Breathing heavily Annie (aka Julianne Puckerman) closed her locker. Her bag slung over her shoulder held the weight of four textbooks…but the weight of four text books, three notebooks, an iPod, a planner, a calculator, a pack of gum, and the latest Twilight book felt like nothing compared to the pressure she felt on her chest and the nervous feeling inside of her stomach that churned away minute by minute.

"Hey Orphan, let's go," she could hear her brother, Noah, at the end of the hall itching to leave the school. She had made copies of the sheet music for Glee club and finished her biology homework (the lucky fifth textbook that stayed tucked away in her locker) as she waited for him to be finished with football practice. Sure, she could have taken the bus.

But she didn't do the bus.

Noah (or "Puck" as he was known to everyone else in the school) was her older brother; older by one year nearly exactly. However, he had a severe case of tunnel vision. It was older to him. Period.

"I'm coming," she said, feeling the churning in her stomach- wondering if there was anything left in her stomach to churn…or if it had just turned on itself… She headed down the empty hall to Puck who turned when she about reached him and headed for the double doors, "Finn told me to tell you bye," he said: hating being the messenger. "His mom was in a real hurry," he added with a smirk. Finn had yet to purchase a vehicle so he was still riding the mom-mobile.

Annie nodded but didn't respond. One hand rested on the strap of her messenger bag, the other played with the hem of her fitted flannel shirt. Puck looked at her with an odd expression, "What's up with you?" he said slowly as they treaded across the parking lot.

"Nothing…"Annie shook her head as Puck unlocked the driver's seat door. He stared at her from over the roof of the car, "Look, orphan, you may be a theater nerd, but you're a terrible liar," he laughed slightly and opened his door- proceeding to unlock hers manually. She climbed in. And before she could stop herself her words came rushing out…

Annie suddenly heard the words "I'm pregnant" leave her lips and reverberate through the car…without her conscious permission. Closing her eyes for a moment, realizing that she'd just told her brother what was going on, she looked over at him…no amount of time preparing her for the moment of truth.

Puck stared at her and finally when his mind told his mouth to work, it forgot to tell it to keep the level of his voice reasonable, "What?!"

Annie's eyes welled with tears, but she kept them from falling. She just nodded and took a deep breath. "I…"

She'd known for two weeks now, and finally she could not keep it to herself. It was Finn's, of course…

She and Finn were together – sure- but she'd never even considered that they'd be together forever. That was defiantly not in the cards….that's not what she wanted. Never mind the fact that it could destroy Finn and Puck's relationship…which she deemed more important that her and Finn's relationship…in her perverse little mind.

"You're telling me that Finn…" Puck started his car but it remained in park. Annie cut him off quickly, "No…" she said, "He didn't…"

Puck looked at her for clarification.

"It was someone else…there was this party…we were drunk…and…" when she felt two tears escape her eyes she stopped talking, afraid to hear her voice crack. She knew her brother had no right to judge her too harshly…he was a bit of a man-whore himself. At least Annie knew in her heart she wasn't a skank…that she only gave it up to her boyfriend…but no one else would –or could- know.

Puck didn't say anything else. He just put his car in drive and drove home aggressively.

When they reached their house, he continued the no-speaking unspoken promise and headed in before she'd even had a chance to retrieve her bag from the car.

Annie headed straight up to her room. She didn't come out for anything…she just finished her homework, watched some television…and when the distractions wore thin…(around 4am) she cried herself to sleep.

In all the haze of the night before, she woke up to her cell phone ringing the next day. It was two in the afternoon. She couldn't believe it! She'd slept right through an entire day and Noah hadn't gotten her up to go. What an ass…

"Hello?" she groaned as her eyes dilated to the sunlight that escaped passed the broke blinds. Her hand covered them as she waited for a response.

"I have to hear it from you," came Finn's voice on the other end. Annie shot up in bed, her heart going from 0-60 in less than two seconds. He knew. Puck that son of a bitch… "Annie?" his voice continued which caused her to realize that she had yet to respond. Maybe she was wrong.

"Hear what?" maybe she was jumping to conclusions…

"Are you pregnant?" or maybe she should just jump off a cliff. When he asked, his voice remained quiet and she was not really sure the emotion that laced through it.

"Yes," she replied unable to add to it. She knew she was about to break the boys heart…and he did not deserve it. But she knew their relationship had been on the rocks…and she could tell Finn was really eyeing Rachel…she had been sure their couple-status was headed for an end…

He would only stay for the baby…and not for her…it was better that he did not think it was his. When another long, gut-wrenching pause ended Finn continued, "Is it mine?"

"No."

Inside her mind Annie was preparing for a long explanation; one that she had been preparing for a long time now. She'd even figured when this 'party' would have been…though she'd lie about the exact amount of weeks she was along… But suddenly the other end clicked off…and she felt her heart rip in two.

Silently, tears streamed down her cheeks as she slowly closed her phone and set it beside her. She climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was a wreck…she couldn't stand to look at herself. She splashed her face with cold water to wash away the old make-up that clung to her face. She ran a brush through her hair….and then heard the front door open and close. She dropped the brush to the counter and left the room. Her brother… well…

Was sort of an asshole, a definite ladies man…

But he had always been a great brother. The ideal protective, older kind. Sure, he'd called her 'orphan' ever since they were little after watching the musical Annie mixed with the running tease that she was adopted… but what older brother didn't tease their sister?

But this…this she should have figured…but couldn't believe.

When she got downstairs and found him in the kitchen she wanted to scream, and yell, and punch him square in the jaw…but she stopped a few feet from him and all that came out was a broke, "How could you?"

He glanced at her and shrugged, "He had a right to know," he said, though he didn't keep eye contact with her the whole time, "Besides, he'd find out soon enough…you're already starting to gain weight," He replied. She received no eye contact with his last seething statement.

Annie's mouth hung open slightly. She felt as if her brother had just smacked her across the face. Not just for the 'gaining weight' statement…but that he told Finn before she could…and now she knew Finn wouldn't even look at her…and he'd run straight into Rachel's arms…

"What if Quinn ended up pregnant…but she wasn't the one to tell you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Puck shrugged, "Well at least I know Quinn isn't a cheating sl-," he only began to edit himself when he nearly spoke the word 'slut'. He was pissed, and Annie knew he had the right to be. But he had just inadvertently called her a cheating slut…and she felt the words pierce straight through her heart, and she was lost for words. If he only knew…