Chapter 2:

I slid the blue and red tie into its place, rested at my shirt collar.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and walked towards the mirror. I opened my eyes. My jaw dropped.

I never thought that I would be able to call myself a Warbler. I never thought I'd be happy or content with my life. But I finally was. This was it. I was going to Dalton Academy.

A few weeks ago, I didn't outrun Drake and his gang. They caught me, and gave me the worst beating of my life. I was bleeding, bruised, and in a ditch. They kidnapped me and drove to the outskirts of Lima. I couldn't move, and I don't know how long I was lying there after they drove off.

This is it. I thought, I'm gonna die.

I heard a siren. A police car came flying into view. I didn't have much strength, but I used what I had to look up. The car came to a halt, and flying out came my mom and a very astute-looking policeman. My mom had tears running down her face, and I wanted to tell her that I'd be ok, but no words came. I managed to catch a glimpse of the backseat of the car before I blacked out; Drake, Cam, and Joe, in a row, in handcuffs.

"Justice." Everything faded, and that was it.

~oOo~

"Doctor Katnay to room 504, please. Doctor Katnay to room 504. Thank you."

I was lying in something warm. I was comfortable, and I wondered if I was dead. If I was, I decided that I kind of liked it.

I cracked open an eye, and I was not dead. I was lying in a hospital, wrapped heavily in bandages. My other eye opened, and I regained the use of my hands. I brushed the brown curls out of my face, and I looked around the room. The first thing I saw was my mom.

"Mom!"

I yelled. That wasn't intentional.

"Blaine!" she yelled, too. "Oh my God, Blaine, how are you? Are you in pain? I saw you move and I called the Doctor. Are you ok? Are you hungry?"

I cut her off. "Mom, please relax. I'm fine. But I'm so, so sorry."

"Why on earth are you sorry? This isn't your fault!"

"Well, yeah, it kind of is. This has been happening for ages, but I never told you because I was scared. What happened to Drake?"

"He and his friends were sent into court. They were found guilty, and are headed to the Juvenile Center as we speak. They had stolen the car, beat you up, and had a vast collection of marijuana. They won't be bothering you anymore, baby. You'll be okay."

"Mom, can I go to Dalton?"

The words sprayed out of my mouth, I didn't even mean to ask. I was relived when a doctor all dressed in white strode into the room.

"Blaine Anderson…yes I can see that this is your first visit here, lucky boy. How are you feeling?"

"I'm….I'm okay. Do you think I could just get some rest, please?"

"Of course, but I do need to give you some more medicine."

He pulled out a small tube of pills, and walked to the sink to get a cup of water. He put them both down on my bedside table, and walked out.

I turned to look at my mom. She was holding her cell phone to her ear. She stood up and walked out of the room. Wondering what that was about, I took one pill and swallowed it. I then realized that it was nighttime medicine. After a glance at my watch, realizing how late it was, I dozed off and slept dreamlessly.

~oOo~

"Blaine?"

I turned away from the mirror, and looked into her eyes.

"Are you ready to go, sweetie? Is your suitcase packed?"

I pointed at the stuffed suitcase leaning against the wall. She picked it up and walked down the stairs.

My relationship with her hadn't changed a bit, which was lucky for me. I was also glad on that hospital day when she told me I could go. My dad and her yelled about it for at least an hour, but he gave in after many, many tears. She also kept her promise, and didn't tell a soul that I was gay. I loved her so much, and I decided that I would always tell her everything.

I walked downstairs, careful not to trip over my new navy blue pants. I was going to live a Dalton. I walked into the kitchen where my mom was, and just looked at her. She looked at me. We just stared for a while, as if we were communicating telepathically. Then, without notice, she just ran towards me and wound her arms around me.

"Blaine. My beautiful boy. My wonderful son. I will miss you so, so very much. I promise I'll email you everyday, and send you anything you forgot. I love you so much." Tears were rolling down her pale cheeks.

"I love you, too, Mom."

As if on cue, my dad walked into the kitchen, and he looked at me. He didn't look at me the way he used to, though. He looked…distant. As if I wasn't his.

"Blaine. Enjoy your new school. I will see you in a month."

"Dad-" I started walking over for a hug, but he turned and left the kitchen. Suddenly, it hit me.

"You told him? You promised you wouldn't! Mom, now he hates me! How could you do this to me?" I was sobbing now, I felt like a teenaged girl in a bad soap opera.

"Honey, I'm sorry! He was going to find out anyway! And he doesn't hate you!" She walked towards me, and tried to hug me, but this time I rejected it. I couldn't trust her anymore.

"Just take me to school, 'Mother'." I was a bit too harsh, but she had crossed the line.

"Yes, dear. But I love you so much." She was about to loose it. I could tell.

~oOo~

"This is your room. We'll give you a few days to settle in, and you'll start you classes next Monday."

"Thanks, Dean Andrew."

I turned to my room as the Dean let himself out. I flopped on the bed and just lay there. On the bedside table was a pamphlet for the Warbler auditions. I knew I was going to try out.

I sat up, teary eyed, and just looked around.

"I'm home."