The next week flew by. I had scarcely finished my day at work when I would head home, trying to finalize my plans. Blaine had been right—I needed to do something that not only showed my authority but also brought together my department. However, I was beginning to think that it wasn’t just my department that could use a sense of comradeship. All of the Arts Departments worked in the same area, with the same students. Wouldn’t it be great to bring all of us together? I thought so, which is why I decided that Lake Vermont needed to do something extra special this year—a musical production.

It wasn’t that Lake Vermont never did plays. Once a term there would be a minor production, but it only contained theater students. With a musical, we could involve all of the departments. The theater kids could act; the music kids could sing and play in the orchestra; the visual arts kids could help with props. In fact, there would be more than enough opportunities for anyone who wanted to participate. In order to make them want to, though, it had to be good. A show that everyone would want to be a part of—a show that changed lives. I knew I was probably going overboard, but it was hard to reign myself in when inspiration struck.

I would have to turn in a proposal to the headmaster to be approved, and then discuss this with each of the department heads. I was not especially nervous, considering the department heads were Blaine and Puck. The only thing that would be an issue was Sebastian. I had decided that the only way to settle things with him would be to give him an equal part in the process, co-director. If he agreed, we would spend countless hours together, which would give us a chance to settle our differences. Or kill each other, I thought with a smile.

One night in the middle of my last few edits on my proposal, I was interrupted by Rachel calling. It was not often that we managed to talk, so I quickly answered my cell.

“Kurt?” It was Rachel, my best friend and ex-roommate. I knew why she was calling. She had been harassing me to come visit her for ages. She had gotten her first role on Broadway, as a munchkin in Wicked. I’d been trying to get back to New York for weeks so that I could see her. “So, have you been thinking of when you can come up?” She asked.

“About that, I think I can come soon. There’s a trip to the city in a few weeks, and I’m going to ask to chaperone. I’ll see your show, and then we can catch up over dinner. I’ve got so much to tell you!” I exclaimed. Rachel was the Elphaba to my Galinda, and I missed talking to her every day.

“Yay! We can go out to dinner, and I’ll invite Jackie. I know that you’ve been dying to meet her… So, how’s life as a responsible adult treating you? Have you killed any midgets yet?”

I giggled, “Not yet, though the thought has occurred once or twice. But right now, I’m in the middle of a huge project,” I quickly summarized my plans on a musical for Rachel. “What do you think?”

“I think that’s great! But, do you think you can handle it? You don’t want to overstretch yourself during your first year.”

“I know, I know. But, you know how I am. I’m happiest when I’m so busy I forget to breathe.”

“True. I remember coming home after rehearsals to find you asleep at the computer. You never know when to stop. I worry, hon. It’s not healthy! Now, enough about that, tell me about the hottie who lives downstairs!” Rachel insisted. I blushed, thankful that Rachel couldn’t see. I was beginning to fall for Blaine, it was true, but I hated that I had become so transparent.

“There’s not much to tell. Blaine’s a sweet guy, but he’s just my coworker. Nothing more. Besides, I think Sebastian has his eyes on him.” I scowled. Things with Sebastian had calmed slightly, but he still irritated me. He had begun to sit at our table at lunch time, and his flirting with Blaine had not gone unnoticed. Except, it seemed, to Blaine, who was oblivious to most things. Puck was having fun at his expense, although you could tell that he had also had enough of Sebastian.

Rachel and I talked for an hour or so, trading gossip and laughing over the craziness that happened backstage at the Gershwin Theater. She seemed excited by my ideas for a musical, and had convinced me that I should tell Blaine about my progress. I had already begun brainstorming ideas for a show, but now I felt like I need some more input. I went downstairs, hoping to run into Blaine and show him my proposal. I’d yet to bring it up with him, wanting to wait until I had figured everything out.

Blaine wasn’t in the living room, but Annabel was. She was sprawled on the floor scribbling on a huge piece of butcher paper frantically. I knelt down to glance at her drawing.

“Mr. Hummel! I haven’t seen you in a million years!” She said. “Want to color with me?”

“Actually, I’m looking for your Daddy. Do you know where he is?” I asked.

“He’s stinky! So he’s taking a bath, because you get a time out if you skip a bath.” She said knowledgeably. I set my laptop on the couch and sat gingerly on the carpet.

“I guess I can color with you until he gets out, okay?” I said. Annabel smiled and handed me a pink crayon. I scooted down to a blank section of the paper and began to sketch abstractly.

“Do you think it looks like a turtle?” Asked Annabel, gesturing to her squiggles. I glanced at the drawing critically. If you squinted, and turned your head—nope, it still didn’t look like anything.

“Definitely!” I lied.

“Darn! I was drawing a princess,” she sighed, “But that’s okay. I’ll add a tiara and then it has to be a princess.” I couldn’t argue that logic, so I just nodded. It was interesting to be around Annabel. She said the most ridiculous things with the most serious expressions. She seemed to have her own entire personality, but there were still things that were so utterly Blaine in her. When she looked at someone like they were being ridiculous, she had the same expression that I had noticed on Blaine every time he looked at Puck. When she drew, she played with her curls just like Blaine did when he was concentrating.

“Did you know that snakes eat mice-ickles?” she asked without looking up from her drawing. “Those are like popsicles, ‘cept for snakes to eat. And Miss Holiday let Jesse feed Snuffles mice-ickles on Friday. I was too scared, and Jesse said that means I’m a baby. But I’m not, because I don’t even wear diapers anymore.” She babbled more about her school. It was impossible not to enjoy Annabel’s explanations of life. Understanding what she was trying to say sometimes took a little while, but when I did it was always worth it.

“Who’s Jesse?” I asked, still focused on my cartoon version of Mother Monster.

“Jesse’s my bestest friend. He’s six!” She exclaimed. “He’s super smart, ‘cause he’s a big kid. He comes over sometimes, but he doesn’t like to play Barbies. He says they’re for girls. But Daddy isn’t a girl, and he loves to play!” I chuckled at the idea of Blaine playing with Barbies. He would probably throw all of his energy into it, like he did with everything else.

“Anna? Who’re you talking to?” Blaine’s voice called up as he ascended the stairs. “Oh, hey Kurt!” Blaine was wearing a wife beater and snug gray sweatpants. Water droplets fell down his neck, dampening his shirt. I held back a groan. It wasn’t fair. Why hadn’t I had ended up with Puck living with me, instead of this gorgeous man that was so far out of my league it hurt? Blaine, as always, was oblivious to my struggles, and walked over to where Annabel and I were coloring. He bent down behind me and peered at our picture. It took all of my self-control not to lean into his warmth. This was getting ridiculous!

“Annabel, this is great! Do I get to put it up on the fridge?” Asked Blaine with a smile.

“Mr. Hummel? Can Daddy put up our picture?” Annabel asked. I nodded, and Annabel grinned. “Okay Daddy! But, first, we have to sign it!” She scribbled out her name in sloppy letters across the bottom of the paper. “Now you,” She said, gesturing at me. I autographed it with a flourish, and Blaine took it. He went to the kitchen to put it up, and I reached out to grab my computer.

“Hey, Anna? Can I talk to your Dad for a minute?” I asked.

“Sure. I’ll go play, and you can come when you’re done!” She said, before running downstairs.

“Where’d she run off to?” Blaine asked as he returned. He sat down on the couch next to me, and I opened up my laptop.

“Her room, I’m guessing. Do you have a sec? I’d like to show you something.” I handed him my laptop, which was opened to the proposal I had worked so hard on. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I think I’ve got an idea that could work.”

Blaine read through my work silently, a grin growing on his face. “This is a great idea! We’ve never tried something like this, but I’m sure this is exactly what we need to bring the departments together. You’re going to let me help, right?” He asked, already bouncing slightly in his seat. “Oh my god, I have so many great ideas! Have you thought of what we should perform?”

“Calm down! I still have to get Headmaster Douglass to approve it! Of course, I’d love for you to help. Someone has to teach the kids to sing, after all. But, do you think Sebastian will be willing to work with me?” I asked. “I’m kind of worried that he’ll think it’s a stupid idea.”

“Sebastian may be a little rough around the edges, but he’d do anything for those kids. He’ll take some convincing, but when he sees how well you’ve planned this out he’ll be begging to be a part of this. I’ll talk to him, if you want. As for Headmaster Douglass, this is exactly what he wanted from the new department head. He’s going to be thrilled that you’ve put so much effort into this. When are you going to present it?” He asked.

“Well, I was thinking that I’d do it at this weeks’ faculty meeting.” I said.

“Sounds great! I do have a few edits, though, if you don’t mind?” He asked. We went over my proposal for a while, fixing things up and making it perfect. While finishing it up, the subject of the trip to New York came up.

“I’ve been trying to get back to the city for weeks, so I’m thinking of chaperoning. Do you know what all is required?” I asked.

“I’ve chaperoned a few trips, but never an overnight one, so I’m not sure. I was actually going to go, though, so I can sign you up if you want. They usually just ask us to have our cells on us at all times in case a kid has an emergency. Other than the nightly check-ins, not much else is required. Since we have that Friday off, I think we would be leaving early in the morning so we could get there at about noon. Then we stay in the hotel that night, and leave early Sunday morning. There’s an informational meeting this Saturday.” He explained. I was so excited. This week I would pitch my idea for the musical, and then in two weeks I’d get to see Rachel. I’d really missed New York, so it would be great to go back.

Blaine was right. Headmaster Douglas was thrilled with my proposal, and after the faculty meeting a swarm of teachers surrounded me. It seemed that everyone wanted to be a part of Lake Vermont’s first ever musical. Sebastian was even excited about it, and he readily agreed to co-direct. Mike and Brittany had agreed to choreograph, Puck wanted to have his students design sets, and Blaine was recruiting the orchestra to play.

We had our first meeting the afternoon after getting it approved. There were about fifteen teachers there. We slowly began to plan out specifics. We decided that we could have rehearsals after school, during normal sports hours. Headmaster Douglass had agreed to let the kids skip a sports requirement if they were cast, so there would be no problems in that regard. Since the majority of the teachers were already involved in extracurricular activities at that time, we decided that we wouldn’t all attend each rehearsal. Wednesdays, for example, would be focused only on choreography, and only Mike and Brittany would be required to be there. However, since I didn’t have any commitments yet, being a new teacher, it was decided that I would attend all rehearsals.

The hardest part turned out to be deciding on a musical to perform. We had already figured out a performance date, reserving the theater for the weekend in March, but agreeing on a musical was a lot more complicated. I had voted for Chicago, but that was quickly shot down. Everyone thought that we should do something family-friendly for a first show. It was actually Sebastian that settled it. He suggested Fiddler on the Roof, and even I had to admit that it was a great idea. It was a classic, and it would be sure to appeal to everyone. I would immediately start to work on getting the permission, and ordering scripts.

I knew that the next few weeks were going to be busy, preparing for the musical. There was so much planning that needed to be completed before we could even begin the audition process, so I was glad that I would be taking the trip to New York next weekend. It would probably be my last chance to relax in a long time!