Kurt awoke Monday morning to his sister's voice echoing around his room. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table that read 7:00. He threw his covers off and went to the half open bathroom door that was spilling steam from the hot shower. His thin frame shivered as the hot steam met his cold skin.
"You know I love your singing sis, but why are you using my bathroom when you have a huge bathroom attached to your bedroom?"
"Good morning!" his sister said happily poking her head around the shower curtain.
Her short brown hair was plastered to her forehead and he almost laughed until water began dripping off her chin and onto the floor.
"Katie please," Kurt said snatching a towel from the closed toilet seat and hurrying to dry the water. Katie raised an eyebrow at him and then pulling her head back into the shower.
"How long you think you can keep your secret from dad when you are rushing to clean up spilled water on tile?"
The sarcastic edge to her voice made Kurt smile, but she was right. He was a senior now and the fact that he was gay was presenting itself more and more. His room was a soft, pastel, almost-white-but-not-really pink, and his bathroom was white. Both were always spotless, and his walls were plastered with magazine pictures of shoes, tops and tight leather pants on male models. Luckily he had a lock on his door, not that his father came into his room ever anyway. There were two keys. He had one, and Katie had the other. Neither ever let the keys out of their sight.
"Dad's new girlfriend has been in the shower for almost two hours," Katie spat.
Her voice had changed instantly from happy about their first day of senior year, to anger and annoyance. The reactions from Kurt and Katie about Martha had been polar opposites. Kurt loved spending hours doing girly things with Martha, and Katie enjoyed staying locked in her room when Martha was around, which was becoming more and more frequent. Their father was absolutely clueless about the mutual hatred between his daughter and his girlfriend. Though Kurt really liked Martha, he had long ago made a pact with Katie to always be there for her and visa versa, so he had since ceased his outings with Martha. Now she was and evil witch to both of them.
His thoughts were interrupted by the water shutting off. Katie's arm appeared around the shower curtain and ripped the towel down with more force than was really necessary and disappeared behind the curtain. Seconds later the curtain was pushed back and Katie emerged from the tub, towel wrapped and dripping.
"I'm sure dad will come to his senses eventually," Kurt assured his sister patting her on the shoulder.
"Yeah right. Just like he will be ok that you are gay," she said sarcastically.
He glared at her and turned to leave. Katie hurried after him into the bedroom.
"Kurt I'm sorry."
She grabbed his arm so he spun to face her. Her face was downcast.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just frustrated with Martha, and dad and-" but her sentence stopped.
Kurt looked up at her and saw the same face she had made when she had told Finn how she felt about him at the end of last year. She looked like she was going to cry. Kurt wrapped his long arms around her trembling frame.
"Katie relax. He probably doesn't even remember what you said last year," he assured her. "He is just a stupid jock."
"A gorgeous, stupid jock with an amazing voice," Katie sighed miserably into Kurt's neck.
"Touché," he said good naturedly. "Come on. We are going to be late."
Katie smiled at her brother and nodded. She walked out of his bedroom in her towel and dripping. The realization that the girl he just hugged was wet suddenly hit him like a football to the face. He looked down at his satin pajamas and sighed.
"I guess she's more important than my satin," he sighed dramatically to himself.
He turned to his closet after Katie left and surveyed his vast array of clothing, shoes and stylish sunglasses. Every morning was such a hard decision for him. He knew he had it hardest in the house. Katie didn't have anywhere near the amount of clothing he had. She could fit all her clothes and accessories in one medium sized cardboard box, and her two pairs of shoes in a small box.
He pulled out a blue t-shirt with sunglasses on it and white pants. He slid his Gucci sunglasses on just as a scream came from down the hall. Kurt turned on his heel and darted out into the hall. Katie and Martha were inches from each other's noses screaming in pitches only dogs could hear. He hurried down the hall and easily pushed between the two shouting women.
"Easy ladies!" he shouted, but neither woman seemed to care what he had to say.
It was all Kurt could do to stand with both arms outspread holding one shoulder of each of the women.
"Dad!" he yelled down the stair well. "Dad get up here and get your girlfriend under control!"
It only took a few seconds for their father to make it up the stairs and grab Martha's arm. Kurt let go of Martha's shoulder and turned to his sister.
"Katie relax. Think of soothing words. Gucci, Prada, Ev-"
"My relaxing words aren't the same as yours Kurt!" Katie yelled at him before trying to push around him to get at Martha.
"As long as you live here leave me and my things along!" Katie yelled at Martha.
She then turned to Kurt and said, "Lets go. I don't want to be late for my first day as a senior."
She stormed down the stairs and was out the door before Kurt even had time to get his bag. He dashed from his room, past his father and Martha and out the door. Katie was already at the corner when Kurt caught up to her.
"What just happened?" he asked falling into step along side her.
He looked closely at her and saw tears trailing down her face. He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. Her green eyes shone bright and her cheeks were flushed. He watched tears roll down her cheeks as she pulled a dripping wet picture out of her pocket. Kurt took it and looked at the smeared images. Only by the wash of colors, could he tell it was the one of him, their mother, and Katie in the park when He and Katie were 8 years old. His mouth fell open as he asked, "How did this happen?"
Katie sniffed before she answered.
"Martha," Katie hissed venomously. "She said she was looking at it and took it in the bathroom with her when she was going to take a shower, and she forgot and left it on the sink. She said the steam did this to it, but there is no way it could get this damaged because of steam," she finished as she stared at the dripping image.
Kurt's brow furrowed as he tried desperately to make out the face of their deceased mother. Finally he handed the now useless picture back to his sister and slid an arm around her waist.
"It was probably an accident," Kurt said solemnly.
Katie stopped and turned to him. "Do you really believe that?" she asked stiffly.
He scrutinized her futures for half a second then responded.
"No."
And that's how that conversation ended.
They walked the rest of the way to school arm and arm and silent. As soon as they reached the school grounds, they were met with excited yells from friends and enemy's alike. The entire football team, besides Finn and Puck flew in like a flock of vultures.
"How's it goen' Kurtsy?" one tall guy asked.
Kurt didn't answer, just continued to walk. The tall kid jumped in front of Kurt and Katie and stopped them with a hand on Kurt's chest. Katie, who already was annoyed about Martha's little escapade that morning, stepped between the tall guy and her brother.
"Back up Riley," she said.
She had to look straight up to see the football player's face, but she was not deterred.
"Oh getting little sis to front for you?" asked the tall running back, a smile pulling at the left corner of his lip.
"I have no problem with that," said Kurt holding his head high.
"Neither do I," Katie said lightly shoving Riley back a step.
Riley seemed surprised Katie had moved him so easily. He stepped straight up to Katie bending over so his nose was almost against hers.
"Then neither do I," Riley said smiling.
