InsaneJournal

Who: Artie and Quinn
Where: WMHS
What: Artie and Quinn’s first day at school and them being in a surprisingly large amount of classes together.
When: September 7th, 2010
Rating: PG


Quinn felt a little weird not being in her Cheerios uniform (since tryouts hadn’t happened yet, though she was 120% positive she would be rejoining the squad) but still marched into school as if she owned the place. After picking up her schedule and visiting her locker she headed to class. Things were going well. She had a study hall first period and the teacher said if her parents signed a form she wouldn’t even have to go if she didn’t want to so that was pretty awesome.

She saw a couple Glee Club members in her classes and wasn’t overly rude. She mentally patted herself on the back for this accomplishment as she walked into 4th hour English and took a seat near the back. No need to look too eager.

Jazz Band was earlier in the day this year, before English, which was awesome because it was going to be a great way to start the morning. At the same time though, that meant all his advanced placement classes would be stacked near the end of the day (why had the administrators of McKinley thought that would be a goo idea?), but at least it meant that he didn’t have to concentrate too much in the mornings. It was a good day so far, too, besides the run-in he’d had with Sunshine earlier. It was really unfortunate that she was brand new to the school and she’d gotten slushied by Santana Lopez.

Once he got to English he looked around to see if Tina was there already as he moved to his usual spot next to the wall, three rows back. He then realized Quinn was in his class too and wondered who else from Glee in his year would be as well. Not wanting to be rude, he awkwardly waved in Quinn’s direction before getting out his notebook.

Quinn just gave Artie a look then took out her notebook as well and focused on the teacher. Nothing much ever happened the first day of classes and soon enough it was over. Shoving her stuff in her back, she walked out of the class before Artie could try and wave at her again or something. Loser.

Speaking of loser though, it was sort of loser-ish for her to be in all honors classes, but she couldn’t help that God had blessed her with brains and beauty. Feeling slightly better about herself she headed off to the lunch.

--

Once lunch was over (and it was over way too quickly), Artie packed his bag up, said bye to his friends, and started wheeling himself in the direction of his Chemistry class. He frowned a little once he saw Quinn up ahead in the hallway and wondered if she was going to the same class as well. It was probably a coincidence, he told himself, and that thought made him feel better for about five minutes before finally they were going into the same classroom again.

Quinn was already seated and had taken out her notebook when she saw Artie roll in. This seriously can’t be happening she thought with a groan. She pointedly kept her gaze focused on anything but him, hoping that if she didn’t acknowledge his presence he would go away or at least not wave at her and try to say hi.

Since Artie had already acknowledged Quinn’s presence in their previous class, he didn’t do anything like that in this one. He selected a desk that was easy enough to get to on the opposite of the room from Quinn, thinking that this would be a safe choice, until about 15 minutes into the class when the teacher decided to partner them up at random, starting with the outermost people in a row and working inwards. Artie glanced over and realized he would be partners with Quinn. Seriously? He wished Tina were smarter in science. Wait, no, that’s not how I meant it. I just wish she were in this class! And now he was arguing with himself. Great.

“Quinn and Artie... partners.”

Wait, had the teacher really just said that? Quinn glanced across the room and saw Artie was looking over at her. Their eyes met briefly then Quinn looked away. Yep. That had definitely just happened.

A few minutes later, after the teacher had finished partnering up the class, he spoke again. “Alright now everyone go back to your lab tables and familiarize yourself with the equipment you’ll be using this year. There’s a little worksheet there to make sure you’re paying attention.”

Heaving a sigh, Quinn stood up and made her way back. Once Artie was there as well she gave him a look then muttered out, “Wheels” with as much contempt as she could. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Quinn,” Artie said, politely, because he really did secretly like the nickname that Coach Sylvester had given him and it amused him that people like Quinn and Santana thought he’d be offended by calling him that. “I guess we should get started on organizing our drawer.” He pulled it open and began taking things out and setting it on the table.

“Yeah, whatever,” Quinn muttered. She slid the inventory check list more in front of her and took out a pen. “So I can just read this off and you can check to make sure we have them?”

“Yeah, sure,” Artie said, picking up a bunsen burner and tapping it on the lab table in rhythm. “Okay. What’s first?”

“Do you have to do that? The tapping thing?” Quinn snapped and turned her head to glare at him briefly before looking down at the list. “First is... A 10, 25, and 50 milliliter test tube.”

Artie rolled his eyes and put the burner back down. He then sorted through the small pile of equipment before taking out the test tubes and placing them back in the drawer. “Next?”

“Bunsen burner, check, since we already know it’s there from you pounding it against the table... um, erlenmeyer flask?” She asked, glancing over again.

He tucked the burner back into the drawer, then picked up the flask and repeated the motion. “I was drumming.”

“Well if you could refrain from doing that when we’re in this class I would really appreciate it,” Quinn said stiffly. “500 milliliter beaker?”

Artie held it up fake-triumphantly, rolling his eyes again at her, and placed it in the drawer. “I’m sorry that I just have a song in my heart at the moment.”

“Did you seriously just say that? A song in your heart?” Quinn bit her lip and tried to hold back a laugh, which turned out to be quite unsuccessful. “Okay then...” She looked down at the list again but just couldn’t focus. “Seriously though?”

“Well, I wasn’t being serious,” Artie said, very practically, trying not to smile as she started laughing. “But I guess it’s true in general. I always have songs in my head. Like, stuck there. I guess not in my heart, unless it was metaphorical.”

Once Quinn finally stopped laughing (which had taken a lot longer than she thought it would have) she looked back at the list. “Two pairs of safety goggles? And don’t ever say that again. Song in your heart,” she giggled again. “You sound like one of those bougie drama kids.”

“I am heartily bewildered that you would accuse me of being a bougie drama kid,” Artie said, very matter-of-factly still, holding up the two safety goggles. “Which ones do you want? I mean, they are both the same, but maybe you have a personal preference.”

Quinn nearly snorted at that, simply because Artie was just doing it on purposes now. “Be heartily bewildered in silence then,” she said, rolling her eyes, then grabbed the nearest pair of goggles.

Artie took his glasses off and put on the goggles, just to see, squinting slightly over at Quinn. “I can’t be silent, we’re doing an assignment together.”

Artie looked really different without glasses and Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. “Fine, just stop talking like that then. And put your glasses back on. You look weird.”

He took the goggles off and put them in their drawer, then held his hand out for Quinn’s. “What do you mean, I look weird? Don’t people usually look weird when they have their glasses on? So I hear.”

Quinn looked at Artie’s hand for a few moments before realizing he wanted her goggles back. “Oh, right, here,” she said quickly and pushed them across the table to him. “And no... I’m used to you wearing glasses. You look weird without them. So... fix that. And where the hell is your sweater vest? Why do you look like less of a loser today?”

She was bullying him again! This was completely unacceptable. Artie put her goggles away and then shrugged, keeping his glasses off on purpose because she’d ordered him to put them on. “Um, Sunshine got slushied earlier. By your friend, actually. And she didn’t have anything to wear so I gave her my sweater. And it wasn’t a sweater vest today.”

Quinn had of course known Santana was going to do that but she had to act scandalized. “What? Who would do that? Besides, if they’re my friend should know that I’m friends with Sunshine now.”

“Clearly, Santana didn’t get the memo,” Artie said, then glanced at the clock. “Um, we don’t have much time,” he added, honestly surprised. “We should finish the rest of this up. I don’t want to be late to History class.”

“Yeah well, I’ll take care of Santana,” Quinn said distractedly before narrowing her eyes and looking over at Artie. “You don’t have AP US History next period do you?” She asked in a slow, low voice. This really could not be happening.

“Yeah,” Artie said, wrinkling his nose a little. “Do you? And-- wait a second. Are you friends with Sunshine?” How he’d missed that earlier, he did not know.

“You mean we have another class together? Is God trying to punish me?” Quinn muttered to herself before looking at Artie again, her eyes still narrow, though she forced her face into a nicer expression. If she looked angry while talking about her blossoming friendship with Sunshine that might give the wrong idea. “And yes, Sunshine and I are friends. We met for coffee this morning. She’s really... nice.”

Artie ignored the insult, though he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her yet again. “Do you still think she’s trying to steal me away from Tina?” he asked with a straight face, then glanced at the clock again. “Come on, let’s do this before we get yelled at. That always stresses me out so I try not to get yelled at.”

“She talked about you. So there’s still a good possibility. But Sunshine is much cooler than Tina so you could really only go upwards,” Quinn said with a shrug. “And stop freaking out like an old man. There’s like two things left on the list anyway. A periodic table and glass stirring sticks. So chill out.”

“You’re annoying,” Artie couldn’t help but say. “I mean...” Shit, she was going to be pissed. But he couldn’t, in good faith, take it back, because she really was! “We have all this extra stuff so I guess that’s just like a bonus?” He picked out the table and sticks, just to make sure they were there, then put them back in the drawer along with the other equipment. “Okay.”

“Well you’re annoying too. Just sign this damn piece of paper. Shows that we went over the equipment together. And then sit as far away from me as possible in History.” She scribbled her signature on the paper and shoved it towards Artie.

“Done,” Artie said, making a face as he picked the paper up and neatly signed his signature next to Quinn’s. “Tina’s in that class anyway so I’m going to sit with her. Rachel too.”

“Good for you. Now if we’re done, I’m going back to my seat now,” Quinn said with another eye roll and grabbed the piece of paper with their signatures before marching off to give it to the teacher.

Artie rolled his eyes again for what felt like the tenth time in such a short period, then went back to his desk. Class was dismissed after a few more housekeeping details, so he went off to History, glad he would have friendly faces back in class with him again so he wouldn’t have to deal with Quinn.

Quinn made the effort to sit on the opposite end of the class in History and didn’t glance at Artie (or Tina) the entire time and rushed out quickly afterwards. This day was just getting worse and worse and now she had to go of to AP Calc and she was sure it was going to be awful because she was actually really bad at math but for some reason still signed up for it. Or at least let her mother pressure her into signing up for it. With a sigh she walked into the room and sat down.

“You have to be kidding me,” Artie said to himself when he arrived at his math classroom and saw Quinn yet again. Well, it was the last class of the day. He could get through this. But then there was every other day of the school year up ahead before him, like a never ending cycle of awful. He gathered up his resolve and took a desk, again sufficiently far away from Quinn, and took out his notebook for the last time that day.

Quinn narrowed her eyes as her gaze followed him across the classroom. God was definitely trying to punish her. It was so unfair. As was the fact that their teacher didn’t see the point in having an introduction day and after handing out their text books jumped right into the lesson. Quinn knew she was bad at math but this was already so overwhelming. As the class went by the more and more stressed she got. When the bell finally rang, dismissing school, she let out a huge sigh and worked on packing up her backpack. This was going to be along year.