Lila Anderson has returned for her sophomore year at McKinley High. After losing regionals, the Glee Club is officially at the bottom of the food chain, but when Lila comes back for the school year with a new look, she gets more than overlooked in t...
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✧.*
Nationals were just a few weeks away, and Mr. Shue was officially in drill-sergeant mode which meant one thing—none of us were getting out of here without sweating through at least two layers of clothing.
"Alright, guys," he announced, clapping his hands sharply to grab our attention. "Nationals are just a few weeks away, and it's time to bear down. Your singing at regionals was amazing, but your dancing... it needs work." He gave a knowing glance toward Finn, who already looked nervous. "It's booty camp time. Let's get it going. A five, six, seven, eight!"
The music blasted through the piano, and we immediately jumped into the routine. I moved without thinking, my body slipping into the steps naturally. Dancing had always been one of my strong suits, and I loved the way the choreography flowed when I was fully in sync with the music.
Some of the others, though... well, they were struggling.
"Push yourselves!" Mr. Shue barked, weaving through us like a commander surveying his troops. "Vocal Adrenaline takes no prisoners! If we want to beat them, we have to work twice as hard!"
I caught sight of Finn in the corner of my eye—his brows furrowed in deep concentration as he attempted to keep up. His movements were big but not precise, his arms flailing more than anything.
And then it happened.
With one overly enthusiastic motion, Finn swung his arm too far and too fast—
Thwack.
Rachel let out a strangled gasp, stumbling backward as her hands flew to her face.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
Finn's eyes went wide in horror, his mouth hanging open like he couldn't believe what he had just done. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
Rachel carefully pulled her hands away, revealing a thin stream of blood trickling from her nose. Her eyes were watery with shock and pain.
"I'm bleeding," she announced, her voice high and slightly panicked.
Mr. Shue was already stepping forward. "Let's get you to a doctor."
~~~
The Lima Bean smelled like fresh espresso and cinnamon. I wrapped my hands around my chamomile tea.
Across from me, Kurt was glowing, his nonfat mocha in hand as he spoke animatedly about Blaine.
"I'm just saying," he mused, "his ability to turn the simplest conversation into a full-blown musical number is equally infuriating and adorable. I swear, I mentioned how much I liked 'Teenage Dream' once, and now it's basically his theme song whenever he sees me."
I let out a small laugh, trying to focus. "That's cute, though."
Kurt sighed dreamily, resting his chin on his hand. "It is. It really is." He took a sip of his drink, then looked at me over the rim of his cup, his knowing gaze sharpening. "Okay, enough about my love life. How are things with Sam?"
