Fic: The Last Song, Part 1
Title: The Last Song
Author: jjjjordo
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 6,555 for this part, 23,866 overall.
Summary: When Burt left their family, Kurt shut everything out of his life: his family, his friends, and, most importantly, music. However, when he is forced to spend a summer in Florida with Burt and Finn, he meets volleyball player and bird expert Bliane Anderson, whose easygoing smile and carefree attitude breaks down Kurt's walls and shows him that it's okay to forgive and let people back in. Based off of this prompt, a Last Song/Glee fusion where Blaine is Will and Kurt is Ronnie.
Author's Note: Wow, this has been a journey. I have never done a big bang and I've never written a fic this long before. A million thanks go out to the amazing spookykat, who beta'd my fic and contributed some of the most brilliant, in-character lines I think I have ever read at some points. Thanks also go out to jjjjordo, who made the beautiful mix that goes along with this fic. It's been an amazing little journey, and I really can't wait to do it again!
“Kurt, I don’t see why you can’t just be happy for one moment of your life.”
Carole droned on, like she usually did. Kurt was tired of listening to his stepmother’s endless lectures about “the glass is half full” and “it gets better.” She never shut up about it, as if it really could get better for Kurt. Well, nothing ever gets better for the only openly gay teenager in a conservative small town, and it never will. Kurt just tuned her out as he stared out the window, watching palm trees fly past his vision.
The agonizingly long road trip from Lima, Ohio had been Carole’s idea. Originally, Kurt and Finn were just going to take a plane to Florida, but she’d decided that the road trip would be the perfect opportunity for some “family bonding time.” As if they were a real family or something.
It had been ten years since Kurt’s mom had died. His dad had remarried when Kurt was a junior, and barely a year later, he packed up and left Ohio to go to Florida without warning. Kurt had later found out that it was because he was unfaithful, and that really set off Kurt. They were just getting to the point where they could be a family again, and Burt had ruined that for whatever reason.
That had been in February, and here Kurt was in June, not four months later, heading to see the father he had so quickly shut out of his life. He was going to stay with him for the entire summer, and then he would head back to Ohio to do whatever he could to make decent money for the rest of his life. College was not in any of his future plans, nor would it be…ever.
“Kurt.” Carole snapped, bringing Kurt’s head back town to Earth.
“What?” Kurt barked, whipping his head around and glaring at Carole, narrowing his eyes.
“Kurt, just listen to me,” Carole pleaded, pretending to be innocent yet again, “You have no reason to be so unhappy, Kurt. You have a great life.”
“No, I don’t,” Kurt snapped, “I have a terrible life. I am the only openly gay kid in our stupid city, and everyone hates me. Even my own dad hates me. I am tortured every single day of my life, and it is never going to get better, so stop trying to convince me it will.”
Conversation halted after that point. Carole didn’t dare to speak, keeping her eyes trained on the road, knuckles clenching the steering wheel until they were white. Kurt resumed looking out the window gloomily, like before. Finn, who had been sitting in the back the whole time, was completely oblivious to the entire thing, playing on his PSP or gaping at the unfamiliar surroundings. Florida was a LOT different from Ohio.
“We’re almost there,” Carole said in a strained voice, “This is the neighborhood.”
They turned into a pretty decent-looking neighborhood, and Kurt looked, disgusted, at the brightly-colored houses they passed. He saw children and parents and teenagers, all sporting golden tans and expensive bathing suits, walking along the side of the road, laughing and chatting. They carried beach gear, so it was assumed that they were on their way to the beach, which must have been near. Kurt couldn’t help but be at least a little satisfied. If his dad lived this close to the beach, it meant that Kurt could get in a morning run before all of the picture-perfect families came and an evening one after they all left. It wasn’t like his whole summer had meaning or anything now, but at least it would be slightly more bearable.
“That’s it right there,” Carole said softly, nodding towards a house she was about to pull into the driveway, “That’s the house. Isn’t it nice?”
The house was a simple, muted baby blue one-story, right up on the beach. The screened porch on the back of the house was among sand dunes. Kurt could hear the sound of waves, of children giggling and screaming, of parents laughing amongst each other. The sound depressed him, reminded him of the friends he’d had to leave behind in Ohio for the summer, and the loneliness that he’d have to face this summer, while his friends were all probably clubbing and having parties and just living it up. And he was stuck in Florida with his idiotic stepbrother and annoying-as-hell dad who didn’t even care about him.
Carole pulled into the driveway, and sighed, smiling, as she stopped the car. She sat there for a minute, just looking at the house, and then got out of the car, followed by Finn. Kurt, however, remained in the car, staring at the beach, the sky, the ground, anything but that house, that prison he would be trapped in for three months.
“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, get out of the car or I will ground you for two weeks when you get back home.” Carole said from the back of the car, where she’d opened up the trunk and was starting to grab bags.
“I don’t care,” Kurt groaned, getting out grudgingly and slamming the door behind him, “It’s not like it matters. I’m not going to college, so I’ll be spending all of my time at home, anyway.”
“You are going to college, Kurt,” Carole snapped, narrowing her eyes at him, “You got into Julliard, and you are attending. It is a great opportunity, and you are going to take it.”
“No,” Kurt said softly, his staring contest with his stepmother not breaking as he grabbed two of his many bags, “I didn’t even apply, so I don’t have to go. I don’t want to go, and you can’t make me. I am an adult, and I am perfectly able to make my own decisions. You can’t make them for me.”
“Hey, kids!” a voice suddenly interrupted. Kurt and Carole both whipped their heads around to see Burt standing on the porch, grinning.
He looked exactly the same as Kurt had remembered. A white undershirt was almost covered by a loose plaid shirt, rolled up to the forearms sloppily. Jeans and old boots ignored the ninety-degree weather, though Burt looked like he felt comfortable, hands stuffed in his pockets comfortably, a sly smile on his face and a baseball cap on his head.
“Dad!” Finn called, dropping the two bags he was holding (His only two bags for three months…how in the world was he going to survive?) and ran up the stairs of the porch, attacking his stepfather in a giant hug.
It was always kind of weird seeing Finn get along better with Burt than Kurt did, especially considering the current situation. It seemed as if Finn had forgotten everything that had happened. Finn either forgot or forgave too easily. Either way, Finn was too much of a pushover. Kurt, on the other hand, wore the same stony expression he had for the last four months.
“Hey, Sport!” his father called, waving to him.
“Hey, Burt.” Kurt said flatly, not even bothering to wave or smile back. He’d decided to call his father by his first name, just to annoy him, because he knew it did.
Burt, however, seemed unaffected by the sudden change in the way his son addressed him. He continued on with conversation, and neither his voice nor his expression conveyed that he’d even noticed, and, if he had noticed, he didn’t really care.
“How’s Ohio been?” he asked, turning to Carole this time.
“It’s been the same, really,” Carole said, “Finn and Kurt’s graduation was lovely, it’s too bad you couldn’t come up.”
“Yeah, I wanted to,” Burt said, shrugging and frowning, “but I have my hands tied down here. I was driving one day and saw this beautiful truck up for sale in someone’s driveway. It was real cheap, too.”
Kurt could tell that something was up. Burt liked trucks, but not that much. He suspected that his father was leaving something out, but he couldn’t imagine what.
“That’s AWESOME! What kind of shape is it in?” Finn exclaimed, grinning. Kurt rolled his eyes. It was a wonder how the heterosexual male species was so attracted to cars.
“I couldn’t salvage much,” Burt said, shaking his head, “Luckily, one of the guys down the street puts together cars for a living, and he had some parts that he gave me. It’s the engine that has the biggest problem. That and the paint’s pretty scratched up. The whole thing is a total wreck on the outside, actually. The interior’s beautiful, though. It’s in perfect condition on the inside.”
“You’re rebuilding it?” Finn asked, his jaw dropping and eyebrows rising, “Like, from scratch?” “Yep, I sure am,” Burt said, nodding, “and I may need some help with it.”
“Can I help?” Finn asked, grinning. He was really so stupid sometimes.
“Sure, buddy,” Burt said, throwing an arm awkwardly around Finn’s shoulders (Finn was at least three inches taller than Burt and his shoulders were very broad, so he had to reach in the slightest bit) and squeezing them, “I’d love to have you help me out.”
“Awesome!” Fin exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air excitedly. Kurt rolled his eyes.
“I hope you don’t mind sleeping in the living room, buddy,” Burt said stepping back from Finn so that he could look him in the eye, “I didn’t want to make either of you two uncomfortable by sleeping in the same room or anything.”
“No, it’s fine,” Finn said, nodding, “I don’t want Kurt flipping out or anything, you know.”
“I’m right here!” Kurt hissed, narrowing his eyes at the two of them. Both just looked at him, rolled their eyes, and then turned back to each other. Kurt was absolutely fuming.
“Well, why don’t you go ahead and get settled, then we’ll have some lunch?” Burt suggested. Finn nodded enthusiastically, and went to go grab his bags before heading inside, whistling. Kurt rolled his eyes again.
“Why do you do that?” Burt asked, shaking his head as he walked towards Carole and Kurt, who were still standing behind the car with the trunk popped open. It took Kurt a second to realize that the question had been directed towards him.
“What?” he asked, looking blankly at his father.
“The rolling of the eyes,” Burt said, looking at Kurt with an annoyed expression, “It’s rude and immature, so cut it out.”
“So is cheating on your wife and then leaving your family without warning,” Kurt snapped coldly, his expression not faltering, “But that didn’t stop you.”
Kurt smirked and crossed his arms, ready for Burt to blow up in his face. He didn’t care. In fact, he wanted to be yelled at. It showed that he had won, by getting to Burt. At the very least, it showed his father was paying attention, but that was just a bonus.
However, Burt’s expression didn’t change, either. He remained just as calm, just as blank, playing the game, too.
“You’re right,” he said, nodding, “It was immature. But I’m sorry. It was wrong, and I wish I wouldn’t have done it. It was very childish of me.”
Kurt wasn’t sure what to say to that. He couldn’t tell what his father was trying to say with that statement, and there was obviously no comeback or snappy comment to be said when he’d just admitted his wrongs and said exactly what Kurt was going to point out. The only explanation that Kurt could think of was Burt playing with his mind.
“Yes, yes it was,” Kurt said, lifting his chin and nodding, “But if you think that I’m going to forgive you just like that, in the blink of an eye, you’re wrong.”
With that, he reached into the car to grab two of the heaviest of his many bags. He acted as if his arms weren’t screaming in pain and flounced up the steps of the porch, and into the cool, air-conditioned house. It didn’t take him long to find the guest room; Finn had actually pointed it out dismissively when Kurt had asked him as he tried to set up his Xbox.
The room was of decent size: smaller than his bedroom at home, but not tiny. It would do for the summer. The walls had a textured paint, a blue and tan mix, giving the room a beachy atmosphere. There was little decoration, the only thing on the wall being a full-size mirror, which hung next to the closet. The furniture was all a sandy wood, light and flexible, yet still strong. There was a large bed with an off-white comforter, and pillows that matched the blue tone of the wall. A dresser stood on one wall, and a desk with a plush desk chair on another, the wall with the closet and the mirror. The bed was pushed into the left corner of the room, next to a matching bedside table. Kurt had to admit, his dad had done a very nice job. The furniture was all very new, so Burt must have bought it when he’d moved.
The closet was a walk-in that would just barely fit everything he’d brought. There was also a nice dresser in the room that offered space for socks and undergarments. It wasn’t home, with his gigantic closet, endless racks of clothes, bottomless drawers of bow ties, and shelves packed with shoes, but it was better than a suitcase full of t-shirts, shorts, and one pair of flip flops for three months. That was Finn’s idea of three months’ worth of clothes, as he would be doing laundry (if ‘he would be doing laundry,’ meant ‘Kurt would be doing all of Finn’s laundry’) so that he could-dare Kurt even think it?-wear his clothes multiple times.
Kurt sat his bags down next to the bed, which looked quite comfortable, to be honest, and slowly walked out of the room so that he could go get more of his bags. He tiptoed past Finn, who was behind the TV, still trying to get that stupid Xbox to work, and opened the front door quietly, so that he wouldn’t be heard by Carole and Burt.
“And, he’s just been so depressed lately…” Carole was saying quietly, though loud enough that Kurt could hear when he got outside, “He just…he just needs something. I don’t know what, but something.”
“Well, I hope that he can be at least a little happy here over the summer, that’s all I’m hoping for,” Burt said, nodding, “I really do love him, I just wish he knew that. He…he just doesn’t understand.”
“I know, honey.” Carole said reassuringly.
Kurt picked that moment to re-enter. He walked down from the porch and towards the car, pretending that he hadn’t heard Carole and Burt’s conversation. He pushed past them both, grabbing a couple more bags from the back of the car. They both stared at him, but he acted like nothing had happened, though nothing really had anyway. He was relieved to know that his dad still loved him, but it didn’t matter if he didn’t show it.
“Aren’t you going to help?” he asked Burt rudely.
“Yeah, sure, kiddo,” Burt said, nodding and grabbing the last four bags in his two hands, “I’m right behind ya. Lead the way.”
“Wait a minute,” Carole called, “I’m about to go.”
“Okay, have fun.” Kurt said, turning his head part of the way, though not bothering to look her in the eye.
“Kurt.” Carole warned. He could just see her crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. Kurt groaned, and slowly lowered his bags to the ground, leaving them there. He slowly walked over to Carole and, reluctantly, hugged her. She, in return, squeezed him back so hard, he could barely breathe, and she started babbling about how much she would miss “her little baby boy,” and how “he was all grown up now.” That’s what really bothered Kurt; she hadn’t even known him for more than two years, so it wasn’t like she’d been watching him grow up or anything. Plus, it wasn’t like she was leaving Kurt on his own for three months. He was going to be with his dad and stepbrother, in his dad’s house. Getting worked up over it was pointless.
“Yeah, I’ll miss you too.” Kurt lied, patting her on the back and prying himself out of her arms. Carole smiled and ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance (he’d spent hours on that hair) and he smiled halfheartedly back.
Kurt picked up his bags, turned around, and stalked off, nearly running up the porch steps and into the house. He dragged his feet over to the guest room, dropping his bags next to the rest. Burt followed suit, patted Kurt on the back, and then headed out the door.
“If you need anything else, just holler.” he called, walking down the hallway. Kurt heard him and Finn chatting seconds later about Finn’s vast collection of Xbox games. They were conversing and laughing like two best friends. Kurt sunk down onto the bed, frowning. This was going to be a long summer.
He sighed and laid his head back on his pillow, just listening to his father and Finn talk.
“Hey, wanna come out and see the car?” Burt suggested.
“Sure!” he heard Finn exclaim, and he heard them both exit through the front door, Burt babbling on about the car and all of the parts and lots of other stuff Kurt didn’t care about.
“Kurt, there’s food in the fridge and a bunch of DVDs in the living room,” Burt called out, “You can watch a movie, read a book, or whatever you want, but don’t leave the house.”
Kurt took that as the golden opportunity. He wasted no time as he changed into a stylish pair of black skinny jeans and a matching black vest, over a long-sleeved white shirt that hugged his chest and maximized the muscles he’d been trying to form in the past few months. Though, it wasn’t like any guy in this part of Florida played for his team. That would be way too easy, but that was no excuse not to look his best. He fixed his hair up a bit, threw on a pair of Vans, and was ready to go.
Kurt tiptoed into the living room to make sure that his dad and brother were gone. Sure enough, he heard them out in the garage out front. He smiled to himself and swiftly ran to the screened-in porch, making sure to close the door quietly behind him. He nearly crawled out the porch’s back door, and as he closed and locked it quietly, he couldn’t help but grin to himself. Freedom.
As soon as he hit the beach, he was running. Well, he wasn’t running in a sense, but getting away fast enough so that he put a good distance in between himself and the house in a minute or so.
So, what do I do now? Kurt thought, looking around. However, in a matter of seconds, he found his answer. It was off in the distance, vibrant in the early evening. There, on the boardwalk in the distance, was a giant Ferris Wheel. As Kurt approached the boardwalk, the rest of the fair became visible. There were games, food stands, clothing vendors, rides, flea market tables, and everything else you’d expect to see at a fair.
According to a poster he saw, the fair was starting that night and running for the next two days. It looked like a lot of fun, though seemed to be the prime tourist attraction in this part of town.
“Stare much?” a rude voice asked.
Kurt whipped around to see a Latina girl standing behind him, arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, her lips in a pout. She was dressed in extremely short shorts that frayed at the legs, and a skimpy black halter top that left nothing to the imagination. She had on minimal jewelry, and heavy makeup, with strappy black gladiator sandals. Basically, she looked like a stripper.
“You’re one to talk. How long were you standing there breathing down my back before you said something?” Kurt said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
“Ouch, I’m so hurt.” the girl said, rolling her eyes. Kurt just raised an eyebrow and stared back. Then, the girl’s stare broke and she gave Kurt half a smile, her eyes lighting up and her position relaxing.
“I like you, kid. My name’s Santana, what about you?” she said, sticking out a manicured hand.
“I’m Kurt.” Kurt said, grinning back and shaking her hand. She seemed like the kind of girl he would have hung out with back in Ohio.
“Well, Kurt, it’s nice to meet you. If you don’t have anything to do, you should stick around.” Santana said, nodding.
“Actually,” Kurt said, smirking, “I’m totally pissing off my dad right now, so I’d rather stick around. I’m not supposed to be out.”
“Sneaking out,” Santana said, nodding and grinning in approval, “Nice. You’re gonna do well here, I can tell.”
Kurt smiled as she linked her arm in his, flouncing down the boardwalk. As they walked, Kurt could tell that Santana had power. It seemed as if when they walked by, people got out of their way. Whether it was in fear or admiration, Kurt wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it was totally awesome, and he felt powerful, too. They soon approached a large group that was gathered around a blonde girl, who was dancing in a way that made Kurt blush and look away. He wasn’t into girls, and it was quite embarrassing to watch her.
“Brittany!” Santana called, waving to her.
She pushed through the crowd so that she was in the front layer of the circle. She’d dragged Kurt with her, and he was standing there awkwardly among strangers. The girl, Brittany, winked at Santana, and continued dancing to an especially slutty Britney Spears song, which was coming from the boom box a few feet away from her. She finished her dance, and earned an over-the-top round of applause. Some people threw money at her, which she gathered up graciously, smiling and mumbling comments to them, batting her eyelashes, and, most of the time, earning herself another five dollars. After a while, the crowd finally disappeared, and it was just Santana, Kurt, Brittany, and a few others.
“Hey, beautiful.” Santana said, walking up to Brittany and slinging her arms around Brittany’s neck, pecking her on the lips. Kurt blushed and looked away. He felt like he was intruding on something very private.
“Who’s your friend?” Brittany asked shyly, nodding towards Kurt and blushing.
“That’s Kurt,” Santana said, grinning and jerking her thumb in Brittany’s direction, “He snuck out, and I thought he should hang around with us for a while.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brittany said, nodding, “He’s kind of cute. So, Kurt, do you live around here? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Actually, I’m from Lima, Ohio. I’m living down here with my dad and stepbrother for the summer,” Kurt explained, shrugging, “You know, it really sucks. I hate my dad.”
“I know how you feel.” Santana said sympathetically.
“Well, you should totally hang around with us for the summer. That’d be, like, really cool.” Brittany said softly, smiling and batting her eyelashes at Kurt.
“Awesome, I’d love to!” Kurt said, beaming.
“Good,” Santana said, taking charge of the conversation again, “Now, let’s go find a party, because I need some alcohol.”
“Sounds awesome!” Brittany squealed, clapping and smiling.
“Yeah, so awesome,” Kurt agreed, though sort of unconvincingly.
Kurt was kind of iffy about alcohol. He’d had it plenty of times before, having been invited to lots of parties, but he hated the feeling it gave him. He got insane headaches right after the first sip hit his throat, and those were nothing compared to his hangovers. So, he mostly tried to stay away from the alcohol, claiming the designated driver position or just pretending he was drunk to fit in. It worked for him.
With that, Santana led Brittany and Kurt down the boardwalk, once again intimidating everyone as the three of them walked by. They walked all the way to the other side of the boardwalk, past all of the people and the rides and the shops. Brittany and Santana led Kurt over to s big bonfire, with teenagers swarmed around it, hanging out, most of them drunk already.
“BRITTANY,” one of them, a guy, called drunkenly, waving his arm at Brittany in some sort of waving motion, as if he had no bones in his arm, “WHAT’S UP, BITCH?”
“Not much, Mike!” Brittany called back, giggling.
“Who’s your friend?” asked a girl (named Tina, according to Santana), who was not quite as drunk as Mike, but pretty giggly still.
“This is Kurt, everyone!” Brittany called, throwing an arm around Kurt’s shoulders. “He’s from Ohio, and he’s down here for the summer.” Santana explained, grinning and looking at Kurt proudly.
“Hey, Kurt!” the chorus of teenagers chimed, all of them raising their plastic red cups and smiling drunkenly.
With that, it was assumed that Kurt could handle himself from then on, and Santana and Brittany both went off to do their own thing. Kurt was left standing around, not knowing exactly what to do. So, he decided to head over to the nearest cooler, hoping there was a bottle of water nearby. However, upon opening the cooler, he could see nothing but wine coolers, various beers, and alcoholic lemonade. He closed the cooler nervously and walked away, searching for some evidence of drinks that were not alcohol being at the party. However, he found no such evidence, and kind of gave up on his quest for a water bottle, preferring to go thirsty than to end up drunk and in even more trouble than before.
Kurt sat down by the bonfire, staring at the fire for a bit (but not too long, in fear of ruining his eyesight), before deciding to lay down in the sand, not even caring about the fact that it would ruin his vest, and possibly his skinny jeans and shirt as well. He looked up at the sky, stars somewhat visible against the pitch black night. Man, it had gotten dark fast. Or had he just been gone that long? He hadn’t been able to tell; he’d lost track of time long ago.
Suddenly, his view was obscured by a face. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was Brittany. It was kind of hard to tell, when her face was upside-down, handing over him.
“Hey, Kurt,” she said, smiling and blinking.
“Oh, hey Brittany,” he said, not even bothering to sit up, “What’s up?”
“Um, the sky.” Brittany said. Kurt laughed, but she had been completely serious. So she was one of those types.
“Yeah,” Kurt said, nodding, “I do believe the sky is up.”
Brittany laughed, then moved so that she was lying next to Kurt. “You’re so funny.” she giggled, tracing her index finger up and down his arm. It was kind of gross, if Kurt was being honest with himself.
“You know,” she said softly, almost a whisper, “You’re really hot, and that shirt is so hot on you. Like, I’m so turned on right now.”
“Oh,” Kurt said awkwardly, staring up at the sky some more, “Um, that’s cool.”
Suddenly, without warning, Brittany rolled up on top of him and pressed her lips to his. She knotted her fingers in his hair and started grinding up against him, kissing him wetly and poking his lips with her tongue.
“Woah,” Kurt said after peeling her lips off of him, staring, wide-eyed, “Um…aren’t you with Santana? She’s gonna be pissed.”
“Santana will get over it,” Brittany said, rolling her eyes, “Besides, I like a little dessert on the side, if you know what I mean.”
“Brittany, I’m gay,” Kurt whispered, “I mean, you’re really pretty, but…kissing you is not a turn-on for me.”
“Well, kissing you is a turn-on for me,” Brittany said, running a finger down Kurt’s cheek, “And it’s totally fine, I make out with gay guys all the time.”
“Brittany,” Kurt said, putting his hands on her waist and shoving her off of him, “I’m pretty sure you’re nice and all, but I just don’t like you like that.”
“What are you doing macking on my girl, Lady Lips?” a voice asked behind them.
Kurt craned his neck to see Santana standing there, red cup in one hand, the other on her hip. Her mouth was wide open, and her eyes popped. Judging by the way she stood slightly off-balance, the way her hair and clothes were slightly messy, and the way her words were slightly slurred, Kurt figured she was drunk, and drunk angry girls, his party experience had told him, were the worst. When being the designated driver, one soon memorized all of the drunk stereotypes, and his least favorite was the drunk angry girl.
“Santana, she was all over me, I swear to God.” Kurt said, standing up quickly and ignoring the painful rush of blood to his head.
“Um, no I wasn’t. He, like, pulled me on top of him.” Brittany said, pouting and looking utterly innocent, to the point where Kurt almost believer her.
“I’m gay,” Kurt groaned, “Why would I make out with you?”
“Because you’re a guy? Plus, you’re probably drunk.” Brittany said, as if it was obvious.
“Look, Pretty Boy,” Santana slurred, bringing the attention back to herself, “I don’t care what your excuse is, but making out with my girl is not okay. Now, I suggest that you get your skinny white ass the hell away from here before I go all Miami Heights on you.”
Kurt scrambled up and got out of there as quickly as he could. He did not need Santana beating the crap out of him. She had already made him her enemy, which was bad enough. On Kurt’s way out, he bumped into someone, and fell backwards onto the sand.
He looked up to see none other than Finn.
“You’re so busted.” Finn said with a smirk on his face as he helped Kurt up.
“Shut up.” Kurt snapped, elbowing Finn in the ribs. However, Finn seemed unaffected.
“Dad is about to kill you. Wait until he finds out that you were at a party. He’s going to flip.” Finn said, his jaw dropping as the two walked.
“Wait,” Kurt said, stopping and grabbing Finn’s wrist, “You can’t tell dad. Please, Finn, I’m begging you.”
“Why? What’s in it for me?” Finn said, crossing his arms.
“Finn, come on!” Kurt pleaded. He looked with wide eyes at Finn, desperate.
“Fine,” Finn said after a while, scowling, “I’ll tell him that you were on the beach, then saw the fair and got distracted. There. Happy?”
Kurt broke out into a wide grin and threw his arms around Finn’s neck.
“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!” he exclaimed, squealing into Finn’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah,” Finn said, rolling his eyes, “Don’t expect me to do it again.”
Like you won’t do it a few more times this summer alone, Kurt thought, rolling his eyes as the two of them made their way up to the boardwalk, standing close enough to be together, though far apart as not to confuse them as a couple. Kurt didn’t need any of that being spread around already, especially not when it was his stepbrother being confused as his love interest.
“So, who were those people you were hanging around?” Finn asked as they made their way out of the darkened part of the boardwalk and started walking through the fair, which was still bustling.
“Oh,” Kurt said, clearing his throat and looking away, “They were…I dunno, just some people I met, I guess. I’m not hanging out with them again, that’s for sure.”
“Why, what happened?” Finn asked, raising his eyebrows. Kurt didn’t often reject people that befriended him. He was pretty popular back in Lima, or as popular as an openly gay kid could be in a small town.
“I got accused of ‘macking on’ someone else’s girl. But she totally came onto me, and I really didn’t like her. I tried to tell them that I was gay, but they didn’t believe me.” Kurt said, sighing.
“Been there,” Finn said sympathetically, “Was he a big guy? Because I can try and take him down tomorrow.”
“I appreciate your willingness to beat up my enemy of a sort,” Kurt said, chuckling, “But she was a girl. I guess one was a lesbian and the one that came onto me was her slutty girlfriend. I always seem to befriend that type, don’t I?”
Finn nodded, and Kurt elbowed him in the ribcage. Hard. They both dissolved into laughter, and were interrupted by the sound of Burt’s voice.
“Where the hell have you been, Kurt?” he asked angrily.
Kurt looked up to see his dad, whose eyebrows were furrowed in anger, his mouth tight with stress. Kurt could almost see the vein popping out of his forehead. He had probably been looking for Kurt for hours, and was most likely not too happy about it.
“Uh, I, uh…” Kurt stammered. He was not actually good at lying, no matter how much practice he’d had from coming home late so many times. Finn subtly rolled his eyes before covering for him.
“He went out for a walk out in the backyard beach thing, ya know,” Finn said, sounding natural (Kurt wished he could do the same) as the words rolled off his tongue normally, “And, well, there’s that fair and stuff. So, he texted me saying that he was gonna go, and I didn’t get the text until after you left. Then, I went to go look for him, and found him at one of the clothing vendors’ booths. We were just looking for you, actually.”
For someone so generally stupid, Finn could be so smart.
“Oh,” Burt said, his voice softening, “Well, I guess that’s fine. Just…just text me next time, okay? I was really worried about you, Kurt. I don’t want you hanging around the wrong people and getting into trouble. There are a lot of kids around these parts that I don’t think you want to associate yourself with.”
Trust me, I know, Kurt thought, internally sighing. However, he just nodded and kept his stone-cold bored expression.
“I know,” he said, “I got it, Dad. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
Burt smiled. “What?” Kurt snapped, narrowing his eyes.
“You called me ‘dad.’ I don’t think you’ve done that since before I moved.” Burt said, smiling softly.
“Whatever,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes.
He didn’t know why he was acting like this. It’s not like he was mad at his dad anymore. He was calling him ‘Dad’ for a reason. Wasn’t that an improvement? It’s not like he was purposefully snapping at his father. It was kind of an automatic reaction for him, to just lash out at anyone who challenged him. At least that’s what Carole had been telling him for the past few months.
But who even cared what Carole said? It’s not like she was him, or that she could see inside his mind. She didn’t even know him, not even a little. She couldn’t see what the world was like through his eyes, so she needed to stop pretending that she did. There was nothing wrong with Kurt; he just didn’t like to be told what he was feeling or whom he liked or what he was thinking. He just didn’t like being told anything in general. He was eighteen, not eight.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Burt said, raising his hands in surrender, “Don’t jump on me, let’s just go.”
“I’m not jumping on you.” Kurt mumbled as they started walking together down the boardwalk through the fair.
Walking through a fair, surrounded by tons of strangers, with his stepbrother who closely resembled Frankenstein or some other sort of very tall creature, was not exactly Kurt’s ideal night. But, it was better than getting jumped by Santana on the way home. He was glad that neither his dad nor his brother had any interest in the fair, and headed straight home, because he didn’t want to spend any more time at that tacky fair with its tacky tourists and tacky booths. The smell of fried Twinkies, doughnut burgers, and other overpriced heart attacks on a stick was making him sick. He shot Finn a skeptical look whenever the taller boy’s eyes lingered on a stand selling something deep fried or equally atrocious, getting a confused glance in return from Finn.
They managed to make it back to Burt’s house without Finn or Burt buying any food at the fair, which made Kurt extremely proud of the two of them, though it had taken a lot for him to convince them or hold them back at times. Was eating overpriced, greasy food really a better option than waiting twenty minutes until you got home, where you could eat a free, healthy meal? Kurt didn’t understand how the straight male species worked some days.
Burt decided to order a pizza, though, abandoning the whole ‘free-healthy-meal-at-home’ concept. He offered to order a veggie pizza just for Kurt, but Kurt respectfully declined. He instead made himself an extremely plain omelet, with diced onions and just a tiny sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, because Burt didn’t have much more than that in the fridge. From what Kurt saw, he lived on takeout, leftovers, bad freezer food, and homemade pizza, since that seemed to be the only thing that he knew how to cook on his own. Even then, Kurt spotted some pre-made pizza dough in the fridge and sighed. Burt really needed his help.
They all sat down in front of the TV together after a little of convincing from Burt (“Kurt, it’s bonding time…you can come sit with Finn and me for the two minutes it’ll take you to eat that…I mean, really? Kurt, eat. You’re skinny as all get out, why do you need to starve yourself? No, don’t go on lecturing me about ‘healthy,’ because there is a fine line between healthy and inadequate…”) to watch some mundane football game. To nobody’s surprise, Kurt bolted out of the room as soon as he finished his omelet, which was not much later.
He made an excuse about needing to complete his nightly facial routines before he slept (which was true, though it honestly wasn’t going to take too long) and made his grand escape. He ran into his room and slammed the door behind himself, sighing as he closed his eyes and leaned up against the door. Kurt went right to work after that; he simultaneously completed his nightly skin care rituals of a sort and unpacked at the same time, making the room his own as he did so. He meticulously organized the drawers in which he placed his socks and underwear, and took a painstakingly long time organizing the closet. By the time he was finished, he was tired and the other two had long since gone to bed.
Author: jjjjordo
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 6,555 for this part, 23,866 overall.
Summary: When Burt left their family, Kurt shut everything out of his life: his family, his friends, and, most importantly, music. However, when he is forced to spend a summer in Florida with Burt and Finn, he meets volleyball player and bird expert Bliane Anderson, whose easygoing smile and carefree attitude breaks down Kurt's walls and shows him that it's okay to forgive and let people back in. Based off of this prompt, a Last Song/Glee fusion where Blaine is Will and Kurt is Ronnie.
Author's Note: Wow, this has been a journey. I have never done a big bang and I've never written a fic this long before. A million thanks go out to the amazing spookykat, who beta'd my fic and contributed some of the most brilliant, in-character lines I think I have ever read at some points. Thanks also go out to jjjjordo, who made the beautiful mix that goes along with this fic. It's been an amazing little journey, and I really can't wait to do it again!
“Kurt, I don’t see why you can’t just be happy for one moment of your life.”
Carole droned on, like she usually did. Kurt was tired of listening to his stepmother’s endless lectures about “the glass is half full” and “it gets better.” She never shut up about it, as if it really could get better for Kurt. Well, nothing ever gets better for the only openly gay teenager in a conservative small town, and it never will. Kurt just tuned her out as he stared out the window, watching palm trees fly past his vision.
The agonizingly long road trip from Lima, Ohio had been Carole’s idea. Originally, Kurt and Finn were just going to take a plane to Florida, but she’d decided that the road trip would be the perfect opportunity for some “family bonding time.” As if they were a real family or something.
It had been ten years since Kurt’s mom had died. His dad had remarried when Kurt was a junior, and barely a year later, he packed up and left Ohio to go to Florida without warning. Kurt had later found out that it was because he was unfaithful, and that really set off Kurt. They were just getting to the point where they could be a family again, and Burt had ruined that for whatever reason.
That had been in February, and here Kurt was in June, not four months later, heading to see the father he had so quickly shut out of his life. He was going to stay with him for the entire summer, and then he would head back to Ohio to do whatever he could to make decent money for the rest of his life. College was not in any of his future plans, nor would it be…ever.
“Kurt.” Carole snapped, bringing Kurt’s head back town to Earth.
“What?” Kurt barked, whipping his head around and glaring at Carole, narrowing his eyes.
“Kurt, just listen to me,” Carole pleaded, pretending to be innocent yet again, “You have no reason to be so unhappy, Kurt. You have a great life.”
“No, I don’t,” Kurt snapped, “I have a terrible life. I am the only openly gay kid in our stupid city, and everyone hates me. Even my own dad hates me. I am tortured every single day of my life, and it is never going to get better, so stop trying to convince me it will.”
Conversation halted after that point. Carole didn’t dare to speak, keeping her eyes trained on the road, knuckles clenching the steering wheel until they were white. Kurt resumed looking out the window gloomily, like before. Finn, who had been sitting in the back the whole time, was completely oblivious to the entire thing, playing on his PSP or gaping at the unfamiliar surroundings. Florida was a LOT different from Ohio.
“We’re almost there,” Carole said in a strained voice, “This is the neighborhood.”
They turned into a pretty decent-looking neighborhood, and Kurt looked, disgusted, at the brightly-colored houses they passed. He saw children and parents and teenagers, all sporting golden tans and expensive bathing suits, walking along the side of the road, laughing and chatting. They carried beach gear, so it was assumed that they were on their way to the beach, which must have been near. Kurt couldn’t help but be at least a little satisfied. If his dad lived this close to the beach, it meant that Kurt could get in a morning run before all of the picture-perfect families came and an evening one after they all left. It wasn’t like his whole summer had meaning or anything now, but at least it would be slightly more bearable.
“That’s it right there,” Carole said softly, nodding towards a house she was about to pull into the driveway, “That’s the house. Isn’t it nice?”
The house was a simple, muted baby blue one-story, right up on the beach. The screened porch on the back of the house was among sand dunes. Kurt could hear the sound of waves, of children giggling and screaming, of parents laughing amongst each other. The sound depressed him, reminded him of the friends he’d had to leave behind in Ohio for the summer, and the loneliness that he’d have to face this summer, while his friends were all probably clubbing and having parties and just living it up. And he was stuck in Florida with his idiotic stepbrother and annoying-as-hell dad who didn’t even care about him.
Carole pulled into the driveway, and sighed, smiling, as she stopped the car. She sat there for a minute, just looking at the house, and then got out of the car, followed by Finn. Kurt, however, remained in the car, staring at the beach, the sky, the ground, anything but that house, that prison he would be trapped in for three months.
“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, get out of the car or I will ground you for two weeks when you get back home.” Carole said from the back of the car, where she’d opened up the trunk and was starting to grab bags.
“I don’t care,” Kurt groaned, getting out grudgingly and slamming the door behind him, “It’s not like it matters. I’m not going to college, so I’ll be spending all of my time at home, anyway.”
“You are going to college, Kurt,” Carole snapped, narrowing her eyes at him, “You got into Julliard, and you are attending. It is a great opportunity, and you are going to take it.”
“No,” Kurt said softly, his staring contest with his stepmother not breaking as he grabbed two of his many bags, “I didn’t even apply, so I don’t have to go. I don’t want to go, and you can’t make me. I am an adult, and I am perfectly able to make my own decisions. You can’t make them for me.”
“Hey, kids!” a voice suddenly interrupted. Kurt and Carole both whipped their heads around to see Burt standing on the porch, grinning.
He looked exactly the same as Kurt had remembered. A white undershirt was almost covered by a loose plaid shirt, rolled up to the forearms sloppily. Jeans and old boots ignored the ninety-degree weather, though Burt looked like he felt comfortable, hands stuffed in his pockets comfortably, a sly smile on his face and a baseball cap on his head.
“Dad!” Finn called, dropping the two bags he was holding (His only two bags for three months…how in the world was he going to survive?) and ran up the stairs of the porch, attacking his stepfather in a giant hug.
It was always kind of weird seeing Finn get along better with Burt than Kurt did, especially considering the current situation. It seemed as if Finn had forgotten everything that had happened. Finn either forgot or forgave too easily. Either way, Finn was too much of a pushover. Kurt, on the other hand, wore the same stony expression he had for the last four months.
“Hey, Sport!” his father called, waving to him.
“Hey, Burt.” Kurt said flatly, not even bothering to wave or smile back. He’d decided to call his father by his first name, just to annoy him, because he knew it did.
Burt, however, seemed unaffected by the sudden change in the way his son addressed him. He continued on with conversation, and neither his voice nor his expression conveyed that he’d even noticed, and, if he had noticed, he didn’t really care.
“How’s Ohio been?” he asked, turning to Carole this time.
“It’s been the same, really,” Carole said, “Finn and Kurt’s graduation was lovely, it’s too bad you couldn’t come up.”
“Yeah, I wanted to,” Burt said, shrugging and frowning, “but I have my hands tied down here. I was driving one day and saw this beautiful truck up for sale in someone’s driveway. It was real cheap, too.”
Kurt could tell that something was up. Burt liked trucks, but not that much. He suspected that his father was leaving something out, but he couldn’t imagine what.
“That’s AWESOME! What kind of shape is it in?” Finn exclaimed, grinning. Kurt rolled his eyes. It was a wonder how the heterosexual male species was so attracted to cars.
“I couldn’t salvage much,” Burt said, shaking his head, “Luckily, one of the guys down the street puts together cars for a living, and he had some parts that he gave me. It’s the engine that has the biggest problem. That and the paint’s pretty scratched up. The whole thing is a total wreck on the outside, actually. The interior’s beautiful, though. It’s in perfect condition on the inside.”
“You’re rebuilding it?” Finn asked, his jaw dropping and eyebrows rising, “Like, from scratch?” “Yep, I sure am,” Burt said, nodding, “and I may need some help with it.”
“Can I help?” Finn asked, grinning. He was really so stupid sometimes.
“Sure, buddy,” Burt said, throwing an arm awkwardly around Finn’s shoulders (Finn was at least three inches taller than Burt and his shoulders were very broad, so he had to reach in the slightest bit) and squeezing them, “I’d love to have you help me out.”
“Awesome!” Fin exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air excitedly. Kurt rolled his eyes.
“I hope you don’t mind sleeping in the living room, buddy,” Burt said stepping back from Finn so that he could look him in the eye, “I didn’t want to make either of you two uncomfortable by sleeping in the same room or anything.”
“No, it’s fine,” Finn said, nodding, “I don’t want Kurt flipping out or anything, you know.”
“I’m right here!” Kurt hissed, narrowing his eyes at the two of them. Both just looked at him, rolled their eyes, and then turned back to each other. Kurt was absolutely fuming.
“Well, why don’t you go ahead and get settled, then we’ll have some lunch?” Burt suggested. Finn nodded enthusiastically, and went to go grab his bags before heading inside, whistling. Kurt rolled his eyes again.
“Why do you do that?” Burt asked, shaking his head as he walked towards Carole and Kurt, who were still standing behind the car with the trunk popped open. It took Kurt a second to realize that the question had been directed towards him.
“What?” he asked, looking blankly at his father.
“The rolling of the eyes,” Burt said, looking at Kurt with an annoyed expression, “It’s rude and immature, so cut it out.”
“So is cheating on your wife and then leaving your family without warning,” Kurt snapped coldly, his expression not faltering, “But that didn’t stop you.”
Kurt smirked and crossed his arms, ready for Burt to blow up in his face. He didn’t care. In fact, he wanted to be yelled at. It showed that he had won, by getting to Burt. At the very least, it showed his father was paying attention, but that was just a bonus.
However, Burt’s expression didn’t change, either. He remained just as calm, just as blank, playing the game, too.
“You’re right,” he said, nodding, “It was immature. But I’m sorry. It was wrong, and I wish I wouldn’t have done it. It was very childish of me.”
Kurt wasn’t sure what to say to that. He couldn’t tell what his father was trying to say with that statement, and there was obviously no comeback or snappy comment to be said when he’d just admitted his wrongs and said exactly what Kurt was going to point out. The only explanation that Kurt could think of was Burt playing with his mind.
“Yes, yes it was,” Kurt said, lifting his chin and nodding, “But if you think that I’m going to forgive you just like that, in the blink of an eye, you’re wrong.”
With that, he reached into the car to grab two of the heaviest of his many bags. He acted as if his arms weren’t screaming in pain and flounced up the steps of the porch, and into the cool, air-conditioned house. It didn’t take him long to find the guest room; Finn had actually pointed it out dismissively when Kurt had asked him as he tried to set up his Xbox.
The room was of decent size: smaller than his bedroom at home, but not tiny. It would do for the summer. The walls had a textured paint, a blue and tan mix, giving the room a beachy atmosphere. There was little decoration, the only thing on the wall being a full-size mirror, which hung next to the closet. The furniture was all a sandy wood, light and flexible, yet still strong. There was a large bed with an off-white comforter, and pillows that matched the blue tone of the wall. A dresser stood on one wall, and a desk with a plush desk chair on another, the wall with the closet and the mirror. The bed was pushed into the left corner of the room, next to a matching bedside table. Kurt had to admit, his dad had done a very nice job. The furniture was all very new, so Burt must have bought it when he’d moved.
The closet was a walk-in that would just barely fit everything he’d brought. There was also a nice dresser in the room that offered space for socks and undergarments. It wasn’t home, with his gigantic closet, endless racks of clothes, bottomless drawers of bow ties, and shelves packed with shoes, but it was better than a suitcase full of t-shirts, shorts, and one pair of flip flops for three months. That was Finn’s idea of three months’ worth of clothes, as he would be doing laundry (if ‘he would be doing laundry,’ meant ‘Kurt would be doing all of Finn’s laundry’) so that he could-dare Kurt even think it?-wear his clothes multiple times.
Kurt sat his bags down next to the bed, which looked quite comfortable, to be honest, and slowly walked out of the room so that he could go get more of his bags. He tiptoed past Finn, who was behind the TV, still trying to get that stupid Xbox to work, and opened the front door quietly, so that he wouldn’t be heard by Carole and Burt.
“And, he’s just been so depressed lately…” Carole was saying quietly, though loud enough that Kurt could hear when he got outside, “He just…he just needs something. I don’t know what, but something.”
“Well, I hope that he can be at least a little happy here over the summer, that’s all I’m hoping for,” Burt said, nodding, “I really do love him, I just wish he knew that. He…he just doesn’t understand.”
“I know, honey.” Carole said reassuringly.
Kurt picked that moment to re-enter. He walked down from the porch and towards the car, pretending that he hadn’t heard Carole and Burt’s conversation. He pushed past them both, grabbing a couple more bags from the back of the car. They both stared at him, but he acted like nothing had happened, though nothing really had anyway. He was relieved to know that his dad still loved him, but it didn’t matter if he didn’t show it.
“Aren’t you going to help?” he asked Burt rudely.
“Yeah, sure, kiddo,” Burt said, nodding and grabbing the last four bags in his two hands, “I’m right behind ya. Lead the way.”
“Wait a minute,” Carole called, “I’m about to go.”
“Okay, have fun.” Kurt said, turning his head part of the way, though not bothering to look her in the eye.
“Kurt.” Carole warned. He could just see her crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. Kurt groaned, and slowly lowered his bags to the ground, leaving them there. He slowly walked over to Carole and, reluctantly, hugged her. She, in return, squeezed him back so hard, he could barely breathe, and she started babbling about how much she would miss “her little baby boy,” and how “he was all grown up now.” That’s what really bothered Kurt; she hadn’t even known him for more than two years, so it wasn’t like she’d been watching him grow up or anything. Plus, it wasn’t like she was leaving Kurt on his own for three months. He was going to be with his dad and stepbrother, in his dad’s house. Getting worked up over it was pointless.
“Yeah, I’ll miss you too.” Kurt lied, patting her on the back and prying himself out of her arms. Carole smiled and ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance (he’d spent hours on that hair) and he smiled halfheartedly back.
Kurt picked up his bags, turned around, and stalked off, nearly running up the porch steps and into the house. He dragged his feet over to the guest room, dropping his bags next to the rest. Burt followed suit, patted Kurt on the back, and then headed out the door.
“If you need anything else, just holler.” he called, walking down the hallway. Kurt heard him and Finn chatting seconds later about Finn’s vast collection of Xbox games. They were conversing and laughing like two best friends. Kurt sunk down onto the bed, frowning. This was going to be a long summer.
He sighed and laid his head back on his pillow, just listening to his father and Finn talk.
“Hey, wanna come out and see the car?” Burt suggested.
“Sure!” he heard Finn exclaim, and he heard them both exit through the front door, Burt babbling on about the car and all of the parts and lots of other stuff Kurt didn’t care about.
“Kurt, there’s food in the fridge and a bunch of DVDs in the living room,” Burt called out, “You can watch a movie, read a book, or whatever you want, but don’t leave the house.”
Kurt took that as the golden opportunity. He wasted no time as he changed into a stylish pair of black skinny jeans and a matching black vest, over a long-sleeved white shirt that hugged his chest and maximized the muscles he’d been trying to form in the past few months. Though, it wasn’t like any guy in this part of Florida played for his team. That would be way too easy, but that was no excuse not to look his best. He fixed his hair up a bit, threw on a pair of Vans, and was ready to go.
Kurt tiptoed into the living room to make sure that his dad and brother were gone. Sure enough, he heard them out in the garage out front. He smiled to himself and swiftly ran to the screened-in porch, making sure to close the door quietly behind him. He nearly crawled out the porch’s back door, and as he closed and locked it quietly, he couldn’t help but grin to himself. Freedom.
As soon as he hit the beach, he was running. Well, he wasn’t running in a sense, but getting away fast enough so that he put a good distance in between himself and the house in a minute or so.
So, what do I do now? Kurt thought, looking around. However, in a matter of seconds, he found his answer. It was off in the distance, vibrant in the early evening. There, on the boardwalk in the distance, was a giant Ferris Wheel. As Kurt approached the boardwalk, the rest of the fair became visible. There were games, food stands, clothing vendors, rides, flea market tables, and everything else you’d expect to see at a fair.
According to a poster he saw, the fair was starting that night and running for the next two days. It looked like a lot of fun, though seemed to be the prime tourist attraction in this part of town.
“Stare much?” a rude voice asked.
Kurt whipped around to see a Latina girl standing behind him, arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, her lips in a pout. She was dressed in extremely short shorts that frayed at the legs, and a skimpy black halter top that left nothing to the imagination. She had on minimal jewelry, and heavy makeup, with strappy black gladiator sandals. Basically, she looked like a stripper.
“You’re one to talk. How long were you standing there breathing down my back before you said something?” Kurt said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
“Ouch, I’m so hurt.” the girl said, rolling her eyes. Kurt just raised an eyebrow and stared back. Then, the girl’s stare broke and she gave Kurt half a smile, her eyes lighting up and her position relaxing.
“I like you, kid. My name’s Santana, what about you?” she said, sticking out a manicured hand.
“I’m Kurt.” Kurt said, grinning back and shaking her hand. She seemed like the kind of girl he would have hung out with back in Ohio.
“Well, Kurt, it’s nice to meet you. If you don’t have anything to do, you should stick around.” Santana said, nodding.
“Actually,” Kurt said, smirking, “I’m totally pissing off my dad right now, so I’d rather stick around. I’m not supposed to be out.”
“Sneaking out,” Santana said, nodding and grinning in approval, “Nice. You’re gonna do well here, I can tell.”
Kurt smiled as she linked her arm in his, flouncing down the boardwalk. As they walked, Kurt could tell that Santana had power. It seemed as if when they walked by, people got out of their way. Whether it was in fear or admiration, Kurt wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it was totally awesome, and he felt powerful, too. They soon approached a large group that was gathered around a blonde girl, who was dancing in a way that made Kurt blush and look away. He wasn’t into girls, and it was quite embarrassing to watch her.
“Brittany!” Santana called, waving to her.
She pushed through the crowd so that she was in the front layer of the circle. She’d dragged Kurt with her, and he was standing there awkwardly among strangers. The girl, Brittany, winked at Santana, and continued dancing to an especially slutty Britney Spears song, which was coming from the boom box a few feet away from her. She finished her dance, and earned an over-the-top round of applause. Some people threw money at her, which she gathered up graciously, smiling and mumbling comments to them, batting her eyelashes, and, most of the time, earning herself another five dollars. After a while, the crowd finally disappeared, and it was just Santana, Kurt, Brittany, and a few others.
“Hey, beautiful.” Santana said, walking up to Brittany and slinging her arms around Brittany’s neck, pecking her on the lips. Kurt blushed and looked away. He felt like he was intruding on something very private.
“Who’s your friend?” Brittany asked shyly, nodding towards Kurt and blushing.
“That’s Kurt,” Santana said, grinning and jerking her thumb in Brittany’s direction, “He snuck out, and I thought he should hang around with us for a while.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brittany said, nodding, “He’s kind of cute. So, Kurt, do you live around here? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Actually, I’m from Lima, Ohio. I’m living down here with my dad and stepbrother for the summer,” Kurt explained, shrugging, “You know, it really sucks. I hate my dad.”
“I know how you feel.” Santana said sympathetically.
“Well, you should totally hang around with us for the summer. That’d be, like, really cool.” Brittany said softly, smiling and batting her eyelashes at Kurt.
“Awesome, I’d love to!” Kurt said, beaming.
“Good,” Santana said, taking charge of the conversation again, “Now, let’s go find a party, because I need some alcohol.”
“Sounds awesome!” Brittany squealed, clapping and smiling.
“Yeah, so awesome,” Kurt agreed, though sort of unconvincingly.
Kurt was kind of iffy about alcohol. He’d had it plenty of times before, having been invited to lots of parties, but he hated the feeling it gave him. He got insane headaches right after the first sip hit his throat, and those were nothing compared to his hangovers. So, he mostly tried to stay away from the alcohol, claiming the designated driver position or just pretending he was drunk to fit in. It worked for him.
With that, Santana led Brittany and Kurt down the boardwalk, once again intimidating everyone as the three of them walked by. They walked all the way to the other side of the boardwalk, past all of the people and the rides and the shops. Brittany and Santana led Kurt over to s big bonfire, with teenagers swarmed around it, hanging out, most of them drunk already.
“BRITTANY,” one of them, a guy, called drunkenly, waving his arm at Brittany in some sort of waving motion, as if he had no bones in his arm, “WHAT’S UP, BITCH?”
“Not much, Mike!” Brittany called back, giggling.
“Who’s your friend?” asked a girl (named Tina, according to Santana), who was not quite as drunk as Mike, but pretty giggly still.
“This is Kurt, everyone!” Brittany called, throwing an arm around Kurt’s shoulders. “He’s from Ohio, and he’s down here for the summer.” Santana explained, grinning and looking at Kurt proudly.
“Hey, Kurt!” the chorus of teenagers chimed, all of them raising their plastic red cups and smiling drunkenly.
With that, it was assumed that Kurt could handle himself from then on, and Santana and Brittany both went off to do their own thing. Kurt was left standing around, not knowing exactly what to do. So, he decided to head over to the nearest cooler, hoping there was a bottle of water nearby. However, upon opening the cooler, he could see nothing but wine coolers, various beers, and alcoholic lemonade. He closed the cooler nervously and walked away, searching for some evidence of drinks that were not alcohol being at the party. However, he found no such evidence, and kind of gave up on his quest for a water bottle, preferring to go thirsty than to end up drunk and in even more trouble than before.
Kurt sat down by the bonfire, staring at the fire for a bit (but not too long, in fear of ruining his eyesight), before deciding to lay down in the sand, not even caring about the fact that it would ruin his vest, and possibly his skinny jeans and shirt as well. He looked up at the sky, stars somewhat visible against the pitch black night. Man, it had gotten dark fast. Or had he just been gone that long? He hadn’t been able to tell; he’d lost track of time long ago.
Suddenly, his view was obscured by a face. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was Brittany. It was kind of hard to tell, when her face was upside-down, handing over him.
“Hey, Kurt,” she said, smiling and blinking.
“Oh, hey Brittany,” he said, not even bothering to sit up, “What’s up?”
“Um, the sky.” Brittany said. Kurt laughed, but she had been completely serious. So she was one of those types.
“Yeah,” Kurt said, nodding, “I do believe the sky is up.”
Brittany laughed, then moved so that she was lying next to Kurt. “You’re so funny.” she giggled, tracing her index finger up and down his arm. It was kind of gross, if Kurt was being honest with himself.
“You know,” she said softly, almost a whisper, “You’re really hot, and that shirt is so hot on you. Like, I’m so turned on right now.”
“Oh,” Kurt said awkwardly, staring up at the sky some more, “Um, that’s cool.”
Suddenly, without warning, Brittany rolled up on top of him and pressed her lips to his. She knotted her fingers in his hair and started grinding up against him, kissing him wetly and poking his lips with her tongue.
“Woah,” Kurt said after peeling her lips off of him, staring, wide-eyed, “Um…aren’t you with Santana? She’s gonna be pissed.”
“Santana will get over it,” Brittany said, rolling her eyes, “Besides, I like a little dessert on the side, if you know what I mean.”
“Brittany, I’m gay,” Kurt whispered, “I mean, you’re really pretty, but…kissing you is not a turn-on for me.”
“Well, kissing you is a turn-on for me,” Brittany said, running a finger down Kurt’s cheek, “And it’s totally fine, I make out with gay guys all the time.”
“Brittany,” Kurt said, putting his hands on her waist and shoving her off of him, “I’m pretty sure you’re nice and all, but I just don’t like you like that.”
“What are you doing macking on my girl, Lady Lips?” a voice asked behind them.
Kurt craned his neck to see Santana standing there, red cup in one hand, the other on her hip. Her mouth was wide open, and her eyes popped. Judging by the way she stood slightly off-balance, the way her hair and clothes were slightly messy, and the way her words were slightly slurred, Kurt figured she was drunk, and drunk angry girls, his party experience had told him, were the worst. When being the designated driver, one soon memorized all of the drunk stereotypes, and his least favorite was the drunk angry girl.
“Santana, she was all over me, I swear to God.” Kurt said, standing up quickly and ignoring the painful rush of blood to his head.
“Um, no I wasn’t. He, like, pulled me on top of him.” Brittany said, pouting and looking utterly innocent, to the point where Kurt almost believer her.
“I’m gay,” Kurt groaned, “Why would I make out with you?”
“Because you’re a guy? Plus, you’re probably drunk.” Brittany said, as if it was obvious.
“Look, Pretty Boy,” Santana slurred, bringing the attention back to herself, “I don’t care what your excuse is, but making out with my girl is not okay. Now, I suggest that you get your skinny white ass the hell away from here before I go all Miami Heights on you.”
Kurt scrambled up and got out of there as quickly as he could. He did not need Santana beating the crap out of him. She had already made him her enemy, which was bad enough. On Kurt’s way out, he bumped into someone, and fell backwards onto the sand.
He looked up to see none other than Finn.
“You’re so busted.” Finn said with a smirk on his face as he helped Kurt up.
“Shut up.” Kurt snapped, elbowing Finn in the ribs. However, Finn seemed unaffected.
“Dad is about to kill you. Wait until he finds out that you were at a party. He’s going to flip.” Finn said, his jaw dropping as the two walked.
“Wait,” Kurt said, stopping and grabbing Finn’s wrist, “You can’t tell dad. Please, Finn, I’m begging you.”
“Why? What’s in it for me?” Finn said, crossing his arms.
“Finn, come on!” Kurt pleaded. He looked with wide eyes at Finn, desperate.
“Fine,” Finn said after a while, scowling, “I’ll tell him that you were on the beach, then saw the fair and got distracted. There. Happy?”
Kurt broke out into a wide grin and threw his arms around Finn’s neck.
“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!” he exclaimed, squealing into Finn’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah,” Finn said, rolling his eyes, “Don’t expect me to do it again.”
Like you won’t do it a few more times this summer alone, Kurt thought, rolling his eyes as the two of them made their way up to the boardwalk, standing close enough to be together, though far apart as not to confuse them as a couple. Kurt didn’t need any of that being spread around already, especially not when it was his stepbrother being confused as his love interest.
“So, who were those people you were hanging around?” Finn asked as they made their way out of the darkened part of the boardwalk and started walking through the fair, which was still bustling.
“Oh,” Kurt said, clearing his throat and looking away, “They were…I dunno, just some people I met, I guess. I’m not hanging out with them again, that’s for sure.”
“Why, what happened?” Finn asked, raising his eyebrows. Kurt didn’t often reject people that befriended him. He was pretty popular back in Lima, or as popular as an openly gay kid could be in a small town.
“I got accused of ‘macking on’ someone else’s girl. But she totally came onto me, and I really didn’t like her. I tried to tell them that I was gay, but they didn’t believe me.” Kurt said, sighing.
“Been there,” Finn said sympathetically, “Was he a big guy? Because I can try and take him down tomorrow.”
“I appreciate your willingness to beat up my enemy of a sort,” Kurt said, chuckling, “But she was a girl. I guess one was a lesbian and the one that came onto me was her slutty girlfriend. I always seem to befriend that type, don’t I?”
Finn nodded, and Kurt elbowed him in the ribcage. Hard. They both dissolved into laughter, and were interrupted by the sound of Burt’s voice.
“Where the hell have you been, Kurt?” he asked angrily.
Kurt looked up to see his dad, whose eyebrows were furrowed in anger, his mouth tight with stress. Kurt could almost see the vein popping out of his forehead. He had probably been looking for Kurt for hours, and was most likely not too happy about it.
“Uh, I, uh…” Kurt stammered. He was not actually good at lying, no matter how much practice he’d had from coming home late so many times. Finn subtly rolled his eyes before covering for him.
“He went out for a walk out in the backyard beach thing, ya know,” Finn said, sounding natural (Kurt wished he could do the same) as the words rolled off his tongue normally, “And, well, there’s that fair and stuff. So, he texted me saying that he was gonna go, and I didn’t get the text until after you left. Then, I went to go look for him, and found him at one of the clothing vendors’ booths. We were just looking for you, actually.”
For someone so generally stupid, Finn could be so smart.
“Oh,” Burt said, his voice softening, “Well, I guess that’s fine. Just…just text me next time, okay? I was really worried about you, Kurt. I don’t want you hanging around the wrong people and getting into trouble. There are a lot of kids around these parts that I don’t think you want to associate yourself with.”
Trust me, I know, Kurt thought, internally sighing. However, he just nodded and kept his stone-cold bored expression.
“I know,” he said, “I got it, Dad. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
Burt smiled. “What?” Kurt snapped, narrowing his eyes.
“You called me ‘dad.’ I don’t think you’ve done that since before I moved.” Burt said, smiling softly.
“Whatever,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes.
He didn’t know why he was acting like this. It’s not like he was mad at his dad anymore. He was calling him ‘Dad’ for a reason. Wasn’t that an improvement? It’s not like he was purposefully snapping at his father. It was kind of an automatic reaction for him, to just lash out at anyone who challenged him. At least that’s what Carole had been telling him for the past few months.
But who even cared what Carole said? It’s not like she was him, or that she could see inside his mind. She didn’t even know him, not even a little. She couldn’t see what the world was like through his eyes, so she needed to stop pretending that she did. There was nothing wrong with Kurt; he just didn’t like to be told what he was feeling or whom he liked or what he was thinking. He just didn’t like being told anything in general. He was eighteen, not eight.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Burt said, raising his hands in surrender, “Don’t jump on me, let’s just go.”
“I’m not jumping on you.” Kurt mumbled as they started walking together down the boardwalk through the fair.
Walking through a fair, surrounded by tons of strangers, with his stepbrother who closely resembled Frankenstein or some other sort of very tall creature, was not exactly Kurt’s ideal night. But, it was better than getting jumped by Santana on the way home. He was glad that neither his dad nor his brother had any interest in the fair, and headed straight home, because he didn’t want to spend any more time at that tacky fair with its tacky tourists and tacky booths. The smell of fried Twinkies, doughnut burgers, and other overpriced heart attacks on a stick was making him sick. He shot Finn a skeptical look whenever the taller boy’s eyes lingered on a stand selling something deep fried or equally atrocious, getting a confused glance in return from Finn.
They managed to make it back to Burt’s house without Finn or Burt buying any food at the fair, which made Kurt extremely proud of the two of them, though it had taken a lot for him to convince them or hold them back at times. Was eating overpriced, greasy food really a better option than waiting twenty minutes until you got home, where you could eat a free, healthy meal? Kurt didn’t understand how the straight male species worked some days.
Burt decided to order a pizza, though, abandoning the whole ‘free-healthy-meal-at-home’ concept. He offered to order a veggie pizza just for Kurt, but Kurt respectfully declined. He instead made himself an extremely plain omelet, with diced onions and just a tiny sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, because Burt didn’t have much more than that in the fridge. From what Kurt saw, he lived on takeout, leftovers, bad freezer food, and homemade pizza, since that seemed to be the only thing that he knew how to cook on his own. Even then, Kurt spotted some pre-made pizza dough in the fridge and sighed. Burt really needed his help.
They all sat down in front of the TV together after a little of convincing from Burt (“Kurt, it’s bonding time…you can come sit with Finn and me for the two minutes it’ll take you to eat that…I mean, really? Kurt, eat. You’re skinny as all get out, why do you need to starve yourself? No, don’t go on lecturing me about ‘healthy,’ because there is a fine line between healthy and inadequate…”) to watch some mundane football game. To nobody’s surprise, Kurt bolted out of the room as soon as he finished his omelet, which was not much later.
He made an excuse about needing to complete his nightly facial routines before he slept (which was true, though it honestly wasn’t going to take too long) and made his grand escape. He ran into his room and slammed the door behind himself, sighing as he closed his eyes and leaned up against the door. Kurt went right to work after that; he simultaneously completed his nightly skin care rituals of a sort and unpacked at the same time, making the room his own as he did so. He meticulously organized the drawers in which he placed his socks and underwear, and took a painstakingly long time organizing the closet. By the time he was finished, he was tired and the other two had long since gone to bed.