Chapter Seven
She entered the empty classroom, which was now her temporary rehearsal room, and saw Shelby sitting at the piano, smiling at her phone.
"Who's that?" Sugar asked.
Shelby jumped in her seat and quickly turned around. When she realized it was only Sugar, she calmed down and her features softened.
"My baby," she answered simply. Sugar had never seen Shelby like this. They had had a few rehearsals together already, which usually ended with intense shouting matches, but this was the first time that she had seen Shelby act like this. Her eyes were shining, and she couldn't see the strict vocal coach that she was used to in her features. Sugar liked this new and different Shelby. It reminded her of her own mami.
"She's adorable."
Shelby hummed in agreement, and then switched off her phone. She put it back into her purse, and stood up, her back straight and stiff. She walked over to the chalkboard and wrote Vocal/Swallowing/Breathing Exercises in large handwriting.
"Just...wanky."
Shelby looked over at Sugar, confusion on her face. "Well, let's start, shall we? We're still on the basics. Last time we worked on posture, and today I want to work on these aspects of singing," Shelby said with an air of professionalism, her earlier softness disappearing immediately as she gestured to her writing on the board.
Sugar groaned. "Why are we still doing basics? I get it all. Can't we move onto bigger and better stuff? I have an audition for West Side Story soon."
Shelby's eyes widened before she could stop herself. "You're auditioning for West Side Story?"
"Of course. Oh, and if I don't get a part, you're fired."
Shelby raised her eyebrow, but chose not to comment. "Basics are important. Once you master them, you'll be able to master anything. They're your foundation. Without a good foundation, your house collapses. It's the same with singing. Now, show me how you'd take in a deep breath."
Sugar closed her eyes and sucked in. She continued sucking in as much air as she could, until her lungs felt stretched to the point where her chest felt like it was about to burst. Once her lungs felt full, she tried to fit in as much air as she could into her mouth that her cheeks bulged like a chipmunk preparing for the winter and her face turned blue.
"What you're doing right now, is only breathing with your upper lungs. You want to breathe with your whole lung. You want to fill it to full capacity, so you have enough air and power to sing. The only way we can maximize the amount of air into our lungs is by using our diaphragm. By using our diaphragm, our lungs are stretched, allowing more air -" Shelby stopped talking and looked at Sugar. "You can let go of that breath Sugar."
Sugar opened her mouth and gasped for air. Her head was feeling light-headed and she had to sit down on the table behind her to prevent herself from collapsing. "Thanks," Sugar panted.
Shelby shook her head and continued. "Now I know this doesn't look flattering, but I want you to breathe with your stomach. Drop that diaphragm, and fill your lungs."
Sugar looked down at her stomach and took in a deep breath.
"No, stop. Did you see that? You raised your shoulders. That's counterproductive, and you aren't doing anything beneficial by doing it. Lower your shoulders. Inhale, and you should see your stomach expand." Shelby instructed. She placed her hand on Sugar's stomach lightly. "Push my hand."
Sugar watched Shelby's hand move as she expanded her lower torso. She could feel the bottom of her lungs fill with more oxygen than when she breathed with her shoulders.
"Great! Can you feel all those muscles? That's where you're going to get all your power from to belt out all those songs. Don't forget what we learnt last time. Stand firmly on your feet. Feel the energy coming from the ground, through your feet, through your abdominals, your lungs, and out of your mouth." Shelby was starting to get very excited, and Sugar could tell that she was very passionate about her work.
Sugar continued to practice her breathing with different breathing exercises, but she was starting to feel light-headed. "Ok, let's use everything that we've learnt with some scales. Follow me. I am a shining star," Shelby sang with perfect pitch.
Sugar cleared her throat and copied Shelby. She started off well, but then everything she had learnt flew out of the window when her 'performance mode' was switched on. She closed her eyes and swung her arms around, in time with the piano.
"Ok, stop, stop." Shelby said firmly. When Sugar didn't listen, she gave up and yelled, "Stop! I am a shining star, I am a shining star. Do you hear the difference?"
Sugar glared at Shelby. They had finally reached that part of the rehearsal, where Shelby started to get frustrated, and Sugar was becoming tired. But Sugar refrained herself from yelling back. She felt that she had made a lot of progress this lesson. "Yah, I sound good," she said sarcastically. "You know, why don't you take the day off." Sugar's throat was starting to hurt, and she was sure her blood pressure was low from all the breathing exercises. "I need to catch up on My Strange Addiction episodes, and you kinda have this irritating nasally quality that I can only take so much of," she joked.
Shelby gave her an indignant look, and Sugar suddenly felt bad. "Sorry! Asperger's," she quickly added. She bent down and quickly gave Shelby a hug; her way of conveying the message that she was grateful for all that she was doing.
As she left the classroom, she got a quick glimpse of what Sugar could only describe as a 'teenage mess'. Dark, ragged and loose clothing hung off a slim frame. Though none of the clothes appealed to Sugar (no one in the future and in their right mind would ever be caught wearing such a costume), her bright pink hair was reminiscent of many people in the future (advancements in gene technology meant parents could choose the colour of their baby's hair; aqua was a popular choice). The smell of menthol and cigarette smoke hit her nose, and Sugar quickened her pace, wanting to avoid any sort of interaction with the strange girl.
She continued on her way and out of the corner of her eye, noticed a familiar face looking down at her. She stopped in her tracks and turned towards the poster of her mom, under the words 'Pierce for President' hanging off the wall. Her mom was lying on the grass, adorning her cheerleading uniform, her face framed by the red and white of cheerleading pompoms like a lion's mane. She stepped back from the poster and her line of eyesight followed the other campaign posters, periodically situated along the wall, in between the facial close-ups of other presidential candidates.
Sugar followed the trail of posters and was taken around the corner, where she spotted her teenage moms hard at work. There was a pile of posters on the floor in between them, and their bodies were stretched as they reached for the highest spots on the wall, somewhere where the poster could not be missed by potential voters. Sugar stalked closer to the pair, but was careful to not get too close; she was still yet to share a proper conversation with her teenage moms.
"Does that look straight to you?" Brittany asked as she stepped back from the wall, her hand scratching the back of her head.
Santana stepped over to Brittany and cocked her head to the side as she studied the poster. "Yeah, as straight as you are Britt," Santana replied.
Sugar tried her best to stifle the giggle which was building in the back of her throat, afraid she might give herself away. She watched on in silence as her mom gave her mami an adoring look- one which Sugar was all too familiar with- and slowly lean in. Her mami stepped back and cleared her throat as she looked down at her toes. Having grown up with her parents all her life, Sugar had never seen either of them step away from any signs of affection, and her mami's actions puzzled her.
However, Sugar's thoughts didn't linger for much longer as her mami looked at her watch and exclaimed, "Britt! My audition!" Unlike Sugar, Brittany seemed to understand this as she quickly collected the remaining posters and followed Santana as they ran off down the hall. Sugar hurriedly chased them through the school, and up flights of stairs until they stopped right outside the doors to the school's auditorium. Sugar hid behind the corner just as her parents embraced in a hug.
"I'll be waiting in the wings. Good luck!" Brittany said quietly into Santana's ear. She quickly pecked Santana's temple before Santana could react, and the pair entered the auditorium, leaving Sugar behind. When the coast seemed clear, Sugar tip toed up to the doors to the auditorium, and saw a sign in the windows. PLEASE KEEP QUIET! WEST SIDE STORY AUDITIONS IN PROGRESS!
Of course, Sugar thought. Despite only just mentioning to Shelby that she was auditioning for a part in West Side Story earlier in the day, it had totally slipped her mind that the auditions had already started. Seeing that no one was around, Sugar opened the door, as quietly as she could, and slipped in. She jumped into the nearest seat, as far away from the stage as she possibly could be, and slouched down, trying her best to hide her face. From above the seat in front of her, she could see a near-empty stage with a small orchestra outlining the back and sides, and in the centre of the auditorium, Sugar could see the back of three heads at a table, a strange aura surrounding them, thanks to a small lamp.
"Last call for Santana Lopez," a high-pitched female voice rang out from the central table.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm here," Santana called out as she strode down the aisle towards the stage. She walked straight up onto the stage and handed in some sheets of paper to the scraggly man sitting at the piano –the same man who accompanied Sugar during her audition for the glee club. She turned back around and headed towards the microphone.
"Today I'll be auditioning for the role of Anita."
Sugar sat up as she listened to her mami croon into the microphone. Her mother's voice took her to a different place in her life; it reminded Sugar of her younger days, when her mom used to sing in some of the television shows she acted in. Her mom would come home, humming the same songs as she peeled carrots, and would then continue to sing the songs to Sugar, just as she was drifting off to sleep during her bed time. Though Sugar didn't recognize the song, it still made her sit back in her seat and close her eyes as her body relaxed in time with the music. All too soon, the last notes of Santana's song came to an end, and Sugar sat up in her seat, hoping to get a glimpse of the directors' reactions. She couldn't see much from the back of their heads, but Sugar didn't worry. She already knew the outcome of her mother's audition; it was one of the perks of coming from the future.
"That was great Santana, just perfect"
"I know it's early, and I'm not supposed to say this, but I'm pretty sure you'll get the part."
"I better get the part Four-Eyes, otherwise I'll deflate your wheels." Santana threatened with a slight humor in her voice. She walked off to the side of the stage, where Sugar was sure her mom was waiting. Sugar was about to sneak back out of the auditorium, when she heard her name being called.
"Sugar Motta!"
She froze in her spot and carefully turned on the spot to find that no one was actually looking at her. She was so sure that she had been caught spying.
"Sugar Motta onto the stage please!"
It suddenly hit her. It was her turn to audition for the musical. She had totally forgotten, and didn't think her audition was until later in the day. Sneaking in to watch her mami's audition didn't seem like such a bad idea after all; if she hadn't, she would have missed her chance.
Walking up to the stage gave Sugar enough time to calm her nerves, when she suddenly realized that she had not prepared anything for her audition, yet telling the directors felt incredibly unprofessional, and even Sugar knew that it was unacceptable. She decided against singing a song from the future, and barely had any knowledge of old songs. She had heard different songs here and there, but none of them had stuck in her mind. Besides, she didn't know any lyrics.
"Which part will you be auditioning for Sugar?" said a familiar voice.
She squinted into the darkness. With the bright lights on her face, they made the empty auditorium seem darker, and Sugar could not see anyone in the audience. She raised her hand to shield her eyes, and by doing so, could faintly see the outline of three people sitting at the central table. She immediately recognized Artie sitting in the center.
"Hi Artie! Do you remember me? It's me, Sugar!" she exclaimed, waving brightly at him. He waved uneasily back, but Sugar could barely see with the glaring lights. Sugar contemplated his question. "Uhh…not Anita." Sugar knew she wouldn't want to compete against her mami. "Oh, and not Maria," she quickly added. She didn't want to compete against her Aunt Mercedes either. "Any part you give me will do. I'm not fussed." And with that, Artie gestured for her to start her audition piece.
"I am a shining star!" Sugar screeched. "I am a shining star!" She opened her mouth to repeat the line, but in a higher pitch, when she noticed Artie waving frantically at her. Oh, so now he decides to wave back, she thought. She dropped her arms, which she had raised subconsciously, and lowered them to her sides.
"I don't recognize that song," the petite lady on Artie's right stated.
"I don't either. I'm not even sure if that was a proper audition," the other lady on Artie's left added.
"Sugar, when you auditioned for glee club, I tried to be understanding, I mean, we're all for the underdog, but now I just feel like you're mocking us."
"But I'm not mocking you," Sugar said in defeat. She was tired of people giving her strange looks when she performed. Why couldn't anyone see that she was truly giving it her best shot? She was really starting to hate the past. "You know what, screw this. I don't want to be in your stupid musical. You all don't look qualified and your musical is going to suck. Not Asperger's!" She screwed her hands into fists and stormed off the stage.
Sugar knew she was being a real diva about things, but she was finally tired of everything. She had spent almost a full month in the past, and she wasn't getting anywhere. She still hadn't talked to her teenage parents, and she hadn't figured out how to fix her mom's time machine. She furiously wiped at her eyes as she exited the school building and walked back to the motel feeling helpless.
She was being violently jostled around as she tried to make her way to her locker. There was a large mass of bodies blocking most of the hallway and Sugar had no idea what was happening. She turned to the nearest person, a small mousey-haired girl, and asked, "What's happening?"
"Flash mob rally. Brittany Pierce is running for president. It was all over Twitter," the girl answered, not taking her eyes off the crowd.
The moment her mom's name was mentioned, Sugar's stomach did a big flip. She had no idea what a flash mob rally entailed or what Twitter was, but she was excited nonetheless, just like everyone else around her. She pushed her way through the crowd, receiving a few grunts and remarks, but Sugar didn't care, she wanted to be right at the front, supporting her mom.
By following the crowd, she found herself at the doors to the gym, as everyone filed in and filled up the bleachers. She found an empty seat, right at the front, and sat there eagerly, unsure of what to expect. Suddenly her mom burst into the gym, followed by a team of cheerleaders, singing and dancing. Everyone started cheering and clapping along. Sugar grinned brightly as she watched her mom dance in awe. The last time she had seen her mom dance was in the cafeteria, but Sugar could only get quick glimpses as she leaped from table to table. This time, she was directly in front of Sugar, and Sugar had the best view. Her mom danced a lot in the future, but never like this. She usually danced goofily with her mami whenever the radio was on, but this was different. Today, she was dancing with purpose, and no one seemed to be able to catch up to her. Sugar was absolutely mesmerized. For one moment, Sugar swore she saw her mom give her a wink, which made her heart beat at a million miles an hour, but she wasn't sure; her mom's hair was swishing about, and covered a lot of her face.
Sugar was so awestruck by her mom that it wasn't until later in the performance that she realized that a lot of the crowd had gotten up to join her mother's dancing. She tore her eyes away from her mom – a hard task – and quickly scanned all the people dancing along. Behind Brittany, she spotted her mami, and smiled. Of course her mami was there to support her mom. Sugar wanted to get up and join in, but everyone looked in sync and Sugar had no idea what the dance moves were. Suddenly everyone fell to the floor, leaving her mother, mami and the girl-who-used-to-have-pink-hair-but-now-had-blonde-hair dancing with their solo parts, causing Sugar to grin widly.
More girls started jumping up from their seats, and joining in with the dancing, and Sugar couldn't help but get up and join along. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd, and everyone sang along and threw their hands up in the air. Another girl pushed forward and handed Brittany a microphone, whom she promptly thanked. "Hi, I'm Brittany S. Pierce and I'm your next senior class president!"
Everyone started cheering, and Sugar couldn't tell who was cheering louder, her mami, or herself. Sugar looked around, and could see her Aunt Mercedes, and the girl with the beaky nose also clapping along. All around her, everyone was smiling and having a good time. It made Sugar warm inside. She loved seeing her mom make all these people happy and never felt any prouder. She couldn't wait to see everyone when her mom actually won the election. Everyone would be ecstatic.
Sugar watched as a lot of people walked up to Brittany and pat her on the back, and Sugar chose now to take her chance. She strode up to her mom, and tapped her on the shoulder. Her legs turned to jelly. Her mom was real. She was flesh and bones, and Sugar could touch her. Brittany looked over at Sugar, and she could feel her hands start to shake. She leaned over and whispered in her ear, loudly enough for Brittany to hear over the noise in the gym, "That was great President Pierce," Sugar said shyly.
Brittany grinned back. "Thanks honey."
Sugar almost died on the spot. Her mom used that term of endearment on her all the time in the future. She swiftly turned around and ran out of the gym, and into the nearest bathroom. She rummaged into her bag for a packet of tissues, and blew her nose, not caring that the sound reverberated off the walls all around her. She could actually feel her heart collapsing with the pain. She missed her moms, the future, and her life so much, and her body was having a physical reaction to her loneliness. She looked into the mirror and saw that her eyes were red and puffy. She almost didn't want to care, but chastised herself. She had to stay strong. She was getting close to finding a way out of this mess. She could feel it.
Her next rehearsal gave Sugar quite a shock. Instead of only seeing Shelby waiting alone at the piano, she saw another familiar face, and it made Sugar's heart flutter.
"Mercedes?! What are you doing here?"Sugar squeaked, ignoring how high her voice was getting.
Shelby spoke up, "Oh, you know each other already? Well, Sugar, I'm sure you won't mind, but Mercedes has decided to lend her skills and join our glee club."
Sugar squealed in response and ran to Mercedes, enveloping her into a giant hug. With her face buried in her Aunt Mercedes' shoulder, she missed the confused reactions being shared between Shelby and Mercedes. "Woah, calm down girl, we barely know each other."
Sugar wanted to tell Mercedes the truth, but knew the consequences, so she kept her lips sealed. She pulled back from the hug and stepped away, but stayed closer to Mercedes than she was to Shelby.
"Ready to start rehearsing?"
Sugar was blown away. As much as she loved hearing her parents sing, her Aunt Mercedes was on an entirely different level. Though she had heard her Aunt Mercedes sing a numerous amount of times when she was younger, this time felt particularly special. She was hearing Mercedes sing before she was a big star. She did not expect her to have that much power and presence at such a young age. She had expected that her skills would have matured over the years, but Sugar decided that she was just a natural talent. She was born to sing, it was as simple as that.
Sugar spent much of the rehearsal listening to Mercedes sing in awe. She really didn't mind being in the background for the hour. She sat down on the nearest table and stared starry-eyed at her aunt. Shelby also didn't seem to mind that Sugar wasn't participating in today's rehearsal. For once, there was no shouting in their rehearsal.
"If we're going to be a winning glee club, we're going to need more members."
Shelby nodded in agreement as Sugar silently watched the two interact from the background. "Is there anyone that you have in mind?"
Sugar knew immediately who she'd like to have in their new glee club. Even the thought of having both her moms and Aunt Mercedes in the same glee club made Sugar's knees buckle with excitement. They'd be an unstoppable quartet; Mercedes and Santana's voices, coupled with Brittany's dance moves would easily concoct an invincible team.
"I could ask around. Some of us were pretty upset at last year's loss at Nationals, so I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mind joining a winning team for once." At this revelation, a smile crept across Mercedes' features. "I've got the perfect candidate. Santana Lopez. She cracked it at Rachel Berry last year. She'd do anything to leave the New Directions. I mean, she practically burnt down one of their pianos."
Sugar's heart pounded. Mercedes must have read her mind. "Yes! Santana Lopez will be perfect for our glee club! Please, please, please recruit her," Sugar begged as she got onto her knees and grabbed onto the hem of Mercedes' shirt. She was shaking, and the tears forming at the corner of her eyes were threatening to fall. Sugar didn't know that she could want something so much. She had gone past the point of just wanting her moms to be a part of her glee club; she was now drowning in desperation. Her life was literally depending on it.
"Sugar, don't worry, I'll ask her. Actually, it'll be good. If she joins, Brittany will join too. They're inseparable."
Sugar made a weird noise from the back of her throat, halfway through a whimper and a squeal. She remained on the floor, afraid that if she stood up, she'd collapse. Mercedes looked over to Shelby. "We can form an all-girl group," she suggested.
Shelby seemed to contemplate this, but nodded enthusiastically. "Great idea Mercedes!"
Mercedes looked down at Sugar. "You're a weird child, Sugar Motta, and I'm still undecided about you. But we'll need you if we want to win." She patted Sugar's shoulder and supported her to her feet.
Sugar found that she had lost her voice, so she nodded in response. Suddenly the bell rang, indicating that classes were starting up again. She retrieved her bag from the top of the piano and turned back to the other two people in the room. "I've got class now, I'll see you ladies later!" She quickly gave then both a hug and left the room, headed for her locker. Along the way, she walked past a notice board, the same notice board where she met Mercedes a few days ago. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a new sheet of paper which had been pinned up in the centre of the board. Sugar stopped and stood in front of the sheet. It was the casting list for West Side Story. Her eyes scanned the paper and couldn't find her name. Though this didn't surprise Sugar, she couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment that washed over her. She had lost her chance to perform in a musical with her parents. Her heart jumped when she read her mothers' names on the list, just as she expected to. Sugar couldn't be disappointed for long though, she was so sure that Mercedes wouldn't fail on her promise, and get her moms to join her glee club. Interestingly enough, Sugar noted that she couldn't find Mercedes' name on the list, and she reminded herself to ask why.
After retrieving her books from her locker, she entered her geography class and spotted an empty seat next to a familiar face. "Hey Tina," Sugar greeted brightly.
Tina turned her head and moved her books over to allow room for Sugar. "Oh, hey Sugar. How's your new glee club going?"
"Perfect! Mercedes just joined us, and she's a perfect addition to our team."
Tina stopped moving her books and her mouth fell open. "What? Mercedes joined your glee club?"
"Yeah. Perfect timing really, Shelby says I'm improving a great deal, and I needed someone as good as Mercedes to keep up with me. You know what Tina? You should join us too! We're forming an all girls group."
Tina's response was lost as their teacher entered the classroom and threw heavy atlases on to their desks, the loud thumps startling the rest of the students from their stupor.
"Motta Mias. Tomato Tomotta." She was brainstorming possible names for her glee club, just as Shelby had asked her. Shelby sat and listened to a few of Sugar's suggestions, but then grew bored as she excused herself and flicked through her sheet music. It suddenly dawned on Sugar. She had the perfect name. "Locomotta!"
Muffled giggling wafted into the rehearsal classroom, and Sugar turned to face the door. She could recognize those three voices from miles away. Mercedes had told her earlier in the day that she had convinced her moms to join their glee club, and the anticipation of not only being able to see her moms, but also getting the chance to finally interact with them bubbled in Sugar's stomach. Finally Aunt Mercedes entered the doorway, flanked on either side by a pair of cheerleaders. Sugar almost threw herself onto the group, but quickly withheld the temptation. "Awesome, more back up for me." It had escaped her lips without Sugar thinking, and she chastised her idiot brain and idiot mouth. She was about to blame Asperger's when she noticed the change in her mami's face.
"Oh, okay, you know what? I did not just leave one diva driven glee club to join another, so let me write you a reality check Richie Bitch." Santana slowly stepped closer, and Sugar retreated, feeling each of her mother's words hit her squarely in the chest. "I've seen what you can do, and what you can do is stand in the back, sway and sing very, very quietly"
Sugar couldn't look her mami in the eye and diverted her gaze by looking at her mami's white sneakers instead. Even though she was used to her mami telling her off, there was something humiliating about being told off by a teenage version of her. This was the first time that she had spoken to her teenage mom, and it was not how Sugar had planned it at all. There was also something uncomfortably familiar about it. It then dawned on Sugar that the last time she spoke to her mami, they were having an argument as well. "I...um...just wanted to be on the winning team for once?" Sugar said timidly, her cheeks rapidly gaining heat. Not many people could reduce Sugar into a frightened mess; her mami was one of the rare few. Sugar was quickly finding out that her teenage mami was not much different to her adult mami, and that fact alone was terrifying.
"Then turn down the 'tude and you will be," Mercedes added sternly, but with less venom than Santana. Sugar looked up at Brittany, but her mom had nothing to add. Instead, she was fixed on Sugar's chest, and it made her uncomfortable.
"Ladies, welcome," Shelby said from behind Sugar. It was the first time that Sugar was grateful to hear her voice, because it meant that she wasn't going to be criticized by her mami again. "We were just brainstorming names for our new group."
Santana walked forward and nudged Sugar out of the way. It was her first contact with her mami, and though she should have felt elated, she was hurt. "Perfect! Hot Bitches," Santana blurted out quickly. Sugar couldn't help but think that her mami had had that idea in her head for a while. "Or Hot Messes."
"Free Beer," Brittany added. Sugar wanted to laugh aloud, because it was so like her mom to come up with such a ridiculous name, but Shelby quickly interrupted.
"Ah, okay, I was thinking something that more captured our essence. Sums up who we want to be, who we really are."
"Well what we are is trouble for the other groups."
Everyone hummed in agreement while her mami chuckled. Sugar tried to enter the circle that her glee club had formed, but her mami was blocking her way.
"The Troubletones," Shelby suggested, "I like it."
"That's good." Everyone's faces brightened up. Shelby had hit the jackpot. This was why she was one of the top show choir directors money could buy.
Finally Sugar went around her moms, and stood next to Shelby. "I like that too," she interjected, though nobody seemed to be listening. They were all too busy trying their new group name on their tongues. Sugar felt dejected and ignored. She was the one who had started this group. She was the one who went into all the trouble of finding a director and hiring Shelby. Her efforts were starting to feel wasted. Sure her moms had joined, but what was the point when they were both treating her like she didn't exist?
"We're going to need more members if we want to compete," Brittany informed. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"I asked Tina," Sugar piped in, hoping someone would acknowledge her.
"Oh no, Girl Chang wouldn't join us without her precious Boy Chang," Santana dismissed. Sugar's shoulders slumped. She was feeling more and more inadequate as each second passed and the others discussed who else they could recruit.
"Santana and I could ask some of the Cheerios. Santana's cheer captain this year, so they have to do whatever she tells them. They can be our backup dancers or something." Santana nodded in agreement, and gave Brittany a looked which seemed to convey 'You're a genius'.
"Great!" Shelby said, as she turned back and sat down at the piano. "Let's warm up!"
"Nice shirt by the way," Brittany whispered in Sugar's ear. Sugar looked down at her chest and gulped as she walked over to the piano beside Shelby.
Her legs were starting to feel heavy as she kicked her legs, one after the other in quick succession. She had done the same moves at least thirty times in the past hour as they rehearsed their first group number in an empty classroom after school and her body was starting to feel incredibly tired and sore. But she tried her best to hide her fatigue as no one else was looking tired. Sugar figured it was because most of them were used to strenuous rehearsals, with their involvement in past glee clubs and cheerleading. She also wanted to look good and impress her moms. Just like her mami had said, Sugar found herself in the background as a backup dancer, while her parents and aunt sung and danced in the middle. Even though she was itching to sing along, she really did not want to be on her mami's bad side, so she obeyed her instructions and mimed along. She was doing well so far. Her mami hadn't raised her voice more than twice during their rehearsal. Sugar figured it was because she was busy concentrating on her own routine, and anyway, they were receiving a lot of yelling from Shelby as she tried to perfect their performance. A few times, she had to tear her eyes off the trio in the centre of the room, as she caught herself just watching them and forgetting that she was a part of the performance as well.
"Alright. Ten minute drinks break," Shelby shouted. Right away, she grabbed her music and starting scribbling notes down. Sugar sighed as she slumped to her bag and rummaged for her drink bottle. She found it squished up against her maths folder and she gulped down the lukewarm water thirstily. She watched as Santana and Brittany left the room, mostly likely to find the bathroom, and Mercedes walked over to Shelby, most likely to discuss her prominent role. One of the cheerleaders that Santana had forced to join the Troubletones flopped down beside her.
"You're really good Steph," Sugar complimented.
She smiled in return and swallowed a large amount of water. "Thanks." She wiped the sweat from her brow and fixed her blonde ponytail just as the other two Cheerios came and joined them.
Sugar waited patiently for her own compliment, but none was sent her way. "Is this much different to being a cheerleader?"
The three cheerleaders glanced at each other as something silent passed between them. "Working your ass off along to the soundtrack of screaming? Of course not!" Danielle, the girl with the darkest skin, chortled as the other two giggled along. Sugar didn't understand their joke, but grimaced anyway. Sugar was feeling quite left out in the group. The cheerleaders stuck together, while Mercedes, Santana and Brittany spent most of their time together. That left Sugar stuck with Shelby, but she didn't want to hang out with a teacher. There was something incredibly demeaning about that.
"Don't forget that we're still stuck with Sandbags," Michelle, the brunette, piped up. The other two hummed and nodded in agreement.
"Sandbags?" Sugar asked, confused.
Michelle looked around the room and lowered her voice. "Santana."
Sugar leaned back. She didn't understand the connection between sandbags and her mami, but she was offended nonetheless. As much as she disliked her mami's attitude towards her, she was still incredibly protective over her. These girls should have felt blessed to have the opportunity to be in the same vicinity as her mami. She wanted to tell them to wait for the future; they'll be the ones waiting in lines to get her mami's autograph, but held her tongue. Right on cue, her moms returned to the room, and everyone silenced.
"Before we start up again Shelby, we should talk about costumes."
"I vote we dress up as giant lollipops, and I'll be Willy Wonka. And I want a walking stick as well. One that sticks to the ground when I do somersaults." Sugar looked over at Brittany, and then caught the cheerleaders share a look as Michelle cocked an eyebrow.
"We could always base our costumes off Christina Aguilera's video clip," Mercedes said as she walked over to the computer at the back of the classroom. She opened up the browser and quickly typed something into the search bar. Soon enough, men in military uniform surrounded three women in white uniform. When Sugar got closer to the computer, she realized that the women performing were actually all the same person, just with different hair styles.
"Yeah! You, Santana and Brittany could wear that uniform. There's a blonde, one with black hair and one with red. Brittany, Mercedes...and...sorry Santana, I guess you're going to have to dye your hair red," Sugar said.
"I'm not dying my hair red," Santana said adamantly.
"I dunno, it could be hot."
Santana looked over at Brittany and quietened. She seemed to be contemplating what Brittany had just said.
"I'm sure we could find some military uniform in the costume stores of the drama department. If not, I'm sure Lord Tubbington can get a hold of some from the black market."
"What are we going to wear?" Danielle chirped.
"You should wear the male military uniform."
"We're not wearing that."
"We're an all girl group."
"Nothing wrong with wearing pants if you're a girl."
Soon everyone started talking on top of each other, and no one could make out what someone else was saying.
"Girls, please! One at a time. You don't have to wear military uniform if you don't want to Danielle. How about dressing up as a Rosie like in the video? That symbolizes female empowerment, and they're wearing pants."
Sugar didn't know what a Rosie was, but spoke up. "I want to wear a dress. It'll look good when we spin around and everyone can see my legs."
"Alright, how about what she's wearing when they're dancing. That pink dress."
Mercedes had to rewind the video to remind everyone of what dress Shelby was referring to. There was a moment of silence as they all envisioned themselves dancing in those dresses.
"I like it."
"Me too."
"Hopefully we can find some spare ones in the costume department." The girls all nodded in agreement. "Well now that we've figured that out, let us continue rehearsing."
They returned to the center of the room, as they endured Shelby's barking for another half hour. Finally Shelby was ready to call it a day, and dismissed the girls. Sugar collected her bag, and walked out of the school, faintly humming Candyman to herself.
"Hey Brittany, Santana. Want to grab something to eat?" Mercedes' voice rang out across the parking lot.
"Oh, can't. Sorry Mercedes. It's a Friday." Brittany called in return. She hopped into the passenger seat of a red car, with Santana getting behind the wheel.
Mercedes looked over at Sugar, hoping for more of an explanation, but Sugar shrugged; not because she didn't understand, but because she wasn't about to ruin the time space continuum. Sugar knew exactly what her mom was referring to, and getting into a car with Santana only confirmed what Sugar was thinking. Sugar never saw her moms on a Friday night. When she was younger, she would have a baby sitter look after her, and as she got older, she had the house to herself. Friday nights were date nights, a tradition which apparently started well before they were married.
"C'mon Sugar, I'll give you a lift home," Mercedes said as Sugar shrieked and ran over to her aunt's car.
She used both her arms to heave the door closed. The door slammed deafeningly which caused Sugar and a few other students to jump around her. She blushed as she lowered her head. It was the first time that she had driven her mom's car since arriving in Lima, 2011. Sugar didn't know what compelled her to drive the thing to school today. She had walked to school every day, but today she decided that she needed a change. She was starting to really settle into this new life that she was living. As much as she wanted to be back home, she had decided to make the most of the situation that she found herself in.
She fumbled with the car keys; cars in the future didn't need keys, and just as she was about to check that she had locked her car properly, a familiar voice rang out.
"Nice car," Brittany greeted. Sugar quickly thrust the keys into the keyhole and turned around. She leaned against the side of the car, trying to look as casual as possible. Beside Brittany was Santana, who happened to be looking down at her phone, and a baby-faced boy who Sugar didn't recognize.
"Oh, this old thing?" Sugar patted the hood of the car. The car looked weathered and about to fall apart at any minute. The white paint was now an off-yellow and some of it was peeling in some places. The tray at the rear of the truck was covered with a thick layer of mud and dark spots, to which Sugar didn't know the origin of.
"Yeah, I think it's the same model as my car." Brittany pointed over to her left, where a pristine version of Sugar's car was parked. Sugar could feel her stomach churn. The same two cars were less than ten yards away from each other, and both their owners happened to be two feet away from Sugar. Would something horrific happen now that the two cars were now in the same vicinity? "I thought this model was only released a few months ago. How did you get it so dirty? Nice choice in car though. Great minds think alike," Brittany said with a wink.
Sugar's face reddened as she forced a smile. In reality, she hated her mom's old car. As well as being ancient, it was also bulky and tricky to drive, and Sugar never really understood why she needed a truck, instead of a small car like most of the other cars in the parking lot. The giant tray was useless and quite frankly a nuisance.
Santana then looked up from her phone and nodded at Sugar to acknowledge her presence. She looked behind her to see the boy standing there awkwardly. "You still here Lucky Charms? You've been for a couple of days now, surely you don't still need us to guide you. Go follow a rainbow, and when you get to the end, give me all the gold you find," Santana snarled.
"Santana," Brittany warned. The boy's face became increasingly pink as he stalked away, heading for the front door of the school. "He was sorta already following a rainbow," Brittany said as she gestured to herself and Santana.
Santana quickly grabbed onto Brittany's hand, halting her motions and she eyed Sugar, daring her to say something. Sugar gulped and stared back blankly. Santana broke eye contact as she looked at Brittany. "I just don't like the kid."
"He asked me out the other day," Brittany said, as if in passing.
"Oh did he now?" Santana said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She stomped off, towards the entrance of the school. Brittany jogged to keep up with Santana, quickly giving Sugar a wave.
"See you later in rehearsal!" she shouted behind her. Sugar couldn't help but let out a small giggle. It was so much like her mami to get jealous over such petty issues. But, there was something very heartwarming about seeing her mami get protective over her girl, and that nothing had changed for the last twenty years. With that in mind, Sugar walked towards the school, with an extra spring in her step.
"What are you doing here Moby-Dick? Spying on us, are you?" A tall boy wearing a striped polo shirt stumbled around and faced the source of the voice.
"Oh, uh, Santana. I'm here with Mr. Schue. Mrs. Corcoran let us watch your rehearsal."
Santana turned her head and looked over at the Troubletones. "What do you reckon girls? Do we allow Mr. Schue and his manboy spy on us?" Sugar looked over at the boy. Even though he was taller than everyone in the room, his shoulders were slumped and he didn't exude an ounce of confidence; a stark contrast to her mami. There was something almost pitiful about the boy, and it wasn't just because her mami was calling him names. His demeanor also happened to remind Sugar of someone she once knew, but she wasn't sure who and why.
"Let them watch. I want to see them squirm," Sugar piped up. Santana turned to face Sugar, and Sugar could see a slightly surprised smirk on her face. It was almost as if Santana was looking proud of Sugar.
"I like your line of thinking. I hope you wore your diaper Finn, because you are about to shit yourself. The Troubletones are here to stay."
The boy shuffled off the stage and into the darkness of the seats. The group split as they went to make their final preparations for their dress rehearsal. Sugar adjusted her dress as the band behind them tuned up their instruments, the Cheerios did their stretches, and Santana, Brittany and Mercedes did some vocal warm-ups. Finally Shelby joined them on stage, after having a quick chat with Mr. Schuester. She gathered the group, and everyone stood round her, forming a tight circle.
"Alright ladies, turns out we've got a bit of an audience today for our rehearsal, which isn't ideal, but this might work to our advantage. If this works out well, we might use it in our repertoire for future competitions, and I'm quietly confident. I want to see big, performance, jaw-aching smiles, and everyone giving it their hardest. Most of all, I want to see teamwork and support from each other. Listen to each other. That's the most important thing. Let's show the competition what we can do!" Shelby squeezed Sugar's shoulder just as she was about to leave the stage. She headed for the table in the centre of the auditorium, and flicked on a lamp, which illuminated the immediate area. "Positions!"
Sugar scrambled to the front of the stage and sat down with her legs hanging off the edge. Three other members clad in red matching dresses mimicked her, while three others in blue costumes stood in their positions, near the back of the stage. "Three, two, one!" Shelby shouted. Soon enough, the band started playing and their performance was in full swing. Sugar plastered on the performance smile that Shelby had trained them to pull, and kicked higher that she had ever kicked in rehearsals. Afraid to ruin their performance, she whispered the lyrics, and was glad that her parents and Mercedes were singing most of the song. Everything was traveling very smoothly, and Sugar couldn't help but garner a look at their audience. Though it was hard to see anything through the glare of the stage lights, she could imagine their stunned expressions. She sensed some movement, and assumed it was Mr. Schuester burying his head into his hands.
Throughout the performance, Sugar caught small glimpses of her parents interact on stage. Her mother was being a total goofball by pulling silly faces, and since arriving in the past, she had never seen her mami smile so hard. She caught her mami watching her mom every so often, and it made her tingle. They were born for the stage, and they were absolutely killing it. Sugar couldn't help but feel this overwhelming sense of pride. It was because of her that the Troubletones were a force to be reckoned with. They were going to win their competitions, hands down.
Finally the music came to a halt. They got into their final poses and held them for a few seconds. Sugar listened as everyone on stage huffed and puffed, trying to catch their breath. It seemed that it wasn't only Sugar who was giving it their all. A slow clap echoed around the auditorium, matching their thumping hearts. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
The girls broke out of their final positions as a collective sigh was shared between the group. All those rehearsals, sweat and bruised toes had paid off. They had not only impressed their director, but also instilled a sense of confidence in themselves and scared their opponents at the same time.
"Uh...thanks for allowing us to watch your rehearsal. Girls, that was...well...amazing. I can't wait to see what you bring to Sectionals." Mr. Schuester said. He seemed like he was in a great hurry to leave, and soon afterwards he was out the door, with the boy in tow.
The Troubletones were about to pack up, when Shelby's voice stopped them. "Ok, girls, it was a good performance, but there's still a bit we need to work on. Brittany, I want more support when you're singing. Drop that diaphragm. Michelle, watch your timing in the pivots. Santana, as much as I like on-stage chemistry, I would like you to share that chemistry with the audience, and not only Brittany. And Sugar, eyes to the front and stop watching the performance; you're a performer, not an audience member. Places please. Back to the top!"
Sugar barely had time to wipe the sweat from her nose before the sound of the drums kicked in, and she was swinging her legs. They were only just starting their road to Sectionals, and Shelby wasn't going to stop at any rest stops any time soon. Still, Sugar couldn't help but feel immensely proud, and was excited for the future.
Or past.
Time travel was still confusing, regardless of the era she was in.
