she had considered speaking, or trying to anyway – but quickly decided against it. blaine seemed to be enjoying her company, and she was not about to jeopardize that. nobody, besides some of the staff members of course, knew norma’s reasoning behind her silence. at the last school she had been to, word spread fast and she quickly decided that being the girl who never spoke was better than being the girl who was picked on relentlessly for not being able to. her thumb ran over the strap of her bag as the two of them walked, using her other hand to dismissively wave off his thanks with a soft shake of her head, clearly happy to provide the company. she looked to him as he introduced himself and nodded, pausing a moment before she wrote on a new page of her notepad. – you’re in the glee club, right? –
The halls were relatively empty seeing as how most people were in class or in the library on their study hour. Cutting out for a soda wouldn’t get them into trouble, right? Blaine figured not with the teachers busy and them minding their own business. They could go back in a few minutes and no one would be any the wiser. Perfect plan! See? Leaning over as he saw her write–Blaine read her question and brightened up considerably. His expression shifted from his polite smile to an excited, happy grin. “Yeah. I am. All my friends are. I know some people might not think it’s that cool but–,” he gave her a quizzical look complete with burrowed brows and pursed lips that spread into an inviting smile, “You should come listen to us sing sometime. You’re always welcome to. What do you do here? Do you belong to any clubs?”
norma didn’t particularly mind being labelled ‘the quiet girl’. – it wasn’t incorrect after all. but most people, knowing that she didn’t speak, would take one of two measures. ignore her, or pick on her. she knew which she prefered, however this sudden friendly attitude from the boy was a huge change of pace. that wasn’t to say that blaine’s invitation didn’t still come as a surprise, as was apparent by the look that graced delicate features. eyes widen slightly and her lips part as if she was about to speak, settling instead with an affirmative nod – and a smile. before gesturing for him to lead the way. she picks up her bag, draping the strap across her shoulder as nervous fingers fiddle aimlessly at a loose thread on the worn down material.
Blaine perked up thinking that Norma was about to speak but when she only nodded–he gave her a polite smile and was proud of himself that he earned one from her, too. It felt good to make other people smile and she had such a pretty one. He wondered how often she lit up so brightly. Two seconds later, he made it his personal mission to give her a reason to at least once a day from here on out. “Great! Thanks! I could use the company,” he fixed the strap on his satchel and motioned towards the exit of the library before leading her in that direction. As they walked–it dawned on him he didn’t introduce himself. Embarrassed, Blaine cringed at his lack of manners and gave her small smile. “My name’s Blaine. Blaine Anderson. Sorry I didn’t do that earlier.”
the majority of norma’s time was spent trying her best to go unnoticed, and for the most part – it had kind of worked. she gave a small nod of gratitude as the boy began helping her, placing the books gently back onto the table in a far more stable pile. norma smiled, albeit still a little sheepishly, at his words, laughing quietly as she nodded in agreement. she stood up and reached into her pocket to grab a notepad and pen, scribbling quickly before turning it around so that blaine could see the word.
– thanks –
A warm smile was given to the girl he only really knew the name of. Honestly? That was all he knew about her. Other than she didn’t talk much. McKinley was a small school –in Blaine’s book–and everyone knew a bit about everyone. She was the ‘quiet girl’ and he should have said hello to her by now seeing–by the looks of it-she didn’t have a lot of friends. He hadn’t. Well. He could make up for that now? Blaine echoed her laughter then leaned in to read what she showed him. “Oh. You’re welcome. It was no trouble. Uh– Hey! I’m going get a soda before I get some studying done,” he thumbed over his shoulder and shrugged, “Would you like one? My treat if you give me some company for the walk?”
at the sound of the tall pile of books that had been knocked off of the table by her bag, norma sank a little deeper into her chair, hoping that by simply wishing it so – she could become invisible … no such luck, she looked around apologetically as she began to collect the books, blushing furiously.
Blaine startled about out of his skin as he heard the clatter of books hitting the floor at the opposite end of the table he sat at. Wide eyed, blinking stare drawn to the mess on the floor instantly before he jerked it back to Norma who was already frantically picking them up. Springing into action–Blaine hurried out of his chair and awkwardly knelt beside her not wanting to upset her worse by drawing any sort of attention their way. “Here. Let me help. Wow. That bag is dangerous. Took out the whole stack,” he smiled trying to get one out of her in return.
pianokeysandbowties back up 