Summary: "I think you all deserve to know why my brother tried to kill himself….You see, Blaine's had depression and anxiety since he was little. It's nothing he can control, a chemical imbalance in the brain the doctors say. But it scares him and he doesn't understand it when it happens. So sometimes he just… shuts down." TRIGGER WARNING. Klaine. Anderbros. Angst.
So I just got attacked by a plot bunny for an angst story where the summary would be this:
"I think you all deserve to know why my brother tried to kill himself.... You see, Blaine's had depression and anxiety since he was little. It's nothing he can control, a chemical imbalance in the brain the doctors say. But it scares him and he doesn't understand it when it happens. So sometimes he just... shuts down. And sometimes those around him don't notice, and then things just... get worse."
Currently taking title suggestions. This screenplay has been inspired by a fanfiction I was prompted to write about the Warblers starting a band. And Sk8tr Boy.
Show opens up to a courtyard, not quite zoomed in yet, footsteps walking around in all directions. Suddenly the video starts zooming in, following the steps of a pair of shiny black shoes – same as the ones on everyone else’s feet.
Music plays as the boy’s feet make their way over to a group of boys sitting under a tree. There are history books strewn everywhere, covering the grass almost completely. One boy – Sam Moore – is throwing a ball into the air and catching it, as another boy – Garth Montegomery – watches with an almost annoyed, but fascinated, look on his face. The other boy, Kevin Long, is writing furiously in his notebook.
Garth is a dark skinned boy, Kevin is an Asian American boy, and Sam is an athletic boy with short blonde hair. Rodger, the main character, is a boy shorter than Sam, yet tall enough for his age. He has chin length brown hair.
RODGER LYNCH: Hey. –Drops down beside Kevin, a dejected look on his face –
The other boys grunt/mutter in acknowledgement, nodding in hello to him. They descend into silence again until Rodger speaks again.
The boys slowly turn to look at him, Sam catching his ball for one last time with a raised eyebrow. Kevin looks up from his notebook before rolling his eyes and looking down at it again.
KEVIN LONG: Have you ever thought of working as an astrophysicist?
GARTH MONTEGOMERY: Yes?
KEVIN: Well no one ever said it was a good idea. –Looks up from his notebook, shooting them all a look – Or that it would ever happen.
SAM MOORE: -Motions to throw the ball at Kevin, who flinches back before straightening up and glaring- Don’t be such a downer, Kevin. –Looks at Rodger- I’ve been working on the piano since I was like ten, it’s a hobby.
GARTH: I’m pretty good with arrangements. As is Kevin, if he was ever going to get that stick out of his ass and admit to liking things besides business.
Kevin throws his pencil at Garth, who happily sticks it in his pocket, keeping it out of Kevin’s hands.
KEVIN: Give me back my pencil.
GARTH: So you can throw it at me again? –rolls eyes and looks back at Rodger – Why? What’s bringing this on?
RODGER: -swallows and slowly looks up at his group of friends- Lydia broke up with me.
SAM: -sighs and puts his hand on Rodger’s shoulder – Aww, man. I told you she wasn’t any good.
RODGER: Yeah, well she said something else.
-flashback-
Cut into the scene to show Rodger sitting in a fancy living room, a girl standing in front of him, her hands on her hips.
She’s pretty and tall, a brown haired girl that’s wearing a low cut yellow dress and a black sweater. She looks angry as she paces around the room, Rodger sitting at the table and crying.
It’s obvious that they just broke up.
RODGER: Why are you doing this? –Sounds heartbroken-
LYDIA: -rolls her eyes- You’re a baby, Rodger. Isn’t the girl supposed to cry during breakups?
RODGER: You just told me you cheated on me.
LYDIA: It’s only cheated if it stopped.
RODGER: How is that supposed to make me feel better?
LYDIA: Okay look, -walks over to him and sits on the empty seat next to him- You’re nice, Rodger, you really are. –Puts her hand on his, looking into his eyes sincerely- But you’re a bit more of a girl than I am.
RODGER: You never were bothered by it before.
LYDIA: You cried during my sister’s soccer game. –Said dryly and with a bit of indignation-
RODGER: She scored the winning goal.
LYDIA: And we haven’t had sex.
RODGER: I’m waiting for the right time.
LYDIA: Face it, Rodger, you’re a girl. And I’m a girl. –Gestures between them- And we can’t have two girls in this relationship.
RODGER: -Look affronted- My aunt’s a lesbian.
LYDIA: -throws her hands up in frustration, standing up with it and glaring down at him- Exactly! Rodger, you’re always doing this!
RODGER: How come girls always say they want a sensitive guy and then throw that sensitivity right back in their face? –Is getting angry now-
LYDIA: Sensitivity is good, Rodger. But I don’t need another girl in my life! I need a man!
RODGER: I am a man! Last I checked I had the right anatomy!
LYDIA: The fact that you had to check is what proves my point.
RODGER: We’ve been dating for two years, Lydia. Two years!
LYDIA: And I’ve had a guy on the side for one of those!
RODGER: How do you expect me to be okay with that?! –Stands up in frustration, tears flowing a bit more freely now-
LYDIA: I don’t! But you don’t need to cry about it!
RODGER: What do you want me to do? Jump up and down and thank you for tearing my heart out of my chest and stomping on it? –Wipes at his cheeks angrily- Who is this guy anyway?
LYDIA: Tyler Murphy.
-End Flashback-
SAM: Ouch, man. –looks incredibly sympathetic and even a bit disgusted-
KEVIN: She broke up with you –Is shocked- For Tyler Murphy?
RODGER: -looks down at his lap and lets out a long suffering sigh- Yeah.
GARTH: -Grabs onto Rodger’s arm and tugs on it, his eyes almost wild- No, but… the Tyler Murphy?
RODGER: -Glares at Garth and rips his arm out of his grip- Yes the Tyler Murphy.
SAM: The rundown musician that sings about his cats and dirty socks? –Sounds disbelieving- That Tyler Murphy?
RODGER: -Looks annoyed at all of them- Yes!
The whole group lets out a sympathetic moan.
KEVIN: Tough luck man. –Lets out a low whistle- I remember the first time I ever heard of the guy.
-Flashback-
A younger looking Kevin stands in the doorway of the BOYS FRESHMAN COMMON ROOM, looking over at this other boy with long blonde hair sitting on the couch opposite him.
The other boy has a guitar on his lap and he’s playing a badly written song on it.
TYLER MURPHY: -Sings- My cats like to snuggle with me,
In my bed
My cats like to eat with me
On my head
They lick every part of me
Unless I’m wearing dirty socks
So wash those socks.
Yes, I wash those socks.
-End flashback-
A collective shudder runs through the group.
SAM: That boy is seriously disturbed.
GARTH: I heard he’s doing this Jesus love thing now.
KEVIN: Oh yeah! Maybe that’s why Lydia’s with the guy! Isn’t she like super religious?
RODGER: … For the devil.
The guys share glances before turning back to their homework, Sam getting his ball out again and starting to toss it back up in the air. Kevin turns back to his homework, and Garth begins to stare into space again. Rodger begins to take his things out of his back to do his work himself until he suddenly stops, mentally hitting himself on the forehead.
RODGER: Would you guys be interested in starting a band?
Kevin drops his book, Garth’s eyes snap back to him, and Sam drops the ball, it landing with a plop in his lap.
KEVIN: What?
GARTH: Are you for real?
SAM: Yes. Yes. I’m in.
RODGER: It’s just that Lydia’s with Tyler because he’s a musician-
KEVIN: -Is annoyed by his friend’s show of commitment to his ex-girlfriend- You’re not seriously getting our hopes up just so that you can get her back, right?
SAM: -Realization on his face- She cheated on you for a year, man!
GARTH: It ain’t right to do this to us!
RODGER: Wait so you’ll do this? You’ll seriously start a band with me?
GARTH: Not if you’re mooning over Lydia, we ain’t.
KEVIN: -Turns to Garth- What is up with all the “ain’t” coming out of your mouth right now?
GARTH: It makes me feel cool. Shut up, Mulan.
SAM: -Grabs onto Rodger’s arm, his eyes bright and eager- If we’re doing this, we’re doing this right.
RODGER: -A conspiratorial smile spreads on his face as he takes in his group of friends around him- Let’s make a band.
Summary: Blaine’s in a band, David’s the bodyguard, Wes is the manager. The start, the show, the love.
It had happed as a bet. Really a twist of fate. A jibe, so to say, from the New Directions towards the Warblers. “You don’t know how to use intruments that aren’t your voice!” As that time Blaine had been a Warbler – Kurt had been one too, actually – but what they said didn’t entirely have an effect on him. Blaine had other things to do, such as figure out his own feelings, stay on top of his class, and work against PTSD. But the others? Well, it’s easy to say that they were not only insulted, but pissed, and they felt it as a challenge of sorts.
Or at least Nick, Jeff, Wes, and David did.
Pretty easily and early on the group figured out that Wes and David had little to no musical inclination besides arrangement. Nick and Jeff, however, seemed to have a natural talent for it – or at least a natural talent for doing one instrument at a time.
It wasn’t entirely a problem, it you disregard the challenge issued to them. But that was practically impossible for the boys to do. There was something thick in their blood that made it impossible for them to ignore a challenge (such as that time Nick was challenged to run through the whole school, knocking on every door, and pretending to be Paul Revere). So they searched. And they searched. And they kept searching.
Handed out fliers, did competitions, cornered people in the showers like movies showed worked all too well, did everything they could think of. Until Kurt left.
And then Wes seemed to have a moment of genius.
He walked into Blaine’s dorm as though he had a purpose. He saw him lounging on his bed reading yet another book, grabbed him by his collar, dragged him out of his dorm, down the hall, into the practice rooms, placed him in front of Nick, Jeff, and David and told him to sing. Blaine hadn’t been in the mood to sing, but with enough prompting he got annoyed enough to do it just to get them to shut up.
For once what he was singing wasn’t a cover – it was something original and raw and heartbreakingly beautiful. The others had joined in when they could, Nick on the keyboard, Jeff on guitar. They didn’t have a drummer, but they found, in time, that one was not needed. They all paused after the song, the last notes flowing through the room. There was a vibrating through all of them, a slightly sadistic smile forming on Wes’ face.
Suddenly David yelled out an enthused “Yes!” and started jumping up and down. Nick and Jeff shared a look before jumping onto Blaine, propelling him over the back of the couch. His legs hung over the back, and his head hovered over the carpet. It successfully met the carpet only when Wes and David decided to join in on the pile.
It was for that reason that they had to pause on the band rehearsals for a few weeks, long enough for the concussion to disappear.
Their first rehearsal was a disaster, ending in Wes throwing his gavel across the room, Jeff threatening to hit David with his guitar, Nick hugging his keyboard, and Blaine sleeping on the couch.