Glee: To the Next Level (the second book in the Glee series)

Chapter 5: Payback's a Bree

I'm been terrible with posting so I'm going to be cutting chapters a bit shorter so that you get updates more often! Thanks for the patience bros and gals!

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"So what's the plan?" asked Ryder as he and Jake joined Kitty and me at a lunch table.

"What do you mean?" asked Kitty, feigning ignorance.

The boys looked at each other and then turned to us. "We're not as dumb as we look, ladies," Jake told us. "We know you two have to be cooking up some sort of punishment for Bree's betrayal this morning."

"Well, we want to get--" I started.

"We'll keep you posted," she said, sending them away.

"They can help!" I insisted. "Why can't we--"

"You really think she'll trust us if they're involved?" she said.

"If Ryder is, then yeah," I said. Ryder pressed his lips as he and Jake tried to understand what we were talking about.

"I won't take that chance," she said.

"Fine," I surrendered. "Sorry boys, you'll just have to wait it out."

"As long as you're putting Bree in her place," Jake said as he and Ryder finally walked away.

"Okay," I said. "So what song?"

***

It took us the rest of our lunchtime and our free period. We skipped Cheerios practice. Even after school, during which we apparently missed a great performance of "Stronger" by Amity and Dan. 

"You would've been really proud of them," said Ryder as he told me over the phone.

"I bet," she said. "They must've sacrificed all of their lunchtime to plan it. Anyway, I have to get back now."

"Oh right," he said. "Your big, secret scheme against Bree."

"Sorry," I apologized. "I'll see you Monday. And thanks again for the update."

"Good luck," he said. He said goodbye and then hung up. I turned back to the girls, who were on break in my kitchen, and said, "Are you ready to get back to work?"

***

We wanted to be ready by after school on Monday. That's when everyone could for sure make the showdown and when we wanted Bree to lose. At the end. The finale. But unfortunately, she said she wouldn't be there after school. And that was the last day Brittany and Santana would be in town.

"My mom is going on a date with some loser guy she's been set up with," she was telling Sugar as we met in the choir room during lunch. "I have to go straight home to help her get ready or whatever. She doesn't know how far from a ten he is so..."

"A blind date?" Sugar asked in response. "Well then how do you know he's a loser."

"Because, duh," Bree responded with annoyance clear in her voice. "They're all losers."

"Isn't your dad going on a blind date tonight?" asked Marley as we walked past them.

I nodded. "Something like that," I said. "It's what all the single parents are doing these days."

"Not my mom," she said as we sat down.

"Okay, I hate to interrupt the single parent bonding," said Kitty, "but if Bree's not going to be here after school then when do we go on?"

"Right now," said Marley as Mr. Schue closed the door.

"What?" I said. "We aren't ready!"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Marley insisted. She got up and headed to the front of the room. "Brittany," she said. "Santana. You two are both incredibly talented. So for this week's challenge we decided to do something more to your style."