Red, Red Wine

Chapter 3

It has been the longest week of Sebastian's life. What started out as a harmless prank turned into a major situation and the Warblers were all spiraling into shame and guilt. None of them knew how to face what they've done.

The school board approached them the day after the slushie incident, asking them to confirm if they were guilty. Most of the boys had immediately confessed and some even started crying. Sebastian had no choice to confess his role, even though he was terrified of facing the consequences. The headmaster informed them the affected student was in the hospital and needed surgery for the burn to his eye. In the end, however, it was decided that the best consequence was to have to live with what they did. That they injured another person, someone who had previously been a well-loved member of the school, because of their reckless actions. Sebastian, however, was suspended from lacrosse for a week to have more time to think about what he did. After all, as he confessed, he threw the slushie.

None of them argued with the headmaster, and left as soon as they came. The staff kept the incident quiet, just among themselves, so that word wouldn't spread to the students. The Warblers were instructed to not tell anyone what happened, and avoid talking about it themselves.

The second part of the agreement was difficult for Sebastian. He doesn't know how to deal with what he had done, so he behaves mindlessly. When an unknown number, turning out to be Santana, calls him instigating a duel, he agrees.

"I'm going to hit her with a slushie, too. I'll leave out the salt, but it's still going to sting. Show her I won't be bullied; why does she even care about Blaine, what's her motive? Why's she calling me?"

"That is not a good idea," Trent warns.

He only receives a glare in response. With that, he meets up with Santana, sings a duet in the form of "Smooth Criminal" then ruins her pride with an ice cold slushie. Trent is there to witness the event, but mostly to make sure Sebastian doesn't do anything stupid. Or at least, more than he had planned.

He approaches the taller boy when they arrive back at Dalton, "you need to stop this. This is too much and it's only going to get you in more trouble. What if the board finds out you are involved in another slushie incident? You could get more than just expulsion from sports."

"They won't find out." Is all he replies before going back to his dorm.

Trent is dumbfounded by his carelessness for the entire situation. Not sure what else to do, he goes to Nick. He knocks on Jeff's dorm door to find both of them inside, chattering about something Trent doesn't get a chance to hear.

"Hey, what's up?" Jeff answers, letting him into the room.

"I just got back from Lima," the boys look shocked and confused, "because Santana called and challenged Sebastian to a duel."

Their jaws drop.

"They sang, it was fine. Then he slushied her. I tried to talk him out of it and just now I tried to talk to him again, but he's not listening. I don't know what to do, but this situation is getting out of hand."

Nick covers his mouth with his hands, while Jeff face plants into his palms.

"I don't think he knows how to deal with consequences," starts Nick, "like, yeah he'd be fine if he cheated on a test or started a fist-fight and got sent home to live with his dad for a week. He'd be okay. But the fact that his consequence is having to know he hurt Blaine and just live with it, I don't think he knows what to do, so he's acting out instead."

"Time off from lacrosse isn't helping, I bet," Jeff adds, understanding where Nick's going with this.

"I think he liked Blaine a lot more than he let anyone know."