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It was nearly Christmas time in Ryan's junior year. Since Joseph had left he had no-one to sit with or talk to at school. Lisa had avoided him since he had started his friendship with Joseph and was busy with her new friends now as well as her boyfriend, Charlie.
With the lack of people to talk to combined with the taunting when anyone noticed him, he had become quiet and withdrawn.
The taunting had continued, with an increasing number of students taking part in it and finding it wildly funny. The latest joke was asking him if he had accidentally made Draco invisible, making him sorely miss his blond friend.
They kept in touch via skype, text and email but it just wasn't the same. He was happy that Joseph had finally found a school where he could just be himself and get on with his studies, finding new friends to have fun with, but he couldn't help feeling lonely.
The isolation at school was starting to take its toll on Ryan. He was starting to believe that he didn't deserve anything better and felt like he was just existing until it was time to go to college and get out of Ohio. But the fact that that was over a year away was starting to get him down and he wasn't sure he could do it some days.
His sleep was disturbed with nightmares of bullying and the resulting tiredness made him look paler than usual with dark circles under his eyes. Even glee club wasn't helping his state of mind much any more and he tended to be a background singer most weeks.
The only good thing recently was that Megan had come home earlier than expected for Christmas break and they had had a long chat in his room the night before. Megan had looked immediately worried about him, asking him about his school, friends and whether he was eating properly.
It's a bit hard to eat properly at school when all my bullies eat in the cafeteria and think it hilarious to knock my tray over most days. Ryan thought.
He let himself back into his house after another similarly depressing school day. Once he had shut the front door and toed off his shoes, dropping his backpack next to them, he was called into the kitchen by his Mum.
The redhead made his way into the room, surprised to see his Mum, Dad and Megan all sitting at the table, looking at him expectantly. He took the remaining seat in confusion and waited for someone to speak.
"Ryan, honey, I'm so sorry. Your Dad and I have been so busy at work and we haven't noticed what Megan did in only a few hours. It's no excuse. We've both taken the afternoon off of work to have a family discussion... about you."
Ryan stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "I feel really guilty now. I had noticed you looked a bit thinner and more tired but I put that down to you missing your friend Joseph and it being a harder grade this year meaning tougher school work."
Megan interrupted. "Ryan, I think you should tell them what's been going on at school. Just because it isn't physical, it doesn't mean it isn't bullying and you shouldn't have to put up with it."
Ryan sighed and looked down at his hands, clasped together on the table.
"I didn't want to worry any of you. It's fine, really. I'm okay." He didn't look up once as he said this. His lower lip quivered as he sucked in a deep breath shakily.
His Dad put his hand on his shoulder at the same time as his Mum grabbed his hands.
"No it's not fine, Son. Megan gave us some of the details, but I'd like you to tell us when you're ready. It doesn't have to be now." His Dad said from his seat next to him.
"From tomorrow I'm keeping you out of that school. I'm not even proposing to go and speak to the Principal because I just don't want you around any of those kids any more. If none of them have done anything to stick up for you, then they don't deserve someone as amazing as you as a friend."
Tears started to track down Ryan's face, dripping onto the table. He sagged sideways into his Dad's arms and let out the sobs he had been holding back for too long.
His Mum and sister watched, heartbroken as Ryan clung onto his Dad, distraught.
Once Ryan's sobs had quietened down and his breathing had evened out, his Mum gestured to a leaflet on the table in front of Megan.
"Megan has done a bit of research into schools in this area. There is a private school about an hour's drive away that has a strictly enforced anti-bullying policy. I know you are in glee club at Westerville High... this school has a singing club too. It's an acappella group and they're apparently quite good." She glanced at Megan before continuing.
"We rang the Principal and have arranged for us to go and visit it together tomorrow, if you'd like to. Megan wants to come too."
Ryan looked over to his sister with a grateful smile. He was never so pleased to have her as a sibling. "Thanks Sis, I think you're right. It's time I moved schools. I'll go and see this place tomorrow with you and we can ask them about that anti-bullying policy some more, but I'm definitely interested."
He thought about it for a moment. "Did you say it's an hour's drive? Isn't that a bit far every day?"
His Dad replied. "Yes, it's too far to drive every day and get your school work done. With your sister away at college during term time and our usual work hours, we though you could board if you are happy with that? But if you do, I want you to promise that you will come to us with any problems, no matter how small you may think they are. I don't want you to keep anything else from us."
Ryan nodded in agreement. "Okay, Dad." I'm so lucky to have a family like this.
Mr and Mrs O'Sullivan were filling out forms in the Principal's waiting area. They had just been speaking to the Principal together and Ryan and Megan were waiting for a student to come and take them for a guided tour of the school.
When Mr O'Sullivan had mentioned Ryan being in his school's glee club, the Principal had informed them that there was a Warblers practice that afternoon and had hurriedly directed his secretary to summon a boy called Jeff to the office as he was evidently in that club and could answer any questions he may have.
The secretary had been looking up dorm room vacancies while the others had been talking in his office, and she smiled at the mention of Jeff. She made a quick call asking someone to fetch said boy before getting up to speak to them all.
"That's actually a very good idea as I was looking into the status of dorm room vacancies. The only space we have as a mid-year transfer is actually a double room, sharing with Jeff Sterling himself."
"Perfect!" exclaimed Megan. "That means you can see whether you get on well enough with him to share a room, before you decide whether this school is right for you or not." She squeezed Ryan's hand as she noticed he suddenly looked nervous. She leant over to whisper in his ear "Don't forget the anti-bullying policy. Principal Peterson made it sound like it was strictly enforced, I'm sure everything will be okay here."
The redhead smiled gratefully in reply, just as a boy of similar height to him with bright blond hair strode energetically into the room.
He looked at Ryan and his face lit up with a smile. The boy radiated pure energy, which seemed infectious. Megan thought I like him already! He's just what Ryan needs as a friend, someone to have a laugh with who share's his passion for singing. She laughed at herself as she realised he hadn't even spoken yet and she had passed judgement in mere seconds.
"Hi, I'm Jeff! It's Ryan, right?" The redhead nodded, smiling back, but not quite as wide, as he answered "Yes, and this is my sister Megan."
Jeff shook hands with each sibling. "Cool! Shall we go? I hear you're interested in the Warblers, our singing group, so if we step on it you can catch the end of the number we've been practicing today."
They hurried along the corridor after Jeff as he continued explaining. "We're doing Uptown Girl today. My best friend, and hopefully one day boyfriend - but don't tell him I said that, Nick, is singing lead." Megan let out a squeak and looked over to Ryan who gestured at his sister not to tell Jeff he was gay.
The blond heard the noise and looked over his shoulder as they continued on their way. "Is that a problem? I'm afraid if it is mine is the only room with a spare bed in it!"
Ryan was quick to reassure him "No, no problem. Not at all."
Jeff smiled in relief. "Good. We're almost there." He gestured to the last door in the corridor that they were in.
Megan caught Jeff's attention quickly before they entered the room. "Uh, Jeff? How do you find being gay here? Does the anti-bullying policy really work in practice?"
Jeff stopped to answer this question, sensing that Ryan's transfer must be bullying-related.
"It's completely fine, I'm out and proud, so is Nick. Also in the Warblers there are a few more out gay guys - Trent, Blaine and Kurt to name but a few. Both Blaine and Kurt have terrible bullying back stories from previous schools and none of us have had any trouble here.
I won't pry, but if there is any reason you were bullied in your last school I can practically guarantee nothing like that will happen here. Besides, if I get to be your room-mate you can always let me know if there is anything bothering you. At Dalton we friends stick together. The Warblers are a particularly tight bunch."
Jeff waited to see if they had any further questions before beckoning them into the room.
A good-looking brunet boy was singing the lead to Uptown Girl as they entered, immediately starting to mock-chase Megan, who lapped up the attention with a smile. A line of blazer clad boys started filing past Nick, round Megan and back to place.
Ryan's face lit up with the first proper smile he had experienced since his friend Joseph had left Westerville High.
Suddenly the voices went out of sync and an annoyed voice was heard above the din. "Nate, what the hell? You can't just stop dead like that!"
Ryan looked over to the commotion and a shiver went down his spine as he locked his gaze with a pair of piercing blue eyes. The owner had stopped dead in his tracks, staring slightly open-mouthed at Ryan. A high-voiced pale skinned brunet was hopping around behind him holding his foot, with a plumper brunet apologising profusely.
"I'm so sorry, Kurt! I didn't see you stop, I didn't mean to tread on your ankle!" He was trying to help the taller boy who looked ready to throw a hissy fit.
"It's okay, Trent, it's not your fault." He said, pointedly aiming his best bitch-glare at the Warbler who had stopped.
But the one called Nate didn't seem to hear him. The tall boy with floppy, straight jet black hair just continued to stare at Ryan, who finally broke the gaze, looking down at his feet awkwardly, a blush staining his pale cheeks.
An Asian boy interrupted the confusion. "Alright, Nate, snap out of it!" Nate's gaze shot to the boy who had just spoken, as if this was the first person he had heard since the singing stopped. "Sorry, Wes!" He mumbled, as if in a daze.
Wes continued to yell. "Back to the start! One last time! Places Warblers!"
Jeff excused himself to run to his place in the formation, and Ryan found himself as the lone audience member, as Megan held court with all the boys simpering over her for the song, enjoying herself immensely.
Ryan didn't allow himself to look into Nate's eyes again for the duration of the song in case he put him off again. Surely he can't be interested in me? Jeff is gay and even he doesn't seem to suspect that I am yet. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he was looking at Megan, she was next to me after all.
Once the song had finished he finally sought out those magnetic blue eyes. They were still staring right at him, definitely not at Megan, who was over the other side of the room talking to Jeff. He gulped. Wow. He's gorgeous. Ryan licked his lips. Why is my mouth so dry?
Jeff brought Megan back over to him and they left the meeting while it was still carrying on, in order to finish Jeff's private tour for Ryan. This left no room for the raven-haired boy to come any nearer to the redhead. Maybe it's just as well. Thought Ryan. I'm probably just imagining it. I've been so lonely that I'm starting to make up romantic daydreams of love at first sight. As if.
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