Here's chapter 6 for you! I was inspired by the season premiere for this one! There's only one chapter left after that, and you won't have to wait long, it's already written and beta'd. :)
The big day had finally arrived. Everyone was coming except Mike and Tina, who were gone to Asian camp, whatever that was. Even Mr. Schue was coming, and he had insisted on taking care of the grill. Matt had told Kurt that he would take the occasion to make an announcement, but had refused to give more details, which Kurt had found very intriguing.
The table was set with bowls full of chips and candies, and there were balloons all over the place. Kurt definitely had gone over the top with this, but Finn's reaction was well worth the effort. "Dude, this is so cool!" he had exclaimed upon seeing the decorated backyard after Kurt and Mercedes were done with it.
Rachel was the first to arrive, early in the afternoon. She was wearing plaid short shorts and a tank top with a wolf on it. "Please, kill me now…" Kurt had whispered to Mercedes.
Puck and Matt arrived next. The formerly-mohawked teenager was holding a 24-pack of beer, which was immediately confiscated by Burt. "No underage drinking under my watch, you punk!" Carole had rolled her eyes, knowing Puck's bad boy persona all too well.
"Would you like a soda, Noah?" Kurt asked the newcomer with a sarcastic smile. Puck grunted and took the Pepsi-filled plastic cup from the shorter boy's hand.
Quinn and Brittany arrived together, and Kurt greeted them. "Where is Santana?" he asked them.
Brittany looked at him vacantly and smiled. "She couldn't come, she just got a boo-" Quinn suddenly hit the other girl in the ribs. "She's ill, she said she was sorry."
Mr. Schuester got there a few minutes later. The members of the glee club were all quite surprised to see their teacher wearing a tank top, khaki shorts and flip flops. They had never seen him dressed so casual.
"Lookin' good, Mr. Schue!" Mercedes complimented him. The teacher blushed a little and thanked her.
"Thank you for inviting me, Kurt. This party is a great idea!" Will told the young man.
Artie was the last one to arrive. His dad drove him to Kurt's house, and Finn helped him reach the backyard. "Are you okay, man? You seem kinda down…"
"Yeah, I'm alright. I just miss Tina."
"Girls… can't live without 'em." Finn answered, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder.
"Yeah, you got that right…" the wheelchair-bound teenager answered.
As soon as Finn and Artie had joined the others, Kurt demanded everyone's attention.
"Glee club, welcome to the Hudson-Hummel barbecue extravaganza! I hope you will have as much fun as Finn and I had organizing this party. Now, I believe Matt has some sort of announcement to make…"
Matt blushed and stood up from the lounge chair where he was sitting. "Well, uhm… My dad was transferred to Columbus… We're moving next week. I'm not going back to McKinley."
Everyone gasped, and Brittany ran to Matt to give him a big hug.
Talk about killing a mood! Kurt thought angrily, but he immediately felt guilty. It wasn't Matt's fault, after all. Fortunately, it would still be a while before Jesse arrived. Kurt had specifically asked him to arrive after the others, so people would be already enjoying themselves and be in a good mood. And by people, he meant Finn, of course. Kurt seriously didn't give a damn about what the others would think of his relationship with Jesse; the only ones who really counted were Mercedes and Finn.
Will squeezed Matt's shoulder, and wished him good luck for the future. The girls all gave Matt a hug, except Rachel, who gave him a handshake. "It was a pleasure singing with you, Matt. I'll make sure to mention you in the 'thank you' section of my first album, which I'll release after starring in at least three Broadway musicals."
"We'll miss you, man…" Puck told the young man, giving him a fist bump.
"Yeah, me too, you have no idea. I'll really miss the glee club."
The moment couldn't be better to start cooking the hot dogs and burgers, Kurt thought, in an attempt to lighten the mood. He went inside to get the meat, and as promised, Will took care of the grill, helped by Burt, who reluctantly let the teacher use his darling propane barbecue. Kurt was grateful to his father for being such a good host, because he knew he didn't like Mr. Schue very much.
While the food was cooking, Rachel decided to start an impromptu musical performance: she stood on the pool's deck and sang California Gurls at the top of her lungs. Finn grinned and joined her, improvising himself into Snoop Dogg.
"Oh my god, could she possibly be more obnoxious?" Kurt told Mercedes; they both hated the song with a fierce passion, and they weren't so fond of Rachel either. They rolled their eyes even more when Quinn and Brittany sang the chorus with Rachel:
California girls, we're unforgettable, Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top
Puck, on the other hand, seemed extremely bored.
"Hey, Hummel. Did I seriously come here to see Rachel and Finn sing stupid songs? I did that the whole year in glee club!"
"This is all Rachel's doing, Noah. But don't worry, I'm sure they'll stop very soon."
Kurt glanced at the street in front of the house, and was both happy and anxious to see Jesse's Range Rover pull over. This is it… showtime.
He saw his boyfriend walk to the fence on the side of the house, and immediately stood up from his chair to demand everyone's attention once again.
"I don't mean to interrupt your, ahem… lovely concert, but I have something to tell you all. It may surprise you, and maybe anger some of you, but Jesse St. James and I are dating, and I invited him to this party."
Kurt turned to face the fence, which Jesse had opened to enter the backyard. The young man smiled timidly, obviously feeling out of place.
Before he could say another word, before he could even walk towards his boyfriend, Puck and Finn had run to the newcomer. Finn's face was red with anger.
"Get the hell out of here, St. James!" Finn yelled.
"Woah, calm down, Hudson! Kurt invited me."
"How about my fist inviting itself on your face, motherfucker?" Puck asked menacingly.
Kurt was seeing red. Finn was crossing the line once again, and it was enough. His hands on his hips, he started to walk towards the three boys, but was doubled by Rachel, who was walking so fast her ass seemed on fire. She pushed Puck aside and violently slapped Jesse. The striking sound resonated in everyone's ears, and they all stared at Rachel, speechless.
"I've been longing to do that for months."
Puck looked at Rachel with disbelief. "You go, girl!"
Kurt was in a white hot rage, he could barely think coherently. He finally rejoined the others, and roughly pulled Rachel's arm so she would face him.
"RACHEL BERRY, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BACKYARD!"
Everyone knew that Kurt never cursed. Ever. So they knew just how dead serious he was at that moment.
Rachel stared at the young man, speechless. She had rightfully earned her right to slap Jesse, and she could not believe it was denied from her. Finn stepped between the two of them. "You can't tell her to leave! She's my girlfriend!"
"I can do whatever the fuck I want, Finn! I won't let that bitch slap my boyfriend and say nothing!"
"But he's a jerk! How can you possibly defend him?" Finn asked.
"He's my boyfriend! When will you finally accept it?" Kurt yelled.
"But he's not good for you!" Finn yelled back.
"Once and for all, why do you even give a shit, Finn?"
"'CAUSE YOU'RE MY BROTHER, DAMMIT!" Finn screamed.
Kurt couldn't answer. This was the last thing he had expected to hear. And at this moment, he realized just how badly he had misinterpreted Finn's reactions during the past few weeks. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't even mere friendship. It was something Kurt had never suspected, something that now shone brightly: brotherly protection.
Finn loves me like a brother, Kurt thought, and I've been too self-absorbed to realize it.
Finn didn't wait for an answer from the shorter boy. He wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulders protectively, and started to walk towards the fence. "Come on, Rach, we're out of here."
"There's no need," Jesse said, "I'm leaving."
The star of Vocal Adrenaline had his hand on his red and swollen cheek, and gave one last look to Kurt. The young man could see just how angry and humiliated his boyfriend was before he turned around and walked to his car at a fast pace.
"Jesse, wait!" Kurt yelled, and then he ran after him. Finn and Rachel went inside through the patio door.
"Oh… my god!" Quinn exclaimed, breaking the stunned silence.
"Santana will be so sad to have missed it…" Brittany said to herself.
"Schuester, the beef patties are burning!" Burt warned as he came back from the kitchen through the patio door.