𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗘 | 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲

CHAPTER XXIV : THE ROLE YOU WERE BORN TO PLAY

"Naya!" I heard my name being shouted down the corridor and stopped working. I turned around to see Artie wheeling towards me. I waited until he reached my side and then we started walking again toward the choir room "Artie, what's up?" I asked, adjusting my bag on my shoulder "I just wanted to check in on you, you've had a rough couple of weeks and I thought you could use a friend" He said "It's not been too bad, I just lost my internship because I was too upset to do any of the work, my boyfriend cheated on me and we broke up, and now all I have in my life is the Glee Club. I figured, hopefully, my luck will change and the universe will put a bottle of migraine pills in my hand again" I said shrugging my shoulders. Artie stopped and looked up at me worriedly "That was a really bad joke, I'm sorry. I'm not suicidal again" He looked at me unconvinced "I'm not, I swear!" "Okay..." "I'm sorry, Artie. You're just trying to be a good friend and I'm being a douche" I said shaking my head as we started to walk again "You're a lot like Finn, you know, we had a very similar conversation to this one" "Artie I think I'm missing the point of this conversation" "Right, okay, back on topic. Naya, you are an amazing person, you are so bubbly, happy, sweet, and loving. But lately, you've changed. You've been quiet, and sad, you're not as cheerful or bubbly and I don't think you've spoken to anyone besides Tina, Marley, Unique, and Finn" "I'm talking to you right now" "Yeah, for the first time in two weeks. You haven't even sung since that song with Finn" "What's your point, Artie? To tell me how I've changed into a boring, dull person? Because you can't blame me" "I'm not gonna let you bury yourself in self-pity and heartbreak, Naya. You're better than that" "Artie, I don't know how to be better than that. Self-pity, heartbreak, sadness—that's all I really feel right now and I'm not entirely sure how to change it. If you could recommend a book or something on how to get out of a depressive slump or how to get over the love of your life who cheated on you, then great. If not, then I'm sorry, but this is me now Natalia Pathetic Vasquez" "You're an artistic person, you need to find a creative outlet—besides singing and photography because those aren't helping. You need to do something productive, where you can spend time with friends. I want you to co-direct the musical with Finn and me" "I don't know how to direct a musical" I said as we reached the choir room and sat down "Directing is about having an idea and convincing everyone around you to make it happen. We need you Naya, we need your bubbliness and liveliness—that's what Grease is all about, you'll keep Finn and I honestly, and think of all the amazing photo opportunities" I sighed and looked over at Artie, pouting. He gave me an encouraging look and I slowly nodded my head "Okay, okay, fine. I'll do it" "Great! Auditions are tomorrow in the auditorium, we'll see you there"
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{Blaine's Pov}
Sam and I stood by the sign-up sheet for Grease, Sam was writing his name down whilst I leaned up against the board, arms crossed "As President and Vice President, we can pretty much decree whichever parts we want, right?" Sam said, looking over at me "I'm not so sure I'm gonna do the musical this year. I'm not in the right head-space to do a project like Grease. Since Naya and I broke up, I haven't slept, and I've lost my appetite. I don't even gel on weekends" I said, staring off into space "This is pretty serious, then" Sam said worriedly "Sam, Naya was my soulmate. We talked about spending the rest of our lives together, moving to New York, living together, her being a singer whilst I was off doing Broadway—all that stuff. And now she won't return my calls, she won't even text me, she won't even look at me in rehearsals. And that Gilmore Girls box set I sent to her was returned to me, unopened. She's gone. She told me that she couldn't be with me anymore and that I needed to let her go but I didn't think she meant it. She's actually gone. Maybe forever" "Dude, I get it, except for the Broadway part. But look, everybody's been there. You'll get through it" Sam said before walking away. I looked down at the floor and then back up as Naya walked past. She was with Marley, smiling—but not as brightly as she usually did. She glanced in my direction and I felt my heart stop as she stopped walking. Marley looked over too and saw the look of sadness on her face and who she was looking at—me—and pulled her away, linking her arm with hers. I sighed and slammed the back of my head against the wall.
Hopelessly Devoted To You — Grease (Sung By Blaine)
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{Naya's Pov}
At auditions, I sat with Artie and Finn when Blaine walked onto the stage. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as he looked directly at me whilst singing. I inn, noticing this, took my hand and squeezed in comfortingly. I smiled gratefully at him before turning back to Blaine as the song ended. Finn let go of my hand so we could clap. I clapped slowly and quietly, avoiding Blaine's stare "Say something," Artie said, turning to Finn and me "No, thank you," I said quietly "Like what?" Finn asked "I think I speak for all three of us when I say that though you auditioned with a Sandy song, you are the Danny Zuko of our dreams" "Yeah, a heart-breaker, just like him" I whispered and Finn nudged me, smiling sympathetically down at me "Yeah, yeah totally. You were awesome" Finn said when Artie prompted the both of us into saying something "I suppose he was okay," I said "I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't Finn. I didn't want to let you down, but Grease is a romance, and how can I play any of the scenes if mine is ruined? I don't think I would be able to play the truth of Danny Zuko" "Yeah, well whose fault is it that it's ruined?" I said, standing up "It's yours, so don't try and play this whole heartbroken 'I was dumped by girlfriend' sad guy when you know full well that I broke up with you for a good reason. Stop trying to play the victim when you cheated on me" "Naya-" Finn said, trying to pull me down into my seat but I pushed his hand away "No, I'm sorry, Artie, this was a bad idea" I said, picking up my bag from under the desk and hurrying out of the auditorium.
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I sat on the bleachers, facing the football pitch. No one was there, and practice didn't start for another half an hour or so, so I had some time to myself. Or at least I thought I did until Finn came and sat next
to me "Hi" He said quietly, putting his arm around my shoulders. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder "Why are you here, Finn?" I asked solemnly "To check on you, and Artie asked me to try and convince you to come back to the musical" "Why? I'm not needed there if Blaine's in the products we'll just end up arguing or, it will be so awkward with us just completely avoiding each other. I mean, what do I know about directing anyway? When Artie and I had to decide on the 'New Rachel' my only contribution was 'they're all great singers, I can't decide' I don't know how to do this, I hate hurting people's feelings or being stern with them unless completely necessary" "Look, I'm gonna tell you what Artie told me, I quit pretty soon after you did and he chased me down—but anyway this is what he said. 'You have to trust your instincts', So I'm going to do that and my instinct says that Natalia Vasquez needs to help the musical or it will be terrible. Naya, you're an amazing person and it's not fair of Blaine to be acting like the victim or whatever—I get that, but you need to push past it, and be the bigger person or you'll never be able to move on" "When did you get so wise?" "I don't know, maybe in the army?" I chuckled and lifted my head off of Finn's shoulder, pulling him in for a hug "You know, I love you, Finn, you're like the brother I never had" "I love you too, Naya" He said, hugging me back "You and me, we've gotta stick together, that's the only way we're gonna get through this" I pulled away slightly and smiled gratefully up at him "Speaking of getting through this, there are some people here to help us out" He said vaguely, standing up and grabbing my hand before taking off into a run and dragging me with him. He pulled me into the choir room but before we went in he let go of my hand and covered my eyes. He guided me in and counted down from three before removing his hands. I blinked slightly as my eyes adjusted to the light and when they did, I was overcome with happiness—something I hadn't felt since the break-up—Mike and Mercedes were here. I ran straight at Mike and tackled him into a hug as he lifted me off the ground and spun me around. When he put me back down I was slightly disoriented but quickly regained my composure and pulled Mercedes into a tight hug.
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The next day I walked into the choir room with Mike and Mercedes, actually smiling. I'd been feeling a bit happier today with them around and I think they noticed—but no one commented and I was grateful for that "We have plenty of girls auditioning for Sandy, but we're gonna have a serious Danny Zuko problem if Blaine can't do it" Mercedes said, her voice fading slightly as she mentioned Blaine. Whenever I heard his name I felt a sharp pain sear through my heart but I pushed past it and smiled "Well, we're just gonna have to dig a little deeper to find one" I said, nodding my head "What are the other options? How about Sam?" Mike suggested as Finn walked in "He's for his heart set on Kenickie" "Okay, I know that's a bummer but he is perfect for that role" I said, going to stand beside Finn "Joe Hart?" Mercedes suggested, "Won't cut his dreads?" Artie said, wheeling into the room "Wait, what about Puck's brother? Can't he sing?" Finn said, pointing his finger "Yeah, Jake's good. Artie and I were there when he auditioned" I said hopefully "He's not interested," Artie said disappointed "Why is it we can't find one dude to play the lead in the school play?" Finn asked frustratedly "Well there aren't a lot of dudes like you. Even Mr. Schue had that problem when he first started Glee Club" Mercedes said sadly "That's why he went looking for you" Mike pointed out.
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Blow Me One Last Kiss — P!NK (Sung By Marley & Unique)
Marley and Unique's audition was amazing and I was s happy to see them having so much fun and being so confident "That had more energy than the last three auditions combined" Mercedes pointed out "Ladies. Do you have any preference for the parts you want to play?" Artie asked them "Sandy" Marley said quickly "Definitely Sandy" "What about you, Wade?" Mike asked. Unique and Marley exchanged a look and I leaned forward in my seat trying to see if I could tap into their telepathy conversation "I would like to play the role of Rizzo" She said nervously. I broke out into a wide smile and stood up "Yes! Okay, thank you, girls. We'll talk it over!" I said clapping excitedly for them as they walked off the stage.
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"A director's job is to make choices. You two have to pick one" Artie said, gesturing to the jukeboxes on the stage as we walked and wheeled past them "I—I don't know anything about jukeboxes, Artie," Finn said confusedly "Yeah, neither do I. All I know is that they play music" I said, crossing my arms and shrugging my shoulders "Well that one is a Zodiac jukebox, this is a Wurlitzer Bubbler—a knockoff, I'd imagine because an original goes for around 40 grand" "40 grand for a Whirlpool Bubbler?" I asked in shock "No, 40 grand for a Wurlitzer Bubbler, not a Whirlpool Bubbler—that sounds like something they use to make jacuzzis or something. And that one is a Seeburg—you may recognize it from the opening credits of Happy Days" "Oh! Happy Days is a show from the '50s, and so is Grease" Finn pointed out "So, we should use that one right?" I asked, walking over to the Seeburg jukebox and high-fiving Finn "No, that's the exact one we shouldn't use. It's cliche. I say we go with Zodiac. But we're gonna have to change the records in it. It's filled with classic rock from the '80s" Artie said before wheeling off the stage. Finn sighed and pressed a button on the Wurlitzer Bubbler as someone else walked onto the stage "Hey" They said as Finn and I turned around "Hey!" Finn said excitedly "Auditions aren't till 4:00, but-" "I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make my grades, and if I'm dumb then so be it, but I want to be sure I didn't miss anything," The boy said. I looked in between him and Finn, trying to work out how they knew each other "Um, who's that?" He asked pointing to me "Oh, this is my friend and co-director Natalia Vasquez, Naya this is Ryder Lynn" Finn said, introducing us both. I stepped forward and extended my hand, which he accepted and shook "Great. So you want to audition?" Finn asked hopefully "As long as I don't have to sing," He said, chuckling "You know, I, uh...I used to be just like you" Finn said, stepping closer to Ryder "I didn't think that I could do it either...but then...I just did it. No thinking. I just started singing and...it just started coming out of me and it felt awesome. Like really good poop" "Gross" I mumbled as the two boys laughed "Bet you're a classic rock guy, right?" Finn asked. He pressed play o one of the jukeboxes and music started playing. I stepped over to Finn quickly and whispered to him "Finn, I'm gonna go" "No, stay, sing with us" "Finn, I haven't sung since the breakup. I don't think I have it in me at the moment" "Which is exactly why you need to sing now. Where there's no pressure and it's just three friends jamming out" "Fine" I said, head-butting his shoulder "Follow our lead" Finn said to Ryder as he took my hand and pulled me to the middle of the stage.
Jukebox Hero — Foreigner (Sung By Finn, Naya & Ryder)
"Guys, that was awesome," Ryder said, high-fiving Finn and I "So what do you think? Should I audition?" "Dude, you just did," Finn said, smirking before pulling me away and off the stage.
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Everybody Talks — Neon Trees (Sung By Kitty & Jake)
When the song ended everyone cheered but I didn't. I overheard the conversation Kitty and Marley had and I did not like this Kitty girl. I folded my arms and sighed, Marley was the perfect Sandy—the only reason anyone would ever consider picking Kitty over her was that she was blonde "That was great, guys!" Mercedes exclaimed. Once the rest of the auditions were over, Mike, Artie, Finn, Mercedes, and I headed back to the choir room. We had a board with all the names of the characters and the names of the actors we were considering. We couldn't decide between Marley or
Kitty and Jake or Ryder, though I knew who I wanted "Okay, we need to do that thing where we call people back. What's that called?" Mike, Mercedes, and I stared at Finn in wonder "Callbacks" The three of us said slowly and simultaneously "I don't. know. I feel like Kitty has the inside track on Sandy. Sandy can't be brunette" Artie said, crossing his arms "Oh like Maria couldn't be black?" Mercedes said, leaning against the piano "That was a year ago Mercedes. Let it go" Artie said frustratedly "Okay, so we call back all the Sandys and the Dannys. What about the rest?" Finn said, changing the subject "Brittany for Cha-Cha, she's the best dancer" Mike said, holding up a piece of paper with Britt's name on it "You know, Tina would make a great Jan. It's too bad she won't audition because she refuses to be in the same room with Mike" Mercedes said, throwing a pointed look at Mike "I love Tina but she's so dramatic" I said, shaking my head "Okay, what about Rizzo?" Finn asked "Unique! It has to be! She's perfect!" I exclaimed "I agree, I know it's way outside of the box, but I like Unique for it. He wants it so badly" Finn said "He's the best singer, too" Mercedes pointed out "So we cast a brunette as Sandy and a guy as Rizzo. Who's directing this, Julie Taymor?" "Hey, when Shakespeare was putting on his plays they used to not let women act or something like that so all of the female roles were played by guys. I say, good enough for Shakespeare, good enough for us" I said, putting my hands up in defense "Though I don't agree with your choices, I appreciate both of your passion. It's nice to have the old Finn and Naya back" Artie said s he stuck Unique's name under the role of Rizzo "Finn Hudson, Principal Figgins' office, now" Sue said sternly, walking into the choir room "Now, fatty!"
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"Alright!" Mercedes said at call-backs the next day "You guys killed your auditions, but there can only be one Sandy and there can only be one Danny" "The heart of Grease is the Danny-Sandy romance. This call-back is all about chemistry. We want to see how well you play off each other. Is there heat?" Mike said, walking around on the stage "We also want to see how you sing and dance '50s-style. That's why we gave you the audition song ahead of time" Finn said from where he, Artie and I sat at our directors' table "I don't really read music, so..." Ryder said apprehensively "It's okay. Mercedes and I will get you started" Mike said, walking back over to Mercedes "Start away. Everyone knows Kitty Cat's gonna finish it" "Um, Kitty, this is a call-back. You're all here because you all have a chance, not just you so please tone down the sass—it doesn't work for Sandy" I said, frowning slightly. Marley looked over at me and smiled softly, I smiled back and I could see her confidence boost a little "You have a lot of attitude, little girl. Let's see if you have the stuff to back it up. Hit it" Mercedes said and the music started.
Born To Hand Jive — Grease (Sung By Mercedes, Mike, Marley, Ryder, Jake, Kitty & The Rest Of The Grease Cast)
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Fin, Mike, Mercedes, Artie, and I all walked down the corridor excitedly as we prepared to post the cast list for Grease.
Everyone was already waiting there, Tina, Unique, Brittany, Joe, Marley, Kitty, Jake, Sam, Sugar, Ryder, and lastly Blaine. Blaine and I locked eyes for a second and his expression turned to one of pleading. I quickly turned away from him, though I still felt the weight of his
gaze on my back. The cast was as follows.
CHA-CHA — Brittany S. Pierce.
JAN — Tina Cohen-Chang.
KENICHIE — Sam Evans.
FRENCHY — Sugar Motta.
DOODY — Joe Hart.
RIZZO — Wade 'Unique' Adams.
TEEN ANGEL — Blaine Anderson.
PUTZIE — Jake Puckerman.
DANNY ZUKO — Ryder Lynn.
SANDY OLSSON — Marley Rose.
PATTY SIMCOX — Kitty Wilde.
When Blaine read his name on the list he looked over at me again, as if checking if I was okay with it. I looked at him as well and shrugged my shoulders before turning away as Kitty had a meltdown "I don't understand. I played hard about this" She said angrily "Maybe, God didn't hear you because he was busy helping people with cancer" Joe suggested, trying to calm Kitty down "Shut it, Avatar" Kitty said sternly before turning to Jake "This is all your fault. You screwed up Hand-Jive!" "No, I didn't. We were both great. It just didn't work out" Jake said, casting a glance over at Marley and Ryder "I've been hearing that a lot lately from you," She said frustratedly before stalking off. She bumped into Marley on purpose "Oh. One little thing, Honey Boo Boo. I know a good, hot meal is hard to resist, especially when you're on the free lunch program, but remember, the stage always adds at least ten pounds. In your case, closer to 90. So, when you and your mom, Strawberry Hugecake, are dumpster diving for your costume, keep on picking till you find something slimming. Like a black Hefty bag." I stepped forward and wrapped my arm around Marley's shoulders, rubbing the top of her arm comfortingly. Sue walked up to us, eyeing us all suspiciously as she strutted straight up to the list. She saw who was Rizzo and glared at Finn.