"Alright, guys. Nationals are just a few weeks away and it's time to bear down. Now your singing at Regionals was amazing but your dancing…" Mr. Schuester said before jumping off the piano.
"It's booty camp time!" he declared with Dylan smiling.
"So let's get it going. 5, 6, 7, 8!" the director then called out before they started out the routine.
"Push yourselves guys. Vocal Adrenaline takes no prisoners." He said and Dylan was getting into it before he heard a bang and something fall to the floor. The blonde boy looked to his left to see Rachel on the floor. Dylan stopped and knelt beside the diva, along with Jack and Finn.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Finn asked. Dylan sighed. He must've hit Rachel while dancing seeing as Rachel was directly behind King Kong over there.
"I'm bleeding." Rachel said, hand over her nose. Dylan looked to Mr. Schuester who said that they should get Rachel to a doctor. Dylan nodded before aiding the Spanish teacher in helping the girl up and taking her to the doctor's office just down the road.
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Dylan stayed with Rachel while the nurse called her dads before Rachel insisted on the dancer getting back to school. Dylan could only oblige and now he was walking the hallways of McKinley once again. He headed up to his locker to see Jenn stood there. The redhead girl looked in Dylan's direction and headed over.
"There you are. Where were you? You were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago." The girl said and Dylan sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm sorry. I was in glee rehearsal and we were practicing our dancing for Nationals when Finn accidentally hit Rachel's nose." Dylan said.
"Well I don't think that would be quite a difficult job." Jenn said, smiling and Dylan's eyes widened.
"Jenn! This is serious! She text me about 2 minutes ago saying her nose is broken." Dylan said and Jenn's smile fell.
"Wow. I'm sorry. But anyway, that's what I wanted to talk to you about: glee club. I need your help with something." The small girl said and Dylan looked to Jenn, curious as to what she needed help with.
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"Oh my god. You're getting a nose job." Quinn said with everyone else, including Dylan, looking on in shock.
"I'm considering having a minor procedure to repair my deviated septum." Rachel reasoned, getting a quirked eyebrow from Dylan.
"So, a nose job." Santana then said, with Rachel looking panicked.
"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 a slightly more demure nose. Like…Quinn's for example." Rachel said before Dylan looked to Quinn as Rachel carried on.
"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 Nationals." Rachel said and Dylan sighed. He knew that was just a load of crap the doctor was feeding into Rachel's brain just to get more money on his paychecks.
"Possibly. What about the risks? Your voice is amazing as is, Rachel." MR. Schuester said with Dylan nodding before Santana spoke up.
"Hold up. 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?" Santana asked before saying that Sam has probably looked at mouth reduction; how Artie has maybe thought about getting his legs removed as he's not using them anyway; about how Dylan has looked to get muscle removed from his internally padded bulldozer shoulders, to which the dancer looked at Santana before pressing down on his shoulders while Santana rounded up her insults by saying Tina probably wants an eye de-slanting to which Tina replied by saying Santana was being really racist.
"I'm keeping it real." the Latina replied.
"Sorry, Santana. I'm a beautiful person. I'm in love with myself and I would never change a thing." Tina then said before Mike asked if that was why she was wearing blue contacts today before he called her a "self-hating Asian".
"Not many Asian sex symbols, Mike. I'm trying to be in fashion and mirror what I see in the magazines." Tina said.
"My dancing kind of bothers me and it almost…killed Rachel but I like the way I look." Finn said.
"Gigantor speaks sense, to my utmost surprise. I mean, I'm me, and there's nothing I would change about myself." Jack then said.
"Oh please. Have you even seen your reflection lately or does your giant basketball head take up all of the space?" Santana asked Jack before turning to Finn.
"You have weird, puffy, pyramid nipples. They look like they're filled with custard. You could dust them with powdered sugar and they could pass for some sort of dessert." Santana said before looking to Dylan.
"And have you seen your girlfriend lately? She makes Rachel look like the Empire State Building and she's able to be snapped like a toothpick." She then said before Dylan turned and was about to lunge for Santana when Mike held him back.
"And cue the TNT temper. Thank god Mike stopped him otherwise his machinery shoulders would've made me road kill. 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." Santana then finished her encore before Mr. Schuester stood up.
"Whoa, guys. I'm really shocked at what I'm hearing here. It goes against everything the glee club stands for." He said before saying that the thing they wanted to change most about themselves is the most interesting thing about them.
"Well, maybe, but at this school the thing that makes you different is the thing people use to crush your spirit." Mercedes replied before Rachel sat down.
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Mr Schuester was writing 'ACCEPTANCE' on the board, Finn raised his hand.
"Um, why's Miss Pillsbury here?" he asked as the teacher turned around.
"She's helping us out with this week's assignment. Now this is the only club at the school that is represented by just about every race, religion, sexual orientation and clique, but many of you are still having trouble with acceptance." Mr. Schuester replied.
"That's crazy, Mr. Schue. We love each other." Mercedes replied.
"No, I won't deny that you love each other but you don't accept yourselves." Mr. Schuester replied.
"This week's assignment has two parts: I want all of you to sing songs about accepting yourself for who you are. The best and the worst parts." He carried on.
"What's the second part?" Rachel asked.
"Well, we're going to do a group number by the queen of self-love: Gaga. We're gonna perform her anthem to acceptance: 'Born This Way'." Mr. Schuester answered and everyone applauded, except for two: Jack, equipped with an ice pack to his forehead, who was moaning about the mentioning of Lady Gaga and Mitchell saying that Jack needs the ice pack to be taped over his mouth. Finn spoke up again.
"Wait, wait. I still don't know why Miss Pillsbury's here." He said and everyone turned to the guidance counselor.
"I'm here to help you with your costumes for the big number. Each of you will be issued a beautifully fitted white t-shirt. We will then use this letter press," she said, removing a grey cloth from an object beside her before continuing, "to write a word or a phrase that best describes the thing about you that you are most ashamed of, or you'd like to change because you were born that way, which is super terrific." Miss Pillsbury then said before Mr. Schuester said that he wanted to love those parts of you and to wear them with pride.
"Can you give an example?" Mike then asked before Mr. Schuester turned to Miss Pillsbury who stood up and undid her yellow buttoned jacket to reveal a white t-shirt that said 'Ginger' on it. Dylan quirked an eyebrow as she explained how being a ginger has plagued her entire life but she now embraces it and she was born that way.
Dylan then raised his hand.
"Mr. Schue? I think I know the perfect way to start the assignment off." The blonde boy said, standing up.
"Well, alright. Show us what you got." The director then said, smiling before the blonde boy turned to the teacher.
"It's not me that's doing a number." He said before heading to the door and heading out before coming back in, a small, smiling, cardinal red haired girl following behind the boy. She was wearing a navy blue tank top, jeans and black high heels as she stood next to Dylan at the center of the floor.
"Mr. Schue. This is my girlfriend Jennifer McGraw. She just transferred here and…she wants to audition for the club." Dylan said and everyone's eyes widened before Mr. Schuester smiled.
"Okay, wow. Um, sure." He said before people started to speak up.
"Mr. Schuester? Are you sure about this?" Mitchell asked.
"Yeah, I mean we're so close to Nationals. It could throw off the group dynamic. And she might not be good enough." Rachel said.
"Okay. You clearly haven't heard her sing. We need all the talent we can get and with Jenn we actually might have a better chance at winning Nationals. Just hear her sing." Dylan said and everyone murmured before both Dylan and Jenn turned to Mr. Schuester.
"I say we give her a shot." He said and Dylan smiled before giving Jenn a chaste peck on the forehead, whispering good luck to his girlfriend before sitting back in his original seat.
"So, what are you singing?" Will asked.
"I'm singing a song Dylan and I wrote years ago. It's called 'The Beauty Within You' and it's about accepting yourself for who you truly are." Jenn said and Will smiled.
"Fantastic. Whenever you're ready." He said and Jenn nodded before hearing the music introduction start and she began to sing.
When your reflection is what you want it be
Oh no
You change your clothes, change your hair change your make up
But you still don't like the vision you see
I wishit were that easy
The high note she hit on "that", gained applause from Dylan, Brittany, Quinn and Finn.
When your rejection is solely coming from you
Oh no
The way you walk way you talk every second
You can't believe what life's been putting you through
It's time to take a look inside the beauty within you
Whoa oh whoa oh
It's the hardest thing to find
Whoa oh whoa oh
As the mirror makes you blind to who you really are
Cause you're beautiful like a shining star
You can love the world with all your heart
But to love yourself is the hardest part
When your emotions have got the better of you oh no no
You start to scream, hit the walls, start to freak out
You can't believe what life's been putting you through
It's time to take a look inside the beauty within you
Whoa oh whoa oh
It's the hardest thing to find
Whoa oh whoa oh
As the mirror makes you blind to who you really are
Cause you're beautiful like a shining star
You can love the world with all your heart
You can love the world with all your heart
But to love yourself is the hardest part
The beauty within you
Whoa oh whoa oh
It's the hardest thing to find
Whoa oh
As the mirror makes you blind to who you really are
Cause you're beautiful like a shining star
You can love the world with all your heart
But to love yourself is the hardest part
The beauty within you
The music faded as the last word left Jenn's mouth and soon enough the whole club was on their feet applauding the girl. Jenn smiled and did a little bow before Dylan ran up to his girfriend, picked her up and hugged her.
"Okay, dancer boy. You're squishing the voicebox." Jenn choked before Dylan put her down and kissed her.
"You were amazing." He said, Jenn smiling before they both turned to Mr. Schuester.
"What do you think, Mr. Schue?" the boy asked and the dorector stood up, raising his arms.
"Welcome to the glee club!" He exclaimed and Jenn clapped before hugging Dylan again, who gently took his girlfriend's hand and sat her down next to him.
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Quinn and Rachel had just performed their mash-up of 'I Feel Pretty' and 'Unpretty', to which both Jenn and Dylan applauded wildly for.
"Beautiful job, ladies." Dylan heard Mr. Schuester say above the applause just as the bell rang and now Quinn, Jenn and Dylan were walking along the hallways.
"Seriously though, Quinn. That was incredible." Dylan said.
"Yeah. Just try not to make Dylan swoon so much next time." Jenn added on to which Quinn laughed at before seeing a poster that read 'Lauren Zizes for Prom Queen'.
"Quinn, no!" Dylan called out but she was already up the hallway, confronting Lauren. They verbally scuffled for a few seconds before Dylan went over.
"Quinn, stop it now." Dylan warned, gently taking Quinn's arm.
"You don't know anything about me Lauren. Anything. But you know what? You're about to. Because it just got personal." Quinn said before walking away, shaking Dylan's arm off. Dylan could only sigh before both him and Jenn walked away.
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As Finn and Mike perform Sammy Davis Jr's 'I've Gotta Be Me', Dylan and Jenn smile to each other, bopping along to the song.. Finn did sound really, really good and out of all of the songs Dylan had heard Finn sing, this had to be his best. They performed after Jack sang Sister Hazel's 'Change Your Mind', where he said that he had a very minor insecurity involving his head. And when the 2 boys finished, they were all applauding. Mr. Schuester complimented Finn on embracing something he was really bad at.
"But I'm getting better right?" he asked and everyone was just silent before Rachel took to the floor.
"So, as all of you know, I've had a few consultations with a doctor who specialises in rhinoplasty." Rachel said.
"Yes, we know. That's all any of us have been talking about. And we think it's a terrible idea.
"Okay, blue eyes. You're such a hypocrite." Rachelfired back before Tina admitted she doesn't like her eyes sometimes but Rachel's self-hatred has helped her.
"I love myself." Rachel answered.
"Not enough, clearly. When you get a nose job, when you change your eyes, when you bleach your freckles, you're just announcing to the world 'I don't like myself very much'. The drams of this week have made me realise if I don't have many Asian sex symbols to look up to, I have an obligation to be one myself. My new mantra is: 'Be the change you want to see in the world'." Tina then said before Mike proclaimed his love for her and went into a make out session that was uncomfortable for everyone else/ Mr. Schue broke them up while Rachel carried on.
"Besides Tina's abrupt personal transformation, the compositions came back from the doctor showig what my nose would look like slightly altered and I have to say I'm very happy with the results." She said before beginning to pass out the photos.
"They're less Hebraic and more Fabray-ic." Dylan heard Rachel say as the photos were spread around. Puck said that girls show up at his temple after their 16th birthday looking slghtly different and even though there was a less chance of getting stabbed in the eye when they were making out with him, Puck pointed out that they weren't as hot. Rachel said that it wasn't about being hot and that it was about finding something in yourself that you want to change before going on to change it. He then went on to say that if anyone wasn't supporting her decision, then she'll make it on her own anyway.
"Rachel, please don't do this." Finn said before looking around, taking a deep breath and saying two words that immediately changed the amount of tension in the group: "You're beautiful".
There was a silence for a few seconds before Dylan raised his hand.
"Mr. Schue. I want to perform my assignment song if tha's okay? Maybe Rachel could take it as a message?" he asked and the teacher nodded before Dylan stood up and retrieved his guitar before beginning to strum the introduction and sing on his cue.
Did I say something stupid?
There goes one more mistake
Do I bore you with my problems?
Is that why you turn away?
Do you know how hard I've tried
To become what you want me to be
Take me, this is all that I've got
This is all that I'm not, all that I'll ever be
I've got flaws, I've got faults
Keep searching for your perfect heart
It doesn't matter who you are
We all have our scars, we all have our scars
You say don't act like a child
But what if it's a father I need?
It's not like you don't know
What you got yourself into
Don't tell me I'm the one who's naïve
Do you know how hard I've tried
To become what you want me to be
Take me, this is all that I've got
This is all that I'm not, all that I'll ever be
I've got flaws, I've got faults
Keep searching for your perfect heart
It doesn't matter who you are
We all have our scars, we all have our scars
Come on, just let it go
These are things you can't control
Your expectations, your explanations
Don't make sense to me
You and your alternatives
Don't send me to your therapist
Deep down I know what you mean
And I'm not sure that's what I wanna be
Oh oh, oh oh oh, no oh
Take me, this is all that I've got
This is all that I'm not, all that I'll ever be
I've got flaws, I've got faults
Keep searching for your perfect heart
It doesn't matter who you are
We all have our scars, we all have our scars
Oh oh, oh oh, no no no, oh oh, ooh oh oh
Did I say something stupid?
There goes on more mistake
There was a silence before Rachel spoke up again.
"This isn't a discussion. I've made up my mind. Rachel Berry is getting a nose job." She said and Dylan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
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Karofsky and Principal Figgins were stood in front of them as everyone protested the jock's presence in the choir room.
"We don't care what he has to say." Finn said before Principal Figgins said that although he had issues in the past, the head of the school has great respect for what he's doing and that thy wanted to listen.
"How about we punch his face instead?" Sam asked.
"Way ahead of you." Dylan added on, about to go up to the jock but a small but firm hand stopped him. He looked to see Jenn gazing up at Dylan with her dark brown eyes.
"Not now." She whispered before Dylan relaxed in his seat and listened to Karofsky apologise. He then said that Santana has helped him before Santana spoke up, saying that the club wasn;t complete without Kurt so she tried to make Dave a nice person.
"And then something funny happened. Something…called love." the Latina said as she clasped hands with Karofsky.
"I'm gonna barf." Tina said and Dylan could've sworn he was about to throw up as Karofsky went on saying he wanted everyone to feel safe and how they started an anti-bullying club: "The Bully-Whips" and that he was going to reach out to Kurt personally. He also mentioned a chance to change the school before he zoned out, not really caring what Karofsky had to say about anything, even if it was him changing.
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"Well, my fellow glee clubbers." Mercedes said to everyone in the quad before looking to her watch.
"It's noon. Which means it's official." She finished.
"What's official?" Sam asked before Dylan's ears were filled with that all too familiar voice.
"My transfer! Kurt Hummel's back in McKinley!" the countertenor proclaimed and it wasn't long before Dylan rushed up the stairs and pulled the boy into an embrace.
"I've missed you." Dylan mumbled into the fashionisto's embrace.
"I've missed you too." Kurt replied before hugging Mercedes, Tina and Brittany.
"Let's get ready for Nationals." He then said before Mercedes said there was a reason that they were meeting in the quad and that there were people who wanted to say goodbye before the Warblers appeared and went into a beautful version of 'Somehwere Only We Know'. Dylan wrapped his arms around Jenn's waist from behind and they both swayed gently to the music. And when they finished, Kurt and Blaine embraced tightly before the New Directions welcomed back Kurt. And he said that he wanted to thank everyone in the choir room and he did with an incredible version of 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' from Sunset Boulevard, to which Jenn and Dylan could only stand up and applaud for.
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Quinn had just burst through the door, tears running down her face. Now that Lauren Zizes had put up those 'Lucy Caboosey' posters, she knew she had no chance at winning prom queen now. She headed up to her room to see Dylan comforting a crying Jenn McGraw.
"It's okay. It's okay." He whispered before seeing Quinn.
"People keep making remarks about Jenn's weight and it's really getting to her." Dylan explained and Quinn sat down next to Jenn who looked to Dylan.
"Do you want to tell her or shall I?" Dylan asked and Jenn sniffled before wiping her tears away and mouting something to Dylan who nodded before sitting down on the other side of Jenn. The small girl took a depe breath and began speaking.
"When people make fun of my weight, it really hurts me. When I was 13 years old, I was diagnosed with bullimia. I would eat a lot of food and thn throw it back up so I wouldn't gain any weight. I would be so mad at myself for losing or gaining any weight. And I would just be so mad at myself for even doing what I was doing and then keep doing it at least 5 times a day. And I hate it when people jibe me because of my weight. I just feel so weak." Jenn said and Quinn's eyes widened at Jenn's story. She seemed so composed with herself and just to hear this, broke her heart.
"You're not weak. In fact you are one of the strongest people ever to deal with this eating disorder for so long." Quinn said, placing a gentle hand on Jenn's shoulder which Jenn smiled out before covering it with her own.
"She may have lost the internal battle, but she is fighting and winning the external battle and maybe you should do the same." Dylan then said and Quinn nodded, hugging the blonde boy.
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"Go." Kurt signalled, clicking his fingers to Dylan and Puck who signalled back to Kurt and began playing Duck Sauce's 'Barbra Streisand'. The club were holding a 'Barbra-vention' for Rachel to try and convince her to not get her nose job. And when Kurt and Rachel were going down the escalator, Dylan could dtell that Rachel had absolutely no clue what was going on but she was enjoying it anyway. And soon enough, he was clasping hands with Jenn in a tango pose and dancing their way towards Rachel Berry. Kurt, Puck and Jack were absolute geniuses coming up with this idea. Dancing around a mall, having the time of their lives and Rachel looked like it too. Near the end, he took Rachel's hand and danced around like a chicken, like everyone else. Even Jack was doing it. But it was for Rachel so what do you expect? And when it ended, they all circled around Rachel who just smiled.
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"So, drum roll Finn." Will said and Finn obliged while Will turned around, unzipping his fleece before turning round to reveal a shirt that said 'Butt Chin'. Everyone laughed while Mercedes complimented his chin.
"I would've went with 'Tears Up A Lot'." Tina said.
"I would've said 'Too Many Inspirational Speeches'. And I've been here less than a week." Jenn said and everyone laughed.
"Is everyone here?" the teacher then asked.
"Not everyone." A voice called out and everyone looked to see Rachel walking down.
"I wanted to thank you guys for my 'Barbra-vention'. And I have an announcement to make: I went to my doctor and…I cancelled my appointment." She said and Dylan smiled as she made her way onstage.
"And then I went home and I made…this." She said before opening her white coat to reveal her white t-shirt that said 'Nose' on it. She then said she couldn't join in on the choreography while her nose heals.
And next time, Finn. Watch out for the schnoz." Rachel said, Finn replying with a drum beat. Artie then questioned where Santana was.
"Probably somehwere making out with Karofsky. Yeah, he can have her." Sam replied.
"Hit it!" Mr. Schuester then said and the number started, everyone gradually revealing what was on their shirts. Dylan's said 'Anger Issues' and Jenn's said 'Beanpole'. Their personal favourites had to be Brittany's 'I'm With Stoopid', Sam's 'Trouty Mouth' and Jack's 'Bronto Head'. Even Miss Pillsbury got a different one that said 'OCD' on. And while the number was drawing to a close, Jenn saw her. Santana sat with Karofsky beside her, and her white t-shirt that said…'Lebanese'?
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Songs used are 'The Beauty Within You' by Desmond Child (the Ariana Grande version. Listen to it, it's amazing) and 'Scars' by Allison Iraheta.
So here we have 'Born This Way' and Jenn's first day in New Directions. If she's played by Ariana Grande, she's gonna have to sing a lot right?
Also, I heard 'Light Up The World' that is being used in the last episode: New York and if you don't like spoilers look away now...AUDIBLE BRITTANY SOLO! IT'S ABOUT TIME! And it's obvious what Santana's verse is about :) :) :)...Okay you can look back now.
Alright, next we have 'Rumours' which will definitely change Dylan's dynamic with everyone in New Directions. And I mean everyone...except one person. Watch this space.
Feel free to review :)