He managed to make it through half of the day without having another class with the boy, but it didn’t stop him from checking around corners. Finally, it was lunch time. Blaine folded his transfer slip and tucked it into his pocket, then made his way to the cafeteria. He pulled food items onto his tray, paid, then sat at the first empty table he saw. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone, simply picking over his food. When he deemed it safe, Blaine pulled out his history textbook for next period and started to read, allowing himself to look up once. Unfortunately, that was when he realized that he’d picked a table that was within seeing distance of the boy from that morning. His heart crawled up into his throat as he tried to remain calm. Just don’t look at him. Ignore him. He’ll go away if you don’t say anything to him. It’s the cafeteria. It’s only so big. Still, something in his gut told Blaine that maybe he should have just skipped lunch today.

Kurt saw him the minute he walked in. He looked a little like a kicked puppy which made Kurt smile and elbow Wes. “That’s him.” He said as he pointed discreetly. He didn’t want anyone else in on their conversation. Not yet anyway.

“Wow, he looks like a kicked dog or something.” Wes said and Kurt laughed.

“I know right?” He watched as Blaine filled his tray and then sat at an empty table. Kurt turned to point him out to David as he sat and when Kurt glanced back over Blaine was looking his way with those wide eyes of his. Kurt felt his throat tighten for no particular reason and he narrowed his eyes at the boy before turning back to Wes who was making fun of Blaine’s insane hair. Well, at least his friends agreed with him.

“I think…I wanna have some more fun with him before the day’s out. Just to set the right mood for the rest of his time here. You know, for his own good.” Kurt said to the rest of the table. “I think I better go talk to him.” He added as he stood up slowly and arranged his face into a warm smile. “Be right back boys.” He saluted his posse before heading straight for Blaine.

“Hey Anderson.” Kurt smiled down at Blaine but didn’t pause long enough for the other boy to say anything. “I think maybe I’ve been too hard on you. I do that. I can be a bit of an ass sometimes. Anyway I just wanted to come over here and tell you I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was rude to you in the hall before and then again in English and I’m sorry I threw your food all over you.” His hand snaked out lightening fast and pushed Blaine’s tray right into him.

“See ya later, okay?” Kurt finished with a bit of a hand flourish and a wide smile as he slowly sauntered back over to his own table. Everyone was in stitches, laughing and high fiving. Kurt at back down thinking he ought to feel more satisfied by the whole thing but he just wasn’t. He didn’t bother letting on though, he just kept his smile frozen in place and went back to talking with his friends.

Blaine was only half picking at his food, focused more on getting ahead in his history reading. He only looked up from his book every few pages to make sure that he was actually eating something. Every now and again, his eyes would dart up to where the posse of boys sat, and his heart beat a little bit faster every time he did, fear creeping up his spine until he forced himself to look down and start reading again.

When he thought he heard the bully’s voice, he jumped in his seat, gripping tighter to the edge of his history book. He looked up, afraid that he was imagining things, and even more terrified when he wasn’t. He shrank back visibly from the other boy, his breath catching in his throat as he waited. And then what came was completely different than what he was expecting. Blaine started to say hi, but then he was cut off by an apology. Blaine smiled softly, the very corners of his mouth turning upward. Maybe he had actually gotten through to the other boy, and it was okay.

“Oh no, don’t wo—” Blaine gasped as his lunch was upturned onto his blazer and slipped down his shirt, food seeping into his tie and dropping onto his khakis. He froze, watching the kid’s expression go from one of almost caring to the sneer that he seemed to wear perpetually. Blaine had no idea what exactly he’d done to deserve this: he didn’t even know the other boy’s name, much less his problem. Stiffly, he closed his history book and put it away. Then, he stood, and, holding his bag at arms’ length, walked out of the cafeteria, leaving his tray and food on the table. He walked slowly upstairs to his dorm room, thinking the whole walk about how stupid it had been to assume that the bully wanted anything to do with him. When he changed, he grabbed the transfer slip from his sullied blazer and stuffed it into the pocket of his new uniform. Then, he practically ran to get to his next class, making sure that he didn’t see anybody on the way. He grabbed the first seat he could in the front, then relaxed. He was the first one in the classroom.

“I can’t believe him,” Blaine mumbled, fidgeting. “What in the world did I do to him? I even apologized…” His head dropped, and he sighed, but his teacher walked in before Blaine had the time to let himself mope any.

Kurt tried to enjoy the rest of his lunch after Blaine was gone, and surrounded by his friends it wasn’t too terribly hard. He finished eating just as David was telling them all about his girlfriend and how she’d given him a bj on the highway and Kurt as just about to tell him to knock it off with the girlfriend crap when the bell rang and they all got up to go. Next up was History and Kurt followed along behind Wes as he replayed the look on Blaine’s face as the food ran all over him. It was pretty priceless really. It should have been a fantastic day, but it was just only so so for him. At least it was already half over.

Of course when he walked into History there was Blaine. He was changed and back to looking fairly immaculate, not even a hair out of place, sitting there on the front row. Kurt shook his head slightly as he passed to the back with Wes. He’d been tempted to sit right behind Blaine but he resisted the urge and took his usual seat and slumped back. God that kid was just everywhere.

Class started and Kurt cracked his book open but immediately got a note from Wes. It said, ‘There’s your boyfriend.’

Kurt turned around and shot Wes a look that drained the color right out of his face. Wes shrugged and grinned stupidly at him.

‘I already hate that little shit don’t make me hate you too.’ He scrawled on the note and tossed it back to Wes.

Wes seemed to contemplate this a bit before simply scrunching the thing up and tucking it in his pocket. That was probably wise on his part. Kurt was shifting in his seat and trying not to stare daggers into the back of Blaine’s head. The thing was, he just couldn’t put his finger on why this kid annoyed him so much. Sure he’d gotten in Kurt’s way…and touched Kurt, shoved him. Nobody shoves Kurt Hummel. Still. Kurt couldn’t figure it out but he really just didn’t like him at all. Maybe he could be persuaded to leave. Now that was an intriguing idea.

Kurt let his thoughts actually drift back to history and to Martin Luther King, Jr. The teacher was going on a little long winded about it, but at least it wasn’t an entirely boring subject. He caught himself just as he was about to raise his hand to answer the question about the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech that the teacher had asked. He didn’t normally do that so he just slid his hand back like he was stretching. Blaine on the other hand clearly wanted to be called on. His ass practically wiggled in his seat as he waited for the teacher to call on someone.

“Blaine?” The teacher called on him. So predictable.

“August 28, 1963.” Blaine answered giving the correct date for the speech. His voice was so grating though. His diction so freaking perfect. Kurt was speaking out before he could stop himself.

“Don’t go getting any ideas freak, all men are not created equal.” He snickered. The teacher’s head snapped right back to him. Oops.

“See me after class Kurt Hummel.” Kurt just nodded tersely but Wes was laughing softly behind him so his mood wasn’t too bad after that.

Before class started, Blaine had started to fool himself into thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could get through the rest of the day without having to interact with the boy who was out to get him. There had to have been an explanation, but Blaine for the life of him couldn’t come up with one. He thought, though, that if he managed to avoid him for the rest of the day, he could scurry up to his room until he could try to change his schedule around.

Of course, that would have been too easy, though, to avoid torment for just a few more precious hours. Blaine watched, fear gnawing away at his stomach, as part of the posse from lunch walked into the classroom. As soon as he saw who walked in, he snapped his neck forward with so much force it almost hurt, and he refused to let himself so much as think about turning around. When class started, it was easier to forget that they were in the back of the classroom, and when the lesson got interesting, Blaine was in his element, eager to answer questions and thriving on knowledge. That was, until, he answered a question correctly.

The snide remark came when Blaine was vulnerable. He’d just answered a question and wasn’t feeling like crap for the first time in hours, and he was swiftly reminded that he was not equal to Kurt Hummel. That was his name. Somehow, it fit him. “Sir?” Blaine’s voice was quiet and low, defeated. “May I use the restroom, please?” As soon as he got a nod from the teacher, Blaine was out of his seat and out of the room in a heartbeat, thankful that the bathrooms were close. He slid into one of the stalls and leaned against the door. His mother would have known what to do, but the thought of asking her how to deal with a bully only reminded him of the fact that she wasn’t there, would never be there. Blaine took a deep breath when he felt the sting of fresh tears in his eyes, but refused to let them fall. He was in the middle of class. It was neither the time nor place for tears.

A few minutes later, Blaine opened the door to the classroom and walked quickly back over to his desk, taking up his pencil and ignoring everything but the teacher. Kurt Hummel, insults or not, did not deserve to get in the way of his grades.