Hello wonderful readers! I just wanted to say that we're finally getting into the McKinley Dance Academy, so there are performances by Santana and Kurt. I have linked their YouTube videos below for reference. I hope you enjoy it!
Santana's Solo: /watch?v=QgBKNG4vn8Q
Kurt's Solo: /watch?v=wyj4nyYa2AY
Disclaimer: I don't Glee or the dances that are performed, which belong to So You Think You Can Dance.
As Wednesday rolled around, Blaine was just about bouncing with nerves because he would be shadowing Kurt today. He quickly ate breakfast and then went over to McKinley, while just maintaining small talk with his mother.
"Are you nervous?" Ella asked, as she parked the car in the visitor lot of McKinley Dance Academy.
"Why would I be nervous?" Blaine blanched, knowing perfectly well that his fate of returning to Hamilton Hell Hole was hanging in the balance with McKinley.
"You're going to blow them away," Ella promised, before getting out of the car as Blaine followed suit.
Ella wrapped her arm around Blaine's shoulders as he melted into her touch for a second before moving away because if he was going to go here, he had a reputation to create and uphold. He looked at the entrance of the school with a feeling that he could very easily get used to this, as long as it meant no more locker checks with the occasional dumpster dive. In fact, he began hopefully thinking that he would fit in perfectly because he could now touch his toes while stretching. It was the little goals that gave him hope.
"Just remember to smile, sweetheart," Ella said to Blaine with a small smile, which he instantly recalled as her farewell for every first day of school since he was in Kindergarten. He chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all as they entered the main offices.
"I presume you're Mrs. Ella Anderson and Blaine, correct?" The secretary to Principal Figgins' office said without looking up from her computer.
"Correct," Ella said without garnish.
"Principal Figgins will be right out," The secretary said, extending her arm towards the chairs in the waiting area, "Please have a seat."
Blaine followed his mom over to the chairs with the nerves about to burst out of every pore. He needed to make the best first impression of his life. Hell, the best first impression of all time. He would sit up straight, smile, end every phrase with sir, and –
"Hello Mrs. Anderson, Blaine," A short Indian man walked out of the office, shaking hands with them respectively, "I am Principal Figgins, this way."
The Andersons followed in silence, as Principal Figgins led them into his office. Blaine sunk into one of the chairs across from Principal Figgins with a charming smile of gratitude. The principal focused his attention on Ella.
"Ella, I have talked with you about the circumstances of the mid-year transfer, which I am sure Blaine is aware of. Am I correct?" Principal Figgins said, looking to Blaine who meekly nodded and added a small 'yes, sir' as Figgins looked back to Ella, "While I am not sure of his dancing abilities, I am certain that he would make a great academic addition to the McKinley community. I would like to be able to offer him the transfer based purely on academics, but unfortunately that is not what McKinley is about."
Ella nodded in understanding as Principal Figgins paused for a response.
"But, from my understanding, he has been learning from one of our finest dancers. I am sure with this proper instruction he will show great promise as a dancer –"
"Hello helmet head," A female voice said from behind, which startled him until he realized that she was talking to him and then the charming smile dropped from his face, "You and I both know, Figgins, that this boy will be admitted and the audition is a just technicality. We admitted Frankenteen and I can promise you under Porcelain's wing that Helmet Head will be more trained than Sugar Ray will ever dream."
"Sue, I do not condone this kind of slander in my office," Principal Figgins firmly said, even though Sue seemed unshaken by it.
"Young Burt Reynolds, my office door is always open," Sue said as she walked out of the office. Blaine unconsciously brought his hands to his hair that he though he styled perfectly this morning.
"Who was that?" Ella asked, which Blaine associated with her being put off with this Sue character.
"That was Vice Principal Sylvester," Figgins simply said, as if that would explain everything. Blaine thought that maybe once you went here, just knowing her name did really explain it all.
"I'm not sure there's much else to say, except that I hope you enjoy McKinley today and hopefully for the rest of your high school years," Principal Figgins said with a bright smile towards Blaine, which was reciprocated, "Don't forget that your audition is the Tuesday that McKinley classes start up again in January."
Blaine nodded as the information was being given to him. It wasn't likely that he'd be forgetting this date. It may be the one opportunity he had to change his high school years around, or rather make it out alive.
"Well then, Blaine, as you know you will be shadowing Mr. Kurt Hummel today," Principal Figgins said as Kurt walked in on cue.
"Hello," Kurt faintly said with a small smile and wave that Blaine stupidly mimicked, "I should be getting us to lunch."
Kurt led them out of the main offices, as Blaine started to realize that McKinley looked like a normal high school. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. There were lockers lining the hallways, doors that led to regular classrooms, and a large cafeteria.
"Not quite what you expected, huh?" Kurt marveled, as Blaine gawked at everything around them as they walked into the cafeteria.
"No," Blaine whispered with a blush for being caught.
"I suppose that I should give you the cafeteria tour," Kurt said, weaving through the tables labeling the groups of people that sat at each table. They walked through the posse of wannabe cheerleaders, a few band geeks, the triple threats who have already performed on Broadway, the ones who have not an ounce of talent but rather very rich fathers, and countless tables of just regular dancers broken down my genre.
"And, the coolest people you'll ever meet, New Directions," Kurt said, ending their tour as he sunk into the one free seat at the table. Blaine helplessly stood around, until Kurt scooted over a bit in his chair, "There's enough room for the both of us."
"Thanks," Blaine meekly squeaked as a blush spread from his hair line down his chest, which only intensified as he sat on the half of the plastic chair that Kurt offered.
Kurt went through the introductions as Blaine wondered how this group of people was bonded together, since he saw the similarities in the tables they had passed. He tried to piece it together that he had completely missed the names he was going to need to know if he was going to survive here.
"... And this is my shadow, Blaine," Kurt said with a garish arm flare akin to those done by game show hosts.
"Hi," Blaine lamely said with a little wave.
"Wanky," A Latina girl said, pursing her lips at him with a wink.
"Not your team, Santana," Kurt simply said, beginning to unpack his lunch as Blaine threw him a panicked look. Kurt was quick to catch the look, "It doesn't matter who you are here. Nobody cares if you're gay, bi, or straight. It just matters if you can dance... and even if you can't" – Kurt threw a pointed look in Finn's direction – "you're still accepted."
"Oh," Blaine breathed out, before relaxing back in his chair a bit. He was an onlooker with the bouncing conversation at the table, but he had hope that soon enough he would be more of a participant.
"That's all for warm ups," Ms. Bell announced, as Blaine did his best to keep up with the stretches without pushing himself too far and without irritating any healing repercussions of Hamilton High. Kurt shot him a thumbs up for every stretch that he did attempt though, so it was added motivation to practice making himself more pliant.
"You did awesome with the stretches," Kurt proudly said to Blaine, who was nearly drowning in the clothes he had borrowed from his dance friend, "I can tell that you've been practicing."
Blaine blushed beet red at the simple comment, as Ms. Bell was trying to garner the attention of her Choreography Workshop class again.
"I need everyone who signed up to perform their mid-term solo today to head to the backstage area, while everyone can take a seat in the audience," Ms. Bell said, before looking over the list of students who signed up, "Santana, Kurt, Madeline, Justin, and Sam, head backstage."
"I'm so sorry. I forgot that I signed up to perform today," Kurt said, looking over at a dejected Blaine, before beginning to nervously ramble, "I'm sure that I could convince Ms. Bell to switch my day to tomorrow give you being my shadow. Actually, I'm sure that would –"
"No, I want to see your perform," Blaine softly said, before adding, "I can go sit with the blonde girl from lunch."
"Quinn?" Kurt asked, as Blaine hesitantly nodded because that sounded vaguely familiar. It took Kurt two second to beckon Quinn over with a quick shout of her name.
"Yeah, Kurt?" Quinn questioned as she walked across the practice studio.
"I forgot that I signed up to perform today, and I wanted to leave Blaine with at least someone familiar," Kurt rambled, "Would you be willing to sit through the performances with him?"
"Of course," Quinn sweetly smiled, linking her one arm with Blaine's, "Come on, we've got to get good seats to watch the performances."
Blaine hummed in response, just wondering what it would be like for him to perform. Surely, he wouldn't be performing on some stage for everyone to see because he didn't take dance seriously. It was just an easy fix for something so broken over at Hamilton. But, it didn't seem right that he was only using the system to his advantage, when there had to be plenty of dancers in Lima who could use the experience like this.
"Penny for your thoughts," Quinn said, pushing open the main auditorium doors.
"Do you want to be a dancer when you graduate?" Blaine rushed out his question without using the filter between his brain and mouth.
"I want to be a teacher when I graduate," Quinn confessed, even though it was something she hadn't even been able to tell her closest friends in New Directions.
"Then, why do you go here?" Blaine asked, wondering if maybe everyone at this school was using the system like he was.
"It was the opportunity of a lifetime to turn my simple dance hobby into something more serious. When I came here for my freshman year, I had myself convinced that I was made for Hollywood. I quickly realized that I'm not even mediocre in their kind of world," Quinn said, as Blaine screwed his face up in thought.
"I don't think you should sell yourself so short," Blaine said with a charming smile that was quickly reciprocated.
"You haven't seen me or the other types of talent around here," Quinn morosely said, as the lights in the auditorium flickered, "Now, let's find those good seats that I was talking about."
Blaine was more than happy to follow Quinn to the supposed perfect seats, which were dead center of the stage. The lights dimmed in the auditorium, as the stage lights brightened the stage.
"Santana Lopez," Ms. Bell said into a microphone as her voice radiated through the entire auditorium.
"Her one woman Tango that she's been working on is something close to legendary," Quinn whispered in Blaine's ear as Santana went to take center stage.
The music began as Santana sparked to life in a bedazzled black costume that worked the part she was trying to portray. Blaine knew the basics to a tango from his father's side, and he had strictly learned that it takes two to tango. However, the ease that Santana was having by doing a tango by herself was enough to make him think otherwise. It also made him reconsider the glimmer of hope he had in him being talented enough for McKinley.
Santana did multiple pirouettes with proper spotting, as Kurt demonstrated for Blaine on many accounts because it was going to be their next big dance lesson. Blaine watched the rest of the performance with stars in his eyes from the sheer amount of talent that Santana possessed. When the song ended, it took all of his willpower to not jump up and begin applauding.
"She's had scouts on her since her second semester at McKinley," Quinn gossiped to Blaine in the darkness of the room, "But, she won't leave without Brittany."
Blaine didn't have the time to clarify what Brittany and Santana had together because Ms. Bell was calling out the next name to take the stage, "Kurt Hummel."
Blaine watched as Kurt went to stand under the spotlight that was designated for him and with a swift nod the music began playing. It was something Blaine recognized as Queen, even though he wasn't familiar with the song itself. A beat of music hit as Kurt stopped and hit the air on cue with the beat. Blaine was drawn to every move that Kurt was executing.
It was the leg extended backwards and little shoulder shimmy that put him in a state of awe, which was only intensified as Kurt jumped into the air. He could probably jump over Blaine with something like that, and that's not even considering the fact that it was a perfect straddle. It was just one of those vocabulary words that Blaine had picked up over the course of a week with Kurt and his stretching techniques, since Blaine wasn't up for much else yet.
Then, Kurt began his set of pirouettes, which were flawless. It made Blaine wonder how Kurt ever expected him to get to that level of dance. Kurt ran backwards on the stage before doing another leg extension, which was flawless like the rest of the dance.
Blaine almost expected flawless to happen during Kurt's routine because he attended McKinley and had more talent than Finn in his pinky. However, nothing could have prepared Blaine for the leap, flip, leap, flip combination that ended his routine. It happened to fast and magnificently that Blaine's already slackened jaw slid open the slightest bit.
"You're going to catch flies," Quinn gently chided Blaine, who was then quick to shut his mouth.
"How am I supposed to end up dancing like that?" Blaine quickly asked Quinn, who wasn't prepared for his near mental breakdown, "I have the dancing ability of Finn!"
"What do you want to be when you graduate?" Quinn asked, using his own question against him in an attempt to calm him down.
"I'm not sure," Blaine muttered, before really thinking about it, "I've always wanted to sing, but otherwise, I never gave much thought to it."
Blaine frowned, not sure where his life was headed, since he had upstaged his father with his demand for Blaine to be a lawyer or doctor. He knew he didn't want to be any of his predetermined careers, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to be.
"Madeline Johnson," Ms. Bell said through the auditorium, as neither Quinn nor Blaine turned their attention to the stage.
"If you want to sing, then you should join New Directions," Quinn said, as Kurt remembered mentioning that the lunch table was the New Directions Glee Club, "But, if you don't want to dance as a career then just do your best to keep this place as your safe haven."
Blaine let the words sink in, as Quinn turned to watch Madeline perform to some scornfully sad song. She was better than Kurt's interpretation of Finn, but nowhere near the caliber of dance like Santana and Kurt. However, she did have a very pretty connected flips that made Blaine wonder if he could do those.
"How did I do?" Kurt asked, sliding into the seat next to Blaine, who jumped at the sudden materialization of the dancer.
"You did amazing!" Blaine quietly gushed, turning in his chair to wrap his arms around Kurt's lithe body.
"Well, thank you," Kurt said with a soft laugh, as Quinn offered her own congratulations to Kurt.
Kurt quickly overtook the armrest near Blaine, which meant that their hot skin was touching. Not to mention that Blaine's other arm was still linked with Quinn's. Back at Hamilton the most human contact he had was when he was being shoved into lockers. It was a nice change, he thought to himself.
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