──･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

― 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣' 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨

           Santana, Brittany, and I walked into the choir room chatting about the date Puck and I had the previous Friday. The three of us were the last members of the club to arrive, now the only one not in the choir room was Mr. Schue. As usual, the members of the club were just chatting with one another. Quinn and Finn were deep in conversation probably about the baby, out of the corner of my eye I could see Puck listening in on them.

I also noticed Artie struggling to tie his shoelace. I walked over to Artie and leaned down to help him tie his show "Let me help you with that?" I said

"You don't have to help me, I can do it myself," He said

"It's fine," I say "I tie Brits shoes all the time"

"It's true" Brittany muttered, as she and Santana walked past us to their seats. I smiled standing up and going to sit down between Tina and Brittney. Tina watched me as I sat down then looking back to Artie who she had been watching since I had entered the room. I like she had a bit of a crush on Artie.

"All right, guys." Mr. Schue said entering the room with papers in his hands. He started handing the papers out to us. "We're doing a new number for Sectionals. I know that pop songs have sort of been our signature pieces, but I did a little research on past winners, and it turns out that the judges like songs that are more accessible. Stuff they know. Uh, standards, Broadway."

Tina handed me the pile of sheet music, which Mr. Schue had handed to Mike to hand along to the rest of us. I took the sheets taking one and handing them along to Brittany. I looked down at the sheet just as Kurt excitedly spoke up " 'Defying Gravity'? I have an iPod shuffle dedicated exclusively to selections from Wicked. This is amazing."

Mr. Schue smiled at him before looking to Rachel "Think you can handle it, Rachel?"

" It's my go-to shower song. It's also my ring tone." Rachel said happily, causing Kurt to looked crushed.

"Why do we have to go all vanilla on this song? See, what we need is my chocolate thunder." Mercedes said to Mr. Schue.

"Okay, we don't have time to rearrange a song for you, Mercedes. Rachel is singing it. Don't worry, we'll find something for you to dip in chocolate." Mr. Schue said, everyone, laughed, well Finn just looked confused. "On to item two. The school won't pay for the special bus we need to take Artie and his wheelchair with us to sectionals."

Artie's smile fell "W-w-what?!" Tina said

"That's completely unfair," Rachel added

"That's Bullshit," I said.

"So we're going to have to raise money to pay for it ourselves." Mr. Schue said, I looked over to Artie, who was smiling up at Tina. Does he liked her too, That's so cute. "See when I was in glee club, and we needed new silk cummerbunds for regionals, we held a bake sale."

No one said anything for a second, then several people around the room started laughing. "You're joking, right?" Santana asked, "I mean, bake sales are kind of bougie."

"So hip people stopped eating delicious sugary treats?" Mr. Schue asked us.

"It's not that? It's most of us? Don't know how to bake? I find ... recipes confusing." Brittany explained.

"My family is fully committed to takeout." Rachel said

"Yeah, Mr. Schue, kids are busier than when you went here. We've got homework and football and teen pregnancy ..." Finn said pausing "lunch."

"Can't Artie's dad just take him?" Mercedes asked. This surprised me, out of all the people to feel that way I didn't expect it to be Mercedes.

"I can't believe how insensitive you're all being. Are you a team?" Mr. Schue said.

"Of course. But Artie understands, don't you, Artie?" Quinn said

"Oh... Of course." Artie said but he didn't sound sure about it at all "I-It's cool. Anything that takes away our time from rehearsing doesn't serve the team." The School bell rang and the members of the club quickly exited the room. I was still in the room packing up my things when Mr. Schue spoke to Artie.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about how they all reacted, Artie," he said

" Oh, it's okay. I'm used to it. They just don't get it..." Artie said back to Mr. Schue.

"That doesn't make the way they acted any better," I say, swinging my bag over my shoulder. "half of them claim to be your friends, so they shouldn't act like that"

"Carrie's right," Mr. Schue said

"Aren't I always," I say turning to Artie "You know, if you don't want to ride alone, I could always ride with you," I said to him

"That's so kind of you Carrie," Mr. Schue said smiling at me. I smiled but, before exiting the room. Artie saying something to Mr. Schue as I left the room.

♫

            I was still at the school later that day waiting for Emma to finish for the day so she could drive me home. I was listening to music through my headphones as I danced down the hallway. I was heading down the hall at the side of the auditorium when I heard music and not the music I had been listening to.

I pulled out my headphones, to hear the music coming from the auditorium. "If I looked all over the world And there's every type of girl". It sounded like Artie.

I stepped closer to the auditorium door, pushing it open. Inside on the stage, Artie was singing and dancing in his wheelchair. "But your empty eyes, Seem to pass me by and leave me dancing with myself" he sang.

I entered the auditorium quietly closing the door behind me. "So let's sink another drink 'cause it'll give me time to think"

I liked listening to Artie sing, he has a lovely voice. "If I had the chance I'd ask the world to dance And I'll be dancing with myself" I walked towards the stage expecting Artie to see me but he didn't seem to notice I was there.

"Dancing with myself, Oh dancing with myself, Well there's nothing to lose And there's nothing to prove And I'm dancing with myself" Artie finished the song, now noticing I was there.

I clapped. "You're really good."

"Thanks," He said rolling awkwardly back and forth. "You know you don't have to ride with me just because you feel sorry for me"

"What?" I laughed "I don't feel sorry for you."

"You don't? Then why are you so nice to me"

"I don't know, Because you're a good guy," I say, "Plus we're alone and I have no reason to be mean in private,"

"Do you ever have a reason to be mean,"

"Of course," I smile. "So, Who's the girl you're singing about?"

"What? I wasn't" Artie defended starting to blush, and looking away from me.

"I knew it, I'm pretty good at reading people," I say. My mind went back to Tina that morning in glee. Tina has to be the girl Artie likes, right. "Is it who I think it is?"

"I don't know," he muttered, still not looking at me.

"Because if it is, you should so go for it, she likes you too," Artie looked up to me, a smile growing on his face. "I mean you and Tina would be adorable together," his face fell

"Oh," 

"What I'm serious, she totally likes you, she is the girl you like right?" I asked starting to feel unsure.

"Yeah totally," he said. an alarm went off on my phone.

"Oops, got to go," I say, turning off my alarm "my ride is ready."

"Oh have to go meet Puck," Artie said

"No, My sister drives me." I said confused as to why he thought I was meeting Puck"I just have to hang out here a little after school, well she finishes work,"

"Oh,"

"Why did you think I was meeting Noah?" I asked

"Well you two are dating, aren't you,"

"Yeah, I guess," I say. Puck and I had been out on a few dates but I don't know if we were officially dating yet.

"Can I ask? Why are you dating him he doesn't seem like that good of a guy," Artie asked

"You're right," I say, making him more confused "On the outside I mean, but once you spent time with him, talking he's a pretty good guy, Like you" Artie smiled at me.

"I better go. rude to keep my sister waiting," I say smiling back, and leaving the auditorium.

♫

          I sat in the choir room the next day, as the last of the club's members entered the rooms and took their seats. "I have something I'd like to say." Kurt said standing up from his chair as the las person sat in theirs "I want to audition for the wicked solo." everyone in the room other than Rachel murmured in encouragement.

"Kurt, there's a high F in it." Mr. Schue pointed out.

"That's well within my range," Kurt said, causing Ooooh's to sound around the room.

"Well, I think Rachel's going to be fine for the female lead, but I'm happy to have you try out something else, Kurt. And we'll make sure it's got a killer high note." Mr. Schue said shutting Kurt down. Kurt sat down sadly.

"Boo," I muttered as Artie turned to Kurt and said; "You tried." Mr. Schue ignored our comments.

"Anyway, I wanted to say something to you guys." He said "I was a little disappointed at how you were all so willing to take the bus to get to sectionals and make Artie drive by himself with his dad. We're a team, guys. We're in this glee club together."

"Artie doesn't care. His dad drives him everywhere." Mercedes said

"I do care." Artie said drawing everyone's attention "It kind of hurt my feelings."

"We didn't think you would take it personally." Rachel said to him

"Well, you're irritating most of the time, but don't take that personally," Artie said back to her making me laugh a little.

"I don't know if you guys really understand how much harder Artie has to work just to keep up." Mr. Schue said

"Preach," Artie commented

"We're riding to sectionals together. Or we're not going at all. And to pay for the bus, we're having a bake sale." Mr. Schue said to us. Everyone groaned and murmured in disappointment. Mr. Schue walked over to the door and opened it, several people entered the room pushing empty wheelchairs in front of them. "St. Ignatius nursing home was having a tag sale, and my AV club friends here agreed to help out. For the next week, each of you is going to spend three hours a day in a wheelchair." Wait, what? I thought.

"Oh, oh, oh. And we're doing a wheelchair number," he added

♫

         "Hey Carrie," Finn called to me as I stood at my locker, grabbing a cookbook from my bag. "Have you seen Quinn?"

"Yeah, I was just heading to meet her," I say

"Cool," He said, rubbing his hand done the side of his legs

"You can come with me," I say to him, "We just meeting in home ec. to make cake cups for the bake sale" I hold up the cookbook. Finn reached over and grabbed the book.

"she's making the cupcake part, I'm on icing duty," Finn opened the cookbook looking at the first page which had 'Property of E. Pillsbury' written in it.

"Pillsbury, Isn't that the guidance counselor," He asked

"Is it?" I say quickly grabbing the book back "I got it second hand, so maybe" I started to walk down the hallway toward the classroom Quinn and I had agreed to meet in.

"It's nice of you helping make the cupcakes for the bake sale,"

"It's just some icing," I said

"No, it's not," Finn said, I stopped and turned to him, confused "I mean you help the glee club all the time. You're really nice."

"No, I'm not," I say stopping and turned to him,

"I've seen you help everyone in the club, you're helping with a bake sale for Artie, you helped Kurt with football, I even saw you try to help Rachel once."

"it was whatever," I say, starting to walk down the hall again "Plus they helped me once, well not Rachel but- Whatever"

"I can tell you like them, that you like glee club, I guess that's why you joined,"

"I didn't join glee because I wanted to okay," I snapped at him.

"Wow calm down,"

"I'm sorry," I say taking a deep breath "It's just a sore spot for me,"

"It's not the greatest topic for me either," Finn said, grabbing my arm and stopping me from walking "Mr. Schue made me join, or he'd bust for Weed he found in my locker,"

I laughed slightly "You had weed"

"No, I don't know how it got there," he said, letting go of my arm. "don't tell anyone please,"

"I won't," I say, and the two of us continued to walk towards the home ec classroom. After I moment I spoke again "there was a fire," I admitted

"What? where?" Finn asked concerned.

"No, at my old school," I say "That's why I'm here, there was a fire and I- I" tears started to form in my eyes, it was a hard topic for me to talk about.

"Carrie," Finn said seeing my face. "did you-" I nodded, wiping my face.

"It's the past, I'm good," I say. "There's the classroom," I pointed to the classroom just down the hall. The two of us walked closer to the classroom, the sounds of squealing and giggle grow louder the closer we got.

The two of us stepped into the classroom just in time to see Puck caress Quinn's face. They looked like they were about to kiss, and Finn looked pissed "What the hell?" He yelled getting the two's attention on us. They broke apart, Puck sighing and Quinn chuckling.

"We're baking!" Quinn said smiling at us.

"I can see that," Finn said as I crossed my arms

"I'm gonna go change." Puck said walking away from Quinn, and out into the hallway. 

I followed him. "Noah," I say running up to him, grabbing his arm, and turning him to face me "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing," he said turning away from me. 

"That was not nothing, " I say angrily, "And I don't know who I should be more mad at my best friend or my boyfriend"

Puck looking upset, "Oh no I do, Both." I say storming away down the hall.

♫

             I sat in my wheelchair the next glee meeting, my leg crossed over the other, watching Mr. Schue talk to Rachel. I was still mad at both Puck and Quinn. I hadn't talked to either today. "I know this is going to be hard on you, Rachel, but I can't, in good conscience, preach about the importance of helping Artie and then reject Kurt's request out of hand." Mr. Schue was saying to her.

"So, you're giving him my part?" She wined "This is totally unfair. You gave me the part."

"And I will give it to you again. If you can sing the song better than Kurt." He said back to her. Mr. Schue turned back to the rest of us addressing everyone in the room. "Now, all of you are going to judge, and in the spirit of full access, each of you is going to get a vote. Whatever singer has the most votes, gets the part."

Mr. Schue had greeted us that meeting with the news that Kurt was getting to audition for the Wicked Solo. "This isn't going to be about talent, Mr. Schuester. It's going to be a popularity contest." Rachel wined some more.

"Stop right there. Mr. Shue, if I may." Kurt said. Mr. Schue nodded, and Kurt wheeled himself to the front of the room and faced the rest of us. "We all know I'm more popular than Rachel. And I dress better than her. But I want you all to promise me that you're going to vote for whoever sings the song better. Raise your right hand."

Everyone raises their right hand, well everyone but Brittany she raised her left hand, not knowing which is which.

"Your right hand, Brittany," Kurt said

Santana patted her right hand and whispered "It's this one."

"Sorry," Brittany said raising her actual right hand this time.

"Repeat after me. I promise to vote for whoever sings the song better." Kurt said

"I promise to vote for whoever sings the song better," I say along with the rest of the people around the room.

Kurt smiled at Rachel "It's on." He did a twirl in his wheelchair and got back to his position amongst the rest of us, just as the class bell rang and we all left the classroom. Puck tried to grab my attention to get me to talk, but I just ignored him.