What are you doing, Kurt? were the words pounding in his ears as he pushed himself off of the floor and stormed down the hallway. You have to be the dumbest person in the entire world. Stop it. Stop running after him. You know what happened last time. I know Blaine said to have courage, but there is a big, BIG difference between courage and insanity. And you are crossing the line. Stop. Turn around. Stop.

But Kurt couldn't stop as the followed Dave Karofsky halfway across the school to the boy's locker room. The same locker room they had their first confrontation in. And the confrontation had ended in Kurt's first kiss.

It was that kiss that fueled his anger, making him tell his inner conscience to go jump off a cliff.

He stepped into the locker room and slammed the door behind him with an intensity that made Karofsky turn around.

"What do you want, Hummel?" he asked, slamming his locker door shut and starting to advance towards the door.

"Stop right there, Karofsky." Kurt's voice was stern and laced with anger. "Do not come a step closer."

"Or what?"

"I don't give a damn about male solidarity, Karofsky, and I will kick you so hard you won't be able to walk for a week." Kurt felt taken aback by his own words. Despite the pleasure he would get by driving his Cesare Paciotti dress shoes into the jock's groin and watch him whimper on the floor for once, he never thought he would actually be threatening Karofsky, or anyone. He took a deep breath and played two words over in his head – Courage in Blaine's soft voice and Calm in his father's reassuring tone – before opening his mouth again.

"Just so you know, Blaine is the only person I told. And he's not going to tell anyone."

Karofsky scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine, play ignorant. See if I care. I don't care if or when you come out, but Blaine and I would just like to let you know that we're not going to out you. That's… personal."

"I'm not the gay one here, faggot."

Kurt was finding it increasingly difficult to keep calm, and found himself visualizing punching Karofsky in the face. Mr. Schue was right; I have been getting violent.

"Karofsky, I don't care if you're gay or bisexual or questioning or a fucking unicorn. But Blaine's right. You're not alone. There are groups you can talk to."

Kurt reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He had been secretly admiring the letter all day, skipping past the list of LGBT groups in the Midwest and instead tracing his finger over Blaine's handwriting. The Dalton boy hadn't written anything another than his school email address, and the paper wasn't even meant for Kurt, but the only thing that made him smile all day was the messy cursive scrawl. He felt like a child being forced to give up their security blanket as he tossed the note at Karofsky's feet.

"It's a list of people you can talk to," Kurt said, silently hoping that Karofsky never contacted Blaine, even though his friend had assured him it would be alright if he did.

"I don't want it." Karofsky kicked the piece of paper away. "I don't want to be your friend."

The laughter echoed throughout the locker room, and Karofsky eyed Kurt warily, afraid he had officially been driven insane. Kurt continued his dark, cruel and taunting laugh.

"You really think I'm here to be friends with you? I'm here because I'm hoping the abuse will go back to the way it was before you got scared I would spill your little secret." The bullying had gotten much worse since Blaine had visited. It was considered a good day if Kurt went a full period without getting slushied or knocked to the floor. Kurt stopped his sick laughter, letting the anger for all that beating consume him.

"After everything you've done, everything you've taken from me, you really thought I came in here wanting to be your friend?"

Karofsky turned around and went back to his locker. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never stolen any of your gay shit."

Kurt was livid. "Yes, you did. You took the only thing I've ever cared about. I was willing to put up with everything you and Azimio and everyone else did to me. You drove me off the football team, you ruined my relationship with Finn, and you made me feel unsafe in my own house. But I had this crazy idea of hope, of love, and you just had to go and take that away from me too!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Karofsky yelled.

"YOU TOOK MY FIRST KISS, YOU ASSHOLE!" Kurt could feel his blood boiling. "THE ONLY THING I HAD GOING FOR ME WAS HOPE THAT I'D FALL IN LOVE AND MY FIRST KISS WOULD BE MAGICAL AND PERFECT, AND IT WOULD MAKE UP FOR ALL THE TIMES YOU HIT ME AND HUMILIATED ME AND MADE ME CRY. BUT OBVIOUSLY, JUST LIKE YOU DON'T THINK I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY AT SCHOOL EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, YOU DON'T THINK I DON'T DESERVE THAT EITHER."

Kurt was downright sobbing at this point, filled to the brim with pain and anger. "I'M SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER MY FIRST KISS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, AND INSTEAD OF REMEMBERING HAPPINESS AND FEELING SAFE FOR ONCE IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S GOING TO BE YOU. ALL I'M GOING TO THINK OF IS YOU. SO NO, DAVE. I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND AT ALL. I HATE YOU. BECAUSE THAT FIRST KISS, THAT HOPE THAT SOMEDAY I'LL BE LOVED, IS YOURS, AND I'M NEVER GOING TO GET IT BACK."

Kurt stormed out of the locker room rubbing his eyes furiously, not bothering to look back. If he had, he would have seen that Dave Karofsky was crying as well.