I Don't Want to Be Right

A/N: And here is chapter nine... 15,664 is the word count. I know... I went a lil' crazy. I was hyper from the awesome reviews and support, so once again I humbly thank you. LESS THAN THREE. As for everyone asking for Klaine to hurry up... patience is a virgo. That's the saying right? x3.

Mild violence in this chapter. :-/


Chapter 9

The previous night…

Music was thumping. Empty liquor bottles were discarded on the floor. Strobe lights were flashing in random directions throughout the dark building as teens moved their bodies to the music. Sam fought his way through weed smoke and closely knit bodies, trying to find the man who potentially held the key to his and BBR's big break. He had gotten far without even being noticed by the party goers. They were distracted by the music and intoxication; unable to focus on anything else around them if they tried. Sam wove his way around a group of girls who were stumbling from side to side, screaming lyrics into each other's faces. He immediately thought of Quinn and how happy she got when tipsy, annoying the hell out of her boyfriend Puck who always became a philosopher while under the influence.

A hand raked through his blonde hair capturing his attention as he pushed his way through the crowd, some techno beat blaring in the background. Sam turned his focus to the person committing the action, returning a smile to a dark haired girl who herself wore a seductive grin. She dragged him closer and pressed herself flush against him. Sam found it strange that she didn't smell of liquor at all even though she was behaving like someone who had one too many.

"I haven't seen you around here hot stuff. What's your name?" she shouted into the junior's ear, still toying through his golden locks.

Sam smiled as he looked down at to the shorter girl. He could barely make out the plains of her face through the strobe lights but what he did see he liked. "Sam." he responded, "And yourself beautiful?"

"I'm Christie. And I see you're in a rush but I would love it if you danced with me for a little while. Can you do that for me?" she tippy-toed and began nibbling a trail along his jaw line, eliciting a smile from the older boy who bit his lip.

Sam considered it; the olive skinned girl looking up at him flirtatiously, her wavy hair falling far down her back, eyes hungrily raking across his body. But he knew he had work to do and couldn't get distracted from it… everything was riding on getting a deal tonight. He held the small of Christie's back as he spoke into her ear. "I wish I could hang out with you a bit but I'm here on business. If you're lucky I'll see you around Christie." He winked at her and pulled back, chuckling lightly at the pouty face she made as the strobe lights hit them once again.

After struggling for a few more minutes he finally found his way around the club, standing in front of a dimly lit staircase that would lead to a lower level. Two girls were on the steps making out heavily while a group of drunken guys cheered them on. Sam distractedly watched for a moment before remembering he came to the club with a purpose in mind. He climbed over the girls and made his way down the steps, light piercing through the narrow hall way at the base of the stairs.

A tall man in his late 30's was standing at the end of the hall screaming into his cell phone. He had a thick beard and dressed in all black resembling a bouncer. Maybe he'd seen him before at another party, maybe not. But he did look a little familiar. Sam slowly made his way towards the door as the man slammed his cell phone shut, ushering the teenager over.

"Are you the Evans boy?" he asked. Sam nodded his head as an answer. "Come right in." the tall man replied, "The boss is expecting you."

….

"I couldn't get him to stay. He said he was here on business and he'd see me around." Christie sat on the hood of her car explaining what happened inside the club. Her cousin Jake rolled his eyes at the younger girl as Dave and Azimio stood behind him listening on.

"Shit, Christie. We ask you to do one simple thing and you fuck that up. You can't get a guy to dance with you for two fucking minutes?" The jock ran a hand down his face screaming at his younger cousin which in turn made the girl grow frustrated. He and his empty brain friends always had her doing something stupid against her will… so yes she was happy Sam said no when she asked him to dance. Besides, Dave, Azimio, and Jake were bullies and if they got their way and did as planned with Sam, she'd be linked with them as well, and a bully was something she had no intention of being labeled.

"Relax," Dave spoke to his teammate, "this isn't over. He's still in the club so we still have an opportunity to get this done. I'm not leaving here without him. Hummel has fucked with me one too many times and he needs to be taught a lesson." He paused; looking towards the club, "and Xavier needs to see that I can teach him a lesson."

Christi watched on as the jocks searched keenly through the group of people entering and leaving the party. She hoped that Sam would find another exit because if her cousin and his friends saw the blonde he'd most likely be in for a world of trouble.

….

"Hi, sir, I'm Sam Evans."

"Nice to finally meet you, son. Please, take a seat."

Sam looked around the office carefully, possibly looking for a reason why he shouldn't be there. He was after all preparing to enter a business relationship with a man he barely knew. But the group did know of Henry Patterson… Sam knew that the man jumpstarted the careers of a lot of artists he listened to. He also knew without a doubt that Blind Bass Rebellion was better than any of those bands and he was willing to do what was necessary to provide that opportunity for his friends. Maybe it'd keep them out of trouble.

The smell of overpowering cologne bought the boy back to earth as he observed the room inching over to the seat. There were monitors along the wall that displayed not only this club's (which was named 'Club Intrepid') upper level but that of Club Magnet, Green Hall, and Red Hall… aka the 'mack daddy' of all the teen hangouts Henry Patterson owned. If a band could headline there on a Saturday night, they had made their way through the circuits of Western Ohio and could most likely venture out to other audiences.

Sam took a seat and looked to the man across from him who was smiling at him knowingly. "It's a beautiful thing isn't it? Being young? Spending your time having fun 24/7. No regrets."

Sam glanced at the monitors and watched as teens danced around enjoying themselves immensely. The party life was never one for him but he grew used to it and didn't mind it much; hanging with his friends and watching them have a good time, meeting a few girls – he was the ladies man of the group. It was all innocent fun. And that was something he rarely experienced being with Kurt, Puck and Finn. Although as of late Kurt was behaving… at least when Blaine was there. They'd watch a movie and he noticed the stolen glances between the two, and the smirks they would share once they caught eyes. It was perfect while it lasted, but if Kurt was away from the freshman too long he would become a jerk again, slipping back into the badass everyone else knows him to be.

"Your mind seems to be elsewhere, son…"

Sam was snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "No, no, sir. I apologize. I was just thinking about what you said. Being young and all…"

The man smiled with a quick nod. "Yes. The youth is definitely wasted on the young. And I assume you are here because you don't want that phrase to apply to you?"

With a nod Sam responded. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his pant legs and looked up to the gentleman who was dressed in a purple v-neck cut a little too low underneath a black blazer. Apparently someone wanted to relive their glory days badly. Owning these clubs was a sure sign of that as well. "That is correct sir. I manage a band that I know won't let this city down."

The man smiled and reached for a remote control on his desk, turning off the music that was playing softly in the background. He reclined in his seat and stared straight to the young man curiously watching across from him. "No need for formalities. Call me Henry, please."

The blonde junior swallowed hard and nodded to the older man.

"So, Mr. Evans," he placed the remote down on his desk and moved aside a few stray papers, "where is this band that you manage? Aren't they with you?"

"They aren't with me tonight, but if you'd like to see them in action we have a gig next weekend… a fan girl's sweet 16."

The older man smirked, "That's good money. They must be good."

"Definitely so." Sam spoke as he watched the man glance over to the monitors, giving each screen a once over before continuing with the conversation.

"I called for you because I heard… what's your groups name again, son?"

"Blind Bass Rebellion… BBR for short."

Henry smirked, "Interesting name. I like it." Sam smiled. Finn came up with it when he was high one day and it stuck. He tried to explain his reasoning in choosing the name but it made absolutely no sense. The explanation ended up being about saber tooth tigers, but none of the group minded. It sounded pretty rock. "I heard they killed at Magnet last week," Henry continued, "and well, if you are interested I want to scope you guys out. See if you can work for me regularly. I pay nice."

Sam nodded, excited at the idea of BBR being a brand name for Patterson's club. "I'm very interested, sir. That's why I'm here. But I would like to know what we have to do to make this happen before I say yes to anything."

"It's Henry, Sam. Please stop calling me sir, I'm not that old." He smiled, and Sam sort of did too a little nervously, "As far as what you have to do for the job, let's set up a meeting between BBR and I. If all goes well, we'll draw up a contract. They'll probably start out here at Intrepid on Sundays, then Fridays, then finally move to the head spot on Saturdays, all until you prove that you can do better than the other crowd bringers I have employed for me. Then they'll work their way around the circuit until they reach the top… Red Hall of course… mostly college kids hang out at Red Hall from the university over there. If BBR can survive a Saturday night at Red Hall then they deserve to be in the industry. And I know people in high places, Mr. Evans."

Sam listened on trying his best not to get overly excited and lose his cool in front of this guy. BBR was legit and he had no doubt that the band could blow those college head's away at Red Hall. Between Quinn and Kurt on vocals, the way Kurt and Puck meshed together on guitar and bass, and Finn's killer drumming, there was no way they wouldn't kill and be demanded back week after week. Sam hadn't heard anything yet that sounded like a death trap but he'd set up a meeting between BBR and Henry to see if everything sounded legit. Quinn and Kurt were the best judges of character, go figure, and if they felt like entering a deal with this guy meant they were signing a deal with the devil then Sam wouldn't take it.

"That sounds really good, sir… I'm sorry… Henry." Sam spoke as he tried to contain excitement. "What time is best for you to have a meeting with us all?"

"I'll tell you what… have everyone meet me at Red Hall on next Sunday - that's our quiet day… no one wants a hangover when classes are the next morning." Sam smiled with a nod, "We'll discuss everything; I'll answer any and all your questions… whatever you need. How does that sound, Sam?"

Sam smiled, reaching out to grab Patterson's hand. "Sounds like a plan."

"I think I see that dickwad there… dark green jacket, matching gloves. Now go Christie! And stick to the fucking plan!"

Jake basically threw his cousin towards the blonde teen as he and his jock friends ran to hide behind her vehicle. The older cousin made her fork over her car keys in case she had any intention of bailing on them. Jake knew the brunette was hesitant in being a part of their plan but he didn't care. She did what he said, point blank period.

Christie told herself it wasn't too late to ditch them and this plan but Jake would probably kill her. He was a muscular square head steroid popping jack ass that could most likely break her arm with the tightening of his fist, so running wasn't an option she was considering that much. The girl reluctantly skipped over to him before he could reach his motor bike.

Sam looked over to see the shorter girl from earlier approaching him. Christie was her name, right? He asked himself. The boy smiled at her as she batted her eyelashes with a flirty grin. "Why, it's funny running into you again Sammy." She began toying with a pendant chained around his neck- a guitar with the letters 'BBR' on it.

The tall blonde was in a rush to get to Finn's so he could call up the rest of the band and tell them the good news. Okay, maybe he should've told somebody where he was going or at least what he was planning, but surprising them was so much better. Especially after all the hard work they put into the band. But here was this sexy brunette licking her lips and running a finger up and down his body. Telling BBR the good news could wait another hour.

"Were you waiting for me beautiful?" he grabbed the girl by the waist and pulled her closer. Jake watched from behind Christie's car, wanting to jump out and beat him senseless. "I swear to god if he touches her-"

"Jake if you don't calm the hell down you'll fuck this up for me and I won't be a happy individual." Dave glared at his friend with a face that told the boy he was very serious. Jake's tense muscles relaxed as he switched his focus from his friend back to Sam and Christie. "Just let her do what she needs to so we can get this over with." Karofsky spat out as he watched the scene unfold. Jake and his annoying bad temper were not going to ruin this for him.

"I couldn't leave without you." Christie spoke, "Can we go spend some time in my car for a minute? Your lips look so kissable Sammy…" Christie pulled the blonde's head closer to her and ghosted her lips against his. "Please…"

Sam smiled, placing his lips against hers softly into a short kiss. "Are they?"

The brunette bit her lip nodding. But there was something in her eyes that Sam had a hard time reading. Maybe it was the time of night or maybe it was because of the darkness, but the silent message the teenage girl was sending wasn't received by the older boy. She reluctantly pulled his hands away from her hips and took them in her own, leading the taller boy over to the car. The jocks stayed hidden as she carefully opened the back door and pushed him inside, climbing on top of the junior when he lay back against the seat.

Sam palmed the brunette's ass as she connected their lips into a deep kiss, exploring every inch of his mouth with her tongue. A minute had passed and Azimio looked between both boys; motioning to them that it was go time.

"You have too many clothes on, Christie." Sam said as he began pulling at the younger girl's jacket. She started nervously shimmying her way out of it, only for Jake to roughly grab her off of the blonde band manager. She yelped as a response and Sam sat up trying to figure out what it was that just happened. He was greeted by a hard punch to the back of his head from Azimio that made him clutch at it tightly, groaning in pain, and a square kick in the stomach by Jake, which bent him over in the back seat of the car. Azimio grabbed his hair and pulled him into the seat correctly so that he was no longer facing the door. The boy swung wildly but to no avail as Jake punched him on the side of the head so hard he got a gash right above his eyebrow. Blood started spilling slowly down his face as Jake held him firmly in position, so tight he could only move his lower body.

Dave instructed Christie to get in the car as the girl stood frozen a few feet back, silently crying at what was unfolding before her eyes. None of the other teens around the club saw what was occurring; lost in the party life of sex, liquor, and weed smoke. Azimio kicked a few beer cans aside and went to the passenger seat as Jake climbed in on the right of Sam still holding him down and Dave on the left. Both teens slammed the doors and locked them quickly.

"Evans. It's great seeing you here tonight." Dave said low and maniacally as he smiled over to the blonde junior. Jake released him from the bone crushing grasp and stared at the blonde disgustedly.

Sam felt the blood trickling down his face and wondered why the fuck didn't he just go home. Random car sex was way too good to be true. And he was dying to tell his friends about the potential deal he discussed with Henry Patterson. He thought about fighting back but considered against it. That would only make his condition even worse.

"Thanks for nothing Christie." He spoke, "I really would've fucked you into oblivion."

Jake grabbed the boy by the neck as Dave and Azimio smirked. Christie's eyes were still leaking with tears and she started the car as Azimio instructed her to.

"Jake, down boy." Karofsky spoke. "We don't want to kill him now do we?"

"Speak for yourself." The huge jock replied, tightening his grip.

Dave pushed Jake off of Sam and the boy gasped for air, wiping at his bloody face. He tugged at the lapels of his letterman jacket and smoothed down make believe creases before beginning the lines he rehearsed in his head.

"If you're wondering why you're here with us it's all Kurt's fault. He fucked with me one too many times and I'm willing to bet money that he had something to do with the Murdock incident a few weeks back. Am I right?"

Sam stayed quiet, clutching his stomach in pain. It was most likely bruised now… so much for doing something that would keep his friends out of trouble. Kurt and Puck were sure to retaliate after this.

"Go to Plainview." Azimio spoke to Christie. She obeyed, pulling away from Club Intrepid and going off in the direction necessary. Wiping her eyes, she kept her focus on the dark roads and cursed the situation she was in. There was no way this would end well. She needed to do something before they ended up behind bars.

"I'll take that as a yes." Karofsky said as a response to Sam's silence. "Well I need to teach him a lesson… and I got news that you'd be here tonight… one of his bestest friends! So luckily like a dumbass you came alone and you will be exhibit A for Hummel. Enjoy the ride, Evans."

….

Current Day

"I bet you can't jump from that bar to that one, Wes. The top one right there…"

Blaine pointed to the monkey bars he was talking about to his best friend from SC but the older boy was not interested.

"You're right I can't." Wes responded in a bored tone. He sat on a bench watching his friend behave like a chimpanzee around the park while he smiled to himself. It was so good to see his best friend so care free after the last year he had… it had been so stressful on the boy. Even though he missed him, if Ohio provided this joy for Blaine, then Ohio was the place to be for his curly topped friend.

Blaine glanced to his friend sitting idly on the bench and rolled his eyes. He was being such a buzz kill. And this was the guy that once rode his bike down a hill and used the momentum to freaking soar into a lake… all over a dare last summer. Now he can't jump from one bar to another?

"What is wrong with you? You suck today." Blaine began walking to his older by three months friend. Wes laughed and shrugged. Usually when they were together they did stupid shit like that but now they had a lot of catching up to do. There were answers he couldn't get over the phone that he planned to get now… now that Blaine couldn't lie and switch topics like he usually did over the phone or on Skype.

"I don't feel like jumping off of bars. We need to talk about things. Get caught up, bro."

Blaine looked at his friend suspiciously as he took a seat on the bench. He'd bet his last dollar that this conversation would end up being about Kurt Hummel. "Okay. Let's talk. But after that you're busting your ass for my amusement."

Wes rolled his eyes and picked imaginary lint off his track suit. "I guess that's a deal. Only if I get honest answers. And we both know I know when you're lying to me."

Blaine didn't reply starting to feel uncomfortable. Wes knew something. And he'd probably pry and pry until Blaine said it. Great.

"I wish Kendra wasn't too busy to come. She misses you, Blaine. Like… yeah she's my girl and all… but I'm pretty sure that she loves you more than she does me."

Blaine laughed pulling his scarf closer around his neck. "Oh yeah? I love her more than I love you too. Weird."

Wes nudged him with his elbow as Blaine continued to laugh. "You guys are mean to me. Have you heard from your dad for your birthday?"

"Funny you ask," Blaine turned his attention to his best friend, smile slowly fading. "I actually did, well via text message… 'Happy Birthday'… plain and simple. At like 8 in the evening." He placed his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands across his face, "It made me wonder did he just remember at that time of night… or maybe like… like get a friendly reminder from his secretary… I don't know. Doesn't matter I guess. He did text me." He paused and looked away to a group of adorable kids running around the playground. They were bundled down in their coats, hats, hoods, scarves, and other articles of clothing tightly by their parents, and Blaine was surprised they could see at all. "I texted him back saying thank you, and I asked how he was, but I didn't get a reply after that. I don't mind though."

Wes nodded, watching as one of the children fell, landing on to the plush coat that cushioned the impact. Thank the heavens for layers right? "Well I could probably answer that for you. I'm not telling you because I want you to worry or anything but I want you to know. His behavior has become more than a little strange and he isn't behaving like the Anthony Anderson Laurens knows him to be." Wes explained slowly as his friend listened, searching his face carefully.

"You know he's defending the James' family in their case… it's a long one. And you also know my mom is the stenographer for the same trial. She's been telling me that she's a little concerned with what's going on… any way it's been dragging on for weeks. One day recently he showed up completely unprepared and inattentive… it almost seemed like he wasn't interested in any shape or form. And the next day he didn't appear at all. The judge put it on recess trying to figure out what's going on. We know your dad's reputation and he takes his job seriously, so everyone figured it must've been pretty important for him not to show. The next day he showed up, fiercer than ever, back on his game… but it was evident that at times his mind was elsewhere. The fact of the matter Blaine is that Anthony is lost and it's affecting his career. I don't know if your mom knows but he needs help. It'll only get worse as time progresses."

Blaine took in his friend's words as he felt his heart break. What was going on in his father's head to make the career and success driven mad man behave in this fashion? Was it because his family left or because of something else?

"I don't know how often my mom speaks with him, but I'll bring it up. That just doesn't sound like him at all…"

Wes nodded, running his gloved hand through his hair. A few moments of silence passed and Wes decided to change the topic to a lighter one. "This weather isn't for me, Blaine. How do you do it?"

He chuckled lightly, willing his mind to forget about his father for the time being. Blaine didn't want the weekend to be filled with depression. His best friend was here for goodness sake! "You get used to it." He started, "It snows! I like it."

Wes shook his head at the child in his best friend. "How's school going?"

Blaine let out a breath, watching the vapor leave his mouth in a little cloud. "I like it at McKinley. Not as homophobic as Laurens. There are a lot of asses but I don't feel endangered or anything unlike there." Wes looked at his friend as he listened. "Teachers seem cool, I made some cool friends. Girls think I'm hot." Wes rolled his eyes as his younger friend smirked. "How are Craig and Corey doing without me to there to harass?"

"Those dumbasses," Wes shook his head, "Craig is suspended for something or another, I don't know. And Corey is walking around school with his tail between his legs like a lost puppy. They're nothing without one another. But something must've happened once you left to open their eyes."

Blaine shrugged. "A little late but as long as they don't treat other people in the way they did you and me, I don't mind at all. Thanks for looking out for me bro, having my back. You don't know how much it meant."

"You're my best friend. I'd do it again if I had to." He half hugged Blaine from where he sat - a goofy smile on his face as he went in to kiss the curly haired boy on the cheek. Blaine laughed pushing him away. His friend fell off the bench right on his ass.

"That's what you get. A deal is a deal!" Blaine laughed as Wes lay on the ground like a victim.

"Oh but I wasn't finished buddy. We still have a lot to discuss." He sat up and rubbed his hands together swiftly.

Blaine gulped hard staring at his best friend as Wes glared at him, smiling devilishly at the scared teen. "Speaking of those who look out for you and have your back, what's up with you and Kurt?"

….

"My birthday is in a couple of months. I better get something as epic as Blaine did. I'm your only sister, Kurt. Your blood." Kate simultaneously texted and spoke to her brother, poking him with her foot as he lay on the carpet of their living room.

Kurt lay on the floor with his earphones in, having every intention of listening to a band Blaine told im about when they were lounging around the older boy's room the previous night. The same night Blaine told him he and Sebastian was a couple. How wonderful for them. Anyway, Kurt decided to give the band a try, but his little sister wouldn't stop talking. First about what happened on last week's Modern Family, then about this teacher that fell down the steps at school, then about how Puck should trim his Mohawk because it no longer looked cool and reminded her of a ferret, etc. He had decided against listening to his iPod and instead chose to lay on the floor staring the ceiling. It was one thing to have to listen to the freshman babble… that he grew used to. But now, Kate's foot kept poking him in the ribs and he was getting more than agitated. He sighed and brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing little circles in attempt to relieve the tension he was feeling with everything that happened throughout the week.

"Get your foot off of me Katelyn."

"What am I getting for my birthday?" She continued poking him in his side repeatedly. The junior looked over to her in an extremely annoyed fashion. She smiled down at the teen on the floor, showing as many teeth as she could.

"Your foot. Off of me. Now."

The girl didn't listen, responding to a text from Rory and chewing on her gum louder than necessary. Her foot continued to connect with her older brother's side. "I want a pink Kawasaki like your red one. Then we can go on brother-sister bike rides through the community. Holding hands." Her foot pierced his side one final time before he grabbed it and slid the girl off the couch, smirking at her yelp and twisting her foot into an ankle lock. Her cell phone flew across the room and landed on their dad's recliner.

"I said to keep your crusty feet off of me. Now I'm not letting go."

"Kurt! That fucking hurts! Let go!"

"Watch your mouth, Katie."

"LET GO OF MY FOOT!"

"Not happening."

Luckily for the girl, Finn called Kurt's cell phone right as he started dragging her by the foot across the house. He reluctantly let go and answered after telling his sister she'd be getting a flight away from Lima to Kalamazoo for her birthday and if she wanted to come back she'd have to earn enough money to afford a flight home… however she did that wasn't his concern. Kate caressed her ankle and stuck her middle finger up as she inched away from her brother.

"Finn. What's up?"

"Dude," he sounded frantic and out of breath. "Have you heard from Sam? Please say he's fucking with me…"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at his friend's concern. "No I haven't. What's going on?"

"Shit!" Finn huffed.

Kate watched as her brother's face grew concerned and tense, the muscles of his jaw clenching slightly.

"Finn… please talk to me bro… where is Sam and what the fuck is going on?"

"I… I don't know, Kurt." He panted into the receiver, sounding like he was gasping for breath. Kurt felt himself growing angry but he did his best to stay calm and wait for an explanation. "Some girl called me from his number and left a voicemail saying he was in trouble at like 2 in the morning. I was knocked out. But she was … she was like whispering and shit and I don't know if he was playing a prank or what… but I called back and there is no answer. And I stopped by his house and he's not there Kurt."

"I'll be back," Kurt whispered to Kate before grabbing his jacket and running out the house. His sister ran to the door and watched, afraid for her brother's safety as usual when he behaved erratically and did things of this nature. He pulled out the driveway in a hurry and sped down the block. Kate closed the door shut and prayed everything was okay.

The previous night…

"Get out the car, pretty boy. Let's go."

Karofsky dragged the blonde out of the car by the hair making him stumble onto the ground. Sam felt dried blood on his face and his cheek begin to swell after another hit from Jake. His stomach was even sorer after landing on the ground harshly and his head was banging from the impact of the punch Azimio gave him. A foot connected with his ribs and he yelped out in pain as two bodies urged him to his feet.

Christie didn't even watch, she just sat in the car while the three jocks dragged Sam to a pole in the middle of the block, Azimio and Jake holding him flush against it while Karofsky punched the blonde square in the gut. He doubled over and Azimio pulled him so he stood straight up again while Karofsky repeated his action.

A ringtone started playing and the girl turned back quickly to see where it was coming from. A phone illuminated against the dark floor and she immediately realized it as Sam's, the same logo from his pendant – the guitar and 'BBR' stuck to the back of it. She looked at the ID to see some girl calling and pressed ignore, turning the phone off completely and placing it in her glove compartment.

"Do you know where you are, Evans? We're a little far from Lima. Take a guess."

Sam spat blood out of his mouth but remained quiet, thanking the heavens that the two jocks were holding him up. Otherwise he would've been doubled over on the ground right now.

"Plainview, Sam. We're in Plainview. It'll probably take you a few hours to walk back to Lima from here. But it's dark now so you'll need to wait until the sunrises." Karofsky smiled, patting Sam on the shoulder. "You're not so hot without your bullshit friends here to help you, huh?"

Sam looked up through his blurred vision to see Karofsky smiling at him in the darkness. "Fuck you."

The boys all laughed. Karofsky smiled and shook his head, kneeing Sam in the gut one more time before telling his friends to drop him. They let go with laughs as Sam sank to the grown holding his body. The jocks made their way back over to Christie's car and the girl sped off.

….

Current Day

"Me and Kurt, we're pretty tight. He's like my Ohio Wes, just a little more out there..." Blaine smiled, "and even though we seem extremely different we have a lot in common. We can relate with each other, happenings with our families and all."

Wes waited to see if the other freshman was finished before he spoke. Blaine kept avoiding his eyes the whole time he answered so the older teen made every intention of pressing him for honest answers.

"I see. How old is he again?"

"Umm… he'll be 17 in July I think… yeah…"

Wes nodded. It was cute Blaine was pretending he couldn't remember which month the boy's birthday was. He probably knew the exact day and everything. But he kept quiet.

"You know," Wes started, "I thought I wouldn't like him from what you've told me. But something about him seems cool. I was expecting an asshole but he's really down to earth."

Blaine's eyes followed the children playing in the park as he listened to his friend's words. He honestly wasn't prepared for Wes to actually like Kurt's attitude, lord knows it took Blaine a while to get used to, but it appeared to be that way. Interesting. "Oh yeah?" he asked, feigning disinterest. Wes smirked and replied. "Yeah. He's a cocky son of a gun but I like that he looks out for you. Not that you can't look out for yourself but it's always good to have those extra eye's you know? And paying for me to come here to see you… pretty freaking amazing. That was something he didn't have to offer to do let alone do at all." He paused, rubbing his hand across his cold face. "God only knows how bad I wished I could see you for your birthday."

The younger boy nodded and waited a while before responding. "So did you get any word back from the engineering program you want to get into?" Blaine asked trying to change the conversation. The last thing he needed to have was a conversation with his best friend discussing how great of a guy the boy he liked was… and the boy that liked him back which was even worse. Blaine wanted nothing more than to push those feelings aside and focus on Sebastian. The boy was so sweet and humble when he approached Blaine asking to be his boyfriend. He even told Blaine no matter what his answer was he'd always be his friend and would be there when he needed him. It was more than evident Sebastian cared. He was worth a shot.

Wes smirked at Blaine's question. Did he think that it'd be that easy to switch subjects? No way, Blaine. "Well not as of yet, I was told I'd receive a response by March the latest. It'll keep my summer tied up if they accept me but it'll be worth it in the long run. I'm not that absent minded though, so please don't try to distract me from the topic again silly."

Blaine smiled. "I don't know what you mean… distract you from the topic… but I know you'll get it bro. You're perfect for the position."

"Thanks," Wes responded, "and the topic was you and Kurt, of course."

"There isn't a me and Kurt so that isn't even a topic. Sorry to disappoint."

"Well it's obvious he's into you. You might not want me saying this but I don't give a hell. It is o-b-v-i-o-u-s. That face he wore when he saw how glad you were man, priceless. He was so happy that you were happy."

Blaine rolled his eyes and finally faced his friend. "Because he and I are friends, Wesley. It goes both ways."

Wes turned his body to face Blaine so that half of him was on the bench and half was off. "What aren't you telling me? You feel the same for him don't you?"

This time, Blaine turned away awkwardly. "I have a boyfriend… as of last night… we met at school, have a class together and all… he's a great guy and he has a bright future, he's driven…" Blaine trailed off waiting for his buddy to respond- more like waiting to be judged by his buddy. Yeah, that was more like it.

"Blaine, I just want to point out the fact that you didn't answer the question I asked. But I'll let it slide. What's this boyfriend's name?"

"Sebastian. Sebastian Smythe. He's a sophomore at McKinley."

"Mhmm…. You've never mentioned him once. For such a great guy and all its kind of weird he's never been mentioned in conversation." Wes stared carefully at his friend who was playing with a BBR bracelet around his wrist. Wonder where he got that from…

"He never came up. That's all."

"Kurt has come up just about every time we spoke."

There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the space between the two 15 year olds. Wes was waiting patiently for a response to his statement. He knew that Blaine wouldn't be able to pretend much that he had no feelings for Kurt but the boy would most likely find a way to snake out of the conversation. Blaine on the other hand was upset the conversation came to this. His best friend was absolutely right. Not once had he mentioned Sebastian. Everything was Kurt this, Kurt that. 'Kurt's band is so awesome' or 'nothing much, I'm just hanging with Kurt'. How could he explain that without sounding like a kid with a crush?

"Blaine…-"

"Because he's always there, Wesley. We live right next to each other. We spend most of our time together when he's not off doing something stupid that could potentially ruin his life. My mom leaves for work, he'll come over. His dad leaves for work, I go over. That's been the routine during our free time."

"And Sebastian… nothing? You don't hang out or spend time with him? Your boyfriend?"

Blaine got up and started walking towards the park's exit, Wes jogging to catch up and wait for a response. Blaine thought for a while before speaking, glancing at the mailman cut across someone's lawn. That was very rude of him. But his best friend cleared his throat as a warning that he was still waiting on an answer. "We just got together. So in the future, sure, but in the past we haven't been together as often as I'd like. He lives like… twenty minutes away."

Wes nodded, struggling to keep up with his best friend's quick pace. "Okay. Am I meeting him before I leave?"

Blaine considered it, "I don't see why not. Tomorrow we can set something up. Catch a movie or something simple."

"Wait," Wes began, staring at his friend with a smirk, "he won't be celebrating with you tonight?"

"No…. We did a movie last night… with Kate and another friend."

Wes smiled harder as he put two and two together, so to speak. "Forgive my… slowness… but I just want to understand correctly. You have a celebration with him and then one with Kurt? Or…"

Blaine shook his head realizing what Wes was getting at. This was going to be a long day. "No it isn't like that… well I guess it is but… okay, it's like this," Wes laughed as the other freshman fumbled his words, "Kurt had already suggested doing the party tonight with his band so I said yes. Besides, he and Sebastian aren't the best of friends for whatever reason so I figured I'd spend time with them separately."

"You're juggling two guys… you do realize that right? And the 'for whatever reason' Kurt and Sebastian aren't the best of friends probably has something to do with you dumbass! Geesh, you can be so blind at times." Wes ruffled his straight hair with a smile, laughing at how oblivious his buddy was. It was a little sad.

"I am not juggling two guys! Kurt and I… shit…. Sebastian is my boyfriend. Kurt and I are friends. Period." Blaine all but shouted, his hands flying around dramatically as the boys crossed a road in the backstreets.

Wes was quiet, quite confident he got his point across. The two continued to walk the path back to Blaine's, the curly haired boy with the conversation they just had in mind, Wes's thought pattern now shifting over to his stomach.

"Why are you so quiet?" Blaine asked his Asian friend. He didn't like how quiet it had gotten because the silence left his brain free to roam over things he wanted to bury. Things like Kurt, and the older boy's fingers playing with his curls. Things like waking up on the couch in the bad boy's arms… things like that.

"Ehh… you know. Not much to say. You aren't telling me everything so I decided to shut up. But it's cool, we can talk about something else." Wes shrugged, kicking a rock as they continued to walk, slower now.

"Please, let's."

Wes smirked, shaking his head. Blaine was way too enthusiastic to change the topic. "I can go for pizza…" he said.

"I'll order when we get back to the house." Blaine told his friend eliciting a grin from the greedy boy.

The boys continued on their journey, a few blocks away from Blaine's house, when they heard a car speeding in their direction. Both Blaine and Wes turned to see what the commotion was and thought nothing of it when they saw Kurt's car quickly approaching. He was probably just being silly and going on a joy ride, or trying to escape the cops, both seemed plausible. But they weren't expecting what they saw when Kurt's car pulled up to the curb where they were walking. Both watched as the junior rolled the window down and instructed them to get in. Kurt's face was about as red as the vehicle he drove. Blaine had never seen his friend wearing that expression and the smile the freshman was wearing faded, his heart dropping a few notches. Wes was confused as well but hopped in the backseat as Blaine walked around the side of the car and got in the passenger side. Kurt remained quiet and pulled off, going in the direction of their houses.

Blaine was quiet, too scared to ask what was going on. He wasn't too sure if he wanted to know. The face Kurt was wearing pretty much screamed that he was enraged and had every intention of doing something about… taking it out on somebody. Blaine didn't want that to be him or Wes. Of course that wasn't going to happen. Kurt knew who his anger was focused on, but Blaine didn't chance it. However, his friend wasn't on the same page. Wes was curious as to why Kurt was so angry and what was happening.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" he asked from the back seat, trying to catch a glimpse of the bad boy's countenance in the rearview mirror. Kurt was playing with his tongue ring between his lips, a habit that occurred when his mind was elsewhere. "A lot. I need to get you guys home. I want you to stay put until I get back. Either with Kate or at your house," he motioned to Blaine with a head nod in his direction, not taking his eye off the road. He hadn't really looked Blaine in the eyes since he picked the boys up, "but I'd prefer it if you stayed at my house."

Wes slouched down in the seat, not pleased with Kurt's answer. He looked from Blaine, who was now staring out the passenger side window, battling with himself to ask what was going on - to the driver, who was speeding down the street tapping the steering wheel. "Why is that we need to stay inside exactly?" Wes asked, hoping for a clear and concise reply from the peculiar junior.

"I need to handle something really quick and its best if you two are safe, indoors." The oldest took a deep breath, "See, I have a few enemies around here, Wes… more than a few actually, and I have reason to believe they're fucking with me in a way I don't want to be fucked with." he pulled in front of his house and put the car in park, leaning back in his seat and finishing his thought. "So I'm going to let you two out and I need you guys to just stay inside. Keep busy for a couple hours. I'll be back." He finally turned to Blaine who still wasn't even looking at him now; his focus straight ahead staring at absolutely nothing. Kurt's tongue ring appeared again as he worried it between his lips, taking his eyes off of Blaine and staring at his own hand on the gearshift. Wes took the hint that Kurt wanted a moment with his friend so he dismissed himself, telling Blaine he'd wait on the stoop for him. Blaine remained quiet, steadily looking at the same spot as before while his friend got out the car and walked up to Kurt's door.

Kurt watched Wes walk to the door and sit on the steps. Blaine finally showed some sign of life; he exhaled deeply and undid his seat belt, reaching over and opening his door to get out of the car. Kurt grabbed his arm firmly before he could get out.

"Wait, Blaine… wait a minute."

Blaine paused; his free hand still on the door handle and one leg on the sidewalk. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" he spat out in an annoyed tone.

Kurt rolled his eyes at the freshman's attitude. It was evident Blaine was upset but he really didn't have a right to be. And he didn't need to act like a child about it.

"If you really wanted to get out the car you would've done so as soon as I pulled up. So just wait a minute, please."

Blaine brought his leg back into the car and slammed the door shut, making sure not to turn towards Kurt at all. He was beyond pissed at him; he wasn't even trying to be a better person for his own damn self, or his family. Blaine hated that he convinced himself the bad boy could change for him. It was foolish and he was showing his age and naivety by believing in him.

"So you aren't going to look at me, B?" The junior moved his hand from Blaine's arm and placed it on his shoulder trying to urge the boy to face him. Blaine remained quiet, anger building up inside of him for his neighbor. The day was going so well and now he had to spend the rest of his 'fun birthday weekend' worrying about the safety of this dumbass. He refused to give Kurt what he wanted by looking at him. He'd just try and charm his way out of it, but there was no way Blaine would feel better knowing his… his friend… was out there doing god knows what.

Kurt realized that the boy's mind was made up. He smirked and removed his hand, bringing it over to run through his own perfectly coiffed brown hair. Turning to face the front, a memory flashed in his head; he warned Blaine that he could do better… and maybe now Blaine was beginning to see that.

"You asked me to stay so what did you want to say, Kurt?"

Kurt was quiet. That was a damn good question. Simple, yes, but it made the junior pause. He hadn't thought about what he wanted to say exactly, he just knew he didn't want Blaine to get out of the car like this… upset, angry, pissed off at his older friend. That's not how he wanted this day to go at all. And Kurt had a bunch on his mind already – worrying about Blaine too would just push him over the edge. There were tons of things he wanted to say, really… things he needed to say… but he couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to Blaine or to that tool he was with. Instead, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on what he needed to do for Sam. "Forget it. I just… tell Kate I'll be back soon for me okay?"

Blaine bit his bottom lip and nodded, knowing that wasn't whatever Kurt wanted to say. The southern boy turned his body to get out. He opened the door slightly before deciding he might as well get some kind of answer to tell Kate. She was probably worried sick, as usual. Yeah… Kate deserved to know.

"At least tell me what's wrong so I can let her know. You know how upset she gets when you do this." Blaine closed the door again, sitting back in the seat and waiting for a response.

Kurt turned his body to the younger boy and smiled knowingly. Blaine did care. He wasn't fooling anyone. And whether he was with Sebastian or not, Jurt intended to let it be known that he cared to. One day he'd show the dork just how much he meant to him.

"Look at me and I'll tell you everything. Please, B." Kurt worried his lip between his teeth, patiently waiting for Blaine to turn in his direction. He knew that catching the slightest glimpse of his hazel eyes would calm him down a bit, if even for a moment. Of course he had things to do, but right now was all that mattered.

Blaine let his head fall back against the headrest before finally giving in. The way he saw it, the quicker he got an answer, the quicker he could get on with his day. If that meant giving Kurt the satisfaction of knowing he could get Blaine to look at him then let it be. But it wasn't that simple. Once their eyes met it was a little too much for the freshman. A look of relief flashed over Kurt's countenance when Blaine turned to him; his crystal blue eyes shining and pleading for Blaine to listen. The 15 year-old wanted to scream at him, hit him, and do whatever to make the dumbass realize he was ruining himself. Okay, they may never be together, but that didn't change the fact that he still cared.

Kurt was relieved when he finally met eyes with Blaine. The shade of green that he loved so much made the fire inside him subside and ignite all at the same time. And for those few seconds it was just the two of them. But Blaine didn't look content with the bad boy. He looked exhausted, he looked frustrated, stressed out… he looked like he wanted to scream. It was just another thing that showed Kurt 'Okay, maybe everyone is right about us. I bet Sebastian wouldn't make him look like this, or feel this way.' Kurt momentarily closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts before spilling everything to his neighbor. "Finn called me a little while ago. He said he got a call from Sam's cell phone but it was a girl. She left a message in the middle of the night saying Sam was in trouble…. My best friend is missing, Blaine." The freshman's eyes went wide and fear washed over his face immediately. Kurt composed himself before continuing. "No one knows where he is. He's not home and… he didn't even go home at all last night. Puck is driving around checking a few hangouts… but we got absolutely nothing. And I'm worried fucking sick. There is no doubt in my mind that someone from Murdock had something to do with this. I'm going to find out and bring my friend home. So please, tell Katie I'll be back and not to worry. You and Wes just sit tight."

Blaine shook his head not wanting to believe what he just heard. This couldn't be happening. Nothing would change if the boy's kept going back and forth like this and now Sam was missing? His mind was racing a mile a minute and it was hard to focus on one thought for more than a second. "Kurt, you don't have to do this on your own there has to be another wa-"

"I'm not on my own. I'm about to go and get Finn, and we have Puck so I'm good if that's what's worrying you-"

"No I mean…" Blaine looked over to Kurt pleadingly, "can't you just call the cops and get them involved instead of doing something stupid? I don't want anything to happen to y…" he paused, "I just don't think there's a need to put yourself in the situations you do when you can get help."

Kurt laughed and rubbed his forehead. He didn't catch Blaine's slip of words but he heard the rest clearly. Call the police? Really, Blaine? That isn't an option for Kurt Hummel.

"A little lesson in Kurt 101 Blaine, never ever take the bitch way out. I handle my own problems. I get myself into a situation, I get myself out. I don't go running to the authorities."

Blaine felt himself getting even angrier. Once again he turned to get out of the car, glancing back at his neighbor before climbing out. Kurt looked straight out the window before him knowing that Blaine didn't approve of his answer. But it is what it is. Outside the car, the younger boy bent down so that he could clearly see Kurt through the open window. His older friend didn't look at him though. "I hope you guys find Sam around here somewhere and that he's not in any trouble, because if you have to use those stupid as fuck 'Kurt 101' rules, you're going to get yourself arrested or killed. Now I'm going to go talk to your sister like you asked. I guess I'll see you later…" he turned and walked over to the steps of Kurt's place - Wes on the phone not paying the two much attention. But he did perk up when he saw the look of anger on Blaine's face. He told Kendra he'd call her back, hanging up the phone and glancing to the Pontiac. Kurt stared at Blaine's back as the boy moved further and further away from him and towards the Hummel residence. The oldest looked almost regretful for a moment, but that expression went away, the usual 'I don't give a damn' face coming back as he started the car again, rolling up his windows and taking off.

Blaine texted Kate letting her know to answer the door. Wes stood up from the step and dusted himself off, waiting for any type of words to leave his best friends mouth. Blaine only stayed quiet.

The door swung open revealing a sad looking Kate. Her eyes were red like she had been crying but now she appeared to be fine, just visibly upset. Blaine stepped in and hugged her tightly, sighing into her shoulder as the shorter freshman did the same. When they let go, Blaine walked straight up the stairs and Katelyn gave Wes a sad smile. She grabbed his hand and led him into her warm home. Wes felt bad for the girl, not sure what exactly was going on but pretty sure it happened on a regular basis. Blaine's angry face and the girl's somber expression were clues of it, if nothing else. She closed the door and turned to her new friend in order to make him feel a little more at ease. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these… conditions. My brother's a good guy he's just been hurt… and now he's sort of behaving in ways that he thinks will prevent that from happening again. Behaving like an idiot is one of those things…" she smiled and mussed her hair.

Wes shrugged with a smile. "It's okay. We all have our moments, right? He'll be fine."

She motioned with her head towards the stairs and began walking, Wes followed closely behind. "I want to believe that. Maybe one day." She said as the two reached the top of the steps and walked the short distance to her room. Wes wondered just how much of a bad ass Kurt was. He apparently must be one to get himself in some serious situations to make his best friend behave this way and make his sister look that lost. But Wes knew the teen would get it together just from the remorseful glance he gave Blaine as he walked away from the car.

When they got inside the girl's room, Blaine was already there sprawled out on her bed staring at the ceiling. His face muscles were tight, his eyes in a thin line, his hands were placed behind his head, and his tongue was playing at the right corner of his lips. He didn't look like he wanted to be bothered at all. Hell – he didn't even look like he was there at all. None of that would stop Wes of course. He hated it when Blaine was upset and he always did what he needed to in order for the goober to feel better. Kate went and sat next to him, folding her legs beneath her Indian style and burying her head in a book. Wes looked around the tense room before closing the door and walking over to the wall closest to Blaine and sitting against it on the carpeted floor.

"Blaine?"

"Yes Wesley?"

"He's going to be fine." This was something that for some reason Wes didn't doubt even a second.

Blaine stayed quiet. Wes didn't know that. He didn't understand how much of an ass Kurt was, and how shitty he felt when Kurt did things like this.

"Now about that pizza…" Wes continued, smirking when he saw the corners of Blaine's lip turn up into a smile. Kate shook her head listening to the two country boys. Apparently she had two Blaine's in her room.

….

"You didn't delete the voicemail right?"

"No," Finn replied, strapping himself in and handing his phone to Kurt. "Dial '1' and all. I saved it."

Kurt sat back in his seat and listened to the message carefully. The girl sounded a little familiar but he couldn't match her voice to a face. She sounded scared; her voice low at times in a whisper then a little bolder at others.

"… I'm calling you because this is the last number I see Sam has dialed. And his phone is going to die soon. Please, as soon as you hear this get help. He's badly hurt and they left him in Plainview… well we left him there… I'm sorry. … Just … He's between Floral Rd and Sharpe St. so hurry."

Kurt hung the phone up. This girl apparently played some part in dropping Sam in Plainview, which was practically an hour away more or less by car. She said he was hurt badly? All that Kurt could see was red. There was no doubt the mystery girl had some sort of link to Murdock because no one else would do something so foolish to fuck with Kurt and his friends. And he felt like he recognized her voice from somewhere but… none of that mattered now. All that mattered was finding Sam and beating the shit out of whoever was responsible.

"Finn... Did you listen to the whole message?"

"No, bro. I freaked out. I needed to check if he was fucking with me or not so I immediately went over to his place-"

Kurt mentally face palmed. Had the taller doof just listened to the message Puck wouldn't be running around Lima looking for Sam and he'd know where he was last. He started his car and pulled a U-turn, going in the direction that would lead them to Plainview. "The girl clearly says where they were. Why didn't you just finish listening? Do I have to do everything?"

Finn looked to his band mate with his mouth agape. "I'm sorry I … I … I didn't know. I thought he was playing… fuck if anything is wrong it'll be my entire fault."

That's where Finn was wrong. It was all Kurt's fault. He knew deep within whatever happened to Sam was because of him. He was the one with enemies. He was the one constantly in some shit with somebody. And he was the one who planned the whole attack on Murdock Avenue, leaving the Saints and 'Dave and friends' feeling sour. Now it looked like they wanted to retaliate. Bring it on, because Kurt would be the one putting an end to it.

"It is fine, Finn. Just call Puck and let him know where we're going, please."

As Kurt did way too many miles over the speed limit, his phone started ringing and he sucked his teeth in annoyance. Great. The photo that flashed as the call came through was Sam's on again off again girlfriend of forever and this was like the fifth time she was calling to see if Kurt heard from the blonde. He knew he was in no shape to deal with her yet again without cursing her out so he passed the buck to his partner.

"Finn can you get that for me?" Kurt kept his eyes on the road in front of him, peeling in and out of lanes.

"No, thank you. Santana is mean to me and I have no intention of dealing with her." Finn crossed his arms as if to say he was putting his foot down. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"But I'm driving. Safety first."

"You're going almost 85 miles per hour right now. That isn't very safe."

"Just answer the phone, Finn."

Hello? ...this is Finn… Yes… We're going to get him no…. no… no… look I understa… yes Santana…

Kurt zoned out from the conversation and instead focused on getting to his friend. Would he even be anywhere near there? Someone could've found him by now and took him to the hospital, and with no phone who knew how they'd find him. He tried to push away all the negative thoughts and look for the exit that'd get them to their destination.

….

Sam opened his eyes slowly even though it hurt so much to do it. The bright sunlight peeking through the trees hit his face and made the migraine he had feel even heavier. But everything hurt; the blonde's legs were weak, he could feel the blood dry on his face from the cut that probably got infected by now, his ribs and abdomen were sore from the hits and kicks, most likely bruised up if he could lift his head to check, and one eye felt so swollen – he could barely open it more than a quarter of the way. He thought about crying out for help but he remembered Karofsky and pals dropping him virtually in the middle of nowhere. His cell phone was gone, he could barely move, and if he could he wouldn't even know the direction to go to find his way back to Lima. He was seriously fucked.

Sam pushed himself up on his elbows and cursed the situation he got himself into. He didn't know what time it was or if was it even the next day… he very well could've past out well into the next year. Unlikely, but he couldn't be sure. The blonde junior backed his body up against a tree, leaning his head against it and resting his arm across his body. The cold weather had his body stiff. His lips were chapped and his fingers frostbitten. The pain and discomfort was too much and he closed his eyes once again, drifting back to sleep.

….

I just needed to hear from you. You were on my mind and I feel like crap right now. –Blaine

Can we talk about it? – Sebastian

Come over tomorrow please. My friend Wes came up from South Carolina for the weekend and he wants to meet you. And I want to see you. – Blaine

I'll be there, babe. Feel better please :( - Sebastian

Thank you. I'll try. -Blaine

….

"Stay with him in the backseat. I'll get us back as quickly as possible. He looks fucking horrible… if I get my hands on Dave, Finn… I swear."

Finn placed his friend and band manager in the back of Kurt's Pontiac and took a seat next to him. Kurt got in the driver's seat after he helped Finn lower the boy's lifeless body into the car. Finn could clearly see the disgust and rage placed on Kurt's face and he felt the same way… without a doubt Sam was very close to him… but he couldn't help but feel Kurt would do something stupid because of this that could put himself in even more danger than Sam had gotten into. The bad boy took off, getting back onto the parkway at a blazing speed, his mind everywhere at once.

"Kurt we don't need to get pulled over or freaking killed so can you slow down a bit? I know he's hurt but I don't want to end up worst…."

"Sorry Finn… but I have something to do and it can't wait so just hold on tightly."

But I have drugs on me man! Finn said in his head, but that wasn't a viable argument to Kurt when he wanted to kick somebody's ass.

Sam lay across the backseat still asleep; Kurt's leather jacket placed over him in attempt to raise his body temperature a bit while Finn held him steady as Kurt drove like a mad man. Finn told Kurt that he wouldn't be going to The Jezebels party that night so he could make sure Sam was okay, and that the blue eyed boy should take the rest of BBR and Blaine and Wes instead. His date with Briana would have to wait until another night unless she wanted to help with Sam. Seeing if she could care for another person who wasn't herself would be a quality he was looking for anyway and it'd make him pleased to know she was different from what Kurt had described her to be. Kurt wasn't even interested in the party anymore, though. He wanted blood.

"Can you call Puck for me Finn? Tell him to meet me on Murdock in forty five minutes."

….

Christie pulled her hair into a ponytail and lay back on the couch. Her cousin Jake and his friends Dave and Azimio were sprawled around the living room, laughing and joking about how they beat up Sam and left him in the middle of nowhere. Christie felt sick to her stomach. She decided that would be the last time she was a part of anything that had to do with the boys from here on out, and if she could do anything to make it up to Sam she'd definitely do it. If that meant getting in contact with this Kurt guy they kept bringing up… Kurt Hummel they said… wow, that name sounds familiar … then she'd do that, and let him know everything – even her part in the matter.

The sound of loud obnoxious car horn honking came from outside making the teens jump. Christie got up to run to the window but her cousin called her back telling the brunette to sit down and stay put. Azimio went to the window and glanced down the block to the direction of the noise. He saw Kurt and Puck hop out of the Mohawk wearing teen's Expedition truck and approach the Karofsky home.

"Shit, Dave! Hummel and Puckerman are by your house right now!"

Dave shot up from his seat on the sofa and ran to the door. "Fuck, let's go." The boy's grabbed their coats and rushed out the door. Christie got off the couch and grabbed hers as well, following after the boy's so that she'd be able to see this Hummel guy.

Xavier walked outside in ball shorts and a hoodie. He looked at Kurt and Puck with a smile. After being annoyed by the noise he calmed down once he saw it was the two dumbasses in front of him. They looked pissed but Xavier didn't give a fuck. He basically took Kurt as his own so there was no way he'd be disrespected by him now. And Puckerman was a smart kid when he wanted to be… he knew not to fuck with Xavier who could end him just by saying the word.

"Kurt, how have you been baby boy? And what brings you to my humble abode?" The towering 22 year-old asked with a smile, looking to his former 'friend'. I suppose that's what he could call him. It had been a while since he'd seen the younger kid and even longer since the little incident… but that was the past. That was done with.

"Where's Dave?" Kurt asked in a monotone, minutes away from destroying everything in sight. Seeing his best friend like that killed him inside… just knowing that everything was because of him - because of the mistakes he made in the past. Now he was going to right all of that in his own way.

"What did he do?" Xavier asked curiously, turning his attention to the boys and solo girl approaching. Dave's eyebrows were knitted together as he looked at Kurt in disgust.

"Get the fuck off of my block, Hummel," he spoke loud and clear in a threatening tone. Kurt turned his body to face the boy and Puck held onto him by the jacket to prevent him from lunging at the jock.

Xavier rolled his eyes at his little brother. The boy thought he was the toughest person in the world and it was only because he was related to Xavier. He'd be a big pussy if he couldn't run to his older brother for everything. "Leave, Dave. I need to talk to Kurt."

Dave looked to his older brother with wide eyes. This was exactly why he got Kurt jumped out of the Saints in the first place. Kurt always had top priority out of the two of them and Dave wasn't even allowed to be in his brother's group. Yeah, he was feared because he was from Murdock but it'd mean so much more if he was an actual Saint. He'd be king in McKinley. "You're going to let this asshole come to our block like he runs something? Let us handle him for-"

"David. If I have to ask you to leave again you will do so with a foot up your ass. Take your stupid ass friends and get back to where ever the hell you were. Goodbye."

Puck smiled at the scene unfolding while Kurt took the time to observe the girl standing behind Jake. Was she the girl on the voicemail? She looked ridiculously familiar. He knew that face from somewhere…

Dave about-faced and walked back to Jake's house, his two teammates self-consciously walking behind him. The girl didn't move; steady looking at Kurt as he returned the same confused expression. Puck raised an eyebrow at the two wondering what was happening. X did the same; glancing from Kurt to that random girl he'd see by Jake's sometimes. "Can we help you sweet heart?" the man asked.

Christie didn't move at first… only looking at Kurt and trying to figure out where the hell she knew him from. Definitely a long time ago, whatever it was, when she was little…but she knew him. Xavier's deep voice shook her out her reverie as she looked up to the tall man and almost ran away. Christie knew of his reputation and wasn't about to have her life end today. "No… I'm sorry. I'll just… I'll go." She turned to leave, urging her legs to make their way back to her cousin's house.

Kurt realized the nervous voice from the voicemail… it was definitely the same girl. "Wait! You're the one who called Finn's phone… you helped them do that to Sam…"

The girl froze in the street as Kurt felt Puck grow tense behind him. The older junior pushed past Kurt and approached the girl angrily but Kurt stopped him, holding him back. "Stop, Puck." He spoke quietly. Xavier watched on confused. "What happened with your Sam friend exactly?"

"I'm guessing you don't know your brother kidnapped and beat the shit out of him, leaving him to die a fucking hour away from here, huh big guy?" Puck spoke, anger seeping from his pores. Xavier looked over to Jake's house where he could see the three boys peeking out the window.

"No I didn't know that."

"Anything could have happened," Kurt began as he spoke to the girl, "why did you do that?"

Christie turned around to face the blue eyed boy with tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to… believe me, my cousin… Jake… he made me lure him into the car… and then they… they… I'm so sorry."

Kurt looked at her trying to understand whether or not he was bugging for thinking he knew her. But he recognized her from the past, a long time ago. He couldn't be too upset with her because he'd been in situations like that where Xavier made him do things to people he hadn't wanted to. He understood being young and afraid. And his beef wasn't with her it was with them. Kurt looked away and faced Xavier. "X… I hope you'll let your brother know he's dead to me right now. And I'll be damned if I don't make it a reality."

Xavier smiled and shifted on his feet, leaning against his fence. That was the Kurt he knew and loved, the Kurt he'd seen so much of… the Kurt he basically created. He needed him back. "Listen, I'm going to handle him. You won't have to worry about Dave or any of his idiot friends. Go be with the Sam kid and come back and talk to me soon, we need to catch up."

Kurt looked at his former mentor incredulously. No way was he coming back to talk to the man that almost killed him that night over absolutely nothing. He smiled at Puck who stood complacent with the same angry face he'd been wearing before then over to Xavier. "You've got to be out of your fucking mind if you think I want to catch up with you. I fucking hate who I am because of you. Every one of my insecurities stem from not feeling I was good enough to live up to your expectations. So there is no way in hell I'm coming back to talk to you, X."

The older man smirked and looked down to the ground. This was going to be harder than he expected, but he always got what he wanted. "Tell your friends to get lost..."

Christie turned to walk towards Jake's house where the other boys congregated at the window. She suddenly realized they would probably kill her for saying anything to Kurt and that'd be the end of her. Kurt watched her stop walking and automatically knew what was going through her mind. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Christie Nixon." she replied, nervously turning to face him.

Oh my god I know that name. Who the fuck is she?

The bad boy glanced over to Puck who was waiting for instruction from his right hand man. "Can you take her to the car and wait for me?"

"Umm, why?" Puck asked, not mentally prepared to help one of the people who left his friend stranded in the freezing cold, bloody and bruised.

"Just do it."

As the girl followed Puck to his truck, Kurt turned his attention to his former 'brother'. Xavier watched as Puck got in the vehicle and stared straight back at him, probably waiting for Xavier to try something with his friend.

"What do you want?" Kurt asked sounding bored.

"First off, Kurt, you need to respect me. I practically raised you. And I don't respond well to being disrespected. You do remember that right?"

Kurt looked back at him with no emotion. "I remember, X.I told you once, I didn't take anything. I'm not going to keep repeating myself. You made your choice and I couldn't care any less."

Xavier smiled. "You grew up a lot. You're not afraid of me anymore."

Kurt smiled back. Yeah, he used to be scared shitless of this guy. Now… fuck everyone and everything Murdock Avenue had to offer. "No, X, no I'm not."

"That's good. But like I said we need to talk. If you don't come to me, I'll come to you. And your dad probably wouldn't be too happy to see me so… choose wisely." He observed Kurt's curious face and looked over to Puck in the car. "I'm going to go talk to Dave, you go deal with what you need to. I'll see you Hummel." The older male walked in the direction of his brother at Jake's house and Kurt stood idle taking in everything that had just happened.

"Let's go Kurt!" Puck called to him, and the boy made his way over to the truck. Inside, he looked back to the girl who sat in the second row of seats looking scared and confused. "You just volunteered yourself to take care of Sam this weekend. You're such a charitable person and humanitarian. Good for you, Christie."

….

"Puck's car is out front, Blaine. They must be back. Let's go." Kate all but ran down the steps as Wes turned off her television and followed behind a grumpy Blaine who was moping around the whole time after him and Kurt's exchange. He rumpled his hair and walked down the steps, looking over to watch Kate approach her brother who was seated next to Puck on the couch. The boys were lost in their thoughts as the television played in the background. Wes passed by Blaine on the steps and went to stand against the front door. Kate asked her brother if everything okay with him, but Kurt just stared in front of him not even bothering to give her a reply.

"Yeah, Katelyn," Puck started, feeling bad for the young girl, "Sam's fine, we're good. Everybody is good. You guys should get ready to go. The party started already."

Kate looked from Puck with a smile and over to Kurt, then made her way over to Blaine and Wes. "My dad doesn't let me go to these parties. Totally not fair. But you boys enjoy yourself." She kissed Blaine on the cheek and gave Wes a tight hug, making her way up the steps. Wes looked to Blaine and motioned over to Kurt on the couch, but the freshman shook his head no and walked away. Wes shrugged, following behind Blaine as the younger teen opened the door and went over to his house to get ready.

Kurt listened as the door closed knowing the two freshmen had left. He realized that Blaine was more than likely upset with him but that would be their life. Kurt was a big disappointment, at least that's what he told himself. It made not living up to people's expectation easier to deal with.

Puck got off the couch and walked over to the fridge, digging out a couple beers from a secret compartment Burt didn't know about. He walked back to his friend and handed him one. "What's up with X, Kurt? He's behaving … in an interesting manner."

Kurt opened his beer and took a little sip. He wasn't in the mood for alcohol but it'd probably work wonders with helping him forget everything right now. "I don't know. I don't care. I just want an end to this bullshit."

Puck nodded, being able to agree with that one hundred percent. But he exercised his brain a little bit more when it came to things like this. "We need to chill out until the investigation is over for what we did to Murdock. Be smart, stupid."

"I can't wait that long!" Kurt put the beer bottle down and ran his hands through his hair. "If anything would've happened to Sam last night it would've been on me. We put him in that situation because I got you guys involved in that attack on Murdock… everything falls back on me. Now I'm so tired of this shit and I'm finishing it." The blue eyed boy started pacing the floor of his living room, trying to calm himself down. Every time he thought about doing something stupid, Blaine's voice would ring in his ear telling him he was better than this. But he wasn't.

Puck placed his bottle on the coffee table next to Kurt's. The older boy turned around on the couch to face his pacing friend. "I know I heard Xavier say he'd handle them. Now what I need you to do is listen very carefully to me. Tonight we're going to go to this party and let your boy Anderson enjoy himself. You were the one babbling on and on about how much he needed it right? Anything else we'll worry about tomorrow."

Kurt stopped his frantic pacing and rubbed his hand across his face. He took a deep breath and calmed down a bit, promising himself that he'd let any beef slide tonight and just have a normal night. Blaine deserved much better than this, and he hadn't given him the day he planned to so far.

"Sure." The brown haired boy responded. "We can do that."

….

Kurt, Puck, Quinn, Blaine and Wes walked their way through Green Hall and made their way up to the second level. It was a struggle getting to the upper floor with people everywhere crowding the building in order to hear the band jam out but the group made their way through and got to the VIP section. Kurt and Puck told everyone to get lost and for some reason they listened. Wes found it amazing and said to himself he could get used to this.

After the occupant's cleared the section, Blaine walked over to the balcony and looked down at all the partygoers. He couldn't bring himself to smile or be happy after the tumultuous day. The atmosphere was loud and crazy but he couldn't hear a thing. His thoughts were louder than everything. Rachel and her band were wild and seductive on stage, hands flew from side to side, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Not Blaine.

Wes found his way over to the left of Kurt, Puck seated on the right slouched down and staring at Quinn's ass as she went to stand next to Blaine. The three boys didn't say much at first, in a daze from the nonsense the Saturday had to offer. But after a while of Wes noticing Kurt glancing over at Blaine every so often battling with himself, he decided he'd ease into a conversation.

"You were right about this band. They are shitty."

Kurt snorted and nodded his head. "I told you so."

Quinn looked to her left where the short in stature freshman stood looking as somber as ever… strange for someone who was supposed to be living it up for his birthday… someone who had his friend fly in from another state just to see him. She called his name but he didn't respond, staring at the girls on the stage. So this time to get his attention she nudged him, extracting a jump from the curly haired boy. She smiled and apologized. "You okay champ?"

Blaine smiled sadly and nodded. "I'm good. Thank you."

The junior pulled out a blunt and lit it. "You don't look so good, Blainey. You can tell Quinnie if you'd like…"

The boy shrugged, considering her offer, but choosing against it. "Just life. There isn't much more to say."

The girl nodded with a knowing smirk. It must be about Kurt. She thought. "You want?" she motioned to the blunt after taking a hit herself.

"No thanks."

Wes lay back on the couch of the club sharing small talk with the two boys. It wasn't a bad outing; everyone was chilling, unwinding from the crazy day. He decided he liked Kurt even if he was a jackass. He knew that he really cared for Blaine. It was evident in just about everything he did. And Puck wasn't bad either. The Asian boy looked over to see Kurt glancing at Blaine once again and gave him a knowing smile. "So are you going to talk to him?"

Kurt looked over to Wes who was patiently waiting for a response. He laughed and played with his tongue ring again. "I'm that obvious, Wes?" The freshman nodded with an expression that said 'too obvious'. But Kurt only shrugged. "I don't think I have anything to say."

Wes looked from Kurt to his best friend and Quinn still chatting. "Talk to him about whatever it is bothering you."

Kurt continued playing with his tongue ring, still not moving to get up. Puck decided he'd give him a little motivation by going to grab Quinn away so that the freshman was alone at the balcony, still looking around Green Hall. Wes started up again. "You may think he doesn't care, but he does. And he isn't doing too well if you haven't noticed. He was so happy this morning and now… this. And you're the only one who can change that. I tried and failed. He talked to his boyfriend and nothing. Katelyn - nothing. So I guess you're all that's left."

"You're a persistent little brat aren't you?" Kurt smirked, standing to make his way over to the freshman. Wes smiled and watched hoping for a happy ending to a wild day.

It was strange that Blaine felt Kurt's presence approaching him before it even got there, but he just attributed it to the fact that they spent way too much time together.

Kurt stood to the left of the boy and looked down over the balcony to the teens enjoying themselves. Why - he wasn't sure - but it was a cool scene. Blaine didn't really react to his presence so he looked over to him trying to read the freshman's face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Blaine remained still, scoping the club out.

Kurt smiled. This stubborn little punk. "Still mad at me?" he asked, moving a little closer to Blaine, closer than Blaine deemed comfortable with all these people around. Well without people there too… and all…

"Nope." he replied simply.

"Okay." Kurt smiled, facing The Jezebels and battling with himself not to run out the club with both hands over his ears. The two remained quiet for a moment, awkwardly standing there. Blaine finally decided to speak, wanting nothing more than to clear the air and get this off his chest.

"I'm going to get over you, Kurt."

Well, okay then.

Kurt felt his heart break but nodded with a smile. That's what Blaine needed to do anyway. "That's good to hear."

"You're going to get yourself hurt or better yet, killed… and where will that leave me and everyone else stupid enough to care for you?"

Kurt tensed at the boy's words and turned his direction away from The Jezebels to his folded hands. "Then don't Blaine. Don't care. I don't know what to tell you."

Blaine scoffed. "Wow. That's all you have to say?"

"I'm not sure what the fuck you want me to say Blaine…" Kurt began getting agitated, shifting his weight from against the banister to his feet standing up to face the boy next to him. Wes's eyes went wide. He couldn't hear their conversation but it didn't look like it was going well. He damn sure wasn't expecting this.

"You don't have to say anything then," Blaine lowered his voice, still not facing the older teen next to him, "but you could at least try."

Kurt laughed and brought a hand to his forehead. "Try for you Blaine? You haven't forgotten already, have you? About your boyfriend…"

Blaine dropped his head into his hands. If there was a way to lift the banister up and slam it on Kurt's head he would definitely do so. "Wait… you're going to throw him in my face even though I told you how I felt about you? But forget me… I don't want you to try for me. I'm a nonfactor. You should try for your family."

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. Why did Blaine have to come along and make him feel things he never felt for anybody else… make him want to try in the first fucking place? He was perfectly happy not giving a damn like he was before. "That's where you are wrong, B. You are a factor. Like one of the biggest factors. But nobody understands that because all they see is Kurt the lowlife loser who isn't worth the fucking air he breathes!" Kurt was basically screaming now but only Blaine could hear, the 'horrible noise' as the bad boy described it was drowning out their conversation. "Excuse me. I need to get out of here. "The junior turned to exit the upper level and Blaine finally looked up watching the boy's slender form going down the steps. Puck untangled himself from Quinn and followed his band mate quickly. Blaine let out a deep breath and placed his head in his hands, grabbing his hair and screaming out loudly, thankful for The Jezebels song overpowering it. Wes came up behind him and placed a hand on his back.

….

"Where are you going? What the hell is up with you man?" Puck chased behind his friend who reached the exit of the club before the mohawked lad turned his body around so they could face one another.

"Not now, Noah… I need air… I need Hennessy… I need something man, anything…" Kurt looked as if he was about to explode, but his expression changed to one of confusion when he saw Puck's countenance drop to… an indescribable one.

Dave entered Green hall with his normal crew beside him. He pulled out a knife and grabbed Kurt into a headlock, placing the edge of the knife against the bad boy's porcelain toned face. Kurt immediately tensed up and clenched his fist tightly.

"No… what you're going to need is a doctor, Hummel."