Location: McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio
Melissa pulls into the parking lot, staring at the high school while her engine idles for a minute. She pulls her phone out and just as she is about to dial, the phone rings.
"Knew I was going to call?"
She hears a huff of laughter from Nicolas. "You always call me before you meet with someone that you want to recruit. Kind of your superstition thing."
Her eyes narrow. "Don't you mock superstition, you come from the same background as me. I've seen some of the things you do, so no mocking."
Nicolas laughs again. "Can't remember his name can you?"
Melissa sighs. "No. I pretty much remember everything else, but with things going from mildly hectic to freight train hectic the past week, I'm surprised I even remembered the name of the school.
"Kurt Hummel. I finally watched that video that had you all intense."
"4 Minutes?" She smiles. "And that was a couple years ago, compared to the videos that are up there now. Potential, Nicolas."
"Well you can thank me now then. With a nice vacation to Cancun."
"What are you, sixteen?"
"In my heart sometimes."
Melisaa laughs, then cuts off the engine and starts to gather her things as she gets out of the car.
"Hey, did you see that Candles duet?"
"Watched it last night," She says as she adjusts her sunglasses. "As well as some others, there are a lot of videos of this club just riffing or fooling around..."
"If he can sing like that just fooling around..."
"I know," she murmurs as she spots the entrance and heads toward it.
This Kurt Hummel had range. A range she needed. They were going to lose Adam to LA in six months. Inwardly she wanted to curse at Adam's ambitions, but she couldn't. All she could do is find someone who has talent. Not only does this Kurt have an excellent range, but just watching him made her think he could, with some help that he does need, exceed past Adam's talent.
A smile threatened to emerge at that thought. Adam had enough of an ego that he would be floored. But he'll get that ego puncturing soon... losing him to LA will certain get a few punctures in that ego.. it'll be good for him though. And his ambitions lead Nicolas to tell her about Kurt Hummel.
Someone she was going to land.
"Did you find anything else on him?"
She heard Nicolas move around. "Just basic stuff. Father is Burt Hummel, owns Hummel Tire and Lube, has a stepbrother and is in the school's glee club that likes to post videos of their singers."
New Directions. Decent glee club. For a high school. Unfortunately, it didn't show all the voices very well, seeming to concentrate on this irritating brunette girl Rachel Berry. Melissa didn't care for the girl despite having never met her. Something about her singing left her cold.
Kurt's didn't. Granted he needs some help, he clearly didn't have any coaching or help in the past, so everything she saw was really self taught.. which was excellent. Just imagining how he could be with coaching and everything else she could offer him?
Just made her want to make sure to land this kid before someone else scooped him up.
She spots the entrance and heads towards it, weaving around some of the teens that were leaving the school already. She pauses as she sees one teen, a girl wearing a cheerleader uniform, her hair pulled back tightly, showing off her hispanic features. She's familiar enough looking that Melissa thinks she's in one of those New Directions videos.
"Hold on a minute," She says to Nick before stopping in front of the teen. "Excuse me?" She says politely.
She gets a hostile stare in return. Melissa just smiles. Which just makes the girl glare at her.
"What do you want?" The teen asks, her tone aggressive and hostile.
"Looking for a student. Kurt Hummel?"
The teen arches an eyebrow, her dark eyes narrow and fill up with suspicion. "Why?"
Melissa holds up a hand. "Just want to talk to him."
The student stays quiet, and Melissa gets the feeling she's being measured. The teen shrugs.
"Choir room. Follow the very feminine singing. You should hear it soon enough."
"Thank you," She nods and heads down the now emptying hallway. "Well that was fun. Being judged and apparently found wanting by someone who's not even 18."
She hears Nick laugh. "Welcome to High School."
"What would you know about it? You were home schooled."
"And I am quite glad I was."
Melissa stops briefly, asks one student to point in the direction of the choir room and gets what she needs, and continues down the hall before turning. "Ugh, maybe I should have found another way to talk to him. Being here just brings back memories."
"Couldn't be that bad."
"You were homeschooled."
"Whatever."
Melissa comes to a stop as she hears a faint voice, the way it carrying sounding like singing and she feels herself home in on it. She gets back to moving and within a few more feet she hears it better. Soft with a bit of feminity to it, but still enough for her trained ears to tell it's a male voice, and a familiar one at that tells her she's on the right track.
"I think this is him. I'm going to ask him to meet me somewhere...How far away are you?"
"About a half hour actually. Was running errands-"
"Meet me at a coffee place I passed on the way here. The Lima Bean. It might go better with two of us instead of one of us," she says as she follows the singing into a room and finds herself looking right at the person she was hunting for.
Light brown hair that was definitely styled, green eyes, pale skin... and just a couple inches shorter than her, so decent height. And gorgeous. Dressed very nicely too, in a purple and black, looking stylish and she could swear it was designer but she couldn't place the name. Which actually bothered her because all she wore was designer and she knew her designers.
"Is that him?" She hears Nick asks in a soft voice, as Kurt Hummel was finishing a section.
She releases a breath she didn't realize until now she was holding. "Yes. Meet me. Lima Bean. Later." She ends the call and just stands by the entrance, listening as he sings.
Kurt takes a drink from the bottled water now that he was done practicing. Mr Schuester had assigned glee club to sing a song about heart and tomorrow was his, Finn's, and Rachel's turn. He was taking the opportunity with most of the club leaving to practice his song before going home.
He also resists rolling his eyes, as he knows what Rachel is going to sing. Definitely going to bring his ipod and listen to his music, to save his ears and brain from the hell she is going to wreak upon them all. He'll ignore Blaine's reproachful looks too. He picks up his satchel, nodding to Brad, and turns to leave the choir room. He stops when he sees someone standing there. Immediately he looks her over, cataloging what he sees.
Blonde.
A couple inches taller than him.
Hazel eyes.
Slender.
She also has a considerable fashion sense, Kurt concedes. He recognizes the Alexander McQueen black trench coat and makes a note to look it up and see how much it costs and if he can replicate it, then notices red prada heels and the red prada dress she's wearing.
"Can I help you?" He says coolly now that he has seen and made note of what was needed. She may have good taste in fashion, but that does not mean anything.
Look at Santana. Although she's getting easier to deal with. While Rachel's becoming more hellish to deal with.
He supposes the universe had to do something to maintain balance.
"Kurt Hummel?" She asks with a smile. He raises an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Good. I'm Melissa Derringer. I came looking for you. I'd like to have a chat with you."
Despite himself, he's finding himself intrigued. "About what?"
"Your future," she says simply.
HIS FUTURE. All he can think of it is in big capital letters. Because that's how it is.
He already knows his NYADA dreams are a bust. He doesn't even know why he's bothering to be part of the audition next week. They won't take him. His future is limited right now.
Stop. STOP. No need to go all depressed in front of a stranger. Need to wait until you're home and in your bedroom. "I already have something lined up for it," he says, still keeping his tone cool.
"I don't doubt it. Someone with your talent you probably do. But how about you keep an open mind? I have something to offer you, that you may just like." Her smile doesn't disappear, and the words are tantalizing enough, keeping him hooked, intrigued.
"How would you know?" He keeps his voice cool, not wanting to seem too hopeful, to ready.
She shrugs. "I don't. But you'll never know if you don't see." The sound of a cell phone buzzes and she sighs. "I have to take that. But, please, I would like to talk to you. The Lima Bean, in an hour?"
"Fine," Kurt hears himself say. She nods, then answers her phone as she walks away. Kurt blinks as he realized he just committed to meeting a total stranger to talk about his future...
"Kurt?" Kurt pushes his thoughts away, then sees Blaine standing by the doorway now. Blaine glances from him to the now departing Melissa Derringer who had walked past him. Curiosity leaped into Blaine's eyes, but he only asked "Ready?"
"Hmm? Oh yes... do you mind if we stop by the Lima Bean a little later?"