"I'm telling you, the boy is crazy about you, Kurt," Mercedes assured him. They were walking along the tree-lined walkways of Dalton, back in a secluded corner of the campus.
"You really think so?" Kurt asked doubtfully. "There it is. Blaine showed me this, even though I'm not supposed to know about it until Junior year." He pointed to a small gatehouse.
"Fascinating," Mercedes said dismissively. "You're turning into a regular worker drone in this place, aren't you?" At Kurt's startled look, she shrugged and indicated his uniform. "You look like everybody else. Getting into their weird little rituals and rules. I'm not sure I recognize you."
"I'm still me no matter how I'm dressed, Mercedes," he said irritably. "Maybe you don't recognize me because I'm not sticking out of a locker or dripping with slushie - - or because I'm actually happy."
"You saying you were never happy at McKinley?" Mercedes demanded, hurt. "You know I was your friend all along. Don't forget about that because you have new friends now. Or because you have a boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend, Mercedes. And - -"
"Sh," Mercedes said, frowning and turning around. "You hear that? Somebody arguing."
"I know we are - - " Kurt cut off, recognizing one of the voices. Followed by Mercedes, he climbed over a stone wall and walked cautiously to the gatehouse, and peeped around the corner, where he gasped and stared a heart-broken moment with Mercedes' sympathetic hand on his arm.
"Oh, Kurt - -" she whispered before he shook off her hand and ran back the way they came, with Mercedes struggling to catch up.