Junior year. Finally an upperclassman.

The summer had been different from the usual ones I had had before Glee Club. I would see some of my friends from Glee here and there, and of course seeing Finn a lot was even weirder. I would see Rachel a lot as well since the two started dating this summer.

Me and Kurt were as usual, the Hummel Duo. Inseparable as always, watching Rent every Friday night, thrifting, going on long drives through the Ohio countryside, so, so eventful.

We came into school together on the first day, heading towards class only to find Jacob Israel doing a video for his vlog. Finn had texted us warning us that he was going around to all of the Glee Clubbers asking questions. My brother and I weren't an exception.

"Go away," I said as he and his cameraman followed us.

"When will you Glee Clubbers accept the fact that people hate you . . ."

"Kiss it," Kurt said as we tried to get him to stop.

" . . . and I think you're nothing but a glorified karaoke club."

"Go away, go away," Kurt said as he and I went into our respective bathrooms. I reapplied my mascara before sending a text to my brother to let me know when he was going to come out so I didn't have to brave Jacob alone.

He texted me back quickly telling me he was coming out. We both walked out of the bathroom to find sure enough, the pervert was there.

"You know what, Jacob? It doesn't take much courage for people to park their cottage-cheese behinds in their Barcaloungers and log on to the Internet and start tearing people down, does it? But you know what does take some courage? Standing up and singing about something," Kurt turned to the camera. "So, here's a message for everything that reads your blog. Next time, instead of posting an anonymous comment online, say what you have to say to my face."

We both then got slushied by one of the jocks as he made his way down the halls, "Welcome back, ladies!"

I wiped the slush out of my eyes before turning to Jacob, "I don't suppose there's any way you could cut out that last part?"

He shook his head before wiping some of the slush off my cheek before licking it off his finger. I shook my head in disgust before linking arms with my brother, going back into the girl's room to get cleaned up.

* * * * *

"These are comments from Jacob Ben Israel's most recent Glee Club blog," Mr. Schue said, holding sheets of paper in his hand in our first rehearsal of the year. "'Glee is a giant ball of suck'."

"We get it, Mr. Schue. Everyone still hates us," Kurt said. "So what? So we're plankton on the high school food chain. Only difference now is that none of us really care."

"Kurt's right," Mercedes said. "We're a family. They can bring it all they want. None of it is gonna break us."

"I'm happy that you guys have bonded. The problem is that all of this negative stuff is keeping other students from auditioning," Mr. Schue said.

"Good. Why do we need new members?" Tina asked.

"Well, since Matt transferred, we only have twelve members. And yes, that is the minimum, but if we wanna go to nationals, if we wanna beat Vocal Adrenaline, we have to go from a small rebel force to a giant wall of sound."

"Yeah, Mr. Schuester's right you guys," Rachel said, standing up. "You didn't see Vocal Adrenaline at regionals. They were epic. We're gonna need more voices in order to beat them."

"Yeah, I'm with Rachel on this one," Finn said, standing up and joining her at the front of the room.

"Gross," Brittany said.

"You're gonna have to trust me on this, guys. Now, here's the plan," Mr. Schue said. "Nationals are in New York this year. And we are going!"

I got a big grin on my face, cupping my hands over my nose and mouth in excitement before turning to Kurt and Mercedes, taking my hands away, revealing my excitement as we all smiled at each other.

"Now let's go out there and show the school how cool it's gonna be, how cool we can be. If they're not gonna come to us, let's go to them. They say we only sing show tunes and eighties pop. Let's show them how down we are. Let's give them the song of the year. New Directions style."

We all got changed into black shirts that read "New York City" with baseball caps on and some gold chain necklaces. I carried the boombox to the courtyard, the others with me. I sat it down on one of the tables before pressing play as "Empire State of Mind" started playing.

Artie:

Yeah

Yeah, I'm up at Brooklyn

Now I'm down in Tribeca

Right next to DeNiro

But I'll be hood forever

I'm the new Sinatra

And since I made it here

I can make it anywhere

Yeah, they love me everywhere

Finn:

I used to cop in Harlem

All of my Dominicanos

Right there up on Broadway

Brought me back to that McDonald's

Took it to my stash box

Five-Sixty state-street

Catch me in the kitchen

Like a Simmons with them pastries

Puck (Mercedes):

Eight million stories out there in it naked (Oh-wooh, woah)

The city is a pity, half o' y'all won't make it

Me, I got a plug Special Ed, "I Got It Made" (Woah-ooh-ooh)

If Jesus payin' LeBron I'm payin' Dwayne Wade

Three-dice Cee-Lo (Whoa, ooh-ooh)

Three-card Marley

Labor Day Parade

Rest in peace, Bob Marley

Jigga, I be spiked out (New Directions Girls: Come on)

I can trip a referee (New Directions Girls: Come on)

Tell by my attitude (New Directions Girls: Come on)

That I most definitely from

Santana with New Directions (Puck):

New York (Rachel: New York) (Hey)

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There's nothing you can't do (That won't do) (Mercedes: You can't do, oh)

Now you're in New York (Kimberly: You're in New York) (Welcome to the bright lights, baby)

These streets will make (with Rachel: you feel brand new) (Mercedes: You feel brand new)

Big lights will (with Rachel: inspire you)

Let's hear it for New York (Mercedes: Oh)

New York

New York (Rachel: Yeah, hey)

Mercedes with New Directions Girls:

One hand in the air for the big city

Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty

No place in the world that could compare

Put your lighters in the air

Finn and Mercedes with New Directions:

Everybody say yeah, yeah (New Directions Girls: Come on, come on)

Yeah, yeah (New Directions Girls: Come on)

Santana with New Directions (New Directions):

In (with Mercedes: New York) (New York)

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of (Mercedes: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

There's nothing you can't do (You can't do)

Now you're in New York (Mercedes: New York, New York) (New York)

These streets will make you feel brand new (Mercedes: Brand new) (Brand new)

Big lights will (with Mercedes: inspire you) (Inspire you)

Let's hear it for New York (Mercedes: New York)

New York (Mercedes: New York)

New York (Mercedes: New York)

We all looked around once we were finished to see that we got no reaction from anyone. It was a waste.

* * * * *

Kurt played a scale on the piano in the choir room as he and I sat alone. He smiled softly at me as I was looking at his sweater, trying to figure it out. It was a tan color that had a fancier graphic of a girl. It was like that graphic of a french girl that was on girl tops in the early 2010s. You know the ones I'm talking about.

"So, is that a men's sweater?" I asked.

"Fashion has no gender."

"I wasn't judging, I was just trying to figure it out," I said, still staring at it.

Rachel came into the room, closing the piano up on us, "Hummels, we have a problem." Kurt looked at me annoyed. "There's a new student at this school named sunshine who is a Filipino and is shorter than me, which I didn't think we possible and is very unnerving–"

"I'm shorter than you, and I'm just gonna go now," I said, grabbing a strap of my backpack.

"Wait! And she has a remarkable voice."

I threw Rachel a look.

"I'm very worried. You know, not for myself but for my lesser Glee Clubbers who don't get as many solos," she continued as Kurt looked at me, more annoyed and pissed. "So, I've paid a hundred dollars to Azimio and Karofsky to brutally slushie us in front of Sunshine's locker, terrifying her and ensuring she doesn't sign up."

The both of us looked at her in bewilderment.

"This is the part you're supposed to be hugging me and thanking me," she said.

"That's awful. You're awful," I said. "And to think I was just beginning to like you."

"But solos. I mean–"

"Look, Rachel," Kurt said, standing up. "Kimberly and I are about as self-involved as they come. But more than anything, we wanna beat Vocal Adrenaline. And if there's someone at this school that can help us do that, they're in."

Rachel smiled, "You know what? You're right." She walked around us, before coming between me and my brother. "It's just so like me to just be totally blinded by my concern for the two of you." She put her arms around us. "Well, I'll go talk to Sunshine now and just let her know how truly welcomed she really is."

We all nodded as Rachel walked out of the choir room. Kurt turned to me and mouthed, "What?"

* * * * *

We all sat in the choir room, staring at the clock as it ticked closer to the end of auditions for this year. We had been sitting there forever and no one had come.

A few minutes before the cut off, Rachel stood up and went to the front of the room, "Hate to break it to you, but it doesn't look like anyone's gonna be joining us. So, I think we should call it a day."

"We said three to five. It's only 4:58," Mr. Schue said as we got up, grabbing our stuff, ready to go.

"Just wait," Finn said. "My buddy Sam's gonna try out. He totally idolizes me."

"Face it, Finn. You're no longer the quarterback," Kurt said as he and I walked out.

Yeah, so long story short, McKinley has a new football coach named Shannon Beiste. I think Finn said something offensive to her and that got him kicked off.

"You're not the pied piper anymore," Kurt continued. "No one's gonna follow you around thinking everything you do is cool."

He walked out of the room as I looked at him absolutely confused. That was kind of rude of him.

I looked back at Finn, "Sorry."

"No, it's good."

I turned to Rachel, "What about that Sunshine girl you said who was good?"

She put an arm around me, hurrying us out of the choir room, "I guess she didn't want to hang out with us losers."

* * * * *

"Are all the football players taken already?" I asked Finn that night at dinner.

"As far as I know, yeah. Honestly, Kim, you are too good for them," he said.

"Kimberly, why are you so worried about getting a boyfriend?" Dad asked.

"Because I'm seventeen and have never had a boyfriend and have never been kissed," I replied.

"Honey, that perfect boy will come when you least expect him too," Carole said.

Carole and I had gotten close over the summer, and I had finally gully gotten over my mom. Carole and I had gone on a lot of girl dates together, whether it being shopping, lunch, getting our nails done.

"We need to find you a guy who's big into music," Kurt said. "Broadway would be even better."

"Well, any guy into music is in Glee Club, and they're either taken, not my type, or is my brother," I said with a laugh. "Finn, did Rachel find out what happened with that Sunshine girl?"

"No."

"What about that guy you were talking about?"

He shook his head.

"Shame. Well at least there are twelve of us, so we have enough," Kurt said.

"I bet Rachel did something to Sunshine," I said.

"Why do you always have to say Rachel did something?" Finn asked.

"Because of her reputation."

"Kimberly has a point," my twin said. "She told us yesterday that she had paid off Azimo and Kraofsky to slushie us and her at Sunshine's locker so she'd be too scared to join."

"We told her it was wrong and she agreed with us, but we all know how Rachel is."

"Alright, enough with bashing my girlfriend!" Finn said.

I put up my hands, "Alright, I'm done, but you know I'm right."

* * * * *

I was laying on my bed on my stomach doing pre-calc homework when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in," I said, not looking up from my homework.

My door opened, revealing Kurt with two plates in his hands. Each had a fork on it, and something square shaped.

"I know the one thing that'll make you no longer upset over being single," he said, coming into the room.

"What have you whipped up this time?" I asked, putting my stuff away.

He laid down next to me before setting down a plate in front of me, "Cheesecake brownies."
"Oh, I've always wanted to try one of these!" I exclaimed. "Sad thing is that all the ones in the store are never safe for me. Good thing my brother is amazing at all things food."

He laughed before I took a bite of the brownie. I moaned, "I am marrying this, like I am seriously marrying this."

Kurt laughed as he took a bite of his brownie. I leaned my head against his shoulder, "You are the best brother ever, you know that?"

"You always tell me that," he smiled.

"No, but really. You always know what'll cheer me up."

"Well, I hate seeing my little sister upset."

"By fifteen minutes."

"Whatever."

I chuckled as I grabbed my homework, "Do you want to help me with math?"

"I'd rather watch."

* * * * *

I was right. Rachel did screw Sunshine over. She sent her to a crackhouse, telling her that was the address for the location where auditions would be taking place. Thankfully, Rachel was called out for it, and now we were all in the auditorium for Sunshine to audition for us.

"Hi. I'm Sunshine Corazon and I'll be singing "Listen" from the movie Dreamgirls," she said.

She was the cutest thing ever. I took it she was a year younger than me. She was maybe my height, maybe an inch or two shorter.

Rachel turned back to us all, "Broadway show first."

Some of us shushed her as Puck said, "Shut up."

With the first lyric, I was intrigued by Sunshine. She had an amazing voice, and I knew right away that I would lose my chance at solos to her, but it's okay. She seemed like a genuinely nice girl, and she was incredibly talented, more than Rachel.

As she got to the chorus some of us were rocking out in the back, cheering her on. I grabbed Kurt's hand excitedly as Sunshine kept going, squeezing it to the point I was probably cutting off his circulation.

I looked over at Rachel and it was obvious she felt threatened. So what? This girl was incredible. I looked up at Kurt who was completely shocked as Sunshine finished. We all cheered for her as Mr. Schue got up from where he sat by me and my brother.

"Wow. Um . . ." he chuckled "Welcome to the Glee Club."

We all cheered except Rachel and Finn.

* * * * *

"So how's Rachel dealing with her overthrowing as female lead?" I asked Finn as us and Kurt did our homework at the kitchen table.

"Didn't you hear? Sunshine got picked up by Vocal Adrenaline," Finn said.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened."

"It's a shame. Sunshine is really talented," I said, finishing homework for American History. "Kurt, do you want to go for a drive?"

"Yeah," he said, putting his school stuff away.

"Finn, you can come with us if you want."

"No, it's fine. You guys go without me," he said.

Kurt grabbed his keys as I grabbed my purse before we walked out of the house together. We got in his car and pulled out of the driveway before taking off.

"For some reason Kim, I feel like this is going to be your year in Glee Club."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Something tells me that you're going to have a lot of solos and put Rachel in her place."

I laughed, "Sure, okay."

If only I knew then what I know now.

Not only would it be my year in Glee Club alone, oh no.

It would be my year for everything.