𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗘 | 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬

CHAPTER XVIII : NATIONALS

"What's going on? How bad is it?" Mr.
Schue asked, coming into the girls' hotel room. We were already in Chicago for Nationals and so far, nothing had gone as planned. Mercedes was lying in her bed, extremely sick with the rest of us girls and Sue crowded around her "Her temperature is 101 degrees. Given the fact that Weezy's complaining about an upset stomach, it's either Amazonian dengue fever or the H1N1 super virus" Sue said dramatically "Or I have food poisoning" Mercedes weakly suggested "We all wanted burritos for lunch, so we went to Chipotle, but Mercedes tried some dive called 'Senora Salsation'" Santana explained "Will, a word please" Sue said, pulling Mr. Schue away. I sat down by Mercedes on the bed and took her hand "Is it really bad?" I asked, smiling sympathetically "I feel like I have a bunch of tiny little elves in my stomach, that are having a dance party and trying to get rid of all the food so they have more room, pushing it up and out through my mouth," She said, closing her eyes "Well, that's a lovely image" Tina muttered, placing her hand on my shoulder "So, here's what's going to happen. Mercedes, you're on bed rest. Quinn, you're stepping in" Mr. Schue said, coming back over to us "No, no, no, I can't dance that number, I can't sing that, either. Not like-" "The Trouble Tones need you" Mr. Schue said, cutting Quinn off "And you're better than you think you are" Tina said encouragingly "Yeah, Quinn, you're fantastic" I said, smiling reassuringly "Tina, Naya, you, too. You're both in the Trouble Tones" Mr. Schue said, catching us both off guard "Mr. Schue, this is my last competition. I don't want to miss it" Mercedes said, easing herself up with help from Sugar "Amen, to that, sister. That's why I'm putting you on a vitamin B-12 drip. 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 Jacob's Ladder" Sue said grabbing a bucket and going towards the bathroom "Alright, we all have our marching orders. Let's do it"
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Our real arsenal had quickly turned into a fight club. Sam and Puck were fighting and the boys were trying to separate them, Brittany was over by the window trying to get her blanket and pillow whilst we girls stood off the side. Well, most of us, Sugar was there cheering the fight on. Mr. Schue came rushing in and broke up the fight "He's studying geography while we're trying to rehearse! It's bogus!" Sam shouted angrily "Cause I already know the dance! You dance as your feet got caught in bear traps! You're tryna gnaw them off" Puck shouted back and the two boys lunged at each other again. Finn stopped Sam, despite Sam trying to jump over his back "Mr. Schue, are you aware that while we're arguing about jazz squares, Unique is being handed the key to the city by Rahm Emanuel?" Kurt announced unhelpfully "Not helpful Kurt!" I said loudly "And plus my pillow and my blanket fell into the pool. Disaster" Brittany said sadly "Look, I think everybody is just a little tired. We've been rehearsing for three straight hours" Artie said, with a tub of popcorn in his lap "Yeah, and we'll rehearse all night if we have to. We can rest after we've won!" Finn shouted frustratedly "Just because we've lost Mercedes doesn't mean we can be anything less than perfect. Perfect!" Rachel shouted. Everyone started arguing again and I buried my face into Blaine's shoulder trying to block it out "Okay, you know what? You know what? Hey! I don't want to 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 yelled over the arguing "Listen to yourselves-" "I know. I'm sorry. I always go to the yelling place. I have rage" Santana said, cutting off Mr. Schue and throwing her hands up in surrender "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. Okay, so let's take a half-hour break, and then we'll run it from the top" Mr. Schue said but everyone shook their heads "Mr. Shue, is it okay if we keep going? We got the first slot, which is, like, the death slot. We have to be amazing" Tina said. I lifted my head from Blaine's shoulder and nodded my head in agreement "Yeah, 'Edge of Glory's' a bitch. I said I'd be dancing by nationals. I'll be damned if I don't" Quinn said, straightening up "Okay, then let's keep going. Mike, help the guys out with choreography. Artie, help Puck with his geography. Ladies 'Edge of Glory'. Come on" I sighed and walked over to the middle of the room, getting into my formation "Okay, ready? Five, six, seven, eight" Brittany counted down and we started the dance. Quinn stumbled slightly on one of the moves but I caught her, checking hse was okay. She nodded her head and we continued.
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Backstage, we were getting ready to perform. These costumes were my favorite so far. They were lovely vibrant bright red dresses with Black lining and a black bow in the middle of the sweetheart neckline. The boys wore a black shirts with black pants and red ties "Okay, these outfits are the best so far" I said to Tina and Quinn "I mean what was up with those suits we wore for Sectionals? Like, why did we have to wear tutus with them, why couldn't we have worn trousers like the boys" I said, going over my eyelashes again with mascara "I know right, they were so weird, whereas these are amazing!" Tina exclaimed, passing me the eyeliner "We look fabulous as always, ladies" Quinn said, smirking whilst securing her hair with a pin "Alright, gather around, everyone! I just want to say a few words before we go out there" Mr. Schue said, strolling confidently into the room as we all grouped up into a circle "Hold on, Mr. Schue. Hold on. 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?" Finn said as everyone settled into their positions around the circle "Okay, Finn the floor is yours" Mr. Schue said, smiling softly "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. 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" Everyone made noises of agreement and hugged each other closely "Thank you, Finn, all of you. I love you guys so much" Mr. Shue said, his eyes becoming glassy with tears "New Directions, line up!" Someone announced over the PA "Alright, that's it. Show time. Hands in, everyone" Everyone cheered and leaned in, extending our hands out in front of US "Now I know you weren't planning on doing the show circle without me," Mercedes said, swinging open the door and strutting in "You're alive!" Tina exclaimed happily "Yeah, thanks to Sue. She's a miracle worker" Mercedes said, doing a little gesture with her hand to signify that Sue was crazy "Oh, well, it's amazing what a little TLC, some cortisone, and a witch doctor will do" Sue said, walking in after Mercedes "Thank God you're okay because that just means I'm not gonna fall on my face during that Trouble Tones number" Quinn said, relieved "Oh, screw that. This is our last time performing together. You're doing it, and so are you two, Tina, and Naya 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" Mercedes said as the lights flickered again and the PA told us to get on stage "Okay if we don't get out of this room soon, none of us will be performing" Mr. Schue said as we all put our hands in again. We flung our hands towards the sky cheering loudly and happily.
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Behind the curtains, the New Directions were warming up, getting ready for our performance. I ran over to a gap in the curtains and discreetly poked my head out of them. I spotted Moriah and her family and waved excitedly at them when they saw me too. I frowned slightly when I realized my parents weren't with them but as I saw Moriah's proud face—tears in her eyes already my smile came back, brighter than ever. Someone grabbed my hand, pulling me back behind the curtains and spinning me around. I chuckled as I stumbled slightly into Blaine's arms as he was the one who spun me "I can't believe it. We're at Nationals and our Junior year is almost over, it feels like only yesterday when we first met, but we've been together for like 8 and half months now" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled down at me and wrapped his arms around my waist "Well time flies when you're having fun" He said, leaning down to kiss me "I genuinely don't know how your not sick of me yet" I said, pulling back from the kiss "Oh, I am. I just love you too much to let you go" "I can't tell whether that is a good thing or a bad thing," I said, furrowing my eyebrows. He chuckled and kissed me again "How could I ever be sick of you Natalia Vasquez? You find new ways to amaze me each day" "Speaking of amazement, I applied for a singing internship with this wedding singers company in Lima, their current singer is going on maternity leave and they need someone to fill in for them, it won't earn me any money but it'll be a great experience for me and it'll look great on my college applications next year" "Naya, that's awesome! I'm so proud of you" He said, lifting me and spinning me around "I haven't gotten the internship yet" I said when he put me back down "Well, I'm sure you will, who would be better qualified than you?" I smiled and kissed his cheek "Ladies and gentlemen, 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, I remind you to please turn off all cell phones and pagers" The announcer declared and suddenly everyone was going into action, the boys ran off stage and the girls got in their positions "Please welcome our first contestants, from William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, the New Directions!"
Edge Of Glory — Lady Gaga (Sung By The Trouble Tones, Quinn, Tina & Naya)
It's All Coming Back To Me Now — Celine Dion (Sung By Rachel & The New Directions)
Paradise By The Dashboard Light — Meatloaf (Sung By The New Directions)
"We did it! We did it! We competed at Nationals!" I shouted excitedly as we ran off the stage. The entire team cheered loudly and we all pulled each other into one big group hug, holding each other tightly.
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The rest of the teams—including Vocal Adrenaline—performed and they were all absolutely fabulous. But I had this nagging feeling in the bottom of my stomach that we were better, that we had done it. The top three teams were us, Vocal Adrenaline, and The Portland Scale Blazers. The three teams stood on the stage, waiting for the announcement of MVP and then the overall winning team "And now it's time to announce the winner of this year's show choir MVP award. From Vocal Adrenaline, Carmel High's Wade 'Unique' Adams!" The announcement declared, I could see the disappointment blossom on Rachel's face and I broke away from Blaine. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder, she leaned her cheek against my head and sighed softly "Now a round of applause to your top three finalists for this year's National Show Choir Championship. In third place all the way from Oregon the Portland Scale Blazers!" We applauded politely for them as they rushed forward to claim their trophy "And now, ladies and gentlemen, quiet, please. Congratulations to both teams standing with us onstage. But now until it's time to announce a winner. The 2012 National Show Choir Champion" The tension in the air was thick and squeezed Rachel tighter as Blaine came up beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder "From McKinley High in Limo, Ohio, The New Directions!" I froze where I stood, our victory not even registering in my head. I snapped out of my daze as loud cheers erupted from around us and Rachel spun around in my arms hugging me tightly "Oh, my God" I whispered as someone pulled me away from Rachel and into their arms "Oh, my God!" I said louder, hugging whoever held me as tight as possible. I looked up and saw it was Blaine, pulling him in for a kiss. Confetti cannons burst above us and I pulled away from Blaine, pulling every single person I saw into a hug. I hugged Finn last and he lifted me, spinning me around. We were cheering and screaming as loudly as we possibly could and I felt tears of happiness spring to my eyes. We had done it. We were National champs! Finn placed me down and I was pulled into yet another hug from Tina, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany. we sobbed/laughed into each other as everyone celebrated around us. Mr. Schue joined the group, holding our trophy high above his head as we all jumped around him in excitement. I looked out into the crowd and saw Moriah and her family screaming and cheering for us loudly and I blew them a kiss before Kurt grabbed my hand and spun me around, making me laugh. That moment was honestly the happiest moment of my life.
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Back in Ohio, we walked into McKinley, Artie with the trophy in his lap. As we entered we noticed everyone lined up in the halls staring at us in silence. We continued further into the school, Rachel taking the lead. I gripped Blaine's hand tightly in before excitement and nervousness, as everyone carried on staring not saying anything. Two hockey players walked up to us, with slushie cups in their hands and I saw Rachel brace herself. But they didn't chuck slushies on her, instead, they chucked confetti, and suddenly everyone—the entire school—burst out in celebration. We walked down the halls towards the choir room, everyone throwing more and more confetti at us whilst we walked.
Tongue Tied — Grouplove (Sung By The New Directions)
We went straight to the choir room, partying, drinking champagne and just being happy and it felt so good. After the hecticness that was this year, I finally felt free and calm. Everything we had been working for, we had gotten and it felt amazing. Mr. Schue unlocked the trophy cabinet in the choir room, which held our 12th-place National trophy from last year. Rachel handed Finn our big first-place trophy and he put it in the cabinet, right in the middle so it was displayed for everyone. I rested my head on Blaine's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around my waist and I reached out to Sam, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. We all stared at the trophy in adoration, extremely proud of ourselves.
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"Moriah? What's so urgent that I had to come straight away?" I asked, as Jordan let me into their house "A letter came for you, I don't know why it came here but it did" Moriah said, as I walked into the living room. She stood up from the sofa and took one of my hands. She placed the letter into my hand and I glanced down at it read. I furrowed my eyebrows and gently opened the envelope, trying not to tear it too much. Pulling out the letter inside, my hand flew over my mouth when I realized what it said.
Dear Ms. Natalia Vasquez,
                 We here at Lima's Sensational
Singing for weddings is writing this letter to you regarding your application for the internship as a singer.
We are pleased to announce that you have been given the job and would like you to start in September. This apprenticeship will last for a total of two months as we would like to give as many high school students the same opportunity we are providing you. We hope you understand.
You will be working under our head singer Alessia Lilith and assisting her with many wedding singers and actual wedding singers.
If you wish to accept this job, please write back before the end of the week.
Yours Sincerely,
           Lima's Sensational Singing For Weddings.
              Head Singer — Alessia Lilith.
"Oh, my God, Oh, my God!" I shouted, jumping up and down "What, what is it?"
"You know that internship I applied for, I just found out I got the job! I start in September! I did it, I can't believe it! I'm working my way up to achieving my dream. Whoo!" I shouted throwing my hands in the air. Moriah threw her arms around me and waved me slightly "My baby sister is all grown up" She mumbled as she hugged me "I'm insanely proud of you, Naya, you have no idea!" "I have to tell Blaine!" I said, pulling away from her and fumbling around in my bag for my phone. I pace around the living room anxiously waiting for Blaine to arrive. Almost jumping out of my skin, I ran to the door when I heard a knock. I opened it and after being sure it was Blaine, I threw my arms around his neck, jumping into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist. He quickly wrapped his arms around my waist and stumbled slightly as he tried to steady the both of us. I kissed his cheek repeatedly in excitement as he tried to walk further into the house. Moriah, had to practically pry me off of him "Sorry I jumped on you, I'm just really excited" I said, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet "It's fine, do you wanna tell me why I had to rush over here and why you jumped on me?" He asked, placing his hands on my shoulders to get me to stay still "Okay, I got the internship! I'm going to be an assistant photographer for two whole months!" I said with a bright smile. Blaine's jaw dropped and he pulled me in for a tight hug "My girlfriend's making her dreams come true!" He shouted in my ear as he held me tight. I pulled back slightly and he kissed my forehead "This is so amazing-fab-wonderful!" He said, stumbling over his words "Yes, it is amazing-fab-wonderful!" I exclaimed. He chuckled and spun me around quickly. "You are the most talented person I have ever met in my life and I am so glad to call you mine," He said "I love you, so much," I said, cupping his face with my hands "I love you so much too"
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We—the New Directions and I—stood behind the curtains for the Teacher of the Year award ceremony. We were back in our Nationals costumes and I was dancing playfully around with Tina. I put my hand on her back and took her other one in mine whilst she placed her hand on my shoulder. We danced across the stage, laughing quietly as we went, only stopping when we heard the award ceremony thingy starting. Mrs. Hogberg made a little speech and then Figgins went to announce the Teacher of the Year "Thank you, Mrs. Hogberg. Go softly into that sweet night. And now the award you've all been waiting for: Teacher of the Year. To announce the winner, please welcome to the stage so-called Finchel" Finn and Rachel revealed themselves from behind the curtains and made their way up to the podium, smiling brightly. "Hi. The 2012 William McKinley High School Teacher of the Year Award goes to..." "Mr. Will Schuester!" Rachel announced, finishing for Finn. Applause echoed throughout the auditorium and form behind the curtains the New Directions cheered loudly "Wait, just, uh before you come up to accept the award, we just wanted to say a few things. Uh Three years ago, I thought I had it all. I was the quarterback of the football team, I was dating the head cheerleader. And then I met you, Mr.Schue, and I realized everything I was missing. There are a lot of great teachers at this school, who teach their students a lot of important stuff, like how to drive and—and fractions but you teach your students how to dream. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more important than that" Finn said, his voice becoming slightly choked up "Mr. Schue when I first met you, I was just an annoying Jewish girl with two gay dads and a very big dream. Today I still have two dads, and I'm still Jewish, and I'm probably just as annoying, but I stand before you headed to New York City come hell or high water, and, um, I can honestly say that I couldn't have done it without you, and I will carry you every step of the way, so congratulations. Um, no one deserves this more than you. We love you and this is for you" Rachel said, sniffling slightly as everyone scrambled into their places. The curtains opened and revealed us—the New Directions.
We Are The Champions — Queen (Sung By The New Directions)