If there was one thing Kurt had learned about Blaine, it was that he was�fast. Not just a "walking quickly" kind of fast, but speeding along the corridors and hallways and up and down staircases at record speed. Kurt had to push himself so hard to keep up that he didn't have time to pay attention to where they were going. As he reached the top of the staircase on the 6th floor a few seconds too many behind Blaine, he was fighting to retrieve his breath.

If he'd known that this was how following Blaine around was going to turn out, Kurt figured he probably would have chosen to follow someone else. Nevertheless, he kept going, following Blaine through the dorm hallways on the top floor of the building.

The floor looked quite similar to the floor of Kurt's dorm, with narrow halls clad with wooden decorations and carvings, twisting and turning in maze-like paths. For a moment, Kurt was convinced he was going to lose Blaine as he rounded another corner 30 feet ahead of Kurt. Kurt was half running in his attempt to catch up as he neared the corner.

Kurt's heart almost shut down in his chest as he came to an abrupt halt. Blaine had stopped completely, standing in the middle of the hallway with his back to Kurt, which was why Kurt didn't see Blaine's wide grin.

Kurt almost hurt himself as he threw himself back against the wall around the corner, silently praying that Blaine hadn't seen him. He pressed a hand to his mouth to quiet his heavy breathing as his heart beat faster.

Eventually, Kurt released a long breath as he heard Blaine's footsteps resume as he walked away slowly.

But his relief was short-lived.

"Are you planning on standing there all day or do you wanna come in?"

The voice rang out across the hall, spoken loudly and clearly. Kurt shut his eyes tight, scolding himself for not being quieter, sneakier, a better spy. Though he couldn't quite place the tone of voice, Blaine didn't sound angry.

More curious now than horrified, Kurt carefully leaned forward to peek around the corner. What he saw certainly surprised him: Blaine had unlocked the door to his dorm room and flung it wide open, holding a hand up in a welcoming gesture. His eyes were alight and an enormous grin spread across his face. He didn't look mad or upset at all; he looked absolutely thrilled.

Kurt momentarily hesitated before revealing himself fully to Blaine. He took slow, deliberate steps towards him, watching for any sign of a change in mood. There was none. Blaine was still standing by the door. After a moment he let his arm drop and his grin faltered, his face taking on a more curious look. His lips were parted and the corners of his mouth were tilted upwards slightly. His eyes were almost unnoticeably narrowed. His irises were a dark shade of yellowish brown.

Kurt stopped just as he was about to walk over the threshold, Nate's words from before ringing in his head.

Stay away from him unless you want trouble.

As Kurt looked at Blaine, whose eyes burning intensely into Kurt's, he felt shivers racing down his spine. He didn't know what kind of trouble Nate had been talking about, but whatever it was, it only intensified the excitement and mystery drawing Kurt in.

Without a second thought, Kurt stepped over the threshold and into the room.

000

Sebastian was running. He was running as fast as he could, pushing forward and sprinting for all he was worth. The effort forced the air out of his lungs, and he fought hard to suck it back in. He felt his legs starting to shake, along with his hands and arms as they swung through the air rapidly in an effort to gain just a little more speed. He had to hurry; he couldn't be late, not this time.

He'd gotten the call from Jeff a few minutes earlier, telling him the last piece of information he needed.

They had gotten to Nick like they said they would.

Sebastian pushed through a set of double doors without even slowing as he raced down the hallways. Many thoughts were racing through his mind all at once, but he tried to push them away. The issue with Kurt would have to wait. Sure, that kid was turning out to be more of a danger to himself than Sebastian thought he could be, but whatever stunt Kurt was planning to pull in order to accomplish what he thought he needed to do to understand Dalton would just have to wait. Right now, Nick needed him, and that's what he had to focus on.

He came to an abrupt halt outside Nick's dorm room after sprinting up the many steps of the staircase. He raised his fist and pounded the door in a desperate rhythm.�Knock, knock-knock, bang.

Sebastian panted shallowly and placed his hands on the wall, tilting his head down. He almost felt sick from his mad dash and nearly regretted pushing himself so hard, but this was an urgent matter. It couldn't wait. Nick was one of his closest friends.

The door opened within ten seconds. Cade stood there, eyes wild and distressed as he moved aside to let Sebastian enter.

Sebastian hurried past him and became aware of the situation immediately after just a glance at the sight in front of him. Jeff was sitting on the side of the bed, holding Nick's hand tightly as if he were afraid that if he let go, Nick would too. Trent was standing on the other side of the bed, tie thrown off and sleeves rolled up his arms. They all looked tired, exhausted, and worn-out, but worst of all was Nick. He was pale and sickly under the bedspread, muttering lowly as his eyes moved rapidly but saw nothing.

Just one look told Sebastian how bad it was. He had to put an end to this,�now.

"Who was it?" Sebastian asked. "Was it Felix or Dexter?"

"Most likely one of them, yes," Cade said quietly, "Nick hasn't been fit enough to tell, though."

He looked over to where Nick was lying as if to prove his point. He grew pensive.

"There's a risk he might not know."

Sebastian nodded.

"What can we do?" Jeff pleaded quietly, looking up at Sebastian with wide and frightened eyes.

Sebastian swallowed dryly, feeling a lump forming in his throat along with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"I'll go find them both. Felix. Dexter. I'll talk to them, see what they know. It would have to be one of them: Lucas wouldn't trust anyone else."

"You think they'll actually help you?" Trent asked doubtfully.

"Considering what happened last time..."

Sebastian sighed. "I don't know, probably not. But there's nothing else we can do right now."

The silence which followed told him his friends thought differently. He turned to Jeff, who was still pleading with him with his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jeff. I don't know where Lucas is. No one has seen him since the last incident."

The pain he felt after uttering those few words was ridiculous.

Before anyone else could say a word, Sebastian was out the door again. He began to pick up speed as soon as the door closed behind him, running down the stairs in haste. He had to help Nick, even if it would cost him his own life... he felt like all of this was his fault; it was, to some extent.

After all, Lucas was�his�brother.

000

Blaine loosened his tie with one hand as he silently studied Kurt, who was sitting on the foot of his bed, writhing under Blaine's gaze. Kurt was wondering why Blaine was looking at him like that when Blaine abruptly broke the silence.

"You'd think that having a top-floor dorm room would be a bad thing," he said pensively as he discarded his blazer on the chair by his desk, "but it's not. There are only good things about it."

He took a few steps around the room, as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself.

"First, there's the exercise of running the stairs every day."

He moved swiftly, walking in smaller and smaller circles until his feet brought him in front of Kurt. "Second, no teacher ever sets foot up here because the teacher's wing is extremely far away. Only the curfew guards, and they are oh-so-easy to slip by."

He stopped walking and proceeded to roll the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows.

"Third, these are the biggest and most luxurious rooms in the whole school."

He took a step closer, so that his hips lightly bumped against Kurt's knees.

"Fourth," Blaine said slowly, voice dropping seductively as his eyes darkened, "they are soundproof. I've tested that by fucking every bottoming screamer on campus."

Kurt hadn't noticed how close Blaine had been leaning in as he spoke, so that now their faces were suddenly an inch or two apart. Kurt could feel Blaine's breath on his face. He saw the way Blaine's lips were parted; they looked so soft and plump.

However, this was not what Kurt had come for. He already knew from his few encounters with Blaine that he was a hitter and quitter, and though he understood how a guy with Blaine's looks and dominance could easily make a guy fall, Kurt wanted nothing to do with it.

A nanosecond before their lips touched Kurt pulled back,and stumbled to get off Blaine's bed. The bed was so big and comfortable, with a sea of pillows and blankets that were so inviting that you could just lie there for days while being touched and fu- shit. No, that was not an image Kurt needed on his mind right now... but he couldn't deny that he was getting turned on.

Kurt didn't halt his flight until he was a safe distance away from Blaine: two meters away, to be exact, leaning against the back of the couch by the fireplace. Blaine was right, the room was really nice. At first glance, maybe there wasn't a hugely obvious difference between their dorm rooms, but in reality Blaine's was�muchbigger. Especially his bed.

Blaine turned around with a frown etching lines on his face. He seemed confused, but his features shifted when he met Kurt's eyes.

"Oh," he said, as if realizing something, "You're one of�those."

"One of whom?" Kurt asked.

A smile crept onto Blaine's face, a huge one that showed his teeth. It didn't look pleasant at all; it made Blaine look way too cocky.

He took a few steps towards Kurt, who was rounding the couch to get further away from him.

"There are only two kinds of people who seek me out," Blaine said. "The most common type is the guy who just wants to get the best lay of his life."

He kept closing in on Kurt, and Kurt kept backing away, wondering when Blaine would take the hint and stay where he was.

"I see now that I mistook you."

"Clearly," Kurt replied dryly.

That made Blaine stop in his tracks, and he actually laughed. The genuine sound was so strange to Kurt; it was practically sweet to his ears, especially coming from the guy who was anything but. Even if Blaine hadn't stopped walking, Kurt now had to because he was trapped in a corner between a bookcase and the fireplace.

"Too bad." Blaine smirked. "I would've loved being inside that firm ass."

"Sorry, another time," Kurt replied sarcastically.

"Yes,�please," Blaine grumbled.

"I was wondering-"

"No," Blaine interrupted.

Kurt stared at him in confusion. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Yes I do," Blaine countered, stepping closer again. "And the answer is no."

Kurt stared at him, and Blaine stared back.

"Well," Kurt said, trying to fill the silence while his mind worked. Should he leave and try to talk to Sebastian or someone else with a blue crest? Should he try to drag the information out of Blaine?

It didn't take long for Kurt to make a decision.

"I guess I'll go, then," Kurt said, trying to hide his disappointment. He started to leave.

"You're more than welcome to stay the night," Blaine said behind him.

"Maybe I would if you'd answer my questions," Kurt heard himself say.

What was he saying? It had to be the disappointment speaking for itself; either that or his hormones. Still, there was no way that Kurt would give up his virginity that easily to someone he didn't even know. Not that Blaine would actually take him up on his offer anyway.

"Tempting!" Blaine called after him.

Kurt grasped the door handle of Blaine's door and gave it a push. The door was heavy, but – unlike his –moved without making a sound. It was almost more frightening because you'd expect such an old antique door to make horror movie sounds.

The hall was empty and dark. Kurt noticed that the lamps in the hallways must be on motion sensors, because as he stepped out of the dorm he was abruptly bathed in light. He gave the door a push to close it behind him and expected to hear the bang and click of it closing. Instead, all he heard was a silent thud. Kurt turned to see Blaine standing in the doorway.

"Wow, you were actually leaving," he said, sounding surprised, as if he hadn't expected that.

Kurt shrugged. "I thought that was obvious."

"And I thought we were negotiating," Blaine countered.

Kurt quirked an eyebrow, then noticed that Blaine was holding his blazer in one hand and a set of keys in the other. He stepped out of his dorm and locked the door behind him.

When he turned back to Kurt, he said, "Come with me to Shallow Hollow."

"Shallow Hollow?" Kurt echoed. "What's in Shallow Hollow?"

"A place where we can talk," Blaine said.

He started walking toward the big staircase, but Kurt stood where he was for a second. What did this mean? Blaine was obviously willing to give him all the answers he wanted, but the question was, at what cost? Kurt was sure Blaine was expecting something in return.

Once again, without giving it too much thought, Kurt set off after Blaine.

000

The car ride into the town felt longer that it had when Kurt had come to Dalton with his Dad and Carole. He didn't know if it was the anticipation that was dragging out the time, or if it was the sexual tension building up in the limited space with only the two of them in the vehicle.

"Where are we going?" Kurt finally asked as Blaine was driving past the town limits.

Blaine didn't respond. Instead, he slowed the car and parked it by the side of the road. The town around them looked completely deserted, as if no one had lived there for years. There wasn't a person in sight except for a dark figure lurking in a nearby alley. It was nearing twilight, even though it was barely six o'clock, so the buildings and streets were fading into darkness.

"We're here," Blaine said, and unbuckled his seatbelt. He got out of the car before Kurt could respond. Kurt had no option but to follow his lead.

They crossed the street devoid of cars, people, and pretty much anything that suggested the presence of life. When they reached the other sidewalk, Blaine went down a set of narrow stairs to a place that looked like a basement or storage room. Kurt hesitated. This could be a trap. Who knew what kind of dangerous things Blaine could be up to? What if he was about to rape Kurt in a cellar and lock him down there as his sex slave? Although the sex part sounded nice, the cold cellar and against-his-will parts didn't.

As Kurt carefully approached the stairs, he was able to catch a glimpse of the door Blaine had disappeared behind and the sign above it:�Steven's Downtown Bar. Kurt scoffed. If this was what habitants of Shallow Hollow thought of as "downtown," then Kurt couldn't imagine what the outskirts of town must look like.

But if it was a bar, a registered establishment, how bad could it be?

That was the last thought that went through Kurt's mind before he began a tentative journey down the cement steps, taking them one at a time. At the bottom, he opened the rusty door.

000

Sebastian was running again. He didn't know why, but it felt better to move quickly when his friend needed him, and for some reason, he felt like every second was crucial.

He didn't stop until he was outside dorm room 613 on the top floor. He knocked once, twice and then thrice before he heard shuffling on the other side.

The door opened, and Felix answered it, looking distracted.

"Yes?"

When he saw that it was Sebastian, he grew vary. He pulled the door back against himself, blocking Sebastian's view of the room.

"What could you possibly want?"

"I know what you did to Nick, and I need you to stop," Sebastian said, barging past Felix into the room, thinking that he was hiding something.

"Hey!" Felix called, "Do you mind? And what the hell would I know about your friend?"

"I…" Sebastian took a quick look around, seeing the discarded books and papers all over the bed and the desk.

"Rough week?"

"Professor Hopkin is killing me," Felix confirmed. He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

"If you're looking for Lucas you'll have to look somewhere else. In fact, if you see him, tell him he better get his ass back here or else I'll kill him."

Sebastian nodded, knowing this was a dead end.

"Will do," he said, walking out into the hallway. He was just about ready to take off for his next stop when he heard Felix clear his throat behind him.

"But…" Felix said, smiling crookedly, "if Lucas has something planned for your friend, you should be worried."

"Yeah? Well, unlike you, I'm not afraid of Lucas. So when you see him tomorrow, make sure to tell him that. And give him my best."

Felix' eyes widened, but he decided he'd had enough and slammed the door in Sebastian's face. Sebastian could hear the muffled voice on the other side of the door.

"Asshole."

000

Kurt didn't know what he had been expecting when he entered the bar, but it wasn't this.

The cold stairs, the faded sign and the rusty metal door had certainly failed to give a real impression of the place. It seemed as if the owner of the bar didn't want anyone to find it, which didn't make sense, because what salesman didn't want customers?

The bar itself was lined with stools, half of which were occupied by old men who looked like bikers or truck drivers, wearing wife beaters that revealed arms covered in skull and crossbones tattoos. Their leather jackets were hung at a rack by the entrance. Some were bald, some had enormous amounts of facial hair and braided beards, and all of them were burly. Kurt didn't like the thought, but in an alternative universe, some of these men could be badass versions of his dad.

The middle of the room was dominated by a big pool table, which was unoccupied at the moment. The other side of the room was lined with booths and tables, and Kurt saw Blaine sitting in the booth in the corner of the room, texting. Kurt passed two occupied tables; one with a young couple and one with two business men in suits.

Kurt slipped into the booth and sat on the hideous wine-red vinyl sofa. Blaine looked up distractedly, offering a small smile before typing a reply on his phone and setting it aside. Kurt was struck by the normality of the gesture.

"So…" Blaine said, folding his hands in front of him on the table, "What do you want to talk about?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I thought you knew. You said before-"

"Oh, I knew what you want to know," Blaine clarified, "But I'm not gonna say anything."

Speechless, Kurt leaned back in his seat.

"But… I thought that's why we were here? To talk?"

"And we are," Blaine said. "Just not about the things you want to know about."

Blaine's phone buzzed again, and Blaine held a finger up as he looked at the screen. Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Blaine wrote a quick reply before returning his attention to Kurt, now smiling delicately.

"I'm not stupid, despite what you seem to think of me," Blaine said gently. "I know that you're not gonna sleep with me, so why should I give you what you want?" He finished with a shrug, raising his hand to wave the bartender over.

The bartender, who had been watching Blaine with dark eyes as he swept the counter with a rag, instantly came over.

"What can I get you?" he asked dully.

Blaine looked at Kurt with searching eyes."Two… beers? Ciders? Club sodas?"

"Club sodas," Kurt supplied.

"Two shots of tequila it is," Blaine informed the bartender, who shuffled off without a word.

Kurt stared at Blaine, mouth hanging open.

"Excuse me? I don't drink, and even if I did,�tequila�would be the last thing on my list." Kurt's nose scrunched up in distaste. He hadn't been drinking during Rachel's train wreck extravaganza, but he'd seen the horrendous effect alcohol had on his friends. He knew well enough to stay away from that drink.

"Exactly," Blaine said cheerfully as two shot glasses were placed in front of them. Blaine turned to the bartender.

"Put it on my tab, Steve."

"You know, Blaine," the bartender named Steve said, "One of these days you're gonna have to pay your way."

Blaine's eyes darkened and his smile grew wicked.

"Wanna bet?"

"Not today," Steven said easily, walking away.

Kurt was stunned.

"How did you get away with that? And how is he even serving us? He'd be stupid if he thought either of us was over twenty one."

Blaine shrugged. "I have my ways with people."

He brought his glass to his mouth and scooped it down all at once. His face didn't show any indication that the drink had been strong. Instead, he�ahh-ed as if he'd just drank a glass of water after a long day in the sun. He wiped his mouth with the back if his hand.

"I needed that," he mumbled.

Kurt frowned at Blaine's behavior, but shook his head. He cleared his throat audibly. "Can we get back to the point?"

"Which was?" Blaine asked earnestly, purposely slamming his glass against the table.

Kurt pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side while making his best not-amused expression.

Blaine let out a breathy laugh. "I know you're a virgin," he said under his breath.

Kurt choked on his breath and his eyes widened. "What?"

"I know you're a virgin," he repeated, shrugging.

"How is that the least bit relevant to the discussion?" Kurt asked, feeling himself blush deeply.

"So you're not denying it?" Blaine asked, eyebrow raised and an amused smile on his lips.

For a second, Kurt saw Blaine's eyes dart down to his blushing cheeks, and he actually licked his lips, which made Kurt blush even more. He cursed internally at himself.

"Again, if it was true, how is it relevant?"

Somehow, Kurt he felt the need to deny it further, even though it was true, if only not to give Blaine the satisfaction.

"And beside, why would you even think that?"

"I can answer your questions," Blaine said, reaching for Kurt's shot glass, "with one and the same answer – the sole reason to why we're here. The fact is, any gay guy would jump at the opportunity to sleep with me." His smile grew gentle. "Now, I'm not saying it to sound cocky or arrogant, it's just the truth."

Blaine saw Kurt's raised eyebrow, and his voice changed its tone to something more teasing.

"I know the common belief seems to be that I'm just some floozy, but�please, I sleep around with class."

Then he actually�winked.

Blaine got up from his seat slowly and slid into the seat next to Kurt. Startled by the proximity, Kurt found himself pressing into the wall to avoid the close contact. Blaine was still holding the shot glass, which he put down on the table and scooted towards Kurt. There was something about Blaine's closeness, the way he had his arm thrown over the back of the sofa, and the way his body was slightly angled towards Kurt that was intoxicating.

Kurt was having trouble forming coherent thoughts as he stared down at his hands. He let his eyes drift to the clear liquid in the glass in front of them before daring to turn them back to Blaine's dark eyes. Kurt didn't know if it was because of the dim lighting in the room, but Blaine's eyes seemed darker than they had just a few minutes ago.

"You, on the other hand," Blaine murmured softly, his voice washing over Kurt like silk, "Despite being attracted to me, have not made a single pass at me. You have, in fact, turned me down on several occasions. It's injured my poor�feelings."

Blaine put a dramatic hand over his heart to stress the joke, and Kurt cracked before he could stop himself. The action seemed to please Blaine.

"Only someone sickly romantic would do that," he continued with distaste, causing Kurt's smile to fade. "Either a romantic or a virgin. I suspect that you fall into both categories, but it makes no difference. The point I began making earlier still stands: no bit of information I supply is going to make you sleep with me. You're too in touch with your emotional side for that to happen. You want your first time to be special, and not with a guy who'll toss you out before the sun is up. Or am I wrong?"

Blaine's little speech probably upset Kurt more than intended, but he couldn't help it. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. Not only did he abhor the kind of lifestyle guys like Blaine insisted on living, but people who thought like Blaine always made a point of making their counterparts - romantics and sentiments that Kurt loved - seem tacky and ridiculous. Kurt had seen it before, and it irritated him beyond belief every time.

"Not everyone needs to be so crude and lacking of emotion," Kurt snapped. "I don't expect people like�you�to understand the true notion and intimacy that the act of lovemaking actually is, or at least used to be. It used to be romantic. It used to be honorable, not about scores and bragging."

Blaine frowned. There was a glint in his eyes, a strange distance. It was like Blaine was suddenly somewhere else entirely, absorbed in an old memory. A moment later, Blaine caught himself and shifted his eyes away, casting them down to where he'd begun to slowly rock the shot glass back and forth with his index finger and thumb. The motion created a soft scraping sound.

"Well," Blaine finally said, "Despite what you seem to think, I�do�know things. I am significantly more knowledgeable than you give me credit for. In fact, I think you underestimate me in more than one sense. I'm not always the bad guy."

Blaine pushed the glass further across the table until its cool surface touched the fingers of Kurt's left hand.

"Only when I want to be," he added.

Kurt couldn't stop looking at the glass in front of him, as if Blaine was sending him some secret signal along with it, a message he should be able to decipher.

All of a sudden, Blaine's lips were right next to Kurt's ear, whispering heatedly, "The drink only takes a second to go down. It won't burn so bad. It'll be over before you know it. It won't even make you drunk."

"Why?" Kurt asked, hating how hoarse his voice sounded; he hated how much Blaine affected him.

"All you care about is the crest, isn't it?" Blaine asked. "But when there's… so much more to know... There's one question you should be asking me, but you haven't even thought about it, have you? You're too�kind�to. Don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings. Even mine, even though you can't stand me."

Kurt could've sworn that Blaine's voice was laced with wonder.

"What's drinking that going to change?" he asked.

"If I told you something…" Blaine said instead. He swallowed audibly.

"You're not the first curious boy to stumble in my way, you know. But they… they always had another question to ask me, one that– after meeting you now – I can guarantee hasn't even crossed your mind."

Blaine chuckled momentarily.

"Drink that," he said, leaning back, "And I will give you that question; steer you in the right direction. What do you say?"

Kurt opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. One little shot, what was the harm in that? It definitely was an easier agreement than losing his virginity, even though the reward wasn't as great. But still, as Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes and tried to read them, he wondered: was Blaine just screwing with him? Was he just making it all up? And what would he gain if Kurt drank a shot of tequila?

The questions were endless.

Blaine leaned his head against the back of the couch and watched Kurt through narrowed eyes. He absently raised his hand, and Kurt held his breath as he felt the warm fingers tangle into his hair. His eyes fluttered at the calming sensation of the calloused fingertips combing through his hair and caressing the skin at the back of his neck.

Blaine smiled sweetly before retracting his hand and gracefully extracting himself from the booth.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, and if you haven't drunk it when I get back, I'll know you've made your choice."

He was about to leave, but Kurt stopped him.

"Wait!" Kurt searched his mind quickly, remembering a few words Blaine had said and trying to assemble his thoughts. He had been meaning to ask about something. Of course!

"You said before that there were only two types of guys who came looking for you. One of them was guys who wanted to sleep with you. You said I wasn't the one you'd thought I'd be."

"Yes?"

"So what am I? What is the other type?"

Blaine huffed, but there was a glint in his eyes again, similar to before. The corners of his mouth turned upwards.

"The one that would do anything to know the truth about Dalton."

Kurt watched in silence as Blaine made his way to the restroom on the other side of the bar. Kurt was left alone to consider the offer. The word 'anything' kept repeating in his mind as he stared at the shot glass. Would he really do anything?

Kurt reached out for the glass, and jumped three feet in his seat when Blaine's phone that was left behind on the table buzzed twice.

Could Blaine really be that na�ve? He'd said himself that Kurt was the type of guy who would do anything, and although that wasn't quite right, this was something Kurt actually could do. He threw a quick glance at the restroom to see that it was still locked before making a dive toward the phone and checking the messages.

Kurt soon realized that Blaine wasn't completely stupid, because he had a password on his phone.�However,�he did have an iPhone, which meant that the last received message displayed on the screen.

Kurt looked at the screen and frowned. Who the heck was Lucas? He couldn't recall meeting anyone at Dalton with that name yet, although he could hardly have met all students there already. But what was more puzzling was the message the mystery student had sent to Blaine:�The tools are ready, when the fuck are you coming?!

Kurt put the phone back on the table, adjusting it to the exact position he'd found it in to make it look untouched. He wasn't even thinking about the drink anymore; there was only one thing he could think about.

What the hell was Blaine up to?

000

Blaine couldn't believe his eyes. He watched Kurt sitting at their table, checking his phone. Blaine smiled to himself, shaking his head. Of course Kurt would find another way. Blaine had had a feeling that Kurt was something special.

This was certainly going to be more fun than he'd thought.

000

Sebastian didn't even bother to knock this time, knowing that the door to the back room of the chemistry building only could be locked from the outside. He threw himself at it, shoulder first, and it crashed open under his weight.

He didn't want to believe his eyes, but his assumptions had been right.

Dexter was holding the metal stick with flaming eyes and teeth bared. The freshman in front of him, held down by two other guys working for Lucas, chest bare and heaving, snapped his head up to look at Sebastian with frightened eyes.

Dexter turned as well at the commotion of Sebastian's entrance. His smile faded slowly, but his superiority was still clear.

"I'm afraid you're too late," he said cockily.

As he looked at the freshman again, who resembled a frightened deer with his wide, bloodshot eyes, Sebastian knew that Dexter was right in one sense.

"I'm not here to stop your little gathering," Sebastian spat, tearing his eyes away from the freshman, who was pleading to him desperately.

"I'm here because of Nick."

Dexter's smile found its way back to his lips, but this time it looked even more vicious than before.

"Of course you are," he said, taking a step forward. "Let's talk."