Season 1, Episode 18: Laryngitis

Ownership of Glee: FOX, Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk

/ / /

Will was holding a piece of paper that included 5 names of Glee kids that had completely stopped singing. Rachel had the choir room bugged so she could figure out who stopped singing.

Rachel's list:
1. Finn Hudson
2. Quinn Fabray
3. Santana Lopez
4. Noah Puckerman
5. Brittany Pierce

Will looks as disappointed as he sounds. "I am very disappointed in you guys."

"I can't believe you narced on us." Finn says.

Rachel scoffs. "Don't get mad at me for exposing your laziness. I'm tired of carrying all of your weight. Regionals is in a month, guys."

"I'm just trying to understand what's going on here. Finn, why did you stop singing?" Will asks.

Finn shrugs. "Cause you started giving all the male leads to Jesse. It kind of shook my confidence, y'know."

Santana gives an exasperated sigh. "What difference does it make? Everyone knows that my job here is to look hot."

"My baby hormones are making me moody." Quinn says.

"There are so many lyrics." Brittany states.

Will sighs. "Okay. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A glee club is about a myriad of voices coming together as one. Alright? This ends now. Which is why your assignment for the week is for each of you to come up with a song that best represents how you see yourself, where you are in your lives right now. Your voice. Then you're going to stand up here and sing your hearts out. All of you."

Kurt looks hopeful. "Solos?" He asks.

"In front of everyone?" Angie asks.

Will smiles. "The Glee Club has lost its voice. It's time for us to get it back."

/ / /

Kurt and Angie are walking out of the choir room as the period ends.

Kurt smiles at his best friend. " I am going to kill this assignment. If there's one thing that I know, it's my voice. I have exactly the same vocal range as 16th-century castrato Orlando di Lasso. But you know what he didn't have?" He asks. Angie shakes her head. "A song by Miss Whitney Houston in his back pocket." Kurt says.

Burt appears in the hallway behind them. "Hey, Kurt. Hey, Angie."

Kurt and Angie turn around. "Dad? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Kurt asks.

Burt smiles. "No, I'm here to pick up Finn. I got a pair of tickets to the Reds game, and Carole said that Finn's never been to a major league game. I mean, it's Cincinnati, so it's barely the major leagues, but still."

Kurt looks hurt. "And why wasn't I invited?"

Burt starts laughing a bit. "Are you kidding me? Every time I sit down and watch a game, you start in on the fact that all the players are wearing stirrup pants."

"Because there's never an excuse for stirrup pants." Kurt and Angie say simultaneously.

Finn appears. "Okay, I'm ready."

Burt nods. "Alright, I'll meet you by the car. This is gonna be so great. It's gonna be great for Finn, and it means a lot to his mom, too. Hey, I'll see you at home. I'll be home around midnight."

Kurt stares after them. Angie pats his shoulder.

"Don't sweat it Kurt. He's just trying to bond with Finn."

/ / /

Puck and Mercedes are in the choir room before Glee practice.

Puck smirks at her. "Girl, you got more curves than a Nissan ad."

Mercedes raises an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's what you came up with?"

Will arrives and claps his hands twice. "Alright, guys. Let's get things started."

Rachel stands up. "As I was first on the sign-up sheet, I'll kick things off."

Will nods. "Okay."

"I have chosen Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" because it's about overcoming obstacles and beating the odds. In my case, the obstacle is you, my lackluster teammates who refuse to carry their own weight." Rachel says.

Rachel is clearly off key and struggling to sing "The Climb". As she sings, the New Directions react, looking embarrassed and confused. After a few lines, Will cuts her off.

"Rachel. I think you've lost your voice." Will says.

Rachel looks horrified. Angie frowns gently.

She really wanted to hear Rachel sing Miley Cyrus.

/ / /

Sue walks up to Kurt, who's at his locker. "Hey, ladyface. I noticed you weren't at Cheerios practice yesterday, and I don't look kindly on absenteeism."

Kurt looks at the coach. "I am so sorry, Miss Sylvester. It won't happen again. Something happened yesterday that really upset me. It's my dad. He's the most important thing in the world to me. I love him, and I'm afraid that I might be losing him because of my ... sexuality."

"Your sexuality. How old are you, 16? Have you even kissed a boy?" Sue asks.

Kurt shakes his head. "No."

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" She asks.

Kurt shakes his head again. "No."

Sue shakes her head. "Well then, how can you possibly know what you like? You see, that's the problem with your generation. You're obsessed with labels. So you like show tunes. Doesn't mean you're gay. It just means you're awful. You know, there's only one person in this world who can tell you what you are."

Kurt smiles. "Me."

Sue shakes her head. "No. Me." She answers. Kurt stops smiling. "Sue Sylvester. And she hasn't quite made up her mind about you."

"Wait. I have an idea. Our assignment for Glee Club is to find a song that reflects our voice – " Kurt gets cut off by Sue.

"Yeah, you know what? I checked out of this conversation about a minute back. So, uh, good luck with your troubles, and I'm gonna make it a habit not to stop and talk to students cause this has been a colossal waste of my time." Sue says before walking off.

Kurt sees Angie walking down the hallway. "Angie? I know this may sound weird but I kinda need a favor."

Angie smiles. "Sure Kurt. What do you need?"

/ / /

Finn sings "Jessie's Girl" in the choir room during Glee rehearsal. Everyone is clapping and cheering along.

[Jessie's Girl by Finn]

While Finn sings, Angie's heart breaks. He's made it clear that he wants Rachel, not Angie.

Will smiles and pats Finn on the back. "Nice work. Now that, that is the kind of soul-exposing song I was talking about. We should all be inspired by Finn's bravery. Good job, buddy." He praises as Finn takes his seat.

Puck raises his hand. "Uh, Mr. Shue, can I sing my song now?"

Will nods. "Yeah. Let's go for it, Puck."

Puck gets up and opens the door to the choir room, letting in the jazz band.

Mercedes looks confused. "What are they doing here?"

Puck smirks. "I invited my brothers from the jazz band and their righteous horns to help me out with my song. Since I shaved my mohawk I started seeing things differently. Last week I joined a black church. And I recently downloaded every song Sammy Davis, Jr. ever recorded on iTunes." He reveals. Mercedes rolls her eyes. "He was a black Jew, you know, and my inspiration. So without further ado, I give you one of Sammy's biggest hits."

Puck starts off singing "The Lady is a Tramp" to Finn, Brittany and Quinn, and Santana is clearly enjoying his performance. But when it becomes apparent that he is singing to Mercedes, bitchface Santana appears. Puck pulls Mercedes up to join him after the bridge.

[The Lady is a Tramp by Puck and Mercedes]

New Directions give Puck and Mercedes a standing ovation at the end, except for Santana.

/ / /

The next day at glee rehearsal, Kurt, still dressed like a Finn wannabe walks up to Will.

"Alright, let's get things started." Will says.

"Mr. Schue? I'd like to start us off. I believe I've found a song that finally expresses my true voice." Kurt says, a slight twang in his voice.

"Okay." Will says hesitantly.

Kurt nods to the band. "Gentlemen."

Kurt sings "Pink Houses" and everyone just stares at him or look questioningly at each other, except for Brittany, who smiles and claps along.

[Pink Houses by Kurt]

New Directions clap half-heartedly at the end of the song.

Kurt sees the disappointed look on his teacher's face. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Schue?"

Will sighs. "I don't really think you got the point of the assignment. This was about finding a song that expresses who you are. That song didn't really sound like you."

"Well I'm sorry if I didn't live up to your expectations." Kurt bites.

Will shakes his head. "No no no. This group needs you to be you, Kurt. You can literally do things that no one else can."

"I'm not a box. There are more than four sides to me." Kurt snaps.

"Don't lose track of who you are just because it might be easier to be somebody else." Will says. Kurt heads towards the door. "Alright, take five, guys." Will says.

/ / /

Angie has her hand up once they take their five-minute break and Kurt comes back to the choir room. She's changed out of her Cheerios uniform, and has put something more stylish on.

"Mr. Shue? I'd like to sing my song if that's okay." She says.

Will nods. "Go for it Angie." He says.

Angie hands sheet music to Brad and the band. The piano plays the opening chords and Angie begins singing.

Sometimes I wish my life was like a photograph
Double tap the good ones and just photoshop the bad
Put them in my wallet, in my pocket, if I need 'em then I got 'em
But life don't work like that

Sometimes I feel like I'm in Nike's on a track
Even when my feet are up my mind is runnin' fast
When I'm home I get impatient, when I'm gone I kind of hate it
'Cause my life works like that

Sunsets and open water
Skies full of technicolor
Beauty right in front of you
There's so much to discover if you

Stop
Breathe it in for the moment
Stop
Give it a minute and you'll own it
Stop
Only just begun
Soon it'll be almost over so just
Stop
See what comes into focus
Stop
Kind of crazy what you'll notice
Stop
Like a setting sun
Soon it'll be almost over

Stop
Stop
Stop
Soon it'll be almost over

It's like I'm looking through the window of a train
But my visions blurry so it all just looks the same
All the people and the places all the voices and the faces
They all just stare right back

Long talks and cups of coffee
Waking up and saying sorry
Love is right in front of you
We can finally see each other if we

Stop
Breathe it in for the moment
Stop
Give it a minute and you'll own it
Stop
Only just begun
Soon it'll be almost over so just
Stop
See what comes into focus
Stop
Kind of crazy what you'll notice
Stop
Like a setting sun
Soon it'll be almost over
Stop
Stop
Stop
Soon it'll be almost over

When you love somebody
When the moment hits
When the music's playing
And it goes like this
When you love somebody
When the moment hits
When the music's playin'
And it goes like this
Listen to the music, yea
Oh it's playin' in your ears
Oh playin' in your ears, if you

Stop
Breathe it in for the moment
Just stop
Give it a minute and you'll own it
Stop
Only just begun
Soon it'll be almost over
So just stop
See what comes into focus
Stop
Kind of crazy what you'll notice
Stop
Like a setting sun
Soon it'll be almost over
Stop
Stop
Stop
Soon it'll be almost over

Soon it'll be almost over so just stop

[Stop written and sung by Angie]
(All rights go to Anthony Ramos)

When Angie finishes singing, everyone is up on their feet with the exception of Artie and Rachel... but both are for different reasons.

Will is flabbergasted. "I... that was... wow!" He stutters. "Angie did you... did you write that?" He asks.

Angie nods. "I call it 'Stop.' I feel like it best describes me and my voice. And this is the first time I've ever performed a song I wrote." She answers.

Artie sends Angie a smile and she smiles back before Finn starts talking to her.

"Angie... you have got to perform original songs more often. You're a kickass songwriter."

/ / /

After getting home from glee practice, Kurt puts a 'do not disturb' type note on the handle to his bedroom door. Angie raises an eyebrow. "What are you up to?" She asks.

Kurt smirks. "I was thinking maybe... we could try getting to second base?" Kurt asks.

Angie looks a bit concerned. "Okay. But if one of us gets uncomfortable, we should have a safe word to use." She says.

Kurt nods and sits her on the sofa in his room. "What should it be?" He asks.

Angie thinks for a minute before answering. "Hold."

Kurt nods. "Okay. That's our safe word. Gimme just a minute to grab a few things." He says. He comes back with a few candles and sets them on the little coffee table a few feet away. He lights them up and sits on the sofa, beckoning Angie to come and sit with him.

Angie and Kurt slip their shoes off once she sits down next to him. She takes his hat off and kisses him, tossing the hat to Kurt's bed.

Kurt kisses back, and they continue to kiss for a few more seconds until he pulls away from her.

"I have a question. What do boys' lips taste like?" Kurt asks.

Angie shrugs. "Beats me. I've never kissed anyone until you."

Kurt nods thoughtfully. "Well I'm glad to be your first kiss."

They're in the middle of their make-out session when Burt walks downstairs.

Burt's eyes widen. "Whoa. Am I interrupting something?" He asks. Angie pulls away from Kurt.

Kurt chuckles. "You sure are." He says and sits up. He scoots over to Angie and puts his arm around her shoulders.

Burt nods. "Okay, I'm confused. I came home to find this note on your doorknob: "Do not enter under any circumstances; I'm making out with a girl." I just thought it was the start of one of your murder mystery dinners." He says.

Kurt smirks a little. "Dad, I really need you to respect my privacy. Angie and I were just, uh, having sexual relations."

Angie blushes more. "W-We were just making out Burt. That's all we were doing I promise."

Burt smiles gently at Angie. "Hey. I'm not mad." He says and motions for Kurt to follow him. Kurt gets up and leaves Angie on the couch.

"Kurt, uh, I've been sort of dealing for months with you being gay and everything, and now you're telling me that's not the case?"

Kurt smiles. "Dad, you and I have more in common than I would have thought. The flannel, the Mellencamp, the ladies." Kurt looks back at Angie and winks. She gives him a smile.

Burt looks back to Angie and gives her a fatherly smile. He looks back to Kurt. "Okay. Well, you're free to be whoever you are. You just let me know when you make up your mind, I'm gonna do the best I can. But I'm good either way. You kids be careful, alright? And then you gotta respect her, alright? If things get serious, you gotta use protection." He says and leaves before he can embarrass himself and the two teens any further.

Angie nearly dies of shock. "Trust me, we're not getting anywhere past second base."

/ / /

Mercedes and Santana start permorming "The Boy is Mine" while talking on the phone with each other though they're walking side-by-side in the hallway. Song continues in the choir room.

[The Boy is Mine by Mercedes and Santana]

Song ends in choir room with the two fighting over Puck in a shoving match.

Will gets in between the girls. "Wow. That was intense."

Santana sneers. "Don't touch me."

"I'll step to it." Mercedes snaps.

Will is now talking over Mercedes and Santana. "Y'know I gotta give you guys props for the passion. Maybe hold back on the animosity a little alright."

Santana nods. "Okay. Yeah, I know, I know, I understand."

As Will turns away, Santana gives Mercedes a big shove. Will turns around immediately and grabs both girls.

"Hey hey hey, seriously! This ends now." Will says loudly.

Santana walks off. "Alright."

Mercedes glares at her retreating figure. "Talk to the stick figure."

"Please. Alright? You can go at it in song, but that is it." Will decides.

Santana smirks. "Enjoy it while you can, Weezy. His hair is already starting to grow back." She says before walking away.

Mercedes makes a move at her but Will grabs her.

"Calm down. Hey! Hey." Will says.

Santana leaves the choir room. Mercedes looks at Puck.

Angie doesn't understand why Mercedes and Santana have gotten into a fight over Puck of all people.

/ / /

Angie and Kurt are holding hands while they walk down the hallway.

They get weird stares from Artie and Tina.

"Don't mind me, guys. Just holding hands with Angie." Kurt says.

"Have you been using duck fat in your moisturize routine? Your hands are so soft." Angie comments.

"I have actually. I'm glad you noticed." Kurt stated.

Burt sees Kurt and Angie walking down the hallway after rehearsal. "Hey, Kurt. Hey there kiddo." He greets.

Kurt turns around. "Dad. Hey."

Angie smiles. "Hey Burt."

"Finn caught a foul ball in the ninth so that means free hoagies at Lenny's Hoagies, and then half-price to the motocross tonight, so I promised I'd take him." Burt says.

Kurt looks upset. "Did you ever think that that might be something I wanted to do with you?"

Burt sighs. "Look, Kurt, Finn needs a buddy right now, okay? At the game, he got to talking about his dad, and, you know, his mom thinks it's a really good thing for him. Look, I promise you, we will hang out as much as you want, okay? Just not tonight." Burt says and walks away.

Kurt sings an altered version of "Rose's Turn" (Now titled "Kurt's Turn") after his father leaves and he lets go of Angie's hand. Song continues on auditorium stage. Kurt has magically changed into a much more flamboyant outfit. Kurt also has his name in lights behind him.

[Rose's Turn (Kurt's Turn) by Kurt]

Clapping can be heard from the seats as song ends. Lights go on, revealing Burt Hummel and Angie Abrams.

"That was some serious singing, kid." Burt said.

Kurt fixes his hair. "That was 'Rose's Turn.'"

Burt nods. "I could get into that, maybe."

Kurt looks confused. "What happened to the hoagies?"

"Ah, blew it off. You know. Too much cholesterol." Burt says.

Kurt frowns a bit. "I bet Finn was disappointed."

Angie gives Kurt a gentle smile. "He understood. Once I told him how bent out of shape I thought you were."

Kurt looks offended. "Me? I'm fine." He lies.

Angie puts her hands on her hips and gives him a 'seriously?' face.

Burt sighs. "Kurt, I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid. And I have no idea what that song was about, but "fine" don't sing like you just sung. Look. Maybe I got carried away doing stuff with Finn, but, you know, I told you this thing with you was going to be hard."

"Thing with me. You mean being gay." Kurt clarifies.

Burt nods. "Yeah. Being gay. Look, I will fight to the death for your right to love whoever you want, but when you were a little baby in my arms, did I dream about taking you to baseball games and talking about girls? Yeah, I did. A lot of fathers do."

Kurt sniffles a bit. "I had no idea how disappointing I was." He says and starts to walk away.

"Hey, come on. Now stop it right now. I'm talking straight to you. Don't go playing the victim. You know that's not what I mean." Burt says.

Kurt turns around, tears in his eyes. "I know. I'm sorry. I know you're working hard on yourself to make all this okay. Just seeing you, the way you are with Finn, how easy it is, breaks my heart."

Burt looks a little sad. "Is that why you were dressing differently, pretending to date Angie and singing Mellencamp?"

Kurt sighs. "I just want you to know that I'm going to work as hard as you to make this okay."

Burt puts his hands on his son's shoulders. "You don't have to work at anything, Kurt. Your job is to be yourself. And my job is to love you no matter what. Okay? That and a majority ownership in a tire store, that's all we got. Okay? We stick to that, we're going to be great."

Kurt tears up. "I missed you, Dad."

Burt smiles. "Oh, come here." He says and they hug. "I love you."

Kurt closes his eyes as he hugs Burt. "I love you too."

The Hummel boys pull out of the hug, and Burt sees Angie standing onstage, smiling with tears in her eyes. "I think you two need to talk for a minute. I'll see you at home." He says and walks out of the auditorium.

Kurt walks over to Angie. "I am so sorry. I... I just..." He can't finish his sentence as he chokes back a sob.

Angie hugs him. "It's okay Kurt. It's okay. I'm happy to have helped you. Now we know that you are 1,000% gay, and that's okay. You're a brother to me and I love you so much."

Kurt smiles through his tears. "I love you too Angie. You've always been like a sister to me. That's why I asked you."

"Hey. You don't need to explain yourself to me." Angie said. "I got you Kurt."

Kurt is very lucky to have a sisterly friend like Angie.

/ / /

Finn came storming down the hallway towards Angie.

"Please tell me it isn't true." He says.

Angie raises an eyebrow. "What isn't true?" She asks.

"That you're-you're dating Kurt." Finn answers.

Angie giggled. "No. I'm not dating Kurt. He just needed my help to see if he was really gay, and he asked me to be his beard. I couldn't say no to him."

Finn let out a breath of relief. "Good. Because then I would've been upset for life if you two were really dating."

"Finn... you're not jealous are you?" Angie teased.

Finn shrugs. "So what if I am? What if I'm jealous that you're super hot and almost every guy wants you?"

"Well you're not my boyfriend Finn. But I appreciate the sentiment. It's nice to know that you think very highly of me." Angie said and walked away.

She was tired of being the last person Finn came to. It was either Angie or Rachel.

Finn had to choose.

/ / /

Rachel and Sean sing the opening lines to "One" in Sean's bedroom before the scene cuts to New Directions performing the song on the auditorium stage.

[One by Sean, Rachel and New Directions]

Majority of song takes place on auditorium stage. Song ends in Sean's bedroom with Rachel and Sean doing final notes.

/ / /

3970 words

Songs Mentioned/Performed
1. Jessie's Girl - Finn
2. The Lady is a Tramp - Puck and Mercedes
3. Pink Houses - Kurt
4. Stop - Angie
5. The Boy is Mine - Mercedes and Santana
6. Rose's Turn (Kurt's Turn) - Kurt
7. One - Sean, Rachel and New Directions

I really enjoyed this episode!

Next update: Dream On

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