A/N: I don't own Glee, if I did Mark Salling would be locked in my bedroom. Tell me if you like it, I plan on continuing it, but I have no specific plans, so suggestions are welcome.

As Rachel Barbara Berry woke up on December 31st 2010, she had one thought on her mind, starting the New Year with a clean slate. She had spent the last few weeks as an emotional train wreck; with her recent breakup with Finn Hudson she decided tomorrow was the start of a new year and a new Rachel. She had no plans for New Years Eve, her dads were off at a soiree in Columbus and she was home alone. Her plan for the day was to gather any reminders of her and Finns doomed relationship and get rid of them before midnight.

When the clock stroked 12:00, she would be the new, independent, free of Finn Rachel. She would celebrate with a custom glass of champagne, and then throw her box of Finn-related material in the fireplace.

As Rachel got out of bed she reached to her nightstand to check her phone, the final chance to receive a good morning text from Finn before his number was deleted for the New Year. She took a shower and went through her normal morning routine. Preparing herself breakfast Rachel planned out the rest of the day.

Rachel curled up on the couch with her cup of peppermint coffee and turned the tv on to catch the morning news. She decided that she would make a trip to the mall, a New Year meant new clothes, the grocery store, finger foods to help her make it to midnight, and the Chinese food place to pick up dinner.

Two hours later, Rachel grabbed her car keys and headed out the front door. Rachel made her way to the mall with credit card in hand, ready for some serious shopping. She went through several stores selecting new dresses, new skirts, knee-highs and tops. After a well spent three hours Rachel decided to stop in one final store, the music shop to get new sheet music to practice.

Rachel wandered around the store, picked out a few Broadway vocal books before heading to the cashier. Busy digging through her purse for her wallet, she failed to even glance at the person behind the counter.

"Berry buying Broadway music, how unsuspected," the deep voice said sarcastically. Rachel stopped digging through her bag and looked up.

"Noah, since when do you work at this lovely establishment?" Rachel asked, surprised that he was actually working.

"After I got out of juvie," Puck said grabbing the back of his head out of embarrassment, "my mom told me I had to find a real job or move out, so here I am…"

"Well, I am glad you are taking responsibility Noah, it shows how much you have matured." Rachel said still staring at Puck without realizing the reason she was at the counter in the first place.

"$22.38" Puck said, but a confused Rachel looked at him with a new dumbfound look on her face. Puck chuckled before continuing, "Rach it's $22.38 for the books."

Rachel jumped out of her odd trance, "Sorry," she continued digging through her bag for her wallet, "I wasn't expecting to run into anyone I knew, I was just thrown off for a minute. I apologize for holding up the line and keeping you from working, usually I am not this out of it. I…" Rachel began to rant.

"It's okay Berry, there is no line, and not much else to do anyway, chillax." Puck said trying to calm the suddenly frantic Rachel, "What are you doing for New Years Eve?"

"Oh nothing, my dads are out of town, just celebrating it on my own. They bought me the traditional celebratory champagne and I have a night of movie musicals planned I guess. Nothing to exciting, What are your plans Noah?" Rachel avoided mentioning her actual plans, because those were just embarrassing.

"I don't know, my mom and sister are always in bed by the time it hits midnight, and San-…, well there is nothing else to do." Puck said, trying to avoid dragging Santana and Finn into the conversation for both of their sanity.

"It appears we are in the same boat. Well I really must be going, I have some Chinese food with my name on it waiting for me to pick up," Rachel said finally prepared to leave. "Have a good New Years Eve Noah."

"You too," Puck said to Rachel as she left the music store. His eyes followed her back as she turned out of the store and into the crowd of the mall before looking back down at her bag with the music she just purchased lying on the counter.

Rachel sped through the grocery store, picking up the essentials for the evening, as she waited in line to check out, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She flipped it open to see a new text from Puck.

Noah: Left ur new music at tha store, I have it, just let me kno when u want it.

Rachel quickly racked her brain, concluding that she must have been so flustered (a topic that she hadn't even tried to decipher yet) that she left the bag on the counter.

Rachel: Thank you Noah, you wouldn't mind dropping it off on your way home would you? Or is that too inconvenient, because I can wait.

Noah: I can stop after wrk I get off at 10, c u then

As Rachel read Noah's reply she felt that same flutter in her chest that she experienced earlier that day when she encountered Noah in the music store, an unfamiliar feeling for the usually well composed Rachel.