A/N: This story - and its title - was inspired by the song "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton. (Unbeta'ed, so sorry for any errors.)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but the crazy thoughts in my head.
Blaine Anderson was fourteen years old.
He was a straight-A student, a singer, a musician and a dancer. He was also handsome, charming, kind and generous.
Blaine Anderson was also gay.
He had come out to his parents just months after his thirteenth birthday. His mother cried and then she hugged him tight; so tight he thought he would suffocate. His father had remained silent and distant; like he didn't know his son anymore.
In school he was one of two openly gay students. He was called names, pushed around and humiliated time and time again.
None of that seem to faze him though; he kept performing and charming anyone and everyone that would give him an ounce of attention.
Then a seemingly innocent school dance would change his life forever.
He had asked his friend Matt (the only other openly gay kid in school) to go with him to the annual Sadie Hawkins dance - Matt was a year older and they had been friends for two years.
They had such a great time together; they danced and laughed the night away. But as they waited for Matt's father to come pick them up they were suddenly cornered by three jocks; the same ones that would harass them at school for being gay. The jocks beat them up so badly that they had to be rushed to the hospital.
It had been five weeks since the incident and while most of Blaine's injuries had healed almost completely; he still had some bruising on his ribs and a broken wrist in a cast. His physical injuries weren't the worst part though. The happy, charming, polite boy was gone and what was left was a scared and angry boy who barely spoke a word and flinched every time someone came near him.
Seeing their child like this worried The Andersons so much they decided that the best course of action was for Blaine to be home-schooled until the end of the year and then transferred to Dalton Academy come fall. Dalton was a prestigious boarding school for boys with a strict zero tolerance no bullying policy that was always enforced.
Blaine agreed to this silently; he didn't have it in him to fight for anything anymore. He would let bullies win this time.
And now, here he was; sitting on a bench outside a pharmacy waiting for his mother to come out with his medicine.
He had just been to the see his doctor; who had recommended he get out of the house more. His mother of course agreed so instead of driving him back home; she decided to take him with her to get his prescription filled.
"It's a beautiful day, Blaine! Stay out here and get some fresh air." He replays his mother's words in his head as he internally rolls his eyes. He would much rather be in his room; with his comic books and his sheet music; far from anyone that could ever harm him.
In his hand he holds a notepad and a pen; words scribbled haphazardly on the page - lyrics to songs he believes no one else will ever hear.
He sighs as he closes his eyes and feels the soft early spring breeze brush against his skin; holding the pen firmly in his right hand while he struggles to hold the notepad with his injured left one.
His thoughts are interrupted as he feels something drop heavily beside him. He opens his eyes and sees a blond boy - about his age - wearing a letterman jacket, a yellow plaid shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. Blaine immediately tenses up as he sees the boy's jacket; memories of being shoved and kicked around all too fresh in his mind.
He stops looking at the boy and instead opts to just look down at his note pad.
"Hey, wanna a bite?" The blond boy asks - basically shoving the apple in his hand directly into Blaine's face; which makes the dark haired boy not only flinch, but drop his note pad and pen as he lifts his arms to cover his face in a protective manner.
"Whoa, dude! You okay?" The blond boy asks as he picks up the items Blaine dropped.
Blaine puts down his arms slowly and answers tentatively; "Yeah… yeah. Sorry." His voice is small and fearful and his hand trembles as he takes the items back from the other boy.
"You s-scared me… that's all"; Blaine stammers as he holds the note pad close to his chest.
"Don't worry dude. I'm harmless. My name's Sam. Sam Evans. What's yours?" Sam's smile is as bright and warm as the sun; which makes Blaine feel somewhat at ease.
"I-I'm…" He clears his throat and starts again. "I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson."
"Cool! Nice to meet you, Blaine!"
Sam frowns as he motions towards Blaine's broken wrist. "What happened?
Blaine feels a bit self-conscious and tenses up once more at the mention of one his injuries. He looks back at Sam and only sees the letterman jacket as he remembers the boys that beat him up. Anger starts to bubble up inside him as he thinks to himself; he's just a stupid jock, he doesn't care about what happened to you.
His voice comes out harsh and cold as he replies; "It's doesn't matter and I don't want to talk about it anyway."
Something flashes across Sam's eyes; Blaine thinks he looks kind of hurt but it's gone so fast he doesn't really know for sure. Sam shrugs; "That's fine, dude. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I mean, you just met me and all, so…"
Sam reaches down and it's only then that Blaine notices Sam's backpack on the floor.
The green-eyed boy places his half-eaten apple inside his bag and takes out a comic book. Sam can feel Blaine's eyes on him and smiles softly behind the comic book. He lowers it enough to look back at Blaine and asks; "You like comic books?"
Blaine smiles shyly as he nods and replies; "I have a huge collection of comics at home!"
Sam sits closer to him so they can both have a look. "Cool! You like X-Men?"
Blaine's eyes open wide in excitement as he lets himself relax even more. Maybe Sam isn't so bad after all. He thinks before he answers; "They're my favorite!"
"That's awesome, dude! Mine too!" Sam exclaims as he turns the page.
"I'm definitely Wolverine!"
"I'm definitely Wolverine!"
They laugh out loud as they both speak at the same time and manage to say the same thing.
Once their laughter subsides Sam gets serious and says; "I'm sorry, dude… but I'm definitely Wolverine; you can be Cyclops!"
Blaine smiles brightly and rolls his eyes as he retorts; "No way! I don't want to be Cyclops! He's not as cool as Wolverine!"
"You're fighting a losing battle, dude! I'm Wolverine and you're Cyclops. Fact!"
Blaine sighs heavily and then laughs as he concedes; "Fine!"
They're both silent for a moment as they revel in each other's company and read the comic book together.
Blaine is the first to speak up as he looks at Sam's jacket; "You play sports at school?"
Sam follows Blaine's stare and his own eyes land on his jacket too. He frowns slightly as he answers; "Uh, yeah. I play football and baseball; and I'm also on the swimming team. You play anything?"
Blaine looks up at Sam's face as he replies; "Not really. I mean… I'm a big sports fan and everything. I really love football and basketball, but I don't play any sports at school." He pauses for a second before he continues. "Actually I'm… uh… a performer. You know… I sing, dance, and play the piano; sometimes I even write my own songs."
"Wow, that's totally awesome, dude! I like to sing too, and I can totally rock out with my guitar!" Sam replies excitedly as he turns another page of the comic book while Blaine just smiles politely.
"So, what happened to your hand?" Sam asks quietly. At Blaine's hesitation; Sam continues: "I mean I know you said you didn't wanna talk about it but… Um, man I bet it totally sucks to have that cast on. I broke my leg once when I fell from this tree I was climbing and had to have a cast on for weeks. Man, did that thing itch!"
Sam makes an annoyed face as he relates his story; causing Blaine to chuckle softly – only to turn serious again seconds later.
"Uh, I was…" Blaine takes a deep breath and continues; "Some guys beat me up." His voice is soft as he looks down not wanting to look Sam in the eyes and wondering why the hell he was telling this to a complete stranger.
"Whoa, are you serious? Why would they do that? No offense dude, but you don't look like the kind of guy that goes around looking for fights." Sam's eyes are wide and shiny as he looks at Blaine expectantly.
Blaine finally finds to courage to look at Sam and responds; "You're right, I'm not. They… uh… they did it 'cause they didn't like who I was."
Sam laughs softly. "What? Are you like a superhero or something? Did they like discover your secret identity?"
Blaine give him a sad smile as he replies nervously; "No, nothing like that."
"You seem like a pretty cool dude to me. I don't know why someone would want to beat you up."
Sam states very matter-of-factly.
Blaine bows his head slightly and says; "Thanks, um… I don't know if I should be telling you this. Why don't we just forget it? Okay?"
"Come on, man! You can tell me!"
Blaine sighs dejectedly. "Fine. Um, they beat me up because I'm gay."
Sam stiffens slightly, remains silent for a moment and Blaine regrets telling him almost immediately. I knew it! He's just like those other jocks. Now, he'll hate me too.
Blaine decides he doesn't want to sit next to Sam anymore and he certainly doesn't want to find out his opinion about gay people, so he starts to get up. He's stopped by Sam's hand pulling gently at his arm.
He settles back into his seat and places his notepad and pen between them. Sam then proceeds to take the pad, pen and his comic book and place them on his other side as he shuffles closer to Blaine until they're sitting shoulder-to-shoulder. The look he gives Blaine puzzles him and makes him feel vulnerable in a way he had never felt before.
"Sam…" Blaine starts to speak, but is interrupted by the blond boy.
Anger and disbelief are evident in his voice as he speaks; "I can't believe someone would do that to you. So you're gay. Big deal! What a bunch of jerks! Man, what I would give to have them in front of me right now. I'd make sure they regret what they did to you!"
His fingers close into tight fists on his lap and Blaine swears he sees Sam's eyes water a bit as he stares at him in disbelief.
"So… you don't mind that I'm gay?"
"Dude! Seriously? Come on! What does that have to do with anything? You're a cool guy! And I'm totally awesome myself." He winks to make his point and continues. "So there, instant friends! Nothing else matters."
Blaine blushes softly and smiles.
Sam suddenly asks; "Hey, how come your cast isn't signed?"
The dark haired boy looks down at his arm and shrugs: "I don't really have any friends. I mean, I did before I came out, but then…" He leaves the sentence hanging in the air; no use thinking about those that turned their backs on him when he most needed them.
Before Sam has a chance to reply Blaine continues; "Well I do have one friend, but I can't see him right now."
"Why not?"
"He got beat up too, on the same night for the same reason. Only he… he got it worse than me. He's still in the hospital"
"Man, that sucks!"
Sam suddenly reaches down into his backpack and pulls out a marker. He smiles at Blaine and motions towards his injured arm. Blaine frowns in confusion, and Sam sighs in annoyance. "Come on, dude! Give me your arm. I'm gonna sign your cast."
"Sam, you don't really…"
"Shut up and give me your arm, dude!"
Blaine complies with his request and watches as Sam concentrates on signing his cast. He signs his name 'Sam Evans'; followed by a little doodle that Blaine can't really decipher from his current angle.
Once he's finished; Sam takes the time to admire his work as he speaks softly. "The world isn't all bad, you know? Not everyone is like those guys that did this to you." He looks up, meets Blaine's hazel eyes and smiles shyly.
Sam opens his eyes widely as he suddenly comes to a realization. "Wait! Were the guys that did this to you jocks or something? Is… Is that why you kept staring at my letterman jacket?"
Blaine nods softly. "Did you think I was like them?" Sam's voice trembles slightly as he waits for Blaine's answer.
"Yeah. Um… I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't have judged you like that."
"It's cool, bro. We're friends now, so you're forgiven." They both laugh as they start to relax once more.
"Hey, ever thought about taking up boxing? It would so cool. You could really have a secret identity then, 'cause like… nobody would expect a little dude like you to be able to kick someone's butt!"
They laugh again as Sam gives a playful nudge to Blaine's shoulder.
"Thanks, Sam."
"What for?"
"I haven't laughed like that in a long time."
"No worries, pilgrim."
Blaine actually giggles this time before asking; "Is… was that a John Wayne impression?"
"Finally! You're the first one of my friends to know that was John Wayne. Everybody else just looks at me weird."
Blaine smiles brightly. "You're funny, Sam."
They look at each other in silence for a moment; green eyes piercing into golden brown.
Sam sighs and hesitates a little before he starts to speak; "Blaine… I really really li…"
He's interrupted by the voice of a woman approaching them.
"Ok, I got your medicine. We just have to buy something for dinner and then we can go back home." Blaine's mother speaks while looking into her bag for her car keys. She finally looks up and spots Sam sitting close to her son. "Oh, well… who do we have here?"
"Um, this is Sam. Sam, this is my mom."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Sam smiles politely.
"Pleased to meet you too, Sam." She looks at her son; amusement evident in her eyes. "And how do we know Sam?"
The blond boy answers instead. "Um, we just met. I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up. He's working in the area."
"Well, that's nice… I'm glad you could make a friend so easily, Blaine."
Blaine groans in embarrassment. "Mo-om…"
Sam can't help but smile at this.
They're suddenly interrupted by the sound of a red pick-up truck parking right in front of them. The man inside rolls down the window in the passenger seat and speaks to Sam. "I'm sorry, buddy… got held up a bit. Come on, let's go home!"
"I'll be right there, dad." He looks at Blaine sheepishly. "That's my dad… I gotta go."
Blaine tries to hide his disappointment. "Sure, it was nice meeting you Sam."
Sam smiles at him. "You too, Blaine." He gathers his belongings and walks towards the truck. Once inside he waves good-bye at Blaine and tries not to look too sad.
Blaine's mother breaks the silence once Sam and his dad are gone. "So, how about we go get something to eat, huh?"
He sighs as he answers; "Sure, let me get my stuff." He turns to get his note pad and pen, but finds Sam's comic book instead. "Oh, no…"
"What's wrong, honey?"
"Sam must have taken my note pad with him and left his comic book by mistake."
"Well, just call and ask him about it."
Blaine frowns. "I didn't get his number."
"Oh, ok. Um… did the note pad have anything important on it?"
"No, not really. " Blaine slumps forward a bit.
"I'm sorry, honey."
"It's okay, mom. Let's get dinner."
As they walk side by side towards their car Blaine suddenly asks; "Mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Would it be okay if I took up boxing? I mean, once my wrist heals."
His mother looks at him curiously and wonders what brought this on. "Um, sure. We'll talk to dad about it when we get home, okay?"
"Thanks, mom."
She suddenly gets a wicked smile on her face as she teases her son. "Well, that Sam sure was cute! Right?"
Blaine gives her a mortified look and is thankful of the fact that they're alone. "Oh my god, mom!" A deep blush creeps through his face and she laughs.
"Oh, come on! What good is it to have a gay son if we can't talk about cute boys together?" Blaine laughs out loud at his mother's antics and she feels as if for a moment she has gotten her son back. They get into the car and they joke and sing together all the way home.
Blaine Anderson doesn't lay eyes on Sam Evans again, but he knows that he owes him a great amount of gratitude because he brought him back to life that day. He made him realize not everyone would hate him for being who he was and that the world had so much more to offer.
As he settles into Dalton that fall semester; he can't help but think back to that ordinary day where he met the seemingly ordinary boy that made him smile again. And to this day; Blaine still wonders if he made Sam up – even as he holds tightly to the only proof he has of Sam's existence. The X-Men comic book he left behind and the cast that he signed for him - and he hopes that one day he'll meet Sam again and can thank him for everything he did for him on that warm spring afternoon.