A/N I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews to my latest two stories and my welcome backs! They meant so much to me, and it was nice to see that people like and missed my writing so much. Hope you like my two new stories especially this one as it is an epic one shot!
Changing
Slipping on a patch of ice as she walked into her new school was not Rachel's idea of making a good impression, especially considering the ice was for some reason rainbow coloured.
"Sis!" Matt cried as Rachel went over on to her back with a smack that had everyone wincing around them.
"Ow" Rachel groaned as she opened her eyes to see her brother looming over her with two strangers, one classic all American blonde boy and the other a lithe Asian.
"Damn are you ok?" the blonde asked worriedly "here" he offered her his hand his other curling around her back to help her up, Matt on her other side.
"Ow" Rachel moaned again theatrically as she gained her feet again "I knew there was a reason I preferred living in California Matt" she rubbed at her back blushing as she met the eyes of the blonde who had helped her up.
"Yeah no ice" Matt grinned "thanks for helping" he nodded to the blonde and Asian "I'm Matt, Matt Berry and the girl that went flying is my sister Rachel"
"Hi" Rachel said weakly waving rubbing at her back ignoring the curious looks from the two boys who looked at her Caucasian colouring and then her black brother.
"I'm Sam" the blonde introduced himself "and this is Mike" he motioned to his companion "you sure you are ok?" he asked again as his eyes swept over the brunette quickly for any more damage.
"More embarrassed than anything" Rachel admitted "not exactly the impression I wanted to make on my first day"
"It could have been worse" Mike promised her "having that in the face" he motioned to the multi-coloured patch of ice.
"That's likely?" Rachel asked in confusion
"Welcome to McKinley" Mike drawled "come on we'll show you to the office"
"Do you know Noah Puckerman?" Rachel asked biting her lip as she followed Sam and Mike down the hallway her brother at her side but who was checking out the cheerleaders instead of listening to her.
"Yeah we know Puck" Sam said in surprise "you do?"
"Yes I do" Rachel grinned "we met at a Jewish Youth event and have kept in touch via electronic forms of communication ever since"
"Puck has a friend who's a girl?" Sam laughed "ok then, I believe you"
"Ok then?" Rachel said uncertainly at her new friend as they neared the office "well thank you for assisting us"
"No problem, hopefully we share some classes" Mike said with a grin "see you around Rachel, Matt"
After saying goodbye to the two boys the siblings went in to the office and dealt with their new schedules and homeroom tutors before heading off towards their separate classes. Rachel to AP English and Matt to Geography.
"Hey Rach!" Mike waved over the brunette as she hovered in the doorway
"Oh hi Mike" she said with relief as she slid into the seat next to him then laughing as the Asian pulled her timetable out of her hand and circled the classes that they shared "thank you" she laughed again as he handed it back to her.
"Well now you know where the friendly faces are"
"How bad is this school?"
"It can be fucking awful" Mike admitted ignoring the teacher who had written a task on the board and gone to sleep "slushies to the face and bullying, but both have taken a dip recently. Sports rule and glee sucks"
"Oh I love singing!" Rachel said happily "but I also like sports as well"
"You sing? Wait what do you play?"
"I have sung my entire life" Rachel clapped her hands happily "I want to be a big star one day because of my singing. But yes I played soccer in California as well because my father's thought it would be beneficial for me to have an extra-curricular activity that wasn't pertinent to my future as well as the benefits that regular exercise offer to a enjoyable lifestyle"
"Wow long words" Mike said widening his eyes "but that's cool, you should join glee club if you love singing but we don't have a female soccer team"
"Oh I will certainly be joining" Rachel said happily
"Wait a minute did you say fathers?"
Gleeeeeeeeeeee
"Who is that hottie?" Santana drawled biting her lip as she muttered at her best friend, the object of her interest handing over paperwork to the teacher.
"Yo Matt" Sam waved over the boy as he finished with the teacher
"And how does Trouty Mouth know him?" Santana demanded sitting up straighter as Brit chewed on the end of her ponytail. Narrowing her eyes Santana watched Matt make his way over to the blonde and sprawl out in his chair lazily making notes. The Latina decided there and then that the new boy was hers.
Trying to get hold of him though was easier said than done as the minute the class was over he was out the door with Sam towards his next class which Santana was not in and she only caught glimpses of him throughout the rest of the day.
"Hey" Rachel said happily to her brother as they met up at the end of eighth period "come on we are joining glee club"
"We are?" Matt asked in resigned amusement as Rachel grabbed onto his arm and tugged him away from his locker, both of them completely unaware of the glare they were receiving from the Latina cheerleader further down the hall.
"Yup" Rachel grinned up at him tucking her arm into his and leading him towards the choir room Mike had pointed out towards her earlier that day "you love dancing and I love singing. It's the perfect combination"
"What about sports? I already set up my tryout for football"
"They don't have a soccer team" Rachel pouted "apparently all the girls do for competitive sport in this school in cheerleading. Who, for some bizarre reason are known as the Cheerio's"
"Gonna join?"
"'Are you going to join?'" Rachel corrected pedantically "I have not yet decided, but it seems likely that I will" she finished as they entered the choir room only for her to stumble as Santana who had been following them closely pushed through the two of the roughly. Almost going flying Rachel stumbled into the teacher who grabbed for her and righted her Matt reaching for her at the same time.
"That seems to be a common occurrence today" Rachel flushed "sorry" she mumbled at the teacher before looking around the classroom Matt introducing himself to the teacher. Looking for Noah Rachel flushed again, this time with pleasure as she caught sight of the mowhawk she secretly loved, looking a second time though she felt the smile slide off her face as she took in his position. Standing close to a young blonde he was leaning with one arm above the cheerleader one hand sliding down the girl's cheek. Glancing away she smiled at Sam swiftly, knowing that Noah was technically single didn't help the shiver of jealousy as it went down her spine.
"Well it's nice to meet you" Will said happily to Matt "I will need you both to audition but it's fantastic to have you both. Two seniors have just left the club so with you two we are allowed to compete again"
"We got new meat Schue?" Puck drawled finally turning around the blonde moving away quickly as a tall young man came through the door "Rachel? Matt?" he asked in shock "what are...why...hi!"
"Hey dude" Matt grinned not having spotted him before walking towards each other they did a complicated handshake.
"You two know..." the blonde asked with a high pitched voice
"Rachel" Puck interrupted stepping towards the brunette girl "hi"
"Hello Noah" Rachel said slowly trying to forget the scene she had seen earlier, knowing she couldn't be angry that he had been flirting with someone else when realistically he was single until he saw her in the summer.
"Noah?" Santana and Quinn, the blonde, scoffed together before their jaws dropped in joint shock as Puck stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rachel tugging her close and resting his head against her head.
"I missed you" Puck whispered into the warm brown hair beneath his head
"You too" Rachel said back his arms tightening around her in response. Stepping back she smiled up at him as everyone started to talk excitedly at the sight of badass Puckerman with his arms around a girl who wasn't a cheerleader. Dressed in a plaid skirt and knee socks she was the exact opposite of the type of girl they usually associated with Noah Puckerman.
"Who the fuck are you!" Santana demanded, first she saw this girl all over the hot new guy and now hugging her fuck buddy who was her property as far as she was concerned.
"Oi!" Matt snapped as Rachel stepped back in surprise "in the last five minutes you have sent my sister flying and now yelled at her in a way I wouldn't let our dads, why don't you back off ok?" his eyes flashing angrily.
"Sister?" Santana echoed rare embarrassment colouring her cheeks "but..."
"Different dads" Matt explained angrily "not that you deserve any explanation" turning his back on the Latina he nodded at the teacher who was hovering trying to start the glee lesson.
"But who are you?" Quinn demanded again as they all took seats Puck taking Rachel's hand and leading her over to a chair and not letting it go.
"My brother and I just moved here from California. I am Rachel Berry and this is my brother Matthew" Rachel ushered towards her brother sitting next to her "we met Noah at a Jewish Youth event"
"You go to Jewish Youth events?" Mercedes asked in shock "doesn't sound like you Puck"
"Puck?" Rachel questioned looking at handsome man next to her
"Nickname babe" Puck grinned at her "and Mercedes you don't know me" his expression changing entirely as he looked over at the rest of the glee club "you only see me for six hours a day five days a week so don't pretend to know me"
Slightly offended Mercedes and Quinn sat back and folded their arms a picture of annoyance, the blonde watching the brunette carefully as her boyfriend, Finn, took her hand and rubbed a thumb against the back of her hand. As far as Quinn Fabray, Cheerio Captain, was concerned Noah Puckerman might not be her boyfriend but he was hers, not Santana's and this brunette had swept in and threatened Quinn's careful world order.
"So you guys have actually moved here?" Puck asked his arm around Rachel's shoulder the next morning walking down the hallway.
"Noah! You keep asking that. Yes my family and I have moved her to Lima"
"I have no idea why you moved here but so glad you did" Puck grinned down at Rachel again tugging her closer before looking up and catching sight of someone "oh one minute babe just gotta do something" pressing a quick kiss to her head he left her in the middle of the hallway as he grabbed a slushie from a fellow jock and tossed it in a curly haired boys face quickly.
Gasping in shock Rachel looked at Puck in surprise as he came back to her and wrapped his arm around her again.
"What?" he asked dumbly "come on I'll show you your homeroom"
Shaking off what had happened not able to reconcile this Puck with the Noah she knew; Rachel let him lead her away from the laughing students thinking maybe the curly haired boy had done something to offend Noah.
"So what's the plan for today? No soccer team here"
"I have a tryout for the cheerleaders" Rachel shrugged "but I won't be like all the rest of them" she nodded at the Cheerio's wandering the halls "I won't wear my uniform everyday"
"Noticed that huh?"
"Well yesterday was not a game day and neither is today and yet they are still in uniform"
"Hi Puck" Quinn simpered as the two of them passed the blonde, unsurprisingly in her uniform, fluttering her eyelashes in that way usually had the handsome teenager flirting with her already.
Puck nodded at her distractedly his eyes welded to Rachel as he listened to her talk about the lack of female sports available at the school and resignation at joining the cheerleaders.
"Not if I have anything to do with it" Quinn snapped interrupting the two of them "and I am the captain"
"Back off Fabray" Puck snapped as Rachel blanched "Sylvester chooses the Cheerio's and you know it"
"You want to join the cheerleaders?" Santana asked popping up in front of the trio suddenly and making Rachel jump and almost fall over again.
"You really like doing that to me don't you?" Rachel demanded as she righted herself her elbow caught by Puck before he tugged her back under his arm "but yes, in response to your question I have contemplated joining the cheerleaders as a way participating in an extracurricular activity which is both separate from my goal of being a star on Broadway and also the exercise I wish to complete everyday"
"Oh wow" Santana managed to choke out, resisting the need to insult her by the skin of her teeth "well I can teach you some cheers if you want"
"You're helping her?" Puck and Quinn asked in completely different tones, Puck in disbelief and Quinn in anger.
"Yup" Santana managed to say with a straight face "I am"
"That would be very helpful" Rachel said brightly "my tryout is in 5th period so perhaps we could meet at Lunch time?"
"Sure" Santana agreed before quickly running away, not wanting to have to explain her reasoning to Puck and Quinn when Rachel entered her homeroom, after saying goodbye to Puck with a smile and a squeeze of his arm.
"What's going on with that?" Quinn demanded as Puck smiled softly at Rachel walking away "we usually spend the morning talking"
"Flirting you mean" Puck said bluntly stuffing his hands into his pockets "that stops now"
"Why?" she ordered angrily, her hazel eyes flashing angrily
"You got Finn, what does it matter?" he shrugged his shoulders before ambling away leaving a livid blonde behind him, one determined that Rachel Berry would not take away the hotness that was Noah Puckerman from her.
Gleeeeeeeeeeeee
"So" Rachel said with a smirk on her face that would have made Puck proud if he had seen it as Santana entered the gym that lunchtime.
"So what?" Santana asked warily
"So why are you helping me? I've been asking around and you don't help people. Mostly people hate you and live in fear of you, and yesterday you showed your disdain for me quite plainly and in fact very quickly after seeing me for the first time"
"Oh"
"Care to answer?"
"I thought you were moving in on the new guy and Puck" Santana said reluctantly "I had already decided that they were mine and..."
"And didn't appreciate me moving in on what you determined was your 'property'" Rachel rolled her eyes "even though Matt is my brother and I find it creepy that you even thought that to be honest" she added while shuddering theatrically.
"And Puck?"
"If you want my brother you might want to forget that you deem Puck to be 'yours' added to the fact that I have known him since we were five and therefore before you started a sexual relationship with him, at least I hope before you started on and of course I am assuming that it was a sexual relationship. Looking at you and knowing how he is I do not believe that this is a particularly outlandish jump of intuition"
"Ok stop talking" Santana begged holding her hands up in surrender "right no claim to Puck"
"I prefer Noah" Rachel shrugged "but yes you have no claim"
"Have you slept with him?"
"Do you really believe I am going to answer that?"
"No didn't think so" Santana murmured embarrassedly again "so shall I help you with your cheers?"
"Now that I know you are doing it to get into my brothers pants I will accept you help" Rachel said primly before bursting out into laughter at Santana's expression "I may look perfect" she waved to her short skirt, tucked in blouse and knee socks "but I know Noah Puckerman and Matt Berry, it's impossible for me to be entirely pure and innocent"
Laughing with her now Santana nodded and started to help Rachel prepare for her tryout, which Rachel then aced to Quinn's chagrin.
"You are good Lady" Sue sneered "uniform every day and ponytail"
"No" Rachel said firmly "game days I will be happy to wear uniform, no others"
"My Cheerio's wear their uniform every day, so will you"
"No I won't" Rachel insisted again "game days only"
"Game days plus two others I chose for you" Sue compromised "plus you have to adhere to my diet otherwise weigh in will be very difficult for you"
"I'm already a vegan" Rachel shrugged "my weight doesn't fluctuate"
Seething at each word spoken Quinn folded her arms and glared at the petite brunette as she was told that she was going to be the left wing flyer right next to Quinn and that she was to pick up her uniform straight away because Coach Sylvester wanted to annoy Will Schuester.
Marching from the gym at the end of last period gym Quinn headed towards the choir room determined to make sure Puck realised he was hers despite her boyfriend. Quinn Fabray had a very skewed way of looking at the world, as a beautiful seventeen year old she was sure that everyone was nice and accommodating and wanted her. Noah Puckerman had been no different. That is until Rachel Berry had walked into the school and Puck had seemed to swap personalities. He was still bullying the losers of the school and swaggering about but he hadn't flirted with anyone all day and had avoided her like the plague.
That was rare for Noah Puckerman, her and the handsome teenager had started their flirtation in sophomore year of high school after Finn had first been blackmailed into glee club. Even though they had later joined the club it had created a rift between the blonde and the jock that Puck in his most douche moment had exploited. They had never taken that fateful step in cheating because Quinn was 'all about the teasing and not about the pleasing' and Finn hadn't strayed so she couldn't justify anything other than a few kisses and flirting.
"Puck" she murmured sultrily as she surprised him in the choir room lightly strumming at his guitar
"Fabray" Puck nodded ducking his head on the pretence of adjusting his fingers on a note but in fact to hide his embarrassment. Seeing how he was acting with Quinn when Rachel had walked into the room had put a wall between the two of them that no one else could sense but he could, knowing the wall meant he had evaluated the behaviour that had put it there. The flirting with his best friend girlfriend suddenly seemed wrong now, when before it was a challenge with Rachel in the picture it seemed like cheating.
"So..." Quinn drawled pressing herself up against Puck who quickly shrugged her off and moved away "Friday's party" she tried again moving closer "I thought we could have some fun"
"Oh I'll have fun, but not with you" Puck glared finally "back off Quinn"
"But..."
"No, whatever that stupid little thing between us was it was wrong and we shouldn't have done it to Finn"
"So if there was no Finn..."
"Still no" Puck snapped harshly "stay with your boyfriend Quinn"
"You've been helping her cheat?" Rachel asked in shock from the doorway the blonde and Puck swivelling quickly to look at the brunette.
Rachel was hovering in the doorway dressed in her cheerleading uniform but her eyes were widened in shock at the conversation she had overheard.
"Babe..."
"Don't Babe me" Rachel snapped "I don't know you" she finished sadly the bell ringing ending the conversation as the choir room flooded with the rest of the club Rachel making the decision to sit with Sam instead of Puck.
"Rachel" Puck tried to head her off as the end of glee approached; he had spent the last hour watching the brunette who had carefully not looked at him.
"No Puck" Rachel shook her head as she got to her feet, the club milling around curiously as they waited to hear whatever was going on between the couple that had been tied at the hip for two days now.
"Puck?" Puck echoed his nickname sadly
"Yes Puck, because you aren't Noah. Noah is a protective, strong confident young man that I am proud to know, a young man who would do anything for his family and his friends. You are Puck" she spat with distaste "you throw people in dumpsters and throw iced drinks in their faces, and I asked around. You do it for no apparent reason! For some innate reason that you have you are a bully and now! What I found out about you and..." she cut herself off glancing over at Quinn whose shoulders were in a tense line "I don't know you Puck, but if this is the real you I don't want to know you"
Turning on the heel of her sneakers quickly, she marched from the room alone leaving Puck to stare after the red and white clad women that he had promised himself he would never disappoint, now he had failed.
"Dude! What did you do?" Matt demanded shoving Puck roughly so he was against the wall "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!"
"He showed her his true colours" Sam answered for him "the douche bag he is"
"Hey!" Puck protested
"Dude you made his girlfriend cheat on him" Mike shrugged motioning between Santana and Sam who had been in a relationship until Puck had convinced Santana to sleep with him again. "You flirt with everyone's girlfriends; you throw slushies in people's faces still and throw them in dumpsters. You cut class and are on probation in most of them. You are a douche"
"STAY AWAY FROM RACHEL" Matt ordered harshly shoving Puck again and storming out after his sister.
Leaning against the wall Puck watched sadly as the rest of the club filed out of the choir room only Mike pausing to lay a hand on his shoulder in silent regret for the harsh lesson he had just been taught. Puck was left to make a harsh evaluation of himself in the eyes of Rachel and Matt, two people he had known almost his entire life who had decided they didn't know him anymore. They didn't know him because he was so different outside of school, he wasn't a bully, he was still a badass but he wasn't a bully. He stood up for people who were different not target them for their differences. He knew that if Rachel had been a classmate of his for the last ten years he would have bullied her as well, because she was different from the other girls in school.
"Rachel!" he called towards her the next day as she walked down the hallway with her new sidekick Santana, their hips swinging in unison in their short cheerio skirts.
"Puck" she nodded at him breezing past him looking nonchalant her heart actually hammering in her heart harshly
"Can we talk?" Puck asked keeping up with the two girls as they headed towards their seperate homerooms. Rachel said goodbye to Santana who headed off towards Matt tucking her arm through his and making him walk her to her own homeroom, leaving her to answer Puck.
"No" Rachel shrugged "I don't think we have anything to say" smiling tightly at him before walking around him and hurrying to her class before he could stop her again. Her outward nonchalance however was just that, a front, under the thick material of her cheerleading shell her heart was hammering away. Walking away from Noah was not easy for Rachel; it wasn't easy to push away someone who had made her life bearable in so many ways. School had always been difficult for her, her personality did not lend herself well to making friends easily and she couldn't imagine that this school would be any different in the long run. The one thing that was supposed to make it better was having the boy she had given her heart to at the age of five. And now she didn't.
Puck stormed down the hallway in anger, slamming into anyone who got in his way he was a picture of anger and most people were avoiding him like the plague. Most people did not include his close friend. Mike Chang stepped into his path as an immovable object and stopped him dead.
"What?" Puck strangled out in anger
"Maybe changing your attitude would help you win her back" Mike drawled, crossing his arms, glaring at Puck who had the good grace to flush embarrassedly "acting how she was driven away from you is not going to make her come back"
"Well what can I do? This is me!"
"No its not" Mike rolled his eyes "this personality is the result of a fucked up family, your dad is a dick, your mom is distant and your sister is pretty much raised by your nana who you never see. But from what I heard Rachel and Matt see the you that you used to be. Do you even remember second grade? Jacob was being teased for being Jacob and you punched Karofsky in the face, you stood up for the little guy back then. Maybe you need to find the old you, or at least find a way for the two to meld together"
"And win back Rachel" Puck admitted, not needing to discuss what Mike said to know that it was truth.
"Well yeah that would help, seeing as it is the only reason you are going to try and change anyway"
"Well yeah that's true" Puck admitted nodding as he fell into step with Mike "wouldn't change for anyone else"
"Yeah don't tell any other girl that, they are going to be pissed"
"Specially the other Cheerio's" Puck mused "and Quinn and maybe Santana."
"Santana is all over Matt and Quinn's a bitch anyway" Mike shrugged "and Finn's an idiot for putting up with her" Puck nodded sagely in response as they continued to the gym where they planned to cut health class.
It was the next day and the next glee meeting that Puck put the plan he and Mike had hashed out during their cut classes yesterday in to action. After asking Will if he could say something at the beginning of the meeting Puck shuffled up to the front his hands stuffed into his pockets.
"I was a...have been for a while actually...a bit of a douche"
"Puck!" Will warned quickly
"Idiot" Puck corrected quickly "and two of my closest and oldest friends have sorta been shocked to find out what an ass I am"
"Sorta?" Mike prompted quickly as Matt and Rachel glowered, Matt from his new spot by Santana. Yeah he didn't know how that had happened either.
"Ok were shocked! Matt and Rachel were shocked by me, and they were right to be. I'm a different person away from Lima. And I hid the Lima Puck away from them because I didn't want to disappoint them. And as you all know I managed to do that within 3 days of the two of them moving here, so I was right"
Matt and Rachel glanced at each other as they sat in the front row, their thoughts mirrored as they wondered where their old friend, current ex friend, was going with this little speech.
"But I wanted to tell them, both of them. Rachel, Matt I'm gonna make this up to you, I'm gonna earn your friendship back, and I'm telling you in front of everyone so you got like proof of it happening"
"Noah...Puck" Rachel protested getting to her feet "I...we" she gestured to her brother "don't want you to become someone you're not" she walked over to him and gently lay her hand on his arm "being yourself is more important"
His heart in his throat Puck looked at the hand resting on his arm and pulled his hands out of his pocket to grab her hand and hold it tight, needing to keep her near "I don't know exactly who I am but I know it's not the guy who wanders round McKinley, cos he doesn't deserve you. And if there is one thing I do know is that I want you in my life"
"Noah" Rachel breathed out gently
"Sit down" he pushed her onto one of the stools "I wanted to sing this for you" taking his own stool next to her he picked up his guitar.
Oh I had a lot to say was thinking on my time away
I missed you and things weren't the same
Cause everything inside it never comes out right
And when I see you cry it makes me want to die
He began staring into her eyes, the rest of the glee club disappearing out of their awareness as they concentrated on each other and only each other. Hazel eyes met brown and didn't waver, warmth and affection and love grew around them, making everyone else watching feel like they were intruding on something special.
I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue, I'm sorry about all things I said to you
And I know I can't take it back
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds, and baby the way you make my world go round
And I just wanted to say I'm sorry:
Rachel blushed at the reference to kissing and 'sounds' and glanced away momentarily before meeting his eyes again the emotion almost overwhelming her. Her heart felt like it would explode as she took in the warmth his eyes held, it reminded her of the Noah she knew, the one who she loved.
This time I think I'm to blame it's harder to get through the days
You get older and blame turns to shame
Puck grinned a little and ducked his head at the love in Rachel's eyes, it made him feel a lot better about his chances at making her forgive him, logically he knew that she wouldn't have abandoned years of history in one day. But it had still been a fear.
Every single day I think about how we came all this way
The sleepless nights and the tears you cried it's never too late to make it right
Oh yeah sorry!
"I'm going to make it up to you" he whispered as he finished, he put his guitar down and got to his feet before stepping to stand in front of her. "I will make it up to you" he promised fiercely as he grabbed her chin in a tight grip and pressed his lips against her perfect lips quickly.
Rachel sat in stunned silence as she was left reeling on the stool; the man who had sent her on an emotional rollercoaster was already halfway out the door. "Ok then" she murmured in a daze as she got to her feet and in an attempt to collect her emotions and her usual calm, well calmer, demeanour she smoothed out her cheerleading skirt.
"You may have Puck wrapped around your little finger but I rule the squad" Quinn snapped from the back. Her annoyance had grown the entire time she had watched her Puck sign to the big-nosed bitch who had managed to wrangle away onto her squad, and watching Rachel smooth out her skirt had made the blonde snap.
"Yes Quinn" Rachel rolled her eyes "because you aren't jealous at all"
"Why would she be jealous?" Finn asked dumbly, his thought process throughout the song having been entirely reduced to 'huh Puck likes a girl'. Finn would never be mistaken for a deep thinker.
"Never mind" Rachel brushed away her comment "let's just go to practise"
"And we got practise as well" Sam clapped his hands against his thighs as he got to his feet, the other football boys following his example.
"We still have practise" Will protested as the cheerleaders and jocks left the room, leaving him with his original four members of glee.
"Drama, drama, drama" Artie shrugged wheeling out of the room.
Gleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Refusing to let herself breathe hard Rachel held herself completely still at the top of her base, Quinn had run her ragged demanding extra conditioning and laps for any infraction she perceived. It had at least kept her warm throughput the practise in the frigid Ohio air while Coach Sylvester stood on the bleachers watching them silently. Rachel knew she was being tested but had no idea if she was passing. Quickly glancing at Santana who rolled her eyes at Quinn's behaviour Rachel decided then and there to do something, nodding at her spotter who prepared the base Rachel did a flip landing in the cradle before getting to her feet.
"I didn't say you could move!" Quinn snapped
"Well you seem to be working under the impression that you may rip to shreds every single one of my moves and not receive the same in reply" Rachel stepped in front of the group and stared up at Quinn who glared down mutinously. "Your extensions are faulty, your breathing is laboured and you are not tensing your stomach making it harder for your bases who are responsible for catching you so perhaps making their life easier would be a good thing. Oh and your leg is shaking" she added before walking away the rest of the cheerleaders following her example.
Quinn was jolted to the ground by her catchers who barely caught her and found herself watching her team walk away.
"I like her" Coach Sylvester finally commented before walking away herself.
Quinn finding herself standing alone on the practise field didn't know what to do with herself, she wasn't used to being alone and she didn't know how to deal with that.
"Hey babe" Finn grinned as he joined her "football's over, do you wanna grab a shake before I drive you home?"
"That would be nice" the beautiful blonde smiled, remembering why she fell for the goofy straightforward boy in front of her when he was like this. He appealed to her old fashioned sense, the one that wanted to be growing up in the 50's where it was ok to flirt but not make the final move until marriage. Where a guy wanted to give her his jacket and pin and take her to the dance and buy her a shake once a week. The only difference was, well Puck was hotter than Finn and she liked having the school bad boy dangling on a string. She had a very distorted view of the world.
Taking her boyfriends hand than he was offering her Quinn stepped up to him and held onto his hand and arm, letting him lead her off the field.
Rachel in the mean time had showered and changed out of her uniform and was walking to her car with her cheerio holdall over one shoulder stopping in shock when she found Puck leaning against her car.
"Matt went out with Mike and Sam" Noah told her as she opened the trunk and placed her bag inside it "said he would meet you at home"
"Thank you for the message" Rachel said stiffly "was there anything else?"
"Wondering if we could go for food" he shrugged trying for nonchalance and failing "maybe Whippy, seeing as Lima doesn't have much choice?"
"I..."
"Please?" he begged a little unable to look her in the eye
"Ok" she capitulated "I'll meet you there"
"Thanks" Puck grinned before bolting for his truck driving a sedate speed that was nothing like his usual speed.
"You know I have been in a car with you before" Rachel informed wryly as she had waited for him leaning against her car "I know how fast you drive, you don't need to change that"
"Guess I'm trying a little hard" Puck gave a shrug before they walked into the restaurant and over to a booth, neither of them seeing Quinn and Finn as they took their seats and chose their meals. "I just really want to work all this out"
"Noah..."
"Hey guys" Finn greeted them "wanna join us?"
"Oh um..." the two Jewish teenagers hesitated as they glanced at Quinn, who still sitting in her uniform looking very proud had gone pale at the invitation.
"Come on" Finn smiled that goofy smile that made everyone surrender quickly
"Ok" both teens managed to strangle out before moving reluctantly, Rachel sliding in next to Quinn who endeavoured to smile at the brunette.
"Hey wanna play on the foosball table?" Finn nodded to Puck who nodded eagerly and the two teenage boys wandered off.
"Boys huh?" Rachel joked as she and Quinn were left in awkward silence
"Yeah" Quinn agreed before both of them looked away awkwardly making a noise of unease simultaneously that made them both look at each other and smile again.
"So you moved from California?"
"Yeah, Pasadena" Rachel answered "bit of a difference from Ohio"
"Yeah I bet"
"So..." Rachel attempted to start, but couldn't think of a way to finish that sentence without being awkward "we really got off to the wrong start didn't we" she slumped against the booth back "I have no way to finish that sentence"
"Well...yeah"
"I'm not going to tell Finn ok?" Rachel assured the blonde "from what I heard it was only a flirtation and I wasn't here. Just could you perhaps stop being a bitch?"
"You promise not to tell Finn?"
"I promise" Rachel assured her again "we are never going to be friends, but life would be easier if..."
"True" Quinn accepted reluctantly "but I really don't like you being around Puck"
"You know me not telling Finn is based on you leaving Noah alone" Rachel informed her flatly
"Says the girl making him change"
"I'm not making him, he's doing it on his own and the only thing he has done so far is sing a song"
"That IS surprising for him, he's never done that before. I didn't even know he could play the guitar"
"Oh"
"Right well as interesting as this conversation is I'm going to make Finn take me home" the blonde slipped out of the booth and grabbing her boyfriends hand and dragging him away.
"Got rid of her then" Puck sat down opposite Rachel
"After I promised her not to tell Finn about what the two of you"
"Nothing happened!" Puck protested taking her hands as they rested together on the table "it was some stupid flirtation and a few kisses, she was a challenge. I was bored" he shrugged "for nine months a year I'm not with you and every other girl, women, I know falls at my feet Quinn was the first one who didn't. She sort of reminded me of you"
"Really the cold hearted ice bitch reminded you of me? What did it? The perfect body type? The Jewish nose? Oh wait it was the similar eye colour and hair right?"
"Don't be sarcastic!" Noah laughed rubbing at her hands, sort of surprised that she hadn't yanked them away "it was the making me jump through hoops"
"I only made you jump through hoops you deserved" Rachel mock glared "and if you want me back and are going to make it up to me as much as you say you are then expect a few more hoops then last time"
"Really?" Puck groaned "guess I should start with dinner"
"Would be a good start" Rachel smiled as he signalled the waitress. She wanted to forgive him, of course she did she loved him more than she could describe but seeing him as he had acted had really scared her. She wanted the Noah she knew but knew that wasn't going to happen and until she found out what kind of person he was going to be she couldn't take that leap.
Wearing her usual plaid skirt and button shirt the next day with matching knee socks Rachel was walking across the parking lot when the first surprise of the day came. The nerds were all lined up waiting to be tossed into the dumpster but instead Puck was standing in front of not letting the other jocks get near the smelly metal container.
"No" he stubbornly repeated "you aren't going to throw them in the dumpster"
"We ALWAYS throw the nerds in the dumpster"
"Not anymore" Puck shrugged as if in regret "we can't do it, Coach Besite said anymore reports of bullying from us and we are going to get kicked off the football team"
"We are the football team!"
"She yelled something about that with us she didn't have a team, I'm just trying to help you guys out" Rachel rolled her eyes and laughed at the logic Puck was using against the jocks to stop the bullying in the school. By making it better for them to be nicer people he was convincing them without taking a stand that would make him a target in response. "Right now if you can excuse me boys there is a hot girl over there that I need to walk to class" with a mocking salute he brushed past the grumbling jocks as the nerds made their bids for freedom. "Hey baby" he greeted Rachel with a kiss to her forehead, swinging his arm around her shoulders and leading her away quickly towards her locker.
"Nicely done" Rachel congratulated him shivering a little and cuddling into his side a little deeper "I also noted a lack of multi coloured ice patches as I walked through the parking lot"
"That is because of this" Puck said pulling out a small metal object from his letter jacket pocket before taking it off and swinging it around her shoulders. Tossing the metal object up and down in his hands it glinted in the winter sun "without this the machine doesn't work and I know that the owners of the 7-11 are too cheap to replace it"
"So well on your way"
"I'm changing for you, baby"
"I would rather you change for you"
"Changing for you is changing for me, you are part of me" Pulling her to a halt her stepped in front of her and placed his hands on each shoulder watching her eyes to make sure she new he was speaking the truth. "Rachel, B, Babe...this last week, since you have moved here it hasn't been anything like it should. Every summer we have spent together since we were thirteen has been spent as a couple, and even though I've been you know...single...during school time and I'll admit I've taken advantage of that fact I've never really felt single. Because being single means being able to give yourself to someone fully and I've never been able to do that, because I've always been yours. And I've planned since I was six years old to always be yours, and when I say always I mean always. As in forever and ever, soul mates, eternally..."
"I get it" Rachel assured him her hands on his cheeks
"Right, so changing to a nicer and better person is part of that. To like get to New York and be with you always like I want I need to be better. So changing for me is changing for you, and changing for you is changing for me."
"So I guess I can't escape that we are now together" Rachel laughed a little leaning forward to press her lips to his quickly "specially if you want forever"
"We want forever" Puck corrected quickly "it's totally not badass if I'm the only one who wants forever"
"Yes baby" Rachel laughed "walk me to class"
"I am still allowed to be badass right?" he asked as he followed her hands intertwined.