Dancing In Silence
Santana
It's the day of Regionals, and all of us are boarding the bus. Mr. Shue checks our names off a list on his clipboard, making sure we are all here, as the cool autumn breeze blows around us. Golden colored leaves litter the pavement, crunching beneath my feet when stepped on. When we get on the bus, we all stick our heads outside the windows to watch Artie get lifted up into the big yellow school bus. The machine is slow and takes a good amount of time to reach the doors, but Artie finally gets into the bus and Mr. Shue goes to close the door behind him. I give Artie a little wave, and he smiles and waves back, and I think to myself that he sounds green. I turn my attention to the front of the bus where Mr. Shue will most likely be giving us a pep talk, and he does. I didn't catch everything the Spanish teacher says, because his butt chin is highly distracting. I feel the bus vibrating and then the bus begins to move, we are heading to Carmel High, where we will face Vocal Adrenaline and Aural Intensity. I'm a little anxious, but I know that we will all pull through for each other. I have been told that Rachel has a beautiful, remarkable voice, but then again I haven't heard it. Rachel sounds orange, ambitious and ready to take on the world.
I feel the seat adjust underneath a weight besides mine, and it's Brittany, blue eyes bright and gleaming with life. I can't help but smile when I see her, but I try to hide my happiness. I look away from her, pretending to not want to talk, but that's a complete lie. For some reason or another, I am drawn to this girl. I am helpless against her pull, as if she is Earth and I am the Moon. We may drift apart every so often, moving away from each other, but I always come back to her.
I'm sorry, Santana. Please, can we just forget this and go back to the way things were before? Brittany pleads, her eyes never looked so sad. She touches my arm with her delicate hand, and I feel that she is truly genuine. Please, San. Let's be friends again.
I smile at her, pulling her into a hug. Of course, I was always your friend. Brittany grins at this, breaking the hug to hold hands. You know, Britts, we are pretty good together. I say, and Brittany smiles at me, looking deep into my eyes.
Yeah, I know. How about, after all this Regionals stuff is over with, you and I head over to Breadstix?
Just you and I? I try to say quietly, and the blonde next to me nods.
Just you and I. Deal?
Deal. Pick me up on Friday, 6 o'clock. I negotiate, and Brittany laughs, sounding so very yellow. I love that yellow color she is. Slowly, she finds my hand and we intertwine our fingers, content with each other.
The prehistoric bus bumps along the side roads, shaking everyone up inside. Tina and Kurt, sitting in front of us, keep raising their eyebrows at me when they see Brittany and I holding hands, and I keep shooing them away. Kurt emerges again, making a heart with his hands. Brittany doesn't notice them, but I laugh and dismiss them once more. Quinn is sitting with Finn, Rachel across from them boring wholes into Quinn's skull with her poisonous glare. Brittany told me that Rachel and Finn had a thing for a bit, but he eventually found his way back to Quinn. I turn my attention back to my blonde friend when she nudges my side.
I'm so nervous, I'm afraid I'll screw up and forget my moves, in front of everyone. She says, leaning her head on the back of our seat.
Stop worrying, you'll do fine. You're the best dancer out there! I say, and I get a flick on the head from Mike, sitting behind us. Sorry Mike, one of the best dancers, I correct, and he smiles before sinking back down into his seat.
Thanks, San. That really means a lot to me. You're so calm about this. Even Rachel is a bit nervous, Brittany says, and let out a small giggle.
I'm calm because, I begin, signing as well as talking, I don't have to dance or sing! I just have to sway in the back! Brittany laughs at this, and being as most of the bus heard me, I can see some of them laughing too. I'm glad that people like me at this school. Granted, there will always be jerks like Karofsky no matter where I go, but people like these make my life a lot easier. We continue on the pothole filled holes until we reach Carmel High. I can feel the anxiety and pride and fear and nervousness radiating off everyone in the Glee club. I smile at Brittany as we exit the bus, letting go of each other. I offer to roll Artie up to the school's entrance, and he agrees. He doesn't talk to me, because I can't see his lips. Instead, I just talk to him. I feel like Artie and I have a strange connection through our handicaps. We are both limited in this world, but we can both thrive as well. When we get into the auditorium and sign in, Artie rolls in front of me, thanking me.
We should probably get to the green room, we pulled second. We have to get costumes on anyway.
I nod my head in agreement, signing 'see you later' to him, a sign that he has picked up from hanging out with me. I begin to walk to where all the girls are, and I feel someone next to me.
So Santana, I know we haven't known each other for long, but I really like you. Do you maybe want to go to dinner with me on Thursday? he asks me timidly, his green voice fading a bit. What do I say? I kind of think he's nice, but I also really like Brittany. I'm pretty sure you can go on dates with more than one person, right?
It would just be, like, a date. Just a small one, no big deal, Artie stutters, stumbling over his words nervously.
Sure I'll go with you. I nod, and continue on to the dressing room. Pick me up at 5!
It's just one date, right? Brittany wouldn't be mad, would she?
Brittany
I stand motionless on the stage, waiting patiently for Rachel and Finn to finish their duet. I'm going through the dance in my head again and again, making sure that I remember every step. I don't want to screw up, in front of an entire crowd. Boy, that crowd sure looks big. I don't want to look back, afraid that I will miss my cue. I wish that I could look back, though, to see Santana's beautiful brown eyes and know that it's okay. I need her support right now, but Mr. Shue stuck her all the way in the back for every number. She isn't even a part of any of the choreography, which is really unfair of Mr. Shue if you ask me.
Rachel's clear, bright voice rings out and holds the last note, the cue for Mike and I to stride to the center of the stage. For the girls' rendition of Black Horse In A Cherry Tree, Mike and I are supposed to act out the song, a sort of interpretive dance. We tango slash dance together, spinning and twirling throughout.
Quinn
Well my heart knows me better than I know myself
So I'm gonna let it do all the talking.
I came across a place in the middle of nowhere
With a big black horse and a cherry tree.
Tina
I felt a little fear upon my back
He said "Don't look back, just keep on walking."
When the big black horse said, "Hey lady!" {When the big black horse said, "Look this way"}
Said, "Look this way, will you marry me?" {Said, "Hey, lady, will you marry me?"}
Mercedes
But I said no, no, no, no-no-no
I said no, no, you're not the one for me
No, no, no, no-no-no
I said no, no, you're not the one for me
I push myself away from Mike, ready to say 'no no no', but my feet unexpectedly slip out from under me. I fall, and Mercedes and the other girls look behind them at me, but I motion for them all to keep going.
Tina
And my heart hit a problem, in the early hours,
So I stopped it dead for a beat or two.
But I cut some cord, and I shouldn't have done it,
Mercedes
And it won't forgive me after all these years
I attempt to get up off the floor, but I accidentally yelp in pain when my leg buckles underneath me, unwilling to let me stand. Mike runs to me, and everyone stops what they're doing. Surely this will detract from our score. I try to get up again, but fall into Mike's arms. He scoops me up and carries me off stage, but not before I see Santana move from her safe position in the back of the group to the front of the stage, where I was before. I can see all the girls trying to get Santana off the stage, but she can't hear them.
"Wait, Mike put me down here," I say, and Mike looks at me questionably. "We don't have time for this! Go out there and dance!"
"But who do I dance with?"
"Santana," I say, and we both cast our gaze to the small Latina on the stage. Mike looks at me again like I'm crazy.
"Ug, Mike! Trust me, just do it. She knows all the moves. Please, we don't have any other choice!" I protest, and Mike nods and hurries onstage. He waves his arm for the band to begin playing again. Looking at Santana nervously, she smiles at him and pushes him away, like I was supposed to.
Quinn
So I sent it to a place in the middle of nowhere
With a big black horse and a cherry tree.
Now it won't come back, 'cause it's oh so happy
And now I've got a hole for the world to see
All
And it said no, no, no, no-no-no
Said no, no, you're not the one for me
No, no, no, no-no-no-no
Said no, no, you're not the one for me
Tina
{Not the one for me}
I barely listen to their singing, because I all see is Santana. Mr. Shue is beside me, taking care of my sprained ankle, worrying that Santana couldn't dance. But yet, there she was, dancing by herself, right along with the music. I saw Tina almost stop singing when she saw her, Santana swaying to the music like she could hear it. The audience was entranced as well, but they didn't know why the rest of us were.
She moved so gracefully, so beautifully, that I had to remind myself again and again that she couldn't hear the music. It was as if, when she danced, all the weight of her handicap was no longer holding her down. She was free.
She was beautiful.
Mercedes
Oh-oh-oh you're not the one for me
Mercedes finishes, belting out the last phrase. When the lights dim, the girls exit off the stage, as the boys would start the next number first. They were all hugging Santana, silently screaming with joy. Santana was of course confused until someone actually began speaking in real sentences.
"Santana! You did amazing out there!" Mercedes whispers, not wanting to be too loud. Santana's smile stretches from ear to ear, looking very pleased with herself.
"I tould you, Mishter Shue!" Santana says pointing at the shocked Glee club leader. Mr. Shue puts him hands up, laughing.
"I'm sorry, Santana. From now on, you can dance anytime you want. But right now, you should probably get onstage," Mr. Shue says, shooing Santana onto the stage. The other girls fall in with her, and the crowd cheers loudly when they see Santana, whooping and clapping. They really do like her.
I watch her intently the entire time, studying her every movement. When the number is over, everyone goes up to the edge of the stage to bow, and for Santana, the entire Glee club does their clapping in sign language; shaking their open hands back and forth. Santana smiles and does the same, and so does the audience. The New Directions get another round of applause before getting of stage, everyone hugging and congratulating Santana.