Blaine left for Dalton Academy as the sun was coming up, soft yellow light only just beginning to filter through the clouds.
He had woken up early, his parents still asleep, and hadn't even bothered waking them to say goodbye. He wanted to get away from them as much as he wanted anything else Dalton had to offer, and though he expected he would receive an angry phone call from his mother later, he couldn't bring himself to care. He had tamed his hair, as well as he could, before dressing in his brand new uniform. The immaculate white shirt, navy-and-red striped tie, crisp gray slacks and black dress shoes gave him a much more formal look than he was used to. Last of all was his new blazer, a smart-looking navy blue jacket with red trim and a prominent Dalton crest over the breast pocket. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that he looked... well, dapper was a word, and he smiled. His bags had been packed for days, and it didn't take him long at all to load them into the backseat of his car.
And that was it. He was ready.
As Blaine stood in his driveway, it started to dawn on him that he really, actually, finally was leaving. He glanced back at his house, the one he had lived in for as long as he could remember, with its picture perfect exterior and stiflingly white siding, and he started to feel like it wasn't really his home anymore. But then, maybe he'd felt that way for a while.
He got into his car and pulled out of the driveway, eyeing the house until it was out of sight. He turned off of his street and, around the corner, passed the park he'd played at as a child. His memories of that simple little playground were good ones, from long ago, before everything had started to change. He slowed down, suddenly anxious, because maybe this wasn't right, this leaving everything behind thing. Maybe, just maybe he was making a mistake. What if things were bad at Dalton, too? Their website had proudly proclaimed that the no-tolerance bullying policies were enforced, but Blaine knew how easily things could slip under the radar. What if turned out that things were just as bad, if not worse, than things had ever been here, and he was stuck there after his parents had paid so much for tuition? They were fairly well-off, the Andersons, but he wondered briefly if he would be entering a school full of stereotypically snobbish and elite rich kids. They would surely look down on him, and then what?
That's why you have to fit in, Blaine reminded himself, stirring from his reverie of doubts and continuing on his way. You just have to. Just be like everyone else. Even if you have to pretend.
Even still, nervous tension continued to eat at him. He turned on the radio to distract himself. He flipped through stations full of news or monotonous talk shows for a few minutes before settling on the first one he found that was playing actual music.
It was an hour's drive to Westerville, and he kept himself entertained the whole way singing along to cheesily upbeat top 40 morning radio.
-x-
The first glimpse Blaine got of the actual school made his mouth drop open in surprise. The pictures he'd seen had done it absolutely no justice. He could hardly believe this was a school; the architecture of the main building gave the greater impression that it could be a very large, old-fashioned mansion, or even a small palace. There were smaller buildings littering the grounds, some of which looked like houses, and they were even nicer than the one he had grown up in.
Those can't possibly be the dorms...? he thought, still gaping as he took in the ridiculously rich landscaping. It was late fall, which meant that there was a blanket of warmly colored foliage covering the ground. Trees surrounded the parking lot he was parked in, but through them he could see at least one large fountain, directly in front of the main school.
He remembered that he had a meeting with admissions to attend to, and stepped out of his car, closing the door behind him absently as he continued to stare at everything. He couldn't believe this was a school. He couldn't believe that this was a school he got to attend.
He walked up the sidewalk leading to the doors, and within moments confirmed that there was, in fact, a very large fountain ahead of him, and besides that he could see a few statues elsewhere on the campus. He shook his head and walked to the front door.
Confidence, he reminded himself quickly, and then stepped into the school.
If he had been impressed by the outside, he didn't know what had hit him once he was through the doors. Thanks to his father's somewhat notable presence in the upper-class community, Blaine had been subject to several black-tie events and formal dinner parties throughout his life, and just the entrance hall of Dalton was extravagant enough to floor him. He barely noticed the students milling around him in full uniform as he stared. The high ceilings, the wooden paneling, the ornate furniture... This could not possibly be his new school. He had to be dreaming.
Inconspicuously, he reached down and pinched his arm.
Okay. So, yeah, maybe not dreaming.
Blaine blinked, suddenly realizing how full the hall was. He felt a small clench of nerves in his stomach, but ignored them, taking a few steps forward and looking around for the offices. The hall he was standing in was round in shape, with hallways branching off into three directions, and a large wooden staircase directly in the middle. Blaine could see a few heavy oak doors scattered around, but there didn't seem to be any flashing neon signs proclaiming NEW STUDENTS: THIS WAY.
He would just have to ask someone then.
"Excuse me," he said as an Asian boy passed by him on the way to class. The boy turned, raising an eyebrow, and Blaine quickly continued, "I'm new here, and I was just looking for the admissions office?"
To Blaine's complete and utter surprise, the boy smiled.
"It's nice to make your acquaintance. My name is Wesley Price," He offered his hand for Blaine to shake, which Blaine hurried to accept. "You can call me Wes."
"I'm Blaine Anderson," Blaine responded, smiling back as charmingly as he could manage.
"Admissions is that way," the boy- Wes- informed him, pointing down a slightly narrow hall. " It's the first door down on the left side."
"Thanks," Blaine said, flashing a grateful smile. "I guess I'll see you around."
Wes just nodded politely and continued on his way. Blaine turned and headed toward the corridor he'd been pointed to, going through the first door on the left as he had been directed. He found himself in a small outer-office, a receptionist's desk in the middle of the room and more offices behind her.
He walked up to the receptionist's desk, thinking back to remember the name of the admissions officer he was supposed to be meeting with.
"Hello," he greeted warmly, smiling at the young brunette behind the desk. She looked up from her computer screen and raised an eyebrow in question. "My name is Blaine Anderson. I have an appointment with... Patricia Davis?"
She nodded and stood up.
"Right this way," she said, escorting him down the hall. She stopped at an open door and gestured him into it.
"You must be Blaine," the woman inside the office greeted as Blaine walked in. She gestured for him to take a seat, smiling warmly at him. "I'm Mrs. Davis. Welcome to Dalton."
"Thank you," Blaine replied, reaching across the desk to shake her hand before settling into a chair. She was an older woman, probably a bit older than his mother, with blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun. She wore glasses with a thin black frame, and a dress suit as red as the piping on his jacket.
She slid a folder of paperwork across the desk to him. "Now I know what situation you're coming from, and I want to make very clear to you that you are in no danger here. Our policies are enforced, and everyone is treated the same. If you have any problems, you can speak to myself, any of your teachers, or make an appointment with the headmaster and we'll work something out.
Blaine nodded, listening aptly as she continued.
"It isn't typical for students to transfer in the middle of a semester like this, but we understand that you're a special case. We hope our facilities will be a better fit for you than your old school," Blaine nodded again, and began to glance through some of the paperwork as she explained, "There are some forms in the left side of that folder that I'll need you to fill out, and on the right side you'll find some forms for your own reference, including a map of the campus, your timetable, and a few other general information forms. Did you have any questions?"
Yes. Is this school even for real? Blaine thought, but shook his head in response.
"No, ma'am. I think I've got the idea," he replied, giving another polite smile.
"Good. I'll just leave you for a moment to fill those out, and see if I can find someone to give you a small tour," she said, standing up. She paused before leaving the room, simply saying, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine."
Blaine glanced back just in time to see her smile at him, and then she was gone. He shook his head, slightly overwhelmed by his entire day so far, and turned to the paperwork. It was simple enough; he had to fill out all of the small details that hadn't been handled before his arrival, had to skim through and sign a code of conduct manual, and then just had to sign his agreement to adhere to the school's uniform policy, and that was it. He was done.
Mrs. Davis returned soon enough, a short black-haired boy behind her. He grinned at Blaine, reaching out to shake his hand.
"I'm Nick," he introduced himself.
"Blaine Anderson. Nice to meet you."
Nick's grin seemed to grow, and he clapped a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "So, are you ready to see everything?"
Blaine, though slightly taken aback at Nick's enthusiasm, nodded. "I guess so."
"Awesome. Come on," Nick was heading out the door before Blaine could grab his things, and he hurried after him.
From behind him, Blaine could hear Mrs. Davis calling, "Don't get him into any trouble, Nick!"
Nick just shook his head, pushing open the outer-office door and leading Blaine back into the entrance hall. It was entirely empty now, the halls completely silent. Blaine figured classes were in session.
"Is there, ah... reason for her to worry about that?" Blaine asked lightly, still hurrying to keep up with his guide.
Nick shrugged, leading him down the hall to the left of the front door. "I've had some encounters with the Board of Discipline, but hey, who hasn't?" He glanced back, and laughed at Blaine's double-take. "No, I'm just kidding. My buddy Jeff and I like to keep things... interesting, is all. She's familiar with our work. But don't worry. You're in good hands."
Blaine wasn't sure that he was at all reassured by that.
"Here we go," Nick said, stopping suddenly. "First stop. This is the Social Hall. There's another upstairs. The Juniors and Seniors have their commons; the lower classes have this. You can come here whenever you aren't in class. Use it to study, to hang out, whatever, as long as you're not making too much noise."
Blaine peered through the doorway to see a large room filled with wooden desk and work tables. There were a few boys in there already, all of whom appeared to be studying quietly. Several tables sat against the wall, containing what looked to be small, fully stocked coffee bars.
"This is impressive," Blaine said, prompting Nick to laugh again.
"Just wait," he advised, and then he was leading Blaine off again.
"I'll show you the Junior Commons in a little bit. It's technically exclusively for Juniors, but one of the clubs I'm in has a little... show scheduled between classes." Nick smirked, ducking quickly down yet another hallway. He obviously knew the school fairly well. Blaine wasn't sure he'd ever be able to find his way through this maze. "I think you should see it."
"What kind of show?"
Nick just shrugged, and gestured in front of them. "This is the cafeteria. Fairly self-explanatory."
It wasn't anything special, of course, but it looked much nicer than Blaine's old school had had. Nick barely paused in front of the doors before turning and heading away from it. "The library's next."
As he was led down what felt like fifty different hallways, Blaine started to feel grateful that he had been given a map. The school felt huge.
"Here we are," Nick said brightly, and this time, he actually led Blaine through the doors instead of looking in from the hall.
"I-... wow," Blaine managed, gazing around at the huge room. Bookshelves seemed to be everywhere, and there was another floor above them. There were empty tables everywhere, and an area the size of the entrance hall just for individual computer stations. It was larger than any library he had ever been in, and there seemed to be more books than even the largest bookstore in the mall near his house. "Okay, I take back what I said before. This is impressive."
Nick laughed. "Isn't it? I didn't know libraries could be this big until I came here. You're pretty much guaranteed to find any book you'll ever need for your assignments. There are even private study rooms upstairs."
"Wow," Blaine repeated. He walked over to the nearest bookshelf and started skimming titles, in complete awe of this school.
Nick let him poke around for a few minutes before glancing at his watch and nearly jumping. "Oh! Come on, we've gotta get to the commons. We've only got a few minutes before it starts."
"Before what starts?" Blaine asked, slightly confused, but obediently letting Nick steer him out of the library and back out into the hall.
"You'll see."
Nick led the way to a staircase, and they jogged up it, walking quickly down the hall once upstairs. Within seconds, a bell rang, and students began to pour into the hall around them. Nick led Blaine through the crowd, dodging between everyone else easily, and after a moment Blaine realized that a lot of them seemed to be heading the same way. The arrived at the commons within minutes, slightly out of breath, and Nick grinned quickly at Blaine before disappearing to join a group of blazers at the front of the room.
Blaine saw him stand carefully next to a taller bleach-blond boy, who slipped him a quick low-five, before they both bowed their heads like the rest of the group. The room was full of students standing around the group, and Blaine knew the hall right outside the door was packed as well. He started to turn to ask what was going on, but just then, it started.
A low hum rang through the group up front, and then they all raised their heads at once as the tall brunette up front began to sing.
I know a place
Where the grass is really greener
Warm, wet, and wild
There must be something in the water
The boy singing lead smirked at the crowd, all of whom were either laughing or cheering the performance. The group had started dancing, spinning on the spot and swaying to the beat. It took him a few seconds to realize that this was entirely a capella, that far from any instruments even being in the room, the noises he was hearing were all voices. He stared, stunned.
Sippin' gin and juice
Layin' underneath the palm trees
The boys
Break their necks
Tryin' to creep a little sneak peek
You could travel the world
But nothing comes close to the golden coast
Once you party with us
You'll be falling in love
Ooooooooh, oh oooooh
This was obviously some sort of glee club. But Blaine had never encountered a 'cool' glee club in his life. Weren't they the ones at his old school who had been considered beneath the chess team members and the A/V crew? But here... the crowd seemed used to this, like it wasn't even surprising for impromptu performances to happen between classes.
California girls, we're unforgettable,
Fine, fresh, fierce, we got it on lock
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot we'll melt your Popsicle
California girls
We're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West Coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh oh oooooh
This is insane, Blaine thought. A popular high school glee club! At an all-boys private school! Singing Katy Perry, of all things, while their schoolmates cheered them on! Absolutely insane.
When the performance finished, however, he found himself applauding just as hard as anyone. He couldn't believe how good they were. He couldn't believe he had just enjoyed a performance by a glee club. He wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it was fantastic.
As soon as the song was over, the group took a deep bow, which was met with wild clapping. It was surreal. The room began to thin out as everyone headed to their next classes. Nick came back over to Blaine, laughing, and the taller bleach-blonde accompanied him.
"So what'd you think?" Nick asked with a wide grin, still slightly out of breath but looking fairly jubilant.
"That you guys are insane," Blaine answered, eyes wide.
Nick and his friend laughed.
"That about sums it up," the blonde said, grinning at Blaine. "Hi, I'm Jeff. You're Blaine Anderson," he added before Blaine could respond. "Awesome to meet you."
"Are you two giving the new kid a hard time?" someone asked from behind Blaine, and he turned to see a tall black boy standing next to the boy he had met that morning in the entrance hall.
"I'm David, and this is Wes," he said to Blaine, who nodded.
"We met this morning."
"Oh, well then I can tell you, yes he is like that all the time," Jeff informed Blaine. David smacked him lightly on the arm.
"Nick! David hit me!"
"That's the second time he's done that today. You know, I'm starting to think he's just doing it for fun," Nick said faux-sternly, with a glare at David.
Blaine watched them all, slightly amused, but also feeling slightly like he shouldn't really be there.
"Guys," Wes interrupted. "Stop giving Blaine the impression that we're all clinically deranged. How about that?"
Jeff heaved a heavy, put-upon sigh. "I guess. If you insist."
"I do," Wes said primly, and then turned to Blaine as though nothing had happened. "So. How did you like the performance?"
"It was really good," Blaine said, because, well, it was. "I'm just really not used to seeing a glee club be so... well-received."
David laughed. "Everyone here loves the Warblers. We do stuff like this all the time."
"Extra-curriculars are a big part of Dalton," Wes added expertly. "We just happen to be one in one of the most popular groups on campus."
"Hey, Blaine, do you sing?" Nick asked him, grinning again. "Maybe you should try out."
"I don't know. I've never really given it a shot," Blaine said, aiming for an apologetically charming look.
This was a lie, of course. Blaine had spent many afternoons of his pre-pubescent years dancing around the house while his parents weren't home, belting out everything from Disney classics to very poor reenactments of movies like Dirty Dancing, in which he was Jennifer Grey, dancing with his imaginary Patrick Swayze, and singing I Had The Time Of My Life as he twirled around his bedroom. He wasn't a bad singer, he didn't think; in fact sometimes he rather liked his voice, but he had never joined chorus or anything at his old school because he had had enough to deal with and hide without being a male singer in glee club on top of things.
The boys didn't push it further, though, and Nick checked his watch and turned to Jeff, "Dude, you're late for English."
"Crap!" Jeff exclaimed, leaping up from the couch he had been leaning against. "Why don't you guys have to leave? This isn't fair."
"Lunch," David supplied.
"Free period," Wes agreed, looking dignified.
Jeff rolled his eyes and headed out of the room.
"Tell Hopkins I'm only late because Davis has me showing the new kid around!" Nick called after him. "It was entirely out of my control!"
"I'll tell her you were eaten by bears!" Jeff called back cheerfully.
Nick, Wes, and David rolled their eyes in unison.
"So!" Nick said, turning to Blaine. "Ready to see the dorms?"
Blaine's head was spinning. This school was overwhelming in its absurdity.
Still, he nodded.
"Great! See you guys later," Nick said brightly to Wes and David, and proceeded to lead Blaine from the room.
Um. So this isn't how I thought this was going to go at all, but I hope you guys liked it anyway! And I also hope it wasn't too similar to how Kurt encounters the Warblers for the first time, Katy Perry aside. Thanks to everyone reading. Reviews are fantastic. Thank you all so much. I hope to have the next one up soon.