Barry and Kara sped into the backstage area of McKinley High Schools auditorium just in time to start the first song, American Pie, which Barry was soloing. "Where the hell have you guys been? We're on in fifteen seconds!" Finn exclaimed. Barry nodded before speeding up into the rafters above the stage. He crouched down, and sent Blaine a neural message. Hey Blaine, this is Barry. Can you sing the first verse? I want to make an entrance. Blaine grinned beneath him, stepping forward on the stage as Kara joined the New Directions.
(Blaine, Barry, New Directions)
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
So
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Blaine trailed off just as the music kicked up. Just before the next line was due, Barry jumped from the rafters, plummeting to the stage be 'Superhero Landing' directly in front of Blaine, who took his original place with the New Directions.
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin'
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin'
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin'
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend
Oh and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin'
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
They were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
Barry bowed at the end of his song, tears rolling from everyone in the audience as Kara joined him at the front of the stage. The exchange a curt nod before Barry grabbed his guitar, and stringed a note.
Kara:
Who's to say,
Who's not okay?
The breakaways,
Will outlast, will outlast
Barry:
Sticks and stones,
Won't break these bones
They're just some drones,
To get past, I'll get past
Unique with Barry:
Feeling downcast,
Like an outcast
Underdogs, it's time to bite back!
Kara and New Directions:
We are, we are, we are, (Kara: Are!)
Stronger from every scar, (Kara: Scar!)
Brighter than any star! (Kara: Star!)
Kara with Barry and New Directions:
We're the outcast! O-o-outcast!
There's nothing you can say, (Kara: Say!)
To blow our dreams away! (Kara: Away!)
We rise above the fray! (Kara: Fray!)
We're the outcast! O-o-outcast!
Ryder with Kitty:
In this skin, I'm better than,
I've ever been, so take that, yeah, take that
Barry with Kara:
The test of time will show who shines
It will be mine
Yeah, the last laugh, the last laugh
Unique with Barry (New Directions):
Feel (Feel) ing (Ing) down (Down) cast (Cast), (Kara: You're feeling)
Like (Like) an (An) out (Out) cast (Cast) (Kara: Like an outcast)
Un (Un) der (Der) dogs (Dogs), it's (It's) (Kara: Yeah!) time (Time) to
Barry and Unique with New Directions:
It's time to bite back!
Kara with Kitty and New Directions:
We are, we are, we are (Kara: Are!)
Stronger from every scar, (Kara: Scar!)
Brighter than any star! (Kara: Star!)
Barry, Kara and New Directions:
We're the outcast! O-o-outcast!
There's nothing you can say, (Kara: Say!)
To blow our dreams away! (Kara: Away!)
We rise above the fray! (Kara: Fray!)
We're the outcast! O-o-outcast!
Barry and Kara:
I'd rather be outrageous than,
Ryder and Unique:
Just another dull cliché again!
Jake and Kitty:
I'd rather be a rainbow than,
Unique:
Just some shade of gray!
Ryder (New Directions):
We are, we are, we are (Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
Stronger from every scar, (Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah) (Kara: Yeah...)
Brighter than any star (Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah) (Kara: Yeah...)
The outcast (Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
Barry:
The outcast...
New Directions:
Oh, whoa, whoa!
Oh, whoa, whoa!
Stronger from every scar!
Kitty and Jake (Kara):
The outcast! (Outcast!)
O-o-outcast! (Outcast!)
New Directions:
Oh, whoa, whoa!
Oh, whoa, whoa!
Barry (Kara):
(Oooh!) Brighter than any star! (Oooh!)
The outcast!
Kara:
O-o-outcast! (Barry: The outcast...)
New Directions:
Oh, whoa, whoa!
Oh, whoa, whoa!
Marley:
We are, we are, we are, (Unique: Yes, we are!)
The outcast! O-o-outcast!
Kara finished the song with tears in her eyes, gripping Barry's hand tightly as her original song came to an end. The two gave each other a quick nod, before throwing their stools to the stage crew before joining the New Directions in the next song, which immediately started to play.
(Jake, Kitty, Ryder, Unique)
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin
He says, "Son, can you play me a memory
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes"
La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's someplace that he'd rather be
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me"
As the smile ran away from his face
"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place"
Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be for life
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly get stoned
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' alone
Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you got us feeling alright
It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about life for a while
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"
Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you got us feeling alright
The group came to a stop at the end of the song, lowering their head as the lights turned off. The next song kicked on.
(Barry, Jake, Blaine, Unique, Artie, Brittany)
Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah they were all yellow
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called "Yellow"
So then I took my turn
Oh what a thing to have done
And it was all yellow
Your skin
Oh yeah, your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
You know, you know I love you so
You know I love you so
I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh what a thing to do
'Cause you were all yellow
I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow
Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
And you know
For you I'd bleed myself dry
For you I'd bleed myself dry
It's true
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine
Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And all the things that you do
Barry was in a haze of fog at the end of the song, his ears burning at the sound of applause and cheers. Was it just him, or was his hands vibrating. Nope, they were. Oh shit, Kitty and Ryder definitely saw that. Barry thought as he saw Kitty and Ryder look at him with wide eyes. They all shuffled off the stage, and into the back...where Kitty confronted him.
"What the hell was that? You were...it's like your hands weren't even there!" Kitty exclaimed, not noticing Barry's constant swaying. "Wait...I've seen that before online...only the Flash has done that hand thing,"
"Oh, come on Kitty, you think Barry is the Flash?" asked Jake.
"It's obvious!" Kitty exclaimed as Barry grabbed a nearby table for balance. Kara rushed forward, grabbing his arm before asking. "Barry, are you ok?"
"N-No. I've never felt this...pain before," Barry said. "It-it's like it's eating me alive,"
"What's happening?" Finn asked.
"A presence," Barry said. "It-it could be Evig, or Highfather. The Court Gods. Or maybe…" Barry fell into Finn, falling to the floor in front of Kitty, who scream. "What the hell?!"
"New Directions, you're needed on stage for the -" The stage manager paused at the sight of Barry. Ryder, Brittany, Blaine, Artie, Sugar, Unique, Joe, and Tina moved to the stage while Finn, Kara, Kitty, and Jake stayed hovering over Barry. "You're going to be ok, Barry. You're gonna be alright. Please...stay with us," Kara whispered into his ear.