CHAPTER 39
"All right, guys. Sectionals are just a few weeks away, and it's time to bear down. Okay, your singing last year was amazing, but your dancing… not so much. It's booty camp time."
"Booty!" Artie cheered and everyone laughed. Mr. Schue instructed them to find a space around the room, before standing at the front of the room to guide them.
"So let's get it going." He said. "Five, six, seven, eight. Push yourselves, guys. Vocal Adrenaline takes no prisoners."
The music started to play, and the Glee club started to dance. Finn was an okay dancer - he wasn't as good as Mike, but he wasn't as bad as George - so he managed to avoid most of the criticism. Finn watched as Puck struggled with the dance moves and he laughed. Ever since he had started therapy last week, he was already feeling a lot happier. He wasn't prescribed any medicine, but he had been given some coping mechanisms for whenever he felt sad or helpless. He was sleeping better and had a lot more energy during the day. Finn watched as George slipped over and when he flung his arm back to steady his fall, he made contact with Rachel's face. HARD. She crumpled to the ground, clutching her face.
"Oh! I'm so sorry." He exclaimed.
"Are you okay?" Mr. Schue asked, rushing over. Rachel slowly looked up, and moved a hand from her abnormally large nose, revealing a small stream of blood.
"I'm bleeding."
"Let's get you to a doctor." Mr. Schue said, helping her up and following out the room. Finn walked over to George, who felt extremely bad.
"Jesus dude, I know a lot of people wanted to do that, but you really shouldn't have gone full Mike Tyson on her ass!" Finn joked. George rolled his eyes and blushed furiously.
"I didn't mean to!" George exclaimed.
"I don't know, man. All I know is you throw a mean right hook." Liam said, joining the conversation. Him and Finn proceeded to spend the rest of the day making boxing jokes, annoying George to no end. Eventually he decided to leave.
"Look, I'm going to go and see if Rachel's OK. You guys can keep making your lame jokes."
"Bye John Cena. Remember, fight with your words, not your hands." Liam said, patronisingly. George walked away and went to the nurse's office to look for Rachel.
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"My dads will be here in 15 minutes. You don't have to stay, George."
George had driven Rachel to the hospital, and he stayed with her as a doctor took a number of X-rays.
"No, I want to wait and hear what the doctor says. I feel terrible." He said, truthfully. Rachel raised an eyebrow. She had found George really attractive, but she knew that he was dating Quinn.
"Won't Quinn be mad at you sitting vigil at my bedside?" She asked. George shook his head.
"Well, I'm standing, and-and she'd understand how awful I feel even if it's not broken."
The doctor then walked into the room, holding a couple of papers in a file. He opened the file and tacked up one of the photos on the wall. George instantly recognised the paper as an X-ray photo of Rachel's nose. He had had his fair share of broken bones in the past because of football and hockey injuries.
"It's broken." The doctor said, pointing to a spot on the image where there was clearly a small break. George sighed and put his head in his hands. He felt incredibly bad for the brunette. He knew how much singing and Glee meant to her, and he knew that she would have to rest until her nose healed.
"Well, I knew I was a bad dancer, but I never thought my dancing was dangerous." He remarked to Rachel.
"It's a clean break, so I-I won't have to set it." The doctor said. "Considering your deviated septum, I'd consider this a terrific opportunity for a little vanity adjustment."
"Are you suggesting that I get a nose job?" She said, incredulously.
"You're 16, right? That's when I gave my daughters theirs. It's like a right of passage for Jewish girls."
"First of all, I like how I look." She started. The doctor interrupted by turning to George.
"Is she your girlfriend?" The doctor asked him. George looked up suddenly and shook his head.
"N-No."
"What does your girlfriend look like?" The doctor persisted. Before George could answer, Rachel interrupted him.
"Okay, and second of all, I don't want to do anything that's going to affect my voice. My Broadway career depends on it." Rachel said, matter-of-factly. "And we've got a big show choir competition coming up and I'm our best singer."
"Second best." George coughed audibly into his sleeve. Rachel scowled at him.
"Doesn't impact the voice. That's just a myth." Dr. Abelman replied. "The fact is, opening up that septum might allow you to take in more air per breath, which means bigger belts on your high notes."
Rachel was shocked.
"B-But Barbra…" She stammered.
"Is great. She's also one in a million. The fact is, if you really want to be an actress, you might want to consider looking and sounding the best that you can. I got an appointment open next week. Can I sign you up?" The doctor asked hopefully.
Meanwhile, back home, Finn was scrolling through his email, when he suddenly heard a beep notification coming into his phone. He checked it. It was an email from Adidas. Finn raised an eyebrow and read the email.
Dear Mr. Finn Hudson,
Adidas is excited to bring you on board as a model.
We're just a few formalities away from getting down to work. Please take the time to review our formal offer. It includes important details about your compensation, benefits and the terms and conditions of your anticipated employment with Adidas.
Adidas, Ohio is offering a part time position for you as a photo model, reporting to Mr. Klaus Froleau on Saturday November 1st and Sunday November 2nd at the Adidas warehouse in Columbus, Ohio. You are expected to work from 8 am - 8 pm all weekend.
In this position, Adidas is offering to pay you $1500. You will be paid on Sunday evening, as a one-time payment.
If we are happy with your performance and look during the shoot, we are likely to offer you more offers similar to this one, in Adidas stores all over the world.
As an employee of Adidas you will be eligible for 25% off on all Adidas products, and a free year-long gym membership that can be used at any Adidas gym worldwide.
Please indicate your agreement with these terms and accept this offer by signing and dating this agreement on or before October 20th.
Sincerely, Kasper Rorsted
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"Oh my God, you're getting a nose job!" Quinn exclaimed. It was Glee rehearsal the next morning and Rachel had just told the Glee club about the procedure she was considering.
"I'm…considering having a minor procedure to repair my deviated septum." Rachel replied.
"So, a nose job." Santana remarked.
"Look, I'm… I'm happy with the way that I look, okay? And I've embraced my nose. But let's say I wanted to have a slightly more demure nose. Like Quinn's, for example. I-I would never change my appearance for vanity, but, I mean, the doctor said that it could possibly improve my talent, which would help us all for Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals."
"Possibly? What about the risks? Your voice is amazing as is, Rachel." Mr. Schue said.
"Hold up." Sam said. Everyone turned to him. He hadn't said anything asshole-like in a while, and he was due for a comment. "Could we all just get real here for a second? I hear that Rachel's got a bit of a schnoz. I mean, I wouldn't know because, like Medusa, I try to avoid eye contact with her. But can we all just stop lying about how there aren't things that we wouldn't change about ourselves? I mean, I'm sure that Quinn's been at the doctor's office and rifled through pamphlets on removing stretch marks. I'll bet Artie's thought about getting his legs removed since he's not really using them anyways. And I'm definitely sure that Tina's looked into getting an eye de-slanting."
Everyone's mouths gaped open. That was so rude!
"That's extraordinarily racist." Tina spat. Sam rolled his eyes.
"I'm keepin' it real." He replied.
"Sorry, Santana. I'm a beautiful person. I'm in love with myself, and I would never change a thing." She said.
"Is that why you're wearing blue contacts today, Tina?" Artie murmured. Tina glared at him.
"Not many Asian sex symbols, Artie. I'm just trying to be in fashion and mirror what I see in the magazines."
"Look, maybe Rachel's fine with having an enormous beak. Maybe she needs it to crack hard seeds. All I'm saying is that if you look in the mirror and you don't like what you see, you should change it." Sam said. Mr. Schue stood up, appalled. He couldn't believe what he was listening to.
"Whoa, guys. I'm really shocked at what I'm hearing here. It goes against everything the glee club stands for. I'm telling you, the thing you would most like to change about yourself is the most interesting part of you."
"Well, maybe, but at this school, the thing that makes you different is the thing people use to crush your spirit." Mercedes remarked. Finn sighed.
"No offense, but you guys are being stupid. Unless you're a professional model, which I don't think anyone here is, you shouldn't have to change your looks to suit others." Finn argued.
"That's easy for you to say when you're the hottest guy in school." Mercedes snapped, rolling her eyes. "Not everyone's as blessed as you are."
"I might be good looking on the outside, but I've got huge flaws on the inside. Everyone has their own flaws, and that's usually the best part about them. Nobody here shouldn't be afraid to show us who they are, warts and all." Finn said, before realising what he had just said.
"Oh crap." Finn muttered to himself. He had just proven the opposite point of what he had been arguing against George a couple of nights before. Ever since his first appointment, Finn had asked George, Liam and Harry not to tell anyone that he was going to therapy for his mental health issues. They had of course respected his decision, and weren't about to rat him out, but George had argued with him that he should tell the Glee club. Finn adamantly refused though, for the exact reasons why Rachel wanted to get a nose job. She said that it was to enhance her performance in Glee, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Everyone knew that she was considering a nose job to prevent the teasing that she had gotten from others about her large nose.
Finn turned around to George to see if he had noticed what Finn had just said, and of course he had. George winked at Finn, and Finn sighed and slumped into his seat. Mr. Schue stood up.
"Look guys, I can't believe what I'm hearing right now! Everyone is going to sing a song about loving themself. No exceptions. Everyone has to sing. Who wants to start?"
Nobody said anything. The room had gone from an outburst of noise to sudden silence. Suddenly, George broke the silence.
"Finn wants to go first." George announced. Finn's heart dropped. He looked around at George.
"Um… no I don't." he said confused.
"Come on, Finn. After all, you are technically still the best singer in the Glee club. Lead by example."
Finn sighed, picked up his guitar and walked to the front of the room. He sighed and took a breath. It was now or never. George nodded at him reassuringly, and Finn scowled at him.
"OK, look…" Finn started. "When I was arguing that we shouldn't be afraid to show flaws, I was kinda being a huge hypocrite. I do have my own flaws and secrets that I haven't been sharing. I… uh… I have PTSD, depression and anxiety. I've lived with it practically my whole life, but over the past couple of weeks, it got really bad. I wasn't able to sleep more than an hour a night because of vivid nightmares, I was feeling like crap, and it was negatively affecting my health and my performance in football and Glee. My ability to concentrate started to fail, and if it weren't for George, Liam and Harry calling me out on this, I would have deteriorated even more. Now, I've started going to therapy and I'm feeling a lot better. So that's me, and I'm going to be singing a song I wrote recently. It's called Sun Comes Up."
Finn closed his eyes and prepared for the onslaught of comments that might come, but luckily, none came. He prepared to sing his song.
[Verse 1]
I wonder, maybe they'd never find me
I've been waitin' such a long, long, long time to feel it
Swallowed by the waters around me
Though I took so many wrong, wrong, wrong turns to see it, woah
[Pre-Chorus]
But I dance through the blisters at night
And I laughed 'til I cried and cried and
I ran 'til my feet couldn't run no more (no more, no more)
And I sat 'til my lungs were burnin'
'Til I know I'm alive, alive, yeah
I'll sit 'til I can't hear words no more
[Chorus]
Suddenly the sun comes up
And I feel my love floodin' back again, yeah
Until the sun goes up
And I feel my love comin' up again
Suddenly the sun comes up
And the dark is gone
We made it to the dawn
And I don't miss you anymore
When the sun comes up
I can feel my love comin' back again
[Verse 2]
It wasn't easy tryin' to run with these handcuffs
I had to sleep through such a cold, cold, cold night to see it
Green flashes hit me right where I'm standing
Sunlight cut into your bones, bones, bones, started to heal it
[Pre-Chorus]
But I dance through the blisters at night
And I laughed 'til I cried and cried and
I ran 'til my feet couldn't run no more (no more, no more)
And I sat 'til my lungs were burnin'
'Til I know I'm alive, alive, yeah
I'll sit 'til I can't hear words no more
[Chorus]
Suddenly the sun comes up
And I feel my love floodin' back again, yeah
Until the sun goes up
And I feel my love comin' up again
[Lyrics from: ]
Suddenly the sun comes up
And the dark is gone
We made it to the dawn
And I don't miss you anymore
When the sun comes up
I can feel my love comin' back again
[Bridge]
Give a little light
To get a little love back
Give a little light
To get a little love back
Give a little light
To get a little love back
Won't you give it
Give a little love back
Give a little light
To get a little love back
Won't you give it
Turn your light on me
Give a little light
To get a little love back
Give a little, to get a little love
Give a little light
To get a little love back
To get a little love back
[Pre-Chorus]
Dance through the blisters at night
I laughed 'til I cried and cried and
I ran 'til my feet couldn't run no more (no more, no more)
And I sat 'til my lungs were burnin'
I'm alive, alive
I can't hear words no more
[Chorus]
Suddenly the sun comes up
And I feel my love
Sun comes up again, my love
Until the sun comes up
And I feel my love comin' up again
I can feel my love, I can feel my love
[Outro]
Sun comes up
I can feel my love comin' back again
[For the actual song, click watch?v=e3Vhi8dW6e8 ]
Tears came to every eye as Finn finished singing. The song was so emotional. It was so pure. It was so… Finn. It was an acoustic song, with just a keyboard, a guitar and Finn's voice providing the gorgeous music. Finn had opened his soul up, and given the whole Glee club a glimpse of the pain he was feeling. Once he finished playing, he started walking towards to his seat, but Mr. Schue stopped him.
"Wow… Finn… that was so powerful." Artie said, smiling at him.
"Yeah, it was incredible." Mr. Schue said. "And exactly what I was trying to get out of this lesson. Look, Rachel, Finn bared his soul to all of us, and he's not changing or hiding who he is. That's what Glee should be like. That's what family should be like."
Finn nodded and walked back to his seat. The rest of the rehearsal went by in a flash, and it was only at the end when Rachel finally spoke.
"OK… um… I've made my decision. I'm not getting a nose job. Thank you guys, especially Finn, for convincing me against it."
Finn smiled and nodded at her. The Glee club started to file out of the choir room, and Finn walked outside to the bleachers, where he knew that he wouldn't be disturbed. The wind blew a slight November breeze at him as he walked up the stairs. As he sat on the top floor of the bleachers, he took out his phone and texted Bella.
Hey Bella, pls come to the bleachers.
Finn
He then just sat back and waited, hoping that Bella would read the message soon. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Bella stepped out onto the field and walked towards him. She looked like a goddess. The wind blew her hair to the side of her face, her plain white sundress made her look like the hottest girl in the world, and her radiant smile was extremely infectious. When she reached the bleachers, she sat next to him.
"You look beautiful." Finn commented. Bella beamed at him.
"Thanks." She replied. "No babe?" She asked. Finn raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?" He said, completely at a loss.
"Whenever you text me, you usually call me babe. Or at least add a couple of X's at the end."
Finn looked down. Bella noticed his sombre expression and got a little worried.
"Finn, are you OK?"
"Um… I don't know. Look, I wanted to talk to you about what I said in Glee club. It's not fair to hold you to a relationship with someone who's going through as many mental issues as I am. So I want to offer you an out. We can go our separate ways, no hard feelings whatsoever. What do you say?"
Bella stared into his soulful, amber eyes and gently pulled him into a kiss.
"Finn… I love you." She whispered. Finn tensed up for a moment and Bella immediately thought that she had scared him off. She started to move back, but Finn held her hands and pulled her into another kiss.
"I love you too."
Rest in Peace Naya Rivera. And of course, Cory Monteith
Please Review. Next chapter should be out today or tomorrow. I love you guys. Your reviews make my day!