"Explain it to me again," Tina was saying. "How is it that Bree put her pictures on your Instagram? And you didn't notice, for like... hours?"
"Not everyone checks their social media account every five minutes, Tina," Kitty shot back, as Hunter gave her a sharp look, directed Kitty's way via the rearview mirror, as he drove.
"That still doesn't explain how she posted her pictures from your account," Tina went on, and Kitty had the distinct impression that she was being accused of lying. Not only that, but her older brother wasn't even trying to back her up. Ouch.
Kitty took down her stupid Cheerios ponytail and gave a loud, impatient huff. "I'm not a tech wizard," she said. "I'd have to guess that she uploaded the pictures from her fancy camera to her phone, then air dropped them to me, then took my phone while I was napping..."
"And had to unlock it," Tina interrupted her to point this out. "How'd she unlock your phone to break into your Instagram?"
"It wasn't locked," Kitty sighed, knowing that was stupid, on her part, not to have the lock screen and code enabled.
Kitty opened her Instagram account and began deleting each of the pictures, one by one. They'd already gotten a bunch of likes and comments, but she didn't want to read them. One comment accidentally kind of jumped out at her before she could delete the post. It was from Blaine. He'd written: "How could you do this to Artie?"
Kitty got on her phone and called Blaine, right then and there, stewing because he hadn't bothered to call her and get the full story, in lieu of posting that question on a public forum.
"How could I do that to Artie?" she started in, when he picked up. "It's simple, Blaine: I didn't. Someone else took a bunch of pictures of me with that guy and posted them, posing as me, trying to make us look like a couple."
It sounded even more far-fetched when she tried to tell the whole story like that.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Well, it worked," Blaine said, dryly. "You and that guy looked pretty couple-y. Have you talked to Artie?"
"I just got off the plane and literally just found out this all happened," Kitty said. "I tried calling him and he's turned his phone off. Did you talk to him?"
"I didn't, but..."
Blaine was interrupted by a voice in that background. "Is that Kitty?" the voice asked. "Kitty, you're a slut, I am slut-shaming you!"
Kitty realized it was Sam. "Tell Sam to shut his freakishly giant mouth," she said, then hesistated and asked, "Has he talked to Artie? Has anyone?"
"Hold on." There was a long pause, as Blaine muted the other end of the line. Kitty sighed impatiently as Tina turned over her shoulder to stare at her again.
Blaine returned after a few minutes. "Sam did," he said. "Sam called Artie when he saw the pictures, and Artie just said he was going for a swim and turning off his phone for awhile. It wasn't all that long ago, maybe thirty minutes? So, I guess he's in his pool."
"Did he sound upset?" Kitty asked, biting her lip.
Sam grabbed the phone from Blaine just then. "Of course he's upset," he said. "What do you think? I asked him if he wanted to talk about it, he said he didn't, and that was that."
Kitty sighed. "Okay, thank you, Sam," she said. "For the record, as I just explained to Blaine, someone took those pictures and posted them on my account and tried to make me and that guy look like a couple. I did not cheat on Artie."
"If that's true," Sam began, sounding like he doubted every bit of the explanation she'd just given him. "Then I take back what I said. But if not, your slut status remains intact. Anyway, we have to go, Kitty, Blaine and I have movie tickets to see something that Kurt wouldn't like. See ya."
Kitty sighed and finished deleting the rest of the pictures after they hung up. Tina continued with her uninvited staring but kept whatever she was thinking to herself, for the time being. Tina, who had actually dumped Artie for someone else after being away at camp, had no room to talk.
When Hunter finally dropped Kitty off at Artie's, she was relieved to find that he was the only one home. She couldn't imagine having to explain the whole thing to Nancy, too. She let herself into the back via the gate. Sure enough, he was still doing laps. She sat awkwardly, as she waited for him to resurface.
He gave a slight jolt when he saw her, after he finally came up, removed his googles, and wiped his eyes, which then landed on her. His glasses weren't on, yet he was looking right at her, as though he could see her clearly. (She'd tried his glasses on before, and he was pretty blind.)
"Contacts?" she'd asked, forgetting that she was there to explain herself.
"I'm trying to get used to them for swimming," he explained, seemingly before he remembered he was mad at her. He hoisted himself up on the side and just fixed her with a hard stare.
"It's not what it looked like," she hurried to say. "Artie, please believe me. It was Bree. She stole my phone and sent me all those pictures that she was secretly taking and then posted on my account. I would never do that to you, Artie."
Artie remained quiet, so she had to keep going. She had to say something, or else she might just start crying, and she didn't want to do that, lest it seem like she was using her tears to manipulate him.
"I don't even like that guy," she went on. "I mean, sure, he's okay, as a friend. But I was hanging out with both he and his twin sister all week, and yet the pictures just show the two of us."
"Except for the ones where you're in your yellow dress on a Ferris wheel with him," Artie pointed out, softly, and she was the speechless one now, as it hit her that she'd been wearing the same thing she'd had on when she and Artie went on the Ferris wheel in Santa Monica. She felt sick when she realized what a slap in the face that must have been.
"His sister was supposed to be with us," Kitty told him, weakly. "I know what it must look like, but you have to believe me, nothing happened between me and him. Well, you don't have to, but... but I hope you do."
Artie didn't answer right away. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to change his mind before speaking. "I do believe you," he said, after a long pause. "It just doesn't erase everything that I've been thinking about, after I assumed you'd just sort of tossed me aside and moved on."
Kitty kicked off her shoes so she could sit beside him on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet in. She studied him, concern etched across her face. "What did you think about?"
"I was starting to convince myself that we were inevitably going to break up anyway," Artie said, shrugging, unable to look her in the eye. "And not because of my social status... or my disability... or any of the stuff we've already worked through and conquered." He smiled, a sad sort of smile. "But just the simple fact of me being nineteen and in college and you being sixteen and a high school cheerleader who could... and probably should... have any guy you want."
"You're the only guy I want," Kitty said, as he finally looked at her, and she could fully appreciate how deeply blue his eyes were. Though she liked his glasses, something about looking him straight in the eyes was incredible and made her heart race. "You're the only guy I've ever been serious about."
"And that's sort of the problem," Artie said, twisting his mouth to the side the way he did when he was super perplexed or a little anxious or both.
"I don't follow," Kitty said, frowning.
"Kitty, I want nothing more than to be with you," he explained. "And even though it really hurts to think of you with someone else, it also kills me to think that you might resent me someday, if all you knew was being with me."
"Artie, I couldn't resent you," she said, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "Besides, I tried dating the kind of guy the world says is supposed to be my type. I found out it was just the opposite of what I wanted. Please don't make me try again. I only want you."
"Bree's going to keep making your life miserable if you're with me," Artie went on, as he wasn't done listing the reasons why he wasn't good for her anymore.
"Are you trying to end this?" she wondered aloud, as it dawned on her that he might have other motives. "Are you after your freedom in college?"
"Maybe," Artie said, throwing her for a loop when he admitted that. Noticing her expression, he hurried to add, "But not for the reason you might think."
"Go on," Kitty urged him.
"I think I'd like to study pharmacology," he explained. "It's a big time commitment, especially if I want to try to do it in seven years instead of eight, to get a doctorate. I want to do that and go to Rio in 2016. And I don't want to accidentally neglect you in the process."
"Like you did with Tina?" Kitty knew she didn't have to say it, but she also knew where this was coming from.
"Like I did with Tina," he confirmed. "I'm kind of glad at least she and I tried and failed. I made a lot of mistakes, but I learned from those mistakes."
"And yet you had to think you'd been dumped after your girlfriend went off to camp yet again," Kitty admonished herself. "Artie, I'm really, really sorry."
"Kitty, it's okay now," he said. "I'm fine."
Yeah, you're fine, but now you're having second thoughts about a long-distance relationship, she thought, knowing that this was one of those times where Artie would insist it was fine and it really wasn't, not entirely.
Kitty sighed. "I do like your plans for school and for Rio, Artie. I just wish I were going with you. I sort of wish I still lived in Dublin right now. I'd just be twenty minutes away. Maybe I could move in with Logan and Collin..."
"Don't," Artie said, shaking his head. "Remember? We aren't gonna rearrange our plans for each other. Besides, the Cheerios and the New Directions need their star. You have two years to shine at McKinley, Kitty."
"I'm coming to Ohio State when I graduate," Kitty asserted. "If you're gonna be there seven or eight years, then we'll get to be college students together for a long time."
Artie smiled at that. "You'll be eighteen," he said, wistfully. "Just... don't forget to enjoy the next two years, okay? You've got four National championships to cinch, two for the New Directions, two for Cheerios."
"See?" she stuck out her tongue. "I'm gonna be too busy for another boyfriend anyway."
"Kitty, I won't stand in your way," Artie said, before rolling his eyes at himself and refraining from the inevitable joke that usually followed such a statement. "I just mean, I feel like I'd be holding you hostage or something. It's like the old adage... if you love something, let it go..."
"No one puts Kitty on a train to New York," she said, brushing her fingers over the top of one of his hands that braced him as he balanced on the edge of the pool.
His arms were flexed, showing off the muscle he'd added through vigorous swimming every single day, and he'd gotten a dark tan that summer, too. She bit her lip as she studied him.
"What?" he asked, taking note of her intense stare.
"Just that girls are going to throw themselves at you in college," she admonished him, leaning back and studying him intently. "Damn, Artie, look at you."
He blushed. Kitty remembered, randomly, how he didn't want to pose for the glee guys' calendar earlier that year, and how he'd finally ended up agreeing to a group shot and some silly costumes. She recalled that he'd been a little angry about the finished product, though. When they'd tried to give him one, he'd given it straight back and wheeled off without a word. Artie wasn't used to being noticed for his body, in a good way, and he didn't seem to know what to do with that compliment.
"Is this your usual body type?" he finally teased. Artie always teased, even when he meant something else, and Kitty knew better than to call him on it.
"Better," she said, squeezing his bicep appreciatively. Then she drew back. "Am I allowed or are you, I don't know, releasing your Kitty to the wild?"
Artie cracked up and so did she. "I'm supposed to make the terrible puns in this relationship," he said. Then he realized what she was really asking him. Are we breaking up? "I dunno, Kitty... do we have to decide now?"
It was then that she hugged him so tightly that she nearly knocked him off balance.
"Absolutely not," she said. "It's still summertime, I'm back, and you're still here. This is our time."