Dalton didn't have homerooms like most public schools did. On Mondays and Wednesdays there was a general assembly in the hall. The principal would lead the Monday one while the deans took turns doing it on a Wednesday. After that students reported to their classroom where the roll was taken by their class master or mistress before studies began. On Tuesdays and Thursdays assemblies occurred within the classroom for thirty minutes, while on Fridays, it lasted for one hour and the time was spent with whatever club the student belonged to.

Usually Kurt, Jeff and Trent walked to class together after they met up in the morning. But Jeff had had a meeting with his psychologist that day as a follow-up to the decreasing of his medication dosage, and Trent had gone off to the library to print an essay before his first class. And so, Kurt, not particularly feeling to remain out on the grounds by himself until the bell rang, decided upon just going to class early.

"Good morning," he called out as he entered the room. There were only eight people there so far, and surprisingly, they were all grouped together around Rick and James' assigned seats. "What's wrong?" he asked when he saw that they weren't pouring over a comic or the like.

"Hey Kurt," Matthew, Kurt's Physics partner greeted, as he walked over. "We're kind of doing group therapy."

"Without the expert?" he said, and despite the morose mood, all of them chuckled at that. Matthew scooted around, making room so that he could sit on the table with him. "What's going on?" he asked again.

"We opened our acceptance letters yesterday," Rick answered softly.

"Oh." It was that time Kurt supposed, when dreams were made or broken. "Bad news?" he asked delicately.

"In a way," Rick answered, while James simply huffed out, "It doesn't have to be."

"Well I don't like what you want to do," Rick snapped, and Kurt's eyes widened. In the time he had come to know the pair, he had never seen them in anything remotely resembling an argument.

"Remember how they applied to the same schools?" Matthew told him as the pair continued to snipe at each other.

"Yeah. Don't tell me..."

"Harvard and Yale took Rick and not James."

Kurt winced at that; those had been their top two choices if he had recalled correctly. "They're going to have to split up," he said sadly. He felt it for them. The pair, much like a lot of Dalton's students, had known each other since kindergarten. They had been the best of friends throughout, virtually inseparable, and that was the chief reason they had applied to the same schools to ensure that that would not be broken.

"Not if Rick has his way," Matthew corrected. "They both got into Brown, and Rick's decided that he'll enrol in there too and that they can both try for Yale or Harvard for Law and Med later on."

"And James doesn't want that."

"Exactly. Hence this," he said, waving to where the two were now just staring at each other, emotions rife on their face.

"Unfortunately they're not the only ones with issues," Jessie, a tall lanky blonde said from Matthew's side. "Justin got into Princeton, but his sister's decided to accept a place in Dartmouth. My girlfriend decided that she is going to defer a year to 'discover herself' and somehow I think that journey of discovery isn't going to include me for much longer."

"Does anyone have any good news?" Kurt couldn't help but ask.

"I got into Guelph," Matthew offered, "so I'm Canada bound come the summer."

"Great," he said softly.

"And you?" Rick asked, looking at him. "NYU started sending out offers didn't they?"

"Have they?" Kurt replied. "Finn and I decided to let our parents just collect all the letters for us. When all have gotten in, we'll open them."

"Aren't you anxious?"

"Very," Kurt admitted, "but I rather not play the wait and hope game, especially if rejection letters apply first."

"That might have been the better way," James noted, and Kurt resisted the urge to go over and hug him. He didn't know what he would do in their situation. He could only hope that it worked out for the best. As horrible as it sounded, he was pretty happy that Jeff was definitely heading to New York as well and that Blaine was already out there. The thought of having to spend four years away from either of them just didn't sit too well with him.

"Should I pour you each a drink first?" Carole said, only half joking as she took in her sons' pensive expressions.

It was D day. The final letter - Finn's - had arrived the day before, and now it was the moment of reckoning. Beside her, Burt sat silently, twin oversized bags on his lap. He and Carole had just stuffed them all into there for ease, Kurt supposed, and probably also to mask the difference between letters and packages. But then again, Kurt thought, reminding him of what Blaine had told him, not all schools sent out acceptance packages alongside the letter until they had indication that you were firmly considering accepting the offer. Kurt found himself only mildly reassured by that fact.

"Let's not encourage the boys in drinking Carole," Burt told her good-naturedly. "They'll probably be doing a good deal of that come September."

"Underage drinking is illegal," Kurt couldn't help but point out.

"That never stopped college kids," Burt retorted.

"Can I take that to mean that we got into somewhere?" Finn said with such cheerfulness that Kurt couldn't help but snort out a laugh. That was indeed one way of looking at it.

Burt didn't answer that, and instead offered the bags to them. "Here you go boys," Burt stated, "good luck."

Both held the bags inn their respective laps, Finn giving his an experimental heft. "How are we doing this?" he asked. "Do you just want to make a pile of them and grab as we go along?"

"Yup," Kurt agreed.

"And we worked so hard to keep them separate," Carole lamented as they proceeded to do just that, upturning their bags onto the carpeted floor in front of them before scrambling them together. They could just give each other the good or bad news.

Looking at the pile Kurt saw that there were at least four packages in the mix. That was promising. He had applied to seven schools (eight if he counted NYADA) and Finn had applied to six. It wasn't possible that there was only one name on those packages, he rationalised. They were both definitely going to college…but where?

"Let's do this," Finn requested, and in tandem they both reached into the pile, each snagging a letter.

"Wait," Kurt said, "You applied to the University of Florida?!"

"Beaches and babes dude," Finn replied with a slightly lecherous grin. Kurt laughed as Carole tossed a pillow at her son's head, but he opened the letter anyway.

"Well, no B and B for you," he quipped, waving it.

"Damn."

"I am not at all disappointed by that," Carole pointed out, and Burt laughed as Finn fake pouted at her.

"Boston College is a no by the way," Finn said nonchalantly as he refocussed on Kurt, before setting the letter aside.

Kurt twitched his nose briefly before shrugging. "Eh that interviewer pretty much said that he didn't think I'd fit in too well there anyway, so that's not too surprising. Next two?"

"Okay."

They opened the envelopes, scanning quickly. "I got into Ohio State," Kurt said, without any real enthusiasm. More than half of Lima's students ended up there. It would be McKinley, College Edition, something he did not want in the least.

"Me too," Finn responded, and Kurt could tell that he too wasn't too excited about it. "I've got a scholarship for Football as well. We're going somewhere at least."

"Yeah," Kurt answered but he barely resisted the urge to ball and toss the letter like he had done with Finn's Florida one. Putting it into his unofficial 'yes' pile, he truly hoped that it would not be the only one he received.

Without a word, he reached for a next letter, a heavy set one with a rather fancy crest on it. He stared at the name in disbelief for a moment before looking up at Finn who seemed just as interested in it as he was. "You didn't tell me you applied to Berkeley," he said, surprised.

"It was Ms. P's idea," he responded, and Kurt was a bit shocked to realise that nervousness was creeping into Finn's tone, alongside an edge of hope. He stared at him for a long considering moment, trying to figure out where this school fit into Finn's plans – plans he had thought he had known all about. He extended his hand, offering him the letter. "Maybe you should open it?" As Finn took it for him, Kurt noted that the envelope weighed a bit more than the rejection one from Florida.

As much as he wanted to stare, Kurt felt as if this was an intensely private moment for his brother, and so, he reached down, blindly grabbing a letter. Bringing it up, Kurt's heart rate accelerated as he saw Columbia's crest on it. Columbia – his alternative choice to NYU. He nipped his lip as his eyes drifted down to the packages still before him wondering if one of them was for NYU. What if this was a rejection letter? What if NYU hadn't taken him in as well? After all, his safety school had already rejected him. What if he was stuck here in shitty Ohio State for the next four years? Briefly he considered passing the letter up to Carole or his dad, but no, he told himself. This was his fate in the balance now. He should read it. Swallowing back his nervousness, he tore the edge off the envelope with his teeth, before shaking the letter out onto his lap. His fingers trembled slightly as he opened it, and in his periphery he saw Carole and Burt shifting closer to each other.

Taking a steadying breath he read the opening line. "Dear Mr. Hummel, it is our pleasure to offer you…" Kurt dropped it, a choked off gleeful noise passing his lips as relief flooded through him. He had gotten into Columbia. He was truly New York bound no matter what now! He looked up to where Finn was still staring at his own letter, disbelief on his face.

"Finn?" he asked, tempering his own joy. He hadn't even known that Finn had applied to the school, but looking at him now, Kurt could see that it was a place truly important to him. He didn't know why, but suddenly, with all his heart, he wanted the best for him.

The quarterback looked up at him, and Kurt's breath hitched as he saw tears in his eyes. "I-I got in."

Carole clapped in joy for him and Burt reached down to thump his shoulder. Kurt closed the space between them and hugged him tightly, so happy for him. Berkeley was a great school with a pretty high rejection rate. For Finn to have accomplished that… He was so proud of him. "That's great Finn," he said pulling back.

"And you?" Finn said, passing a hand over his face. "Which one is that?"

"Columbia. I got in," Kurt responded, and he laughed as it was now Finn hugging him while Carole cheered again, Burt grinning proudly beside him.

"I know you boys had it in you," Burt told them. "We're heading out to dinner tonight. My boys are college bound!"

"I have so many phone calls to make," Carole gushed. "But later. You still have a few to open boys."

"You're right," Finn agreed, before passing the letter to his mother for safe keeping while Kurt happily flicked the Ohio State letter away before dropping the Columbia one where it had been. Everything was going according to plan now, and even if NYU hadn't taken him, he would have people in Columbia. Everything was going to be okay. "Only packages now," Finn noted as he started removing them from their brown packaging. "These two are from Ohio Community College," he read, crinkling his nose. "Bleh, mom, you can open that if you want," he said dismissively, and Kurt laughed as Carole rolled her eyes but took it anyway. "This one's from Berkeley," he continued, with more excitement. "Burt, hold that."

"Yes sir," Burt joked, while Carole instantly discarded the Community College packages to read it with him.

"We've got the Louisville ones here. Wanna go for those?"

"Sure," Kurt agreed, taking one onto his lap and ripping into it. Unsurprisingly, it was an acceptance package.

"I have a partial scholarship for football."

"That's great," Kurt praised.

Vaguely, as Finn set them aside, Kurt heard Carole gasp but he didn't pay too much mind to it. The two packages Finn was now unwrapping were from NYU, and suddenly he was nervous all over again. Packages didn't always mean acceptance right? It could be full of booklets giving him information about reapplying.

"Relax lil dude," Finn said softly, and it was only then that Kurt realised that his breathing had sped up a bit.

Finn's eyes were soft as they met. "You're in New York either way," Finn reminded him, "no matter what is in here."

Kurt forcibly took a deep breath before nodding. "I'm good," he responded softly. "But…open mines?"

"Okay," Finn agreed, and immediately set aside his own in favour of Kurt's.

Kurt's legs twitched as he watched Finn empty it out. A few booklets fell out alongside fliers and then a letter dropped out. Kurt could only watch as Finn opened it, his eyes riveted on what he was seeing.

"Well?" Kurt asked impatiently.

Finn made a show of folding back the letter, delaying long enough that Kurt barely resisted the urge to grab it from him. "You got in," Finn told him, pride in his eyes. Relieved laughter bubbled up from within Kurt as he took the letter from him. He had done it! All that studying and hard work had paid off. He had gotten into Blaine's college. They would be together again. He jumped up and dove at Burt who held him tightly, while Carole ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I got in too," Finn said, and Carole moved down to the floor to hug and congratulate her son.

"I did it dad," Kurt whispered, his voice laden with emotions as he pulled back from the embrace.

"I knew you could do it bud," Burt returned with equal fervour. "I am so proud of you, and I know that Elizabeth is so damn proud of you as well."

"I hope so." Kurt looked towards the mantle and made a thumbs up to his mom's smiling picture. He really did hope she was happy for him. He settled into Burt's side, watching as Carole explained a bit more of what Finn's Berkeley letter had said. He apparently hadn't bothered to read far enough down to see that they were offering him a scholarship and, from the way Carole was speaking, it was a pretty hefty one. Burt drew him into a conversation, but they were distracted when Carole spoke up, her voice a bit wooden.

"There's a package left," she told them, and Kurt's brows furrowed at her tone. What was wrong?

He turned to look at Finn who already had it opened, with an unfolded letter in his hand. It was only then that Kurt remembered NYADA. In the excitement about being with Blaine, he had forgotten all about it.

"Did I…?" he inquired even as he felt his father stiffen beside him.

"You got in," Finn said. "NYADA…Kurt, they took you in."

I'm a bit curious about which school you think Kurt should ultimately go to...Columbia, NYADA or NYU. I have the remaining three chapters drafted, but I haven't firmly decided on which one as of yet. Your thoughts would be deeply appreciated ^_^.