Bleary- eyed Kurt woke up to the smell of burning coffee. "FINN! ARE YOU IN THE KITCHEN?!" he screamed before ripping his covers off and heading down the stairs. He finds Finn standing in the kitchen,  with what looks like eggs burning in a pan and the coffee machine emitting slight smoke. "What the crap? Didn't we arrange rules for this?! You. Are. Not. Allowed. To. Cook." Kurt ripped the pan from the stove and threw it into the sink. This is what he wakes up to first thing Saturday morning, so much for a relaxing weekend at home.

   "Well Burt and Carole went out for Brunch with the neighbors and you were still asleep. What was I supposed to do, I was starving." Finn looked embarrassed. "Just go wait in the living room, you'll get your breakfast soon enough Frankenteen." Finn shuffled off and Kurt cleaned the mess in the kitchen before running upstairs to grab his phone.

New Message

Received: Saturday November 14, 2011

From: Blaine

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Good morning handsome! Hope you have a wonderful weekend at home, see you when you get back tomorrow night. Love you, B

Something to make him smile, and lift his mood from the scene this morning. He texted back a quick I love you and went about his business that day. But in the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder what those few that stayed at the school would be up to unsupervised for an entire weekend.

   "Drop your weapon!"  Sebastian's voice rang clear across the art room; Maria, Nick and Blaine were hidden amongst the furniture. "Drop it!" He sounded panicked.  The sound of ammunition being released rang out, and the lanky teenager let out a holler. "I got him!" Jeff's voice reached the others and they all cheered. Each one stood from their vantage point, covered in paint and burst out laughing. Jeff had used his water gun full of paint and hit Sebastian dead center of the chest. "Victory!!" Walking across the room, he headed straight for Maria. "Don't you dare, Jeff. There is paint everywhere. " He grinned wickedly and simply raised his gun, taking aim at the beauty. "NO!" Nick leaped in front of Maria just in time to stop the stream of red paint coming at her full force. He fell with a thud, cover in red paint. "You killed him you bastard!" Maria fired her pink paint at Jeff, missing by a few feet and hitting Blaine instead. "Blainey no!" She leaped over the couch and landed next to him, still a few inches back. Blaine lay on the ground, fighting off the smile he knew was creeping up on him. The red-head did the same, trying hard not to laugh. "I shot you Blaine, forgive me!"   Blaine simply coughed and looked pitiful. "Tell...Kurt...I love him." With a giant gasp he metaphorically died, Maria grabbed onto his shirt labels, with a light grip. "YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME! NO! COME BACK!" She faked sobbing, causing the entire room to burst out laughing. Including Blaine. Sebastian sat up, paint dripping off of him and looked at the time.

   "Guys we've been playing for hours, we should clean up. I have a new idea for a game, and we can go camping while we are out there." The five rose from their individual paint puddles, and headed off to they're rooms. Maria took off first, but Sebastian stopped a few seconds after she disappeared and pulled the other boys into a corner. "Guys look, I know we aren't meant to press, but she's not going to get any better if she doesn't come clean about what happened to her." He started off. "It's her business, besides she's not just gonna sit down and start spilling." Jeff counter-argued. Then Blaine jumped in, he had been wanting to do the same as Sebastian but thought he was alone in it. "It's honestly true, she needs to know that we're gonna be here for her no matter what she did. Bastian's also got a point about doing it soon. Like tonight, we are the only ones who decided to stay here for the weekend right?" The other boys nodded.

   "Then let's make this an open environment huh? Show her she's not the only one who's been up piss creek." His fellow Warblers chimed in agreement. "Give her a heads up at least. No need for her to get mad at us, I vote Sebastian gives her a heads up." Sebastian agreed and headed off to his room to wash off the paint. He walked in and saw Maria, sitting on the bed her hair purple from the blue paint that stained it. Other than that, she was spotless. He waved to get her attention, she was wrapped up in a book. Finally she looked up, "Oh! Hey Bastian. Question..what exactly would I need to pack to go camping?"  "Just some clothes, and extra blankets. It's November, so it's colder than Jack Frost's heart outside." She giggled and nodded, then noticed the trouble in his eyes. "Something the matter?" He came to sit on the edge of her bed, still covered in rainbow paint.

   "Tonight, we wanted to do kind of a bonfire thing. You know smores, hot dogs, but we also wanted to talk to you." Her heart dropped into her stomach. "You know what about I'm assuming by the look on your face. So we decided, you won't be the only one to share. Each one of us has a skeleton in the closet, so for everything we share. You in turn share something with us?" He waited for her response which took forever to be decided. "Alright, but it stays there among the trees. Never leaves." Sebastian smiled, and patted her knee; which she shyed away from his touch. He stood and went to go wash the paint of. Maria sighed, she was in for a long night.

    Blaine sat down at the edge of his bed, hair still wet from his shower, and called Kurt. The phone rang a few times before a flustered voice answered.

"Hello."

"Geez, Kurt you sound so excited to talk to me."

"I'm sorry, I'm always happy to talk to you. Finns just been chewing on my nerves. He's like a small child I swear. You wouldn't think he's graduating in a few months. Do you know what happened this morning, not only did he almost light the kitchen on fire but he also fired a football through the window."

"How on earth.."

"Just, sshh, don't ask questions."
"Well, Kurt, if it makes you feel any better I love you and miss you terribly. Dalton isn't the same without you around."
"I love you too. Well yes, it makes me feel better to know you feel that way. That and the fact that the house is finally empty."

"Ohh, so you're alone?"

"It took all day but yes I am alone. Why? What are you up to?"

"Nothing, just got out of the shower,"

Blaine left that to simmer in Kurt's mind, and could almost see his lover's eyes darken a shade with lust.

"What are you getting at Blainey?"

"Oh, nothing. I figured I could show you how eager I am for you return. But I have to hang up soon, to get dressed. Expect something coming your way very soon."

"Excited for it."

He hung up the phone and opened his camera feature, then flipped open his towel to release the subject of his photo, which was standing at full attention. Snapping a photo, he sent it to Kurt and went to relieve himself of his issue. Upon returning to his phone, he found a picture waiting for him hinting that Kurt must have done the same. He sent his lover a quick text, Hoping I was on your mind during that ;).  He received a reply almost immediately stating that Kurt would think of no other during that time besides him.

    Blaine smiled, and almost called Kurt back to finish the game he originally started, but a shout came to his door. Hurrying him, he sent a text to Kurt stating how eager he was for his return and why he had to leave so early. Kurt replied, Shame, I was game for a round two.  Blaine damn near faked being sick to stay in and call Kurt again. But then he realized how important the night was, and promised Kurt a night all to him when he returned. He sent a quick I love you to him, and once he saw that Kurt understood why he couldn't continue he collected his things and left his room, to approach his waiting friends in the lobby with a calm, innocent look on his face.

The four were in a circle backs facing each other, getting ready for round two of Dead Man's tag*. They each took off running in different directions, into the woods behind Dalton. Sebastian taking off towards the lake, Nick running for base almost immediately, Blaine casually trying to get out of sight and Maria scrambling into a tree.

   It had been Sebastians genius idea to play this game, scaring the living shit out of them the first time. Pending for the second, Sebastian stopped at the lakeside; debating on if he would hide in the campground they had set up before he fell to the ground. A loud shriek had erupted from the tree nearby him and Maria jumped out of it and flew into his arms; they stood frozen for a moment staring at the tree before a scuttling noise came from it and something went off. The squirrel came into the light of Sebastians flashlight, causing the pair to crack up. Maria remained in Sebastian's arms catching her breath; trying her best not to freak out over the fact that he was touching her. "See? You're doing just fine. Telling us what happened really helped huh?" Bash set her down and she scooted away a few feet before nodding. "A little, but I'm still jumpy. You know I will be for a while." Sebastian nodded but thought back a few hours, she had come pretty far for only a short amount of time.

~~~Earlier that evening~~~~~

The group stood at their campsite, surprised at how enclosed my trees it really was. The woods behind Dalton Academy were thick and full of creatures; a fact which would terrify most people. "Alright, let us set up. We've got one hell of a night ahead of us and I'm kind of hungry so onward!" Nick ushered the group into the site and the Warblers began setting up camp. Maria and Blaine were to share a tent, as were Nick and Jeff; Sebastian wanted to be alone. "No offense but waking up with someone nose to nose with me in this tiny ass tent is NOT how I want to wake up." His tent was the first set up, so he began the bonfire. Across the pit Maria and Blaine struggled to set their's up; "What is this? Blaine help me out here!" Maria was flipping the directions around every which way she could.

   "The hell if I know." Blaine held two of the bars in his hands, a confused look on his face.  Finally having it figured out Blaine hammered into the ground, keeping the tent upright.  Being the last ones they joined the rest of the group, collapsing onto the foldable chairs in exhaustion.  After a meal of fire roasted food, the sat roasting a few marshmellows having light conversation. Sebastian interjected;  "We all have been avoiding it for awhile, but I think it's time we all finally cut to the chase about why we're here." Maria's stomach clenched, she had been hoping they'd forget. All eyes were on her, then Blaine spoke "To be fair, for everything one thing you tell us; one of us will share something with you." She nodded, it was a relatively fair trade. "One of you guys has to go first." Was all she stated, before she sat back in her chair.

  "I'll go," Jeff spoke first.  Taking a deep breath he started:  "My family has a lot of problems, it started when I was really young. My mother cheated on my dad, and it broke our entire family. For years he struggled with the decision on whether or not he would throw her out. Eventually, he decided he was better off without her. Which we were so very happy about, he seemed more relaxed when she was gone," his eyes were beginning to glaze over. He took a few moments before he carried on; "But every man gets lonely after awhile." The click was almost audible when everyone figured out what he was talking about. "All he had were sons, but he made good use of what he did have. It never went far...he just made us touch him a lot, told us  that it was the ultimate way to show we loved him. I was the eldest I knew better. But my brother was only 7."  The others doubted that Jeff knew he was crying. "As we got older, he got a lot more threatening. We feared that if we ever told anyone; He'd kill us. Living in constant fear and disgust of myself, I started cutting. I was only 12 years old, and it's sad that I was still so young  but I felt that much pain."

   His bleary brown eyes met Maria's from across the circle. She looked like a deer in headlights, "Any open skin I could find that wasn't visible to the eye was being destroyed. Every day, whether he made us grope him or not. Even if he didn't we still felt dirty; eventually I stopped caring if anyone noticed my wounds. I cut anywhere and everywhere. But one year my grandmother came to visit. For my 15th birthday." Jeff's eyes had now begun to dry. "Everything went fine during the day and the party, but that night she came into my room. Not saying a single word, and shoved my sleeves up as high as they would go; exposing every scar, every wound, every ounce of pain I'd ever felt. She said she knew because my face gave it away, she could read the pain there and knew something was up. My grandmother forced me to tell her what was wrong, and after almost three hours of her relentlessly pleading for me to allow her to help. I told her. Everything." He paused to take a breath.

   "We we're out of the house before the week was over, she'd had my father arrested. Charged with sexual assault on minors. Due to circumstances he was put away for a long time. But my brother and I were still damaged. After years of this happening, I knew nothing but pain and sorrow; so my grandmother got me a therapist. It took years and years, but finally I healed fully. I can grow and still be a hormonal teenage boy, because somebody reached out to help me. I healed, and Maria," once again their eyes locked. "I promise if you let us help you, you'll heal too." He sat back in his chair, worn out from reciting his tale but relieve to see that resolve in her eyes.

  "I guess it's my turn to share something," Maria spoke, sighing heavily before looking down at her worn converse and beginning her story. "Both my fathers are gay, I have never had a problem with them being gay and as far as I was concerned everyone else was ok with it as well. But I was very wrong;  I only must have been  five years old when it happened. We we're at the park, having a picnic..my fathers loved to spend family time together. But they both seemed on edge that day, and I remember an older woman who had just been giving my fathers the evil eye all day." Her voice began to crack, " I thought nothing of it, I was still so young. But this woman came over and started yelling at both my fathers. Stating something along the lines of how wrong it was for gays to have a child. My fathers fought back of course, but she simply backed off walking away. My parents let it go and let me go play on the playground set. I don't remember much after that but I remember the lady had grabbed me and run off with me. All while she told me that I would be just fine, that I would grow up with a mother and father just like any normal child. I was so scared."

       She paused for a moment, catching her breath and trying to shake the feeling of fear off of her. "She kept me at her house for a few days,"  Something registered in Blaine's head, and he interrupted. "I remember hearing my parents talk about that story, the girl getting kidnapped from the park...she was you." Maria nodded. "The police finally came and brought me home to my dad's, I was so happy to be home. This woman's house was small and dirty, and she kept trying to get me to call her mom. I refused of course. I don't remember all of what happened, thank God.  Fear and anger must've blocked most of it from my immediate memory. But the nights I can sleep, I sometimes remember. And it kills me every time." She stopped talking, it was all she would share about the story.

    Blaine was the one to speak out again, "Maria, honey, homophobia is everywhere in the world. But what that woman did took it to a new level. I'm so sorry it happened to you." She nodded, and smiled an almost fake watery smile at him. "But you need to know not everyone is like that, not everyone is close minded and insane. There are people who are accepting and kind hearted, remember that." Maria let that sink in as Sebastian spoke next. "My turn, I'm assuming."

   "I was a tad bit of a man-whore awhile back," Blaine raised an eyebrow at him and Sebastian changed his sentence. " I was a huge man-whore awhile back, but I have a reason why.  Someone broke my heart, now they didn't break it. They died it to a railway and ran over it with a freight train. He was the first boy I ever truly loved. " Sebastian's eyes became lost in time as he remembered. The sound of his heart breaking all over again was echoing through the thick trees.  "I was among the first to come out of the closet at school, but no one was much of a bully. Out loud anyway, then I met Theo. Theo made me seem like I was the most important thing in his life, he was my other half. We had everything in common, and did everything together.  We dated for almost a year, I met his parents, he met mine; we were serious. In every way shape and form...he was my first and he treated me with care. I'd never had someone care for me the way he did.  Theo promised me the world, and that he'd never leave..i never knew how easy it was for him to fake all of that. But a few weeks later, the shit hit the fan. One day, he was avoiding me completely, and out of curiosity I asked his friend why he was. What he told me, infuriated me. The year before he and his friends had bet that he couldn't charm a freshman to fall in love with him and put out. It was a game they'd been playing since they were sophmores. Find a willing freshman, make them give you their heart, use that freshman, and then move on to someone new the next year. It was a sick game, but the never ceased to play it. From what I hear, they still play it and they are all in college. The grade level just one upped for them. It was funny for them, not so funny for the boys and girls whose hearts are now shattered. I really thought he cared about me, and I will never understand why he let it go so far; I was nothing but a few bucks for him. But he was my world, my everything, my life.  What makes it worse is he took something from me I'll never get back. My innocence, he was my first...but not my last. After all this, I couldn't confront him, I wouldn't. The game had been explained to me, and by the way he was acting I knew it was true." Silent tears fell from his eyes, and it was quiet for awhile; the only sounds being the heartbeats of the group, and one broken beat that sounded more mono-toned than the others.

  He spoke again, "So I whored myself out, sleeping with everyone. Boy or girl. I was hoping someone would come along that would make me feel the way Theo had  made me feel. But no such luck. But now, now I've found Kahlil who is sweet, kind and gentle. And for once, lust isn't everything I feel...it took me several partners and so many years but I finally came to Dalton and found someone who is actually worth giving myself too. But I will wait til I know I'm in love to do it. I found love after everything that happened to me. You will too Maria." He sat back, for once he didn't look like the sharp tongued, sex god he always looked like. He looked like a normal boy, and she realized he was. He had be turned stone- hearted but found his way back to the softer Sebastian he had been. She felt a small glimmer of hope inside.

    Nick decided to go next, to give Maria some time to think. "I had been thirteen when I discovered the magic of drugs. My family was broken, my father was never there but one thing was always there for me. That was my darling, darling painkillers. I took them all the time to numb the pain I felt inside." Judging from the shocked faces of his fellow Warblers, he elaborated.

    "My parents were never married when they had me. Never thought to get married, I simply took my mothers maiden last name; but they didn't stay together. When I was only three, my father up and left. No note, no phone call. He walked out the front door with his suitcase in hand, I don't even remember if he kissed me goodbye. I don't care anymore anyway. It was just me and my mother for awhile, but as I grew older I noticed more and more mysterious men would come to the house at night and leave in the morning. Whenever I asked her about them, she said they were friends who would come to visit. I remember that her special friends never visited more than once. A few years later, when I was 10, she finally married one of her friends. Then along came my sister.  But I ended up raising her,  my so called parents were out all the time. Partying. Even when they were home, they didn't care about us. My mother was only in newlywed paradise for a few months anyhow."

   "He would beat her constantly, and with me still being so young, and my sister only a year old. There was nothing I could do. I just avoided being home when I could, started hanging out with the rebellious crowd once I hit middle school. That's when a friend introduced me to prescription drugs, not to many to kill me but enough to numb me of the shit that happened at home. Enough to make me forget my world long enough to feel relaxed. Then I'd float back to reality and watching my mother get hit everyday. So I began to make sure I was constantly high, never having to return to my crappy reality. But when I was 15, I overdosed. Too many at once, and it almost killed me. Lucky for me the friend I was with at them time called for help. I woke up in the hospital a few days later. My family hadn't come to visit once, they put me in rehabilitation over the summer. The summer before I came here."

   "At one point they asked what went on at home that sparked my pill abuse, so I told them all about my neglectful mother, abusive stepfather and how I had to raise my baby sister practically by myself. When I was released from rehab, they moved my sister and I out. I was put into Dalton, and my sister now lives with my grandparents. I still go check on her sometimes at random, just to be sure that she's alright. She's doing fine. A happy, healthy three year old girl who has no recollection whatsoever of her past; lucky for her. And, I may never forgive them...but I will forget about it. When something bad happens you have to learn to let the past go, Maria, because you cannot let something like your past control how your future turns out."

   Blaine went on next, they had decided she could share her story as a joint one instead; the advice and stories they had given her seemed to be helping. So they kept it in a continuous streak. Blaine cleared his throat and went on:  "I'm out and I am proud. That's a given, but not everyone in this world is approving. Sadly, majority of the homophobic teenagers seemed to be going to my old school. Every day for my last two years of middle school, and freshman year they made fun of me relentlessly. They covered my locker in glitter and wrote obscene names on it. I would go home and cry, and try to talk to my dad about it because I thought, maybe for a second there that he cared about my well being. But all he ever wanted was a straight son. So when I wasn't being bullied mercilessly at school, I was being dragged to countless football games and sport bars, we rebuilt a car together." He sighed and carried on.

      "I used to pretend that it was because he wanted a father-son relationship. But I knew, deep down inside, that he figured if he brought me around enough testosterone that maybe I'd turn straight. He never once called the school to have someone help me, every day I'd come home ruined by what they did to me. I will never understand why he let me suffer like that." Blaine clenched and un clenched his fists, and one could almost sense the anger floating off him in waves.

  "Finally, before a Sadie Hawkins dance at our school...a friend of mine came out of the closet. It gave me reassurance, that I wasn't alone, and we decided to be brave and bold and go to this dance...together. As friends of course. But when we arrived, before we even got inside the building a group of jocks came and...beat the living crap out of us. I was in the hospital for days, and I still have scars to show. But my friend, he didn't make it. They had beat his head against the concrete, trying to beat the lady out of him they said," Blaine was spitting venom. They were all taken aback, no one had ever seen Blaine Anderson so angry.

      "When I was released from the hospital, the first thing I did was hunt those jocks down. They hadn't gotten in trouble for what they did, the school assumed that since I was gay this sort of thing should be something I should get used to. No one should have to get used to fear, and loathing and the suicidal thoughts. So I decided to fight back, and one day I caught them by surprise. With a bat."  Sebastian stared with amazement, Blaine had actually gotten violent, something they were all sure he'd never do. Then he remembered the stories of how Blaine's temper had gotten the best of him whenever Kurt took him to see his McKinley friends. The story of the Night of Neglect, and a time over the summer where Blaine almost got into a fight with Kurt's hulking stepbrother. This kid had a lot of anger, that was a given.

   "I didn't do well, even with my bat. They still kicked my ass again, opening a few scars up in the process. I became afraid to go to school, and didn't almost my entire sophomore year. Which is why I am 18 years old...and still a junior. I had begged my dad to let me transfer schools and he finally did, I needed an education. Which I couldn't receive if I was too afraid to go back to school, when I arrived at Dalton I was still a wreck, and they made me start out as a sophomore again even though I should have been a junior. Missing all that school, certainly did not pay off well for me. I was still lost and upset, even after I was adopted by the Warblers. I mean, I had good days and some bad days...and then Kurt stumbled into my life." Blaine smiled warmly, his venom and malice melting from his voice, leaving only honey coated, love filled sighs.

   "He was the worst spy I'd ever come across, but he was one of the cutest. I'd known I'd liked him from the moment we'd met... but I was terrified of being someone's boyfriend. For instance the last guy I was with, even as just a friend ended up dead. I was so afraid to let him in, so afraid I'd lose someone who meant the world to me. But I did, trusted what my heart felt and I kissed him a few days before Regionals. We didn't win though, but he and I won something so much better. We'd both come from utter shit treatment, and found each other. He is the love of my life, and I'm so glad I never killed myself. Because if I had I never would've found what I didn't know I was looking for."  Blaine sat back in his chair. And Maria realized it was her turn to share. Three more stories had been shared so all she simply had to do was tell them what happened at Crawford. She knew she had to tell them three things, but only one had brought her to the position she was in.

    "I was a freshman at Crawford, and a relatively normal, happy student. Until the new teacher came, Mr. Konnifer. He was a forty something year old man and he taught English, which was one of my best subjects; something he used easily. One day, we'd been assigned an essay which I did fantastic on, perfect score. He invited me to stay after school, so we could discuss it. I didn't notice at that moment, the glint in his eyes, or the way he watched me as I left." Her eyes were as dark and un-readable as always. "I went in after school that day, thinking I'd simply receive praise and be on my way. But then he locked the door behind me,"  It clicked for Jeff before any other what had happened in that room with the teacher. The look in her eyes at the moment, was the same look he'd worn only a few years before. "I'll spare you all the details, but it happened every day for months. I tried to tell someone but they didn't believe me. Turns out Mr. Konnifer was giving donations of a heavy sum of money to Crawford, so they were going to keep him, and his money around. Some of the girls at school found out, and I became the school whore. Every time I would walk into my dorm room it would be full of condoms or pillows. The pillows because I spent so much time on my back. They didn't realize he was forcing himself on me, I would try and fight and run away everytime. But all that those girls thought it was, was my putting out to get a good grade. So I started cutting. It was an accident, I had been shaving my legs and the razor slipped but I felt no pain. So I removed the razor from the head and by the end of that night my legs were covered, in long, deep wounds."  She felt ever pair of eyes look down at her legs, which were exposed by her Dalton uniform skirt.

    The scars were light, but noticeable if you were looking for them. "At Crawford we had the choice to wear tights under our skirts. After a while they were a nessicity for me. Every inch of my body except for my shoulders up was subject to damage, my wrists ecspecially. And Mr.Konnifer would notice but never ceased to tell me how beautiful I was. Which made me sick, he was so gentle and I hated him for it. I stopped eating, figuring that if I got bone skinny he would think I was gross but all it did was egg him on. I stopped wearing makeup, stopped doing my hair. I looked homeless, and if it wasn't for the mandatory tight uniforms and short skirts I would've dressed differently too. A teacher had ruined my life, but another teacher, a nice younger guy named Gary, He had all his students address him by his first name, he saved me. For the first time ever, Mr. Konnifer had threatened to kill me if he found out I told. I was so afraid and after having his way. I ran to my room, determined to kill myself before he did." But a knock came to the door, I answered thinking it was Mr.Konnifer coming to dispose of me because he'd found out I'd been trying to snitch on him. So I opened the door, bloody wrists and all. There was Gary, I'd left my books in his room that day and he'd come to return them. He saw what happened to my wrists, he didn't press for details. He simply called my uncle and forced him to remove me from Crawford. He knew that whatever was wrong had started at Dalton."   Nick spoke up: "But why didn't he call your dads?"  Maria looked confused and then realized she had yet to explain something else.

   "I mostly live with my uncle, both my fathers are in the service. So I only see them ever so often, I stay with my uncle. And for a few months after I was discharged from Crawford, I stayed with him. I still harmed myself every day, but I was wearing makeup again. Dark makeup like I wear now, and he knew something was wrong. But I refused help, and I still am refusing professional help because I know if I tell. Mr. Konnifer will find me and I cannot let him find me." She was shaking with fear, and Sebastian was kneeling at her side; not touching her but close enough to let her know he was there.

    "He enrolled me here because the Dean is his closest friend. And I needed an education. He knows the Dean  will keep an eye out for me here, and so here I am. Still as ruined and hopeless and fearing touch as ever. I wish my story had a happier ending like all of yours but honestly it doesn't."

  All the boys were kneeling around her know, only Jeff was brave enough to reach out and grab her hand. She resisted pulling back as long as she could but yanked her hand away. "Maria, you have to let us try to help you.  We know how tough it will be, we understand but you have to know we won't hurt you." She looked in Jeff's eyes and nodded. But then contradicted, "Everyone in my life gets sick and tired of trying to help me, I know you all will too. Quit while your ahead. I am not worth it." Blaine spoke this time, "I don't ever want to hear you say that. You are worth everything. You are worth being saved. Don't you think we all felt worthless at some point. God, made you for a reason-" "God put me in this situation, he created that monster who did this to me!" "And he also made you strong enough to get through it Maria!" She sat staring at Blaine, who's expression was lit with determination.  "Please hear me when I say, we will not stop until you are better. He screwed you over big time and I know it. He ruined your innocence but he did not ruin you. You are a fantastic singer and dancer, and you will do great things. Do not let your past, control your future." His words sank in. and Blaine went on, the other boys nodding in agreement. "You have to trust us, have some faith in us. We will not hurt you and we will always be here. Is that understood?" Maria nodded.

   "When we get back to Dalton, you're forfeiting your razors to me. Ok?" Nick was the one to say this, and she looked almost anger for a moment before gritting her teeth and nodding. "You'll make music your outlet.  And if I need to I will forfeit my free time to spend with you until I know you won't hurt yourself again." She was surprised to hear Jeff say this, no one invested that kind of time in her before. She agreed with all their terms and conditions then stood, and gave each of them a light hug.

When she hugged Jeff, he ignored that last boundary and pulled her in close. He felt her breathing quicken with fear, and he held her until it calmed down. "I know shock therapy isn't a good way to do this but you need to know that we won't hurt you. You'll get through this." He let her go, and she backed away slowly. Debating on if she was mad or happy that he'd done that. She settled on letting it go, he was only trying to help. She figured if she allowed these four light touches. Such as hugs and fist bumps, maybe she could get over the flaming skin reaction. For the first time ever, she had hope.

  "Now, who wants to play a game?" Sebastian suggested and they gathered around to hear him explain a few rules. As he was explaining these rules, Blaines phone buzzed again is his pocket. It was Kurt, asking for a quick summary of what had happened; Blaine knew he couldn't tell Kurt her story but he simply stated how she had opened up and how she might soon get better. Kurt congratulated the boys on their progress and shared a few lovey dovey texts with Blaine. He continued to text Kurt until it was time to play. Blaine was beyond happy he'd found someone as amazing as Kurt. They had fixed each other, made each other whole. He'd found the love of his life, at a bad time in his life. And he made him better; looking up from his text goodbye he saw the way Jeff looked at Maria. He saw genuine affection there, the same he looked at Kurt with. He'd found his love, and he'd hoped Maria wouldn't miss her chance at finding love too. Especially since, he'd already seemed to have found her.