A/N: Telephone serves as a pseudo-sequel to Heart of Glass. Kyle neither appears or is mentioned; he and the OC here, Dan, later appear in Not Another Not Another Facebook Fic. Like the first story, it's not very good (it was written in 2010), but it goes up nonetheless.
My name is Dan, Daniel Ross Milstead; I'm 16 years old and a junior at Carmel High School in Akron, Ohio. I'm in the Glee club there, Vocal Adrenaline, and we actually lost Regionals last year, especially after our 4-year consecutive win record, thanks to our rendition of Adam Lambert's "Sure Fire Winners", and our male lead, Jesse St. James, who screwed up on the guitar, and that damn New Directions over at McKinley and their Madonna and A*Teens. But now Ms. Corcoran's gone and adopted a kid, because Rachel Berry, New Directions' female lead, was her biological daughter and they didn't have much in common.
Right now, we're waiting for the new coach, and Jesse's still here, I have no idea how; he was a senior last year, so I had fun mocking him for the bad guitar solo.
"Hey, Jesse, how does it feel to lose to your semi-girlfriend?" I asked.
"Shut up, Dan, seriously, just shut the hell up," Jesse replied, leaning back in his chair. "You know it's not my fault."
"You know it's your fault, Jesse. You fucked up the guitar solo," I taunted.
"Dan, stop, it's not all his fault," Giselle, another member, cut in. "I mean, New Directions has that wheelchair rapper guy, that R&B chick who always belts out the last note, and the gay soprano kid."
I cleared my throat impatiently. "Sorry, Dan, we have the gay soprano kid too," Giselle pointed out.
I stood up. "Exactly; you know, everybody, since Jesse failed to infiltrate New Directions, I will do it and bring them down," I announced. "Who agrees?"
Everyone sans Jesse raised their hands. "Motion carried and granted," someone said. We all turned to see a tall man with cropped black hair. "I'm Dustin Goolsby," he said, walking down the aisle and plopping himself down at the speakers table. "I'm sure you all know I was coming, especially after Ms. Corcoran adopted and retired," he said.
"So can I go now?" I asked.
"Yes; now remember, Dan, do not let on you're from Vocal Adrenaline, understood?" Mr. Goolsby told me.
"Oh yeah, I'm a great actor," I replied, glad to have the honor.
"And please don't fuck up like Jesse did," Giselle added.
"Hey!" Jesse yelled.
The next morning, I walked into William McKinley High School, clutching my backpack and class schedule, trying to look nervous. "Hey, are you new?" I turned to see Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry holding hands.
"Yeah," I shook Finn's hand as he extended it. Rachel just crossed her arms and glared at me. "What? What did I do?" I asked, looking at Finn; he shrugged.
"I've seen you before," she said.
"No, you haven't," I said automatically.
"Yeah, at Regionals, you're from Vocal Adrenaline!" she countered.
"No, no, I'm not," I gulped. I backed away and hurried off down the hall, only to run directly into someone.
"Oh my God, I am so sorry," I said, bending down and picking up the books he dropped.
"You got latte on my new sweater," I looked up to see Kurt Hummel shaking. I picked up the fallen cup as well.
"Dude, I am so, so sorry," I handed him his books as I stood up. "I know exactly how it feels; just last week, I got hot coffee on my Banolo Malnik shoes," I explained.
"Were they new?" Kurt gasped.
"Indeed they were," I nodded solemnly. "I'll see you around, okay?" I then asked smoothly.
"Yeah," Kurt grinned. I shook his hand and walked to Spanish.
I walked into Room 250: Spanish with Mr. Schuester. I handed him my registration card and took a seat next to a tall blonde girl who I recognized as one of the New Directions kids. "Hi," I said.
"Hey," she replied. "Do you know how to get this pen to work?"
I took it and saw that it was one of those push-to-work pens. I pushed the button and handed it to her. "There you go," I said.
"Thanks. Hey, you look familiar," she said.
"Uh, do I?" I tried to sound casual.
"Yeah, you look like that guy from that TV show," she said.
I got this before. "Do you mean Simon Cowell?" I asked.
"Yeah, that guy from the singing show," she said.
"All righty then," I said before getting up and moving. "Hi again," I sat down next to Kurt.
"Hey," Kurt replied.
"I'm really sorry again about your sweater," I said, trying to make the mood platonic.
"It's okay; fortunately, I brought another. It was in case I got a Slushie," he said. "I was told about you, Rachel said you're from Vocal Adrenaline."
I froze for a second, and then said, "No, that's my identical twin brother, Don. I'm Dan. I'm the one without the talent. Here's a picture." I pulled out last year's team photo to show Kurt. "See," I pointed at myself, "that's Don. You can tell it's him because he has a mole on his left cheek." I have one on my left cheek, but I used makeup to cover it and Sharpied the other in last night.
"Hi, everybody," I walked into the choir room, after asking Kurt where it was. When I entered, I saw one frown, Rachel, and twelve expressionless faces. "I'm Dan Milstead, I just transferred here from Caravel High School," I said.
"Welcome to McKinley, Dan. Would you like to audition for the Glee club?" Mr. Schuester said, appearing out of nowhere.
"Sure, but I don't know if my song is available," I said.
"That depends on what it is," Mr. Schuester said.
"Well, okay," I whispered it into his ear. He nodded and mouthed to the pianist. I stood up straight and began to sing:
"I wanna kiss you
But if I do, then I might miss you, babe
It's complicated and stupid
Got my ass squeezed by sexy Cupid
Guess he wants to play, wants to play
A LoveGame, a LoveGame
Hold me and love me
Just wanna touch you for a minute
Baby, three seconds and soon my heart is in it
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don't think too much, just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's play a LoveGame, play a LoveGame
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Dans the LoveGame
Let's play a LoveGame, play a LoveGame
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Dans the LoveGame"
Everyone – sans Rachel – applauded and I bowed. "Well, everyone, looks like we got a new member!" Mr. Schuester announced. I smiled, and evilly grinned inside.
"Now, everybody, just because we won Regionals last year does not mean we're going to win Nationals this year, so we need a song that will astound the judges!" Rachel said. God, she's loud, I thought.
"But what song should we do?" Mercedes Jones asked.
"Yeah, I mean we did Madonna at Regionals, so shouldn't we do something more our generation?" Artie Abrams asked.
"Why don't we do Katy Perry?" Kurt asked. "Her songs talk about love and life and stuff."
"How about we do something more guy-oriented?" Noah 'Puck' Puckerman asked, to the nods of Finn Hudson and Sam Evans.
Kurt turned to them and said, "And what exactly is 'guy-oriented'?" I was already thinking, Man, Kurt's so cute, but I'm supposed to stay on top of these things. But that doesn't mean I can't like Kurt, does it?
"Why not a little bit of this?" I said. I stood up and began to sing:
"We are young, we are strong
We're not looking for where we belong
We're not cool, we are free
And we're not running with blood on our knees
"We could rule the world
On a silver platter
From the wrong to the right light
To an open stream
"With a crash and burn
We could make it better
Turn it upside down
Just you and me
We are the dream
No other way to be
"We are young, we are strong
We're not looking for where we belong
We're not cool, we are free
And we're not running with blood on our knees"
"And that's Mika," I said. Everyone applauded again.
"You're good, new boy," Santana stood up and walked towards me.
"Thanks, I guess," I said, with a shrug.
"I still think you're from Vocal Adrenaline," Rachel said, shooting me a dirty glare.
"Rachel, you can't just go around accusing people you don't know," Kurt said, coming to my defense.
I smiled at him and turned to Rachel, "You know, just because I'm from a different school in this state doesn't mean it's Carmel, okay? I know about you guys and Vocal Adrenaline and Aural Intensity and all that bullshit. I don't care; just don't accuse me of anything." I turned on my heel and walked out of the room.
Behind me, I heard Santana say, "Nice going, Rachel."
I was sitting alone in the cafeteria at lunch, listening to music when I was tapped on the shoulder. I spun around quickly to see Kurt standing there, holding his bookbag.
"Hey, can I sit with you?" he asked.
"Sure, okay, yeah, come on, sit down." I waved my hand.
"Don't worry about Rachel, she's all talk, usually no one listens," he explained.
I sighed loudly. "It's okay; I get that a lot. I mean, moving from school to school usually ends up with me being mistaken for someone else."
"You'll fit in soon enough, I did," Kurt replied, with a small smile.
"Hey, homo," a sneering voice said. I looked up to see two varsity-jacket-wearing jocks, one of which grabbed Kurt's collar.
"Leave him alone," I said.
"What are you, his boyfriend?" One of them asked.
"No, just leave him alone," I said, standing up to face the Neanderthals.
"And if we don't?" The other snarled.
"Then I may have to take physical action," I replied, removing my jacket.
The jocks released Kurt and stood over me, their fists flexing.
"Go ahead, I dare you to hit me," I challenged.
The jocks looked at me for a minute, and then stalked off.
"Wow, no one's ever stood up to them like that," Kurt said.
"It's cool, I dealt with enough asshole jocks in my life, I never want to see anyone else being shit on like that," I replied.
After school, I got into my Volvo and drove to Carmel to report back. When I walked into the gym, Vocal Adrenaline just finished rehearsing something, so I sat back and waited.
"Hey, Dan," Tara Miller came over to me while drinking a Blue Horse.
"Hey, Tara, what were you guys doing?" I asked.
"Dakota just choreographed Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" for our Sectionals," she replied.
"Awesome, can we get everyone together? I've got a day to tell," I said.
Five minutes later, I had everyone, except Mr. Goolsby, crowded around me and I was telling them what happened.
"Jesse's ex, she's figured me out," I reported.
"Are you sure?" Giselle asked.
"She immediately accused me of being from here," I said. "I mean, she just saw me and pointed me out on the spot."
On that note, Mr. Goolsby walked in, followed by a small girl; the girl looked about 15 or 16, she was really small, like petite small.
"Everyone, this is Sunshine Corazon, our newest member," Mr. Goolsby announced. "I just collected her from McKinley, apparently one of their Glee kids sent her to a crack house."
"I know only one person who would do something like that," Jesse remarked. I nodded.
"She would've made my life a living hell," Sunshine replied.
"Well, one more weapon for us," I said, with a smirk.
"Dan, did you do it?" Mr. Goolsby asked.
"I'm in," I said.
"What's going on?" Sunshine asked.
"Dan is infiltrating those New Directions," Mr. Goolsby explained.
"They were nice, except for Rachel," Sunshine said.
That night, I was working the night shift at the FastStop when Kurt walked in; I was behind my favorite Vogue, complete with Marion Cotillard's cover.
"Hello?" he asked. I put down the magazine, surprised.
"Oh, hey, Kurt," I said.
"Hey, Dan," he replied shyly. "That's my favorite Vogue," he said, pointing to the magazine.
"Mine too. You need anything?" I asked, walking around the counter towards him.
"Well, I was actually about to call you and see if you wanted to hang out tonight," he replied with a small smile.
I stepped towards him and kissed him; I've been waiting all day to do this.
"Wow," he said, blushing.
"Yeah, wow," I said, taking his hand. I led him into the back room and took his hands. He looked at me in confusion and I just kissed him again.
"Do you like me, Dan?" he asked.
"I do, Kurt. I really, really do," I replied. I really did. My phone then rang. "Damn it, why don't you just ruin the fucking moment?" I grumbled, running to grab it. "Hello?"
"Dan?" It was Jesse.
"J, what is it? I am not in the mood right now," I snapped.
"Where are you? I need to talk you in person right now," he said; he sounded tired.
"Can't it wait?" I asked.
"No, it can't," he said.
"Fine, I'll meet you at your place in ten, okay?" I said.
"Okay," he said.
"I'm really sorry, Kurt, but I gotta go," I said, going into the back room again and taking his hand.
"It's okay, see you tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I nodded and kissed him again.
After Kurt left, I opened the bathroom door, only to find my co-worker, Tommy, making out with his girlfriend, Leslie.
"Goddamn it, Tommy, get your ass behind that counter. I gotta split," I said.
"Screw you, man. I'm about to come," he said harshly.
I grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of the bathroom. "I don't give a shit, just go do it; I fucking have to go," I said.
"Fine, you owe me big for this," he muttered.
"I don't owe you jack shit, just go," I said, before grabbing my jacket and running out the back door.
When I pulled into Jesse's driveway, he was standing there with Giselle and Andrea Cohen, our female lead with Crohn's disease. I got out of the car and stood there.
"Okay, what?" I asked. "I already get paid less than minimum wage. You want me to get fired?"
"Dan, this is serious," Giselle said.
"What's so serious that you pull me from my job?" I demanded.
"We're calling an intervention for you," Andrea said.
"Why? What did I do?" I asked.
"Jesse saw you making out with that gay McKinley kid," Andrea said.
"And your point is?" I demanded.
"In short, you're pulling a Jesse," Giselle remarked.
"Why make this about me?" Jesse asked, looking confused.
Giselle rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Look, Dan, you can't fuck this up like he did," she said disgustedly, nodding towards Jesse.
"I know what I'm doing, thanks," I snapped. I hate being criticized, if not more so than anyone else. "Now I gotta go back to work. We'll fight about this tomorrow."
"Fuck," I muttered, driving back to work. I turned on the radio, only to hear the song I hate the most: Dustin Schreiber's 'Yeah'. "Great, the radio hates me too," I grumbled, turning to a CD. I pulled into the FastStop's parking lot, only to see police cars everywhere. "Shit, what did Tommy do?" I asked myself. I got out of the car and walked inside to find Tommy and Leslie in handcuffs.
"Young man, do you work here?" a cop asked me.
"Does the badge say anything?" I replied testily, fingering my badge.
"Okay. Is he your friend?" the cop asked, motioning to Tommy.
"Unfortunately," I remarked irritably. "Why? What'd he do?"
"He and his girlfriend committed public indecency by having intercourse on the counter," the cop explained.
"Idiot," I muttered, before walking over to Tommy and smacking him upside the head. "Dude, seriously? Screwing Leslie on the counter? What kind of fucking idiot are you?"
"Up yours, Dan; we were having a great time until some bitch called the cops," Tommy retorted.
"You're a fucking idiot, Tommy, do you hear me? You're a fucking idiot," I snapped. "I am not bailing you out this time."
I walked out of the store, went back to my car, and called Kurt. "Hey, Kurt, you said you wanted to hang out?" I asked once he picked up.
"Yeah," he said; I could hear his voice rise a little.
"I'll meet you at Stan's in five," I offered.
"Sure," he said.
"Okay, see you then," I said and hung up.
I walked into Stan's Restaurant and saw Kurt in the back. I smiled, waved to him, and walked over.
"Hey, Dan," he said, shaking my hand as I sat down.
"'Sup, Kurt?" I replied.
"So what happened? Why'd you go?" he asked.
"Some family crap is all, don't worry about it," I explained. "Wanna go out Friday? I got tickets to Rent."
"Sure," he said, blushing.
"Excellent," I smiled.
The next day, I was walking down the hall when I saw something I never thought I'd see: a teacher and a student making out. I gaped as I crept closer to the janitor's closet where I discovered the identities of the perpetrators. I covered my mouth and ran to the choir room. Kurt and Mercedes were talking when I ran in.
"When's practice?" I asked, trying to lighten my mood.
"Mr. Schue's gone off somewhere, we don't know where he is," Mercedes replied.
"He said he had a solo for you and me we can rehearse, Dan," Kurt said. "I'm surprised Rachel isn't here to try and fight me for it right now too."
At that moment, Rachel walked in. "I heard something about a solo," she said. God, she's like a dog; comes running when she hears "solo". I also noticed that her dress was slightly off-kilter.
"All right, guys," Mr. Schue came in a few minutes later. I sat down and put my arm around Kurt. He smiled and held my hand. "I found something for Kurt and Dan to sing that just might be good at Sectionals."
"Wait, so no solo for me?" Rachel demanded. Everyone groaned.
"Rachel, you get every solo at every competition. Lighten up and give someone else a chance," Artie said.
Rachel crossed her arms and glared at me, as if it was my fault.
"Anyway, guys, you wanna try it?" Mr. Schue asked. I looked at Kurt, who nodded.
"Kiss me too fiercely
Hold me too tight
I need help believing
You're with me tonight
My wildest dreamings
Could not foresee
Lying beside me
With you wanting me
And just for this moment
As long as you're mine
I've lost all resistance
And cross a borderline
And if it turns out
It's over too fast
I'll make every last moment last
As long as you're mine," I sang.
"Maybe I'm brainless
Maybe I'm wise
You've got me seeing through different eyes
Somehow I've fallen
Under your spell
And somehow one feeling
Is so bad I found
That every moment
As long as you're mine
I wake up my body
And make up for lost time
Say there's no future
For us as a pair
And now, I may know
I don't care," Kurt sang, looking at me with shiny eyes.
"Just for this moment
As long as you're mine
Come be how you want to
And see how bright we shine
Borrow the moonlight
Until it is through
And I will be here, holding you
As long as you're mine!" we finished together and everyone applauded.
"You have a great voice, Dan," Kurt said as we walked across the cafeteria. "And don't worry about Rachel; she's just too conceited for her own good."
Feeling slightly less irritable, I smiled and sat down next to Kurt. "Well, I know how that goes, so I'm okay with it," I replied; I leaned over and placed my hand on Kurt's leg. He took my hand and kissed me.
"Oh, God, look at the fags," a tall guy with a mullet walked by with his blonde girlfriend. As the blonde giggled, I got up ready to punch the guy, but Kurt pulled me down.
"Don't worry about him. That's Scott Cooper, he thinks he's hot shit just because he's captain of the hockey team," Kurt explained. I sat down, feeling as if I wanted to hit someone.
"How many assholes can one school contain?" I asked Kurt with a sigh.
"I don't know, sometimes I wish I could just transfer," he said, looking wary.
"We can get out of here together," I suggested.
"Where would we go?" Kurt asked.
"Well, there's a school in New York that's made for kids like us," I explained. "It's called The Franklin-Jenkins Institute, it's in downtown. It's meant for LGBT students, it has zero tolerance for harassment, and they've got what I heard is a kick-ass Glee club."
"As awesome as that sounds, I don't think I can just leave here," Kurt replied.
"It's your decision and I'll stick by you every step of the way," I told him.
Later, I got a call from Jesse while at work...again.
"Dude, I work. What do you do with your luxurious time?" I asked sarcastically.
"I heard a rumor that you're planning to run off to New York with the Hummel kid," Jesse replied.
"And where'd you hear that?" I hung my head, feeling tired.
"A little bird told me," he said in that sickeningly smug way of his.
"Don't give that 'little bird' shit and tell me who told you," I snapped.
"You know her," was his mere response.
"Rachel?" I queried, although I was sure of it.
"Yeah, she's onto us, man," Jesse said knowingly.
"You think?" I was sick of his stupidity.
"So, what're you gonna do?" he asked.
"Well, honestly, dude, I don't know, but what I do know for sure, I ain't coming back to Vocal Adrenaline," I replied.
"What?" he sounded taken aback.
"That's right, buddy, I'm not coming back, tell Mr. Goolsby and everyone else that you can all suck it, 'cause I'm not, repeat not, coming back," I said.
"What about everything you said about bringing them down?" he asked.
"That was before I realized love and acceptance, yada, yada, yada," I replied testily, just to shut him up.
"You're such a pussy, Dan," Jesse said.
"And you're a fucking prick, Jesse," I snapped, before hanging up.
I rolled my eyes and went outside to fill gas.
After I got off work, I called Kurt and told him to meet me at Stan's. When he arrived, I embraced him and sat him down.
"Kurt, I need to tell you the truth," I began.
"What is it, Dan?" he looked slightly upset.
"I lied to you, to everyone," I said.
"How?" he looked curious.
"I am from Carmel, I was a member of Vocal Adrenaline, and I came to McKinley to infiltrate the Glee club," I explained, tears rimming my eyes.
"So you have connections to Jesse St. James?" Kurt asked, his voice rising.
"Yes, well, actually, I never liked him, he's an asshole, but still," I said. "But, Kurt, unlike that twat, I have real feelings for you, and I meant that I would run off to New York with you."
"I don't know what to say to you anymore, Dan," he said. "I have to go." He left the restaurant without a word.
I hit my head on the table in response.
"Wow," a voice behind me snickered. I recognized the voice.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
"You got dumped by the biggest fag in school," the voice sneered.
"Shut up, just shut the fuck up," I muttered, rubbing my head.
"What'd you say?" Scott Cooper walked around and stuck his face in mine.
"I said, shut the fuck up, and get out of my way," I retorted, pushing him out of the way as I got up. He grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.
"Say that to my face," he snarled.
"I thought I already did," I replied, trying to keep a straight face. That mullet he had made me think he was some kind of hick the first time I saw him, now I felt like saying that to his face.
"What's so funny?" he snapped.
"That mullet is hilarious," I said, letting out a laugh. "You look like a fucking hick."
"You little son of a...," he started to say before he was interrupted.
"Hey, you damn kids, take your shit outside," a waiter yelled.
I walked outside and faced Cooper.
"Well, you gonna hit me?" I asked tonelessly.
"What?" he looked surprised, which on him looked stupid.
I rolled my eyes and repeated slowly, "I said, you gonna hit me?"
"You want me to?" he asked.
I sighed, closed my eyes, and braced myself for the fight.
"What are you doing?" Cooper asked.
I opened my eyes and looked at him as if he should know this. "Dude, you're supposed to hit me. That's how these things work." He just stared blankly at me. I sighed heavily and walked away.
When I walked back into Stan's, I saw Kurt standing at the counter, talking to one of the waiters. The waiter pointed to me and Kurt walked over to me, tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Dan, for walking out," he said. "It's just that seeing what Jesse did to Rachel made me think you were the same."
"I'm not, I'm nothing like the rest of them," I replied, taking his hand. "I used to be, but not anymore. Kurt, listen to me, I love you. Besides, I told Jesse and everyone else that they can all suck it 'cause I'm never going back."
Kurt smiled and embraced me.
The next morning, I walked into the choir room. Everyone was talking but stopped abruptly and looked at me when I entered. I stopped short and looked back at them.
"What?" I asked.
"As much as it pains me to say this, Rachel was right," Santana said.
"Rachel was right about what?" I asked testily, despite already knowing it.
"Everything," Artie put in.
"All right, fine, so I lied. How many of you have lied in here, huh?" I challenged. I sat down at the piano and faced them.
"You were just gonna spy on us, then go back to Vocal Adrenaline, weren't you?" Tina asked.
"That was the original plan, yes," I replied. "But I decided to stay; I like you guys, and yes, including Rachel, despite how irritating she is. And I love Kurt."
"How do we know you're not screwing with us?" Sam asked and everyone nodded.
"Listen to these voicemails," I opened my phone and pressed 'Speaker'. The angry voices of Jesse, Giselle, and other VA members spilled out.
"Dan, they're just gonna fuck you over, why fuck us over?" Jesse demanded from inside the phone.
"Dan, you're just gonna walk out on us? Is that it?" Giselle accused.
"Why are you doing this, Dan? Is this because you never got a solo?" Tara asked. I rolled my eyes at this one.
"Did she try to send you to a crack house?" Sunshine asked. Rachel looked disturbed by the voice and sunk in her chair.
"Is that enough to prove it?" I asked, snapping my phone shut.
"What's going on, everybody?" Mr. Schuester walked in at that moment.
"So it turns out Dan pulled a Jesse, but he's really with us," Mercedes explained.
"That's about the size of it," I remarked, with a grin.
"Well, I think it's time to start working on our Sectionals set list," Rachel clapped her hands and stood up.
"Not so fast," I said. "I saw something a few days ago that I think should be at everyone's attention. I saw two certain people doing some very intimate things in the janitor's closet." I looked up and saw that I had everyone's closest attention. I dug into my research and had learned that the teacher I had assumed had done something didn't do anything, but I discovered the real perp and it revolted me. "Now, I don't mean to ruin the dynamic here, but I just thought that the secret lives of Rachel Berry and..."
Rachel stepped in front of me before I could finish the sentence.
"Don't listen to him, he's talking nonsense!" she said.
"You want to tell them? Or should I?" I asked.
"Who is it?" everyone seemed to ask at once.
"A certain someone I hated since the day I met him," I said, drawing it out.
"All right, fine! I was making out with Puck," she said.
"Liar; I didn't do shit," Puck stood up.
"I know you didn't. Calm down," I replied, waving him down. "It wasn't Puck."
At that moment, a bastard walked into the room and everyone looked disgusted.
"What'd I miss?" Jesse asked.
"What the hell, Rach? Why did you kiss him again?" Finn asked.
"I thought you two broke up 'cause he's an asshole," Mercedes put in.
"No, it wasn't Jesse either, though it would've made more sense," I said. "What are you doing here anyway?" I asked him.
Giselle, Tara, Sunshine, and Michael Riccio walked into the room behind him.
"Why are all of you here?" I demanded.
"We're taking you back," Giselle explained. "And we're taking you back whether you like it or not."
"You'll go through all of us to take him back," Sam said, standing in front of me. Everyone followed suit.
"Fine, be with these losers. We're gonna kick your ass at Nationals," Giselle sneered before turning and leaving, Tara, Sunshine, and Michael right behind her.
"Okay, now we have to know, who was Rachel making out with in the janitor's closet?" Santana asked.
"Oh, it was Karofsky," I said, before walking out of the room.
"Now that's bad," I heard Artie say.
As I drove home, I was accosted by Jesse's SUV. I pulled off to the side, got out, and walked over to Jesse's window. He rolled it down and looked at me.
"Why are you following me?" I demanded.
"I'm going home," he replied innocently.
"Your house is the other way," I pointed to the opposite side of town.
"I'm taking a shortcut," he looked so damn smug.
"Jesse, go home before I punch you," I threatened. I meant it too; I've known Jesse for three years and for those three years, he's been so goddamn arrogant and selfish, I wanted to punch him so many times.
Jesse got out of his car and stood in front of me. "Go ahead, punch me," he challenged.
"Okay," I retorted and punched him in the face. He staggered backwards and looked at me, surprised. "You don't know how many times I've wanted to do that," I said, shaking my hand, which was sore. "Now go away, leave me and the New Directions kids alone, or I'll break your fucking face next time." He looked scared as he scrambled into his car and sped away.
I drove to Kurt's and honked. He came running out of his house and jumped in.
"Hey, Dan, why are your knuckles red?" he asked as he put his hand on mine.
"I punched Jesse in the face," I explained. "He was following me and being his typical dick self, so I punched him."
"Are you okay?" he said quietly, putting his arm around me.
"I'm fine, it was nice to finally get it out of my system," I replied.
Kurt kissed me and we went to the movies.
As Kurt and I watched Cabaret and Sally Bowles sang "Maybe This Time", he leaned on my shoulder and I put my hand on his.
"I love Liza Minnelli," I remarked as we left the theater.
"She is the best; well, second to Barbra; anyway, I was thinking we should do 'Cabaret' or 'Tomorrow Belongs to Me' at Sectionals," Kurt said excitedly.
"I think you should sing it," I said, squeezing his hand.
"Well, Sectionals is next week," he said. "I'll mention it in Glee club tomorrow."
"No," Rachel said the next morning in Glee when Kurt said he wanted to do Liza at Sectionals. Everyone groaned.
"Rachel, stop," Mr. Schue said. "It's obvious that everyone's tired of your attempts to run this club, and honestly, so am I. You can't keep bossing everyone around like this."
"I hate to be the one to say it, Rachel, but Mr. Schue's right," Finn said.
"So you're all turning against me?" Rachel asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Rachel…," Mr. Schue started to say, but Rachel ran out of the room.
"I'll go talk to her," I sighed.
"Why do we go through this every week?" Santana asked out of the blue.
"Rachel," I walked over to her in the gym. She was sitting in a corner of the bleachers.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"No one's turning against you," I explained. "They're just tired of your bossiness. I haven't been here very long, but even I agree."
"Did Jesse tell you anything about me?" she asked.
"He told us he really did love you," I replied, which was true. Last year, after he and the others went and egged her, he came back and told the rest of us that he had loved her.
"Really?" she looked at me.
"Yeah, he said his hopes were dashed after the 'Run Joey Run' thing," I continued.
"But he came back and helped me find my mom," she said.
"That was because Shelby sent him for that," I explained. "But stay here with New Directions; they're a hell of a lot more accepting than Vocal Adrenaline, I can promise you that. That's partially why I'm not going back."
"What's the other reason?" she asked.
"Because I love Kurt like no one else I've ever known," I replied. "And I truly hope you find someone, Rachel, someone who can stand your insanity."
She sniffed and looked at me. "Thanks, Dan," she said.
"No problem," I smiled.
Later that day, I stood and watched as New Directions couples left together: Finn and Rachel, Quinn and Sam, Puck and Lauren, Brittany and Santana, Mike and Tina, Mercedes and Artie. I turned to face Kurt, who pulled me in for a kiss and I obliged, but I had something on my mind.
"Dan, what's wrong?" Kurt asked.
"Seeing those couples reminds me of my past," I replied.
"What happened?" Kurt sat down and squeezed my hand.
"I've never told anyone this before," I sighed. "We said we'd never mention it, but I can't hide anything from you."
"You can tell me, Dan. I'm not gonna judge you," he promised.
"I used to be in a relationship with someone and it shames me to admit who," I tried to stall the truth.
"Who was it?" Kurt pressed.
I took a deep breath. "Jesse."
"Wait, what?" he looked surprised.
"Yes, I used to date Jesse St. James; in fact, what happened between us made me hate him even more," I explained.
"Can I ask what happened?" he looked at me.
"Three years ago, when I transferred to Carmel, Jesse was the first person I met. He was so sweet to me; yes, unbelievable as it is, it's true; anyway, within a month, we were dating. Problems started arising about three months into the relationship: he was becoming clingy and obsessive, and I was getting busier with all the volunteering I was doing, I know I come off as a douche and a really selfish person, but I'm not, but he just wouldn't back off, so I broke up with him three months later. Breaking up with him only fueled his obsession with me. He began stalking me and trying to get me to get back with him. In the end, about two months later, I filed a restraining order and he couldn't come within fifty feet of me, which made me have to give up Vocal Adrenaline at the time; this was like a year and a half ago. He backed off and apologized; I accepted it and we promised each other never to mention it again. And it's been that way ever since."
"Wow," Kurt said.
"Yeah," I replied. "It's been pretty shitty; but now, well up until about two weeks ago, we were cool. Then when I offered to spy on you guys and fell in love with you, he's been on me; thankfully, he hasn't mentioned us, but he sure as hell rubs it in. That's why I punched him yesterday, he just got on my last nerve; I can only stand so much."
"Well, no matter what happens, I love you, Dan," Kurt put his arm around me as I sat down.
"Thanks, Kurt. I love you too," I said, smiling.
"Hey, Dan," Jesse walked into the FastStop that night; I was resting my eyes.
"What do you want?" I asked bitterly, not opening my eyes.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a douche," he said. I raised my head and opened my eyes to see him holding a bouquet. He'd pulled this the first time he apologized and it wasn't working now.
"Jesse, stop. Just stop. You pulled this once, I believed you. Why should I believe you now?" I snapped.
"You should believe me because you did once," he replied.
"That makes no sense," I said, "just because I believed you before means nothing now. I know we promised never to mention us again, but it comes out now." He looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes. "Don't you dare start; you just listen to me for once. I admit that we went out, but then you became clingy and obsessive, you admit that; I broke up with you and you stalked me until I put a restraining order on your ass; then you apologized and I accepted it. Obviously, it made no difference. You're still a judgmental, obnoxious asshole, and I don't care about you anymore. Don't you get it? I want nothing more to do with you."
He looked down, then back at me. I nodded and put my head back down on the chair.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, for me and for everything I've done," Jesse said. He took my hand and pecked me on the cheek. I yanked my hand away from his. "I love you, Dan. I always will." He left the bouquet on my lap and left. I sighed.
A few minutes later, Kurt walked in; I was putting the bouquet in a vase.
"Hey," he said, walking up to the counter.
"Hey, Kurt," I smiled.
"Where'd you get the flowers?" he asked.
"My douchebag ex-boyfriend," I replied.
"And you're keeping them?" he looked confused.
"Yeah, they're nice; he may be a jerk, but he knows how to make me smile," I said.
"Do you still love him?" Kurt looked at me.
"No. I did, but not anymore. I love you, Kurt, and no one else," I put my arm around him and kissed him. "You don't have to worry about Jesse. I told him, and I meant it, that I want nothing more to do with him."
"I love you too, Dan," he rested his head on my shoulder and I stroked his hair.
The next day, I walked into the music room to see no one there. I walked to the auditorium and found Kurt and Rachel standing onstage and everyone else sitting in the audience. The moment I sat down next to Finn, Kurt pointed at me and smiled.
"Everyone, I'd like to say that Dan has made me feel like love exists," he said.
"And despite my accusations, albeit true, I want to apologize, Dan," Rachel said. "You've become one of us and I shouldn't have been such a bitch. So I'm sorry."
Finn leaned over and said, "Coming from Rachel, that's like winning an Oscar."
"Thanks, you guys," I grinned; I could feel tears of happiness ready to fall.
"Join us onstage," Kurt urged. I got up and walked onto the stage; I stood between Kurt and Rachel; Kurt turned to me and began to sing:
"Why do birds suddenly appear?
Every time you are near
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Why do stars fall down from the sky?
Every time you walk by
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair
Golden starlight in your eyes of blue
That is why all the guys in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you"
I let loose the tears and hugged Kurt. No one had ever sung to me before and it felt amazing. Everyone applauded as we kissed.
"Thank you, Kurt," I whispered.
"I love you, Dan," he replied.
"I love you too," I said.
"Okay, everyone, I hate to break the mood but we really have to practice for Sectionals, it's next week," Mr. Schue stood up.
"He's right," I said, wiping my eyes. "Anyone got any ideas?"
"Kurt and Dan should duet," Mercedes said to murmurs of agreement.
"And we should let someone who never gets to sing solo," Artie added.
"I got it!" I said. "Madonna's 'Burning Up'! But who should sing it?"
"I'll do it," Tina stepped forward.
"Done, Tina sings Madonna," Mr. Schue said.
"What should Kurt and I duet on?" I asked.
"I have the perfect idea," Rachel smiled.
A week later, I was standing backstage at Sectionals, Kurt next to me.
"Oh my God, I'm so nervous," I said, wiping my forehead.
"Didn't you perform with Vocal Adrenaline?" Kurt asked, squeezing my hand.
"Yeah, but I never got a solo," I replied.
"We'll make it through this and we'll win," he promised.
"And we're performing the worst song ever composed," I added. "Damn Rachel for this. This song was her idea; I'll be sure to get her back with something even worse."
"Don't start a fight with Rachel, you won't win," Kurt said. I grinned and kissed him.
"And now, from William McKinley High in Lima, the New Directions," the announcer said. Kurt nodded to me, and I stepped out to sing:
"Spring was never waiting for us, dear
It ran one step ahead
As we followed in the dance"
Kurt stepped out for the next verse:
"MacArthur Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh no"
We ran up onstage and began to belt it out:
"I recall the yellow cotton dress
Forming like a wave
On the ground beneath your knees
Birds like tender babies in your hand
And the old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees
MacArthur Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh no"
As we finished the song, I embraced Kurt and we ran offstage. The curtain opened and Tina began to sing:
"Don't put me off 'cause I'm on fire
And I can't quench my desire
Don't you know I'm burning up for your love?
You're not convinced that that is enough
I put myself in this position
And I dissolve the imposition
That you don't even know I'm alive
And this crowning in my heart just won't die
I'm burning up
I'm burning up, burning up for your love
I'm burning up, burning up for your love
I'm burning up, burning up for your love
For your love"
As Tina continued to sing, we sang chorus and swayed along. The song ended and the audience cheered. We convened backstage and hugged.
"We're gonna win, I know it, you guys," I said. I never felt so happy.
The judges – Elaine Stritch, Barbara Walsh, and Patti LuPone – came out onstage to thunderous applause. Us, the Dalton Academy Warblers, and the Western Township Hipsters stood and waited while Patti read the results.
"And first place in the 2011 Midwest Show Choir Sectionals Competition goes to...the New Directions!"
We screamed with joy as the audience cheered and I kissed Kurt right there, causing the cheers to cease.
"What? You people never saw two guys kiss?" I demanded. They stared at me, looking repulsed. I sighed heavily and held out my hand for the microphone. "Miss LuPone, if you please." She handed me the mic and I walked out to the head of the stage. "This is what the world's come to, huh? Every time two girls kiss, everyone thinks it's so hot, but any time two guys share a kiss, the whole world stops and stares like it's the next fucking war. I'm gonna change that. Kurt," I called, "come here, hon." He hurried over to me and took my hand. "Looks like we're gonna have to teach the world a lesson.
"I'm walkin' through life in nature's disguise, yeah
You laugh at me and you criticize
'Cause I'm happy, carefree, and gay, yes, I'm gay
Ain't no fault, it's a fact, I was born this way, yeah
Now I won't judge you, don't you judge me
We are the way nature meant us to be
"I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay
I was born this way
I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay
I was born this way
I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay
I was born this way
I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay"
Kurt joined in:
"You call me strange 'cause you don't understand, no
Pave the road for me, life's offered our plan, yeah
I have learned to hold my head up high
Not in scorn nor disgrace
You bring in me individually
Try and whip this human race
Now I won't judge you, don't you judge me
We are the way nature meant us to be"
Everyone onstage came together – Warblers, Hipsters, New Directions, and celebrity judges:
"I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay
I was born this way
I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay
I was born this way
I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay
I was born this way
I'm happy, I'm carefree, and I'm gay."
Finishing the song, I saw someone in the crowd stand up and start clapping. I looked closely and realized it was Jesse. I smiled as more people got up and began applauding.
"Dan, you taught everyone a very valuable lesson today," Barbara Walsh said backstage as everyone prepared to leave.
"I know, it had to be brought out there," I replied, blushing.
"Kurt, you have a very special guy here. Hold onto him," Miss LuPone told Kurt, shaking his hand, who looked so excited I thought he was going to burst. The judges then left the room. Kurt turned to me and hugged me hard enough I had to pry him off.
"Okay, Kurt, hon, calm down," I said; I was grinning.
"I can't believe Patti LuPone shook my hand," he said.
"I can't believe they were judges and no one bothered to tell us," I remarked.
"I love you, Dan," he said, taking my hand.
"I love you too, Kurt," I replied, squeezing his hand and walking out the backstage door, where the rest of the club was waiting for us.
"Dan," Rachel walked towards me and embraced me. "We need you, Kurt needs you most of all, stay with us. Help us at Regionals, Nationals."
"I'd be honored," I smiled and hugged her back. Everyone came together in a huge hug.