A/N: One more chapter after this! I'm probably going to post it later tonight, after I've slept. I'm on a nocturnal schedule, so when I do happen to wake up, it will be like a whole new day for me. So that counts, right? You guys aren't going to argue getting two chapters in one day, are you? Enjoy! :)

Dave should have been prepared for the attack. He'd felt Santana's eyes on him, all of their eyes on him as he had walked out of the cafeteria after Kurt had sang. He hadn't known what to do. Did Kurt just expect him to run into his arms? Did Kurt just think that he could sing a song and everything would be fixed between them? He'd made it clear. He wasn't taking Kurt back. Kurt was better off without him.

He really should have known they'd come after him, though. Or, Santana, at least. Possibly Finn. But Blaine and Sebastian? Yeah, he hadn't been expecting that one. He knew Blaine and Kurt had broken up, mostly because of Facebook, but a little because of Santana. Even if he hadn't seen the new relationship status, she'd sent him a message telling him this was his chance.

"We need to talk." Santana's venomous voice came from behind him. He sighed warily and shut his locker, turning slowly.

"No, we don't."

"We do." Dave gripped his strap tightly, surprised to see the four of them standing there. He wondered for a moment where Kurt might be, but it was probable that he was in Glee club right now, where two of them actually should be at the moment.

"Look, say what you want, but it's not going to change anything." Dave rolled his eyes, trying to push past Finn.

"Dave, come on." Sebastian said from behind him, and Dave's stomach twisted. Sebastian knew better than anyone how much Dave loved Kurt, if only because it had destroyed their already ridiculous relationship. "You have no idea how much he needs you."

"And you do?" Dave hissed, spinning around to look at him.

"Yeah, actually," Sebastian shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Because I actually talk to him, so I actually know what he wants. What he doesn't want. Who he loves. Who he doesn't."

"Which was never me." Blaine said quietly from beside Sebastian. He looked up at Dave, finally acknowledging the fact out loud. "He loves you."

"Yeah, well, he's better off. He'll see that someday." Dave said, finally pushing through them and walking away from the little group that continued to stare after him.

The singer finished singing and she's walking out
The singer sheds a tear, her fear of falling out

He wouldn't look back. One was his friend, another was his ex, and somehow, he'd still ended up as their target. It was better if he got out of there before he did something he'd regret. He'd never lay a hand on Santana, but he couldn't say much for the other three. Okay, that was a lie. He didn't think he'd ever hit Finn or Sebastian out of anger, but he couldn't say the same for Blaine. He knew that it was irrational, but he hated Blaine for being with Kurt.

Wasn't that what he had wanted for Kurt? Him to have someone that loved him? He could see that Blaine loved Kurt. But had Blaine really given up Kurt because of Dave? It had to be the case, or... why else would he have been there with Finn, Santana, and Seb? He couldn't help but laugh as he thought about that little group. How on earth did that work out? Kurt and Seb had hated each other, Seb was pining after Blaine, and he'd be shocked if Finn and Santana had ever done anything but trade insults. Mostly Santana, though.

He sighed as he climbed into his car, heading for home.

And it's hard to say how I feel today
For years gone by and I cried

The fact that Sebastian had talked with Kurt, that Sebastian knew what was going through Kurt's head these days and he didn't, really irritated him. It was hard to imagine the two of them sitting in a room together, talking about him. What had they talked about? What had they said about him? Had they traded notes and had a laugh at his expense? No, neither of them would do that. He wouldn't have put it past Sebastian before all of this, but Kurt? Never. Not if Kurt loved him like he apparently said he did.

Dave had to wonder if Santana had been on Kurt's side all this time. If maybe she had been pushing Dave because Kurt wanted her to. It would make sense, wouldn't it? She and Kurt seemed to be closer than ever. Dave suddenly felt like maybe their own friendship, however fucked up it might be, was just all a ruse in an attempt to get him to go back to Kurt. God, he knew she could be a manipulative bitch, but he never thought she'd make up an entire friendship in order to achieve some stupid little goal that she had.

It's hard to say that I was wrong
It's hard to say I miss you
Since you've been gone, it's not the same

Today was going to be another hard one. He had Kurt in his head now, and once that happened, the only thing that seemed to make him forget was alcohol. Sometimes not even that could do it, he realized as he thought about the stupid email that he'd sent to Kurt. If he hadn't sent that, he wouldn't be going through all of this right now...

Kurt had been over him. That was what he'd said in that stupid letter. He was letting him go or some bullshit, and yeah, it had hurt, but Dave figured that would make things easier for Kurt. If Kurt let him go, then he wouldn't be thinking about Dave anymore. He wouldn't want to be with Dave anymore. He could go on and live out his big fancy dreams in New York without Dave being some dead weight back home.

But he'd sent him Hate Me, of all songs. And he'd be damned if he knew what the fuck that message was supposed to say in the first place. He'd written it and he couldn't even make sense of it. He had the idea that it had something to do with Christmas, but other than that, nothing. That meant nothing next to the song he'd sent. Sending that song had been practically saying, "I love you and I miss you, but I don't deserve you."

He'd have been more surprised if Kurt hadn't come after him after that.

My worries weigh the world, how I used to be
And everything, I'm cold, seems a plague in me

He let his bag fall with a thump and then collapsed on his bed. He was so tired and all he really wanted to do right now was just... not be. If he didn't exist, he wouldn't feel this ache in his chest because he couldn't have the one thing he wanted. It was probably worse because he had to literally push this thing away from him, for the thing's sake, of course. He wasn't scared. Okay, maybe a little. He wasn't scared of loving Kurt. He'd never been scared of loving Kurt. He was just scared that someday... Kurt was going to realize what Dave had always known. Kurt didn't need Dave to be somebody. Kurt didn't need Dave at all.

And it's hard to say how I feel today
For years gone by and I cried

He took a deep breath and pulled a pillow over his head. He wasn't going to let himself cry. He hadn't cried in so long, and he wasn't going to do it now. It wasn't his fault that Kurt had opened up all of this. Kurt had done this, and Kurt was going to have to deal with all the pain that came with it. But dammit, why did he have to drag Dave into it? Why couldn't he have just let Dave be? He'd learned to deal with all of this over the summer, when he had been the worst. Actually, the worst had been those two weeks of school before they were out for the summer. At least during the summer, he hadn't had to see Kurt at all. That had made things just a little bit easier for him. Probably for Kurt as well.

He heard a knock at his door and could do little more than grunt. His father's car hadn't been in the drive, and Dave hadn't expected him to be home for a while. He heard the door open up and gave a small wave, not removing the pillow from his face. It wasn't long before the pillow was tugged away from him, and Santana was perched on the edge of his bed, looking down at him.

"San- Jesus! What are you doing here?" He gasped as he jerked away from her. First surprise, then anger flooded through him as he glared up at her. Why was she so goddamn persistent? He wondered if she'd be offended if he did hit her. She was a girl, though. Damn.

"You're being a dumbass, and I came to make you see that." Santana said, shrugging. Dave growled and yanked his pillow from her hands, covering his face again.

"Fuck off, Santana. You only make things harder." He told her, his voice muffled.

"That's kind of the point." She said softly.

"What do you want? Is this some fucking game to you? It's our lives and everything you're doing? It hurts."

"Dave," Santana said, tugging on the pillow. "Look at me, please."

There was something in her voice, a kind of desperation that made Dave curious. He slowly pulled the pillow away from his face to look at her. She looked so vulnerable, and it made absolutely not sense to Dave. He watched her take a deep breath, looking him in the eyes. She hadn't faked anything, he realized. It had all been real.

"I remember when you were outed last year. I kept thinking about how much braver you were than I would have been. And when we all realized that you and Kurt had been together all of that time and no one had a clue, I was impressed. Not only by the fact that you'd managed to keep it secret, but that Kurt had put up with it. We all know how he is about being out and proud and all of that. I mean, it didn't take me long to realize that it hadn't been easy because he'd been pushing it, but I was still amazed that he'd stayed by you all of that time, regardless. It made me realize that he loved you a whole hell of a lot. And the way you came out and told everyone that you were boyfriends, I saw how much you loved him, too. And how proud he was of you! God, the way he smiled. He was so happy. I thought, 'If Dave can be so okay after being outed, and they can still be together through all of that, I have a chance, right?' I looked up to you guys. And what you went through at prom? There is no way I'd ever have been able to deal with that as bravely as you two had. I've never known anyone who has loved each other as much as you and Kurt did, and I know it's ridiculous to put so much into another person's relationship, but after you guys broke up, I was devastated. I watched you both basically drown in your sorrows, and I kept wondering if maybe there wasn't something that I could do. Because you guys belong together. You love each other so much, and I believe you guys can get through anything."

Dave didn't know what to say. Despite being so dysfunctional, his and Kurt's relationship had touched someone. They had given someone hope, when they themselves were just barely treading water. And of all people, it was Santana they had given hope to. The hard, vicious, manipulative Santana. She wasn't any of that, though. Deep down, she had just been a scared girl who needed some proof that everything would be okay. He and Kurt had been that proof. No wonder she had pushed so hard for the two of them get back together. She was outside of it all, so she could step back and look at all of the things that they couldn't. What they had just seen as something they'd barely passed, she had seen some great victory taking place. Dave had never really realized how strong they had actually been. He'd always just focused on the fighting, the way they struggled, rather than what they had overcome. If you looked at it from Santana's view, it really was incredible.

"Have you ever told Kurt any of that?" Dave asked.

"No," Santana told him, shaking her head. "I mean, I think he probably gets it by the things we've talked about. But, I haven't exactly come out and said all of that to him. He never really needed to hear it. He believes in you guys as much as I do."

"He does?"

"Dave..." Santana sighed. "He loves and needs you just as much as you do him."

It's hard to say that I was wrong
It's hard to say I miss you
Since you've been gone, it's not the same

"But what if-"

"No," Santana said, cutting him off. "There's always going to be a place for you, you know. No matter where he goes or what he does, he'll make sure that you fit somewhere, because he wants you more than anything else. You gotta have faith, Dave."

It's hard to say I held my tongue
It's hard to say if only
Since you've been gone, it's not the same

"I really am a dumbass." Dave sighed.

"No disagreement here," Santana grinned. Dave rolled his eyes and smacked her with the pillow. She snatched it from him and held it. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Well," Dave smiled. "When you've screwed up as horribly as I have, there's only one thing left to do."