gleebles A/N; Welcome welcome to my first multi-chapter novel! I'm quite proud of this and I hope you all enjoy the journey as much as I have! Yes, there are some OC's, so please keep an open mind and take a chance on it!

Let's begin!

Prologue
"Let's Start A Riot"

If you feel so angry,
So ripped off, so stepped on,
You're not the only one
Refusing to back down,
You're not the only one,
So get up,
Let's start a riot.

Charlie's House
6:50 AM

A car horn honked outside the ivory house with dark green shutters. From the road, one could see the curtains of the upstairs bedroom window rustle and pull back. A pallid face neared the windowpanes and stared down at the road.

"Let's go!" sang Ray from the vibrating vehicle.

Charlie swallowed nervously, realigned the drapes with trembling hands, and backed away from the window unsteadily.

His descent on the staircase seemed to go on for ages. However, by the time he got to the bottom, he felt as though the front door had appeared far too quickly.

His book bag lay on the floor next to the door; he picked it up, thinking it had never been as heavy as it was now. He glanced up at the door, thinking that twisting the doorknob would probably be the hardest thing he would ever have to do.

Outside, he neared the two-door automobile and immediately the passenger side door opened.

Out stepped Ron who pulled the seat forward and stood back, allowing Charlie to climb into the backseat.

"Sleep okay?" Ray asked as Charlie situated himself in the back.

He made a noise, but couldn't find his voice.

Ron pushed the seat back, sat back down, and they were off.

Highway (Ten minutes from McKinley High)
6:53 AM

Ray glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed Charlie's darting eyes.

"Hey," he called to him. "We've planned everything perfectly. Stop worrying."

"I know," Charlie exhaled, running his sweaty hands up and down his jeans.

"Remember why we're doing this," Ray continued. "We're doing this for you."

Charlie nodded quickly.

"We're in this together."

Charlie's fingers passed over the cold metal in his backpack. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry.

McKinley High School
7:05 AM

"Do we need to go over the plan again?"

Ron and Charlie shook their heads.

Ray smiled.

"I'll see you at lunch then."

First period
7:36 AM

Charlie stared at the clock.

"I've got a good feeling about Regionals."

"Me too. And Glee club will be much more bearable today with Rachel out sick."

"Truth," Artie agreed.

Charlie stared at the clock.

"Mercedes that's awful," Tina said, sounding slightly upset.

"What? Oh come on, are you telling me that if she wasn't out sick, she would've come in today with a list of songs to sing at Regionals that didn't revolve around her singing the solos?"

Charlie stared at the clock.

"No, but—"

"Alright class, listen up. Today we'll be discussing algorithms."

Charlie closed his eyes and exhaled.

Lunchroom
1:08 PM

Ron checked his watch.

He took a bite of whatever they were serving in the cafeteria. He didn't taste it.

"Cause you're hot then you're cold! You're yes then you're no! You're in then you're out! You're up then you're down!"

"Blaine, please stop with the Katy Perry songs."

"I haven't done that one yet!"

"Come on, boys. Let's be civil…"

Ron wiped his mouth and scanned the cafeteria.

"Ughh…seriously, my ears are bleeding."

"Hey, Puck, come on…"

"I don't say anything when you belt out one rockabilly song after another."

"Blaine—"

"Yeah, cause that happens all of once a year."

"Try twice a week!"

"Come on guys, can we please focus on what songs we're going to be singing at Regionals?"

"You are hearing this, aren't you Kurt?"

"Yes, Blaine…"

Ron stood up and picked up his tray.

"Let me guess, you want the solo for E.T., right Anderson?"

"No Puckerman, I was thinking a Van Halen song would be better. What do you think?"

"Seriously, guys?"

Ron glanced at his watch one last time before exiting the lunchroom.

Fourth period
2:50 PM

Ray smiled at the clock and turned to Charlie.

Charlie's eyes ghosted over the time as well and returned his gaze to Ray. He nodded slightly.

Ron gave Ray a warning look, which Ray brushed off.

"Cool it, Ray," Ron cautioned, pulling Ray's book bag slightly. "Stick with the plan."

"I know," Ray hissed and yanked his bag away.

The bell rang and Ray leapt to his feet. The rest of the class gathered their things.

"Let's go," he spoke, his voice shaking in excitement.

"Not yet," Ron said as he and Charlie stood as well. "We have to wait until they get to the bus."

Ray reached into his bag and grasped the handle.

"Then let's wait in the parking lot."

"The plan was that we were going to wait inside— Ray, wait!"

Ray made his way out the door followed quickly by Ron and Charlie.

"Calm down, Ray," Ron murmured in a hushed voice as the students of McKinley moved through the hall.

Charlie was visibly shaking head to toe as he followed the two boys down the hall, avoiding all gazes.

"I'm calm."

"Let go of the gun then."

One of Ray's hands held his bag, the other grasping the handle of the gun inside it tightly, unable to loosen.

Suddenly Ron stepped in front of Ray, causing Charlie to halt just behind him.

"Stop," he spoke directly into his face.

"I'm fine," Ray glared at him.

"—Yeah, and she's going to kill us if we're late—"

Charlie's eyes fell on the boy in the wheelchair wearing a red and white McKinley High football jersey. The tall Asian boy pushing him wore an identical jersey.

"Well, if Puck and Finn are in there, then we'll get them. If not, I say more play time for us!"

They laughed.

Ray, too, noticed the passing football players and his pupil's dilated. He pulled the gun out quickly and pointed it at the boy in the wheelchair.

"Ray, no!"

Ron's protest caused the boys to glance up in time to see the gun. And they weren't the only ones to see it. Someone screamed.

Mike yanked the wheelchair back and threw himself in front of Artie just as Ray pulled the trigger.

An earsplitting crack sounded and suddenly, everyone was screaming and running. Charlie felt faint.

"What are you doing?" he exhaled weakly.

Mike fell heavily to the ground and gripped his leg with white knuckles. A loud, raw scream ripped through his vocal cords.

"M-Mike, are you—?" Artie began, his voice shaking with concern, but he was cut off by a clicking sound. He looked up to see the gun pointed directly at his forehead.

"Get in there!" Ray shrieked, gesturing to the classroom beside them. "Both of you!"

All around them, students screamed, tripping over themselves as they sprinted down the hall. Many students threw themselves into classrooms and yanked the door shut behind them.

There came a loud ringing as someone down the hall pulled the fire alarm.

Artie stared at the gun and his breath began to hitch.

"Go!" Ray screamed, pushing the weapon closer to Artie's face.

"Nice going, Ray," Ron spoke sarcastically. "This is exactly what we said we weren't going to do!"

"I don't care," Ray breathed quickly as Mike crawled through the doorway. Exclamations erupted in the room and Artie wheeled himself after Mike, eyes still gaping at the gun. "We can still follow the plan."

"It's not going to be as easy now," Ron commented, but Ray ignored him.

"Get in there," he said to Charlie who stared at him in horror. He edged past Ray and entered the room.

By now the hallway, not including papers, book bags, binders, purses, and even a shoe, was empty. The fire alarm still shrilled. Muffled cries could be heard through closed doors. The people in the room where Artie and Mike entered still shouted with panic.

"You still got my back?" Ray asked hurriedly and Ron's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Always," he replied.

"Remember the plan," Ray spoke evenly. "Get as many students in the room and wait for my phone call."

Ron nodded and started sprinting down the hall.

"Good luck," he called over his shoulder and Ray smiled.

He turned around and stepped through the door.

The room went silent. Charlie, gun in hand, looked his way.

Ray smiled again and closed the choir room door.

gleebles A/N; And so it begins...