new directions | glee

4. RISE ☑️

CHAPTER FOUR |
rise

***

KAYLA'S BED HAD felt really lonely ever since Rachel went back to New York. Kurt assured her he was keeping an eye on her and Kayla was calling her every night, but she still felt alone. Maybe she had started depending on Rachel again and it wasn't healthy. She was really just trying to survive. Everyone had tried to get back to some semblance of normal, but it was still off. This week was a Katy vs. Gaga week in attempt to Gaga-fy everyone enough to compete against Throat Explosion (which again with the homoerotic show choir names).

Sam was admittedly a Katy Perry type which honestly made a lot of sense. He was definitely the boy-next-door stereotype (aside from the teenage stripping) and he was suddenly determined to be the most Gaga he had ever been. Kayla had been giving him tips the past few days on how to emulate Gaga's theatricality. It was no surprise that Kayla was much more of a Gaga based on how outspoken she was. Though she figured she was more of a middle ground between the two (like maybe P!nk, even though that was obviously Blaine's brand), she definitely leaned more towards Ms. Germanotta.

Sam was flailing his arms about, trying to demonstrate how epic the Lady Gaga number was going to be, but honestly his gesticulation was making her vertigo flare up, so she put her hands on his shoulders and talked him down. "Sammy, chill out! Why are you flipping about a stupid glee lesson?"

Sam sighed, looking for hesitancy in her expression before he answered. "It's, um... it's about Penny."

"Oh." Kayla mumbled, bowing her head for just a moment before she managed a smile and gestured for him to continue.

The Nurse Penny situation was ongoing and honestly, Kayla was just trying to make the best out of a horrible circumstance. Of course she still loved Sam, but she realized months ago that it just wasn't going to work out for them and she was starting to become fine with that. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt that Sam was obsessing with another girl, but the pain had lessened somewhat. At least enough that she could start to give him advice and stop ignoring him.

Sam nodded. "Okay, so Penny is really edgy. Like, I thought you were pretty edgy when you admitted you listen to Nickelback, but she's like electro-pop Skrillex edgy."

Kayla tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't he make a song with Justin Bieber?"

Sam shrugged, "Whatever. The point is that I'm a total Katy and I'm just worried that she'll get bored of me. She wears fake tats and goes to rock concerts with her dillweed ex-boyfriend and I watch True Jackson VP and bake cookies with Kurt's dad."

Kayla smiled at him fondly, rubbing her thumb over his shoulder. "Hey, I love those things about you. You're the single most interesting guy in Ohio and if she doesn't like you the way you are, maybe you deserve better."

Sam grinned, pulling his arms around her waist and bringing her in for a hug. He mumbled into the crook of her neck. "You're the best friend ever. What would I do without you?"

Okay, that hurt.

←⧪→

The lights went down in the auditorium and the synth started booming from the speakers as the Katys performed their Gaga number. Kayla first took notice of Sam standing on the steps, shirtless of course, with the constructed wings like in the Applause music video. Artie rolled in with makeup smeared across his face and Blaine popped out of a hat with a full Hedwig and the Angry Inch look while Ryder was in a cage wearing a corset. Kayla smiled. She was pleasantly surprised by their dedication to detail. She was nervous about Marley's entrance. She was supposed to wear the seashell bikini and they talked about it at her last therapy session. Kayla knew she wasn't comfortable wearing it. Kayla wouldn't be either. She breathed a sigh of relief, cheering when Marley came out in a pink wig and candy cane dress like Katy Perry. She thought Marley's costume choice was making a statement—that she could still perform like Lady Gaga while she was authentically herself. When the number ended, it was clear no one else saw that.