Short chapter is short! =P Hope you guys enjoy.

Also, don't own Glee, obviously. =D

He threw his backpack down onto the floor and lay down on the small bed in the prop room of the auditorium. He hadn't known where he was going but he knew it was his spare and he needed some sleep. The auditorium seemed empty, which was good enough for him. He inhaled deeply before shutting his eyes. He was happy that he had been welcome to McKinley but he knew he was going to have problems keeping up. His life wasn't one that could easily mix well with the pressures of school and then the added extracurricular activities he was trying to manage.

His eyes immediately opened upon hearing someone singing. He was backstage, sure, but he wasn't deaf. He stood up and crept slowly up the steps and looked past the curtain. He smiled and stepped out from behind them and coughed lightly. The girl quickly stopped playing the piano and spun around. Upon seeing who it was she stood up and rushed over to him, a bright smile on her face.

"I'm,"

"Rachel," he finished. "Quinn told me about you. You're like the leader of the glee team, right?" Rachel's face lit up.

"She told you that?"

"I gathered that much. I think it's cool," he added. "Being in charge of things, you know, having to take care of everyone? It puts stress on you. I admire that you can do it." The smile from her face dropped slightly. He didn't like the way she was reading him. It was as though she could see through him completely.

"It is," she quickly replied. "I take it you don't want to join?" He shrugged his shoulders. He did.

"I do," he admitted. "Quinn was really trying to get me to, actually." Rachel laughed. He looked at her in confusion before she walked back over to the piano. "What's so funny?" She sat down and ran her fingers idly over the keys, hitting random notes.

"Quinn Fabray wanting someone to join the glee club." She quickly stopped playing. "You know," she whispered, "you should join. If Quinn wants you to then you should." The blond shrugged his shoulders again before yawning loudly. "Tired already?"

"You have no idea. Quinn said I could audition for the club during my spare but then she said I could after school. I don't really have time to after school but I told her I would," he explained. Rachel nodded before once again abandoning the piano and standing up.

"Well, I am the captain. You can audition for me. Mr. Schuester will get over himself for once and let me decide something." Sam opened and closed his mouth before the brunette pulled him over to the piano. "Any song you'd like to sing in particular?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure I'm not that good of a singer." Rachel nodded. "I guess it couldn't hurt though, right?"

"Exactly," she replied with a toothy grin. He swallowed nervously.

"Quinn, why so dejected?" The cheerleader looked up from the ground and sighed before looking around the room once more.

"Go away, Berry," she mumbled while waving her hand. Rachel shrugged the comment off and sat beside her.

"I happen to be an excellent listener and problem solver. I could most definitely help you out with whatever situation you have gotten yourself in." Quinn raised an eyebrow before exhaling loudly.

"I just thought someone would be here," she whispered. Rachel smiled to herself but said nothing else. "Don't you hate it when that happens?" Rachel looked to her right and nodded. Mr. Schuester then entered. Quinn watched in confusion as the diva stood up immediately and ran to the front of the room.

"Everyone, I have an announcement I would like to make." Quinn watched as the rest of the club groaned in frustration. "We have a new member of New Directions. Although he couldn't be here today he will be here at our next rehearsal." The blonde's ears perked up as Rachel continued talking. "Now, he is an excellent singer. I believe that you boys should be threatened by his abilities. Perhaps it will get you all in gear."

"Wait," Finn mumbled. "He's not going to take my place, right?" Rachel smiled at her boyfriend and shook her head. "Okay, good. I don't want other dudes singing with my girlfriend," he muttered to himself before crossing his arms over his chest again.

"Rachel, I don't think that you're allowed to decide who joins the club. More than one person needs to vouch for him, especially since I didn't get to hear him audition." Rachel rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips dramatically.

"Sam is an excellent singer, Mr. Schue. Do you doubt my ability to judge talent?" Quinn quickly stood up and rushed to Rachel's side. The teacher's eyes widened in confusion at the Cheerio approaching Rachel.

"She's right, Mr. Schue. Sam really should be on the team. I've heard him." Lie. "He is a great singer. Rachel knows what she is talking about."

"Alright, whatever," he sighed. Rachel smiled triumphantly and walked to the seat Finn had saved for her. The cheerleader pulled her away from Finn and towards the seat she had been occupying before the Spanish teacher came in.

"What was that about, Berry?" Rachel feigned indifference. Quinn grunted in frustration before sighing. "Rachel," she whispered, "when did you and Sam talk?" Rachel turned her body to face the blonde.

"We, apparently, have the same spare period. He wandered into the auditorium while I was practicing. He was quite kind. It didn't take much convincing to get him to join. If anything he's the one who brought it up. He mentioned that someone else was talking to him about joining our group." Quinn ducked her head. "Who would have thought it would be Quinn Fabray?"

"So you knew?"

"Knew that you wanted him in the club or that you were drawn to him? I may not have social skills but I'm not emotionally retarded, for a lack of better words." Quinn snorted. That point was arguable. "He was very nice, Quinn. I got some rather strange vibes from him but other than that he is genuinely sweet."

"Strange vibes?" The blonde snapped. "You would know all about them, wouldn't you?" Rachel huffed in frustration.

"Actually, I would," she mumbled before standing up, straightening her skirt, and waltzing back over to her boyfriend.

He put the truck in park and sighed. He was tired already and it was only his first day. He jumped out of the truck and looked at the decrepit mobile home. It wasn't nice, he knew. It wasn't always his home though. He missed his parents. Hell, he even missed the boarding school he was sent to. He was needed back home though, unfortunately.

He walked slowly up the steps and groaned in frustration when one broke from beneath him. He pulled his foot out of the hole he had made and continued walking. He pulled the door open and smiled when his grandmother waved at him.

"Hey, Nana," he whispered to the woman while giving her a kiss on the cheek. "How is he doing today?" She sighed before putting up a can of soup into the cupboard.

"No better than he was yesterday, Honey. I don't know what we're going to do about him." He frowned when he heard her holding back sobs. He immediately wrapped his arms around the woman. "I'm so scared, Sam."

"It'll be okay," he replied. "It has to be." She pulled back and wiped away the tears off her face before continuing to pace around the small kitchen.

"Anyway," she cleared her throat. "How was your first day?" He stretched his arms above his head before picking up some dishes and putting them into the sink.

"Long," he answered honestly. "I made friends though," he stated with excitement. "Girl friends, too," he added.

"Now, I'm going to have to come up there and talk to these young women if they think about dating my grandson. No one is going to break your heart under my watch."

"Nana," he grumbled, "they won't like me like that," he insisted. "I met one girl though, in particular. She was really nice to me."

"That's good, Sweetie. Really good."

"I signed up for football and glee club. I'm not sure I'll be able to do both with everything going on," he whispered. The heavyset woman spun around to face her grandson and pointed her finger at him.

"You listen here, Sam. You do whatever you want to do. Only you know if you can handle it." He smiled sheepishly at her before nodding his head in agreement. "What about your classes? Are you going to be okay?" He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the floor. "Don't lie to me."

"I'll get help. I'll ask Rachel if they have some sort of tutoring thing there. I just don't want them to think I'm retarded or something."

"Dyslexia doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you." He nodded in agreement before grabbing one of the bowls his grandmother put out for them. "Is Rachel the girl you like?" He laughed and shook his head.

"I don't like anyone the way you're thinking. I've only been there one day, Nana." She chuckled before following Sam to the small table they had set up. "Besides, I have more important things to worry about," he added. She looked at him knowingly before frowning.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

"It's not your fault," he whispered.