New Directions

( No Day, But Today )

A long red carpet leads from the parking lot to the lobby of the school gym, decorated for pictures of the happy couples and groups. From there, the carpet leads to the gym, which is decked out in red and black balloons and silver stars.

There's an actual DJ this time near the “bar” where drinks are being served...well, sodas and water. It's high school, what do you want? There's tables scattered about the edges of the dance floor, with red tablecloths and movie-themed centerpieces.

Have fun, kids. Try not to get into too much trouble.

Practice had been a little rough. Between basketball, Glee, the protests, school, and college looming over his head, Matt was stressed. He was embarrassed he let him affect him during practice--he was a bit off. First Finn, now another team member? The guys couldn't have been happy. At least in Matt's case, though, there were experienced players in his position--and it only affected one practice. He could excuse it more easily.

The boy took a seat on one of the locker room benches. He took a long drink from his water bottle before letting it dangle from his grasp. Matt propped his elbows on his knees. Tomorrow, he thought to himself, I WILL do better.

The Glee picnic was at noon that day, the old football field cleared for the day as the large grill that had been ordered was pushed into the enter of the white lines, picnic tables set up and a some coolers put out as Tanner made sure things were all in order. He'd gotten all the meat just an hour before, the cooler stinking of it as he turned the grill on and waited for someone, anyone who actually knew what they were doing to show up.

Will was excited, and he hoped that the rest of the kids would be too.

Once all the kids were seated and paying attention, he said, "Hey guys, we've got a new member. This is Brooke, and she recently transferred here from the Haverbrook School for the Deaf. I hope you'll all make her feel welcome!"

He clapped his hands together and continued, "Now, since we've got a lot of work to catch our newest members up to speed, let's get to work!"

And so the rehearsal began...

[ooc: go ahead and thread anything, just specify whether it's during or after rehearsal!]

Well...this was it.

Matt nervously wiped his hands on his pant legs as he eyed the clock. He shoved his family out the door for the purposes of his date. The dining room table was set up with a white table cloth and two place settings, minus the actual plates. Two glasses were set out--one filled with water and the other empty. In the middle of the table was a flower arrangement his mom insisted on putting out, as well as two boxes, one smaller than the other. He even dressed up in his nice suit for the evening!

It wasn't a fancy restaurant, but hopefully Santana would like the intimate setting and the work he put into this.

An hour before kickoff, and things were coming together for the Super Bowl gathering. The Rutherfords were all home and gathered as per tradition. Matt's father was sitting in his lucky recliner, feet up. Jonah and Matt were seated on different sections of the wraparound couch. The men chattered amicably amongst pre-game coverege. Occasionally, Matt checked his phone, in case people needed directions to his house or similar.

In the kitchen, Mama Rutherford and her three daughters were busy preparing food for the party. Since they were expecting guests this year, they were preparing extra food--perhaps too much, but teenage boys could eat! (Heck, so could teenage girls.) The delicious smells wafted through the house.

(In the right place this time!)

Generally, Matt didn't mind going to the mall. Trips usually meant he was one step closer to a new pair of athletic shoes or a video game. If he were buying something for himself, he enjoyed the trip.

At that exact moment, though? He hated it.

Not only did he need to find a gift for his girlfriend, but he had the added pressure of buying Valentine's Day gifts for his mother and three sisters, and a birthday gift for his youngest sister, Alesha. For the shortest month of the year, Valentine's Day sure was expensive.

Despite it all, Matt still found himself in the game store. He squinted at the copy of Super Mario Brothers Wii game in his hand. Did Alesha still like video games, or was she starting to get too "mature" for them? This one looked like a fun way for the siblings to spend some quality time together. Maybe he'd buy it for himself.