Walkout

Prompt: Tina quits ND. The reason why Tina wasn't in 3x12? She decided to quit the Glee club. What's the point of being in Glee if you only get to sing if all the other girls are out of commission?
Bonus points: If more people stop showing up (I'm thinking Quinn, Kurt, Puck and/or Mike but go with whatever). Because with Rachel/Santana as female lead, Blaine/Finn as male and the TroubleTones getting a song at every competition it's pretty apparent that the rest is just background singers from now on.

This will be a shorter (9.000 words) fic in three parts.

Spoilers: anything up to 3x14 (though the drama around Quinn and Karofsky isn't mentioned/hasn't happened here)
Rating: T for teenage language, gen
Warnings: none, unless you're shocked that I've followed the prompt to its ultimate conclusion ^_~

I'll be getting back to PuckmalTaT and Malleable shortly, I have already written 95% of their next few chapters. One of it should be up this weekend! Also, I'm currently in the chokehold of a massive plotbunny that features Puck/Finn-friendship as per prompter request and Puck's goal of becoming a pro mixed martial artist - something everyone else sneers at. Typically the thing grew to monstrous proportions the more research I did so I'll strip it down to key outtakes for the original prompt. Not sure whether I'll post it here in short form… There's also my "FU Glee-writers": a less depressing take on "Dead. In jail. Or both." that had everyone, including "caring" Mr. Schue, ignoring or laughing about it, which is lurking in the back and getting bigger and bigger - outlaw!Puck anyone?

A/N:

- When I started writing the awful 3x14 hadn't aired yet. So I'm leaving the whole Quinn/Karofsky situation out. I have however kept to the basics of ND's truly underwhelming Regionals performance and that of their competitors.

- Tina's ethnicity: she looks Korean to me and looking up the actress on Wikipedia confirms it. However her character is listed as Chinese American, just as Mike (who clearly looks of Cantonese descent for me so it fits for him). The surname Chang can be Chinese as well as Korean so that isn't any help either. To make it even more confusing I don't know any Chinese people - or of Chinese descent - who'd refer to themselves as Asian (unless for political reasons, the same goes for Japanese people respectively), it's always, always Chinese – partly because the Chinese word for "Asian" means inferior, bad! Argh, I hate when Western productions exchange different East Asian ethnicities as if they look all alike: they don't! Most of the time it's really obvious whether someone is Japanese, Korean or Han-Chinese! Sadly, it seems too hard for Hollywood to figure out: thus we end with typical-Cantonese looking Harry Shum having a just as typically Korean looking father and a mother who seems Japanese plus something else… I've decided to go with their given ethnicity, making Tina American Chinese and Jewish, given her other surname.

- Boni: I don't have Quinn among the walkouts: I really don't see how she could be, realistically. She was the one who brokered the deal with the Troubletones! And she offered it all straight up: no reasoning, no "well, now that you lost and it's over for you in your senior year maybe you'd like a chance to still perform – with a winning team? We'll be nice enough to take you back without letting you grovel," no bargaining. And we know that Quinn can certainly drive a hard bargain if she feels like it (going more than once against Sue and winning!) or do her own thing, no matter what Rachel and Schue might have agreed to. She also got featured more lately despite being the by far weakest singer bar Sugar, starting with the big competition feature in season 2 with Sam which highlighted just how thin their voices are (unlike their 'Duets' duet that was carefully selected for their vocal abilities and thus sounded pretty flattering). Plus she's not invested in music with focusing on drama in college. I'd say she's perfectly content with things and has no reasons not to be.

Walkout 1/3

When she's finally approached about her absence from Glee practices (yes, she's a bit bitter: nobody sent out a delegation to offer her over the top bribes she didn't even demand for a comeback. Or actually noticed that she, you know, was missing in the first place…) Tina is rather surprised by whom. As she switches books out at her locker there's a thud next to her and she looks up to see Puck leaning with a shoulder on the neighboring locker, staring down at her with interest.

"'Sup, C²? Missed you at Glee. And Mike was being all mysterious and evasive when I asked. Seeing you alive makes me think it wasn't 'cuz he put your remains into dumplings he fed to his family – or yours."

"Hi Puck. You watch too many bad splatter films." She rolls her eyes at Puck's morbid humor. Though she supposes she should give him points for referencing a super-violent cult Hong Kong movie: he'll probably make up some nonsense about being culturally sensitive to her heritage if she remarks on it.

"Ha! You totally got the reference so you've seen it too."

"I have older cousins with bad taste. Also 'Untold Story' is notorious among Chinese movies. What's your excuse? And can you not call me C-Square, please?"

He pouts. Someone should tell Puck that it becomes less cute the closer one gets to grown man; though she's willing to concede that with his full lips he's pretty much made for it...

"Oh, come on! I already refrain from calling you Half-Chang! What else should I call you? Even I find 'Other Asian' offensive, not to mention I'd hate to support Sue's crazy."

"How about 'Tina'?" she suggests drily. Most people focus on her Chinese heritage because that is what she looks like; Puck of course zeroed in on the other side, the Jewish part.

"Lame. You totally got more boring when you dropped the gothic Lolita-chic and started wearing bright colors, ya know. Anyhow, Glee-absence! Spill!"

She automatically looks around for listeners – other glee members or creepy Jacob - then feels like a paranoid person. Puck of course picks up on it immediately; having the talent to be super-observant when he shouldn't be and completely oblivious if you want him to pay attention. Like, in classes he finds boring. Now he looks even more interested to hear her out.

Well, nothing for it. It's not as if she can keep it a secret forever. She doesn't even really want to. It's just that she's not looking forward to the inevitable accusations. She's not good with confrontations. But perhaps Puck is actually the best person to tell first: he's usually really laid back about Glee-business and stays out of the power struggles and drama in New Directions. And since she became Mike's girlfriend she's gotten to know him better, beyond the popular jock/McKinley's sex g-d persona, because Mike and he are good friends.

"I've quit Glee." There, it's out.

"Seriously? Wow! Why?"

Tina blinks. She expected a whole lot more profanity and verbal aggression before Puck got around to ask her about reasons. Now he's put her on the spot earlier than expected. She takes a deep breath.

"Because I'm sick of swaying in the background! Because I only get to sing when 90% of the girls are suspended or deserting us for another club. Bec-"

"71.5%"

"What?"

"That would be 71.5% if you mean for Sectionals: 7 Glee-chicks, 5 of them gone, makes you and Quinn 28.5%."

"Fine. Thank you Mr. Mathlete! 71.5%!"

Of all the times for Puck to finally own up to his secret math-prowess that Mike and Artie keep telling her about, it has to be during her rant?

"Anyway. My point is I had to be one of two girls to even get to a solo! And I've decided this time I'm not sitting quietly by when Mercedes, Santana and Brittany get guaranteed soli as a reward for deserting us, losing with their own club and gracing us again with their presence! While I - and for that matter you and Kurt - have stuck with ND loyally and when do we get to sing? At practice! Unless everyone else is out with food poisoning, mute or dead during competition... Schue is fixated on Rachel, Blaine, Finn of course if he still sees him as his own second coming, and G-d, I bet he never got over Bryan Ryan being their star thirty years ago! And recently he added Santana, Artie and Quinn of all people, the girl with the thinnest voice, to the roster. I'm so sick of it!"

"Wait! Back up there! What the fuck are you talking about - 'guaranteed soli'?"

"I overheard Santana and Mercedes talking: Quinn apparently made them a deal, coming back to us in exchange for guaranteed numbers at all competitions! Endorsed by Rachel and approved by Mr. Schue. I don't think anyone else knows or was asked. I certainly wasn't! Well, Rachel might have told Finn, after. And I told Mike last week."

"Holy shit! Naw, didn't know that either. Guess you're right that they kept it secret. Which, yeah, stupid 'cause all it means is it's gonna blow up that much closer to Regionals. 'S not like they can keep it secret when dividing up the solos… Wow! That's like really shitty. Though, points for sneakiness: not surprised at Quinn and Rachel, cause duh. But Schue? Didn't think he'd have it in him."

"I mean it's not as if I ever expected to be the star vocalist or anything ego-maniac like that! I've never been unrealistic or entitled. Am I a better singer than Rachel? No, I'm not and I know it. But then Rachel isn't exactly flawless at performing anything but power-ballads where she can cry-sing, and show tunes. And I am a better dancer than her! Mercedes is for sure better at R n' B and wailing impressive end notes than me. But other than that I can keep up by now with her and Santana. Because I worked really hard for the last two years: I took classes over summer, I have a private voice lesson every week I pay for myself, I dance at least three times a week with Mike and we do everything from Standards to Contemporary to Tap. And I'm definitely a whole lot better than Britt, Quinn and Sugar in the voice department!"

This is so freeing! Why didn't she do this a lot earlier?

Why did she ever think keeping quiet would be easier? What has she ever gotten in return for being quiet, meek and inoffensive?

Nothing! She's on a roll now.

Tina pokes Puck in his chest. Very muscular, nice. She taps again, just for the hell of it. He stares at her, wide-eyed, as if he's trying to decide if she'll literally explode in his face and he should better run for cover. She feels oddly proud for surprising him like this.

"And you! The only better singer than you is Artie! And you have the most stage presence of all the boys – but do we use that? No! We have Finn front and center on endless repeat: the boy with the worst voice of all guys and a dancing ability of minus 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Mike sings better than Finn by now! And now we can add Blaine to the instant-soloists, who has a good voice at least but sounds exactly the same on every single song, no matter what genre or mood. And who makes the exact same derpy faces and moves during each performance – I can time them by now, they're that predictable! And it's not that I don't like them as, you know, persons, because I do. But I'm more than ready to see Kurt and you at the front of a stage, instead of singing a line at best and harmonizing in the background."

She vaguely notices that she's now late for class. Amazingly she doesn't care. Her attendance has been exemplary all her life, coming late to one lesson seems like such a small thing. Puck doesn't seem bothered either about being late, though she's aware that he's been doing a lot better for the last year and a half, both in attendance and with actually doing the work. His grades have never been a matter of ability as she knows from Mike, rather of willingness or lack of.

So she might as well get it all out, now that she finally has someone listening (other than her boyfriend: Mike was bewildered initially but supportive of her decision) someone who's interested in her opinion. What a novel concept.

Tina continues, "But mostly, it's just not fun anymore. You know when I had the most fun this year? Doing West Side Story! Yes, I didn't have a really big role there either, not as big as you or Santana or the leads. But it was still meatier than anything I was allowed in two years in Glee club! And the atmosphere was a lot better somehow, despite it being mostly the same people! Maybe it's really about who is in charge and Mr. Schue doesn't work, I don't know. I do know the only way I get anything in Glee is by holding out until next year when nearly everyone is gone. By default. Until we get some great freshmen or sophomores of course, or there's someone that Schue identifies with as his new Finn-ersatz. And that's just pathetic. I'm done waiting around, hoping! Wondering if I'm not even good enough to be recognized in a high school club."

Tina doesn't tell him how actually quitting cemented her decision. It's still too raw to casually talk about. She simply didn't show up for one practice, true. She knew though she'd have to do it properly, leaving ND, mostly for her own peace of mind. So she steeled herself and went to Mr. Schue's office to tell him she was leaving Glee. He'd looked stunned. But even as he asked her if she was sure - and not for her reasons! - Tina could see him going through the members mentally and coming up with the reassurance that they were safely over twelve people: still being eligible for Regionals. His relief was palpable. That had been his very first and most important concern. Not getting her to rejoin, not asking why she didn't like Glee anymore and perhaps even (alright, she had been daydreaming a bit there) trying to improve things... And that hurt. She's still surprised just how much it hurts.

She knew he has his favorites, everyone does: Schue has never been subtle about it. But to be so easily dismissed after 2.5 years, after all they've been through as a group? To have it confirmed that in his mind she's been bolstering their numbers and serving as back-ground noise for anything big? She remembers how he encouraged her in the very beginning - but maybe that was more about keeping the upper hand in his power play with Rachel. She's not sure anymore about his motives then.

In his office he'd been looking at her with his trademark "I sympathize with you"-expression. But if there's one thing all the ND-dramas have taught her, thankfully as an observer mostly, it's that Schue is so busy looking sympathetic that he somehow never gets around to the actual helping and active support part. She's seen it with Kurt multiple times, with Puck (and God, did that boy need it after giving his child away! She's still ashamed how they all - her too - reacted when his obvious grief over Beth and channeling it into destruction had landed him in juvenile detention. If only Schue invested a tenth in Puck of what he did as Finn's mentor, Finn who'd had Burt Hummel for a while now for that. Never mind Rachel's mother apparently having taken advantage of him now... They make quips about it, as if it's been Puck's normal cougar-hunt, but mainly she thinks because they all feel uncomfortable and helpless: Puck refuses to talk, at least with her or Mike, she doesn't know who else has tried; for Quinn it's been all about herself; Rachel seems to think the important thing was that Shelby got away with it without repercussions. And no adult cared), with Mike even (it was her who worked with him on his voice until he became less insecure), with Mercedes (who clearly had been stewing a while about being overlooked before becoming passive-aggressive, lazy and then exploding and leaving), with Artie (admittedly, Schue had been making headway there this year with letting him direct WSS and he got to do a lot more singing recently)...

And it proved true now too: a sympathetic-wounded look and a few resigned noises were all she got. That's the extent Mr. Schue goes to for his charges, at least for the majority of them. She managed to hold onto her composure until she'd left his office with a rather formal goodbye. She may be prone to cry but Tina has her dignity, she didn't want to lose face. She waited until she was safely alone in the bathroom to have her cry.

And he apparently didn't even deem it necessary to inform the rest of the club of her departure. His own private life and the Finchel-drama was clearly more important than taking two minutes to tell the others... She comes back to the present to find Puck looking at her inquisitively and repeating his question.

"So why is the Changster still in Glee? He abandon you or is he your shinobi?"

"My what?"

"Your spy, like a ninja."

"Oh. No, no spying. Why would I need one? It's not as if I plan to establish a rival glee club or anything. ... I told Mike he should decide for his own, not leave for me or anything. His situation is different anyway: he's gone this summer and he only joined Glee for the opportunity to finally dance - and because you made him and Matt, Mr. 'I Need Back-up And That's You Asshats, Complain to the Fist'! And he gets to dance, is even featured in competition. He's still deliberating, I think. I'm not going to force or emotionally blackmail him. If he wants to stay, that's fine. As long as he doesn't slushy or dump me for leaving. We don't have to do everything together as a couple. He didn't try to force me to join the decathlon-team just because we became boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Hmm, good for you - going all independent woman! Mike's not exactly Mr. Assertive, sure, but on the other hand I can't imagine him sitting by when they start to bitch about you - and you know they will! - once everyone finally clues in you're gone."

"You're not trying to get me to go back?"

Tina isn't sure if she's disappointed with his easy acceptance or flattered that he respects her decision and doesn't try to change her mind.

Puck shrugs, "Why would I? You've got good reasons. You probably agonized over it, slept over it and made freakin' pro- and con-lists before deciding. Who am I to tell you you're wrong and to suck it up? And you're not. Wrong, I mean. Glee has been less fun for a while. Thought it was just me..."

He looks thoughtful for a moment. Then he grins at her, before letting it morph into his patented sexy smirk.

"And by the way – you're totally hot when you're ranting! It suits you." He winks. "If you ever get tired of Mike hit me up. We can make my Glee-chick-record perfect. No cheating though, that's so 2009/2010."

And with that he saunters off. Leaving Tina baffled (and not quite sure if she's flattered or outraged) but also feeling a lot lighter. It was good to finally let loose and talk about all the things that pissed her off about Glee. She wonders what he'll do. Puck didn't seem pleased to learn about the backdoor-deals either and he said himself that Glee hasn't been fun for him either lately. And there's Mike, of course...

Next: Puck confronts the Gleeks and Schue