Sitting at her window sill, Quinn hugged her knees close to her chest and watched as the passing cars went by. Resting her cheek against her knees, she tried to figure out how things had gotten so messed up. It was supposed to be her year. It was supposed to be perfect and…normal. She wasn't supposed to be a divorce kid caught in the midst of a love triangle with two boys whom she hardly had any interest in.

"No, you explain to me why your lawyer is calling our daughter at school and scheduling a deposition."

It had been over an hour since Quinn informed her mother about the call. Calmly, her mother had brushed the hair out from her face, told her to stay in her room while 'mommy handles it,' and said 'everything will be alright.' So for an hour, Quinn had been hugging her knees to her chest, watching the passing cars go by, and listening to the infuriated screams of her mother as they resonated through the thin walls.

"I will fight you, Russell! I will fight you to the end if you think you can take our house from us!"

Quinn clamped her eyes shut as she fought the losing battle against her tears. It was her fault all of it was happening. Hers and the two words she would live the rest of her life despising…'trust me.'

"She is your daughter!"

No she wasn't. Her father disowned her the moment he found out about the pregnancy (really Finn? Singing? How was that a good idea?) and within a single breath, she was no longer daddy's little girl.

"Don't you hang up on me, Russell. Russell! Russell! Damn it!" The sound of her mother's exasperated sigh became overpowered by the crash of the phone hitting the wall.

As Quinn's mother let herself into the bedroom, Quinn wiped her tears away and moved over to her bed.

"Oh Quinnie…" Her mother took a seat next to her and petted her long silky hair. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay mom." She turned away and wrapped her arms protectively around her midsection.

"No, it's not, but I promise it will be. I swear." Placing a kiss on the top of Quinn's head, her mother attempted to offer a comforting smile before leaving Quinn alone with her thoughts.

Sniffling, Quinn laid back into her bed and clung to the stuffed elephant that her father had won for her at a carnival when she was four. It had always been her favorite, but now…now it was just an antagonizing reminder. In a fit of heartache, she threw the elephant across the room and slammed it against the door. She didn't need a reminder…she needed a distraction. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed a friend and there was only one person she could think of.

Grabbing her phone off the night stand, she smiled as she noticed a missed text message from the one and only Artie Abrams.

Everything okay? We missed you at glee. Call me if you need anything.

It was weird when she thought about. A month ago he was nowhere to be found when it came to her contacts log, and now they were on texting terms? More than texting terms…they were friends? As odd as it seemed, she found herself happier because of it and she wouldn't have had it any other way. Artie was her friend and she was his.

Without a second thought, she highlighted his name and hit the send key.

"Quinn?" He didn't even say 'hello.' He just answered with her name, sounding as though he thought the caller id on his phone was lying to him. It was sort of cute, she had to admit.

"Hi…I, uh, I got your message. Sorry for running out on you guys. Mr. Schue wasn't mad, was he?"

"He was fine with it. H-how are you doing? Are you okay?" Less than thirty seconds into the phone call and she was already feeling better. It was nice knowing that someone cared enough to ask…and meant it. "I was worried about you…everyone was. Well, except for maybe Santana."

"I just have a lot on my mind right now." Between home, school, glee, and the Cheerios, she was in desperate need of a break. "I didn't feel like singing."

"You can unload on me." It sounded so genuine and he offered so quickly that it caused her to arch an eyebrow in disbelief. Aside from Finn and occasionally Sam, Quinn didn't have much experience when it came to guys being sweet and offering an ear. Most of the boys she knew were more like Puck with the sporadic gestures of caring combined with the expectation of sex. "I mean, if you want to that is. I don't mind."

"No, I'm…um…" She should have probably taken the opportunity to vent, but she wasn't that kind of person. She was more of the type of girl that bottled everything up until it exploded into a burst of bitchiness. Slowly, she was working on it…very slowly. "You think you could…distract me? Make me forget…just…just for a little while?" Their conversation stalled, silence being the only thing streaming through the headset. At his lack of response, she began to worry that she had done something wrong or if it was too much to ask of him. "Artie?"

"It's still early and…um…uh…"

She could hear his nervous gulps through the phone and could easily imagine him staring down into his lap as he adjusted his glasses. "Um uh what?" She teased in a light tone.

"Who are you talking to? Is that Quinn! Hi Quinn! Hi!"

It took everything in Quinn not to laugh at the distinct sound of a hyperactive five year old yelling in the background.

"Yes, now go away." Artie's voice held the perfect mix of playfulness and irritation (as any good older brother should possess) as Aimee relentlessly begged him to remind Quinn about their tea party. Sighing, he gave in as always. "Aims wants to remind you about her tea party. It's not too late. You should come over…if-if you want to. Y-you don't have to if you-"

"Is that okay?" She cut him off before he could retract the invite. Getting out of the house sounded like a really good idea. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense. Mom was already expecting you because of our project and…it'd be nice to have my partner back." He chuckled awkwardly and Quinn could almost picture the blush creeping along his cheeks. "Things are messier without you."

"Um, yeah okay. We do need to finish our project, right?" If she was being honest, she would have wanted to go over whether or not they had anything to work on, but the popular head cheerleader in her felt as though she needed a valid reason to go over to a 'geek's' house; even if the geek happened to be on the football team. Sometimes being on top sucked.

"Yep…" He drew out the single syllable, popping the 'P' at the end.

"Okay then…I guess I'll…see you soon. Bye." Tossing her phone in her bag, Quinn bit down on her lip and rushed to her closet to grab a deep pink cotton dress and a grey cardigan. It was all for the tea party of course…really. It had nothing to do with Artie or the fact that she was actually a little excited to hang out with him. With his help maybe, just maybe, she had a chance at a normal year after all.

Waiting in the garage (or what was better known as the Abrams' family man cave), Artie busied himself with playing Rock Band. His dad used to laugh at him and ask why he didn't just play his actual guitar, but something about being called a rock legend after gold starring a song on expert was extremely gratifying. It gave him the sensation of making it big, something he figured he would never have the chance to experience. The closest he came to that feeling was when he was performing with the glee club, which was why he joined in the first place. And why did he remain in glee club after what happened with both Tina and Brittany? Especially with both relationships ending with a figurative punch to the gut? He was a man. He could admit it. It was mainly because of Quinn and because of that, he wanted to make sure he was there for her as much as she had been for him. That was the sole reason he asked her to come over again. That and to work on the project…honestly. That's it.

"Artie look! Quinn's here! Look! Look! Artie look!" Aimee jumped up and down as she dragged Quinn into the garage. "Artie! Stop playing and look!" She whined using the little kid voice that was more adorable than annoying.

Quitting out of the song, Artie placed the plastic guitar back on its stand and spun his chair around. His breath abandoned him as he caught his first glimpse of Quinn being tugged on by his paint covered baby sister. Pink was definitely Quinn's color and Artie was almost positive it was now his new favorite color.

Aimee ran over to her brother, grabbed on to his handle bars and began pushing with all the might she could muster. "I let her wear one of my tiaras since she didn't have her own." When Artie patted his lap, Aimee gave up on her quest, scurried her way onto him and motioned for him to wheel them over to Quinn. "Do you like it?"

He did. It was a cheap plastic bargain bin tiara, but with its vibrant pink coloring and shimmering silver plastic jewels, it went perfectly with Quinn's outfit. She looked like a princess.

Realizing he was staring, Artie shook his gaze away. "Aims, why don't you see if mom needs help with dinner?"

In a pout, Aimee hopped off her brother's lap, folded her arms and brought her chin to her chest. "But I wanna play with you and Quinn. The tea party's ready and Mr. Pig won't wait much longer."

"I tell you what…" Quinn knelt down and tapped Aimee on the nose. "After your brother and I finish our project, we'll start the party. That way there won't be any distractions."

The little girl wrinkled her brow and tilted her head in confusion. "But we already finished it. See…" She lifted her hands up so Quinn could see the paint covering them. "...I helped."

Standing up, Quinn saw that their diorama had indeed been completed. There was even an Aimee sized hand print in the middle of the ocean scene. Artie took to looking at the ceiling, at the speakers in the corners, at the mini fridge…basically at anything, but her. When she finally captured his eyes, he shrugged and smiled crookedly. "I was working on it when you called."

Quinn smirked and shook her head before placing her hand on Aimee's back and guiding the little girl into the house. "How about after dinner?" She offered as an alternative. "Just you and me?"

Aimee turned around to face Quinn and looked up at her with wide blue eyes. "What about Artie? He has to be there too!"

"I thought it was girls only?"

"But he's King Arthur! Duh, he doesn't follow any rules silly!" Aimee giggled as she ran away to find her mom, leaving Artie alone with Quinn.

Sheepishly, Artie rolled himself over to Quinn who was standing with arms crossed and a knowing expression covering her features. So he lied about needing to finish their project. Big deal. Friends lie to help other friends sometimes. Right?

"Sorry I finished it without you. There wasn't much to do. If you want to leave, I'll understand."

She didn't say anything right away. She just smiled and brought her hands to where the tiara sat on her head, hovering over it in hesitation. "I don't think I've worn one of these things since I was like six." She let out a laugh-like exhale. "God, I must look so ridiculous."

"No…" His gaze softened and his voice turned sincere. "…you look like a princess." As soon as he said those words, he felt like slapping himself. Coughing, he cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses and tried his best to save himself from further embarrassment. "I mean, that is the theme right? Princesses?"

"Yeah…theme." Staring at the floor, Quinn moved passed Artie and took a seat on the couch. "So, what were you doing?"

"I was playing Rock Band, but I-I can stop if you want to just watch TV or something." He wheeled himself next to her.

"I actually like that game." To his surprise, Quinn stood up and grabbed the drum set, bringing it over to the couch. She set herself up nonchalantly behind the drums and held on to the drum sticks as if it was no big deal. "C'mon, I'll play with you."

Artie could hardly believe it. Did Quinn just agree to play a game with him? Tina had never played a game with him…ever. "Really? I didn't know you played."

Quinn rolled her eyes and released a sharp breath. "You really believe I dated Finn all that time and he never once made me play something? Have you not met him? Besides, he thought it was a good way to teach me how to play the drums. It didn't work by the way." She attempted to twirl the sticks only to have them drop. "I still suck, but…" She held up her hand. "I swear I can hold my own on medium." She ended with a soft laugh.

"You have got to be the coolest girl ever." He said it under his breath, just quietly enough that she didn't hear it. "So…" He searched his brain for the best way to do what Sam had begged him for. Before glee practice started, Sam ambushed him, saying something about Artie being his wingman and if Artie would put in a good word for him with Quinn. He didn't really want to get involved, Quinn was smart enough to make up her own mind about people, but he did promise he would try. One thing Artie Abrams was not was a breaker of promises. "Speaking of Finn…what do you think of Sam?"

Quinn twisted her features into a dumbfounded expression. "Speaking of Finn? How did you get from Finn to Sam?"

"I don't really know." Sighing, Artie buried his face in his hands. "I promised Sam I would put in a good word for him."

She chuckled. "And you call this putting in a good word? Smooth…"

Twisting his hands in his lap, he shrugged. "I respect your opinion and your decisions. If you've already decided that you don't want to be with Sam, or Puck, or anyone, I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise. It's your choice to make and I refuse to influence it. All I have to say is…do whatever you want."

Leaning back into the couch, Quinn held on to her elbow from across her body. "I don't know what I want. No, actually…" She tilted her head and shifted her gaze to the floor in contemplation. "…I think I do. I want to work on me, on getting my life back on track. I want my parents to stop fighting. I want Rachel to fall in a ditch somewhere. I want both Mr. Schue and Ms. Sylvester to take a pill. I want more than anything to get out of this loser town. And even though it is such a girly thing to want, I want to be with someone. The funny thing is, I know neither Sam nor Puck is that someone." She released a staggered breath as Artie sat quietly and listened. She was finally talking, finally opening up, and he wasn't about to mess that up. "When I'm with Puck…I'm Quinn, head cheerleader and top of the food chain. It's what I am, but when I'm with Sam…I'm just a normal girl without any worries, which is want I want to be. I keep thinking that if I could just find someone that I can be who I am and who I want to be with, everything would finally fall into place. Is that stupid?" Propping her elbow on the arm rest, she hid her face in her hand. "It is, isn't it?"

Wheeling himself closer to her and moving the drum set away, Artie placed his hand on her knee and aimlessly rubbed light circles with his thumb. "That's not stupid. I bet everyone thinks like that at some point in their lives. I know I do."

"Heh…" The corners of her mouth twitched with a contained smile as she stared down at his hand on her knee.

"What?" Noticing what she was looking at, Artie hastily lifted his hand and began pulling away. "Sorry…" Before he could recoil completely, she reached out and took a hold of his hand.

"I think I just realized something."

When she started rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb, Artie thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest. Which was crazy, right? Like he had been saying, they were friends…and that was all they were ever going to be. He was lucky enough to be able to call her that. "Wh-what did you realize?"

She smiled again, this time without trying to contain it. "Just…something. Maybe I'll tell you later. C'mon, let's play." She released his hand and sat up. "Sorry, did you want to play the drums? I didn't even ask."

"Um…" Artie scrunched his lips to the side and scratched the back of his head. "I can't really play the drums." At her confused expression, he pointed to the foot pedal and then pointed to his legs.

"Oh…" Quinn bit her lower lip and after some thought, she stood up. "I can fix that." She walked over to Artie's chair, held on to the handle bars and wheeled him over to the edge of the couch. After getting him in place, she moved the drum set so that it was directly in front of him, handed him the sticks, and moved the pedal to the side. "See, now I can work the pedal for you and you can play the drums. What song do you wanna try?" She grabbed the controller and began scrolling through the list of songs.

Artie blinked a bunch of times, he was near speechless. It wasn't like she had made it possible for him to walk or anything as extreme as that, but she was making it possible for him to do something he assumed and accepted he wouldn't be able to do. As simple as it was, it meant so much to him.

"Artie? What do you want to play?"

As she sat there in her pink and silver tiara searching for the first song he would ever play on the drums, Artie couldn't help, but stare. She was more than just cheerleader Quinn or a normal girl without any worries. She was a princess…and he liked her that way.

A/N: As always, thanks for reading! I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I had to fast forward a few things so I hope it doesn't feel too forced. Ah, I guess I'll just have fall back on to the saying: Que sera, sera. =)