ETHEREAL - glee!

one. zero nine

"mediocre, hit the showers," coach sue said as jbi harassed her with questions about the cheerios and quinn leaving the squad. "do you can come to my house with quinn, we can watch movies or something?" finn asked delilah, as she walked over to them on the bleachers. "you don't have to do this," delilah sighed, walking over to quinn and finn as she put her duffle bag over her shoulder. "do what hun?" quinn questioned. "you know, ask me to come to everything you guys do because you feel bad that i don't have santana," she said, her voice breaking as she said the latina's name. she walked faster so that she couldn't hear their responses, but they had switched to the topic of finn getting a job instead.

"what about target?" quinn asked, sitting down beside delilah, but finn sighed. "tried, not hiring," he said and quinn's face had annoyance written all over it. "another doctor bill came to my parents' house last night, finn, we're lucky that i'm clever and intercepted it," she snapped. "but we have to start paying these doctor's bills or they're going to go to a collection agency and then my parents are going to find out that i'm with child, your child." quinn emphasized in an angry tone before mr schue walked in, handing out sheet music.

"all right, guys, we're doing a new number for sectionals,i know that pop songs have sort of been our signature pieces, but I did a little research on past winners, and it turns out that the judges like songs that are more accessible," he said. "like broadway songs," he said and delilah took note of kurt's excitement, she felt slightly excited herself, she loved wicked.

"defying gravity?" he asked, "i have an iPod shuffle dedicated exclusively to selections from wicked, this is amazing," he said excitedly as delilah accidentally made eye contact with someone's who were all too familiar. however this time, she didn't feel upset or angry she felt okay. not great, but okay. improvement. "think you can handle it, rachel?" mr schue said, obviously giving the lead to his obvious favouriate rachel berry.

delilah fought a war in her head. she wanted to sing it, she knew she could and it wasn't bad. but she didn't want to embarasses herself or make rachel mad, she always helped er after a slushie facial and even had a sleepover with her, so rachel could show her singing and they watched funny girl together. it wasn't the worst thing.

"it's my go-to shower song, it's also my ring tone," she said, to which mercedes jumped up and asked why they had to go all vanilla on the song. "what we need is my chocolate thunder," she finished and mr schue smiled back. "okay, we don't have time to rearrange a song for you, mercedes, rachel is singing it," he said. of course she was. "don't worry, we'll find something for you to dip in chocolate," he said as everyone returned a laugh, other than a confused finn.

"me," delilah whispered, quinn snapped her head over to her, being the only one who heard it. "what's up, do you wanna talk outside?" she said, also pulling the notes app on her phone incase she wanted to type it, quinn was always very weary about delilah, knowing her since the whole thing started, she was use to the girls weird way that her brain worked around talking. delilah shook her head. "mr schue," she said slightly louder as everyone's head turned to her, the first time she had spoken to them in a while. "can i sing it?" she asked, immediatley regretting it and going red.

"you think you can handle it delilah, you know the song, it has an high f," mr schue said and delilah nodded, after looking at santana. she wanted to show her that she was better without her. "i know the song, mr schue," she answered as everyone looked at her. they knew she could sing, and well after the halo/walking on sunshine mash-up but that was when she had her best friends, more confidence, oh and perscription drugs.

"okay, i," mr schue begins but quinn cuts him off. "mr schue, let her, it's not gonna happen again, she's better than berry, i've heard her," she said as rachel stared down mr schue before santana opened her mouth. "delilah can sing, she's got a voice that she doesn't use, let her use it,"

delilah looked torn, the first thing santana had said to her in a long time, she wanted to smile but she couldn't, not after everything she had put her through. she wouldn't. "okay, how about a sing-off for the part?" mr schue suggestion amnd the glee club oohed.

"on to item two, the school won't pay for the special bus we need to take Artie and his wheelchair with us to sectionals," mr schue said as the glee club yelled multiple upset thoughts about the matter.

"so we're going to have to raise money to pay for it ourselves, see, when I was in glee club, and we needed new silk cummerbunds for regionals, we held a bake sale," mr schue said as everyone laughed quietly.

"you're joking, right?" santana scoffed. " i mean, bake sales are kind of bougie," she finished causing mr schue to look shocked. "so hip people stopped eating delicious sugary treats?" he asked. "can you do a bake sale without talking to the people, or looking at them, or even really being there," she whispered to quinn who laughed quietly, with a smile and pulling the girl and her chair closer, into a hug. of course, despite santana's glare.

"it's not that? it's most of us? don't know how to bake?" brittany said, with an confused look on her face "i find recipes confusing," she said and delilah placed a comforting arm on her shoulder at the poor, confused girl.

"my family is fully committed to takeout," rachel said before finn said "yeah, mr schue, kids are busier than when you went here, we've got homework and football and teen pregnancy ," he said, making delilah try not to laugh. he paused before finishing off, "lunch,"

"can't artie's dad just take him?" mercedes dismissed making delilah's eyebrows furrow. "i can't believe how insensitive you're all being, are you a team?" mr schue asked and the glee club all nodded and mumbled in agreement. "of course, but artie understands, don't you, artie?" quinn said and delilah shoved her shoulder. "no, it's not okay," she tries to say, only loud enough for quinn and artie to hear.

"of course, i-it's cool," he stuttered, flashing delilah a greatfull smile. "anything that takes away our time from rehearsing doesn't serve the team," he said as the bell rang and everyone scattered from the choir room. "bye quinn, thanks for waiting," delilah thought, before noticing artie trying to tie his shoe lace.

"i can't believe how ignorant everyone is," she said, going over to help artie. "i'll try and raise the money for you, i don't know how but i will," she said, finishing his lace and noticing his shocked face. "what?" she said, and he smiled back.

"thanks, and that's like the third time i've heard you talk, and you've never said anything directly to me," he said. "why did you stick up for me, i'm pretty sure you and your friends hate me," he laughed. "i'm really sorry about how they all reacted, artie," mr schue said. "i'm lucky, i've got quinn and finn and britt, they protect me and stick up for me, and santana," she said, whispering santana's name. "you don't have anyone, i couldn't imagine what that would be like, you're stuck in a wheelchair, and it's like i'm stuck in a box of my own anxiety which makes it so i don't talk so no one yells and if i just got over myself then i-" delilah mumbled before artie cut her off.

"you barely talk, now you can't stop," he laughed and she smiled sheepishly at the floor. "i mean, it's okay. i'm used to it,t hey just don't get it," he answered. "and i understand where you're coming from, i guess it feels like one of the hardest scariest things, i can't walk or really do anything so it's like my voice is my only defence, i couldn't imagine not having it,"

"it's hard, like i know what i want to say but my throat just closes up the minute i go to say it," se said, somehow feeling comfortable with artie, even though she didn't know him that well, it was like he understood."can i use the auditorium this afternoon to rehearse, mr.schue?" artie asked. "some of the band equipment's in there," and mr schue said "sure," back to him as they all walked, and wheeled, out of the choir room.

this is part one because i've accidentally got to many ideas to put into this episode so it's going to be long and it's like already over 1500 words and i've just started, sorry. also i'm really sorry for any spelling mistakes but i can't spell, it took me five trys to not spell shocked as shcocked so that's that. anyway, i'm also trying to drag out this episode because i want something to happen in the next one but i don't want it to seem too soon, also there's gonna be a bit more drama and probally about seven updates cause i'm in the mood to right like all night so that's fun (i kinda want to write the whole season which is unrealistic but i mean you can do anything you put your mind too, i guess). also, i'm trying to make delilah's speaking 'issue' as close to reality as possible so i hope it is lols. thanks so much for reading and i barley do author notes so this is a bit weird and ive got no emojis on my laptop so piece emoji, also sorry because i'm just going on and on. sorry!