A/n this is for when Sam from glee project joins the cast, which is supposed to be after new years. He's coming in as puck's cousin, which makes me squeal because I love both of them. So, I'm gonna do a Rachel/Sam's character to Puckleberry story. At least a two-shot. I'll make it longer if this chapter gets a good response. And since we don't know Sam's character's name, I am calling him Eli until we find out the real name. Oh and since I hate the Puck/Shelby crap, it never happened.
When I returned to school after winter break, I expect it to be awkward, what with Finn and I not talking anymore. It's not my fault that he didn't want me anymore. But I went anyway; I wasn't going to lose my perfect attendance record for nothing.
When Noah and I had seen each other over break for our families annual Hanukkah dinner, his mother didn't stop raving about her sister's son who was coming to live with them for awhile. Noah met eyes with me over the table and pleaded for an escape, which I provided by saying we were going to work on a song. When we reached my room I told him about Finn and me breaking up. He told me about how his cousin Eli was coming because his mom wanted him to "dry out." Noah promised to introduce me to him and I promised to not go back to Finn.
So when Noah came over to me while I was semi-hiding behind my locker, I wasn't surprised by the dread-locked boy following him. I also shouldn't have been surprised by how attractive he was, yet, I was. Puck made the introductions. His cousin's name was Eli. Then one of Puck's sports buddies called to him across the hall and he smiled and left.
Eli and I kinda stared at each other for a few seconds before I smiled and said, "Let me see your schedule." Eli nodded, yet kept his face impassive. For some reason I was desperate to figure out what he was hiding behind the silent mask. I saw that we had several classes together and told him as I handed back the paper. Suddenly, a very puck-like smirk came over his lips, "then you'll have no problem showing me around?" Even though my only bad-boy attraction had ever been with Noah for that one week sophomore year, I agreed.
Eli was actually very smart, but very lazy. He sat beside me in all the classes we had together and only talked to me. It was oddly natural to be around him. He had already joined glee club, and I let him drag me to the back of the room to sit with him. Puck sat a few seats down, hands clenched into fists. Once glee ended, (Eli had a wonderful voice by the way; I could see us doing several duets together very well.) he smirked again and thanked me for a wonderful day and asked to repeat it the next day. I very gladly agreed. He disappeared while I hung around to pick up sheet music. A heavy hand on my shoulder made me jump. I turned and saw it was, "Noah, I thought you would have been right behind your cousin." He didn't react just met my eyes in that weird intense way only he can. "Rachel, Eli is not a bad guy, but he's not the type of guy you want to get involved with. Please, trust me." I just laughed it off, "ok, be jealous. Would you prefer I was with Finn?" Noah rolled his eyes, "No, because when you're with Finnessa you go back to being Sophomore Rach. But seriously, trust me. Eli has a magnetism about him that is hard to escape. Get away before he drags you down." I roll my eyes, "whatever Noa- Puck. I'll see you tomorrow."
The next day, Eli meets me at my locker just before the bell rings. And the next day, and the next. We make plans to meet for the weekend. Puck was right about his magnetism, but it wasn't anything dangerous. We went to a club out in Cleveland to see a band he liked. I liked hanging out with Eli. He seemed to really connect with me, but I still couldn't figure out what he was hiding behind his eyes. But when he brought me home after Cleveland, he lightly brushed his lips against mine. He whispered, "you're very special Chel." Chel, is what he called me, I liked it better than Rach and Ray. The next week we hung out again, one time we skipped glee and went and hung out by a lake just outside of town. I was surprised when he pulled out a little bag of weed, but when he offered some, I took it. It wasn't something I would have normally done, but it was nothing. Eli is perfectly fine with it and it helped me to relax. I loved the way his dreads felt when I ran my hand over them.
And soon, going to the lake became our everyday thing. We would sit on the shore, laughing, kissing, smoking a little. We went to Cleveland every weekend and always saw some band. It was a few days after our first time at the lake that I finally asked him about why he was so sad. He shifted so he was kind of leaning on the grass and blew out some smoke before answering, "Last year, I dated a girl. She was kinda like you. Pretty, smart, could sing her ass off. She died. I got a little out of control, got sent to rehab, got sent here. But you Chel, your helping me get over that. Come on babe, let's get you home before your dads freak." I laughed and he kissed me before helping me up.
That night though, my dad found a little bag of weed in my purse. They started screaming at me. Then they decided that Eli was the problem and told me I was to never talk to him again. I screamed wordlessly at them and then locked my bedroom door. I pulled out my phone, and called Eli. "We're going to Cleveland. Pack a bag and don't ring the door bell."
My escape worked and we were in the city by midnight. We rented a hotel room for the week with the money I brought. That night was wonderful. I didn't call anyone from glee or my dad's. I wasn't going back to being that perfect little angel anymore. Eli had woken me from that falsehood of a life and I wasn't going back. But somehow, 3 days after our escape, Puck found us. Well, me. Eli had run out to get us food. i was expecting to open the door to Eli and instead, found Puck. He tightly gripped my arm and started dragging me out the door. "PUCK! Stop! You're hurting my arm!" he just kept going until we got to his truck. He ignored my flailing arms and buckled me in. "Where the hell are you taking me!" he just slammed the door. Watching him walk back across the car I decided not to run. He was furious, and you did not cross Puck when he was this mad. He slid into the driver's seat and hissed an answer to my question. "you are going back to Lima. Then, I am driving back and beating the shit out of my dear cousin." The last part came out as a snarl.
Puck then pulled out of the parking lot so fast that I was thrown back hard. I started hitting him again. "Take me back! Eli needs me! I'm helping him get over that girl's death!" He drove to the side of the road and grabbed my wrists to stop my assault. "How much did he tell you about that?" I paused and he yelled, "HOW MUCH!" I pulled as far away from him as I could before answering, "Just that she was like me, and that she died and he took it really hard." He released me and slumped back into his seat. "That asshole." Then he turned back to me, "do you want to hear the full story?" I nodded cautiously. And he sighed before sitting back. "Last summer, when Lauren and I had just ended, I went to visit Eli. I met this girl, Chelsea. Yeah, she was a lot like you, but she was a lot different. She smoked, drank, was wasting her talent. She hung out with Eli's crowd. We started hanging out and she stopped smoking and for the most part drinking, because you know, I cleaned up after Beth was born. But then Eli came along and took her back into that fold. I went back to Lima, and within a week I found out that she was driving when she OD'd. Crashed into a minivan full of 7 year olds. Eli was in the car with her. They were smoking as they crashed. He was so fucked up that he didn't notice when she went unconscious." I was shocked. "Oh my god. Did, the, the kids…" Noah shook his head. I gasped. Noah bitterly continued, "he has some quality about him that just, draws people in. it's hard to resist. He is also a very corrupting force. He can take something pure and innocent and turn it dark and twisted. That's what he was doing to you." I started sobbing for some reason. Noah rubbed my back and pulled back onto the road. "Let's get you home. Everyone's been so worried. Even me."
Halfway down the road, I whispered, "What did he call her? Chelsea?" Noah glanced at me, confused, "he called her Chel."
Kay, thoughts, comments, questions? Remember, your reviews will decide the fate of the story.