Chapter 1: Seeing you again.
It was another normal day in the Glee Club, where they all sat and listened to what Mr. Schuester had to say, listened to Rachel Berry's suggestions for songs that she would be willing to sing in Regionals, heard Santana's annoyed sigh and some comments between her and her girlfriend Brittany. The fact is that Puck has grown fonder of the group since he joined it. Of course they had some disagreements along the years, but now that it was the last months of their high school, Puck felt something he never thought he would; – since he always wanted to get out of Lima – he felt his heart tighten with the thought of not seeing the ones he cared about after they graduated.
Puck sat on the far back of the room, which gave him a good view of the choir room. Looking around he spotted Sam looking at Mercedes with puppy eyes and a sly smile – ever since they got back together, they were hardly seen apart from one another – Finn, was listening to whatever Rachel was saying, it looked he wasn't paying so much attention, so Puck figured she was talking something annoying as usual. Tina and Mike were talking about college stuff, and how they would see each other as often after Mike moved to his dorm. Quinn was sitting next to Artie, talking to him and sharing a smile. Recently she announced she got accepted in Yale, and everyone was happy about her, including Puck, he knew this was good for her and was glad to see her better. It made him think how everyone was with their future plans all figured out and they were basically already living their dreams, besides from him.
A couple months ago, he applied to some colleges for Music major, but he hadn't heard from any so far. He applied to them, mostly because his mother was bothering him with it, for what he cared, he just wanted to get out of Lima, and college wasn't exactly in his plans, but he decided it wouldn't hurt so much to just apply. He never hoped to be accepted, since his reputation wasn't the best and his grades weren't the ones that any college would look for. Although, after seeing Beth and trying to convince Shelby he was worth to be part of his daughter's life, he improved his grades and stopped being irresponsible and reckless. He was a dad now. It's not like he wasn't before, but now he was part of her life and he needed to be a good example for her.
He couldn't help but spot an empty chair in the choir room while looking at his friends. Of course there were a lot of empty chairs, Glee wasn't the most popular club in school, but this chair was kind of special, it was where Lauren usually sat when she was in Glee and with him. His thoughts wondered to the girl he used to date. Yes, date. Another thing that Puck never thought he would do, after all he was a sex shark as he liked to call himself, and that girl gave him a lot of work, but he found it worth it, she was different from any other girl he hooked up, not because of the body type, but her confidence, and her 'no take shit from anyone' attitude, she was even a bigger badass than he was, and he really liked that about her. At the beginning of their senior year, she had dumped him with the excuse that Glee and he wasn't in her cool factor anymore and that she needed to keep her reputation up.
His mind wondered about her. He wanted to know how she was and ask her about her future plans, and it reminded him that they haven't talked in such long time, and then he let himself feel something that he pushed away every time she came in his mind. He missed her. Everything about her, he missed.
His gaze was broken when his friends started to applause Rachel's latest performance of another romantic song for Finn and the bell rang. Biting his bottom lip, Puck stood up grabbing his stuff and heading out of the choir room in what it looked like to be a second. If he was doing that, he didn't have the time to think, he just rushed to the hallways heading to one locker specifically. Walking in a fast pace, Puck looked to the locker and didn't found what he was looking for, but decided to wait. 'She'll be here at any time', he thought as he leaned against her locker, watching the students on their lockers getting their stuff together to finally go home.
Lauren was in her AP English Literature class and was dismissed early to go to the nurse to get a pack of ice so she could put it on her shoulder that was hurting insanely. She had a sling around her neck to hold her injured right arm so she wouldn't move it too much and to help heal it. The injury happened the past weekend, on a wrestler match.
It was the finals on the state championship, and Lauren fought against one of the best opponents so far, he gave her a lot of work. On the peak of the match, her opponent dropped her on the mat placing his body on top of hers holding her firmly. In that moment she felt something wasn't right with her right shoulder, it was burning and it hurt like hell, but she held the scream that tried to come out of her mouth and focus on her opponent, trying her best to get rid of his grip. It took a few skillful movements of her, to turn them around and place her body on top of his and hold it steady, making sure he wouldn't have the time or the space to turn back up again. The ref started to count, and soon enough he called her out as the state champion.
To get up from the mat was a bit harder when she felt that she couldn't support her whole body with both of her arms, so she used only one, but when the ref looked at her to raise her arm, everyone could see the bump on her right shoulder. Her coach saw it and already called the doctor that was watching the match to check on her as soon she got out of the mat, lot of ice packs were put on her shoulder as they examined her, it was swallowed and had a huge bump. The doctor, after examination told her that could be an AC separation, but she needed to go immediately to the hospital to take some x-rays to confirm it.
Lauren was a bit scared, not that she would tell anyone that, about the condition of her shoulder. If the injury was too bad, she knew she would have to do a surgery and maybe never be able to wrestle anymore. And, as she waited in the hospital for the x-rays results and the doctor's prognosis she thought what would happen if she could never wrestle again, and that made her more nervous. She shook the thoughts away when the nurse called her out to see the doctor.
The doctor was a tiny man, in his late 50's already with some white hair, and he explained her what happened to her shoulder and confirmed it was an AC separation, type IV, it wasn't so common, and it might need surgery, but for now he just gave her some pain killers and recommendations to rest and put ice every two hours for fifteen minutes so the inflammation would go away, and told her to come back in 10 days. Great! She thought annoyed with this situation as she was walking towards her parents' car.
When she got to the nurse's room she asked for the pack of ice and lay down on the bed they have there with the ice on her shoulder. She had taken one pain killer at lunch that was making her sleepy now, so she drifted off for a while waking up only when the bell rang. She slowly got up with the help of her good arm gave the nurse the pack that now had water from all the ice and thanked her as she walked out.
Walking down the hall towards her locker she saw that some students were already leaving 'Was I out for how long?' she thought. As she was getting closer to her locker she saw that there was someone standing there, but she was still too far to identify who it was. 'Who the hell is there?' she wondered again, and as she got closer she recognized the Mohawk head leaned against her locker.
"Are you lost or something, Puckerman?" she asked when she was by her locker. A grin appeared in his lips, he was glad to see her.
Looking at her shoulder Puck frowned with worry, wondering what happened to her "I'm not lost. I wanted to see you. What happened to your shoulder?" he questioned her worried, because it was looking serious. He has seen some of her wrestling matches and saw how hard it looked and could imagine how painful some moves could be.
"I'm fine" she lied to him, her should was still hurting, but she wasn't exactly fine because she was still unsure if she was going to need the surgery or not, and worst, if she would be able to wrestle after. "This is just an AC separation, type IV. It happened this weekend at a wrestling match. It's really nothing", she told him not showing her preoccupation about it.
She wouldn't confess it, but she missed him – a lot actually – and was kind of happy to see him like the old times. After she dumped him in the beginning of the year, she haven't seen or talked to him. She thought he was mad with her at some point, but forced herself not to care about it, and soon enough he was in the back of her mind. It took a while for her to push him there, but she was over, they were over now.
Watching her open her locker with some difficulty Puck stay there, without saying a word, but trying to put the words in his head right, to make sense when they came out of his mouth. The truth is that he didn't really know what to say to her. I miss you, what the hell happened with us, why did you dumped me, what is the real reason for her action was all in his head but he couldn't figure out which one he should start their conversation.
"Let me help you with that" he said as he grabbed the books from her left arm not caring about the look she shot at him saying that she could handle herself just fine.
"What do you want?" she asked him suspicious about his reasons to be there, after all this time.
"What do you think about getting some coffee?" he suggested to her.
"I never took you for a coffee person" she replied looking at him.
"I'm not, but I remember you like it. And I'm sure you would love one right now."
She swallowed hard at his suggestion. She really would love some coffee right now, and she couldn't believe he still remembers this little detail about her. Her heart skipped a beat and she turned to face her locker that was still open, trying to avoid his eyes pushing away all the feelings that were trying to show off of her face. Damn it, she misses him. More than she expected to.
Taking a silent deep breath she closed her locker and looked at him "I have to go" she said as she grabbed her book from him and started to walk away.
Unsatisfied with her answer, Puck reached out for her hand, the one that was holding the book, grabbing her wrist firmly but gently and then she stopped walking "Are you avoiding me, Zizes?" he asked her and she turned around to face him once more "I have more things to do, Puckerman" she responded. "I have to go, excuse me" she said as she took her hand off his grip and started to walk towards the parking lot.
Puck sighed to see her walking away from him again. He wondered what was going on, what made her walk away from him like that again, doesn't she feel the same way about him the way he does about her, he wanted to know. And then he decided that this time, he wouldn't let her go easily.
Author's note: So this is my first fanfic ever. I really would love for you guys to read it and review it. Thank you in advance.