Remember when I said the next chapter would be normal length? Sorry about that. I do expect them to start getting longer now, so bare with me. Thanks for sticking around. You guys are amazing.
The next day Rachel's family, friends, and the entire student body of Mckinley were packed into a small church. Rachel's dads and the Glee club sat quietly in the front row. Kurt had tears streaming down his face, Blaine's hand resting supportively on his shoulder from behind. Mercedes grabbed his hand and hid her eyes in his jacket. Next to them Santana, Brittany, Tina, Lauren, and Mike sat staring dully at anything. Puck and Finn sat next to them, Finn staring straight ahead with a dumb look. Puck was looking down trying to focus on anything but where he was. Tears fell quietly unnoticed onto his lap. Will was next, staring into nothing, still not believing the situation before him. Then it was Quinn. She sat at the end of the row. While most of the glee club sat unnaturally straight in their chairs, Quinn sat slumped folded in on herself. Her eyes were foggy and she seemed distant.
"I know you're not ok now," Will said "and it's going to be hard but you'll make it through." She didn't flinch, she didn't blink. Will was ninety percent sure she didn't even register she was being spoken to.
Kurt got up suddenly and walked to the back of the small church where the rest of Mckinley sat. Most of these people didn't even know Rachel. Some of these people were probably part of the reason Rachel wasn't here. You can't get a slushie facial once a week and not expect that to take some sort of toll on them.
"Leave" Kurt said. He didn't look up from his feet and his voice was soft. They shifted their gaze toward him awkwardly.
"Leave!" He yelled. None of these people were Rachel's friends. He didn't want them here. One by one they shuffled out uncomfortably. Kurt blindly walked to his seat, tears clouding his eyes again. One of Rachel's fathers, Hiram, gave a weak smile and nodded a thanks in his direction. Now everyone in the church were those closest to Rachel and everyone knew that's what she would have wanted. The pastor spoke in a big booming voice that filled the chapel, but nobody really heard him. That is, until he introduced glee club.
"And now some friends of Rachel's will sing a song in her honor." They knew it was coming but nobody moved. It was unspoken, but they all new the only one worthy of this was Rachel herself. Mercedes walked to the front and pressed play on a stereo in the corner. Rachel's voice filled the space. It was haunting, eerie even. Santana reached for Brittany's hand as they began to cry.
Puck stood up and carefully placed himself on the end of the pew next to Quinn. Immediately she fell into his arms and sobbed loudly to his chest. She mumbled something he couldn't make out, so he just stroked her hair softly knowing there was nothing he could do to really comfort her.