A/N: I really wanna thank all the people who have reviewed my one-shots. 3 You guys are amazing and I love all the feedback I've been getting. For anyone who's curious, Sliding Doors is kind of on permanent hiatus right now. :\ I really need a muse for that one! Also, I'm kind of dedicated to my pretty one-shots right now, LOL.
I am not exactly what you'd call a happy person, but the mere thought of him made me smile.
He's sweet to me and he likes who I am and I like how I feel when I'm with him. And he's in our group; he understands what I'm going through.
I am not one to get crushes, I thought as I walked in a daze through the empty halls of McKinley High. So why were Mercedes' words running on repeat through my head? Sure, her fantasy crash had ended in disaster, but maybe she had a point. We weren't exactly getting bombarded with dates and now that I was in Glee Club, my chances of getting a date for Homecoming were even lower than ever. I don't care about that, I told myself. It's not like I ever wanted to go to dances or hang out or be popular. I sighed and picked up my pace. I just wanted to get this night over with. I was only here because my parents made me attend every PTSA meeting. It'll look good on your college application, they said. Me, be popular? Who was I kidding? I swept around the corner, trying to get my mind off my parents... off of him.
But there he was, sitting in his chair outside the auditorium. Artie had practically dragged me to glee club auditions, convincing me that I really should sing more. I smiled to myself softly. He appreciated music even more than I did. Dakota Stanley was so stupid for not realizing that he was the most passionate out of all of us, besides maybe Rachel. Of course Dakota judged everything based on looks, which Artie would never do. When Rachel had taken executive control of the club in Mr. Schue's absence a few weeks ago, Artie had been right there, leading the musical side of things. He had found a part for all of us, including me. Somehow, he always seemed to see the good in me. Artie was so easy to talk to... and he really seemed to like what he heard. He heard straight past that stupid stutter that I couldn't seem to drop and saw into my soul. He understood what I was going through if only because he could relate. We were both so invisible. I knew that I sort of wanted it that way, but Artie was so nice and so friendly that I couldn't imagine he was very happy with his lot. He could be popular, if things were different. He could give me one smile and the world would light up. I liked how I felt when we were talking alone. It was almost like there was no one else in the room.
An upbeat song started in the auditorium and I crept a little closer to get a better view of the performance. On stage, Mr. Schue, Mr. Ryerson, Mr. Tanaka, Finn and that mean jock Puck were all performing some song that I didn't know. It was kind of catchy and I have to admit I was nodding my head along with the music. I glanced over at Artie, who was slumped over in his chair, motionless. I shrugged and looked back at the stage, just in time to see Puck doing some crazy dance moves. I studied his muscular body, trying hard not to be impressed. He's a jerk, I reminded myself and my gaze fell on the small boy beside me. Artie knows me better than anyone in this school... After the music ended and the cheers died down, I walked up to my friend. "Artie?" I asked softly.
"Oh, hey Tina," He looked up at me and gave me one of his trademark smiles, but I noticed an unusual weariness behind his bright facade. "I didn't notice you there. Were you watching the performance?" He nodded towards to the auditorium. He rolled back a little to make room for the people who were starting to filter out of the auditorium.
"M-M-Mostly just waiting for my parents," I shrugged. Stupid stutter... I knew I would have to tell him eventually. He was the only true ally I had in this prison of a high school. Our bond was growing stronger, I could feel it.
He snorted, the smirk never leaving his face. "Me too. Too many people in the auditorium. It's crazy how Finn and Puck can dance, huh? I'm sure they'll be stars one day." I didn't miss the way he looked down at his useless legs. I wondered if he would like to be able to get up on stage and do something like that, if only to impress his mother.
"Nah. I re-really didn't notice." His piercing blue eyes met mine and suddenly, the world went away. He smiled softly and I saw a spark in his eyes. Nothing really mattered besides what he was, what he did and what he said. Whatever that was, it was enough. He might not be popular like Finn Hudson or strong like Puck, but he was good and he made me feel good. I smiled sincerely back at him. How I longed to tell him how wrong he was; that I didn't care about them. He was the star. I didn't dare. Instead, I just smirked. "Who needs the popular kids, anyway?"
I thought back to Mercedes' words and realized I'd been thinking about Artie ever since. His soft blue eyes told me that maybe, just maybe he was thinking of me too. "Yeah," he agreed softly, daring to push back a wisp of my hair. The touch was magical. His smile softened and his eyes stayed locked on mine. "Who needs them?"
Today, all day I had the feeling a miracle would happen. I know now I was right. For here you are and what was just a world is a star, Tonight. It wasn't until years later that I found out that he'd asked Mr. Schue to give me that solo. Artie wanted to let me know, in the strange round-about way he had, that he felt the same.