someone else | j st. james [on hold]

2 | head cheerleader

On the first day back to school after winter break, Dan found herself in the choir room that now felt more like home than she had ever thought it would. Sectionals came and went, and not even a stolen setlist could stop the New Directions from winning.

Dan sat on the back row with her head leaning on Santana's shoulder and her pinky intertwined with Quinn's. They watched as Mr. Schuester drew a stick figure with a speech bubble above it that read, "HELLO."

"Hello," Will greeted, pointing at the whiteboard. When none of them reacted, he spoke again. "Hello?"

"Hello," Dan mumbled half-heartedly while Rachel repeated the word loudly.

"What do you guys say when you answer the phone?" Will asked, looking at them expectantly.

"What up?" Mercedes told him.

"Who dis be?" Artie said, which was out of character for his personality.

"Why are you calling me when this could clearly be a text?" Dan asked, rolling her eyes. Her fellow Cheerios nodded in agreement.

"No, she's dead, this is her son," Kurt answered morbidly.

"Jesus," Dan muttered under her breath. Not everyone was as comfortable with the dead mom jokes as the twins were, which earned Kurt a few concerned looks.

"Okay," Will mumbled, clearly not expecting some of those answers. "Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, liked to say, "ahoy, ahoy" when he answered the phone. It was Edison who decided that "hello" was a more appropriate greeting." This only earned blank stares from the kids. "Look. I am really proud of what you guys did at Sectionals. But, as most of you have realized by now, it hasn't made a bit of difference in your day-to-day at school."

"I have a slushie-stained training bra to prove it," Rachel stated, sitting straighter.

Dan scoffed. "The jokes are writing themselves at this point," she whispered to Santana.

"Fact is, we're going to have to be better, even more spectacular at regionals. It's time for some reinvention, some new New Directions. We need a new... hello. Here's your assignment for the week: Come up with a fresh number, but it has to have "hello" in the song title. Alright?"

The reactions were mixed. Rachel beamed excitedly at Finn, who nervously smiled back. Dan simply shot a look at Quinn and Santana, letting them know that she'd happily back them up if they chose a song to perform.

Dan wasn't one for solos in Glee Club — in fact, she had never even sung a single note on her own in front of the others. The girl was busy enough with year-round Cheerio practice, as well as soccer and lacrosse in the fall and spring semesters. There was no reason to fight Rachel Berry for solos that she barely had time to rehearse anyway.

As soon as their glee meeting was over, Santana, Brittany, and Dan parted from Quinn, having to meet with Coach Sylvester in her office. The three of them stood straight as Sue worked out on her elliptical.