Page 112 of Hurt

“Grant…” He looked at the taller man. “Please don’t leave me.”

Grant stopped and stared at Kurt. He smiled faintly before reaching out the let the back of his fingers caress his cheek. “You have no idea what it does to me to hear you say that.”

Kurt leaned into the touch. “I can’t talk to her.”

“But you need to,” Grant pushed gently. “I’ll be just outside.” And then he disappeared out the back door.

The knob twisted and caught on the lock. He heard an enraged yell from outside and more thuds as Willow kicked at the front door.

To save Grant’s door, Kurt had no choice but to unlock it.

Willow was breathing hard. Her gray eyes were flashing with rage, and her hair was wild about her face.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Kurt said as he forced himself to make eye contact.

“Too damn bad, fucko,” Willow snapped, pushing Kurt backward into the house as she stormed in.

“Dumbasses who lie to their sisters don’t get to make decisions.”

Kurt crossed his arms and glared at his slender sister. The woman was surprisingly strong.

Willow’s hands were curled into fists. She looked like she had lost some weight in the week since they had seen each other. Her eyes kept flicking up to the bruises on Kurt’s neck and the laceration on his scalp.

His wounds were looking better, but they were still dark and ugly. Impossible to miss.

“Well!” Willow snapped.

“Well, what?! You’re the one who barged in here.”

“I didn’t think I would get this far! My plan ended at the door.”

Kurt stared at his enraged sibling and couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Will, just go home. I’m not…people shouldn’t be around me.” Kurt turned away.

His sister grabbed for his shirt to keep him facing her. “What does that mean?”

He slapped the hand away. “I’m fucking damaged, Willow! Everything around me just gets sucked into my mess. You know what I allowed him to do to me! I’m disgusting, okay? So just get the fuck away from me.”

He didn’t recognize the voice coming out of his mouth. He didn’t want to see the look on Willow’s face as she realized just how foul her brother was, how marred with stain and sin. He couldn’t take that.

Turning to walk away, he didn’t hear if Willow had left.

With a jerk, he was knocked to the floor. Willow had tackled him from behind. Bucking and kicking, Kurt twisted and tried to throw her off but only ended up being straddled by his sister with her iron-like thighs holding him down.

“Stop it!” Tears were welling in Willow’s eyes. “That’s my brother you’re talking about! Don’t you fucking dare say that shit about him!”

Her hands curled in the front of his shirt, and she jerked Kurt with her words, as if to punctuate the things she was saying with actions.

“Kurt, you can say anything you want about me. About the world. But you will not talk about yourself like that.” She stopped shaking him and rested her weight on Kurt.

“You want me to bippity boppity boo over you so that you’re clean again? Fine. But nothing you do could make you stained. Nothing you do could make me stop loving you.”

Kurt watched the anguish roll across his sister’s face. He felt sick.

“I’m sorry.”

“No!” Willow shook her head. “Don’t you apologize for surviving.”