A/N: I actually attempted to write angst! This one is based on this prompt from the glee_angst_meme: I've seen a few prompts/stories about how the accident that left Artie paralyzed was the same one that killed Kurt's mother... but what if it wasn't? what if the driver who was guilty of both crimes was Puck's deadbeat father? how would it affect the club now that they're all getting along well?

Eight years ago today, an eight year old Artie Abrams woke up in a hospital bed, with his mother crying by his side, holding his hand, telling him she loves him and that he's gonna be okay. It was at that moment that he knew, even before his mother told him, that his life had been changed forever.

Eight years ago today, an eight year old Kurt Hummel woke up in a hospital bed, his dad slumped in a chair by his side, with a broken smile on his face, telling him he loves him and that it's gonna be okay. Even before that moment he already knew that things will never be the same.

Eight years ago today, a nine year old Noah Puckerman woke up to the sound of his mother crying in the living room, watching his baby sister sleep. He walked up to her and she held his hand, told him she loved him and that they were gonna be ok. It was at that moment that he knew he was gonna have to step up.

Today, three boys roamed the halls of McKinley High with 8 years worth of pain on their shoulders. Nobody else in school knows what this day means for them, so if Artie's smile is a little more jovial, Kurt's outfit a little bolder and Noah's scowl a little more threatening than usual, well, nobody noticed.

Noah Puckerman likes glee club, and anyone who has a problem with that can proceed to the nearest dumpster immediately. He enjoys the fruity singing and dancing and hanging out with this merry band of losers, not that he'd ever say that out loud. He wouldn't go as far as to say he needs glee club, because he totally doesn't... except that he totally does, especially today.

Today he dragged himself out of bed and faced his mother and sister at the breakfast table. His sister was being her usual jolly little self (too freakin' early in the morning, if you ask me), unaware of what this day means for their family. His mom on the other hand, looked like she barely got any sleep. Her eyes were puffy and her movements were slow. She didn't say anything and just nodded and smiled politely as his sister yammered on and on about some school play she was going to be a part of that Noah's sure he was gonna be forced to watch. He managed to make it through that breakfast ordeal without slamming his head against the table repeatedly, and dragged himself to school.

Kurt Hummel casually climbed off the dumpster (which only contained mostly paper and cardboard today, thank gaga for that) and shot his best death glare at the Neanderthals that put him there. They hurled a few more insulting words at him before walking away. Any other time, Kurt would have screamed back a few sarcastic retorts of his own, but he just didn't have the energy for that... not today.

Because today he sprang out of bed and put together his most fabulous outfit and went upstairs to make breakfast for himself and his dad, fully intending to start this day right for both of them. He flounced over to the kitchen, humming to himself as he cooked his dad's favourite breakfast. He set the table and was about to make his way to the master bedroom to wake his dad up when he saw the note.

Kurt, went to the garage early today. You know how it is. Eat something before you go to school. Love you. –Dad

Kurt knows how it is, of course he does. He knows his dad needs to work himself to exhaustion to get through this day. He totally understands... totally. So he ate up his share of the breakfast, put the rest in the fridge, and drove his baby to school.

Artie Abrams toys with a few strands of Tina's hair as she leans over to kiss him. He lets her push him into the school and listens with a smile on his face as she tells him about this crazy dream she had last night. He spends the first few minutes of first period staring at her like some lovesick teenager (which is what he totally is, just so you know). He loves Tina, he loves seeing her, loves spending time with her, loves kissing her (of course) and today, he's pretty sure he's gonna need her a bit more than usual.

Because today he rolled into the kitchen, to the smiling faces of his mom, dad, sister, and dog and saw his favourite meal laid out on the breakfast table. His mom greeted him with a hug and a kiss and his dad clapped him on the shoulder and piled food on his plate. The whole breakfast time was filled with rainbows and unicorns and happiness and by the end of it, Artie was almost exhausted from trying to keep the smile on his face. He knew what his family was doing and he appreciated the sentiment, but this is a little too much don't you think? But he loves them so he kept the smile for a little bit longer as his mom kissed him goodbye and his dad drove him and his sister to school.

Today David Karofsky is lying in a hospital bed with a few scratches and bruises, a mild concussion, and a wrecked car, and because of that, the school board thought it would be a great idea to give the kids another lesson on the consequences of drunk driving. For most of the student body, it was just a good excuse to miss class but for Artie, Kurt and Noah... well, Dave Karofsky certainly picked the wrong night to get wasted.

Tina Cohen-Chang has noticed that her boyfriend is a little bit out of it today. She knows something's up because she remembers that on this day, every year since she met him, there's something missing in his eyes, something lacking in his smile. She wants to know but she doesn't ask, she simply stays by his side and gives him her brightest smile.

She noticed him flinch just the tiniest bit when they heard about what happened to Karofsky the night before. She felt his warm hand grasp hers when the students were called to the auditorium. She saw him wheel his chair away from the auditorium and into the choir room and she wordlessly followed him there. Tina Cohen-Chang does not like cutting class (or mandatory assemblies) but for today she'll make an exception.

Mercedes Jones is sitting beside her best friend, listening to him play a few keys on the piano in the choir room. She knows there's something wrong with him today because on this day, every year since she met him, there's something missing in his eyes, something lacking in his rarely seen smile. Normally she would force it out of him, but today she makes an exception. Today she just sticks by his side and fills him in on the latest gossip stories of McKinley High.

She noticed him tense up just the tiniest bit when she got to the story of what happened to Karofsky the night before. She felt him grip her hand just a little bit tighter when the students were called for a "special assembly". She saw him quietly turn the other way and walked towards the choir room and she wordlessly followed him there. Assemblies were boring anyway.

So here they are, on the piano bench, her head on his shoulder, his hands on the keys. They looked up as Artie and Tina came in but said nothing. The four of them sat in companionable silence until someone else walked in...

Noah Puckerman doesn't do assemblies, especially not this one... especially not today. He was just about to head on over to the nurse's office and feign a headache when he saw four seemingly unmoving figures in the choir room. Against his better judgement, he went in.

"Skipping a mandatory assembly, huh? I didn't think you geeks had it in you."

"Yeah, well... I don't need a stupid PSA to tell me the bad effects of drunk-driving."

"Yeah... and I never liked Karofsky anyway."

They spent another 15 minutes staring at the floor, the wall, the chair, anything but each other. A few sighs were heard, a cough, a clock ticking, a foot tapping, and finally, a voice.

"Eight years ago, on this very day, our family went for a drive to Columbus. It was early in the morning, but I remember it was raining a bit. We were just going to visit my grandmother. My sister and I were arguing about something stupid... then it happened."

"What happened?" Kurt asked, already dreading the answer.

"There was this car that just came out of nowhere and slammed onto us from the side. I don't remember anything else other than the sound of my sister screaming. I think our car hit another car driving beside us. I lost consciousness for maybe a few minutes... and when I woke up, all I could feel was pain. My legs were pinned under some metal and glass. I remember it hurt so much that I just wanted to scream, but I couldn't seem to catch my breath. My sister and my dad had already gotten out of the car, calling for help, most likely. My mom was crouched beside me, holding my hand, telling me to hang in there. I was so tired... I wanted to pass out, or even just to close my eyes for a few seconds, but my mom told me to keep my eyes open. I felt the pain in my legs gradually decrease until I couldn't even feel my legs at all. I... I remember the one thing I told my mom was that she couldn't let them amputate my legs."

Artie felt Tina wipe his cheeks. He didn't even realize he was crying. He looked around and saw that everyone else in the room had tears in their eyes as well... save for Puck who just stared at him, all color drained from his face.

"The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital with my mom sitting beside my bed. I still couldn't feel my legs... it's like they weren't even there anymore. I was afraid to look under the blanket because I thought they had to remove them. But my mom told me... she told me that my legs were still there but..."

Artie dropped his head in his hands and felt Tina rubbing circles on his back. The room was quiet again, the tension in the air was thick. He almost wished he hadn't said anything.

"Your car did hit another car."

Kurt's voice was so soft, even Mercedes barely heard him.

"My mom and I were driving up to Columbus too, on the same day, at the same time. Strange coincidence, huh?"

They all turned to look at him. Puck looked like he was about to throw up. Mercedes squeezed his hand, silently urging him to continue.

"I don't remember much of it either... I just remember our car turning over once, maybe twice. We fell off the side of the road. My mom... when I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was her face. It was covered in blood. She was bleeding from somewhere else too... and she looked like she wasn't breathing. I remember seeing her open her eyes. She looked right at me and all she was able to say was 'I love you, baby'. I... I touched her face, got her blood all over my hands. I begged for her not to leave me but her eyes were already glazed over. I remember being able to move. I unbuckled myself and got as close to her as I could. I just laid my head on her chest and listened... I listened as her heartbeat got weaker and weaker. I felt her stop breathing... and I looked up at her again and kept yelling for her to wake up. I was already covered in her blood by the time someone got us out of the car. I... I could still feel it all over me sometimes..."

Mercedes pulled her trembling friend into a hug. She didn't know what to say... she didn't think there was anything to say at all. She looked over at Artie and Tina. Tina had one hand on her mouth and another holding Artie. Artie was looking at Kurt, their eyes reflecting each others' pain. They were all snapped out of their reverie when they heard Puck bolt out of the room.

Eight years ago today, Tim Puckerman felt indestructible. He was pretty sure he hit something, a tree, maybe but he didn't even have a single scratch. He heard the sirens approaching and decided to get the hell out of there as fast as he could. No way was he getting his licence revoked. He wasn't even drunk, he just had a couple of shots, maybe some beer. Screw this town! I'm out.

Kurt Hummel and Artie Abrams found Noah Puckerman at the back alley near the school.

"Noah, are you okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you two that question?"

"Well, we've let it out. Had a long and tearful conversation with the girls about it. I'm pretty sure this day would always be hard for me and Kurt, but hey, at least we're not alone anymore. And it is a pretty strange coincidence when you think about it."

"What about you, Noah?"

"What do you mean what about me? This isn't about me! I'm not the one who lost the ability to walk! I'm not the one who fucking watched his own mother die! I'm not the one who's plagued with broken dreams and fucking nightmares! This... this... this is all his fucking fault!"

Noah Puckerman is not crying. No, he most certainly is not.

"What happened, Noah?"

"It was him. He... he did it... he did it to you. God, I'm so sorry!"

Noah Puckerman felt Kurt Hummel pull him into a hug. Any other day, he would not have allowed this. They may be kinda friends now but that doesn't mean he's gonna let himself be hugged. Any other day, he would have shoved the kid away... but this, this isn't just any other day.

"Puck, why are you apologizing?"

"It was my dad, okay? It was him! He was the drunken bastard who rammed into your car eight years ago. The asshole who left and never looked back... he didn't even check to see if he hurt anybody. The bastard probably still doesn't know how much damage he'd cost... probably doesn't even care. The police just came to our door one day and told my mom that his car was involved in an accident. They told us that someone was killed, that there were two kids in the hospital, that his car smelled strongly of alcohol. They told us he was nowhere to be found..."

"Noah..."

"Damn it, why are you two still here? Didn't you hear a word I said? He... he could've killed you! The police said there wasn't any trace of blood in his car... that means the bastard could have just ran off without a scratch! He just... he got off so easy, and it's just so fucking unfair because he nearly destroyed your lives!"

"Noah, it's not your fault."

"He's right, Puck. It's not like you wanted it to happen."

"But... but you guys just lost so much..."

"I'm still here, I still have my family. Kurt still has his dad. We all lost something that day, Puck. You lost your dad too."

"Yeah, well, good riddance."

Noah Puckerman felt Kurt Hummel hug him again. This time, he returned the hug. He even leaned over to hug Artie.

"It's gonna be okay, Noah."

"Yeah, I remember my mom saying that too."

"So... how 'bout we head on home, alright? My dad's waiting for me in the parking lot."

"My dad could probably use some company in the garage. Would you like a ride home, Noah?"

"Yeah, that would be nice."