Lyric laid on her back, her songbook stretched out in front of her as she tried perfecting some lyrics she had sloppily jotted down. Music played lightly in the back. More Than A Feeling by Boston. She hummed softly to the music as she worked. Her feet were in Finn's lap, his attention was focused on his tv as he played Call of Duty. The both of them weren't really talking, but they enjoyed each other's company either way.
The entire summer had been just the two of them. . . with an occasional double date with Kurt and Blaine. The couple constantly mentioning a trip to Provincetown. Instead Finn had taken them all to the Allen County Fair, much to Kurt's dismay seeing as it was just in the middle of some woodsy area. He complained. . . a lot -- something about the mud on his designer boots.
None of that matter to Lyric though. She had the summer of her life. Everything between her and Finn seemed to fall into place. Like it was meant to be. So, it was safe to say that summer was good. No. Summer was amazing.
Unfortunately for her, today was the last day of all that amazingness. Tomorrow, they'd be back inside the hollow halls of McKinley High. Back to hearing Santana's raging yet clever insults, to Mr. Schuester and his favoritism in Glee, and to Rachel Berry and all her annoying intolerableness.
Lyric slammed her songbook shut in frustration, tossing it to her side. Her eyes swept over Finn and his intense focus on his video games. She didn't understand how boys could just sit and play for hours upon hours. A smile tugged on her lips as she noticed that his brow was furrowed and his tongue poked out of his mouth due to his concentration. Lyric let out a little laugh which finally grabbed his attention.
Finn paused his game, glancing over at her. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just a little bored." Lyric shrugged. She extended her arm, motioning for him to help hoist her back up. Once she was sitting up straight, Lyric rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh. "I don't want summer to end." Her voice was muffled by the fabric of his t-shirt, but he still made out her words anyway.
She felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. Lyric looked up, her green eyes meeting his brown ones. Finn gave her one of his cute half smirks that she had come to adore. "Nothing's gonna change. It's still you and me."
"Promise?" She asked, holding out her pinky. Pinky promises were sacred to Lyric-- they always had been ever since she was little.
Looping his pinky around her's, Finn leaned in. He pressed his lips against Lyric's, cupping her jaw slightly with his free hand. As he pulled back, Lyric rested her forehead on his, her eyes searching his eyes.
"I promise."
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"Shalom, blogosphere. Jacob Ben Israel here at McKinley High. "Sudden Death" big stakes senior year-- who will succeed and who will fail?"
Senior Year.
It all felt a bit underwhelming. Movies usually portray this as the best year of high school-- ones where the seniors stand tall and rule the school. Yet the only thing a senior at McKinley had to worry about was the attack of the slushies.
Well, not all the seniors. Only those in Glee club.
Opening her locker, Lyric reveled in the fact that it was finally senior year. She unzipped her bag, pulling out her locker decorations. She pinned up a magnet that said 'Sing' with a microphone that took the place of the I, a picture of her and Kurt on the Gershwin stage, and another photo of her, Kurt, and Mercedes in Times Square.
She reached into her bag, her fingertips grazing the edge of the last picture she wanted to pin up. A smile stretched across her lips at the picture of Finn.
Her boyfriend.
She never tired of saying it, even though everyone else was probably tired of hearing it.
Her boyfriend, Finn Hudson, who she had been dating all summer.
Nope. It never got old.
Ever since New York things had been looking up for Lyric and now, she was ready to take the stage for her last year with The New Directions — her friends, her family— before conquering her dreams of moving to New York to attend NYADA.
"Lyric Baldwin," Her head lolled back at the sound of JBI behind her. "My sources say that you're officially dating mediocre Quarterback and mediocre glee club lead, Finn Hudson."
Sighing, she turned around flinching when she noticed how close the camera was to her face. Lyric rolled her eyes, pushing it away from her. Jacob still needed to work on not invading people's personal space. "Y-Yeah, I am. . .since the beginning of summer actually."
It always freaked her out how Jacob knew so much about their lives.
"And what are your plans for the future?"
"I'm heading back to New York after graduation to attend New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. Berry wants to play Fanny on Broadway, but I have my sights set on playing Marilyn Monroe in the revival of Bombshell." Lyric smiled at the camera before slamming her locker shut. As she spun on her heel, her eyes locked on Quinn — hair dyed pink, a concerning Ryan Seacrest tattoo on her back, a nose ring, and the smell of nicotine wafting off of her.
Quinn had become a skank.
If it were anyone else, Lyric would probably would've shrunk under the cold icy glare that was being sent in her direction. But she knew Quinn and this— this wasn't her.
"What happened to her?" Jacob Ben Israel questioned as the cameraman captured Quinn slowly walking down the hall. JBI motioned to his crew, taking off after the girl. "Quinn, wait up! We'd like a statement."
Scuffing the bottom of her black and white Vans on the ground, Lyric sighed. She couldn't help but feel responsible, like Quinn's downward spiral was partially her fault. It all happened when Lyric and Finn finally got together after Nationals. But to be fair, Quinn and Finn were broken up yet Lyric felt like should've at least talked to Quinn.
Making her way down the hall, Lyric sought out Finn. She promised him that she'd meet up with him before Glee club started. Turning the corner, her eyes landed on him slowly moving down the hall. The corner of her lip twitched up into a smile.
But something felt off to her; her smile quickly turned to a frown. Remember three years ago when Lyric said she had been slushied so much that she had almost had a sixth sense for when they were coming. . .
"Hey!"
It was too late to warn Finn before the Puckheads covered him in several slushies, all seemingly different flavors based on the colors that mixed on the floor. Lyric covered her fallen jaw, wincing slightly. She could almost feel the coldness on her. She couldn't imagine getting hit with more than one.
"Taste the rainbow glee-iatch!" Lyric's eyes widened as they began to approach her, terrified that there were more slushies. Rick "the Stick'' Nelson smirked at her, turning to his fellow Puckheads. "We should've saved some for Hudson's little glee girlfriend over here. Too bad." He tilted his head as they passed her. "Maybe next time."
Hurrying her way over to Finn, Lyric's nose scrunched up. Standing on her tiptoes, she wiped the slushie remains away from his eyes. "Finn, are you okay?"
"Summer's over, I guess." He sighed, licking the slushie off his lips. Lyric quirked an eyebrow as she went up on her tippy toes, pressing her lips to his. She pulled away, biting her bottom lip. Finn gave her an amused look, blinking through the burn of the red dye number 7. "What was that for?"
Lyric shrugged, smiling up at him innocently. "Always wanted to do that." She swiped her finger across his cheek collecting the mixed flavors on her fingers. She ate the slushie off her fingers, humming in delight. "Those flavors don't taste bad mixed together."
"I'm glad you're finding amusement in this." He smirked, carefully wrapping his arm around her. "But the slushie is starting to drip in places a slushie shouldn't be, so I'm gonna change."
Lyric shivered as he pressed a cold kiss to her cheek. "I'll meet you in rehearsals."
"Okay." She muttered while she watched him walk towards the boy's locker rooms. Lyric pursed her lips together smiling.
This was going to be the best year yet. She could feel it.
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Lyric was so excited for the first last glee club meeting ever. However, the more she thought about it the sadder she got. But she couldn't think like that— at least not now.
"Mr. Schue, why are all of our trophies in the middle of the room?" Tina questioned, walking around their trophies that were randomly placed on the floor.
Lyric sighed, glancing at their 12th place trophy. She knew it was her and Finn's fault that they lost. . . mostly because the entire club wouldn't let them forget it. Finn grabbed Lyric's hand, pulling her up to their seats. She smiled, watching him take the seat next to her.
"I was sure that our Nationals trophy would grow during the summer."
Mr. Schuester pointed to the floor. "I want this image burned into your mind. This is what the difference between first and 12th place looks like. It's also what it feels like."
"Are you planning on bumming us out all year long?" Puck lifted an eyebrow while taking his seat.
Mr. Schue shook his head. Lyric took note of the determined look on his face. "No. I'm planning on pushing you harder than you've ever been pushed. We made it to Nationals last year."
Lyric nodded along to what Mr. Schue told them. "This year, I'm not going to let anything or anyone stop us from winning it all; I let you down last year. I lost focus, let some Broadway pipedream get in the way."
"And we're really sorry that the guy who replaced you in April Rhodes' musical won the Tony. I mean, I can only imagine your regret." Rachel spoke up.
Lyric winced, she wasn't sure why Rachel would bring it up. She doubt Mr. Schuester wanted to be reminded of what he gave up for them.
"Yeah, you know what I regret?" Mercedes huffed. "Being the laughing stock of the show choir world."
Artie added. "And that's saying something."
Here it comes.
"Mercedes has a point." Kurt said, lifting a finger. Lyric pursed her lips together, glancing down at her lap. She shot a look over at Finn, who just smiled at her. "Finn and Lyric's "The Kiss That Missed" already has 20,000 views on YouTube--"
Lyric cut him off with a shrug or her shoulders and a smirk on her face. "We're famous."
"And the comments section is just full of pithy banter like, "Why is that T Rex eating the blonde?" Kurt continued, ignoring Lyric.
"How many times do we have to apologize?" Finn questioned shrugging.
For the rest of their lives apparently. Lyric had a feeling that they were never gonna hear the end of it.
Lyric rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, sighing contently. This was the happiest she had ever been and she wasn't gonna apologize for it. "Yeah, sorry, but no more apologies."
"The school hates us even more now." Mike piped up. He wasn't wrong. They were even bigger losers now than ever before. They were still trying to prove to everyone that they were so much more than what people saw.
Mr. Schuester pointed at him, agreeing. "Which is why we have to work even harder this year to recruit new members. We're three men down."
"Yeah, only because Puckerman couldn't convince Zizes to stay." Santana said, crossing her arms over her chest. Lyric missed having Lauren around. She thought that Zizes was a good addition to their team. And she would definitely miss seeing Lauren and Puck together.
Puck had a faraway look on his face as he sighed quietly. "She's the one that got away. . . really, really slowly."
Tina glanced around the choir room. She was the only one to bring up one of their major losses-- someone who had been with them since the beginning. "Where's Quinn?"
"MIA." Artie answered, glancing back at her. He shrugged slightly. "No one's heard from her. It's sad; I miss her."
Mercedes sighed, shaking her head. "No one is going to join, Mr. Schue."
"They will." He placed his hands on his hips. "All they need is a little inspiration— and I happen to have some, courtesy of Al Motta of Motta's Pianos. Bring 'em in, guys!" Lyric's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the AV club wheeled in several purple pianos. She clapped happily. "You guys are going to love this."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kurt laughed. Lyric glanced over her shoulder to see her best friend with his hands up in shock and a huge smile etched on his face. "Okay, if there are purple pianos involved in this, I am on board."
"These pianos were repossessed from foreclosed homes. They're cast-offs, just like all of us. Used, in need of repairs."
Tina smiled. "But they're still capable of making beautiful music."
"Right. So Mr. Motta, as a lover of the arts, agreed to donate them to Glee. I fixed them up, painted them purple, and The Purple Piano Project was born." Mr. Schuester explained to them. Lyric was distracted by Kurt draping himself across one of the pianos. "Now, I'm going to be placing these grapey uprights randomly throughout the school, and whenever you see one, no matter what you're doing, I want you to sing a song."
This was definitely an idea of Mr. Schuester's that Lyric could get behind. Out of all the previous plans he had to get kids to join or to help raise money, this one sounded like the best one yet. What could go wrong with purple pianos?
"Now, use this assignment to attract kids who are just like you-- kids who can't keep the music inside. Those are the kinds of additions that we need to win it all this year. Now, for many of you, this is your last year." Lyric pouted, letting her eyes roam around the choir room; it was her home and these people were her family. She spent the past couple years ready to graduate and now that it was almost here, she didn't know if she was ready to say goodbye just yet.
Mr. Schue nodded, a proud smile on his face as he looked out at them. "Let's make it special."
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Lyric stood at her locker, going through her new schedule. She was trying to come up with certain routes that would allow her to get from her locker to her classes without being late. She was a senior now, and was taking a majority of honor classes. She needed to be on top of her game this year-- whatever would help her stand out on her college applications.
Her eyes glanced up to the NYADA mixer brochure that was stuffed neatly in the side pocket of her teal and white striped backpack. This would be her fifth year attending the mixer and they were always the same. Some Rachel Berry wannabes prancing around thinking they were better than everyone else. Lyric contemplated skipping; she had been to enough.
Lyric's locker door slammed shut, taking her by surprise. Her head whipped over to the right, eyeing Rachel and Kurt with an annoyed expression etched on her face. She quirked an eyebrow, placing one hand on her hip. "Can I help you?"
"Why have you never told us about NYADA before?" Rachel asked. Her voice had an accusatory tone laced in it.
No. No. No.
Lyric's eyes widened. "I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before. Like a bunch of times." The duo just shook their heads at her. Her mood deflated a bit. "How did you hear about it?"
The last thing she wanted was to compete with Rachel for a chance to attend the school of her dreams. Rachel got a lot of things she wanted, but Lyric refused to let this one go without a fight.
"Ms. Pillsbury told us after telling us that Julliard doesn't have a musical theater program." Kurt explained to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"
Lyric would rather go with Kurt than Rachel, if she were being honest. Kurt wouldn't step on Lyric just to get accepted unlike other people she knew.
"You never asked." Lyric shrugged. Kurt and Rachel gave her an unimpressed look, causing her to sigh. "Look, I have been working towards NYADA since I was five. Okay, I have to get in and with you guys applying there's no way that'll happen. They only take like 20 new applicants a year."
Rachel took a step forward. "Well now, we're applying too." Her face lit up. "And the three of us can go to the mixer tonight. We can put together a little number and show those other kids that we aren't the ones to mess with."
"Auditorium. After school." Kurt nodded. Lyric sighed, rested her head in her hands. "We'll give those kids Roxy and Velma when they're expecting Pepperidge Farm cookies and punch."
The blonde rolled her eyes. Sticking pins in her eyes sounded less painful than attending that NYADA mixer with them. Lyric cleared her throat, reopening her locker. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to attend this year. I've seen enough of those kids anyway." She shuddered at the thought of how creepily ambitious those prospective NYADA students were.
They were all like Rachel and Kurt. . . on crack.
"But I should warn you guys about them, especially this one girl Harmony —" Lyric began, but Rachel put her hand up stopping her.
She gave Lyric a tight smile. Rachel placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward slightly. "Lyric, please. We're good. . . like really good. Those kids will never know what hit them." Lyric bit back her smirk as she watched Rachel loop her arm with Kurt's dragging him away. She sighed, they were in for a huge surprise.
But Lyric wasn't going to worry about them. . . at least not right now. She had bigger things to do. Closing her locker shut, Lyric made her way outside to the football field. More specifically, under the bleachers.
Coughing as she walked right into a cloud of smoke, Lyric got the attention of all four skanks. In a predatory nature, they stalked closer to the blonde, Quinn in front leading the group with a cigarette in hand.
"Oh look, it's the boyfriend stealer." One of the skanks, who eerily resembled Rachel, spoke up. She nodded in Quinn's direction. "I'll give you 10 bucks if you let me beat her up, Quinn."
Lyric averted her gaze from them to her former teammate. A small sad smile tugged at her lips. "Hey Quinn."
"What?"
Lyric figured it would be best to beat around the bush. The less time she had to spend under the bleachers the better. . . seeing as no one else knew she was down there. If they decided to beat her up, it would be a while until someone found her.
"Look, I know we were never really close, but we've had our moments. And maybe when you cut off all your hair last year and thought it would solve all your problems I should've spoken up." Lyric half shrugged, tilting her head to the side. "Maybe when you dropped out of society this summer and started dating that forty-year-old skateboarder I should've said—"
Quinn cut Lyric off by scoffing out in laughter, rolling her eyes. "I'm never coming back to glee club."
"We need you, Quinn." Lyric told her, desperately hoping that she'd believe her. "Have you seen those purple pianos around school? We're planning this big recruiting number and it's going to be a tribute to the Go-Go's." Lyric shrugged with a hopeful smile on her face. "I mean, who doesn't love the Go-Go's?"
"I prefer the Bangles."
Lyric's eyes fleeted over to one of the other skanks sending her a forced smile. "Oh. That—that's nice." Lifting an eyebrow, Lyric turned back to Quinn. A sad smile on her face. "We all miss you in the choir room. And whenever you're ready, we'd love to have you back. I know you feel lost, but you already have a home and a family, but it's not them," She motioned over to the skanks. "It's us. The Glee Club."
Quinn's eyes casted down to the ground, before slowly meeting Lyric's. The petite blonde nodded slowly. "I'll see you around, Quinn."
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You think after two previous years of failed assemblies, pep rallies, and recruiting numbers that they'd finally learned their lesson. Nope. The school hated them, so why did they think a number in the cafeteria would be any different?
Huffing angrily, Lyric pulled a piece of spaghetti out of her hair. She gagged at the long wet noodle, quickly tossing it in the garbage. A food fight in the cafeteria was the last thing they were expecting when they broke out into their recruiting number. And now, Lyric smelled like an array of food that should never--ever--be mixed together.
"I thought slushies were bad, but spaghetti sauce in the eye is so much worse." Artie sighed, rolling by with sauce and noodles covering his head. Lyric nodded in agreement, wiping her face off with one of the many wet rags they stole from the janitor's closet.
"I have pepperoni in my bra."
"Those are your nipples."
Lyric grabbed a extra rag off of one of the chairs while walking over to Finn. Handing it to him, she helped pick the pieces of lettuce out of his hair. She scoffed. "People hate us so much that they resorted by throwing food at us." She closed her eyes. "We've really hit rock bottom."
"You have to admit that even if no one joins, the performance was still pretty fun." Finn smiled over at her after wiping off his face. He went to lean in for a kiss, but Lyric put her hand up. Finn pouted. "Why no kiss?"
"You smell like a dumpster." Lyric laughed. Her eyes roamed his face before shrugging lightly. "Oh, what the heck." She leaned in pressing her lips against his. Even after dating for the entire summer, her stomach still got all jittery when he was around.
Lyric heard Santana scoff somewhere behind them. "Horrifying."
"Not one single person was inspired by our hot lunch jam to try out, Mr. Schue." Mercedes said in a huff as she stormed into the choir room. Lyric assumed that she had been with the other girls in the bathroom.
"It's true." Lyric turned her gaze away from Finn after hearing an unfamiliar voice. She noticed a small girl standing by the door. "You guys sucked ass."
She knitted her eyebrows together, quickly looking around the room at all the confused faces. Apparently, no one knew this girl. After a moment of silence that was prompted by shock, disbelief, and utter confusion, Lyric decided to speak up. "And, uh, who exactly are you?"
"I'm Sugar Motta, and I have self-diagnosed Asperger's so I can pretty much say whatever I want." The girl explained as she walked into the choir room. Lyric blinked, leaning back in her chair to send a glance back at Kurt. "I'm like a diplomat's daughter."
"How can we help you, Sugar?" Mr. Schue seemed genuinely excited that someone had peeked an interest in the club. Or maybe it had to do something with his idea actually working-- something for him to throw back in their faces for not believing it could work.
Sugar walked further into the room, one hand clutching her purse. "Here's the deal. I'm awesome, and I want to be a big, big star. And when I saw you guys singing and dancing in the cafeteria, I thought, "I am so much better than you." The smile on Mr. Schuester's face dropped. Sugar just shrugged, clearly unfazed and unbothered. "Sorry, Asperger's."
Lyric leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't entire positive that she could handle another diva in Glee. It was exactly what Lyric was hoping to avoid again during her senior year. Rachel was a big enough diva. The last thing they needed was another one.
"Well, great!" Mr. Schuester turned back to face them. "You see guys, you have inspired an audition. Good job! Sugar, why don't you show us what you can do." He rushed over to an empty seat, motioning at Sugar. "Take your time, whenever you're ready."
Kurt tapped Lyric's shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder to see him leaning forward as he looked over at Lyric and Finn. "Sugar Motta. Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Her dad was the rich dude that donated the purple pianos." Lyric whispered over her shoulder while running her fingers through her hair. Her fingers caught on another piece of spaghetti causing to gag as she flicked it off her fingers. She focused her attention back on their potentially new member.
Sugar smirked. "Get ready to taste some sweet ear candy." Turning to Brad, she nodded. " Hit it, hottie." Brad began playing Big Spender causing Lyric to tap her foot to beat.
Lyric sighed. The least she could do was give Sugar the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she wasn't a diva, maybe she was just bad at first impressions. They really needed new people because without Sam, Quinn, or Zizes, they couldn't compete.
"The minute you walked in the joint," Lyric's jaw fell open. She was. . . awful. Lyric was really hoping Aston Kutcher was about to popped out with a camera announcing that they were on Punked.
Lyric's eyes traveled around the room, not surprised by all the equally shocked expressions. She focused her attention back on Sugar, wincing at her high notes.
"I could tell you were a man of distinction. A real big spender. Good looking, so refined. Wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind? Hey, big spender! Spend a little time with me."
"Holy. . .shhhh-ugar!"
Grabbing her purse off the piano, Sugar turned towards the group. "Text me, RE: the rehearsal sched." Lyric blinked, unsure of what happened, but she knew one thing for sure: she wouldn't be seeing Sugar again in glee.
Mr. Schuester paused. "Of course."
Rachel kicked the back of his chair. "Mr. Schue, stop speaking." She quickly looked back up at Sugar who had had impatient look on her face. Lyric almost let out a laugh at the forced smile on Rachel's face. "Okay, uh Sugar — we'll be in touch. Thank you. Bye." She huffed once Sugar was out of sight. "Okay, I think I speak for everyone when I say "never gonna happen." Lyric nodded in agreement, her ears still hurt from Sugar's singing.
"Guys, I know she was. . . a little rough, but we have always had the policy that everyone who tries out gets in." Mr. Schuester tried to reason. She understood that Mr. Schue wanted to give everyone a chance, but he needed to look out for the kids he already had. He was his job to put them all in the best position to succeed and Lyric didn't see that happening with Sugar on the team.
Lyric sighed, resting her elbows on her knees. "Mr. Schue, I'm all for making everyone feel included, but everyone who's auditioned so far has been able to carry a note. . . and isn't completely tone deaf."
Rachel agreed with Lyric, which was a first. "You're not doing her any good sheltering Sugar from the truth, okay? High school is where you learn it's survival of the fittest. She's gonna drag the New Directions down, and that's not fair for those of us who don't want to spend our lives rotting in this insignificant town."
She pointed to the door that Sugar walked through. "You said the other day that you would do anything to get us to Nationals, okay? And she is gonna keep us from winning that elusive crown. If anything, she is gonna kill all of our chances."
Lyric hated it when Mr. Schue basically forced her to agree with Rachel. But the brunette had a point.
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The week had flown by pretty quickly, but so much had happened.
Blaine transferred schools to be with Kurt, which Lyric found absolutely adorable and romantic. And also, one of their purple pianos was used to start a bonfire in the courtyard. Lyric would say it was because Blaine's performance was just that good, but others would say it was because of Sue Sylvester and the Cheerios.
It was most likely the latter.
"Ladies and Gentleman, let's hear it for Glee Club's newest member, Blaine Anderson." Mr. Schuester announced, walking into the choir room with a bow tie wrapped ex- Warbler by his side.
Blaine gave a wide grin, making Lyric's heart melt. "Thanks so much, everyone. I'm so thrilled to be here. It's gonna be a great year, I can feel it. We're all gonna go to nationals!"
Lyric clapped along with everyone else. . .well, almost everyone. She shot Finn a confused look and apparently she wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Is there a problem, guys?" Mr. Schuester questioned, taking note of the kids who lacked enthusiasm.
"I just want Blaine to know that we're not the Warblers." Finn said. Lyric put her hand on his shoulder, but he was determined to say his part. "You know, we're not into the bells and whistles or the ball-hogging."
Lyric almost snorted. Almost. She was certain that ball-hogging was a speciality of a specific New Directions member.
Blaine's smile disappeared as he made his way over to Kurt. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"
"No." Lyric shook her head. She was a little confused as to why Finn was attacking Blaine, especially since it was his first day.
Finn counteracted her. "Well yeah, you set a bonfire in our courtyard."
"Actually, doorknob, that was an act of political protest." Lyric's head whipped over to where Santana sat with a smirk on her face. Lyric just shook her head. Those pianos were supposed to show their unity as a team. And of course, Sue Sylvester had to find a way to take that from them as well.
"Which leads me to the next order of business. Santana, you need to leave." Mr. Schuester announced. Lyric's hand slowly went up, covering her slack jaw. He scoffed at the Cheerio. "It was you and the Cheerios who set fire to our piano. How could you do that?"
Santana looked taken back. She blinked, shaking her head. "Mr. Schue, Sue made me."
"Brittany didn't do it."
"Well yeah, I was gonna help, but I dunno, I'm the water sign, so. . ."
With his voice void of emotions, Mr. Schue pointed towards the door. "You're banned from Glee. Don't come back unless you can be as loyal to this club as the rest of the people in this room."
There was a pause. It was obvious to Lyric that Santana didn't want to leave, but the Latina Cheerio quickly hide any visible emotions on her face.
"You know what? I could use a break." Santana narrowed her eyes as she got out of her chair and made her way to the door. Lyric glanced over at Brittany, who looked disappointed. She felt bad because Lyric knew that Santana was the one person that Britney really connected with. She didn't want to think about how difficult it would be for her to continue rehearsals without Santana.
Not everyone felt that way though.
"You know, good for you, Mr. Schue." Mercedes nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's about time we got some allegiance up here."
"I said it before and I will say it again. If we want to win Nationals this year, we need to be united." Mr. Schuester said, clapping his hands together. "Rachel, you had an announcement?"
Rachel stood up from her seat, grabbing everyone's attention. "Yeah. Umm, after pushing the envelope last year, I strongly believe that we should secure the rights to a, shall we say, less controversial show for our school musical. Wait for it. . . West Side Story!"
"Is that the one with the cats?"
Ignoring Britney, Rachel continued. "And it just so happens to have a lead role that showcases my talents and essence perfectly: Maria."
Lyric blinked, turning her head to face Rachel. "Isn't Maria Puerto Rican?" She narrowed her eyes slightly as Rachel nodded. "Aren't you white?"
She loved West Side Story, but Lyric didn't think it would be a great musical for them. She would've preferred to do something else, like Grease.
"Lyric, please." Rachel sighed, shrugging off the blonde. "Natalie Wood herself was a Jew. I was born to play this role. I literally learned Spanish for it."
Oh God.
Tilting her head to the side, Lyric's nose scrunched up. "Actually, Natalie Wood was Russian Orthodox." She couldn't help but remember Rachel's outburst during the first year of glee club when she didn't get the Maria solo.
Oh yeah, doing this musical definitely didn't seem like a good idea all of sudden.
"Well, I—I." Rachel pouted, swallowing thickly. A smile crossed her face. "That means you can't play her."
Lyric sent a faux smile in Rachel's direction. She shrugged slightly. "Didn't plan on it."
"Well, I don't care who plays who as long as there will be open auditions for Maria." Mercedes spoke up. "Because Mercedes is feeling extremely pretty this year."
Lyric smiled over her shoulder. She would love to see Mercedes as Maria. She'd love to see anyone else play Maria than Rachel.
"Kurt, you had something too, right?" Mr. Schuester asked. Rachel took a seat as Kurt stood from his. Lyric glanced over her other shoulder at Kurt who was next to Blaine. She rested her head on Finn's shoulder, sighing.
A smile worked its way onto his lips. "Kurt Hummel is wading into McKinley High's shark-infested political waters and running for senior class president. And my campaign manager is one Lyric Baldwin. I thank you in advance for your votes."
Lyric knitted her eyebrows together. She was unaware of this news. She didn't even know the first thing about being a campaign manager. Hell, she didn't know anything about politics. "She is?"
"She is." Kurt nodded, confirming the news.
She nodded with a small shrug, glancing at Finn before looking over at Mr. Schuester. "I guess she is."
"Okay. So much excitement." Mr. Schue clapped his hands together. "Now, let's rehearse."
"Look at what they did to us, Mr. Schue. Just like these purple pianos, they ripped out our guts, threw crap all over us and burned us up." Tina announced, pointing to the piano that was in the middle of the room.
Lyric smiled. Tina had a point. They were all constantly beaten down, if not by their own classmates than by Sue Sylvester yet they always managed to rise above it.
"Yeah, we got hit pretty hard. But," Mr. Schuester played a few of the keys. "These pianos are still making music, and so are we."
Lyric grabbed Finn's hand, before looking at her group. . . her friends. This was their year and nothing was going to change that. It would take more than lighting a piano on fire and throwing food on them to keep them down.
It was their year to win it all.
A/N- welcome to season three! This took way longer than expected, but I made it a little longer than it was originally to make up for the wait. I'm really excited for this season to continue. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by next Saturday, so I'll see you guys then!