As the day proceeds, Kurt becomes accustomed to the lingering stares and the whispers, whispers that are most likely discussing Blaine on Kurt’s arm and the way Kurt smiles and kisses Blaine goodbye one time before a class begins. At lunch, Kurt opts to sit with Blaine, of course, and he’s quite surprised when Finn joins him as well.

He rolls his eyes when Finn waves to Rachel across the room.

Just before the last class of the day, Kurt squawks loudly when he is unceremoniously tugged into an empty classroom.

“What the – Mercedes?” Kurt asks incredulously, making sure his shoulder wasn’t yanked out of place.

“We need to talk,” she states, looking at him with a dark expression.

For a few long moments, Kurt doesn’t know exactly what to say in return. She looks like a woman on a mission, hands on her hips, brows furrowed in anger.

“I…guess we do,” he says.

“What’s going on with you and that kid?” she asks.

“What kid?”

“The one with the bowties. And the cardigans. And the glasses. The small one.”

“Who – you mean Blaine?”

Mercedes sighs, clearly annoyed at the pace of the conversation. “Yes, Blaine. What’s going on? Is it a dare? A bet? What is it?”

“What’re you – there’s no dare or – or bet or anything like that. He’s my-”

She snorts in return. Kurt looks on in disbelief at the obvious, not-very-amused expression on her face.

“I can’t believe that,” he says slowly, “of all the people in this school who are against this, you’d be one of them.”

“Of course I’m against it,” Mercedes replies, her voice going cold and hard and setting Kurt’s teeth on edge. “You can’t do this, Kurt. I know you sold your soul for a Cheerios uniform, but believe it or not, other people still have feelings. I won’t let you do this to him.”

Kurt stares back blankly, head reeling with the direction of their discussion.

“Okay,” he says, “I’m pretty sure we’re having two different conversations here.”

“You need to back off,” Mercedes state plainly. “I don’t know this kid, but I do know I won’t let you break his heart just because you wanna take a step up the social ladder of doom.”

“I’m not breaking his heart,” Kurt replies. “Blaine is my boyfriend. And he’s my boyfriend because I like him.”

“I know you, Kurt,” she says, eyes narrowing. “And I know that you wouldn’t date the lowest form of the low unless you gained something in return.”

“I can’t even believe this,” Kurt mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He raises his voice and says, “I’m going to say this once. I like Blaine. I like spending time with him. He’s a good person, a better person than I am and he makes me want to be a better person, too. He makes me happy and that’s why I’m dating him. There’s no bet. There’s no dare. There’s nothing beyond the fact that I like him and I think he’s kind of amazing.”

Mercedes glares at him, obviously attempting to read his body language for a sign of a tell, a lie of some sort. Kurt shrugs as she observes him. He has nothing left to give but the truth. There’s nothing more he can say to convince her and he won’t try. It’s already difficult to deal with the disapproval of everyone else, save his stepbrother, and he shouldn’t have to explain himself.

At least, not to Mercedes, the girl who used to be his best friend. The girl who knew everything about him and more.

“So, you’re dating the Prince of Nerds because…you like him,” she tries out, as if testing the words on her tongue, like they’re a foreign concept altogether.

“I didn’t think you’d be one to care about him being a nerd,” Kurt snaps.

“I don’t care,” she says harshly, “but I know you do.”

“People can change,” Kurt whispers. The fight goes out of him, drips out of the tips of his fingers but her anger still permeates the air in the room.

“Oh, that’s a fact,” Mercedes says. “One day you were my best friend and we were flipping through old copies of Vogue and the next day you called me a fat, disgusting cow in front of the entire student body.”

“Okay, that was a dare,” Kurt admits miserably.

“Yeah, and that makes it so much better,” Mercedes replies sharply.

“Listen,” Kurt tries to reason, “I know I screwed up with you. Royally. I know that. And I know I don’t deserve anything from you-”

“You’re damn right, you don’t.”

Kurt frowns, already dismayed at the direction his apology is taking. “But I need to tell you that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. You were the best friend I ever had. You were – you were perfect. Are perfect, I mean. And you didn’t deserve the way I treated you. I was a complete asshole. I was the biggest jerk on the face of the planet and I was shallow and stupid and just – I’m just sorry. I doubt there’s anything I can say to really convince you that I’ve changed, but I had to tell you that.”

“…Are you trying to say that you wanna be my friend again?” Mercedes asks warily, shock written all over her face.

“I highly doubt I’m lucky enough to even be in your circle of acquaintances,” Kurt says. “I’d love to be your friend again, of course I would. But I know it’s not that simple.”

Mercedes begins to look conflicted, her gaze darting all over Kurt’s face while looking for something like sincerity. Kurt can only hope she finds it. He didn’t expect to be having this conversation today but he’s afraid that this might be the only chance he’ll get to really stop and talk to her without her storming off in the other direction.

“You’re right,” she says flatly. “It’s not that simple. You were mean to me, Kurt. Just – mean. Downright cruel.”

“I know,” Kurt replies softly because there’s nothing else he can say. He can’t refute it. He was exactly what she says he was. He takes a page out of Blaine’s book and begins chewing on his bottom lip in anxiety. “I know I was.”

“I can’t – I can’t forgive what you did that easily. And I’m still doubting your intentions or whatever with this Blaine kid. He doesn’t ever talk to anyone. I never saw him talking to you so like, it doesn’t make sense that you’d be dating him.”

“He was tutoring me in physics for a couple of weeks,” Kurt explains. “He…I fell for him.”

It’s kind of nice, Kurt thinks to be able to talk about Blaine with someone besides his dad or Finn. Blaine is Kurt’s first real boyfriend and he wishes he had someone to listen to him moon over Blaine, wishes he had someone to talk to or giggle with when Blaine does something exceedingly adorable. He obviously can’t do anything like that with Santana or Quinn or any of the other Cheerios.

They wouldn’t even take the time to listen.

“Well,” Mercedes says a bit reluctantly, “I guess I’m glad you found someone that makes you happy. And you get bonus points for finding someone who made you pull your head out of your ass.”

Kurt attempts a smile, but when he sees that Mercedes doesn’t reply in kind, it falters and he sighs.

“If you break his heart, I’ll break your balls,” she states.

With those last words, Mercedes fixes him with one final, hard gaze before she brushes past him and walks out of the classroom.

The tension drains from Kurt’s body and he slumps against the wall. He closes his eyes, thinking about Mercedes’ unforgiving expressions and that’s when he realizes he’s going to have to do something to fix it. He hurt her worst of all. She’s right to not forgive him, she’s perfectly right.

But that doesn’t mean Kurt will stop trying to regain a position in her good graces, even if he’ll never be best friend material again.

He straightens up, rolling his neck around, hearing a sickening crack of lingering tension before he finally exits the room. Immediately, he catches sight of Blaine standing by Kurt’s locker, looking a little lost and unsure among the stragglers racing to their last class of the day just as the final bell rings overhead.

“You’re late,” Kurt says, sneaking up behind his boyfriend and pressing a kiss to the back of his head.

Blaine squeaks in surprise, but his face lights up when he sees Kurt.

“You said you’d – but you weren’t here and – I, um, I got worried,” Blaine admits, ducking his head in embarrassment.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Kurt says apologetically. “I was cornered by…an old friend. I didn’t mean to make you late, though. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“Screw it,” Blaine says with a shrug. “Let’s skip.”

Kurt lifts an eyebrow, thoroughly surprised and definitely amused at the turn of events “Your parents won’t be very happy if they find out,” he reminds.

“I don’t care,” Blaine states, looking determined with his hands clutching the straps of his backpack. “We’re going to skip and we’re going to enjoy it. And you’re going to tell me all about this old friend of yours.”