Chapter 14

Losing It

The New Directions sighed as Rachel scrawled two boisterously big letters on the choir room's board: ME.

"Class," she said snootily, turning away from the board and facing the Glee club. "In Mr. Schuester's absence I'd like to go around and ask everyone what solos they'd like to hear me perform at sectionals."

Everyone groaned.

"All right!" Santana lost it, yelling and lunging out of her seat. Brittany grabbed her waist and restrained her from pouncing. "You know what?! Let me at her! TU ERES LOCA!"

Rachel screamed.

Ping!

New message from: Blaine.

You won't believe what Mr. Fraser just did.

Kurt's fingers flew over his keyboard in anticipation. What? He hit SEND.

Ping!

Blaine: He asked Lucas for his D.

Kurt started spluttering. He did?!

A moment passed, and then- ping!

Blaine: Yeah! Lucas was playing his trombone and kept hitting D SHARP on purpose, so Mr. Fraser snapped and was like, "LUCAS! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? I WANT D! GIVE ME THE D! I WANT YOUR D! ARE YOU DEAF OR SOMETHING? COME ON MAN I NEED THAT D! NOW GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR TROMBONE AND GIVE ME YOUR D!"

Kurt started to giggle uncontrollably as he typed out his next reply. OMG what happened next?

Ping!

Blaine: The whole class went crrraazzyyy. It didn't help when Mr. F shouted, "WHAT'S SO FUNNY? ALL I WANT IS THE D!"

Kurt started to laugh, torn between amused and horrified.

"Who are you texting?" Rachel asked curiously, nodding at Kurt's phone.

"Blaine," he said matter-of-factly, busily typing. It was study hall and the teacher on duty had left the class for coffee. As if she was coming back.

Mercedes looked up from her Biology textbook. "He seems particularly smitten with you, Kurt."

"Well he's not particularly smitten with the rest of the Glee club," Rachel huffed, throwing her pen on the table in frustration.

"Blaine's a nice guy once you get to know him, really," Kurt defended.

"Has he done some…" Mercedes looked worried. "Funny business to you, Kurt?"

"No!" he yelped, appalled. "Of course n-"

Ping!

Blaine: Mindy should join the Glee club. The way she spits everywhere with her new braces will totally profit at Sectionals. I can just imagine her at her audition: "DONNN'TH THHTOP BEELEEVENNTTHHH! THTHTHTHT HOWTH THHHAT MITHTER THUETHTER?"

Kurt burst out laughing. He felt a little mean, but he couldn't help it.

"Kurt," Rachel looked a little pouty. Not a good sign. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"What? What is it?" he asked absent mindedly, still giggling as he typed.

"Please tell Blaine to try and be nicer to the rest of the Glee club. Please."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you don't bother him he won't bother you. Duh."

Rachel sounded surprised. "When do I bother anybody?"

"All the freaking time, Rachel," Kurt snapped. "Now shut up and let me text in peace."

"Kurt!"

"Hey hey hey, you two," Mercedes interjected. "There's no use fighting over this. You should just make a logical conclusion and be done with it, you know what I'm saying?"

"Logical conclusion?!" Rachel exploded. "Blaine's been in the Glee club for a whole month now and he's still mean to everyone!

Confronting him about it is a logical conclusion, Mercedes!"

"Calm down, calm down," Mercedes soothed. "Yes, you're right about that, but Kurt's right too- if you would just stop irritating everybody then maybe he'd start appreciating you more. Right?"

"Tell me about it," Kurt said dryly, at the same time sending a text that read, Rachel's doing my head in.

"Oh my goodness!" Rachel was close to full-on wailing. Students at neighboring tables were starting to stare. "What did Blaine do to you, Kurt?"

"Calm down, you're losing it!" Mercedes hissed.

"No, Kurt's losing it!" Rachel cried angrily, snatching the boy's phone out of his hands.

"Hey!" Kurt yelped. "What the hell, give it back!"

"Guys…" Mercedes warned.

Rachel held Kurt's phone out of his reach. "Blaine's a bad influence on you," she seethed. "You used to go to sleepovers with Mercedes and I every Friday. You used to do our hair while we chatted about movies and celebrities and Barbra Streisand. Remember that?"

"Give. Me. The. Phone," Kurt said through gritted teeth.

"Now whenever Mercedes or I try to invite you over you're always busy. Always Blaine Blaine Blaine. For a whole month!"

"Just hand it over," Kurt snapped, trying to grab his phone. Rachel held it away firmly.

"And when did you get all snappy?" she continued, sounding close to tears. "You used to be so nice. You used to give me dating advice. Fashion advice. We'd have heart-to-hearts. Where did all of that go?"

"I can't help it when you act like Overly Attached Girlfriend, dress like a five-year-old and are basically skin, bones and pity," Kurt huffed. He could clearly see why Blaine couldn't stand her.

"Kurt!" Mercedes gasped.

Rachel looked shocked. Then her face crumpled, and she started to sniffle. Her eyes watered and a sob emitted from her lips. A split second later she began to cry.

A whole slew of emotions hit Kurt all at once. Number one: a wave of guilt, cold and uninvited. What was he saying? Where was all this coming from? Was this even him talking? Shame dripped through him from the tips of his hair down to his toes: Rachel didn't deserve to be treated like this- especially by her best friend. Sure, she was annoying, but that was from the outside looking in. Rachel wasn't annoying- she was determined, ambitious. And she was right- he had been neglecting his closest friends lately for Blaine. Blaine. Unexpected anger tingled through him: what if this was his entire fault? What if he had been a bad influence on Kurt? Finally he just... deflated, feeling drained and tired. Drained and tired from being someone he wasn't.

"Rachel…?" Kurt muttered.

She had her head bowed onto the table, sobbing. Mercedes patted her heaving shoulders, shooting a look at Kurt that said, now see what you've done?

"I'm so, so sorry," he sighed. Silence. "Talk to me, please."

Rachel looked up from her stained notebook and wiped her face on her sleeve. She took a shaky breath, looked at Kurt with her sad red-rimmed eyes and opened her mouth to say something.

Ping!

Everyone's heads snapped to Kurt's phone on the table, startled.

New message from: Blaine read the screen.

If you hate Rachel so much, why don't you plant a dildo with her name on it in Finn's bag for him to find, like you threatened to do once? Oooooh man I could just imagine the look on his face! XD

Two pairs of eyes locked onto Kurt's, filled with hurt and disbelief. His heart dropped to his stomach.

"Did you really say that behind Rachel's back?" Mercedes asked quietly.

Kurt tried to open his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead he nodded miserably. What use was it to lie? That would only come and bite him in the butt like this situation was.

Rachel inhaled sharply, then burst into tears again. She scooped up all her books, snatched a strap of her backpack and rushed towards the exit.

"Rachel!" Kurt cried, standing up. But she was already out the door.

Mercedes looked at him, disappointed. "I can't believe you, Kurt," she said sadly, shouldering her bag and tucking her books into her arm.

"I swear I didn't mean anyth-"

"Save your excuses, Kurt. Now, I'm going to Rachel. Don't come after us. It'll only make everything worse." With that, Mercedes walked towards the door without looking back.

Kurt watched on, his mouth hanging open. When she was gone, he wondered if he was about to start crying now.

Ping!

New message from: Blaine

Hellooooo? Where'd you go? Did Rachel grow claws and attack you for not getting a solo? LOL!

This isn't funny anymore, Kurt thought angrily, gripping his phone so tightly his knuckles were white. Oozing newfound anger, he punched in a reply: Meet me in the locker rooms. NOW.