The week had gone amazing other than Finn accidentally whacking Rachel in the face the previous day. On the other hand, Haley was over the moon, she felt so fortunate to be in a loving relationship with her best friend.
"Oh my God, you're getting a nose job." Quinn said quietly after Rachel had finished explaining her visit with the doctor's appointment.
"I'm....considering having a minor procedure to repair my deviated septum." Rachel explained.
"So, a nose job." Santana commented.
"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 to have a slightly more demure nose. Like Quinn's for example. I-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, defending herself.
"Possibly? What about the risks? Your voice is amazing as is, Rachel." Mr. Schue said.
"Hold up. Could we all just get real here for a second? I hear that Rachel's got a bit of 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? "I mean, I'm sure that Sam's been at the doctor's office and rifled through pamphlets on mouth reduction. I'll bet Artie's thought about getting his legs removed since he's not really using them anyways. I know Haley fails at therapy because her anxiety and depression is breaking her like a fragile Russian doll. She runs away from her problems, to sum it up. And I'm definitely sure that Tina's looked into getting an eye de-slanting." Santana ranted.
"That's extraordinarily racist." Tina tried to defend herself. Haley sank lower into her chair as her and Sam both shared a look as he tried to cover his mouth. She grabbed his hand and sent him a sympathetic smile.
"That's pretty rich coming from you." Haley spat out. She wanted to sink into the floor.
"I'm keepin' real." Shrugged Santana.
"Sorry, Santana. I'm a beautiful person. I'm in love with myself, and I would never change a thing." Tina defended herself.
"Is that why you're wearing blue contacts today, Tina? Self-hating Asian." Mike said.
"My dancing kind of bothers me. Uh, it almost killed Rachel, but I like the way I look." Finn spoke up.
"Oh, please. You have weird, puffy pyramid nipples. They look like they're filled with custard." Santana said, rolling her eyes. Haley giggled as Sam tried to get Finn to open his jacket, in which he responded by slapping him. :You could dust them with powdered sugar and they could pass for some sort of dessert. 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."
"That's not sending the right message. You have commented some rather offensive and rude things." Haley commented.
"Like you don't?" Santana argued.
"I'm never as offensive as you." Haley shrugged.
"Whoa, guys. I'm really shocked at what I'm hearing here. It goes against everything the glee club stands for. I'm telling you, the thing you would most like to change about yourself is the most interesting part of you." Mr. Schue explained.
"Well, maybe, but at this school, the thing that makes you different is the thing people use to crush your spirit." Mercedes pointed out.
----
Haley sat with Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes and Santana. Blaine had also joined them at the Lima Bean.
"You haven't asked us anything about our New York trip." Mercedes mentioned.
"Is it because it's too painful?" Asked Tina.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, but while the New Directions are preparing to perform at Nationals, the Warblers are preparing to perform at a nursing home in a strip mall next to National Bank.But I'm so proud of you guys." Kurt replied.
"Your songs were incredible." Blaine added.
"It was this genius and her songwriting talent." Santana said squeezing Haley in a tight hug.
"Mhm..c-can't breathe Tana." Haley choked out. Santana released her as the two giggled.
Santana got up to leave. Probably had an idea or some sort of plan in mind. "I've gotta gay-Go." She said getting up and leaving abruptly.
"What happened?" Kurt asked.
"Honestly, who knows Kurt." Haley shrugged, even though she knew.
----
"Um, why is Ms. Pillsbury here?" Finn spoke up.
"My thoughts exactly." Haley added as her head lay on Sam's shoulder.
"She's helping us out with this week's assignment." Mr. Schue explained. "Now, this is the only club at school that is represented by just about every race, religion, sexual orientation and clique, but many of you are still having a hard time with acceptance." He added.
"That's crazy, Mr. Schue. We love each other." Mercedes replied.
"No, I won't deny that you accept each other, but you don't accept yourselves. 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 worst parts."
"What's the second part?" Asked Rachel.
"Well, we're going to do a group number by the queen of self-love: Gaga. We're going to perform her anthem to acceptance Born the Way."
"Yes!" Mercedes and everyone else cheered.
"Wait, wait, I still don't know why Ms. Pillsbury is here." Finn stated.
"I'm here to help 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. To write a word or a phrase that best describes the thing about you that you're most ashamed of or you'd like to change but can't because you were born that way, which is super terrific./" She explained.
"I want you to love those parts of you, you, know, embrace them, wear them on your chest with pride." Mr Schue said.
"Can you give an example?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. It's the big moment." Mr. Schue said as Ms. Pillsbury stood up. She revealed her shirt which had the word ginger printed in bold black letters.
"Wow, Emma, I thought the whole purpose of you doing this was to write..." He began.
"Being a ginger has plagued me my entire life. People say that I smell loke copper, I can get a sunburn indoors at night, and according to recent legend, I have no soul, but I'm here to say that this very curse is what makes me unique. Children, I claim ginger hood before you today. I was born this way. Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!"
----
"Mr. Schuester? May I have the floor, please?" Rachel asked.
"It's yours/" He acknowledged.
"So, as you all know, I've had a few consultations with a doctor who specializes in rhinoplasty." She began, as she held papers and cards in her hands.
"Yes, we all 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."
"I admit, yes, I don't like my eyes sometimes-the shape, the color...But your self-hatred, Rachel, has helped me see the light." Tina said.
"I love myself." Protest Rachel.
"Clearly you don't," Haley commented.
"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 realize, if I don't have many Asian sex symbols to look up to, I have an obligation to maybe become one myself. My new mantra is Be the change you want to see in the world." Tina explained.
"I love you so much right now." Mike said as they continued to making out.
"Okay, okay, okay." Mr. Schue said while breaking the two apart.
"Beside Tina's abrupt personal transformation, the compositions came back from the doctor, showing what my nose would look like slightly altered, and I have to say, I'm really happy with the results. They're less Hebraic, and more Fabrayic." Rachel said.
Haley frowned while looking at the images trying to conjure what Rachel would look like with the nose alterations. "See Berry, even if you choose to get the alterations, you'll still be the old you. A woodpecker wantz to be. I don't mean to be bitchy, and critical, but yeah I do... I don't believe it pays for you to get a nose job. Tout simplement horrible. " She explained.
"That doesn't really look like you." Mr. Schue commented.
"Every year, girls show up to my temple after their 16th birthday, looking suddenly slightly different. And you know what? Even though it's easier to make out with them without getting constantly stabbed in the eye, they're not as hot." Puck added.
"Well, this isn't about being hot. It's about conquering your destiny, and finding something in yourself that you want to change and change it. Plus, they said that it could improve my voice, so...Look, if you guys aren't willing to support my decision, then I'm pretty accustomed to making it on my own." She stated.
"Rachel, please don't do this. You're beautiful." Finn spoke up.
"This isn't a discussion. I have made up my mind. Rachel Berry is getting a nose job."
----
"Okay, listen, I'm all...That's all I'm asking for. Let me finish. Excuse me. Quiet!" Principal Figgins begged the group as they shouted their disapproval.
"No." Lauren affirmed.
"Quiet, okay?"
"We don't care what he has to say." Finn commented.
"Shh. Now, I know David has had some issues in the psat, but I have great respect for what he's doing right now, and I ask you to hear him out. Thank you."
"How 'bout we punch him in the face?" Sam suggested as Haley put her hand to stop him from getting up.
"Right." Agreed Mercedes.
"Okay, that's enough guys. Everyone listen up." Mr. Schue said sternly.
"First, I just want to say how sorry I am for what I did to Kurt and for what I've done to a lot of you. I think I've slushied every one of you. I treated Kurt the worst, and I'm really ashamed of who I am and what I did." Karofsky admitted."
"Why should we believe you?" Puck asked, challenging him.
"You don't have to. I know I'll need to earn your trust. All I can say is that Santana has really helped me see the light. She showed me all these stories online about kids jumping off bridges and hanging themselves because they were being bullied so bad. I couldn't believe someone could make another person feel that awful, but she helped me accept that I was one of those bad people, and I don't want to be anymore." He confessed.
"Wait, Santana?" Asked Quinn, as the Latina went to join Karofsky.
"This Glee Club is not complete. Not without Kurt. So I've taken it upon myself to try to rehabilitate Dave to see if maybe Kurt would consider coming back and helping us with Nationals. I did this for us and then something funny happened. Something...Called love." Santana explained, making Haley gag as the Latina grabbed Dave's hand.
"I'm going to barf." Tina said.
"I want Kurt to feel safe to come back, which is why Santana and I have started a new club--The Bully Whips."
"The name was my idea. We're going to be like guardian angels." Santana said proudly.
"I have deputized David and Santana and the rest of their club to roam the halls, identifying bullying and stopping it in its tracks." Principal Figgins explained.
"I'm planning on reaching out to Kurt personally, through Principal Figgins, to try to make amends. This is a chance to really change this place. I hope you can support us." Karofsky said, as Santana awkwardly kissed him on the cheek.
----
Haley met up with Sam in an empty hallway. He had texted her because he wanted to tell her something important.
"Hey what was the thing you wanted to tell me?" She asked as she approached him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Yeah...so, my family got kicked out of our house last night. It was horrible. Mom, Stevie, and Stacey were so upset, and so were my Dad and I. We managed to run around the house and grab as much as we could." Sam explained, on the verge of tears.
"Oh my god, Sam, I'm so sorry, that's awful, I mean... are you okay? But how, I mean where?" She began as he interjected.
"In a motel very close to here. We had to sell a fair majority of our stuff. God it was so embarrassing...I-I.." He tried to continue but started to cry a little.
Haley immediately stood up on her tiptoes to give him a hug. As she pulled away she held his face in her hands. "Hey, hey, look at me. This situation is unfortunate, not embarrassing. And I am here to help, okay?" She assured him.
"Thank you Hay, he said. "You mean the world to me. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Right back at you. Thank you for trusting me with this news. And don't worry, the secret is safe with me." She assured him before he could say anything else.
"I just feel embarrassed that I can't take you out anywhere nice and..." He began.
"Please don't worry about it. We don't have to worry about that right now. I'm fine to do movie nights at home, heck I'll even make dinner and we can have an at home candlelight dinner." She offered.
At that moment, he realized he was so fortunate and that he truly loved her, and didn't want to let her go. "Thank you." was all that came out.
"You are welcome." She said as she gave him one last comforting hug and pressed her lips to his, as he wrapped his arms around her.
Once they broke apart, she turned to him. "Now let's go, the group is waiting in the auditorium." She said smiling at him as they intertwined their hands, running down the hallway.
-----
"Alright guys, listen up. You all did really good this week. It was tough, but I think we came closer as a team and I'm proud of you. And now, I'd like to be the first one to show off my custom T-shirt, revealing something I was self-conscious about in the past, something I was born with, something I've come to accept about myself this past week. So, drum-roll, Finn."
"I like your chin, Mr. Schue." Smiled Mercedes.
"Yeah, I would've went with Tears up a lot." Tina joked.
"Uh, is everyone here?" Mr. Schue asked.
"Not everybody. I wanted to thank you guys for my Barbravention. And I have an announcement to make. I went to my doctors and I cancelled my appointment. And then I went home and made this." Rachel said.
Everyone clapped as she showed off her shirt which said Nose.
"So unfortunately, I can't join in on today's dance number. My doctor said I have to stay away from vigorous choreography while my nose heals. So, thanks for being patient. And, Finn, next time, watch out for the schnoz." She continued, as they all laughed.
"Where's Santana?" Artie asked.
"Probably off somewhere making out with Karofsky." Sam joked, as Haley gagged at the prospect of the image.
"Hit it!" Mr. Schue said to the band.
{BORN THIS WAY-SUNG BY THE NEW DIRECTIONS}
••••
Rumours, Prom Queen, and Funeral are coming :) (might upload New York late tonight).
YOU ARE READING
Falling (A Sam Evans Fan Fiction)
Fanfiction"Is it true that you are a burden to many?" asked JBI. "That depends." Haley replied not making eye contact. Set in Glee Season 2 and onward until Season 6. Disclaimer: I only own Haley's dialogue and occasionally some of the other character's dial...
