Dalton Academy Blues

"Fish Out of Water"

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters appearing in the television show universe of Glee, nor the world itself. This is not meant as a challenge to the owners and creators of the show.

September 19th, 2010

Aaron stepped out of the car and looked at the building the size of a castle. He looked over his shoulder back towards the entrance to the driveway, examined the guard building near the open entranceway which was the only breach in a brick wall that rose at least ten feet in height. He didn't want to admit it, but the campus seemed very secure. His parents didn't care about that though, they cared more about his education and opportunities. He didn't quite feel like entrance to Dalton was the reward his parents obviously did. Still, the campus administration had made a big to do about his grades from freshman year, and had offered him a work study waiver.

As long as he showed up for work every day he was scheduled, when not sick of course, Dalton would feed him, provide him a dormitory bunk and an education. His parents only had to purchase new clothes for him to wear with the trademark Dalton uniform jacket and sweater that were required. Aaron looked over at his parents as they got out of the vehicle and stood looking at the campus in wonder and admiration. His mother walked towards him as his father headed towards the trunk to grab his things.

"Well, this is the place, Ash. Imagine the things you'll learn here? And if you keep your grades up you can get your tuition covered for the next two years and get an excellent placement for college!" she said. Aaron groaned, having been ashamed of his first name since the first day of first grade, when suddenly Ashley was a girl's name.

"Mom, you know I go by my middle name. Don't embarrass me at the new school too," he pleaded. He had no illusions that school here wasn't going to be just as tough to navigate as his old high school.

"Ashley Aaron Garvin, you had better get over this silliness. You're named after your grandfather and his grandfather before him. Take pride in your legacy," she said as she gathered her purse and followed his father up the path to the dormitory door. He sighed and headed to the back seat to grab his things. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here, if he could get through the day without his parents drawing too much attention to him. He had hoped that arriving a full day after the dormitory opened would let him sort of blend in. Then he kicked himself thinking that seeing what the cat had dragged in on day two was bound to be more alluring than being classified as an eager beaver.

He walked into the main hall of the dormitory's ground floor and headed after his parents to the room he was assigned to. He walked past a mounted cork board and made a mental note to read it in earnest afterwards. He saw a handful of headlines 'Be a Rock Star', 'Summer Field Trip' and 'Your Parents Don't Live Here, Be Responsible For Your Own Mess', including one that made him roll his eyes 'There is Nothing Traumatic about being Dramatic'. He'd have to get back to those later, the field trip in particular caught his eye.

On Monday morning, Wes walked down the hallway towards the Warblers' room and heard that there was a bunch of buzz running up and down the corridors of Dalton. He paid it little heed until he pushed open the doors leading to their inner sanctum and saw that the Warblers were engaging in just as much gossip as the rest of the school. He gravitated naturally to David and pulled his jacket sleeve, "What's everybody so worked up about?"

David leaned in and said, "The new transfer is apparently special. Minor celebrity or something."

Wes looked shocked, as he had definitely not heard anything about this. It wasn't unusual for students to transfer into Dalton Academy for their last year of high school. Plenty of third years did it every year, the stricter curriculum helped them improve their chances for college admissions. It was however unusual that anybody would transfer in from outside of Ohio, and apparently from notoriety or stardom. "Who is he?"

David shrugged and said, "I don't know. But we better get things started or this meeting won't get anywhere, and neither will the auditions." He stood up and cleared his throat. The regulars who were present didn't hear him at first, so he loudly said, "Quiet! If we could have your attention?" At that Wes stood next to David and they surveyed the crowd. David continued, "Okay, Warblers, we have some business to conduct before we head into the senior commons and conduct auditions." He paused and surveyed the crowd. He saw Trent, Jeff, and Adam second and third years who joined last year, and Thad, Carey and Nick who were long time members of the Warblers.

Wes picked up the thread and said. "As you know, Michael graduated last year leaving David and myself as the only members of the leading council. I know it's still a week before classes start, but we need to focus long enough to nominate council, vote and head to auditions. The floor is open for nominations!"

Several hands went up and Wes acknowledged them all in turn. It came to be that he, David and Thad were nominated. Wes felt a surge of confidence as he realized what was going on. The other Warblers had decided who they wanted to lead them before this meeting had come to order. As the voting shook out it was that all three of the nominees were elected and business began on auditions.

Thad took point at this time, "Remember, you each have 3 votes and we have about three spots to fill this time out. We can accept up to six boys at this time, but try to be discerning. Not everybody can be a Warbler." He lead the way to the door and they headed to the Commons.

At the Commons they were hit with all manner of solos from expectant hopefuls, but one new student stood out among all the rest, Blaine Anderson. His voice was strong, and his pitch was perfect. The song he auditioned with, God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You was an unusual choice, but it showcased his range and voice. Thad was certain that all the Warblers would vote for him, making him the first unanimous member appointed in three years.

As the Warblers dismissed the hopefuls and they stepped back into the dormitory hall, they heard a strong, baritone voice wafting down the corridors and they gathered as a group to go find the singer. As they approached, the voice resolved into the words of You Belong With Me sung octaves lower but still in tune. Trent and Thad forged ahead when they made the turn down the first floor hallway and the two of them walked down the hall and made a hard turn towards the only open door to see one of the most unusual spectacles. Inside was a medium height boy with shaggy, slightly curly blonde hair and a stocky, overweight build dancing back and forth, singing the last verse of Taylor Swift's hit single. He was unpacking clothes and belongings as he sang, and Trent couldn't help but stare at his behind as the tight jeans performed their function perfectly.

It wasn't until the rest of the group arrived as the song ended, that the boy heard the gasps and general clamor out in the hall. He looked up, rectangular framed glasses on his face, and reached his right hand up underneath the edges of his mop of golden hair to pull his iPod earbuds out of his ears. He sheepishly grinned, "Uh, hello. I'm Tobias Armstrong." When the group continued to stare at him rather dumbfounded he continued, "Is one of you my roommate?"

Trent was flustered and leaned back into Adam for support. The others looked back and forth between them and Adam vocalized what they were all thinking, "Toby Armstrong is at Dalton?"

Jeff was thunderstruck and quiet as a mouse as Wes asked, "Hey, isn't this Jeff's room?"

Jeff sat with Toby at lunch later that day, this being the first time he had put on the Dalton uniform. The two of them were an odd pair, with Jeff being extremely thin, in sharp contrast to Toby's weight, and while both boys were blonde, Jeff had highlights to lighten the top of his head. Their level of ease was also in sharp contrast with Toby being laid back and just absorbing things around him, and Jeff feeling uncomfortable. Finally, Jeff couldn't hold it in any longer, he turned to Toby and asked, "Toby, why are you at Dalton of all places?"

Toby shrugged and turned to face Jeff, looking him directly in the eyes, "My grades dropped so much that I'm repeating my last year and my parents said I couldn't return to my acting career until I graduated." Toby had clear blue eyes, and even through his glasses the gaze locked with Jeff's own brown eyes and gave him all of his attention.

Jeff pressed further, "No, I get that you had to go to school somewhere, but why here?"

Toby laughed, and his dimples appeared as he explained, "Oh that's easy enough. Dalton is quiet and private, has an excellent rating among schools nationwide, and it's about as far away as I can get from Hollywood and the media right now."

Trent sat down across from them and chimed in, obviously overhearing part of the conversation as he had approached. "Are you trying to distance yourself from a breakup back in California?" Trent and Toby seemed to have more in common, both in terms of build and in the ease that belied their surroundings. Trent was less starstruck now that Toby was in Dalton Blues, but an observer might not be sure that he wasn't more interested in staring at Toby's face than the words about to come out of it.

Toby laughed that off, and reached for his glass of milk, "Nah, I've never seriously dated anyone, so it's not that I'm running from someone. I just wanted to go someplace normal."

The brunet boy flipped his head to the left and playfully asked, "You do know who you are, right? Toby Armstrong: series regular on 'Welcome to Mollywood', at least until this year, and lead actor in the movie 'Big Time' for which you won an award. Before that you guest starred on a few Nickelodeon shows. If you thought coming to an all boys school would give you anonymity you were mistaken."

Toby looked taken aback, "Wow, you really know my work. Don't tell me you're a fan?"

Trent cocked his head to the side, and stated, "I don't almost faint in the doorway of every new Dalton student. Of course I'm a fan!"

Toby grinned and put the glass down, "Well it's nice to know I have a fan, but we're classmates now. I hope you can stand being around the real me. I'm not as confident as some people would think, and I'm sometimes a klutz, and I tell bad jokes all the time."

Trent's face lit up, "Careful, or I'll ask you out. I'm rather persistent too." He turned back to his plate, as if it were a joke, but he poked at his food as he waited to hear Toby's response.

Trent could hear the smile on Toby's lips as he said, "Oh, you're gay? My best friend back home is gay, at least before I got into show business. I mean he was my best friend before I went to Hollywood. We always had fun going to the mall, and I must say if it wasn't for him I'd never have gotten over my dislike of shopping for anything but video games."

Trent smiled as he answered, "Yes, I'm gay. Dalton is one of the few schools in Southern Ohio where I felt safe to be myself, even if it is a bit of a cliche." Trent noted to himself that Toby had dodged the thrust of the comment and just sighed. Cluelessly oblivious, straight or ambivalent; Toby would still be great to hang around with.

It was like one of Trent's dreams come true. He had come out of the closet in fourth grade when he asked his best friend to be his boyfriend, and been roughly rejected by his small town community. He had turned to Hollywood in his isolation and always knew that one day he'd be rubbing elbows with stars and heartthrobs. He just never suspected that a star would be rubbing elbows with him before he left Ohio.

The blonde boy stood up and grabbed Trent's right hand from across the table. He said, "I don't think that's cliche. You have to go somewhere where you'll be appreciated for who you are. I would never want to go to school somewhere that I feared for my health. I'm glad to really meet you, Trent." Then he smiled a genuine smile, dimples glowing for all they were worth, and Trent felt himself melting, green eyes meeting pools of blue. Toby shook his hand and finally Trent came back to himself and shook back. They parted and Toby sat back down.

Jeff tried to jump back into the conversation, "So, we were thinking that you should audition for the Warblers, our Show Choir. Trent and I are members, and it's a great group. We perform in competition, and at select local organizations all over the area."

The star went back to his plate and just said, "I don't think that's a good idea. One, I can't sing very well. Two, I'm trying to really enjoy this one year."

Jeff laughed openly at that. "You can have a lot of fun as a Warbler, and we found you yesterday because you were singing. When half the Warblers show up at your door because we heard you, you can sing just fine."

Toby blushed, "Well that was just for fun. I can't do that well in front of a crowd. In front of a camera is less difficult, but only because I pretend nobody can see it."

At this, Trent chimed back in, "You, camera shy? Just because you're singing? You went to the BFC awards last year wearing a fire engine red blazer." Toby looked down, not sure how to respond to that.

Jeff just peered at Trent, the questioning look causing him to elaborate, "He walked up on stage and accepted the Best Young Actor Award wearing the loudest coat ever." Then he turned back to Toby and asked, "How are you camera shy?"

The older boy stopped eating and at that point chose to stare at the tabletop instead of making eye contact with anyone. "I just don't think my voice is very good. It makes me nervous to sing for other people's entertainment..." he said his voice trailing off into silence. He poked at his food for a few seconds more and then slowly stood up. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought. I'll see you guys later." Toby picked up his tray and slowly walked away towards the bussing area.

Trent's mouth hung open as his eyes watched the other boy's back recede. Jeff reached over and punched Trent in the arm, causing him to close his mouth and look back over at Jeff, "What was that for?"

Jeff said, "That is for driving off my new roommate. Just because he's a star doesn't mean he isn't a person. Everybody has stuff that makes them uncomfortable."

Trent looked sad and said, "Yeah, but his singing was so effortless and the quality was emotional. He has nothing to be ashamed of!"

Jeff finished his own plate quickly and said, "I agree, but right now I have to run and do damage control. And to think I was the nervous one when we sat down earlier." He got up, grabbed his tray and took off after Toby at full speed. Trent heard other people scream, "Slow Down", or "Watch It" as Jeff dodged through tables to catch up to his roommate.

Trent turned back to the empty spots at the table across from him. He could salvage this. Everybody puts their foot in their mouth sometimes, so Trent resolved to make it up to him. He wouldn't let this one incident rain out the day for Toby or for him.

The middle-aged woman with greying brown hair wearing a cool light gray blazer over a white blouse looked up as Toby knocked on the door frame to announce himself. He offered, "Mrs. Reginald, you wanted to see me?"

She beckoned him inside and motioned for him to sit. "That's correct, Mr. Armstrong. I have a brief conference with each new student as head mistress of this school and you will be no exception," she said. He walked around to the front of the chair and sat down, for the first time since arriving feeling actually nervous. She could read him like an open book and said, "You're not in trouble yet, Mr. Armstrong." She smiled and used her eyes to draw his attention. "Relax," she said.

Now that he was simply sitting there and waiting she asked, "So how have you settled in so far? I hear you arrived earlier today, and I see that you're comfortable in your uniform already."

Toby smiled genuinely and answered, "Things are good. My roommate and I finally broke the ice and everybody's been great so far."

Mrs. Reginald nodded and she leaned back in her own chair, adopting a relaxed posture. This was a strategy she had used for years to put students at ease when discussing serious topics, as she also used an on edge sitting position when she wanted them to squirm. She could tell that this particular former star didn't have a chip on her shoulder to fight against, so she decided to go this route. "We have a host of rules here at Dalton, but if you can follow this abbreviated list you'll do fine. Firstly, there is no bullying, under any circumstances or for any reason. This includes repeatedly belittling people verbally, physical abuse, and sabotage attempts. If I find you've bullied another boy, I'll have to expel you," she said in a common sense sort of tone.

When he had nodded his comprehension she went on, "Secondly, physical altercations are frowned upon, but as boys will be boys, I punish such incidents based on all the facts involved. Thirdly, you will comport yourself with the minimum modicum of decency to honor your position at this school. Your uniform is your reminder that you belong to an institution that has high standards. Standards that were altered for your situation so as to vastly improve your academic achievement." She pointedly looked at his uniform as she commented on it, "It is encouraged that you wear your uniform at all times, and that you keep it clean whenever possible. That last guideline is wide reaching. I don't know if you have a smoking habit, or have engaged in underage drinking before, but if you are acting in a manner in which you could be arrested for your behavior, believe me when I say that I will take a dim view of the activity."

Toby put on a serious face and said, "I've never smoked before, and I know better than to go looking to buy alcohol. My manager would have done far worse than expel me if I had."

She looked him in the eye and then nodded, "I believe you, and I believe you aren't a Hollywood party boy, so if you put forth some effort, and perform up to expectations I think this will be a good year for you and you can get back to your career soon enough."

"Hey, Allie, how was your day?" Nick asked, as he sequestered himself in his room. He had waited until his roommate was wandering the halls getting his bearings in order to garner the most privacy possible. It was Tuesday afternoon and after the first day of being apart, he didn't feel like he could wait any longer.

Allison for her part was eager to hear from him, her tone conveyed that in spades, "It's all better now. I can't believe you don't even have class for a week? I've got my first tests coming up!"

Nick didn't like to be the cause of too much distraction, he knew how important her grades were to her. "If I called at a bad time, I can call back, or you know we could text instead."

She quickly put an end to that line of thought and assured him, "No, no. I am ready for a break. I hate the term polynomial so much right now, and I've still got days to prepare."

He laughed into his cell and asked, "So, is senior math turning out to be more challenging than you thought it might be?"

She immediately responded, "Challenging no. Tedious yes. We covered all of this five months ago, and we've been drilling on it since class began. I think we've got it by now."

Nick smiled and sat down on his bed, "Well, I missed you after one day apart." She snickered and eventually replied, "I miss you too. Are you coming home to celebrate my math test this weekend?"

Nick was silent for a moment, and then said, "I don't know yet. I want to, but we agreed to slow down."

"Come on, Nick. It's just this once. Then we can visit less often," she pleaded. He knew he would give in, so rather than draw things out and make both of them more disappointed, he decided to just agree now. "Yeah, I'll come see you. Do you want to go hiking, or would you prefer to go downtown and window shop?"

Allison replied without missing a beat, "Hiking, duh. We can window shop just as well when there's snow on the ground." Nick couldn't help but widen his smile, her sense of humor, her practical mind, these were things he couldn't help falling for.

He said, "I'll see you around 11 then. Love you."

She said, "Love you too." before hanging up. Fortified with something concrete to look forward to, Nick set about rearranging his belongings for the sixteenth time. He didn't know why he was always so restless with the way his environment was arranged, but he did begin to hum while working this time.

With two more days before the weekend, the Warblers posted the list of hopefuls who had made it into the group up in the Senior Commons and outside their practice room. The four boys who had made the cut joined the senior and other junior members that afternoon to begin practicing.

Wes stepped forward and said, "We've got our first practice piece, and it's a difficult one, but it's also the caliber of what we're shooting for in competition." As he spoke, Thad and David passed out music parts, instructing each boy as to what line they should sing. The more seasoned boys were asked to perform the a capella background, and even with the minimal recording they prepped to play it would be challenging. Startlingly, David told Blaine that he was singing the solo.

They started the tape player and the synthetic beats of Leave Me Alone by Michael Jackson filled the room. The boys began singing along, filling in the auditory space till the sound was bouncing off the walls. Blaine noticed that Trent was getting particularly into it as he shifted from side to side while providing one of the melodic lines.

Blaine started over the background beats, "I Don't Care What You Talkin' Bout Baby! I Don't Care What You Say. Don't You Come Walkin' Beggin' Back Mama. I Don't Care Anyway!" He was a natural and he began walking around the room as he sang, growing more confident as the harmonizers joined in at the chorus. As the singers got more confident, they threw away their sheets of music and Blaine lost himself in the performance.

The chorus "Leave Me Alone" rang off the walls in four part harmony and several students who overheard the performance began to gather in the hallway outside the Warbler's practice room. As the final bars faded away, the Warblers congratulated each other, slapping hands on backs, giving each other high fives and making sure that they all knew what they had just accomplished. It was a few minutes before anybody noticed that Toby Armstrong was also standing in the open doorway, flanked on all sides by other students, with his mouth hanging open. Jeff saw him first and smiled, waving him inside. He said, "Toby!" and made his way over.

Trent heard and gravitated over as well. Toby just clapped a few times as he stood looking at the Warblers with a wide grin on his face, "Wow. Just wow. See you guys don't need someone like me dragging you down."

Jeff clapped Toby on the back and said, "Hey, if you ever feel comfortable being here we'll make a place for you. So did you just come to check up on your roomie?"

Toby grinned but then shook his head as if he was suddenly remembering something, and pulled a piece of paper out from his back pocket, "No, I need help. I was hoping you could help me find my way around. I am still getting lost around the halls."

As Jeff began to answer, Trent spoke up, "Hey, let me do that. I'll give you a general tour too. It's the least I can do after lunch the other day."

Toby looked at Trent and smiled, "Hey, it's not your fault my skin is thin about that. You didn't know."

Trent casually rested his elbow on Jeff's shoulder and replied, "That's not much of an excuse, and besides it'll be fun." Jeff pushed Trent off with a laugh and Trent reached forward and took the paper from Toby's hands. "Have fun, guys. I'll see you back at the room later, Toby." Trent began walking from the room and Toby absently waved and followed Trent out, catching up with the other boy as they hit the first corridor.

Blaine had been observing the entire exchange and turned to Jeff as he rejoined the group, "What was that about, Jeff?"

Jeff shrugged, "My roommate is new, so he's still getting lost."

This didn't seem to be what Blaine meant as he continued, "No, I got that. I mean I'm pretty sure that Trent's either starstruck or has a crush and Toby Armstrong is encouraging it."

Wes shook his head, "As far as we can tell, although it's only been a couple of days, Toby left his star-sized ego on the plane. It's actually surreal how normal he is."

Nick commented, "I am pretty sure he's not trying to get into Trent's pants." He cracked a smile as he continued, "Trent on the other hand I can't comment on."

Blaine shook his head, "I hope things go well, whatever that ends up meaning." He paused and then looked at each of the boys standing around him. "So why'd you give me the solo on our first practice piece?" he asked.

Thad walked up and clapped Blaine on the back, "Consider it a reward for being the first Warbler to be unanimously accepted since 2007. If you keep it up, we'll give you even more solos. Welcome to the Warblers, Blaine."

Trent walked down the large open halls, leading Toby from room to room. He absentmindedly waved at one of the closed classrooms with his right hand as he read the sheet of paper, "And this is where your geometry class is." He looked up and made eye contact with Toby, "Ooh, Mr. Parkhurst. He doesn't grade on a curve. Good luck with that one."

Toby eyed the room like he was going to prison next week and then sighed, "Well, at least I like reading so the next class should be fun. It's two hallways over, isn't it?"

Trent nodded and put his arm around Toby's shoulder as if he was guided him onto a stage, "See, you're starting to learn your way around."

Toby smiled as they walked onward, "Well, I've got a great teacher."

Trent smirked and then put a somewhat serious look on his face. "Toby, can I ask you a personal question?"

Toby got a serious look on his face and looked Trent in the eyes. He cracked a wary smile and said, "I guess. I just won't answer if it's too personal, okay?"

Trent separated from Toby and pointed at his glasses while asking with a grin, "Are you near or far sighted?"

Toby just stared at Trent for a few moments before he laughed out loud and the sound filled the hallway as they resumed their journey.

The entire conceit of this serial story is that it is basically its own TV series. It exists in the same universe as Glee, but with its own plot lines, characters and themes. It could be considered a spin-off of sorts. My focus is more on slice of life scenes and drama than comedy and musical performances although they are definitely there. I've taken liberties with some assumptions about the backgrounds of several of the Warblers and Dalton in general, but I think it's all for the best.

Warblers Cast: Telly Leung/Wes, Titus Makin Jr./David, Eddy Martin/Thad, Dominic Barnes/Trent, Riker Lynch/Jeff, Curt Mega/Nick, Nelson Beato/Adam, Jon Hall/Carey, Darren Criss/Blaine

Non-Warblers: Doug Brochu/Toby, Haley Joel Osmet/Jimmy, Drake Bell/Tim, Josh Peck/Aaron, Josh Hutcherson/William

I'm currently working with chapter titles that are sayings, no matter how obscure, but I may stop that at any time. I'm more interested in the content than the catchy names. Please Read & Review. Thanks.