Winnie had just finished writing down her name in the audition paper when she heard Sam and Blaine approaching. Winnie had considered walking away from the two of them and pretend to not hear them if they called out her name, but they were too close and it would have looked too suspicious, so she didn't. Instead, she just smiled a little when they greeted her, passing over the pen to Sam when he extended a hand out to her.
"Are you auditioning?" He asked - it was a stupid question, with an obvious answer, considering Winnie's name was written in the paper right in front of his eyes. Sam half-expected Winnie to smirk a little and offer him a sarcastic answer, but he was pleasantly surprised when, instead, she just nodded her head, a little too quiet for his liking. "What for?"
"Rizzo." Winnie said.
"Really?" Sam asked, turning to look at Winnie with a smile. "Not Sandy? You'd be a good Sandy."
"I'm not blonde." Winnie said, as Sam shrugged.
"You're our best female singer right now, in my opinion." He said, causing Winnie to sigh a little, too used to his little flirty ways by now. "You'd be a good Sandy."
"Thanks." Winnie shrugged. "I'm trying for Rizzo, though. I kind of relate to her. In more ways than I'd ever thought."
Winnie frowned a little, getting lost in her thoughts for a second, but, quickly noticing the confused looks in both of the boys' faces, she quickly recovered and looked up at Sam again.
"What are you auditioning for?" She asked.
"Kenickie." He smirked, causing Winnie to groan.
"Oh, no, come on..." She rolled her eyes as Sam just chuckled. "I might actually try and go for Sandy now. Are you trying for Danny, Blaine?"
"I, hum... I'm not sure, actually." Blaine said, causing Winnie to frown. She had known Blaine had been a little upset over his break up with Kurt, but not auditioning for the musical? That had to be a new level of depression for Blaine Warbler.
"Hey, man..." Sam said, trying to get Blaine's attention. He seemed to be as distraught as Winnie herself was and, being who he was, of course Sam would try to make the two of them feel better even if he didn't know why they were so upset to begin with. "As president and vice president, we can pretty much decree whichever parts we want, right?"
"I don't think that's how it works, Evans." Winnie commented. "And if you've tried, I'm pretty sure that would be abuse of power."
"Look, I'm not sure I'm gonna do the musical this year." Blaine said. "I'm not in the right headspace to do a project like Grease. Since Kurt and I broke up, I haven't slept, I lost my appetite. I don't even gel this week."
"This is pretty serious, then." Sam joked.
"Sam, Kurt was my soul mate." Blaine said, glaring at his friend, clearly being serious in that moment. "We talked about spending the rest of our lives together. About retiring in Provincetown and buying a lighthouse and starting an artists' colony. And now he won't even return my calls. He won't text me. And that Gilmore Girls box set I sent him was returned to me, unopened. He's gone. Maybe forever."
"Dude, I get it, except for the lighthouse part." Sam said, clearly trying to help out Blaine, who seemed to not be interested in the slightest. "But look, everybody's been there. You'll get through it."
***
"You came!" Winnie squealed, rushing down the hallway as soon as she spotted her best friend standing there.
Mike laughed, watching as Winnie brushed past people to run up to him. He opened his arms and, soon enough, Winnie was crashing into him, her arms wrapping around his waist as Mike squeezed her into his own arms in a tight hug.
"Of course I did." Mike smiled as soon as he let go of Winnie, looking down at the girl in front of him. "When your best friend texts you saying she needs to talk to you, you come."
"You came because of me?" Winnie frowned. "I thought you had come because of the musical."
"I did come because of you." Mike said. "I mean, it was nice that the musical happened to be in the same week you told me you needed to talk, but even without it, I would've come if you asked me to."
"Really?"
"Of course." Mike frowned, noticing the way Winnie seemed to be a little on edge about Mike coming to see her. "Why?"
"I... I don't know." She shrugged. "I just... I haven't been feeling great, I guess. I'm feeling kind of... Alone."
"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Mike asked. "I mean... You seemed so scared when you called me three days ago. Was that... Was that all?"
"It wasn't all, actually." Winnie admitted. "There's something else."
"Should I be worried?" He asked.
"No." Winnie shook her head, before sighing as she looked down at her feet for a second. "I mean... Not really."
"Okay..." Mike mumbled, a little unsure. "So, do you want to go grab a coffee or something?"
"Yeah." Winnie nodded. "I'd love that. I think..."
"Winnie!"
At the sound of her name being shouted down the hallways, Winnie sighed, rolling her eyes as she spun around in her heels, just in time to catch Finn rushing over to her, panting a little as he stood in front of her.
"Hi, Finn." Winnie said, as the older boy smiled a little at her.
"Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I kind of need your help?" He said, sounding more like a question than anything else.
"Okay?" She raised an eyebrow before nodding her head. "What is it?"
"We don't have a Danny for the musical." Finn said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... Sam is trying for Kenickie. Joe said he doesn't want to be the lead. Jake said he thinks the musical is stupid, Blaine says he wants to play Teen Angel, so we don't have anyone."
"Can't you try and convince Sam to play Danny?"
"He's dead set on Kenickie." Mike said.
"Of course he is..." Winnie rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well, anyway..." Finn continued his rant. "I wanted to talk to you because, you know... You're popular and you know a lot of guys... I mean... You know a lot of people... I mean..."
"I get it Finn." Winnie nodded her head, not really in the mood to hear Finn stumbling over his words for too long, thinking he had offended her in any way with the insinuation. "You want to know if I know anyone who could be a good Danny?"
Finn nodded then and Winnie stopped for a moment, racking her brain as she tried to remember anyone who could possibly be a good addition to their musical and, after a few seconds, she remembered someone.
"Ryder Lynn, sophomore." Winnie said, watching as Finn opened a smile. "He's the boy that dances any time he scores at the football games. I think he flunked out of his old school, so they transferred him here. He seems to be a sweet enough kid, but he's a loner and can't learn to play for his life. If you ask me, I'd say he's got a lazy streak. Moves good, though."
"Do you think he'll audition?"
"I don't know." Winnie shrugged. "Never talked to him much. But you could try. I mean, at the very least, he knows how to dance."
Finn had seemed to ponder his options for a while then, but he didn't really have any more options so he just nodded his head.
"Okay." He decided. "Thanks, Winnie."
"No problem."
"I'll go try and talk to Ryder then." Finn said, poking his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll see you guys around."
"See you." Mike waved his friend off as he walked away from them before turning back around to his best friend and smiling down at her. "So... Lima Bean?"
At that, Winnie giggled, beaming a smile up at Mike and feeling, for the first time that year, truly happy again in the presence of her best friend.
"Lima Bean."
***
"Wait! You're pregnant with Sam's baby?" Mike practically yelled, causing Winnie to scramble a little in her seat to place both of her hands over Mike's open mouth, almost spilling her whole cup of tea.
"Shut up!" She hissed, glaring at Mike, who just stared back at his best friend, absolutely shocked. "Scream louder, Chang, I don't think fucking China heard you yet."
"I just... Sorry, it's just..."
"You didn't even hear what I said, stupid." Winnie rolled her eyes, sitting back down in her seat now that Mike seemed - a little - calmer. "I didn't say I was pregnant with Sam's baby. I said I thought I was pregnant with Sam's baby."
"But you're not?" Mike raised an eyebrow as Winnie shook her head.
"But I'm not." She assured.
"Oh, thank God..." Mike breathed out, placing a hand over his racing heart. "But even if you're not... If you thought you were, it means... I mean, it means..."
"Yes." Winnie sighed, looking down at her muffin as she poked it mindlessly. "Yes, it means I've slept with him."
"When?" Mike asked.
"Before the school year started."
"How?"
"What do you mean how? You know how sex works, I suppose." Winnie said, as Mike rolled his eyes, far too used to his best friend's sharp humor. "Do you want like... Details, or something?"
"No!" Mike protested, a little too quickly, causing Winnie to snort a laugh. "I just mean... You can barely stand the guy so... Why?"
"Because... Because he came over to my house one night and he cried because he was missing his family." Winnie sighed. "I tried to comfort him and... I think I did, but then... Then he kind of started talking about... About how he cared for me and he was sorry for what he put me through last year and how he was happy I was there for him and I just... I cave in, I guess."
"Winnie..."
"He gave me attention, Mike, and I was missing it." She shrugged, still refusing to meet her best friend's eyes. "I mean, mom and dad... I don't even expect anything from them anymore but you... You went away and Rory too and Tina... We were kind of drifting apart so I felt... Lonely. When Sam was there, I felt... Less alone."
"Oh, Winnie..."
"It's fine." She said, finally looking up at Mike and pouting a little when she noticed the look Mike was sending her. "It happened once. But it was a mistake."
"Was it, though?" Mike asked, as Winnie frowned. "A mistake, I mean. You said Sam made you feel less alone and he's really sorry about the whole Mercedes fiasco. He really likes you, you know?"
"Does he now?" Winnie rolled her eyes. "And how would you know?"
"He told me." Mike answered, his words causing Winnie's heart to stop for half a second.
"He... He told you?" She asked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean he called me." Mike shrugged. "Asking about you."
"Asking what?"
"If I thought you'd ever give him a chance, or if he had hurt you too much last year."
"And did you say?"
"I said it wasn't my place." Mike said. "Truth be told, I didn't know what to tell him. I mean... Would you give him a chance?"
"I... I don't know either." Winnie admitted. "I... I'm not sure, I... I liked him last year. Like... Like a crush. But... But seeing him with Mercedes... Seeing him choose her over me... It hurt, you know? It hurt more than I care to admit."
"Do you like him still?" Mike asked.
"I don't know." She repeated. "I feel something. When he's around, I mean. I feel something. I just... I just usually don't know what it is."
"Love or hate?" Mike asked with a gentle chuckle, as Winnie rolled her eyes and kicked him underneath the table.
"It's not love." She said. "It's not hate either, though. I don't... I don't think it was ever hate."
"I don't think so either." Mike nodded. "You two just... You just seem to clash a little too much. Maybe, when you play Rizzo and Sam plays Kenickie, you two can work everything out through your roles."
"I don't even know if I'm playing Rizzo." Winnie said, taking a sip of her tea. "I haven't even auditioned yet."
"Well, yes, but you will, right?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow, after lunch." Winnie said. "I mean... It's no Ariel Moore, but, you know..."
"You better not play Ariel Moore if I'm not your Ren McCormack." Mike warned, glaring at Winnie playfully across the table as the girl just laughed.
"I wouldn't dream of it." She assured. "Footloose is our musical, Michael, and I wouldn't dream of starring in it if you're not opposite to me."
***
In the end, Finn had apparently managed to get Ryder Lynn to audition and, even though he had thanked her for finding him a possible leading man, he had still asked her to try and convince Jake Puckerman to audition as well. So, there was Winnie, leaning against the lockers as she tried to sweet-talk Jake into being part of the musical.
"Come on... You'll have fun." Winnie tried, for what felt like the hundredth time. "Besides... No one in that damned glee club matches my skill of dancing - I mean, except for Britt, of course - but I need a partner."
"Oh, so humble..." Jake smirked, as Winnie rolled her eyes and nudged him on the shoulder.
"You know I'm right." She shrugged. "And I've seen what you can do. You go to the same dance studio as me."
"I do?"
"Yes."
"Might have to find another then." Jake joked, as Winnie scoffed.
"Listen, you're not half as good as me, but considering all the other boys in that glee club barely know their left from their right, I think you would be..."
"Wait, shh." Jake interrupted the girl, placing a finger over her lips, as Winnie frowned, slapping his hand away from her face before following his eyes to look at whatever it was that he was looking at then.
She sighed when she saw Marley standing by her locker just a few meters away from them as no one other than Ryder Lynn approached her with a small smile.
"Hi." He said, causing Marley to turn from her locker to look at him instead. "I'm Ryder Lynn."
"I know." She smiled. "I saw you in the football game on Saturday. Your end zone dances are awesome. I'm Marley."
"I know. I know." Ryder nodded. "Hum, your mom rules. She always sneaks me extra meatballs on spaghetti day."
"Really?" Marley asked, rather surprised. "Wow, she must really like you."
"Hum, Finn Hudson told me that you were probably gonna play Sandy in the school play." Ryder said, causing Marley to smile brightly. Winnie turned to look at Jake who had a clear scowl in his face. "I thought if we were gonna be working together, I should say hi. I think they want me to play Danny."
"What's that cologne you're wearing?" Winnie teased, sniffing the air a little, bring Jake's attention back to her. "Jealousy by you?"
"Hum, what am I jealous of?" Jake scoffed, glaring at Winnie, who rolled her eyes.
"Oh, just Marley talking to the new hottest guy at McKinley who also happens to be a star football player with yummy old-school Justin Bieber hair."
"And who wants Justin Bieber hair?" Jake asked, as Winnie laughed.
"You, clearly." She said, causing Jake to glare at her again. "Listen... I'm not saying that you should do it, but if you do want to impress Marley, maybe you should consider auditioning. If you get to play Danny over Ryder, you might score yourself a date with Marley."
"You think that would work?" Jake asked, as Winnie shrugged.
"You know what they say..." She smirked a little, clutching her books to her chest as she winked at Jake, looking over at Marley and Ryder one last time before turning around to leave Jake behind. "Keep your crushes close, and your competition closer."
"That's not how the saying goes." Jake called after Winnie, who just laughed and waved her hand at him from over her shoulder.
"It's an interpretation, Puckerman." She said, as Jake shook his head with a smile. "You'd understand it if you had the vision too."
***
Winnie groaned when a body collided with hers and she was about ready to curse at whoever had clashed against her, but, before she could, she turned around and noticed it had been only Mike.
"Damn, boy..." She scowled a little. "Are you turning blind or something?"
"I need your help." Mike said, almost stumbling over his own words, as Winnie frowned.
"What is it, now?" She asked. "I don't know anyone else who'd be possibly interested in auditioning so if you're missing someone I..."
"No." Mike shook his head. "I mean, yes... We're missing someone, but I know who we should be casting."
"Who?"
"Tina."
"Oh, no." Winnie shook her head. "No, no, no... I don't know what you did to that girl, but after you dumped her, she turned evil."
"I didn't dump her." Mike rolled his eyes. "We broke up."
"Same thing." Winnie shrugged. "The point is that she turned evil."
"She's not evil."
"You say that because you don't see her everyday anymore." Winnie insisted. "I swear to God a demon possessed her over summer, or something, because this Tina we have this year it's not the same one we had last year."
"That's not true." Mike frowned.
"Yes, it is. You know it is." Winnie said. "I mean, if you came all the way here to ask me help to talk to your ex-girlfriend is because you know she's evil."
"She's not evil." Mike repeated. "She's just... Upset."
"Right." Winnie gave in. "Upset enough that she doesn't want to audition?"
"Yes."
"And you need my help because..."
"Because I want to talk to her, but I'm scared."
"Because she's evil." Winnie said, as Mike groaned, gripping Winnie by the wrist and pulling her along with him down the hallway and toward, Winnie could only assume, wherever Tina Cohen-Chang was.
When he spotted her, he let go of Winnie, jogging a little to catch up with his ex-girlfriend. Winnie considered not following, but MIke was her best friend and he had asked her for help. Winnie Archer was nothing but loyal, so, against her own better judgment, she followed him closely as he tried to talk to Tina, who practically ignored him as she kept on walking.
"I've been trying to see you since I got here, but every time I get near you, you disappear." Mike said, as Tina frowned, keeping on with her fast walk.
"I was fine with our breakup." She said, her voice sounding a little too angry for someone who was fine with a breakup. "Out of sight, out of mind. But maybe you could have called and asked if I could handle you choreographing the school musical!"
"I'm sorry." Mike said, sincerely. "Artie called me. It seemed like a fun idea. I didn't think you'd be upset."
"Neither did I!" Tina yelled, stopping dead in her tracks as she spun around in her heels to glare at Mike, who took a little step back from her in surprise.
"I know this is weird." Mike tried to reason. "It's weird for me, too, but if that's what's stopping you from auditioning for Grease, then we have to make this not weird. There are still some good parts left."
At that, Tina hesitated for a second, her eyes falling on Winnie who was standing behind Mike with her arms crossed over her chest as she shrugged. Tina frowned then, but shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I can't." She said, turning around to leave as she started to walk away again.
"We could use you." Mike insisted, keeping on following her. "You're so talented."
"I'm sorry." Tina shook her head then. "You're gonna have to survive without my talent."
And, after rushing away from them, Winnie pouted a little as she placed a hand on Mike, noticing how defeated he looked.
"You know what? You're right." Winnie said, causing Mike to turn to her, with a frown. "She's not evil."
Mike chuckled then, throwing an arm around Winnie's shoulders as the two of them started to walk down the hallways together again.
"See?" He teased, even if his voice still carried a little bit of hurt from his talk to Tina. "She's just... Upset."
***
After a few days of Artie, Finn, Mercedes and Mike discussing the musical and a rather eventful callback for possible Sandy's and Danny's, the casting list was finally posted and all of the glee kids reunited around it to take a look.
Pretty much everyone had gotten the parts they wanted and Winnie was happy for them - particularly Marley, who was beaming over her new part as Sandy - but she had grown a little upset over the fact that she hadn't gotten Rizzo. But when she noticed the emotional smile on Unique's face when she saw her name in the list, she decided it couldn't be such a bad thing, right?
Winnie apparently wasn't the only one upset with her part, though, because, as soon as Kitty Wilde approached the list, she scoffed.
"Patty Simcox?" She asked. "Patty Simcox? Who the hell is Patty Simcox? I don't understand. I pray really hard about this."
"Maybe God didn't hear you because he was busy helping people with cancer." Joe offered, causing Kitty to roll her eyes.
"Shut it, Avatar." She said, before turning her glare to Jake instead. "This is all your fault. You screwed up Hand-jive."
"No, I didn't." Jake shook his head. "We were both great. It just didn't work out."
"I've been hearing that a lot lately from you." Kitty rolled her eyes at Jake before turning to look at Marley next. "Oh. One little thing, honey boo boo. I know a good, hot meal is hard to resist, especially when you're on the free lunch program but remember, the stage always adds at least ten pounds. In your case, it's close to 90. So, when you and your mom, strawberry hugryake, are dumpster diving for your costume, keep on picking till you find something slimming. Like a back hefty bag."
"Kitty, that's enough." Winnie stepped up in front of Marley when she noticed how uncomfortable she seemed to be. "It's not just because you didn't get the part you wanted that you get to be rude to someone."
"That's rich coming from you." Kitty glared at her too. "Your character doesn't even have a name."
"Maybe." Winnie shrugged. "But put me in that stage with you and, background or not, I'll outshine you everytime."
Kitty scoffed then, turning around to leave as Winnie rolled her eyes for a second, before turning back around to look at Marley with a smile.
"Don't listen to her, you look hot." She said, as Marley blushed a little at the upfront compliment. "And in your Sandy costume in a few weeks, you'll look even better, I just know it."