Artie wheeled himself into the choir room & shoved the piano bench out of the way so he could play. He'd kept it together through lunch but fourth period could suck it. He had to let out what was eating him.
His Boo Thang was laid up in the hospital.
He knew Marcy from band but he'd never actually talked to her. He'd vaguely known she was related to Mercedes but never really thought about it. When she joined glee, they'd gotten closer. He knew the dirty bravado that kept a sensitive person from getting hurt. Before his accident, he'd had confidence but a year after he'd had to develop a persona. A new sassy one to keep people from realizing he was in pain. No one wanted to see the cripple cry about his situation.
He'd saw the same in her & they naturally gravitated to one another. She was like all his friends rolled into one & shared many of his interests. It was great. The only flaw was that she could beat him in video games that he'd taught her. She was his only female best friend that he never thought about her being female. It was weird.
His fingers trailed over the keys softly, their tinkling barely breaking through his hurt fog. He remembered a song they'd sang at the last boy's night. A Miranda Cosgrove song. One every boy knew. She'd known they did & sang it when it came on the radio to embarrass them but Artie had matched her lyric for lyric & they'd hammed it up, loving the attention.
I can't sleep
I keep you up all night
Her voice had thrown them for a loop. They couldn't believe she knew the song.
I'm the color on your palette
The sweetness on your tongue
You know how to work
I know how to have fun
But he swept in, completely confident. He wasn't like the other guys, too embarrassed to admit they liked chick songs.
I went away & left the key to my space
You had a big party your friends trashed the place
She never broke character. It was like she knew he'd be the one to sing with her. She made space for him in front of the TV & danced around him.
You always keep me waiting
You're on Boo time
But you know the promoters
You never wait in line
She'd shined when she danced & acted goofy. He was glad to see her so free. Though outrageous, the girl was very reserved. She came alive around them & he was happy to be a part of it. She was his new best friend & he didn't want to lose her.
He took his hands from the keys & cried. When he quieted down, he glanced at the clock. He was extremely late for fourth period. He unlocked his brakes & left the room, his funk rivaling the one from the year before.
High Maintenance - Miranda Cosgrove