Aligned | Finn Hudson

Critics

Me and Finn sat on my couch quietly as Carol and Aunt Julie were outside finishing the auto reports for our cars. I had pulled my steering wheel to the left and threw my car into the guard wall and Finn smashed into the car in front of him. We were both okay, just shortwinded from the seat belts and some known bruises would be showing up tomorrow.

They both came back in and stood in front of us both visibly upset. "Getting a phone call that my child slammed into the back of a van wasn't the best thing in the world, but it could've been worst." Carol spoke. "Mom I'm sorry I was-" "You were distracted, something you've been disciplined about in driving school and at home. Finn you could've seriously hurt that driver if you weren't a second quicker!" Carol exclaimed, "And you could've hurt Camila because YOU were distracted!" "Actually.....I was, uh, fixing my boot. So we're both at fault." I stuttered. Aunt Julie's face lit up bright red.

"Tell me what was more important to focus on rather than the road." Aunt Julie crossed her arms tightly. "We were discussing this week's assignment. We had to find people who inspired us because we all feel like we're nothing after our lose at Regionals." Finn explained. Their anger subsided into grief looking at us. "What do you mean nothing." Julie questioned. "We all felt like we were important and full of power after all those wins. We didn't get harassed in the hallways and slushied. Now that we're an eighth place team, everyone has kissed their popularity goodbye." I lowered my head. "You guys let people get at you so much you crashed your car, do you know how much that could've been avoided?!" "You can't avoid hate that makes you feel unimportant." Finn stepped in.

It was eerily silent as Carol and Julie looked at each other. "That hurts me as a parent to know my son doesn't feel important." Carol almost choked on tears. "Give us a minute to talk." Aunt Julie pulled Carol into the kitchen and softly talked to her as me and Finn stayed silent. "Do you think they'll make us quit Glee Club?" Finn brought up. The thought of that scared me, but I didn't want Finn to know there was a possibility. "I don't know," was all I could say until they came back. "Stand up." Aunt Julie asked. We both did and stood in front of them both."We've decided mutually not to punish you. But, we want you guys to take the accident as a lesson. Letting people get into your head and feed you false information can really do damage." Carol began. "You two are the strongest people I know who've bared so much throughout your life, and you guys are only kids. Me and Carol are heartbroken that you've been able to get through everything except the criticism." Aunt Julie added. "Paul and Summer are just an example of critics that you'll have in life. Sure, they won over you guys, but them winning doesn't define who you are as a person. Only you define who you are as a person."

"If you keep letting people bite at you like you're nothing, you WILL become nothing. And that is something me and Carol know you both aren't. We've seen you both pull each other about insecurity funks, you will pull yourself out of this one and will NOT let each other fall back into it again." "We love you guys. Now, you both need to go upstairs and rest." "Yes mom." "Yes Julie." They both hugged us tightly before sending us upstairs. Me and Finn changed into pajamas and just laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling not daring to speak a word. I looked at Finn and he had tears streaming down the sides of his face. I turned to him and held him and pulled his head into my neck and rubbed the back of his hair. "I never let anything get to me this much. Why is it now getting to me?" He sobbed. "I don't know. We can't keep letting this happen to us." I shook my head closing my eyes. I made him look up at me and I kissed his lips. "This is gonna stop. We know better than this. We both are amazing people who could've lost our life earlier because of some hate." I told him.

"I hear you but it's like my mind won't believe you. Who's to say I'm going to be so much better than what others think?" He sighed as I wiped his tears with my sleeve. "Well, think about it." I sat him up with me. I held his hands in my lap while we sat criss cross in front of each other as I thought to myself. "Think about The Beatles. The auditioned to get a record deal with Decca. The label and Dick Rowe kind of made fun of them for trying to be something they weren't because he believed that guitar bands didn't mean anything. But, you know what they did?" I asked. "They became the foremost and most influential act of the rock era." He finished. "Exactly! They were criticized just because they were just a band, nothing else. And then they kept trying and trying and soon enough they became something special."

"Yeah, but I bet they weren't taunted for how they looked." He sighed. "Marilyn Monroe was." I looked at a picture of her I had taped on my wall. I then started to gaze at the other ones I had surprisingly all around my room I had forgot about. "They called her an Egg head, talentless, self absorbed, hour glass women. Through all of that, she didnt let an ounce get to her. She pushed through it all went on to become a huge sex symbol. Everyone started to love her body and her. She could sing, dance, and act. Critics fell on their asses in astonishment from her accomplishments."

I then looked at Finn and grinned. We had our people for this week.