Scholarship Boys Chapter 1, a glee fanfic

A Niff story in the making, I'm not sure how long it'll be, yet, but hopefully you'll enjoy it.

Day One

I was working on some homework when I heard a key slid into the lock on my door and it opened slowly. In walked what a presumed was my new roommate, and he was hot. Really hot. I heard him say something and I came back to reality and shook his hand.

"I'm Nick. Do you want help with the rest of your stuff?" I asked the boy who'd just timidly introduced himself as Jeff, my new roommate.

"I don't have anything else." He whispered with a shrug.

"Okay well if you need help unpacking, I need a distraction from my history essay." I told him awkwardly.

"Thanks." He mumbled as he laid down on his bare bed, curled into a ball and quickly fell asleep. Huh, that's super strange, he only has a duffel bag and a backpack. The kid didn't even bring sheets. He also came all alone, no caring parents fussing over unpacking his stuff or making his bed, or saying he needed to call when he was all settled in, Jeff was just here, alone.

Three Days Later

Three days. It had been three days, and my new roommate had barely left our room. He went to classes, but that was it. He ate his meals in our room, he didn't talk to anyone (that I saw), and he didn't really talk to me either unless I asked a direct question. He still slept on his bare bed, and I realized that he didn't have sheets. He only had the one uniform too. I wondered about him, where he came from, how he ended up at this fancy boarding school. He must have been a scholarship kid like me if he didn't even have sheets, but something must have happened to him to make him this shy and quiet. I may not be much better off, still being brand new here, and not having many friends yet, but Jeff needed someone to care.

It was maybe ten or so when Jeff gathered his shower stuff and left the room. I took the opportunity to put my extra set of sheets on his bed along with an extra pillow and blanket, then I brushed my teeth and went to bed myself.

I wasn't asleep yet when he came back and saw the bed, and I saw him smile for the first time, big and genuine. He looked at my bed, and must have seen me close my eyes because he walked over and thanked me. It was the loudest I'd heard him speak so far. I grinned, and knew we were one step closer to friends.

Two Weeks Later

I walked into the room after my last class, and Jeff was lying down on his bed doing his math homework.

"Hey Jeff." I said as I set down my backpack and flopped on my bed.

"Hey."

"How are your classes going?"

"They're harder than my old school for sure."

"I know, man. Where'd you go before Dalton?"

"Timmothy High School."

"Never heard of it."

"You wouldn't have. I was tiny." He paused, and took a deep breath "Where'd you go before here?" He asked a question! We were making progress. I smiled as I answered.

"It was a school near Houston."

"Why are you in Ohio, did your family move?" Two questions! I grimaced and thought for a minute should I tell him the real reason I'm so far from home? I took a deep breath. Honesty builds friendships I reminded myself, trying to be brave.

"No, they still live there, they didn't want me to live at home anymore so my father sent in my application for a scholarship here, and I started at the beginning of the semester. I'm a sophomore."

"I'm a sophomore too, wait why'd they send you here?"

"My town's homophobic, and I accidentally outed myself. My family wasn't really comfortable with the idea either."

"I'm sorry." he mumbled and stared at me for a long time. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, shook his head and mumbled an apology again.

"It's okay. It's not like they hate me, they just, we all just needed space to adjust. I still talk to them, and I'm at this school because my uncle teaches here, and they figured if they were sending me away they should send me to family." He nods in acknowledgment and shifts uncomfortably. I take it as a hint he wants the conversation to switch.

"So what do you like to do with your free time?" I ask.

"I don't know. I work a lot, but I haven't gotten a job here yet. I read, I watch movies. I used to dance. I was on soccer team at my old school, and in the choir. Umm that's it I guess."

"You sing, and dance? You should try out for the choir here, I've heard they're really good, and I've thought about trying out."

"Maybe." He said.

"Tryouts are next week. I will if you will."

"I'll think about it." He said cautiously, like he was trying to hide how much he wanted to join.

"I'll hold you to it." I said walking over to my desk and pulling out my homework.

"I didn't say yes."

"Uh- huh." I said grinning as I put in my head phones and started my own homework.

That night I walked into the bathroom as Jeff was showering. I pulled my toothbrush down off the shelf and froze as I heard a voice coming through the shower door behind me. It was singing, Jeff was singing, and it was amazing. I've never heard a voice like that in person. He has to tryout for the Warblers.

"You have to try out." I said when he walked out of the shower in his sweats and a t-shirt.

"I said I'd think about it." he said rubbing the water off his obscenely blond hair.

"No I heard you singing and you're amazing. You have to share that voice."

"Thanks, but..."

"No buts, you already promised."

"When?"

"This afternoon." "Liar." I smiled. He was insulting me, a good sign he thinks of us as friends.

Two Days Later

"Hey Jeff." I said coming into the room.

"Hi Nick." He says back without looking up from his computer.

"How was your school day?"

"Fine."

"That's a boring answer." He looked up at me, equal parts annoyed, and almost touched, maybe because someone cared.

"It was long. Chemistry was the worst though."

"What happened in chem?" I prompted.

"Well I came late in the year, so I didn't have a partner, and I had to do the whole lab by myself and it was a disaster."

"A funny disaster, or a I just failed this project disaster."

"Not really funny, I wish it was though."

"Fair enough, at least it's over."

"Yeah, I'm glad its over."

"But after all the classes today how can you just do homework?"

"I want to get it done, and I need good grades to keep my scholarship."

"Yeah but you're gonna go crazy doing nothing but classes and homework."

"I just got a job so I'm going to work too."

"That's even worse, get up we're leaving."

"What?"

"Trust me." I said and pulled him off his bed by his hands.

"But."

"It'll be better than homework, I promise."

"Fine." He said turning off his computer and pulling on shoes.

"But I swear if you, I don't know try to kill me or something I'll..."

"Dude who do you think I am?" I argued.

"Well I don't know you all that well yet."

"You're smart enough to know if I wanted to kill you I would have done it the first night before anyone else knew you, that way I might get away with it."

"You seem to have thought about that too much." He pointed out as I pulled him from the room, out of the dorm, and down the sidewalk away from Dalton.

"Look a park." He said after being quiet for a good ten minutes.

"Swings!" I noticed and grabbed his arm again to pull him towards them. I let go a few feet away and launched onto the nearest swing.

"Come on, swing with me." I yelled as he stood back and watched me. He glared at me sarcastically but climbed onto the empty swing next to me and pushed off the ground. He closed his eyes with a smile as the swing rose higher, and I knew this was exactly what he needed.

A Few Days Later- Tryouts

"I can't believe you talked me into this." He said as we stood with eight other nervous students outside the big wooden doors.

"I can't believe they choose us randomly. I don't wanna go after you. I'll sound awful." I whispered as the nerves started to creep up.

"Well then hopefully I'll go after you."

"Thanks for the confidence boost." I told him sarcastically, and he rolled his eyes at me.

"You're gonna get in."

"That's better." I said shoving his shoulder.

"First up is Nick Duval."

"You got this." He said and grinned at me.

"I got this." I repeated trying to convince myself. I enter the room, open my mouth and start to sing.

I've been waiting on the sunset Bills on my mindset

I can't deny they're getting high

Higher than my income Incomes bread crumbs I've been trying to survive
The glow that the sun gets Right around sunset

Helps me realize This is just a journey Drop your worries You are gonna turn out fine.

Oh, you turn out fine. Fine, oh, you turn out fine.

I started to get more comfortable as the Warblers started to recognize the song, and nod along. I started to move more and act more natural as I reached the chorus.