A/N: a favorite of mine, because of Lexi's whole plot line in this chapter:)
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NIGHT OF NEGLECT
••••••
"Alright, we need $5,000 to pay for our trip to Nationals in New York." Mr. Schue announced to the New Directions as he entered the choir room."
"What happened to the money that we got from the Cheerios?" Quinn asked.
"I guess Sue was hiding it in offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands and we're having some trouble accessing some of it." Mr. Schue answered, as Lexi frowned. "Any of it."
"Let's just admit that Sue is everywhere. Wherever we go, she goes, and whatever we do, she manages to get her hands on whatever we're accomplishing. And in a flash, she ruins it..." Lexi mumbled, looking up from her notebook.
"This is saltwater taffy." Mr. Schue continued, as he turned to look at the boxes that sat full of small packages of candy. He held it up, and Lexi could tell they were full to the brim.
"I love saltwater." Brittany whispered amused, as Lexi chuckled.
"When I was a student here, we paid for our entire trip to nationals selling this classroom to classroom, door to door." Mr. Schue explained, as he threw some of the taffy in the air. Brittany raised her hands trying to get the teacher to throw some her way. "We pushed this stuff like crack. And so will we. So to make $5,000 at 25 cents a piece we need to sell 20,000 pieces of taffy."
"The equation's written wrong." Lexi pointed out.
"Wait. Do you honestly think that we can sell 20,000 anythings'?" Santana asked, ignoring Lexi's comment. "We won regionals for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the planet and I still get a freakin' cherry ICE facial."
"Yeah, Santana's right. Nobody cares about us." Quinn nodded in agreement.
Rolling his eyes, Mike stood up. "I can't listen to this."
"Mike, are you okay?" Mr. Schue asked with a frown.
"No." Mike shook his head. "You guys complain all the time about being mistreated but you have no idea what it's like to work your butt off for something, and have everyone, even your friends, ignore you."
"I'm so trying to remember his name right now." Lauren whispered to Puck, as Lexi rolled her eyes.
"Artie, Lexi, Tina, Brittany and I are on the Brainiacs." Mike said, as the group gathered around him.
"Isn't that the Academic Decathlon team?" Rachel asked.
"We have one of those?" Finn asked, his mouth full of taffy.
"Yes, we do." Artie said with a sigh, as he folded his arms. "And the five of us went on the Smarty Pants Show and beat Carmel High to go to the Academic Decathlon finals in Detroit next week."
"Wait, you guys were on TV?" Sam asked, confused. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"
"We did, Sam." Lexi said, as he coughed awkwardly, and sent an apologetic look her way. She just shook her head, and crossed her arms.
"Wait. I-I get the four of you being on the team...but Brittany?" Mr. Schue asked, pointing at everyone but the blonde.
"Is it because two of them are Asian, and one of them wears glasses?" Puck asked, as Lexi glared at him.
"No." Mr. Schue answered. "But Brittany?"
"Liz Scheider was our fifth, but she got rubella." Mike spoke up.
"Her parents are hippies who don't believe in vaccinations." Tina added.
"Anti-vaccinators." Lexi mumbled.
"Brittany was the only person we could find on short notice. We bribed her with Dots." Artie explained. "That Sunshine Corazon that Rachel sent to a crack house was on the other team."
"She's quite skilled." Lexi agreed. "And fortunately, we have our own secret weapon."
"I answered a few questions about cat diseases." Brittany spoke up, as everyone frowned at her.
"She's underestimating herself. Come on Britt, you're a pure genius." Lexi smiled. "She killed the competition, and led us to victory on her own."
"Sadly, we can't afford to go to finals, so we're gonna have to forfeit." Artie said, wrapping the explanation to their fiasco up.
"Why don't you just have your parents pay for it?" Rachel asked.
"We're in a school club. The school should pay for it. It's a matter of pride." Tina answered.
"I mean, I'm not even going..." Lexi shrugged. "My mom's not able to afford both trips." She added, as she received sympathetic looks from her friends. "Still, why don't your dads' pay for all of us, dwarf?" She snapped at Rachel.
"You guys are absolutely right." Mr. Schue agreed. "How much do you need to make the trip?"
"With gas and motels, if we only ate Funyuns, uh, $250." Tina answered.
"Which means..." Mr. Schue said, as he walked to the white board and redid the equation and calculations. "We just need to sell more taffy."
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"Okay, guys, so since you didn't like the taffies idea too much, I came up with another plan to raise money for Nationals." Mr Schue announced, as the group smiled. "A benefit. A Night of Neglect, where whoever wants to perform, will be able to so we can sell tickets, raise money for our trip and train for Nationals all at once. And do you know the best part? We're only gonna do songs by neglected artists."
"Because it's a night of neglect." He clarified, when the group stared at him confused.
"Can you define what you mean by neglected artists?" Rachel asked.
"Um, someone whose brilliance isn't always appreciated."
"Oh, so you mean like me?" Rachel asked, causing Lexi to glare at her, while everyone also shifted at her egotistical question.
"I mean like all of us." Mr. Schue was quick to correct her. "Alright, everyone, next Saturday night in our auditorium McKinley High's First Annual Night of Neglect fund-raiser benefit is officially a go."
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Later that day, some of the New Directions were walking together as they shared their ideas for their songs they'd be performing at the benefit.
"I'm totally doing Lykke Li. She's Bj?rk meets Florence and the Machine, and a promising new talent." Tina said, as she turned to Mike. "What about you, Mike?:
"Mike Chang, Dance Dance Revolution." He answered. A tone of mockery was hidden under his smirk he sent the group, causing them to laugh. "I'm tired of my dancing being overshadowed by all of you guys' singing. It's gonna be just me and my sweet moves on that stage." He added. "What about you, Lex?"
"I was planning on performing a song by Gavin Degraw. I saw Kelly Clarkson perform a cover of the song I'm wanting to perform." Lexi answered. "It's a good song, and I've arranged it to my vocal range." She also knew the song she was singing really represented her feelings for Sam...even though he might not understand it. Although, he got most song meanings, so it was worth a risk.
"You're forgetting about the most neglected artist this Glee Club's ever seen...Aretha Franklin." Mercedes spoke up, as the group turned to her, frowning.
"Neglected?" Lauren asked. "She's, like, the Queen of Soul."
"I auditioned for this club singing "Respect"...and she's got none since, so I'm doing Aretha."
"Awesome, Mercedes." Rachel said, as she stopped walking to face the group with her smile. "Awesome, all of you guys. Those songs are great appetizers to my main course. Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." It's gonna be our finale." She said, as Lexi rolled her eyes. Rachel was always determined to outshine everyone.
"That's, like, the biggest song of all time." Tina commented.
"No, you don't understand. Celine isn't the neglected artist. I am." Rachel tried to explain.
"That's not even the whole point of the benefit." Lexi said, glaring at Rachel. "This isn't about you, dwarf. So I suggest you suck it up, and listen to the assignment explanation next time. When will you learn how conceited, and egotistical you are?"
"I was kind of hoping to do the closing number." Mercedes spoke up, as Finn approached them.
"Hey, you guys remember Sunshine Corazon?" He asked.
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"You are a terrible spy." Rachel accused, as the group stood in the auditorium.
"Seriously, with your size, you easily could have stayed in the air ducts for days." Artie agreed, as Lexi shook her head.
"Right." Brittany nodded.
"You guys are being a little racist, and accusational." Lexi interjected. "Have maybe some grace for her."
"I'm not a spy. I heard about your benefit concert on Facebook, and I wanted to perform. I know what it feels like to be in Academic Decathlon. No one pays attention to you. No one cares.It's not right. We study so hard." Sunshine said.
"But you're in Vocal Adrenaline. How do we know we can trust you?" Quinn asked.
"Because I have nothing against any of you. I have 600 Twitter followers. I can get all of them to come." Sunshine added.
-"How many tickets have we sold so far?" Finn asked the group.
"Four. No one's interested." Puck answered with a scoff. "It's just sad."
"Please, just let me show you what I can do." Sunshine asked pleadingly. "I would like to sing the perfect song about neglect- "All By Myself." I'm such a better singer than everyone else, so I know how it feels.I'm all alone at the top. Also I'm really short. So even when I'm in a group of people... it feels like I'm wandering alone through a forest."
"So much better than everyone else?" Lexi asked. "That's rich."
"There's no way that she's singing in our auditorium. She's the enemy." Rachel protested, determined to not let Sunshine have a chance.
"I say we give her a chance." Puck decided. "You owe her, Rachel."
{All By Myself- Sung by Sunshine Corazon}
"So, can I perform with you guys?" She asked, after she'd finished, and the group, excluding Mercedes and Rachel had applauded.
"Absolutely not. She's just trying to get on our good side so she can spy on us." Rachel continued to argue.
"Give it up, dwarf." Lexi said, crossing her arms.
"Fine." Rachel said, sucking in a deep breath, before she turned to Sunshine. "W-We'll be in touch." She said, as Sunshine nodded.
"Thank you for auditioning." Lexi called after the small girl, as she left the auditorium.
"Absolutely not." Rachel said, as soon as the New Directions gathered in the choir room. "She's just trying to get on our good side so she can spy on us."
"We told you the same thing about Jesse St. James last year." Lexi pointed out.
"And you were right." Rachel nodded.
"This whole thing isn't about us. It's about helping the Brainiacs." Finn added to the argument.
"We need Sunshine's Twitter followers to come and pay for tickets or there's no point in having a benefit at all." Puck agreed.
"Fine." Rachel sighed, as she turned to Mercedes. "Mercedes, you're okay with being bumped to the decidedly less glamorous middle spot, right?"
"Um, sure, I guess." Mercedes said, sounding very indecisive, and unsure. "Absolutely." She added, after a few moments.
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"Hold up, this just in." Santana announced, walking into the choir room with her phone. "According to Sunshine's Twitter, she's not coming, and neither are any of her followers."
"I told you. She's' evil." Rachel spoke up, as the group paused their vocal warm ups.
"I was just in the auditorium. There's like, six people in there. I say we blow this whole thing off and hit the arcade." Puck suggested, as he walked into the room after Santana.
"No. No. Screw that. These people paid to see us sing." Finn shook his head, standing up. "What's that saying? The show's gotta go all over the place or something."
"You mean, The show must go on." Rachel corrected her ex-boyfriend. "Yeah. Finn's right, you guys. Whether there's six or 6,000 people out there, we still have to give it our all."
Everyone nodded, as they turned to Tina. "Okay, Tina, you're up first."
They all cheered for Tina as she went on to perform, but she barely got through half of the song without running offstage, and sobbing. She ran straight into Mike's arms. "This is the worst I've ever felt in my entire life."
"I didn't think it was possible for people to hate us even more." Artie muttered. "We're calling this off."
"Guys, I hate to say it, but I think we have to buck up." Mr. Schue spoke up, as everyone turned to him. "Tina, I'm sorry you had to go through that... But it's actually a really good lesson for us. That's part of show business, guys. Sometimes, people can be really mean. Think about what's gonna happen if we have an unfriendly crow at Nationals in New York. And I'm sure there's gonna be some Vocal Adrenaline hecklers there too. We need to find some strength, and barrel through this, right?"
As he finished talking, the group exchanged some glances around the room. All of them were quite unsure about the remaining performances.
Yes, there was some truth to his words, but no performer should have to go through being heckled and verbally abused. Lexi sighed, as she tried to brush off the thought of the insults she'd receive performing. Lucky for her, Kurt and Blaine had come, and knowing they were there made her feel a little more at ease. Plus, she knew her mom and her mom's boyfriend were specifically there to support her.
"Okay, Lexie, you're up." Mr. Schue said, snapping her out of her trance.
"Yep." Lexi nodded, as she reminded herself to take deep breaths. "Santana." She called, as Santana walked over to her. "Can you sit out there and watch me?"
"Of course." Santana nodded. "I'll even bring Britt with me. And Quinn too."
"Thank you." Lexi let out a sigh of relief, as she headed toward the door, smiling softly as everyone cheered for her.
"You ready?" Sam asked, as he escorted Lexi down the hallway to the auditorium.
"I just want to do my best...my mom's out there, with her boyfriend, and our friends are out there...I want to make them proud." She answered, as she fiddled with her fingers.
"Hey, Lex..." Sam said, gently grabbing her hands in his. "You'll be amazing. You already make all of us, including your mom proud. And you don't need to sing a song to prove it. I'll be there on the side stage, behind the curtains if things get out of hand. Okay?"
"Okay..." Lexi said, letting out a shaky breath, as she smiled up at him. "Thank you." She said quietly, as she felt herself getting lost in his eyes, while he did the same. However, Sam broke the trance as he pushed the stage door open.
Sam went on to announce Lexi's number. "And now, to sing her flawless rendition of Gavin Degraw's Not Over You, please give it up for Lexi Torres." He said, as Lexi walked onto the stage, toward the microphone. Sam sent her one last smile before he walked off. She let out a breath, and waited for the band to begin playing the music. As soon as they did, she began to sing.
Dreams
That's where I have to go
To see your beautiful
Face anymore I stare at a picture of you
And listen to the radio
Hope, hope there's a conversation
We both admit we had it good
But until then it's alienation
I know that much is understood
And I realise
If you ask me how I'm doing
I would say I'm doing just fine
I would lie and say that you're not on my mind
But I go out, and I sit down at a table set for two
And finally I'm forced to face the truth
No matter what I say I'm
Not over you
Not over you
Everyone, excluding the hecklers in the audience admired Lexi in her black jumpsuit, underneath the light as she sang her heart out. She chose to ignore the verbal abuse, as she gripped onto the microphone, letting herself sing her heart out. Part of her hoped that Sam understood that the song was about him, but he was too in awe of her performance, to really think about it.
Damn, damn boy you do it well
And I thought you were innocent
Took this heart and put it through hell
But still you're magnificent
I, I'm a boomerang, doesn't matter how you throw me
I turn around and I'm back in the game
Even better than the old me
But I'm not even close without you
If you ask me how I'm doing
I would say I'm doing just fine
I would lie and say that you're not on my mind
But I go out, and I sit down at a table set for two
And finally I'm forced to face the truth
No matter what I say I'm
Not over you
And if I had the chance to re-new
You know there isn't a thing I wouldn't do
I could get back, on the right track
But only if you'd be convinced
So until then
If you ask me how I'm doing
I would say I'm doing just fine
"She's gorgeous." Kurt whispered, as he wiped his tears.
"Underrated." Blaine agreed, as Kurt passed him a tissue, since he found himself crying.
"That's our Lexi." Quinn whispered, as her and Santana watched Lexi sing.
"I feel like a proud mom." Brittany commented, as Quinn and Santana chuckled. They could all see the way that Sam stood by the curtains watching her with fond eyes. They knew very well that he was already falling for her. It was obvious, and even an idiot could see it.
I would lie and say that you're not on my mind
But I go out, and I sit down at a table set for two
And finally I'm forced to face the truth
No matter what I say I'm
Not over you
Not over you
Not over you
Not over you
As the song came to a conclusion, Lexi smiled, as she heard her mom, and friends cheering her on, and clapping for her. She bowed, before rushing off the stage, and running into the choir room. She smiled again as her friends engulfed her in a congratulatory hug, while praising her emotional performance
-------
"Okay, I give up. I'll pay for your trip." A man entered the room, breaking the praises and celebration. Lexi assumed he was the so-called man, Sandy Ryerson. She could recall him verbally abusing her during her performance but she shrugged it off. "How much do you need?" He asked.
"Hum... $250 bucks." Mike answered, unsure.
"Wasn't he the former Glee teacher?" Lexi whispered to Santana and Quinn woh shrugged.
"Sandy, what are you doing here?" Mr. Schue asked.
"I tried to be a hater, but I just couldn't do it. That song and the weed, I smoked immediately prior... It gave me a change of heart." Sandy explained.
"Mr. Ryerson offered to pay for our trip." Artie announced to the group with a smile. At that, the Brainiacs celebrated, and did their secret handshake.
"It's drug money, but you know... It's actually a fantastic way to launder it. Goodbye, William. I miss the arts. I really do."
"You just got poked." Mr Ryerson added. "Poked by the Dagger."
Lexi frowned, confused, but shook it off, and joined the group as they continued to celebrate their successful night. However, one thing hadn't left her mind.
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Lexi smiled as she overheard her mom and her boyfriend talking about things to do.
"We'll find something we can do together." Sara's boyfriend, Lucas smiled. "We can go kayaking..."
"Oh no, I hate kayaking." Sara shook her head with a chuckle.
"Well you can't hate something without trying it." Lucas replied, as they headed out the door.
Lexi shook her head with an amused smile, and slowly followed behind them. When she got outside, she saw Sam standing by the entryway to the school.
"Oh, hey." Lexi greeted, as she approached him.
"Hey." Sam smiled down at her, looking up from his phone.
"I, uh...just wanted to thank you for your encouragement today." Lexi spoke up again. "I really appreciated it."
"You did a phenomenal job on stage." Sam complimented, as she nodded. He frowned when she looked down at her feet, as if she was internally debating something. "You okay?"
Lexi sighed, and looked back up at him. Better late than never, right?
"I love you." Lexi immediately replied, as Sam stood there rather speechless.
Lexi realized what she had just confessed, and struggled whether to feel utterly humiliated or to embrace the bold move. However, she urged herself to continue. "I love you." She repeated. "I have feelings for you, and I've had them for quite some time, and I've tried to push them down, but I couldn't. They kept arising whenever I saw you with Quinn or Santana, and were firmly established following that moment we shared in your house a few weeks ago." At that, he smiled softly, before looking back down at her. "I realized in this whole situation, that you make me feel safe. You make me feel wanted, you make me laugh, and you make me happy, while encouraging me to always be myself." She sent him a small smile, ignoring the fact that her bottom lip quivered. "I know that I could have any guy who's interested in me, but I don't want any of them, I only want you." She paused, trying to catch her breath, and cursing at herself when tears began to fill her eyes. "You're my person, Sam, and I don't need to a stupid sign from the universe to know that" she breathed out a laugh, trying to diffuse the silence that lingered between them. "I just had to get that out there, and I don't expect you to reciprocate or say anything. I just, I-I love you." Lexi finished.
She took a moment to catch her breath. "God! That feels good to just say that and get it off my chest, I feel so much better."
Lexi looked back at up at Sam. "Sam..." She said nervously, awaiting his response.
Before he could do or say anything, Lexi heard her mom calling for her. "Perfect timing." She thought, as she let out a sigh.
She went to walk away, only to be pulled back by Sam, so their faces were inches apart. "I love you too, Lexi." Sam replied, as Lexi felt her smile grow. "And I'm sorry if I took me so long to realize it, but I do love you. Underneath it all, it's always been you. I don't want Santana or Quinn, I want to be with you, and only you." He rambled, as she looked up at him, finally feeling relief flow through her.
"It's okay." Lexi chuckled through her tears.
"Point is, I'm crazy about you, and I genuinely love you too. Sam finished.
"I love you too." Lexi whispered, as he leaned down, capturing her lips in his. She draped her arms around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist and picked her up off the ground. They savoured the moment, sharing their first official kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend. All was right in Lexi and Sam's world. They finally had each other.
As they pulled away, Sam leaned his forehead against Lexi's as she smiled softly at him, as he smiled back at her. Words really couldn't describe how she felt. She was the luckiest girl in the world, and Sam was the luckiest guy in the world. They were both very happy and content then they'd been in the past months.