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

Chapter 1: Excited

I thought I would start off with a long chapter as a little treat to thank you all for your loyalty and support during my time writing this story. I am very excited for this sequel to Taking On New Directions, as you will see later in this chapter. There WILL be new members-- winners of the contest I held sometime in the original story. For a clearer image of who they are, what they look like, and what they sound like, refer to the cast listed on the side and you can check out the carefully selected cast!

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I took a deep breath. Even after practicing all summer and getting used to the stage, my heart still beat at a mile a minute when I approached a performance. My palms were sweaty, vomit on the floor, mom's spaghetti. And apparently, nervously quoting Eminem in my head. Man, if my mom were around, that would really work.

I didn't have that much to be nervous about. I'd be performing with three other people, in front of only six others. It wasn't a big deal.

Except it was to me.

I almost bailed, but before I could the first beat started, which meant I had to run out into the stage ASAP. Bree followed from behind me and Marley and Kitty entered from the other end.

All: Ready!!!
Kitty: Let's go!
Marley: Hey!
Bree: Cheetah!
Julie: Uh-huh, uh-huh!
Kitty: Yeah!
Marley: Come on, y'all!
Bree: Everybody get up!
All: Here we go!

Mr. Schue, the glee club instructor, and the rest of the returning members cheered us on as we began our highly choreographed routine. I had been recovering over the summer from an ankle injury that I had suffered at the end of the last school year. I felt fine and the doctors said I was fine, but things were still a bit shaky.

Marley: Start the party up. Hit the groove. Celebrate is what we're here to do!

Poor Marley. She was probably more anxious than I was. We gave her lead vocals because not only did she have an amazing voice, but she wasn't that great of a dancer when it came to Hip-Hop style, which is what this choreography demanded.

Kitty: Crank the music. Now's the time. All of us are here tonight!

I loved dancing, as did Bree and Kitty-- we were all in McKinley High School's cheerleading squad, The Cheerios, after all. If it wasn't for the fact that we had chosen a song by a group of four, I don't think the other girls would've agreed to including Marley.

Bree: Something new; we're moving on. We've been thinking 'bout it all year long.

Bree was the latest addition to the glee club. She had pretty much bullied everyone in it, particularly Marley, whose boyfriend, glee club wannabe bad boy Jake, she had slept with, prompting them to break up. Anyway, we had needed an extra member for our Nationals competition at the end of last year so I had asked her to join. She was good and she was nice to me-- now, at least. But she had a bit of an attitude issue.

Julie: Got the right moves, Cheetah Girls. Here we go, gonna rock the world!

We sung and danced to the chorus and our tiny audience seemed to really be enjoying. After singing the chorus, I looked over at them and accidentally made eye contact with Ryder. Ryder Lynn was one of my two ex-boyfriends and the only one who still attended McKinley. I had avoided him all summer since we had broken up right after Nationals, but the way he smiled at me as I danced let me know that I wouldn't be able to avoid him any longer.

I tried to ignore the fact that he was watching me throughout the next verse and chorus-- unsuccessfully. He may as well have been the only one there.