Kurt woke up early the next morning. He hadn't been able to sleep due to fear his nightmares induced. Blaine was still fast asleep and the sky outside indicated that it was around six AM. He decided to take this extra time to take a shower before Blaine awoke. He stumbled through the dark room, trying to find the bathroom. Once he had, he locked himself in the bathroom and started to run the water. He found one of his new Dalton Academy towels and hung it over the radiator so it would be warm when he finished.

Kurt took advantage of this shower time to relax his mind and body. If he was being honest, he was actually rather excited for his first day. He hoped this would be the start to a new, better life for him.

He soon turned off the water and towelled himself off as he stared at his damp body in the mirror. It was a strange feeling, not to recognise yourself anymore. And it wasn't one that Kurt enjoyed. It seemed that no matter how he looked, he just couldn't love himself the way others did. Kurt sighed and turned away, dressing himself in his new school uniform. He styled his hair and brushed his teeth before taking one final look in the mirror. The uniform was almost a perfect fit, the sleeves to the blazer were slightly too big for his skinny arms but he hoped he would grow into it.

A small rasp at the door jerked Kurt out of his thoughts and he realised that this wasn't his own bathroom. He collected his things and unlocked the door, behind which was a very tired looking teenage boy. Kurt only glanced briefly at the boy as he brushed passed him. Blaine stumbled into the bathroom, locking it behind him, leaving Kurt alone, yet again. It was still dark outside despite being 8:00.

Kurt perched on the end of his bed, yawning, when another knock at the door invaded the silence. Confused, he strode towards the door and pulled it open to reveal a blonde haired student, smiling brightly.

"Hey there. I'm Jeff. I'm your buddy," He shrugged with a smile. Kurt felt embarrassed at the fact that he even needed a 'buddy' and internally cringed. But the boy, Jeff, seemed nice enough and Kurt could use some friends.

"I'm Kurt." Was all he replied.

"I know that. Are you ready to go? Breakfast finishes in half an hour." Dazed, Kurt nodded and quickly picked up his school bag from his bed. He glanced at the bathroom door before leaving with Jeff.

He shut the door to his dorm and followed Jeff down the corridors.

"So it's your first day. Nervous?" Jeff asked, his voice chipper.

"A little." Kurt said.

"Don't be. You're in all of my classes so if you need anything just hit me up," Jeff held open a door for him, which lead to a large cafeteria, half full with students. The smell of freshly baked bread and other breakfast foods took over Kurt's senses. Jeff lead him to the other end of the room where he picked up a plate. He handed Kurt one, and they walked around the large buffet-like area together. Jeff piled up food on his plate, talking to Kurt as he did. Kurt wasn't exactly listening as he chose between different fruits. He was incredibly hungry from the previous day. One part of his brain told him that he didn't need food. He was ashamed of this voice in his head but also found it hard to ignore it. But he remembered his dad telling him that if he didn't start eating normally, Kurt would be taken to see a therapist, which he didn't want. There was nothing wrong with him. He just had an aversion to food.

However he did fill up his plate with luxurious breakfast foods, surprised that the food looked so amazing. Jeff lead them both to a small table in the back of the room.

"Do you like singing?" Jeff asked. The question confused Kurt.

"I used to," he said.

"Why did you stop?" Jeff asked, munching on a slice of buttered toast. Kurt pierced a grape with his fork.

"I lost interest in it," Kurt said.

"Oh. We have a Glee club here, called the Warbler's." Kurt recognised the name, and he knew that the Warbler's were a big deal.

"Wow. You must be pretty amazing if you got in," Kurt observed. Jeff shrugged, blushing slightly.

"I don't know. I think they just let me in because we're good friends. I mean, sure I can sing, but there's so many more people that deserved that place," Before Kurt could respond, the chair beside Jeff was pulled out from under the table, squeaking against the linoleum.

The boy who sat down had dark brunette hair, a sideways smirk and dark eyes. He smiled kindly at Kurt. Suddenly self conscious, Kurt pushed his plate away and folded his hands in his lap.

"Kurt this is Nick, my boyfriend, Nick this is Kurt." Kurt's head snapped up at the word 'boyfriend'. Nick and Jeff didn't seem to notice this change in his demeanour.

He quickly recomposed himself. The bell rang out, indicating the start of the school day, and Kurt stood up, grabbing his bag from the floor. He was shocked when Nick leant in and kissed Jeff, looking around frantically to see if people had noticed. What would they do if they had? This was a school full of boys, there must be an awful amount of fights. Jeff smiled after Nick, watching him walk away with a look of undeniable love on his face. He span to face Kurt, clasping his hands together.

"Shall we?" Kurt nodded and followed Jeff to first period math class. When they got there, most seats were taken, and Kurt noticed that Blaine was in his class. His room mate was sat next to a tall, lean boy, with dark skin and a nice toothy smile.

"Where should I..?" Kurt wasn't able to finish his whispered question as Jeff gently grabbed him by the shoulders and guided him towards the back, where a short Asian boy was practically sleeping on the table.

"Wes, go and sit with Malcolm." Jeff said, kicking the boy's leg. Wes grunted, looking up through barely open eyes.

"Why should I?" He mumbled.

"Because Kurt needs to sit down," As if this was a plausible reason, and as if Wes knew who Kurt was, Wes picked up his bag and slumped over to a desk at the other side of the class room.

Through out that lesson, many people turned to gawk at the new boy. Their curious eyes, whilst unwanted, were kind, and not at all threatening. But Kurt still felt massively insecure.

He still wasn't sure what to make of Jeff, who went to the effort of making small talk. Kurt desperately wanted to bring up the whole boyfriend situation, to know how people treated the couple. What he really wanted to know was if it was okay for him to be himself, to let people know he was gay?

Because that's what he wanted, right? He wanted a new beginning here, somewhere he didn't have to hide. If Jeff and Nick could openly kiss each other, then maybe that meant Kurt could finally be honest with people.


Lunch time came around pretty soon, and Kurt followed Nick and Jeff to the cafeteria where they plated up their lunch. Unlike McKinley, you didn't have to pay for food. This is due to the fact that the payment to attend covers everything needed. This also means that a school full of teenage boys get to eat as much as they want without worry. But for Kurt, this means that he has to eat, other wise people will ask questions. So, copying the boys around him, Kurt tried to blend in with a plate of salad, a small side of fries and a can of diet coke.

He remembered the days before the bullying got bad, when it would be normal for him to eat like this. He longed to have those days back, because no matter how much people romanticise it, eating disorders are not fun. Even if Kurt refused to call it that, it was borderline.

As if Jeff was trying to break Kurt, they sat at a table surrounded by other people. They were all Warbler's, and all friends.

"Guys, this is Kurt. He's new. Kurt, these are the idiots I like to call my friends." Jeff laughed, sitting down. Kurt sat down beside him, plastering a smile on his face. Kurt wanted nothing more than to be alone right now. But he needed to make some new friends, so he was polite and tried to join the conversation.

He was silent for the most part, only really talking to Nick and a boy called Harry. Nick, it turned out, was very funny, and even managed to make Kurt laugh. Harry was sweet, going out of his way to make Kurt feel included and asking him his opinion on things the Warbler's were debating. Kurt felt a sense of warmth in his chest, something he hadn't felt in quite a while. The emptiness that he usually felt was less intense, and he smiled inwardly. It was silly that something so small could improve his mood so drastically. He had missed the feeling of being around people that actually enjoyed his company, and it was a feeling he welcomed with open arms. Because he knew that later on, when he was alone, his sadness would return and ruin everything. But he tried not to think about that now.


All too soon, the end of lunch bell rang and Kurt realised he had eaten everything on his plate. For the first time in months, he felt full. He felt like he should be proud, but no one should have to congratulate themselves on eating. However, Kurt went to next lesson with a smile on his face and a new friend on either side of him. Harry, who was barely taller than him, draped an arm around his shoulders in a friendly manner and joked with him and Jeff.

Kurt was not put off by the contact and even found himself leaning into Harry's side. He wondered if this meant anything. Other than Finn, he had never really fancied anyone. Harry was very attractive, with smouldering dark eyes and pale skin, that made his unusually pink lips stand out even more.

They reached their English class and Kurt was, for the first time, made to stand in front of the class and introduce himself.

He didn't say much other than, "Hi, I'm Kurt. I'm new," Before being sat at the back by himself. Embarrassed, he sat hunched in on himself for most of the lesson, trying to hide away from more curious glances. He caught Harry's gaze, who smirked at him before looking back to the teacher. Kurt, feeling eyes on him, turned his head a few rows behind Harry to the staring eyes of, no other than, Blaine Anderson.

Blaine's eyes jerked away, staring down at his sheet like it was incredibly interesting. Slightly confused, Kurt turned his head back to the front of the class.

Blaine hadn't exactly gone out of his way to make Kurt feel welcome, in fact he hadn't even attempted to speak to Kurt. So why the sudden interest? Maybe Kurt had done something wrong.

Deciding not to worry about it, Kurt cleared his head as best as possible and listened to his teacher. But through out the last two lessons, Kurt just couldn't get his mysterious room mate out of his head.