"… K-" Figgins stuttered, as if he couldn't grasp the name written on the paper he was holding. The entire auditorium was silent, anticipating the result for Prom Queen. Quinn Fabray and Lauren Zizes in particular were holding their breaths at this moment, their fingers tightened into fists. Principal Figgins finally muttered out the name, after blinking a few times, confused. His voice was low, hoarse "… Kurt Hummel."
The crowds of students remained hushed, mostly. There were a handful of gasps, an angered exclamation from Quinn, obviously obnoxious cheering from some of the football players, and unsure clapping coming from Sam Evans' direction. The puffy lipped blond went off of instinct, and slapped his palms together once or twice. Hearing Kurt's name, Sam knew that his friend had won some type of award, and felt the urge to cheer him on, yet… No one else seemed to be celebrating. The smile on his face slowly faded, as he realized the true outcome of this announcement. Sam suddenly felt ashamed of his clapping, and tried to spot Kurt in the crowds of people.
Kurt was speechless. His eyes were widened, and his jaw was hanging open. He could feel tears starting to sting at his eyelids, but he refused to show his humiliation. At his side, Blaine Anderson tried to comfort his boyfriend. "Kurt, I-" The curly headed Warbler tried to say something, but was unable to finish his statement, as Kurt hastily fled from the area. "Kurt, wait!" Blaine called after him, trying to catch the boy's hand. No luck. The kilt-wearing other was gone in a flash, leaving no trail to follow behind him.
Sam's attention was drawn to the left, as he caught the sight of Kurt pushing his way through the packed crowd. An odd feeling was growing in his stomach, one he'd felt only a few times before now. It brought back the memory of his scuffle with Karofsky, how heated he'd gotten that afternoon. The shaggy haired boy turned his head towards the rude football players - who had obviously plotted this whole thing - and sent them a disgusted look, shaking his head at them all. Why did he ever want to be like them? Jocks were bullies, everyone knew that. Sam turned on his foot, and followed his unstable friend out of the auditorium.
The hallways were empty, and covered in Prom posters. Sam glanced at a 'Vote for This Jelly' poster that was hanging on almost every inch of the walls, even covering the posters meant for Quinn. He could hear the sound of footsteps echoing from his right, and headed that way. It didn't take long to find the room Kurt was taking refuge in, as it seemed as if the boy had chosen one of the closest rooms, unable to make it far. Sam came to a halt just outside of the boys' locker room, and took in a deep breath. He waited a few moments, just listening to the sounds of Kurt's cries… It made the burning sensation in his stomach even more furious than before.
Sam bit his bottom lip, and finally entered the room. The heavy breathing was getting louder as he made his way farther into the lockers area. "Kurt?" He asked in a quiet tone, poking his head around one of the rows of lockers. Another noise came from deeper within the place, and Sam continued on. He reached the showers just a few moments later, and tried to keep his footsteps silent against the tiled floor. "Kurt?" He questioned once more.
Sitting on his bottom, his face buried against his knees, was Kurt Hummel: Prom Queen. His back was pushed against one of the many walls, and the toes of his feet were just inches away from one of the shower's drains. Hearing his name being spoken, he lifted his eyes and saw none other than Sam: His Could-Have-Been Duet Partner. Kurt raised his hand, and wiped at his cheeks, trying to remove some of the stained tears. "What do you want, Sam?" He asked, just wanting to be left alone.
Sam looked down, and focused on the shower drain. He couldn't force himself to look Kurt in the eye. Not now. "… I'm sorry." He simply stated. Sam scrunched his lips against one another, and crossed his arms over his chest, though wearing a suit made the later a bit uncomfortable. "What those guys did back there…" He continued on, trying to find the right words to say, trying to discover how to express his genuine thoughts. "It-It… It was wrong. Cruel. No one deserved that… Especially not you, Kurt."
The blond took in another deep breath, and squatted down, finally deciding that he needed to make eye contact with the upset boy. "I admire you… You're so inspirational. You know who you are, and you aren't afraid to show it… No matter the consequences." Sam's eyes were growing wet and emotional now, but he forced a smile onto his mouth. "I w-wish I could be as lucky… I wish I was as strong as you, Kurt. As brave and open… But I'm not." Sam dropped his head, shielding his eyes from view now.
Kurt was even more speechless than before. He blinked his tears away, and got up onto his knees. He slowly made his way over to Sam, who was trying to retain his image, and put his hand under the other boy's chin. Kurt gently pushed on the bottom of Sam's chin, and did so until he was looking in the other set of eyes. "… You are, Sam." He whispered. "You're the bravest person I've met! And this moment proves just how open you can be… Don't you ever think otherwise. Understood?"
Sam nodded a handful of times, but made sure to keep his eyes on Kurt's as he did so. Realizing that the hand under his chin wasn't leaving, Sam began resting his head on the supporting fingers. "… I'm totally digging the kilt, by the way." He stated with a grin making its way onto his face, and a chuckle escaping his lips. "It's very… You."