Day 9: Value
A/N: for my idea to work, I needed Kurt and Blaine to meet in January, not November. So, for the purposes of this story, that's what happened. Oh, the power of being a fanfic author! I had a hard time with this one, so sorry if it's not as good as it could be.
Blaine slipped out of the party and into one of the music rooms down the hall. "One of," he thought, huffing out a breath. How different Dalton Academy was from his old school. Yes, the public school he had last attended was in an affluent neighborhood and was by no means lacking or run-down, but going to school in a mansion was a different experience entirely.
He liked being at Dalton, of course. In a few short months, it had become a haven for him – a place free of the hatred and abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his peers. At Dalton, he was allowed to be himself. The Warblers had quickly accepted him as one of their own, elevating them to the status of lead singer almost immediately. He belonged here. He tried not to think that might mean he didn't belong anywhere else. At least he wasn't alone in that regard, however. After all, the Warblers' New Year's Eve party he'd just ducked out of was, when he thought about it, a room full of boys whose parents hadn't wanted them home for the holiday either.
Popularity was nice, and acceptance was like a dream come true, but he still felt that something was missing. Strolling across the dark music room, he dropped down onto the piano bench and played a few random notes on the keys. If he was honest, he knew the missing thing wasn't a thing at all. It was a someone. For all the friends he had gained, and for the sense of self-worth he derived from being of value to the Warblers, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have someone who loved him for himself – not for what he could do or add, but just for being Blaine.
Ah, well. It was soon to be a new year. Perhaps he'd find his someone this year. In the meantime, he figured he should probably get back to the party and enjoy himself a little. Soon enough, the new semester would begin and it would be back to classes, rehearsals, performances, and so on and so on. As he walked out of the room and headed towards the common area where he could hear the Warblers starting to count down to midnight, he remembered another duty he'd have in the new year: a transfer student was coming to Dalton. Blaine was assigned to be the new boy's guide for the first few weeks, helping him to find his way around the school, settle in, and smooth over any bumps in his transition. He was told that the transfer was in his old school's glee club, so maybe he'd join the Warblers. In any event, Blaine would do his best to help the boy – Kurt Hummel, he remembered – to feel like Dalton was the place he belonged, too.