Disclaimer:Ryan Murphy & Co/Fox own them and regularly assassinate their characters. I like to play in the Glee sandbox. I make no money off of this...if I did I wouldn't be trying to convince college loan collection agencies that I died.

Prompt: When Finn doesn't understand Rachel's fear that she'll never get out of Lima and instead thinks it could be good that she give up on NYC, she goes to Puck for some perspective. - PuckRachel Drabble Meme on LJ by: sarcastic_fina

"Hi," Rachel mumbled the word as she sat on the bleacher behind him and dropped her bag next to her with a slight clang. "I need your perspective on something."

She took the silent nod and slight cocking of his head to the side as an acknowledgment of her greeting and an invitation to vent since, as of late, that was the only type of friendship they seemed to have. She didn't have the mental energy to assign blame onto herself for that slight at the current moment; it would hurt too much to acknowledge what she was probably giving up.

"Finn just sat and listened to me worriedly ramble on for almost fifteen minutes about how I didn't get into Julliard or the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts and then, when I told him I was scared I might not get out of Lima, he told me it was probably a good thing. He thinks that if I've got these fears that I might not get into school in New York then I should just not try and should stay here in Ohio with him," she began her explanation as to why she had joined him in what was his unspoken refuge during free periods and watched as his brow furrowed in what she recognized as his usual expression of confusion at her statement. "I know! How could that possibly be the answer to everything? I mean, obviously there are other schools. I just wish that he wouldn't brush it off so easily."

She froze when he snorted slightly and asked the next question that popped into her head at the noise, "I'm not being ridiculous...right?"

Noah's head turned slightly more in her direction and she took in the frown that was now gracing his painfully handsome face. She opened her mouth to continue but paused when, much to her surprise, he spoke, "What's ridiculous is that you're even asking me this shit Rach."

"Why?" she asked carefully, honestly fearing that she had overstepped some unspoken boundary they had erected since her relationship with Finn had re-started the summer before. They had barely interacted beyond what was necessary for Glee since Nationals (and being that it was now January, that was saying a lot for them) and the gap had only widened once Shelby and Beth had come back to Lima. It had just seemed easier for both of them to avoid one another minus a very few occasions that they had sat like this, she had ranted and he had given her various grunts or nods until she had worked out whatever her problem was in her own mind. She didn't want to do anything that could possibly push him completely out of her life.

"Why?" he asked and spun slightly to face her fully. "Why? He's your damned boyfriend Rachel. That's why. He's supposed to ask you if you've heard from NYU or Columbia yet. Does he even know you applied there? He's supposed to tell you that those schools you didn't get into don't know what they're missing out on. He's supposed to tell you that early decision is really difficult to get accepted on; especially at specialty schools. Hell, he's even supposed to tell you it'd be stupid to go to schools that are so focused on one thing and point out that at least at NYU or Columbia you could learn other things besides the arts. That's why it's ridiculous. You shouldn't need me to tell you any of this. He's supposed to do it."

"But you're my friend Noah and you understand the whole getting out of Lima thing more then Finn does. He just wants me to be around after graduation," Rachel tried reasoning with him, knowing that while Finn had only applied to OSU that Noah had applied to many different schools in a few different states. Something else she didn't like thinking about; the fact that Noah might not be in New York either.

"If I'm just your friend then why do I get stuck with all the shitty parts of your relationship?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked him nervously, honestly wondering how they had gotten so off topic and into a very dangerous zone with their history.

"Do you realize that the only times you've spoken to me beyond something for Glee this year is when Finn's done something stupid? You'd think, knowing him, that we'd talk more often but I guess either he hasn't fucked up as much this year or you've gotten more accepting of being a doormat."

"Noah!"

"No," he snapped looking honestly angry. "Did you get into NYU yet?"

"I don't know yet," she answered, wondering where he was going with this. "I didn't apply early decision for them."

"Well, I did," he replied somewhat smugly. "And I got in. Apparently essay's really do help. I'm going to be up to my eyeballs in loans but I'm going. I'm getting the hell out of this town and I'm going to do something with my life. And I will be more then willing to listen to rant and vent and sound out your problems for the rest of your damn life Rachel; but I can't do it like this anymore. I can't listen and let you keep going back to that moron who wants to box you up and keep you in Lima because he likes the way you make him feel about himself. I wouldn't be able to call myself your friend if I did."

Rachel blinked in shock and stared back at his hazel eyes that were currently blazing with barely suppressed anger. She couldn't help but feel like they had switched roles in their unspoken arrangement.

"Break up with him Rachel."

"I...umm," she tried to find any response to that and for the first time in her life was truly speechless. Mostly because she was terrified he wasn't asking her for the reasons she hoped he was.

"Don't tell me you love him or he loves you or any of the crap you've been shoving down our throats since sophomore year; because if it was true you wouldn't be bothered by the fact that he wants you to stay in Lima. Hell, you wouldn't have had an expiration date on the relationship to begin with."

"Are you asking me out or something?" she blurted out; mostly because she didn't want there to be any other reason. If she was going to be honest with anyone, it was going to be herself.

"Not yet I'm not," he admitted, seeming to cool down slightly. "Break up with him. Let's fix our friendship and get through the rest of the year with the minimum amount of drama possible. Then you and me will take on New York and we'll see what happens; but I will be getting a real shot at you without any old ghosts breathing down our necks."

"I meant what I said Noah. You're my friend and you're one I don't want to lose," she admitted, voicing her greatest fear and one of the reasons she had clung to Finn so tightly. Noah and her had too much reality tied to it; she could see forever with the boy in front of her and forever at seventeen was a beautifully scary prospect.

"You won't lose me Rach," he assured her. "I love you too much to screw up that real shot once I get it," he continued and then paled. "Hey, there's the bell. Think about what I said. Gotta go."

Rachel stared in shock, processing his last words as she watched him jump down the last few steps and practically run towards the school building, before a hysterically giddy laugh broke through. The laugh abruptly cut off as the implications of what he said had fully registered and with that she fell quiet and reflective. She silently sat alone on the bleachers, coming to a long forgone conclusion, thankful that she had her last period of the day free, before the freezing cold finally forced her to head back inside.

Rachel wandered the halls for the final twenty minutes of the afternoon, stopping briefly at her locker the drop off her books and collect what she needed, before slowly approaching Finn's locker. It was with Noah's final words, words that felt more like a promise, playing through her mind that she opened her mouth and spoke quietly to him, "We need to talk."

"About what?" her, soon to be ex, boyfriend replied nervously. She knew he might not be the brightest, but no one ever wants to hear those words.

"About a lot," Rachel admitted softly. "But it'd be a waste of time," she added, not pointing out that it would also open a can of worms better left closed at the moment.

"Yea," Finn finally breathed out and nodded. "I kind of figured after earlier. But hey, it's not a waste of time. We can fix it. We always do."

Rachel flinched internally at his words, and reminded herself of what Noah had said about finishing out the year with the minimum amount of drama, before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply so she could force the, easiest and hardest, words she'd ever spoken out, "No Finn. I really don't think we can this time. It's over. It needs to be; for all of us."

She slowly turned and didn't bother to explain the, faintly, cryptic remark at the end. If Finn hadn't figured out after this many months that she was in love with someone else and had only held onto him because she thought Noah only viewed her as a friend then he was more oblivious then everyone thought.

She also, again with that internal honesty, didn't want to stir up anything that could cost the club National's.

She had five months until Graduation to convince Noah that she was well and truly over Finn Hudson, three months of summer before the two of them descended on New York (with Kurt, but that drama waiting to happen could be dealt with later) since she was sure she would get into NYU and the rest of her life to prove to him that she did know what it was to be in love with someone and let them love her back properly.

It only took five hours to convince him of the first part that very night after she received a text message around eleven that simply said, 'shit babe if I knew thats all itd take idve told you to dump him months ago.'

They were officially dating by the end of March and when Rachel asked him, "What about the minimum amount of drama possible?"

Noah just shrugged, pulled her back under the covers and said, "We wouldn't know what the fuck to do if we all weren't at each others throats about something."

A/N: I had to do something to make up for the angsty Quinn/Puck friendship with overtones of evil!Rachel fic I posted a few hours ago (that apparently a lot of people are hating on me via email for).