Author's Note: Hey guys! Okay there's some cussing in this chapter because well, what college athlete doesn't cuss like a sailor. See you learn things when your brother that's 6 years older than you! Hahaha.
"Blaine, get up. Dude. Damn it Blaine get the hell up." "What's goin' on?" I hollered. I turned and looked at the clock on the night stand. "What the heck Daws its 3 a.m. Where's the fire?" I sighed. "Tomorrow's game day and we have a tradition. Get a blanket and a jacket and come down stairs." Dawson commanded.
I pulled on my glasses and hoodie. I wrapped my blanket around me and followed Dawson out to his car. I took me a moment to realize where we were going. "Why are going to the ball diamonds?" I asked. "Hey you're pretty sharp at 3 a.m." he laughed getting out of the car. He pulled a sleeping bag out of the trunk and walked onto the ball field. All the guys were lying in a circle in the outfield with the giant spot lights on. I flopped down on the dirt between Dawson and Jace.
Bradley, the team captain, sat up. "Okay guys. I know the rest of you know what's going on here but Blaine doesn't. Blaine every year before this camp's over we come out here and act all sentimental and cry and shit. All us, we'll be back here in the fall. But Blaine's going back to his high school. This week he's become one of us. A team mate, a friend, a brother. Blaine, you're talented. We all know someday you're going to be an amazing ball player where ever you end up. But we all kinda are hoping you come here. But just know you're an Illini to us. And to prove it, we have a little something for you." Bradley reached into his back pack and tossed a bag at me.
"Thank you so much guys. I was honestly terr-" "Just open the damn bag!" Jace shouted. I leaned over a smacked him on the head. "I though some of my manners started to wear off you but I guess not." I joked. Everybody laughed.
I untied the plastic sack and a mound of orange, white and blue fabric fell into my lap. I unfolded the shirt and my jaw dropped.
It was a uniform. A University of Illinois baseball uniform. "Turn it around." I looked up at Bradley who had a sly grin on his face. I flipped it around. "Oh my gosh."
Anderson was stitched across the shoulders of the jersey in blue and white lettering. And dark blue number 30 on the lower back.
"How the heck did you know my number?" I laughed. "I may have Google searched you." Dawson grinned. "Creep." "Now you can say thank you." Jace laughed. "Thank you. I don't know what else to say you guys. Just thank you." I shrugged.
"God, you guys are such saps. Careful don't let your damn mascara run ladies." Jace groaned. We all laughed. "Shut of hell up Jace. Real men aren't afraid to cry." Dawson said flexing his muscles.
We sat around until the sun rose talking, laughing, and honestly acting like little kids. "Okay guys, it is now 5:30 in the fucking morning and we have a game in 6 hours. Go shower or sleep or drink a damn Red Bull." Jace yelled collecting his stuff.
"Let's go Blaine. I need my sleep." Dawson said dragging me back to his car. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders and we drove back to the dorm. I stared at the bag clutched in my hands the whole way back. I had a college jersey with my name on the back. These guys got me a jersey. It was surreal. "Blaine, you coming?" I looked up to see Dawson standing at the car window. I scrambled out of the car and let Dawson drag me up stairs and toss me on the bed.
'Beep, beep, beep.' My eyes cracked open slowly and I groaned at the amount of light pouring into the tiny dorm. I rolled over to see Dawson lying on the floor with his foot still on the bed. "Dawson. Hey Daws, Dawson!" I whispered. Nothing. I pulled the pillow out from under my head and smacked him with it. "What?" he shrieked jolting upright. "The alarm's going off and I don't know how to stop it." I grinned. It took Dawson a good ten minutes to dramatically get up and shut off the alarm only to lie back in bed. "No way. We cannot be late today Dawson. We have half an hour before we need to leave. Get the heck up." I said pulling the pillow out from under his head. "Aaaaaahhhhhhh. Just let me be." He whined.
I stripped off my pajamas and started to change into my new uniform. White pants with an orange and blue stripe down the side. A blue belt. Bright orange short sleeve uniform with Illinois scrawled across the front. Blue socks.
I popped in my contacts and looked back at Dawson who was still lying in bed. I grabbed my water bottle off the night stand and dumped the contents on Dawson's face. "Ahhhhhh." "Sorry Dawson, but we HAVE to go!" I insisted. "Fine! I'm going. You're worse than my mother." Dawson said finally getting up. He rubbed his eyes and turned on his phone.
"You look good in a baseball uniform." Dawson smirked. "Um thanks but, I've got a boyfriend dude." I laughed. "I know. I can compliment you though. Just because I'm not gay doesn't mean I don't know when a dude looks hot." he shrugged. "Nice, very insightful Daws. Have you ever considered being a poet?" I smiled throwing a dirty shirt at him. "Shut up. You good to go?" Dawson asked locking the door. "Yeah, I'm good." I said grabbing my bag and cleats and following Dawson.
I walked out to the pitcher's mound for the last time this year. We needed one out to win. I glanced up to where Kurt was sitting and smiled at him. I hadn't talked to him yet.
We won. They hit my pitch but Dawson caught it with ease. The next thing I knew I was being tackled to the ground by Jace who was yelling profanities like there was no tomorrow. I said my goodbyes to everybody and ran out the gates to find Kurt.
"Blaine!" I turned around to see my parents and Kurt stand at the bottom of the bleachers. I ran over and pulled my mom in to a tight hug. "I missed you Blainers." she said with tears in her eyes. "Missed you too Ma." I sighed and pulled away. "Good game Blaine." my dad said pulling me into an awkward hug. "Hey." I smiled at Kurt. "Hi." "Blaine your mom and I have to get back soon. You and Kurt can ride back in your truck." Dad said.
"Oh, is it okay if we hang around for a little bit? I never got more than a mile away from campus these weeks." I grinned. "Sure just be back by midnight." My mom butted in with a knowing smile. "Thanks mom." I said giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and running off toward the dorm.
"Blaine!" "Hey Jace. This is Kurt." I smiled. "It's nice to meet you." Kurt grinned. "Damn Blaine, he's hot." Jace said eyeing Kurt. "And mine so back off Jace." I laughed. "I came to say goodbye. I'm headed home for the weekend." he shrugged. "Alright, I'll see you soon dude." I said giving him a quick hug before he walked off. "So that was Jace." I said pulling him back to the dorm.
"So this is the dorm room." I said unlocking the dorm's door. "It's so cute." Kurt gushed sitting down on my bed. I had already stripped off the bedding so it was just the bare mattress. "Whose stuff is that?" Kurt asked pointing at the posters on the wall.
"Those would be mine." I whipped around to see Dawson leaning against the door frame. "Kurt, this is Dawson. Daws this is Kurt." I said. "So you're infamous Kurt. Blaine wouldn't shut up about you. Now I see why." He grinned. "Shut up Daws." I flushed. "It's nice to meet you Dawson." Kurt smiled. Kurt and Dawson chatted while I finished packing.
"That's the last of it." I said flopping down on the bed next to Kurt. "You're headed out already?" Dawson frowned. "Well we're gonna go out to dinner but yeah. I'm done here." I shrugged looking around my bare half of the room. "But you can't leave. You never finished teaching me to play piano." Dawson pouted. "We started yesterday. There was no way we could have finished." I laughed. "You can come back and teach me!" he exclaimed. "No offence Dawson but you suck at music. Stick to baseball." I smiled. Dawson stuck his tongue out at me.
"It was great to meet you Kurt. I'll see you again soon." Dawson said patting Kurt on the back. "Thank you for taking care of my Blaine." Kurt smiled. "I'll talk at you soon Daws. But thanks a lot for the past weeks." I smiled sadly. I gave Dawson a hug and led Kurt down the stairs.
I threw my stuff in the truck bed and turned to Kurt. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me in around my waist. "I've missed this so much." I whispered. Kurt dropped his head onto my shoulder and pecked me on the neck. "Hey Kurt." "Hmm." "We're in a parking lot." I laughed. "Kurt started cracking up and shoved me back.
"Wait, where'd you get that uniform?" Kurt asked. "Oh, the guys go it for me." I said smiling fondly at last night's memory. "Okay let's get goin'. I'm starving." I said pulling him down the street. "Where are we going? And more importantly, why are we walking there?" Kurt griped. "You'll see and its like two blocks away." I said resting my arm on his shoulder.
"The guys and I ate here last week. Best food ever." I said taking a sip of my pop. "When did you become such a college guy?" Kurt laughed. "Um about 10 days ago. But what's up? I've barely talked to you in two weeks." I said resting my foot on the booth seat. Kurt reached down and rested his hand on my shin. "There's nothing to tell. You live in a really boring place." Kurt shrugged. "Then tell me a story. I just wanna listen to you talk." I sighed. Kurt started tell something he and Tyler did while I was gone. I rested my head against the window and listen to the sound of his voice. "Blaine, hey Blaine!" "Yes, wait what? I'm sorry Kurt I spaced." I grinned sheepishly. "I asked if you were ready to go?" Kurt smiled. "Yeah." I nodded.
The second we got back to the truck I reached over and cupped Kurt's face in my hands. I leaned in slowly and kissed Kurt. Soft and sweet. I dropped my hand a grasped the front of Kurt's shirt. He ran his fingers through my hair and sighed. "God, I've missed you." "Hmm. Ditto." I said pulling away. "We need to head home." Kurt sighed. "I know. But honestly. This place feels a lot like home now." I said looking up and the dorm. "Well my home's wherever you are." Kurt said grasping my hand across the seats. "Mine too babe. Mine too." I said as I took off down the high way.
"I gotta stop for gas real quick." I said pulling into the gas station on the edge of Newton. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Kurt said walking into the station. I leaned up against my truck as the pump ran.
"Hey Blaine!"
"What's up Clay?"
"I could as you the same thing. Nobody's see you in like two weeks. You drop off the face of the earth and now you're wearing a U of I baseball uniform?"
"I went to a camp up there. Didn't I tell you?" I frowned. I could have sworn I told him.
"Blaine we haven't talked since school let out. What's going on with you?"
"I'm just been busy Clayton. Sorry."
"Are you sure that's all? Cause you seem to have a lot of time to spend with that fag sittin' in your truck."
"Do not use that word." I growled.
"Why not Blaine? That's what he is. Everybody knows it."
"Shut up Clayton. You don't know ANYTHING."
"Who knows? People may even start making assumptions. We wouldn't want that would we now?" he smirked.
I froze.
"That's what I thought." he said with a sick laugh.
"Let them think what they want. I know who I am. Everybody else can suck it."
"I'd bet you'd like that." Clay laughed. He shot me a dirty look and stormed away.
I stopped the pump and slammed the door to my truck shut behind me. I heard the door open next to me and Kurt climb back in. "Alright I'm good to g- Blaine what happened?" he asked seriously. "I love you so much Kurt." I whispered. "I know honey. I love you too. Let's just go home." he said with a sad look. I shakily turned the key and drove toward my house.
I lay on my bed starting at the ceiling fan. I felt numb. My head felt fuzzy. My life was over. Clayton was gonna out me and I would be dead. My dad would throw me out and I'd be homeless. "Hey Blainey." I looked up to see my mom standing in the door way. I offered a weak smile.
"You wanna tell me what's wrong?" she asked sitting by me on the bed.
"I'm scared."
"Of what baby?" she asked running her fingers through my hair.
"What would Dad do if he knew I was gay?"
Her hand froze.
"Mama?"
"I don't know Blainey. But that doesn't matter. I you mean the world to me either way." she sighed.
"I'm tired Ma." I whispered.
"You've had a long day. Take a little nap."
"No, I'm tired of hiding who I love." I sat up and buried my head in her chest.
"Shhh. I know Blainers. I know." She whispered rubbing my back.
"Why do people have to suck so much?" I said with a teary laugh.
"Because people are stuck in their ways and don't like things breaking the norm."
I sighed and pulled away from mom.
"Thank you Ma. For everything ya know?" I whispered.
"I know Blainey."
"Can Kurt and me cam-"
"Yes you can camp out." she finished.
"Thanks." I smiled.