Artie Abrams shifted almost imperceptibly in his wheelchair, and wished, not for the first time, that he had brought his iPod or his DS. He knew he should be happy on his graduation day, but mostly, he was annoyed. Someone had tied Figgin's hands, and so Artie was waiting behind the curtain on a tiny platform while everyone else filed in to Pomp and Circumstance. His father had agreed to help him get up onto the platform, but now, he feels stuck.
Artie's watch beeps, and he shifts again. Pomp and circumstance began to play. He wheels up to the curtain and pulls back the corner, to peep out, despite Figgin's explicit directions not to. He was mesmerized as his classmates processed in. Somehow, the red gown and cap, which looked like a tent on him actually looked pretty good on the rest of his classmates. But, he was mesmerized by the procession of girls in white dresses.
Someone had convinced, or bribed, Tina Cohen Chang into a long white dress. The red streaks in her hair made Artie smile. He remembered how she used to dye her hair pink, and he used to braid the little pink sections. She was the first girl he kissed, and the first girl who made him feel like a real man. Then, he had gone away to his usual summer boot camp, where the only things to do were work out and play Halo. Despite spending hours working out, Artie never managed to develop abs, but he forgot all about Tina between his epic marathons.
Happy-go-lucky Brittany was like a lithe angel as she floated down the aisle. She seemed to dance as she moved. Artie's heart lurched as he thought about Brittany dancing. She was an amazing dancer, even more so than the classically trained Tina. But, eventually, his jealously got the best of his with Brittany as well. Even though he could sort of walk, he couldn't ever dance with her. Finally, the strain got to be too much, and they crumpled. It didn't help Brit and Artie's relationship that Brit and Santana were still more than friends. Artie loves sweet, innocent Britt, but San occasionally makes him crazy.
The girl who really catches Artie's eye as she processes in is Quinn Fabray. Artie remembers the first day he met her. He was returning to school for the first time since the accident, and Quinn was as much of the new kid as he was. She was the only person who was kind to him, and the only person who treated him like he was a human being. As they got older, Quinn got colder. She grew into an ice princess as Artie became shyer and nerdier.
He never expected to reconnect with Quinn again. Artie hadn't been ready to believe the Queen of the celibacy club would be caught pregnant. He was wary of her at first, but eventually she warmed up to the former Cheerio. Even during her meanest, most pregnant time, Artie thought she was beautiful.
After Beth's birth, Quinn was a new person. Her parent's divorce seemed to change her. They would talk during Glee, and later at lunch or during their classes. During their senior year, Artie and the other muppet babies would occasionally join Quinn, Brit, Santana and Finn for a movie or a slice of pizza. The two grew closer, and found more commonality than they would have liked to admit. The thing that Artie could never tell Quinn, though, was how beautiful she was to him.