"Is everyone ready?" Mr Shue asks us and we all nod. "Great. Now, grab your bags and hop on the bus." We walk out of the choir room and down the hallway. I walk faster so I can catch up to Jake.
"Did you pack everything?" I ask him with a smile.
"Yes nosy parker, I did," he said with a smile.
"Could I sit with you on the bus?"
"Sure, but why not Michaela or Rose?"
"Buses don't have three seats, silly." He smiles and we stop infront of the bus.
"Okay everyone, single file," Finn said.
"Wait!" I hear a sweet voice say. I turn my head and I see Rachel running towards us. I run towards her.
"What's wrong?" I ask with worry. She catches her breath.
"I gotta go back to New York. Like, right now," she said sadly.
"What? You can't. You have to come and watch us perform at Nationals," I said sadly.
"I've already been staying here for too long. I have to go back today otherwise I'll get kicked out of NYADA." A tear rolls down my cheek. I hug her.
"I'm gonna miss you. You're like a sister to me." She hugs me tighter.
"No. We are sisters." I let out a little giggle as I let go of Rachel.
"Rachel, come on! We need to get there before the classes finish!" I hear Kurt yell. I look over at their car and I see Santana sitting in the back.
"Bye," I said as I walk onto the bus. I find a seat next to Jake. I take the window seat so I can wave goodbye to Rachel.
"Are you okay Gracie?" Jake said as he stares at my teary eyes. I nod and I stare out the window. Rachel is still standing there. I wave goodbye to her and she does the same to me. The bus starts moving and she waves even more. The bus passes her. She has now disappeared behind the bus. "It's okay. She will be at Nationals, watching us perform," Jake said with his arm around my shoulder.
"No, she won't. She can't make it. NYADA won't let her," I replied. He hugs me, trying to comfort me. "Thanks Jake, and sorry for crying. I can't believe I'm a Puckerman," I said and I wipe my tears away.
"It's okay. you don't need to apologise. Hey, we should go to New York and visit them by surprise after Nationals," he said that which makes me smile.
"Yes, we should."
"Okay everyone. Let's win Nationals!" Finn yells. Everyone cheers.
"Nationals, here we come," I said with a little laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay guys. I'm just going to sort out our rooms. Stay here," Mr Shue said and he walks up to the front desk in the hotel.
I can't believe it. I'm in Los Angeles.
"I can see that you're liking LA already," Ryder said and I nod.
"This place looks amazing. I just want to go and explore this city," I said with a smile.
"Okay guys. Let's drop off the suitcases and we'll head to the beach for a while. I hope you all brought your togs," Mr Shue said and everyone cheers, except me. I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"It's okay. Remember, you faced your fear when we were on our date," Ryder said and I nervously nod.
He's right. I don't know why I'm so scared.
We all run up the stairs and into the room that we got.
It has a lounge that has doors to two bedrooms, three bathrooms, and one kitchen. One room is for the girls, and one room is for the boys.
Us girls run into our room. We place our suitcases on the ground and we rummage through our clothes to find our togs. Everyone gets changed, but I put a dress over because I'm still scared of the water and I don't really want to swim. I grab a little bag which has a towel and a book. I walk out of the room and I see everyone waiting for me. They look at me disappointed.
"What?" I ask.
"Aren't you gonna swim with us?" Unique asks.
"Maybe not," I said as I leave the lounge through the front door. I start to walk down the hallway when I hear a voice.
"Em, wait." I stop in my tracks.
"What Ryder?" I ask.
"I thought you faced your fear when we were in the lake?"
"I thought so too, but I was wrong. I'm still scared," I said and I continue to walk. I feel Ryder grab my wrist and he pulls me towards him.
"Em, let me help you with your fear. I don't want your life to be ruled by your fear," Ryder said. I back away which makes him lose his grip.
"Ryder, please don't do this. You know I love you, but I'm not ready yet. I'm sorry," I said and I kiss him on the cheek. I walk down the hallwah. I run down the stairs and I see Finn. "Finn, hey. What's up?" I ask.
"Just heading to the beach. Where is everyone?" He ask. Then, everyone rushes down the stairs.
"There they are," I said with a smile. Everyone runs out the front door of the hotel. I walk out with Finn.
He's a nice guy, according to Rachel. I know he's nice, but I feel sorry for him. He doesn't know what to do in his life.
"So, I've heard that you might be going to live in New York with Rachel, Kurt, and Santana," Finn said.
"Yeah. It's just a lot has happened in the past year and they all have been bad. I just want to leave all my problems behind," I said as I look at the ground.
"Yeah. I know the feeling," he said.
"You do?"
"Yeah. My ex-girlfriend told me she was pregnant with my child, but it turned out to be Puck's kid. I never wanted to see both of them again. I wanted to leave, but I thought about all the people I would miss. Mum, Mr Shue, the rest of Glee Club, Rachel...the list goes on. Just think about it more. You know, the people you'll miss, things that you'll never get to see. Just think about it, okay?" Finn said as he looks into my eyes. I nod and he smiles.
"Come on, Finn. You're missing out on fun!" I hear Blaine yell. He nods and he runs into the water. I sigh and I take out the towel from my bag. I place it on the sand and I sit on it. I just stare ino the ocean.
I want to go out there, but I'm terrified. This beach looks a lot like the one that my best friend drowned in...
I shake that memory out of my head and I grab my book. Before I could start reading, Michaela and Rose walk towards me.
"Hey guys," I said with a fake smile.
"Come into the water. We promise we'll be right by you and we won't let you drown," Michaela said and I sigh. I then slowly nod my head. They smile and they pull me up. I take off my dress to reveal a one piece. I walk up to the water. Michaela and Rose run straight back in, but I just stand there.
"Gracie, are you okay?" I hear Jake say and he wraps his arm around my waist. I nod.
"I'm fine. Can you just stay close to me, please?" I ask and he nods. We slowly walk into the water. I can feel my heart pounding. I started to breathe heavily.
"Look Gracie, if you don't wanna do this, then tell me. I can see you're not liking this," Jake said as he stares into my eyes.
"No. I want to do this," I said and I take a deep breath. I walk a bit faster. The water is up to my waist now. I stop.
"You're doing great, Gracie," Jake said and I nod. I then feel another hand grab my waist. It's Ryder's hand. I look at him. I walk further into the ocean. The water is up to my shoulders now. I can feel the water rising more and more. Now, my feet aren't touching the ground. I smile.
"I-I'm not touching the ground," I said with a little giggle. I then realise what I just said. "Oh my gosh. I'm not touching the ground. Don't let go of me!" I said as I hold onto the guys even tighter.
"It's okay, Em. I'll never let you go," Ryder said. I smile at him. I'm now a bit more relaxed. I loosen my grip, but not too much so that I'm not holding onto anyone. My grip on the boys isn't that tight anymore. I look at Jake and I kiss him on the cheek.
"Ew, sister germs," he said in a childish voice. "I'm kidding. What was that for?" He asks with a smile.
"For helping me. Now, can I go back on land now?" I ask and he nods.
"Sure, come on Ryder," Jake said as they help me back onto land. I laugh as they help me onto the land. I then run over to my towel. "Are you gonna go back into the water anytime soon?" Jake said me with a smile and I shake my head.
"Can you guys stay here with me?" I ask.
"Sure, but I need to see Blaine. I'll be right back," Jake said and he runs back into the water. I smile.
"He's not coming back, is he?" I said.
"Nope. We won't see him for another few hours," Ryder said which makes me giggle.
"Do you wanna grab something to eat? On the way here, I found a café and I thought we could get something from there." I nod and we walk off to the café. Once we get there, the place is half full. It looks pretty fancy. Ryder grabs us a few things and we leave.
"Where are we going to eat?" I ask.
"You'll see," he said as he starts to run.
"Hey!" I yell and I chase after him. He slows down and I run past him. I then hear him running again. I then feel two hands grab my waist. I giggle and I turn around. I stop laughing when I see it's Justin. "What the hell are you doing here?" I ask as I slide out of his grip.
"I want you back. I'm sorry for hurting you," Justin said.
"What the hell? You think an apology will make me forgive you for sending me to Hospital? It's a no deal Justin. Now, leave me alone," I said and I run off. I hear footsteps following me. Hands grab my waist. I squirm around, trying to get out of their grip. The person turns me around so I can see them. It's Ryder. I hug him. "Oh Ryder. Thank goodness it's you," I said.
"Why? What's wrong?" He asks with worry.
"Justin is here and he was just talking to me. He followed us so he could try and win me back. Ryder, please, don't leave me alone. He might get me," I said as I hug him tighter.
"I won't. I promise," Ryder said and he lifts my chin up slightly. I stare into his caramel eyes.
"So, you weren't gonna accept because you're going out with Ryder? I should've known," Justin said. I hide behind Ryder.
"Leave her alone Justin," Ryder said, protecting me.
"But she's mine. You can't take her," Justin said.
"I'm not yours. I never was and I never will be. I never loved you because of what you did to me. I was always in love with someone else. Someone who I know wasn't gonna hurt me," I said as I stand in front of Ryder. I can see Justin forming a fist. I close my eyes, waiting for a punch. It doesn't come. I open my eyes and I see Ryder on the ground. "Ryder!" I yell as I fall to the ground. I wipe his hair away from his eyes. I feel a tear roll down my cheek. He lifts his hand and he wipes the tear off my cheek.
"It's okay, Em. I'm okay," he said as he sit up.
"You stepped in front of me so I wouldn't get punched. Thank you," I said and I hug him.
"Your welcome Em," he said as he hugs me back. When I pull away from our hug, I notice his lip is bleeding.
"Babe, your lip is bleeding. Let's get back to the hotel so we can fix you up," I said and I help him walk to the hotel. We enter our room and we enter the girls room. I grab a packet of wipes that I brought just in case something like this happens. I grab one and I lightly dab it on his lip. I see him flinch. "You okay babe?" I ask and he nods. He then smiles.
"You called me babe," he said.
"Oh, sorry."
"No, it's okay. I don't mind."
"You're amazing, you know that right?" I said as I finish wiping away the last bit of blood. He smiles.
"Yeah." I giggle. I then stare into his caramel eyes. He places his hand on my cheek and I do the same to his. We're dangerously close. I make the move and I kiss him. I pull away when I realise what I'm doing. "What's wrong?" Ryder asks.
"This is too soon for me," I said as I slip a dress on.
"Wait. Why?" He asks.
"Because of the whole 'Justin' thing. I know that you wouldn't do anything like that to me, but I just can't go through another relationship again. Just not now," I said and I run out of the room. I run down the hallwah. I then bump into Jake.
"Hey, where are you going?" He asks.
"Somewhere. I just need to be somewhere else right now," I said and I continue to run down the hallway. I run down the steps and I see Mr Shue at the bottom of them. "Hey Mr Shue. Is there anything I can do for you?" I ask.
"I'm just telling you that you need a buddy so that you can go outside because: 1. you're performing a solo part and we can't afford to lose you, and 2. I want to keep you safe," he said.
"Don't worry, Mr Shue. I'm not going outside. I'm just going to that little café over there," I said as I point at that the café which is inside the hotel. "Would you like anything?" I asks. He smiles and shakes his head.
"No thanks." I smile at him and I walk into the café. I take a seat and I look at the menu. Unique sees me and sits next to me.
"How ya doin' girl?" She said.
"I'm good Unique. How are you?" I ask.
"I'm good like always. Now, I've heard that you and Ryder are going through a rough patch."
"Did he send you here to talk to me?"
"No. This is all me."
"Well then, I don't know if I could have a relationship again. I mean, I wasn't going out with Justin, but it felt like it and it didn't feel right."
"How do you feel when you're around Ryder?"
"Like, I can do anything with him. I can trust him and nothing will change that. Now, are you going to eat with me?"
"Sorry, I've already eaten," Unique said and she runs out of the café.
Weird.
I look at the menu. I take a quick glimpse outside. The sun is starting to set. I look at the menu again. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and I see Justin.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I whisper to him. He grabs my wrist and he drags me outside. I try to slide out of his grip, but it's impossible. He throws me to the sand. "What are you doing? Where are we?" I ask with worry.
"On the beach. I think we should do it here. It'll be romantic," he said and he tries to kiss me.
"Romantic? Do you even know what romantic is? That's just digusting," I said and I try to leave, but he throws me back to the ground.
"You don't have a choice," he said and he kisses my neck. I try to push him off, but he's too strong. He grabs my arms so I can't leave. A tear rolls down my cheek. I struggle even more. He lifts me up and throws me into the water. I try to breathe while water enters my lungs. I cough, trying to get the water out of my lungs. Justin doesn't care. He just starts to kiss me again.
"Get off me!" I yell. He put his hand over my mouth so I can't shout. He look around. I look over to where he's looking. There's a rock. "Justin, please. Don't do it," I plead. He smiles evilly at me and he drags me to the rock. "Why are you doing this?" I ask.
"Because you deserve it," he said and he places me on the rock. He forms a fist. I close my eyes and I wait for his fist to punch my face, but it doesn't happen. I open my eyes and I see Jake and Ryder fighting him. I sit up so I can watch it better. It looks like Jake and Ryder are winning.
"Guys, stop," I said and I try to stand up, but I fall back onto the sand. They notice and they rush over to me.
"Em, are you okay?" Ryder asks and I nod. I try to stand up, but I fall back down. Ryder puts one of my arms around his shoulder and Jake does the same with my other arm. Then, Mr Shue runs out.
"What happened? Emily, are you okay?" Mr Shue said and I nod. "Well, I want one of you to stay here and tell me what happened," Mr Shue said angrily.
"I will, Mr Shue," Jake said.
"Great. Ryder, take Emily to the doctors just down the road. We need to know if she'll be alright," Mr Shue said and Ryder nods. We start to walk down the road. There's a silence between us. I then decide to break it.
"Well, now LA has a bad memory. Can't come back here," I said with a little giggle, but Ryder just continues to look straight ahead. I sigh. "Can we stop somewhere? Just to sit for a while?" I ask. He nods and he helps me sit on a bench. I then start to cough. The water must still be in my lungs. He pats my back.
"Why did you leave when you were not supposed to?" he said angrily. I look at him with anger.
"I didn't, okay? Justin dragged me out of the café and no one saw which was a bit weird, and if you didn't get Unique to ask me questions, she would've stayed with me instead of telling you the answers. By the way, you should stop being angry with me. Everytime you assume something, you blame it on me. Not the other person that's involved, just me. Now excuse me, I gotta go to the doctors," I said with tear-filled eyes. He notices and he tries to comfort me, but I move out of his grip. I walk down the street with tears rolling down my cheeks.
Look at me. I can't be a Puckerman. Puckermans are strong, I'm not.
Instead of going to the doctors, I go to the other side of the beach and I find a rock to sit on. I sigh. I check my legs. I don't have any bruises. That's good. I check my arms. Again, no bruises. That's great. I smile. My smile fades when I look out into the water. I stand up and I walk slowly towards the water. I sit down in the water. It's only wetting my legs. I feel relaxed. For once, I'm relaxing. I smile to myself and I look out to sea.
One day, I'll be able to swim out there.
I turn my head and I see Jake. He looks worried. He spots me and I can see in his face that he's relieved. I turn my head so I can continue to watch the ocean.
"Can I stand here?" Jake asks and I nod. He then stands next to me in the water. "Why are you here?" I ask.
"I wanted to make sure you're alright. You know, because I care about you. You're my sister," he said with a smile.
"Ha. Yeah right. I'm not a true Puckerman. I'm the bad Puckerman, the lame one."
"Why do you think that?"
"I'm not strong like you or Puck. I'm the weak one."
"Really? You think that?" I nod. "You're actually the strongest out of us three."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. Look, a lot of stuff has happened to you like people that you loved has died, and all that crap with Justin and Ryder, and you've survived through all of that. You're emotionally stronger. Sure, Puck and I have muscles, but you're stronger." I smile at him.
"Thanks. Can you take me to the doctors now?"
"Sure Gracie," he said and he helps me out of the water.