The Hallway

Kurt knew it wasn't going to be easy to face Karofsky, but it was far worse than he thought it would be. The other boy had done nothing but apologize, and he was surrounded by adults that he knew would be on his side, but it didn't stop the terror that flooded him at just the sight of his tormentor. When his father put hands on his shoulders, he knew that it was meant to comfort him, but it only made him more tense. He remembered the feel of Karofsky grabbing him.

He did his best not to let his fear show, keeping his chin up and his shoulders squared. Still, he couldn't seem to make himself actually speak. He could only smile shyly as Mr. Schue and a teacher he didn't recognize joined them in the office. He didn't know why having Schue see him like this felt so much worse than anyone else; maybe it was because he'd tried so hard to never let anyone at this school see him beaten only to stand before them now, literally beaten.

Will followed everyone else into the room, his eyes full of sympathy and sadness as he realized just how terribly his former student had been hurt by the jock in the room with them. He took a seat across from Kurt and Burt Hummel, and took a moment to pinch at the bridge of his nose as he tried to figure out how they were going to make this work. He hadn't been happy with Kurt leaving McKinley, but he at least thought the boy would be safe over at Dalton Academy. The fact that he wasn't complicated things, and this time he would be sure to find a solution to make sure Kurt Hummel was in an environment where he felt safe.

"I completely understand where you're coming from, Burt. I want Kurt to be safe just as much as you do. Now I know Kurt's friends in New Directions, along with myself, would love to have him back at McKinley," he explained, smiling kindly at Kurt before continuing. "But only if we can guarantee that he's going to be safe here." He spared a small look at David Karofsky, knowing that the large jock was the main reason that Kurt had left McKinley in the first place.

He didn't know where to start with solving the issue. Ask David why he felt the need to attack another student and then politely ask him to please stop? Somehow he wasn't sure that would get them very far. Maybe if the attack happened at McKinley it'd be easier, but Kurt had been off the school grounds which made it impossible for the other student to be expelled.

Noticing that Kurt was being unusually quiet for his typical outspoken self, he leaned forward in his chair and gently clasped his hands together as he rested them in his lap. "Kurt, is there anything you'd like to say about this? We're all listening," he told the student, gesturing with a hand to the others in the room, his eyes lingering on David before he turned back to Kurt. If Kurt was going to say something, Will wanted to make sure David was listening to every word.

Lily smiled at Burt "I'm Lily Largo I'm the new drama teacher." Lily followed Will and the others to Emma's office. She had seen bullying like this before and she always felt she needed to help out. The more faculty members aware the better.

Kurt had lots he wanted to say, and...lots that he knew he just couldn't. Not in front of the others. He couldn't just "out" Dave like that, even if at times it was really tempting...no one deserved to be outed before they were ready. Even neanderthal assholes. Besides, admittedly, Kurt was still far too humiliated about that part of things, and there was no way he would make his father worry about that, too.

He nodded slightly at Schue, giving him a small smile of gratitude for giving him a safe place to do this. He was angry and yes, still frightened, but he knew he would never be able to say any of this without the others around keeping Dave from attacking him.

He closed his eyes for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and his courage. Then he turned to Dave. "You scare the hell out of me," he admitted quietly. "Is that what you want to hear? Because if it is, you win. I...left my friends and my family because I was afraid of you. Afraid that at any moment you were going to appear and shove me into a locker. Or take something from me. Or..." He stopped himself from revealing too much. "I let you make me afraid of leaving my own house because I might run into you and you'd find a way to corner me and hurt me again. Or threaten to hurt me or my friends or family." He clenched his jaw, feeling himself starting to shake a little bit, more out of rage than fear. "I thought leaving would make things better for everyone. I let you win and I left. But you still won't leave me alone." He glared at Dave, his anger growing. "You've literally made me sick. I've lost weight. I've lost so much sleep and had nightmares and...made my friends and family worry. You proven that I wasn't even safe in my own dorm room. You're bigger than me, I get it. You're...," his eyes flitted over Karofsky critically, "...physically stronger. And you've shown that you're not going to stop coming after me no matter where I am. So you've won. I am afraid of you." He jutted his chin up proud and bravely stepped closer. "Do you really think that terrorizing someone half," he cocked his head to the side as though considering, "perhaps a third your size is impressive? Nobody except your homophobic 'friends' would ever be impressed by that. So you can tell them that you won. I'm scared of you. I don't know what else you want from me..." Well, that wasn't entirely true. He swallowed thickly, feeling more than a little ill at that. "But I'm not giving you anything else. And I'm taking back my life. You can't hurt me anymore. Because...because I'm not going to hide anything."

He unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and revealed the deep bruising from when Dave choked him the night before. He wasn't going to hide it anymore. Not for Dave. For a moment he almost tossed the scarf to the floor in a show of defiance, but...no scarf deserved such poor treatment, so he pressed it back into his father's hands. "I'm not letting you take anything else from me. And I'm going to take everything back. I'm not letting you keep me away from my family or friends, or my boyfriend. I'm not going to hide what you've done. Or anything you might do. Everyone will know. Everything," he added pointedly.

Paul was beyond mortified when he saw the Hummel boy's face. Dave had done that. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that Dave was guilty of assaulting the smaller boy. He covered his mouth with his hand, doing his best to not let his horror show. Dave was his son and Paul loved him more than anyone else in the world, but lately he felt as though he didn't even know the boy anymore. He clamped his hand on Dave's shoulder as though he were afraid his son would run.

Dave did his best not to let his anger show as his father prodded him to follow the others into the office. This was going to be a slaughter and he knew it; everyone in that room was against him--even his father. It wasn't his fault that Hummel's pale skin showed every little mark. He was a little surprised by how dark the bruises on Hummel's face were today. He briefly wondered if maybe Hummel was wearing makeup to make it look worse so he could play the victim.

He couldn't help but feel a little thrill as Hummel admitted how scared he was. He did feel a little bit bad as Hummel described actually getting sick. And he really hadn't wanted Hummel to leave McKinley.

Paul literally gasped when the Hummel boy removed his scarf and revealed how he'd been strangled. As a grown man he could not remember the last time he'd cried, but he felt tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "David!" he admonished, his heart breaking as he thought about how much the young Karofsky had changed.

"I'm so sorry," Paul was working up to apologize, but Dave beat him to it. He looked to his son, who had his head down, looking ashamed. "I didn't mean to do that. I just panicked," Dave continued, sounding very remorseful. Paul squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of support.

"David has been on the wrong path for the past few months, but he is a good boy. What can we do to fix this? What can we do to get David back on the right track?" He couldn't yet bring himself to look at Burt or Kurt, but instead looked to the teachers, pleading with them to help him figure out how to straighten Dave out. He'd work on making things up to the Hummels as soon as they discussed what to do with Dave.

Burt wanted to believe the Karofsky kid was genuinely sorry for what he'd done, but he just didn't. It was too easy considering the lengths the kid had gone to to torment Kurt. More than likely the boy was only sorry because he'd been caught and was being called out on his actions.

Burt snorted and scowled as he heard Paul asking about how to help Dave. As a father he did understand where the man was coming from, he always put Kurt ahead of anyone else, as well. That didn't mean he had to be happy about someone else doing it at the expense of his son. "Your kid should be locked up. We should be at the police station discussing this instead of the school," he spat out through grit teeth.

[Oh God, that is so Kurt to not throw the scarf. Haha. ]

Will listened on as Kurt told his story, and it was only a matter of seconds before his heart dropped and he literally felt sick to his stomach. David Karofsky was a bully. That much he had known. Everyone had known that. But hearing Kurt’s story, hearing Kurt describe all of his emotions and what went on inside of his head in this much detail for the first time, it was sickening. He hated knowing that Kurt had felt this way, and as his Glee director he hadn’t been able to stop it.

Just when he felt things couldn’t possibly get any worse, he noticed Kurt removing the scarf. The boy had always worn scarves to school, despite the temperature outside, so the fact that he had been hiding anything had never evened passed Will’s mind. The scarf was planed in Burt’s hands, and Will’s jaw literally dropped as his eyes found the bruises covering his former student’s neck. He had failed as a teacher when it came to keeping his students safe (even if Kurt had transferred), and he was going to do whatever he could to somehow make this right.

“Kurt, I’m so sorry,” he apologized before he could stop himself. No, he hadn’t put those bruises there, but he hadn’t done enough when he had the chance and he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for that.

“You panicked?” His tone wasn’t harsh, just shocked. “David, panicking isn’t exactly a legitimate excuse for what you did to another student,” he explained, his voice calm as he tried to keep from getting too upset with anyone. Raising his voice wasn’t going to make this any easier for anyone.

Will looked at Paul Karofsky, but before he could come up with some sort of professional response, Burt spoke up as well. He took a deep breath, deciding to address Paul’s issue first. “Paul, I’m not so sure what we’d be able to do, unless David is actually committed to fixing this. He’s done…a lot of damage, both physical and emotional. I don't think a simple 'I'm sorry' is going to be enough to erase everything he's done to Kurt in the past.”

Dave's head lowered at Schue's words. "I know," he agreed quietly. "I know it's not an excuse. I really messed up," he admitted, biting his lip hard. "And I'm sorry," he repeated, keeping his head down, his face hidden. He felt his father's hand squeeze his shoulder again and looked up slightly, his eyes watery and slightly rimmed with red.

"I know we can't erase anything," Paul agreed, looking down at his son. "But you are willing to commit to fixing this, aren't you, David?"

Dave hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting from his father, to Schue, and then landing on Kurt. His eyes lingered on the dark bruises on Kurt's throat for a few moments before his head lowered again. After a few moments, his head bobbed slightly. "Yes. I know I can't take back what I did. I got caught up in...that doesn't matter, it's not an excuse. I know I can't fix everything, but I want to try. What can I do?"

There really wasn't any way Kurt could imagine ever feeling comfortable being around Dave. Things had gone way too far for that. Besides, he wasn't so sure that Dave was being sincere with his apologies...though the tears did make it seem more compelling. He softened a little bit, knowing how confused Dave was. He thought back to how Blaine had tried to help Karofsky way back when the whole mess started. Maybe...

No. He really didn't want to spend any time with Dave. And he wasn't even remotely interested in creating or joining that gaylesball club thing that Rachel had suggested last year. But there was a local chapter of PFLAG, he realized. He almost smirked as he pictured Karofsky attending their meetings. There was no way the closeted Neanderthal would go for it. But...at least if he suggested it, he wouldn't come out looking like the bad guy who couldn't find it in him to try and work things out. He wasn't even remotely close to forgiving, and he was afraid that he probably would never be able to forget--but maybe if Karofsky did go to the meetings, he would get less confused and stop harassing Kurt.

"You've been incredibly ignorant," he informed Karofsky bluntly. "There is nothing wrong with being gay," he added pointedly, "despite how your friends like to make it seem like it's the worst thing in the world. It makes them feel proud to tear gay people down, make us feel like we're worth less. Throwing around homophobic slurs and putting us down only makes it that much harder for us to be open and be who we are." He knew that Karofsky's friends had to be making it that much harder for him to come to terms with his own sexuality. Kurt really wasn't sure what he'd have done without the support of his own friends. "There's a local chapter of the Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. If you're serious about trying to 'fix' things, you could start by attending some of the meetings, and educate yourself," he challenged.

Will looked on as David spoke, his own face heavy with concentration as he tried to decide whether he felt the boy's apology was genuine or not. He had clearly caused Kurt a lot of pain and misery, so it seemed unlikely for him to just apologize out of the blue. Kurt's dad was present, as was David's, along with two faculty members. Even a bully like David Karofsky would know that now would be the time to apologize, whether it was sincere or not.

When Kurt suggested that David attend the PFLAG, Will smiled at his former student then looked to David and his father. It wouldn't solve all their issues, but it was certainly a start. "See that?" He held his arms out as if to say 'there you have it.' "You wanted a way to fix this, there you go. Obviously the damage you've caused as already been done, but I think Kurt's idea is an excellent start," he said, before falling silent and waiting to hear David and Mr. Karofsky's thoughts on the whole idea.

Burt wasn't sure what to think as he heard Kurt's suggestion. His son really amazed him sometimes. If he'd been in Kurt's shoes there was no way in hell that he'd be letting Karofsky off that easy. Then again, before Kurt if he'd been forced to attend such meetings when he was young (and in hindsight, quite ignorant) he would have found it torturous. He eyed Kurt suspiciously and thought perhaps he saw just a small hint of a smug smile. Yeah, his kid knew what he was doing. Although, there was one thing that bothered him. There wouldn't really be a way to know for sure that Karofsky was attending the meetings. Unless...

"This group thing--it's for parents, too?" he asked, wondering how he'd never heard of this group before. "I might be interested in attending this thing myself," he offered. "Maybe David and me can go together." That way he'd be able to know for sure that Karofsky was going. Plus, it'd be harder for the kid to keep tormenting Kurt if he knew he was going to be facing Burt each week. Besides, he would do anything for his son, but he didn't really understand him a lot of the time. Maybe if he checked this Parents and Friends group out he might benefit a bit from it himself.

They had to be kidding. Dave did his best to keep his head down and his features schooled so that no one could see his fury. He knew Hummel was purposely needling him with the request. He glanced up briefly at his father, almost hoping that the man would protest, but like everyone else in the room, his father was watching him expectantly, wanting him to agree to attend these stupid meetings.

With Kurt's father.

Unfortunately, it seemed that he wasn't going to have much choice in the matter. So he looked over at Hummel and nodded. "Okay. I'll go," he reluctantly agreed, looking as remorseful as he could considering this development.

Paul smiled down at his son, proud that he was owning up to his mistakes and trying to make amends. He was still concerned, though, that it wouldn't be enough. He knew the boys that David was friends with, and knew that they were not the best influence. He'd heard them laughing about things they'd done to some of the other kids at school. "Now that football season is over, maybe...maybe you could also help out with the choir or the theater to make amends?" he suggested, looking to Schuester and Largo, hopeful that they'd be open to this suggestion as well. "I'd like to see you expand your horizons beyond just sports," he explained.

Dave's eyes widened. No way. "I don't think they...I don't think they'd really want me around," he protested weakly, his face flushing with guilt as he considered all the things he'd done to the gleeks and the theater kids over the years.

"Yes, I believe so, Burt," Will confirmed, rubbing his hands together as he listened to the parents and students discussing a way to make things right. He knew Kurt's opinion was most important here, and if he felt that having David attend the meetings would be beneficiary then that would be that. They couldn't force David to attend the meetings, though. If he wanted to make things right, then he would have to make the effort and the choice to attend them on his own.

He licked at his lips as he thought over what David's father was suggesting. He knew it would be a risk, but having the jock temporarily join Glee club might actually do a lot of good. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea. I think it'd be really great for you to sit in and see what Glee club is all about, David," he insisted with what he hoped was an enthusiastic smile. He knew New Directions was like a family, but it had to be hard on the kids to be taunted day in and day out. Maybe having David sit in on their meetings for a while would do some good and help tone down all the bullying.

Burt tentatively nodded his approval. The Glee Club kids he knew were all pretty good kids, and he appreciated that they had all grown to not just accept but like Kurt, who hadn't ever had many friends before. And hell, the change he'd seen in Puckerman in the time since he'd joined the club was astounding. He wasn't stupid; he knew how much Puckerman had tormented Kurt--and there was the whole mess with Finn and his ex-girlfriend--but he'd really grown up a lot in the past year. He'd become more of a stand-up sort of guy. Maybe it would do the same thing for Karofsky. But he wouldn't let it happen at Kurt's expense.

"You going to be okay with that?" he asked Kurt point blank. "Him being in the club with you?"

"Is he? Going to be in the club with me?" Kurt asked carefully, wondering if that meant that his dad had already decided that he'd be going back to McKinley. He was honestly torn on that decision. He loved McKinley and his friends here. But he'd made some great new friends at Dalton now, too. Reed. Shane. Wes and David and the twins and...and of course the main reason he wasn't sure he wanted to leave Dalton: Blaine.

There were weekends and holidays of course, but that just wouldn't be the same. Especially since they'd started sharing a room at night...but somehow he didn't think his father would like that arguement in the slightest. Sure, his dad would probably let Blaine stay over now and then (though most likely only on the sofa...) and maybe he'd be able to convince his dad to let him stay over at Dalton sometimes. But...he dreaded the idea of not sleeping in Blaine's protective embrace every night. And...he didn't want to imagine not being able to have more mornings like this one. He could feel his cheeks pinking a little bit as he thought about that.

But here wasn't the place for them to have this discussion. And he wasn't completely ready to make his decision anyway.

So he looked over to Dave. He wasn't sure what to think of Karofsky in Glee Club. Could he even sing? Plus, Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to have to see Dave every single day. He could see the hopeful expressions on Mr. Karofsky and Mr. Schue's faces, though. And he had to admit that being in Glee had really changed Puck and even Finn. Plus he'd look like the bad guy if he dismissed the idea outright.

He squared his shoulders, and bravely let his eyes meet Dave's. "He'll have to audition, of course," he declared. "And...maybe it could be probationary," he suggested, his eyes flicking momentarily over to Schuester. "Which will mean no more harassing me. No more threatening me or my friends or family or boyfriend. No more pushing Tina. Or slushieing Rachel. Or anyone else," he added firmly.

"Of course," Will answered in reply to Karofsky having to audition. Everyone had to audition for New Directions, even if they did all end up making it into the Glee club. He was still caught on the comment about Kurt coming back to New Directions. Having his student back in Glee club would be fantastic, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions and he really wanted Kurt to be safe wherever he did end up going to school.

"It would only be temporary," he clarified as he leaned forward in his seat. With competitions coming up, throwing in a new member so late in the game would really throw them off, especially if it was a student who was known to hate the school's Glee club. But, Will was sure that this was going to end positively. Maybe all the students would somehow find a way to work together and learn from each other. "And there would be no bullying or harassing of any of the Glee club students, but I think everyone would really benefit from this."

Burt nodded at Kurt's question. He really didn't feel comfortable with the idea of Kurt staying at Dalton where Burt had absolutely no chance at protecting him. He didn't like the idea of Kurt going to the same school as the Karofsky kid, either, but at least at this school he'd have Finn and the other Glee Club fellas watching out for him, and he'd be home at night. It would also save a lot of money that the Hudson and Hummel clan didn't really have. Of course when he thought it was keeping Kurt safe, it had been worth it. But knowing now that it wasn't, Burt couldn't justify the sacrifices the entire family was having to make.

"I think this sounds like a good plan to start with," Burt agreed with Schuester. They could always revisit the situation if Karofsky didn't improve. He looked back to Kurt again. "But you got to start telling me, and your teachers here, if things ain't working out. He gives you any trouble...I don't want you hiding nothing from us," he reiterated.

"I won't," Kurt assured his father. He glanced at Karofsky, quirking an eyebrow, silently telling Karofsky he meant it this time. He still wasn't sure he was comfortable with this whole arrangement, but he wanted to believe that it really was going to be okay this time. He was excited about returning home and everything, but leaving Blaine and Dalton...no, not leaving Blaine. He was still torn about this decision, but he'd make it work. Surely he'd be able to argue to be allowed to stay over at the dorms a few nights. With Alex staying, the house was going to be a little crowded. Plus, Finn and Rachel being married and living at home would probably give his case a bit more leverage.

Dave scowled momentarily, but forced himself to nod contritely. "Deal," he agreed to the terms. He wasn't looking forward to this at all...though he had to admit he was a little intrigued by the fact that Hummel was going to be returning to McKinley--and presumably would be back in Glee Club as well. That could be interesting.

Will sighed with relief as everyone seemed to agree to the plan. He relaxed his shoulders as he looked around at everyone. "It's settled then. David will audition for a temporary spot in New Directions, and we'll see how things go from there." For all he knew, maybe David would end up loving Glee club and stick around for the rest of the competition season.

But, there was one more question on Will's mind that had only been indirectly. "So, does this mean Kurt will be coming back to McKinley?" His expression was curious, but there was definitely a hopeful overtone in his voice as he glanced back and forth between Burt and Kurt Hummel.

Burt knew Kurt might not be entirely happy with this call, but he knew it was the right one. He gave Mr. Schuester a grim smile. "Yeah. I'll be discussing his transfer with the schools this afternoon." He looked to Kurt, hoping to head off any protests. "I'm sorry, Kurt, but I can't in good conscience let you stay at that school where I'm not around to protect you. And I'll feel a lot better knowing that your teachers like Schuester and Ms. Largo and that insane cheerleading coach of yours are also willing to keep an eye on the situation."

[coughcough AND FINN WILL PROTECT HIS BROTHER coughcough]