She's never been a fan of speaking to a big group of people; much less the whole William McKinley senior class, but she didn't have a choice in the matter. She was voted senior class president as a joke; they thought it would be funny to watch Brittany S. Pierce, glee loser, try to form a proper sentence without saying something completely humiliating. So here she is today, standing in front of 86 students who were just waiting for her to mess up. She could count on one hand those who were actually there to support her: Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina. Sure, they weren't the closest of friends, but they were in glee club together and understood the hardships of being a social outcast.
When principle Figgins asked her to speak at the assembly she almost fainted. She was already having a hard time accepting the fact that she would be performing with the glee club in front of everyone, but to be up there by herself? She couldn't even bear to think about it. Figgins told her that she couldn't back out, that it was a tradition for the newly elected class president to speak and thank the class for voting for them; but how could she thank people who only want to see her fail? He also said that since she was senior class president she would be responsible for any future activities that took place at this school, and as a McKinley tradition, she had to come up with something creative that they could look back on in the future, during high school reunions, and enjoy. Some past graduating classes had time capsules, where each student would record a message to their 30-year-old self, and that time capsule would only be opened when all the graduating class turned 30. Others buried a precious item of their choice, and when the time came, they would see what their 17-year old selves considered to be precious.
She had no idea what she could pick, which is why she thought it would be a smart idea to form a student body committee that would help her out and make things easier for her. She finds herself sitting between Rachel and Kurt brainstorming ideas the night right before the assembly.
"It's impossible to find something that no one has done before. William McKinley has had this tradition for the part 14 years, I don't think we'll find something that a past generation hasn't done already, we're just being set up to fail miserably"
Rachel was always the over-the-top drama queen. She thought that everyone was out to get her; that they were jealous of her talent and wanted her to suffer so that she couldn't achieve her dreams and be better than them. Brittany couldn't deny the fact that Rachel's voice was amazing and that she could definitely make it as a theatre performer, but she thought it would be more reasonable for Rachel to aim at off-Broadway productions rather than Broadway itself.
Rachel was one of the few people who saw her for who she really was; she looked past the ditzy blonde act. She understood that it was a defense mechanism that Brittany put up and that it just comes naturally to her now.
When she was younger, Brittany had the wildest imagination any child could have, and she used to be picked on because of it. While one person would see a simple tree, Brittany would imagine all the adventures that would be hidden if you looked close enough. She'd imagine all the leaves blowing off and whisking her away to another world. Every time she'd see a rabbit, she would follow him hoping that he would ask her to hop into a rabbit hole, and that it would lead her to Wonderland. Brittany's parents always comforted her and said that if it weren't for his imagination, Walt Disney would never have created Mickey and Minnie; that the cartoon characters she had grown to love would have never existed. That seemed to reassure Brittany and lift her spirits for a while, until she got to school and got picked on for believing in unicorns and wearing rainbow colored socks. Brittany started building her walls up, hiding who she really was and choosing to remain silent and act clueless. What she didn't know though, was that someone on the other side of town was doing the exact same thing, building their walls up, but for entirely different reasons.
"Rachel, relax, no one set us up to fail. If anything they set Brittany up, she just kind of dragged us along. There's no way they could have known that we would be involved in this too."
Kurt was the voice of reason in their little group; he's been through a lot but matured and learned from it all. He had a tough time in high school because he was brave enough to come out. Brittany couldn't understand how people bullied him instead of admire him for being proud of who he was. Maybe they were just jealous, she certainly was. She's known for the longest time that she was into both men and women, but she would never have the guts to say it out loud. Why give people one more reason to make fun of her. The way Brittany saw it was that she loved the person regardless of their gender. As long as they respected her and accepted her quirkiness, she would love them with all of her heart.
"I agree with Kurt, Rachel. No one did this on purpose to you, but I'm sorry to drag you into this mess. You can go now; I'll try to handle this by myself. I'm sure Google can help me out with some ideas, or I could just ask my little sister, she always has the best ideas."
Ella had just turned 14 and was the best little sister anyone could ask for. She always knew the right thing to say and gave the best hugs. When Brittany came home crying when she was 12 because she tried kissing a girl who ended up calling her gross, Ella, who was only 9 at the time, told her that the girl was stupid.
Ella would always go on these crazy adventures with her. After they read the 6th Harry Potter book, they decided to go hunting for horcruxes in hopes of helping Harry out. They weren't delusional, they knew that there were no such things as horcruxes, but it never stopped them from having fun. Their parents would just laugh it off and claim that the junk in the garage was a horcrux, and that Brittany and Ella should destroy it and make it disappear.
"Okay Britt, we're going to head home then. Call us if you need anything."
Kurt stood up and packed his bag, and then looked at Rachel who was still a bit hesitant. "Come on Rachel, I'll drop you off."
As they headed out the door, Rachel looked back at Brittany and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to her. Rachel could apologize all day, but the truth is, Brittany was once again all alone. She just wished for once that someone would have a hard time leaving her and would insist on staying with her, even if they just sat in silence and watched her work.
With a soft sigh, Brittany proceeded to collect her things and walk home. Her house wasn't that close to McKinley but she needed the walk to sort her thoughts out. She wasn't ready for the assembly, she wasn't ready for the humiliation and honestly, she didn't think she could handle one more person laughing at her. She could see a car approaching and when she squinted her eyes to get a better look, she immediately recognized it. When she saw the passengers roll their windows down, she fastened the straps of her backpack and picked up her pace hoping to avoid them.
"Hey Blondie, seems like even the glee losers thought they were too cool for you and ditched you."
Santana Lopez, captain of the McKinley High cheerleading squad, also known as the Cheerios. Even though Santana's main hobby was to make Brittany's life a living hell, Brittany still held a special place for Santana in her heart. Santana was after all Brittany's first kiss. She was also the first person to call Brittany gross and launch the endless stream of bullying that ended up following Brittany to this day. Santana was everything Brittany wished she could be: beautiful, confident, smart, popular and in a relationship. She commanded people's respect wherever she went, maybe it was because people feared her, but whatever the reasons were, everyone, including teachers, respected Santana. She was notorious for her hot temper and vicious words, but once you got on her good side, you were untouchable.
"Careful not to trip over your imaginary friend, loser."
Quinn Fabray, Santana's partner in crime and sometimes an even bigger bitch than Santana. Quinn picks on just about everyone, while Santana has specific targets that she constantly torments, Brittany being her favorite one.
Quinn was a big mystery to Brittany. She got pregnant in her sophomore year with Noah Puckerman's child, lost her popularity and all of her friends, including Santana, yet here she is, meaner than ever and back on top. She was the one who usually handled the slushy facials, which Brittany was on the receiving end of more times than she could count. Ever been hit by a huge block of ice right in the face? That's exactly how a slushy feels like. It gets stuck in all the wrong places; which is why Brittany always has a change of clothes with her at school. Slushies were a right of passage for every loser at McKinley, it's how you knew that you were on the bottom of the food chain. Quinn got a slushy facial once, but no one dares mention it; it's like her pregnancy never happened.
"She's probably lost or something, there's no way she can find her way home by herself."
And finally, Noah Puckerman, or as people call him, Puck. He was the captain of the football team; a team that hasn't one a single game in over a year but that didn't matter. Puck's biggest concern was his badass reputation. After he got Quinn pregnant, he worried that it would make him unpopular with the ladies and make him seem less attractive, which is why he became an even bigger asshole than he already was. He bullied Kurt endlessly, shoved him into lockers and called him names, all in the hopes of regaining his previous social status.
Brittany spotted her house just a few feet away and started running towards it. She had walked home in hopes of getting some alone time to think, but all she got was even more hurtful words from Santana, Quinn and Puck. As soon as she walked in she was greeted by Ella, who was on her way to feed Lord Tubbington, their overweight cat.
"Hey Britt, how was school today?"
Brittany hated having to lie to her sister, but she hated worrying her even more. Every day she would come home and be greeted the same way. Her sister would hug her and ask her how her day went, and Brittany would plaster on the biggest smile and pretend that she had the most amazing day of all. However, today was different; she couldn't even bring herself to smile.
"Could have went better Ella, but it's fine I'll manage, I always do."
This is why she always lied to her sister, to avoid the look Ella is giving her right now. She wished her day really did go well and that she could share some funny stories about it, but instead, she's being pulled into a comforting embrace by her little sister. This isn't how things are supposed to work; she's the one who's supposed to be taking care of her sister, not the other way around. It makes her hate herself a little bit more.
"Come on, we'll make popcorn, pop in a movie and you can tell me all about it."
Brittany settled down on the couch with the popcorn bowl nestled between her thighs while Ella rummaged through their DVD collection.
"Britt, I don't think there's anything here that we haven't already seen, but I rented The Perks of Being a wallflower today. You can fawn over Logan Lerman, and Emma Watson too, I know you've always had a thing for Hermione."
Brittany couldn't help but snort at her sister's comment; she knew her too well. Ella pushed the pause button and looked at Brittany expectantly, waiting for her to relay the events of her day. Brittany told her about being elected senior class president, about it only being a joke. She told her about the speech she had to give and that she had to come up with an original idea before the assembly. She told her about her walk home and how the bullying went on even after school. Throughout the whole conversation, Brittany couldn't help but notice the pained expression on her sister's face. Ella had a hard time believing that people could be this cruel to Brittany, who wouldn't even hurt a fly.
"Don't worry about it too much sis, I'm sure you'll think of something great; you always do. You're the smart one in this family."
How Brittany wished that were true. She knew she wasn't dumb, but being called the smart one in the family was a stretch. Ella was the straight-A student while Brittany barely got passing grades. Her parents never gave her a hard time for it, because even though they never said anything directly to her, they knew she was going through a rough patch and didn't want to pressure her. Her parents always seem to know everything.
She never officially came out to them, but she suspected they knew. Whenever they went shopping or to get groceries, her mom would always point in the direction of some random teenage girl and ask Brittany if she thought she was cute. Her dad was a bit subtler; he'd wink at Brittany's mom whenever Brittany seemed too engrossed in a tennis game Maria Sharapova was playing. Brittany doesn't even like tennis.
A noise coming from the TV snapped Brittany out of her thoughts and she decided to focus on the movie, see what the rave was all about. She found herself relating to Charlie more than she ever thought she would. He was an introvert who didn't have any friends. He never knew the right things to say and found himself always messing up. About 20 minutes into the movie, Charlie makes himself two new friends who show him what the world really is about, and he ends up falling in love with Emma Watson's character, Sam. Rachel and Kurt were good friends, but Brittany wished she had friends like Patrick and Sam, who were adventurous and who took risks, who showed Charlie what it really meant to live. Brittany wished most of all that she could find a love like the one that Sam and Charlie shared; so pure and honest and innocent.
About halfway through the movie Brittany felt a weight settle on her shoulder; Ella had fallen asleep. She was probably tired from school; she was a cheerleader too, but not a mean one, and she had had practice that day. Brittany continued watching the movie, she wanted to know if Charlie would get the happy ending he deserved, because if he did, it would give her hope that things would work out with her eventually. As it turns out, Charlie did get his happy ending. He got the girl.
When the credits started rolling, Brittany felt the weight on her shoulder shift.
"Shit! I'm sorry Britt, I didn't mean to fall asleep; it's just that I was really tired. I must have fallen asleep when Charlie was writing that letter. He has a rather monotonous voice."
Brittany chuckled but then realized what her sister had just said. "Wait, he was writing letters? I thought those were voice-overs."
Ella rolled her eyes at her older sister and smacked her lightly on the arm "You're such a perv. You were too busy ogling Emma Watson to notice that Charlie was actually writing letters. Those weren't voice-overs Britt. The movie is actually based on the book, and the book is kind of like a collection of letters that Charlie writes anonymously and sends out. Now come on, lets prepare for tomorrow's speech."
For the next hour they went through every possible option that would help make Brittany less nervous while giving her speech. They considered Brittany imagining the audience naked, but then Brittany worried that imagining some people naked would do more harm than good, and she'd end up flustered during the whole speech. Ella then suggested that Brittany use a power point presentation so that she would have an excuse to turn her back on her classmates whenever she got too nervous. Brittany considered that option for a second but then realized that turning her back on the students wouldn't be the best since they would take advantage of it to make even more fun of her.
"What if you do it kind of like Charlie. Write a letter and just read it out to the class. It would help you avoid eye contact and you won't have to worry about forgetting what to say."
And then it clicked. "Wait. You said Charlie wrote letters anonymously to some random person about how his life was going and stuff."
Ella who was a bit confused by Brittany's sudden change in topic and could only nod.
"What if I got the whole student body to do that as the McKinley tradition for seniors. We could all write letters to random people anonymously and send them out. Wait, no, that wouldn't work."
Ella sat back and decided to just watch her sister. Brittany did this a lot. She would think out loud and have a fully blown-out monologue, but she always came up with the smartest, most inspired ideas by the end of it.
"I got it! What if we wrote letters to our future selves. We could each write a letter and say what we would hope our life would be like by the time we read this letter, and how it's going now. We could open the letter at our ten-year high school reunion and see which predictions came true."
Brittany did it again, and all Ella could do was smile proudly at her older sister. "I told you, you're the smart one in the family. Now come on, let's work on that kick-ass speech of yours to go with your genius idea."
Here she was, standing in front of 86 students, speech in hand and confident that her idea was actually good, but that didn't stop her hands from shaking uncontrollably. She leaned towards the microphone, maybe too close because when she spoke up her own voice startled her.
"H-hi, everyone. My name is Brittany Pierce and I'm your senior class president."
From the back of the bleachers she could hear some snickering and then someone shouting. "No shit Sherlock, we were the ones who voted for you."
Santana Lopez. Of course she wouldn't let Brittany off the hook, even if it was for just a couple of minutes. Brittany swallowed the lump in her throat and went on.
"I was asked to give a speech today and thank you for voting for me. I'm not sure why any of you voted for me though. I've never had a conversation that lasted more than a couple of seconds with most of you, but yet here I am."
Brittany felt her confidence growing with every word she said and decided to go on. "You might not think that I am the smartest person out there, you might bully me and call me names, but it never stopped me from being nice to you and that's what I'd like to achieve in our school year. I want to install a no-bullying policy."
That did it. The whole room erupted with laughter. "Dream on Blondie, there's a reason we slushy people in this school, so that losers like you can be put in their place."
Brittany wished she could just take the microphone and shove it down Santana's throat.
"All right students, settle down and let miss Pierce finish what she has to say."
Principle Figgins had a soft spot for Brittany and would always look out for her, but this time it didn't help. Brittany was too upset to continue her speech. She dropped the paper she was desperately clutching and walked away. As soon as she got to the other side of the gym, she saw Rachel stand up and walk to the microphone. Rachel picked up the piece of paper and decided to finish Brittany's speech for her.
"Most of you won't be okay with this policy, and I think it's because you're afraid. You're afraid of what would become of your reputation if you didn't instill fear on a daily basis, but that's fine. I never expected anyone to be okay with the idea; I just wanted to put it out there. As for the senior project McKinley has every year, I suggest we write a letter to our 27 or 28-year old selves. We can try to picture where we would be in 10 years and we can describe what life is like for us right now. We would only open these letters during our 10-year high school reunion and laugh at all our silly predictions."
Rachel smiled reading that last part. She already knew where she would be in 10 years, and she didn't think it was silly at all. She did think that Brittany's idea was actually really good.
Principle Figgins stood up and walked towards Rachel. "It's decided students, you all have to hand in a letter by the end of the day and put in the secretary's office. Make sure to write your name on it. Now give it up for the New Directions!"
To say that nobody was happy with having to write a stupid letter would be an understatement. Almost everyone could be heard groaning and mumbling about how unfair it was and how much they hated Brittany S. Pierce for making them do this.
Throughout the whole day, Brittany kept getting dirty looks. She got slushied three times. She couldn't wait for this day to be over, but she still had to go pick up the box of letters from the secretary's office and put it in the safe where all other senior projects were.
She placed the box of letters in the back of the safe, but when she went to close it, she noticed one of the letters wasn't sealed properly. She picked it up and licked the seal again, but right as she was about to close it, she noticed who the letter belonged to: Santana Lopez. Something took over Brittany. She remembered how mean Santana was to her that day and curiosity took the better of her. She wanted to see what dreams Santana had for her future. Her ambitions were probably to torment and torture even more people. With shaky hands, Brittany pulled out the piece of paper and read the first line.
If by the time I'm 28 I'm still alive to read this, it would be a miracle.
All mistakes are mine. If there are any grammar nazis out there, feel free to correct any mistakes you'll find. Please let me know if you'd like me to continue this.