Reluctantly, I pull away from Sam as to not arouse suspicions just in case I heard the lyrics wrong and he is actually straight. I'm sure that Santana has clocked onto whatever that was just now. It felt as though the hug was loaded with unspoken words, though that may be just because I want to read into it too deeply and hear things that he wasn't saying.
"Excellent, Sam! That was really, really good!" Will beams, excited to have found a new member.
"Thank you Mr Schuester."
"So guys? Do we have our thirteenth member?" Everybody nodded in unison, including me. Sam smiled widely at me once again and we both took our seats. I am about to offer to have Sam sit with me, but Rachel gets there first and demands that Quinn move up a seat so that Sam can sit next to her. Oh hell no. She is not getting my man.
My man. I'm being stupid, we've only just met and whatever my feelings are right now, they're not solidified. They're a fever dream.
Predictably, Santana gives me the most suggestive glance ever.
"What?" I hiss, looking like I'm paying attention to Will.
"There was so much sexual tension in that hug I swear that every gay couple in the world just cooed at the same time from that much homosexual energy."
"Santana. We don't even know if he's gay."
"Don't act like you didn't hear the lyric change. It was so obvious. I think that was his way of coming out without making a big deal about it." Her tone changed to serious. "But I also think that something major happened to him in Tennessee. That wasn't acting."
So she's noticed it too. Well, whatever happened isn't my business until he decides to share it with me, if ever. I do hope we can connect though, I would really like that to happen. Seeing Rachel fuss over him isn't helping matters. So I act. Will's somewhere in his office sorting through his new Journey sheet music so I've got some time.
"Rachel." I hiss. She turns, and so does Sam. I can almost feel my hands beginning to clam up from Sam looking at me. I have to get over this.
"Yes, Kurt?"
"Before I forget, are you free this weekend? I'm having a spectacular sleepover and you're invited. If you have plans watching Funny Girl and Yentl, cancel them. Let me know." The whole club is now listening to me invite Rachel to a social event with other people, surprise barely concealed. Rachel and I have never really gotten along.
"I'll be there, Kurt. But if I go, you have to tell me why you blew the High F in Defying Gravity." Rachel challenges. Shit. How does she know that? Well, she does have perfect pitch and the note did sound abominable. If anybody else noticed, they didn't say anything. Sam looks confused.
"Rachel, not now, please. I'll tell you everything on Saturday." She nods, sensing the tone. Her social skills are slowly improving after all.
I address the rest of the club. "Girls, you know the drill," Tina, Britt, Mercedes and Quinn nod. They have been to several of my sleepovers and they're always the same. Except this time, Rachel will be there, as will Santana. Santana has been once before, but not as frequently. Her apparent distaste for my personality explained that well enough.
Sam turns around as Will walks back into the room.
"You blew it? You had a chance to push Berry off her pedestal forever and get a solo for once! Why would you do that? I was about to vote for you and then that happened." Santana speaks.
"As I said, I'll explain on Saturday." She nods simply.
Will commands attention once more.
"Right, okay, guys! I know I'm not famous for rigid lesson plans and I usually think of them as I'm about to write something, but I actually have a really good one. It's a challenge. It's called 'The Change Up'." There's a murmur of interest from the club. Will continues to explain the lesson to us.
"This week, in Glee Club, you'll each do something you've never done before. Be it a new duet partner, a new genre, your first solo, another language, I don't care, as long as you're stepping outside of your comfort zones." He actually looks really jazzed about this assignment. I'm kinda feeling it too. Maybe I could duet with Santana this week, or Sam. I'll ask him, after all there's no harm in requesting him as a duet partner. He could say no, but he could always say yes. That would be magical and an excuse to spend more time with him.
"You've got until the end of the week. Some of you will perform on Thursday and the rest on Friday. Tomorrow and Wednesday will be allotted rehearsal times as well as after school times. The auditorium is free all week so make sure to grab it first if you want it. If there are no announcements or questions, then you're free to go and plan things. Dismissed." Will heads into his office, evidently impressed by his own lesson plan.
Wait. Free to leave? It's only been twenty minutes. There's another forty minutes left of the hour and the jocks will already want my blood. Oh god no this can't happen now.
"Hey Tink, if you want to catch Blondie for your duet, he's getting ready to leave. Now get out of Neverland and get that duet." Santana reads my mind. I guess she's my wingman (well, wingwoman). I'm shocked. All it took was fighting back against the jocks and suddenly we're Elphaba and Glinda! I'm Glinda, of course. Santana would make a great Elphie. And I've just realised while I'm thinking about Wicked roles, Sam is getting up and leaving.
I grab my bag hastily and catch up to him. It seems effortless, walking alongside him. He spots me a few inches down from him and smiles.
"Thanks again for before." He says as we leave the choir room, both turning left. I'm just going where he's going until he splits off.
"Oh, don't mention it, I love that song."
"Me too. Hey, I was wondering, since I'm new to the club, whoever sings with me completes the assignment, right?"
Is this an offer?
"Yes, I would assume so."
"Really? You don't get where I'm going with this?" Sam raises an eyebrow. Oh my God he can do the eyebrow thing really well. Can you say soulmates?
"I think so, but I've been really wrong about this sort of stuff in the past so I never want to make snap judgements when it could end up being something entirely different."
"Am I going to have to spell it out?" He chuckles. It's a beautiful sound. It's almost like a harmony.
"Probably, yes." Now I'm just prolonging the conversation.
"Okay. Kurt…erm…"
"Hummel." I supply, getting his drift this time.
"Like the pianist? That's adorable. German, right?"
"Yeah."
"Anyway, Kurt Hummel. Since we've already proven our musical prowess, I would really like it if you would sing a duet with me for our Glee Club assignment at the end of the week. So how about it?" He spoke slowly, exaggerating his words. I play along, nodding my head at appropriate moments.
"Sam Evans. I would be honoured to sing with you. Shall we begin tomorrow in Glee Club?"
He hesitates. "Actually, I was kinda hoping you were free tonight. My brother's having like six friends over and my sister's gone out with my parents to some event. It's just the babysitter with them and things are weird. So are you free? Please say yes." I'm not, actually. But for Sam? Maybe I could be. I'm sure Finn won't mind postponing sorting out his closet. To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm helping. He's been lousy the past few weeks. You know what? Fuck it.
"Yeah, I'm free. I know this really secluded spot where we can sing as loud as we want and get no noise complaints. It's near this really nice Italian place if we get hungry." I ramble, talking about my spot by the lake where nobody else goes. I've gone there religiously on the anniversary of my mother's death. We used to go there together whenever my dad was at work and we were bored.
"Whoa, is this like…a date?" He whispers the last part. Oh no, he's ashamed to be seen with me. Or he's straight and freaked out by my unintentional insinuation. Both are bad.
"No, no, not at all! I was just thinking practically. Singing always makes me hungry." Relief seemed to cross his face. Oh. So it's like that. Fantastic. It's Finn 2.0 but so much more real and potent.
"Uh yeah, that's cool. Meet me in the choir room after school?" He suggests. I nod quickly, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.
"Sure, yeah. See you later then." I scurry away, thinking things over in my overly analytical mind.
So first he initiates the duet and then gets freaked out by thinking it's a date. Okay, this doesn't add up. So there's Reason Number One: Sam is gay and just doesn't want to date anybody. But why would he look visibly relieved? That doesn't make sense. Reason Two: Sam is straight but just wants to be my friend but feels awkward about the fact that I thought it was a date. Makes some sense, I guess. That's Finn-like behaviour.
Reason Three consists of Sam being gay and wanting it to be a date so he skips until last period to buy me some flowers and we'll sing a beautiful romantic duet by the lake and eat pasta like in The Lady and the Tramp. Yeah, that's not very likely. But it could still happen. If today is Monday, then never.
I guess I just have to wait until the end of the day, avoiding the jocks while I go and trying not to think about Sam.
Should be about as easy as persuading Rachel Berry that Barbra Streisand cannot sing. All I know is that I'm in for a really rough ride with this. And not in the good way, either.
I turn the corner to go towards the library and wish I hadn't even bothered. At the end of the hallway stands David Karofsky. He's alone but he's clocked me. There's no point in running. These Kurt Geiger boots aren't made for running and he'll catch me anyway. Okay, maybe I'll walk really quickly. Where to though? The girl's bathroom, maybe? Figgins did warn me about not going in there again for conduct reasons so maybe I should avoid that this time. The auditorium is all the way across the school. But I have no time to think. Karofsky darts down the corridor and I slip into a Science classroom. It's empty, but he knows I'm in here. Crap.
What the hell am I going to do?