"Okay guys, we've got time for one or two more songs before rehearsal is over. Request time!"
Instantly, the auditorium was filled with shouts and hands waving in the air. "Ooh ooh – me! Mr. C! Pick me!"
Darren grinned, stroking his chin as if deep in thought. "I don't know," he drawled. "Who to choose? Brianne, what do you want to sing?" he asked after a pause, gesturing to a small, but determined girl in the front row.
"Katy Perry! Let's sing Roar!" she exclaimed. Two girls sitting next to her began chattering excitedly while the boys seated in the back all groaned.
"No fair, Mr. C, we always sing girl songs!" Jay called from the other side of the room.
"Hey now, there's no such thing as girl songs or boy songs in here. Just good music, you know that, Jay," Darren admonished gently. "But what do you want to sing?"
"Let's do Mirrors by Justin Timberlake. His new album is tight," Jay suggested.
"Sounds like we need to take it to a vote – who wants Katy Perry?" Darren asked, smiling as just under half of the room raised their hands.
"And Justin Timberlake?" he continued, taking a quick count. "Well, Justin it is then." He rolled his eyes fondly as the room erupted in a chorus of cheers and boos. "Okay okay, settle down or we won't have time to do the song. And hey, no pouting - we'll do Katy Perry next time, I promise."
"Amber, will you solo for us this time?" Darren asked the shy girl sitting next to Brianne.
"Me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"No pressure, Amber, just the first few lines, okay?" Darren encouraged. He knew it was a big step to ask Amber to sing a solo without advance warning. But he couldn't help but want to push her, knowing how incredibly talented she was. So far, she'd mostly hung back during rehearsals and kept to herself rather than interacting with the other kids aside from quick greetings. It was clear that her soulful brown eyes held depths of pain, but Darren just knew that if the other kids heard her sing, they'd want to reach out and get to know her better.
It had certainly been the case for Darren. He remembered the first time he'd heard her sing at her audition like it was yesterday. Darren had been stunned speechless at the crystal clear, soulful voice that erupted from the tiny girl with the slumped shoulders who couldn't even make eye contact long enough to tell him her name. There'd been no question she belonged in his choir, and he'd made it his personal goal to get her to open up and hopefully have some fun along the way.
"Okay?" she squeaked, eyes wide.
"Awesome," Darren smiled encouragingly. "Jay and all my back row boys, you're on percussion, okay?" Darren directed, tapping out a basic rhythm on the piano lid that the boys soon echoed on the backs of the chairs in front of him.
"Alright Amber, up here with me," he said, gesturing for her to sit on the floor near the piano as he played the opening few notes. "Got it?" he whispered and she nodded in reply after a moment's hesitation.
"Ready, 1 – 2 – 3," Darren directed, nodding in Amber's direction as she began to sing.
Aren't you somethin' to admire?
'Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror
Darren let out a relieved breath as Amber began to sing, pitch perfect as always, taking a moment to glance out at the sea of wide eyed, open mouthed fifth graders. "Wow," Brianne murmured under her breath as Amber continued, and he knew he'd made the right decision in convincing her to take this afternoon's solo.
And I can't help but notice
You reflect in this heart of mine
Darren pointed out at the choir, gesturing for them to come in on the next line.
If you ever feel alone, they sang in unison, letting Amber finish the line.
And the glare makes me hard to find
Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side.
The auditorium erupted in voices and Darren began to pound eagerly on the piano keys.
'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go.
Put your hand on the glass, I'll be tryin' to pull you through
And then out of nowhere, Amber's voice, carrying effortlessly through the room as she sang the last line, the smallest hint of a smile on her lips.
You've got to be strong
Darren felt goosebumps break out across his arms at the gorgeous, completely spontaneous melody they were creating together.
'Cause I don't wanna lose you now
Staring right at the other half of me.
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space and now you're home
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
Darren stood up, hitting the chords even harder and nodding his head to the beat of his little drummers in the back of the room. The kids swayed their shoulders back and forth, acting out the lyrics with their hands. Their energy was infectious. Anytime Darren started to doubt his career path, as he did from time to time, wondering why he wasn't treading the boards on Broadway or playing dive bars with some band, he'd come back to these moments and remember: it was one thing to make his own music, but teaching kids to love music for the rest of their lives was even better.
It's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That we're making two reflections into one
'Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me
Darren continued to lead the choir, directing them to sing the last chorus a cappella, marveling at how effortlessly he commanded the room full of students. Their trust was a gift, hard won and much appreciated. It hadn't always been easy to earn their respect, and it had been even harder to get the students to respect one another and to come together as a team. But on days like today, seeing how far the kids had come in just a few short months, Darren knew that he was exactly where he belonged.
Darren broke into spontaneous applause as the kids held last note. "Wow, you guys killed it!" he exclaimed. "And let's hear it for our amazing soloist, Amber!" He gave her a high five, watching Amber blush as the rest of the choir clapped and cheered for her.
"Alright guys, time to pack up. Awesome job today," Darren said. "See you tomorrow." He walked back to the piano and begin to gather his sheet music, waving as several students shouted "Bye, Mr. C!" as they left.
Darren heard a knock at the door and looked up to see Rachel, the art teacher, standing in the doorway. "Hey Rach," he greeted her. "What's up?"
Rachel quickly joined him at the piano, looking around to ensure that no students were within earshot before speaking. "Did you hear about the big meeting tomorrow night?" she asked.
"Big meeting?" Darren asked. "I thought it was just another boring PTA meeting - you know I never go to those..."
"No, this is something completely different. They are bringing in some hotshot school district administrator. Jeremy said that administrator is a budget specialist of some kind?"
Darren's eyes narrowed slightly. "A budget specialist, huh?"
"Yeah, and you know that's always bad news for people like us. Art and music are usually the first things to get cut," Rachel replied, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Hey no, don't think like that," Darren reassured, patting her shoulder. "We're two of the most popular teachers at this school and our teaching evaluations have been flawless. We've got nothing to be worried about, okay?"
"I hope you're right," Rachel replied, still looking concerned.
"I usually am," Darren teased. "Besides, you know I can charm the pants off some uptight middle-aged lady with a clipboard if that's what it takes to keep the funding for our programs."
"Haha, true, that's one thing we do have on our side. You can be our charm offensive secret weapon," Rachel laughed. But in any event, we're all going to go tomorrow tonight to hear the proposal and make sure our subjects are being represented. You in?"
"Of course," Darren agreed easily.
"Excellent," Rachel smiled, already feeling a little less tense. "Alright, I better go clean up my classroom – last period was kindergartners and water colors, it's a bloodbath in there right now," she chuckled ruefully.
"Yikes," Darren winced, pulling a face. "I can only imagine. See you tomorrow night?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"Chris?"
Chris jumped a mile, looking up to see his secretary standing in the threshold to his office. "Jesus Ashley, you scared me!" he exclaimed. "I didn't realize you were still here."
"Sorry about that... I was just about to head out, actually, unless you need me to stay?"
"No, of course not. You should get home. It's late." Chris raised his arms above his head, stretching and twisting from side to side until the vertebrae in his spine popped.
"You should too," she chastised gently. "You must be exhausted."
"I will soon," Chris replied, sliding off his glasses and carefully wiping a smudge on the lens with his tie. "I just want to go over the proposal one more time before the meeting tomorrow."
"I'm glad you're planning to leave soon – you work too much as it is already," Ashley tutted disapprovingly. "Did you come up with a solution?"
"I – sort of? The long and short of it is that we need to cut two million from their operating budget to keep the school open. That didn't leave me with many options. So yes, I found a way to do it, but I'm afraid none of the teachers are going to be very happy with my proposal." Chris sighed heavily, running a hand through his already hopelessly mussed hair.
"Wow, two million? They're in the hole that bad?" Ashley winced. "I'm impressed you found a way to keep the school open at all... Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point, since you are obviously a miracle worker."
"I don't know about that..." Chris said modestly.
"Hush, you totally are. And I know you're stressed about how they're going to take the news, but at the end of the day, you are just doing your job. I'm sure they'll understand..."
"I hope so," Chris said, shaking his head, still not convinced.
"Do you want me to grab you anything else before I head out?" Ashley offered. "Another cup of coffee or something?"
"No thanks, I'm all set," Chris replied, pointing to the Diet Coke on his desk. "Have a good night and be safe getting home..."
"You too... Don't stay here all night, okay honey?" Ashley urged. She wound a multicolored scarf around her neck, buttoned up her coat, and exited Chris' office with a final wave.
The door to his office swung shut with a muted thump, leaving him alone with only his racing thoughts. Chris sighed heavily, massaging his throbbing temple with his fingers. It had been a long, difficult day and yet he knew tomorrow would be even harder. Chris didn't relish the part of his job that required him to be the bad guy, the one who made the tough calls and brutal cuts. Somehow, knowing that there was no other alternative provided little solace in times like these. So he clung to the ritual, pulling up his spreadsheets and deciding to check each of the numbers one last time. It never changed the outcome, but Chris did it time and time again nonetheless. That way, Chris would feel no qualms when it came time to give his speech: I'm sorry. I did everything I could. I tried, I honestly did, but there was simply no other option.
"Hey," Darren whispered, sliding past several teachers to sit down next to Rachel. "Thanks for saving me a seat. What did I miss?"
"Not much," Rachel whispered. "They were just introducing everyone and now the budget specialist is about to present the proposal.
"Which one's the budget specialist?" Darren asked, scanning the handful of people seated at the table at the front of the room.
"The one in the middle with the purple tie," Rachel gestured.
"Him?" Darren asked. "He is...not what I was expecting."
"I know, right?" Rachel replied. "He looks really young."
"...and hot," Darren supplied helpfully, taking in the man's long, lean body, flawless complexion, and artfully styled hair.
"I had a feeling you might say that," Rachel giggled. "He looks like your type."
"Hmm I don't know, I'm assuming that anyone who voluntarily chooses to be a budget specialist must be as dull as dirt," Darren mused.
"Touchè," Rachel whispered, winking at Darren.
"Okay, let's get started," the man up front called out. "My name is Chris Colfer, and I'm the School Budget Administrator for the New York City Department of Education. My goal here tonight is to present a proposal to deal with major deficits your school is currently experiencing. All I ask is that you hear me out before you rush to conclusions. This was simply the only option I could find that would allow us to reduce spending enough to offset the deficit while still keeping the school operational."
A murmur went through the crowd as Chris advanced to the next slide, showing a breakdown of the current deficits. He spoke, briefly explaining each term before clicking the small remote in his hand to show the amount of debt in that area. Quiet gasps were heard as he continued to outline the deficits in personnel payroll, operations, building maintenance, with six figure debts in each category.
"...when these numbers are added together," Chris continued to narrate, "the total deficit is two million dollars. Since there is nothing that can be done, at least in the short term, to increase revenue that substantially, the only way to keep P.S. 21 operational is to reduce the operations budget by two million dollars..."
Darren sat, slack-jawed as Chris showed graph after graph that all showed the same grim statistics. The school needed two million dollar almost immediately just to keep the lights on and the doors open. They were screwed; hopelessly, hopelessly screwed.
Rachel grabbed Darren's hand, squeezing it tight enough to be painful. He turned to her, mouth still open but stunned speechless. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, at a loss as to how to soothe his friend. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that their jobs were in danger now – everyone's jobs were.
"I hope you can appreciate that these decisions weren't made lightly, but the administration believes that we are doing what's in the best interests of the students and their families," Chris concluded. He put down the notecard with his prepared statement, finally daring to look at the distinctly unhappy looking crowd. He took a moment to simply breathe, removing his glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose before addressing the crowd once more. "Now we're going to open the floor for a few questions before the we conclude the meeting. Please raise your hand if you wish to speak and Ashley will bring you a microphone."
Almost immediately, a hand shot up. Chris waited while Ashley made her way to the young teacher dressed casually in faded jeans and an untucked button down shirt. "Hello," Chris greeted him warmly. "If you would, please start with your name and subject that you teach – I apologize that I'm still getting to know all of you."
"I'm Darren Criss and I teach Music," the young teacher replied, looking a bit annoyed.
"Nice to meet you, Darren. And your question?"
"I just wanted to ask you if you were aware of the impact an arts curriculum has on a student's educational success? Subjects other than math and science have meaning, you know," Darren spoke bluntly, his eyes boring into Chris' own. There was a quiet rumble of affirmation from all around Darren, with many teachers humming their agreement and even a few who clapped in response.
Chris' eyes went wide, doing his best not to let it show just how much Darren's biting response had flummoxed him. Needing a second to regain his composure, he reached for his water bottle, taking a long swig as he tried to come up with an appropriate response.
"Look, before I came here I used to teach English and Creative Writing so I'm well aware that subjects other than Math and Science have meaning. I have a lot of respect for what you do," Chris said at last, addressing Darren directly, wanting him to see the sincerity behind his words. "For what all of you do everyday," he continued, taking a moment to look at the whole room. "Cutting all electives and extracurricular activities was the only solution we could find to keep the school open and running. It was either do this or close the school and bus all the students to another school twenty miles away. I don't expect you to be happy about this decision, but please know that it's not personal."
Darren looked as if he had more he wanted to say, but the young woman he was sitting next to tugged at his sleeve and he sat down reluctantly. Chris' face was still flushed hot from the confrontation, but he made a mental note to try to speak to Darren one-on-one after the meeting and explain where he was coming from. He doubted it would change anything, but for some reason, it seemed important to try.
"Right," Chris began, relieved that his voice still sounded relatively calm and even, "any other questions?"
A middle aged woman raised her hand next. "Hi, I'm Brenda Davis, and I teach Computer Science. I'm hoping you can explain how you define electives? Aren't a certain number of elective courses part of the state curriculum requirement?"
Chris smiled encouragingly, grateful for a question he was prepared to answer. "That's a great question, Brenda. You're correct that there is a state requirement. Each student needs four quarters of an elective course per year. So we'll still expect teachers of non-core curriculum courses like art, music, dance, computer science, and similar subjects to teach one section of their subject for each grade level."
In the audience, Darren and Rachel let out simultaneous sighs of relief.
"That's good," Rachel whispered. "That means we still have jobs, right?"
"There will be some changes, however," Chris continued. "Any specialized or redundant electives will be eliminated. There will only be one class section per grade, which means you won't be able to have an advanced art or computer science class for fifth graders as well as a regular fifth grade section. We'll also be eliminating any course activities that require tryouts or auditions like dance team or physical education class specifically for varsity athletes or the school play section of drama."
"...or choir," Darren gasped, horrified. "Shit."
"Thank you for helping me clarify that, Brenda," Chris said. He took a second to glance at the sea of faces, noting a range of reactions, from relieved to stricken. Still aside from Darren's biting words, the whole meeting had gone more smoothly than Chris had dared to hope for. He'd been expecting a full-fledged riot, pitchforks and all. Clearly, he needed to quit while he was ahead. "Any last questions before we conclude tonight?" Chris prompted, hoping no one would take the bait. He slowly counted to five, grateful when no hands shot up.
"Well it looks like there are no more questions. Before I call a close to the meeting, I just want to take a moment to say that I really appreciate all of you coming tonight and hearing me out. I know this will be a difficult time of transition for P.S. 21, but I'm confident that with your help, we will do what needs to be done for the students to keep the school open and running. I'll be here for the next few months to oversee the changes and continue to pursue additional sources of revenue, so please feel free to stop by my office with any questions or feedback. I'll also be doing my best to observe classes and get to know each of you better. We've set out some refreshments in the back and I'll be sticking around to answer any additional questions you may have. Thank you again for your time," Chris concluded with a wan smile.
"Great job," Ashley said, leaning over to congratulate Chris as soon as he switched off his microphone.
"I don't know about that," Chris replied.
"No seriously, you did an amazing job. You thought they were going to hate you, and they don't."
"It's possible that it's just a quiet hatred, a low-key hatred," Chris chuckled. "But given the circumstances, I'll take it."
"Excellent, now do I get to take you out for celebratory shots?" Ashley pleaded.
"Ash, I've told you before – I'm just not the shots kind of guy, and I have to stay for at least another 30 minutes to mingle and answer questions," Chris sighed. "I'll totally do dinner this weekend though."
"I'm just trying to help, hon. You're so young and hot, but you have the life of an elderly shut-in. It's time to spice things up, don't you think?"
"I'm not that dull, am I?" Chris gasped.
"Uhh," Ashley stalled.
"Ouch... Okay, I need to go mingle with the teachers now, but starting tomorrow I promise to listen to you on matters related to my personal life," Chris agreed reluctantly.
"Can I get that in writing?" Ashley teased.
"I'm going to go talk to him," Darren practically growled. "If he thinks he can do this to me, to my kids, and get away with it, he's got another thing coming."
"Sweetie, let's think it through," Rachel warned, holding onto Darren's bicep as if he might sprint off and tackle Chris to the ground at any second. "Right now, you still have your job. Plus you already let him have it once tonight during the meeting. So maybe take some time, sleep on it overnight, and see how you feel in the morning, okay?" she encouraged.
"Rachel, I have to fight for my kids," Darren said, voice softening. "They've worked so hard and come so far, and they deserve better than this."
"So fight for your kids, Darren. I'm not saying you can't do that, but you need to fight smart, which is about having a compelling argument, not just emotion. It seems like this guy is all about money, so you've got to make a financial appeal."
"Yeah, maybe," Darren nodded, eyes distant and obviously lost in thought.
Rachel's eyes went wide as she watched Chris cross the room, headed straight for them. Before she had a chance to warn Darren, Chris was extending a hand in greeting.
"Hi, I'm Chris."
"Rachel Adams, she replied, giving Chris a nervous smile.
"What do you teach, Rachel?" Chris asked.
"Art."
"Oh I bet that's a lot of fun," he smiled encouragingly.
"It can be," she agreed. "Fun, but messy."
"I can only imagine," Chris chuckled. "So Rachel, I hope you don't mind if I steal your friend away for a second to talk?"
"Oh," she began, exchanging a worried glance with Darren. "No, of course not. He's all yours. I was just getting ready to head out, actually. See you tomorrow?" she asked Darren.
"Sounds good. Be safe getting home," Darren replied, totally calm and nonchalant.
"So..." Darren prompted once they were alone.
"So..." Chris echoed. "I feel like we got off on the wrong foot?"
"I don't know if it's possible to get off on the right foot with any of us when you're closing down half of the school activities," Darren replied evenly.
"That's quite possibly true," Chris said with a tight smile, hating how this guy seemed to have a particular knack for getting under his skin.
"So look, the thing is I run a choir here. A very successful, popular choir that brings a decent amount of money into the school. It only seems fair that you should come check us out before you make the final decision to shut us down, don't you think?" Darren asked coolly.
"I'd love to hear you guys sing, but it's not going to do anything to change my mind, I'm afraid," Chris said apologetically. "This is a business decision and has nothing to do with the artistic merits of what you do. There just isn't money in the budget for everything and I can't play favorites with some activities over others. I don't expect anyone to be happy about that, but hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from, Darren?"
"I guess?" Darren shrugged. "It's just hard for me, because I know the kids and I know how much being involved in this choir means to all of them, and I don't want to be the one to let them down. Can you understand that, Chris?"
"I do, Darren," Chris paused, gazing at Darren, wanting him to see the sincerity behind his words. "I really, really do, but you aren't the one letting them down."
"I am if I don't try everything possible to keep their choir alive." Darren rubbed at his temples, deciding to try taking Rachel's advice for a change. "So do you know how much money it would take to keep our choir up and running? Just out of curiosity?"
"I... not off the top of my head, no. I had to add in a lot of different factors when I calculated the total cost, though. It wasn't just the extra staff salaries for after-school activities and chaperoning events."
"I'd totally waive my salary for the choir," Darren interjected.
"I have to pay you a certain amount in order for you and the students to be covered on the school's liability insurance during those hours, though. Even still, there are other costs, like the increase in electricity bills to keep the lights and heat or air conditioning on during after-school hours and transportation to and from events, just to name a few," Chris explained, still searching for the right way to let Darren down gently.
"But let's say, just for the sake of argument, that you came up with a number and I raised enough to cover those costs for a set amount of time, like one quarterly grading period – would you be willing to let me keep the choir running, even just on a trial basis?" Darren continued, undeterred.
"If you raised the money to pay for everything yourself? Yeah, I don't see why not, at least hypothetically," he conceded. "But Darren, it's going to a larger number than what I think you are anticipating, okay? You aren't going to be able to raise this amount of money with bake sales and car washes."
"Look, you haven't seen us in action yet, so you have no idea what we're capable of. Those kids have earned a lot of support in this community. What does it hurt to give us a chance? Fourteen days to change your mind. That seems fair, right?" Darren smiled his most charming smile, silently counting to ten while Chris considered his proposal.
"Okay, I'll do it," Chris said at last. "With one big stipulation – I need you to keep our little deal quiet for now. Let's consider you a test case. If you're successful in raising the money, I'll give other teachers the option to do the same. If you fail, I go forward with my initial plan, agreed?"
"Deal," Darren all but cheered. "You won't regret this, Mr. Colfer." He extended a hand to shake with Chris.
"I hope not. And please call me Chris."
"Okay Chris, so when do we start?" Darren grinned, already running through possible songs they could sing that would blow him away.
"Well, it'll probably take a day to break down all the costs related to your choir and I'm assuming you'll need some time to calculate all your expenses as well."
"Mhmm," Darren hummed in affirmation, only half listening.
"So how's the day after tomorrow work for our first meeting?" Chris suggested.
"That sounds perfect. Is 3:30 good for you?"
"Yes," Chris nodded, pulling out his Blackberry and quickly adding it to his calendar.
"I'll be looking forward to it," Darren winked flirtatiously, waving as he excused himself.
Chris felt his cheeks flush hot as he watched Darren walk away, still not sure how he'd been talked into agreeing to his ludicrous plan. Darren was persistent, sure, but he'd encountered plenty of persistent teachers in his years on the job. Maybe Ashley was right and his many years living the life of an elderly shut-in had left him a little too susceptible to the charms of the first young, cute (albeit brash) guy he'd encountered in a long time. But at the end of the day, it was unlikely Darren would be able to succeed at raising such a large amount of money in two weeks. Chris just hoped he'd be able to let him down gently and maybe make a friend along the way.