~*~*~*~

Kurt whimpered softly as he tried to calm himself down. He'd spent the last fifteen minutes in the choir room trying to compose himself. He'd managed to stop crying and was just sitting there on the floor taking deep breaths now. He was afraid... afraid of what Karofsky would do to him now.

He stared at the other side of the room, one hand clenching the upper arm of the other, where the still healing cut was. He pressed into the tender flesh and winced, letting the pain ground him and calm him down. He needed to get control of his emotions... class would be starting soon enough and he couldn't go like this.

He finally relaxed, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes as he just breathed... He just focused on each breath, letting everything else just disappear. Nothing else mattered... All that mattered was the here and the now and the sound of his slow even breathing.

He had completely gotten himself under control when the door suddenly opened. He tensed a bit, head snapping towards the intruder. Mr. Schuester walked in and glanced around before finally spotting Kurt on the floor right behind the door. He frowned as he closed the door and looked towards the effeminate teen.

"Hey... are you ok?" he asked as he knelt down, reaching out to put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, feeling the slight twitch as if the other wanted to pull away from him. He frowned at that but left his hand there anyway as he smiled weakly, "I've been looking for you. Your dad and Principle Sue are in her office talking right now. They want to see you."

Kurt looked to Mr. Schue and frowned at his words, sighing softly, "Great... Fantastic..." he let out, frustrated before nodding, "alright..." he said as he moved to stand, Will backing up to allow him to as he stood back up himself. He gave Kurt reassuring nod as he let out, "Hey... you're not the one in trouble ok? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know..." Kurt whispered out. He still felt like he'd done something wrong though. Would Mr. Schue feel the same way if he knew Kurt was lying to him and everyone else? That he was keeping things from them... that he'd allowed Karofsky to do... those things to him... that he was still letting him do it... that he enjoyed it even though he knew it was wrong?

"I mean it Kurt..." Will said quietly, frowning at the boy as Kurt gave him a weak little smile. The smile made his stomach churn... it was fake... forced... and it made him sick to his stomach to think that Kurt believed he needed to force a smile in front of him... he'd always thought Kurt trusted him more then that. He thought Kurt realized that being a part of the Glee Club meant that you never had to go through the troubles of high school alone...

"I know... I'm fine really... I'm gonna head over there before they send another search party..." Kurt let out, plastering on that smile he'd been working so hard to perfect in the mirror whenever he had the chance. By the frown on the others face he had a feeling that the other didn't quite believe it. Clearly it needed more work...

Kurt finally gave Mr. Schue a calm nod as he turned to step out of the choir room, heading down towards the principle's office. A few students glanced his way as he walked, whispering and gossiping about the scene that had transpired not long before. He was still a bit hurt that both his father and Finn had pretty much left him to his own devices after that... He'd needed someone and no one had been there.

He shook his head a bit after a moment, however, and reminded himself that he didn't want anyone there... because he didn't want anyone to know. This was his problem and his problem alone. He would handle it on his own. He didn't want anyone else to worry about him.

He stopped in front of Principle Sue's office once he got there, the secretary looking to him and smiling warmly, letting him know he could go in. He knew that already... but he wasn't so sure he wanted to. He didn't get the chance to reconsider when the door finally opened, his father standing there with a frown.

"I..." Kurt let out and his dad sighed, reaching out to take his wrist and guide him gently into the room. Kurt stepped in and frowned a bit, looking to Sue Sylvester who frowned, "Sit..." she said in a calm voice, "I don't have all day..." her words were as harsh as ever but the tone was gentler then usual.

"Yes, ma'am..." Kurt murmured as he moved to sit, his dad sitting in the seat next to him as they both looked right at him. He felt a shiver run down his spine and finally looked away from them, unable to keep eye-contact anymore. He was nervous... afraid they'd pry the truth out of him.

"Why didn't you tell us he'd hit you Kurt?" Sue finally said with a frown, "why didn't you come to me when he threatened you?" she said, shaking her head, "There isn't anything I can do unless I have the facts. I could have tossed his ass out of here that first day when you came to me with William... After you'd gotten that black eye."

His dad frowned and sighed, shaking his head, "Maybe it's my fault. I should have pushed you to answer me that day when I first saw it... I just... I didn't want to upset you... I thought we... you know... that we were good. That it was you and me against the world... I thought you trusted me enough to come to me when something was wrong... Kurt... You can't do everything alone."

"I... I'm sorry..." Kurt let out, pressing his upper arm hard against his side, the slight twinge of pain keeping him calm as he uttered out, "I didn't... want to worry anyone. It's not a big deal. It was just one time... he... he even apologized for it..." Kurt whispered out, blushing a bit as he remembered what had happened after the apology.

"He apologized?! That doesn't make things better Kurt... not if he's still picking on you," His father piped up, feeling angry, "One time... one time too many..." he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked to Sue, "I want this dealt with... I want that kid out of here and as far away from my son as humanly possible..."

"I agree completely. I'll set up a meeting for tomorrow morning with David and his parents... I'll see you two tomorrow morning as well and we'll get this all resolved then," she said calmly, "In the meantime... Porcelain... you need to start getting your priorities straight... understood? This should have been brought to my attention the day it happened. If you want help then you have to ask for it and you can't only give us half of the information."

"Y... yes principle Sue..." Kurt murmured out, feeling stupid for letting things get so far. He just prayed he wouldn't have to tell them anything else and that this would be enough to get rid of Karofsky. As much as Sue wanted him to tell them everything... he still couldn't do it. He was afraid of what they'd think of him... afraid of Karofsky's wrath.

"Alright then... I'll see you both tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me... I have a few phone-calls to make," Sue said and Burt nodded as he stood, Kurt doing the same. Burt sighed, resting his hand on the small of Kurt's back as they walked, "You're coming home now... there's no reason for you to spend the rest of the day here with that kid still roaming the halls... lets go."

Kurt nodded at his fathers words, a bit thankful truth be told. He was afraid if he stayed that Dave would corner him. He knew if Karofsky got him alone he would regret the events of today... And truthfully... he felt like it was just a matter of time. It would happen eventually... maybe not on school grounds but...

~*~*~*~

The drive home was quiet and once they were home they had a quiet dinner. After dinner Burt sighed and looked to Kurt, frowning a bit, "Hey... if you need to talk I'm here ok? But I'm not gonna force you. I hope you realize that you can trust me... and that I love you and I'll do whatever I can to help you. It kills me to know that you were going through all of that alone. You don't have to go through life alone Kurt... there are people who love you... Me... the Glee club... there are people who care."

"I... I know... I'm sorry dad..." he whispered out, moving to hug his father tightly, pressing his face to the others chest. He wanted to cry... to tell him everything... but he couldn't get the words out... and his eyes remained dry as if he'd cried all the tears he had. He pulled away finally, giving his father a weak smile and a nod, "I'm gonna head downstairs and do my homework... maybe turn in for the night a bit early."

"Okay..." Burt let out, brushing his fingers through Kurt's hair before finally letting him go, "Goodnight buddy..." he said with a nod as Kurt turned and headed up the stairs. Burt sighed and moved towards the living room to watch the football game though he didn't really pay any attention to it, his mind on his son.

~*~*~*~

Kurt sighed as he sat on his desk chair, staring down at the razor in his hand, mind going through the pro's and con's of cutting again. He frowned but finally nodded, knowing he needed it. The first one wasn't enough... he needed more. It was healing up already and the pain just wasn't enough.

He finally stood, grabbing the razor and moving towards the washroom. He placed the razor on the edge of the sink as he pulled off his clothes, looking himself over in the full-sized mirror. He frowned, fingers tracing some of the worst bruises, moving over to run gently over the nasty looking bite mark on his shoulder.

"I look disgusting..." he mumbled out as he let his fingers glide over to the cut on his upper arm. He ran his fingers over them before narrowing his eyes and grabbing for the razor. He looked back to the mirror, staring at himself in it as he brought the razor lower this time. What did it matter if he had to start wearing long sleeves anyway. He needed this.

He was careful, however, as he drew a thin line across his arm, just above the crease in the elbow this time. He winced and gritted his teeth before letting out a soft groan. He watched as the crimson pooled at the parted flesh before slipping down into the crease of his elbow and down his arm.

He swallowed before he brought the razor up again, slicing again above the newest cut, between the two. It didn't seem to hurt as badly this time, just a sharp stringing ache. Maybe he was just getting use to it or something. He made a couple more cuts around his upper arm before finally deciding he should probably stop.

He put the razor down and grabbed the first aid kit, cleaning his arm of blood and cleaning out the cuts, wincing at the stinging sensation as the alcohol cleaned out the germs. He then wrapped his arm up tightly with gauze and medical tape to make sure that he didn't bleed out.

Once that was done he put on some long sleeved pajamas and slipped back into his bedroom, putting the not cleaned razor back into it's hiding place. He felt relieved and calmer now. He felt in control again and that's what he wanted. With that he grabbed his homework, zipping through it. It was like the cutting gave him confidence to do everything he had to do. He just prayed it would help tomorrow at the meeting.

Once his homework was done Kurt slipped into bed, exhausted from the day's events, and though he wouldn't admit it, possibly from blood loss as well. He curled up under the blankets and let sleep claim him and pull him away from the horror that was his life now.

~*~*~*~

The next morning was excruciating. He did everything in his power to look strong... confident... to look like everything was ok. As he and his father walked down the hall towards Sue's office for their meeting his stomach churned but he didn't let it show. He was terrified of walking in there... terrified of facing David Karofsky.

When they reached the office the secretary told them that principle Sue was waiting for them and Burt nodded, putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder as the other nodded, the two of them stepping into the room where four chairs were waiting in front of the desk... two of them already occupied.

Kurt trembled a bit and took a calming breath, pressing his injured arm to his side as he moved to sit down. Burt sat next to Kurt, putting himself between the two boys, David's father on the far end next to his son. Sue looked at the four of them and let out a breath as she gave a calm nod.

"So... it seems this situation has finally reached it's boiling point..." Sue let out, looking from one side of the room to the other, taking in the two boys and their fathers. This would be taken care of now... there was no way in hell that this would continue. She knew the details but they had to go through it all over again for the benefit of Mr. Karofsky.

"You are damn right it has," Burt hissed out, looking like he might just explode at any minute. He almost wished that Mr. Karofsky was sat next to him instead of his son... because having that little fucker next to him was so freaken tempting... he just wanted to just thrash the kid... to put his fist in the others face and make him feel the pain he'd put his son through.

"Nothing happened..." Dave piped up, sounding innocent and naive, trying to defend himself. He had absolutely no idea what that little faggy shit had told them but he wasn't going to incriminate himself anymore then that little slut had. He'd let them tell him what they knew.

"Like hell... I'll tell you what really happened," Burt all but growled as he turned his eyes on Dave, feeling the tension rising in his muscles as he tried to keep himself from attacking the kid, "Mr. Karofsky..." he let out, almost wanting to tell the man to shut up when he piped up and gave his first name, "My name's Paul..."

"Paul..." Burt let out, wanting to just tell the idiot that it didn't fucking matter. What mattered was what that man's son did to his boy, "your kid... threatened the life of my son... And not only that... but he decided it would be a good idea to hit him. He left my son with a black eye for a week..."

Paul blinked and glanced around the room, shocked at the man's words and praying it wasn't true. He looked over to Kurt at this point, as if looking for evidence of this black eye the kid's father was talking about. But there was nothing there from what he could see. He said nothing about it, however, just waiting for them to continue.

"Porcelain..." Sue said calmly with an air of authority as she looked to Kurt, even though she already knew the answer, "Is this true? Did he threaten you... did he hit you?" she asked, needing Kurt to agree just like he had the day before. He was the only one who could say it happened or not.

"That's not true... I didn't say anything like that... And I didn't punch him..." Dave let out, shaking his head when he spotted Kurt nodding quietly at Sue's words. That little shit... he was asking for it. He needed to learn his place. He didn't want to hurt the other... but if he had to he would. He could teach that slutty little fag what happens when you open your big mouth.

"That's what he said..." Kurt finally said, letting the confidence he really didn't feel seep through, interrupting David's words as all eyes turned to the smaller boy, "He said he would kill me if I told anyone... and then he hit me..." he whispered out, trembling a bit and not meeting Dave's eyes. He knew the other male had to be furious right now and he was terrified of what he'd see in the others eyes.

"If you told anyone what?" Sue asked, looking to Kurt a bit confused. Something still wasn't right... the puzzle that was this whole situation was still missing one key piece. Kurt was still keeping something from them and she knew it. There were hints here and there... she wasn't stupid.

"Just..." Kurt let out very quietly, finally looking over to Dave, seeing the barely hidden rage hiding behind the calm, confused looking exterior. He wanted to run out... wanted to be sick... and he knew... he couldn't say anything... he couldn't tell them the full truth. As in control as he tried to seem he wasn't... he wasn't confident or calm or sure of himself. He was terrified. Instead he just shook his head and let out quietly, "Just that he was picking on me..."

"He's making it all up... can't you see that?" David stated, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. The kid would still regret opening his mouth, especially going against him when he'd said he didn't threaten him... but at least he was still keeping his mouth shut about what was really going on between them.

"Oh is that right," Burt piped up, narrowing his eyes as he looked to Dave, wanting to just bash the little fucker's face in. No one called his boy a liar. Kurt had always been a good kid. He very rarely lied and when he did he did it for a good reason. Mostly so he wouldn't insult someone's fashion sense.

"Hold on a second..." Paul Karofsky said calmly, eyes ahead of him for a moment as he started to piece things together, not looking at his son at the moment as he spoke, "You have been acting strangely as of late... David... you're no longer getting A's and B's... you've been talking back to us... You're acting out... And now... after all of that... we're sitting here... so tell me David... what reason does Kurt have to lie?" he asked, looking to his son then looking over to Kurt, motioning over to the smaller boy.

He wasn't stupid. He'd known there was something wrong but David just wouldn't talk to him. He'd asked... Asked him if there was something going on at school... Asked him if someone was bothering him... Asked him if school was becoming too stressful... He wanted to help but David wouldn't let him in.

The truth was, he felt horrible. He felt like he should have done more. That he should have forced his son to tell him what was going on. He hadn't... and now it looked like his son had gone and gotten himself into trouble. He felt bad for the smaller boy. Kurt didn't look like a bad kid and he almost wanted to apologize but he knew he really hadn't done anything wrong. He'd tried.

"Maybe he's in love with me or something," Dave said suddenly and Kurt wanted to be sick. He couldn't believe that had come out of the others mouth. He looked away at this point, a shiver running down his spine. He couldn't help it as his mind wandered back to that night in the shower... remembering touching himself to the image of David Karofsky. But he wasn't in love with the other... No...

"Alright... I think we are wasting our time here right now... It is your job as Principle of McKinley high to protect the students," Burt said as he looked to Sue. He was furious that that stuck up little shit would even dare to accuse Kurt of being in the wrong... that he'd even open his mouth and say that Kurt could ever love someone as sick as him.

"I couldn't agree more," Sue said, nodding her head now that all the information was out there... at least all the information the two boys were willing to give. She knew there was more to it but as long as she got David Karofsky out of the school she was pretty sure things would go back to normal. She was sure Kurt could recover from whatever it was that was really happening as long as Dave wasn't around.

"After hearing both sides of the story, you, David Karofsky, are hereby expelled from the school... I will not have one student threatening the life of another... and I definitely will not put up with violence against other students. If you don't think this is fair then by all means, go ahead and make an appeal to the school board. You will leave school grounds immediately," Sue said calmly, a stern look on her face.

"I appreciate your time," Paul let out as he moved to stand, looking around at those gathered there, feeling like a horrible father all of a sudden. He looked to his son, feeling disappointed in both himself and David. What had gone so wrong that his son would have done such things? David had always been such a good boy.

When Dave got up to leave his eyes turned to Kurt, his mouth pursed into a straight line. Kurt felt a shiver run down his spine at the look as he shrunk back a bit, trembling. He could see the barely hidden anger inside the others eyes... David was just waiting to snap and Kurt knew that if they ever met again... he would.

He snapped out of it when his father put a hand on his shoulder, forcing a breath into his lungs and plastered on the forced smile he'd been wearing lately. He looked up to the other and gave a nod as he moved to stand, letting his father guide him out of the room as Burt looked back and smiled weakly to Principle Sue, "Thank you... I'm glad that's all been taken care of..."

"Enjoy your wedding," Sue piped up as she watched the two step out. She sighed and frowned a bit, glad that things seemed to be settled. She finally laid back in her chair, groaning softly and closing her eyes. Being Principle was a lot more work that she'd anticipated... oh well.

Kurt, meanwhile, just followed his father out of the school quietly, giving Kurt a few more minutes to settle himself before he'd have to go to class. He looked to the other and smiled weakly as he pulled the boy into a hug and sighed, "Hey... everything's ok now alright? I gotta head off to the garage now but I'll keep my phone close. If you need me you just call and i'll be here before you know it."

"I... I know... I'll be fine, really. I'm ok now," Kurt said quietly as he leaned into the hug. Most boy's would find this horribly embarrassing but right now he just needed it. He needed to feel like someone cared. He knew his father loved him but sometimes he still felt so alone... it was times like this that made him realize he wasn't.

~*~*~*~