Mercedes sighed. She couldn't take much more of this. Karofsky & Azimio were hounding them for being in glee club. There was talk of course but no one had anything to say to their faces about it but those two. It was exhausting listening to them rant.
"It's a rainbow tribe!" Azimio was saying.
"Who cares?" Finn groaned. "It's pretty nice when you get over how weird it is to sing & dance."
"But it's weird." Karofsky pointed out.
"So what?! No one's making you watch!" Puck snapped.
"Those hockey pricks already talk about us. Why make it worse?"
"If Rick & those douchebags want to rumble, we can go."
Azimio nodded. "They might want to. I heard talk that they think they can kick your asses now."
"Bring it on!" Puck wasn't afraid.
Finn looked down. Puck had been dragging him into fights since third grade. "Why do they care what we do anyway?"
"Because this is high school." Azimio stressed.
"Can we talk about anything else?" Santana sniped.
"Let's go. Glee club starts any minute anyway." Quinn was tired of the tirade, too.
Azimio & Karofsky threw their hands up.
Marcy walked by. "Hey."
"Don't tell me you're in this club, too." Azimio groaned.
"What?" She was confused.
"Glee club."
"Yes."
"Why?" If he had hair, he'd pull it out.
She lifted a shoulder. "It's okay."
"I don't get you. First, you want to play hockey then you're a teen mom & now you're in glee club. Do you just hate your rep?"
"Character is what you are. Reputation is what people think you are."
"Huh?!" Karofsky gave up.
"We have to go." Finn didn't get it either but he was smart enough not to let on.
The large group moved to the choir room with Karofsky & Azimio waiting outside, angrily.
"We've got to stop them." Azimio said.
"How?"
"Maybe we can get proof of their social standing going down the toilet?"
Karofsky shrugged. "It's worth a try."
W.W.W.
"Go on. Talk." Azimio pushed the curly haired youth in front of him.
"You-you are the least pop-popular kids in school." Jacob Ben Israel stuttered. He was nervous around his bullies & the used-to-be popular kids.
"See?" Karofsky threw out a hand. "Your reps are in the toilet."
"Can I go now?"
"Yeah, get." Azimio hooked a thumb behind him.
Jacob scampered off.
"You gotta quit this club." Azimio resumed talking to his friends. "It just ain't right."
"The club is for losers & if you stay in it, you'll be losers." Karofsky added.
Mercedes felt someone touch her back & whirled around to find Kurt standing behind her.
"Like him." Karofsky growled.
Kurt shrank back. "I can just call you later."
"No, we're here now." Mercedes smiled. "What's up?"
Kurt glanced around the group & licked his dry lips. "There's a sale going on. I thought you might want to go."
"Totally." She beamed.
He relaxed. "Cool. It's a new store at the mall."
"We love shopping."
"We?"
"Well, Quinn, Tana, Britt & I do. Marcy & the guys hate it."
Kurt flicked his gaze to Marcy but she was watching Karofsky. "She should go shopping. I bet we can find great dresses for her."
Mike snorted with laughter. "Marcy in a dress?!"
Marcy snapped her gaze to him. "Shut up!"
"She's not that type of girl." Mike grinned.
"I'm telling Laura on you."
He scowled. "I was just joking."
Mercedes & Quinn laughed.
"Are we going to the mall or not?" Santana snapped.
"Yes!" Mercedes raised a hand. "I know you can't come, Marce but come on, girls. & Kurt."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Karofsky waved his hands. "You're hanging out with him in public?!"
Mercedes sighed. "Yes, Karofsky. That's where the mall is."
He frowned. "You can't do that! What will people say?!"
"Who cares?"
"You should. You heard the jewfreak, your rep is down the drain. It'll never get back up if you hang out with him!" He waved a disgusted hand at Kurt.
"Wow." Marcy said with her whole mouth. "& I thought Claude Frollo had the most dramatic overreaction to a boner ever."
"What? What are you talking about?" He (& everyone else) was confused.
She rolled her eyes. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame? Frollo was willing to kill over his attraction to a girl."
"Right." His brows drew together. "I knew that."
"You're acting like a four year old with a crush. Instead of pushing her down, pulling her hair & calling her names, you're keeping him from friends, bullying him & calling him names." Marcy's lips twisted.
Karofsky's cheeks turned red. "What are you trying to say?! I-!"
"Like him." Marcy cut in.
"No, I don't!"
"Yes, you do. I sees all. You're crushing on him like you're Jack & Rose."
"I don't know what that means!" He screeched.
Mike's eyes narrowed to keep from being so wide & he kept his laughter inside. "She means you're acting like you & Kurt(?) are soulmates."
Karofsky turned an interesting shade of pruce. "Am not!"
"Coulda fooled me." Marcy sassed.
All of the guys were riveted on Karofsky as he sweated. "I am not! Take it back!"
"Don't make me act like a four year old, too & start singing the tree song."
"What tree song?!"
"Karofsky & Kurt sittin in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes marriage then comes an adopted baby in a baby carriage."
Every guy but Karofsky & Kurt found that funny & laughed.
"I don't like him! He a gaybird!" Karofsky threw out a hand.
"You don't know that!" Kurt spoke up for himself for the first time.
Marcy giggled. When he shot her a look, she explained. "Sorry. I thought you were going to go somewhere else with that. My way would have hurt his feelings."
Kurt's lips twitched. "I'm not gay."
"Are you sure?" She cocked her head. "My gaydar is never wrong. I knew I was bi when I was two."
"You're bi?" Santana's brows lifted.
"Yup."
"I knew you were the Fairy Queen!" Brittany hopped on her toes.
Everyone in the hallway was stuck at that but Mercedes shook her head & turned to Marcy & slapped her arm. "Stop outing people!"
"I'm not outing anybody!" Marcy rubbed her arm. "Right, guys. We all know what's up."
"You're completely outing us!" Karofsky shouted.
"Oh. My bad. Stay in your closets. Come out when you're ready." She held up her hands.
"I'm not coming out of nowhere!"
"Because it's so cosy?" Puck teased.
Karofsky growled.
"What about you, Kurt?" Marcy peered at him. "We're all friends here. If you wanted to tell, no one would think any less of you for admitting it to us."
Kurt was caught. "I haven't even told my dad yet."
Mercedes hugged him when he dropped his head in shame. "You don't have to say it. Tell your dad when you're ready."
"Just don't wait until you're married with three kids. Real inopportune time." Marcy threw in.
Mike slapped a hand over his mouth.
Mercedes waved a hand. "He would never marry a woman when he knows he could never really love her."
"I was talking about a dude. We have a black president, gay rights are just a jump & a skip away." Marcy said.
"If I do it, will you be there?" Kurt asked Mercedes.
"Sure will, boo!" The bubbly girl chirped.
Kurt felt dread in the pit of his stomach but also hope. He would do it.
"What about you, Karofsky? Gon let Hummel take the plunge alone?" Puck taunted.
Karofsky burned. "I'm not gay!"
"Isn't that closet a little small for your fat ass?"
"Noah!" Mercedes hit his arm. "Stop teasing him!"
"After all the crap he gave us about glee club & we can't tease him about being a scary punk...?!"
"People have to come to terms with their sexuality on their own." Mike said. "That's why Kurt is so awesome. He's fifteen & about to do something forty year olds can't do."
Kurt beamed.
Karofsky scowled. "My dad would kick me out."
"Then call me." Marcy took one of Mercedes's pens & wrote her number on his hand. "Our dad would never turn away somebody in need & he hates when parents put their kids out. Especially over some foolishness."
"We have two extra rooms." Mercedes added.
Karofsky looked between his hand & the other's faces. "Why would you do that for me?"
"Why not?" Marcy shrugged. "You're still human, aren't you? You still deserve love & affection & to feel safe & empowered."
Karofsky could feel himself getting choked up & closed his hand. He looked at Azimio, who'd been quiet this entire time. "What do you think?"
"You don't like me, do you?"
Karofsky frowned before his lips twitched. "No."
"Why not?"
"What?!"
Azimio had an offended look on his face. "Is it cuz I'm black?"
"What?!" Karofsky's face broke as the others laughed. "No! Oh my-! No! What?!"
"Is it because I'm a big guy?! You only like twigs?!"
Karofsky's mouth worked but he had no words.
It was quiet as Azimio waited for him to answer (& the others held their breaths to not miss a word) then a smile broke over the football player's face. "I'm just messing with you."
Karofsky let out a breath before scowling at his best friend. "You're a jerk."
Azimio grinned. "I mean it's pretty weird but you're my best friend so I have to get over it."
"Thanks." Karofsky meant it from the bottom of his heart. "No jokes from you guys?"
"You're going to leave us alone about glee?" Finn demanded.
Karofsky raised his hands. "I can shut up."
"Then we have no problems."
"F*** that! I want some jokes!" Puck snapped. "& I got some good ones!"
"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" Matt shook his head.
"His mother didn't give him enough love." Mike snickered.
"Screw you, my moms loves me!" Puck pointed a thumb at himself.
"Somebody has to."
"Your sister does!"
Mercedes burned & punched Puck in the back. "Hey!"
The others snickered.
"Hey!" Marcy waved her hands before looking at Kurt. "Can you first date be at our house? Not your real first date but like a pre date?"
"Oh, the clothes we go shopping for today can be the clothes you wear!" Quinn was bossy to her heart.
"All of us can be there & we'll invite Artie, Tina & Rachel-"
"No!" Quinn shook her head. "No Rachel!"
"Won't it be mean to have the whole glee club but not her?"
"Yes. That's the point. She's not allowed."
"Quinn." Mercedes gave her a look.
"Nope! She's a freak & a loser & I refuse to associate with her!"
"It's not like she doesn't have feelings or anything…" Marcy muttered.
"I don't care. No Rachel or no party."
"You are such a spoiled brat." Mike shook his head. "Fine. Leave the poor girl out."
Quinn tossed her high pony over her shoulder. "We should get to the mall before it closes."
"We can have it tomorrow." Marcy shook her head at Quinn's stubbornness. "I can cancel my lesson & we can meet at our house after cheerleading & football. After everyone's showered & changed of course."
"We won't have to drink tea, will we?" Puck groaned.
"You're going to like tea, Noah. We just have to find the right one." Mercedes bossed.
"I can make a punch. The same one from my sleepover." Marcy said.
"I heard that Eliza girl going around saying your parents don't care about you & that they let you do whatever." Azimio said.
"Why can't I stomp a mudhole in her?" Marcy spat.
"Because you can't solve every problem with violence." Mercedes told her.
"& Pop would be sad if you started getting into trouble again." Quinn threw in.
Marcy huffed.
Mike threw an arm around her shoulder. "Get chummy with her sister then expose her secrets."
"Mikey!" Quinn & Mercedes shouted over the others laughter.
"It sounds like a good plan!" Santana wiped away tears. "Make that bitch pay for diming you out."
"She's so mean." Brittany agreed.
Marcy took down her high pony. "I don't care about that pock faced goober. I gotta get to lacrosse. Call me, Karofsky." She walked away.
"Is she always like that?" Kurt asked.
Mike, Mercedes & Quinn nodded. "Always."
