Author's Note: To give credit where it's due: a lot of the glory for this chapter goes to Voyage Asia, who prompted Blaine parading as a prince in school and the children being inquisitive :-) Thank you, honey! I'll have to ask you all for prompts more often, you really have the most fabulous ideas :-) As usual: review = sneak peek (make sure you're logged in and allow private messages to be sent to you).
Chapter 54: Of Princes and Problems
""I feel stupid, though. You don't know how stupid I feel sometimes. I can't even get a decent-paying job, because I can barely read and write. I can't take a phone message without embarrassing myself. Or fill out a check at the grocery store. Do you know how I got the job at Captain Bob's? I took the application home and Allison filled it out for me."
"I don't understand."
She hiccupped. "I have dyslexia."" (Julie Ortolon, Falling for You)
On Tuesday morning, Blaine was woken by the loud beep of an incoming text. Groggily, he looked at his alarm clock.
Six in the morning? Who would send me a text at six in the morning?
He checked who it was from.
Oh … Rachel … Why am I not surprised?
From: Rachel Hudson
I only saw your text this morning. Glad you've found a costume. Don't forget to send me a picture, please. - Rachel
I won't, ma'am.
Blaine scratched in his hair, stretched until his joints popped and got up.
Time for a run. That will wake me up.
When Blaine came back from his run and checked his phone before hitting the shower, he finally had news from Kurt.
From: Kurt Hummel
So sorry, baby … A customer called me last night right before our usual Skype time and talked my ear off for two hours straight.
From: Kurt Hummel
I might want to reconsider branching out. Grooms are so much easier to deal with than brides!
From: Kurt Hummel
Yes, Rachel called and asked for your number. I hope you don't mind I gave it to her.
From: Kurt Hummel
She said something about a princess-themed birthday party. So where do you come in?
From: Kurt Hummel
Tonight we're definitely Skyping. I'm not answering my phone from 6 PM onwards (except if it's you or dad).
Blaine grinned.
That's more like it!
He sent a quick answer.
To: Kurt Hummel
Good morning sunshine! You're up early today!
To: Kurt Hummel
I was grouchy all day yesterday because I missed you. A true Jonah day. Everything seemed to go wrong.
To: Kurt Hummel
Rachel wants me to come tell a story at the party. Dressed as Prince Charming :-) I'll tell you all about it tonight. xxx
Kurt must have been waiting for a reply: he answered straightaway.
From: Kurt Hummel
I had trouble sleeping without you. Wow, now I want to see you in your prince costume :-) Can't wait until tonight. Miss you! xxx
Blaine's grin widened. He jumped into the shower belting out "Walking on Sunshine" at the top of his lungs. He ate some cereal and an apple and walked to school with a spring in his step, actually skipping the last few metres. He caught a few parents glancing at him askance, but he just shot them a smile so sunny that they couldn't help but smile back.
In class, he collected the children's homework, and noticed that the work Florian handed in differed from the others'.
"Florian, did you write down the homework assignment yesterday?" asked Blaine, trying not to sound too accusing.
Florian's cheeks darkened, and he wouldn't meet Blaine's eyes.
"Florian?" Blaine insisted.
"I didn't, Mr. A," admitted Florian. "I was swapping Panini stickers with Ben."
Blaine crouched down next to Florian and looked him straight in the eyes. "Florian, I don't want to nag, but since you're dyslexic, it's really important that you write the assignment down every day. I should have checked that you had. Why didn't you call one of your friends to ask what you had to do for homework? We wrote down three telephone numbers of friends of yours in your homework book, didn't we?"
Florian's lip trembled. "I didn't want to call them. They already think I'm dumb. I don't want to make it worse."
Blaine felt a bolt of anger shoot through him. "You're not dumb, Florian! You're one of the brightest boys of my class, and that's saying something. Why do you feel like this? Did your classmates … What did they say? What did they do? Who was it?"
By now, a fat tear was trickling down Florian's cheek. "Yesterday afternoon … We took turns reading. And when it was my turn, I got a word wrong, and … They all laughed!"
Blaine remembered. The sentence was "The next day, he felt better" and somehow, Florian had read "The next day, he felt butter". And yes, his class had laughed, but just because that sentence was silly. They hadn't meant to laugh at Florian, right?
"I'm sorry we made you feel that way, Florian," said Blaine. "I'm sure your classmates didn't mean to laugh at you, though, they just found the sentence funny."
Florian didn't answer. He just looked up at Blaine, his face a picture of misery, and another tear dripping from his eye.
Blaine quickly strode to the front of his classroom and called everyone's attention.
"Okay, everyone, listen up! I'm introducing a new game. It's called 'I caught you'. Whenever we're reading stories here in class, I want you to really pay attention to what you're hearing, because I'm going to tell two children to try and fool you all, by changing a word here and there. And then I want you to be quick as a flash and yell 'I caught you', when you hear a word that doesn't belong in the sentence."
Blaine took a book of fairy tales off the shelf. "I'll give you an example. This is the story of Goldilocks, you all know it. So as soon as you hear something that doesn't seem right, you yell 'I caught you'. Okay?"
"Okay", chorused the children.
Blaine read the beginning of the story, and then he slipped up purposely. "The first bowl of porridge was too hot. The second bowl of porridge was too cucumber."
"I caught you", yelled several children at once, and then they all giggled.
"What word was wrong?" asked Blaine innocently.
"Cucumber!" shouted Robby. "The second bowl of porridge was too cold, Mr. A. That's what you should have said!"
"Brilliant!" smiled Blaine. "I can tell you're going to be really good at this game!"
He looked at Florian, who had a tiny smile on his face. Blaine winked at him, and the smile grew larger and more hopeful.
This should help a bit. I sure hope no-one's ever going to laugh at him again for getting a word wrong. Still, maybe I should make more of an effort. Check his homework book every day from now on, and make sure he takes the right worksheets and books home. And maybe call my bud Ryder from college and ask him to help me out. Give me a few pointers, or even come here to talk to my class about his struggle with being dyslexic. He's a professional football player now; they'll look up to him no end.
K&B
When he arrived at the teachers' lounge for his lunch break, Nora handed him the costume and the boots with a wink.
"Go change and come wow us!" she ordered.
He grinned, went to his classroom and quickly changed into his prince gear, stoked when he saw there was even a sword. Then he strutted back to the teachers' lounge, where they all squealed and clapped their hands when they saw him.
"Ta-da!" said Blaine. He whipped out his phone and held it out to Nora. "Nora, take a picture of me, please? I have to send it through to the party planner."
Nora obliged and he quickly sent the picture to both Rachel and Kurt, with the caption: "Prince Blaine at your service!"
"Which prince are you supposed to be?" asked Juliet, gazing at him dreamily.
"Whichever prince strikes your fancy, my lady," said Blaine pompously, with an exaggerated bow.
Jeff started to hum, then sing. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream …"
"May I have this dance, my lady?" Blaine asked Juliet, and when she beamed at him, he took her by the waist and twirled her all around the teacher's lounge.
Then he danced with Tina, and he offered Nora a dance too, but she declined. "Go offer that dance to Chelsey, in the school yard. She's really missing out, poor girl, you owe it to her to show her your costume and your sweet moves."
He grinned and promised to go dance with her as soon as he'd had a bite to eat.
"What about me, Blainey?" pouted Jeff.
Blaine laughed and danced a funny Lindy Hop with Jeff, dipping him low at the end.
Their colleagues applauded and cat-called.
"Okay, now let me eat, please," Blaine implored, panting. "Even princes have to eat every now and then, you know."
He devoured his sandwiches and then strode to the school yard with the others in tow. Chelsey's eyes grew large upon noticing him.
"Wow, Blaine, who are you supposed to be?" she inquired.
"Prince Charming, at your service," bowed Blaine. "Would you care for a dance, ma'am?"
"Why, yes, your highness," replied Chelsey, fluttering her eyelashes. "I'd be delighted."
He swept her away and waltzed her around the school yard until they were both out of breath and sat down on a bench.
The children were upon them in a moment.
"Mr. A, you look like a prince!" breathed Lily, awestruck, running her hand over his sleeve.
"Are you a prince?" asked Jenny. Blaine shook his head, smiling.
"Why are you dancing with Ms. Miller?" inquired Robby. "You were holding hands with Mr. Hummel last time!"
"Just for fun," chuckled Blaine. "Mr. Hummel is still very much my boyfriend, I'm happy to say."
"Has he fallen asleep and do you need to wake him up with your kiss?" asked Jasmine shyly.
"No, thankfully, he hasn't," laughed Blaine. "Though I would in a heartbeat, if necessary."
"Even when it's not necessary," added Jeff, wiggling his eyebrows. "He likes kissing Mr. Hummel."
"Even though he's not a girl?" asked Tom dubiously.
"Even though he's not a girl," confirmed Blaine. "I happen to like boys."
"Is Mr. Hummel a prince?" asked Jenny.
"He is to me," grinned Blaine, causing his female colleagues to go "Awwww" and Jeff to whistle and make silly kissy faces and noises until Blaine batted him away.
K&B
When he logged in on Skype after dinner, Kurt called him straightaway, though it was only half past seven.
He must have been waiting for me.
The thought was balm to his soul after not being able to reach Kurt at all the day before.
"Hello, my handsome prince," smiled Kurt.
"Hey gorgeous," breathed Blaine.
"Sorry again for bailing on you last night. I'll make a point of not answering my phone after 6 PM from now on. I just don't want that to happen again."
"Hey, I understand," Blaine soothed. "You said it was a customer. That's important."
"She's related to Naomi," said Kurt, "and she could talk the hind leg off an elephant."
Blaine chuckled.
"So tell me about this birthday party?" asked Kurt.
And Blaine was off, explaining the set-up and pitching his story ideas to Kurt, gesticulating enthusiastically.
When he went to bed after a long Skype session, he was still grinning from ear to ear, and he fell asleep dreaming of his very own Snow White.
