Prompt: Jonathan Archer- "I thought that all the risks would be worth it, because just beyond the next planet, just beyond the next star... there would be something magnificent, something noble. And now he is dead, and I have to make a speech about how worthwhile it's all been."- 'Enterprise'
Looking into the mirror I fixed the tie so that it was straight. Too bad it wasn't for the rehearsal dinner that had originally been planned for tonight. Instead, the occasion I was getting ready for was quite a bit sadder and definitely unexpected.
I hadn't told anyone about what Karofsky had done, but somehow it had gotten out. Someone must have overheard one of the brief discussions that had taken place and suddenly Karofsky had gone from ruling the hallways to being one of the harassed. It wasn't something that I would wish on anyone, even someone who had threatened to kill me. Despite everything he had done to me though, I had still approached him and offered my support - he hadn't wanted it.
And now he was dead. He hadn't been able to handle the ridicule so he had taken his own life. Dad and Carole had chosen to postpone their wedding under the circumstances, for which I was glad. Despite the fact that he had spent the last few weeks making my life a living hell, it didn't seem right to be having a wedding the day after a classmate's funeral.
"Kurt, you ready to go?"
Turning from the mirror I see that Finn, also dressed in a suit and tie, is standing on the bottom step.
"Yeah," I reply, grabbing the suit jacket from the back of my desk chair, checking the pocket one last time for the speech I had written for the occasion.
"You're really going to get up and speak tonight, after everything he's done to you?" Finn asks, as I tuck the paper back into the pocket.
"Yes," I tell him, slipping the jacket on as I walk toward him.
"Why?"
"Because I understand the world that he lived in. The world in which you hide who you are just to try to go unnoticed. The constant fear that follows you wherever you go. Dave just wasn't able to cope with it."
"And you?" Finn asked, looking down at me.
I could see the question he wasn't putting into words clearly in his eyes.
"I'm fine, Finn. Don't worry. Whenever things start looking bleak I cling to the belief that better things are around the next corner for me. It's what keeps me going."
Finn nodded, accepting the answer. As we headed up the steps though, I felt his arm come to rest across my shoulders. That small gesture was a reminder that the hope that I clung to at times wasn't farfetched.