A/N Hi there! This is my first fanfic, and, although I despise long A/N's myself, I thought I ought to add a little something in here. Please be welcome to review and all constructive criticism will be taken into account (Especially since I don't have a beta yet!) :)
JSYK, Kurt's mom lives in this AU and therefore any OOC-ness should be in relation to that, let me know if something more is amiss!
-honorsAnonymous
"Congratulations, you're in remission." The doctor heard sighs of relief and more than one squeal of happiness. She was okay, she was going to live on.
"Mom! Does this mean we can go home? You'll get to come home with us? You'll come and tuck me in and we can read a story at night and have a tea party during the day and we can-" the little boy rambled on to his mommy, so excited that he didn't see her face fall.
"Kurt, honey, I don't think I'll be able to come home right now; I'm still not feeling very well and I need some time to recuperate. You understand, don't you?" Elizabeth Marie Hummel was cancer-free, but her health hadn't been gained back yet. She needed her little boy to be strong for her until she could get back on her feet and take better care of him. "Sweetheart, I won't be too long, but you need to go back with your daddy tonight, okay?"
He pouted, "Mommy, please? I'll do anything, I'll be the best eight-year-old there is! Please come home?" His heart-broken expression nearly killed her resolve, but if she got well and was able to fortify herself, she would be able to come home for good and not worry about cancer again.
"You're fine just the way you are, okay? You'll be okay, Kurtie, Daddy'll take care of you and I'll be home before you know it." It was hard for her to look at his sad blue-green eyes, ones so like her own that changed from gray, to blue, to green, in between, and back again. "I love you, baby, and I want you to take care of your daddy too, okay? I'm not sure how he would last without the two of us. She relished in Kurt's little giggle, so happy he wasn't depressed by her extended stay at the hospital. It had been a long road for them, her diagnosis, believing she had gone into remission and then finding out the cancer had hidden elsewhere in her body, her second set of treatments. Chemo had done a number on Elizabeth and her frame showed it. No longer was she willowy and lean, now she was frail and gaunt. Her lustrous blonde-highlighted brown locks were gone, a victim of the Chemo, too. She wanted to be strong for her son, but she had a ways to go before she would get there.
Kurt gave his mommy a kiss and hug when visiting hours ended, then his daddy took his hand and walked him out of the hospital. It would be okay, his mommy said so.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE- SMACK!
Kurt groaned as he turned off his alarm clock. He was so not ready for another day of hell.
Fuck school, I just wanna go sleep for an eternity. He thought dramatically, lazily wiping his eyes and brushing his light brown bangs away from his eyes. He got out of his bed and made his way to his bathroom, slowly disrobing as he went. Looking at himself in the mirror, he could see dark purple shadows beneath his eyes from staying up too late again. Coach is going to kill me tomorrow if I don't pay attention in practice again. I need to sleep more. He made his way to his shower and turned on the water, letting it heat up before slipping in. Kurt washed his body, humming to the musical stuck in his head. I think I'll try defying gravity! "Oh, how I wish I could," he muttered to himself. He toweled off and sat down in front of his vanity, leisurely going through his skin care routine, listening for his dad's footsteps.
He had spent the night worrying about telling his dad again, whether or not to. His mom figured it out when he was mooning over the front of an underwear catalog, or that's when she confronted him. She had looked at him and said, Kurt, sweetie, I'm a mom, I can tell what goes through your head; don't try to deny it, I know you're gay. He had sat there struck dumb for a few seconds before he looked away, his cheeks contrasting bright red to the pale color it normally was. He couldn't look her in the eyes when he asked her if she still loved him. His mom looked appalled when she put her finger under his chin to catch his gaze. She had come really close to him and said Don't you ever doubt that I will always love you more than life, especially when you're doing what makes you happy and being yourself.That had been when he was thirteen, three years later and he still hadn't gathered his courage to tell his dad. They still bonded over his dad's auto shop and when Kurt would work underneath the hoods with him every Saturday, but the courage laid dormant, if he had any to start with. But for now, he had school.
Kurt considered high school his personal hell. It was where everyone looked down on him and tried to hurt him. Despite his good grades, teachers disliked him; despite never saying a word to anyone, the students hated him; and despite his happy charisma, he had no friends. The simultaneous highlight and worst part of his day was football practice, he could exercise and prove that he was worth something, but the bullies were even worse. They didn't want someone so faggy showing them up on their field. He was the best kicker at the school and had single-handedly won the team three games. Their only three wins in two seasons. He didn't dare wear his varsity jacket anywhere, it hung, unused, in his closet, waiting for the day he could flaunt it without fear. Kurt didn't think he'd ever get to wear it. He didn't even really like football, it was just another common ground with his dad, something they could play on those days his mom was really bad and they couldn't go to the body shop. But really, he was one helluva kicker from all that experience (his dad just didn't know that he couldn't do it without Beyonce's Single Ladies playing in his head).
Finishing his skin care, he moved on to the outfit he had picked out the night before, dark blue skintight jeans, a forest green T-shirt, yellow belt, and yellow converse, topped off with a black zip-up jacket. He scowled at the what he considered to be unfashionable clothes, spiced up as much as he could without attracting too much attention. If he wore his beloved Alexander McQueen again, his clothes would be absolutely murdered by his daily dose of dumpster diving; the unsavory time-passer of his "team mates". He hated every last one of them and they hated him right back, hence the throwing him in a dumpster before school every single day. He found that the darker, less exuberant clothing didn't incite as much of their wrath and his dad was less likely to sigh and shake his head at him. Finishing up dressing, he headed up the stairs.
"Hey, mom, how are you this morning?" he muttered in passing as he gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and walked towards the fridge to get out some food for breakfast. Grabbing the pulp-free, all natural, orange juice from organically grown oranges, a grapefruit, and half-and-half from the fridge, he went about fixing his breakfast and his father's coffee.
"I'm doing okay sweetheart, how are you?" his mom sounded cheery, but her words belied the exhaustion she felt from being up late. Kurt didn't know why she couldn't sleep very well, but she had developed insomnia a few years back, it drained her unless she slept 'till noon -which she avoided at all costs for no apparent reason.
"'M fine," he mumbled back, pouring a little sugar-substitute sweetener over his three slices of grapefruit. He wasn't really up for much conversation this morning. Elizabeth could tell, so she decided to let him be for this morning, what harm could it do when they were both so exhausted at the moment? She really wished he'd eat more, but no convincing could be done on her part that didn't have a counter argument on his. Burt ignored it completely, so he was absolutely no help in that department. Kurt finished his breakfast (read: light snack for his mother's benefit only) and made himself a to go cup of coffee, reheating his dad's in the microwave. He could hear Burt's boots tromping down the stairs and was ready to go to school. The sooner it started, the sooner it would be over.
"Hey, kiddo, you ready to roll?" Burt asked cheerfully, relieved not to see his son in some frilly froo froo outfit again. It had been a week straight since the last one and he was so happy to not have to deal with another one.
"Yeah, let's go," Kurt was still muttering and Burt looked to Elizabeth, giving her a questioning look. She just shook her head and took another sip of her coffee. Burt took a deep breath and looked up to the ceiling then back to Kurt, he guessed it was time to get him to school.
"Alright, let's get in the car." And get in the car they did. There was a stifled silence the whole ride to school and Kurt barely gave his dad a mute little Bye when he got out and started speed walking inside the building. Burt shook his head again and wondered what the hell had gotten into his kid.
Kurt was shocked. He had had a whirlwind day and was sitting in complete shock. It wasn't everyday that you and one other member of the football team got accused of hiding weed in your locker and got blackmailed to join a singing club. It's not like he minded the singing club, but the weed wasn't expected and he was terrified of the backlash that this would cause. Glee club was the lowest of the low, one level above him, but him joining it would bring him even lower, despite the fact that the quarterback was joining with him. Hell, the rest of the team would probably think that Kurt had tricked Finn into it and was doing something horrible and disturbingly, predatorily gay to him to get him to go along. It's not like they could tell anyone about the weed.
It had started getting weird that morning, when Mr. Schuester, the Spanish teacher, came up to him and asked him some totally unremarkable and mundane question, slowly drawing him away from where the boys would ambush him and drag him to the dumpster. He had told him to wait there and disappeared for twenty minutes, making him worry about how he was so late to first period. Then he dragged in Finn Hudson, the quarterback of the William McKinley High School's Titans. They were both then informed of the weed found in their lockers and hence blackmailed into joining the school's glee club, the New Directions. It only got weirder from there. Rachel Berry walked up to him and started chattering his ear off about Barbra Streisand and he only escaped by feigning having to use the restroom and cutting two hallways over. Then Mr. Schuester interrupted his Advanced French class to tell him to be in the choir room by three-fifteen that afternoon. Kurt had had to call his dad during lunch to tell him that he had to stay after school by a teacher's request and could he tell mom since she never answered the house phone. Come three-ten and Kurt wasn't sure what to make out of his day, he just walked numbly, trying to avoid everyone around him. Kurt showed up at the choir room and stepped through the door.
And then, there he was watching Rachel Berry come on to Finn Hudson way to strong as they sang Journey. He was already auditioning when Kurt walked in, all Kurt got afterwords was a Stand in line with everyone else, I want to see Finn try some more. It was Finn's song as the lead male and he was doing well, even though Rachel was looking at him like he just hung the moon in front of her eyes. Finn was obviously freaking out and Kurt was trying his hardest to play nice with the other kids with choral pieces. Kurt couldn't help but think that Schuester had to be crazy about making the two of them leads if he couldn't hear the admittedly beautiful black girl beside him obviously dying to just belt it out. He may be gay, but he could appreciate a girl's beauty and, boy, did she have all the right curves.
He was about to say something about the disappointment of this club being only leads and chorus compared to the suggested happiness that should come with its name when the girl beside him cut off the song. "Mr. Schue? No disrespect, he's good and all, but I didn't sign up to stand in the background hummin' and shufflin'; I would go right to my church's chorus for something like that. This club is supposed to be about the joy that music inspires, or at least the amazing feelings. This is turning into a grin and bear it situation, not what I want to be doing at all!" Damn was she in sync with his mind or what!
"I agree, Mr. Schuester, this may not have been my first choice, but I'm not musically inept either. It's obvious that you intend to feature those two over anyone else and I would like to know why you even bothered to drag me into this club when you're blatantly disregarding me," Kurt chimed in, knowing he'd have to say it now or the dense teacher would spend forever bulldozing right over the other members in favor of stars. It may have been a little crude to just cut in, but he didn't want them to be doomed until Schuester got it together.
"Umm... well, uh... I guess..." Schuester kept hemming and hawing until Rachel Berry interrupted him.
"I, for one, Mr. Schuester, think you were completely right in chosing Finn and I as the power lead couple; after all, we both have the most powerful voices and I have a ridiculously wide range while his tones compliment mine. The song suits the choral piece for our other members and it has the powerful kick off we can easily take advantage of in a competition setting." She would've kept going except for the wide open-mouthed gaping she was receiving from Kurt, the black girl, Mercedes, a boy in a wheel chair, Artie Abrams, and an Asian girl, Tina Cohen-Chang. "What? Did I do something wrong?"
"Rachel, as much as you love being in the spotlight, the other kids are right; you're not the only one who gets to shine. From here on out, I will refuse to have stars; I will have key singers, and those will be each and every one of you, plus any new members we manage to bring in." Will Schuester was in rare form, responding sternly and diffusing the situation in the most fair way.
"No-no stars? How could you say no stars?! Stars help to make everyone shine brighter! They illuminate everyone an-and bring out their best qualities! How could you say no stars!" Rachel's voice started becoming shrill by 'brighter' and was downright painful by 'How'.
"Rachel!" Schuester bit out, "I will say this once more, no stars! If you completely go against my ruling again, I will be forced to suspend you from the club. This is a serious matter about a team, not some ensemble made to enhance you." Rachel huffed and stormed out, the first of many, Kurt was afraid, that they'd end up witnessing.
"Thank goodness she's gone," Kurt said under his breath.
"Yeah, totally," Mercedes whispered his way with a grin. "Thanks for backing me up back there, I have just about had it with the 'Rachel Berry Show' that seems to be going on around here."
"I totally understand; 'most powerful' my ass; she hasn't even heard me hum, let alone sing, and you look like you can downright wail it, girl." Kurt responded in kind.
Finn looked at Kurt funny, like he hadn't seen him and didn't know where he came from. "I think that's the most I've ever heard you say."
Kurt looked Finn up and down, "I think that's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say. You don't hear because you don't want to know that I'm a real person that you shove into a dumpster daily. You people hate me and, trust me, it's mutual," he said with a sneer on his face and his eyebrow raised.
Everyone looked at Kurt, not having expected his jaded response. "Since this seems to be over, can I leave now? I have fulfilled your terms, coming to glee practice and joning your club, Mr. Schuester. I really don't want to be around the sycophant that is Rachel Berry any longer than I have endured and excuse me for not enjoying your stellar handling of putting me in a line as soon as I got here without sheet music or even having me try out after you found your little stars. Rays of sunshine like your little club don't do anything for me, so I'll just be on my way."
Schuester looked flabbergasted as Kurt calmly turned around, grabbed his bag from a chair, and sped out of the classroom, en route to the front of the school building to wait for his mom.
Kurt could barely believe he had just done something like that. It was something he'd always wanted to do, just give someone a piece of his mind by means of tongue-lashing and walk out cool and collected. He could honestly say he didn't expect it to be to a teacher, but he was just so done with school, preferably forever.
He managed a smile as his mom drove up, "Hey, mom, thanks for coming to pick me up."
She grinned at him, looking a lot less worse for wear than she had that morning, "No worries, honey, no what were you kept after for?"
"Believe it or not, I think I just joined a new club."
"Oh, Kurt! That's fantastic! What is it?" His mom was absolutely radiating happiness for him. Kurt tried his best to be positive for her, knowing that, personally, moods like this didn't come around very often.
"Um, Glee Club. I just joined Glee Club, mom." Kurt couldn't kill how overjoyed she was, so he grinned back at her, even though he knew that hell would be getting even worse soon.
A/N So, let me know what you think! I have every intention of making this a multi-chapter fic with eventual Klaine and hopefully a more serious take on a few of the issues that pass through Glee. It'll be interesting, I promise! Look for a new update soon, maybe even later today, I'm in a write-y mood :)