This Time Around: Ch 3
"…All I'm saying is that you need to be careful about who you hang out with otherwise I might believe that you deserve what's coming."
Dave tried but Azimio's words keep playing over and over inside his head. And as he follows Kurt's very detailed instructions to locate the Hummel house he wonders if he has already reached the point where he loses his best friend. He doesn't want to get sentimental, knowing that seperating himself from the other jock may be for the best, but in his mind he questions if it's a good enough reason to throw away ten years of knowing some one. Yeah, sure, admittedly Az has always been the first one to make it clear who he doesn't like, but he'd always been loyal: the first to throw a punch for him or the one who stole a lunch when he had forgotten his. Well, loyal until now. As Dave turns to on to the final street he briefly entertains the thought of trying to salvage both relationships, but he gets the feeling it would come down to choosing between Azimio and Kurt, which is a choice already made.
He forces the thoughts away as he knocks on the front door of Kurt's home: no one answers. He checks the number on the house against the one on the paper in his hand. He's at the right house, and he knows that Glee club got out before football because Hudson had shown up halfway through practice, but Coach didn't count it against the Gleek because everyone knows Hudson is the only real choice as far as quarterback goes. Dave tries the door again, as well as the doorbell until a voice comes behind him causing Dave to notice the newly arrived car and its driver now standing in front of him. The mildly annoyed looking middle aged man wearing baseball hat looks him over for a moment before speaking, "Can I help you?"
"I...I'm Dave" The teenager is suddenly aware of where Kurt gets his power of intimidation. "I'm here for Kurt." Mr. Hummel's eyebrows shoot up before Dave can correct himself, "For homework. We have to work on a project. History."
Dave is grateful the older man doesn't acknowledge his embarrassment as he is allowed to follow Kurt's Dad inside the house, "You, uh, part of that singing club?"
He shakes his head, "No, sir. I play hockey and football."
"Football, huh?" Burt's eyes narrow startling the younger man who start looking around hoping for any sign of Kurt to come rescue him. "You're not one of the guys who nailed my lawn furniture to my roof this summer, are you?"
"No, sir. I was out of town that week." It is the truth, he just neglects to inform that the idea had sort of been his idea originally to get in the good graces of the upperclassmen.
"Good." Burt nods. "Well, Deadliest Catch is about to start, I guess Kurt is just in his room." The younger boy follow the older Hummel towards the back of the house where they can hear the sound of music getting louder. Dave stifles a laugh as the basement door is opened the and the very loud sound of Beyonce comes storming through. All the of the thoughst Dave worried about on his walk over are pushed to the background as he takes a couple of steps down and Kurt comes into view. There is a girl on either side of him, a Glee-rio and the goth Gleek, all three oblivious to the new comers. Dave's eyes are drawn to Kurt as the slighter boy moves effortlessly in that very tight...outfit. Soon he finds himself the least shocked but the greatest disappointed when Kurt's Dad turns the music off. A small smile play innocently across his face when Kurt squirms a little to come up with an explanation for is wardrobe. Conditioning, really, Kurt? Surprisingly, Burt Hummel also seems less then shocked when the blonde announces that Kurt is also on the football teams, and suddenly there is four sets of eyes staring at him, finally acknowledging his presence.
"Yeah, um, he's great." Dave forces out. "It's why we decided to work on this project together. We're...teammates."
He catches Kurt mouth him a 'thank you' when the parent in the room isn't looking. Then Burt ask the simplest question, "One of you his girlfriend?"
Dave nearly chokes and Kurt goes white, but recovers quickly scooping the Asian to his side and mumbles something about non-exclusivity. He doesn't mean to but Dave has to fight the small nagging twing of jealous that finds itself scratches his insides.
"Uh, we should really get started on that project, Kurt."
Burt agrees, makes a comment about a ticket to Kurt's game and keeping the music down before heading back upstairs to catch the rest of his television show. Dave finds himself alone for a few minutes when Kurt shows the girls out. His eye lands on the camcorder that had been recording Kurt's dancing. Intrigued when he sees the disc is still in he listens for a second before popping it out and sticking it in the front pouch of his messengar bag before Kurt comes back. He imagines for a moment what on the tape on then hopes that Kurt was only using the Goth chick, Tina, to keep his dad from finding out.
"Dave?"
Kurt's voice interrupts his thoughts, "Dave? If you want me to call you by your name it might help if you answer to it. What are you thinking about?"
Dave forces a smile, "I was just thinking your Dad seems pretty, well, bad ass."
The blunt comment causes Kurt to smile and chuckle, and Dave continues, "You know if the guys on the team knew you had a dad like that they probably wouldn't mess with you as much."
It's clear from the rolling of the eyes Kurt doesn't believe him but settles for a slightly snarky if half-hearted, "I can take care of myself."
"I'm not doubting it. I'm just saying..."
"Let's just work on this project, Karofsky." The sharper tone alone makes Dave focuse on the task at hand. While Dave pulled out his books, Kurt went about clearing up the camcorder, "What happened to the disc?"
"Uh...I think one of the girls, the blonde..."
"Britney." Kurt supplied.
"I think she took it with her."
To his relief Kurt didn't question, simply cursed silently, "Well, that disc is lost forever. She'll never remember where she put it."
"She can't be that bad."
Kurt plops gracefully on the couch beside him, meeting his eyes with driest expression, "Before we left school, she put a couple of pennies down in front of a crack in the wall to pay the tiny people who 'stole' her box of tampons."
Dave bites back the laugh, "I take it back. Yep, that disc is lost to the tiny people who live in the walls. It's definitely a lost cause." Unintentionally, Dave's hand lands casually on Kurt's knee. Instantly Kurt tenses up and hops up excusing himself to change before they spend the next hour and a half working on their presentation until it meets both boys' standards.
"Way to go, teammate." Dave teases as he piles his books back into the bag. "How are you going to pull that off? You're brilliant, but football?"
"Brilliant, huh?" Kurt teases back, "I am aren't I? Well that where you come in."
"What?"
"You're on the team already, you can help get me on their, too."
The suggestion causes the stockier boy's breath to catch, "I don't know, Kurt, why can't you tell your Dad the truth?"
Kurt pouts childishly, "If you don't want to help, I'll get Finn to help, he's in Glee..."
"Just the expression of awe that comes across the singer's face is enough to spark Dave's reaction. "Fine, I'll do it. Meet me in the locker room after school and I get you ready."
"Promise? No tricks?"
The slight pain is replaced by the smallest of smiles, "Have I given you any reason not to trust me, yet?"
"I guess not."
"Alright then. Tomorrow. Locker rooms. After school. And if its the last thing I'll do, you will be on the football team. Promise."
"Fine. Tomorrow."
Resisting the urge to do anything embarassing or obvious Dave takes the stairs two at a time, striding to the front door only pausing to wish Mr. Hummel a good night before taking the twenty minute walk to get to his house where his father is finishing dinner.
"Dave, is that you?"
"Yeah, its me."
"Dinner's ready."
Dave drops his bag off next to the front door beside the pile of shoes and the table holding a basket of keys and reminders. His dad is standing in front of the island setting down plates, "Your mom is working late, so its just the two of us." Dave sits in front of one of the plates before Paul Karofsky lays out the vegetable lasagna and a couple of breadsticks. "But she said it would be alright if you went ahead a opened these." Two boxes are laid before him his eyes meeting his dad's.
"My birthday isn't until next week."
"I know, but I can't wait any more."
Dave naturally goes for the larger of the two boxes first, opening it to find the red and black jacket with yellow-white sleeves. His Letterman Jacket.
"And we've already got all the basic stuff on their, and the patches for hockey all ready to go."
"Dad, we don't even know if I'll make the team."
"Dave," His father is nearly gentle with the name, "We both know you'll be on the team. You're a freshman, but you're talented. If you play your cards right it could be the ticket to your future. What you've always wanted, right?"
"Well, yeah, but I was actually think that I might wat to be a lawyer." Dave sort of mumbles.
"You can do that after your hockey career. Just don't waste your talent, son." This seems to trigger something for the older Karofsky as he taps on the other box, "Speaking of a waste of talent, open this box."
Confused when he finds his Passport before reading the letter attached. The more he reads the letter the bigger his eyes get, "Really."
"Yep, my brother and his wife want you to join them this summer. It might not be the most exciting, but you'll have a good time." Paul clears his note almost to mention last piece of paper in the box. "You just have to make a brief stop first."
Dave picks the last paper in the second box up, "No."
"Just think of it as visiting your grandparents."
"I'll visit them, but I'm not going to see him."
"Dave, just..."
"No, Dad, I won't."
"Just promise you're mom you'll consider it."
It's a full minute before the hockey player responds, "Fine. But I'm not going."
He gathers the tickets, the jacket, and his plate before heading upstairs making only the stop to pick up his bag. He's fuming from the second ticket. Wanting to know why they think its okay to force him to go there. It's not okay. If they knew everything, but that's exactly the problem, like every other part of his life; he's just not ready to share.
Author's Note:
Thank you, so much for the response. I'm glad I asked the questions I did, and if you didn't get the chance to weigh in on the whole topic of Blaine...there's still a little time to let your opinion be heard.
Here is the weekly update.
And a funny story: so me and my other two we-vaguely-acknowledge-Christmas-because-our-other-roommates-celebrate-it roommates thought we'd really deck the house out this year for the other three as a Surprise. So we got their significant others to get them out of the house. An hour later we were in the emergency room. Thanks to the combination of a Christmas Tree, a string of multi-colored lights and a poorly placed coffee table I now have a broken wrist, a black eye, and lots of bruises. Yep, this Jew got her ass kicked by Christmas and have been informed by the people I live with that I will never live this down (I think I even amused the doctors and nurses, because my roommates wouldn't stop sharing the story)...this is only important to you...because I'm just a tad bit slower (like I wanted to get this up two hours and instead I get it up two hours before the end of the day I promised), we'd have all been screwed if I had broken my left wrist...and I'm really on a roll with this one...I'm even on editing Ch 4 and finishing the details on Ch. 5-9.
So, yay.
Remember your reviews keep me (and this story going)! THe more reviews the quicker the updates.
Until Next time.
