She asked, raising her eyebrows "Well, how about this? People think Hall and Oates are famous for their cool, puffy hair and that dude's banging
'stache'" Finn said, walking up to the front "But also they're awesome for staying together over the long haul" "Just like us, despite all their differences," Rachel said, smiling 'sweetly' at the group, "I think we should give the solo to the new guy. Get him prepared for what's in store when the stakes get high" Finn said, I saw the hope blooming on Blaine's face but I realized Finn was looking past Blaine so I turned around to see Rory. I winced and took Blaine's hand in mine, preparing to comfort him "Rory, I think you'll do a good job" "Thanks, Finn, but I don't think I'm ready for that honor just yet" Rory said shyly. I squeezed Blaine's hand as he opened his mouth to speak, thinking he was going to snatch up the opportunity to sing but instead he turned around to face Rory "Come on. You're totally ready, Rory. You'll kill it. We'll all help you" I smiled warmly as I watched him encourage Rory, like a good sport "It's a great idea, Finn" "Thanks" Finn said, a small smile on his face and I hoped this meant, maybe, Finn would stop attacking Blaine so much.
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"Why dodgeball? Soccer maybe I could understand or maybe even I don't know tennis or something. But dodgeball?" I said as I crouched down to tie my laces.
Finn had decided it would be a perfect idea to challenge The Trouble Tones to a game of dodgeball, and I was terrified.
Not just for the torments we could get if we lost, but also for my life "This could be deadly. I mean, facing our foes head-on without any adult supervision?" Rachel said, approaching Blaine, Kurt, and I. Blaine grabbed my hand and pulled me away so Kurt and Rachel could talk privately "You know, for once I agree with Rachel. This could be our last night alive" I said, tightening my space buns. Blaine chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist "Has anyone ever told you, you're dramatic?" He said, smiling warmly at me "Possibly. But that's beside the point" I said, shrugging my shoulders "You know how you said I look cute in my Newsies cap? I think you look cute in those short shorts, you should wear them more often" He said, with a wink. I swatted his hands away from my hips and blushed violently "You, mister, need to keep those thoughts to yourself. Or at least until we're alone. Not when we're in public"' I said, self-consciously pulling the shorts a little lower. Blaine grabbed my hands and pulled them towards his mouth, kissing them as Finn blew the whistle. Everyone went to the correct side of the Sports Hall and prepared for the game "Let's roadhouse!" Finn shouted "Oh, it's on, Pillsbury Dough Turd," Santana said, coming up beside Finn. I pulled Blaine along beside me, over towards Santana and Finn as Rort and Puck approached too "Excuse me, I've never heard of this game of dodging balls before. What are the rules?" Rory asked politely "Don't die" Puck said dramatically. I reached out to Rory grabbing his hand "Come on Rory, Blaine and I'll teach you how to play" I said, pulling him away from the over-dramatics of Puck. Blaine and I explained the game to Rory quickly as I watched Brittany out of the corner of my eye approach a boombox. I rolled my eyes internally as the music played "Really? We're going to sing? Now?" I asked incredulously, but no one listened.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot / One Way Or Another — Pat Benatar / Blondie (Sung By The New Directions & The Trouble Tones)
The game ended when Santana threw a dodgeball right at Finn's face, her team winning. I rubbed the back of my head gently, as I had been hit quite hard in the back of the head by Brittany "Okay. Good game" Finn said. Rory walked over to Finn and the girls innocently "Boy, oh, boy, that was a cracker! I sure am glad Kara and Blaine taught me to play" Santana turned around to face her girls, grabbing a ball out of their hands "What?" She said, throwing a ball forcefully at Rory. He managed to dodge it, but I went over to him anyway, checking on him "Santana, knock it off. The game's over" I said defensively. She grabbed another ball, as did the rest of The Trouble Tones and they started launching them at me and Rory. We were both knocked onto the floor, I tried to block and dodge as many as I could but one hit me on the cheek, probably bruising it "Stop it! Stop it!" Kurt and Blaine shouted at The Trouble Tones as they came running over to the two of us.
Blaine pulled me into his arms and checked over my face. He tentatively felt around my cheek and I winced slightly "Are you okay?" Blaine asked quietly. I nodded my head and pushed myself out of his arms crawling over to Kurt and Rory. Blaine handed me a tissue he had brought over and I told Rory to look at me "For God's sake, he's bleeding!" I said angrily, wiping away the blood from under Rory's nose. Someone —I don't know who—ran over and passed me another tissue. I held the second tissue up to Rory's nose, telling him to tilt his head back as Kurt shouted at The Trouble Tones "Maybe that's how the others treat us around here, but we don't do this to each other!"Kurt yelled furiously "We're better than this!" "God, calm down, grandma" Kurt and I helped Rory to his feet "Shut up, Santana! Why can't you realize that what you did, what your doing is wrong?! You can't accept the fact that you were called out on being a horrible person and now you're telling us to calm down? Rory is bleeding, you hurt him, you assaulted him and I'm probably going to have a black eye. You did something wrong, so just accept that and shut the hell up!" I shouted before walking away whilst flipping her off "This game's over!" I heard Kurt yell angrily as I walked away, Blaine trailing behind me.
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After school, Blaine came over to mine and we went straight up to my room I grabbed my laptop and placed it on my desk, clicking on skype, I called Moriah.
I turned my camera off so she wouldn't see my cheek—which had started to bruise—and waited for her to pick up "Hello?" She said, answering the call "Naya, I can't see you" "Yeah, I know. I just have a question, if you're trying to cover a black eye, do you use foundation and concealer or just concealer?" I asked, reaching over the laptop to get my makeup stuff "Why do you need to know this?" I stayed silent, exchanging a look with Blaine "Naya, turn on your camera now" I sighed and clicked the camera on "Oh my God!" Moriah exclaimed "Hi, Moriah," Blaine said, popping into the camera frame "Hi, Blaine. Naya, how the hell did you get a bruised face" Moriah asked, concernedly "Well, I played dodgeball with an opposing show choir, they got too violent towards one of my friends so I stood up to them and then we pelted with dodgeballs" I said, rubbing the back of my neck "What did mom and dad say?" Moriah asked and I glanced down at my feet "They're away again" "For how long?" "Like a month" "A month?! They were back for a couple of days and now they're leaving their 16-year-old daughter alone at home for a month?! That's so wrong, especially after everything that happened before you moved here-" "I'm fine, honestly. Blaine's keeping me company. And besides, I'm used to it. They've hardly been around since I was five and they decided you were old enough to look after me" "It's still not right!" "I know Moriah! I hate it. But there's nothing we can do. But do you know what you can do? Tell me how to cover a bruise" She sighed and nodded her head "Get someone else to do it for you, they'll be more gentle than you'll be to yourself" "Blaine?" "Yes, love?" "Grab the chair from Moriah's old room and help me please" He nodded his head, leaving the room. He came back seconds later and sat opposite me. Moriah told us how to cover the bruise and after telling me she was going to talk to our parents she hung up. I looked at the time, I had been speaking to my sister for a while, and it was now 10 pm. Blaine stood up, telling me he was leaving but I grabbed his hand "Stay? Just for tonight. Please?" I asked. He looked down at me and brushed some of my hair behind my ear. He sighed and nodded his head. I smiled brightly at him and jumped out of my seat. I ran into my parents' room, grabbing some of my dad's clothes for Blaine. I left them on my bed for him to change into. I gathered my pajamas, quickly changed into them in the bathroom, and brushed my teeth. When I came back, Blaine was putting the top I had given him on. I blushed slightly at the sight of him without a top, even though I had already seen that before. He turned around to face me and smiled cheekily when he noticed the blush. I looked down at the floor and hurried over to my bed, snuggling under the covers as Blaine did the same. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. He started softly humming and I smiled up at him as he began to sing to me quietly.
Don't You — Darren Criss (Sung By Blaine)
By the end of the song, I was asleep, feeling warm and safe in Blaine's arms.
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"Welcome, everyone, today is one of the first annual McKinley High Mash-Off!"Mr. Schue announced excitedly. Everyone was on stage setting up for the song "Okay, a couple of ground rules.
Everyone, there will be no heckling of any kind, okay? And that's about it. Oh and also no violence, no matter how good you think you are at make-up Naya, I can see the bruise. Okay, so Finn will represent the New Directions and Santana, the Trouble Tones for the rock-paper-scissor face-off to see who will perform first, all right? Let's get it going!" Finn and Santana stood in between the two groups and held their hands out in front of each other "One, two, three!" Santana and Finn said in unison. Finn beat Santana when he did paper and she did rock.
Rachel celebrated loudly and I chuckled good-naturedly at her "Okay, paper covers rock. New Directions, take the stage!" Everyone went backstage and quickly got changed into their outfits. The boys had slicked-back hair and were dressed like the Hall and Oates whilst the girls wore leather waistcoats and leopard print ruffle skirts.
I Can't Go For That / You Make My Dreams Come True — Hall & Oates (Sung By The New Directions)
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Everyone was at the senior class presidential debate.s to be completely honest, I only went for Kurt because Blaine asked me to "Quiet, please, children. Welcome one and all to McKinley High's senior class presidential debate. Such a magnificent turnout reflects this school's passion for democracy. And also, a reminder: it is against school policy to pass gas into jars to be sold in the cafeteria. And now, our first candidate, Rick "The Stick" Nelson" Figgins said, with no emotion in his voice.
A small group of people in the crowd started to chant 'Stick' over and over again only appearing when the person they were cheering for appeared on stage "So, I was talking to my dad, who says that since he pays taxes and stuff, like, for teachers, which pretty much means that we're your boss. So I think it's time that the teachers started doing what we say. And how about you stop talking in class, Mrs. Janicek? Everything you have to say is boring! Vote Rick the Stick!" "That was terrible" I whispered to Blaine, who nodded his head in agreement. Next, it was Brittany's turn "Tornadoes are nature's most destructive force. These violent storms have ravaged America, crippling communities all across our land. Isn't it time we take a stand? If you honor me with being your next class president, I will make tornadoes illegal at McKinley, keeping you and your families at our school safe from their murderous rampages. Also, on Tuesdays, uh, I pledge to go topless" Brittany said, her last statement causing a wave of cheers to ripple throw the crowd. Next up was Kurt "Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel. Um, the past few weeks, I've tried to address the real problem of obesity at this school. But my opponents chose empty promises and smear tactics. Although she knows it to be untrue, my opponent Brittany stated that my face was used as a template for Hasbro's successful line of My Little Ponies. Well, I refuse to be bullied. I refuse to let anyone be bullied.
Today, I want to take it one step further.
I would like to hereby pledge to ban dodgeball at Mckinley High. Since its invention in 1831 by Silas W. Mangold, dodgeball has been used as a schoolyard instrument of suppression. It's violent, it's painful, it's humiliating, and I believe that it's equivalent to modern-day stoning. Let's end dodgeball at McKinley High and send a strong message that violence isn't okay" When he finished, he got a standing ovation from most of the crowd. Blaine, Rory, and I were clapping the loudest. Next up was Rachel "Hello, I'm Rachel Berry, and I have campaigned for president on a crusade for school book covers, a plan to save the school thousands of dollars" Rick 'The Stick' Nelson's friends started to heckle loudly but Mr. Schue shouted at them to stop "While I still consider this plan an inspired stroke of political genius, I hereby withdraw my candidacy and urge you all to vote for Kurt Hummel. He's the only candidate here today who never went negative. He-He's the one who deserves to be president. That's why
I-I'm casting my vote for Kurt Hummel.
Vote Hummel, McKinley. Vote for Kurt" When Rachel said that, I realized my opinion of her had been changing slightly, maybe she wasn't all that bad.
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The next day, the New Directions and I watched as the Trouble Tones performed.
Rumor Has It / Someone Like You — Adele (Sung By The Trouble Tones)
After the song, Santana jumped off the stage and strutted angrily up to Finn and Rachel "What did you just say to her?" Santana shouted angrily "I said I thought you were great," Finn said confusedly "You're lying," She said incredulously "No, he literally just said that," Rachel said defensively "Did you tell her, too?" "Santana-" "Everyone's gonna know now, because of you!" She said, aggressively pointing at Finn "The whole school already knows, and you know what? They don't care!" Finn said, only then did I realize what they were talking about. They were talking about Santana's sexuality, no one had told me that she was a lesbian but it was pretty obvious from the way she spoke to Brittany "Not just the school, you idiot...everyone!" "What are you talking-" Santana cut him off with a slap around the face and everyone's jaws dropped. Silence followed the slap as the bell rang, signifying the end of our lunch break.