• Smooth Criminal • Sebastian Smythe-BOOK ONE✔

f i f t y - s e v e n

"All right, that's it. Show time. Hands in, everyone." Mr. Schue stated, the group moving to place their hands in the centre of their circle.

The door opened, revealing a sassy girl back to health, her hand on her hip. "Now I know you weren't planning on doing the show circle without me."

Everyone turned, grinning. "She's alive!" Arabella joked, nudging Marina, who quietly laughed.

"Yeah, thanks to Sue. She's a miracle worker." Mercedes said joining the group. She then made a hand motion that suggested she thought Sue was crazy.

"Oh, well, it's amazing what a little TLC, some cortisone and a witch doctor will do." Sue stated, also entering the room.

"Thank God you're okay because that just means I'm not gonna fall on my face during that Trouble Tones number." Quinn laughed, looking to Tina, Marina, and Arabella who nodded and smiled in agreement.

"Oh, screw that. This is our last time performing together. You're doing it, and so you are you three. I'm not taking no for an answer. Plus, I have so many steroids going through my body right now, I may turn into the Incredible Hulk if you piss me off." Mercedes told the four, before laughing.

"Okay, if we don't get out of this room soon, none of us will be performing. Let's go!" Mr. Schue yelled as everyone placed their hands into the centre of the show circle.

As everyone stood backstage, they heard the announcer talking through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 48th annual National High School Show Choir Competition brought to you in part by Salozy-Edison Chevrolet, where you always save more money! Please give a warm Windy City welcome to our judges America's sweetheart, Lindsay Lohan! Hollywood gossip legend, Perez Hilton! And Democratic City Councilman representing the new North Side and the West Loop corridor, I remind you to please turn off all cell phones and pagers!"

"Please welcome our first contestants, from William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, the New Directions!"

The girls then moved to position, Marina and Arabella running beside Santana and standing on a podium that would help them make their grand entrance.

They started singing and dancing as the curtain opened. The podium lifted, Santana, Marina, and Arabella standing there as Santana sang. The pair then moved backwards in time with the music, leaving Santana standing alone at the front of the stage. Santana moved to join the dance formation as Mercedes strutted forward, singing.

Quinn then sang next, she and Tina alternating lines as they sang up to the chorus. Then, everybody sang and danced to the difficult routine, managing to nail it spot on. When Marina looked to the crowd, the loud cheering of her boys and uncle drew her attention, the girl grinning to them as she sang. Arabella noticed the brunette's wide grin, also smiling wide when she saw the boys.

Then the girls split into two groups, dancing before merging to one. When they finished, they posed in a group, facing away from the crowd as the audience cheered and clapped loudly.

As the group of girls moved off of the stage, Rachel took their place at the centre of the stage. She looked to the crowd as the music began, singing her heart out.

Members of the New Directions stood on the stage, backing her up as she sang. The rest of the group stood on the wings, ready to run onto the stage on their cue. In the middle of her song, Marina saw Carmen Tibideaux from NYADA sit into the space Rachel had saved for her. That led Rachel to put even more feeling into the song.

When she finished, people clapped loudly as they all prepared to rush onto the stage for their big finale. Finn, Blaine, and Mike stood on a podium, Finn singing as Sugar, Tina, Quinn, and Santana sang backup.

Then, some ran off and some ran on as they danced, Puck now being the one to sing. Kurt and Blaine then ran onto the stage, singing together, and dancing as they moved to the front of the stage. Santana and Brittany sang next, Blaine and Kurt harmonising and the four moving to the front of the stage, Finn and Mercedes entering back onto the stage and singing as well, the six at the front of the stage.

Everyone had moved offstage as the six sang, but then everyone ran on together afterwards. Marina and Arabella grinned as they sang, keeping in time with the moves, dancing and singing perfectly. Yet again, the pair saw the boys in the crowd, cheering loudly for the girls.

And then Rachel made her debut in this song as she sang loudly, as it was her part of the song. The girls danced in formation, as did the boys as the girl sang. All the girls moved to one podium, the boys on another as Rachel sang centre stage. Finn then joined in, dancing around Rachel before she pushed him away.

The boys all ran off the stage as the girls danced and sang alone. The boys re-joined when the girls were in formation, everyone dancing as one big group as Finn and Rachel sang. Then, the boys and girls lined up, looking to the podium that Rachel and Finn ran to, moving to centre stage before staying position and ending the song there.

As they achieved a standing ovation, the group grinned before moving off the stage. Sebastian, Thad, Trent, Jeff, and Nick all stood there, grinning to Marina and Arabella. They all exchanged high-fives as they moved to their seats, the girls finding out the boys sat behind the allocated space for the New Directions. "You did great." Sebastian said, "All of you."