Come Hell Or Highwater
Kurt returns to the choir room after allowing himself ten minutes of crying in the bathroom, pinning an unaffected smile on his face, as if his dreams aren't cracking and crumbling to dust right before his eyes.
The room is occupied now, thirteen members of New Directions draped across the chairs and tables and Puck sitting on the piano, strumming his guitar in an old familiar rhythm while Rory plays the drums.
A small but genuine smile crosses Kurt's face as he realises what they're singing and a memory of long-ago times surges back, when they were young and restless and needing to unwind.
"Oh, why do I live this way?" Santana and Brittany ask of the room.
"Hey, must be the money!" Mike and Mercedes declare, grinning as they exchange a high-five.
"When did you learn to play the drums?" Kurt asks of Rory as he walks in and takes his seat next to Blaine.
"Finn Hudson taught me," Rory says proudly, pounding out a quick beat to show off just what he was taught. Sugar and Tina applaud and smile as Joe and Sam sing along with Puck.
"Boo, as long as you a thicky thicky thick girl you know that it's on, know that it's on!" the trio of men shout rather than sing in rhythm with the guitar strumming and drum pounding.
"So, when, Nelly, can we go?" Quinn asks, dancing around Puck.
"How could I tell her no?" Artie asks, raising his palms to the sky.
"Her measurements were 36-25-34!" Mike declares, throwing his arms up.
"Yellin' I like the way you brush your hair!" Tina shouts, pointing at Blaine.
"I like those stylish clothes you wear!" Brittany proclaims, pointing at Kurt.
"And I can see you movin' way over there!" Santana finishes, winking at Brittany.
"So, how does it feel to be moving to New York?" Mercedes asks, smiling at Kurt.
It's the question he knew was coming, yet it chokes him up to answer, "I wouldn't know, I…didn't get in."
"What?" Quinn asks, spinning round in shock. "How?"
"Okay, there must've been a mistake," Tina says. "Give me the letter, they must've sent it to you by accident." Kurt silently hands her the envelope and immediately her and Brittany are poring over each word, searching for mistakes or a name that isn't his.
"Did Rachel get in?" Mike asks, voicing the question that's clearly preying heavily on each of their minds.
"She did, she's off to New York in the fall," Kurt answers, squeezing his eyes shut briefly and breathing deeply to hold back the tears trying to surface.
There's a loud thud that makes each of them jump and whip their heads round as Puck slams his fist into the surface of the piano. "This is bullshit!" he shouts. "We all know you nailed your audition, we've seen the video."
"He's right, hon, you were freaking amazing and Tibideaux loved it," Mercedes agrees, squeezing Kurt's shoulder reassuringly. "There must have been a mistake."
"Rachel fucked up at her audition and then she fucking stalked Tibideaux andharassed her to come see us at Nationals," Santana says, her lip curling in distaste.
"So she's getting in on the strength of an audition she choked at and a few kind words from her ex," Puck adds, looking about ready to find Rachel and punch her in the jaw.
"This isn't fair!" Quinn shouts, her hands balling into fists. "You really deserved this, Kurt. God, can't you have just one second of happiness?"
"New York will still be there next year," Kurt states softly, looking down at the floor to avoid the rage and horror and sympathy on his friends' faces. "I'll audition again. It's not like I'm giving up my dream."
"Rachel gets everything!" Sugar shouts. "All the solos and the boyfriend and the college of her dreams and the place she always wanted to move to and the rest of us try not to get crushed by her big feet! She's a spoilt bitch!" Her eyes are wild as she adds, "Not Asperger's!"
"You guys, it's not fair to hate Rachel for something she couldn't control," Kurt tells them, even though he wants to join them in bitching and screaming because his dream was just a background noise to the goddess that is Rachel Berry all along.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she paid them off to admit her and keep you from stealing her precious spotlight," Santana says with a steely glare to the door, as if simply daring Rachel to walk in now.
"Santana, don't be bitchy," Kurt says warningly. "We're going to go back out there and be there for Rachel when she goes off to find her dream. I'm not giving mine up, I'm still going to New York no matter what."
"You're a good person, Kurt," Joe says and Kurt knows that that is high praise indeed, coming from the devout Christian of the group. They leave in collections, Tina and Brittany sadly handing back the unmistakably correct letter and Sam giving him a sympathetic little smile as he passes with an arm around Mercedes.
"You're not giving up," Blaine says, taking his hand. "We're getting you to New York in the fall, come hell or highwater."
"This way is better," Kurt murmurs. "I get another year here, with you. Can you honestly say you don't want me to stay?"
"Of course I want you to stay. I love you," Blaine answers. "But the only way this will work out in the long-term is if we listen to each other and I know how badly you want this. I'm going to send you off to New York."
"You're the best boyfriend ever," Kurt sighs. "I love you too." Blaine smiles at him and they exchange a kiss, clinging to each other as if it were their last.
"I'm gonna go knock some sense into that NYADA admissions board!" Puck declares loudly from the corridor, breaking the spell.
Kurt has to smile as they walk down the corridors, their red graduation gowns still fluttering behind Mike and Puck and Santana. He may not have his dream coming true, but he has faithful friends and a boyfriend who's proud of him, and at the end of the day that's really what he longed for at the beginning of high school.
And no matter what he says about staying or NYADA waiting, he will be on a train to New York within the next four months.
Whatever happens.
A little post-episode fic just to express my incandescent rage through the medium of New Directions. And Ride Wit Me remains in my list of top ten performances even after all this time, so there you go.
Hope you enjoyed, and if you like it enough to favourite please don't do so without reviewing.