GLEE

Saying Goodbye [Pt. 1]

(April 3rd, 2003)

I watched the houses wizzed by as we passed them. I was scared, coming into a new home and leaving the one I had known for so long.

"You excited Reese? You're going to a new home, you're gonna make new friends, you'll have a better life." Anna said. She was my social worker, my legal guardian until someone adopted me. He'd been taking care of me for the lastt six months, and now that my parents were shipped off, I had to check into a foster home.

"Why can't I stay with you?" I asked her.

"Reese, I love having you around, but I'm not a parent. There are plenty of people out there who would love to have a daughter like you. I know these people, they're very nice, and they're happy to have you with them. You'll be fine, and I promise to check in with you every week." she replied. I shrugged in response, then continued to stare out the window.

Eventually, my eyes started to droop, I felt incredibly tired, and I let myself drift off to sleep...

-

(April 3rd, 2014)

"Okay, ninja versus samurai." Blaine said. We were all at the restaurant, me, Rachel, and Kurt pretending to be working while having a philosophical discussion with Blaine, Sebastian, and Sam.

"Ninja, they got superspeed and they know tae kwondo." Sam replied.

"Yeah but they're pretty shifty. And Samurai have that great whole color coordination of their armour." Kurt said.

"Nah, I'm definetely going with ninja. They're just cooler." Sebastian said.

"Plus, ninjas move much better than samurai. They have more freedom." Rachel piped in.

"You're all wrong." I stated. "Secret agents, especially lady female agents, like Natasha Romanoff. They're smart, they're seductive, and they kick-ass."

"So...you, right?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." I replied.

"That's my daughter, ego always bigger than her own head." Oh my god!

"Charlotte! Oh my God! Hi!" I slipped over the counter and gave me foster mother a hug. "What're you doing here?"

"Well I had some time off, your father is in Wisconsin visting his family, and I've never been to New York. Figured it was a good time to come and see you and your friends." she replied.

"Well come on over, have a seat." I pulled her over to the counter, an empty stool waiting for her.

"Hey guys, how've you all been?" she asked the others. They all replied simply while greeting her in the same way.

"So uh, what happened? Life in Ohio getting boring for you?" I asked her. Charlotte's smile faded as she turned to me.

"No, sweetie it's just fine." she looked around, then back at me. Something was going on. "Reese, is there somewhere private we could go? I don't want to talk here." she said.

"Why? Is everything okay back home?" I asked.

"Everything's fine. I call a yesterday from your social worker-"

"I'm twenty, I'm too old for a social worker." I told her.

"Right, anyway...it was about your father." oh, now I get it.

"Huh, really? What did the asshole kill someone in prison?" I asked, waiting for the punch line.

"No, quite the opposite actually. He's dead." woah, did not see that coming. Neither did anyone else apparently.

"Oh my God." Kurt said.

"Reese, I am so sorry." Rachel said. I felt her sling an arm around me, but I didn't even acknowledge it. I was too busy processing all this in my head.

"What happened?" Sebastian asked her.

"There was a dog pile on Monday, and he was at the very bottom. By the time they pulled everybody off, he had a sharpened toothbrush sticking out of his ribcage. He bled out in minutes." she replied.

"Well, couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." I said as I grabbed my pen and pad.

"Reese..."

"You can take the rest of the day off Reese, Rachel and I can take over." Kurt said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Reese, I know how you felt." Charlotte said.

"Then you shouldn't be surprised how I reacted. Here." I reached into my pocket and handed her the apartment keys. "You know the apartment, make yourself at home. We'll have grilled cheese later."

"Reese, you're father is dead." Sebastian said.

"And all I have to say is hallelujah. Maybe the world can sleep better tonight knowing that it's rid of another jackass. I have to work." I said, heading for a table. I wasn't going to let this bother me, this man beat me senseless, and I'm not exactly going to be shedding tears over his death.

Sebastian's POV

We watched her strut away, acting like nothing was wrong. But I knew Reese better than that. Sooner or later, she would open up, you just had to give her time. But this was something different; her father, the man who would throw her down the stairs for now apparent reason, was dead.

"We're sorry about her." Kurt told Charlotte.

"It's just Reese being Reese. I should go get settled in, I'll see you guys tonight." she told us.

"We should go too actually." Blaine said.

"Yeah." everybody dispersed and took their seperate ways, except for me and Charlotte. I was still leaning against the counter, processing the fact that a man I had never met, but some how became so close to, was dead.

I knew Charlotte was looking at me, wanting to say something. And she did, although I did wonder if I could comply with what she wanted.

"Take care of her Sebastian." she said. She was right, Reese was a head strong, tough girl who doesn't like to show her emotions up-front. But how long would it be before she broke down?