Kurt Hummel should not have been this nervous for Regionals. He was now a sophomore and was one of the original members of McKinley High School's New Directions.

Could Mr. Schue have come up with a gayer name for the glee club? Sheesh.

He had come out of the closet in the fall. It wasn't as Earth-shattering as he feared it would be, probably because his dad was the greatest dad of all time. He might not have admitted this much to Burt Hummel, but Kurt knew he was a lucky kid to have someone at home who loved and accepted him for who he was. It was too bad his dad had to work at the shop today; it would have been nice to have some parental support at Regionals.

Regionals. Right.

There was no need to be nervous. Sure, their set-list was comprised entirely of Journey songs that may have been in vogue well before he was born. But, they were crowd pleasers and at least he had a solo. Okay, it was one line, but that was better than nothing. Maybe next year he'd be a featured vocalist instead of just Rachel and Finn.

If he couldn't stand out vocally, at least he could stand out for being himself. Being different was the best thing about Kurt and he knew it. Even when he was dressed like the rest of the guys in the glee club (damn those matching costumes), he knew he wore his clothes just a little bit better than everyone else.

Even though he usually spent the most time among the glee kids getting ready before a performance, somehow Kurt finished first today. He kissed Mercedes on the cheek and told her he was going to watch an all-boys a cappella group he saw on the program. For some reason they weren't competing in the same bracket as the New Directions, so it wasn't like he was supporting the enemies. If anything, he just wanted to hear (okay, ogle) at some singing boys that were probably his age. Maybe that would help him forget about his pre-competition jitters…

...

Blaine Anderson should not have been this nervous for Regionals. Even though he was a freshman (again), he was used to the show choir circuit from performing in his last high school's glee club.

This year was different, though. This year Blaine didn't get heckled by the other kids in his group for being gay or get gum stuck in his uncontrollably curly hair. Fingers crossed that this year he would avoid getting beat up at a school dance so badly that he'd have to repeat freshman year for a third time.

No - This year Blaine fit in because this year Blaine was at Dalton. This year no one cared if he was gay because Dalton had a strictly enforced anti-bullying policy. This year no one could stick gum – or anything for that matter – in his hair because his mom made him cut it short and coat it in a thick layer of hair gel (nothing could stick to that). This year Blaine was appreciated for his talent.

This year Blaine had a solo.

Oh right… that's why he was nervous.

He loved his fellow Warblers (his glee club was named after birds that were more easily heard than seen – how appropriate since everybody was forced to wear the same navy blazer and ill-fitting gray pants), and it really was an honor to be given a solo as a freshman.

No, not given, he reminded himself. He EARNED the solo.

Deep breaths, Blaine.

Normally a freshman wouldn't even be allowed to audition for the Warblers, but the council made a special exception in Blaine's case because he should have been a sophomore. Blaine thought they were only nice to him because they heard rumors about why he was repeating his freshman year, but he was grateful to be accepted even if it might have been out of pity.

This wasn't their only gig today, so he would have to sing his solo twice. Once in just a few minutes, then later at a nursing home. For some reason, David and Wes booked that performance only a couple hours after this one. They were literally going to have to hop back on the bus right after they were done onstage if there was any chance on getting to the nursing home on time. That sucked. Blaine wanted to watch the other groups sing. It would have been nice to scope out the competition, and he heard there was this other group that was singing Journey songs. They weren't in the Warblers' competition bracket, but it still would have been nice to watch them perform. Oh well…

Blaine stood in front of the mirror in the Warblers' green room and straightened his tie for the umpteenth time. Even though he was surrounded by the rest of the Warblers, he was in the zone. It was only when the lights blinked overhead signaling five minutes until they hit the stage that Blaine snapped back to reality.

...

Kurt snuck into the back of the auditorium and slid into an open seat on the aisle just as a voice through the overhead speakers announced, "And now, from Westerville, Ohio, here's the Dalton Academy Warblers!"

The curtain parted and Kurt's first reaction was to blanche at the hideous matching uniforms that were not doing anything for any of the couple dozen boys that were standing up on stage, all with their hands clasped behind their backs.

However Kurt's jaw dropped when all the boys started singing Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." He might not have been able to differentiate between who was singing what because everyone was just a flash of navy blazers and those gray pants (were they polyester?). They didn't dance, per se, but there were definitely some advanced two-steps moves combined with some well-choreographed line changes. It was like watching a marching band without the instruments. No – there were instruments. Kurt could tell that the taller boy in the back was the one responsible for all the drum sounds. Amazing.

Kurt found himself shooting up out of his seat and clapping wildly with the rest of the audience when the song ended. After a lengthy applause, he dropped back down into his seat and eagerly waited for the second song to start.

After a nod from a thin Asian boy, the group sang their opening harmony in perfect unison. Kurt was grateful that the New Directions weren't up against these boys.

He didn't recognize the second song right away and listened to the opening lyrics to see if he could figure it out. They weren't moving around for this number, so it was easier to focus on the words instead of gawking at all of the dancing and singing boys.

When it came time for the chorus, Kurt finally realized they were singing James Taylor's "Fire and Rain." (I guess the New Directions weren't the only group that had a theme for their program.) As the last line in the first stanza came to an end, a short boy with very shiny hair worked his way to the front of the group and the rest of the boys arranged themselves around him.

The boy opened his mouth and started singing

Won't you look down on me, Jesus

You've got to help me make a stand

You've just got to see me through another day

My body's aching and my time is at hand

And I won't make it any other way

Kurt melted in his seat just a little bit. This boy's voice was gorgeous – not just the texture, but the passion behind every word. He wasn't just singing lyrics… the words came easily and full of truth like they were his original thoughts. Kurt found himself blushing because it felt like he was watching someone have a very public private moment.

...

Blaine was thankful the spotlights were so bright so that he couldn't see the audience. Even though he was surrounded by his fellow Warblers, he felt alone on the stage and almost preferred it that way – at least in this moment for this song.

It was time for the chorus again and Blaine involuntarily closed his eyes as the lyrics poured out of his mouth as if they were a confession.

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend

But I always thought that I'd see you again

On the last line, Blaine opened his eyes and could feel a tear running down his cheek. He was too scared to wipe it away, so he let it be as he shuffled to his spot near the back of the Warblers. His solo was over and her felt relief, but also an incredible amount of pain.

Blaine understood those lyrics better than any of his fellow Warblers knew. He saw lonely times – especially being the new kid in the group. Sure, the Warblers were his friends, but he didn't have a best friend. Not anymore, any way. That position hadn't been filled since he moved away from Lima a few years ago after their house burnt down.

Blaine always wondered what happened to Kurt Hummel.

...

Kurt knew the Warblers were still singing, but wasn't really paying attention to them anymore because he was too preoccupied thinking about their soloist. Even though he was sitting in the back of the auditorium, Kurt could tell that that short boy with the shiny hair got really emotional toward the end of his solo. He swore he saw light reflecting off of something on his face. Was that a tear? Wait… was he crying too?

He wiped his own cheeks and found that they were wet. That song hit a little bit too close to home.

Kurt was lonely. Sure, the other kids in New Directions were his friends, but he didn't have a best friend. Mercedes was close, but even she never quite measured up to his best friend that moved away a few years ago after his family's house burnt down.

Kurt always wondered what happened to Blaine Anderson.