"Admit it, Wonder Twins, the only reason the New Directions beat the Trouble Tones at Sectionals is because that pervy clown judge was high as a kite." Santana quipped, walking down the stairs with Melanie, Brittany, Mercedes, Blaine, and Kurt in tow.
"And we did Michael Jackson. You guys didn't." Kurt pointed out with a tilt of his chin.
"I did Michael, and we still lost," Melanie muttered, emphasizing the "I" with a pointed glance. Blaine gave her a sympathetic pat on the back.She loved being back with the New Directions; it felt like coming home. But she'd be lying if she said she wasn't still bummed about the Trouble Tones' loss. Deep down, she couldn't shake the guilt that she was a big part of the reason.
"That was weeks ago. Why are you still obsessing?" Kurt asked, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"One word, Kurt. Michael," Mercedes replied, lightly shaking his shoulder for emphasis.
"Guys, fear not. The world tour of the Cirque du Soleil tribute show, Immortal, to Michael Jackson is coming to Columbus in June. We should all go." Blaine suggested.
"You don't get it. I don't want to see the spectacle that is Michael. I want to be the spectacle." Mercedes declared, dramatically.
"Everything okay?" Mr. Schue's interrupted as he walked by.
"Look, we love being back in the New Directions," Mercedes began, "but we hate that we missed our chance this year for all of us to do Michael."
"Yeah, I get it." Mr. Schue nodded thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about Regionals, and maybe we can do Michael again."
"Well, I for one would love to hear another Michael song from Mel..." Blaine chimed in with a grin, nudging Melanie playfully.
Melanie shook her head adamantly. "Oh no. No more Michael from me."
"C'mon, Mel. Your performance was good. You've gotta stop beating yourself up," Mercedes reassured her.
"I'm not beating myself up," Melanie argued, her tone unconvincing as she shrugged.
The four stared at her, deadpanning with tilted heads.
"Okay, fine, I'm beating myself up a little bit. But it's fine. I'll get over it. I mean, Michael Jackson is, well, Michael Jackson. He's the biggest star in the world—even post-mortem. There's no way I can match his star power, and that's okay." She shrugged again, her voice resigned as she turned and walked away.
˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗
"Okay, favorite Michael Jackson memory," Blaine prompted as he, Artie, Rachel, Santana, Kurt, and Melanie sat in a circle at the Lima Bean, "Go."
"When I was one, my mom showed me the VHS tape of his Motown special. When he did the moonwalk across the stage for the first time in history, I uttered my first words: 'Hot damn,'" Artie reminisced, his voice warm, thinking of the king of pop.
"I owe the King of Pop a deep debt of gratitude," Kurt added, a small smile gracing his lips. "He was the first to pull off the sequined military jacket, long before one Kurt Hummel made it iconic." He said with a self-satisfied smile, sipping his coffee.
"I played my mom's Off the Wall record so much I wore it out," Melanie chimed in. "We as a society do not talk enough about how good that album was."
"I have to be honest—I never really got him," Rachel admitted sheepishly.
The entire group froze, their expressions a collective mix of shock and disbelief. Melanie gaped at her, her coffee cup hovering midair.
YOU ARE READING
You Drive Me Crazy || Sam Evans
FanfictionYOU DRIVE ME CRAZY | ❝ Everyone else looks right through me but he looks at me and he sees me. ❞ Melanie Park was the new girl she expected to go through high school unseen in the background. That is until she joins the glee club. where she finds no...
