Chapter Text
“This year, the best Valentine you can get… is a little bit of self-love.”
The latest Yeast-I-Stat ad, displaying its current spokeswoman in a montage of joyous activities set to the pulsing beats of Hailee Steinfeld’s hit single Love Myself, airs on TV as Warren and Joyce Lawson sit at their breakfast table, waiting for their daughter to join them—and it’s a matter of seconds until Moira enters the kitchen, fully dolled up and with her bags packed for the school day ahead. “Hey, mom, real quick,” she asks, sitting at the table and pouring herself some orange juice. “Can we stop at Bath & Body Works after school today?”
Joyce tilts her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “Does it have anything to do with that Safiya lady?”
The question has Moira stopping in her tracks just as she’s about to bring her glass of orange juice into her mouth, sheepishly putting it down. “Well, since she announced her pregnancy, I got a little carried away revisiting her videos this weekend… God, I forgot how much I love Bath & Body Works.”
Joyce glances over at Warren, who shrugs from behind his phone, and then turns back to Moira, nudging a plate of scrambled eggs towards her, with a slight shake of her head. “Alright, but try not to splurge too much,” she reminds her daughter, “Don’t forget what happened the last time you tried to replicate one of those experiments of hers. The whole house smelled of blueberry pancake for a week.”
Moira nods, getting to work on vigorously scarfing down the scrambled eggs and finishing up her juice, much to Warren’s amusement. “Ah, I see someone woke up starved!”
“Just trying to pack on the nutrients here!” Moira explains, wiping the food residue from her lips. “The team’s holding try-outs this week. Since Fern transferred over the winter, there are still a few open spots we have to fill before competition season, and I want to give the hopefuls the best first impression possible. And for that, I need loads of protein!”
Joyce smiles warmly, watching Moira get up and strap her backpack on. “Fingers crossed whoever makes it in can keep up with you,” she says, leaning in and grabbing Moira’s face to press multiple kisses to her face, showering her in the love she needs to power her through another week of school.
The start of the week brings a fresher atmosphere to McKinley, partially brought upon by the change in seasons, the harsh cold of winter subsiding to make way for the pleasant weather of springtime. Not so pleasant, though, is the look of exhaustion on Artie’s face as he wheels into the faculty lounge, with Casey immediately noticing the faint dark circles under his eyes. “You okay, dude? Having trouble getting a shut-eye in?”
Artie briefly removes his glasses to scratch his eye, putting them back on as Casey approaches him. “Try planning a Regionals setlist and a Sweet 16 party all by yourself at the same time,” he mumbles, fetching himself a cup of coffee.
“You know you could’ve just asked us for help, right?”
Artie shakes his head in denial, taking his time to drink his coffee—and grimacing a little over the stale taste.“Sam’s busy with the football team, and I haven’t heard back from Anabiel yet,” he replies, rolling to place his chair at the table while Casey follows him. “Look, you can’t blame me for taking this so personally. Being a single parent is never easy, especially for someone like me... And this might sound a little silly, but having Izzy in my life made me revisit everything I thought I knew about the world.”
Casey gives him a soft smile, reaching to place his hand over Artie’s. “It’s not silly at all,” he reassures him, “Parenthood changes you. And a girl’s sixteenth birthday is a special occasion, isn’t it? You’re not at fault for wanting to give her the best you can. That doesn’t mean you have to keep shouldering it all on your own.”
Artie breathes deeply, giving Casey a soft smile. “At least… I’m glad I kept in touch with some folks from New Directions,” he recalls, with a wistful sigh. “They couldn’t always be there, but when they were, they made things so much easier. Especially Tina. I know she’s been doing well, and she deserves every part of it, but I can’t help but wish she could be here to see how much Izzy has grown…”
“Ask and you shall receive.”
If he could, Artie would’ve jumped back at the familiar voice reaching his ears. Indeed, his mind isn’t playing tricks on him, as he turns around to be met with none other than Tina Cohen-Chang in the flesh. Whereas most people tend to age in 16 years, she had clearly swapped Glee Club for formaldehyde since graduating from McKinley, with the only real evidence of the passage of time being her shorter, lighter brown hair—a far cry from the blue streaks she sported in her goth phase. “Surprise!”
“SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!”
Artie rolls towards her, the two of them shortening their distance in a hug drenched with euphoric laughter. “I can’t believe you’re here!” he tells her, still noticeably breathy as he comes down from the adrenaline rush brought upon by their reunion.“I thought you were too booked and busy to even consider coming back!”
“Well, usually I am,” Tina points out, a hint of gratitude in her voice. “But this year, Yeast-I-Stat decided to hold some promotional events around the country for the Valentines campaign, and they were gracious enough to have Lima as one of the locations! And I didn’t even have to request it...”
The atmosphere between them suddenly turns heavy, not with tension, but with remembrance. Tina had majored in journalism, and didn’t have any plans to go back into acting, but with Santana’s untimely death, Yeast-I-Stat had been left without a spokeswoman—that is, until Brittany personally requested them to bring in Tina as a replacement, providing her with the big break she had been longing for ever since high school. Even so, it brings comfort to both of them that the brand hasn’t forgotten about Santana, still honoring her even in the smallest of ways.
Casey, unaware of the story, finds it hard to draw his eyes away from Tina. The golden sheen of her hair, the harmony of her facial features, the shape of her lips as her smile turns bittersweet… There’s some kind of force pulling him towards her, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Artie. “By the way, um… That’s Casey,” he says to Tina, “Martial arts instructor, and April Rhodes’ kid. My next class should be starting soon, so you definitely got time to get acquainted with each other!”
Tina immediately perks up at the mention of April, and as Artie leaves, she approaches Casey to shake his hand. “Your mom’s so cool!” she gushes, “She once taught me to shoplift meat in my vagina!”
Casey smiles sheepishly, his gaze drifting away and his cheeks tinting a faint pink, from both the mention of his mother and the butterflies he’s getting from being around Tina. “Yeah, I heard of that,” he answers, gritting his teeth. “She also publicly mourned Charlie Kirk on social media a couple years ago...”
“What?”
“Nothing!” Way to go, Casey, you just met her and you nearly blew it.
When the bell rings to bring an end to the final class of the day, the Sparks waste no time in heading to the choir room, and Izzy ends up running a little late, all thanks to a Reddit notification that has her rushing to catch up with the rest of the club as fast as her feet can take her. “Guys! You’re never gonna believe this!”
“We know. We heard the news,” says Yasmin, sounding unusually mournful. “Truly a sad day for the entire musical theatre community.”
She turns to Nico, who sits between Rajesh and Yael, looking utterly devastated as he sobs into several bunched-up paper handkerchiefs. “I can’t believe Wicked’s closing!” he laments, leaning into Rajesh’s shoulder. “I thought it would last forever!”
Yael shakes their head in pity, patting Nico’s shoulder. “Look at the bright side,” they say, “At least now there won’t be such a monopoly on the Gershwin.”
Izzy, on the other hand, is more baffled than anything. “No, it’s not about that. Here…”
She takes her seat, and everyone else gathers around her, all eyes glued to the screen as it displays a video posted to r/showchoirusa, displaying harrowing footage of the Dalton Academy building going down in flames. “Dalton’s Insta account confirmed this is real,” she explains, “Thankfully there were no casualties, but nobody knows what caused it, and the authorities are still investigating.”
You could hear a pin drop in the choir room, as the bombshell reduces the kids to stunned silence—most of all Yasmin, who’s hit with a chill down her spine, dreading that she may have manifested it all those weeks ago at Sectionals. Also visibly discomforted is Danny, who can’t help but cringe a little, addressing the rest of the group. "I guess the Warblers would rather risk going to Hell than returning to the AIA."
Yael tilts their head forward and raises an eyebrow. "The what?"
"The Aural Intensity Asylum,” Danny clarifies, “It's like the Khia Asylum, but for show choir."
"Dang, they got Khia Asylums for everything these days..."
The asylums will have to wait, though, as the sight of Artie rolling in has the kids scrambling back to their seats. “Alright! Y’all better pay attention, because this is gonna be a big week!” he announces, clearing his throat and wheeling forward. “As you all know, this Saturday will see the most incredible little girl reach an important milestone in her life…” His voice breaks a little as he glances at the smiling Izzy. “And to help celebrate that, we have a special guest to help with this week’s assignment,” he continues, “You know her, you love her, and I could not be more honored to have her on board for this, because it’s not every day that we get a big guest like this. I present to you, my dearest friend, the legendary Ms. Tina Cohen-Chang!”
Tina’s entrance is met with euphoric applause from most of the kids, mainly the four founding members of the Sparks, but also, most notably, Rajesh and the visibly starstruck Moira—of course, Izzy is happiest of all, practically leaping off her seat and running straight into Tina’s arms. “Oh my gosh, where did the time go?!” Tina gushes, practically squeezing Izzy's jaw between her hands and getting flustered laughter from her. “You’re so much taller than me now! Stop growing!"
Amidst the joyful reunion, Hugo can’t help but stifle a skeptical chuckle. "Really, Mr. Abe?” he asks, “With all that fanfare, I was expecting Taylor or Sabrina, not the... yeast lady."
“Excuse you, she’s one of the OG New Directions!” Yasmin protests, nudging Hugo on the rib. “Put some respect on her name!”
Tina grins warmly, pleased to see the new Glee kids hold her in far higher regard than how she used to be treated back in the day. “Not just mine, really,” she explains, “All the women in your lives deserves respect. Not a lot of people realize this, but the world is inherently matriarcal. Women can be providers just as much as they can be creators; heck, the term ‘Mother Nature’ exists for a reason! And anyone who’s too ignorant and brainwashed by patriarchy to realize that still has a lot of learning to do...”
She gives Artie a knowing glance, prompting a nervous chuckle from him. “Don’t worry, bestie, those days are far behind me,” he reassures her, rolling towards the whiteboard and drawing a big Venus symbol on it. “And to prove that… I’m making this week’s assignment all about honoring the badass women around us! Ladies, it’s your time to shine, and dudes, you better live up to them!”
A round of applause follows, with the girls in particular cheering and celebrating. Between this and the upcoming lacrosse try-outs, Moira vibrates in her seat, already looking forward to whatever the week had in store.
“Wait, so try-outs aren’t happening anymore?”
Moira, in her lacrosse uniform, stands before her disheartened teammates in the locker room, arms folded over her bosom as the bombshell sinks in within her. “Principal Sylvester says she doesn’t have the funds to keep the team around for much longer,” laments team captain Allison, who steps forward, taking Moira’s hands in hers. “If we don’t win the next championship, we’ll probably end up on the chopping block.”
Little by little, Moira’s disbelief over the news begins to pave way for simmering outrage. “But... We’ve won every single championship since the team was formed!” she protests, “If anything, we should be up there with the Titans and Cheerios in the food chain! Heck, by all accounts, we’re essentially girl jocks, right?”
“That’s certainly not how Principal Sylvester sees it,” says Allison with a subtle grimace. “The Amazons don’t have the same name recognition or longevity as the Titans, or the Cheerios, or even the hockey team. And lacrosse isn’t a widely-known sport, so it doesn’t make that much bank for the school anyway. As far as she’s concerned, we’re nothing more than a spare part in the athletic program, the easiest team to be discarded.”
Discarded.
Just the thought of Principal Sylvester using such terms to refer to them, as if they’re used toilet paper, further twists the knife lodged in Moira’s heart by the news, infuriating her enough to send her marching to the principal’s office in righteous rage, swinging the door wide open to find Principal Sylvester mid-workout. “This is garbage! How do you expect us to compete without a full team?!” Moira shouts, slamming her fists against the desk. “I always knew about you sabotaging the Glee Club, but I didn’t think you, of all people, would stoop as low as to doing it to a sports team!”
Principal Sylvester, already annoyed at the interruption, dabs off her sweat with a towel while looking Moira dead in the eye the whole time. "Let me ask you something, Moby Chick, does your team bring anything new to the table that other sports teams in this school don't?" she inquires, heading for her desk. "There just isn’t an audience for lacrosse in the U.S. like there is for football and cheerleading. Do you think the families who go out to see our games and sporting events are proud to watch a bunch of girls run around smacking a ball with a stick? Of course not, especially considering one of them is a walking tub of Fudge Rounds."
Moira slumps back against her seat with a loud, breathy groan, rubbing her temples in frustration. I should’ve known this was coming... “Don’t change the subject, my weight isn’t the problem here! The football players can put on all the fat they want and everybody’s cool with it!"
“Because they’re football players, they need the extra body mass. That, and nobody cares if men get fat,” says Principal Sylvester matter-of-factly. “There’s a reason why there are so many movies where Kevin James is married to supermodels. Nobody likes fat women these days, it’s Ozempic or bust. Have you ever seen a female lacrosse player who looks like you?”
Moira swallows hard, intimidated but nonetheless unyielding. “Well, no... But you see, that plays a part in why I do it!” she states, her fingers curling tightly around the edge of the desk. “I’m trying to be the change I want to see in the world! I want little girls like me to see me thriving and know they can do anything they set themselves out to do!”
She gives it a good go, but unfortunately, her words do nothing to sway Principal Sylvester, whose gaze cuts through her like a laser beam through glass. “I hate to break it to you, but as a wise Jeff Goldblum once said, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should… And as principal, what I say is final, and I say all you should do is shut that bottomless calorie vaccuum of yours and accept that there’s nowhere for your little lacrosse team to go but down the drain.”
This time, Moira has no witty comeback, nowhere to turn to. Her lips purse, holding back words that could get her kicked out, and instead just gives her a low, solemn nod, turning her back to leave...but before she does so, Principal Sylvester has one more thing to say.
“Oh, and put in some actual effort in subtracting a dress size or two.”
Moira can only respond with an annoyed grunt, turning her chin up and storming out of the office—
SLUSH!
As soon as she sets foot in the hallway, she’s greeted by a slushie facial to the tune of chauvinistic laughter from the hockey players. This only makes the alarm sirens in her head, ringing ever since Principal Sylvester went out of the way to put her down, only grow louder and stronger, pulsing throughout her body like a clap of thunder and providing a second wind to her resolve. The misogynous motives behind the lacrosse team potentially being cut are already infuriating enough as is, but the knowledge that it’s coming from a fellow woman, who should be supporting the young girls of the school but is instead hurling such demeaning comments at her…
Moira thinks back to the old Looney Tunes cartoons she’d watch on TV as a kid, the classics. She grew up watching Bugs Bunny, ever so level-headed, easily and effortlessly talking himself out of danger—but everyone has a boiling point, even him. And as Bugs himself would say in such a predicament... This is war.
♪ Sisters, we are everywhere! Warriors, your country needs you!
If you're ready, ladies, better keep steady, ready, aim, shoot
Don't need ammunition, on a mission and we'll hit you with the truth
Representing all the women, salute, salute ♪
Lacrosse stick in hand, war paint over her face, and with her hair shaken loose, Moira storms the library, summoning all her fellow female students, including some of the Sparks girls. She knows it’s wrong to make so much noise in an enviroinment where one is expected to stay silent, and she’ll probably have to apologize to Mr. Meeks at the end of the day, but right now, that is the least of her concerns. She’s got an army to gather, so she’s damn well going to make sure her message reaches everyone who can hear it, loud and clear and unrestricted.
♪ It's who we are, we don't need no camouflage
It's a female federal and we're taking off
If you're with me, women, lemme hear you say
Ladies all across the world, listen up, we're looking for recruits
If you're with me, lemme see your hands, stand up and salute
Get your killer heels, sneakers, pumps, or lace up your boots
Representing all the women, salute, salute ♪
Unsurprisingly, it’s not long until the female Cheerios have joined in, with Beverly and Candice directly backing Moira in some intensive choreography down the halls. Cast off to the side, the male Cheerios look on in support—all except for, predictably, Kermit, who’s rolling his eyes and scoffing at the movement sprawling throughout the school, not because of the commotion it’s causing, but because it doesn’t revolve around him. Even an attempt to weasel himself in, as a gay man, only gets him pushed back onto the locker doors.
♪ If you think we're just pretty things
You couldn't be more wrong
We standing strong, we carry on (knock us again)
Knock us, but we keep moving up (we're moving up, yeah)
Can't stop a hurricane, ladies, it's time to awake (yeah) ♪
In a matter of minutes, the female student body is all decked out in sports uniforms, football armor, and war paint, dancing in unison all throughout the gymnasium. Going unnoticed as she enters, Kitty is puzzled by all the racket, but at the same time, too intrigued to do anything to put a stop to it, and from afar, she notices Tina at the bleachers, arms folded over her bosom with an approving smile. Perhaps Kitty should’ve seen this coming, given Artie’s presence in the faculty, but seeing Tina’s face again is nonetheless pretty surreal.
♪ At-TEN-tion! (Listen up, ladies, ladies)
At-TEN-tion! Individuals, originals, listen up
Huh! Lemme hear you say—
Ladies all across the world, listen up, we're looking for recruits
If you're with me, lemme see your hands, stand up and salute
Get your killer heels, sneakers, pumps, or lace up your boots
Representing all the women, salute, salute ♪
Moira’s fist in the air brings both the song to a close and the gymnasium down in a wave of euphoric cheers and applause from the girls around her, with Izzy and Beverly running up to her to give her a big hug, praising her for her attitude. The whole sequence of events, paired with Tina’s presence, strikes a nerve in Kitty, the noise of the crowd blurring away around her as she contemplates her own feelings on Principal Sylvester’s policies… and her own relationships with the women in her life.
With the Glee Club assignment at hand, the Sparks Boys and Yael have been given the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and, in a way, flex their creative muscles a little bit. This includes Cedric, who sits on his bed, brainstorming and taking notes. He’s got a pretty long list of potential song choices already, but nothing that fully strikes that chord in him, and with his phone charging on the bedside table, looking up new ideas to add to the list only becomes trickier.
So off he goes to the computer room, already hearing Leslie’s laughter loud and clear as he comes to the doorway, finding her typing up a storm in her Discord DMs. “Leslie, do you mind?” he asks, approaching her and tilting his head right beside hers.“I need to look up songs that I could do in Glee Club this week.”
Leslie’s eyes remain glued to the computer screen, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t listen. “Can’t you just do that on your phone?”
“My phone’s charging,” Cedric replies, bluntly, with a hint of firmness. “And your history homework isn’t going to do itself, so you might want to get it out of the way while you still can, okay?”
Leslie complies with a shrug, typing up one more message to the person she’s talking to before stepping away from the computer and letting Cedric take the wheel while she heads for the door—but as his eyes briefly scan the messages being exchanged on the DMs, exchanged between Leslie and an user called ‘Kari’, he grows puzzled at the, to say the least, unusual topics being brought up. “Um… I don’t wanna be inconvenient, but who are you talking to there?”
His question has Leslie stopping in her tracks and turning back to him, before joining him in front of the computer. “Just a friend from Roblox, nothing much.”
Cedric briefly glances at her, before turning back to her DMs, scrolling up to the earlier messages to have a better understanding of the conversation. “Don’t you find it a little bit odd that this friend of yours is asking for pictures of your feet?”
Leslie shakes her head, leaning down to rest her chin on Cedric’s shoulder. “I don’t see what’s the problem!” she states, “I’ve been thinking of asking mom for a mani-pedi when my birthday rolls around! Since she goes out for one every week, I’d love to see what it’s like, and of course, I need some inspiration for that.”
“But… Why would you be sending foot pictures?”
Now that Cedric says it, Leslie does find it a bit odd, but doesn’t make much of it. “Well, actually, I haven’t sent anything in yet, but as soon as I find the time, I’ll—”
“Leslie, I’m being serious here,” warns Cedric, “You could easily be talking to a grown man on the other side of the country, looking to trick little girls on the internet into giving him easy wank material. Do you even know if that account is trustworthy?”
A pit of dread forms in Leslie’s stomach. She’s heard stories like those, but she’s only had internet access for a few years now, so the true likelihood of it happening to her never really crossed her mind, especially now that she’s been so caught up in staying in touch to her new friend. “I know she likes everything I like, she’s sent me pictures of her...”
Cedric turns his attention back to the DMs, and the user apparently known as Kari. The profile picture is that of a blonde preteen, which would theoretically match the name. But a right-click of the mouse and a reverse image search reveal that the picture belongs to a person with an entirely different name, not a celebrity but clearly active on Instagram, considering her account is the first one that comes up. “Leslie, that’s a catfish. Block them. right now.”
Leslie steps back, her eyes wide with disbelief. “N-No, I can’t, I told her BRB, I can’t leave her hanging like that—”
“Have you forgotten we’re not supposed to be talking to strangers on the internet willy-nilly like that?!”
Cedric’s raised tone is met with Leslie stomping her foot and answering him in the same manner. The evidence is there, but she doesn’t want to believe it. “Oh, so all of a sudden I can’t talk to any of my online friends anymore?!”
“This is different!” shouts an increasingly frustrated Cedric, getting up and stepping forward, looking Leslie dead in the eye. “Whoever this person is, they clearly have second intentions going on!”
“You’ve never even exchanged a word with her!”
“Because I don’t need to! Do you know how much of a creep they have to be to pretend to be someone they’re not just to talk children into fulfilling their sick fetishes?!”
“I’m not a child anymore, I just got my period! I’m old enough to not let you boss me around!”
Cedric dry-gulps, doing his best not to lose his temper in front of her. He knows this is gonna hurt her, but there isn’t much he can do. “I’m not bossing you around, I’m just trying to protect you!” he reassures her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “And in times like these… It’s best to nip it in the bud before it goes too far.”
He turns his attention to the computer, sitting back down in front of it and clicking on the username, leaving Leslie with bated breath as she watches the cursor hover over the block button. “No, no, no, Cedric, NO—!!”
He doesn’t even bother listening. In a matter of seconds, ‘Kari’ has been blocked, and their conversations with Leslie, scrubbed from the latter’s account. A slight tremble begins to manifest through her body, her eyes growing misty, as Cedric turns to her with a deep breath, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “And don’t you even think about unblocking them. It’s for your own good.”
Leslie’s breathing grows hitched, her gaze trailing downwards in shock. “I… I…” she murmurs, bracing her churning stomach—and then, she gives him a fiery glare, hot enough to burn a man to a crisp if it could, overflowing with tears of rage.
“I DIDN'T THINK YOU COULD BE SUCH A JERK!!”
She jolts out of the room, her footsteps and sobs growing more and more distant as Cedric puts everything into perspective. It’s never his intention to be cruel, not in the slightest. He’s just trying to be a good big brother and keep Leslie safe from danger. But the knowledge that, in doing so, he just made her cry, during a Glee Club week where women are supposed to be celebrated rather than shamed, aches at his heart like a thousand blades, as if he’s done something far more heinous. He can’t afford to upchuck his dinner, but it doesn’t stop him from practically tasting the bile rising in his throat from how disgusted he is at himself.
Elsewhere, at the Medeiros household, Yasmin remains blissfully unaware of her boyfriend’s anguish, calmly humming to herself as she goes through her extensive nighttime skincare process. Everything is exactly where it should be: her bed is made, the room smells faintly of Cayenne cherry, and cicadas notwithstanding, her surroundings are otherwise completely quiet—that is, until Deborah opens the door to address her. “Minnie, dear… Sorry for interrupting, but there’s someone who wants to see you.”
Yasmin turns to her, intrigued, watching as Deborah pushes the door a little more open to let in the visitor in question. It’s none other than Sydney, looking strikingly different from how Yasmin had seen her at Sectionals, the stiff Warblers blazer and gelled-back hair swapped out for more flattering clothing and a wavier ‘do. “Sydney? What are you doing here?” asks Yasmin, stepping forward and taking her hands. “You look… surprisingly happy for someone whose school just burnt down.”
“So you’ve heard of the fire?”
Yasmin shrugs, realizing Sydney doesn’t seem to be paying mind to the fact that she’s got a facemask and hair curlers on. “What, you were expecting me not to?” she remarks, before gently squeezing Sydney’s hands. “Seriously, though, if you need anywhere else to turn to, we could very well arrange for you to transfer to McKinley. There’s always room in the Sparks for some reinforcements going into Regionals!”
Sydney nods, pulling back slightly. “Thank you, but I spoke to my parents and they’re sending me to Carmel,” she reveals, “I need a break from the whole show choir thing, it’s too much drama for my plate.”
Yasmin is, admittedly, a little disappointed, but the look in her eyes is one of comprehension—which quickly morphs into worry. “What about Gleb?” she asks, “What if he goes after you?”
“Not a chance. His folks sent him to a boarding school in Russia. He won’t be bothering anyone here in Lima for a long time.”
The newfound relief over these news has Yasmin’s lungs lightening through a deep sigh of gratitude, her hands jolting up to rest at her heart. Smiling warmly, Sydney steps forward, gazing into Yasmin’s eyes. “By the way… I came here to thank you. Seeing you clap back against Gleb the way you did at Sectionals gave me the courage I needed to purge myself of what was only weighing me down.”
Yasmin is noticeably flattered, but moreso stunned than anything. “You… really appreciated that?” she muses, her mind flashing back to the events of that night. “Thing is, he still forced me into a kiss. If you ask me, I should’ve fought back harder.”
“Any act of defiance can make a difference, no matter how small,” Sydney reassures her, the corners of her lips curling slyly. “In fact, you may have inspired me more than you realize…”
Yasmin doesn’t think much of it at first—but then, Sydney gives her a wink. It’s then that her words well and truly sink in, causing Yasmin’s eyes to practically bulge out of their sockets. An outlandish image forms in her head: a secluded corner at Dalton, a lit match, a mischievous laugh, and then, the whole place going down in flames, just as she had seen in the video shown by Izzy earlier that week. Whether that’s anything close to what actually happened, she can’t quite say for sure, but the apparent shrift is enough to catch her off-guard.
“Wait, did you—”
Sydney cuts her off with a sharp shush, placing a hand over her lips to keep the silence between them for as long as possible. “That’s between us, okay?”
Once the smoke left behind by the bombshell dropped upon her lap has cleared, Yasmin nods, spreading her arms open for Sydney to pull her in for a hug. Of course, she’s still happy that Sydney gets to have her freedom, but knowing how she got it in the first place leaves her genuinely unnerved; it never crossed her mind that Sydney was capable of something like that. But she’s well aware that desperate times require desperate measures, so she can’t really bring herself to fault her.
The brief reunion with Sydney is still on Yasmin’s mind the next day, tugging at her mind even as she goes on with her classes. For all she knows, that might’ve been the last time she’ll ever see her, and all that’s left for Yasmin to do is gently bite at the bottom end of her pencil, wondering where Sydney will be headed and what will become of her from here on out. It’s an itch she has to scratch, and with so many uncertainties and what-ifs in the air, the only way she can truly scratch it is taking it to the April Rhodes Civic Pavillion for her Glee Club assignment after class, standing alone, center stage, under the watch of her fellow Sparks.
♪ It starts as nothing, just a thought or a dream
Then one day, you're in the driver seat
The key is in the ignition
And no one gave you permission
It's only you in the car
And only you know how uncertain you are
How your heart is racing
Still, you reach for the moment
You'll finally say…
I'm the girl who drove away ♪
The song is more about Sydney than it is about Yasmin, and while neither the other kids nor Artie and Tina realize this, they still find themselves touched by the emotion in her voice, and how personal the lyrics sound coming from her. Nico smiles in support, leaning against Genesis’ shoulder and letting her wrap an arm around him, while Candice’s hand trails over her lap to wrap around Beverly’s, the two friends exchanging a lasting glance before turning their attention back to Yasmin. Tina, meanwhile, can’t help but get a little bit nostalgic, thinking back to what she managed to make for herself after graduating high school.
♪ Leave the fear and doubt behind
Choose the road less traveled
Not the memories too real
Not the guilt that left you paralyzed
Close your eyes, and everything's clearer
Your life's in the rearview mirror
If no one knows who you were
The line between the dream and you starts to blur
Standing at the crossroad
There's the girl who was written in your DNA
Or the girl who drove away ♪
Her gaze, contemplative and wistful, lingers onto the horizon, a little longer than it should, as the song ends, before she lets it drift down, taking in the applause from the rest of the Glee Club. Once she allows herself to come down from the emotion, Yasmin leaves the stage and takes her seat with the rest of the group, receiving a supportive wrist squeeze from Nico. “Great job, Yasmin,” Tina commends her, “Leave it to you to convey all that emotion so beautifully. Artie certainly wasn’t wrong when he said you were a powerhouse.”
Yasmin nods in gratitude, nestling herself into her seat—but she had been so focused on her song choice that it had taken her this long to notice something that should’ve been crucial. “Say, where’s Cedric? He’s been going around all day thinking about the heifer’s death or something, is he okay?”
“He had to be dismissed early,” Artie explains, “Family emergency… Something to do with his sister.”
Cue a frenzy of concerned buzz amidst the kids, all over again, this time strewn in speculation over what could’ve happened to Leslie to make Cedric leave so soon, without even attending the Glee Club meeting. Beverly, ever the cynic, already imagines this could be an excuse for him to get away with not coming up with a song choice, but her sentiment isn’t shared by the others, most of all Hugo, Yael, and Yasmin, who ponder among one another over whether something truly dreadful could be taking place…
Indeed, the Devine household is quiet, cast in an atmosphere of dread, as Randolph paces back and forth in the middle of the living room, while Verna holds Cedric close, soothing the guilt proliferating within him. He really didn’t want to have to miss Glee Club, but the sudden phone call informing him of Leslie’s disappearance left him far too on edge to give him a choice. Too distressed to even say a word, he thinks back to his actions the previous night, and how he brought this upon himself by being so hard on her.
Just then, the ring of the doorbell comes calling.
Randolph heads for the door, being met with one of the local police officers—and right beside her, Leslie, in a grey hoodie and her backpack slung over her back. “Leslie!” cries out Randolph, jolting down to pull her into a hug, breathing heavily as she buries her face into his shoulder.
Leslie nods into the fabric of Randolph’s shirt, watching as Verna and Cedric come up from behind him, Cedric staying behind hesitantly while Verna visibly relieved, turns to the police officer. “Where did you find her?”
“Headed for the airport,” the officer explains, “We had to talk her out of recklessly trying to book a flight across the country with no money.”
Slowly, Leslie allows herself to pull away from Randolph’s hug, and her gaze immediately finds that of Cedric. Cautiously, he steps forward, gently placing his hands upon Leslie’s shoulders and pulling her close for a hug of his own. “I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you like that,” he murmurs, the guilt and shame weighing him down all over again. “You probably wouldn’t have run away if I hadn’t been so harsh.”
Leslie’s eyes grow misty as she clings to him for dear life, taking in the embrace for a few seconds before pulling away. “No, you were right,” she tells him, choking back a sob. “I didn’t listen to you, and I nearly threw my life away because of it. I… I’m so stupid...”
“Don’t you dare say anything like that, okay?” Cedric reminds her, “You’re not stupid. You are a light upon this world, you just have to be careful as to not let anyone snuff it out, especially not creepy strangers on the internet. You have so much growing to do... And I want to be there for you every step of the way.”
A smile of gratitude blossoms upon Leslie’s face, her eyes still sparkling with fresh tears, and she leans in to rest her face upon Cedric’s chest. Letting her eyes flutter close, she takes in the warmth of his strong arms enveloping her, Randolph and Verna’s following suit under the watch of the police officer on her way out. Shared by the entire family, an all-incompassing sense of relief over her safety, for only God knows what might’ve happened if Leslie hadn’t been so lucky as to avoid walking right into a catfish’s trap.
Friday comes without much hassle—at least, for anyone who’s not Artie Abrams or any of his close acquaintances—and as Beverly packs up her locker for the day, her ears catch the sound of footsteps coming from the ecstatic Moira running her way, with her notebooks in hand for the first batch of classes for the day. “Guess what??” she announces, “My mom called up the moms of the other lacrosse girls, and they all teamed up to convince Principal Sylvester to keep the team around permanently! Try-outs will be next Monday!”
Beverly is a little startled, but nonetheless happy for her, her shoulders softening as she comes down from Moira’s sudden arrival. “Oh, wow… That was easier than I expected,” she remarks, turning her attention back to her locker. “But I can see why. You kickstarted a whole new wave of the feminist movement around here. I know leadership when I see it, and you’ve got a knack for that.”
“Aw, thanks!” says Moira with a giggle, playfully tapping Beverly on the shoulder. “Didn’t think I’d hear that coming from you, actually. You know, given how you’re always so sullen and snarky…”
Beverly shrugs, taking out the notebooks she needs before closing her locker door. “I just like to see things for what they are,” she tells Moira, “I’m not really one to sugarcoat things like you do. Mind you, in theory, someone like you should piss me off, like Zara Larsson did when she went full Lisa Frank beach bimbo. But I actually admire you... You’re always unapologetically yourself, and you never let anyone change or get in the way of that. I could only dream of being in that same level of self-confidence.”
Moira’s expression turns slightly puzzled, her head tilting to the side at Beverly’s words. “You don’t like Midnight Sun?”
Beverly freezes, flushing slightly out of worry she may have struck a nerve. “I mean, it’s not a bad concept, but it’s not the Zara I grew up listening to, y’know?” she justifies, “I loved her because she was cool and edgy and nonchalant, like the kind of girl who’d cut you if you got too daring with her but could still peel back the layers if she could trust you. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up… and she threw it all away because of a silly TikTok trend. So I decided that if Zara could no longer be the tough city girl I looked up to, then I’d just have to be her myself.”
She steps back, averting her gaze so her honesty doesn’t come across the wrong way—thankfully for her, Moira doesn’t think much of it. “Well, people change all the time. You can’t really hold it against her if she found the style that worked for her.”
“I guarantee you that style does not work for her,” Beverly answers hushedly, her gaze slowly turning back to Moira. “She carries herself with too much poise for that. All those bright colors and beachy motifs would work much better on... someone like you. You’re all cheerful and bubbly and open to anyone, always dressed in bright colors, and…”
Looking Moira in the eye, though, is easier said than done. Beverly can’t quite explain it, but when their eyes meet, she somehow finds herself dazed, at a loss for breath. Her foot slides back, almost as if it’s about to come off the floor, and the previously steady pace of her heart begins to increase.
“And you’ve got a smile that could light up all of Ohio...”
There’s an unusual shift in the atmosphere between them. The tangled Rat King of thoughts in Beverly’s head creates legs, speeding up past the noise of the students around them—and Moira can definitely tell there’s something odd about her.“You okay?”
“Yeah, I mean… Uh… I-I gotta go!”
And go, she does, running as fast as her legs can take her, until Moira is out of sight and out of mind for the time being. Once she’s able to catch her breath, she’s confounded by the sudden, overwhelming rush of feelings that had just taken over her. Of course, girls like her are expected to experience that towards boys, but not once did any boy in her life make her go weak like that. Not even the football players, whom so many of the girls in the student body swoon over. What’s so different about Moira that makes her give so much pause?
Perhaps…
No, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with Candice either. It can’t be that, right? Right?
At least she’s got the rest of the day to shake that thought off her mind.
When Glee Club meeting comes around, Artie, Tina, and the Sparks are in for quite the surprise, as Cedric has already made it to the choir room before them—and sitting right next to him is none other than Leslie, in a much better mood compared to earlier that week. “Well, look who we have here!” Artie greets, rolling closer to Leslie and caressing her cheek. “Hope you didn’t give Cedric too much trouble last night, little lady!”
Leslie giggles, taking in the gesture from Artie while leaning into Cedric’s embrace. “She was missing for a while, but thankfully nothing serious happened to her,” Cedric explains, patting her head and standing up so the others can take their seats. “I figured since we’re honoring the women in our lives, it’s only fair that I get to dedicate my assignment to her.”
He makes his way to the side of the choir room and grabs a bar stool, placing it at the center of the room and sitting on it with a deep, contemplative breath. “We have both learned valuable lessons this week, and we’ve done a fair amount of growing from them,” he states, the warmth emanating from his voice like that of a fireplace at Christmas, as his gaze turns directly to Leslie’s. “This should come as a reminder to never forget the people who truly care for you, even in times of friction. This song’s for you, Leslie.”
He turns to the band, signaling for them to start playing an acoustic rendition of his chosen tune, one which both Moira and Beverly are quick to recognize, most of all Beverly, who can’t help but smile softly.
♪ Now, I don't need the time to make up my mind
That's on my love, that's on my love, yeah
Hear my pain, can you hear my prayer?
Take my breath, can you take me there?
That's on my love, yeah, yeah ♪
With handy permission from Hugo, Yael shifts seats to be closer to Leslie, pulling her into an embrace as the two watch Cedric’s performance together. Given their brothers’ friendship, they already had some degree of familiarity with each other, so ever since hearing of what made Cedric leave school early the previous night, he and Leslie had both been in the back of their mind. Needless to say, this open display of fraternal affection brings an immeasurable amount of relief to their heart, as they and Hugo both know they can relate to that feeling.
♪ I still need you deep in my heart
That's on my love, that's on my love, yeah
You're the one thing I can't escape
You're the fire to my warm embrace, yeah
That's on my love
Into the dark, into the light, baby, I go
Whether it's wrong, whether it's right, I will follow
I'll pay the price, I'll sacrifice
That's on my love, yeah ♪
Hearing the affection in his voice, Yasmin beams with pride, thinking back to her own relationship with her sister, and how they never fully stopped caring for each other, even after their parents started favoring Angélica over her. Her gaze turns over to Leslie, mentally wondering how things will be like once the latter is old enough to attend McKinley with her brother, and what it’ll be like to actually get to know her properly. Is she getting too ahead of herself? Maybe, but as far as she knows, it’s never too early to picture it.
♪ On my love, on my love
I put that on my, on my love, on my love
I put that on my love, I put that on my love
On my love, on my love
I put that on my, on my love, on my love
I put that on my love, my love
I put that on my love, I put that on my love ♪
With a deep breath, Cedric lets his eyes flutter close, coming down from the flow state of the performance as he concludes his song, met with applause and cheers from the other kids—and Leslie leaping off her seat to give him a big, tight hug. “Excellent job there, buddy! We could definitely feel the brotherly love in the air!” praises Artie, rolling forward to tap Cedric on the shoulder. “Now, one question… Why was your sister even missing?”
Cedric glances at Leslie, giving her a light nudge and permission to tell her own side of the story, which she’s admittedly a little embarrassed about. “I fell for a catfish and ran away from home because of it,” she admits, letting out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, not my proudest moment.”
The others are shocked, and even a little horrified, to learn this, but no one is more so than Tina, who gets up with her brows furrowed in outrage. “Really?! 2030, we’re still dealing with that?!” she questions, “You’d think the kids these days would know better… Especially girls your age! Get behind me, pronto!”
Her reaction has everyone startled, including Leslie, who’s also noticeably flattered to see her come to her defense. “Tina, easy…” Artie chimes in, tugging at her pants leg to get her to sit back down. “They got that out the way already. Besides, it’s not the first time the Glee Club had to deal with catfishing. You remember what happened with Unique, right?”
“True, but at least Unique had a valid reason to do it,” Tina retorts, “There are still way too many ignorant people out there who aren’t willing to accept women like her. And sadly… That turned out to be the case for Ryder.”
The choir room fills with whispers from the kids over the spontaneous lore drop. Obviously, Izzy and Danny had been aware of that story for a while, but to everyone else, this is brand new, and it doesn’t sit well with them at all; of all people, Hugo stands up, arms folded over his chest assertively. “Well, anyone who doesn’t accept the Unique Adams the way she is can respectfully go shove a cactus up their ass.”
“Preach!” exclaims Artie, with that characteristic wave of his hand. “All women are queens, and that’s on that!”
Another round of applause follows suit, with the girls also taking their time to exchange hugs, high-fives, and even a few playful noogies with one another. Amidst the high-spirited atmosphere, Tina glances at Artie and places a hand on his shoulder, getting his blue eyes to meet her brown ones. “I never thought I’d hear you say those words,” she remarks, getting a flattered chuckle out of him. “You’ve come such a long way. I’m proud of you.”
Grinning, Artie spreads his arms so she can go in for a hug, and from over her shoulder, he glances at the girl who made all that change possible, already looking forward to celebrating her on Saturday.
February 9th, 2030. Izzy’s big day.
She’s had her fair share of birthday parties, some of which even had her dressing up as whatever character she was fixated on at the time, but nothing quite as grandiose as what awaits her. As she sits in front of her mirror, preparing herself for the party, she already feels different—a good kind, but still different, and not just due to what that date means to her. The Sectionals win, the friendships she made thanks to Glee Club, all the change she brought upon McKinley since first setting foot there… It’s only now hitting her how much of an impact that’s had on her, just as much as she knows it’s had on everyone else.
She’s seen so much, learned so much, and she’s only halfway through the school year.
Artie and Tina are chatting in the living room when she emerges, fully dolled up for the party. Tina’s hands fly up to cover her mouth, her eyes sparkling with pride, while Artie is stunned, already awash with a wave of emotion. “Why, look at you…” he marvels, wheeling towards Izzy to get a better look as she does a little twirl, showing off the back of her dress and the tousled curls her hair is done in. “I knew you had it in you to be the Belle of the Ball, but actually seeing you like that is... quite the gut punch!”
Izzy’s cheeks grow rosy at the praise, briefly glancing at the clapping Tina, before turning back to Artie with pursed lips. “Don’t judge me for saying this, but...” she confesses, lowering herself and her voice. “I’m kind of terrified. Of what’s coming next.”
Artie grins, softly squeezing her shoulder. “Don’t be,” he reminds her, “As long as you keep being that fearless smart cookie you’ve always been, there’s nothing to be worried about.”
“I learned from the best, didn’t I?”
Artie wheels back, letting out a flattered chuckle. “I’ll go start the car,” he says, and on his way to the front door, he turns back to address Tina. “Look after her for me, okay?”
Tina nods, watching as Artie leaves her line of sight, before standing up and approaching Izzy to fix up her hair and accessories. “You’re such a formidable woman,” Izzy tells her, “Dad’s lucky to have you to count on. You two have been through so much, and yet you’re still so close, to the point that you could save some time in your schedule just for this… You’re the best auntie I could ever ask for.”
“You’re pretty formidable yourself!” Tina commends her, “In fact… As much as I’m happy being single and not going through the Hell on Earth that is pregnancy, there’s still a part of me who longs for that fairytale happy ending. Finding that special someone, getting married, having my own kids...” Her tone grows bittersweet, and a deep sigh surfaces from her lungs. “Mike will always be the one that got away for me.”
Mike Chang. One of Artie’s friends whom Izzy had never been completely familiar with.
She’s heard a thing or two about him—all positive, of course—but thanks to his constant work as an Emmy-winning choreographer, she’s never been completely acquainted with him. And as far as she’s heard, he seems to be happy where he is in life right now.
“If you ask me, I don’t see any use in treading through the multiverse. I know you cherish what you had with Uncle Mike, but all of that is in the past. I’m sure your person is out there somewhere. And you deserve to be happy, in whatever package that comes.”
“Ladies! Get on up!”
Artie’s call, even from afar, brings them back to reality and rushing to the car, for a party that, without a doubt, they’re bound to never forget.
With a little help from Tina, Artie had been able to rent a spacious, but fairly quaint venue for the party. Soon, Artie and Izzy make their grand entrance, to roaring applause from the party guests, and once Tina has placed the tiara upon Izzy’s head, the festivities begin in full swing. It’s just the three of them, plus Anabiel, Casey, Sam, the rest of the Glee Club, and even Leslie in attendance, with the kids having fun on the dance floor while the adults mind their business, while still keeping an eye on them in case they get a little too rowdy.
As the four faculty members chat at their table, Casey is once again locked in on Tina, who’s engaging in some lively conversation of her own with Moira, Rajesh and Candice, while fetching herself a glass of punch. Just looking at her renders him nerve-struck, thinking back to the awkward first impression she’s had of him, but deep down, he knows that shouldn’t be the only one. He didn’t earn his stripes for nothing—it’s up to him to make a proper first move, one that doesn’t get him any weird looks.
So he gets up, fixes up his suit jacket, and keeps his calm as he approaches her, with a timid, but friendly wave. “Hey, um...” He shoves his hands in his pockets and looking around. “You and Artie did a great job with all of this. You must get some pretty big bucks from all those Yeast-I-Stat ads.”
Tina shrugs, taking a quick sip from her glass. "They do pay well, but it's not that impressive," she reveals, "I'm not a big A-lister or anything."
Her words come as a surprise to Casey, who’s seen her ads countless times in the past. "Well, you should be. I heard you and Artie practicing earlier this week and you have a great voice. One that not enough people paid attention to back in the day… At least, that’s what Sam told me.”
"When you have Rachel Berry to deal with, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle," recalls Tina, taking her time to finish her punch. "She was the leading lady, and I was just the crybaby Asian swaying in the background. Of course, you wouldn't know what that was like. I mean, look at you! White, blonde, conventionally attractive, athletic, and a nepo baby to boot. You’re an All-American dream boy, you would’ve thrived in McKinley."
Casey feel his nerves slowly soothe, his fluster subsiding into a faint pink glow upon his face. His hand reaches forward, with certain hesitance, and takes Tina’s, her gaze turning to find his as his fingers gently wrap around her hand. "This might sound crazy,” he tells her, “But I do know what it's like to be an outcast."
Stunned breathless, Tina can only respond with a smile, gripping his hand right back and pulling him onto the dance floor, receiving cheers from the other adults in the room. From there, the night continues without a hitch. The kids, having been given Polaroid cameras as souvenirs, have a little fun taking pictures of each other, many of which feature the birthday girl in some capacity. Notably, Candice has Moira and Beverly pose together for a picture, with Moira holding Beverly from behind—and sneaking a playful kiss upon her cheek just as they’re bathed in the white flash of the camera.
Sitting at one of the tables as she shakes the Polaroids she’s taken, Izzy lets her gaze travel around the venue, when she happens upon an unexpected presence: Kitty, out of her tracksuit and properly dressed up for the occasion. "Mom?" She gets up and runs towards her.“What are you doing here?”
Kitty breathes deeply, nudging away some of Izzy’s hair to place a hand on her shoulder. “As much as I hate to admit it, you still mean something to me,” she admits, her voice tinged with regret. “At the end of the day, you’re still my daughter. The fruit of… Something that was once real and powerful. Love’s young dream, as they say.”
Izzy nods, noticing the uncharacteristcally warm look in her mother’s eyes. "Say… What was it like when I was born?"
The question strikes a chord in Kitty. It’s still too heavy of a topic for her, but not enough that she can’t swallow her pride and come clean about it. "The most stress I've ever felt in my life," she recalls, her voice breaking a little. "I wanted to get it over with and move on, but you came out screaming like you already knew how unfair the world was. As if you were already desperate to be heard... Impossible to turn away from." She pauses, overcome with the images flooding her head, all over again. “Even so, I don’t regret doing what I did. I had already sacrificed enough to bring you into the world, and I didn’t think Artie would be such a good dad, but he really exceeded my expectations.”
An hour and a half deep into a night of intense partying, the music fades out, and Artie and Tina take to the stage, Artie carrying his acoustic guitar on his lap while Tina tests her microphone. “Attention, everyone!” she calls out, getting everyone’s eyes on her. “I’d just like to say that Artie and I could not be happier that you’re enjoying yourselves so much tonight. It’s been an honor coming back here to put this together on behalf of our Izzy. Ever since she was little, I always knew that Artie would raise her to be a remarkable young woman, and seeing how much she shook up McKinley by helping bring back the Glee Club only came as further proof of that. More than anyone else I know, she understands the importance of music, joy, and the arts in life, and it’s safe to say you all have a better grasp of that thanks to her.”
As Tina speaks, the kids all leave the dance floor to sit at the tables, with Izzy front and center, pulled into an embrace by Sam. “With that in mind, Artie and I have decided to perform a special song to honor Izzy, and the impact she made in all of our lives,” Tina continues, glancing at Artie as he wheels forward with his guitar. “Because far more than a daughter, she’s a real storm with skin, and we cannot wait to see where that storm rage on even further.”
A polite round of applause follows, paving the way for Artie to start playing. In the back, Casey turns on the projector, showing home video footage of Izzy, still as a toddler, earning a chorus of ‘aww’s from everyone. Izzy herself is pleasantly surprised, recognizing the décor of Artie’s old Brooklyn Film Academy dorm from memories that had, up to that point, remained mostly blurry and figmented.
[Tina] ♪ I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed ♪
The clip shown is only the first in a carefully-curated selection of childhood footage, all straight from Artie’s archives, displaying Izzy’s growth throughout the years. Past birthdays, strolls around NYC, playtime hours at home, trips to the movies… There’s even a clip of her dancing in front of the TV during the Super Bowl half-time show, which turns her into a blushing, laughing frenzy. All so distant, and yet, so vivid, and so instrumental in shaping who she is today.
[Artie] ♪ I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance ♪
[Both] ♪ I hope you dance, I hope you dance ♪
Later that night, the time comes for the 16 Candles ceremony, as the kids and adults all come together, each with a candle in hand, to hear Izzy wax lyrical about how special each of them are to her. Rajesh politely keeps to himself as she gushes about how much she appreciates his friendship, silently longing for the day their friendship reaches that new level, and his melancholy does not go unnoticed by Genesis, who’s standing right beside him as rehearsed, and wraps an arm around him in solidarity.
[Tina] ♪ I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance ♪
[Artie] ♪ Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance ♪
Once all the candles have been blown out, Izzy and Artie take to the floor for the father-daughter dance, with Izzy sat upon his lap, swaying along to the music as he rolls around, covering the whole floor. She chuckles a little upon noticing the wistful tears forming in Artie’s eyes, leaning in to wipe them off, before resting her head against his chest, taking in the tender atmosphere of the venue.
[Both with Artie on ad-libs] ♪ I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance (Rolling us along)
[Artie] ♪ Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder
Where those years have gone? ♪
Into the later hours of the night, the party starts to dwindle down, and some of the guests start to take their leave early, leaving their gifts behind for Izzy. Among them, a rose gold star necklace, with a note from Kitty.
Never let anyone dull that sparkle your mama gave you.