Season One, Episode One
Pilot

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Arden was in her room doing her homework when she was startled by Terri raising her voice from her craft room. She already knew what the argument was about and she was tired of these arguments between them, they get worse each time and now Terri was blaming the Glee kids for it.

"We cannot afford this stuff, Terri," Will exclaimed, Arden instantly knew he was referring to Terri's constant desire for material things they cannot afford. "Oh, we could, Will. Yes, I am a shoo-in to be promoted during the Christmas week at Sheets N' Things. You know, I reek of management potential. And they're hiring at H.W. Menken," Terri snapped back.

Arden let out an annoyed sigh, she understood that people want more but they already had what they needed and it was so much more than most, yet Terri didn't care about that. "My passion is teaching, Terri. For the last time, I don't want to be an accountant," Will snapped back with the same tone as Terri.

"Dr Phil said that people could change. You know, it's not a bad thing to want a real life, Will, and to have a glue gun that works! You know, it's really hard for me not having the things that I need," Terri argued back, causing Arden to sigh knowing she'd be fixing that glue gun while Will and Terri slept.

"Oh! And you need three mahogany toilet brush holders?!" Will exclaimed loudly. Arden let out a shaky breath, she never liked when people yelled at each other but she hated being a witness to a couple arguing. Arden was a major hopeless romantic always trapped in her romance novels with high expectations and as her father and stepmother argued more, she saw less love between them.

"They're Balinese! It is not a bad thing to want things, Will. You know, I understand your interest in these kids, Will. I really do. Yeah. It's your way of recapturing your glory days. But I'm not the high school cheerleader anymore, and you are not the golden boy. High school's over... for both of us. It's time that you move on," Terri argued back, Arden fought back the light tears.

Arden sighed as she pushed her homework aside and picked up her guitar, lightly strumming the chords of Billy Joel's Piano Man as she heard a door slam indicating that Terri had finished her whining and stormed off to the bedroom. There was a light knock at Arden's door, "Come in, dad."

Will opened the door slowly before peeking his head in watching as his daughter plucked at the guitar strings. "Hey honey, need any help with your homework?" Will asks knowing she heard the argument, Arden always listened to Billy Joel to calm the anxiety that yelling causes.

"Yeah. Are you okay?" Arden asked as she continued to lightly strum the guitar strings. Due to the common love of music between Arden and her father, she learnt how to play guitar, bass, piano and drums. "I'm fine, Pascal. Don't worry about me," Will assured his daughter before helping her with her homework for English knowing Mr Sausemann's strict personality.

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Arden stood at her locker putting her books away when she heard Noah Puckerman talking with Mike Chang and Matt Rutherford about Finn Hudson. Arden knew that her father planned to take them to see the competition on Saturday, so Finn had to miss football practice and Noah Puckerman was not taking the news lightly.

But she did listen closely to the loud conversation between the three jocks despite knowing if she got caught listening, she would get a slushie as punishment; a risk she was willing to take for some reason. "Look, Finn said his mother's had surgery so he'll miss practice," Puckerman explained. "Damn, that's a tough break," Matt replied as he crossed his arms leaning against the wall beside them.

Arden grabbed her textbook and placed it in her folder before closing her locker, she turned her head and stopped frozen seeing the three jocks standing before her. "Phantom," Puckerman spoke up first with the name that the jocks had come up with due to Arden's pale tone and the fact that the majority of the time she was invisible.

"Y-Yes?" Arden responded not wanting to piss off the school's bad boy. "I got a question for you and if you lie to me, you'll suffer... badly," Puckerman spoke, his tone harsh by the end of the sentence. Arden nodded instantly, she noticed Finn standing a few feet away listening but he hadn't noticed she had spotted him.

"You're... smart, I guess. So, do women have prostates that require surgery?" Puckerman asked while the two jocks behind him just listened. Arden swallowed dryly, she could back Finn up and potentially end up in a dumpster, porta-potty or with a slushie facial daily... Or she tells Puckerman the truth, ruining any chance of a friendship with Finn Hudson and not face any consequences from the school's bad boy.

So with a sigh, "Uh, yeah... Totally. You learn that stuff... i-in b-biology and a-anatomy." Arden cleared her throat anxiously. "C-Can I g-go to class now?" Arden asked softly, not noticing the small smile of gratitude on Finn's face or the way Matt and Mike, who definitely knew she was lying, smiled at her loyalty despite the definite consequences she'll face.

Puckerman grunted quietly with a nod and Arden quickly scurried away to class with her head down. However, instead of just walking away uninterested, Noah Puckerman watched her disappear down the corridor until he couldn't see her before walking away with Mike and Matt following behind him.

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That Saturday, Arden got up early and got ready like any other day except she was slightly nervous to see how skilled Vocal Adrenaline would be. She didn't want the members of the New Directions to be discouraged by a show choir who had been together longer and had more time to rehearse and get to where they were.

And as she stood behind Finn and Rachel with Mercedes and Kurt, the two talking about fashion, she was worried about how this might turn out. Her father was beyond excited to start the Glee club and she hasn't seen that side of her father in a long time, it was nice to see him happy and excited to go to school.

"You're very talented," Rachel told Finn as he was looking at the food options within the foyer of Carmel High's auditorium. "Really?" Finn asked, looking to the shorter brunette who nodded. "Yeah. I would know. I'm very talented, too. I think the rest of the team expects us to become an item. You, the hot male lead, and me, the stunning young ingenue everyone roots for," Rachel explained to Finn.

Arden fought the urge to roll her eyes, she knew Rachel Berry was ambitious but everyone knew that Finn Hudson was dating Quinn Fabray. Well, clearly not everyone. "Well, I, uh, have a girlfriend," Finn stated with a slightly unsure tone, his eyes glancing to Arden behind them who was pushing Kurt away from adjusting the shirt she was wearing, though Rachel didn't notice.

"Really? Who?" Rachel asked, genuinely surprised. "Quinn Fabray," Finn tells her before they stepped forward. "Cheerleader Quinn Fabray? The president of the Celibacy Club?" Rachel questioned. Arden could tell that Rachel hated that Finn Hudson and his popularity wasn't hers to get her claws into to save herself from her "loser" title.

"For almost four months now. She's cool. Mmm, I wonder if they have Sour Patch Kids," Finn informed her before stepping up to the counter, he pouted when he noticed they didn't have any Sour Patch Kids. Rachel was distracted talking to Tina and Artie about their singing, so Arden took that opportunity to offer Finn some Sour Patch Kids.

"Hey, F-Finn..." Arden stuttered out, cursing to herself for stuttering. "Hey Arden, what's up?" Finn asked as he motioned for her to sit next to him. "You know my name?" Arden asked confused as she sat down, she was used to being called "Phantom" or "Blondie" by the Jocks and Cheerleaders.

"Yeah, of course, I do," Finn said with a shrug, he felt guilty about the way he treated her in the past. Arden smiled softly at Finn before pulling out her two bags of Sour Patch Kids. "I've got two packets, want one?" Arden offered kindly. Finn smiled as he took the bag from her and the two sat there in silence eating Sour Patch Kids.

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The performance - Rehab originally by Amy Winehouse - by Vocal Adrenaline was beyond epic in Arden's eyes and she instantly noticed the bad effect it had on the New Directions. Even her father and Emma, who had come along as a chaperone for the trip, were stunned silent and having slight doubts.

But what truly hit Arden that day was when she witnessed Finn being shot by paintball guns by the football team who found out the truth about his lie - about Arden's lie. Her heart began to race and her hands were clammy due to the sweat building up. She managed to hide around the corner before any of them spotted her, but that didn't stop the panic she felt.

She closed her eyes in hopes to calm her racing heart but the sound of footsteps caused her to freeze in place. She slowly opened her eyes to be met with Noah Puckerman standing before her alone. She was frozen in place without any hint of what he was gonna do next, she didn't see a paintball gun in his hand nor a slushie so she assumed he'd attack with words.

"You've got balls," Puckerman stated after a few literal minutes of silence, just staring at one another. "H-Huh?" Arden asked, her shoulders tense but luckily her voice still present. "The way you stood by Finn's side even knowing the punishment you'd possibly face. It takes some serious balls for that," Puckerman added with his arms crossed against his chest.

Arden nodded suspiciously, she didn't trust Noah Puckerman - especially with the calm front he has right now. "Don't lie to me again," Puckerman stated before walking away without looking back, he hated to admit it but seeing the pure fear in Arden Schuesters' eyes actually made him feel bad, and he didn't know why.

Arden didn't relax till she was sitting in her father's car on their way back to their home apartment. But the moment she walked in the door to see Terri standing there with a "Congratulations" banner and two glasses of champagne, her tense nature returned. "There's my baby," Terri spoke softly towards Will, ignoring Arden's presence as usual.

"Wow, honey. This is amazing. What-what's the congratulations for? The kids haven't won anything yet," Will told her as he removed his scarf, taking his daughter's coat to hang on the hook. "I'm pregnant," Terri simply responded. Will turned to her with wide eyes and a stunned expression while Arden froze in place replaying those two words in her head.

What would this mean? Arden's first thought was as she watched her father and Terri kiss in celebration. Terri was getting everything she ever wanted, a child with the man she loved - Their child. Arden was beyond happy at the knowledge that she was gonna have a little brother or sister, she didn't hold anything against the baby but she knew Terri would exclude Arden as much as possible and she needed to prepare for that.

Terri had walked out of the dining room to finish making dinner while Will turned to his daughter, he noticed the distant expression on her face. He walked up to her and carefully rested his hand on her shoulder, she focused her attention on her father with a shaky breath. "I'm gonna be a big sister..." Arden said softly with a smile on her face, seeing her father's bright smile made the future of being invisible seem so worth it.

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"You're leaving us? When?" Artie asked from next to Tina in the auditorium. Will Schuester has just informed the Glee kids that he was resigning from teaching to become an accountant to support his family. Arden sat a few seats away from the others watching and of course, she noticed the glare Rachel sent Arden's way - most likely wanting to blame the blonde.

"Well, I've given my two weeks' notice, but I promise I'm gonna find you guys a great replacement before I go," Mr Schue explained to the kids, he didn't want them to stop going after their dreams. "I've even convinced Arden to stick with the Glee club and help in any way she can," Mr Schue added.

Mercedes smiled to her blonde friend before turning to Mr Schue, "Is this 'cause those Carmel kids were so good? Because we can work harder." Arden looked down as she knew those doubts would come into play. "This isn't fair, Mr Schuester. We can't do this without you," Rachel spoke up before Will could reassure Mercedes it had nothing to do with Vocal Adrenaline.

"So does that mean that I don't have to be in the club anymore or...?" Finn spoke up, his gaze locked with Arden's which made him shrink in his seat. She was frowning at him, she truly believed that Finn Hudson had a great voice and he deserved to shine just as much as the others in the room. But Arden knew that his popularity meant more to him, so she wasn't all that surprised.

Arden didn't want to listen any further, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the auditorium with the decision to wait by her father's car for him. She was reading a book when footsteps caught her attention, she looked up to see Mike Chang approaching her. "Hey," Mike spoke softly with a lopsided smile on his face that Arden found adorable.

She shared two classes with Mike Chang, one of which was History and the two often partnered up as they both had high expectations for their classes. "Hey Mike," Arden answered with her usual quiet tone. "I just wanted to say that I was impressed with how you were loyal to Finn, it was very... Arden of you," Mike complemented with a breathy chuckle.

Arden smiled at Mike as Will approached them. "Oh, hello Mike," Will spoke once he noticed the footballer standing there. "I should, uh, get going. See you in History tomorrow Arden," Mike waved before jogging off to football practice. Arden smiled at her father before the father-daughter duo headed home, Will explaining to Arden what she had missed.

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Arden was never more thankful for Emma Pilsbury than she was at this moment. Emma had promised Arden to help convince Will to stay by reminding him of why he loved music in the first place. Not only that, but after Rachel's failed takeover attempt of the Glee Club, Finn had returned with a new song and a whole new attitude that Arden admired.

Arden played the piano for the New Directions as they sang Don't Stop Believing as a team, Will Schuester happened to walk by hearing their performance. However, Coach Sue Sylvester was watching from the rafters with Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez. Noah Puckerman was watching from the exit doorways, his eyes flicking focus from Finn to the blonde on the piano. Mr Schue walked towards the first row of chairs while clapping.

"Good, guys. It's a nine. We need a ten. Rachel, you need to hit the ones and the fives. Finn, I think if we worked on it, you could hit a high "B." Arden, you did amazing," Will spoke with enthusiasm. "So does this mean you're staying?" Finn asked with hope. "It would kill me to see you win nationals without me," Mr Schue said, a smile appearing on Arden's face. "From the top," Will clapped his hands together.

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Rosemary Speaks

Why do you think Puck was nice?

Does Finn have a crush on Arden?

Why does Rachel dislike Arden so much?

Any theories?

See you in the next chapter!