He tapped lightly on the closed door moments later. "Can I come in?" asked the sweetest, gentlest voice, belonging, of course, to her Artie.
She jumped up to clear a path for him on the floor. How did Logan and Collin ever expect to get married someday, what with being such slobs? Naturally, Artie never threw stuff on the floor, and the sight of their dirty clothes strewn about made him grimace as he wheeled past them.
"Hey," he said, wedging himself in the space between the two beds as Kitty seated herself back down on the bed. He reached for her hand, his blue eyes filled with worry for her. He'd worn gloves earlier that day, for the purpose of wheeling himself all over the campus, but he'd taken them off already, so that his rough hands could touch her soft ones.
"I'm sorry," was the first thing out of her mouth. "I was being stupid, there's nothing wrong with a little birthday party..."
"There is if it hurts," he said, wheeling forward as close as he could, until his knee bumped the bed. His hand squeezed hers. "Look, your brothers just told me, okay? I hope that's okay. I had no idea it happened so soon after your birthday."
"Three days after," Kitty confirmed, a knot forming in her throat. Artie leaned in and gestured for her to do the same, as he wrapped his arms around her and let her finish the cry that she'd started, the one that threatened everytime she thought about her first birthday without her beautiful mother.
"I was gonna have some people over Saturday to swim for your birthday," Artie began, almost apologetically. "I've already talked to Marley, Ryder, Jake, and Unique. But if you want, I can cancel that."
"No, don't cancel it," Kitty said, wiping her eyes and smiling for him. "I mean, that sounds really great. I miss them, they're like our weird little family..." she ended that statement with a laugh. She had just about the most unlikely group of friends ever.
Artie nodded. "What would you like to do on Tuesday?" he asked. "Want to just spend the day together and I can distract you with random... stuff..?"
Kitty shook her head. "Tuesday is my try out for captain," she said, cursing her luck. "I guess that's a decent distraction? If I can even focus on that..."
"Ugh, I'm sorry," Artie said, shaking his head. "I forgot it was so soon. We'll work really hard on your routine between now and then. You'll blow them away. And your mom, she'd be so proud, you know?"
Kitty nodded. "She was a cheerleader, too," she explained. "Even though I can't stand some... okay, most... of the girls and wearing the uniform every single day is gross, I do it because I feel more like her."
"Definitely," Artie said, squeezing her hand again.
"Can I ask you something?" Kitty said, to which Artie quickly nodded. "How do you cope, every November, when it's been another year since the accident? How do you deal with that anniversary?"
Artie looked uncomfortable. "Kitty, I wouldn't dare to compare my situation to yours..."
"No, I know," Kitty said, shrugging and looking away. "But, I mean, it's kind of similar. It marks a major change in your life, it's something you're bound to think of every year. I just wanna know how you cope with that."
Artie looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, for the first time, I actually didn't think about it at all this year," he told her. "Remember, right before Thanksgiving, when a bunch of the glee alumni came into town? We needed help with the dancing to perform 'Gangnam Style' at Sectionals. The day of Sectionals was the tenth anniversary of my accident, but I was too busy with the competition to spare it a second thought."
"But before that...?"
"It got easier each year," Artie confessed. "Really, I'm being honest when I say that, with each passing year, it wasn't as bad. Once, it even fell on Thanksgiving day, and I enjoyed the food anyway." He laughed, and so did she.
Kitty sighed. "I'm always going to think about turning fifteen and spending the most amazing day with her," she said, wiping her eyes. "How we went out for coffee that morning, went shopping all day, got our nails done, and met the guys at the end of the day for dinner at my favorite Hibachi place."
Artie intertwined his fingers with her. "You know, my mom's gonna need some company, as you pointed out," he said. "If you ever need someone to do those kind of things with. I mean, I'd do the pedicure with you, but the idea of someone massaging my legs and feet freaks me out big time. Plus, my feet are already soft like butter."
She knew he'd added that last part to make her laugh, and it worked. She got to her feet and leaned over to hug him once more. When they emerged from the bedroom, they found the others waiting next to a pizza box and a slightly crooked cake. They stared in silence as she approached.
"Thanks, guys," Kitty said, embarrassed to think of what her face probably looked like, as she hadn't seen herself in a mirror. She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Tina or Sam, so she looked at the cake instead. "Uh, is it melting?"
Logan looked startled. "Oh, right, dude," he said, to Collin. "By the way, I got an icecream cake."
Her sixteenth birthday turned out to be a blast. All four of the other sophomores-turned-juniors from glee club had come, plus Sam, Blaine, Kurt, and Tina. Hunter came, too, and shamelessly flirted with Tina the entire time. Nancy Abrams baked a cake for her that looked like something that ought to be on Pinterest. It was low-key and special, and Kitty was glad she'd consented to some kind of party on Saturday.
The days to follow consisted of nothing but constant practice to get ready for Cheerios try-outs. As far as Kitty knew, only she and Bree were trying out for captain, and they'd also be holding auditions that day for anyone new who wanted to audition for the team.
Having a big event on Tuesday did help, weirdly, sort of like Artie with having Sectionals on the anniversary of his accident. She woke up and focused on slicking her hair back into that awful high ponytail that was nothing but a giant Shirley Temple ringlet. She'd made sure that her Cheerios uniform was perfectly pressed, so as not to take away points from presentation. And Artie picked her up to drive her to the gym for try-outs, where he intended to stay and wait around with her, for the results. Having her boyfriend in the wheelchair tagging along would surely bring about more snide looks and catty comments from Bree, but that would only fuel Kitty's fire to beat her.
"Okay, remember what I said about putting your earbuds in during Bree's audition and drowning her out, if she goes before you," Artie coached her one last time, as he dropped her off in front of the entrance to the school gymnasium. "Don't worry about her, don't worry about the audience, and don't forget to smile," he said. "And remember I love you."
She leaned across the seat to kiss him. "I love you, too," she said, as their lips parted. She brushed the hair out of his eyes — he really needed a trim. "And thanks, Coach."
Kitty wasn't the first to arrive but a few others still hadn't made it yet, mostly just some of the Cheerios who weren't trying out for anything today but were required to be there and watch. They filled one section and two rows of the bleachers, as more of them continued to arrive. The freshmen and other students trying out for the first time were dressed out in red tops and black shorts, marking them as outsiders, at least for the time being. Kitty and Bree were the only ones already in uniform on the gym floor, being that they were the ones going out for captain.
Two such outsiders were, Kitty noticed, much too old-looking to be freshmen. They looked an awful lot alike, with dark hair and pale skin, but one was a girl and one was a guy. They were working together, stretching each other out, as Kitty found a seat near them. She'd never seen them at McKinley before.
"Hi," she said, even though it wasn't usually her style to be the one introducing herself. She was thinking of Artie, how he never met a stranger, and trying to be like that. These two looked approachable, and if she was going to be the Cheerios' captain, she was going to have to figure out who on that team she could tolerate.
"Hi," they said, in perfect unison.
"I'm Kitty," she told them. "I'm a junior."
"We're Mason and Madison McCarthy," the girl said, introducing them both. "We're twins and seniors. We just transferred here from Chicago. Do you know if two people can try out together?"
Kitty realized quickly why they were so approachable. They were pretty weird. She just shook her head, slowly, as they both cast disappointed glances at each other. Kitty couldn't very well move away from them, without looking like the bitch she was trying not to be, but she subtly angled her body away.
Captain try-outs were last, and Kitty and Bree were required to watch all of the new Cheerio try-outs first, in order to participate by casting votes that Roz and Sue probably wouldn't even consider. As for their coaches, they strolled in right as try-outs were about to begin, taking their seat at a table.
As Kitty took her seat in the bleachers, next to Madison and as far away from Bree as she could get, she spotted Artie, sitting in the designated spot for his chair, next to Hunter and Tina, in the bleachers on the opposite side. A few other spectators were present, too, as Sue and Roz had decided to open up try-outs to an audience today. Kitty wished she could look at them during her try-out, but she'd have her back to them. Knowing they were behind her, literally, was sure to help.
Watching the Cheerio hopefuls try out was a bit painful, as there were always a few people who showed up who had no business being there. Dottie Kazatori, despite being gifted a spot on the team after what she'd tried to help Bree do to Tina at prom, was being required to audition again. Kitty was pretty sure she wasn't making the cut, as she could barely get a jump off the ground and made every movement look painfully awkward.
Madison McCarthy, part one of the wonder twins, was right after Dottie, as they were just moving through them in alphabetical order. Now, there was a breath of fresh air. Madison's toe touch and back tuck were perfectly executed, she was right on beat with the music, and she never stopped smiling. When her brother, Mason, went next, their auditions were practically identical. There was no doubt that they were in.
When all the Cheerios hopefuls were done, it was finally going to be Kitty and Bree's turn, after a short break. Going with the alphabetical order rule, Bree Westbrook would go ahead of Kitty Wilde. But, before they could begin, Sue had something up her sleeve.
"I need to see Madison and Mason McCarthy," she said, as the Cheerios began roaming the stands and the floor. The wonder twins approached the table, and for a brief moment, Kitty caught Bree's eye and noticed the other girl looked worried.
"We want you two to try out for captain, too," Roz said. "We noticed you've both cheered competitively in your old school and that you're both seniors."
"Can we try out together?" Madison wanted to know, gripping hands excitedly with her brother.
"No," Sue said, eyes narrowing at the pair.
Kitty felt like she couldn't breathe. Now here she was, up against three seniors, two of which had been hand-picked by Sue and Roz to try out for captain. She looked desperately towards the bleachers to spot Artie. He shot her a thumbs up and a huge grin.
It seemed like Bree had the same idea as Kitty, as she headed back to the locker room while Madison and Mason prepared to do their auditions again, this time for captain. They'd be asked, on top of the routine they already knew, to copy something Roz showed them on the spot, demonstrating their ability to quickly pick up choreography, and then to demonstrate how they'd teach choreography to a member of the team, chosen at random.
Kitty intended to avoid Bree in the locker room, but the other girl had different plans.
"Hi, Kitty," she said. "I saw your cheering section in the crowd. Very sweet. I just wanted to find out ahead of time if we need to reserve some space on the sidelines for your boyfriend's wheelchair, or if he's going to be done following you around like a homeless puppy next year, seeing as he doesn't even go here now."
Kitty's hands went to her hips. "Do I need to reserve some space on the sidelines for that nasty bitch attitude of yours next year?"
They were interrupted by the music starting up for Madison's audition. Bree sent Kitty one last scathing look before plucking her earbuds in and striding to the other side of the locker room. Apparently, she'd had the same idea as Kitty. Kitty put her own earbuds in and sat down to stretch, facing towards the lockers and trying to forget about Bree, sitting just a few feet away.
When Mason finished, one of the Cheerios came in to get Bree for her turn, leaving Kitty alone. She was grateful that the other girl was gone, allowing her an opportunity to stand up and go through the routine that she and Artie had choreographed together one last time.
When it was Kitty's turn, she took a deep breath and replayed Artie's last words to her before getting out of the car, as she marched to the center of the floor: "Don't worry about her, don't worry about the audience, and don't forget to smile. And remember I love you."
Kitty executed the routine perfectly. When she'd stumbled after the back tuck during a few practices with Artie, that had flustered her, but today she ended with a perfect execution of the back tuck and heard Artie, who couldn't seem to hold back, yell out, "And that's how it's done!"
"Enough, Mr. Abrams," Sue said, glaring at him over Kitty's shoulder. "You don't even go here." She returned her attention to Kitty. "Coach Roz will demonstrate the routine twice. Let's see how quickly you pick this up."
Roz threw out a series of steps that Kitty watched closely, marking them as she watched, blocking out the sound of the other Cheerios getting noisy and restless, having sat through this three times already. She remembered doing similar exercises with her mom all the time. When she'd tried out for captain of her squad back in Dublin, in the eighth grade, there had been a portion of the audition that was like this, and she'd nailed it, thanks to her mom's preparation.
She could feel her mother's love surrounding her, watching over her, as she executed the series of steps flawlessly, without missing a beat. She heard Artie, Hunter, and Tina cheer for her when she finished, Artie forcing himself to be more subdued this time around.
Finally, Sue called Sarah Fletcher out of the audience, to be the one that Kitty had to quickly teach. Sarah was one of the Cheerios who had gone with them to Nationals and wasn't one of Bree's loyal followers, so Kitty had lucked out. Plus, Sarah was an excellent dancer. Sarah made Kitty look good, and Kitty could finally breathe a sigh of relief that the most unpredictable part of the whole audition was over. It was all over. Now, Kitty returned to the bleachers, taking a seat by Madison, as Sue and Roz deliberated briefly, then addressed the group.
"You're dismissed for ten minutes," Roz said. "Everyone meet back in ten for the team roster and the announcement of our Cheerios captain for the 2013-2014 school year."
Kitty hurried to join Hunter, Tina, and Artie in the bleachers. She perched nervously on the other side of Hunter. "So, what do you think of my chances?"
Artie bit his lip. "It was close between you and that girl, Madison," he said, honestly. "But Bree fumbled her back tuck, as we knew she would if she tried one, and she was generally pretty sloppy. There's no way it's her."
"Good," Kitty said. "Madison seems okay, I would be happy if it was her. Or her brother. Even if I did get a weird, Cruel Intentions kind of vibe from them."
Tina narrowed her eyes. "Isn't that the movie where those step-siblings..." she didn't finish that sentence, instead casting a disgusted look at the twins, who were huddled together, talking only to one another.
Ten minutes passed agonizingly slowly, and hardly anyone moved from their seats or left the gym during that time. Finally, after the break that seemed to drag on endlessly, Coaches Roz and Sue returned to the gym, with a list. The newbies in black and red sat on the floor again, along with Kitty and Bree, while the rest of the Cheerios remained in the bleachers.
"If I call your name, you may join the Cheerios in the bleachers," Sue said. "If I do not, you may go home, you did not make the team." She started off with, "Madison and Mason McCarthy, you are both in, but please remain on the floor until we announce captain."
As Mason and Madison exchanged high-fives, Sue called out the rest of the names. It didn't amount to very many new members this year, as they'd only had a few graduates to replace. Dottie Kazatori, quite obviously, was one of those who left disappointed.
"Would the four candidates for captain please stand?" Roz said, as she and Sue both stepped around the table and approached them, holding a red megaphone that was given to the new captain, following each try-out. Kitty remembered from last year, when she had been one of the transfer students in black and red. She and the other three got to their feet.
"Your 2013-2014 Cheerios captain is..." Sue lingered before finishing her sentence for just a moment, then thrust the megaphone in Kitty's direction.
"Katherine Wilde."
It took Kitty just a moment to realize Sue meant her, as no one ever used her full name. Katherine referred to her mother, who sometimes went by Katie. Upon hearing their name, she could feel her mother looking down on her as she accepted the megaphone. Hunter and Tina were down in a flash, joining in the huddle of people who converged on her. She looked back at the bleachers to see Artie still crossing towards the ramp, to make his way towards the floor. She stopped what she was doing to hold the megaphone up in his direction, as a huge smile spread across his face.
We did it.