A/N: This one goes out to my guest reviewer! Ask and you shall receive ;-) I had been toying with the idea of a third narrator all along.
Kitty
It was kind of heartbreaking how they didn't need the bus with the lift for Artie's chair anymore.
She was told that, back during his freshman year, that it had somehow been an issue for the school to get them an accessible bus. In fact, the school actually went as far as to require the glee club to raise money for it themselves, putting Artie in an awkward position with his teammates. It sounded like a lawsuit to Kitty.
Spencer, of course, could hobble onto the bus, which had Artie's old red wheelchair folded up in the very back for him to use once he was onstage. As Kitty watched Spencer hop on one foot down the aisle to his seat, she thought back to some of her first experiences with Artie, unsure of why she was thinking about him so much. Maybe because she'd be seeing him in a couple of hours.
She'd been halfway through sophomore year when she realized she was watching the nerdy guy in the wheelchair more than Jake Puckerman, whom she was supposedly into. What was that? Mere curiosity? Something more? She couldn't decide, but she knew she liked his spirit. He was always filming the most mundane things, but then he'd show it to her later, and she'd realize what he was doing and crack up. Once, he'd filmed a whole day of going down the hallway, just to show everyone his vantage point from the chair. It was a whole lot of ass in the face. No wonder the guy had issues.
And today, she missed having him on the bus, on the way to competition. If the past several weekends of having him come and help Spencer had shown her anything, it was that there was a huge part of her missing. The part of her that had come alive, when she was with him, was just gone.
"This seat taken?" Ryder's voice interrupted her thoughts. They'd been so casual about dating, that it had been entirely too easy to break up and go back to being friendly. Even now, nothing about him taking the seat by her, in front of Jake and Marley and behind Unique, was odd or uncomfortable. If they'd ever truly been involved, then it should have been.
"All yours," she said, as he slid in beside her.
Spencer had taken the seat across the aisle from them, next to Alistair and behind Rory and Harmony, who always paired together as the newest members of the club.
"When we get there, you think Artie could come backstage and go through the moves with me one more time?" Spencer asked, still looking apprehensive, even though Artie had effectively whipped him into shape over the past few weeks.
"Sure," Kitty said, and she felt unexpectedly nervous, because she was pretty sure Artie had mentioned that his new girlfriend was going to come watch the show. She hoped he wouldn't bring her backstage before competition.
It wasn't supposed to bother her, but it did.
Kitty was quiet on the ride from Lima to Columbus, so much so that, when they arrived and began piling off of the nasty bus at last, Marley tugged at her elbow and pulled her aside.
"You're quiet," she observed, as only Marley, who had the meek and quiet act pretty solidly in her wheelhouse, could do. Kitty supposed she wasn't allowed to be anything but boisterous and bossy, or else it raised suspicion.
Kitty sighed. Marley was someone she knew to be trustworthy. She was quiet and meek enough not to go blabbing a big secret of Kitty's, even if Kitty had tried to ruin her life on more than one occasion during sophomore year.
"Just... anxious about seeing Artie," she said, with an embarrassed shrug. "If you hadn't already guessed..."
Marley bit her lip. "Jake said Ryder could tell you still have feelings for him, Kitty. And that's why the two of you broke up."
Kitty glanced over her shoulder, to make sure neither Ryder nor Jake were hovering there, hearing any of this. "I didn't realize my relationship with Ryder was such a hot topic."
Marley had the decency to look ashamed of her gossip, though technically if she was just the one hearing the gossip, she wasn't guilty. Because of course Marley Rose, Miss Perfect, could never. Kitty realized that Marley was completely type cast when Artie picked her for Sandy in Grease. (No, she wasn't still jealous...)
Their conversation was cut short as Mr. Schue did a quick head count, which seemed unnecessary as they'd all just piled off of a bus. He then directed them towards the performing arts center. Waiting for their group in front of the doors were Sam, Amy, and Artie.
Amy had finally ditched her baggy shirt for something more fitted, and Kitty noticed that even though she didn't exactly look all that pregnant yet, the wrap dress she was wearing emphasized her boobs in a way that made it sort of noticeable that something had changed. Sam was holding her hand, and beside them, Artie continued to be the most tolerant roommate-slash-brother there had ever been.
"Artie, how do you do it?" Spencer, who was already out of breath from wheeling himself from the bus to the theater, approached him in Artie's old chair.
Artie just laughed. "Just let someone push you next time," he suggested. "Save your energy for dancing."
He looked up, from addressing the guy at his eye level, and found Kitty first. Their eyes met. Her stomach dropped but her heart soared. In that small but important moment, she could tell that he still cared about her. She just didn't know what they were going to do about it.
Spencer wasted no time confessing that he was a hot mess of nerves about dancing, and Artie quickly agreed to give him a refresher course.
As they headed backstage, Kitty found herself walking next to Amy. She surveyed her up and down, which the other girl immediately noticed.
"Cute dress. Is it new?" Kitty asked, with a smirk.
"Uh, yeah, thanks," Amy said, as she quickly crossed her arms in front of her. Kitty knew she'd not yet made a big announcement to the rest of the club, but if she was going to wear her new dress that she'd obviously gotten from one of those little maternity boutiques, it was time she say something.
Backstage was already a mad house, but Artie and Spencer managed to find some space to practice, as Mason and Madison, the ones picked to be next to him during all the routines, helped out. Kitty did what she'd done during their practices, sitting off to the side and barking out instructions. As Cheerios captain, she couldn't pull back. She loved to lead.
"The New Directions are going first again," Mr. Schue called out, as he came backstage with the results of the draw. "Up after us is Aural Intensity and last is Vocal Adrenaline."
Easily the most forgettable spot in the line up. Kitty hid her disappointment as they did a quick show circle before Joe and Harmony left to take their places where they'd be entering from the audience. Artie, Sam, and Amy had to leave to join the audience, too. Before he went with them, Artie approached Kitty. Without waiting another minute, she leaned down to hug his neck.
"I can't wait to see the new Unholy Trinity do their thing," he said, making a friendly comment about the show and keeping it about the show, the group, when what Kitty really wanted to say was...
"I love you," she blurted, as he drew back, wide-eyed. "Love... your... support." Kitty didn't even have to look to know that Marley was staring at her, probably others too, as backstage was noisy but not at all private.
Artie made that cute twisted face he always did. God, she loved his style now. He was wearing a dark maroon button-down shirt, with the top two buttons loose, fitted black pants, and those shoes she'd picked for him to wear to prom, the black ones with white soles that still looked brand new.
"B-break a leg," he stammered, before pivoting in his chair and heading off to join Amy and Sam as the New Directions took their places.
But Kitty felt like an idiot when, a few minutes before the show started, she'd spied Artie in the audience, with the cute brunette who had rightfully come in and stolen his unattached heart. Kitty sighed and returned to stretching against the wall.
Right after Joe and Harmony's duet — the one intended to help Harmony get into NYADA — she, Marley, and Madison would be featured. They were going to do the same mash-up they'd done for their competition, when Amy had paired them with the alumni for mentors. Kitty had to get Artie out of her head and focus on her performance.
"Hey." She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see that it belonged to Marley. "You okay?"
"Not really," Kitty confessed, but there was no more time for discussion. Harmony and Joe's song started, as she and the other girls took their places on stage for the number to follow.
"'Pompeii' was my favorite," Artie was saying. "Although it was all still too vanilla, you forgot to feature your best singer again." Artie gave a nod to Unique, at the other end of the long table.
They were all eating out to celebrate, at an all-day breakfast place near campus called The Original Pancake House.
"At least there's still Nationals for me to look forward to," Unique exclaimed, looking grateful to Artie for the acknowledgement.
"This is a big year, guys," Mr. Schuester agreed. "Not only are we going to Nationals again, but don't forget, our middle school team will be going, too, for the first time ever. This year, it's two straight days of competition, back to back, and we'll be in the Windy City again — Chicago!"
"Which means you don't have to fly," Kitty overheard Sam saying this to Amy. Kitty was busy trying to look at anyone but Artie, as he presently had his arm around Julie, who had tagged along to the celebratory dinner.
"We can't wait," Amy said, glancing at Sam before she added the next part, rising from her seat. Kitty knew what she was going to do before she did it. With everyone gathered, it was a good time to put the rumors to rest. "Although I may need all of you to help me wrangle middle schoolers. I'll be about six months along by then."
"I knew it," Marley shrieked.
All eyes that weren't already on Sam and Amy spied Artie, who did a considerably good job at keeping his face neutral through all this.
Kitty glanced at Emma Schuester, though, and felt her heart breaking for the woman. She and Will had been trying in vain to have a baby. From the look on her face, they'd yet to succeed.
The topic at the table shifted from Nationals to Sam and Amy's baby. Predictably, someone wanted to know if they were getting married. Amy dodged that question and this time it was Sam who did a good job of hiding any emotion he felt about that. Artie, however, was starting to look annoyed.
After dinner, his date was in the bathroom, so Kitty took advantage of her momentary absence to ask him something.
"Got any plans for spring break?" she asked him, as they gathered in front of the restaurant, everyone talking before the New Directions had to get back on the bus.
With the most apologetic look on his face, he said, "Um, actually, Julie's gonna show me around Tucson," he said. "I'm flying out with her for a few days, but then I'll be back in Lima on Thursday..."
Artie's apologetic tone wasn't necessary. She couldn't say that she hadn't done the exact same thing. On their last break, at Christmas, she'd been gone the entire time on a ski trip with her dad, her brothers, Ryder, and Tina.
Not that they hadn't had a great time. Ryder was a snow boarder, like Collin and Logan, so they often went on their own runs that were better for boards. And Kitty watched Hunter teach Tina to ski, even though she was pretty hopeless. Once Kitty started helping, though, they at least got Tina good enough to stop falling every time she got off the lift. But, weirdly, Kitty didn't spend as much of the trip with Ryder as one would expect, considering they'd been dating at the time.
"Oh, Tucson, huh?" Kitty maintained an entirely unconcerned facade that he probably saw straight through. "I bet the weather is nice."
"Like summertime already," Artie agreed, also unconvincingly casual about explaining his plans with his new girlfriend to his former girlfriend.
Julie emerged from the restroom just then and rested a hand on Artie's shoulder, as she overheard the tail end of the conversation. Kitty caught her drift, the possessive vibes she was giving off, after knowing Artie for all of, what, five months?
"I told him he really needs to visit in winter," she said, smiling as though nothing were even the slightest bit uncomfortable for her. "Then he could get away from the snow he hates."
"Definitely," Kitty remarked, any other words completely caught in her throat, forming a lump there.
Saved by Schue. He announced that it was time to get on the bus, and in one swift motion, Kitty leaned down to hug Artie good-bye. She was the first one on the bus, which afforded her a seat in the very back. The others filled the middle of the bus, forward, as no one else really noticed she'd gone to hide in the back.
No one, that was, except for Marley.
Marley sat in the seat across from Kitty as she curled herself into a ball, squeezed up against the window, knees tucked against chest and face buried in them. Quite unexpectedly, her shoulders rose and fell rapidly, as she dissolved into silent but heavy sobs.
Marley moved over to Kitty's seat so that she could talk quietly to her. "Hey," she said, brushing Kitty's hair out of her face. "It's okay. It's normal to feel the way you're feeling. It just shows the depth of your feelings for him..."
"Not that it even matters now," Kitty said, sniffling and wiping furiously at her eyes. "That girl..." she could barely get it out. "... is so much nicer than I could ever stand to be."
Marley patted her back. "Kitty, Artie didn't like you because you were nice," she said. "He liked that you were real. You are real. You tell it like it is. I know that's what he saw that drew him to you."
"It doesn't even matter now," Kitty said again, burying her face in her knees again as Marley stroked her hair. "It's over."