The high stone walls surrounding Dalton Academy loomed ominously over Kurt Hummel as he nervously snuck through the wrought iron front gates. He tried his best to blend in by wearing a blazer similar to the ones worn by the student body of the prestigious all-boys school. It was easy for him to slip in with the crowd moving loudly through the ornately decorated hallways.

Kurt assumed classes must have just let out due to the crowded hallways. He followed them deeper into the school keeping his eye out for directions to the choir room, or someone he could ask. None of the boys looked approachable.

As he walked, he tried not to think of what life at a school such as this could be like. Kurt's family was by no means poor, but tuition to a school like this was far beyond something his father could afford. Plus gas for the drive alone would be murder. No, today he would only think about the mission at hand, which was spying on the Warblers, Dalton's a capella glee club.

By now, he was wondering what was going on. The entire student body seemed to be headed in the same direction. Since he had already moved past the nearly deserted cafeteria, he knew food wasn't the answer.

The crowd flowed down a curved marble staircase. A domed glass ceiling, with wrought iron embellishments, allowed sunlight to brighten the hallway. It bounced off the gilded mirrors near the ceiling.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw a boy with gelled down black hair rushing past everyone. Something immediately drew Kurt to the Dalton boy, and despite the fact that he seemed to be in a hurry, he stopped him. Something in his soul told him this was the boy he needed to speak to.

He took a deep breath and said, "Oh, excuse me," calling the boy's attention.

The boy turned around, and a look of surprise mixed with confusion crossed his face. His eyes, which were the color of liquid gold, widened as he looked up at Kurt. His uniform was neatly pressed, and tailored perfectly to his body.

"Urm, hi, can...can I ask you a question." Kurt stumbled over the words as he spoke, partly because of his nerves, but mainly because he had never seen anyone as attractive as the Dalton student in front of him. "I'm new here."

A small smile graced the boy's lips as he held his hand out. "My name is Blaine," the Dalton student said. Blaine's voice was like velvet; deep and smooth. And cultured, even from just a few simple words. It was a nice change from the crass, often uneducated way the boys at his school spoke.

"Kurt," he replied, a little taken back by Blaine's politeness. He flashed a small smile at the boy and shook his hand. In his head, Kurt was praying Blaine didn't catch on to his intentions.

Blaine's eyes were studying Kurt. He glanced up at the glass dome ceiling and a sigh escaped his lips before he continued on, "So, what exactly is going on?" His words came out hurried, giving away his nervousness.

"The Warblers!" Blaine said, his smile widened at the name and his tone made it sound as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons." He glanced briefly in the direction the student body was heading before turning back to the McKinley boy. "Tends to shut the school down for a while."

"So, wait. The glee club here is kind of cool?" Kurt was awed at the way he spoke of the group. And that so many students were excited, if he could judge by their tones, to watch the glee club. Nothing like this would ever happen at McKinley.

"The Warblers are like rock stars." Kurt could hear the pride in Blaine's voice. The boy studied Kurt for a moment. It felt as though Blaine could see straight through him and his façade at that moment. Another breathtaking smile crossed his face. "Come on, I know a shortcut." He said.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand tightly in his and pulled him away from the crowd. Down an empty hallway they went, Blaine almost running and dragging Kurt behind him. Kurt was caught somewhere between admiring the splendor of the school and swooning over the boy currently holding his hand. He tried to take in the murals hand panted on the walls and the comfortable looking brown leather chairs, and mahogany tables placed sporadically around. Even the lamps on the tables were high class, and Kurt, who knew quite a bit about fashion, could see that they were expensive. He couldn't concentrate on any of it though, not even the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The warmth of Blaine's hand kept drawing his attention. It was the first time that another boy, outside of his family had touched him with something other than disgust. Not only was Blaine touching him, but he gripped Kurt's hand tightly as they raced down the hallway.

As they came to the end, Blaine slowed their pace and let go of his hand. It tingled nicely from the feeling. A look of determination crossed the boy's face as he pushed the heavy wooden doors in front of them open. Blaine waltzed into the room as though he owned it, ignoring the two boys moving a table, and turned back to Kurt, a large smile gracing his lips.

After glancing around the packed room, Kurt said, "Oh, I stick out like a sore thumb."

"Next time don't forget your jacket, new kid." Blaine adjusted the lapel on Kurt's jacket as he spoke, his tone slightly condescending. He once again flashed a smile that Kurt decided deserved to win every award known to man. "You'll fit right in," he finished with a wink and a pat on the shoulder.

The Dalton boy dropped his bag on a nearby piece of furniture as the Warblers began the opening notes to a song with a very familiar beat. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he said. He turned and began walking towards the group. Then Blaine started to sing the opening lines of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream.

Just like that, the room grew silent except for the glee club and Blaine's spectacular voice. Now Kurt understood why the boy had been praising the group as though they were gods. It was his ego speaking. Taking another look around the room, Kurt still couldn't believe not only that there were so many people in the room without being forced, but that they all seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

No one had had that much fun during a performance by New Directions at McKinley, glee club or student body. Usually the New Directions either got booed off stage, had things thrown at them, or a small riot would ensue. Kurt was beyond amazed. Of course the students here, he hoped, had more class than his peers.

Blaine was mesmerizing as the lead, and the dance steps were so well rehearsed for an "impromptu" performance. Kurt couldn't look away from the boy his was very quickly becoming infatuated with. Every few seconds Blaine looked at him judging his reaction.

They were really good too; a million times better than New Directions on their best day. If they were going to win Sectionals, Kurt and the new directions would really have to bring it.

When the performance was over, Kurt clapped enthusiastically. Regardless of the fact that the Warblers were his competition, he could appreciate the talent.

After they congratulated one another, Blaine came back over to Kurt. "So, what did you think?"

"You have an amazing voice." Kurt blushed. "And you're really good."

A smirk appeared on Blaine's handsome face. "Come on, I have a couple of people I want you to meet."

He led Kurt back towards the front of the school. A small café was located near the front doors. Inside were a few students who either hadn't come to the performance or had drifted off early. Two boys, an Asian and a black guy, walked past, nodding at Blaine.

Kurt was brought to a table near the center of the room. He knew at that moment exactly what was going on. They knew he was a spy, not a student. Dread filled him as he shed his jacket and took a seat at the table.

Kurt knew he failed as a spy. He was sure Blaine would have allowed him to wonder off if he wasn't.

A few moments later, the Warbler returned with the two boys he nodded at when they entered the café. They were all carrying drinks.

"Latte?" Blaine asked, sliding one of the drinks, complete with the Dalton logo on the front, across the table towards him.

"Thank you," he said almost soundlessly.

"This is Wes and David," Blaine gestured to the boys sitting on each side of him.

"It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up," Kurt said.

"We are not going to beat you up," Wes said with a smile.

"You were such a terrible spy, we thought it was endearing." David laughed slightly as he spoke.

They were being nicer than Kurt would have imagined anyone could be. It really made him wonder about the policy at the school he heard so much about.

Blaine took a small drink of his coffee, and said, "Which made me thing that spying on us wasn't really the reason you came." The dark haired boy tilted his head to one side as if to study Kurt. A knowing, but slight smirk graced his lips.

A little hesitant to ask, Kurt took a moment to gather his thoughts. He didn't want to give them the wrong impression of him. "Can I ask you guys a question?"

The three boys all looked at him expectantly. Their eyes said they knew what was about to come, though.

"Certainly," Blaine said. His voice was encouraging.

"Is it true about the school not having a problem with bullies?"

"We have a zero tolerance harassment policy," David said

"Everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are. It's pretty simple," Wes added. Both boys spoke with a matter-of-fact manner.

Kurt took a deep breath. It was overwhelming to have it confirmed by two of the school's students. Going to a school like Dalton, where he wouldn't have to worry about slushy facials and being shoved into lockers, and all the other bull shit because he was gay would be a dream. One he couldn't even begin to think about.

"Would you guys excuse us?" Blaine said softly, noticing the look on Kurt's face.

"Take it easy Kurt," Wes said as he and David walked out of the café.

"I take it you're having trouble with school," Blaine said, fishing for more information.

"I'm the only person out of the closet at my school." Kurt didn't want to cry, but as he spoke, a couple of tears made their way down his face, "And I-I try and stay strong about it, but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice. "

A look Kurt couldn't describe passed over Blaine's features. For a moment, the McKinley student was afraid of what he would say. Afraid Blaine would laugh at how easily he let Karofsky walk all over him. The words that came out of the older boy's mouth surprised him though.

"I know how you feel. I got taunted at my old school, and it really pissed me off." The same look, one that hinted at danger, crossed over his features again. Blaine paused for a moment, and then continued, "I even complained about it to the faculty. They were really sympathetic and all, but you could tell, nobody really cared. It was like, hey if you're gay, your life's just going to be miserable. Sorry. Nothing we can do about it. So, I left. I came here, simple as that." As he spoke, he kept looking up, as though he didn't really know how to say it, or he was making parts of it up. "So you have two options. I mean, I'd love to tell you to just come enroll here, but tuition at Dalton is kind of steep and I know that's not an option for everybody." Kind of steep was an understatement. "Or you can refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt, and you have a chance right now to teach him."

Looking straight into the other boy's mesmerizing brown-hazel eyes, Kurt asked, "How?"

"Confront him, call him out. I ran Kurt, I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away, and it is something that I really, really regret."

The two boys spent the next hour talking before Kurt had to leave. He wanted to make it back to Lima before it got dark. As he was putting his coat back on, Blaine stopped him.

"This is my number. Call me if you need to talk, and feel free to text me whenever," he said as he slipped a small piece of paper into Kurt's hand. "It was wonderful to meet you."

"You too, and thank you. For the advice and for listening to me, I really needed it."

"It's not a problem. Good luck Kurt, and let me know what happens."

Blaine walked him out the front door of the school. Kurt caught sight of the Warbler leaning against the brick wall as he started his car.

A genuine smile graced his lips for the first time in weeks as he drove home. Not only did he meet someone that understood what he was going through, but that boy was sinfully hot. Not to mention he actually played for the same team as Kurt. Maybe there really was some hope for him yet.