-Chapter 71-Graduation!-
-Rachel pov-
Everything has finally come full circle. To think months ago I was being slushied in these halls. It's crazy to think I'm engaged now. Even crazier to think who I'm engaged to!
But honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. Life has been a rollercoaster for sure. But now it's graduation time for us. We get to walk across the stage and grab our diplomas.
We have a down payment on a house in New York already. I can't wait to get there! The movers have been working hard this past week. I'm glad Maribel and Judy are taking today off.
I smile as I walk past the choir room. It'll be odd not coming here every school day. It was a very important room to me. It was a very important room to all of us.
I walk more and stop at the auditorium. So many memories were made here too. Some were bad and some were good. All in all this is where this all started.
I walk back and slowly toward the bathroom. The bathroom I used to go to all the time. It was my go to for when I got slushied or needed to cry. It was a safe place for me.
I smile and walk away from the old second home. I walk down the halls and stop. I turn and look at my old locker. I can't believe it's really time to leave this all behind.
I shake my head with a small smile. This is crazy talk probably. But I needed this little trip down memory lane. I walk again but stop again.
I look and see the hall I first met Santana. It was the mean Santana that slushied me. I remember the moment very well. I was very cold afterwards.
I sigh and walk down the hall again. I stop at a small bench. It's built into the wall where it goes back. It's where I sat with Lucy that one day. It was after I told Finn and Noah.
"I told you she'd be here" I turn and smile "I'm her favorite!"
"We saw her go to the slushy spot!" I laugh and both girls slowly join in "You ready Rachel?"
"Absolutely" I walk over to them "I love you Santana and I love you Lucy"
"Snixx can't get some love?" She pouts "I haven't met the babies yet"
"You've been scared" I cup her face "You'll be fine and they'll love you"
"I can meet them after?" I nod and she smiles "I'm gonna be a good mom ok?"
"The best" She smiles brighter "I love you"
I hear a camera snap "Oh I just couldn't pass this up!" I turn and see the moms smiling "Come on! It's graduation time!"
I chuckle and grab my fiancés hands. It's time to go forth into the future!
-Time skip-Lucy pov-
It's weird being valedictorian. I tried giving my speech away but no one would take it. I think the girls convinced everyone to stay away. I can't stay mad though.
"And without further ado!" Sue turns toward me with a smile "Our valedictorian! LUCY CARMICHAEL!"
I stand up with the applause of the crowd. I wave at everyone and look around. The moms are wiping tears behind me. On the right side bleachers are the rest of the family.
Our baby girls are smiling and babbling. They've been just like their mumsy Rachel. I hope they are smart as their momma which is me. Santana wanted to be Mami and teach culture to them.
"I won't lie and say I know all of you out there" I look at my prewritten cards and lay them down. I look out to the seniors "I never was a good kid for a long time...but this year I did get to meet a lot of you! Like Benny from Chess club! Oh and Suzy from the knitting club! I still want that sweater ok? There's a Kevin in the yearbook committee and a Nick on the swim team! I've gotten to meet some nice people over this year because I had a change..I finally met my change in Rachel Corcoran! She helped me and Santana become better people...she helped us become the people we are today along with our family. You may be confused why I'm saying all of this...to be honest so was I! But I know why now...sometimes in life you'll meet someone or something will change your life..it'll change it for the better and you should go with that betterment! Because...because sometimes you need that little push to finally be the real you..so when you leave this graduation ceremony I want you to do one thing! Go out there and find you special purpose! Make your life worth living because you're special..everyone is special and you are worth living for!"
It's silent for a moment but soon everyone starts clapping. I smile wide and look at my girlfriends. They both give me thumbs up and smiles. I give them a smile back and do the tassels.
We are finally out of this place!
"Now if we could do our final special bit!" I look at Sue confused "We have a future Broadway star here who on her audition sang a beautiful song...she had to miss out on nationals but the student body has agreed to let her sing now! So Rachel Corcoran get on up here!"
Rachel looks confused and I look to Santana. She nods and stands up quickly. We both meet at Rachel who still looks confused. We get her up and walk her up to the front.
"I-I don't have anything prepared" She looks nervous for once in her life "What do I sing?"
"The song that made me fall for you" Santana smiles "What got you into the glee club"
She takes a deep breath and then nods. She walks to the band thats come up. She talks and they all nod. Soon the music starts and I smile.
-Rachel singing-
And now I'm all alone again
Nowhere to turn, no one to go to.
Without a home, without a friend
without a face to say hello to
But now the night is near
And I can make-believe he's here
Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head
On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone
I walk with him 'til morning
Without him, I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way, I close my eyes and he has found me
In the rain
The pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever
And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say there's a way for us
I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone
The river's just a river
Without him, the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers
I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life I've only been pretending
Without me, his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness that I have never known
I love him
I love him
I love him...
But only on my own...
The gym erupts into clapping and Rachel takes a bow. She's going to make on Broadway someday. We all know she will. I can't wait to be there with her.
"I have some babies to go see" I turn toward Snixx and smile "Which one is the lady killer?"
"She's not a lady killer" I give her a playful glare causing her to smile "I'll introduce you"
-Time skip-Shelby pov-
"So many kids" I sigh and look at my girlfriends "Why did we agree to a party?"
"Cause we can't say no to our girls?" We all nod and chuckle "This has been one hell of a school year huh?"
"You can say that again" I look over at the kids playing with the babies "Glad we went basic on everything"
"Yeah they seem to love those babies" Maribel chuckles "Maybe we can rely on them for entertainment every time"
I turn and nod "New York is going to be a change though" We all look at Holly confused "Little Lima to full time big apple...it's a big jump"
"But they'll be fine" The girls all nod "We'll get them through it"
"Damn right you will" I glare at my mom "What?"
"I never said how much I'm mad at you!" My mom gives me a confused look "YOU TOLD SANTANA MY MIDDLE NAME!"
"Oh" Mom starts laughing hysterically "I thought you found out we started dating Judys mom too!"
"WHAT?!"
"Good job blabber mouth" Alma sighs "We had a whole thing planned"
"Well I guess Nancy is even more apart of the family" Nancy smiles shyly "Nice to finally have some time to meet you"
"Yeah I heard my daughter kept me a secret" Judy pouts and I chuckle "It's nice to finally meet you too Shelby"
"Wait a minute" My mom turns toward Nancy with narrowed eyes "Nancy Carmichael...YOU USED TO LIVE DOWN THE BLOCK!"
"I thought your name sounded familiar!" Nancy smiles and turns to me "You changed so much over the years!"
"You have too Nancy" I'm soon pulled into a tight hug "Oook then"
"This is the moment I was dreading" Judy groans "I knew they'd figured it all out eventually"
"I don't wanna hear anything from you!" Nancy turns toward Judy with a growl "You hurt this poor girl for years!"
"Yeah you hurt my poor girl!" Judy looks to me for help and I just smirk "What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"That I love her and I'll never hurt her again!" Judy gives a hopeful smile "That sound good?"
"Sounds wonderful" My mom hugs her tightly "I'm so happy you are here"
"GRANDMA?!" We all turn toward Santana and freeze "I-I thought you were dead!"
"Mom?" Maribel stands up and slowly walks toward Ann "You...you are alive?"
"What's this I'm dead stuff?" Ann looks around confused "Who said I was dead? Stuck on a island maybe but never dead!"
"Ann?" My mom and Nancy run over toward her "ANN!"
They start jumping and hugging each other "Great" Alma sighs "Now I have another competition"
"None of that" I look up at Alma with a smile "Our moms won't abandon you like that!"
"They seem to really care about you" Judy smiles "Ann just...she's been gone for a long time"
"Ann come meet our lovely girlfriend!" We smile as Ann gets dragged to Alma "This is Alma Lopez!"
"We've met" Ann raises a eyebrow "Still think you're better?"
"I'm sorry about that ok?" Alma looks at the ground "I...I never had a real wedding so I was trying to live through her"
"She stepped up when you disappeared Mami" Maribel walks over and stands in front of Alma "Shes a good woman"
"I'll take your word for it" Ann looks at Alma and smiles "You seem to be good if you got these two old bags"
"HEY!" Mom smacks her arm "I'm not a old bag!"
We all laugh as they go at it. I look at the girls who are smiling with the babies. This chapter of our life is really ending. I can't wait to see what the next one holds.
New York is not ready for us. It's not ready for a 100% Rachel Corcoran. She's gonna take it by storm. We'll be right there behind her.
I can't wait to see what our future brings.
A/N- this story has come to a end and the sequel will come out soon but not super soon. Working on another story to take its place in the lineup!
