Kurt shied away from the large jock, wrapping his arms protectively around his midsection. Karofsky's mouth turned up into a sick smirk, "What's this?" Kurt glanced down to see a thick, meaty hand rip the Dalton pamphlet from his fingers, "Dalton Academy? An all boys school I see." Kurt averted his eyes. He noticed Mr. Schuester talking to a student not but a few lockers down from him. Why didn't he notice what was going on? "Guess you'd like that, wouldn't you? Little homo like you'd love to go to an all boys school." He ripped the brochure in two. "There's no sense in you going there. Wouldn't want you too far away. I'd miss my punching bag." He roughly shoved Kurt backwards and into the lockers.

Still shaking from the encounter, Kurt turned to see if anyone had noticed what had happened. Mr. Schue was nowhere to be seen and the other students walked past him like he was nothing. Maybe he was nothing. Kurt shook his head, banishing the thought. Mr. Schue must have just been really busy with something else and he didn't hear Karofsky. Yes, that was all. Kurt bit his lip and shouldered his bag on his less bruised side.

Maybe he shouldn't bother going to Dalton anyway. It seemed like no matter where he went, he'd never get away from the bullies. No non-bullying policy would be able to save him. He had been teetering with the idea of going, but then the wedding planning had gotten in the way and most of his time was spent choosing the right shade of red for the glee girl's dresses and so many other things. His father told him that he could use the money that he and Carole had saved up for him to transfer, but Kurt declined. He couldn't take that money from him since he hadn't even visited the school yet.

"Let's throw 'em in the girl's room where he belongs!" Kurt whirled around to see Karofsky and his wingman Azimio coming towards him.

Kurt tried to bolt, but wasn't fast enough. Karofsky grabbed one arm and Azimio the other and he was dragged to the girl's bathroom. The two Neanderthals tossed him unceremoniously to the revolting tile floor, close enough to the stalls that he managed to knock his head against the thick plastic wall. Once his vision cleared, Kurt jumped up and tried the door to no avail. The bastards locked him inside. Luckily no one else was in there with him. "Hello?" Kurt called through the door, "Hey, can someone help me!" The bell rang and Kurt knew he was out of luck. He slumped down next to his bag, not even caring about his expensive jeans, and laid his aching head back against the wall. He pulled out his cell phone, sending out a mass text to everyone in the glee club. That is where he was heading in the first place, so he knew someone would get the message and come for him. Now, it was just a waiting game.

After being stuck in the bathroom for two hours, Kurt came to the realization that no one was coming for him. The worst part was that he wasn't too surprised. It still hurt though, but not as much as he would have thought.

He knew this feeling all too well. That strange numbing sensation that made it feel as though his whole body was filled with cotton. He hated it. Kurt kicked his foot out in frustration, sending his messenger bag spinning into the opposite wall, most of its contents spilling out. With a sigh, Kurt stood and walked over to the bag, kneeling beside it to gather the strewn items. As he was grabbing a mini eraser, something caught his eye. It was an unsheathed pencil sharpener. Kurt pursed his lips slightly, picking up the unoffending object and twisted it between his fingers. The light glinted off its surface as he rolled it back and forth. A slip of his finger brought the tiny blade across his thumb, slicing easily through the skin. Kurt hissed, bringing the bleeding digit to his mouth. It took a moment, but when it did, the feeling hit like a freight train. In that moment, the thought of his friends abandoning him, Karofsky, everything vanished along with the Novocain that seemed to slowly pump through his veins day by day. Maybe… Kurt eyed the tiny screw that held the blade in place. He took out his mini nail file and pressed the edge into the screw, turning it until the bolt fell to the floor and the sharp piece of metal was free. He didn't even pause as he took the sharp edge and brought it to his wrist. The thin edge pierced his skin as he dragged the blade across the tender skin. He scowled as he noticed only a thin white line in its wake. Not but a second later, tiny beads of red seeped up from the cut. He watched in morbid fascination as the crimson smeared as he ran a finger across the line. His heart was racing as he pressed the warmed metal into his arm once more, running the piece parallel to the other cut. This time, he made sure to put more pressure and the blood came to the surface that much faster.

"I think he's in here, dude." Finn's voice filtered through the door. Kurt's eyes widened. Shit. He scrambled to his feet, turning on the sink and running his bloodied wrist underneath the stream. Kurt stowed the blade in his pocket and grabbed his bag. "Kurt?" He listened as something was torn away from the door.

"Yeah, I'm in here." His voice was surprisingly calm. Kurt stuck his left hand in his pocket, keeping his wrist flush with his hip.

The door opened and Finn's face appeared, "Dude, you're still here?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at his stepbrother, "Where else would I go? Does 'I'm stuck in the bathroom. Help.' mean anything to you?" He questioned sarcastically.

Puck came up from behind Finn, "Sorry man. Glee was pretty important so we couldn't leave."

Kurt's eyes widened, "And you didn't think that you'd need to go help one of your members so that he could hear this important news?" Finn and Puck exchanged a dumbfounded look, "Did anyone else even suggest trying to help me?"

"Well, no. I saw some other people check their phones, but they might not have read the message." Finn shrugged, "Doesn't matter now, dude. We should head out."

Kurt ignored the tears forming and opted instead to press his wrist into his side, reveling in the sting, "Yeah. Doesn't matter." Kurt followed his brother and Puck out into the parking lot where they parted ways with the mohawked teen and got into Kurt's Navigator.

"Sorry, dude." Finn said from the passenger seat.

"Sorry for what?" Kurt asked in a monotone voice.

Finn huffed, "Look, I can tell you're pissed. I'm just saying I'm sorry I didn't come try to get you. It's just that Rachel was singing and then Mr. Schue was going over our songs for Sectionals and-"

"He was doing Sectionals songs?"

Kurt noticed Finn shrink back at his tone, "Well, yeah. Everyone was giving our suggestions and-"

"Just stop, Finn. I don't give a shit." Kurt said as he parked the car. Finn gave him a questioning look seeing as though Kurt rarely cursed, but he just really didn't want to hear anymore. He knew he wasn't a valued member of the New Directions, but he should have been able to be there to get his two cents in. It wasn't fair at all. Kurt turned off the car and jumped out of the vehicle, slamming the door and stalking through the yard and to the house.

"Hey, boys. How was school?"

"Good, Mom." Finn responded before bounding up the stairs to his room.

Carole glanced at him, "How about you, sweetie? How was school?"

Kurt thought for a moment. The blade in his pocket seemed to be burning a whole in his jeans. He remembered the realization of being able to block out the numbness by just the slice of a pencil sharpeners blade. The rush of being able to control what he felt on his own terms. With a small smile, he turned to his stepmother, "Enlightening."

"That's nice. Well, dinner is going to be ready soon." She told him, turning to stir something in a pot.

"I think I'm going to skip. Sorry, Carole."

She turned a worrying look at him, "Are you sick?"

"No, no. I just ate a big lunch off school grounds." He lied, "I'm not very hungry. Plus, I have a ton of homework." That part was true, though he had no intention of doing it.

"Okay." She seemed relieved, "Well, I'll save you some if you change your mind."

Kurt nodded, "Where's Dad?"

Carole rolled her eyes fondly, "Working overtime at the shop."

"Of course." Kurt started to back out of the kitchen, "Well, I'm going to go get started on my homework."

"Alright." She turned her back to resume cooking. Kurt hiked his bag up on his shoulder, wincing slightly at the soreness and went upstairs to his room. He missed his old basement room, but when Carole and Finn moved in, there just wasn't enough room for them all. Luckily, Kurt had beaten Finn at a game of rock paper scissors and gotten the slightly larger room with the en suite bathroom while Finn had to use the hall bathroom. Kurt stepped into his pristine room and locked the door behind him. He then proceeded to the dark bathroom, flicking on the light as he entered. He sat himself on the side of the tub, leaning back so he could pull out the blade from his pants pocket. Kurt sat there for a while, fighting in an internal conflict with himself before telling the figurative angel on his shoulder to fuck off and he dug the metal into his wrist.

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"It's not working." Kurt hissed to himself. It had worked for a few weeks, but now… "Why isn't it working?" He pressed in further, waiting for the bite of the blade to overcome him… It didn't. Frustrated, Kurt threw the razor across the room. "Fuck." He cursed, rinsing the cuts in the sink. Kurt felt disgusted as he ran a finger over the latticework of scars, some fresh and some several weeks old.

"Dude, we're gonna be late to glee unless you get your ass moving!" Finn called through the door. There was a last minute glee club meeting that was called to order by Mr. Schue, so everyone had to go back to school late.

"Thanks, Finn…"

Kurt wrapped his arm up in gauze and taped it into place. He donned his jacket and slipped on his shoes before exiting his room, running straight into Finn, "You good, dude? You look kinda pale."

Kurt walked past him, "I'm always pale, Finn."

"Don't be a bitch, man. I was just seeing if you were alright."

"Language." Kurt's father admonished as he walked into the den where Carole was watching television, "You boys heading out?"

"Glee club meeting." Finn supplied, "We'll be back later."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "Alright. We'll order some pizza and y'all can have the leftovers."

A huge grin formed on Finn's face, "Yes!" He fist pumped the air.

Kurt huffed, grabbing Finn's wrist, "You're the one complaining about us being late, so come on." He said as they walked out to the car.

They bantered back and forth the whole ride to school. Finn was convinced that Mr. Schuester was having an affair with Coach Beiste since they were so close, but Kurt thought he was being ridiculous. They parked in the middle of the lot and got out of the car. The two were halfway to the school when Kurt noticed he'd left his cell phone in the car, "Shoot. I forgot my phone. Go ahead."

Finn looked around the near vacant lot and seemed worried since it was dark, "I'll come back with you."

"Finn." Kurt breathed, slightly frustrated, "I'm a big boy. I can go to the car and get my own phone without you hovering over me."

"Hey, I'm just trying to protect you." The taller boy defended.

Kurt didn't bother retaliating as he turned his back on his brother, going to his car. When he was almost there, he turned to see Finn stalking through the side door. Good, he thought. He hated acting like that to Finn seeing as though he was just trying to be a good brother, but his nerves were on end since cutting had been losing it's effect bit by bit.

"Hey." Kurt turned, looking towards where he heard the voice.

"Hello?"

Brett hopped out of a tree, landing shakily, "Yo, wassup man!"

Kurt rolled his eyes at the redhead, "I should have known it was you. I could smell you from a mile away."

"Wha-?" He asked, bringing a joint to his lips and inhaling, causing the tip to burn a bright orange color.

Kurt blinked away from the boy, "I told you once and I'll tell you again." He started, "You smell homeless, Brett. Homeless." Kurt turned, continuing to his car to retrieve his phone.

"You want a hit?" He asked once Kurt shut the door of his car, pocketing his phone.

"A hit?" Kurt questioned.

Brett gave him a goofy smile, "Yeah, here." He took Kurt's hand and put the burning stick of weed in between his two fingers, "There. Now bring it up and breath in through your mouth."

"I don't know…" Kurt was thinking about handing it back and fleeing to the choir room.

"It's awesome man. It's so calming and it'll make ya feel good." He persisted. Kurt nibbled his lower lip for a moment before bringing the strange smelling joint to his lips, "Breathe it in, but hold the smoke in your lungs for a bit."

Kurt eyed him, but did as the stoner said. It was a strange sensation feeling the smoke filling his lungs. He felt a tickle at the back of his throat that caused him to cough, bringing the smoke back up and out of his mouth and nose, circling around him in a cloud. He waited a moment, "I-I don't feel anything." He admitted, rolling the stick between his fingers.

"Takes more than one hit to do anything." Brett reached into his pocket, pulling out another joint, "You can have this one for free." He handed Kurt the blunt, "You like my shit and we can talk prices." Once those words left his mouth, Kurt's brain finally started to function. He was outside school smoking weed with the resident stoner!

"Oh, I don't-" Kurt started, but Brett cut him off by pressing the joint into his lips and lighting it. Kurt breathed in, feeling the slight burn of the smoke tingling in his throat. Brett had started walking away so Kurt followed him. They sat against the side of the school, each smoking their respective joints. After several more drags, Kurt started to feel as if he was floating. "Brett! Brett, the sky isn't black." He told the other boy, shaking him slightly, "It's like- purpley with blue…" Kurt turned to see Brett had passed out, "Boo, you suck." Kurt leaned his head back against the cold brick when his phone started to vibrate in his pocket, "Ah!" He screamed, jumping up and pulling the phone out of his jeans. It said something about Finn calling, so he swiped his thumb across the phone and pressed answer, "Finn!"

"Kurt, where are you man?" He asked, sounding slightly pissed.

"Finn, you have to come outside. It's important!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but you have to see what I'm seeing right now." He told him. For some reason, it was very important for Finn to see the color of the sky right then.

"Okay, I'll be out in a sec. Stay where you are."

"Gotcha." Kurt ended the call and craned his neck back to look at the sky. He brought his hand up to his face to take another hit, but the joint was gone. He frowned, staring at his hand like it would materialize there when an overly warm hand came to rest on his shoulder, "Finn!" Kurt turned to look at his brother who was wearing a confused expression on his face. He must have been trying to get Kurt's attention before, but it was like he had tunnel senses. He was concentrating on his hand, so everything around him was tuned out. "Finn, look." Kurt pointed at the sky.

His brother turned his head up to look where Kurt was pointing, "What is it?"

"I used to think that the sky was black at night, but it's not. It's purple, Finn. Purple." Kurt's voice was serious as he continued to stare at the sky and the brightly lit stars.

"Are you okay, dude?" Finn must have been waiting for Kurt to answer, but he was just way too busy finding pictures in the stars, "We're going home."

Kurt blinked, looking over to his super tall brother, "Finally! I'm so fucking hungry." His stomach growling seconded his statement. He could feel Finn's eyes on him as they got to the car.

Kurt made to get in the drivers seat, but was stopped by Finn, "I'm driving."

"You can't drive my baby, Finn!" Kurt exclaimed when the keys were taken from his hand.

"I'm driving if you don't want me to tell mom and Burt about whatever is up with you." He threatened. Kurt opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. His high was already starting to wear off and he was ravenous.

He got into the passenger seat and crossed his arms over his chest. Neither spoke the whole way home since Kurt was distracted by the fast moving objects rushing past his window. The second the car parked, Kurt unbuckled his seatbelt and practically fell out of the car in his desperation for food. Unfortunately, the door was locked. Kurt turned to his stepbrother who was going way too damn slow for his liking, "Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn!" He kept saying his name until Finn unlocked the door, allowing Kurt to enter the house. He went straight to the refrigerator, pulling out the cold pizza box and ripping it open. He pulled out a slice and started to devour it while grabbing another piece as backup once he was done. The flavors burst into his mouth; the spiciness from the pepperoni with the herbaceous tomato sauce was like a symphony for his taste buds. "Oh my God, Finn." He turned to see his brother staring at him with wide eyes, "This is amazing!" He said around a mouthful of pizza, "You want some?" He used his free hand to hold out a slice of deliciousness.

Finn shook his head, "I kinda lost my appetite watching you scarf all that down."

Kurt frowned, looking down to see that there was no more pizza left, "Sorry, Finn." Kurt swallowed what he had in his mouth, putting the last piece back in the box before reopening the fridge and grabbing a soda to wash it all down. "I should go to my bed now, right?" Kurt asked, yawning.

Finn didn't say a word. He just walked over to Kurt and grabbed his hand, leading him up the stairs and to Kurt's room. "Sleep." He ordered. Kurt nodded, falling on the bed and curling up immediately. He felt the covers being pulled over him and then darkness surrounded him.

He woke up at around nine in the morning with a dry mouth to rival the Sahara Desert. Kurt was glad that it was Saturday so he wouldn't have to deal with school. He peeked his head out the door, listening for any sounds coming from downstairs. Kurt walked down and into the kitchen, pulling out the jug of orange juice and pouring a huge glass of it. Once about half of it was gone, Finn came around the corner. He leaned against the doorframe with a knowing look on his face. "What?" Kurt asked once the glass was empty.

"Don't 'what' me, dude. You were high last night." Kurt was about to deny it when Finn cut him off, "I know what high looks like. I've seen Puck looking like that before."

Kurt glanced down, "I won't do it again." He wasn't sure if that was going to turn out as a lie or not, "I was just trying it."

Finn gave him a sympathetic look, "I get it. I've tried it before too. Just, let me know if you do, okay?" Kurt nodded. Finn walked past him and grabbed the orange juice, pouring himself a glass before walking away. Kurt sighed, sagging against the counter. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and realized that he never changed out of his clothes from the night before. Kurt thanked whoever was up there that his dad and Carole hadn't seen him as he made his way up the stairs and back into his room. He pulled out his phone to see he had one new text message from an unknown number.

From: Unknown

To: Kurt

Yo Hummel. you want 2 buy some bud? I got some other shit if your interested.

Kurt read and reread the text a few times. He tried to prevent himself from sending back a text with all of the spelling errors pointed out. It's you're not your! Ignoring the awful grammar, he looked past it all the errors. He felt that feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him not to answer, to ignore the message and forget it all. Another text came in, distracting him from his musings.

From: Rachel

To: Kurt

I find your complete and utter lack of caring when it comes to the glee club to be appalling. How many times are you planning on skipping Glee? I understand that you're not a major member in the group, but we still need our numbers for Sectionals! I expected more from you.

Kurt grit his teeth. It wasn't his fault he couldn't make it to glee club a few weeks ago. He was locked in the damn bathroom and no one had the decency to walk down the hall and get him until the meeting was over! He deleted the message and went to the other message that he presumed was from Brett. He added the contact and went to reply.

To: Brett

From: Kurt

Where do you want to meet?

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Druggie!Kurt won in the polls by one point! I hope that I do this fic justice. I've been researching some information so that I can make the next chapters realistic. So, if something that I write about isn't right, just let me know so I can work on it! :) And don't worry, Blaine will be in this story within the next few chapters. The title came from the song Falling by The Civil Wars. :)