Class One

It was Kurt's first day of his second year at college. His first year had been all academics so all he had left was electives. He'd met a few friends, mostly just acquaintances in classes to share notes and talk about classes with. Mercedes, Rachel and Finn were his closest friends, so far. Mercedes he had known since middle school, Finn happened to be his step brother that he so happened to get along with and Rachel met Finn in college and they became friends through Finn.

It was 10:50 on a Tuesday morning and he his creative writing class started in ten minutes.

He started walking there so he could get a good seat and watch his new classmates walk in. When he arrived they were already a few people already there.

The professor walked in at precisely eleven AM, by then most of the class already filed in.

He put down his brief case and stood in front of the class. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt tucked in and khaki pants. I hope he doesn't teach like he dresses.

"No," the professor said putting his hands on his hips.

"No what?" a blonde kid sitting in front of Kurt asked.

"These desks," the professor answered.

A kid who had previously had the professor before told the class, "He wants the desks in a circle."

"Yes, thank you. I want the desks in a big circle around the room. No one gets left out."

Everyone gathered their things and started pushing desks around.

Kurt was in the middle of adding his desk to the circle when he felt someone bump into him from behind.

"Oh sorry, didn't see you there," said a boy with a charming smile. Kurt looked at him, he had black curly hair, hazel eyes that seemed to sparkle and was a few inches shorter than Kurt. Kurt hadn't seen him walk in, he wondered how he could miss someone that looked like that.

"It's ok," he smiled back and then he turned back around and put his desk in the now complete circle.

"Welcome everyone," the professor said once he sat down. "I am Professor Ernie and this is Creative Writing."

Kurt looked around the circle and noticed the curly head kid was looking at him. He quickly turned his head once he caught his eye.

"This is the syllabus," Professor Ernie said giving a stack of papers to the girl next to him and she took one and passed it down.

He briefly went over the procedures of the class.

"A sketchbook is required for you to do your writing exercises in. You will have exercises a poem due and near the end of the semester a short story to hand in. I will go in further detail when the time comes. We have class twice a week…" he went on explaining the syllabus. "I'm not going to go over the school policies as you probably already have in your other classes, if not you can read them on your own."

He put down the paper, "Ok, first assignment. Pick a partner, someone you don't know."

Kurt looked to his left at a slightly chubby kid with a happy smile on.

"Partner?" he asked Kurt.

"Sure," Kurt said just happy to get a partner. He was used to working by himself in high school because no one wanted to work with him.

He noticed again that the curly head boy gave him another glance. Kurt hoped he did not have any stains on his clothes or food in his teeth.

"Everyone have their partners?" he looked around and the students nodded. "Good, okay everyone get's one blindfold and gather your things because you are not coming back here. You and your partner are going to be blindfolded one at a time for twenty minutes. It is up to your partner that can see to guide you through the school. I want the person that is not blind folded to write down the experience of the blindfolded person as they say how they are feeling. You have to completely trust this stranger you just met. No bathrooms! Okay, everyone take a blindfold get out of here and return the blindfold to me in my office before class is over. Good luck."

Kurt looked over to his partner, he had a excited smile and was rubbing his hands together in a mischievously wave, "This is going to be fun, you can trust me," the boy said.

That did the opposite for Kurt and he hoped this kid wouldn't let him run into a wall.

"And put the desks back," Ernie said as he got out a bag of blindfolds.

Kurt got a blindfold but got mixed from his partner from the crowd and met him outside.

"Hi, I'm Ralphie," Kurt's partner said happily.

"Kurt," and they quickly exchanged a hand shake.

Ralphie had greasy hair and an oversized shirt, but all in all he seemed like those people genuinely happy to be alive.

Kurt looked over to the side and saw the curly hair boy was parters with a tall brunette and they were laughing. He felt a little jealously suddenly for the girl with long legs and shiny hair. Snap out of it Kurt, don't get in over you head, remember Finn? Kurt gave a small shudder and turned back to Ralphie, "Wanna go first?" he asked handing out the camouflage folded bandana with mysterious stains on it to Ralphie. He really did not want to put that on his face. All the other greasy faces it's been on, he would have to pay extra care to his nightly skin routine tonight.

Ralphie happily took the blindfold and put it over his eyes. Kurt looked at his watch to mark the time. He had his messenger bag on and his sketchbook in his hands with a pencil.

Ralphie did a little dance, "Lead the way," he said moving his hands.

He was quickly starting to like Ralphie's care free and jolly attitude.

Everyone had walked off in random directions already.

"Walk straight," he would just walk him around, no where too far because he still got lost himself on this large campus with many corners and walkways.

Ralphie was wobbling back and forth with his hands out in front of him, he looked like he was attempting a tightrope. "It is hard to balance with no sight." Kurt jotted that down in his book.

"Left."

Ralphie took a sharp ninety degree turn and was heading right to a pole.

"Stop!" Ralphie stopped right in his tracks with his hands waving in front of him. "I meant a gradual turn, we are turning a corner."

"Ohhh, this is harder than it looks."

He looked around a corner and saw two girls from his class holding hands. One had the blindfold on.

"Maybe I should put my hand on your shoulder to guide you."

Ralphie exhaled a breath, "That would be good. I keep thinking I am going to run into something.

So Kurt guided him around campus and wrote down notes. He even took him up the stairs. He got many looks, but he really didn't care. Weird stuff like this happened around campus all the time, it was college after all.

"So have you taken any other classes from Professor Ernie before?" Kurt asked attempting to start a conversation.

Ralphie strayed off a bit too much to the left and walked off the sidewalk. "Ahh! Ahh!"

"Calm down, you just got off the side walk. Here," he nudged him to the right,
"now your back on."

He exhaled, "Thanks Kurt. Yeah, I had him for english composition last semester."

"Is he any good?"

"Yeah, he is a great teacher, I love him."

"That's good, do you have any classes after this."

"Yeah, Speech with Bu-Botner?"

"Oh, it's Bartner and I had him last semester, easy class, I got an A."

"I hope so, I'm not good at speaking in front of people," he said with a slight nervous voice.

"You? But you seem so confident with yourself."

"Oh, thanks Kurt you're really nice. Most people don't like me, I guess 'cause I get overly excited."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. I am kind of an outsider too."

"How?" he asked curiously.

Kurt was hesitant to explain, but Ralphie was an outsider too and he seemed like he would understand.

"At my high school, I was the only openly gay student and I would get bullied and treated different."

Ralphie was quiet for a minute. Kurt thought he was thinking of a way to escape from Kurt.

Then Ralphie finally spoke, "I'm sorry Kurt. No one deserves that," he made a fist with his hand. "That gets me so mad the way kids can just throw around other kids because they are 'different'"

Kurt liked Ralphie even more that moment.

They talked for a little while then Ralphie's twenty minutes was up.

Kurt reluctantly put the blindfold on and Ralphie placed his hand on his shoulder right away.

He led him through the school. Kurt got a general idea where he was, he heard water splashing and knew he was at the front of the school near the water fountain. Ralphie was right, it was hard to balance without eyesight and you always felt like you were about to run into something, but he trusted Ralphie completely.

"You know," Ralphie started while leading Kurt up the stairs, "I have two gay dads. They love me very much and are happily married. They got married in Canada."

"That actually makes me very happy, thank you for telling me that Ralphie."

Kurt heard laughter in the distance and then the voices got closer.

"Who is there?" he whispered to Ralphie.

"Just a group of girls," he didn't tell them they were pointing at Kurt.

"What's going on?" One of the girls asked rather loudly and obnoxiously.

"It's an assignment for creative writing," Ralphie said trying to guide Kurt around them.

"Why is he blindfolded?" another asked just as loudly. They were laughing all together and made a sound to give an instant headache to anyone nearby.

"Like I said, it's is an assignment." Ralphie repeated. They were following them.

One walked in front of Kurt and got in his face. Kurt was oblivious but the girl clearly wanted a reaction from Kurt. She started to poke his arm.

"Hello?" Kurt asked confused.

"That's a girl poking your arm," Ralphie said.

"Oh, hi," Kurt said tentatively.

"Can you feel that?" the girl poked again. The others laughed and Ralphie and Kurt just wanted them to leave.

"Excuse us," Ralphie said. "We gotta get back to the assignment."

"BYE," the girl yelled in Kurt's ear and went back to her laughing friends.

Kurt did a jump at the yell and felt his ear ringing.

"Are they gone?" he asked Ralphie softly.

"Yeah, its safe."

"Ow, my ear hurt's," he rubbed his hear, "who were they?"

"They were in scrubs so I guess they are in the medical department. Sorry I tried to get us away but they followed."

"It's ok, I'm just glad their gone."

They walked for a while and Kurt noticed he was in an elevator.

Before he got on Kurt didn't know that the curly head boy was just around the corner watching him and leading his blindfolded partner. They were also holding hands.

"Elevator," Kurt stated.

"Yep."

After a little more walking Kurt heard doors slide open and a gust of cold air hit his face.

It was filled with voices in every direction and smells of a variety of foods.

"Cafeteria, you brought me to the cafeteria," Kurt said trying not to feel embarrassed. It was better when you couldn't see people staring at you and giving you judgmental glances. But most people were perfectly unfazed by it.

Ralphie weaved him around the crowd then brought him to a stop.

"Can I have a watermelon smoothie please? Kurt, do you want anything?"

"I can't believe you brought me here, and no thank you."

"Three, two, one, twenty minutes is up. You can take your blindfold off."

Kurt took off the blindfold and was relieved he looked up and saw a lady in front of him wearing a Dunkin' Donuts uniform.

Ralphie received his smoothie and they walked back to the professor's office to drop off the blindfold.

"Guess I'll see you Thursday," Kurt said.

"Okay, bye," Ralphie said with a smile.

"Good luck in Speech," Kurt added, and they parted ways.