Life for Rent - Chapter 5
Kurt POV
I’m so glad things are back to how they were with Finn and I. I couldn’t face seeing him on Friday so I threw a sick day, my dad was happy to excuse me from school. I hate being angry with people, especially someone like Finn. How could I have been so insane to think that he would ever do that?
But now that everything’s good again I’m really looking forward to Glee club today; we finally get to put everything we’ve planned for our Rent number together. I’ll have to just deal with the fact that Finn and Santana are soloing together. There’s no message between the two of them in the solos so it should be fine.
I walked into the choir room and spotted that Puck and Quinn were sitting apart, which surprised me. I wonder what I missed. I noticed Finn had saved a seat for me between him and Mercedes. He got up to say hello and gave me a hug.
‘How are you?’ he asked me.
‘I'm fine, just had a good lesson. But I’m looking forward to this today. Are you?’ I wonder if he can deal with singing with her as well as I could.
‘Yeah I think I am, going to be weird, but that shouldn’t matter, it’s the performance that counts doesn’t it’ he answered with a smile.
It was then I realised that Santana wasn’t studying us or anything like that; she was just sitting next to Brittany, chatting away.
Mr Schue entered the choir room right on time as usual.
‘Hey guys, we’re heading over to the auditorium for Seasons of Love, everyone ready?’ he asked us gesturing to the door.
Everyone got up and walked over to the hall where we took our places on the stage with Mr Schue setting up the lighting. Tina stood on the left, with Artie next to her, then Mercedes, Matt, Brit, Mike, Rachel, Jesse, Finn, Puck, Myself, Quinn and Santana next to her on the other end. We all stood in a long line spread out across the stage. Mr Schue turned the house lights down and shone individual spots on each of us.
We decided to keep with the specialised stage set up of Seasons of Love for effect. I think it works really well. Santana stepped forward and shouted over to him.
‘Mr Schue?’ she shielded her eyes from the lights ‘I don’t think I should sing this solo. It doesn’t feel right’
‘Why’s that Santana?’ the teacher asked with a quizzical expression on his face. I was pretty confused too. No way Santana had become a decent person in four days.
‘My voice sounds really croaky today, I don’t think I’ll be able to get the note.’ She said touching her throat lightly.
As she stepped back into her spot she shot a short look over at me. I could have sworn I saw a little smile. But I doubt it.
‘Uh, ok then. Who wants the solo guys? Someone that can sing it now’ Mr Schue said into his desk mic.
No reason why I couldn’t take it, it’s well within my range and there’s no direct reference to it being a female solo. I raised my hand slowly. As did Rachel… fantastic.
‘Erm ok guys I don’t want another diva-off so…’ Mr Schue thought for a while.
‘Rachel, based on the fact that you got Defying Gravity, I think I’ll give this one to Kurt’ he said with a smile to me.
I smiled over at Rachel as she lowered her hand, and surprisingly she smiled back. What is going on today with these girls? I don’t get it.
I then spotted Finn looking over to me and smiling, he was obviously really happy too.
Mr Schue gave the band their queue to start as he put the lights back to their proper set up. The image of us all standing in the line with our spots in true Rent fashion must be something to behold, I wish Mr Schue would video our performances.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love?
How about love? Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love
The harmonies were good so far. The arrangement worked really nicely, Mr Schue had done well with the delegation. But it’s my time to shine now.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?
Go on Finn, you can do it.
In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died
As Finn sang I thought about the last few days we’d had to endure together, only to come out stronger than ever. I know there’ll be other times, but we can tackle them when they come. But wow, his voice has improved so much since he started Glee all that time ago.
I looked over to Finn as he finished his little part, unable to not show the happiness that we were given this song in the end.
It's time now to sing out
Though the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
Everyone started clapping in their own style, Matt’s was very large armed, Puck’s very rigid but loud and Mercedes was practically shimmying as she clapped.
Remember the love
As i continued my impromptu solo the lights slowly went up showing the rest of the stage and the fantastic new red curtain April had put in. It was lovely seeing everyone getting so into a song that wasn’t mainstream like usual.
Oh you got to, you got to remember the love
You know that love is a gift from up above
Remember the love
Share love, give love, spread love
Seasons of love
Everyone just looked so happy, giving each other lovely little facial expressions and clapping together. Its times like these when we’re performing that everything is forgotten and we all just become a solid group.
Here comes the big note, this is a piece of cake for me though. If I can hit a high F, I can do this.
Measure, measure your life in love
Seasons of love
Measure your life, measure your life in love.
Seasons of love
As the harmonies finished and the lights dimmed everyone applauded each other and Finn and I. Mercedes came over to me as I walked over to Finn and gave me a hug. Rachel then appeared behind me.
‘Well done Kurt, that was brilliant. You too Finn!’ she called over to him.
‘Great job guys’ Mr Schue exclaimed as he walked onto the stage to join us. ‘You see how much fun songs from musicals can be?’
Everyone grouped together in front of Mr Schue as he addressed us.
‘I’ve had another idea for an assignment. Seeing as Seasons of Love went down to well, I want you to all choose a song from a musical to perform. I'm going to give you complete freedom this time, but it has to be from a musical classic or otherwise. Perform solos or together, it’s up to you.’ This should be fun. Everyone had kinda been won over by the sheer amazing-ness of Rent I think.
‘BUT, there’s a catch, I want you to do some background research into your chosen song and it’s show. I wanna see some real emotion coming through. When you’ve all performed I’ll set you all a group number to do, and trust me, its going to be a fun one.’
Everyone whooped and cheered as the group turned in on itself and we all started discussing who we wanted to perform with.
I knew I wanted to sing with Finn, we needed to do a number on our own to prove that we were ok again. I dragged him away by his hand from the pit of people to talk to him.
‘Shall we do a number Finn? I feel like we should’
‘Yeah it would be fun, by why should we? He asked looking confused.
‘Well, after all that’s gone on I think we need to show people that we’re good again’ I said in a whisper.
‘Uhm, does it really matter what people think? All that matters is that we’re ok’ he said giving me a peck on the lips. ‘Which we are, so it’s all good’ Finn smiled down at me. He was totally right, why do I always care about how people see me so much?
‘But it’ll be fun to perform together again, specially since we wont have to worry about revealing anything this time’ he laughed to me.
I smiled at him as we told the group we were going to sing together, said our goodbyes and left the auditorium.
Finn took my hand as we walked down the hall.
‘So you’re musical guy, what do you think we should sing?’
‘Oh god where do I start, depends what we want to go for. Do you want to come over again and watch some films for ideas?’ There really is no limit to what we can sing. But I think a cheery song would be nice.
‘Yeah sounds great, I’ll let my mom know later’ he said smiling down at me.
We walked out to the football field and sat on the bleachers. I remembered what I was going to ask him.
‘Oh, I was going to say, I noticed Puck and Quinn weren’t sitting together today. Do you know if anything’s gone on with them too?’ I asked leaning up against Finn’s shoulder.
‘I don’t know anything about that, but I suppose they could have broken up. I try to keep out of it to be honest’ Finn said with an audible air of discontentment in his voice.
I sometimes forget about all the drama earlier in the year, the time where it has been Finn and I has always just seemed so right that anything before it always slips my mind.
‘Yeah I understand that’ I said resting our hands on his knee. The warm sun was gently massaging my face. The field was empty, silent. Its times like these that I really treasure, just Finn and I having time to ourselves. We sat back against the seat behind us as Finn wrapped his arm around my back.
‘So even though I’m musical guy as you so eloquently put it, you must have some idea of a song you’d like to sing’ I said looking up at Finn from his shoulder.
‘Uh well not really, I only know a couple of musicals, and I don’t see myself singing follow the yellow brick road’ he said with a frown.
‘You could do that, if you could sound like a Munchkin’ I said laughing at him. The concept of Finn as a 3 foot Munchkin in little green and yellow shorts just tickled me. He’d stick out like a sore thumb in Munchkinland.
‘We’ll have to see what can suit your voice when we’re back at my house, I’ve got loads of CDs too.’
‘Cool, you can educate me on musicals then tonight’ Finn said rubbing his hand up
and down my arm. ‘Hey, why do you think Santana gave up the solo?’ Finn asked me looking confused again. ‘Her voice didn’t sound croaky or anything’.
‘I don’t know, maybe she’s realised what she did was wrong, and that it hasn’t worked’ It felt great that it hadn’t worked, well, not for any length of time. Nothing felt strained or forced now, which was my main worry now we had made up again.
Finn sighed and kissed my forehead. We sat basking in the sunlight and each other until the bell for lunch rang.