You Drive Me Crazy || Sam Evans

63. Glease

"All right, guys, listen up. I have an announcement to make," Mr. Schue said seriously, standing in front of everyone.

"Adele is dead?" Brittany guessed.

"No," Mr. Schue replied, taking a deep breath. "I've been asked to join a blue ribbon panel to rewrite the arts curriculum nationwide."

"Wow!" Tina smiled.

"Congratulations!" Sam added.

"Mr. Schue, that's great!" Melanie congratulated him.

"Thank you," Mr. Schue said, bracing himself. He knew they'd be shocked—and probably a little upset—by the next piece of news. "I'll be taking a short sabbatical, which means I'm leaving McKinley at the end of the week."

The room fell silent, confusion and surprise filling the air. "What? This is crazy," Tina said.

"What does that mean for Glee Club?" Melanie asked, furrowing her brows.

"Well—" Mr. Schue began, but was interrupted.

"But Glee Club is your life!" Artie stated.

"Which is why this is only temporary. I'll be back right after sectionals," Mr. Schue continued.

"Wait, after sectionals?!" Tina exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa!" Sam held up a hand.

"Guys, calm down," Mr. Schue said. "Look, I knew I needed to find a replacement, which is why I brought in Finn Hudson." He gestured toward Finn, who was sitting by the piano, offering a small smile.

"Mr. Schue, Finn cannot take over Glee Club. He doesn't know what he's doing!" Tina stood up. "Sorry, Finn."

"Well, Mr. Schue does it, so it can't be that hard," Melanie added, sticking up for Finn. He gave her a small smile, while Mr. Schue shot her an offended look.

"I mean that in the nicest, most respectful way," Melanie said awkwardly.

"Guys, I know I can do this," Finn said, standing up. "And I've got some really great ideas for sectionals."

"We'll all be dead by then!" Tina yelled, worried.

"Tina..." Mr. Schue sighed.

"Finn doesn't know how to direct a musical!" Tina stressed.

"Okay, deep breaths, T," Melanie said, placing her hands on Tina's shoulders and gently guiding her back to her seat.

"No, we can't win without him. Who's going to drive the bus?" Sugar added.

"Finn Hudson, Schuester. Figgins' office, now," Coach Sue called out from the doorframe, halting the chaos.

Mr. Schue and Finn exchanged a confused glance before following her out.

"This is not how the year was supposed to start," Tina grumbled, throwing her head back in frustration.

"Guys, we won Sectionals in freshman year without Mr. Schue. We can do it again," Melanie added, trying to calm everyone's worries. "Besides, who was it that actually brought us all together for that win?"

Tina and Artie shared a knowing look before nodding.

"Finn," Tina said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"He did come up with a killer group song," Artie added nostalgically.

"Exactly," Melanie said firmly. "Everything will be fine."

Because it had to be. This was their senior year. They always pulled through in the end—at least at Sectionals. And there was no way this time would be any different. This was senior year. Their last shot. Losing wasn't an option.