"Are you ready for this?" The door to Rachel Berry's new pink car opens, startling her, and she looks over to see her boyfriend sliding into the passenger's seat.
She shrugs. "As ready as I will ever be," she responds meekly with a shrug of her shoulders. Her jaw is set in a hard line and her hands are clutching the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles are turning white. It is not everyday that Rachel grows so tense that she cannot function. She participates in yoga classes to keep herself calm, but ever since she and Brody arrived in her hometown mere minutes earlier, she has been unable to relax.
She hears a door shutting and the click of a seat belt and knows that Brody is safe and secure in her car now, but she still does not move to place her foot on the gas pedal or put her car in drive. They made a quick stop at the gas station. Brody wanted to pick up a few things, mainly junk food, which Rachel advised him against, but he has a habit of not listening to her when it pertains to his sometimes not-so-healthy eating habits. He always makes a point of reminding her that his eating habits led to his physique which she claims to love so much any time they are intimate with one another.
She feels his strong hand grab her thigh gently and her shoulders relax almost instantly. Brody's touch has a way of calming her down. She does not know if it is because he radiates warmth or if it is because he is always gentle; she supposes it is both. "Is everything okay, honey?" he asks, sounding concerned. He has no reason to be. Or maybe he does. She isn't exactly sure.
"I... I don't know," she answers honestly, a sigh escaping her. "I am aware that I made a promise to Tina and Brittany that I would attend their high school graduation as they attended mine, but I made it very clear when I kicked Finn out of my life that Lima is not home to me anymore. This town is full of bad memories, so many bad memories that they override the good ones at the moment and I do not like feeling bitter, but I do. I want this to be a fantastic summer and it will not be fantastic if I stay here."
She frowns. She instantly feels awful after speaking the words because all of her friends are here and so are her dads, but Finn is here and Finn is the worst memory she has in Lima. He used to be her friend, the only man in her life aside from her dads and Sam that she could truly count on, but that ended when he did not call for four months and lied to her about his whereabouts and left her behind in New York without saying goodbye.
She has decided that she will forever care about Finn, but he was right that day all those months ago, her tears are reserved for someone else now.
Brody has found a way into her heart and she likes him a lot and she has long since forgiven him for having sex with Cassandra July, her nasty dance teacher. The two have been together for almost four months and she could not be happier. She wanted to spend her summer with him and Kurt and Blaine, but no, Brody and Kurt decided Lima would be a better place to go for the summer.
She cannot disagree more. Obviously.
"Forget Finn," Brody says somewhat nastily. His aggressive tone catches her off guard. She does not know why she is surprised, however. It is no secret that her boyfriend is none-too-pleased with Finn and has an extreme dislike towards him. She finds it complicated to be angry with Brody for being so quick to judge Finn, simply because said boy has given Brody no reason whatsoever to think him to be a good person. "You have me and your friends. You also have your dads. Don't let the idiot keep you from having a good summer. You deserve a fantastic summer more than anyone I know after the year you have had. Leave the past in the past. Enjoy yourself. If not for yourself, then for me."
She smiles dreamily, feeling happier than she has since before they left New York. Brody is right, she realizes. She deserves to have a good summer. Preferably a great one. And she will try, for herself and for her boyfriend.
She puts her car in drive and pushes her thoughts aside. "I will, for me... and for you." Brody leans over and places a sweet kiss on her lips before leaning back in his seat and giving her a soft, assuring smile.
"It'll be fine, Rachel," he reassures her. He has spoken the words plenty of times over the past few days, but this is the first time she truly finds herself believing the words.
"I know," she whispers honestly before stepping on the gas pedal and pulling away from the gas station. Finn Hudson has ruined a lot for her. She will not let him ruin her first summer back from New York.
XXX
"Rachel!" The squeal causes Rachel to jump. She heaves a frustrated sigh. She hates that she is easily startled. First Brody and now Brittany.
"Britt!" she squeals, throwing her arms around the taller girl. She holds onto her for a few moments. Rachel has missed Brittany a lot. Their conversations on the phone are not enough for the brunette. Brittany is a bundle of joy, always so optimistic and full of life and Rachel is very proud of her friend for finally graduating high school. She knew Brittany had it in her; all she needed was that extra push to go that extra mile.
"Mr. Schue and Miss Sylvester are letting me wear my unicorn button!" Brittany exclaims excitedly as she pulls out of Rachel's death grip. "See?" she queries as she points to the aforementioned button on her red graduation gown. Rachel laughs softly, but sighs afterward, feeling nostalgic as she looks around. The inside of the girl's locker room is full of seniors wearing red and white, reminding her of her graduation, which feels like it happened ages ago rather than one measly year.
"That's great, Britt," she responds. She is about to say more, but Brittany's expression changes in quite literally the blink of an eye, confusing Rachel. "Rach, I do not mean to alarm you, but there is a very, very hot boy standing beside you and if you don't snatch him up, I certainly will because San says she doesn't mind if I sleep with someone else while we are on a break and-"
Rachel cuts her off, looking affronted. She looks over and sees Brody. Now she understands what has Brittany so rattled. She intertwines her fingers with Brody and grins, slightly amused by Britt's reaction to him. Not that she can blame her. Brody is definitely a fine piece of human architecture. "Britt, I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Brody." She knows the emphasis on the word boyfriend is unnecessary, but she likes to see the looks on the faces of females when they hear that someone as good looking as Brody is off the market.
"Oh." Brittany frowns, but her frown quickly morphs into a smile. "Congrats, Rach. He's a total hunk."
She hears Brody chuckle and has to fight her own chuckle from escaping her. "Thanks," she says awkwardly, feeling herself blush.
"No problem. Anyway, I have to go. Stick around, though, yeah? We totally have to have a slumber party." Brittany gives her one more hug before running off to join Tina and a few of her fellow Cheerios.
Brody spins her around effortlessly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "How are you feeling?"
She grins and stands on her tiptoes, her lips only inches from his own. "Much better, especially knowing that I have you here to endure the torture of Lima with me," she says teasingly before pressing her lips against his. The two share a few quick kisses before leaving the locker room and making their way to the bleachers. The amount of familiar faces she sees is overwhelming for her, but she does not allow it to get to her, not even when she sees Finn seated with a few of the new glee club members and Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pilsbury.
She and Brody pass Finn on the way to their seats, but he pays Rachel no mind, which does not bother her in the least because she does not want to acknowledge him, either. She spots Mercedes and Quinn seated near the top of the bleachers and is surprised to see Noah with them as well.
"I know where we are going to sit," she tells Brody, her smile even bigger than before as she takes him by the hand and leads him to the row where Mercedes, Quinn, and Noah are seated. She does not hesitate in taking the seat beside Noah. Brody seats himself beside her, instantly reclaiming her hand and placing their intertwined hands in his lap. She does not mind the gesture; it is comfortable, familiar.
"Rachel!" Mercedes and Quinn exclaim at about the same time. Mercedes reaches over Quinn and Noah to greet Rachel with a one-armed hug and Quinn reaches over only Noah to do the same. The expression on Noah's face when he sees Rachel is priceless.
"Wow, you got fucking hot, Berry," Noah announces bluntly. The only one who looks surprised by his blatant statement is Brody, but Rachel smiles at Brody, assuring him that he has no reason to feel threatened. Although, the warmth she feels in the pit of her stomach states otherwise, but he does not need to know that. She does not even know why the feeling is there and does not want to think too hard on it for fear of giving herself a migraine.
"Ever so eloquent, Noah," she replies sarcastically. "It is nice to see you again as well," she adds, fighting back a grin. She bites her tongue to keep herself from saying that he looks good, too, but it is true that he does. His head is newly shaved (she must admit that she misses the Mohawk, though she will never say so aloud lest he get a bigger head than he already has) and he has a small amount of stubble, which makes his jawline look even more defined. She also notices that he is more toned and tan. Los Angeles has done him well.
She shakes her head, realizing that she is staring which is not only creepy, but wrong because she should not be staring at Noah when her boyfriend is sitting beside her.
She should not be staring at Noah ever, really.
"I agree with Puck, Rachel. Plus, your hair looks absolutely amazing," Quinn chimes in. She smiles. The two have grown a lot closer since graduation. They have phone conversations almost every night and video chat every chance that they are given.
"Same to you, Quinn," she says and she means it. Quinn looks beautiful, as usual. Her blonde hair has grown since graduation and looks fantastic, but Quinn has always looked fantastic, a fact that does not bother Rachel the way it used to. She has grown more confident since leaving Lima. She owes a lot of that to Brody.
"Oh, how rude of me," she blurts randomly after a moment of comfortable silence passes between the friends. "Quinn, Mercedes, Noah, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Brody Weston."
Brody shakes hands with Quinn and Mercedes. He goes to shake hands with Noah, but Noah brushes him off. Rachel raises her eyebrows at him, but does not question his actions. She would like to say that he is acting weird because he does not like new people, but she knows that is not it. Then again, she is unsure of what it could actually be, so she will go with that reason even though she knows it to not be the truth.
She hears music begin to play and clears her mind. She watches as the seniors steps out onto the football field one after one. She has flashbacks from her graduation. She sees herself wearing red and white. She pictures her friends. She pictures herself with Finn... and then she snaps herself out of it. She looks to her left, where Brody is seated. He is watching the students while she watches him, reminding herself that he is her present. New York is her present. Lima is the past.
XXX
Rachel and Brody remain on the bleachers with Quinn, Mercedes, and Noah long after graduation has ended and the parents and guests have dispersed. She agrees to join Quinn and Mercedes at Tina's for a sleepover the upcoming weekend before the three say their goodbyes, leaving her alone with Noah and Brody.
She feels awkward is the accurate word to describe how she is feeling in this exact moment. She thinks she has a right to feel such a way. She is with her boyfriend and the boy she has made out with on several occasions in the past and even "dated" for a week in high school.
"Hey, Rach, I have to go to the bathroom, but I'll be right back," Brody says, breaking the silence. She is thankful for the distraction from Noah's intense, very serious gaze. Brody gives her a kiss before standing and practically sprinting down the bleachers. Once he is out of sight, she turns to Noah, demanding to know what his problem is.
"I don't have a problem, Berry," he murmurs, albeit defensively. She does not buy it. He has been acting strange since she first set eyes on him hours earlier.
"You seem to be forgetting that I know you, Noah. Quite well, if I do say so myself. I know when you are lying," she states pointedly, her expression matching her tone as she stares him down.
Noah scoffs. "Really Berry? Brody?" he asks disbelievingly. She frowns at his tone. He sounds, dare she think it... disappointed.
"I am afraid I do not understand," she admits, her frown deepening considerably.
"Oh, don't pretend that you don't have any idea why I am less than pleased to see you here with that asshole," Noah snaps. Rachel gasps. His disdain towards Brody is very confusing and his use of such foul language towards someone he hardly knows and has only met briefly offends her greatly. "Who was it that you called in the middle of the night when you could not sleep because you were having crazy dreams about the douchebag you liked fucking your dance teacher? Who listened to you cry for hours? Who told you that you are beautiful and shouldn't be wasting your tears on said douchebag, and who sang with you until you fell asleep? Huh? Who?"
She does not reply, knowing that the crudely stated question is a rhetorical one and feeling confused by the intense rant following the question. Noah had been the one she had called in the middle of the night that night, at precisely 2:32 a.m. She had called because she had known that he would answer; he always answered. He had answered when Finn had not called within the first two weeks after he had left, he had answered when she broke up with Finn, and he had answered when she had told Finn that Lima was not her home and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.
When she woke that morning, her first thought had been to call Noah, which had made sense to her at the time, but now, she realizes that calling him had not made any sense in the least. She and Noah have never really been all that close, but he understands her and they have a connection. Their connection started in the week that they "dated" and has not disappeared since. She cannot deny it, neither can he, though they both have tried in the past couple of years.
"Why are you with him, Rachel?" She is shocked to hear him refer to her as Rachel. She knows this is a serious conversation, that what he is about to say is important. He hardly ever calls her Rachel. "He hurt you. Didn't you learn your lesson with Finn? Or with Jesse? Brody does not deserve you, just like Finn didn't and just like Jesse didn't. You deserve someone who wants you and only you and sees how great you are the instant they lay eyes on you."
Her heart is beating faster, her chest feels tighter, and her vision is blurry. "Noah..." she starts in a whisper, but she hears footsteps and snaps herself out of her weird trance-like state, blinking a few times to rid her eyes of any tears threatening to fall. She wipes at her eyes, trying to hide the evidence. Noah quickly stands. He brushes past Brody without a word. Brody flashes Rachel a confused look, but merely shrugs.
"Don't mind Noah," Rachel says, standing. "He has severe anger issues and I may have called him that night I found out that you had slept with Cassandra," she continues guiltily, still trying to understand what had just happened between her and Noah. "I apologize and I hope that you know I am no longer upset with you and I completely understand why-"
Brody cuts her off mid-rant, shutting her up with his lips, which she does not mind in the least. However, as she is kissing Brody on the bleachers of her old high school, she cannot help but think of her conversation with Noah and she cannot stop herself from picturing those hazel eyes full of such intensity, such fire.
She tries to shake the image from her mind as she deepens her kiss with Brody, but her efforts are futile. She decides then that she was right earlier, returning to Lima for the summer is a terrible idea, but it is too late to go back. She tells herself to suck it up. It is only a few months. Can't hurt to stay, right?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first try at a Puckleberry fanfic. I actually like them and I really want to give this a shot. This chapter does not explain much, but it gives a few minor important details, like the phone call in the middle of the night and the fact that Rachel is dating Brody and wants nothing to do with Finn (which is hard for me because I am a true Finchel fan at heart, but I am simply going off the show as it is now... sort of).
The title may change. Summer Heat is a title I thought up too quickly and am not sure I want to keep. I might, however, depending on how this story goes. I am not sure when I can update, but I shall try to do so as quickly as possible.Please review and be honest, simply not brutal.