Title: I Set My Cup Down
Summary: Brittany throws a party, but not everyone has a good time. Two-part story. Puckleberry friendship & Pezberry friendship. T for underage drinking, language, and mature themes.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee - at this point I wouldn't want to
Things to know: Set Season 2. The Rachel Berry House Party Train Wreck Extravaganza never happened. Kurt & Blaine became a couple after season 2's Valentine's Day episode.
Author's Note: I usually set my stories in season 2 because I despise the direction the show has taken. A Finchel marriage? Seriously? Someone needs to get their ass bit. Also the second chapter (re: last part) will be up on Sunday.
In Lima there was one house that was impossible to miss: the Pierce residence. Hendrik Pierce had invested his money well after earning a MBA from Northeastern and he wanted the whole of Lima to know it. The house alone was an impressive ten room, three-floor manor, but the three acres of land it stood on as well as the pool and tennis court made the Ohio-esque palace a high schooler's paradise.
Brittany S. Pierce's annual St. Patty's Day celebration was in full swing. The music was blaring, the alcohol was flowing, and there was an obnoxious amount of green in the room. Unlike previous years, those lower on the social totem pole (i.e., the original gleeks) were invited to take part in the festivities.
"Ugh, it looks like Kermit the Frog threw up in here," Kurt Hummel told his boyfriend as they observed the scene from their sport by the pool table.
"It's starting to smell like it to," Blaine riposted before taking a sip of his drink. Kurt's face scrunched as he nodded in agreement.
"Brittany's version of the Emerald City is giving me a headache."
"Yeah, she seems to have taken the St. Patty's Day in one very specific direction," Blain agreed tactfully.
"Green is not a theme," Kurt argued. Blaine just laughed.
On the other side of the room Junior Rachel Berry was currently trying to act as if she was unaffected by the fact that Quinn Fabray was hanging all over her ex-boyfriend Finn Hudson. He was never that affectionate with me in public.
Santana's voice brought Rachel out of her thoughts, "Get a new show, Man-hands, it's over."
Rachel decided not to waste her time on the acerbic cheerleader. The short brunette barely spared Santana a glance as she headed towards the kitchen.
The kitchen counter was littered with red cups, beer cans, and soda bottles. Rachel decided that she would just have some diet coke, but as she was pouring the brown liquid into the plastic cup someone bumped her from behind causing the cup and its contents to spill over the counter and onto the floor.
Rachel immediately bent down to pick up the cup from the tiled ground.
"Shit," she heard a deep voice mutter. "I'm so sorry."
Without looking up, the short singer brushed off the apology, "It's fine."
"Here let me help you with that."
Suddenly a mass of Bounty paper towels was thrust in her face. Rachel accepted the white bundle and began blotting up the liquid.
The unknown "assailant" bent down with his own batch of paper towels and followed suit. Rachel was shocked to see that the apologetic and helpful individual was John Griffin. Although she wasn't entirely positive of his position, the petite brunette was well aware that the tan blue-eyed teen who kept his dirty blonde shaved close to his head played for McKinley's football team.
"It's okay," Rachel stuttered. "You don't have to do that."
John gave her a dimpled smile and continued helping her clean up the remaining soda. When they were finished the football player stood up and offered Rachel his hand to assist her. Once she was fully vertical, John handed her a full cup of diet coke, which she took graciously.
"Sorry about before. I'm a total klutz," John told her.
Rachel tried to keep her smile from breaking her face – football players (not involved in Glee) never apologized to her. Never.
"Oh, please, don't worry about it. It's water under the bridge. Or in this case diet coke under the bridge."
The jock laughed at Rachel's attempt at a joke, making her struggle to tame her smile useless.
"I'm John, by the way," the boy said sticking his hand out for her to shake.
"Rachel."
Santana saw an obviously shwasted Rachel Berry being dragged upstairs by John Griffin, a cornerback on the McKinley who, despite the fact that he fumbled every interception he miraculously made, still thought he was God's gift to women. Not liking the leer on Griffin's face and the grip the teen had on her teammate's arm, Santana decided to intervene.
Just as Griffin tugged Rachel passed the fourth step, Santana sped up and reached out for Rachel's hand, "Where do you think you're going, Berry?" Santana watched as Rachel tried and failed to focus her eyes. They seemed to roll behind her hooded lids as she moved her head towards Santana's voice.
"The stairrrrs," Rachel slurred. "They go up, up, up."
Despite her initial discomfort at seeing Rachel being manhandled, the cheerleader couldn't help but laugh at intoxicated Rachel Berry, "I thought Rachel Berry didn't drink alcohol."
"She doesn't," Rachel drawled out. "None for me. Coke. Just coke." Upon finishing her sentence Rachel stumbled over herself.
"Woah there," Santana cried as she caught the smaller girl, steadying her closer to the wall.
Seeing Santana's concern and suspicion grow, John decided he needed to get the Cheerio out of there.
"Need anything else, Lopez?" the boy sneered
"Shut up, Griffin," Santana replied. The Latina looked Rachel over and found her looking even more out of it than before. The Cheerio set both of her outstretched arms on Rachel's shoulders and slowly asked, "You okay, Berry?"
"She's fine," John said tugging on Rachel's shirt.
"I thought I told you to shut up," Santana all but yelled. "Rachel. Are. You. Okay?"
At this point, the glee diva was practically asleep, the only reason she was still standing was because of Santana and John.
"Mmmhmm. Tired. Spin..spinning."
John smirked, "See, I'm just helping her out."
Santana sent a glare his way. "Well I got it from here. Run along and go give crabs to someone else."
John's smug smile turned into a frown. "Butt out, Lopez."
"Fuck off, Griffin," she bit back.
"There a problem here, ladies?" Puck's voice cut through the air.
"Yeah, Griffin here thought he'd take Berry upstairs," Santana informed him. The foreign unease in his friend's voice put Puck's senses on alert.
"Dude, she had a headache," John lied. "I was just taking her away from the noise."
Puck's brow furrowed. He decided to check Griffin's story with Rachel. "Is that true, Berry?" The baritone's eye grew wide when he saw his friend's rolling around in her head. "Rachel?" Puck tapped the girl's cheek softly. "Hey Rachel," The action caused Rachel's eyes to open a bit wider, but that was it.
Santana shook her head. "Puck, she's out."
"What'd you do, Griffin," Puck's asked.
"Nothing man," Griffin laughed nervously. "Girl's a light weight. That ain't my fault."
"You're a fucking liar!" Santana shouted. The teens conversing near the staircase, were pulled out of their idle chitchat by the yelling.
Puck looked at Rachel then back at Griffin. "San, can you get her to Brit's room?"
"Yeah, I can manage." The cheerleader draped one of Rachel's limp arms over her shoulders and roughly shoved passed the cornerback. John and Puck watched as the girls made it to the second floor.
"What did you give her, Griffin?"
"Nothing," the boy shrugged.
"I swear to God, Griffin, if you don't tell me what you did right now I'm gonna tear your fucking head off."
John scoffed, "Please, Puckerman. You're on probes. You can't touch shit."
"Think that matters to me?" It was taking everything in the teen's power not to bash his teammate's head in. "You tell me what you did."
"Or what?"
Puck got close to John's ear so that only he could hear, "Or they won't be sending me back to juvie. They'll be sending me to prison."
"Puck, Tina's ready to head out so if you still need a ride…" upon seeing the heated glares the two boys on the steps were exchanging Mike's let his sentence go unfinished. "Umm is everything okay?"
Rather than answering, Puck shoved John backwards so that he fell against the steps. Once the boy was on his back Puck pounced.
"Woah!" Mike cried, "Hey, Puck, man, chill."
"Tell me," Puck demanded.
"Get offa' me," John screamed, giving Puck a hard push. The motion sent Puck back into Mike.
The Asian teenager made sure to hold on to his friend tightly.
"What happened?"
John wiped the little bit of blood from his split lip. "Puckerman's just jealous" John said getting back up. "I was gonna taste that berry first."
"I'm gonna kill you!" Puck managed to escape Mike's grip and tackled John back to the ground.
"Puck! Puck, stop!"
Quinn was watching as the fight between Puck and Griffin escalated into an all out brawl between members of the football team and the Gleeks. If it weren't for the fact that she had made sure to set her iphone on vibrate, Quinn would have continued observing with the rest of the partygoers.
Brit's room. Now!
Quinn shut the door behind her once inside Brittney's dark room.
"What'd you need," She asked Santana who was seated on the bed. "You're totally missing Griffin get his ass - is that Rachel?"
Santana didn't look up from her spot next to the unconscious girl.
"She was mumbling before," she told Quinn. The blonde had never heard her tough friend sound so afraid.
Quinn walked over to Brittney's bed. "What happened? Is she okay?"
"He gave her something," Santana claimed. "That pig gave her something and he was going to…" She didn't want to say it out loud.
"Who? Who gave her something?"
"Griffin." Puck's decision to flatten Griffin's face made sense now. "He said she was drunk, tired, but smell her. She hasn't touched a beer. I know it."
Before Quinn could inquire further, Puck stomped into the room followed closely by Mike and Finn.
"How's she doing?" a disheveled and bloody Puck asked as he hurried over the girls. Santana just shook her head dejectedly.
"What happened to Griffin?" Quinn asked.
"Brittney threatened to call the cops. Everyone's hauling ass out of here. Well limping out in Griffin's case," Mike informed the cheerleaders.
"You gonna tell us what that was all about," Finn asked his best friend. When Puck didn't answer, Finn pressed for answers again, but the teen offered no explanation.
"Griffin drugged Rachel," Quinn finally said, figuring Puck wasn't going to open his mouth any time soon.
"What!" Kurt's voice came from the door. Those in the room saw the soprano and his boyfriend standing at the doorway with the rest of the Gleeks, except Artie and Brittney, who was keeping the handicapped boy company downstairs. As the team packed into the room, Santana yelled at them to give Rachel some space.
"What do you mean he drugged her?" Kurt demanded. "With what? Is she going to be okay? Does she need a hospital? We need to call the cops. Her dads are out of town. When with she wake up?" The words just poured out of Kurt's mouth in rapid succession. Even though Santana wanted to tell him to shut up, she got that he was concerned about his best friend.
"She's going to be okay." Puck said, his voice assured and unwavering.
"How do you know?" Kurt shouted, tears starting flow down his face.
"Because we're going to the hospital now."
TBC
Thank you for reading.