THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Prologue

"Mercedes is looking at us," Santana whispered to Puck's ear.

He pulled away from kissing her neck and looked at her questioningly. "Who's Mercedes?"

"You know… chubby… from glee." She blew up her cheeks to demonstrate.

He raised an eyebrow and looked Mercedes' way. He then shot Santana an annoyed glare. "First, who cares? Second, I still can't get over the fact that you're on this stupid glee club. First, Finn… Now you?"

"Come on. I told you why we're doing this… It was all Quinn's idea and Sue is totally up for it and it's always a good thing for a Cheerio to be on Sue Sylvester's good side."

"You don't enjoy it at all then?"

Actually, I kinda do, but… Santana made a face. "Of course not. We're just there to sabotage the glee club, so we could get all our Cheerios perks back."

Puck didn't appear like he was convinced. "So since when do we care that chubby over there is looking at us?"

"I don't. I just think she's jealous… of you know… how hot we are together." Santana placed a hand behind his neck and pulled him closer, teasing his lips with hers.

"Oh?" He grinned naughtily.

"Uh-huh. I think maybe we could use that against her," Santana shrugged as she continued to kiss him, while glancing at Mercedes from the corner of her eye.

"You're evil, you know that?" He told her, a wide smile spread across his face, as he looked down on her hazelnut brown gaze.

Santana smiled and winked in response.

"I like it." Puck stole another kiss before pulling away from her, his hands still clasping hers. "See you later?"

She shook her head. "I can't. I told you already… the glee club is going to meet up with Dakota Stanley…"

He stared at her quizzically. "Yeah, yeah… This is just part of your wicked plan to bring glee club down right?"

She nodded sweetly and was thankful when he broke into a smile and said, "Okay. Tomorrow then," before letting go of her hands and heading off to find his friends.

Santana kept her eyes on him as he walked away.

They've been an item since they started dating during their freshman year. Santana had gotten into the relationship with him for two reasons: one, the popularity; two, she found him hot – come on, who doesn't? Their on-and-off and, most of the time, "open" relationship was always good ground for school gossip. At first, Santana didn't care. She liked the attention. But now, she found it strange that after they got back on again, Santana began to wonder if that was all there was to their relationship – food for gossip... a relationship never to be taken seriously.

As she began looking for Quinn and Brittany, she once again ignored that nagging feeling inside her that was telling her that she had already gone beyond the just-for-fun, for-popularity's-sake, nothing-serious stage of their relationship… and she had no idea when, how, or why.


"You're breaking up with me?!" Puck burst at her, his eyes betraying his confusion. "Why?!"

Santana stood her ground, raised an eyebrow and lifted the piece of paper containing the information she had gotten online. "You have a terrible credit score. What I need as a woman is financial security."

"Huh?"

She might as well have been speaking an alien language because the look on Puck's face was telling her that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

Santana breathed out an exasperated sigh. "Let me make it simple for you, Puck. A deadbeat like you can't afford me as your girlfriend."

Puck's appearance changed from bewilderment to irritation. With his brows furrowed, he sneered at her. "Afford you? I wasn't aware that you were for sale," he said coldly.

Her jaw tightened. His words stung, but she refused to show any sign of weakness. It took all her will power to fake indifference by rolling her eyes and smirking at him. "Whatever, Puck. Call me when you actually make something of yourself." With that, Santana walked away, half-wishing that he would run after her, half-wishing that she would never have to see him again.

She had to get away from Noah Puckerman before he could break her heart.


"But you like Puck," Brittany said wryly after Santana told her in a very blunt manner that she had broken up with him.

Like him?! I'm falling for him! Santana closed her locker and faced Brittany. "So?"

"So…" Brittany trailed before leaning on the locker beside Santana's. "I don't get it."

Neither do I, Santana thought before heaving a sigh. "The guy's a total loser. There's no future with him. You should've seen his credit report. There is no way that Puck can keep up with my needs." I can't believe I'm actually sticking with this story, Santana winced.

Brittany responded with the typical doe-eyed semi-blank expression that she was so well-known for. "Credit report?"

Santana grimaced. "You know what? Let's just drop it, okay?"

There was no masking Brittany's puzzlement. "Drop what?"

Being known for her quick temper, Santana was almost considering grabbing her best friend's head and shaking it wildly. Perhaps, by a long shot, that would help fix Brittany's brain a little. Instead, she just gave Brittany a stare that spelled You totally missed the point.

Already familiar with that particular stare, Brittany muttered, "Oh okay," although Santana was sure that she still had no idea what the point was.

"I still don't get it," Brittany piped up, confirming Santana's suspicions.

"Don't get what?" Mike showed up, Matt trailing behind him.

"Santana broke up with Puck," Brittany said like it was the most normal piece of information.

Mike chuckled, placing his arm over Brittany's shoulder. "Again?"

"For real this time," Brittany interjected before Santana could squeeze in a word.

"Brittany!" Santana hissed, casting an evil glare at her best friend.

"You were just faking it the last few break-ups?" Mike asked.

Ignoring Mike, Matt's brow arched with curiosity, as he walked in on the conversation. He shot a look at Santana. "When did this happen?"

"I don't know. Two weeks ago?" Santana replied, still wondering if she should punch Brittany in the face for divulging the information she kept for weeks in a matter of minutes.

"No wonder Puck's been acting weird lately," Mike thought out loud.

This got Santana's curiosity. "Weird? How?"

Mike and Matt exchanged glances, before Mike answered, "For one thing, he hasn't been hanging out with us. He's always saying that he's busy with his pool-cleaning business or whatever."

"Pool-cleaning? This is Ohio," Santana cut in.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Weird, right?"

"Why is that weird?" Brittany interrupted. All three pairs of eyes just gave her a look that told her she wasn't about to get an explanation from any of them.

Santana really didn't understand what she felt over finding out about Puck going on some sort of business. Was he trying to prove himself to her? Perhaps that's why he hasn't even bothered calling me or talking to me… He's busy. "Anything else?" she asked, casting her thoughts away.

"Well, he joined Coach Ken's singing group…" Mike added before turning to Matt. "What did they call that again?"

Matt shrugged.

"No way…" Santana blurted out. "Acafellas?! With Mr. Schue?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "That."

Santana's brows creased. She wasn't even aware that Puck could sing. He's been on her case all the time ever since she decided to go along with Quinn's plan and joined glee. Now, he goes off and joins a boy band. For some reason, that really got into Santana's nerves.

"Word is they'll be performing at this Friday's PTA meeting," Matt informed.

"We're going to watch. Want to come with?" Mike invited.

Santana considered it for a few moments, musing if she should let her curiosity win out on this one. No. What's the point? She cringed and made a face. "No thanks. Watching my ex make a fool of himself is not my ideal way of spending a Friday night." She breathed out a sigh, as she repeated, in her mind, the mantra she's been saying to herself since she broke up with Puck: Let go of him, Santana. It's over.


Quinn's eyes were on Finn. Puck's eyes were on Quinn.

Santana knew because she's been glancing back and forth from Puck to Quinn the entire duration of the football game. She didn't know what she was more upset about – that Puck obviously had a thing for Quinn or the pain that the realization was causing her.

When the heck did this happen? Santana asked herself.

"You okay?" Quinn asked as the football team returned to the field after Finn called an unexpected timeout with just one second left into the game.

Santana kept her eyes on the field, not being able to stand one of her best friends at that particular moment. "Perfect," she replied curtly.

"What's with the attitude?" Quinn pried.

Before Santana could answer, "Single Ladies" began playing.

"No. Freaking. Way." Santana's mouth dropped wide open when the football team began dancing.

"I love this song!" Brittany squealed, as she mimicked the steps to the song.

Santana looked over at Quinn who was laughing and trying to hide it by covering her face with her pompoms. Obviously, everyone was finding it amusing – except for Santana who was bothered as hell.

What is going on? First, he's singing at PTA meetings. Now, he's dancing to Beyonce. The scowl on Santana's face showed how she was feeling. The world has turned upside down.

It didn't help Santana's disposition that their dance routine actually helped win the game – after Kurt, who really was nothing but additional reason to be baffled, won them the game.

When she saw Puck – like a lovesick puppy – glancing at Quinn who was now kissing Finn, Santana remembered why she was so ticked off in the first place.

"That is it!" she exclaimed before making her way to Puck, ignoring the frantic Cheerios and football players celebrating and hugging around her. "Hey, Puck!" she yelled at Puck, causing him to turn around and face her.

Puck flashed his typical self-confident smile upon seeing her. "Hey, baby."

"Don't 'baby' me, Puck. What's up with you and Quinn?"

He sneered. "Why? You jealous?"

Santana placed her hands over her hips and raised an eyebrow at him. "She's my best friend, Puck." She wanted to wipe the arrogant smirk off his face.

"One, I don't know what you're talking about. Two, even if I did know, we're not together anymore, and even when we were, we agreed that we could date anyone we want. Three, who cares if Quinn is your best friend? We're over now. Everyone is fair game."

"She's also your best friend's girlfriend, you idiot."

"And that's who she's with now," Puck said knowingly, raising his shoulders for emphasis. "Really, Santana… what's got your panties all a twist?"

Santana had no idea how to respond so she just stomped her foot on the ground, and blew out a sigh through gritted teeth.

"You broke up with me, Santana," Puck said, before turning away from her. "Get a grip."

Santana felt the unfamiliar emotion of regret wash over her – she wasn't sure, however, if it was because he just made her feel stupid for reacting the way she did or if it was because she wished she hadn't broken up with him in the first place.


There was that rumor that Puck was getting it on with a bunch of women representing Lima's very own version of desperate housewives. Then there was that time when he obviously had something going on with April Rhodes during her short stint at McKinley.

Santana was trying not to get bothered by it all. In time, it won't matter, she told herself. And for a while, it didn't, until something she totally did not expect happened.

"I've been working on something," Puck announced, holding the guitar in his hands. Santana had been wondering what he'd been doing with the jazz band when she entered the rehearsal room. She was about to find out. "It's my personal tribute to musical Jewish icon."

"Alright! Fantastic! Let's hear it," Mr. Schue said as he took a seat amongst the rest of the glee members.

Puck began playing the guitar.

At first, Santana was dumbfounded upon realizing how talented he actually was. After a year of dating him, how could I have missed this? She thought as he continued to sing the words to the Neil Diamond song.

Then it struck her as she continued to observe him. Santana followed the direction of his eyes and creased her brows when she realized who he was singing to… Rachel Berry?!

It was at that very moment when Santana felt like she had made a huge mistake when she let Noah Puckerman get away.