"Finn, stop!" Blake giggles loudly as she watches her boyfriend stick his finger in the cookie batter they're making. "You've already eaten like half the bowl."
"I have not." He responds defensively. "I've only had three bites."
Blake crosses her arms over her chest, covering her apron that has the cheesy line Kiss the Chef written on it. Finn watches as her eyebrows draw closer and he begins to feel more intimidated.
"Fine." He huffs. "I've had a lot."
"I know you have." Blake smiles, coming closer to him. "The remnants of your crime are still attached to your face." She smirks as she wipes off the little bit of dough attached to his cheek.
Finn smirks, "It's not my fault you're the best baker in the world." He grabs her by the waist, swaying them back and forth. "You created this monster." The boy laughs, gesturing to himself.
"My Cookie Monster?" Blake raises an amused eyebrow.
"Your Cookie Monster." He confirms, leaning in for a kiss while simultaneously taking another finger full of dough.
He plops the dough in his mouth once more, making Blake roll her eyes, "Do you want to have cookies on the bus ride to Nationals?" Finn nods rapidly. "Then stop eating the dough!" She laughs. "At this rate we'll have maybe one whole cookie by the time we're done."
Finn juts his bottom lip out, pouting. "Can't you just make another batch? This is really good."
"You do realize there are raw eggs in that right?" She looks at him amused. "You know, the kind that can give you salmonella."
"Salma-what?" He looks at her confused.
"Something that can make you super sick." She explains. "I promise, I'll make you an edible batch of cookie dough for the bus ride. But you have to let me finish the actual cookies first."
Finn childishly rolls his eyes while placing his hands on her hips. He kisses her forehead with a defeated sigh. "Fine." He groans out in annoyance.
Blake chuckles, "While I do love your whining, I need you to grab some of the baking sheets off the top shelf."
Finn grins happily as he effortlessly reaches up, retrieving the item she asked for. "Here you go my love."
"Thank you." Blake smiles, pecking his lips. "Now get back to work. You're my sous chef for a reason." She says, smacking his butt.
"Hey." He calls out. "At least take me out to dinner first."
Blake raises an eyebrow, "Last I checked, I'm making you cookies and cookie dough." She crosses her arms. "So I have full access to all of this." She gestures up and down to his body. "With consent of course."
"You always have consent." Finn replies, sprinkling more chocolate chips into the batter.
Blake watches him fondly as she pictures their future together, "I love you."
Finn looks up at her with a half smile, "I love you too."
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
"Nationals."
Everyone in the choir room bubbled with a certain level of excitement as Mr. Schue turns to look at them with a wide smile. They've worked long and hard to get to this point. They'll all be damned if this opportunity slips through their fingers one more time. It's also going to be much easier now that Rachel and Blake are getting along, as well as the shorter brunette no longer being in love with Finn was an added bonus.
Mr. Schue and Coach Sylvester nod at each other, "Okay, song selection. We'll be kicking off our Vintage theme with the legendary Jim Steinman's Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Rachel and Blake will do a duet, It's All Com-"
"Coming Back to Me Now." Rachel squeals excitedly. "One of Celine Dion's most powerful ballads, inspired by Wuthering Heights."
Blake feels almost flattered that Mr. Schue is offering her such a powerful duet. She's also slightly astonished that Rachel doesn't seem to be complaining at the thought of sharing her spotlight with Blake. It was almost touching.
Sue nods as she continues, "And we'll be working in a new Treble Tones number, utilizing the talents of our featured performer, Porcelina Hummel."
Kurt shakes his head, "Not gonna happen Dragon Lady."
"Oh, you'll do as you're told, he/she. We will be performing What A Feeling, from Flashdance, and I'm familiar with the choreography, of course, because I was Jennifer Beals' dance doubles."
Blake and Finn share a confused look as Sue continues talking, "And on that note, please look under your seats."
"Space helmets?"
The brunette girl reaches under her seat and furrows her eyebrows at the sight of a large welding helmet and bright neon leg warmers. "Welding helmets and leg warmers?"
Sue nods in confirmation, "Best way to get props is to use props."
Sam smirks playfully as he turns to Joe with his welding helmet, putting on his best Darth Vader impression. "I am your father."
Joe tilts his head confused, "Huh?"
"Uh, Darth Vader." Sam deadpans.
"Is that a movie?"
Blake giggles at the shocked and disturbed look on Sam's face. She'll definitely have to help him introduce Joe to Star Wars.
"A healthy dose of props, and our plucky transsexual Porcelina, and you are over the top."
"Aren't props a little cheesy?" Finn asks, wrapping his arm around Blake's shoulder.
"Guys, I've asked for Sue's help because she's a winner, and I'm not ashamed to admit this... I want to win." Mr. Schue looks at them unashamed. "But there's not one person in that audience who will think we're anything but underdogs who would be lucky to place in Nationals. We didn't even make the top ten last year. We've got one last week to come together and shake things up. If there's anyone here who is not up for trying and working their butts off, you should just get up right now and leave."
Unexpectedly to everyone in the glee club, Tina stands up from her seat and angrily makes her way to the door.
"Whoa, whoa, Tina, where are you going?"
"You guys don't need me. Carry on." Tina remarks angrily.
"Tina, you don't understand. I need this." Rachel begs.
"Because you blew an audition? And why does Blake get a solo? Because she'll jump ship again if she doesn't get what she wants? That's not a reason for you two to get a solo at Nationals. Maybe the rest of us would like one, too."
Blake's eyes widen and Tina's outburst. She understands why she's so upset, but why go after her? The two girls have never really fought or anything like that. Blake crosses her hands and looks down at her shoes, not wanting to meet Tina's eyes.
"I wouldn't mind another one before I get deported." Rory admits shyly.
"I want one. Even though I can't sing." Sugar adds.
"Tina, Blake and Rachel are seniors." Mike says, coming to their defense.
"So are you, but you can bet the only thing you'll be doing is a dance break with Brittany." She points out. "Other people matter."
"Tina, you may not always get all the solos, but you are a key player." Mr. Schue nods, trying to diffuse the situation. "I put you in charge of costumes."
"Wow! Like that's some prize." Tina quips back sarcastically. "You want props to move around? Well, I'm a human prop, and I'm sick of it!"
"Take a lap and cool down, Asian Number One." Sue orders.
"My name is Tina. Tina Cohen Chang!" She exclaims as she storms out of the classroom, not sparing anyone a second glance.
Coach Sue leans over to Mr. Schue, "Isn't she the one who used to stutter?"
Blake leans forward and puts her face in her hands. This is definitely not how she was expecting this week to start. She hears Mike mutter something about trying to talk some sense into Tina before walking out of the classroom.
The brunette girl lets out a huge sigh before looking up at Mr. Schue, "Look, I don't want to cause any drama right before Nationals, so please Mr. Schue, just give Tina my part in the duet."
"No." Rachel shakes her head in response before their teacher could answer. "Blake, you deserve this solo. You've worked hard." Rachel quickly stands up and grabs her wallet, "I can take care of this."
Rachel follows after Tina and Mike as Blake shakes her head. "I've sang lead at every competition since last year. I've had plenty of times to shine. If me forfeiting my spot in the duet stops all of the fighting, I'll happily do it. If we want to win, we need to be united. Just give Tina the duet."
After her mini monologue, Blake walks out of the classroom and beelines for her locker. Unsurprisingly, Finn followed her, knowing this is affecting her more than she's letting on.
He stops in front of her as she opens her locker, "Blake, that's not fair. You can't just give up one of the last songs you'll sing for glee club." He tries to reason with her, "Think about it. Tina has all of next year to be the lead female singer."
"It's just not worth it Finny." She shakes her head dejectedly. "If it's going to cause all this crap to happen, why even do it? If I go up there, knowing that Tina is mad at me, I won't even enjoy it."
"You shouldn't be worried about Tina. She's just a little bit upset. She loves you, and she'll get over it eventually."
"But that's the thing. She shouldn't have to get over it." Blake responds. "Tina is absolutely right. She is one of the original glee club members and most of the time, no one even bothers to talk to her. It's not fair. If anyone deserves a solo, it's her."
Finn frowns as he watches Blake's breathing begin to shallow. He knows this is a tell tale sign of an anxiety attack starting. He reaches forward and pulls her into his chest. "We'll figure it out okay? We always do."
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
"I brought the popcorn!" Blake announces as she sits next to her brother on his bed.
"Took you long enough." Derek teases, taking a handful of popcorn. "I've had the game set up for like fifteen minutes already."
Blake rolls her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure it's so difficult turning on a gaming console and picking Super Smash Bros."
"It was actually." He nods. "Takes a lot of time and precision."
"Whatever." She giggles. "Just start the game."
Derek quickly gets them to the characters page where he chooses Link to be his fighter and Blake immediately chooses Donkey Kong.
The younger boy shakes his head, "I can't believe you still main Donkey Kong."
"Hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it." She shrugs. "He gets me the most wins, so might as well use it."
As the two siblings continue to play, uttering curses under their breath when the other gets the upper hand. Derek looks over to his sister who seems to be deep in the game. "Why isn't Finn here?" He asks, eyes never leaving the screen.
Blake shrugs, "I guess I just didn't invite him over. Is it so wrong to want to spend some time with my brother?" She smirks as she hits Derek's character.
"No, there's nothing wrong with it. I was just curious." He responds. "But is there something else bothering you?"
Before Blake answers, she swiftly finishes the match by knocking her brother off the platform with only a few seconds left to spare. It's revealed she got first place and Derek groans loudly at his defeat.
Blake laughs and as soon as it dies down, she sighs. "Tina stormed out of glee rehearsals today." She admits.
Derek miss, "Yeah, Ace and River told me about it."
"Then why'd you ask?" Blake queries.
"I just wanted to hear it from you." He tells her. "While I get where Tina is coming from, I don't think you should give up your duet with Rachel."
"Derek, most of the new people in glee club don't even know her name." Blake sighs exasperatedly. "And it's almost time for me to graduate, the last thing I want to do is start a problem with one of my friends who I've known since my sophomore year."
"Well, I think it's unfair how she took out her frustrations on you. You have worked your ass off to prove that you deserve solos. She should understand that." Derek reasons.
"I appreciate the sentiment Der, but I already made up my mind." Blake rubs his back. "If Tina gets a moment up front, then it's worth it."
"You were always selfless when it came to your friends." Derek smiles.
"I try to be." She admits softly. "I just hope it works itself out. The last thing we need is a feud before Nationals."
"Dad told you we were going right?"
Blake looks at him shocked, "No... he didn't tell me anything."
"Oh, shit." He rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe it was supposed to be a surprise. Don't tell Dad I told you."
Blake throws her head back, laughing. "Okay. Well, I look forward to seeing you guys there."
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
"Please ignore the stench of mildew and jock strap and focus your attention on the screen." Sue instructs as she looks over to Kurt. "Porcelina?"
"Yesterday, I snuck into a Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal, and what I saw is not for the faint of heart." He tells them with wide eyes.
"Lights."
Blake watches as Vocal Adrenaline performs in the video. The video itself is in black and white of course. After a questionable run through using the welding masks and leg warmers, Blake was starting to doubt how well What A Feeling was going to go.
"Look at that. Unlike you misfit, ragtag stumblebums, each member of Vocal Adrenaline is in perfect sync." Sue insults.
"Okay, watch this closely, guys. It's called the Human Centipede. It's the newest, hardest show choir dance move ever invented." Mr. Schue utter in complete awe. "Incredible."
Blake and Blaine both tilt their head and send each other odd looks. Both teens thinking the same thing. "That actually doesn't look that hard." Blake voices for the both of them.
"And the cherry on top of the Vocal Adrenaline sundae is their secret weapon, Unique." Sue shakes her head while admirably looking at Unique. "Look at him/her. Poised, confident. Pretty as a picture with a booty that won't quit. It's the Unique factor that gives Vocal Adrenaline its edge." Sue explains and turns off the projector.
Finn looks at his girlfriend with a half smile, "Well, isn't Blake our unique factor?"
Blake looks down bashfully at his sweet sentiment. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better. Sue looks at the brunette girl and analyzes her.
"Perhaps." The blonde coach admits. "I will admit she's better than Rudolph the Big Nose Reindeer over there." She nods over to Rachel. "But she's not Unique."
Blake purses her lips, "I mean, hey, I'll take it."
"High school judges are proven idiots. They love props, and Unique is the ultimate prop."
Puck furrows his eyebrows, "Do you seriously think that we need a guy to dress in drag to win?"
"No."
"Yes."
Mr. Schue and Coach Sue answer simultaneously and Puck looks away determined. Blake huffs as everyone begins to file out of the locker room. She hears small footsteps echo behind her, so she immediately knows it's not Finn.
The brunette girl turns around and a small small creeps onto her face, "Hey Tina. Is everything okay?"
Without responding, Tina approaches Blake and envelopes her in a hug. "I'm so happy that you're you."
Blake wraps her arms around her friend, still slightly taken aback. "Thanks?" She pulls away and looks at Tina concerned, "What's going on?"
"Nothing." She sighs with a smile. "I just had a weird Freaky Friday fantasy where I was Rachel and Kurt was Finn and he really wanted to make out with me for whatever reason. Then Rachel was me, but back in my super goth faze. River and Ace were also swapped and honestly, there really wasn't a difference." The raven haired girl rambles.
Blake giggles, "That does sound interesting. So who was I?"
"Jesse." Tina shrugs. "I don't know why in my head that made sense, but it kinda did."
Blake can't help but be curious, "Did he look as good as me?"
"You remember how curly you wore your hair for Sectionals last year?" Tina asks, causing Blake to nod. "That's the hair he had."
"Oh dear Lord." The girl cringes.
"It actually wasn't as bad as you'd think." Tina justifies. "But anyway, Jesse- you came up to Rachel- me in my fantasy and told me that you were giving up your part of the duet for Tina- Rachel like how you're doing now."
Blake nods and grabs her friends hand, "Tina, if anyone deserves to sing a lead at Nationals, it's you. I'm okay sitting this one duet out. Plus, Finn told me that Mr. Schue asked me to sing lead for Paradise By the Dashboard."
"Okay, but I want you to sing this duet." Tina reassures her. "You out of everyone worked really hard to get your rep in glee. Not everything was handed to you." She smiles at Blake once more. "And anyway, I'll always have next year. I can only hope that I make the same impact on everyone else as you did for me."
The taller girl feels tears well up in her eyes at Tina's words. She embraces her shorter friend in a hug once more, "You're going to be a star Tina. I just know it."
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
After a fairly off rehearsal of watching Puck walk in as Lola, Blake was slightly worried for her friend. She knows that someone had to have seen him walking into the auditorium, and it was only a matter of time before someone said something about it.
She and Finn bid their goodbyes with a sweet kiss and she wandered down the hallway, making her way towards Puck's locker. As she approaches, she hears the familiar voice of Rick The Stick Nelson echoing through the building.
"It's the darkest day in Ohio since Ernest Byner. Boy, how the mighty have truly fallen, huh? Take a good look at him, boys. This empty, useless shell of a man you see before you used to be the Noah Puckerman." He shakes his head. "The guy they named the Dumpster out by the smoking lounge after 'cause he had dumped more dweebs in it than any ten dudes combined."
Blake slowly crept closer, knowing she might need to interfere if this takes a dark turn. Puck scoffs and brushes Rick off, "Keep rocking that mullet, Ricky. Maybe in a few years it will
come back in style."
Puck tries to walk past him but Rick quickly pushes him back, "And today he finally succumbed to the toxic fumes of Glee Club and came to school wearing a frickin' dress."
"Are you looking to pick a fight? 'Cause there's
three of you and one of me, so you're gonna you'd need about two more guys to make it a fair fight, you frickin' loser." Puck quips back.
"Oh, I'm a loser?" Rick scoffs with a smug smirk. "Did I tell you I got into Ohio State? Yeah, I'm gonna play hockey there. What's your plan after graduation?" He asks rhetorically. "Oh, that's right, you aren't graduating." Blake watches as Puck's face falls and she immediately clenches her fist. "Face it, Puck, you're the guy we all used to make fun of when we were freshman. The one who used to hang out hung out in front of the 7 Eleven picking up on high school girls after graduating. In two months you'll be buying my little brother beer and just begging him to take you to a party. You're a Lima loser."
Puck immediately launches forward, "I'm going to rip that mullet of your head!" He screams as Rick's two goons pin him against a locker.
Blake then takes this as her cue to jump in, "Hey!" She yells. "Let him go." She demands, getting into Rick's face.
Rick watches her cautiously and he notes her angry state. Nostrils flared, jaws clenched. He's seen some of the things she's done to the football guys, and he knows better than to mess with her. He warily nods to his friends, indicating for them to release her friend. He looks over at Puck, "Your little girlfriend can't protect you forever." He sends him a small glare, You want to fight, fine. But not here. Out by your Dumpster. See, I don't want to get in trouble. 'Cause unlike you, I got a lot to lose."
With that, Rick and his friends stalk off, leaving Puck and Blake alone in the hallway. Puck looks over at Blake with a butthurt look on his face. "I had it handled." He grumbles.
"Yeah." She nods sarcastically. "Being pinned up against a locker really gave that impression."
"I don't need you to bail me out of all my problems Blake!" Puck exclaims out of nowhere.
The brunette stares at him shocked, "What are you talking about?"
"You are always bailing me out of bad situations! The fight Finn and I had sophomore year. Standing up for me whenever someone accuses me of something, this situation, I mean, hell, you even gave me your notebook to study with to pass my geography exam and I still failed it!" He yells with frustration. "No matter what, it's always you. But I still fail."
"Okay, but why is that a problem?" She crosses her arms.
"Because I'm not always gonna have you!"
Blake looks at her friend, the initial shock of his outburst wearing off. She now knows what this is truly about and gazes at him sympathetically, "Puck-" She tries to get out, taking a step forward.
"No." He shakes his head. "Just- just leave me alone."
***
After what happened with Noah and Rick earlier, Blake couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen. She knew that they were going to fight out by the dumpster after school so that's exactly where she went. She worriedly walks out of the school and towards the large crowd of people who she assumes are there to watch the fight.
"Last chance to walk away with whatever teeth
you have left, Stickhead." Puck seethes.
"Please. I just hope you brought a change of clothes 'cause you're going Dumpster diving. But hey, maybe while you're in there, you'll find your garbage father." Rick fires back. "How's he doing, by the way? You know, I tried his microbrew. It sucked."
Puck quickly throws the first punch that starts the fight. Blake winces at the sight of the two boys hitting each other. The brunette girl runs off and back into the school, trying to find some teacher to help stop the fight before it escalates to a point of no return.
Blake turns a corner and thankfully comes across Coach Bieste. She breathes out heavily, "Coach, I need your help. There's a fight out by the dumpsters."
Coach looks at her with a determined face and simply follows her outside. By the time the two women get back, they see Puck jumping out of the dumpster with the fake switchblade Blake used during West Side Story. The only problem is, no one else besides she and Puck would know that it's a fake.
"What the hell you doing, man?" Rick stares at Puck with fear in his eyes.
"I'm not a loser!" He states, going in to swipe the knife.
But before he could get too far, Coach Bieste grabs his arm. "Drop it!" She yells. Puck doesn't respond at first so she yells once more. "Drop it! The show's over! Everybody go home! Get out of here!" She looks at Puck with disappointment, "Except for you. Come on."
Coach guides Noah inside with Blake in tow. They head over to the locker room and Puck bursts through the door, immediately grabbing a towel to wipe off the blood on his arm.
"A knife?!"
"It's rubber." He shrugs. "It's just a prop from West Side Story."
Blake stands there with her arms crossed and head hung low as Coach continues to lecture him. "What the hell are you thinking?! You could get expelled for this!"
"It doesn't matter. I'm flunking out!"
"You've still got a record Puck." Blake says looking up at him. "You could get arrested for assault!"
"I don't care!" He exclaims.
Blake steps forward, "Well, you damn well should care!"
"I'm nothing! Don't you get it?! I'm nothing! I'm the school joke! A failure! You two don't know what it's like to be worthless, where nothing you do matters! I feel that way every day of my life! Every damn day!" Puck admits with tears forming in his eyes. "You know how many football games or concerts my mom's been to in the last four years? None. Not one. My dad's been AWOL since I was ten years old, which is fine because all he ever did was tell me I was garbage! And he must be really proud of himself 'cause that's exactly how I turned out!" He finishes with his voice cracking.
Before Blake could say anything, Coach Bieste leans down to talk to her. "You should probably go punkin. I can take it from here." She whispers.
Blake looks over at Puck who won't even meet her eyes. She sighs dejectedly but nods nonetheless. She spins on her heel and walks out of the locker room, hoping Coach Bieste can somehow talk some sense into him.
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
"I just don't know what to do." Blake admits to Finn as he attempts to braid her hair the way she showed him.
"Why don't you just talk to him?"
"Because he told me he doesn't need me." Blake answers. "Puck is in a rough spot right now, and I genuinely don't know how to help him."
Finn sighs as he finishes off her first braid, "He needs you. He's just too tough to admit it. Trust me, most of us would be a mess by now if we didn't have you there to constantly fix our screw ups."
"I just want to see him succeed. After everything that's happened all I want is for him to graduate with us."
"And he will." Finn confirms. "If there's anything I know about us, is that we know how to pull off miracles."
"If our setlists haven't proved that, I don't know what will." Blake laughs.
"You know, sometimes I wish my hair was long enough to braid." Finn thinks out loud.
"Well, the thing about long hair is that you have to take care of it." Blake smirks. "And considering the fact you use three in one shampoo, I don't think you could handle it."
"Hey, that's not fair. I can't help it if that's the most convenient thing." He defends.
"Yeah, but with long hair, you can't always go the convenient route." She tells him with a small smile.
"Whatever." Finn rolls his eyes. "I'm doing long hair right now." He points out.
"Yes you are." She nods and turns around to peck his lips. "And you're doing a great job."
"Are you sure you want your hair braided like this for the bus ride?" He queries. "Won't it be uncomfortable?"
She shrugs, "It'll be fine. Plus, I need my hair to be super curly for Dashboard."
Blake looks down and feels her phone buzz. She picks it up and sees Puck's name flash across the screen. She opens the message and smiles.
I get to retake the geography test.
She sends him a congratulations and looks back up to her boyfriend, showing him the message.
"See? I told you it would work out."
Blake looks at him happily, "You were right. Like you always are." She giggles, kissing his nose.
"Alright, well are you ready? Mr. Schue said we're leaving at six and it's already five-thirty." Finn puts his hand out for her to take and uses his other hand to grab her suitcase.
The brunette interlocks her hand in his. She nods, "Let's go to Nationals."