AN: Like I reeeeeally need another WIP, but this just wouldn't let me go until I got it out of my system. I am a die-hard Katt-whore, but I absolutely adore Blaine...and there was this evil little prompt on the angst meme that I just couldn't resist...sooo...here ya go. Title is inspired by Nickleback's This Is How You Remind Me

"Good…because if you do…I'm gonna kill ya."

In a haze, Kurt walked to English, trying to forget what had just happened.

Run-ins with Dave Karofsky and those goons he called friends were never fun, but lately, they'd been going from weird to just plain terrifying. Flashes of Matthew Sheppard and those other kids who were killed for being gay in other towns just like his floated through his head.

Karofsky is just…confused… he tried to convince himself. He's attacking me because he hates himself. And God knows I did and said some drastic things when I was confused about who I was. I made out with Brittany. And wore plaid! And can we please forget the clusterfuck that was my attempt at Mellencamp? Please dear GOD let there be no videos of THAT floating around the interwebs.

But he wasn't quite convincing himself.

It was just Karofsky's new way of making life hell for him.

Right? Right.

But still, every bone in his body was screaming otherwise, and his intuition was never wrong.

So what if gay intuition was never fully appreciated, but hadn't he predicted the hideous over-use of bangs this year? What if he was right about this, too?

He tried hard to brush it off and focus on the in-class essay on Catcher in the Rye. Kurt hated Holden Cauffield. He thought Holden was sexually repressed and secretly gay, but couldn't admit it, and what did he do? He whined about it and didn't actually do anything about his problems. Holden Cauffield, come to think of it, was a lot like Karofsky.

Cauffield never actually did anything about his issues. Maybe Karofsky wouldn't, either.

But still…

Kurt couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something about the delivery of the line that made Kurt think that maybe his nemesis might've actually meant it.

Karofsky said he couldn't tell anyone. But Kurt thought maybe it might be okay to tell Blaine.

Blaine would know what to do.

Normally, Kurt wouldn't think twice about texting Blaine about anything that had happened with the bully. Ever since that day Blaine came to McKinley with him and he finally confessed what happened between him and Karofsky, Blaine had made him promise to tell him anything else that happened, and so far, Kurt had made good on it. He felt like he could tell Blaine anything. He could confide in his new friend about this, couldn't he? That'd be safe, right?

After all, Kurt reasoned, the likelihood that Karofsky even knew where Blaine went to school was about as likely as Snookie from Jersey Shore knowing how to spell the words beyond a third-grade reading level . The thought of his new friend (although he couldn't miss the eye-rolls every time he insisted to anyone that was ALL Blaine was, and he'd be as in denial as Karofsky if he couldn't at least admit that maybe he wouldn't mind if his relationship with Blaine was more than a friendship) he never grinned like an idiot every time he mentioned even Finn's name…and that's when he had a crush on his almost-step-brother.

He started to text him on his way to class, but then realized that that wasn't exactly something you tell people via text message, so he put the phone away.

And then..what if Karofsky got to Blaine somehow? He made a mental note to make his facebook profile private to keep Blaine off Karofsky's radar. And also, Rachel was already insisting that Blaine's interest was only as deep as New Directions' set-list, so really, there were soooo many reasons to keep his friendship with Blaine as private as possible. It was a small town. Kurt had been taking care of himself just fine for fifteen and a half years. He could handle this. Involving Blaine in this sort of thing could be awkward. What could Blaine do about it after all? It's not like the boy could ride in on a white horse and rescue him like some damsel in distress. He shook the image that came to mind of that exactly happening.

"Lucky horse," Kurt muttered.

Mercedes frowned. "You okay Kurt?"

"Fine. I've…uh…got to get to class," he blurted out and ran off in the opposite direction.

They were going out to see Rent on Friday. That was only a few days away. He could make it until then. He'd tell Blaine then.

The rest of the day came and went without incident.

He briefly considered telling Mr. Schue or even Coach Sylvester about the threat, but why involve them? What could they do, exactly?

And telling Dad? Or Finn? Or even Mercedes?

Mercedes would freak out. And to say that Mercedes tended to overreact slightly to things was putting it mildly. His father and Finn would be even worse. No way his father OR his almost-brother would let him set foot in that school ever again. He was pretty sure his dad would insist on home-schooling him himself if it came down to it, and Finn would insist on following him around all his classes.

Brittany probably would be trying to struggle to pronounce Karofsky's name. And the whole thing confused him enough. Brittany was one of the sweetest, kindest people he knew, in her own way. But she also had the IQ of a toadstool. Santana would probably personally put Karofsky's balls on a platter if he told her what was going on, but that would just be slight over-kill. Quinn and Rachel would probably launch a campaign. Really, Rachel could make herself very useful as a torture-device. But that would make Finn mad at him all over again, and he couldn't have that.

Tina…well, Tina was awesome but she didn't exactly have any influence in the school over anyone but Mike…and what would Mike do? Make him dizzy with his dance moves? And Artie? He could use his wheelchair and crush his foot…but bones heal, so…not good enough. And Sam? Maybe Sam could blind him with his hair.

So it wasn't like actually telling anyone would do anything but send everyone into panic. Probably unnecessary panic at that.

And besides, it wasn't like Karofsky was an actual threat. He was just a big, stupid, confused oaf who was too cowardly to deal with his own issues.

He'd been one of the reasons that school was so hellish nearly his entire existence. Thinking back on it, Karofsky probably thought that the only way to get the one you want was to taunt them, the way Gilbert Blythe did in Anne of Green Gables, but that only worked in cheesy novels, not in real-life. He'd figure that out and get bored and find a new method of torture.

The bully had already robbed him of his first kiss. What else was he going to let that stupid Neanderthal take from him? He hated that this idiot was taking up way too many brain cells and returned his focus to his in-class essay, where it belonged.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he discreetly glance at it and the goofy grin that seemed to be permanently plastered to his face lately returned.

Karofsky was not going to steal this from him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on Blaine. No, it wasn't getting the essay done, but it was a hell of a whole lot better alternative.

This whole Karofsky thing would blow over. And then he could focus on the things that really mattered.