"All right, big week, guys. Come on, gather round. I have here in my hand..." Mr. Schue announced as he entered the choir room. "Drumroll, please..." He pointed to Blaine, who immediately did a drumroll on the piano.
"A secret list of the show choirs that we'll be competing against at Nationals in six weeks." He unfolded the paper dramatically. "Okay, let's see what we've got. We've got the Rust-Belters from Pittsburgh, the Thunder Showcats from Gainesville..." He cleared his throat, glancing around at the students before announcing the final show choir. "...and finally, from Fort Wayne... Throat Explosion."
"No! Why, God?!" Tina cried dramatically, making Melanie, who was standing beside her, jump slightly as she rubbed her ear.
"Uh... what? Throat Explosion? That's a joke, right?" Jake questioned.
"Anything but." Blaine answered seriously. "They're the new supergroup the Show Choir Underground's been buzzing about. Their budgets for costumes, makeup, and hair alone are astronomical. You guys have read that Malcolm Gladwell book, Outliers, right?"
Everyone in the choir room simply stared back at him blankly.
Blaine nodded to himself before continuing.
"So, Gladwell says you can't possibly master anything unless you've spent 10,000 hours practicing it. Students can't even join Throat Explosion without proving they've logged 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."
"All that, and the best they could come up with was Throat Explosion." Melanie muttered at the exact same time as Kitty.
Both girls' heads immediately snapped toward each other, exchanging equally horrified side-eyes.
"We're so screwed..." Tina groaned with a frown. "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 on that level anymore because we lost our biggest Gaga when Kurt graduated last year." She looked around the room dramatically. "Look around—we're a room full of, like, Katy Perrys now."
"Oh, you best check your spectrum, Queen T, because orange is the new black, and Unique is the new Gaga." Unique shot back.
"Well, not Marley... she's a Katy Perry." Tina argued. "So is Sam, so is Blaine... so is Melanie."
"I'm a Katy Perry, and I'm proud of it." Blaine declared.
"Okay, hold up. I am not a Katy Perry." Melanie protested.
Tina gave her a be serious look.
Blaine responded with an awkward, tight-lipped nod.
Artie scratched the back of his head, wisely choosing to stay silent.
Sam suddenly found the floor incredibly interesting.
"Guys." Melanie gestured between herself and the room. "Look, I know I opted out of Gaga last time, but come on. I've totally embraced my inner Gaga since then."
Tina gave an uncertain shrug, making a so-so motion with her hand.
Melanie scoffed, crossing her arms before turning expectantly to Sam.
"I think..." he began carefully. "...you look very pretty today."
Melanie blinked.
"You completely avoided the question."
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You Drive Me Crazy || Sam Evans
FanfictionYOU DRIVE ME CRAZY | ❝ Everyone else looks right through me but he looks at me and he sees me. ❞ Melanie Park was the new girl she expected to go through high school unseen in the background. That is until she joins the glee club. where she finds no...
