CHAPTER FIVE

FRIDAY NIGHT

KURT

I had arrived to the theater with 2 minutes to spare and I silently thanked my personal trainer for kicking my ass enough so I'd be in good enough shape to run the 3 blocks to the theater without feeling like I was going to die.

I took a moment outside the theater door to take a breath and mentally collect myself before stepping inside. The warmth inside the small hallway was a change from the chilly air outside, but what felt even more foreign to the world outside the door was what was going on backstage at this moment. The halls were filled with people scurrying around and the walls were lined with photos of the cast and crew - goofing off backstage, photos from rehearsals, sheet music that had been doodled on and autographed by various cast members, call sheets. Although there was a lot on the walls, it all made the place feel less like a workplace and more like a home. It reminded me of the entryway at my dad's house in Lima - the photos of me, Finn, Carole and dad lining the hallway scattered with things Finn and I had drawn when we were kids.

It was a stark contrast to the world of touring theater. Everything was temporary; no photos could be placed on the walls since you'd only stay in the same place for three weeks tops. Even the cast was pretty temporary - we'd get new cast members and retire old ones so quickly that we had to make all of the costumes a little more "generic" so they'd be able to fit multiple people in a given week. The designer in me loathed this fact because tailored clothes always looked better than things with a general size, but you have to do whatever you can to make it work.

I was immediately pulled from my thoughts when I felt a finger poking my shoulder. I looked down and saw a short woman wearing all black with a headset perched on her head, poking me. "Geez, are you deaf? You Kurt?" she asked hastily.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Kurt. Kurt-"

She interjected. "I know who you are. Roselyn is waiting for you, I'll take you to her," she said before turning and speed walking down the hallway. I stood for a second in shock before jogging after her. She led me down the labyrinth of offices, dressing rooms, make-up rooms, and storage closets before leading me up the stairs to the dressing area just to the side of the stage. She stopped and motioned for me to go into the area behind the dividers. I walked in as the woman knocked on the divider, catching the attention of the woman inside who I assumed to be Roselyn.

"Rosie, here's Kurt. You got it?" the short woman said sternly.

Roselyn smiled. "Yes, thank you Sara," she said kindly as the woman, who I finally knew as Sara, backed out of the room and vanished. "Don't mind her," Roselyn said as she motioned for me to take a seat next to her as she continued pinning the costume on the form in front of her.

"Is she always that..."

"Short? Bitchy? Yes. Don't worry, she's the only one here who is like that on the regular. Most people around here are really nice," Roselyn added, as if she could read my mind as to what I'd ask. I knew I liked her already.

I dropped my bag next to her and watched for a moment as she continued her work. "Well, I know I'm not supposed to do much other than watch you work, but is there anything I can help you with? Something I can do? These idle hands will be up to no good if I don't do something."

She laughed. "Thanks, Kurt. If you could grab Tori for me, I'd appreciate it."

I looked at her, puzzled. "Tori?"

She paused. "Oh, yes. Sorry. Tori is the lead actress. I'm working on her costume right now and I need to make sure I got the fit right. She should be in Make-Up; just follow the signs. Make-Up is just around the corner," Roselyn said, motioning to the sign on the back wall.

It was true, Make-Up was literally around the corner maybe 20 steps past where the dressing area was. Make-Up was in an actual room as opposed to a sectioned off area of the side stage because the lights that surrounded the mirrors would interfere with the production when the stage lights were dark. I walked into the room to see a woman with blonde hair set in curlers wearing a robe sitting in one of the chairs as another woman was rummaging in the make-up in front of the mirrors.

I knocked lightly on the door. "Uh, are you Tori?" I asked as the girl in the chair turned toward me, nodding in the affirmative. "Roselyn asked me-"

"Hummel?"

My gaze shifted from Tori to the only other person who could have spoken to me; the make-up artist. "Uh, yes?"

She looked at me with a chuckle. "Wow, never thought I'd see you again," the girl said, still looking at me through the mirror. I squinted trying to figure out who she was. She looked familiar, but I couldn't...

"Zizes?" I exclaimed upon the realization.

She laughed heartily. "Yeah, I know. Sometimes I don't recognize me either," she said as she turned around and I saw her face-to-face. She looked down at Tori who looked utterly confused at the exchange she had witnessed. "Tor, why don't you go see what Rosie wants. Me and this guy gotta have a little chat," Lauren said as she motioned for Tori to leave. The blonde girl scuttled past me and walked toward the dressing area, leaving me with Lauren once again.

"Lauren, I-I can't believe you're... geez. Sorry. I was not expecting to see you here. I mean, it's been, what...?" I said, stuttering.

"I know," she said. "It's probably been eight years or so."

I sat in the make-up chair closest to the door. "When did we get so old?"

She laughed. "We still aren't old. We're in our twenties, we're healthy, and I don't see any wrinkles on that face of yours so clearly we aren't aging as much as we think."

"You bet I don't have wrinkles. I work hard to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen!" I exclaimed, feigning shock that she would even insinuate that I would have wrinkles.

She rolled her eyes and sat in the chair Tori had just sat in. "My, you haven't changed a bit, Hummel."

"Well, thanks, I guess. But you, my dear. Wow. You have changed a lot," I said, eyeing her appearance. Post-graduation had done her well. Her presence still commanded the room as it had in high school, but she'd lost a considerable amount of weight and had abandoned the hodge podge pieces from her previous wardrobe and was now wearing black slacks with a scoop neck turquoise sweater, which only accentuated her lighter skin and dark hair. Her collar bones peeked out, slightly visible due to the cut of the sweater. Her outfit looked like they'd been picked up from the Loft not a bad choice - albiet generic - but you could tell she really looked like a totally different person. A much more confident, put together person at the very least.

She blushed at the comment. "Yeah. Once high school was over, I just had enough, you know? I wanted to stop being the girl that shoved people around. I wanted to let myself be close to other people rather than push them away. But I knew the reason I did that was because I was unhappy with myself." She sighed then continued. "So, after high school, I told my parents I wanted to move out of Ohio and start over somewhere new and reinvent myself. They made a deal with my aunt who lives in Brooklyn for me to stay with her for the summer after graduation and figure out a plan. And once I got there, I didn't want to leave. So I developed a plan centered around New York. I went to cosmetology school, bartended on the side to make some money, and got a house in Bushwick with three other girls. One of the girls I ended up living with was a personal trainer, so I asked if she would help me get my health on track and she kicked my ass for over a year, but here I am now," she said, gesturing to her slimmer physique.

"That's so great, Lauren. I'm glad you're happy with yourself. I always thought you had such strength and confidence, so I never would have assumed that you weren't entirely satisfied with yourself, but I'm so glad that you are now," I said, reaching out to touch her arm in support.

"Thanks Kurt. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if it's real, ya know? Especially now - this is my first job as a make-up artist and that coupled with the fact that I live in New York and get hit on on a regular basis; it's like a dream come true," she said as she sat back in the chair.

"I know what you mean," I said as I mirrored her position in my chair.

She turned to me. "So, how'd you get here Hummel?"

I peered over but maintained my position in the chair with my head drooped over the back. "I moved here during the fall after we graduated from McKinley. I interned at Vogue for a little while to earn some money and realized fashion was where I wanted to be. So I applied to Parsons for fall admission and started taking classes. I really liked it - especially designing - but I didn't want to actually work for a label. I had seen how exhausting it was to work for a clothier when I was an intern and I didn't want to be locked into something like that for the rest of my life. So, I shifted slightly to costume design and loved it. After graduation, I got picked up to work on the tour for Next to Normal, then went to the tour for this show, and now I'm here."

She smiled at me and I returned her grin. "That's so great. And now we get to work together! Who'd have thought?"

"I know, right?" I said with a laugh.

She sat up from her chair and worked her way over to the make-up at the mirror. "Well, sorry to cut this short, but I need to get back to work and you should probably go join Rosie. But do you want to get lunch or dinner sometime soon? This weekend is kind of packed for me since I'm still working as a bartender for the next few weeks, but I'd love to catch up properly if you have time."

I beamed. "Of course! Let's regroup after the show and schedule a time, is that okay?"

She peered up at me from the mirror. "Sure thing, sweet cheeks. Talk to you later," she said as she busied herself with the make-up.

As I turned and left the make-up room, the smile I'd had remained plastered on my face. I was so happy to be working my dream job and, potentially, to have regained an old friend in the best city on earth.

BLAINE

David, Wes and I emerged from the subway at the 14th Street stop, making our way to the Highline Ballroom off 16th. I loved this part of town - it was the perfect blend of sophisticated with good restaurants and cobblestone streets with the trendy boutiques, hotels and bars nearby - but it was exceedingly expensive so I rarely came down here unless it was for a show. My neighborhood wasn't even really far from here - maybe 2 miles or so - but it certainly felt like a different world as we passed effortlessly stylish people emerging from the designer shops.

"This diner my roommate and I go to isn't too far from here," Wes said as we continued walking down 16th. "Chelsea became our stomping grounds in college so we would swing by the meatpacking district whenever we could manage it since there's some great stuff over here. My roommate was more concerned with the boutiques over here and I was more into the ladies that were in those shops." He laughed, "obviously, it was a win/win situation."

I chuckled. "Sounds like you got yourself a wingman there, Wes. David, did you know Wes' roommate was taking your job?" I said with a nudge as David rolled his eyes.

"No one could ever be as good of a wingman as Davy, here," said Wes as he grabbed David's shoulder. David just smiled.

Once we got to the venue, we flashed our IDs and went in and made a beeline to the bar. I was glad it was Friday since me and the boys had already downed two pitchers of margaritas and we were clearly on our way to having more alcohol in our future. I decided to switch to beer since I still needed to maintain some level of professional decorum when I finally introduced myself as Blaine Anderson music industry professional, whereas Wes and David kept on the liquor train with their rum and cokes.

As we found a spot to stand toward the back with our drinks in hand, the lights dimmed and the intro music began. I looked to my left and saw David grinning at the stage as the lights started to come up. I gave him a friendly nudge and he looked at me and beamed. He was probably just as excited about this as the guys would be - this could really change things for him if all went well. I gave him a nudge. "Are you ready for this?" I asked with a wink.

He just laughed as the first notes blared from the lead guitar.

They played their first song before Zach introduced the band and the crowd was even bigger than the one I encountered in Brooklyn. I couldn't help but be a little smug about finding these guys. Not only did they seem like they actually could manage to make it big, I had reconnected with some friends that I had lost. It couldn't get much better than that, really.

Well, it could. It'd be better if there was a guy standing by my side - as excited and proud as I was at this find. But hey, Mr. Right is out there... somewhere. I thought about what he might look like, the different types of smiles he might have, the way his voice would sound when he laughed - I just wanted to know everything about him and I hadn't even met this dream guy yet, but I was thrilled to even think of how wonderful he would be when I found that he did exist. Hedid, right?

I was pulled from my reverie when Wes had poked my shoulder. "Dude, their set is over. It was great!" Wes exclaimed as he looked expectantly at me. How long had I been in dreamland thinking about my dream man? Sheesh, get it together.

David looked at me, uncertainty on his face. "Do - uh - you... uh," David sputtered. He wasn't sure if the deal was in the bag - I could tell. But I knew the moment The Boss signed off on them that the deal was as good as signed in our eyes.

I calmly placed my hand on his shoulder and his questioning eyes met mine for just a second. I smiled and nodded. "Bring me to your boys, David."

David was beaming and wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't help but chuckle as the guy trapped my arms by my sides due to his overexcited bear hug. "Blaine, you will love the guys. They're the best. Like, I can't-"

I interrupted. "I know, David. Calm down. You're definitely the first manager to hug me after that, but I'd like to think it's because it's me and that you wouldn't hug just any ol' dude." He laughed sheepishly as Wes was wiping his eyes from crying at David's overtly physical "bro moment" that we shared. "Let's go," I said, gesturing toward the backstage area.

David practically skipped ahead of me as Wes was shaking his head behind me, clearly amused with how the normally emotionally composed David was acting out of character tonight. Wes and David were normally so calm and collected so it was certainly a funny change. But between the alcohol and the fact that this guy's career was about to blow up, I could understand his excitement. I'd felt that way once too.

David found the green room where the band was packing up and knocked on the door before walking in. "Hey guys!"

Each of the boys looked up at David with enthusiastic smiles and excited greetings. "I wanted to introduce you guys to someone," David said, his demeanor shifting to professional mode rather than his previous freak-out persona. "This is-"

"Blaine, right?" Zach asked as he put his guitar pick in his mouth. I was surprised that this kid still remembered me. He must have met hundreds of people at his shows, and yet he still remembered my name. I smiled internally - this kid was perfect front man material; charismatic, knew how to work a room, remembered details about people. Oh yeah, they'll be just fine.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson, if we're getting into specifics, and I'm with Rialto Records."

The pick from Zach's mouth dropped and I could practically hear the tiny plastic object hit the ground with how quiet it got in that room. Each of the guys just stared.

"Rialto Records? Like THE Rialto Records?" asked one of the guys who I assumed to be David's brother since they looked like they could've been twins.

I nodded again. "The very same. I'm actually in artist development and I must say, I was very impressed with you guys when I first saw you in Brooklyn. And I wasn't the only one." I had to add that dramatic pause - the looks on their faces was always the best part of my job; seeing the amazement that their lives could change really, really soon. I continued, "My boss is very interested in working with you guys in the coming months. I'd be your liaison with the label and I'd help you guys work through the writing and recording process along with marketing and just helping you navigate the whole-"

"Ohmygod - WE ARE GOING TO RECORD A RECORD!" Zach exclaimed as the rest of the boys started jumping up and down. I smiled and looked over at David whose smile was practically stretching his face to new lengths with how big his smile was.

"Guys... GUYS!" I yelled trying to regain the attention of the room. The guys settled back into their places, content smiles still on their faces. "Yes, I'm here to help you record a record. It won't be easy - there will be days that you'll hate each other, where the words won't come, where you won't be able to think in anything but chords and lyrics. But me - and David, of course - will be here to make it a whole lot easier. We have a meeting set up for next Wednesday to come to our office, get things signed and start coming up with a plan for your record. Does that work for you guys?"

Zach stepped forward and shook my hand. "You bet your ass it works for us," he said with a grin.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I said with a laugh. At that point, everyone was laughing and grinning. Days like these were the best days.

"We should celebrate!" Wes, who had been standing quietly by the door the whole time, finally decided to join the conversation - clearly wanting to hang out a bit more.

David chuckled and I shook my head. "Sure thing, killer," I said. My phone buzzed in my pocket and as I pulled it out I saw a text from Santana. I grinned. "We will celebrate! And I have one person I'd love for you guys to meet."