On the last day of their sophomore year, she'd promised that they'd hang out, swore she'd call him if she needed anything. That was three months ago. He hadn't long found out from Mercedes that she'd gone on vacation with her mom - 'girl time' - a whole summer somewhere in the Caribbean. He didn't even know where - where the girl who'd not long given birth to his daughter had been all summer. He tried calling but it went straight to answer-phone, and she hadn't replied to his texts or emails – he'd been checking almost every hour, every day. They were the three longest, darkest months of his sixteen years.
Puck spent most of the summer looking after his little sister Anna whilst his mom worked shifts. He had some cash saved up from his pool cleaning for Quinn and the baby (in case she'd changed her mind and wanted to keep her) so he spent it on decorating Anna's room instead. Whenever he did hang out with the guys, all he could think about was Quinn. How could she do this to me? After I said I loved her? Is it over? It had barely even started.
He knew when she was back. He'd seen the light on in her bedroom during his nightly detours driving home. He'd stopped the truck for a moment, staring up at her window – daring himself to go and ring the bell. But he couldn't.
He couldn't sleep at all that night - the night before school started up again. Every time he closed his eyes all he could picture was Quinn. He noticed light gaping in through the blinds, and realised it was morning. Time to get up and face the day he'd been dreading. What do I say to her? What if she still ignores me? Has she changed her mind about us?
He pulled up in the school parking lot, switched off the engine and sat there. Nothing had changed here, apart from a new sign-post and freshly painted fences, but it was still the same McKinley High just with a few new faces and less old ones. But hers was in there somewhere, her beautiful one, the one he'd been missing. Man-up Puck, he lectured himself, just go to class, be cool.
She knew she was going to miss him. She tried to push it to the back of her mind, but since her mom flashed two tickets to the Bahamas in her face she'd thought about him every day. It was a last-minute thing – her mom was finding the separation hard and wanted a quick getaway to spend some quality time with the daughter she'd neglected for the past six months. In reality, it was an offer Quinn couldn't refuse – she too wanted to get away from Lima and try to forget everything she'd been through recently. Being pregnant, losing her friends, being kicked out of her home and the Cheerio's – all for the joy of spending just one day with her beautiful daughter before she was carried away into the arms of a woman who could actually provide a half-decent life for her. Yeah, this will be good for me, she thought, a few months away, sunbathing and clearing my head of all this crap. 'Sure' she'd replied to her mom, who subsequently dashed upstairs to pack their cases. Quinn stared at the phone, contemplating whether to call and tell Puck she wasn't going to be around for a while. He'd said to call if she needed anything, but maybe he was just being nice? She had just had his baby after all. She decided against it, He'll probably be hanging out with the guys all summer anyway.
They drove past Pucks run-down house on the way to the airport. It was early in the morning and she knew he'd be asleep, probably hung-over from drinking too many beers the night before. She gazed out of the window until they turned the corner and his house was no longer in sight – a single tear falling down her cheek which she quickly wiped away. Judy patted her daughter sympathetically, knowing full well why Quinn was being so quiet.
It wasn't until they had been on the island for over a week that Quinn realised she'd forgotten her cell phone. The place was so gorgeous and peaceful it had really done the trick – she hadn't thought about home since she got there. Not until a young couple with a baby girl had set up camp next to her at the beach one day. It took her 10 minutes to realise she was staring. As soon as she got back to the hotel room she dug out her suitcases in search of her phone. After finally giving up, she locked herself in the bathroom and cried until Judy came back from the spa and made her get ready for dinner.
The rest of the vacation dragged. Every day was spent sun-bathing at the beach or around one of the seven pools at their luxurious resort, with an occasional boat trip or day spent shopping being a meagre highlight. The pretty teenager received plentiful attention from some of the boys over the three months but it was all unwanted on her part. There was only one boy on her mind, and he was hundred of miles away. She started counting down the days until their flight back to Ohio.
Never had she been so excited to start back at school. They had arrived home on Sunday after three months away, and Quinn was so exhausted she collapsed straight into bed, not even checking her phone or computer like she'd been longing to. In the morning, she sprung up as soon as she opened her eyes, rushing to get ready because she was late and eager to see everyone. Especially him.