Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.
We all seem to be on top of our own little worlds,
but that won't last long for most of us.
We all tend to be a little too into ourselves,
but that won't last long...that won't last long.
Shut your mouth and listen.
There's no time for reminiscing, because thinking of the past just never changed a thing.
-"Locked In" by Scary Kids Scaring Kids
"I thought you said Finn was coming," Burt called.
Kurt frowned. "He said he was," he said. He checked the clock above the stove. 7:45. "He should be here soon." He dunked the skillet in the dishpan and scrubbed at it viciously. Hot, soapy, slightly greasy water splashed over the yellow rubber gloves and onto his forearms. It stung, but he actually didn't mind it.
The doorbell rang. Kurt peeled off the gloves. "I'll get it," he said. He draped the gloves over the side of the sink and went to the door.
"Hey," Finn said. He used his knee to balance a large cardboard box. "I'm not late, am I?"
"Almost," Kurt said. "Come in."
Finn walked into the living room, balancing the cardboard box against his pelvis. "Hi, Mr. Hummel," he said. "How're you doing?"
"Better, thanks," Burt said. "It's good to see you."
Finn grinned. "You too," he said.
Kurt opened the basement door and headed down the stairs. Finn hurried to catch up. "What's in the box?" Kurt asked.
"Just some stuff," Finn said. "Some posters and junk. Nothing major." He glanced around the room. "Whoa. Did you redecorate after I left?"
"Sort of," Kurt said quietly.
It was kind of the truth. After Finn had left, Kurt had torn down all of the curtains, shoved the bedding under the stairs, and smashed more than one lamp. It was no big deal.
Finn set the box down on the couch. "Are you really sure your dad's not mad at me anymore?" he asked.
"I'm sure," Kurt said. He fiddled with the bottles on his vanity. "Look, I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
"I told you, I'm sorry," Finn blurted out.
"I know, and you can stop," Kurt said. He kept his eyes down. "My original intentions…might not have been entirely…"
"You were hoping to put the moves on me."
Kurt dropped a bottle of toner on the floor. "You knew," he said.
"Yeah, kinda," Finn said, scratching the back of his neck. He sat down on the arm of the couch. "Listen, I really don't have a problem with the whole gay thing. I only have a problem with…well, you trying to seduce me again. I'm just not comfortable, you know?"
"I know," Kurt said. "It won't happen again. I didn't do this for me."
"I didn't think so," Finn said gently. "I know you just want your dad to be happy."
Kurt rearranged the bottles on his vanity. "So what did you bring?" he asked.
Finn lifted the lid on the box. "I know you're real big on the whole…swatch thing," he said. "I thought that if maybe I brought some of my things you could incorporate them."
Kurt picked up a poster and unrolled it carefully. "The colors are good," he commented. "Who is it?"
"David Beckham."
Kurt looked the poster of the shirtless soccer player up and down. "Huh. I think I could be good with this," he said.
"This one's pretty good, too, it's from Rush's last tour," Finn said.
"I could work with this," Kurt offered. "I see a lot of red and blue…"
Something scratched on the window screen. Kurt jumped. "What was that?" Finn asked.
"I don't know, I can't see," Kurt said, fighting the urge to jump behind his chaise lounge. "You go check. You're taller."
Finn edged closer and unhinged the window. "It's a cat," he said, lifting a small gray tabby kitten off the ledge. Carefully he disentangled its little claws from the screen.
Kurt lifted the cat carefully from Finn's big hands. "It's so tiny," he crooned. "Hello there, little one."
"It's got a collar," Finn said. He checked the tag. "But…the address is from Cleveland."
Kurt sat down cross-legged on the chaise, balancing the tiny kitten against his chest. "How'd you get all the way from Cleveland, little guy?" he cooed. The kitten batted at his fingertips.
"It's cute," Finn said, scratching the cat between the ears. "You ever had a pet?"
"Not really," he said. "My mother had a pet rabbit before I was born, but I don't think that counts."
"My dad had a dog," Finn said. "A great big golden retriever named Mandy. She was a real sweetheart. We had to put her down when I was eleven, though. I cried for like a week."
The kitten mewled as it crawled towards Kurt's shoulder. "Maybe we could keep it," he suggested. The kitten licked his fingertip with its warm sandpaper tongue.
"You think your dad'll go for it?" Finn asked.
"I don't know," Kurt said. His heart sank a little. "Maybe I'll just take it to a shelter tomorrow morning."
Something rapped on the window. Both boys jumped. "Is it your turn to check?" Finn said.
"No. Still too short to reach."
Finn approached the window. "Hi, I'm really sorry about this," a girl's voice apologized. "I think my cat got into your house."
"Aw, yeah, a little gray one?"
Kurt petted the kitten, his heart continuing to sink. Of course the cat would belong to someone. Of course he would give it up.
"The tag says it's from Cleveland," Finn said.
"We just moved," the girl explained. "Me and my aunts. I haven't lived here in years, but we decided to come back."
Kurt stood up slowly, balancing the kitten in suddenly shaking hands. "Finn, aren't you going to ask her in?" he said.
"Oh, yeah." Finn stepped closer to the window. "Do you want to come in and get your cat?"
"Sure, I guess." Finn reached up to the window. The girl climbed in; all Kurt could see was her long red hair over her face. She balanced her hands on Finn's shoulders and wriggled through the window.
"Lucky I'm short," she said breathlessly, pushing her hair out of her eyes as Finn set her on her feet. "Sorry, what's your name?"
"Finn. Finn Hudson," he said.
"Did you know the people who lived before?" she asked, sliding her hands in the back pockets. "They probably moved away a while ago, though. The Hummels?"
Finn looked from the girl to Kurt and back to the girl. "Um…" he stammered.
Kurt set the kitten down on the chaise. "You're Ella?" he asked.
She looked him up and down. "Are you Kurt?" she said. She pressed her hands to her mouth, making her freckles dance across her nose. "Oh my god! I haven't seen you since we were eight!"
"I'm really confused," Finn said.
"Finn, this is Ella Sloane," Kurt said. "She lived in the house next door since we were born. We sort of grew up together."
"We were best friends," she explained. She flung her arms around his neck. Startled, Kurt nearly lost his balance. "It's so good to see you. I was so mad when my aunts said we were moving back, but now I get to see you again." She stepped back, her small hands on his shoulders. "You look exactly like you did when you were eight."
"So do you," Kurt said. He looked her up and down. She was short and compactly built; her strawberry blonde hair tumbled around her face in wild curls, nearly overwhelming her. "Except, you know. Puberty."
The little kitten rubbed up against Kurt's ankle and mewed loudly. "Oh, there you, Telligrue," Ella said. She bent over and picked up the kitten. "He didn't like the move much. I think he's still trying to run back to Cleveland."
"I'm still kind of confused," Finn said.
Ella turned around. "Are you one of Kurt's friends?" she said.
"I'm kind of his stepbrother," Finn said. "Sort of. Unofficially."
Ella turned around, absently scratching her kitten between under the chin. "Uncle Burt's dating again?" she said. "Wow. I still remember when Aunt Mollie passed away."
"Wait, are you cousins?" Finn asked, scratching the back of his neck.
"She called my parents aunt and uncle, I called her dad Uncle Charlie," Kurt said. The kitten crawled over Ella's crossed arms; he resisted the urge to reach out and pet it. "Where are you going to start school?"
"I started at McKinley today," Ella explained.
"No kidding, that's where we go," Finn said.
She smiled, relieved. "Now I'll actually know someone at school," she said. "I thought it would take weeks to make any friends. Your school isn't really that friendly."
"We do have that reputation," Kurt said. He shifted his weight awkwardly. For some reason he felt both excited and nervous to see Ella. He remembered her as a small, giggly girl in a denim jumper and a hairbow, not a petite sixteen-year-old in leggings and a hoodie.
She ducked her head. "Thanks for saving my cat," she said.
"No problem," Kurt said. "It's good to see you, Ella."
She glanced up at the window. "You know, I think I'd really rather not go back out that way," she said. "Can I go through the front door like a civilized person?"
"Oh, sure," Kurt said.
Ella pulled her meandering kitten off the back of her neck and followed him up the stairs. Finn glanced around, unsure of what to do, and eventually shrugged and tagged along.
Kurt opened the basement door. "Hey, Dad," he said. "I met one of our new neighbors."
Burt turned around on the couch. "How'd you manage that?" he said. "I didn't hear the doorbell ring."
"Sorry, my cat made a break for it," Ella said.
Burt squinted at her until realization dawned. "You can't be little Ella, are you?" he grinned. "I never guessed that was you moving in next door. How are you? Is your dad with you?"
"No, the last time we heard from him he was working on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, and that was two years ago," she said. "It's just the aunts and I. Aunt Laura finally got fed up with Aunt Vicky fussing about how she hated living in the city, so we moved back to Lima."
"C'mere, let me get a good look at you," Burt said. Ella stepped closer to the couch and took the hand he extended. "Last time I saw you, you were just a little thing. Now you're all grown up."
"And you're bald," Ella laughed. She squeezed his hand. "What's with the IV, Uncle Burt? Are you sick?"
"I'm fine," Burt said dismissively.
"He had a heart attack three weeks ago," Kurt cut in.
Ella looked from one Hummel to the other. "Oh," she said. "I'm sorry."
"Kurt's just being a pessimist," Burt said. "I'll be fine. Probably be at work by next week."
"That's good," Ella said. "I'll tell my aunts you two are still living here. They'll be excited. Aunt Vicky will probably bring cake, though…you won't want to eat it."
"I remember," Burt said. He sighed. "Geez, Ella, you make me feel old. I still remember you as a toddler, sitting on Mollie's lap. Soon you'll be off to college." He laughed. "And if things had worked out differently, you and Kurt could have gotten mar-"
Kurt shook his head violently. Burt frowned. "…well, I guess I'm rambling," he said. "You come by and visit any time, all right?"
"Sure," Ella said. "And when the aunts and I are settled, we'll have you over for dinner." She glanced over her shoulder at Finn. "All of you, I guess."
"You'll meet Carole at some point, I'm sure," Burt said. He gave her hand a final squeeze and let go. "You tell Vicky and Laura I said hello, all right?"
"Of course," she said. She readjusted her kitten in the crook of her arm. "It's good to see you."
She headed towards the front door; Kurt held it open. "I suppose I'll see you at school," he said, smiling.
"Oh, yeah," she said. She leaned over and hugged him with the arm that wasn't holding the cat. "I'm glad you're still here."
"I'm glad you're back," he said, pulling away from her.
Ella stood on the doorstep, the overhead light making her hair a strange shade of orange. "Nice to meet you, Finn," she said.
He raised a hand in farewell. Ella turned around and walked across the yard to her house. Kurt shut the door firmly.
"Kurt, what was that about?" Finn hissed.
Kurt turned around and made a break for the basement. "What was what?" he said nonchalantly.
Finn jogged down the stairs behind him. "Dude, you don't want her to know you're gay?" he said.
Kurt picked up one of Finn's posters. "I think this will be a nice focal point for your side of the room," he said.
"Seriously. What are you thinking?" Kurt brushed his hair smoothly away from his forehead. "I'm thinking that if we used a dynamic red for your side of the room and a delicate pale blue for my side, we can come up with a design that won't make you call me names," he said. "How does that sound?"
Finn rolled his eyes, huffed in frustration, and plunked down on the couch. "Kurt, I told you, I'm sorry about that," he said. "But why won't you tell that girl you're gay?"
Kurt closed his eyes. "Finn, I don't remember her all that well anymore," he said. "She's a part of my past. The past that includes my mother still being alive, and no one caring about my sexuality. I would like to keep those memories intact, if you don't mind."
"So you're either going to avoid her, or you're going to lie every time you see her," Finn said sharply.
"At the moment, those are my only options," Kurt said. He dug into the box and pulled out another poster. "Where do you think this one should go?"
"…and then Tyra told her that she just wasn't trying hard enough, so even though her shot was better than the other girl's, she got sent home," Mercedes rattled on. "I still can't believe you missed an episode of America's Top Model. You haven't missed one since cycle four!"
"I was a little busy," Kurt sighed. "You know how it is." He flipped his folder open and checked for his French homework. "Oh, good. I didn't forget it."
"Are you still taking French and Spanish this year?" Mercedes said.
"No, that was last year," Kurt said. Last year, when Finn was in Spanish…he thought privately.
Mercedes shook her head. "You're the only person I know who would take two different languages at once," she said.
Kurt shrugged. "Studying foreign languages keeps one's mind sharp," he said loftily. "But I'd rather stick with French. It's prettier. Besides, I-"
Mercedes grabbed him by the arm, wrinkling the sleeve of his crisply ironed shirt. "Hold up," she said.
"Did you really have to do that?" Kurt whined.
"Who's that chick talking to Finn and Rachel?" Mercedes said.
Kurt looked up and his heart sank. Finn stood between his girlfriend and a petite redhead. He seemed to be introducing them. Rachel held out her hand, chatting a mile a minute while flashing her pearly white teeth in a broad smile. Ella shook her hand.
"That's the new girl," Kurt said.
"Is she joining Glee?"
"I hope not," he said darkly.
He shouldered his bag and marched over to them. "…so in spite of that, it's actually a very good school," Rachel said. "And our extracurricular activities are excellent as well. What are you interested in? Soccer? Singing? Art? Gymnastics?…singing?"
"I'm not really a singer," Ella said. "I mean, I sing when I drive, but that's about it."
"You should really consider joining the glee club," Rachel rattled on. "We practice three times a week after school. Sectionals are coming up soon, and we can use all the help we can. Even if you're not much of a singer, you could always stay in the back and make it look like our group is bigger than it actually is."
Ella ruffled her curls and slightly wrinkled her nose. "I don't think so," she said. "It's going to be hard enough to keep up with everyone else, much less do after school stuff."
Rachel's face fell, but only momentarily. "Don't worry, you'll come around," she said. "Everyone always does."
"She doesn't have to join glee club," Kurt announced. "She can do what she wants. And that doesn't include being one of your backup singers."
"Kurt, I don't think you've met our newest fellow student," Rachel said. "This is-"
"I know who she is," Kurt said.
Finn leaned in. "She lived next door to Kurt when they were little," he explained.
Rachel whirled around. "Oh, I forgot to ask you," she said. "Are you taking Gilbert and Sullivan? Because I found a piece from The HMS Pinafore that I think will be perfect."
Kurt blinked. "I really don't care," he said. "I'm sure I can find something that isn't over a hundred years old and rhymes all the way through."
Rachel opened her mouth to defend the glory of all that was Gilbert and Sullivan, but the bell rang overhead. "Crap. I have to go to…" Ella consulted her schedule. "Spanish. I don't even know where that is."
"Oh, Finn and I are in that class," Rachel said. She beamed. "We'll walk with you."
Rachel walked away, linking arms with Ella; Kurt heard her launch into an elaborate soprano trill, probably from that stupid operetta. He spun on his heel and faced Finn. "What was that?" he demanded.
Finn scratched the back of his neck. "Look, she was sitting in the back of my history class by herself, and no one was talking to her, and I felt bad," he said. "I figured that if I introduced her to Rachel, they'd be able to talk and stuff."
"Talk is right, talk about glee club," Kurt snapped. "You didn't think Rachel wouldn't force her to join?"
"Dude, I'm sorry, I just-"
Kurt stepped closer, raising his chin and standing on tiptoe. "If you, or Rachel, or anyone else lets it slip to Ella that I'm gay, I'll…I'll…"
Finn stared back, unblinking. Kurt lowered his heels. "Just don't tell her, all right?"
"No one will," Finn promised. Kurt gripped the shoulder strap of his bag and stalked towards his French class.
"You're going to have to tell her eventually," Finn called.
Kurt ignored him.
Kurt clicked through his iTunes. "That won't work," he mumbled aloud. "That was on a commercial."
Frustrated, he scanned through all the song titles, searching in vain for something he was sure no one else was familiar with. Of course, that eliminated nearly all of his Broadway selections. Even if it had closed on opening night with a dozen people in the audience, Rachel would somehow know everything about it.
"Kurt, can you come up here?"
He closed his laptop and headed up the stairs. "What is it, Dad?" he asked. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Don't flip out like that," Burt said. "Vicky Sloane stopped by today. She and Laura and Ella are coming over tonight."
The bottom abruptly fell out of Kurt's stomach. "What?"
"Ella told them about my little heart incident and they offered to make dinner," he said. "It'll be nice. We can catch up with old neighbors. Maybe we could bust out your mom's old photo albums."
Kurt blinked. "I'd really rather not," he said. "I have to pick a song for next week, and I have a take-home test for algebra. Besides, I have Cheerios practice on Saturday, and I haven't done so much as a heel stretch in a month."
"It's just dinner, Kurt, it's not a fancy dress ball," Burt said. "Just come upstairs, eat dinner, and be sociable for an hour. That isn't so hard, is it?"
His pulse was racing; he slammed his wrists into his sides. "Dad, I really don't want to do anything," he said. "Can't I just eat in my room?"
Burt's gaze narrowed. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that you don't want Ella to know you're gay?" he said. "Because that's not cool with me. Either you're honest or you're a liar, there's nothing in the middle."
"It's really complicated and I'd rather not go through it right now," he said.
Burt frowned. "Promise you'll tell her?"
"Eventually, yes," Kurt said. Burt's frowned deepened. "Dad, it took sixteen years for me to tell you. It's going to take some time."
"All right," Burt relented. "The Sloanes are coming over at six o'clock. You'd better come up."
"I will," he said quietly.
He retreated to the bedroom that would be his alone for just a few more days and half-heartedly opened his laptop. The screen glowed briefly, but he shut it again and stretched out on his bed instead, not bothering to move the comforter. He was just too tired to move.
Kurt slouched in his chair. Ella's two aunts sat across from him, talking nonstop. His father seemed to enjoy it, though. He talked just as avidly, reminiscing about their high school days and bringing up old inside jokes.
Laura Sloane was a tall, thin woman with bright red hair; Vicky Sloane was short and reminded Kurt of a bird. He could see Ella's family resemblance slightly, but not very well. She probably took after her mother. Kurt didn't remember Mary Elizabeth Sloane at all; his mother once explained that Ella's mother didn't want a baby and left shortly after she was born. He had felt sorry for her at the time. After all, he couldn't imagine what life was like without a mother.
"…and that's when I said to Charlie, 'just take the Carmel statue, they won't even notice'," Laura continued. "And he did."
"They replaced it, you know," Burt said, gesturing with his fork. "It weighs a ton now. Probably to prevent any other pranks like that."
Kurt poked listlessly at the food on his plate. It was nice to not have to cook for once, but he would much rather eat with his dad or alone in his room than sit at the table with strangers.
He glanced up and caught Ella's eye. She half-smiled and shrugged, as if to say I don't like this either.
Kurt scooted his chair back. "Could I be excused, if you don't mind?" he asked. "I have a project for glee that I need to work on."
Vicky straightened. "Ooh, the glee club," she said. "I remember that."
"Me too," Laura commented. "We used to throw iced tea on them."
"Yes, well, they've upgraded to slushies now," he said.
Vicky clapped her hands lightly, as if she was excited. "Why don't you take Ella?" she suggested. "She can still play the piano, you know."
"Drums her fingers on everything she can find," Laura said. "It's obnoxious."
Ella ducked her head. "Not on everything," she mumbled.
"Yeah, Kurt," Burt said. "Why don't you take Ella?"
He shot his son a pointed glance. Kurt stifled a sigh. "Sure," he said. Ella pushed her chair back and followed him upstairs.
"So you have to pick a song that no one else is familiar with, right?" she said, breaking the awkward silence. "Rachel kept talking about it."
"She tends to do that," Kurt said. He opened the door to the study and flipped on the lights. It wasn't really a study- his dad's ancient desktop computer stood on a roll top desk, and a couple of bookshelves lined the walls.
Ella glanced around. "It hasn't really changed, has it?" she said.
Kurt brushed the dust off the piano. "Not really," he said. He pulled back the cover and hit a C-chord. The notes sounded only slightly off.
Ella sat down on the rolling chair at the desk. "It's kind of weird hanging out again," she said. "I mean, it's different. We're too old to play Wizard of Oz in the backyard and fight over my Barbies."
"Mm-hm," Kurt said. He sat down on the bench and stared at the black-and-white keys, his hands resting limply in his lap as he thought about what on earth he might possibly sing.
Ella tucked her legs underneath her. "So you can't really think of something to sing?" she guessed.
He looked up. "Not particularly, no," he said.
Ella dug in her back pocket and pulled out an iPod. "What kind of song are you looking for?" she asked. "Like…something slow, or something happy, or…what?"
"You're very kind to try to help, but I don't think you can come up with anything," Kurt said.
She scowled. "You're not making this very easy," she said.
"Making what easy?"
"This whole being nice to you thing." She shoved her iPod back in her pocket, then looked up. "You were nicer when you were eight."
Kurt closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. "A lot of things were different back then," he said.
She dropped her legs to Indian-style. "I know," she said. "Your mom was still alive. I get it."
She rested her chin on her hand, and for a minute Kurt was reminded of what they used to be, when they were little kids and she was his best friend. Briefly he wondered what it would be like if they were friends again. Maybe things would be better, like they were back then.
"Did you have a song in mind?" he asked politely.
She quirked an eyebrow, as if she wasn't entirely tricked by his sudden change of topic. "Kind of," she said, pulling her iPod back out. "You can listen to it if you want to. It's just a nice little love song."
Wordlessly he held out his hand for her earbuds, and she handed them over. He held them up and she pressed play.
He listened to it carefully. The melody was simple but interesting, and he knew he could tweak it just enough to suit his voice that much better. "I like it," he said as it finished. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," she said. She wrapped the earbuds around the iPod and put it away. "Look, I don't know why we can't get along anymore, but I won't try to make you hang out with me. I think we've been up here long enough to satisfy your aunts and my dad. Have fun with your song." She got up.
Kurt stared down at the carpet. "Do you really still play the piano?" he blurted out, before he could stop himself.
She paused. "Yeah," she said. She smiled. "I remember when your mom would make you practice, and I would beg you to teach me."
"And she finally started teaching you herself," Kurt said. He plucked at the buttons on his wrist cuffs. "Could you help me learn that song? I really can't think of anything else to sing, so I might as well do that."
Ella smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sure," she said. "If you want me to."
"I do," he said, and he realized he wasn't lying. He got up from the piano bench and crossed his arms over his stomach. "I'd really like that."
She sat down at the piano bench and played the first few chords. He closed his eyes, and for a second he imagined that his mother was sitting there, coaxing him through a lesson.
"Do you need help with the lyrics?" she asked, breaking his reverie.
He opened his eyes. "I suppose," he said. Ella placed her hands on the keys and started teaching him the first line.
Some sort of fuzzy rock music interrupted his sleep. Kurt sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. His phone danced across the top of the piano as it rang. He fumbled to pick it up and hit talk.
"Who's this?" he said blearily.
"It's Finn. Dude, did I wake you up?"
He leaned his arms heavily on the closed lid of the piano and stared up at the warm glow from the overhead light. "Finn, please tell me you have a reason for calling me at eleven o'clock at night," he said.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just wondering when you wanted me to move all my junk over on Saturday."
Kurt bit back a yawn. "I don't know, nine?" he said. He stopped. "Wait. I have practice."
"Practice for what?" Finn asked.
"Cheerios," he said. "Ms. Sylvester will murder me twelve ways from Tuesday if I miss another one."
"So…do you not want me to come then?"
Kurt leaned his elbow heavily on the closed piano and balanced his phone against his ear. "Practice goes from seven to five. Come whenever you like, but don't get started on our room until I get back. All right?"
"Sure, that's cool." He heard Finn clear his throat. "Hey, Kurt…have you been feeling okay lately?"
He sat up, frowning. "Of course," he said. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know," Finn said. "You just don't seem like yourself lately."
He stared blankly at the crowded bookshelves. "I just have a lot on my mind," he said.
"Okay," Finn said. "Hey, my show's back on. See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Kurt said softly. He hit the end button and stood up, clutching his phone in his hand.
Downstairs it was silent. His father dozed on the couch; all of the lights were turned off and the kitchen was spotless. Kurt silently headed to his bedroom, changed into his pajamas, and crawled into bed, leaving his clothes scattered over the floor. He pulled the covers over his head, blocking out the faint glow of moonlight, and waited to fall asleep.
He couldn't.
Author's Notes:
So here's the second chapter! I really hope you like it. I'm struggling a bit with introducing original characters that don't suck. My beta has given me some good stuff about what she thinks about Ella, so I hope she isn't awful. Mary Sues are the bane of my existence, yet it's so easy to write them.
I don't know if it's going to ruin surprises, but no, Kurt is not going straight for Ella. I just don't think there's any way he would go straight for anybody, and certainly not with a character I came up with.
I kind of wondered why Kurt was in Spanish class with Finn in the first season, and in French class the second. I decided that Kurt took both classes sophomore year so he could spend more time mooning over Finn. It's the only thing I could think of that would make sense.
Ella's aunts are inspired from another set of aunts that I love- Lily and Vivian Charles from Pushing Daisies. If you've never seen it (it wasn't on the air for very long), you really ought to give it a go.
Fun fact: When I originally wrote this chapter, I had no idea what song Ella played for Kurt. Now that I'm partway through chapter three, I picked one. What do you think it is?
Also, thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, and alerts! I'd like to return the favor.
Reader: Thanks! This plot has a lot of threads running through it, so I hope I can keep moving smoothly. And Kurt is definitely heading for some kind of breakdown- physical or emotional, I'm not quite sure.
MonkeyMojo: Thank you so much! I hope I've built well on my first chapter.
particularly good finder: Thank you! I hope you like it.
D-fan: Here's the next chapter! Thanks!
Dear Near Scary: Thanks! I hope it wasn't too long of a wait.
Stardust585: Kurt definitely is a little too brave for his own good. I think I'm going to explore that idea further in later chapters. And now you've met the new neighbors! I hope they're interesting! And the Hudsons move back in in the next chapter, so you'll get to see that soon. Thank you for reviewing (and the congrats!)
Mika-chan: Thank you! I have some good stuff planned for the story, so I hope you like it.
WorriedSmile: Thank you! I try to envision the character's voice in my head when I write, because it makes it easier for the dialogue to flow. Sometimes I even play episodes in the background, just so I can hear them clearly. I'm glad it translates well!
MorganD: I hope this chapter improves upon the first! Finn moves in during the next chapter, so that part of the story will begin quickly. As for Kurt, he's really in kind of a people-pleasing mode, and he basically is doing whatever he can to make his dad happy. You definitely have a very good point, though, and I look forward to incorporating it into the story.
Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your feedback.
