Hi everyone! So I was curious about Blaine's past before he arrived at Dalton and what Dalton was like for him without Kurt there, and that's how this little (well, maybe not that little) thing came about. I hope for it to be between 15 and 20 chapters long, but who knows? I'm horrible at guessing that kind of stuff. I have it sort of planned out in my head though, so hopefully it won't be too shocking! ;D This is chapter one, and I hope it all makes sense :)

And thank you so very much to flossticle for checking this over for me!

One

'Fag.'

Blaine Anderson stopped in his tracks, holding his breath, waiting for the fist to collide. It didn't, and he opened his eyes a fraction, looking behind him at the retreating figure of the senior who had muttered the word. He took a deep breath and continued walking, lifting his bag higher onto his shoulder as he reached his locker.

'Hey, Blaine!' a voice called out and he turned around slowly, shaking his head lightly to move a too-long curl away from his eye. One of the girls from his French class was stepping up to him, holding a sheet of paper. 'You forgot your homework this morning. I've been trying to catch up to you all day, but whenever I spot you I turn around and you're gone again! Do you ever stay in the one spot?' She was grinning, holding out the paper. He took it with a shaking hand.

'No,' he whispered. He turned from her, placing the sheet along with his Calculus books into his locker and withdrew a brown paper bag.

'Oh, you pack your own lunch? So do I. My mum thinks the cafeteria food is way to unhealthy. Health food addict, you know?' No, he didn't, he felt like saying. 'Where do you eat? I never see you in the quad.'

'Um,' he mumbled. 'Behindthelibrary.'

'What was that?'

He raised his eyes slowly to lock with hers. They were bright and kind and they looked straight through him, as if she could tell every secret of his heart, even the ones he kept as buried as he possibly could. 'Behind the library,' he said again, slower this time.

'Oh?' she asked. 'Do many people sit behind there?'

Blaine shook his head.

'Is it quiet? My best friend just got a boyfriend last week, and all they ever do is talk flirty with each other. It's nauseating! Would you mind if I sat with you?' she asked, her smile hopeful.

He shook his head softly. Never in his high school career had someone asked to sit with him. Not since middle school. Not since the rumors had started going around. 'I don't mind,' he whispered.

And the girl smiled, waiting for him to lead the way as he shut his locker.

'And then my sister is, like, this massive bitch who only cares about her hair and her nails. We used to get along so well, but then she went to high school and I was still in middle school... and she just changed. She wasn't my sister anymore. She thought she was so much better than me, and we just fell apart. Anyway, just this year to go and she's out of here. She told me "I wanna get out of Ohio, Kathryn, and you should too. This place is a dump." I don't care though.' She grinned, a wide smile that seemed to split her face in two. 'So, how's your family?'

Blaine shrugged, taking a cautious bite of his apple. One thing he liked about Kathryn was that she was easy to talk to. Meaning, she ruled the conversation, and was happy if Blaine only gave one word replies. The only tense moments were the ones like these, when she turned the tables onto him and wanted to learn more about him. He wasn't used to people wanting to learn about him.

'Come on, you must have a story to tell!' she laughed. 'Families are all about picking on each other! Do you have any brothers, sisters?'

He bit his lip, playing with the skin there. 'Do you know Charles Anderson? Chaz?'

'The senior? The one that's dating the head cheerleader?'

'Yeah.' Blaine bit his lip again. 'Well, he's my older brother.'

'Really?' Kathryn's surprise was expected. Chaz didn't talk about Blaine, and Blaine sure didn't talk about Chaz. Blaine didn't talk about much at all.

'Yeah. And my parents always are like "be like Chaz, Blaine. Why aren't you like Chaz, Blaine". It's kind of irritating.'

'That so would be!' Kathryn said, resting a hand against Blaine's arm in what he assumed was supposed to be support. It sent a shiver up his spine and he flinched away from her touch.

People don't touch me. People don't like to touch me.

'What is it?' she asked him, looking behind her, searching for the source of his reaction.

'Nothing,' he said quickly, shaking his head. 'It's nothing, I just-' He bit his lip again. 'It doesn't matter.'

Kathryn looked as if she was about to say something, but she only watched him as he scrunched his lunch bag into a ball and aimed it at the nearby bin before grabbing his schoolbag and standing up. 'I-' he said. 'I'll see you around.'

And he stepped away from her, walking quickly towards his next classroom. Where, hopefully, the teacher would have already arrived.

Slipping out into the parking lot, Blaine kept his head down. His hand was clasped tight around the strap of his bag and his shoulders hunched over defensively. If anyone was to approach him now, he would have the best chance of getting away.

His car loomed in front of him and he pressed the button on his keys to unlock it, sliding his bag into the passenger seat. He was about to climb in himself when a hand tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around quickly, raising his hands to cover his face.

'What's wrong?' a calm voice asked, and he lowered his hands, gazing into the eyes of Kathryn. Since lunchtime she'd tied her hair back and only little wisps of it fell around her face. It was a good look on her.

'Nothing,' Blaine said, leaning back against the car. 'It's nothing.' He forced his shoulders to relax and his lips to curl up in what he hoped looked like a smile.

'Do you want to go for coffee?' Kathryn asked, raising one eyebrow at him. She shot him a hopeful smile and raised the leather wallet that sat in her hand. 'I'll pay.'

Blaine shook his head, motioning towards his bag that rested on the seat beside him. 'Can't. Heaps of homework.'

'I know it for a fact that you don't have that much homework. We had a worksheet for French, which I know you'll breeze through, my friend Anna is in your AP English class, and she said that Mr Peterson didn't set you any homework today.'

'I got heaps from Algebra,' Blaine lied, gnawing his lip gently.

'No, you didn't, Blaine,' she said gently, giving him a sad smile. 'But that's okay. Here's my number. Call me if you want to chat or anything, okay?' And she passed him a small slip of paper with digits scrawled across it in her simple neat handwriting.

'Thanks,' he whispered and crushed it into his pocket. He climbed into the car, grabbing his glasses from the glove compartment and sliding his key into the ignition.

'I'll see you tomorrow, Blaine,' Kathryn said as he closed the door. Her voice was muffled through the glass window. He smiled and put his foot to the accelerating, easing out of the parking lot. She was waving as he drove away.

'Blaine!' his mother called up the stairs. 'Dinner's ready! I need you to put cutlery out.'

He grit his teeth, dropping the pen he'd been using to attempt his Chemistry homework. 'Coming!' He snatched his cell phone from its position on his desk and slid it into his pocket.

He was halfway down the stairs when a body collided with him, pushing him against the wall. 'Get out of the way, Blaine! I'm in a hurry.' Chaz' feet thumped up the last of the stairs and he turned left into his own room, slamming the door behind him.

'What's up with your brother?' their mom asked as Blaine slipped into the kitchen.

'I have no idea.' He reached into the top drawer beside the stove to pull out knives and forks. 'I never know anything about Chaz.'

'Why do you and Charles never talk anymore?'

Blaine shrugged, placing the cutlery on the dining table. 'Because he's an asshole.'

'That's not appropriate language, Blaine.'

'It's not appropriate for him to ignore my existence at school. To push me into lockers with the rest of his football friends.'

His mother shot him a glance, but he was angrily thumping condiments onto the table. 'What is wrong with you today, Blaine?' she asked, a worried tone to her voice.

'Nothing's wrong with me.'

She piled peas onto each of the plates in front of her and Blaine took one, settling himself against the table and beginning to eat.

'Wait for the rest of the family, please, Blaine.'

He sighed and put down his fork, crossing his arms against his chest. 'Fine.'

'Charles! John! Dinner!' There was a pounding of feet and then Chaz was at the table, taking his plate and his cutlery and turning around again. 'Where are you going?'

'To my room.' And he stormed his way back up the stairs, again slamming the door behind him. Blaine winced. He had a thing about slamming doors.

'Can I leave, too?' he whispered meekly, but his mother only shot him an irritated look.

A moment later, his father arrived, sliding into his seat at the head of the table. He picked up his napkin, laying it across his lap and without speaking began to eat. Blaine followed suit and was almost finished when his father spoke up.

'How was your day, son?'

Blaine shrugged. 'You know, average.'

'Lots of homework?'

'Lots. I really should get back to th-'

'Stay where you are, Blaine.' He held up a hand, lips pursed in a scowl. 'What's going on with you? You've been a lot less talkative lately.'

'I said that, too!' his mother said, placing a hand on her husband's thigh. 'Doesn't he look pale?'

'I'm fine, mom.'

'Maybe you're not getting enough sleep. Are you having headaches? Do I need to buy you tylenol?'

Blaine groaned, running a hand through his curls. 'I'm perfectly fine, mom. I just have a lot of homework. Miss Henders loaded us down. Please, can I have permission to leave the table?'

His mother's lips pursed in a thin, worried line, her eyes darting towards his father, but the man nodded. 'Go.'

Blaine gave a thankful nod, pushing his chair back and stepping away from the table. He carried his now empty plate to the sink and set it down, glancing at himself in the window.

He really needed a haircut, and his eyes had dark rings beneath them. There was a bruise near his collar, which he tugged his shirt up to cover. You look horrible. He bit his lip, leaning against the counter top. This isn't what high school should be like.

And he stepped away from his reflection, up to his room and to the pile of homework that was really not as big as he claimed.

So I hope you liked it! Please feel free to leave feedback! It is very much appreciated! Hopefully the next chapter will be up in not too long :D