Chapter 18: Everything's In Line
The Boys Are Back In Town!
The last few months have flown by and during that time, The Warblers performed in 48 states! They've been travelling around in style on their decked out buses for months, and yet, living in such close quarters, only made them better. Where other bands may have suffered from infighting, the only oversharing problem the Warblers had resulted in Anderson, Sterling, and Thompson, along with several crew members, catching a nasty cold. Surprisingly, even that didn't slow them down. There is no denying that these young men have taken their careers to a whole new level with this tour, impressing fans and media alike.
The Warblers are currently on their way to California to wrap up the first leg of their tour. Their first stop will be in Sacramento on Friday, followed by Fresno on Saturday, and finally, Los Angeles on Sunday. Rumors are flying that they will be joined by some special guests at that final show. Any guesses about who they might be? I can't give you any hints, yet. But I will have the best seats come concert day and I'm going to share them with all of you.
Get ready Warbler fans! I'll be bringing you exclusive backstage videos as the band prepares to take the stage for their final concert of the year. And who knows what kind of juicy secrets we may uncover!
Perez Hill
Kurt was anxious. It had been two weeks since his meeting with the SSAA and nothing had changed. As Christmas break approached, his worry doubled. As long as the blog stayed up, he and Blaine couldn't go public, and Kurt was desperate to be able to talk about Blaine aloud. The New Directions had already come close to spilling his secret multiple times and he wasn't sure how much longer they would last. In addition, Regionals was this weekend and they had yet to finalize their songs, and Santana would turn 18 on Friday. Kurt was beyond stressed at this point.
Kurt closed his locker door and leaned on it with a deep sigh. Five more days and he'd be in Blaine's arms. The past month had been torture and not just because he missed Blaine, but because his friends were driving him crazy. Between the constant questions about Blaine and The Warblers, the arguing over songs, and the stress over Jacob's blog, Kurt felt like his head was going to explode. He was beyond ready for Christmas vacation.
A sudden high pitched screech down the hall made Kurt's inside churn violently. "What in the hell," he muttered as he and several other students investigated.
"THEY TOOK EVERYTHING!" Jacob screamed out in agony as he frantically searched through his locker. "THEY CAN'T DO THAT!"
Kurt ducked behind the corner as the crowd gathered around Jacob, peeking his head out to see what was going on. Jacob continued to scream as if his entire world had shattered, even going as far as throwing things out of his locker. Kurt could only guess why and for a fleeting moment, he felt kind of bad.
"What's going on?"
Kurt jumped at Dave's hushed voice behind him. "Jesus Christ! You scared the shit out of me!"
Dave smirked and shrugged, his eyes shifting over to the scene Jacob was causing. Three men in black suits appeared out of thin air and Jacob freaked out more. Two of them grabbed Jacob's flailing arms and began dragging him away while the third picked up the mess Jacob made. Kurt and Dave pulled back as the men walked past with a distraught Jacob. Neither noticed the third man until he was standing right in front of them.
"Mr. Hummel, Mr. Karofsky," Mr. Butler greeted with a friendly smile. "Always a pleasure to see you."
"Mr. Butler," Kurt squeaked in surprise. "Hello."
Dave glanced at Kurt curiously before turning to the substitute teacher. "Hey Mr. B. You here to sub again?" he asked with confusion.
"No, not today," Mr. Butler replied. "I'm here on official business." It was then that they noticed his briefcase with the SSAA stamp on it. "Why don't you go on and get to class. There's nothing to see here." Both boys nodded but neither moved. "Enjoy your holidays," he said with a wink at Kurt and walked off.
Dave turned to Kurt with wide eyes. "What the hell was that, Hummel?" Instead of answering though, Kurt pulled out his phone and tried going to Jacob's blog. A slow smile crept up his face when the browser said the page no longer existed. Dave looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?" he asked with a smirk.
"I...well..." Kurt bit his lip and trailed off.
"Well?"
The warning bell rang and Kurt chuckled nervously. "Oh no, the bell. Sorry. Can't be late for class. See ya, Dave," he said quickly and ran off.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Santana shouted, the only thing holding her back was Quinn's arms. "WE ARE NOT DOING CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR REGIONALS!"
"It's a brilliant idea!" Rachel argued from the front of the classroom. "They wouldn't have set Regionals for the beginning of Christmas break if they didn't want Holiday songs!"
Kurt sat in his seat next to Brittany and rubbed his temples. They'd been at it for over an hour and he was about to walk out for good. Screw Regionals.
"YOU DON'T EVEN CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS!"
"Then we'll do songs for all the winter holidays! It'll be perfect!" Rachel exclaimed with a clap.
"Oh that is it!" Santana broke free of Quinn's grasp and stormed up to Rachel. "Listen here, hobbit. We are not doing holiday songs! We will lose!"
"I don't believe that. I think-"
"I don't care what you think!" Santana snapped. "This is a terrible idea! Back me up here guys," she said to the room.
The New Directions nodded and muttered their consent. Rachel gasped when she saw Finn hesitantly nodding. "Finn, don't let her push you into agreeing with her!"
"I'm not," Finn said meekly. "I honestly don't think singing Christmas songs is a good idea. And no offense, I love you and all, but it's usually you who's pushing me into agreeing into something I don't like."
"Finn!"
"It's true! You and I, together, are supposed to be co-captains and it's always just what you say, what you think is right," Finn replied firmly. "Well, I'm sorry but I can't agree with you here."
Rachel bristled and crossed her arms. "And you all feel this way?" she asked and everyone nodded. "Fine. From now on, I'm not stating my clearly superior opinions anymore. You can all lose Regionals without me."
Rachel turned on her heel to walk out of the room but Santana stepped in her way. "Sit your midget ass down, Yentl. You ain't going nowhere until we figure this shit out."
"You can't keep me here!"
"Try me," Santana challenged.
"Alright, enough," Mr. Schue's voice finally rang out from the back of the room. "Rachel, please take a seat. You and I both know that you're not really quitting and we do not have time for another tantrum. Regionals is this weekend and we need you to help us figure this out, not dictate us."
"Coming from the man who lets her reign," Quinn said with an eye roll.
Kurt raised his hand. "Mr. Schue, if I may?" he said before Mr. Schue had the opportunity to scold Quinn. "What we need to do is choose our soloist and their song. Once we have that done, the other two songs will be easy to pick." Rachel opened her mouth to speak but Kurt cut her off. "I say we let Tana sing the song she's been dying to sing for the past month and then vote between her and Rachel."
"Why can't I sing?" Rachel asked disgruntled. "Why does she get to sing and I don't?!"
"Because you already sang today, Rach," Kurt said with a groan. "Three times in fact. We know what your choices are. For once in your life, please just step back."
With a frustrated grunt, Rachel took her seat next to Finn without looking his way. Finn decided not to care. If they truly were soulmates, she was going to need to accept that not everything was about her and he needed to learn to stand up for himself.
Santana walked to the front of the classroom with a swagger only she could pull off, but even though her stance was strong, her soft expression spoke volumes. "As we all know, my birthday is Friday. For that reason alone, I believe that I would be the perfect candidate for this solo," Rachel rolled her eyes but Santana ignored her and continued. "And since Rachel is always going on and on about having emotional performances," she drawled sarcastically. "I can guarantee you that with the song I'm about to sing and my soul waking up or whatever, I will be able to deliver the most flawless performance any of you have ever seen."
"That's doubtful," Rachel muttered.
Mr. Schue turned to her. "That's enough, Rachel," he turned back to Santana with a forced smile. "Whenever you're ready, Santana."
"Jeez, Mr. Schue, at least try and sound a little enthusiastic," Quinn snapped.
Mr. Schue gritted his teeth but said nothing and looked at Santana expectantly. Santana nodded at Brad to begin before closing her eyes and allowing herself to fall into the emotional roller coaster she'd been feeling for so long. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but this song was for Quinn.
I can't sleep tonight
Wide awake and so confused
Everything's in line
But I am bruised
I need a voice to echo
I need a light to take me home
I kinda need a hero
Is it you?
The room was still as Santana poured her heart out. Her eyes never left the floor, too worried that she'd confess her love to Quinn in the middle of the song if she looked up. Quinn's heart melted and every word hit her like a ton of bricks. It was then she realised how much she truly dreaded Santana's birthday.
I never see the forest for the trees
I could really use your melody
Baby I'm a little blind
I think it's time for you to find me
Santana's voice was strong, but her face was filled with hurt and vulnerability. When she finally lifted her eyes, they landed on Quinn for only a second and Santana's entire being called out to her. She ignored the feeling though and sang out with every emotion.
Can you be my nightingale?
Sing to me
I know you're there
You could be my sanity
Bring me peace
Sing me to sleep
Say you'll be my nightingale
Santana ended her song with closed eyes and her hands held together by her heart. There wasn't a single person in that room that didn't feel her sorrow, or her hope. Rachel held back tears that wanted to flow. She didn't want to admit defeat, but she couldn't deny Santana's performance was anything less than flawless.
"I must say, Santana," Rachel started, clearing her throat to even out her voice. "That was really very beautiful. I think giving you the solo, with that song, would be a very good idea." She still felt that doing holiday songs would be best but she decided not to argue. If they lost, she would rub it in their faces for the rest of the year. But if they won, she would be one step closer to having a friendship with Santana, a friendship she desperately wanted even though she hated to admit it.
"Thank you," Santana stated simply, pulling herself back in entirely, too afraid to look anywhere else but Mr. Schue's face.
Mr. Schue stood up and walked to her, wrapping his arms around her despite the look of distaste on her face. "That was very moving, Santana." Santana shrugged him off and walked back to her seat between Kurt and Quinn. "Now that we finally have that settled, let's decide on our final two songs. We have a lot of work to do this week guys but I know we can do this!"
Quinn looked down at her fingernails and tuned Mr. Schue out, uncrossing and recrossing her legs so that her foot subtly nudged Santana's leg. Santana looked down at the contact but didn't look up at Quinn. The simple touch did settle her emotions though and without thought, she recrossed her own legs so that her foot could intertwine with Quinn's. It took her a moment to realize what she'd done and it sent a shiver down her spine. What the hell was she supposed to do now?
Kurt grumbled and reached for his phone to shut off his alarm. He would forever hate Rachel for making them show up at school two hours early to rehearse for Regionals tomorrow. He stretched his body out and it was then he realized that Santana was not in bed with him. He had stayed the night with her, knowing that she would need someone to talk to when she woke up. The fact that she wasn't in bed worried him.
"Tana?" He called out but received no response. "Tana?" he spoke louder.
"It's not coming off," Kurt heard her say from outside her bedroom door. With a small groan, he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom across her bedroom. "It's not coming off!" she said again with tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Tana," Kurt said sympathetically. "I tried that with Blaine, remember? It's not going to come off."
"This isn't happening. This can't be happening."
Kurt stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. "Tana, you need to stop."
"But it's not coming off!" Santana cried.
"And it's not going to," Kurt said firmly, stepping into the bathroom and grabbing hold of her shaking hands. He let the water run over them to wash off the soap, just like his father had, and then froze when he saw the name, Lucy Q. Fabray. "Oh my God!" he gasped.
"I can't do this," Santana shook her head frantically. "I can't do this."
Kurt let go of her hands and cupped her face. "Breathe, Tana. It's fine. Everything's going to be fine."
"No, you don't understand," Santana tried to argue. "She's going to be so disappointed that she's stuck with me!"
"Trust me, she won't," Kurt assured her with a small smile. "You need to calm down before you give yourself a heart attack. And I'm really sorry to say this but we have to be at school in less than an hour."
"I'm not going," Santana said through shallow breaths. "I can't. No, no, no, no, no." She pulled away from Kurt and ran into her room, jumping into bed and pulling the blankets over her head. "No puedo. Esto no está sucediendo."
Kurt sighed as he walked into the room, holding back his giddiness for the time being. "You have to, and it is happening," he told her as he grabbed the sheets and forced them off her. "You wanted the solo, remember? I know you're in shock but we have Regionals tomorrow. You need to get your ass up and deal with this shit."
"I can't do this," Santana shook her head. "I can't see her."
"You're going to, in less than an hour. I suggest you make yourself look extra sexy and go get your damn girl," Kurt grabbed her by the arms and forced her out of bed.
"I can't tell her. I can't."
"Tell her, don't tell her. I don't care," Kurt snapped. "Get your ass up and grow some fucking balls. We need you to win." Santana whined as Kurt forcefully walked her into the bathroom. "Take a damn shower and hurry the hell up, Tana!"
Santana's mother walked into the hallway with a smile. She had been awake before Santana and had been the first person to see Quinn's name. She tried to calm Santana down but her daughter wouldn't hear it and after fifteen minutes, she walked away knowing that Kurt would probably be a better help than her.
"Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!" Kurt whispered excitedly when he saw Mrs. Lopez.
"I know!" Mrs. Lopez whispered back with a quiet clap. "Oh I'm so happy for her, Kurt! Quinn is amazing!"
"I know!" Kurt replied with an enthusiastic nod. "And Q's been in love with her for years!"
Mrs. Lopez grasped her heart. "She has?" she asked in awe.
"She has," Kurt confirmed. "I found out a few months ago but I couldn't say anything."
Mrs. Lopez breathed in relief. "Thank God. Ok, don't say anything. She needs to find out on her own," Kurt nodded. "I'm going to go make her favorite breakfast. Oh I can't wait until they're together!" Kurt laughed as Mrs. Lopez scurried off happily, then he walked back into Santana's room to pick out an outfit for her. There was no way in hell he was letting her wear her Cheerios uniform today.
Inside the bathroom, instead of taking a shower, Santana fingered herself to thoughts of Quinn until she came with a shudder. She then began laughing almost manically at the realization that Quinn Fabray was meant to be hers.
Screw waiting to tell her. They were going to get acquainted in the girl's room as soon as she got to school.
The car ride to school had been hell for both of them. One moment Santana was yelling at Kurt to stop driving like her Abuela and the next she was hyperventilating. By the time they drove into the parking lot, Santana was back to being determined and ready to claim Quinn as hers. But as they walked into the building and saw Quinn waiting for them by her locker, Santana lost her cool once more.
"Oh my God, I'm getting that under boob sweat again," Santana said frantically. "I can't do this. I can't. No, no, no. No way. I can't."
Kurt grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Get ahold of yourself before I slap some sense into you!" Santana inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. "Go to the Cheerios bathroom and calm the fuck down, ok?" Santana gulped and nodded before scurrying off without so much as a glance towards Quinn who was walking their way. Kurt hurried to Quinn's side. "Tana's waiting for you in the bathroom. Go talk to her," he said in one breath before walking past her.
"Kurt!" Quinn called out to him but he ignored her and turned the corner. "Fuck," she muttered to herself and headed to the bathroom anxiously, her heart already breaking at the possibility of not being Santana's soulmate. Today was going to be harder than she thought.
Quinn waited outside the bathroom door for a few minutes before swallowing her heartbreak and pushing the door open. No matter what happened, Santana needed her to be there, especially with Kurt leaving for California tomorrow. She needed to put her feelings aside and help Santana through whatever she was dealing with.
"Hey," she said cautiously when she saw Santana pacing. "You ok?"
Santana looked at her with frantic eyes. She opened her mouth but then quickly shut it. Quinn said nothing as Santana stared, her eyes gravitating to the brown cuff on Santana's wrist. In that moment, Santana saw the fear and the pain clear as day on Quinn's face and she couldn't take it any longer. With two long strides, Santana was pushing Quinn against the bathroom door and thrusting her tongue in Quinn's mouth without warning. Quinn moaned out of sheer shock, her lips falling into a rhythm with Santana's. Her entire body was on fire from the sudden intrusion and it made her yearn for Santana's touch. As if reading her mind, Santana's knee parted Quinn's legs and lifted her slightly, her hand grabbing hold of Quinn's thigh and her nails digging in.
Quinn gasped as her mind caught up with what was happening and pulled her head back. "Santana?" she questioned in a whisper.
Santana brought her hand up to her mouth and unclipped her cuff with her teeth. "You're mine, Q," she said huskily. "All mine."
Quinn laughed a bit hysterically at the sight of her name. "Fucking finally," she said before pulling Santana into another kiss.
Santana pulled away with a relieved breath. "You aren't pissed that you're stuck with me?"
"I'm only pissed I wasted so much time pining over you instead of telling you how I felt," Quinn replied with a shake of her head. "I'm in love with you Tana, have been for years."
Santana rested her forehead on Quinn's. "I thought I was going crazy," she admitted quietly. "I didn't know what I felt for you was real."
"It's real," Quinn whispered, grinding her hips down on Santana's leg, moaning at the delicious friction. "I'm yours."
"Quinnie," Santana groaned. She could feel Quinn's wetness soak through her underwear and the satisfaction she felt from being the reason behind it was overwhelming. "Fuck I can't wait to take you home," she breathed.
"Who says you have to wait," Quinn said with another grind of her hips. Santana's eyes darkened at Quinn's words. She licked her lips, her hand slowly trailing up Quinn's skirt and around to her ass. Quinn threw her head back against the door as Santana's lips suddenly attacked her neck. "You feel better than any fantasy I've ever had."
Santana chuckled against her skin. "Just you wait, Quinn Fabray," she said seductively, looking up at Quinn through her lashes. "This is only the beginning."
"Where are Quinn and Santana?" Rachel huffed in aggravation. "Rehearsal started twenty minutes ago!"
Kurt and Brittany glanced at each other and smirked. As soon as Kurt walked into the room, he whispered the news to Brittany and she reacted instantly, pulling Kurt into her arms and jumping up and down with excitement. The rest of the glee club looked their way questioningly for only a moment before bringing their attention back to Rachel who had been lecturing them on proper costume care.
"What do you two know over there?" Puck asked suspiciously. Before either could think of an answer, a smug Santana and sated Quinn walked into the classroom holding hands. The New Directions gasped.
"I KNEW IT!" Lauren shouted. "Pay up, Puckerman!" Puck cursed under his breath as he pulled out twenty dollars to hand over to his soulmate.
The Glee club stood shell shocked while Kurt and Brittany clapped giddily. "Yeah, that's right bitches," Santana grinned. "Quinn Fabray belongs to me. Get the fuck over it and get in places. We have a competition to win."
Kurt stood in front of the mirror in the boy's bathroom Saturday morning, fixing his hair one last time before they had to take their places backstage. He didn't even care about whether or not they won right now. All he cared about was the driver Blaine hired to pick him from school once they returned from Regionals. His bags were packed and waiting for him in his car and the plans for once he arrived in California were set. He just needed to get through the day and by tonight he would be in Blaine's arms.
"I'm telling you, he's totally losing it," Kurt overheard a Dalton Academy Warbler say to another at the urinals. Kurt scrunched his nose in distaste. He hated it when guys talked to each other while taking a piss. "Ever since that breakdown he had he's been a total whack job."
The boys flushed their urinals and walked to the sinks. "What do you think's wrong with him?" the second Warbler boy asked. "Mr. Clarington's always been real level. What's making him act so crazy?"
"Hell if I know but if we lose today, I'm blaming him."
"When you lose today," Kurt cut in. "It's because your performance was mediocre, not because of your director."
"Excuse me?" the first boy said with a raised eyebrow. "We weren't talking to you, so mind your own business."
"You're bashing your teacher in front of the competition, in the bathroom no less. It became my business as soon as you opened your over privileged mouth," Kurt said defensively, turning to them with a glare. "And another thing, aren't Dalton men supposed to look out for each other, be there for one another no matter what and all that jazz? How insulting is it of you to talk crap about your leaders?"
The first boy scoffed and crossed his arms. "What the hell do you know, public school?"
"Oh, public school," Kurt mocked. "I'm so offended," he rolled his eyes and turned back to the mirror. "And believe me, I know more than you think."
"Whatever," the boy muttered. "Let's go," he said to the other before walking out.
Kurt pulled out his phone and went into Voxer, a walkie talkie app he and Blaine recently started using. "I think you took whatever class the Warblers had left when you graduated, babe. I just met two and they were seriously snobby, smug little bastards."
"Of course they were," Blaine's voice rang out a few minutes later. "They're about to kick some major show choir ass. Why wouldn't they be confident?" he teased.
"There's confidence and then there's arrogance, Anderson," Kurt quipped. "And I can arrogantly say that they will lose, big time."
Blaine's laugh filled the bathroom. "Whatever you say, love. Good luck. I'll see you soon."
"See you soon," Kurt replied before setting his phone on silent and walking out.
Once the door closed, Hunter opened the stall he'd been hiding in. He wasn't surprised by his students talking badly about him. He knew he was a mess. What shocked him to the core was that Kurt Hummel, of all people, defended him. Did Kurt know about him or his history with Blaine? Had Blaine told him what happened between him and Sebastian? He knew that Sebastian and Kurt had a friendship of sorts because of their Twitter interactions but had he told Kurt that they were soulmates? Had Sebastian mentioned him at all? With a deep breath Hunter turned the faucet on and splashed his face with water. He couldn't think about Sebastian right now. He didn't need to have another breakdown in front of his students.
"Warblers, listen up," Hunter called out. The students all turned to him attentively. He held his cellphone in the air. "The floor is yours, gentlemen."
"Hey guys," Blaine's voice rang out through the speaker. The Dalton boys gasped with excitement. "How's it going?"
"Good!" the boys shouted in unison.
"That's awesome to hear," David said. "We have to get ready for our own show but we wanted to wish you all good luck."
"We're so proud of you guys. Nothing brings us more joy than knowing that you're in the hands of our friend and brother, Mr. Clarington," Wes said. "Have fun out there and always remember, once a Warbler,"
"Always a Warbler!" The boys yelled out in unison.
"Places, boys," Hunter instructed before turning off speakerphone and bringing the phone to his ear. "Thanks for that guys. They seem to have forgotten the importance of brotherhood."
"It's no problem, man," Wes replied and Hunter could tell he was no longer on speakerphone either. "Listen, while I have you on the phone, Vanessa and I are planning on taking a trip to Ohio for Christmas. You're coming to mom's for Christmas dinner, right? I'd love to see you."
"Yeah, I'll be there," Hunter assured him with a small smile. "Wouldn't miss it."
"Seriously, B? Can't this wait?" David asked with smirk though there was real concern in his voice. "The show starts-"
"In seven hours," Blaine cut in. "I'll be back in time David, I swear. But I gotta head home and get things ready for Kurt's arrival."
"You're cutting it close, Blaine," Nick said seriously.
"I know, but we'll be good, alright?" Blaine assured them. "It's only an hour there and an hour back by plane, and I don't have that much to do. I just gotta make sure everything's set. It's only 1:30, I have plenty of time."
"Alright, alright," David conceded, knowing there was no way to change Blaine's mind about using the private jet to fly to LA for a few hours. "Be safe. We'll see you soon." Blaine gave them a nod and a smile and hurried out with Tony.
Kurt's jaw dropped when the winner was announced. He couldn't believe it. They tied with the Warblers. Out of the three schools, McKinley was the only one who hadn't done a Christmas theme. While Aural Intensity's performance was lackluster, the Dalton Academy Warblers' performance was flawless. They had put a new spin on Christmas classics and Kurt hated admitting how well they had truly done. There was a moment when he thought that they would actually lose and he could already hear Rachel bitching about needing to listen to her. But when he saw the worried looks on the Warblers faces after New Directions performed, he became confident that they would win.
"Can they do that?" he whispered to Finn. "Can they send us both to Nationals?"
Finn shrugged, his eyes on Mr. Schue who was shaking hands with Mr. Clarington. "I guess so."
Kurt glanced at the surprised faces around him before his gaze landed on the two boys from earlier, both sending him smug expressions. He scowled. "I don't care how we do it but we are beating them at Nationals," he told Finn through gritted teeth.
The students started heading off stage but Kurt stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Mr. Clarington. "Mr. Hummel. It's a pleasure to meet you," Hunter said politely.
Kurt raised a brow and shook his hand. "Um, thanks. How do you know my name?"
Hunter let out a small chuckle. "I know more than you think," he repeated Kurt's words and Kurt visibly paled. "No worries. Your secret's been safe with me for a very long time."
"Uh..."
"I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon," Hunter spoke quietly before walking off.
Kurt stood in his spot and watched Hunter walk away with shock and growing curiosity. Who was this man and how much did he actually know?
"Kurt, let's go."
Kurt shook it off and walked to Mr. Schue. He'd ask Blaine about it later.
"What do you say, guys? Pizza party at Lou's Pizza Parlor? My treat," Mr. Schue announced with excitement as the bus drove out of the parking lot.
"We're down," Puck said with a nod, the New Directions already discussing what kind of pizza to order. "We ain't passing up free food."
"We need to go back to school first," Santana shouted over everyone. "Kurt's got something to do."
"Whatever it is can wait," Mr. Schue said with a pointed look. "We're celebrating our win as a team, and that means everyone."
"What win?" Kurt scoffed. "We tied. That's not winning. And I got places to be. I need to head back to school."
"What you need is an attitude adjustment, Kurt," Mr. Schue scolded. "Your behavior lately has been-"
"Blah, blah, blah," Kurt cut him off angrily. There was no way in hell he was missing his flight for some lame ass pizza party. "What I need to do is head back to school," he said with a firmness that Mr. Schue had never heard before. "If you've got a problem with that, or with my attitude, you can take it up with my father. In fact, call him right now. He'll tell you that I need to get back immediately."
"And what exactly is so important?"
"None of your business."
"It is my business when-"
"No it's not!" Kurt shouted over him. "You can't force me to go to some stupid pizza party that we don't even deserve because we didn't win! And if you don't take us to school first so that I can be on my way, there will be hell to pay."
"Let's just have the party in the classroom, Mr. Schue," Rachel suggested, hoping to ease the sudden tension.
Mr. Schue glanced at her and nodded. "Fine. But I will be having a meeting with your father after the holidays, Kurt." Kurt made a face that clearly said he didn't care and turned to look out the window, a sly smirk gracing his face. Ok sure, he was a bit harsh with his teacher and he knew his dad would be angry with him, but he would deal with it later. He was too anxious to see Blaine to worry about it right now.
As soon as they pulled into the school parking lot, Kurt was up and out of his seat. He didn't even wait for the bus driver to come to a full stop before placing his hand on the lever, opening the door, and jumping out. He could hear Mr. Schue shouting out after him but he didn't care and ran straight to his car. He grabbed his luggage, hurried over to Finn, tossed him the keys and walked off again.
"Kurt!" Mr. Schue yelled out as Kurt walked to an unidentified black car. He watched a man in a suit step out, take Kurt's luggage, and open the back door for him. The driver put Kurt's suitcases in the trunk before getting in the car and driving off. "Finn, where is your brother going?" he demanded.
"He um...well..." Finn stammered.
"Finn," Rachel said to him sternly.
"Sorry, Mr. Schue," Finn shrugged and walked off without another word.
"You have his number, right?"
"Yes, Blaine."
"And you have his flight info; the gate you need to be at; the time the plane lands?"
"Yes, Blaine."
"And you know what he looks like, so you should be good," Blaine was frantic. He got his bedroom set up and he even made a stop at the grocery store to get all of Kurt's favorite foods, but now that the time to leave came, he worried that he was forgetting something. "Maybe I should write everything down for you, just in case."
Cooper bit back a laugh. He knew better than to laugh at his brother when he was in panic mode. "You already wrote everything down for me, Squirt. I got this."
Blaine let out a short breath. "Right, ok. I gotta go," he turned towards the door but then stopped and looked back at his brother. "Do not embarrass me, Coop. No stories about when we were kids."
"Oh come on, where's the fun in that?" Cooper asked entirely too serious for Blaine's liking.
Blaine narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Forget it. I'll call him a driver."
"Blaine, I was kidding," Cooper tried to assure him but by the smirk on his face Blaine knew he wasn't. "I won't embarrass you...too much," he grinned while Blaine scowled. "Don't make that face. You're too pretty for that."
"Coop," Blaine whined, sounding more like a child than a grown man. "Can you please not mess with me right now? I'm freaking out enough as is."
"Why?" Cooper questioned.
"Because he's my Kurt," Blaine said in that adoring voice he always got when it came to his beloved. "He's never met you, never been out of Ohio, and all of a sudden he's being thrust into this world he's not used to. Everything's gotta be perfect for his arrival. I don't want him to be overwhelmed."
"There's no such thing as perfect."
"Kurt's perfect."
Cooper rolled his eyes. "Ok fine, Kurt's perfect. The point is that it's going to be fine. I will be a charming gentleman, I will drive extra safe, and I will tell him only the minimal stories. I'll keep the good stuff for when you're around," he teased.
Blaine deadpanned and ran his fingers through his hair as his driver honked the horn for the third time. "Ok, I have to go. I'll see you at the show."
"Go on, get," Cooper said pushing him out of the door. "We'll see you soon."
Kurt was beyond pissed. The plan had been for Cooper to pick him up and drive him to Fresno just in time for the concert. But his flight had been delayed three times already which meant that he would miss the show entirely. He and Cooper would have to go back to the Anderson brother's home and wait for Blaine to arrive instead.
While he waited to find out when his flight would finally board, he played games on his cellphones, replied to several texts from his friends and his dad, and DMed a few fans on Twitter. He'd been staying away for the past few weeks, needing a break from the constant attention. But now that he was on his way to see Blaine, he wanted to share his excitement with the fans he did enjoy talking to.
"Now boarding flight 573: Dayton to Los Angeles."
Kurt groaned in relief. "Thank God," he muttered. He sent a quick text to Cooper telling him that they were boarding, tweeted the fans, grabbed his one carry on, and made his way to the gate.
HisLuckyCharm: 'Officially on my way to see @WarblerBlaine! #CantWait #BestChristmasBreakEVER'
