Glee: World of Chances (the fourth book in the Glee series)

Chapter 33: Hero/Heroine

["Casino" by Clare Bowen.]

Julie: Like a coin. I was tossed into a wishing fountain. I was only one of a thousand. Looking for a little fortune.

As she sang, Julie appeared pretty uncomfortable, looking up every few seconds to try to read the expression on Sebastian's face. The weekend had given little to no clarity on everything that had happened. 

Julie: And you. Picked me up and put me into your pocket. Nothing I could do to stop it. Started out full of promise.

Kitty was unemployed due to her unfortunate drunken voicemail to the state capitol building. She was trying to stay calm about it as she found another way to get back into her career, but it didn't help that a social worker had called the next day with questions about Riley's progress and to report that the latter was going to be under review on her emancipation.

Julie: The shimmer of the shine that I'd never seen before.

John, Alex, and Dan were all icing out Jake for following his duty as an officer and sending his men to shut down the casino. They didn't get any evidence they needed, but they did manage to expose the girls as being involved with a public scandal. While that didn't affect Kara, it did ruin Peyton's chances of ever getting her big story and it tarnished Leila's reputation even more, ruining her second job for the time being.

Julie: The bright lights. I was taken in by the spotlight. Coming from the stare of your wanting eyes. Like a Vegas green glow. Yeah, grasping, wishing I could roll the dice again. You can always love but you can't win. A heart is like the money you blow... Casino...

Sebastian lowered the music just as Julie was transitioning into the second verse, so she took off her headphones and asked, "What's going on? Was it not good?"

"Something about it is off," Sebastian told her.

"Like the fact that it's super insensitive," Santana responded, seeing as the topic for inspiration was exactly what most of the label's artists were incredibly bummed out about.

"It was on my mind," Julie said defensively. "I thought I'd write about the party but I didn't remember anything from it and everyone's been talking about the casino."

"You don't remember anything?" Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Santana, get in there and record it," he ordered.

Julie creased her forehead with concern as she noted, "But it's my song."

"And it's my label," Sebastian told her. "You've made it very clear that you desire to be the subordinate and I am the boss, so why don't you be a good little employee and get out of there?"

Julie frowned but did as she was asked, feeling the need to scream as she was forced to switch places with Santana.

***

Santana: Worthless. I didn't even know I was losing. But I was just a card you were using. A trick that you were good at playing.

In all honesty, Santana thought the song sounded perfect with Julie's voice. It had that soulful quality that she enjoyed. But if she sang it and it made Julie upset, she was winning. Everything about her new relationship with Sebastian was like music to her ears. Literally.

Santana: Oh and luck. Didn't build up the Monte Carlo. Just like love never promised tomorrow. You were only looking to borrow.

Sebastian pursed his lips at the thought that perhaps placing Santana on vocals wasn't the greatest idea. Still, he couldn't give Julie the satisfaction of giving her what she wanted, so he had to find other ways to make this unbearable for her.