A/N: I didn't really realize that this is kinda anti-Tike, so if you're a multi-shipper, I really don't want to step on any toes. I'm not looking for a ship war, just HAPPINESS FOR EVERYONE. That sounds kind of dumb, being it's a tartie fic but just carry on.

She seemed intimidated and rigid when Artie rolled up to her in the hallway. She was pulling another pen-scratched textbook out of her locker with frayed edges and endless graffiti written on the inside. She would never tell, but some of it was hers. Those little hearts and stars and lines and "I love Mike"s. All hers. Not that the English teacher would ever know.

"Tina?" Artie asked her, avoiding looking straight in her eyes as they darted around to look at any other possible thing. Her face.. that face had always been Artie's weakness. The one thing that made him go weak in the knees (ha,ha. Pun) and made him forget anything he was focused on previously. The air was stale, going in and out of his body but not enough to keep him satisfied before the next breath.

"What?" Tina replied, her voice hard enough to break someone if she wanted. The breath was knocked out of Artie again, almost losing the words he wanted to say to her. He dug his nails into the thoughts before they escaped him, pulling them back to him. She turned to him, looking irritated and tired. Tina clutched her book in one hand, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. She stood there for a second, seeing Artie lost for words, "Use your words," She said, agitated, "I'm not a damn mime."

"I-I know," Artie regained the use of his words, "Sorry."

"You held me up to say sorry for holding me up?" Tina bit her cheek, scribbling down a mental note to be nicer to Artie when he really didn't do anything. Tina hated seeing Artie these days. She didn't want to see that stupid dopey grin or those lopsided glasses or those eyes that just screamed forgiveness. It irritated her. It irritated her how he could just forget everything and still be nice to everyone no matter what they did to him. It irritated her that even if she was a complete bitch to him, he would still give her that stupid smile in the hallway every time she passed him. It irritated her to the point where she just ignored it and pretended he wasn't even there.

It irritated her to see what she was missing.

"N-no. I wanted to talk to you," He muttered, "Seriously talk to you." Artie swallowed, trying to gulp down the ball of nerves that was building inside of him. He felt the nerves that were joining together since the day Tina stopped looking at him in the hall, leaving him with nothing. Tina and Artie had always been two peas in a pod since the break-up, and even since then, they had been okay "friends". Well, acquaintances.

Okay, not even that.

People that had an unspoken language of, "Hi"s and "How are you?"s from a quick glance in the hall.

That's more like it.

"Why now?" She asked him, the hard edge still nudging Artie in the gut, "I've got to go to class." Artie swallowed, knowing she didn't mean her school schedule. She meant now, past all of the getting over heartbreak, moving on, forgetting the past and dealing with the fact that they both lost their best friend, no matter how much they denied it. Past all the previous times he could have used to talk to her, before she started ignoring him so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain. Artie knew that she didn't really care about being late to her class. She cared about feeling like it was too late for them.

It might have been.

Artie could feel himself chewing nervously on his lip, barely controlling it. He wasn't consciously trying to make himself look like an idiot, looking up at Tina's annoyed expression, "Tina, look," He muttered, "I know it's been a long time since I've last really talked to you, but I realized something. Even if we aren't together, we can still be friends. We were like, two peas in a pod. I miss being friends with you," Artie blinks up at her, still avoiding her eyes. Tina's face dropped a little, this being the one and only thing she didn't want to happen. She couldn't be friends with him again.

Artie and Tina used to be the best friends that anyone had ever seen. They were practically inseperable, going to each other's houses several times a week, eating tons of food and trying to beat each other in Mario Kart. Artie's parents always joked that they were "soulmates" and they just didn't know it yet. After they broke up the first time, Artie really believed that's what they were.

They might have been.

"Artie," She said, a little softer. Her tone was replaced by the same hardness directly after, "I know what this is. You're trying to get me to fall for that 'Oh, Tina, let's be friends!' crap. I know what you're trying to do. I'm not breaking up with Mike. Sorry," She snaps, the words coming out a little bitchier than she intended. Tina didn't want to hurt him and knew that it was out of character for even her to snap at someone. Tina was the bubbliest girl Artie had ever known, and the sound of her voice right then hit him harder than anything.

"I just want to be friends again," He replied, his voice stinging with defeat, "That's all. I'm not asking you to break up with anyone or change anything. I just want to be friends with you." Tina frowned, still struggling to resist against his apology. He was so disgustingly genuine. Tina's life was fine now. She didn't need someone rolling in and being so damn nice to her and messing it all up again. She just got her life to balance out. She didn't need anyone to tip the scales.

"I'm fine," Tina replied, her tone a little frustrated, "I've got enough people in my life."

"Who? Mike?" Artie retaliated, almost a little bitterly. Tina squinted, scoffing.

"Yeah, Mike," She spits back, turning to walk away from him. Artie's words stopped her in her tracks.

"Why? 'Cause he has nice abs?" Artie said bitterly, almost immediately taking it back. He was basically repeating the reason he (ignorantly) believed they broke up at first. Physique had always been a sore subject for Artie, especially because Tina broke up with him for a dancer. Something Artie always wanted to do. His biggest dream.

Artie knew that it was fair to break up with him. He was a horrible boyfriend toward the end of the summer the year before. Last summer was pretty lonely for Artie, which was probably good. No one to forget about while blowing people's heads off on Xbox.

Tina looked like she had been slapped in the face, gritting her teeth, "You know what, yeah. He does have nice abs. Not to mention that he is an amazing kisser and he's really not lacking in the downstairs area." She said, matter-of-factly. Artie shook his head at her, furrowing his eyebrows.

"This isn't you, Tina."

"I'm me. How isn't this me?"

"Listen to how you're talking to me," Artie said softly, looking up at her, "You have no reason to talk to me like that. I haven't done anything to you."

Tina looked down at him, swallowing. Her lips were pressed into a straight line, completely silent.

"I don't have abs. I can't dance. I am the whitest, dorkiest looking person in the history of the world, and you still dated me. I know for a fact that our relationship was built on more than physical appearance. What do you and Mike even have in common?"

"We-"

"Besides the fact that you're both Asian," Artie cut her off. Tina started to brush it off, shaking her head in annoyance.

"I don't have to play this game with you. I don't need to spill my life to you," She started walking away again, getting a few feet away from Artie.

"You used to want to," He stated, "You used to want to do a lot of things other than make out. Look, I know that Mike is a great guy, but I don't think I ever see the two of you not attached at the lips. I just hope when this thing about constant physical contact wears off and you want more than that, you can find it in him. I hope that when you do spill your life to him, he listens. I hope he can be serious about you, and not just your culture and looks," Artie turned away, mumbling, "If you do need someone to spill your life to, I wouldn't turn you away. Just remember that." He rolled down the hall, going into his designated classroom. Tina stood, frozen, a few steps away from her locker for a few seconds, her lip trembling. She attempted to stop it, cupping her hand over her mouth. She took a gasp in, feeling Mike's hand on her shoulder. He turns to her, looking into her eyes.

"Tina, you okay?" He asks brightly, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Fine," She says, pausing, "I'm fine."