Hey! I hope you liked chapter 3. Quick summary to catch you up: Brooke congratulates Blaine for becoming the main face of C4B (Clothes For Bros). We find her wily but compassionate side when she give Kurt relationship advice. And apparently Kurt used to be with a crazy stalker! Kurt's assistant overhears the advice and seconds it with some of her own.
A/N: Not one recognizable thing belongs to me. The characters belong to their respective shows, along with their respective shows' creators/producers. Fun fact: Beginning in Season Six of One Tree Hill, the main cast (i.e. Hilarie (Peyton), Chad (Lucas), Sophia (Brooke), James (Nathan), Bethany (Haley)) directed at least one episode themselves. Behind the scenes totals from Season 6-Season 9: Chad~1 Directing, 1 Writing, James~4 Directing, Sophia~3 Directing, Bethany~3 Directing.
Enjoy Chapter 4! :D :D
"Flight 3947 to Tree Hill now boarding. Repeat, Flight 3947 from New York to Tree Hill now boarding. Please make your way to gate six at this time."
Kurt stood up and grabbed his carry-on bag. Well, here goes nothing. He glanced over to his flying companions.
"Are you guys ready to go?" he asked, trying to not make eye contact with…him.
There were eighteen models in all—8 girls and 10 boys. Brooke wanted the numbers to not be even. With the new line, more people would want to see the male line, which required more models being hired. It had taken a few days, but once…he…was found for the face of Clothes For Bros, everything was set for the fashion show.
The models voiced their readiness, except for Blaine, who was silently walking toward the terminal with one of the boys.
"Let's stay together," Kurt called when he noticed the boys.
"We're not five, Kurt," the tall, brown-haired boy retorted. "We're adults, same as you." He laughed.
Kurt made a mental note to look up this boy's name. He was possibly going to give him a lot of trouble for these next few days. Kurt sighed. What did I get myself into? He led the models down the terminal and onto the plane. "Alright," he began, going into Superior mode. "No funny business on this plane or you will be on a one-way flight back to New York as soon as we arrive. Brooke is counting on us, and she doesn't like trouble." He smiled as he spotted his seat, 1B. The first row of seats faced backward, one of Brooke Davis's unique styles. She loved back-facing seats, so every single plane her models took was required to have a back-facing seat. "Now find your seat before the stewardess comes and bitches at you." He'd flown enough to know that some—well, most—stewardesses stay on shift for hours upon end, which means they are cranky all the time.
Blaine sat down in his seat, 2C. To his surprise, he was sitting catty-cornered from their guide. He glanced up at the Clothes Over Bros assistant right as the pilot said overhead, "Please fasten your seatbelts. We are ready for lift-off. Again, please fasten your seatbelts for take-off."
The model felt the familiar rush of a plane's take-off as he found a pair of beautiful glasz eyes staring right into his. They flickered away as soon as they were caught, and the face on which they were moved away just as fast. Settling into his seat next to the brown-haired model, he pulled his headphones and iPod out of his bag to listen to his music. As Katy Perry's recent CD was blaring in his ear, he drifted off into a peaceful abyss, unaware he was being watched by not one but two of his companions.
Kurt was one, trying oh so hard not to watch him, but it was not working. In order to keep his mind on the right path, he pulled his own iPod out of his pocket and turned on the soundtrack from Wicked, his all-time favorite musical. I was supposed to check on that model, he remembered as he searched for his clipboard. He found it wedged between the seats of 1A and 1B. I guess it fell off my lap. The male sitting in 1A was a boy with shaggy, blonde hair. He was taller than Kurt, and had a big smile. As Kurt was reaching down to grab the clipboard, his hand accidentally brushed the boy's leg.
The blondie looked up from the book he was reading—The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West—and smiled at Kurt. "If you wanted to feel me up, all you had to do was ask."
Kurt blushed, embarrassed by this model's blunt statement. "No, no, I was just looking for my clipboard. It's right…" he felt around for it, being more cautious this time "Aha! I found it." He pulled it out from between the seats.
"It's Chandler, by the way," the blondie said to Kurt.
"Huh?" Kurt looked over at the model, confused.
"My name is Chandler. Just so you remember it." He smiled.
Kurt sighed. Of course, he was just trying to be nice. "Well, thanks, Chandler. I'll remember you as the model who I accidently, sort of, on accident, felt up as I retrieved my clipboard." He smiled and then got back to what he was doing.
Let's see here… he thought as he flipped the pages of his clipboard, trying to find the model's name. It's a good thing I sorted the models by height instead of name. It's a lot easier to find people that way. Brooke can have weird quirks, but I love this one. Here it is. His name is Sebastian Smythe. Hmm…Smythe…where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, my professor's name in college was Smythe. Dear Gaga he was rude. I sure hope his son isn't as rude…but by what I've already seen, he is. He glanced over to where Sebastian was sitting…
And found it was right by…him. His perky little meerkat face was facing the dark-haired boy, and it looked as though the two were engaged in an intimate conversation. Kurt sighed and mentally slapped himself in the face when he realized he'd just created a sentence about…him…using the words 'engaged' and 'intimate.' He didn't even want to think about what they were saying. He busied himself by memorizing the names and faces of his models so he wouldn't have to go through anymore awkward introductions.
The other companion watching Blaine was a stylist with long, blonde hair. He could have been a model if he wasn't so determined to work behind the scenes. The stylist was sitting next to Shelby, who sat in 1C. The head stylist was double, or by this time triple, checking the clothing and placement of it for the show. It was in two days. They were supposed to arrive in Tree Hill at 5:00 p.m., with Brooke arriving early the next morning. The blonde-haired guy chuckled as his boss muttered to herself about 'not enough bowties' and 'too much neon.'
"Shelby, baby," he began, trying to calm her down. He took one more glance at the model he'd been checking out for the past few minutes. The dark-haired model was fast asleep with his headphones secure in his ears. He looked like a peaceful baby, and not the twenty-something year old guy he would be dressing tomorrow. He put a hand on his boss's knee. "It'll all be okay. Here—" he wrestled the notebook from her hand "—watch, oh I dunno—" he wrestled through his movie bag and grabbed one "—Avatar. Something to keep your mind off of work. We've been working non-stop for weeks. Just calm down, hon."
Shelby sighed and took the movie from her assistant. He's good with keeping my mind in check, she thought. Yes, I do overwork myself sometimes, but I'm just a good worker! That's good, right? She put the movie in the DVD player under her seat, pulled the tiny screen down, and started watching the James Cameron movie. About five minutes into the movie, she glanced over at her assistant. He was fast asleep.
"Attention, passengers, we have begun our decent into Tree Hill Municipal Airport. The weather outside is a warm 75 degrees and sunny. Please return your tray tables and seatbacks to the upright position and turn off all electronics. We will be arriving in approximately five minutes. Thank you for flying Air Commercial."
Kurt stretched. He'd been asleep for the past two hours, with the entire Wicked CD running through twice. He rubbed his tired eyes and looked around the plane. Luckily, he could see every one of his companions from his seat. He counted all fifteen models, five stylists, and five construction guys.
Since Brooke's flight was later, she was bringing the sound personnel on her flight. She was also sort of dating one of the sound guys, but no one except Kurt knew. It was secret. Brooke enjoyed secret relationships. Public relationships held too much stress, and it felt like the entire world was bearing down on your every move. At least, that's what Brooke always told Kurt.
"Have a nice nap, Kurt?" Chandler asked. He smiled, reminding Kurt that it was he who had chosen this boy as a model.
Kurt glanced at the blonde model who had, well, hit on him earlier. He put on his 'I-don't-particularly-like-you-but-I'll-be-nice-because-I-have-to' smile. "Of course I did. It was very refreshing." He surveyed his clothes. "But I'm glad I wore this travel suit. Planes always wrinkle my clothes."
"Agreed. And if my book wasn't so amazing, I would probably have sleep-wrinkled clothes myself." Chandler grabbed an empty coke glass from his tray table and handed it to the passing stewardess. "Thank you for this club soda. It was wondrous." His dazzling smile made the stewardess blush as she retrieved the cup and walked away.
"Well, she sure seems to like you," Kurt remarked. He poked the model with his elbow. "Eh? Eh?"
Chandler shook his head. "I don't swing that way. Did you not just hear I ordered a club soda?"
Kurt mentally kicked himself in the leg. Of course. That's why he's been acting this way. He played it off as a brain fart. "Duh. I knew that. Of course."
The stewardess's voice came over the intercom at that moment, saving Kurt from embarrassing himself again. "We have arrived at Tree Hill Municipal Airport. Please remove your seat belts at this time and collect your carry-on bag from overhead. Thank you again for flying Air Commercial."
Kurt stepped into the aisle and grabbed his bag from the top. As he opened the compartment door, a red bag came flying out and-smack-hit Blaine in the back of the head.
"OW!" the model yelled, clutching the spot. He turned around to face Kurt, who was genuinely worried.
"I am so sorry, Blaine." He was worried. And not because it was Blaine, well, yes because it was Blaine, but mainly because he was the main face of Clothes For Bros. "Are you okay?"
Blaine began rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I will be. Maybe if we could get some ice, and maybe some ibuprofen. I'm going to have a major headache."
Kurt turned into full-on leader mode, as he usually did in a crisis. "Alright, people. Let's exit the plane and meet at the bag carousel." He grabbed his own green bag and left the plane, right behind Shelby.
"I need a change of clothes," Shelby said as she made her way to the baggage carousel. Carrying her purple carry-on bag in one hand, she lifted her shirt to inspect the wrinkles. "This is just nasty."
"Me too, girl. Me too." Kurt smiled at his friend. Brooke's not the only one with a calming smile. "Hey, is that our stuff?" He pointed with his free hand at his blue and white suitcase and Shelby's five purple suitcases. Yes, five. She is a stylist. She needs five suitcases.
"Yeah!" Shelby led the group to the carousel, where they pick up their bags.
Kurt made sure all the bags are retrieved, then turned to the group. "Alright, team. Tonight's agenda: 5:00 p.m. Arrive at Airport. Check. 5:15 p.m. Meet up with Peyton Sawyer. Hmm...does anyone see a Peyton Sawyer?" He looked around the room, hoping to spot Brooke's friend.
A tall girl with curly blonde hair stepped through the crowd. "Kurt? Kurt!" she called. She practically ran to the group.
Kurt whipped his head around and found the girl next to Brooke in many pictures around her office. "Peyton, right?" He stuck out his hand.
"Yes, I'm Peyton." She shook his hand. She was wearing a short black low-cut dress with a brown jacket. Her feet were donned by a simple pair of ballet flats. Kurt was happy to see Peyton had a wonderful style of fashion, then remembered who her best friend was. "And welcome to Tree Hill."
Kurt smiled and gestured back toward his group. "These are the models of both Clothes Over Bros and Clothes For Bros. Our stylist team is over there, and here comes our construction group. They need to know where the fashion show will be exactly and where they can set up."
Peyton smiled. "Of course. But first, one of your models looks like he could use some T.L.C." She pointed toward Blaine, who was still holding the spot on his head.
Kurt had forgotten about the model in an effort to get him out of his mind. Why is he showing up everywhere in my head now? "Ah, yes." Kurt smiled, trying to stay professional. "Is there somewhere to get ibuprofen and/or ice?"
"Yes, this is North Carolina. Not Mars." Peyton chuckled, and so did a few of the models. Some of them were beginning to like Tree Hill. "This way." She led the group out of the airport and down the street.
The group grew abuzz as soon as they stepped outside. Kurt, however, breathed in the fresh air and sights around him. Tree Hill was a very open and colorful area. It had all the intimacy of a small town with just a hint of the metro side of things. Kurt loved the trees and the shade they gave. He'd missed the trees of Lima. This place reminded him so much of Lima. Kurt looked around, seeing a river, a ton of grass, many restaurants, and some stores.
He came back to the conversation right as Peyton was saying, "I wouldn't stand there if I were you." She giggled, as if knowing a big secret nobody else knew.
Kurt caught Peyton's eye as he voiced his confusion. "Huh?"
Splash.
A water balloon struck the concrete in front of Kurt. He panicked, arms flailing, as he searched for the culprit. Apparently the others hadn't been hit, but were shocked just the same. Peyton laughed and looked up.
"This, my friends," she started her introduction. "Is where the new location of Clothes Over Bros will be. As of now, it is in the renovation stage. And the two crazies you see up there are my fiance and our best friend Haley James Scott." She waggled her fingers at the two before glancing back at the New Yorkers. "They've decided that since you are new to Tree Hill, they would welcome you with a little...fun."
A few of the models squealed as more balloons fell from the roof.
"I'm going to leave you with a little advice," Peyton ended. "Run."
The group picked up the bags that had fallen when they freaked out about the water balloons and ran down the road.
"Shit," Peyton said. "They're after us." She led them down another road, where a few limos were parked. "Hey, I found your cars."
"What is this place?" Kurt asked. They'd stopped near an abandoned warehouse. It seemed to jut out from the row of buildings they'd just escaped. A single staircase led to the door up top, which had its own porch-like area. Long rectangular windows were spread evenly around the building. The garage door at the base of the staircase seemed to be the perfect place to drop off...beer?...supplies?...dead bodies? Kurt didn't know what to think of this place. Even in a town that was so nice (so far), it seemed sketchy to him.
Peyton turned to address the whole group. "This-" she gestured to include the whole building "-is Tric. And if I'm not mistaken, this is where Brooke wants the fashion show to take place."
A few of the models took their phones out to take pictures of the building. Kurt heard the clicks and knew they were going to send the pictures to their friends and family, which would probably mean the whole fashion show would be a fluke. Once people saw where it would be, they wouldn't want to go. All that work for nothing. Brooke is going to be SO disappointed.
Peyton noticed most of the group's downcast faces. "What's the problem? Tric is not bad at all. Let's go look at it."
"But, our luggage," Shelby pointed out. "I sure as heck don't want to carry it all the way up those stairs."
"Of course," Peyton acknowledged. "Here, you can put it in the truck." A small moving truck was parked beside the limos. "I thought she was crazy, but apparently Brooke knew what she was doing when she ordered two limos and a moving truck."
It was big enough to hold all their luggage, and pretty soon the group was empty-handed. They walked up the staircase, single file. Peyton led, then Kurt, Shelby, the rest of her group, the models with Blaine leading-and trying not to stare at Kurt-then, bringing up the rear, was the construction crew.
The native stopped at the very top, turning to face her audience. "Now, beware. What you may see could excite you. The first time I saw it, it excited me." She smiled and opened the door.
What the New Yorkers saw next was a sight they'd never forget. It was so unique and light, but at the same time vintage and dark. It was most definitely not the place they'd pick for a fashion show...
Oo, a cliffy. Hope you liked chapter 4! Please Read and Review! :D :D Reviews are like cookies to me. Soft, chewy, chocolatey, virtual cookies. :D :D