I'm Afraid.
Based on 2x08, "Furt"
"I'm going to kill you."
The words rang through Kurt's ears. It seemed like only yesterday when the threat was made to him by resident high school bully, Dave Karofsky. Kurt could clearly remember the moment and it haunted him.
Usually bullies like Karofsky didn't phase Kurt. In his mind, Kurt knew those bullies didn't have anything better to do and picked on him for being in Glee Club. But Karofsky was different. Karofsky had been his first kiss and he had ruined it.
Kurt didn't like to admit it, but Karofsky terrified him. He hated that at any given moment Karofsky could round a corner in the halls and shove him into another locker or kiss him again. Kurt couldn't read Karofsky like the open book he once thought the meat-headed jock was. Now he was a closeted meat-headed jock.
Kurt pushed the thoughts from that fateful day back in the boys' locker room and tried to compose himself. He sighed heavily before gazing at Blaine's portrait taped to the inside of Kurt's locker door, pushing all those thoughts aside. Right now, he had to concentrate on planning his father's wedding. Burt Hummel had been dating Carole for a good couple months and even a blockhead like Finn could see the two were deeply in love. It was no real surprise when the two parents sprung the news that they were getting married. It was also no surprise that Kurt was left in charge of planning the entire wedding. After all, Kurt had had lots of experience with fashion and interior design. Not to mention his Power Ranger weddings when he was a toddler.
Kurt rummaged through his small locker for his wedding planning notebook, which he seemed to misplace.
"Lookin' for something, Homo?"
Kurt turned to face the voice insulting him, only to find the towering Karofsky standing over him. He stared into the eyes of the chubby jock, who was glaring back at him. It was almost as if Karofsky's stare was piercing right through the smaller man and the idea terrified Kurt. He was genuinely afraid. Kurt's eyes trailed down from the bully's eyes to a notebook within his large hands. It was Kurt's wedding plan notebook.
"D-Did you break into my locker to get that?" Kurt asked, stumbling over his words. Karofsky just sneered at Kurt, shoving the notebook back into Kurt's hands. Karofsky continued to stare as he made himself uncomfortably closer to Kurt.
The infamous words Karofsky uttered the week before replayed once more in Kurt's head.
"See you later, Homo," Karofsky grinned, walking away nonchalantly. Kurt let out a shaky breath, unknowingly holding his breath during the entire encounter.
"Kurt?"
Kurt flinched. He turned around to look into the eyes of a kinder person. Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Blaine. What're you doing here?"
Blaine smiled wide, ear to ear, "Here to see you, of course. Remember we had plans to go over your ideas for your parents' wedding?"
Kurt just smiled at the hunky private school boy and nodded. "Right."
"You okay?" Blaine asked, his face scrunched a bit in concern. Kurt could tell that his facial expression was still full of fear, so he quickly masked it with a confident grin. He had to push those feelings away. At least for now. He couldn't be afraid.
"I'm fine."
Karofsky was quite pleased with himself. Even though he had completely messed up by giving into his urges and had kissed "Homo Hummel", he knew that fear was the best way to keep the "little fag in check" as he called it. Karofsky hadn't told anyone about what happened on that day and he had to make damn sure Kurt wouldn't tell anyone either.
"Hey! Karofsky!" a voice called out, angry. Karofsky looked up from his locker to see one so-called badass jock, Noah Puckerman, calling out to him from down the hall.
"What do you want, Puckerman?" Karofsky asked, slamming his locker shut.
"Y'know, if I wasn't on probation I would kick your ass. Right here, right now."
"Oh, I'm so scared!"
"You better be scared! You lay a finger on Kurt, I'll break that finger and every other bone in your body. He might be a total homo but he's one of us and when you mess with us, you best be ready for a shit-storm coming your way."
Karofsky knew Puck was only bluffing. "Really? And what would your parole officer have to say about that?"
Puck just grinned. "Heck, with brainiacs and nerdlingers in the Glee Club, I'm sure they'll think of a way to erase any and all evidence I happen to leave behind."
Fear suddenly entered Karofsky's mind. He knew Puck was right. Karofsky might've been a total badass, but even he knew he couldn't handle the full wrath of the Glee guys. Especially if they could get away with it.
Puck just smirked. "Looks like I'm finally getting the message across. I'll say it one more time: Lay off Kurt. If I even hear about you picking on him, I'm coming for you." Puck turned his back and left, leaving Karofsky feeling not as confident as before.
"He said he'd kill me if I told anyone."
"Told anyone what?"
Karofsky looked at Kurt, pleading with his eyes not to tell. It seemed like Kurt got the message, lying to protect Karofsky from humiliation.
"Just... That he was picking on me."
Karofsky sighed from relief but quickly rebounded. "He's makin' all of this up."
"Oh, is that right?" Kurt's father retorted.
"You have been acting out, David. Now, why would Kurt lie about something like this?" Karofsky's father asked.
Karofsky grinned, "Maybe he likes me."
"I will not have a student threatening the life of another under my watch." Sue the Principal stated. "You're hereby expelled. You're to leave the school immediately."
Karofsky scoffed out of disbelief. Expelled? He followed his father out into the hall.
"David."
Karofsky looked to his father, Paul, who seemed utterly disappointed in his son. "Yeah?"
"Go grab your things out of your locker. We can't do anything about you being expelled today, but I'll make some phone calls to the school board and I'm sure you'll be back in no time."
Karofsky knew he could count on his Dad to back him up in a tough situation. "Thanks, Dad."
"You are treading a mighty fine line, David. I don't want to be called in for something like this ever again."
Karofsky just nodded solemnly before making his way to his locker.
"Hey. Heard you just got expelled."
Karofsky looked up from his nearly empty locker. "Yeah. That little homo told the principal that I threatened to kill him." Karofsky shut his locker and turned his full attention to the jock standing before him.
"Yeah, I heard about that from Finn. Pretty stupid move on your part."
"Whatever. I'll be back for Kurt."
"Right. 'cept you can't now because you're expelled, remember?"
Not for long.
Three Days Later
"How the hell are you back, bro?" One of the jocks called out, patting Karofsky on the back.
"Thought you were gone forever, dude." Another jock joked.
Karofsky just grinned, stuffing all his stuff back into his locker. It was almost as if he wasn't even gone. He felt right back where he belonged: On top of the heap. "I bet Homo Hummel's gonna be pretty damn surprised to see me back here," Karofsky laughed. "Can't wait to see his gay face all scared!"
The guys in the locker room suddenly fell silent. "Dude, you didn't hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Hummel's gone. He left the school yesterday."
Karofsky couldn't believe his ears. "What? What do you mean, 'left the school'?"
Karofsky galloped down the hallways and made his way to Puck's locker.
"Tell me where Kurt is." Karofsky demanded.
Puck grimaced in disgust at the bully standing in front of him. "He's gone."
"What do you mean, 'he's gone'? What happened to him?"
Puck slammed his locker and stepped up to Karofsky. "What's it to you, anyway? He left because you're here! Simple as that!"
Puck's yelling attracted attention from passing students. Karofsky looked out the corner of his eye and saw a few Glee kids standing ready to defend Puck if Karofsky decided to get violent again. Karofsky decided to calmly ask once more: "Where is he?"
"That private school for gay guys. Dalton."
Karofsky left without saying another word. He walked down the halls aimlessly, not really making any eye contact or connection with anyone passing him in the halls.
Kurt gone? How could that be? Karofsky realized then and there that he had taken his bullying too far. At first he was having fun with Kurt and enjoying the turmoil that he was putting Kurt through, but now with Kurt no longer existent in the word of Mckinley High School, what was the point?
At least with Kurt there, Karofsky didn't feel like the only gay kid at the school. But right now, he never felt more alone.
He never felt more afraid.
Author's Note: So I have never been more "over-the-moon" than watching this episode. The wonderfulness of the Finn/Kurt brotherly love and their lovely dance together at the wedding... I really hope this isn't the end of the bullying arc. I want to see more Kurtofsky angst or at least seeing Karofsky coming out of the closet... Anything, really.
And I don't know how I feel about Kurt being in Dalton. On one hand I'm happy that he'll be with Blaine, but now he won't be with his New Directions friends. I'm conflicted, really. Sectionals better be AWESOME. lol