Title: Unwritten
Category: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Genre: Hurt & Comfort/Romance
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters. Also, any references made to any other products or shows, yeah I don't own those things either.
A/N: Hey y'all! Is anyone still out there? I'm so sorry for taking so long to post this. Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed, your reviews made me happy! Switzerland was amazing! I just got back on Monday :) Thank you so much for sticking with me through my brief hiatus and I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter. As a thanks for being so patient, I threw a little surprise in the end.
Burt Hummel sighed happily as he slipped into bed next to Carole on Thursday night. He was so glad that it was almost Friday which meant it was almost the weekend so he could relax. It had been a long week for him, but it had been a good week too. He was so proud of Kurt and how much he seemed to have broken out of his shell in the past week and he knew it had something to do with that Blaine guy that came up in conversation once in a while.
Kurt had called him that morning right after his first book signing after his book had come out and he was completely bubbly and optimistic and Burt had had a flashback to his smiley son that he hadn't really seen for around 6 years. It made Burt so happy that Kurt seemed to be finally starting to move on from the terrible high school experience he had had, especially that night. He truly hoped that the Blaine kid stuck around for a while, if he had already caused this much change in his son in just one week.
"Good night, Carole," Burt whispered, settling down under the covers.
"Night Burt, love you," she replied with a sleepy smile.
Just as Burt was lying his head down on the pillow there was a loud knock on the door.
"Who on EARTH would be here at 11pm on a Thursday?" Burt groaned sliding back out of bed and making to exit the bedroom.
"I don't know, but maybe I should come with you to answer the door. In my experience late night visits have never been someone bearing good news," Carole answered, worriedly.
"I know exactly what you mean. Please let everyone be alright," Burt said.
The two hurried from the room with Burt getting to the door first. Upon opening it, he gasped. "Kurt? What are you doing here?"
"Wait! What? Kurt, sweetie come in, what happened?" Carole came around Burt and pulled the younger boy into her embrace. She knew that there was something wrong, because otherwise there was no reason for Kurt to have come all the way from LA.
"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered brokenly. His face was wet from crying. "I tried to handle it, but it was too much."
"What?" Burt exclaimed, edging towards hysteria at the state of his son. "What are you talking about? Who tried to hurt you?"
Kurt just sobbed into his Carole's shoulder not even saying anything.
"Honey, everything's going to be ok. They can't get you here. I think a good night sleep would be best and we can talk about it in the morning," Carole decided.
Kurt just nodded, too worn out from his emotional day to protest. He made his way slowly up to his room, not noticing the concerned expressions exchanged between Carole and Burt.
The following morning, Carole made Kurt's favourite egg white omelet breakfast for him, in hopes of cheering him up. She really needn't have bothered because Kurt never came down. If it hadn't been for the extra pair of shoes at the door, she probably would have thought that Kurt coming home had been a dream.
Carole was seriously worried about Kurt, but she didn't want to push him. She knew that when he was ready to talk, he would talk to someone.
She decided to go upstairs and verify if Kurt was alright before heading to her shift at the hospital. Burt had left for the shop early so it was just Carole and Kurt in the house.
When she reached Kurt's door, it was completely silent. Figuring Kurt was still sleeping, Carole went back downstairs and wrote him a note telling him that she had made an omelet if he would like to reheat it, and that she'd be back from her shift by 6pm.
Meanwhile, Kurt was awake and staring at his ceiling. He felt horrible for being a coward and running away, but his memory was still fresh in his mind and he knew that it had been the right thing to do. If he had gone to Blaine's apartment and had his flashback there, he might have struck out at Blaine and that would have turned dangerous to both him and Blaine.
Kurt was tired of receiving people's pity for his experiences, and he didn't want to go downstairs to see his family right away because he knew they would be giving him sympathetic looks and being careful around him again. Frankly, he was tired of being treated like he was so fragile and he felt guilty for coming back and worrying his family when he had no immediate plans to talk to them about it.
By 10am, when Kurt knew for certain that everyone was gone to work, he made his way downstairs to find some breakfast. He found Carole's note and smiled at the kind gesture, with only a slight pang of remorse that she had gone to so much trouble and he hadn't acknowledged it by coming downstairs earlier.
He took out a plate and fork and happily ate his omelet, feeling much more relaxed than he had in a while. He knew that coming home had been a good idea, better than going back to his apartment in Chicago to wallow. He knew that here he wouldn't be allowed to wallow for long; eventually one of them would become too curious and force him to talk. While normally that would drive Kurt nuts, now he was kind of hoping for it.
Upon re-entering his room, Kurt decided that he needed to do something productive. The room was already spotless so he couldn't busy himself with cleaning it, so he decided to do what he always did when he had met a guy that he found unattainable... Write about it.
Taking out his laptop, Kurt started writing his new novel, placing all his hurt, confusion and longing for Blaine into his characters' situations. As he wrote, his mind started to clear and he couldn't stop. Even when Carole came home later that night and offered him supper, he refused to leave his room.
By the following day, Kurt had made a really solid start in the book and he was feeling proud of his work. He had originally hoped that Blaine wouldn't turn into another one of his novels, and that he would be able to have this relationship in real life. But he knew that he had ruined everything by running away, and wouldn't have been surprised if he had already found a new "newbie" to mentor now that Kurt was gone.
Kurt knew that Rachel and Finn always came over on Saturdays and he could hear Rachel puttering around in the kitchen with Carole. He registered his stomach growling, but he was too afraid to talk to his family to go downstairs and get something to eat.
Kurt saved the program on his computer and decided that it would be a good idea to take a nap. When he awoke later in the morning, he was feeling rather famished and decided that he would go out and deal with his family's questions if it meant he would get something to eat. Upon opening his door, though, he noticed a bowl of fruit salad and a glass of orange juice.
Thankful that he still had time to think about what he wanted to say to his family, Kurt happily grabbed the bowl and cup and retreated back into his room.
For the rest of the day, Kurt worked on his book, and as he wrote he started to come to terms with how he felt about Blaine, and maybe even managed to get over him a bit; as long as he didn't really think about Blaine, he would be fine.
Rachel knocked on the door a couple times trying to get him to tell her what happened but each time that she wasn't answered, she left him be. She had been around after his attack and knew that sometimes he preferred solitude over talking to others about his problems.
Kurt was very thankful that his family would take him into their home again without him explaining anything and then leave him be for two straight days while he sorted through his mental issues.
At first, Burt constantly came up to check on Kurt but after Kurt had told him that he would talk about it later, Burt had stopped climbing the stairs every five minutes to ask if he was alright. Finn had come up once, but Kurt was happy that he knew when to leave him alone. Carole was the same as Finn, only coming up a couple times, but giving Kurt his space to sort through everything.
Rachel was by far the most ambitious and she still constantly came upstairs to talk through the door at him. She usually recounted her day or week, or talked about something that her Grade 1 class had gotten up to the day before. Kurt always smiled at her persistence and he enjoyed hearing stories of all the antics that a group of six-year olds could attempt in an hour.
When Kurt fell asleep that night, he was feeling very pleased with his progress and didn't feel as torn up over Blaine. Maybe leaving had been for the best, and Kurt could go back to focusing on his career and his writing, and not get distracted by incredibly cute musicians.
The following morning, Rachel came upstairs at around 9am and barged into Kurt's room. Kurt had known that she would be the first one to crack and have to come talk to him, and he was surprised that she had somehow lasted two whole days.
"Rach...?" he asked groggily, not completely coherent at such an early hour.
"Kurt, you have to tell me exactly what happened. I just called Blaine Anderson and he has no idea what he did wrong and he sounded pretty torn up over everything. He told me what happened, well just that he invited you to his apartment and you never showed up. You really need to tell him the truth before he loses it..."
Kurt stared at Rachel as she continued to ramble, raising a hand to cut her off. "Wait a minute. How on earth did you call Blaine? Where'd you get his number?"
"That's not important. What's important is that he's freaking out because he thinks he did something to hurt you and he doesn't understand what's going on. He's been worrying for 2 days and I really think you need to tell him what happened to cause you to leave."
Kurt stared up at Rachel and felt tears building up in his eyes. "I can't tell him, Rach. I've known him for two weeks."
"What does that matter? You like him, don't you? He sounded really nice on the phone. You'll have to tell him, if you want a relationship with him."
Kurt marvelled at how Rachel always seemed to be able to read his mind. "I don't know, Rach. I really do like him, but I think I ruined everything by leaving. He's just going to think I'm some pathetic kid and never want to talk to me again if I tell him."
"Oh, Kurt. Do you honestly believe that?" Rachel walked over and placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder.
Kurt nodded, sadly. Then he shook his head. "I really don't know, Rach. He's been so kind to me and I really wanted to at least keep his friendship."
"Tell you what," Rachel continued. "You think about it. He also asked if I could have you watch the Mercedes Jones Show tomorrow morning. I think you should. I'm guessing he's going to be on and you can make your decision after you watch the show."
"Ok, thanks Rach."
"Soooo, will you come downstairs and join us for brunch now?" Rachel asked, hopefully.
Kurt laughed. "Alright, just let me get dressed."
"Yay!" Rachel squealed. She was so proud of Kurt. Even though he couldn't see it, he was so much stronger than when he was in high school.
Kurt spent the rest of the day with his family. After brunch he watched Sunday afternoon football with his dad and Finn. His family didn't question him too much, and Kurt just assured his dad that he didn't have to go to LA with a shotgun.
Kurt found himself honestly enjoying himself and smiling. He realized that maybe Blaine had changed him a little more than he thought. He couldn't remember being this happy in a while, and although he had underlying feelings of guilt and longing for Blaine, he knew his family was happily surprised that he was smiling again.
Kurt slept well that night and he almost forgot that Blaine was going to be on the Mercedes Jones Show the following morning until Rachel came in to wake him up at 8:30am.
"Come on Kurt! It's going to start soon! You don't want to miss anything." Rachel grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs.
Kurt was starting to feel nervous about what Blaine could possibly be doing on Mercedes' show. But he was also very curious about what Blaine wanted him to see so bad.
He sat quietly on the couch as Rachel turned on the TV and flipped to the channel that the Mercedes Jones Show was on. It was just about to start when they got to the channel and Rachel plopped down on the couch beside to Kurt to watch.
Kurt watched as Mercedes walked out on the stage and he smiled as she interacted with the audience. He thought that he could definitely consider her a friend now.
It didn't take long for her to welcome Blaine out on the stage and after the introductions Kurt waited for whatever reason Blaine wanted him to watch.
When Blaine started his speech, Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't believe that Blaine had written him a song, and when Blaine started playing the song Rachel looked over at him in shock.
As the song progressed, Kurt could feel tears building in his eyes. Looking over at Rachel, Kurt could see that she felt the same. When the song finished, the tears started trickling down his face and Rachel shot him a surprised expression.
"Well - " she started.
"Shhh, he's still talking." Kurt made a waving motion to tell her to be quiet.
... "So Kurt, if you're watching I hope you got the message. I really am sorry. The other thing I wanted to say, is that...I'm gay"...
Kurt stared at the screen incredulously. Rachel squeaked and then turned her stunned gaze to Kurt. Kurt mentally pleaded with the studio audience to be kind to him; it was encouraging how people's ideas about gay people had progressed in recent years.
..." We still love you Blaine!"...
Kurt let out a sigh of relief as the audience cheered and felt a smile blooming on his face.
"Wow, Kurt, he must be really crazy about you if he was willing to do all that just to apologize to you."
Kurt jumped, having forgotten that Rachel was even still next to him. "Yeah," he breathed. "I can't believe it. He told me he was terrified to come out, I can't believe he would do that for me."
"So what do you think you're going to do, Kurt?"
"Well, after that, I'm pretty sure he's serious. He risked so much for me, I'm sure I can trust him. I have to tell him."
"I'm so proud of you Kurt. You're so strong." Rachel pulled him in for a hug.
"Well, I haven't done anything yet," Kurt said, returning the hug. "I still have to call him and convince him to come talk to me. I'm not doing this over the phone, or somewhere where paparazzi can find us."
"Honestly, Kurt, I don't think that'll be a problem."
"I really hope you're right, Rach."
The two best friends watched the rest of the Mercedes Jones Show before Rachel went into the kitchen and started rooting around in the refrigerator for something to make for lunch. This was one of the days that she was glad that she only taught Tuesday to Friday; she loved spending time with Kurt and she felt she didn't get to see him enough.
After lunch, Kurt told Rachel he was going to call Blaine and went and locked himself in his room. He took out his cell phone and stared at it for a solid half hour before he had built up the courage to dial the now familiar number.
It rang twice before it was picked up, and in that time Kurt's brain kept switching from wishing he wouldn't answer to wanting him to hurry up.
"Hello?" Blaine's voice rang through the phone. Kurt felt a shiver go through his body, he had not realized how much he had missed Blaine in the last couple days.
""Blaine? It's Kurt. We need to talk."
"Kurt! I'm so glad you called. I've been trying to get a hold of you all week."
"I know and I'm really sorry. I might have overreacted a little bit. I can't believe you wrote that song for me. It was incredible. And you really came out? I'm so proud of you."
Kurt could hear the smile and relief in Blaine's voice when he replied. "I don't really know what I did to push you away, Kurt. But I need you to know that I will do anything to make it up to you."
"You already have," Kurt answered, feeling proud of himself that his voice hadn't broken. He couldn't believe what Blaine was saying to him. "And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to explain everything to you but I can't do it over the phone and I don't want to be anywhere that the paparazzi could find us. Do you think you could come here?"
"Whatever is easier for you Kurt. I want you to be comfortable. But, sorry, umm, where exactly are you?"
"Oh! Sorry!" Kurt giggled nervously. "I'm at my parents' house in Lima, Ohio." Kurt rattled off the address to Blaine and Blaine reassured him that he would get a flight out first thing the next day.
"See you, Kurt!"
"Bye, Blaine!"
The following morning, Kurt woke up bright and early and actually caught his dad and Carole before they left for work. He had explained everything the night before and Burt had been a little nervous at first but when he had heard what Blaine had done he told Kurt that he was proud of him for deciding to tell him his story.
"And remember Kurt, if anything goes wrong, you have my number on speed dial. I don't care what time it is, call me and I'll be here for you if necessary."
"Thanks dad," Kurt replied. "But I'm sure Blaine won't be a problem. I'll see you guys tonight."
Kurt gave his dad a hug and Carole a kiss on the cheek before the two left to go to work.
Kurt tried to keep himself busy until Blaine was scheduled to get there by cleaning the already spotless dishes and trying to write a little. Blaine had texted him the night before and said that his plane would land at 10 and he should be able to get to Kurt's house by 11. Kurt went over in his mind exactly what he wanted to say to Blaine. He figured telling him absolutely everything would be best, and he sincerely hoped that the singer would still want to be his friend after he found out how messed up Kurt's past was.
At 11:05, the doorbell rang. Kurt took a couple deep breaths to try and calm his nerves before going to the door to let Blaine in.
Upon opening his door, Kurt's breath caught in his throat. Even though Blaine looked rather worn from travelling, he was still stunningly beautiful.
"Hey," he said softly, motioning for Blaine to follow him into the house.
"Hi," Blaine said. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at Kurt.
"Are you hungry or thirsty? I'm always thirsty after I fly somewhere, I have no idea why," Kurt rambled.
Blaine chuckled and accepted a glass of lemonade from Kurt. "Thanks. I'm really sorry that I couldn't get here sooner, the plane was delayed and my suitcase was the last one out of the plane and all the taxi services were being used and it was just -"
"Calm down, it's alright. You're not even late."
Blaine smiled over at Kurt and stopped pacing the floor. In all honesty, Blaine had been terrified that Kurt would have heard his song and never want to speak to him again, and when he had called Blaine had been ecstatic. Now he wanted to be perfect for Kurt, and having been held up at the airport had not helped ease his mind.
"Ok, Blaine you're probably going to want to sit down for this story," Kurt stated, looking up at the frazzled boy.
Blaine jumped, seeming to have been lost in thought. "Sorry!" Blaine blushed sitting himself on the chair opposite Kurt. "And don't forget, Kurt, you can stop anytime you need to. I'm here for you but if it gets to be too much, know that you don't have to continue."
Kurt gazed over at him, a somewhat sad smile playing across his lips. "Thank you, Blaine," he whispered. "But I really do want to get this out."
"I'm listening whenever you're ready," Blaine supplied.
Kurt took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart. He hadn't told this story out loud in years and he was feeling quite nervous, but he knew that it was something he had to do. He looked over into Blaine's warm hazel eyes, searching for signs that he could definitely trust this man.
What he found warmed him inside. These eyes were so much different than those boys' back in high school. They held so much warmth and friendship and caring, and when Kurt looked even further he thought he might have even detected love.
Blaine felt like Kurt was reading his soul, the way he was gazing so intensely into his eyes, and Blaine tried not to flinch, but instead to radiate the trustworthiness and caring and... love that he felt for Kurt. He stopped his train of thought. Love? He'd have to get back to that one.
As the two men continued to stare at each other, Kurt seemed to finally find what he was looking for in Blaine's eyes, understanding, and it gave him the strength to tell his story.
"It all started in middle school, I guess," Kurt began, looking around the room, already feeling nervous about Blaine's intent gaze upon him. "Even before I came out in sophomore year of high school, everyone knew I was different. My voice, my love of fashion, everything about me just screamed gay and I didn't have any friends. I was a freak, or at least that's what everyone at school told me." Blaine flinched when Kurt referred to himself as a freak, not wanting to believe that a bunch of thick-headed kids had made him feel like this. "I wasn't sure why I couldn't just fit in, but I wanted to so badly. I couldn't hide who I was but I just wanted someone to accept me." Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt's hand where it was resting on the kitchen table, squeezing it reassuringly. Kurt gazed at him with teary eyes and offered a small smile at the acceptance that he felt rolling off Blaine in waves.
"Before I came out to my dad we were kind of distant. I mean we had always been close because we were all either of us had, but when I started to realize that I had feelings for other guys I became so scared to tell my dad that I just shut myself in and basically stopped talking. I couldn't stand the idea that the one man who was supposed to love me unconditionally might hate me after I confessed my secrets to him." Kurt paused to wipe his tears as he took a deep breath in order to continue.
"Most of the time I tried to ignore what was going on at school. They were just stupid kids, what did they know, right? But when I started freshman year of high school and it got even worse, I started to believe that they might be right. I didn't have a single friend, and even the outcasts couldn't stand to breathe the same air as me.
"One day, after I had been slushied twice, thrown in the dumpsters, and slammed into the lockers, a jock walked past me and yelled, 'Hey freak, why don't you just go die? We don't need you here spreading your fairy dust. Why don't you do us all a favour and kill yourself!' I guess they realized I was gay before I had even admitted it." Blaine looked horror struck that some kid could be so cruel and he squeezed Kurt's hand reassuringly as silent tears rolled down both of their faces.
"When I got home that night, I thought that maybe he was right and it would be easier for everyone if I was just gone. I wrote a note, apologizing to my dad and telling him it wasn't his fault and that I loved him. I had everything ready, the pills and everything. Just as I was about to do it, my cell phone rang. Nobody ever called me so I was really confused but I answered anyway, it wasn't like I really wanted to commit suicide so I was putting it off as much as possible.
"It turned out to be Rachel." Blaine jumped at this and looked at Kurt questioningly. Kurt smiled in response. "Yeah, that Rachel. She said that she heard what the Neanderthal had said in the hall earlier in the day and she would have called sooner but it had taken her a while, and some questionable means, to track down my cell phone number. She told me that she had two gay dads and even though it had been tough for them growing up in Ohio, they had luckily found each other and supported each other wholeheartedly. She told me that I shouldn't give up because I would be losing my chance at finding that kind of love and acceptance. She then asked me if I wanted to meet up for lunch the next day.
"That day my whole outlook on life changed, at least for a little while. I knew that I wouldn't let the jocks and other close-minded people get me down. I got rid of the pills but kept the note to remind myself never to let myself get that low again. Rachel helped me through freshman year and we became great friends. We've stayed friends ever since. She has literally saved my life many times, that day being the first time.
"We were still bullied pretty badly. Mostly by the jocks, but some of the other cliques started to join in too and it was still really difficult to get through school. But this time I had Rachel and we supported each other and looked out for each other. It was so difficult going into that school every day but we managed and I was starting to gain back some of my confidence that had been severely depleted before then.
"At the beginning of sophomore year, things seemed to be looking up. For some reason the football players had started being nice to me. I thought, 'this is great, if I can befriend them my days of torment and bullying are over.' I should have known what was coming but I was naïve in high school and I thought that if you trusted someone enough they would automatically be nice to you. You wouldn't believe how wrong I was." Blaine looked at Kurt sympathetically and unconsciously rubbed comforting circles on the back of his hand.
Kurt continued by telling Blaine about how the football players had invited him to a party at one of their houses, when it was empty; how he had been confused when he had pulled up in front of the abandoned building but pushed away his worries knowing that if he was with his 'friends' he'd be safe.
Blaine tensed at this, seeming to know what was coming next, and also seeming to understand why Kurt had freaked out and ran away when Blaine had invited him back to his empty apartment.
Kurt proceeded to describe the beating he had received in almost a monotone, as if he was numbly explaining the events in a storybook, not something that had actually happened to him. Tears started rolling down Blaine's face as he listened to Kurt continue to explain everything that had happened that night; how his father had found him, again thanks to a call from Rachel, how he had been in the hospital for a month and a half and when he returned to school half the football team had been expelled.
He continued to explain how he had never been able to get his confidence back after that and stopped talking for a year. He wrote everything down into a novel, the only one he had written and never published. He told about how difficult it had been to get up each morning and face a world full of people willing to hurt others just because they were different, but he had promised himself that he was a survivor and would never let anyone do that to him again.
When Kurt finished his tale he was shaking with sobs, and without hesitation, Blaine pulled his chair close to Kurt's and pulled the shaking man into his arms. He seemed absolutely exhausted, which Blaine could believe after rehashing his horrifying high school experiences and therefore reliving each one of those memories.
"I'm really sorry I ran, Blaine. I know you're nothing like those meatheads in high school, but I've just been suppressing the memories for so long that they just overwhelmed me all at once." Blaine looked down at Kurt's tear-streaked face as the brown-haired man looked pleadingly at him, asking him to forgive him with his eyes.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Kurt. It's not your fault what happened in high school and I don't blame you for running from the prospect of an empty apartment with a guy you've barely known for more than a week," Blaine replied, rubbing comforting circle into Kurt's tense back.
"But that's the thing, Blaine. I feel like I've known you forever. I feel like I can trust you as much as I can trust my dad and Carole, and Finn and Rachel. You're nothing like those guys from high school, and I know you'd never hurt me."
Blaine smiled down at Kurt. "I feel the same way," he whispered.
Kurt relaxed into Blaine and took comfort in his strong-armed embrace. He knew that Blaine would never do anything to hurt him, and he trusted him wholeheartedly. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, now that Blaine knew and understood everything that had happened in his past and hadn't ran screaming out the door. He gazed adoringly up at the hazel-eyed man who was gazing back affectionately and he realized that maybe this is what Rachel had been talking about all those years ago. That trust that you could have for someone and the 100% support.
I want him to kiss me, Kurt thought to himself. He blinked. Where did that come from? Looking back into Blaine's eyes Kurt thought, oh that's where.
Without even realizing, Kurt started to lean in and soon he felt his lips touch Blaine's. That spark that Kurt had only wrote about in his books passed between the two men and Blaine started to kiss back, hugging Kurt tightly to his chest; almost as if he was afraid that letting go would make the beautiful man in front of him disappear.
The kiss wasn't one of those earth-shattering kisses that you read about in books. It was slow, searching and caring; in Kurt's mind absolutely perfect.
When they eventually had to pull back for air, Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes, nervous of what he would find there. But the total devotion and adoration that he saw in the other man's eyes made him realize that maybe it is possible to have a happily ever after in real life too.
A/N: Sooo, was that ok? Please review and let me know what you thought. As I was writing this chapter I realized that this story is almost done. I'm thinking one more chapter and an epilogue. Like I said, Switzerland was incredible! I was staying in this tiny little town of about 1100 people. And guess what! One of the people who used to live there was Audrey Hepburn! Isn't that cool? They're very proud of her there and I went to the cemetery and saw her grave, and they have a bust of her too. It was really cool. (I thought you guys might find that interesting, considering Kurt made references to Audrey Hepburn a couple times on the show) I got to see so much of the country and my French is so much better now. I can understand around 90% now when someone's talking to me :D But I'm back now, and I have to catch up in my classes so I can take my exams next month. I figured out that 11 weeks is longer than summer vacation, so I have A LOT of catching up to do :P and it's my birthday next week. Woot! Woot! I'm excited :) anywho, thanks so much for reading and being patient with me. I'll try and get the next chapter up soonish. Reviews make me happy! :)