It was a new record, even by his sometimes crazy driving standards. Well, they were only crazy when he was irritated or angry. Did Finn nearly killing him this morning constitute him being as angry as he was? He thought again of the door slamming into him, his arms flailing as he tried to keep from falling backwards, the look on Finn's face when he opened the door… Yes, the answer was definitely yes.

It wasn't the first time either that Finn's inability to use any sort of restraint had put Kurt in a foul mood. Ever since their households had combined when their parents had become serious, Kurt and Finn had been butting heads. The quarterback was too… enthusiastic about everything he did. It wasn't the word Kurt was searching for, but it would do.

Finn had been less than eager about moving in, especially considering that he would have to share a room with Kurt. He had been sullen and depressed for several weeks, only talking when the subject was about food or the football games on television that Burt would watch with him.

Then, about two months after Carol and Finn had moved in, Kurt noticed a sudden difference in Finn's attitude. He started acting happier at home, smiling more and even going so far as to take up singing around the house when he was practicing for Regionals – not that the extra practice had helped them win. Nevertheless, Finn was acting like the dopey but cheerful boy he had been before he'd moved in.

Kurt had questioned him, wondering about the sudden mood shift, but all Finn had told him was that he had come early from practice early one day and walked in on one of Burt and Carol's date nights. A blush colored Kurt's cheeks as he tried to keep himself from imagining exactly what Finn had seen. But Finn on the contrary looked deeply thoughtful, not horrified like Kurt was expecting.

"They were just talking," said Finn quietly. His eyes were unfocused, his mind still immersed in the memory he was describing. "Just sitting on the couch and talking, like normal couples do. And my mom looked happy, Kurt. I've never seen her that happy…ever."

Finn glanced up and met Kurt's eyes. Suddenly, Kurt understood. Finn had seen how happy their parents were together, how quickly they were falling in love. If Kurt knew one thing about his fellow Glee club member it was that Finn loved his mom. Before moving in with Kurt and his father, Carol was the only person in the world Finn had; he did everything he possibly could to make sure she was always proud of him.

Kurt could relate. It was the reason coming out to his father had been one of the hardest decisions he had ever made. The thought that his sexuality might make his father ashamed of him had led him to do some crazy things like making out with Brittany, dressing like Burt, and singing Pink Houses for the Glee club for starters. In the end it hadn't mattered; Burt had always known about Kurt's preference, had known when all he had wanted for his third birthday was 'a sensible pair of heels'.

"I just want her to be happy," continued Finn, "and if being with Burt makes her happy, then I'm happy too, dude."

Of course, Finn's enthusiasm about his mother finally being happy came with consequences. He was trying to make their current living arrangement work, he really was. But his trying came with sometimes disastrous consequences. Like the time he had tried to do laundry and had dumped his football gear in with a handful of Kurt's most delicate clothes and put the machine on heavy-duty. Finn had been lucky he was at a football game when Kurt discovered the remains of his clothing in the dryer; strangling the quarterback was one of the nicer things that ran through his mind.

Kurt never fought with Finn about any of it though; he took everything in stride. And the occasional ten minute rant in French that they both would later pretend had never happened didn't hurt anything either. It gave Kurt a way to vent without saying something he would have to apologize for later on. He was eternally grateful Finn had chosen to take Spanish, not that he understood anything anyone said in Spanish to him either.

Over the summer they had finally learned the best way to live with one another and not drive each other insane, at least not as often. Finn stopped trying to talk about sports with Kurt and only asked him for advice when it came to relationship stuff. Kurt stopped trying to educate Finn about new options for his wardrobe and knew that if he wanted dinner every night, he had to get to the table before or very close to when Finn did. He couldn't actually prove his theory, but Kurt was sure Finn didn't actually chew his food when he was eating. There was no way Kurt was going to look close enough to find out, but how else could Finn eat twice as much as everyone else in half the time?

But the two of them had managed to survive the summer with one another. And a few days before school, Kurt was actually looking forward to the new term. If he could survive the summer with Finn, he felt like he was ready for anything.

Kurt sighed. He had only been back at McKinley for four days and he was already ready for summer to be here once again. How could he have been so optimistic that this year would be any better than last year?

Nothing this week had gone like he was hoping it would. Slushie facials, run-ins with Karofsky almost every day this week, that his so called 'new friend' hadn't talked to him since their after class conversation Tuesday; it all left him frustrated and horribly irritable.

The Finn incident this morning had just pushed him over the edge. He wasn't mad at Finn, at least not as mad as he had seemed earlier. The memory he had just dredged up from the depths of his mind seemed like it was trying to tell him that, or at the very least reminding him that Finn had done a lot worse while he had lived under the Hummel roof.

Kurt had almost fallen down those stairs as a result of something Finn had done more times than Rachel Berry had shown up to school looking like a walking fashion violation. There was no excuse to ever wear sweaters like the ones she was so fond of. Even the most old-fashioned grandparent would probably be repulsed by Rachel's sweater collection. What he wouldn't give to take out his frustration on her wardrobe. Damaging clothing was something he was strongly against, but for those fuzzy animal monstrosities, he would gladly look the other way.

A car horn blared behind him.

Kurt's momentary bliss at imagining destroying Rachel's closet disappeared. Everything came crashing back to him in that moment; Finn's assassination attempt, the threat of his daily torture session with Karofsky, Blaine's strange behavior, his nightmare. All this stress was going to make him crack; it was just a matter of time.

Way to be optimistic about this year, Kurt. It's going great so far!

The car behind him beeped again. He glanced in the rearview mirror, wondering what on Earth was so important that he needed to be beeped at. Twice, no less.

"Oh, crap," he muttered.

He wasn't sure when exactly he had come to a complete stop in the parking lot, effectively blocking all traffic in and out, but he had. And he was.

Half a dozen cars were in a line behind him, all pressed bumper to bumper as their drivers tried to squeeze past Kurt's Navigator to get into the parking lot. Kurt snorted as he caught sight of some of his classmates' expressions. Irritation, flat-out anger, confusion; it was all there.

One of the boys at the back of the line, having reached the end of his string of patience, leaned out of the window of his jeep and yelled something. Kurt didn't hear what was said, but he didn't need to. The red letterman jacket and hateful expression made it very clear who the person was, and Karofsky was never one for inventive dialogue. He always used the same insults over and over again; insult, rinse, repeat. A Neanderthal, through and through. At least he was consistent.

Kurt glared back at him as is fingers dug into the steering wheel. His hand twitched toward the door handle as his anger morphed into a newfound sense of boldness. How easy it would be to go storm back there and give Karofsky a piece of his mind.

Karofsky's mouthed off another set of perfectly articulated insults behind him, ones that Kurt understood perfectly well this time. That made up his mind.

Without warning, Kurt slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and his car lurched forward. His insides were boiling and he wanted nothing more than to go back and confront Karofsky, but bravado would earn him nothing but an earful of cruel words and possibly even physical violence if Karofsky was half as pissed as Kurt was.

Coward, his mind accused. He couldn't find an argument to prove the assessment wrong.

He concentrated on breathing and not turning his Navigator into a battering ram as he sped through the parking lot.

Mercedes was waiting for him near the back, clutching the cup holder in her hands. She had seen him coming. Had she been watching the whole time? Kurt hoped she hadn't. He wasn't sure he was in the mood to explain at the moment.

"Morning, Kurt," greeted Mercedes as she stifled a yawn.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and reached for a cup. She passed it to him wordlessly. Kurt took a hesitant sip and felt the steaming liquid rush over his tongue. It was bliss.

As the caffeine rushed through his system and erased the exhaustion, he began to feel more like himself. At the very least he was no longer having pyromaniacal thoughts about Rachel's closet. A small start, but a start nonetheless.

The two of them sat in companionable silence and sipped their coffee. Kurt was relieved that Mercedes either hadn't noticed his mood or had decided not to comment on it. He wanted to tell her everything, he really did, but what good would it do? Pouring his heart out to her wouldn't change anything. It would only make Mercedes feel sorry for him and have her constantly worrying about him, which in turn would make him feel worse.

"So, you're quiet this morning," she said, breaking the silence between them. Her eyes were trained on face and he realized he was frowning. He hurried to put a neutral expression on, but the damage was done.

"I guess so," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "I hadn't really noticed." He didn't look at her, afraid his resolve would crumble and he would tell her everything.

A hand brushed against his arm and settled on his shoulder. He glanced at Mercedes to find her watching him, brown eyes concerned.

"Kurt, I know you better than that. What's going on?"

Wonderful, he thought. She's already worried and you haven't actually told her anything.

His mind again flitted to the thought of letting her in. Keeping secrets from his best friend wasn't something he was proud of, but as he took one more look at how worried she already was without him having said anything, he knew he was making the right choice. No, he wasn't going to tell her. His problems were his own business, no one else's.

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'm fine, really. Finn's snoring kept me up almost all night. I'll be really glad when my dad finishes renovating that room upstairs and I get my room back."

Laughing, she said, "No wonder you wanted two cups of coffee. Speaking of coffee..." She turned to grab his second cup, which he accepted gratefully.

The two of them talked until the bell rang. Both of them reluctantly grabbed their bags and started into the school.

"By the way," said Mercedes, "have I ever told you I like that scarf?"

Kurt winked at her as he looped his arm through hers. "I thought you might."

She laughed and they walked arm in arm through the halls. They stopped at Mercedes' locker and Kurt couldn't help but glance around nervously. There was almost no chance that he was here this early, but Kurt still didn't want to take a chance on Karofsky sneaking up on him. Having Mercedes nearby did little to boost his confidence; Karofsky had shown long ago that he had no problem hitting Kurt when people were around.

It was a relief to him when Mercedes finally grabbed everything she needed and they headed to AP Chemistry. He still couldn't help but glance around warily at everyone around him. Karofsky would be here soon and, though he would never admit it, he was also looking for Blaine.

Since their conversation Tuesday, he had tried to talk to Blaine several times, in class and in the hallways. He knew that, despite the fact Blaine had called them such, they weren't friends. Their conversations this week, or lack thereof actually, had proved as much. If Kurt thought Blaine's mood swings were confusing before, they were downright insane now. Blaine hadn't so much as glanced at him. Not once. Kurt might as well have been invisible – he sure felt like he was.

Part of him had wanted to confront Blaine, but what was he supposed to say? I thought we were friends? Why are you ignoring me? Are you always this bi-polar or is this just for my benefit? Those words sounded lame enough in his head he wouldn't dare say them out loud, aside from the last one that is. Calling Blaine bi-polar seemed like a great way to start things off, or at least a great way to make Kurt feel better.

The AP Chemistry classroom was deserted when they got there. Tina joined them a few minutes later and the trio chatted until all the other students filed in. By the time the bell rang, Kurt felt marginally better than he had this morning. Nothing had changed, but the girls had provided enough of a distraction that his problems had retreated to a small corner of his mind to be dealt with later.

All through the day, Mercedes stayed with him. Her voice filled his mind with everything from Glee club to homework assignments. Kurt knew she had probably caught on that there was more going on with him than just a lack of sleep, but in true Mercedes fashion she was trying to make him feel better, even though she didn't know the cause.

The final bell of the day did more to boost his mood than anything else had. He had the weekend away from this place. Maybe he would go shopping with Mercedes and Rachel. He made a mental note to ask them during Glee rehearsal.

The hallways were flooded with kids making last-minute trips to their lockers for the books they would need over the weekend. Kurt made his way to his locker carefully while trying to avoid being run over by mob of students acting like the building was on fire as they left the school.

He couldn't help but search the faces of the people passing him, hoping to see Blaine. As pathetic as it was, he was holding onto the faint hope that whatever mood had possessed the boy was gone and he would get some sort of response from him this time.

"I'm going to run to my locker before Glee club," said Mercedes. "Would you save me a seat?"

Kurt reluctantly turned from his search and winked at her. "Of course, but try to hurry. Seats next to me in Glee club are a valuable commodity."

She rolled her eyes, but returned his smile before walking off.

Kurt turned his attention to his own locker and started methodically placing the books he wasn't taking home over the weekend inside. Once he was satisfied, he leaned down for a quick glance in his mirror to make sure his hair was still perfect. As he was fiddling with his hair, he noticed someone in the mirror's reflection stop at the wall of lockers behind him.

It was Blaine.

Kurt stared at him with a mixture of excitement and irritation; the two emotions always seemed to go together whenever he saw or thought of Blaine. The curly-haired boy was oblivious that he was being watched, or at least Kurt thought he was. As Blaine slammed his locker closed, he glanced over his shoulder and his eyes met Kurt's.

Kurt stared back, trying to decide his next move. A small smile tugged up the corners of Blaine's lips and Kurt realized how stupid he must look, just standing there staring at Blaine in the reflection of his locker mirror. That did it; he was going to talk to Blaine, demand an explanation for his behavior. Now.

He slammed his locker closed and turned to look at Blaine once more, but the curly-haired boy wasn't looking at him. His attention was on something down the hall to Kurt's right. Kurt followed his gaze.

Coming towards him like a bull out of a rodeo gate was Karofsky, and behind him were two other football players. One was Azimio and the other was a boy Kurt thought was named Lucas Emerson.

The other students in the hall parted around the jocks as they walked through the hallways, obviously sensing danger. Kurt wanted to follow their lead. He knew the look on Karofsky's face well enough by now. The boy was mad and Kurt was going to be his punching bag.

As Karofsky drew closer, Kurt's mind screamed at him to run, but his body wouldn't obey. His fear seemed to trap him, to keep him held in place while he awaited his assault. It was like he was trapped in his latest nightmare, only it was much worse, because this wasn't a dream. There was no waking up to find himself in the security of his room. This was real life and here he was, paralyzed by fear like a deer caught in the headlights.

That was the last thought he had before Karofsky was nearly on top of him. The jock's shoulder drew back, his hand half formed into a fist. Whether Karofsky was going to punch him or just shove him hard into the lockers Kurt didn't know, but he knew that it was going to hurt. And no one would care.

Just as he was about to get hit, a sharp voice nearby shouted, "Hummel – duck!"

If it had been any other voice, Kurt would have hesitated in obeying it. Instead, his body responded automatically, his knees bending and bringing his body out of harm's way a split second before he heard the sound of something hard striking the lockers above him, exactly where his shoulder had been.

Karofsky swore and grabbed at his elbow, his eyes like daggers as he looked to see who had called out to Kurt. Kurt willed Blaine to stay silent, lest Karofsky use him to take out his aggression instead. Regardless of his feelings towards Blaine, which at the moment were a tangled heap of confusion, he didn't want to see anything happen to him. Karofsky was a giant compared to Blaine's height and had nearly twice the muscle.

Just as Karofsky realized that Blaine had been Kurt's rescuer and honed in on him, salvation appeared in the form of Mr. Schuester. The Spanish teacher was walking down the hall, his nose buried in a pile of sheet music, completely oblivious to the scene unfolding before him: Kurt hunched over, Karofsky standing over him messaging his arm while Azimio and Lucas stood nearby. Kurt had never been happier to see him.

Karofsky, Azimio and Lucas remained blissfully unaware of Mr. Schuester's presence until the Glee instructor was almost on top of them. It wasn't until Mr. Schuester started humming a few bars of the song he was reading over that the jocks realized he was there.

"You're lucky, Hummel," grunted Karofsky as he walked past Kurt, "but next time you pull a stunt like this morning, The Fury will find you." He brandished his fist for emphasis and disappeared around the corner, Lucas and Azimio following on his heels.

"Kurt, is everything all right?" Mr. Schuester had finally glanced up from his music sheets and saw Kurt hovering above the floor. His expression was both confused and concerned, but Kurt had eyes only for Blaine.

The boy was standing completely still, his head turned to follow where Karofsky had just disappeared. Kurt couldn't properly see his face, but he could tell from the tight clench of Blaine's jaw that he was angry. Well, that and the way his hands were balled into fists so tight his knuckles were white.

Kurt started to say something to Blaine, but Mr. Schuester, growing worried by his lack of response, repeated his query.

"Sorry, Mr. Schuester," Kurt mumbled, briefly turning his gaze to focus on his Glee instructor's face, "I'm fine. I just sort of blanked for a minute."

Mr. Schuester held a hand out to Kurt and pulled the boy to his feet.

"Are you sure? You seem a little pale."

Kurt nodded.

Mr. Schuester turned to walk away, but paused and called back over his shoulder, "Get to Glee early. We have some exciting news!"

Kurt barely heard him. He was searching up and down the halls, looking for Blaine. The boy had disappeared sometime while Mr. Schuester had been talking to him, but Kurt wasn't letting him get away without getting some answers, not with what had just happened.

The parking lot was the only logical place Kurt could think to check. It was almost entirely empty; the last few cars in the lot belonged to either members of the staff or the Glee kids who had their own cars. There were no people in the lot and Kurt mentally kicked himself for missing another chance. But as he heard the sound of an engine revving up, he felt his hope rekindle.

And there he was. Blaine sat straddling a red motorbike parked near the back of the lot, his arms cradling a slightly scuffed helmet and he adjusted the straps.

Not giving himself a chance to chicken out, Kurt yelled "Blaine!" and hurried over to meet him.

Blaine paused in fixing his helmet. His eyes darted up to see who had yelled. Realizing who it was, Blaine turned off the bike and lowered the helmet to rest on the bike between his legs. Those hazel eyes met and held Kurt's gaze for a moment before lowering and coming to rest on his shoulder, the one Karofsky would have smashed.

Kurt watched Blaine staring at his shoulder and a thought struck him. Was Blaine worried about him? He had saved Kurt from being hit, but maybe Blaine thought he hadn't reacted quickly enough.

"I'm fine, in case you were wondering," said Kurt suddenly. "He missed me completely." As if to prove a point, he shrugged his shoulders and let them drop, reassuring Blaine that he was, indeed, unharmed.

And there it was. Kurt was right; Blaine had been worried about him. The relief in his eyes after Kurt's statement had been brief, but it had been there.

Blaine's eyes stayed locked on his shoulder for several seconds longer before he looked away. "If I was wondering how you were feeling I would have asked. I didn't."

Sarcastic Blaine was back, but somehow Kurt couldn't bring himself to be angry. Blaine had helped him out twice now without being asked.

"I know you didn't," Kurt replied, "I just thought you ought to know."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Well, now that I've been informed, are we done here?"

"I guess so," said Kurt, "for now anyway."

"For now? So, you aren't mad at me for ignoring you all week?" Blaine smirked. "I figured you wouldn't be talking to me at all."

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "So, you were ignoring me on purpose? Why? Because it was funny or because you get a kick out of irritating me?"

Blaine barely reacted to Kurt's rant. He simply waited for Kurt to finish before saying, "It wasn't like that. But if that's what you want to believe, go right ahead."

"Then why?" asked Kurt. He was beyond confused now, but he never expected an answer. Every time he tried to get an explanation for Blaine's behavior, the boy deflected his questions. So to say he was surprised when Blaine opened his mouth to answer the question was an understatement.

"It's complicated."

Well. Blaine's answer was entirely unhelpful and left Kurt many more questions he now wanted answers to. He felt foolish for expecting anything different. With a frustrated sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Blaine.

"Ok… So, what you're saying now is that you're going to continue ignoring me?"

"Not necessarily." Blaine regarded him with amusement. "We can be friends like I said before, but it's not going to be easy."

"And why is that?"

Blaine's eyes narrowed a bit, but his smile never faltered. "It's personal."

Kurt groaned out loud and Blaine chuckled at his distressed expression. Despite how irritated he was with the boy, Kurt thought his laughter was one of the sexiest sounds he had ever heard.

"I suppose you aren't going to tell me anything else, are you?" Blaine did nothing but continue to smile and Kurt took that as a confirmation. "I thought not. So, what happens now?"

Blaine glanced away, his eyes thoughtful. "Well, we can be friends like I said, but it will be an unusual friendship. I've been ignoring you for a reason, and it's because..."

Blaine sighed as he trailed off. Hazel eyes found blue. Kurt noted that Blaine's eyes were full of confusion and indecision; he was struggling with something and Kurt desperately wanted to know what.

"You can trust me, you know," said Kurt quietly.

Blaine snorted. "I don't trust anyone."

His tone was harsh and Kurt flinched away ever so slightly. Blaine didn't miss it.

"Look, Hummel," said Blaine, "I don't trust anyone. The only reason I'm even bothering to tell you this is that I figure it's only a matter of time till you find out anyway. You're gay and –"

Now it was Kurt's turn to snort. "Does it bother you?" Blaine stayed silent, eyebrows raised in irritation at being interrupted, and Kurt felt his heart sink. "And here I was hoping you were different from the rest of them…" He waved his hand in the vague direction of the school. "But you're not. You're just as scared as the rest of them –"

"Shut up," interrupted Blaine. Kurt fell silent. "I'm not sure how my being homophobic would work out, considering I'm gay too."

Kurt's jaw dropped. He had been right after all. "Why didn't you just tell me that earlier?"

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I was in the process of telling you, until I was interrupted. That's why, if this friendship between us works out, it's going to be complicated. I don't need everyone at this school knowing I'm gay which is why I've been avoiding you. The last thing I need is a rumor starting."

"Look, I may not like people hiding who they are, but I don't out people either."

Blaine shrugged. "Like I said, I don't trust anyone, so don't be offended when I don't seem overjoyed by hearing that. In the meantime, I'm going to have to keep ignoring you in the halls. For the most part we'll only talk in class."

"I can live with that," replied Kurt. And he could. It would be hard, being friends with Blaine and not being able to show it, but having the relationship was more important to him in flaunting it. Being able to talk to another gay kid that might possibly understand what he was going through was invaluable to him.

There was a moment of silence between them before Blaine cleared his throat loudly. "Well, now that everything is all figured out between us, I really do need to go."

Kurt started to turn away, but remember something and glanced back. "Thank you, by the way. For everything."

Blaine paused, his helmet halfway on his head and stared at Kurt. "You're welcome, but…" He paused and gave Kurt a crooked grin. "Next time, I'm going to charge you for my services. I've had to save your ass too many times now."

Before Kurt could reply, Blaine jammed the helmet on his head and twisted the key in the ignition. The bike roared to life and Blaine pulled out, speeding through the parking lot faster than Kurt thought was probably safe. He never looked back, but as he pulled out, he held up his hand in what Kurt thought might be a wave.

Kurt stared after him for a few minutes longer. A few of his questions had been answered, but so many more remained. Blaine was gay and he didn't want it to become common knowledge. And Blaine could still infuriate him with no more than a few words, but Kurt was more curious than ever to get to know the person beneath the sarcasm. At least one thing was for certain; he and Blaine were friends, or at least they would be.

Maybe things aren't as bad as I thought. He smiled.

Blaine sighed, his breath fogging up the inside of his helmet. He flipped open the visor and let the cold air ghost over his face. He was way too tense and it was taking everything he had to try to calm himself down.

Part of him was still riled up from the hallway scene with that guy that had almost attacked Kurt. Karofsky maybe? The details weren't important to him. What was important was that he had wanted nothing more in that moment to pummel him into the ground. There was no doubt in his mind that he could. The jock might be taller and more muscular, but he was also slow and predictable in his moves. If he ever tried to attack Kurt again, there would be no holding back.

Kurt. He was the other part of the problem. Blaine had never wanted a friendship with him in the first place, but there was something about him that compelled Blaine to disregard all of his rules. He reminded Blaine of someone. The boy was just so innocent, so trusting and it was going to get him in a world of trouble.

Blaine sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Things were getting way out of hand. Kurt knew he was gay, but that really was inevitable. How Kurt hadn't already known was a mystery…or maybe he had known all along. His news hadn't seemed to shock Kurt, more like confirm something he had already suspected.

Blaine jumped as something vibrated in his pocket. Glancing at the light he was currently stuck at – had been for the past five minutes – he decided he had enough time. He grabbed his phone and saw he had a new message.

Where the hell are you? –J

Blaine growled. This was not what he needed right now. He hadn't expected to hear from Jeremy for at least another week.

On my way home. Got stuck at school. –Blaine

Swing by and pick up Bennett on your way. We're going out. –J

Fine. Be there in 20. –Blaine

Blaine turned off the phone and angrily thrust it back into his pocket. Like he had any other choice but to say yes and go along with Jeremy. Well, there went his weekend.

"Hurry the hell up," he hissed, glaring at the traffic light like it was to blame.

The light flashed green. Blaine swore under his breath as he shoved his visor down and sped off.

It was going to be a long weekend.