"Your dreams will never come true." Bryan Ryan said. I looked over at Rachel, who looked like someone had just kicked a puppy right in front of her. This was a look I didn't like.
"That's not true." I surprised myself by saying. I wasn't going to let Rachel hear crap like that.
"What's not true?" Bryan scoffed at me.
"Someone in this room's dream is going to come true." I saw Quinn smile at me, thinking I was sticking up for her.
"Oh, and whose is that?"
"Rachel." I heard Quinn scoff, obviously offended at my faith in Rachel.
"And why's that?"
"Because she's driven. She's talented and determined and has wanted this since she was a little girl. She's going to make it and look back on her high school career and laugh. At high school reunions, she going to hear where everyone who made her life hell is and when they ask her, she'll be able to reply 'I told you so'. She knows where she's going and no one can stop her." I said, standing up. Rachel looked at me, shocked. I instantly felt pride well up inside. Jesse wasn't about to do what I just did.
"And what is her dream?"
"She's going to become a Broadway star shortly after graduating from Juilliard. At first, she was going to headline as Elphaba in Wicked but now, she'll be starring as Whatshername in American Idiot. She's going far so watch out for her." Rachel looked at me in shock. She didn't know that when she talked to me, I hung onto every word. I just shrugged as I sat back down. I raised an eyebrow at Quinn when I saw her glare.
"Why did you do that?" Quinn hissed once Jesse had stolen Rachel attention.
"No one else was going to. Look, Q, you think I'm not going anywhere. Rachel, on the other hand, fully believes in me. I'm paying her back. Besides, I've known she was going somewhere since I was three and saw her sing at Synagogue for the first time. She's going places, Q. Get over it." Quinn scoffed at me again and I just shrugged.
When we were dismissed I was the first one out of the room. I didn't want Rachel to question me. Quinn, I could lie my ass off to. Rachel? Not a chance. She has this ability to tell when I'm lying. I can't tell her the real reason I stuck up for her. She seems so happy with Jesse, even if he is playing her. I'm pretty sure she knows that he's playing her, but she still seems so happy. She doesn't need to know that I've been in love with her since I first saw her sing. That every slushie I threw at her was my way of peeing on her. That every insult was to make sure the other jocks stayed away from my girl. She didn't need to know that. She never would know that.
"Noah! Wait!" Rachel cried, running after me.
"Crap!" I muttered, but stopped to wait for her to catch up. I looked over my shoulder. She was running towards me leaving a very pissed off Jesse behind. She took my hand and we headed for the auditorium. I smiled slightly, this was her sanctuary. That was her stage. She was the best talent to grace that stage since the school was built.
"Why?" Rachel asked, hopping up to sit on the edge of the stage.
"Why what?" Puck asked, perching himself next to her and resisting the urge to throw an arm around her shoulders.
"Why did you stick up for me and my dream?"
"Because no one can tell you that you can't do something. You taught me that Rach. Only you can hold yourself back. You forget we've known each other forever. I knew you were going to be a star the first time I heard you sing. I'm not going to let some guy who failed to make his dream a reality tell you that you can't make your dream come true. You're going to be great and I'll be the one say 'I told you so' to Bryan Ryan and anyone else who doubts you." Puck said, looking into her cinnamon eyes, "I've always known you were going somewhere, Rach, it's about time everyone else knows."
"How can you be so sure? I mean, what Bryan Ryan said about dreams coming true is right. The chances are very slim…"
"Not yours. Rach, I believe in you. You're going to take the Broadway world by storm and be at every opening night with flowers and a 'Congratulations',"
"Thank you, Noah."
"No problem. It's a fact of life. If no one else sees it, then it sucks for them. Because you are not going to be a Lima Loser."
"Neither are you, Noah."
With that Rachel hopped off the stage and ran to the doors, where Jesse had appeared. After the doors had closed and Rachel was gone, Puck looked down.
"I love you, Rachel," Puck whispered to the empty auditorium.