Brittany's Point of View
"What's going on? How bad is it?" Mr. Shue asks as he walks into our hotel room
"Her temperature's 101 degrees." Sue says, "Given the fact that Weezy's complaining about an upset stomach, it's either Amazonian dengue fever or the H1N1 super virus."
"Or I have food poisoning." Mercedes says
"We all wanted burritos for lunch, so we went to Chipotle, but Mercedes tried some dive called Señora Salsation." Santana says
"Will, word please," Sue says and the both of them walk out of our hotel room
Tommorow is Nationals and of course something has to go wrong. And this something is Mercedes being sick.
And Coach Sue is only here because if we don't win Nationals then Sue won't be head coach for the Cheerios.
"So here's what's gonna happen," Shue says as they walk back in, "Mercedes, you're on bed rest, Quinn, you're stepping in."
"No, no, no, I can't dance that number. I can't sing it, either, not like..."
"The Trouble Tones need you." Mr. Shue says cutting Quinn off
"And you're better than you think you are." Tina adds in
"Tina, you, too. You're in the Trouble Tones."
"Mr. Shue, this is my last competition and I don't want to miss it." Mercedes says as she sits up
"Amen, to that, sister. That's why I'm putting you on a vitamin B-12 drip." Coach Sue picks up a bucket, "We're flushing your system with Pedialyte, and I'm gonna fill that bathtub with ice and see if we can't get your ambient body temperature back down to normal. Worked in Jacobs Ladder." Sue says before walking back out of the room
"All right, we all have our marching orders." Shue claps his hands together, "Let's do it."
*
As we're all practicing, the boys get into a huge fight. At first it was just verbal but then it turned into physical.
Mr. Shue walks in and his eyes widen, "Hey, calm down! Hey, hey, calm down!" He gets Sam off of Puck, "Calm down!"
"Fight, fight, fight!" Sugar and Santana chant together
"Hey, cool out!" Shue says to Sam when he again tries to jump on Puck, but Joe holds him back
"He's studying for geography while we're trying to rehearse! It's bogus!" Sam yells
"Cause I already know the dance!" Puck yells back, "You dance like you got caught in bear traps and you're trying to gnaw them off!"
Sam again tries to jump on Puck but Mike and Finn block his way.
"Unique is being handed the key to the city by Rahm Emmanuel." Kurt says and everyone turns their attention to him
"Really?" Mr. Shue asks
I look out the window and remember what happened earlier, "And plus my pillow and blanket fell into the pool. Disaster." Santana walks over to me and looks out the window.
"How did this happen?" She asks and I shrug my shoulders
"Look, I think everybody is just a little tired." Artie says with a tub of popcorn in his lap, "We've been rehearsing for three straight hours."
"Yeah, and we'll rehearse all night if we have to." Finn says, "We can rest after we've won!"
"Just because we've lost Mercedes doesn't mean we can be anything less than perfect. Perfect!" Rachel says and Santana groans
"Easy for you to say." Artie says and Rachel gasps
All the yelling and fighting start back up and Sam pushes Rory and Rory pushes back.
"Okay, you know what? You know what?" Santana yells and she claps her hand together to get everyone's attention, "Hey! I don't wanna hear any of this 'We can't do it without her,' because guess what? We don't have a choice. So be warned: if you are not giving this everything you've got, I will go all Lima Heights on your sorry asses." Santana rolls her eyes and walks back over to me
That got everyone to shut up.
"Listen to yourselves." Mr. Shue says in an angry voice
"I know. I'm sorry. I always go to the yelling place. I have rage." Santana throws her hands up in defense
"It's pretty hot." I whisper, so that only Santana can hear it
"No, it's a good thing. A great thing. There is so much passion in this room. Even all your arguing, it's about the work. You guys really want this." Mr. Shue says and a creepy smile appears on his face, "Okay, so let's take a half-hour break, and then we'll run it from the top."
"Mr. Shue, is it okay if we keep going? We got the first slot, which is, like, the death slot." Tina says and we all nod, "We have to be amazing."
"Yeah, 'Edge of Glory's' a bitch." Quinn adds in, "I said I'll be dancing by Nationals. I'll be damned if I don't."
"Okay, then let's keep going." Shue says in an uneasy tone, "Mike, help the guys out with the choreography. Artie, help Puck with his geography. Ladies, 'Edge of Glory.' Come on. Brittany run us through it."
"From the chorus?" I ask
"Yeah, from the chorus. Let's do it." Shue says
"Watch out." I say to Joe, who's still standing by us girls, "We're gonna do it. Okay. Ready?"
We start to go through the motions and sometime in between Quinn stumbles.
"You okay?" Shue asks and Quinn nods
We really need Quinn to come through tomorrow and help Tina fill Mercedes' spot.
We need to win this.
*
Mr. Shue and all the other adults went to bed and now we're all in the boys' room, sitting on the floor in a circle.
"I remember when it was just five us." Rachel says, "I would've never thought we would get here with all of you."
Santana has her back pressed against my chest and I'm leaning back against the wall with my arms wrapped around her.
"This is unbelievable," Mercedes says, "Being here with all of you is unbelievable."
"I'm surprised I still haven't killed Berry." Santana says and everyone laughs
"Just admit it already. You love me." Rachel says and Santana blows her a kiss
"We started together and now we're finishing together." Quinn says
"It's been a hell of a ride." Finn says
"And I'm glad to be finishing with a group of people I can actually call family." Kurt says, "You guys have taught me so much."
"This is all too much." Tina's voice cracks and Mike rubs her arm, "I don't want this to end. It can't end."
"Yeah. I mean, you guys are going off to college and you guys are the reason Glee club is where it is." Blaine says and I kiss Santana's neck
"Now we are passing the baton down to you." Kurt says and he hands an invisible baton to him
"We have to win this," Puck says, "Not for us but for Shue. He's gone through so much for the last three years just to get us hear."
"And we are not easy to deal with." Quinn says and we all look at Rachel who rolls her eyes
"Mr. Shue." Finn says and he looks around at all of us
"Mr. Shue." I say
"Mr. Shue." Mike says
Mr. William Shuester.
*
"All right, gather around, everyone!" Shue yells as she walks into our dressing room, "I just want to say a few words before we go out there!"
"Hold on, Mr. Shue. Hold on, " Finn says, "You've given us a lot of pep talks over the years, but remember, you told us once that, you know, a teacher's job is done when his students don't need him anymore?"
"Okay. Finn, the floor is yours." Shue says as he backs out of the center and Finn takes his spot
"Last night we all sat around in a circle after you went to bed and we told stories. But then we went around the room, and everybody said what they wanted to win this thing for, and we all said the same thing: we want to win this for you." Finn says and Mr. Shue grins, "And I know every year at school Figgins gives away the Teacher of the Year award. But I don't think any of us have to wait to see how we feel about that. You're, like, our Teacher of a Lifetime."
"Whoo!" I say and Shue laughs
"Yeah, definitely." Rachel throws in
"Thank you, Finn, all of you." Mr. Shue and the bell rings, telling us that it's our time to perform, "I love you guys so much."
"New Directions, line up." Someone over the P.A. calls
Santana grabs onto my hand and gives it a few light squeezes.
"All right, that's it. Show time. Hands in, everyone."
We all put our hands in the middle of the circle and...
"Now I know you weren't planning on doing the show circle without me." Mercedes says, cutting all of us off
"Weezy?"
"You're alive." Tina says and we laugh
"Yeah, thanks to Sue. She's a miracle worker." Mercedes says and she joins our show cirlce
"Oh, well, it's amazing what a little TLC, some cortisone and a witch doctor will do." Sue says and she also joins us
"Thank God you're okay because that just means I'm not gonna fall on my face during that Trouble Tones number." Quinn says and Tina nods her head in agreement
"Oh, screw that." Mercedes says, "This is our last time performing together. You're doing it, and so are you, Tina. I'm not taking no for an answer. Plus I have so many steroids going through my body right now, I may turn into the Incredible Hulk if you piss me off."
The lights flash and the bell rings again, "Okay, if we don't get out of this room soon, none of us will be performing. Let's go!" Shue yells and we all clap and cheer
We put our hands back in the center, "Amazing!" We yell together
"Ladies and gentlemen," the EMCEE says over the P.A., "welcome to the 48th annual National High School Show Choir Competition brought to you in part by Salozy-Edison Chevrolet, where you always save more money! Please give a warm Windy City welcome to our judges... America's sweetheart, Lindsay Lohan. Hollywood gossip legend, Perez Hilton! And Democratic City Councilman representing the new North Side and the West Loop corridor, 51st Ward Alderman Martin Fong! I remind you you to please turn off all cell phones and pagers..."
"The Unholy Trinity...starting together," Santana grabs onto Quinn's hand, "ending together." Santana grabs onto my hand and we all smile at each other
"Just the way it should be." I say and we giggle
"Please welcome our first contestants, from William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, the New Direction!"
First, the Treble Tones perform 'Edge of Glory', then Rachel sings 'Its All Coming Back To Me Now', and then we sing 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' as our last song. And the crowd loved it! Standing ovation!
The competition was good but we were better, as always but this year we really need to win. It's the senior's last day performing and we've worked our assess off since our sophmore year.
"And now it's time to announce the winner of this year's individual show choir MVP award!" We all are looking down and holding each other's hand, hoping and praying that we take first place this year, "From Vocal Arednaline, Carmel High's Wade 'Unique' Adams!"
Unique walks up and grabs her MVP trophy.
"And now a round of applause to your top three finalists for this year's National Show Choir Championship!" The crowd claps and cheers, "In third place...all the way from Oregon the Portland Scale Blazers!" We all clap, "And now, ladies and gentlemen, quiet, please. Congratulations to both teams standing with us onstage. But now it's time to announce the winner." My heart beats faster and faster and my head starts to feel warm, "The 2012 National Show Choir Champions...from McKinley High in Lima, Ohio, The New Directions!"
We all jump up and down and after that everything is in slow motion. The jumping, the hugging, the cheer and clapping. This is what we've worked for. This is what we've dreamed about and we finally got it.
Confetti drops onto our heads as we hug each other and Mr. Shue raises the trophy high abover our heads.
Glee Club finally took first place.
*
"We don't have to do this," Rachel says, "We could take the back entrance."
The whole Glee Club is standing behind the double doors, the trophy in Arite's lap.
"No," Finn says, "We have to do this. We have to show them that we're winners."
We all take one last deep breath before entering, not knowing what to expect.
Puck and Kurt open the door slowly and we step in slowly. The trophy knock down a congratulations banner. People are waiting on each side of the hallways, giving us weird looks. We turn the corner and there's more banner and streamers on the ceiling.
Two hockey player walk around the corner hodling slushie cups and panic takes over our bodies. They walk up to us and throw the cups at us but they're not filled with slushies, they're filled with confetti!
Once the confetti hits us everyone claps and cheers for us. We laugh and smile as we walk down the halls where we are loved. This is new, being loved by the school. When this started, they all hated us. No one thought we would be able to do this except for Shue. And we do this all for him.
Two girls push Rory against a wall and kiss his cheeks. Mike pulls Tina into a kiss and Santana dips me. She runs her eyes over my face before pressing her lips onto mine.
We walk into the choir room and I pop a bottle of Champagne open. I dump it on Arite's head and he laughs. Everyone grabs their own bottle and drink out of the and dumps them on everybody but Santana's head.
When we've all cooled down and are able to focus, Shue puts the trophy in the trophy case and it's beautiful.
"We did it," Shue says as we all admire the throphy, "You did it."