Glee: Back to the Top (the third book in the Glee series)

Chapter 34: Pretty Little Liar

Oh my gosh, y'all liked that last chapter too much lol. 15 votes came by VERY quickly. So I had to write this chapter as a reward! Have fun, cry/laugh/punch your screen. Do whatever you gotta do and remember to like for the next chapter to come sooner!
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"Anything?" asked Kitty, pacing the choir room. Will and Sue had disappeared, Bree was nowhere to be found, and the New Directions had a trophy that they didn't know what to do with as they sat in the room and celebrated. Meanwhile, Alex was busy shifting through all of the stolen data in his computer.

"No trail," he shook his head. "There's money definitely missing from the eventually cut clubs, gradually. But the total budget hasn't changed school wide."

"So she didn't steal the cash then," Kitty sunk down beside him, disappointed that her theory wasn't right.

"Doesn't look like it," Alex sighed, closing down his laptop. "I'm sorry. I know this meant a lot to you."

"And the rest of the Cheerios," Kitty shook her head. "Wherever they are."

As though on cue, the music began and Julie back handspringed into the room. 

[Cue "Baby I" by Ariana Grande.]

Julie smiled, landing on her feet and shaking her hips to the rhythm before turning to face her friends. Shana and Amity surprised everyone by getting up and singing and dancing backup for her.

Julie: Baby, I got love for thee. So deep inside of me. I don't know where to start.
Amity and Shana: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Julie: I love you more than anything. But the words can't even touch what's in my heart.
Amity and Shana: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Julie: No, no
Amity and Shana: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

As Julie put on a show, Jake forced a smile. He had promised himself that he'd tell her the truth as soon as she returned. He hadn't expected for her to return with a romantic song for him.

Julie: When I try to explain it I be sounding insane. The words don't ever come out right. I get all tongue-tied and twisted. I can't explain what I'm feeling. And I say, baby, baby.
Amity and Shana: Oh, woah, oh, woah.
Julie: Baby, baby.

As they girls sang the chorus, Alex and Stefan began clapping their hands together, leading the others into doing the same. Jake forced himself to play along, especially as his friends gave him teasing looks and Julie smiled at him. It only made things worse when she stopped dancing so that she could stand in front of him and hold his hand.

Julie: Straight up you got me. All in. How could I not be? I sure hope you know.
Amity and Shana: I sure hope you know...
Julie (Amity and Shana): If it's even possible, I love you more. Than the word love can say it (say it). It's better not explaining. That's why I keep saying...

Amity and Shana sang to Alex and Rory, respectively, as Julie backed away from Jake and resumed her dancing. The girls joined her and sand the chorus again, with Julie pulling off impressive notes as she was cheered on by her friends. The song ended and the teasing commenced, with whistles and coos making her blush and giggle.

Jake clapped with everyone else and smiled, but he felt worse than he had when she'd left.

***

"So how did it go?" Julie asked Kitty, talking to her once everyone had gone to do other things.

Kitty sighed. "Nothing," she said. "We don't know where Bree went but regardless it was a dead-end. The money is still there, just not with the Cheerios."