"All right, big week, guys," Mr. Schue announced as he strode into the choir room, prompting the kids to stop messing around and gather near the piano. "Come on. Gather round. I have here in my hand... Drumroll, please... A secret list of the show choirs that we will be in competition with at Nationals in six weeks."
"Yes!" Kitty cheered, and everyone clapped enthusiastically, sharing her excitement.
"Okay, let's see what we've got." Mr. Schue said as he opened the envelope. "We've got the Rust-Belters from Pittsburgh, the Thunder Showcats from Gainesville, and finally, from Fort Wayne, Throat Explosion."
"No!" Tina suddenly yelled, making Hunter jump a bit, startled. "Why, God?!"
"Um, what? Throat Explosion?" Jake asked, incredulous. "That's a joke, right?"
"Anything but," Blaine shook his head seriously. "They're the new supergroup the Show Choir Underground's been buzzing about. Their budget for costumes, makeup, hair alone is astronomical. You guys have read that Malcolm Gladwell book Outliers, right? So, Gladwell says you can't possibly master anything you spent 10,000 hours practicing it. So, students can't even join Throat Explosion without proving they've logged in 10,000 hours of show choir rehearsal. They don't even go to class. They just perform—every minute of every day. They live their art. They know no boundaries. They're constantly pushing the envelope, living and performing on the edge. They're like mini Lady Gagas."
"We're so screwed," Tina muttered. "They're not like Vocal Adrenaline, who were unfeeling Borg robots. They're total outsiders and misfits, which used to be our niche. We can't compete with Throat Explosion anymore at that level because we lost our biggest Gaga when Kurt graduated last year. Look around, we're a room full of, like, Katy Perrys now."
"Excuse me?" Hunter scoffed, glaring at Tina from his spot by the piano. "I ain't no Katy Perry! I don't even wanna say I'm a Gaga, but if I had to choose, you best know it's her."
"Oh, you best check your spectrum, Queen T," Unique chimed in, backing Hunter up. "Because Orange is the New Black, and Unique is the new Gaga."
"Well, not Marley... She's a Katy Perry," Tina pointed out. "So is Sam, so is Blaine."
"I'm a Katy Perry, and I'm proud of it," Blaine said confidently.
"Um, the truth is, Tina, we're a potent mix of Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas in here," Mr. Schue interjected. "But It's not a liability... It's the way we're gonna beat Throat Explosion."
"How?" Hunter frowned, genuinely confused now.
"Some of us in here are, you know, ambi-edge."
"Ambi-edge?" Artie smirked, biting back a laugh as Hunter cringed at the term.
"You just made that up," Artie added, still chuckling.
"Some of us are more you know, wholesome, innocent, romantic, all-American-girl and boy-next-door types," Mr. Schue continued, unfazed. "Who in here would describe themselves as a Gaga?"
Kitty, Tina, Unique, Hunter, and Jake all raised their hands. Mr. Schue nodded in approval.
"Okay, great. And the rest of you are Katys?"
"Is there a third option?" Ryder asked, only to be promptly ignored by Mr. Schue, who turned to the whiteboard to scribble down their weekly lesson on the fly.
"We're gonna mix it up a little bit," Mr. Schue explained. "We're turning our weaknesses into our strengths. This week, the Katys will get their Gaga on, and the Gagas will bring the Katy. Throat Explosion does their one thing very, very well, but we need to be able to do both—impeccably—or else we're not gonna have a chance in hell at winning Nationals this year."
YOU ARE READING
Always and Forever - Book 5
FanfictionNationals! Graduation! How will Hunter and Sam navigate their lives one they leave High School? First they need to actually get through the rest of the year. Set in Season 5 Disclaimer - Most characters and Dialogue are not of my own creation Inspir...
