My first shot at a Glee-fic. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Glee-related, only my OC Ella. If I did, though, Artie would be singing me to sleep every night and Puck would be living under my bed :)
Leaning back in my plane seat, I closed my eyes as we began our descent. This was definitely my least favourite part of flying, the pressure having its wicked ways with my ears as usual. Nevertheless, I was finally here. Lima, Ohio, the United States of America. My home for the next year.
My name is Ella Maria Michaels, and I'm from Bolton, UK. Now you may wonder, what's a British girl doing in Ohio for a year? Well, I was one of the lucky people chosen to be an exchange student for the next year. I was so excited to go. I would be living with the Anderson family consisting of Jim, Mary and their son, Blaine. We had emailed a bit before my departure, each telling a bit about ourselves, getting to know each other, as well as sending a few photos. They looked like a nice and happy family, and I was looking forward to actually meet them.
After collecting my bags, I headed for the reception area, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I didn't have to wait long though, because I spotted them immediately. There they were, holding a sign saying "Ella", waving with big smiles on their faces. I smiled and made my way through the crowd to the family. Mary immediately enclosed me in a warm, motherly hug, saying, "It's so good to have you here!" Blaine gave me a handsome smile and a one-armed hug, and Jim gave me a warm, firm handshake and welcomed me to the US.
"So, how was the flight?" Blaine asked me on the way to the way to the car. I shrugged and gave a small smile.
"It was okay," I replied, "I managed to get some sleep. 8 hours on a plane is no joke, though. Thank God there weren't any crying kids, otherwise I would have gone barmy," I chuckled. Climbing into the backseat, Blaine shot me a confused look.
"Barmy?" he asked. I let out a small laugh.
"It's British slang for crazy," I explained. He chuckled a bit.
"British people should come with a slang-dictionary," he said, winking at me to let me know he was joking. I laughed along with him.
"Yeah, I might have to pick up a bit of American slang if I want people to actually understand what I'm saying," I laughed.
The car ride home was spent laughing and exchanging slang-terms. Blaine seemed quite fascinated by the cockney slang. The family and I just seemed to click; you wouldn't be able to tell that we had only just met. Well inside the house, Mary gave me a tour of the house and then left me to unpack in what would be my room for the next year.
I was nearly done unpacking when I heard a knock on my door.
"Come in," I called, and Blaine's smiling face appeared.
"Can I sit?" he asked. I sat down on the bed and motioned for him to join me.
"So," he asked me, "How do you like being here so far?" I shrugged.
"I'm still quite chuffed just to be here, it hasn't quite sunk in yet," I smiled. A though suddenly occurred to me.
"We will be going to the same school, right?" He shot me an apologetic smile and said,
"Sadly, no. I go to the Dalton Academy, which is an all-boys school. You'll be going to the William McKinley High School. It's close by though, so I'll be driving you to school," he replied, before adding "My boyfriend Kurt used to go there before transferring to Dalton, though, I'm sure he will be more than happy to introduce you to some of his friends so you won't be entirely alone," he smiled.
I smiled and nodded slowly before snapping my gaze back to him.
"Boyfriend? You're camp?" I asked, not sure if I had heard him correctly.
"Well if camp means gay, then yes, I'm out and proud," he laughed. I laughed as well, a bit embarrassed by my own frankness.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it's just, you don't seem..."
"Sassy?" he cut me off with a chuckle.
"It's alright, no harm done. It's not like it's the first time I've heard that," he laughed. I chuckled as well.
"Well, I would love to meet some people so I at least have someone to sit with at lunch. If it's anything like high schools in movies, I would hate to sit alone," I told him.
"Well, if you're up for it, I can ask Kurt to come over later and bring some of his friends?" he asked. I nodded eagerly.
"Sure, like I said, I managed to get some sleep on the flight, so I don't think I'm too jet-lagged," I said. Blaine smiled.
"Cool, let me call him and ask," he said before leaving the room to call.
As Blaine left the room, I looked around. The room was nice and spacious. The white walls made it seem even larger. It was nicely decorated. Not over the top, but still not completely bare. I went to look out the window. From there I could see some of the back yard, as well as a bit of the street. All in all this seemed like a nice, regular neighbourhood. There were women gardening and men talking over the fences. Some were trimming the bushes, others mowed their lawns. I sighed. I could see myself feeling at home here. I would miss home, sure, but I had promised my parents and brother I would e-mail them. By staying in touch like that I was hoping it would lessen the homesickness a bit.
A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. I turned around to see Blaine standing in the doorway again.
"Kurt is rallying the troops as we speak, he and a bunch of the girls are coming over later," He smiled. I gave a small smile back and turned to look out of the window again. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Blaine asked with a concerned look. I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm just thinking about home. It's going to take some getting used to. I've never been away from my parents for this long," I replied.
"I'm really excited to be here though. I'm sure as school starts, it will take my mind off things," I added. He nodded.
"Yeah, you're probably right. I understand how you feel, though. I couldn't imagine not seeing my parents for a year." He said.
"If you need to talk, though, you know where my room is," he offered with a smile. I smiled back and reached up to squeeze the hand still resting on my shoulder.
"Thanks Blaine," I replied. "No problem," he smiled back.
Just then the door bell rang.
"Alright, ready to meet some people?" he asked with a grin.
I smiled back. "Totally!"
