A/N: I know, this should have been up a long time ago, but I have had a lot of things on my mind, and a LOT of homework. So, ignore my lame excuses and enjoy chapter 4!
Disclaimer: I don't own glee...yet (still working on it). I also don't own Taylor Swift or her song "Invisible", we all know I can't write music worth a flip!
REVISION NOTE: Yes, this has already been posted, but seriously if you don't read it again you will be confused in later chapters. Sorry for making you read it over, but it will help, I promise. Especially the end of this chapter! Really, it matters!
Chapter 4:
Nick awoke suddenly on Tuesday morning, hyperventilating slightly from the nightmare he had been having. It was a terrifying one, worse than the one he had had the previous night. In that night's, Nick sang Jeff a cute ballad and at the end the blond had laughed right in his face. "Stupid boy! The song I sang was meant for a girl at my old school!" Jeff had shrieked. Nick woke up just as the rest of the Warblers were joining Jeff, all of them jeering and pointing at him.
"Fuck." groaned Nick, turning on the light. He checked his phone, 4:38 flashed across the screen. Instead of attempting to go back to sleep, or practicing for his upcoming audition, he headed down the dark hallways of Dalton towards the gym. So maybe it was a little overly dramatic that he showered in the locker room, but he just couldn't bring himself to face Jeff just yet. Especially after the song he had sang. What the hell was that? Why would his friend look at him when a song like that was oh-so obviously for somebody else. It was downright cruel. Hence why Nick found the perfect song to sing in reply: 'Gives You Hell' by The All American Rejects.
The brunet sighed contently as he stepped into the warm shower. The sun had barely even peeked out from behind the trees, so naturally nobody else was even wake, let alone in the locker room or the huge gym. Soon, this would all be over. Today, after his Warbler audition, he was going to talk to the housing dean about finding a new roommate. Who knows, maybe it'll even be Blaine? To be honest though, Nick really didn't care, as long as it wasn't Jeff.
"Hey Nick." said a voice hesitantly.
This made the boy jump about a foot, nearly falling due to the wet tiled floor beneath him. Much to his surprise, Blaine stepped forward, holding back a chuckle. He was clad in red Dalton shorts, a navy Dalton lacrosse tee that had to have been Cooper's, black converse, and a damp towel around his slightly sweaty neck.
"Damn Blaine what the hell?"
"Sorry," blushed the shorter boy, "I didn't expect to see you here either. I like to get a workout in before the day starts, gets the adrenalin pumping." He paused, "What are you doing here? Jeff and I thought you were living at home, or in a hotel, somewhere off campus."
"Nope…my dad's the reason I'm here and I don't plan on seeing him voluntarily any time soon. I've been living in the supply closet on the third floor."
Blaine's triangular eyebrows furrowed, "Why don't you just go back to your dorm? You don't have the sudden urge to become Harry Potter, right? 'Cause that's kinda my thing…"
The two boys laugh, mouths pulled into huge smiles. Nick's faded as he pulled his robe on, it was too soon to laugh again. "Sorry, but I can't see Jeff. Not after what I said, and what he did."
"What did you say?" asked Blaine.
"Like you don't know!" scoffed Nick, sitting on one of the benches next to his friend.
"I don't, Jeff won't tell me or Trent why you left."
Well that messes things up. Why wouldn't he tell? The song made it obvious that he was gay, so why didn't Blaine just get the hint?
Nick gulped, "I-I told him I'm g-gay…then I ran."
"Oh, well I knew you were gay."
"What? How? Was it Jeff's song? I knew he was basically outing me in front of everybody! Ugh! And the fucking song wasn't even meant for me!" Nick yelled, kicking one of the metal lockers and wincing in pain.
"First, I have great gay-dar. From the first day I met you, I knew you were gay." The gel haired boy began, "Second, Jeff didn't out you, people didn't take it that way, and even if they did, nobody cares here. No bullying policy, remember? And, what makes you say Jeff wasn't singing to you? He was looking directly at you the whole time!"
"Well, I can't explain that, but someone like him would never sing something like that to someone like me, at least in that way. He was obviously singing it to someone else."
Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but Nick cut him off. "Shh, no. Don't try to convince me otherwise. I don't need any more heartbreak than I already have. Now, if you would excuse me, I want to get back to my closet before the others wake up."
With that, he stood and walked away, leaving a very stunned boy behind. What was all that about? Why didn't Nick see how much Jeff liked (loved?) him?
**36**
Nick slammed the door of the closet behind him, completely frustrated. He didn't believe Blaine. Jeff didn't like him that way. He couldn't. Yet, Nick couldn't help that think that singing 'Gives You Hell' was a just a tad harsh. He sat back down on his bed of pillows, sighing and snatching up his iPod. He only had a few hours to find and practice a new song to audition with.
**36**
As Nick ran into the Warbler hall, all eyes were on him. It wasn't his fault her was late! He had skipped his last period English class in order to practice and had lost track of time. He was still a little, scratch that very nervous. Nick was going to play the piano as he sang and he hadn't touched the instrument in years. He prayed that he still remembered how.
"All right, today we will continue with the auditions." Wes began, Nick swiftly moving over to take his seat next to Trent and Blaine. "First up today is Nicholas Duval."
He stood nervously, "It's um…its Nick."
David nodded absently, clearly impatient after having to wait for the maybe soon-to-be Warbler to even arrive.
The brunet straightened, slowly making his way over to the shiny baby grand piano. He glanced over to his (ex?) best friend before he sat down on the bench, and began playing, striking the shiny white keys perfectly. Nick thought back to what Blaine had said earlier that day, shaking his head ever so slightly, he began to sing.
"She can't see the way your eyes
Light up when you smile
She'll never notice how you stop and stare whenever she walks by
And you can't see me wantin' you the way you want her
But you are everything to me"
Jeff gulped, his eyes starting at the beautiful boy at the piano. He prayed that Nick simply loved Taylor Swift, because the brunet sounded so helpless. So alone. So broken. And Jeff couldn't help feeling like it was his stupid fault.
"I just wanna show you
She don't even know you
She's never gonna love you like I want to
And you just see right through me
If you only knew me
We could be a beautiful
Miracle,
Unbelievable
Instead of just invisible"
Nick pushed back the tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't cry, not now. Instead he focused entirely on the lyrics he was singing and the notes he was playing. Whoever Jeff was after couldn't see his (still ex?) best friend like he could. Yes, even if he visibly saw the tall blond all the time, he would always be just invisible when it really mattered.
"There's a fire inside you
That can't help but shine through
She's never gonna see the light no matter what you do
And all I think about is how to make you think of me
And everything that we could be"
As Nick continued, Blaine was getting frustrated. Why didn't his two friends just see what was going on? They were completely oblivious that the two were head over heels for each other.
"I just wanna show you
She don't even know you
She's never gonna love you like I want to
And you just see right through me
If you only knew me
We could be a beautiful
Miracle,
Unbelievable
Instead of just invisible"
The second chorus hit and some of the Warblers started to sway and hum along. Though they were fairly confused, they could tell that the boy meant was he was singing. His vulnerability was obvious.
"Like shadows in a faded light
Oh, we're invisible
I just wanna open your eyes
And make you realize"
Jeff fidgeted in his seat. There was just something about how Nick was singing that killed him inside. The way he was hunched over the piano he was playing, pressing on the keys ever so lightly, like he didn't want them to feel the pain he was feeling. The way his hair was falling just over his eyes, hiding his face from the boys around him, secluding the way his eyes were most likely filling with tears. The way his voice would quiver every now and then as if he was already crying. It all just broke Jeff's heart.
"I just wanna show you
She don't even know you
Baby, let me love you
Let me want you"
In the middle of the verse, Nick's voice broke, making his audience draw in a sharp breath. A mistake was not what the Warblers were looking for. The singer however was cursing himself for letting his emotions get the better of him
"You just see right through me
But if you only knew me
We could be a beautiful
Miracle,
Unbelievable
Instead of invisible
She can't see the way your eyes light up when you smile."
Before the last note fully faded away, Nick was bolting out the door, covering his face. It all became too much. At the miracle line, he had let his eyes wander up to those of the boy he was just singing about. Seeing Jeff put him over the edge. So he ran, like he always did. Leaving all the boys back in the hall stunned and speechless.
"Well that was…heartfelt?" offered David, sympathetically.
"And completely unprofessional!" added Thad, shaking his head sadly. The boy had talent, but the mistake may have cost him the audition.
"Hell yeah it was heartfelt!" mumbled Jeff, standing up. "Excuse me," he muttered to the council members before sprinting after the shorter boy.
**36**
Nick stopped at the top of the staircase in his dorm building, sinking against the banister. He couldn't control his sobs anymore; they were clouding every thought he had. All but one, the one about how much he wanted, no needed, Jeff.
"Nicky!" yelled the boy who wouldn't leave his mind. Finally spotting the brunet, Jeff ran to him, barely thinking as he pulled him into a warm and protective hug.
"Go away!" The small one muttered in between hiccups and pants.
Jeff pulled away slightly, just enough to look him in the eye. "No. I'll never go away. Now please explain why you are so upset!"
Nick shook his head slowly, crying even harder. Some of the other boys started to peek of their own rooms, curious as to who was causing so much noise. Jeff noticed this, and lifted the crying boy up so he was standing before pulling him into their own dorm.
"Talk." the blond prompted.
Nick shook his head again, "You don't care."
Jeff thought he didn't have a heart anymore. Those three little words shattered it to a million pieces. "Yes I do! I've barely slept in three days; too busy worrying about you to think about something as frivolous as sleep! I changed my audition song last minute so the words project more about how I feel about you. Yet you still continued to hide. Now you sing a song like that and then bursted into tears? Dude, what gives?"
Nick whimpers, wiping his face with the sleeve of his blazer. "Do you really mean all that?" he asks, sounding like a little kid again.
"Fuck yes!" cried the blond, taking Nick, who was sitting cross legged on his bed, into his arms again. "Nicky, I love you. That song I sang was all for you. Please don't let me go!"
"Never." the brunet replied, looking into the hazel brownish eyes he loves so much. "Jeffy?"
"Yeah?"
"I need you too."
Jeff's whole face lit up, and without thinking clearly, he pressed a gentle kiss to Nick's lips. As cheesy and absolutely cliché as it sounds, there were fireworks.
"Jeff," the shorter boy murmured against his lips.
The blond smiled shyly, placing his hand down to steady himself, accidentally pressing something on his laptop.
The pair continued to kiss, both content on letting this last forever, when a voice interrupted them. "Uh…Jeff, Nick…" it said.
"Who said that?" implored Nick, snapping back into reality.
Jeff turned and almost screamed, instantly turning bright red. He had unintentionally clicked accept on the video call coming in from his little sister, who was smiling back at her brother and his friend.
"Hey there Jeffie!"
"Uh…Jacelyn, what are you doing?"
The girl grinned sweetly, "You accepted the call! I only waited around to see if it was on purpose or not, which I guess it wasn't. Hi there Nick!"
The brunet blushed, pulling away from the other boy slightly, "Uh, hey."
"Can you, erm, go away?" Jeff begged with pleading eyes, reassuring Nick by squeezing his hand.
"Not until you tell me if you guys are dating or not!"
Now both boys turned a deep red, "Well it depends. Nicky, would you allow me the honor of calling you my boyfriend?"
Nick smiled happily, ignoring the squealing coming from the laptop, and kissed his boyfriend. "I'd love to!" he murmured against the other's lips.
The taller one grinned goofily. "Awesome."
"My big brother is the most romantic guy on the planet!" Jacelyn sang, just in time to completely ruin the moment.
That night, as Nick lay awake, he knew he was finally going to fall asleep with a smile on his face. It had been years since he felt this carefree and happy. Years since he felt so loved. He smiled again, looking lovingly at the boy snuggled in his own bed. Jeff was perfect, and the blond was all his. Nick still couldn't grasp that this was real, and he kept pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but if he was, he never wanted to wake up.
A/N: So, yes the boys are together, but this story is far from over! I have at least another 5 chapters planned! When you they will posted is another thing...
I want to thank all of you for the awesome reviews and all the favorites and alerts. It always puts a smile on my face to get the email! So, thank you so very much!
Finally, I would love it if you told me your thought or what you hope to see in the later chapters! Who knows, maybe they will be incorporated into the fic!
REVISION NOTE: THIS WILL BE UPDATED SHORTLY! I PROMISE!
Thank you all for bearing with me as I revised this, I love you all!
~ xoxo Bea ;)
In the next chapter: Finally our favorite boys are together, but who will they tell and how long will it last? What happens when the Warblers decide that only three of the freshmen will make it into the group? Who will be left behind?