As soon as word of Kurt Hummel's epic comebacks to bullies reached McKinley High's debate team, they became determined to recruit him. Debate team ads that were only supposed to be on the school club poster boards were stuck onto his locker every morning, without fail. At first, they were more bawdy, designed to appeal to the general populace of McKinley ("If you're a masturbator, then you too can become a master debater"), but after Kurt ripped that out into pieces out of disgust, they became more classic and PG. Kurt admitted that some of the black and white golden posters featuring elegant men and women decked out in tuxedos and top hats were appealing, though he wasn't sure how Julie Andrews or Julie Garland related to debate.

Rachel Berry, their self-proclaimed star, also brought it upon herself to stalk, harass, and bribe Kurt into joining. Kurt groaned when he saw her standing by his locker again before his first period.

"Rachel, would you give it a rest? One, I don't need to hear about the importance about public speaking in everyday life, nor do I need to know the health and mental benefits about keeping one's mind sharp. Save that lecture for all the Neanderthals at this school." Rachel made a motion to reach down for something in her pocket. "And for God's sake, I don't need your money!"

Rachel discreetly tucked away her fifty dollar bill.

"Kurt, I know you're reluctant to join, and I'm sorry that my arguments weren't enough to persuade you, even though I'm not sure why given that my arguments are always cogent and rock solid…" "

"Right, because bribery constitutes an actual argument…"

"And I normally wouldn't lower myself like this to you, as the school's star debater, but we NEED more members. No one else in the club is serious at competing, and frankly, I don't think they have the natural abilities that you and I have. If we were both in the team, we could be amazing. We could be winners."

Rachel then gave Kurt her version of a meaningful look, and flounced off dramatically, hoping that her body language conveyed the utmost importance of her words. It would've been impressive, if Kurt hadn't seen her do the exact same thing two days ago. Still…

Kurt was lonely. He was not only gay—he was gay and weird. If Kurt had a normal voice and dressed like the rest of the guys in the school, he might've been unnoticed. As it stood, he couldn't hide the fashionable, most fabulous part of himself, nor did he want to. Kurt strutted into McKinley combat boots first, and didn't take shit from anyone. Well, he took shit from a lot of people, but he tried not to let the naysayers get him down, even when they ruined his favorite pair of Marc Jacobs jeans.

The fact was, Kurt Hummel was tired of being picked on, and he was tired of having to go through it alone. There was no one to help him wipe away the sting of slushy away from his eyes, or to watch the entrance to the girl's bathroom so that he was ensured privacy. Kurt would've joined the Glee Club, but it was cancelled after Sandy Ryers was found fondling one of his male tenors during a private session. And he couldn't deny that he was flattered that he was being recruited so adamantly. It was nice to be wanted.

After classes ended, Kurt paced slowly in front of the room in which the debate team practiced. He wasn't sure whether to enter the room and introduce himself, or run away and forget about the whole thing, but was saved from making a decision by none other than Rachel Berry herself. When she saw Kurt she let out an earsplitting screech, and sank her nails (which were more like talons, ow) into his elbow.

"You came!" she said. "Which of my arguments ended up convincing you? I need to know the answer, for future reference in debate rounds, of course. Was it the argument that debaters live for 10 more years than the average person ("That's not even true," Kurt murmured under his breath) or the argument that addressed your competitive side? It was the last one, wasn't it? Some of my competitors cautioned me against appealing to emotion during rounds, but I think it has its value, don't you?"

Kurt merely rolled his eyes as he walked through the threshold. This had the potential to be the best decision he ever made, or the worst.