"Dude, just put the blazer on," Finn demanded.
"These blue jacquard blazers in no way look feminine," Kurt insisted.
"We're not interested in your opinion, Kurt," Artie insisted. "We're going with the blue blazers. Just put it on." Coach Beiste isn't into super girly things anyway, and she's the guest judge.
"How do you know?" Kurt asked.
"I overheard Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury talking."
Kurt rolled his eyes and put the blazer on with the black slacks and white button-up shirt he already had on. He straightened his black bow tie. "Your song selection isn't very feminine either."
Finn said, "Just let it drop. The songs were sung by female groups. That's good enough. You did actually learn the choreography, right?"
"I did."
"Good," Puck said. "Let's go wow them."
Kurt planned to lip-synched the whole mashup. Sam, Artie, Finn, and Puck had the featured parts. Mike didn't want to sing solo and Kurt had skipped the rehearsal, so he had no leg to stand on about not being featured. Plus, he knew it it didn't matter whether he sang or not. He was certain that the girls were going to win because they had absolutely killed their mashup of "Living on a Prayer" and "Start Me Up" the day before.
He remembered Blaine sending him another text that said "Courage" during their song. It had made him smile at the time, but the more he had thought about it the night before, he realized that he had never been a coward. Confronting David hadn't been a courageous choice. It had been a reckless one. His reflexes had saved them both from an experience they were both better off not having lived through. His thoughts jumped to the texts that he had been getting from Lawrence, which he actually enjoyed a lot more because had been telling Kurt about the IB program at Dalton and being on the debate team.
"Earth to Kurt!" Artie yelled.
Kurt broke out of his thoughts and focused. "I'm good. Let's go."
The six of them headed into the choir room and performed a mash up of "Stop in the Name of Love" and "Free Your Mind".
When the song finally ended, they bowed and went to change, giving Coach Beiste time to consider their performances. When they got back, the chairs had been put back where they belonged on the risers. They all sat down and Coach Beiste stood up and moved in front of the piano.
"I want to say that all of you did a great job performing. As I understand the nature of the competition was to be as opposite as possible in your performances." She looked at Mr. Schue, who nodded. "Taking that into consideration, I believe that the girls did a better job. So, congratulations to the girls." She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. "In honor of winning, I got the six winners a free treat from Shake Shack." She held them up and the six girls went down to get them.
The girls all thanked her and took their seats again.
"That was really nice of you," Mr. Schue said. "I didn't offer them a prize."
She shrugged and smiled before she sat back down.
"You all did great. That's all we've got time for today. I'll see you all Monday after school."
Kurt grabbed his bag and stood up.
Puck walked past him. "I'd've worn the feather boa for three minutes if I thought I'd get a gift certificate to Shake Shack."
Kurt shrugged. He left the room and went to meet Dave in Miss Pillsbury's office.
He closed the door since he was the last to arrive. He plopped down in the empty seat.
"You seem a bit out of sorts, Kurt. Would you like to start today?"
"No thanks. I'm just annoyed about something else. I'll push that to the side for now." He pulled the Dalton binder out and handed it to Dave.
"What's this for?" Dave asked.
"I want you to take it home and read it tonight. Please don't destroy it. Bring it with you to the shop tomorrow when you come in at 8:00 to have your truck fixed. Make plans to stay at the shop while I work on it. Bring money for lunch or pack one."
"I called and all of the appointments are booked."
"Yeah. That's why I'm going to work tomorrow morning, even though I'm not on the schedule for tomorrow."
"What?"
Kurt spoke more slowly in the condescending voice he was used to using with Dave. "I'm going in on my Saturday morning off to work on your truck so you can get it fixed this weekend." He went back to speaking at his normal clip. "Or not. I mean, I can just sleep in and you can get a ticket soon for breaking noise ordinances when you tailpipe cracks more. Or you can cover the cost of a tow truck when your starter gives out."
"Fine. I'll be there."
"Now, David, that's not a very good attitude considering that Kurt has rearranged his schedule and has offered to go in and work on his day off."
Dave took a deep breath. "You're right, Miss Pillsbury." He turned to Kurt. He turned on his repentant parental apology voice on. "I'm sorry for my dour response. I'm incredibly appreciative of the fact that you are willing to put so much effort into making my truck safe for me to drive."
Miss Pillsbury smiled. "See. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No, it wasn't," Dave said kindly. "I do have a question, though."
"Yes?" she asked.
"You said that you wouldn't force me to come."
"That's correct."
"How offended will you be if I tell the other guys that you did? I need some type of plausible deniability in all of this. I'm willing to come in a work on my issues, but I will look weak if it seems like this was in any way my idea."
"Well, I don't mind if you say that it wasn't your idea. But I draw the line at you saying that I forced you."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, did you have a chance to look through the pamphlets I gave you the last time?"
Dave nodded.
"Excellent. This time I have a couple of websites that have articles that I'd like you to read as well." She took two half-sheets of paper and slid them across her desk, one for Kurt and one for Dave.
They reached out and took them and looked at them.
"These are not official recommendations. That's why my name is on them anywhere. Our district has a strict abstinence-only sex education policy, and those websites contain information that go against that policy."
They both blushed, looked confused, but nodded.
"They aren't specifically about sex education. I'm sorry I gave that impression. They're websites to help teens deal with their emotions and feelings. And as teenagers, hormones play a role in those emotions and feelings."
Neither one of them said anything.
"Okay. Moving on. I'd like to discuss the bullying."
"Bullying exists all throughout life," Kurt said. "The rich bully the poor. White people bully people of color. Able-bodied people bully disabled people. It gets called different things, but it's all the same. People in a privileged position use their privilege to keep other people from attaining the same level of power."
"That's very deep, Kurt. You seem to have put a lot of thought into this."
"Of course I have. I've been bullied since I was in elementary school. Maybe before, but I don't really remember much before that."
"I see."
Kurt went on. "It's not always that deep, though. Some people just bully others out of hatred. And sometimes it's to keep from being identified with the person they bully."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, let's say there's an athlete that's really good at math, but he doesn't want to be classified as a nerd, he may very well pick on the nerdy kids to make sure that everyone sees that he's NOT a nerd."
"Alright," she said. "So, why do you think the students at McKinley bully you in particular?"
"Mostly because I don't care at all about their hierarchy of popularity. I love who I am. I don't have an issue with being gay. Being different is one of the best things about me. I love fashion. I love Broadway. I love performing. I don't care if I'm popular with the students in this school. They are not now and never will be my target audience. If I perform on Broadway, it will be for people who love to watch people perform. How many people will spend $100-$150 for a ticket to watch me perform who don't want to be there?"
Dave laughed.
"People pay more than that to watch a professional sporting event," Kurt snarked.
"That's not why I laughed."
"What's funny about what Kurt said?"
"It was just funny. He's right. Most people who don't like to see shows wouldn't spend that kind of money to do it. A few people will because their wife, or whoever, wants to go. But I get his point. He doesn't care what we think. I've known that for a while." He paused and debated on whether to be honest. He took a deep breath. "That's actually why he irritates me so much. He loves who he is. He flaunts his individuality. He dresses ridiculously." He turned to Kurt. "I'm not talking about your 'fashionable' clothes that people in France or somewhere actually wear. I mean when you all were walking around wearing shiny clothes and wigs and whatever the hell it was that Tina was wearing – empty plastic Christmas tree ornaments? Anyway, if I don't make fun of him for being like that, then the guys on the team will hassle me about it because they'll say that I'm encouraging him to go against the 'natural order of things'. They say the jocks belong on top and the losers need to be kept in their place. And Kurt is the ultimate 'loser' in their eyes because he dares to be himself and not give a shit what anyone else thinks."
"Language."
"Right. Sorry. What I said still stands though."
She nodded.
He continued. "I didn't help with the dumpster tosses freshman and sophomore years, but I knew about them. The guys talked about how they did it to keep the order. The hierarchy, as Kurt called it. The jocks and Cheerios are on top. If he thinks about it, I'm sure that he didn't get a single dumpster toss or slushie thrown at him when he was a Cheerio last year. He wore a Cheerio uniform to school every day. He was on top. He could go back to the top if he'd just rejoin the squad. No one is stupid enough to mess with Coach Sue. Not after what she did last year. The second he put that uniform, he became off-limits."
"So, if I give up my individuality and conform to the hierarchy's rules, I won't be bullied anymore?"
"Exactly."
"I don't think so. I know what you and Azimio did to Finn's letterman jacket. That was just a month ago. I dressed completely 'normal' for a week last year. It didn't change anyone's attitudes."
"Did you get dumpstered or slushied that week?"
Kurt stopped to think. "No."
"My point exactly."
"I still disagree. Quite a few of the people who got dumpster tossed dressed like everyday Midwestern teen guys. So, this goes beyond that. Why does it matter to anyone else what I wear? I'm not trying to be top dog and implement a regime change so I can force all of the guys to wear nice clothes and tuck their shirts in."
Dave laughed.
"Why can't I just be me?"
Miss Pillsbury interjected. "You can. But it comes at a cost. Unfortunately, this can be seen all around the world in all sorts of different situations. People don't go to heavy metal concerts wearing the same thing that people going to the opera wear. There are places where if you don't have any tattoos, you are suspect. And places where if you have them, you're not welcome. Why should some ink under someone's skin make a difference in whether or not they should be welcome in an establishment? People in your grandparents' age group were beaten or forced into being right handed. Catholics and protestants fight. Differing Muslim groups fight. People are considered better the lighter their skin color for absolutely no reason other than the fact that whichever group has the most power to intimidate the other gets to have their way. I don't really see a way to stop it. Fighting and intimidation about minute, irrelevant things has been going on since the beginning of time."
"Is that why you won't step in and do anything?" Kurt asked. "Because you're in the same position that I'm in? You don't have enough guidance counselors here to subdue the bullies? You can't bully the bullies into behaving, so it's a lost cause?"
"What do you suggest that I do about it, Kurt? The students you're referring to weigh twice what I do. They know which car is mine. This is a small town. It's not like it's hard to figure out where I live. You're asking me to do something dangerous."
"I guess you're right. I'm expecting something that is out of your reach to control." He checked the time. "I actually need to go. I told my dad that I'd be a half-hour late, so I need to leave." He stood up and put his bag over his shoulder. "Thank you for your time, Miss Pillsbury." He turned. "I'll see you at the shop tomorrow morning, David. Please read the information in that binder."
"Yeah, sure. I'll be there."
Dave stayed seated for a minute after Kurt had closed the door. "You're actually afraid of the football team?"
"Yes. Kurt is significantly bigger and stronger than I am. And you and your teammates send him flying across the hall into the locker banks. I'm sure he's covered in bruises. I wouldn't be surprised if he's had a cracked rib from the locker shoves at some point. Or sprained wrists from being dumpstered." She paused briefly. "I'm sure that it was against the moral code to dumpster a female since I never saw any girls in the line. I've also not seen any of the girls shoved – just slushied. But yes, I fear for my possessions. I know the football team nailed Kurt's lawn furniture to his roof. That cost his father a lot of money."
Dave looked down at the floor. "I need to get going to too." He stood up, put the binder Kurt had handed him into his backpack and tossed it up over his shoulder.
"Have a nice weekend, David."
"You too." He left the door open. He turned left and headed out to the parking lot. When he got there, he climbed in, closed his eyes, and tipped his head back for a few minutes before he started his truck up on the third attempt. He sighed as he backed out.