Chapter 1
"But Dad, can't I just live in New York with you? Or move to LA with Cooper?" Blaine had been nagging his father he whole car trip. "Lima is the most boring place in America!"
"Which is exactly why you'll be safer here," Tony Stark looked into his son's eyes in the passenger seat beside him. "Your Grandmother is sick and your mother wants to spend more time with her, so you're staying in Ohio with them." Blaine sighed and dropped his father's gaze. "Plus, I'm not the best Dad and I think spending some time with your mother and grandmother will do you some good." Tony eyed his son's lip and eyebrow piercings warily.
Blaine sighed and slouched against his seat, "Fine, whatever."
Tony rolled his eyes at his son as they pulled up at William McKinley High School. "Get out and have fun, Blaine. Make some friends and I'll see you in a few weeks."
Blaine groaned and opened the door, attracting plenty of attention for what Blaine could guess would be many reasons. Firstly, he was the new kid and judging by what he'd seen so far of Lima, they didn't get too many of them. Next was probably the fact that he's just stepped out of a very expensive looking sports car; and lastly was the fact that he seemed to stick out like a sore thumb at McKinley. He saw jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, and everything in between but he still seemed to stick out. He chewed on his lip piercing and went to the locker he'd been assigned.
Whispers of gossip had followed Blaine from the moment he stepped out of his father's car and it wasn't long before Kurt Hummel heard this morning's gossip. Mercedes had greeted him that morning with a hug and a "have you seen the new kid?" Kurt hadn't seen the new kid yet, but he'd heard almost everyone he passed talking about him.
"He's gorgeous, Kurt, you have to see him," Mercedes insisted.
Kurt did see the new kid, finally, in his third period English class. Mr Smith introduced him to the class as Blaine Anderson and told him to take the only available seat, on Kurt's left, between him and Sam. The moment Blaine stepped through the door he understood why everyone had been talking about the new kid – he was hot. He wasn't very tall but his arms and chest looked muscular under his leather jacket and white t-shirt. He had dark, curly hair that was gelled slightly and his eyebrow and lip were pierced. From the clicking sound coming from Blaine's mouth when he sat down, Kurt supposed he had his tongue pierced too and was tapping it against his teeth. Kurt didn't normally like the bad boy type, but there was no escaping that Blaine was one of the hottest guys Kurt had ever laid his eyes on.
Sam started talking to Blaine once Mr Smith had set the day's work and everyone around them was listening intently for answers about who the new kid really was. "I'm Sam," he began.
"Blaine," he said flatly.
"Where are you from?" Sam asked the question on everyone's mind.
"I've lived a bit of everywhere: LA, Chicago… New York," Blaine pronounced the last city with obvious distaste. He decided he would answer some of people's questions, they'd find out one way or another and it was probably better if it came from him.
"From New York to Lima?" Sam asked, surprised. Blaine nodded uninterestedly. "Why? If you don't mind my asking."
"My Grandmother's sick and apparently its better if I live with my mother here, rather than my father in New York," Blaine said bitterly.
"Oh, cool," Sam said.
"I suppose," Blaine responded indifferently.
"Do you sing? We have a glee club here and it's really fun." Glee club was always looking for new talent and Sam didn't waste the opportunity to invite a new member. "Kurt's in it too." Blaine turned to his right and nodded at Kurt when Sam gestured to him. Kurt got a better look at Blaine and decided he was even hotter close up.
"Uh, yeah I kind of sing a bit," Blaine half-shrugged. "When do you meet?"
"The next meeting's tomorrow afternoon, you should come along," Sam encouraged.
"Maybe," Blaine nodded slightly and focused his attention on the work on his desk, ending the conversation and leaving a few answers but many more questions in the minds of those around him.
OoOoOoO
Blaine unlocked the door of his new house and dropped his keys on the table inside the entrance. The house was small but not tiny, just the right size for Blaine and his mother. He walked into the living room and saw the stack of boxes to unpack, groaned at them and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.
He sat staring at the boxes. The house was full of boxes. Blaine hated unpacking, it was his least favourite part about moving – starting a new school he could do without it bothering him, but he hated unpacking boxes.
His Mom was working late at the hospital where she nursed, so Blaine decided he should do some more unpacking to lighten her load. Even with a billionaire ex-husband, Meredith still felt obliged to work and pay for as much as she could herself.
Blaine went to what was now his bedroom and began unpacking his clothes. There wasn't much variety in his wardrobe, just a couple of leather jackets and hoodies, some shirts, jeans and a pair of converse. He was finished unpacking by the time his mother arrived home at 9 o'clock with take-away for dinner; they ate watching TV and making small talk.
"How was your first day at McKinley?" she asked.
"Fine," he shrugged.
"Did you make any friends?" Blaine looked up at her with a what-do-you-think look. Of course he hadn't made any friends, he didn't want any friends. "Did you talk to anyone who seemed nice?"
Blaine tried to do right by his mother, it wasn't her fault she had a screw-up as a son. "Yeah, I talked to a couple of guys – Sam and Kurt I think their names were –in English class."
"That's good," Meredith smiled tiredly.
"I started unpacking my room. I finished with my clothes and I've only got a few boxes left."
"Thanks honey." Meredith appreciated the little things Blaine did to try to make it easier for her. She knew he wasn't happy about moving to Lima, but the little slips of kindness and thoughtfulness that slipped through Blaine's surly attitude didn't go unnoticed by her. She saw those slips and it reminded her that Blaine was still her little boy, no matter how tough he tried to be on the outside.
