"What do you have for me Peyton?" Alex asked, not turning his head sideways in the slightest as Peyton began to walk beside him.
"My espionage has proved to be successful," she responded, looking around as though they were being watched. "I visited the school. Nobody saw me. Just as you asked."
Alex nodded. "What'd you find out, Beaver?"
"Lots of things, Alex," Peyton told her. "And stop calling me that. My teeth are fine now."
"Ok," he said. "Tell me everything so that I can report back to the glee club."
***
"Tuckwood?" Jake asked. "As in, they tuck their—"
"How do we know she's telling the truth?" Unique asked. "The Cheerios are notorious for trying to destroy the glee club."
"We can trust Peyton," Amity told her. She turned to Alex and asked, "We can trust Peyton, right?"
"Right," Alex nodded. To everyone, he said, "The Tuckwood School for Visual and Performing Arts has been around for decades yet never have they had a show choir compete in our division. This all changed when a group of students in their co-ed a capella group decided to stop charging for their performances."
"But once a show choir charges they are ineligible to perform in amateur competitions," Julie pointed out. "It's only allowed for fundraiser events."
"Exactly," Alex said. "Last year, they stopped charging and reformed their group. Changed their name from One Note Stand to Ransom Notes."
"So that's how they did it then," Marley said. "Change their identity, become a new group, and they are pros singing with newbies."
"Except we aren't newbies," Kitty said. "We've got just as much experience as most teams out there now and we can take on a group of wannabe Pitch Perfect's any day. We beat the Warblers, didn't we?"
"On technicalities," Julie pointed out. "We shouldn't get complacent but we can beat them. Right?" She was asking Alex, who didn't look happy.
"I wouldn't be so sure," he said earnestly. "Peyton said they're really good. Like, The Sing-Off good. I was thinking a few of us could go check them out this week at their Regionals."
"Those Aca-Bitches have a show?" Kitty asked him.
"Peyton said so," he responded. "They are rallying up support for Regionals. Unlike us, they have the luxury of attending a school that is already supportive of the arts and their show's purpose is to get as many people to attend the competition."
"It's being held at a neutral center this year," Will said, walking in. "If this other group gets more people in the audience that is on their side, that can have an impact on the judges. It's definitely worth scoping out how good they are. When's the show?"
"Wednesday," Alex answered.
Will nodded. "Ok then," he said. "Mandatory glee club field trip. I'll try to get us a bus but we'll most likely need to carpool there."
"What if we can't make it?" Amity asked, raising her hand. "The God Squad's delivering Valentine singing grams Thursday and we'll be practicing all afternoon on Wednesday."
"That's you, Kitty and Dan?" Will asked. The mentioned nodded. "That's fine," he agreed. "Just catch up on what you miss from your peers. Anyway, on to domestic business. Valentine's Day will be on Saturday but as always, the properly themed assignment extends into this entire week."
"Please be songs about sex," Stefan muttered. Shana nodded as Bree rolled her eyes at them.
"Love," Will said as he wrote the word on the whiteboard. "I want everyone to sing a song with that word in the title. Try to choose for the song that best represents the holiday and the word... Love."
"Cliché," Kitty complained as Marley sighed, "Romantic." The girls turned to each other. Of course. As always, they were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
***
Rory was walking out of a particularly horrible English lesson when he heard a girl yelling at him from behind. He turned expecting to see Harmony or maybe Amity, but instead he found Peyton running towards him.
"Hi!" Peyton exclaimed in her usual jovial manner. "You're Rory, right?"
"Umm... yes," he answered, surprised that a Cheerio outside of glee club knew his name.
"Great!" she said. "So I'm sure that by now you've heard about the new school paper Jordan and I started. Right?"
"Forget The Muckracker, switch to The Paper View," Rory recited.
Peyton grinned, glad that her catch phrase had caught on, and replied, "Exactly! So I was wondering if you could help us with an interview?"
Rory did a double take. Peyton wanted to interview him for The Paper View? He figured that she would want to interview the popular kids first. Needless to say, he quickly agreed.
"Yes of course!" he exclaimed. "I'd love to!"
"Awesome!" Peyton said happily, clapping her hands together in celebration. "So all we need you to do is convince Ryder Lynn to do an interview! You guys are kind of friends right?"
Rory's jaw dropped. He wasn't surprised by what Peyton had said, but by his own stupidity. How could he have believed that she wanted to interview him? He was a nobody; she wanted to talk to someone interesting, not some boring Irish kid. But still, he was pretty upset. He didn't want to sound rude or stupid though so he agreed to convince Ryder to do an interview, even if he and the guy weren't even that close.
As Peyton thanked him and walked off, Harmony and Dan rounded the corner and walked up to him. They were both laughing when they saw him, their smiles fading when they noticed the look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Dan asked him.
When he explained what happened with Peyton, Dan just nodded and Harmony said, "I completely understand! Jordan Stern came up to me about an interview earlier, thinking that I was Angela Smith. I felt so humiliated!"
"How does a Cheerio confuse someone for another Cheerio?" Dan muttered in confusion.
As Harmony shrugged, they continued walking towards the court yard for lunch. After a few seconds Harmony stopped, "We need to do something about this," she said.
Rory and Dan stopped too. "What do you mean?" Rory asked. "We can't make them interview us... Can we?"
"No," she said, her chin up in a dignified manner. "But we can give them something to talk about."
Rory and Dan looked at each other in confusion when the music started.
["Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows. Hope you all go watch Shrek after this.]
Harmony: So she said what's the problem baby? What's the problem? I don't know. Well maybe I'm in love, love. Think about it. Every time I think about it. Can't stop thinking 'bout it.
Dan recognized the song first and joined in.
Dan: How much longer will it take to cure this? Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it.
They continued singing as they walked out to the courtyard, where a large portion of the school was eating lunch.
Dan: If it's love, love. Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love, aww.
They walked over to a table where the rest of the New Directions were sitting and danced around them, making some of them laugh.
All: Come on, come on
Rory: Turn a little faster
All: Come on, come on
Harmony: The world will follow after
All: Come on, come on
Dan: Cause everybody's after love
The three spread out, Dan and Rory going on to the stairs and dancing with a few Cheerios, while Harmony went over to a table of some random students and danced on top of it.
Rory: So I said I'm a snowball running. Running down into the spring that's coming all this love. Melting under blue skies. Belting out sunlight. Shimmering love.
Dan: Well baby I surrender to the strawberry ice cream. Never ever end of all this love. Well I didn't mean to do it. But there's no escaping your love.
Dan was thrilled. Without the presence of his tormentors, he felt completely free to jump around and sing his heart out, no fear of being shoved against the wall.
Dan: These lines of lightning mean we're
Rory and Dan: Never alone, never alone. No, no.
Harmony went up the stairs and joined the boys for the chorus as all three danced in sync with some Cheerios behind them.
All: Come on, come on
Rory: Move a little closer
All: Come on, come on
Harmony: I want to hear you whisper
All: Come on, come on
Dan: Settle down inside my love
As they continued to sing and dance, the three failed to notice that not everyone was very pleased with there performance, particularly three wrestlers who had managed to escape suspension—each one holding a slushie.
All: Come on, come on
Rory: Jump a little higher
All: Come on, come on
Harmony: If you feel a little lighter
All: Come on, come on
Dan: We were once upon a time in love
Harmony: We're accidentally in love!
Dan: Accidentally in love.
Rory: Accidentally...
They tried to dodge the very angry looking members of the team they'd managed to jeopardize mid-season but it seemed as though those same three guys were absolutely everywhere.
Dan: I'm In Love. I'm in Love. I'm in Love, I'm in Love. I'm in Love, I'm in Love. Accidentally! I'm In Love. I'm in Love. I'm in Love, I'm in Love. I'm in Love, I'm in Love. Accidentally!
Harmony could sense Dan's confidence waning as they reached the end of the song.
All: Come on, come on
Rory: Spin a little tighter
All: Come on, come on
Harmony: And the world's a little brighter
All: Come on, come on
Dan: Just get yourself inside her
All: Love...
Harmony winked at a few friends, who in return acted as though they didn't know her.
Rory: I'm in love...
When they were done with their number, there was a burst of cheering from the New Directions table, but other then that pretty much no one clapped.
"Well," Harmony said, "Not exactly the reaction I was going for, but they noticed us so that's gotta get us somewhere!"
Suddenly, they heard slow clapping behind them. The three turned and saw that the three wrestlers were standing there with their slushies.
"That was... the gayest thing I have ever seen," one said, while the other two nodded in agreement. "We're sorry, but we simply can't let you get away with disturbing our quiet lunch period." At that, all three threw their slushies into Rory, Harmony, and Dan's faces and then ran away laughing like hyenas. Surely, they knew Stefan, Ryder, Jake and Alex would chase after them which they did.
"Well then..." Rory said, wiping the slushie out of his eyes. "That backfired."
***
"Hey dude," Alex said to John, taking a seat next to him in the choir room. "What are you doing here?"
John shrugged. "Marley asked me to be here," he said. "I think..." His voice trailed off when a soft melody began and Marley walked into the room. As the rest of the New Directions arrived, including Amity, they took a seat. Marley, however, stayed in the front and sang to her boyfriend.
["True Love" by P!nk.]
Marley: Sometimes I hate every single stupid word you say. Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face.
There were many surprised looks and dropped jaws among the audience, especially when Amity, sitting beside Alex, joined in and sang to him.
Amity: There's no one quite like you. You push all my buttons down. I know life would suck without you.
"I can't tell if this is romantic or not," Rory whispered to Unique, who was mouthing along the words.
Marley: At the same time, I wanna hug you
Amity: I wanna wrap my hands around your neck
Marley: You're an asshole but I love you
Amity: And you make me so mad I ask myself
Marley: Why I'm still here, or where could I go
Amity: You're the only love I've ever known
Marley: But I hate you, I really hate you
Amity: So much, I think it must be
Alex and John weren't as surprised by the song choice. In fact, each of them seemed to really be enjoying the selection.
Both: True love, true love... It must be true love... Nothing else can break my heart like. True love, true love... It must be true love... No one else can break my heart like you. Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.
Marley smiled at her boyfriend as she belted out a few lines. She had been planning this number for a while and the fact that she was able to do it was just further proof and relief of the survival of her relationship.
Marley: I love you, I think it must be love, I love you!
Amity was far more calm, using as inspiration all the times Alex had ditched her to go hang out with John instead. She was amused by their friendship, as annoying as it was, and loved him anyhow.
Amity: Why do you rub me up the wrong way? Why do you say the things that you say? Sometimes I wonder how we ever came to be. But without you I'm incomplete.
Amity crossed her arms, shaking her head at Alex, who had a pretty smug look on his face at the moment.
Marley: I think it must be
Both: True love, true love
Marley: It must be
Both (Marley): True love... Nothing else can break my heart like. True love, true love. It must be true love. And no one else can break my heart like you (like you) No one else can break my heart like you (like you) No one else can break my heart like you.
When the song ended, Alex and John gave each other brief looks before getting up and walking over to their girlfriends. Alex gave Amity a long kiss on the cheek that had her craning her neck to move away, while John kissed Marley on the lips more seriously.
"I've never seen them be affectionate," Unique murmured. "It's like seeing a rare bird... in the zoo..."
The New Directions applauded and teased the couples, thankful for the festive mood of the week kicking in. Even those who were single and slightly bitter found it to be sweet and grew a bit excited for what the week would bring.
***
"I'm just saying," John said as he walked with Julie down the hall, "that if you stopped thinking about him as your ex and thought about him as a business partner, this could work out really—" He stopped talking and when Julie followed his gaze she saw why. As Jake reached them, John said, "I guess my time with you is up. I'll prepare a better argument for the next time." John waved at Julie and nodded briefly at Jake before heading out.
"Still doesn't like me very much, does he?" Jake asked Julie once he was gone.
Julie shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "He's been weird lately. Anyway... what's up?"
Jake smiled and said, "Let's go back to the choir room. I have something for you."
"Should I be scared?" she asked as they walked into the room.
Jake didn't answer her question. Instead, he said, "Now don't get mad..."
"Doesn't sound good," she responded suspiciously. "What did you do?"
"I may have stolen your song notebook," he said. As she widened her eyes at him in disbelief, he added, "Before you start yelling at me, just know that it was with good intentions! I really wanted to serenade you this week and since I'm not a writer I figured it couldn't harm anyone if I looked through your songs."
Julie laughed as she considered his words. "Wait," she said, smiling. "You're going to sing me a song that I wrote about you. That seems like a terrible idea."
As she laughed more, he smiled back at her and said, "Even worse and awkward if I chose a song that wasn't about me."
"They're coded," she said, giving him a look. "Sticker at the top corners... Red for Sam, green for you, blue for Ryder."
"I know, Ryder told me in advance," he responded. "Thank god." She giggled as he walked her over to the piano.
"Are you going to make me play for myself, too?" she asked mockingly.
"Not quite," he said. He cleared his throat as he sat down.
"You don't play piano," she pointed out.
He looked up at her as he set the sheet music in front of him. "I may have spent the last couple of weeks learning the keys to this particular song," he said. Julie couldn't help but smile at this gesture and waited patiently as he began to see which song he had chosen.
["My Love is Like a Star" by Demi Lovato. If you listen to the "intimate performance" she has on her youtube page, it is very beautiful. Irrelevant, but it's my favorite version of it!]
Jake: The space in between us starts to feel like we're worlds apart. Like I'm going crazy... And you say it's raining in your heart.
Julie looked down at the ground, focused. His technique wasn't perfect, but his voice sounded smooth and clean.
Jake: You're telling me nobody's there to dry up the flood. Oh, but that's just crazy. 'Cause baby, I told ya I'm here for good.
Julie couldn't even remember writing this song. She knew it was hers, of course, and it was one of the only songs that had gone untouched by Sam and John, but she still couldn't recall the exact moment that had inspired her to write it.
Jake: My love's like a star, yeah. You can't always see me. But you know that I'm always there. When you see one shining. Take it as mine and remember I'm always near. If you see a comet, baby, I'm on it. Making my way back home. Just follow the glow, yeah. It won't be long. Just know that you're not alone.
When she looked up at him, he was struggling to watch her, his head turning back and forth between the piano and her face. As he played he was angry at himself. He should've practiced harder; memorized the keys so well that he could actually keep his eyes on her.
Jake: You say the time away makes your heart grow numb. But I can't stay just to prove you wrong. Oh, look at how far we've come. Don't you know, don't you know that you're the one. Oh, you're not alone. You're not alone, oh... You're not alone, oh. You're not alone, oh. Know that you're not alone. You're not...
Julie didn't mind the fact that his eyes couldn't linger. In fact, it was just a reminder that this wasn't his thing but he was making the effort anyway.
Jake: My love's like a star, yeah. You can't always see me. But you know that I'm always there. Know that I'm always there. When you see one shining. Take it as mine and remember I'm always near, yeah. If you see a comet, baby, I'm on it. Making my way back home. Making my way back to you... Just follow the glow, yeah. It won't be long just know that you're not alone. Yeah-yeah, yeah, oh, oh...
When the song ended, Julie stood up and walked around the piano to the bench. After sitting down with him, she took one of his hands and said, "That was wonderful... Thank you..." He nodded as she put her arms around him. And all she kept repeating were those last two words.
***
"I've got your gift," Harmony said as she walked up to Dan. "Not just for you. Rory got the same thing... But it's part of my friendship appreciation week. Because Valentine's Day is not just for romance. It's also for friends."
Dan smiled as he took the nicely wrapped present she was holding out in front of him. "What is it?" he asked.
She shrugged and said, "Open it and find out."
Hesitantly, he began to carefully unwrap the gift, which was a change from the way Rory had ripped open his. "What is this?" Dan asked after discovering a small little booklet with red hearts and glitter all over it.
"It's a coupon book," Harmony answered. "Only for use during this week. That means that starting tomorrow, you have only a few days until they are still valid."
"Coupons?" Dan repeated as he flipped through them.
"Very valuable coupons," Harmony said.
Dan looked up at her after reading a few. "A pass to hear you sing..." he read out. "A pass to let me sing with you. A pass to let me watch you rehearse... A pass to—Harmony, do all of them just involve you singing?"
"Of course not," she shook her head. "There's one near the back that says I have to perform a dance routine and another one has me giving you an autographed photo-op."
"Wow," he responded. "I don't know what to say..."
"You're welcome," Harmony grinned. "Those items will be very valuable when I'm famous in a few years."
"I bet," Dan said, ripping out a coupon. "How soon do you think I can cash this one in?"
Harmony read the coupon and smiled. "I can be ready by tomorrow," she said.
***
Just as promised, Harmony and Dan faced their fellow glee club the following morning with a performance that Harmony described as, "Simply fantastic" before they had even begun.
["Who You Love" by John Mayer and Katy Perry.]
Dan: You love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Dan: You love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Kitty turned, her eyes wide and her mouth open, and gave Julie a look. "Are they dating?" she mouthed. Julie shrugged, hoping the answer was a big, fat no. However, the way Dan put an arm around Harmony said otherwise.
Dan: My girl, she ain't the one that I saw coming. And sometimes I don't know which way to go. And I tried to run before. But I'm not running anymore. Cause I've fought against it hard enough to know.
Amity put a hand to her temples and sighed. No, no, no, she thought. Please say it isn't so, Dan.
Dan: That you love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Dan: You love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Dan: You love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Dan: Oh, you can't make yourself stop dreaming who you're dreaming of. If it's
Both: Who you love
Dan: Then it's
Both: Who you love
Rory seemed to be the only person who wasn't looking at them with confusion, yet Harmony and Dan didn't seem to notice. They continued to give an intimate performance despite what the others were obviously thinking about them.
Harmony: My boy, he ain't the one that I saw coming. And some have said his heart's too hot to hold. And it takes a little time. But you should see him when he shines. Cause you never wanna let that feeling go. When you love.
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Will was not one to jump to conclusions, so he appeared rather pleased by the performance, which was vocally fantastic. The two had great chemistry, much like the rest of the characters.
Dan: You love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
Dan: Yeah, you love
Both: Who you love. Who you love.
As the song came to an end, almost everyone failed to notice. Will cleared his throat as he clapped, indicating for everyone else to do the same, and they did so in a zombie-fied manner.
"That was great, you two," Will said. "That song might just be this week's anthem. You can't choose who you love."
"Is that why you chose it?" Kitty asked the duo. "Because as terrifying and kind of disgusting as it is, you two are still in love with each other?"
"Wait what?" Dan asked, confused. Harmony's brow creased, she opened her mouth but no sound came out of it.
Ryder shrugged and said, "It's cool, you guys. You can be honest. No one in here has room to judge."
"Yeah," Bree said. "We've all practically dated each other at this point and even re-dated. It's ok if you're back together."
"Oh!" Harmony exclaimed as Dan looked down at the ground and shook his head. "No, we're not—No, definitely not. We're just friends and we both really love this song."
"Exactly," Dan added. Julie sighed with relief and Amity stopped tapping her foot impatiently. Great. The last thing the world needed right now was Darmony.
***
"I'm so glad they aren't together," Julie said as she sat in Senior Seminar with Jake, Kitty, and Ryder. A few tables away, Harmony, Rory and Marley were chatting before class.
"Same," Kitty responded. "I don't know; it's just kind of hard to picture Harmony dating anyone at this point."
"Why not?" Ryder asked, shrugging. "She's pretty, she's nice."
"And a little insane," Julie pointed out with a soft laugh.
"So are the two of you," Jake told her mockingly. Julie rolled her eyes but didn't have time for a comeback because their teacher, Mrs. Gilbert, walked in and began the lesson almost immediately.
"Ok, it's time for us to finally introduce the senior service project," Mrs. Gilbert began. A few of the seniors groaned. "Yeah, yeah, complain all you want," she said. "It's mandated by the district and your class are the lucky first-timers to test it out on this year."
"What do you mean by service?" Carrie asked, raising her hand up slightly and putting it down as soon as she was sure that the attention was on her. "We don't have to, like, wear uniforms or anything... Right?"
"You might," Mrs. Gilbert said. "It wouldn't be the end of the world Miss Washington. For this project, you will be assigned a partner."
"Assigned?" Julie asked.
"That is what I said," their teacher rolled her eyes. "I have already picked out your partners and your service project theme. Hunger, Homelessness, Mental Health, Education, Environment, Human Rights, Other Health. I'll post your assignments outside my door by the end of lunch."
***
"This is one of the last lunches we're going to have together," Julie said. "Jake, we should go to that glee club meeting."
"The other guys will be fine without me," he said. "And I'm sure they won't mind one less girl in the audience. It's just very rare for us to get alone time nowadays unless we're singing and I love that but I wish we could just talk more."
"Which is why what I'm about to do is really going to suck," she said apologetically as she looked behind him. "I'll be right back, ok?"
Jake didn't have a chance to respond as he watched her get up and rush towards the cafeteria entrance, where Sam was standing. "You get my message?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "You said it was urgent. What happened?"
Sam looked serious but his face suddenly broke into a smile. "We found a new keyboardist," he said. "We're back in business and the contracts were signed thirty minutes ago!"
"Oh my gosh!" Julie exclaimed. She jumped up and hugged him. When she moved away, she said, "Jake. Oh my gosh, come on, let's go tell him." Sam nodded and followed her to the table she'd just been sitting in. "What are you waiting for?" she said. "Tell him."
Confused, Jake looked over at Sam expecting for him to say something that was going to anger him. Instead, he told him his good news and the three stood there in celebration. However, it was awkward enough that he wished he'd gone to glee club after all.
***
["You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi.]
Boys: Shot through the heart. And you're to blame. Darling, you give love a bad name...
Will chuckled as the guys turned around to face the girls, fully decked in rock star clothes and black sunglasses.
Stefan: An angel's smile is what you sell. You promise me heaven, then put me through hell.
Alex: Chains of love got a hold on me. When passion's a prison, you can't break free.
The girls cheered for them as they showed off some of their sexy moves. It was definitely an entertaining performance, though none of them could figure out what the point was.
Rory and Ryder (Ryder): Oh, oh, you're a loaded gun (yeah). Oh, oh, there's nowhere to run. No one can save me. The damage is done.
Boys (Dan): Shot through the heart. And you're to blame. You give love a bad name (bad name) I play my part. And you play your game. You give love a bad name (bad name). You give love a bad name. You give love a bad name.
Will watched them, waiting for something to change, but all that happened was continued rock n' roll poses and jumps across the choir room floor.
Rory: Paint your smile on your lips. Blood red nails on your fingertips.
Ryder: A school boy's dream, you act so shy. Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye.
The guys were pretty into their performance, waving their heads all around the place. Will sighed when it became evident that none of the boys were choosing to do something different.
Stefan and Alex: Oh, oh, you're a loaded gun. Oh, oh, there's nowhere to run. No one can save me. The damage is done.
Boys (Dan): Shot through the heart. And you're to blame. You give love a bad name (bad name) I play my part. And you play your game. You give love a bad name (bad name). (Whoa) You give love. (Whoa) You give love (bad name). (Whoa) You give love. (Whoa) You give love (bad name)
The song ended and the boys struck rockstar poses one last time. The girls clapped and Will did so, too, shaking his head with an amused smile on his face. "You guys didn't really get the point of the assignment, did you?" he asked, shaking his head again.
***
"Have you checked Mrs. Gilbert's board?" Rory asked Harmony with a smile. "For our senior service project assignments?"
Harmony shook her head and said, "No... I haven't. I... Why are you looking at me like that?"
With a funny look, Rory responded with, "I'm partnered with Peyton."
"Congratulations?" she said, confused.
"Yeah, we're working on education so I think we'll go volunteer at the youth center or something," he said.
"I still don't understand why you're looking at me like that," she told him.
Rory took a deep breath and said, "I checked for you, too. And guess who your partner is?" Harmony watched him careful. When she didn't respond, he said, "Ryder. Environment is your topic." She rolled her eyes and began to walk away. As he caught up to her, he said, "Oh come on. Will you just admit that you have a thing for him? I've seen the way you look at him. Especially during today's number."
"Ok, yes, fine," Harmony sighed as she stopped and turned to him. "I had a tiny crush on Ryder last year. It was when he was with Julie and I was with Dan and we would attend some of their family dinners and I thought he was sort of cute and really nice. But I was with Dan, so those feelings never really grew or resurfaced."
"But now you're not with Dan," Rory pointed out hopefully.
Harmony gave him a look. "And he's with the wicked witch of the bitch," she told him. "Besides, he's not that guy anymore and I am not the same girl I was back then."
"Ok," Rory frowned. "Ok, fine... Can you at least use your time with him to ask him for that favor for Peyton? Now that she's my partner she probably won't stop bugging me about it."
"Sure..." Harmony nodded. "I'll ask him for you."
"Cool," Rory grinned. "There he is. See ya, thanks!" He walked away and left Harmony in a sudden panic that she didn't understand. She'd spoken to Ryder many, many times before. Heck, it was she who convinced him to fight for Julie even after she'd kissed Jake and it was she who had urged him to snap out of his popular guy trance and go back to being nice and humble. She could ask him to do a stupid interview for a silly magazine.
"You've got this," she said, turning around just in time to crash into him.
"Oh," he said, taking a step back to put room between them. "Just the girl I was looking for. Did you see that we're partners?"
"Yup," Harmony nodded. "Looking forward to the next few weeks. Umm, actually, there's something I wanted to ask you."
"Oh," Ryder stopped her. "Me first. I need a favor and it's kind of urgent."
"A favor," she repeated. "Yeah... Ok. Why not?"
"I need you to help me be more like you," Ryder told her, surprising her. "You know, all talented and outrageously theatrical. I really want to do something different this week and really show that I can have that edge we need for Regionals. We're not really a Broadway-oriented group so I thought I could practice to make us more like the alumni."
"You want me to teach you to do Broadway numbers?" Harmony asked, surprised.
He nodded. "I was hoping we could practice after school," he said. "In the auditorium?"
"Yeah," she agreed. "Yeah, I'll be there."
"Sweet," he smiled. "Thanks."
***
"I'm not happy about this," Julie told Jake with a frown. "Do you really have to work with her?"
"Carrie won't try anything if it hurts her rep, which it would," Jake said. "How much damage could a girl do with cancer?" Julie frowned and looked down at the ground. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"No, it's ok," she shook her head and forced a smile. "Ironically, Marley and I got mental health. So I think we'll do something with spreading awareness and educating our community. God knows we need it around here."
"I'm proud of you," Jake said, kissing her forehead. "You're so strong."
"Thanks," Julie smiled sincerely. She looked past him and laughed, "Someone doesn't seem too happy about her partner." At the other end of the hall, Kitty was walking away as Vince trailed behind her.
"What we are doing now has nothing to do with what we discussed last week," she declared. "We are going to do the homelessness project while searching for my own home but let's not get those two confused. I am not a charity case or a service project and if you disagree just go ahead and tell me now so that we can end our arrangement before—"
"Kitty, stop," he interrupted. "When I offered to help you I wanted to do it because we're sort of friends... I mean, I thought we might be sort of friends. Right?"
Kitty took a deep breath and said, "Yeah... You're right. We are... We are friends. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not used to being helped."
Vince nodded. "That's ok and totally fits your psyche," he said. Kitty gave him a look. He chuckled and said, "I'm kidding. I'm done trying to understand you psychologically. I think it's about time I start trying to understand you as a human being."
Looking back at him one last time, Kitty said, "Thank you. I really appreciate it. Oh and I talked to Julie's dad about him sponsoring me and signing a lease. It's only for six months and then I'll hopefully go to college and stop needing his support. But he's agreed to help me get an apartment, assuming I'm willing to take on the responsibility of paying for it myself. And it has to be in his neigborhood and he's going to keep tabs on me... But he's on board."
"Fantastic," Vince grinned. "Then we start apartment hunting tomorrow after school. I'd say immediately but I have a tutoring session today."
"Oh, I can't," she frowned. "Not tomorrow. I'm supposed to go rehearse some numbers for the God Squad's Valentine singing grams."
"You can miss, can't you?" he asked.
Kitty sighed, "Sure but if I miss that I have to go on a glee club field trip. So still can't."
"Fine then," he said. "Thursday afternoon. I'm not taking no for an answer."
"Ok," Kitty agreed. "See you then."
***
After school, Harmony sat at the edge of the stage and dangled her feet as she waited for Ryder. When he finally arrived, he was wearing his usual varsity jacket and appeared to be humming something in his head, his fingers tapping on his hip.
"Ready?" Harmony asked.
Ryder nodded as he joined her on the stage and asked, "Where do we start?"
Harmony had set out a nice set for him, with the speaker system ready and a glittery hat.
"I don't have to wear that, do I?" he asked, staring at the hat on her lap.
She shook her head. "No," she smiled. "Everything you need is up here." She pointed at her temple as she stood up. "Ok," she exhaled deeply. "I've picked out a good song for you. I think it'll really push you without totally killing you or your confidence. It's kind of loose and fun, which I think will be good for you since you look the best when you're being goofy. There are some female vocals required but I think when you do this in front of glee club we can have a few of the other girls back you up. For now, just imagine the girls there with you."
Ryder let out a deep sigh and said, "Sounds great. So what do I do now?"
"Here is the song," she said, handing him sheet music. "You can go for it for a few minutes and then we'll get to the choreography."
He looked up and nervously repeated, "Choreography?"
"Of course," Harmony nodded, a serious look on her face. "Ryder, musical theatre is like a sport. With the right skill... And the right chemistry... You can make a great team. So let's get to work."
***
["All I Care About (Is Love)" from Chicago. I've replaced 'Billy Flynn' with 'Ryder Lynn'. Girls refers to Bree, Kitty, Shana, and Amity. That's all you need to know, I think!]
Girls: We want Ryder. Where is Ryder? Give us Ryder. We want Ryder. R-Y-D-E-and-R. We're all his. He's our kind of a guy. And ooh what luck. 'Cause here... he... is!
As the stage lit up, Harmony sat in the audience with the rest of the New Directions. The girls were standing in their glittery cabaret outfits in a line upstage as Unique, from the downstage right edge of the stage, said, "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the silver-tongued prince of the courtroom. The one, the only... Ryder Lynn!"
Ryder emerged from backstage and began to perform a very theatrical song. Harmony smiled proudly, while the rest of the group in the audience appeared surprised.
Ryder: I don't care about expensive things. Cashmere coats, diamond rings. Don't mean a thing. All I care about is love...
Ryder (Girls): That's what I'm here for. (That's what he's here for!)
The girls removed their sparkly top hats and spun around with them held out in front of them as they moved towards downstage, circling around Ryder.
Ryder: I don't care for wearin' silk cravats. Ruby studs, satin spats. Don't mean a thing. All I care about is love...
Girls: All he cares about is love!
The guys in the audience looked around at each other. This did not look like Finn Hudson, Ryder's typical alumni counterpart. No, this was Blaine or Kurt or one of the girls. The guys simply were not Broadway savvy, not the straight ones, at least, so Ryder's performance put many of them on edge. Were they expected to follow suit next? He was breaking the status quo of glee club with his silly Frank Sinatra tone and fancy dress pants.
Ryder: Gimme two eyes of blue. Softly saying
Girls: "I need you"
Ryder: Let me see her standin' there. And honest, Mister, I'm a millionaire!
The girls sashayed to the back and returned with canes, which they proceeded to use as props while they danced.
Ryder: I don't care for any fine attire. Vanderbilt might admire. No, no, not me. All I care about is love...
Girls: All he cares about is love!
The girls hummed their chorus as Ryder began to whistle while breaking into a very non-Ryder choreography. Jazz square, jazz hands, jazz everything. It was very clear that he hadn't choreographed the number himself.
Ryder: Show me long raven hair. Flowin' down, about to there. And when I see her runnin' free. Keep your money, that's enough for me!
Putting their canes down on the ground, the girls swiftly danced back to the front with Ryder, forming a line downstage and linking arms with Ryder at the center. They moved backwards, keeping their gazes towards the front until they reached the center of the stage. Then, they released each other and spun in a large circle, with Ryder standing in the middle as he sang with increasing intensity. The ladies threw their arms in the air and back, making for quite the spectacle.
Ryder: I don't care for drivin' packard cars! Or smoking long, buck cigars. No, no, not me. All I care about is. Doin' the guy in. Who's pickin' on you. Twistin' the wrist. That's turnin' the screw.
Ryder pointed at the audience, though at no one particular. Then he pointed that same index finger at the ceiling as he took a deep breath to release the hardest note of his musical career.
Ryder (Girls): All I (he) care(s) about is love!
The music ended and Will, his face red and his eyes shiny, stood up, along with the rest of the girls. They applauded him loudly and threw praise at him as the other guys shot looks at each other, concerned with Ryder finally stepping up and demanding the spotlight he'd had years ago back. Being the only one of the current male members of New Directions to successfully pull off a Broadway musical number outside of the shows they put on as a team, he had the upper-hand. It was time for the rest of them to step up their game.
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Big props to katiehall77 for writing the Rory scene with Peyton, Harmony and Dan! It was awesome to be able to use that!