Well here's chapter 4. I have nothing to say except please don't hate me.

And the worst part is

Reed was running, his feet pounding on the floor and echoing, the only sound in the otherwise deadly silent halls. That changed when Blaine threw the door open, looking around before he spotted Reed running into one of the bathrooms.

"Reed! Wait!" he set off, sprinting after him. He crashed into the bathroom door, nearly stumbling in due to his haste.

"Reed!" he stopped, freezing when he saw him, sitting by the sinks, holding onto his knees that were drawn up to his chest and shaking. He couldn't see his face but judging by the way his body was trembling he was almost certain he was crying.

"Reed," he spoke softly now, walking into the room slowly. "Are you okay?"

It shocked him when Reed answered, his voice high pitched and strained. "No! I'm not okay!"

He was nearly shouting and Blaine couldn't move. He couldn't think of anything to say, or do. But when Reed started gasping, sobs making it difficult to breathe, he stepped forward, moving to sit beside him, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulders. He wasn't required to speak though as Reed was soon whispering.

"God," he shifted so that he wasn't putting all the weight on his backside. "Why does it have to hurt so bad? Why does it still hurt so bad?" He squirmed for another minute before giving up. "I can't even sit down…"

Blaine suddenly realized what he was talking about. He jumped up slightly, moving to sit in front of Reed, hovering so he could stare into his eyes.

"Reed." His voice was more pressed than Reed had ever heard it and he was suddenly afraid of what Blaine was going to say. "You. Need. A. Doctor." He said each word slowly like he was trying to make Reed see the importance of every one.

He shook his head, closing his eyes to stop the falling of even more tears. "No. I can't go to a doctor, don't you get it?" His eyes opened then and Blaine leaned back, shocked by the fire that was present in his gaze. "A doctor will know what happened, they'll make me tell."

Blaine knew that was probably true, but still. "Not necessarily." The glare Reed was giving him startled him more than anything causing him to stammer on his next words. "I mean they might not. I don't think they can tell without permission." At least that's what he hoped.

Reed shook his head again. "I'm a minor. They'd have to." He inhaled, his breathing still somewhat shaky.

Blaine swallowed, mentally preparing for the aftermath of his next words. "So? Even if they do tell don't you think it'd be better to know you're healthy and okay than to just be hoping you are?" Reed's eyes were made of stone again and Blaine regretted asking. "Well." He tried to think of another way to figure this out. "Can't you just tell me what's wrong? You haven't, not really. And maybe I could help."

Reed's eyes were beginning to soften and he was soon looking at the ground, a blush tinting his cheeks. His eyes were swimming when he answered. "I don't want to tell you."

Embarrassment was apparent in his voice and Blaine shifted uncomfortably. "Why not?"

"Because!" Reed answered, looking frantic and scared. "You already know everything. And that's humiliating."

Blaine leaned forward trying to look into Reed's downcast eyes. "You don't have to feel embarrassed about anything. It's not your fault."

He could see Reed's bottom lip quivering and knew the breakdown was coming before it did. Reed's breaths were becoming battered again, and he tried his best to talk passed the sobs. "Yes it is." His voice sounded so agonizing it made Blaine's heart hurt. He continued speaking before Blaine had the chance to interrupt. "I was too weak. I let it happen because I was too weak to fight him off."

He broke down crying again and Blaine had to grit his teeth. "Listen to me Reed. It is not your fault. You were not too weak. It could happen to anyone. Anyone. No matter how strong they are." Reed said nothing, only continued to cry, hiding his face behind his closed fists. "And you don't have to feel embarrassed for telling me anything. I want to know. You shouldn't feel embarrassed."

He waited while Reed tried to calm some of his shaking. He finally attempted to speak, a couple of sobs interrupting his words. "I-it just hurts. So much."

"What hurts?" Blaine asked, although he had a vague idea.

Reed sniffed before answering. "Everything! And I don't just mean emotionally. My stomach hurts." Blaine remembered the reddening skin above his belly button that was beginning to bruise. "My side hurts." How could he forget the gash on his hip that he needed to bandage? "My face hurts." He could make out the purple spot on his cheek that looked slightly swollen. "My back hurts." The image of about ten red welts that stood out of Reed's skin drastically would forever be engraved in Blaine's mind. "My legs hurt." Blaine had to stop there. What was wrong with Reed's legs? He was about to ask when Reed continued talking. "My… my…" He stopped, breaking down into another fit of sobs. Blaine didn't need him to say it. He knew where he was going with that statement. It made all the rage he felt for the incident flow back. He had so far been successful at keeping all the fury bottled in. After all, Reed needed him and he had to make sure he didn't lose his temper around him and act on all the anger he felt. But his wall started to crumble when Reed began whispering again, mumbling something Blaine couldn't make out. But he was sure he heard the word 'blood.'

"Wait," he started, causing Reed to look up at him through wet eyelashes. "Did you just say there was blood?"

This time Reed didn't answer, looking back down and shifting his weight. That told Blaine everything he needed to know. His jaw tensed as he reached out, grabbing Reed's arm and pulling him up.

"That's it." His voice was hard, eyes narrowed in determination. "I'm taking you to a doctor." He was very aware of every ounce of panic that sifted off Reed in waves. He knew he was probably going to start crying again, but this was serious. If Reed was bleeding because of this…

"No!" Reed cried, trying to pull his hand away from the boy who now had successfully hauled him to his feet.

"Yes! What if you're seriously hurt? What if you need stitches or something?" Blaine held onto to Reed's squirming arm, trying to pull him forward.

"No! I don't! It's not that bad!" He tried to vainly pull his wrist back, planting his feet to the ground, ready to fight his way out of Blaine's grasp. "I'm not going to the doctor, I'm not! I'd rather die than have someone look at me there!"

That caused Blaine to loosen his grip. He knew how Reed must feel, but this was important. "I know it's embarrassing but you might actually be hurt. We have to get help."

Reed had finally managed to wiggle his wrist free, jerking his hand back and standing his ground.

"I said no!"

Blaine stopped breathing, the anger leaving his system and only replaced by guilt. He knew Reed said no. He probably said no a lot of times. And that thought made his guilt surge. He knew not to try to force Reed to do anything, and this was why.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, breaking the heavy silence. "I shouldn't have done that. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Reed relaxed a little but not fully. His voice was shaking when he started speaking. "I don't want to go. They'd tell and no one can know."

"But why? Why can't they know?"

"Because they just can't!" His eyes shifted back to the ground and Blaine could tell he was beginning to cry again.

"Reed," he sighed, looking at his shoes. "No one is going to hate you because you were raped. Especially Shane."

He could see the way Reed visibly flinched at the word, staring at the ground and refusing to meet Blaine's eyes.

He chose to drop the subject. He didn't want to see Reed cry again. But he desperately wanted Reed to understand that nobody, specifically Shane, would ever think less of him because of this, and no one would blame him.

Reed's head was a mess of emotion. He was mortified he had screamed out during class, drawing so much negative attention to himself; humiliated he just had this conversation with Blaine; scared Blaine would bring up the doctor again; and terrified that he was wrong about what he just said. He knew would happen if they found out. They would hate him. Especially Shane.

He could never find out.

He was probably already suspicious as it was.

And Shane was suspicious. But for reasons that were far off the mark of truth. He spent the rest of the class sitting there, trying to fight back tears and come up with any sort of other explanation. It had to be something else, anything else. Reed could not be cheating on him, and certainly not with Blaine. They would never do that to him …would they? He shook the thoughts away. Of course not. There had to be something else, something he was missing.

The bell rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. He scurried out his seat, running out the door and down the hall. He had to find Reed and find out what that was all about. He couldn't be cheating, he just couldn't.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he found the boy in question, clutching onto Blaine's hand as they both exited a nearby bathroom.

Saying nothing, he abruptly turned around, stalking down the opposite end of the corridor, trying to keep his emotions under control. He felt like the world had just stopped turning.

Neither Blaine nor Reed was even aware he had been there as they turned to go back and collect their things from Study Hall. They both stayed silent, Reed refusing to discuss anything that had previously been mentioned, Blaine too embarrassed to.

As soon as they entered the deserted classroom they could immediately see they weren't alone. Blaine let Reed's hand fall limp as soon as he saw Kurt, standing at his desk and smiling.

"Hey," he greeted appearing completely at ease. "I figured you'd be back so I stayed to watch over your stuff." He gestured to the books on both of their desks and Blaine's blazer still lying in the smaller boy's seat.

Blaine had to swallow before he could reply. "Oh. Um thanks." Even he could tell his attempt to smile was pathetic.

But Kurt appeared oblivious as he remained carefree… too carefree…

Reed walked forward and, without another word to either of them, scooped his things up and left, handing Blaine his blazer as he passed by, leaving the two boys alone in the room.

After watching him go, Blaine turned back to face Kurt and instantly froze. The cheerful smile that had been on his face had completely vanished leaving his eyes looking hard as stone as they stared Blaine down. Blaine was unable to move or say anything as Kurt stepped forward, walking up to stand directly in front of him. The height difference between them was suddenly obvious as it seemed Kurt was peering down at him, making him feel a thousand times smaller.

"After class," he started, eyes narrowing as he continued to speak in a voice that matched his eyes. "We need to talk."

Blaine wasn't given the opportunity to respond, not that he had anything to say. Kurt turned, exiting the room and leaving Blaine standing there, visibly shivering with panic.

Kurt had spent the rest of Study Hall in deep thought too, just like Shane. His thoughts were turning to a place much darker though. He sat there, going over every piece of evidence he had gathered, trying to come up with every possible explanation. He really hoped it wasn't what he was thinking… He didn't know what he'd do if someone had hurt Reed. But he didn't know for sure. He had to talk to Blaine first, and this time he was going to get the truth out of him. He had to make sure he wasn't just imagining all this. And he was almost one hundred percent certain that Blaine was in on the secret. He had to be.

So as Kurt sauntered off to his last class of the day, it was with thoughts that revolved around Reed and how much he hoped he wrong.

As Shane trudged down the halls and out the main building doors, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started dialing with shaking hands. He decided to just fuck his last class, he couldn't focus anyways and he needed to do something to convince him he was wrong. He lifted the phone to his ear after punching in the correct number and waited with baited breath, leaning up against the side of the building.

"Hello?"

Once he heard the greeting he could hold it in no longer. His voice shook as he finally let the annoying tears fall, swiping them away angrily the second they did.

"Shane?" the voice sounded alarmed now. "What's wrong?"

"He's cheating on me!" Shane practically cried, not caring how loud his voice was.

"What?"

"He's cheating on me!" Shane repeated sounding just as wounded. "He's cheating on me, I know he is!" He hid his tear streaked face behind his other hand as he waited for the response.

"Reed? Reed is cheating on you?" The voice was laced with disbelief.

"Yes Reed! And with Blaine too!"

A sigh was heard from the other end of the line followed by the familiar voice that now sounded tired. "Okay. What brought this delusion on?"

Shane almost screamed. "It's not a delusion, I'm fucking serious!"

Micah almost the dropped the book he was holding, startled by Shane's new tone. He laid the book down on his leg, careful not to drop it, and sat up a little straighter. "Okay." He began talking again, voice somewhat softer but trying to make Shane see sense. "Should I begin my three part speech about how this is the craziest theory you've ever had?"

Shane gasped, trying to get ahold of himself and keep it together. "Yeah. Go."

"Okay one. Probably most obvious is Blaine is your brother. We both know him, we both know who he is, and we both know he'd never do something like that to you. We both also know that he is crazy for Kurt and would never want to hurt him. Correct?"

Shane nodded but then realized Micah couldn't see him and managed a small "Yeah."

"Okay so two. This is Reed we're talking about," Micah said reasonably. "Didn't you say it took him months to even work up the courage to hold your hand, and it took even longer for him to kiss you? Can you honestly tell me that you think someone as timid as Reed would even look at another person the way he looks at you, much less kiss or hold them?"

Shane almost allowed himself to feel better over that. He knew he was Reed's first. His first crush, his first love, his first romantic embrace, his first kiss, and if Reed allowed it, he would be his first sexual experience too. But he had seen too much; there were too many things to be suspicious over for this thought to comfort him.

"And so three," Micah continued. "I haven't known Reed for very long but I know him well enough to know for a fact that not only is everything I just said true, but also that despite all his hesitance in the beginning, he's crazy about you. He loves you. And he would never do anything that would jeopardize losing you. Trust me, I can attest to that, judging by the way he yelled at me when he thought I was going to take you away from him."

That was a surprise. Shane blinked. He had no idea that even happened. "He did?"

Micah almost laughed. "Yeah. He shouted at me, talking about how he wasn't going to let me take you away now that he finally had you." He paused to let the words sink into Shane's stunned mind. "So I know he would never give you up, purposely or otherwise. He wouldn't cheat, and certainly not with your brother. Do you really think that sounds like something Reed would do?"

Shane let out a breath, nearly sighing. "No. I guess not." He was glad that Micah was smart, and that he also almost always seemed to know exactly what Shane needed to hear. "Thanks."

Micah smiled, picking his book back up. "Don't mention it. Now I don't know what made you think this, but I suggest you get out there and figure out what's really wrong. Find out the truth and stop stressing yourself out over this because I can pretty much guarantee that it's not what you're thinking."

He nodded again, not caring that Micah couldn't see him. "Okay. Okay yeah. I'll try."

"Tell me what it really was when you find out. I'd like to know what it was that made you think Reed would actually cheat on you."

The corner of Shane's mouth turned up. "Alright. Thanks Micah."

"No problem." Even as he hung up, Micah let the curiosity eat at him. He knew there was no way Reed would ever be unfaithful, but he couldn't help that part of him that wondered if it was true, or at the very least what was going on. He still loved Shane. But he let go and gave him up because he knew Shane was in love with someone else who loved him back just as much. He didn't think Reed would ever hurt him, but he had no idea what he'd do if he did.

Shane continued to lean against the wall and just breathe. He didn't plan on going back to class. He would just sit out here and think, think about all the things that made him suspect Reed was cheating in the first place. He needed there to be another explanation. There had to be. After realizing everything Micah had said was true, he also realized how badly he needed his theory to be wrong. He couldn't lose Reed. He couldn't.

Reed's body was trembling but he couldn't stop it. Flashbacks were vastly becoming his least favorite thing in the world. Reliving what happened was just as bad as experiencing it the first time, even if it was just in bits and pieces that only lasted a couple of seconds. He didn't want to think about it for even one, much less relive it. But that was what had just happened as he stared up at the threatening building. Art was his last class of the day, and while it used to make him happy now it made him cower in terror. This was where it happened. Just seeing the Art Hall brought on a flashback, what if he actually went in? He knew it was foolish to think that walking into the building would automatically make it happen again, but he couldn't help but feel that way. And if it didn't happen, just thinking about being in the room alone made him want to run. He couldn't go back in that building, he couldn't, he wouldn't!

"Reed?" A deep voice brought him out of his thoughts, making him scream before he whipped his head around to see who had spoken. He froze instantly. Oh god. What did he want?

"Reed?" he repeated. "Are you alright? Why are standing out here alone? Shouldn't you be in class?" Logan shifted his bag, narrowing his eyes a little in curiosity.

Reed swallowed. He forgot that he had Art with Logan. Logan was actually the only person he knew very well in the class, but even though he knew him, they'd still never had a proper conversation.

"Oh. Um." He stumbled over his words. He didn't have an excuse prepared for why he wouldn't be in the class, and he knew he wouldn't be, so he decided to lie. "I- I'm going. I just… forgot something in my last class. So I'll be late." He tried to smile but Logan only raised an eyebrow at his expression and he could immediately tell Logan knew it was fake.

"Alright," Logan said slowly, brow still quirked. He watched as Reed scurried off, limping at he did. He chose not to comment on the fact that Reed was walking in the direction of Windsor instead of the building his class would have been in, blatantly announcing that he was lying. He stood there for a moment. He himself was late to the class and when he arrived in front of the Art Hall, he stopped when he saw Reed, who appeared to be staring at the building without really seeing it. It was startling to watch him gasp for breath when he finally came to, panting as he stood there shaking. Logan had watched him for a couple seconds before finally interrupting his train of thought by calling his name. Watching Reed scream because of that was a little weird too, as was the conversation that followed. He had no idea what was going on, and he didn't know Windsor's Dormouse very well, but he did know that he sure was acting peculiar.

Logan shook the thoughts away. It wasn't like he was exactly best friends with the guy. What did he know anyways? Well, he did know that Reed was easily the most artistic in the class, maybe even the whole school, so him wanting to skip his favorite class would only add to the abnormality.

He shrugged. So Reed was acting strange? How did that concern him?

Shane was sitting on the ground, still leaning against the brick of the building, staring blankly at the trees in front of him. He had been sitting here for nearly an hour, lost in thoughts of trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He knew Micah was right, everything he said made sense. But that meant that there was something else going on. But what? He had no idea. All he knew was Blaine and Reed were becoming attached and Reed was acting unusually moody, not to mention what happened in the classroom. If Shane had even considered that he was imagining it all, what happened in Study Hall erased that thought completely. Something was definitely going on. And he needed to find out what.

He glanced down at the phone in his hand, noticing there was only five minutes until class was over for the day. He stretched, standing up and pocketing his phone, walking towards the direction of the Art Hall. He figured that if he wanted to find out some truth, he'd need to get Reed alone when Blaine wasn't around to answer for him, which he'd noticed had been happening.

His thoughts immediately trailed back to his previous theory. If they were messing around with each then of course Blaine would want to do all talking. Everyone knew Reed wasn't exactly the best liar, so it would make sense that Blaine would be the one to lie for him, to make sure they weren't caught.

No! Stop thinking about that! Reed is not cheating on you. So stop dwelling on that and focus on finding out what's really wrong.

He stopped walking as soon as he arrived in front of the large, glass building, shoving his hands into his pockets and standing casually, waiting for the mass of people that would come running out the second they were dismissed.

As soon as this happened, he stepped back, eyes scanning the group of boys for any sign of strawberry curls.

His eyebrows pulled together and he bit his lip. Reed wasn't here. He was about to run to check Windsor when he spotted the only person he could immediately recognize in the group, exiting the building last as mostly everyone else was gone by now.

"Logan!"

Logan blinked up, a small amount of surprise flashing in his eyes when he saw Shane standing there, watching him with his arms crossed.

"What do you want?"

Shane huffed. "I'm not here to pester you. I just have a question." Logan raised his eyebrows, looking impatient. "You have Art with Reed right?" At Logan's nod, he continued. "Where is he?"

Logan shrugged loosely. "I don't know. I saw him outside before class started but he said he forgot something in his last class so he'd be late. He never showed up."

Worry started to work its way back into Shane's confused mind. He never showed up? Where'd he go then? Was he okay?

"Thanks." He was running back to Windsor before Logan could even reply.

Blaine threw the doors open, rushing into the common room, eyes searching over the room. He stopped as soon as he saw Reed, curled up on the couch and laying on his side, staring on with no emotion in his eyes.

"Reed." Blaine spoke softly even though they were the only two in the room. "I got your message. What's wrong?"

Blaine had left class a couple minutes early, making some excuse of feeling sick as soon as he got the text from Reed.

But Reed didn't answer, he didn't even look like he had heard the question.

Blaine stepped forward, walking to the couch slowly. He sat down, kneeling on the floor so he could look into Reed's vacant eyes.

"How come you didn't go to Art? Isn't that your favorite class?"

Reed's eyes squeezed shut. He didn't want to think about that class, that building. "I'm never going back," he whispered hoarsely, keeping his eyes closed.

Shock started swirling around Blaine's confused mind. "But why?"

He could see Reed wincing, trying to press his face into the cushion of the couch, like he was trying to hide. "I'm never going back in that building."

Blaine sank back, feeling more confused than ever. There was no way Reed would ever hate anything artistic, so why would he refuse to go to the class? Unless there was something forcing him away…

"Reed," Blaine spoke slowly as realization hit, "Is that where it happened? In the Art Hall?"

His face pressed harder into the cushion and Blaine wouldn't have been able to tell he was crying if his body didn't start shaking. His hands clutched onto the couch as his crying got louder, sobs now clearly audible. Blaine reached forward, rubbing his side gently, careful not to graze the wounds on his back.

This told Blaine that he was correct in his assumption. He wasn't sure how this made him feel. Horrified for one. How could that happen in a place that was virtually nirvana for Reed? It didn't seem possible. Or fair. But then again, what part of this was in any way fair?

"It's okay. You don't have to go back there." He knew exactly how hard it would be for that to happen, so if course he didn't expect it to.

Reed said nothing, only continued to cry into the cushion, hiding his tears. Blaine instantly leaned over, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders loosely, laying over him in some sort of half hug.

It was that exact moment that the doors banged open, announcing the arrival of the first person back from class. Blaine jumped up, staring at the person in the door way in surprise.

Shane stared back, just as stunned. As soon as he saw Blaine and Reed huddled together he stopped dead in his tracks, staring on with wide eyes.

They… they're together… hugging

Shane bit the inside of his lip, reminding himself of everything that Micah said earlier.

They can't be together, they can't. His thought faded away the second he realized Reed was peeking up at him, eyes watery and cheeks wet. So he was crying again? Why?

He rushed forward, all thoughts of the scene he had intruded on completely vanishing now that he was aware Reed was crying.

"Hey." He dropped to his knees, taking Blaine place on the floor beside him now that Blaine was standing up, collecting his things and slowly backing out of the room. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He knew there must be something. After all he had never seen Reed cry before, and now here he was, crying for the second time that day.

Reed provided no answer, hiding his face once more.

Shane glanced up to ask Blaine only to find he was gone. He pursed his lips, looking back at the crying boy on the couch.

"Reed," he spoke softly again, stroking Reed's curls. "Please look at me."

Thankfully he complied, peeking up through his hair, only eyes visible. Shane could see all the fear swimming in those brown eyes. It scared him significantly. And there was nothing he could do to take it away unless Reed told him what was wrong.

He sighed, looking down briefly before moving to grab onto Reed's hands, pulling him up so he could see into his eye level. Reed winced went he was forced to sit up, and Shane must have missed the pain that flashed in his eyes. If he saw it, he didn't comment.

"Look. I know something weird is going on. You just don't cry for nothing. And this is twice in one day."

If only it was twice in one day, Reed thought bitterly.

Shane bit onto his lip, pausing as he looked down. When he glanced back up Reed sank back a little, startled. There was so much hurt and desperation in Shane's expression it made Reed nearly drown in guilt. It was his fault. Everything was his fault.

"Reed. You know you can tell me anything right?"

Shane stopped speaking there but Reed could hear the "so please tell me what's wrong. I desperately need to know" without him even saying it. He gulped, avoiding Shane's eyes. This only made him feel worse. But there was nothing he could do about it. He knew he could tell Shane anything, but this, this was impossible. He allowed himself to picture it for a moment, the words practically bubbling in his throat. A part of him wanted to scream and shout, to yell out the truth so he could finally stop lying, finally feel some sort of relief.

I was raped, don't you get it! Someone hurt me in the worst possible way!

But he didn't. He couldn't. He would rather keep lying to him than tell him something that would make him react in rage.

Reed never spoke, so Shane continued. "You can tell me anything, anything. And I'll never be mad at you."

Reed's face scrunched up as the tears started to fall once more. He wanted to tell Shane that he was wrong. He wanted to tell him that there was something he could say that would make Shane furious; would make him hate him. But instead he bit his lip, finally glancing into Shane's worried eyes.

"I know," he whispered, and Shane could barely hear him.

"Then is there anything you want to talk about?"

Like if you're cheating on me with my brother, Shane involuntarily thought, quickly correcting himself with No! He isn't! Get off that theory!

Reed hastily shook his head. "No… no there isn't anything." He could tell Shane wasn't convinced, not at all. "I- I just haven't been feeling well is all."

Shane perked up. "Is that why you didn't go to Art today? Logan told me you never showed up. Is it because you're still sick?" Maybe the reason he was crying was because he was in pain. It seemed farfetched, but Shane was willing to consider it.

Little did he know that he was exactly right, just wrong about the cause.

"Yeah." Reed said, glancing back down so Shane couldn't see the dishonesty in his eyes. "I just felt too bad to go."

"Okay. Well come on." He stood up and extended a hand to the boy who hesitated a moment. "I'll take you up to your bed so you can lie down. Do you have Warbler practice today?" Reed swayed slightly once he was pulled to his feet, shaking his head. Even if he did, he suspected he wouldn't be going. "Well I have dance rehearsal though, so you'll be alone. Is that okay? I'll blow it off if you want me to stay with you."

"No!" Reed spoke too quickly. "I mean. No. You can go. I don't want to keep you from it." He also wanted to be alone. Keeping this from Shane was becoming increasingly difficult. He seemed to know too much.

And he did know too much. Enough to know that there was definitely something more to this than Reed simply feeling sick. But he chose to let it drop for now. Taking care of Reed was more important than interrogating him.

But he knew there was something more than he was being told. And he wasn't going to let it slide.

Maybe he'd get some answers out of Blaine.

Kurt sat in the uncomfortable library chair, intent to put this short time of privacy to good use. He was seated at a computer, no one else around, which he was grateful for. He needed to do this alone, so he could learn everything he could before someone caught on to what he was doing. He didn't want to draw any attention to this until he knew he was right.

As he made his way up the stairs to his room almost an hour later, his head was swimming with all the new information that he tried to cling on to. He wouldn't allow himself to forget a single thing he read. This was too important.

The first thing he saw when he stepped into his room was the very person he shared the room with, the person he'd been thinking of for the past hour. He was lying on his bed, curled around a pillow, crying.

"Reed!"

Reed jumped at the sound of his name. He was caught off guard when the next thing he knew, Kurt was sitting beside him, wrapping his arms around his frail body tightly. Reed didn't know where this spontaneous act of affection came from but he was somewhat thankful. It felt good to finally be able to cry like this in the presence of someone else, to be comforted instead of judged.

Neither of them said a word, Reed's face buried into the fabric of Kurt's shirt, Kurt just quietly rubbing his side. Reed's eyes were burning now worse than ever. He had cried entirely too much today and it was causing his eyes to sting harshly. There was also the fact that he only got maybe two hours of sleep last night. And after spending the whole day scared, hurt, and crying, all he wanted to do was fall into a world of unconsciousness.

Kurt could feel Reed's body go limp against his. A second later his breaths were deeper and the sobbing had ceased. He figured he'd let him sleep it off. He looked like he needed it. His hand absentmindedly started moving to his back and he could feel the way Reed flinched against him, unconsciously tensing up the second his hand scraped across the sores.

His eyebrow quirked as he let his hand trail down to the hem of Reed's shirt. He doubled checked that Reed was sleeping. After finding those bloody clothes in the garbage bin, he couldn't help but wonder what caused the irregular blood stains on the back of his shirt. His curiosity only spiked when Shane had mentioned Reed saying his back was sore. And now that he had an opportunity to find out, he wasn't going to let it slip away. His hand slowly dragged the cardigan and undershirt out of the way, exposing the pale skin of Reed's back. He wasn't quite prepared for what saw.

The red welts that lined Reed's back hadn't decreased in size. They were still swollen and scarlet, causing Reed throbbing pain anytime he moved his back.

Kurt's eyes widened and he struggled to sit up without waking the sleeping boy, pulling the shirt up higher. His eyes scanned over each mark, all of them wide and looking incredible painful. So this is why the blood on his shirt was only in places and spots. He had clearly been stuck by something hard enough to break his skin, and considering the fact it happened more than once it was most definitely done on purpose. There was no way Reed's clumsiness could have caused this. Someone else had obviously beaten him, and the fact that Kurt had caught him limping several times today only further affirmed it.

Kurt clenched his jaw and tried to keep his emotions under control. This was exactly what he was scared of.

Kurt closed the door quietly behind him, thankful he had made it off the bed without waking Reed who seemed like he needed the sleep.

He turned around only to find himself staring at the very person he needed to talk to most. Blaine was frozen, staring at his boyfriend completely blank. He was panicking. He had completely forgot about what Kurt had said to him at the end of Study Hall.

And as if on cue Kurt's eyes narrowed and he was advancing on his boyfriend intimidatingly.

"I have to talk to you," he stated simply, grabbing Blaine's arm and pulling him into the tenor's room. He was thankful Shane had dance practice and wasn't there to overhear them.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked but he could feel the thickness in his voice that was broadcasting the fact that he hiding something.

Kurt took a deep breath, preparing for what he was about to say. He still couldn't believe it himself, but the evidence was written all over Reed's back. "I think Reed is getting abused."

Blaine nearly fell backwards from shock. "What?" he gasped an octave higher than normal.

"You heard me." Kurt's eyes were hard. "I think Reed is getting abused by someone. I spent an hour in the library researching abuse victims and he fits the bill to a T. It makes perfect sense with everything that has been happening with him. Wouldn't you agree?"

He studied Blaine's reaction carefully. He could clearly see every ounce of panic that crossed Blaine face. He could also hear the nervous quiver in his voice when he answered, "No. Not at all."

"And why not!" Kurt nearly yelled. "It all fits! Everything single thing is perfectly aligned, don't you think? Unless you know something I don't know…" He trailed off, voice taking a dangerous tone.

Blaine swallowed, looking at his feet. He didn't know what to say. He knew Kurt could read him like a book but he also knew there was no way he could tell the truth.

Kurt sighed, looking down before stepping up to hover over Blaine threateningly. "Blaine. I love you. But if your brother is hurting my best friend and you're covering for him, well I'll have to do something about it."

Blaine almost fell over from shock for the second time. "What? No! No Kurt, it's not like that at all! Do you really think Shane would ever hurt Reed? Especially like that?"

There was no mistaking the honesty in Blaine's eyes and Kurt immediately sank back, somewhat struck by his words. He sighed again. "No. I don't. But it seemed to make sense since I'm now one hundred percent certain that Reeds being hurt by someone and that you seem to know something I don't." He glanced back up at Blaine, eyes narrowing.

Blaine took a single breath, steadying his voice. "No. I don't know any more than you. But I can pretty much guarantee that Shane would never hurt Reed. So we should probably figure out who did."

This seemed the best way to convince Kurt he didn't know anything but he was willing to help. Besides, if Kurt found out on his own without Blaine telling him then he wouldn't really be breaking his promise to Reed would he? He just wanted to do what was right, what was best for everyone. He just wished he knew what that was. This wasn't exactly a simple situation.

Kurt worried his lip, looking thoughtful. "I guess I just automatically jumped to domestic abuse." His eyes met Blaine's and Blaine was relieved to see that they were no longer analyzing him. "I don't know who else it could be. A friend? A teacher? An enemy? What do you think?"

Blaine shrugged. He wasn't sure what to think.

"I just… Are you sure he's being abused? It seems so improbable. Maybe you're imagining it."

Kurt's eyes were stone again as he stepped forward, looking frightening once more. He spoke through clenched teeth. "Why don't you go in there and look at all the damn welts on his back then tell me how much I'm imagining."

Blaine stood rigid, unable to think about anything else except the fact that Kurt now knew entirely too much.

He stepped through the door slowly. He was still too shocked to do anything. He couldn't believe Kurt knew about Reed's back. He was close to truth it was scary.

Blaine walked over to the sleeping form on the bed, gently pulling his shirt up the same way Kurt had. To him the welts looked worse, probably due to the fact they were the only injury Reed had that Blaine hadn't had the chance to fix.

After pulling his shirt back down, he shook him lightly. "Reed," he whispered. "Reed, wake up."

Reed jolted up, instantly awake. Thankfully he didn't scream or cry out, but the way his eyes were wide with panic, searching around the room suggested that he had been in the middle of nightmare.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked quietly, struggling to sit up and straighten out his clothes.

"Not too long. I just thought we'd take this opportunity to put some medicine on your back. It looks kind of bad." He added quickly.

"You've seen them?" Reed squeaked, pulling his shirt down further.

"Yeah. Just now, while you were sleeping." He chose to leave out the fact that Kurt now knew about them too. He didn't need Reed to freak out over that fact.

Reed's eyes drifted to comforter of his bed, eyebrows pulling together.

Blaine tried his best to manage some kind of half smile, failing. "Come on," he extended a hand. "It won't take long, I promise."

Reed stared at him a minute before finally taking the hand, wincing in pain when he had to stand up. Blaine kept their hands clasped together as he led Reed into the doorway beside his bed, shutting and locking it once they were through.

Reed immediately closed his eyes and turned away from the taller boy before he shrugged off his cardigan, unbuttoning the undershirt slowly after. He didn't really relish the idea of Blaine seeing half naked again, the first time was embarrassing enough.

Blaine didn't mind though, he knew this was really hard for him. So without saying a single word, he walked over to the cabinet, rolling up his sleeves and retrieving the medical kit, starting to dig through, looking for the items necessary. He noticed Reed was standing rigid, refusing to bend over or move, but Blaine chose not to comment on it. He was perfectly capable of doing this while Reed was standing, after all he didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time they attempted this.

The welts looked horrifying, as expected. He couldn't imagine Reed going through anything that would leave a mark like this, but then again he couldn't imagine Reed going through anything that had happened to him. It hurt too much to think about and made him boiling with rage. How anyone could do this to him was still far beyond him.

He wanted badly to ask what exactly caused these welts so that maybe he could get a mental image of what he was dealing with. He chose to bite his tongue. There was no way Reed would ever what to talk about it. But didn't talking about it make people feel better?

"Reed," he nearly whispered, trying to speak as softly as possible. "Can you tell me what caused these?"

Reed's body instantly tensed up and he stayed silent for such a long time that Blaine regretted asking. Maybe talking about it this soon wasn't the best idea.

It surprised him when Reed answered, voice even softer than Blaine's. "My belt."

Blaine blinked. Reed's own belt was used to whip him hard enough to cause wounds like this. It made Blaine want to kill the monster that did this even more, which he hadn't thought possible.

He finished applying the medicine without another word exchanged. He was too angry too talk.

Reed was too embarrassed. He never wanted to talk about this again. And he would do anything to make sure he wouldn't have to. And if that meant he had to keep lying to Shane, then so be it.

Shane was so anxious to make sure Reed was okay he was taking the stairs two at time. He didn't even bother changing out of his sweaty dance clothes or take his bag to room. All he wanted to do was check on Reed. He hoped he was feeling better. It really hurt to see him in pain.

He pulled the door open, barely even stepping inside when he stopped, freezing in the doorway.

There was the boy he was looking for, stepping out of his bathroom and buttoning his undone white undershirt slowly. It wasn't the fact that he was nearly shirtless that stopped him. It was that not even two seconds later Blaine emerged the same room, following him and pulling down the sleeves of his blazer.

Here was his brother and boyfriend, coming out of a bathroom they'd been alone in for the third time, both in states of undress. It felt like a hard punch to the gut that left him gasping for air. He turned around, swiftly leaving the room before the two even knew he was there.

He threw the door to the room he shared with his so called brother open harshly, unable to believe what he'd just seen. As soon as he was inside, he collapsed on the back of the door, sliding down slowly until he was sitting on floor, pulling out his phone and hitting redial.

As soon as Micah's voice gave a simple greeting, he was crying, stifling his sobs long enough to say only three words.

"You were wrong."

So as I'm almost positive that Shane will find out the truth in the next chapter, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you how you think he'll react/whatever along those lines. I'm really curious to see how you guys think it'll happen.

I already know exactly how it's going to go down and what's gonna happen and have known since before I even started writing the story. But I really wanna see what you all think and maybe even take it into consideration.