I got this idea from a review.
William Schuester knew from the first day of school that Kurt Hummel did not have friends. He wasn't making friends when he stood by the dumpsters with the jocks before school. Mr. Schuester knew as well as anyone that Kurt was being thrown into the dumpsters every morning. He knew that Kurt was just begging for someone to call the jocks out on it. For them to actually get in trouble for their torture. As much as Will wants to do something, he cannot bring himself to. It's not as if he dislikes Kurt because he really admires the way the boy is able to put up with the pain coming his way. It's just that he can't bring himself to tell Finn off, and it wouldn't be fair to punish all the torturers besides Finn, so he just does nothing.
So, when he sees Kurt standing at the dumpster surrounded by boys twice as large as himself, he doesn't acknowledge the obvious. Instead, he simply says, "Hey, Kurt. Still making friends, I see." And goes on his merry way. He pretends not to feel the boy's eyes burning into the back of his neck. He pretends not to notice the boys silent plea for help. He pretends like he doesn't see the small boy lifted off the ground and tossed into the dumpster.
And he continues his day.
Emma Pillsbury knew from day one that working in a high school with a slushy machine would not be a good idea, but the big problem didn't start until one Kurt Hummel started WMHS. Noah Puckerman bought a slushy from the machine. Emma smiled at the thought of a kid enjoying the machine for once, but that whole thought washed out when she say the colored ice flying into Kurt's face. He sputtered and tried to hide the tears that escaped his eyes. Instead of helping, she goes to her office and talks to Brittany who had kept a bird in her locker for some period of time. She does nothing to help the poor kid with no one that understood.
So, when she sees one of the football players walking down the hall with a slushy, she doesn't act on the obvious. She wishes she would have interfered, but she didn't. Instead, she swiftly walked to her office. She pretends not to hear the slushy make contact with it's target. She pretends not to hear the sounds of the target's anger and sadness. She pretends that she didn't hear everyone laughing at the poor boy.
And she goes to her office where a new box of hand sanitizer awaits her.
Sue Sylvester knows what the sound of something hitting a locker sounds like. She knows from her experience of pushing the innocent into them. When a big football or hockey player walks by, she knows to expect that sound. She knows who the victim is. Who it always is. Kurt Hummel. She could, and should, have turned around and yelled at the bullies, but who was she to judge? She was as much as a bully as any of them, and she prided herself on it. She did nothing. Instead, she heads towards William Schuester's room to make fun of his awful hair.
So, when she walks David Karofsky heading in the total opposite direction of his locker, she does absolutely nothing. If she had any idea what not doing anything would've caused, she would've turned right around and dragged Karofsky to her office by his ear, but she didn't. She pretends not to hear the sound of boy hitting locker. She pretends not to hear said boy's hiss of pain. She pretends not to hear the jocks cheering.
And she stalks towards Figgin's intent on getting rid of Glee Club.
Everyone hears the names thrown at Kurt. His friends do nothing, they attempt to comfort him, but it gets them no where. Because he knows none of them mean it. Others just ignore the names. They continue their day as if there isn't someone thoroughly hurt by the comments. Some actually have the nerve to laugh. That hurts Kurt, but not as deep as it hurts when he sees one of his friends laughing. They do nothing. Instead, they leave him alone to weep in the bathroom.
So, when a group of boys go by calling him "homo", "Queer","Fag", no one pretends to care about the boy's feelings anymore. In fact, some are under the impression he doesn't have feelings. They pretend not the hear the words. They pretend not to hear the feminine sobs coming from the boy's bathroom. They pretend not to see the obviously hurt boy.
And they don't even bother to pretend to care anymore.
No one is surprised when Figgins holds an assembly. No one is really shocked when he announces that Kurt Hummel, the boy everyone has seen, but pretends not to, has committed suicide.
They all feel guilt because they know it's all their fault.
Because they could've done something.
Whoa. Intense
R&R?