when her high school career starts at william mckinley high school, eleanor madigan has no idea just how much her life is about to change over the next few years, for better and for worse. all she really knows is that getting slushied does not sound...
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"mr schuester?" rachel stood from her seat once mr schue entered the choir room. "i have an announcement. i have selected the perfect moving ballad for finn and i to sing to launch our performance at sectionals."
mr schue held up a finger. "me first." he interrupted. "first; our competition at sectionals are your classic stool choirs, great voices, but they don't move and if we're going to beat them, we're going to have to do what they can't.. dance."
the teens in the room nodded excitedly. "which is why i've decided to feature eleanor and mike chang's sweet moves in our performance."
sam was quick to nudge eleanor while quinn reached over and squeezed the girl's hand. eleanor's eyes widened in delight and then shock, she was going to have a dance duet with mike.
"they're gonna dance in front of me while i sing my solo?" rachel asked.
"you're not getting a solo for this competition, rachel." mr schue explained gently.
"finally," mercedes grinned. "so what song do i get to sing?"
"i was thinking that the winners of out duets competition could take the leads." elle smiled encouragingly at the two sitting next to her.
"wait, ken and barbie?" rachel asked incredulously. "are you trying to throw this?"
quinn sighed. "you used to be just pretty unlikeable, but now i just feel like punching you every time you open your mouth." she spat.
"okay," mr schue interrupted. "listen, i have talked the talk about everyone in here feeling special for over a year now, but frankly, i haven't walked the walk."
he looked around the room. "we have got a lot of talent here, and i'm gonna highlight it."
"look, i'm all for pumping up the team, and making everyone feel special, but, that's for practice." finn spoke up. "you don't take the star quarterback out before the big game."
"easy to say when you're the star quarterback." jeremiah snarked, rolling his eyes.
"this isn't just about me, it's about the team." finn defended.
"you are such a hypocrite." santana quipped.
"like you even know what that means," rachel argued making elle roll her eyes, knowing that this was going to be yet another rachel versus santana spat.
"okay, enough already!" mr schue but in when the conversation began to get personal. "this is the plan for sectionals and that's that."
"mike, elle, come on up." he gestured for the two to come to the front as the bell rang. "let's start choreographing."
both elle and mike waited for the rest of the team to leave the room before airing their issues with having to work together.
"mr schue," elle began, stepping closer to their teacher. "i'm not sure that having us dance together is a good idea."
"i saw you two dancing together at carol and burt's wedding." mr schue argued. "and i know that not everything is perfect between you two right now, but you have chemistry."
elle sighed and glanced at mike, who said nothing. "i really want to showcase how talented of dancers the two of you are," he explained, putting his hand on elle's arm. "so, will you just give it a try?"
elle glanced at mike again before the pair of them sighed simultaneously. "fine."
after rehearsals elle headed for her locker to get her purse, desperate for an iced coffee, but when her locker slammed shut.
"i'm peter," he grinned, combing his fingers through his long, dark hair.
elle puckered her lips for a moment, looking the boy up and down before nodding. "i'm leaving." she told him before swiftly turning on her heel and walking the other way, willing to sacrifice getting an iced coffee if it meant getting away from this kid.
"woah, woah, woah," peter jogged forward to catch up to elle and threw his arm over her shoulder. "what's the rush, songbird?"
elle cringed and shrugged his arm off of her. "don't call me that." she told him.
"alright." he nodded quickly. "look, elle, i've seen you around and i think your cute." he explained, making her stop walking and listen to him, now that he'd dropped the act.
"okay, and?" she prompted him to continue, appreciating the fact that he was actually pretty cute too.
"i was wondering if you wanted to go out with me, like on a date?" he asked, trying to seem a lot more confident than he was coming across.
elle caught sight of mike at his locker, over peter's shoulder and smirked. "sure," she smiled. "breadstix, tomorrow at eight. i'll assume that you're picking me up?" she asked him, earning a nod as she reached into his front pocket and took his phone.
"text me later, i'll give you my address." she smiled, before walking off to english.
quinn eyed her friend suspiciously as she entered the classroom. "what's up with you?" she asked. "i haven't seen you smile like that in a long time." she chuckled as elle slid into her seat.
"i just got asked on a date." she explained.
"about time." she huffed, leaning back in her chair. "what? i've said it before, i'll say it again; you're hot." she defended herself when elle threw up her eyebrows.
"who is he?" quinn asked.
"some kid called peter, i think he's on the lacrosse team?" elle explained.
"the one with the long hair?" quinn asked before she thought for a moment. "okay, he's cute."
elle sighed. "but, i may've just said yes because i could see mike over his shoulder and i wanted to make him jealous."
quinn sighed disapprovingly. "ellie."
"i know, i know." elle groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "i need to get over him."
"you don't need a man to be happy, ellie." quinn told her, tapping the end of her pen against elle's forearm as she spoke. "it's like gloria steinem once said, a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."
elle narrowed her eyes, not really understanding what the analogy meant but going along with it anyway as quinn seemed to believe so heavily in it.
