The first thing that Kurt noticed when he woke up the next morning was the empty space next to him. He found himself missing Blaine's presence, the feel of his warm body so close. He glanced around the small space in the tent, wondering where he'd disappeared to.

David, who was rifling through his bag, noticed the worried look on Kurt's face. 'He's gone for a shower,' he explained.

Kurt sank back into the mattress, unsure what to say. Although that wasn't entirely true, he had a million things he wanted to say, he just wasn't sure how to word anything. Eventually he sat back up, watching as David now emptied the contents of his bag. 'Hey, can I ask you a question?' he ventured. David stopped his search, turning to him, and Kurt continued. 'Is Blaine ok? I-I mean, he barely says a thing, and I'm just worried about him, y'know?'

David nodded and Kurt could see he was thinking. 'It's hard to know,' he responded. 'He doesn't really tell us anything. But something went down at his last school. When he first transferred, he was even worse than he's become on this camping trip.'

Kurt thought about this for a moment. It was hard to imagine Blaine being any quieter than he was now. As he thought over David's words, another question formed in Kurt's mind. 'So, wait, are you saying that Blaine isn't always as quiet as he is now?'

Wes rolled himself into a sitting position from where he'd been spread-eagled on his mattress. 'Yea, it took a while, but me and David eventually got him to talk normally with us. I mean, yea, he's still reserved, but he's actually kinda talkative. He's quieter around the other Warblers, but usually it's not this bad.'

Kurt barely had a chance for a muttered 'weird' before David continued talking. 'It might just be that there's all these new people. But then again, it could be because you're a public school,' Kurt wondered if he should be offended, 'and he assumes you'll be like his old school. Or it could just be that you guys don't have a zero-tolerance no-harassment policy. Whatever it is – ' David trailed off, nothing really left to say.

By now, Kurt was getting really curious about why Blaine transferred. He wondered if Wes and David would know what happened. He wasn't sure if it would be rude to ask though, and he was even less sure of how he would do it. But before he could work it out, David was changing the subject, asking Kurt for inside information about Mercedes. Wes was enjoying this new subject, teasing David endlessly, and when Blaine returned shortly after he threw in a few quips too.

Xxx

After a late morning breakfast, Kurt took his latest copy of Vogue and found a quiet spot down by the lake. As much as he enjoyed spending time with everyone, he really needed some space to himself every now and then. Mercedes had asked if he wanted to hang with her and David but he'd declined, and he had suspicions that she was secretly pleased.

As Kurt flipped idly through the pages, he started to think about Blaine. He'd momentarily considered forgoing his alone time to try to hang with Blaine, but he'd quickly realised there wasn't really any point. Blaine had barely said a word to him and Kurt had to accept that wasn't about to change anytime soon. In fact, Blaine had barely spoken at all, especially outside the confines of the tent. And just from the way he carried himself, Kurt could practically see the nerves and fear rolling off him. Sure, it might seem that Blaine could be his perfect guy, but at the rate things were going, Kurt would never be allowed to get close to him.

With that, Kurt tuned his thoughts out, letting himself get engrossed in the details of the magazine. As a result, he didn't see the person approaching until they came to a stop before him. He looked up to see Trent, a curious smile on his face. 'Are you reading Vogue?' He asked.

Kurt nodded enthusiastically. 'Do you read them?'

'No I don't,' Trent replied. 'But my boyfriend's always trying to convince me I should. He's practically obsessed with them.'

Kurt could identify with that. 'Why hasn't he made you read them together then?' He was pretty sure that's what he would do.

Trent looked almost ashamed. 'I haven't – , I've never actually met my boyfriend.' Kurt raised his eyebrow, confused. How could that make sense? 'I met him online,' Trent explained. 'We live in the same town, but he boards in another state. We're gonna met up in the summer though.'

Kurt couldn't help but feel concerned. 'Doesn't that seem a bit, suspicious, to you?' he asked. 'How do you know he's even real?'

'Oh,' Trent replied, 'we have plenty of mutual friends. No, it's all completely legit.' Kurt, reassured by this, returned his attention to the magazine, beginning to explain it to Trent. After about five minutes, Trent decided he really wasn't interested, and decided to leave Kurt in peace. Kurt felt himself getting immersed once again.

Nearly an hour later, Kurt was aware of someone sitting in the seat next to him. Curious as to who was interrupting him now, he glanced across to see Blaine. Blaine smiled a quick hello before turning his attention elsewhere. Wondering how long it would be until Blaine's attention returned to him, Kurt resumed his reading.

He only had to wait a couple of minutes, before Blaine burst out with, 'How do you cope with public school?'

Kurt looked up, confused. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, aren't the New Directions you're friends?' Kurt nodded in agreement, still confused. 'And yet they're being so mean to you. How do you cope with a whole school picking on you for being gay?'

Kurt thought for a moment before answering. 'New Directions aren't as bad as they seem. The things the guys said, really that's just them being ignorant. And while Santana can be mean, underneath it all she does actually care.'

Blaine didn't seem overly convinced by this. 'But what about the rest of the school?' he asked. 'In my experience, public school and being gay don't go well together.'

Once again, Kurt found himself wondering what had happened at Blaine's old school. But at the same time, he felt his hopes rising. Maybe Blaine was gay after all. 'It is rough,' he admitted. 'But it's not too bad. We get picked on for being in glee club too, so at least the others have to go through some of it as well.'

'You're so brave,' Blaine replied, conviction in his voice. 'I wish I was that brave. I wish I didn't have to run.'

'Blaine,' Kurt began hesitantly, an arm darting out to touch his forearm. 'Did something happen at your old school?'

Blaine didn't reply, just stared down at Kurt's hand. Eventually he nodded, and when he spoke, Kurt could tell he was trying not to cry. 'When I came out at my old school, they teased me mercilessly. All year they bullied me, and it was awful. And then at the dance, they beat me up, and I was in hospital for a week. I had – I had to get out of there.'

Kurt wasn't sure what to do. He just wanted to hold the boy, to rock him until everything went away. But instead, he settled for letting his thumb run back and forth along Blaine's forearm reassuringly. After a while, Blaine looked up, smiling through watery eyes. 'I should go. I need to – ' Blaine gestured vaguely at his face.

Kurt didn't want Blaine to go, didn't want him to feel that he had to hide from him. But Blaine was a very private person. Kurt knew that it was a lot for him to share this much. So now he just really needed his space. 'Will you be alright?' he asked, with a final squeeze of Blaine's arm. He nodded in response. 'Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to I'm here, alright?'

When Blaine left, Kurt tried to continue with his Vogue, but he couldn't focus. Suddenly, he needed to be surrounded by people again, needed to hear their laughter, needed to be distracted from the sorrow that he felt for Blaine. He returned to the campsite where he found most of the group sitting around in a circle, talking and laughing. He pulled up a chair and quickly got lost in the conversation.

Quite some time later, Blaine arrived, taking an empty spot next to Kurt, ignoring Wes who sat further around. He smiled in greeting, and Kurt could read so many emotions across his face. Gratitude for being there before, reassurance that he was ok, and – Kurt hoped he wasn't being too optimistic – something that hinted at friendship. Kurt felt himself beam back, pleased Blaine wasn't feeling awkward. He tried to think up something to say, not wanting to make mention of what had happened earlier. But Blaine bet him to it, pointing across the circle and asking, 'Aren't David and Mercedes, like, the cutest couple ever?'

Kurt wanted to answer him, to keep the conversation going, but as he looked across at the couple he got distracted. They were snuggled together, and they looked so happy. Kurt found himself wishing that he could have a relationship like that.

As afternoon turned into evening, and everyone continued to chat, Kurt and Blaine would find themselves sharing little snippets of conversation. While it wasn't the endless conversation that he would hope for, Kurt was thankful for these moments. He was pleased that he was one of the few people Blaine talked to, pleased that they might actually be considered friends.