After spending three periods away from Kurt, Blaine was more worried about him than ever, and he counted the minutes left of biology until he could see him again. He knew there was something wrong with him, from his shaking hands to his throbbing forehead. He wondered every few seconds what Kurt was doing, if he was sitting in another class and making friends with other people-people who would warn him to stay away from Blaine because he was bad, or if he was wandering the halls in search of a class he couldnt find because he couldnt read the signs.

Blaines stomach churned at the thought of Kurt becoming completely lost in an empty hallway, a helpless victim to any of the idiots on the football team, maybe even Karofsky. For a second, Blaine actually thought about running out of the classroom to find Kurt, even though his mind was probably playing tricks on him. He tried to convince himself that Kurt was safely tucked away in another classroom and that Karofsky wasnt prowling after him. He knew how strong Karofsky was from feeling his hits on his own skin, and he flinched when he saw a foggy image of Kurt crying under Karofskys muscular hands.

He jerked back into reality when he heard footsteps nearby, and his eyes snapped up to his biology teacher, who glared down at him between squinted eyes. "Dont get distracted in my class again, Mr. Anderson. If those grades start slipping, you know what will happen."

Blaine rolled his eyes at her because hed heard this before, but nothing ever happened because he was the star quarterback. He slipped out of his desk, taking his books with him. Keeping quiet as he walked by, he followed his classmates over to the door, hearing them laugh about things he didnt care about. All he wanted to do was get to Kurt, so he hurried down the hallway without looking around for any friends of his. The football players usually always stayed together, sometimes just in small groups, and sometimes in pairs, but he didnt want to be bothered by any of them.

He got to his locker a minute later and shoved his books into it, then he turned around and darted for the hallway that connected to the cafeteria. As he had expected, it was packed with kids complaining about how gross the lunch that day was, or others yelling for their friends to come over to their table. Shoving through all of them, Blaine tried to see Kurt among the crowd, but he was nowhere to be found.

Blaines stomach dropped when he felt a slap on his shoulder, and he realized he wasnt going to be able to look for Kurt anymore. Karofsky would catch on if his eyes drifted back and forth. Digging his heels in as Karofsky yanked him over to the table in the middle of the room and threw him down, Blaine turned and stared up at him and Azimio, who had trapped him. They sat down beside of him, and Karofsky instantly picked up a dripping burger and shoved it into his mouth. Spit flew off his lips, and Blaines stomach heaved again. He didnt know why he hadnt noticed before how disgusting his friends were.

Azimio, who didnt have his mouth full, snorted at Blaines blank expression, "Dude, what the fucks wrong with you now? We find you just standing there by yourself like a loser, and now youre not saying shit? Come on, get a burger and chill out. I swear, youre acting pretty fucked up this year."

Blaine didnt want to talk about mindless shit, though. He wanted to keep looking for Kurt, who he still couldnt see. He dreaded that a few of the football players had cornered him. "Im not hungry."

Karofsky swallowed hard, and he picked up a few celery sticks on his plate and threw them at Blaine, "Here, you can have my celery. Dude, what the fuck was up with that bitch going on about homework in calculus?"

Azimio burst into laughter at some joke Blaine didnt want to hear, giving him a few seconds to slightly tilt his head and glance past the table beside of his, which was full of cheerleaders. At last, he caught a glimpse of something pink, maybe the purse that Kurt had brought with him, and he leaned back. He exhaled deeply, relieved to see Kurt only two tables away from him, so close, and yet impossible to reach. He was sitting by himself, but he didnt seem bothered by the loneliness. His blue eyes were on a small plate of salad, and he was poking a piece of lettuce with his fork.

He took a bite of the leaf, his cheeks getting bigger as he chewed very slowly, his movements never rushed or clumsy. Blaine was fascinated by him, but he quickly jerked away when his gaze lifted, his eyes searching for something... or someone. Daring another glance, Blaine stared at Kurt until he noticed someone else walk by him. His chest tightened when he realized it was one of the guys on the hockey team, a rude boy who smirked at Kurt as he passed him. Kurt, who didnt know that the boy wasnt being friendly, gave him a sweet smile that quickly turned into a shocked expression when the boy opened his mouth, obviously to spit out an insult.

After the boy was gone, Kurt dropped his shoulders and he fidgeted a little. His bottom lip pushed out in a pout, and Blaine wanted to rub his thumb over it to keep it from quivering. A moment later, Kurt lifted to his feet and he fluttered through the room like a flying ribbon, twisting and turning this way and that as if unsure of where to go. He got a few snickers from people who were considered losers themselves, but he didnt lash out at them. He didnt even get mad. He just pressed his fingertips to his trembling mouth and quickened his short steps.

Before he left the room and disappeared from Blaines view again, Blaine stood from his chair so suddenly that it almost tipped over. The movement startled the tables around him, making him lower his head in embarrassment. He met Karofskys eyes from the way his neck was bent, and from the awful look on his face, Blaine realized how obvious hed been about watching Kurt. Karofskys jaw hardened when Blaine didnt roll over under his black eyes, as hed always done before. "Blaine, sit down." Blaine had heard that emotionless tone before, usually when hed done something to piss Karofsky off and was about to get punched if he didnt back down.

Even though his knees shook because, secretly, he was terrified of Karofskys violent hits and kicks and punches, he wanted to be with Kurt again. Turning away from Karofsky, he heard him yell his name, but he ignored him. He ran out of the cafeteria on quick feet, almost fast enough that he was out of breath by the time he turned the corner of the hallway. Karofsky had always been slower than him, and if he came after him, he probably wouldnt catch him. But he was much stronger than Blaine, so if he did grab him, Blaine was aware that he would be limping for a week.

Blaine had only defied Karofsky once before, when he was unaware of how much damage he could and would do, and he remembered being shoved to the ground and stabbed over and over in the stomach before Karofskys arms had tired. Hed kicked him a few times before threatening him that if he ever did that again, hed get much worse. So Blaine simply gave in and stopped thinking for himself, doing exactly what Karofsky said when he said it. He figured that giving up his own thoughts, which werent that important in the first place, was better than being weak under someone elses feet.

Itd been a long time since hed made a decision for himself, and it actually felt good to do something without Karofsky hovering nearby, waiting to tell him that he wasnt doing it right, or that he would never be good at anything. But Blaine had quickly learned that even if Karofsky did claim that he was getting better at something, he would never, ever be as good as Karofsky himself. No one would.

He was so caught up in his shock of escaping Karofsky, if only for now, that he almost strode past the hallway that he saw a flash of the pink purse in. Stopping at the end of the hallway, he kept his eyes on Kurt, who had his nose buried in a school map. He was struggling to read it, mouthing the English words as if that would help him understand. Blaines mouth fell open when one of his teammates turned the corner, probably coming from the back door that led out to the field.

Kurt, who was still looking at his map, bumped into him, and he stumbled a little. The other boy barked at him to stay out of his way and shoved by him, making him fall to the floor from the force of the push. Inhaling sharply as Kurt struggled to pick up the books and papers hed been holding, Blaine darted over to him and dropped beside of him. Kurt was surprised by Blaines appearance and dropped everything again, his little jaw falling, "Oh, please, dont worry too much! I-Im fine."

Gathering the books and papers in one sweep of his arm, Blaine tried to stack them as neatly as he could, but some of them were too wrinkled. "Its okay." He said quietly, taking Kurts bag off his arm and putting the pile into it. Setting the bag aside, he laid his hands on Kurts shoulders, dragging his fingers down his arms to check him for bruises. Kurt shivered under his grip, his little hands curling. "Youre not hurt?"

Kurt made a soft sound when Blaine touched his wrist, which he might have fallen on. Trying to keep himself from tearing after the guy who had caused Kurt harm and slamming him against a locker, Blaine rolled up Kurts jacket sleeve. His chest rumbled at the sight of a bluish bruise on the inside of his wrist. Before Blaine could get too upset, Kurt tried to wiggle away from him, "Oh, no, Im fine... really. Thank you for caring, but you should ask that other boy if he is okay. I didnt mean to upset him... its just that this map is so hard to read and Im not sure where any of my classes are. I try to ask people, but they just laugh at me."

Shaking his head in annoyance at his peers, he held onto Kurts ruined wrist when he tried to tug it away. Kurt uncomfortably wriggled, but Blaine pretended he hadnt noticed, and he started to rub his thumb up and down the bruise. He was very gentle with his touch, stroking circles onto the blue spot, and Kurt sighed very weakly. "Oh, Blaine, that feels good." He whimpered, his eyes squeezing shut. His blond lashes batted against his pink cheeks.

Blaine scooted closer to Kurt, feeling his warmth, and he looked over his crumpled map. He tried to flatten it, but it was hopelessly folded. Throwing it aside, he turned his attention to Kurt, "Which classroom are you looking for?"

Kurts eyes opened again, and he blinked a few times, "Well... Rachel invited me to the glee club. Do you know where I could find that room? Im afraid that I got very lost."

Aggravated that hed already come across Rachel, one of the many girls with a terrible grudge against him, he wondered what she had told him about him. Rubbing his jaw, he noticed Kurt staring at his hand, so he dropped it to his side. "Uh... its right down the hall. Let me walk you over there." He got to his feet and held his hands out for Kurt, sliding them down to his sides. Boosting him up, he rested his hand on his waist and nudged him in the direction of the choir room. "Kurt... do you sing?"

"Oh, yes." Kurt laid his hand on Blaines elbow, as if wanting to hold onto him for some reason that Blaine didnt know. "I love to sing. Do you sing, Blaine?"

Even if he did, he wouldnt ever be wanted in that small room that was full of so many people he had hurt. Shaking his head, he led Kurt over to the door, but was reluctant to part with him. He knew that as soon as he let him go, everyone in the room would tell him to get away from Blaine, and he might lose Kurt. He sighed heavily and held onto Kurt for as long as he could, not that Kurt seemed eager to leave his arms. His body trembled in Blaines grasp, his lips slightly parting. "Will I see you after class, Blaine?" He whispered very softly, and Blaine shrugged a shoulder. He didnt know if Kurt would still want to see him. "Well... Ill look for you. Thank you... for everything."

Blaine stiffened every muscle in his body when Kurt reached up to his jaw, caressing him with a soft hand. His fingers dug into his palms, making two huge fists that were sticky with sweat. Kurt pulled his hands away a second later, and Blaine groaned because they were so comforting on his hard skin. Giving him a small smile, Kurt turned away and swished into the room, glimpsing over his shoulder only for a moment. He waved at Blaine before walking over to the teacher and saying something very quietly. Grinning at him, the teacher held out his hand, but Kurt seemed confused by what he wanted and he draped his hand over his.

Staying in the doorway just because he was so curious about Kurt and wanted to figure him out, Blaine leaned against the wall and eyed the entire room. Even though most of the glee club members had lost interest in their demure visitor, Rachel was hitting Finns arm and pointing at Kurt, obviously threatened because he might be better than her. Finn shook his head at her and whispered something, making her cheeks turn red with fury.

Blaine was about to turn back to Kurt because Rachels nagging was getting on his nerves, but a hand on his back startled him into jumping. Fearing that Karofsky had hunted him down, he whipped around and raised his hands. He dropped them again when Santana flinched and jerked back. "Calm down. Its me. What the fuck are you doing over here?"

Not sure how to answer that without sounding stupid, Blaine peeled off the wall and crossed his arms, "Why are you over here?" He snapped, rolling his eyes because he sounded stupid, anyway.

Santana put her hand on her hip, "I have to take this class to graduate. I told you that. It was this or band, and singing is a little less humiliating than holding a tuba up to my face. But I just ran into Karofsky and he said youve been stalking some gay, new kid."

It suddenly hit Blaine that instead of violence, his punishment for disobeying would be Karofsky twisting what he was doing to make him out to be the biggest freak in the school. It was impossible to predict Karofskys next attack. "Im not stalking him, Santana. He needed help... some guy pushed him over. I was-"

"I dont care if you were trying to be the badass hero of the school." She cut him off, "All I wanted to know was that you dont have some man crush on Sprinkles the Unicorn in there. And dont let him flirt with you, Blaine. Karofsky said he was making goo-goo eyes over you during lunch."

"He didnt even look at me." Blaine snapped, even though his argument was weak. Some part of him, deep down in his stomach, flipped at the thought of Kurt giggling over him. For a brief moment, he imagined what it would be like to date Kurt, to hold that soft hand, and to kiss those round cheeks. He didnt know much about Kurt, but he knew he would be sweet and kind and nurturing. Then he came back to reality, and he focused on Santana, who had a sneer on her face. Blaine couldnt remember the last time she had smiled at him.

"You fucking asshole." She said lowly, her voice flat despite her harsh insult. There was nothing mean in her tone, just a statement as if she had said that it was cool outside. "Youre all over him. I can tell by that look on your face. Listen, I dont give a fuck about that big reputation you have around here... I dont care if you lose it. Its not like its real, anyway. But I will not be your beard if you start fucking him. Dont you have calculus this period?" She spun away from him and stormed into the choir room, throwing herself down on one of the chairs in the back. She sat down right next to Puck, who must have also been forced to take this class for an extra credit.

Flicking his eyes away from her, Blaine returned them to Kurts tiny form, his heels tapping the floor because he was too excited to hold still. The teacher walked back over to Kurt and pointed at him, clearing his throat, "Okay, everyone, I want you to welcome Kurt. For those of you who dont know, hes a foreign exchange student from France. And... uh... how many shows have you done?"

"Ive been on Broadway only once, but I do hope to go back! It was very fun." Kurt squeaked, his nose wrinkling at the thought of his life in France. Blaine was more shocked and intimidated than ever because he had no idea that he was dealing with someone who might have been famous in France. He wondered why Kurt hadnt mentioned it before, because he knew quite a few people who would have flaunted it.

Rachel sat up straighter and scoffed at him, making Kurt a little uncomfortable. Putting a hand on his shoulder and patting, the teacher, whose name Blaine still couldnt remember, said, "Would you like to sing something for us, Kurt? Just so we can get used to your accent... and because of your experience, you might be able to teach us something."

"Oh, please..." Kurts cheeks brightened and his eyes widened, "Im sure there are some very talented people in this group. But if youd like me to sing something, Id be very happy to. Singing is my favorite thing to do!" When the teacher took a step back and gestured for him to continue, Kurt patted his fingertips together. "There is a song my aunt played for me every day... it means everything to me!"

Parting his pink lips, Kurt hummed a pretty sound, a note ringing off of his little tongue. He closed his eyes as he kept singing, his blond lashes fluttering on his bright cheeks. His voice was beautiful to Blaine, just like a bell, and Blaine gasped when Kurts voice went higher, almost to an impossible octave. Blaine was breathless as Kurt made sounds that he couldnt understand, every word in French, but Blaine thought the song was lovely. It was soft and sweet, like a soothing lullaby to Blaines ears.

Lost in Kurts melodic voice, Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep everything else out. He hadnt felt this good in a long time, and he didnt want it to end, but Kurt stopped singing all too soon. His voice faded away, leaving nothing but a vague memory in Blaines head. Opening his eyes, Blaine stared at Kurt, hoping his mouth would open again. He stared at Kurt, watching him blush with shyness as the glee club said absolutely nothing.

Nipping his bottom lip and swinging his hips from side to side, he glimpsed at the teacher from under his lashes and said quietly, "I hope Im good enough for your club. Did you like it?"

The teachers mouth fell open, and then he opened it again, "Kurt... you were... great. You have quite the voice. I-Im sure everyone would agree that you have a lot of talent." As if he was unsure of what to do with so much talent, he gestured to one of the chairs, "We would gladly have you in our club, Kurt. Why dont you take a seat and Ill let you look over some of the music we usually sing?"

Kurt gave the teacher a lovely smile, "Thank you so much, Mr. Schuester! Singing means so much to me. Im delighted to be in your club." Scurrying over to one of the chairs, Kurt stopped by Finn, and Finn pointed at the seat next to him. Kurt plopped beside of him, murmuring something very quiet that Finn smiled at.

Blaine stayed where he was, looking out for Kurt, even though he shouldnt have risked being seen. Pushing a hair behind his ear, he watched Kurt chatter to Finn about something he couldnt hear, a small smile on his pink lips, but his eyes were slightly distant. Blaine wanted to know why his eyes werent sparkling like they usually did. His eyes flashed up to the back row when he heard Santanas low voice, and his jaw swung down as he saw her lean closer to Puck and whisper in his ear. Puck grinned, his head spinning around so he could smack her lips with his.

He didnt know why he wasnt hurt when she kissed him back, or why he wasnt shocked by her cheating on him. He never expected his relationships to last very long, as theyd all ended very terribly not long after theyd begun. Lowering his head and wondering if he would ever be able to hold onto someone who didnt mind being wanted, and who he could love forever, he glanced at Kurt one more time to make sure he was okay, and then he turned away. He went to find something to do until the bell rang, probably sit in the bathroom and twiddle his thumbs. He decided he would follow Kurt around for the rest of the day to keep him safe... because he wanted to be needed by Kurt.