"That's what you get, stupid faggot," Chris said, growling at Kurt, who was pressed against the wall in fear, trying to get as far away as he could from his abusive uncle. Burt had let him move in with them the previous month when he had lost his job, letting him work in the shop. Unfortunately, he wasn't as accepting as Burt was to Kurt's sexuality.

Every time Burt was gone, probably on a date with Carole, he made sure Kurt never forget it.

As Chris walked back into the living room, Kurt scurried down into his room. His haven. The only place Chris would never step foot in. After Quinn had seen blood seeping through the fabric of his jacket, he was always careful when it came to his wounds. Luckily, he had been able to trick her into thinking it was juice he had spilled on it earlier.

He clenched his teeth in pain as he wrapped the bandages around his arm, being meticulously careful in the wrapping of his arm. Hot tears kissed his pale skin as the familiar pain seeped through his veins, causing him to tremble. As he finished the bandaging, he laid out his outfit for the next day, being careful to select an outfit that would not only cover his wounds, but would still be stylish enough for his tastes.

No matter how tough his life was, he refused to lower his fashion sense. He couldn't let anyone detect his pain, his weakness. He was Kurt Hummel for goodness sakes!

But even Kurt Hummel couldn't stop the silent sobs from racking through his body that night.

God is great, huh? Yeah right, he thought bitterly, letting the tears soak through his pillow.

The next day, he put on his mask, not letting Chris's smirks and stares get to him. He drove to school, singing to the radio as loudly as he could, blocking out his problems with the music blaring in his ears. As he reached the parking lot, he got out of the car, the radio being replaced by his iPod. The music had been able to soothe him for the past few days, but it was nothing more than a mechanism to let him pretend that everything was normal, and mechanisms never lasted long. He felt the safety of the music slip away as his walked into the halls of McKinley, where his older fears lied in wait.

He had taken the habit of arriving to school early so he had time to think and put up his mask before he faced his friends. As the day passed on in a blur, he found himself in glee club, waiting for Mr. Shue's next assignment. After trying to side with the girls once more, he reluctantly sided with the boys, trying not to let the discomfort seep into his face as he tried to stand as far away as he could from the boys.

Ever since Chris had moved in, he found he had trouble being in close proximity with boys that were stronger than he was. Luckily, the boys were in a huddle, already planning what they wanted to do, oblivious to Kurt, who was for once relieved that the boy's observation skills were practically nothing.

However, the same couldn't be said for Mr. Shue, who noticed the tense rigid posture Kurt was in and how he kept scooting away from the group every few second. "Um, Kurt? Can I see you outside?" he asked, drawing the attention of more than just the boy he was signaling.

"You finally get into a bit of trouble, princess?" Puck teased, lightly hitting Kurt on the shoulder.

Kurt could feel the pain shoot through his shoulder and tensed, biting his tongue to keep from yelling out loud. He also felt a bubbling anger at the nickname. Despite what people thought, he hated being called those nicknames. "S-sure," he said, surprised at the hatred and anger that lightly underlined the word, hoping no one noticed it.

He walked out into the hallway, clutching his bag like his life depended on it, his knuckles turning white. As he turned to face Mr. Shue, he felt a small panic beginning to emerge. Why did he want to see him? Did he know something? Lost in thought, he nearly jumped in fright when the teacher started to speak. "Is there any reason why you're not discussing the song choice with the group?" Mr. Shue asked, his tone revealing he was clearly not pleased with Kurt's lack of enthusiasm.

At first, he was relieved that it wasn't anything serious, but then realized that he did have a problem with the arrangement. "Yes there is," he snapped, surprised at his own boldness, but recovered quickly, " They never listen to my ideas, so I've simply stopped expressing them. They just don't want the stupid gay kid to put any faggy theatrics into the song. It's always about what the guys want, isn't it, Mr. Shue?" he asked, putting as much venom on the name as possible.

He surprised at the bold comeback, not realizing how something as simple as this put Kurt off. "I'm sorry, Kurt, I didn't know -" he started, but was cut off by Kurt's hand.

"No, you didn't, Mr. Shue. And you never will."

Kurt turned on his heel, leaving a bewildered teacher behind, hoping he didn't see the tears rolling down his face. How could he not realize it? Kurt knew that Mr. Shue had been aware of the bullying, and that was what hurt him the most. All the fake smiles he gave right before he was tossed into the dumpster, he knew that the teacher was in denial, that he actually thought those stupid Neanderthals would actually want to be friends with Kurt. He scoffed, remembering when he auditioned for Defying Gravity.

He had seen the relieved look on his face when he threw the high note. His relief that there wasn't going to be a fag singing a girl's song. It nearly broke him. Even his own teacher, the person who was supposed to help you strive to do your best, practically pushed him down without a second thought. He had to get his dad to convince him to even try.

As he thought more about all the things that had happened to him because of what he was, he felt the painful reality slap him in the face. He was truly alone. The only people who really cared were his dad and Mercedes, but they would never really understand how it felt to be him. To be hated for something he couldn't help.

The harsh words from the past week came rushing past him.

"Stupid fag."

"Nobody will ever want to be with a fairy like you."

"Why don't you do your dad a favor and die."

"Homo."

"Fairy."

"Queer."

"Your faggy blanket-"

At the last memory, he could feel his heart break again. He felt the pain of someone close to you look as if they hated you with all their heart. He suddenly felt an urge to leave. He walked, no ran, to his precious car and tore out of the parking lot as quickly as he could. As he saw the school fade away in the rearview mirror, he relaxed, turning on the radio, not caring what song it was and singing. He didn't even listen to the lyrics, not letting the words reach his mind.

As he slowed down, he realized where he was. The cemetery. He parked and stepped out, letting more painful memories in. He felt himself walking on the familiar path to his mother's stone, passing by others that he had seen before many times. As he reached his destination, he could feel more tears welling up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see him cry in front of his mother's grave.

He reached his hand out and touched the cool stone, tracing his hand over the familiar letters engraved in it. He sat down in front of it, bringing his knees to his chest, not caring if he got his pants dirty.

All that mattered to him right now was that fact that he was with his mother, even if she was buried six feet under. "I love you," he whispered to the stone in front of him, his eyes suddenly drooping, as if the day's events had all caught up to him, leaving him exhausted. He let himself fall asleep, the wind whispering soothing mumbles in his ear.

"Hummel! Wake up!" a loud voice awoke Kurt from his slumber. Slowly he blinked his eyes. He was suddenly aware that that he was not in his room. He blinked once more and looked around, the previous events flooding his mind. He looked up to see Puck's concerned face, his brown eyes staring intensely at him.

"Are you alright, son?" Burt asked, walking up from behind Puck.

"Um, yeah," he said slowly, still a little groggy from his nap. He got up slowly, his body aching from falling asleep in the uncomfortable position. His legs were a little numb so he stumbled forward a bit, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms. He winced as his wounds ached under the grip. He looked up to see…. Matt?

He was suddenly aware of the entire glee club, including Mr. Shue had been looking for him. He sent Matt a grateful glance as he shoved himself away from him, uncomfortable with being touched at the moment.

"You okay, kid?" a voice that made his blood freeze. He turned to see Chris feigning concern for him, but he could see the malicious gleam in his eye. He unconsciously backed up into Mike, who grabbed his arms, thinking he had tripped backwards. It was all he could do to not cry out in pain.

"I-I'm f-fine," he said, cursing himself for showing his unease towards the man. He could practically hear the cruel laughter ringing in his ears.

"We were so worried about you, lil' bro!" Finn said, slapping Kurt on the back, causing another suppressed cry from Kurt. He could feel the smugness coming off of Chris in waves.

"So now that we've found him, can we go now?" Santana asked in a non-caring tone.

"Ooh! Let's go to my house for some sweet lady kisses!" Brittany said in her dreamy voice. The rest of the group ignored them, surrounding Kurt, bombarding him with questions.

"Why are you here?"

"Why did you leave earlier?"

"You had us all worried!"

"If you ever do that again white boy, Imma cut you!"

"Did something happen?"

Kurt felt his brain explode with all the questions and held his hands in the universal sign for "STOP". "I'm sorry for worrying you all, but I assure you I am completely fine and nothing happened, really," he said, giving them all a smile that Mr. Shue saw right through, but decided not to call him out on it.

As everyone left and Burt started up the car, he noticed Kurt give a small tremble and whimper when Chris draped his arm around his shoulder.