on Dorothea's shoulders had risen slightly since sticking up for herself to Quinn & their recent sectionals win. She was standing idle as Kurt sprayed enough hairspray for a village of wispy, out-of-place hairs. He linked their arms as Mercedes walked down the hallways, and Rachel joined at her side.

As soon as they got beside the girls, JBI appeared beside Rachel, "I want to be with you, Rachel." He said, standing still behind her as she scoffed and walked off.

"We're glitterati. I feel like Lady GaGa!" Kurt exclaimed, unlinking their arms from each other.

"If I can use bejewelled as an adjective... then I feel utterly and purely bejewelled," Dorothea commented, putting her hands into her cardigan pockets, the soft feeling twisting beneath her fingertips, taking away the growing nagging feeling.

"Get used to it, guys," Rachel beamed, emphasising her words with gigantic expressions with her hands, "we're stars now, on par with all the jocks and popular kids — oh it's the dawn of a new era here at McKinley, and we are going to rule this school!"

Karofsky and three of his minions meandered around the corner, stopping in front of the quartet. Dorothea jumped back too late, the cold slush encapsulating her face as she took a sharp inhale. "Ooh, welcome to Losertown!" Karofsky jeered.

"Population you!" His minion pathetically added.

***

Dorothea leaned her head against the cool locker with a slight dent from someone being most likely shoved into it. As she bundled her sweater to throw on after the slushie incident earlier, she looked to her left as Quinn stood in front of Puck.

"I'm just saying, please stop supersizing 'cause I don't dig on fat chicks. It's why I'm not that into you right now. Drop it and call me." Puck grumbled, slamming the locker shut, looking down at Quinn, and focusing his attention on her.

"I'm pregnant."

Puck scoffed, "And that's my fault?"

Dorothea turned her back away as she stormed off to Glee club, passing Sue who was cutting off some boys' ponytails. Turning the corners in a blur, she finally reached Glee club as she begrudgingly sat alone in the top left corner. As she slid her phone back into her pocket as Schue walked in, scribbling HELLO onto the board beside a stick figure.

Schuester pointed at the drawing with the whiteboard pen as he swung around to face them, "Hello." He seemed somewhat disappointed, his smile dimming, as he repeated, "Hello?" Droaning out the o's.

Quiet and unenthusiastic mumbles of "hellos" were what he was met with, though Rachel's voice overpowered the rest as she loudly said, "Hello."

"What do you guys say when you answer the phone?" Schuester asked as Mercedes answered.

"What's up?"

She turned towards Artie, "Who dis be?"

Dorothea sighed as she made a fake phone action with her hand, "No, my uncle is not in the mafia and you, for a fact, have the wrong number." She turned away from the hand-phone, "I don't talk to many people."

"No, she's dead, this is her son." Kurt deadpanned.

Schuester's eyes opened wide, "O-kay. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, like to say, ahoy, ahoy when he answered the phone. It was Edison who decided that hello was more of an appropriate greeting." Schuester was met with blank stares from the club, "Look. I am proud of what you guys did at sectionals. But, as most of you have realized by now, it hasn't made a bit of difference in your day-to-day at school."

"I have a slushie-stained training bra to prove it." Rachel muttered, shamefully.

"My cardigan is stained blue." Dorothea admitted, "The stars on it are literally blue."

Schuester said nothing about what the two had jut admitted about the literal bullying, "The fact is, we're going to have to be better, even more, spectacular at regionals. It's time for some reinvention, some new, New Directions. We need a new ... hello. Here's your assignment for the week: Come up with a fresh number, but it has to have "hello" in the song title. Alright?"

Dorothea sighed, losing interest in everything except Quinn who sat on the other side of the choir room, as immersed in the lesson as Dorothea currently was.

She swore on her heartstrings Quinn caught her eye.

Or maybe she was just delusional.

***

She spent half of her day in school. The other half thinking about school. Her academics ran her life, and even in her extra cirriculour activities, she was sitting reading over her flashcards. Schuester walking in disrupted her revision, though didnt succumb Rachel's hateful glaring to Finn.

"Alright, guys, we got a get a move on on those hello numbers. Who's got something to show us? Volunteers?"

Rachel was the only one to speak as she raised her hand, "Mr Schuster, I think I've found a song that sums up my feelings perfectly."

"Fantastic, Rachel. Show us what you got."

Rachel made her way to the front of the choir room, and nodded towards the band as she began a vexed version of Gives You Hell, completely trashing the theme, though, atleast it was fun to do. Plus, the fact that it was quite obviously directed towards someone made it funnier. Dorothea swore she saw Schuester roll his eyes as the whole club joined into the song, except a solemn Finn, who kept his vision towards the ground, never looking up at the club who were all bouncing around, joining in and having a ridiculously fun time.

"Guys." Schuester said to the club who were more focused on ignoring him, "Guys, guys, I don't want to be a buzzkill but the assignment was "hello."

"I'm sorry, I was just focusing on the first syllable." Rachel snapped in Finn's direction.

"You know what? I don't think you guys understand the seriousness of what we're up against. While we were busy winning our sectional, Vocal Adrenaline was busy winning theirs. They're last year's national champions. They haven't lost a competition in three years. This is the big leagues, guys. If we don't place at regionals, Glee Club is over."

Dorothea frowned, "I thought that only boys acapella group won Nationals last year?"

"No, they were second. But if this all continues we will be lower." Schuester replied.

Dorothea was never usually wrong.

***

Dorothea plucked out a book that felt drawn to her from the dusty shelf. The book was not well-loved, it was well preserved from the usual illiterate students of McKinley high. The papers kept their creme colour, the text stayed black, the book was perfect unlike everything that came with it.

A deep voice from behind her took her attention away, "Hm. Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted is one of the most depressing books I've ever seen somebody read."

"Who are you?" She asked, still analysing the book's exterior.

"St James. Jesse St James."

"Doesn't ring a bell, what do you want?" She questioned, as the boy let out a soft chuckle.

"Very, very, very upfront here. Have you heard of one Rachel Berry in your lifetime? From the New Directions pathetic attempt at staging a number for their sectionals, I need to communicate with the best member, Rachel."

Dorothea scoffed, "Mercedes Jones is the best member, don't get it twisted. Megamind is searching for music to fix her heartbreak with the giant."

"Heartbreak?"

Dorothea finally looked around at the boy, the book still holding her grasp, "Just go and repeat my words, sure." She said, as she muttered her next words as quietly as she could muster in the deadly silent library, despite the myriad of people inside, "unoriginal fucker."

"You're rude. I like it."

"Youre at least thirty-five and I'm fourteen. Unless you want me to ring my dad to get your creeper ass in jail, I suggest going and bothering Rachel instead." She declared.

"My search for an accomplice so far is unsuccessful. I'm seventeen, by the way. Shame you think Im older. Im quite offended."

The girl narrowed her eyes as she looked up and down at this boys failed bad-boy esque exterior, "Right? Good for you? Do you want a medal? A parade? A marching band?"

"Ill accept a trophy that's taller than you. It won't be hard to find."

"Be quiet." She bit back, looking down the isle, as Rachel emerged, searching through the sheet music, "Rachel's looking over at the sheet music,"

Dorothea left the library earlier than she intended that day, just as Artie wheeled up to her, her attention finally being paid to someone she found properly tolerable.

"Hot wheels." She greeted, as he nodded.

"I know we aren't the closest and I prefer to do more technical stuff but, I have an idea."

Dorothea felt a gnawing feeling in her stomach, as she quietly rhetorically asked, "We are close?" She tried to mask whatever she was feeling, composing herself, "I thought at least... Anyways, what is it?"

"We do a duet in Glee."

"Yes." She immediately answered.

Artie seemed thrilled, "Im not sure about the song to sing though, but our voices are kinda perfect together."

"I know what song. But I really need to tell you about this guy In the library..."

***

Dorothea and Artie sent out a quick text to Kurt, Tina and Mercedes to meet them in the choir room ASAP. In the meanwhile, they practiced their duet, finding the sheet music online.

Soon, they were waiting for Rachel to show up after all the others did.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel enthusiastically said to them as she entered.

"Dont hey guys me." Dorothea bit to her as soon as she finished talking.

"Cut the butter, Benedict Arnold." Kurt commanded, as Rachel's enthusiasm stooped to a low and halted. "We heard about your new boyfriend."

Mercedes sighed, calculating her words to make them as nice as possible, "Look, Rachel, we're all happy that you're happy, but we've worked too hard in Glee Club to let you throw it all away on a relationship that might not even be real."

"Why? Cause he's in Vocal Adrenaline?" Rachel asked, accusatorily.

"He seems very narcissistic." Dorothea mumbled, swaying slightly on her feet.

Kurt scoffed, "Their motto is aut neca aut necatus eris, which loosely translates to murder or be murdered."

"They give their dancers human growth hormones." Tina told Rachel.

"Look, we're not saying the dude is playing you—"

"He's playing you." Kurt and Dorothea said at the same time.

Mercedes glared at them before she continued, "We just think that until regionals are over, we can't risk the possibility that he is."

Dorothea moved over to stand beside Tina, "If you make me lose regionals I will genuinely just start crying. That will make all of us lose a little respect for me."

Tina provided Dorothea with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "None of us wanna go through what happened at sectionals again."

"Okay, look. Jesse and I might not be in true love, but what if we are? I know who I am. And how many chances at this am I gonna get?" Rachel asked.

Dorothea stopped muttering for once, "How many chances you're willing to give Finn is the correct answer."

Kurt and Mercedes looked at each other, "If you don't break up with him, you're out." Kurt said, confidently.

"But you can't kick me out!" Rachel yelled.

"But we can all quit if Mr Schue doesn't." Artie told her, as Rachel's mouth dropped open, looking at every Glee club member, horrified.

"Well, good luck winning without me." She said, bold, crossing her arms tightly.

Dorothea sighed, "To quote Abby Lee Miller, Everyone's replaceable. Even you. Act your age." She snapped at Rachel.

"How could you do this to me?" Rachel breathlessly questioned.

Mercedes pointed her finger at Rachel, "How could you do this to us? We're a team, and all you've ever wanted was for us to be great, and be a part of something special. Now, is that still true or not?" Mercedes actioned her words.

***

On Wednesday, the tension on Glee club was at a high, and from where Dorothea sat, glaring at Quinn who sat by Puckermans side. Dorothea scoffed at the thought of the two.

Schuester barged in, matching the clubs mood, "Alright guys! We're halfway through the week and we've only gotten one number, we need to hurry up with this to prepare for regionals!" He lectured.

Artie made ye contact with Dorothea, she nodded as Artie raised his hand. "Mr Schue, Dorothea and I have been working on something."

Mr Schuester seemed elated, "Go for it guys!" He exclaimed, as Dorothea made her way to the front of the choir room.

Artie and Dorothea performed a rendition of Elton John and Lady GaGa's Hello, Hello. Dorothea looked over at Tina throughout the song, her best friend beamed back with a smile and thumbs up, Dorothea feeling content finally getting her own spotlight for once, especially since it was from her guilty pleasure movie — Gnomeo & Juliet.

As the club erupted in applause, Dorothea bowed, giggling, she met Quinn's eye and Quinn snarled at her.

***

Before Dorothea could make her way home, Quinn pulled her aside in the choir room, leaving them alone.

"Did you leave me for Artie?" Quinn accused.

"Why are you talking to me? Didnt you finally find your new person to replace you? Cough, the person who tossed me in a dumpster?" Dorothea snapped.

Quinn tilted her head, "Funny. But seriously, Artie?"

"Two genders can be friends without being in love. No matter if they sang a song about love." The brunette clapped back, stepping back from Quinn.

"Well you were looking at Tina throughout the song—"

"Tina is my best friend. Are you just finding an excuse to talk to me now? Bit obsessed, arent you?"

Quinn fixed her posture to be straighter, "I shouldn't have to answer that."

"Then don't?" Dorothea's voice strained, "Quinn, I was serious when I told you to sort however this is out. I'm, not your secret and I don't ever plan to be. Have a nice day."

Dorothea stormed off.

***

Friday afternoon, they were performing a number as a whole in the auditorium. Rachel and Finn painfully leading like always. The club seemed to be dressed in black as if it were for the funeral for their respect for each other. Hello, Goodbye encapsulated many of their emotions in that time.

Dorothea looked over to Quinn as the number ended, leaving as soon as she could.