Be All That You Can Be
Chapter 1
A Lima Loser. That is all he was, and it was all he was ever going to be. A Lima Loser.
Puck should be enjoying himself at this party. Hell, half the time he was the life of the party. He should be starting up a game of beer pong or flip cup or even Truth or Dare, but no. Instead, he was sitting here on the couch staring at the red plastic beer cup he had been nursing for the past hour contemplating how, in 6 months after they all had graduated, everyone else was going on to bigger and better things except for him. He was stuck here in Lima, and would end up to be the Lima Loser everyone always predicted he would become after leaving high school.
It all started earlier that night. Mr. Schue had hosted a small "holiday" party for the glee club members at his apartment. (He had to start calling it a "holiday" party after Puck and Rachel commented on how a few of the glee members didn't exactly celebrate "Christmas" so Mr. Schue settled on calling it a holiday party instead of the "Chrismukka Fiesta" Puck had suggested as an alternative.) They laughed and joked around, and were treated to an impromptu karaoke session led by, shocker, Rachel Berry and Mercedes Jones. But it wasn't the gathering of the glee kids at Mr. Schue's place that bothered him. He was a senior now, and had been performing with these people for the past three years, so he knew them all very well by now, even if he didn't want to admit it.
What finally got to him was when Mr. Schue made a toast to all of them for coming together over the past few years and how he couldn't believe that their time together was coming to an end soon when everyone would go off on their own after graduation, but he was proud of all of them and hoped they would all come back and say hey from time to time. They toasted their glasses, a few of the girls got a bit teary-eyed, and everyone got up and gave Mr. Schue a big group hug. It did not really hit Puck that they were all graduating soon and going on to other things after high school until Mr. Schue acknowledged it. He knew they weren't going to stay in high school forever and he honestly had been anxious to get out of there and go on to be a rockstar for as long as he could remember, but he must have gotten so wrapped up in enjoying the experience that he forgot it was all coming to an end soon and people were going their separate ways.
After all the kids left Mr. Schue's for the evening, Tina had invited them all over for an after-party at her house. Her parents were away for the weekend and felt this was the perfect time to rebel a little, so she and Mike had gone ahead and invited everyone over for a little fun before the holidays. But even though everyone else at the party was having a great time, reminiscing and telling stories and just having a great time with one another, Puck couldn't help but feel a little down and left out by the whole group.
It wasn't that they didn't like him, or that they were all treating him like he didn't exist like they all did after they found out he was the father of Quinn's baby instead of Finn. He had this strange feeling eating away at him that he didn't quite fit in with the rest of them anymore, or that he ever would after high school for that matter. They were all better than him, they were all going on to do bigger things after they graduated, and they would end up being too good to associate with him after that, so why not start the separation process now right?
Mercedes and Kurt had been accepted into the Parson's School of Design in New York City to study fashion. Kurt had come back to McKinley after his brief stint at Dalton, and decided that the feeling of family he had with the people he cared about at McKinley was more important than running away from the bullying by going to Dalton. He was Finn's brother now, and after an altercation Finn and the rest of the boys from glee club had with Karofksy, nobody had messed with Kurt since. That and he told everyone the people at Dalton were all a bit strange…and not in a good way. Mercedes was truly talented in anything she did and she was always her own person, never letting anyone tell her what to do. NYC was the perfect move for the two divas since they could never really express themselves while they were stuck here in Lima and both of them had an eye for style and a flair for the dramatic, so Puck knew they would do well for themselves there.
Rachel, Tina and Mike were all headed to New York as well. Nobody was really all that shocked at Rachel's decision, as everyone knew she was hell-bent on starring on Broadway. People were a bit surprised to hear that Tina was headed that way too though. She was always fairly quiet when it came to what she wanted to do with her future, but she was always very multi-talented when they performed so it was strangely fitting that both she and Rachel had been accepted into New York University's Tisch School of the Performing Arts. Even though Mike had always been a jock and played football with the guys for years, you had to be blind or living under a rock to not see how talented of a dancer he was. The people at Julliard are neither blind nor living under a rock, and were able to spot his talent while New Directions performed at nationals in NYC the past spring, and immediately asked him to audition for them. He was accepted and ultimately relieved, as most of the dudes in glee club were, that he wouldn't have to wear tights…all the time.
Artie was always the AV guy, and while he was a nerd who helped tutor Puck in math, he could actually pull off some pretty cool effects stuff, and was a computer graphics wiz! Puck had to respect the guy who rolled into school in suspenders and a bow tie and still managed to get someone as hot as Brittney. Dude was smart and talented, but he didn't feel like performing was in his future as much as some of the other glee clubbers. He earned himself a full scholarship to study graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Fish-lips himself was headed to some small school in Kansas to play football. Puck himself couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he honestly couldn't remember a time where he actually used the name 'Sam' when referencing him in his thoughts…or out loud for that matter. Oh well Blondie, enjoy Kansas… though Puck respected the fact Sam was offered a scholarship to play out there, he was still a bit bitter that his football prospects had not turned out so well.
Lauren had decided to forego college for the time being and pursue other endeavors with the WWE organization. Puck couldn't blame her, especially with the amount of money they were waving in her face if she were to sign with them right after she graduated. Puck had spent many a night even after he and Lauren's "relationship" had ended trying to think up nicknames she could go by as a pro-wrestler…she shot down every suggestion. Granted, they all had to do something with how big her ass was, but still, at least he tried.
Finn had been looked at by several scouts and Puck was almost sure he was going to be offered a spot on some football or basketball team at some school, he was simply waiting for the day when Finn finally heard back from some places. They hadn't exactly been the best football team in Ohio, but they did have a good past few seasons and Finn was a good QB, so Puck figured if the Pittsburgh Steeler's QB Ben Roethlisberger could make it out of Lima, OH and play both college and pro-football, Finn totally had a shot. And Finn would never try to sexually assault anyone, so he even had a point up on Roethlisberger at this point!
Over the past year, Finn and he had patched up their relationship and were once again good friends. Finn realized he was in love with Rachel, and the power couple of glee club had been together since just before nationals their junior year. Although Finn had tried to feel the same way about Quinn that he used to prior to baby-gate their sophomore year, he had always been in love with Rachel, and Quinn knew it, so she actually broke it off with him prior to nationals that year, and he got back together with Rachel. They two had been sickeningly cute ever since.
And then there was her. Part of him always hoped and even dreamed that she broke up with Finn eight months ago because she was only dating him for the Prom Queen status he would help her get, and that she would realize she was actually in love with Puck, but Puck knew that was a long shot. After she and Finn had broke up, they still both won Prom King and Queen, even though Finn took Rachel and Mercedes and Quinn took each other as friends, since neither had a date. Puck was going to ask her, he even had a plan as to how he would ask her, but he knew what her answer was probably going to be. No. She had avoided him like the plague after Beth was born, and the only time she really looked at him or acknowledged his existence their whole junior year was when she yelled at him at Rachel's party for ruining her body by getting her pregnant. So he reluctantly took Santana, who was equally pissed off she couldn't take Britt to the dance since Britt went with Artie.
Puck and Santana's relationship changed quite a bit over junior year and the first part of their senior year. They stopped hooking up and sleeping together as they both realized that neither person was actually into it anymore. Strangely enough they actually became ok friends, and started talking to one another about stuff they probably wouldn't have to other people. Puck and Santana were essentially the same person, with the same badass attitude and sense of humor, just different genders. Santana confessed everything she felt toward Brittney to Puck, and while Puck didn't know what to say about the whole "gay or bi" part of the equation other than how hot that would be to watch, he felt for her. He told her he knew what it felt like to care so much about a person who you know you can't have, who is always somehow unattainable. Once he confessed this to her, he was expecting her to crack a joke about him needing to find his balls somewhere or that he sounded like a girl, but she simply turned to look at him and said one word: "Quinn."
Quinn was always on his mind, and had been for as long as he can remember, even before Beth. So he waited patiently through all of junior year hoping she would come around and see that she did want to be with him after all. They were so good together while she was pregnant with Beth, besides that whole 'sexting incident', and he knew he fucked that one up, but even after that he tried as hard as he could to be good to her and to show her that he would make a good boyfriend and a good father to their child. But after they gave their daughter up, it seemed like Quinn shut herself off from everyone around her, especially him, and as much as he hated to admit it, that really hurt. She came back to school junior year and pretended like nothing happened, wearing that Cheerios uniform and making the students in the hall part like the Red Sea when she walked by, just like she had before she was pregnant. She wanted everything back the way it was before the baby, before Puck ruined it as she liked to say. So all junior year she avoided him.
Puck tried going back to his old ways too by hooking up with all the other Cheerios and singing songs to other girls in Glee club to try and make her jealous. Hell, he even dated Lauren, who really wasn't his type but was a badass who was the complete opposite of Quinn, just to try and get a reaction out of her. But nothing worked. She dated Trouty Mouth for a period of time, then she jumped back to Finn so she could try and solidify her popularity by winning Prom Queen. So when she broke up with Finn, Puck hoped it would be because she realized she still had feelings for him. But for the remainder of junior year and into the summer, Puck never heard as much of a peep from Ms. Quinn Fabray.
That was until mid-September this year, less than three months ago. She had gone over a year without speaking to him when out-of-the-blue she texts him "Good Game Tonight" after a big win against one of their rival schools. He thanked her and asked her what she was doing that night. He never got a reply. Every once in a while she would say hi to him in the halls or make small comments to him during class, but nothing really of substance until late November of this year.
It was the day after Thanksgiving when Quinn showed up on his doorstep, tears streaming down her face as she stared blankly up into his eyes. He hated seeing girls cry and never knew what to say so the only thing he could think to do at the time was reach out and pull her into a hug. He remembers how she leaned into his embrace and the way she fit so perfectly against his chest even as body wracked with sobs and a wet spot formed on his shirt from her tears. After she calmed down, he asked what happened and she explained that she was out shopping with her mom when she saw Shelby Corcoran pushing a stroller with a little curly blonde girl in it around the mall. Quinn didn't approach her or anything, she felt as though she was frozen in her tracks and she couldn't take her eyes off the green-eyed little girl until Shelby had rounded the corner. She explained that all she could do was stare at her, and she wasn't completely sure when she had started crying or how she even got to Puck's house, but that she could no longer try to delude herself that she was ok giving Beth up for adoption or that she didn't miss the little girl every day since she was born.
Seeing the Ice Queen Fabray's icy exterior finally start to melt away and admit what he had been feeling for so long made Puck feel glad that he was not the only one who missed the little girl they barely knew, but it confused him as to how it took this long for her to realize it. That day, they sat on his bed and simply let it all out, everything they felt about the baby and the adoption and the way things had been for the year since the little girl was born. They both apologized to one another too, realizing that they both did some things and said some things that ended up hurting the other person, and by the end of the day, they agreed to be friends again. Puck had been hoping they could maybe turn that friendship into a little more, but was kind of disappointed when Quinn went about the rest of the semester and into the break acting like they were simply acquaintances.
He was even more shocked to hear Mr. Schue congratulating her, Santana and Britt on their scholarships to Ohio State for cheerleading earlier in the evening, as he figured she might have mentioned something like that at some point earlier in the semester. All he knew what that everyone else was going on to something bigger and better, and he wasn't. Sure he had gotten a few looks from some football scouts but nothing panned out. He also is not a complete dumbass, he knows he is fairly smart, but actually applying himself in class would make him look like a nerd and he didn't want to sound lame. So academic scholarships were out of the question, and by this time it was already too late to look into applying to other schools and he was sure his mother couldn't afford it unless he were to get some sort of financial aid. So he was just stuck here in Lima, probably working at Finn's step-dad Burt Hummel's car shop.
So he sat there, staring at his red plastic beer cup, thinking over how the rest of the club was going on to do amazing things with their futures and actually go places with their lives, while he was stuck here in Lima, Ohio destined to do nothing with his life. He wasn't going anywhere in life, or as they say 'once a delinquent, always a delinquent .' He knew he wasn't destined for greatness, he wasn't destined for anything, just a life here in Lima so he better start getting used to it, right?
He took a big swig of his beer, finishing off the remainder of the alcohol and staring into the bottom of the cup before crinkling the plastic in his hands and throwing it across the room in frustration. He knew why everyone moving on made him feel this way, he knew why it hurt so bad knowing this year was coming to an end and everyone was going their separate ways. It wasn't because he envied them. Yeah, he was jealous they were getting out of this town and seeing new places, but he wasn't envious of their paths in college. He knew they were all going where they belonged and where they would succeed. No, he was frustrated because after this year was over, he knew he was losing her. He was losing Quinn. She was going on to college where she would forget all of the drama that happened with her family, and all the other kids at school, and her pregnancy with Beth, and she would forget him too. That part killed him the most. He knew deep down she would never forget about Beth, but him? He was expendable.
She would meet all sorts of new guys in college, guys who were smart and funny and came from families who had the kind of money her family had and they would be compatible. She would fall in love and they would start their own family, and he would just be that bum she made a bad decision with one night in high school who never ended up going anywhere so it was a good thing she didn't end up with him. He was nothing.
Chapter 2
After sitting at the party for a little while longer, Puck decided he wanted to get out of there. He needed to go, it didn't matter where to, he just needed to leave. So he walked back into the kitchen where, judging from the volume of all of their voices and the slurring of their words, most everybody was having a jolly drunk time. He started saying his goodbyes, making up a story about how his mom had to take a night shift at the hospital last minute and he needed to go stay with his sister when people asked why he was leaving so soon, and made his way to the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he was stopped by a rather forceful hand grabbing his arm. Part of him was praying it was Quinn, but he knew it wasn't since he practically had the way her hands feel on him burned into his memory. He figured it was a drunk Berry or even Finn asking what was really going on, but when he turned around he was a little surprised to see that Santana had pried herself away from Britt and the party to come after him.
"What's the real reason you're leaving so soon, lame-ass?" Santana had lowered her drunk volume dial, but Puck knew she never had a censor even when she was sober so the 'lame-ass' comment was to be expected.
"No reason, I just don't feel like partying tonight." Puck replied, trying to sound as care-free as he could.
"It's about Quinn again, isn't it?"
"How about I make you a deal, Santana? Call me when you're sober tomorrow and we'll talk." Puck responded. He knew it was useless trying to talk someone when you were drunk, especially when that person was Santana. She would walk right in that other room and practically make an announcement that she knew the real reason Puck was being lame tonight.
"You know I can handle my liquor, Puckerman. I'm actually fairly sober in comparison to some of those jackasses in there. Have you seen the midget? Man-hands is the biggest shit-show of a drunk I have seen in like…ever." Santana had such a way with words, and Puck was pretty sure she also practically had a book of names reserved just for Rachel Berry. Yes the girl was obnoxious as hell, but she could sing, and Finn liked her, which meant he had to be nice to her. And it meant Finn wasn't going after Quinn anymore, not that it really mattered at this point, since Quinn apparently "just wanted to be friends."
"Fine, I'll put it this way. Schue made a good point tonight that we're all going different places after graduation, and it made me think about how I won't be able to see everyone as much as I do now. That's all, just feeling a little nostalgic is all. And if you tell anyone I said that Lopez, I will deny it."
"Yeah, but not all of us are all going in different directions. Some people are going together. Hell, five people will be in New York City alone, and Britts, me and Quinn are going to OSU together, so at least we're not all completely all over the place. We'll all keep in touch I'm sure. Well, probably not Berry cuz let's face it, I want to smack her every time she opens her mouth, and I'm not too fond of Artie either, but his girlfriend is coming with me to Ohio State instead of going to Rhode-fucking-Island with her "boyfriend."" as she puts the word in air-quotes. "Seriously, is Rhode Island even a state? Who the fuck would want to go there?"
"To each their own I guess." Puck replies, then looks down at his shoes while he rocks back on his heels. "I guess I just wish I could be in your shoes I guess." When Santana goes to look down at the shoes she is wearing, a puzzled look crossing her face, he quickly replies "Not literally. I would break my ankle in those and you couldn't pay me to ever put them on. I just mean, I wish I could go there with you guys, like at college and stuff."
At this, Santana smirks and leans closer to Puck, quickly glancing back at the kitchen where the rest of the club is before turning back to him, sneering "You just want to go where Quinn is going. I know you. You would stalk her to the ends of the Earth."
"I would." Puck replies evenly before letting his voice drip with sarcasm "But that is kind of hard to do when you're all living it up at OSU in Columbus, doing awesome college things and going to awesome college parties, while I'm stuck here in Lima doing what I do best, which is nothing. Nothing but do dumb shit and get trouble, like usual."
Santana ducks her head slightly at his tone, trying to think of a comeback before Puck beats her to it. "Hey, maybe in a few years I will make it that way! If I keep it up and continue down the path of raising hell like everyone expects so little of me to do, maybe I can request the prison up near Columbus! We could be neighbors, San!" Puck turns and walks out the door before Santana can respond to that.
He is half-way to his car when he hears her yelling at him down the driveway. "You know what your problem is, Puckerman? You are such a proud douchebag who would rather sit around acting all "woe-be-me" and accept the lame excuse for a life you think you'll end up having instead of doing something with it. Newsflash Puck, I know you want more, and I know you deserve more and can do better than that sorry excuse of future plan, so stop acting like a little girl, stop bitching and do something about it. It doesn't have to be that way unless you allow it to be."
"Fuck you, Satan." Puck replies, annoyed by the outburst from the feisty Latina, but slightly taken back at the message she gave him.
"Write that gem down, Puckerman. My advice is priceless. You can thank me later, Dick!" She yells before stomping back into the house as Puck gets into his truck and slams the door, starting the ignition. As he pulls away from the curb and heads down the street, he mulls over what Santana just said.
"I know you want more, and I know you deserve more and can do better than that sorry excuse of future plan, so stop acting like a little girl, stop bitching and do something about it. It doesn't have to be that way unless you allow it to be"
For being the biggest bitch Puck knows, Santana actually gives decent advice once in a while. Granted, he's still pissed, and knows that she is probably full of shit, but part of him starts to wonder what he could do instead of college. Although there are plenty of stories of people doing well for themselves in Lima, which God knows why the hell they decided to stay in this town, he realizes they all probably have college degrees or at least job training that makes them good at their work. He thinks about Burt Hummel and how he could go work at his shop, but Puck knows Burt has had a ton of training to get to be as good as he is at fixing cars. In addition, the man owns the car repair shop, so Burt is not just a mechanic, he's a business owner as well. Even his mom, who is a nurse, has a college degree and even more training after that to do what she does. She makes decent money doing what she does, and even though things have always been tight living off of the single mother's salary, she has still managed to keep a roof over his and his sister's heads and food on the table.
On his drive home, Puck realizes that, unfortunately, Santana was right. He needs to do something with himself. It won't just fall into his lap and he is wasting his life by settling for something he knows he doesn't want. He doesn't want to settle into some pointless job where he makes squat and wastes his nights sitting alone at a bar. He knows he doesn't want to be a Lima Loser. He knows that Quinn wouldn't even give him a second glance if he became that person. He needed to find something he was good at, something he could be proud of doing and something he could do well at. He wanted to find something that would make her proud too, something that would impress Quinn enough to give him a shot.
He may not be one of those fancy college guys she was going to meet when she went to school, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be a Lima Loser either...especially whenever she came home over weekends or breaks. The question was no longer "can I do it", no Puck's new mission was to find what he could do instead.
Three Weeks Later
Finally, after waiting for what seemed to be forever, Puck turned 18. He was pumped he could finally buy his own porn and cigarettes, if he decided to take up smoking, and happy that he could consider himself an 'adult' even if he didn't completely act like one all the time. He was in the middle of brainstorming what he was going to need for the party he intended throwing in honor of this momentous occasion when his mother came into the kitchen and patted him on the shoulder.
"Happy Birthday, Noah. The big 1-8! Do you have any special plans with your friends?" his mother asked, arching a brow at him as she spoke.
"Nah, nothing special. I may go to a get-together one of the guys on the team is having this weekend, but other than that, no." Puck claimed, as he hoped his mom wouldn't notice the scheming he was attempting to do.
"Well, I tell you what, I don't have to work tonight, and your sister will be home right after school, so why don't we go out for dinner tonight for your birthday. Oh speaking of which, have you gone down to the post office and registered to vote or registered for the selective service yet?" His mom responded, looking genuinely interested in his answer.
"Um, dinner sounds good to me. And that would be a no on the post office. I could care less about the whole voting thing and I don't even know what the selective service thing is, but it doesn't sound good, so no thanks." Puck replied, trying not to sound too sarcastic.
"Noah Puckerman, you may not care about voting now, but it is your civic duty to vote. If you don't vote, you can't complain about the government, and believe me, the last 20 years have given U.S. citizens plenty to complain about regarding the government. Nothing can get done unless you vote. And the selective service is where you register for the military draft, but it's very unlikely you will get called in the draft. They just make all guys over 18 do it."
"Are you shitting me? The military draft, as in the shit they pulled in Vietnam? Fuck no, not signing up for that." Puck stood up from his chair and walked to the sink getting himself a glass of water.
"Wow, I am so glad you are actually paying attention in your history class at least. And it's only been implemented once, during Vietnam. They will probably never do it again unless it's like World War III or something. Oh, and just so you know, everybody, both men and women, are required to register for military service in Israel. And that's not even a draft, that's just required military service for everybody for a few years during their lives. Now that's being a good Jew and protecting your country." Puck's mom noted, before raising her eyebrows at him and sipping her coffee. "Think about it, Noah. And we'll stop by the post office so you can register to vote on our way out to dinner" she states before turning around and walking back down the hallway toward her bedroom.
Oh she would pull the religion card, he thought as he scowled while finishing his water. Fine. If she wanted to play that game, he would go register for the damn thing. He could handle people yelling at him telling him what a fuck up he was, but he couldn't handle his mom's disappointment. It was much harder to swallow when she simply looked at him and told him she was disappointed, so he figured he would avoid that all together and just register for the damn thing. He would probably never get called, and he didn't actually have to go vote or anything, but she would be happy he signed up to do so or whatever…. Either way, he was going to have to do it this afternoon, or she probably wouldn't take him to dinner. And Breadstix was sounding pretty good just now.
Puck steps up to the window at the post office and is greeted by an older man. Puck informs the man that he just turned 18 and he is there to register to vote and to register for the selective service. The old man behind the counter smiles and thanks him for coming in and taking a step towards fulfilling his civic duty. What is with everyone and their 'civic duty' crap today, Puck thought. He fills out the forms and returns them to the man at the window.
Puck goes to leave, but turns back quickly and asks the man at the window "So, how often do they use this whole selective service thing. Like will the military be knocking on my door any day now or something?"
The man looks at him and releases a small chuckle "No, they won't come pounding down your door to get you. Although, being a former Army man myself, I can't say the military treated me poorly while I was in there. I got to travel around the world, see all sorts of stuff I never dreamed I would, they gave me all sorts of useful job and survival training and they helped me pay for my school when I got out. I learned a lot of stuff while I was in the Army." The man sees Puck frown slightly so he quickly adds "And it was also a perk that I got to learn how to shoot several different guns and survive in some of the harshest conditions. I even learned how to make things explode, and the Army was ok with me doing it too!"
"Hang on there. You said they taught you how to blow stuff up? And they were ok with it?" Puck asked, an incredulous look on his face.
"Heck son, they didn't just let me do it, they paid me to blow stuff up, as you put it. It was a lot of hard work and training, but at the end of the day, I made lots of good friends and I knew I was doing a job I enjoyed and I was defending my country while doing it. Now there is something to be proud of." The man replies, pride beaming from his eyes.
"You had me at explosions." Puck joked, as he thanked the man and walked out the door towards the car where his mom and sister were waiting. As they drove toward the restaurant, Puck couldn't help but think of all the cool stuff the guy at the post office said he got to do in the Army. He got to travel the world and see new places outside of Lima, Ohio. He said they gave him job training and gave him money for college afterwards. They taught the man how to shoot guns, and the best part was that the Army let him blow stuff up! And paid him to do it! That was like every delinquent's dream!
He remembered back to his little trip to juvie after the ATM incident, and how the judge threatened him with real-jail or mandatory military service if he was ever back in front of the judge for any other crime, but from the way the man put it, military service didn't sound nearly as bad as jail did.
Was he seriously considering the military as an option? Sure there was going to be some dick drill sergeant that was going to yell at him, but people had always yelled at him and it was in one ear and out the other. And they couldn't be much worse than Coach Bieste right? They would at least be about the same size and all. He could still be a badass in the Army too. Hell, he could be an even bigger badass in the Army, and after all the push-ups he was going to have to do, his guns were going to be looking awesome when he was done.
So that was settled, he was going to look into it and call a recruiter for more information tomorrow. Once at the restaurant, the family sat down and enjoyed dinner together. As soon as they finish their dinner and they arrive home, Puck goes straight up to his room and boots up his laptop. He spends hours researching all there is to know about the Army, how to sign up, what that obligation entails, and even learns a whole bunch of cool stuff about what he can do in the Army. He is even interested in the history of the Army and all the things they have done throughout the ages. Wow, some of these dudes are certifiable badasses! Puck thinks to himself. I can't believe this is what some people get paid to do!
-x-x-x-x-x-
Puck decides to wait a little while before going and talking to a recruiter. He feels it's the responsible thing to do instead of rushing right into things. After about three weeks and tons of research later, he still has not changed his mind, and he heads to talk to the recruiter stationed in Lima that afternoon after school.
He comes home that afternoon feeling like a new man with a new mission. He just spoke with the local recruiter for about 2 hours, absorbing as much information as he possibly could about what he could do for the Army and what the Army could provide for him. He realizes it's gonna be a tough job, but after hearing all the things he could do and see while in the Army, he would be crazy to overlook this opportunity. He wasn't getting out of Lima either if he chose not to do it, and hell, his first commitment was only 4 years. While those other glee kids were busy sitting through boring classes or lectures and getting drunk on the weekends, he would be learning stuff he wanted to learn (like how to blow stuff up more effectively than before) and getting paid to do it. And the uniforms were pretty badass too… chicks dig the uniforms. His mind was set. He was going to enlist in the Army.
He should probably tell his mom of his decision at some point though. She probably would kick his ass if he didn't and just went and signed up. So that night, he decided to take his family out to dinner to let them know of his decision. Once his family was seated at their table and gave the waitress their orders, he turned to his mom, reached out and grabbed her hands and held them between his across the table.
"Mom, there is something I need to talk to you about." Puck said, trying to remain calm, even though he was somewhat excited on the inside.
His mother's eyes widened as she tried to swallow the liquid of the drink she just took, "Oh God Noah, please tell me you didn't get another girl pregnant. As much as I don't want to know about that part of your life, I will buy you a lifetime supply of condoms so long as you don't get another girl pregnant in high school. Although, Quinn was a nice girl. I did like her. But still, you're only a teenager!"
Puck scrunched up his brow in confusion at his mom before letting out a hearty laugh. "Oh hell no! I'm glad you like Quinn, I do too, but believe me I learned my lesson after that one. No babies for this guy for a long while."
"Oh good, sorry to jump to conclusions but hey, can you blame me? So what did you want to tell me?" His mom asked, looking very relieved and much more relaxed.
"Well mom, I've thought about it a little bit, and I have decided I'm joining the Army."
His mom's eyes got big again as she stared at him for what seemed to be about a minute before speaking again. "Noah, the Army? Have you given this any thought? That's a big commitment and it's a very dangerous job. If you are sent to war, people do shoot at you and try to kill you for real."
Puck nodded, agreeing with her concern. "I understand Mom, I do. And I have looked into it a lot lately and I've done plenty of research. But I want to get out of this town for a while. I wanna actually do something with my life instead of finding whatever random jobs I can here and living off of you for the next 10 years. All the other kids I know are talking about where they're going to college, and I can't say the same thing."
Puck sees his mom look down, hiding her eyes. "Noah, you know I would love to send you to college, it's just a little hard financially right now."
Puck quickly responds, "I know Mom, and I understand, believe me I do. I don't want to be a burden on you like that, but I also know that if I stay here and work at whatever job will hire a high school grad with no college education, I will continue to be a burden on you for a while since I won't make squat. The man at the post office was telling me all the stuff the Army helped him do and one of the things was that they gave him money for college for when he got out of the military. They gave him all sorts of training and he got to travel all over the world. But the thing that got me was that he was proud of what he did for the Army. He was proud of his job and his country, and I want to be proud of what I do for once. I want to make my family proud, and I want to make Quinn proud, and Beth proud if I ever get to meet her. I want to do something that matters, and I think this may be the way I can do it. I refuse to end up being the deadbeat dad is. Please, just consider it Ma." Puck meets his mothers gaze, pleading with her to consider his proposition.
"Noah, despite all of the things you have done in your life, I do trust your decision on this one. And now that you are 18, you are an adult and can make those decisions for yourself. I will support you in whatever you decide, but please do me a favor and research it a little more carefully, just so you know what you're getting yourself into." Puck smiles and tells his mom he will before his mom looks at him, and squeezes his hand "And Noah, I am always proud of you. Just remember that." His mom finishes, giving him a soft smile that almost makes him tear up.
"Thanks Mom" he says, just as the waitress returns with their food.
No, Noah Puckerman will not be a Lima Loser. Noah Puckerman is going to be a proud soldier in the United States Army.