Over time, Kurt and Tina made more friends, and they found themselves drifting apart. But hey, that happens right? It's not like they weren't still friends, they just weren't best friends. Kurt had begun talking to a girl named Mercedes and Tina, well Tina was trying to fit in with the in-crowd. She never thought that she would want that, but who really wants to be hated all throughout school? So Tina sat at the popular girls table, listening but hardly ever contributing to their conversations. Most of the girls' didn't mind her being there, so they let her stay. The reward? A free pass. People didn't pick on her anymore, didn't call her names. But once again, she was lonely. She missed having actual friends who cared about her. She missed Kurt.

They couldn't be on more opposite sides of the popularity spectrum now. Tina wasn't popular, not quite, but she definitely wasn't the bottom of the barrel either. Kurt however couldn't fall much lower. As middle school began, the bullying increased, and it wasn't odd to see him or Mercedes falling to the ground or being pushed into lockers. Tina felt bad about standing by, but really, what could she do? Even now that she wasn't quite a loser, she still wasn't a confident person who could defend herself, much less other people. So she sat back and watched, feeling a guilty rush of relief that they weren't her anymore. What hurt the most though was when Kurt would come up to talk to her at school and her new friends would come to join her. The sad look that he gave her almost made her want to run after him, to tell him that she was sorry for ever deserting him. But she didn't run after him, she couldn't even defend him when her friends talked about his clothes or his voice after he left.

"Hey Tina, come here for a second." A boy from her homeroom called out to her, beckoning to a deserted hallway. She followed blindly, not even thinking about what he could want. "Yes?" She asked quietly.

"I didn't need to ask you a question baby; I just wanted to see how you were doing." He said, stepping closer to her. She backed up, feeling uncomfortable with the situation. She remembered him more clearly as he advanced on her. Some of the girls had been talking about how he flirted with her so outrageously. Was he flirting now? Tina didn't have a lot of experience in that area.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. But I really need to get to class." She said, trying to leave but the boy put his arm out in front of her. She looked in his eyes, and she really didn't like what she saw. She felt trapped, her back pressed against the wall and a hand beside her face, preventing her from escaping.

"Why would you want to go to class, we were just having such an interesting conversation. Better yet, if you want to learn, I could teach you something." Ok, now she was really scared. And it wasn't just a bad feeling anymore. A shiver ran down her spine as he moved in closer.

"Don't." She said quietly, unsure of what he would do. Did he want to kiss her? Something else? He wouldn't stop coming closer to her, so she put out a hand to stop him. He just ran his free hand down her arm and pulled her to him, his hands going to her butt. She yelped, unable to make any other sound. Her heart was racing so fast that she was sure he could hear it. She had an overwhelming need for someone, anyone, to come down that hallway and see her. To help her. She saw one of her so-called-friends pass by, but she didn't even spare her a passing glance. Oh God, they were going to leave her here, they were going to let him...

"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Someone yelled, pushing the boy away from her. Tina backed up immediately, trying to get as far away from him as possible. She looked up to see someone standing in front of her protectively. She would know that nice blue jacket anywhere. Kurt.

"Dude, chill out, I was just having a...oh not a dude. What is your problem queer?" The boy asked with a sneer. Mercedes decided to make her appearance then, standing beside Kurt with her arms crossed over her chest. Tina felt a rush of warmth go through her. They were both standing in front of her, making sure she didn't get hurt. Protecting her.

"The only problem here is you. Didn't your momma ever teach you if you to keep your hands to yourself? If she didn't, you better learn fast. Keep your hands away from our friend."

"Your friend!" The boy said, laughing in Mercedes' face. "I've never seen her hanging around you losers. Tina is one of the cool girls, and I'm one of the cool guys. I don't expect you to know, seeing as no one else will be your friend and you two would never get together, but this is how it is. It's the natural order of things." Tina began to feel a little sick. This boy, even though he was horrible, was right. She had never been friends with Mercedes and she had flat out ignored Kurt ever since sixth grade had started. They had no reason to help her, yet they had rushed to her aid when her friends had walked right by and left her.

"There is nothing natural about you forcing yourself on an unwilling girl. She told you to leave her alone, so that's what you're going to do." Kurt said darkly, glaring at the boy. Tina cringed when he reached out and shoved Kurt into the wall next to her.

"Make me then. Fight me." He said, advancing on Kurt now. Tina took a sharp breathe, sure that he was about to be hit.

"That is it! I'm about to rock your world punk!" Mercedes yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders, pulling him away from Kurt and into the wall opposite them. He tried to hit her, but he didn't even notice Kurt coming at him. Next thing any of them knew, the boy was on the ground, his hand on his reddening cheek. Tina gapped with surprise, seeing that Kurt's fists were pressed against his sides.

"You really should learn some manners." Kurt said harshly, sounding frightening to say the least.

"Now run along, and be sure to tell everyone who gave you that black eye." Mercedes added, the smirk she wore evident in her voice. The boy quickly scrambled to his feet, trying to gather what dignity he had left up as he left.

"Tina, are you ok?" "Hey, it's going to be alright." "Don't worry, he's gone now." The two of them cooed over her as they bent down to hug her tightly from the floor. Tina tried to nod, hardly aware that she was crying softly. Kurt whipped her tears away as Mercedes rocked her slowly back and forth.

"It's ok sweetie, we'll…" Mercedes began to say, but was cut off by the bell signaling the end of third period. All three of them froze, knowing this was a turning point. Mercedes sat back, putting a hand on Kurt's arm. She knew that he and Tina had been really good friends, and it had hurt him when she had ignored him in middle school. She couldn't see the girl giving up her popularity to be around losers, no matter how fabulous they may be. She was ok with that; she just didn't want to see her friend hurt again.

"I…I guess we better…go then." Kurt said, smiling hesitantly. He didn't want to leave Tina, especially as upset as she was. He wanted to walk her to class, at least to make sure she was safe. More than anything though, he just wanted her to be his friend again.

"Wait! Um…do you mind…oh I suck at words! Thank you, I really didn't deserve any of that. It's obvious who my real friends are and I'd…I'd really like it if you would let me be your friend again. Both of you." Tina said, blushing furiously as she babbled her heart out. Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a glance that Tina was sure said more than an hour long phone call. Then they turned back to her and smiled collectively.

"I would like that. I would like that a lot."

"Welcome to the Geek Squad white girl!"

A/N Sorry for the wait! Next chapter will consist of some Tina and Mercedes goodness, to establish the relationship I have oh so tediously laid out for them *sarcasm*. Haha but thank you guys for reading, and please review! It honestly makes my day