love like fools ➙ glee

thirty-one ; last christmas.

Someone's reign of terror was intent on destroying the glee club's Christmas spirit.

And it wasn't the teacher who threw her shoe while they caroled.

Alicia couldn't stop looking. Every decoration was ruined. Every wrecked item was an emphasis of how much this school hated them. No amount of pleas to Santa Claus from Brittany could change that. This should have seemed hopeless. Days of decorating and laughter and cheer, all erased into nothingness.

It didn't seem hopeless to Finn.

He stepped over to where she hovered in the choir room, staring agape at their mutilated tree. She didn't bother looking up. He was much too tall, emphasized by his close proximity, and it would hurt her neck. 

"We have to fix this."

That caused her to look up. Not in surprise. After all, Finn and Alicia had always been the ones to try to put glee club back together when it fell apart. Last year's Regionals proved that. "How?"

"Well, we-- we're just gonna have to get a new tree, and stuff. Start all over. This'll already be our third tree, so it's not like we don't know what to do, right?"

Something pleasant flipped in her stomach over we. Ever since Finn broke up with Rachel, Alicia spent more time with him. They never missed phone calls, they texted, and they'd spent so many afternoons getting hot chocolate after school, someone might assume they were dates.

Alicia nodded. "Okay." She knew he was right.

Besides, she wouldn't mind spending time with someone during the holidays. Arabella continued to freeze her out, and it was increasingly lonely at home.

"Maybe we can ask Quinn and Rachel to get some new decorations, too," Finn suggested. "I mean, they seem really close lately and if those two can agree on what to decorate with, then it's gotta be perfect, right?"

Really close was an understatement. Alicia had noticed Sam giving them wry looks, as if  catching onto something. At least someone was.

"I think that's a great idea." Alicia leaned over, picking up one of the stray stockings that had been cut down. Alicia and Finn was written across it. They had been one stocking short, and Finn and Alicia had agree to share.

Finn peered down at the stocking, lips curving into his famous half-smirk. "Well, we have always made an awesome pair, haven't we?"

Her heart flipped. "That, we have."

She noticed how Will glanced over with a flash of a smile flickered before he resumed talking to Rachel.

. . . 

Alicia surveyed the Christmas tree lot. She'd never visited one before. Arabella insisted on artificial trees because of allergies, and there was no reason for Alicia to go. Nor was there ever anyone for her to go with before today. 

She stuck close to Finn's side, arms pressed together, as if afraid the trees might suddenly grow legs and attempt to tear out her intestines. Everything was foreign to her. She didn't know what to expect. "I've never gone Christmas tree shopping before," she admitted.

Finn looked down in surprise. "What? Seriously?"

She shrugged, fiddling with the fabric of her black gloves. Maybe wearing fingerless gloves was  counterproductive. "Well, my mom's allergic." She tried not to falter. Arabella and Alicia hadn't had a decent conversation since that argument. "And I never saw any reason to break into a Christmas tree lot for fun, so."

"Well, it's pretty cool. Actually, it's my favorite part of the season." Finn grinned. Her heart contracted from how happy he looked. It was unfair that he had this effect on her. "Mostly because of how it smells."