Hola! lol. I dont actually speak spanish, I'm just very tired. So this chapter kinda jumps around a bit, and it is back in Rachel's point of view, mostly because that is easier for me to write. I dont own glee, or any of the songs used in this chapter, which are:
Goodbye to You by Scandal
What I Like About You by The Romantics
Stop! In The Name Of Love/Free Your Mind as performed on Glee
Rolling In The Deep by Adele
I Wanna Do Bad Things With You by Jace Everett
and Firework by Katy Perry.
Also! for the basis of this story, I have made Artie not be in a wheel chair. :) Enjoy!
I woke the next morning wrapped in someone's arms, and had a mini freak-out till I realized that the arms belonged to Santana. I relaxed and thought back to how my life had blown up in the last two days. I slowly pulled out of the Latinas embrace and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. I also decided to send an email to my three besties from New York. I would need them. I almost immediately got an email back from them saying that they would be here ASAP. I smiled to myself. I went outside and basked in the sunlight. In spite of everything bad that had happened I couldn't even be upset. I was finally taking the reigns to my life back. I had lived under someone's thumb for 6 years, and being on my own was like re-learning to walk. Scary, but damn satisfying. I looked back at the closed door to my room, and thanked my lucky stars that I had met the brunette asleep on my bed. I honestly wouldn't have been able to cope with Colton coming back, or Noah acting like he was in charge of my life without her. Her advice form the day before flashed back to me.
'Puck is an ass, Berry. But he has a heart, and it's a damn big one. If you let him, he WILL take care of you. He'll take care of you even if you don't want him to. He's not a bad guy to have in your corner.' I smiled lightly. Maybe it was time to try to be friends with Noah. The oven beeped, signaling that my homemade biscuits were done. I walked into the kitchen and removed them from the oven, and started singing to myself softly.
"Those times I waited for you seem so long ago
I wanted you far too much to ever let you go
You know you never got by "I feel it too"
And I guess I never could stand to lose
It's such a pity to sayGoodbye to you
Goodbye to youCould I have loved someone like the one I see in you
I remember the good times baby now, and the bad times too
These last few weeks of holding on
The days are dull, the nights are long
Guess it's better to sayGoodbye to you
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to you'Cause baby it's over now
No need to talk about it
It's not the same
My love for you is just not the same
And my heart, and my heart
And my heart can't stand the strain
And my love, and my love
And my love won't stand the pain
And my heart, and my heart
And my heart can't stand the strain
And my love, and my love
And my love...Goodbye to you
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to youNow, could I have loved someone like the one I see in you
Yeah, I remember the good times baby now, and the bad times too
These last few weeks of holding on
The days are dull, the nights are long
Guess it's better to sayGoodbye to you
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to youGoodbye baby
So long darling
Goodbye to you"
By the time I was done singing, I had been dancing around, and singing loudly. I was also done with breakfast. I stood there when I ended the song, and heard soft clapping. I spun around to see Santana standing there smiling at me.
"Damn Berry. Your voice is AMAZING. You need to sing more often." I giggled, and gestured at the food. She walked over and filled a plate to start eating.
"Seriously," Santana looked up at me. "You need to sing more. How come you don't sing all the time? If I had a voice like yours, I would always be singing." I just shrugged and looked at my plate.
"Colton didn't like me singing after Spring Awakening. He told me that my voice was pitchy, and I wasn't as good as the directors had told me I was. At first, I would blow him off, and kept singing, but after 4 years of being told your voice isn't very good, you start to believe it." Santana just stared at me in shock.
A week and a half later found the whole group at my house once again for a pool party, but this time there was barbequing going on, and swimming, and laughter. Santana had helped me turn my backyard into the ultimate Fourth of July party space. She even talked me into setting up a stage and everything. I was actually having fun, and I heard my doorbell ring. When I got up to answer I gestured at Artie, who I had met at Noah's bar, to come with me. He got up and walked over to me, and smiled.
"My doorbell rang, and I don't want to have to deal with everyone getting mad at me if I answer it by myself." He snickered, 'cause he knew that when I said everyone, I actually meant Noah. I laughed with him, and walked to the door. When I flung it open, Amanda, Rory, and Lea who were my best friends ever in New York were standing on the other side. Lea, Amanda and I immediately started shrieking, and Rory just laughed. Artie went back into the pool area to explain the shrieking to everyone.
"Mandy! Lee! Red! God, it's so good to see you guys! Come in! Guest rooms are upstairs!" I led the three of them upstairs, and proceeded to catch up on everything.
Artie walked back into the pool area without Rachel, and Santana and Noah immediately noticed. They both got up and walked over to him.
"Where's Rach?" Santana beat Noah to the question. Artie looked at the two of them and then laughed.
"Calm down guard dogs, her friends from New York that she has been talking about non-stop just got here. She led them upstairs to settle in. she said she would bring them back down once they were ready." Noah and Santana seemed ok with this and went back to the party while Artie just shook his head and chuckled.
"So, spill, woman. You said in your email that there would be guys here. We want to know deets. Now." Lea was the first to break the silence after I had told them all about Colton. I had left out Noah's part in most of it because I knew they would interrogate me about him. I smiled when Noah came to mind. I was much more comfortable around him and that led me to accept the fact that I like him, but it did not mean I wanted to date him. He was still a barbarian, and I couldn't be with another guy like that. I knew that Lea would be man hunting when she got here. She loves cowboys. Actually, I made a mental note to introduce her to Joe. They seemed like a good match.
"Lea, why don't we go downstairs, and you can meet them?" I asked, laughing at how she jumped up at that. I turned and looked at my three best friends, and thought, 'here goes nothing'. I turned and walked downstairs and outside and everyone stopped to look at me.
"Everyone, these are my friends from New York. Amanda, Lea, and Rory. Mandy, Lee, Red, this is Santana, Noah, Mike, Matt, Kurt, Blaine, Joe, Sam, Artie, Levi, Brittany, Mercedes, Tina, and Sugar." I laughed at the fact that no one would remember everyone's names until they had all had the chance to mingle and talk. Luckily, the three people I had known forever were anything but shy, and dove right into conversations. I stood on the back porch for a little bit longer looking out over my friends, once again thanking my lucky stars that I had such amazing people in my life.
"You keep smiling like that, and someone is going to think your crazy." I hadn't heard Noah come up, but when he whispered that in my ear, I was torn between laughing at him, outlining that I was not mentally unstable, or just leaning into his weight. I turned to look at him, and laughed.
"Thank you for the concern Noah, but I assure you that I was just reminiscing on the past couple of weeks and my incredible fortune to have met such an amazing group of people." He rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"Seriously Berry. Less words." That was Noah's favorite thing to say to me these days. That and anything that he could to point out that he was interested in me. He had made it very clear that he wanted me, but I was holding back. I stared into his eyes, and he moved said eyes up and down my outfit.
"Have I told you yet today that you look amazing? Cause babe, green is definitely your color." He smirked at me, and I just turned around and walked away, ignoring the throbbing between my legs, and his husky laugh that followed me.
Once the sun had gone down, and the lighting was subtle, everyone decided that it was time to sing. I laughed at some of the suggestions being thrown out. I decided that I was going to sing. It had been so long since I had sung Goodbye to You in my kitchen that morning. Before I even realized what was happening, Lea and Amanda were onstage, doing a very upbeat rendition of What I Like About You, making everyone in the backyard laugh. The guys got onstage and sang a mash-up of Stop! In the name of love and Free Your Mind, coupled with dancing that had every female there drooling. I was laughing, and having more fun than I could ever remember having, when Santana got onstage, and captured everyone's attention when she started singing. It took me a second to realize that she was singing a slowed down version of Rolling In The Deep, and was killing it. I was stunned at the talent that came out of her. When she was done, she curtsied and winked at me, which made me laugh. Then Noah stood up and casually walked onstage, and my heart jumped into my throat. I had never heard him sing, and the song he chose had my blood boiling within seconds. I remembered telling him that True Blood was one of my guilty pleasures, and that I Wanna Do Bad Things With You was one of the most erotic songs ever. So, it shouldn't have surprised me that THAT'S the song he chose, but it still did.
"When you came in the air went out.
And every shadow filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.
I'm the kind to sit up in his room.
Heart sick an' eyes filled up with blue.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
When you came in the air went out.
And all those shadows there filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.
Ow, ooh.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you."
When he was done, I had to drink a glass of cold water. Then Santana stood up, and started yelling.
"Hey Rach, get your cute little ass up on that stage and sing for us!" Everyone cheered when she said that, so I got up and walked to the stage. Noah looked down at me, and held out his hand to help me up. When I got onstage, he didn't let go, he just pulled me in close and bent his head down to my ear.
"I can totally tell you're dripping wet baby. If you let me, I'll help you with that." He pulled back and winked at me. I had never wanted someone to kiss me so badly in my life. But he just pulled away and hopped off stage, leaving me alone in front of all my friends. I stood there for a second, not knowing what to sing. When I picked a song, I smirked and walked over to my iPod dock, found the song, and played it. Once the first strings of the song played out, Lea, Amanda and Rory all started smiling, and so did Kurt, who also recognized the song.
"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta unite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta unite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em goin "Oh, oh, oh!"
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon"
Everyone just stared at me, before deafening applause broke out. I smiled and stepped off stage, just in time for the fireworks to start. As I stood there in my backyard, surrounded by people I love, staring up at the sky as billions of little lights streaked across it, I felt calm for the first time in 7 years.