CHAPTER 9: SATURDAY NIGHT GLEE-VER

(Season 3 Episode 16)

{You Should Be Dancing-Sung by Blaine Anderson, Brittany S. Pierce & Mike Chang}

Haley clapped when they were done. Even though disco wasn't entirely her jam, she still cheered for her friends.

"Wo, guys, what brought this on?" Asked Mr. Schue.

"Well, we know this year's Nationals theme was Vintage, so we thought we needed something old, but something with a lot of energy. So we thought: disco." Explained, Blaine.

"Absolutely." Mr. Schue agreed. "I don't know if I ever told you guys this, but back when I was in Glee Club, we took it all the way to Nationals with the pure power of unadulterated disco."

"Mr. Schue? Was that back when disco was a thing?" Haley rhetorically asked, sarcasm evident. Sam laughed at her sarcastic question.

"Um, well, there's only one problem with that idea." Puck spoke up.

"And what's that?"

"Disco sucks!"

----

"Did someone steal our floor?" Brittany asked, just as confused as everyone else in the choir room.

"Don't worry, we'll have it back by the end of the week. In the meantime, Sue has lent us her..."

"My very own personal, one-of-a-kind, lit-from-within, shatterproof, Plexiglas dance floor." Sue finished. "Modeled, of course, on the dance floor immortalized by a young, musky John Travolta at the height of his potency in the legendary dansical Saturday Night Fever."

"Coach Sylvester, while we applaud your proper use of the terminology, we told Mr. Schue we do not support disco in this room." Rachel commented.

"Ah, but some of you do. So for this week's assignment, we are going back in time to the songs of Saturday Night Fever." Mr. Schue announced.

"Come on, Mr. Schue. That's, like, a record our parents listened to." Finn groaned.

"That album, teen Solomon Grundy, is one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time." Protested Coach Sylvester.

"Tony Manero's story is your story. He's a guy who works at a paint store, struggling to figure out his life. And the only time he feels sure about himself is when he's performing on the dance floor. He has a dream. To get out of his old neighborhood in Brooklyn and get to New York City. And by the end of the movie, that's what he's done. He's turned his dream into a plan."

"So why the dance floor?" Asked Kurt.

"Well, Porcelain, because we're going to start with a dance-off. And the winner will receive a replica of John Travolta's iconic white polyester suit, which I am having a cadre of expert Viennese tailors painstakingly reproduce." Coach Sylvester explained.

"Oh, my God, I need that suit!" Santana said, bursting with excitement.

"Oh, I bet that's worth a lot of money." Mike said aloud.

"I would totally put that suit on...eBay." Mocked Puck.

"So you just want us to start dancing like Soul Train-style?" Asked Finn.

"Uh, no, actually, Sue and I will start us off. We actually met with Joe and Blaine beforehand. Just get up when you're ready. And everyone has to participate. Everyone, Puck."

As the music to Night Fever began, Haley couldn't help but begin to jam out. She looked at Sam who was laughing at her. "Hey, to clarify, I don't like disco too much, but I can't deny the dancing inside of me." She scoffed, playfully.

She moved to the middle of the dance floor, dancing on her own, until Santana and Britt joined her, and they danced together, before moving aside and cheering the rest on.

After they finished, Mr. Schue began to speak again. "Okay, officially, officially, you guys are amazing. I was just conferring with my co-judge, and our three finalists for the suit are Santana Lopez...Mercedes Jones...and...Finn Hudson."

"What?' Finn asked surprised.

"Give it up." Prompted Mr. Schue as everyone clapped for the finalists.

----

Haley was unsure if she would ever even go anywhere after she graduated the upcoming year. She had doubts, but she let them get her down, especially this week, she hid her lost and sad facade behind her smile, which no one had noticed, except Santana and Sam.

Mercedes had asked Haley, Brittany and Santana to help her with her performance of Disco Inferno. What Haley didn't know was that Sam was filming the performance, because he wanted to talk to her after. Hoping to give her an encouraging pep talk, and comfort talk.

"Alight, I have an announcement to make." Mercedes announced. :Contrary to current opinion, I do have a dream. See, my dream is Mariah. It's Whitney; rest in peace. It's Aretha."

"Those are people, they aren't dreams."

'My dream is to be like them. To sing big, fat, juicy, number one hits that inspire people. But...how's that supposed to happen, even if I move to LA? I don't know what to do or where to go. It's scary to even think about moving all the way across the country."

"Well, I mean, I'm moving to New York, Mercedes." Rachel said.

"You'll have somewhere to stay. You'll...you'll have something to do. You have two parents that support you. And my dad is a dentist. He thinks my dream is unreasonable and insane. You know what, he's right. I don't know the first thing about getting a recording contract or a manager."

"The cream always rises to the top, Mercedes."

"Yeah, I'm cream in here, Mr. Schue. But what if, out there, I'm just skim milk?"

The bell rang, as everyone slowly got up and left. Haley let out a sigh before leaving the room. Puck leaned over as Sam was rewatching a video of Haley dancing.

"Why are you watching Haley? Why did you video tape?" Puck asked.

"Because...never mind." Sam said, getting up and going after Haley.

----

As Haley wandered out the school doors, Sam caught up to her. "Hayley, wait." He called, as she stopped, and turned around.

"Hey." She greeted smiling at him.

He wasn't fooled, because he could see past her facade. He knew her.

"Hey. Why don't we go to your house? I want to talk to you." He suggested, as they continued walking, hands intertwined.

"Oh, why? Did I do something?" She asked, freaking out.

"No, no, no, you're great. It's just something I want to talk about." He assured her.

As they reached her house, they went to her room, shutting the door. He brought her to her bed as they sat down. He took a moment before speaking.

"So, I've noticed, and don't deny this, that you haven't been yourself lately. Something's on your mind, and you are choosing to mask it behind this happy facade. It isn't right, you shouldn't be invalidating your emotions." He said, rubbing her arms comfortingly, as she laughed, painfully.

"I know...You know? I didn't want to bother people with my problems. What's new?" She asked, clearly upset.

"You can talk to me always, or any of your trusted close group of friends. We are here for you, and no, you aren't a burden." He assured her, as she sighed.

"Well, I'm sorry if I feel like one constantly. I'm doubting myself... the honest truth is that I just feel lost, I guess...I know we have a year until graduation. I feel stupid because I don't know what I'm doing..." She said, as she began to cry.

"Hay, calm down okay? It's okay, Hay, just breathe with me. Yeah, three deep breaths, there we go." He said as he hugged her, and helped her calm down. Later rocking them back and forth.

"Hay, I know that you are very talented. I have this video to prove it." He said pulling out his phone and showing her the recording of her with Mercedes, Santana and Brittnay from earlier.

"You could've avoided filming me you know." She muttered, still somewhat upset. "Maybe I look insecure, just like I feel a majority of the time..." she muttered.

"Well, insecurities are part of all of us. And I couldn't avoid you, you are more talented than you give yourself credit for. You are beautiful, and overly pretty, you have these gorgeous eyes, a wonderful smile, but you aren't just looks. You are more than that. Beyond talented, gifted, full of potential, you are kind, caring, loyal, loving, brutally honest from time to time, but the brashness can be hot." He began to shower her in compliments as she blushed, hiding her face in his chest. "Point is...One day you are going to be an amazing performer or writer, whatever you plan to be. You have the intelligence, and dedication. I'm very lucky that you are my girlfriend. And even if you feel lost, you know that we both want to go to New York, I'll be by your side the whole way. It's never too late, to decide what you want to pursue." He finished.

"And I'm overly lucky to have you as my boyfriend. Oh god, I'm an emotional mess." She chuckled, as he wiped her tears away.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That's a promise I never want to break, no matter what both of us endure. You taught me what true love is. What acceptance is." She said, as she sniffled

Sam then cupped Haley's face as he leaned in so that their foreheads and noses were touching. "I love you so much Haley Aldrin. I want to spend the rest of my life with you too, that promise is staying secured. You are my moon and my stars. My everything, my person."

"I love you so much, too Sam." She replied. "Oh god, how can I compete with that speech" she laughed. "You are also my everything, my yin to my yang, my Marshall to my Lily, and my person." She finished, before he kissed her passionately, as it escalated into more steamy things, that Santana would note as "WANKY."

----

As Haley layed her legs over Sam's lap, she sat with the rest of the New Directions, waiting for the winner's announcement.

"Come on, who won, Mr. Schue?" Asked Sugar. "Who gets the suit.?

"Well, I left that up to Sue." Mr. Schue said.

"And if there's one thing I enjoy more than punishing you lazy idiots...It's rewarding you for being slightly less lazy and idiotic. Will the winners please enter?"

Finn, Mercedes, and Santana entered the choir room in their suits, as everyone cheered.

"Even in polyester, I feel like a million bucks in this." Santana said.

"Oh yeah! Hell yeah!" Haley cheered, as Santana grinned.

"So what now?" Mercedes asked.

"What do you want to do?" Asked Mr. Schue.

"You know what I want to do?" Finn asked everyone.

"What?" Whispered Sugar.

"I said, do you know what I want to do?!" He asked a little louder, as everyone laughed.

"What?" Everyone asked.

"Strut." He said, smirking.

{STAYIN' ALIVE-SUNG BY THE NEW DIRECTIONS}

••••

Dance with Somebody will be the final chapter coming today! So excited to continue writing. It's been the highlight of my day the past week.