Padding inside of what seemed to be a giant room, I looked around tentatively. The first boy there. I had spent a long while choosing my outfit that morning, much to the entertainment of my father. I can hardly remember what I wore, but seeing as it was 1999, I can assure you, fashionable as I thought I was, I most definitely was not. Soon enough, kids started to pour into the room, boys, girls, chubby, skinny, small, small - bear in mind that I was a year older and am currently a reasonable height of 5"11', everyone was smaller than I was.

Then, all of a sudden, everything stopped when he walked in. A tanned kid with eyes that looked like caramel apples, small, slightly tubby, and with a head of thick black curls that sort of reminded me of Snow White - or at least what I'm convinced male Snow's hair would look like. I was a pretty shy kid, of course I was, my mom had just disappeared and I didn't know why and nobody would tell me why. My dad was still holding my hand, looking carefully down at me, of course not wanting to let me go, but knowing this was our first step. The beginning of the climb ahead.

My eyes were still wide and intrigued, my pupils huge, showing only the tiniest rim of bright blue as I stared at this boy. Then his eyes locked with mine and my heart stopped, causing me to look away quickly because nobody wanted to be friends with that old kid who got the stares occasionally. Suddenly, almost without me noticing, the parents were instructed to leave and I was being squeezed tight by my dad - and he'll deny it to this day, but he was totally crying. Then I was alone, in a pool of kids that I didn't even know, terrified and lost.

I sat at the swingset, at naptime drinking my juice box, having told the teacher I was way past that stage. A rustling of chains rang beside me and I looked to the side, only to see caramel eyes smiling widely at me, causing me to arch an eyebrow, stilling my swings and ceasing to drink. "You're not napping either?" he asked in a voice smooth and sweet as honey. "Um.. Nope." I mumbled around my straw, biting down on it. "Teacher said I was dis.. Um.. Dis-soup-ting everybody or something because I'm all wriggly.. She said to go out here, so I did! I'm Blaine." he beamed, staring at me and waiting for an answer. "You got a name?" he tilted his head and worried his bottom lip between his baby teeth, still staring, eventually forcing me to give in. "Everybody's got a name, don't they?" I shrugged, taking another sip from my juice and sighing. "My name's Kurt." I whispered like it was some kind of secret and forced my eyes to meet Blaine's. "That's a cool name! Pleased to make your accquaintance, sir." he grinned, holding his hand out to mine, only being met with a giggle on my behalf because what in the world ? "What?" he asked, pulling his hand back and pouting. "You.. Speak funny." I told him, giggling still. "My mommy told me that when I meet somebody taller than me I should say that.. Unless they're a lady.. Then I say ma'am." he nodded proudly, holding is hand out once again. "You gotta shake it! That means we can be friends!" he explained pushing his hand forward. Having no idea what to do, I shyly extended my own small hand, taking a weak hold of the tips of Blaine's fingers and shaking his hand from side to side, allowing it to be his turn to giggle. "What?" I said in a similar manner to the way he just had. "That's.. Not what I meant. Here, I'll show you!" he chirped and took my hand, pulling me over to the sandbox where he did just that. Blaine Anderson taught me first how to shake another person's hand and that was how I made my very first friend.