Title: Summer Nights
Rating: PG-13, as of right now, will almost definitely change.
Fandom: Glee
Words: 623
Characters: Quinn, Puck, ensemble.
Summary: When Puck and Quinn are back together in the fall, the rest of New Directions tries to unravel the truth about what happened last summer.
I. Let's Give Them Something to Talk About
The Quad is full of gossip. The rumor mill is busy at work ruining the lives of more people than ever after a summer where the only insults possible have been made on Facebook and chance encounters at Subway. Azimio Adams and Becky Jackson are dating, but it seems like more of an alliance. Someone got drunk enough at the first beach blowout to de-virginize Jacob Ben Israel in the sand dunes. The biggest piece of interest right now: Santana Lopez has dumped the Prom King. In true Lima Heights adjacent fashion, she dumped a beer over his head and threatened to break the bottle with his face before screaming a whole bunch of Spanish phrases no one understood to begin with. And she's hooked up with Vocal Adrenaline's former top gun, Jesse St. James.
Tiffany Amber heard they'd eloped in Vegas. Jenna Swanson swears she had a butt-lift too in order to keep his eyes from straying back to Rachel Berry. Brittany just sits there in the inner circle, looking like Bambi after the hunter shoots his mother.
Finn, sitting on the stone wall right next to the front steps with Rachel by his side, doesn't believe any of this. And he's already sick of the rumor that she's only using him to get Jesse back from Santana. "I fucking hate this school," He pouts, as the cheerios look over at him, laughing at what a pitiful attempt this would be.
Rachel smiles, linking her arm with his and leaning into his shoulder, "Ignore them, they're just jealous. They wish they could be dating the Captain of Glee Club and the star player of the McKinley Titans." She pauses, looking stern for a moment, "Don't swear though, it makes you seem obtuse."
He squints, trying to remember what that meant in Geometry. After a minute he gives up, "Yeah, no-one believes any of that stuff anyways. It's like reading Jacob Ben Israel's blog." He leans his head on top of hers, taking in the strawberry smell of her shampoo.
Suddenly, everyone is silent. Tiffany and Jenna have stopped discussing Santana's sex life and are sitting by the fountain slack-jawed. Brittany looks the same shade of ghost she did when they'd accidentally slipped and informed her the Tooth Fairy wasn't real. It's an eerie quiet, and Rachel stretches her head up, trying to find out what's going on.
Someone finally breaks it, "Ohmigod, poor Lauren."
Finn and Rachel stare at each other before standing up, and now the courtyard is abuzz with something new, better.
"I heard she's already knocked up again."
"I heard it's twins."
"She should really learn how to use birth control."
"I heard that his mother is disowning him for being such a bad Jew."
"Does that mean he's, like, circumcised?" A giggle follows.
"I heard they're in love." Everyone stares at Brittany as if she's grown three heads. She just smiles, pulling her legwarmers higher up on her arms and hopping off in the direction the chatter is coming from.
That's when Rachel sees it: Puck and Quinn, making their way through the courtyard. Puck and Quinn, holding hands as they make their way to the school's entrance. Puck and Quinn. Puck and Quinn. Puck and Quinn.
She looks at Finn, who just stands there, blinking, like he's going to open his eyes one of these times and find out it's just a bad dream. "What is going on?" She hiss-whispers at him. "Did you know about this?"
He shakes his head as they watch them strut the rest of the way, seemingly invincible to all the rumors in the world circulating about them. Brittany catches up to the blond, walking alongside them. "I don't think anyone did."
