A/N: so this a concept I came up with and hopefully it works. In this Story Rachel, Finn and puck are all Juniors in the prolog, seniors in the actual story. This first part is just the prolog and I know there is a lot of OOC, but most of this story will be that way, so be warned. The first chapter of the story will be up in a few days, Enjoy! Oh yeah, don't own Glee…
Searing Sun
Not for the first time Puck wondered to himself why in the world was he here? If anyone had told him just a few months ago that he would be in the Glee Club and enjoying it, he would have laughed in their face then topped it off with a slushy. But here he was listening Mr. Shuster ramble on about his plans for the club now that they had won Regional's and he was actually half paying attention to him. That was more attention any teacher had gotten from him in his three years at this school combined.
As he listened to Shuster ramble on, his gaze slid over to the resident diva. Ever since Regional's Berry had changed, due in no small part to her 'friends' in the club. Now that they no longer needed her talent to help them win and keep the club going things had turned nastier and nastier. Snide comments were no longer said when her back was turned, but straight to her face as though she wasn't there. They grew increasingly worse until she no longer spoke in practice or made any move to interact with any of them lest she inspire anymore insults and demeaning comments. The only person she said more than two words to now was Finn and only if he spoke to her first.
She was no longer the crazy Rachel Berry everyone knew and nobody but Puck had noticed the change it seemed. She didn't do the long winded speeches and no diva fits ever happened anymore when she didn't get the solo. All she did during practice anymore was to stare at her hands, unless it was to sing. But even then she sang exactly what was given to her then quickly sit back down and stare at her hands. There was no demand to make it perfect, no bid for the spot light, the life was gone from her eyes and now she just seemed to be going through the motions.
Puck shook his head, what the hell? What was he doing thinking about Rachel Berry of all people? Shouldn't he be relishing this new quiet Berry not mourning the loss of the old fiery one? God now he was thinking like a chick! Sure she had been a good lay a couple months ago, but he's had better. So why can't he get her out of his head? He supposed he could have defended her, but why bring down his reputation more and Berry was a tough chick she could handle it.
"Rachel? Rachel!" Shuster's voice brought Puck out of his contemplations and his gaze slide back over to Rachel along with everyone else's. Her brows were furrowed as she stared at her hands, obviously thinking over something very hard. Her head snapped up as Shuster continued to call her name.
"Yes?" She replied in a voice so soft it could have been a whisper, far from the confident star in the making she had been.
"Do you have any ideas for a song for the concert we're doing?" Although Rachel rarely voiced suggestions these days, Shuster never stopped asking for them.
"She's probably sleeping with him so she can have the spotlight all the fucking time, she has always been his 'favorite' " Puck heard Mercedes stage whisper to Kurt and from the look on Berry's face she heard it to. Her eyes hardened and she stood up and walked over to the piano speaking quietly to Brad, then turned to face the rest of the club.
Puck sighed and settled in to listen to another show tune, regretful that he couldn't even get a good view of the long legs and nice body of Rachel through the baggy clothes she had taken to wearing. He was as surprised as the rest of the club when a tune neither he nor anyone els had heard started and Rachel started to sing.
I've been catching up on daydreams
Yeah, I've been lost all afternoon
'Cause I've been imagining a future
In a world of only You
In a world of only You
Chorus:
When the curtain falls down on me
I will be free, I will be free
When the curtain falls down on me
I believe I will be free, free
See, I get so stuck here in the shadows
Where it's hard to escape this gravity
This life is heavy now but I know, yes I know
That someday gravity's gonna lose it's grip on me
Second Chorus:
When the curtain falls down on me
I will be free, I will be free
When the curtain falls down on me
See I believe I will be free
Free to fly away
I'm free to fly away
Bridge:
The show's not over, but I know how it ends
I know how it ends
When this dream becomes reality
It's no mystery where I will be
Second Chorus:
When the curtain falls down on me
I will be free, I will be free
When the curtain falls down on me
I will be free
I will be free
I will be free
When the curtain falls down on me
I believe I will be free
Free to fly away
I'm free to fly away
Free to fly away
Free to fly away
Oh, wow, look at me now
Leaving the ground
Up in the cloud
So high
Up in the sky
It's time to fly away
Fly away
I'm free to fly high away
I'm free to fly
The last notes drifted into the air and then the comments began.
"Mercedes would make that sound better," that was from Kurt.
"No way am I gonna sing such a gay ass song," That was Matt.
"Wow, and I never thought Rachel Berry could get any worse, I was wrong," Quinn lived up to her ice bitch personality.
Puck just sat there and listened to the hateful comments fling through the room and hit their intended target. To her credit she didn't flinch or so much as tear up, but simply looked more and more determined. About what he couldn't imagine.
When the comments died down she turned to Shuster "That's the only suggestion I have." With those words barley out, she turned and walked quickly out the door.
"Her and her storm outs," Artie rolled his eyes "she'll be back." Puck agreed with Artie, she would come back she always did.
True to form Rachel was back in the choir room the next day, looking almost happy. Finn approached her as soon as she was through the door, pulling her to the side talking in quiet tones glancing at Quinn every once in awhile.
Puck dismissed the scene with a glance. It was nothing new, Rachel would stare at him with adoration, while he played her. He was still with Quinn and leading Rachel on, everyone could see it, everyone but Rachel apparently.
A huge crash however pulled his attention back to them from his conversation with Mike.
The room was dead silent all eyes on the two figures off to the side of the choir room. Nobody could believe the sight in front of them. There was Rachel Berry and Finn, which in itself was not that unusual, however in this moment in time Finn was on the ground nursing what was probably going to be one hell of a big black eye with Rachel standing over him, fists clenched, knuckles bleeding.
"Your fucking pathetic Finn, grow a pair and fucking make a choice! But since you can't seem to I'll make it for you. Leave me the fuck alone." Rachel all but spat the words at Finn. It was the longest speech she had given in months.
Puck couldn't figure out what was more surprising the Berry had one hell of a punch or that she was cussing. But that wasn't the end of the surprises that day.
Rachel turned and met the eyes of the astonished people before her, "I'm leaving."
"Glee? Again?" The sarcasm was very apparent in Kurt's voice.
"Ohio." Rachel walked out of the choir room for the second day in a row, ignoring the yeah rights of the people behind her.
Puck left the choir room soon after Rachel, heading for the auditorium figuring Rachel would be there. He was right; she was sitting on the piano softly singing. Her voice was so sad and soft he couldn't interrupt. Instead he slipped into a chair in the back and listened.
The Broken clock is a comfort
It helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow
From stealing all my time
And I am here still waiting
Though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best
Like you've already figured out
I'm falling apart
I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain
There is healing
In your name
I find meaning
So I'm holding on (I'm holdin on)(I'm holdin on)
I'm barely holding on to you
The broken locks were a warning
You got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded
I'm an open book instead
And I still see your reflection
Inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose
They're still looking for life
I'm falling apart
I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain (In the pain)
Is there healing
In your name
I find meaning
So I'm holding on (I'm still holdin on)(I'm holdin on)
(I'm still holdin on) (I'm holdin on)
I'm barely holding on to you
I'm hanging on another day
Just to see what, you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on, to the words you say
You said that I will, will be okay
The broken light on the freeway
Left me here alone
I may have lost my way now
But I haven't forgotten my way home
I'm falling apart
I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain (In the pain)
There is healing
In your name (In your name)
I find meaning
So I'm holding on (I'm still holdin')(I'm holdin' on)(I'm still holdin') (I'm holdin' on) (I'm still holdin')
Barely holding on to you (I'm still holdin on)
Barely holdin on to you
As the last notes faded away, Puck realized that she wasn't bluffing, she was leaving and he couldn't blame anyone but himself. Sure it had been the others who had been tormenting her, while he had stopped. But he had done nothing to stop it, had never stuck up for her and now she was lost to him. It was in that moment that he realized he had feelings for Rachel Berry and there was nothing he could do but whisper "Goodbye" and slip silently out the doors.
The next day Puck showed up to Glee rehearsals with only a few minutes to spare. Everyone was there talking among themselves, everyone that is but Rachel, Finn and Shuster. Finn came through the door just as Puck was sitting down; the black eye was very visible against his pale skin. Finn frowned when he saw that Rachel wasn't in the room, but sat down next to Puck without comment.
"Guys I have some news, we are losing one of our members," Shuster's words came as no surprise to anyone in the room, most figuring Rachel had quit the Glee club yet again and shrugged it off, she would be back soon she always was.
Kurt flicked his hand dismissively at Mr. Shuster, "Can we discuss something that's actually important? I don't see how this a big deal we all know she will be back in a couple days, unfortunately. If it wasn't for her talent we would have kicked her out a long time ago."
Shuster shook his head at Kurt and Puck braced himself for what he knew was coming next, "No, when I say lose I mean lose, Rachel has withdrawn from McKinley High and as we speak is on her way to California to go to a boarding school there."
Ten mouths dropped open and one clenched tighter, he saw this coming and it killed him he never did a thing about it. Puck swore that if he ever got a second chance he wouldn't screw it up.
"Why must that girl be such a drama queen?! We need her voice." Puck was fed up with it, he knew it was too little too late but he couldn't keep it in.
"Maybe you all should have thought of that before you tore her down every chance you got! How can you really be surprised that she left, when the people who were supposed to be her friends did nothing but ridicule her? I may have bullied her at one point in time, but I at least never pretended to be her friend, used her the tossed her aside and stomped on her." Puck was all but shouting at the sheepish looking club. He was so pissed he couldn't see much less think straight and did the only thing he could do, he left. He walked down the halls and stopped at what used to be her locker, leaning against it he fought to control his breathing.
He stood there and watched Rachel Berry walk out of his life, not knowing that his world would be turned upside down the next time she walked back into it.
Rachel watched as Lima faded into a small dot on the ground far below the plane. She leaned back in her seat and placed a hand on her stomach. She was really doing it, she was leaving. If it had been just her she would have stayed, but though she knew one day she would come back, she would not risk losing her baby because of the stress she was under and had she stayed it would have gotten worse once people knew she was pregnant.
Rachel wasn't a runner, but she knew this was the best way, so to California she flew, but she would be back stronger than ever, one day….
A/N 2: So that's the prolog! Nice long one too! Please review and tell me what you think! I promise I will get at least a first chapter up, but in the mean time it would be helpful to know whether I'm wasting my time on this or not.