Glee: To the Next Level (the second book in the Glee series)

Chapter 35: Before You Go

As Will headed to the parking lot, he spotted Sue going through a big pile of miscellaneous items in her trunk.

"Hey Sue," he said as he passed her by. "Chilly, isn't it?"

Sue nodded, mumbling something unintelligible, when she suddenly popped up and rushed after Will.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, her eyes wide.

"Going home to my wife and son," Will responded. "Shouldn't you do the same? Go home to your daughter, that is."

Sue still seemed flabbergasted. "William I just passed by the choir room and heard the unmistakable shrill of your glee kids in there," she told him, her own voice chilling in the cold. "I didn't dare go in because I couldn't stand the music this week. Seriously, I heard someone doing Hilary Duff earlier. Anyway, I assumed you were inside."

"Sam took over this week," Will said. "He's done a great job with them." Eager to get home, Will turned and continued making his way to his car. But Sue wasn't finished.

"Former stripper with the unmistakable mouth of a Cabbage Patch?" Sue asked as she once again caught up to Will and made him turn around. "He's a bigger idiot than Hudson!"

"Sue..." Will frowned.

"Will," Sue said, her voice calmer now. "How could you let a boy who just graduated, and when I say just I mean barely graduated, teach in your place?"

"As far as glee club, he graduated with passing colors," Mr. Schue argued.

"Oh, come on!" Sue exclaimed. "You don't get to go home yet, William. Let's go." She turned around, walking right past her car and slamming the trunk shut, so Will let out a deep sigh and followed. When they got to the choir room, Sam was in the middle of something.

"Harmony," he was saying, "that was an excellent performance of Ke$ha's 'We R Who We R,' Way to break out of your rigid, Broadway image."

Sue gave Will a look as the two stood at the door and observed.

"Okay, who's next?" Sam continued. 

Alex raised his hand. Since he sat in the back of the room, nobody saw him except Sam, who encouraged him to start. As he headed to the front, multiple eyes widened and several jaws dropped.

"I can't believe he's participating," Unique whispered to Marley. Amity took a deep breath, wondering what she was about to hear.

"My guilty pleasure," Alex said, his hands buried deep in his faded jeans' pockets, "is David Archuleta."

"Who?" said Bree, cringing her nose.

"Exactly," Alex sighed. "He was big after getting second place in American Idol but now most don't recognize him by name. You may remember him through song, however."

Alex: I hung up the phone tonight... Something happened for the first time. Deep inside it was a rush. What a rush...

A lightbulb lit up in most of the kids. Julie and Kitty bobbed their heads in sync as Joe nodded with approval. But Alex didn't care about any of them; his eyes were watching one face.

Alex: 'Cause the possibility that you would ever feel the same way about me... It's just too much. Just too much...

Marley, noticing the way Alex looked at Amity, smiled widely with surprise and turned to look at Amity, who looked pretty scared. Unique noticed this too, but her reaction wasn't exactly positive. In fact, she'd been so mad about what Jake did to Marley that she couldn't stand the idea of a bad-er Jake with a more innocent Marley and even worse heartache.