YOU'RE NOT LONELY, YOU HAVE ME!

IT WAS LUNCH AND THE MOOD AT ONE TABLE WAS DOWN. Choosing to sit besides Brittany and Blaine, Tessa and Sam had hoped to put smiles back on their faces, knowing they'd been missing Santana and Kurt.

Despite Sam and Tessa's attempts at using new impressions to brighten up their days, Brittany and Blaine couldn't help but focus over their shoulders at the new romance blossoming between Marley and Jake. Sighing deeply, Blaine played around with the food on his plate as he watched, "do you remember when you first started dating Santana and i first started dating Kurt, back before everyone was so busy and so far away? Things were so much simpler. We had so much more hope and innocence. Every day was just like Valentine's Day."

Darting eyes between the three of them, Tessa had quickly shuffled her seat away from contact with Sam, throwing him an pointed, apologetic look that he understood so not to make either of them feel any more lonely than they already obviously were, beginning to regret their decision to sit with the two to try and put smiles back on their faces. Feeling conflicted, they decided to just let Brittany and Blaine vent out their feelings, knowing that both of them were finding being so far away from their significant others very difficult.

Eyes still locked on Marley and Jake as she giggled over something he'd said, Brittany shrugged her shoulders and thought everything over, "we're still young." She stated, "shouldn't be still be experiencing those things?"

At this, the table fell into silence and left Blaine in his own deep thoughts.

Beginning to speak again, Brittany shifted her focus to the couple sat opposite them, "don't ever leave each other behind. It hurts too much."

Taken aback, Tessa saw the pain behind Brittany's statement and her whole expression softened, glancing over towards Sam worriedly, "I don't think you have to worry about us, Britt. I'm not going anywhere."

"And neither am I." Sam chipped in, when the attention came round to him.

Seeming to break out of his own thoughts, Blaine suddenly had somewhere else he needed to be. Quickly coming up with an excuse, he threw them all a rushed smile and gathered up his things, "I just remembered I promised Kurt I'd call him at lunch. I'll see you guys in glee club."

Waving him off, the three were slightly confused as to his quick exit but let him go nonetheless. Following in his footsteps, Brittany ran round the side of the table and pulled Tessa into a side hug, "I'm gonna go too. I have a feeling Lord Tubbington smuggled some drugs into my locker so I have to clean it."

"Call us if you need a hand, Britt." Sam smiled, both of them going along with it naturally as she waved at them both before skipping out of the lunch hall.

Turning to each other with a deep sigh once the coast was clear, Tessa scooted her chair right up next to Sam's once again and slipped her hand into his, "I hate seeing them so sad. It hurts my heart."

"And mine." Sam agreed, "it scares me a little if I'm honest. If we ever break up, I'd hate seeing you that sad. It would probably break my heart even more. So please don't break up with me... ever."

"I'm not gonna break up with you." Tessa laughed, softly, "I'd hate to see a heartbroken Sam Evans."

Clicking his fingers, Sam shook his head at her dramatically, "oh but you already have Tessa Swann." Seeing her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he elaborated, "when I came back last year and you were with someone else... I could've sworn I felt my heart break in two."

Pouting back at him, Tessa felt her own heart fall slightly. Squeezing into his hand, she bit back a guilty smile, "just know... I never stopped loving you. I tried to ignore it at the time but when you came back, I knew I still felt the same way. You still somehow managed to give me butterflies."

"Glad to know I still have that effect on you." He chuckled with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows, teasing her with a nudge in the side as he noticed her cheeks glowing pink. The grin plastered on his face, Sam had a further spring in his step when he busted straight back into his best impressions as Tessa laughed on fondly, grateful to be sat right next to one another, just holding hands without another care in the world.

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A TRIP TO NEW YORK HAD GONE HORRIBLY WRONG. Coming back home to Lima, Finn Hudson has taken a seat at the back of the choir room whilst no one else was around, taking in his surrounding and preparing for the glee club to return for their rehearsal, hopefully pleased to see him. New York hadn't treated him too kindly. Running away from Rachel early in the morning, he was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces.

The first being one he'd been in contact with in New York, Blaine, who'd been pouting glumly ever since he'd returned after breaking Kurt's heart, feeling overcome with guilt. Sighing deeply after an awkward interaction, Finn instantly looked up at the sound of Tessa's loud laughter as she came through the door with Sam Evans and three others he didn't recognise.

Catching sight of him first, Sam's eyes lit up and he ran forwards to pull him straight into a hug, "Finn! Dude, what's up?!" He exclaimed, happily.

"I'm just passing through." He replied, "visiting my mom and Burt and Mr Schue said I could come by."

Grinning from ear to ear, Tessa was next to be pulled into Finn's arms, giggling as she let him pull her off her feet, "Finn Hudson. I've missed you!"

Finally letting go and placing her down on the floor, Finn ruffled her hair playfully, "I've missed you more."

As a crowd of seniors began to appear, greeting this guy with hugs all round, the newbies in glee club started to feel a little uncomfortable. Sensing this from Marley, Jake and Unique as she caught sight of them huddling at the back awkwardly, Tessa took charge, calling everyone for her attention with a clap of her hands, which they all quickly gave her with no fight whatsoever, "for everyone who doesn't know, this here is Finn Hudson."

"The one you met in detention?" Marley questioned, shyly.

Shooting finger guns right back at her, Tessa grinned, "exactly. He's totally awesome so don't be afraid to say hi."

Finn couldn't help but watch in awe and proud surprise as he saw how naturally Tessa took a leading role in the choir room, noticing that she'd obviously made it her mission to make sure the new kids settled into the choir room as easily as possibly and that she'd made a bunch of new friends out of it. The job that had once been his had been passed down to one of his closest friends, without her really even knowing it and he couldn't have been more proud.

His thoughts were interrupted by Tina rushing in and pulling him into a hug, "I thought you joined the army?"

"I-I did..." Finn began awkwardly before Mr Schue intervened with a hand on his shoulder, "but things don't always work out the way you planned them to." Directing them to their seats, he continued, "and i said to Finn the same thing I say to everyone that comes through this club: we are a family and you're always welcome here. Even if you just need to take a break and think things through."

Beginning the lesson as the choir room quietened down, Mr Schue had the glee club brainstorming ideas for the fall musical. Skimming her eyes across the list, Tessa had pushed aside his suggestions almost instantly and pitched her own, "how about Footloose? I suggested it two years ago and I'd love to do some more dance numbers this year."

With the rest of the glee club pitching in their own suggestions in the hopes to get their own talents showcased, Finn had been given the time to brainstorm an idea of his own, "you should do Grease. I know it 'cause the song I auditioned for glee club with was from Grease, remember? Guys like it, girls like it, people like my mom like it. It's about high school and growing up and being true to yourself. Plus the songs rock."

"The wisdom of Solomon." Artie breathed out, shaking his head in awe.

Clapping his hands together, Mr Schuester seemed to agree, "all right. Grease is the word."

"Finn Hudson has done it again." Tessa grinned, leaning forward from her seat at the back to give him an encouraging smack on the back.

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THERE WERE MORE OLD FRIENDS BACK IN TOWN FOR MORE DIFFICULT REASONS. After one of the hardest talks she'd ever have to have with Brittany, Santana Lopez had searched for comfort in her best friend.

Coming together at Tessa's house, they were cuddled up on Tessa's bed together with a bowl of popcorn in between them and Mean Girls playing lazily in the background. With the belief that all of her tears had been cried, Santana furrowed her eyebrows as she reached her hand into the bowl, surprised to see how much was still left and growing suspicious, "you haven't eaten any popcorn." She mumbled.

"I'm not hungry." Tessa waved her off easily, "I ate dinner just before you came knocking on my door."

Licking her lips tightly, Santana made a mental note to remember this instance but decided to believe her with a slow nod of her head, "You love having me here." She pouted, snuggling further into her shoulder, "and I've just gone through a breakup. I need my best friend."

Nodding in agreement, Tessa let out a small sigh, rubbing her arm comfortingly, "I'm glad you came round. I wouldn't want you to go through this alone."

After a moment of silence between the two of them, Santana spoke up in a quiet voice, "do you think Britt's alone?"

Unsure of how to reply, Tessa shuffled awkwardly, "well she's not gonna be alone. She's one of my best friends, I promised you last year that I'd look after her and I will."

Letting out a breath of air, Santana knew that Brittany would be just fine with Tessa and the rest of the glee club by her side. Thinking this over, she found herself realising that she was the one who felt most alone. Trailing her eyes upwards, Santana locked her eyes in Tessa's, "you'll call me if you feel lonely? Won't you? I'll come straight down. Whether I have to kick someone's ass or we just do what we're doing right now."

"I'll call you whenever." Tessa replied softly, scratching the back of her neck, "I'm making a bunch of new friends and hopefully there's more to come. Senior year's going pretty good so far."

With a gentle nod, Santana smiled back at her once again before focusing back on the movie in hand, feeling proud of how Tessa was getting on at Mckinley without her there. With being Co-Captain of the Cheerios and a senior member of glee club, she seemed to be taking it in her stride easier than anyone would've expected her to.

"Good. I'm glad you took my advice and Trouty Mouth and gay Blaine aren't your only friends." She muttered back playfully, "I was worried you'd spend your senior year being even more of a dork than you already are."

"I can promise you I'm still a dork." Tessa laughed loudly, "your favourite dork to be precise."

Rolling her eyes with a bitten back smile, Santana didn't even have to bother answering because they both already knew. They both already knew that as far away they were from each other, as many new, closer friends they made, they'd always have each other's backs and they'd always love each other just the same as they did all the way through high school. It wouldn't matter who else was there or what else was in the way or what distance there was between them, when they were together once again, neither Tessa nor Santana could help themselves but just feel happy.