Kurt and Rachel present their first songs as the fall semester starts.

In the round room, Kurt sat up straight watching Rachel belt out her first presentation of the fall semester. He schooled his features as he listened, trying to maintain a neutral yet interested façade, all the while trying to sneak a peek at Madame Tibideaux's expression, wondering if she always looked as disaffected with others as she frequently did with him.

When he takes me in his arms,
The world is bright, all right.
What's the difference if I say,
I'll go away,
When I know I'll come back on my knees someday?
For whatever my man is,
I am his forever more.

Rachel held the last note for 12 counts, raising her extended arms to shoulder height, then closed her eyes and dramatically dropped her arms and head to her chest as the music ended. She raised her head looking pleased with her performance, then silently moved to return to sit at the table where Kurt was somewhat anxiously awaiting his turn to perform.

Before she managed to take a third step, Madame Tibideaux began to speak. "Excellent performance. Or it would have been IF the assignment had been to sing a song from a movie adaptation of a musical.

Apparently, you feel that you are above this class and all that governs it."

Rachel was taken aback and floundered a bit. "No, not at all Madame Tibideaux."

"I'm flunking you." She called out forcefully, "Next!"

Rachel's eyes darted around the room and she huffed slightly.

"Wait." Madame Tibideaux put both hands up, then lowered them slowly. "It was a good performance, so I'm going to give you the chance to give me what I asked for originally. I want you to perform a song from a Broadway or off-Broadway musical. Reschedule this week. It's fine."

"Um," Rachel started, as she smoothed her dress down. "I'm sorry, Madame Tibideaux, but I'm in tech rehearsals for my show right now—"

Madame Tibideaux cut her off. "Miss Berry, I've said everything I had to say to you. Either you do it this week or you fail." She looked back at her list. "Next!" she called out again. "Please get off my stage," she said dismissing Rachel abruptly.

Rachel attempted to walk to her seat in a dignified manner, but Kurt could feel the rage radiating from her when she sat down at the table.

The next afternoon, Kurt sat waiting at a different table, wondering just how many more times the server would come by before Rachel would finally show up. Adam excused himself to the restroom.

Rachel rushed past him as she made her way through the restaurant, then sat down across from Kurt.

As she put her coat across the back of her chair, she said, "I'm sorry I'm late."

Before she managed to sit down, Kurt said, "I know what you did. It's only our first week back, Rachel. You're crazy."

"Oh, my God. Are you serious? You already heard about that?"

"Seriously. The gossip chain at NYADA is the most efficient part of the school."

"Hey, look. Don't judge me. It was the right thing to do." She opened the bottle of water on the table and began to pour it into an empty glass.

"How can you say that? Less than two years ago, you would have done anything humanly possible to force your way into that school. And now, you're just going to quit?"

She held the glass out, not yet taking a drink, and dismissively said, "Oh, my God. That was before Fanny, okay? Everything changed from that moment on." She dramatically took a drink of the water.

"I understand that, but an education from NYADA will give you options in the future. Broadway is a fickle business. What if this is the last role you get?"

Rachel's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and she covered her heart with her hand melodramatically. "Last role?" she asked sounding hurt and shocked. "Wow! You are worse than Carmen. Is that honestly what you think of me?"

"Of course not. But you need to be smart about this."

"Okay, Look, Kurt. I'm just not interested in spending huge sums of money on a school whose classes I can barely attend with a dean who doesn't like me or support me."

Kurt's patience with Rachel's near tantrum was waning. Rachel was Madame Tibideaux's favored student. She had given Rachel a place at the school after choking her audition. She had just been given a chance to redo the assignment, whereas he was certain that no one else would have been given those opportunities. "That's not what it is—"

Rachel interrupted him. "We can play the what-if game all day long, but the point is that I have the opportunity of a lifetime staring me in the face right now, and I can't let anything, whether it's school or Carmen or the dinner, or even my friends—" Her voice became louder and more strained as she went on. "—stop me from accomplishing my dreams."

Kurt ignored her jab at him. "For the last time, I am begging you, Rachel. Please, don't do this."

"I am so hurt right now that you are standing on the side of a failure like Carmen Tibideaux and not your best friend."

Kurt's frustration flared at her use of the moniker of "best friend" and calling Madame Tibideaux a failure. "I'm not on Carmen's side. I'm on your side," he insisted, despite how infuriating she was being.

"You're afraid." She pushed her chair back and stood up abruptly and pointed at Kurt. "You're afraid. Afraid to venture out of a place like NYADA." She pulled her coat back on. "Where it's just one big safe group, and no one takes any risks."

Kurt was dumbstruck, and her accusation fueled his frustration into anger, but he managed to hold his tongue.

"That way you guys can avoid the fact of actually having to grow up and be an adult."

With that assertion, had had it. "Screw you, Rachel."

Adam heard the last bit that Rachel had said as well as Kurt's response as he approached the table. His voice had never sounded so cold, but he completely understood Kurt's reaction. He was standing in the aisle blocking Rachel's attempt at a storm out. "Why don't you have a seat, Rachel?"

She huffed, but reluctantly sat back down, this time leaving her coat on.

Adam sat down next to Kurt. "While Kurt has put up with your antics for the sake of his friendship with you, I have no such qualms about stating the truth here. What you just said was so far out of line, it's laughable."

She rolled her eyes.

"Of the two of you, Kurt is an adult." He looked her directly in the eyes. "Who moved here and sold his only possession of value to secure the loft the two of you moved into?"

She didn't respond.

"Who used that money to turn the loft into a habitable place?"

She huffed.

"Who has been paying his own way since he arrived here, not depending on his parents to cover his share of the rent or utilities or buy his groceries?"

Kurt spoke quietly. "That would be me, Rachel. You were miserable in the dorm. When I came, I could have gotten a shoebox much closer to Midtown and lived on my own, but you were so excited to see me, like I was actually your friend. I thought things were really going to turn around."

She nodded. "I was glad to see you," she admitted.

"But it didn't take long for you to push me into the background again. The real low point after the Winter Showcase last year. I was thrilled for you that you had won. But you turned into the worst diva version of yourself that I had seen up to that point. Today tops that, by the way." He sighed. "I challenged you to Midnight Madness and won. You flailed to the point of telling me to audition for Fanny. Not for Funny Girl, but for Fanny. That was so uncalled for. You, of all people, know how much being called a girl bothers me."

She nodded reluctantly.

"But you just can't stand to think that you're not the best. And that's more childish than anything else I can think of right now, including your dads paying for all of your living expenses here."

"They aren't."

"Maybe not now, but they did for a long time."

Adam chimed in. "Kurt's right, Rachel. No one is 'the best'. Each person can perform at their personal best, but there is no ranking of Broadway singers. There's no first place trophy available. This isn't a singular competition. Each musical has its own style and story to tell, and each role is based on that. The lead is chosen by a group of people associated with each show. Those people have a vision for their show. It might be someone's physical appearance. It might be the way they sing or dance. But no one person is the best for every single role. Right now, the current production of Funny Girl deems you to be that person. But if you start acting like you are now there at the theater, like an entitled diva, they'll just find the next best person who fits their criteria and replace you the instant your contract is up."

"Which at this moment, will most likely be Santana."

Rachel huffed.

"I asked you to meet me here out of my respect for you as a performer and as your former best friend—"

She cut him off, "Former?"

"Rachel, in all honesty, you have never been my best friend. I was yours for quite a while. I was the person you turned to for comfort, for reassurance, for support. But if you're honest with yourself, you weren't that for me. You've always had yourself as your top priority. But this time, you're shooting yourself in the foot. With this type of behavior, I won't be surprised to find out that you quit Funny Girl six weeks after it opens."

"I wouldn't."

"Wouldn't you? If something shinier that offered you even more stardom came along? Let's say a studio exec approached you offering you the lead in a TV series based on your life."

She looked torn.

"See." He took a deep breath and weighed his words carefully. "I don't really have anything else to say to you, Rachel. I knew you were driven, but I don't know how to get through to you now. I can't challenge you to Midnight Madness again. That didn't seem to teach you anything anyway." He sighed. "You're so talented, Rachel. You really are. But you're the one who needs to grow up." He looked her in the eyes. "We haven't been friends in quite a while, which makes me sad, but this was my last attempt at intervening. I wish you the best, Rachel. I really do."

This time it was Kurt who stood. He pushed his chair in and picked his jacket up off the back of the chair. He turned his back to Rachel and while he waited for Adam to step out into the aisle, he pulled a $10 bill out of his wallet and put it on the table, despite not having ordered anything. He turned just slightly. "Leave a good tip for the server. You were late and we didn't order, but we still took up this table." He reached out for Adam's hand and led him out of the restaurant without looking back.

"So, that's that, then, darling?"

"Yeah. I guess so. She doesn't listen. She never has. But I had hoped that I could talk some sense into her. Thanks for backing me up."

"No problem. What she said to you was uncalled for. She behaves like a spoiled princess. And to imply that you were the childish one was really a low blow."

Kurt let go of Adam's hand as he stepped closer and wrapped his arm around Adam's waist instead.

"I'm still going to her opening night week after next."
Adam reciprocated quickly and wrapped his arm around Kurt and squeezed just a bit. "I wouldn't have expected any less. You told me that you had promised to attend each other's opening nights. You bought the ticket the day they went on sale."

"This just isn't how I envisioned things." After a few moments of walking in silence, Kurt said, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever for, love?"

"You're just this light, and I feel like a snuffer."

Adam guffawed, stopping in his tracks, which caused Kurt to stumble slightly. He moved to face Kurt and kissed him. "You, my darling, are no such thing." He began to sing.

What I want you've got and it might be hard to handle.
But like a flame that burns the candle, the candle feeds the flame.
Yeah, yeah, what I've got, full stock of thoughts and dreams that scatter.
And you pull them all together, and how, I can't explain.
You make my dreams come true. You.

At that point, he kissed Kurt again, then moved back to his side, wrapped his arm around Kurt again, and started to walk towards the subway again. "You are a loyal friend. You've been there for her for years. She isn't anyone's friend, sadly not even her own right now. The thing is that she was old enough to get this role, so she's old enough to make decisions for herself, even if they're the wrong ones. You said your piece. That's all you can do. The rest is on her. She's heard the compelling reasons, but she's not listening."

He leaned into Adam's side. "And I know that you're right, but I still feel bad about watching her potentially crash and burn."

"And that's because you are a truly decent person. But Rachel's success isn't riding on your shoulders. You've done what you can do. The rest is up to her. Have you decided on your audition piece?"

"I have, but you're coming to watch the auditions. You'll have to wait to find out."

"Kurt ..." He slipped his hand up a bit on Kurt's side and tickled him.

He covered Adam's hand with his own. "Nope. Not getting it out of me."

He leaned towards Kurt and kissed him on the temple. "Fine. I can last until tomorrow to find out."

"I'm sure." He stepped towards the building out of the stream of pedestrians. "We were going to eat dinner there, so let's pick a new place or call something in. I don't have anything at home ready for us to eat."

"Well, then." He leaned in and spoke directly into Kurt's ear. "Are you on the menu?"

Kurt's face flushed, but he took the innuendo in stride and said, "Only as dessert."

"Not an appetizer?" Adam teased as he licked the edge of Kurt's ear.

"I didn't eat lunch."

"Well, then. We'll have to get some food into you or you'll not have enough stamina."

Kurt kissed along Adam's neck. "I need stamina?"

Adam stepped back a bit and winked at a curious Kurt, then took his hand and pulled him along towards the subway. "I guess you'll have to wait and find out," he said, pleased to have taken Kurt's mind off the situation with Rachel, even if just briefly. He knew what losing Rachel meant to Kurt. She was the last of the Lima group with whom he still had any contact, despite it always being him who put forth the effort.

"In a hurry for dessert, are you?" Kurt teased.

Adam snorted. "Always, darling. Always. But you know how much I like to savor my dessert once I get it."

Kurt's blush deepened as they went down the stairs to catch the train.

Kadam Week 2023 Day 2 Prompt
His voice had never sounded so cold