'All right, guys. Nationals are just a few weeks away, and it's time to bear down. Now, your singing at regionals was amazing, but your dancing...' Mr. Shue began with grimace in his face. 'It's booty camp time. Let's get it going.'
'Five, six, seven, eight.'
'Push yourselves, guys. Vocal adrenaline takes no prisoners.' Shue chuckled.
About a second after Finn had hit Rachel in the face with his hand, causing Rachel to fall down.
'Oh! I'm so sorry. Are you okay?' Finn asked kneeling down to her.
'I'm bleeding.' Rachel slightly gasped touching her nose.
'Let's get you to a doctor.' Mr. Shue helped Rachel up.
••••••••••••••••••••
'Oh my god, you're getting a nose job.' Quinn calmly spoke.
'I'm considering having a minor procedure to repair my deviated septum.' Rachel slightly smiled.
'So, a nose job.' Santana furrowed her eyebrows and nodded.
'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.' Rachel expressed. '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.' She smiled and shrugged.
'Possibly? What about the risks? Your voice is amazing as is, Rachel.' Shue assured her.
'Hold up.' Santana rolled her eyes. 'Could we all just get real here for a second? I hear that Rachel's got a bit of a Schnoz. I mean, I wouldn't know because, like Medusa, I try to avoid eye contact with her.' she commented. '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 doctors office and rifled through pamphlets on mouth reduction. I'll bet Arties thought about getting his legs removed since he's not really using them anyways. And I'm definitely sure that Tina's looked into getting an eye de-slanting.' she continued insulting everybody.
'That's extraordinarily racist.' Tina slightly turned to Santana.
'I'm keepin' it real.' she replied.
'Sorry, Santana. I'm a beautiful person. I'm in love with myself, and I would never change a thing.' Tina crossed her arms.
'Is that why you're wearing blue contacts today, Tina?' Mike turned to her. 'Self-hating Asian.' he whispered.
'Not many Asian sex symbols, Mike. I'm just trying to be in fashion and mirror what I see in the magazines.' Tina responded back to his comment.
'My dancing kind of bothers me.' Finn spoke up. 'Uh, it almost killed Rachel, but I like the way I look.' he slightly grinned.
'Oh, please. You have weird, puffy pyramid nipples. They look like they're filled with mustard or you could dust them with powdered sugar and they could pass for some sort of dessert.' Santana insulted. '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.' She spat out and 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.' Shue expressed standing up to face us all.
'Well, maybe, but at this school, the thing that makes you different is the thing people use to crush your spirit.' Mercedes shook her head.
••••••••••••••••••••
'You haven't asked us anything about our New York trip.' I sipped my coffee.
'Is it because it's too painful?' Tina asked Kurt and Blaine.
'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 a National Bank.' Kurt informed us. 'But I'm so proud of you guys.' He chuckled and took a sip of his coffee.
'We miss you so much.' Tina expressed.
'Isn't there any way you could come back to McKinley?' I wondered.
'I told him, I would be all for it if it wasn't for Karofsky.' Blaine nodded his head.
'Wait, what did you just say?' Santana asked snapping out of her thoughts.
'Kurt needs to be safe.' Blaine replied in a worry face.
'Okay, can we please change subject?' Kurt asked clearly being bothered by the subject.
'I'm just saying...' Blaine answered back.
Santana stood up from her chair and sighed. 'I've got to gay- go. Go- I've got to go.' She babbled walking away from our table.
••••••••••••••••••••
'Um, why is Ms. Pillsbury here?' Finn raised his hand.
'She's helping us out with this weeks assignment.' Shue replied. '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 continued walking over to us all.
'That's crazy, Mr. Shue. We love each other.' Mercedes turned to look at us.
'No, I won't deny that you accept each other. But you don't accept yourselves. This weeks assignment has two parts. I want all of you to sing songs about accepting yourself for who you are- the best and the worst parts.' Shue explained.
'What's the second part?' Rachel asked.
'Well, we're going to do a group number by the queen of self-love.' He paused. 'Gaga.'
'We're going to perform her anthem to acceptance- "Born This Way." he announced.
'Yes!'
'Wait, Wait, I still don't know why Ms. Pillsbury is here.' Finn spoke up confused.
'I'm here to help you with your costumes for the big number. Each of you will be issued with a beautifully fitted white T-shirt. We will then use this letter press.' Emma smiled taking off the blanket on top of the letter press revealing the machine. 'To write a word or a phrase that best describes the thing about you that you're the most ashamed of or you'd like to change but you can't because you were born that way, which is super terrific.' She kept explaining to us all.
'I want you to love those parts of you, you know, embrace them, wear them on your chest with pride.' Shue expressed to us all.
'Can you give an example?' Mike raised his eyebrows.
'Yeah. It's the big moment.' Shue whispered while Emma stood up from her chair.
She stood up and cleared her throat then revealed what she had on her white T-shirt by opening up her sweater hiding it, which revealed the words 'Ginger.'
'Wow, Emma, I thought the whole purpose of you doing this was to write....' Shue stated is disapproval before being cut off by Emma.
'Being a ginger had plagued me my entire life. People say that I smell like 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 my ginger hood before you today. I was born this way. Hooray.' She smiled explaining it all in one breath. 'Hooray! Hooray!' she cheered.
••••••••••••••••••••
I Feel Pretty/Unpretty -
Performed by Rachel Berry & Quinn Fabray
'Beautiful job, ladies.' Shue clapped with everybody else.
••••••••••••••••••••
Ive Gotta Be Me -
Performed by Finn Hudson & Mike Chang
'All right, Finn! Perfect! See, guys, someone who's not afraid to point out something they're really bad at.' Shue beamed.
'But I'm getting better, right?' He asked holding up a big smile.
'Mr. Shuester?' Rachel spoke breaking the silence. 'May I have the floor, please?' she asked.
'It's yours.'
'Okay. So, as all of you know, I've had a few consultations with a doctor who specializes in rhinoplasty.' Rachel began.
'Yes, we know. That's all any of us have been talking about. And we think it's a terrible idea.' Tina admitted.
'Okay. Blue eyes, you're such a hypocrite.' Rachel snapped back.
'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 expressed.
'I love myself.' Rachel said in a low voice holding her folders tightly.
'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." Tina replied back. 'The drams 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." she finished smiling at her explanation.
'I love you so much right now.' Mike grinned leaning into a kiss which started turning into more than that before they were pulled apart by a disgusted Mr. Shue.
'Besides tinas 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.' Rachel exclaimed opening up her folder. 'They're less Hebraic, and more Fabrayic.' She nodded holding out a picture of what her new nose would look like on herself.
'That doesn't really look like you.' Mr. Shue eyes followed Rachel while she was handing everybody multiple pictures of her expected new nose.
'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 slightly shook his head staring at Rachel.
'Well, this isn't about being hot. It's about conquering your destiny, and finding something in yourself and that you want to change and change it.' She chuckled awkwardly. '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 sighed.
'Rachel, please don't do this.' Finn spoke up getting Rachel's full attention. 'You're beautiful.'
His comment had left the room quiet for some few awkward seconds, Rachel didn't know what to say, and Quinn clearly reacted to it but not in front of everyone. She just stayed quiet.
'This isn't a discussion. I have made up my mind. Rachel Berry is a getting a nose job.' She finished.
••••••••••••••••••••
Like everybody else, I genuinely was thinking about the decision Rachel was making. She's a beautiful girl and I don't think she should change her unique look, but no one could talk her out of it.
I headed to my locker to switch my books and grab a water bottle inside.
'Hey Lair.' I heard a voice greet me.
I turned around to see sam of course.
'Hey!' I turned to face him.
'I was gonna go to Ms. Pillsbury to get my T-shirt for this weeks lesson, do you wanna go with me?' He asked smiling the entire time. 'Unless!- you've already gone.' he quickly added.
'No, i haven't. But yeah sure I'd love to.' I smiled back assuring him.
'Any idea on what you're gonna put on yours?' He continued.
'Honestly, no, probably 'loud' or something.' I shrug sipping my water.
'You are not loud, like at all.' he replied.
'Well, around the glee club yeah, I just don't know. Tell me flaws about myself, I won't take offense to it I swear.' I beg him and put my hands on his shoulders.
'You really don't have any flaws, to be totally honest.' he shrugged.
'Everybody has flaws, and that includes me, maybe shy. Not sure....' I shake my head and turn back to my locker. 'We should probably get going though. Come on.' I slightly grin locking my arm with his making him smile.
••••••••••••••••••••
After Sam and I had gone to Ms. Pillsbury to create our T-shirts, we soon went back to the choir room.
To everybody's surprise, David was standing in the middle of the room along with Principal Figgins.
'Okay, listen, I'm all...that's all I'm asking for.' Figgins tried speaking over everyone else. 'Let me finish. Excuse me. Quiet!'
'We don't care what he has to say.' Finn spoke up.
'Shh. Now, I know David has had some issues in the past?' He began.
'Some?' I spat shaking my head.
'But I have great respect for what he's doing right now, and I ask you to hear him out. Thank you.' Figgins calmly continued.
'How about we punch his face?' Sam stared blankly at David with such hatred.
'Right.'
'Okay, that's enough, guys. Everyone listen up.' Shue slightly raised his voice.
'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.' David paused for a split second. 'I treated Kurt the worst, and I'm really ashamed of who i am and what I did.' He continued looking around at everybody's faces.
'Why should we believe you?' Puck asked with his arms crossed.
'You don't have to. I know I'll need to earn your trust.' He nodded. 'All I can say is that Santana has really helped me to see the light.' he informed staring at Santana.
Everybody else turned to Santana in disbelief at what David had just said.
'She showed me all these stories online about kids jumping off of 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 explained slightly grinning.
'Wait. Santana?' Quinn asked stiffly pointing at Santana.
'This Glee club is not complete. Not without Kurt.' Santana began standing up from her chair. 'So I've taken it upon myself to try to rehabilitate Dave to see if maybe Kurt would consider coming back and help us win nationals.' She continued staring at us all. 'I did this for us, and then something funny happened.' To everybody's surprise Santana reached for David's hand and intertwined their hands. 'Something....called love.' she sighed with a smile on her face.
'I'm going to barf.' Tina said in disgust, making puck gag.
'I want Kurt to feel safe to come back, which is why Santana and I have started a new club- The Bully Whips.' David announced pulling Santana into a side hug.
'The name was my idea. We're going to be like guardian angels.' Santana finished smiling.
'I have deputized David and Santana and the rest of their club to roam the halls, identifying bullying and stopping it in its tracks.' Figgins informed.
'I'm planning on reaching out to Kurt personally, through Principal Figgins, to try to make amends.' David shared earning a smile from Figgins. 'This is a change to really change this place. I hope you can support us.'
••••••••••••••••••••
'What the hell is going on?' Puck asked us.
'Well my fellow Glee Clubbers, it's noon, which means...it's official.' I smiled checking my watch.
'What's official?' Sam looked up at me confused.
'My transfer! Kurt Hummel's back at McKinley!' Kurt yelled and threw his hands in the air gaining cheers from us all.
Kurt soon ran down the stairs and gave me a warm hug and greeted everybody else with a smile that never left his face.
'Let me breathe! Let me breathe!' He chuckled. 'Let's get ready for nationals!' He exhaled.
'Not yet. See, there's a reason we're meeting here today. There's some people that wanted to say good-bye to you, Kurt.' I informed him holding his hat in both of my hands.
We all turned around to see The Warblers walk down the stairs and turn to the direction of Kurt.
'Kurt, Daltons going to miss you. You were a great addition to the Warblers, and you made us a better team.' Blaine gave a small smile making Kurt smile as well. 'I'm sad to see you go, but we all know this is something that you really want. And I'll still have you after school and on the weekends, but these guys won't, so they wanted to say good-bye.' He finished keeping a smile.
'And thank you, Kurt.' Wes gave a warm smile.
Somewhere Only We Know -
Performed by Blaine Anderson
Kurt was filled with so much emotion by the time the performance finished, he immediately hugged Blaine which made all of us smile. We happily formed a big group hug, being over excited that Kurt was finally back.
••••••••••••••••••••
As If We Never Said Goodbye -
Performed by Kurt Hummel
••••••••••••••••••••
Barbra Streisand -
Performed by The New Directions
••••••••••••••••••••
I was getting ready to perform, I had already put on my T-shirt and put my sweater over it.
'You never showed me what yours was.' I heard Sam speak walking up to me.
'Right. But you go first.' I raised my eyebrows.
He took off his sweater to reveal his T-shirt with the words 'Trouty Mouth.' I looked up to face him and he awkwardly smiled.
'I like it. But either way, you shouldn't listen to anyone's comments about your mouth. You gotta embrace it.' I slightly grinned.
'Okay, now yours.' He snapped out of his thoughts and motioned for me to go.
I took off my sweater to reveal the word 'Klutz' on my T-shirt.
'I actually had two made, this one and another one that's basically the same it just has the word jealous added into it.' I shrugged grabbing the other shirt and showed it as well. 'Might wear the jealous one.'
'I like it as well, but like you said, shouldn't be listening to anyone's comments about yourself.' He stepped closer.
'Would you look at that, we feel the same way. Also definitely wearing the one with jealous added to it. Anyways, let's go before we miss the performance.' I point to his chest and walk past him.
'Also, jealous? Since when?' He asked walking behind me.
'Since forever.' I replied covering my T-shirt once more.
'All right, guys.' Shue clapped. 'Listen up. You all did really good this week. It was tough, but I think we became 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, drumroll, Finn.' He paused.
He turned around for a second but turned back around to reveal his T-shirt with the words 'Butt Chin' which made everybody laugh and giggle.
'I like your chin, Mr. Shue.' Mercedes laughed.
'Yeah, I would've went with "Tears up a lot." Tina commented while smiling.
'Uh, is everyone here?' Shue asked.
'Not everyone.' We heard a voice appear, the voice being Rachel.
'I wanted to thank you guys for my Barbravention. And I have an announcement to make. I went to my doctor and...I cancelled my appointment.' She announced walking down the auditorium stairs. 'And then I went home and I made this.' She exclaimed showing off her T-Shirt with the words 'Nose' on it.
'Whoa!' Shue chuckled with everybody else.
'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.' She shared pointing to her nose. 'So thanks for being patient. And, Finn, next time, watch out for the schnoz.' She nodded turning to Finns direction.
'Where's Santana?' Artie asked.
'Probably off somewhere making out with Karofsky.' Sam commented. 'Yeah, he can have her.'
'Hit it!'
Born This Way -
Performed by The New Directions
Words: 3329