Late on the Sunday afternoon in early June, Blaine’s footsteps echoed through the empty halls of McKinley high. Blaine had come straight to the school after he dropped Kurt off at the airport. His eyes were still puffy and red from crying so much in the parking lot of the airport. It wasn’t like he didn’t know he was going, he’d been building himself up to it for a year. But seeing the most perfect person that had walked in to his life walk through the gates of the terminal basically tore him in to a million pieces inside. Burt and Carole offered for Blaine to come back and have some dinner with them, but Blaine wanted to be alone.
McKinley was the first place he thought to come, he didn’t want to go home, his father would just rip in to him about how its better Kurt’s going to be in a different state for a while. Blaine knew the school would be open because April had bought the auditorium, this meant that it was open to public use, not just the schools. He and Kurt had spent numerous Saturday afternoons hanging out in the auditorium, blasting their favourite show tunes and preparing for Nationals. Occasionally joined by the rest of the glee club just for the company. If any of them were told three years ago they’d become best friends with such a group of social misfits they’d have laughed in their faces. But it’s true, they were best friends, and the majority of them had gone on too big and better things after graduation. Like Kurt.
Blaine’s feet stopped at the door of the auditorium, he wiped a stray tear that had escaped from his eye while he was thinking about the time he and Kurt had done a perfect rendition of For Good together on the stage. In the scary silence of the building, a soft voice appeared from behind the closed door. He recognised the voice, it wasn’t speaking or shouting, it was singing. Between small sobs Blaine could just about make out what song was coming from the other person. Pressing his hand to the door knob, Blaine twisted it and pushed it open slightly.
“Miss Berry.” He said softly to himself, he didn’t hear her. She was way too far away to hear anything and seemed in her own little world.
Blaine watched the tiny girl move across the stage belting out ‘Cry’ to herself very solemnly.
The way her body moved effortlessly when she was on a stage was incredible to Blaine, she was a natural performer and everyone knew it. She could get a crowd on their feet in seconds with her magnificent voice. It was sharp and raw, yet soft and beautiful. It just happened that Blaine’s voice suited hers perfectly.
Life hadn’t been great for Rachel in the past few months; her audition for NAYADA didn’t go half as well as was expected of the star. After begging for a second chance and winning Nationals, it still wasn’t enough. She watched Kurt, her best friend get in to the school she’d dreamed of, she watched her boyfriend move to LA with his best friend to start a ‘stupid pool cleaning business’ while she knew she would be stuck in Lima. Eighteen years of work wasted for a few messed up lyrics in one stupid audition.
In the middle of the last bridge of the song, Rachel collapses on to the floor, cupped her face in her hands and cried. Blaine jumped from foot to foot wondering what he should do. Rachel didn’t know he was there, but it looked like she could defiantly use someone right now. He watched on for a moment as her sobs got even louder and she lay down on the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and cried like Blaine had never seen.
“Jesus.”
He began to rush down the stairs towards the stage; Rachel still hadn’t felt his presence in the room. All he could think of was how Carmen Tibideaux was possibly the worse person in the world for not letting Rachel shine like he knew she could. It was different for Blaine; he was stuck here for another year because of his age. Sure it had crossed his mind numerous times to transfer back to Dalton, not with Sebastian there. Rachel was good and stuck here on her own, blatantly refusing to follow Finn and Puck to LA.
Reaching the sobbing girl on the stage, he took one last look at her and knelt at the side of her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders he pulled her up so she was crying in to his chest. Okay they weren’t the greatest of friends, but the fact that they were the most talented members of the Glee Club kind of bonded them last year. Blaine continued to stroke thee Jewish girl’s soft brown hair and plant soothing kisses to the top of her head.
Blaine could feel himself welling up again, like he had been for the past couple of days on and off, just thinking about Kurt and how much all their lives would change just because of a graduation year. He remembered once when he was sat in the coffee shop with Kurt after he’d been to Dalton and Kurt told him of a guy named Bryan Ryan. He’d told the group that none of them would end up out of Lima, they’d spend the rest of their lives here and they wouldn’t amount to anything. With Puck and Finn expanding a business, Kurt moving to fulfil his dream, Mike off to a dance school, Santana and Britney went off teaching cheerleading, Santana was sure this is how she would find fame. Mercedes already had a record deal lined up for her and Quinn had her dream place in Yale. As for Sam, he just followed where Mercedes led. Blaine couldn’t help but think that those words that Bryan must be echoing around Rachel’s head like crazy. The most determined person in the whole world was stuck going no-where.
After about twenty minutes Rachel’s crying started to subside and it had turned in to short sniffs. “What if this is it Blaine?” She mumbled in to his sweater vest.
“Huh?”
“Blaine, what if this is my life?” Blaine pulled back to look her right in the eyes, her eyes were actually beautiful.
“Rachel Berry. You are a star. Carmen was stupid not to let you in! She saw how much talent you have; she had her chance with you and blew it. You need to try again, keep trying because we know for a fact you’ve got this. You were born to do this Rachel.”
Rachel just wrapped her arms around the small boy and embraced him in to a tight hug. Blaine continued. “You never know, take some time out. Go catch up with Finn in LA. Spend as much time with him while you can, it’s not like I can be with Kurt...”
“Blaine I’m so sorry...” She sat up and looked at him with sympathy, covering her mouth she realised she was probably being selfish as usual.
“No no don’t worry about it!”
“No, Kurt went today and you’ll be feeling bad, this is the exact reason I go no-where.” She turned her back on the boy and brought her knees to her chest.
Noticing a glimmer on the floor, Blaine walked over to the gold necklace lying on the stage. It was Rachel’s star necklace that Finn had bought her last year, to remind her she was always a star. She must have torn it off when she was in a sobbing rage. Grasping the ends of it, he slipped it around Rachel’s neck and fastened the back.
“Rachel, Kurt’s gone. I have to live with it. I know you’re hurting to, because yeah, it should be you on that plane with him right now. But it’s not. You need to make the best of what you have left. You can do this Rachel!” Blaine stood up behind her and waited for her either to slap him across the face for being too harsh or to hug him.
The more pleasant of the two happened as her arms snaked around his small waist and he hugged her back. “Let me drive you home?” He questioned, hoping he wasn’t just going to leave her here to cry some more.
“Sure.” A small smile spread across her lips and she brought her arm to his hip as they walked out together.
Half way up the stairs Rachel piped up. “I might think about it you know? I mean following Finn out. We still have that wedding to plan.” Blaine just chuckled to himself a little.
“Same old Rachel Berry.”