So... You have every right to hate me. It's been way too long. But I'm back, hopefully in weekly update mode as well. This is kind of a filler; it's friendship and relationship building, and there will be more action in the future. Promise. :) Hope you enjoy. Reviews literally make my day when they appear. Thanks for reading!

"Are you okay?"

Blaine sighed, turning away from his locker. It had been ten days since he met with Elli. Seven of them, he had spent at McKinley, which meant he'd been asked, "Are you okay?" at least fourteen times. "Sam, I'm fine. I promise. All of this future planning is just stressing me out." It wasn't a lie, exactly. Planning for the future was what stressed him out. His future planning just included a few elements that the average high school senior's didn't. "It's fine."

"Okay," Sam answered, still eying Blaine warily. "Are you already worrying about your NYADA audition?"

"I'm not sure I'm applying to NYADA anymore," he answered honestly, leaning against a neighboring locker with a sigh. "I've started looking at Ohio State, UNO, Genessee Community College, Col-"

"Wait," Sam cut him off. "The Lima community college? Why not NYADA? Or NYU? Julliard? I thought you wanted to do music."

"I think I might want to stick around here," Blaine answered hollowly, trying to come up with an excuse. "I- um, I always wanted to get out of Ohio so I could be free to date without feeling like everyone in the world would judge me, but after Kurt... I don't want to date anymore. And what about making a living? I need to be able to pay bills and support myself. You can't do that with a degree in musical theatre unless you're really good. I mean, really good... Like Kurt good or Rachel good. I'm not."

"Dude, that just nerves talking," Sam answered. " You belong in New York, with Kurt, singing your heart out. You can make it. Just apply. You can apply to all the stupid Ohio schools, too, if you really want to, but don't just not apply because you're scared."

Blaine wanted nothing more than to change the subject. Every second, every word, he came closer to spilling the secret, and he wasn't ready. His parents didn't know yet. Her parents didn't know yet. Kurt hadn't spilled to anyone yet. He couldn't blow it here. "What about you, Mr. Peptalk? Where are you applying?"

It was Sam's turn to look chagrined, and Blaine almost felt bad for bringing it up. Almost."I'm not."

"What do you mean you're not?"

"I- uh- got my SAT's back. It's official. I'm too stupid to go to college."

Blaine's heart sank as he watched Sam crumple. "Test scores don't mean anything, Sam. Not a thing. You have overcome every obstacle you've ever faced. Dyslexia? No problem. Your family's financial struggles? You busted your butt taking care of your siblings. You kept your family going for all those months. You've overcome other peoples' struggles, too. When the New Directions needed you to win nationals? You bailed them out. When Kurt was being bullied, you were the one who led the charge to keep him safe. You have never let anything keep you down. Don't let a standardized test score kill that record."

"Now who's Mr. Peptalk?" the blonde grumbled, torn between misty eyes and a fierce glare. "I'm not college material. I should never have thought I was to begin with."

"Let's make a deal," Blaine erupted suddenly, a thought hitting him. "I will apply to my New York schools and try to have faith that I can make everything work if you apply to the same number of schools I do and try to have faith in yourself to be as amazing as we all know you are. We both win."

"Deal," Sam answered almost instantly. "If for no other reason than I know you're going to be a star one day, and then when I remind you it's because of me, you'll have to support me too."

With an amazingly unforced laugh, Blaine clapped his friend's shoulder. "You have yourself a deal. But when you're a college graduate and I'm an broke artist, starving on the streets, you have to return the favor."

Fear.

"This week," Mr. Schue announced triumphantly, "we are going to discuss our biggest fears. I know for a lot of the seniors in the room, stress is catching up fast. College application deadlines are hitting, your financial aid is being processed, and you're finally hitting the walls of reality. It is a scary time. But it's not necessarily the scariest thing going on in your lives, either. So this week, I want all of you to share your biggest fear. Sing about it. Sing about how you're going to conquer it. Maybe you'll find the support you need to do it in this very room."

Puck's hand shot in the air. "What if there's nothing that scares you?"

"Then you're lying to yourself and to us, and you're doing the assignment anyway. This is supposed to make us a stronger team, which means everyone needs to do their part. Now, who's first?"

Without Rachel to jump in with the perfectly planned ballad, the room was dead silent. Blaine, who would normally jump in to start, had zero interest in exposing the fears plaguing his mind. It was several moments before Unique finally stepped to the front of the room, clearing her throat nervously. "Today, I had a slushie thrown in my face. Twice. I was checked into three lockers, called five different slurs, threatened for being a 'twink,' told I was an abomination that would be sent straight to hell for pretending to be a girl, and offered a free castration from the hockey team so I could be as ball-less as I wanted to be. It was a normal day."

A small uproar filled the room, but Unique held up her hand, quieting them instantly.

"Their threats aren't what scare me. I am proud of who I am, and a few Neanderthals in letterman jackets aren't going to change that. My biggest fear is that it will never get better. That people won't learn or grow. I am afraid that this will be my normal for the rest of my life. But I'm hopeful. You guys give me hope, and it does get better. It already has. I don't have to be Wade every day and wear clothes that feel wrong. You are all already helping me face my fears, and I can't thank you enough for it, but I have to hope that someday, somewhere, what we have in this room will be my normal.

"This is a song that has gotten me through for the last few years, and I think I'm ready to share it with you guys."

She nodded to the pianist confidently, and as he always did, he played exactly the right notes. Unique's alto filled the room, her eyes closed as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream,

Really do come true.

A knot formed in Blaine's throat as Unique's sorrow-laden voice filled the choir room. He didn't need to look around to know that he was not the only misty-eyed member of the choir. For the briefest of moments, everything in his life seemed a little less terrifying.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops,

High above the chimney tops,

That's where you'll find me.

He was certain he understood Unique's emotion better than anyone in the room, and for the first time in a week, he felt. He wasn't numb; he wasn't closing off or pretending to be okay. He just... Got it. And his heart hurt for his friend.

Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow

Why, oh why can't I?

Only haunted silence remained as her voice faded, and Blaine led the assault for the expected group hug, holding on tightly. "It will get there," he promised quietly. "It will."

It was several minutes before the weepy glee club members returned to their seats and Mr. Scheuster asked the inevitable, "Who's next?"

Connected and liberated, Blaine still did not raise his hand. He was out of the haze, but he was far from ready to let his secret escape.