Waking up in the heart of New York always had its perks. I slept by the window where I got the view of the entire city and if you narrowed your eyes enough, you could see lady liberty standing on the water. I turned over and took my camera from the side to snap a photo of the horizon. I lay against the wall looking through and was pleasantly surprised when I saw my mom standing at the door with her arms folded.
"Rory, it's time for school." She said.
"But what if I get jumped again mom?" I asked polishing my lens.
"Then you can tell us all about it when you come home." She said with a smile.
Lazily I got up to use the bathroom and walked out wearing a whole new outfit. I grabbed my bag and headed down the stairs to the kitchen where my mom was sitting feeding the cat most of her food. I sat at the table going through my camera roll and as my parents spoke, I looked at the black and white photography.
"Mama, are you working tonight? I wanted to go to Times Square at twilight." I asked.
"Yes sweetie, I'm actually flying out tonight. You're gonna have to stay home by yourself actually." Mom answered.
"Both of you are flying out? Why? When were you gonna tell me?" I questioned.
"We told you several times honey, we're going back to Ohio to see McKinley." Mom replied.
"McKinley is premiering glee club and we all wanted to go see it." My other mom added.
"Glee club? Didn't you guys see the news about McKinley?" I said surprised. "Principal Schuester lost half his students because they were bullied from another school. I don't know if you're gonna love it."
"But the kids from Dalton?" Mom said.
"They're rich kids mom, they probably all moved to New York or something." I said. "Well, have fun I guess."
I turned to walk away but they both cleared their throats to remind me of something. I rolled my eyes and walked back to both of them. I kissed each of them on the cheek and left the house supposedly.
In actual fact I closed the front door and walked back up the stairs, then went to the end of the hall. I opened the little cabinet door and crawled through the tiny space, opened another door and found myself inside the little fort I built when I was younger. It was like a little hangout with a view of the blocks and blocks of buildings. Quickly I pulled out my home phone and held it to my ear.
"Hi there, this is Santana Lopez and I want to call in my daughter Lucia Lopez-Pierce sick. She woke up with a fever and I don't think she'll make it." I said changing up my voice.
"Mrs Lopez, your daughter has missed a remarkable amount of school, this will go on her permanent record." The lady explained.
"Well I'm sorry that I don't want my daughter throwing up on you or any of your staff." I said.
I put the phone down and placed my head against the wall as I listened to the conversation. They were annoyed, worried because I told them about McKinley on the edge of being shut down for good. They were also annoyed because my school was the worst in the entire city and the teachers had told them that I was skipping. It would be a little while before they heard that I had skipped again.
Whilst I slept, on the other side of town, a young Noelle sat beside her mother looking at their old pictures. She gazes at her father's photographs and the small moments they shared with one another and smiles. Noelle sees her mother slowly awakening and hides the photos away before her mother turns over. She runs her hands through Noelle's hair and wraps her arms around her not wanting to let go.
"Mom, you have to go to the airport today." Noelle said barely breathing. "Come on, I'm choking."
"Can't I just stay here with you?" Quinn asked. "Instead of stinky old Lima."
"No mom, go home!" Noelle said rolling away.
Quinn lay on her bed for some time just staring up at the ceiling but Noelle returned with her suitcase. She wrestled her mother out of bed and dragged her into the bathroom leaving her to get ready. Whilst she prepped herself, Noelle called for a cab to take her mother to the airport and waited by the hall looking for the cab. Finally her mother came down the stairs and reminded her of the rules. The cab beeped outside and Quinn took her suitcase, then walked over to Noelle who wrapped her arms around her instantly. Her mother kissed her goodbye and noticed she had tears in her eyes.
"I love you Elle." Quinn said. "I'll see you in a few days."
She waved her off and once she left, she went through her father's belongings in the attic. She found his guitar and a picture of a baby but that baby wasn't her. Confused, she put it to a side and continued searching the floor for more of his stuff. Among it all was one of his old jackets that she immediately put on, taking in his scent almost instantly.
It was a busy morning; everyone was everywhere trying to get everything ready for their flight. Amongst it all Kyle sat in front of the television in his long striped boxers. His father tried to wheel around as much as possible but got stuck amongst the clutter on the ground that Tina had dropped. Finally Artie surrenders his pride and calls for his son to help him out; Kyle, however, wasn't so reluctant to help out. Once he pulled Artie out, he resumed his position in front of the television.
"Hey mom, can I have cereal?" Kyle asked.
"Kyle, we're literally about to leave." Tina answered. "Get ready for school please."
He sighed knowing that school would be a drag as usual. Artie looked over at him but before he could open his mouth, Tina yelled at him again and he began walking up the stairs. Finally they left leaving Kyle to do his own thing.
In her room alone Emmy sat by her mirror waiting for her mother to pop up on the Skype call. She was listening to her music just to hear a little bit of her voice but nothing could fill the void. Her father was gone back to Lima, Ohio where her mother would soon meet him. She waited for that call but it never came; instead a text came through her phone wishing her the best at her recital that very day. A promise was made yet never retained. Emmy walked to her recital that same day and waited in the back till her name was called but something struck in her that she'd never get before. She knew her mother was expecting a church friendly song but her mother wasn't here; nor was anybody else. When they called her name on stage, the audience went silent expecting her to come on but she was nowhere to be found; she too was on her way home. She lay on her bed on Instagram tracing her mother's old photos when she stumbled across a group of kids; the glee club.
There was a knock on my door and instantly I woke up, then crawled down the passageway. I looked through a little peephole and opened it up to my co-conspirator, partner in crime, Finn St James along with his brother George Hummel-Andersen; my long time playmate. Though Finn and I talked like two girls fresh out of a teen drama, George and I also had history; one time we took a cab to the airport hoping to go back to Tuvalu when my moms and his dads busted me. Long story short we were never allowed to hang out again but it never stopped us. The boys had always been together seeing as they were brothers but the three of us were the gang; the deadbeats from New York City. Both of them loved to sing a lot and would try their hardest to get me to sing but I just don't; I don't feel it like they do or like any of them did. I always thought it had something to do with genetics because they were all connected and I was the orphan from Tuvalu.
We headed out for a night on the town; their style anyways. We went to Finn's place and sat by the television watching till it struck midnight when they started to sing their famous duet: Baby which I just, I just couldn't do it. After they sang and I recorded, we sat back down and continued with another movie.
"Rory, how's your attendance?" George asked.
"You know the same old, not showing up, not caring." I muttered. "Did your parents tell you about McKinley?"
"Yeah fresh from yours." Finn answered. "Kinda sad, I would've gone if I could."
"Why? It's an art school dying." I said.
"I thought it'd be cool to maybe form a new version of the glee club; like the OGs seeing as we are all descended from the greats, even you Rory." Finn explained.
"I'm adopted honey." I said. "I'm not them."
Before they could say more, we all received a notification from our parents. I opened mine and it was a link that I pressed. It gave me a copy of a plane ticket; one way to Lima, Ohio.
"You guys get the same thing?" George asked.
"I'm a bit scared." I admitted.