Sideways

Chapter 5

"Kurt, you are my hero," Rachel said, dramatically on the other end of the phone on Sunday afternoon. "Honestly, I can't thank you enough for this."

"It's okay," Kurt told her falling back against the pillows on his bed.

It wasn't okay. He was as nervous as hell. He had spent the entire morning fidgeting and trying to concentrate on homework and housework, but he could not get his mind off the party.

"Kurt, are you sure you want to do this?" Mercedes, who was over at Rachel's house, asked.

"Of course," Kurt told her. "It's terrible that they would read someone's personal diary aloud for all to hear."

"But, why would they ask you?" Mercedes asked, sceptically. "And Blaine Anderson, of all people. You don't think it's some kind of.. trap?"

Kurt had already contemplated that, but every time someone was friendly to him, he automatically assumed they were setting him up. Sometimes, you just had to take that chance.

"It's nothing I can't handle," Kurt said, hoping he sounded convincing.

Kurt had never gone to a real party. The last party he had been at had been when he was 9 and some kid invited the entire class to his birthday party. There had been a clown and bouncy castle. This was going to be very different, he imagined, though with Puckerman, who knew?

"Are you sure?" Mercedes said.

Kurt took a deep breath and shut his eyes tight, that feeling of dread still swimming around in the pit of his stomach. He opened his eyes and exhaled, his shoulders dropping, then spoke.

"I'm sure."

***

"What's the fuck is Hummel doing here?" Karofsky growled next to Blaine.

Puckerman's house was dark and filled with people. Loud music thumped in Blaine's ears, the room was warm and stuffy, people shouting and laughing and talking loudly. He turned to look in the direction that Karofsky was scowling and saw Kurt lingering by the door. He was wearing a greyish vest, with a long sleeved, white shirt underneath. His pants were dark and tightly-fitted, but beyond that Blaine couldn't see much more.

"I invited him," he said, out loud.

Karofsky, Puck and Azimio turned their shell-shocked gazes on him. Blaine shrugged, trying to play unhinged.

"I thought we could have a little fun with him later."

The guys nodded and laughed and Puck high-fived him. He hoped they would forget about Kurt later. Blaine planned on getting far too drunk to remind them, anyway. If he was sober, he felt as if he would have to remind them, because they would bring it up the following day. Blaine didn't care that it was a school night, he just needed to stop being aware of everything around him just for a little while.

He sipped a can of beer for the first hour or so, as he listened to his friends chatting away. His eyes kept searching through the crowds, past the colliding bodies and through the darkness, searching out that coiffed hair and pale, pale skin. Kurt had disappeared out of Blaine's view for a long time. He wondered if he had gone home. Then he saw him.

Blaine extended his neck a little to see where Kurt was heading and it turned out he was walking upstairs. Blaine watched a moment, then waved his half-full can at his friends, signalling that he was going to get another. He stood up, a little dizzy and crossed the room, people moving out of his way. He laid the can down on a small table and began climbing the stairs, taking small, cautious steps, because even Blaine Anderson would get laughed at if he fell.