Thank you for sticking with me even though I fail at updating. It was season finale season and I just had a bad case of the writer's block. I'm hoping things will move more smoothly now especially since it's starting to move in the right direction. Thank you for all the views, reviews, favorites and alerts. I appreciate them all.
It's not that Blaine means to fall back into his bullying routine but it's easy for him. He's not really sure how to act anymore. For three years now he has been picking on other people for being gay and being fat and being idiots and he's not sure how to treat people differently. He knows that he's on a steep slope and he has to be careful. Principal Figgins had taken him into the office on the first day and told him that there would be no rule-breaking or else Blaine would face the consequences. Blaine doesn't really want to be expelled from another school.
By his third day, he's fairly certain that he knows his way and he thinks he knows most of the cliques in the school. He had been serious when he had told Kurt that there was no way in hell that he was going to join either the Glee Club or the Gay-Straight Alliance. Not only was he still a Warbler in his heart but they don't seem like his kind of people. There's certainly nobody like Sebastian in the group. Just girls like Rachel Berry and most likely in the closet gays from the football team.
By his fifth day, he's ready to go back to Dalton. It's not that McKinley High School isn't great for some people. He can see that there are some people who truly enjoy it. He doesn't belong here though. He's better than this, better than public school. On his fifth day, though, he meets Quinn Fabray and her clique and perhaps that's the beginning of the end.
Blaine finds it almost humorous when they try to slushie him. As if he hadn't been watching people get slushied since his first day. As if he doesn't see them coming from a mile away, a malicious gleam in their eyes. When the blonde with pink hair who he later learns is Quinn, tries to throw the slushie at him, he grabs her wrist, smirking slightly. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"And why not, new kid?" the girl asks, still holding the slushie aloft. Three girls are behind her and Blaine glances at each of them.
"How predictable," he mutters, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He lets go of the girl's wrist, still eyeing it to make sure that she won't slushie him anyway. "Look, you're lucky you're a chick. If you were a guy you'd be on the floor right now."
The girl looks at him for a moment before turning around. He distinctly thinks that he hears her huff in annoyance. "But Quinn," one of them says. The girl, Quinn, shushes her, glancing once at Blaine before walking away.
Blaine watches them go, slightly unnerved by the exchange. He wonders why exactly they had been trying to slushie him although he doesn't have to look too hard for an explanation. It could be any number of things. He'd made it perfectly clear that he was gay when some chick had tried to flirt with him in the cafeteria. He's new and an easy target. He knows he has to make more of an effort to not look like a target. Easy enough.
Later, in history class, he enjoys putting his feet up on the desk and making witty remarks to the teacher's questions. The teacher doesn't appreciate his wit and he ends up in detention. Exactly where he wanted. He skips it, heading outside to find Quinn and her group where he had imagined they would be. "You guys are something right out of a bad teen movie," he says immediately, shaking his head. This school is weird. Throwing slushies at people and now this. Dalton may have been an uptight pain in the ass but at least there were some normal people there.
"What the hell are you doing here, Anderson? I tried to slushie you earlier," Quinn snaps and Blaine takes the time to look at her. Generic pink hair that had been hastily dyed, an obviously fake nose ring, pink lipstick that would've looked good if anybody could pull off pink lipstick. Pink lipstick just isn't a good look and Quinn is no exception.
Blaine shrugs, leaning back against the bleachers and putting his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, well, I'm not really interested in getting slushied. I don't belong at the bottom of the social ladder, Fabray." He had researched her, listening to all the rumors and encouraging people to gossip at him more. The more you knew about your surroundings, the less likely you were to get taken by surprise. "I'm sure you understand as the former head Cheerio."
The other girls hiss and Blaine has to resist the urge to laugh out loud. Sebastian had been serious when he had been putting down public schools, Blaine is quickly realizing. He couldn't wait to get home to tell Sebastian all about it. "I'm not head Cheerio anymore and you don't belong here."
"Right. Well, I'm staying here so." He shrugs again, looking between the four girls. He can see why the other three are there. They all look like they enjoy it. Quinn doesn't. He had seen the look in her eyes when she had come forward to slushie him. She had been trying too hard. In the back of his mind, he imagines that they're more like Sebastian and Quinn is more like himself but he quickly pushes that thought out of the way because he doesn't like imagining himself as the one who doesn't belong.
The four of them exchange a look before one of them comes up. "Name's Ronnie. Smoke?" She holds out a cigarette to him, the gesture looking like it's physically painful to her.
Blaine has a moment of hesitation before he shakes his head, thinking about how many times he would've been murdered at Dalton if he had smoked. They may have been bullies but they took being a Warbler seriously and their voices were the keys. "Nah," he responded, not giving them an explanation. He wouldn't exactly be fitting in if he told them he didn't do it for his voice.
Eventually they choose to get on with things and Blaine stays, listening to the school gossip and their plans to set fire to the science classroom. The other girls introduce themselves and Blaine is accepted into the group, at least a bit. At least Quinn says that she won't throw a slushie at him anymore. If Blaine can get the reputation of somebody to be feared then he won't have to worry. All he wants to do is to not have to worry.
They say goodbye after a few hours and Blaine heads to his car. He doesn't want to go home, not wanting to see the disapproving looks of his parents. They've been mad at him since the incident and he's quite sure it won't go away any time soon. The worst part is that their anger just makes him feel guilty over and over again.
As opposed to heading home, Blaine drives around for a while, stopping when he pulls up outside The Lima Bean. It sounds idiotic but Blain heads inside anyway. It's better than going to their sorry excuse for a mall or anywhere else in this lame town anyway. The inside is packed with students and Blaine has half a mind to turn around and walk out but he heads to the counter. At least he can get some coffee before he has to go home.
The line is long and he takes the chance to look around, frowning as his eyes catch Kurt sitting with some of his friends at a table near the back. There is something about Kurt Hummel, something that had made Blaine's breath catch when he had first seen him. He is gorgeous, that much is obvious but there's something more. It had taken all of Blaine's willpower to say no so nonchalantly when Kurt had asked him to join the musical. It was the thought of slushies and bullying that had stopped him. Not even for the person with the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen would he join the musical.
Blaine is surprised when Kurt gets up and for a moment he thinks that he saw him. He turns back to the menu but there's surprise in Kurt's voice when he steps in line behind him. "Blaine?"
"Try to sound more excited next time, Kurt," Blaine responds, turning around to face Kurt with a smirk on his face. It's the smirk that had originally drawn Sebastian to him, the smirk that had kept Sebastian and the smirk that had made sure he stayed just where he wanted to on the social ladder at Dalton.
Kurt rolls his eyes and Blaine takes the few seconds to admire Kurt. Definitely gorgeous. Nice hair, lips, eyes. This attraction is not natural. The worst part is the way that Kurt is completely unimpressed by his smirk. There seems to be no way of getting into the boys' pants and Blaine has enough manners at least to not push it. He won't force Kurt if Kurt's uncomfortable. "I was just saying your name in a friendly hello sort of way."
"Right," Blaine says, turning forward in line and taking a step forward when it moves. He can hear Kurt humming quietly behind, a tune that he doesn't recognize. After a moment, he turns back around. "Why do you want to put on the musical so bad?"
Kurt looks a bit surprised by the question but he tilts his head to the side, considering it. Blaine knows Kurt is only answering his question since he wants Blaine to be in the musical and he finds it interesting just how much thought he's putting into his answer. "Because we're in Ohio. And being gay isn't really accepted. If I got the chance to put on a gender bent version of Grease with two male leads it would be a big deal. Some people would probably hate it but I would have the chance to say 'hey, not everybody hates the idea of two guys together.' It would mean a lot. Maybe I… well, now we wouldn't have to be the only openly gay students in school. Understand?"
For a moment, Blaine can just stare at him, amazed at the answer. It makes sense and it sparks something in him, way, way deep down. He wants to tell Kurt that he'll do the musical, kind of wants to see if Kurt tastes just as good as he looks, tries to remember whether he was as attracted to Sebastian as easily as he is to Kurt. No, he decides almost immediately. His relationship with Sebastian had been all about power. The attraction had been there but it had been secondary.
"Noble," he says instead of blurting out anything else. He doesn't turn away though. "You think that your Glee Club would put it on?"
Kurt shrugs and Blaine watches as an emotion that isn't quite sadness crosses over Kurt's face. "Rachel said they would but I think it was only because she doesn't think it will happen."
Blaine sighs, reaching a hand up to pat Kurt's shoulder in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. He frowns in confusion when Kurt flinches away, a closed off expression filling his face. Blaine lets his hand fall to his side. "I wasn't going to hurt you."
"I don't like being touched," Kurt responds, much too quickly and it just confuses Blaine even more. Kurt tilts a bit, looking over Blaine's shoulder pointedly. "The line is moving."
Blaine turns to take a step forward. When he turns around to talk to Kurt again, Kurt has his cell phone out and he's texting what is obvious to Blaine a fake text message. Rolling his eyes, Blaine turns back around, deciding not to press him. He's had enough of the horrible teen movie high school clichés for one day with Quinn.
When he reaches the counter, Blaine orders his coffee, pulling out his wallet. He glances back, looking at Kurt for a moment before handing over a 20. "And I'm paying for his coffee too," he says softly, jerking his head in Kurt's direction.
He's thankful that his coffee is so easy because he's out the door before Kurt can realize what happened. Blaine isn't sure what possessed him to buy Kurt's coffee for him but he has a feeling it has something to do with the wide range of emotions that Kurt can convey with just his eyes.
Just like Blaine thought, his parents are disappointed when he gets home and he heads upstairs to his room, saying that he has homework. He does have homework but he doesn't do it right away, instead choosing to lay down on his bed and call Sebastian to vent all about the atrocious things at the public school.
"You should've begged your parents to appeal so that you could come back to Dalton," Sebastian says, the same thing he's said every time Blaine even mentions McKinley.
Blaine sighs, not wanting to admit that maybe, in some ways, he's punishing himself by not going back to Dalton. In some ways, he feels like he deserves this hell. Sebastian wouldn't understand though so he doesn't bring it up. "You have no idea how disappointed they are in me. They can barely even look at me."
"I'm glad you didn't tell about the rest of us. I can't imagine my parent's reactions. They'd have probably disowned me."
They talk for a while, about Quinn and about Dalton and what's been going on with the Warblers but Blaine doesn't bring up Kurt. He doesn't know why. He could talk to Sebastian about his attraction and Sebastian would probably help figure out a way to get Kurt into his bedroom. Their relationship was never built on exclusivity and there would be no jealousy. He can't bring himself to talk about Kurt though, can't bring himself to listen to the insults that would inevitably come out of Sebastian's mouth.
Blaine finds his mind drifting back to Kurt too often, thinking about the musical. He can't join it, though. He has to keep up his pretense. He has to not make a target of himself. Someday he'll get out of this hellhole state and maybe then he'll be able to be himself. Until then, he has to pretend and hope that he doesn't lose himself completely in the process. When he ends the call with Sebastian, he rolls over onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. High school sucks.