Glee club were back with their boring and lacklustre choreography. Dorothea rolled her eyes as she mumbled into Mercedes's ear. "Shoot me."

Mercedes looked back to the front of the room, quickly surveying if the incompetent teacher was paying attention to them. "You shoot me, I shoot you, don't get it twisted girlie."

Dorothea linked pinkies with Mercedes, "I'd rather have the munchkin man back than do this."

"Five, six, seven, eight. Step, turn, out, in, ball-change, step ball-change step." Schuester droned on, completely oblivious to how no one in the club was even doing the correct steps or paying attention. "You, you, you, you. And ba-ba-ba. Turn..." Dorothea viewed around the room, reading into the people. Finn's usual faltering steps, though looking as if he were near falling asleep. Santana checking out her nails (and totally not Brittany). Etc. This was until the group faltered, though positively, practically in sync.

Schuester let out a frustrated groan, spinning around. "Come on guys! You're sleepwalking on me here. Give me some energy! We've got sectionals in tw-"

Mercedes stifled out an objection, "please, sectionals are gonna be a breeze!"

"Maybe so," Schuester placed his hands on his hips, "but, if we coast through sectionals, we're gonna get killed at regionals. We have to be on our game."

"You're acting as if we're not going to be killed at regionals regardless." Dorothea snapped back at him as Mercedes cheered quietly in her ear.

Kurt laughing disrupted the rest of them as he looked up, eyes filled with slight embarrassment at Schuester's disapproving look. "Sorry. Funny video. It's the grape stomping one."

***

Dorothea scoffed as she tried to block out everything the obnoxious football players said behind them at their filthy table.

"The competition is so basic," Kurt groaned. "I wouldn't have any problem knocking everything out if I had any significant part. But, obviously, he's gonna be pandering everything to Rachel, despite who we're against."

"Exactly? The competition is at a halfway house and a deaf choir is singing. We're gonna take the competition and slaughter it!" Mercedes exclaimed as Tina glanced back at the football team who were too self-obnoxious in themselves to hear them.

"A-a-and he w-wondered why we've given up on trying. Give us the s-setlist and go on we can do it."

"Mhm. We have Mercedes and Tina, we're gonna make the other teams shit themselves and abandon their groups." Dorothea commented high-fiving Mercedes who winked at her synchronously.

"It's gonna be a piece of cake, we got it." Artie confidently admitted.

***

Schuester had patchily printed photo's on the board, covering it entirely. "Every one of these people or elements was a champion in their own rights. But, they used competing with each other to make themselves even better."

"Mkay, Mr Schue, are you saying that I have to fight and compete with everyone to make myself better? Can't I just fight myself?" Dorothea scoffed at Schuester who frowned.

Kurt placed a hand on her shoulder, "sweetie no," he whispered to her.

"I don't understand how lightning competes with an above-ground swimming pool," Kurt grumbled, louder than his whisper though, moving his hand from her shoulder.

"I clean over-ground swimming pools n do the fine ass moms." Puck butted in, as Schuester just looked on towards the club in everlasting confusion.

"Just go with it. You guys have become complacent. You were great at the invitationals, but you got to up your game if you want to get through sectionals. Okay, split up. Guys on the left side, girls on the right side. Let's go! Come on!"

Dorothea grabbed Kurt's hand and brought him along with the girl's side.

"Kurt."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he moved toward the boys, "this is physiological abuse." He mouthed to the girls.

"Here's the deal. Two teams. Girls versus boys. You guys have become complacent, One week from today, you will each perform a mash-up of your choice."

"What's a mash-up?" Puck questioned.

Schuester cleared his throat, "A mash-up is when you take two songs and mash them together to make an even richer explosion of musical expression. Boys will perform on Tuesday, girls the next day. I want you guys to go all out, okay? Costumes, choreography. Whoever wins the competition gets to choose the number that we do for sectionals."

"Wait, how's that fair? The whole club should agree at least on the numbers we do?" Dorothea interrogated as Schuester gave her a pointed look.

"Well, you must just put in the effort, won't you?" Schuester gave the most obvious reply out there, as the brunette girl scoffed.

"Wait! Who's going to be the judge? Your gender makes you biased." Rachel questioned, folding her arms securely.

"Ah... There's going to be a celebrity judge."

"Wh-who?"

"Oh, you're going to have to show up to find out!"

The girls turned around as Mercedes smirked, "we got this in the bag!"

"Obviously, Cedes. I claim to plan the outfits." Dorothea said, linking arms with Mercedes as the girls exited the choir room.

***

The girls spent their time during the rest of the lesson in the dance studio.

As the final bell rang, Dorothea called after Quinn. "We're talking, now. You move and I'll skin you alive. Got it?."

"Okay... Fine." Quinn watched as the rest of the girls exit the dance studio.

Dorothea shuffled slightly on her feet, "You kissed me. I kissed you back. You're with Finn, you're pregnant and it's said Finn's, I'm not going to be some side-chick, I'm worth more than that."

"I get it, Thea," Quinn mumbled. "I don't know. I don't know. I like you, in fact, I know you like me more than Finn does."

"Knowing that gives either of us what clarity though?"

"I just... Have a perfect life for myself planned out. I just want you in it." The blonde sighed, taking the brunette girl's hand, and holding it firmly. "I won't let you be a 'side-chick' to Finn."

"You may not."

Quinn took in a deep breath. "I don't know what I am, Dorothea. I don't know what I'm doing."

"I don't want to pressure you, Quinn."

The blonde's eyes met the other girls, "You're not."

Quinn finally let go of her hands.

Dorothea nodded, "Finn can shove it,"

"And not shove into Rachel's, yknow. Do you see them eye-fucking? Vomit." Quinn exaggeratedly scoffed as Dorothea laughed at the blonde.

"Least subtle affair."

"Totally." Quinn smiled, not one of those she gave sarcastically to Rachel or those bitchy ones to Santana and Brittany. A real one. The green twinkled in the glimmering lights above, her small dimples appearing as a light blush shadowed her face, ducking her head down. "I'll... try figure out what I'm doing, Thea. Then I'll get back to you on that."

Dorothea nodded. Looking downwards, Quinn lifted Dorothea's head to meet her own, "Okay?"

"Yes Ms Fabray, of course, Quinn Fabray, okay Quinn Fabray."

***

Dorothea groaned tiredly as she braided Tina's hair. The quietness played like a symphony in the room, the awkward tension had evaporated as soon as Rachel left to go get some storyboarding for choreography.

"Okay girls, we need to get started!" Rachel barged in, disrupting everything.

"We're getting warmed up." Santana scoffed, plucking an eyebrow as Rachel gave her a death stare & groaned.

"Where's Quinn?" Rachel asked, ignoring everything the other girls were doing.

"She's busy, at the Mall, leave her alone, Rachel," Dorothea demanded as she glared at Rachel, simultaneously tying the plaits in Tina's hair.

"Mr Schuester is right, you guys. We can't get complacent." Rachel attempted to command, as Mercedes yawned scrolling on her phone.

"Chill out." Mercedes unenthusiastically said, near falling asleep. "I already picked the songs. We're gonna do a mash-up of Halo and Walking On Sunshine."

"Go, Mercedes." Dorothea ran her hand through her hair as Mercedes nodded in her direction.

"Yeah. That was my idea." Rachel scorned.

"Whatever." Mercedes shrugged. "Come on, we can do this in our street. Do you think those six dudes are gonna give us any competition? I say we just wing it."

"We can't just wing it!" Rachel said, raising her voice a few octaves.

"All those in favour of winging it?" Mercedes asked, as all of the girls, except Rachel, raise their hands. "All those opposed?" Mercedes directed to Rachel, who looked like an enraged penguin. "Looks like the ayes have it."

***

As Dorothea passed her way down to the usual choir room for lunchtime rehearsals, Finn bounced past her, practically exhilarated on his feet. "We're gonna beat you guys! Wait and see!" He was like a hyperactive golden retriever, except on steroids.

They got through Rachel's boring choreography rehearsals the day before, which consisted of Tina, Mercedes and Dorothea making snide comments and Rachel getting frustrated and storming out. Brittany could choreograph better regardless. Dorothea sent them a quick text saying to wear a yellow dress to their performance tomorrow. Good enough.

The boys were phenomenal in many ways — phenomenally performance ways & phenomenally over-excited, during their performance of Its My Life/Confessions. Most strangely pounced onto Mr Schuester, it was confusing how they didn't slide off because of the amount of grease in the man's hair. The man turned to the girls. "You girls may bring it tomorrow, or else we have an opening performance for sectionals!"

Dorothea clutched the glossy textbooks in her hands, as she made her way to Quinn's locker, where the blonde girl stood, boredom covering her face.

"Why didn't you come to Glee club?"

Quinn closed her locker. "Incredibly busy. I do more than just glee if you can't tell."

"No shit." The brunette deadpanned, "so do I. Are you okay? Do you know that if somebody ever judges you in that club I will genuinely shove them down a flight of stairs?"

Quinn laughed weakly, ducking her head down. "With all due respect, are you sure it will be you doing that?"

"Yes, and confidently. Nobody at Glee is going to judge you, Quinn, at least half of the club are outcasts, Sue isn't going to have you forever, it's Sue Sylvester."

Quinn bit her lip as she slammed her locker closed. "Can we talk about this in an empty classroom? Anyone could be listening."

Dorothea nodded, as Quinn motioned to follow her, as they went into the empty English classroom nearby.

"I'm going to explode soon enough and the rumours are going to kill me." Quinn sighed, making her way over to the dusty and slightly cracked ancient window. "Nobody gets it. I do not have any form of life left, as soon as I shove this thing out, it will drag all of my life with it."

"Quinn," Dorothea mumbled, making her way beside the blonde. "I'm sure nobody you know can relate, but, online communities could help you. You have the Glee club, we could help lift you. We can be your odd form of social life, and those losers come with a bonus, me." Dorothea looked at the girl, as she held a hand to the girl's cheek. "Come to Glee. It'll take your mind off of it. It's boys versus girls, you can have fun competition, and beat Frankenteen."

"Okay," Quinn leaned into the touch. "But you're acting as if I know what we're doing?"

"We're winging it. Mercedes is never wrong."

***

Rachel berated them during glee practice after school. "I told you guys!"

"We know." Santana blankly answered, "you've been berating us for the better part of an hour."

"Were they really that good?" Quinn leaned over to Dorothea — surprisingly and asked.

"Shockingly, yes. We significantly underestimated them, especially with Artie leading."

"I mean, how were we supposed to know they'd rock the house?" Mercedes questioned Rachel directly, whose posture got straighter at the attention being back to her.

"How d-did they d-do it?" Tina rhetorically questioned as the door opened as if it were one of the old-fashioned detective movies.

"The real question is: What were they on? Though I was grouped with the boys, my allegiance remains with the girls. They denied my offer to do their hair in cornrows, and all my artistic decisions had been denied as too costly because they involved an exotic bird's feathers." Spoke Kurt, walking edgily over to where the girls were sitting.

"Oh, how I've missed you, boy." Mercedes proudly waved at him.

"We all took something."

***

Dorothea stood lined up between Tina and Quinn. Mr Schuester's wife walked down the line holding a tray. "Everyone gets a dose." She said, handing Dorothea her mini cup of the pills. "Oh! Except for Quinn," She got up real close to Quinn and whispered in her ear, "You get folic acid, Mama."

The woman turned back before she could hand anything to Brittany or Santana, "Get the lead out, Howard! We've got patients waiting."

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Dorothea looked at Tina who simply nodded as she downed hers. Dorothea shrugged, swallowing the pills dry.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Rachel asked as Terri looked at the Diva and smiled insincerely.

"It's over the counter. It's safe. You can trust me, I'm a nurse. It's good for you."

***

Dorothea stood in the front row beside Quinn. Her hair was curled, half-up half-down, definitely leaning too heavily when applying her makeup. Looking at the blonde she smiled excitedly. She could feel her hands jittering as the euphoric adrenaline rushed throughout her.

"Thank you so much. It really is a pleasure. While the boys chose a selection of songs that cast an eye inward on the irresponsible life choices and sexual hunger of today's modern teens, we have chosen a selection of songs that speaks to the nation as a whole during these troubling times filled with economic uncertainty and unbridled social woe. Because if there are two things America needs right now, that is sunshine and optimism." Rachel enthusiastically said, swiftly saying her words skipping over half of them. "Also angels."

The music started as she danced beside, throwing her whole head into Halo/Walking On Sunshine so hard that her neck would ache for at least a week. Dorothea put all pent-up energy from the past fourteen years of her life into that. As the number came to a show-stopping halt with Rachel's belt, Schuester was in awe and Miss Pillsbury's hands were in a clasp as she sat doe-eyed like always.

"Ladies, I-I don't even know what to say. You did such a good job! I don't know what you guys did, but whatever it was, keep doing it." Schuester was agreeable for once, turning soon to Miss Pillsbury. "Our celebrity judge has her work cut out for her." Miss Pillsbury nodded enthusiastically in her seat.

***

As Dorothea tried to not get shoved down the corridor by a bunch of displeasing, distasteful seniors, she saw Terri Schuester drag Quinn down the deserted, like usual, Maths corridor.

Quinn looked concerned before leaving down the other exit.

Interesting.

***

"We feel kind of guilty for what we did," Dorothea said, her tone monotone and flat.

"You definitely mean that," Kurt whispered into her ear as she smiled sarcastically at the boy.

"Yeah, Mr Schue we're sorry. Like really." Finn spoke awkwardly, actually sounding sincere.

"We didn't mean to get you in trouble." Rachel said after, standing unusually close to Finn.

"I'm really disappointed in you guys. Glee is supposed to be about what's inside your heart, not what's coursing through your veins." Schue rubbed his forehead as if he would turn into dust.

"We know. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we'd be happy to move forward and put this episode behind us." Rachel beamed, hands on her hips.

Schuester frowned, "Well, it's not that simple. Because of this debacle, it's been decided that I'm no longer fit to run the glee club myself. We've been assigned a co-director."

"Who?" Rachel redacted her previous statement.

Sue Sylvester strutted in as Rachel looked absolutely mortified.

"Hey, kids. I gotta tell you, I'm just thrilled to be coming on board to co-captain your little, uh, showbiz cruise. Ah, I can't wait to start singing and dancing and maybe even putting on the ritz a little bit."

Dorothea bit her lip as she looked over to Mercedes, stifling a laugh.

***

Dorothea sat criss-cross on the edge of Kurt's bed as Kurt was off painting Mercedes's nails. She quietly strummed the guitar. Kurt and Mercedes spoke loudly on the latest Glee club drama. "Sue Sylvester, really?" Mercedes said, scoffing.

Dorothea created lyrics roughly in her head, ignoring the chatter which soon turned into incoherent humming.

The other woman, will always cry herself to sleep.

"Tina," She asked, as the girl looked up at her from her phone. "Do you have any scrap pages?"

Tina nodded, "o-of course." She said, ripping a page from her maths classwork book before handing it to the girl.

Dorothea scribbled down lyrics and basic chords.

She was Quinn Fabray's, other women. At least in her head.