Glee: A Brand New Direction (first book of Glee series)

Chapter 8: Glee, Actually

Chapter 8: Glee, Actually (with different narrations)

RACHEL BERRY'S POV

I wasn't planning on going back to Lima for Christmas. I was supposed to join my dads on a cruise and it was going to be a drama-free holiday. Unfortunately, my dads had gotten me the wrong tickets and didn't realize it until it was too late. So I insisted that they continue with their plans and arranged to stay at Tina's for the Winter Break. After all, why waste a perfectly good (non-refundable) round-ticket to Lima? I could get to hang out with the glee club. Of course, I didn't tell Finn about my visiting plans in advance. We'd spoken after Sectionals, when I wanted to offer my support for what he was doing and congratulate him on their win, as well as share my success in the competition I'd been in. However, we'd gone back to our not speaking policy. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by being in town with him. I guess it was probably a wrong idea to take Brody with me.

"You sure it won't be awkward?" asked Brody as we sat in Tina's back seat on our way to the McKinley. It was the last day for them so we would be there to help with some mentoring and spread our holiday cheer and college knowledge with the club.

"I talked to Finn," Tina said from the front seat. "He said he'd try to coordinate his helping out the football team and work perfectly so that he'd never come across you two. You'll be fine."

I looked nervously at Brody. He didn't understand why I was so nervous about it, but at least he was trying to understand. When we got to school, I smiled as I walked through the hallways with my sexy boyfriend hand-in-hand. People stared in awe and it was what I had been waiting for in all my high school years. But now, I didn't really feel like I needed it. Brody had lifted my confidence in ways Finn never could. On the inside AND the outside. Not just one or the other.

And just like that, my confidence and my smiled disappeared when we bumped right into Finn outside of the choir room. "Finn..." I managed to murmur.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't realize you'd be here this early. Artie took a fall a few minutes ago and... I'm going to check on him. I'll be out of your hair now. The choir room's all yours." I didn't look back as he walked past me, instead just pulling Brody into the choir room with me and showing him every single thing in their of value to me. It was great to be in the choir room and with Brody it finally felt like McKinley- like Lima- was my home.

In the next period, Mr. Schue walked in, surprised to see me there so early. "What are you-?" he asked from the door as he set his things down on the floor.

"I couldn't wait!" I exclaimed as he opened up his arms and I ran over to hug him. I laughed with excitement and then turned to Brody.

"This is Mr. Schuester," I told him, "the glee club teacher and the guy who changed all of our lives and made me who I am today." Mr. Schue blushed that grown man blush and smiled.

"Nice to meet you," said Brody, smiling.

"And this is Brody," I told Mr. Schue. "I met him at NYADA. He's a great singer and dancer. And he's also my boyfriend."

There was a hint of a frown on Mr. Schue's face, if for only just a split second, but soon he smiled and shook his hand. "Welcome to McKinley," he told him. "Well, just the choir room. Rachel, why don't you show him around the school a little?" I nodded, thankful for him being an adult about things. I knew that almost everyone was upset about Finn and me breaking up but at least they weren't being mean to Brody. And that's all I asked of them.

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QUINN'S POV

I never thought I'd find myself going back to Lima for Christmas. Not only did I have a mature, intelligent boyfriend back in Connecticut who I could be seeing during the holidays, but my mom wasn't even in Lima for the Winter Break. So why did I return? I had to admit it to myself. It started with Noah and ended with Puckerman. I had to see him. Unfortunately, he had not been thinking about me too much since the last time we saw each other a month ago. He had instead taken little Puckerman with him to L.A. and who knows when he'd be back.