This story includes incidents of child-abuse and graphic images. This is an OC love/hurt/mildly comical story including Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman, but is widely OC. If you dislike OC stories, I suggest that you don't read. No, I don't own Glee. But that's cute.
Chapter 1: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
Aleeya glared into the mirror, a deep hatred burning in her bright blue eyes while she twisted a piece of chestnut brown hair around her pointer finger. Ruby red blood ran down her red cheek.
A cut. Just a cut. Definitely not the worst that he'd done, that's for sure. When he smacked her, his ring must've sliced her cheek. Stupid ring. Stupid ridiculous diamond-studded ring that her dad always wore securely on his right pinky. She swore he wore that specifically to make his strikes hurt that much worse.
Deciding that it was useless to dwell on something that could not be changed, Aleeya shuffled to the bathroom closet door. Without even thinking she grabbed as the clear liquid tingled and rubbing alcohol, a few cotton balls and a waterproof Band-Aid. She cleaned her cut with the alcohol, wincing burned her skin, and placed the bandage on it. It was weird, how she'd known how to do this without thinking. It was like it programmed into her; he'd hurt her so many times and left her to clean up his mess. Sick, disturbing, but so very true.
Once she'd glared into the mirror, the hard expression softened slightly. She felt guilty, unbearably so. She'd done something; she must've done something that angered him. Did she forget to clean the house before he came home? Was the food she cooked burnt? Did she say something wrong? What, what did she do this time? She needed to know, she needed to know so bad. So she didn't do it again. Then maybe, just maybe he would stop. This would stop. Why couldn't it stop?
She was crying. Tears were now running freely down her cheeks, and she hadn't even noticed. Jaw clenched, she grabbed a tissue and dabbed rapidly under her bloodshot eyes. As she dabbed, her eyes caught on a picture hanging on a single nail from the wall. Frowning, crumpled the tissue in her fist and walked over to the frame. The picture was of her ten-year-old self stood in a field of weeds, grinning blissfully with Lake Erie in the background. Her dad, Greg, stood on her right, a grin plastered on his face. His chocolate brown hair blew slightly in the mid-August breeze. Her mother, Bethany, a beautiful kind-hearted woman with stunning blue eyes that Aleeya had inherited, was on her left. Bethany's arm was draped over Aleeya's shoulder and she had a bright smile that showed her perfectly white teeth.
It was nearly impossible to believe that a mere two years later, Bethany would've disappeared without a trace, leaving Aleeya at home with her emotionally unstable father. Greg was usually calm, except for when he drank. Then he would yell and scream and fight with her mother. It'd gotten so bad, that she'd left. Although Aleeya couldn't really blame her, she wished that Bethany would've just taken her with her. Not left her with him. He was a twisted man; a man who only knew hate, not love, affection or compassion.
She gingerly touched her mother's frame in the picture, whispering, "I miss you, Mommy," before tossing her crumpled tissue in the trash can and leaving the bathroom, turning off the florescent light on her way out.
She sat on her neatly made bed, glancing at the clock. 6:32. Too early to go to sleep, which was what she normally did after events like this. She laid her head softly on her pure white comforter, her dark chestnut hair sprawling itself out on the bed. Her bright blue eyes roamed the room again in search for something to do. Another picture caught her eye, this one of herself, Puck and Finn. Smiling, she got off her bed, walked over to the desk where the picture lay and sat on her black rolling desk chair.
Puck and Finn: her two best friends for as long as she could remember. They'd met on the first day of kindergarten. She'd been building a humungous tower out of LEGOs. She was so proud of it, too. It was bigger than anything she'd ever attempted at making and it was actually standing tall! Just as she was about to put the finishing piece on, an evil five-year-old Dave Karofsky swung his red Nikes at the tower, sending it crashing to the ground. The yellow, green, red and blue pieces flew everywhere, and Aleeya's jaw dropped to the ground. "You, you, you big jerk!" she screamed throwing her hands up in the air, clearly flustered and shocked. Noah had instantly rushed over (people still called him Noah back then, he wasn't super in to being a badass) and yelled at Karofsky, pushing the husky little kid to the ground. Finn came over just seconds behind Noah, rushing to Aleeya's side to help her pick up the building blocks. Ms. Hines, their ancient kindergarten teacher, shuffled towards Noah and Karofsky, tugging on Noah's ear before Karofsky could react and pulling the mowhawked boy towards the principal's office, scolding him along the way. Karofsky called Aleeya a baby and rubbed his shoulder before grumbling away towards his sidekicks. Finn glared at the boy as he walked away before asking her if she was okay. She'd sniffled yes before wrapping Finn into a hug, grateful for the oddly tall boy's help.
It was a weird start for a friendship, but it was a start. They learned that they had similar interests: they all loved Donkey Kong, playing on the monkey bars, P.E, chocolate-chip ice cream, dogs, LEGOs and the color blue. Finn, Aleeya and Puck were able to look past the 'cooties' that their classmates were oh-so worried about and became friends. They played football with one another, watched SpongeBob and played Mario Kart.
Puck always joked that it was so easy for him and Finn to hang out with her because she acted like a boy. She always Charlie-horsed him when he said it, but she knew it was true. It was much easier for her to hang out with boys. Girls were annoying. They were obnoxious and annoying and catty and bitches. They spread secrets and backstabbed one another; she really didn't need that in her life. Yeah, it was cool to hang out with the glee girls sometimes, but she would never dare trust them with any of her secrets, especially Santana, Tina or Mercedes.
Drifting away from her thoughts, she glanced at the picture again intently. It was cute; a picture that the wedding photographer had snapped of the three at Carole and Burt's wedding. Finn was in the middle, sporting his usual goofy grin (and looking extremely handsome in his tux,) Puck on his right with a classic smirk and Aleeya on his left, her face scrunched in mid-laugh. Her mom used to joke that they were "thick as thieves" growing up. It had been completely true, up until 'baby-gate.'
That was a disaster. Finn had told Aleeya about Quinn being pregnant just a few minutes after Quinn had told him. She'd let him cry on her shoulder and promised to keep his secret and help in whatever way she possibly could. Puck told her shortly afterwards that he indeed was the one who impregnated Quinn. Aleeya had flipped out, calling Puck an irresponsible selfish heartless asshole. But she, reluctantly, had also promised to keep Puck's secret. She was able to hold her tongue and prayed that the whole thing would just blow over. That, of course, didn't happen thanks to Rachel Big-Mouthed Berry. Finn blew up, and Aleeya had never felt guiltier in her life. He stonewalled her, just as he did Puck. It was terrible and made her completely miserable. But after a few weeks of begging on her part, Finn forgave her. That was a miracle.
A short buzz of her phone, yet again, broke her from her thoughts. She put the frame down, grabbed her phone and saw that it was a text from Finn. "Speak of the devil," she whispered jokingly.
"hey lee. me n puck r playin sum c.o.d. u wanna come ovr?" the text read. She smiled to herself, readying her phone to send a response. Her hand ghosted over her Band-Aid covered cheek while she attempted to brush a stray strand of chestnut hair out of her face and she hesitated. Keeping her phone in her hand, she eased herself out of the chair and tiptoed to her door and eventually down the stairs.
She let out a heavy sigh of relief when she saw her dad was passed out on the brown leather couch, a bottle of scotch in his hand. She got her phone out again and sent a text to Finn, "how could i pass up the opportunity to kick your and puckerman's ass at COD? i'll be over in a few." She subconsciously smiled again, before tiptoeing to the kitchen counter, grabbing a pad of paper and a pen. Writing her dad a quick note of where she'd be at and promising she'd be home before curfew, she folded the paper and wrote, "DAD" in large bubbly letters on the front.
Hurrying out the door, she grabbed the keys to her black Hummer, slipped on a pair of white Toms and shut the door behind her. Once she'd gotten safely inside her car, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "Holy shit," she murmured at her mascara smudged eyes. She groaned, grabbing her make-up bag out of the center console. She cleaned her eyes, redid her eyeliner and mascara before ripping her Band-Aid off and covering her cut with cover-up. Sure, it wasn't great for the wound, but it looked a lot better than having a fucking bandage on your cheek.
The drive to the Hudson-Hummel house was short, as usual. She really liked the new location of Finn's house, only a few blocks away from hers. It was at a much more convenient location than the other. Once she'd gotten out of her car, locked it, she walked to the door and rang to doorbell. She teetered on her heels, rocking back and forth until the door was opened by Burt Hummel.
"Hey, Mr. Hummel," she greeted to older flannel-clad man, flashing him her brightest smile.
"Hi, Aleeya," he smiled back, raising the beer in his right hand to greet her. "Finn and Puckerman are downstairs," he told her, stepping out of the way, giving Aleeya room to walk into the house.
"Thanks," she said, walking into the house and making her way to the staircase. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Hummel."
"You too," he responded, giving her another smile. She made her way down the steps and was greeted by the deafening sounds of gun fires, blood spattering and "dammit!" followed along by "this game is fucking rigged." She laughed to herself and made her way to the sofa in which the boys were seated at, sitting on the furniture's arm closest to Finn.
Finn welcomed her with a warm smile, Puck simply grunted. Glancing at the TV, she laughed again. "You guys suck. Like, hard," she noted, scuffing Finn's hair affectionately.
"What the fuck ever, Princess. Put your fucking money where your mouth is, grab a controller and help us out," Puck grumbled, throwing an X Box controller her way.
"Calm your tits, Puckerman. Don't worry, these guys are gonna go down faster than Santana on a first date," she stated as Finn readied the game for her to join.
GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE
They played for another few hours, winning a vast majority of the games they competed in. Then Kurt stomped downstairs, demanding they turn the "stupid, brain-cell destroying and idiotic, senseless, culture-killing damned game" down. Everyone, even Puck, was scared of a pissy Kurt, so they turned on a movie instead. Much to Aleeya's dismay, it was 28 Days Later, a movie that she didn't mind watching at first, but Finn and Puck had forced her to watch it so many times that she could practically speak the words for the actors.
Halfway through the movie, Aleeya passed out, her head rested on Finn's shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist. "So man," Puck said to Finn, "when are you gonna ask her out?"
Finn's eyebrows furrowed. "Who?"
Puck rolled his eyes. "Kim fucking Kardashian. Who do you think dickwipe? Aleeya."
Finn's freckled cheeks flushed a bright red. "Shut up, dude. What if she's not asleep? She could've heard you!"
Puck shrugged, "she's asleep. Trust me." He grabbed Aleeya's arm from Finn's waist and dropped it again. "See? She would've woken up. Now, don't think you can avoid the question, fucktard. You've had a crush on her for-ever, when are you gonna make a move?"
Finn shifted uncomfortably on the leather couch. "I don't even know if she likes me. I don't handle rejection well."
"Boo fucking hoo. Grow a pair. Trust me; you need to go for it. Before someone else does."
He put on his classic confused face. "What?"
"Leeya's a hot girl. She ain't gonna stay single forever. You need to snatch her up before she finds someone better."
"Gee thanks," Finn muttered, returning his gaze to the TV screen.
"C'mon, man. It's true. You need to ask her out, soon. Today, preferably."
Finn bit his lip and Aleeya's grip on him shifted, pulling his waist closer towards her, making soft smacking noises as she slept. He smiled at her, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You're right. A dick, yes, but you're right."
"Cool," Puck nodded, getting off the couch.
"What're you doin'?"
"Waking your future girlfriend up so you can work your goofball charm that girls seem to love on her," Puck stated simply, searching the couches and floor for something.
"What? Not right now! I need, I need some time!" Finn sputtered, pleading his best guy friend to sit back down.
"You know what they say, dude. No time like the present," Puck smiled. He grabbed a pillow off of the couch, raising it high above his head, and bringing it down on Aleeya and Finn's heads.
"Ow!" Finn yelped, rubbing his now sore scalp.
Aleeya simply flinched, raised her head up slightly and squinted. She growled softly at Puck before returning to her spot on Finn's shoulder, rubbing her cheek against him. Puck rolled his eyes, and before Finn could stop him, Puck smacked Aleeya in the face again with the throw pillow.
She didn't flinch this time; instead she grabbed Puck's forearms, opened her mouth wide and clamped her teeth down on his skin. Puck let out a moan, "the hell?"
"That's what you get, you rude-ass motherfucker. Why did you just hit me?" she countered wearily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she reluctantly raised her head from Finn's shoulder. Finn frowned at the loss of Aleeya's touch and shot a glare at Puck.
"Uh," Puck started, silently regretting that he hadn't thought this through too much. He was a 'live in the moment' kind of guy.
"We were having a pillow fight," Finn finished for him, smiling reassuringly. She narrowed her eyes, obviously skeptical.
"Why don't you have a pillow, Finn?…" Aleeya inquired quirking dark eyebrow and glancing between the two boys.
"Er-" Finn stumbled, "well…"
"Whatever, you two are weird. What time is it?" she yawned.
Glancing at a nearby clock, Puck answered, "9:53."
Aleeya's face fell. "What? You've got to be shitting me." Puck shook his head. "Dammit. Dammit, dammit!" She scrambled up, slipping her shoes back on and adjusting the hem of her shirt.
"What the fuck are you wigging out about?" Puck asked.
"My curfew's 10," she stated, as if it was obvious. Finn and Puck gazed at her questioningly. "It's almost 10! If I'm late-" she stopped and shuddered at the thought. "I gotta go. Now." Puck frowned.
"What? No! You can't go! Be late, for once. Shit, grow a fucking backbone. Stay, stay!" Puck pleaded, tugging on Aleeya's arm, not unlike a little kid throwing a temper tantrum.
"Haha," she laughed humorlessly, "you know my fucking dad. He'll rip me a new asshole."
"But," Puck started, obviously pissed, "Finn has something he wants to tell you."
Finn's mouth fell agape, suddenly at a loss for words. "Not with you here, man," Finn muttered to Puck.
"What, Finn?" Aleeya asked, placing a hand on her slender hip, her and Puck looking at him expectantly.
He kept gulping, like a fish out of water, not quite knowing what to say. "Well," he stuttered again. "Uh- you're hair looks really pretty like that," he finally spat. Puck chuckled from behind Aleeya and she frowned.
"That's what you had to tell me?" she deadpanned. He nodded. "I wasted three minutes of my time for you to tell me my hair looks pretty? Whatever, I'll see you losers at school tomorrow." She looked questioningly at Finn again before rushing up the steps.
GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE
Aleeya slowly opened the door at 10:06 to find a seemingly empty house. She let out a sigh of relief and closed the door behind her.
"Where the fuck've you been?" a drunken voice called from the darkness.
She groaned silently, cursing her luck. She'd hope her dad would still be passed out, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. "I was at Finn's, I left you a no-" she explained, looking down at the cold wood-paneled ground.
"Shut up, stupid," her dad interrupted, stepping closer to Aleeya, his face becoming illuminated from the street lights outside that shone through the windows. "You're late."
"I know," she mumbled, "I'm sorry. I lost track of time-"
"Don't give me fuckin' excuses. Why didn't you tell me where you were goin'?" he slurred, coming face-to-face with his daughter. "Huh?" he pressed, shoving her against the door.
"I did," she squeaked, not quite being able to find her voice. "Dad, I left you a note. I was trying to tell you that before-"
"You didn't leave me no note," he stated, spraying his breath that reeked of alcohol in her face.
"Yes, I did, Dad. I left it on the kitchen table," she argued back quietly.
"Really?" he slurred. Grumbling, he grabbed Aleeya by the hair, dragging her towards the kitchen. Her Toms, having little traction, caused her feet slipped across the slick floor. Once they'd gotten to the kitchen, he turned the light on. "Where is it?" he asked, nearly rhetorically. Aleeya gulped and looked at the kitchen counter. It wasn't there. It wasn't where she put it. Fuck, did she misplace it? Did it blow away? Where the fuck did it go?
"I don't know," she said softly.
"Huh? I can't fucking hear you!" he screamed, tightening his grip on Aleeya's hair, yanking her upwards.
She cried out in pain, "I don't know! I don't know, Dad! I put it on the counter, I swear I did."
"You swear?" he asked. "Are you calling me a liar, then?" Her dad scoffed, shoving her against the wall and changing his grip from her hair to her throat. She gasped, his fingers curling around her neck. "You dare come in my fucking house and call me a liar?" She shook her head vigorously, but that still didn't seem to appease her father as he lifted her off the ground. "Then what are you trying to say? You didn't leave a fucking note and you know it."
She wanted to protest, she wasn't lying. She had written the goddamn note, she was sure of it. But her air was being cut off; she couldn't go for much longer. "You're right," she whispered, finding it incredibly hard to speak.
"Damn straight I'm right. I'm always fucking right. That's the way it works: I'm right, you're wrong. You're stupid, I'm smart. Right?" She nodded her head, desperate for oxygen. Her lungs clenched together and expanded rapidly, needing new air. "Fuck. Now you'd better fucking apologize. For leaving without me knowing and coming home after curfew."
"I'm sorry."
"This'd better never fucking happen again. You got me?"
"Yes."
"What?" he growled, tightening his grip again.
She whimpered, "Yes, sir. I promise."
His nostrils flared, but he reluctantly released her neck. Aleeya inhaled desperately, collapsing on the ground, rubbing her neck with one hand and her ribs with the other. "Good, because next time? You won't be so fucking lucky," he spat before kicking her in the calf.
Lucky? This was what fucking lucky was? Nearly being strangled to death? She decided to not speak, and instead cowered on the floor.
"Get your pathetic self upstairs and go to bed," her dad ordered. Aleeya stayed where she was on the ground, not able to move. "I said now," he grumbled and she got herself together and scrambled to her room.
Like? Dislike? I have a few more chapters written, but I will not post them unless they are wanted. Review! Alert! Thanks.