Kurt had gotten into NYADA and it was amazing not being the only one to deal with Rachel all day long. Kurt had lived in this part-time bubble world where he could still tolerate Rachel while I lived in the 24 hour world where I never got a break from her. We were now in our open sing class, Kurt and I were leaning against the wall and Rachel had not stopped screeching since the bell rang.
Rachel was becoming the most aggravating person on the planet. Ever since she won the winter show case her ego and attitude and been even more annoying and over the top then usual. She's using all the hot water, she's barley talking at home, claiming she's 'saving her voice', and don't even get me started her 'admirers'.... God, I might have to beat her ass.
The next morning Kurt and I are woken up by Rachels incessant vocal exercises. We meet walking out of our rooms and give each other an annoyed look.
"Rachel, I swear to god if you don't stop, I will shove your extensions, down your throat!" I shout. She sees Kurt and I walk in.
"Oh, hey, you're awake." She says smiling.
"An hour before my alarm clock." Kurt grumbles.
"Oh, when you're in there, can you make me a little tea, please, with some honey and lemon? You know, it's really good for my throat." Rachel asks. Kurt slams the kettle on the stove.
"Sure, I'll just run down to the store and get you some." Kurt shouts.
"I'm sure there's some in the cupboard, geez." I mutter.
"I'll take that as a no. An incredibly rude no that deserves an explanation." Rachel sasses, storming over to us while I look for something to eat.
"Okay, Rachel, truth time. You have been a nightmare ever since the winter showcase." Kurt starts.
"A nightmare before Christmas and after Christmas." I muse, laughing at my own joke... because it was the winter show case! Rachel scoffed, at what? I don't know.
"I knew it- it was only a matter of time before you guys became jealous of all my success. And just when we were all getting inseparable." Rachel argues, walking off through the apartment. I stifle a laugh.
"I didn't really have an option to be separable." I say, mostly to myself.
"Oh- we became close because you became tolerable." I interrupted Kurt.
"Debatable." I say.
"But now you've got that weird naked boyfriend and that weird legion of sycophants. Now you are like, you're like an annoying, self-righteous Lima Rachel on steroids." Kurt yells, practically in her face while I just stand by the fridge.
"You know what? Let me give you a little bit of the truth, Kurt. Okay, the only reason why Carmen Tibideaux even let you sing at the winter showcase was because she knew that you and I were friends." Rachel 'explains'.
"What about me? I sang too." I muttered, moving to sit at the table to watch this train wreck, with a warm coffee in my hand.
"You might have won the showcase, but my performance was the one that everyone was talking about because I. blew. you. away. And I can do it again. Midnight madness- you and me, head-to-head." Kurt challenged.
"Ooh, Kitty fight." I smirked and immediately wanted Santana to come back and watch this with me. I miss having her around. I watched Rachel crush a piece of foil.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, babe." Rachel whispered.
"Oh, why not?" Kurt asks, whispering quieter.
"'Cause I already beat you once. Diva-off sophomore year. Remember?" Rachel taunted, tapping his forehead. What the hell?
"Only because I threw it." Kurt admitted. Everyone knew he threw it. I scoffed.
"I mean have you heard Kurt's voice? He could've hit that note in his sleep." I support.
"I tanked that note on purpose." Kurt added and I watched as Rachel's smile slipped.
"Okay, why would you do that?" Rachel mocked him.
"Cause I didn't want to win. I wanted to save my dad the embarrassment of having a son sing a song written for a woman." Kurt explained and it seemed to Rachel she knew it was true. It made sense.
"I don't believe you. Take that back." Rachel muttered quickly.
"It seems like you believe him." I taunt.
"I can't- it's truth time." Kurt shrugs.
"That was my first big win. That was the foundation that I built all of my confidence on for the past two years." Rachel yelled, breaking down.
"Aw, consider it cracked. Get ready for diva-off part two, and this time I'm not throwing anything. Enjoy your tea." Kurt said, walking off and giving me a high five as he passed me.
That day at school I walk up to my 'sister swans'. That's what they told me to call them... I'm not joking. I link our arms as I walk up from behind them.
"Girls, a word." I say, pulling them away from whoever they were talking too. I move to stand in front of them.
"I need to know exactly what Midnight Madness is. Now." I order. Veronica: the shorter one with the strawberry blonde hair speaks up.
"Midnight Madness is NYADAS fight club, but singing instead of punching." She says excitingly. Vanessa: the taller one with brown hair continued.
"Twice a year, we break into a classroom for a no-holds-barred sing-off to the death. Winner gets ultimate bragging rights for the rest of the time that they're at NYADA, loser gets shamed and humiliated." Vanessa says with a grin. I smirk for a moment.
"Thank you girls." I say and begin to walk out. I turn my head back to look at them.
"You better be on my side tonight." I add. They nod immediately. I smile, turning back to walk out of the room.
"Love you girls." I yell without looking back. I find Kurt and we walk together. We accidentally run in on Rachel, Brody, and tweedle dee with tweedle dum.
"The only reason Hummel got in is 'cause he's Carmen's pet turtle-face." The taller one said.
"And signing up for Adam's apples? He might as well wear a sign around his neck that says 'i am pathetic, please club me to death.'" The shorter one comments. Rachel keeps glancing over at us.
"Kurt earned his place here at NYADA same as you two." Rachel defended. They both looked shocked.
"Excuse me?" The shorter one asked. We walk up to them.
"It's okay, Rachel. I've dealt with a lot worse than bitchy gossip. However I got here, the point is, I'm here. And me, my outfits, and my turtle-face aren't going anywhere." Kurt defends himself.
"We'll see about that at midnight madness." The shorter one says and they begin to walk away when I step in front of them.
"Boys. Hello." I address them. Their eyes widen.
"I would think it's in your best interest not to insult someone you know is with me... Nod if you understand." I smirked when they didn't answer the first time. They both nod and I step out of the way for them to continue walking. They rush out of the hallway, turning the corner.
That night we break into Miss. July's room after I had successfully lock-picked it. I walked in.
"Guys, gather some chairs up. Make a semicircle. Let's go, we have five minutes." Brody instructs. We all sit in a semicircle with take splitting it in half and one singular light turned on. The other swans sit on either side of me. Brody takes the hood of his black cape.
"Welcome to midnight madness. We all know the rules. One song at a time, two singers per song. If you go flat, you lose. Now, the playing space has been split into two. One side per competitor. After the song, I will give you the signal, and you stand with whoever you think won. Majority rules. The groups decision is final. No appeal. No mercy, and only silent applause. This is not a performance. This is a blood sport. First up: Rachel Berry versus Kurt Hummel." Brody explains the rules and calls up my two friends.
"Now, the song you will be competing with is 'bring him home' from Les Miz. You guys know it? Per midnight madness protocol, since Kurt challenged Rachel, he will be going first." Brody explains and moves out of the way. Rachel goes back to sit down as the song starts. Both Kurt and Rachel finish singing and we silently clap. Both Rachel and now Kurt stand on either side of the line.
"Okay, make your choice." Brody says. I smirk and look at my girls who mirror it. We stand up and stay on Kurts side. Rachel looks at me with betrayal and I merely smirk. I watch as the taller boy from earlier walks over to our side and Rachel looks at him the same way. Seems he's tweedle dee. I smirk over at him and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Good choice." I whisper and he gives me a joyous smile. He moves to stand behind me. Brody starts counting the people on each side.
"All right. And the winner by the closest margin in midnight madness history is Mr. Kurt Hummel." Brody announces and Kurt laughs happily. We all silently clap for him.
The next day Kurt, Adam (Kurt's new boyfriend), and i are walking through the halls talking about how he blew Rachel out of the water. Well I thought he did. Kurt was uneasy.
"I've been singing the Les Miz score since I was in second grade. Literally the entire score. I mean, it was just dumb luck that, that was the song that got chosen." Kurt said filled with guilt.
"You would've beaten Rachel with any song. You would've won in sophomore year if you hadn't thrown it." I assure him. Adam sighs.
"I know you feel conflicted about winning, but you won because you're an incredible singer." Adam starts when the two idiots come rushing over to us.
"Oh, my god, Kurt. Everyone is buzzing about your triumph at Midnight Madness. Not since Judy played the palace, they're saying." The short one talked first.
"A bunch of us are signing up for the Funny girl open call, then getting rush tickets to see Mama Mia! You have to come with." The taller one informed.
"I don't think so. I think you both are shallow and obnoxious. And I think the only reason why you run around kissing everyone's ass if because you know you'll never make it on your own. And another thing. If you say one more nasty thing about Adams Apples, I will challenge you to the next Midnight Madness, and we all know how that ends." Kurt fires at them. We watch as they silently walk away. Adam and I chuckle.
"That's very impressive." Adam says. Kurt and I see Rachel walk into the hall.
"Um, give me a second." Kurt says to Adam and continues to drag me over to Rachel.
"Hey, Rachel. I don't know if you heard, but apparently the revival of Funny Girl is having open auditions. Do you want to go with me and Dani?" Kurt asks as we start to follow Rachel who's walking down the hall.
"You guys should try out. You'd be an amazing Fanny Brice." Rachel says and walks off. Kurt and I sigh.
"Rachel Berry, not getting her way, gives her a perfect excuse to act as the victim. Like always." I mutter as Kurt and I walk to our next class.
After school, Kurt and I walk into Rachel's room.
"Shiva is officially over. You have an audition for Funny Girl three weeks from today. We went down to the open call and got us all the last slots." Kurt informs her.
"I'm not trying out." Rachel says, leaving her window to lay on her bed. I roll my eyes.
"Why, because I won Midnight Madness? Kurt starts.
"Stop acting like a baby Rachel, you say you're such a grown woman but you act like a child when things don't go your way! You do it with Miss. July and your doing it now. Stop playing the victim Rachel, you've gotten so much in your life and you are so lucky, so don't for one minute think things never go your way. But that's life; some things don't go our way and we have to deal with that. But standing by a window, wrapped in a blanket isn't the right way to deal with it. We aren't in Lima anymore Rachel, and we aren't Mr. Shue who was willing to do anything to make you stay and to not hurt your feelings. Because I swear if you do not grow the hell up i will hurt more then your feelings." I rant, the rage flowing out of me from all these weeks of silence and smart remarks just aren't enough anymore. Kurt sighs and Rachel wipes the tears away.
"Rachel, It doesn't mean anything- it just means that we're even. You won with an Elphaba song, and I won't with a Jean Valijean song, none of which changes the fact that Funny Girl is your favorite musical, and that you were born to play Fanny Brice. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Kurt goes with a more softer approach.
"But let's say by some crazy extraordinary chance I get it. Then what? I become more of a diva nightmare then I already am now? I can't handle the pressures of stardom, not without losing my best friends and making every single person hate me. So I'm not going to try out." Rachel argues with us. We both climb to sit on her bed.
"You are a diva, and you have been a nightmare, but you're not a diva because you've been a nightmare. You're a diva because you're talented and ambitious and because no one else in the world can do what you, Rachel Berry, can do. That's what being a divas all about. Being an original one-of-a-kind. So hold the nightmare, and bring the diva. You don't need any of that. Your work speaks for itself." Kurt encourages.
"I love you guys. I'm sorry. I hate fighting with you." Rachel says as she hugs us.
"Eh, a little catfight is good for friends. You know, keeps the relationship fresh." Kurt says and I chuckle.
Later that night we hear a knock on the door.
"Dani, get ready." Kurt whispers Incase it's someone trying to hurt us. I nod. Kurt opens the door to show Santana. Did I like summon her or something? Rachel and I stand up.
"Santana. What are you doing here?" Kurt asks surprised. Santana smirks and walks in. I mirror her smirk and walk over to hug her tightly.
"Moving in." She announces.