"Alright guys Regionals is only a few weeks away and we've got to work twice as hard if we're wanting to beat vocal adrenaline!" Mr Shue began this weeks lesson as he walked through the door this gloomy Monday morning. "I want everyone up at the piano ready for vocal warm ups" he added and clammed his hands signalling for us to move.
I sighed and forced myself out of my plastic seat to go stand by the black piano next to Brittany. I really couldn't be bothered with glee club at the moment, lately Rachel has been making the club about her more than usual and it's really messing with my head. I don't think I'm the only one because I've noticed a few of us have stopped pulling our weights. I think I'm personally under pressure since Coach Sue is wanting to get another national title and I'm the one who's having to lead the team to that title.
I heard the door bang shut and a few gasps which brought me out of my day dream. I looked over in the direction of the noise and my eyes were met with a Mohawk-less Puckerman. Nobody said a word until Brittany broke the obvious silence.
"Who is that guy?" The blonde whispered to Santana and I as the boy walked past us. I rolled my eyes and looked over to see Santana with a "WTF" expression on her face.
"Brittany, I think that's Puck" I said to the girl in shock.
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I was late getting out from my math test and was running to my locker quickly before going to glee club. I quickly stopped and exchanged my math textbook for my sheet music then slammed my locker shut. I glanced down at my phone and I had only one minute to get to the choir room, which was on the ground floor of the building - and I was on the third. I sighed before getting ready to begin running again, luckily for the head cheerleader the kids did part like the Red Sea when they saw me run towards them.
"Hey Kiddo" I hear a familiar voice say as I jogged down the stairs. I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Kyle had joined me on my jog to the choir room.
"Kyle I'm in a rush" I said as I reached the bottom of the steps.
"I can run with you" he said as he followed in suit. "Are you free tomorrow night? We could go to the movies or bowling or something?" He asked me and I laughed at his ability to never give up.
"If I say yes will you let me sprint to my next class?" I asked him and he simply nodded. "Then yes I will, you pick the movie and text me the details" I added and then laughed when he stopped as soon as I said yes. I waved to the boy as I saw him do a victory dance. I brought myself to a halt when I reached the choir room. I entered the room as a I wiped the sweat from my brow.
"Is Mr Shue here yet?" I asked Tina as I sat down next to her. She shook her head and I sighed. "I ran all the way here for nothing" I added as I slouched down in my seat as Mr Shue, as if on cue, entered the room from his office.
"I know you aren't all giving your 100% effort, you aren't singing as much, you're being late to class. Frankly, I am very disappointed in you guys." Mr Shue said and I rolled my eyes assuming that Rachel Berry had something to do with this. I can guess I'm not the only one who thought this.
"I can't believe you narced on us." Finn said, very loudly, to Rachel. Bingo.
"Don't get mad at me for exposing your laziness. I'm tired of carrying all of your weight. Regionals is in a month, guys." Rachel complained and I mocked her from behind causing Tina and Kurt to giggle.
" I'm just trying to understand what's going on here." Mr Shue said and then turned his direction towards Finn and I. "Finn, Lynsey, why did you stop singing?"
"Cause you started giving all the male leads to Jesse. It kind of shook my confidence, y'know." Finn confessed and I simply shrugged my shoulders at the teacher.
"What difference does it make?" Santana questioned. "Everyone knows that my job here is to look hot."
"My baby hormones are making me moody." Quinn complained.
"There are so many lyrics." Brittany confessed to the group.
"Okay" Mr Shue said taken aback by Brittany's comment. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A glee club is about a myriad of voices coming together as one. Alright? This ends now." He added. "Which is why your assignment for the week is for each of you to come up with a song that best represents how you see yourself, where you are in your lives right now. Your voice. Then you're going to stand up here and sing your hearts out. All of you."
" Solos? In front of everyone?" Kurt asked with a smile on his face.
"The Glee Club has lost its voice. It's time for us to get it back." Mr Shue said and everyone began to talk to each other discussing their projects for the week but honestly I don't know if I do anything. It will go unnoticed and I can spend my time on Cheerios instead.
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"Five, six, seven, eight" I shouted as we began going through a routine at Cheerios' practice. Once the routine ended, I turned round to look at the group of cheerleaders. "Okay, that was okay guys but being okay isn't going to win us a national championship" I began as I started walking up and down the line of Cheerios, wait - something's missing.
"Where's Kurt?" I asked angrily and everyone looked at each other looking for an answer. I was met with mumbles of 'I don't know's and 'I haven't seen him today's. "Right okay, since Mr Hummel has decided not to show up today you're all going to have to work twice as hard and thats me included. Five minute water break and then I'm watching the routine over" I added and the line of cheerleaders disbanded. I sighed as I picked up my water bottle and quickly made my way to Sue's office.
I took a deep breathe and lightly knocked on the door.
"Come in" I heard her say from behind the door. I opened it and entered the room slowly. "Collins, what's up?" She asked as I took a seat in front of her desk.
"I've taught the new routine and it's going well so far. I've given the team a five minute break and then we're going to go back and I'll watch it to them give notes. I am worried though, Kurt isn't there - he never misses a practice without giving us a reason and a note to why." I said to the teacher before taking a sip of water.
"Don't worry, Collins" the woman said. "You can confront and ask him about it tomorrow. Now go get my squad into shape and I'll be there to watch it in half an hour after I've cleaned my tarantula cage" she added and I quickly stood up from my seat.
"I'm sorry what?" I asked as I quickly looked around the room. "I've got to go" I said before running out of her office. That woman is crazy.
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"Alright, guys. Let's get things started." Mr Shue said as he entered the choir room the next day.
"As I was first on the sign-up sheet, I'll kick things off." Rachel quickly jumped up from her seat to stand in front of everyone.
"Was that not Mercedes?" I questioned the girl as I pointed to the girl across the room and she sent me a dirty look before continuing with what she was saying.
"I have chosen Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" because it's about overcoming obstacles and beating the odds. In my case, the obstacle is you, my lackluster teammates who refuse to carry their own weight." She directed her abuse towards me and some others in the glee club before Brad began playing the piano. I tried to hold in my laughter when Rachel started singing. She was clearly off key and struggling. As she sang more of the song I looked over to see the reactions of everyone else, who look embarrassed and confused. After the first verse Mr Shue stood up to cut her off.
"Rachel. I think you've lost your voice." He told the girl and she looked at the rest of us horrified.
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There I was biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from tearing up in the middle of glee club. Finn took it upon himself to dedicate the song "Jessie's Girl" to Rachel in front of the whole glee club after taking her to the doctor's office yesterday. He eventually finished and everyone clapped - I didn't want to be a spoil sport so I clapped quietly.
"Nice work. Now that, that is the kind of soul-exposing song I was talking about. We should all be inspired by Finn's bravery." Mr Shue said as he stood up and tapped the tall boy on the back. "Good job, buddy." He added as Finn sat down.
"Uh, Mr. Shue, can I sing my song now?" Puck asked standing from his seat - in an attire that was different from him usual one.
"Yeah. Let's go for it, Puck." Mr Shue said before sitting back down. Puck got up and opened the door to the choir room, letting in the jazz band.
"What are they doing here?" Mercedes questioned the boy.
"I invited my brothers from the jazz band and their righteous horns to help me out with my song. Since I shaved my mohawk I started seeing things differently. Last week I joined a black church. And I recently downloaded every song Sammy Davis, Jr. ever recorded on iTunes." Puck said and I looked over to Mercedes to see her roll her eyes. "He was a black Jew, you know, and my inspiration. So without further ado, I give you one of Sammy's biggest hits."
Puck started off singing "The Lady is a Tramp" to Finn, Brittany and Quinn, and Santana - who is clearly enjoying his performance. Puck then made it clear that her was singing to Mercedes and her face dropped instantly. Puck pulled Mercedes up to join him halfway through the song. Once they were finished their amazing rendition some people starting standing and I decided to join them, well everyone did expect for Santana.
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"Hey Princess" I heard a voice say and I looked up from my locker to see Kyle standing there. A smile grew on my face as soon as I saw the boy.
"Good morning" I replied as I pulled out my US History text book from my locker.
"So I was thinking, we could go and see The Karate Kid tonight. You know, the new remake with Will Smith's Kid? And then dinner at breadsticks" Kyle said to me as he took my textbook and notebook out of my hand.
I shut my locker as I thought about his date idea.
"Dinner at breadsticks - yes. But instead of seeing The Karate Kid can we go watch The King's Speech?" I asked as we began walking down the hallway.
"I guess I could make the exception for one Lynsey Collins" he said as we turned the corner.
"How generous" I said jokingly as we reached the outside of my classroom. "I'll buy the tickets during my free period after this, okay?"
"Do you not want me to pay?" He asked curiously while handing me my books.
"You pay for dinner then babe" I answered before stepping into my classroom and taking a seat. I sat looking at my work with a huge smile on my face.
[Cue "Unwritten"]
Lynsey :
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
I was suddenly standing in front of everyone in the choir room singing. I pulled up Brittany and Mike to start dancing with me as I began the chorus.
Lynsey:
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
I began singing the next verse, I maintained eye contact with Finn throughout so he would listen to the lyrics.
I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
This time Brittany and I showed off our dance moves with a duet routine that we both compete with at competitions - something that we really don't get to do often in Glee club.
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Once the song was finished I was met with a loud round of applause.
"That was a great way to start things off for today Lynsey!" Mr Shue said as he stood up and walked towards me. "I am so glad that we can finally introduce your amazing voice to the rest of the glee club."
"Well since someone's loud and obnoxious voice has been silenced someone's gotta step up" I joked. Mr Shue, Rachel and Finn weren't impressed but everyone else gave a small snigger.
"Umm Mr Shue, I would like to go next?" Kurt asked from his seat before moving from his chair to the front of the classroom. I walked over to a spare chair to sit and I noticed that Kurt was dressing differently - he looked like a Finn wannabe. I sat down and Mr Shue nodded at the big. "I believe I've found a song that finally expresses my true voice." Kurt added and Mr Shue looked at the obviously troubled boy.
"Okay." He hesitantly replied before sitting down to watch their performance.
"Gentlemen." Kurt cued the band and they began playing a John Melloncamp song. I shot a glance over at Mercedes who was just as confused as I was. I then turned to look at Santana and Brittany, Santana was questioning the performance too but Brittany was smiling and clapping along the the beat. Kurt finished his song and we didn't really know how to react, especially Mr Shue, so we clapped half heartedly to semi-praise the boy. Kurt obviously noticed the awkward air in the room after his rendition of 'Pink Houses'.
"Is there something wrong, Mr. Schue?" Kurt questioned.
"I don't really think you got the point of the assignment. This was about finding a song that expresses who you are, take Lynsey performance for example - she has, so far, understood the assignment the best. That song didn't really sound like you." Mr Shue confessed to the boy.
"Well I'm sorry if I didn't live up to your expectations." Kurt said very cheekily to the grown man. "I didn't realise Lynsey was the new Rachel Berry."
"No no no." Mr Shue protested. "This group needs you to be you, Kurt. You can literally do things that no one else can."
"I'm not a box. There are more than four sides to me." Kurt replied angrily, I could tell he was trying to hold back from creating a scene.
"Don't lose track of who you are just because it might be easier to be somebody else." Mr Shue stood up and said but Kurt walked away heading for the door. "Alright, take five, guys."
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AU: Please let me know what songs you might want to see Lynsey perform or what you want to see happen / if you can predict what might happen by Regionals. As it is a book for you all to read and enjoy not for me to dictate. Also love hearing from all of you so don't be afraid to make a comment or two!