What ever they say don’t be afraid

my parents are off on a cruise this week, which means i've got the house to myself. and what better way to take advantage of that than with a little end-of-summer celebration? this was originally going to be a dalton-only thing, but then i figured this might be a great opportunity for a little cross-glee club bonding to celebrate the start of the new show choir season. we might be in rival glee clubs, but that doesn't mean we have to actually be rivals all the time, right? so, in the spirit of show choir unity, you're all officially invited to a little soirée this saturday at my place! there will be a heated pool and hot tub, snacks (requests are welcome), drinks (ditto) and some good old karaoke. i'd like to avoid any current show choir talk, though, just to keep things light and let the drama stay on stage. the only exception to this rule is anything pre-2000, as i've heard some rumours about your show choir director, new directions, and i need answers. let me know if you're in and i'll text you the address! bathing suits are not optional (unless you're not planning on using the hot tub or pool, of course). hope to see you there! ☀️ @encorehqsstarters

That sounds great, Blaine! Of course I’m in. And honestly, I don’t see why we couldn’t be friends — rivalries should really stay on the stage, right? At the end of the day, we’re all here for the music.

Just overheard a girl in my lecture say she’s “not like other girls” because she doesn’t wear makeup. Babe, you’re not like other girls because other girls have taste. This is college, not the pick me girl Olympics. Anyway, I showed up late, looked better than everyone, and still managed to make the TA nervous. Honestly? If you’re not causing at least one minor identity crisis per week, what are you even doing here? @encorehqsstarters

Really? Wow, I thought no one said that kind of thing anymore. But I guess people never stop surprising me. And no, this isn’t the Pick Me Olympics. Although I don’t think we need to go as far as causing an identity crisis… though honestly, it doesn’t sound like such a bad option either.

{ open starter @encorehqsstarters }

OMG, those highlighters are just too adorable! You have to tell me where you got them! And yeah, going back to school is always fun. I really missed everyone. I don’t think I got to hang out with most people because I signed up as a counselor this summer. But yeah, I think I’m ready to go back… how about you?

as a result of that thing from last year we don't need to talk about, i'm so pleased to announce that applications for my new bff are officially open! kind of like that paris hilton show, except better, because you get to be besties with me! rules are - you must be at least an eight - but not hotter than me - able to work around my schedule, and good at at least pretending to be interested in all the things i'm into. in return, i'll buy you whatever you want, so long as it's not ugly. <3 @encorehqsstarters

Oh, hey, Sugar. You’re too sweet! But I think I’ll pass… though only because we’re already friends.

Are we doing the whole ‘new year, new you’ thing again or can we just be weird and talented in peace?

Is someone really doing the new year new me? I think we can just continue with the talented and weird thing

What’s the most dramatic thing that happened to you this summer? Bonus points if it involves fire or feelings.

Well the most dramatic thing was falling for another counselor at Asian Camp

oh, he went too? i guess that makes sense. i like mike, he's a cool dude. i bet it was nice having him around.

Yes! He was there too. It was a nice surprise to see him, and he’s pretty cool. I’m actually getting the chance to know him better this summer.

Marina: My summer was relatively uneventful. I'm sorry to be a disappointment that way.

Jesse: Oh Tina, thank you so much for the unsolicited cultural PSA. Truly riverting stuff, but let's get one thing clear, I have no intention on messing with Sunshine. She's annoying in a goody-two-shoes sense, she's kinda naive and trusts too easily, but she's now a part of Vocal Adrenaline. We don't mess with our own.

Mike had always been very responsible. Maybe that’s why he signed up to be a counselor at Asian Camp, it was something productive to add to his résumé. And honestly, it seemed simple enough: a summer gig, nothing too demanding. Dance a little with the kids (if he could get them to look up from their phones), help out, do whatever was needed. He didn’t expect it to be hard. What he didn’t expect was to find Tina Cohen-Chang in the same cabin group, clipboard in hand, wearing that focused look she always got when she was trying to act like she wasn’t nervous. He knew her — a little — from their time in New Directions. Yeah, he could say she was a familiar face, but not someone he really knew. That changed fast. Somewhere between campfire singalongs, dodgeball disasters, and her constantly calling him out for his overly serious warm-up stretches, he started looking forward to every single second spent with her. Falling for her hadn’t been part of the plan. Neither had staying up too late laughing about the weirdest campers, or that one accidental slow dance at the talent show, or the way she blushed when he told her she was amazing, mid-song. But he fell anyway. Hard. And the best part? She fell too. At first, it was their little secret. Something quiet and just theirs, tucked between group activities and shared glances across the mess hall. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed having something that felt that good. And now, here they were. Back at McKinley. Back to the noise, the questions, the gossip. But as she wrapped her arms around his neck with that smile he never got tired of, everything else fell away. He looked down at her, heart so full it almost ached. "Yeah," he said softly, almost like he couldn’t believe this was real. "I’m ready." Then, with that little smirk she always dragged out of him, he added, "I’ve been ready since you beat me at karaoke and told me I owed you a smoothie. We both know that was rigged, by the way." His hands rested lightly on her hips as he leaned in a little closer. "Let them know. Let everyone know. I don’t care what they say. You’re worth every second of it."

McKinley was always full of noise, gossip, and drama, but whenever she was with Mike, it was like all of that stopped existing. Being with him gave her peace, and without a doubt, that was one of the many reasons she had fallen in love with him.