3x16 ~ SATURDAY NIGHT GLEE-VER ~
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Lexi sat along with some of the other New Directions as Blaine, Mike and Brittany performed their energetic rendition of You Should Be Dancing. She had to admit she didn't know Blaine could dance that well...it was impressive. Although she was far from denying that disco wasn't entirely her thing, her and Santana still clapped loudly, especially for Brittany.
"Wow, guys, what brought this on?" Mr. Schue smiled, walking onto stage after their performance had finished.
"Well, we know this year's Nationals theme was Vintage, so we thought we needed something old, but something with a lot of energy. So we thought: disco." Blaine explained, as the teacher nodded.
"Absolutely." Mr. Schue was rather quick to agree with Blaine. "I don't know if I ever told you guys this, but back when I was in Glee Club, we took it all the way to Nationals with pure power of unadulterated disco."
"You mean back when disco was a thing in the 20th century." Lexi commented sarcastically, as Sam and Quinn chuckled. She really wasn't wanting a whole week to be dedicated to disco...but it could take off the pain she was feeling from Lucas leaving the altar a week earlier. She hadn't had time to properly validate her feelings, and digest the whole thing.
"Um, well, there's just one problem with that idea." Puck spoke up.
"And what's that?" Mr. Schue turned to look at the remainder of the group in the audience.
"Disco sucks!" They chorused simultaneously.
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Later on, the group stopped by the choir room because they saw a dance floor. They frowned, and wandered inside.
"Did someone steal our floor?" Brittany asked curiously.
"Don't worry, we'll have it back by the end of the week." Mr. Schue assured the group. "In the meantime, Sue has lent us her..."
"My very own personal, one-of-a-kind, lit-from-within, shatterproof, Plexiglass dance floor." Coach Sylvester said, finishing the sentence. "Modeled, of course, on the dance floor immortalized by a young, usky John Travolta at the height of potency in the legendary dansical Saturday night Fever."
"Coach Sylvester, while we applaud your proper use of the terminology, we told Mr. Schue we do not support disco in this room." Rachel spoke up.
"Ah, but some of you do." Mr. Schue was quick to argue. "So for this week's assignment, we are going back in time to the songs of Saturday Night Fever."
"Come on, Mr. Schue." Finn groaned. "That's, like, a record our parents listen to."
"That album, teen Solomon Grundy, is one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time." Coach Sylvester said, quick to protest.
"Tony Manero's story is your story." Mr. Schue said, continuing with the assignment. "He's a guy who works at a paint store, struggling to figure out his life. And the only time he feels sure about himself is when he's performing on the dance floor. He has a dream. To get out of his old neighborhood in Brooklyn and get to New York City. And by the end of the movie, that's what he's done. he 's turned his dream into a plan."
"So why the dance floor?" Kurt asked, still confused, as everyone else was about what was unfolding.
"Well, Porcelain, because we're going to start with a dance-off." Coach Sylvester answered. "And the winner will receive a replica of John Travolta's iconic white polyester suit, which I am taking a cadre of expert Viennese tailors painstakingly reproduce."
"Oh, my God, I need that suit!" Santana said excitedly.
"It would go to pretty good use." Lexi commented with a slight smirk.
"Oh, I bet that's worth a lot of money." Mike added.
"I would totally put that suit on...eBay." Puck joked mockingly.
"So you just want us to start dancing like Soul Train-style?" Finn asked, confused.
"Uh, no, actually, Sue and I will start us off." Mr. Schue said. "We actually met with Joe and Blaine beforehand. Just get up when you're ready. And everyone has to participate. Everyone, Puck." He said, sending Puck a look.
The group watched as their teacher and Coach Sylvester took the floor. "Alright, hit it." he called as the band began to play Night Fever. Blaine and Joe joined them, as Lexi watched a raised eyebrow.
She couldn't refuse that music was catchy. As soon as it began to play, she found herself vibing along to it. Sam sent her a smirk. "I thought you hated disco."
"I don't hate disco." Lexi scoffed, whacking him playfully. "The music is catchy. It's inevitable not to dance along."
"Go show them." Sam chuckled, as he helped Lexi onto the floor, and watched with fond eyes as she went to dance across the floor.
Everyone had eventually got up on the floor, even Sam. Lexi blushed as he showed off some of his White Chocolate moves, earning applause and cheers from the girls. The New Directions found themselves having a blast, while dancing. They were all laughs and smiles.
"Okay, officially, officially, you guys are amazing." Mr. Schue said, acknowledging the group once the dance off had concluded. "I was just conferring with my co-judge, and our three finalists for the suit are Santana Lopez... Mercedes Jones... and...Finn Hudson."
"What?" Finn asked, shocked, while the rest of the class clapped and cheered for him, along with the other finalists.
"Give it up." Mr. Schue encouraged, as they all continued clapping. At that, the finalists exchanged glances, and proud smiles.
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Lexi sighed, as she sat at the dining room table looking through universities and college options. She had finalized her career path, but she had one year left to decide. Although, she was insistent on applying in November that year. "Better to be early." she thought, as she scanned, and scrolled through the lists.
Sara walked into the dining room, carrying two plates of lasagna, and placed one in front of Lexi, as she continued to browse. "How's the search going?"
"It's going really good." Lexi nodded. "Just getting ideas so I have the summer to consider my options."
"Where are you thinking of applying?" Sara asked.
"NYU, Yale, Stanford....Harvard..." Lexi rambled. "It depends...but somewhere in New York, or close to New York."
"Stanford's all the way in California." Sara pointed out, her mouth was filled with food.
"I know...probably not that one though." Lexi sighed. "I don't know what I want to do. I haven't come to a final decision yet."
"And that's okay." Sara assured her.
"Enough about me. What about you? How have you been holding up?" Lexi asked, as she dug into her dinner. "I mean, you went to work again this week."
"I'm feeling a little better after that son of a bitch left me at the altar." Sara shrugged. "Have you had time to deal with it though? You were so busy ensuring that I was healing...and I didn't even ask if you've coped with it."
"I haven't had a lot of time to think about it." Lexi admitted. "It hasn't hit me yet...and I'm sure it will at one point. What's important right now is that I focus on my boyfriend, and school, and where I want to apply." She added.
"It's important to validate how you feel, Lex. We've been over this many times." Sara reminded her, as her daughter rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine, mom." Lexi assured her. "I am absolutely fine. If I have to cry, I'll cry. Geez, it hasn't hit me yet okay?" She asked, walking out of the dining room.
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Mercedes had asked Lexi, Brittany, and Santana to help back her up as she performed her incredible rendition of Disco Inferno. It was hard to refuse.
Lexi had indeed been struggling, especially after her talk with her mom the previous night. She had her doubts about university, and she was dealing with her possible family falling apart a week prior. Those two troubles just kind of mixed themselves together, and were bothering her. She tried to hide her struggle behind her smile, but Sam had taken note, and so had Santana. They knew her way better than Lexi knew herself.
What Lexi wasn't aware of was that Sam was filming the entire performance. He was determined to lift her mood, plus hopefully catch her afterwards. She'd been avoiding him occasionally the past few days.
{Disco Inferno - Sung by Mercedes Jones with Santana Lopez, Lexi Torres, and Brittany S. Pierce}
"Alright, I have an announcement to make." Mercedes said, once the applause for her performance had died down. "Contrary to current opinion, I do have a dream. See, my dream is Mariah. It's Whitney; rest in peace. It's Aretha."
"Those are people, they aren't dreams." Mr. Schue was quick to correct her.
"My dream is to be like them. To sing big, fat, juice, number one hits that inspire people." Mercedes explained. "But...how's that supposed to happen, even if I move to LA? I don't know what to do or where to go. It's scary to even think about moving all the way across the country."
"Well, I mean, I'm moving to New York, Mercedes." Rachel shrugged.
"Correction, you hope you are....you still have your NYADA audition." Lexi commented, having no doubt that Rachel would kill it.
"You'll have somewhere to stay. You'll... You'll have something to do. You have two parents that support you. And my dad is a dentist. He thinks my dream is unreasonable and insane. You know what, he's right. I don't know the first thing about getting a recording contract or a manager." Mercedes confessed.
"The cream always rises to the top, Mercedes." Mr. Schue said, trying to encourage her.
"Yeah, I'm cream in here, Mr. Schue. But what if, out there, I'm just skim milk?"
The bell rang after her question, causing everyone to pack their bags, and file out of the room. Lexi was one of the last ones, however, she made sure she dashed out of the room, to avoid any comfort at the moment.
Puck leaned over to see Sam rewatching the video of the girls dancing. He noticed Sam's gaze on Lexi.
"Why are you watching Lexi? Why did you videotape?" Puck asked with a frown.
"Because...I...uh...never mind." Sam shook his head, standing up, and slinging his backpack over his shoulder, before walking out of the room to go find Lexi.
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Sam wandered out of the choir room, and went searching down the hallway. He was determined to find out why Lexi had been avoiding him. He really hoped it wasn't him, but he had noticed that she was hiding her struggle behind her smile. All he wanted to do was help her. As he came around another hallway, he let out a breath of relief, as he saw her alone in the hallway. He noticed her shakily walking around at the other end.
"Lex?" He called as she looked up to see him.
"Hmm..." She barely got out, too lost in her own thoughts. Her mind was racing, and she was overwhelmed, yet she was struggling.
"Lexi, are you okay?" Sam asked, walking up to her. He noticed that she looked on the verge of tears. "Do you want to talk?"
"No...uh, thank you..." Lexi managed to get out. She could feel herself getting choked up from the incoming tears threatening to fall. Not wanting Sam to see it, she turned around, and let herself cry. She let herself sob, and broke down. "I'm so sorry." She choked out.
"It's okay..." Sam assured her, as she leaned against the lockers sobbing. It broke Sam's heart to see his girlfriend breaking down. He stood back, trying to analyze and decide whether to hug her or let her calm down.
As soon as she fell to the ground crying though, he had his answer. "Lex, hey, come here." Sam whispered, pulling her into his arms, as she cried into his chest. He wrapped her in his arms, letting her cry. "It's okay. It's okay. Let it out." He encouraged her.
Once she had managed to get a hold of herself, he watched as she took deep breaths, inhaling through her nose, and out through her mouth, keeping her eyes closed. She let out a few shaky breaths."Okay..okay..." She said quietly, as she wiped her tears, while Sam held her close, allowing her to lean her head against his shoulder.
"You want to talk about it?" Sam asked quietly, stroking his fingers through her hair.
"What is there to talk about?" Lexi laughed, continuing to wipe her tears.
"You're struggling, and you're overwhelmed." Sam pointed out as she sighed. She didn't know how Sam always managed to play detective. He was so emotionally intelligent, and could observe every situation from every angle. He could also percept when she wasn't doing well. These were one of those times.
"It's the whole debacle that went on last week..." Lexi admitted. Sam immediately knew what she was referring to. "I mean, my mom struggled with being left at the altar. She was in bed for five days, until she brushed herself off, cleaned up, and got returned to her life again....as for me, it didn't hit me as hard." She sniffled, as she leaned in closer to him. "And my mom's all over me for not crying yet...and there's pressure there in a sense, but I know she's merely caring for my well being. While I appreciate that, the emotions hadn't hit. Well, until now...." She laughed sadly. "I-I really just wanted a dad...I wanted a family...it all seemed so promising, and then, it j-j-just fell apart...that's why I've been avoiding you, afraid I was going to break down...and I guess, I just did" She shrugged, her voice cracking.
"It's valid to feel upset, and to want things, Lex." Sam assured her, as he held her close, while tracing his fingers on her arm. "You're allowed to feel frustrated, angry, sad....no one can judge when you break down. I don't think you can mandate the time you suddenly break down, or cry, or yell. It's unpredictable. Time is unpredictable. I want you to be able to come to me when you're struggling, and having problems. You can't face your adversities and struggles alone from time to time. You need help, and that's okay to admit that you do. You have so many people that love you. I love you. I love you so much." Sam said, pressing a kiss to her head.
"I love you too." Lexi whispered, through her new batch of tears that had begun to fall. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd be sitting alone in this hallway crying...." Sam said, as she chuckled.
"Probably...and receiving a harsh bitch talk from Santana. Add that to the mix of possible consolations." She commented, as Sam shook his head, chuckling with her.
"You're probably right." He agreed, before continuing to talk. "Now, do you want to tell me the other thing bothering you?" Sam asked.
"I'm just overwhelmed with school....the college and university options..." Lexi explained. "I'm still a little vague on what my final career route will be...it's between arts, or medical field. I also considered simply earning a degree in psychology or something....I feel lost, if you want the honest truth. And before you say anything..." She held her hand up, to prevent Sam from talking. "I am well aware that we have a year until we graduate. A year is so short. It flashes by...and I feel stupid because, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do...." She began to cry into her hands, Sam pulled her closer to him again.
"Hey..." Sam whispered, rubbing her back again, as she laid her head against his chest. She frowned when he pulled out his phone. "I for one, know that you are overly talented, Lex. I have a video to prove it." He smiled, as he showed her the recording he'd captured of her dancing alongside Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany.
"You were filming?" Lexi asked, as he nodded, she shook her head. "You could've avoided filming me...maybe I manage to look insecure, just like I've felt from time to time."
"Insecurities. They're part of all of us. Everyone struggles with them, and that's valid. I don't think we'd be human without them. Plus, I could not avoid you. You are more talented than you ever give yourself credit for. You're simply beautiful, and gorgeous. You have these captivating hazel eyes, an infectious laugh, and smile. But you aren't your looks. You're way more than that. It's what's on the inside that counts. You are beyond talented and gifted, intelligent, wise, punctual, organized, loving, devoted, honest and brash, charismatic, caring, kind, loyal, confident, outspoken, reliable and strong..." He continued to complement her, causing her to blush profusely, hiding her face in his chest. "The point is that one day, you are going to be an amazing performer, or doctor, or writer, or teacher, whatever you plan to pursue. You aren't going to fail, and I know that you may have setbacks, but that's a part of the process. You have the potential and intelligence, the dedication. You can pursue anything you set your mind to. And if I'm lucky, I look forward to being there to see you achieve your dreams. For now, I'm fortunate to call you my girlfriend, my person, and my best friend. I know you feel lost and stressed at the moment, but you and I both know that we've wanted to move to New York after graduation. I'm going to be by your side no matter what happens. It's never too late to decide what you're going to pursue." Sam finished.
"I'm so lucky to have you as my boyfriend." Lexi smiled softly, through her tears. "Oh god, I'm an emotional mess." She chuckled, as Sam wiped her tears. "I love you."
"I love you too, Lexi." Sam said, cupping her face, so their foreheads were touching. "I love you so much." He added, leaning in and capturing her lips in his. They continued to kiss passionately, until they heard Santana cough.
"I'm pretty sure sucking each other's faces off still constitutes as a rule at school." She commented, with a sly smirk, folding her arms.
"Go off." Lexi waved her hand, as Santana chuckled. "You do it with Britt more than once a day. We have our urges."
"Wanky." Santana muttered, as her and Sam chuckled.
"What? It's true!" Lexi exclaimed, under their teasing stares. "There's no private room made for couples, okay?" She defended herself, squealing when Sam brought her into a hug, as Santana just shook her head laughing.
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Later on in Glee Club, Lexi sat on Sam's lap, resting her head against his shoulder, as he held her close to him. Both of them wanted to be together, since Lexi had avoided him for part of the week. The group sat awaiting the winner results.
"Come on, who won, Mr. Schue?" Sugar asked impatiently. "Who gets the suit?"
"Well, I left that up to Sue." Mr. Schue answered, with a slight smile.
"And if there's one thing I enjoy more than punishing you lazy idiots...It's rewarding you for being slightly less lazy and idiotic." Sue said, as she walked to stand next to Mr. Schue. "Will the winners please enter?" She asked.
At her direction, Finn, Mercedes, and Santana entered the choir room in their suits. This caused all of the New Directions to clap and cheer.
"Even in polyester, I feel like a million bucks in this." Santana smirked.
"Hell yeah!" Lexi clapped, as Santana winked at her.
"So what now?" Mercedes asked.
"What do you want to do?" Mr. Schue asked the three teens.
"You know what I want to do?" Finn asked, turning to look at everyone.
"What?" Sugar whispered in anticipation.
"I said, do you know what I want to do?" Finn repeated a little louder, causing the group to laugh.
"What?" Everyone asked, a little more audible.
"Strut." Finn said, giving everyone his signature smirk.
{Stayin' Alive - Sung by the New Directions}