Kurt had no clue how he got himself in this situation. A few days ago he'd just been a high school freshman entering his new school for the first time and already he had more on his plate than he knew how to deal with.

First and foremost there were the bullies - and he gladly counted Sebastian among them because up until now he'd done nothing but add to Kurt's misery. Then there was the fact that he was a medium, which sort of already made everything exceedingly more difficult than it should be. He'd agreed to help two ghosts move on that had been at McKinley for more than a decade each (never a good sign).

And to make matters worse he was sitting in the Lima Bean with one of those ghosts, the one he happened to be falling in love with to be exact, sipping his nonfat mocha. Discussing his possibilities to leave this world forever. Yes, Kurt's life was very much screwed.

"Have you ever helped someone move on?" Blaine asked in that very moment, the curious expression on his face and the way he tilted his head making him even more adorable than he already was.

Kurt sighed. He had seen that one coming. And sadly, he had no former experiences - or, as Rachel would put it, references - that would reassure Blaine that his fate was in competent hands. Because to be honest, Kurt had never had to help someone move on up until now. The only other ghosts he'd had much contact with were Glen - and since teaching him everything about being a medium was the task she was set before she could move on there wasn't really much left for him to do except listen and learn - and Joey, the ghost of his middle school's last janitor. But Joey had never felt a desire to leave this world, thus there had been nothing to do for him, either.

And now this. Glen had taught Kurt that the longer a ghost spend on this earth without knowing what their task was, the more difficult it was to get them on the right track. It was utterly possible that either Rachel or Blaine or even both of them had missed their chance already and were stuck. It was also possible that the long wait had been part of the task, that their actual purpose couldn't even be fulfilled yet. Maybe Kurt wouldn't even live to see the day their tasks would present themselves. After all, Glen had died a long time before Kurt was even born.

But Kurt refused to give up hope. There had also been cases in which a ghost had missed out on their original task and had been given a second chance. Just because it looked rather hopeless - especially for Rachel - and he had no experience didn't mean he wasn't determined or couldn't succeed.

"Actually, no. Well, not directly. But being my tutor is Glen's task so I guess one could say that I'm sort of helping her," Kurt stuttered, blushing, all resolution gone in the face of Blaine's big, hopeful eyes.

The way Blaine's face fell nearly broke his heart.

"But that doesn't mean I can't help you! Helping someone to move on isn't all about experience. It's about the individual situation. And I guess getting you that closure with your family would be a very good starting point. Family issues often are the reason someone is held back in this life," Kurt hurried to reassure him. He at least knew something about what he was doing. He'd been prepared for it since he was eight.

Blaine offered him a weak smile in return. "I guess you're right. But I really don't know how to go about that."

"Well, do you know where your family is right now?"

"Yes," Blaine sighed. "They're still in Westerville, where I died. Or at least my parents are. I'm not sure where Cooper, my brother, is off to but I'm sure I could find out if I'd watch my parents."

"Well, then maybe you should do that. You don't have to do anything for now. You don't have to contact them. Just go there and watch them for a bit. You've spent ten years in that horrible school, taking baby steps would be the wisest course of action, I think," Kurt offered, deep in thought.

"Sounds good to me. It's better than just sitting there and waiting for something to happen, anyway. Would you accompany me?" Blaine asked. He tried to turn his head away but Kurt still saw the blush spreading on his cheeks.

"Of course." Kurt smiled at him. "If it would make you feel better."

"It would." Blaine smiled back at him and Kurt's breath caught in his throat. Finding himself unable to form actual words, he just nodded his head and returned to sipping his mocha. The silence stretched on between them until they parted in front of the Lima Bean so Kurt could catch his bus. He was so looking forward to the day he'd finally have his own car.

Walking into his kitchen, the first thing he noticed was Rachel sitting at their table, obviously waiting for him. "There you are! I've checked the schedule in your locker and you should have been here hours ago! What- Kurt what happened? You look quite jazzed." Her eyes wandered up and down his frame and Kurt hurried to the hallway mirror to check his appearance.

Rachel was right. His cheeks were still flushed and his eyes were bright and his hair looked awful because he'd been so deep in thought and so frustrated that he'd run his hands through it practically all the way home. His hands were a bit shaky and overall he looked like he'd just run a marathon. Kurt stared incredulously at his reflection, unable to move. It wasn't long until Rachel appeared behind him.

She smiled at him. "Look at you. So young and in love," she chuckled, carefully resting her hand on his shoulder. Kurt spun around so fast he nearly lost his balance.

"What? What makes you say that? I'm not-"

"Oh, Kurt. Please," she interrupted him. "I've been young, too, you know? I know what it looks like. So, who is it? Who is the lucky boy that's got you all flushed and giddy-looking?"

He looked giddy? Oh god. Kurt really had to find a way to calm down before his Dad came home or he'd have to answer a bunch of questions he really wasn't ready for. Hell, he wasn't even ready to tell Rachel the truth. She'd think he was insane.

"N-no one," he stuttered, turning so he could avoid both his reflection and Rachel's knowing smirk. He made to head down to his bedroom to fix himself before Burt could even think of coming home when the cold grip on his wrist stopped him.

"Kurt," Rachel started, her eyes softer than Kurt had ever seen them. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I promise I won't judge you. I know what it's like to be young and in love and I know that it's not always as beautiful and freeing as it is presented in books or movies. It's not always... returned. It can be painful and ugly. If you want to talk about it... I'm right here."

Kurt swallowed hard. It took all he had not to cry and give in and fall into her cold embrace and tell her everything. Maybe one day. Maybe she really wouldn't judge him. But not now. "Thank you, Rachel," he choked out. "Do you want to come downstairs with me? I think there's a few angles we haven't discussed that would make a good approach to finding your task..."

Rachel just smiled at him, immediately launching into discussion as if they'd never changed the topic, back to her old obnoxious self in a matter of seconds. Kurt couldn't have been more grateful for her than he was right then.