Fashion Intervention
by aishuu
"So what are you doing after school tomorrow?"
The question, which was routine to many high schoolers, took Rachel by surprise. Few people cared what she did with herself (as long as she kept away from them), so she was unused to someone actually taking an interest in her plans. But Kurt was there, standing next to her locker with his immaculate posture in a well-cut suit, his lips quirked in a fashion Rachel wasn't sure she liked.
"I'm going to be recording a MySpace video presentation of myself performing 'Nobody's Side' from..."
"Chess," Kurt interrupted. "Nice choice, but it can wait."
Rachel lifted an eyebrow, wondering what Kurt wanted with her. "Did you want to get together and rehearse?"
"Good guess, princess, but no." He ran his eyes over her body, giving her a slow elevator eye as he took in her appearence. From many guys, it would have come off as leering, but this was Kurt. Which only made it more disturbing, because while there was no way he'd ever have an interest in her, being the focus of his discerning eye made her squirm inside. "I am staging an intervention."
"Excuse me?"
"An intervention. What you're wearing?" He touched her shoulder cautiously with the tips of his fingers, as though he was afraid she was contagious. "Needs to be burned."
Rachel glanced down at her turquoise pantsuit, wondering what Kurt was talking about. "It's very professional and-"
Kurt shook his head. "Stop. Now. Rachel, you're a high schooler. Professional is not the goal here. You're a beautiful girl, but you dress like your fashion sense came from Disney."
Rachel tried not to let her hurt feelings show on her face, reminding herself that composure was a key to being a star. Kurt had a sharp tongue, but he wasn't deliberately setting out to be mean. "You think telling me you hate my clothes is going to fix things?"
"It's a start. Hearing the truth from people who care is often the first stage," Kurt replied. "The next stage is admit you have a problem, and fix it."
Rachel found herself gnawing on her lip, a bad habit she was trying to break herself of since singers often had audiences focusing on their mouths. "I know I may not dress like a normal high schooler, but my wardrobe is an expression of my personality, and I refuse to pander to the dictates of the adolescent peer groups."
Kurt snorted, rolling his eyes. "Can the dramatics. Do you seriously think I would encourage you to dress like the rest of them?"
Rachel took a moment to stare at Kurt's hat, which definitely didn't come from Wal-Mart. "What do you want, then?"
Kurt's smile grew brighter. "It's makeover time. I'm going to come over to your house tomorrow, and we're going to evaluate your wardobe before we spend the evening shopping for some more... appropriate clothing."
For Rachel, who'd never been shopping with anyone except her fathers, the idea was tempting. Her dads thought she looked just darling in anything she tried on, but Kurt possessed the brutal honesty to tell the truth. And maybe if she looked more attractive, she might finally get Finn to take her seriously. "I guess it can't hurt to try," she said. "I get final veto power, though."
"Trust me, you're not going to want to veto anything I pick for you," Kurt replied, his shoulders relaxing. "I'll meet you out front after school. I've got my car back, so I'll drive."
He left then, and Rachel watched him go, sashaying through the school like he owned the place. Rachel wasn't sure what was up, but the idea of spending the afternoon with Kurt was exciting. She'd always wanted to have a girlfriend to talk to and do things with, and Kurt might just fit that role perfectly, despite his misfortune of gender.