Chapter 20- A Friend In Need

When Kurt realises that nobody will help raise money for Artie to ride to Sectionals with them, he calls them all out.

Heads up for somewhat bicurious Artie!


"Artie's dad can drive him, right Artie?" Rachel pouted as she realised that rehearsal time would have to be postponed in order to sort out and raise money for transportation to Sectionals.

Mr Schuester groaned. "Guys, look, when I was in Glee Club, the bus ride to Sectionals was amazing. We had never felt more like a team then when we rehearsed our numbers on the bus."

Santana waved a hand. "I'm sure that was a jolly good time back in the 1500's, Mr Schue, but most of us will be riding the bus with our iPods in our ears, anyway. And I'm sure that Artie doesn't mind his dad driving him around."

Artie smiled sheepishly. "Oh, no it's fine. Honestly, Mr Schuester, my dad drives me most places anyway."

"Thanks, Artie." Quinn smiled at Artie gratefully and the boy blushed, unsure that Quinn Fabray had ever even looked at him before, let alone actually smiled. Sure, he was kinda into Tina, but that didn't mean that he couldn't notice when other girls smiled at him. And Quinn was with Finn anyways. Even if she wasn't, she would never go for him.

"You're a good man, Artie," Puck hollered from the back, getting agreements from Brittany, Tina, Mike and Mercedes. Only Mr Schuester noticed the dismayed look on Artie's face when they promptly moved on.

"I cannot believe that I'm hearing this," A grumble from the back made everyone frown. Mercedes put a gentle hand on Kurt's thigh to calm him, but he stood up, virtually leaping over Quinn to get to the front. "Mr Schuester, I'd like the floor." It was a demand rather than a request.

Mr Schuester, impressed by Kurt's comradery rather than his usual standoffish nature, let him have it.

"Mr Schuester, I have a solution to the problem at hand. My father owns a relatively successful tire shop and he deals in vehicular requirements of many natures. I know for a fact that I could procure a bus with wheelchair access for the New Directions free of charge. The manager of a state business will do a lot of things for free if you braid his niece's hair once in a while so that he doesn't have to."

"Nice job, Kurt!" Finn pumped his fist enthusiastically. Usually, Kurt would have been melting at the direct contact from Finn Hudson, but he was much too pissed off to care. Rachel beamed at him.

"Mr Schuester, I have presented a Plan B in case we don't manage to raise the funds. But we're still going to do the bake sale and various other methods of fundraising ourselves."

Will, not really understanding where Kurt was going, frowned but nodded anyway.

"So…are we getting the free bus or not?" Finn wondered, his dopey expression far more sincere than humanely possible.

"If all else fails, then yes. But not until this club has exhausted every fundraising method we can think of. And I'm going to sit back and watch you all think of ways not to be selfish assholes for once in your lives."

Everyone gasped. Will stifled a chuckle but didn't stop him, contrary to Rachel's silent suggestions.

"Not that this means anything to any of you, but I am absolutely disgusted with how Artie has been treated today. Not a single one of you has gone to bat for him today. Not of us know what is must be like for Artie. Hell, two of us in the room even tried to put copious amounts of superglue under his wheels not so long ago." Kurt glared at Puck and Finn, the latter hanging his head at least a little shamefully.

"I don't want to patronise Artie here, but he is unable to do something that we take for granted every single day. And you're all just forgetting that he's a part of the team simply because it's an extra effort to get the bus. Just because Artie could ride with his father does not mean that he should.

"He is a very valuable member of this club and if you've even paid attention when he's singing, you would know that. Let's say that the only bus we could get was commandeered by a homophobic bus driver who refused to drive the bus with me on it. I suppose you'd just let me drive there myself. Right, Rachel?"

Rachel looked furious at the insinuation. "Absolutely not. My two gay dads would be shoving the law in the hypothetical man's face so quickly he wouldn't even be able to spell the word 'bus'."

Kurt gaped at her. "Are you serious? So if one of your fathers were paraplegic, I'm guessing you would invest a lot more effort into raising the money, wouldn't you?"

Rachel flapped her mouth open and closed, but Kurt simply pressed on.

"No, I do not even want a response from, you Rachel. You're cruel and petty. So, New Directions, I have an ultimatum for you. Either we all raise money for the bus we need to take Artie with us, or you try and find a twelfth member for the club because I am not performing at Sectionals with selfish imbeciles."

"Kurt—," Will began, but Kurt stopped him as politely as possible.

"I'm sorry, Mr Schuester, but that is simply how I feel. I love this club and being in it, despite my lack of solos, but I refuse to perform amongst the self-obsessed morons with superiority complexes."

Will just nodded in defeat.

"So I propose this and I hope Mr Schuester enforces this as a good idea. Everyone must spend at least two hours every school day in a wheelchair. We run the bake sale in wheelchairs and we have Glee in wheelchairs. Plus, we choreograph a number in wheelchairs to show our unconditional support for our friend. I will even provide the wheelchairs."

Will smiled, impressed once more by Kurt's ideas. "Alright, guys, you heard the man. Starting tomorrow, we run the bake sale and other fundraising ventures you might want to start on your own. And the wheelchair thing is a rule. I'll think up some song selections. Good thinking, Kurt. I'm proud of you."

Kurt simply nodded and took the empty seat beside Artie before the bell rang.

Noticing that the boy's shoelaces were untied, Kurt knelt down and began to tie them in record time.

"Hey, Kurt?"

"Arthur?"

"Nobody has ever gone to bat for me like that before besides my parents. It means a great deal to me that you would put my interests before the team's."

"Think nothing of it. It's cruel of them and it shows poor teamwork. Everything I'm involved in has to be nothing but perfection."

Artie chuckled. "Well, thank you anyway. I have an idea about how to repay you, but that'll have to wait."

"Until I'm not on my knees in front of you," Kurt winked.

Artie stopped a blush from flooding his face but laughed anyway. "I don't think the closed-minded fools of McKinley could appreciate the hotness."

"I don't doubt that," Kurt smirked as he stood up and pushed Artie to his next class.

"Kurt, you have French now, that's all the way across the building from where I'm headed. You don't have to push me there."

"Oh, please. I'm fluent. Plus, I'm basically a ninja. I can sneak in there and make Mrs. Michaelson believe that I've been there the whole time."

Artie smiled up at the boy pushing him, grateful that he had a friend who was there for him in his hour of need.