I just wanted to thank you guys for the kind reviews you've given me so far! It means a lot to me :)
Here's chapter 3!
The Hummel-Hudson family arrived at Aunt Cathy's Indianapolis home after an agonizingly long and boring four hour drive. Still, it was better than actually meeting Aunt Cathy.
The front door to the city home was opened by a tall, husky woman who, other than her hair color, bore very little resemblance to Carole. She ordered them all to take their shoes off before stepping inside the house. And, of course, Kurt just had to be wearing a pair of knee-high lace-up designer leather boots that took forever unlace. Everyone else simply slipped off their shoes and stepped inside without a hitch, while Kurt had to kneel down and undo the laces individually, one at a time. He did his best to keep his focus on his shoes, avoiding the unwavering icy stare that Aunt Cathy had held on him.
Eventually, Kurt got his boots off and stood up straight with an awkward, uneasy laugh. Alright, bad first impression. Not the best way to start off this visit… He edged passed Cathy to step inside to join his family, boots clutched in his arms. His outfit didn't feel complete without his them on, but he kept his mouth shut.
Her house, her rules, I suppose…
Cathy closed the front door and turned to greet Carole. "Well, hello there, Carole. It has certainly been a long time. Why don't we all step into the living room and chat?" she offered pleasantly.
Carole smiled in greeting. "Alright, sounds good."
"Just leave your shoes by the door."
Finn, Carole, and Burt tossed their shoes to the corner and ambled into the living room. Kurt hesitated with his boots, however. They were his favorite pair of shoes.
After a moment's hesitation, he carefully set them down beside the other shoes. What was the worst that could happen to them?
Kurt sat next to Finn on the sofa, crossing his legs. The room was very tidy and color-coordinated. An opened bible sat on a wooden pedestal, crosses adorned the walls, and the coffee table exhibited a few small angel figurines. It was very plain to see what type of person Cathy was.
There was one couch and an armchair. Carole and Burt joined their children on the couch while Cathy sat at the armchair. "So, you must be Burt," Cathy said to Kurt's father.
"I am," Burt responded stiffly. "It's good to finally meet you, Catherine."
She smiled a menacingly sweet smile. "Please, call me Cathy," she offered. "And that must be your son sitting beside you. Kurt, wasn't it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kurt confirmed.
She seemed to stop and study him for a long moment before nodding. "Well, then, Kurt, it's good to meet you as well," she said.
"Likewise," Kurt said formally.
Finally, she smiled at Finn. "And hello, Finny! You've sure grown up a lot since last time I saw you."
Finn laughed a quiet, awkward laugh. "Yeah, well…That's what happens when you don't see someone for two years" he said obviously.
"Aw, I'm sorry I haven't stopped by much, Finny. I've been so very busy, trying to keep up with the bills and everything in this economic deficit," she explained. "I feel so guilty, missing the wedding and everything."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Cathy," Carole assured. "I understand that you had other things to do."
What, her sister's wedding wasn't important enough? Kurt wondered what could have possibly been so crucial as to miss it. Not that it was even his business in the first place.
For a while, the conversation was very general and basic, branching off subjects such as, "How are things going?" and "How's work been for you?" and "Nice weather we're having."
Kurt didn't have to contribute to the chat very much, only talking when asked a question directly. The less he spoke, the better. The atmosphere already felt tense and uncomfortable as it was.
Finally, Aunt Cathy told them they could get their things and get settled into the spare rooms. Kurt and Finn had to share a room while their parents shared the room across the hall. Finn helped Kurt with his things with a little difficulty. He dropped the bags on the floor with a grunt.
"Hey! Be careful with those," Kurt snapped.
"What the heck all did you bring?" Finn asked. "We're only going to be here for like two days."
"You can never be over-prepared," Kurt said. He'd carried one bag along with his boots and moved to place them on a bed, but halted when he noticed something else was occupying the space. "Erm…Is that…a dog?"
Finn looked to where Kurt pointed and smiled. "Hey! It's Cookie!" The dog—a huge German Shepherd—lifted her head lazily, blinking at Finn and wagging her tail. Finn dashed over to her and patted her head. "Wow, she's gotten so big since the last time I saw her."
Kurt backed away to the opposite side of the room. "Yeah, that's terrific. Now get her out of here," he ordered.
Finn looked at Kurt quizzically. "What? Why?" he asked. "Don't tell me you're afraid of dogs, Kurt..." Finn smirked knowingly.
"Of course not!" Kurt defended himself. "I'm just allergic to, um…teeth and claws."
"Cookie is totally harmless!" Finn said. "Right, Cookie? You're a good girl. You wouldn't hurt a fly!" Cookie sat up, tongue lolling out of her mouth and tail waving to and fro. She hopped off the bed and Kurt scrambled back even further.
"Sure, whatever you say, j-just keep her away from me," he demanded.
"Go on, Cookie! Go say hi to Kurt!" Finn encouraged her. "I think he'd love to meet you!"
"Finn!" Kurt snapped. "That's not funny!"
Finn pushed Cookie in his direction. "Go ahead, Cookie!"
"Finn, quit it!" Kurt backed into the farthest wall, using his boots as a shield in front of him. Cookie shuffled lazily over to Kurt, ears perked. He tensed up as she sniffed at his feet, lifting her nose to his boots. Her lazy expression instantly snapped into full on carnivore and a snarl ripped from her throat. Her teeth clamped onto the laces of the boots, just inches from Kurt's hands. "AHH!" He shoved the boots at the monstrous hound and danced out of the way frantically, jumping up on top of the bed as if that would protect him.
Cookie didn't follow after him. Instead, she crouched to the ground and began to tear apart the leather of his favorite designer boots with her long sharp teeth.
"Nooo! Those are designer!" Kurt cried. He shot a glare at Finn. "Do something! Control that mutt! She's going to ruin my favorite shoes!"
Finn's eyes were wide with shock. "Ahh, well…"
"Well, what? This is your fault! Get my shoes back!"
Finn frowned to himself and drew in a deep breath. "Fine…I can do this." He started for Cookie reluctantly, reaching around her to try and snag the boots. She jerked her head around and snarled at him with snapping teeth, causing him to recoil abruptly. "Whoa!" He staggered back a few paces. "Um. Sorry Kurt, but I don't really want to become dog food as well…" he apologized in a mumble.
"Argh! You're useless!" Kurt groaned.
"What's going on in here?" Burt demanded at the doorway. "I heard someone scream."
"That—that MUTT is devouring my favorite pair of shoes!" Kurt pointed down at Cookie from atop the bed. "Do something! They're a limited edition designer brand-I can't get them anywhere anymore!"
Burt frowned, peering over at the beast. "Alright," he sighed, straightening up. "I'll see what I can do."
Will Burt manage to save his son's expensive knee-high lace-up desinger boots! Find out in the next chapter! (or so.)
Ha, seriously, though, sorry for the awkward chapter end. I feel the need to switch POV's for the next chapter... Next chapter, let's find out what Blaine is up to! :)
And thank you for reading!
