Glad to see all the feedback and alerts! Thank you guys so much, couldn't do it without you! I was happy to see what you guys thought of the last chapter and your opinions on Chandler. Enjoy!

David returned to McKinley that evening after his little outing at the Lima Bean with Kurt. Football practice had been over for at least an hour, so the weight room was his for the taking. For the past few days ever since he came back, Dave would come in here after practice and just pump iron for a little while until he had a somewhat clear head. Since he had still been in the closet at his old school, he never had to worry about anyone attempting to give him a hard time while he tried to work out. He could just be among all the other football guys and no one would even care to hassle him. But now that he was back at McKinley where everyone knew about him, the best way to ensure he got through his routinely exercise was to make sure that he did it after hours when no one was there.

Being at school late was also a great distraction to take David's mind off other things, like his home life for example. He knew that even if he did somehow manage to survive that suicide attempt, things would never be the same afterwards. The tears in his dad's eyes when he had discovered that his one and only son might be gone forever… his mom's words… Azimio. Everything was turning upside down. It wasn't supposed to be this way; he was supposed to be dead right now. But chances are… things would've been much worse. He would've died that day and he wouldn't ever be able to plead his case. He'd never be able to explain the way he felt his entire life. No one would hear him. Sure, they'd know he was gay from all the hateful things posted on his Facebook wall, but no one would know the truth. And even more so, he wouldn't know the truth about them. He would never have lived to see their true colors. And to make matters worse, this wasn't the only thing he was trying to channel out of his mind.

Blaine. No matter how much he tried to force himself to concentrate on his weights, he couldn't stop thinking about that either. It seemed like all of Kurt's words that haunted him for the past year forced their way into his mind with each push. Great, he thought. The one place he could come to take his mind off of all that, and it was all he could think about. He pushed the weights up and brought them back down again with each thought.

Well, guess what, Hamhock: you're not my type!

Push.

That right?

Yeah. I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are gonna be bald by the time their thirty!

Part of the reason Dave started working out so profusely was to indeed get in shape for his own wellbeing. But he'd be lying if he said that what Kurt said hadn't stung him a little bit. He'd admit it, he wasn't the skinniest guy around; he was no Chandler. And then of course, that led to other thoughts.

You get a guy? Please.

Push.

Why? ... What's wrong with me?

Push.

First off, you are about a hundred pounds overweight. Quit waxing your eyebrows; you look like Liberace. In fact, just… stay in the closet buddy.

Dave was a bear cub, or whatever. There was no getting around that. And when he was at Scandals, he owned it. It helped him fit in and made him approachable. But he was never going to be good enough for Kurt if he didn't look the part. David had to do this and Kurt was a huge part of his motivation. But Kurt had already made it clear that he wasn't interested in him on two occasions.

And I'm flattered. I-I really am, but… David you just think that you love me; you don't really love me.

No, you've helped me so much Kurt. You don't know…

He kept pushing even harder. This was the last thing he wanted to think about.

David, look, I am so proud of you for-for coming so far. And I want you to be happy and… and you will be happy… But I'm with Blaine.

Of course he was. Blaine. It was always fucking Blaine. Blaine was skinnier than David, he was a better singer and performer than David… and most importantly, he had Kurt and David didn't. And what stung the most was that even through all the drama... through all the crap and the lengths that David went to and the things he sacrificed… it was for nothing.

Fuck, dude, you have got to stop thinking like that…

Kurt had helped him through so much in the past year. They were past all the bad stuff that happened in their history and they were on the road to becoming really good friends. If it weren't for Kurt, he probably never would've even had the courage to accept his sexuality, let alone come out and tell people. He'd probably still be hurting, self-loathing, and… he had no choice but to force the weights back onto the rack, lay down on his back, and bury his head in his palms when his thoughts turned to him in his favorite suit, about to fall off of that chair, the belt around his neck…

But then again… Blaine had helped Kurt first. Blaine gave Kurt the same kind of hope that he had received. Last year, Kurt was alone. He wasn't nearly as alone as David, but he still had no one in his life who could truly understand.

David sat up abruptly at the sound of wet feet striding across the hall approached the weight room, accompanied by singing. Thank god, David thought. It wasn't Azimio… Azimio had no clue who the hell Cage The Elephant was. David could now see a shadow creeping up against the wall. Could've been Hudson… kind of sounded like Hudson… a little.

Not even fifteen minutes later

I'm still walkin' down the street

When I saw a shadow of a man creep outta sight

And then he swept up from behind

He put a gun up to my head

And he made it clear he wasn't lookin' for a fight

He said give me all you got

I want your money, not your life…

It wasn't Finn. Before the verse could even be completed, David was eye to eye with a half-naked Chandler. The guy had obviously just gotten out of the shower; his body was soaking wet and there was a white towel wrapped around his thin, muscled waist. David made an attempt not to seem like he was staring and he could easily see that Chandler was trying to look anywhere but at David, both of them feeling incredibly uncomfortable right now.

"Hello, again," Chandler said, making sure his towel was wrapped around him tight.

"Hey," David replied quickly.

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't expect anyone else to be in here," the new boy chuckled. Dave nodded slowly, an awkward grin on his face.

"Yeah, me either. I guess neither one of us would be here if we did."

"Yeah," Chandler huffed, "you, uh… need a spot or something?"

"Nah, I was… I was just finishing. Hey, you, uh… you mind, uh… you know… putting some clothes on?"

"Oh, right… yeah, just a sec."

David turned his back to Chandler and focused his attention on anything else but the stripping boy behind him. It was weird; David never felt uncomfortable being in the same room as a naked man. But then again, that was back when no one knew that he was gay, so he didn't have to worry about anyone thinking that he was checking them out (even if he secretly was). And the fact that Chandler was gay too made it all the more awkward.

Come on, Karofsky, it's just another dude. It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before, he thought. But this wasn't just another dude. Now that David was sure of who he was and had quit denying how he felt, he felt that he would've been… objectifying Chandler if he turned around. And that just felt weird.

After about a minute of uncomfortable silence, Chandler finally spoke up again, thank God.

"So, what're you doing in here anyway?" the shorter boy asked. David turned back around to see that Chandler had put on a pair of black gym shorts and a gray wife beater tank top.

"You know, just… clearing my head for a little bit. You?" David lay back down on the weight bench.

"Eh, just trying to stay out of trouble. I don't usually shower when the other guys do. You know, the whole 'gays can't be trusted in the showers with other dudes without wanting to butt-rape them' thing. Most people don't care, but I figure since I'm new, I'm a sophomore, and I'm already on the starting varsity team, I can lie low for a little bit. I don't care, I just don't wanna make the other guys uncomfortable or whatever. "

"You're in tenth grade? Damn. You must've been a pretty big deal at your old school."

"Eh, if that's what you wanna call it," Chandler laughed, "so. Why do you need to clear your head?"

"Just reasons dude… just reasons."

"Trouble in paradise, eh?"

"Wha…?"

"It seemed like you were fine earlier this afternoon. You know, when you were with your boyfriend. Something happen?" Chandler sat down on the locker bench.

"Kurt… he's not my boyfriend," David muttered. The tenth grader suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Wow, I'm sorry. I just assumed since… it kind of looked like y'all were on a date or something…"

"Well, we weren't. It was just… two gay friends hanging out. That's all," David breathed. He eyed Chandler when he saw the smirk on the other boys face.

"You don't sound too sure about that, Dave. Seems like maybe you want there to be more…"

"Look dude, it's a long story and you really are kind of overstepping a bit. I just met you, kid," Dave let the comment come out snarkier than he'd meant to. The sophomore had obviously taken offense to it and wore the expression of a kicked puppy. Even though the kid was on the verge of crossing a line, David couldn't help but feel bad.

"Sorry, David… I didn't mean to try to get in your business. Being nosy is kind of a bad habit of mine," he smirked pathetically.

"It's cool… Sorry I got an attitude." They sat in another few seconds of uncomfortable silence until David finally spoke up first this time. "It doesn't matter… I'm not his type anyway. He's not into…" chubby boys who sweat too much and will be bald by the time their thirty "guys that look like me."

"Well, what's wrong with you?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" David chuckled sadly. Why the hell was he telling this guy anything? These were things that he hardly ever talked about with anybody, unless he was making a joke about being fluffy or cuddly. But why was he telling a complete stranger about his insecurities?

"Well… how bout I help you?"

"What?" David asked dumbly.

"Yeah. I mean, come on; I look how I look," he gestured to his torso, "Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with you. But if you think that getting in better shape would help you with Kurt, then I'd be happy to help you out. You guys would look cute together."

"He has a boyfriend, dude."

"Well… how does he look?" Chandler asked innocently. David sighed. True, Blaine was a hobbit, but he was a fit hobbit.

"What's in it for you?" David asked skeptically. The other boy simply shrugged.

"Honestly? I kind of just want to make some friends around here. If this works out, who knows, maybe you'll end up being my friend," he grinned. David literally couldn't help but snicker.

"Okay, Chandler… whatever."

David drove home later that evening, more on his mind than before. Thankfully, he wasn't focusing on the negative as much. Chandler… was kind of a strange guy. But there was just something about the kid that David couldn't shake. Maybe it was how… childish he seemed. Not childish in the bad connotation, but more like… a blissful spirit or whatever you want to call it. All David had flowing through his mind was that maybe… just maybe… things could still work out.

Dave's thoughts came to a stop when he spotted an unfamiliar car in his driveway. It was a 2008 silver Sedan, but there was no one inside. No one had told him that they were expecting company.

After parking his truck in the garage, David made his way inside the house and called out for his parents, but no one answered. It was then that he strolled over to the kitchen and saw his father standing bent over, both hands on the countertop. His mother Nancy was sitting at the dinner table, her elbows on top of it, and her locked fingers to her chin.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw that they were not alone. There was a man sitting at the table with his mom; a man that he hadn't seen before. He had balding gray hair, glasses, and wore navy blue, pinstripe slacks, a pale blue dress shirt, and a gold tie. All three pairs of eyes were immediately on David as he entered.

"David…" his mother whispered. Her voice was so… earnest and… almost pleading. He hadn't heard this much concern in her voice in about a month, which would've made him relieved if he wasn't so freaked out.

"What… what's going on? Did somebody die or something?" David's heart sank as Nancy exchanged solemn looks with the old man in the suit.

"David, we… we need to talk…"

Wow, I didn't expect this chapter to be this long. I almost didn't put that last little snippet there… but I'd say that's good enough. Sorry to end on such a cliffhanger, but you guys know why I have to do that :P

Also, I would like to promote my newest fic "PRIDE". I will most likely end up advertising this other fic in some of my A/Ns and vice versa.

And 50 reviews so far! Thank you guys so much. I'm hoping for maybe 75 before Chapter 15? Wishful thinking? Lol as usual, please leave reviews! I'll update soon, I promise!