They had agreed that they would go to bed after the fifth Friends episode. However, that did not seem to go as planned considering they fell asleep during it. Blaine woke up the next morning, surprised to see that he was still in the same position he was in last night. Tina's legs were still stretched across his lap, although now their hands brushed next to each other comfortingly. He smiled as he noticed Tina was still in a deep sleep, using Sam's chest as her pillow, and whether it was accidental or not, Sam's arm was wrapped around her protectively.
Blaine smirked. He wanted proof of this moment forever. He wanted to remind Sam and Tina of that time they peacefully fell asleep together every time they denied the fact that they would someday date. He needed to take a picture! Perfect blackmail!
Shoot. Where was his phone? Still on the coffee table. But could he grab it without waking Tina up? Her legs were still across him, after all. Blaine took a deep breath and stretched his arm as far as he could, attempting to grab his phone without moving his body.
"What are you doing?" A voice asked suddenly, most likely woken up by Blaine's movements.
"Oh! Tina, you're up!" Blaine said, startled. "I'm just...checking the time!"
"Oh, good." Tina yawned, "I don't remember falling asleep in here."
"Or on Sam." Blaine smirked, and Tina immediately lifted her head up and blushed. "What time is it?" She asked, keen on changing the subject.
"Eleven. Jesus, we slept in." Blaine said.
"Wait till Sam hears that." Tina giggled. "Probably going to cry because he missed his morning workout."
"Sam." She whispered, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Sammie, wake up. Wake up, Sam!" She nudged him slightly, but he did not stir. "Sam, it's eleven AM."
"What?!" Sam jumped up so suddenly he sent Tina right into Blaine's arms, who both laughed at their friend's reaction. "Oh my God, I totally missed my morning workout! I never sleep this late! How did I let that happen?!" Sam exclaimed.
"You're living with us now, you better get used to it." Blaine grinned.
"C'mon, let's get out of here and get some breakfast and then finish unpacking." Tina said.
"Okay, but I'm not getting anything with carbs because I skipped my morning workout." Sam said.
"Oh boo-hoo." Tina rolled her eyes.
"Hey, you were the same way three months ago!" Sam pointed out, and then put on a high-pitched voice for his Tina impersonation, "I can't eat this, or I won't fit into my prom dress!"
"Hey, if I gained one pound I guarantee that dress would not have worked!" Tina said confidently.
"Sam, Tina, you both have great bodies, so let's all shut up and get some breakfast!" Blaine sighed.
After breakfast, the three of them came back to their apartment, for a day filled of unpacking. They did not leave the house until they were fully unpacked and fully satisfied with the arrangement of the house, and then they grabbed dinner at a restaurant down the street.
"New York food is already ten times better than Lima food." Blaine noted.
"Except for Breadstix." Tina reminded him. "I miss it already."
"True, but this food is so good I think I've already gained ten pounds!" Sam laughed.
"Oh, no, what will Sam Evans do with an ounce of fat on his body?!" Blaine teased.
The trio spent the next few days participating in typical New York tourist attractions.
"I mean, we might as well get it out of our systems now." Blaine had said to his friends, "So by the time we start school we seem like we've been living in New York for years."
"I don't know if all this shopping is a good idea." Tina told Blaine as they entered yet another store and she found another coveted outfit, "I'm going to be broke by tomorrow at this rate."
"It could be argued that you need a new wardrobe for the new you of NYADA." Blaine pointed out.
"I like the way you think, Blainey Days." Tina said as she snatched a colorful scarf she had been debating on whether to buy.
"And I like the way you accessorize, Miss Tina Cohen-Chang." Blaine said encouragingly.
And finally, after these few carefree days, it was the night before Blaine and Tina's first day of college.
"Hey." Blaine said to Sam as he entered the main room. "What are you still doing up? It's almost one AM."
"Psh. I don't have school." Sam said as he lounged on the couch watching a Friends rerun. "I should be asking you why you're still up. Didn't you and Tina both hit the hay at like nine to ensure you got your 'beauty rest' for NYADA?"
"Couldn't sleep." Blaine shrugged, joining Sam on the couch. "Too nervous, I guess."
"Nervous?" Sam scoffed. "What for?"
"I don't know...I mean, I was the star of the Warblers. And dare I say it, I was the male star of New Directions, too." Blaine began, and Sam nodded. "I've never had to fight for my spot, because I've always been well...the best. But now, I'm going to be pushed into a room with a bunch of the kids who were the best at their particular schools. What if I can't handle the competition?"
Blaine was staring at Sam with a worried, pitiful face. Sam burst out into laughter.
"It's not funny!" Blaine whined. "And you wonder why I always vent to Tina and not you! This is why!" Blaine said, chucking a pillow at his friend.
"Dude, I'm not laughing because you're venting, I'm laughing because you have nothing to worry about!" Sam said.
"Yes I do! NYADA is filled with the best of the best! There could be plenty of Blaine Andersons out there!" Blaine exclaimed.
"Well if there are, I want to meet them, because I think Blaine Anderson is a pretty cool guy." Sam said calmly. "Honestly, dude, you've got nothing to worry about! Yes, it's going to be tough, and yes, you're going to have competition, but I know you can handle it."
"Thanks, man." Blaine said, giving his best friend a hug in gratitude. It was in that quiet moment that they both heard the tears.
"Uh, dude...are you crying?" Sam said slowly. "I mean, it's okay if you are but-"
"No!" Blaine said. "Of course not! Oh, gosh, it must be Tina!"
"The princess probably chipped a nail or something." Sam smirked but, Blaine had already hopped off the couch and was knocking on Tina's door.
"Ti?" He said calmly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Tina said, but her voice said otherwise.
"Tay-Tay, I'm coming in." Blaine said bracingly, and opened the door. He found her clutching her pillow, a sobbing mess; tissues where askew and she was paging through old glee club photos in her scrapbook while a sappy Les Miserables ballad blasted from her iPod.
"Tina..." He began slowly, "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She sniffled.
"Tina, you can tell me anything. What is it?" He said, hesitantly taking a seat at the end of her bed.
"My problems don't concern you." She said grumpily.
"Hey now." Blaine said, grabbing her arm. "My problems are your problems. What's wrong?"
"You wouldn't understand." She said coldly.
"You're right. I wouldn't. So maybe you should explain the problem to me." He said encouragingly.
"Eh..."
"Would you prefer me to get Sam to talk to you?" Blaine suggested.
"No." She scoffed.
"Then I guess you're stuck with me." Blaine said. "C'mon, we don't live with our parents anymore. We have to learn to rely on each other."
Tina hesitated, and then sighed. "I'm not good enough, Blaine." She whispered.
"For what?" Blaine said, utterly confused.
"NYADA."
"Tina, that's crazy! Of course you're good enough!" Blaine laughed.
"No, it's not crazy. I mean, for four years, I was NEVER the lead female singer of glee club. I could count the number of solos I had throughout high school on my fingers. If I can't be the best of a bunch of kids in Lima, how do I expect to be anything in a school that consists of the most talented kids from across the country?"
"Tina, I understand where you're coming from, I'm scared too, but-"
"No, you don't understand!" Tina exclaimed, hopping off her bed in anger. "You're Blaine FREAKING Anderson! Everyone loves you! You make guys want to turn gay and girls become hags because they hopelessly in love with you because you're freaking PERFECT! You got EVERYTHING! Student council president, New Rachel, glee captain, lead soloist- You were the sweetheart of Dalton, and the sweetheart of McKinley! The leads of the musicals were practically HANDED to you! They BEGGED you to be Danny Zuko, and when you turned it down, they ASKED you what part you wanted! And you know who I was, after being in glee for four years? JAN. Who remembers Jan anyway?!" Tina sighed angrily. "My God, Blaine, you don't understand, you'll never understand, because you have never known what it's like to go unnoticed, to sit in the back and sway for YEARS, to never have your opinion valued...it took me three quiet years to gain the confidence to speak up in that choir room, and now I'm going to be pushed to the back again! I'm destined to be quiet and sing background again for you and a bunch of other kids who are ten times as talented as me, Blaine. I'm not good enough. I shouldn't have fooled myself into thinking I was good enough. I should've gone to vet school; how could I be so stupid to think a career in acting would work out?" She said sadly, and added bitterly as she shut her glee club scrapbook angrily. "I peaked in high school, Blaine, and the worst part is, I didn't even peak, considering I was the lead soloist maybe three times. Face it. New York is too big for a girl like me."
Blaine took a moment of silence to take in everything Tina had said. "Shut up." He said slowly.
"Excuse me?" Tina said in disbelief, insulted.
"I don't ever want to hear you talk about yourself like that again." He said seriously, and enclosed Tina's hands in his. "You and I are going to the same college, remember? If you weren't good enough, you wouldn't be going. You think you won't get any solos because you didn't get any at McKinley-well maybe Lima didn't appreciate your talent, but considering you're at one of the top performing arts colleges in the country-New York sure does. Things are going to be better for you here, Tina, I know it. You're a star, and I wish you saw yourself as I see you-beautiful, confident, sassy, sexy, and unbelievably talented."
"Blainey, you're going to make me cry!" Tina said, tackling him in a hug.
"It's too late for that." He grinned. "Which may be due to the fact that you're blasting a bunch of incredibly sad Les Mis ballads. C'mon, before we officially hit college, I want to sing a duet with you, and I have just the song that describes our futures; and it will totally cheer you up."
Blaine grabbed her iPod, and instantly, High School Musical's 'I Want It All' was blasting from the speakers.
"Imagine having everything we've ever dreamed!" Blaine exclaimed, jumping up on her bed. "Don't you want it?"
"Maybe." Tina said grumpily, not in the mood.
"Can't you see it?"
"Kinda." She sighed.
"Imagine first audition after college I get the lead!" He said eagerly.
"A part for me?" She reminded him.
"Well of course!"
"Yeah right." She scoffed.
"You gotta believe it!" He said excitedly.
"Keep talking." She said sarcastically.
"You and I, all the fame!"
"HOT Blaine and random Chang!" She spat.
"Sound exciting?"
"Inviting." She smirked.
"Let's do it then!" Blaine said happily.
Tina and Blaine debated to the tune of I Want It All for a few more measures before Blaine belted, "Don't you want it all?! You want it, you know that you want it, the fame and the fortune and all!"
And finally, Tina jumped off her bed and screamed, "I want it all!"
They continued to sing and ended the song rattling off cities they would like to perform in, finally ending with "NEW YORK CITY! WE WANT IT ALL!"
The song ended, and Tina and Blaine held their poses as if they were on a Broadway stage hearing the applause. Tina finally broke into laughter and jumped into Blaine's arms with a hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Blaine!" She squealed. "We can do it! We're ready!"
A moment later, an angry Sam burst through the door. "Could you guys not have little singing sessions at one AM? Some of us are trying to sleep."
But Tina was unphased by Sam's anger, and surprised both him and Blaine by giving Sam a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Sam, stop being so grumpy! I'm ready for college!" She screamed excitedly, and ran out of her bedroom.
Sam gave a bemused expression to Blaine as he touched the spot on his cheek where Tina had kissed him. "What the hell did you say to her? That was probably the weirdest thing I've ever experienced, and that's including the time Puck showed up to Glee in a dress."
Blaine merely laughed, and shrugged, "High School Musical puts everyone in a good mood, Sam."