Summary: Blaine and the people around him begin to realize they underestimated his "celebrity" at NYADA.
Notes: Portions of a performed song will be replaced with dialogue and inner thought of characters
"Blaine, I'm just a friend standing here until the person you're waiting for shows up. That's it."
"Liar" Blaine laughed that Cam actually looked surprised he would call him out. He knew the reason his former body guard had insisted on waiting with him and that was fine. He needed to talk to him anyway. "You can tell Cooper I'm ok. But, uh Cam, can we sit down and talk tomorrow after I have breakfast with Mom and Sugar. I've got something to tell you…" Fortunately, the person they were waiting for arrived so he didn't have to go into detail. This wasn't a conversation to have in passing. "11AM at the apartment?"
"Ok, 11AM." Before walking off, Cam stopped in front of Kurt and said "Don't fuck this up."
"Don't fuck this up" Kurt repeated softly. He knew Blaine was taking a giant step forward when he asked to speak to him privately. He also knew Blaine was sending a not so subtle message by having the talk in the exact spot of their epic break-up. "Blaine."
"I was with someone…" Blaine waited to see if Kurt would say something. Evidently, he had learned something in 8 months "…the other day that asked why I was so sad. Sometimes I wonder how different things would be if you would have let me finish that sentence."
"Do you think we'd still be together?"
"Hell, no. We weren't together then, we just hadn't admitted it yet." Blaine took a breath and reminded himself that he had asked Kurt for this meeting. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for telling Sam about what happened with Schuester after Nationals last year. I had forgotten about it."
"Oh, ok. You're welcome."
"Well, I know you're still friendly with Schuester so you didn't have to say anything but I'm glad you did." Blaine knew he'd probably hate himself later but… "You know you can sing in the Stress Relief video. All the New Directions guys were invited and we said we'd include you in all activities."
"Thank you, but I'm saving my voice for my audition. In fact, I'm surprised you're singing…"
This time it was Blaine that interrupted Kurt. "Damn it, Kurt. You were doing so well."
While the exes headed back to CallBacks, Sebastian had a question for Rachel "What the hell is the Catty Chatty?"
"It's a NYADA gossip blog, unofficial of course. It's for people to practice spreading rumors about the competition. Don't look at me like that Sebastian Smythe. It's an important skill for any performer to have. Why are you asking?"
"Doug was getting things ready to post the Stress Relief video when he came across this."
The Catty Chatty: NYADA's #1 Gossip Blog Come on Darling's…Keep us guessing
(9:08PM) anoncc: #CallBacks taking reservations? Guess they will for FUTURE events
"Ok, see that anoncc? Everything to this site posts as anon and you cannot use people's names. That's part of the process. I'm not saying there aren't message boards out there that flat out say Blaine is here but they are far less popular. If we want to keep an eye on something it should be this one since we know what's being hinted at. I'm sorry Bastian, I should have thought of this sooner."
"We're all new to this, Ray. Come with me and explain this to Cam but remember he doesn't speak Diva."
"Oh, I have to translate myself for Dr. Shepard all the time." Rachel quietly watched as Blaine and Kurt walked in together, but since Sebastian wasn't freaking out neither would she. "Bastian, is Blaine going to forgive Dr. Shepard?"
"I hope so. Come on, let's find Cam."
Sugar was with Cam when Sebastian and Rachel brought the blog to Cam's attention. She volunteered, and quickly drafted Tina, Amanda and Nari, to keep an eye on it throughout the evening. So, while she worked with Ralphie to get her a tablet before Stress Release went on, Sebastian told Blaine what he found out.
"Adam tried to warn me that you had a few fangirls at the NYADA."
Blaine looked around the room and saw a couple of phones subtly (ha) focused on him. "Well, let's find out for sure" he said before pulling Sebastian down into a steamy (to put it mildly) kiss. Hopefully, any fangirls and a certain Karaoke manager would get the message. When they pulled apart, Blaine checked out the room for reactions other than Santana's catcalls. "Between that kiss and my conversation with Kurt, Doc would totally call me out for being a passive-aggressive asshole."
"Ray did say that she had a Skype appointment with him on Thursday that she could share or flat-out just give you…Sugar!" Sebastian couldn't believe his boyfriend's supposedly Sweet Baby Cousin had come up behind Blaine and just smacked him in the back of the head.
"Ralphie will be here in 5 minutes a tablet. You couldn't wait 5 minutes, Blainey?" Sugar asked before handing him her phone.
The Catty Chatty: NYADA's #1 Gossip Blog Come on Darling's…Keep us guessing
(9:25PM) anoncc: DAMMMMNNNNNN!*photo attached
"Oh my God, B. Our photo has 79…82…88…the comments won't stop." Sebastian watched the number grow and it brought up an issue he and Blaine disagreed on. For some reason Blaine has not talked with Cam about Tommy and wouldn't tell Sebastian why. As of now, the only person going to NYADA with Blaine on Monday was Sam and that had taken a lot of negotiation. Everyone that knew about Tommy guessed that would be when he would make contact with Blaine, but they were respecting Blaine's wishes. Maybe he should call Cooper? No, that would piss Blaine off and he would say no to Cam out of spite.
He was brought out of his thoughts when Nari came over and handed Sugar one of the 4 tablets Ralphie somehow managed to get. "If only these New York people knew about the Seblaine fanfiction."
"Wait? That stuff is really online?" Blaine asked in a panic.
"Not yet" was all Nari insinuated before taking Sugar back to their table, leaving the boyfriends shell-shocked.
"B, she was joking, right?"
"I don't know. Nari does go to Crawford but the one I'm worried about at that table is Tina. Yup, very very worried."
Sam joined them, only catching the tail end of what Blaine had said. "What are you worried about?"
"Tina finding out about Crawford Day writing Seblaine fanfiction."
The sound of Sam's laughter was so loud that it was almost redundant for him to tell them his opinion. "Dudes, you are so screwed." He calmed down enough to take a quick peek over at an obviously frustrated Finn. "Ok, so Nichole said Kurt isn't happy about all that gossip attention Blaine is getting. Finn's talking to him but you know he's going to think the Stress Relief song is about him. It's a giant FU song."
"Uh, I don't see it that way. It's just a song Drum and I would do as a duet when I first got to Dalton." Sebastian could tell something was up but didn't say anything when Blaine gave him a Don't say anything/Just listen glare. "Um, Sam did you say Nichole told you about Kurt?"
"Yeah, we talked while Santana, Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn hatched whatever diabolical plan they're going to unload on Kurt while we're on stage."
"Oh, it just seems like you've talked to Nichole a lot since you got to New York. I mean you did invite her to Stacie's birthday." Sebastian really did not like the way Blaine was directing the conversation but he stuck to Don't say anything/Just listen.
"Yeah, she and I have talked a lot the last couple of days. She's really broken up about what happened with Jeff but I told her that she did the right thing and I should know after, you know, Finn and Quinn AND Santana and Brittany. And Dude, I could say the same about you. You stayed with Kurt when it was clear that you had feelings for Seb and look what a giant cluster-fuck that turned into. Hey, it looks like the guys are ready."
"Give us a minute" Blaine told Sam, then he waited to see if he got the reaction he expected from Sebastian once they were alone.
He did.
"No, no, no, no, no, no…"
"You can stop saying no, the answer is yes."
"Nichole dumped Jeff for Sam?"
"No, Nichole broke up with Jeff because it wasn't fair to be with him when she has feelings for another guy…who happens to be Sam." It sounded like that was going to be answer given to anyone discovering the Jeff/Nichole/Sam situation. "And as you could tell, Sam's completely clueless."
"B, if Jeff finds out…"
"Let's just not go there and go have some fun instead. But first I need to talk to Santana."
"B…"
"No, this has to come from me."
Blaine somehow got Santana's attention through what she calls his telepathic connection to her psychic Mexican-third eye. Yeah, he couldn't explain it either. "Whatever you girls have planned…don't do it. But tell Kurt that if he even rolls his eyes once while the guys and I are on stage, Vincent will have his ass out of here in 30 seconds. He has a lot to lose if video of that shows up on any of the NYADA sites."
"What are you talking about?"
"For some reason he and Rachel are downplaying it, but Kurt being asked to audition at NYADA is a thing. It's called the Dirty Dozen, 12 finalists that were either finalists last year but didn't get in, cut but allowed to reapply or have some sort of special circumstance…like me. After the 12 perform, Carmen Tibideaux announces the results. No waiting around. Either you're in or you're out, and if you're out you can never reapply. However, the person she determines to the "the winner" receives a full-ride scholarship."
"Holy Shit!"
"Yeah, holy shit. Just remind Kurt this is not the time for an Alpha Gay moment." Blaine gave her a quick kiss. "When I'm done, let's do a run through for our number. Love you, Tana."
"Love you too, Blainers." Santana smiled until he was gone...then Auntie Snixx came out to play. She was going to give Kurt Blaine's message alright but her real mission was to find out why Rachel hadn't shared that piece of information about Kurt's audition. Maybe her roomie wasn't as Team Seblaine as she wanted them to think. Unfortunately, Adam stepped up to the mic sooner than she expected.
"Good evening everyone and welcome to CallBacks. We are eternally grateful for your patients as we honor a request first brought to my attention by the winner of this year's NYADA Winter Showcase the marvelous, Miss Rachel Berry." Rachel smiled and waved, basking in the applause but keenly aware of the snarl Santana had focused on her.
"While none of this rather large group of gentlemen attend NYADA, I can assure you that they are all quite talented. So, you can understand when they asked if we would allow them to film a video…"
Sugar and the other girls could hear Adam talking but their focus went to the tables as they watched the Catty Chatty blog explode.
The Catty Chatty: NYADA's #1 Gossip Blog Come on Darling's…Keep us guessing
(9:58PM) anoncc: Calgone take me away #CallBacks
(9:58PM) anoncc: It's raining men (boys?) #CallBacks
(10:00PM) anoncc: Breaking the rules. Blaine Anderson and 15 of his hot as fuck friends are on the stage #CallBacks filming a Stress Relief Video. Jealous much?
(10:01 PM) anoncc: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Stuck in airport. Vid Plz!
(10:01 PM) anoncc: #CallBacks That Guy=Total Package
(10:01 PM) anoncc: #Callbacks No vid yet *photo attached
"This is nuts!" Amanda said looking down at the tablet Nari was holding. She thought she was just coming to some college bar with Tina, Sugar, Sam and the others before going to Rhode Island in the morning. She had been totally unprepared for the crazy.
Nari couldn't have agreed more. "Welcome to our world." She was about to go back to the tablet but instead smiled as she watched Trent stepped forward to introduce the video like he had done last time. She was proud of him. Trent had become strong and confident while maintaining his sweet and gentle nature. Now the world was going to know the amazing person she had known and loved for years. Even if he only ever saw her as Wes Montgomery's little sister.
"Good Evening from CallBacks in New York City. We are bringing you this video to answer some questions that have been brought up about ties between the Dalton Academy Warblers and defending National Champions New Directions. We're all friends. Get over it. That doesn't mean we don't plan on kicking each other's asses at Nationals."
"But before all that happens, ladies and gentlemen, for one night only, the Dalton Academy Warblers and the McKinley High New Directions present the band…Stress Release."
Blaine played a piano interlude and sang the opening line… It starts with one
Then everyone else on stage turned into a Beat boxing rock band followed by…
(Beat: Rap) One thing I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Mercedes leaned over to Quinn and asked "Why does it look like Santana wants to gouge out Rachel's eyes?"
"I don't know but we really do need to keep an eye on Kurt. Do you know this song?"
"Not well. Why?"
"It's one of Puck's favorites. Let's just say the words could be taken as The Klaine Break-Up song."
"Crap!"
(Blaine: sing) It's so unreal
(Beat: Rap)It's so unreal, didn't look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on, did-didn't even know
I wasted it all just to watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard
(Blaine: sing)I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
(Blaine: Rap) One thing, I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
"I thought we all agreed that Blaine wouldn't rap anymore" Santana joked but got an instant Shh from Quinn who then mouthed Listen carefully to the words and pointed at Kurt.
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I'm surprised it got so far
Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me in the end
Cam, Daniel and Vincent made their way over to Kurt and the girls considering Blaine had basically just told Kurt what a shitty boyfriend he had been. They could tell tempers were about to flair when something happened that froze everyone.
Beat sang.
And it wasn't that he sang…he sang in a clear, beautiful voice. A voice that would lead 90% of the show choirs that sang at Nationals. It was astonishing. Even Kurt was mesmerized.
(Beat: Sing) I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know
(Blaine & Beat: Sing) I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know
When Blaine joined Beat on vocals, he stood, kicking the piano stool away. By now all those on the stage were truly into their "rock star" performances…lots of air drums and guitars, raised fits and head banging. The entire audience was on its feet as well. This type of performance was not something usually done at CallBacks, even on Karaoke Night, although technically it was a piano number.
In the chaos, it took a couple of minutes to notice Sugar had gone missing. When Tina finally found her, she was wrapped in the arms of a man standing by the door and both of them were crying. Tina didn't like the way it looked so she decided to go get Cam. He took one look at the man and went running over and pulled Sugar away. However, instead of punching the guy, Cam embraced him and they both began doing that cry/laugh thing that Sugar was doing.
"Does anyone know that guy?" Tina asked.
"That's my ex, Brody" Rachel told her while looking to Kurt for some sort of answer she knew he wouldn't have.
Santana tried to remain calm knowing in about 30 seconds all hell could break out and it would all be on video. She thought she might have enough time to at least warn Blaine but she took one look at him and knew it was too late.
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
Notes:
In the End: Bennington, Chester; Bourdon, Rob; Delson, Brad; Hahn, Joe; Shinoda, Mike 2001