Deep Down Part 1: Middle School
It was sheer torture, sitting in class and pretending to not look at him. Sometimes David couldn't help himself because he had to see what sort of interesting things this boy was doing. He would chew on his number 2 pencil with his back teeth, he push the tip of a Disney light-up pen to watch the character on top glow a dull red, and he would begin to drift off while attempting to take notes. David always wondered why exactly he had an insane urge to watch him constantly. Deep down maybe he knew why.
But he would never admit it.
David Karofsky always had a very nice life. He had two loving parents and a little sister named May. He lived the basic American Dream life, having family meals at dinner time. His dad would tell about his day and his mom would just laugh at the jokes he told. As a young boy, David participated in many sports such as street hockey and football. His favorite was hockey, but his father was a football fan and would usually bribe him to attend practice for the kid's team. He learned to love football, of course because he was good at it. He was a rather stocky young man and could easily tackle anyone in his way, no matter who it was. His parents attended both his football and hockey games, cheering when he scored or helped his team in any way. Basically, David had a really nice life.
David attended Roosevelt Middle School in Lima, Ohio. It was near the local high-school William McKinley High where he would be in just under two years. David played football and hockey there as well, gaining himself a jock status. What came with this status was popularity and serious street cred to uphold. The "losers" in the other clubs such as chess or the academic team fell victim to the jocks. David wasn't really a bully. Why would he have to bully? He was secure with himself. Except his friends were bullies.
"Why are you such a wimp, Karofksy?" said Noah Puckerman one day after practice. "They're losers. They need to know their place. C'mon."
Noah and David walked up to a scrawny kid with pop-bottle glasses and an afro that funk artists would pine after. Noah shoved him to the ground.
"Take that, geek," said Noah with a sneer.
"Yeah," said David, just sort of going with the flow. His eye brows furrowed, his face turned a vicious shade of red, and his teeth were bared. He was scary. The kid scrambled off of the ground and ran away.
"There ya go!" said Noah with a smirk. He offered his hand out for a high-five. David returned it, slapping his palm harshly. Together the football players walked together out onto the middle school's football field to join their other team mates. David slid on his helmet and smirked. That was actually kind of fun. He felt like he was ontop of the world for that little bit. He had power. People would be afraid.
The next day before school started, David joined the jocks to terrorize some 5th graders since they were big, bad 7th graders. They shoved the kids, they stole their lunch money, and then locked them in their lockers. It was pretty fun as well as hysterical because their faces were litereally scared. The power he felt seeped into his skin, giving him the hugest adrenaline rush he had ever felt.
One boy, tiny and rather feminine looking walked down the hallway, wearing a very flamboyant outfit. David tapped Noah on the shoulder and pointed to that kid. Noah in turn tapped Finn Hudson-the quarterback of their football team-on the shoulder. They all three smirked and walked up to the little boy who stood at his locker.
"What's up, lady face?" said Noah. The boy looked at the throng with big, blue eyes. David's breath hitched. Wow. He was so beautiful. His skin was porcelain, his eyes were colored like the ocean, his lips were a ruby color, and his eyelashes were incredibly long. You could tell he was a boy, but he looked so young. David shook himself and wanted to slap himself silly for thinking this little kid was beautiful. He growled.
"He asked you a question," roared David, shoving the boy against the locker roughly.
"I didn't realize I was bothering anyone," came the response from the boy. Noah and Finn exchanged glances.
"You just being here bothers us." Noah's face was twisted into a devious smirk. "So, move!"
"This is my locker. I have a right to be here."
"Not anymore you don't." David glared at him. "Boys, grab his feet. I'll get his arms."
"What are we gonna do?" asked Finn a bit hesitantly.
"Follow me." David smirked and took the kid by his under arms. He was incredibly light. He was sure this task would've been simple even without Noah and Finn. The other boys grabbed his ankles and now a look of sheer panic flashed on the kid's face. They were walking over to the large trashcan full of disgusting debris such as old pop bottles, half-eaten lunches, etc.
"No! Please! This jacket is an Alexander McQueen! It's brand new! Please don't!" The kid begged like this over and over as the impending doom of the trash can approached. "I'll do anything. Please, please don't." He was practically sobbing now.
"Shut up!" demanded David.
"Guys... maybe we shouldn't do this..." said Finn.
"Dude. Don't you have any guts?" Noah and David lifted him high and tossed him like yesterday's garbage. He was momentarily buried underneath tissues and paper. He eventually resurfaced, coughing as he did so. A used tissue clinged to his perfect coiffed locks. David and Noah began laughing loudly. They gave each other high fives and walked off. Finn lingered behind.
"Sorry, man," said Finn gently. He helped him get out of the trashcan. "That was... sorry."
Finn followed the other guys. The boy watched him as he left. Now he smelt like garbage. Great.
Over the few weeks, David constantly picked on that little boy who he found out was named Kurt. Kurt Hummel, actually. 7th grade, though he didn't look like it. Everyone claimed that he liked other guys. And, judging by how he dressed, David figured that that was close to the truth. He wouldn't have been surprised. The only thing bad about picking on Kurt was that he constantly had this aching in his gut. He would get butterflies or something. He had seen several pretty girls at Roosevelt-especially that Santana Lopez-but he had never really felt anything for them. Even if the boys he always talked to constantly rambled on about girls. Why couldn't they just talk about sports? Geeze.
"Hey, fairy," said David one day. "I think you have a date with someone!"
"No!" pleaded Kurt. "Please, no. My mom got me this cardigan..."
"Aw. Wow. I don't care."
David picked him up-his hands lingered and threw him in that same garbage can. Luckily for Kurt it had been dumped earlier that morning. He watched Kurt wallow in that trashcan for awhile, laughing at him. Behind the laughing and the teasing, was a boy with a crush.
He just looks like a girl. That's why. Stupid ass Hummel for looking like a girl!
As Kurt wore different clothing items daily (David never really save him wear the same things over. Mostly he just kept to a few pairs of shoes he wore repeatedly), David's attraction grew more and more. He didn't understand it. He had never felt this way about anyone before, especially a guy. He told himself over and over again and again that he was not gay and that the only reason why he liked Kurt a little was because he looked like a girl. Kurt made him mad, furious even. His clothes always neat, his hair always perfect... David was mad. First of all because Kurt made him feel so muddled and confused all of the damn time without explanation. Second of all because he was so open about himself. It just made David sick. So he picked on him. Who else better to bully than the one who was causing this anger in the first place? He could bully other nerds, but they just didn't give him the satisfaction that bullying Kurt did. Kurt made him mad, therefore he had to pay. This continued on and on until it was time to graduate from 8th grade.
"Oh, David!" cooed his mother as David walked down the stairs of his house wearing a blue button-down, long-sleeved shirt, one of his father's ties, and a pair of pressed khaki pants. He hated this outfit. It made him look like a sissy. David Karofsky was not a sissy. That was Kurt's job. No doubt he would show up in a pink and white polka dotted dress or something. Something a girl would wear because he was a girl.
"No pictures, mom!" bellowed David as his mother took pictures of him. His ears were blood red and his cheeks burned.
"Oh, honey, but you look so good!"
"Where's my son? There he is!" His father clapped him on the shoulder. David looked up at him-he was still a few inches shorter than his father-and scowled. "Who knew he could clean up good, huh?"
"Davey!" May came running into the room, her blonde hair tied in piggy tails. She had on a little white dress, a pair of lace-cuffed socks, and black mary janes. She was 5 then, still small enough for David to pick up. He gave her a tiny smile. Even if he was in the midst of embaressment, May always seemed to turn his mood around. He swore when she became of dating age that he would literally murder and guy who broke her heart. David lifted May up and holding her close to his chest. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and squeezed, her head against David's. He could smell her shampoo. It was a bright scent and it smelled like blueberries or some sort of fruit. "I don't want you to go to highschool."
"I have ta, May," said David softly. His mom took a chance to snap a picture. He scowled at her. She just made a face that said 'AW HOW CUTE'. He rolled his eyes. Mothers.
"No you don't... just stay in middle school for eber and den I can be in the same grade!"
"Sorry, May. It doesn't work that way..." He sighed. He didn't really want to go to high school because it meant more stuff to worry about (he had heard terrible things) but he figured it had to happen. Besides, if you're a jock, teachers are way easier on you, especially on nights of football games.
They departed for Roosevelt Middle School. His family sat in the audience while David went to where his whole class was. There was about 100 or so 8th graders graduating and they all stood outside the gym in alphabetical order by last name. David found his spot right after a girl named Mercedes Jones. She was way shorter than him and stood with a popped hip. Her dress was black and sequined and her shoes matched it. David just sort of scoffed at the outfit. It looks like something Kurt would wear. The thought popped into his head before he could stop it. He growled inwardly.
In front of him a little ways stood Kurt Hummel himself. David couldn't tell what he was wearing, just that it was white and probably something as flashy as he always wore. Lady face. Fairy. He kept his thoughts of Kurt spiteful and rude so as to distract himself from that feeling he got in the pit of his stomach from making itself anymore known than it already was. Still, it lingered. He could feel it. He was so disguted at himself that he wanted to vomit blood. How could a guy like him like someone in that way like Kurt Hummel? It just didn't fit. It didn't work. It never would. He studied the line. His friend Azimio was at the front so he couldn't tell Z what he wanted to tell him. That Kurt looked like a lady.
They soon filed into the gym and the graduation song Pomp and Circumstance began to be played by the music teacher Mrs. Waters. Parents snapped pictures of the students over and over, repeatedly blinding David. Soon he heard his mother.
"David! Dave! Hey!" His mother, his father, and his little sister sat in a row with some other adults David had never seen before. He looked to them and grimaced as the picture was shot. He rose one eyebrow. His mom beamed as he walked away down towards the front where several chairs were placed for all of the students. He filed in a row behind Kurt. He noticed how he was wearing a white hat and a white suit coat. Other than that, he could only make out the back of his head and how his hair was neatly cut in a straight line on his neck. Why was he so damn perfect? How was that even fair? Making David look bad... He scoffed as he passed Kurt. The smaller boy turned around him and gave him a rather indifferent stare as if to say "what do you want?". David gave him a stern look. Kurt turned around quickly, not wanting anymore confrontation.
The evening passed by and soon David was walking up on stage to receive his little diploma for 8th grade year. He gave his best stern look for all of the cameras while shaking the principal's hand in one meaty-palmed shake. Kurt had already received his and had smiled his best coy smile to which David had made a face at to Azimio who just laughed. David had wanted to hit that smile off of his face.
"Congrats, Dave!" said one of his classmates with a smile. She was some tiny girl who probably weighed no more than 80 some pounds. He had just smiled softly and nodded.
"Thanks. Uh, you too."
She giggled to her friends. Yeah. He was a stud. He smirked to himself. That's when he noticed Kurt talking to some other girl. She looked nervous and she was Asian. Her name was Tiny or something like that. Maybe it was Tina. Who would name their kid Tiny? He was about to walk over there until Noah clapped him on his back. Hard.
"We did it, man. Now comes highschool. Fully-developed babes, man, just waiting to take a bite-or a lick-of this." He smirked to David. David nodded with a false smirk.
"Oh yeah, man. I know."
"What, you looking over at Hummel? He looks particularly lady-like today."
"Yeah. I want to kick his ass," David growled dangerously.
"Later. Right now, I see one sexy mexican eyeing me. Later, dude. Punch Hummel for me later, kay?" Noah took off towards Santana Lopez who was eyeing him with her best "sexy eyes". David rolled his eyes. Soon his parents were there and May was begging to be held. He picked her up.
"You were so handsome! Look at you! Oh dear! The girls at the office will swoon over you!" She was snapping pictures left and right. May held his neck tightly, nuzzling her face against his cheek.
"Congrats, son. I knew you could do it. Now it's time for the major leagues: high school."
"Yeah," muttered David.
"Davey! Davey I saw you!" May said to him with a bright smile. David gave her an awkward half-smile because, come on, who could resist such a sweetheart? "I love you, Davey! I took a picture of you with mommy's camera see? See?" David's mother showed him an off-center picture of him on stage with part of his head cut off. Another picture that May also took was him with his head totally cut off.
"They're... great, May," he said softly. He kissed her nose and put her down on her feet. She scrambled over to her father and David's dad picked her up into his strong arms.
"Well, son, let's be off."
David just nodded and followed his family out, saying goodbye to his friends as he did so. He glanced over to Kurt who gave him the once over. David just sighed, shaking his head and walking away. Hopefully he would get over this little problem he had. Hopefully.