Part 2

Wesley lied on his bed sobbing slightly but then there was a knock on the door before it was flung open.

"Yo new kid", a happy voice said. "Principal Carmichael sent me with your…" The boy in the doorway froze when he saw the small boy that was sitting on the bed. Wesley hurriedly looked away and rubbed his eyes.

"Nathan what's taking you so long", another voice asked and inside stepped another boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He too froze and stared at the small kid on the bed. "Uh hi?"

"Hi", Wesley mumbled.

"Um… okay uh this was awkward", the first boy said. He had brown hair that was long and kept getting into his eyes. "Uh we're looking for your brother."

"Don't have one", Wesley mumbled.

"Uh…" the blonde said. "You must have, the principal sent us here with his uniforms. He said this was the room of our newest student."

"Oh…"

"Yeah", the brunette said. "So where is he?"

"I'm him", Wesley mumbled.

"You?" the blonde asked confused. "How old are you? 9, 10?"

"I'm 12…"

"But… but… but you're too young to be here!" the brunette said.

"I know", Wesley mumbled. "But I'm here anyway."

"Why", the blonde asked and walked closer. "If you don't mind me asking."

"I do mind…"

"Sorry… uh… well, here are your uniforms then… you got three of them and training clothes as well."

He handed the brown box to Wesley and the boy took it, nearly disappearing behind it.

"Thanks", he mumbled, put it away and then looked at his feet.

The older boys looked at each other and then curiously at the small boy in front of them. The blonde smiled.

"I'm Otto Johnson", he said and held out his hand. "I'm a freshman here."

The boy only looked at the hand at first but then took it and shook it.

"…" he mumbled.

"What's that", Otto asked.

"Wesley Montgomery", Wesley mumbled.

"Wesley?" The brunette that Wesley remembered was Nathan something, said. "No no that's not good enough for our new friend."

"Friend", Wesley asked as he let go of Otto's hand.

"Sure", Nathan said grinning and putting his arm around Wes' shoulders. "Everyone who lives in the Dragon are friends with each other!"

"Dragon?"

"The name of our dorm", Otto explained.

"I thought it was East…"

"It is but it's nicknamed the Dragon" Nathan said happily." So where you from Wes?"

Wesley looked at him in confusion.

"Wes", he asked.

"Your new nickname!" Nathan said beaming and hugging the boy. "Unless you hate it."

"No… I… I like it."

"Great!"

Otto chuckled and then looked at his watch.

"Hey Wes wanna come with me and Nathan to grab some lunch in the cafeteria", he asked. "I promise no one will be mean to you."

Wes nodded weakly and Nathan ushered him towards the bathroom with one of his new uniforms. When Wes got out Nathan grinned.

"Aw look at Mini-Jerry!" he said.

"Jerry", Wes asked.

"Jerry is our dorm prefect", Otto exclaimed. "He's Asian like you and in the Warblers as well."

"Warblers?"

"You'll see", Nathan said and took his hand. "Now come on guys I'm hungry!"

Wesley was bright red in the face by the time he found himself by a table with Nathan and Otto. Everyone was staring at the small Asian boy in the Dalton Academy uniform. Wesley knew he was small for his age so he probably looked more like 9 than 12, just like Otto had thought him to be. He knew everyone was staring at him so he tried to ignore it by eating his food.

He smiled because the food tasted much better than the food at his previous school. He jumped high though when a couple of books landed beside him on the table and a boy sat down beside him and put his arm around his shoulders.

"So Nathan you finally managed to shrink Jerry so he looks like a munchkin", the boy asked smiling a dazzling smile. He had jet-black hair and black eyes as well and olive skin. "How do you feel Jerry?"

Wesley mumbled something feeling a bit scared and tried to make himself even smaller than he was. Otto seemed to realize the poor kid was afraid so he gave the other boy a withering glance.

"Alvaro leave the poor kid alone", he said. "He's new here."

"This midget", Alvaro asked and looked at Wesley. "You a dwarf or something?" He laughed and the other boys that had sat down by the table now as well laughed too. Wesley started to shake with anger and sadness. Otto had promised no one would be mean.

"Hey junior elementary school is further down the road", one boy called.

"So Carmichael finally agreed to let us get a school mascot", another boy asked. "Couldn't he had chosen something funnier than a dwarf?"

"Who did he steal that uniform from", someone asked. "Or did the laundry ladies shrink one so they had to bring in a kid to wear it so they could hide their mistake?" The jibes and comments kept coming and Wesley started to shake more and more. Nathan noticed it and pushed Alvaro's arm away from Wesley's shoulders.

"No seriously though", Alvaro said with a smirk. "Who is the kid? Jerry's brother?"

"I don't have a brother", Wesley mumbled.

"Did you say something pipsqueak", Alvaro asked with a grin.

"I don't have a brother jerk-face", Wesley growl-mumbled.

"Still can't hear you from all the way down there hobbit." Everyone laughed, except from Nathan, Otto and Wesley. Wesley's eyes went dark and he raised his head. Nathan cocked his eyebrows when he saw the withering look and Otto looked amused.

"I said I don't have a brother jerk-face", Wesley said loud enough for everyone around the table to hear. The table became silent and then Nathan started to laugh while Wesley still glared daggers at Alvaro and Alvaro stared at him before narrowing his eyes.

"Who are you calling jerk-face pipsqueak?" he growled.

"You jerk-face and my name isn't pipsqueak!" Wesley stood up. "It's Wesley and you keep your stupid arms away from me and your big mouth shut or I'll knock your teeth out!"

Everyone around the table stared at him and then they started to laugh, even Alvaro. Wes only glared at them and then stalked out of the cafeteria.

"Wes!" someone called after him but he ignored it and stalked down the hallways towards his dorm. But he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because he had no idea of where he was.

He opened the nearest door and saw that it was a big room and on the wall hung a banner with a warbler on it. He stepped into the room and looked around. There were couches, tables, chairs and bookcases everywhere. Then he saw a piano in the corner and grinned. He closed the door behind him and hurried up to it and pressed a key. He hadn't played for days and he grinned when he heard the sound. He sat down on the stool and started to play some scales. Then he started to play one of his favorite songs from his favorite movie… and CD. He played the piano and then started to sing:

Look at me
I will never pass for a perfect son
Or a perfect brother
Can it be
I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see
That if I were truly to be myself
I will never have my fam'ly's heart

Who is that boy I see
Staring straight
Back at me?
Why is my reflection someone
I don't know?
Who is that perfect son
It's not me though I've tried
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside

How I prayed
That a time will come
Where I can free myself
From their expectations
On that day
I'll discover someway to be myself
And to make my fam'ly proud

They want a docile lamb
No one knows who I am
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide
Must I pretend that I'm someone else
For all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

When he stopped playing and singing he was stunned to hear applauds and cheers. He spun around so fast on the stool that he fell off. He heard a deep chuckled beside him and felt a pair of hands underneath his armpits and he was hoisted onto his feet. He looked around and saw grinning faces watch him and some were still clapping their hands. The boys were around 30 in numbers and they were all tall and seemed to be in different years. He saw Otto and Nathan grin at him and when Nathan noticed Wesley looking at them he smirked.

"See I told you he was a mini-Jerry!" Nathan cried happily and a lot of boys started to laugh. Wesley just glared at him and headed for the door, but the hands that had helped him up grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back.

"Nathan", the boy the hands belonged to said and Wesley looked up. Behind him stood a boy with blonde hair and brown eyes.

"What is it Mark", Nathan asked.

"Apologize."

"For what?" Nathan looked shocked and confused.

"What you said seems to have upset the kid."

"I'm not a kid", Wesley yelled angrily. "I'm not the kid either, or munchkin, or hobbit, or pipsqueak" here he glared at Otto and Nathan "and I'm not mini-Jerry or Jerry-junior or the midget! I got a name!"

"Who is that", one of the boys asked suddenly.

"His name is Wesley Montgomery", the boy, Mark said and Wes stared up at him. "He's the newest student at the school and stays in the Dragon."

"How did you know that", Wesley asked in awe.

"Wesley means 'west meadow'", a boy with glasses piped up from the coach where he was sitting. He was an African-American.

"Lucas is a name-geek", Mark said fondly. "He knows what all names mean."

"Really", Wesley asked and looked at the boy.

"Yes", Lucas said. "Wesley means west meadow and Montgomery means 'Gomeric's hill' Gomeric was a German personal name that means power of man."

Wesley stared at him in awe and Mark laughed.

"How do you know who the kid is Mark", an Asian boy asked and Wesley could guess who that was.

"Well you see Jerry", Mark said and Wesley knew he'd been right. "Carmichael told the student council that we would get a new student today, a 12-year-old boy named Wesley Montgomery. His father has paid the school a lot to let him study here."

"But why", someone asked and Wes blushed.

"Dad doesn't want me with the other kids in the family", he grumbled.

"Why not", Mark asked with big eyes.

"Because I'm only their half-brother… I'm not worth half as much as the others…"

All the boys stared at him and Wesley felt uncomfortable again so he rubbed his arms, looked at his feet and bowed his head trying to keep his tears back. Mark's grip on his shoulders hardened a little. The room was quiet but then Wesley felt someone move towards him but he didn't dare look up. He felt Mark's hands move away and then someone put their hand underneath his chin and tilted his face up. It was Jerry.

"Now you listen here kiddo", he said. "You're worth a lot okay?"

"How can you say that? You don't even know me…"

"Yet", Jerry said. "Now I take it you got lost on your way back to the dorm?"

Wesley nodded and Jerry smiled and ruffled his hair. He put his arm around Wesley's shoulders and steered him towards the door.

"Say goodbye to Wesley boys", Jerry ordered. "And behave when I'm gone, I'll be right back."

"Bye Wesley", some boys called.

"See ya later Wes", Nathan said happily. Otto just waved and Jerry and Wesley left.

"I saw your little outburst in the cafeteria", Jerry said as they walked towards the dorm. Wesley blushed. "Don't mind Alvaro he is much cockier when with his friends, otherwise he's as harmless as a mosquito."

"Mosquitoes can give you malaria", Wesley mumbled and Jerry laughed.

"Well he's not one of those then. It was good that you stood up to him like that. If he and anyone else give you trouble you just come to me okay? I have the room on the third floor, furthest down the hall. It's the single room."

"Okay…"

They walked in silence the rest of the way and Wesley put the route into his memory and took the opportunity to ask Jerry about the closest way to the library and a few other things about the school, like why all those boys had been in the room with the piano. Jerry answered to all questions and explained that the room Wesley had entered was the rehearsal room that belonged to the Warblers, therefore the banner with a Warbler on it.

The Warblers was Dalton's Glee Club and Jerry explained that he was on the Warbler council. Since the Warblers didn't have a coach like other Glee Clubs at other schools they had three upper classmen in charge instead. They had a mane soloist and were an a cappella choir. Wesley was intrigued at once and when they entered his dorm room he ran up to his notebook and ran back to Jerry and showed him what was in it, other than journal notes. He had lyrics and sheet music and name of songs to sing. Jerry ruffled his hair fondly.

"Sweet Wes", he said and grinned. "You know you got quite the voice. Maybe you should join the Warblers."

"Really?" Wesley grinned. "That would be awesome!"

Jerry laughed.

"You couldn't compete with us though, it would be against the rules but you can attend all our non-competition performances."

"Non-competition… against the rules?"

Jerry nodded at the bed and the two boys sat down on it and Jerry took a paper and wrote down things as he told Wesley about the competitions and all of the Warblers performances and results since they started to join the competitions. Wesley was listening in awe and watched with a big smile on his face as Jerry showed him pictures taken with the camera he always carried along.

Jerry noticed the little kid that had seemed so sad and broken shine with happiness and excitement when they talked about music. Jerry wondered if this was how it felt to have a little brother that listened to every word you said. Jerry even dared to put his arm around Wesley's shoulder and pulled the boy closer so that they could watch the pictures with more ease. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in", Jerry called and felt Wesley stiffen against his side slightly. The door opened and Otto and Nathan came in grinning.

"What", Jerry asked.

"You missed Warbler practice", Nathan teased.

"I did", Jerry looked confused. "Oh well…"

The other boys stared at him.

"Oh well?" they asked in unison and Wesley sniggered.

"Who are you and what have you done to Jeremy Jonston", Otto asked.

"He must've been invaded by aliens!" Nathan called. "Don't worry Jerry we'll save you!" He made to jump at the bed but Otto grabbed his arm.

"Nah", he said. "I think it's something else."

"What", Nathan asked and Otto grinned at Wesley.

"I think it's Wes", he said.

"Me", Wesley asked. "What did I do?"

"Nothing except from starting here. Soon our little Jerry will forget all about his duties and only stick with you 24/7."

Wesley looked horrified.

"Oh no I made you miss your rehearsal", he said and scrambled away from Jerry. "And now I'm keeping you from classes as well!"

"Wes", Jerry began, getting up as he spoke, but Wesley cut him off.

"I'm sorry to make you all skip! I'm so sorry! Get going! Go, go!"

"But-" Nathan began but was cut off too. The small boy started to push him, Otto and Jerry towards the door. Wesley didn't say anything he just pushed them.

"I'm sorry", he said and closed the door behind them. He locked it and ran up to his bed and threw himself at it, crying. How could he have any hope of being accepted at this place or by his 'family' if he kept students from class and made them skip rehearsals or important meetings? He cried because he'd slipped up… again.

Outside the door Jerry glared at the two freshmen at his side.

"What", Nathan asked. "Ow!" Jerry had slapped both boys up the head and then walked off grumbling things about idiotic freshmen that ruin everything and upset children. Otto and Nathan looked at the door in front of them before skulking off towards their next class, leaving the crying child behind.

TBC

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MusicManiac - I'm happy you like the stories and hope the update came soon enough for you.