“Hey Blaine?” Sam gently took Blaine’s arm. “Can we like…talk?”

            “Sure,” He shrugged slightly. “Do you have free period now?”

            “Yeah. The choir room should be empty if you want to talk there?” He nodded his head towards the hall and Blaine nodded, smiling.

            They walked in silence and stood near the piano for a few minutes. Feeling a little uncomfortable and claustrophobic from the silence, Blaine fiddled with the sleeves of his sweater. 

            “Oh.”

            He jumped and saw Sam’s wide eyed stare at the scars on his arm. There were lines of shadowed marks up and down his forearms.

            “I’m sorry,” Blaine blushed, pulling his sleeves down.

            “It’s okay, can…can I see?”

            “Okay,” He pulled his sleeves back further and Sam gently ran his fingers over the marks, looking sad.

            “I’m sorry Blaine,” He said softly, letting his hands fall by his side. “I’m so sorry about what happened.”

            “It wasn’t your fault.”

            “But I was your friend. I was your friend and as soon as I heard what happened I just…just went along with everyone else,” Sam sighed. “I knew your were lonely. I knew you were upset. I didn’t even have to look for it, you flat out told me. I did nothing.”

            “It’s not your job to help,” Blaine shrugged.

            “It is though. I’m your friend,” Sam gave him a small half smile. “I was just confused as to why you did it and…and I’m living at the Hummel’s so the only information I got was from Finn who wasn’t your biggest fan. I never even tried to talk to you. I suck.”

            “I didn’t make it easy on you.”

            “You can keep saying that over and over again but it doesn’t erase the fact that I was a really shitty friend. I’ve been a shitty friend since the beginning,” He ran his hands through his hair. “You shouldn’t have to apologize to us, we should have been the ones to apologize to you.”

            “It’s part of the program. I can only do as much as I can to ask for forgiveness,” He smiled. “I can only apologize for what I did.”

            “Well…let me apologize too,” Sam let out a laugh.

            “Apology accepted, okay?” Blaine grinned.

            “And I accept your apology,” Sam gave him a goofy grin. “Can we start over?”

            “Absolutely,” With a nod and a smile, Blaine held his hand out. “I’m Blaine.”

            “It’s nice to meet you Blaine, I’m Sam,” He shook his hand.

            Many of the Glee club members came to talk to him afterwards. Eventually he started getting pulled into empty corners for private conversations during every passing period.

            Tina had sobbed through an apology, hardly getting three words out.

            Sugar asked why he hadn’t told them since she could have gotten him into the fancy beachside rehab most of her relatives went to.

            Marley had apologized for judging him too quickly and gave him her number just in case he ever wanted to talk.

            Artie had apologized profusely, looking far more upset that Blaine had ever seen him.

            All too quickly he felt like he was falling back into a routine.

            Glee became a sanctuary and for the first time he didn’t feel like he was living life on the sidelines. It was a little obvious that most of the members were still a little uncomfortable and awkward around him but at least they were trying.

            “I want to sing a song!” Brittany jumped up in the middle of Mr. Schue’s speech, startling him into silence.

            “Well Brittany, I’m kind of in the middle of a lecture…”

            “Please, please, this is important,” She gave him big puppy eyes until he sighed and sat down. The blonde grinned and hopped up to the front of the room.

            “Okay,” She clapped her hands together. “I wanted to sing a song to Blaine.”

            “Oh Britt, you don’t have to,” Blaine said gently, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks from the attention.

            “I do. I think you’re one of my best friends. You never called me stupid or made fun of me. You were always nice to me. I was super sad when Santana broke up with me and I ignored you even though I knew you were sad. I’m sorry and I want to be your friend again.”

            Her wide eyes were bright with unshed tears.

            “Britt, you’re always going to be my friend,” Blaine swallowed around the lump in his throat.

            “Can I sing a song to you?”

            “Of course,” He nodded, giving her another small smile.

            “Okay, here I go,” She bounced from foot to foot.

            <i>If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea

            I’ll sail the world to find you

            If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can’t see

            I’ll be the light to guide you

            Find out what we’re made of

            When we are called to help out friends in need

            You can count on me like one, two, three, I’ll be there

            And I know when I’m needed

            I can count on your like four, three, two, and you’ll be there

            ‘Cause that’s what friends are supposed to do

            If you toss and you turn and you just can’t fall asleep

            I’ll sing a song beside you

            And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me

            Everyday I will remind you

            Find out what we’re made of

            When we are called to help our friends in need

            You can count on me like one, two, three, I’ll be there

            And I know when I’m needed

            I can count on you like four, three, two, and you’ll be there

            ‘Cause that’s what friends are supposed to do

            You’ll always have my shoulder when you cry

            I’ll never let go, never say goodbye

            You know you can count on me like one, two, three, I’ll be there

            And I know when I’m needed

            I can count on your like four, three, two, and you’ll be there

            ‘Cause that’s what friends are supposed to do

            You can count on me ‘cause I can count on you </i>

            As soon as she was finished Blaine was up and hugging her tightly, even before the rest of the club started clapping.

            “I’m sorry,” She whispered in his ear and he blinked away tears.

            “I forgive you,” He said back and squeezed her tighter before pulling back. “Thank you.”

            “I meant everything I said in the song,” Brittany wiped her eyes. “Except for the part about the ocean since I don’t know how to sail a sailboat.”

            “I appreciate it.”

            “But I could find someone who did,” She continued, nodding so that her ponytail bobbed.

            “I get it honey,” Blaine laughed.

            “I missed you,” She launched herself into his arms again.

            “I missed you too Britt,” He hugged her again and they moved around in circles laughing before he pulled away. “Now we have to figure out a set list for regionals. We are so making it to nationals this year.”

            The club broke into enthusiastic cheers and instantly started brainstorming new ideas.

            Later that day he walked back home with a wide smile on his face. He stepped into the house and dropped his backpack on the floor, humming to himself as he walked into the kitchen.

            “Blaine.”

            The sudden voice startled him into spinning around and he saw his mother standing by the fridge, holding a bottle of sparkling water. She was wearing one of her expensive dresses with her pearl necklace and earrings with her hair up in a severe bun.

            “Mom,” He said after a long silence. “When did you get home? Is dad here?”

            “You’re father is at work,” Her face remained dark. “I got home as soon as I heard you were back from that…that place.”

            “I’ve been home for three weeks,” He tried to ignore the tightness in his chest.

            “Well, we’ve been busy,” She shrugged, walking up to him with her heels clicking loudly. “How could you? How stupid could you be?”

            “What?” His voice was sharp.

            “Do you have any idea what you could have done to our reputation? God knows your father had to work so hard after you came out. It’s like you keep insisting on dragging our name through the mud. First it’s you like boys then it’s you are a junkie. What next Blaine?” Her eyes were icy cold. “You better be almost done with this rebellious phase because I don’t think your father can cover up something else.”

            “My being gay is not a phase,” He spat, anger building. “It’s a part of me and it makes me who I am.”

            “It made you sleep with men for drugs,” His mother sighed. “Do you know what they call people like that? Whores. Prostitutes. Sluts.”

            “That’s not why I did it.”

            “Oh that’s right. You broke up with your boyfriend. Was it because you weren’t being fucked?” He winced at her poisonous words. “Sweetheart, if you need that to keep in line we can get you toys or something. Just anything to not ruin your father.”

            She spun on her heel and started walking out of the kitchen.

            “You’re such a bitch,” He muttered under his breath and she froze.

            “Excuse me?”

            “You. Are. A. Fucking. Bitch,” All the hurt and anger bubbled over. “And I hate you.”

            “You ungrateful brat,” She walked closer to him. “I am your mother.”

            “No you are not. You may have given birth to me but you are in no way my mother,” Tears burned his eyes. “You are a horrible person who doesn’t care about anything besides yourself.”

            “How can you say that? I was there for you when you were attacked, remember that?”

            “Please, you got your breast implants the same weekend at the hospital. I remember being in excruciating pain from being beaten within an inch of my life and you complaining because the implants weren’t as big as you expected,” His eyes narrowed.

            “Well it was your fault you got hurt in the first place.”

            “You’re a disgusting evil bitch who only cares about herself and when you are old and dad leaves you because no amount of plastic surgery can make him stay you will be alone. You’ll be alone because your children hate you,” A strange sense of calm flooded him. “Remember that you are going to die alone and despised.”

            “How dare you say that!” Her voice was shrill. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

            “I was going to stay with Cooper anyway,” He spat back and walked up the stairs to his room, stuffing everything he could into a duffle bag. His hands began to shake as he called Cooper.

            “Hey little brother,” He answered cheerily.

            “Mom’s home,” Blaine’s voice cracked and it was like a dam broke as he started sobbing. “I can’t be here anymore. I can’t.”

            “Okay, just breathe,” Cooper said soothingly. “Just drive to my apartment. You can stay in the guest room and we’ll move all your stuff.”

            He tried to take some deep breaths before hurrying downstairs, grabbing his keys and starting the car.

            “Okay, I’m going.”

            “I’m going to try to get off work early. There’s someone who can substitute for me and I’ll come. Until then just…just sit tight,” The worry in his voice made more tears spring to Blaine’s eyes as he drove.

            “I’m not going to do anything,” He whispered. “I promise Cooper.”

            “I know. I trust you,” He heard Cooper speaking to someone on the other end as he pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

            “Okay I’m here.”

            “I’m on my way,” He could hear Cooper’s car starting in the background. “Just stay on the phone with me.”

            “Cooper, I’m okay,” Blaine sighed as he unlocked the front door and stepped into the sparse living room, sitting on the couch.

            Cooper continued to say soft reassuring things until he burst into the apartment, eyes wide.

            “See, no bottles or needles,” Blaine gave him a half smile and Cooper’s body sagged in relief. “Did you really have so little faith in me?”

            “I was just worried,” Cooper sat down next to him, pulling him into a hug. “Just the way you sounded on the phone…it just scared me.”

            “She said that I was ruining the family name,” Blaine eyes filled with tears again and he felt his shoulder shake with sobs. “That my…my being gay led me to doing drugs. That maybe if I could satisfy myself with a cock I wouldn’t have done it.”

            “Bitch,” Cooper snarled.

            “She’s wrong,” He sniffed, breathing hard. “She’s wrong and I hate her.”

            “You’re going to stay here until you go off to school okay?” Cooper rubbed his back. “We have the money saved up for NYU and you have some scholarships. It’ll be okay.”

            “I can’t stay here,” Blaine sighed. “I can’t put you out.”

            “Why do you think I got the extra room?” Cooper laughed softly.

            “I just…I don’t understand. Why would she say that? I’m her son,” He broke off into harsh sobs. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t love me. She’s my mom.”

            “Because she doesn’t see the smart, talented, kind, amazing kid you are,” Cooper said sharply. “And it’s her loss.”

            “Thank you Cooper.”

            “Anything for you little brother,” He hugged him tighter.