The woman put a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, catching his attention which had been distracted as he took in the room.

“Richard, this is our new student Kurt Hummel,” she said pointedly. Recognition flashed in the professor’s eyes. Sure Dalton’s zero-tolerance policies and general high level of function had prompted many transfers over the years, a fair share of which had dealt with such…delicate cases that the school had seen fit to brief its faculty on their situations. But even having worked at the school for 25 years, Richard Simmons could definitely say that the briefing for one Kurt Hummel was one he hadn’t quite figured how to take.

Before he could put together a response though, Kurt Hummel, mistaking the tone as meant to break his awed state, had taken three hurried steps over to him and extended his hand, “Kurt Hummel, sir.”

He gave a tight smile at the formal greeting, “Mr. Simmons, Kurt. Though these monkeys tend to stick to just Simmons,” he said gesturing to the class fondly. “Welcome aboard,” he patted him on the back as he turned to pick up his chalk.

“I was thinking it would be good for Kurt to have someone to show him around while he adjusts,” the woman remarked her eyes sliding over the room before landing on a curly-haired dapper looking boy sitting in the first row. “Could I borrow Blaine for a moment?”

“Of course,” Simmons answered turning back to the class as the boy followed the secretary out of the room with a confused expression. “Montgomery, Anderson has escorting to do, you know the drill,” he joked, hiking a thumb over his shoulder in a “move it” gesture.

Kurt saw the young man who had been seated beside the student who had just exited begin to gather his stuff in preparation to change seats.

“That’s not necessary—I mean you don’t need to move, I can sit there, I was late,” Kurt murmured, pointing at an empty seat towards the back embarrassed at the amount of action associated with his arrival.

The boy, Montgomery, gave him a look but continued to the seat in the back. “No worries man, and I don’t think you can be late when you probably didn’t have a schedule when the class started,” he said grinning as he took a seat.

Kurt looked at the vacated seat but didn’t move. It didn’t seem right to him, someone who belonged here moving for him. “You sure?” he questioned.

He looked up from where he had already resumed taking notes. “Yeah, plus you’re new, easier to make friends in the front than the back. Me? I could use a break from the spot light,” he laughed leaning back in his chair.

Kurt stared at him at him not sure what to make of that. “Kidding,” the boy said setting his chair back down when Kurt can just continued to stare, now looking even more uncertain.

Right, Kurt berated his social awkwardness, He was joking, teenagers joke, and you should laugh, even if you don’t get it. “Half of them probably never know what they’re laughing at anyway,” Miss Rowe had assured him—shoot, the boy was speaking to him!

“Look it’s Kurt right?” Kurt nodded. “Wes,” the boy said gesturing to himself. “And I insist you take my seat, consider it my personal welcome to Dalton,” Wes said with a friendly smile before holding a hand to one side of his face and stage whispering, “However if you want to stand there for a bit more Simmons hasn’t scribbled something illegible with far too much excitement in nearly ten minutes and we could go for a record.”

At these words Simmons jumped out of his observations of the boy on his left and turned back to the board. “Right where were we? Oh yes! So then…”

With the attention turned away, Kurt finally conceded to taking the seat the boy, Wes, had vacated, and opening a new notebook began to attempt coping the nearly indiscernible script on the board, hoping he could make sense of the material later.

Meanwhile out in the hall the boy and the secretary were speaking right outside the door. “You don’t mind showing Kurt around do you Blaine?” she asked.

“Of course not Mrs. Perry,” Blaine responded, “but is there something else? I’ve escorted lots of new kids, it doesn’t usually require a private request,” he noted gesturing to their position in the empty hall way.

“No, not exactly something else,” she said, “It’s just that, well….you know Dalton takes a lot of…special transfer cases, I mean you were one, but…”

“So he was bullied?” Blaine asked, calling up the image of the boy in his mind. The lithe form, build of perhaps a dancer, the high voice, the beautiful face. It made sense. Wait—did he just say beautiful?
“Not bullied exactly,” Mrs. Perry hesitated, “Look Blaine, you know I can’t talk to you about other kids’ files, but let’s just say that Kurt’s upbringing has been…unconventional, to say the least.” She paused trying to figure out how to continue while Blaine tried to decipher what she meant.

“He just might need a bit more guidance than some of the other kids have, this is all very new to him. He going to confused by everyday things, and might react strangely to normal events….He’s just going to need someone, well, time to adjust. I know I’ve probably just confused you more and it’s a lot to ask but—“

“Of course I’ll do it,” Blaine interrupted what was quickly becoming a plea. He was a little uneased by her vagueness but the kid seemed nice enough and Blaine was a people person. Plus he knew what it was like to need a friend, and was all about being that person for someone else.

“Good,” she said smiling, settled. “And it’s not as though you be on your own, he has a tutor who will work with him most of every Sunday, and a couple others with be checking in periodically to see how he’s doing, I just thought it might be nice to have a peer to help him fit in.” Blaine nodded.

“Alright, well thanks for being so understanding, and willing,” she said smiling fondly. “You’re a good kid, Blaine. And I’m sure you’ll be friends in no time. He’s really very sweet, and though he hasn’t had a lot of formal schooling, quite clever.” She turned and started walking down the hallway.

Blaine’s hand was on the door when she called back, “Oh, and Blaine?” He turned to look at her. “He likes music,” she winked as she turned the corner.

Blaine smiled, well that was something he could definitely work with he thought as he re-entered the classroom.