Campus security was one the scene in minutes and shooed away the kids who hadn't actually seen the attack. "Everything's secure, it was an isolated incident, the boys he attacked aren't seriously hurt, it's all taken care of, now move along, please." It took several repetitions and more than a little edging out the door. Associate Dean Mr Garvey came a few minutes later and reinforced the orders to move along with several stern stares. David, though, had insisted on staying with Kurt and still kept a hand on his shoulder, while another boy, Manuel, stayed with Jim. Even in the commotion, Kurt couldn't help noticing that Manuel was even bigger than Finn, so Jim and Manuel looked just as mismatched as he and Finn did.
"Kurt, do you want to call your parents?"
"They're both dead." David winced but continued, "Anybody else, then, a relative, do you have a guardian?" Kurt shook his head and David asked, further, sounding alarmed, "A legal adviser? Anybody?"
"Yeah, I'll call him." He got Mr. Schue on the first ring.
"Kurt? Is everything all right?"
"I'm safe, but Karofsky just came here. He...tried to make me leave with him. It's okay, about 20 different kids came to the rescue, but I think I could use some help, things might get complicated with the police and all that."
"Of course, we're not even that far now."
"We? Does Mr. Schuester have a date?" Kurt wanted to forget things in some rich gossip and asked coyly.
"Oh, give me that!" He heard the sound of a voice that his ears were telling him was Sue Sylvester's. "Yes, Porcelain, William was taking me out to dinner and now it looks like dessert is going to be some sweet, nutritious ass whomping. Don't say anything and above all, don't sign anything until we're there. If anybody asks you a question, play dumb, and if you need inspiration, think about the natural disaster that is your Glee coach's hair, that would send anybody into a coma."
"Kurt?" It sounded like Mr. Schue had wrestled the phone back. "She's right, just wait until we get there."
David laughed with a very wary chuckle. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but couldn't help overhearing. Who are those people?"
"It's a long story."
"I want to hear it sometime." He paused. "I think." His phone vibrated and he reached for it. "Good, Blaine got my message, he's coming over here." Kurt kept his face still, not wanting to betray the sudden extra churning in his guts. Blaine would mean drama and he just wanted to get this over with. David had pulled a chair around so he was blocking Kurt from Karofsky's line of vision. That, plus Karofsky keeping his mouth stubbornly shut, even refusing ice for the rising lumps on his forehead and cheekbone, had kept the tension about as low as it could be under the circumstances, and Blaine was definitely going to dial it right back up.
Kurt almost felt sorry for Mr. Karofsky when he came in, looking angry and alarmed. He drew Dave to the side and looked like he was asking dozens of questions that Dave was answering in just monosyllables. Blaine was the next in and Mr. Garvey met him outside the office, talking vehemently to him. Blaine fortunately looked as though he were calming down a little and when he came in, he ignored Karofsky and his father entirely, rushing over to Kurt.
"He said you weren't hurt, that you're okay?" When he grabbed Kurt's hands, his felt ice-cold.
"I'm fine. Nothing that serious happened."
"Except that somebody attacked you, here, where you're supposed to be safe!"
"Look, they caught him, that's what matters."
"He's right, Blaine. Kurt's got somebody coming who can act as his adviser and then we can get this over with." At David's words, Blaine collapsed in the chair next to Kurt, still gripping his hands.
"So what exactly happened?" He let go of one of Kurt's hands to stroke his cheek and lips, very briefly.
Kurt sighed. "Is it okay if I just tell the story once, when everybody's here?" I also need the time to make sure that the story's tight. I'm not going to out Karofsky, even now. Hell, especially now. I really, really don't need that.
"Of course." Blaine sat quietly for a moment and then shivered. "I...it just hit me how much I hate the idea of anything happening to you." He lifted Kurt's hand, brushed it against his lips, and put it back down.
Sue burst into the room, followed by Mr. Schuester. Blaine, David, and Mr. Garvey instantly rose. Sue registered them for a moment, with an expression that suggested she was measuring their heights for a firing squad's convenience, and then ignored them to stride to Kurt, who got up to go to her. She tilted his face up and scrutinized him. "You're looking pretty good, kid," she said gruffly, and by now, Kurt knew how to interpret that from Sue Speak into normal human expression. "Yeah, I'm okay," he answered, quietly. Mr. Schuester, not being from Planet Sue, hugged him. When Kurt let go, Blaine reintroduced himself to Mr. Schue and introduced himself to Sue, who stared at him with the kind of expression that could reverse global warming back into the ice age. Kurt could see that Mr. Schue nudged her and she gave Blaine a grudging nod.
Mr Garvey came to the center of the room and sat down, with the security chief behind him. "Kurt, in your own words, please tell us what happened."
Here goes. "I was in the dance studio and Karofsky, Dave Karofsky, came in. I asked him what he wanted and he said that he'd made some kind of school spirit sort of boast that he'd bring me back to see the final game of the season, a kind of 'up yours' to Dalton." Kurt didn't want to look too closely to see how Karofsky was reacting, for fear of giving something away. "I didn't think it was a good idea and, well, Dave kind of lost his temper and started to shove me around, said that I was a wimp, that sort of thing. I yelled back that I wasn't going to put myself at risk for his stupid boast and then the shoving got intense, so I shouted for help. Jim came in and then I don't remember the other student's name, and then pretty much everybody was there." The last point was so extraordinary to him that he repeated it. "Everybody in earshot came to help and then it was over."
The Associate Dean finished writing some notes, as did the campus security chief. "Do you have anything to add?" he asked, looking at Dave. "You seem to have had this all planned out very thoroughly. How did you get the truck?"
Karofsky shrugged. "I hotwired it, all the rest of the stuff was in the back. It happened like he said."
Mr. Garvey looked at Kurt and Jim. "Do either of you want to press charges?" Jim shook his head and Kurt hesitated. "Kurt, a word," Sue said, getting up and gesturing to the other corner. Blaine got up to come with them and Will and she shoved him back down into his seat. Kurt almost would have laughed at how astonished Blaine looked. Even David's lips twitched for an instant before he leaned over and said something to his fellow Warbler.
"Porcelain, under any other circumstances, I'd say press charges. The problem is, the courts don't really care about this kind of thing—you're not a blonde white girl and you don't have any clout—and you didn't get badly hurt. You can prove assault but it'd be a technicality and they'd treat it like that.
"You do have leverage now, though. Even a charge that gets thrown out or given a slap on the hand is a big deal when it comes to colleges and scholarships and so on. Karofsky's good at sports, enough to get the scholarships, but not enough to get the schools bending over backwards to accept him after something like this."
"So what do you suggest I do, then? I can't...I can't go back to McKinley with him there, I can't."
Sue smiled viciously. "Exactly. You won't press charges if he agrees to leave McKinley and never come back, and never to come near you or anybody you know ever again. The statute of limitations lasts long enough that you'll be long out of Lima before you lose your chance to press charges."
Mr. Schue sighed and passed his hand through his hair. "Kurt, I have to say that sounds like a good idea. You should add to the agreement that if he ever incites anybody to cause you any problems, ever, that's the same as if he came near you."
"Good thinking, William," Sue said, looking remarkably surprised and proud, like a parent watching a child they hadn't realized was precocious give a first ballet recital. Kurt couldn't help but imagine Sue making a little baby album, with a special page for Baby's First Blackmail. Maybe the image was so vivid because she already had? Not a thought he wanted to pursue. Nor did he want to follow the next thought, one of Sue calling Will, just like the Emperor, her young apprentice. Especially not that they were dating, or whatever you could call it...
"Is there anything we're missing, Kurt?" Mr. Schue had put a light hand on his arm to get his attention back. He lowered his voice. "You've not wanted anybody to visit before...you said that it was because it would make missing everything that much harder, was there any other reason, now that we're here?"
Kurt shook his head and closed his eyes against the sudden rush of tears that came at the kind, concerned voice and affectionate, undemanding touch. "No, it's just that." He saw that Mr Schue wasn't sure what to do next and solved the problem himself by reaching out and hugging him. Sue put her hand on his shoulder as if she was about half positive that it was going to explode, and actually put her other arm around Mr Schue. It felt bizarre, but it also felt just a bit like a family hug.
Kurt stepped out of it first, turning to look at the Karofskys, and Sue raised an eyebrow. When he nodded, she said, very clearly and loudly. "Kurt isn't going to press charges," she paused for dramatic effect and Kurt saw how Karofsky's father seemed to collapse with relief. "Provided, provided that you leave McKinley for good, that you never come near Kurt or anybody close to him ever again, and that you make sure that everybody close to you knows that he's off limits from any kind of revenge attack." She strode over to Karofsky. "And just in case it's hard to tell a revenge attack from ordinary bullying, that had better mean that nobody raises a finger or a voice or a gesture to him, ever."
Kurt stole a glance at Blaine. He'd been avoiding that, especially since he'd made the conscious decision not to let Blaine have any charge of this decision in his life. But having Mr. Schue and Sue there made a difference, gave him more perspective. Sometimes he couldn't raise his eyes to the horizon beyond the next few days or weeks or the remaining months.
Blaine looked furious, but when his eyes met Kurt's, they softened and he sent Kurt what was clearly meant as a reassuring smile. Kurt felt another of the knots in his guts melt in relief.
Mr Karofsky was squeezing his hat in his hands. "Dave, that's very reasonable." Sue added, "I'm having an attorney write up the conditions exactly, and they will include your confession."
"Yeah, sure, fine." Karofsky was staring at the ground.
The Associate Dean cleared his throat. "In this case, we'll not press trespassing charges. However, we will not tolerate any further incidents."
"Come on, son." Mr Karofsky led a sullen Dave outside. After a moment, he hesitated and then returned, walking up to Kurt as if expecting to be rebuffed.
"Kurt, I don't think I'll ever know exactly what happened, but from what Dave said earlier, I have the impression that you were being generous." Kurt didn't know what to say, so simply waited for him to continue. "I'm grateful and if you ever need a favor, you only have to ask." Kurt nodded faintly and watched as Dave's father returned to the care and drove away. Dave didn't look back and Kurt hoped that was a good sign.
Kurt could see how much Sue was itching to let Blaine have it, verbally and probably physically. He also knew that she was holding back for his sake. That touched him more than he ever would have thought possible and he hugged her, to what was apparently gratified discomfort. Mr. Schue held him tight, looked in his face, and hugged him again. "If there's anything you need..."
"I know. Thanks." Kurt wasn't delighted that Blaine came up to him and put his arm around his waist the moment that Will and Sue were back in the car and that Blaine actually waved, as if he were an acknowledged and loved boyfriend. But his overwhelming relief was enough to make even that seem inconsequential.
Then Blaine stepped to face him and took Kurt's chin in his hand. "I think there's something else that happened that you didn't talk about." His tone was neutral, as was his hold, but Kurt was very thankful indeed that he'd anticipated something like this.
"It's that obvious, huh?" He looked up as if he was gathering his thoughts. "He also said a lot of things, he's one of the most bigoted homophobes in the school, but since that wasn't the issue here, and frankly I didn't want to have to discuss it any more and see people's faces look as though they don't see what the big deal is."
"Kurt...you know that here it is a big deal." Blaine looked earnest and concerned and David came up.
"I know, yes, it's not tolerated here, but, look, can't we just let it go, now that he is off my back?"
David broke in before Blaine could speak. "Blaine, if we let you get started on another stump speech, we're all going to miss dinner, and that's apocalyptic, as far as I'm concerned. Kurt's safe and nobody's hurt and that's the important thing." Blaine looked dour for a moment before grinning again and Kurt almost would have sworn that David winked at him.
Kurt was ready to knock his solo so hard that it would hit next year's Fashion Week. The Warblers were performing throughout the Donors Dinner, an event to thank donors from the classes of the 1940s through the 1980s, and had picked a song from each decade. Kurt would solo in "Cry me a river," from the 1950s. The lines were perfect for his voice and the Warblers' harmonies below were a rich supplement, a little more intricate than most settings but drawing more, rather than less attention to the top solo line.
The audience showed enthusiastic appreciation the opening number, "All the things you are," with Raj singing the solo. Kurt was delighted that they'd actually stopped conversations to listen, that their performance wasn't just background music between dishes. The moment Wes had stepped out to introduce Raj as the soloist, adding a few jokes that this week, Raj's plans were to go to Yale and major in history, but last week, it was the University of Chicago and anthropology, and the week before, he was still more or less set on being a fireman or maybe an astronaut, they were paying attention.
His turn was coming up next. Wes grinned at him and took the microphone. "Our next soloist, Kurt, is here as our Trophy from McKinley, in Lima." There was a spurt of applause. "Once you've heard Kurt sing, you'll be very proud indeed that we were able to beat a team like his. Kurt, take it away."
Kurt's throat had gone dry but he automatically used the old trick of chewing the tip of his tongue for an instant to get moisture back. He could tell that he was singing the solo only because he could hear his voice, sounding as clear and solid as it had in rehearsals. He didn't have to move much—there wasn't the room for dancing—which was just as well because he felt frozen in place.