Chapter 3

It was getting late and Sarah was already hungry. That’s why she was happy to finally open the last file.

Name: Kurt

Age: 20

Day and Place of Birth: 1991/04/01, Ohio

Parents: Burt and Elizabeth (dead); step-mother Carole

Current Occupation: student, part-time shop assistant at “Hailey’s”

<~*~>

“…yes, Mrs. Hailey. …of course, Mrs. Hailey. …right away, Mrs. Hailey.”

Kurt sighed when the owner of the shop he had been working at for the last two months hung up.

“What did she want?” his colleague asked.

“The Devil wanted me to bring her coffee. Seriously, I’m a shop assistant not her slave. Just because she owns the shop doesn’t mean she can treat me like one. She is so full of herself and–“

“You know, Mr. Hummel, when you find a new job and talk to your boss on a phone,” a voice from a phone said and Kurt looked at it as if it was about to explode in his hand, “make you he or she can’t hear you anymore before talking shit about them.”

The boy stood in shock, unable to do or say anything.

“To make it clear, you’re fired. Get your stuff; I want you out in half an hour. Oh, and one more thing – don’t expect to get a letter of recommendation,” Mrs. Hailey said and hung up for real this time.

“Shit,” was all Kurt could say.

The boy took his things and left as soon as he could. He still had to be paid for the last two weeks but he was sure the manager would take care of everything, especially when she liked him.

Kurt didn’t know why he couldn’t stay in one workplace for more than three months. He thought that working with designers in their shops would be interesting and at least a bit fun. Unfortunately, all of them appeared to be real asses. He tried his best to tolerate them, at least at the beginning but he couldn’t. Very soon any of his jobs would become a torture. However, he couldn’t have a luxury of not working, and jobs in designer shops should look nice on his CV, so he decided to do his best to stay in one place as long as possible. No such luck so far.

You are still a loser, Kurt, he thought disappointed.

But he didn’t think that way just because of jobs he kept losing.

Kurt came to New York with big dreams and hope in his heart. He would study fashion, he would be the most talented creative student, all professors would love him, they would show designers his works, he would become famous, open his own shop and earn loads of money doing something he liked. He was as naïve as most young people who come to New York. Reality kicked in very soon. Most of his course mates were either more or equally talented; professors had their favourites and he wasn’t among those lucky ones so his works were always criticised.

Friends were also a big disappointment. A lack of it, to be precise. Back in Lima he had no friends. He was known as a fag with a voice of a girl. Personally, he thought he had a great voice and tried to join a glee club in his school but everyone looked disgusted during his audition and even though their teacher looked amazed and offered him to stay, Kurt didn’t want to spend more time with judgemental people than he had already had to. The boy didn’t think he was good at anything else so no other clubs caught his attention.

Having no friends meant nobody protected him. He was slushied, pushed into lockers, called names, thrown into dumpsters. After each time there was no concerned look or voice, just cruel laugh. It haunted him even at nights in his nightmares.

In his freshmen year his father decided to get married again. Carole was an amazing woman and Kurt loved her. It also meant he was getting an older brother. Unfortunately, Finn was going to a school in Great Britain and later he stayed there to go to university as well. The boy used to come to visit once or twice a year; always for Christmas and sometimes during his summer holiday.

Kurt met his step-brother during an engagement dinner just before Christmas. In no time they both felt how different they were but they bonded just as quickly. After the wedding they were not just step-brothers (the ‘step’ part was forgotten very quickly) but also friends.

For a long time Finn was his only friend even though they talked only on skype. The time difference made it difficult though. So whenever the older boy came back to Lima, their parents laughed at how clingy Kurt was. But nobody minded. Burt and Carole knew that life for Kurt wasn’t easy, he needed a friend; and who could be a better friend than a brother? Finn knew it as well but he genuinely liked his brother, they were very close and he wished he could be there for him. For Kurt it was an amazing opportunity to talk to someone his age. And even though they were very different, they understood each other, they always listened to each other and helped the way they could.

Kurt looked at his watch. Maybe he stayed at home tonight, he thought unlocking the doors.

The boy went into his tiny apartment. Two good things about it: it was cheap and he didn’t need to share it with anyone. That was it.

Kurt opened his bedroom’s door and turned the computer on. After a while he sat down and saw that Finn was online. He tried to call him but his brother didn’t answer. Kurt sighed and went to check his email. It was empty.

Good five minutes passed and Kurt tried again. This time Finn answered.

“Hey Finn, how are you doing?” he asked quickly.

“Um… hi,” a girl’s voice answered. “You must be Kurt. Well, of course you are, I see it written…”

“Yes, I am… And who are you?” he asked puzzled.

There was a noise in Finn’s side and he heard his brother asking something.

“It’s your brother,” the girl said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have answered… I acted without thinking…”

“It’s okay, honey,” Finn said and there was a sound of a kiss.

“I will leave the two of you to talk,” the girl said and Kurt heard doors being opened and closed again.

“Who was that?” the younger boy asked.

“I’m sorry, bro, I wanted to tell you but we haven’t talked in a while… I would have called you and told you very soon…”

“Spill it out, Finn,” Kurt rolled his eyes even though his brother couldn’t see him. They didn’t use cameras because it made the quality of sound worse somehow.

“Well, that girl is my girlfriend Rachel,” the boy said nervously and waited for Kurt to say something.

Girlfriend. That reminded another thing Kurt couldn’t be happy about. In Lima he had never met a gay guy. Maybe he had met some closeted gays but he didn’t know about it. So there was no chance of dating anyone. Well, except for that stupid prank. When he moved to New York he once went to a gay bar just because of curiosity. That’s where he met James.

James was one year older. He bought Kurt a drink and they talked. It was difficult to do it with a loud music so they decided to go for a walk. A walk, a conversation, exchanged phone numbers… That was how their friendship began.

For a long time it was nothing else but a friendship. They both liked each other but James was the only friend Kurt had in New York and he didn’t want to mess things up. As for the other boy, he had just broken up with his boyfriend so he wasn’t looking for another relationship. However, after a few months they decided to try to be boyfriends.

At first it was weird and awkward. But with time they got used to their new status. However, it took a while for them to be intimate with each other. But this didn’t go far. Even though he liked James, Kurt didn’t want to lose his virginity with him.

After three months Kurt decided he couldn’t do it any longer and broke up with the boy. It may sound strange but they just went back to where they were before dating. It may sound impossible but it’s true. Kurt didn’t want to lose a friend and James didn’t want to lose Kurt. The other boy still had strong feelings for Kurt and was happy to have him at least as a friend if not as a boyfriend. Of course, Kurt had no idea about it.

“Kurt? Are you still here?” Finn asked after a few moments.

Kurt came back to reality.

“Yes, sorry. Rachel sounds nice,” he said smiling.

“Something is bothering you,” Finn stated. There was no need to ask that.

Kurt smiled at how well his brother knew him.

“I got fired today.”

“Fuck!” Finn shouted surprised. “What happened?”

“Well, I said something about my boss and she heard…”

“Oh, that sucks, man… What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt said truthfully.

“We will think of something, okay? Don’t give up. You will find a new job in no time.”

“Thanks, Finn.”

“Any time, little brother!” he laughed and before Kurt could say how the fact that Finn was a giant didn’t make him ‘little’, added, “Anyway, I have to go now I’m going on a trip for quite a while, maybe mom and Burt told you? I’m not sure if there will be internet so maybe I will text you or something.”

“Oh, okay,” Kurt felt his heart sink; he wanted his brother for longer, he needed him.

“I’ll talk to you as soon as possible, okay?”

“Sure, big brother,” Kurt mocked Finn and they exchanged goodbyes.

Once again his apartment fell dead silent. He could only hear his neighbours ‘making love’. With a sigh he exited his apartment and the building. He had to get some fresh air. If air in New York could be called ‘fresh’.

Anywhere is better than my smelly apartment, Kurt thought as he passed a turn to a narrow street. It was a short cut to a park he wanted to go to.

He took a second glance to a busy street and decided to turn. He wanted to finally reach a park and forget about everything.

Yes, Kurt wanted to run away from disappointments in his life. And yes, he would. But not the way he wanted to.