So I was going through my iTunes yesterday and came across Taylor Swift's 'Never Grow Up' and this story just sort of fell together. I hope you like it.
Note: I'm not from New York or know much about LaGuardia High School so they may not even have a Senior Showcase night. We did at my school so it was kinda based off that.
"Why did I have to come to this thing, it's going to be boring and this tie is too tight" Eight year old Fletcher complained and he walked into the La Guardia Arts High School Auditorium for the Senior Showcase with his fathers. They were there to support Claire and shamelessly brag about her talent to anyone who would listen.
At Claire's school, 12th grade students that ranked at the top of their class in their finals had their major projects on display and she happened to be one of those people. Finishing first in the art department, some of her works were set up around the room along with those in the dance, drama and music departments performing throughout the night.
Not only open to student's families, admission to that night's showcase was open to some of the country's most influential college scouts. Representatives from colleges like NYADA, Julliard, Tisch School of the Arts and Otis College of Art and Design were all there to poach the best of the best for their freshman class.
"You can take your tie off in a little while but we're here for Claire, bear with it ok?" Blaine insisted and he too adjusted his tie. After a long week at work dealing with temperamental clients, Blaine would rather be at home with his feet up but he wanted to support his daughter. He was so incredibly proud of her; he couldn't not be there for her.
"Hey Fletch, why don't we go find some of Claire's paintings?" Kurt chuckled and led his son toward the table where some of Claire's paintings and sculptures were set up. The Anderson-Hummel apartment held some of Claire's best works but Kurt and Blaine were amazed at what this display held. They knew Claire was talented but not like this.
Kurt gasped as he saw Claire's major sketch piece the school had framed and mounted on the wall. Staring back at him was an incredibly realistic drawing of Kurt's father complete with his scruffy old Buckeyes cap and greasy coveralls. The pencil drawing showed every worn in wrinkle but it was a beautiful representation of her grandfather.
"I never knew she drew this..." Kurt smiled as he felt Blaine's arm snake around his waist "It's beautiful"
"She wanted it to be a surprise to you and Burt. She did it completely from memory"
"She did not!"
"She did" Blaine laughed "You should see the one she's working on at the moment... But I think that one is meant to be a surprise too" he chuckled remembering Claire asking him to keep that one under wraps too. Claire eventually wanted to sketch or paint her entire family but it may take her a few years. Her next project was Fletcher as a baby.
"You must be the Anderson-Hummel's" an older lady with fire red hair gasped as she walked up to Claire's display. Blaine turned to the woman remembering her face from previous visits to the school and extended his hand to her.
"I'm Blaine; this is my husband Kurt and our son Fletcher"
"Temperance Harris, I'm the school's Glee Club Director" she smiled and shook all their hands even an apprehensive Fletcher. "Your daughter is very talented both in art and music. She's a pleasure to have in the Glee Club"
"Glee Club in a music school?"
"Claire in Glee Club?"
"I know it seems silly to have a Glee Club in a musically inclined school but not all those in the music department like to perform as a part of a show choir. The club of course is open to all students and Claire is definitely the shining star from the art department. It has taken me three years to actually get her to put down her guitar and sing but it's progress"
"Claire doesn't sing" Fletcher laughed "Claire can't sing"
"Your sister has a beautiful voice actually but you'll hear that tonight. She offered to step in for a friend who has come down with a nasty flu" Mrs Harris smiled as the auditorium lights flashed to signal the show starting "You have a great night, I must go check on some of my performers"
"Claire is just full of surprises tonight, isn't she?" Kurt sighed as he followed Blaine and Fletcher to their seats.
After four years at LaGuardia, Claire had never told her family that she was a part of the Glee Club. They never knew she could really sing because the teenager had shied away from any opportunity to sing. Even when Kurt tried singing lessons with her, she hid behind her sketch book or her guitar. Blaine teaching her to play one of his old guitars was the only indication to them that Claire had any of her father's musical talent.
The dance, drama and music performances seemed to drag on as Kurt and Blaine waited for Claire to take the stage. Hands shaking slightly, Blaine was excited to see his daughter perform but nervous at the same time. He couldn't understand why she didn't tell them about the one major thing she had in common with her two fathers. Kurt and Blaine both sang in Glee Club in high school and would have been nothing but proud to know Claire had joined the same type of club where she could possibly meet the greatest people she'd ever know, just like her fathers.
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"Hey C, you nervous?" Vanessa, one of the dancers in her grade chuckled as she came up beside Claire. Standing side stage, they were up next.
"Did you seriously just ask that?" she laughed "I'm terrified. I'm literally out of my element here"
"You'll be fine..."
"I'm an artist imitating a musician amongst some of the best young musicians in the city. I'm screwed"
"That gives us confidence" Brandon, Vanessa's dance partner sighed as he stood on the other side of Claire. "Please don't stuff up. I'd like to get into a good dance company after tonight"
"Don't listen to him" Vanessa insisted as Brandon walked off to finish stretching "He's an ass and you're going to be amazing. Just imagine you're singing only to your brother. Isn't that who you changed some of the words for?"
"Yeah but he's eight, I'll be lucky if he hasn't fallen asleep yet" Claire chuckled
"Asleep or not, make it special" the dancer smiled as the act before them finished and walked off the stage. Taking a deep breath, Claire picked up her guitar and made her way onto the stage. Searching for Fletcher and their Dads in the audience, Claire let their smiling faces drain away her anxiety as she took a seat on the stool set up at the corner of the stage. Henry, her backup singer and guitar accompaniment pulled a stool up beside her and gave her a reassuring smile before plucking the first notes to their song.
Claire focused on her own guitar and got lost in the music as Vanessa and Brandon danced behind them.
Your little hands wrapped around my finger Oh, darling don't you ever grow up I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart
And, it's so quiet in the world tonight
You're little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming
So, I took you in
Turn on your favourite night light
To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, and never grow up
Claire found her family in the audience once again as she sang the next verse. Changing the lyrics specifically for them, she smiled as Kurt wiped a tear from his cheek.
You're in the car on the way to the movies Oh, darling don't you ever grow up And no one's ever burned you Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
And, you're mortified
Your Dad's dropping you off
At, fourteen there's just so much you can't do
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
But, don't make him drop you off around the block
Remember that he's getting older too
And don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJ's getting ready for school
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple
Nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad get's home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your big sister's favourite songs
I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone
Singing directly to her Dad, she wanted him to hear the words she was singing. Moving to New Haven in the fall to start at Yale, Claire was going to be leaving her family for four long years. As much as she didn't want to leave them and change her entire life, she knew she had to.
Claire knew that college was going to be an amazing journey but she wished she could have her Dad in particular there beside her. They hadn't really been apart over the last eighteen years and it would be hard for the teenager to say goodbye. Her Dad had been her best friend her entire life and she was his. It wouldn't be the same without each other. So, here I am in my new apartment Oh, I don't wanna grow up Oh, darling don't you ever grow up I won't let nobody hurt you Oh, whoa
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It's so much colder than I thought it would be
So, I tucked myself in and turned my night light on
Wish I'd never grown up
I wish I'd never grown up
Wish I'd never grown up
Could still be little
Oh, I don't wanna grow up
Wish I'd never grown up
It could still be simple
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple
Won't let no one break your heart
And even you want to
Please, try to never grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Oh, whoa
Never grow up
Just never grow up
Not really caring if the audience was cheering for her or the dancers; Claire stood up and took a bow. She could hear Fletcher and her Dad whistling loudly as she made her way off the stage. Letting out a deep breath, she couldn't believe she'd just pulled that off. She wasn't quite as talented as the musicians performing that night but for her, that was the best she'd ever sung.
Her only worry now was if her Dads would be mad that she didn't tell them about Glee Club. Claire was worried over nothing when Blaine enveloped her in a tight hug when she emerged from backstage at the end of the show.
"Can't breathe Dad" she laughed and pulled away from his embrace.
"Dude, you can sing" Fletcher giggled and nudged his sister gently
"Why didn't you tell us you were in Glee?" Blaine asked with a warm smile. He was angry that she didn't tell them, he just wished she had so they could have known about another of her talents.
"At first I was just playing the guitar for them because everyone in Mr Miles' acoustic class thought they were too good for show choir" she chuckled "It got me out of government in freshman year then I just sort of kept with it. It's not like I'll ever be an amazing Broadway performer like Papa..."
"Yeah you weren't that good" Fletcher laughed earning himself a gentle shoulder shove from Kurt and an 'apologise to your sister' glare.
"It was beautiful Claire" Blaine smiled and pulled his daughter into another hug. If someone had told him 18 years ago that his daughter would grow up to be such a beautiful and talented young woman, he may not have believed them. He couldn't fathom that he had created this amazing girl, he was just so proud of her.
"And that sketch of my Dad" Kurt gasped almost forgetting about it "I would love to keep that picture, it's incredible"
"It's yours" she smiled and turned to her Papa "I drew it especially for you. I know how much he means to you"
Kurt had to hold back tears as he pulled Claire to his chest. Holding her tight, he couldn't express his love for her and her gesture enough.
"Bones crushing" she giggled as Kurt finally let her go "Thank you both for coming tonight. It means so much"
"What about me?"
Claire knelt down to her brother's height and ruffled his hair with a laugh "You too squirt"
"I hate when you call me that!"
Kissing his forehead quickly before standing up, Claire nudged her brother gently "Let me schmooze the college people from Tisch and Otis for five minutes and then we'll let Dad and Papa take us out for dinner like they promised, how about that Fletch?"
"Sounds good" he smiled
"You're not going to those schools..." Blaine pointed out. Another proud moment for that young father was when his daughter received her acceptance letter to Yale University only a few weeks previously.
"They don't know that..."
"Claire..."
"My art director said it couldn't hurt to talk to them. I could do my graduate there once I was finished at Yale"
Claire disappeared into the crowd a moment later as she made her way over to her art display. It couldn't hurt to see how her works were interpreted by some pretty significant people in the art world.
"Please Tisch, please Tisch" Kurt chuckled as he turned to Blaine "I'm struggling enough with her moving to New Haven this year. I don't know what we would do if she went out to California"
"As much as we'd like to, we can't keep her in New York forever..."
"Can't we keep her here just a little longer?"
"Only until the summer ends. Our little girl has to grow up..."
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If you have any ideas of one shots you'd like to read with our little family, send them through too. Your prompts keep this story alive :)
