Author's Note: This is unrelated to this fic, but I posted a new Kurt/Finn (platonic, their canon step-brothers relationship) video to my YouTube channel, if you want to check it out. I was in the mood. Lots of Kurt mourning Finn in episode 5x03 and pretty much all (or at least most) of their significant moments in seasons 1-4 too. /watch?v=pX4nywz2f-k

The attention I'm receiving for this fic is amazing. I really hope you all continue to enjoy it as I keep writing it.

Chapter 3: "Confessions"

Dave drove over to Santana's house after school the next day, completely unsure of what he was going to say to her. She had demanded specifics on what he'd done to send Kurt all the way to that preppy school for prissy boys. He had stupidly agreed to tell her the truth in private. So now he had to tell her something.

He figured he had one of three options. The first was that he could make up a lie, and convince her it was the truth. The problem was, he was having trouble thinking of any lies that would be worth saying. He didn't want to claim to have hurt Kurt physically in a way he hadn't before. That wasn't the kind of macho he wanted to be in Santana's eyes. Besides, she'd probably cause him real physical pain in retribution. So feeling unable to come up with a satisfactory lie, that led Dave to option number two: Tell Santana about the kiss. She already thought he was gay. It wouldn't be that big of a deal to admit it to her. Would it? But he was terrified of letting anyone know what he'd done. It was the most regrettable decision of his life. Embarrassing as hell. He'd barely admitted to himself that he'd done it. Which left him with his third and final option: telling Santana he'd threatened to kill Kurt. He hadn't even realized how seriously Kurt had taken it until they were there in the principal's office with their dads. He had wanted to scare him from letting out the truth about the kiss, of course, but… he would never have actually come close to killing the kid. He could tell Santana only about the threat and not why he'd given it, and explain to Santana that it was just a figure of speech. His darkest secret would still be hidden.

So yeah, as he pulled into the parking space in front of the apartment building where Santana lived, he settled on option number three. He'd have to admit to the death threat. He braced himself for whatever outrage Santana spewed on him and headed into the lobby of the building.

Santana didn't force him to confess to his sin right away. She instead had ushered him into the apartment, they'd whizzed past a Latina woman he'd assumed was her mother, and had ended up in her bedroom, door closed behind them. There, he immediately was presented with some fabric patterns and various materials including scissors and embroidery kits laid out on her bedspread.

"We have some work to do," she announced as she pushed him toward her small desk. "I'll take care of these uniforms, since I figure you don't know how to sew.

Karofsky raised one of his eyebrows, then shook his head vigorously. He certainly did not sew, nor would he ever.

"Right," Santana replied, not surprised. "So you should read over the speeches I've come up with on that laptop of mine. And tell me if you don't feel like any parts of them are good enough. I want both to be perfect."

"Uh… okay," Karofsky slowly replied. He started to step toward the computer.

"I'll get started on all of this," she added, gesturing over everything on her bed.

They worked for the better part of two hours on all of it. As Karofsky read through the speech he'd give to Principal Figgins, he was surprised by mentions of kids committing suicide.

"A little harmless bullying causes kids to feel that bad about themselves?" he asked.

"Harmless my ass," she replied snidely.

"But surely they are already depressed or something. How do they know it was the bullying's fault?"

"They know, okay? Just accept that you're one of those jackasses who makes kids feel this worthless and get yourself prepared to admit to it. My plan won't work unless you do."

Karofsky sighed. This was gonna be harder than he thought.

He finished reading through the whole speech, and then assured Santana that it was fine.

When he read through the one he'd give the Glee kids, he was a little more hesitant to agree so easily. But ultimately he had to accept that he was gonna come to them and act like a completely tamed puppy, and however embarrassing it'd be, maybe it'd be nice too for them to not hate him so much. While he'd always wanted a strong, macho reputation, he'd never really wanted people to despise him the way the Glee club did these past few months.

Santana then forced him to memorize every single line of both speeches, and it was what seemed like an excessive amount of effort to Dave, but Santana had a lot of embroidery to do anyway. She somehow knew whenever he messed up even one word just slightly, so she would berate him into getting it right. By the end of all their efforts, Dave was exhausted. He had never done this much homework for something he wouldn't even be graded on. This was also, he realized, probably the least relaxing Friday afternoon he could remember.

Ready to finally head home, looking forward to his mom's delicious cooking and a break from the Santana madness, he gathered up his wallet and car keys.

"So I probably should get going," he began.

"Hold it, Mister," Santana abruptly halted him.

He stopped in his tracks.

"So you said you were gonna finally explain what drove Kurt away from our school. You better fess up before you leave here today."

Dave looked down at his feet. He'd been hoping she'd forgotten about that little deal they'd made.

"Uh…"

"Just tell me," she prodded.

"I kissed Kurt," he blurted out. He hadn't been prepared to let that secret out. He'd been planning to let out the other half of it. Not that half. But after all that talk about bullies making kids want to kill themselves, talking about him threatening Kurt in that way just felt like an unacceptable thing to admit. And without even really thinking it through, he had let out this truth instead.

Santana's eyes went wide. "You…?"

Dave nodded. There was no going back now. He… he did it, and he was admitting it.

"Wow," she replied, still in awe. "So wait." Some thoughts were catching up to her. "How exactly did circumstances lead up to that event?"

Dave shuffled nervously, hesitating.

"Well, um… Kurt was standing up to me. He was all…" he trailed off, unsure of how to best explain it.

"Please go on," Santana insisted, her voice laced with superiority and impatience.

"We were alone in the locker room. Kurt had followed me in there. I just… I needed to shut him up. He was insulting me and he had no idea and I just needed him to-" Dave cut himself off. He wasn't forming full sentences, but he was still saying more out loud than he'd ever really even admitted to himself.

Santana squinted at him.

"So you 'shut him up' with a kiss?" she asked skeptically.

Dave looked at her, not denying it.

"And then what?"

"He…" Dave considered, the memory playing back in his head all too vividly. "He kinda pushed me away," he explained, not wanting to admit that he'd gone in for a second kiss before that had happened. "And then I basically freaked out and ran away."

At that, Santana's lips curled into a smile. "Now that I know you a little better," she commented, "that does kinda sound like you." Her smile quickly faded, though. "So you gave Kurt an unwanted kiss. That… might explain him wanting to leave. But I don't quite buy it. He seemed utterly terrified of staying at the school. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing! That was it, I swear," Dave lied.

"I don't believe you," Santana replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dave sighed. "Okay, well… I may have… maybe… um… threatened him a little after that."

Santana waited silently for him to continue.

Dave couldn't believe he was admitting this, but he didn't see any way out of it.

"I told him I'd kill him if he told anyone."

Santana's eyes went wide again. "Oh."

"I didn't mean it!" he started to defend himself.

"I understand now why he felt like he had to leave," Santana said, more to herself than to Dave.

"I really didn't think he'd-"

Santana cut him off. "No, you didn't think! And you?" Santana walked over to her bed, sitting down on the comforter and letting out a deep breath. "I can't imagine how scared Kurt was. You know, you could've killed him, if you wanted to."

"I feel really bad about it. I never would've wanted to actually kill him. Even if he had told people." Dave desperately needed Santana to believe him.

"I believe you. I do," Santana responded. "But what you did… is kind of unforgivable. I just hope Kurt is willing to come back to the school, despite your idiocy."

I hope so too, Dave thought to himself.