The rest of the week passed surprisingly quickly for Kurt. When he was at McKinley, the days seemed to drag on and on, even before it, but now the days seemed to rush passed in the blink of an eye. Kurt could often be seen holed up in the library, books surrounding him as he attempted to keep up with the workload that he had missed when he hadn't been going to school. Friday afternoon he sat in the library, all of his homework for the day finished, and he finally allowed himself to think about sectionals.
Should he go? Blaine had wanted him to go, and it would be nice to see the Warblers and New Directions perform, but he hadn't been anywhere as public as sectionals since it. And his dad might not even let him go at all...
He checked his watch. 10 minutes until his dad was supposed to be here to pick him up. He slowly closed his history textbook and stood up, putting the books back on the shelf. When he turned around and walked to the doorway, he accidentally collided with someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I - Kurt?" It was Blaine. Blaine looked a bit surprised for a moment before smiling. "What are you doing here? Aren't you going home for the weekend?"
Kurt smiled. "Yeah, my dad is picking me up in a few minutes, so I was just heading out."
"Well, why don't I walk you out?" Blaine asked, reaching out and taking Kurt's hand. "All of the Warblers are staying here for the weekend because of sectionals. Are you... going to come?" Blaine looked hopeful.
Right. Sectionals. "... I don't know, Blaine." Kurt said honestly, fidgeting a little bit. "I have to ask my dad to drive me, since I don't really have my car any more. But... I don't know."
For a split second Blaine looked slightly downcast, but he quickly recovered and put a big smile on his face. "Well, I'd love to see you there if you decide to show!" He said, tugging Kurt's hand and leading him out of the library.
They walked down the hallways and toward the front entrance, where Kurt's dad was going to pick him up. Occasionally Blaine would glance over at him and give him a quick, reassuring grin, but they were both silent.
When the opened the front door and stepped outside, they were surprised to see Nick and Jeff also outside, both sitting on a bench next to the wall. Jeff had his arm propped against Nick's shoulder, and they were both staring intently at a piece of paper that Nick was holding.
"Hey, guys! What are you doing out here?" Blaine asked curiously, him and Kurt walking over to stand at the edge of the sidewalk.
Jeff glanced up and grinned. "We wanted to look over the sheet music for 'Hey, Soul Sister' again, and it was nice out, so we decided to do it out here. What are you doing out here, Blaine? You know that we have to stay here for the weekend."
"I know!" Blaine said cheerfully, swinging his hand that was in Kurt's slightly. "I was just walking Kurt out. His dad's gonna pick him up soon."
Jeff glanced over at Kurt, and something briefly curious flickered in his gaze, but it was gone in an instant, and he was smiling again. "Well, don't let us bother you." He said, looking back at the paper in Nick's hand.
Blaine turned back over to Kurt, who still had his eyes trained on the road. "Hey, you gonna be okay at your dads?" He asked, nudging Kurt's shoulder. He hadn't forgotten the hand-shaped bruise on Kurt's wrist.
Kurt looked at Blaine and smiled, softly nudging his shoulder back. "Course I will." He said reassuringly. "I'll be fine."
"Kurt!"
Kurt started, yanking his hand from Blaine's as he turned around. His dad's car was pulled up next to the sidewalk, and the window was rolled down all the way. Blaine looked at Kurt curiously. "M-my dad." Kurt said, somewhat apologetically, and Blaine nodded.
"Come on, kiddo, it's time to go." Burt said, casting a curious glance at Blaine.
"Well... I guess I might see you tomorrow, Blaine." Kurt said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Wait! Don't go yet!" Blaine said, pulling a paper and pen from his pocket and uncapping the pen with his teeth. He scribbled something down on the paper and pressed it into Kurt's hand. "My number. So you can text me."
"Oh, I..." Kurt didn't know what to say. Blaine was giving Kurt his number? "Th..thanks, Blaine." Blaine smiled, and Kurt gave him, Nick and Jeff a small departing wave before turning around to walk to his dad's car.
Blaine turned to look at Nick and Jeff, and saw that Jeff's eyes were still on Kurt's retreating figure. He had a confused frown on his face, as if he was trying to work something out.
"Jeff, what's wrong?" Blaine asked, walking over to sit on the bench next to them.
Jeff was silent for a moment before responding. "...Did you notice how Kurt fast Kurt pulled his hand out of yours when he heard his dad pull up?"
Blaine frowned. "Yeah, I guess so. Why?"
"Doesn't that bother you, Blaine? The fact that he jumped when he heard his dad pull up? That, combined with the bruise I saw on his neck, it's just... I don't know. I'm really worried."
"Yeah, I'm worried to." Blaine said with a sigh, leaning back against the bench. "What do you think, Nick?"
Nick's expression had gone oddly strained. "...I don't think we should jump to conclusions." He said slowly. "It could be... something else. We shouldn't assume that it has to do with his father."
"Well, what else could it be, Nick?" Blaine asked. "The bullying at his old school can explain his skittishness, but what other explaination is there for the bruise on his neck?"
Nick just pursed his lips and looked away, not saying anything. Blaine sighed again and stood up. "I'm going to the choir room. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Bye, Blaine."
GLEEGLEEGLEE
Kurt opened the passenger side door to his dad's car and carefully stepped inside and sat down.
"Hey, kiddo. How was your first week at Dalton?" Burt asked immidietly as Kurt buckled his seatbelt, worry creased in between his eyebrows.
Kurt smiled, closing his eyes as his dad started the car and began to drive. "It was amazing, dad." Kurt said. And it really had been amazing.
Burt looked relieved. "That's great, Kurt." He said, reaching out to toustle Kurt's hair and smiling when Kurt scowled and flattened it out again. "So... who were those boys you were just with?"
Kurt paused a moment, glancing over at his father. That was his 'protective papa bear' voice. "...Just a few friends of mine. Nick, Jeff, and Blaine."
Burt looked a bit surprised. "How'd you meet them? They in your classes?"
"Blaine is my roomate, and Nick and Jeff are friends of his."
"Well, that's... that's great, kiddo. That's great." Burt looked relieved. "No one's picking on you?"
Kurt couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes, even though it was a valid question. "No, dad. Everyone's great. Just like the dean said it would be."
"Well... good. That's good, Kurt."
Kurt glanced down at his right hand, where the scrap of paper with Blaine's number on it was still clenched tightly. "...Yeah." He said. "It is."
GLEEGLEEGLEE
"Kurt! You're back!" The moment Kurt stepped in the door, he was crushed in a hug from his over-enthusiastic step brother. He stiffened a bit in surprise, then wrapped his arms gingerly around Finn in return.
"Finn... Finn, air is becoming an issue!" Kurt said, thought he was smiling widely as Finn pulled back and gave him a lopsided grin.
"Sorry, dude. I just missed you." Kurt scrunched his nose up at the nickname, but didn't comment. "How are you, Kurt? Are you okay? Is there anyone's ass that I need to kick?"
"No, Finn." Kurt said, rolling his eyes a bit. "I'd prefer it if you'd keep your homicidal instincts out of my new school."
"It's not homicidal!" Finn said indignantly. "We're brothers now, so it's my job to protect you." Kurt just raised an eyebrow, and Finn laughed. "Oh, by the way, Puck came to visit earlier, so you can talk to him if you want. He's in my room."
Kurt's face lit up, and he quickly ran up the stairs and pushed open the door to Finn's room. Puck was sprawled out on Finn's bed with a controller in hand, playing some sort of shooting game that Kurt would never understand the rules to, despite Finn's many attempts to teach him. Puck turned at the door opening, his face brightening when he was Kurt. "Hey, Hummel!" He said, sitting up and pressing the pause button on the tv.
"Hey, Noah!" Kurt said, giving Puck a small wave and lowering himself into the rolling chair next to Finn's bed. "Please try to refrain from hugging me. Finn nearly crushed me in the hallway a few minutes ago."
"I'll try to control myself." Puck said with a grin, sitting up on the bed and turning to face Kurt. "So, how are you liking Dalton? Curly haired hobbit giving you any trouble?"
Kurt made a face. "Don't call him that. And he's been perfectly friendly."
"Alright. But the moment he lays a finger on you..." He cracked his knuckles pointedly. "You let me know, yeah?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother." He said sarcastically. "Do you guys think that the New Directions are ready for sectionals?"
Puck groaned. "It's a total disaster. I gueaa it's technically partially my fault for making out with Rachel, but her and Finn are just so pissed at each other, I don't think they'll be able to pull it together in time." He sighed and fell back onto the bed, letting his head hit the pillow. "What about the group at your school? The... what're they called, the Garglers? They any good?"
"The warblers." Kurt corrected. "And yes, actually, they are, so the New Directions better watch out."
"Yeah, yeah." Puck said, turning back to the tv. "Wanna play a round of Call of Duty?"
"There is literally nothing that I'd rather do less."
GLEEGLEEGLEE
Kurt stood just outside the of the living room, rocking nervously on the balls of his feet as he watched his dad, who was sitting on the couch watching football.
He was just going to ask if he could go to sectionals. That was all. He would just ask, and if his dad said no, then that would be that. It would be fine.
"Er... dad?"
Burt sat up quickly, fumbling for the remote and pausing the tv. "Yeah, kiddo, what's up? You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just..." Kurt licked his lips nervously. "I was... wondering if you would maybe drive me to sectionals tomorrow?"
Burt's eyebrows dissapeared into his baseball cap. "Sectionals?" He repeated. "You want to go to sectionals?"
"Well, yeah." Kurt said, already feeling heat creep into his cheeks. "M-my roomate is part of the Warblers, and it would be nice to see Santana and Brittany again, and I just thought..."
"Kurt, if you really want to go to sectionals, I'll let you take the navigator, just for tomorrow night. But... are you really sure you want to? You haven't been anywhere public like sectionals since..."
"I know." Kurt said quickly, looking down at the floor. "But... I really want to go, to support my friends."
Burt still looled a bit hesitant, but he said, "Alright, kiddo, if you've got your heart set on going, I'll let you go. But make sure you're back by nine, okay? And that kid, your roomate... what's his name, Blaise?"
"Blaine."
"Right. Make sure you stick by him, yeah? I don't want you alone."
Kurt smiled. "Thanks, dad."
Burt smiled back. "You're welcome, kid." He said. "Now, let's see what Carole's making for dinner, yeah."
Kurt sighed, but didn't argue as he followed his dad into the kitchen. He knew that his dad would probably make him eat a bowl, regardless of what he said.
GLEEGLEEGLEE
Eh, I wasn't a huge fan of this chapter. I've been having a bit of a hard week. I won't bore you all with my tales of woe, but it's nice to be able to write and forget things for a while. I wanted to include sectionals in this chapter, but I realized that my plan for sectionals would be too long to fit in this chapter. So, the chapter is complete, and hopefully sectionals will be enough for its own chapter.
So, I think I've pretty much worked out how each of the remaining Warblers (Jeff, Wes, David, and Blaine) will figure out about Kurt. For Blaine, I'm not sure if I want him to figure it out on his own or if I want Kurt to tell him. What do you guys think? What do you think would be more entertaining to read? Please let me know, I love feedback!
See you next week!