Author's Note (please read): Firstly, this story has been sitting on my hard drive for a while so please note the time/setting. It was started during season 2 (shortly after Furt aired) and so it takes place around that time and features Kurt at Dalton. Obviously all that has transpired on the show since then will need to be ignored for this to make sense. Secondly, if you are a Karofsky fan, this might not be the story for you. He is not a nice person here. This story features season 2 Karofsky, so he's a pretty dark individual (but hopefully not a cartoon villain). Thirdly, I started this fic a while ago and abandoned it to write another story, which was sort of born out of this idea of a character being abused. I never published this one because I didn't want all my stories to be big angst-filled messes or be known as that weird girl who tortures her favorite characters in her stories, but whatever, I'm curious to hear what people think about this one so I just decided to put it out there. Plus, I'm a sucker for angst.

Warning: This story will feature some hateful language and mentions of abuse. I don't condone the usage of such slurs, they are meant to be a reflection of the character.

He decides he needs to make his preference clear to people, he doesn't need that little homo Kurt tricking people into thinking he likes dudes. He heard Hummel transferred to some private school for queers, but who knows what vicious lies he's spreading now that he thinks he's safely out of reach. Hudson called him out for not having a girlfriend in front of the team and now his teammates are getting suspicious. He sees it in the way they eye him in the locker room, like he's trying to get a look at their junk.

But he's not like that, he's nothing like that little fairy Kurt, who ran away like some sissy. He's a real man. He only kissed Kurt to scare him away, so that fag would stop trying to get in his pants. Because he knew Kurt wanted him and he figured he'd teach Hummel a lesson. Show him what a real man was like, so he'd know not to go around trying to spread his perversion to straight men, like him.

He hasn't been fixated on the other boy ever since their encounter in the locker room, he hasn't fantasized about kissing his soft lips again or touching his smooth porcelain skin. No. He hasn't done any of that. He's as straight as they come, he's not some fucking queer obsessed with another dude. Another dude who has perfectly manicured hair and wears tighter jeans than any of the girls at McKinley. He's not. He'll prove it.

And what better way to do that than dolling out some equal opportunity harassment. If he turns his sights on a chick then people will see that he's not into dudes and he won't have to worry about people spreading lies about him. He spent way too much time around Hummel, people might think he caught his perverse disease. He needs to man up, shake off these feelings. He's no fag.

Scanning the hallway, his eyes settle on a familiar face and he can't help but smirk. It would be perfect on so many levels. Unlike Kurt, his new but familiar victim won't have a band of freaks gathering around her offering support or protection, especially now that her boyfriend dumped her. This girl is so much of a loser that even the other losers she hangs around with in that gay club of theirs won't bother coming to her defense. With no friends and a permanent spot at the bottom of the school social ladder, Rachel Berry is the perfect choice.

She's turned now, rummaging through her locker in search of something, so he decides to seize the opportunity. He begins his stride and soon he's passing by her, unnecessarily close, intentionally letting his right hand fall to the side so that it brushes against her backside. He quickly turns so that he's walking backwards, eagerly awaiting her reaction.

Rachel spins abruptly on her heels with a squeak of outrage, her startled expression giving way to an angry one when she realizes who has touched her. "Karofsky," she seethes, fixing her large brown eyes on him.

Dave winks and blows her a kiss before turning his back to her and disappearing down the corridor. He didn't feel anything when his fingertips slid across the back of her skirt, but he definitely got some satisfaction out of riling her up.

This was going to be good. Despite her notorious big mouth, he knows Rachel made it a point not to report the numerous slushy facials and verbal insults he's hurled at her over the years out of fear of becoming an even bigger social reject, as if that was possible, so he's confident his newest target won't be running off to Figgins anytime soon.

The next day he takes the time to threaten the kid who usually sits besides Berry in their shared Math class so that he can occupy the seat. He waits for class to start before walking in so that she won't have the opportunity to get up and change her seat before the bell. He plops down next to her, his proximity eliciting an eye roll from the tiny brunette. He busies himself during class with the tasks of knocking her pencil off her desk repeatedly and poking her in the ribs so that he can ask her some inane question.

"Pst," Dave whispers. She ignores him. "Berry. Berry. Hey Berry."

"What?" Rachel finally snaps at him, a little too loudly.

"Miss Berry, is there a problem?" the teacher asks from the front of the room.

Rachel lifts her head to look at Mrs. Wheeler. "No. I was just...Dave wouldn't...uh, sorry," she stammers.

The older woman turns her attention back to the lesson on the whiteboard and Rachel is barely able to hide her embarrassment at getting in trouble. She feels another jab to her ribs and notes Karofsky's smug look as he revels in her annoyance.

"Can I borrow a pencil?" he asks innocently.

She doesn't respond.

And then another jab. "What page are we on?" He gestures to the text book open on her desk.

Rachel looks pointedly at his bare desk and shakes her head in annoyance, once again fixing her eyes on the board in front of her. She was not going to play his game.

"Mrs. Wheeler?"

Rachel turns her head to the side when she hears Dave's voice calling out to their teacher.

"Yes, Mr. Karofsky?" Mrs. Wheeler answers.

Dave glances at Rachel once again and smiles slyly. "I seem to have forgotten my text book and I'm having a terrible time keeping up."

"Well, why don't you look on with one of your classmates," the teacher suggests.

"Brilliant idea!" Dave calls out with exaggerated excitement. "Rachel, would you be so kind as to share your text book with me?" he asks loudly enough so that Mrs. Wheeler can hear. He flashes a wide grin and waits for Rachel to respond.

"There's plenty of other people here you can leech off of, Karofsky," Rachel says coldly.

"Miss Berry," the teacher admonishes. "Your classmate is asking for help. Would you like it if someone turned you away when you needed assistance?"

"No, Mrs. Wheeler," Rachel says, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and her eyes focused on her desk in quiet defeat. She couldn't stand to be reprimanded in public.

The sound of Dave pushing his desk towards hers brings her head up once again.

"Gee, thanks Rachel!" he exclaims enthusiastically.

He's only inches away from her now and she instinctively leans in the opposite direction as he leers at her with a disturbing gleam in his eye.

Mrs. Wheeler continues on with the lesson and Rachel does her best to avoid Karofsky. Eventually his hand finds her knee under her desk and she abruptly moves her leg away from his grasp, bumping the leg of her desk in the process. The whole class turns to look at the cause of the noisy disturbance and Rachel's cheeks redden once again in embarrassment. She mutters an apology and glares at Karofsky.

Once she's settled in again, Karofsky repeats the action, this time applying more pressure to her knee. Rachel's about to pull away when she remembers the curious stares of her classmates from a minute ago. Instead, she decides to shift away from Karofsky slowly to avoid creating a commotion, but he clamps down on the knee tighter, holding her leg in place.

When Rachel finally lifts her eyes to meet his, he's staring at her intensely and she can't quite place the emotion on his face. It's not the smug amusement she usually spots in his features when he's throwing slushies in her face, it's darker, more sinister. She attempts to pry his hand from her knee by placing a hand over his, but with a quick flip of his wrist he's now grasping her hand instead of her knee. He begins to pull her hand towards his crotch as he smirks at her, but Rachel uses all her strength to yank her arm upwards. The back of her hand smacks against the underside of his desk, resulting in a loud banging sound that carries through the classroom.

Immediately, Rachel pushes her seat back and flies from her desk. She's standing over a smug Dave Karofsky, ready to express her outrage in the form of a powerful monologue when Mrs. Wheeler speaks up from the front of the classroom.

"What in the world is going on back there?" the teacher asks.

Rachel launches into her explanation. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Wheeler, but David-"

But she's quickly cut off. "I dropped my pencil," Dave interrupts. "Rachel was just trying to grab it for me and knocked into the desk. Clumsy little thing, isn't she?"

Rachel narrows her eyes at him as he lifts the corner of his mouth into a smirk.

"Ok then, sit down Miss Berry. We've had enough distractions for today," Mrs. Wheeler orders, visibly annoyed with her students' antics.

Rachel huffs audibly as she takes her seat, deciding to let Karofsky win at whatever little game he was currently playing. When the bell rings to signal the end of the class, Rachel is out of her seat in a flash and gone before Karofsky has the chance to inflict anymore humiliation on her.

Rachel practically marches down the hall to her next class, fuming over the fact that Dave Karofsky got the best of her. She isn't sure what Karofsky's problem is or why he has moved on from throwing slushies in her face to harassing her in class. Maybe he had found out that she was the one who organized the Glee boys' charge against him on Kurt's behalf and was making a preemptive strike to keep her from taking action to help his next victim. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought she'd be deterred from speaking up against his blatant bullying if he ever treated anyone else the way he had treated Kurt. Rachel Berry did not scare easily.

He runs into her again just after the last bell of the school day has rung, as students are rushing to their lockers to pack up their belongings to head home for the day.

"What's up, Berry?" he says as he swings an arm over her shoulder.

Rachel shrugs his arm from her shoulder and sighs in disgust. "What do you want, Karofsky?" She had noticed him loitered outside her classroom door 20 minutes before the period had come to an end and it occurs to her now that he has been waiting for her this whole time. If she wasn't so disgusted by him, she'd be impressed with his dedication. He really did apply himself when it came to tormenting other students.

"Just wanted to say hi. Is that a crime or something?" he asks.

He starts to walk with her towards her locker and she quickens the speed of her steps in hopes of escaping him. She's pretty fast for someone so small, but Dave keeps her pace easily.

"No, but it is a crime to threaten to life of a fellow student like you did to Kurt," she says, not bothering to look at him.

He charges forward and steps in front of her, effectively bringing her to a stop. "Did Hummel tell you I threatened him? What else did he tell you about me?" Dave asks worriedly. He knew Kurt would run his mouth. "You can't believe anything he says. He's a liar. He just wants to bang me and he's pissed I'm not a homo like him."

Rachel inhales sharply, offended on her friend's behalf, and points an accusatory finger at Karofsky. "Kurt would never want to be with you! I can't imagine anyone would want to be with you! You're a vile disgusting pig and your language, much like your personal hygiene, is reprehensible! I feel bad for you, David, because while Kurt was brave enough to be himself in a school full of homophobes like you, you're too scared to be anything other than what your peers expect you to be. You're just another hateful ignorant bully who will have peaked by graduation!"

"Shut your mouth!" Karofsky growls as he snatches her hand out of the air, crushing the finger that had been pointed at him in his palm. He's gripped with such a sudden rush of panic that he can barely see straight. Did she know? Is that what she was getting at? Was she going to tell everyone? She couldn't have known. He yanks her close so that no one will hear him, ignoring her feeble squeak of protest. "You don't know anything about me, you little bitch! You hear me? You know nothing! So shut your fucking mouth or I'll shut it for you! You understand?"

Rachel blinks up at him dumbly, too shocked to respond. There's plenty of students milling around the hallway, but nobody bats an eyelash at the way Karofsky is squeezing her hand so tightly in his own that her knees buckle slightly from the pain. And nobody seems to notice the way he's towering over her, threatening her in harsh angry whispers.

He uses his grasp on her hand to shake a response out of her. "Do you understand?" he repeats. "You gonna keep that big mouth of yours shut?"

"Y-yes!" Rachel manages to spit out. "Now let go of my hand, you're hurting me!"

The flames in his eyes seem to simmer and he releases her hand with a grunt, tossing it back towards her.

Rachel staggers back slightly and watches him storm away. She flexes her hand a few times to make sure no bones are broken and then glances around timidly.

Once the shock wears off, she's outraged. Outraged for Kurt. Outraged that no one intervened on her behalf. Outraged that Dave Karofsky thought he could threaten her in a crowded hallway and get away with it. She may have been scared for a moment there, but she wasn't going to live her life in fear of a bully.

After some thought Dave decides Berry didn't actually know anything, that she was just trying to get a rise out of him and he was a fool for allowing her to. But he's actually kind of glad she pissed him off. She looked terrified after he delivered his little warning in the hallway and it was always good to take precautions and keep people in check. He didn't need her running her mouth around school and the more afraid she was the more compliant she'd be.

The next day he spots her strutting confidently down the hallway, head held high despite the fact that she is indeed Rachel Berry, McKinley High pond scum. She catches him glaring at her but doesn't falter in her determined step. He frowns at the thought that maybe he had lost his touch. He couldn't even keep a girl like Rachel Berry in line. He thought for sure she'd be trembling at the sight of him by now and willing to go along with whatever plan he came up with, and he had come up with a good one.

Then it occurs to him that someone like Rachel Berry might just have a stronger tolerance for small time harassment seeing as every jock and cheerleader made her one of their prime targets. He'll have to step things up. Find a way to break her.

Finally she's mere feet away from him now, walking alone because who in their right mind would walk the halls with her? He steps out in front of her, his shadow looming over her menacingly.

"Get out of my way, Karofsky," Rachel demands. Her voice is calm but there's an edge to it. The events of the previous day are clear in her mind but she refuses to cower to him.

"Ask nicely," Dave responds, an uncharacteristic smile dancing on his lips. A boy he's with slaps his back with a laugh.

"Don't you have anything better to do than harass me?" she asks, annoyance clear in her voice.

He braces a hand against the locker. "Actually, I don't. Now that Hudson is off embracing his inner homo with his new gay brother, you're fair game. No more quarterback boyfriend by your side. No more big strong man around to protect you," he says mockingly. "Not that Hudson was much of a man anyway."

Rachel straightens up and narrows her eyes at the football player. "I'll assure you that Finn and Kurt are twice the man you'll ever be! And I don't need a man to protect me from a hateful ignoramus like you! Now move!"

A startled cry escapes Rachel's lips when Dave shoves her against the lockers, hard.

"Don't compare me to that homo Kurt," he says through gritted teeth. He steps into her space, pressing her against the locker with his chest. "I'm nothing like him!" He grips her upper arms, his fingers pressing firmly into her flesh.

"Dude!" Rachel hears an unfamiliar voice calling out from behind Karofsky and snaps out of her daze long enough to look at the nameless jock. "Ease up, man. She's just a chick," the boy points out as if Dave might not have been aware.

Begrudgingly, Karofsky takes a step back and Rachel exhales, realizing she had been holding her breath since the shove. Dave gives her a threatening look before allowing his friend to lead him away.

Rachel watches the two boys walk to meet some of their friends a few classroom doors down in confusion. Karofsky had always been a jerk but he was never this violent with her before, in fact he had never actually laid a hand on her before yesterday. All of his previous assaults had come in the form of colorized icy drinks. Now suddenly he thought it was ok to fondle her underneath a desk in class and push her around in the hallways? Something was definitely up. Perhaps he was coming unhinged in the wake of Kurt's transfer, surely he must have taken the school's lack of disciplinary response as an invitation to extend his reign of terror. She thinks maybe she should tell someone, just in case.