DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, nor am I associated with it or RIB.

Break Me

By: xSlythStratasfaction

Warning: Season 2 spoilers! This fic is AU with canon tendencies (does that make any sense? Haha!) VERY ANGSTY. Also, some foul language.

"I told you he was bad news."

Mercedes leaned back in her seat, adjusting one leg over the other as she stirred her straw in her soda. Kurt sighed, leaning his cheek against his hand as he stared at his best friend.

"I hate him."

"No, you don't. You're always complaining about the way he treats you, but you always go running back to him. If you hated him as much as you say you do, you would've cut him out ages ago."

Kurt frowned, "I just don't understand why it's so hard to get over him. I've tried so hard, Mercedes, but it's like nothing seems to work."

"Even after all that crap he said to you? Even after the trouble he's put you through?"

"I don't know."

Mercedes reached her hand across the table and grabbed Kurt's. She ran her thumb over his palm in lazy circles, her dark eyes watching him sadly. "You'd be better off moving on, Kurt. You deserve better than him, lemme tell you that much."

"But I really care for him."

"Cut him loose, that'd be your best bet. You're better off finding someone else than dealing with Blaine's mess any longer. I don't know how you do it."

Kurt nodded, pulling his hand away from Mercedes'. He thought about the last few months of his friendship with Blaine – how quickly he had fallen for the other boy, how they flirted with each other on a daily basis, the way everyone and their mom thought they were actually a couple; it just seemed so weird to him to go from being close friends with the guy to being complete strangers.

But it seemed as if cutting Blaine out completely would be the only surefire way for Kurt to move on.

"I'll have to think about."

"Don't think too hard. I don't want you second guessing yourself."

But no matter what Mercedes said, she was sure her bestie would end up right back in Blaine's web of crazy.

According to his sources (also known as Mercedes, Tina, and Finn), Blaine and Rachel were supposedly still seeing each other – whatever that meant.

Kurt hadn't spoken a word to Blaine since their fight at the Lima Bean. He did see the other boy out and about, whether it be at Dalton or at the Lima Bean. Blaine was always alone though – no sign of Rachel Berry anywhere, so Kurt had his doubts about the so-called Blainchel relationship. It was only after a night of shopping that Kurt got any confirmation of Blaine and Rachel being together...

When he spotted Blaine walking around the mall with none other than Jeremiah.

So much for Rachel getting Blaine as a boyfriend.

Blaine's hands were shoved in his pants pockets, grinning like a fool as he stared up at Jeremiah. He was out of his Dalton uniform, instead wearing a pair of rolled up dark wash jeans and a plain white button down. Jeremiah was walking next to him, hands moving animatedly as he talked in great detail about something or other. Just the sight of the two of them being chummy made Kurt want to drop his bags and put his combat boots to good use. As he waltzed past the walking couple, he caught Blaine's eye and noticed the way his ex-friend was watching him. If Kurt didn't know any better, he would've thought the look in Blaine's eyes was that of longing, hoping that Kurt would talk to him.

But obviously Blaine didn't miss him that much, as evidenced in the company he had at that very moment.

So, ignoring Blaine's look, Kurt threw his head back, nose in the air, and marched out of the mall with a tight air of dignity. He stormed all the way to his car and carelessly tossed his bags in the back seat, whipping out his cell phone once his hands were empty.

On the third ring, someone answered. "Hello?"

"Meet me at the Lima Bean in ten minutes. No questions, just be there."

Sitting at the Lima Bean was nerve wracking.

Kurt drummed his fingers along his cup of mocha, eyes skimming the shop to see if his guest had arrived yet. After a few minutes of impatiently tapping his foot against the table, a shadow loomed over him before they took a seat.

"Okay, I'm here, Kurt. What's the matter?"

Kurt sipped his mocha, eyes narrowing. "First off, Angelina, don't get fussy with me. If anyone here is going to have a moment, it'll be me, not you, but me. So, get comfortable because you and I are going to have a chat."

"Is this about me and Blaine because really-"

"Just shut up for a minute and listen to me, Rachel." Kurt hissed, raising a hand to shush her. "Right now, I'm doing everything in my power to keep myself seated. Because I really, really want to toss this drink in your face."

"You what?"

"I'm trying really hard to understand why in the world you thought it was okay to jump on Blaine the minute you had the chance when you knew that I had feelings for him. It wasn't that long ago that I told you about the Gap attack and you were talking about getting back Finn… and now look where we are – I'm here disgusted with you because you decided to make a move on Blaine and Finn's at home upset because you were hanging all over Blaine!"

"Finn doesn't have any right to be angry with me. He was seeing Quinn behind Sam's back not too long ago and he pushed me away at my party, so I could care less how he feels right now."

"And me? What about me, Rachel? I thought we were friends."

"We are-"

"Yeah right. Friends don't do that to each other."

Rachel worried her lip between her teeth, dark eyes brightening as she dramatically looked up at the ceiling, "After Blaine and I kissed, I thought I felt something. I was so drunk and he kissed so well and I just kept on thinking about what happened with Finn that I wanted to hurt someone… and that someone was Finn, not you. You have to believe me that that is not what I wanted to happen."

"Surely you can't be dumb enough to think that I wouldn't get hurt by you going after Blaine."

"I just wasn't thinking, Kurt! I'm sorry!" She wiped away a few stray tears and looked down at the table, "If it makes you feel any better, Blaine rejected me. He realized that he really doesn't like girls that way."

"Thought so," Kurt muttered angrily under his breath.

"He told me about that fight you two had. I understand that you were mad at him, Kurt, but you really hurt his feelings when you made those comments about his bisexuality-"

"I hurt him?" Rachel's words slammed into Kurt like a freight train; his eyes widened in horror as he felt his stomach drop to his feet. He had hurt Blaine? After all the shit the two guys had been through, Kurt was the one at fault… what? "He told me that he just wanted to be friends then spent every day after that flirting with me. He flirted with me at your party, kissed me when we got back to my house, and then had the audacity to tell me that the reason I was upset with him trying to date you was because I was jealous because I've never had a boyfriend! Enlighten me, Rachel: how is it that I'm the bad guy throughout all of this?"

"He never told me all that."

"Probably because he doesn't remember the party part of it and yeah, maybe I shouldn't have flipped out on him like that, but damnit, I'm entitled to be pissed off too, especially if the one guy who claims he has no feelings for me acts like one person one day and another person the next!" Kurt slammed his hands on the table, causing his cup of coffee to tremor from the force. Rachel placed her own hands down to help steady the wobbling.

"Kurt, calm down," she begged, sensing how angry her friend was getting.

People in the shop were staring; their eyes wide as they watched one of the usual patrons lose his cool and flip out on the girl he was sitting with. A few of them wondered where the dark haired boy he usually came in with was and why this boy was freaking out so much.

"Kurt, people are staring! Stop this!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, grabbing up his coffee cup and downing the rest of the scalding drink within seconds, relishing at the burn on his tongue. "Fuck you, Rachel Berry. I thought you were my friend, but obviously you aren't. You have no idea what I'm going through right now; no idea! I thought I could forgive you about what happened with Blaine, but the only thing I'm feeling right now is complete loathing. I hope you like not having friends, because with your attitude, you're going to be alone for the rest of your life."

Rachel's eyes watered as Kurt sneered at her, "Please, Kurt. I'm so sorry. If I had known-"

"That's the problem with you, Rachel. You did know. You knew and you did it anyways. You're no better than Blaine and that's saying something," Kurt stood up, tossing his cup away as he stormed out the doors and left an emotional Rachel Berry crying at their table.

He knew he probably shouldn't have been so harsh, but his heart hurt and his brain was screaming at him to lash out over the pain he was feeling – he just wasn't sure if Rachel was the person he needed to flip out on.

"What the fuck, dude?"

Kurt spun on his heel, stopping on the steps to glare down at his brother. Finn was standing before him, eyes narrowed, glaring in anger. "Can I help you?"

"Rachel just called me in tears. She said you flipped out on her at the Lima Bean!"

"Your point?"

"I understand you're angry, Kurt. But did you really have to do that?"

"Oh my God, Finn," Kurt hissed. "You're really going to confront me about this when you were just as pissed off with Rachel a few days ago? She knows that what she did was wrong and you know what she did was wrong and I'm trying to figure out how in the world I'm the only one who is smart enough to figure that out."

"I don't understand why you're being such an asshole."

"Well I don't understand why you thought it was a good idea to let my dad know Blaine was in the house. You were definitely being an asshole then and you sure are being an asshole now."

"Kurt, really, what's gotten into you?"

"You know what Finn? Leave me alone. I don't want to deal with anymore of this right now."

He turned back around, jogging up the stairs and flinging himself into his open bedroom door, slamming it behind him once he got inside. As soon as he was alone, he threw his bag at the wall, kicking his shoes across the room with a raged scream. He screamed and screamed, throwing more stuff across the room as tears ran down his cheeks. He was just so pissed off – pissed at his friends, his family, Blaine, everything.

After a few minutes of nonstop yelling and cursing, he collapsed to the floor, fingers curling in his hair as he rocked himself back and forth. He was just so mad at everything; he didn't understand how things could go so wrong for him, how he could deal with all that shit at McKinley then deal with this shit happening with Blaine. It just seemed so wrong, so unfair.

He cried himself out and decided something in that very moment. He wasn't going to cry anymore, not over these people. Kurt Hummel was going to get stronger; he was going to show everyone that he didn't need them.

Days after his blow up at Rachel, Kurt found himself feeling so much better.

He still ignored Blaine, ignored Finn and Rachel, and spent more time on himself. He found himself sleeping a little bit better without the added stress of caring about the others; he also found that he had a little bit more energy than usual. Throughout the day, he was alert and knowledgeable, easily answering questions in class and singing a little louder in Warblers. His enthusiasm was well rewarded by his teachers and peers and Kurt had never felt more light and carefree than he did at that very moment now that his focus was on something more important: himself.

However, all good things must come to an end… right?

And everything came crashing down around him on an early Monday morning in the Warbler rehearsal hall. The council had called an impromptu meeting before class that morning; every one of the Warblers not on the council confused as to what strange thing was about to go down. Kurt strode into the room, taking a seat next to Jeff on the couch. Blaine sat across from him, eyes downcast as he typed something into his phone.

Probably Jeremiah, Kurt thought, looking up at the front of the room where Wes was slamming the gavel against the table.

"Attention! Warblers, quiet down. I need your attention."

"Wes, Thad, and I have called this mandatory meeting because it involves something to do with Regionals. As you may know, we are facing Aural Intensity and New Directions this time around and they're both forces to be reckoned with." David looked around the room, catching Kurt's eye for a moment before he continued, "Last week after school, Thad and I were approached by McKinley High's cheerleading coach-"

Oh God no.

"Kurt, she sends her best, by the way. She wanted us to let you know that… but I digress! Anyway, she came up to us and revealed that she is now the newest coach of Aural Intensity. Rumor has it that this year's theme at Regionals is going to be 'sexy' and New Directions has already jumped on the bandwagon with songs. Ms. Sylvester also said that she's been schooling Aural Intensity as well and that she was going to let the Warblers know about the theme considering that McKinley's group already learned about it."

Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing – the Warblers were trusting Sue's word? Sure, Coach Sylvester had tried to help him out with his troubles at McKinley, but everyone and their mom knew that the woman couldn't be trusted in most situations. The entire thing seemed fishy and Kurt had to say something, "If I were you, I wouldn't listen to what she says."

"And why is that, Kurt?" Wes questioned, raising a brow.

"Because Coach has always used certain things to her advantage. We're going to owe her a favor if we take her words into consideration and she won't back down until we give her what she wants."

"It's not like she told us anyone's set list or anything," Thad added, which caused a shiver to go up Kurt's spine at the memory of his first Sectionals with New Directions. "She just gave us some advice."

"And you're just going to take it?"

"Well, as the council, we discussed it and decided that it wouldn't hurt for us to try something a little bit sexier this time," David said. Wes and Thad nodded next to him and Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes at the hypocrisy within this group. His ideas got shot down right and left, but the moment someone of importance said something to them about their song lists, it was game on.

"So then what's the plan?" Blaine asked. "Are we having auditions?"

"No, not this time." Wes looked at Kurt for a second before shooting a look back to Blaine. "We've already decided what song we're going to sing. We're going with a duet."

"A duet?"

Murmurs of hope flooded through the group of Warblers; the guys who usually didn't get solos talking excitedly over the opportunity to sing something in the spotlight. Across from him, Kurt watched as Blaine stared blankly at the council.

"Who's doing this duet?"

Thad stood up, grabbing a pile of sheet music off of the table. He walked around the room, plucking the first paper from the top and handed it over to Blaine.

"Surprise!" Someone in the back muttered.

Thad then turned around, sliding the other sheet of music off the top and handed it out to Kurt. "Blaine and Kurt are dueting this time."

"We're what?" Kurt's mouth instantly went dry. It was like his tongue was made of sand. He coughed and looked up at Blaine, noticing the other boy's honey eyes watching him carefully. "I'm sorry. I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not? Your voice and Blaine's mesh really well together."

"And how would you know that?"

"We might have heard a little bit of the two of you singing Christmas songs together."

Kurt slumped in his seat, eyes hardening as he glared at the music in his hand. "Then why haven't we dueted before?"

"This is just a onetime thing, Kurt." Wes stated, "We're going to see how the two of you do singing this together and then if the duet works well, we may just consider it for Regionals."

For Regionals… a potential chance to shine. Kurt stared down at the music, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He could turn this opportunity down and let someone else take it or he could go ahead and run with it – take the chance to sing lead instead of background and perhaps help take the Warblers to Nationals.

"Well, are you in?"

"I'll do it."

It was a stupid idea to accept. Stupid stupid stupid.

A/N: What the hell is Kurt's problem? I had a plan for this chapter and all of a sudden, Kurt's character flipped out in my mind and that's what came down on paper. So, there it is – a slight explanation for Kurt's crazy antics this chapter. Don't worry he'll calm down sooner or later… maybe. Also, Kurt called Rachel 'Angelina' in reference to Angelina Jolie, just in case you were wondering.

BIOTA!Rachel reminds me wayyyy too much of a few of my own friends who pulled that same crap with my crushes – believe me, I'm not really friends with them anymore, haha.

I digress. Sorry this took so long to update. I came back from Disney and one of my friends really needed me, so I left for a few days. I've been trying to update all my WIPs and so far, I've gotten a few updated. But then a new idea crept into my head and I couldn't get it out, so I wrote an outline for it. Then another idea came, so I wrote that entire story and put it on the site. Check it out: THE CHAPERONE. It's an Anderson brothers centric story. Yep.

Anyways, thanks for reading and please review! And if you don't mind, check out my newest fic also. I don't think anybody's been reading it, lol.