Taking Chances
Chapter 1
A/N: Before people start complaining that this story should be in the crossover section, I want you all to know that I'm well aware. I'm just testing it out in the regular "Scrubs" section before moving it over to the crossover section. I want people to realize that this story exists before I move it.
A/N2: This story will be following the Glee plot line, but with the Scrubs characters we all know and love. Trust me, it's different than the original Glee.
A/N3: I own nothing.
Perry Cox paused outside of Glenn Matthews' office and put his hands on the back of his head. He would never admit it, but it was a habit that he had picked up as a kid from his deadbeat father. Ulysees Cox put his hands on the back of his head when he had a nagging hangover from his excessive drinking. Perry Cox, on the other hand, repeated the action when he was under a great amount of stress.
Perry had every right to be stressed. He was about to take a great leap in his life.
A few days ago, one of his fellow teachers at Sacred Heart Academy, Walter Mickhead, had been arrested under the suspicion of murdering his own wife. Rumors had been floating around the faculty that Mickhead had foolishly asked one of his students to hide the murder weapon (a hammer) in their locker, while the police searched his home. The student in question, Elliot Reid, wasted no time rushing to Matthews and spilling the beans.
That's what he gets for giving it to a goody-goody two shoes like Elliot Reid, Perry thought with a roll of his eyes.
If Perry ever wanted to do away with his former drug rep wife, Julie, (not that he ever would of course) he would go to Sacred Heart resident bad boy Drew Suffin to hide the evidence. Suffin had a rap sheet filed away in Matthews' office that was longer than any student at Sacred Heart Academy. Cox knew if anyone at this school would hide a bloody hammer in their locker, it would be Drew Suffin.
But to return to that rat bastard Mickhead, he had been the head of the arts department at Sacred Heart and specifically the director of the school's Glee Club. It was a job that Perry had desired ever since he joined Sacred Heart's faculty five years ago. Cox himself had been a member of Sacred Heart's national champion glee club back in the 90's. He knew to some people it sounded incredibly girly, but back in the day it had been cool to join the school's glee club. It had made him a stud and more importantly, it had helped him snag his future wife, Julie.
Sacred Heart's glee club of the present era was virtually non-existent. Even though Cox was not too familiar with it, he was aware enough that it only consisted of a few members and those kids were bullied relentlessly and declared the scum of the school. Perry Cox wanted more than anything to return his old glee club back to its former glory. That's why he was about to march into the principal's office and ask for the job as the new director.
"Hey pansy, are you going to go in to see Matthews or what?"
Perry turned around and smirked at his best friend at Sacred Heart, Jordan 'Godzilla' Sullivan. Jordan was one of his fellow colleagues, a guidance counselor to be precise. Cox often wondered who in their right mind would give that witch a license to offer advice to children.
She probably slept with her instructor, Perry thought wickedly.
Jordan Sullivan was dark down to her very core, sarcastic and cruel, but still undeniably smoking hot. She definitely wasn't a favorite amongst the staff at Sacred Heart Academy, but Perry and she got along pretty well for the most part. Sure, they threw insults back and forth at one another 24/7, but to a person with a more sensitive eye, they would call it flirtatious bantering.
"Well hello there Jordaroo, I should have noticed that there was a dark cloud was descending upon me," Cox retorted.
"Cut the crap Per," Jordan said with a roll of her eyes. "We both know how much you want to direct Glee, so just find your testicles and march in there,"
"I was about to go in when you showed up," Perry protested weakly.
"Good, then I'll wait for you when you come out," Jordan shot back and flashed him a grin that displayed all of her teeth. He expected to discover that her incisors were noticeably sharper than the rest of her teeth, but unfortunately they were normal for a human being. It would have explained so much if she possessed fangs…
Cox sighed. Was he ever going to win against that woman?
He glanced back at Jordan once more, who nodded at him, before he knocked on the door.
"Come in," Principal Matthews called out in his deep voice that resembled a giant's.
Perry stepped inside Matthews' office and closed the door quickly behind him. Glenn Matthew was entering his second year in reign over Sacred Heart Academy. He was a freakishly tall man in his late forties and, at least to Cox, he looked odd, almost unnatural, in the suit he was currently dressed in.
"Janitor," Cox muttered in greeting.
Some people would think that it was strange that Perry Cox called Glenn Matthews 'Janitor', but not too long ago that's exactly what Principal Matthews was. Glenn Matthews had been Sacred Heart Academy's janitor for twenty years until recently when the last principal resigned unexpectedly and Matthews had been assigned to take his place. The outcry from the parents had been overwhelming, but the school's board did not budge on their decision. Rumors circulating around said that Matthews had dug up a good amount of dirt on the board members and blackmailed them into giving him the position. Whatever the reason was for Principal Matthews appointment, blackmail or not, Perry refused to show the older man even an ounce of respect. Luckily, Cox had tenure so he could get away with it. Unfortunately though, this often put him at odds with his boss.
"Angry Spanish teacher," Matthews returned and leaned over his desk to straighten out one of his creepy taxidermy squirrels. "What can I do for you?"
"I want to direct the glee club," Perry announced straight out.
Glenn's eyebrows rose.
"Is this a joke? Because sometimes I'm not good at picking those up. Like for instance, my wife, Lady, used to make cracks about my invention the 'Knife Wrench'. I swear that I thought she was serious about letting me use it to cut the cake at our wedding reception. I'm still paying for that one…"
"Do I look like I'm laughing?" Cox retorted with a scowl. How was this freak show allowed around children?
"No, admittedly you look serious for once," Principal Matthews said. "But I'm still confused about your motives. You aren't the most kid friendly teacher on my staff."
"That's not true!" Perry protested.
"Doug Murphy has to take anti-anxiety medication before entering your classroom every day," Glenn pointed out dryly.
"I can't help it that Pee Pants is a wuss,"
The Janitor ignored this.
"The Glee Club has low numbers as it is," Matthews reminded him. "I can't have you driving away anymore kids with your out of control temper and your name calling. Parents at this school expect there to be some sort of Art program here at Sacred Heart Academy-"
"I'm surprised there is any Art program at all considering that the majority of the budget for extracurricular activities goes to Kelso and those Cheerios," Perry shot back.
"Well, when you manage to win several national championships with the Glee Club, I'll let you dip further into the budget too," Matthews told him.
"So, does that mean I can direct the Glee Club?" Cox asked, trying to not look too hopeful. He didn't want the Janitor thinking he had him by the balls.
Matthews sighed.
"Yes, and only because there is no one else willing to do it," the principal informed him. "But, you have to show at Regionals or I'm cutting the program. The parent have recently caught on that the food served in the cafeteria is the same that is served to the inmates at San DiFrangeles Prison on the other side of town. I need the extra money to get these kids better food or those parents will be after my blood,"
Perry pinched the bridge of his nose and pretended that he just didn't hear that.
"Alright, you have a deal then," Perry said and then got up to reluctantly shake Matthews' hand.
"Good luck Angry Spanish teacher,"
Cox nodded firmly, before sweeping out of the principal's office. He had to go tell Jordan the good news.
Elliot Reid strode purposefully down the main hallway of Sacred Heart Academy with her head held high. Her mother, Lily, had repeatedly told Elliot that stars always looked up and straight ahead and that people who chose to stare at the ground were weak and inferior. Elliot took those words, like most words that came out of her mother's mouth, to heart. After all Lily Reid had once been a star herself on Broadway, who better to get advice from?
Elliot's cell phone vibrated in her skirt pocket and she quickly flipped it open to read her newest text message. It was from her fellow Glee member, Laverne.
Laverne: Marshmallow theres a signup sheet 4 Glee outside the auditorium. Check it out.
Elliot would have squealed with joy, if it wasn't deemed un-ladylike by her mother. If there was one thing that Elliot Reid loved to do in this world, it was singing. She had been taking voice lessons ever since she could talk and had dreams of making it big on Broadway. Elliot believed that it was her destiny to follow in her mother's and more recently her brother Barry's (who had just landed a role in Avenue Q) footsteps.
Elliot nearly ran to the auditorium and upon arrival spotted the signup sheet. She scanned through it quickly, recognizing the four names that were already listed. They had all been in the club last year. Taking out her special red pen ('Red makes you standout', her mother often said) from her bag, she quickly scrawled in her own name.
"Hey Reid," someone shouted, after she finished. She turned away from the signup sheet, only to be pelted directly in the face by a cold blue slushie.
Elliot whimpered as the icy liquid dripped down her face and onto her brand new Ralph Lauren polo shirt, ruining it. She could hear Drew Suffin's distinctive laughter as he walked away, probably with his big, jerky, jock friends.
"Frick," Elliot muttered under her breath and headed for the nearest bathroom to clean up.
"Lucy, how many times do I have to tell you to not draw ponies on your exams?" Perry growled at one of his most dimwitted students in his 9th period class, Lucy Bennett.
"Uh…"
He watched with frustration as she began counting with her fingers.
"Just don't do it again," he said through gritted teeth and handed her back her Spanish exam.
To his relief the bell suddenly rang, signaling the end of the day and his freedom from all of these idiots.
"Don't forget girls that your assignment on Mexican culture is due tomorrow," he announced to the class, who let out a collective groan. "No excuses or you'll be sorry," he added threateningly.
Cox watched his students file out of the room and glared fiercely at one of his students, Cole Aaronson, who had the audacity to say,
"Keep it tight C-Dawg,"
Luckily for Mr. Aaronson, Perry didn't have time to give him one of his infamous full blown rants. Glee tryouts were right after school and he had to get going. As soon as the last brat was out the door, he locked up his classroom and headed down to the auditorium.
Unfortunately, when he got there, Perry Cox's least favorite person in the world was waiting for him.
"Beelzebob, what do I owe the horror?" Perry asked his sworn enemy and the school's Cheerio coach, Bob Kelso.
"Ah Perry, it's great to see you too," Bob said sarcastically with a smirk, "I've just come to see if the rumors are true and I guess they are. Perry Cox really is the new director of Glee," he chuckled and took a bite of the blueberry muffin that he held in his left hand.
"Blow it out your ass, Bob," Cox growled at him and tried to push passed the Cheerio's coach, but Bob wouldn't budge.
Must be all that muffin weight, Perry thought.
"I can't wait to see this little endeavor of yours crash and burn Perry," Kelso said. "You don't stand a chance at Regionals with your group of misfit losers."
"You don't know a thing Kelso," Perry retorted. "We're going to take Regionals and then make our way to Nationals. Soon enough you won't be the only team in this school that has a national championship. I just hope that your Cheerios are okay with sharing the spotlight with Glee."
"We'll see about that Perry," Bob growled menacingly and then stalked away.
Cox let out a sigh. He knew this wasn't going to be the last time Kelso was going to be causing trouble for his glee club. Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he pulled open the doors to the auditorium.
The lights were already on and the school's band teacher, Ted Buckland, a sweaty, balding man, was at the piano, ready to start playing whenever the students decided to start their auditions. Perry took a seat a few rows back from the front, pulled out his clipboard to take notes and then called out the first name on the signup sheet,
"Laverne Roberts,"
A large, dark skinned girl came up on stage and put both of her hands on her hips. She looked like a sassy, no-nonsense kind of girl that Cox liked. He hoped that she had the voice to go along with the attitude.
"Hey, I'm Laverne and I'm going to be singing 'Amazing Grace'."
"Okay, go ahead Laverne,"
Perry watched in astonishment as the girl belted out a nearly flawless version of 'Amazing Grace'. He wasn't one to dish out many compliments, but the girl had a lot of soul and such a rich voice. He definitely knew that he had found his first glee club member.
A tall boy strutted on stage next. He was handsome with dirty blonde hair that was possibly a little too well sculpted. Perry wondered if he wasn't straight as an arrow. When the boy opened his mouth to speak, he confirmed Perry's suspicion.
"Hello, I'm Keith Dudemeister and I will be auditioning with Christina Aguilera's song 'Reflection',"
"Alright Keith, take it away,"
"Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day, is as if I play a part
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I cannot fool
My heart
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
I am now
In a world where I have to
Hide my heart
And what I believe in
But somehow
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am"
The boy's voice was definitely alto and it shocked Perry on how many high notes Keith was able to hit. However, despite the unnaturalness of his voice, it was unmistakable that the boy was talented and Cox knew that he had found another member for Sacred Heart's Glee Club.
"Good, send out the next person,"
A tough looking girl with dirty blonde hair with bright red streaks came out on stage. She carried a guitar with one hand while dragging a stool behind her with the other.
"Hey, I'm Denise Mahoney. I'm going to sing 'Misery Business' by Paramore and you better like it or I'll head butt you," the girl threatened and she reminded Perry a little of Jordan. "Don't think I've never done it to a guy before,"
Perry held back a smirk.
"Let's hear it,"
The girl broke out into song. Her voice was filled with passion and anger, as she strummed along with her guitar. Perry thought that Denise Mahoney was edgy and probably belonged in some kind of teen angst vampire band, but she had a good voice and he needed as many Glee kids as he could get.
"So, do I have to start bashing heads or am I in?" Mahoney asked when she was finished.
"Don't worry, you're in," Cox reassured her.
"Good," Denise replied curtly, before stalking off stage.
Perry sighed. She was going to be a handful.
"Next!" he shouted.
To Perry's surprise, one of his least favorite students, Doug Murphy or Nervous Guy as many in Sacred Heart had dubbed him, stumbled out onto the stage. Today, like every other day, Doug was wearing a collared shirt with a pocket protector, khaki pants and, to top his nerdy assembly, he had a fanny pack wrapped around his waist.
The kid's right on track for being a fifty year old virgin, Cox thought while his eyes narrowed to scrutinize the boy.
"H-h-hi Mr. Cox," Doug stuttered.
"Are you seriously trying out for glee club Pee Pants?" Perry demanded to know, "Because if you're just messing around, there will be hell to pay,"
Doug shook his head vigorously.
"N-no I'm being serious Mr. Cox. I swear," the boy looked close to tears
Perry snarled in an animalistic matter, which made Doug jump two feet in the air. However, the kid didn't make any moves to run off stage and go hide under his bed, which would have been usual behavior for him. Nervous Guy actually looked determined to tryout, no matter how much Perry scared the shit out of him.
"Fine, go ahead then,"
Doug nodded, not able to trust his own voice, removed his signature red lollipop from his mouth and then began to sing,
"Waiting for something always one step away
And on your knees you pray that tomorrow comes quickly
Can we talk about the way we thought it would feel?
Because I'm out of place, I'm out of place, in this place
It's over and done
The same mistakes since you were young
It's always been done
You care for something you can never hold on
Can we talk about the way we thought it would feel?
Because I'm out of place, I'm out of place, in this place
Can we talk about the way we thought it would feel?
Because I'm out of place, I'm out place, in this place"
Perry Cox stared up at the boy, clearly shocked. There had been no stutter while he sang and there were hardly any traces of anxiety on his face. It was like Nervous Guy had transformed into a totally different person.
"What song was that?" Cox demanded to know to get over his astonishment.
"'Out of P-place'," he stuttered again. The Nervous Guy everyone knew and despised had once again returned.
"By…" Perry prompted, trying to hold back his frustration.
Doug let out a whimper and Cox could now see the sweat stains forming near the boy's armpits.
One, two, ten, Perry counted off in his head impatiently.
"Answer me in the next five seconds Pee Pants or you'll wish you were never born," he threatened.
"The band Waz," Doug replied quickly, but now he was visibly quivering.
Cox held back a groan, "Get off my stage Nervous guy, before you wet yourself."
Doug let out another whimper and then scampered off stage as fast as he could.
Perry put his hands on the back of his head and let out a sigh. He didn't know how he was going to put up with that kid in Glee Club without pulling his own hair out. Luckily, he could push those thoughts out of his head for now because his last candidate was about to take the stage.
"Elliot Reid," he read off the signup sheet with a scowl.
Elliot and Perry had never really gotten along. She was a spoiled brat, always had her foot in her mouth, neurotic and a smarty-pants, all qualities that Cox loathed. From the first time he laid eyes on her, he had dubbed her 'Barbie' for her resemblance to the child's doll. Elliot was most adamant on expressing her hatred of the nickname. She thought it demeaned her as a woman.
Luckily for Perry, it was pretty easy to deal with the girl, since Barbie had one of the lowest self-esteems at Sacred Heart Academy. It was easy to crush Elliot with a few minor insults and frequent comparisons to a Barbie doll. Cox knew that all the crap he piled upon Elliot daily sent her into the Janitor closet weeping. Admittedly, Perry didn't feel good about making a girl cry, but if anyone deserved it more, it was Barbie. The girl needed to toughen up and to learn how to stop being so damn irritating.
"Oh no, please don't tell me you're the new Glee director," Elliot cried in that whiney, high pitched voice that made him cringe.
"You better believe it Barbaroo," Cox said, soaking up her misery with a grin.
"You're ruining my life," she declared.
"Can you sing or not?" Perry shot back, tired of the dramatics.
"Of course I can sing, my mother-" Elliot began, but Cox cut her off by pointing to himself and pretended to fall asleep.
"Man not caring,"
She huffed in a put off matter.
"Fine, I'm going to sing Kelly Clarkson's 'Breakaway'," Elliot announced.
Great, another teenage angst song, he thought, rolling his eyes.
Elliot stepped up to the microphone, blew her infuriating bangs out of her face and then began to sing.
Perry had heard many high school kids sing over his lifetime. He had been in glee club with legends like Phillip Wen, Grace Miller, Kevin Casey, and crazy Jill Tracey, who had all helped Sacred Heart Academy claim their first national title, but he had never heard someone sing like how Elliot Reid was at the moment. Her voice actually brought shivers up his spine and that hardly ever happened. Perry had no choice, but to admit that she was a magnificent singer and that made him absolutely furious.
When Barbie was done, she was panting, but she still looked up at him expectantly.
"Well?" Elliot asked and pushed her bangs out of her face again.
"You were alright," Perry admitted through gritted teeth. There was no way in hell that he was going to tell Barbie that she had just blown him clear out of the water.
"I was alright?" she repeated, dumbfounded.
"Yes, that's what I said Barbie. Do you need your ears checked?" he told her evenly. Cox didn't want to lose his temper and admit more than he wanted to.
"I was more than 'alright' and you know it," Elliot accused him angrily.
"Save the whining for your diary," Perry shot back. "I never said you didn't make the cut. You're in the club and practice starts tomorrow. Three o'clock sharp,"
Barbie didn't even bother to say 'thank you'. Instead, she just stomped off stage and out of sight.
Perry's hands returned to their customary position behind his head. He had a lot of work cut out for him.
The next few days for Perry Cox were rough. To lead off his problems were his wife, Julie. She hadn't taken the news that he was heading Sacred Heart's Glee Club too well.
Perry and his beautiful blonde and busty wife laid in bed together watching the 11 o'clock news. When a commercial finally came on, Cox pressed the mute button and flipped over to look at the woman next to him.
"Julie, I have some good news," he began.
"You got a raise?" his wife asked and looked at him hopefully with those bright blue eyes of hers.
"No, Matthews named me as the new director of the Glee Club," Perry told her and waited for a joyful reaction.
Unfortunately, he got the opposite of what he was looking for.
"Perry!" she cried angrily. "Doesn't that mean you'll have to stay after school now?"
"Yes, but-"
"And you're not getting paid extra for heading this little band of losers, are you?" Julie growled.
"No, but-"
"Oh Perry, who's going to cook dinner then? I'm on my feet for six hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday's at Coffee Bucks, I don't have the energy to cook when I get home," his wife whined. "You promised when you made me quit my job as a drug rep that you were going to provide for me. You were going to make sure that I was always comfortable. I don't feel comfortable Perry!"
"I'm really trying Julie. If Glee Club wins Regionals, maybe Matthews will start paying me," Perry said, trying to keep his cool.
"Maybe isn't good enough for me Percival," Julie huffed and turned away from him, signaling that it was the end of the discussion.
Perry sighed and wondered at what point had he became such a wuss when it came with dealing with his wife. If anyone else had given him shit like that, he would be shoving his foot so far up their ass, they wouldn't be able to walk straight for a month.
It must be her ridiculous cans that keep me in line, he thought. His wife did have the biggest boobs in San DiFrangeles, which essentially made him the luckiest bastard in town, since he had the privilege of being able to touch them whenever he wanted to. Or, whenever she'll let me, he added sourly in his head.
It had taken a lot to make Julie finally settle down. They had dated on and off in high school, but she had been very popular with the men of Sacred Heart Academy and the town of San DiFrangeles. After high school, they dated for six straight months, the longest they had ever been together, and Cox decided it was time to rope her in. It had taken a lot of proposals, five to be exact, but during his fifth proposal of marriage, he had finally got her to accept his hand and he couldn't be happier. Perry truly loved his wife and he was glad that she was finally his exclusively.
His second issue that directly correlated with his argument with Julie was the Glee Club. To say that their last two rehearsals were a disaster would be an understatement.
Perry had given the kids the the sheet music to Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl'. The singing was alright, but the kids couldn't master the choreography. Finally, after a sixth failed attempt, which ended up leaving Nervous Guy on the floor after he slipped in a puddle of his own sweat, Barbie cried out the damning words,
"We suck!"
She then proceeded to storm out of the choir room.
Denise watched her leave and then announced,
"If I'm going to have to deal with that girl and her insanity every day after school, I think I'm going to have start spiking my orange juice at lunch," she glanced over at Perry apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I can only deal with crazies like her when I'm under the influence."
Perry's reaction to that statement was to put his hands behind his head and after another Elliot Reid storm out a half hour later, he too started to consider the idea of spiking his orange juice with scotch…
Perry knew he needed to rejuvenate the spirits his glee club, but he didn't know how. He decided to go to the only person at Sacred Heart Academy that he trusted enough to give him halfway decent advice- Jordan Sullivan.
"Per, your problem is so obvious, it's not even funny," Jordan sniped at him, as he took a seat in her office.
Cox rubbed his hands over his face. Sometimes talking to the guidance counselor was like pulling teeth.
"Care to enlighten me, sweet cheeks?" he asked, trying not to look too desperate.
"Um… let me think about that. No," she retorted.
"Jordan, why must you torture me?" Cox demanded to know.
"For funsies," Jordan said with a grin and Perry groaned, "Oh, and to watch your face get really red, like it's doing right now,"
"I know it's hard to show compassion since you are probably the spawn of Satan, but can't you just do this one thing for me?" Cox begged.
"Well, since you asked so nicely…" the guidance councilor began sarcastically.
"Jordan," Perry growled.
"Fine," she rolled her eyes. "It's quite simple. Just take a look at your glee club Per-Per. You have emo girl, Nervous Guy, Beyonce, not-so-straight kid and Cinderella. According to you, Cinderella has a great voice, but I seriously doubt not-so-straight kid and Nervous Guy have enough stones to keep up with her. Perry, what you need is a strong male lead. A strong male lead will make Cinderella more confident in the group as a whole and I guarantee you from the bottom of my black heart that there will be less diva storm offs."
"Where I am going to find a strong male lead?" Cox asked, "I already held tryouts and no other guys showed up besides Keith and Nervous Guy,"
"I don't know Perry. I'm not a book of answers," Jordan snapped. "Why don't you try asking Petey if you can talk to his football kids?"
Petey Fisher was one of Perry's friends at Sacred Heart Academy. He was the head coach of the school's football and basketball teams, which were unfortunately declared the worst teams in the state of California at their perspective sports. Petey was a few years younger than Perry, but they got along well for the most part. Petey had the gift of knowing exactly what set Perry off and thus, prevented him from detonating often. It saved Cox from spewing a hurtful word at the younger man that would end their friendship.
Even though he knew it was a long shot that a football player would dare to break the social hierarchy and join glee club, Perry took Jordan's advice anyway and went to Petey to ask permission to talk to his kids that afternoon. After all, what did he have to lose?
His friend had no problem letting him discuss joining glee club with the football players on the one condition that he would have to wait until their practice had ended. Perry quickly agreed to the terms and offered to buy Petey a beer later for his trouble.
At 4:30 Perry was sitting in the locker room, waiting for the football players to come in after their two hour practice. Suddenly, he could hear shouts from down the hallway and he knew that they were close.
"Guys settle down!" Petey bellowed over the voices of his players, as they entered the locker room. The boys were still chattering, but when they spotted Perry, they hushed immediately. He was happy to know that he still possessed a fear factor.
"Hello ladies," Perry greeted them with a smirk, as they sat down on benches.
"Now listen up," Petey said to the players, "and be respectful because Mr. Cox is going to talk to you about joining the Glee Club. If I hear lip, I will make your life a living hell at practice tomorrow. You got that?"
A chorus of 'Yes sirs' filled the rooms and Petey, satisfied at the response, nodded in his direction.
"Take it away Perry,"
"Alright, I know that glee club isn't that popular right now at Sacred Heart, but at one time Glee kids ruled the school. We were great. Sacred Heart's Glee Club had a national championship under their belts and they were feared in the pacific region. As the new director, I want Sacred Heart's Glee Club to return to its former glory and to do that we need something that we're lacking on our team right now, which is guys," he waited for someone to laugh or make a joke, but no one uttered a word, "So, if you think you can sing, please put your name down on this list that I'm going to post on this wall right over here?"
He stuck the list on the wall behind him and then stared out at the players.
"Anyone have any questions?" Perry asked.
Drew Suffin raised his hand from the back of the room and Cox glared at him warily. He was going to regret this.
"Yeah Suffin?"
"Any hot chicks in the club?" the troubled teen asked with a grin.
Laughter broke out and someone commented,
"Yeah, if you like them mentally insane like Elliot Reid,"
More laughter.
"Congrats boys," Petey said in a cold voice and the room instantly quieted. "You just earned yourself laps tomorrow."
A collective groan filled the air and Perry turned to his friend.
"Thanks Petey, I'll see you at Rudy's later for that drink," he told him.
"No problem big dog," Petey grinned at him.
Perry exited the locker room and then returned to his classroom to gather up his papers that he needed to grade tonight. After he was satisfied he had everything he needed, Cox decided that he wanted to go back to the locker room to see the fate of his signup sheet. A half hour had passed by and he was sure that those goons had cleared out.
Perry entered the now empty locker room and grabbed the list off the world. Just like he expected, names like 'Gaylord' and 'Dick Lover' filled up the slots.
He sighed, tore down the list and thought, What a waste of time.
Cox turned to leave, but something stopped him dead in his tracks. A boy's voice echoed from the shower area and out into the locker room area. It sounded pretty good, so Perry decided to investigate.
"Winter is here again oh lord,
Haven't been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longer"
Perry crept closer to the shower area and spotted a head of black hair behind the shower wall. The boy was singing a Journey song into a bar of soap. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was dancing in the shower.
"Sent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
I've been runnin' down this dusty road
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin"
Cox begged silently that the boy would turn around just momentarily, so he could see his face. He couldn't quite make out from behind who the mystery football player with the good voice was and he needed to know. Perry had a gut feeling that it was essential for his glee club's survival.
Finally, the boy did a small spin move in the shower and Perry was able to spot his face. It was John Dorian, a Junior in his 9th period Spanish class. He wasn't the brightest of bulbs, but he was a good kid and also the quarterback of the football team.
Satisfied with his find, Cox quickly slipped away and out of sight. He didn't want to be spotted by the boy, who would probably freak out if he knew he was being watched in the shower. Instead of heading to his car, like he originally planned to do, Perry made his way back to his office. He knew he was going to be late for his drinks with Petey, but he needed to formulate a plan to get John Dorian to join glee club.
Jonathan Michael Dorian or JD glanced over nervously at his Spanish teacher, Mr. Cox, from across the conference room table. He hoped he wasn't in trouble or his mom, Barbara, was going to be disappointed. Getting in trouble was his older brother Dan's thing, not his. The only time teachers ever yelled at him was during class when he drifted off into one of his weird fantasies. Never before did JD do anything serious enough that he had to be dragged into a conference room to meet with a teacher.
"Is there something wrong Mr. Cox?" JD asked, trying to keep his cool. He ran a hand through his gelled hair to hide his anxiety.
"Yeah, there is Pumpkin," Mr. Cox growled at him. "I was recently put in charge of searching student's lockers for contraband items and guess what I found in yours,"
JD's heart rate immediately accelerated. What the hell could have Mr. Cox found in his locker? He didn't smoke weed like some of his football friends did and he certainly didn't keep any weapons in his locker. JD was so clumsy that he'd probably end up hurting himself with a weapon more than the guy who he was fighting with.
With a grin that could only be labeled as 'evil', Mr. Cox pulled out a bright pink book from underneath the table. On the books cover was a picture of a unicorn that was leaping over a rainbow with the words, 'JD's Diary', written in a curly cursive across the top. JD instantly turned bright red. This was even worse than being caught with something illegal.
"Care to explain Carol?" Mr. Cox asked. "Because if you don't, I'm sure your football buddies would love to get a hand on their quarterback's unicorn diary."
JD's eyes went wide, thinking about the horror that would descend upon him if that ever happened. His best friend and Chocolate Bear, Christopher Duncan Turk (who JD called by his last name), wouldn't even defend him then.
"Seriously, how could a jock like you own such a girly thing? It blows my mind," his Spanish teacher rambled on.
JD wanted to interject that he really wasn't a jock. Sure, he was the quarterback of the football team, but he didn't know squat about the sport until last summer. Before Turk had taught him all he knew about football, he thought a touchdown was a hole in one for pete's sake!
In all truth, JD would have never been on the football team at Sacred Heart Academy, if it had been an accident that had occurred at Turk's family barbeque the previous summer…
JD was talking about a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy (The best show ever in JD's opinion) with Mama Turk, when Turk's older brother, Kevin, grabbed him roughly by the arm.
"Dude, stop being a pussy and come play football with us,"
JD sighed and wished he hadn't been dragged away from his conversation. Mama Turk and he were just about to discuss Meredith and Derek's latest drama! Why hadn't Turk told his brother that he was a disaster at all sports? His Chocolate Bear knew very well that JD had never been on a team in his entire life.
"Here, you be qb," Kevin handed him the leather pumpkin or was in pigskin? They both had p names. It was too confusing.
"Uh Kevin, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Turk interposed on his behalf. "My boy isn't that talented in the sports department."
Kevin waved him off.
"Please, I'm sure white bread has an arm," Turk's older brother told him. "Just hike the ball Christopher."
Turk sighed and then 'hiked' the ball to JD. Surprisingly, JD didn't drop the ball right away. Instead, he grasped the leather firmly in his hands and felt the lace on the pads of his fingertips. For the first time, he actually didn't feel awkward holding a ball.
"Dude, I'm going long," Kevin yelled, as he faked out one of Turk's cousins.
JD pumped his arm backwards and then released the ball. Everyone watched in amazement as the ball sailed in a perfect spiral directly into Kevin's arms.
"JD, that was totally awesome!" Turk shouted, before hugging him around the shoulders which had effectively brought him out of the stupor he had fallen into. He couldn't believe that had actually occurred. He was in shock.
"I feel just like the quarterback in Friday Night Lights," JD said excitedly.
"Jason Street?"
"You know it playah," JD said in his best gangster voice.
"We watch way too much television," Turk pointed out.
"Yeah, I know, but it's so cool. I love all the drama."
A few plays later his team got back the ball and JD was put to the test again. Kevin and Turk wanted to see if his first throw was just a fluke. It turned out, it hadn't been. To everyone's awe, JD was in fact a natural quarterback.
"White bread with skills like those it would be a sin, if you don't go out for qb next year," Kevin told him after they had finished their game and were eating their hamburgers.
"Well, I don't know…" JD began hesitantly.
"Vanilla Bear, you've gotta tryout. Sacred Heart needs a new quarterback since Lloyd Slawski graduated this year," Turk said in an attempt to persuade him.
"I heard Lloyd is a delivery man for UPS now," JD cut in.
"You're getting off topic on purpose, man," Turk said. "You're trying out in August, even if I have to drag your sorry ass there."
Turk did end up having to drag JD's 'sorry ass' to football tryouts. It didn't matter how unwilling he was to play, Coach Fisher still gave him the quarterback position and now he had transformed from a geek, who played Dungeons and Dragons for fun, into one of those jocks who wore a letter jacket to school.
"What do I have to do to keep this quiet?" JD asked Mr. Cox.
"I thought you'd never ask," his Spanish teacher said with the same devilish grin he was wearing before.
"You joined what?" Turk said with a gasp.
"Glee Club," JD replied miserably.
"You do realize that's social suicide, right?" his best friend reminded him.
"I didn't have a choice! Cox said he would fail me in Spanish and then I couldn't play football," JD lied. There was no way in hell that he was going to admit that his pink, unicorn journal was the source of all his current troubles.
"Dude, Suffin's going to beat the shit out of you when he hears!" Turk cried.
"I know," JD groaned. "I'll just have to keep it quiet for now."
"When's your first rehearsal?" Turk asked.
"Right now," JD told him. "It's every day after football."
"Nilla' Bear, that's totally not fair that you have to do double duty," Turk said angrily. "That Cox guy is an asshole."
"He is," JD agreed, "but there's nothing I can do about it." He checked his watch. He had to be in the auditorium in five minutes or he was toast, "See you later C-Bear,"
JD waved goodbye to his best friend, before setting off in a jog to the auditorium. When he arrived, Cox and five other students were already on stage.
"You're late Gladys," Cox told him with a scowl.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Wait, isn't he that football jock, John Dorian?" a pretty blonde haired girl asked the black girl next to her, not even bothering to whisper.
"Are you sure he's even a football jock?" a frightening girl, who had red streaks in her hair, cut in. "My baby brother has more muscles than that green bean does."
"Yeah, that's him alright," the heavy set, black girl replied. "I'd recognize that over gelled monkey from anywhere."
"I think he might have slushied me once," the dirty blonde haired boy next to them said with a scowl. "He totally ruined my outfit that day."
"I've never slushied anyone before," JD interrupted to defend myself. "You might be thinking about my older brother, Dan. He graduated last year."
The blonde haired boy opened his mouth to reply, when an ear piercing whistle echoed through the auditorium.
"Okay ladies, gossip time is over," Mr. Cox growled at them. "Today in honor of our newest member, I thought we would sing some Journey."
JD instantly brightened up at the idea. Journey was his favorite band of all time.
"How about the Newbie and Elliot take the leads on this one," Cox suggested and then handed them the sheet music for the song 'Don't Stop Believin'. This had made JD actually grin. He loved that song!
The gorgeous blonde haired girl, who must have been Elliot, glanced over at him warily.
"Are you sure he can keep up with me?" she asked Mr. Cox.
"Barbie, are you annoying 24/7?" His Spanish teacher retorted and before the girl could reply, he continued on, "The answer to both of those questions is yes."
Elliot rolled her eyes.
"Fine," she said in a put off matter and then turned to JD, "Let's see what you got,"
His insides clenched at the challenge from the pretty girl. JD knew that he had to be flawless for Elliot or he would look like a fool in front of her. Before JD could take so much as a moment to collect himself, the music started and he was forced to sing in a clear voice,
"Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere"
Elliot then continued in the most beautiful voice he had ever heard.
"Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere"
JD and Elliot then alternated verses for the first two lines, before they started singing in unison. JD was shocked about how well their voices mixed together.
"A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night"
Elliot then cried out,
"Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on"
JD and Elliot began to sing together once more. The blonde haired beauty whipped him around stage effortlessly as an attempt to add a little choreography to their number. JD, not quite limber on his feet, tried his best to keep up, but kept getting caught in the blue depths of Elliot's eyes. He could tell that the girl was starting to get annoyed, but JD knew that his voice flowed too well with her own for Elliot to get too upset about it.
"Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'
Streetlight people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on
Streetlight people
Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'
Streetlight people"
The music ended and JD was out of breath, but he still couldn't look away from Elliot. How had he never noticed her before?
Kim must have me really whipped, he thought, referring to his stunning girlfriend, Kim Briggs, who was the head Cheerio at Sacred Heart Academy.
His thoughts were interrupted, when Elliot had turned away from him and announced to the Glee Club and Mr. Cox,
"I think we actually have a shot at Regionals now,"
JD didn't know what Regionals was, but by the way Elliot and the rest of the Glee kids were grinning, it must have been a good thing.
"Wow, that's the first positive thing I've ever heard come out of Barbie's mouth since I started directing this club," Mr. Cox said, staring up at the blonde girl in astonishment.
"Of course, we still have a lot of work to do," Elliot rambled on, her voice getting higher pitched with every word she spoke. "Our choreography is dreadful and our numbers are still deficient-"
"And there she goes again, returning back to her old, annoying self," his Spanish teacher rolled his eyes.
"What did you really expect?" the girl with the red streaks in her hair muttered.
"Okay people let's take this from the top with some organized choreography this time," Mr. Cox shouted and JD couldn't help, but smile.
Even though JD had been brought into this club basically against his will, he still found himself enjoying it. He was singing Journey, which he loved, and he now had the opportunity to hang out with this beautiful blonde haired girl every day after school. What more could he really ask for?
As JD broke out into song once more, he knew deep down in his gut that he had just joined a great thing, no matter what other people were going to say about him. He felt not only good about his singing abilities, but for the first time, he felt good about himself.
JD had a feeling that he was going to help these rag tags win it all, even whatever laid beyond this 'Regionals' competition. He realized as soon as he uttered the last word of 'Don't Stop Believin' that they needed him now and he would never let them, and especially Elliot, down.
So, how did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Give me feedback. I especially appreciate constructive criticism. Thanks!