Dear Glee

"Letters." William Schuester wrote on the board and turned to face his students. All of them varied in facial expression from attentive, clueless, bored and 'get-on-with-it'. "This week's theme will be all about 'letters'."

"Um, Mr. Schue, exactly what do you mean by that?" Rachel raised her hand. "Are we going to sing something with 'letter' in the title?"

"Good Question, Rachel." He grabbed a bunch of bond papers and passed it around. "Today, I want all of you to write 'letters' to somebody."

"That's it. I'm outta here." Santana raised both her hands and stood up.

"Sit down, Santana." He gave her a pointed look. "Listen, guys. I want you all to write letters to whoever you want. It can be anonymous. It can be signed. But I want you all to write whatever you want to say but can't vocalize. And I want it to be from the heart, okay. The absolute truth you want people to know about you or want to say to somebody or a group of somebodies. Please be honest in this."

He heard Puck scoff. "The Puckasaurus don't do those mushy stuff."

"Everyone, Puck." He said. "This can be a good inspiration in your song writing abilities."

There were protests and he can see that there were some who didn't want to do it. To his surprise, Rachel didn't look as excited as he thought she would be. Tina looked a little apprehensive. Quinn had this determined look in her eyes. Santana seemed to look torn between ripping her paper apart and storming out.

He knew his kids well enough to know that they may not want to do it, but they will do it.

And when he had them scatter around the choir room to begin writing, they caught him off guard when they did scatter. Rachel took a corner. She tucked her legs and hunched her back while facing the wall. He turned his gaze to Puck, who just turned his seat and used another as a table as he wrote, shielding the paper from view. Tina and Mike were back-to-back as they wrote. Artie wheeled himself on another corner. Finn took his place behind the drums and wrote there. Brittany just sat on the floor and took out her colors to write. Santana dragged her chair to another corner and used the wall as a table. Quinn sat crossed legs on the floor and used a chair as a table. Mercedes sat on piano and was hunched on her paper. Sam stayed on his seat, using his thighs as a makeshift table. Lauren didn't even seem to take the assignment seriously as she didn't even move to cover her work or anything. She looked vaguely relaxed.

He nodded at them and proceeded to do his own letter. After all, if his students were doing their work, he ought to do it too, right.

----

He knew something was up when he heard sniffling. When he looked up, he was caught off-guard at what he saw. He stood up and looked around. Puck was wiping away tears, trying to be discreet. Quinn was staring at her paper stonily. Rachel was shaking and looked ready to storm out if her legs could do so. Santana was probably making holes on her paper as she dug her pen on that. Mercedes was staring blankly in the space

He felt sick to his stomach when he saw this.

His students were strong. He knew that. He applauded them for that fact. They survived living in the hellhole known as McKinley. They didn't let the flow of the school waiver them. They stood firm or they controlled it.

Puck. Quinn. Rachel. Santana. Mercedes.

They were among the strongest and most fearless people he knew.

So, seeing them like this broke his heart. He felt guilty that his 'harmless' assignment did this to them.

---

"If you're done, you can give me your work." He choked out.

Those words seem to snap his students back to reality.

Brittany was the first to bound up to him and gave him her work with a big grin. She seemed the only one to do so.

Rachel stood up quickly, but it seemed that sitting like she did caused something to her legs. It didn't deter her, though. She pretended it didn't bother her as she walked towards him before running out of the room.

Quinn gave him hers shakily. He swore he could see the tears on her eyes as she moved past him.

Santana followed him. He received a snarl from her as she slammed the paper on his chest. "Honest enough for you?" She growled at him before storming out.

Mike passed him his first. He thanked him with a smile. He left afterwards.

Tina was silent when she passed him her work. He saw her follow Mike outside.

Puck was next. He looked as he usually did. And if he hadn't seen him earlier, tugging his Mohawk and trying to stop the tears, he would have thought the assignment didn't affect him. He didn't look back as he left.

Lauren followed him. She looked unaffected as she passed him her work and shrugged when he asked how it was. He could hear her calling after Puck afterwards.

Finn just gave him a smile as he passed him his. If he didn't see the way his eyes were red, he would've thought that the tall footballer was 'fine'.

Artie wheeled himself to him. When he asked how he was, noting the pale way he looked, he just shrugged as he wheeled himself out.

Mercedes didn't look like she was going to move anytime soon. He was about to go to her when he saw Sam do it. He could hear Sam say that it's over to her. Mercedes snapped her head and looked around to see the near empty choir room. The two of them passed theirs together. But even then Sam seemed to be directing her to do it.

He looked out the door and watched his students around the empty halls. And as he watched their backs disappear, he went back inside and looked down at the papers on his hands.

What were in them that caused his students to look like that?