Kurt wandered into the library early that morning to collect a few books on famous celebrities that he thought Blaine might like working with for the project, if only he could read some of the titles. Wrapping his arms around himself as he pushed through the doors, he nipped his bottom lip and listened for anyone else. The room was hushed, so he assumed he was all by himself. He walked over to one of the bookshelves and frowned at the words that he couldnt read. Picking up one of the books, he tried to make out any of the words, but all of them were too difficult.

He was about to put the book down when one of the doors opened and then slammed shut, making him jump with surprise. Thinking that it was the librarian, he peeked at the desk in the middle of the room from behind the shelf. He wondered if she would help him find a book that would be to his taste, and he started to pad over to the empty desk. "Hello?" He peeped, looking around for anyone, but he found no one. "Could you help me, please? That would be very nice."

Hearing a shuffle from behind him, he whirled around and jumped at the sight of Karofsky and another big man who might have just been a little taller and wider than Karofsky. He took a step back because of their sneers, but he tried to be kind to them, "Oh, dear, I was so startled. Karofsky, would you read a few of these titles, please, for our English project?" When Karofsky didnt reply but his smile slowly widened, Kurt fidgeted a little, "Would you like me to ask Blaine?"

The big man who Kurt didnt know hit Karofskys arm, and they both chuckled very lowly. Kurt was worried that hed said a wrong English word, and he was about to ask them if they could tell him the meaning of whatever word hed messed up when Karofsky suddenly curled his huge hand into a fist. "Hes the biggest fag Ive ever seen." He snorted, making the other man laugh with him. "Maybe I can punch it out of him."

The other man got closer to Kurt, pinning him against the shelf, and he grabbed a handful of Kurts blouse. Kurt squeaked when Karofsky swung at him, holding up two tiny hands that couldnt protect him, "Oh, please, dont hurt me!"

The fist was about to knock through both of his hands and hit him when it suddenly dropped, and Kurts eyes widened to the size of saucers as another man pushed Karofsky away from him. "Get away from him!" A guttural voice shouted, and two dark hands slammed into Karofsky and the other mans chests. The man pulled away from them and stood in front of Kurt, guarding him from Karofsky and the other man. Both of them looked confused and shocked, the other guys mouth hanging open. Karofskys jaw hardened and he crossed his arms over his chest, his lip curling. "Leave... now!"

The other mans jaw lifted, and then he opened his mouth again, "Fuck it, Blaine. We were just messing with him. Come on, Karofsky."

Karofsky stood still for a few more seconds, glaring right through Blaine. There was something in his eyes that made Kurt more uncomfortable than he was with the other guy, something so hateful that Kurt couldnt help the tears swelling in his eyes. He knew that Karofsky would have really hurt him had Blaine not shown up, and he hiccupped from the alarm of it all.

The other man grabbed Karofskys arm and yanked him, and he finally snarled and went with him, but only after he slapped Blaines chest. Blaine made a low sound and he reached up to his chest, but he didnt make any other movements. He seemed to be counting their steps, and when the door clicked shut behind them, he turned around and looked at Kurt. "Are you okay?" He asked just like he had last night, but this time as more of a question instead of a demand.

Kurt pressed his lips together to keep them from trembling, and he felt Blaine press a hand to his back, trying to pull him closer to his body. Kurt realized that he was trying to comfort him. Quivering under Blaines strong hand that could also damage him if he wanted to hurt him, Kurt wasnt sure what to do because he wanted to lay his head on Blaines chest, but he didnt want to upset him. "I didnt m-mean to upset them. Im sorry I caused a f-fuss-" His words were short and breathy because he had a bubble of tears caught in his throat.

"No, no." Blaine quickly tried to put in, leaning closer to Kurt, but then pulling back. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "You didnt do anything wrong. You didnt make them mad. Theyre just assholes." He wasnt being that comforting for Kurt, who was still crying, and he groaned with frustration. Jerking away from Kurt when the bell rang, he muttered, "Do you want me to take you to a bathroom?"

Kurt blinked at the question, as hed been hoping Blaine would ask him if he wanted held or cooed over, which he did. But he supposed he needed to go to the bathroom to freshen up and wipe his pink cheeks, so he nodded very slowly. Blaine nudged Kurt toward the door, keeping his warm hand on his back until he opened the door. He quickly lowered it, much to Kurts disappointment.

The hallway was bustling with students running to their classes, and Kurt was afraid of getting pushed over. Reaching for Blaine, he put his hand on his chest, wishing he would hold onto him again. Blaine stomped into the crowd of students, and Kurt desperately tried to scurry after him, his shoulders getting bumped. Just as he had worried, he quickly lost his grip on Blaine and fell away from him. Confused on where he was because people kept herding around him, Kurt turned this way and that, but he didnt see those dark curls. "Blaine!" He tried crying, but his voice was too soft under the shouting and hollering in his ears.

Almost immediately, a dark hand slid through his, and Kurt scampered back to Blaines side. He felt weak again, the tears trembling on his lashes. Blaine led him through the other students, and Kurt was relieved that they moved aside for Blaine. He was tired of being stepped on, and it was making his toes sore.

After all of the students had disappeared into their classrooms, Blaine finally tugged him over to a bathroom, and he pushed open the door. There was no one else in there, and Kurt was happy to just be with Blaine, the only person he felt comfortable around. He turned to Blaine and looked up at his dark face, "Thank you for protecting me. Youre so sweet to me. Is there anything I could do?"

Blaines lips fell into a frown, and he looked down at their hands, which were still tangled together. He didnt pull them apart, and Kurt was glad because it made his arm tingle, a feeling that tickled him all the way down to his belly. "Do for me?" Taking a step back, Blaine turned his head away from Kurt, "You cant do anything for me." He pointed at the sinks and paper towels, "Okay... you can... clean up or something." He rolled his eyes at some unknown thought, "Not that... Not that you need it. You look good. Let me just..."

Kurts cheeks turned pink when Blaine touched his jaw, gently smoothing his thumb along his cheeks and under his lashes, wiping away the tears. Blaine quickly jerked his hand away when he finished, and he growled at something. Gasping at the noise, Kurt wondered if Blaine was going to hurt him, too. But Blaine turned around, instead, storming away from Kurt. "Im going to English now. Youll be okay on your own."

He shoved through the door, ignoring Kurts quiet peep for him to stay. Frowning when the door closed behind him, Kurt turned to the mirror to make sure he wasnt a teary mess. He patted his flushed cheeks, licking his puffy, bottom lip. He decided that he didnt look too terrible, just a bit ruffled and startled. Wetting his hands with water, he ran his fingers over his face. The coolness took away some of the pink in his cheeks.

He thought he was presentable enough, so he tiptoed toward the door. Opening it, he poked his nose out, hoping he was all alone. He took a step into the hallway, but he didnt get far from the door when someone said, "Blaine took you in there?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he blinked at a small girl standing by her locker, a pile of dark hair hanging past her shoulders. She stared at him, waiting for an answer, so he quietly murmured, "Y-Yes... he did. It was very nice of him, wasnt it? Are you a friend of his?"

"Ex-girlfriend." The girl said shortly, her hands coming to her hips and squeezing them tightly. She seemed bitter about something, and Kurt wondered if she was mad at him, just like Karofsky and the other man were. "And Blaine isnt nice to anyone, new kid." Slamming her locker shut, she strode over to him, her steps so long. "Im Rachel, and you are?"

"My name is Kurt." He unsurely followed her when she stepped away from him, going down the hallway. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Rachel." She came to an abrupt halt, so he paused, too, standing by her heels. "Could you please tell me what you mean... when you say Blaine isnt nice? Hes very polite."

Rachel scoffed at him, "Youre a new kid, so its okay that youre naïve. But dont bother with Blaine... or get your gay hopes up. Hes totally straight... has been and always will be. Hes dating one of the cheerleaders."

"Oh!" Kurts little mouth fell open at her blunt words, "Please, Im not looking for any romance. I just want my dad to get better, and then Ill go back to France. But... I dont understand why you dislike Blaine. Hes so sweet."

Shaking her head as if Kurt had said something ridiculous, Rachel snorted, "Blaine isnt sweet, Kurt. Hes just like Karofsky and Azimio... maybe even worse. Maybe hes just manipulating you like he did to me... except I dont know what for. Its not like he would ever date you." When Kurts rumpled expression didnt change, Rachel crossed her arms, "Blaine and I started dating because he was nice to me. He gave me my first kiss. Then we broke up because I gave him naked pictures of myself and he hung them around the school."

Kurt put his fingertips to his lips, swaying from wooziness over all of the shocks, "Oh, dear. Thats so terrible."

"It was." Rachel nodded, "And then he gave my new boyfriend, who was the star quarterback, a black eye when they got into a fight! And the coach moved Blaine up because he didnt have to sit out for a swollen eye, and so now hes the quarterback when Finn really should be! Its not like Blaine really cares about the game, anyway. Hes not that good of a player. All he wants to do is look up the cheerleaders skirts."

Not sure what to think of Rachel or how bitter she was toward Blaine, Kurt murmured, "Im sure he didnt mean to upset you so much. Hes probably sorry for how he made you feel-"

"Hes not!" Rachel stomped her foot, her fingers curling and uncurling, "He started dating Quinn right after we broke up, but then she scared him by telling him she was pregnant." Ignoring Kurts widened eyes, she went on, "Of course, the baby was Pucks, not his, but it could have been his! Now hes with Santana, and shes just a bitch. And poor Brittany didnt even know he was trying to hurt her when they were together... shes the girl he dated before me."

Kurt was trying to keep up with all of the names, but he couldnt remember who Blaine had dated first and who he was with now. He didnt have a moment to gather himself and go over what shed just told him before she was off on another subject, "But Im sure youve had your share of boyfriends. Youre really pretty. You have great skin." She raised her brows at him and smirked from ear to ear, making him reach up to his cheeks to make sure he didnt have a blemish. "Unfortunately, thats all wasted here. Youre the only gay kid at this school."

Biting his bottom lip, he nibbled it until it was red, "Thank you... but Ive never dated before." When Rachels grin widened, he looked down at his feet and shuffled them a little. He wanted to get away from Rachels complaining about Blaine and go back to him, because he didnt think he was so bad, so he politely said, "It was good to talk to you, Rachel, but I should be going to English. Will I see you in the hallways?"

Rachel held out her hand, so Kurt draped his over hers. She seemed confused by what he did, but she left her hand there. "You can always find me in the choir room. Im the glee club favorite."

"Glee club?" Kurt chirped, "A music club? That sounds lovely. Would I be able to visit your glee club one day? I would like to... Ive always loved singing."

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, "You sing?" Stepping back, she said very lowly, "I guess you could, but do you have any talent? Schuester accepts anyone, but you can only sing if youre good."

"Well..." Kurt tapped his chin, "Ive been on Broadway. Just a very small part in Phantom of the Opera, but I did get a solo. Thank you for letting me come with you. Ill see you very soon, Rachel!" Skipping away from Rachel, Kurt hunted for the English room, wanting to see Blaine again, even though he was so afraid of Karofsky.