Mercedes grabbed her bag off the bus floor, gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up. She walked to the front of the bus, stopping to give quick side hugs to Kurt and Rachel. Then she faced the others. They all had sad looks on their faces. They knew that the moment she stepped off that bus, their vacation together was over. One step.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye" Mercedes said slowly, prolonging the end as much as possible. "I had so much fun. Thanks to you guys for chaperoning us. I can imagine it's not always fun."
"Bye Mercedes!" Artie yelled.
"Bye! And I'll email y'all the pics soon, okay? Like maybe even tonight" Mercedes grinned. She hiked her bag up to her shoulder and turned to step down and off the bus. Mr. Schue opened the bus door, letting cool air in.
"Oh!" Mercedes turned and smiled. "Since the vaycay is over now, I think it's okay to say that THE GUYS LOCKED US GIRLS IN A LAUNDRY ROOM FOR A WHOLE NIGHT At THE CONDOS!"
Everyone froze.
"Bye!" Mercedes laughed and jumped off the bus. They were all silent as they watched Mr. Schue unload Mercedes' bags then she walked in her house. The front hall light lit up the yard so they all saw her turn and give one last wave before shutting the door.
Will climbed back on the bus and took his seat. They were all silent still. Some of them had guilty looks but they all looked amused and held in giggles.
"One of you may speak" Will said daringly.
They kept quiet.
"Is what she said true?" Emma asked, trying a kinder approach.
Some of them nodded.
"And who, pray tell, was the mastermind behind that?" Shelby asked.
"It was my boy Artie" Puck said proudly. "His plan!"
Artie frowned. "Way to throw me under the bus."
"Yeah, man. Not cool" Mike said.
"Hey, I am not ashamed of what we did. It was totally brilliant" Puck shrugged. "You are brilliant" he said to Artie.
"Besides, the girls got even" Kurt said. "So it's fair."
Shelby's eyes widened. "Even? What did you do?"
"They set a loud alarm for really early one morning then they filled a cupboard with ping pong balls so when we opened it...kerploosh!" Finn explained. He tried his best to frown and look hurt, but the whole thing was really too funny so he ended up laughing.
Beiste bit her lip to stop her own laughs. She had to hand it to the girls. It was good payback.
"Guys..." Will began. Part of him was mad at them for doing this. The guys' prank could have been dangerous. But the other part of him was happy that they had fun. It didn't seem like they were mad at each other. And if the girls did get payback, it was fine. Overall, this, like their fight before, was very amusing.
"Mr. Schue, we don't need a lecture" Quinn said. "For the most part, it was fun. And you wouldn't have even found out if Mercedes didn't want to mess with us. Just let it go."
Will couldn't argue with that. So he stayed quiet.
He turned a corner on to another street.
One by one, they got off at each stop. Well, two if you count Rory and Brittany going to the same house and Kurt and Finn too. Each time the bus stopped, the remaining people on the bus got a bit more sad. And after a while, the loud, happy talk changed to silence.
The person leaving the bus quietly got up, gave some cheesy goodbye to the others, hugged or kissed a few of them then got off and walked to their house with their luggage. Then they entered the house where they were greeted by some family member, eager to see them again. They would explain the highlights of the trip and answer the many, many, many questions they were asked.
'Did you have fun?'
'How was the weather?'
'How was Universal?'
'Were the condos nice?'
'Did you all get along?'
'What did you buy?'
'What did you eat? Hopefully not too much junk.'
Typical questions were bombarded at them and they plastered on a fake smile and answered them all. However, on the inside, they ached for their friends. That group of people who could make them smile at all times and shared in the happiness of that wonderful, no, magical trip.
The next day was weird. For all of them. The teens all woke up in their own bed and were happy at first but then realized they were alone in that room. For the first time in nine days, they had woken up by themselves. That horrid feeling of separation and loneliness sunk in from the first minute they were up. They moped around the house all day. They acted happy. They presented themselves as happy. But they were in a weird trance state. Like they were just dreaming. Like the trip wasn't over.
But they weren't dreaming. The trip was over. And yet, they all felt distant. So distant, it was like they'd never see each other again. Which was false because they had school the next day.
Some of them texted each other, but even via text, their sadness and lonesome feeling was evident and all conversation was kept light and boring.
As for the adults, they went back to their normal life. They were glad to be back. That being said, they did miss the excitement of the trip. It was never a dull moment with the fifteen teenagers.
It was safe to say that everybody was very eager for school the next day. Especially the teens. They arrived at school half an hour earlier than normal. They met in the choir room and as soon as they saw each other, their faces lit up in the hugest smiles.
"As soon as I got in, my dads started asking about me and my head and if I was okay. It was so crazy" Rachel smiled and told them all.
"How did they know about the accident?" Blaine asked.
"Mr. Schue had called them that day" Rachel said.
"Typical" Mercedes laughed.
"The first thing my sister said to me was 'What did you get me?'" Puck said.
"You didn't get her anything, right?" Finn laughed.
"False. Well, sorta. I gave her a shell that I found on the beach" Puck answered.
"Poor kid" Quinn laughed. She had met Puck's sister many times as she had lived with him for a bit when she was pregnant. His sister was sweet, kind and the exact opposite of Puck.
"Hey, she loved it!" Puck said. "She taped it to a string and wore it as a necklace."
"Well, unlike you, I actually bought things from a real store for my little brother and sister" Sam said.
"Aw cute! Were they happy?" Mercedes asked.
"Yeah. They love me" Sam blushed a bit.
"Parents are so annoying. Did you gets get one hundred and one questions too?" Tina asked.
"As soon as I opened the door and shouted 'hello!'" Artie said. They nodded their agreement.
"It's so stupid because one question would be 'Did you have fun?' and three questions later it's something like 'Did you have a good time?' and I was like 'Mom! I said yes already!' and she gave me an annoyed look like I was the one being rude!" Finn said.
"Yeah she even asked my later if everything was okay with you and Rachel" Kurt said.
"You should have said that Rachel was preggers" Santana laughed.
"Carole would have gone ape!" Blaine said.
"No way, no how am I lying to Carole" Kurt shook his head.
"Good" Finn agreed. "I wouldn't want to face her wrath."
"Hey guys!" Mr. Schue beamed, coming in the room. "I didn't expect you guys to be here so early."
"We missed each other!" Brittany said.
"That's sweet" Will smiled and set down his bag on the piano. "Oh, Mercedes, I wanted to thank you for posting all those amazing pictures on the New Direction Facebook page. They were so great! You have a real skill in taking pictures. You should consider a career in it."
"No! You can't ignore a voice like that!" Sugar said.
"Photography can be your backup career" Quinn said.
Mercedes smiled. "Aw, you guys are too sweet. And for the record, I am so awesome, I will be a photographer and a singer."
"But seriously, the pics were awesome" Will said.
"Totally awesome" Rachel nodded.
"Thanks. And I'm not ashamed to say that I cried as I posted them" Mercedes said.
Tina covered her ears with her hands and shut her eyes. "La la la la not gonna cry la la la!"
Will chuckled. "Alright. No more torture. Besides. You have class anyways." As he said that, the bell rang, signaling them all to grab their backpacks and leave the room.
Will watched them leave.
So the trip was over. All they were left with were memories, pictures and whatever souvenirs they had bought. To random people looking at them, the group that comes across as fifteen losers with those four odd adult chaperones. Nineteen no ones who went on some trip down south. No biggie.
But to them, they were the closest, best group of people in the world. No mean words or cruel actions could cancel out the love that those nineteen people shared.
That trip symbolized togetherness. That trip symbolized friendship that isn't temporary. That trip symbolized happiness. That trip symbolized family. That trip symbolized a dream come true. That trip symbolized a hope for a future and a never forgotten past.
They bonded. They sang. They laughed. They fought. They ate. They played. They made the most of each other and what they had. They lived in the moment.
It was actually quiet crazy how they managed.
But yet, it happened.
It was The New Directions Trip.
A/N
***PLEASE READ THIS! DON'T SKIP THROUGH THIS!***
Hello! First off, I'd like to say, that yes, this is the final chapter of The ND Trip. I'll be honest here. I never thought it would be as long or as popular as it is. I based the story off my own family's vacation to Florida. I didn't do the stuff that ND did like sing at a hotel or play pranks but I did stay in a condo and go to Universal and Fun Spot. So I took my trip and added ND and a whole lot of fun so I hope you liked it.
So that's the history of the story. But a story is just words unless there are people to read it. So I have to say a HUUUUUGE thank you to everyone who read this. I am blown away by the positive response that I got from complete random strangers. To everyone who reviewed, saved the story to faves/alerts and same wih me as an author, I LOVE YOU. You make me so happy all the time and to know there are real people look forward to my updates and chapters is crazy. So crazy that I feel guilty if I update late or a chapter is a weaker one. But seriously, thanks to eveyone. Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU times infinety. I LOVE YOU.
As for this chapter, I tried to make it like the first chapter. But I added some dialogue in too (I hope you don't mind). The lonely, sad, disconnected feeling that I tried to have the teens feel came directly from me because one day I felt so sad and alone so I tried to convey that emotion into the story. I can honestly say that I don't think this is the best chapter but I think it ends the story well. I hope you agree.
Anyways, now for my question. Well, it's more of a offer/plea. I started The ND Trip the last week of December and since then, I've always had something to do (or write) in my free time or when I have a moment to spare. In other words, I'm rarely bored. But now, the story is over and I have nothing left to write all the time. I mean, I'll do some one-shots here and there when I get an idea but I'll really miss having a long, multi-chapter story to write all the time. So here's what I'm asking. If any of you have an idea for another story for me, I'd love to hear it. I'd prefer a story that has all (or most) of ND in it and has an actual plot (not just random dialogue). I'm not trying to steal an idea from you or take credit, I just want to keep writing and hopefully some of you have some ideas. If you do, you can PM me or leave it in a review. Thanks!
This summer, or actually next week, my family and I will be going on another vacation to Italy. I'm telling you this for 2 reasons. One: if I do get an idea before then, I'll do my very best to write during any free time I have but I have no idea how much acces to internet I'll have so if I don't post anything for a few weeks, that'll be why. Two: some reviewers for this story have suggested I do a sequal. I'm honored that you want me to do another one and I am possibly considering doing an Italy sequal. Maybe. There are a few things holding me back such as if there'd be enough fun and entertaining teen things to do in Italy (I've never been so I don't know) and also there are only so many games of Truth or Dare and mall games they can play before I run out of ideas or people find it repetative, you know? However, if I did do it, I'd change things such as I'd add Joe Hart it (and probs have him date Quinn; sorry Quory shippers) and I'd probably add Sue or other minor characters. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that I'm not promising a sequal for sure but I'm also not saying NO for sure. It's still and idea in the back of my mind. If I do indeed do a squal, I'll post an update chapter here letting you know.
Well, I think that's all...oh, wait, not yet. I'd also like to let y'all know that I love chatting and making new friends. None of my friends like Glee so I have no one to talk to about the awesomeness that Glee is. So if you wanna chat or have a question, I don't know, feel free to PM me. I love meeting new people who have the same intrests as me: Glee, Starkid, Harry Potter and music. So if you like what I just listed and are in need of a friend, let's talk. :) Except if you're a creeper, go away.
Well, that's it, I think. Again, a huge thank you to all my readers. You mean so much to me. Thanks for supporting me and this story. Sorry that this Author's Note is probs longer than the chapter. I just wanted to get all my last notes in since this may be the end. Bye for now! Love you and don't forget to give me some ideas for more stories!
P.S. This is the last time I'll say this, but check out my Glee blog! :)
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