Chapter 5: One step forward, two steps back

Kurt

He had barely walked five minutes when a car stopped next to him on his way to school. Kurt remembered a bit about cars from the time he had helped Blaine's dad in the garage, so even he knew that it was a nice car.

It wasn't really a surprise when the passenger door was opened from the inside and Blaine smiled at him.

"Car trouble or did you miss the bus? If it's the first one, I know an excellent car repair shop," Blaine joked and Kurt nodded, hoping he wouldn't have to elaborate. He wasn't a fan of lying to people and usually it wasn't necessary because they didn't care enough, but it was different with Blaine.

Blaine knew more about him than anyone else at school, so Kurt didn't have a chance but lie to him.

"Well, get in or do you really want to walk all the way to school?" Kurt did not want to walk to school that morning. It was hot for early September and the sun was already burning down on him. At least his pale skin was the perfect excuse for why he wore long-sleeved t-shirts even during the summer. Everyone who had ever bothered to ask him about it, had bought the excuse when he said he wanted to protect his skin.

Kurt put his backpack on the floor before climbing into the car and closing the door. "Do you live somewhere around here?" he asked Blaine when he started the car and hoped the answer was no.

Blaine shook his head. "I had to drop off parts for my dad in this neighborhood. We live close to the stadium." Kurt remembered briefly glancing at the piece of paper with Blaine's address on it before throwing it away and nodded.

He didn't know what else to say and so just sat back and listened to Blaine sing along to the radio. He still sounded amazing and Kurt couldn't wait to see him perform.

"You can let me out here," he suggested when they were only one block away from school. "So people don't see me getting out of your car," he added when Blaine looked confused. Blaine didn't comment, but Kurt didn't like the way he looked at him. To make things worse, his stomach growled loudly at that moment and Blaine started digging around his bag when he stopped at a red light, before handing him a granola bar.

Kurt felt his face flush and he wanted nothing more than just jump out of Blaine's car and start running, but Blaine must have suspected he'd try and had locked his car door before he stopped at the red light.

"I figured you didn't have time for breakfast if you were late for the bus," he said not taking his eyes from the street, which Kurt was grateful for as he sank his teeth into the granola bar. He was still a bit hungry and he wished he had home ec today so he could cook something, but the classes would be more bearable now that he had had something to eat.

Blaine parked the car close to the front entrance and waited next to Kurt's door for him to get out. Once he realized Blaine wasn't giving up, he climbed out of the car reluctantly. He had been embarrassed enough the day before and he really didn't need Blaine to see him getting thrown into the dumpster again.

To his surprise, Blaine didn't leave his side as they walked across the parking lot, ignoring the stares of the other students. From the corner of his eye he saw Azizmo and Karofsky approach him and Kurt tensed.

"Good morning coach," Blaine suddenly rather loudly greeted the teacher who was on the other side of the parking lot, and Kurt relaxed at bit when the jocks turned around and walked away.

For the first time since his second month of freshman year, Kurt wasn't thrown into a dumpster and he could barely believe that all it took was one student willing to stand up for him or maybe just luck that the scary football coach was around this time, he quickly amended because Blaine hadn't really done anything. He could still say he hadn't known about Kurt and made an honest mistake by giving him a lift.

Still, he walked into the school in clean clothes, making his day so much better already than usual. He should have known that the football team wouldn't let him get away from them without retaliation but for that one moment he allowed himself to envision how things would be like if everyone left him alone.

As soon as Blaine turned around the corner to go to his own homeroom, a strong hand clasped his shoulder and shoved him hard, harder than usual, and Kurt collided with an open locker, cutting his cheek on the edge. He sank to the floor willing his body to stop trembling. This was what happened when he let his guard down. He let them catch him of guard and hadn't managed to cushion his fall.

"Stay away from Hummel," Karofsky sneered at him. "He knows how to be a homo without rubbing it in your face and I don't want you to make him like you," he continued, but Kurt realized it was all for show. He shuddered when he caught Karofsky subtly checking out his body and he felt dirtier than he usually felt after a dumpster toss. He had hoped the big, sweaty jock would stay away from him for good after the forced kiss, but judging by his recent actions, he was doing the exact opposite.

He managed to drag himself into his clean up bathroom, before tears spilled over. The bullying usually didn't make him cry anymore, but what Karofsky had said this time, coupled with his actions, had hit him hard.

There was no way he could change the things they hated about him. He wasn't even wearing flamboyant clothing or styled his hair a certain way. They took offence in his voice, which it was higher than other boys', in his features, which were too soft, and in his body in general, he was too effeminate in their opinion. But all those things he couldn't change about himself, he could try to deepen his voice, but that just made his throat hurt and he could probably gain some muscles but in the end it wouldn't change anything.

He knew it wasn't Blaine's fault for being an alpha gay, for being allowed to be himself even by the football team, but he still resented him a bit for it. It just wasn't fair that Kurt got constantly told he was wrong and Blaine got off scots free.

He splashed some cold water into his face to erase traces of his tears before wiping his face with a paper towel and putting on a fake, 'I don't give a fuck about any of you' smile.

Rachel was already waiting for him outside the bathroom, but Kurt pushed past her. "No today, Rachel. Not today," he told her before stalking off to his own first class, his skin crawling under his clothes so bad that he wished he had put on another outfit anyway.

Blaine

Blaine decided to keep an eye out for Kurt between classes, after separating from him this morning. He had seen the looks his teammates had given Kurt and he was sure they would try to get to him somehow because Blaine had made their dumpster mission impossible.

He wanted to tell his teammates what he thought of their behavior but he was on thin ice as well, and if he wanted to look out for Kurt he need some kind of protection himself. He could talk to the coach because she seemed to care about the students at school, but he really didn't want to experience the wrath of a football team if he ratted them out.

Kurt was nowhere to be seen when he walked to his last class before lunch, one he didn't share with Kurt either, but most of the team were hanging around in the hallway, so Blaine wasn't too worried about Kurt. He would have offered to walk him to and from classes, had he thought there was a chance Kurt would accept the offer.

He admired Kurt for being strong and independent but he also wished the other boy would let others help him, instead of pushing those away who tried.

Kurt

Kurt had fully composed himself again by the time his third class of the day had ended and now all he felt was anger. He didn't get angry all too often, usually resigned to the fact that things were never going to change, but some days he wanted to punch someone and scream in their faces, because what gave them the right to make his sorry life even more miserable?

He was on his way to his last class before he would meet Blaine in the library, when he ran into Karofsky again, moments later drenched head to toe in purple slushie and something snapped inside him and he made a rash decision. Karofsky was still yelling insults as he was walking off toward the locker room and Kurt wiped the slush off his face and started running after him.

As soon as the door to the thankfully empty locker room closed behind him, Kurt started yelling, while trying to wipe off more of the shlushie at the same time.

"Fuck you, Karofsky. Who the hell do you think you are to do that to me? I'm sick and tired of you treating me like the dirt on your shoe and it stops now," he yelled. Karofsky gaped at him for a moment, clearly surprised by Kurt's outburst before he took a step toward Kurt which made Kurt back into the door.

"Or what?" he asked menacingly and Kurt swallowed. He didn't believe in outing but Karofsky made it impossible for him to keep his secret.

"Or I tell everyone at school your dirty little secret. Let's see who's the dirty fag then," he threatened but flinched when Karofsky was suddenly in his face.

"No one would ever believe you. I can do whatever I want because no one is ever going to believe anything that comes out of your mouth." Kurt saw him lick his lips as he looked at Kurt's mouth and Kurt tried to get away but he had backed himself into a corner.

He tried to push Karofsky away, when his lips were once more on Kurt's but Karofsky just pinned his arms against the door. It felt like Karofsky's hands were suddenly everywhere on his body and Kurt felt the bile rise in his throat.

"I don't want you," Kurt spat when Karofsky finally pulled back to take a breath, clearly not bothered by the fact that Kurt was unresponsive and struggled to get away.

"I would never want a guy like you. You want to be in the closet, fine. But keep your disgusting hands away from me." He knew he should keep his mouth shut before he made Karofsky do something even worse, but he couldn't hold it all in any longer. He knew classes were starting soon again, and if he could just keep Karofsky talking until the other students came to the locker room, maybe he would get away from this remotely unharmed.

"You keep your mouth shut and let me do what I want or I tell everyone your dirty little secret," Karofsky sneered before yanking back Kurt's sleeve to reveal the nasty bruise caused by his fall onto the coffee table.

"Of course I have bruises you idiot. You and your friends throw me against the lockers every day," he tried to come up with an excuse for the bruises but Karofsky chuckled darkly.

"You know my aunt used to come up with stupid excuses as well before she finally left that duche bag of a husband."

Kurt gasped. "Then why are you doing this to me?" "Because your weak and I can. If you let people push you around and don't do anything against it, you deserve it," he growled, before he suddenly released Kurt as students were approaching the door.

Karofsky grabbed him by the front of his t-shirt and pushed him away from the door onto the floor.

"Look who I found in here, trying to sneak a peak at my junk," he told the students coming into the room. "Thought he needed help cooling off."

The laughter of the other students followed Kurt as he fled the locker room, tears streaming down his face for the second time that day. By the time he had cleaned up and changed his clothes the bell had long rung, and Kurt sank down onto the floor of the empty bathroom.

He usually never cut classes, too afraid his parents would find out, but the teacher teaching this class was one of the kinder ones and she would understand when Kurt told her why he couldn't make it to class. He spent the rest of the hour on the floor, trying to take his mind of the events that had just unfolded, but was unable to do so.

He wished he had brought a toothbrush to school with him, but had to settle on cleaning out his mouth with water. He felt sick to his stomach, but there wasn't enough food in it to make him throw up. The day had started out so well, but had rapidly turned into one of those, where he just wanted to end it all, if he didn't do all his tormentors a favor if he did.

Blaine

Blaine's class had let out early and he quickly grabbed a sandwich in the cafeteria, hoping Kurt would share it with him, before rushing to the library. Like the two days before it was empty apart from the grumpy old librarian, and Blaine sat down at their usual table, pulling his books and laptop out of his messenger bag. Next to his bag he put a stack of sheet music for his bonding attempt with Kurt.

When Kurt came in a few minutes later, he was wearing different clothes than he had in the morning, and Blaine swore because he had apparently failed Kurt again. His eyes were red rimmed as well and Blaine immediately rushed over to him.

"Kurt, what happened? Are you okay?" He didn't really expect an honest answer but he had to ask. Kurt just waved him off like he always did.

"It's nothing. Just got some slushie in my eyes." Blaine clenched his hands into fists, because what kind of school allowed slushie machines when most of it ended up on the floor and he expected the school had to clean it up.

Letting it go for now, he sat down and started working with Kurt for the next half hour.

"Oh shit, I bought the wrong sandwich," he suddenly improvised as he pulled it out of his bag. "Really not a fan of tuna. I'd feel bad throwing it away, would you help me out and take half unless you already had lunch."

Kurt looked skeptical for a moment, but Blaine must be a better actor than he thought because than he shrugged and accepted half of the sandwich. Blaine made sure Kurt got the bigger half and made the appropriate faces as he ate his half of the delicious sandwich, glad the librarian wasn't looking in their direction.

"What's that?" Kurt asked when he was done, pointing at the stack of sheet music.

"It's for Glee. We are supposed to find songs that would work well as duets as well. You really should join Glee, because with our uneven number someone always has to sing with Mr. Schuester and apparently he always makes the performance all about him.

Kurt glared at him. "Did Rachel tell you to ask me?" Blaine shook his head. "I told you I think you'd sound good and I thought you'd enjoy it."

Kurt's expression softened but he shook his head. "As I've told her countless times, I can't." Blaine nodded, pretending to accept that before he asked, his face the picture of innocence, "if you can't join Glee, would you at least consider singing with me. I have this great song in mind and I want to see if would work as a duet. The only one I really have sung with so far is Rachel and Finn told me in not so many words to back off because he is trying to get her back, and apparently in Glee they do stuff like that in song."

Kurt looked unconvinced at first, so Blaine subjected him to full on puppy dog eyes - they worked on his dad so why wouldn't they work on Kurt – until Kurt finally gave in.

"Fine, but I can't do it after school."

"That's okay. The choir room is usually empty during lunch break and we're pretty far with our presentation already so I think we can skip a day," he told Kurt as they were packing up and got ready to leave the library.

Kurt looked much happier than he had when he had come into the library when they parted ways and Blaine couldn't keep his own smile off his face. He made a detour to the choir room on his way to his next class, where the choir teacher Mr. Schuester, was sorting sheet music on the piano.

"Can I help you Blaine?" he asked when Blaine walked inside.

"I found a prospective new member but he is a little shy and might need some convincing that he is actually good enough. He agreed to sing with me tomorrow during lunch break and I was wondering if you could listen in from the office and give him feedback afterward," he asked his teacher.

"That's great Blaine. Now that Lauren quit we need a new member anyway if we want to be able to perform at Sectionals without having to use one of the band members again."

Blaine left the choir room with a spring in his step. He was going to get Kurt into Glee, because he needed a little glee in his life – pun intended.

Up next: A surprise dinner guest