So even though I should be working on my other stories, I have had this idea stuck in my head for the past week, so I figured, I might as well put it out there. I don't own glee, or else there would be both country and rock charicters... Hey, I can dream, can't I? I appriciate criticisim [the constructive kind], but please no flames. I hope you enjoy!
Kurt Hummel woke up the day after prom, groggy from sleep, and the first thing he thought, sadly, was I have to check MySpace. He had to know who had hooked up, broken up, and every other kind of "up" there was. Turning on his laptop, he paused. Did he really want to go on to see all the homophobic comments people surely would have posted on his page? Sure, he had gotten used to it, but that didn't mean they hurt any less.
Kurt sat up straighter in his chair. He was Kurt flipping Hummel. He had a right to know what everyone was saying about him. And since when had he allowed anyone to control what he said or did? With these thoughts in mind, he typed in the URL and waited as the page loaded. The wireless his dad had gotten him was so slow he swore sometime he thought it was going backwards.
Once the page finally loaded, Kurt slowly scrolled down the page. There were, of course, the splattereing of comments of the homophobic nature, but there were also, much to his surprise, people defending him, or even telling him how brave they thought he was. He practically peed himself. There was also a video. He looked at it, not entirely sure that he wanted to play it. Kurt glanced at the user who had posted it. Temperance "Tammy" Allen. Who was that?
The profile picture was no help: it was only a cartoon charicter. Kurt sighed. "What's the worst that could happen?" he asked out loud. And with that he clicked play, and then went to eat breakfast, giving the video time to load.
Upon his return he gave a nervous sort of sigh. He knew he was being silly, but he couldn't help it. He put on a brave front, but he was still insecure. He pressed play.
"Is this thing on….?" The young teen on screen muttered. She was quite pretty, even with her up-do coming undone, curls beginning to block her eyes, her makeup begining to get caked under her eyes. "Umm, hi," she said, giggling slightly. This was obviously not very well planned out. Maybe she was drunk?
"So, my name is Temperance. I go to McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio and I just got back from my junior prom. At the beginning of the week, my creative writing teacher assigned my class a project: something that inspires you. He said we could write, sing, dance, make a video. And guess what I did. I wrote this long, intricate paper about the American Revolution and how the heroic actions of our forefathers should inspire us to be more patriotic. I'm pretty sure most of my class did the same thing, generally. Made something up that we thought sounded good.
"But maybe we should have done something better. Maybe we should have actually tried. So, this is me trying.
"I have gone to school with Kurt Hummel since the 6th grade when we started going to the same middle school. Ever since the first day, I knew he was different. Not in a bad way. Just different. And in middle school, not that many other people noticed. But once we hit high school, he started getting more and more attention. Not the good kind, either. By sophomore year, he was getting daily slushie facials. Did I feel bad? Sure. Did I have the guts to stand up to anybody? No.
"I grew up in New York. There, when people were gay, there was no problem. That was just the way they were. But in Lima, Ohio, when someone comes out, things go from bad to worse. I witnessed that happen with Kurt. Being bullied constantly is not something anyone wants to put up with. But Kurt was brave. He stood his ground, no matter what people said or did to him. And I felt so bad," tears glistened in her eyes, letting Kurt know how sincere she was.
"I mean, here's Kurt, this relatively small guy standing up to these huge football players. And I didn't even have the guts to talk to him. To pass him a note or friend him on myspace. I was a coward. And I will never have a legitimate excuse for that. I don't think I've ever felt so ashamed of my actions. Or lack thereof. And Kurt, if you're watching this, I hope you know how horrible I feel. But when you transferred schools, I was relieved. You finally had a shot at being happy.
"Then you came back and at first I was worried. Then I realized Karofsky was on that anti bullying squad, or whatever, and Puck was in glee club. And I allowed myself to think that maybe you would be ok. And everything was awesome for a while. Until prom.
"Kurt, I hope you know that not everyone voted you prom queen. Me and everyone else I talked to thought it was a despicable thing to do. And I know I," she paused, wiping under her eyes. "I felt like I should have seen that coming. And no one blamed you for running out of that gym.
"Then something remarkable happened. This, I know, shouldn't be that much of a surprise considering this is Kurt Hummel we're talking about. But when you walked back into that gym, everyone was surprised. Because none of us would have had that much courage. And we envy you.
"Kurt, you inspire me. Sure, that's a cheesy thing to say, but it's the truth. You inspire me to be me, to do my best, to not just give up when everyone says I should. And I am so grateful for that.
"So, yes, I made this video for school. But I also made this video to send a message: that if Kurt, or anyone for that matter, should ever feel alone, know that you're not. There's probably someone on the sidelines cheering for you, even if they don't feel like they can help you run the race. And so, I'm going to finish this video with a confession of my own. I'm gay.
"Sure, I went to prom with a boy. I've been on dates. But then I met this girl. And all those chick books I've read? Whenever the girl falls in love with some boy and describes it, that's how I feel when I'm with this girl. And I'm tired of hiding it. I'm tired of being afraid. I'm a lesbian, and I really, really like you Katty. You've been so supportive and patient with me and I know that I will never be able to fully repay you for everything you've helped me with.
"Oh, and before the rest of you strain your brain trying to remember her, I'll just let you know that she doesn't go to McKinley. And I hope you watch this Kurt, and know that I meant every word that I say. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there. Oh, and just so you know, you'll be seeing a lot more of me. You'll know what I mean on Monday.
"I guess that's all I have to say. If you have any problems with me and who I am, don't hesitate to bring them up with me, preferably in a calm, civil setting," she heaved a sigh. "Now I just hope I have enough courage to post this."
Then the screen froze, a worried expression on her face, looking years older than she had at the start of the video. Kurt stared at the unmoving picture for a few minutes, shocked. Hadn't this been what he had been waiting for? He felt proud, knowing he had given this girl the courage she had needed to come out. But what had she meant, he would see more of her?
The following Monday, as Kurt went through his school day as usual. As he took his seat in the choir room after school, he frowned. He had not seen Tamperance all day. Had she gotten scared? Maybe he should try to get in touch with her?
"Ok, guys, we don't have that much time before sectionals, so we really have to start selling a lot more taffy-" Mr. Schu started to say, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. The entire club turned to look at the door.
"Uh, hi, I know it's late in the school year and all, but I was wondering if I could still join? Oh, and sorry for the interruption. I had to wash my face. Did you know that slushies can really stay in you pores very well?" a rather tall girl asked. She was of average weight, but her face made her beautiful. "I'm Temperance, by the way," she added, her eyes roaming the faces of the glee club before finally settling on Kurt, the sides of her mouth curling up into a small smile.