Not being a part of either the football team or Cheerios any longer, had found Kurt as far away as possible from the locker room, which wasn't something he minded in the least. As far as he was concerned, he wouldn't step back into the locker room unless Sue Sylvester had a good enough reason for him to rejoin the Cheerios. So, it was the least unlikely place, that Kurt thought, would bring about any sort of change in his life.

But it did.

It was a few days since his stint in spying, and every day, Kurt grew more and more tired of Karofsky. It was the final straw when the larger boy pushed Kurt in the middle of a not too crowded hallway, right into his open locker, getting his sweater caught on one of the corners before he fell to the ground. Around him, other kids just looked on.

Kurt pushed himself up and followed Karofsky, ignoring his sweater for the moment and taking the momentum of his anger, instead, and running with it.

Afterwards, Kurt couldn't remember what he'd said, or how it had all gone down. Instead he could feel the locker behind him digging into his back where he pressed up against it, and the cold tile underneath him.

It wasn't how his first kiss should have gone. Belatedly, he regretted trying to stand up for himself. Had he known it would end this way he never would have gone for it. Kurt would take shoves and slushies and the humiliation of being called a fag any day in comparison to how he felt after this kiss.

It was an hour before Kurt got up, straightened himself up and walked to one of the sinks to wash his face. No one at McKinley cared if he skipped a class, he was that kid that they'd never expect to do anything wrong, so instead of going to History, he headed out to his car and he just drove.

It wasn't until he was pulling into the parking lot of Dalton Academy that he realized where he was. Yet there was a certain peace to be got from just seeing the place and remembering the boy that had sung Katy Perry and been cheered on.

The uniform was still in his car and before he knew it, he had changed into it in his backseat, and he was straightening out his tie and heading towards Dalton, wondering if he could really get away with wandering around a school he didn't go to while passing off as one of the students.

Being at Dalton gave him a sort of peace that he hadn't felt in a long time, even if the uniform was awkward and Kurt didn't like how the fabric brushed against his skin.

- - -

From the diary of Kurt Hummel

- - -

Wes set a cup of coffee, a medium drip just like Blaine liked, in front of Blaine. Blaine looked up at the placement of the coffee in front of him and lifted his eyes to follow the arm that held the cup down, to meet his friend's face.

"Hmm, coffee, thanks."

Wes smiled at him. "So, I've been going through David's notebooks," he said as he took a seat and held his own cup of coffee between his two hands, "and I think I've found the perfect guy for you."

Blaine dropped the pen he'd been holding. "No," he said and shook his head. "I don't think so, Wes."

"Look, you have to try dating sometime. It's for your good and for the Warblers' good."

Blaine gave Wes a look and grabbed the coffee he'd been offered. It really did suck that his friend knew his weakness. He took a whiff of the coffee and his lips quirked into a smile.

"You, Wes, have no life outside of planning Warbler meetings, Warbler song arrangements, and pestering said Warblers until they are driven crazy or quit. I'll try dating, when you try getting a life outside of Glee club."

Wes looked insulted and gapped at Blaine as if he'd just been told that something terrible happened to his dog. "You did not just call the most prestigious organization of Dalton Academy just a simple club. I'll have you know that..."

Blaine gathered his things and fixed Wes with yet another pointed look, "I think you get my point. I'm not trying to be mean, Wes, just acting as your friend...since, you know, we're being so honest of late."

Blaine almost ran into David on his way out as he savored his medium drip with closed eyes.

David rolled his eyes at him. "You look like you're enjoying that just a bit too much. See, we do have reason to be worried if you think real pleasure comes from coffee."

The insinuation was enough to make Blaine blush and he almost dropped the cup of coffee, but managed to keep his grip on it. He walked past David without saying anything and ignored Wes' calls that he already had a date later that evening.

The thing about Blaine was that he liked being an annoyance to his friends. He'd gotten to know Wes and David well over the last year and he knew just what made them tick. Wes was a traditionalist. He came from a long line of Dalton Academy alums on his father side and knew every handbook like the back of his hand. The Warblers was his legacy and becoming part of the council had been his dream since becoming a Warbler. Blaine understood he was under the pressure and scrutiny of his father to lead them to at least Regionals, but he also didn't think that had anything to do with his personal life.

Blaine also knew that David was the only person other than Wes' sister, that could calm Wes down enough to listen to reason, and if David was anything, it was reasonable. He and Wes made the perfect team, and Blaine was glad to know that David unlike Wes could see why his getting set up on dates with other Warblers wouldn't end well.

As he walked out of the room, he heard David already talking to Wes about songs they could focus on for Sectionals and how that was more productive than worrying about Blaine's love life.

Blaine smiled a little to himself. It had been almost a week since Wes' plan had been presented to him, and still nothing had come of it. For a few days, Wes hadn't even brought it up and Blaine had been happy to let the entire thing go as long as it was never mentioned again. But, now, Blaine knew Wes had only been searching for the right candidate to set him up on a date with.

Blaine walked aimlessly for a while. If he was being truthful with himself, he really didn't mind what his friends were trying to do. It was more that he was scared of what the outcome would be.

He paused in front of a trashcan and tipped his head back to consume the last remaining drops of his coffee, cursing Wes for getting him a small rather than his usual medium sized cup. He dropped it into the trash mournfully when he was done and shifted his books from one arm to the other. It was then, out of the corner of his eye that he saw a flash of light brown hair.

Blaine turned quickly, but whoever it was, was gone. Blaine peered down the hall and back up and then into the nearest room, but there was no sight of that person anywhere. He sighed and looked back at the trashcan he'd now added his coffee cup to.

Blaine quickly checked the time on his pocket watch, a gift from his grandfather, and nodded to himself, he had enough time to get a good decent cup of coffee from his favorite coffee shop in Ohio.

- - -

From the journal of Blaine Anderson

- - -

Kurt didn't know why he hid. It was just that Blaine was right there and there was no one else around and it could have been just too easy to just start up some sort of conversation with him, and Kurt didn't want to be disappointed when Blaine didn't turn out to be the guy he wanted him to be. And then there was what had happened to him.

Karofsky kissed him. Karofsky was gay. Karofsky was a scared bully with anger issues he took out on Kurt.

There was no excuse that could be made for Karofsky that could excuse what he did, but as much as Kurt just wanted to act like the petulant child that didn't understand the other side of the story, he knew he needed to be the bigger person. Dalton gave him perspective, it let him think without worrying about any of his friends or the other jocks finding him and trying to make something out of the situation.

He hadn't meant to find Blaine and then later to follow him, but the other teen had looked confused and worried and too thoughtful for someone for Kurt to not be intrigued and curious. But instead of just pretending to be another student, he hid away from Blaine and then practically ran down a corridor, into another and then into an empty classroom.

The classrooms at Dalton were just as beautiful as any other part of the school. The desks were made of actual wood, meant for two students like in the science classrooms. Their chairs made from the same wood and far more comfortable than the ones at McKinley. And nowhere on the wood were there carved names or hearts with initials or even curse words. These wouldn't have lasted a period at McKinley.

There was also something to be said about the wallpapered walls and the clean blackboard and the clean un-curtained windows that looked upon the grounds.

Kurt caught his breath in the classroom that he wanted to attend school in, and waited for a few minutes before he dared take a peek outside and then he headed in a direction he hoped would lead him outside.

He'd just turned into a hall he swore he'd been in before, when he felt the phone in his pocked vibrate. He pulled it out, more to stop it from falling out of his pocket than anything else, and paused, contemplating taking the call.

It was Rachel and he knew what she'd be calling about, and he knew her voice was possibly one of the last things he wanted to hear, but he answered the call anyway.

"Kurt, where the hell are you? Mike swears he saw you leaving school and I went to check and your car isn't there. Do you realize how important practice is? You saw the Warblers first hand, Kurt, we need to be able to beat them."

Kurt sighed. He really just shouldn't have answered. "It's not like I'm getting a solo, Rachel, I'm there to stand in the background and look pretty. Seriously, you don't need me there at every practice."

She gasped. "We're part of a team, Kurt. Where are you?"

Somehow he knew that she'd know if he was lying. "Dalton," he mumbled quickly and waited for her explosion.

It never came.

"Kurt, what happened?" She asked instead and he was surprised at the tone of worry. "Did they figure out we were spying on them? Are they holding you hostage? You can't let them get our set list, Kurt! You just can't."

Kurt sighed, shoulder's dropping. She was worried about their set list, not what had led him to Dalton.

"They didn't figure anything out, Rachel, I just wanted to be somewhere peaceful, okay...I don't know why I thought this would be it, but it sort of is and it's like the place I've always just been looking for, you know?"

Rachel made a noise and then after a moment answered. "No, I don't know, actually," she said and then added, "Mr. Shue does want to give you a solo, Kurt, for Sectionals in fact. He...he doesn't want me or Finn to sing. Something Ms. Pilsbury said...I don't know, but you really shouldn't be with our competition when we need you here for practice."

He was getting a solo? Of course that would happen on the worst day of his life. He didn't even have it in him to be happy about it.

"Well, I'm not going to make it back in time, Rachel, we'll have to go over it tomorrow."

"Yeah." Rachel sighed. "Listen, do you want to meet up somewhere, Kurt? You sound...well, you don't sound...happy..."

Kurt debated for a moment telling her no, but thinking about going back to his empty house to later face his dad and act like nothing terrible had happened made him pause and reconsider. "Sure. Um. How does the Lima Bean sound? In like an hour and a half. Do you want me to pick you up?"

- - -

In my heart I always knew it was a simple crush that was bound to go away. It was childish and when I was finally over him, it didn't leave me empty, like I had just lost some large part of myself. Now he's my sort of brother.

Blaine. I didn't even know his last name. He was just Blaine. I didn't even properly know him.

He was just a dream, but the way my heart seemed to stop just at seeing him told me it was different from Finn, even though I didn't know him. I've never believed in fate before this.

There was just something about Blaine.

From the diary of Kurt Hummel

- - -

Kurt pulled into the parking lot of the Lima Bean in silence. He and Rachel sat inside his car for a while and Kurt fumbled with the keys for a while before dropping them in Rachel's hand.

"Kurt, what?"

"I need to get out of this uniform," he told her, "and I don't want to lose my keys. I'll just run in the bathroom and change."

She sighed and put the keys in the pocket of her light coat. "Fine, alright. I'll order for us, then?"

"Grande nonfat mocha, please," Kurt said and began searching for his clothes in his bag while Rachel got out of the car and headed to the entrance.

He found his clothes quickly enough and walked into the cafe after Rachel and tried to locate the bathroom.

The Lima Bean was a nice, small coffee shop with some sort of stage for performances. Kurt had actually only entered The Lima Bean once before with Carole, and he hadn't been paying attention to the place, farther than to appreciate the aroma of the just brewed coffee that drifted in his direction. He hadn't noticed the stage then, but now he did and wondered for a moment if it was a new addition. Surely, Rachel of all people, would have known about it. In fact, he could see her already eyeing it as a possible place for her to perform some time. There were small cozy tables and booths, and the baristas behind the counter, all had nice different colored aprons on with name tags.

Kurt found the bathroom after following a sign, but found to his dismay that it was one of those one room bathrooms and there was a small line. Why so many people needed to stop to use the bathroom at a small cafe in the middle of the day was a question Kurt wanted to ask each of them, but he didn't, and instead stood to wait his turn, his eyes drifting over the cafe again and taking in just how comfortable the atmosphere seemed to be here.

The line to the barista to place an order, unlike the bathroom, hadn't been a long one, so before he knew it, Rachel was at his elbow.

"Since we're here and you're going to take forever, anyway, I asked if I could maybe sing something if no one else was. And really, you missed practice today, so you owe me, you know, so, I'm going to go pick something out."

Kurt didn't get a chance to say anything before she was running off. The man in front of him gave him a small smirk. "Girlfriend?" he asked.

Kurt snorted. "God, no."

The man laughed, but said nothing else. There really wasn't much in the way of small talk that one could have while standing in a line to the bathroom.

Rachel had taken off her coat and was standing on the stage with one of the baristas, a nice curly haired woman that seemed to actually like Rachel. He sighed to himself and headed over to the table she'd deposited his mocha on, deciding to change later if he was going to be stuck there for a while longer. He'd keep an eye on the bathroom queue while he drank.

Some minutes later, Rachel was introducing herself on the stage and a few of the patrons had looked up to her, waiting for her to begin.

She began singing a song that was unfamiliar to Kurt, and that was the first thing that made him look up, the second being the sound of her voice. Kurt had heard Rachel sing enough times to know her voice well, but this time was different. Maybe it was the song, or that she was singing outside of a competition or the choir room at McKinley.

The song was happy, but sad at the same time. It was beautiful beyond words. Kurt closed his eyes and let it wash over him. Around him the coffee shop was quiet. They all listened intently, and when it finally came to an end, it was like something had changed. They all applauded and Rachel smiled and curtsied, before she got off the stage and was offered a water bottle by one of the baristas.

"Rachel, that was, wow," Kurt said.

She grinned happily. "It was, wasn't it?" she said, knowing exactly what he meant. She took a long drink and then sat down. "You should sing something Kurt, it feels amazing up there...there's just, there's something about that stage."

Kurt shook his head and sipped at his coffee instead. He looked towards the bathroom line, but there was still the man that had been waiting in from of him, standing there.

"Come on, Kurt."

"I wouldn't know what to sing, I can't just belt something out on the fly." He hoped whoever was in the bathroom would hurry.

Rachel sighed, but got up to get the binder of songs she'd been flipping through earlier. "You must know one of these well enough."

Kurt didn't doubt that he could go up there and sing something, he just doubted that he could do it without sounding pale in comparison to Rachel. He'd never worried about this before, but now, after her song, he couldn't help but feel like he'd be inadequate in comparison. Instead he sipped at his coffee and waited for the bathroom. The door opened and a woman stepped out. The man he'd been waiting after went in and Kurt walked to stand outside the door to wait. Rachel followed him.

"Kurt please sing something. You'll be great up there."

It was tempting. He sighed. "Fine. Just let me get changed."

The bathroom was vacant rather quickly and Kurt rushed in and changed into his earlier outfit, skinny jeans and a sweater. The sweater that now had a small hole on the back because of Karofsky. Maybe he did need to sing something to get all of that out, and despite the small almost unnoticeable hole that he'd have to fix up later, his choice in fashion would be better than Rachel's.

After fixing his hair and folding the uniform, Kurt walked back out and almost ran straight into the one person he thought he'd already managed to avoid earlier. Luckily he managed to stop himself before colliding with the other boy. For a moment he just stared at him and then he sighed, wondering for a moment what he had done, for this boy to somehow appear in front of him for the second time in one day.

"Rachel," he hissed, after walking past Blaine unnoticed, "we have to go, the lead singer for the Warblers is here."

"So?" she asked, "you're not wearing your uniform anymore. He won't know we were spying the other day, or that you were spying again today."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Not the point, the point is he's here and we're here and it could all get a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

Rachel stood up and Kurt sighed and relief and made for the door, but she stopped him and pointed to the stage. "You really won't? I already talked to the manager. She said it'd be fine if you sung, in fact they're expecting it."

Kurt suddenly hated Rachel more than ever. It wasn't about their competition possibly finding out that they'd been spied on, or about singing to a crowd that had heard Rachel Berry's best performance, ever, it was about knowing that Blaine, a boy he hadn't even properly met was there and would hear him and either notice him or completely ignore him.

Sometimes it's like life carries on in some monotonous way. We're just living and following some set schedule that we don't want to deviate from. Or we think we don't, because we know deep down it will change everything.

But when that one thing changes, when that tipping moment happens, and suddenly that life we lived that seemed at times boring, during which we cried, "nothing ever happens to me" changes, we're left wondering, "why does everything keep happening today?"

- - -

From the diary of Kurt Hummel

- - -

Blaine ordered his medium drip and a biscotti and waited while the barista, Ellen, got his order ready. He got the biscotti first and waited a few more minutes for his coffee. Ellen smiled at him.

"Have a good day."

"You too," he replied and after grabbing a stirrer and adding some cinnamon, walked to the nearest empty table and sat down.

The small coffee shop wasn't Blaine's usual haunt although he preferred it more than the place closer to Dalton, but knew it was the kind of day that required the long drive to get the best medium drip he'd gotten in Ohio. It didn't matter that he had a few assignments to work on and this constituted as wasting time.

He pulled out his pre-calc notebook, deciding to get some studying done, seeing as he wasn't really doing anything remotely productive other than trying to decide if he wanted to let Wes find him a possible boyfriend.

It was because Blaine was so focused on his notebook, and trying to figure out just why a number that was previously negative would turn positive without real explanation that he could conceive, that he missed a bit of a commotion behind him. Had he not been so focused on math, Blaine might have realized earlier that he better move out of the way, as it was, when he finally did look up, when he heard the sound of someone tapping on the microphone on a small stage, Blaine was thrown off his chair. He hit his right knee hard into the table as he fell and the coffee though it luckily did not spill over his notebook, landed on his leg, scalding.

His body hit the floor hard, and the chair fell with him, tangling up his legs. His vision blurred. Faintly in the background he heard the most beautiful sound. He closed his eyes and the voice washed over him. Suddenly it was gone and he tried to open his eyes, but it was too hard a task. Where had the music gone?

A lovely voice said something he couldn't make out and Blaine knew it was the same voice that had been singing. He felt someone lift his head.

Blaine tried to open his eyes again. He had to see the person that was talking. He needed to know whoever it was. A soft hand brushed his hair away from his forehead. The hands were too big to belong to a girl. Blaine groaned and opened his eyes to slits.

The boy whose lap Blaine's head was on was beautiful from what Blaine could make out. He looked worried and Blaine wanted to just wipe away the frown that marred his face.

Blaine couldn't keep his eyes open. Before he fully passed out, he heard the melodic voice mutter something that sounded a lot like his name, and then everything went black.

- - -

From the journal of Blaine Anderson