Kurt was surprised. The school didn't actually look so terrifying. He was greeted by a sign reading, "Dalton"—followed by a fancy "D" inside of a crest of blue and white—"Reform School for Boys." The building through the gates as the bus rumbled in wasn't so scary either. It was a little worn down but he figured that had to be the oldest building because as they drove further he noticed newer buildings and a large field.
Everything was huge. He figured the facility had to cover more than 50 acres of land.
The bus halted. "Welcome to Dalton, boys," the bus driver said, standing up after opening the door. He stood there for a moment, waiting and just looking at the door. The boys stayed where they were, still in their awkwardly spaced seats. Suddenly, a man appeared up the steps.
His hair was grey around the edges and he had very blue eyes. He pushed his tongue against his cheek as he looked at them.
"Hello, boys. My name is Mr. Harmon. I will be your…counselor, if you will, for the next six months. Why don't we get off the bus and into your dorm room before we have a chat?"
Kurt squirmed as he watched the other boys. Nobody stood.
"There's food inside."
Jeff was the first one up and the others followed.
"Grab your luggage from under the bus and we'll head up." Mr. Harmon stood there with his hands clasped in front of him—a clipboard between them—as he watched the boys pick up their luggage.
Blaine grabbed his duffle, hoisting it over his shoulder. He smirked as he looked at both of Kurt's large suitcases. "Kurt, this is reform school. We're going to be wearing uniforms. What could you possibly pack in those things?"
"Well—"
"Let's go, boys!"
Kurt frowned, closing his mouth and following the rest of the group. Blaine grinned appreciatively. Damn. He could get used to the idea of reform school. At least as long as Kurt was around.
-0-
"Alright, here are your room assignments," Mr. Harmon said as he led them down a hall with beautifully finished oak walls. "To the right, Jeff and Nick; room next to theirs, Blaine and David. Kurt and Flint, you're right across from them. Put down your stuff. You have thirty minutes to get settled and explore the dorm. At 4 o'clock sharp, I expect you all to be outside on the steps. I'll walk you to your orientation with the dean and then to dinner after that. After dinner, we'll talk about your schedules." He nodded, gesturing for the rooms. When nobody moved, he rolled his eyes. "Go!"
Kurt followed after Flint into their room, sighing.
"So, glee club?"
Kurt shrugged. "I like singing," he muttered, hoisting one bag onto the bed he claimed and setting the other by his feet. "What about you?"
"Beat-boxing. As far as music goes. And, uh, I guess basketball and stuff. I don't know."
Kurt nodded, sitting next to his suitcase as he took in the room.
It wasn't huge, but it was sizable. There were two beds pushed against a wall, facing into the room. On the other end were desks and dressers. One walk in closet resided near the door and two large windows were opposite that. The windows gave a great view of the grounds but Kurt was too busy already being homesick to enjoy it.
But he could not think about that right now. He was going to suck it up, serve his time, and get out and far away.
"You got a girlfriend?"
Kurt laughed for a second but stopped immediately when Flint arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, uh, no. Sorry. Just…well, why would I have a girlfriend?"
Flint shrugged. "A lot of guys our age do."
"Uh, no. I don't have a girlfriend… What about you?"
"Nah. Not since I quit steroids. Or…tried to quit. Trying."
"Relapse?"
Flint nodded slightly. "I'm gonna start unpacking."
Kurt turned towards his bag to begin the same thing when there was a knock at the door. "Hello, gentlemen," Jeff said, walking in. Nick was following behind him. They both sat on either one of the boys' beds, smiling. "Ready to explore our dorm?"
"We're unpacking," Kurt muttered.
"Come on! We have to be adventurous!"
Kurt looked up again to argue, but stopped when he saw Blaine in the doorway, smirking. "Blaine."
Everyone turned to look at him. He nodded slightly. "I think we should explore."
Kurt bit his lip and looked at Flint, who sighed and dropped the shirt he had been holding back into his bag.
"Fine," Flint said. "But if we get in trouble on our first day, I'm blaming you, Jeff."
"Got it. Let's go."
Kurt watched them file out of his room, David appearing as the last one exited. Blaine remained, his eyes expectant.
"You're not coming?"
"Unpacking."
Blaine nodded thoughtfully. "You know, Kurt, you might want to loosen up a bit."
"It's reform school."
"Do you need reforming?"
"If I'm here I obviously do."
"Really? What was your GPA last year? Have you ever been arrested? Have you ever even gotten a ticket? Do you have good parents? Do you sneak out after dark? Do you break any rules at all?"
Kurt crossed his arms huffily. "I'll have you know—"
"That's a no."
He scowled. "Fine. I'll show you how 'loose' I can get," he muttered, storming out of the room.
Blaine grinned. "Please do!"
When Kurt turned around, finger poised to scold, mouth open to prepare wit and banter, Blaine winked and walked past him, whistling.
Well, shit.