Love and Fame: A Klaine Story

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: some of this dialogue is taken from the show. I do not own glee or any of the characters, now, on to the story! Also, there's more cussing in this chapter than there has been in previous ones.
*****
School the next morning sucks. After the high I've been on from winning Sectionals and Blaine, returning to regular life where I'm shoved into lockers constantly hits me like a ton of bricks.
But hey, at least I avoided a slushy facial today.
"Hey white boy, what are you up to tomorrow night?" Mercedes asks me. I turn around to see her approaching my locker with a smile.
"Apparently whatever you're doing," I tell her. She hooks her arm through my own as we walk through the hallways together.
"My parents are hosting a dinner at my house and they said I could invite a friend. So I'm bringing my favorite white boy," she says. I smile and pat her hand gently.
"Well, count me in. You know I go anywhere there's free food," we both burst out laughing. Suddenly, I'm shoved away from Mercedes and am laying on the floor.
"Watch where you're going, fag," Karofsky's familiar taunt sounds as he walks away with his football buddies. I glare and Mercedes offers me her hand. She helps pull me up off the ground and I dust myself off.
"You okay?" She asks. I take a deep breath, calming myself before I answer her.
"I'm fine," I lie. I'm not fine. I'm getting sick and tired of always being scared that today I'll be thrown into the dumpster, or I'll be getting another slushie facial. Every time I hear a locker slam I jump anymore. I'm terrified to look around the corner because I'm scared that another jock is coming up the hall.
"Come on, let's get to glee," Mercedes suggests. I nod and follow her to glee club. I take my seat towards the back as I wait for Mr. Shue to start today's lesson, wanting nothing more to just immerse myself into the music today. I just need an escape.
Just recorded the best song ever! You are totally going to fanboy when you hear it :D my phone buzzes from Blaine's text, and it helps me smile a little. However, the feeling of fear still has its hold on my stomach as I respond.
Can't wait to hear it. I respond quickly, putting my phone away when Mr. Shue begins the lesson. I can feel it vibrating, but I don't want to respond at the moment. Like I said earlier. I just want to distract myself with the music.
I ignore Blaine all day, feeling bad about that I'm ignoring him but not wanting to tell anybody about it. It's not until I'm doing my nightly skin care regime that I look at my phone for the first time since glee.
You'll love it! So what's up with you?
Kurt? Is everything alright? Are you busy?
Okay I know something is wrong because you always send me a text saying you can't talk. You've never ignored me like this before. Please, just talk to me? I sigh, feeling tears in my eyes as I choke back a sob. I don't text Blaine back, but instead I dial his number. He picks up on the first ring.
"Kurt! There you are-" he breaks off from whatever he was going to say when he hears my crying.
"Kurt, what's wrong? You can talk to me," he says, his voice calm and gentle in my ear and I wish more than anything right now that he was here to hold me.
"I'm just, I'm so fucking done!" I cry. I try to steady my breaths so I can talk, but I can't seem to breath at the moment.
"Kurt, talk to me. What's going on?" Blaine asks. He just murmurs pointless words of encouragement into my ear as I calm myself down.
"I'm so fucking terrified anymore. I'm scared to walk down the halls because you never know if it's going to be a shove in the back. You never know if it's going to be a slushie facial. You never know if it's going to escalate and I'll just get the crap beaten out of me. I'm so fucking terrified and there's nothing anyone can fucking do," I yell, thankful that my dad is out and Carole is at work and Finn is at Rachel's.
"Then tell him off Kurt. Tell him that nothing they do will change you, that they will never win," Blaine says. I laugh darkly.
"Yeah, not going to happen. I like my face the way it is thank you very much," I say. Blaine is silent for a couple second.
"I think you'll end up regretting it if you don't," he tells me. I just sigh, too scared to do what he's telling me to do. I can just imagine my dad's face when he sees me in the hospital, beaten beyond the point of recognition. Karofsky's and Azimio's and all the football team's knuckle prints clear all over my body.
"It's not that simple," I whisper.
"You know, I wasn't always at Dalton. Before I transferred there, I was at a public school. I had just come out of the closet, and there was this Sadie Hawkins dance. I went with my friend, who was the only other openly gay kid at the school. While we were waiting for his dad to pick us up, we got the crap beaten out of us," Blaine pauses, and it's obvious that this is a really traumatizing story for him. I gasp and hold my hand to my mouth.
"Blaine," I whisper, not knowing what to say.
"I ran to Dalton because of it's zero tolerance bullying policy. But Kurt, one of my biggest regrets is that I ran like a coward. I didn't stand up to the guys who beat us up, three on two because they needed the numbers to prove they were tougher than us. But what I'm trying to say, is that if you don't stand up to these bullies, you'll look back on it later in life and regret it. Don't be a coward like I was Kurt," Blaine says. I swallow past the lump in my throat.
"You're not a coward Blaine. You perform in front of sold out audiences all over the country. A coward couldn't do that," I tell him. Blaine sighs, and we sit there in silence.
"You're the only other person besides my family who knows that story," he says. I smile weakly.
"Thank you for telling me it," I trail off, thinking about what he said. What if he's right? What if I get to New York, and look back on this and regret that I never stood up to Karofsky? What if it follows me to Broadway? What if I compare every single critic of mine to him and I never get over it.
"I'll do it, Blaine. I'm going to do it," I say.
"You aren't going to regret it Kurt. I promise you won't," Blaine tells me. I smile, and laugh at the solemn silence in the air.
"I have no clue why I'm laughing, I'm sorry," I say in between laughter. Blaine starts laughing as well, and soon we are both gasping for breath laughing at nothing at all.
Yeah, maybe I'll manage to do it tomorrow.
*****
The next day, I'm walking down the hallway when my phone buzzes with a text. I pull it out and smile as I see it's from Blaine.
Courage. My phone clatters to the ground and I'm shoved to into the lockers by Karofsky. He just shrugs when I look at him and disappears into the locker room. Anger wells up in me and I grab my phone before taking off after him.
"What is your problem?" I yell at him. He looks at me and continues taking clothes out of his locker.
"Besides you sneaking in here to take a peek at my junk?" Karofsky sneered at me. I roll my eyes.
"Right, every straight guy's nightmare that all us gays are out there to molest and convert you. Well guess what, you're not my type!" I yell at him, getting up in his face.
" Don't push me Hummel," he raises a fist and I look at it unflinchingly. Courage. I repeat over and over in my mind.
"You going to hit me? Do it," I tell him.
"I said, don't push me!" Karofsky yells. I just look at him and glare.
"Do it. Because you can't punch the gay out of me anymore than I can punch the ignoramus out of you. You are nothing but a scared little boy who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!" I yell.
Suddenly, his hands are on either side of my face and his lips are on mine as he kisses me. I stand there in utter fear as he kisses me. He pulls away and put my hand on my chest, feeling it beat uncontrollably. I push him away from me as he looks at me.
"You- you tell anyone, and I will fucking kill you," he threatens, and then slams into my shoulder as he leaves, causing me to lean against the lockers. I stand there with a hand over my mouth, still feeling the weight of his lips on mine.
"Kurt? What are you doing in here?" I look up to see Finn standing in the previously empty room. I was standing there for the whole period. I try to keep my voice steady so I don't reveal the fear that's inside me.
"Nothing. I was just leaving," I say, walking past him even as he tries to call me back. I don't go to my classes at all for the rest of the day, instead, I head out to my car and get inside, my mind still numb from what just happened.
David Karofsky is gay. He kissed me, he took my first kiss. And then he threatened to kill me if I told anyone. And I didn't know if he would actually follow through with that threat. My first thought is to call Blaine. He would know what to do. But then I remember Karofsky's threat. I can't tell anybody.
I drive home, knowing that dad will be at the shop and Carole is going to be at work. There, I can be alone. There, I don't have to worry about Karofsky.
I avoid all questions about my dad. I avoid Finn when he asks why wasn't I at glee club. I avoid dad when he asks why he got a call that I ditched my last three classes. I avoid Carole when she comes into my room and asks me what's wrong. I avoid Blaine's texts, even his calls. I leave my room to take care of my skin regime, only coming back in my room to find Finn on my phone, talking to someone.
"He's going to be pissed I called you but I know something happened. Just talk to him dude, will you?" Finn asks. I clear my throat, and he turns around. Finn holds out my phone, and I know immediately he called Blaine.
"Talk to him Kurt. If you won't talk to any of us, talk to him about whatever happened," Finn says. I glare at him, wishing he would just drop it.
"Nothing happened finn" I state.
"Don't give me that shit Kurt. When I saw you in the locker room you looked like someone was murdered in front of you. Talk to Blaine, and then talk to me. I need to know who I have to beat up," Finn hands me my phone and then leaves the room.
"Kurt, what's going on? You've been ignoring me all day and I thought something must have happened to you. And then Finn called me on your phone and says that you haven't talked to anyone all day and you skipped classes which is unlike you. Please Kurt, talk to me," Blaine pleads. A tear falls down my cheek before I can stop it.
"I can't Blaine. He threatened to kill me if I told anyone," I whisper. I hear Blaine's sharp inhale as I say that.
"Who threatened to kill you? Why? Kurt you have to tell someone," Blaine pleads. I sigh, knowing that this is why I didn't want to talk to him. Because if there's anyone who's would be able to convince me to tell them what happened, it's Blaine. And here he is, pleading with me to tell him what happened. And here I am, so close to breaking down and telling him.
"Kurt, please," Blaine voice cracks and that's what breaks me. I let out another tear as I tell him everything that happened between me and Karofsky. Me yelling at him, him kissing me, and finally, him threatening to kill me.
"I'm going to kill that guy," Blaine growls.
"Blaine, you can't. Besides, you're in New York, and I can't tell anyone. Not only because of what he said, but I really don't believe in outing. And that's what I would have to do if I told someone," I say.
"I'd rather he get outed than you get hurt," Blaine says. I sigh, knowing he's right. But do I really have the courage to tell someone?
"Kurt, you have to tell your parents. You have to tell the school, they will be able to do something, I promise," Blaine says. I lick my suddenly dry lips, holding the phone tightly.
"Will you stay on the phone with me while I tell them?" I whisper.
"Always," Blaine's voice, always so calm in my ear, sounds like a promise. I smile slightly, wiping my wet cheeks, and head downstairs where I know my dad and Carole are.
*****
"A very serious allegation has been made here. We don't take these kinds of threats lightly," Principal Figgins says, looking between my dad and me, and Karofsky's father and him.
"I swear I didn't even touch him," Karofsky says. My dad looks at him pissed.
"And why would my son lie? I raised him and I know he's not a lier," he says. Karofsky shrugs, leaning against the couch behind him.
"I don't know maybe he likes me?" He tries to shrug it off, but I can tell he's scared. I just sit there silent, too afraid to speak.
"Mr. Karofsky, I don't card what or who your son is, but the minute he attacks my son, that's where I step in. If my son said that David here threatened his life, I believe him," my dad tells Mr. Karofsky.
"David, there have been multiple reports of you bullying Mr. Hummel here. I'm afraid I have to punish you," Principal Figgins says. Karofsky looks at him like he's crazy.
"Please sir, this will stop me from getting a football scholarship!" He pleads. But thankfully, Principal Figgins doesn't waver.
"You will get five days out-of-school suspension, effective immediately," at this, my dad stands up, furious.
"That's it? He threatened to kill my son and all he gets is a slap on the wrist?" He yells. Principal Figgins looks at him sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel. But as of right now I have no proof. It is simply your son's word against David's. This is the most I can do," he says.
"Dad, it's okay," I tell him. He looks at me and I nod, trying to get him to calm down.
"Come on David, let's go," Mr. Karofsky leads him out of the office, and I look towards Sue and Mr. Shue. They both were also voicing their opinions at Figgins about just five days of suspension.
"People, people, I'm sorry. But there's just nothing I can do about it. If I had expelled him, they would have gone straight to the school board and they would have said I had no proof. Simply the word of a student is not enough to warrant expulsion," Principal Figgins says. Sue turns towards me next, and I have to remind myself not to flinch under her hard stare.
"Porcelain, I'm sorry about this. Don't worry, I've got my eyes out for you. If anyone makes a move to harm you, I will be on them faster than white on rice," she promises. I manage a small smile at the gesture, knowing I'm seeing a side of Sue she rarely lets anybody see. Even by letting me pick out my own nickname, she is still protecting me.
"I appreciate that, Sue," my dad says. Mr. Shue shakes his hand, and he leaves. My dad turns towards me next.
"Are you sure you're alright, kiddo?" He asks. I nod, taking a deep breath before I respond.
"Yeah, I will be. At least I got five days where I don't have to worry about anything," I leave out that I still have to keep an eye out for the other jocks, but the worst of it will be gone with Karofsky.
"I'm going to have Finn keep an eye out for you-"
"Dad, he's already doing that. He can't watch me 24/7 and to be honest I don't want him to. I don't need a babysitter," I argue. Dad just looks at me sternly.
"I'm not taking any chances here, Kurt. You mean too much to me to just let you suffer in silence," he says. I nod, knowing I won't win any kind of argument against him right now.
"Now, go to class. You've skipped enough," he says. I get up, and he pulls me into a hug.
" I love you kiddo," he whispers in my ear. I smile at the words. It's not like my dad to be overly affectionate. And even though I know he's scared, I feel better in his fatherly embrace.
"I love you too dad," I tell him. He lets go of me and I grab my bag, heading to class. I'm walking through the halls when I remember I promised to text Blaine after the meeting.
Hey, so he ended up getting five days suspension. Blaine responds almost immediately, and I somehow manage to walk and text at the same time.
What? That's it? He threatened to kill you and all he gets is a five day suspension?! I smile a little at his response, my heart warming a little at how he cares for me.
It's honestly more than I thought I'd get. It's just his word against mine, and I managed to not have to tell his dad about why he threatened to kill me. I send the text as I walk into my French class.
I'm still not sure if you should have done that. Like I said, I'd rather he get outed than you get hurt. Blaine texts.
I told my dad and Carole. That's enough outing for one person. Besides, like I said, I don't believe in outing somebody if I can help it. He still got punished, and he can tell his father when he's ready. The bell rings, and I text Blaine a quick talk to you later text before my class starts.
These next five days will probably be the best of my life.