"Hey, guys, in spite of the complete lack of representation at the Career Fair, I know that a lot of you are thinking about a career in the arts." Mr. Schue said, as he walked into the choir room that afternoon to start a new class. "Well, it's no secret that Sue Sylvester doesn't believe that an artistic career is a very practical idea. And, for once, I have to admit she's right. It's completely impractical. You know, anyone pursuing the arts needs to go in with their eyes wide open. We're talking zero job security and impossible odds. But... I've always believed that you have to pursue what you love. And that's why this week's assignment is about a goofy-looking kid who struggled for years in the music business."
"Finally." Kitty cheered quietly to herself. "It's Marilyn Manson Week."
"Close." Mr. Schue said, as he wrote the name in the board before reading it out for the class. "Billy Joel."
"Who?" Unique asked, confused.
"Oh, just a musical genius who's sold over million records worldwide." Artie responded sarcastically, apparently appalled by the fact that Unique didn't know who Billy Joel was.
"That's right." Mr. Schue said. "Billy had to fight every step of the way in his career. He had countless failures and disappointments: writing songs that nobody wanted, playing piano in seedy bars just to pay the rent, being told he'd never make it because he didn't look right."
"Translation: too Jewish." Jake tried to joke, only to flinch a little at the glares both Marley and Winnie sent his way, knowing full well the two of them were very - very - pissed off at him still.
"But he ignored the haters and he kept pursuing his dream, becoming the third best-selling solo artist of all time." Mr. Schue cont I mean, he is a true inspiration to anyone pursuing a career in the arts, like our very own. Mr. Blaine Anderson, Mr. Sam Evans and, possibly, Ms. Winnie Archer."
At that, the whole class cheered and clapped for them as the three mentioned kids smiled at them.
"All right, as some of you may or may not know, this week is my big NYADA audition." Blaine started, talking fast, all excited for his audition. "I know. It's terrifying. So I'm leaving today to maybe get some last-minute tips from Kurt and Rachel."
"I'm going with him because I have an interview with the theater department at Hunter College." Sam smiled, all proud of himself as well, causing Winnie to smile, happy to see him so excited over a possible college entry for him. "They saw and they loved my Tornado of Talent impressions reel. And I'm up for this awesome scholarship, the Channing Tatum Former Male Stripper Grant."
"Well, I'm going because... I need safety schools." Winnie admitted quietly, looking down at her lap as Sam turned to look at her and sent her a small, encouraging smile. "The schools I wanted to go to still didn't reach out to me, so I... I need a plan B."
"Well..." Blaine started. "We spoke to Mr. Schue and, because we have to miss this week's lesson, he thought the least we could do is maybe..."
"Kick it off with our very own take on a classic BJ." Sam smiled, causing everyone to stop for a second and turn to look at him, confused. "Billy... Billy Joel."
Laughing quietly, Winnie rolled her eyes, but turned to look at the band with a smile so they could start playing Movin' out for them as they had agreed.
"Hit it."
***
New York was actually quite impressive and Winnie had enjoyed her time there with the boys more than she thought she would. The three of them had spent the whole day walking around the city, visiting a few sites and, also, visiting as much colleges as they could. So, of course, by dinner time, they were very tired. Fortunately for them, at the time, Kurt, Rachel and Santana were working at the Spotlight Diner and so, they could eat a cheap, actually quite nice dinner with their friends around.
"So, did you boys like those historical sites I recommended?" Kurt asked, all excited, as he sat down with the three younger kids on their table.
"Hum, we checked out that deconstructed bathhouse on St. Mark's where Tennessee Williams got in that fistfight - with Tallulah Bankhead." Blaine said, as Kurt frowned a little while Sam smiled.
"Oh, yeah." He nodded. "That was awesome."
"Cool." Kurt said.
"Hum, but it was mostly campus visits." Blaine continued. "Hum, NYU, Columbia..."
"Why?" Kurt asked. "You're going to NYADA. And Winnie is going to Harvard."
"Well, I hoping so, at least." Winnie rolled her eyes, as Blaine sighed.
"I-I need safety schools, Kurt." Blaine said, a little nervously as Winnie frowned at him confused too. He was always talking about NYADA... Winnie wasn't sure why he was thinking about safety schools now, but she didn't question it. "I haven't gotten in yet."
"But you will as soon as you audition." Kurt insisted. "The way I've talked you up to Carmen Tibideaux, she's gonna offer you a spot on the spot. Which reminds me, are you up for a little trial run? I don't want to send you into the lions' den under-rehearsed. Come on."
Standing up, Kurt grabbed his fiance by the hand and, as much as Blaine seemed to be protesting, Winnie could see he wasn't about to deny a performance at the moment.
"Come on. Don't worry. The piano awaits." Kurt insisted, guiding Blaine to sit at the piano before moving to stand off to the side as if to announce the new performer. "Hum, hello, everyone. Welcome to the Spotlight Diner and to a very special performance."
"Seriously?" Santana scoffed, moving to stand beside Winnie's seat as she glared to all of her friends. "You all need to be stopped. That's enough."
"Does that happen a lot?" Winnie asked with an amused smirk. "I mean, do they break out into song all the time?"
"You have no idea." Santana mumbled.
"Now, you may not know the name Blaine Anderson yet, but you will soon when it's lit up all over Broadway." Kurt continued to introduce his boyfriend as Blaine blushed a little. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, Blaine Anderson."
At that, everyone clapped and cheered for him and Blaine smiled, almost shyly as he placed his fingers over the keys of the piano as he started to play the very familiar tune to Piano Man as Sam pulled out an harmonica from his pocket to help out Blaine with his performance.
"Thank you, Kurt. Thank you, everyone." Blaine said. "Sing along if you know it."
At some point, the waiters and waitresses joined in with Blaine as well, dancing and walking around the diner and, as soon as the song was over, everyone stopped for a moment to look at Blaine and clap for him.
"That was incredible!" Kurt yelled, over the noise of the cheers as he stood atop of a table and Blaine just smiled at his fiance. "There's no way you're not getting into NYADA! Then all our dreams will come true!"
***
"Did you find anything for you?" Sam asked, as he sat with Winnie out in the little balcony the guys had in their apartment.
"I don't know." Winnie shrugged, picking out pieces of her kung pao chicken quietly. "I mean... Columbia seems okay, but I just... I don't know. What about you? Was your interview okay?"
Sam shrugged back at her, as well, looking out in the busy New York streets below them.
"Not sure." He admitted. "Probably not."
"Oh, sucks..." She mumbled. "Sorry."
Offering her food to Sam as she tilted her box of chicken toward him, Winnie frowned when Sam shook his head.
"Oh, thanks, but I'm... I'm not hungry." He said, as Winnie sighed.
"Look, I'm sure that there are other schools that have more specific scholarships catered just for you." Winnie said, trying to comfort Sam a little.
"Can I, hum, tell you a secret?" Sam asked, as Winnie nodded her head.
"Yeah."
"I... I don't want to go to college." He admitted as Winnie raised an eyebrow at him, not really surprised, but not really having been expecting this either. "I hate school. I mean, I don't... I don't hate it. I'm just... I'm not good at it."
"Well, who says you have to?" Winnie shrugged, as Sam turned to look at her.
"Well, I mean, ever since I was a kid I've seen these United Negro College Fund commercials, and it's, like, if you don't go to college, you're letting your whole family down, or you're destined for a life of eating out of Dumpsters or something." Sam said, as Winnie breathed out a quiet laugh. "I don't know. So... Please don't judge me."
"I won't." Winnie assured. "Look, I think that in life, it's not always about knowing what you want. It could be about knowing what you can cross off your list that you don't want."
"But I do know what I want to do." Sam said, his voice sounding very much sure, as Winnie turned to look at him, surprised. "I mean, it's been my dream since I was a kid. Male modeling is pretty much the ultimate form of self-expression as far as I'm concerned. It's like acting or singing, but the only tools you have to perform with are your striking good looks and great abs."
"There is some truth to that, I guess." Winnie nodded.
"All right, I have this vision. You know, it's just so clear in my head." Sam said, a smile starting to form on his lips as he looked out into the night sky of New York, painting Winnie the picture of the dream he was trying to show her. And she watched him grow more and more excited the more he talked, Winnie knew for sure: whatever it was that Sam was about to tell her, it was definitely what he truly wanted to do with his life. "I'm in Hollywood... and that's at one of those huge studios where they, uh, made Transformers and stuff. This bus pulls up, and there's a picture of me on it, and I'm in my underwear. Calvin Klein or something. My junk is as big as a car. And I look at it, and it's awesome. You probably think I'm crazy, right?"
Shaking her head with a small smile, Winnie placed her box of chicken in between her and Sam as she reached for her phone inside her pocket as she pulled it out with a smirk.
"Okay, eat something. You're gonna need your strength." She said, as Sam frowned a little at her, but smiled anyway when she did too. "I'm gonna call one of my dad's friends. She's a fancy photographer here in New York and we're gonna go to her studio for a late night shoot so you can get some modeling shots for you to show to agencies."
"Do you really think I could be a male model?" Sam asked, a little unsure, but feeling his heart swelling at the mere idea that Winnie could be the first one to ever believe in him and his crazy dreams.
"Well, this is New York, right?" Winnie smirked with a little shrug. "Isn't this the city where dreams come true?"
***
The late night-shoot had been great and the photographer had taken quite a few good pictures of Sam which left him absolutely buzzing. So it came as absolutely no surprise to anyone when Sam was quick to leave the apartment the next morning to try and find any agencies that would take him.
Apparently, he had, but as he sat with the group as they all had dinner while refusing to eat anything that was offered to him, Winnie realized that wasn't the best one for him.
"Hey, you guys!" Rachel smiled as she placed a little basket of bread in front of them. "I have some bread here if you want."
"No can do." Sam shook his head, as Winnie turned to look at him with a frown. "No, right now I'm just on this Mentos and flavored air diet."
"Sam, that's ridiculous." Kurt protested. "You don't need to lose ten pounds."
"Yeah, Sam, we all agree." Blaine nodded. "You don't need to be prison-camp skinny to be a model."
"I think you should find another agency." Winnie said, causing Sam to shake his head, stubbornly.
"No, House of Bichette is, like, the best agency in town." Sam said.
"You know what I think?" Blaine smirked a little. "I think that this argument would be best made in a song."
"Yes." Rachel smiled as she, Kurt and Blaine already started to move toward the piano Blaine, Sam and Winnie had ordered for them as thank you for their stay at the apartment.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no." Santana shook her head, as she turned to look at Winnie, almost desperately. "Do you see this? This is what's going to happen from every argument or discussion or meal from now on. It's gonna end in a freaking sing-along. It's bad enough we need to be singing waiters, okay? I can't have this in my home. I need my peaceful place."
"You don't have to sing, Santana." Kurt smirked just as Blaine started to play Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are causing Santana to roll her eyes as she walked out of the room with a groan. "But I dare you not to!"
***
New York had been fun, but the week was now over and Sam, Blaine and Winnie had had to return to McKinley already. As much as Winnie was happy to say that everything had worked out for the boys - with Blaine finally letting go of his insecurities after his very successful audition for NYADA and Sam leaving Bichette but now sure of what he wanted to do with his life -, Winnie was still rather upset that she, herself, hadn't actually managed to move forward at all, since she was still unsure on what college she'd be going to.
Still, it felt good being back at McKinley and, as she walked down the hallway with Sam and Blaine, seeing coach Sylvester arguing with Mr. Schue and the glee kids made her almost feel like home.
"You know, in a few decades, when the New Directions are all on unemployment and sexually pleasing some horny old casting assistant just so they can be extras on season of The Bachelorette, they'll look back on this time and remember you fondly." Principal Sylvester was saying, clearly trying to annoy Mr. Schue.
"That's not true, Sue Sylvester!" Tina argued back, as Winnie smiled, amused by her friend's sudden anger. "One day, we're gonna be big, big stars."
"Well, of course you are, my dear." Principal Sylvester nodded sarcastically. "Isn't that right, William?"
Before Mr. Schue could even say anything at all, however, Tina took notice of her three friends as they approached them and she smiled.
"Guys!" She smiled as they stopped walking once they were standing close to the group. "They're back!"
"Yo, dawgs, tell us everything." Artie smiled at them and, even before anyone could even think about where to start, Sam already started talking.
"Fact: Blaine thought he wanted to be a doctor for a minute and then Kurt talked him out of it and then he went to NYADA and he crushed his NYADA audition." He said, as Blaine sighed but smiled at his best friend.
"Sam, that was my news." He said, as Sam just shrugged.
"Oh, and, uh, Mr. Schue, did you know that Billy Joel never went to college?" He said, as the teacher looked away, nervously. "Fact: he didn't, and I think you forgot to tell us about that. So I'm gonna skip college, too, and become a male model."
"Impossible." Principal Sylvester almost scoffed. "You're too fat."
"No, I'm not." Sam answered quickly and surely as Winnie smiled gently. "And I don't care what you or Ms. Bichette or anyone says. I like me just the way I am, and I'm not gonna change for anyone."
"Well, that is just the screw-you spirit employers love." Principal Sylvester said, "Honest to God, I cannot imagine what goes on in your lumpish, sexually ambiguous heads."
"Cause they're nuts." Becky interjected. "Every one of them is crazy!"
"Becky, you may be right." Mr. Schue smirked, as all the glee kids smiled, already knowing what Mr. Schue was planning. "We may be crazy."
"Oh, no, no, no, no. Don't you dare." Principal Sylvester shook her head as she too realized that the glee kids she hated so much were about to burst out into song and sing You may be right as means to try and prove a point to her. "Over my dead body will you inexplicably shoehorn in another Billy Joel song just to punctuate one of your weekly lessons that inevitably veers off into a saccharine barrage of angst and affirmation."
But, of course, no one really cared for the empty threat and, next thing Winnie knew, she was suddenly in the auditorium, singing and dancing with her friends and forgetting, even if for a while, all about the stress of her college acceptances - or not.
***
Winnie smiled as soon as she opened the door to her house and her three little sisters practically jumped over the couch as they rushed over to her to engulf her in a hug as they talked one over the other to tell her all about their week. Winnie did try to pay attention to them all but she missed most of what they were saying. But she did nod along to all of them and smiled at them anyway.
"Was New York okay?" Callie asked, as soon as the three of them were done with their quick reports to Winnie.
"New York was fine." Winnie shrugged, placing her bag down by the door. "I've missed you, though."
"We missed you too." Frankie smiled.
"Did mom and dad treat you okay?"
"I guess." Callie shrugged.
"Where are they now?"
"Out." Evie said, causing Winnie to frown deeply.
"And you're alone?" She asked.
"Yeah." Frankie nodded.
"Oh, God..." Winnie rolled her eyes. "Have you eaten already?"
"No." Callie said.
"Oh, my God..." Winnie groaned. "Fine. I'm gonna go make some dinner for us, then, okay? You three go take a bath and when you're out, dinner will be ready, okay?"
"Okay." The three girls nodded, Callie and Evie already rushing up the stairs and heading toward the bathroom while Frankie stayed behind, tugging at Winnie's sleeve as the older girl looked down at her. "Some letters arrived for you."
"Really?" Winnie asked, feeling her whole body shake a little in anticipation.
"Yeah." Frankie nodded. "I left them on the table."
"Okay, thank you, love." Winnie smiled at her sister before patting her on the back gently. "Now, go on and take your bath, okay?"
"Okay." Frankie nodded then, turning around to rush up the stairs and leaving Winnie alone.
Deciding to focus on hers and her sisters' dinner before anything else, Winnie quickly put together a little something for them all and, as soon as everything was ready, she paused for a second, going over to the hall by the door where letters usually stayed and gasping as soon as she noticed the two envelopes sitting there waiting for her to open them, with the two stamps she had been dying to see for weeks now: one from Harvard and another for Stanford.
Winnie took a deep breath, about to open the first one - the Harvard one, the one she wanted the most - but, just before she could, she heard her three sisters coming down the stairs, asking for dinner as Winnie smiled at them, placing the envelopes down as she moved toward the dining hall to sit with the girls and have some dinner with them.
The letters waited a whole week for her, so Winnie guessed they could wait for another few hours.