a/n - for those who didn't see the author's note on the season 5a cast, i'm keeping finn alive because i'd miss him and adalynn's relationship too much, and this is fiction, which means i can basically do whatever i want. i'm also going to be skipping a lot because the first half of this season was kinda boring and so unnecessary
"Alright, big week guys," Mr. Schue announced as he walked into the choir room. "Come on, gather round. I have here in my hand... drum-roll please... a secret list of the show choirs that we will be in competition with at nationals in six weeks."
Six weeks.
Six weeks until nationals. Six weeks until the senior's Glee Club journey is over.
Adalynn wasn't ready for it to be over. As much as she hated school, part of her wasn't prepared to go out in the real world. It scared her. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with her life after graduation, and she had missed all the deadlines to apply for colleges.
She had no plans whatsoever, but at least she had Bailey and Tina. There was talk of them moving to New York together to be closer to Kurt, Rachel, and Santana, but nothing was set in stone yet.
"We've got the Rust Belters, the Thunder Show Cats from Gainesville, and finally, from Fort Wayne, Throat Explosion."
"Noooooo!" Tina cried. "Why God?!"
"That's it, it's over," Adalynn scoffed, crossing her arms and turning to bury her face in Jori's chest.
"We're fucked," Bailey groaned.
"If Bailey's cursing, you know it's bad," Jori said as she rubbed Adalynn's back.
"What?" Jake frowned. "Throat Explosion? That's a joke, right?"
"Anything but," Blaine scoffed. "They're the new super group the show choir underground's buzzing about. Their budgets for costume, make-up, hair alone, are astronomical. You guys have read that Malcolm Gladwell book Outliers, right? So, Gladwell says you can't possibly master anything unless you've spent 10,000 hours practicing it."
"Well, that explains why I'm still depressed," Adalynn shrugged. "Cause I haven't practiced happiness for 10,000 hours."
I blame Quinn.
I was only ever truly happy when she was around.
I miss her.
"Students can't even join Throat Explosion without proving they've logged in 10,000 hours of show choir rehearsal," said Bailey. "They don't even go to class. They just perform every minute of every day. They live their art. They know no boundaries. They're constantly pushing the envelope, living and performing on the edge. They're like mini Lady Gaga's."
"We're so screwed," Tina shook her head. "They're not like Vocal Adrenaline, who were Borg robots. They're total outsiders and misfits, which used to be our niche. We can't compete with Throat Explosion anymore at that level because we lost our biggest Gaga when Kurt graduated last year. Look around, we're a room full of, like, Katy Perrys now."
"I don't know," Adalynn shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I'm a Gaga. Following in Kurt's footsteps."
"You'd best check your spectrum, because orange is the new black, and Unique is the new Gaga," Unique said as Adalynn high-fived her.
"Not Marley. She's a Katy Perry," said Tina. "So is Sam, so is Blaine."
"I'm more of a Taylor Swift than a Katy Perry," Bailey shrugged as she texted Julian to check on the twins.
"Bailey, phone," Mr. Schue warned.
"I'm fulfilling my motherly duties, leave me alone," the blonde said with a wave of her hand, smiling when she received a picture of Maya and Ava curled up on the couch with Burt, all three of them asleep.
"Okay," Mr. Schue sighed. "Alright, look. The truth is, Tina, we're a potent mix of Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas in here. But it's not a liability. It's the way we're gonna beat Throat Explosion. Now, some of us in here are, you know, ambi-edge."
"Ambi-edge?" Artie frowned. "You just made that up?"
"Some of us are more, you know, wholesome, innocent, romantic, all-American, girl-and-boy-next door types," Mr. Schue continued. "Who in here would describe themselves as a Gaga?"
Adalynn, Unique, Tina, Kitty, and Jori all raised their hands.
"Okay, great. And the rest of you are Katys?"
"Is there a third option?" Ryder asked.
"We're gonna mix it up a little," Mr. Schue said, ignoring Ryder's question as he walked over to the whiteboard. "We're turning our weaknesses into our strengths. This week, the Katys will get their Gaga on, and the Gagas will bring the Katy."
"That's not fair!" Adalynn protested. "Lady Gaga was made for me. It's simple theatricality, Mr. Schue. I want to be an actress, and the best way to do that is to unleash my inner Gaga."
"That's where you're wrong, Adalynn," said Mr. Schue. "The best way to do that is to step outside your comfort zone. Do you think the greatest actresses of all time made it big by playing it safe? They all took risks, and I want to encourage you to take that jump to further your career. Throat Explosion does their one thing very, very well. But we need to be able to do both impeccably or else we're not gonna have a chance in hell of winning nationals this year."
****
"Alright, guys," Sam said as all the Katys gathered together in the auditorium. "I'm taking over this monster ball. Since I'm obviously the edgiest one in the group, and as a former stripper, I understand the power of theatricality and performativity."
"Um, what are they building?" Bailey asked as she pointed to the members of the AV club.
"The future, Bailey" Sam quickly answered. "They're building the future. Alright, we're gonna get scary and weird and controversial."
"Hence the catwalk?" Blaine questioned, brows furrowed.
"We're taking it into the audience, Blaine. Right in their faces. Then we're gonna drop-kick the fourth wall."
"Are those strobe lights?" Artie asked, pointing to the ceiling.
"Believe it," Sam said, pointing a finger at the brunette boy.
"That seems like a bit much," Bailey frowned. "Some kids might be epileptic."
"Is it a seizure or hard-core next-level break-dancing?"
"This fucking idiot," Bailey mumbled, closing her eyes and pressing a finger to her temple.
"Come on, guys, I need sick ideas," Sam said with urgency in his voice. "If we're gonna impress Penny, this has to be so crazy that it's declared legally, clinically insane."
"Oh!" Bailey snapped her fingers in realization. "This explains it. You're trying to impress a girl. Well, I think there are much better ways to do that than crazy, over-the-top nonsense."
"Besides, isn't you being in a relationship with Penny technically illegal?" Artie frowned.
"What if we had, like, sparklers, but we're inside," Marley suggested. "That's crazy."
"Or confetti only shaped like human skulls," Ryder spoke up.
"No! No, no. No, those ideas suck," said Sam. "You're not thinking edgy and fresh. You're thinking safe and tired and boring. Okay, look. Here. Take the sheet music for Applause, okay? Learn it, own it, live it. And then strap in, because we're not doing this for Glee Club. We're doing this in front of the entire school. And, yes, Penny the school nurse will be in attendance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go guarantee us a sold-out show."
"How are you gonna do that?" Marley asked.
"The same way Gaga would," Sam said as he walked backwards out of the auditorium. "By recruiting some Little Monsters."
"He's lost his fucking mind," Bailey scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest before turning and walking offstage.
****
Maya and Ava sat in a patch of grass as other kids around their age and older ran around on the playground of the preschool. They were making up their own game far away from the others, neither one caring that their mom had been worried that they weren't building the social skills that they'd need when they started real school in a couple years.
Ava hated going to preschool ever since the first day when a three-year-old boy took her Tati out of her arms and threw it down into the dirt. Maya's older sister instincts kicked in, and she shoved the boy into the dirt before grabbing the teddy bear and pulling her crying twin far away from the others.
Ever since then, they hadn't even bothered to try and socialize with the others, but they didn't care. They had each other, and that was just fine for both of them.
"Uh-oh, May," Ava said, eyes wide as she pointed to the boy, who was watching them from the top of the slides.
"Benny bad," Maya scowled.
"Bitch?" the younger twin asked, cocking her head to the side. "Benny a bitch?"
"Shhh," Maya silenced her sister, placing her hand over her mouth. "Don talk 'ike that. They call Mommy and Daddy."
"Ohhh," Ava nodded. "Okay. I be good."
"Good."
"Hi, sweeties," Holly Holliday beamed a smile as she walked over to the twins and knelt down in front of them. "What are you two doing over here by yourselves."
The twins stayed silent, blinking their eyes as they stared up at the blonde woman with expressionless faces.
"Not talking, huh? Aw, that's okay. Do you want to go inside and color? I have cheerios."
"Rios?" Ava asked, eyes widening as she exchanged a look with Maya.
"We likes rios," the older twin said.
"Alright, come with me," Holly smiled, holding her hands out for the twins to take, which they did. They went back inside to the classroom and sat down at a table. Holly gave them some coloring pages and crayons before handing them each a juice box and some cheerios.
The twins colored in silence as they sipped their juice and ate their cheerios. Holly watched them from her desk with a small smile. It was nice to see that the twins she'd heard Bailey was pregnant with were doing okay, and she loved that she was offered the job subbing at the preschool so that she got to meet them.
****
"Okay, Adalynn and I talked it over, and we're thinking lions and tigers," Unique said as the Gagas grouped together in the choir room.
"And bears, oh my," Jori joked.
"We'll unleash them from the zoo," said Adaylnn. "Now that's Roar."
"I wanna whip the audience and make them our slaves," said Tina.
"Let's not take it that far, T," Adalynn chuckled.
"Let's reenact a baby's birth on stage!" Jori gasped.
"We can float in giant plastic bags of amniotic fluid," Kitty suggested.
"Fuckerman!" Adalynn snapped, shoving Jake off of the piano. "Wake up, you motherfuck! We're supposed to be rehearsing!"
"We've been at this for five hours," Jake groaned, rubbing his hip as he stood up.
"And we'll be at it five more until we come up with the perfect idea, you fucking idiot," the older girl spat.
"Okay," Jake shrugged, grabbing his bag and walking towards the exit. "Later."
"Way to go, Adalynn, you scared him off," Kitty scoffed.
"Shut it, Dollar Store Quinn Fabray," Adalynn rolled her eyes.
"Jake, where do you think you're going?" Tina called after the sophomore.
"To the dance studio," said Jake. "I'm helping the Cheerios with some choreography."
"Who in heterosexual hell talked you into doing that?" Adalynn scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Let me guess... 'Bray?'" Kitty asked, mocking Bree's voice. "She is the most vile human being on the planet."
"One thing we can agree on," Adalynn nodded.
Kitty shot Jake a glare as he left the choir room before exchanging a look with Adalynn, who turned to Unique, who pulled out her phone and dialed Marley's number.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Glee Club Hunger Games begin," Jori mumbled as Unique walked out of the choir room talking to Marley in a hushed voice.
****
Adalynn sat with her lips pursed and an unamused look on her face as she sat in Principal Sylvester's office, the cheerleading coach looking at her with the exact same expression.
"So, do you want to explain to me why you're here?" Sue asked, breaking the silence between them.
"I may or may not have called Mr. Shoelaces out on his bullshit," Adalynn shrugged. "Then he got offended and sent me to you."
"What happened, exactly?"
"Well, it all started when Marley didn't wear a seashell bikini for the Lady Gaga number. She said she wasn't comfortable, and then Mr. Pedo says..."
"Marley, we're all trying to win a national championship here. As a team. But you put your personal agenda above that. I'm sorry, but you're suspended for the rest of the week."
"You've got to be kidding me," Adalynn scoffed. "Alright, lemme at him!" she yelled as she launched up from her seat, several Glee Clubbers grabbing her waist to hold her back. "I have kept my mouth shut until now, but I can't fucking do it anymore! You're such a fucking pedo, you middle-aged creep! It's not Marley's fault that she didn't want to dress as a slut in front of her pervy male teacher, you fucking cunt! You can't suspend her for that! You're being unfair and inappropriate! You're such a curly-haired, butt-faced, creepy child predator!"
"Adalynn," Sue smirked. "I couldn't have said it better myself, kiddo. Oh, how I wish I could've been there to see the look on Will Schuester's face as you spat out fact after fact."
"Wait, so... you're not going to suspend me?" Adalynn asked, raising a brow.
"No reason to," Sue shrugged. "When I look at you, it reminds me of a young Sue Sylvester, but with long, luscious brunette waves and a spunky attitude that reminds me of a pre-preggo Quinn Fabray. Alright, here's the deal," she said as she took her glasses off and set them down on the desk. "I'll let you off the hook, but I want you to promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"When you get out of here, I want you to use your spunk and ambition to prove everyone in this dumb-ass town wrong. Make your bullies rue the day they ever made fun of you. Show this next generation of kids that it's possible to get out of here and accomplish great things with your life. And when you make it big, make sure to give your ol' pal Sue a call. Can you do that for me?"
"Yeah," Adalynn nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I can do that."
"I thought so," Sue grinned. "Now get over here and give me a hug."
Adalynn smiled and got up. She walked around the desk, and leaned down to hug the older woman. Over the years, Sue had become like a mother to Adalynn, and Adalynn a daughter to Sue.
"Alright, sloppy baby," Sue chuckled, giving the brunette a squeeze before she pulled away. "Get out of here. Do you need a pass to class?"
"Actually, would it be okay if I ditched and went to the auditorium?" Adalynn asked.
"For a little sing-song?" Sue raised a brow before smiling. "Go ahead. You have talent. Use it."
"Thanks, Ms. Sylvester," Adalynn said, sending the cheer coach a smile before walking out of the office. "Voted most likely to end up on the back of a milk box drink. Looks like I'm letting 'em down," she sang as she walked down the hall and opened her locker. "Cause $7.75 isn't worth an hour of my hard working time when you can't afford half the shit they advertise. Oh, I'm worth more than a X. More than a toe-tagged generation full of regrets. Oh, I won't settle, no oh. Oh, I can't settle."
She grabbed her black leather jacket off the little hook and slipped it on over her shoulders, fixing the collar as she walked down the hall. "I wanna break the mold, wanna break the stereotype. Fist in the air, I'm not going down without a fight. It's my life, and I'm not sitting on the sidelines watching it pass me by. I'm leaving you my legacy. I gotta make my mark, I gotta run it hard, I want you to remember me. I'm leaving my fingerprints, I'm leaving my fingerprints, I'm leaving my fingerprints on you."
She walked into the auditorium. Thankfully, it was empty, and all the props from the Gaga number had been taken out, leaving a clear path up to the stage.
"Representing you and me," Adalynn sang as she jumped up on the stage and looked around the empty space. "Don't you wanna go down in history? Rather than end up begging on the streets, trading under table favors for a place to sleep. Cause I'm worth more than this, so stop writing prescriptions for more Ritalin. I can focus my attention. I wanna break the mold, wanna break the stereotype. Fist in the air, I'm not going down without a fight."
She has no idea what's going to happen after graduation, all she knows is that she wants to be an actress. She wants to prove that she's more than Lima, Ohio. She wants to make her mom proud. She knows that she wouldn't want her to not fulfill her dreams just because she was scared. Besides, if she wasn't scared, then she didn't want it enough.
"It's my life, and I'm not sitting on the sidelines watching it pass me by," she sang as she walked out of the auditorium and pushed through the double doors, the bright spring sun blinding her for a moment. "I'm leaving you my legacy. I gotta make my mark, I gotta run it hard, I want you to remember me. I'm leaving my fingerprints, I'm leaving my fingerprints."
She can almost hear her mom's voice so clearly, singing to her, "Don't give up. Don't give in. Build your house on the rock. Oh, not in the sand, in the sand, in the sand, in the sand."
"I won't give up, Mom," Adalynn said as she looked up at the sky, a small smile forming on her lips. "I promise you, I'm never gonna give up. I won't let you down." She heard the bell ring from inside, signaling the end of the school day. "It's my life, and I'm not sitting on the sidelines watching it pass me by. I'm leaving you my legacy. I gotta make my mark, I gotta run it hard, I want you to remember me."
She turned and began a slow jog down the street before picking up the pace.
"It's my life, and I'm not sitting on the sidelines watching, it pass me by. I'm leaving you my legacy. I gotta make my mark, I gotta run it hard. I want you to remember me."
She sat down at her desk, out of breath and chest heaving from sprinting home. She opened her notebook up and began writing her plan. Without a plan, she'd have no direction in her life. It was a simple building block, and it was better than waiting until the last minute, which would just make everything so much more stressful.
She opened up her laptop and cleaned up her acting resume, making a mental note to update her head-shot as soon as school got out for the summer.
"Cause I'm leaving my fingerprints. I'm leaving my fingerprints. I-I'm leaving my fingerprints in the end."