Chapter Five: Dalton

Note: I tried to research name change processes in Ohio, but it was all a little unclear in the case of minors. It sounds like in some counties they don't even need parental consent? Anyway, the point is that this fic is not a guide on how to change your name because I ended up doing whatever the heck I wanted.

Blaine returned to work as if nothing had happened. He told his boss that he'd taken up football to explain why he always had the duffle bag with him. He found that his parents hadn't bothered to file objections to his name change, assuming he wouldn't be able to go forward with it. He printed out the consent form, forged their signatures, and stopped. He couldn't just intercept his parents' mail every day, hoping they wouldn't notice. There was only one thing he could do.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

Blaine couldn't help but smile at the familiar voice. "Cooper."

"Hey, what's up?"

"How long has it been since you talked to mom and dad?" Blaine asked.

He could practically hear Cooper shrug. "I called around Christmas. They said you were out with friends, otherwise I would've called you..."

"What?"

"I know, I know. I could've texted or left a message or something, but I had a party to get to- Not that partying is more important than my kid sister- it's just that this director was going to be there-"

"I was in the hospital," Blaine cut in. "They didn't tell you what-"

"You were what?"

"Never mind," Blaine said. "It's not important."

"Of course it's important! Why were you in the hospital? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Probably mom and dad didn't want you to feel like you had to come home. I'm fine."

"What happened?"

Blaine sighed and launched into an extremely abbreviated version of the story. "Did the police catch the guys who did it?"

"No. Listen, Cooper, I don't have time to go into it. I'm at work and my break's almost up. I need your help."

"Yeah, of course. Anything. What do you need?"

"I'm changing my name and I need an address for them to mail the form to. But I can't open a post box or anything without an adult."

"Why are you changing your name? Why can't you just put the house on the form?"

Blaine sat down on the curb of the parking lot. He must've paused too long, because Cooper said "You still there, C?"

"They kicked me out."

"Who?"

"Mom and dad. They kicked me out of the house."

"What?"

Cooper was yelling too loudly, so Blaine had to pull the phone from his ear. He tilted the mouth piece toward his face. "Should I be hearing words like that, Cooper?" he tried to interrupt.

"Of course not!" came the distant and electronically muffled shout of his brother. "You're fourteen! You should be at home with your parents!"

"Are you done yelling?" Blaine called at the mouthpiece. "Can I put the phone back to my ear now?"

There was a quiet reply, that Blaine assumed was a "Yes."

"Why did they kick you out?" Cooper didn't even pause before he said, "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" Blaine replied very quickly. He suddenly felt nauseous. At least that hadn't happened to him. "I'm... gay."

Cooper was silent for a long time. It hadn't occurred to Blaine that Cooper would hate him for this, too. "I'm not crazy," he started to ramble. "I know how I feel, and it's not going to change. It's always been this way, Cooper. I can't help it. I can't change, believe me I've tried. Please don't... Not you, too."

"Corinne, I don't care if you're dating men, women, or a platypus so long as both of you are happy about it. You're my sister."

"I'm your brother."

For a second, he heard Cooper laugh as though he expected Blaine to join in. "Wait, what?"

"I have to get back to work, Cooper," Blaine said. "I'll call you after, but can you help me? I have enough saved up to pay for your flight and the PO box, so you'd just need to-"

"Yeah," Cooper said. "Call me as soon as you get off work. And don't go anywhere."

It turned out Cooper spent the rest of Blaine's shift calling their parents and then all of his Ohio friends to see who could pick up his kid sister and let her stay at their apartment until he could get back in state. Cooper had already booked a flight and wouldn't even let Blaine pay for it.

He stayed the night with Cooper's friend Riley. She was nice, but very determined to have "girl talk" to cheer him up and Blaine didn't have the heart to shoot her down. Cooper took him out to lunch the next day and they talked. Well, Blaine talked and Cooper asked questions, but it was the first time he'd felt like anyone was listening to him since Tyler. It was a good feeling.

"So, I should call you Blaine now?"

Blaine nodded. "That would... I would... Thanks, Cooper."

"So. Let's go get your name changed."

And that was it. They put Riley's address on the form, and he arranged for Blaine to stay with Riley when he went back to LA. Everything was going so well, that Blaine was almost surprised when it went wrong.

Apparently Jamie's dad worked in the court and he'd found out about Blaine's name change. When Blaine showed up at Riley's, ready to say goodbye to Cooper, he was doing his best not to walk like breathing hurt or like he'd been kicked a few too many times in the shins. He couldn't ignore the black eye into nonexistence however, and Cooper canceled his flight.

They went in to talk to the principal, who couldn't do anything because Blaine kept insisting he didn't see anything, that the kids who beat him up were all wearing ski masks. Cooper didn't challenge him. Instead, he picked Blaine up from school one day and took a wrong turn.

"Cooper, Riley's is the other way."

"We're not going to Riley's."

"Well, I can't go to LA with you..."

"No," Cooper agreed. "I can't afford to feed two people and my roommates are kind of party animals. Not the place for a kid."

"Then where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

They drove for about an hour before pulling into what looked like a castle. "Dalton Academy," the gate said. "What's Dalton Academy?"

"It's a boarding school," Cooper told him. "Between the two of us, we can cover your tuition and a dormitory. Riley's happy to have you, but she can't afford an extra person any more than I can."

"I can pay for my own food an bus fare, Cooper. I have a job."

"I know, Blaine," Cooper assured him. "But if Riley's landlord finds out she's got someone living with her that isn't on the lease, she'll be in trouble. Maybe even evicted. She says she's fine taking the risk, but I think you'll agree that-"

"Yeah," Blaine interrupted. "I don't want her to get in trouble. But a boarding school?"

"I've had some time off, done some research. It's the perfect place for you."

It didn't take long for Blaine to realize "Cooper, is this an all-boys school?"

"Yeah."

"They're never going to let me enroll, Cooper."

"Sure, they will. We're just going to pop in and meet the headmaster, I already talked to him on the phone..."

"Cooper-"

But his brother had already knocked and the door was opening.

"You must be Blaine. I'm Headmaster Andrews."

"Hi," Blaine said and shook the hand that was offered. "I'm not sure my brother here was thinking when he phoned you about-"

"Why don't you come in and sit down?"

Blaine grimaced and did. "Look. My brother failed to mention that I'm physically female, so I think-"

"Relax," the headmaster said. "Your brother didn't fail to mention anything."

Blaine frowned. "What?"

"He explained your situation at your old school, and I agree with him that Dalton would be a good change. We have a zero tolerance policy on bullying, and it's enforced. Teasing other students results in an immediate detention and any form of violence toward another student results in expulsion."

Blaine's mouth was open.

"Does that sound good?" Cooper asked.

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. "But the other boys won't want..."

"I don't think it's any of their business," the headmaster said. "Not unless you want it to be."

"I don't."

"Then we'll mark an 'M' on your file and that will be the end of it."

"But... Why? Aren't big fancy places like this all about tradition?"

"Yes," the headmaster agreed. "I don't see how letting you in will hurt any traditions. This is an all-boys school and, unless you intend to behave poorly, I don't see why you'd harm our ideals."

A small sob choked out of him. "Sorry," he apologized immediately. "I'm not normally- Why are you-?"

"My niece was transgender," he told Blaine. He cringed as he realized he'd found the catch. Sure, they'd get his name right, but the headmaster would still call him her and she until he'd "seen the error of his ways" or something. "Her parents weren't very supportive. She'd get in trouble for wearing her sisters' clothes, and last year she committed suicide. I know how important it is that everyone finds acceptance regardless of who they are on the outside."

Oh.

"Oh," he said aloud.

"The only downside is that you'll have to share a room," the headmaster told him. "Only seniors can get single rooms, and they're all full. The bathrooms all have private stalls, and the showers have a separate closed-off area where you can change, so it's not impossible. I'm sure we can arrange for you to get a single room in the fall, so if you think you can make it work for the next three months...?"

"Yes."

"Yes?" Cooper asked and Blaine turned to him.

"Yes."

"I'll start your file."

They paid his tuition and he was all set. Cooper went back to LA, but promised to call at least once a week to check on him. He never used the wrong name, always got Blaine's pronouns right... But the best part was when he heard him say something to someone on the other end about talking to his kid brother. Nothing felt better than hearing Cooper call him brother.

The only thing that still bothered Blaine was that he was going to be fifteen soon. It was very likely that no one would make fun of him for his higher voice, but it was going to stand out at an all-boys school. So, he told Riley he had to work late that Sunday night and did the most dangerous thing he'd done in his life: he met a guy named Ray.

Ray didn't have a last name, and Ray didn't care who you were or what you wanted- as long as you had cash. Blaine had been paid on Friday and was ready to give his last $100 to Ray in exchange for one thing.

He took the box, glanced inside at the light amber liquid and handed the money over. "Nice doing business with you, kid," Ray dismissed him.

That night, Blaine pulled out the pack of syringes and alcohol wipes he'd sold himself (without the discount because he didn't want his boss asking why he was buying them) and gave himself his very first testosterone injection. He'd researched it meticulously, how much to take for his height and weight, how to pull back on the syringe to make sure he was in the muscle and not a vein...

He felt perfect. His mind was racing with euphoria when he laid down on Riley's couch that night. He slept well knowing that he'd be moving to Dalton Academy the next day and that soon his voice would drop just like everyone else in his dorm.