"alright, uh, let's gather around. sorry i'm late, guys. i was with principal figgins. bad news, puckerman's in juvie." mr. schue walked into the choir room.

"it was really just a matter of time." tina shrugged.

"what'd he do?" quinn asked.

"oh, i'll tell them!" i exclaimed excitedly.

"take the floor, stevie." mr. schue said.

"great. um, yeah he crashed his mom's volvo through a gas station and took the atm. and you may be wondering, hm why would puck do that that's the most obvious crime? well the answer is, he's a dumbass." i bowed and sat down as everyone laughed.

"and when is he getting out?" rachel asked.

"depends on how he is in juvie." i shrugged.

"he might be the dumbest person in the world and that's coming from me." brittany laughed.

"guys! let's have some sympathy."

"it's not like he's ill, mr. schue. he literally chose to do what he did. i'm not having sympathy cause he's an idiot." i shook my head.

"yeah, plus he put his needs above the team's. we need his voice and his bad boy stage presence. we're down to eleven members."

"we can't look at this as a crisis. look at it as an opportunity."

"for what, further embarrassment?"

"for welcoming out new member....sam evans!" mr. schue announced as the blondie walked in.

"hey everybody, i'm sam. sam i am. and i don't like green eggs and ham." he said.

i shot out a quick laugh, mostly from second hand embarrassment.

"oh wow. he has no game." santana said.

"okay! this is gonna be great. sam, you're not gonna regret joining." finn went up and collected the boy.

"oh, good."

"you can sit here." he gestured to the seat on the other side of me.

"hey, man." i smiled lightly at him.

"hey, was that really as embarrassing as i thought it was?" he laughed awkwardly.

"well yeah...but it was like a dorky cute." i shrugged.

he smiled at me and i turned my attention back to mr. schue.

"alright, question for the group! what's a duet?"

"a blanket." brittany answered.

"that's a duvet." i told her.

"oh."

i nodded.

i drifted off thinking about, of all things, my pre-cal homework.

"and that's what duets are all about. so, this week i want you to pair up and sing a duet. and, since you guys all seemed to love our little "defying gravity" diva-off, i'm making this a competition."

"what does the winner get?" mike perked up his head.

"dinner for two on me...at breadstix!" he exclaimed.

everyone had their various cheers.

•

"what do you say, you and me?" finn came up to me after class.

"for the duet?" i asked.

"yeah."

"i was thinking about doing it with sam..." i trailed off.

"why?"

"just cause he's new, and he already kind of knows me and....you know i didn't wanna make him feel excluded cause i don't know if any of them are gonna ask him." i answered.

"oh yeah, good thinking. see if he has a partner and the get back to me." finn nodded.

"great. don't get a new partner in case he has one." i advised him.

"you got it. i'll wait for you. as long as it takes." he smiled.

my face dropped and i gave him an annoyed look.

he laughed, realizing what he had said.

"stop saying that to me."

•

i walked up to sam at his locker.

"hey. sam." i smiled lightly.

"oh, hey stevie. what's up?"

"um, do you have a duet partner yet? cause i was thinking we could do something together."

"oh, man. i'm really sorry i already partnered up with kurt." he apologized.

"oh, no worries. it's cool, um, good luck."

"thanks."

i nodded and walked away to go find finn.

luckily he wasn't too far off from where i was.

"finnegan, good news." i came up to me.

"yeah?"

"sam has a partner. so, it's me and you against the world." i punched his shoulder lightly.

"cool. who's sam's partner?"

"kurt. anyways i have the perfect-"

"wait, kurt?" finn furrowed his eyebrows.

"yeah. anyways-"

"you're not bothered by that? it puts a huge target on sam's back."

"sam chose to say yes. if he shared the same concern, he would have said something to kurt. now can we talk about our duet?" i rolled my eyes.

"yeah, sure. i'll talk to kurt later."

•

"hey, stevie. can i talk with you?" kurt came up to me as i was sitting in the hallway with finn arranging our duet.

"yeah, sure. finn, don't give yourself the belting at the end. i reserve that for me." i stood up.

"you got it, babe." he winked.

"don't call me that, finnegan." i walked away with kurt.

"so what's up?" i asked as he linked his arm with mine.

"so, you know how finn has a problem with me singing with sam? well, my dad also made some very good points about that. so, i decided to give him up for his own good."

"right. and how'd he take that?"

"he was actually very...sweet about it. more so than i thought he would be. i thought maybe he'd be relieved or thank me or something."

"that would have been pretty shit, huh?"

"exactly. but instead he asked if he did something to offend me. i mean, i know it's just basic human decency but that's the absolute best you can get in this town."

"he's a really sweet guy. is this all you wanted to tell me?" i asked.

"i just wanted to tell someone. and i saw you and finn first and i don't wanna talk to finn."

"fair enough." i shrugged.

•

"alright, who thinks they can top kurt's duet with himself for this day?" mr. schue asked.

"we will!" i said, grabbing finn's hand and pulling us to the front of the choir room.

"great. go ahead." mr. schue said and sat in my seat.

"thanks. hit it." i smiled at the band. (song above)

(italics- stevie, underline- finn, both- both, bold- rest of glee)

i thought i was hopeless, i thought i was broken i struggled to laugh when the whole room was joking i waited in the cold, but the door wouldn't open 'til i, 'til i heard your voice in a dream

and nothing comes easy when everyone's rushing, the signal's got speed but there's no real connection, i tried reaching out but it was just my reflection 'til i, til i heard your voice in a dream

so sing to me and i will forgive you, for taking my heart in the suitcase you packed, sing to me like the lights didn't blind you, like you blinded me when i heard your voice in a dream

and i could have loved you but you had the hunger, for life in the lights, so when they called your number, i couldn't compete with the spell you were under

still i, i hear your voice in my dreams

so sing to me and i will forgive you
for taking my heart in the suitcase you packed
sing to me like the lights didn't blind you
like you blinded me when i heard your voice in a dream

oooooh oooooh oooooh

i thought i could love you but you had the hunger

oooooh

oh, and nothing comes easy when everyone's rushing

oooooh

i thought i could love you, i thought i could love you

as we finished and the music stopped, everyone clapped for us.

"guys that was so....real. this is what i meant, when i talked about duets. it's true, and honest, and...makes everyone feel exactly what these two did when they were singing." mr. schue commended us.

i smiled lightly and sat down.

that all got way too real for me.

•

"and the winners....by two votes....sam and quinn!" mr. schue announced.

"what?! what?! screw that, i want my 'stix!" santana yelled and jumped up.

finn and i decided to ensure quinn and sam would win. it would be good for him as a welcome to glee.

so we voted for them, knowing everyone would vote for themselves.

"oh, let it go!" mercedes pulled her back down to her seat.