School wasn't normally something that Kurt dreaded. At least, not until he'd started his walk down memory lane with this stupid playlist and realized that he was going to see Dave at school today. Luckily for him, he and Blaine didn't go to the same school, so that was going to make things a little less uncomfortable. Sebastian didn't go to McKinley either, so he wouldn't have to see Dave and Sebastian together. That would really make things so much harder.

He wasn't at all surprised by the way his heart clenched in his chest when he saw the back of Dave's head in the hallway, or the way his stomach twisted when Kurt turned away and headed in the other direction. He and Dave had stopped avoiding each other after the third week of school. An unspoken agreement that it wasn't necessary after all these months. Today, though... today, Kurt was actively avoiding him.

He hadn't needed to before. Not for a long time. But now he was rehashing all of these old feelings, opening old wounds and he felt like he'd stepped back in time. Back to May, when the wound was fresh and everything just felt wrong. When being in the same school with Dave and not having him felt like the world was ending.

I used to think one day
We'd tell the story of us

Kurt inwardly groaned as his inner Taylor Swift brought his attention to the song he'd listened to this morning. He had just wanted something to sing to, something to keep his attention while he was going through his routine. His mistake. He'd chosen the wrong song, and dammit, he could just hear his inner Santana cackling.

And people would say they're the lucky ones

Kurt rolled his eyes. Not if you know the story, he argued. No one would say that they were lucky if they knew how Dave had terrorized Kurt, how Kurt's father tried to make him switch schools, or how Kurt had even known Dave was gay. If they listened to Kurt and Dave's story, they would probably ask them what the fuck was wrong with them. Theirs was not really a love story that people would "awww" over. It was dark and complicated and would take forever to explain properly.

Kurt made his way into the cafeteria, trying not to look over at the table where Dave would be sitting with his football buddies. That story was another long one that would take forever to explain, but the short version was that the football team was full of assholes, Finn and Puck stood up for Dave, Azimio was kicked off the team, and the football team learned to accept that Dave was gay.

I used to know my place was the spot next to you
Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat

Shut up! Kurt practically screamed in his head, but it was too late. The damage was done as he was taken back to last year. When they had first started seeing each other, it was in secret for such a long time. He still wasn't really even sure when they actually started seeing each other. It just slowly went from friends to... more. They never actually used the term 'boyfriends' until Dave was outed back in February. But before Dave was outed, they basically pretended that the other didn't exist when they were at school.

After Dave was out, though, they would walk through the school holding hands. Dave would walk him to his classes. They would sit together at lunch. For a long time, Dave sat with the Glee club because his own group had practically shunned him. Well, they beat the hell out of him and then shunned him. So Dave sat with the Glee club. Once things were righted with the football team, Dave and his friends slowly started to reconnect. So, by the end of the year, Kurt and Dave were alternating between sitting with the Glee club and sitting with the football team. Dave actually thought that the Glee club kids were kind of cool – the feeling was mutual – and Kurt actually got along alright with the football team after they all apologized for the stupid shit they'd done to him over the years. The guys on the football team had even stopped targeting people in the Glee club. The guys on the hockey team, though... that was a different story.

Kurt got a tray and sat down next to Mercedes, who was sitting with the Glee club today. She also alternated between sitting with her friends and sitting with Shane, her new boyfriend. He glanced over at Dave's table. Dammit, he had to stop doing that. This was so last year.

Oh, a simple complication
Miscommunications lead to fall outs
So many things that I wish you knew
So many walls that I can't break through

He sighed to himself. He knew what it was. They'd never had any sort of closure. There wasn't even a real break-up. Not really. There was a big fight and then boom, Dave just wouldn't talk to him anymore. Ever again. So how could Dave sit there and laugh with his friends and be perfectly okay with everything? How could he be seeing someone else? How could Kurt be seeing someone else?

Now I'm sitting alone in a crowded room
And we're not speaking
And I'm dying to know is it killing you
Like it's killing me, yeah
I don't know what to say since the twist of fate
When it all broke down
Now the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now

Kurt pushed the food around on his tray. Not that he ever really ate anyway, but today he just couldn't even stand the thought of shoveling this gruel into his mouth. His friends were all talking amongst themselves, but he just couldn't be bothered to try and listen. He was being so stupid for sulking, and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. This was supposed to be helping. Instead, it was making him feel like shit. He was somehow regressing into what he had been last May, when they'd first broken up. Okay, no. He hadn't gone that far. He was scared he might, though.

How'd we end up this way?
See me nervously pulling at my clothes
Trying to look busy

Kurt realized that he was absently tugging at the hem of his shirt and quickly laced his fingers together. Stupid Taylor Swift digging into his subconscious mind and making him do things. Fretting over clothing was normal for him, except today, he didn't care at all about his clothes. He was just trying to busy himself to keep from going insane.

I'm starting to think one day
I'll tell the story of us
How I was losing my mind
When I saw you here
But you held your pride
Like you should have held me

Kurt hated this. Having this stupid relevant song playing through his head as he was living out the very scenario. He hated that all of this was bothering him so much. He hated that he had decided to do this stupid playlist all because of a song that had played at the worst time. He hated that he had gotten so sucked into this that he couldn't even quit if he tried.

Oh, I'm scared to see the ending
Why are we pretending that this is nothing?
I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how
I've never heard silence quite this loud

Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He stood, excusing himself quickly as he backed away from the table. He turned and hurried to get his food into the garbage, setting the tray on the conveyer belt before stepping out of the cafeteria. He leaned against the wall next to the cafeteria doors, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He sank down, pulling his knees to his chest.

This is looking like a contest
Of who can act like they care less
But I liked it better when you were on my side

Kurt thought about times in the past, when Dave would come running after him if he had left like that. When Dave would pick him up and hold him in his arms, squeezing him tightly and telling him that everything was going to be okay. Even if Dave's own life was going badly, he was always there to comfort Kurt. He said it helped him. He said it made him feel like he was doing something good for once. Kurt rested his head on his knees, trying his best to keep the tears from spilling over.

The battle's in your hands now
But I would lay my armor down
If you would say you'd rather love than fight

"Hey." Kurt looked up to see Finn staring down at him, eyes wide with concern. He had opened his mouth to ask what Kurt would only assume was "Are you okay?" but the moment he saw Kurt's eyes, he knew it was a stupid question. He tugged Kurt to his feet and pulled him into a tight hug. Kurt knew that Finn probably had no idea what was wrong with him, but he was so grateful that Finn cared enough to try to comfort him. He relaxed into Finn's hug. He needed this. He needed this from someone that wasn't going to tell him he was right or wrong. From someone who had been there through the whole thing, who knew it all, but wasn't going to judge him at all. Finn was the second best person for that, and the one person that was available right now.

Kurt opened his eyes as he heard the cafeteria door open up and saw Dave walk out. He looked surprised to see Kurt and Finn standing there, locked in a tight embrace. He stopped in mid-step, just staring at the pair. Kurt wondered what was going through his mind, and it looked for a moment like Dave was going to say something.

So many things that you wish I knew
But the story of us might be ending soon

Dave just shook his head and turned away, not looking back.

And I'm dying to know
Is it killing you like it's killing me?

Kurt hugged Finn tighter, closing his eyes again to shut out the tears. He didn't know what Dave thought anymore. He couldn't read his face. Dave had completely shut him out, and he wouldn't give him any indication that he cared at all for Kurt anymore. Not even in a friends kind of way. Kurt just wanted to know if Dave had been as hurt by the break up as he had, if Dave had been as impacted by Kurt's existence as Kurt had been by Dave's.

The end

Kurt hated Taylor. This was not the end. It couldn't be the end. He never wanted things to end this way. He never wanted things to end at all. He silently prayed that even if this was where any sort of romantic relationship between he and Dave died, they could have a friendship. Dave could at least give him that much, couldn't he? Santana's voice came through with words that he desperately hoped were true:

Next chapter.