Dalton really was gorgeous.  With its rich wooden panels and tapestries, Kurt was in an architectural heaven. Even the lockers were old fashioned wooden cabinets in the hallways, kept close with a wrought iron lock. Of course, before going, he made his research. He learned that Dalton Academy was founded in 1851 and that according to old school rules, the students were not allowed their horses within a hundred feet from the main building. He also looked at the dress code on the website and carefully chose his outfit. A red tie, grey pants and a black jacket would help him blend in the sea of navy blazers. But the main reason Kurt went to Dalton was not because Puck told him to go in order to spy. Who was he to even listen to that Mohawk  Headed boy anyway? Kurt decided to go because he needed to see for himself.

He needed to see how it was elsewhere. He needed to see if in another school, he would be free to be who he really was. If he would be free to wander alone in between the classes without being scared of getting shove in the lockers. If he would be free to be happy.

He was still alone in the upstairs corridor when the bell rang. Not one of those awful stressful ring. It really was a bell, with a clear sound, thundering somewhere on the campus. Suddenly, a flow of students invaded the corridor, all aiming to go in one direction. Curious, Kurt followed the crowd, having no idea where it was leading him.

He started to go down a marble staircase under a giant glass dome. Indeed, Dalton really was gorgeous! But still, Kurt could not figure out where the crowd was going. For all he knew, it was lunch time and in his limited knowledge of Dalton, he knew that the dining hall was not where everybody was going. Finally, his curiosity won over his patience and he grabbed the shoulder of the first student he could take a hold of.

"Excuse me" Kurt said when the student turned around "Hi! Can I - Can I ask you a question? I'm new here!"

The boy didn't reply. Instead, he made six gestures with his right hand. Then, he touched his chest with his open hand and then proceeded to glue is pointer and middle finger of both hands together before knocking them together, on their sides.

"I - I'm sorry!" Kurt was confused and embarrassed. Of all the guys he could have stopped in the stairwell, he asked the mute one for indications. This was his luck in life, he guessed. But the other teenager didn't seemed offended. In fact, he smiled even more widely while he extended his hand. He grabbed Kurt's wrist and with his other hand, made him open his fist. There, he traced six letters.

"B - L - A - I - N - E" Kurt said as the other boy was writing them with his pointer finger. "That's what you were trying to say. You're Blaine!"

Blaine smiled grew even wider, as if it was possible. Kurt said his own name as Blaine was letting go of his wrist before starting to shake his hand.

"So... What exactly is going on?" Kurt ask, curious.

But instead of answering, Blaine just took his hand once more and led him through a hallway that Kurt hadn't seen yet. Flowers and wood carved tables and chandeliers were making Kurt wondering just how much it coasted for a year in Dalton. No information about the tuition was given on the website. For any information regarding the inscription, please contact the main office during business hours. Kurt could still see the tiny characters, in italics, below the Dalton crest or logo or blazon, whatever it was.

Blaine led him down two steps before opening double doors and entered the room.

"I stick out like a sore thumb" Kurt complained as Blaine was turning around to look at him.

Blaine chuckled silently before toying with Kurt's jacket, straightening it. He then pointed at his as if he was comparing the two.

"Next time, I'll try not to forget my jacket, I guess" Kurt joked as Blaine smiled widely before turning around again.

At this very moment, everybody in the room went quiet, except for a low and rhythmic "tum tum tum tum tum" coming from a group of boys, standing near the window. A dark haired boy then started to sing looking at Blaine. When Blaine made eye contact with him, the boy raised his right hand to his forehead as he was singing the first lines of Teenage Dream. He then partially closed his hand by taking to his thumb his four other fingers, as if he was making a speaking sign. Then, he hooked both his pointers fingers together, two times, once on each side.

Kurt looked at Blaine's reaction. He laughed silently before shaking his head, denying what the singer was telling him. Kurt took his eyes from the singer and looked around him. Everybody was dancing and it was like an enchantment. The Warblers looked like they were rock stars and nobody were making fun of them or throwing stuff to make them stop singing. The only one not participating was Blaine. Standing still, only nodding his head to the rhythm as he was watching the Warblers carefully and sometimes looking at Kurt, he was mouthing some of the words song but not with great enthusiasm. Kurt started to wonder why. Maybe Blaine didn't like music. After all, Kurt had asked Blaine what was going on. Maybe he did not plan to come in this crowded room and this was bothering him.

When the second chorus started though, Blaine turned towards Kurt and started dancing a bit, mimicking the same moves the Warblers were doing, but always looking at Kurt. Kurt laughed, a bit charmed by Blaine's steps and moves.

Soon, the song ended and Kurt was applauding frantically. Even more than any other students in the room. He was overwhelmed by the performance, by the Warblers' unison and perfection. He was also amazed by Blaine's actions towards him.

When the applause died, the singer came to Blaine and they began a conversation. Kurt was amazed though, since the conversation was only conveyed with signs.  Kurt was so entranced by them speaking together that he almost didn't hear the boy talking to him.

"Hello? Kurt?" the boy said when Kurt finally realized someone was actually speaking.

"Um! Yes... Sorry" Kurt apologized

"It's okay... I'm Nick by the way!"

"Kurt." Both Nick and Blaine chuckled "But I think you already knew that!" he added.

"Nice to meet you!" Nick said, extending his hand for Kurt to shake. "But our afternoon class are starting soon, so we have to clean the room before the bell. You should go and find your next class!"

Kurt did not even wonder why the boy, Nick, already knew so much about him. He was about to say goodbye and turn heels when Blaine started to sign and Nick looked at him, smiling.

"But before you go, Kurt" Nick said, still looking at Blaine from the corner of his eyes  "Blaine wants me to say, and I quote "See you tomorrow, New Kid. I'll have a spare jacket for you". Also he wants you to exchange  phone numbers, in case you get lost in the Dalton hallways again"

Kurt smiled widely before realizing it. He handed his phone to Blaine and took his, saving his number into Blaine's contact list.

---

Once he was back in his Navigator, Kurt was having a small panic attack. What was the idea to even talk to one of Dalton's student? What was his idea to even give his phone number to said student? Now he'll have to come back the next day or, worse, completely ignore Blaine. Something was telling him that Blaine didn't deserve to be ignored and that it would be a really mean attitude. So he could not do that. Instead, he'll have to take the road again to Dalton, the following day, say the truth and face the music.

---

The next morning, Kurt was not stressed about the fact that he was missing school for the second day in a row. He was a straight A student and the teachers loved him ; they would not even notice his absence. He was stressing over the fact that that very morning, Blaine had sent him a text implying that he would be waiting for him in the student lounge at lunch time. Kurt's mind was reeling. Blaine had texted him. Blaine wanted to see him again. Blaine would be waiting for him. Everything seemed surreal.

When he pulled over in the Dalton Academy parking lot, Kurt forced himself to calm down. It was almost lunch time. After all, it took him three hours to get there instead of the normal one and a half hour. If he was driving slowly, Kurt told himself, he would be able to delay the fateful moment a bit more.

Unfortunately, a few minutes after turning off the engine of his car, the bell rang and Kurt knew lunchtime had started. He inhaled and exhaled a few times deeply before heading for the main entrance of the old building. He knew that the Student's Lounge was somewhere near the Senior Commons and that the Senior Commons was the room where he saw the Warblers sing the day before.

Kurt somehow managed to find the Student's Lounge within a few minutes, only to find Blaine there, sitting at a table with two other people whom Kurt knew they were in the Warblers, he had seen them make back voices for Teenage Dream.

Maybe Kurt's mind was playing tricks, but he was pretty sure that Blaine's face lit up when he saw him entering the lounge. Trying to look confident, he kept his head high as he made his way to the table where Blaine was sitting with his friends.

When he reached the table, Blaine made a gesture towards the only vacant chair, smiling. Kurt smiled back and sat down, still trying to calm his nerves.  He was getting ready to say the first words of his well thought speech but he was cut off by the Asian boy sitting besides Blaine.

"So, how is our little spy today?" the boy said.

Kurt blushed to the roots of his hair. Was he so obvious? Clearly, he was today with his grey shirt and bowtie, so far from the Dalton dress code.

"It's okay! This is Wes and I'm David." the other boy, afro-American, sitting on Blaine's other side, said. "Here, Blaine bought you a latte"

"It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying" Kurt joked but still believing what he just said.

"We are not going to beat you up" Wes reassured the obviously scared teenager.

"You were such a terrible spy that we thought it was kind of endearing" David added.

"Then, we talked with Blaine." Wes added "And he was quite clever. He thought that spying on the Warblers might not be the main reason you came at Dalton"

Kurt looked at Blaine. Blaine was nodding but his eyes were on Wes' lips, as if he was trying to decipher what he was saying. But this made no sense to Kurt. Blaine was mute, not deaf.

At this moment, Blaine nudged Wes and started to sign with his hands. Apparently, everyone at Dalton knew the American Sign Language. Wes shook his head and repeated his sentence. Kurt was looking at the scene with awe.

"In case you haven't notice" David said as Blaine was starting to sign again "Blaine is deaf. Though people mostly think he's mute because he's pretty good at reading people's lips. Wes and Nick are one of the few students at Dalton knowing ASL. Pretty useful!"

Kurt didn't respond, ashamed of his unspoken mistake and too absorbed by the silent conversation between the two teenagers. When they were done, Blaine met Kurt's gaze, smiled and took out a dry erased white board from his bag and started to write on it.

So, what was the main reason you came here?  Kurt read upside down as Blaine was writing.

Suddenly, tears filled up his eyes. Everything hit him again like a freight train. The bullying, the fact that the teachers were not doing anything, the way that Finn would not even stand for him because he was holding on to his quarterback title. Before he even knew it he was asking for permission to say the silliest but most important question he had in his mind at this moment. When they all nodded, and before he could even talk himself out of it, he blurted :

"Are - are you guys all gay?"

Their laugh were short and Kurt didn't feel offended, after all, it was a silly question. Blaine raised his hand, bringing his pointer finger to his chest and then raising his thumb before retreating it under his other fingers and lowering his hand a bit.

"Blaine just said that he was" Wes explained "But David and I have girlfriends"

"This is not a gay school" David added "We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy"

"Everybody gets treated the same" Wes continued "No matter what they are. It's pretty simple"

Kurt didn't know how to reply to that. Even more tears gathered in his eyes. He tried to answer, opening his mouth and then closing it because he couldn't find words. Blaine cocked his head to the side, looking intently at Kurt. He then made a few signs, but Kurt wasn't really paying attention. Wes stood up, followed by David.

"Take it easy, Kurt" Wes said before leaving.

Blaine looked at Kurt a few more seconds before starting to write on his board.

I'd say you have trouble at school Blaine carefully wrote in neat printed letters.

"I'm the only person out of the closet at my school." Tears were now flowing freely on Kurt's face as he was speaking. "And I - I - I try to stay strong about it but - there's this Neanderthal who had made his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice"

Blaine took a moment before scribbling down on his board again. Meanwhile, Kurt was trying to dry his tears with his sleeve. He carefully read the board when Blaine gave it to him again. It was filled with the tiniest characters Blaine's felt pen allowed.

I got taunted at my school and it really pissed me off. I even complained about it to the faculty. They were sympathetic and all but nobody  really cared. It was like "Hey, if you're gay, your life is just going to be miserable. Sorry! Nothing we can do about it" So I left and I came here. It's as simple as that

When he was done reading, Kurt raised his eyes and Blaine was looking at him expectantly. Before he could say anything, Blaine was scribbling on the board again.

You have two options. I would love to tell you to just come here but the tuition at Dalton is steep and it's not an option for everybody. OR you can refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance. You have a chance to teach him.

Kurt read avidly the board, as if Blaine's words would be magic, telling him how to sort all his problems. But after his reading, all he could manage was asking how he could teach Karofsky. How could he finally get rid of him.

Blaine took the board once again

Confront him. Call him out. I ran and I didn't stand up. It is something that I really, really regret

A few moments later, the bell rang and Blaine stood up. How did Blaine knew the bell rang, Kurt wondered as the other boy was taking his hand and starting to trace letters in his palm.

T - E - X - T - M - E - I - F - Y - O - U - N - E - E - D - M - E

Kurt smiled at Blaine, waved goodbye and a few moments later, he was making his way back to his navigator, feeling much better than he did when he arrived. He finally found someone who cared even if their partings were dictated by warning bells.

---

Kurt was having a great day, why did it have to end this horrible way? His bullies hadn't shoved him all day and Blaine had texted him courage during the girl's mash-up they were singing in the Glee Club meeting, reminding him to not give up.

It all went wrong when he had dared to stand up to Karofsky. The jock had first shoved him into a locker. Then, Kurt had gathered his courage, thinking of Blaine, and ran after him. He had found the bully in the locker room. They had had a confrontation and Kurt had thought that he was winning.

The feeling had died when he felt two hands on his cheeks and an unwelcome set of lips on his own. Kurt could not even move. Then, the lips left his. Right after the shock had passed, Kurt realized that Karofsky was coming for more. He pushed him away. The jock had hit the locker with both his fist, letting out a wounded animal sound and Kurt just stood there, in shock.

He was still standing there when he realized that he needed Blaine. He needed to text him. He needed his words.

He remembered that his phone was somewhere in the hallway and went back to his locker. Someone had put it, somehow, behind the padlock. He grabbed it and texted Blaine

He kissed me. Karofsky. The Neanderthal. He kissed me. He stole my first kiss from me.

Kurt sat on the floor, unable to stand anymore, waiting for Blaine's response.

How are you? I know you're not okay, but tell me anyway. I wish I was able to speak to him, help you somehow. How about I buy you lunch tomorrow? Will it make you feel better?

For the first time in his life, save from his father, Kurt felt like somebody cared about him.