The Way We Were

The Way We Agree

Rachel walked up to Artie after school. He was at his locker, getting his things ready to go to football practice. She cleared her throat.

He turned briefly. "Yes?"

"I got a makeover." And she had. Kurt and the girls had taken Rachel shopping during the first two periods and she now wore black formfitting trousers with a white oversized sweater. She also wore orange booties with decals and a one inch heel.

He bobbed his head. "I noticed."

She'd never had this. Finn had been her first male encounter since she was seven and he'd always given her attention. Artie didn't give a damn. That was kind of hot. "It's for you."

He snorted.

"It is. Marcy told me to burn all my old clothes and if she saw me in them, she was stripping them off me right where we were and I'd be walking around in my underwear." She recited what Marcy had threatened.

His lips twitched. That was his Boo Thang.

"Quinn said she was surprised you even looked at me before. She said you're a-" Rachel frowned as she tried to say the Spanish word.

Artie said it. "It's a compliment. I'm surprised Queen even looked my way to notice."

"They all have." She refused to admit that both Santana and Brittany had been angry at their friends' drooling over their ex.

He grinned and turned around. "So what? You're jealous?"

"No." Not like Santana or Brittany. "But I can see what they see. I'm sorry I hadn't seen it before but you're a very special guy, Artie. If you give me another chance, I think we can be very good for each other this year."

"This year?" He caught that.

"I'm a senior. You're a junior." She shrugged. "I don't want to lie to you. I don't think we'll ever get married."

He shrugged, too, happy that she was finally being honest. "Me either. Then again I don't know you well enough to know if that's true. How about you come watch me practice then I'll take you to get a slushy and you tell me the things that make you tick?"

She was dumbfounded by him and smiled. Although she was her favorite subject, she was turning over a new leaf. "How about we talk about us?"