Glee Club // Hunter Clarington

{Chapter 32} 4 : 17

Rose's POV

So we're just going to pretend that Tina is sick with the (Asian Bird) Flu, too. It will make the story make more sense.

"Why are we here? I thought Mr. Shue was sick." Kitty says as her and I walk into the choir room. "Yeah, why are we here?" I asks. "I was wondering the same thing." Unique mentions. "Oh, come on, guys. Regionals is only a few weeks away. Even without an adviser, we can't afford to miss one week of preparation." Blaine answers. "Which is why Blaine and I asked you all to come here. We have come up with an assignment for this week." Sam runs over to the white board.

"Please be songs about sweaters." Brittany whispers and I turn and smile at her. "Huh? Guilty pleasures. Come on! We all have some musical shame. You know what I'm talking about. You know, that secret love we dare not speak, but when it comes out on the radio, you can't help but turn up the volume and sing along." Blaine raises his eyebrows as he speaks. "Yeah, and we're supposed to sing one of those songs for Regionals?" Ryder questions.

"No. Sam and I were speaking earlier, just, like, shooting the crap like two bros do, you know, and we felt really safe with each other. So we decided to reveal our guilty pleasures." Blaine turns to Ryder. "And it felt amazing. I mean, letting go of this big secret made me feel so good." Sam adds. "And we figured if we all share musical shame with each other, we could all become a more cohesive team for Regionals." Blaine explains.

"Unique knows no shame, baby." Unique comments. "So, besides Unique, does anybody else have something they would like to share?" Sam inquires. "What is this, and Intervention Circle?" I joke. Kitty turns to me and laughs. "Guys, this a great team-building exercise." Sam states.

"Okay, well, then you guys go first." Jake walks past the two boys in front of the band. "We thought instead of telling you... we could... show you!" They both unzip their sweatshirts and pull them off. Their shirts said, 'Choose Life.' Everyone groans. Then the music starts.

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"Stop! As loyal fans of Fondue for Two, we demand to know what your guilty pleasure is." I turn to face Kitty and we walk up to her and Brittany. "Tell us." Marley demands. "None of your business." Kitty responds. I look at Brittany with raised eyebrows. "Spice Girls." She whispers. We stop and turn to Kitty. "I love the Spice Girls!" We yell. "Okay, keep it down. People are staring." Kitty starts blushing lightly. 

"When I was little, I had the Spice Girl movie on a loop." I reveal. "I used to make their clothes out of my grandmother's sheets. I dreamed I was one of them." Unique admits. "We must do the Spice Girls. It has to be done! And this fierce black woman will be Scary Spice." Unique informs. "Nothing scarier than a girl with a penis." Kitty says. My smile drops. Brittany pushes her. "Kidding." She adds. 

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We all sit in Glee Club with Sam in front of us. As we stare at him, Hunter wraps his arm around me and pulls his chair closer to mine. I turn to him and smile. He smiles back. "I love Barry Manilow. I mean, not just, you know the Barry Manilow Love on Ice Tour, but-but I think he's an amazing songwriter and performer, and I also believe he's underappreciated, has amazing hair, and has done a hell of a lot of good for this world through his light-rock talent. This is who I am, and I make no apologies." Sam rants and Barry Manilow's 'Copacabana' starts playing.

During the performance Hunter and I begin to cha-cha. We laugh the whole time and everyone cheers us on while still singing. Near the end of the song we all end up back in our seats. Once the song is over, we all laugh and applause rings throughout the room. "That was so brave." Blaine smiles at Sam. "I'm so proud of you, baby." Brittany admits. "You've given me the courage to stand... well, sit in front of my peers and proudly state that I'm a Fan-ilow as well." Artie opens his arms as he speaks.

"Guys, I like him, too." Jake comments. "Music aside, the guys got style." Hunter states. I turn to him and laugh lightly. "All right, if it was '79, I'd be rocking the Manilow center part instead of the Bieber." Ryder turns to face us. "Are you guys kidding? You guys really like Barry, huh?" Sam inquires. "Dude, everyone loves Barry, but thank you for making us finally say it out loud. Go Sam." Blaine starts clapping and we join in. "We love the Barry!" Artie pronounces excitedly.

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I walk into the auditorium with a drooped face. "Sorry I'm late, guys." I apologise. "Rose, you can be the Scary Spice." Brittany tells me. "The black one? That doesn't make any sense." I say confusedly. "That's what I said." Unique comments. "Oh, my God, guys, you will not believe what just happened. It's so horrible, I'm not even sure I can repeat it." I whisper.

I tell them what I heard and Marley runs to where Jake is. She yells at him and we usher him into the choir room. "Really? Seriously?" Marley questions. "I don't understand what you're all so upset about." Jake states. "That's why it's upsetting." Marley almost yells. "Look, look, I get that Chris Brown is a douchebag." Jake turns and looks at Unique when she begins talking.

"I don't think that douche is a strong enough word to describe Chris Brown." "He brutally beat up his girlfriend." I throw my hands up. "He beat up a window at Good Morning America." Brittany gestures over, agreeing with me. "He says horribly misogynistic things on Twitter." Marley adds. "What about the Frank Ocean fight in the parking lot?" Kitty inquires.

"But mostly, he beat up his girlfriend, Rihanna, and then he got a picture of a battered woman tatooed on his neck; the dude is a psychopath." I gesture to my neck. "I know, listen, I know, and that is why I chose his song, okay? The assignment was guilty pleasures. I like his music, and I feel guilty about it." Jake admits. "You like his music?" Marley asks.

"Some of it, yeah. I mean, I don't think all of it's bad. It doesn't mean that I like him, and it doesn't mean that I think that he's a role model. We do Whitney Houston songs, okay, Britney Spears songs, and none of them are any role models." Jake walks toward our chairs. "You shut your mouth." Brittany points at him. "And what about Rihanna? Do we really think that bad girl RiRi is some kind of role model? I mean, she's the one who got back together with him." Jake yells over our grumbling. "I know you did not just go there." I glare at him.

"Are you kidding me?" Marley asks. "Yes, seriously, we always do Rihanna songs, and do we always agree with everything that she says and does? Are we saying it's okay to go back to somebody that abuses you? No, we're not. Look, all I am saying is that I think that we should be able to separate the art from the artist." Jake argues. "Well, I don't think you should, and personally, I can't listen to his music without thinking about the horrible person behind it." Marley begins to walk out. "I agree, and if there was a list of people's music that we should never do in this room, Chris Brown would be at the top of that list." I walk out of the room with Marley.

He's such an idiot.