Chapter Seven
Artie Abrams

"Hey Finn. So this is tape seven, and this one is dedicated to Artie. Do you remember... Remember what it was that Jesse did to me? Well, that was sort of like the top of the peak. Everything that happened before that, with Blaine and whatnot, led up to Jesse. Jesse was at the top of the snowy mountain and then after that, I just came rolling down, fast. With the whole "slut" thing that Santana started. Did you know that in the girls bathroom, there is a list in the second stall, etched in permanent market, it states the list of sluts that have ever gone to McKinley High. I'm on that list.

"But anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself. I was talking about everything leading up to Jesse, and how everything just slid down the hill after that. Artie was on the way to the bottom of that hill, which eventually led to my killing myself. That's what the bottom represents.

"Artie was the one that started the pregnancy rumors. I was not pregnant, Finn. I know that even you started to believe it, but I swear I wasn't. I had gained some weight yes, but that was only from stress-eating. Do you remember when Artie had gotten a hair sample from you somehow that one day? He came to school the next day, saying how he had gotten hair samples from both of us, and that the baby wasn't yours. I said, 'Artie! I'm not pregnant! Finn and I have never had s-sex!' But then he said that it was most definitely Jesse's baby. Jesse's baby. As if I would ever carry the devils spawn.

"I cried Finn, I did. I cried in the girls bathroom and that's when I noticed that my name was at the bottom of the "Sluts" list. I trashed that bathroom, I was so mad. I ripped the toilet paper out, unscrewed the sink handles, I even broke a mirror. I was so mad and upset.

"Artie then, started buying me baby supplies. At first it was just little rattles, but then he started bringing bags of diapers to my locker. Diapers and clothes. When he had brought me a car seat that was one of his little brothers, I snapped at him. I yelled at him, saying that I wasn't pregnant. That there's no way I could ever be pregnant. Artie just grinned and smirked up at me while I was in that rage. I wanted to slap that smirk off of his face. Thankfully, you came along Finn and pulled me away from him and outside the school. We sat on the front steps and I cried into your shoulder. Remember?"

Finn smiled. He remembered.

"That was the first act of kindness anyone had done for me for awhile. Thank you Finn."

The tape stopped.

Finn was able to pull his face into a smile for the first time since he got the tapes. He wasn't completely stupid and blind, at least.

That night at dinner, Finn wolfed it down so that he could go upstairs and listen to tape eight.

"Finn, your turn for dishes." his mom said once he stood up. "Wait here until everyone is done."

Finn sighed and sat back down. He anxiously drummed his fingers on his bouncing knee.

"Finn, why are you in such a hurry?" Kurt asked.

"Just ready to do homework." he mumbled.

"It's Saturday," Kurt reminded him.

"Let's talk about the elephant in the room." Burt said suddenly. "Rachel."

Finn swallowed hard.

"Finn, how are you coping with her death?" he asked bluntly. Carole gave him a look, but he ignored it.

"I, um, I guess I'm fine. I mean, I miss her of course."

"It sure didn't seem like it whenever you were macking on Santana's face." Kurt said low enough, only for Finn to hear. Finn clenched his hands into a fist.

"So, do you think that you're gonna ever date again, after Rachel?" Burt asked.

"Burt, I think that's enough."

"Carole, she has been dead long enough. We have just avoided the fact that she killed herself. I don't want Finn to get all depressed because he feels like he can't talk about it with any of us." he turned to face Finn. "My first wife died, as you know. I have been through something similar like this, I am here for you Finn."

don't kill me! I know that it is extremely short, but there wasn't much I had planned for Artie. Review and tell if you hated it or loved it! :)