“I cannot believe it’s only 12 …” I groaned.

I heard Blaine laugh on his bed. “Believe it.”

“That means we only got four hours of sleep!”

“Yup! Welcome to college life. Here’s your complementary Tylenol and water,” Blaine chuckled, somehow at my side with both.

I eyed the offerings wearily before ingesting both of them. “You seem to know a lot about this.”

“I took AP Biology last year. My teacher decided that was important for us future college kids to know,” he laughed. “By the way, are you still going to check out that store today?”

“Oh yes! I nearly forgot!” Last night, we passed a store with a ‘Now Hiring’ sign in their window. It was a small, vintage clothes shop. “Yes I should go get dressed.” I was still wearing last night’s clothes.

“That seems like a good idea,” he laughed.

I grabbed some clothes and hopped into the bathroom. I quickly got dressed, glad to see I didn’t look too horrid to go look for a job. I carefully applied my skin care and went on my way.

“I’ll be back!” I called.

With the help of a very friendly homeless man, I was able to find the street the store was on. “Gramma’s Closet” was a small, hole in the wall place. I opened the door and walked in, the tiny bell jingling.

“Hello?” I said to the empty store.

“Hiya!” A woman popped up from behind the counter. She had long hair worn in a loose French braid. She was old, at least in her seventies. But you could tell she was stunning when she was younger. Her hair was silver and her skin had aged beautifully, definitely something I approved of. “Can I help you?”

“Yes hi, I saw you were hiring?” I said, walking over to the counter. “I would like to apply.”

“Oh goodie! Here ya’ go, just fill this out,” she pulled out a clipboard with a form attached very neatly to it.

I smiled and went to work. Name? Kurt Hummel. Age? 18. This was going to be easy.

“Um excuse me ma’am - ?” I started to asked.

“Oh just call me Ms. Bubby.”

“Okay, Ms. Bubby?” I asked. “Just about my hours, I go to school at NYADA,” I explained. “So I can only work after class. I end around five.”

“Oh that’s fine; you’ll be with Savannah then. She goes to Fordham,” she rambled.

“Oh that’s nice,” I chuckled. “Oh you make it sound like I have the job.”

“Oh I’m sure you’re a fine sales clerk. I don’t have many people working here and it is always good to have extra help. You got it, darling.”

I grinned. “Oh thank you! You have no idea how much I can use the money. I-I just moved here. From Ohio.”

“Wow that’s a faraway place, isn’t it?” she chuckled. “I glad I could help. You’ll start tomorrow, at 6?”

“I can be here. Thank you so much again!” I smiled as I got up, handing her the form. “It’s all filled out.”

“Oh this is only for professional purposes. Like I said, not many people are looking to work here, although a lot like to shop here.”

“I know I would. I love little places like these,” I said.

“I’m glad to hear that. I can tell it will be a pleasure working with you.”

I entered our apartment to find no one else was there. There was a note on the fridge written in sloppy handwriting.

xoxox Blainers!

Lovely. Some time alone. I went into my room and saw that Blaine had finished unpacking. Pictures littered his wall and desk. I smiled and decided to go play Sherlock Holmes and look at them. I started with the desk. Each picture frame had Blaine with a number of friends. There was one of him at the beach being squished in a hug by a girl with short, multicolored hair and a number of facial piercings. “Cute,” I chuckled as I continued to snoop. There was another one of him on a beautiful brown horse, hugging it lovingly. I chuckled and continued, finding more pictures of him and that girl, his horses, a group of boys in dazzling blazers, him and a group of kids in a courtyard. And this was all on his desk.

I moved over to his bed, where that wall was filled with poster board collages of pictures of his friends and him and his parents and a little girl. I was surprised. In one picture, his father was wearing something like a priest uniform, but simpler. A deacon, right? Part of me wondered how his father took him being gay. Or was that just to prove a point the other day? I was going to go back to my side but then I spotted the biggest picture, right by his pillow. It was of him and that little girl in the world’s most hideous Christmas sweaters. The little girl’s eyes was baggy, and she looked tired behind her grin. She was thin and fragile looking.

“That’s my little sister.”

I jumped at the voice. “O-oh! I’m sorry! I wasn’t spying or anything!”

“No no,” he chuckled. “It’s alright. Just saying, that’s my little sister.”

I nodded. “She’s very cute.”

“She has cystic fibrosis.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a lung disease. Fluid in the lungs. Enzymes not all present there that she can eat without being sick later,” he sighed.

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know,” I said. “I-is it permanent?”

He nodded. “Yup, she’ll have it forever,” he shook his heading, smiling. “It’s okay though. She takes it like a champ,” he laughed.

I laughed along. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Yea and she’s such a tomboy. This chick,” he pointed to the multicolored hair girl. “She’s my biffle. Violet. Knew her forever! Since we were in Pre-k. I shared my poptart with her after she beat up these kids for taking my batman comic. And those dapper gentlemen,” he pointed to him and the boys in blazers. “Are the Warblers. My school’s Glee club. One of them at least. All boys A capella. We were pretty good. And this,” he pointed to the group of kids. “Is my youth group. This is us at one of our events this summer. And you met my kickass parents, Lady Alice and Deacon Patrick,” he grinned. “Well? What about you?”

“Me? Well …” I went over to my desk, where a few frames laid. “This is my parents,” I showed him an old photo of me, my dad, and my mom. “This is my real mother. She died when I was young,” I explained. “The woman you met was my step mother.”

“I’m sorry Kurt,” he frowned.

“It’s alright. It was a long time ago,” I said. I continued to show him all my photos; of New Directions, of me and my dad, Carole, and Finn, me and Mercedes, me and Rachel, me and the ND boys, ND at Graduation.

“I’m not shocked you were in a Glee club,” he chuckled. “You’re really good.”

“Thank you, you’re not too bad yourself Mr. Warbler,” I laughed.

“Oh Kurt, you flatter me,” he laughed.