"Get your Cheerios' paper!" Jordan and Peyton exclaimed through the hallways as they handed out newspapers. "Forget the Muckracker. Read the Paper View!"
Around the corner, Julie and Jake stood at their lockers for the morning. "So next week is Valentine's week and I was thinking maybe we could—"
"Before you say anything, I already have plans for us," he said with a smile.
"Oh, really?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Mmh-hmm," he nodded. She listened intently as he said, "It was the first time we kissed outside of High School Musical, so it's a special time and—" Jake winced, stopping when Jordan tossed a rolled up newspaper—that looked more like a magazine; it was so fancy—at Julie.
"Forget the Muckracker!" Peyton exclaimed. "Switch to The Paper View!" Catching it just before it could hit Julie, Jake grabbed it and began unrolling.
"Nice catch," Julie told him teasingly. "Maybe you should join the football team."
"The season ended smartass," Jake responded with a smirk on his face. "So what is this Paper View thing? What evil scheme have you put your minions up to?"
"I had nothing to do with it," she clarified. "In fact, all I did was ensure that they leave us out of it. It's all just gossip and useless 'news' as far as I'm aware."
Jake started skimming through the pages. "An entire page dedicated to Alex?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "40 Facts About Alex Zimmerman. Exclamation mark..."
"Ice prince," Julie shrugged, as though that should be enough to explain it.
"Wonder how he feels about this," Jake said.
***
"What's wrong with you?" Alex said, stepping in front of Peyton and lifting the Paper View for her to know what he was referring to.
"You read the article about you," she nodded. "Look, I know I should've ran it by you first but I swear I didn't put anything in there that wasn't the absolute true."
"That's the problem, Peyton!" he exclaimed, lowering the paper and looking straight at her angrily. "You revealed every personal detail about me that you could think of. Was this really necessary?"
"The people demanded the truth and so the truth I gave!" she responded in a dignified manner. "It's not like I invaded into your private life so—"
"Peyton you gave them my phone number," Alex sighed. "I'm going to have to change it now. And my blood type? How do you even know my blood type? I don't even know it! Not to mention you also listed my home address and I can't just move so now the entire school knows where I live."
"The entire school and anyone who reads our online blog..." Peyton said, not helping her case.
Alex handed her his copy of the paper and said, "Fix it. I don't know or care how. But fix it." He walked away and she stared, her mouth wide open with shock as he disappeared down the hall.
***
"Did you see the piece about us on The Paper View?" Shana asked Unique as she sat down beside her in the choir room.
"I saw the pictures they used for us," Unique responded. "You looked sexy in yours."
"So did you," Shana noted with a smile that quickly faded.
Unique rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, right. Compared to you, anyone looks awful, myself included."
"That's not—" Shana began. She couldn't finish because Will walked in and shut the door, heading directly for the white board.
He wrote the word Regionals on the board. Though it was the first week of February, which meant there was still over a month until the competition, everything in glee club was starting to revolve around the competition.
"I just found out what this year's Regionals theme will be," he announced. "Drum roll please!" The kids slapped their own laps, except for Alex who was pestering Amity by slapping the top of her head. She scowled at him but he didn't stop until the drumming ceased completely and Will exclaimed, "Motown!"
"Shut up," Julie said without thinking. Jake smiled at her as though she was just too adorable and Kitty frowned instead.
"Lame!" she exclaimed. "Nobody listens to that music anymore."
"I totally do!" Julie responded, glaring at her.
"Me too," Ryder admitted with a shrug.
"I love Diana Ross!" Shana exclaimed.
Julie turned to her and cried, "Me too!" As the girls exchanged high-fives, Rory turned to Will.
"So how do the guys fit in?" he asked.
"Motown was a record label for men and women," Will responded. "Many of music's greatest went through Berry Gordy Jr.'s company and thank goodness they did."
"Diana Ross & The Supremes," Julie listed, "the Four Tops, the Jackson 5!"
"And that was just the Motown label," Will nodded. "The company opened up various other labels which then took on great acts like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations—"
"Stevie Wonder," Ryder said, looking at Kitty.
Kitty sighed and said, "Ok, so they had a few still relevant music acts but for the most part it just doesn't seem like something we can make hits out of ourselves. The audience will be bored."
"I sincerely doubt that," Amity told her. "And even if, it's all about tugging at the heart strings of the judges, right? I doubt they hate the theme if they've signed on for the gig."
"Ok, so what songs are we doing?" Alex asked.
Will smiled and said, "We have some time to figure that out."
"Wait, are we doing Motown week then?" Julie asked with excitement.
Will shook his head. "Not yet," he said. "I just wanted to let you all know that it was coming up. And also, to inform you of something. I have it in good authority that this year the judges will be looking closely at making the numbers authentic. That means getting not just the sound, but also the look."
"So we become black?" Kitty asked.
Bree and Shana glanced at each other as Will said, "No, not that authentic. But we need to make the audience feel like they've been transported back to the era. To do so, you yourselves have to be like the artists of Motown, who were historical for pushing boundaries, getting out of their safe zones, and taking risks. Anyway, we'll be working on that in the next couple of weeks. This week, the focus will be on getting used to something you're not used to. And what better way than with some..." He hesitated as he erased the board and wrote, Country.
"Yes!" Shana exclaimed. "Today just keeps getting better!"
***
"I'm not a big country music fan," Julie said as she walked with Stefan through the library. "I mean, sure I know a few songs here and there but it's not really my thing. But I have to suck it up and go with the theme. As captain, everyone will look to me to be a team player and—What are you doing?"
Stefan looked up from his cell phone, having been making faces at its screen. "Sorry, Snapchat to Peyton," he said, sticking his phone into his pocket. "You were saying?"
"I need to find good country music," she said, sliding into her usual corner and taking a seat on the ground. He joined her as she pulled out her laptop and said, "I'm going to search for the top country songs of today and hope that gets me something."
"Why don't you just let the country buffs take care of things this week?" Stefan asked her. "You're obviously a shoe-in for a solo at Regionals, so maybe just let them do all the work now."
"No," Julie shook her head. "We're a team and during rehearsals everyone should participate. I just can't think of any song that my voice is geared for..."
"So that's what it is," Stefan said with a smug look on his face. "Mr. Schue finally gave the one assignment you can't completely nail. You can't do country, can you Julie?"
She looked up from her computer, a serious look on her face as she plugged in headphones and said, "I have work to do." Without another word, she cranked up the music and put the headphones on, so he rolled his eyes as he got up and left her to herself.
***
"Boo!" Alex exclaimed as he snuck up behind Amity out in the courtyard. She didn't even flinch as she munched on grapes and read through a magazine. After seconds of standing there behind her, Alex realized what she was reading and pulled it away.
"Hey!" she cried as he sat down next to her and put the newspaper aside. "I was reading that!"
"That's the problem," he sighed. "Why are you reading about your own boyfriend in a gossip article? You know me better than anyone else."
"Evidently not than Peyton," she told him, snatching it back and pointing at the list of 40 facts she's published on him. "I mean... Look at this. I didn't know most of these things."
"That's not your fault," Alex told her. "I didn't even know my own blood type."
"Not that," she shook her head. "Everything else. I mean, I had no idea you lived in Texas and New Mexico and Florida... Or—or that you hate April Fool's Day or that you love country or that you play the drums or... Wait... It says here one of your interests is Jordan Stern?"
Alex looked down at the page as Amity chuckled. "I guess not everything in here is completely factual," he said. "Peyton may need to fire her editor."
"I'm just realizing that there's so much about you I don't know," she told him, shaking her head with disappointment.
He sighed, "Can we not make something out of this?"
"Why shouldn't we?" she asked. "I mean, we should see this as an opportunity to learn more about each other."
"We already know each other," he said, leaning and kissing her cheek. "We know each other very well."
"And I love that about us," she nodded. "But there's obviously more we can learn about each other." She looked back down at the article and continued to read, so he gave up on trying to tell her to stop. Kissing her forehead quickly, he headed back into the building and decided to drop it. He wasn't going to win this fight.
***
"You love country right?" said Kitty as she reached Shana's locker. When the latter nodded, she said, "Great. Not many of the glee club members do. I think aside from you, it's just me."
"According to The Paper View," Shana noted, "so does Alex."
"Perfect," Kitty nodded. "Now that he's outed there's nothing keeping him from participating this week."
"You don't think anyone else will?" Shana asked her.
She shrugged and said, "Have you seen anyone enthusiastically preparing any numbers?"
Shana looked around and saw a few of the other glee clubbers, Bree, Dan and Harmony, in their own areas going about their normal days. "Well, forget about them," she said nonchalantly. "I for one already have the perfect song."
[Cue "Somethin' Bad" by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.]
Shana: Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping. Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen. Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
As Shana sang and began parading down the hallway, Kitty grinned and joined her.
Kitty: Pulled up to the church but I got so nervous. Had to back it on up, couldn't make it to the service. Grabbed all the cash underneath my mattress. Got a real good feelin' something bad about to happen.
Though they had just started, they knew this would probably go down as their favorite song they'd performed while at McKinley. It was basically each of their anthems and putting their voices together only made it better.
Shana: Ran into a girl in a pretty white dress. Rolled down a window, where you heading to next? Said I'm heading to the bar with my money out the mattress. Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen...
Both: Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping. Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen. Drinks keep coming, throw my head back laughing. Wake up in the morning' don't know what happened. Whoa... Something bad. Whoa... Something bad...
It was no surprise to anyone in the choir room that the two girls danced inside, singing their hearts out. They were the biggest country fans in the room, at least openly, and they were definitely the best at it, too.
Shana: Now me and that girl that I met on the street. We're rollin' down the road, down to New Orleans. Got a full tank of gas and the money out the mattress. Got a real good feelin' something bad about to happen.
As she stomped her feet in rhythm with Shana, Kitty grinned at her friends. Unique could have her Beyonce, Marley could keep Adele, Amity could have Jessie, Julie could keep Mariah, Harmony could have every woman in Broadway... But Carrie and Miranda belong to Shana and her, respectively.
Kitty: Bout to tear it up down in New Orleans. Just like a real-life Thelma & Louise. If the cops catch up, they're gonna call it lidnapping. Got a real good feelin' something bad about to happen.
The guys certainly seemed into it. Though only Alex listened to country and Dan was a fan of the crossover artists like John Mayer, none of them could deny that seeing the girls in little skirts and boots was more than pleasurable.
Both: Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping. Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen. Now the drinks keep coming, throw my head back laughing.
Shana (Kitty): Wake up in the morning' don't know what happened (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Both: Whoa... Something bad. Whoa... Something bad...
"And that's how you do country," Kitty said as the music ended, a hand around Shana in a celebratory manner.
"That'll be a tough act to beat!" Will said jovially, as he often did. Julie gave Stefan a look, knowing she'd never be that great.
***
"I need to come up with something to top that," Harmony said as she walked with Rory to class the next day. "But the problem is that my voice is more geared towards theatricality and country might just be the one genre that has very few, if any, theatrical performers."
"I'm sure you'll find something," Rory told her. "I have to go now but I'll catch up with you next period, ok?"
Harmony nodded as Rory entered his classroom and she continued on her walk towards her. She was close to the room when a voice behind her stopped her.
"I hear you're looking for a country song to sing," Ryder said, making her turn.
"Were you behind me that whole time?" she asked, confused and a bit creeped out.
Ryder ignored her question, to which the answer was yes, and said, "Ever heard of a little something called country pop?"
***
"Thanks for meeting me here," Julie said as she stood on the auditorium stage. Underneath her trench coat, she was wearing one of her favorite dresses—a black fitted sheath dress with its own set of long, black gloves.
As she removed her coat and tossed it on top of the piano, careful not to hit Brad with it, she turned to Jake with a smile and an expectant look on your face. "Wow..." he said. "If I'd known you'd be wearing that, I would've gotten here a lot quicker."
"It's for my song for the week," she explained.
With a creased brow, Jake asked, "Wait, you're participating this week?"
"Of course," she nodded. "I always do. And I know what you're thinking; I'm not the country type. But I've thought about it a lot and then last night it finally hit me. I'm never going to be like the modern artists of the genre, but then again, I'm not really into the music of this century as much as I am to that of the previous. In the 60s, Willie Nelson wrote what became one of the most classic country crossover songs ever produced. It was popularized by one of the only country singers I'm a huge fan of, Patsy Cline, and now, I'm going to try my own rendition of it. The outfit's just to get a feel of the era. It's vintage."
Jake smiled and nodded as Julie turned to Brad and nodded. With a deep sigh, Brad began to play the piano and the jazz band, who Jake hadn't noticed there until then, joined him.
["Crazy" by Patsy Cline. Might just be my favorite country(/pop) song ever.]
Julie: Crazy... I'm crazy for feeling so lonely. I'm crazy... Crazy for feeling so blue.
Her hand on the microphone stand, Julie closed her eyes as she sang, trying to picture herself singing this back in the 60s. That's what she'd have to do in order to kill it at Regionals so that's what she'd start doing now.
Julie: I knew you'd love me as long as you wanted. And then some day. You'd leave me for somebody new...
Just with listening to her, Jake was able to picture themselves in a different setting. A small 60s night club. He was a bartender, serving the drinks to the patrons as he tried not to be distracted by the beautiful singer on the stage.
Julie: Worry... Why do I let myself worry? Wondering... What in the world did I do?
The singer, glamorous and poised, barely swayed, one arm extended out in front of her and the other gently wrapped around the microphone. The only color in this black-and-white world was that of her brown eyes and her red lips.
Julie: Oh, crazy... For thinking that my love could hold you. I'm crazy for trying. And crazy for crying. And I'm crazy for loving you...
And just like in the old movies, this singer seemed sad and incomplete. She was missing something. But what was it? A family, a home, a lover? Jake snapped out of his Motown fantasy just in time to see her smiling at him as she finished the song. It was definitely not the happiest of lyrics she'd sang, but like always, her voice was shockingly outstanding.
Julie: Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you. I'm crazy for trying. And crazy for crying. And I'm crazy for loving... You...
The music ceased and Julie cleared her throat nervously. "How was that?"
"That was..." Jake began, at a loss for words. "That was perfect... You were perfect." Julie smiled, pleased at this answer, but somehow the song just didn't seem right for the week's assignment. And if not even one of the biggest country legends could do for her, she was done for.
***
Elsewhere, Dan was humming along to a John Mayer song on his way out of the bathroom when he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so—" he began. He stopped, frozen, when he saw that it was Bradley Giese, one of the wrestlers. He didn't look too please, as he had dropped his bag of chips on the ground.
"That cost me a dollar!" he exclaimed angrily.
"I'm sorry," Dan said, putting his arms up apologetically. "I didn't—it was an accident."
"Yeah?" Bradley responded. "So is this." He shoved Dan against a locker and spat, "Next time watch where you're going loser." He kicked the bag of chips at him before walking away. Dan didn't bother getting up for the first few seconds. There were plenty of people in the crowded hall, yet no one ever seemed to care. No one except for Alex and Amity. As soon as the two saw him on the ground, they rushed over to help him.
"Oh my gosh, Dan..." Amity murmured as Alex lifted him up and he brushed chips off of himself. "What happened?"
"Who did this to you?" Alex demanded to know, looking around for answers.
"The sad part is it could've been anyone around here, isn't it?" Dan told him as Alex turned back to him. "Don't worry about it. It's not anything new."
"That's the problem," Amity shook her head. "Dan, you can't allow this to go on."
"There's nothing I can do," he responded, still frazzled. "This is becoming an every day thing, yet I have no proof to bust any of those guys. I wish I was stronger so that I could..."
"You could what?" Amity asked when he didn't finish. "Hit them back? You and I both know that wouldn't solve anything..."
"I just..." Dan began, looking down at the ground with the saddest eyes either of his friends had ever seen. "I'm tired of living like this... I want it all to end." He looked up at the two of them and said, "I dread getting to school every day and I know I'll have to do this again and again for another year after this. And after that, it'll still—"
"It doesn't last," Alex shook his head, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Those guys are jerks and one day karma is going to bite them hard. For now, just keep remembering that—"
"I'm stronger?" Dan asked him. "That I'm special, that I'm better than them? If only it were that easy..." He grabbed his backpack, which had fallen to the ground, and walked away. Alex turned to Amity, who looked extremely worried, and the two then watched him disappear, blending back into the crowd once again.
***
["Invisible" by Hunter Hayes.]
Alex: Crowded hallways are the loneliest places... For outcasts and rebels. Or anyone who just dares to be different...
In his seat in the choir room, Dan watched as Alex and Amity watched him from the center of the room.
Alex: And you've been trying for so long. To find out where your place is. But in their narrow minds. There's no room for anyone who dares to do something different. Oh, but listen for a minute...
He knew what they were trying to do. Sitting in stools, singing softly, watching him with sad eyes... But all that was doing was letting everyone else in the room now how low he was.
Alex: Trust the one. Who's been where you are wishing all it was. Was sticks and stones. Those words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone. And you're not invisible.
Amity's eyes darted from Alex to Dan. Both of them had changed so much since she'd met them and she only wish the change in Dan had been as positive as that in Alex. She had influenced Alex so much and wanted nothing more than to do the same for her best friend.
Amity: Hear me out. There's so much more to life than what you're feeling now. Someday you'll look back on all these days. And all this pain is gonna be invisible.
Alex: Oh, invisible...
In many ways, she and Dan were very alike. She just had taken a different outlook on her life. As she made eye contact with him, she forced herself to smile.
Amity: So your confidence is quiet. To them quiet looks like weakness. But you don't have to fight it. 'Cause you're strong enough to win without a war.
So what if the song made her want to cry? This wasn't about her; it was about Dan. He needed the encouragement.
Both: Every heart has a rhythm.
Amity: Let yours beat out so loudly. That everyone can hear it. Yeah, I promise you don't need to hide it anymore.
Julie, who was sitting between Bree and Jake, held her boyfriend's hand tightly as she followed Amity's gaze to Dan. Something told her she should be concerned for him by the look on the performers' faces.
Alex: Oh, and never be afraid of doing something different.
Amity: Dare to be something more...
Once Kitty was done swooning over Hunter Hayes and being impressed by Alex's country sound, she noticed that the song was directed at Dan, too. Was he still having trouble?
Alex: Trust the one
Both: Who's been where you are wishing all it was. Was sticks and stones.
Alex: Yeah, the words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone
Both: And you're not invisible
Dan tried to ignore the fact that now everyone was looking at him. He focused his attention on the ground, but that was hard with all the eyes piercing on him.
Amity: Hear me out
Both: There's so much more of this life than what you're feeling now
Amity: And someday you'll look back on all these days. And all this pain is gonna be
Both: Invisible
He didn't even jump when a hand squeezed his shoulder. Glancing briefly at Harmony, who had offered up a soft smile, he turned back to the front and tried to keep his emotions in check until the song ended.
Alex: These labels that they give you just 'cause they don't understand
Amity: If you look past this moment. You'll see you've got a friend.
Both: Waving a flag for who you are. And all you're gonna do. Yeah, so here's to you. And here's to anyone who's ever felt invisible...
Amity: Yeah...
Alex: And you're not invisible
Will knew something was up. The song was full of passion and represented everything he'd always wanted to leave his kids with, which made him happy. But not happy enough to ignore the fact that the kids looked upset.
Both: Hear me out. There's so much more to life than what you're feeling now. And someday you'll look back on all these days. And all this pain is gonna be invisible. It'll be invisible...
As soon as the song ended and everyone was done clapping, Kitty turned to Dan and asked, "Ok, which one of those jerks is still messing with you?"
"Wait, they haven't stopped yet?" Ryder asked. "Looks like the football team will be giving the wrestling team a quick visit."
"I'm with you," Stefan agreed.
"Guys, stop," Will quieted them down. "Dan, is this true? Are other kids harassing you?"
Dan stayed quiet so Rory spoke up for him. "Not just harassing," he said. "I think it's safe to say it's past that. I get the occasional shove every now and then but... Dan gets pushed around every day now."
"We're tired of it Mr. Schue..." Amity said. "It affects all of us in here."
"Yeah," Alex nodded. "And as much as we're all for singing songs about it in here, out there that doesn't help."
"It's fine," Dan stopped them. "I appreciate what you're all trying to do but—"
"No buts," Julie shook her head. "Dan, we're all with you. They mess with you, they mess with all of us. Enough is enough."
"While I agree that there shouldn't be any violence," Amity said, "I do think it's time those guys learned their lesson."
***
"Suspended?" Bobby exclaimed as he and several other wrestlers stood in Principal Figgins office. "You can't do that!"
"I'm sorry but you have left me no choice!" Figgins exclaimed through his thick accent. "We have a zero tolerance for bullying at this school." Dan, who was sitting down on the small sofa with Julie, Alex and Will, looked down at the ground in fear.
"You don't have any proof," Phil told him. "For all you know, he's lying!"
"We have thirteen other kids who have vouched for Mr. Roberts," Figgin said.
"They're all in glee club!" Bobby cried. "Of course they'll back him off."
"But I'm not," Carrie said from the door. The wrestlers moved aside and saw her there, with Peyton, Jordan, Heather, Angela, Claudia and Teresa.
"We Cheerios have seen it, too," Peyton said.
"I don't know Dan," Angela said. "But I've seen it."
"Same," Teresa added. The rest of the girls nodded.
"There you have it," Figgins said to Bobby. "Twenty students who have witnessed your bullying. If your parents would like to set up meetings to discuss the matter, they can call my secretary. Otherwise, you are dismissed and your two-week suspension begins now. Off you go."
The wrestlers scowled at the cheerleaders and the glee club members as they left the room. "Coach Trantham won't be pleased you dismissed his entire team," Will said as the rest of the students evacuated the room.
"Coach Trantham should've been enforcing the school policy on them further!" Figgins exclaimed. "Thanks for reaching out to me, Will."
"Thanks for your help," Will nodded in return.
Outside the office, Julie caught up to Carrie as the rest of them celebrated their triumph. "Wait up," she said as the blonde turned to her. "Thanks for that. Your support was... unexpected to say the least."
"Ryder told me the plan and I figured I owed you all that much," she shrugged. "Don't think this means we're all BFFs now."
"I don't know..." Julie mumbled. "You spent the night at my house and then went to Stefan's glee-only cabin trip... Now this? You may as well join already."
"In your dreams," Carrie said, laughing as she walked over to Ryder.
"Thank you," Dan said, putting an arm around Julie. "You're the best sister ever. And not just because you're the only sister I've ever had."
Julie grinned and said, "I'll settle with favorite sibling. Cory will be jealous. Now go thank your friends. Especially Amity and Alex."
"Already did but I'll do it again," he nodded, walking back to them.
"No wrestlers for two weeks!" Alex said, patting Dan in the back triumphantly. "How does it feel?"
"Like two weeks aren't enough," he admitted. The two laughed and continued on their way back to class happily.
***
"How was glee club?" Joe asked as Bree walked into her house, making her jump.
"Shit," she said as she settled down. "You scared me. How'd you get in here?"
"Your mom was here," Joe said. "She left for work not too long ago."
"She's on a date," Bree rolled her eyes. "Work is just what she calls it now because that somehow makes it better in her mind that she's leaving me alone. Anyway, glee club was great. We got some people suspended so that was fulfilling."
"Wait, what?" Joe responded.
She shook her head and said, "Long story. But anyway, what are you doing here?"
Joe looked confused as he asked, "What do you mean? It's Wednesday, we—"
"Right, we were supposed to go to dinner," she sighed. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I forgot."
"That's ok," he assured her. "We can just head out now."
"Actually..." Bree stopped him as he started to get up. "I can't... I really need to practice for a number for glee club and I've got nothing so far. Several of the others have already kicked butt."
"Then let's stay in and come up with a song," Joe told her. He sat back down so Bree did the same.
"You want to sing with me?" Bree asked suddenly. "Maybe..?"
Joe's serious expression broke into a smile. "Sure," he said.