{}o{}o{}o{}o{}A-8{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

Friday afternoon after he finished his French placement exam, Kurt walked into the school and almost made it to the choir room when Rachel spotted him.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Sam's cute, but he's not worth losing Blaine over."

"Oh, how I've missed your insanity," Kurt said sarcastically.

"He's wearing your jacket, Kurt. I remember that jacket. You wore it April of last year. You said it was your Earth Day jacket because it was made out of recycled hemp. I know how these things work. When Finn and I used to date, sometimes he'd leave his letterman jacket at my house and I'd wear it to school the next day."

"You need to bone up on your Fleetwood Mac-ology. When they made Rumours, they weren't speaking to each other. Not even 'pass the non-dairy creamer'. They only spoke about the music. And it was that focus that allowed them to make their masterpiece."

"You're deflecting."

"No. You're wasting valuable Glee Club time still focusing on rumors rather than working on a set list for Nationals. Or are you all waiting until the week before or the day before to come up with a set list?"

Kurt walked around her and down the hall the rest of the way to the choir room and went inside. Rachel came in a few minutes later and sang a rousing rendition of "Go Your Own Way." Finn played the drums while she sang.

Quinn asked, "Don't you think it's a little inappropriate that you sang a love song to MY guy?"

"You're such a hypocrite, you little Miss Perfect Prom Queen. You're a cheater, who cheats in cheap motels with Sam."

"Nothing is going on between Sam and I."

"Enough guys," Mr. Schue said.

"You know, I blame Sam for all of this," Santana. "And Rachel too. I blame her."

"What did I do?" Rachel asked.

"I'm sure you did something."

"See, I'm with Santana," Lauren said. "Why doesn't Sam have anything to say about all of this?"

"Guilt," Puck chimed in. "That is not cool. They both have boyfriends."

Sam had finally had it. "Shut UP! I'm not messing around with Quinn. Kurt is not cheating on Blaine with me. They've both been helping me out."

"Is THAT what we're calling it now?" Mercedes asked with her eyebrow raised and her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Wait," Mr. Schue said. "How were they helping you out?"

Sam stood up, but Kurt started to speak before he did.

"You seem quite well informed, Rachel. How do you know these photos aren't just photoshopped figments of JBI's imagination?"

"Quinn was at the motel just last night," Rachel said. " And because during spring break I saw Quinn at Sam's and I saw you pull into the garage and like a half-hour later Quinn came out and left. The first time, Sam's truck was at the motel in front of the room that she went in and you came out of later."

"So, you've been spying on me and Quinn?" Kurt asked.

"Well, technically just Quinn. Finn said she had been acting weird, so I took it upon myself to check up on her during spring break while he was out of town."

"This is a bunch of GARBAGE!" Sam said. "Neither of them is cheating on anyone with me." Sam got up and pulled all of the doors to the room closed and moved to the center of the room. He pulled a stool with him and sat on it. He took a deep breath, let it out, and began to speak very quietly and calmly.

"You all are the worst excuses for friends. You are so quick to judge and you don't even ask questions privately. You all just start accusing and it's ridiculous."

"So, set us straight, white boy."

He looked straight at Mercedes. "First off, you need to think of a new nickname because I don't like that one." He ran his hands through his hair and took another deep breath. He closed his eyes and reopened them. "Quinn was babysitting my little brother and sister because I had to work. That is why she was at my house during spring break that day. On Saturday, she was babysitting them at the motel."

"Your mom works at a daycare, why did someone need to babysit your brother and sister during the day?" Mercedes asked.

"And why would she need to watch two little kids at that run down motel?" Puck asked.

"Fine. You all aren't going to mind your own business." He huffed. He kept his voice low as he explained. "My dad lost his job a few months ago. He got on part-time at McDonald's and I got a second job on the weekends. The bank was going to foreclose on our house. My dad, my mom and me, we were all three doing everything we could to prevent that from happening. I've been working over 40 hours a week for a couple of months. The day Quinn came to watch the rugrats, I had to work and my mom and dad had driven to Kentucky for a third interview with a company. The first two interviews were over the phone. Anyway, my mom wanted to see the area, so she took a half-day off work and I needed someone to watch them until I got off from work."

"And the motel?" Rachel asked.

"That's where the four of us have been staying this week. Through the help of some people, we got the bank situation resolved and we sold our house. When Quinn was at the motel with the rugrats the first time, we were cleaning the house. The moving truck had been there in the morning and took everything to Kentucky, but the house needed cleaned before Sunday, which is when the new owners got possession of the house."

"So, you're leaving?" Tina asked.

"No. I'm staying. I'm not going to Kentucky with them. They left last night. That's why Quinn was at the motel last night. She was saying goodbye to them."

"Why was Kurt there?" Mercedes asked.

"Kurt helped me and my mom load all of the boxes onto the moving truck while the movers loaded the furniture. Quinn was watching them at the motel to keep them out of the way while we were cleaning since there was nothing for them to do and they had been there all morning while we loaded the truck, but she had to leave that afternoon before the three of us finished cleaning the house. Kurt went to the motel to feed the rugrats, and then he brought them back to the house so Quinn could leave on time and my mom and I could finish the cleaning." Sam looked at Kurt and smiled.

"Kurt isn't cheating on Blaine with me because Kurt isn't dating Blaine, despite Rachel's comment to the contrary and the fact that everyone believed her when she said he was on Monday."

"What?" Rachel said.

"It's true that he asked me, Rachel, but I said 'no.'"

"Why on earth would you say 'no'?" Rachel asked.

Tina broke in, "Why do you care? Kurt said 'no' because he said 'no'. It's not really any of your business why."

"Fine. Those aren't the only times I've see you with Sam," she said to Kurt.

Kurt just sat there. Sam knew Kurt would never out him.

Tina spoke up. "You said you were staying, but your parents left. Where are you staying?"

"At the Hummel's."

"What, dude?" Finn asked. "Why didn't I know about this?"

Kurt answered. "I don't know. It was decided a week ago Sunday. I was gone all week and we moved all his stuff this past Friday and you weren't home when we did it. Obviously, if you had been home, you would have seen us moving Sam's stuff into the house and I would have made you help us carry the boxes. Maybe no one said anything because everyone thought someone else had told you."

Sam spoke quietly again. "To answer Rachel's question, you've seen Kurt with me because he's my best friend and he's been there for me through the mess of nearly losing our house. Not a one of you noticed anything. Not one of you. You saw me every day. That second job I took – it was delivering pizzas in Westerville. I delivered a stack of pizzas to Dalton one night and in one look, Kurt knew something was wrong. He asked me to come back at the end of my shift. He asked me what was wrong."

"You hid it from us," Mercedes said.

"It's not like I was wearing a neon sign that night I delivered the pizzas. You guys are so caught up in your stupid high school drama that you don't pay attention to what's going on around you. I mean, honestly, Rachel, you're not even dating Finn so what's it to you what Quinn is doing? She was acting weird, whatever that means, and instead of asking her if something was wrong, you decided to spy on her?"

Kurt said, "I'm assuming that's how JBI got the photos. He followed you following Quinn. You led him to the information for no good reason."

"If it weren't for Kurt, I might just change my mind and go to Kentucky with my parents after this kind of crap. I thought we were at least kind of friends."

Quinn spoke up. "Rachel, adults ask each other questions when they're concerned, they don't spy on them. We're graduating in a little over a year. Grow up."

"Why did he ask you to babysit?" Rachel asked Quinn.

"Why is this so important to you other than you want me to slip up and say something that implies that I have some kind of romantic feelings for Sam so that you can try to get your claws back in Finn."

Rachel didn't respond.

Quinn continued. "I do not have any romantic feelings for Sam. I never did. He knows that. We dated because we were both single and it was the socially acceptable thing to do. Rachel, you wanted us to date. You set the whole thing up. Finn pushed Sam and Kurt to not sing together and you pushed me to sing with Sam. You and Finn voted for us. We won by two votes – your two votes. You sang a terrible duet so that no one would consider voting for you and you two voted for us insuring that Sam and I would go to Breadstix together – in case we hadn't gotten the hint that everyone thought we should date."

Sam just nodded in agreement.

Puck said, "I'm stuck back a little where Rachel told us all that Kurt had finally landed himself the lead Warbler and that they've been dating since before spring break. That was just a lie?"

Rachel answered, "The last time I talked to Blaine was a little more than a week before Regionals and he told me he was going to ask Kurt to be his boyfriend."

"So, not so much a lie, but Rachel jumped to conclusions," Kurt corrected.

"Sam's wearing your jacket," Rachel said.

"A point you made to me in the hallway earlier. The fact that he is wearing my jacket is proof of what? That he wears the same size clothes that I do? That it's springtime and it's a little warm for a letterman jacket so he's wearing a jacket of mine? Didn't he just say that he's my best friend? The fact that none of you knows that might be indicative of something. The fact that none of you realized that he was running himself ragged working full time between his two jobs and he was still coming to school every day? Which one of you noticed that he wasn't turning in his homework?"

"What?" Artie said. "I could have helped you with your schoolwork."

"At 9:00 at night, which is when I got started on it every night? Kurt helped me get caught up and he's tutoring me and I'm not flunking anymore."

"Well, that's good," Tina said. "And you're going to live at the Hummel's until school gets out?"

"No, until I graduate next year. I don't want to go to switch schools again, but you all are making me doubt my decision at this point."

"Something doesn't add up here. Finn hasn't gotten upset about any of this," Mercedes said.

Puck piped in. "Yeah, why hasn't he been like all mad at Quinn with those photos and don't bother saying it's because you trust her."

Finn remained silent.

"You guys are just not going to let this rest until you've gotten your fill of Inquirer – High School Edition are you? God, you're so nosy," Kurt exclaimed aggravatedly.

"I will tell you all of it. But so help me, if it spreads outside this room… Kurt is not dating Blaine. He's dating me."

"What?" could be heard from various Gleeks.

"No way," Mercedes said. "There is no way that Burt Hummel would let you move into his house if you and Kurt were dating."

"Why not?" Finn asked. "My mom let Quinn move in with us when I thought the baby was mine."

"Because Papa Hummel is too protective to allow his baby boy to live under the same roof with his boyfriend."

Kurt snarked back, "Well, the joke's on you then, Mercedes, because Sam is living with us."

"I'm back at Sam's gay? Bi?" Puck asked.

"Gay."

"Since when?" Puck asked.

"Don't be stupid, Puck. Since forever," Artie said. "He just didn't tell anyone."

"My parents have known for a long time," Sam said. "I came here and through a series of misunderstandings, I thought Kurt didn't like me when it was really just Finn bullying Kurt to stay away from me. I didn't see much point in coming out if Kurt didn't like me. I thought he wanted me to stay away from him. I figured there wasn't much point in coming out if all I was going to get was hassled and the guy I liked didn't like me back."

"See, I knew this had to be Rachel's fault somehow," Santana said. "You pushed him to date Quinn. You and Finn kept him from telling Kurt way back like 6 months ago."

"Anyway, I wasn't going to come out until the school implements the new No Bullying policy that Kurt's been fighting for. It's supposed to go into effect in a few weeks. So, I'd appreciate it if the lot of you would just SHUT UP about my life."

"Got it, dude," Puck said. "But Finn doesn't seem the list bit surprised. Neither does Quinn."

"That's because they knew already, Sherlock," Kurt spouted sarcastically.

"That would be why Finn hasn't been upset this week," Mercedes said.

"Exactly," Kurt said.

"I hope you're all happy now. You've been completely unsupportive and then to top it off, you believed rumors about me. And you, Rachel, started them," Sam said. "And I don't have time to be a part of any more rumor mongering because I have to go to work. Some of us have jobs and lives outside this building." Sam grabbed his bag and left the room.

Kurt piped up again. "You guys managed to make what was the worst week at the end of three terrible months for him EVEN worse. I'd suggest you spend next week getting a set list together for Nationals and start practicing. You have six weeks to prepare. You may have wowed the Ohio judges with original songs, which were good. But you only had choreography for one song and knowing you all as well as I do, you learned it the week before the competition. That won't get you very far at Nationals. Some of those choirs have been practicing all school year. If there aren't any rules against it, you could sing the same two songs and add a third. Another group song that's choreographed and features a lot of singers. Just ideas. I have to go to work too. Try singing, instead of hurting each other with gossip. And keep your mouths shut about me and Sam. He better not end up hurt because you all can't keep your mouths shut." Kurt practically stomped out.

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"Dad?"

"Yeah, Kurt."

"I'm going to be late for my shift. I have to do something on my way there, but I'll stay until 8:00."

"Alright. I know you wouldn't be late if it weren't for a good reason. I'll see you as soon as you get here."

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

Kurt knocked gently on the open office door.

"Kurt?"

"Hello, Hiram. I'm sorry to show up at your office without an appointment."

"It's not a problem. My last appointment for the day left 10 minutes ago. I just have a bunch of paperwork left to do. What can I do for you?"

"Well, first of all I wanted to personally thank you for helping Sam and his family. I'm sure you've heard, but Dwight got a good job and all of them, minus Sam, are in Kentucky now."

"Yes, I did hear, but it is good news that the house situation was resolved. That could have caused them problems for nearly a decade."

"I came here because I'm really angry with Rachel. I would usually refrain from going to someone's parents over a personal issue. Here." Kurt handed him a copy of The Muckraker. "Read this article."

He looked through it. "So, the school has started a gossip rag instead of a legitimate newspaper. Who's in charge of this sad excuse for journalism?"

"Coach Sylvester."

"Alright. That doesn't tell me why you showed it to me and why you're angry with Rachel."

"Rachel provided the information for that article by spying on Quinn."

"She outed Sam."

"Only his parents, my parents, Finn, and Quinn knew. She was spying on Quinn to try to catch her cheating on Finn. Everyone at school knows that the newspaper isn't real news, but there are photographs, which makes this particular article more believable than the others. Of course, the photos are real, so there's nothing to debate about that part."

"But Rachel knows how dangerous it is to out someone. Give me a second." Hiram pulled his phone out and sent a text. "She'll be here in 10 minutes."

"Alright. I'm really not a snitch. This was just beyond uncalled for."

"This could be life-threatening. This is not you being a snitch. You telling me this is completely justifiable."

Kurt nodded. They sat in silence until Rachel arrived. Hiram worked on some paperwork and Kurt was lost in thought.

I had no interest in reviving our so-called friendship, but now this coffin is nailed shut.

Rachel knocked on the door lightly.

"Come in, Rachel."

"Kurt?"

"Have a seat, sweetheart."

"Yes, Daddy. Why did you want to see me so urgently?"

"Rachel, you put Sam's life at risk. You OUTED a boy. You know that's one of the cardinal rules in our home. We don't out people. Ever."

Rachel was stunned into silence.

"Rachel, this was the final straw for me. We are not friends anymore. You spread rumors about me and Blaine without verifying any information. And then you sullied my name to the group by making all of them think that I was cheating on Blaine. You took photos of people and they're in a gossip rag at school. What on earth would possess you to OUT someone?"

"I didn't take those photos. I thought Quinn was cheating on Finn. I followed her because I wanted evidence."

"What you want is Finn. You WANTED to prove that you are a better choice for Finn than Quinn is."

"I am a better choice. She cheated on him and lied about who the baby's father was. She cheated on Sam."

"With Finn. You cheated on Finn with Puck. You cheated with Finn on Quinn last year. It's a four-way cheating mess with Sam, who didn't cheat on anyone, thrown into the mix."

"Rachel, sweetheart. What is going on?"

"He's right, Daddy. It's a mess. But I love Finn. Quinn is just using him."

"Then what was that a little over a month ago when you were all over Blaine hoping that he was bisexual and saying to me 'Who cares about you? I might get someone who can keep up with me vocally and give me slightly Eurasian looking children.' What was that about if Finn is the love of your life?"

Hiram responded, "Finn is a human being. He gets to decide who he wants to date. It's not for you to decide for him and then try to find a way to break him up with whoever he's with."

"Rachel. What is your biggest dream?" Kurt asked.

"To be Fanny in a Broadway revival of Funny Girl."

"And where to you want to go to college?"

"Juilliard. New York City at least."

"New York City is your goal."

"Yes."

"Finn doesn't want to live in New York City. Your goals and his goals don't align. Someone will have to cave or you will have to break up."

"College isn't for over a year. He could change his mind."

"Pigs might grow wings," Kurt smarted back.

"Sweetheart, you, Dad and I need to have a talk tonight. You need to cancel any plans you might have."

"Please stop trying to steal Finn from Quinn. It's just wrong. I don't think you actually love him, but if you do, let him choose his own path, whether that includes a girlfriend that he chooses or being single. Stop acting like he's yours to direct. You're hurting him. And stay away from Sam. You make no sense. He said you asked him to Prom. I'm figuring that you were trying to instigate some type of jealousy from Quinn over Sam? I don't know, but you and Finn messed me and Sam up the first time."

"What does that mean?" Hiram asked.

"You can explain it, but don't leave out important information, or I will cut in and supply it."

Rachel explained her actions during the duet competition.

Hiram spoke after she finished. "I think we need to have some family counseling sessions with your therapist."

"I think that's a great idea," Kurt said. "Although, I'm not sure her therapist tells her anything but whatever it is that Rachel wants to hear because she keeps acting like a spoiled, self-centered, diva at school. I wish you the best, but we're through, Rachel. Unless you get some serious help and change your ways, I'm not spending any time around you if I can help it. You just keep hurting me and the people I care about." Kurt got up and left Hiram's office and headed to the shop.

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Kurt finished his shift at the shop and headed home. He got there just a few minutes before he expected Sam to arrive. He was in the kitchen warming up their food when Sam came in. Sam dropped his backpack on the bottom step and went in the bathroom and washed his hands before heading into the kitchen.

Kurt was standing right inside the kitchen and Sam walked right into his awaiting arms. He let Kurt hold him. Kurt waited until Sam relaxed and then moved his hand and ran it through Sam's hair. Sam lifted his head up from Kurt's shoulder and kissed Kurt gently.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Kurt asked.

"For everything. Just being here for me."

"Well, you're welcome. But my being here with you is why your life is so complicated now."

"Nope. Stop thinking like that. Being with you makes my life better."

I will not argue with him. Kurt kissed him. "Alright. Do you want to eat? I warmed our food up."

"Yeah." He let go of Kurt, picked his plate up, and headed into the dining room to sit down.

Kurt sat down next to him. They ate in silence and put their plates in the dishwasher. Kurt turned it on and headed up the stairs. "I need to tell you what I did after Glee."

Sam grabbed his bag and headed upstairs behind Kurt. "That sounds bad."

"It probably was on some level, but I don't even care."

Kurt let Sam walk through the door first, shut the door behind them, and locked it. Sam put his backpack on the floor next to his side of the bed.

"I'm pretty worn out. How about we shower and talk about it afterwards?"

"Sure."

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

They showered together, but other than a few kisses, they just washed up and got out. They put on pajamas and lay under the covers on their backs in the dark.

"So, after school Monday, I went to Coach Sue's office and confronted her. I told her that the gossip rag she started was grounds for her being fired and that I sent a copy of The Muckraker to Mrs. Huntington."

"Alright. I'm assuming she didn't find it to be acceptable."

Kurt snorted. "That's one way of putting it. Coach Sue will be lucky to be employed by the beginning of next week."

"I see."

"After I left the school today, I drove to Hiram's office and I showed him The Muckraker."

"Okay."

"I told him that Rachel actions outed you. I told Rachel that she and I weren't friends anymore."

"I see."

"I also implied that her therapist was a sham and I ratted her out about what she did to the two of us in the fall, what she said to me about Blaine, what she's been doing to and with Finn in regards to Quinn, and I mentioned her asking you to Prom."

"Alright."

"I was angry and I acted impulsively. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that behind your back."

"Well, I don't feel like you did something behind my back. What she did hurt you as well. So, if you felt justified going to her dad about her behavior, then that was your choice. She's done a lot more to hurt you the last couple of years than she has to me. If you had told me what you were going to do, I wouldn't have tried to stop you. She told people you were cheating on someone just as much as she said that Quinn was cheating on Finn."

"But you're the one that was outed. When considering ways to come out, this would not be on the list. She took your autonomy away. And she put you in danger. And she proved what a self-centered brat she is. She sat there and told her dad that she was a better choice for Finn. And when I pointed out that Finn has no desire to live in a big city, she said that he has time to change his mind. She didn't even listen. She never does, not even in front of her dad. Anyway, it's over with her. And I'm so close to being done with Mercedes. She really hurt me last fall and I forgave her even thought she never apologized, but today, she didn't even try to give me the benefit of the doubt. She believed I would cheat on someone."

Sam took Kurt's hand. "I know. I'm not sure what to think right now. I'm still pretty numb from this whole week. Too much. Just too much."

"I know. I'll understand if you change your mind and want to go to Kentucky when school starts in the fall. I won't break up with you because of that. I can drive three hours to see you. Long distance isn't easy, but I think we could do it."

"Probably, but I'm staying here."

Kurt reached out searching for Sam's hand and took it and squeezed it and then interlaced their fingers.

"What's going to happen to Coach Sue?"

"I'm assuming that after Mrs. Huntington chews her up and spits her out that she'll be on her best behavior and somehow she will do something to cover her butt about The Muckraker. It doesn't matter. She had asked me to rejoin the Cheerios for the fall and offered me the co-captain spot with Santana. That's certainly not happening. I'm done with Rachel. I'm done with Coach Sue. Mercedes has slid down the list to acquaintance because if she thinks I'm the cheating type, then she doesn't know me well enough to be considered a friend."

"You said you're not going to cheer. I'm not going to play football next year either."

"This is why I set you free. It didn't matter how much I liked you and wanted us to be friends and maybe more, I couldn't put you in the position you're in now."

"I appreciate that. But that was then and this is now and everyone already knows now. It won't matter what Coach Sue says or does. Those photos are real and that's that. People are going to make their decision based on that. I'm bisexual and I'm two-timing my boyfriend with someone else's girlfriend or I'm just a bisexual slut, sexing people up in a run-down motel."

Kurt rolled over onto his side and gently put his hand on the side of Sam's neck and ran his thumb down jaw and turned Sam's face toward him. "I'm sorry."

Sam rolled on his side to face him. "Stop, please. Stop apologizing. You've been nothing but amazing. You've always done what was in my best interest. Please." He slid forward and kissed Kurt. "Please don't apologize for something you didn't do. None of this is your fault. You gave me a ride home from work. You helped my family move. You fed my brother and sister that day. You were helping me. The only other person in that group that ever did anything to help was asked. Yes, Quinn helped, but my mom asked her since she knew that Quinn already partially knew what was going on and hadn't said anything to anyone at school. YOU are the only person who voluntarily helped me. YOU noticed I was fraying at the seams. No more apologies for being an amazing person." He kissed Kurt again.

"Okay. I just wish I could fix this somehow."

"I know you do. That's because you're a truly decent human being." He kissed Kurt again.

"I know we can't fix anything right now. How about we just snuggle?"

Sam's tone of voice changed. "I have something thing to tell you first."

"You sound excited."

"I am. It's amazing and the best news." He kissed Kurt.

"So, tell me. Now, you've got me curious."

"I got into the dual-credit program. I'm set to go to the orientation a week from Monday, just like you. Miss Pillsbury gave me a packet of information today."

"That's perfect! That is the best news."

"So, my week wasn't all bad. I'm nervous though."

"Me too. But we'll face it together."

Sam kissed Kurt, and then turned over and scooted back. Kurt arranged himself and scooted as close to Sam as he could. "We'll work on all of it. Mrs. Huntington will help us."

Sam laughed.

"What's funny?"

"I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to hear what went on when Mrs. Huntington confronted Coach Sue."

"Oh. That would have been something to see." Kurt kissed Sam's shoulder and nuzzled in behind him and got comfortable.

It didn't take long for them to fall asleep.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}A-10{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

Early Sunday afternoon, Kurt was standing behind Burt on the Karofsky's porch. He had photocopied and tallied the total of the damage due to the bullying. There were so many pages that he used a hole punch on them and fastened them into an inexpensive two-pocket folder with center paper clasps. Burt rang the doorbell and Paul Karofsky opened the door a few minutes later. He stepped back and allowed Burt and Kurt to enter their foyer. He shut the door behind them.

"Please, come sit at the table. Esther and David are already waiting."

They followed Paul into the dining room. Kurt waited for Burt to sit down and sat down next to him. He placed the folder on the table.

"Please help yourselves if you'd like something to drink." He glanced toward a glass pitcher of tea, another of lemonade, and another of ice water, along with several types of cans of soda.

Kurt just kept his hands in his lap.

"So, I'm assuming that the folder you've put on the table contains the copies of the receipts."

"Yes, sir. I've kept them organized by the type of damage. For example, there's a set of dry cleaning bills, textbooks, clothes that I had to replace, and objects I had to replace. I also made a list of assignments I had to redo or lost points for turning them in late and extra credit assignments I did to make up for the lost points."

"My first response to this is how strange it is that you kept track of so many things."

"I realize that it's strange. This isn't 100% complete. I didn't keep records at first. But when I started to realize that my checking account was never going up as much as it seemed like it should considering how much I worked and I really looked at my expenditures on things I was CHOOSING to spend money on, there was a big discrepancy. I'd add up things like going to the movies or renting a movie or ordering a pizza. I'd look through my online purchases, things like that. And when my spending was staying within my budgeting limit, I began to realize that my expenditures list didn't include replacing my Geometry book or having my coat dry cleaned three times in the same month. I was using my debit card to pay for things that weren't on my planned expenditures. That's when I started keeping the receipts from the dry cleaning and replacement items separate from my planned expenses."

"I see."

"So, this isn't everything, but it covers about two years. Obviously, there haven't been any additions since I left McKinley last fall."

"May I look at it?" Mrs. Karofsky asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Kurt slid the folder to her politely.

She began looking through the lists. "There's a lot of clothing purchases. Some quite pricey. May I ask why you continued to wear expensive clothing to school when the risk of having it damaged was so high?"

"I suppose that's a legitimate question, but I guess I have a similar question for you. Why don't you wear clothes from K-Mart or Wal-Mart?"

"Mostly because I don't like the choices and they don't hold up well a lot of the time. I'd rather buy something nicer that will hold up longer and I like better."

"I think you've answered your own question. I wasn't asking my dad to fund my wardrobe, although he did buy me things that I asked for on holidays. I worked as soon as I was old enough and I trained in the shop and started working on the cars as soon as I was old enough. I've worked since I was 14. I chose how to spend my money. I didn't really start buying much in the way of clothing until I was about 16. But I worked hard and I figured that if I wanted to buy a $30 shirt, I should be able to do that. Not every shirt I owned was that expensive, but some were."

"I see."

"One thing I couldn't quantify really is the amount of time all of this cost me. I spent a lot of time getting stains out of clothing. I spent time redoing schoolwork. I spent time doing the extra credit. I spent time going the long way around to avoid running into certain people in the hallways. I would wait until I saw someone who didn't hate me to follow into the bathroom so maybe I'd escape without a swirlie or a wedgie or without my homework being dumped into the sink and the water turned on. The mental toll the bullying caused is very high. I can't quantify how I'm afraid to go into public bathrooms. I can't quantify how I won't go out alone after dark. I can't quantify the heart racing that happens when I hear a regular phone ring."

"Why would the phone ringing cause your heart to race?" she asked.

"How many times have you picked up your phone and someone suggested to you that killing yourself would make the world a better place?"

"That's terrible," Esther said.

"That's homophobia. That's my life. I got notes in my locker telling me I will burn in hell. I got notes telling me to kill myself."

"That's really awful," Paul agreed.

"Well, it is what it is and it's my life. There is a large group of people who are vocally opposed to my existence. Many of them seem to think that it's a choice. Do you seriously think that I would CHOOSE to be hated to the point that I have been? If there were some magic 'off' switch that I could push and be straight, don't you think I would have pushed it growing up here?"

"I don't know," Esther said.

"Maybe you should do some research. Not just reading some verses in a book written thousands of years ago when people thought the earth was flat."

"Don't be disrespectful of our beliefs," she said.

"Don't be disrespectful of my experiences. People like you teach your children to hate instead of love. Do you really think you can hate people into believing what you do? Beating them up and covering them in bruises doesn't seem to fit what Jesus taught. I may not be a Christian, but I can read. He said things like 'love your neighbor as yourself'. I'm not sure how you can hate gay people while loving them the way you love yourself. Unless you hate yourself and are into self-flagellation like back in the dark ages, I'm pretty sure you don't do things to yourself to end up with broken bones. So your loving your neighbor directive seems to be ignored from my point of view."

"I think we should focus on these receipts," Paul said.

"Sure, Mr. Karofsky," Kurt said. "They're self-explanatory and I added a page at the back with the totals. Keep in mind that none of those receipts is from my dad for property damage that he's paid for."

"Property damage?" Paul asked.

"Yes, the roof, spray paint graffiti removal, things like that. And I know David said that he wasn't part of the roof prank, but I was just pointing out that the hatred cost my dad as well, even though he's not gay. And you certainly can't think that he did something to make me gay. He's into hunting, sports, fixing up cars – you know, manly stuff. And since my mom died when I was 8, I don't think it's plausible to blame her."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Esther said.

"Thanks. Anyway, do you have any questions for me about the costs?"

"It seems pretty self-explanatory," she said.

"Can I see it?" David asked.

His mother passed to him and he looked through it.

"I don't have this much money."

"I figured not. I didn't hear you mention that you have a job."

"I don't. I usually just do lawn work in the summers for cash."

"I work 8-12 hours a week at the shop now that I'm at Dalton and I've been tutoring this semester starting in mid-February. I added more clients after spring break to earn more money, so between the two I'm working about 15-18 hours a week now. But I pay my own car insurance, my phone bill, gas, and as I said earlier, my discretionary spending like clothing and entertainment."

"Not that it's any of my business, but why doesn't your dad pay for that stuff?"

"Cancer bills and funerals are expensive. He had finally paid all of that off by the time I was about 14. Then there was the loan for putting a new roof on. We didn't have the savings to pay for that. So he paid on that for a couple of years. Then he was in the hospital last fall in a coma for a while. He'll be paying those bills for a while. Now that the school district reimbursed the Dalton tuition, that helps. He never said, but I'm pretty certain that he had taken out a loan to pay my tuition this semester."

Burt nodded. "Not quite yet, but that's where it was headed before the advocate got McKinley to pay Dalton. I would have paid it off eventually. You being safe is more important than money."

"Anyway, I don't really feel comfortable with a lot of people having access to that folder. My dad didn't even know about it until a few days ago. He found out when you did. He mentioned then that he didn't know a lot of what was going on. I did what I could to protect him from all of this. But here it is, out in the open. I don't want this information to leave this table. I don't want David to talk about how he is making amends. I don't want you to tell the ladies at your church how much I paid for a shirt. I don't need any more gossip to deal with." No more rumors.

"Yes, of course," Esther said. "I understand."

"And I will do the same. I won't go spreading it around that David is being forced to repay the damages. I know that would not go over well. My intent is not to get him bullied along with me. My goal is for the bullying to end."

"Well, David won't be participating in it anymore," Paul said. "He'll be too busy working as soon as he can find a job."

"I can't think of anything else we need to discuss," Kurt said. I'm so done.

"I'll see them out, Dad," David said and stood up waiting for them. He led them to the door and stepped outside.

Kurt spoke quietly. "I really need to tell my Dad the truth. Otherwise, none of this makes any sense." Please.

David took a deep breath. "Fine, but no one else."

"I wouldn't have told anyone anyway. I know I told Blaine, but you scared me. I didn't know whether you'd push past the kiss. I was terrified that you'd try something more than that." Like rape me.

"I know. It was stupid. Anyway, it's over. And now, my life is a disaster. I have to go back inside." He turned and walked inside.

Kurt went down the stairs and got in Burt's truck.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"What was that about?" Burt asked after Kurt was back in the truck.

"Me telling him that I'm going to tell you the truth."

"The truth? You've been lying about something?" Burt pulled out of the driveway and headed back home.

"No. Yes. I just kept his secret. A secret that someone else found out and made things worse."

"You're not making much sense."

"David's gay. And now Santana figured it out. If he doesn't play her happy boyfriend, she's going to tell his mother – the one that you just met that volunteers at a conversion camp in the summers. David's not 18. She can force him to go."

"Oh, God. This is a huge mess."

"I found out last fall because I ran after him and confronted him about knocking my phone across the hallway. I chased him into the locker room and screamed at him. He told me to shut up and leave him alone, but I was worked up and I was fed up. I kept up the yelling and I insulted him. He kissed me."

"He what?"

"You heard me. He freaked me out. I told Blaine, which in hindsight was a bad idea, but you had just gotten out of the hospital and I was afraid. He was the only person I could think of to talk to that didn't go to McKinley. Blaine came with me to the school and we tried to talk to David, but Blaine went about it all wrong and came at him in the outdoor stairwell. It was after that confrontation that David threatened to kill me if I told anyone. When we sat in the office and I was asked point blank why he had threatened to kill me, I lied. I wasn't going to out him. I had already outed him to one person in my fear."

"So, Blaine came in, put his nose where it didn't need to be, and David threatened to kill you if you told anyone else."

"That's pretty much it. But I was dumb enough to tell Blaine and have him come with me. If I had just kept my mouth shut and come up with some other potential solution, none of the other stuff would have happened. And now he needs at least make it to his 18th birthday and preferably graduation without his mother finding out that he's gay, and Santana who is the ultimate bitch knows. And before you ask, his birthday is in August. He told me at the meeting."

"His parents aren't happy. I'm imagining that he's going to be grounded until he moves out. That's not going to help. Having to spend more time with them will not make it easier on him."

"Nothing is going to make it easier on him. He doesn't want to be gay. He doesn't want to be disowned. He actually did research on conversion therapy hoping to find evidence that it worked, so he could go and be straight by the end of the camp."

"So, part of what you were going on about in there was just to point out how wrong his mother is about everything."

"People like her make me so angry. They act like they speak for their God when they completely disregard what their prophet taught. They treat their holy book like a buffet. It's a 'take-what-you-want-and-ignore-the-rest' system that makes me angry. Either call yourself a Christian and do what Jesus taught or just don't bother using that adjective to describe yourself."

"I get it, kiddo. But just let it go with them for now. They have a lot to contend with finding out that their son has done so many wrong things. He has a lot to deal with."

"That's why I told you. As much as him living with us is not an option, I wanted you to know that there's every possibility that if Santana goes through with it at any point in time, he'll run or he might just try to kill himself. I'd rather him run to our house and you help him find some place to go, even Carole's family's farm. Somewhere he could go until he's 18. I handled things badly even though I did it in absolute terror and with no malice in mind, I don't want him to end up dead over this."

"I get it. Tell him to come to us if things go south. I'll take him out to Carole's family's farm until we can figure out what to do."

"Thanks."

"Yeah." He let out a heavy sigh.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"So what did you think of that website?" Kurt asked as he entered their room when he got back home.

"It has a lot more information that I thought it would, even with you telling me how cool it was. Having all of that data in one place is really cool. McKinley should make students take a class like you're taking." Sam clicked the browser window shut, powered the laptop down, and closed it.

"Maybe some day. If Miss Pillsbury and Coach Beiste can get the bullying under control, maybe they can start to work on some type of curriculum improvement."

"Maybe."

"So, you've already sent your homework to your teachers, right?"

"Yeah, I sent in the last couple while you were gone."

"Perfect. How about a drive out to the lake? We can go hiking."

"Sounds fun."

"You're not going to tease me?"

"About what?"

"Never mind. I bet I have a pair of boots that will fit you. Let me look." Kurt looked through the shoe racks in his closet. "I got these and wore them a few times, but then I found some I really loved that had the studs on them, and I quit wearing these. They're not outlandish or anything." He came out of the closet carrying a pair of black combat boots. "Those aren't the ones I was looking for, but see if they're comfortable – if you like them. You don't have to like them."

"They're black combat boots. What's not to like?"

So adorable. "Well, then try them on while I look for the ones I was originally looking for." He went back in his closet. He moved some stuff around. "Aha! They were in a box, not on the rack. He brought out a boot box and opened it. "My dad got me these for camping and hiking. I wore them for a while, but then I found those ones I wear a lot, the brown and green ones, which are both stylish and functional."

Sam laughed. "Two for one. Always a good deal."

God, he's cute. That smile. Focus. "So, if you like these and they fit, they can be yours for the low, low price of a kiss, or 10, or 100."

"Hmm. The price seems to fluctuate a lot. Is it one or 10 or 100?" He took the combat boot off and started to put the hiking boot on.

"Depends on the type of kiss." He winked at Sam and turned to go back into the closet to get his brown and green boots, sat on the edge of the bed, and put them on.

"Well, I think you'll have to demonstrate each one before I can know whether the cost is reasonable."

"I can arrange that." He got up and stood in front of Sam and pushed him back on the bed and straddled him and leaned down and started placing soft gentle kisses on his neck. "A hundred those, placement is your choice."

"I see."

He leaned down again and kissed Sam on the lips, somewhere between chastely and French kissing. He sat back up on his knees. "Ten of those."

"And the other type?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That one you'll have to imagine." He winked and got up before Sam could pull him back down.

"Hey, now." Sam laughed.

Kurt grabbed his hands and pulled him to standing. "Come on. Let's go out to the lake." He stepped back in his closet and handed Sam a zip-up hoodie. He grabbed a jacket for himself, slipped it on, and they headed out.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"I didn't know there was a lake like this around here," Sam said.

"I like to come out here because there really aren't that many people who come down to this area. Most people just come here for the beach area and to swim in the lake, not to hike. And this time of year, no one is here to swim at all, so we have the place to ourselves pretty much. And best of all, the jocks like to hang out at the pool because it has a water slide and a much bigger lake nearby." Kurt turned away from the lake and beach and drove down a ways and pulled into one of the RV camping area spots since they were mostly vacant.

They got out and headed back into the wooded area. Kurt started walking and Sam walked along next to him.

"There's not really anything here except trees and normal stuff you'd find in the woods, but it's nice and quiet. I like to just sit out here and think sometimes. You're the only person I've brought here." He reached out for Sam's hand and interlaced their fingers."

Sam did his best Sean Connery accent and said, "Well, I'm quite honored to be your first guest to such a lovely spot in nature."

Kurt hip checked him. "You goof."

He continued with accent, "I daresay not. I'm a gentleman among gentlemen."

"What you are is adorable." He started walked a little more quickly and pulled Sam along behind him. He stopped and turned and walked another 20 feet or so and sat on a fallen tree.

"So, have we reached our destination?"

"For a while. Straddle the tree."

Sam flipped one leg over to the other side and put it on the ground. Kurt straddled the tree as well, facing Sam. He wrapped his legs around Sam, scooted closer, and leaned in. Sam reached out and wrapped his arms around Kurt to steady him since he was mostly just balancing on the tree. Kurt wrapped his arms around Sam as well and just held him close. It was quiet enough that he could hear Sam's heart beating.

Is it too soon? What if he freaks out? "Is this okay?"

"It's great. It's really peaceful in here and I always like cuddling with you."

Kurt sat back up straight and looked at him and smiled. "I should have asked and not assumed."

Sam continued with impression and his silly gallantry. "Surely, you know by now that I am totally smitten and that I enjoy all opportunities that present themselves to be close to you."

"Smitten, you say?"

"Why yes, smitten." He leaned forward and kissed Kurt. "Surely you know the meaning of the word being a posh prep school boy."

"Then it seems that we find ourselves in the same state. I'll rephrase in more modern vernacular just to be clear. I love you, Sam."

Sam dropped the accent and the silliness. "I love you too, Kurt." He leaned forward and kissed him.

The kiss started slow and gentle, but moved to passionate and needy and back to sweet and loving. When they broke apart, Kurt pressed his forehead against Sam's.

"Wow."

"Yeah. You are a really good kisser."

"You are quite skillful as well," Kurt teased and kissed him quickly on the lips.

Sam slipped his hand up behind Kurt's head and pulled him back in for more kisses. "I am beginning to wonder your motivation for bringing me out to the woods to go hiking though. I'm thinking it's more like bringing me out to the woods to make out with me." He kissed up Kurt's neck.

"Kissing, hiking, close enough," he said as he restarted the kissing.

Sam laughed and enjoyed their kissing too much to bother with a sassy retort.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"You boys enjoy your hike?"

They both broke out laughing.

"It was great, Dad."

"Yeah, it was really nice. Very peaceful, sir – Burt."

"If you say so," Burt chuckled.

"We do," Kurt said as they headed up the stairs.

"Dinner's in 20 minutes, you two," they heard as they hit the first landing, still laughing.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}A-11{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"It's really weird without you here. I miss you."

"Just five weeks. And part of that time, you'll be in New York. And I'll be home on Friday. I'll be there when you get home from work."

"Rachel wasn't in Glee today, which was really weird because she was at school. She didn't sit with us at lunch though. I didn't see her at lunch, actually."

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}A-13{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"I've been thinking about something that Trent pointed out to me a while back – that I look down on the guys who go to school here who just follow the path that's been laid out in front of them. He says that it's just as wrong for me to dislike people just because they're basically puppets as it is for people to dislike me because I'm gay."

"I see," Mr. Adams said.

"I think he has a point, but it's a limited one. He's right that I shouldn't automatically dislike them, but I think the situation is completely different. No one is attempting to force me to be gay. I just am. While people are forcing the guys here to do things because it suits the family, it's a choice they make to follow their families' rules. Of course I realize that not following those rules could get them disinherited and leave them penniless. I'm not heartless to their situations, but that's not an excuse to not learn about other viewpoints and beliefs. It's like being mega rich is a cult. It's insane. The school needs to address it in some way. There are people whose voices are being suppressed, whose lives are being decided for them like they're slaves, and this school encourages that."

"Wow. You're not holding back anymore are you?"

"Actually I am. I hold back every moment of every day that I'm in this building. I'm going to show you something." He took his phone out and showed Mr. Adams the photo of him in the outfit he had shown Sam.

"I see."

"I realized how much of myself I had suppressed close to six weeks ago when Sam came back into my life. I was this close to giving up myself to be accepted here. I had done what you said, mostly. I did actually try to fit in. I don't fit in anywhere, not in Lima and definitely not here."

"So, you're giving up?"

"I am. There are five weeks left of school and the last week is finals. Honestly I would gladly take my finals during reading week and just leave. I have loved the academics here. I'm hoping that the classes at OSU Lima are as well-taught as the ones here. I'm not looking forward to spending another year in Lima, but honestly after doing all of the work in that college prep class, I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that if I don't get a scholarship to a school in New York City, I'm going to have to choose a state school here in Ohio if I want to go to college without borrowing enough money to buy two small houses or one really nice one."

"I see."

"I'm sure that a lot of the guys in the course with me are equally despondent because they've had to go to those websites and have the information right in front of their faces about the careers they want to choose while they spend their time pretending to be excited about following the path their dearest father has laid out for them. I know at least one student who wants to be an orchestra director, not a doctor. When it comes time for him to take this class next year, I can't imagine him finding it very pleasant either."

"Maybe we need to offer more mental health support in non-counseling situations."

"That's probably a good idea. No one will come in here and talk to you about their problems unless they're forced to like I was or until they get to the breaking point and they don't see any other option. Maybe a seminar like this college prep one, but given in the fall for freshman and transfer students on how to deal with disappointment, grief, exhaustion, and frustration. Something everyone has to take so that no one is singled out as mentally 'weak'. And maybe visiting your office should be mandatory so that everyone sees that seeing you is helpful and no one feels bad about coming back."

"Good idea."

"Thanks. And I wanted to tell you again how much I appreciate you telling me about the advocate. Without that intervention, I'd have gone back to McKinley already because I refuse to let my dad take out a loan to keep me here. A semester here is as much as the tuition for a semester of college at a state school."

"You're welcome – again. I just have one last thing to inform you of and then you're free to go. Mrs. Huntington will be here on Friday to meet with you at lunch. Please head back to the conference room where you spoke with her before as soon as you grab your lunch tray. She knows that you'll be eating while she's here. She specifically asked me not to pull you from class again."

"I'll be there."

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}A-14{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

"This is the fourth day in a row that she's not shown up. Finn hasn't been staying afterwards either, but I didn't think about it Monday because he didn't go to school Monday either. I figured he was sick. But he's gone to school the rest of the week, just not to Glee."

"I'm going to call Finn later. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you when you get home from work."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you too. I miss you. It's lonely here without you. Your family is nice, but the lack of rugrats is disturbing. I'm not used to having so much peace and quiet."

Kurt laughed. "You're used to a ruckus and I'm used to absolute silence if I'm not the one making noise. Growing up as an only child is very different, especially with only one parent. I spent a lot of time alone. Maybe that's why I sing so much – filling in some of the empty space with music."

"Well, I'm looking forward to finally singing our duet. Tomorrow evening. It's happening."

"Yes, sir," Kurt teased. "We WILL sing." He laughed.

"Darn right we will."

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}A-15{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

After Mrs. Huntington finished speaking, Kurt confirmed, "So, Coach Sue has been removed from the bullying prevention taskforce, but she was not removed from her position at the school? And she's being forced to hold an assembly pointing out the dangers of not fact-checking, which will double as an anti-plagiarism seminar and will be part of the anti-bullying assembly?"

"Exactly," Mrs. Huntington replied. "She's had time this week to put it together and I just sat through the presentation this morning. I will be there Monday to make sure she follows the lesson plan and the PowerPoint. The superintendent will not fire her. She has won too many titles and too much money for the school. But she won't be part of the taskforce. She's being sent to counseling and sensitivity training."

Kurt about choked. "Like that will do any good."

"It's actually more likely that Mr. Schuester will be the one that won't be returning in the fall."

"Why?"

"He's not actually licensed to teach Spanish. His teaching area is actually history, but with the push for more STEM classes, student enrollment in history classes dropped and the Spanish teacher had quit, so he was issued a temporary license to teach until the school found someone to replace him, but they didn't actually bother to try. But now that all of the teachers' credentials have been called into question, the school will have to either offer fewer Spanish classes or hire a licensed Spanish teacher."

"I see. I did wonder why he taught Spanish when he has such a horrible American accent."

"There's actually a big shake up coming. New scheduling system, new principal, several new teachers – quite a few changes."

"It will be interesting to see how it all pans out. Who's the new principal?"

"Coach Beiste."

Kurt laughed. "Oh, wow. Perfect. She's the perfect choice. I didn't know she had a background in administration."

"She does. She has a Master's Degree in school administration."

"That's going to be fantastic. Next year is looking up already."

She smiled. "I'm glad you're pleased. Coach Sue will actually be teaching in a classroom for the first time in a long time."

"Teaching what?"

"Life skills for the special ed department that will exist next year. The school has been in violation of the No Child Left Behind act for quite some time. That will no longer be the case. Her actual teaching credentials are for secondary special education. She has a PE endorsement. She'll still be teaching some specialized PE classes in the mornings – pilates and an aerobics class. Those new classes will be options for PE credits instead of the traditional PE class."

"That's surprising. And those PE options sound great. I would have taken both of those. Her hatred for Mr. Schuester runs deep. If he's gone, maybe she won't hate the Glee Club anymore."

"One can hope."

"Or there may be no Glee Club to hate since he's the only teacher I can think of who's interested in being the staff sponsor."

"We'll see I guess."

"So a definite upside and maybe a huge loss, if we lose Glee Club."

"There's still time."

The warning bell sounded. "Thanks for coming to see me. I have to get to class." He picked his tray up and headed out the door.

{}o{}o{}o{}o{}

Later that afternoon after he had returned to Lima, Kurt knocked on Finn's bedroom door.

"Come in."

"Oh, hey, Kurt."

"Hey. I just came down here to see if you're okay. Sam said you missed school Monday and that you haven't been in Glee all week."

"Yeah. Neither has Rachel. It's part of our punishment for stalking Quinn and taking those photos."

"You were part of that? I mean I knew you were there at least once because there were photos of you and Rachel in your truck."

"Yeah. I went with her to the motel a few times to stake it out. I was with her and I took photos at the motel, just not the ones ended up in The Muckraker."

"So, you've been grounded back to the stone age? I tried calling, but your phone just went to voicemail and you never returned my calls."

"Burt decided not to take my phone away from me. I'm just only allowed to answer calls that are from him or Mom or call the two of them."

"I think I'm probably in that allowed group, but we can check."

"Alright. Quinn's mad at me. And Rachel's not talking to me."

"I see."

"She's not actually allowed to talk to me, but she gave a note to Tina to give to me to tell me that she can't talk to me right now. It actually makes things a little easier. I knew Rachel was trying to get me back. I went to see a counselor this week. And Burt gave me another 'I matter' speech. Only this time it was more about how I need to find someone who values me and my interests as much as her own and how I'm not a trophy to be won or shown off – or something like that."

"He makes a good point. Those two have played tug-o-war with you for what, two years? You deserve better than that."

"You liked me for me."

"Yeah, I did. You're a good-looking, nice guy, who let himself get swayed by a few too many idiot jocks over the years, but deep down you're a nice guy. I told you that was what brought on the crush. You were the first guy to be sort of, kind of, decent to me in high school. You'll find a girl that likes you for you too. I just don't think that girl is Quinn or Rachel."

"I thought about that thing you said about Mike and Tina. And I'm not going to be homophobic on purpose anymore. But if you see me acting homophobic, try not to get mad and try to explain it to me, okay? When you used the Mike and Tina example, it really helped me think about it. I will stop doing things that are homophobic. I promise. You might just have to help me figure out what all of them are."

"I can do that. And thanks. That means a lot to me."

"And Mom made me watch that movie that you decorated the basement like with her the other night. I get it now. It wasn't gay. It was like a theme room, but I just didn't get the theme. That was on me for getting upset about it, though. I should have just said that I didn't get it. If we had sat down and watched the movie or I had given you a chance to explain or if I had paid attention and asked what the fabric board or whatever it was called was for, that whole situation could have ended differently."

"I appreciate you saying that. I also failed as decorator because when you refused to participate in the process, I should have gone to Carole and either told her that you wouldn't help or asked her to help me in your place. I was supposed to get it done by a deadline and you weren't helping, but I shouldn't have done it on my own. I broke the cardinal rule of decorating a shared space – doing it all myself. So, we each had blame to share, but I accept your admission of your part of the blame."

"Thanks. Mom and I have spent a lot of time talking this week. She talked to me about how real men stand up for what's right. We talked more about if things were the other way around – if I was gay and you were straight. She asked if I thought you would defend me and I told her yes. When I had to admit to myself that you are more of a man, more of an adult that I am – that cut deep. I thought back to when you dumped the slushie on yourself so I wouldn't have to do it, I realized that's what she's asking about. What you said that day – that I wouldn't do that for you. I kept acting like you should 'man up' and stop dressing girly, but it's not how you dress that makes you a man or mature I should say. It's how you act."

"That's a lot of progress in one week, Finn."

"Yeah, it's amazing how much time you have to think when your mother takes all of your electronic devices away and spends all evening talking to you for four days in a row."

Kurt laughed. "Your mom is a smart lady."

"Yeah, I know. But her being right all the time sucks."

Kurt laughed again. "Just remember that she's had more than twice as long to make mistakes and learn from them. She wasn't born knowing everything she knows. Maybe you should ask her to tell you stories on how she learned the hard way when she was younger. You'd probably feel better about yourself. My dad has told me plenty."

"That's an idea. I wonder if she'd tell me."

"Can't hurt to ask. Sam will be here soon. I'm going to go warm up our dinner. I'm glad you're okay. Are you banned from Glee for the rest of the year?"

"No, just this week. But next week, I have to come home right afterwards and do all of my schoolwork before Mom gets home from work. She got the test results back from Columbus and I'm behind in a bunch of stuff. I have to start seeing a tutor so I can do better on the SATs in the fall or I won't get into college. I think I have to go to summer school or summer tutoring or something for math."

"Well, better to figure that out now than doing poorly next fall when nothing could be changed about it."

"Yeah, but I really don't like school. I'm not even sure that I want to go to college."

"I get that. But better over-prepared than underprepared."

"Yeah. That's what Mom said."

Kurt laughed, and then headed down to the kitchen, pulling Finn's door closed behind him as he left.