Artie's heart did a back-flip when he pulled Quinn's name from the hat and he couldn't quite disguise the stupid smile that had made its way across his face as he read her name out. Mr Schuester had them pairing up to sing ballads that week and as things turned out, Quinn was now his partner for this assignment.
To say that he was happy about it was an understatement. Artie had liked her since he was nine, when she pushed a boy who was making fun of his chair into the lake in the park. Back then, she was Lucy and she didn't really have any friends. Artie couldn't understand how people could treat people that way because of the way they looked. He hated the way that he was treated, but he could understand that his chair made many of his classmates uncomfortable. The way they treated Lucy was inexcusable.
He had never spoken to her before then because he was too shy, and Lucy never spoke to anyone anyway, but after that day they became friends. They became closer over the next few years and Artie realised more and more that his feelings weren't platonic. She was the most perfect girl he knew. He would never admit it now and, in fact, adamantly denied it when it was brought up, but he had gone so far as to tell his mother that Lucy was the 'girl he wanted to marry'.
But when the bullying intensified, she transferred to another school, leaving Artie alone to deal with all the cruel excuses for children. They kept contact for a while, but as Lucy changed into 'Quinn' they spoke less and eventually they stopped speaking altogether.
He remembered seeing her on his first day of McKinley, even though he had no idea it was Lucy. She gave him a small smile and he was amazed that anyone who looked like her would even look at him. It was only a month later that he realised that the beautiful cheerleader was Lucy, but he carried on pretending that he didn't know. After all, she was now at the top of the social hierarchy and he was at the bottom. As strange as it was for him, he didn't want to do anything that would hurt her reputation, especially now that it was so important to her.
Then all the pregnancy stuff happened, and though Artie couldn't quite believe it, he felt horrible for her. He wanted to talk to her and find out if she was okay, but she had a boyfriend now and he was still pretending not to know that she was Lucy. However, she was looking increasingly depressed and Artie felt a growing urgency to talk to her.
Which was why it was so great that she was his ballad partner.
She didn't look completely depressed about it, but Artie could tell that she wasn't completely comfortable. He wasn't sure what to do about that and he had growing feeling of regret in the pit of his stomach. As they made their way to the auditorium he felt his heart hammering. Crap, what was he supposed to do now?
"I know you remember me, Artie," said Quinn, smiling slightly.
"It took me long enough," he said, self-consciously as he wheeled himself onto the stage. Quinn sat herself on the piano stool and pushed a strand of hair awkwardly behind her ear.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Every now and then Artie would suggest a song they could do and Quinn would shrug. Her mind was obviously somewhere else. Confidence faltering, Artie fell silent again. It was just beginning to get awkward when Quinn spoke up.
"Why did you stop calling?" she asked. This took Artie aback. He had been thinking the same thing for a while. He wasn't sure who stopped calling who, only that the conversations before they had stopped speaking to each other, were strained. With the social evolution of Quinn, her interests became different to Artie's and they had almost nothing to speak about. He tried to think of a way to tell her this without it sounding horrible.
"Look, Lu... Quinn," he began, but then stopped. "That's just it. I don't even know what to call you. I know you want to be called Quinn, but to me you're still Lucy."
"I'm not Lucy anymore," said Quinn defiantly. Artie wasn't sure what to say to that, so he stared at his knees. "Artie, you saw how crap life was when I was Lucy. I had to change."
"I went through the same crap, Quinn," said Artie looking up and straight into her eyes, a small anger starting at the pit of his stomach. "I got pushed and shoved. I had mean nicknames. In fact the only person who didn't give me any crap was Lucy."
"You can't honestly tell me that you wouldn't change if you could?" said Quinn.
"No, I can't honestly tell you that. I'd love to have my legs back. But here's the thing, Quinn: it's not going to happen. Ever." Artie's heart was racing. He now wished that he hadn't pulled her name from the hat. "I miss the Lucy I knew."
"Why? She was weird and ugly," Quinn said softly, staring at her hands.
"I was in love with her," said Artie, giving her a sad look and wheeling himself out of the auditorium. He had never felt so awful in his entire life.
"Artie, wait," she said. Artie wheeled himself around and saw Quinn stand up and walk over to him. She knelt down next to him. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes," said Artie. His heart raced when he realised fully what he was admitting to, but his resolve was strengthened. She needed to know that everything she was now was unnecessary. "I loved you."
Before Artie could add to what he had said, he felt Quinn's lips pressed to his. He wasn't sure what to do – this was the first time something like this had ever happened to him. His heart beat furiously against his ribcage and he closed his eyes. When they broke apart, Quinn looked guiltily at him.
"Oh, God, Artie. I'm sorry," she said, her eyes wide.
"Don't apologise," he replied. They sat in silence for a few moments, Artie trying to collect his thoughts. Finally, he found the right words to say. "Look, I know things are going to be crap for you over the next few months and I know that you have a boyfriend, but just in case he forgets to tell you when you feel your worst – just know that I think you're beautiful and that you always have been."
Quinn nodded silently, unsure of what to do or say.
"Maybe we should start on this tomorrow," said Artie. Quinn agreed, gave him a tight hug and made her way out of the auditorium. Just before she opened the door, she turned to Artie and gave him a small, grateful smile, which Artie returned. Heart soaring, he made his way from the auditorium with a huge grin on his face. He knew that as long as Quinn had Finn, nothing could happen between them.
But for one bright moment, he amused himself with the delusion that it could, because truth be told, he still loved Lucy.
A/N: I totally apologize for the lame title, but it's late and I'm suffering from writer's block on my WIP. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. I like the idea of Artie and Quinn being old friends.
Hope you enjoyed :) Feel free to review.