Unique and River walked back to the choir room hand in hand. The awkward silence the Glee club had fallen under was lifted as they saw River and Unique’s smiling, blushing faces. Several people clapped. Someone cheered.
River blushed and waved slightly to his friends. Unique smirked faintly.
Mr. Schue stood, asking everyone to settle down. However, his proud smile was barely contained.
There was a certain glamorous swagger in Unique’s walk the next day. She strut easily down the hallway, daring anyone nearby to ruin her good mood. She’d even taken a chance and worn her favorite fur coat. She smiled to herself as people stared at her. Someone reached out to feel the plush pelt.
“Yes, fool its real chinchilla!” She snapped, happy to have the old Unique back; confident, respected, and oh so fabulous. With a flourish, Unique turned to go to her geometry class.
…And smacked into some girl, sending both of them tumbling to the floor.
“I’m so sorry!” The girl said frantically, trying to help pick up the assortment of books, papers, and cosmetics that had scattered from her bag.
Unique sighed and gathered her things. “Just be more careful,” she muttered.
The girl smiled apologetically. “I’m Marley.”
Unique glanced at her face. “Unique.”
The brunette smiled a little, saying “Thanks, but Marley is more common than you think.”
The Diva rolled her eyes. “Not you. Me. My name is Unique.”
Marley flushed, looking down. “Oh! I’m sorry. I thought… Never mind.”
Unique shook her head knowingly before zipping up her handbag.
Marley helped Unique up, adjusting her own bag. “Do you know the glee club? I was wondering if they were holding auditions any time soon.”
With a laugh, Unique said “Know them? Girl, I’m their greatest performer.” She linked her arm with Marley’s and began walking. “Let’s chat.”
At lunch, Marley and Unique were sitting together, talking and laughing like old friends. Some people stared, but most treated them like two girls just having fun and ignored them.
“So Unique?” asked Marley, taking a bite of a crisp apple. She turned to face Unique with a smile. “Got your eye on anyone?”
The question startled Unique, though she quickly got over it. “Actually, I have a boyfriend.”
Marley made a noise somewhere between a squeal and a laugh. “That’s awesome! What’s his name?”
“River Straus,” she replied. “What about you?”
“Um…” Marley looked down, twiddling her thumbs.
This made Unique curious. “Come on, girl. Spill.”
“Do you know Ryder Lynn?”
Images of shameless end zone dances and furrowed eyebrows came to mind. “I know of him, yes. He’s that sophomore on the football team. The one with ‘moves like Jagger,’” answered Unique, using her fingers to form little air quotes around “moves like Jagger.”
Marley nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one. He’s sooo cute!” She glanced at the table where Ryder sat with his football friends, talking and laughing.
Unique giggled a little, grabbing her fan from her bag. She snapped it open and waved it regally. “I guess you could say that.”
While Marley mooned over the dancing fool, a strong hand took a hold of Unique’s shoulder. She turned, expecting to see River, but was instead met with sincere yet dark brown eyes. Some guy- a tall, handsome one with a strong jaw line- was looking down at her intently.
“Unique Adams?” he inquired, removing his hand and giving her a small smile.
She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Yes…? Do I know you?”
The guy shook his head. “No, but I’d like you to.” He glanced around. “Can I talk to you? In private?”
She glanced at Marley, who was still shyly looking at Ryder. With a sigh, she closed her fan and grabbed her purse. “I suppose. As long as I don’t end up as a body on the evening news.”
The guy laughed, saying “Don’t worry. You won’t.” He offered her his hand, which she ignored.
“Lead the way.”
He slowly pulled his hand back and began to head in the direction of the auditorium. Unique followed behind, her heels clicking against the cheap linoleum of McKinley’s halls. When they finally arrived, the guy opened the door for Unique with a gentlemanly grin. She returned it with an almost coquettish smile, and she sauntered into the empty theater.
After a look around, which proved they were alone, Unique spun back around with a flourish of her fan. “May I ask why you brought me here alone? And also, who are you?”
He smirked. “Hm. You’re newer to this school than I thought. My name is Jake Puckerman.” His caramel colored skin was smooth and firm, and he wore a leather jacket with blue jeans.
“Puckerman?” she replied, with an “Excuse me?” expression. The fan she held snapped closed and she tapped it against her palm.
Jake looked like he was barely containing a sigh. “Yeah, I know. My brother is kind of famous around here, so everyone thinks we’re the same.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“That’s not what I was thinking. I was just curious as to why you’re black but you’ve got a Jewish name. Adopted?”
Jake laughed. “Nope. Me and Puck’s dad is Jewish, but our moms are different. My mom is black.” He plopped down in a seat and gestured for Unique to sit beside him. Reluctantly, she did, crossing her legs and smoothing some wrinkles in her dress.
“So, Jake Puckerman, why did you bring me here?” She shot him a sideways look of curiosity and slight suspicion. Jake smiled, though it looked forced. “I saw you sing. At those show choir competitions. And…” he exhaled a long breath. “You were amazing. The best singer I’ve ever seen.” He glanced at her, searching for a reaction, but Unique’s perfect poker face made him give up quickly. “So I was wondering… If you had a boyfriend?”
Unique raised both eyebrows, taken aback. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m totally serious.”
Unique nodded her head. “Yes, actually. I am spoken for.”
Jake’s face fell. “Oh. Well who is he? I’ll prove I’m a better guy than him. Then I’ll sweep you off your feet.” He flexed his arms and showed his muscles, as if to prove he could literally sweep Unique off her feet.
She laughed, amused by this caramel skinned boy. “Nice try, but I don’t think you could.”
The younger Puckerman frowned, standing. “At least let me sing you something. I’m sure that would be a more certain way to your heart than just beating up some punk.”
Her fan snapped open, and she waved it in front of her face before saying “Fine. But I’m promising nothing.”
Jake grinned and climbed up onto the stage. The band, which had apparently been backstage, walked out to their instruments. With a point in their direction, Jake took center stage. The music that played was something Unique vaguely recognized as Usher’s “Scream.” She rolled her eyes playfully as Jake got this smoldering look in his eyes focused on her.
“If you wanna scream…” he finished in a low voice. Honestly, Unique thought he was really talented. He would be a great addition to the glee club. Jake slipped back down to her and asked “What did you think?”
“I think you should come to Glee Club tryouts,” she replied, slipping out the door with a smile.
