[Prom tonight… Doo doo doo doo do…. Hehe Not Another Teen Movie anybody? Don’t say you’re too young because I was in grade school when I watched that one! I think maybe 10 or 11? Hehe, my parents sure were irresponsible with the things they let me watch.]
"Rod Remington here with WOHN News," the charismatic anchorman began, "and with me today is the lovely Peyton Carson and... uh... What'd you say your name was again?"
Rod and Peyton turned to Dan, whose cheeks flushed a soft pink shade before he cleared his throat and said, "Daniel Roberts."
Peyton snorted, covering her mouth as she tried to stop the laughter. Though she found it adorable, it was also quite funny to see Dan so nervous that he'd actually give a different name. Unsure as to why she was laughing, Dan gave her a weird look before turning his attention back to Rod.
"Right," the man nodded, his smile never fading as he turned back to the camera. "These two McKinley High students were among the few who survived the horrifying shooting the school faced just a few weeks ago. Peyton, I have heard amazing stories from some of the other students but we're all dying to hear from you. Is it true that you single-handedly Karate-chopped the shooter and saved everyone?"
Peyton grinned, turning to the camera as she gushed, "Well, I mean, I wouldn't say single-handedly... I just sort of kicked him, using my martial arts skills, of course... You know, I'm also a reporter. For the school paper."
"Fascinating!" Rod exclaimed, turning his gaze to Dan. "And Daniel, I understand that you fainted while all of this was happening..."
"Uh..." Dan muttered, looking at both expectant faces and wondering why Rod didn't have a co-host to ease the tensions. "I didn't faint... I collapsed..."
"Bravado," Rod said in his deep, slow voice.
"What? No!" Dan quickly added. "I'm diabetic and—"
"Why don't we get down to the real questions?" Peyton interrupted, attempting to save what would obviously turn out to be a terrible interview. "I'm sure the public is dying to know... Chocolate or vanilla?"
Rod raised a dubious eyebrow at Dan, who, defeated, said, "Just answer... Trust me."
***
As Jake turned off the TV, he threw it on the bed and said, "This blows."
"What?" Ryder asked, watching him walk back over to the bars he was using to move around in. They were at the hospital, where he was still going back to for his regularly scheduled therapy sessions. Watching him get right back to it, Ryder asked, "Are you upset that you didn't get interviewed on live television? Because from the looks of it, it isn't exactly fun."
"No, I'm perfectly fine with not getting that attention," Jake agreed, "but I just sort of hoped that there wouldn't be anything said about the shooting. The only ones who should've been asking questions were the deadbeat cops who did absolutely nothing for us that day. It just makes me feel awful, you know? I mean Peyton weighs at most 110 pounds, yet she took down that guy while the rest of us just stood there? And the police didn't intervene? What if something had happened to her? To any of us?"
"Something did happen," Ryder responded, nodding at his knee. "You could've been injured much worse because you chose to save Kitty. And something changed in every single person in that room. In the school, really. I mean, when was the last time you saw someone getting shoved into the lockers? I can't guarantee that it'll be a permanent change, but for those of us who lived through it, at least... The bullying is over. You made a difference."
"I shouldn't have had to," Jake said, shaking his head and grunting as he stretched his bad leg out. "It wasn't my job or Peyton's or any of ours to save the day. We're just kids... The police should've done something."
"You saved Kitty," Ryder repeated. "Just take the victory and move on from what happened that day, dude. You saved her."
"But what did I lose in the process?" he murmured, thinking about everything he'd sacrificed that day.
***
Meanwhile, Kitty's only troubles were prom-related. Though Vince had already asked her to be his date, she still wanted to remind him how much he meant. After all, she'd hardly spent any time with him since the shooting and it was clearly needed. So when she saw him at school, she automatically dragged him into a classroom, where Alex was sitting with a guitar.
"What's this?" Vince asked, confused. "Are you leaving me for him?"
Alex and Kitty looked at each other and then burst out into a loud laughter. "Hell no," Alex mumbled as he settled down.
"I just asked him for a favor," Kitty explained. "See, Alex here is what we like to call irresponsible and though he took an entire hour to break into his girlfriend's locker and stuff it with cute, expensive gifts to ask her to prom, he forgot to actually rent a tux ahead of time to make sure he wouldn't show up in faded jeans and that awful sweatshirt he always wears." Alex looked down at his favorite hoodie and frowned. "So as a thanks for helping him find one last minute and going undercover with his squeaky and sometimes irritating though hopelessly adorable girlfriend—"
"Watch it," Alex warned.
"—he's helping me sing to you," Kitty finished.
Vince seemed to be incredibly confused. For someone so smart, he surely didn't understand women. "Ok..." he responded. "But why..?"
"I think the song will pretty much answer that," she grinned, nodding at Alex, who rolled his eyes and began to strum.
["The Perfect Two" by Auburn.]
Kitty: You can be the peanut butter to my jelly. You can be the butterflies I feel in my belly. You can be the captain and I can be your first mate. You can be the chills that I feel on our first date.
Though she usually relied on her strong dancing to make a performance great, sometimes Kitty found pleasure in simply sitting down and using her voice.
Kitty: You can be the vodka and I can be the chaser. You can be the pencil and I can be the paper. You can be as cold as the winter weather. But I don't care as long as we're together.
She was probably the weakest singer from all of the girls, maybe even from everyone in glee club, but it wasn't about skill all the time.
Kitty: Don't know if I could ever be. Without you 'cause boy you complete me. And in time I know that we'll both see. That we're all we need.
Sometimes it was about passion. And when she looked at Vince, smiling at her like he was now, that's one of many things she felt.
Kitty: 'Cause you're the apple to my pie. You're the straw to my berry. You're the smoke to my high. And you're the one I wanna marry. 'Cause you're the one for me (for me). And I'm the one for you (for you). You take the both of us (of us). And we're the perfect two. We're the perfect two. We're the perfect two. Baby me and you. We're the perfect two.
Vince liked her voice much more than he ever thought he would. He, like her, knew she wasn't the best singer out there. In fact, during the glee club performances he'd seen in the past, his attention was drawn by Amity's unique voice and Julie's vocal power.
Kitty: You know that I'll never doubt ya. And you know that I think about ya. And you know I can't live without ya. I love the way that you smile. And maybe in just a while. I can see me walk down the aisle.
But there was always something interesting in Kitty, and now that he knew her, he understood how special she was with or without the vocal talent.
Kitty: 'Cause you're the apple to my pie. You're the straw to my berry. You're the smoke to my high. And you're the one I wanna marry. 'Cause you're the one for me (for me). And I'm the one for you (for you). You take the both of us (of us). And we're the perfect two. We're the perfect two. We're the perfect two. Baby me and you. We're the perfect two.
"Beat it," Kitty said to Alex as soon as he'd strummed the final note. He glared at her before getting up and leaving the room. Once alone, Kitty cleared her throat and said, "I know you think that I'm too serious sometimes. And that my priorities aren't exactly where they should be. But I wanted to remind you that I have fallen in love with you in these last few months and I want us to have a kick ass time at prom, ok?"
"Oh definitely," Vince said with a grin. "Especially because you're probably going to be prom queen. Again."
"Shut up," Kitty said very quickly, not being able to contain herself. "This is not a joking manner."
"You're right," he agreed. "But I'm not joking." He pulled out his cell phone and, as he clicked a few things here and there, explained, "I was walking through the front doors when the latest Paper View was tossed at me. Of course, I threw it back and asked for the digital code to access the magazine on the Cheerios tumblr page. And what do you know, it was a bunch of useless crap. Pictures of some cheerleaders and jocks. That stupid gossip blog which lately has been filled with talk about Carrie and Ryder, plus a few here and there about you and Jake. I know the rumors were dismissed, so no worries. The rest was just as idiotic. A piece on the best exercises to get rid of wobbly arms. And then I scrolled down a bit more and found something with your name on it."
"Oh, really?" Kitty asked, curiously trying to glance at his phone. Luckily, he pointed the screen towards her so that she didn't have to break her neck trying to see. "Oh my gosh..." she mumbled as she read the polls section. "'Who should be crowned Prom Queen?' I'm in first place?"
Vince nodded, finding her excitement to be irritatingly cute. "You sure are," he said.
"Only by four percentages," Kitty murmured, frowning. "Above Carrie? How is Julie third place? And Bree last? Ugh! Carrie can't win! I HAVE to go scare four freshmen into voting for me!"
"That's not exactly accurate," Vince pointed out as Kitty stood up. "Maybe we should go back to me tutoring you in statistics."
Kitty glared at him and said, "No time. I can't believe I've been so busy living in the past and trying to help my friends. I don't even like helping people! I should've been busy working on my prom platform. Winning as a junior was great but the real honor is being crowned as a senior. And since it looks like public opinion isn't really on Julie or Bree's sides... It'll have to be me who ensures that Carrie isn't rewarded for being awful!"
Before Vince could protest, Kitty stormed out of the room. "So much for making prom about fun..." he sighed, shaking his head as he was left alone.
***
"Just a few days until prom," Harmony sighed as she sat in the lunchroom with Rory. "Just a few more days left and we're the only ones in glee club who won't have dates."
"Jake, Julie, Ryder..." Rory began to list.
"Julie and Jake will go together," she insisted. "And there's no way Ryder doesn't find some bimbo Cheerio to go with him. Apparently people still like him."
"People like you?" Rory asked her with a knowing look.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever. Look, all I know is that you and I are going to need to find attractive dates stat, or when we get to college and want to brag to people about this night we'll have nothing to show."
"Why don't we just go with each other then?" Rory asked. "You're pretty, some say I'm cute and the accent helps... Unless, you know, you're waiting on someone to ask you..."
As he said this, Ryder strolled by with Julie, who stopped by them with her rare smile and said, "Hey, y'all! We were just talking about prom—"
"Of course," Harmony grumbled, slumping down on her seat as Rory kept the conversation going.
"That sounds fantastic," Rory said. "Harmony and I are going together. Right?"
Harmony widened her eyes at him as he gave her an extremely smug look. "Yeah..." she muttered in response. She had a feeling he wouldn't stop until she told Ryder how she felt.
"Who are you two going with?" Rory asked Ryder and Julie.
"No idea," they answered in unison.
They turned to each other and laughed. "Ironic, isn't it?" Harmony asked them before getting up and walking away.
"What was up with her?" Ryder asked.
Julie let out a deep breath and said, "Ok, good, I wasn't the only one that noticed."
With a mischievious look on his face, Rory told them, "PMS. No worries. See you all in glee club."
***
[“Boys and Girls” by Pixie Lott.]
As everyone gathered in the choir room, Bree and Amity stood up front while the music began and they started to dance.
Bree: I'm looking in the mirror and I think I'm liking what I see. Big pink lights shining bright like I'm on the TV. My heart pumps as the bass drum thumps. You gotta move when the floorboard jumps.
Alex had always been surprised by how well Amity got along with Bree. The two were total opposites. Then again, some might say that he and Amity were nothing alike.
Bree and Amity: Something's going on and I think it's going on right now.
Kitty rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling at how much fun the girls were having. She was always jealous when Bree or Julie sang with others, but she knew it was silly to be so possessive. When it came down to it, her girls were always there for her, so it was ok for them to ask other friends to sing with them every now and then.
Amity: All the boys and the girls, they got it going on.
Amity and Bree: And when the beat kicks in you feel it in your bones. And when the basement cracks and the needle drops.
Bree: You can't turn back and you just can't stop.
The rest of New Directions gave them a bit of help with harmonies, but there was very little that they could do to improve the performance. The girls were totally on point.
Amity and Bree: All the boys and the girls, no, you just can't stop. All the boys and the girls, no, you just can't stop. All the boys and the girls…
Bree: Baby, don't stop. Keep the vibe up.
Amity and Bree: Baby, don't stop. Keep the vibe up.
Will watched them singing and dancing and began to feel, once again, as though he was useless. Really, the kids were all on their own in there. They had no need for his guidance anymore and that was the most satisfying feeling in the world.
Bree: Turn it on, make it strong, a good beat.
Amity and Bree: Never hurt no one.
Bree was not initially excited for prom, but after finishing her dress, she fell in love with the idea of parading around a hotel ballroom in her own designs.
Amity: All the boys and the girls, they got it going on.
Amity and Bree: And when the beat kicks in you feel it your bones. And when the basement cracks and the needle drops.
Bree: You can't turn back and you just can't stop.
Amity, of course, just wanted everyone to have fun. Though they'd just faced a tragedy and hadn't quite finished recovering from it yet, it wasn't fair for the seniors to spend their last prom in misery. She wanted them all to get pumped and have one last great round of dancing and partying together.
Amity and Bree: All the boys and the girls, no, you just can't stop. All the boys and the girls, no, you just can't stop. All the boys and the girls, no, you just can't stop. All the boys and the girls, no, you just can't stop.
"And that, my friends," Bree began as the New Directions and Will applauded them, "is how you make a public service announcement."
"Wait, what?" Harmony asked, ceasing her clapping. "Public service for what?"
"For going to prom!" Bree exclaimed. "I am representing the prom committee and student council, while Amity is here on behalf of the Yearbook staff."
"The Thunderclap will be taking lots of great pictures of prom to add to the yearbook," Amity nodded. "We want all of you there so that we can have one big group picture."
Bree turned to Stefan and in a false apologetic tone said, "Except for you. We understand that the sophomores don't have single entrance so—"
"Oh, I'll be there," Stefan assured her. "I'm Carrie's date."
"What?" over half of the room exclaimed.
"It's ok," Ryder told them. "He asked me for approval ahead of time."
"And you were ok with this?" Shana asked him. "You're weak!"
"Stefan, how could you?" Julie shook her head at him. "This is low, even for you."
"Sorry!" Stefan shrugged. "I just wanted to get into the prom so I could spend some time with all of you and I didn't want to have to go with someone I didn't at least enjoy being around. The only way to save her rep is to claim that it was love and not just random hook ups. So Carrie was all up for it. I would've asked Peyton but there's Dan. And my second choice was Harmony but she's going with Rory."
"You are?" Dan asked her, surprised.
Harmony nodded, forcing herself to smile as Rory gave her a thumbs up and wide grin. She had to tell Ryder how she felt or Rory was going to drag this out.
***
Julie was surprised when Sam asked to meet in the auditorium after school, but wanting to get a few things off of her chest, she agreed.
"I got your text," she began when she arrived on stage and founding him standing there by the grand piano. "I hope you don't plan on playing a song. You should really stop showing up around here. People find it weird when alumni are constantly around, especially those who obviously have better things to do, like release an album that's guaranteed to be a hit, prepare for a nation-wide tour, plan a wedding..."
He sighed, sensing her hostility, and said, "We need to talk. I should've done this weeks ago but—"
"No kidding," she scoffed.
"Just listen," he pleaded. "Look, I know I pushed you away pretty roughly. And I really didn't want to. It's been bugging me since we last talked and John hasn't exactly been letting me live this down. We were at our album's photoshoot and he kept making snarky comments."
"So what?" Julie asked impatiently, wanting nothing more than to get the conversation over with.
Sam took a deep breath and said, "The reason I didn't show up at the library that day was that... Mandy told me she's pregnant." Julie stared blankly at him, causing him to add, "You don't look surprised... Did John tell you?"
"He told me about the engagement," she muttered lifelessly. "There was something he couldn't say because he thought I should hear it from you but... Unfortunately I had to find out when my best friends spotted your fiancee doing her pharmaceutical shopping."
"It wasn't planned..." Sam responded, as though that made a difference.
"Neither was I," Julie joked, feeling her laugh crack as she tried to stop it from becoming tears. "But you know, I'm glad that this happened. Because it's one less problem if you have motivation to stay away from me. We were never going to work out anyway. Just wish I'd realized that before..."
When she didn't finish, he asked, "Are you saying that you regret what happened between us?"
"We can't even say it out loud," she said as her way of answering. She cleared her throat and said, "We should say goodbye, Sam. And because I'm really tired of... of feeling... I wrote a song. For you. I know it's too late for this album but maybe you can add it in to the next one. And with this, we should call it a day and just... It started off as a song about a girl asking a guy to come back to her but by the time I finished it was something entirely different. Maybe two lines from the first version made it so... Just listen."
Sam frowned as she walked over to the piano and instantly began playing.
["Come in with the Rain" by Taylor Swift.]
Julie: I could go back to every laugh. But I don't wanna' go there anymore. And I know all the steps up to your door. But I don't wanna' go there anymore. Talk to the wind, talk to the sky, talk to the man with the reasons why. And let me know what you find.
When she said she'd written him a song, a small part of him was hoping it was one of her own and not for the band.
Julie: I’ll leave my window open. ‘Cause I’m too tired at night to call your name. Just know I’m right here hopin’. That you’ll come in with the rain.
He also didn't want her to say goodbye yet, though he knew it was the right thing to do. He had a responsibility to Mandy and their future child now. There was no more Julie.
Julie: I could stand up and sing you a song. But I don’t wanna’ have to go that far. And I, I’ve got you down. I know you by heart. And you don’t even know where I start. Talk to yourself, talk to the tears. Talk to the man who put you here. And don’t wait for the sky to clear.
So how would he explain what he'd really wanted to say, that his band was playing at her prom?
Julie: I’ll leave my window open. ‘Cause I’m too tired at night to call your name. Oh, just know I’m right here hopin’. That you’ll come in with the rain.
When Jake had been informed by Bree that Julie had gone towards the auditorium after practice, he was eager to go to her and have a conversation he'd been waiting to have for a while. He was surprised, however, to find that she was playing a song and that she wasn't alone.
Julie: I’ve watched you so long, screamed your name. I don’t know what else I can say...
Why was Sam with her? And why was she playing him a song? Sam had been in Mr. Schue's office with her when he'd left to find Kitty. He had to know why she was so upset. Maybe he had something to do with it...
Julie: But I’ll leave my window open. ‘Cause I’m too tired at night for all these games. Just know I’m right here hopin’. That you’ll come in with the rain. I could go back to every laugh. But I don’t wanna’ go there anymore…
Jake stood at the balcony, hoping to hear something that could clue him in on what was going on with Julie. As she took a deep breath, his own breath stopped with anticipation about what he was about to hear. "I love Jake," she began, to his surprise. "And now I can't be with him anymore because I can't get myself to explain why I broke things off. Why I was so stupid. And you know, I don't blame you or anyone but myself for being so naive and impulsive and swept into the moment. And before you say anything else just don't, ok? Just take the song because I don't want it and do with it what you will. Goodbye Sam."
As Julie began to collect her things, Sam sighed and headed out the main entrance. Before she could leave, too, Jake appeared beside her, forcing his leg to be quick as he startled her.
"Oh god..." she shrieked. As she calmed down, she said, "What are you doing here? How long were you here?"
"Long enough," he said. "I hadn't really talked to Sam since they finished working on his apartment and he was done crashing at my place. It's been nice not having someone around to call it a 'mancave' though. And the dude brought along an insanely large supply of chapstick. Left kind of abruptly though..." She opened her mouth but he refused to let her say anything before he could talk. "I love you," he said. "And I know that something happened. Something that makes you think we can't go back to normal. But whatever it was, I don't care. I care more about losing you than anything else. So just... go to prom with me, please. And let's have a fun night and try to forget about what happened. Please?"
""Jake..." Julie murmured, unsure of what to say next. "I'm sorry but... I'm already going with someone..."
Jake had not seen that one coming. "Who?" he asked curiously, pulling his backpack strap up a little as he straightened up, aware that he probably had competition for her affections once again.
***
Ryder stormed over to Julie the next morning and, as soon as she turned to him, exclaimed, "Why would you tell Jake that I asked you to prom? He just went and yelled at me about doing it behind his back when I had no idea I was such a backstabber."
Julie let out a deep sigh and said, "I knew he wouldn't give up otherwise."
"Why do you want him to give up?" Ryder asked. "I don't get it. After everything you two put yourselves, me, and everyone else through to be together... What changed?"
"It's a long, twisted story at this point," she responded. "I'm sorry for causing problems with him. I'll clear things up and—"
"Oh no," Ryder shook his head. "You owe me for the humiliation of not fighting back in a locker room packed with dudes. Not only am I already struggling to stay ahead of him in the prom king polls—not that we care as much as Kitty and Carrie seem to—but now I've also got somewhat of a target on my back for allegedly stealing you away from him. It's like people forget that he did it to me first. So as payback, we're going to take a page out of Carrie's maniacally strategic book on popularity. You're going to go to prom with me. And you're going to have one hell of a time."