had them all meet up in the choir room, holding a stack of yearbooks. He had a few on a different pile open on Glee club pages.

"Where's Rachel?" Kurt asked Finn, Finn looked around him.

"She's not here yet."

"Perfect!" Kurt exclaimed, "Glee club stands on a delicate precipice. We have all felt the cold humiliation of a slushie in the face. But as of right now, our relative anonymity as a club shields us from more severe persecution: swirlies, patriotic wedgies..." Kurt listed as Mercedes just seemed confused.

"What's a patriotic wedgie?" Mercedes asked as Finn looked guilty.

"It's when they hoist you up the flag pole by your undies." He quietly explained.

"Strangely," Artie joined in, "it did make me feel more American."

"That is absolutely horrific," Dorothea muttered as Tina muttered an agreement beside her.

Kurt brought the attention back to him, "Based on my investigation, I am of the opinion that a yearbook photo would only fuel the flames of anti-glee-club terror. I've done a little library research." Kurt pointed at a man from the 1998 yearbook, "Peter Gellar. Glee club second tenor, 1998. He can be seen here with both a drawn-on Hitler moustache and a rice paddy hat. Shortly after the yearbook came out, Mr Gellar had a nervous breakdown. He is now the homeless man who sleeps in front of the public library."

"Patches?" Quinn asked.

"Patches." Kurt verified.

Brittany quietly said, "He barks at my mom."

"He barked at me last week." Dorothea shrugged.

Kurt brought out the y2k yearbook, "Exhibit B: Tawny Peterson, Glee club class of 2000, seen here in her photo with a cartoon knife stuck in her head, in a macabre tableau that, in four years would prove eerily prescient. I think I speak for all of us when I say that not having to pose for a yearbook photo might be a blessing in disguise." Kurt then slammed the yearbook shut as the door opened, "I suggest not fighting Figgins' ruling."

Schuester walked in, going over to the group by the piano, "Oh, hey, guys. Ah, looking at old Thunderclaps?"

"It's really unsettling." Artie quivered.

"And totally unfair. Hey, can I borrow one of these?" Schuester took a yearbook from Kurt, as Kurt glared at Schuester. "You know what? This year's thunderclap is going to have a glee club photo with every one of your smiling faces. You have my word on it."

Schuester exited the room after grabbing the y2k yearbook, the Glee club shared an uneasy look among them. The lunch bell rang to get to class.

***

In Dorothea's free period, she nestled herself in the library as she pulled out the 2007 and 1987, yearbooks. She flipped open the Glee club pages on 2007 first.

Many of the people though, did not look miserable, despite that they most likely knew they'd get defaced. She saw a girl with devil horns and gigantic claws, a boy drawn like the wicked witch of the east, with green skin and everything.

In the 1987, the people looked quite ecstatic, with gigantic smiles. Though, at least two people had drawn in missing teeth gaps with protruding black gaps. Many of the people were drawn with clown faces, gigantic ears and more.

Dorothea shuddered at the thought of being defaced, the thought that someone would be so casually cruel and go out of their way to just destroy pictures that anyone could see of people they most likely didn't know.

***

It was the end of the day Glee club. Kurt sat guiding Dorothea through on a few notes, Dorothea nodded along with the boy as Rachel walked up to them. "Kurt, Dorothea. I have a fantastic idea that would make me be the most involved student in the whole school. I want us to start a GayLesbAll." Rachel exclaimed to them.

"Why am I involved?" Dorothea asked as Rachel ignored the question.

Kurt looked frankly offended, "I'm sorry?"

Rachel put her hand on her hips, "The gay-lesbian alliance. Gay-lesb-all." Kurt shook his head, taking Dorothea's hand and leading her away from Rachel's berating, Kurt sat beside her on the first row of the chairs as Schuester entered.

Schuester walked in front of the club, Hey, guys! Great news! Glee club gets a photo in the thunderclap!" Dorothea felt her heart drop at that, as she tried her best to fake enthusiasm like the rest of the club, aside from Rachel, were doing. Schuester seemed to buy their so-called joy, "Yep. It's going to show everyone at the school that the glee club is on its way up! When we win regionals, those claps are going to be collector's items. I mean, all of your classmates are going to be begging for your autographs. But, I had to compromise to do it. Um, we only get a quarter page in the back. Which means we have to pick two team captains to appear in the photo. So, tomorrow we're going to put it to a vote! Exciting, huh? All right!"

Mercedes gathered the club's attention and pointed towards Rachel. Dorothea nodded, dramatically placing a hand on her heart.

***

The club didn't need to go over who was going to represent them.

Mercedes clapped as if they were children, gathering their attention, "Well, we're all here. I guess we should vote."

Rachel stood up, moving to where Schuester usually stood when he tried to lecture them or either fit in. "With your permission, I have prepared a few words."

"I nominate Rachel!" Dorothea exclaimed.

"Second," Kurt said afterwards, nudging Mercedes.

"Third."

Puck stood up, pushing people aside making his way over to where Rachel was, aiming to leave the room, shoving his vote in the hat. "right, let's vote up in this piece. I gotta go hit the gym and load up the guns of Puckerone for the football picture."

"Yeah, for once I'm with Puckerman. I gotta go prepare for swim team." Dorothea shot up from her seat, walked over to the hat and she shoved her vote in.

Everyone in the club soon had their slips of papers in the hat, as Schuester sat by the piano and read them. "Looks like... everyone voted for Rachel. Including Rachel. But, we need two captains, guys."

"Why two?" Quinn asked, "We're fine with having Rachel represent us in the Thunderclap by herself."

"We'd actually prefer it," Kurt commented.

***

That very morning, just before Dorothea had to take her photos for the McKinley high swim team, Rachel approached her. "Dorothea. Will you please be my co-captain? It will be good for you!"

Dorothea looked towards Rachel and rolled her eyes, finishing off shaping her eyebrows. "Rachel. I can't. I obviously have my swim photos and my other clubs. I can't drop everything to be your co-captain, and I honestly just don't want to."

"Stop being selfish, it's not just for you, it's for the whole club. I need another captain here. I thought we were friends."

Dorothea turned around to Rachel fully, "You may be quiet before I shove your self-obbsessed head through the next door I see. How am I selfish here, Rachel? This is why you can't keep a friend ever. Leave. Get out. No one else in the club wants to do this, maybe you should stop fancying yourself and use that giant head of yours to figure out why, Megamind."

"You are such a bitch." Rachel snapped back, her voice slightly breaking as she stormed off, slamming the door as hard as she could.

Dorothea shrugged "Thank you," then went back to her pencil eyeliner.

***

She was linking arms with Tina as they went into the choir room.

Rachel glared towards her, walking over. "I will be informing Mr Schue what you said to me earlier. I do not like you. I think that you need to be punished here." Rachel then went over to most likely plan how to berate other members of the club.

Tina looked at Dorothea, "Dont question it, T. I'll tell you later."

"I'd like to call this meeting of the Glee club to order!" Rachel banged a gavel she had continentally placed beside her, and the door opened as Finn shuffled in. "Oh, hello, Finn. How nice of you to show." Rachel snarled at him coldly.

"Look, I'm sorry," Finn said, cornering them off to where Rachel could only hear him. He still failed to be quiet. "The guys were harassing me in the locker room about it. They said that if I took the glee club photo, they'd make me choose between a Hitler moustache or buck teeth, and I can't rock either of those looks." Finn made his way back to beside Quinn, sitting beside her, "Do you think I have a potato head?" Quinn shook her head shamefully at Finn.

Rachel shook the attention back to her, "Okay, look, I realize now that all of you think that glee club is just a joke." Dorothea felt Rachels attempt at an icy cold death glare. "Okay and you're convinced that we can't win, and you're content to just sit idly by until Figgins cancels the club. Well, I'm about to present to you a rare opportunity. The opportunity to become stars."

"How?" Quinn asked looking at Rachel.

"We've all been cast in a local commercial." Rachel simply said, taking Schuester's seat at the piano.

"Are you serious?" Finn gasped.

"Yes, Finn," Rachel bit back to him, "and while all of you have been so concerned with your appearance in this school, I've landed glee club its first big break. Simply put, making us all celebrities. Okay and no one messes with celebrities or defaces their pictures."

Dorothea rolled her eyes, "I saw Taylor Swift with her photo defaced in a magazine last week. They still get their pictures defaced, we're not that special."

"Dorothea, stop thinking too negatively. We're going to be stars. If you don't want to, then you don't have to." Rachel snapped at her. "We're going to sell some mattresses!"

"Girl, the Jane Adams academy and that school for the deaf have nothing on us!" Mercedes exclaimed to Dorothea as she nodded along despite her boredom.

***

Dorothea was reapplying eyeliner as Tina unrolled her hair from the curlers she'd put him. "I can't believe we're finally breaking into the biz!" Tina exclaimed happily.

"You guys, I want us to always remember this moment. Soon, there may be agents and managers and movie deals, but right now I want us to remember what it feels like to be here together as a team." Rachel boasted.

"As if half of you will see me once I get my law degree. I am away as fast as I can." Dorothea shrugged as Tina nudged her, "You're staying by my side, T." Dorothea laughed quietly.

"Whatever. Soon as I get my record deal. I'm not speaking to any of you." Mercedes sassily snapped.

The mattress land owner & the school photographer walked over with the school photographer — Dennis. "Okay, guys, we're very excited to have you here. We here at mattress land believe that mattresses aren't just for sleeping and fornicating anymore. We believe that buying an affordable mattress should be fun." The mattress land owner exclaimed.

"All right, let's go over the script. I think it's pretty brilliant. I wrote it myself. Action!" Dennis flatly told them, handing out scripts.

"Ah, me." Finn read out, badly.

"What's wrong?" Mercedes sighed, her horrible acting evident.

"We just lost our jobs... at the factory, and we can't get a good night's sleep." Puck moved his head dramatically so harshly that if he had hair it'd go flying.

"Chipper up!" Rachel beamed, "Come on down to mattress land. We've got near-wholesale prices to fit your style and pocketbook!" Rachel put the script on the dressing table, "I-I'm sorry. Mr Cusperberg, this script is brilliant, but we're a glee club, and we should perform."

"Perform the lines as I wrote them," Dennis stated as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

"Wait a minute, Dennis." The mattress land owner interrupted, "What did you have in mind?"

The New Directions busted out in a performance of Jump, and everybody seemed as if they were having an actually great time. Mercedes hit the perfect high notes despite all of the jumping around. "Come on down to mattress land!" The mattress land owner exclaimed.

"Come on down to mattress land!" The New Directions repeated after him.

***

Schuester called them into the choir room last minute. "I can't take you to sectionals." Schuester said after he took the club's attendance.

"But we don't want to go without you." Artie complained.

"It's without me or not at all." Schuester sighed, "Look, I was the one who slept on the mattress, which means I accepted them, not you. Which means I'm disqualified from the competition, not you guys."

"He's taking the bullet for us. Solid." Puck shrugged.

"We can't do this without you, Mr Shue. Hell, we probably can't do it with you." Finn pleaded as Schuester looked at them sorrowfully.

"That's not true" Schuester attempted to convince them. "You guys are good. You're really good. You did Jump for that commercial without me, right? Look, the best teachers don't give you the answers. They just point the way and let you make your own choices. Your own mistakes. That way you get all the glory. And you deserve it. Look, if... If you can't win without me there, then I haven't done my job."

"We're really sorry, Mr Schue." Rachel quietly apologised, for once.

"I know. I want you guys to go get gussied up and take that glee club photo with pride. I want to see a smile on every one of your faces." Mr Schue pointed around at most of their solemn faces.

***

As she stood between Mercedes and Tina, Dorothea felt content as the flashing light of their photos was taken. As long as she surrounded herself with her friends, and her people, maybe the torments will seem less big.