Graduations & a Wedding : Part II
The following day passed in a blur of activity for those in Ohio. It started off with last minute dress fittings; the designs had come from Kurt, of course, and had then been painstakingly copied out by Jeff in a spare moment so that they could be sent to the dressmaker. This time he had been careful not to initial them as he usually did; he wasn't going through all that again, particularly as no-one would buy the same story twice. Such had been the attention to detail in the design process that only a very few minor tweaks were required to achieve perfection. Santana had tried her hardest not to laugh as Kurt had stood there as she had walked out of the changing room to the cries of delight from both her mom and Mrs Carmichael, who were seeing it for the first time. He had looked for a moment, head tilted to one side, then had darted around her as she stood still, checking out the dress from every conceivable angle. Mrs Carmichael had not acknowledged his presence, knowing that only she and the bride to be could see the angel.
A similar reaction had been forthcoming from Mrs Pierce in the room next door as Brittany had walked out and she saw the finished dress on her daughter; in the absence of Kurt, Blaine had been deputised to walk around her and check for anything really bad, although he knew Kurt would appear at some point to check it again. Brittany could not stop smiling as her mom began to cry at how beautiful she was.
"Well, Kurt can certainly design a showstopper of a wedding dress," came a voice, and Blaine spun round to see Quinn standing in the doorway, smiling from ear to ear. Brittany almost ran across the room to greet her, but she shook her head, and carefully walked across the room past Mrs Pierce to give her friend a gentle hug. "If your bride's dress is anything like yours, then you will end up in Vogue like Trent and Rory, and if you don't, then it is an outrage! Anyway, I am here to assist you in any way that I can, and to that end, I brought someone else with me…" She nodded towards the doorway, and this time Brittany squealed in delight when she saw Sugar Motta standing there. As the new arrival came over for a hug, Quinn excused herself to go and see Santana, whispering a quiet "Hey Blaine!" as she walked past the angel…
The only other guest that was on the grounds of Dalton Academy at that point was Joe Hart. He had driven across country from Idaho with Sugar; a long drive, but necessary to save costs. His close relationship with Sugar had been the source of much friction with his family, and he had eventually more or less severed ties when they demanded that he should give her up. As the Motta's regarded him in the same light, she too saw little now of her parents, and she had been cut off financially. Thus their inheritance from Blaine had allowed them to continue their education, but only if they scrimped on their living costs. It was for that reason that they had declined the invitation to attend Sebastian's wedding at Christmas; though as a trainee pastor, his excuse that he had a Christmas sermon to preach had actually been completely true. Sebastian had been understanding, and Joe thought at the time that he might actually have known the full reason behind their non-attendance, but he said nothing. The fact was that he was a partially licensed pastor now; not fully qualified, but definitely allowed to preach, and as of last month, permitted to conduct a wedding ceremony. All that was far from his mind though as he stood near the main staircase looking at the memorial to Wes. It was a very fitting epitaph for a man that had devoted so much of his time to taking care of the needs of his flock. He only hoped that one day he would be appreciated as much by his own congregation, wherever they turned out to be. Joe suddenly felt a draught, and his expression changed to a broad smile when he saw Blaine standing in front of him.
"Now you are a sight for sore eyes, Joe Hart! It's been far too long since we have seen you and Sugar for that matter at any gathering! So how is everything in your lives going?"
"Well, we are still very much in love; it still surprises me just how much given how very different we were back in high school - but then they do say that opposites attract, don't they. I guess that we have both changed a little since those days in glee club. I am far less conservative and uptight about things these days, and as for Sugar, she is a lot less…"
"Exuberant?" suggested Blaine.
"That is a very good word, yes," said Joe with a grin. "She is a lot quieter these days, and I can picture her as my wife, doing all the things that will be expected of her as the wife of a pastor. If I am being completely honest with you Blaine, just between us, I have decided that I am going to propose to her this weekend. It will help everyone if the two of us put our relationship on a more formal footing."
"That is wonderful news, Joe," said Blaine smiling broadly. "I have a feeling that there will be at least one other proposal this weekend, but that one will be between two Warblers…"
"Ah, I'm guessing the two younger ones that I saw at Nick and Jeff's wedding?"
"Yeah, I am 99% certain that they will have a proposal this weekend. Let us just say that both of them have been to the jewellers to purchase rings, and the senior's leaving song that they will be performing is just made as an introduction to a proposal."
"It is always nice to see true love in all of its glory, particularly when those concerned have the support of their family. They do have that, don't they?" Blaine nodded, and then with a sadness in his voice, Joe continued. "My parents were so proud of me getting into a prestigious bible college; so happy that I was going to devote my life to the ministry. But then I introduced them to Sugar, and told them I was in love with her, and suddenly, I was the devil incarnate. I know that her family have, shall we say, a bit of a reputation, but she is not like that at all. I told them that, but it cut no ice with them. Afterwards, they gave me an ultimatum - it had to be Sugar, or them. I don't think that they ever imagined that I would rebel and choose her. That was the last time I spoke to any of my family. Sometimes I think that they aren't quite as Christian as they claim…"
"Judge not, lest you be yourself judged kind of thing," said Blaine.
Joe stared for a moment, then nodded in agreement with a smile on his face. "Exactly. Still, the Motta family felt exactly the same about me. I half expected to wake up one morning to find a horse's head in my bed. That is one reason that we will be keeping our engagement very low key. Apparently, Mr Motta said he would rather kill me and Sugar than have me married to his daughter. I am judged to be far too dull and boring for her, and it would be better if she could be persuaded to choose someone more exciting; someone who could learn the family business…"
"So no big public celebration of your betrothal then?"
"And very few trips to Ohio, or anywhere else for that matter for a considerable time. We just can't take the risk. We are safe in Idaho, but here and in New York…"
"Well, I wish you all the happiness in the world. Everyone here would, if they knew. You deserve to be happy, Joe, and if your future happiness is tied up with the lovely Miss Motta, then so much the better. Right, so whilst the ladies and Kurt for that matter gush over wedding dresses, I will give you the grand tour; show you all of my favourite spots here at Dalton." Joe agreed readily, and the two of them headed off to explore the school.
The night before the wedding was peaceful; it was far quieter than the night before any of the other weddings in the group had been. Santana's mom had had to leave after she received an unexpected call, which left the already small pre-wedding dinner even smaller. At the last minute, Puck arrived fresh from his base, and joined Quinn, Joe and Sugar at the small gathering at Brittany's house. Mrs Pierce had pulled out all the stops, and from the amount of food that she had prepared, she had obviously been anticipating far more guests than they currently had. They were joined by Kitty, Artie, Marley and Ryder about half an hour after the official starting time; their flight from New York had been delayed. From that moment on, there was more of a party atmosphere.
"It seems a shame that there are so few of us here," remarked Artie, "but the simple fact is that as we all get older, life gets in the way all the more often. Rachel will be on stage right now, as will Cooper, entertaining the crowds on Broadway. The diner also had to be staffed, and that tied up most of the others in New York. Mike and Tina did fly back with us, but his father wanted to host a big family party for him to celebrate his success, and I don't blame Mike for agreeing to it. His dad used to look down on his dancing, but he certainly isn't doing that now…"
"Mercedes will be flying in overnight with the rest of the West Coast contingent on that private jet she gets to use. Of course, it is actually Thad that I feel sorry for tomorrow. He has the whole graduation ceremony to deal with before he can even think about enjoying the wedding tomorrow. As it happens, I think that I will be expected to show face at the ceremony too…" added Puck.
"As an honorary Warbler, I think that it is a given that you and Mike will have to show face," laughed Quinn. "I guess that Santana will be excused from that, given that she will be preoccupied with something else! At least you will not have to model your new official Warbler uniform tomorrow, unlike the others. I mean, it looks good, but with the temperatures that they are forecasting, I just hope for their sakes that the air con in Dalton is working…"
As had been predicted by the weather forecasters, the sun was shining from an almost cloudless sky when people began to wake up the following day. For the two brides to be, it was the start of a period of preparation, as they got ready for that moment when they were united for good. It was true that they had been living together for quite some time now, and nobody regarded them as anything other than a couple, but this was putting it out there to the world; to all of those that hated the idea that they could be together and happy. They would be together, and it would be written in law. No-one could separate them after this, and if they tried, well the consequences would not be pretty. Santana's reputation would ensure to that, and there was also the fact that when someone hurt her or her friends, Brittany could be quite spiteful too.
It was also a big day for Dalton Academy. Surprisingly for a boy's school where there was no tolerance of bullying, and where young gay men could be themselves and feel safe and secure, this would be the first gay wedding ever held on the premises. The law changes had come too late to allow others that had graduated recently from taking advantage of the location as a wedding venue, and everyone was in agreement that it was still far too early for Colin and Edward to be considering taking the big step. There was however general agreement that when their day came, they would choose to marry here in the place where all the bad memories of their time under the ruthless rule of Hunter Clarington had been erased by the light of all the love and affection that they felt towards each other.
The majority of the guests that had been invited would arrive at Columbus airport between eight and nine that morning. This had meant a very early start for all of those on the east coast, stumbling blearily around airports in the early hours of the morning. For those travelling from the west, things had been better, with a much more acceptable departure time, and the comfort of being able to travel on a private jet. It didn't mean that things were any easier for them; both David and Thad had their forthcoming finals to look forward to, and they had both brought books and pads full of class notes with them, so that they did not miss any opportunity that arose to study. David had also brought his laptop with him, so that he could continue with his programming work, which was a key component of his eventual degree. It was that element of his work that had secured him his post college job. He now admitted freely that it was with Google, as most had guessed, but he had also had an offer from Microsoft.
As for Mercedes, she was in the middle of laying down some new tracks for her forthcoming album. She had taken a few days off for the wedding, and had informed her label bosses that she intended to relax and get into the headspace that she needed to perform at her best. As the tracks that she had already released were doing so well, they had no issue with her doing this; the fact that she had also promised to give a brief interview with the media on arrival in Ohio had helped her case.
The group from the west had arrived first, but as they awaited for Mercedes to return from her interview, they spotted a group of familiar faces arriving on the redeye from Newark. Sebastian and Dave appeared first, the former clutching a large cup of coffee to keep himself awake; Nick and Jeff followed, with the latter being more or less held up by the former. Behind them came Beats, Flint, Ethan and Elliott, all of whom appeared to be much more awake, but then they all knew that appearances could be deceptive at the best of times. They sat down to join the others, it making sense for them all to travel in the same shuttle bus to Dalton; the moment that Flint sat down, he started to snore, leaning against Beats, much to everyone's amusement. In addition to their ordinary bags, all of the former Warblers were carrying a suit bag, which held their new dress uniform. As they all chatted, ignoring the rhythmic sound coming from Flint, they discussed the time that the others would appear; Izzy was coming later, having declined an invitation to graduation, and would arrive with Rachel, Cooper and Grace. The first two had both been on stage the night before, and would both be back on stage the following afternoon. It was one of the prices of fame; having very little time off for events like this.
The first arrivals were on their way to Dalton by the time that the next group arrived. Sam had chosen to arrive before Rachel, as he was conscious that as he was an honorary Warbler, he should try and make it to the graduation ceremony. Living as he did on the east side of the East River, it had been easier for him to catch a flight from La Guardia. He was in the company of Seth, Trent and Rory; the latter two had travelled up from Washington the day before. They had paid a quick visit to Nick and Jeff in their new home, which both of them had instantly fallen in love with. They had also taken the time to inform Jeff that having seen the house he had inherited in Georgetown, they would like to rent it from him. Sure, it needed a bit of work, but at such a low rent, they could afford to do that, and they would be living in one of the city's prime locations. They had then headed to Bushwick, where they had arranged to stay the night as they always did, long before Jeff's big news. They both agreed as the stood crushed together on the overloaded 'L' train that in future they would accept Niff's offer of a room, as there new home was in a more central location. They just hoped that those in Bushwick would not take offence with them for it. They had broached the subject very tentatively with Sam that night as they ate a takeout dinner; Sam had just laughed, and told them that he was with them on that one. If he lived out of town, he would choose the West Village over Bushwick every time.
Now as they walked through the airport, Sam felt a little worried about how he would fit in with the Warbler dynamic on graduation day. Trent had sensed this as soon as they had boarded the plane, and whilst Rory had dozed at his side, he and Seth had run through every little detail of what usually happened with him. He knew that Nick and Jeff had done exactly the same for Mike some time before, and he was hopeful that someone would have spoken to Puck, otherwise he too might feel out of place. In that area he need not have worried; Puck had, like Sam, been concerned about the whole thing from the off, and had enlisted the assistance of an expert in the shape of Wes. The two of them had gone over everything one night when Puck was alone on guard duty, and the two of them could talk freely. Having talked to the expert, it was safe to say that Puck now felt that he could handle anything that they day might throw at him with confidence.
Graduation was scheduled to commence at 10.30am prompt; by 10am that morning, all of the guests at the wedding that were also ex-Warblers had arrived, and had changed into their new uniforms. As they all assembled in the Senior Commons, they were all unusually self-conscious, worried about the way that the new clothing would look, it being far more tailored and better cut than the standard uniform that they had been used to until then. When the door opened and Principal Lefevre walked in, they all got to their feet, and stood in silence as she appraised them.
"Well I have to agree that they do look 100% better than the normal uniform. They flatter all of you, and they stand out. You will certainly be set apart from what the rest of the school is wearing in those. I can therefore see that the decision that I have made to order similar uniforms for all of the Warblers for use in competition purposes from now on was a wise one; and who knows, maybe in time something can be done to improve the standard uniform too. Anyway, back to the reason that I came in. Mr Harwood, could I have a quick word with you in private, firstly about today, and secondly about things that will take place next term? As the newest member of the teaching staff, there are a few things that I need to appraise you of in advance." Thad nodded and with a glance to David to indicate that he was now in charge, he stepped out of the room.
"It still seems so strange really," remarked Trent. "The idea that this time next year, Thad will be on the staff here; no longer just a former pupil, but a fully paid up member of the faculty."
"I think that he is having a little problem with that concept himself from time to time," David replied. "Once he is here, I am sure that he will be fine. He will adopt his full blown Wes style persona, and I think that he will have a whole new generation of Warblers just waiting on his every word."
Outside in the corridor, Principal Lefevre had first informed Thad in the strictest confidence of the names of the winners of both the Klaine Medal and the Montgomery Cup this year. She then asked him if he would be good enough to make the presentation himself; in anticipation, she had already reserved him a seat on the stage. Thad could only nod, before she moved on to practical details for the following year, namely where his classroom was going to be, and how his provisional schedule was shaping up.
"The freshman class next year is set to be the largest for several years, and we are also welcoming a number of new students into both the sophomore and junior classes. Dalton has bounced back from its troubles, thankfully, and that is thanks in no little part to yourself and your classmates being such shining examples of behaviour in your public lives. You should all be very proud of yourselves; I know that most of you would say that a lot of it was down to Wes, but now I believe that there is as much credit due to you and the others from your time for the inspiration that you have given to the younger boys. I am thrilled to be welcoming you back her to join the staff, and I am sure that you will inspire the same level of discipline and humanity in the next generation of Warblers as Wes managed to instil in your own." Thad blushed heavily, and that made her smile. "So, if you could have everyone assembled in the auditorium by 10.25, I would be grateful…"
"Consider it done, ma'am," he replied, and she nodded before walking away in the direction of the auditorium. Thad stayed where he was for a moment, taking a breath, and looking around, almost as if he was listening to the echoes of the past generations of young men that had passed that way. He was about to walk back into the Senior Commons when he heard someone calling out his name. He turned and saw someone that he had never expected to see again standing there; a young man that he had been informed had washed his hands both of the school, and of his former classmates. Now it appeared as if he was back…
"Hey, Thad!" came the voice once more, this time filled with a little more hesitation, as if the speaker was having serious doubts about whether they should carry on. He started to walk towards him, talking as he did so. "I thought that it was you. What did the Principal want with you, and what on earth has happened to your uniform?"
"The uniform that I am wearing today is a special dress version, designed to make us look good, and purpose made by hand for each of us. The Principal wanted to see me in connection to my new role here; next term I will be the newest member of staff in the History and Classics Department. Enough of me - what brings you here today, Cameron? The last that I heard, you had told anyone that would listen that you were finished with Dalton," replied Thad testily.
"Yeah, I erm, I did say that, but I was wrong. This place… it's special. I bumped into Louis last month, by chance, at the airport in Philadelphia. He wasn't exactly pleased to see me, and I don't blame him, but we ended up talking. Well, he talked, and I listened in the main. He told me that the Warblers were back on track, and that they had become an important part of his life once again. He told me how all of the guys that had been here whilst Wes was around and after for that matter had bonded, and still saw each other, and I realised what was missing in my life; the camaraderie that we had when I was part of that special group of young men. I did a lot of thinking, and so I decided that I should take the plunge. I came here today to try and find you all, and then to try and make amends for all the things that I did and said when the whole situation was going on. The Senior Commons seemed like the most obvious place to start my search…."
Thad nodded, but he said nothing. He was in a bit of a quandary, if he was being honest. There was still quiet a bit of resentment amongst those Warblers that he was closest to with regards to the stance that some former members of their brotherhood had taken over the steroid scandal. They had been upset that their alma mater had been linked to one of the worst forms of cheating, and the assumption was made that those that had been present at the time had been complicit; willing to take the drugs of their own free will. Even Thad had to admit that he and David for that matter had harboured those doubts until the day that Wes called them on Skype, and had asked them if they seriously thought that Nick would have taken them out of choice, or Jeff for that matter, if there had been another option for themselves. Wes had been right of course when the full story emerged, but even now there were some that did not know the full extent of the horrors that had been perpetrated here by Hunter. Thad had a strong suspicion that Cameron fell into that group…
As he always did, Thad tried to think what Wes would have done had he been the one stood where he was now; he knew at once what the response of his boyfriend would have been. "Well, Cameron, I am going to be completely honest and frank with you. For some time, a lot of us were very hurt by what we saw as the desertion of the team by those that had been active members just a few months earlier, and those hurt the most were those boys who were now in the senior class. I know that first Trent and then Wes himself tried to reach out and explain what had gone on quietly; then of course, the whole sorry tale came out in court… Up until that trial, some of the worst horrors had been kept back as people tried to move on with their lives and forget. However, I am still hopeful that everyone will do what Wes himself would have done in these circumstances; forget the fact that you ignored the pleas for support and unity, and start afresh, the past forgotten - but they might not. The fact that you expressed your opinions on those involved far more vocally than most will not help your case…"
Thad stopped as he looked at Cameron, whose head was bowed, unable to meet his eyes. "What I did was wrong, Thad, and I accept that now, but at the time… The fact was that I was having a really hard time at college, and when everything blew up about Dalton, people used it as a weapon to attack me more than they already were. So I decided to lash out at my true friends, in the hope of keeping the few so-called friends I had made at college… It wasn't enough, and all the pressure built, and it culminated in me being kicked out of school, and that was the final straw. Things really fell apart for me, and I suffered a total breakdown; I ended up in hospital for a few months…" Cameron paused, and looked up, to see the sympathetic look on Thad's face. "I'm still taking meds, but I am back at school, taking the classes that I really wanted to, not the ones that my father thought I should, and I am doing well. As well as the meds, I am still seeing somebody on a regular basis, and one of their suggestions was that I needed to face up to my mistakes. Cutting my links to Dalton and the Warblers was one of the biggest errors; just being back here right now is making me feel happy. But I am a realist; if the guys can't forgive me, then it's ok. Just being here is great, and seeing you Thad, well that was a bonus. By the way, the new uniform is really great…"
Thad smiled, and then said, "Right, come on then, let's go and see what the guys say. There is no point in you coming here and not finding out."
There was a buzz of happy chatter in the room as Thad walked back in. Photographs were being taken as they all showed off the new uniform for the first time, and as he entered, Sebastian and Trent had just struck a pose, much to general amusement, as they pretended to be catwalk models. Thad felt the eyes of most of the room turn to him for a second, before they flicked back to the two young men larking about in the middle of the floor. As Thad then noticed that Mitch and David were sitting on the council table, he saw the latter's eyes widen as they observed who was standing behind his friend in the doorway, and for a second, his smile vanished, but just as quickly it returned.
"Gentleman, can I have a bit of hush please!" yelled Thad, his hand poised to extract Mr Bangy from the pocket of his blazer. As the noise died down almost instantly, he continued. "Three things. Number one, this is not the set of Zoolander, nor a backstage area in Paris or Milan, so can we please all act with our usual decorum. Number two, just because Wes is not here and I had left the room, that does not mean that anyone can sit on the council table; and number three, we have a visitor that we all need to listen to before we pass judgement. Cameron, the floor is yours…"
As Cameron stepped into the room, there was a stony silence. Looks were exchanged, and not all of them were friendly. Trent left Sebastian's side, and headed over, David joining him as he walked across. "Hey Cam, it is so good to see you. Welcome home to the madhouse," said Trent, before he pulled the other man into a hug.
Thad sighed inwardly in relief, as he saw David proceed to copy Trent; a quick glance around the room showed him that there was still a lot of hostility out there towards him. Thad knew what he needed to do, and with Cameron's permission, he explained the circumstances of his moving away from their group. There was silence as he did so, and he watched as faces softened; he also heard a sniff, and saw a sympathetic glance from Jeff towards the man standing head bowed beside him. Jeff had suffered a breakdown himself, after all, but his had only seen him confided to hospital for a couple of nights. That had been long enough…
After Thad had finished, there was an unspoken agreement in the room. Although Cameron's rejection of them had hurt deeply at the time, he had had his reasons. Now that they knew them, they could not bear a grudge towards someone that had been one of the most liked and popular Warblers they had known. When Thad asked the question, as a tense Cameron waited at his side, he was accepted back into the fold without a single objection. Thad was delighted with the decision, and knew that Wes would be so proud of his boys…