CLOUD NINE | GLEE • OC X OC | ON HOLD

•026•

RACHEL AND MERCEDES WERE HAVING A DIVA-OFF. FINN WAS DRESSED LIKE JUSTIN BIEBER. QUINN, SANTANA, AND TINA WERE DRESSED LIKE BRITTANY WITH LEG WARMERS ON THEIR ARMS.

"Never a boring day in Glee Club." Ivory rested her head on Luke's shoulder.

"Okay, guys and gals, and Sue. It's the moment we've all been waiting for. Our next diva-off. So here they are, sure to give us a fantastic anthem, Mercedes and Rachel. Let's give it up." Mr. Schue clapped.

"Uh, after much argument, I finally convinced Mercedes that in order to do a proper diva-off, it has to come from the Broadway catalog. Which I think is safe to say that that gives me a home field advantage." Rachel stood up.

"Oh, well, you're about to get beat on your own turf." Mercedes sassed.

[TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME - performed by Rachel Berry and Mercedes Jones]

After the diva-off, everyone clapped while Mercedes and Rachel hugged each other.

"Hey, where's the hate?" Sue complained.

"Not the point of Glee Club, Sue." Mr. Schue explained.

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"ALRIGHT, LETS GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT. STARTING US OFF, AND MAKING HER NEW DIRECTIONS SOLO DEBUT, MISS LAUREN ZIZES." Mr. Schue announced. "Uh, so what are you gonna sing for us, Lauren?"

"Here's how I see it. I know I'm the hottest bitch in this joint. If I were a country, my flag would be a big fist, giving the rest of the world a finger, and this would be my national anthem." Lauren explained, making Ivory smile brightly.

Ivory had helped Lauren pick out her song, and she knew that Puck was gonna help her perform it.

"Okay." Mr. Schue sat down, trying not to show fear.

"Puckerman, grab your guitar." Lauren demanded. "Tina, Brittany, ready? Good."

[I KNOW WHAT BOYS WANT - performed by Lauren Zizes]

Ivory and Puck were the first to cheer for Lauren, finally gaining confidence to perform.

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[SING - performed by The New Directions]

COACH SYLVESTER HAD GIVEN THE CLASS A GREAT ANTHEM FOR REGIONALS.

Since the dress code for the song was flannel, Ivory simply borrowed one of Luke's, which was a size too big for her, but she made it work.

"You look good in my clothes." Luke looked her up and down.

"Take a good look because you aren't getting this back for a while." She laughed.

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"ALRIGHT, I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT I THINK WE ALL OWE SUE A BIG THANK YOU." MR. SCHUE SAID.

Ivory leaned into Luke's embrace as he traced shapes into the side of her thigh, making her zone out until Rachel spoke.

"Mr. Schuester, I think that our admiration for Coach Sylvester might just be a little premature. While I love My Chemical Romance, and I think we all kicked butt on that number, as our team leader and arbiter of all that is good, I have to say that I don't think that that song is good enough for Regionals. The Warblers have Kurt and Blaine as their like, one-two punch, and aural intensity kicked our butt last year. We can't just do any song to beat either of those teams." Rachel rambled on.

"You mean a number where you don't get to song the entire song?" Mercedes pointed out.

"Guys, this isn't about me."

"What do you suggest, Rachel?" Mr. Schue crossed his arms.

"We need to be bold and epic. We need to write our own original music for Regionals. We need an undisputable advantage." Rachel smiled.

"Check out drawf Diane Warren." Santana chimed in.

"Look, we can't lose Regionals again this year, you guys. Okay, you have to trust me. I feel really, really strongly about this."

"Rachel, I don't think you know what it takes to put into original songs. They could take weeks to make if you don't have the right direction." Ivory looked at her, making Rachel glare down at the girl in her seat.

"Let's put it to a vote. Okay, Rachel?" Mr. Schue asked, making her nod. "All those in favor of doing an original song?"

Only Rachel raised her hand.

"Chemical Romance?"

Everyone but Rachel raised their hands.

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"WHY WERE YOU SO AGAINST THE ORIGINAL SONG IDEA?" Finn walked up to Ivory, who was fixing her hair for softball practice.

"Because I know what it's like to make music, dude. I'm literally in a band with our own music. Original pieces are hard to make." She told him. "Are we done here? I gotta get on the field."

"Think about Rachel's plan." Finn said and walked off.

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"FINN APPROACHED ME EARLIER. ABOUT RACHEL'S IDEA." IVORY TOLD LUKE AS THEY SAT ON IVORY'S COUCH.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was all like, 'Why didn't you agree with the idea?' and blah blah blah. I told him straight out that writing music kinda sucks when you don't have anything to go off of." Ivory explained.

"Liar. You can do a song out of anything. I've seen you do it." Luke smiled, making Ivory laugh.

"Yeah, well, only a handful of them know that you and I make music. Finn, Puck, Lauren, Santana, and Quinn." Ivory told him.

"How does Lauren know?"

"She caught me writing some ideas down for an anthem when she asked for help with hers." Ivory shrugged.

"Can I see them?" Luke asked, making Ivory nod.

Ivory grabbed her bag and pulled out the journal Luke bought for her before handing it to him.

"They're only rough drafts, but they're kinda stupid."

"Ivy, these aren't stupid. They're great. It's like you said, writing is hard. These are gonna be great songs when they're done." Luke hyped her up.

"You think so?" Ivory doubted herself.

"Of course I do. Santana called it a couple of weeks ago. You, me, Alex, and Reggie, we're gonna win awards. Hundreds of them." Luke thought back. "You know we're gonna be superstars, babe."

"Alright, I believe you." Ivory nodded, pulling him in for a kiss.

"You better." Luke smirked, pulling her onto his lap.

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Songs:
•Take me or leave me from the Rent soundtrack
•I Know What Boys Want by The Waitresses
•Sing by My Chemical Romance