"They didn't give you a solo?" Mercedes all but screamed down the phone. "Hell to the nawh, that is ridiculous –"
Kurt nodded, despite the fact that Mercedes couldn't see him. "I just, I don't know – I felt like it'd be different with no Rachel there to steal my limelight, but I'm still the bottom of the heap." He was sitting in his pyjamas and dressing gown with a mug of cocoa and a sharing bar of chocolate. "And then Blaine? 'Don't try so hard'? What else was I going to do?" He paused, sniffing dramatically. "It was so... humiliating..."
"Awh, come on," Mercedes said supportively. "They must've all seen that you blew everyone else out the water – they're probably just trying to see how you cope with a no."
"You think?" Kurt sobbed, through a mouthful of caramel.
"Of course." Kurt could feel Mercedes' smile. There was a pause. "Are you sure this isn't about anything else?"
"What do you mean?" Kurt pouted.
"You just seem a bit... highly strung," Mercedes explained carefully. "Is this about Blaine somehow?"
Kurt swallowed, sighing. "We're just friends, Mercedes. And he probably thinks I'm completely ridiculous after today."
"Don't be silly," Mercedes retorted. "But okay, fine. You're just friends. I dunno, just... if you like him –"
"Mercedes!"
" – just try and find out what he thinks, that's all," she continued. "You don't want to find out too late that he liked you all along."
"Yeah," Kurt sniffed. "Right."