~*~*~*~

It was the day after their talk with Sue Sylvester that Kurt had finally realized that Mr. Schue seemed to be keeping an eye on him. He'd spotted him a few times that week from the corner of his eye a lot and when he turned as he walked to one of his classes Mr. Schue was there behind him. He sighed softly but somehow it made him feel a little safer despite the fact that it also annoyed him.

He sighed softly as he waited for Mr. Schue to slip off into a classroom before he pulled away from his locker and began to walk towards his first class. He paused, however, when he heard Finn and Rachel's voices over the rest of the hum of the crowds.

"But why not?" Rachel's voice rang out, her focus completely on Finn as they stopped in the middle of the hall, looking to each other as Finn sighed, looking exasperated, Rachel looking quite overly upset though that wasn't exactly anything new for her.

"Look... Karofsky plays right guard. If he gets pissed off with me i'm going to get stacked more times then flapjacks... ok? And you know what that means? We'll loose... Which means Beiste is going to make Sam Quarterback..."

Kurt glanced over curiously at the two of them but stayed a ways off as he listened, frowning as he heard the words coming from their lips. They were talking about Karofsky. What the hell was going on? He frowned at this point but stayed back, wanting to hear more.

"Excuse me? Is being Quaterback more important to you then your family? Does it really mean more to you then helping out the kid who's going to be your stepbrother?" Rachel asked, eyes wide as she just looked so put out... like Finn had just told her she had no talent or something.

"Look... I can help him more if I stay on top... Kurt is going to be just fine, Rachel..." Finn let out with a sigh as he looked to her, "I'm sorry... ok? I want to... I really do... but I just can't do it..."

Rachel looked like she was on the verge of tears at this point as she shook her head and murmured out quietly, "I have never... never been more disappointed in you, Finn Hudson," came out before she turned to walk away, ignoring Finn's protests as she went.

Kurt bit his bottom lip for a moment before turning the other way, taking the long way towards his class as he didn't want either of them to see him. He frowned a bit as he walked, surprised at what they'd been talking about and a little bit depressed at the thought that Finn cared more about his stupid football status then him. Not that he wanted them to try and protect him but still... It did hurt.

Finn was going to be his brother... but Kurt didn't feel like Finn wanted to be. He'd seen the shocked and slightly uncomfortable look Finn had on his face when their parents told them they were getting married... but Kurt had ignored it because he'd been happy for them. Now, however, it all came crashing down... Finn didn't want him as a brother. He was probably disgusted with him...

Kurt could remember the day in his basement bedroom... when Finn had freaked out on him. The things he'd said... the way it had made him feel even though he tried to just tell himself Finn wasn't talking directly about him. His father had been right though. Finn had been referring to him even if Kurt wanted to pretend he hadn't been.

He had a few minutes before class so he slipped into the girl's washroom to splash his face with cold water, forcing back tears. He was a little afraid now... of the path he'd led his father to. He wanted his father to be happy. He did... But in making his father happy had he unintentionally led himself into a possible situation that would make him feel unwanted and uncomfortable in his own home?

Living with Finn... could he actually do that? Finn was probably disgusted with the idea. He couldn't blame the other though. It was his own fault that Finn hated him, and he honestly believed the other did sometimes. He had made Finn uncomfortable with his unwanted advances. He knew Finn was straight but he'd just... he'd been lonely... and he liked Finn.

Finn had been nice to him. Had done what he could to protect him even if that only meant he kept some of Kurt's expensive fashionable clothing and bags from getting ruined. It had been more then most people had ever done for him. Most people just pretended like he didn't exist... He wasn't worth acknowledgement. Other then the bullies who just found pleasure in tormenting him.

He looked up to stare at himself in the mirror after a while and frowned, sighing softly. He hated himself... he wanted to be just like everyone else... or at least appear normal... but no... he sounded like a girl... was scrawny and effeminate like a girl... He would never fit in to society. He would forever be an outcast.

At one point he would have been okay with that but now... he just wanted to fade into the background. Be just another face in the crowd. He wanted to hide away and pretend he didn't exist. He was ashamed and disgusted with himself. The only person in his life who wanted him in any even remotely romantic was only using him as a toy... as a tool for exploration.

Who was he kidding. It was extremely unlikely that anyone would want him other then people like David Karofsky. He was just a warm body and a tight ass to use then toss away. Not that Karofsky had gotten that far... he didn't want him to in the first place... but he'd already kind of resigned himself to the fact that it would get there eventually... and there wasn't a god damn thing he could do about it.

Tears slipped down Kurt's cheeks as he turned away from his image in the mirror. He was paler then he usually was and a bit skinnier too. He hadn't been eating very well lately. He just wasn't hungry. Thankfully the bruise over his eye had almost completely healed over by now, just a faint greenish tinge to his skin.

Kurt sighed and turned to splash his face again before grabbing a paper towel to dry it. Class would be starting soon as he had to get there on time or he'd get detention. He finally grabbed his bag, shouldering it again, before turning to slip out of the washroom and head off towards class.

~*~*~*~

Kurt sighed softly as he slipped quietly into Glee Club. He spotted most of the others already there and frowned a bit as he saw Quinn holding an icepack to Sam's face. He paused at the doorway and stared for a moment before moving to sit down a little ways away from the others. His stomach churned a bit as his eyes turned towards the floor. He wanted to ask but he was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," Rachel let out, biting her bottom lip before sighing, "I didn't think he'd attack you guys..." Of course, Rachel had originally planned for there to be four of them standing up against Karofsky... not just two. Thank god Sam had been there and stepped in despite the fact that Quinn hadn't told him what they had planned. Finn, of course, had decided he'd wanted nothing to do with it even though the whole plan was to try and get Karofsky to leave Finn's soon to be step-brother, alone.

Sam shook his head and smiled a bit, "It's fine... It's nothing really," he said as he spotted Kurt, smiling to the brunette, "Friends need to stick together. We should have stood up to that jerk a long time ago..." he said as he watched Kurt. He knew Kurt understood what they'd done and he could see how uncomfortable it made Kurt.

He sighed softly. He knew Kurt wasn't a violent person and didn't agree with that kind of solution to any problem but he hoped it kept the jock off the others back for a while. Kurt was a nice guy and he didn't deserve the kind of treatment he'd been getting and definitely didn't deserve what Karofsky was doing. Karofsky only seemed to be targeting Kurt for the most part. They could all see it... even if they didn't understand it fully.

"You shouldn't have done that," Kurt let out quietly as he looked away from them, staring at the ground again. He felt guilty... Sam had been hurt because he'd tried to stick up for him. Mike and Artie looked a bit sore too from the looks of it. He wasn't sure what had happened but he knew it had been violent and that's all that mattered... It should never have happened.

"Kurt..." Mercedes let out quietly before Rachel piped up, "We had to do something Kurt... we couldn't sit around and watch you being tormented all the time. Look at you, Kurt... you look sick. Have you even been eating? He's getting to you and we can all see that. And it hurts us to see you so upset. We just wanted to help. I was scared, Kurt... I was scared that he was going to do something worse... I've seen news stories of what people like Karofsky do to people they don't like. I don't want to see you get hurt like that."

"We're friends, Kurt... This is what friends do... You gotta stop pushing people away," Sam said calmly as he looked to Kurt. It was the truth after all. As friendly and bright and bubbly as Kurt could be... he always had a wall up to protect himself. Everyone who got close enough could see it. He'd build a wall to protect his heart from being hurt, "If I had to do it again, I would..."

"Just don't do it again, too often... ok? I don't want to find out you got yourself brain damage from having your head punched in," Quinn said with a small smile as she pulled the icepack off of Sam's face for a while, placing it on the chair.

Artie chuckled softly and nodded, "It was crazy... When he went at Mike I felt my heart jump into my throat. Then I realized it wasn't my heart in my throat... it was Mike's elbow," he chuckled softly, remembering Mike being tossed at him and the two of them falling backwards to the ground. It had hurt truth be told and he was still sore from it.

"Totally, Karofsky went all Neanderthal on us and before I knew it we were both on the floor and then in came Sam... He was like a wild animal..." Mike said as Kurt glanced over finally, still frowning as Artie piped up with, "Manimal..."

"I am so totally turned on by you right now," Brittany piped up as she looked Artie over, moving to massage his shoulders a bit to try and ease his sore muscles. He'd taken a pretty nasty fall that was for sure. She was proud of him though. He'd stuck up for her unicorn.

"So... how bad does it look?" Sam finally asked as Quinn smiled warmly to him, grabbing the icepack again to stick it over his eye gently, "It's actually kind of hot... I must admit," she said with a smile to him. She was glad that Sam had stepped in to help Mike and Artie and felt a bit guilty now for not asking him for help but she'd felt a little bit out of place asking such a thing. Especially when they weren't officially dating... plus, she hadn't been sure it was a good idea.

"You have absolutely no idea how hard it was for me not to jump into that beat-down," Puck piped up. As much as he use to pick on Kurt, he'd finally gotten the chance to get to know the other and he felt truly guilty that he'd done those horrible things to him. Seeing the other boys sticking up for Kurt had made him feel a little bit worthless.

He knew should have done the same damn thing a long time ago. Karofsky had taken this to a whole other level. He'd tormented Kurt for years without the effects that Karofsky was having on the other. Whatever the other had done... He knew it had to have been bad. He had a feeling they'd only seen half of what was really going on between the two. There was just something really wrong about it even if he couldn't place it.

"Where the hell were you Finn?" came Santana's voice after a moment as she looked over to the Quarterback who looked a little bit uncomfortable with the whole situation. Santana couldn't picture the whole thing going down without Finn being there. He was their leader really... Finn was the school's Quarterback, the co-leader of the Glee Club... and he was the boy who was going to be Kurt's step brother.

"I was still out on the field, ok? But I totally would have been in that fray if I'd been there," Finn piped up though he wouldn't look at anyone. He felt low right now... really freaken low... he felt like trash. He let his friends down all because he wanted to be popular... Rachel had been right to be disappointed in him.

He knew that Sam wanted to be popular, just like he did, but the difference between them was that Sam didn't put his morals aside just so he could attain that. No... Sam did what he knew was right... he stuck up for his friend even if that friend was someone most people looked down on.

"The fact is... none of it should have gone down without you, Finn. You should have been right there in front... leading the charge," Mercedes piped up, shaking her head. She could tell from Finn's posture that he was lying. He hadn't wanted any part of it... She could tell... he'd just wanted to protect his precious social status.

"Leave Finn alone everyone..." Kurt finally let out, looking over towards them with a frown, "It's not his problem... In fact... It's none of your problems... But either way... thank you for what you did. Especially Sam..." he said giving the other a weak smile. If only Sam were gay... But he wasn't and Kurt had already promised himself he wouldn't have another Finn Fiasco.

"Seriously... The epitome of a leader," Mike smiled brightly as he looked to Sam, "He really was something..." he said with a nod. When Tina had asked him to warn Karofsky off he'd been all for it. He'd been worried about Kurt and had wanted to do something but he just needed that little push. Not that he'd helped much... he'd ended up being used as a projectile on poor Artie then spent the rest of the fight on the floor with the wheelchair bound teen just staring in awe at the two males brawling in the middle of the locker room.

"Ok, what is going on?" Came Mr. Schuester's voice suddenly as he stepped into the room, seeing Sam's face and frowning, "What happened to Sam's eye?" he asked, stepping towards his students with a worried look. What in the world had they gotten themselves into this time?

"Sam stood up to Karofsky. Told him to leave Kurt alone..." Quinn said with a bit of a proud smile to Sam. It hurt that the three boys had gotten hurt in the process but she hoped that it was enough to get through to Karofsky and get him to leave poor Kurt alone. It wasn't hard to see that Kurt was pulling away from everyone... curling up into his own protective shell. It wasn't like him and she didn't like it. Kurt had always been so proud and sure of himself... To see him like this made her heart ache.

"All the boys stood up to Karofsky... well... except for Finn," Tina explained, squeezing Mike's shoulder which she'd been massaging. She was so proud of Mike and Artie and Sam for what they'd done... Even Puck for having the will power not to jump into the fight. Perhaps the place hadn't been the best. Maybe in a more public area would have been a better idea. Maybe then things wouldn't have turned so bad.

Either way though, she hoped it worked. She couldn't bare to see Kurt look so helpless. She usually happy extrovert had turned into a quiet, shy, introvert like her and she didn't like it. Kurt wasn't like that... this wasn't Kurt. The Kurt she knew was someone she looked up to. She wanted to have the same confidence that Kurt had... but to see him now. It made her feel like there was no hope for her of her friend had lost hope.

"Is everyone alright? Do I need to talk with Principle Sue?" Mr. Schue asked as he looked the students over quickly. Why were these kids always getting into some kind of trouble? There was always something going on with these kids... break ups, hook ups, drama, drama, drama...

He was proud of them though for sticking up for Kurt. He knew Kurt needed that. He needed to know that people cared enough about him to put themselves out there like that. When he looked to Kurt though all he saw was hurt. Kurt was guilty and upset that his friends had gotten hurt because of him. He frowned at the thought... Kurt didn't feel like he was worth it anymore... He could see it and it hurt him to see it.

"It's fine Mr. Schue... I got in a few good hits myself... so we can just call it even," Sam explained calmly, "Maybe this'll be enough to send a message to Karofsky and him to lay off Kurt," he said with a nod, feeling good about himself. Everyone was proud of him and he was proud of himself. He'd done the right thing... he knew that. He didn't care of Kurt was gay. Kurt was one of the nicest people he knew and he didn't deserve this treatment.

"You alright Kurt?" Will asked as he walked over to the other, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. He knew Kurt was probably overwhelmed and unsure of how to feel right now but he wanted to pull the other out of this self-destructive thought process he was clearly having. He nodded a bit at this point as he nodded to the other. It was not his fault that Sam had gotten hurt. He wanted Kurt to know that.

"I'm fine... Really... thank you for your concern," Kurt let out calmly with a nod back to him as he took a deep breath. He felt really bad and truth be told... he was afraid. Karofsky was going to be so pissed off with him. Even if he hadn't told them what had happened... they'd gone against Karofsky and he knew he'd be the one to suffer the consequences... even if his friends didn't realize it.

"Alright then... Lets all take our places... We have a wedding to prepare for," Mr. Schuester said with a warm smile as everyone slipped out of their seats to start working on their performances for the wedding. At least it brought their minds, especially Kurt's, off of the Karofsky situation.

Rachel stood and glanced to Finn as she did, that same disappointed look there. She'd stayed unusually quiet the entire time. She'd been so upset when she found out Sam had gotten hurt. Part of her blamed Finn for not helping... the other part blamed herself for coming up with the idea in the first place. Sam could have really gotten hurt.

Clearly Karofsky was like a bomb just waiting to blow and it didn't take too much to set him off. It made her worry about Kurt even more truth be told. If Karofsky was ok with hitting Sam... then she was almost one hundred percent positive that he also had no problem hitting Kurt... and probably already had considering the healing bruise he had which Kurt refused to explain.

~*~*~*~