Chapter 42: Dog Days Are Over

ARTIE

With Nationals over now, senior year was pretty much wrapped up as well. All the seniors had left was finals and graduation before they would be leaving McKinley for good.

McKinley used to be a place where Artie dreaded going. At the beginning of his freshman year, he would ride to school with Griffin in the mornings, then spend the rest of his day trying to avoid getting ambushed by slushies. He and Tina were losers together, often sitting with some of the other outcasts at lunch, just so that it looked like he had a friend group whenever Griffin would walk by with his jock friends. Griffin would never fail to stop by and say hello to his little brother and ask him about his day, which always made Artie feel- for lack of a better word- cool.

Then Glee Club came around. Things got worse before they got better. Glee Club was considered the lamest of the lame clubs at McKinley, but despite the feeling that everyone wanted to see them fail, it was the first time that Artie had truly felt accepted by anyone besides Tina or Griffin at this school. Nobody in Glee minded that everyone thought that they were losers because- as Artie would be saying in his valedictory address on stage at the graduation ceremony next week- Glee is about the love of the music and the love of each other. They didn't care that they weren't popular. The Glee kids had found an amazing group of friends who celebrated each other for who they were. And as they gradually climbed the school's social pyramid over the years, their morals never changed.

Artie's four years at McKinley had certainly been eventful, and to be leaving now was bittersweet. He almost didn't want this chapter of his life to be over.

For now, Artie and Sebastian were focused on enjoying all of the time they had left with one another before they'd be heading their separate ways come August. Now that it was nearing June, the temperature was almost always in the upper seventies or lower eighties, making it perfect for spending their afternoons in the backyard by the pool with their siblings.

"I can't believe we graduate next week," Sebastian said as he laid out on his towel on the patio, trying to get some sort of tan. "I feel like this past year just flew by."

"I know," Artie replied, paddling in place with a foam pool noodle under his arms as he soaked up the feeling of his body being vertical in the water. Swimming was so freeing to him. It soothed all of his tense and overworked muscles, and each time he was in the water, he remembered just how relaxing and beneficial aqua therapy can be. "It's weird to think that we only have a couple of days left with our friends. I mean, we'll stay in touch with one another, but it won't be the same. The glue that holds high school friendships together is high school."

"Well, I, for one, am glad the school year is almost over," Ella chimed in from the pool's shallow end where she'd been doing handstands. "I'm ready to be able to sleep in and just do nothing all day."

As Griffin nodded in agreement, Artie stared at his siblings in disbelief. The three of them could not be more different. Artie was constantly go, go, go and on the move- the idea of sitting around idly with no purpose sounded like pure torture. Sometimes he couldn't believe that he was related to these people by blood.

"Well, what about the Cheerios?" Artie asked. "Won't you miss seeing your friends?"

Ella shrugged. "Coach Sue will probably schedule some captain's practices, and we have our sleepaway camp in July. That's where we get our new stunt groups and learn our new routine. So I'll be seeing them."

"How about Sophie?" Sebastian asked, lowering his sunglasses and winking at her. Ever since Ella had opened up about the crush she had on a girl in her math class, her hopeless romantic of a step-brother hadn't let it go, much to her dismay. "Won't you be bummed not seeing her around?"

Ella groaned, as she always did whenever her brothers brought up this subject. She swam over to the edge of the pool and splashed Sebastian, who shrieked at the sudden presence of the cool water on his warm skin. Despite her clear annoyance, Ella turned pink at the mention of Sophie, and Artie was sure that the rosiness of her cheeks couldn't be completely attributed to the slight sunburn she'd developed.

"Not that it is any of your business," Ella began, looking between the three boys who were eagerly awaiting her response. "But… I, um, asked her if she would maybe want to come over sometime. To swim, and do something other than talk about algebraic equations, I mean. And she said yes." Her brothers all perked up at this news, and she held a hand up to silence them before one of them could interrupt her. "But nothing will ever be able to happen between the two of us if the three of your heads are all up in my business, so butt out."

That was easier said than done for her three overprotective older brothers, but they were willing to try to abide by her wishes.

Sebastian had told Artie a few months ago that Ella had confided in him at Sugar's Valentine's Day party, saying that while she was happy that she'd come out to her family, she wasn't sure that she was ready for all of her teammates and friends at school to know just yet. Artie and Sebastian had respected that by keeping their mouths shut, but over the last few months it seemed like she had become more comfortable with who she is, and thereby more open to the idea of sharing that side of herself with her friends. Artie was proud of her. It made him happy to see her unapologetically living life as her true, authentic self.

Before the boys could pester her with any more questions, the younger girl was quick to turn the conversation around on her nosy brothers who were about to graduate.

"Enough about me, though. I want to talk about the love lives of you two idiots," she said, looking between Sebastian and Artie. "You're both dating people younger than you. What are you going to do about your relationships when it comes time for you to leave for college?"

"Spencer and I are staying together, that's for sure," Sebastian said, the look on his face showing that he wasn't sure why this would even be up for debate. "I'll only be a few hours away. He can come to visit on the weekends, or I'll come back to Lima. We'll manage it."

"What about you, Artie?" Griffin asked as he used his strong arms to make strokes in the water as he floated by on his back. "I mean, you're going to be across the country. It won't be as easy as coming home on the weekends would be."

Artie had been dreading having to answer this question for the last few weeks, and he knew that this wouldn't be the only time someone would ask. Everyone would be interested in finding out just how the nineteen-year-old and sixteen-year-old planned on keeping their relationship intact from over two thousand miles away.

Buying himself a moment more to come up with a way to phrase his answer, Artie hoisted himself up onto the edge of the pool, allowing his feet to dangle in the water. When he looked up, the three curious pairs of eyes were still fixated on him. Ugh.

"Kitty and I… we want to stay together," Artie began. "We've talked about it, and we want to try long distance."

He could tell by the looks on their faces that they were all skeptical about his plans.

He had been too, at first, when he and Kitty had that dreaded conversation only a few days earlier…

…

Since they had won Nationals, the schedule for Glee Club had been a lot more flexible. They only had rehearsal once a week, which gave Kitty and Artie ample time to watch movies, go out for ice cream, go swimming, and do just about everything else they liked to do together.

On this particular afternoon, Artie was sitting on his bed, leaning against his headboard while Kitty rested her head in his lap. As they watched "Legally Blonde" (the movie was Kitty's pick and not his, but he didn't exactly object to the idea…), Artie stroked her silky hair which was out of its usual tight ponytail. In fact, she was out of her Cheerios uniform completely, opting instead to wear a pair of athletic shorts and one of her boyfriend's oversized t-shirts.

Artie reached for the remote suddenly, pausing the TV. He didn't say anything right away, causing Kitty to look up into his big blue eyes curiously as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"We should talk," Artie finally worked up the courage to say. "About us going forward. After the summer, I mean."

Kitty sat up straight to face him. She wrung her hands together nervously, which was uncommon for her. "What is there to talk about?"
Artie sighed. Here goes nothing.

"Well, I was talking to Tina…" Artie began, earning an eye roll from Kitty, who just crossed her arms over her chest. Ignoring it, Artie continued. "You already know that she'll be going to Brown in the fall, and she said that she and Watson are going to give it a break. Just for the first semester- until she comes home for Christmas- and if they miss each other enough and think that they can handle long distance, then they'll try it out. And Providence is even closer to Lima than LA is."

"Well, we're not Tina and Watson," Kitty said, the tone of her voice defensive.

"No, I know that," Artie said, remaining calm. "I just think it's something that we should consider."

"We love each other, Artie, we can handle this! There's Skype, and-and I'll come to visit you in September for a football game, and you'll be home for Thanksgiving. Then I can come to California for my Spring Break, and you'll come home for yours," she reasoned. "Then, after I graduate, I'll come to school in LA too, that way we can be close by."

When Artie didn't speak up right away, her eyes began to water.

"You do love me, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Artie insisted. "More than you know. But it's going to be hard to go without seeing you every day. And you've still got another two years of high school! What if your college plans change before then? Or you meet someone else? I don't want you to feel tied down."

"It sounds like you're the one who doesn't want to be tied down," Kitty said, standing up to leave. Apparently, she wasn't in the mood for a movie about a girl who followed her true love off to college anymore.

"Kitty, wait!" Artie called, scooting to the edge of his bed and reaching for his chair as quickly as he could. He wasn't fast enough, though, because, by the time he had transferred, she was already out the front door.

He'd given her some time to cool down before he'd shown up at her house later that night. They'd sat on her front porch and talked things out. Artie insisted that he hadn't been trying to look for a way out of their relationship. Because he does love her. She's just so much younger than him that he only wants what's best for her.

She really didn't want to take a break, though, and he really didn't want to do anything that would result in either of them being upset. So, in the end, they agreed to try long distance, and if it didn't work out, they'd just go back to being close friends without any hard feelings.

…

"I know it won't be easy, but I do love her. And she loves me. And we want to give it a shot," Artie told his siblings, who still looked less than convinced.

"I wish you both the best of luck with that," Griffin said as he twisted his mouth to the side. He was trying his best to be supportive, but his inner feelings read on his face like a book, a trait that Artie knew ran in the family.

"I love Kitty, I do," Ella chimed in to voice her opinion. "But don't you think you'll have all of these hot California girls chasing their pipedreams of being actresses hunting you down and banging on your door? They'll be willing to do whatever it takes to get a role in one of your movies, Artie, and it would be worse to cheat on Kitty than it would be to break up with her."

"I wouldn't cheat on her!" Artie scoffed, offended that his own sister would think so little of him. "And I'm not a slut either. I'm not!" He insisted when Griffin raised an eyebrow. "Why does it sound like you are all rooting for our long-distance thing to fail before it's even started?"

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm rooting for you two," Sebastian said, getting up from where he was laying on his towel to come and sit by Artie on the edge of the pool. "If there are two people who can set their minds to things and achieve them, it's you and Kitty. Hey, what's wrong with your knee?"

Sebastian pointed to where his swim trunks had ridden up a little bit, fully exposing the outside of Artie's right knee. Artie followed his gaze and groaned when he saw the spot where a red welt was beginning to form.

"It looks like a blister," Sebastian noted.

"It's a pressure sore," Artie grumbled. "Well, the beginning of one, anyway." He pulled his leg up out of the water so that he could examine it further.

"Did you not notice that earlier, when you were putting sunscreen on?" Griffin asked, swimming closer to get a better look.

"Guess not."

"Well, what's it from?" Sebastian asked, cocking his head to the side. "You're always super careful about these sorts of things."

"Well, I try to be," Artie said, clearly frustrated. "Usually, they're caused by my bones rubbing against the internal layers of my skin, which prevents blood flow and causes the breakdown of the tissue there. I just don't have a lot of muscle between my bones and skin anymore to protect me." Artie shrugged matter-of-factly. "It could be from my leg chafing against the frame of my chair, from not shifting my position enough at night, from my leg braces during physical therapy… it could be anything, really."

He heaved an audible sigh before pulling his chair closer and ensuring that the brakes were locked so that he could transfer into it from where he sat on the ground.

"Looks like I'm done in the water for the day," Artie concluded, more than a little bummed by the inconvenient abrasion and barely trying to hide the hint of annoyance in his voice. "I'm going to shower."

With that, Artie pivoted his chair and pushed off in the direction of the house, leaving behind his siblings, who- whether they realized it or not- were all wearing those pitying facial expressions that he loathed so much.

…

When Artie got out of the shower, he changed into a pair of shorts and a Cleveland Indians t-shirt. He almost never wore shorts, just because he didn't like the unwelcome stares that came along with his thin legs being exposed. But right now, he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Artie parked his chair across from his bed before carefully lifting his leg off of the footrest and setting it gently on the mattress in front of him. The pressure sore was a little bigger than he'd originally thought, having just broken through the top layer of his skin. While he was in the shower, he had remained cognizant of the wound, careful not to bump his knee while transferring onto his shower chair. Now, he was cautiously cleansing the site with a saline solution to reduce the risk of infection, before letting it dry. He had become somewhat of a professional- albeit, not by choice- at taking care of the often scary side effects that came along with his condition.

A moment later, Sebastian opened his bedroom door without warning, as he always did. Artie didn't take his focus away from the task at hand, and Sebastian remained completely unfazed by what Artie was taking care of. Frankly, he'd walked in on Artie doing stranger things in the past. That was just something that came along with having so many bodies in the house: nobody ever has any privacy.

"Hey. Did you see that text in the group chat?" He asked, leaning against the door frame, not caring if he was interrupting anything.

"Um, no. I've been a little preoccupied here," Artie said coolly, finally looking up a moment later to see the confused and hurt look on Sebastian's face as he stood in the doorway.

"I'm sorry," Artie said after taking a deep breath and checking his attitude. "It wasn't fair for me to snap at you like that. It's just… things like this stress me out because I can't have control over them. I just get anxious because I know how bad they can be if I get complacent."

"Is it a bad one?" Sebastian asked, his eyes wide with concern, apparently having already forgotten that Artie was being snippy with him just a minute earlier. Artie couldn't fault his step-brother's curiosity as the tall boy walked in his room and gingerly sat on the bed beside Artie's leg, careful not to jostle the mattress too much.

Artie shook his head.

"No. It's a good thing that you pointed it out. Because of that, we caught it early before it really ravaged through my skin, but it's still a setback," he explained. "These things can come out of nowhere, and they take forever to heal. See? I have scars from some deeper ones that I've had in the past".

Artie pointed at the darker patches of skin on his knees and ankles where old sores had healed over.

"I need to cover this one now or else it's going to get worse. That's what I've been focusing on, so I haven't had the chance to check my phone. Sorry. What did the text say?"

"It was from Blaine," Sebastian reported. "He asked if we wanted to join him, Brittany, Sam, and Tina tonight. They're going to break into the school and host their own Senior Lock-In since Principal Sylvester canceled ours."

Artie furrowed his eyebrows. "How do they plan on breaking in?"

"I dunno. Something about leaving a window in the choir room unlocked."

Artie glanced down at his chair and Sebastian seemed to read his mind before he could even say anything.

"I'm sure whoever gets in first can run around to the back door- the one by the ramp- and unlock it to let us in."

Artie appreciated how Sebastian had said "us" instead of just "you". He was glad that he wasn't being forgotten about just because his disability prevented him from climbing through a high window, and he was touched that Sebastian wouldn't ditch him for the more risky way of entering the building.

"Well, what about Joe? And Sugar? They're seniors too, we shouldn't leave them out."

Sebastian checked the group chat before reporting back to his brother.

"Joe's got his Bible study at his church tonight, and Sugar's out of town," he relayed the message, watching as Artie expertly placed the DuoDERM bandage on his skin to cover the open wound. "Look, Art, I don't know what the protocol is for one of these. If you need to rest, I can decline and say that you're not feeling well. We can stay home, order some takeout, and play Halo."

Artie shook his head.

"No, no. Tell them we're in. I need to change first, and I'll have to take it easy while we're there, but it'll be fun. Probably. Right?" For what seemed like the first time all afternoon, Artie smiled, and Sebastian did too. "As we said earlier, we don't have a lot of time left until we leave these people for good. Let's make the most of it."

As you can probably guess, my rewritten chapter depicting the lock-in from 5x10 "Trio" will be next! I have always hated that Blaine, Sam, and Tina formed their own little union and excluded Artie (because in what world would they do that?! It seemed so out of character to me), so I am including him and Sebastian, and even made sure that Artie was the one to think of Joe and Sugar, not wanting anybody to be left out. ;)

This chapter was mostly filler, to get some sibling time in, while also setting up for the next chapter. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review if you did!

-QA