Ughh so, again, its been awhile. I'm so sorry I'm taking so long to update these days! I have the whole story planned out and everything, it's just finding time to do it I guess... Anyways, enough about me :) Thankyou so much for reading and sticking with this even though I'm being incredibly slow... Lol hope you enjoy, review if you want to! :D
Chapter 11
"How was your day?" Puck asked, as Kurt clambered into the front seat of his truck.
"Ugh, the usual," Kurt replied with a small grimace, "it would be so much better if we could actually spend some time with each other in front of people though. All this sneaking around is tiring me out."
He rested his head against the back of the seat closing his eyes.
"Yeah..." Puck said quietly, "I'm sorry Kurt, I just... I'm not ready to tell people just yet... about, you know..."
"Oh, no, I'm not talking about you Noah! Honestly, I get how hard this is to come to terms with. I'm referring to those Neanderthal jocks who seem to want to make my life a living Hell just for being me; can you imagine what they'd do if they found out we were together?"
Puck breathed a sigh of relief, "Yeah. That would be... pretty bad. I honestly don't know how you did this on your own... I'm so lucky to have you, Kurt."
"Aww!" Kurt leaned into Puck for a quick kiss before he started the engine.
"So... where do you wanna go?" Puck slowly pulled out of the school parking lot, smiling at Kurt.
"Hmm... my Dad's at home all day today, so I guess that's out... I dunno, shall we just hang out at the park or something?" Kurt suggested.
"Sure," Puck drove for a little longer before turning off into the parking lot that faced on to the field. He halted suddenly, though, when he realised who was throwing a football around in front of them.
"Oh no," Kurt breathed, cursing internally.
"Stay here; I'll try and pull out without them noticing," Puck started to reverse, but Karofsky had recognised them; Kurt flinched as a football hit the bonnet of the beaten-up truck they were sitting in.
"Noah," Kurt looked in dismay at Puck, whose jaw was tightly clenched; his knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
"Don't talk, I'll handle this," he said in a hard, cold voice, getting out of the truck and slamming the door behind him.
"Not likely," Kurt said to himself, rolling his eyes. He got out gingerly, however, half-hidden behind the bonnet. The wind whipped round them; Kurt hugged his arms around himself to keep warm.
"What do you think you're doing to my car?" Puck's voice was unusually bright, trying to dispel the situation as soon as possible. The two jocks ignored him.
"What have we here, then?" Azimio cracked his knuckles, taking in the sight of the two of them.
"Got yourself a little boyfriend, have you Puck?" Karofsky sneered, snickering.
"Keep out of this Karofsky – just... leave us alone," Puck said; Kurt could tell he was fighting to keep calm.
"Do you know what? I don't think I can stay out of this. It's too good to be true!" He laughed, slowly sauntering up to Puck until he was right in his face.
"Don't..." Puck's voice was so dangerous that Karofsky seemed to back off just a little. He turned his attention to Kurt then.
"Do you think he's perfect then, Hummel? ...Do you love him?" Karofsky closed in on Kurt, who clamped his mouth shut, terror in his eyes. Azimio sniggered.
"Stop it," Puck whispered, his face contorted into a snarl.
"Have you told him yet, Puckerman?" Puck's stomach dropped through the floor as he saw where Karofsky was going with this.
"...Karofsky," He threatened, balling his palms into fists, but Kurt was intrigued.
"Tell me what?" Kurt spoke up against his better nature. He was shocked at how calm his voice was; it barely shook despite his fear.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Azimio chuckled, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Well, a little birdy told me..." Karofsky started, but Puck launched himself at him, begging him to stop talking. Nothing needed ruining, not now, not when they were so happy.
"Hey!" Azimio pulled Puck off Karofsky, tossing him back towards the truck, "Let him finish!" He said with a twisted grin.
Puck's breathing got shallower; Kurt stared in dismay and confusion at him.
"Noah?" he breathed.
"Ooh, Noah?" Karofsky taunted, imitating Kurt's voice, "Your boyfriend's been making himself useful, actually, Hummel. You know, raising awareness and all that. He's done you a great favour, in fact!"
"What are you talking about, Karofsky?" Kurt was getting irritated now, but he couldn't help worrying that there was a truth to his words; he wondered what Puck had done...
"Puckerman here thought it would be pretty awesome to tell your father some... things... secrets... about you," Karofsky was on the verge of laughing, but Puck cringed, his face contorting. He couldn't bring himself to look at Kurt.
"Like... what?" Kurt spoke very slowly and deliberately, but he was crying inside.
"Do the words 'your son's a fag' ring any bells?" Karofsky dangled the sentence in front of Kurt, waiting for the moment of recall, which arrived almost instantly. It hit Kurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. His blood turned to ice in his veins; it hurt his heart to pump the freezing liquid round his body.
"Oh my..." Kurt was lost for words, "Puck?" He stared at him until Puck finally met his gaze, a mixture of denial, truth, anger and sadness in his eyes.
"And with that, we are outta here!" Azimio took a flamboyant bow in front of them before clapping Karofsky on the back and making towards his car.
"We'll leave you to this particular lover's tiff, shall we?" Karofsky smirked as he passed them, "You're welcome!" He shouted back over his shoulder, laughing hysterically.
Puck stared hard at the floor again as he heard the two jocks drive off; he didn't move until he heard the engine fade into the distance.
"Is it true?" Kurt whispered, but there was no reply.
"Puck... Did you make that phone call to my Dad?" Puck could hear thick tears in Kurt's voice as it got louder, more accusatory.
Puck turned, fighting back his own tears now.
"I'm... I'm so sorry Kurt," he said quietly, his eyes pleading, "I never meant to hurt you; it was before any of this – us – happened... I didn't know you then, but I felt so guilty... I just wanted to make it up to you as soon as I'd done it..."
"Oh... I get it," Kurt's voice was suddenly cold with realisation, "so, the only reason you're with me now, is because you felt guilty. So I'm just something to make you feel better about yourself, am I? You just pitied me, did you?"
"No! No, Kurt, that's not true," Puck hated himself for revealing the guilt part of the story. Couldn't he have just said sorry and that be that?
"I'm sure," Kurt grimaced, shaking with anger. Tears fell freely down his cheeks now – he should have known, it was Puck after all. When had he ever been honest or faithful before? He felt like an idiot.
"Kurt!" Puck strode towards him, trying to take his hand, but Kurt had had enough.
"No, Puck." He said coolly.
"Kurt, you can't do this to me! I've said I'm sorry and I will keep saying it! A thousand more times if it will make it up to you! Come on... I love you," Puck was in tears, but Kurt just stood there staring at him as if he were a stranger.
Slowly, Kurt raised his hand, his face twisting into a grimace, his fingers curling into a fist.
Puck saw what was happening before Kurt's fist had even made contact with his face. He couldn't help it; he reacted instinctively. He saw Kurt's hand coming towards him; he grabbed it and forced it downwards, yanking Kurt's whole body down with it. He didn't even think, just acted out of self-defence: suddenly he had Kurt doubled over in pain, his arm twisted behind his back. But before Puck regained control of himself, the thing that had possessed him, supposedly out of defence of himself, threw Kurt to the floor; his body made a dull thud as it hit the cold ground.
Puck's hands immediately flew to his mouth as he realised what he had done; his whole body shook in fear and shock; he felt like he was going to vomit from the disgust of the pain he had just inflicted on the boy he loved. He kneeled down next to Kurt, his hands shaking as he reached out to try and help him up. Kurt turned his head, his eyes, filled with tears of betrayal and pain, fixed on Puck's sorry face.
"I'm... so- s-sorry, Kurt..." Puck heaved, his breathing shallow and erratic from crying so hard, but Kurt just stared at him.
"Leave," He forced a whisper from his bleeding lips, "now."
Puck got trembling to his feet, a hand still over his mouth.
"No... Kurt..." he whispered back, but he knew it was no use.
Head spinning, Puck did the only thing he could think of.
He ran.
He left the truck in the parking lot, and didn't stop running. It always ended like this, Puck thought to himself. Hell, it always began like this; his whole life was like this.
Constantly running.
Constantly running away... from himself.
