Blaine laughed, releasing his grip upon Kurt's forearm. He didn't want to force him, but the last thing he needed was for Kurt to start running. Blaine was fast and all, but Kurt was an Olympic champ compared to him, who couldn't even make the High school track team. "No, you don't." He replied.

"Oh, but I do! So fricken much! More than any designer would to someone who wore white after labor day!"

Blaine gave Kurt a sideways glance, not even bothering to hide it smirk. "That was a pretty gay comeback, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes blazed. If they weren't in a public area, he'd smack the little hobbit out of him. "Bite me!" He stage-whispered.

Blaine stopped and turned, facing his friend. "Only if you play nicely," he teased, "Now look, the girls are going to be in that store over there. I'm not going to force you, alright? It was my job to get you to the mall, but you have to walk in there."

"You just don't get it," Kurt breathed, "You don't understand how hard it is to be here and to go see her."

"Hey, hey, look at me." Blaine stepped closer, his hand lightly cupping Kurt's cheek. "You're gonna be great, and everything gonna be fine, I promise."

Remembering where they were, Kurt smacked Blaine's hand away. Clearing his throat, Blaine backed away.

"So, are you ready?"

Kurt sighed. Whether he liked it or not, this was the plan. As much as he wanted to cut and run, he just couldn't. Something was keeping him there. Maybe it was Blaine or maybe it was the fact deep, deep down, he wanted to be normal again, he didn't know. Either way, he was stuck there. Nodding, he followed Blaine to where the girls were.

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The last time Kurt had seen Mercedes was at Breadstix. Finn was holding a going away party for Rachel and everyone from Glee was there, even Mr. Schue. There was singing and dancing, food and drinks; even a bit of alcohol. Everyone was laughing, relaxing, and having a great time. Everyone, except for Kurt. He had only gotten out of the hospital a few weeks earlier and wasn't ready for this type of exposure yet. Burt suggested he stay home and rest, but he didn't wanna miss saying goodbye to one of his best friends. Rachel stayed at the hospital almost as long as Kurt's own family had and she was about to leave to go to an entirely different state; there was no way Kurt was going to miss out on the party.

He didn't dance or sing; he mostly sat in the corner, smiling dimly as his friends enjoyed themselves. Mercedes and Tina did their best to cheer him up and get him to relax, but it was pointless. Even Brittany gave some effort, before going back Santana, who was in an almost identical state as Kurt, though somewhat more lively. She would talk and even danced a couple times with Brit and Puck, though she was quieter than she had ever been.

Finally, everyone gave up and went to do their own thing. Tina went back to Mike, Mercedes back to Shane, and Kurt sat just there, waiting for the night to end. When it finally did, everyone said their goodbyes and exchanged hugs. Kurt skipped that part and headed straight for his dad's van. He loved them all, but it was too much for him. He couldn't stand to stay there and be joyful, yet sad, and hug them all like there's no tomorrow. He couldn't stand to have his father help him with his crutches, receiving hug after hug would've been torture.

But the last time he actually spoke to Mercedes was on the phone while he was at work. They had made plans to hang out and see a movie, but Kurt had to cancel. That was the third time he cancelled in a month. He had promised he'd give her a call the next time he was free, but he didn't. That was a year and a half ago. She called a couple times since then, but he always missed it. Kurt figured she had given up and moved on. Why she was here today and how Rachel convinced her to go, was beyond him. Part of him thought she would be angry and sass him for being an idiot and not getting back to her, but the moment their eyes locked from across the way, a bright smile appeared across her face, and she made a b-line straight for him.

Her hair was pin-straight, framing her face perfectly. Her outfit was magnificent fitting her curves, showing off her body. She looked as if she had lost a bit a weight, making her look even more beautiful.

Kurt smiled, at awe at how amazing his old friend looked. Walking closer, the four met in the middle, each of them smiling.

"Hi, Kurt." Mercedes greeted, her eyes simmering.

"Mercedes," Kurt looked up her and down slowly. "You look great."

"So do you." Mercedes looked beside her friend. "You must be Blaine."

Blaine reached forward, shaking Mercedes' hand. "Yeah! It's nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much."

"Well, isn't this lovely?" Rachel spoke up, gushing over the reunion. "I say as get the show on the road. Food court anybody?"

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Kurt sat quietly around the table, stiffing his chuckle as he sipped from his diet coke. They had been there for nearly two hours, going around the table and talking about themselves; Rachel and Mercedes reminiscing about old times, and telling Blaine all about Glee club. Kurt joined in now and then, but mostly listened. So far, Kurt learned that Mercedes was the president of Lima Community College Drama club, having landed the lead of Maria in their upcoming production of West Side Story. She and Shane had broken up after graduation, with him going down to Texas to play football. She had several suitors, but was enjoying her single life.

Kurt was proud of her, he truly was. He was glad to see her succeed in what she loved. Mercedes also gave him info on the others. Tina, who graduated a year after them, was also going to LCC, and was still going out with Mike, who was studying dance at Juilliard. Quinn went off to Boston and Puck joined the military. Artie went to Virginia Tech. And both Santana and Brittany were studying at Rosedale, and Brittany intended to transferring out to go to University of Okalahoma for dancing.

"Seems like everyone has moved on," Kurt mumbled, "I'm so proud of them. They're all doing what they wanted."

"But what about you, K? What are you doing? You're not in school or anything; what have you been doing?"

Kurt sat straight, swallowing hard. "I work a lot." He told her. "I work at my dad's shop most days. I make a ton of money, which is great. Other than, I'm just really around."

"He's been coming out with me lately." Blaine announced. "I mean, we've been hanging out. Ya know? Not . . . like that. We're not . . . I'm gonna go get another drink. Refills anyone?" Blaine cleared his throat, standing awkwardly.

"I'll come with you!" Rachel jumped up, following him over to the soda section.

Mercedes and Kurt sat silently together for a long moment, neither knowing what to say. Oh how far they had fallen from being best friends to near strangers now.

"You look good, Kurt." She told him. "So much better from the last time I saw you."

Kurt smiled softly. "Thank you. And again, you look fantastic. You always knew how to dress."

"Now until you came into my life." She insisted.

Kurt placed a hand over his heart. "I did my best, but it wasn't much work. A straightened and some vibrant colors. You did the rest."

Mercedes smiled, blushing at the memory. Looking back, they watched as Blaine and Rachel stood at the counter, laughing and talking over something unheard by the others.

"He seems like a nice guy." Mercedes spoke. "He's good for you."

"He's great, but we're not like that."

"I see the way he looks at you, Kurt. The way every girl in the entire world wants to be looked at. He likes you."

"I know he does." Kurt told her.

"And what? Honey don't tell me you don't like him. I mean, look at that. He dresses nicely, is an uber sweetheart, and has this small glint in his eye whenever he looks at you. And he sings! He's like your dream man!"

"Well, maybe three years ago he was. Now he's just my friend."

Mercedes leaned back, her jaw dropping slightly. "Is this because of Dave? Because if it is, I thought you moved on."

"It's not about David, Mercedes. It's about me. Before the accident, I thought I had everything planned out but now, I don't know where I'm going. And I got this . . incredible guy trying to help me, and trying to get my life back on track, but I just . . . I can't. There's so much to think about and I just can't deal with going back to that life, when I pretty much lost everything from it."

"Not everything." Mercedes replied brokenly. "Tina and I, we're still here. We all used to be best friends. And we were there for you Kurt. There after the accident and after Dave's parents took him away. And we're still here for you. You just gotta let us in. I mean, what's the point of life if you're not even living?"

Kurt remained silent, staring at his old friend. From day one he's heard the same thing over and over again. He didn't want to fight it, but he couldn't help to. Now there was nothing left to do but listen.

"When did you get so smart?" He smirked softly.

"Shockingly, college has that effect on me." She answered.

Chuckling, Kurt sat up, and asked Mercedes to tell her more about LCC drama program. Once Rachel and Blaine rejoined the two, the three went around, each expressing their favorite and least favorite thing about college. Kurt would laugh from time to time, though he mostly listened; silently pondering what his own college experience would've been like if he had made that journey. After leaving the food court, the four walked around, stopping from shop to shop, and expressed their likes and dislikes on the clothing the shops had to offer.

Blaine watched Kurt intently, smiling as he would slip his opinion in on the outfits. It was only a sentence or two, but it was a hell of a lot more than before. It would only be a certain amount of time until the shell was finally cracked for good and the old Kurt could finally reemerge.

It seemed time passed by for the gang when they overheard the voice over the intercom, telling them to make their final purchase, seeing as the mall would be closing. As they stood outside, preparing to depart, they exchanged sweet words and soft embraces. Mercedes and Kurt took an extra long moment, probably trying to make up for lost time. Rachel's breathe was nearly taken away at the sight of her friend, who not so long ago couldn't stand to hand someone put a hand on his shoulder, now hugging someone with just as much love and care as the one he was hugging.

"You better call me," Mercedes told him as they pulled away. "I'm not letting you go this time."

Kurt chucked softly, glad to see she hadn't changed much. "I will, I will." He swore.

Turning to Blaine, Mercedes gave him a soft, yet determined look. "Take care of him, will ya?"

"Of course." Blaine nodded firmly.

After another embrace and small waves, the groups split and went their separate ways. Kurt and Blaine walked silently through the parking lot, until they were halfway to the car.

"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Blaine half teased. Kurt said nothing, though a smirk danced across his face. "Oh, come on, say it. Say you had a good time. I know you did. I could see it in your eyes the entire time. Come ooooooon!"

"Alright! Alright!" Kurt jumped, laughing quietly. "I had a good time. Are you happy now?"

Blaine slid in front of him, closing the gap between the car and Kurt. "I think so. But I think another thing is in order."

"And what would that be?" Kurt questioned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh, just a small token of your thanks. You know, nothing big." Blaine stopped there, and slowly turned his face sideways and up, exposing his cheek.

Kurt sighed heavily, knowing exactly what Blaine was doing. Rolling his eyes, Kurt looked around swiftly, finding they were in fact alone, before leaning forward, pressing his lips softly against the cheek for a quick kiss.

"You're pathetic." Kurt told him.

Blaine smiled small, blushing slightly. "I think more of it as being adorably needy."

Pushing his friend aside, Kurt got into the car, and didn't give a second thought about hiding his smirk.

"Ya think next time I could get a little more? Ya know, maybe a two cheek smacker?" Blaine asked.

"If you don't shut up, I'll give you a two cheek smack right now, but I can promise it won't be as sweet as the one I just gave you." Kurt muttered, giving Blaine a sideways look.

"Ooh, I like em bad." Blaine laughed. "Alright, where to next? Maybe we could catch a movie? That Jim Carey film should still be out, the one with the penguins? I love those furry little creatures."

Kurt shook his head as they pulled out of the parking lot. Being friends with Blaine was nothing Kurt expected to be. And yet, that didn't bother Kurt one bit.