Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, nor would I care to with the current writing.

Dance Alone Pt 7

Kurt was sure there were, in fact, worse things to do than eating dinner out with his family. He was equally sure he did not want to know what those things were. Because between his stress, and sadness, his dad's worry and the passive-aggressive bullshit Finn was pulling dinner was... "Pretty bad" didn't begin to cover it. If not for the fact that there wouldn't be that many more dinners with his dad in Lima he would have been out of there before they'd even gotten their menus.

Luckily the public venue kept Finn somewhat contained, but that was almost guaranteed to end once they arrived at the house.

Meaning it was time to be proactive.

"Finn? Can I have a word?" He didn't wait for an answer, just pulled his so-called brother back before the jock could enter the house.

"Wha– Kurt? What the hell are you doing?"

"No. The question isn't what I'm doing, it's what are you doing? I've put up with a lot of shit from you, which I shouldn't have to, just because I don't want our parents to get involved. But I've had it. So here's how it's going to be: you are going to shut. the. hell. up. Get it? No more passive-aggressive bull, no more snide remarks and sniping, no more trying to make me look bad in front of our parents. No more. What happened between me and Blaine is between me and Blaine. It's not your fight, and honestly, it's none of your fucking business."

He reeled himself in a little. Resorting to swearwords was a bad habit, and a warning sign as well, a big one.

"And frankly, even if this was your fight, you don't get to bring it into our home. Let me make this really easy for you: you know dad isn't supposed to get upset. If you make him? If you in any way threaten his health? I will end you."

And then he stopped, images of David flashing before his eyes. David, who almost had ended, and the connotations made him feel sick. He would never threaten Finn like that, would never hurt the boy he'd come to see as his brother, but that didn't change the fact that even hinting at it made him feel dirty and nauseous.

"And don't think for a second I don't have the means to do so. All those dirty little secrets you don't want spread around? I know them."I know every single one of them," he didn't, not really, but he did know enough to make things very uncomfortable for Finn, "and while I've kept my mouth shut so far you really shouldn't assume I always will."

"You–"

"Yeah, me. I've had it with this, Finn. Ever since the breakup you, all of you, have been harassing me about it, taking Blaine's side without even thinking about listening to my side. Fine. I can deal. Because right now? I don't care any more. I don't even care about how you are behaving like an ass, except for how it might affect dad."

"You've made it clear that being Blaine's 'bro' is more important to you than being my brother. Again, I can deal. Dad? Won't. Don't think for a second he will. If he finds out that you're part of the harassment going on he'll go berserk – remember how that felt?"

"And you're so sure Burt will be okay with your behavior? You're the one who–"

"Shut up. I'm not kidding around here, Finn. Here's a newsflash for you: dad knows. After you ran and tattled – yeah, I know about that – he and I talked, and I told him exactly what had been going on. And he's on my side. Why don't you think about that for a few minutes? Preferably take your cue from that as well."

"I'm not expecting you to have my back here," even if you promised you would, "but I am expecting you to keep your mouth shut around dad and Carole, and to back off. This has nothing to do with you. It's got nothing to do with Rachel, no matter how much she wants to make it that way. It's my life, my personal business, and I don't owe any of you any explanations. I'm done explaining myself to people who won't trust me."

And that, right there, said so much. Too much. He'd spent the last three years getting to know the other gleeks, letting them past his barriers and learning to trust even after what most of them had done to him. And yet here he was, with none of them willing to trust him in return. He wanted to cry, to laugh, to rage. Three years of hard work, and for what?

"We have a month left of high school, Finn. One month, until we're heading out and moving on. All I'm asking that during that time you act as if we're actually family in front of our parents. What you do outside of that... I really don't have the energy to care about that."

Because he really, really didn't. Nationals was just around the corner, and they didn't have a set list. Time to practice would be scarce too. Yes, technically they had just over two weeks, but in reality? One of those weeks would be almost completely lost to Finals.

Of course, he was pretty sure that the Troubletones already had a couple of songs in mind, and that they most likely had the solos divided up too, and with Mr Schue guaranteed to fold for Rachel's demands there would be little for the rest of them to do. Still, they were supposed to go all out on choreography this year. He had a really hard time seeing that happen in such a short time.

Chances are Mr Schue will make Mike come up with something impressive while the rest of us bop in the background. How...novel.

Walking away from Finn didn't feel as satisfying as he'd have liked.

Thankfully Finn had listened, at least somewhat, as he'd spent the rest of the evening quiet in a corner. Sulking, really, and that hadn't escaped attention. His dad hadn't said anything though, instead – apparently – choosing to wait until they were alone, and Kurt was a little bit more relaxed.

That time came after a few hours in the garage Saturday, just the two of them, head first in an abused engine. Up until then they'd mostly worked in silence, content to just soak in each others' presence, but one sentence made it all too clear that the time for being quiet was over.

"So, I noticed Finn was acting kind of strange last night? Any idea what that was about?"

Kurt winced, and shrugged, trying to buy a little time. He really didn't want his dad involved in this fight, but at the same time lying was out of the question.

"He... He's having a hard time understanding that sometimes couples break up and actually stay broken up. Also, since Blaine and I didn't argue in public before and I haven't aired any grievances after... I'm not following the pattern he's used to, you know? Plus, they're friends. Loyalty becomes hard then."

And it did, it absolutely did, only to Kurt "brother" was supposed to trump "brother's ex-boyfriend you couldn't even stand eight months ago". He wasn't the only Hummel to think so.

"Family comes first. It should, at least. Do I need to have a talk with Finn about this?"

"No! Dad, please. We need to deal with this ourselves, okay? Finn's... He just needs some time to adjust. We'll be fine. Now, is it still okay if I spend the evening out?"

Not that it really mattered if it was okay or not, because parental approval or not, he was going over to David's once they were done in the garage. They'd made plans for a marathon movie night with take-out – gong all out in an effort to lessen the effect of it being the last time they'd be hanging out like this. In less than 24 hours David would be on his way to Toronto, and Kurt didn't want to think about how lonely he'd be then.

Time spent with David was, as always these days, calming. As long as they ignored the giant elephant in the room that was David's impending departure, and it's twin, aka Kurt's Glee situation, that was.

It was, in fact, one of the best Saturday evenings Kurt had had in ages. They'd gotten Chinese take-out (never mind the fact that Paul had been the one to pick it up, as neither of the boys felt safe doing so) and a mix of silly movies, starting with the Mighty Ducks and ending with Were the World Mine. As all good things though, the evening had to come to an end.

"I'm going to miss this – miss you. I know we said we'd keep in touch, but... It won't be the same."

David murmured the words against his neck as they hugged good night (not goodbye, they were not saying that word) and Kurt swallowed around the lump forming in his throat.

"No, I guess it won't, but David, we'll make the best of it. We're getting out of here, remember? We're going to leave this shitty town behind us, and live, and be happy, and I'll be there for you, okay, only be a call away. Just like you'll be for me. I'm not giving you up, not now. So don't you dare give up either. Promise me."

"I won't. We won't."

"That's right. We won't."

On his walk home – he'd opted out of driving as he didn't want anyone to spot his car outside the Karofsky home – Kurt tried to stay cheerful. Yes, he'd miss David, but it wouldn't be any worse than he could manage. After all, he'd soon be leaving himself, and he'd long since gotten used to the reality of leaving friends and family behind. It would be hard, but doable. Surely.

Sunday was fine, mostly thanks to his dad, but Monday...

He missed David. Missed him so much. It was almost ridiculous. They'd been enemies, pretty much, for most of high school and friends for less than two months. Plus, David had only been gone for a day.

It didn't matter, apparently. After his breakup he'd spent more and more time with David, until the other boy had been a part of practically every non-school, non-sleeping moment. And now he wasn't.

Oh, they'd keep in touch, through e-mail and skype, as had already been proved by David's "check-in" to let Kurt know he'd arrived safely at his new home, but it wouldn't be the same. Kurt would miss David's actual physical presence. Not to mention the simple fact that David's new schedule was going to be brutal. It all came down to one thing: he was unlikely to continue getting a daily dose of David.

That thought, surprisingly (or maybe not so much), hurt more than going without the same from Blaine, Rachel and Mercedes.

Huh. That...tells me a lot, really.

School was made tolerable by the fact that it was time for Finals. He was going to spend all of his free time reviewing, and set his focus on acing his tests, and that would be it. Usually he would have put Glee down as a highlight, but not any longer. Their morning session had been...less than satisfactory. Mr Schue had revealed the theme of Nationals – vintage – with pomp and circumstance, but while Kurt could see how that could be turned into something awesome he couldn't see how it would end up being anything but a Finchel fest.

Yes, there was a Troubletones number, and god, how he wished he could have been included in that, because they were planning on doing Gaga. "Edge of Glory" was a favorite, and he knew his voice would have blended beautifully with the girls'. But. He'd never felt welcome to join before, and he certainly didn't now.

So he kept his mouth shut, held back the snark and the eyerolls, and basically tried to ignore everything that was said during the entire meeting. His time, he thought with an internal sigh, would have been better spent in bed or in the library. At least in the library his oncoming headache would have been worth it.

Now, all he got was Rachel going "me, me, me" and Mr Schue responding with soothing noises. Oh, and Tina exploding. Apparently someone had gotten a taste for solos, and wasn't going to back down gracefully. It infuriated him. Yes, Tina was talented. Yes, she had certainly gotten the short end of the stick over the past three years, but not only had she gotten featured at Regionals, but also she had another year. Rachel, Santana and Mercedes were her competition, as was he in a way, considering his range, and they were all leaving. Tina was a shoe-in as female lead for her senior year (unless some amazing freshman turned up) so why shouldn't she be made to take the backseat on this?

Then again, he wasn't exactly objective when it came to solos, or to Tina for that matter. She'd pushed for him to give up part of ABC to Mike, using their friendship as leverage, and when he had been the one to need support, where had she been? Firmly in Blaine's court, that's where.

Of course, normally he'd be all for Tina taking a solo from Rachel, but this time? With all that had happened on one side, and the fact that he wanted – no, needed – what solos could be wrestled from Rachel? No. No more Mr Nice Kurt. It was time to figure out the right angle of attack, and fight for a solo. After all, most of what Rachel could sing, so could he, and there were even songs he would do better on.

Hmmm. This takes some thinking on...

Clearly it'd be smarter to plan out everything, including what song he'd like to sing, only he'd have to be careful to pick one that would fit in with the theme, yet wouldn't suit Rachel, and... He broke off. Someone was staring at him. He relaxed and looked around, meeting Mr Schue's eyes. The coach was looking at him in a speculative way Kurt wasn't altogether comfortable with, as if he was planning something Kurt would not like. Everyone else was still talking, so it was obviously not a question of not responding when addressed. Huh.

The second they were dismissed Kurt was on his feet, as had become his habit lately, only this time to avoid his teacher instead of his ex or his so-called friends. If Mr Schue wanted something, he could wait for when Kurt was ready. Now it was time to study, take a Final, and plan for how to try and score a solo.

Of course nothing went to plan. When Kurt left his last class for the day Mr Schue was standing outside, clearly waiting for someone. For him.

"Kurt? Could you come with me to my office for a couple of minutes? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Of course, Mr Schue."

He followed the man leave while considering what this Glee coach might want. There wasn't that many options, really. The chances of Mr Schue having changed his mind about Nationals being all about Rachel (never mind that they didn't yet have an official set list) and wanting to offer Kurt a solo were...minuscule. Less, actually.

That meant it was most likely one of two things: either he'd figured out Kurt was going to fight for a solo and wanted Kurt to call a ceasefire and support Rachel instead, or he wanted to throw in his opinion on the Blaine situation. It could have been something else, sure, but Kurt didn't think so. Not with what he knew about the man.

"So, Kurt. Two weeks left, then we leave for Nationals. Exciting, right?"

Kurt started to answer, except obviously it had been a rhetorical question as Mr Schue barged on without pause.

"The last chance too, for some, seeing as two thirds of you graduate this year. And of course we're all eager to do better than last year!"

This time, however, it seemed he was meant to answer, but he didn't get past "yes" before the man was at it again.

"Now, we all know how much tension there was last year, and how much it negatively affected the performance," not nearly as much as the fact that you a/ allowed us to get on the plane without a set list and b/ completely abandoned us once we hit New York, but yeah, sure, "and I think we can both agree that we don't want a repeat of that this year. I try to stay out of personal business," so, the breakup then, "but I'm not blind."

That Kurt was willing to debate, but he really didn't want to fight, not when it seemed he might have just gained an unexpected ally.

"You and Blaine have been together for quite some time, for a high school couple, and your breakup came as quite a shock. I get how difficult this must be for you, and that it's primarily a personal issue, but to be honest, it has caused disruptions in the entire group that... Well. Now, I really do think we can solve this, and I have an idea–"

Kurt felt the relief run through his body, and relaxed as words started flowing from his mouth.

"Oh, thank you! It would really help if you'd talk to them, ask them to back off. I've tried, but they won't listen, not to me. I'm sure if you–"

And then he caught the look on Mr Schue's face. Oh.

"Right. You weren't offering to help. Help me that is. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have expected– Forget about it, please."

His glee coach's face didn't improve, quite the opposite in fact, and it was becoming painful for Kurt – and still he couldn't look away, couldn't walk away. He really, really should have though, that much became obvious once the man opened his mouth.

"Kurt. These are your friends. Family, remember? They only want what's best for you. But this tension in the group, it needs to go. You want to win Nationals? Then you need to get over your issues. Because frankly? This is hindering you from working together as a group – it's damaging to your presentation. Having Blaine be miserable doesn't help either."

He refused to talk about Blaine's wounded feelings (wounded pride more like it) – there was too much he needed to hold back – but as for the rest?

"Mr Schue, what's best for me is not bowing to their wishes. As for the tension, well, maybe it would help if you didn't let people use Glee as a battle ground for personal issues. I realize that's a foreign concept for you, but you should try it."

"Kurt! Look, I understand that you're upset, and that your feelings have been hurt, but I would appreciate it if you remembered that I am your teacher, and that you need to show me some respect. I let you guys get away with a lot, because I love you and want you to feel safe in the choir room – but there are limits to what I can accept. I'm still there for you, if you'll just let me–"

Is he serious? He's "there" for us, we just have to "let" him? A flimsy red veil was slowly clouding his vision, and Kurt could no longer hold back.

"Let me be perfectly honest here. What you just said? Is bullshit. You might like to tell yourself that you're there for us, for all your students, when the truth is that you play favorites. And I? I'm not one of them. Never have been. And I know that."

"You focus on Rachel and Finn, and mostly act like the rest of us are just some sort of props. And it goes far beyond the songs. If it was just that I could have some sort of understanding, brush it off as you doing what you think is most likely to result in a win, but it's not."

"Finn assaulted Puck in the choir room. There's no other way to describe what happened. You saw it, and you did nothing. Rachel sent another student to a crack house, and again, you did nothing. Or well, you did do something – you protected her, protected both of them."

"And what about me then? I talked back during the Britney Spears debacle, called you uptight. Remember? Me you sent to Figgins' office, and I ended up getting a detention."

"Strange how that worked, wasn't it? Your favorites acted in ways meant to harm others, and got off scot-free. I got upset because I'd rather sing something modern, less likely to get us all slushied, and didn't hurt anyone except your pride – and yet I am the only student in Glee you've ever made sure was punished for anything."

"Did you know, when I was at Dalton Wes, who headed the Warbler council, asked why I didn't talk to my teachers before the bullying escalated to a death threat. I told him it was because I didn't think they'd do anything unless I was bleeding on one of them, and even then I was likely to get the blame. He thought I was joking. I let him."

"It was the truth though, and you're one of the teachers that made me feel that way. I'm just happy you're not one of my actual teachers, just my glee coach, because with how much bullying you allow in the choir room, you know that same room you said not two minutes ago you wanted us to feel safe in? I would never have felt safe in class. Never."

"You don't help me. You never have. You've told me to not let things effect me, as if I'm the one in the wrong for not being able to shrug off abuse and threats. Behavior, I might add, that would have the offenders hauled in front of a judge if they acted that way outside of a school filled with negligent adults. You've ignored me – even walked by me when the bullies have had me surrounded. You, Mr Schuester, were one of the people that made it possible for the bullying to not only continue during my first three years here but also escalate to the point where I feared for my life."

"If I want help I'll go to someone not you. My father preferably, but if I needed to talk to someone at McKinley? The only people here who have ever stood up for me in any way are Coach Sylvester and Miss Pillsbury. I'd look to the janitor before I came to you, because he's actually given me more help. As for solving the tension in the choir room, you're not really looking to do that, are you? You're asking me to fold, to just do what everyone – except me, the one whose opinion should matter the most – wants me to do and crawl back to Blaine, begging for forgiveness. Well I won't."

And there it was. He'd avoided even thinking about things going this way, and yet now that he'd gotten there it was so clear there was only one way to continue. He looked the other man straight into the eyes, and allowed some of the disdain he felt shine through.

"There's something else I can do though, that might help you with that tension. I quit."

"Kurt!" The man looked at him as he was insane, but truthfully Kurt felt like it was the sanest decision he'd ever made regarding Glee.

"You don't need me for numbers. You've never really used my voice, and you're not going to this time either. And to be honest, right now Glee isn't giving me anything but headaches. Quitting is the logical answer." And it really, really was. In fact, it was the only logical answer. "Goodbye, Mr Schue. It's been...an experience. Good luck with Nationals."

He didn't slam the door behind him. The closing door in his head, and heart, sounded loud enough as it was. It was the end of a chapter in his life – time to start the next. He'd know it was coming, even if it was happening a little earlier, and a little different, to how he'd expected it. It felt like relief, and tasted like freedom.

~TBC ~