Easier Said Than Done

At Kurt’s house, we lied down on our stomachs on his bed, watching Patrick Swayze dance onstage with Jennifer Grey. My mouth spread into a smile as I wished that I could get a guy like Johnny Castle. Minus the whole having sex, like, every single day thing. That might be a little too much.

As the movie ended, I turned over onto my back and stared at Kurt’s ceiling. “Chick flicks are so unrealistic,” I sighed. “How is this supposed to help me again?”

“To show that there are way better prospects out there for you than Puck. You need to get over him.” He looked over at my face and clapped his hands as a new idea entered his head. “I think some retail therapy is in order.”

“I didn’t bring any money,” I informed him. He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “And I’m not letting you spend any more money on me.”

There was a knock on Kurt’s door. “Come in!” Kurt called, shooting a look at me.

“Do you guys want any popcorn? ‘Cause I’m gonna make some,” Finn offered. He shot a fast look at me before directing his attention back at Kurt.

“Sure. Thanks, Finn.” Kurt smiled as Finn shut the door behind him.

“I think Finn still kind of has a thing for you,” he told me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“No, I think you’re just trying to throw me at people because you think it’s going to help. Plus, Finn’s still with Rachel, and I am totally not being the Santana of that relationship.”

“Maybe I could get Blaine to introduce you to some of his friends from Dalton!”

“Kurt!” I slapped him upside the head and stood up. “Just relax. I need to spend some time just…working on me. Being single.” A snicker escaped my lips. “Now that was very clichéd. But anyway, my point was that if I get a new boyfriend now, it’s just going to be a rebound because I know that I’m not over Puck yet.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, knowing that I was right. “Fine, fine. You know there are already rumors circulating that he has a thing for Zizes, right?”

I shuddered instinctively before feeling badly about it. “Yeah, I know. Whatever. He can like who he wants because it’s no longer my business.” That sounded independent, right?

“There’s my girl!” He got off the bed and started going through the cabinet below his television. “So what’s next? 13 Going on 30, The Proposal, or Pretty Woman?”

* * *

The next morning, I woke up and yawned. The clock said that it was eleven, which was kind of late for me to sleep on a Sunday, even though part of me wanted to turn over and go back to sleep.

However, that feeling completely disappeared when I smelled one of my favorite foods: chocolate chip pancakes. Grinning, I brushed my teeth quickly and hurried down the stairs.

Kurt was standing there, in an apron, making the pancakes. Finn was sitting at the table, looking slightly irritated with his head resting on his hand. “Oh, Ellie, you’re awake.”

“And I want food,” I added as I sat down in the chair next to Finn.

“Get in line,” Finn sighed. “I’ve been waiting here for a half hour.”

“Finn, you should really stop complaining. These are going to be worth the wait.” Kurt rolled his eyes.

I smiled a little. It was funny how much they were really like brothers. I never would have expected it, what with the rumors that had been going around at the beginning of sophomore year that Kurt had a crush on Finn. Even though I’d been friends with Kurt for a while now, I still didn’t know if that had any validity or not.

It was quiet, so I decided to start some conversation again. Maybe the two of them were comfortable with the silence between them, but personally, I was feeling a little awkward. “So who’s psyched about Regionals?”

Finn shrugged. “I dunno. I’m not really as pumped up as last year, since we were the real winners. I feel like they kind of just copped out from making a decision by saying The Warblers win, too.”

Kurt made a little snort noise as he turned around, putting the big plate filled with pancakes on the table. Finn and I both lunged like animals, piling ridiculous amounts of food onto our plates. Kurt was saying something, but I was too busy being the first one to get the syrup to comprehend what it was.

After narrowing his eyes at me angrily, Finn turned toward Kurt and asked, “What did you say?”

“I said that The Warblers were very good and deserved to win just as much as we did. They probably put in just as much work.”

“No offense to Blaine because I love him,” I piped up with my mouth partially full. Kurt gave me a disdainful look, so I swallowed before continuing. “But I don’t think they worked as hard as a team. Blaine probably had to work twice as hard as we did, but the rest of the Warblers are kind of like Ringo Starr: just kind of along for the ride.”

“Ringo had talent!” Finn argued, being that they were both drummers.

“I’m not saying he didn’t, but he wasn’t exactly the musical genius that Lennon was, was he?”

There was no argument there. Sitting back in my seat, I grinned in victory and put another mouthful of fluffy pancake goodness into my mouth. “So who do you think the other team that we’re going to be facing at Regionals will be?” I wondered aloud.

“I don’t know. I just hope not Vocal Adrenaline. I really want to get to Nationals this year.”

My stomach dropped. Nationals…in New York City. “If we make it to Nationals, I’m going to be a nervous wreck.”

“Oh, please. You’ll be great,” Kurt assured me, pouring a perfectly respectable amount of syrup on his pancakes.

Finn and I shared a look on how civilized he was compared to us before I shook my head to answer his statement. “That’s not what I’d be worried about… Well, not completely anyway. I mean that New York City freaks me the hell out.”

Kurt choked. For a second, I thought he was serious, and I was about to fly into Heimlich mode, but it turned out that he was just acting. “Are you kidding? I simply cannot be your friend anymore.”

“Uhhh…” was the only thing I could come up with.

“How can you dislike New York City?! Home of Broadway and all of its greatest stars?”

I opened my mouth, but decided that maybe this wasn’t the best time for me to discuss my very paranoid and germaphobic reasons for not liking New York, or any city in general.

“I get what you mean, Ellie,” Finn came to my rescue. “I’m not much of a city person either.”

Kurt mumbled something under his breath that we couldn’t catch.

Soon enough, my plate was empty, and I was so full that I thought my stomach was going to explode. I really hoped that wouldn’t happen, though, considering that it would be excruciatingly messy.

“I think I’m going to die,” I expressed, moving my plate out of the way so I could rest my head on the table. “Eating four pancakes was not a good idea.”

Finn, who was on his sixth or something, made a little coughing noise. Before anyone could make a comment, my phone started blaring You’re So Vain by Carly Simon.

Kurt gave me a look, knowing that this was a new addition that may or may not have to do with my recent break up, but I ignored him, just running toward my bag.

“Hello?” I answered before sitting down on the ground. My stomach did not want me to be standing up at all.

“Hey, Ellie. It’s Sam.”

“Yeah, I have your number programmed into my phone,” I laughed. “What’s up?”

“Can I come over? There’s kind of something that I want to talk about…”

There was an awkward silence. “Yeah, sure. You’re always welcome. I’m at Kurt’s house right now, though, so can I call you when I get home?”

I heard Finn and Kurt whispering in the background, wondering about who was on the other line. “I don’t want to be pushy or anything, but do you think I could pick you up? I really need to talk to someone.”

“Yeah, absolutely. What time?”

“I’ll probably be there in ten minutes.”

“Okay, see you then.” The second I hung up the phone, my eyebrows furrowed with worry. What was wrong with Sam that he couldn’t tell me over the phone?

“Sam’s coming to pick me up,” I announced. “It sounds like something’s really wrong.”

Finn and Kurt glanced at each other, looking kind of concerned.

Kurt stood up, dabbing the sides of his mouth with a napkin. “C’mon. Let’s get your stuff together so you’re ready for when he gets here.”

I nodded and followed him, but my mind couldn’t stray from what could be wrong with Sam.