Prompt: Mark Greene - "See, there's two kinds of people. The kind that gets rid of their feelings. And the kind that keeps them. If you're going to keep your feelings, you're going to get sick from time to time. That's just how it works." -'ER'
By the time my mother got home I had made up my mind to come clean and face the consequences of my actions. I knew Puck was not going to be happy with me but then it wouldn't be the first time that we hadn't seen eye to eye on something.
"Finn, what are you still doing up?" she asked as soon as she walked through the door.
"I couldn't sleep," I replied, looking up at her from the couch. "I've got a confession to make," I added.
I saw her expression change from surprise to worry, as she pushed the front door shut behind her. "What is it?" she asked, as she joined me on the couch a few moments later.
"I didn't tell the whole truth about where I was yesterday afternoon. Puck and I did go out for pizza after practice but that was after we had tossed Kurt into the dumpster," I told her looking down at the floor as I made my confession.
"Finn, why?" she asked. I could hear the disappointment in her voice.
"The football team was insisting on carrying out the 'unofficial hazing'," I admitted. It was unofficial because the school did not sanction it and the last group of kids to get caught participating in a hazing had been suspended. "I wasn't able to talk them out of it so I got them to agree to tossing him in the dumpster. I figured at least it was something that had been done before and he wouldn't get hurt. At least I didn't think he would."
"Before? Finn, didn't we have this discussion last year after you got suspended for a day following the pee balloon incident."
"Yes but I just wanted the guys to like me."
"By being a bully?" my mother asked. "Because that is exactly what it is, and Kurt got hurt because of it this time."
"I didn't mean for him to get hurt."
"But he did. Nothing can change that but I am proud of you for admitting your involvement."
"I couldn't sleep because of the guilt," I told her looking up at her.
"Then there is hope for you yet," she told me. "Tomorrow we're going to stop by the hospital before I take you to school. You're going to apologize personally to Burt and Kurt and then you're going to tell Principal Figgins what you told me."
"Puck's going to hate me, isn't he?" I asked, thinking of my best friend who had told me to keep my mouth shut.
"If he's a real friend, he'll forgive you and if he doesn't then you shouldn't be hanging out with him anyway," she told me, getting to her feet. "Now it's late. Go get some sleep."
Nodding, I got to my feet and headed for my bedroom. I couldn't say I felt great, but I did feel as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.