Saturday morning, Artie awoke with his hip digging into the thin mattress of the futon. He automatically shifted around so that his weight was on the other hip. But he didn't know how long he'd been in this same position. Since he couldn't naturally move his lower half around in the night, sleeping on a surface like this one put Artie at risk. His movement woke up his sister, who had slept on the floor rather than inflate the air mattress and take up more of the space surrounding Artie's makeshift bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him, worry etched on her face, for she knew the problems that could result from his situation all too well, too.
"Go back to sleep," he urged her. "It's early."
Not only was it too early to wake up, but they'd all been up late playing cards. The four other freshmen had gone back to Old Campus for a suite party – something undoubtedly inaccessible to Artie – but Tina and Quinn accompanied Amy and Artie over to Biff and Tanner's and stayed over late playing cards and talking.
"I can't," she said, in a scratchy voice. "I'm worried about you. You're going to get a pressure sore if you don't move more."
"Don't remind me," he said, pushing up on his elbows and reaching for his chair. "Alright, fine, I can't go back to sleep anyway. I'm going to see what I can manage to do in that restroom. You want the futon for a bit?"
Amy shook her head. "I'm good."
Artie went and took care of his morning routine in half the usual amount of space. He found it actually impossible to take a full shower, so he stuck with washing up to the best of his ability next to the sink. It was beyond frustrating but what else could he do about it? He figured this was the best thing Quinn could work out for him, given that she probably didn't know many people outside of Old Campus who could host him for a couple of nights.
When he finally emerged, fully dressed except for his shoes, he did find that Amy had crawled onto the futon and had gone back to sleep. The noise he made coming out woke her up, though, and she promptly got up to use the restroom. When she came back, she too was ready for the day, wearing a tad more makeup than he was used to seeing on her. She made the futon back into a couch and Artie transferred onto it again, strategically placing one of the pillows Biff had loaned him under his backside. Amy hadn't stopped watching him like a hawk but she said nothing more about her concerns.
"Did you really mean it when you told everyone last night that you settled on Ohio State because of me?" Artie asked his sister, as she stuffed her pajamas back into her suitcase.
"First off, I didn't settle for Ohio State," she clarified, giving him a sharp look. "It's a decent school for education majors. If anything, I settled for my field of study, but that's another story. But yes, Artie, staying close to you, mom, and dad was important to me."
"But why?" Artie wanted to know, as he maneuvered his foot into his shoe and tied his laces.
"Because," she said, watching him tie his shoes. "Artie, c'mon, you've got to understand how it affected me. Almost losing you. Of course it made it harder for me to pack up and leave."
He paused before putting on his other shoe to stare at her as she gave him an almost apologetic look. "Come here," he finally said, patting the empty space beside him. When she did, he pulled her in for a hug. When he finally released her, they exchanged matching smiles. "Thank you."
"I mean, you're my baby brother," she said, ruffling his hair a bit. "You're welcome. Anyway, I'm gonna text Quinn and see when she and Tina can be ready. She said there's another neat cafe with good coffee in a bookstore nearby where we're headed today."
The previous night, in between card games, they'd all made plans for today. Tina wanted to tour the drama department. And when Artie casually brought up his interest in the Yale Film Alliance, it was his new pal from the bathroom, Lincoln, who got excited. It turned out, he was involved in that and was willing to show Artie around. Even on a Saturday, they were guaranteed to meet people, Quinn had said. Campus really came alive on the weekends, when everyone was out of class.
Quinn and Tina hadn't slept in either, both of them wanting to make the most of the time they had. They were indeed already up. Quinn arranged to pick them up at Tanner and Biff's. She'd be bringing Lincoln along for the tour.
It seemed she'd loaned Tina some clothes, for she was dressed a lot like Quinn when the girls came by, wearing a similar pea coat to the one Quinn had on the day before. Amy, in her yellow sweater, still looked like she was going to be chilly, at least for the morning before the sun came out. They picked Artie and Amy up while Tanner and Biff were still sleeping, so Amy just left a note on the whiteboard on their fridge and off they went. Quinn was driving her own car again, and Artie took the front seat while Amy stowed his chair in the trunk for him and then climbed into the back with Tina and Lincoln.
"Good morning!" Quinn greeted him. "Did you sleep okay?" He caught the hint of concern in her voice.
"For the most part," Artie lied. He'd tried to wake himself up again and again to move around, which hadn't resulted in the most restful night. Having had some experience with that, she had to have known. "Well, anyway, all I need is an extra shot of espresso."
The place they were headed to, the Atticus Bookstore Cafe, was built in 1975 and was pleasantly spacious, with part of the building dedicated to a cafe with a bakery counter and the rest a charming bookstore with wide, spaced out aisles that you didn't always find in bookstores. It was this kind of stuff that mattered greatly to Artie, and he could envision himself hanging out comfortably in this space. Another point for Yale. Quinn still had his placard hanging in the window, which naturally scored them some great parking right by the cafe.
After they'd ordered speciality coffees and bakery items for breakfast, they gathered at an empty table to plan out the day.
"Everything we need to visit is nearby," Quinn explained, as she produced a campus map and spread it out on their table. The bookstore had several of them by the door.
"The Center for Collaborative Arts and Media, the CCAM, is right across the street, by the parking garage," Lincoln explained, pointing to it on the map.
"And Tina, you will love seeing the Yale Repertory Theatre that's right by here, too," Quinn gushed. "I talked to Natalia, she's going to meet us there this morning. She's a theatre major and can tell you everything you need to know. Then she's going to take us over to the Yale School of Drama and maybe a couple of the other theaters if we have time."
"We gotta meet up at Harkness Tower at some point," Lincoln interjected. "The observation deck. You can see all across campus. Great spot for pictures, and I'll gladly be your photographer to get a group shot of you guys."
"Sounds like it involves another elevator," Artie said, laughing nervously. "Okay, how old is this building? I think I'd get into the habit of asking that question everywhere I go around campus."
"Kinda old but it's an observation deck," he pointed out. "The elevator has to be reliable. Unlike my dorm, this morning it was out again. I'm only on the third floor, I guess it could be worse."
Yeah, you could actually be unable to access stairs, Artie thought but did not say. He met Quinn's eyes, though, and could tell she'd had the same thought which she kept to herself.
"After the observation deck, we can check out the theaters over there," Quinn said, pointing out more places on their trusty map. "There are several in the area. I haven't even seen them all, so this will be a treat for me, too."
"If we have any extra time after that, maybe we could stop by the Asian-American Cultural Center?" Tina suggested, then rolled her eyes at herself. "That totally sounds like something Mike would have asked about, doesn't it?"
"Who's Mike?" Lincoln dutifully asked.
"Tina's ex-boyfriend," Artie gleefully informed the guy Tina had been flirting with ever since he'd sat down at their table the previous night. (Hey, she was the one who brought up Mike!) "The guy she dumped me for actually."
"Let's not go there, you basically dumped yourself, Arthur," Tina shot back.
"Preach," added Amy, raising a hand in agreement as Quinn politely covered her giggle.
"Sure, we can go to the Asian-American Cultural Center, Tina," Quinn said. "Whatever you and Artie want to see, we'll make it happen."
They finished their breakfast and split up, headed off to their respective locations. Amy opted to tag along with Tina and Quinn to meet Natalia and tour the drama school, leaving Artie with Lincoln.
"The Yale Film Alliance is on the first floor," Lincoln said, tossing the comment over his shoulder as Artie followed him almost directly across the street to their designation, the CCAM. "Quinn said you like making short films. If that's what you like, then you'll want to know all about Bulldog Productions, that's what they specialize in."
He held the door open for Artie to pass through. Artie took in the quiet lobby, hoping this place was just having a slow day on a Saturday morning.
"So, are you a film major?" Artie wanted to know, as he followed Lincoln down a hallway.
"Oh, me? Nope," said Lincoln. "Sociology major. I just do short films for fun with these people when I have the time. But we may run into someone who's doing the film and media studies program while we're here, and you could talk to them. We'll just ask around, yeah?"
"Brilliant," Artie commented, noticing that something about being at Yale made him want to pick up British slang like the characters in 'Harry Potter' and toss it around like that was normal for him. He was a little disappointed to learn that Lincoln wasn't actually a serious film student. "Oh, hey, is this a studio?"
"Yup, welcome to the office of Bulldog Productions!" Lincoln said, proudly, holding yet another door open for him. "C'mon, let's see if we can find anyone here for you to geek out with."
There were definitely a few people here to "geek out" with. They were dressed very similarly to the way he and Lincoln were both outfitted, with Artie having opted to put on the "future film student sheik" look that Quinn had put together for him last spring.
"You can be normal, you can be casual," Lincoln teased, leaning down close by Artie's ear to remind him of his ridiculous self-talk from the other night. In that moment, Lincoln kind of reminded Artie of Sam. With his shaggy blonde hair, he even looked a bit like Sam, who had promised to get his hair cut into a 50's-style coif before the show.
"Thanks for the pep talk," Artie said, as everyone looked their way curiously. A couple of them greeted Lincoln by name. Almost everyone was too busy to pay their visitors much attention.
"This is Artie," Lincoln said, importantly. "High school senior from someplace in Ohio. He's trying to find a place for people who love short films and hate being normal. Has he found the right place?"
"Hell yes, he has," said a girl, stepping forward. She kind of dressed like Sugar, except her hair was dyed a dark shade of red and she had a nose ring that reminded him of the one Quinn had taken out after she got over her "skank" phase. "Welcome. I'm Claudia. We're always interested in new blood. Tell me, Artie, why do you want to be a filmmaker?"
"Oh, I've just always liked quirky short films," he explained. "Watching them, creating them. I really enjoy having an idea and watching it come to life. That goes for the stage as well. Last year, I directed 'West Side Story' and this year, I'm directing 'Grease.'"
"Well, we have a lot of fun here and we make entertaining, high-quality content," she said, nudging the guy with glasses and a build similar to Artie's. The guy looked up briefly and just nodded, returning to what looked like some seriously tedious editing. "Nigel's in the zone," she explained.
"And are you in the film and media studies program?" Artie wanted to know.
"Oh, no, no I'm not," said Claudia. "I'm an art major. I just do this, you know, for fun." She shrugged. "And Nigel's a psychology major. I think there are only like thirty students a year that graduate from that program. So, good luck finding them."
"Well, I would have thought they'd be here!" Artie had a difficult time hiding his frustration. Did everyone just do this "for fun?" Yeah, filmmaking was fun but it was also serious business. All great directors and producers had to start somewhere, right? (But exactly how many of them had started at Yale, Artie did not know.)
"Er, maybe they slept in," Lincoln shrugged, exchanged a confused look with Claudia as Nigel further ignored everyone by sticking a giant pair of headphones over his ears. "Well, anyway Artie, I think I speak for everyone – especially old Nigel here – when I say you'd be welcome here."
"Yeah, definitely," Claudia said. "By the way, have you seen 'Crash?'"
Artie blinked a few times in response. He was saved by a text from Amy just then, asking if they were ready to meet up to check out the observation tower yet. "Oh, uh, I actually had better get going," he said. "It was lovely meeting you all."
Lovely meeting you all? Lincoln mouthed, in a mocking sort of way as they left the studio together. "I don't get the impression you're very interested in us," he commented. "In Yale. Are you just trying to follow Quinn?"
"What? No!" Artie wondered if anyone was going to think that. Quinn was beautiful, definitely the sort of girl who a guy might follow across the U.S. But... no. "I'm really just here to bring her car back, but since I'm top of my class and might have a shot at Yale too, I thought I might as well check it out."
Lincoln seemed satisfied with this explanation and didn't ask for anything further. Harkness Tower was about four blocks over, a five minute walk. Artie noticed that Quinn seemed to be struggling a little when they met up. As Artie wheeled closer to check on her quietly, she reached down and gave his hand a squeeze, assuring him she was fine. Lincoln caught his eye then, with a knowing grin, and Artie could see that he was back to entertaining his theory about them. After a reliable elevator ride to the top and a few minutes of admiring the view – and it really was an incredible view of Hogwarts, er... Yale – Lincoln took a group picture of the other four.
"Want to grab lunch nearby and then check out the other theaters and the... er, the Asian thing?" Artie asked, hoping to give Quinn a minute to sit down and rest. He received three nods of agreement and Quinn mentioned a reasonably priced and yummy sandwich shop that was close to where they were now.
As they ordered their next meal of the day (and they were going to have to cook something simple for dinner, Artie figured, because it all added up), they exchanged stories. Tina was in love with the classic architecture of the first big theater she'd just toured and called it inspiring. Then they'd met a few drama majors at the Yale School of Drama, and she'd been even more excited about that. Artie tried to hide the disappointment he'd felt as he described visiting the Bulldog Productions studio. Once again, talking about the future was overwhelming and confusing, maybe more confusing than ever. For that reason, he was grateful to receive a text message that was very much in the present.
Come home soon, it read. Garçon and Frankenteen really don't know what they're doing without you.
Kitty's underhanded way of paying him a compliment by insulting his peers worked, he supposed. It made him chuckle anyway. (He wondered who had told her about 'Frankenteen.') Of course, the others had to know what was so funny. He passed his phone around.
"That girl..." Tina shook her head as she passed his phone back to him. "Honestly, Artie, I know I wasn't even in the running and I like playing Rizzo, so I'm fine with that, but why didn't you just cast Marley?"
"Well... I did," Artie fessed up. "I actually offered the part to Marley first but she refused and asked for something smaller. And don't you ever tell Kitty that, by the way, because I don't regret giving her the part. Not one bit. Even if she is a little..."
"Catty?" Amy supplied, amused by her own little joke.
Artie smiled. Thanks, Kitty, his text back to her read. I'm sure you and Blaine handled it like pros. See you Monday.
"Hey!" Tanner and Biff finally showed up. Not by chance, of course. Quinn had texted them to see if they wanted to meet up for lunch when they were on the way down from the observation deck. Biff pulled a chair over from the nearest table, turned it around and straddled it backwards, grinning stupidly at Amy who shyly smiled back.
"Good news," said Tanner, sitting on the other side of Tina. "Not that you have to be invited, but I was specifically invited to come to Delta Kappa Epsilon's house tonight, and I told them I had a couple of high school seniors visiting from Idaho."
"Ohio," Tina corrected. "A frat party? Hang on, I think I know about them. They have the two frat houses on Lake Place, right? The ones that look straight out of the south."
"Someone did her homework," Biff teased. "Those are the ones." He then turned to Artie. "Might have to carry you up the steps to the porch, that okay with you?"
This was the part where Artie was expected, of course, to say 'yes.' People who weren't in his position didn't tend to think of it as a big deal, to have perfect strangers cart you around places and to not be able to get out of a place on your own because someone had carried you in. Artie was just about to shrug and say it was fine, but someone beat him to answering.
"No, that's not okay with him," Tina huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Seriously? Artie's not furniture. He's a person... with dignity..."
"Well, hang on," Artie started to say, not wanting to let Tina put words in his mouth.
But now Quinn was the one shaking her head. "No thank you, guys," she said. "You know those parties are always a disaster. Their rowdy conduct has gotten out of hand. I know that's not what I came to Yale for. So, sorry, but... no thanks."
"No biggie, just thought we'd offer," Biff said, holding up his hands in surrender. "And just so you know, we'd leave if it got too crazy. I'm not all about that either. Just wanted to let you guys see another side of Yale while you're here..."
"Amy wants to go," Artie said, noticing the interested look on his sister's face and deciding then and there that he wouldn't let his reluctance to be carried influence what she did. Nope, it was time she stopped making decisions for herself based on him. She shot him a wide-eyed stare. "What? You do. And if you guys are okay with the rest of us staying back hanging out at your place while the three of you are out..."
"Oh, sure, not a problem," Tanner said. Biff was grinning at his sister in a way that made Artie slightly uneasy, but he knew she'd make good choices.
On Sunday morning, bright and early, Quinn took Amy, Artie, and Tina to the airport. They'd see her in about a month, when she came to the show, so saying good-bye was bearable. But it was still hard. Artie was beginning to understand the appeal of being just an hour away, not ten.
Once they got settled on the plane, after Artie had taken his ceremonial ride down the aisle on the impossibly narrow aisle chair, Amy took the window seat and promptly fell asleep right after take-off. Tina was in the middle and Artie had the aisle.
"All that partying wore her out," Tina observed, with a giggle, as she carefully reached across Amy and pulled the window shade shut. "I'm glad we didn't go. We needed more time to just catch up with Quinn."
"I agree." Artie smiled, glancing out over at his sister. "She got that Biff guy's number. I mean, now that she's about to graduate from college, I finally feel differently about her dating, you know? I wish she would date someone. I want to see her happy. It's time she found herself some kind of adventure."
"Is Yale the right adventure for you?" Tina wanted to know. "I mean, now that you've been and seen the Yale Film Alliance in person, can you see yourself there?"
"No." Artie didn't even hesitate, and Tina looked surprised, since she'd spent the previous evening fawning over what she'd seen at Yale and commenting that it was a perfect second choice for her, if Brown didn't work out.
"No?" she echoed. "You sound pretty sure of that. Care to elaborate?"
"I asked Lincoln, Quinn, Tanner, and Biff if they'd noticed many people in wheelchairs on campus," he said, heaving a sigh and adjusting his position in his seat. Two nights on that hard, stupid futon had given him a small pressure sore on his right hip that he didn't want to talk about. "They all admitted, they haven't. I think it's because that place is so damn old. If Old Campus is indeed the place to be for freshmen on campus, and I can't be there, or if I have to worry about the elevators breaking down when my class turns out to be in some ancient building... well, forget it. Besides, it's just a concentration in film and media, not an actual film school like I think I want."
"Like you think you want?" Tina echoed his words again.
Artie heaved another huge sigh. "I'm second guessing literally everything, Tina," he said. "I wish I weren't turning nineteen soon. I need a gap year but I'm too old for one. Already did that when I was eight."
Tina tucked her head against his shoulder. "You'll figure it out, Artie," she said. "It's just hard to believe it's finally our turn, isn't it?
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. Drop me some feedback in a review, if you would. The next chapter is complete, I'm just holding it hostage until I hear from you, reader.