Kurt stepped into the spotlight with all the grace of someone who'd done this a hundred times. Truthfully though, if he were being completely honest this was his first. This year had been the year of firsts for him it seemed, first real crush, first time holding hands, first kiss, the first time he fell asleep in someone's arms. So it was oddly fitting that this year end in a way that was so utterly different than the way it had started. Stepping into the spotlight, he felt the faces of the thousands of spectators, all judging and making premature accusations. Their indifference gave him courage as he swept his eyes across the room as If he was meeting the gaze of every single one of them. Their resentment would only fuel his conviction, his very firm belief that he was going to win this thing. He'd been waiting for this moment since he was five years old and saw his first live performance. It was then, nestled on his mother's lap that he knew that the stage, this stage was where he belonged in the world.
"Face to face, and heart to heart." Kurt began, harmonizing perfectly with the much stronger, huskier voice opposite to him on the stage. As soon as they began he heard every voice in the room go completely silent. Eat your heart out.
10 months earlier.
Kurt rubbed at his temples as he tried his very best to suppress a very prominent headache that was threatening to become a full-fledged migraine. The Glee Clubbers first day back had certainly been less than spectacular having almost all received slushy facials this morning. Then if you happened to be him, Kurt Hummel, you received another one in the afternoon. It was alright though, last year he had exactly three friends, now looking around the room he had ten rather spectacular ones.
Mr. Schue hadn't changed much, if at all over the summer. He was still wearing incredibly tacky vests, going over the top with the enthusiasm and forcing rather ridiculous assignments on them. Even now he stood there lecturing them on how much they should appreciate the fact that even though they were almost all at the bottom of the social food chain, they should be grateful for one another. They got it; life was awesome blah and blah and blah. Kurt thought absently as he fiddled with a stray piece of hair that had somehow managed to escape his barrage of organic hair products. He blamed the fact that he had to wash and restyle it twice in the girl's bathroom today, which is not something he enjoyed doing. Especially since it was to get red dye number seven out AND it never failed to make him at least twenty minutes late for class.
Kurt's eyes wandered over to Puck who happened to be staring absently at nothing, no one was really listening to Mr. Schue, save for maybe Rachel and Finn. Puck however seemed to be locked in his own train of thought, not do to boredom like the rest of them. No, it was something else that he couldn't quite place his very well-manicured finger on. Maybe Jacob's blog had been accurate when he said that Puck was suffering from a crippling depression due to his break up with their resident Queen B, ex-baby mama. It was sad to think about, especially since everyone had kind of fluffed it off as being inaccurate because he was Noah freaking Puckerman. He didn't get depressed, or have off days he was supposed to be the school's stud that'd spent the summer sleeping around with hot moms. Kurt rolled his eyes at the thought as he also brushed the thought of; it wasn't really his problem anyways. Sure, him and Puck might be 'friends' but that's because everyone in Glee Club was friends. Would Kurt ever go over to his house for marathon runs of Mario Kart like Finn? In all likelihood, no he wouldn't want to do that. Would Kurt want Puck to come over to his house and give him tips on fashion and skin care? Or as his very good friend Mercedes might have said, oh helllll to the no. This is why Kurt finds himself looking back to Mr. Schue's bright smile as he rambles on and on about how great it's going to be to perform for the entire school on the steps as some ingenious way to make people sign up. After all, Matt had transferred and even though they were now a close-knit group they needed at least one more person in order to qualify for the show-choir competition.
"Alright guys now I want Artie to come in first for the first two verses, followed by Finn then Puck. Girls and Kurt, you'll be singing harmony with Rachel on lead female vocals." Mr. Schue said as he started passing out the sheet music to all the kids, a look of outrage instantly on Mercedes face. Understandably so considering the song choice, this was after all their first homage to Alicia Keys. Someone he knew Mercedes held dear to her heart.
"What? It's our first day back and you've already got me playin' that Kelly Roland part again." Mercedes yells, her finger coming up instantly as she's about to go what Kurt likes to call her 'full diva mode.' The whole room shifts uncomfortable as Rachel flicks her hair over her shoulder about to get up with an opposing argument. Mr. Schue silences her with a single finger before he looks back over at Mercedes who does NOT look impressed.
"Well for your part Mercedes I was thinking we could pour some of that chocolate thunder on our harmonies over top of the male vocals." He says, clearly just pulling that one straight out of his ass. However, it seems to work as Mercedes rolls her eyes and sits back down. Kurt knows she isn't happy, that's why she had no words of thanks or even a snarky remark; she knows that trying to argue with the man will get you nowhere.
"Alright guys lets run through the vocals and we'll work on the choreography tomorrow morning, hopefully we'll be ready for lunch time." Mr. Schue says as he signals for Brad to kick up with the piano, leading the kids through the music, most of which were trying not laugh as soon as Finn started rapping. It wasn't their fault; by the red cheeks it was obvious that even Finn knew that he and rapping were not a very good idea. Kurt had to say that he was mildly surprised at how well Puck seemed to pick it up, when he came in with the next couple of verses Kurt couldn't help but smile. Something he normally wasn't accustomed to, almost letting himself have fun with the number, which if you'd seen their impromptu performances in the club he didn't normally do.
"Alright guys not bad, I'm sure we're going to have a line-up of kids just WAITING to get in on this." Schue said as he pointed at the ground with a wide-grin on his face, Kurt only rolled his eyes at the man, doing so cause him to look over at Puck again. He'd gone quiet again and was once again lost in his own train of thought, unlike everyone else who seemed to be chatting excitedly about the performance tomorrow. Even Mercedes was excited about the performance, having gotten over her hurt ego after she'd totally killed the last few rifts in the song.
"See all of you bright and early for some dance boot camp… Finn maybe you should come a little earlier…" Schue said half seriously and with a smile, but still completely serious as Finn's face dropped slightly and everyone seemed burst out into small laughs that probably hurt a little bit. It seemed that the entire club found Mr. Schue's joke hilarious, save for him and Puck. Kurt didn't really find it funny because it was sadly true and it wasn't really Finn's fault that he couldn't dance; at least he tried really hard. When it came to the choreography he had to put in almost as much effort as Artie did.
As all the Glee kids filed out, Kurt took a few extra moments to pack up his sheet music and gather his things. He took a few confident steps out of the choir room, seeing the deserted halls he thought that maybe now would be a good time to get some extra practice in. After all, it wasn't very often that the school was deserted and he'd get to have the auditorium all to himself. Kurt made his way towards the auditorium with his typical walk of that seemed to breathe pure confidence. As he walked he thought he heard a slight buzzing but brushed it off as he opened the large metal doors of the auditorium and made his way towards the stage, completely unaware that his phone was going off in his messenger bag.
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things."
Kurt began hearing an imaginary orchestra behind him as he walked gracefully around, mimicking Julie Andrews signature mannerisms as he imagined a sold out show here to listen to him sing.
"Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favourite things"
Kurt mimicked the small twirls across the stage, the choreography that he'd taught himself when he was seven, determined to play the role iconic role of Maria one day. Kurt was completely oblivious to a pair of dark eyes watching him from the shadows, his twirls and every graceful step he took across the stage.
"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favourite things"
Kurt easily hit the sudden and sharp high notes that came with the song, delivering with the song his signature controlled emotion. The ability to create virtually any emotion for a role, to hurl himself perfectly into a character the moment he took to the stage.
"When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don't feel so bad."
Kurt let himself get mildly angry with the song, spinning on his heels to land with his eyes level with his imaginary audience. Still completely unaware of the man on the balcony, this man had watched Kurt for most of his impromptu performances.
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things"
Kurt let every ounce of power he had into the song when the verses came back for the second around, letting the pure elation spread through him as he spun across the play. Laughing jubilee as he did, something he never did with others watching, not in Glee Club, nobody.
"Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favourite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favourite things"
Kurt let himself take center stage, pouring himself into his imaginary spotlight and living purely in this perfect moment.
"When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don't feel so bad."
Right now Kurt Hummel let himself forget that he was a love-less gay kid at the bottom of the social food chain. In this moment he wasn't the one who never got a solo, he wasn't someone who always sang harmony. He embodied Maria on that stage and let himself explode with the fierce theatricality that he'd born with. Kurt looked out to meet the eyes of every audience member, feeling the approval of his Father and his peers. Hoping that maybe the love of his life was there sitting in the audience and he'd finally realize that Kurt was everything he'd ever need.
Then he was back, and Kurt let his arms fall as he panted heavily, bringing the back of his wrist up to swipe at his forehead. Kurt would first have to find someone to be the love of his life in order to make them fall madly in love with him. Certainly he lusted for a lot of guys but all of their personalities left something to be desired. Not to mention that he could count on one hand the amount of guys that would let him within five feet of them and used his first name. He wouldn't even really need to use his whole hand. Kurt made his way to the end of the stage rubbing his temples a little as he did and not even hearing the click of the auditorium doors closing. His every muscle ached as he thought about taking a nice hot bath the very second that he got home. Kurt reached into his messenger bag to check his phone and froze when he looked at it. Seeing the six missed calls icon and the voicemail Kurt felt his breathing hitch. Every call was from his father who was supposed to pick him up after Glee Club since Kurt's baby was in their shop getting an oil change. Kurt clicked the phone icon and pressed the missed call icon, listening carefully to his father's words.
"Hey Kurt its Dad, looks like you're not here. Guess you went to Mercedes house or something, anyways Carole and I are going to a movie so just make sure you're home at a reasonable hour."
Kurt gritted his teeth as he called back, the call going instantly to voicemail. I swear my father is the only one who actually shuts their phone off in the theater… Kurt thought to himself as he shoved his phone back into his bag, really not excited to walk home. It wasn't incredibly far but he was tired and people liked to yell things out their window when he walked down the street. Swinging the bag over his shoulder he made his way out of the auditorium, smiling at the lonely janitor who was mopping the floors in the hallway. The sun was still out and bright, thank god It was still kind of summer, if it was dark he'd probably of been even more uncomfortable. He started through the parking lot, pooping his headphones in as he stuck them into his iPhone.
"Hummel?" A husky voice called to him before he had a chance to hit play on 'No Good Deed' and start pounding the pavement. Kurt looked over to see a rusty old pickup truck, one of the few remaining vehicles on the lot. In the driver's seat was none other than Noah Puckerman. What is he still doing here..? Kurt thought to himself as he felt his feet shift and start to carry him towards the half back.
"Need something Puckerman?" Kurt asked as he stood in front of the open driver's window, not forgetting for a second who he was talking to. Two years ago this guy had thrown pee balloons at him and assisted in nailing all of his lawn furniture to his roof. He took in Puck's demeanour; he smelled a little vile and looked more than a little bit tired. This is when the gears finally started turning, realizing now that there had been a football practice after Glee Club.
"You need a ride or something? Where's your car?" Puck asked cocking an eyebrow at him, catching Kurt a little bit off-guard. He had expected him to get up here and be forced to withstand some undoubtedly lewd comment or snarky remark before he was left in a dust cloud. Kurt shifted a little in front of him; this could easily be some trap to get Kurt to walk right into some prank. Though Puck had given up even the morning dumpster tosses last year after he joined Glee Club. Kurt's mind wandered to that dreadful walk home, since it was unseasonably hot and since he did decide to wear black skinny jeans today, he would accept the ride home.
"Yeah actually, that'd be great." Kurt said with a small smile before he made his way to the passenger door and opened up the door, getting into the old beast. "My baby's in the shop right now, she needs an oil change." Kurt added as he fastened his seat belt, noticing that Puck did not have his one. Puck only rolled his eyes at Kurt's precious baby as he turned on the radio immediately turning to some classic rock. "Just don't touch the tunes." Puck said with a smile as he pulled out of the school's parking lot heading for Kurt's house, 'Thunder Road.' By Bruce Springsteen coming onto the radio, an instant smile spreading on his lips. What he didn't tell many people was that he grew up with a Dad who loved classic rock and for the earlier part of his childhood a mother that did to. This song in particular was close to his heart, when he'd been taking classical piano lessons his Dad had bought him the sheet music for this song and had told him.
"If you can play this song, I'm gonna take out a loan for you to get a piano." So Kurt practiced and practiced on his old keyboard, it was difficult. Being a rock song it'd been so dramatically different than what he was used to, but eventually he had it down. Then a week later he had his very own baby grand set up in his basement.
"You know this song?" Puck asked turning for a moment to cock his eyebrow at him again, a look of genuine surprise on his face. Kurt only smiled at him, not even realizing he'd been singing along. Before he realized what was happening his soft and beautiful voice was accompanied by Puck's husky voice, harmonizing perfectly in time. Kurt didn't look over at Puck, feeling like if he looked at him than this very gay moment would come to an end. He didn't get to sing with other guys very often and when he did, he really liked to appreciate it, even if it was someone he was supposed to despise.
"Trust me, if you met my Dad than you'd understand my love of classic rock." Kurt said when the song finished and Puck pulled up to the Hummel household, probably remembering from the lawn furniture incident. "You should sing them more often, you were kind of awesome." Puck said with a half-smile when Kurt slid out of the truck, a comment that caught Kurt completely off-guard. He felt himself almost blush at the comment; no he was pretty sure that he was in fact blushing.
"Thanks… and um, thanks for the ride." Kurt said scratching the back of his head as he slammed the door and turned his back on Puck, not totally sure what had just happened there. Well he knew what just happened; he'd accepted a ride from someone he hated and by the end of it he felt a strange bond with said someone, weird.
Kurt closed the door to his basement room and took a few tentative steps into the Dior gray room, placing his messenger bag down on his couch as he sat down on his bed. Kurt heard a bussing come from his bag and with a slight eye roll he pulled himself off of his bed, and crossed his room to his bag. Pulling the iPhone out he saw a text message from someone that he'd labelled 'Ignoramus.'
Ignoramus: Dude u totally owe me now.
Kurt: I'm sorry… who is this?
Ignoramus: Puck…
Kurt: Oh! Don't call me dude and I owe you nothing, you offered.
Ignoramus: Then u should offer to drive me to glee rehearsal tomorrow.
Kurt: What happened to that wonderfully fabulous POS you dropped me off in?
Ignoramus: Crapped out a couple blocks away from my house. Dude. Seriously?
Kurt: Seriously don't call me dude.
Kurt: Fine I'll pick you up and get my Dad to tow it tomorrow; I'll even take a look at it after Glee Club. Then you owe me though.
Ignoramus: Lol, youll look at it? Thanks man, see you in the am.
Kurt: Don't call me- ugh. Goodnight Puckerman.
Kurt rolled his eyes as he snapped his phone shut rolling off of his bed to plug his phone into his dock, setting it for six am sharp. He looked at the time and realized how late it was getting, he still had to go upstairs and fix dinner then start in on his moisturizing routine. Looks like that nice relaxing bath wasn't going to be happening tonight.