Greetings and salutations!
I bring you: Chapter Three!
I have bigger plans for the next chapter but I'm hesitant, as it may seem like I'm rushing through the story.
I dunno. I'll stop talking and let you read! 3
Chapter Three
The next day was not pleasant for Blaine.
He was receiving praise from all of the Cheerios and jocks, but Kurt was nowhere to be seen. People had said that he had called in sick. Others said that he skipped. No matter what story they told, one thing was clear: Kurt Hummel was not at school.
He sat in English, alone. Mr. Benning assigned the project and filled Blaine in on what to tell Kurt, though Blaine was sure that he wouldn't want to hear what he had to say. Not after what he had done. He wouldn't talk to himself if he had slushied him, either.
The only good thing to come out of Blaine throwing that slushie at Kurt was Quinn's approval. She laid off a bit and began worrying about more pressing matters. She described it as "getting her boyfriend back" if that was 'pressing' enough to stop bugging the Cheerios. Everyone seemed to savor the feeling of not having Quinn breathing down their necks anymore.
Blaine was at his locker, fumbling with the lock. Something had shifted within him. He didn't feel right walking around school in the Cheerios uniform. So it gained him protection from slushies. For what cost? The way Quinn described the feeling of wearing it did not match Blaine's idea. The lock! Blaine told himself, snapping back into reality.
"Blaine," a sharp voice said from behind him. There stood Santana, her pinky finger linked with Brittany's. They did that whenever they walked anywhere together; Santana described it as a way to 'keep Britt safe' from everyone at the school. He gave up on the lock and turned to face Santana and Brittany.
"Yes?" he asked, crossing his arms. He was tired from the lack of sleep. He tossed and turned at night, trying to get Kurt's expression of utter disgust and hatred out of his brain. Sleep didn't come easy.
"We're trying out for glee club," Santana announced. Brittany nodded, moving closer to Blaine.
"You're-" Blaine didn't believe he heard the words correctly. "- huh?" Brittany giggled and looked at Santana, who raised an eyebrow at Blaine before turning to her.
"That's a really good idea, Santana," Britt said with a bright smile.
"Britts," Santana whispered to the other girl, "we've talked about this."
"Oh, yeah. While we were-"
"So, Blaine," Santana cut Brittany off. She looked disappointed, but became interested when Blaine faced them again. He had managed to get his locker open now, and he was standing in front of it. "You should try out, too."
"What?!" Blaine managed, before Quinn walked up behind Santana and Brittany. She was wearing her Queen Bitch smile. That couldn't be good.
"I'll see you girls in the choir room for our glee club audition later." She paused and looked at Blaine. "I hope to see you there, too, Blaine." Quinn walked away.
"So?" Santana pressed. "We're singing I Say a Little Prayer," she explained. "Quinn wanted to sing lead, but we all know my voice will-"
"I don't understand," Blaine said truthfully. He was completely confused. These were the girls who would slushie the glee club on a daily basis if they had the chance. They would torture them if they got the chance to. Why join the group of the people they swore to destory?
"Quinn wants Finn back," Brittany said. "She saw them dancing in the choir room and got mad. I think that she should just have sex with everyone until she finds someone who would-"
"Britts, I think we're done here," Santana whispered to Brittany, who quieted down once Santana spoke. Blaine rolled his eyes, and luckily, neither one of the girls noticed. "So? Will I see you there?" She asked, twirling a strand of hair.
"How do you even know if I can sing, Santana?" he asked, still shocked. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. Some strange, fever dream. He knew that it wasn't, which made it all worse. He looked back at his locker, and by the time he looked back at Santana, she was filing her nails, not paying attention to Blaine at all.
"Don't act stupid, Gelmet," she said idly. "You sing all the time. You just don't know it."
"I'm more talented than anyone in that club," Brittany said quietly. Santana looked up and nodded.
"I'm sure you are, Britts." Finally, she looked at Blaine. "Choir room for auditions."
Blaine watched Santana and Brittany walk off, pinkies still linked together. It suddenly hit him: Kurt was in the glee club. How had he not remembered that? God, he was so stupid. Quinn would probably execute him in front of the entire cafeteria if he didn't try out, but Kurt probably would do the same if he did. Why did everything have to be do damn complicated? Blaine groaned and leaned his forehead against the locker. So. Damn. Complicated.
Kurt didn't feel sick when he decided to stay home. Yes, he had bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep and his skin was pale as ever, but he wasn't sick. He felt perfectly fine when he drifted towards the kitchen and began making muffins. He felt good when he delivered the muffins to his father, who thanked him gruffly before returning to work. Kurt knew that his dad would eventually eat the muffins. He couldn't leave Kurt's amazing cooking for too long.
The feeling hit him like a flash: his head began pounding, his stomach aching, and his legs became weak. Kurt collapsed onto his bed, everything spinning around him. He gripped onto the headboard, groaning in pain.
Kurt hated two things in this world: unfinished outfits, and being sick. He couldn't do anything when he was sick. The most he could do was sit in bed while the world kept moving without him. He normally would keep up with the pace of the world just fine, though when he was sick, everything paused for him, while everything else was on full speed. He couldn't stand it.
A familiar ringing from his phone earned his attention. He picked it up, seeing glamorous picture Rachel had chosen as her contact picture. Kurt smiled softly at it before accepting the call and holding it up to his ear. He heard shoes shuffling and lockers slamming from the other end.
"Kurt?" Rachel's voice said, concerned. He heard the other sounds quiet down and sighed.
"Rachel, thank-" Kurt began, though his friend cut him off.
"You're not dead!" she squeaked. Kurt laughed weakly and leaned back again, shutting his eyes. He felt awful. He hoped he didn't get his dad sick with the muffins he baked.
"Look, I'm heading to glee club now, I just wanted to make sure that you were-" Rachel's voice abruptly stopped once he heard a door open. He assumed it was the door to the glee club, because he heard the far-away voices of Mr. Schue and Mercedes.
"Rach?" he asked, concerned. He sat up again, wincing at the pain in his stomach but swallowing it down as he listened to Rachel.
"Oh. My. God. Look, Kurt, I-" Kurt could tell Rachel was on the brink of tears from her shaky voice. She collected herself and the voice returned. "- I'll call you back. Mercedes wants to talk to you later… oh my god! Sorry, I have to go. Bye, I love you!" she ended the call quickly, leaving Kurt holding the silent phone up to his ear.
He fell back onto his bed. His body begged for sleep, but he couldn't stop the worry from coursing through his body. What was wrong? Was Rachel okay? Was the glee club okay?
After much tossing and turning, Kurt finally fell asleep. His dream quickly leaped into action; Rachel stood in the doorway of the choir room, covered in slushies. Then, her body morphed into Kurt's. Blaine stood in front of him, a Big Gulp cup in hand, his eyes wide with shock. He reached out for Kurt, but he disappeared once he touched Kurt. Then, Quinn was back, throwing slushie after slushie, drenching Kurt in the freezing ice.
Kurt awoke in a cold sweat. After checking the clock, he noticed that he had only slept for a half hour. If he was going to return to school the next day, he needed sleep. God, he really needed sleep.
Watching Santana, Brittany, and Quinn perform was making Blaine feel worse by the minute.
He knew that in some warped, twisted way, this was apart of Quinn's master plan. Some sort of strange end goal. Joining glee club was the first step in that plan. He needed to know what this 'plan' was before he went insane; watching them perform made his head spin. The three moved in perfect unison, their voices blending as if they had been singing together for years. They hadn't, though. Quinn would've never joined glee club. They were the losers of the school, yet here she was, dancing with Santana and Brittany at her sides.
As they ended their performance, the glee club sat with their mouths agape. Some clapped quietly, while others just seemed completely confused. Quinn shot a satisfied smirk at Rachel before taking a seat beside Finn. She immediately nuzzled into his neck and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Mercedes, disgusted, rolled her eyes. Rachel just looked plain hurt.
Mr. Schue stepped up to the front of the room, clapping with a smile. "Alright, ladies! Well done! I'm sure glee club will really benefit from that unity you've got there."
Rachel, fuming, crossed her arms as Santana and Brittany took the open seats beside her, which happened to be next to Quinn. She scooted her chair closer to Mike Chang, who had apparently joined earlier that day with Puck after they heard that Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were joining.
"Blaine?" Mr. Schuester asked, looking at him. He was standing by the door, obviously unsure what to do. "Aren't you performing?"
Blaine nodded weakly, his lead lowered. He could feel everyone's gazes piercing his skin as he shuffled before them. He hadn't practiced his number. He could only remember it from when he sang it with Cooper, his brother, when they were kids. He wasn't even sure if he was any good at singing anymore.
Hey there, Delilah
What's it like in New York City?
You're a million miles away
But, girl, tonight you look so pretty
Yes, you do
Times Square can't shine as bright as you
I swear, it's true
Something clicked inside of him. He found the courage to open his eyes. He noticed Santana glancing at Brittany. They're probably laughing at me. I probably suck, he thought nervously.
Hey there, Delilah
Don't you worry about the distance
I'm right here if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise
I'm by your side
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
He looked at Rachel and saw her gazing at him, mesmerized. Tina was nodding slowly, her face still grim, but her eyes bright as she watched Blaine. It lit a flame inside of him, encouraging him to make his voice stronger, louder.
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
What you do to me
Hey there, Delilah
I know times are gettin' hard
But just believe me, girl
Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar
We'll have it good
We'll have the life we knew we would
My word is good
Hey there, Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all
Repeating the chorus, Blaine watched as the glee club slowly began to join in. They harmonized with him, Rachel's voice being the most noticeable in the crowd. Quinn, Santana, and Britt nodded to each other after a moment and joined the rest. Pride swelled inside of his chest as Mercedes nodded approvingly.
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way
Our friends would all make fun of us
And we'd just laugh along because we'd know
That none of them have felt this way
Delilah, I can promise you
That by the time that we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame
Hey there, Delilah
You be good, and don't you miss me
Two more years and you'll be done with school
And I'll be makin' history like I do
You know it's all because of you
We can do whatever we want to
Hey there, Delilah, here's to you
This one's for you
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
The club quieted down as Blaine finished the song. After a moment, the room was silent. Then, the applause began. Even Rachel, who seemed hesitant after Quinn, Santana, and Brittany's audition, was clapping, nodding as she watched Blaine.
"Finally, a guy in this club who can really sing," Rachel said, earning hostile glances from Artie and Puck. Finn simply looked at his feet while Quinn stroked his arm. Blaine sucked in a breath as he took the seat beside Puck, who watched him sit down and nudged him after a moment.
"Did you join because the girls were asking you to?" Puck asked quietly as Mr. Schue praised Blaine and the club. Blaine simply shrugged. Puck sighed, leaning back.
"I need to open my collection of ladies to all chicks at this school," Puck said. The chair tilted at a dangerous angle, but he ignored it. Blaine held his breath until all four legs were on the ground.
"Has anyone seen Kurt?" Mercedes said. This caught Blaine's attention. He watched as the club muttered quietly, shrugging.
"I heard he's sick."
"Apparently, he was slushied last night and caught the cold," Artie said.
"Guys, he's sick, he called me," Rachel said, standing up and making her way to the front of the room. "It wouldn't hurt to have a little sympathy. Poor guy, he sounded simply awful." Everyone watched her nod to Mr. Schue, who sat down by the piano. "Now, since we were supposed to sing a duet today, and I don't trust anyone else in here with his part, I will be singing a solo of my selection."
Blaine watched as everyone groaned, smirking to himself. Maybe this wasn't so bad.
English class was boring as ever. Mr. Benning rattled on about their project with their seat partners, checking on the status of each (earning a "we're doing fine" from Blaine, though he was lying through his teeth) before allowing them to work. After a few minutes, Kurt walked through the doors, handing him a pass. Blaine watched as he slowly took his seat.
"I-" Blaine began, but Kurt cut him off in an angry whisper.
"Are you trying to torture me? Are you trying to make my life miserable?" he hissed.
"I have no clue what you mean," Blaine whispered back, opening the book and pretending to read as Mr. Benning glanced in their direction.
"What I mean, Anderson," Kurt continued, fuming, "is that you joined the glee club."
The way Blaine's last name rolled off his tongue in such a calm yet forceful manner surprised him. Blaine raised an eyebrow, watching Kurt. His eyes got slightly darker when he was angry. It wasn't too far from their original color, but it was a noticeable difference. The way they changed color was captivating.
"Why the hell would you do that? Do you want to beat us on our own turf now? I don't understand!" he whispered. Blaine fought back the urge to chuckle when he heard Kurt use a sports term. After a moment, he realized that he used it correctly.
"I like to sing," he said, shrugging as he turned to his book. It felt wrong talking to Kurt. What he did to him wasn't right, and what he had done to him in the past was worse. Blaine was sure that he had slushied the glee club lots of times before the latest ambush. They not remember, but Blaine did. He remembered the look on their faces as the Cheerios dumped the ice on them. He remembered the way Kurt rushed to scoop it off of his clothes before he stained. He remembered the hurt in those blue eyes. Maybe it was a good thing they didn't remember.
"Since when?" Kurt pushed, rolling his eyes.
"I've always liked to sing." It wasn't a lie. Ever since he was little, Blaine and Cooper would always perform shows for their family and friends. Highschool isn't as forgiving as the neighborhood parents. To survive, you have to disregard what you think and do what will make your life less, well, hell. Blaine admired how people like Kurt would give up their own safety to do something like this.
Why did he always think like this? Kurt this and Kurt that. He felt guilty. He needed to get over this. They'd have to work side-by-side in English and glee club. Feeling sorry wasn't going to cut it. Sorry, he thought slowly. I feel sorry for him. That's right.
"Look, Kurt, I know that what I've done is bad, but-"
"Shut it, Anderson. Let's just do our work, sing in glee, and then you won't have to pretend to be buddies with the gay kid anymore. You can go your separate way. Santana probably thinks I'm converting you at this point or something," Kurt quipped.
"She doesn't know that we're partners," Blaine whispered.
"Why wouldn't you tell your own girlfriend?" he replied, raising an eyebrow. They way he said 'girlfriend' sent chills down his arm.
"My girlfriend doesn't need to know everything I do," Blaine said quietly. Even him saying 'girlfriend' sounded strange.
Kurt muttered something that sounded like 'Girlfriend is an overstatement' but Blaine decided not to respond. He sighed and looked at Kurt, avoiding his gaze.
"I am sorry." His words were followed by the bell.
Saved by the bell, he thought, sighing.
A pretty big chapter today!
Don't worry, I have bigger plans ;)
The song used in this chapter is Hey There, Delilah by the Plain White T's.
Review! It always warms my heart to see a new review!
have a wonderful day loves!