Alec.
After a week only, Mr. Schuester announced the arrival of two new members at the Glee club, "Please welcome Meliorn and Simon, who have bravely passed the auditions. Congrats, guys!" Meliorn got cheered, especially by Isabelle, and Simon got to sit near Alec, who gave him a vague and polite smile. "Now I'd like to introduce the next theme we're gonna tackle in order to practice before Selectionals, which is... duets!"
"Great!" Rachel exclaimed. She looked at Finn with a grin and whispered, "Do you think we should opt for a ballad?"
But the reactions were not all that enthusiastic. Both Santana and Isabelle turned to Puck, who smiled a little. Alec rolled his eyes. They didn't understand what he had told them the day before. But surprisingly, there was no fight, because Isabelle finally turned toward Meliorn who had hailed her, saying, "Hey, Isabelle, hum, would you accept to do it with me? I mean, I don't know anyone else here...", and she immediately said yes, looking at Noah Puckerman who was perplexed. Santana, barely moved, took his hand, mechanically. It looked like there was no violent fight for passion between the girls, and that it disturbed–or frustrated–Puck. Maybe that was what the girls were looking for.
Next to Alec, Simon was smiling to him, waiting. "Oh no, that's out of question."
"Please!" he implored. "I've got no one else!"
"Well, you'll make nice encounters."
"But we're four men remaining! Unless you desperately want to be with Kurt or Mike, you'd better choose me."
Alec was about to answer nastily, when he was cut, "Hey, Alexander! Would like to do it with me?"
Both he and Simon turned toward Mike, who had called him. Alec was shocked, and bewildered. "Uh–I–Well...," he stuttered. He glanced at Simon, then at Kurt, and shrugged, "Okay."
"Amazing," Mike whispered in a wink, and he sat back straight.
Simon was confused. "So you won't go with me, but you're okay with Mike? You don't know him!"
"Hey, you and I are not friends, okay? I owe you nothing. Nor do you."
The other student was on the verge of answering but he felt a presence next to him, and turned a little. Kurt was standing in front of him, arms crossed, and looking exasperated. "I don't like it either, believe me," he warned, then sighed. He reached out his hand. "Will you?"
Simon successively opened and closed his mouth, glanced at Alec, at the whole Glee club, then at Kurt again, and said with a shy smile, "With pleasure." He took his hand and they went to sit together, making Alec laugh softly. Nonetheless, he lost his smile when Mike appeared on the seat next to his. He felt rather shaky and stressed out, so he tried to hide–in vain–behind his glasses.
***
Alec.
"Alexander, we're not going to do this if you're not one hundred percent into it," the Asian boy sighed, stopping his dancing movements for at least the tenth time.
"Sorry. You dancing during my solo is just disturbing."
Mike Chang rolled his eyes, and sat onto one of the tables standing in the empty classroom they used to practice for their duet. They had chosen Don't you want me, by The Human League, because it had been Mike's favorite song in his childhood–and because Alec had nothing to propose. And the sportsman had insisted on dancing through the whole song, giving Alec most of the couplets to sing alone.
"Just forget about me. Just focus on singing, which you're doing so well. I'll take care of the dancing part, what I'm better at." Mike smiled and turned the music back on. "Let's try again. From the start."
Alec nodded patiently and opened his mouth slowly, "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, when I met you." The Asian teenager suddenly rose and moved all around his partner. "I picked you up, I shook you down and turned you around, turned you into someone new," he continued in a shaking voice, as Mike was flushing the cloth of his tee-shirt, then putting a hand on his neck. "Now five years later on, you've got the world at your feet, success has been so easy for you." The other singer got closer, and closer, while Alec was still singing but in a lower voice now, "But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now, and I can put you back down too. Don't–Don't, Mike! For God's sake, what are you doing?" Alexander had stopped everything, looking daggers at the other student, who was now so close he was being rude. Although what he would never admit in public, Alec had not shouted because he felt assaulted or uneasy, but because of certain agreeable warmth starting to spread in his whole body.
"Sorry. I just felt it was right."
"It's not," Alec mumbled. "Just don't do that. Please. Let's do it once again and for all. Let's get through that song. And let's leave. I can't bear it anymore."
"Okay. Less dancing, I guess." He looked disappointed, like a child who'd been told Christmas was cancelled.
***
Alec.
Alec was waiting by Jace's Audi after his practice with Mike, whom he had left a few minutes ago. They had been able to do the entire song without stopping, but it had been harder than expected for Alec. All along, he had to fight the urge to start dancing with Mike, singing at the same time as Mike, to just stop everything just to be with Mike. And he had just no idea what that was supposed to mean. It was the first time he felt this way, in his whole life.
He suddenly glimpsed a known silhouette in the distance, wandering alone in the parking-lot. Alec recognized Raphael Santiago, head of the hockey team, without his lads to protect him. He looked miserable as ever. The short boy raised his head in Alec's direction, stood a few long minutes staring at him. He was conscious nobody was around, nobody could save him, there were only the two of them. But nothing happened. Raphael sighed and looked away, as if he were resigning.
A couple of students passed near Alec and waved at him. He stopped looking at his former-bully and smiled softly at the sight of Simon and Kurt, who were surely going rehearse somewhere outside the school. They passed Raphael fearlessly, even smiling at him, and got to a car without being bugged by him. Indeed, he was still immobile, staring at them as he'd stared at Alec earlier. Why didn't he move? He could so easily push them on the ground or throw them in the dumpsters himself–he was way stronger than them two, even if a bit smaller.
Jace got next to him all of a sudden, as Alec got what was happening. Raphael had no one left to bully, if all his victims kept being sheltered by the Glee club–and in his case, his brother and the football team, too.
"Had a nice day, Alec?" the blond muscular boy near him asked distractedly, putting his bags in the trunk. "Better get going before everyone starts coming. Oh, and Isabelle's getting home on her own. A friend of hers will drop her. Melvin or something. Can't remember."
"Meliorn?" Alec tried, sitting in the car, still an eye on Santiago.
"Yeah, I guess. It dealt with that stupid Glee club thing. Had to rehearse or I don't know what. She'll be back for dinner." He started the car, and got away from the school–Alec lost sight of his ex-bully. "Do you have to do that, too?"
"Yes. I'm teaming with that guy from the football team. Mike, you know?"
"Of course. He's a great guy. He must be good at dancing. He always performs on the field. The team thinks it's cool."
"He is good," Alec replied in a mumble. After a long pause–which the turned off radio didn't cover–he added, "What would you say if... If I told you I didn't like girls?"
The car slowed brutally. Jace briefly looked at him, frowned, and sped up a bit. "What?"
"I was just asking myself. Don't panic."
"Well. You've got time, you know, to have girlfriends. Don't stress out because you don't have one just right now."
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I meant, what if I liked boys, the way I should like girls?"
Jace pulled over on the roadside. He looked in Alec's eyes, very seriously. "Are you gay?"
"What? No, of course not! I–I just–I was just thinking. Why did you stop?"
"You're conscious of what you're saying?"
"Hey, how wrong could it be? You're overreacting. And I'm not even gay. It was just a thought I had."
"Well, stop thinking."
"So, what? You're homophobic, now?"
"Stop talking about this!" Jace nearly yelled.
"What's the matter? It's not like I'd killed anyone."
"Alec, you know mom and dad wouldn't like that," Jace whispered furiously.
"I'm not talking about mom and dad. I'm talking about you. How much would you like that?" Alec was suddenly all defensive.
"I wouldn't like that at all, if you really want to know!" Jace swallowed and subdued a little. "Alright, now? Anything you want to tell me, Alec?"
"Why are so narrow-minded? I mean, what's wrong with liking boys?"
Alexander tried to sound innocent and smooth, not to unnerve Jace any more. But to the other boy, it was pure provocation.
"What's wrong with–But everything's wrong with that, Alec!"
"So I am wrong?"
"You–"
"Yes, Jace. Your own brother."
The blond one gasped and frowned, taken aback. "You–It can't be..."
"So what are you saying?" Alec cut with anger.
"I–I can't–Why?"
"Why? You really think that I've chosen this? That I've chosen to be hated, and rejected by everyone?"
"No–Well, maybe, I don't know."
Alec was disgusted, by his own brother, by the words he was saying to him, by his hatred. He hardly recognized him. And he thought he'd have been more tolerant and welcoming. Even if he had only said he was gay to get a reaction from him, maybe to provoke him a bit. Oh, had he?
***
Alec.
The way home had been awkwardly quiet and Jace's hands had been twitched on the stirring wheel. When he had parked, Jace had just said, getting off the car, "You're lucky I don't intend to tell the parents. They'd be devastated."
Alec looked down and went directly to his room. How could this have happened? How was he going to get himself out of it? Who could he call for help? Isabelle was out, Maxwell was too young, and his parents were out of question. Who was left?
He locked out his phone and tapped quickly on his contacts. "Hey, Kurt? It's Alec from the Glee club," he said, blessing the gay boy who had given him his number a few months ago when he had tried to recruit him.
"Good evening, Alec. Everything all right? Can I help you?"
"Yeah, well... Remember Jace? My adoptive brother?"
"Of course, blonde star football player. What is it?"
"I may have–accidentally, in fact–I may have let slip–well actually it's just he who understood–in some way–that... I'm gay."
"Oh," Kurt only replied, confused. "Are you?"
"Wh–No! Well, I don't know."
"But what's the problem, though?"
"Jace didn't take it so well. He said it was wrong."
"Unfortunately, they don't all jump around after a coming out."
"But I didn't–I'm not gay."
"That's okay to be lost, Alec," Kurt said softly. "But if you just admit it to yourself, it'll be far easier."
"I don't know, Kurt..."
"Just try to pounder on it, and act as your true self would. Ask yourself why you told your brother you were gay. Was it only to provoke him, to know what he thought of it, or because you desperately needed support?"
"Yeah."
"If you have any problem, you just call me, okay?"
"Right. Thanks."
He hung up on his mate and frowned alone in his bedroom. Was Kurt saying that his unconscious had somehow revealed his true self?
***
Alec.
The day right after their little fight, Jace took Alexander and Isabelle–who looked more delighted than usual, surely because of this guy who had dropped her at their house the night before–to school. But this morning, the blond boy had no smile on his face, and he didn't sing along with his sister and the radio. He looked out of his mind, and he didn't dare glance at his big brother–it seemed that if he did, Alec would die in awful pain.
"Hey, Jace, is there something wrong?" Isabelle asked distractedly. "I didn't even get a chance to talk with you about this amazing Meliorn boy. Did you know he had tried to get in the football team at the same time as you did, and that you won over him?"
"Not in the mood, Izzy."
The brunette looked at Alec, in the back of the car, and frowned. His brother shrugged, looking down. She said nothing. Of course, she didn't know a thing.
The day passed so slowly Alec had nothing else to do than to wallow over Jace's sudden hatred towards him. The only source of interest was a rehearsal Mike had insisted on doing with him before lunch. They now knew their part by heart, and Alec was starting to get used to his partner dancing all around him. He had even intended to make him dance with him, but after a few tries, Mike had admitted Alec was unable to move properly.
Heading for the cafeteria with the Asian boy, he was asked by him, "So do you think the Glee club'll be okay with it?" Alec stopped walking and looked at him–how could he possibly know about his homosexuality? "I'm talking about the song," Mike indicated with a puzzled expression.
"Oh. Well, I guess they will. But they'll be better. I'll probably ruin everything, like I do every time."
"Hey, come on. You were pretty good. And your dancing wasn't all that bad. You just need to let yourself go." Mike had put a hand on his arm and had a convincing look raised towards Alec's.
"Yeah, you must be right..." The thing was, he was much more concentrated on his skin burning under the boy's touch than on what he was saying. "Look, I've got something to ask you... It might be weird but–" He paused in a shy smile to look up to Mike, blushing, but then frowned. "Wait." He was suddenly appealed by something happening far in the distance, outside the cafeteria, near the stadium. "I have to go, I'm sorry."
"Alec!" Mike called him back, but he didn't listen. "What did you want to ask me?"
Alexander forgot immediately about Mike, about the fact that he was about to ask him out, about everyone else in the school, but the two silhouettes he had glimpsed, isolated from everything else. Jace and Kurt. Fighting bare-handed and unequally. The blond football captain seemed blinded by rage, and was yelling at the precious teenager who was trying to cover his face with his arms, "It's your fault, isn't it? You turned him like this? I knew he shouldn't have joined that stupid club! You know what, you're going to regret so much what you've done to him!" He threw him on the ground and kicked his stomach, bouncing on him right after that.
"Jace!" Alec shouted when he got close enough, out of breath. "Leave him alone!" Jace didn't hear–or didn't listen–and punched Kurt again in the face. "I beg of you!" Alexander reached his adoptive brother and tried to pull him out of Kurt's body. Jace pushed him away, not even recognizing him, and swore violently. "Jace, no!" But the blonde student was starting to punch Kurt in the face again.
The brown-haired Glee club member was barely awake, covered in contusions and blood, one of his eyes closed, and his lips grimacing in pain and cries. He threw an imploring look to Alec, who felt adrenaline pushing him to catch his brother's jacket and face him.
"Leave me alone, Alec! I'm gonna kick the hell out of this fag!"
"Now you stop! And you listen to me," the dark-haired teenager cut. "He's my friend. You don't touch him."
"Don't you get it? He's not your friend! He just wanted to turn you into that awful monster you are!"
Alec gasped and slapped his brother violently. Jace growled bestially and bounced on him, kicking his stomach with his left knee. The taller of them two swallowed hardly and punched him, then pulled on his blond and long hair to bring him on the ground. Jace got a hold on his legs and they both fell next to Kurt, who was trying to get up weakly. They fought with such passion and such hate they almost forgot who they were facing, and why. But Alec suddenly felt Jace's fist collide with his left eyebrow arch and blood quickly stream on his cheek. He put his hands on his face and moaned briefly in pain. Jace paused a second, breathing haltingly, and discovered what he had done.
"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out a hand to touch the wound. "Did I do that? Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Alec..."
"Ouch," the boy whispered, grimacing, and tapped Jace's hand. "It's okay. It's just a scratch."
"Alec, I think I broke your eyebrow arch..." He kneeled by his side, still shaking in adrenaline. "I'm sorry, I... Can I do anything?" He looked up, and around. "We've got to take you to the nurse's office."
"No," Alec objected, staring past Jace's shoulder. "You go take Kurt to her. I'm fine."
"No, no, I have to take care of you, I–I shouldn't have–I'm a horrible person."
"Stop it," Alec mumbled, raising painfully on his feet. His whole body hurt.
"It's true, I–I hurt you. My brother. My best friend. I'm... I'm sorry."
"I know. It's okay." He took Kurt's hand and helped him get back up, an arm around his waist. "Help me carry him."
"Sure," Jace replied distractedly, still focused on what he'd done. "Do you think mom and dad will ever forgive me? They've always been so kind with me... Will you ever forgive me?"
"Yes. Eventually." They started walking to the infirmary, as Kurt had fallen unconscious, and Alec finally said in a moralizing and tired tone, "I hope you've realized now how wrong you were, how wrong your hate was."
"Hey, it's not my fault, Kurt passed me by and called me a disgusting homophobic person."
"So you beat him up. Smart boy."
"Sorry," Jace murmured for at least the hundredth time. "Do you think he'll forgive me, too?"
"I think so. We're not as hateful as you guys are."
"Yeah." Jace and Alec dropped Kurt next to the wall of the infirmary establishment. Then the blond one added, "So you're truly gay?"
"I... guess so," he stuttered, briefly thinking of Mike and what he had been about to ask him.
"Okay," Jace only said. He smiled and continued shyly, "Izzy's gonna be thrilled. She'll be able to talk about boys with you."
Alec smiled, too, and the door opened quickly. The nurse stepped by in horror, and managed Kurt, then took care of Alec, and sent them back to class, fortunately not asking many questions.
"I can't believe I did this to him," Jace repeated, walking into the school hall with his brother.
"At least, you regret it."
"Of course I do!" He looked down. "You know, I think I was just being afraid of you possibly running away from me for other boys. You know, we'd always been so close, and now you're gonna have... boyfriends, I suppose. I couldn't stand it. And, as you know, mom and dad are not really cool with all that... stuff. I think they might have rubbed off on me, and I became a little... violent over fags–I mean, gay people, I'm sorry, I didn't–"
"I know, Jace. And that's alright."
"I promise I will never hurt you again, or Kurt, or anyone. I don't want to be a threat. I don't want to be feared. I want to be supportive with you, you know? You're my big bro."
"Gay big bro," Alec winked, stopping in front of his class, in the middle of the deserted corridors.
Jace drew him into a brotherly hug, and whispered into his ear, "You know, I could reconsider joining the Glee club. It's the least I could do to make sure no one gets hurt again, by me or the football team. And... I know how much it means to you."
Alec's face shone in happiness and he squeezed Jace a little tighter. "Thank you."
Getting beaten up by your brother had at least a few advantages. You could be openly gay, and get him to join the only club that makes you like school.