[IC] The New, New Directions

[Silent Whispers]

Mikayla Lovett | The Diva

It was the second week of school, finally and she was still counting down the days until graduation, already. She was so ready for high school to be over and done with though she needed something to show for it, as well. She stood in front of the bulletin board that was loaded with sign up sheets as she tapped her chin with her purple, glossy pen then signed up for the cheerleading squad, volleyball then signed up for Glee Club, who was holding auditions during free period. With a smile, she turned heel and walked away from the board and counted the minutes and seconds until free period.

Time seems like it flew by and free period was here. She stopped by her locker and dropped her books off then made sure she looked audition ready in the small, little mirror that was in her locker. Mikayla walked through the halls and stood in front of the auditorium doors, inhaling and exhaling then opening the doors that lead to the inside as she sat where everyone else was sitting but with a bit of distance away from them. She looked at the male that was on the stage and he seemed excited as he gave a brief speech about what glee club was about and their accomplishments over the years. He introduced himself as Will Schuester and he walked off the stage and up behind them at a table.

"Alright, whose first?" He asked as no one moved and she finally stood up and sort of glared at them. With a small flip of her hair, she marched onto the stage and smiled, taking in the moment of the bright spotlight shining bright before her. "Hi. I'm Mikayla Lovett and I'll be singing Jasmine Sullivan's Bust Your Windows." She cleared her throat and snapped her fingers. "Hit it!" She sung with the same aggressiveness as the lyrics were. She even did a few theatricals to symbolically bust some windows. She ended the song with a fierce walk to the end of the stage and her hands propped up on her hips.

"Wow. Nice." Mr. Schuester applauded as he directed her off of the stage. "Next!" She walked off of the stage and past the next person that was auditioning and wished them good luck. Mikayla tucked a few strands of her hair behind her hair then took her seat. Someone leaned over to her to tell her what a nice job she did as she held a hand up to them. "Don't talk to me." She did another hair flip then watched the other auditions in silence.

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Dalton Bentley | The Bad Boy

Dalton pulled up into his parking space then grabbed his book-bag while getting out, placing the sunglasses onto the top of his head now, flashing a beaming smile as he closed the door behind him, locking it afterwards. He walked through the school grounds and went to the designated area, which was on the side of the school, the infamous dumpster. "Hey guys." Dalton spoke as his friends fist bumped him and he did the same in return. "So, what's on the menu today?" He asked as his eyes flashed upon a scared, shaky nerd, who had the muscular arm of a jock basically weighing him down. "New nerd to the school." His friend said while waving his hand dismissively at the fresh piece of meat. "Well, let's get this over with." Harrison said with a slight sigh as he tossed his book-bag to the side then walked up to the nerd.

"Don't worry, kid. You are the first of the year to be dumped by Dalton. You should be smiling." Dalton smirked as they shuddering male was hoisted up above Dalton's head, with the help of a few friends. "Welcome to McKinley." He said while throwing the kid into the dumpster and clapping his hands together. "Alright, boys. Have fun. If I see anyone else around, I'll be sure to bring them by." He waved them goodbye then picked up his book-bag and walked up the few steps that lead to the main entrance of McKinley High.

Upon opening the doors, he walked down the middle of the hallway, seeing everyone move out of his way made him think of them cowering in fear with his presence. A sick smirk came over his lips at the thought as he stopped by his locker and grabbed his notebook and a pencil, which he stuck onto his ear. He turned around and bumped into someone, as Harrison snarled at them, sending the person running away.

He breathed in the school air while leaning against his locker, which he propped himself up off of. "Oh, crap." He muttered underneath his breath while going back over to his locker, pulling out a folded up mechanism, which was his brand new scooter. "Can't forget this baby." Dalton patted the handlebars while speaking those words then placed one foot on the scooter while kicking the other one back and riding it through the halls, whistling a random tune. This year was going to be all about him and no matter what lengths he had to go to make sure that happens, he was going to make sure that it happened.

[Rosalind]

EDEN

It was her last year here; once her education was over she would be heading back to England. She actually found herself in two minds on this, one was happy and one was actually quite sad. Eden had been here in Lima for six months, and she had loved every second of it. Never one to be shy around people, and sporting a crisp English accent, she had quickly been drowning in friends and people trying to get closer to her. It had almost been overwhelming at first, but it certainly made her transition here a lot easier. She had grown incredibly fond of a few of her friends, especially her host and his family. Joseph Sawyer, or Joey as he was more commonly known was Mr Superstar at the high school, and his popularity had soared when he turned up with the English girl. He had kissed her once, but Eden had already stated she didn’t want to get involved with anyone as she would be heading back to her home country, and nothing ever came of it.

But now as she walked down the halls of McKinley high, she felt a little sad that in less than a year she would be leaving this place for good. She kept in touch with all her friends back home, and they were desperate for her to return, but the friends she had made here were desperate for her to stay. It actually put a bit of a downer on her day, and the blonde had difficulty summoning a smile that day. That was until she paused by the notice board and looked to a sign-up sheet that had a fair few names on it, and she stopped in thought. A lover of drama and music class back home, Eden had a strong love for all things performance related. But she had recently stuck to singing in the shower or in her own room, but never publicly. She sighed and walked on, pausing by her locker to dump most of her books.

As she opened her locker she heard a few gasps and the blonde turned her head to see Dalton Bentley walking through and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes a little. Eden had never understood the cliques and stereotypes of an American high school; she certainly hadn’t stuck to one. The cheerleaders had tried to force her with them; her instant popularity apparently meant she had to adorn the uniform. But she couldn’t bear most of them, nor could she stand people who had a ridiculous sense of self-worth. She was friends with who she wanted and ignored those she didn’t like, perhaps that were one of the things that set her on bench above most. She watched the schools resident bad-boy as he scooted off down the halls, and she couldn’t help but smirk a little as she watched him go.

“What’up English?” A familiar voice sounded, and Eden closed her locker with a smile.
“Hey” She said as she turned to the dark skinned Lothario that was Bryce Cole, as he turned up the collar of his letterman.
“Where’s Joey?” He asked as he openly eyed a girl who slunk past, trying to get his attention with smirk and a wink.
“Probably making out with his reflection” She said as she closed the locker, leaving her bag a damn site lighter. She pulled her phone out and looked to see a message, to which she promptly grimaced. “Stop sending me these!” She said to him, flashing him the topless selfie he had sent of himself.
“Maybe when you agree to dinner… Come on English… You, me, breadstix… Think about it” He said kissing her on the cheek before he headed off and made a loud noise as he was reunited with the rest of the footballers. Eden shook her head and made her way off to her History class, passing the Glee sheet another look as she went.

JOEY

It was almost becoming an obsession, he had to get scouted. Football had become his life, and now senior year was here, the need to get to that professional level had never been stronger. He had arrived at school an hour earlier than need be to make use of the Gym, having received permission from Coach he had gotten into a routine of running and lifting before school, and eating high protein meals. Now covered in sheen of sweat, the dark haired teen made his way through to the showers and scrubbed himself down in the scented body scrub before he set about his routine. But as he pulled on his clothes and styled his hair, he found himself singing along to the music that poured from his phone. No one really knew of his love to sing, his status as king of the school didn’t really allow room for it. But he had a powerful voice with a husky edge to it, and had always loved music.

Putting the gel in his hair and bursting into a final chorus of the song, he jumped when he caught sight of another in the reflection of mirror. “Shit!” He startled, before he turned to the teacher. “Sorry” He added quickly, knowing that they were hot on cussing in the school.
“No, sorry to startle you” The man said as he perched on a stool against the wall and looked to the teen. “Who was that?” He asked, pointing to his phone.
“Oh, Artic Monkeys?” Joey replied as he shut the music off and pushed his phone into his pocket. When the man looked a little questioningly, Joey shrugged. “Some English band” he said. Eden’s taste in music had certainly rubbed off on him all the while she had been staying there with him. The teacher nodded before he looked back to the student.
“You have a nice voice you know… Should come to the Auditorium at eleven, we’re having open auditions for the new Glee club” The man replied.
“Glee?” Joey repeated before he laughed, shaking his head and pulling on his letterman. “No, thanks but no way”. The man behind him however chuckled as he got up and adjusted his jacket.
“You know, a few years ago I was in the same locker room convincing the star quarterback the same thing” He said as he made for his exit.
“What he do?” Joey asked him.
“He won a national championship” The teacher replied with a nod, before he exited the room and Joey was left to think as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Joey sat in History class with his back half turned. No one really paid much attention to the teachers droning voice; Eden was on the table behind him on her phone when some whispering to the side of them caught their attention, though they remained silent. It was two girls chatting about the Glee club and what songs they were going to perform. Joey didn’t look at either of them as he scribbled idle patterns on the paperwork, singing in his head and unable to think of anything but singing. No, he was a footballer and that was his future. He loved music but there was no way he was going for Glee club.

[Silent Whispers]

^{Mikayla Lovett}

She watched a few more performers perform before getting up out of her seat after the last performance and turning towards Mr. Shuester. "When will the list be posted?" She asked in her usual diva tone as Mr. Shuester didn't quite know what to say about her tone. "Uh, well, it should be posted before school is out. This afternoon." He said while looking at her with a raised brow. "We still have a few more performers, if you wish to stay." Mikayla smiled then did a hair flip before responding. "No, thanks. I actually have a life to live." She wiggled her fingers towards everyone then strutted out of the auditorium, where she bumped into Leanne. "Hey there, girl." Leanne heard the music and raised a brow. "Wow. Glee auditions? So not cool, right?" Leanne muttered as Mikayla bit her lip while walking beside her.

"Yeah, so not cool." She said while waving her hand dismissively at the auditorium doors. "So, how are cheerleader tryouts going?" Mikayla continued as Leanne let out a heavy sigh. "Not good. No real talent this year." Leanne responded while breaking away from Mikayla to go and speak with her cheerleader friends. "Toodles." Leanne told Mikayla as she waved back towards her. She'd stop by her locker and grab her History book then proceeded her trek into the class. "Sorry for being late I was auditioning..." Her eyes gleamed towards everyone in the room then chuckled nervously. "I mean, I was trying out for the Cheerios. Sorry." The teacher directed her towards an open seat and she sat down, sitting her purse on the back of her seat and opening her notebook, writing down the notes on the board.

She smiled a little bit, sort of anticipating the list that was upcoming this afternoon. She'd have to bolt out of the last class of the day and get to the bulletin board before anyone else say her name there and that wasn't going to be easy. 'Hm.' She thought while placing her pen on the edge of her mouth, thinking.

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^{Dalton Bentley}

After spending some time in the principal's office already, he walked out into the hallway with a slight smirk as he looked left then right before shrugging his shoulders and walking off. Of course, they confiscated his baby, his scooter but like any bad boy, he always had a backup plan. Dalton walked up to one of his skater buddies and asked to borrow his skateboard as the guy gladly gave it to him. Dalton then started skateboarding down the halls as Principal Sue saw him and invited him back into her office. Dalton followed her in and closed the door behind him.

"I thought I told you not to wheel around the halls ever again." Principal Sue said as Dalton chuckled while holding up his index finger, as a sign of hold up. "You technically said no more scooter, nothing about skateboarding, Sue." She eyed him with that usual look as she stood up and walked over, sitting on the edge of her desk. "Listen here, tough guy. I am suspending you for a week. Maybe your parents will send you to Military school or something." She said as Dalton stood up. "Oh, come on, there has to be something I can do to avoid suspension." Principal Sue smirked while getting up from her seated position then threw a show choir rule book before him.

"No." Dalton said in a demanding tone. "Either you audition and get in Glee Club or you'll be suspended for two weeks, now." Dalton stammered at Sue's demands as Dalton shook his head. "Mr. Shue isn't going to accept me. I gave him hell in Spanish like two years ago." Sue sat down in her chair and leaned back a little with a shrug. "Looks like you got some kissing up to do, buddy." She chuckled while waving her hand for him to leave. Dalton grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulders, letting out a grunt of frustration as he walked out of her office.

His steps were not the usual bad boy steps as he appeared right before the auditorium doors, sighing softly to himself as he just stood there and waited a moment.

[Rosalind]

EDEN

She had spent the entire class thinking about nothing but the glee club, and she was feeling incredibly annoyed at that. It was silly, and even back in England being in a choir was social suicide. But then again, Eden really wasn’t one to conform to social expectancies. She did have a passion for singing, and it would be nice to be able to enjoy it, and showcase her talent. So as the bell rang and the class was called over, Eden got to her feet with her mind made up. She stuffed her belongings into her bag but kept her phone free, sticking the earphone jack in.

But before she could head out the classroom, Joey caught up with her. “Any plans for the free period?”
“Yeah, actually” Eden said, sticking one earphone in. “I’m going to audition for the choir” She said with a laugh, but when he looked at her a little questioningly she quickly amended herself. “Glee club” she added,
“Really?” He asked.
“Yeah, I love singing so why not?”
“Because it’s quite possibly the geekiest thing ever” He added as he fiddled with the strap on his bag.
“See that is the difference between me and everyone else here” Eden added as she clicked on a certain song. “I don’t care what other people think. I’ll catch you later” she added before heading to the auditorium.

Eden stood a little nervously with the song playing again in her mind before she heard someone call “Next”. Eden walked out onto the stage, taking a deep breath as she stopped in the middle. “Your name?”
“Eden Davies” She said clearly. “I’ll be singing Titanium” She added.
“Good song. When you’re ready” Said the man and Eden took a step back and she breathed, before looking to the man behind the piano. She nodded once, and as the notes slowly began to sound, she begun to sing. Her voice was powerful, though at the moment was calm and she sang with as much emotion and perfection as she could master, the words meaning a lot to the blonde.

When she finished, you could have heard a pin drop before applause sounded and she couldn’t help but smile and laugh a little. “That was beautiful… Thank-you” The man said to her.
“Thanks” Replied Eden, thrilled with her performance before she turned and headed off of the stage, still grinning as she pushed a hand through her hair and stopped to pick up her bag. When she straightened up, she looked to see Dalton Bentley there and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow questioningly, but undeniably intrigued. “Good luck” She said to him as she walked past, but slipping instead into the seats. But she was quickly surprised by the presence of another, Joey. “Thinking of trying out?” She asked him, tossing her hair to one side.

JOEY

Even when Eden said she was going to audition, he still did not want to do. He wished he could have had half of her self-confidence, not care what others thought and just do what he loved. Well he was, he loved football and it was his key to college. But his popularity meant a lot; it kept him happy and his social life full. But then again, Eden was hardly ever short of dates and invites, but was that because she was English, and in small Lima that made her a miniature celebrity? Joey felt annoyed at himself for over thinking this, and he shook his head as he made his way out of the classroom, heading down to his locker. He intended to spend this free period out in the fields like he always did or in the weights room if it was raining.

But as he passed the bulletin board he saw the Glee sheet and again found himself thinking. Suddenly a whole other future was in his mind. One of laminated stages and screaming fans, of fame and fortune not gained through football. “Shit” he said to himself as he found his feet carrying him to where the open auditions were happening. However, he didn’t line up to sing but instead hid in the rows to just watch. He watched that odd guy from most of his lessons sing, swathed in black as usual as he belted out a song by some band called The Cult, and had to admit he had an individual yet interesting sound to him. Then there was that unbearable girl who had transferred, Megan something. She played the bad-girl, but most the time was just tragically funny.

And then Eden sang, and he was actually stunned by just how good she was. Without the restrictions of the bedroom, her voice was incredible. When she came over he nodded at her. “Impressive set of lungs you got there” but when she asked him if he was going to audition, he just shook his head.
“Then why are you here?” She asked him. Why was he here? “Look, get over yourself and get over this silly popularity thing and get your arse up there” She said to him.

But before either of them could move, Dalton Bentley took to the stage and they both turned to look at him.