A/N: I was a little rushed in uploading this. My apologies if you find mistakes. I assure you they will be corrected later.
Olivia broke the news to Artie at Tuesday's practice. "I'm sorry, Artie," she said, seriously, turning her wheelchair to face him squarely. All around them, their friends were singing and dancing in pairs, everyone working hard to win one of the three spots on Saturday. "I just can't go through with this."
Artie, who had been strumming out the chords to their song in their corner of the room amidst all the chaos of others rehearsing, looked up at her in alarm. She sighed, shoving the sheet music into his hand. "I hate this song," she went on to confess. "I know we picked it because we both know it by heart, but the thing is, I hear it at least three times every week. My little sister, Isabella is obsessed with the movie, Aladdin. She always begs me to watch it with her. Is it too late to pick something else?"
Having initially thought that Olivia meant she couldn't go through with being in New Directions, as opposed to merely hating the duet they'd picked, Artie was very relieved. And even he had to admit that A Whole New World was a pretty corny song. "Oh," he replied, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you meant that you liked it, since you said you knew it."
Olivia made a face. "No!" she giggled. "And I thought you liked it. Seemed weird, but I figured to each his own."
Artie burst out laughing at this. "Well, now that that's settled, I have to tell you that singing about magic carpet rides in wheelchairs is not really my idea of artistic irony!" She grinned as well. "I'll tell you what is though..." Artie whipped out the list of songs that Mr. Schuester had provided for inspiration. He skimmed down the list with his finger and landed on the very last song on the list.
"Stand By Me in wheelchairs?" Olivia looked torn between amusement and horror. "Artie!"
"No, I'm serious," he insisted, noting her doubtful expression. "Irony is a good thing. It'll enhance the performance. We can use some of the same steps... we really shouldn't call them steps, should we? The same moves that we were working on for the other song. Complete with wheelies, 'Liv. I'm putting my foot down, you're doing a wheelie!"
"I'd like to see you put your foot down," she taunted him, smirking.
Artie grinned. No one, not even Tina, dared to tease him like that. He couldn't help but enjoy it a little. Now that they were on good terms, Artie was finding Olivia pretty likable. He had even called her by her nickname, 'Liv, which she'd given him permission to do yesterday. She continued to complain about the wheelie suggestion, but Artie knew she'd end up trying it in the end, just to make him happy.
"So, that's settled then," he concluded, smiling at Olivia. "We're scrapping the stupid Disney song and doing Stand By Me. Sounds like a plan."
Across the room, Tina burst out laughing at something her duets partner had just said. The younger Asian grinned. Artie had yet to figure out whether he was Japanese or Vietnamese. Maybe he was both. He was sure that the kid wasn't Korean. Koreans had the most striking features, though he'd only ever paid attention to the features of Korean females. Or rather, one Korean female.
"I wonder what's so funny," mused Olivia. "I haven't heard what they're singing yet."
"I asked her what they were singing yesterday," Artie said, shrugging. "She told me it was top secret, quote-unquote. She and You-Die How don't want to give it away so they're practicing on their own time at his house." He concluded his statement by rolling his eyes dramatically. Not that he felt threatened by a freshman. A tall, handsome, Asian freshman...
"At his house?" Olivia caught on quickly. "Are you okay with that? I mean, you and Tina are dating."
"Well, she told me what she was doing," Artie said, determined not to become an annoyingly paranoid boyfriend. If Tina said that she and what's-his-name needed to practice at his place, Artie wasn't going to make a big deal about it. He trusted his girlfriend completely, and if the tables were turned, he was sure that she'd trust him. In fact, why not test her to make sure? "And I'm sure it would be fine for you to practice at my place."
"It does seem wise to keep our act a secret," Olivia agreed, looking apprehensively at Artie. She glanced at Tina again, and her look said it all. Artie shook his head firmly and insisted that it would be fine. Furthermore, he assured Olivia that he would let Tina know about their plans. Olivia's doubtful expression changed into a gleeful one. "And I think you're just three blocks from me. I can roll on over."
"But you don't need to walk home alone afterwards," Artie realized. "Or roll home. How about you save me a trip and invite me over instead?"
"You do remember I have annoying younger siblings, right?"
"Yeah, an instant audience!"
"If you say so." Olivia smirked, and Artie wondered how bad they could be.
When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
Artie sang, circling Olivia's chair in his. Olivia played the part well, looking admirably at Artie while he serenaded her. On the last line, he reached out left hand and took hers. They used their right hands to push their right wheels, doing a little circle around each other as they started into the chorus. Artie had taken the move from Finn and Rachel's signature step in Don't Stop Believing. (Second to Proud Mary, this was his favorite glee number of all time.) Olivia beamed the way Rachel used to beam at Finn as she joined in...
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
Artie reached out and stopped the iPod, saying, "That's all we've practiced so far. What do you guys think?"
Two of the three younger Ortiz kids, the nine-year-old twin boys, began applauding wildly. Evan and Ethan got a little too enthusiastic, standing up and jumping on the couch cushions. Olivia reminded them not to jump on the furniture, however, and they obediently sat back down. Isabella, the adorable six-year-old, clutched her Jasmine doll and pouted, saying, "I liked A Whole New World better."
"Sorry, Bella," said Olivia, glancing at Artie as though to say told you so. "Okay, guys, it's getting closer to bedtime for you two and Bella, you're up late tonight. So I'd like for Ethan and Evan to get showers and get ready for bed. And Bella, go pick up your toys before Momma gets home. I'll be in to get you ready for bed in a little while."
Artie thought the kids might protest, but they seemed to regard Olivia as an authority figure. All three obeyed again, causing Artie to gape at Olivia and say, "Where are the annoying siblings you told me about before? These kids are perfect!"
Olivia grinned. "Yeah, they're good kids," she agreed. "The twins have been a little more rowdy this year, and I think I'm not as patient with them as I once was. Sorry we ended up babysitting. Daddy had to work late, and Momma went to check on my grandmother. Mimi mentioned cooking so Mom went over to make sure nothing caught on fire." She giggled. "Mimi's never been able to cook, even when she was younger. That's why Mom's so good. She taught herself when she was just ten."
"Do you cook?" Artie wanted to know.
"A little," said Olivia. "I need help whenever it's something to go in the oven. That can be tricky to manage with crutches. But then, most things are tricky to manage with crutches. Still, I find if I'm creative, there isn't a lot I can't do. Maybe not running a marathon."
"Not according to the Special Olympics," Artie quickly corrected.
At this, Olivia laughed. "I should have seen that one coming," she mused. "I forgot that I'm talking to the guy who did what I once thought was impossible by joining glee club. Artie, I really admire you, you know that? You seem really well adjusted, considering you weren't born this way."
"Oh, so it's only normal to be well-adjusted if you were born paralyzed?"
Olivia blushed. "That came out wrong, sorry. I only meant that I think it would be hard to forget what it was like to be like everyone else. I realize what I'm missing out on, to a certain extent, but having never experienced life without crutches..."
"... it's not such a loss," Artie finished. "I get it. You and I, we aren't as similar as everybody thinks."
"How did it happen?" There it was, the question. The one he'd once lied to, when asked point-blank by Tina, the first person at McKinely High School with the guts to go there. And then of course, she'd found out in the worst way when she saw that tape of his accident, the one Artie never meant for anyone to see.
"It was a skiing accident when I was eight," Artie admitted now. The difficult thing about admitting that he had been skiing was admitting that it was, in fact, his fault. If he hadn't been such a daredevil and a show-off, he might still be walking today. But the list of what if was endless. For Olivia, there really wasn't a what if.
"I see," Olivia nodded, letting Artie leave his answer at this. "There's skiiing for people like us, you know."
"I know, it's just..." Artie trailed off, undecided on how best to explain his reasons for avoiding a modified version of the sport that nearly ended his life. Again, Olivia nodded, allowing Artie to leave it at that.
"Do you want to practice the second verse tonight?" Olivia suggested. They checked the clock in unison, however, and noticed that it was getting a little late for a school night. "Oh, yeah, or not. We still have plenty of time. I think it's coming together. I'll listen to it again and see if I can come with more moves for tomorrow."
"Same here," Artie agreed. "And you're still doing that wheelie, remember?"
Olivia winced. "I'm not going to like falling out of a wheelchair, but sure," she nodded, reluctantly. "If you insist. I just hope that - "
"I can't find Aladdin!" Isabella shrieked from the other room. "Livvie, where is it?!"
"In your dollhouse!" Olivia yelled back. She gave Artie a meaningful look, then massaged her temple, saying, "Isabella always loses her toys and gets upset when she can't find them. Gives me such a headache, always tracking down her favorite stuffed animal or a lost game piece."
"Headache?" Artie looked at her in alarm.
"I knew better than to say headache," Olivia scolded herself, cringing at Artie. "I see someone's been researching spina bifida. Please don't tell me you're going to start treating me like I'm sickly, too. My friend, Courtney, was just fine with me until she started reading the internet. Now I can't take an advil without her freaking out, asking if it's my shunt."
"So, you have one?"
"It isn't as freaky as it sounds," Olivia said, defensively. "I've only had a few bad episodes that landed me in the hospital. Usually, I stay pretty healthy. I'm not sick, Artie. So don't start."
"Wasn't gonna!" Artie said, hurriedly, realizing that Tina had sort of been right about this.
"Yeah, well..." Olivia trailed off, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of her sister's bedroom. "I hate to end tonight on that note, but Bella needs to be in bed already. I'd better go take care of her. Um, but I had a lot of fun tonight. I'm really glad you picked this song for us."
She reached for her crutches and used them to hoist herself out of the wheelchair. Artie hadn't seen her out of the chair all night, and he'd gotten used to having her at eye level. "Me too," he said, raising his eyes to look at her.
Olivia walked him to the door and watched him go down the street. She asked him to text her to let her know he'd make it home safely, which seemed silly to Artie since it was only three blocks away, but he supposed being disabled didn't make her any less paranoid than the rest of his family. If anything, she understood the constant vulnerability of his situation better than anyone else. Tina wanted to understand, but Artie knew she didn't. Not really.
And suddenly, knowing Olivia was becoming very uncomfortable.