Author's Note: I use the term "faggot" and "fag" in this story. I hate to do that because it bothers me when people say that. However, it was Karofsky thinking and/or saying it. I don't mean to offend anyone. Please think about that. Kurt is my utmost favorite character EVER in television history. He's so damn cute, dontcha think? I'm in love with the kid. : P I'm Chris's biggest fan and he has no idea of this.

I wrote this because I've read so many stories about Karofsky killing Kurt, about him beating him to a pulp, about him doing this and that to my Kurt. I dunno. I don't think he would kill Kurt. I think he would beat him up, but why? Why would he do that? There must be an underlying reason for that. Read to find out!

Afterwards, REVIEW. I'm serious. I need themz reviewzzzzz! : D

Un-beta'd... Ignore any typos or grammatical errors. : P

It was after football and hockey practice one evening. Dave Karofsky had just re-dressed in his street clothes after had taken a shower. The other guys were already gone. Azimio had left about ten minutes ago, not wanting to wait on him any longer. Karofsky liked to take his time since his father was probably waiting at home for him, drunk as can be and ready to use him as a punching bag. He looked at the bruises on his chest before sliding on his shirt and grunting, a Karofsky version of a sigh.

Eventually he realized he wasn't alone. That faggot Kurt Hummel had the gall to enter his locker room, in his Cheerios garb. He was humming "Free-Falling" by Tom Petty. Karofsky sneered. There was no Finn, no Puck, and no Mike or Matt to stop him from beating him up.

"Hey, fairy. What the hell are you doing in my locker room?"

"Excuse me?" Kurt had said, taken aback by the fact that he was alone with Karofsky... He was going to die.

"You heard me."

"I have just as much of a right to be in here as you. I need to change." He tried to look brave, but his pale blue-green eyes showed fear.

Karofsky slunk forward closer to him, pressing Kurt against the wall.

"You're asking for a beating. Is that it, Hummel?" His mouth twisted in an evil little smirk, his lips parting to reveal a row of yellowish teeth, perfect for the bad guy. Kurt's horror and disgust made his nose wrinkle and his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Wait," he said softly, his voice shaking. "Why do you want to hurt me?"

What? Karofsky was about to slam that fist into his face, but instead lowered the arm to his side.

"Because. Fags don't need to be watching me get dressed. It'll make you horny or somethin'."

Kurt couldn't rolled on the floor laughing. Though he didn't.

"Do you really believe that? Or is it because I'm different." Kurt's eyebrows knitted together.

"Why the hell do I have to explain to a fairy like you."

"Spitting out rude names at me won't help you feel like a man. Look at me, Karofsky. I'm five-foot seven, I weigh one-hundred and twenty pounds... what could I beating me senseless do to your self-esteem?" He crossed his arms, trying to hide the fact that his throat was as dry as cotton and that he was shaking violent with fear. "I'm not going to retaliate. I can't hit you back. I'm weak, defenseless. How can this help you feel tough? How does this make you more of a man?"

Karofksy thought about this. Hummel had a point. He hated to admit that, but he did.

He sat down on a bench and Kurt watched him carefully move away from him. He sighed to himself.

"I don't know," mumbled the beast of a guy, hunching over and resting his arms on his legs. He put his palms together and rubbed them nervously back and forth.

"Pardon me?" said Kurt, not hearing what he said.

"I said that I don't know!" His voice rose in tone and Kurt jumped a bit. "I don't know how beating you up makes me more of a man."

He had already admitted too much. Kurt moved to looked directly at him, standing in front of him. His shadow crossed over the other guy who was emabaressed that Kurt was getting him to talk.

"Listen. I may not be your most favorite person on this Earth, Karofsky... but whatever it is that makes you, well, a jerk... you can tell me. I won't say anything, I promise you that. I won't do anything. And if you want to hit me afterwards, fine. Just avoid my face."

"Why should I tell you anything?" He spat, venom dripping off his tongue.

"You don't have to. It's just it seems like you need to talk. I doubt Ms. Pilsbury would know anything about the gravity of your situation. I may not either, but I would probably understand more than her." He ran his fingers through his soft brunette hair, looking down at the boy on the bench.

"My dad," Karofsky mumbled. Kurt understood what he said, but barely. "This whole bully thing started in 4th grade 'cause my mom left my dad and dad started getting drunk and violent."

Kurt knew something had to be happening on his home front, but he wasn't sure what. He sat down daintily on the floor. Dave watched him do it and wanted to say something, but he was feeling like utter crap and was too tired to say anything about how graceful he sat down.

"He liked to beat up me and my sister Ginger. She is a weak girl 'cause her heart isn't strong enough. Mostly me though. He punched me in the gut all the time and broke a few ribs once. Dad made me tell the doc that I feel down the stairs at my house. I live in a freaking trailer. I don't have stairs."

Kurt nodded, hanging onto every last word that Karofsky was saying.

"This happened a lot. All through grade school. I was made fun of 'cause I was a really big kid, chubby and shit. They called me fat, ugly, whatever little brats call each other." He gave another Karofsky grunt/sigh, rubbing his hands together once more. Kurt could tell that this was hard for him to admit since he had been looking at a piece of smashed, dried gum on the floor for awhile now.

"I started beatin' them up a lot. Soon I got to where everyone was afraid and it felt awesome. I'd always beat up the new kids and anyone that didn't follow me or whatever. I was the king. Like, they all feared me or helped me beat up the other kids."

It was starting to make sense why Kurt was a target for Karofsky. Kurt was different... he was gay. Karofsky didn't like different, didn't like change.

"Highschool came around, you guys started that glee-club thing. I hated it 'cause that's really gay. Finn and Puck joining it? What the hell? It was messing up the whole jock/nerd thing. I'm not cool with that." He stared at Kurt then, a serious glare but Kurt had nothing to fear because it wasn't a death glare, just serious and a bit scary. Kurt nodded.

A moment of silence passed, but eventually Kurt chimed in.

"Dave," he began. Karofsky never heard his first name mentioned. He looked up at Kurt, not sure if he should slap him for saying that or what. Since when were they on a first name basis? Whatever. He let Kurt talk. He didn't want to, and everything in his head was screaming kick his ass! But he didn't act on it. "Are you confident in yourself?"

"Hell yeah!" He said, defensively.

"That was a rhetorical question."

"What?"

"Nevermind." Kurt shook his head, sighing. "If you're confident in yourself, do you reall have to beat me or any of the glee-club up? Let's face it; the glee-club will never be the popular kids. The jocks and those others in your group will always be number 1, always the most popular. Feared and the things that people aspire to be. You don't need to prove it. Violence doesn't solve anything. Look at Vietnam. You've learned about that, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"What was solved there?"

Karofsky shrugged, not getting the point.

"Nothing. Nothing was solved. Fighting doesn't solve anything. What if your sister Ginger, was it? What if Ginger was about to jump off a ledge? Would you punch her to get her to stay on the ground? Or would you talk to her? Would you tell her how much you loved her?"

He nodded once, curtly. Kurt cracked a bit of a smile.

"Exactly my point. You'll always be top-dog, Glee will never become popular. Be confident in yourself, your status, and just let the others who are different be. I will never change the way I am. I'm sorry. If I could-since it would mean not being ridiculed and such-I probably would. I'm proud of who I am regardless because I know I can't change. I tried. I failed. That may sound very greeting-card to you, and this may as well, but be proud of who you are. I may not be a good judge of this, but be a man. Be a man for Ginger and be a man for your future wife, whatever. You hurting others to make you feel more confident is rediculous. It never solves anything and your blood is on their hands. It will lead to jail. Do you know what happens in jail, Dave? Have you ever heard tell 'don't drop the soap'? There will be worse things than 'fags watching you get dressed', I assure you."

Kurt stood then. Karofsky followed suit, towering over the boy.

"If you tell anyone about this. I mean anyone, I will murderyou. You got that, Hummel?" Karofsky held his fist up. Kurt nodded, touching his arm gently and putting the fit down to his side.

"I won't, I promise. I don't need my face broken. Just remember what I said. Excuse me, I have to go get dressed."

He took his duffel bag of clothes into another part of the locker room, leaving Karofsky standing there, staring at nothing.

Maybe Hummel was right, after all, he mused. I don't want to go to jail...

He shrugged, gathering his things and leaving the locker room. As he walked to his beat-up red Ford, he thought about that conversation.

Maybe...he wasn't such a bad guy afterall.

Maybe.

I better read some reviews! HEY! Anyone who cares needs to check out my Puck story. It's my favorite one I've written so far. : D I think it sounds like Puck... : P

BUT REVIEW. GOOD, BAD, WHATEVER. JUST DO IT! : DDDDD