Yes or no - Book 1 - S.E.

The substitute

"I can't. Blaine asked me to hang out." Kurt said, causing the two girls to exchange a look.

"We've been looking forward to it all week." Mercedes frowned as they continued going through the line to get their lunch.

"Wait. Are you two going out?" Emily asked, suddenly. "Because I think you need to come clean."

"What? No." Kurt denied, but both girls could see right through him. Maybe he wasn't going out with Blaine. But that didn't mean he didn't want to. "I don't want another Jessie-Rachel traitor scenario to overcome."

"We'd be happy for you." Emily assured.

"I mean, we know how lonely you've been." Mercedes agreed.

"All right, we just hang out." Kurt explained. "Nothing about Glee club even ever comes up. It's just nice to have someone to talk to."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mercedes asked, clearly offended.

"I mean someone like me." Kurt said. "But I promise to make it up to you. We'll hang out Friday night."

"Fine." Emily relented. "But Friday."

Kurt nodded, but before he could say anything, Mercedes moved along the line and cut in front of a student as soon as a fresh patch of tots was placed in display for them.

"Excuse you." She said, offering her plate for the lunch lady as she placed a few in there for her. "Whoa, whoa. A couple more. Thanks."

Kurt and Emily frowned at that, a bit disgusted at Mercedes love for the fried potato things. Shaking her head, she turned to Kurt again.

"So what are we going to do about Glee Club while Mr. Schue is sick?" She asked, as Kurt smiled at her.

"I have an idea." He smirked at the Cheerio. "Have you met the new Spanish teacher?"

***

"Dude, what are you doing?" Finn asked, as he approached Puck, who was rubbing what Emily supposed to be butter on the floor.

"Kurt got us a substitute, so I'm buttering the floor." He said as if it was obvious, getting back up.

"But Sectionals is, like, two weeks from now." Finn argued.

"Hey, Gigantor." Artie called, making Finn turn to look at him. "We're all gonna swap names, yo."

He laughed with Mercedes and Tina and Emily turned around in her seat, hitting Quinn's leg gently to get her attention. As soon as she turned at her from her previous conversation with Sam, Emily smiled at her.

"Hey, Q. Check this out." She told her, before placing her feet back on the floor near each leg of her chair while keeping her knees together and leaning her elbows on her legs as she rested her head on her hands and batted her lashes with a small smile as she looked at Quinn. Her voice sounded softer as she spoke her next words. "My name's Quinn and I'm co-captain of the Cheerios and the future prom queen of McKinley High."

Sam laughed beside his girlfriend as Quinn giggled at her best friend, tugging gently on her ponytail. Emily broke character then, laughing along with the two of them.

"That's a solid eight, to be fair. Maybe even a nine since you called me prom queen." She decided, before pulling her own legs up into the chair and crossing them as she leaned her elbows on either knee and placed a few of her books across her lap. "I'm Emily Marshall, co-captain of the Cheerios who has been fooling around with Puckerman over the course of the week."

Emily rolled her eyes at Quinn's impression of her but giggled anyway.

"I'd give you a nine, but I'll have to take two points from you for the lie in there." She said, and before Quinn could respond, Rachel entered the room.