If You Only Knew

Kaley's POV

"Alright, party time's over!" Ryan announced. I looked down at the half-eaten piece of cake in my hands and frowned. I had been having such a good time and Ryan just had to go and ruin it.

"There is only one hour until show time," Ryan continued now that everyone's attention was on him. "So that means that you all had better get moving! You cannot keep your fans waiting!"

Though I was sad that the party had to end, we all knew that Ryan was right. I felt a hand on my arm and I turned back towards its owner.

"I'll see you after the show?" Darren asked, hopeful.

"What about what Ryan said?" I asked him, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear nervously.

"What about it?" Darren smiled, raising a playful eyebrow at me.

"Aren't you not supposed to be around me?" I argued playfully. "I'm a bad influence, remember? We don't want to make the same mistakes twice."

"Phooey on Ryan!" Darren exclaimed. "Today is your day, so screw whatever he says! He can't stop me from hanging out with you."

"I'm glad," I replied. "Darren?"

"Ya?" he cocked his head slightly to the side.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"For what?" he asked, furrowing his brows at me slightly.

"For being my friend," I replied with a light smile. "You didn't have to, but yet here you are, blowing off your boss just to hang out with me. Your friendship really does mean the world to me." His eyebrows furrowed slightly every time I said the word friend, which confused me a little. Did he not think of us as friends? If we weren't, then what were we?

I know what I wish we were, I sighed to myself. But he'll never feel the same way for me.

"You don't have to thank me for that," Darren replied finally. "I really do enjoy hanging out with you and being your... friend." He paused for a second, his face plastered with confused emotions, and after a second he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Kaley, I-" he began.

"Come on, Darren!" Chris exclaimed suddenly, linking his arm through Darren's. "We've gotta go get ready! See you after the show, Kaley! We're dedicating this one to you!" He beamed at me before turning and starting to pull Darren away. Darren looked back at me, his mouth opening again as if he was going to say something, but then it closed again and he just shrugged and smiled.

"I'll see you later, Kaley!" he called back as Chris led him out of the room.

"Don't you just love them?" Leah was suddenly by my side, staring at the door that they had just passed through. "I still can't believe that we're actually friends with them."

"Me neither," I exclaimed softly, a light chuckle slipping from my throat. "It all seems too crazy to be real sometimes."

"Well, it is real," Leah laughed, throwing her arm across my shoulders and giving me a quick side hug. "No one back home would ever believe us if it wasn't true."

"Can I see the pictures that you took?" I asked her, starting to head over towards the table where I could see her pink camera sitting. There was one picture in particular that I really wanted to see.

"What, you wanna see the one with you and Darren?" she teased me, grabbing the camera before I could.

"Leah!" I exclaimed, reaching for the camera. "Come on! Let me see it!"

"What's the magic word?" Leah asked, hiding the camera behind her back.

"Please?" I rolled my eyes as I over accentuated the word.

"Nope, wrong word," Leah smirked.

"Leah!" I laughed. "Give me the camera!" I moved towards her, trying to grab it from her, but she just danced away from me, quickly scooting around to the other side of the table.

"You want it?" she held the camera up, dangling it by its safety cord. I nodded.

"Well, come and get it!" she laughed, provoking me. I darted to one end of the table, but she just mimicked my actions by darting to the other end. I darted back the other way but she just copied me again.

"Leah!" I exclaimed with a huff.

"I'm sorry, but you didn't get the magic word right," she shrugged, still smiling playfully.

"Oh, hi, Chris!" I looked over her shoulder back at the doorway. Leah turned around sharply and I took the opportunity to dart around the table and snatch the camera from her hands.

"Chris isn't- Hey!" she exclaimed as I took it from her. "Cheater!"

"All's fair in love and war!" I laughed, leaning back against the table as I turned the camera on. I quickly flicked through the pictures, looking not for the one with me and Darren, but rather a very different one.

"Oh, Mark Salling," Leah teased, looking at the picture over my shoulder. "He really is cuter in person, isn't he?"

"He is," I agreed, looking at the picture. He had a very bad boy look about him that my parents would have never approved of, topped off by his short, dark brown mohawk that trailed down the middle of his head. His hazel eyes were closed in the picture but that was because he was in the middle of giving my cheek a very overly dramatic kiss. My mouth and eyes were both wide open with surprise and glee, playing along to the fact that he was kissing my cheek.

When he had first asked to take a picture with me, I had been caught completely off guard. I'm not going to lie, I had had a slight crush on Puck. Every girl crushes on a bad boy at some point in their life and mine had been Puck. But that crush was long before Darren had entered the show as Blaine.

"Oh, look at Darren's face!" Leah exclaimed, pointing to the top left corner of the picture. I zoomed in on the spot that she was pointing to and was surprised to find a very grumpy looking Darren. "Oh my gosh, he is totally jealous!"

"He is not!" I laughed, shaking my head at her. "He's probably just mad that Mark had interrupted our conversation."

"Yes, and why was he so mad?" Leah persisted, nudging me in the side.

"You are impossible," I huffed. "You know that, right?"

"Would you love me any other way?" she asked, smiling playfully. I just rolled my eyes at her and went back to flicking through the pictures.

"Exactly," she beamed successfully as she settled her head back down on my shoulder to look at the pictures again.

"Awww, don't you two just look adorable!" I exclaimed, stopping on a self-taken picture of Leah and Chris. "Wait a second!" I continued flicking through the pictures. "These ones weren't taken at the party..."

"Ok, that's enough for today!" Leah exclaimed, grabbing the camera from my hands and stepping away from me to turn it off.

"You two have been spending an awful lot of time together..." I commented teasingly.

"Yeah, well, what else am I supposed to do now that you're always off with Darren?" she retorted.

"I don't know, wait for me to get back?" I joked. She just rolled her eyes at me.

"Well, I have a life too, you know," she laughed. "The whole world doesn't revolve around you."

"It doesn't?!" I gasped. Leah rolled her eyes at me again, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

"Not on this planet," she replied with a smirk.

"Captain, set a course for Mars," I spoke into my watch before looking back up at Leah very seriously. "We shall transfer to Pigfarts immediately!" Leah just shook her head and face-palmed as I started to sing the Pigfarts theme song.

"Pigfarts! Pigfarts! Here I come! Pigfarts! Pigfarts! Yum! Yum! Yum!"

"Okay, I think that someone has had too much cake," Leah laughed, clamping her hand over my mouth to keep me from repeating the song again.

"Mmff!" I pouted, glaring at her.

"We are not going to Pigfarts," she said sternly. "Now get your head out of the clouds and come help me clean up."

"But I'm the Birthday Girl," I whined once she took her hand away. "I'm not supposed to have to do any work today!"

"Sorry, Birthday Girl," Leah laughed. "But you're not getting any special treatment from me today! You're not getting out of helping me here and you're definitely not getting out of doing the dishes at home!"

"Dishes?" I echoed, confused.

"Dishes for a week, remember?" Leah smirked.

"Seriously?" I huffed.

"A bet's a bet," Leah replied, starting to collect the plates scattered across the table.

"Fine," I sighed, walking over to the other end of the table to start collecting the plates there. "Remind me not to lose a bet to you again."

But at least losing this bet was worth it, I thought to myself as I picked up a plate with a barely eaten piece of cake on it. I smiled as I thought about my ice cream date with Darren. Totally worth it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darren's POV

"Hey, Mark, can I talk to you?" I called out, noticing him further down the hallway. He turned back towards me, surprised.

"Yeah, what's up, man?" he asked once I had caught up to him.

"What's the deal with you and Kaley?" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice, surprising both of us.

"Kaley?" he seemed surprised by the question. "She's a cool gal and all, but totally not my type. Why? You into her?"

"No!" I replied a little quicker and sharper than I intended to. "I mean, no, we're just friends. I just don't want you leading her on if you're not even interested in her."

"I never said that I wasn't interested," Mark argued with a slight smile. "I just said that she wasn't my type. But hey, I gave her my number, so I guess it's up to her what happens next." He shrugged and started to turn away, but I wasn't done with him yet.

"You shouldn't be leading her on," I persisted. "She's a great girl... a really great girl, actually... and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"Chill, Darren," Mark laughed. "If it means that much to you, I'll back off. I didn't know that someone else had already called dibs on her." He turned and started to walk away again.

"But I didn't... I'm not... Ugh!" I huffed at his departing back. First Chris and now Mark. Why did everyone always assume things that weren't even true?

Not that I wouldn't mind it being true... I thought, smiling to myself. Wait, what am I thinking! I hurriedly pushed those thoughts away. Kaley and I are just friends. Besides, it seems like she might be into Mark... I let out a deep, heavy sigh. Why did that bother me so much?

I need a distraction, I thought to myself as I continued walking down the hallway. I need some sort of distraction from all of this, from all of these confusing thoughts... I had barely even thought this when my prayers were answered. The familiar yet unfamiliar voice floated softly into my ears, making me stop dead in my tracks. It was her. The mystery singer.

Without another thought, I took off running in the direction that I thought her voice was coming from, determined that this time I would finally figure out exactly who she was.

You won't slip away from me this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaley's POV

"So, are you going to call him?" Leah asked, grabbing my hand suddenly and flipping it over to expose Mark's number.

"I might text him, or whatever, but call him? Probably not," I replied, shaking my head.

"Why not?" Leah asked, genuinely surprised. "After all, this is Mark Salling that we're talking about here."

"I know, but it was never Mark that I crushed on, it was Puck," I argued. "Like I'm sure that Mark is a much better guy than his character is, actually that's pretty much a definite, but my crush on him ended in season two, when you-know-who showed up."

"Blaine Anderson, aka Darren Criss," Leah grinned.

"Yes, but like I've said before, this crush isn't going to go anywhere," I sighed. "Darren probably only thinks of me as one of his fans. He'd never be interested in actually dating me. That would be a dream come true, but it's just that. A dream. And it's not going to come true."

"Kaley, why are you being so naive?" Leah blurted, clearly frustrated with me. "Why won't you just open your eyes and see what everyone else can very plainly see? Darren is into you just as much as you're into him!"

"Leah, please, not this again," I sighed, rubbing my temple. "It actually hurts sometimes, you know, trying to believe something that I know will never come true."

"You are impossible!" Leah exclaimed, turning and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked her, taken aback by her frustration with me.

"To find Chris," she said, pausing slightly in the doorway. "I'm going to prove that Darren is into you, Kaley. And that, my friend, is a promise." And then she was gone, leaving me standing there in the black box alone.

I let out a deep, frustrated sigh. Why wouldn't she just give it up? Darren was never going to feel the same way that I did.

To try to cool off my anger and frustration, I did the one thing that I knew could always cheer me up: I put on my Glee music. I stuck my earbuds in and hit play as I continued to clean up the mess from the party. Within seconds, Chris' voice started to fill my ears and I smiled as I recognized the song.

I've got thirty-six expressions
Sweet as pie to tough as leather
And that's six expressions more than all those, heh, Barrymores put together
Instead of just kicking me why don't they give me a lift?
Well, it must be a plot!
'Cause they're scared that I got...
Such a gift?
Well, I'm miffed

With a quick glance around to make sure that no one was near by, I began to sing along to the familiar tune.

Cause I'm
The Greatest Star
I am by far!
But no one knows it
Wait!
They're gonna hear a voice
A silver flute
(hoo ho hoo, hoo ho hoo)
They'll cheer each toot
(Hey, I heard it's terrific, hmm)
When I expose it
(Now can't ya see to look at me that)
I'm a natural Camille
As Camille I just feel
I've so much to offer
(Hey, listen kid I know I'd be divine because)
I'm a natural cougher
(ahoo, ahee, aheh)
Some ain't got it, not a lump
I'm a great big clump of talent
Laugh!
(Ha ha ha ha!)
They'll bend in half
(Did you ever hear the story about the traveling salesman?)
A thousand jokes
(Stick around for the jokes!)
A thousand faces
I reiterate
When you're gifted, then you're gifted
These are facts
I've got no axe to grind

I was so lost in my singing and dancing around the room, enjoying the moment, when suddenly I backed into something hard.

"Hey, whaddaya blind?!" a voice suddenly demanded from behind me, mixing with the vocals on my iPod. I spun around to find Chris standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, an angry look plastered across his face. I hurriedly pulled my earbuds out of my ears, an apology ready to fall from my lips when he suddenly spoke again... No, not spoke. Sang.

"In all of the world so far, I'm the Greatest Star!" he sang in his musical voice. I laughed as I realized that he wasn't actually mad, he had just been singing along to the song.

"Yes, you are," I laughed, a smile spreading across my lips.

"Dang, Kaley," he exclaimed suddenly. "I didn't know that you could sing! And not only do you have an amazing voice, you're the voice!"

"I'm sorry?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him, totally clueless as to what he was talking about. "The voice?"

"Yes, we-" he was cut off suddenly as Darren burst in through the door, gasping for breath.

"Where. Did she. Go?" he panted, leaning against the door frame as he tried to catch his breath.

"Who?" I asked.

"The girl. Where did. She go?" he repeated, still out of breath. "I must. Find her. I have to. I need to."

"Easy, Darren!" Chris quickly went to him, trying to settle him down. He was clearly very excited about finding this girl of his, and I suddenly felt a very sharp, painful feeling in my chest as I continued to listen to Darren ramble on about finding this girl of his.

"I have to tell her how amazing she is!" he told Chris, almost forgetting that I was even there. The pain in my chest suddenly grew even more painful.

I was right, I realized sadly, trying to not break down crying right there and then. He's not into me. He likes someone else. Why do I even bother getting my hopes up?

I could feel the tears starting to prick my eyes, so I hurriedly pushed past the two guys still standing in the doorway, mumbling a quick "excuse me" and "sorry" as I passed by them. I hurried down the hallway, the tears starting to blur my vision as I half ran down the hall. I didn't know where I was going and honestly? I didn't even care at that moment. I just wanted to get as far away as I could from them.

I wasn't watching where I was going and ended up running right smack into someone, sending us both crashing to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," I managed to sputter, not looking at them as I started to pick myself up.

"Kaley?" Leah's voice filled my ears. I looked up and there on the floor across from me was none other than Leah. "Kaley, what's wrong?" She had noticed my tears by now and was instantly by my side.

"You were wrong!" I sobbed, burying my face in her shoulder.

"I was wrong?" there was confusion in her voice. "How was I wrong?"

"Darren doesn't like me," I sputtered. "He likes someone else. See? This is why I don't like getting my hopes up! I always end up getting hurt in the end!" And with that, I let all of the pain and hurt loose, soaking Leah's shirt with my tears, though she didn't seem to mind too much. In that moment, she only had one thought on her mind: to comfort her broken-hearted best friend.

And that's exactly what she did.