1x02: Counting Stars
Episode Synopsis:Rachel has her first week at NYADA and meets Brody (Dean Geyer) who takes a sudden interest to her, much to the chagrin of Finn. Not wanting to see Rachel end up with anyone else, Finn takes drastic measures to keep Brody away from her; While looking for a job in New York, Santana meets an artist named Dani (Demi Lovato) and becomes interested in her, although she's dating Brittany back home.
It had been two weeks since Finn, Santana and Kurt moved into the loft with Rachel and it had been rather—interesting; especially for Rachel. Rachel was used to hanging around with Kurt, Santana and Finn but this was an entirely new concept. They were living with each other! It wasn't like in High School that they would go to their separate homes after a long day. They now were bound to roommate-hood. Rachel found that out awkwardly when she had to go get ready for her first day of school at NYADA. Rachel had her towel in her hands with her clothes for the day, on the way to the shower—when she heard someone singing in the shower. She walked over to the bathroom, holding her clothes closer to her, realizing that the person that was singing in the shower—was Finn. Rachel listened intently, hearing Finn belt out REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling." Rachel didn't realize it, but she found herself placing her head on the bathroom door, listening to Finn sing. That voice was the reason Rachel fell in love with Finn, other than Finn being so sweet and kind to her. Rachel felt her eyes close and a smile plaster on her face, nodding her head to the acapella goodness that was coming from the bathroom. The next thing Rachel knew, the door to the bathroom opened and she fell forward onto the floor, not sure about what happened. Rachel looked up and saw Finn staring down at her, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair wet from his shower. Rachel's cheeks flushed as she got up from the floor, noticing Finn cracking a smile at her.
"Good morning. Did you enjoy the concert?" Finn jested. Rachel put a stand of hair behind her ear, avoiding Finn's gaze. After a moment, Rachel looked up at him, coating a smile on her face.
"Um, you sounded very…good." Rachel honestly told him. "I'm sure that if you were performing at a concert, girls would be throwing their underwear and bras at you."
"Would you be jealous?" Finn raised an eyebrow, the half grin still on his face. Rachel gave a soft chuckle, patting his bare shoulder.
"I have to get in the shower. I have school." Rachel gazed at Finn's abs then smiled to herself as she closed the door to the shower. Finn turned around to face the door as he heard Rachel start her scales. Finn bowed his head, finally making his way to his bedroom to get dressed.
"It's not like she hasn't seen me naked before…" Finn said to himself, still grinning from ear to ear.
Rachel entered the halls of NYADA for the first time that morning, looking around at the students who were dressed in theatre clothes, wore hats that looked as if they were made there, fencers in their uniforms heading to practice and ballerinas going to the dance studio. Rachel didn't realize that everyone took everything at the school so personally. Rachel looked down at her schedule, trying to see what class she had first—and she didn't want to admit it, but Rachel was lost. Rachel looked up from her schedule, not aware that she was about to bump into someone. Rachel knocked into the person as they both fell to the floor. Rachel looked at her person with a mortifying glance, unsure why she did what she just did.
"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" Rachel quickly got up from the floor, helping the young adult up. After Rachel looked into his eyes, she couldn't help but notice that he was amused at her—and he was really cute. Rachel was sure that he was gay, but she wasn't going to question. She did knock into him after all.
"It's all right. Actually, I like knocking into cute girls like you." He flashed a smile towards Rachel, holding out his hand. "I'm Brody Weston. Guessing by the way you're walking around the hallways, I'm going to assume that it's your first day and you have no idea where you're going."
"And if you assumed, then you assumed correctly." Rachel handed her schedule for Brody to look at. Brody scanned the schedule, motioning for Rachel to follow him. Rachel quickly started following Brody, the both of them making their way to Rachel's first class. "So are you a senior or something? Everyone seems to know who you are." Rachel said as Brody beamed towards her.
"I'm a junior." Brody answered. "It also helps that I've been in a lot of productions during my time at NYADA so, everyone knows who I am. It gets tiring for the girls to just stare at you and think you're a chick magnet."
"You're gay, aren't you?" Rachel blurted out before mentally cursing herself. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean, my best friend is gay. I…I should stop talking."
"Rachel…" Brody chuckled, assuring her that it was fine. "I'm not gay. Now that we cleared that up…" Brody pointed to Rachel's first class of the day, causing Rachel to release a grin.
"Thanks Brody." Rachel said, walking towards the door. She then turned her attention to Brody, giving him a Rachel Berry smile. "How did you know my name?"
"It was on your schedule." Brody answered nodding his head. "Or maybe I'm psychic. No, but seriously it was on your schedule." Brody and Rachel shared a laugh, then it turning quiet. "Hey, if you ever need someone to show you around, I'm your guy. All right?" Rachel nodded her head, feeling her heart flutter as Brody walked down the hallway to greet some kids. Rachel had a feeling that things were going to go her way. And things started to feel right with the handsome yet mysterious Brody Weston.
Finn sat in the loft that afternoon on his laptop, scanning for jobs in New York City. He needed to find something to do. He couldn't just sit here all day while Rachel, Kurt and Santana doing something with their lives. He remembered Santana and Kurt both said they were going to Starbucks to get coffee, which gave Finn some time to himself. He continued to look at the laptop, trying to find something, anything for him to do. He considered working as a concierge but then remembered he'd have to deal with the snooty rich people who would look down on him because he was a poor boy. He then considered working as a greeter at Walmart—until he realized that the nearest Walmart was in New Jersey and that would have meant Finn would have had to move out of the loft. He then considered working as a bus driver but found out that after the test it would take years for them to contact him. He needed something to do now. Finn continued to stare at the computer, still pondering his future. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Finn heard the door open to reveal Rachel, seeing that she had a smile plastered on her face. Finn closed his laptop and folded his hands, giving her his undivided attention.
"Rachel, you look all…smiley." Finn tried to play it off with a smirk. "I'm guessing that school went great."
"School went really good." Rachel nodded her head. "I had half of my classes today and they were all amazing! I had theatre class, playwriting, vocalization…oh and I met a lot of awesome people there."
"Really? How awesome?" Finn questioned. "More awesome than me? Because the last time I checked, there is no one more awesome than me."
"Well, I did meet some people who were in productions at school." Rachel walked over to the kitchen, getting some pans out of the cabinet as Finn got up from the couch to follow her.
"Are any of the guys there…I don't know…cute?" Finn stuffed his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. "I mean being in a school like NYADA usually means that there are cute guys there."
"Finn, you're not the type of person that I would talk to about that." Rachel turned her head, looking amused.
"Why not? I'm hip." Finn shrugged his shoulders, not seeing what the big deal was.
"You're also a guy, Finn." Rachel answered back. "Guys like you aren't supposed to think about asking girls questions about guys. I'll wait for Kurt and Santana to get home. By the way, where are Kurt and Santana?"
"I think they went to go job hunting while walking throughout the streets." Finn said.
"And you didn't go with them?" Rachel arched her eyebrow, filling the pot with water.
"I figured it would have been better to go on Craigslist. I mean isn't that how most people find jobs?" Finn inquired.
"Well now, but back then you had to go where there was a help wanted sign." Rachel reasoned. "Finn, it's been two weeks and you still have no idea what you want to do?"
"It's going to take a little time for me to find what I want to do." Finn argued slightly. He then released a tired sigh, seeing Rachel was putting spaghetti into the boiling pot. "Why are you making dinner when you just got home? I was thinking that maybe we could have gone to grab something to eat with Kurt and Santana when they got back."
"Because I invited a friend over for dinner." Rachel explained.
"But you only went to school for a day." Finn didn't quite understand. "You're already inviting people to the loft?"
"He's a junior and he's the only one that basically talked to me today." Rachel explained, watching the pot of water boil. "His name is Brody Weston and he was in every production at NYADA. Apparently he's a great actor."
"A great actor." Finn muttered under his breath. "Sounds like you're already moving on."
"Moving on from what, Finn?" Rachel didn't understand what had Finn uneasy about having a new friend over for dinner. "What am I moving on from?"
"Gee, I don't know Rachel." Finn sardonically said, walking closer to her. "How about us?"
"What about us, Finn?" Rachel was beginning to lose patience with Finn.
"We were together for a while, Rachel." Finn noticed that he was staring deep into Rachel's eyes. "Why does it feel like to me that you're moving on from me?"
"I'm not moving on from you, Finn." Rachel let out a sigh, putting a hand on Finn's chest. "I'm not. I just met Brody. Nothing's going to happen tonight. If you want you can sit in during dinner. That way it's not a date and it's me and my ex-boyfriend having dinner with a friend of mine." Rachel paused, thinking about what she had just said. "All right, I shouldn't have put it like that. Look, you're my friend. Okay? And I just want to have you as a friend support me. Okay?" Finn thought about Rachel's words, nodding his head slowly.
"You're right. I mean you're going to a new school and you just want to make some friends." Finn agreed, taking the pot from Rachel with a grin. He then walked over to the stove and started stirring the spaghetti as Rachel turned to him.
"What are you doing?" Rachel wondered.
"I'm helping you make dinner." Finn grinned. "We have a friend coming over."
"All right, there is no way that we are going to find our calling today!" Santana groaned as she and Kurt walked along New York City. "Can we please take a break and just relax? I mean I am so tired of just running around."
"Santana, nothing good happens to people who sit at home on their butt." Kurt countered. "Besides Rachel texted, saying that she was having a friend over."
"Oh really?" Santana raised an eyebrow. "What kind of friend?"
"She said his name was Brody." Kurt answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He's a junior and she invited him for dinner. I thought it was a nice gesture by Rachel to thank him for making her first day bearable."
"Wait, but isn't Finn home tonight?" Santana asked.
"Yeah, he is." Kurt didn't see the dilemma here. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"Somewhat, yeah." Santana said. "There's the fact that Finn and Rachel dated and now this Brody guy can be her new boy toy."
"Santana…you don't marry someone in a day." Kurt reasoned with her. "Besides, I don't think that Rachel would openly make Finn feel uncomfortable."
"Sure she wouldn't." Santana smirked. "Yet she made him feel uncomfortable a lot in High School. Let's not forget her moon-eyed stare towards Finn during every Glee practice, oh and to top it off, let's not forget the exclusive and Rachel's most uncomfortable performance to date 'Run Joey Run'. Kurt, if I know Rachel which after three years of being stuck in a choir room with her has done to me, then I know that Rachel will make Finn uncomfortable."
"All right Santana…" Kurt put his hand up, noticing that they were in front of an art gallery. "Hey, let's try here."
"An art gallery? Are you trying to drive me to my grave early?" Santana grumbled as she and Kurt entered the art gallery.
"Come on Santana." Kurt pulled Santana into the gallery room, leading her to the front desk. Santana looked around the gallery, seeing the paintings that were on the wall. Santana stopped fighting with Kurt, walking towards one of the paintings that had her on her mind. Santana observed the painting, noticing the slashes of paint, the colored circles, and the blurred lines. Santana crossed her arms, nodding her head slowly. Santana curved her head to a girl that was staring at her from afar. Santana furrowed her eyebrows, beginning to feel a bit annoyed.
"Um…can I help you with something?" Santana didn't mean to sound a bit bad-mannered but heck, she was Santana. That was how it would normally come out. The girl walked over to Santana, staring at the painting along with her.
"When you stare at this painting, what do you see?" The girl asked, turning her head towards Santana. Santana stared back at the picture, thinking about her answer before turning back to the girl with confidence.
"What I see is that all those circles are all the same, they're trying to stick together like they're in a clique. The blurred lines are the outcasts. They're out there but they're not afraid of being themselves. They're running away from the circles, the circles signaling oppression. The blurred lines are signaling freedom and rebellion. Out of all of the crap shack paintings here, this one's my favorite. This one is art." The girl nodded her head towards Santana, a smile creeping on her face.
"That was what I was hoping for someone to say." The girl noticed Santana's eyes widening as she pointed to the picture.
"Wait, you painted this?" Santana was in awe.
"Yeah, I painted it. This was just one of the few pictures that I have here." The girl smiled. "I have a couple more in the gallery here somewhere if you want to see it." Santana didn't have to think about the answer.
"I would love to see them." Santana nodded. The girl led Santana to another one of the paintings, causing Santana to marvel at it. Before Santana could say anything else, she turned her head with a grin towards the girl. "So what's your name?"
"My name is Dani." Dani held out her hand for Santana to shake. Santana shook Dani's hand, releasing a smile before the two of them looked at the painting. Santana found herself in the art gallery for the next two hours, looking at every picture that was in there with Dani. For the first time in a while, Santana wasn't feeling completely lost in New York. She finally made a friend—and Santana may have not known it at the time but every second she spent with Dani, she found herself slowly falling under Dani's spell. Santana couldn't risk it though. She didn't want Dani to know that she was gay, afraid that it would jeopardize her budding friendship with her. That and there was another problem; Santana was still with Brittany.
At the loft that night, Rachel, Brody and Finn sat in the dining room table, having what started as a normal dinner. Rachel and Finn were trying to find out more about Brody while Brody seemed only intent on trying to get to know Rachel—something that wasn't going well with Finn. Finn played with his spaghetti while staring over at Rachel, seeing that she was pouring sparkling cider for herself, Brody and him. Finn couldn't help but realize how beautiful Rachel was. Rachel looked so empowering, so invigorating. She was everything he could ever dream about. Rachel was the one for Finn—he knew it. And he was willing to give Rachel all the time she need to realize that she was to be with him as well. Rachel noticed the silence at the table so she cleared her throat, folding her hands, staring at both Finn and Brody.
"So, what do you two boys think of the pasta?" Rachel asked.
"The pasta is delicious, Rachel." Brody smiled politely, holding his glass. "Actually this whole dinner is delicious." Brody stared over at Finn who was simply nodded his head towards Rachel. Brody cleared his throat, staring at Finn. "So, Finn. What's your story? How do you know Rachel?" Finn cleared his throat, staring at Rachel who gave him a nod.
"Um, well. Rachel and I were in Glee Club when we were in High School." Finn answered, feeling slightly on edge. "We actually dated."
"Oh really?" Brody took a sip of his sparkling cider.
"Yeah, we did." Finn said, shrugging his shoulders. "Rachel's a very good friend of mine."
"Well, this is a rarity that I've never seen before." Brody leaned back in his chair, chuckling.
"What do you mean?" Finn became confused.
"Oh, how you're both exes yet you're still friends." Brody clarified. "I've never seen anything like it. I just think that it's kind of…cute."
"Cute?" Finn's eyes widened as Rachel cleared her throat.
"So Brody, um you said you were in productions in NYADA before I came along?" Rachel flashed a smile towards Brody, which Finn read as Rachel's 'flirty' smile. "What kind of productions did you do that made all the girls out there fall for you?"
"Well, I did Les Miserables, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and this year I'm doing Rent." Brody counted it off. "I was the lead in Les Mis and Willy Wonka. I was cast as the lead in Rent."
"Really? Wow! That's impressive!" Rachel sounded more into it than Finn did. Finn sipped on his sparkling cider, staring at Brody with jealousy. "You know, this is going to sound embarrassing but I was the lead role in my High School's version of West Side Story. I was Maria. But the play I want to do the most is Evita. I mean, I was born for the lead role."
"Yes you were, Rachel." Finn interjected, plastering a smile on his face. "Rachel is very talented, Brody." Brody raised an eyebrow towards Finn then Rachel put her napkin on the table with a smile on her face still.
"So, how about I go and get the dessert while you two catch up?" Rachel got up from the table, shooting Finn a look that said that she knew what he was doing. Finn shrugged his shoulders, playing innocent as Rachel headed into the kitchen. Finn and Brody looked at one another, still keeping up the awkward silence After a moment, Brody motioned towards Rachel in the kitchen while staring at Finn.
"So why did you dump her?" Brody questioned. Finn furrowed his eyebrows, not sure if he should answer the question. He then shook his head, deciding to put up with Brody for Rachel's sake.
"I didn't dump her." Finn corrected. "I let her go."
"Sure, so who lets go of a hottie like that?" Brody turned towards the kitchen, seeing that Rachel was still oblivious to their conversation. "I mean come on; there could be someone that would snag her up in a second."
"What are you trying to say, Brody?" Finn folded his hands, still eyeing Brody with interest. "That you think you can snag Rachel up?"
"Yep, I mean I've dated a lot of girls during my time at NYADA." Brody waved his hand as if it was no big deal. "Rachel seems like an easy catch. She invited me to dinner, didn't she?"
"So you're a man whore." Finn seethed, still staring at Brody. Brody noticed that Finn was no longer playing nice. He was serious. "Listen, Rachel made it clear that this wasn't a date."
"Oh and what makes you think it's not a date?" Brody leaned closer, his tone becoming serious.
"Because I'm sitting here, aren't I?" Finn applied logic to Brody's question. "Look, you can sing with her and dance with her all you want at NYADA—but at the end of the day you're not going to date her. Not in a million years."
"And you think you have a better chance?" Brody scoffed. "You're the one that let her go in the first place. As a matter of fact, why did you let her go…and why are you in her life again?"
"I'm in her life again because she wants me, Brody." Finn's tone was firm yet eerily calm. "She just doesn't see it yet. So whatever you're doing, stop. Because you are way out of your league dude."
"Oh, I'm way out of my league?" Brody gave a hollow chuckle. "I think the one that's out of their league—is you. Rachel will be mine, Finn…even if I have to get lucky to do it." Before Finn could say anything else, Rachel entered the room with a pie in her hands.
"Hey, who wants some pie?" Rachel asked, looking to Brody and Finn. Finn and Brody both gave fake smiles towards Rachel, hiding their evident disdain for one another.
"That sounds great, Rachel." Brody gave Finn a smirk that caused Finn to become steely faced towards Brody. It suddenly turned into a war. A war that Finn was determined to win; to win Rachel's heart, no matter what.
{Rachel sits down as Brody and Finn eye each other with Rachel oblivious to their hatred towards another}
[Brody]
Like the legend of the phoenix
All ends with beginnings
What keeps the planets spinning
The force from the beginning
Luck
[Brody with Finn]
We've come too far
To give up who we are
So lets raise the bar
And our cups to the stars
{Scene changes to school where Rachel walks down the hall and Brody looks at her with a smirk}
[Brody]
She's up all night till the sun
I'm up all night to get some
She's up all night for good fun
I'm up all night to get lucky
We're up all night till the sun
We're up all night to get some
We're up all night for good fun
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
{Scene changes to Finn sitting on the couch using his laptop as Rachel walks around the loft doing errands}
[Finn]
The present has no living
Your gift keeps on giving
What is this I'm feeling
If you wanna leave I'm with it, ah
[Finn with Brody]
We've come too far
To give up who we are
So lets raise the bar
And our cups to the stars
{Scene changes to Finn walking the streets and seeing Rachel talking to Brody in front of NYADA}
[Finn]
She's up all night till the sun
I'm up all night to get some
She's up all night for good fun
I'm up all night to get lucky
We're up all night till the sun
We're up all night to get some
We're up all night for good fun
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
{Scene goes to Finn and Brody in the NYADA dance studio as they stretch and dance with the female dancers}
[Robotic Voice}
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
[Brody and Finn]
We've come too far
To give up who we are
So lets raise the bar
And our cups to the stars
She's up all night till the sun
I'm up all night to get some
She's up all night for good fun
I'm up all night to get lucky
We're up all night till the sun
We're up all night to get some
We're up all night for good fun
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
{Scene ends with Finn and Brody staring at one another in anger}
"Rachel's going to be mine, Finn…and there's nothing you can do about it." Brody turned away from Finn, walking towards the other end of the dance room. Brody's head whiplashed back to Finn, his eyebrows arching in confusion. "Wait, how did you get in here?" Finn thought about Brody's question for a minute, then his eyes widened.
"I have…no idea."
Santana sat on the couch in the loft, looking at the postcard pictures of Dani's paintings. Santana marveled at the fact that Dani was such an amazing painter, and the fact that Santana knew what Dani was trying to portray. Santana didn't hear Kurt come into the room as Kurt noticed Santana still staring at the postcards. Kurt let out a smirk, sitting down next to Santana.
"I didn't realize you were an artist buff…and this was coming from someone who disliked art when I dragged you into the art gallery." Kurt chuckled.
"Yeah, I thought I hated art, too." Santana said, still looking at the pictures. "It's just that Dani…the girl that painted this, paints things with feeling. It's hard for me to believe this but I actually like art."
"You like art?" Kurt raised an eyebrow towards Santana. "Or do you like Dani's art?"
"Why are you placing an emphasis on Dani's name?" Santana questioned.
"Because, I got the feeling that you liked Dani when I went to find you to get that job at the art gallery and you were too busy speaking to Dani about her work." Kurt chuckled.
"Speaking of which, did we get the job?" Santana became excited.
"Um, you got the job. I didn't." Kurt sighed, causing Santana's excitement to diminish.
"Kurt, I'm sorry." Santana said.
"No, it's fine. It was because you were interested in Dani's art that got you the job. The boss saw you were into it." Kurt put a hand on Santana's shoulder. "But I do have to ask you, did you like the art or just Dani's art?"
"Well, Dani's art spoke to me. It was amazing…" Santana shook her head while placing a stand of her hair behind her ear. "But I can't fall for Dani. I just can't."
"Why not?" Kurt questioned.
"Because I'm still with Brittany." Santana answered, looking at him sadly. "I love Brittany so much and Brittany is so funny and she makes me happy."
"But…" Kurt egged Santana to go on.
"But Dani is artistic and she has just this magic that she can portray anything just by putting art on a canvas. Even if it's just a bunch of squiggles and lines." Santana released a heavy sigh. "I'm also sure that Dani is not a lesbian or even bi-curious. She seemed straight to me. So, that settles it. I'm staying with Brittany and that's it."
"There, you solved your own problem." Kurt patted Santana's leg then got up from the sofa. "Now, I suggest that you get ready for bed because you have a long day of work tomorrow." Santana nodded her head with a grin, getting up from the sofa and wandering to her room.
"Hey, Kurt…thanks."
"You're welcome, Santana." Kurt nodded his head to his friend, heading into the kitchen while Santana started making her way towards the bedroom. She noticed Finn laying on the bed, still puzzled about something. Santana entered Finn's room, sitting on the edge of his bed.
"What's going on Finnocence?" Santana saw Finn staring right at her, looking lost.
"I have a problem here." Finn sat up from the bed, looking at Santana. "Brody who is Rachel's classmate, is really interested in her, and I'm not sure that I can have that."
"So this Brody guy isn't just a friend like Rachel is insisting." Santana saw Finn's side as Finn nodded his head.
"I mean, I want to believe that he's not going to hurt her, I really want to believe that." Finn eyed Santana. "But he was so sure that he was going to get her. He also dated many girls before and I'm afraid that he's going to take Rachel and break her heart. I don't want that to happen to her."
"But what if Rachel really wants to be into this Brody guy? What are you going to do? You can't just get in her way." Santana tried to explain with reason.
"But I still love her, Santana." Finn's voice became firm. "I love her with every fiber of my being. I…I'm not ready to let her go." Santana observed Finn's face expression, realizing that he wasn't joking. He really loved Rachel and wanted to be with her, no matter how long it took to get her back. Santana couldn't help but emit a small smile towards him.
"You really love Rachel, don't you?" Santana softly rhetorically asked. She then schemed for a minute, motioning for Finn to hand her his laptop. Finn handed Santana the laptop and a moment later, she was on the NYADA website.
"What are you doing?" Finn looked over Santana's shoulder, seeing she had clicked on the enrollment menu.
"If you're going to get Rachel back, you're going to have to be on the same war turf as Brody." Santana's mind was still whirling on the ways that she could help Finn.
"But Santana, there's no way that I can get into NYADA." Finn argued. "For one thing, I'm not talented enough. For another thing, the semester just started."
"Yes those two things are probably true." Santana agreed, continuing her thought before Finn could interject. "But, it looks like they're looking for someone to join their school. There's still one slot open. If you can kill it during your audition, then you have a chance of fighting Brody for Rachel." Finn weighed the options, taking the laptop back from Santana.
"I'm not good enough, Santana." Finn muttered. "I'm just not good enough for NYADA, I'm not good enough for New York, heck, I'm not good enough for Rachel. What makes you think I can be good enough for this audition? NYADA would never want me! Not in a million years!"
"And you don't know that, but you're constantly kicking your own ass." Santana crossed her arms, still looking at Finn. "At least take the chance. Don't chicken out. If you want Brody to win then fine, but I don't want to be the one to say I told you so." Santana left the room with that, leaving Finn sitting there with a thought. Finn wasn't sure what he was going to do, so he continued staring at the computer. Finn heard Rachel walking past the room but noticed her hesitation as she walked into Finn's room.
"Hey." Rachel waved, taking a seat in Finn's room.
"Hey." Finn closed the laptop, placing it to the side.
"I just wanted to thank you, Finn." Rachel let out a genuine smile towards Finn. "I mean, I want to thank you for being there during the dinner with Brody. I hope it wasn't uncomfortable for you."
"Me? No, not at all." Finn lied, waving his hand dismissively. Rachel chuckled, folding her hands in her lap.
"Well, still I thank you." Rachel continued to stare at Finn, wondering if she should say something else to him. After realizing that she was just sitting there, she looked around the room she had given him, seeing he didn't do much with it. "Hmm…I gave you your own room and it still looks like the day I moved in here—minus the bed."
"Yeah, well I figured I wasn't going to be in here much so I decided not to add anything in here." Finn shrugged his shoulders, not sure if there was anything else to say.
"Finn, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me." Rachel muttered, sitting down on the bed next to him. "I mean, you've been acting a little odd lately."
"Rachel, there's nothing bothering me, I promise." Finn softly spoke, looking into her eyes. Rachel continued to stare at Finn, noticing that their eyes were locked. Finn moved a little closer, placing his forehead on hers. Finn couldn't help it. The next thing he knew he pressed his lips to Rachel's giving her a soft kiss. Finn noticed Rachel's hesitation as she broke the kiss, still staring him in his eyes. She looked nervous, turning her head away from him. The silence was awkward until Rachel decided she should be the one to speak.
"Um, I should go." Rachel took a deep breath.
"Um…yeah, you…you have to get ready for school tomorrow, right?" Finn told her.
"Right. Um. Goodnight, Finn." Rachel turned around, leaving the room and closing the door. Rachel stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath in and out. She knew she still had some sort of feelings for Finn, but she had to stand back a moment and question what she really wanted in her life. Finn was her first love, but she had to admit the last week she spent with Brody was fantastic and full of life and energy. She needed to make a decision. She just wasn't sure which was the right one.
Finn lay back on the bed, covering his face into his hands. Why did I just kiss her? She didn't seem to like it, Finn thought to himself. He looked over to the laptop, opening the screen again to see the NYADA homepage. Finn's mind was working on overdrive as a determined smile came upon his face. He looked through the list of audition songs, hoping to find just the one to enroll into NYADA. Finn pointed to the screen and opened another tab, typing in Youtube for the karaoke version of the song. If he was going to sing, he was going to have to practice. He might have been out of tune since Nationals. Finn found the karaoke he was looking for and after a moment of consideration, he pressed the play button, nodding his head in confidence.
{Scene starts with Finn reading the lyrics off the video, trying to get the lyrics right, but becoming more and more confident as he sings the verse}
[Finn]
Let it go
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in
Let your clarity define you in the end
We will only just remember how it feels
{Scene switches to Finn singing on the NYADA stage with Carmen Tibideaux watching him}
[Finn]
Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twist and turn to fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These small hours still remain
Let it slide
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Till you feel it all around you
And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by
It's the heart that really matters in the end
Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twist and turn to fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These small hours still remain
All of my regret
They wash away somehow
But I cannot forget
The way I feel right now
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twist and turn to fate
These twist and turn to fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These small hours still remain
They still remain
These little wonder
Oh, these twist and turn to fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These small hours still remain
{Scene ends with Finn staring at Carmen Tibideaux as she writes something on a piece of paper}
Finn exited the auditorium with a backpack, looking around at the girls who were staring at him. Finn didn't realize that auditioning for NYADA made you a rock star or something. Finn looked over to Rachel and Brody who were reading a playbook, deciding to walk over to them. Finn could hear their conversation, emitting a smirk, as he got closer.
"So who do you think is the final person that Madame Tibideaux is going to let into NYADA this fall?" Brody asked. Rachel looked up to Brody, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't know." Rachel found herself getting lost into Brody's eyes until—
"Hey guys." Finn said in a chipper tone, noticing their heads whiplashing towards him. Finn grinned at them, holding the strap to his backpack closer to him.
"Finn? Hi." Brody pretended to be happy to see Finn, but Rachel was—confused.
"Finn, what are you doing here?" Rachel questioned. "Can't whatever you have to say wait until I get home from school?"
"Oh you didn't hear?" Finn chuckled, looking to Brody with a smirk. "I go here now. Yeah, the last person that Madame Tibideaux let in the school was—me."
"You?" Rachel pointed in disbelief as Finn nodded his head.
"Yep, so now I get to hang with you and Brody all the time!" Finn's chipper tone disappeared as he turned to Brody, faking a grin. "Isn't that great?" Rachel felt confusion set in, not sure how she could even have a budding friendship with Brody when Finn now went to the school. She plastered her best smile, folding her hands in front of her. Brody on the other hand wasn't amused. He knew the only reason that Finn was here was to get Rachel away from him, but that wasn't happening. Not in a million years.
"Yeah…" Brody eyed Finn with suspicion, putting a hand around Rachel's shoulder. Rachel looked at the two boys who were in a staring match, which made her feel awkward. "That sounds great."
"I'm going to head to class." Rachel grabbed her backpack, giving both Brody and Finn a smile. "See you both later." Rachel made her way down the hall while Finn and Brody continued to stare at one another.
"I know exactly what you're doing and the game isn't going to work." Brody sneered.
"Oh, I think it will." Finn confidently said. "By the end of the semester, Rachel will be mine and there will be nothing that you can do about it."
"Fine." Brody and Finn looked one another in the eye up close, causing Brody to shake his head. "Let the games begin, Franken-bitch."
"Oh, so we got jokes now?" Finn gave a hollow chuckle while staring at Brody. "It's on Cinderella Man-Whore." Finn walked down the hall, heading to his first class as a NYADA student while Brody gave Finn a look, shaking his head. There was no way Finn was going to reclaim Rachel's heart. Not if Brody had anything to say about it.
Santana entered the art gallery that day, spotting Dani in the corner of the room. Santana knew what she had to do. She had to put on her game face, and not let Dani distract her. Before Santana could walk over to Dani, she noticed a girl walking over to her, handing Dani a box of things. Santana spotted the girl leaving and turned her attention to Dani who put the box down to the side. Santana let out a deep breath, walking over to Dani with a smile.
"Hi Dani." Santana said, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets. Dani turned her head, giving Santana a grin.
"Santana, hi!" Dani pointed to her latest painting as Santana got down on her knees, staring at the painting. "What do you think of my latest project?" Santana looked at the different colors of the rainbow on the painting, touching the part that was dry.
"It's beautiful." Santana said. She then noticed the box of things that were sitting there, then focused her attention to Dani. "Dani, what's in there?"
"Oh, just some of my old things that my ex gave me." Dani didn't make a big deal about it and continued to paint her picture.
"He was a jerk?" Santana questioned.
"She was a pain in the ass." Dani looked to Santana giving her a chuckle. Santana had put her hand in her ear, just to make sure that she heard Dani correctly.
"Wait, you said she." Santana felt her heart flutter, quickly composing herself as Dani nodded her head.
"Yeah, I'm gay." Dani said. Santana grinned at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"And that's perfectly okay." Santana saw Dani staring into her eyes, afraid that Dani would figure out her own little secret. Dani just simply nodded her head, going back to her painting.
"So do you want to help me paint this? I'm thinking of calling this one, Equality." Dani wanted to know what Santana thought.
"I think it's perfect." Santana and Dani continued to paint the portrait, but the more that Santana spent time with Dani, the more she felt herself connect to her. She couldn't connect to Dani, even though she wanted to. She wanted to—but there was Brittany in the picture. The last thing Santana wanted to do was cheat on Brittany. What was she going to do?
{Scene shows Finn in his NYADA playwriting class, staring at Rachel as she asks the teacher a question. Finn notices Brody looking at him and Finn continues to stare at Rachel}
[Finn]
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
{Scene changes to the hallways where Brody stares at Rachel but Rachel stares at Finn who stares at Brody}
[Brody]
I see this life like a swinging vine
Swing my heart across the line
And my face is flashing signs
Seek it out and you shall find
[Finn]
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
[Rachel]
I feel something so right
Doing the wrong thing
I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
[Finn]
I could lie
Could lie
Could lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
{Scene goes to Finn staring out the window of the loft while Rachel stares at him}
[Finn and Rachel}
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
{Scene splits between Brody at the dance studio and Santana looking at Dani with interest}
[Brody and Santana]
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be, We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
{Scene is just Santana looking at Dani and helping her with her painting}
[Santana]
I feel the love
And I feel it burn
Down this river, every turn
Hope is a four-letter-word
{Scene splits between Rachel and Santana as Rachel stares at both Finn and Brody in her literature class}
[Santana and Rachel]
Take that money, watch it burn
{Scene goes to Rachel passing Brody in the hallway as she gives a smile, but she sees Finn coming out of his class and she gives him a smile}
[Rachel]
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
{Finn watches Rachel walk past him as he shakes his head at Brody staring at Finn}
[Finn]
I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
[Brody]
I could lie
Could lie
Could lie
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly
{Scene goes to Finn sitting on his bed shirtless, looking away from the door. Rachel stands in his doorway staring at him}
[Finn and Rachel]
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
{Scene goes to Brody walking along the streets of Brooklyn while Santana sits in the loft, staring at Brittany's Fondue for Two show}
[Brody and Santana]
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
{Scene splits between Finn sitting on his bed, Rachel staring in Finn's doorway, Brody walking along the streets and Santana lying on the sofa}
[Finn]
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've leaned
[Finn and Rachel]
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
[Finn, Rachel and Brody]
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
[Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana]
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
[Finn]
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
{Scene changes to the NYADA stage where Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana are standing, singing out to the open}
[Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana]
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
[Finn]
Lately, I've been
I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things
That we could be
But baby I've been
I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
[Rachel, Brody and Santana]
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
[Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana]
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons I've learned
{Scene ends with all of them staring out into the auditorium looking lost as the scene goes to black}
GUEST STARRING
Dean Geyer as Brody Weston
Demi Lovato as Dani
Whoopi Goldberg as Carmen Tibideaux
SONG(S):
Get Lucky (Originally by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams): Performed by Finn Hudson and Brody Weston
Little Wonders (Originally by Rob Thomas): Performed by Finn Hudson
Counting Stars (Originally by OneRepublic): Performed by Finn Hudson, Brody Weston, Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez