AN: Sorry for the ridiculously short chapters and the horrible update schedule. xD I've gotten very sidetracked, but this story will be continued! I'll just have to keep up the pace when nanowrimo starts and I'll have other challenges to work on. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and story adds. :D You guys are glorious.


"Artie?" I could practically feel Brittany's curiosity burning on me as she pushed me down the narrow hall to her room. If there's two things I hate, it's people asking me questions and people pushing me around. Brittany happens to be especially awful on both counts and I felt my chest tighten a little anxiously. I tried to calm down a little. Patience. It was one of the things I'd actually learned from Miss P in our weekly were mostly a waste of time, but Miss P can be kind of cool about some things. She lets me talk and she really seems to understand what I'm saying. She can be a bit eccentric, but who am I kidding? Isn't everyone?

I sighed, and finally turned around a bit towards Brit. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see if you were still there," she smiled. "Since I can't see your face or anything."

Seriously? Why did I ever agree to this? But I had to stop myself and smile. Brittany was pretty hot and besides, she guaranteed things that Tina never could give me. Like being popular and not caring if I played Halo all day.

Brittany pushed me roughly into her room, parking me right by her door. "So let's practice," Brit turned towards me with a smile.

"About that..." I started nervously, looking around her room. It was OK for a girls room. There were a lot of pictures of her as a kid, but really pretty plain. I liked how neat it was. Finally, my eyes fell on Brittany's. "I can't do the duet with you."

"What?" She looked upset. "First Santana, now you. Who am I gonna sing with? Everybody else is taken."

"What about Mike? You guys can do some cool dance routine," I smiled, because thinking about it, Tina and I probably had no chance of winning. Even if we did have the best voices, that never really made up for a great dance performance. Maybe I should just do it with Brit. I mean I was already here right?

"Whatever," she mumbled, looking away. She looked so sad and I really felt bad for her. I tried to think of some excuse, some way I could maybe make this work with both girls.

Finally, I mumbled something incoherently.

"So do you wanna make out?" Brit asked out off the blue. She seemed to have totally forgotten that id just let her down.

"OK," I smiled without thinking. After all, who was I kidding? Mike and Tina were probably getting it on as I sat there.

Brit smiled and picked me up unexpectedly. I looked up at her as she carried me across the room. "what are you doing?"

She just smiled and put me down on the bed. She crawled over me and started kissing me softly. It was different than tina, more experienced.

Freeze frame.

What was I doing? My heart longed for somebody else, but my body was ready to go all the way with Brittany. Be smart Artie. Sex is special. I'd been lectured about that since I could remember, but it ready hit home once my parents realized what affect the accident could have. They thought that I might not be able to, that no one would want to... well, here I was. Brittany seemed totally ready to go all the way. Tina always said she wanted to wait. Wait for what, exactly? We're only young once, so get down, I say!

Not that I wanted to do it on random street corners with people I don't know, but Brittany? Why not? I knew her, I saw her every day and we were going out. It would be fine. But on the other hand, I knew she had a reputation. It kind of annoyed me when she said she'd made out with everybody and than even made out with Kurt, but still managed to ignore me. I hate when people do that! People seem to notice everybody, but somehow forget about little old me. Even Tina, who hates attention, gets noticed just for the way she dresses. When she almost got expelled, we were the most talked about couple in school and that had been nice, but it'd only lasted like a day until a cheerleader got caught pole dancing.

I was ready for some attention. To finally get what I'd wanted for so long. I didn't care anymore if it wouldn't be special or with somebody I really cared about. My body craved that release.

I was ready.

And afterward, I was disappointed.


"What the hell are you doing?" Finn came storming up to me the next morning, even before I'd gotten to my locker.

"What are you talking about?" I craned my neck looked up at him. It was kind of annoying how tall he was, but he was cool. He helped me get on the football team even though he was having his own problems. Also, he was a good person, almost to a fault. Sure, he had a temper sometimes, but he'd put up with a lot of shit last year. I probably also would run out of patience. I just felt like he was always nice to me and I can't say that about a lot of people. Well, there are people who are nice to me if only because they feel bad for me. I feel like even Tina gets like that sometimes. She'll get in these altruistic moods where she's willing to do something nice for anybody and than she'll turn around and get mad at the stupidest things. I can't take it!

I finally realized Finn was staring at me. He'd probably said something and I'd been completely spaced out. That's how he was different too. He had a lot of patience. I don't know how he ever put up with Rachel. Oh well, at least it wasn't me. I don't think I'd last two seconds with that girl. "What?" I finally asked, if only to stop him looking at me. Why do people insist on staring whenever I go somewhere, do I have two heads or something?

"I said, I heard what you did with Brittany. Dude, she's telling the whole school."

"What the hell?" I made to push past Finn, but he's pretty big. He easily stopped me.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Duh, to stop her. I don't need this all over the school. What if Tina finds out? She'll kill me. Even if we're not going out right now..."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Finn sighed. I looked up at him curiously. "I had sex with Santana. Luckily, she didn't tell anybody, but I finally thought it'd be a good idea to tell Rachel myself. Rachel freaked out, but I told her I regretted it and she seemed to understand. Maybe you ought to tell Tina after all."

I just rolled my eyes. "Finn, that's exactly where I was going. I really don't want Brittany telling Tina. I'd be a dead man. As if she doesn't hate me enough. She'd never do the duet with me."

"Wait, you're singing with her?"

"Yeah," I said sadly.

"Dude, you're already dead. Good luck with that." Finn just shook his head. I sighed and set off to find Brittany and figure out what exactly she was trying to do to me.