"So Kurtie-pie, where were you during glee today, and why did Finn look like he'd killed a kitten?" Santana sneered affectionately, eyebrow raised.

Kurt tried not to laugh at the thought of Finn's kicked puppy expression and the idea that he could kill…well, anything. The boy couldn't even kill an ant without feeling bad about it.

"If you were anyone else, Santana, you would never get away with calling me that," he said, glowering at the nickname. "And if you must know, I was spying on the competition."

"Kurt!" Rachel gasped in horror. "You remember how this turned out last time! Did they catch you?"

"Oh dayum, Kurtzizzle, you went to the all boys school, didn't you?" Santana asked with smirk. "Did you get some?"

Kurt clapped a hand over his eyes, but couldn't stifle the giggles that burst forth.

"Oh my god, you did! Spill, Kurt before I slap you for not telling me about this first!" Mercedes growled as she bit into a new breadstick.

After taking a moment to delicately tear off a piece of his own breadstick, he chewed thoughtfully and regarded his girls.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you something, but it does not leave the table. I mean it. You can't tell any of your boyfriends, especially not Finn."

He waited for nods of confirmation before launching into his tale. He told them everything. He told them how he knew Blaine and Wes, how he'd sortof maybe developed feelings for Blaine, how David hated him, and how he had lied and hadn't told them that he was from New Directions.

There was a brief silence when he finished, and he looked at their varying expressions of surprise and approval.

"How come you never mentioned them before now if they meant so much to you?" Rachel asked curiously.

Kurt sighed, "It's not really that simple. None of us really started out as friends, right? By the time we started hanging out it was just easier not to talk about them. It hurt too much."

"Well, you have to tell them," Tina said. "I mean what if they found out and got really mad?"

"No, no," Santana interrupted, "no. You don't have to tell them anything. I know you feel guilty or whatnot, porcelain, but it works both ways. Besides, you stand a better chance of getting with Blaine Warbler if you keep omitting this particular truth."

"Well I don't agree," Tina said looking at Kurt. "I mean they were your best friends. They at least deserve to know that part of the reason you went to Dalton was to spy. I mean, yes, you would have stopped in to see them anyway probably but…I just don't think any relationship can be founded on a lie. They're important to you, and because you want them to stick around you need to be honest with them."

Kurt twirled his fork into his spaghetti and sighed again.

"I don't know. I'm going to have to tell them before sectionals, I mean there's no way they wouldn't notice me singing on stage…"

Mercedes reached out and squeezed his hand.

"I have every faith that you'll figure it out and do the right thing, boo. Now let's move the drama away from Kurt, eh?"

Kurt smiled gratefully at his best friend and then laughed out loud as they launched into a heated discussion about how the Hockey team had been creamed in their first match of the season and that no one had even bothered showing up to watch the game.

Looking down momentarily at his phone to see if his Dad had texted him to check in yet, he realized he already had two new texsts.

From: Blaine

-Courage, Kurt. So glad you came by today! XXX ( those are hugs, see? Hahaha)

From: Wes

Good to see you today, Kurt. Coffee sometime this week for sure.

It was both funny and fascinating that their text messages reflected their general emotional states, and he tried not to feel too guilty about the lie as he sent quick responses that consisted of a smiley face and an "I missed you," before forcing it from his mind.

By the time dinner had broken up there had been three arguments between Rachel and Santana that had nearly resulted in the use of food as weapons, and everyone was ready to call it a night. It was already almost 8:30 and he really did want to go home and work on his project and have the TV to himself for a bit before his family made it back from the game. He figured that they'd be home around 10, so that gave him about an hour to get settled in before he had to fight for control of the channels.

It was as he was parting ways with Mercedes and heading in the opposite direction to the Navigator that he ran face first into something solid. He had only turned his head back to wave once more for a second, and apparently forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings. Stumbling back he let out a surprised gasp as he started to fall.

He was caught abruptly as two hands grabbed his waist and steadied him, pulling him upward and righting the crooked world. Great, he'd run into a person.

"You should really watch where you're going, Hummel. What if I'd been a car or something?" a smooth voice asked him.

He looked up at the person and realized that he knew him. From school. But he couldn't quite remember his name.

"Oh," he said breathlessly, "yeah, I'm sorry…"

"Ellery," he said with a small smirk, leaning his head forward toward Kurt as if this would prompt a total recall for Kurt to remember him.

"Right… Ellery. We're in Mass Media together right?"

There was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Yeah, that's right. I'm a little disappointed you forgot my name though."

It was at this point Kurt realized that Ellery's hands were still on his waist holding him up and his face heated as he wondered if the boy was purposefully holding him in place.

"Umm…I guess I'm not good with names. You can let go of me now, by the way. I'm not going to fall, I promise."

The hands didn't jerk away quickly like he'd expected them too, but they moved slowly, almost slithering away from his hips.

"Well, just wanted to be sure, you know," he said with an amused drawl.

"Are you, um, hitting on me?"

A deep rumble deep within the boys' chest erupted as laughter that made Kurt shiver slightly.

"If I was, would you flirt back?"

"Maybe," he said strangled smile.

Except behind his vision all he could see were Blaine's wide hazel eyes looking up at him with surprise and happiness when they'd first run into each other on that staircase at Dalton.

"Well, not that you aren't totally doable, but I'm not gay."

Kurt backed up slightly at that.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought… I mean you… and your hands and… oh lord. I'm just going to go…"

A hand reached out to grip his arm, "Hey, hey. I told you, I don't have anything against it. I'm form San Francisco, man. It's totally cool, and I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I guess I was a bit more touchy feely than I should have been. Sometimes I forget I'm in the middle of conservative USA."

"Ah, no. It's okay, really. I just sometimes come on a little strong too. I suggest we just pretend it never happened. You'll be better off at school anyway. People won't bully you that way."

Ellery rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I care what other people think of me Kurt?"

Kurt looked at him, like really looked, and he had to admit that no, Ellery did not look all that much like he gave a shit what other people had to say. He was taller than Kurt, with a wave of dread-locked blonde hair that was pulled back into a frizzy ponytail, and a black leather jacket that fit very snugly. There was a rectangular bulge in the jacket's left pocket and he could see a pack of Marlboro Red's sticking out.

"Smoking could kill you," he commented.

"So could not watching where you're going," he said, and blue eyes twinkled at him in silent laughter.

"So you've got the bad boy look going on for sure, but you don't seem like a bad boy. You seem more like you're trying to stick out. And let me tell you, not the best idea in Lima. I wonder… can you sing?"

Ellery looked surprised. "If you count off key yowling that has been compared to a dying cow."

Kurt laughed, feeling happy for once at the ability to have a conversation with a boy and not have insinuations made about his sexuality or his intentions.

"Well, that's too bad. Maybe you should try out for the soccer team. I hear they've got a left center position open."

"You just want to see me in spandex shorts," the boy teased.

Kurt made a gagging noise.

"Oh god, if you could only see the rest of the soccer team you'd understand that I never want to see anyone from that team in spandex. Ever. But seriously, maybe you should find something to join. It'll make life a lot easier. Trust me."

A contemplative look crossed the taller boys' features.

"I'll think about it, and I'll see you in class tomorrow. I've got to be heading out."

Kurt watched him go with a forlorn smile. Why couldn't he be gay? Even better, why couldn't Blaine suddenly decide that Kurt was the love of his life and that they were always destined to be together?

Oh well. He made sure to pay attention to his surroundings as he walked to his car.