You Drive Me Crazy || Sam Evans

49. On My Way

Melanie stared in horror at the photoshopped picture in Finn's hand. "Oh my God," she muttered, grimacing.

"That's it. I'm done." Finn spat the words, his chair scraping loudly as he shot up from his seat. "I'm leaving this classroom, and I'm going to beat that Sebastian kid's ass!"

"Finn, chill." Mr. Schue stepped in quickly, raising a hand to stop him.

"No, I'm not going to chill! I'm done chilling!" Finn's voice rose, with frustration.

"The official show choir rulebook states that any real or perceived threat of violence, vandalism, or humiliation will be met with swift and unquestioned disqualification of the threatening party's team with extreme prejudice." Artie read aloud as Sam wheeled him toward the group, holding the open rulebook. "It's right here. Page 72, by-law 15, section six, article 44."

"Guys, I contacted the headmaster of Dalton," Mr. Schue assured them, though his tone lacked confidence.

"Oh, like you did when Sebastian almost blinded me?" Blaine crossed his arms tightly, his expression cold. "What did they do then? Same thing they're going to do now—nothing."

"None of this matters right now, okay?" Rachel added "We're not going to let him beat us like this. I'm going to perform at Regionals."

"Even if he's going to post a photo like this of me if you do?" Finn demanded, holding up the picture.

"Finn, I'm not going to negotiate with terrorists," Rachel responded sharply.

"If someone posted a picture like that of me online, I'd probably kill myself," Sugar added, bluntly.

"Twice, to be sure I was dead," Rory muttered grimly.

"Look, you guys are just going to have to deal with things like this." Mr. Schue exhaled slowly, trying to maintain control. "The more successful you get, the more garbage people will make up about you. They'll love tearing you down."

Melanie shook her head, her frustration bubbling over. "This is more than just stupid rumors or normal bullying. Sebastian keeps escalating things with no consequences. How long are we expected to just sit back and take it?"

Finn's shoulders sagged as he stared at Rachel, a look of betrayal on his face. "I can't believe you'd do this to me."

"I'm going to be married to you. Don't you think I'll suffer the consequences too?" Rachel moved closer to him, her voice softening. "I mean, I just... I don't care about stuff like that. I love you, and we'll get through this together. Okay? The important thing right now is that we win." She smiled, attempting to calm him.

"So, you wouldn't care if I photoshopped a picture of you like this and put it on the internet?" Finn shot back.

"Look, our future depends on winning Regionals. It'll help with my NYADA application," Rachel pressed.

Finn's expression darkened at the mention of NYADA. He nodded slowly, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "Hmm. Hope you get in," he muttered before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Finn," Mr. Schue called after him, but Finn ignored him not looking back.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

The God Squad sat in the classroom, the air in the room heavy after hearing that Karofsky had attempted to take his own life. Melanie sat silently, her arms crossed, practically hugging herself for comfort. Her thoughts jumbled around rapidly, guilt weighing heavily on her. She had shown so little compassion for what Karofsky was going through—she hadn't taken it seriously, too blinded by the anger she still felt over what he had done to Kurt. But now, she felt something else—understanding. There had been a time in her life when she had similar thoughts, and the whole ordeal dragged her back to that dark place she didn't like to remember. The pit in her stomach grew as the memories crept in, overwhelming her. Yet, amidst the chaos in her mind, she felt an odd sense of perspective—it forced her to take a step back and really look at her life.