love like fools ➙ glee

two ; don't stop believin'.

The last person Alicia had expected to see at their next glee rehearsal was Finn Hudson.

This time, they were in the auditorium. This time, they were actually sounding kind of good, enough that even Mercedes and Kurt could admit it. But Alicia couldn't help but steal glances over at Finn. Why would the most popular boy in school sign up for a club that would only tarnish his reputation?

She couldn't imagine it until she thought of her own words. You don't like it. 

Maybe he would be the person who actually changed things around here.

Glee rehearsal went on longer. Singing background vocals was easy for Alicia; she often did this for her mother, who had one of the prettiest voices she'd ever heard. Focusing on Finn and Rachel was easy, too. It tied her stomach into knots as she watched Rachel flirt her way around Finn, heart in her eyes.

Something about that gave her a bad feeling. It was inexplicable. There was no reason for Alicia to feel uneasy, but the longer she watched Finn and Rachel, the more she wanted to look away.

Except it was like a trainwreck. You desperately wanted to look away, knew that you should, but you just couldn't.

As rehearsals came to an end, everyone split up. Rachel chased after Mr. Schuester with a determined expression, Mercedes latched onto Kurt and offered to show him her favorite coffee shop, and Tina wheeled Artie towards backstage, murmurs of practicing their own vocal warm-ups in private echoing throughout the silence.

And then, there were two.

"I didn't take you as the performing type." Alicia kept her words casual and her head down as she struggled to zip up her bag. This was why you weren't supposed to stuff them with enough notebooks and paperback novels to appease a college-level Creative Writing course.

Finn shrugged. "Um, I dunno. You know. College. Stuff."

"I . . . really don't know."

"Extracurriculars and stuff help you get into good schools, right? And, like, get scholarships. And stuff. Which is good, if you don't have any money but you still need to get out of here." He was looking away from her, too, fiddling with a broken zipper on his backpack. "And it keeps you from getting thrown out of school for something you didn't even do," he added, quieter.

Alicia's eyebrows rose. "Were you framed? Oh my God, is this like something out of a mystery novel? I could probably pull off the old-school Nancy Drew look."

"Who's Nancy Drew? Isn't she that lady who has her own TV show about criminals?"

"That's Nancy Grace." Finally, she forced her bag shut, carefully concealing all of her notebooks and paperbacks. Victory was hers. She looked over at Finn, but didn't rise from where she sat on the auditorium stage. "So this is a real thing? You're in glee club?"

"You're kinda acting like you have a problem with it."

"No. No! No, God, no. I'm happy you're here." He was crazy tall compared to Alicia when she was standing; now curled up on the stage, it was like comparing a skyscraper to a mouse. She still smiled when he approached. "You're really talented."

Finn chuckled, ducking his head. "Really?"

For someone who was supposedly only doing this for a chance at a better future, he certainly seemed pleased over the compliment. "Yes, really. I would know. I listened to some of the auditions for glee . . . they're all talented, too. But your voice is unique. Special."

"That's good, right?"

She laughed. That surprised her. No one had shocked a laugh out of her in months. "Yes, Finn. It's more than good."