CHAPTER 23
Finn and Emily only broke apart for oxygen.
"Um…" Finn stammered, unable to put words together. His head was spinning.
"Wow…" Emily whispered. She was just as speechless as he was. They both laughed quietly.
"Um… not that I'm complaining or anything, but what was that all about?" Finn asked.
"Finn…" Emily took a deep breath and closed her eyes before speaking. "I hate any kind of physical exercise, but I went to rehab every single day for a month. There's a reason for that: YOU. You made my car accident aftermath not only manageable, but one of the best months of my life. You're so sweet to me, and I really like you. I know that we're friends, but I don't want that. Ever since the day we first met, I've had a crush on you. I mean, you're nice, kind, sweet, funny…" She nodded her head, biting down on her lip. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the floor; she didn't know if she was making the right decision or not. "I want to be more than friends, Finn."
"Then let's be more than friends." Finn whispered, kissing her lips gently. Emily's eyes widened.
"Really? You want that?" She asked. Finn nodded.
"Truth be told, I've been feeling the same way." He replied. "I want to be your boyfriend and you, my girlfriend. I want to be able to take you out to dinner, hold you, kiss you. So Emily Cahill, will you be my girlfriend?"
Emily beamed at him.
"Yes, of course, you dummy!" She exclaimed, diving on top of him and kissing him fiercely.
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The week went by in the blink of an eye. Finn was blissfully happy. It was like every part of his life had come together - he was racing better than he had ever had before, he was one of the two finalists for the Regionals solo, and he was dating the most amazing girl in the world. Dating Emily was so easy and great because they already knew so much about each other, so they were able to skip the 'getting to know each other' part of the relationship.
Today was the day Finn and Emily would be performing their audition song for the Regionals solo. Finn had pulled out all the stops for his song - he went for one of the most iconic songs of all time but created his own, unique cover of it.
When Finn left his car, he walked into the school building and towards the long row of lockers. He immediately saw Emily standing over by her locker, putting some books in her bag, and he walked over. She hadn't seen him yet, so he wrapped an arm around her. She immediately tensed up.
"Hey beautiful." He whispered in her year. She relaxed when she realised it was her boyfriend, and she turned around and beamed at him.
"Hey you." She said, brushing his lips with her own.
"Are you ready for your audition today?" Finn asked. Emily nodded.
"Am I ready? I'm going to wipe the floor with you." She joked. Finn laughed.
"Haha, very funny." Finn responded. "In your dreams. I really care about you and all, but I'm taking no prisoners today."
"Good luck with that. I've got this in the bag. I was practising all night." Emily said.
"Yeah, well good for you. Now let's get to Glee rehearsal." Finn said, pulling her into a kiss. She giggled and tried to pull away but Finn was too strong and he had her backed up against the lockers.
"Finn, we have to go." She exclaimed, giggling.
"So we're a few minutes late. So sue us." He shrugged. Emily laughed again and deepened the kiss. Before long, Coach Sylvester came around the corner.
"HEY! LOVEBIRDS! BREAK IT UP!"
Finn and Emily rolled their eyes and reluctantly pulled apart. They walked hand in hand into Glee rehearsal, ready to sing their asses off…
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"Finally!" Santana exclaimed as they walked into the auditorium. "Look, we're happy you guys are dating - you're kind of perfect for each other - but we're not about to sit around waiting as you two make out in the hallway!"
Finn and Emily blushed.
"Chill out, Santana. We weren't making out. We were preparing for our audition songs. You know, the ones we're about to sing right now?" Emily said.
"Well… that's not exactly true." Finn murmured. Emily turned to her boyfriend and raised an eyebrow.
"Dude, I just got just out of this!" Emily exclaimed. Everyone laughed, and Finn shrugged.
"Sorry! You know I don't lie!" Finn remarked. Just then, Mr. Schue walked into the room and smiled at the Glee club, who were all sitting in the front row of the auditorium.
"Hey, hey, hey. How's it going, guys? Finn, Emily, are you two ready?"
"Yeah." Finn and Emily both replied.
"Good, because you both need to pull off great performances. You need to show me and everyone else why I chose you two as finalists."
"We already know why you chose them. They're the new kids and you want to make them feel welcome." Mercedes grumbled. Mr. Schue shook his head, furiously.
"No, you're wrong Mercedes. I chose them because, whether you like it or not, they had the best performances. And you're all about to see it for yourself. Emily, if you'd like to go first. Which ballad are you going to sing for us?"
"Um… I'm going to sing my favourite song. It's a pretty big song so I'm just hoping I can give it the justice it deserves."
"Don't hold your breaths." Mercedes muttered under her breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear her.
"Mercedes, stop talking. You lost. Move on." Mr. Schue responded, before turning back to Emily. "What are you singing, Emily?"
"I'm singing Demi Lovato's Skyscraper." She said, before walking over to the mic.
Skies are crying, I am watching
Catching tear drops in my hands
Only silence as it's ending
Like we never had a chance
Do you have to make me feel like
There's nothing left of me?
You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper
As the smoke clears, I awaken
And untangle you from me
Would it make you feel better
To watch me while I bleed?
All my windows still are broken
But I'm standing on my feet
You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper
Go run, run, run
I'm gonna stay right here,
Watch you disappear
Yeah, oh
Go run, run, run
Yeah, it's a long way down
But I am closer to the clouds up here
You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Oh Oh
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper
(Like a skyscraper)
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper
To hear the actual song, click:
watch?v=5V18yk6nIMY&ab_channel=TheXFactorUK
Or search… 'Sam Bailey Skyscraper'
At the end of the song, everyone, including Mercedes, clapped and cheered. She did an undeniably brilliant rendition of the ever-popular Demi Lovato hit. It was such a meaningful, deep song and she sure as hell did it justice. Mr. Schue even stood up and gave her a standing ovation.
"Wow, amazing job Emily! Mercedes, what were you saying about Emily not deserving her spot?" Mr. Schue asked, smirking triumphantly at his student. Mercedes blushed furiously.
"Nothing." She muttered in reply. Emily then walked off stage and took her seat next to Finn. He squeezed her hand and kissed her.
"Babe, that was incredible." He exclaimed. Emily beamed at him.
"Thanks. You're going to do great too." She said. Finn sighed.
"I hope so." He replied. The good thing about this audition was that he was competing against the person he cared about most in the world so no matter the result, there would be no hard feelings.
"OK Finn, the bar has been set. It's now up to you to meet it. What have you got for us today?" Mr. Schue asked. Finn stood up and walked over to the microphone.
"Well, I am going to be singing one of my favourite songs. It's completely different from my last audition song. I'm singing Feeling Good by Nina Simone."
Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom on a tree
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun
You know what I mean,
Don't you know?
Butterflies all havin' fun
You know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world
Is a new world
And a bold world
For me
For me
Stars when you shine
You know how I feel
Scent of the pine
You know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good
I feel so good
I feel so good
To hear the actual song, click:
watch?v=c_9sKGKkznw&ab_channel=TheXFactorUK
Or search… 'James Arthur Feeling Good'
"Wow, well done, Finn! That was amazing! So much passion in that performance!" Mr. Schue exclaimed when Finn was done singing. It was probably simultaneously the most difficult and most fun song he had ever sung.
"Thanks, Mr. Schue." He replied.
"So, I'm sure everyone has a lot to think about. We'll take a five minute recess and then you can all vote."
5 minutes later…
"Finn." Puck said.
"Finn." Quinn said.
"Emily." Sam said.
"Emily." Kurt said.
"Emily." Rachel said.
"Finn." Mercedes said.
"Emily." Brittany said.
"Finn." Santana said.
"Finn." Mike said.
"Emily." Tina said.
5-5. It would truly come down to the final vote - Artie's vote. Both performances had been epic and it was so hard to choose a winner.
"Artie? Who do you pick?" Mr. Schue said.
"Um… I… um… I…" Artie stammered. "I don't know! They were both so good!" He exclaimed.
"You gotta pick one, buddy." Mr. Schue said. "Finn or Emily?"
"I guess, if I had to choose one of the performances to be our Regionals solo, I'd have to go with…" Artie paused. "Finn."
Finn smiled widely. Him and Emily quickly hugged and kissed in a show of good sportsmanship, before Finn stood up.
"Um… thanks guys. I won't let you down." He said.
"You'd better not." Rachel replied. "Now, as the leader and best singer in the Glee club, I think I should coach you 3 times a day. We can work from 7 to 8 before school, during lunch period…"
Finn tuned out as Rachel babbled about rehearsals. He didn't really care about whatever Rachel was saying. He was so happy. As him and Emily kissed at the end of rehearsal, they didn't even notice Quinn and Sam storming out of the room in anger.
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That night, Sam and Quinn met under the bleachers for a secret discussion. Both of them were outraged about what had happened a couple of hours prior - not about who got the solo, but about who he/she was dating. Quinn's returning feelings for Finn were pretty obvious, however nobody knew about Sam's feelings for Emily. Ever since she arrived, Sam had felt a pulling sensation towards her. The only thing standing in their way was the undeniable love the current couple had for each other.
"You like Emily?" Quinn asked, breaking the eerie silence that was in the air.
"You like Finn?" Sam retorted back. Quinn blushed.
"Shut up."
"Right back at you." Sam replied. A look of determination danced in Quinn's eyes.
"I think you know what we need to do." Quinn said. Sam nodded. The next sentence, they spoke in unison.
"We need to break them up…"