Sing!

Wheels

On Monday, the New Directions were sitting in the Choir room waiting for Mr. Shue.

"What about Target?" Quinn asked Finn in a hushed voice.

"Tried. Not hiring."

My heart hurt for Finn. He was just a kid forced to grow up to raise a baby. A baby that wasn't even his. 

"How about I talk to my dad? He could use some help on the farm," I offered, leaning forward to talk to them quietly.

Finn smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Mais."

"All right, guys. We're doing a new number for Sectionals. I know that pop songs have sort of been our signature pieces, but I did a little research on past winners, and it turns out that the judges like songs that are more accessible. Stuff they know. Uh, standards, Broadway," Mr. Shue tells us, handing out sheet music.

"Defying Gravity? I have an iPod shuffle dedicated exclusively to selections from Wicked. This is amazing," Kurt said excitedly.

"Think you can handle it, Rachel?" Mr. Shue asked.

"It's my go-to shower song. It's also my ringtone," Rachel told him.

Kurt looked crushed.

"Why do we have to go all vanilla on this song? See, what we need is my chocolate thunder," Mercedes questioned.

"Okay, we don't have time to rearrange a song for you, Mercedes. Rachel is singing it. Don't worry, well find something for you to dip in chocolate. On to item two. The school won't pay for the special bus we need to take Artie and his wheelchair with us to sectionals."

"W-w-what?!" Tina exclaimed.

"That's completely unfair," Rachel complained.

"So we're going to have to raise money to pay for it ourselves. See, when I was in Glee Club, and we needed new silk cummerbunds for regionals, we held a bake sale," Mr. Shue told us.

"Yes! Bake sale!" I cheered in a whisper.

"You're joking, right? I mean, bake sales are kind of bougie," Santana said.

"So hip people stopped eating delicious sugary treats?" Mr. Shue questioned.

"It's not that, it's most of us don't know how to bake. I find recipes confusing," Brittany spoke.

"My family is fully committed to takeout," Rachel added.

"Yeah, Mr. Schue, kids are busier than when you went here. We've got homework and football and teen pregnancy, lunch." Finn agreed.

"Can't Artie's dad just take him? Mercedes asked insensitively.

"I can't believe how insensitive you're all being. Are you a team?" Mr. Shue said.

"Of course. But Artie understands, don't you, Artie?" Quinn responded.

"Oh of course. I-Its cool. Anything that takes away our time from rehearsing doesn't serve the team," Artie spoke up. As much as I hated the guy, I felt bad for him.

Everyone left after that, leaving Mr. Shue, Artie, and I in the room by themselves. Artie was struggling to tie his shoelace. I moved to help him, while Mr. Shue observed.

"Let me help you," I told Artie, tying his laces.

"Thank you. Don't you hate me though? Why are you helping me?"

"You're right, I don't like you. I think you are just as annoying as Berry, and you're really creepy towards women, but we are in Glee together, which makes us family. And no matter how badly I want to smack you or punch Berry's tiny, little, annoying face, I'll fight for you just as hard. And though I'm really confused as to why we have a kid in a wheelchair in a dancing choir, I want you on the bus to sectionals with the rest of our family. So even if I have to do the entire bake sale by myself, we are getting that bus," I told him. I stood up and patted him on the knee before walking out, just as Mr. Shue made his way to him.