"Glee Club!" Mr. Schue exclaimed as he came into the choir room.
"Noooo!" Ava screamed, tears filling her eyes as she turned to bury her face in Adalynn's chest. "Ada, Pedo back," she whined, clinging tightly to the brunette's leather jacket.
"Shh, sweetie, it's okay," Adalynn cooed, kissing the top of Ava's head. "I'm not gonna let him touch you."
"Daddy, Shoe back?" Maya asked, looking up at her dad from where she sat in his lap. "Why Shoe back?"
"Because he is," Julian shrugged.
"Mr. Schue, how was D.C.?" Artie asked.
"D.C. was great, but now I am back and here to stay," Mr. Schue said as almost everyone cheered.
"If I don't show up to school tomorrow, it's cause I killed myself so I don't have to see this creep ever again," Adalynn whispered to Jori.
"Is he really that bad?" Jori asked, raising a brow.
"Yes," Ava whined. "Shoe is a pedo."
"I have a whole list in my phone," Adalynn said as she pulled it out. "I'll send it to you."
"Daddy," Maya whined, looking up at Julian with tears in her eyes. "Make him go."
"It's okay, Maya," the young father said, kissing the top of his daughter's head. "He's not as bad as someone," he shot Adalynn a look, "said he is."
"Don't be a fucking idiot, Julian," Adalynn scoffed.
"Adalynn," Bailey sighed, rubbing her temple.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. No swearing in front of the twins," Adalynn rolled her eyes. "I'm working on it."
"No, you're not," Finn snorted, chuckling and shaking his head.
"First order of business," Mr. Schue began. "I want to give a big shout out to the guys who made sure I had something to come back to. Mr. Finn Hudson and Mr. Julian Hummel."
"Yay, Daddy!" the twins cheered, clapping along with everyone else.
"Don't forget to congratulate your Uncle Finn," Adalynn whispered to Ava.
"Kay," Ava said, crawling out of Adalynn's lap and waddling as fast as her little legs could carry her to cross the room and hug Finn's legs. "Hi, Finny," she smiled up at the former quarterback. "Good job."
"Thanks, Ava," Finn smiled as he picked the younger twin up.
"Grats, Finny," Maya smiled at the boy, reaching a hand out to him, which he took and shook lightly.
"Now... for this week's assignment," Mr. Schue continued, taking the cap off of a dry erase marker.
"I hope it's Britney again," Brittany said, making Bailey, Tina, and Adalynn chuckle.
Mr. Schue wrote Wedding!!! on the board, and everyone cheered.
"Ms. Pillsbury and I are finally getting married, which makes me the luckiest man alive."
"And this is important to us because...?" Adalynn scoffed, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Quinn's gonna be there," Jori shrugged as Adalynn shot her a glare. "Too soon?"
"Now, Emma has been handling all the prep, so to help out, I thought I'd take charge of the entertainment for the reception," said Mr. Schue. "And, though this goes against tradition, it would mean the world to me, and to Emma, if, instead of giving your best man speech, Finn, you sing for us. What do you think?"
"Uh... uh..." Finn stuttered with wide eyes. Adalynn furrowed her brows and looked suspiciously at her older brother. "Uh, y-yeah. Of course."
"Perfect," Mr. Schue smiled, chuckling. "For everyone else who isn't out with Asian bird flu, it's a Valentine's Day wedding, which means we need some great romantic love songs."
"Wait, you want us to be your singers?" Tina asked, furrowing her brows as she exchanged a look with Adalynn.
"That's so creep–"
"Awesome," Bailey interrupted Adalynn. "We'd be honored, Mr. Schue."
"No we wouldn't," Adalynn scoffed.
"Ada, be nice," Bailey whispered harshly.
"No."
****
Bailey, Tina, and Adalynn sat in the treehouse of the Hummel-Hudson backyard while they looked over song selections for Mr. Schue's wedding. Bailey flipped through her song book, marking a couple pages with a sticky note to take into consideration.
Adalynn scrolled through her playlists on Spotify as she searched for a song. As much as she didn't want to sing at her creep of a teacher's wedding, she knew there were a million songs that she could direct at her to be petty for everything she put her through since the break up.
First she ghosts her for weeks, then she shows up out of nowhere, then she goes away again, then she came back and used her for sex before leaving again and pretending like she didn't even exist.
"Bitch," Adalynn mumbled under her breath.
"What?" Bailey asked, looking up from her notebook.
"Nothing," Adalynn shook her head as she turned her phone off and set it face-down in her lap. "So, do you know what song you're gonna sing?"
"I think I found one," Bailey said with a small smile as her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink.
"Oooh, Bailey's gonna sing about her girlfriend," Adalynn teased as Tina threw a handful of popcorn at her. "Thanks," she said, picking one of the pieces up that landed in her lap and eating it. "So, what's it called?"
"You're gonna have to wait until the wedding," Bailey smirked, closing her notebook and holding it out of reach when Tina tried to grab it. "No."
"But I wanna know," Tina pouted, looking up at her girlfriend with pleading eyes. "Please, Bay?"
"Okay... at the wedding."
"Mean."
"I have a song called Mean. I wrote it about Rick the Dick."
"I have a song called Bailey Should Tell Me the Name of the Song She Wrote About Me."
"You two are such dorks," Adalynn chuckled.
"Adalynn, are you out here?" a voice asked as she came into the back yard.
The three friends gasped and stuck their heads out the window of the treehouse.
"Rachel!" Adalynn exclaimed, quickly, yet carefully, exiting the tree house before running into the diva's arms. The older girl held her closely and kissed the top of her head. "You came back," Adalynn said, looking up at Rachel with tears in her eyes.
"What, you didn't think I'd disappear forever, did you?" Rachel asked with a small smile, wiping her sorta-little-sister's tears away before pulling her into another hug.
****
It was the day of the wedding. The twins were dressed in matching white dresses that Tina made for them, and Bailey put little bows in their hair for an extra touch. Adalynn agreed to be Jori's date to the wedding, but not before making it very clear that nothing was to happen between them.
"Where's Kurt?" Bailey asked as they walked into the church. "I thought for sure we would've run into him by now."
"He's probably off somewhere making out with Blaine," Adalynn said as Ava scrunched her nose in disgust and gripped tighter to the older girl's hand as they walked into the chapel. Adalynn caught sight of blonde hair, and she froze in her tracks.
"Ada, you otay?" Ava asked, looking up at her and getting the attention of Bailey, Tina, and Jori.
"I can't do this," Adalynn shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "I-I can't be in the same room as her."
"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Bailey said, comfortingly rubbing her best friend's back. "It'll be over soon."
"No cry, Ada," Maya said as she hugged Adalynn's leg.
"It's otay," Ava said, hugging her other leg.
"We're all here for you, Adalynn," Tina said, smiling softly.
"We'll help you get through this," Jori added. "Just remember to breathe, okay?"
"Okay," Adalynn nodded, taking a deep breath before bending down and picking Ava up.
They walked down the aisle of the chapel and took a seat a few rows in front of where Quinn was sitting with Santana. Adalynn could feel her gaze on her, and she could sense the jealousy radiating off of her as she rested her head on Jori's shoulder.
Ava played with the locket hanging around Adalynn's neck while they waited for the ceremony to start. Maya stood on Tina's lap and waved at the people in the rows ahead of them. She turned around and saw Quinn and Santana.
"Hi, Lulu! Hi, Tana!" Maya called to them, waving. The two smiled and waved back as Ava poked her head over Adalynn's shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Quinn.
"Lulu, you bitch," the younger twin said, sticking her tongue out at the blonde, who frowned.
"Ava, language," Adalynn warned the baby in her lap, who looked up at her with innocent blue eyes as she tried to put the locket in her mouth, only for the brunette to take it out. "Be careful with that," she pouted. "It's from my mom."
"You mommy?" Ava asked, cocking her head to the side. "Arole?"
"No, Carole is my step-mom," Adalynn said, as she opened the locket up and showed her the picture of her with her mom when she was five. "That's my mom."
"She pwetty," Ava smiled. "Pwetty like you."
"I'm not anywhere as beautiful as she was," Adalynn shook her head, wiping a tear off her cheek. "She would've loved you, that's for sure. You too, Maya," she said, tapping the older twin's nose.
"Has it gotten any easier?" Jori asked.
"Some days are better than others," Adalynn nodded. "Other days, not so much. It really just depends."
"She'd be proud of you," Tina said, reaching over Bailey to give her best friend's hand a squeeze.
"Yeah," Adalynn sniffled. "Yeah, I know she would."
"No sad, Ada," Ava cooed, placing her hands on either side of her face and kissing her nose before wrapping her tiny arms around her shoulders.
Adalynn smiled and hugged Ava close to her as Bailey wiped her tears away.
"Is she okay?" Quinn asked, furrowing her brows as she exchanged a look with Santana.
"Obviously not cause you're here," the Latina scoffed as her phone buzzed. She looked down and read the text from Bailey. "'She's upset because she misses her mom. We can hear you. Shut up.' Okay, Little B, whatever you say."
Bailey turned around in her seat and shot Santana a glare. The older girl raised her hands in mock surrender, rolling her eyes as the blonde turned back around.
"I'm so over this and it hasn't even started yet," Adalynn grumbled.
"I'm seriously gonna need a drink after this," Jori nodded in agreement as Adalynn furrowed her brows. "I know a guy, and I got us some fake IDs."
"Then let's hope this wedding ends soon so we can get wasted."
After what felt like forever, the organ finally started the bridal march, and everyone turned to the door of the chapel. Becky walked down the aisle, carelessly tossing rose petals. The doors opened, and the music came to a halt as Sue Sylvester walked in wearing an exact replica of Emma Pillsbury's dress.
"Woooow," Maya breathed.
"Oh, snap," Ava gasped.
Adalynn's jaw dropped as she exchanged a look with Jori. Bailey and Tina did the same, and the twins watched in confusion as Sue made her way to the front of the room.
Sue turned to face the crowd of people and uttered five words, "Emma has left the building."
****
The Glee kids were gathered in the foyer of the church as they discussed what they should do. There was lots of back and forth before everyone agreed that Adalynn and Santana should go in and ask Mr. Schue what he would like to do.
Adalynn rolled her eyes and passed Ava off to Jori before walking back into the chapel with Santana, who cleared her throat to get Finn and Mr. Schue's attention.
"We have been chosen, probably because I'm numb to other people's feelings and Adalynn doesn't like people anyway, to come here and ask what you would like to do."
"About what?" Mr. Schue asked.
"About the reception," said Adalynn. "Ms. Pillsbury's parents said they paid for the whole thing, so we might as well go ahead and have the party. And if you ask me, they seem pretty thrilled about what happened, and honestly, good for Ms. Pillsbury, cause you're– ow!"
Santana jabbed Adalynn in the ribs, making the younger girl glare up at her.
"It's cute when you try to be intimidating," the Latina smirked. "What are you gonna do? You don't know how to fight."
"Don't make me cut you."
"I'd like to see you try. Last I heard, you had your blades taken away from you."
"We can't have a reception now," said Finn.
"Sure you can," said Mr. Schue. "All of you came back. You should be together. Just because I ruined my Valentine's Day doesn't mean I have to ruin all of yours, too," he said as he stood up. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Emma."
****
Everyone was in the party room acting as if the 'wedding' never happened. Bailey danced with Tina while Julian sat at a table with the twins and kept them out of trouble. Adalynn was at the snack table with Jori, and she wanted to barf when she saw Quinn and Santana being all gross and lovey-dovey with each other.
"Stupid bitch," Adalynn grumbled as she took a cupcake and started licking the frosting off of it.
"Which one?" Jori asked. "The smoking blonde or the hot Latina?"
"Both of them. They both suck."
"That's not what you thought last week when you agreed to hook up with her," Jori said as she took a cookie off of the table and took a bite.
"Who told you about that?" Adalynn asked, licking some frosting off of her finger.
"I was in the hallway when she asked you."
Adalynn hummed and put some sweets on a paper plate before crossing the room with Jori to sit down with Julian and the twins.
As the song currently playing ended, Bailey kissed Tina's cheek before walking up to the small stage and stepping up to the mic.
"This song is for the most beautiful girl in the room," the blonde said, smiling when she caught Tina's eye. "She knows who she is," she said, winking at her girlfriend before nodding to Artie, who pressed 'play' on the instrumental for the song she wrote.
Put your lips close to mine
As long as they don't touch
Out of focus, eye to eye
'Til the gravity's too much
And I'll do anything you say
If you say it with your hands
And I'd be smart to walk away
But you're quicksand
This slope is treacherous
This path is reckless
This slope is treacherous
And I-I-I like it
I can't decide if it's a choice
Getting swept away
I hear the sound of my own voice
Asking you to stay
All we are is skin and bone
Trained to get along
Forever going with the flow
But you're friction
This slope is treacherous
This path is reckless
This slope is treacherous
I-I-I like it
Two headlights shine through the sleepless night
And I will get you a, get you alone
Your name has echoed through my mind
And I just think you should, think you should know
That nothing safe is worth the drive
And I would follow you, follow you home
I'll follow you, follow you home
This hope is treacherous
This daydream is dangerous
This hope is treacherous
I-I-I, I-I-I, I-I-I—
Two headlights shine through the sleepless night
And I will get you a, get you alone
Your name has echoed through my mind
And I just think you should, think you should know
That nothing safe is worth the drive
And I will follow you, follow you home
I'll follow you, follow you home
I'll follow you, follow you home
I'll follow you, follow you home
This slope is treacherous
I-I-I like it
Tina smiled as the song ended and ran up to the stage to hug Bailey, who tenderly kissed her lips before pulling her into an embrace as everyone clapped.
"We should've known a Valentine's Day wedding was asking for disaster," Adalynn said as the applause died down and she headed over to the bar with Jori. "Love stinks."
"Sorry, ladies, can I see some ID?" the bartender asked.
"I'm 22, but this cute face makes me look 18," Adalynn said with a sweet smile as she showed the man the fake ID Jori gave her.
"23," Jori said as she held up her fake ID. "But like Elizabeth over here, I'm so hot that I look younger."
"Victoria, you're too nice," Adalynn smiled at the taller brunette as the bartender handed them two glasses of wine. "Is there any way we could get the whole bottle?" she asked the man as she took a sip of the red wine.
"Actually, could we get some shots?" Jori asked. "We need something stronger than wine to numb the pain this day has brought us."
"As long as you pay the tab, you can have whatever you want," the bartender said as he poured them some shots.
Jori smirked and handed him a credit card. "Keep it coming. It's on me."
"Look at those romantic saps," Adalynn scoffed, downing a shot as she watched Quinn and Santana dance together. "Everyone else may have love, but you know what we are that they are not?"
"Flawless," Jori smirked as they clinked their wine glasses before taking a sip.
As Kurt and Blaine started singing I Just Can't Get Enough, the two sorta-friends downed a couple more shots before going onto the dance floor to dance with Bailey and Tina. When Adalynn spotted Quinn watching her, she decided to put her bitch powers to good use and make her jealous. She danced closer to Jori, grinding her hips into her as they moved their bodies to the beat of the music.
Quinn grabbed Santana's hand and dragged her onto the dance floor, and the Latina was more than happy to help the blonde make Adalynn jealous since she was a crazy bitch who lived for drama.
Adalynn's jaw clenched and she pulled Jori closer to her. The taller brunette sensed what was happening and instantly knew it was a bad idea.
"Adalynn," Jori said, pushing the shorter girl off of her. She kept her hands planted firmly on her shoulders as she looked into her hurt blue eyes. "I know you're in a lot of pain, and I know she caused it, but you and I both know this isn't the right way to handle this."
"You're right," Adalynn sighed, running a hand through her hair as the song ended. "Yeah, there's a much better way to deal with this," she said as she turned and walked toward the stage.
"Wait, where are you going?"
Adalynn didn't answer. Instead she walked up to the stage, pushing her brother and Blaine off as they were still soaking in the applause. She gripped the microphone tightly as she looked out into the crowd, which had fallen silent as they waited for her to start singing.
Your fingertips across my skin
The palm trees swaying in the wind
Images
You sang me Spanish lullabies
The sweetest sadness in your eyes, clever trick
Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me
Bailey and Tina exchanged a look as Adalynn's hurt-filled voice carried through the room. They could tell she was hurt after everything she and Quinn had been through together. The only times she was happy these days was when Quinn wasn't around. But then she came back and ruined things just when she was starting to forget about her.
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do
We walked along a crowded street
You took my hand and danced with me images
And when you left you kissed my lips
You told me you would never ever forget these images, no
Adalynn felt tears filling her eyes as she briefly met Quinn's hazel orbs. She blinked the tears away as she found a spot on the back wall to focus on.
Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do
Quinn felt her own tears filling her eyes as she listened to her ex-girlfriend's pained voice. She knew what she was doing when she agreed to be Santana's date to this stupid wedding, just like she knew what she was doing junior year when she chose Sam over her.
She hadn't been fair to Adalynn. She had never been fair to her. She played with her feelings, led her on, treated her as a side piece, then dumped her and left her for the wolves.
If anything were to happen to her, she would have no one to blame but herself since she was the reason she had been cutting again.
I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot drive the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind
So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet you are just fine
Did I make it that easy to walk
Right in and out of my life?
A singular tear fell down Adalynn's cheek, which she quickly wiped away. She didn't want Quinn to see her cry, especially not over her.
She had to say goodbye and get her out of her life forever.
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Why can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do
Applause sounded as the song ended, and Adalynn walked off the stage, not once glancing towards the green eyes watching her.
"Are you okay?" Jori asked as the younger girl walked up to her.
"Let's get wasted."
****
Adalynn woke up with a pounding headache. She groaned and buried her face into a pillow as she pulled a blanket over her as she lay in a bed she didn't remember getting into. She heard groaning next to her and slowly opened her eyes. She turned her head, fear shooting through her when she saw Jori laying next to her.
"Where the hell am I?" Jori mumbled as she pressed a hand to her aching temple.
"What the hell happened last night?" Adalynn asked as she looked at herself under the covers, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that she still had her clothes on.
"I think I died. I died dead."
Adalynn groaned as she sat up and looked around the unfamiliar hotel room. She noticed the black dress she wore last night was thrown carelessly on the floor. She furrowed her brows as she looked under the covers again, and that's when she realized she was in a pair of too-big sweats and a tank top.
She exchanged a look with Jori, who seemed to be just as confused as she looked down at the baggy shirt she didn't remember putting on.
"Did we...?" Adalynn asked, tears filling her eyes at the thought that she might have had drunk sex with the person who tried to get between her and Quinn.
"I... I'm so sorry," Jori shook her head. "I-I don't know what happened last night, but if we did do... that... Adalynn, I'm so sorry."
"Oh my god," Adalynn gasped, placing a hand to her mouth.
"Adalynn, I–"
"Don't fucking touch me!" Adalynn spat, shoving Jori's hand away from her before standing up and grabbing her dress off the floor. She went to the bathroom to change, her shaky hands fumbling with the zipper on her dress. She went back out to the room and slipped on her black flats before turning to Jori, who was sipping water to help her hangover. "This never happened. Understand? We never mention this to anyone, and on Monday we go back to hating each other. Got it?"
"I don't hate you–"
"I mean it, Marjorie," Adalynn said through gritted teeth as a tear fell down her cheek. "Never speak of it!"
She grabbed her purse before turning on her heel and leaving the hotel room. She turned the tracker off on her phone as she walked out into the freezing February air and made her way to the Walgreens down the street.
Walgreens had razors for shaving.
Those had blades.
Blades she could easily get out.
She swore she'd never let anything happen between her and Marjorie. Even if she was drunk out of her mind when it happened, she had to punish herself for what she did.