A/N: I'm going to hell for having all these stories. I just love Grant Gustin so much.

I need to take back the light inside you stole.

"Um, hi," a young, brunette said, standing up straight and giving a small smile to look respectful. "My name's Lexi Hummel – I'm a transfer here." She looked down at the plaque that read the secretary's name: Donna Denny-Brown.

"Oh, yes, of course, you're one of our two new transfer students," the woman said, reaching for some papers. "Here's your schedule and locker assignment, Miss Hummel. Please have all your teachers sign your locator and leave it for your last teacher for the day."

Lexi nodded, taking the paper out of her hands. "Thank you." She pivoted, and her blue eyes widened as she almost crashed into a bowtie – or more specifically, a person wearing a bowtie. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Her eyes trailed up to meet kind hazel eyes looking down at her patiently. "No, it was my fault," he beamed brightly at the smaller girl. "Are you also new here?"

"Yeah," she nodded, brushing back a stray strand of brown hair. "I just moved in with my uncle and his family."

"Nice," he grinned. "I'm transferring here to be with my boyfriend."

Her eyebrows arched in shock at how blunt he was. She could never admit that to a total stranger. At the dropped look on his face, she realized she had hurt his feelings, and gave him a soft smile. "That's pretty cool… and cute."

He smiled once again at my show of support and he told Lexi, "Excuse me." She side-stepped for him and he said to the secretary, "Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson."

"I have your schedule and locker number right here," Ms. Denny-Brown said, pulling out a paper similar to Lexi's. "Have each of your teachers sign and leave your locator with your last-period teacher."

"Thank you," Blaine nodded before turning to the brunette.

The two walked out of the office together and Lexi remembered introduced myself, "I'm Lexi."

"I'm Blaine," he said. "But you already knew that." His eyes perked up when he noticed something, or more specifically, someone, Lexi tried to see, but the crowds of people were a bit too tall for her. "Sorry to cut it short, but I see my boyfriend – I kind of want to surprise him. Can you and I meet at lunch or something?"

"Sure thing," Lexi agreed, when she spotted her newest cousin at his locker. "I actually see one of my cousins right now, so I'll see you. It was nice meeting you, Blaine."

"Same here," Blaine agreed. He walked off and she headed over to where her towering cousin was.

She stopped next to him, greeting, "Hi, Finn."

He realized someone had called his name and looked down as he put away a book. His face turned into a smile when he recognized who he was and he greeted, "Oh, hi, Lexi. How's everything so far?"

Lexi sighed heavily, a stray lock once again falling. "A bit overwhelming. I don't even know where my classes are." She frowned. "Maybe I should go back and ask for a map." Lexi looked at his locker number and then down at her assigned one. "And maybe where to find my own locker."

"Lemme see," Finn said, and his younger cousin handed over her papers to him. "I have a few friends who are juniors that can help you. I'll introduce you to them. We're meeting in a bit."

"Do your friends mind?" the brunette asked, scratching her head. "I mean, I know how tiring it is walking someone new to their classes." At her old school, it was pretty common for her to greet the new students and help escort them to their classes.

"I'm sure they won't," Finn assured, closing his locker. He knew the juniors in the Glee Club would be willing to make new friends. "C'mon," he said, before walking her to her locker. As they walked, he told her about the club he was co-captain of and suggested, "Hey, why don't you join the Glee Club? It's super fun and you get to sing and dance."

"Uh…" Lexi didn't know what to say. It wasn't exactly her cup of tea. Sports were. "That's not really my thing. I'm more of a sporty girl, like basketball. Speaking of which, when does–"

"Finn!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed, and Lexi was taken aback by a whirl of brown before she realized it was just girl around her height with long, straight brown hair and bangs, a rather pretty face, even if her nose was a little big. It was fine, though. Lexi thought it looked pretty on her. "There you are. I was starting to think you weren't getting here any time soon." She then turned to Lexi, her brown eyes holding a fire as she stuck out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry, Finn's girlfriend."

"I'm Lexi Hummel, Finn's cousin-in-law," Lexi replied, not wanting to make enemies on her first day.

"… Oh," Rachel realized, seeing that this girl wasn't a threat anymore. She was still really pretty, though, with long, wavy brown hair and soft blue eyes. Her arms and legs, Rachel could see, were toned nicely – from years of basketball. And plus, her chest was pretty… out there.

"Lemme introduce you to everyone else," Finn said, taking Rachel's hand in his. "They're all outside. By the way, your locker's right there." He pointed at the said item.

Lexi gave a closed-mouth smile before she followed Finn and Rachel out into the courtyard, where kids were gathered around, talking.

"Hey, guys," Finn greeted a – in Lexi's opinion – strange group of students. It wasn't that they looked weird, but they were seriously breaking stereotypes.

Lexi could see a boy in a wheelchair, two Asians sitting close together, a rather large dark-skinned girl, and a boy with a small Mohawk.

"This is my cousin – well, actually, she's Kurt's – Lexi. Lexi, this is Artie, Mike, Tina, Mercedes, and Puck."

All of a sudden, music started playing, and Lexi recognized it as It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones. She turned her head to see who it was, and saw Blaine at the very top of the staircase, sliding down the railing, before singing the piece while dancing in his spiffy red pants, black polo, bowtie, and yellow-framed round sunglasses.

Kurt ran over to them, clapping excitedly. Lexi then connected the dots and realized the boyfriend Kurt had told her about was Blaine and the boyfriend Blaine told her about was Kurt.

Blaine tossed his sunglasses in Kurt's direction and the cheerleaders began to dance in the background for Blaine, with a Latina as the obvious-leader.

Blain continued to sing as the cheerleaders surrounded the strange, sore thumb purple piano that was located at the staircase and Lexi's eyes widened as the cheerleader, she corrected herself – started pouring lighter fluid onto the instrument.

"Oh God," Lexi said just as Blaine finished his song and the piano burst into flames because of a cigarette a blonde-pink-haired girl threw towards it.

The fire was quickly put out by the Glee Club, who scrambled to pour water bottles onto the flaming instrument. The fire was easily contained, just as the bell rang.

The Glee Club casted a scathing look to the Latina cheerleader, before they strolled down the hallway.

After school, Lexi found herself in a choir room with Kurt, Finn, Rachel, Blaine, the group she met today, and two cheerleaders. She had followed with the purpose of asking about the sports around here.

"Wait, you aren't joining?" Kurt asked, looking from where he was perched. He scrunched his face at his cousin.

"I'm not a singer or dancer, Kurt."

Kurt looked down at Lexi strangely. "But you tell me that you do some choreography."

"To work on my agility," Lexi stressed. "When I'm playing against girls that are up to a foot taller than me, I have to find a way to work around them. One push from them and I'm going down. I have to make sure I don't get hit and injured especially if I'm going pro. I'm joining the basketball team, not Glee Club."

"But… we don't have a basketball team for girls," Puck pointed out.

Lexi blinked in disbelief.

No.

"You're shitting me, right? There can't not be a girls' basketball team. Basketball's one of the most-played sports in high school!" Lexi had never felt so frustrated in her life. Here she was, in a new city, new school, and no basketball? How was she ever going to get out of Lima, now?

"Any girl that has a form that can play basketball are all on the Cheerios," Kurt informed, crossing his arms.

Lexi furrowed her brows, confused. Why were they talking about cereal when they were just talking about basketball? "Cheerios? The Honey Nut or regular? Personally, I prefer the Honey Nut. It's a lot sweeter, even if the regular's healthier."

Kurt laughed and waved a hand at Lexi, showing that she was ridiculous. "The Cheerios are the cheerleaders. We hold seven National wins."

"How am I ever going to get scouted if there isn't a team here?! It's my junior year, Kurt. I need that scholarship." Lexi groaned softly, placing her face into the open palms of her hands.

Her future was basketball. There was nothing she wanted more than to have a job to be on that court, surrounded by fans, playing what she loved. With no girls' basketball team, how did she expect to get a scholarship without playing her junior and senior years?

Lexi felt pressure behind her eyes in frustration and she took a deep breath, staying composed. She'll just have to find a job to pay for college herself, but there was no way she'd be able to afford to go to UConn now. She'd have to go community and maybe, just maybe there were recruiters at Lima Community College.

"Lexi…" Kurt moved to go to his cousin, but she shook her head.

"It's okay," she said, realizing that her hope wasn't completely lost. "It'll just put me back a few years. It's not the end of the world." She shrugged before saying, "I'm going to go shoot some hoops. I'll, uh, see you at home." She gave a nod to Kurt and Finn before giving a quick wave to the Glee Club before walking out of the classroom, passing a curly-haired man on the way out.

Will's eyes followed the unfamiliar girl's figure as she strode down the almost-empty hallway before turning to his club, asking, "Was that a new club member?"

"Not really," Kurt sighed, crossing his legs back together, settling back into his seat. "She's my cousin. She's a bit upset that we don't have a girls' basketball team."

"I'd call that more than 'a bit,'" Blaine pointed out.

Will looked at his club and suggested, "Why don't you have her join the New Directions?"

"Lexi was captain of her basketball team and led her team to two National wins before coming here," Kurt informed his teacher. "She was going to get a full-ride to UConn before playing professionally."

"Can she play on the boys' team?" Finn asked.

Santana scoffed from where she sat. "Are you kidding me? She's as small as Miss Diva, here." She nodded towards Rachel. "There's no way she can take on guys as tall as Puck, let alone other basketball players."

"That's a great idea, Finn!" Will exclaimed, ignoring Santana's scathing comment. He was going to deal with her later about a certain arson incident today. "I'll talk to Coach Beiste about it and maybe she'll join the Glee Club as well. What's her name?"

"Lexi Hummel," Kurt informed with a straight back. "From South High School in Columbus."

Will nodded before addressing today's business: "Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Glee Club's newest member: Blaine Anderson."

Now I'm a warrior.

Lexi gave a sigh as she dribbled the court in front of her, moving the orange rubber ball between her legs before standing up straight, keeping her eyes on the basket that hung above her a few feet away. She crouched, her knees bending slightly. She launched herself into the air as her right arm extended, flicking her wrist as the ball flew out of her hands.

The ball flew towards the basket, hitting the rim before falling into the net, sliding down it easily, falling into Lexi's hands, who was already standing underneath the basket, having followed the ball.

She dribbled a couple more times before catching the ball, holding it to her hip underneath her forearm.

Lexi walked over to the ground where her bag was, unzipping it. She took out a water bottle, drinking down the liquid to quench her slightly-parched throat. She threw her ball into the corner of her bag before slinging it over her shoulder, heading to a shop that she had passed by earlier.

She quickly found The Lima Bean, and entered the store, quickly engulfed by the scent of coffee. It was quite full, and she worried if she could find a seat.

"Hi," Lexi greeted, heading to the counter. "Could I have a Grande French Vanilla Cappuccino, light on the froth?"

"Sure thing," the girl at the counter smiled. Lexi paid for her cup before waiting for her order. It was done within a couple minutes, and she took it gratefully.

Not half-bad, she mused, sipping the drink. Her blue eyes scanned for a free table, but frowned when she couldn't find any. She squinted, trying to look, and finally spotted one. With a sigh, she headed towards it, pulling out the chair just as the chair across from her slid open as well.

Glancing up, her eyes made a trail from the long fingers of the stranger before her, trailing up the sleeve of a navy blazer, before coming to stop at a rather clean-cut, handsome face.

"Uh… share?" Lexi asked awkwardly, looking at the tall male in front of her.

"I can do that," he smiled at her, revealing his perfectly white, straight teeth. Lexi nodded slowly and slid into her chair, placing her basketball bag at her feet. The boy in front of her took a seat himself, and said, "I'm Sebastian Smythe."

"Lexi Hummel," she nodded. She looked at him, taking in his uniform and inquired, "What school are you from?"

Sebastian's lips curled into an amused smile. "You're not from around here, are you?" After all, who hasn't heard of Dalton Academy around these parts?

"I just moved here," Lexi admitted. "I go to McKinley High."

Sebastian's perfect eyebrows arched in interest. Maybe she had information about the Glee Club from that school – the school that had defeated Dalton in Regionals last year, only to come in twelfth place in Nationals. "I'm from Dalton Academy," Sebastian provided, looking for a look of recognition in Lexi's blue eyes. When he found none, he asked, "Are you a part of any club?"

"I was going to join the girls' basketball team there," Lexi sighed, perching her chin on her right hand. "But they don't have one. Everyone's in the–"

"Cheerios," Sebastian cut off. "So I've heard. That sucks. Any other clubs?"

"Nah," Lexi shook her head. "But my cousins and their friends are in the Glee Club."

Bingo, Sebastian smirked internally. "Why don't you join?"

"I'm not much of a singer," Lexi admitted. "I can dance, but only because I want to work on having better footwork for games." She felt like he was prying information out of her, and narrowed her eyes. "What's your goal?"

Sebastian's smirk moved from internally to externally. He leaned back, crossing his long legs as his fingers ran down the side of his coffee cup. She was smart. "I've recently taken over the Dalton Academy Warblers. They and your school's New Directions competed against each other last year in Regionals. I just want to know the competition."

Lexi smiled and crossed her own legs, leaning forward to look at Sebastian. "But why have spoilers?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "It's it a lot better when you find out for yourself?"

The brunet in front of Lexi's smirk grew into a small grin. She had a point – surprises made life exciting. I like this girl, he mused. I think I'll keep her around. "I see your point," Sebastian pointed out. "But there's a difference between being spoiled and being blindsided."

"You all sing and dance – how blindsided could you get?" Lexi snorted. Then she realized something, "Well, Kurt did mention something about having their entire setlist stolen the day of their competition…"

"And they still won," Sebastian pointed out. "But to be completely honest, their competition wasn't that good anyway, I mean one group was deaf and the other are just ex-criminals."

"That's a bit mean, don't you think?" Lexi cocked her head to look at her new companion/friend.

Sebastian leaned forward and said, "Word of advice: Life's mean. Life's unforgiving. You just have to take it and throw it right back, Lexi."

Lexi's eyes hardened and she replied, "I know just how harsh life can be, Sebastian."

Sebastian's brows rose as he noticed he had hit a sore topic. "Down, kitty. I take it there's a reason for you moving here and attending a school that doesn't have a girls' basketball team?"

"There is," Lexi admitted. "Maybe I'll tell you someday."

"I'm pretty sure I can get it out of you," Sebastian smirked, crossing his arms over his chest confidently. He glanced at the wall, eyes catching the clock. "But unfortunately, not today. I have Warbler practice to attend to." He stood up and gave Lexi a flirtatious wink. "I'll see you around, Sexy Lexi."

Suddenly, something came launching at her and Lexi closed her eyes instinctively. She felt something hit her forehead lightly before falling down on the table before her. Lexi frowned at the nickname, and moved to yell at him, but Sebastian was already walking away, throwing his empty cup of coffee into a trash bin on his way out.

"That's such a horrible nickname and he's so rude," she commented to herself, finishing up the rest of her coffee, before looking down at the piece of crumbled paper on the table.

She was about to grab it to throw it away, but something caught her eye. She grabbed it, uncrumpling it. An order for a Grande French Vanilla Cappuccino with a shot of Courvoisier. Well, she didn't need to know that, but it was interesting that he had the same order at her – minus the Courvoisier.

She flipped the receipt to the back. Ten digits glared back at her in neat writing and she let out a huff. "He could've given it in a more conventional way," she said, pulling out her phone and inputting the digits in.

I'm stronger than I've ever been.

"Lexi!" Kurt exclaimed, jumping up from his place on the couch when he heard the front door open. His father and step-mother had already gotten back, and Finn was right there next to him, so there was only one person that wasn't back yet.

Lexi closed the door, arching a brow at her eccentric cousin. "Kurt," she greeted. "Finn," she nodded in acknowledgement.

"We've found a way for you to play basketball for us!" Kurt ran over to Lexi.

Lexi's blue eyes widened in astonishment and she asked, "But how? I thought there wasn't a team?"

"Well, our school doesn't discriminate against gender – trust us, the girls played football last year, long story – anyway, and we have some girls on the boys' wrestling team, so we got Mr. Schue to ask Coach Beiste for you to play for the boys' basketball team."

"Seriously?" Lexi asked, her jaw almost dropping.

Kurt nodded enthusiastically. "On one condition, though!" He held up an index finger, a mischievous smile on his face.

Lexi realized what she was getting into and gave a heavy sigh. There wasn't even a decision that needed to be thought over. "I'll join Glee Club," she sighed.

Kurt clapped eagerly while Finn gave a smile. They now had the minimum twelve members to compete. "Of course, you still have to try out, though," Kurt said as an afterthought. "C'mon, we'll come up with a song for you."

Finn and Lexi followed the excited boy up to his room. As they walked, Kurt asked, "So, what do you feel right now?"

Lexi looked up at her cousin, thinking about her abrupt move just a couple days before starting her junior year in school. She was starting off fresh with a new resolve. She gave a smile and replied, "I've got just the one."

You can never hurt me again.

Song(s) Featured:
- "Warrior" by Demi Lovato

A/N: Drop a review? :)