A steadying hand appeared on his knee. "Blainers. Calm down. You're going to throw yourself into a panic attack."

Blaine looked over at his brother. He had thrown a fit the night before when Cooper had insisted on skipping a day at Dalton to bring him to school, but now that they were there, he was grateful for his big brother's presence. "Coop," he whispered, "what if it's really bad?"

Cooper unbuckled his seat belt and pulled Blaine in for a hug. "You are the strongest person I know. You're going to go in there, head held high, and you are going to be fine." He heard a few sniffles, so he pulled back, placing a hand on either side of his little brother's face. "Hey, you want me to come in with you?"

Blaine wanted to say no. He wanted to walk—no, stride—to his locker, to dismiss every man, woman, and child who looked at him differently, and to go about his day as if nothing had changed. He wanted to eat lunch with his friends. He wanted to squeak by on his algebra test. He wanted to go to track practice and try for a spot on the competition team. He wanted to live his life.

But Blaine didn't know if he had a life left. He didn't know if he could go into the locker room without being harassed. He didn't know if he could even focus on his studies. He didn't know if he had any friends left. He didn't know if he could look at the school behind him without throwing up.

Blaine nodded.

"Alright." With a warm smile, Cooper turned off the car and climbed out.

Blaine took a deep breath and followed suit. He grabbed his backpack from the rear seats and slammed the door shut. Then he slowly made his way across the courtyard, his brother never more than a few paces behind him. He felt hundreds of eyes bore into his skin as an icy hush fell over the normally chattering students.

They all knew.

He walked into the building and through two hallways, ignoring the stares and whispers, until he reached his locker. He was about to five yards away when he saw it.

Fag.

Cocksucker.

Demon.

Bright, red words, shiny like blood, beamed out against the timid tan metal. Cooper immediately grabbed his shoulder, holding him upright. Blaine reached a shaking hand out to spin the dial on the lock. When the door opened, dozens—no, hundreds of condoms spilled out, covering their feet and sliding across the floor. Cooper bent down to pick one up, and he realized that not all of them were condoms—some were packets of lubricant.

Cooper looked around and saw a sea of students. All of them gawked at the mess, at the fury on Cooper's face, at the eighth-grader blinking back tears. Blaine snatched the books he needed out of his locker and shoved them into his bag. Then he whipped the door shut and stalked off, the sea parting to accommodate him.

"BLAINE!" Cooper tore after his little brother, his voice echoing in the silent hallway. He caught up to him in an empty classroom. The younger boy had curled up in a corner, his forehead on his knees and his entire body shaking with sobs. Cooper immediately wrapped his arms around his brother, rocking him back and forth. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into Blaine's curls. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Hey there, faggots."

Cooper looked up, eyes spitting fire. In the doorway stood a boorish kid in a football jersey, smirking down at the brothers. Adam Collins. "You," Cooper snarled, leaping to his feet. "You son of a bitch!" He grabbed Adam by the collar and shoved him into a chalkboard. White powder flew everywhere. "You think you're all high and mighty, a big shot, because you outed some kid a third of your size? You know what? You're quite a bit smaller than me. What if I beat the everliving shit out of you, huh? Seems fair to me."

A flicker of fear flashed across Adam's face, but it was quickly replaced by a haughty glare. Before Adam could respond, both boys heard a small, "Coop...don't..." They looked down at Blaine. The smallest boy stood slowly and walked over to Adam. "You might have outed me against my will, but you haven't killed me. I'm going to make it through this. I graduate in less than two months. I can survive this." Blaine placed a hand on Cooper's shoulder. "Coop, come on. Let him go. If you hurt him, you'll get in a lot of trouble. I have to get to class and so do you. Let's just...forget this loser."

"Blainers..." Cooper and Blaine exchanged a loaded look, and finally Cooper nodded once. He released his vicelike grip on Adam's jersey. Just as the bully started to brush himself off, Cooper cocked an arm back and socked him once in the gut. Adam doubled over, and Cooper bent down to whisper in his ear. "You hurt my little brother again and you'll be wishing I was punching you in the stomach." Cooper straightened and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Come on, hobbit. Mrs. Quigley always hates tardiness."

The two left the empty classroom and walked to Blaine's first-period science class, decidedly ignoring the curious stares and harsh murmurs of the preteens around them. When they stopped outside the classroom door, Blaine hugged his brother tightly. "Thanks, bro," he muttered.

Cooper held Blaine close. "You call me if anyone tries anything, you hear?" Blaine nodded. "Dalton's only twenty minutes away. I can be here in a flash. I love you, Blainers."

"I love you too, Coop."

"You're going to be okay."

"...I know."