Prompt: Gilbert Blythe -"Oh, well at least you're acknowledging me now. That's an improvement." - 'Anne of Green Gable'
Burt sighed. 'Just wait until he's a teenager'. He had heard that phrase often and had dismissed it. After all, how could things be worse than that first year after Kathleen had died. He had found out. Since Kurt had started high school it was like he shared the house with a stranger.
It wasn't the obvious things that had changed. Kurt still gooped his hair up and wore outlandish outfits. He was still the usual help around the house and cooked meals. Kurt still did his homework without being told to and generally stayed out of trouble. Still, something wasn't quite right, so Burt had called the school counselor with his concerns. Miss Pillsbury had promised to talk to Kurt and she had. Since then, the only words he had heard from Kurt was the angry comments following the talk. Surprised that Kurt had raised his voice, Burt hadn't even caught everything.
Now there was nothing but silence. Too much silence for Burt's liking but he wasn't sure how to fix the situation.
"Dad, I need you to sign this please," Kurt said, drawing Burt out of his thoughts.
"Oh, you're acknowledging me now," Burt commented distractedly, taking the paper that Kurt held out to him.
Kurt muttered something under his breath that Burt was sure he didn't want to know what it was. He didn't think he could stand silence from his son for much longer and if he asked Kurt to repeat those words he had a feeling that was what it would lead to.
"Detention?" he asked, as he read the paper. He looked up at Kurt. "What did you do to get a detention?"
"Irefusedtotakeashoweraftergymclass," Kurt said quickly but softly.
"What was that?"
"I refused to take a shower after gym," Kurt told him. "And expect more because serving detention isn't going to change that," a hint of defiance in his voice now.
"Why?"
"It's complicated," Kurt replied, looking down at the floor.
Burt sighed. Though Kurt wouldn't admit, Burt had a feeling he knew what it was. Ever since Kurt was little he had known his son was different from most boys. As much as he tried to overlook it, at times like this he couldn't. He also wasn't sure how to tell his son what he suspected. What he wouldn't give to have Kathleen here.
Burt signed the paper. He wouldn't stand in the way of the discipline, rules were rules, but he also wasn't going to let the situation to continue. "Tell your teacher to expect a visit from me," Burt said as he handed his son the paper. "We're going to have to figure out a solution that everyone can live with instead of you serving detentions for the rest of the year."
"Thanks, Dad," Kurt replied, as he turned and headed for his room.
Burt sighed again. Kurt was talking to him again but nothing had been resolved and Burt didn't know how to go about accomplishing that.