"Mr. Shue, if I may," Kurt Hummel piped up from the front row. Most of the other students in the room rolled their eyes and sighed obnoxiously. It wasn't even the first time that day that he'd had something to say. Only a handful of classmates were attentive to what he had to say for the fifth time in the last forty five minutes.
"Yes, Kurt?" Mr. Shue answered slowly, nodding to him as he gathered his papers off the piano lid before the bell rang, indicating the end of class.
He didn't have to be asked twice, and gracefully pushed himself out of his seat. He whipped his burgundy plaid scarf around his neck, raising his plucked caramel eyebrows as he began. "Thank you, Mr. Shuester. Now, many of you know that I'm planning to perform in this year's Open Mike Night at our local Lima Bean. The winner takes home one hundred dollars cash and a certificate for free low-fat iced mocha Frappuccino's for a year. While it might not be a New York City worthy performance, a year's worth of scrumptious coffee is a matter not to be taken lightly."
Finn Hudson raised his hand from the back of the room. He slumped in his cheap plastic choir chair, propping his feet up on the seat in front of him. He didn't wait to be called on, and voiced his opinion before Kurt had a chance to finish. "Excuse me, but why does your solo involve us? No offense or anything, but I don't get why we need to know."
The apples of Kurt's cheeks blushed as he tried to continue. His pride meant that he didn't like to be interrupted, especially for a rude comment like that. "I'm getting to that, Mr. Hudson," he snapped, huffing out of his nose in frustration. "What I'm trying to tell you all, is that I need a duet partner. I haven't had much luck with finding a piece that collaborates with this year's theme."
"And what would that be?" asked Quinn Fabray politely, slightly cocking her perfect blonde head to the left in curiosity.
"Closets," he clarified for the class, most of which weren't listening very intently. "Keeping something hidden from the rest of the world, whether it be a secret, or a confession, or a passion you're too nervous to show. While it's proved to be a difficult thing to find a selection for, I finally placed my finger on the perfect piece. It might be kind of silly, and childish, but it's killer. Trust me."
Mike Chang lifted his hand in the air, and, unlike Finn and Quinn, waited patiently to be chosen. Kurt momentarily ignored him, and carried on. "Part of Your World, from the Little Mermaid. I know, it's normally a solo, but a copy I came across has it beautifully arranged for two voices. I'm using this opportunity to ask if any of you would be willing to accompany. Willing to cope with the loss of the hundred dollar prize for your help," he added, which attracted many more eyes.
"I'll do it," Mike offered immediately from the back. He smiled warmly, standing up out of his chair and shoving his hands in his hoodie.
His face red once more, Kurt ran his hands through his brunette locks. "Um, Mike," he stammered, warm eyes apologetic. "I don't really know how to put this…I appreciate it, I really do. But, well, you can't exactly sing."
Mike's face dropped as he sat back down. "Of course, no biggie," he mumbled, but Kurt's attention had already drawn away from him.
"I'd love to," called Rachel Berry, clapping her hands together. Kurt's expression lit up, obviously more pleased with this offer than the prior one.
"Perfect!" he grinned, making his way back to his chair. "I'll keep you informed on the practice schedule."
"I have a few ideas on things we could do with this duet," began Rachel, already making her own mark on the song before she'd even seen it. The bell rang outside the door, and the students hurriedly gathered their textbooks and bags and made their way to the exit.
Mike lingered behind, taking his time shoving his binder in his backpack. "Maybe next time," he told himself, running his finger over the names scratched on the cardboard backing of his notebook. "Just keep waiting, Mike, it'll happen soon." The skin of his thumb felt the MC and KH that had been etched in with the stub of a pencil months before. He sighed heavily, trying to believe the measurements he muttered under his breath. Everything in his backpack, he rubbed his wrist under his eye, and held his head high as he left the choir room.