𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐊 , jesse st. james

ix. lean on me

"Ballad. From Middle English, balade. Who knows what this word means?" Schuester asked.

"It's a male duck." Brittany answered.

"Honey, I think that's a mallard." Maria whispered with a supportive smile.

"A ballad is a love song." Kurt replied to Schue's question.

"It's also a shower song." Maria added, gaining laughs from some of the gang.

"Sometimes, but they don't always express love. Ballads are stories set to music—which is why they're the perfect storm of self-expression. Stories and music are the way we express feelings that we can't get out any other way. Okay, now, sectionals are in a few weeks and there's a new rule this year– we have to perform... a ballad." Schuester explained, ignoring Maria's comment.

"Looks like my weekly letter to the Ohio Show Choir Committee finally paid off!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Of course you would be behind this." Maria muttered. She had nothing against ballads and at this present moment she have nothing against Berry, the girl was just in an 'I feel like ruining everyone's day' mood.

"Okay. So here's our assignment for the week: I'm going to pair you off, and I want you to pick a ballad to sing to your partner. Look them right in the eye, find the emotion you want to express, and make them feel it." Schuester declared.

"I pick Quinn." Finn proclaimed, excitedly.

"No, no, no. Too easy. Your partners will be chosen by fate." Schuester decided.

"Oooh!" They all exclaimed, excited.

"Ooh, yeah. I put all your names in this hat. Whoever you choose is your partner." Schue announced.

"I bet the duck's in the hat." Brittany guessed, making me giggle.

"But Matt's out sick today. He had to go to the hospital, 'cause they found a spider in his ear." Santana stated.

"How?" Maria questioned. "And Quinn's out sick too because of pregnancy stuff that I don't really understand." she added.

"Um... I guess I'll just have to put my name in the hat for now." Schuester replied, God bless the soul who gets him, Maria thought. "Who's up first?" They went one by one picking: Puck got Mercedes, Artie got Maria, Finn got Kurt,
"Mr. Schue, I don't know if I can do this with another guy." he complained.
"The fates have spoken, Finn." Schue stated.
Tina got Mike (also known as Other Asian), Santana got Brittany which means Rachel got Schue, and to quote Schue from literally 10 seconds ago how fitting.
"Uh... you know what? Maybe we should  just wait until Matt gets back." Schue fretted.

"Would you mind clarifying what kinds of songs you want us to sing?" Artie asked, on behalf of the glee club.

"Why don't you let Mr. Schuester and I demonstrate. Brad, Endless Love in B-flat, please. It's my favorite duet." Rachel exclaimed. Maria despised the way the club treat Brad like a slave, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it, for, in their eyes, she was still little Maria George who didn't talk for the entire first day of the club.

"I really don't think that's an appropriate song, Rachel." Schue stated, and Maria agreed.

"Why? It's a great song, and it's a perfect ballad." Rachel questioned.

"Because you're a student and he's a teacher?" Maria mumbled, don't get her wrong, she loved Diana Ross and Lionel Richie too but not in a student/teacher combo.

"Yeah. I really like that song, Mr. Schue." Finn added.

"Everyone does." Maria insisted, before Schue and Rachel began to sing an awkward and deeply traumatising rendition of Endless Love. "Well I think I speak for absolutely everyone when I say that that was awkward to watch." Maria announced, gaining murmurs of support throughout the room and a look from Schuester that implied it was awkward to be a part of.

☆

Once again, babygate was the main focus of the glee club. And somehow it effected everyone, initially Maria had thought it was sympathy pain - something she had learned about through Friends - however her mother - a nurse - had explained to her that was only a thing experienced during childbirth. The bottom line was that babygate was a scandal - and Maria was fully invested. So classically, when it was the weekly New Directions Friday Night Phone Call (or NDFNPC as they called it when Rachel, Puck, Quinn & Finn were there as they weren't invited because they usually the point of discussion) and Mercedes told them that Puck was Quinn's baby daddy - Maria was ecstatic. Not for Finn, and definitely not for Quinn and Puck when Finn finds out but all in all - she was living for it, because who doesn't love a bit of drama? Well, actually she opened her window and screamed with excitement, terrifying her mother and grandfather.
"What's the matter?" her mom, Eleanor, asked.

"Oh, I just got some really interesting gossip." Maria replied, startled.

"All that excitement over gossip?" Her grandfather, Curtis, questioned in a state of disbelief. "I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, but like good gossip, scandalous gossip." Maria replied, Curtis shook his head before heading off to his room to sleep.

"Spill." Eleanor demanded, intrigued, after she was sure her father had left. Curtis George had never been one for gossip, partially related to the fact that during his childhood, his mother - the great Deena George - was frequently the subject of it.

"Ok," Maria paused to double check she had left the call, "so you know Quinn - head cheerleader Quinn - we saw her at Breadstix that one time." Eleanor nodded, "she's pregnant, but her boyfriend - Finn - isn't the baby daddy. His best friend Puck - Aunt Bridie's pool cleaner - is."

"Isn't Puck the same pool cleaner your Aunt Bridie caught in bed with Chelsea, and then a week later with Penny?" Eleanor questioned. Maria grimaced, Penny and Chelsea were her cousins - Penny was the oldest at 19 and Chelsea was two years younger at 17.

"He's a man-whore" Maria clarified, as Eleanor nodded.

"Is there any more drama? Glee seems so chaotic, I love that." Eleanor asked.

"Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling." Maria replied before spilling the tea "Kurt has the hots for Finn, as usual Finn's oblivious. Rachel has a crush on Schue, apparently she showed up at his house the other night." she looked at her phone "and this just in, Quinn's parents kicked her out."

☆

"Your fellow Glee Club members want to sing a song for you guys to let you know how they feel about you." Schuester announced.

"What are you going to sing?" Finn questioned.

"Just listen. The song says everything." Rachel replied, as they began to sing Lean on Me.

A U T H O R ' S N O T E
i have returned!! i will probably be mia for like 2 months again from this moment forward but i was here.