Blaine arrives at school the next day wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and some black converse, just like Mercedes and Puck had told him to. He really wanted to survive school and not have to worry about people picking on him because of his love for bowties. So, he figured he could save his bowties for events outside of William McKinley High School.

As he was walking to the school from the parking lot, a girl stopped in front of him. She was about his height, with long black hair that looked like it could use a comb. She was wearing ripped up jeans and heavy boots, with a shirt that showed her stomach, and a ripped up sleeveless denim vest.

“Hey cutie,” she said, running a finger down the front of his chest. “Wanna go make out before class behind the bleachers?” Blaine was shocked for a moment. Yesterday no one even bothered to give him a second glance (besides the jocks who picked on him and the teachers who gave him detention), and now there is a girl hitting on him.

“Umm, no thanks.” He said, trying to side step her. She blocked his path again.

“Aww, come on. It will be fun. I’ve had lots of practice, so I'm really good at it,” she said in a voice Blaine guessed was meant to be her “seductive voice”. Just before he could turn her down again, Mercedes appeared at his side and answered for him.

“Back off Mack. He’s not interested.” Mercedes answered in a voice that was more authoritative than Blaine’s had been. ‘Mack’ shrugged her shoulders and walked off to find someone else to approach.

“Thanks,” Blaine turned to Mercedes once the other girl had left.

“Don’t worry about it, she’s plenty harmless enough. She is part of the Skanks, with Quinn and Kurt.”

Hearing Kurt’s name peaked his interest again. “Really? How did they all… I don’t know, Become a group?” Blaine figured, the more he knew about Kurt, the better.

“They all have their own reasons. Quinn pretty much started the group. She used to be blonde and all prim and proper, but she showed up at the beginning of last year looking… like she does now. She had completely changed over the summer. No one really knows why… well, except for Kurt. They talk all the time, so I have no doubt that he knows why.”

She paused for a moment as they walked through the front doors together. Artie came up to them and did some weird hand shake thing with Mercedes before he turned to Blaine.

“Damn Blaine. Nice job. You did good, following our advice. People shouldn’t pick on you now.”

Blaine still didn’t understand why his clothes determined whether or not people picked on him, but Mercedes and Artie had been here longer than he had, so their advice was as good as any.

“I’ll see you in class Artie,” Mercedes said to Artie, “I’m going to help Blaine find his first class since he couldn’t seem to do so yesterday.”

Artie shrugged his shoulders and waved as he wheeled away. “Later,” he said while leaving.

After a few moments Blaine and Mercedes were in front of Blaine’s locker, and they stopped so he could get some books. He wanted to know more about Kurt, and he figured Mercedes was the best place to start asking. He wanted to be subtle about it though, he didn’t want to seem like a creeper… or at least too much of a creeper.

“So, what about Kurt?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “How did he get involved with the whole thing?” Blaine kept riffling through his locker waiting for an answer, and after a moment of none being provided, he glanced over to Mercedes. She had a smirk on her face that said, You are trying to be subtle but I can see right through your motives.

Damn.

“What?” Blaine asked, trying to play it off. “Do I have something on my face?” he said touching his cheek. Mercedes chuckled as she swatted his hand away.

“Blaine, if you want to know about Kurt, you are going to have to ask him yourself.”

Blaine visibly deflated at this. He would be the first to admit that he was a more than a little intimidated to talk to him. He just seemed so… (amazing, mysterious, gorgeous, out-of-his-league, divine)… cool.

Blaine decided to give it another go at getting information out of Mercedes. “What, do you not know anything about him? Is he a really private person or something?” Blaine asked as he closed his locker and they started walking down the hallway toward his class.

“No, no, no,” Mercedes replied. “He and I used to be the best of friends. I know tons of stuff about him.” Blaine was convinced she was trying to torture him now. “We still hang out, but I don’t know every little detail about his days anymore since he spends more time on his own, but I still know enough. And I know Kurt well enough to know that if you want to get on his good side, you need to talk to him. Don’t listen to gossip to get your information.”

“But I'm not looking for gossip! I just want to know—“ He was cut off when Mercedes stepped in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders to make him stop walking.

“Just talk to him okay?” she smiled and brushed some imaginary lint off of his shoulders. “He’s not going to bite you. At least not yet.” She said with a wink as she turned and abandoned him in the middle of the hallway.

After getting over the shock of what she had just said, Blaine looked around the hallway and found himself in front of his first class.

The rest of the day passed smoothly enough. Blaine was not harassed more than once (he accidentally bumped into a jock and consequently had his books knocked out of his hands), and he sat with Mercedes and Artie at lunch instead of by himself.

Soon enough, it was time for detention again, but since he knew what to expect this time, he was not dreading it at all, like he was the first time. In fact, he was, dare he say it, excited. Blaine really liked Mercedes and Artie and he could see them becoming good friends. He was also excited to see Kurt, whom he had not spotted all day long. He was a little nervous that he wasn’t at school that day, but his worries were put to rest when he walked into the detention room and the pink-haired boy was already there. He was sitting at a corner table with his feet up on the table and dark shades on. He was also by himself. No Quinn.

Blaine thought that would have been the perfect moment for him to sit at the table with him and maybe start a conversation, but he was intimidated again, and found another table halfway across the room from him.

After everyone had arrived for detention (minus Quinn), Mr. Johnson stood up from his desk and slapped his hand on the wall, repeating the same speech he gave yesterday, almost word for word.

“Remember, ‘If you are going down a wrong path, choose a new direction and turn your life around’. I’m going to the teacher’s lounge to get some coffee. Don’t forget, Ms. Pillsbury is in her office and she can see if you leave before you are supposed to.”

After he had left, and Mike and Tina had been spraying the room for a few minutes, and Mercedes and Artie seemed invested in their own conversation, Blaine glanced over at Kurt. He had still not moved an inch from the position he had been in when Blaine had come into the room. He decided, “there’s no time like the present” and was just about to get up to go talk to him when suddenly Puck appeared in front of him.

“So, Blaine, can you sing?” Puck asked leaning in front of him and obscuring his (very nice) view. Mercedes and Artie seemed to snap out of their conversation and immediately came over to the table to hear Blaine’s answer.

“Umm, yes? I mean… I was in the glee club at my old school. It was really fun, and… yeah.” Blaine was somewhat depressed when he was reminded of his friends that he had to suddenly leave behind.

“Well you see, we have something kind of like that here,” Artie said crossing his arms over his chest and looking somewhat proud.

“What? You have a glee club?!” Blaine perked up at this. He loved to sing and perform, and wanted to be a part of it whenever he could.

“Well, not exactly,” Mercedes interjected into the conversation. “McKinley doesn’t have much of an arts program here,”

“So we all come here,” Artie motioned to the rest of the room, “so we can sing whenever we want to.”

That explains why Mercedes talked about their singing talent when she was introducing everyone yesterday, Blaine thought.

“Exactly,” Puck continued, “It is a good stress reliever after a day in this place.”

“You wanna see?” Mercedes asked eagerly.  They were all looking at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

“Uh… sure,” he responded.

They all dispersed and began moving the tables around and out of the way. They were clearing one side of the room completely of tables. Mike and Tina came over and started moving his table, so he stood up to get out of the way. As the rest of the group continued to move the tables and chairs around, Blaine noticed that Kurt was still sitting at the same table, and made no move to get up with the rest of the others.

Blaine gathered his things and began to make his way over. It was not until he sat down next to him that Kurt acknowledged his presence with a quirked eyebrow.

“Umm… hi,” Blaine said nervously. He still had yet to get over being intimidated by Kurt.

Kurt laughed a little, “Hello, again.” He replied, and then turned his attention to the front of the room where Puck was fiddling with a CD player.

“What are they doing?” Blaine asked Kurt. He had forgotten how much he liked the sound of Kurt’s voice, and he wanted to keep talking to him.

“They are going to show off, for you.”

Blaine was still confused. “Me?”

Just then music blared from the CD player in a smooth beat, and Mercedes started to sing.

It makes it easier, easier to bear, yeah.

You won’t regret it, no no

No, girls they don’t forget it.

Tina stepped forward and started to sing with Mercedes

Love is their home, happiness, yeah.

Squee, squee, squee, Squeeze her

Don’t tease her, never leave her.

 Mike jumped over to Tina and pulled her to him as they started doing a very impressive dance. Puck and Artie stepped forward as well to continue the song. Puck turned to Artie,

Sounds so soulful, don’t you agree?

Artie responed with

Oww! Uhh

I invented swag

Poppin bottles, putting supermodels in the cab

Puck jumped in and continued

I guess I got my swagger back, truth

New watch alert, Hublot’s

Or the big face Roley, I got two of those

Arm out the window through the city, I maneuver slow

Cock back, snap back, see my cut through the holes; go

As the song continued, Mike and Tina danced around the space and Mercedes, Puck and Artie continued the song.

Blaine had to admit, he was impressed. The five people seemed to emit so much energy that it was hard to sit still watching them. Blaine stayed in his seat, but chanced a look over at Kurt. He was watching the group as well, with a small smile on his face, as though he was proud of them.

As the song came to a close everyone seemed to be on a high from the song and they came over to the table Blaine and Kurt were sitting at.

“Well, what did you think?” Mercedes asked propping her elbows on the table in front of Blaine with a big smile on her face.

“You were all really good,” Blaine complemented with a smile.  Puck cut in, “Hell yeah we are!”

Everyone laughed at this, even Kurt laughed a little.

“What about you Kurt?” Blaine asked suddenly. Kurt looked at him, again with a quirked eyebrow. Blaine blushed under the attention, but continued on anyway. “Why didn’t you sing?”

Kurt didn’t answer, but instead stared at Blaine, and everyone else stayed silent.

Finally Mercedes jumped in, “Come on Kurt, we haven’t heard you sing since school got out last year. Sing something!” Everyone else jumped in as will urging him to sing. “Come on, Hummel,” Puck interjected, “give it a go and show off for the newbie.” Puck nudged Blaine as he said this.

Finally, Kurt sighed and got up from the table and took off his sunglasses and perched them on top of his head. He turned to Puck as he made his way to the front of the room, “Get your guitar.”

Puck jumped up on top of one of the nearby tables and began moving away one of the ceiling tiles.

At this point, Blaine was not surprised when Puck pulled a guitar down from the ceiling.

Once Kurt was standing at the front of the room and Puck was perched on a nearby chair, Puck began to strum a few chords before launching into the song.

Kurt’s voice came out clear and soothing and it was the most beautiful thing that Blaine had ever heard.

Older brother, restless soul, lie down.

Lie for a while with your ear against the earth,

And you’ll hear your sister sleep talking

Say “Your hair is long but not long enough to reach,

Home to me.

Blaine was instantly transfixed by Kurt. He put so much emotion into his singing that Blaine could see every emotion that was playing out on his face. For a moment, the hard exterior walls were broken down, and Blaine could see who the real Kurt was. And although he still looked strong, he looked vulnerable and alone.

Older father, weary soul, you’ll drive

Back to the home you made on the mountainside.

With that ugly, terrible thing,

Those papers for divorce, and a lonely ring.

A lonely ring.

It was at times like this, when Blaine could see the distress clearly on his face that he realized that he would do anything in his power to make sure that Kurt never had to feel that type of misery ever again.

Grandfather, gentle soul, you’ll fly

Over your life once more before you die.

Since our grandma passed away

You’ve waited for forever and a day,

Just to die.

And someday soon,

You will die.

At that very moment, even though he was in a room of people that all claimed to be friends with him, Kurt looked like the loneliest person in the world. Blaine wanted nothing more than to be there and make sure that Kurt was never lonely again.

And the cancer spread and it ran into her body and her blood,

And there’s nothing you can do about it now.

Even though Blaine had only met him a day ago, and he might have only had bits and pieces of a conversation with him; Blaine was sure that he was in love with Kurt Hummel.