"All right, big week, guys." Mr. Schue said, as he walked into the choir room. "Come on. Gather round. I have here in my hand... Drumroll, please... A secret list of the show choirs that we will be in competition with at Nationals in six weeks. Okay, let's see what we've got. We got the Rust-Belters from Pittsburgh, the Thunder Showcats from Gainesville and finally, from Fort Wayne, Throat Explosion."
"No!" Tina yelled suddenly, causing Winnie to jump a little in surprise. "Why, God?!"
"Hum, what?" Jake interrupted, with a frown. "Throat Explosion? That's a joke, right?"
"Anything but." Blaine shook his head, sounding almost defeated. "They're the new supergroup the Show Choir Underground's been buzzing about. Their budgets for costume, makeup, hair alone are astronomical. You guys have read that Malcolm Gladwell book. Outliers, right?"
When no one reacted, Blaine sighed. He should have known no one in that room would have cared enough to read through any of the show choir blogs and books.
"So, Gladwell says you can't possibly master anything unless you've spent 10,000 hours practicing it." Blaine explained as everyone turned to look at him. "So students can't even join Throat Explosion without proving they've logged in 10,000 hours of show choir rehearsal. They don't even go to class. They just perform, every minute of every day. They live their art. They know no boundaries. They're constantly pushing the envelope, living and performing on the edge.nThey're like mini Lady Gagas."
"We're so screwed..." Tina shook her head then. "They're not like Vocal Adrenaline, who were unfeeling Borg robots. They're total outsiders and misfits, which used to be our niche. We can't compete with Throat Explosion anymore at that level because we lost our biggest Gaga when Kurt graduated last year. Look around, we're a room full of, like, Katy Perrys now."
"Oh, you best check your spectrum, Queen T, because orange is the new black, and Unique is the new Gaga." Unique protested, as Winnie nodded her head, actually thinking she'd make a pretty good Gaga if she had to.
"Well, not Marley..." Tina shrugged. "She's a Katy Perry. So is Sam, so is Blaine."
"I'm a Katy Perry and I'm proud of it." Blaine said.
"Hum, the truth is, Tina, we're a potent mix of Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas in here." Mr. Schue said. "But it's not a liability... It's the way we're gonna beat Throat Explosion. Some of us in here are, you know, ambi-edge."
"Ambi-edge?" Winnie made a face at the way Mr. Schue had chosen to describe Unique. "You just made that up."
"Hum, some of us are more, you know, wholesome, innocent, romantic, all-American girl-and boy-next-door types." Mr. Schue continued. "Hum, who in here would describe
themselves as a Gaga?"
At his question, Tina, Kitty, Unique, Jake and Winnie lifted their hands and Mr. Schue nodded.
"Okay, great." The teacher said. "And the rest of you are Katys?"
"Is there a third option?" Ryder asked, a little unsure about the assignment.
"We're gonna mix it up a little bit." Mr. Schue said. "We're turning our weaknesses into our strengths. This week, the Katys will get their Gaga on and the Gagas will bring the Katy. Throat Explosion does their one thing very, very well, but we need to be able to do both, impeccably, or else we're not gonna have a chance in hell of winning Nationals this year."
***
"Hey." Marley smiled a little, coming up to Winnie as the girl studied in the library. "Are you busy?"
"Not really, why?" Winnie asked, closing her book and pulling out the chair beside hers so Marley could sit.
"I... I just wanted to ask you something."
"Okay."
"Do... Do you think it's possible that... I mean, do you think it's possible that Jake might be getting bored with me?"
"What?"
"I just... I mean..." Marley sighed, playing with her fingers nervously as Winnie watched her silently. "I was telling him some ideas that I was having for some dates, but... I think he doesn't like any of them. I mean, I think he does them because he knows that's what I like, but I don't think... I think he does. I mean, I bet he thinks I'm just such a Katy..."
"But you are." Winnie said, as Marley sighed.
"Yeah, but that's the problem!"
"Okay, no..." Winnie shook her head. "That's not a problem, okay? Being yourself is never going to be a problem. And Jake loves you for who you are, Katy or not. But I mean, if you think he might be not enjoying what you like so much, maybe you can try something that he likes? I mean, step out of your comfort zone a little, you know? For him, like he does for you?"
"Yeah, but what if what he likes, I don't want to do?" Marley asked quietly and, just by the tone of her voice, Winnie knew the two of them were thinking about two very different things.
"Okay, hold on a second there." Winnie frowned as she turned around to look at Marley properly. "What are you talking about?"
"It's just... I feel like every date, we end up making out and I mean, it's great, don't get me wrong, but I... I feel like Jake wants more and I don't... I'm not ready for that."
"Okay." Winnie shook her head then, reaching for Marley's hand and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Look, I said it before and I'm gonna say it again, you don't need to do anything you're not comfortable with and you will know when you're comfortable with it, okay? You'll feel it, I know you will. And no matter how much you think Jake wants it, what you feel is the most important thing, you understand?"
"Yeah, but..."
"No buts." Winnie shook her head. "You only do what you want to do, okay?"
"Okay." Marley nodded, smiling a little at Winnie as the older girl smiled back at her. "You're right. But when you were talking about stepping out of my comfort zone..."
"Oh, I just meant like... Play some basketball with him, or something, I mean, he likes that, right?"
"Yeah, he does." Marley nodded.
"Then try it." Winnie shrugged. "If you think he might be getting bored with your date ideas, try to think of one for him. Who knows? Maybe you'll even end up finding a new hobby."
"Basketball?"
"Look, I don't know." Winnie laughed as Marley did too. "I'm just saying, okay? Step out of your comfort zone, explore. But do it together, because that's what couples do, I guess. Explore together."
***
"Attention, McKinley idiots." Principal Sylvester's voice cut through the speakers, interrupting Winnie's very boring Geography class. "Here are your morning announcements that I didn't do earlier because I was busy publicly breast-feeding my baby at Starbucks. Once again, it's flea and tick season. Please be sure to thoroughly inspect your overly hormonal, acne-riddled bodies."
Winnie was about 90% sure Principal Sylvester still had about ten mildly insulting things to tell them over the speakers, but before she could, she got interrupted by a badly played keyboard before, for some reason, Becky decided to take over the announcement.
"I am one of Mother Monster's devoted disciples, and I command you to open your laptops immediately." She said, causing Winnie to frown as she pulled open her laptop only to end up face to face with a rather psychedelic video of Sam and all of the Gagas, inviting everyone for their performance in the auditorium the next day.
Winnie raised an eyebrow, impressed by the commitment, but, after the video was over, she knew she was in trouble, after all, if the Gagas were stepping up the game so much, the Katys were going to have to do even more than they had been originally planned.
***
"Okay." Unique said, as all the Katys reunited in the choir room to decide what they were going to do with their performance. "I'm thinking of lions and tigers. We'll unleash them from the zoo. Now, that's Roar."
"I want to whip the audience and make them our slaves." Tina said.
"Let's reenact a baby's birth onstage!" Kitty smiled, growing all excited with her own ideas. "Ooh, we can float in giant plastic bags of amniotic fluid."
Laughing at the girls, Winnie rolled her eyes gently, before groaning when she noticed Jake already half asleep at the top of the piano.
"Puckerman!" She yelled, causing everyone to stop and turn to look at her, in surprise. "Are you awake?"
"We've been at this for five hours." Jake complained, as Tina nodded.
"And we'll be at it five more hours until we come up with the perfect idea." She said, as Jake sighed and picked up his bag as he jumped down from the piano.
"Okay. Later." He called, as he started to walk away.
"Where do you think you're going?" Winnie frowned.
"To the dance studio." Jake said. "I'm helping the Cheerios with some choreography."
"Who talked you into doing that?" Kitty asked, sounding almost offended. "Let me guess... Bree. She is the most vile human being on this planet. And, yes, I know that is saying something, coming from me."
At the comment, Jake just shrugged, as Winnie raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Unique, who already had her phone in her hand and the same worry Winnie seemed to have in her mind as she called their friend to ask her when they could talk.
"Marley."
***
Sitting in the auditorium to watch the Gaga's performance of Applause, to say Winnie was shocked would be an understatement. And not just because, mid performance, Marley had decided to come on stage dressed in a full Katy Perry California Girls like outfit, but also because of how much effort the Gagas had put into everything. From vocals, to scenario, to costumes, everything was impeccable, so Winnie didn't feel ashamed at all for clapping and cheering for the opposing team.
That was, of course, all of the Gagas decided to gang up against Marley out of the sudden.
"What happened to the seashell bikini?" Sam demanded, turning to Marley so forcefully even Winnie flinched.
"I wasn't comfortable." Marley admitted.
"Well, get over yourself..." Sam said, causing Winnie to frown, offended, from her seat as she watched the interaction feeling her blood boiling underneath her skin. "You think I'm just comfortable up here with no shirt on?"
"Yeah, you probably are." Marley scoffed.
"Well, I'm not exactly loving this giant white thing that keeps getting caught in my wheels." Artie said, referring to his own costume.
"Yeah, and I look like Siegfried and Roy, and I still did it." Blaine nodded.
"It was the assignment." Ryder shrugged.
"Okay, I'm sorry, you guys, but I am who I am, and I'm not gonna change that for any number or any guy." Marley complained, as Winnie turned to Jake who seemed as confused as she was.
"Marley, we're all trying to win a championship here, as a team, but you put your personal agenda above that." Mr. Schue said, causing Winnie to snap her head in his direction, almost in disbelief of what she was hearing. "I'm sorry, but... You're suspended for the rest of the week."
"Suspended?" Winnie scoffed, causing everyone to turn around and look at her then. "You've got to be kidding me. Come on, Mr. Schue... Are you really suspending Marley for wearing a Katy costume on stage when the Gaga one she had made her uncomfortable?"
"I'm suspending her for not being a team player." Mr. Schue said, as Winnie rolled her eyes.
"A team player, you say?" She asked. "And when was that mentality when Rachel Berry sent Sunshine Corazon to a crack house? Was she being a team player then? Why wasn't she suspended? And please don't say it was because she was your favorite because we are very much aware of that, already."
"I don't have a favorite, Winnie."
"Bullshit." Winnie rolled her eyes, as Mr. Schue raised an eyebrow at her, surprised by her attitude. "Yes, you do and it's none of us, because if it was, you would've actually cared about the fact that Marley has been struggling with her image and just got over an ED and wouldn't be mad at her for not wearing something she didn't want to wear. In fact, you would've been proud. I know I am, because as far as I'm concerned, Lady Gaga is not about extravagant clothes and special effects on stage, Lady Gaga is about being true to yourself and accepting yourself and everyone else for who they are and it seems to me like Marley was the only one who understood the assignment."
With that last sentence, Winnie sent Sam a glare and he sighed, almost ashamed and clearly aware of what he had done wrong. And he truly hadn't meant to yell at Marley at all, he had just been so caught up with this whole Gaga thing that he... Might have lost a little bit of himself in the process.
"Now, if you want to suspend me too, feel free, Mr. Schue." Winnie shrugged, picking up her bag from the floor as she waved Marley over, causing the girl to walk toward her with her head hanging down in shame. "Because one way or the other, I'm not coming back to glee club this week so... Let's go Marley... Let's find somewhere we can share a chocolate cake with people who actually care for other people's feelings."
***
It had been a few days since Sam had talked to Winnie at all, what with her not going to glee club all week and being in all of the AP classes that Sam wasn't in, but, after about three days of basically not seeing each other, Sam decided that had been enough and walked up to Winnie as she stood by her locker.
"I'm sorry." He said, causing Winnie to frown a little in surprise as she turned to look at him. "For how I acted with Marley the other day, I mean."
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Winnie shrugged.
"I know. But I've already apologized to Marley." He said, as Winnie offered him a small, pleased smile. "And with the rest of the Gagas. I guess they were right... I did go a little crazy with the assignment."
"Yeah, you did." Winnie nodded, before frowning a little. "Why?"
"I just... I don't know." Sam shrugged, sighing when Winnie cut her eyes at him, fully aware that she knew he was lying. "I just... Wanted to impress you, I guess."
"Impress me?" Winnie frowned.
"Yeah." Sam shrugged. "And with you being so confident as a Gaga, I just wanted to show that I could be too, but I guess that just isn't for me."
"Maybe not." Winnie shrugged, as she closed her locker and stepped closer to Sam. "But I like you like that."
"You... You do?" Sam asked, still surprised whenever Winnie vocally admitted to actually like him or enjoy his company in anyway.
"I do." She nodded, grabbing one of his hands in hers as she started to walk away from her locker and toward the choir room. "And since I'm not going to be performing with the Katys this week, I thought maybe I could put up a little number of my own. You know... Show you that, even though I'm very confident in being a Gaga... I'm learning to... Let my guard down a little and just... Be a Katy."
"That... That sounds great." Sam smiled, as Winnie smiled, closing the door to the choir room after her as she pushed Sam toward the chairs.
"That's good to hear, because I'm risking an even longer suspension just by being in the choir room, so, you better enjoy this performance."
Winnie
You make me feel like I'm losing my virginity
The first time every time when you're touching me
I'll make you bloom like a flower that you've never seen
Under the sun, we are one buzzing energy
Let's pollinate to create a family tree
This evolution with you comes naturally
Some call it science, we call it chemistry
This is the story of the birds and the bees
And even when seasons change
Our love still stays the same
You give me that hummingbird heartbeat
Spread my wings and make me fly
The taste of your honey is so sweet
When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat
Hummingbird heartbeat
Oh, oh
Hummingbird heartbeat
Oh, oh
Hummingbird heartbeat
You love me, you love me
Never love me not, not
When we're in perfect harmony
You make me sound like
Like a symphony
Spread my wings and make me fly
The taste of your honey is so sweet
When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat
Hummingbird heartbeat
Oh, oh
Hummingbird heartbeat
Oh, oh
Hummingbird heartbeat
Sam clapped as soon as Winnie was done and, as she sat up at the piano, the girl blushed a little, watching as Sam stood up from his seat and walked up to her, standing in between her legs as his eyes searched hers with a sort of magnetic pull that made it almost impossible for Winnie to look away, no matter how much she tried.
"That was great." Sam said, his voice low as Winnie bit her lip quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Sam nodded, slowly inching closer to Winnie, watching her every move in search of some sign of rejection, but finding none as she just kept on watching him. "That's not a very famous Katy song."
"Yeah, hum... No." She cleared her throat, sounding almost nervous. "But it's, hum... One of my favorites so..."
"Are you a secret Katy Perry fan, huh?" Sam teased, as Winnie giggled.
"Maybe." She shrugged quietly. "What... What do you think of that?"
And considering how close Sam was to her - how close he was to actually kissing her again -, he couldn't even think of an answer to give her, so, instead, he just kept on leaning in more, placing both of his hands on her lips as Winnie sucked in a breath of anticipation. Sam smiled then, but just before he could actually do what he had been dying to do for so long, Winnie groaned when her cellphone rang.
"Crap, sorry..." She mumbled, pulling out her phone from her back pocket and sighing when she noticed it was Jake. Pushing Sam back and away from her with an apologetic smile, she tried to ignore the way he groaned too. "Sorry. It's Jake, I just... I have to... It'll be quick, I'm sorry."
Sam nodded then, waving his hand dismissively to let her know it was okay, as he moved back to take a seat again as Winnie picked up the phone.
"This better be a life or death situation, Puckerman, or I'll put you in one myself the next time I see you." Winnie practically growled into the phone.
"I messed up." Jake said, sounding very agitated, causing Winnie to frown as her irritation was quickly replaced by worry.
"Messed up?" Winnie asked. "How?"
"Winnie... Winnie, I..."
"Jake Puckerman..." Winnie warned and she could swear she could almost see Jake flinching at her tone on his side of the line. "What did you do?"
"I slept with Bree." Jake admitted quietly as Winnie choked in her own spit.
"You did what now?"
"I slept with Bree." Jake repeated. "I cheated on Marley. I messed up, didn't I?"
"Messed up?" Winnie groaned loudly. "You royally fucked up, Puckerman."
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Kill you?" Winnie laughed, as Sam turned to look at her, confused, but the girl just waved him off as she picked up her bag and rushed out of the choir room, not really giving Sam much of an explanation or a goodbye, knowing she wasn't really in the mood for either. "I'm going to do much, much worse than that."
"Winnie..."
"I'm coming to your house." She warned. "And you better be there before I am."
"But..."
"I don't care!" Winnie shook her head as Jake sighed on the other side of the line. "You have twenty minutes to be in your house, Jake Puckerman, because if you're not... You better start praying."