Honestly that summary space is too short, but it makes sense I suppose. The site probably doesn't want overly huge summaries taking up the whole page. So anyways, I would like to say just a bit more here. The Genres for this are Friendship/ Drama, well you could also add Romance to that, but I was only allowed two genre slots. Secondly, don't judge the story off the lame summary, I had limited space. Just sayin'.
"The buddy system is a procedure in which two people, the buddies, operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other."
Football players generally tend to stick together. Live, Lose, Win as a team. The top of the social chain along with the cheerleaders whose lives were also run by such standards. You had the jocks, the cheerleaders, the meticulously cool kids, the gangsters, the average kids, the drama kids, the foreign kids, the geeks, the nerds, the glee kids. Which ever rung of the social ladder you found yourself standing on the same held true: you stuck with the people that were similar to you. Oh yes, there was sure to be those students who intermingled, but only at their own risk. Either way each group stuck together like a pack of wolves, and just like a pack of wolves not everyone could be trusted. You had to have that one person that would be by your side no matter what. That person that others expected to be besides you at all times. That person whose movements would become shockingly identical to your own. You had to follow the buddy system.
The moment you step onto high school grounds, you had to make something out of yourself or you found someone else would be making you out to be someone you weren't. Eyes were already judging you from every angle, and they all were obviously thinking one thing: 'freshmen.' For every newcomer, it is written all over them, no matter how much they try to hide it. They look lost for two reasons: they weren't sure were they were going, and they were too new to have a place to belong. Middle school was usually some indication of who you were and what you would be, especially if all your friends traveled with you, but that wasn't always the indication of everything.
For Karofsky, high school would be the life he had in middle school: that of a bully. Though it would be even more than that, he would be a jock and perhaps even keep up his grades. Karofsky was a case where he came to high school already equipped with a buddy, and that was Azimio. He was his best friend, and they had been through so much together, he wasn't sure that would ever change.
"Hey look I am Karofsky and I-hey! Man,ow." A sullen looking Azimio turned to glance over at Karofsky whose fist had just punched him rather hardly in the arm.
"Azimio I swear if you even imply that I sound like that again my fist is going to say hi to your face." It obviously wasn't the best comeback in the world but the tone in his voice made it clear that he was pissed off. Azimio knew him too well to know he was actually this mad just because he was playfully mocking him. It had to be something else.
"Damn dude! What crawled up your ass and died? It was a joke! You've been this way all day, just tryin' to lighten the mood." Azimio was looking at him as though Karofsky had an alien growing out of his face but he was only concerned for his friend.
The two of them had stopped dead in their tracks to face each other seriously. Karofsky's hands were stuffed into his usual letterman's jacket and his gaze had dropped away from Azimio's almost a second after their eyes had met. Karofsky had something on his mind... something he needed to talk about. They weren't going to do that however. They were dudes. Dudes didn't talk about their feelings and crap because it just wasn't what dudes did. Although they hadn't said a word they had both come to a sort of silent understanding and continued to walk.
The path that lead to Azimio's house was essentially a sidewalk albeit a rather worn down one. It just wasn't as white as a sidewalk should be. There was a sort of dingy layer across it and the weeds carelessly grew up out of the cracks that had established themselves throughout. It was almost mesmerizing to stare down at all of them, but perhaps only because it was such a good distraction.
"Fuck man. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you but this shit just ain't gonna fly, uh-uh. Either you get over whatever it is quick and we go inside and play xbox or you go home and we do this when you are over your shit. What will it be?"
"Shuddup Azimio, just shut the fuck up." An almost incessant rage had possessed his friend leaving Azimio unsure of whether or not he should be angry or worried. Either way it didn't exactly matter as Karofsky silently turned around anyway and started the walk towards his home. Azimio let him be, his friend wasn't in the right frame of mind.
Azimio's house was close to the school. Karofsky's not so much. He hadn't taken his truck to school that morning and instead had planned for his dad to drop him off that morning at school since he and Azimio had planned to chill together afterschool. A simple, idealistic plan that got lost in the day's events. It wasn't even anything major that had occurred, at least nothing major that anyone else had noticed. For most people it was just a regular day at Mckinley, though it was one for Karofsky that made him especially pissed off.
He and Azimio did everything together. Absolutely everything. Karofsky could even recall a time they walked out of their respective bathroom stalls at the same time. He was sure that if he were to punch a kid now Azimio would feel the satisfaction of it. There was no doubt about it: they had a certain connection to each other. Some kind of invisible string that attached them to one another. Sadly, string isn't the sternest stuff. It could wear and tear and strain the farther it is pulled apart. Others could easily stumble upon it, grab a hold of it and rip it apart. They don't even have to be aware of it either. Once someone's placed their foot on that line and refuses to move, it is hard to get away from that person. Every time you try to walk you are pulled back by the hold they suddenly have on you. One day you realize that they have left an irreparable impression on your string and
though they haven't completely destroyed the connection they have left it hanging on by a thread. Why not just finish the job of completely destroying the string? Well that person has acquired a new position, one where a new string is formed and now you are attached to that person. It will never be the same as the first one, of course not, every connection is different. This new string will however require all the attention, all the time, all the energy. The old string will be neglected more and more until-snap, it's gone. There's only one string allowed at a time, only one person you could be that close to and hold such a connection with. Only one.
Kurt Hummel was standing on Karofsky's string which he couldn't understand. They weren't close to each other at all and just saying that was perhaps an understatement. They were like two negatively charged magnets, instantly wanting to repel each other upon contact. Theirs was a different kind of connection, an unwanted kind. No matter how much he tried to not think about him it was impossible. Kurt was forming his string.
Karofsky looked up at his house as he shuffled the last few steps to his front door. He turned the knob and pushed on the door letting it open slowly. Karofsky crossed the threshold into an empty house. It wasn't like he lived alone or anything, that would be absurd. No, it was more like his dad was at his job that kept their family going and his mom was probably shopping or something like that. She had a job… kind of. She was one of those Avon representative sales people, but his dad's job was good enough that it didn't really matter what she did. As the woman of the house she spent a lot of her time shopping, but he still had to give her credit for being at home most of the time. This just happened to be one of the times she wasn't here. He sighed. Good. He had the whole house to himself to do whatever he wanted in! Then why did his feet drag him to his room? Karofsky fell down face first against his bed, not even bothering to pick up the blankets and put them around him or anything.
Azimio hadn't been around him as much as of late. He appreciated giving out a good beating or slushie to dorks on a regular basis, but he claimed to like variety. They simply couldn't just keep picking on one person all the time, no matter how much they had it coming to them. For Azimio, it almost sounded like a code of morals, but it was more like he simply just got bored seeing the same reaction over and over. He had to do something else to others once and a while or else he feared he would become too predictable. When Karosky started to bully Kurt noticeably more than the others his friend had began to question him.
"Dude, that Hummel kid is a freak but there are plenty of dorks out there all waiting for a good slushie, or wedgie, perhaps even a swirlie." Karofsky's heart had nearly hopped out of his chest when Azimio had brought that up, and he wasn't even sure why, but somehow being confronted about it, it had scared him. Was he becoming too suspicious? Karofsky didn't let any of his fear show, and instead seemed to laugh almost.
"Azimio, he literally carries a sign that says 'Bully me' he is so gay, it's hard to not do anything to him. He has it coming to him. Perhaps if he would try being less gay I would leave him alone, but obviously he isn't trying so why should I?" He said almost brutally causing Azimio to shrug. Karofsky tried to not look relieved but he was. It was obvious that it was a good enough explanation for him as he stood up. They were currently sittting in the locker rooms, practice having ended, leaving them to be the last in there.
"Fine man, alls I am saying is there are other people out there that need to be reminded who they are, but if that is the way you feel by all means, go ahead." He then walked out of there, to go home most likely. From that point on Karofsky had decided he would have to try and avoid Kurt Hummel more. Things didn't work like that though. No one could control life.
The plan to avoid Kurt had been going well at first, but it took a lot of work. They went to the same school after all and though they were lucky enough not to be in the same classes, they had classes that were very close to each other or were just in the same general area. There were only a limited number of pathways in the school. He started to take new paths besides the usual ones, which not only separated him from Azimio more but caused him to be constantly late to class. Even afterschool it took longer for him to get home. After hockey practice was over he always had an excuse to stay longer in case the time they got out conflicted with the time the Glee kids got out. All the extra worrying had caused him to feel more exhausted, and on most days he would just go home and pass out, failing to do his homework. Between this constant neglect of homework, and failing to make it on class on time to do his class work, his grades suffered horribly. Not that anyone else noticed it, but Karosky's grades were fucking amazing and he was secretly proud of it. He had been able to produce some pretty solid A's and B's, but they were all slowly morphing it to D's and F's, C's at the best. His whole life was going down the drain. The worst part was that it was almost for no reason, or at least a reason he could come to terms with.
During these times Azimio didn't question him much because he still helped him to attack the other losers of the Glee Club. Barbaric comments, putting that pansy Hudson in his place, and of course the slushies. He still had a reputation to maintain, but how much more they were drifting apart was becoming evident in Azimio's eyes. It's how this day had been planned. Today they were to chill, today had to be different...and it had been, but not in the right way.
Yesterday evening when his father, Paul Karofsky, had started to lecture him about his recent decline in grades Karofsky couldn't help but think 'fuck this, fuck it all…'. Why should his only life be suffering because of this? He shouldn't have to take alternate paths, use all his energy to avoid Hummel. He had a damn right to be walking through the same hallways just as everyone else, and he wasn't going to go through with that bull anymore. He would go back to the life he had before he decided to avoid Hummel. His dad had let him off with a stern warning, but if he didn't get his grades up soon there would be consequences.
So the very next day he put his thoughts in action, back en route he walked down the familiar hallways, though not with Azimio. Even though he had planned to chill with him afterschool he had neglected to tell him that he wouldn't be walking odd ways to class that day. At first Karosky's change of travels plans across the school had warranted an odd look from his friend, but Karofsky had managed to get him to shrug it off when he said he was trying that variety thing. So walking solely along the hall, he still looked a threat, but not as much so as he was when he was with Azimio. Almost instantly he was coming upon Kurt Hummel. Whose locker just so happened to be down this hallway…fuck, he had forgotten.
"Great." He muttered under his breath, trying his best just not to do anything… just walk by, go to class. It was pathetic that he had to mentally coach himself, but at least it was working. At least it was until Hummel turned around and gave him that face. That face of terror and shock but mute determination. Karosky found himself staring right back.
"What the fuck you looking at Hummel?" His voice came out threatening, he didn't like it. Kurt stayed silent; it would take him a moment to come up with one of his witty comebacks. Karofsky only had to see his mouth opening to form the words however to snap. He pushed the boy back against the locker, causing him to slam against it and fall.
"Don't let me catch you looking at me again." He said sternly, before continuing on his way to class. Throughout the rest of the day, whenever he seen Kurt, he pushed him against the locker with whatever excuse he had. He just couldn't stand to look at him…hear his voice, though he had managed to get in a few quips here and there. It had made him angry… it all did, and that had been his problem. The problem he couldn't get over.
Karofksy opened his eyes, though it hardly made a difference. It was pitch black still. He lifted his body up from the bed and things got a little brighter once his face wasn't buried down into his bed. The moonlight was filtering in through his window, bathing everything in an eerie luminescent light. Karofsky noticed immediately that there was now a blanket on him, probably his mom's doing. He however was still fully clothed and hadn't gotten a single thing done. It hadn't worked… he was still failing everything and shit was just worse than before. At least before he didn't feel like a downright monster. That was exactly what he was… a monster and Kurt Hummel would never see him any differently than that of what he made of himself.