Chapter 13: Baby, You're A…

ARTIE

"So this is where the party is!"

Artie had been laying back on his inflatable raft, soaking up the warm afternoon sun, when he heard Quinn's familiar voice. He opened his eyes and looked over to see her closing the sliding glass door that lead from the kitchen out onto the patio.

"Quinn!" Ella exclaimed, popping her head out of the water and beating Artie to his usual excitable greeting that he reserved for only her.

"I should have guessed that I'd find you guys out here," Quinn said. "I would have just come around the side of the house in the first place. Your step-dad had to let me in."

"My bad. But, yeah, you probably should have checked out back first," Artie replied. "Well, anyways, glad you came!"

"Of course I came," Quinn laughed. "I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for a backyard swim."

"Oh, so you didn't care about seeing me then?" Artie asked jokingly, crossing his arms and feigning hurt feelings as he floated on his raft. "Are you only dating me so you can have access to this pool all summer long?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased, and Artie matched her sly smirk. He liked that their relationship was built on a mutual sense of humor. They teased each other constantly, and it made their time spent together extra fun. "Either way, spending time with you is an added bonus," she added.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps me sleep at night, right?" Artie asked, rolling off of his raft and into the water, swimming over to the side of the pool to greet her.

Artie, Ella, and Griffin had already begun swimming by the time Quinn had shown up just after five-thirty. It had started to cool down by then, with the worst of the day's heat and humidity already behind them. After Sam had mentioned wanting to come over, Artie extended the invite to Quinn for a late afternoon swim and a low-key backyard Fourth of July celebration.

"Anyways," Artie continued, reaching for an orange foam pool noodle that was drifting by and tucking it under his armpits to keep him above the surface without having to expend so much energy using his arms to tread water. "How've ya been?"

"Good, good," she answered. It had been a few days since they'd last seen one another, as Quinn's mom had been dragging her all over the state of Ohio to buy things for her dorm room before everything got picked over by the end of the summer. "If I never enter another Bed Bath and Beyond, it'll be too soon, but otherwise good."

She kicked off her flip-flops and pulled her floral cover-up dress over her head, revealing a blue string bikini. It wasn't revealing or anything, but it sure was a far cry from the collection of one-pieces she'd worn to the New Directions pool parties for the last couple of summers. Artie had known Quinn fairly well for years and had seen her at both her best and her worst. He knew that it had taken her a while to be confident in her body after having Beth, and– as someone who knew all too well what it felt like to have parts of himself he'd rather keep hidden– he was proud that she'd made enough progress that she felt comfortable enough to wear whatever she wanted to while at his house.

"Just us tonight?" Quinn asked the three Abrams kids, surveying the serene pool. Artie had told her that it wasn't going to be a huge thing when he'd called– just a few of them and some snacks– but it appeared she was still surprised by the small turnout. "Where's your other half?"

"Sebastian?" Artie asked and tilted his head, to which Quinn laughed and nodded, gingerly stepping into the cool, refreshing pool and beginning to descend the stairs and wade into the water. "He's not my other half," Artie said, earning him a questioning look from Quinn, who didn't seem to buy that statement. "He's not!" Artie insisted. "It's not my fault he's just always hanging around. Anyway, get this– he's at work."

"Work? Really?"

"Yeah. Crazy, right?" Artie asked as Quinn joined him in the center of the pool. "Sam offered him this position working with him, scooping ice cream for minimum wage and tips over at that place on Main Street. I'm not sure what's gotten into the guy we've known for the last few months, but to everyone's shock, Seb took him up on it. Today was his first day."

"Wow." Quinn raised her eyebrows with surprise and even seemed a little impressed. "I hope he didn't struggle too much. The crowds brought out by the Fourth must be pretty brutal."

"That's what I said!" Artie exclaimed, internally marveling at how similarly the thought processes of their brains worked. They really were so well-matched.

"I mean, the poor guy's never worked a day in his life," Griffin commented. He was sitting on the edge of the pool in the deep end, scrolling aimlessly on his phone with his feet dangling in the water.

"Right," Artie agreed. "I still think that it seems a bit cruel to just throw him to the wolves by scheduling his first day on what's bound to be the most hectic day of the season." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, their shift ends in a little bit. It was actually Sam's idea, to come back here after they get off and swim. I mentioned the idea to Mom, and she took it upon herself to use her day off to put together a small-but-proper impromptu Fourth of July party."

"Of course she did," Quinn nodded, understandingly.

Ella piped up then. "I helped Mom look on Pinterest for some ideas. There are a bunch of cute, festive little festive recipes on there for every holiday you can think of. We made cupcakes decorated with red, white, and blue fruit, and some pigs in a blanket. Mom said that we'll grill some hamburgers later, too."

"That's all, though," Artie jumped in just then, aiming to lower whatever Quinn's expectations were for this night a little bit. To even call it a party was too far. It was a gathering, at best. "We didn't really have time to plan and put together anything bigger. We should have taken advantage of the holiday and done that, though. Maybe in a few weeks, we'll through a big rager and invite everyone."

"A 'rager'?" Quinn laughed. "Never thought I'd hear you suggest something like that, Mr. Abrams. When did you become such a party host?"

Artie shrugged. "Senior year. New year, new Artie. After all, I've gotta find some way to social climb for my last year."

He was very obviously joking, and he knew that Quinn could tell, based on the way she was grinning at him as they treaded water beside one another. He saw that she was amused, though, so he kept going.

"I've more than paid my dues by chilling at the bottom of the pyramid for three years, don't you think? I think this is my year to really make it on top. I'll, I don't know, throw a huge party, invite the whole school, and then boom! I'll be known as Artie the Party Guy going into senior year. Maybe I'll even ditch the guys from Glee Club and start sitting with some Cheerios and jocks in the cafeteria and see how that goes."

"That seems like a very sad, last-ditch effort to be popular," Quinn observed, trying to play along by hiding the smirk she so desperately wanted to express. "You don't need to do any of that."

"You don't think so?" Artie asked her, moving his arms through the water and feeling the way that it tickled across his skin.

"You're too much," she told him with a playful eye roll. "But, hey, maybe you're not far off with the popularity thing."

He cocked his head to the side. "How do you mean?"

"Well, we just won Nationals, after all. Everyone in the school loved us by the end of the year, if all the confetti and fuss was any indication." She shrugged. "Maybe some of that popularity will carry over into next school year and you'll be able to stay up there in the penthouse instead of returning to the ghetto, or whatever it was that you said back in the choir room after that God-awful recreation of 'Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat'."

Artie couldn't prevent a stupid grin from spreading across his face at the mention of the goofy comment he'd made in passing a few weeks back. "Like George Jefferson, yeah. From All in the Family?"

"Right."

She giggled and so did he before glancing away. He couldn't believe she remembered something inconsequential like that. He wasn't used to people listening– really listening– to the off-hand cinematic reference comments he tended to make. It gave him butterflies.

His eyesight was not that good at the moment, since he'd abandoned his glasses along with his chair when he'd hopped in the water, but Quinn was close enough that he could still see her, even if she appeared a bit fuzzy. She hadn't taken her green eyes off of him, even as he'd glanced away sheepishly, and when his gaze returned to her, she was still looking lovingly in his direction. He almost couldn't handle it.

It took a loud fake cough from his older brother to get Artie's attention and make him remember that the two of them weren't alone. Just in time, too, as his mother had chosen that exact moment to bring out the festive Independence Day treats that she and Ella had concocted.

"Quinn! It's nice so to see you!" Nancy greeted her with a welcoming smile as she set the trays of snacks down on the patio table.

"Nice to see you too, Ms. Abrams," Quinn replied, before asking thoughtfully: "Or are you going by Mrs. Smythe now? I've been meaning to ask."

Nancy just waved off the girl's inquiry. "Nancy is just fine, honey. How's summer been treating you so far?"

"Great," Quinn told her. "I only wish it would slow down a little bit. Hey, do you need any help bringing stuff outside? I can towel off for a minute and help…?"

Nancy shook her head. "That won't be necessary. All that's left to bring out are some sodas and Gatorades. I can handle that. You kids stay in the water and have fun."

As soon as she ducked back inside, Sebastian and Sam appeared in the backyard, having rounded the corner from the driveway. Their matching polos were colorfully stained by various ice cream flavors, and Sam had a pair of swim trunks thrown over his shoulder.

"Hey, how was it?" Griff enthusiastically called over. "Did you survive okay?"

"He was great!" Sam quickly jumped to answer, throwing an arm around Seb's shoulders and giving his shoulder an affectionate pat. "Seriously, he's a natural."

"Not so sure about that," Sebastian added, wriggling himself free from under Sam's arm with a grimace on his face.

Artie knew his step-brother well enough that he could tell that there was more to the story that wasn't being disclosed, but he respected that he clearly wasn't up for sharing at that moment, so he didn't press further.

"He'll be Employee of the Month in no time, I'm sure," Artie teased instead, earning himself a weary look from Sebastian before those two disappeared inside to change into their swimsuits so that they could truly enjoy the 'party'.

The holiday had afforded Nancy, Harrison, and now Griffin, a few welcomed days off of work that could be spent doing exactly this: relaxing poolside with the kids and their friends, hanging on the patio, and enjoying the summer nights.

At one point, Griffin got out of the pool and, after wrapping his damp towel around his waist, fired up the grill for their burgers. Harrison wasn't really the grilling type, Artie had realized not long after getting to know the guy, but luckily the eldest Abrams kid had picked up a thing or two from their father over the years.

Speaking of Harrison, he was noticeably much more casual today than Artie had ever seen him, in just khaki shorts, a tucked-in golf shirt, and boat shoes. He'd taken a seat on the patio couch with his feet propped up and his attention fixed on the Indians versus Angels game heading into the sixth inning that was playing on the outdoor TV. That was where Art Abrams was spending his July fourth holiday, having not been lucky enough to secure the day off of work.

The afternoon into the evening was a fun, family vibe, and Artie was glad that he'd invited Quinn to join in. He knew that she didn't have the same casual, fun-filled family dynamic that he had, and he never took his life experiences for granted. He was glad that he could share moments like this with her.

The six kids were taking a break from swimming, all sitting around the patio sipping on sodas, when Griffin had his next big idea.

"Anyone want to go check out some fireworks?"

"Where?" Quinn wondered. "Lima doesn't put on a fireworks show."

"No, Lima doesn't." Griffin pointed to her. "You're right about that. But Delphos does."

"You want to go all the way to Delphos?" Artie asked, setting down the can of Coke he'd been sipping.

"Oh, come on, that's only, like, a half-hour away," Griffin reasoned. "I guess it's like a big town gathering over there. They set them up in the field behind the high school and everyone brings picnic blankets and stuff. Apparently, theirs is the best in all of western Ohio. I guess you can see them from, like, all across town. Doesn't that seem awesome?"

The others were all nodding in agreement, but Artie wasn't on board quite yet. Staying true to his habit of overthinking, Artie remained hesitant, thinking of all of the worst-case scenarios that could come true.

"I mean, is that even safe?" Artie asked, wringing his hands. "Because, you know, I've seen stories where the guy who sets the fireworks up does it wrong, and instead of shooting up in the sky, they shoot out at the crowd, and–"

"Just be quiet for once and try to enjoy something, will you?" Sebastian cut him off and rolled his eyes. "It'll be fun. I say we do it."

Artie tried his best not to let his disappointment show as everyone agreed and dispersed into the house to go change out of their wet swimsuits. Sam changed into a dry t-shirt he borrowed from Griffin, instead of putting back on his work uniform, and Quinn followed Ella upstairs to change in her room.

As Artie began to get changed, he tried to talk up the idea to himself, knowing that he would have a lot more fun if he found a way to enjoy it. The problem was, there just wasn't a single detail of this plan that sounded appealing. The grass, for one, was hard to maneuver over and uncomfortable to sit on. Artie knew his siblings and friends would be willing to give him a push when he needed it, but Artie didn't want that. Was it too much to just wish for things to be easier? He really didn't want to ruin the fun for the others, but he tended to get in his head about this kind of stuff, always trying to stay three steps ahead with his planning, just in case things were to go awry.

"Knock, knock," Sebastian called out the exact moment that he barged into Artie's bedroom.

Artie had just finished getting changed and looked up to shoot Sebastian an annoyed look. "You know that saying 'knock, knock' isn't the same as actually knocking, right?"

Sebastian shrugged, unbothered.

"Just wanted to see if you're ready to go. The girls are blowdrying their hair, so they might be a minute." He sat on the edge of Artie's bed and caught his eye, immediately noticing his mood had shifted from fifteen minutes before when they'd been by the pool. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Artie let out an irritated sigh he'd been keeping in, wondering where to begin. "It's just… this really isn't my idea of fun. I mean, for starters, a grassy field isn't easy to push myself over. It's gonna use up all of my energy, and then I'm gonna be, like, distracted the whole time we're lying there, having to make sure I keep moving around so I don't spend too much time in the same position."

Artie could see the wheels turning in Sebastian's mind as he absorbed all of this information he clearly hadn't thought much about before this moment.

"I'm willing to go along with it, though, for you guys, and for Quinn," Artie added for good measure. "I'm just… trying to anticipate the issues that could arise and come up with a way to intercept them before they happen."

"Kind of like a football player," was Sebastian's response.

Artie shrugged at Sebastian's analogy. "Yeah, I guess so." He sighed again, holding his head in his hands and rubbing his temples with his fingers as his head started to hurt. "I just want this to go smoothly and not leave that field with sore biceps, scraped knees, or pressure sores."

Sebastian was quiet for a minute, chewing on his lower lip. Artie hadn't meant to vent to the guy, but it had just happened that way.

"Forget it," Artie said, dismissively. "I'm sure, it'll be fine–"

"Griff said that you can see them from all over, right?" Seb cut him off.

Artie tilted his head. "What?"

"The fireworks."

"Oh. Uh, yeah, I think that's what he said."

"So, why don't we set you up in the bed of Griff's truck and you and Quinn can stay out in the parking lot?"

Artie furrowed his eyebrows together with confusion, but before he could say anything, Sebastian excitedly continued.

"We can, like, load it up with the weather-proof pillows from the patio furniture outside. Then you'll be comfortable and you won't have to worry about shifting your position so much. I mean, if the view's good from anywhere, why don't we just cut out the grass altogether? That way, you and Quinn can have some time to yourselves, and you don't have to worry about the grass or the hard surface of the ground or anything." Sebastian was talking a mile a minute now, and Artie was focused on keeping up. "Then, me, Griff, Ella, and Sam will go sit on a picnic blanket a few yards away. That way, you two can have a little date night, but we'll only be a shout away if you need anything."

After sitting with this information that Sebastian had thrown at him for a minute, even Artie had to admit that it was a good idea. No, it wasn't just good, it was great. Kind of genius, even? He almost couldn't believe that Sebastian had come up with it on his own just now on the spot.

Artie had always been one to adapt to any situation he was presented with, and his siblings were always willing to go out of their way to see that he was comfortable. Sebastian had fallen into that sibling role and, to everyone's surprise, embraced it wholeheartedly. As of late, he was constantly thinking of new, out-of-the-box ideas to improve accessibility or new ways to be of assistance to Artie, should he need it. That was pretty cool of the guy who, just a few months back, had never known anyone with a disability and held a pretty ableist mindset, whether he realized it or not. Artie was glad he'd gotten to watch Sebastian blossom into somewhat of an ally.

"So?" Seb asked, still waiting for Artie's response. "What do you think?"

In an instant, Artie's outlook on the evening's plans had done a one-eighty. Originally, he was going to go along with them anyway, putting his comfort aside. But now, thanks to Sebastian's idea, he wouldn't have to do that.

"Let's do it!"

…

They needed to take two trucks to Delphos– Griffin's and Sam's– to fit all six of them, Artie's chair, and the copious amounts of pillows and blankets they'd brought along. When they got to the field, the first step was setting up Artie and Quinn's 'bed'.

"Stay in there," Sam told the couple after they'd parked. "It's gonna be a surprise!"

As Sam and Sebastian worked together to arrange the pillows, Artie and Quinn giggled to themselves and tried to peek without being caught.

When it was ready, Griffin gave Artie a lift from the backseat of his truck, setting him down on the vehicle's tailgate and allowing him to scoot backward by himself.

"Hey, good deal!" Artie exclaimed, beaming as Quinn climbed in beside him. "Thanks, guys, this is awesome."

"Yeah, well, here you go," Sebastian said, tossing them a blanket for them to share. "Remember, this is a family show, so clothes stay on, hands above the belt, and try to keep the makeout sessions to a minimum–"

"Seb!" Artie scolded him, embarrassed, but Sebastian didn't care.

"It needed to be said!" He argued before turning to Sam and patting him on the shoulder. "C'mon man, let's go grab a seat before the whole field fills up and we're left with no choice but to third and fourth wheel these guys."

Artie thought it was pretty cool of Seb to continue his role as Artie's wingman by keeping the usually-clueless Sam by his side and giving Artie and Quinn their alone time.

"It's like we're at a drive-in movie," Quinn commented when they were finally alone.

After adjusting his legs to be more comfortable, Artie laid back next to her, settling one arm behind his head and draping the other around Quinn's shoulders.

"It is kind of like that, isn't it?" He asked. "We should go to one of those sometime. That's, like, the old-fashioned date night activity in the summer. Like they do in Grease, remember?"

"Would you talk the whole time like you do whenever we watch a movie at your house?" Quinn teased. "Because I don't think the people in the cars around us would like that very much."

"It wouldn't be a proper movie-viewing experience if I didn't!"

Before they'd left the house, Quinn had borrowed a hoodie of his to toss on over her sundress (intending to steal it, Artie guessed, based on his past experiences with girls). She was wearing it now, as she laughed at his last comment and cuddled up to him underneath the blanket they were sharing.

Quinn and Artie spent the time waiting for the fireworks show to begin mostly enjoying the privacy that being in the truck provided them with– except for when Sebastian had come over under the guise of 'checking on them'. Artie was sure the real reason he'd come over was just to be a nuisance, and if that was the case, his goal had been achieved. When the fireworks show finally began and different types of multicolored pyrotechnics simultaneously exploded overhead, cheers erupted from those who had gathered to watch.

"Baby, you're a firework! Come on show 'em what you're worth!" Artie humorously sang just quiet enough for only himself and Quinn to hear– like it was their little secret. By doing so, he achieved the exact reaction he wanted out of Quinn when she threw her head back laughing and rolled her eyes with affection.

"You," she said, placing her hand on his chest and causing him to make direct, up-close-and-personal contact with her deep green eyes for the second time that day. "Are such a dork."

He chuckled to himself, pleased that his cheesy whisper-singing had both gotten her to laugh and won her over.

They stayed like that in the bed of the truck; side by side with his arm around her and her hand resting on his abdomen. It was so peaceful, feeling the weight and touch of her body next to his, relishing the silence except for the sounds of their breathing and the fireworks above. Here, with each other, they could just be themselves. Artie used his thumb to rub circles on Quinn's shoulder, taking in their closeness.

Moments like these were how Artie wanted to remember this summer– the summer they'd spent together. Times when they could leave all of their problems and all of life's barriers behind and just lay under the stars together.

That was all he could ever ask for.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Some of the lines in this one about Artie wanting to become a crazy party-thrower were inspired by recent chapters of my pal gigundoly's current story, "When Artie Met Kitty"! Go check that one out, if you haven't already, to see what I mean! ;)