"Noah. . .do you remember Hairography?" Rachel Berry asked as she suddenly appeared by his open locker.
"No," he replied quickly, rolling his eyes.
"The girls from Jane Adams came and performed?" she tried to jolt his memory. At his blank look, she prompted, "They shook their derrieres and hair, but did very little singing?"
"Yeah, it was hot," he said getting a glazed look.
"Do you . . .no, I said then it was just a show and that we we're good enough to win without it," she told him.
"Okay?" he questions, hoping she'll get to the point soon.
"Noah, Sue's idea of a ploy with a cross-dresser is hairography all over again."
"Oh," he said and tried to turn away.
"Wait, Noah," she told him grabbing his wrist. Her touch probably stopped him, more than the words. "Thank you," she told him sincerely. Then when he turned back to look at her obviously disbelieving, her speech really started, "Thank you, but we're better than that. You're better than that. Unique may be all the rage, but he isn't even willing to perform without a costume, a disguise. You being honest and real is better than that, it has more substance-just you being the boy that was willing to stand and sing the first male solo with nothing more than your guitar is plenty. So thank you, Noah, but you're enough just as you are, Nora is un-needed. You can stand out without the farce, okay?"
He nodded. Surprisingly what she said made sense. It was even better when she reached up to kiss his cheek.
"Also, you're taking me home after school today," she told him and got ready to walk away.
"Wait, I. . I can't today, I have . . . something to do," he stumbled through an explanation. He didn't want to tell her about the fight knowing she wouldn't approve.
"I know," she told him with her eyebrows lifted meaningfully." I'm aware, but Noah either you meet me at your car when school lets out or I willcome find you," she easily replied.
He took it for the bluff he knew it to be, she had Finn to concern herself with afterall.
Needless to say when 3:30 came, he was caught between anxious anticipation and foreboding. He hadn't had a fight in awhile; fight club had been suspended once a few parents caught wind, so he wasn't sure how this would go down. He would be winning though that he was certain of, and he patted his pocket to make sure his guarantee was where he'd placed it.
He easily sauntered his way to the area named after him and for some reason couldn't help thinking of Kurt, other kids had deserved what he did to them and so didn't really enter his conscience (like Jew-fro perving on Berry), but Kurt had just been himself.
Several hockey dudes had already gathered when he'd arrived. Then after a few more minutes and some taunting the fight was ready to take place.
"Stop this instant," a surprising voice spoke, and he was shocked to see Rachel Berry marching up to the gathered group. She instantly inserted herself between Stick and him.
"This is not happening," she spoke assuredly.
"Need a girl to protect you," Rick taunted.
"Close your despicable mouth this instant," she spoke and her glare made him do as she told him. "Look, I know you're impressed at your 'skill', because you made it to OSU. Big deal, most of the graduating class goes there and then comes back and lives with their parents. In fact, isn't that just what your sister did? Isn't she currently living at home after graduating two years ago with no job?" Rachel questioned easily, not at all intimidated by the bully. Then she seemed to shake herself, "Not that that's the point, good for you you're going to college. For hockey, no less, where maybe the rest of your decency doesn't get beaten out of you. Noa. . .Puck may not be going to college, but he's leaving this state. In fact he'll be as far as you can be from Lima and remain in the continental United States, and then do you know what will happen there?" she had backed Rick up until he was now back to back with one of the dumpsters.
"Well?" she questioned again. He quickly shook his head no.
"He'll be cleaning a pool, due to his entrepreneur business, and who'll come home, but a famous director and once he sees. . ."
She's interrupted by loud guffaws from the gathered crowd, and immediately turns her crazy eyes on them and they quiet. He's a little anxious for what she's going to say himself, if he's honest. Because she knows what the pool business is a guise for, but still she's never judged him before. He doesn't really want to hear her do it in front of all these people. He can appreciate that she's at least calling him Puck for this, as if his rep can be saved.
"As I was saying, once he sees Puck, and the bone structure and his glowing tan from working in the sun and his musculature, he'll hire him on the spot to be on his new show. Then he'll be famous, with a record deal while you attend OSU. So who's the loser in all this?" Rachel asks.
For a moment, it looks like Sticky is going to cave, then he puts his hand on Rachel and the red begins to fill Puck's vision.
"Get your hands off of her," he tells the hockey player, and it's the voice that freshman instinctively knew to jump at.
"Yeah, or what?" Rick says, grabbing her more firmly and pulling her in front of him. Rachel's gasp indicates just how rough the bully is handling her.
"Or you'll become familiar with Puckilla, and his fists!" he tells the boy moving closer. "Are you really hiding behind a girl?" he can't help but ask.
In the end, he doesn't know how it works. Rachel and him just can read one another. He knows she'll duck and she knows to duck and when. It's almost choreographed. The hit allows Rachel to get away and join the sidelines, she's probably also the one who gets Coach Beiste to break it up. He won because of Rachel, no matter who had who penned at the end (of course he had the upper hand, have you seen his guns?).
"Remember, what I said about Nora?"
He nodded. "Well, I'm not asking for a dress, but you have to wear foundation. This is part of why I did not want you fighting so close to Nationals. We need you to not be bruised. Also what about your probation is that over or what?" she asked as she fussed over him. After the fight, she insisted that he not only drive her home, but that he come in, so she could 'tend to his battle wounds'. He'd have to say, her hands felt good.
"Rach, stop," he finally told her.
"But I. . .just a touch more," she continued to fuss.
"Stop," he repeated and grabbed her hands pulling her to stand between his legs as he sat on a stool in her kitchen. Once there, he tilted her chin to force her to look him in the eyes. "Thank you," he told her, and at first she looked as though she was going to argue. Instead, she took a step closer and hugged him (without the warning she gave everyone else).
"You're going to be amazing, Noah," she told him once she was wrapped in his arms. He could only smile at her belief in him.
He was surprised to hear her voice coming from the choir room at lunch time, even more surprising was Santana standing outside obviously eavesdropping.
"What cha' doin'?" he asked sneaking up behind her.
She jumped, then turned to smirk, "You're going to want to see this. I already texted the rest of the gleeks. Q obviously gets a front row seat."
Standing here, Rachel's words became clear, "She's here because I asked her to be, because I needed a witness, an accountability partner if you will. I've asked her to be silent and observe only."
"Account-what?" Finn asked dumbly.
Rachel took a long cleansing breath. She could do this, she could and she would do it without screeching. "Finn, I. . .we can't get married," she finally just blurted the reason she' d called the assembled people in the room.
Outside a gasp went through the gathered gleeks, inside you could hear a pin-drop. Quinn's eyes had doubled to twice their normal size letting everyone know she'd not been informed of the reason for the gathering prior to coming here.
"Rachel?" he asked.
"You don't fight. . ." she started.
Only for him to interrupt, "You're non-violent, you even have the bumper sticker," he told her in an octave usually reserved for Kurt.
"I don't mean just with your fists. I fight for what I want and you. But you don't. And some things are worth fighting for, they matter."
"I don't know you're talking about."
"Noah is your friend, right?" she asked seemingly changing the subject. He dumbly nodded. "And you knew about the fight yesterday. You promised you'd be there and you weren't. You promised me you would stop it."
"I forgot," he told her throwing up his hands exasperated and thinking the conversation would be over, he began walking to the door.
"You won't fight for your friends, " Rachel continued making him stop. "Last year, all the Glee boys got together to go after David. But you. . .didn't. "
"Puck wasn't there either."
"He was, he didn't fight having just gotten out of juvie, but he was there. This isn't about Noah, but either way, you don't fight for family."
"Rachel, you're being ridiculous," he told her and tried to approach her.
She merely backed up and continued talking, "You don't fight for me, so you don't fight for love. Friends, family and love, Finn. They count. But you don't fight for them, in fact the only time I've ever seen you fight was for yourself. It's not enough, I can't marry you," she finally finished and when she offered the ring to him, he was so stunned he took it and sat down. "We have to be over now, that's why I brought Quinn. To help me remember," she spoke softly. Then going towards where he was slumped in a chair, she kissed him lightly on the forehead, "Goodbye, Finn."
They all saw the tears that started as she turned away, and the way Quinn took her hand and lightly tugged her towards the door, but dispersed before the girl could see them.
At Glee that day, no one questioned the distance between the former couple. Mr. Shue had even been warned by Santana not to touch on it. After all, no one could argue with her point and Finn himself didn't even try to change her mind, he didn't even try to fight. No one had expected him to.
But at end of the day, Noah couldn't resist asking, "You need a ride home, Rach?"
She gave him a small smile and left with him, even kissing his cheek as a thank you before she got out of the car. California may be the last place he wanted to be now.