Introducing: Quartie One Shots:
By Wilde Abrams
Author’s Notes: Welcome to my new project Quartie One Shots. As I explained in the introduction to my story Quartie Headcannon, I have always suspected that there was more to Quinn and Artie’s relationship/friendship than we got to see on the show itself. There were far too many background moments between them, and the genuine affection in their goodbye to eachother in the episode Goodbye was too strong for there not to be. If you read my other works you see that I often feature their friendship. Quartie Headcannon gives you a general overview, but I also want to delve into it a bit deeper.
Quartie One Shots will primarily take specific moments in Glee cannon, add “deleted scene” type things, and flesh them out. I may possibly create all original material as well. We shall see. These will not necessarily be presented in chronological order. Most stories will remain clearly in platonic friendship territory, but I can’t promise that it might not stray into something more if inspiration strikes.
Quartie used to be a fairly popular ship in fanfiction when Quinn was still on the show, and there are around 300 Quartie stories on fanfiction dot net. Kevin and Dianna are good friends in real life and wanted their characters paired in season 3, but RIB gave us more Quick, Shugartie, and Quoe instead.
Don’t worry, Wildebrams I’d still my OTP, but Quartie is interesting and fun to read and write about as well.
# # # # # #
Chapter 1: Something that you can never get back
By Wilde Abrams
Rating: T
Characters: Quinn, Artie
Paintings: Quartie Friendship, mentions of past Quick, Fuinn, Tartie, and Bartie. Brief mentions of Fabevands.
Description: “Duets” Aftermath. Following witnessing Artie’s short lived relationship with Brittany, Quinn reaches out to her old childhood friend. This story will make more sense if you’ve read my story Quartie Headcannon.
# # # # # #
Monday morning in Glee Club Mr. Schue started things off by announcing that Puck had gotten himself thrown in juvie by driving his mom’s Volvo into a convenience store and making off with the ATM.
Quinn rolled her eyes. As usual, Puck had been thinking only of himself and not about how his actions would affect other people; in particular the New Directions who were now down to 10 members: two less than they needed to complete, instead of just one.
But Mr. Schue told them that, while he didn’t know when Puck would get out, the news wasn’t all bad, and introduced a new member: Sam Evans. Sam was the friend from the football team that Finn, Puck, Artie, and Mike had told them all about a couple weeks ago, but didn’t show up for auditions for some reason. He invited sam to take a seat, and then he segued into the new duets assignment. This time there was no drawing names out of a hat. They could pick their own partners, and the prize was a free dinner at BreadstiX.
She smiled to herself. The new kid kept making eye contact with her. She’d seen around and few times. Apparently he was into her. She wasn’t looking for a relationship right now, but it still felt good.
Over the next few days Sam continued to do this whenever he saw her, almost as if he were testing the waters. She couldn’t blame him she guessed, she was the head cheerleader, and he was the new kid. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to get into another relationship right now though. She’d made the decision that, after everything that had happened last year, year was going to be about her. But as the days passed she began to warm up to the idea, should he actually make a move.
# # # # # #
Quinn had begun to have her suspicions that something was up when she noticed the odd way that Santana and Brittany were eyeing each other during glee club the next morning.
She’d had her suspicions about Brittany and Santana confirmed when, later in the day, instead of pairing up together for the duets assignment, she’d seen Brittany talking to Artie and Santana approach Mercedes.
She had a momentary pang of jealousy, but she brushed it aside, distracted by whatever this was with the new kid Sam. She was confused. He’d made eye contact with her several more times since joining glee. He was clearly sending signals that he was into her, but he had agreed to do they duets assignment with Kurt. Word in the halls was that he was gay, so that made sense. It was just as well, she was going to focus on herself this year instead of boys. But why did he keep making eye contact with her?
She pushed her thoughts of Sam aside and looked over at Artie, who was still looking glum. The previous evening it had occurred to her that she could do the assignment with him. The two of them had been paired on the same assignment the previous year during Ballads week, and both had enjoyed it. The two of them had been friends as children, but had lost touch when she had moved away for several years, and practicing for that duet had been the first time the two of them had really talked since they began attending the same school again. The duets project would have been the perfect opportunity to reconnect with him again, now that the Babygate drama had subsided. She never had thanked him for the Lean On Me performance that had meant so much to her when it occurred at a particularly bad time in her life emotionally. She’d heard through the grapevine – Mercedes, specifically – that it had been his idea to sing it.
But no, she later found out that afternoon that he was apparently dating and doing the assignment with Brittany. That seemed an odd combination.
She sighed and pushed the thought aside. ‘Next time’, she told herself, and began thinking about Sam again. She was through with Puck, who was more than happy getting naked with Santana, and after most of a year of fighting for Finn’s affections, it felt good to have someone chasing her for a change, even if he might be gay, and even if this year was supposed to be about working on herself.
Mercedes and Artie could take care of themselves and make their own decisions.
# # # # # #
Two days later she’d realized how completely wrong she had been when she heard Brittany and Santana whispering in the locker room before morning Cheerios practice. She hadn’t picked up on the entire conversation, but she heard anger in Santana’s voice and gleaned the words ‘Artie’, ‘wheels’, and ‘do it’. Inwardly her heart broke as she began to suspect what must have happened.
# # # # # #
Later that day, before glee club, she’d been walking down the hall when she’d heard Santana’s unmistakable raised voice. She ducked around a corner so that she could hear what was being said unobserved.
“She’s using you for your voice,” she heard Santana say. “That’s the only reason she had sex with you.”
God, Santana could be such a bitch!
“- Wait,” Artie asked, confused, “How did you know that?”
“- Hi,” Santana addressed some random guy walking down the hall.
“- Excuse me. Do you know Brittany?” she asked him.
“- Cheerios Brittany?”
“- Yeah.”
“We had sex.”
“- Mmm.”
“Look,” she returned her attention to Artie who looked crushed, “I don’t mean to be a bitch- Well, yeah, actually, I do. But the only thing that you can give Brittany that she can’t get from someone else is super choice parking.”
And with that Santana marched off down the hallway.
Quinn stood there stunned. Her worst fears realized. Brittany had clearly used Artie to make Santana jealous, and the closet-case was lashing out at naive and innocent Artie because she was hurting.
Why did it have to be Artie of all people? She should have warned him when she’d seen Brittany and he talking. He was so sweet and innocent, and he’d been going through so much lately since Tina had dumped him in favor of Mike Chang. That made her so angry!
After she’d taken a few moments to calm down, she continued to walk down the hallway towards the choir room. As she passed Artie she gave him a cautious smile of support, but he was clearly in his own world and didn’t seem to notice her.
In Glee Club Quinn sang her duet with Sam. Kurt had dissolved his partnership with the New Kid, and she’d reluctantly allowed the Rachel to talk her into singing with him. However, she was beginning to wonder if that was a mistake. The performance had gone well, but the boy had been making her feel all sorts of uncomfortable things all week.
Several times throughout the performance and the rest of the class, she stole glances at Artie, who continued to look downtrodden for the entire hour.
When Mr. Schue dismissed them, he made a beeline for the door. Brittany, who had also noticed that something was up with him darted after him. Quinn walked behind them at a distance where she could follow their conversation, but also not be too obvious about it.
“Y-You’re breaking up with me?” Brittany asked with disbelief. Brittany was dumb, but not that dumb. How could she not see that using him that way was wrong?
“All you wanted was a free dinner at Breadsticks,” he told her.
“But I really wanted to go with you.” Brittany pleaded. “I was gonna order us one really, really long piece of spaghetti like in Lady and the Tramp. I’ve been practicing nudging the meatball across the table with my nose.”
“You used me for my voice,” he told her. “That’s the only reason you had sex with me. I have it on good authority.”
Brittany gave him a confused look and he turned to face her.
“I know that sex doesn’t mean anything to you,” he began. “But did you ever think how much it means to me? After my accident, we didn’t know if I’d ever be able even to do that. And when I found out that I could, it seemed like some kind of miracle and you just walked all over that.”
Brittany gave him that sad pitied look that was all too familiar to Quinn; the one that she’d grown to hate receiving last year during her pregnancy, and any time the subject came up ever since. She knew from experience that Artie was also a frequent recipient of that same look, and she died a little bit inside every time she witnessed or heard about it.
“You’re not my partner anymore.” Artie told her. “I told Mr. Schue I’m pulling out of the duet competition.”
He turned around and continued down the hall towards his locker.
“Artie,” Brittany plead, “I didn’t know. I’m- I’m so sorry.”
But she she didn’t go after him. Instead she stood there in silence.
Quinn noticed that Santana had also witnessed the whole thing with that evil grin on her face that she got sometimes. As soon as Artie was out of sight, she approached Brittany to comfort her with a discreet hug.
God, she was such a manipulative bitch! She didn’t understand how she had ever considered Santana her best friend. Oh, right… she used to be just as mean…and for that she felt ashamed.
After a few moments she couldn’t take it anymore. Quinn took a deep breath and walked past Brittany and Santana, giving each of them a dirty glare as she passed them.
It didn’t take long for her to catch up to Artie. He had stopped at his locker. She stopped at her own, which was near his and exchanged her own books and put on her coat. While she did this she stole several glances at him. He was just sitting there staring into his locker and didn’t appear to have done anything.
She finished her business and approached him. He didn’t appear to notice her presence until she cautiously placed her hand on his shoulder.
That got his attention.
“Oh, Hey Quinn,” he greeted her with a forced smile. “What’s up?”
“I thought you might like to talk about it,” she told him.
“You heard,” he said. Not really a question.
“News travels fast,” she told him.
“And you think talking about it is going to help?” he wasn’t bitter or angry, just sad and confused.
“I’m not sure,” she told him honestly, “but I know what it’s like to be manipulated into giving up something that’s precious to you, and that you can never get back by someone for whom it’s nothing more than a notch on a bed post.”
He nodded.
“Come with me to the Lima Bean,” she proposed, smiling, “my treat. Even if it doesn’t help you emotionally, you get free coffee out of the deal.”
He smiled back at her weakly, and finished gathering his books and coat.
On their way out the door, Quinn noticed Sam watching them with a confused look on his face. She sighed inwardly. She would have to figure out what was going on between the two of them later. Comforting her friend was more important.
# # # # # #
A few minutes later they arrived at The Lima Bean. He continued to sit in his chair and act all depressed as they waited in line waiting for their beverages. Quinn noticed a few people giving her funny looks and whispering to their friends. Apparently they were surprised that she was willing to be seen with someone other than the stereotypical jock now that she was back in her Cheerios uniform. But she didn’t care what they thought. What good was being popular if you couldn’t do what you want? Some people were extremely closed minded.
She put it out of her mind and looked around. The place was beginning to thin out. School had let out over an hour ago, and the after-school rush was mostly gone. All that were left were a few stragglers, and those who, like them, had come from after school activities.
When the baristas were done making their orders they took seats at a vacant table in a deserted corner off to the side of the place. Because of Artie’s chair they weren’t able to use one of the booths in the back, but she figured that they should still be able to get some semblance of privacy.
“You don’t have to do this you know,” he told her. “I’ll be fine.”
“I know,” she told him, “but I want to.”
The two of them shared a smile and then after several moments of silence, she began.
“When Finn joined glee club, both of our social statuses at school took significant hits: his because people thought that he was gay, and mine because they assumed I was his beard. Being The Quarterback and Head Cheerleader only insulated us just so much.
“I tried numerous things to get him to quit, including guilting him, and offering to let him feel me up, something that I’d resisted up until that point. But neither of these things seemed to have any effect on him.
“He claimed that it was because he enjoyed singing, and while it was clear that was part of it, it soon became apparent that there was much more to it; specifically an obvious attraction to Rachel Berry. I joined glee club myself, along with Brittany and Santana, originally to help me keep an eye on the two of them. The idea of spying for Coach Sylvester didn’t come up until she found out what we’d done.”
He nodded. That part he had already known.
“As time went on,” she continued, “I recruited Puck, who was Finn’s best friend, to help me figure out how to get him out of her clutches, and to come around to our way of thinking and quit glee.
“One day after witnessing Finn and Rachel flirting, I was so upset that I left campus early, and had Puck give me a ride home while Finn and Rachel stayed late to rehearse something for glee. I’d also gained two pounds in my Cheerios weight in earlier that day, and was sensitive about that. I was so upset that I didn’t resist when Puck offered me a wine cooler to, as he said, “take the edge off.”
“Well, I was so upset that I kept ranting about Finn, Rachel, Coach Sylvester’s obsession with my weight, and glee club that I apparently wasn’t paying too much attention to how much I was drinking and where we were. Before I knew it we had finished off one four pack of wine coolers and were halfway through a second, and were up in my room laying on my bed kissing; and he was clearly wanting more-”
“You don’t need to continue,” Artie told her.
“I know,” she told him. “But I want you to hear this.
“Anyway, I told him to stop….”
«« FLASHBACK »»
Quinn and Puck are laying on her bed making out and moaning. He reaches up under her shirt.
“- I can’t do this,” she tells him, grabbing his hand.
“- Yes, you can,” he tells her. “Have another wine cooler.”
“I’m president of the celibacy club,” she reminds him. “I took a vow.”
“So did Santana and Brittany,” he informs her, “and I did them.”
“What about Finn?” She wants to know. “He’s your best friend.”
“Come on,” he pleads. “We’re in high school. You think either one of us is gonna give a damn about Finn in three years? Life’s just a bunch of experiences, you know. You don’t get a medal at the finish line for being good. You just get dead.”
“Okay,” she finally relents, “but you can’t tell anybody. I can’t lose my rep.”
“Our secret, baby,” he assures her, reaching for the hem of her top.
She stops him. “What about protection?”
“I got it,” he assures her. ”Trust me. This isn’t just another hook-up for me.”
He begins kissing her again.
“Tell me one more time,” she pleads.
“- You’re not fat.”
«« END FLASHBACK »»
“So basically…” Artie said.
“I had sex with him because I was mad at Finn, he got me drunk on wine coolers and I felt fat that day,” she finished.
“Quinn,” Artie told her, “You are not fat by any stretch of the imagination! How could you think that?”
“I know that Artie,” she told him. “But being a cheerleader has certain dietary and weight restrictions. Coach Sylvester holds is accountable for every ounce. If we stray out of her very meticulous expectations, we are publicly shamed, and our positions on the team can be placed in jeopardy. Coach dressed me down, so to speak, in front of the entire squad that day because I had gained almost 2 pounds.
“No one else here knows this,” she added, “but I had a period of time from 5th through 8th grade where I did struggled with my weight – I’d appreciate it if that stayed between us – more than a little bit.”
He nodded, more than a little surprised, “Of course.”
“That, added to the usual insecurities that all girls have about their weight and appearance, put me in a bit of a weakened emotional state,” she continued. “And that didn’t even factor in the alcohol.
“I wasn’t falling down drunk, but my inhibitions were clearly affected. I would never have let him do it otherwise, and I knew immediately that it was a mistake.
“Even though he’d said that it wasn’t just another hookup, his actions said otherwise. He left only a few minutes after we finished, and I just lay there alone. He didn’t even stay and cuddle.
“I felt so empty inside….
“Your first time changes you. We all have these romantic ideas about what it’s supposed to be like. It wasn’t like that at all. I wasn’t in love with him. He definitely wasn’t in love with me, and it was actually kind of awkward. I mostly just lay there scared. I didn’t enjoy it at all.
“Afterwards, I felt so cheap and dirty….
«« FLASHBACK »»
Quinn stands crying in the shower, trying desperately to scrub herself clean, but it’s no use.
«« END FLASHBACK »»
“Did it hurt?” He asked. “I’m sorry if that’s too personal, but they say it’s supposed to hurt for the first time with a girl.”
“No, it’s okay. Ask me anything you want,” she told him. “I don’t really think so. I’m not sure if that was because of the alcohol, or the fact that I broke my maidenhead riding bikes with you when we were seven.”
The last bit seemed to reassured him a little as she continued the story.=
“I had always been taught to save myself for marriage, and I couldn’t believe what I’d done, and who I had done if with. I felt so awful inside! I decided that no one would ever find out about what had happened – EVER – and if Puck went against his word, I would just deny it and it would be the word of the Queen Bee of McKinley against that of a Lima Loser with no proof, so no one would believe it.
“I put the whole thing out of my mind, and refocused on getting Finn back….
“But of course it didn’t work out that way,” she continued. “Puck hadn’t used a condom after all, and a couple weeks later I missed a period. I had always been fairly regular so that was unusual. After a week or so of denial, I wore a disguise and went out and bought a pregnancy test. I was so terrified when I waited for the results, and devastated when the pink plus sign appeared.
“You know the rest …”
He nodded solemnly. She had told Finn, who was naive, and wasn’t always the sharpest crayon in the box, that the child had been his she she’d gotten pregnant via hot tub and he’d believed it. When word of her pregnancy had gotten out, everyone else else, including Artie, had assumed that it was Finn’s since they were dating, and she had let everyone else believe that it was until a frustrated Puck had spilled the beans. The resulting drama had neatly torn the group apart and cost them sectionals. But ultimately Finn had decided to be the better man and rallied the club into pulling off a winning sectionals performance at the last minute.
Eventually the group had forgiven and embraced Quinn and Puck; although Finn definitely continued to hold hard feelings against both of them. Ultimately they had given their daughter up for adoption after she was born and moved on from the experience. Finn and Puck had formed a silent truce of sorts, although they weren’t friends anymore. That fall Quinn had gotten her position as Captain of the Cheerios back, and things had returned to some semblance of normalcy.
“Tina and Mike spent most of the summer working together as counselors at Asian Camp,” he began, cautiously. “They were in charge of teaching those tech savvy Asian kids about the arts. Tina and I had been friends before we started dating, and we seemed to be doing well, so it never even occurred to me that she might be interested in him. She was gone for like two months, and I passed the time playing Halo with Finn, Puck, and Matt before he moved and transferred. Apparently I was too absorbed in that, and didn’t pay enough attention to her texts. After a few weeks she pretty much stopped sending them, and I just assumed she was really busy.
“When she got back in the middle of August she called me a bad boyfriend and informed me that she was with Mike now.
“I was stunned! I had never in a million years seen that coming! She was my girlfriend and I loved her. And more than that, I trusted her. She was my first kiss and the only girl that I’ve ever really loved as more than a friend. SHE was the one I expected my first time to be with. And now I’ve lost all of that because I wasn’t paying enough attention to her!”
He took a deep breath and a moment to calm down before continuing.
“Ever since we returned to school I’ve seen the two of them flaunting their relationship everywhere they go…and she keeps going on and on about his abs!”
《《 FLASHBACK 》》
Tina and Mike make out in the hallway. She lifts his shirt and touches his abs.
《《 END FLASHBACK 》》
Quinn gave him a sympathetic look, and put her hand on his shoulder for briefly in support. For a moment her mind flashed back to the memory of a similar event where she had given him a similar gesture of support:
Six months or so ago Artie had sung the song Dream A Little Dream of Me while Tina performed a dance number with Mike that he was incapable of doing himself because of his disability. His whole body showed his despair, and Tina had been completely oblivious to it. Despite the fact that Quinn had been going through a lot herself with the pregnancy scandal, she had unconsciously reached out and given him some support.
She could definitely empathize with his sensitivity to his ex’s public displays of affection. She’d had to endure the same thing from Finn and Rachel for months. But in her case she deserved it. He not giving Tina not enough attention while she was hundreds of miles away was no excuse for cheating on him.
She knew that Artie had severe body image issues, and that there was no way that anyone as close to him as Tina was could not also know it. That made Quinn so angry when she saw Tina fawning over Mike’s Abs in front of him. She seriously wanted to punch her!
“Artie,” she told him, “I realize that this may come off as hypocritical coming from me, but what Tina did was cheating. I wasn’t there so I can’t say much about the attention that you were giving her while she was away. But that’s no excuse for cheating on you, and that was NOT okay for her to do!”
He nodded. She wasn’t sure if he believed her or not, but she needed to say it.
“I’ve been so miserable since Tina broke up with me,” he continued, “I convinced Finn to help me get a tryout for the football team. I thought that if the other players pushed me down the field the centrifugal force would act like a battering ram and we would be unstoppable pushing through the opposing team’s lines. We looked up the rules and it turns out there is no rule against it.
“It took some convincing, but eventually we talked Coach Beiste into it, and as you know we are actually winning this year.”
Quinn nodded. She’d been surprised, and a bit skeptical at first, but she was proud of them and cheered loudly from the sidelines.
“I’ve been enjoying it, but that didn’t seem to get Tina’s attention. She is still so obsessed with Mike’s abs,” he told her bitterly, absently touching his own stomach. Quinn frowned.
“When Brittany approached me about doing the duet, I was in shock. I don’t believe that she had ever even made eye contact with me let alone spoken directly to me,” he continued.
“She told me that she wanted to date me… it felt good to have someone interested in me, even if she seemed to have ulterior motives of wanting a duet partner…
“Brittany said that not only did she want to be my girlfriend, but I could actually tell people that we were dating, and I actually fell for it! I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, but it was nice to get the attention. I wanted Tina back so desperately that I was willing to do anything to get it, including try to make her jealous.”
Quinn nodded. She knew the feeling. The image of Sam popped into her head, but she quickly dismissed it for the time being. There would be plenty of time to daydream about him later.
“It seemed to be working as Tina did approach me about doing a duet, and if we won, going to dinner ‘as friends’”. He said the last two words very bitterly. “I rebuffed her because I knew I was her second choice.
“Then, the other night, we were at Brittany’s house in her bedroom practicing for our duet when I made the mistake of mentioning Tina…”
《《 FLASHBACK 》》
Brittany and Artie are in Brittany’s room. She’s sitting on the side of her bed and he’s in his chair plunking notes out on a small keyboard.
“Oh-ohh-ohh, yeah!” he demonstrates for her. “Just like that.”
“Ohh-oh, yeah,” she repeats off key.
“Tina used to make runs look so easy,” he tells her.”But I guess they aren’t for everybody.”
“Wait,” she tells him. “Ohh-oh-oh, yeah,” she tries again, this time a little better, but still not right.
“Nailed it,” she says with a smile.
But he clearly doesn’t agree and obviously has something on his mind.
“I’m sorry.” He turns away. “I can’t do this,” he tells her, dejected. “I just can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Um, w-why can’t you do this?” she wants to know, disappointed.
“I thought I was over somebody, but I still think I have feelings for them.
“The Clintons?” She ventures.
“Tina,” he answers. “I’m sorry.”
He begins to roll towards the door.
“Wait, don’t leave,” she says. “You want to get over Tina, right?
He stops and nods.
“Let me help you,” she walks over to him and scoops him out of his chair in a bridal carry.
“Where are? … What are you doing?” He asks as she carries him over to the bed and lays him down.
“I mean,” she tells him as she lays him down on the bed and lays on top of him, “you’re on the football team now anyways. So we’re gonna get around to this at some point.”
“Hold up,” he tells her, beginning to realize what was about to happen. “Am I about to lose my virginity?”
“Before our duet,” she confirms, “We’re gonna do it.”
The two of them kiss.
《《 END FLASHBACK 》》
“At first I was kind of excited, once we got past the awkwardness of it,” he told Quinn. “I mean it wasn’t exactly like I expected, but it did feel good.
“But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my first time should have been with someone whom I loved like Tina. The way she just picked me up, carried me over to her bed, lay me down, crawled on top of me, and took what she wanted was deeply emasculating….”
A range of emotion from sympathy to anger flowed through her. Quinn fought back the coming years because she knew the last thing he wanted was her pity. But this had been so much worse than she’d expected.
“I did start thinking about Tina a bit less,” he informed her, “so that helped a little, but it also changed the way I thought about girls in general. It gave me more confidence.
“And then Santa had to go and ruin it. I was stupid to believe that someone like Brittany could be into me,” he told her dejected.
“Don’t ever say that!” she told him. “Any girl would be lucky to have you, and if Tina can’t see that then screw her! And don’t even get me started on Brittney…”
The two of them shared several more moments of awkward silence.
“Does this empty feeling ever go away?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Do you want an honest answer?” she asked.
“Yes please,” he told her.
“Not as far as I can tell,” she informed him. He frowned. “It fades over time, but every once in awhile something happens. I’m reminded of what happened, and the empty feeling is back. And I have to believe that the next time that I get close to someone, and want to be intimate with them, I will remember what happened with Puck and I will be ashamed that I didn’t wait for the right man, especially if it’s someone who waited himself.
“It’s a little different with me though, because my daughter exists. There are pictures and other tangible reminders of my indiscretion. It’s possible it may not be as bad for you because there won’t be as many reminders.”
She reached across the table, taking his hand in hers, not making any effort to hide it from passers by.
“Thank you,” he told her, forcing a smile on his face.
“Any time,” she squeezed his hand to emphasize her words. “That’s what friends are for.”
He smiled, and the two of them sat there for holding hands in comfortable silence.
“So you and Sam?” he asked her, finally breaking the silence.
“I don’t know,” she told him. “This year is supposed to be about working on myself.”
“There’s no reason you can’t do both,” he offered. “You were cute together today doing your duet.”
“Thanks,” she told him sheepishly.
“Do you think I will be able to get past this and become friends with Brittney again?” He asked.
“I don’t know,” she told him honestly. “But I know that holding a grudge against Puck wouldn’t have solved anything. So, as hard as the last year has been, I’m doing my best to forgive Puck. It will take time, but I think that in time I will.”
He nodded, “I hope that I will be able to forgive Brittany and Tina. But right now it just hurts too much.”
She nodded, ”I know. I’ll always be here if you need someone to talk to.”
“Thank you,” he told her as she leaned over and enveloped him in a friendly hug.
“Any time…”
The two of them continued to talk about anything and everything for several more hours, losing track of time sitting there. It was almost closing time before they realized how late it had gotten and she finally brought him home.
Later that night in bed, Quinn lay there reflecting in the day. She had really missed her friendship with Artie. She had almost forgotten how easy he was to talk to, how non judgemental he was. Perhaps last year might have been less traumatic if she had allowed herself to open herself up to him more. She vowed to herself that she would not wait another year before she made the time to share another afternoon with him.
# # # # # #
Author’s Endnote: For anyone who wasn’t sure, the word Maidenhead is an old fashioned term for a hymen. Quinn’s parents are very old fashioned. Her dad was taking her to the Chastity Ball, and she lead the Celibacy Club at school, so it made sense to me that she would think if it that way.
Let me know in the reviews what you thought of this, and whether or not you will enjoy reading more things like this. Thanks!