The Transfer: A Glee Fanfiction

Chapter 15

Rachel wondered what kind of preparation had gone into this. It was all so rehearsed, like they’d done it hundreds of times. She was so caught up in everything, she hadn’t noticed that everyone seemed to be waiting for her to speak.

“Yes,” she said. “She will.”

“Very well,” Mr. C said, settling into the seat next to Jesse. He held a clipboard and a pen in his hands. “Begin whenever you’re ready.”

Nicky hustled off the stage and sat with the rest of her team. She gave Rachel a thumbs up and mouthed “Good luck!”

“For my solo,” Rachel began, “I’ll be singing an acoustic version of Shinedown’s ‘Second Chance’.”

One of the band members, a tall, lanky guy with shaggy blonde hair and light brown eyes, set up a mic stand in front of Rachel, handing her the microphone itself. “Just motion for them to start whenever you’re ready,” he said. He must have seen the look on Rachel’s face, because he smiled knowingly. “I know. It’s a little weird. They do this whenever someone auditions. You get used to it.” He winked at Rachel and she smiled. At least someone else saw how strange this was.

“Stop distracting the talent, Jaimie!” Jesse called from his seat. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, and Rachel thought she could see a gleam of jealousy in his eyes.

Jaimie rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath as he walked away.

Rachel fitted the microphone into the stand, taking a deep breath. You’re a star, she thought. Show them how brightly you burn. She took another breath before motioning with her hand for the band to start.

The guitar strummed out the opening chords, and Rachel thought about McKinley and the New Directions and how she wished they would just accept her choice like they did with Kurt. She thought about how she wanted them to understand that she had to leave, that she needed a second chance. She thought about everything that lead her to right now on this stage, and she sang.

Rachel poured her heart and soul into the song. She imagined she was in a different school, in front of a different glee club, singing everything she wanted them to hear. When she sang this with Finn on those happy afternoon car rides, Rachel hadn’t really listened to the lyrics. She didn’t think about what she was singing, she just did it. But now she hung onto every word like they were lifelines. It was like the song had been written for her and how she felt about leaving McKinley. It reminded her of how much she missed them, especially Mr. Shue.

Rachel imagined him standing offstage and smiling proudly at her. That was the perfect song, he’d say. I could tell it held a lot of meaning for you. Mr. Shue was always doing that; rattling off some silly praise about emotions and connections. It didn’t seem so silly right now. Rachel would give anything to hear even the sappiest of Mr. Shue’s encouragements.

She fought tears as she belted out the chorus:

“Tell my mother, tell my father

I've done the best I can

To make them realize, this is my life

I hope they understand

I'm not angry, I'm just saying…

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance.”

Rachel’s voice flooded the auditorium, beauty and longing ringing in every note. She let the music take her away, falling into the melody completely. By the end of the song, Rachel had completely forgotten where she was. When she opened her eyes, she expected to see the New Directions watching her from their seats in the choir room with bored expressions. Instead, she saw Mr. Careisy, tears streaming down his face, clutching his clipboard to his chest while the rest of Vocal Adrenaline stared up at her with wide eyes. Rachel’s cheeks were wet with tears she hadn’t known she shed, and she quickly wiped them away.

Rachel stood in silence for moment, not sure what was supposed to happen. She bit her lip. Was it bad? She hadn’t gotten to practice, so she wouldn’t be surprised if she had slipped up a little. She was just about to say something when Mr. C jumped up.

“Bravo!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands rapidly. He wiped the tears from his face and sighed. “In all my days…” He shook his head as another round of tears struck him. “Alright, alright, enough of the waterworks. I guess we’ll just go straight into the duet, then.”

His reaction had certainly been encouraging, but Rachel didn’t get too optimistic. He seemed to get...passionate like that about even simple things. It was both annoying and almost uplifting. He had a constant childlike joy that made Rachel smile. But now, she couldn’t tell if she’d actually been good or if he was just being himself, and it was frustrating to say the least.

Nicky was up on the stage before Rachel could say a word. The effects of the caffeine were still evident, but she seemed to have sobered up a bit. She turned to Rachel, flashing her perfect white teeth. “Are you ready for this?”

“I don’t know,” Rachel whispered. The solo had been easy because Rachel had felt a personal connection to the song. But after her talk with Nicky at lunch, the emotions that fueled her choice for the duet had been dramatically diminished. She wasn’t sure if she had the anger that played such a key role in the song anymore. “I’m starting to have second thoughts about the song.”

“Don’t think about it,” she said. “Just remember what made you want this song in the first place. Channel the pissed off Rachel from six hours ago.”

Rachel nodded, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes. She thought about last night, and how Finn had played her. She thought about the sham of a relationship she’d had with Jesse. Just thinking about all the pain she’d been through over a couple of boys was enough to have Rachel’s face blush with rage. How dare they hurt her like that? How dare they play with her emotions? How dare she fall for it? She opened her eyes and spun to face the audience.

“For the duet, Nicky and I will be singing Demi Lovato’s ‘Really Don’t Care’,” she said as Jaimie brought out a second mic for Nicky, not stopping to chat this time. Rachel looked Jesse dead in the eyes as she waved for the band to start.