Author's Note: Hey. This chapter is a little… different. Fair warning, there's some relatively harsh gay-bashing coming up. But we also get to see a little more badboy!Blaine, which is always fun. ;) I'll admit that this chapter is not the happiest, but there are some exciting things coming up soon, so just stick with me…

As always thank you to you kind reviewers out there! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee.

~Chapter 18: When You Push Me Away~

Kurt was getting fed up with switching into new clothes every day at school. He wasn't sure what had changed, exactly, but it seemed that slushies were becoming a more and more frequent part of his schedule. Not to mention the rise in locker shoves and name calling- Kurt was now bruised in every way possible.

His sole silver lining under the circumstances was the fact that Blaine had successfully avoided the line of fire. As far as Kurt could tell, no one- aside from the people they had told in glee club- knew about their relationship. And that worked well enough for him, just so long as it kept Blaine safe.

The entire week passed with little change. Every night, Burt would check in with the police to see what had become of Blaine's father. And every night, they explained that they had nothing new to report. Kurt and Blaine, in the meantime, would meet up to study or rehearse songs for glee, but the apprehension remained. They were on lockdown, in a sense, and it felt strange and suffocating.

Friday afternoon, Kurt was at his locker, gathering his belongings to bring home for the weekend. The final bell sounded for dismissal, and as the last few lingering groups of students made their way through the exit, Kurt found himself alone in the quiet hallway.

A moment later, he jumped at the sound of his own name being called and automatically tensed for the worst. When he saw that it was only Quinn, he mentally kicked himself for being so on-edge. Not everyone's out to get you, he told himself. Get a grip.

Quinn smiled, flashing her perfect teeth. "Hey," she said casually. "Are you coming tonight?"

"To the party?" Kurt was a little surprised. Quite frankly, he hadn't expected a personal invitation. Not that he and Quinn didn't get along… but they weren't best friends, either.

"Of course." She nodded. "It's going to be fun. Everyone's going to be there. Just make sure you wear a costume."

Hesitantly, Kurt nodded, hoping that Quinn's version of "everyone" didn't include the Neanderthals that had been throwing iced beverages at his face all week. Still, he had promised Mercedes, and the perfect outfit for the occasion just so happened to be prepared and hanging in his closet. He nodded once again, more firmly. "I'll be there," he said, to which Quinn gave a satisfied smile and turned to leave.

"Awesome," she replied. "See you."

By the time Quinn had strutted her way out of the hall, Kurt was more than ready to make his own exit. He shouldered his bag and turned for the door, only to be stopped again by the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Hey there, lady. Better get a move on… don't want to be late for your nail appointment."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt caught a glimpse of Azimio and one of his friends, a burly redhead with a sneering grin. The two laughed obnoxiously, flicking their fingertips in his direction, waving demurely, fluttering their eyelashes. Kurt squared his jaw and kept on walking; he wasn't in the mood to respond to their idiocy.

Unfortunately, he would have had to run in order to keep away from their taunts. "Hey! Slow down, pretty lady. We just wanted to talk!"

Kurt's cheeks burned, a combination of anger and embarrassment blossoming in his chest like a growing flame. Suddenly the parking lot felt very, very far away. Just keep moving, he repeated inaudibly. They're not even worth it. Keep moving. Just keep moving.

Suddenly, Kurt felt a hand land roughly on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "What's got you so quiet, huh?"

Kurt yanked away with one sharp movement, keeping his gaze locked on anything but the hateful eyes staring him down.

The redhead's tone intensified in an instant. "Hey, you answer when we ask you a question, faggot."

Kurt barely had enough time to process that when another voice rang out behind them, steady and threatening.

"Shut up. Walk away. Now."

Blaine.

All three whirled around, and Kurt's eyes landed on Blaine. His jaw was clenched, his fists curled at his sides, his eyes hard. He looked furious, and Kurt was again reminded of the reform school boy he had come to know just weeks before.

"Blaine, get out of here," he choked out as forcefully as he could manage. Kurt knew this side of him, and there was no doubt in his mind that things were already mere seconds away from taking a turn for the worst.

"Aww, how sweet," Azimio jeered. "Lady Boy's friend came to take care of him. Or is this the boyfriend?"

Blaine gritted his teeth. "So what if I am?"

"Blaine," Kurt hissed, growing frantic now. Clearly, the Neanderthals were in the mood for a fight, and if this kept up, Blaine would be right at the receiving end of it. Kurt wished he could take the words back. If only he could somehow convince them that he didn't know Blaine, that Blaine had nothing to do with him at all…

But the damage was already done.

The redhead burst into laughter. "Really?" he scoffed. "That's your defense? Listen, kid, if I was you, I'd get the hell out while I still looked good. Or did you want to stick around and see how we like to deal with fags around here?"

Blaine's expression didn't waver for a second; Kurt, on the other hand, was shaking so hard he was sure he would collapse. Half a second passed and Blaine moved forward, close enough to throw a punch… or to be punched.

"Blaine, please," Kurt managed desperately, his words choked and far too quiet.

For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Kurt saw a flash of understanding… he saw the Blaine he knew, the Blaine who had promised he would be careful. Blaine would listen to him, of course he would. Blaine knew why he had to do this… didn't he?

Then Kurt saw a flash of rebellion in those eyes, and his lingering hopes disappeared. "Don't do this-"

"You want to hurt him?" Blaine's voice was firm, relentless. "You hurt me, too."

Azimio and his friend exchanged a glance, and then shrugged. "Well, if that's how you want it to be-"

A burst of motion cut him off, and then the redhead was staggering back, Blaine's strong arms forcing him away with one hard shove.

Kurt bit back a gasp. In his panic, he felt tears spring to his eyes, and then blinked them away quickly. Terrible visions of Blaine trying to take on both boys at once exploded in his mind. Desperately, he launched himself between them, blocking the redhead's attempt at a rebounding push.

"Kurt, move!"

"Shove off, fairy boy!"

A large hand gripped his arm, yanking him back as Blaine and the redhead charged at each other.

"Excuse me! What's going on here?"

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief as the hand quickly dropped its grip on him and the angry flurry of motion around him stopped. In place of all this was Ms. Pillsbury, her heels clicking rapidly as she made her way from her office to their end of the hall.

"Is there a problem here, boys?" she asked, her eyes like saucers as she held each of their gazes for a moment. She seemed tiny compared to the bulk of the football players; still, she was an authority figure, and that was all that mattered.

"Naw, we were just leaving," Azimio answered casually, to which Blaine shot him an icy glare.

The redhead frowned, his fists still clenched at his sides. He looked far from ready to walk away, but with the guidance counselor's eyes on him and Azimio nudging him in the direction of the door, he didn't have much of a choice.

When the two had finally disappeared out the main exit, Ms. Pillsbury looked to Kurt, and then Blaine. "Are you boys alright?" she asked.

Kurt nodded shakily. "Yes, we'll be okay now," he replied around the lingering tremor in his voice. "Thank you." Blaine just stared at the ground.

Ms. Pillsbury's eyes were sad, but she seemed convinced enough of their safety. "I'll be right in my office if you need anything," she promised and, after giving Kurt's arm a reassuring squeeze, turned on her heel and walked back down the hall.

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, trying to clear his head. They had been doing so well at maintaining Blaine's identity around the school. He had been just another student, flying under the radar and out of harm's way. Now that the truth was out, though, he would be just another target.

Kurt couldn't stand the thought of watching Blaine intercept so much hate every day. Especially not when he was finally in a place of victory, a place away from his father where he didn't have to fake a bad reputation.

Finally, Blaine's voice broke the silence. "I don't know why you won't let me help you."

"Because you won't let me help you!" Kurt burst out, moving forward so that he and Blaine were face-to-face. It felt as though all of his frustrations and fears were exploding out of him at once. "You're putting yourself in these situations when you and I both know that all it's going to do is hurt you! And you know what, Blaine? It hurts me, too!"

Blaine's mouth opened partway as if to speak. He closed it again, eyes narrowing. "Kurt, you think I'm trying to hurt you? I did that so those guys would stop harassing you!"

"I've been taking care of myself just fine for the past few years! What makes you think I need you all of a sudden?" Kurt blinked, his eyes flooding with tears. Since when had he and Blaine been so disconnected? He had been sure they understood one another… now Blaine's presence just felt stifling and confusing.

"Kurt, this is getting irrational."

"Just… stop." Kurt felt the weight of a heavy tear as it trailed down his cheek, warm and wet and so, so wrong. He and Blaine were supposed to see eye-to-eye. Even with their differences, even when things got difficult and nothing seemed right, they had each other. Since when had that changed?

Suddenly, the way Blaine had been acting all week made sense. He had seemed quieter, uptight… Kurt had never considered that he was unhappy with him, of all people, when there were so many other issues they had to deal with. Not that Kurt blamed him, but- had Blaine been honest from the beginning- maybe they could have worked something out. But, no. He had kept his thoughts to himself, and then took matters into his own hands at the worst possible time.

Kurt inhaled a long, shaky breath and turned his face away to avoid Blaine's gaze. "I can't talk to you about this anymore." He bit his lip, blinking, his vision blurred by tears. "I have to go m-meet Mercedes and get ready for the party."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Blaine's expression change ever so slightly, regret in his eyes. He looked hurt. "Fine," he stated. And because the tone of his voice betrayed not just pain, but irritation, Kurt gave up. Blaine was angry with him, and he was none too happy with Blaine, either.

Kurt was out the door in seconds.