Nemesism | GLEE

eighty one | puppet master

As he entered the choir room, Blaine yelled, "Hey, um, guys! Guys... New Directions!" As he clapped his hands, he yelled, "New Directions! Guys! Hey! I just ran into Mr. Shue, and he's gonna be stuck in his classroom for the rest of the afternoon because of some school board inspection thing, but he still wanted us to meet so we can start working on ideas for nationals."

Then Wade pointed a drumstick and yelled, "Beyoncé!"

While the others started to yell their own suggestions, Christian did nothing but sigh to himself as he glanced over at Stephanie, who had a smile on her face and started to lightly clap her hands together.

While Christian raised his eyebrows in response to what Stephanie was doing, Blaine yelled, "Wait! Wait! This is anarchy! We can't... we can't all just shout at the same time." After a couple seconds of silence, he said, "That's better. I have some ideas already. I'm thinking that the music needs to be really simple, so we can really highlight our voices. No guitars, o-or nothing electronic. We go with a simple piano arrangement. Which I could play."

Then Kitty asked him with a mere raise of her eyebrows, "I'm assuming you're singing lead?"

Blaine told her, "Well, I am a senior, and this is my last go at it."

It was then that Christian said, "Everyone in this choir room that's a senior, excluding Blaine, please raise your hands."

Then Artie, Tina and Sam raised their hands, which got Christian to gesture over towards them, while Blaine sighed before he said, "We need to win this."

With a raise of her hand, Tina said, "Well, feels like North Korea up in here."

While Christian only snorted in response, Blaine replied with a wave of his hands, "Okay, forget the piano. Forget all the music. We can just do, um, a capella, that always works."

Then Wade said, "Deja Warblers. Should we wear matching blazers, too?"

While Christian took out his phone to send a text to Sebastian to ask the former Warbler if he could send an exact replica of his blazer to him, Sam said, "Let's take it back— what was wrong with the guitars?"

Blaine replied, "Nothing. Why can't you guys just stop resisting me for a second, and just go with me?"

Then Tina said, "Okay, Blaine Jong-il."

While Christian started to chuckle to himself with a mere shake of his head, Sam yelled, "Yes! Blaine Jong-il."

With a point of his finger, Blaine said, "I am not trying to be bossy. I am trying to give the benefit of my experience. I have won more show choir competitions than anyone in this room."

While Sam's mouth fell open in shock, Christian asked with a raised eyebrow, "Okay, but have you actually been to more show choir competitions than anyone in this room? Because I think I have you beat on that." Just as Blaine was about to respond, Christian told him, "And before you say anything, Blaine, just know that before I was forced to join this club, Jesse would always drag me along to all of his show choir competitions, so believe me when I say that I've been to far more show choir competitions in my seventeen years of life than you ever will for the rest of your life."

While Blaine stared at Christian with furrowed eyebrows and a slightly open mouth, Ryder faked a cough as he said, "You suck."

Then Jake said with a wave of his hands, "A capella is worth a shot. Let's do it."

With a plastered grin on his face, Christian replied, "And you know what else is worth a shot, Just Jake?" When Jake only sighed in response, Christian told him, "When I shove my foot up your frickin' ass, you frickin' piece of crap."

While Blaine said 'thank you' to Jake, who only sighed in response to what Christian had just said, Wade said to them, "Then you two can have fun in your little barbershop couplet, while the rest of us discuss something good."

Blaine replied, "Fine. You don't want my help... then I am not gonna give it."

After only raising his eyebrows to himself when he saw how Blaine plopped himself on a chair in Mr. Schuester's office, Christian couldn't help but chuckle to himself when Kitty said, "Looks like somebody's man-struating."

From inside of Mr. Schuester's office, Blaine said to her, "I heard that."

With a sigh, Christian replied, "Kind of the point, Blaine."

* * *

From where she was bent over in front of Blaine, Tina asked him, "Blainey Days, Blainey Days, what's wrong with you?"

Sam replied, "Yeah, dude, you didn't say a word the entire class. Didn't even sing."

Then Kitty turned to him and asked, "You want us to call you a waa-ambulance? 'Cause your pity party is out of control."

After Kitty had already left the room, Wade said to him, "Yeah, girl, check yourself before you wreck yourself."

Then Blaine looked over at Christian and asked him, "Why are you dressed as a puppet?"

For a couple seconds, all was silent as Christian stared at Blaine with a blank look on his face before he grabbed a textbook at Blaine, who narrowly avoided the history book that was just thrown towards him.

* * *

As Jake started to enter the choir room, Mr. Schuester told them, "Dance has never been our strong suit, but I think with Jake's help, we can really kick it up a notch. Jake?"

Then Jake turned to him and asked, "What's the point?"

Mr. Schuester replied, "I'm sorry?"

After dropping his backpack, Jake looked back at him and asked, "Seriously, what is the point? I could choreograph a sick dance, and the only people that could actually keep up are Christian, Gabrielle and Stephanie. I mean, the rest of you can't even do it and won't even try. Why? Because everyone but Christian, Gabrielle and Stephanie are not dancers. So let's not waste my time. Let's just do another cut-and-paste dance routine that even Tina can pick up."

With a shake of her head, Marley said to him, "You are such a conceited jerk."

Jake replied, "I'm not conceited, I'm bored."

Marley said to him, "Please, we've seen your dance moves. They're fine, not epic."

It was then that Jake started to doze off, which got Christian to turn to Marley and ask her, "Remind me again why you said I couldn't kick the guy's frickin' ass again?"

The only thing Marley could do was sigh in response to Christian's words.

* * *

From where he stood in the front of the choir room, Blaine said, "Guys, I just wanted to apologize to all of you. I've been a little bit controlling lately, and it's not cool. I've made some changes, though, and I've learned that sometimes you just need to let go. Cut the strings, so to speak."

Kitty replied, "I bet you'll still be bossy as hell."

Blaine told her, "Actually, I hope to be more of a leader, as opposed to being just bossy, Kitty. So to celebrate his new laissez-faire Blaine, I've made some felt peace offerings." While Christian's eyebrows furrowed at the mere thought of whatever it was Blaine was going to give them, Blaine opened the box and said, "Voila."

It wasn't until Stephanie pulled one out of a box and yelled about there being one of Christian that Christian made a point of quickly running out of the room, leaving Stephanie and Cameron to stare at where Christian was just standing with furrowed eyebrows.