Catalyst

Chapter 1

By Dani J.

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Summary: Kurt and Blaine have decided to just be friends, the dapper boy realizing he really missed Dalton Academy so he's gone back. No Klaine-bashing is intended, it just wouldn't have worked for this fic. However, Kurt has an admirer in a new kid… and Puck isn't happy at all but doesn't seem willing to step up.

Disclaimer: I own nothing whatsoever. Blame RM and company for this unfairly attractive and addictive group of characters. Well, except for my cute, original character, Kristopher.

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Catalyst: that which effects change but is itself unchanged.

Kurt Hummel sauntered into school, his nose up and his soft, pink lips set in a firm line. He couldn't quite say what mood he was in but at least there was no fear of slushies these days. He was rather proud of his ensemble today and the thought of how hot he looked caused one corner of his mouth to lift ever so slightly.

The students in the hallways of McKinley High passed him, going about their various businesses, chatting, laughing, flirting – life was its normal self in the school building. The bell for first period was about to ring so everyone was getting out textbooks, supplies, etc., as they prepared to head to their first class.

Kurt smiled fully as he saw Mercedes up ahead and felt a little thrill of excitement as he thought of her news. She was planning to head to L.A. to pursue her dreams and he was really happy for her. Almost all the seniors had a pretty good idea what they were going to do; a couple of them, though, Kurt included, were not so lucky.

"Hey, Ms. Jones, looking good, I must say!"

Mercedes' head whipped up at the sound of Kurt's melodious voice raised in a teasing, sing-song tone. She chuckled richly and slammed her locker door shut, turning to her friend and eyeing him admiringly.

"Thank you, kind sir; and you're looking pretty darned hot yourself! What's the occasion?"

She knew Kurt had been a little bit down since getting that rejection letter from NYADA; how they could reject someone as show-stoppingly talented as her boo, she couldn't imagine. They had accepted the height- and fashion-challenged Jewish wannabe diva Rachel Berry who belted ninety per cent of the songs she sang and Mercedes just couldn't see how that was fair.

Kurt fell into step beside his best friend, his eyes sparkling as he described his lucky find; a Zara jacket at a lot less than half price on a website he often frequented. He'd paired the gorgeous garment with tight, white pin-striped jeans, a brilliant blue button-up shirt and a neckerchief that brought out the green in his glasz eyes. No one at McKinley High was as fashion-forward as he and he knew it.

He and Mercedes linked arms as they walked, picking up Tina Cohen-Chang along the way and then her boyfriend, Mike Chang, followed surprisingly by Noah Puckerman.

The group chatted over one another, so familiar with their personal interests and pet peeves that they barely paid attention. As they turned down a corridor and before separating to their various classrooms, Kurt suddenly stopped, staring ahead with his eyes wide open.

Just a few doors down from the group was one of the most beautiful boys Kurt had seen – since Blaine, that is. His jaw dropped and he barely registered that one of his friends had plowed into him from behind. Mercedes, who had taken a step before realizing Kurt wasn't moving, looked at her friend quizzically and then down the corridor to see what had caught Kurt's attention.

She looked at the boy who was oblivious to the attention he'd caused and then back at her best friend. She chuckled and rolled her eyes before whispering, "White boy, if you don't stop drooling now I'm going to stomp on those divine white boots of yours."

That did the trick; Kurt snapped out of his trance and threw a glare at his grinning friend. The others had stopped too and with various little exclamations, wanted to know what had caused Kurt's suddenly flushed cheeks.

Tina and Mercedes shared a knowing glance when they saw the new boy standing uncertainly outside a classroom door, glancing from the sheaf of papers in his hand and up at the door. Mercedes cleared her throat and sauntered up to the kid, smiling her best 'hi, there, new kid, I'm harmless and just want to help you' smile.

Kurt and the others watched as Mercedes chatted briefly with the kid and they all jumped when the bell rang suddenly. Mike, Puck and Tina muttered something and moved on, leaving Kurt to wait for Mercedes to return with the scuttlebutt.

Finally, Kurt saw her pat the boy consolingly on his arm, point down the corridor to another door and then turn to head back to Kurt. She grinned all over her face, a mischievous gleam in her brown eyes and Kurt wondered what that was about.

"Oh, wow, that boy is even prettier up close!" Mercedes yanked on Kurt's arm to get him moving, ignoring his impatient look of inquiry. "Come on, we're gonna be late for Mrs. Hetrick's class, boo!"

"Mercedes Jones! What did you say to him?" Kurt matched his longer stride to his friend's but kept his eyes on her, almost glaring as he realized she was teasing him by withholding information.

Mercedes chuckled but decided to give her pale-skinned friend a break. "Awright, calm down! Don't want to get those super-tight skinnies in a twist now!" She laughed as Kurt narrowed his eyes at her.

"His name is Kristopher – with a 'K' – and he's transferred from some school in Columbus."

She sped up her steps as Kurt's slowed down and she suppressed a grin at the frustrated look on his face.

"Is that all you learned? What school? Is he a jock? A nerd?" His voice went slightly higher but remaining in a hiss. "Does he sing? Dance?"

Mercedes couldn't hold it back and she laughed at him, turning to grasp his elbow so he would continue walking to class. Ever since he and Blaine had decided to be 'just friends', Kurt had been feeling a little bit lonely, she knew. Worse, the rejection letter from the performing school of his dreams hadn't helped, either. This was the most animated she'd seen her friend in a while.

Kurt bit his lip as he hurried beside Mercedes to their first class. Human Sciences with Mrs. Hetrick wasn't his favorite class but he did well in the subject and liked the teacher. However, he couldn't get the sight of the new student out of his mind.

Kristopher, as Mercedes had told him he was called, looked to be about a couple inches taller than Kurt. He was slim but obviously well-toned from the way that graphic tee fit him, stretching nicely across his pecs and clinging to very noticeable biceps. Kurt hummed softly as his lips curved into a soft smile. He couldn't see Kristopher's eye color from where they'd been standing but that was a very nice face.

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Kristopher Marshall stared after the dark girl, a tiny smile on his face before looking back at the papers in his hands. He'd seen the boy who was hovering at the end of the corridor but, apart from the fact that the kid seemed nervous, he didn't really notice anything else about him.

Right now he simply didn't want to be late for his first class which was going to be with a… where was it, right, Mr. Schuester, Spanish. Ugh, his dad had insisted he continue with Spanish because half his family was Hispanic. As far as he was concerned, they all spoke English so he didn't see what all the fuss was about.

He grasped the papers firmly and headed towards where the girl – she'd introduced herself as Mercedes Jones – had pointed and within a few long strides, he was at the door. He glanced back up the corridor and saw her grab the arm of the tall, pale boy and then his eyes were riveted to his body. Well, more like his legs. Hmmm, he had accepted the fact that he was bi-sexual from he was 14 years old and so far, most of his family hadn't had a problem with it. Now, he let his eyes run up the other boy's long, shapely legs and paused at the door, admiring the way he walked with a slight sway.

He turned back to the door and grinned to himself, feeling a little squirmy feeling in his stomach before it headed further south to warm him slightly. His time at McKinley High was going to be fun if there were more like those two around, he thought happily. He pushed the door open and entered, bracing himself as all eyes turned to 'the new kid.'

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Lunch time came too fast for Kurt who was simultaneously dying to get a look at the new kid, Kristopher, and dreading the thought that he might have ended up at the jocks' table. Although things had eased a bit since Dave Karofsky had left and Azimio Adams's bullying had been neutralized, Kurt still hated that group, just on principle. Of course, the jocks who were in the Glee Club were okay now, but his stepbrother Finn, Puck, his best friend, Mike Chang and Sam Evans, plus some of the freshmen and sophomores, were barely registered as friends in his mind.

To be fair, he had grown to like Finn beyond his ill-advised crush in sophomore year and Puck – well, Kurt couldn't sort out what he felt for the tanned stud. The boy was one of the sexiest people he knew, talented as an athlete, singer and musician, but Kurt just couldn't tell where he stood with him. He used to help throw Kurt in the dumpster years ago but since joining the Glee Club, he had mellowed somewhat. His reputation as a stud who routinely screwed the cheerleaders as well as their moms, made Kurt cringe, despite the fact that he sometimes wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of his attentions.

Now, as Kurt strode into the cafeteria with his girls, Tina and Mercedes, his eyes roamed around the huge room, automatically ignoring the familiar faces and looking for the one that would stand out. Ah, there he was!

Kurt felt a surge of satisfaction as he noticed that Kristopher was sitting at a 'neutral' table, neither jocks nor nerds. He bumped Mercedes with his elbow and grinned at her knowing expression. She returned his smile as they headed for the Glee table, joining the mixed bag that their club was notorious for.

Besides the singing jocks – Finn, Mike, Sam and Puck – their group also consisted of a number of cheerleaders – the Cheerios Santana Lopez, her girlfriend Brittany S. Pierce and the school's former head cheerleader, Quinn Fabray. Then there was Artie Abrams, their only nerd who was in a wheelchair ever since his accident, and last but not least, Rachel Berry.

The twelve were the original members of the Glee club but at other tables were kids who sometimes made up numbers when the Glee club performed at the various mandatory competitions.

Now Kurt, Mercedes and Tina selected their lunches, Kurt sneering as usual at the greasy offerings and bypassing them for salad, some fruit and a bottle of water. They took their trays and joined the other Glee members, slipping into the conversations as if they hadn't been separated.

Mike was waving his hands at Sam, their resident comic book and action movie nerd and Kurt just knew they were arguing the merits of the latest car crash and explosions-laden blockbuster movie. He smirked as he took the first bite of his salad and it was then that he felt the eyes on him. The hair on the back of his neck had the audacity to rise from their perfect arrangement and Kurt suppressed a shiver before glancing reluctantly over his shoulder.

He always sat with his back to most of the room, given the sideline location of the Glee club's table so now he had to look around to see who it was that was staring at him.

Mercedes, who had noticed Kurt's distraction, looked around too and suddenly a huge smile overtook her face. She leaned slightly to her left to nudge Kurt and stage-whispered, "Uh-oh, I think you have an admirer, Mr. Hummel!"

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TBC

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A/N: This is my first offering to you all so please, review and tell me if it's worth continuing, okay?

REVIEWS ARE LIKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE IN THE WORLD AND I'M ADDICTED!