Chapter 30: Bills, Bills, Bills
TPD: New York – Purple Piano Project
A/N: If anything ever seems rushed or glossed over, it's because I know you've seen these episodes and I don't want to just re-type them at you. BUT if you go back and rewatch things, you will see how this crap I'm writing really does fit.

"Mrs. Pillsbury?"

The timid ginger haired woman looked up with a welcoming smile. "Hello."

"I'm Blaine. My parents called you?"

"Yes!" she replied in the most chipper voice he'd ever heard. "Come on in. Shut the door."

He did as she asked and took a seat in front of her desk. "I haven't... decided to transfer to McKinley or anything, but my parents wanted me to talk to you anyway."

"Any particular reason?"

"I don't suppose they told you I was transgender over the phone?"

"No," she replied and hesitated. "I don't have a pamphlet for this..."

"That's okay," Blaine interrupted. "I don't need a pamphlet. I'm not... I've got all the information I need. I think they were probably hoping you could fix me, but-"

"Do you want to be 'fixed,' Blaine?"

"I-"

She smiled patiently.

"I don't think I'm broken."

"Then we won't try to fix you."

He couldn't help the small smile that slid onto his face. "I just... I guess you know I'd be transferring from Dalton? An all-boys academy?"

"Yes, I imagine it was hard. Was that your parents' idea?"

"No," Blaine frowned. "They wanted to send me to Crawford. An all-girl school."

"That's very supportive of them."

"No," Blaine corrected. "It's really unsupportive. I'm male. I was born female. Did you think-?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Right! Of course. I'm sorry. I thought-"

"It's okay," Blaine interrupted. "I guess... I'm concerned about what my file is going to say at McKinley. Whether it'll be right or have a great big F in the gender box. Whether the teachers will be confused or I'll somehow get outed because I just can't-"

"Blaine." He stopped and realized his mouth had run away from him. He took a deep breath to push the anxiety down. "I don't know too much about what we can or can't put in your file, but I'm sure that no one needs to know you're transgender. If you do decide to transfer, I promise your secret will be safe."

"And my old name doesn't have to go anywhere?"

"Is your legal name Blaine?" He nodded in response. "Then that's what will go on your transfer papers."

He smiled. For the first time since his parents had told him they'd changed their minds (a week before summer's end) about paying for his tuition, it felt like things might work out. He was still uncertain if they'd ever planned to pay for his tuition or if they were just trying to convince him not to earn the money himself.

He wondered if he was giving them too much credit. It didn't matter. Kurt was hinting heavily at how much he wanted Blaine to be at McKinley for his senior year, how it would make it magical, and Blaine didn't want to disappoint him. Besides, he'd gone ahead and spent the few hundred dollars he'd earned on new clothes and he felt dapper as all heck any time he dressed in something besides his Dalton blazer. He continued to play indecisive, though. Just in case something went wrong with his transfer. Nothing did, and he found himself at McKinley with an ecstatic Kurt in his arms.

I did this for me.

"You've got to do that Tom Jones number for your Glee club audition, Blaine."

Blaine grinned. "Not Unusual it is. I'm thinking the courtyard. Familiar territory and all that."

Kurt drew closer and Blaine's gaze flinched to the busy halls. Kurt pulled away. "We should have a movie night," Blaine said.

"I can't," Kurt pouted. "But if you can wait until Saturday..."

"Saturday it will be."

The look Kurt was giving him made him feel like they were kissing, and that was something. "I'll meet you a few minutes before lunch, okay?" Kurt said, and added in a much softer voice "In the choir room? I'd like to give you a kiss. For good luck. Not that you'll need it."

Blaine grinned and felt his cheeks turning pink. "I'll take all the luck I can get."

The kiss was brilliant and took four of those five early minutes. If only it had given him more luck. He stared at the blazing debacle and couldn't believe it had happened on his watch. This was a disaster.

The next day when he officially joined the club, Blaine babbled through a speech that made him feel dumber by the second, and his day just kept getting worse as Finn went after him. Finn was Kurt's brother. Why did he seem to hate someone who made his brother happy? What had Blaine done to deserve this treatment?

Well, he'd earn Finn's respect somehow. He had Kurt, and that was enough. For now.

Then he heard three words that sent his spirit soaring: West Side Story.