Chapter 38: Drive My Car

SEBASTIAN

By mid-April, Sebastian's senioritis was in full swing.

His grades were good, baseball season was keeping him busy, and with Nationals quickly approaching, it was almost all he could think about.

Well, that, and his birthday.

"Don't you have anything you'd like to say to me?" Sebastian asked Ella as he slid into the seat next to her at the kitchen table on the morning of April 17th.

"Pass the OJ?" She guessed, taking a bite of her bagel and raising one eyebrow.

Sebastian picked up the orange juice she'd requested but raised an eyebrow before handing it to her. Ella stared back at him blankly with a shrug. Either she really had forgotten, or she was a better actress than she got credit for.

"She's messing with you," Artie said, wheeling into the kitchen with a wrapped gift box on his lap. "She knows what today is. Partly because you haven't shut up about it. Happy birthday, dude."

"Thanks," Sebastian grinned as Artie handed him the gift, relieved that his special day hadn't been forgotten. It was then that he noticed the smug look on Ella's face, earning her a playful shove before she was handed the bottle of juice.

Sebastian loved birthdays: the extra attention was always welcomed and he was looking forward to basking in it all day. And with Artie having just turned nineteen a little over a month ago, Sebastian was more desperate than ever to finally become an adult and lessen the age gap between the two of them. He'd been making quite a spectacle of counting down to his special day for weeks now, so he had been hard-pressed to believe that Ella had forgotten.

"Open it," Artie instructed him, gesturing to the present before retrieving his own breakfast from the refrigerator.

Sebastian didn't have to be told twice, and after tearing open the wrapping paper, he was somewhat disappointed to find that it was only a pair of Ohio State socks and a bumper sticker that Artie had definitely picked up at the university's bookstore prior to his premature exit of their Spring Break trip.

Sebastian must've had a hard time hiding his disappointment at the underwhelming gift because Artie let out a laugh.

"Just kidding. That was just a gag gift, to get you back for the rock salt you gifted me for Christmas. I wanted to see your reaction," Artie smirked, clearly pleased with himself. "Seriously, though, don't do anything too stupid from now on, because now you'll definitely be tried as an adult in a court of law. That includes tainting slushies."

Sebastian stuck his tongue out at Artie. Nobody was ever going to let that go, were they? That was a long time ago, he'd changed his ways, and, most importantly, he and Blaine were good friends now. Slushies- especially ones laced with rock salt- were a part of Sebastian's past that he wasn't particularly proud of.

"You'll get your real present tonight at your party," Artie assured him.

Artie's birthday celebrations this year had been less-than-thrilling, having had to spend it on the couch resting after some minor elbow and hip injuries that resulted from when Tina had accidentally shoved him out of his chair. Regardless of the circumstances, Sebastian had tried to make it fun by inviting the Glee Club boys over for some pizza and video games. Artie intended on returning the favor by throwing Sebastian his own little birthday party tonight and inviting the guys from Glee over for a celebration. Tina and Kitty were invited too since they were always around and honorarily considered "some of the guys" at this point.

"Leave some cake for me, okay?" Ella asked, knowing that if she didn't say anything, the rowdy New Directions members would probably eat it all before she got a piece. "I'm going over Sophie's after school and won't be home until later."

Both of her brothers perked up at the mention of Sophie's name, remembering that this was the girl that Ella had said that she'd been kind of crushing on.

Ella rolled her eyes. "It's not like that," she insisted. "We have a math test tomorrow and we're studying together. That's all."

"Whatever you say…" Sebastian was not convinced. "When I was at Dalton, everything always started out with a 'study date'." He used air quotes to make his point.

"Truth," Artie chimed in. "The first time Brittany and I hooked up was when I went over to practice a duet for Glee Club. One minute I was trying to teach her how to do runs like Tina can do, and the next she had me laid out on her bed."

Ella shuddered in disgust at her brother's oversharing and the topic of his lost virginity. "Do you mind? I just finished my breakfast."

Sebastian laughed as he fist-bumped Artie, who looked very satisfied with his ability to make his sister uncomfortable.

"Hey, we should probably get going," Artie warned with a glance at his wristwatch. "I'm not so sure that the attention you want today is the kind that's brought on from being late to first period."

…

"Hey, Seb, Spencer! Wait up!"

Sebastian and Spencer had been on their way to the choir room when they heard someone call their names. Pausing in the hallway, the boys spun around to see Artie pushing double time on his wheels to catch up to them.

"Slow down, dude, we see you coming," Sebastian laughed as Artie coasted to a stop alongside them, grinning broadly.

"How's your day been so far?" The older boy asked, choosing to ignore the comment directed at him. "Have you achieved your desired amount of birthday well-wishes yet?"

Spencer wasn't able to suppress a giggle at that question, and even Sebastian looked amused as he shrugged. "Tina tried to get us out of presenting our biology project by telling Ms. Cordero that it's my birthday… That didn't work. So, you know. Same old, same old."

"That… sounds like Tina," Artie couldn't help but nod in confirmation.

As the boys approached the doorway to the choir room, they were met with a super tall figure that they all immediately recognized.

"Finn!" Artie exclaimed, happy to see that the alumnus was back at McKinley.

"Hey guys!" Finn greeted the three boys, distributing a hug to each of them as they entered the classroom.

Sebastian didn't know the older guy as well as Artie did, of course, but that didn't matter to Finn. He always treated everyone like they were one of his best friends, and that's what made him so likable and such a great leader. After having worked under his direction during their production of Grease, Sebastian considered him a friend.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, surprised by his presence. The alumni were always coming back for random Glee rehearsals every now and then. He wondered if he would be one of the ones to come back and visit once he went off to college next year.

"I invited him," Mr. Schuester announced as he gestured for everybody to take their seats. "As you all know, we will be off to Nationals in just a few short weeks. Finn played an instrumental part in our team's success this season, so I felt that it was only right that he be included in the decision-making process as we determine which songs we will be performing at Nationals."

"Hey, Mr. Schue, didn't you say that we were going to decide on our setlist earlier this year, and not at the last minute?" Tina crossed her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, hey, it could be worse!" Sam pointed out. "Last year we didn't come up with a setlist until the week of. And it had to be 'thirty-three percent vintage'."

"What did that even mean?" Sebastian wondered out loud, shaking his head. He'd been in the audience in Chicago, cheering on Artie and his team, since they'd knocked The Warblers out of the running back at Regionals.

"Well, I, for one, am excited to begin on our setlist. I already have some ideas!" Blaine said, standing up and making his way to the front to stand next to Mr. Schue and Finn. "I'm thinking that the music needs to be really simple, so we can really highlight our voices. No guitars, or anything electronic. We go with a simple piano arrangement. Which I could play…"

"I'm assuming you're singing lead?" Kitty asked, clearly not approving of this idea already.

"Well, I am a senior, and this is my last go at it. We need to win this," Blaine reminded her.

"Well, it feels like North Korea up in here," Tina argued.

"Okay, forget the piano. Forget all the music. We could just do a capella. That always works."

"Déjà Warblers," Artie countered. "Should we wear matching blazers too?"

"Hold up, let's take it back…" Sam held up his hands. "What was wrong with guitars?"

"Nothing, why can't you guys just stop resisting me for a second and just go with me?"

"Okay, Blaine Jong-Il!" Tina sneered.

"Yes! Blaine Jong-Il!" Sebastian agreed with her comparison.

"I'm not trying to be bossy," Blaine insisted as things began to get heated amongst the group. "I am trying to give the benefit of my experience. I have won more show choir competitions than anyone in this room."

"You suck," Ryder said, coughing to cover up his insult.

"A cappella is worth a shot," Jake agreed. "Remember when we sang 'The Longest Time'? We sounded pretty good. It's worth a shot."

"Let's do it. Then you two can have your little barbershop couplet while the rest of us discuss something good," Artie said with an eye roll.

"Fine," Blaine crossed his arms and returned to his seat, defeated. "If you don't want my help, then I'm not gonna give it."

"Looks like somebody's man-struating," Kitty commented under her breath, earning her a scowl from Blaine and a giggle from those around her.

"Thank you for your help, Blaine, but I've actually decided to give full reign of the setlist to Finn," Mr. Schue announced.

"What?" Finn looked equally as shocked by this news as the New Directions were. "But Mr. Schue, I-"

"No excuses necessary," Mr. Schue shook his head. "You did a great job leading the team this season, and I believe in your ability to choose some amazing songs for them to win with."

Sebastian and Artie exchanged a nervous glance. Finn was known for many things (thinking that a girl could get pregnant via hot tub and praying to the face of Jesus burned into his grilled cheese sandwich, to name a few), but his music taste was not one of them. This situation really could go either way.

"Well…" Finn began, not sure what exactly to do with all of the power he now held. "I guess we could just go with my three favorite songs of all time?" He phrased his statement like a question, showing just how out of his element he was.

"Which are…?" Spencer motioned for him to continue.

"'More Than a Feeling' by Boston, 'America' by Neil Diamond, and 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' by U2?"

The New Directions were silent as they considered this proposal. They weren't necessarily bad songs, just a rather random assortment.

"Any objections?" Mr. Schue asked. When there weren't any, he clapped his hands together. "Well, there it is, folks. Our setlist for 2013 Nationals!"

…

ARTIE

When rehearsal let out for the day, the New Directions piled into one another's cars to head back to the Abrams-Smythe household to celebrate Sebastian.

"Oh, come on, Artie!" Kitty pleaded as she followed him down the ramp in front of the school and over to where his car was parked in the closest accessible spot. "I have my learner's permit, and I take my license test in a few weeks. Technically, since you're over eighteen, you can legally ride with me. You never let me drive you anywhere!"

"That's because I've already been the passenger in a horrific car wreck, remember?" Artie reminded her. His tone was serious, but he knew that Kitty was aware that he was only playing with her. "And that's not a recovery I'd want to have to live through again."

"You know I'm not that bad," Kitty countered as they approached his car.

This time Sebastian- who, along with Spencer, would be riding in the backseat- was the one who vetoed her idea.

"I'd like to live to see nineteen if that's at all possible."

Kitty rolled her eyes at the boys' lack of faith in her driving abilities. She knew that there was only one tactic left to try, and, lucky for her, this one had a near-perfect success rate.

She stuck out her bottom lip and widened her eyes, casting the puppy-dog look in Artie's direction. As expected, he couldn't resist it. The boy let out a defeated sigh as he opened the driver's side door, locking his wheels in place before leaning over to remove the hand controls that his car was equipped with from the pedals.

Kitty jumped up and down, clapping her hands in excitement as Sebastian shook his head in disbelief.

"She has you wrapped around her finger, dude," he said as Artie transferred into the passenger seat. Sebastian then dismantled his chair and set its pieces in the trunk.

"Okay, so you're going to want to go easy on the gas as you back out of here," Artie advised Kitty, immediately regretting his decision to allow her to drive across town with three lives in her hands. "Kids fly through this parking lot. Be careful."

"You sound like my father," the girl commented, pulling out of the parking lot effortlessly and onto the main road.

Artie gripped the handle attached to the roof of the car until his knuckles were white as he continued to backseat-drive.

"Feel free to slow down," Artie said. "It's not a race. We'll make it to the house in perfect time. There's no need to speed."

"Artie, I'm going twenty-five," Kitty pointed at the speedometer on the dashboard. "That's, like, five miles under the speed limit."

"All I'm saying is that there's no shame in taking it slow," Artie reminded her, earning him a groan from the three others in the car.

"Hey Art, relax, would you?" Sebastian leaned his face between the driver and passenger seats. He knew that, if anything, Artie's anxiety was just going to make their chauffeur second-guess herself. "You're gonna stress her out. Kitty, you're doing great. Keep it up."

"Thanks, Seb," Kitty smiled at him in the rearview mirror, pleased that his original opposition to her driving them had apparently shifted and that somebody had some confidence in her.

"Look out!" Artie cried, a little louder and more dramatic than necessary, before shutting his eyes tightly and bracing for impact as a squirrel darted out onto the road a few yards in front of them.

Kitty returned her attention to the road and slammed her foot down on the brakes. The car came to a sudden stop and all four of them lurched forward in their seats, restrained by their seatbelts, as the squirrel glanced up at them before scampering off.

Artie and Kitty looked over at one another and let out audible sighs of relief, in sync. A minute later, Kitty stepped on the gas again, choosing to go ahead and take Artie's advice by keeping it slow for the rest of the drive.

"Good recovery," Artie noted as she cautiously pulled into his driveway a few moments later and turned off the car's ignition. "I'd say you need a little bit more practice, but you've earned yourself a B plus from me."

"I'll take it." Kitty leaned over the center console to plant a quick kiss on Artie's lips as Sebastian and Spencer climbed out of the back seat to retrieve and assemble his chair for him. In the end, she was relieved to have received a passing grade from her passenger-slash-boyfriend, who was a notoriously harsh critic.

By the time Artie's chair was ready for him and he had moved into it, the cars of the other guests had pulled up to the house and were beginning to unload as well.

"Whoa, Artie, did you let Kitty drive you all here?" Blaine asked, watching Kitty hand Artie his keys before following Sebastian and Artie up the ramp leading to their front door.

"Yup," Artie answered, unlocking the front door before wheeling through the doorway as the others trailed behind them. "She was great and got all four of us here safely. Spared the life of a squirrel on Main Street, too."

Artie shared a knowing smirk with his girlfriend after including that last part. He knew that his incessant nitpicking of her driving was unnecessary. He couldn't help it, the lack of control that came with being a new driver's passenger was super anxiety-inducing for him, and with good reason. He now realized, of course, that he hadn't had anything to be afraid of. The least he could do is talk up her skills to the others.

"Hi everyone!" Nancy Abrams, ever the hostess, greeted the crowd as they assembled in the kitchen. "Pizza will be here in an hour or so. There are sodas in the fridge if you all want to help yourselves."

The boys (and two girls) didn't have to be told twice, and soon, they were all enjoying their own cans of Coke, Sprite, and root beer.

"Hey, it's still pretty warm out," Spencer observed. "Wanna go play some ball to pass the time?"

Since it was the middle of April now, it was staying brighter for much longer during the day, and the daily temperatures sat comfortably in the mid-sixties. It was the perfect conditions for a game of baseball, even Artie could admit that.

But as the others agreed to Spencer's plan and they began to file back out to the front yard, Artie felt that all-too-familiar sinking feeling in his stomach. He hated having to sit out of activities like this when he was positive that the seven other guys would definitely be participating. He was willing to bet that even Tina would attempt to play, just to get a laugh out of the others. Of course, Kitty would stay by his side, but even more than sitting out himself, he hated being the reason that other people missed out, too. Sometimes watching his friends or siblings do something without him felt like they were inside a fishbowl, and he was just on the outside looking in.

The discouraged look he was wearing must have read like a book because it didn't go unnoticed by his closest friends.

"You're playing, right?" Sam asked, placing a hand on Artie's shoulder with a hopeful expression on his face.

Sam may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but he was nothing if not intuitive, and he could tell that Artie had his reservations about taking part. Sam understood other people's emotions without them needing to say anything, which was normally a good thing… unless you were hoping to be inconspicuous.

"I think I'll sit out and act as the team's coach," Artie said, absentmindedly placing his hands on his knees. "Seb could use the pointers from an old pro, like me."

He hoped that by attempting to cover up his hesitation to play with humor, it would go unnoticed by the others. However, he should have known that that strategy wouldn't work on Sebastian.

"No way. It's my birthday, therefore I make the rules, and one of those rules is that you're not allowed to sit out," Sebastian shook his head, seeing right through Artie's ploy. "Plus, you're the only one who can play third base. If you're riding the bench, then that means that Joe will have to do it," Sebastian briefly turned to Teen Jesus, on his left. "… and no offense, Joe, but you'd probably suck at it."

Joe didn't look offended by Sebastian's comment, and instead, nodded in agreement. All of the boys were now looking to Artie for his answer, and he couldn't keep a small smile from appearing on his face. It was nice to feel wanted and included. It was hard for him to refuse, now that Sebastian had not-so-subtly pointed out that this was his birthday request.

"Fine, I'll play," Artie gave in. "But I'm gonna need some sort of designated hitter to go to bat and run the bases for me."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy. "You can hit the ball, can't you?"

"Well, yeah," Artie answered. His batting skills were mediocre these days, but they were still somewhat intact. "But the wheels and the grass don't mix. I can't go nearly fast enough to avoid getting tagged out before I get to first."

"What about that wheelchair that you used when you played football?" Sam pushed the topic further. "The green one with the slanted wheels? Do you still have it? You can go to bat on your own, then one of us will get behind you and push you to the bases. Like a medieval battering ram, remember?"

Artie considered the idea. It wasn't such a terrible suggestion. Back in his days as a McKinley Titan, the centrifugal force of Finn pushing him down the football field had been too much to stop the opposing team. Maybe Sam was right and they could bring some of that energy to the baseball diamond as well. And since Sam was the one offering, Artie didn't feel like he was inconveniencing anybody by needing them to bend the rules of the game to accommodate him.

"Alright," Artie agreed. "I'm gonna go get the other chair. I think it's in the garage."

"I'll come," Kitty offered, and Artie grinned up at her.

Sure enough, the chair was right where Artie expected it to be, in the empty bay of their three-car garage covered by a protective tarp.

"This thing was, like, two grand. And insurance didn't pay for any of it. Can you believe that?" Artie asked as he swiftly transferred from one chair to the other. "My parents heard that I wanted to play football and they didn't try to discourage me or tell me that it was impossible. Beiste did at first. Finn had his reservations, too. But never my parents. At least, never to my face. They just made sure that I had whatever equipment necessary to make that dream possible. However short-lived a dream it was."

Artie laughed as he rocked back and forth in the seat, getting a feel for the way it moved again, as it had been a while since he'd used it.

"Well, now I'll be able to finally see you in action, my superstar athlete boyfriend," Kitty replied, bending over to place her hands on Artie's knees and a kiss on his lips.

…

After declaring this his "best birthday ever", Sebastian had headed off to Scandals, the local gay bar, with Spencer, Blaine, and their fake IDs. They'd extended an invite to Artie as well, as Sebastian still felt that there was a chance he was bi-curious, but of course, he had declined. Instead, Artie opted to spearhead the post-party clean-up duties, assisted by Kitty.

He couldn't erase the very noticeable grin from his face as he made his way around the living room, tossing empty soda cans into the trash bag that dangled from one of the handles on his chair.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Kitty asked in a chipmunk-like voice after stabbing a hole in one of the balloons and sucking the helium out of it.

That earned her a contagious belly-laugh from Artie, which made her laugh too- still in that high-pitched voice- and made him laugh even harder.

He was still on cloud nine, after participating in the impromptu ball game in the front yard. Once the guys and Tina had figured out ways to modify it for him, he'd had a great time. He didn't realize just how much he missed the adrenaline rush that came along with playing on a sports team, even if it was just a lighthearted game of baseball with his friends. In the end, he was grateful that Sebastian was never willing to let him sit out of anything that he knew Artie could participate in.

"I'm just thinking about today," Artie answered, once he caught his breath from laughing so hard. "You know, seeing Finn, getting our setlist for Nationals, hanging out here with everyone. It was fun."

It was then that Artie decided to take a break from his clean-up duties and transfer onto the couch, patting the spot next to him and signaling for Kitty to join him. Carrying the bunch of balloons with her, she did as he requested.

"I had fun watching you," she told him, and he could see that she was being truthful. She had designated herself as his personal Cheerio, and executed a flawless back tuck every time his team scored a run. "Tina, too. She gave it her all."

"She did," Artie laughed in agreement, remembering how it had taken the boys several times to explain the rules of the game to Tina before she seemed to understand them.

He reached for one of the balloons in Kitty's hand, and when she gave it to him, he cut a hole in it and sucked some of the air out.

"I love you, Kitty Wilde," Artie said in a squeaky voice, grinning from ear to ear.

She laughed and grabbed the same balloon, breathing in the remaining air before snuggling up to him on the couch.

"I love you too, Artie Abrams."