Chapter 10

Transferring to McKinley was bound to have its cons, but before leaving for his first day at the school, Blaine realized what one the greatest pros of it was. He was now out of the damn Dalton uniform. For good. He had the liberty to take his whole collection of bowties to Lima and actually use them. Obviously, he was thrilled to be at the same school as Kurt, even though the only class they would have together was Glee club. Blaine cursed that Sadie Hawkins incident more than ever for getting him a year behind in his education.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have to wait long to feel what being in New Directions meant for its members. That funny guy with a microphone and hair bushier than Blaine’s without gel seemed harmless, as he stopped Kurt and him by the boys’ restroom door. He cast one fleeting look at Blaine, before ignoring him and talking to Kurt about Glee. What Blaine had not anticipated was the jock who threw a slushie directly in Kurt’s face. Some of the icy drink splashed over the door, the wall and – most significantly – over Blaine’s face. He could honestly say that there were few sensations quite as unpleasant as the feeling of red melting ice trickling down his face and chest. And he didn’t even get it half as bad as Kurt.

But having someone to help him clean himself up was definitely uplifting. So were the pats on the shoulder from Mercedes and Tina, when they found out about the incident.

As the Glee club had lost a member due to Matt’s transfer, and Kurt kept on reassuring him of his abilities, Blaine didn’t freak out before his audition. It was just a formality, as the other members have basically claimed him part of the team, and he had some experience from being a Warbler. But Kurt insisted on Blaine making an entrance, so he stayed outside the choir room before the first New Directions meeting of the year, waiting for Kurt to call him in.

Mr Schue started a speech about the necessity to boost their image to get at least one new member, just to be interrupted by Kurt raising his hand firmly in the air.

‘Yes, Kurt?’

He stood up with a wide grin.

‘Mr Schue, we already have a candidate for Matt’s spot.’

‘Could you get them to come and audition, then?,’ Mr Schue asked, surprised by the knowing smiles on most of the faces in front of him.

‘I’ll go get him.’

Kurt skipped to the door, and motioned his friend inside. Blaine came in, smiling tentatively and seeing the girls waving at him enthusiastically. Mr Schue raised his eyebrows at that, and turned his gaze at the new addition to the club.

‘This is Blaine Anderson, my dear friend and our newest member,’ Kurt said cheerfully, pushing Blaine to the centre of the room and ran back to his chair.

‘You’re in my Spanish class, right, Blaine?,’ Mr Schue said. Blaine nodded in response. ‘Do you have a song prepared to audition?’

‘I do.’

The band had been given instructions by Kurt in advance, so as soon as Mr Schue went to sit down, leaving room for Blaine’s performance, the music started playing. Blaine threw his satchel to Kurt for safekeeping, and began singing.

If he had had any stage fright, it was gone with the first line. At first he had had the tiniest bit of doubt that he’d be laughed at for singing Teenage Dream, but the New Directions were so used to Kurt singing girls’ songs by now, that it didn’t seem odd for him to do so as well.

The music carried him through the few minutes’ of performing, the others’ improvised prancing around the choir room evoking a beaming grin on his face. And when the song ended, Mr Schue clapped for him with a smile.

‘Welcome to Glee, Blaine!’

It was probably the best first day at school Blaine had ever had.

***

Getting used to his new show choir didn’t take long. Having known some people earlier and having his best friend with him to backbite Rachel and gossip about Tina changing boyfriends, made the transition much easier than he feared it would be. Working on the choreography for their performance of Empire State of Mind that was meant change the students’ minds about the club was fun for Blaine, and something new entirely after a year of the two-step dance moves of the Warblers.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. When he came home after school, Goldie would rush to jump all over him, demanding to be stroked, and Aileen would come back a couple of hours later, unalterably smiling, no matter how hard her day was. She would cook them dinner and ask about school, just like Blaine had always wished his mother to do. Because Aileen was interested in what his answers to her questions would be.

The classes at school weren’t quite as challenging as they used to be at Dalton, but Blaine welcomed the change. He’d never seen himself as the academic type. And then there were the New Directions. He didn’t find Rachel quite as irritable as the others did, though he reckoned it could change with time. However, he didn’t intend to fight her for solos; there were enough people to do that already, without him cutting in. With Britney week, Blaine started regretting the Warblers never did tributes of the sort, as he enjoyed the preparations for the fall pep rally immensely.

A few more slushie facials were tossed the Glee club’s way, one of which hit Blaine, who this time was a little better prepared for the impact.

‘Sorry for all this,’ Kurt said in a small voice, as he was digging bits of ice from Blaine’s hair in the restroom.

‘What for? It was that moron Azimio, not you.’

Kurt sighed heavily; he couldn’t help but feel at least partially guilty for this.

‘Yeah, I know, but you kinda transferred for me, so…’

Blaine felt an urge to roll his eyes, but he wouldn’t dare move them. They still stung from the slushie.

‘Again, not your fault. Just get the ice out, I can’t see the back of my head.’

Kurt didn’t say anything more. But it did not mean he didn’t keep on beating himself up.

Soon enough almost everybody knew that Hummel kid hung out with the guy who used too much hair gel. The football players who had always relished in picking on Kurt were probably the first ones to notice that, in consequence, extending their insults to Blaine by association. After all, he was a guy who was constantly seen with a total queer, and he was in Glee club, so to their minds it was impossible Blaine could be anything but gay. Even if they weren’t right, it wouldn’t make any difference; their minds were made up about him.

Blaine didn’t have to wait long for the bullying to extend beyond the customary slushie facials for Glee clubbers.

‘Hey, fairies, didn’t you lose your wands?,’ Azimio yelled after them in a hallway one afternoon.

Blaine’s hands tightened into fists, and he was close to turning around and planting one of them on Azimio’s jaw, but Kurt grabbed him by the elbow to stop him. And then he whirled around to the jock with a calm expression on his face.

‘I would think that was a bad Harry Potter reference, but then I don’t think you can read,’ Kurt said slowly, casting a resentful look over Azimio.

He turned away, tugging Blaine after him. There was no doubt telling off wouldn’t work as anything more than a band aid to the problem, but he couldn’t leave the insult without answer or let Blaine hit the much, much bigger boy.

No matter what he would have done, he knew it wasn’t going to be an isolated incident.