Looking Back..
Principal Figgens approached the podium, "Good evening families, students and guests. Welcome to the class of 2013 graduation. We are happy to see so many families and friends here to celebrate this wonderful achievement. To get started we have senior Mercedes Jones to lead us in the singing of the National anthem."
After the anthem the glee club, got up and to sing a melody of songs that have been popular over the past four years to celebrate their high school years. Principal Figgens once again at the podium. "Thank you to Mr. Shuster and the award winning Glee Club. The 12 seniors in glee club have been instrumental in bringing this fledgling club of only 5 members to now 32 and 2 consecutive National Championships." This is meant with loud applause and huge smiles from the gleeks.
Principal Figgens spoke further as did several other speakers, while the graduates listen intensely or day dreamed about the past or of what was to come next in life. Rachel who has always been focused didn't listen but took the daydreaming path instead. She thought back to the day she found Mr. Reyerson who gave Hank a solo just because he wanted to spend time with him, Rachel remembered how mad she was and than how disgusted she was when she saw Mr. Reyerson touch Hank. She was so young so immature and so blinded by ambition, she told on Mr. Reyerson, sure he was wrong but he also wasn't a very good glee coach. Rachel's mind wondered forward to Mr. Shue and their first real talk on the bleachers, and how she needed a male lead, once aging she was solely focused on her drive, but she really did want glee to succeed and be special. Then walked Finn into her life. He was tall and he could sing, he needed work but Rachel saw potential, Rachel smiled to herself thinking of how intense she must have seemed to Finn, she just never could be anything but intense when she was excited about something. And when Finn joined glee and with Mr. Shuster on board she put all she had into glee, she was determine to make it succeed. She was impressed by the raw talent of Mercedes and the others but they didn't have the focus, she took it on herself to pull the club along. Rachel knew they weren't her friends, but she pretended just like she pretended the teasing didn't hurt. But as time went on during her sophomore year and glee came together she started to think these people just might be friends. She and Finn were friends (and sometimes more) and there was so much drama, she and Puck even became friends (and sometimes more). After the drama of Sophomore year Rachel and Finn dated on and off, always finding a way to remain friends. She dated Puck too and oddly enough they were friends too even after they decide to call it off. Even weirder then that Finn, Puck and Rachel were inseparable during senior year. It was the strangest trio in High School. The sweet jock the bad boy and yes the geek. Rachel and her boys, even though she shared a lot of first with them, it was never awkward. She loved them both, they both brought so much to her life and helped her in different ways. Finn was her first crush, her first kiss, the first boy to say he loved her. Finn helped her become a better teammate and leader. She helped him not to worry about what people thought of him. Noah was her first real make out, her first break up, her first time. Puck helped her calm down, take life easy. She helped Puck clam down and take life more seriously. Finn was her first real date, Noah, her first drink, Finn, first dance date, Puck first brush with the law. Finn was everything sweet and happy, what every girl would love in a boyfriend, Noah was Noah, but the new exciting things he brought to Rachel's life were Pucks doing. After going back and forth between them during Junior year, she just came to the realization that she loved them both and the only way to have them both was to just be friends. So that summer after Junior year, they all just begun hanging out helping Puck with his pool business or going to the movies, or sometimes just playing video games. This continue during their senior year, at first gossip and some cruel things were said about Rachel but soon people knew they were all just good friends. She went to their games. Finn and Puck (begrudgingly) went to her dance recitals and community center musicals and whatever else she was in. Soon enough the gossip stopped and they accepted the jock, the bad boy and the geek.
Rachel remained a bit of a geek it was her persona, she wasn't as annoying, she sometimes strayed from her signature knee highs socks and skirts but still had a pension for them more often than not. No matter how much she mingled with the popular crowd or even when glee won, she was liked, but still people found her different. It was probably her drive and her ambition because no matter how much she soften she had a goal and she was going to reach it.
She thought back to how the glee club won Nationals twice and Rachel received acclaim for her leads. The other glee members did quite well for themselves as well. Mercedes won best solo artist the year they came in third while Rachel won it both years they took Nationals. Mike and Brittany won some awards for dance sequence which was a new category and since New Direction was never known for their dancing it was a huge honor. Finally with a smile on her face Rachel thought as how horrible things had been her freshman year and a good portion of her sophomore year. She thought about how she and her friends had grown and matured. She also thought about how much further she still had to go. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Principal Figgens say her name, she knew it was about show time, time to pull it together.
Principal Figgens continued "So now I would like to introduce you to Ms. Rachel Berry one of our most accomplished students. Folks this may take awhile but I would like to give you some highlights of Ms Berry achievements. Rachel is our valediction, captain of the glee club, editor of the music review, cofounder of our Gay and Lesbian Alliance, Renaissance Club member, Black Student Union, United Nations club, Muslim student Union, Star of two of our musicals, debate team, President of the French club, Honor Roll all four years, Honor Society, Voted twice as Best Performer at Show Choir Nationals, and voted, most talented, smartest and most likely to succeed.. Along with these accomplishment Ms Berry has been excepted in the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Carnegie Mellon, and The Julliard School in NYC. She will be leaving for Julliard in a little over a week, so before long we suspect you will be seeing her on Broadway.
The crowd clapped wildly as Rachel made her way to the podium. When she reached he podium, her follow gleeks stood up for her and where louder than she would have thought was imaginable. Rachel reached back into herself as she had some many times before to keep from crying out right in front of every one. She nodded to them in appreciation.
"Shhh, Shh", Rachel cooed, as she gestured with her hands for her friends to sit down. Rachel began, "Welcome and thank you all for joining us on this special occasion. The class of 2013 would like to thank the School Board, Principal Figgens the teachers, staff of WMHS and our families and friends. And I need to give a special thank you to Mr. William Shuster, Spanish teacher, glee coach, mentor and friend. I know this will come to a shock to some of you but I do plan to make this speech short." Some laughs and what sounded like, I'll believe it when I see it" from Kurt was heard throughout the auditorium.
Rachel continues "Twelve years ago I remember my first day of school, my dads were there with their camera snapping pictures. They were apprehensive about leaving me, but I was excited, confident and determine and had my gold star lunch box and was ready to take on the world. So here I am 12 years later not much has changed. My dads are here snapping pictures and I am still just as determine to take on the world. I am still excited but this time it is different, when I was first starting school I had no idea the implications of the journey I was about to begin those 12 years ago. Today I know I am on the brink of that future that will be the rest of my life. Some of us my be wondering today how our lives are going to turn out and that is ok. But Please remember that our future is not something that just happens to us it is something we help to create.
I have known what I wanted my future to be for some time now, and I know some of you still don't have that, but one thing I didn't know before is how much I needed my family and friends to help me create this future I so desire. I know for those still struggling with what you want to do that your friends and family will be instrumental in helping you create the best future for you.
So graduates I urge you to take on the opportunities that await you. Leave behinds those things that are not helpful and bring forward the lesson you have learned, keep you family close, chose your friends wisely and take control and create the best possible life you can, it is in your hands. So congratulation and good luck fellow graduates."
"Thank you Ms Berry", announced Principal Figgens.
"Oh sorry one more thing Principal Figgens, I know it is a bit cliché's but as you well know I am a bit clichés", said Rachel with her biggest brightest show smile., Principal Figeens with a smirk said, "Yes, Ms Berry what is it?"
Rachel yells out, "Brad…. he is just always around", she announces to the audience. Brad walks out to take his usual place at the piano. With that Rachel of course begins to sing…..
When you walk through the stormHold your head up highAnd don't be afraid of the darkAt the end of the stormThere's a golden skyAnd the sweet silver song of the larkWalk on, through the windWalk on, through the rainThough your dreams be tossed and blownWalk on, walk on, with hope in your heartAnd you'll never walk aloneYou'll never walk aloneWalk on, walk on, with hope in your heartAnd you'll never walk aloneYou'll never walk alone
Applause and cat calls for Rachel as she finishes. She rushes over to her gleeks and is accosted with hugs and kisses. Up in one of the small balconies of the auditorium gloomed Ms Sylvester who had stood there 3 years earlier with hate for the glee club already building within her. She stood their silently again taking in the glee clubbers, but this time with a tear in her eye, of course it was just allergies.
A week later Rachel's dad carries out her last suit case to the car. In the drive way stand the original 12 glee club members, Mr. Shu and Ms Pillsbury. Rachel is the first to leave Ohio, the others are all on there way to college. Everyone one of them have bright futures. Kurt plans on a life in fashion, Artie wants to be a director, Mike and Brit are going to give dance a try. Santana wants to be a agent, (Rachel won't tell her now but she would love a bitch on wheel like Santana to be in control of her career). Quinn is thinking psychology, Tina had a nice scholarship to a small performing arts college, Mercedes also had several opportunities and is pursuing performance arts too. Finn isn't sure yet but the last two years of football went much better so he did get a nice scholarship to Miami University in Ohio. Puck is going OSU and has a small band he has been playing with for about a year now.
"Thank you all for coming who would have though 4 years ago any of you would be here," said Rachel", "I sure didn't ", snarked Santana with a smile. "Daddy", shouted Rachel, " can you get my bag in the hallway?", "Sure Honey", said her daddy. Daddy rushed back with a pink bag full of gifts., " I got you all something, to remember me by, but don't open until I leave", announced Rachel.
She hands them each their own personalized gift bag, of course in true Rachel Berry form they are expertly wrapped in pink paper with gold stars. As she hands them each a gift bag, she gives them a hug. Rachel contains her emotions until she reaches Mr. Shue, she hugs hard and thanks him. "Thank you for being stern with me sometimes, I needed it", she said. " Well Rachel I couldn't help you with your singing so I felt I needed to do something" replied Mr. Shue. She than headed towards Finn and Puck. Instead of separate hugs she grabs them both at the same time, the tiny girl is engulfed and the tears flow harder and faster. Puck won't admit it but he was crying too. After a few seconds later the whole group wrapped themselves around the three. No one wanting to pull away. Finally they dispersed.
Rachel, says a final good bye and gets into the car followed by her dads. As they pull out she yells out the car "I love you all" and with sweeping graceful arm movements she sends air kisses to them all. They wave as the car pulls down the road.
Kurt, the first to speak, "ok lets see what little Ms Diva got us". They rip over the packages to find framed and signed head shots of one Rachel Berry. Each photo has a personal message plus Rachel's signature and a gold star. No one is surprised. They also find a mock playbill of Rachel's first musical and a "ticket' to her opening night. Finn says, "hey, wait I have something else", with that he pulls out another package. "What is it ", questioned Quinn. Finn unwrapped a pair of pink knee high socks with a little musical notes on them … a simple note was attached that said…"think of me, love Rachel".. A few ohs and ahs from the crowd. Finn blushes little. Kurt notice that Puck had another package to, "So Puck do you have a sock fetish too", cracked Kurt. Puck scratches the back of his head, Puck unwrapped the package and fines a pair of pink panties with musical notes, with the same note attached, "think of me…love Rachel". This time the crowd was more ick and muffled laughter.
Ms Berry as we know can be a little musically promiscuous.