Six years. That's how long it had been since Kurt Hummel had walked the halls of William McKinley Senior High School. Six years. He'd honestly hoped he'd never return to that god-awful place. The countless slushie facials, dumpster trips, and never-ending humiliation had scarred him for life. For half of those four years he struggled with who exactly he was as a person. It had been his own personal living hell. Well, except for New Directions. It had really been the only highlight of his four years at McKinley, the rest was just a fuzzy blur. He'd thought that when he graduated he'd be free of the place. That he'd move on with a better phase in his life. Turns out he was wrong. Those six years were merely a transition and here he was, back at William McKinley High School.
"So what is that makes you a good candidate for this position Mr. Hummel?" the hawk-faced Principal Pepper peered at him from behind horn-rimmed spectacles. Where had he seen her before? She seemed so familiar. Oh wait, Kurt said to himself. She's Susie Pepper. The creeper girl he'd gone to high school with at this very school. She'd been a year older than him; a senior when he first entered glee. She was the one who had loved Mr. Schuester and gotten that esophagus transplant. It seemed that she hadn't gotten very far in life, she was still back at the school she had attended only 7 years ago. Then again so was Kurt, and while she seemed to have a steady and powerful job while he was sitting in a chair virtually asking her for employment.
"Well I have a B.A in musical education," Kurt replied, "and plenty of experience in music." In the two years between graduation and college he'd tried his hand at the Broadway route. After landing several minor roles he finally realized that Broadway executives didn't have many roles for guys with his kind of vocal range. Parts written for male sopranos were rare, and rarer yet were roles they were willing to fill with newbies to the circuit like him. It was just a dream that really couldn't be fulfilled. So he tried his hand at teaching. Turns out he really liked it; or at least he did in university. When it came to actual teaching well, he had no idea.
"And what makes you believe that our school needs a fulltime music teacher?" Susie Pepper continued, "since I attended McKinley we've always had teachers of other subjects volunteer their time for the arts. Mr. William Schuester has fulfilled that role for the last 8 years or so while maintaining his main job as our Spanish teacher.."
"Yes I do realize that. I too attended the school during William's time here." Kurt still found it hard not to call him Mr. Schue, "but William's moved on. Head of the choral program at University of Ohio I hear. It seems you are out of a glee club teacher. And I have the credentials and am looking for some sort of employment. Music education jobs are hard to come by."
"Well you are right. Your credentials are great. Several roles on Broadway, though minor. A Bachelor of Arts. And most importantly a national glee club title during your senior year here," she carefully leafed through the resume on her desk. "What are your plans for New Directions?"
"Bring back the glory days," Kurt said confidently. "After our national title in 2011 the club took a decline. Maybe it was because Rachel Berry left." He noticed a look of scorn cross Principal Pepper's face as he mentioned Rachel's name. "Maybe it was because the heart of New Directions, all of us original twelve left. I don't know but no more national titles came. I've been following the competitions, trying to see what new talent emerged when we were gone, and I saw not much. My goal is to bring back that glory. That success. I know that's kind of what William wanted to do when he first took the club on 8 years ago. Bring back his glory days. Well now it's my turn."
Principal Pepper was silent for a moment as she peered once more down at his resume. Kurt nervously smoothed the wrinkles in his white suit jacket. It was Armani and very expensive and yet, he noticed just then, he already had a small tear in the sleeve. That would cost some money to repair. He carefully fixed the stray piece of hair that had slid out of place. He hadn't changed much physically in those 8 years since eleventh grade. He still had the thin boyish figure. The rounded baby face. The hopeful eyes.
"Well Mr. Hummel," Susie Pepper finally said after a pause, "I do believe you'd be a lovely addition to our team here at McKinley. Congratulations."
"I got the job?" Kurt said, trying to still sound professional but inside he was brimming with joy. He stood up and eagerly shook her hand. "You won't be disappointed in the slightest!"
"Glad to see you so exuberant Mr. Hummel," Susie Pepper said, withdrawing her hand, "I expect you to fulfill all the expectations I have."
"Oh I will," Kurt replied, smiling.
"Then get out of my office," she said and proceeded to ignore him. Boy had she ever grown spiteful. Almost as crabby as Coach Sylvester eve. Kurt took the message and made his exit, grabbing his leather briefcase as he did so. He walked back through the halls, oddly happy that soon he would once more spend most of his time in them. What matters is that he had a job and hopefully one he'll love. Suddenly a harsh, familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Well if it isn't baby-face. Never thought I'd see your flamboyant figure back here again," it was of all people Sue Sylvester, waltzing down the hall in her all to familiar track suit. The only sign of the six years that had passed was a few silver hairs glistening on her head, but Kurt dared not mention it fir fear of having his head ripped off. Other than that she looked as if she had just stepped out of the 2010 yearbook.
"Ms. Sylvester," Kurt nodded in acknowledgement, "I didn't expect that you'd still be here."
"That's Mrs. Sylvester to you," Ms. Sylvester replied sharply.
"You got married?" Kurt was surprised that Sue had somehow found a man that she didn't scare half to death.
"Oh god no," Sue looked as if she were completely disgusted with the idea, "I simply decided that one could be married without actually liking anybody and I wanted to prove that point. I'm setting the trend."
"O-k-a-y then," Kurt said uncertainly. Sue definitely hadn't changed in 6 six years, "so why are you still here?"
"Why to coach my flawless Cheerios of course," Sue said as if Kurt should know, "I've continued my National title streak and broken the Guinness World record for most wins by a single cheerleading coach a dozen times already. Even if I started to grow old I couldn't dare to see my Cheerios in the hands of someone else. They are my legacy and I will retain that legacy until either I'm dead or I lose my touch. I predict them occurring in that order as well."
"Still the same Coach Sylvester," Kurt commented aloud.
"You know it. Even though it really doesn't concern me and I have better things to do with my time, what brings you back here Glambert? I thought you graduated or was that some sort of ruse?"
"Actually I'm the new glee teacher," Kurt said simply.
Sue looked shocked for a moment, then righted herself. "Oh," she said, "they found a replacement for Schuester?"
Kurt nodded.
"Well then," Sue said, her lips pursing, "well then. Well then. Did Pepper give you a budget?"
"I'm assuming so," Kurt said, "we need it to run the program."
"Hmph," Sue snorted, "I'd thought with the all worshipped loved by the world master glee teacher Mr. Schuster gone they'd abolish that program once and for all and deliver those funds back to where they rightfully belong."
"Apparently not," Kurt said softly, not wanting to aggravate Sue Sylvester.
"You know what baby-face?" Sue bent forward close to him, since they were the same height now, and whispered in his ear, "remember how I treated your little club back in that first year? The leaked set list? The return of that complete pedophile Sandy? The black-mail of principal Figgins? Remember that? Well expect nothing less than that during your year here. If you last that long that is, because I will not rest until those funds come back to the Cheerios for the first time in nearly a decade. I was easy on Schuster for the last few years; I'll admit it, I loved to annoy him. It was the third of the three highlights of my day. Right behind kicking people out of the Cheerios and writing in my journal. But you, you aren't Schuester. You don't have the bad perm, the cocky attitude. Your about as confident in yourself as one of those chess club kids is in trying to convince the entire football team that math will help them in life. The point is that you won't be nearly as fun for me. So expect nothing less of torment from me until you are gone from this school and I have my budget back." And with that she turned and stormed back down the hallway towards her office, leaving Kurt standing stock still in the middle of the hallway. It wasn't like he wasn't expecting sue to be sue, he just didn't expect to have her become his enemy so soon.
"Same old Sue Sylvester," he muttered to himself before turning around and heading the opposite direction of the cheerleading coach down the hallway back to his car. He'd head home and prepare for tomorrow, his first day back at William McKinley.