Santana was a complete and utter bitch. She had sidled up to Blaine as he was about to get on the bus, informed him that Brittany would be joining the Spartans on the bus and that hed have to go on the Sirens bus since they only had one of those stupid mini-buses and there wasnt enough room to house the extra person Santana was so keen on bringing aboard. She gave him no chance to retort, protest, or question the sudden change of plans, but shoved him (and his bag which she had grabbed off the bus prior to him walking up to it) to the Sirens bus and waved bye to him as he stood there in stunned silence.

"You know, for only a hundred bucks more, the Sirens could get a larger bus and then you wouldnt have to worry about this sort of thing." Kurts all too sure and smooth voice said behind him.

Blaine shook his head, still trying to negotiate his new transportation plans in his mind as he looked back to Kurt. "Whats the negotiate? Why is Brittany coming on my bus? Why do I have to get put out for her? I thought there was this whole unspoken rule about not associating with the enemy!"

Kurt chuckled and grabbed Blaines bag from him before he could argue. "There is, but it seems like all the rules we knew about in cheer are being broken. Come on. Ill let you sit with me."

As if it all couldnt get anymore confusing, Blaine now had to wrap his head around Kurt suddenly being nice to him. He followed Kurt on the bus, being met with icy stares from all the black on red wearing Sirens already sitting and feeling very out of place with his red on black uniform.

"Top bitches get the back of the bus." Kurt noted ahead of him, causing Blaine to swallow back his discomfort as he kept wading through the sea of girls and occasional guy to the back. He always hated riding in the back of the bus as a kid. Every bump was ten times as worse in the back as it was in the front and he didnt have the strongest stomach.

"Whats the hobbit doing here?" Quinn snarked as Kurt slipped into the very last seat and patted the space beside him. She sat across from him and her look made the glares from the other girls look downright warm in comparison.

"Brittanys on his bus. We traded."

She furrowed her brow together, clearly just as confounded as Blaine was about the situation and then shook her head. "This is not going to make anything better."

Kurt shrugged, "Whatever. Anyone has a problem with it then they can take it up with me. Not like Coach will know anyhow since she insists on driving that ugly old car back and forth on trips."

Quinn huffed, ending the conversation by pulling on a pair of headphones and resting her head back to listen to whatever was being piped through them. Kurt patted Blaine on the knee and leaned back against the bench chair as well.

"Why are you being nice?"

Kurt snickered at that and his smirk made its appearance as he regarded Blaine. "You saying Im not usually a kind and lovable person?"

"Not really no. In fact, youre bitchier than my mother when shes having a hot flash."

Kurt shrugged, "I dont have a base of reference for that. My mom died when I was eight and my step-mom hasnt gone through menopause yet."

"Well youll know when she does." Blaine said, recalling his mothers last menopause induced rant when he had gone home to visit just before the start of the semester. "And Im sorry about your mom."

"Dont fucking be sorry. I hate it when people say theyre sorry. It wasnt your fault. Im just stating a fact."

Blaine drew his hands up in surrender. "Sorry! I mean…. sorry about being sorry."

Kurt shrugged again, looking out the window at the passing landscape. "Whatever."

Blaine sighed. He was being given a rare opportunity here and he should be taking advantage of it even though the desire to withdraw and just spend the trip plugging into his own music was high. "I suppose youre trying out for the stunt team?"

"I am… though its really just a formality. Ill be on the stunt team."

Blaine couldnt help but mimic Kurts smirk at the confidence that was just so Kurt. "Santanas mad at me because I wont try out."

That seemed to catch Kurts interest as his head turned away from the road and back onto Blaine. "Why not? Youre decent enough."

"I… thanks… but I just dont have the time."

"What the hell could possibly be eating up your time? Its not like youre any different from the rest of us with school and cheer."

Blaine shrugged up his shoulders a little. "I have a double major so I have an extra course on top of the usual load and I need to tutor piano to help pay for things… I dont know how you do it all plus drama performances. I barely get any sleep."

"Using caffeine pills or speed?"

Blaine blinked and shook his head.

"Well get some. Thats how everyone else does it. Anyhow, why do you need to tutor piano? Isnt the great Anderson fortune helping you line your bed with bills?"

"I...er… no. Actually Anderson Co. isnt attached to my last name anymore even though the corporation that bought it out kept the name."

Kurt tilted his head. "No trust fund then?"

Blaine let out a soft sigh and nodded as he echoed "No trust fund."

"Huh. Interesting."

Not too bad, or thats upsetting, or hows your family now - but, simply, interesting. "Why interesting?"

"I totally had you pegged as one of those upturned nose, polo playing, yacht club elitists."

Blaine let out a short giggle. "Well I did play polo back in the day, but we never had a yacht. Lack of places to float a boat in Westerville."

Kurt eyebrows arched a little, "Duly noted. So SCU then because…."

"... of the male cheer scholarship. It was the only way I could get college paid for."

Kurt nodded a little, eyes still caught on Blaine who could swear he saw the thoughts floating through those blue globes. "You cheered in high school?"

Blaine shook his head. "No. I went to an all boys school in fact. Never cheered before pre-season training camp this summer actually."

That made Kurts blue eyes go wide. "What?!"

"I was allowed to audition based on the fact that I had experience in dance and gymnastics, and because there were no opportunities for me to be in cheer during high school…. it was kind of a technicality but it got me in anyhow."

"So youre telling me that I worked my ass off in high school cheer from sophomore year to senior year to get my scholarship and you slipped in and got the same damned scholarship because of a fucking technicality?"

Blaines ears warmed as they went red. "Ah… yeah?"

"Fuck." Kurt returned to looking out the window.

"I know it must seem really lousy on my part… it was just the only way I could get in anywhere… I wasnt good enough at anything else for any other scholarships. I mean, I did okay in all my classes and sports… but I was never the top pick in them."

"You know, cheerleading is one of the most underpaid professional sports and yet has the highest rates of injuries and fatalities among college athletics. To go into this, especially as a guy, is showing a lot of commitment. Now once college is over Ill be done with it… I have other plans… but I work hard at what I do and now Im kind of wondering why the hell I did because I feel like the whole thing has been cheapened by your ability to get on without any experience."

Blaine sighed. Going into this conversation he had had such good intentions. Now though it was clear he had only made things worse. Time to lay it all out on the line….

"Kurt. My family has nothing. Capital N nothing. A competitor sprang up out of China that was able to outbid the family company on all the contracts they had held until that point and my family ended up going bankrupt. I had trust funds… but I opted to cash them out and use them to help my parents so they could afford a house after they lost theirs. I need a college degree in order to get a job where I can be financially stable so I never have to worry about losing everything again… and the only place I could find a scholarship was SCU. Am I taking advantage of a technicality? You bet I am… but Id do it over and over again to make sure my family is taken care of. In the grand scheme of things… you might hate me for it, but thats peanuts compared to what the end result of it all will be for me…. security."

All that and all Blaine got in response was a roll of the eyes from Kurt who turned back to the window once again as soon as Blaine was done talking. Blaine was sure Kurt didnt have a heart at that point, or if he did it was consumed with cheer and cheer alone.

"I was supposed to go to New York for theater… my dad had a second heart attack though and I didnt want to be far from him. This was the only other place where I could get a scholarship and be close enough to visit him… even though it seems like I never do with how hectic things always are… You think I dont understand the need to be loyal to your family Blaine? You think youre the only one with shitty circumstances? I thought Id be done with cheer and all these catty bitches once high school was done… but here I am… still doing the same damned thing. I cant seem to get away from the high school drama and now here you are, threatening the only thing Im good at."

Blaine quickly shook his head. "Im not though! I dont want your position.. hell… I dont even really want to be the captain of the Spartans. Im quite alright with being a guy in the background so long as I can keep my scholarship and get my degree."

"But you are." Kurt reaffirmed, a slight shudder to his voice. "Youre not even trying and you are. Just you wait. Theyll call for you when theyve always called for me. You have no experience and youre just so damned good as it is. Thats what really irks me."

Blaine frowned, looking down at his lap as the guilt flooded over him. He couldnt help that, his logical, reasonable mind knew it, but still he felt bad. Kurt had worked hard for what he had and for whatever reason he felt threatened by Blaines natural ability.

"Id give it up… cheer… if there was a way for me to keep the scholarship Kurt. I dont mean to impose on what youve earned… I… just… theres no other way for me."

"I get it.." Kurt murmured, a sigh of his own falling out of his lips. "... I dont like it… but I get it."

Well, that was a start at least.

JBIatSCU
This just in! Sirens take #1 and Spartans take #2 at the competition this weekend - but is it comradery or rivalry driving them to success? Find out more at my blog!
#JBIatSCU

AuntieSnix
Who the hell took a photo of Brit and I on the bus?!
#JBIatSCU

FondueForMew
I think it was someone behind us because all they got was our high ponys.

AuntieSnix
I find out who did that and sent it to JBI - their ass is mine.

FondueForMew
I thought you said my ass was yours….

AuntieSnix
Oh Brit…

Quintessential
Barf.

KittysKorner
Barf.

Samcconaughey
Hot.