Chapter 1

Quinn

He grabbed her, pushed her into the wall. She tried to get out of his grip, but he was stronger. No surprise there.

"Let go of me" she snapped.

Her arms hurt under his hard grip, it would bruise.

"You have to be kidding me?" Puck asked.

His face was hard as stone, his jaw clenched. He was pissed. No surprise there either.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, cringing in his grasp.

"That ring. Are you seriously going to marry him?"

Oh. Quinn looked down at the small ring that Sam had given her.

"It's a promise ring" she said.

He frowned.

"A what?"

She broke free from him and rubbed her arms. They were red.

"You hurt me" she accused him.

He ignored her.

"What the hell is a promise ring?"

"He promises to marry me in the future."

Puck slammed his fist into the wall, Quinn jumped.

"You're seriously going to marry that punk?"

"Leave me alone."

She turned her back on him and headed for the door. She wanted to go home.

"I would have married you" he said, following her.

She didn't answer. He grabbed her arm, making her stop.

"Please, don't hurt me" she said stiffly.

His face smoothened out a bit.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"It's fine. Just let go of me."

"No."

"Please."

She stared into his eyes, his grip softened gradually.

"I can't believe that you're marrying him" he whispered.

"I'm not, not now."

"But in the future?"

His tone was mocking, but she ignored it.

"Yes."

He closed his eyes and breathed.

"I go to juvie for two weeks and when I come back you're freaking engaged?"

She bit her lip.

"I don't owe you anything" she said.

But she knew it wasn't true.

"Do you even love him?" he asked.

She felt herself get irritated.

"Oh, shut up."

She turned again and walked away.

"Are you doing it to be popular?" he called after her. "So that you're dad will be proud of his little girl again?"

She hesitated, feeling the hurt and anger build up inside her. He had caught up with her now; she could feel him breathing next to me.

"Leave me alone."

"I can't" he replied. "God, I wish I could. That I could forget about you. But I can't."

"You just want to punish me" she snapped. "For moving on."

"I would have married you, Quinn" he said.

"No, you wouldn't."

She sighed.

"Yes, I would have."

He dug into his bag and came up with a box. She felt her pulse quicken as he opened it. Inside lay a ring, a beautiful silver ring with a pearl as a stud.

"I've kept it on me since I found out that you were pregnant. I wanted to ask you, but you kept running away. Then Finn dumped you and you were mine. But every time I brought it up, you changed the subject. But now, when Sam asks, you say yes?"

Quinn couldn't answer. She stared at the ring. Puck had bought a ring.

"Here" he said, shoving it into her hand. "I don't want it."

"Puck…" she began.

"No" he said. "Don't feel sorry for me."

He leaned in and kissed her violently. Then he left. Quinn still couldn't move.

"Quinn, I'm talking to you" her mother said.

Quinn looked up from her plate, feeling dazed and unfocused.

"Sorry."

"Are you tired, honey?"

"Yes, I guess."

She wasn't tired, she wasn't awake either. She felt out of it all.

"I spoke to your father today" her mother announced.

"Oh."

"He wants to see you."

"I don't want to see him" Quinn replied, finishing her food and standing up.

"Maybe you should forgive him, Quinny."

"No. Thanks for dinner."

Her mother nodded. Quinn left the kitchen and went upstairs to her bedroom.

There, she sat down on her bed and breathed. Had today happened? Her arms were still a bit sore from Puck's anger, but other than that it could have been a dream. He hadn't spoken to her in a long time. She hadn't spoken him either. It was a mutual understanding, she had thought, but apparently Puck hadn't understood.

The ring was still in her pocket. She didn't dare take it out. Instead she glared at the one Sam had given her. It was too big for her finger; it kept slipping off at Cheerio's practice. Sam was nice though. He really cared about her. He didn't fight with her, he compromised and smiled. Why didn't she want to marry him? Why did she want to throw that stupid promise ring down the drain? He didn't deserve that. She probably didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve anyone who was nice, that's why Finn had left her, that would be why Sam would dump her eventually. She was selfish and mean, people figured that out after a while. Maybe that was why Puck had asked her to marry him, because they were to evil people amongst the kind ones.

Puck

Puck never slept well anymore. He hadn't since he had started to dream dreams about Beth. He saw her face in front of him, in someone else's arms. She would never know him and it pained him. He had always wanted to keep her, from the beginning. But Quinn had said no and apparently she had veto. Maybe it was because she had carried Beth inside her for 9 months. But Puck was her father and he had been forced to give her up. He might never forgive Quinn for that.

"You look tired" the girl said.

He didn't remember her name. Maybe it was Annie? She was a freshmen, a cheerio with blonde hair and hazel eyes.

"I'm fine" he said, drinking booze directly from the bottle.

The party was wild; Santana's parents would not be pleased when they came home from Cabo. Annie giggled and put her hand on his thigh. He drank some more. If he became drunk enough, maybe he could imagine that she was Quinn.

"Why don't you sit in my lap?" he asked.

Annie giggled even more and slid into his lap. She kissed his neck. He felt perfectly numb, maybe had drunk too much.

"I really like you" she whispered in her ear.

He pretended not to hear. Instead he slid her hand under her blouse, feeling her warm skin against his fingers. He traced his way to her chest, she giggled even more. Couldn't she be quiet?

"I'm going to get in real trouble for this" she said, not looking very sorry about that.

"Really? Why is that?" Puck asked, as he pulled off her shirt.

She was to skinny to be Quinn. She looked more like a kid than Quinn ever did. He needed more booze, now.

"I don't think Quinn will be happy when she finds out."

"She won't care" he replied, kissing her.

"She cut Alexandra from the team after you and she made out in the janitor's closet at school" Annie said.

Puck stopped kissing her, he leaned back.

"Really?"

"Yes, but it was just as well. Alex was worthless at splits."

She leaned in to kiss him again, but he pushed her off.

"You won't want to risk you place on the team" he said, standing up.

Annie pouted.

"Quinn doesn't have to find out" she said sadly.

"She always does."

Annie took her shirt and pulled it over her head. Puck left her on Santana's bed and went downstairs. He needed to get wasted.

"That was quick" Santana remarked when he came down the stairs.

He sighed.

"We didn't do anything."

"Didn't she look enough like Quinn?"

He ignored her.

"What about you? Is Brittany here of what?"

Santana shrugged.

"I don't care."

"Fine."

He took the beer from her hands and finished it for her.

"Isn't this like the third girl you have left without doing anything?" she asked.

"Yes" he sighed.

"What's your problem?" she asked, mocking him.

"I don't know."

She patted his arm sympathetically.

"You can do me if you want" she offered, taking another beer.

"Thanks, but no thanks" he replied.

"Maybe you should talk to her" she suggested.

"I did."

"And?"

"She's going to marry him."

"Ouch."

"And I threw my grandma's ring at her."

"Ring?"

"My grandmother's engagement ring. It's kind of valuable, so I have to get it back, which means I have to speak with her again."

"You gave her your ring?" Santana asked, looking half-amused and half-shocked.

"No, I kind of threw it at her."

"Wow."

"Shut up."

He took another beer as well, but instantly put it back on the counter.

"I'm going home. It's been a lousy night."

Santana nodded.

Quinn

Quinn didn't go the party. Instead she sat on her bed, listening to John Mayer and painting her nails. She had taken of Sam's ring so that it wouldn't get stained. It looked small on her nightstand, a petty thing, invaluable. But it did mean something; it meant she had promised to be with Sam. Why had he asked her? Why did he want to be with her anyway? Why didn't she want to be with him?

She finally pulled out Puck's ring from her pocket. It was pretty, especially the pearl. Quinn had never had a thing for diamonds, but she loved the pearl necklaces she had inherited from her mother. The ring glimmered in the evening light. She wasn't going to even try it on. No, she wasn't. Nothing good would ever come of it. But she couldn't help herself and slid it onto her finger. It fit perfectly, neither to small nor to big. Crap. And it looked beautiful on her. It was a modest ring; Quinn herself would like to be a modest person, even though she maybe wasn't. Crap. It fit too well.

"I wouldn't have told you about Alexandra making out with Puck if I'd known you'd kick her off the squad" Santana said, tightening up her pony tail in front of the mirror next to Quinn.

"It wasn't about that. She was lousy at splits" Quinn answered.

"But a good flier, I mean, you were the one who picked her from try-outs."

Quinn bit her lip; Santana looked at her in the mirror.

"I'm captain, don't question me."

"I'm not questioning you, captain Fabray, trust me."

"Fine, let's go out on the pitch then."

"In a minute."

Quinn sighed.

"Puck brought a girl up to my bedroom last night at the party."

"Good for him."

"It was Anna, the blonde cheerleader who kind of looks like you."

"Really?"

"Yes. But don't kick her off the squad, Quinn."

"Why are you telling me?"

"He didn't sleep with her, he told me he couldn't."

"Maybe he's sexually exhausted" Quinn scuffed, trying to pass Santana.

Santana stopped her.

"He hasn't slept with anyone in ages, he even turned me down."

"Well, good for him. At his rate, he was going to get every STD in Lima."

"Don't be a bitch, Quinn" Santana warned.

"I'm not being a bitch. I just don't care."

"Fine."

Quinn went passed her and entered the field. She saw Anna warming up with a two of her friends. She was pretty, taller than Quinn and had an infectious smile.

"Anna!" she called. "Come here."

Anna looked up and then ran towards her captain.

"What?" she asked, looking happy.

"I'm demoting you to the bottom of the pyramid."

Puck

She sat next to Sam in the cafeteria. Puck saw them as he walked in. They sat the table where all the cheerleaders and all the football players always sat. He bought a coffee and sat down next to Finn.

"I'm sorry" Quinn said to Sam.

"It's okay, babe" he replied, kissing her.

"Why is she apologizing?" Puck asked Finn.

"Apparently she forgot to put his ring on this morning" Finn replied.

"Oh."

He saw Sam take her hand, how he looked at her as if he really loved her. Sam was tool. Sam would never understand Quinn. He thought that she was this sweet girl who had a bad year. Quinn wasn't a sweet a girl. She was, Quinn. She could be sour and bitchy and insufferable as well as caring, funny and gorgeous. Puck had a feeling that Quinn had only shown Sam her good side.

"Maybe she doesn't like your ring" Puck said.

Sam looked surprised at him, Quinn looked livid.

"Shut up, Puck" she spat.

"Or maybe, she doesn't want to marry you" he suggested.

"Go to hell" Quinn said.

"I probably will, but so will you. God doesn't like pre-marital sex, does he Quinn?"

She shot him looks like daggers, but it felt good. At least she felt something for him.

"What's your game?" Sam asked.

"None of your business, Sammy, it's between Quinn and me."

"There is nothing between us" Quinn said. "Nothing."

She turned her back on him and kissed Sam on the cheek. Puck smiled to himself. She had only done that to piss him off, not because she loved Sam. He loved that he still got to her.

He saw her in the hallway. She was looking for something in her locker, maybe a binder. He watched her. They seemed to be the only people left in the school. She had probably had Cheerio's practice and he had just finished his detention.

He should walk up to her. He should walk up to her and demand to have his ring back. But instead he watched her. Her hair was loose and damp from taking a shower; it had been a while since he had seen it out of the pony tail. A look of concern furrowed her brow; clearly she couldn't find what she was looking for. She was beautiful. He had always thought that, but it hit him now. God, she still knocked him off his feet.

"Hi babe" Sam said, appearing next her.

"Hi" she said. "I can't find my history book."

"Use mine" he said and smiled.

She smiled back, showing her white teeth and kissed him.

"Thank you" she said.

As she let go of him she spotted Puck. Her face stiffened and she raised one eyebrow. She leaned in and kissed Sam again, more intensely. She wrapped her arms around his back and pushed herself against him, not taking her eyes off Puck. Puck swallowed, turned around and left. He hated that she still got to him.