She kissed a girl...and he didn't like it!
Puck kissed Shelby.
He didn't know what took over him to do this because the moment he was done he realised it wasn't Shelby he wanted but Rachel... Shelby was just the cougar version of the girl he really wanted. It's weird how only a few seconds were enough for him to realise that he actually loved Rachel Berry. Of course, there was the promise he made Finn last year that made him frown immediately… He couldn't start flirting with Rachel as long as she was with Finn, she would always be Finn's girl, even if they broke up (it's happened before and she pinned for him until he took her back!). Going against this 'bro code' would hurt not only his friend Finn, but Rachel too as well as the friendship he had with both of them.
"I'm sorry Shelby… I…I didn't mean to do this…" he said as he backed away after the kiss that had been such a realisation.
"Why did you do it?" The teacher asked.
"You're the available version of Rachel…" He muttered as she gasped.
"You love her don't you?" She asked him with surprise.
"Yes…In a way I think I always have…"
"Why aren't you with her then?" She asked him curiously as she invited him to sit down next to her on a desk.
"First I was too proud for a long time to admit I could love a girl like Rachel, then there was Quinn and when Rachel and I got our chance she was into Finn and all I could think about is Beth…Then there was pride again on my side and Finn on hers… I had a chance last year but I decided to be a good friend to Finn and not to hit on 'his girl'…even if he was with Quinn at the time… She's always been Finn's girl…" Noah said, sounding defeated.
"Finn is a small town boy Puck… He won't follow Rachel to New York… He had too many issues for that…" Shelby said in a secretive tone. It took him a few seconds to understand.
"If I go to New York, I would be able to show her that I could be good for her without Finn being on her mind too much…" Noah said, looking like a light bulb just light in his head.
"Exactly… She and Finn won't last…trust me!" she said before leaving the room.
Grinning, Noah Puckerman walked out of Miss Pillsbury's office later that afternoon. He had just worked with her on his NYU application and she told him she was confident he could get in if he kept on getting his grades up. With Rachel as the ultimate motivation, he knew he could do it. That grin didn't leave his face all day long and when he told his mother what he did and what he was planning to do, she cried happy tears and cooked him his favourite meal. He wasn't a Lima looser and he would prove it to everyone!
Time passed and he could see Finn slowly getting frightened at the idea of following Rachel to New York. Noah knew that even if he wasn't accepted into NYU, he would be going to New York. It wouldn't be hard for someone like him to find a job somewhere. He would follow Rachel to the big city she dreamed of her whole life and she would fall for him eventually, he knew it.
When the truth about Santana's sexuality finally got out because of Finn and his big mouth, Noah wasn't surprised to see Rachel standing the cheerleader's side and doing her best to help her accept the new situation and getting acceptance from everyone else.
When Mister Shuster asked them to sing something to sing specific songs to support Santana, Noah chose his song with attention. He decided to sing "I'm the only one", a song that fit exactly how he felt for Rachel at the moment. When he found himself in front of both Glee clubs, Noah did his best not to look at Rachel the whole time but he failed... During the song Puck looked at his best friend and was relieved to see him looking intently at something on his phone, not noticing him. Rachel however, did notice it but pushed it aside, thinking she was just imagining things. He also saw that Shelby and Quinn noticed his glances at the brunette diva.
Later in the week, the two girls entered the choir room singing "I kissed a girl" and Noah knew he wasn't the only one thinking it was a pretty hot show. However, he suddenly got super mad at Santana when the two girls ended the song with an open mouthed kiss of their own. When Finn got up and argued with Rachel about it not being proper, Noah got mad inside but kept it for himself. Rachel was big enough to make her own decisions and this kiss was just to make a statement. Noah muttered that he wouldn't have been mad at her for it and saw Shelby roll her eyes from the corner of his eyes.
He was smiling inside when for the next few weeks, Finn and Rachel argued all the time. He felt mad at his best friend when he caught Rachel with red eyes on afternoon but he knew there wasn't much he could do besides offering her a tissue, which he did. After all, she was still dating the guy so he didn't hurt her that badly right?
Time passed and with it the winter holidays. Noah had sent an anonymous gift to Rachel. It was just a big stuffed gold star with her name on it in pink but he knew she loved it when Finn told him all about how she couldn't stop talking about it and look for the sender. He sniggered at his friend's jealousy. Apparently, he did a good job at finding a gift for the girl. She could talk all she wanted about wanting something big and flashy; she just wanted the proof that someone knew her. He rolled his eyes when Finn told him he had bought Rachel a pig in a farm in South America…sometimes, he wondered why Rachel was dating the guy…
When Valentine's Day came around, Noah discreetly pushed a card in Rachel's locker. In the card, he stayed anonymous but told her he was the one who sent her the stuffed star on Hanukah. In the card, there was the picture of a star in the sky as well as a certificate. He had named a star after her. He smiled from afar when she discovered it and cried.
Later that day, Rachel asked Finn if he was sure he didn't sent her the stuffed Star on Christmas but he assured her he didn't… Maybe he didn't know her as well as she thought…
When Mister Schuster proposed to Miss Pillsbury during that same love-filled week, Noah wondered why Finn suddenly looked so stressed out.
He was walking in the halls, heading to the auditorium to rehearse a song when he overheard two girls talking. He recognised Quinn and Rachel as he snuck closer to hear better what they were talking about.
"You're not serious?" Quinn asked the brunette.
"I assure you I'm telling you the complete truth Quinn." Rachel answered.
"I can't believe it… You're not even out of High School yet!" Quinn exclaimed.
"I know… we're barely adults and he wants us to get married… I don't know what to do…" Rachel said in a desperate voice.
"You can't be considering this, can you?" The blond girl asked.
"I don't know… I really don't know what to do…" Rachel said.
"The only reason you're considering this is because you're afraid of going to New York by yourself… You won't be alone Rachel… Besides, you know perfectly well that Finn doesn't have the balls to go to New York with you… He'll end up staying here and working in Burt's tire shop! You can't be considering this!" Quinn said.
"Finn loves me…" Rachel tried to defend the guy in a small voice Puck barely heard.
"Finn is ashamed of walking down the halls with you on his arm… He can barely handle being seen with you in public because the truth is, Finn is a High school hero and it's why we both fell for him…but he'll be a life zero… You have to be smart about this Rachel, even if it hurts you now… Finn would only hold you down to make himself feel better!" Both Rachel and Puck were surprised at how much sense the blond was making. As Rachel opened her mouth Quinn added: "Are you sure you still love Finn Rachel? Isn't there anyone else you love more?"
"I need to think… Thank you Quinn." Rachel said in a quiet voice as she walked out of the Auditorium from the door that led directly to the parking lot.
A few days later, Finn came to see him. he was upset and told him that Rachel had refused to marry him because she wanted to go to New York and he wanted to stay in Lima.
"I mean can you believe it? Like she actually believes she's going to make it there… I'm just trying to save her the heart ach!" Finn said, angering his best friend.
"Rachel has a lot of talent man… If she wants to make it in New York she will make it!" Noah said with force.
"Whatever…She would have a much better life here with me…But it doesn't matter anyway… We broke up and she said she was in love with someone else…" Finn said.
"What? But…I mean…You guys broke up before…" Noah said, trying to get some countenance.
"Yeah… You're right… She'll come crawling back to me as usual." Finn said with a smug smile;
"What about the guy she told you she's in love with?" Noah asked, wanted to know more.
"I'm not worried… She got some mysterious gift for Christmas and Valentine's Day and she thinks she's in love with the sender without ever seeing him… She'll get over it when she realise it's Jacob Ben Israel or someone just as lame. I mean, who's better than me?" Finn arrogantly said.
Later, when Finn left, Noah thought about the break up and was happy. Actually he was so happy he could dance. Rachel was free again and unlike Finn, he felt like this time it would be for good. He tried calling Rachel on her cell phone but she didn't answer and he remembered hearing her with Kurt earlier talking about going shopping in town. He left her a quick message saying he called to make sure she was doing Okay with the break-up and that he would be seeing her the next day. A few hours later she answered him with a: "I'm fine. Thanks. See you tomorrow".
That same day when his sister and mom got home, his mother went right to the kitchen and his little sister went to see him.
"What's up squirt?" He asked her with a smile as she came in.
"Mommy bought me a stuffed dolphin!" She said.
"Well, it's not much of a surprise, she did say she would to reward you for all your good grades!"
"I know… Oh, we met Rachel and Kurt there." The little girl said with a false innocent look.
"Really? What was she doing there?" He asked her.
"She was asking the owner who ordered a stuffed star with a name on it for Christmas. The man told her it was secret information but I told her you did. She smiled and Kurt squealed. She said she wasn't surprised."
"Really? She wasn't surprised?"
"No, she said only you could be so sweet and know her so well and that she should have known from the beginning… Kurt yelled 'Puckelberry is back' and Rachel bought me a baby dolphin to go with the one momma got me." He listened to his little sister with a smile on his face. Rachel knew it was him now…and she didn't seem to mind.
"Wait, how long ago was it?" Noah asked his little sister.
"Maybe 3 or 4 hours…why?" she asked him. He got his cell phone out and realised she had texted him after she found out the truth… He smiled at his sister and let her go back to her room, reminding her to do her homework.
Later, during dinner, Noah realised his mother looked at him the whole time with an "I know what you did and I'm proud of you" look.
"What?" He asked her.
"Nothing…" She said, still smiling.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked her again.
"I'm proud of what you're doing with your life Noah!" she told him.
"What she means is that she cried when Rachel told her you named a star after her for Valentine's Day after finding out you got her the stuffed star!" His little sister said as she got another serving of pasta.
That night after he got to bed, Noah couldn't stop thinking about Rachel and her new single status. He also wondered if Finn and Rachel really did IT. Finn told him they did the night of the premiere of West Side Story, but he heard Rachel telling Quinn and Kurt that she changed her mind and decided to wait until it felt right. Who was telling the truth, Finn or Rachel? It took his mind only a few minutes to decide Rachel had to be telling the truth.
As soon as he closed his eyes, Noah saw himself enter the Glee choir room. Rachel was the only one in a chair, everyone else was spread around the room. The boys where near the instruments, playing music while the girls were singing to Rachel. It took Puck a few seconds to realise that they weren't just singing to Rachel, they were all serenading her. He looked at Rachel and she was smiling… A bunch of girls (and Kurt) were serenading her and she was pleased. How could that be?
This wasn't hot at all, neither was it funny! He looked around and he saw Finn tied up with big ropes in a corner. When he turned back to look at Rachel, she had Santana seating on her and professing her love for Rachel, Brittany was massaging her shoulder, Kurt was massaging her right foot while Tina was taking care of the other one. Mercedes and Quinn were taking care of giving her manicure. None of the girls had stopped singing their love. Each of them was singing a different song and it was confusing. How could Rachel understand any of it, especially since every boy around was playing different songs as well…
Mad at them all, he pushed Santana off of Rachel and forced the brunette to stand up in front of him but as she started to open her mouth, probably to ask him what was going on, his alarm rang.
Sitting up in bed, he looked at his phone and realised it was all just a dream. Sighting in relief, he stood up to take a shower and get ready for school. He didn't care if she had just broken up with Finn, he didn't care if it would break the Bro'code. Today, he was getting together with Rachel.
When he got into school, Noah looked for Rachel. Unfortunately, he arrived just as she was walking away from her locked so he had to push it back for later. Until then, he went to class and did his best to understand the lesson and have good grades on his tests. He really wanted to graduate and follow his star to New York and was doing his best to be able to do it. Right now, his grades were between B's and C's. If he kept it up, he would graduate without any problems.
When he walked in Glee, Puck was late because his Math teacher wanted to congratulate him on the very good results he was getting lately. He didn't manage to speak with Rachel during lunch because they kept getting interrupted before he could even say a word.
When he entered, he was the last one in. Finn was sulking in a corner while Rachel was chatting happily with Kurt, Santana and Quinn in the middle of the room. Mister Schuster came in.
"What's wrong Finn?" The teacher asked them when he spotted Finn alone in a corner.
"Rachel broke up with me." He said, loudly like he was expecting someone to take his side.
"Well, it's life Finn, it happens…" Will said as everyone turned to the two of them.
"She's in love with someone else!" Finn cried out as Rachel straightened her back.
"Then it's better that she told you now… She didn't string you along like some other people do…" Will said, trying to make the boy feel better.
"Why are you taking her side too? I had just proposed to her, how could she do this to me?" Finn exclaimed, standing up.
"Oh come on Finn, I already explained everything to you! Firstly, we're too young to engage ourselves in something as important as marriage. Second you want to stay here while I'll be going to New York. Why would I want to spend the rest of my life with someone who is constantly bringing me down? Face it Finn, you're even ashamed of walking down the halls with me…Why would I want to spend the rest of my life with you telling me how I dress ugly and speak too much? You constantly try to change me… I'm better on my own!" Rachel said as she stood up, angry at being shown as the guilty one.
"But you won't stay alone, you said you were in love with a guy… It's not right!" Finn yelled.
"Oh come on, I don't even know if he'll want a relationship with me. But just so you know, he was never ashamed of being seen with me and he actually believes I will make it in New York! He likes my voice and never asks me to shut up!" Rachel yelled with anger as Kurt and Quinn tried to calm her down while Sam and Mike held Finn so he didn't go and hit her like he seamed to want to.
"You mean he's here?" Finn paled.
"He doesn't have to be here to hear her sing Finn!" Tina said as she rolled her eyes.
"That guy, it's the one who got you a gold stuffed star with your name on it for Christmas and who named a star after you on Valentine's Day… He's in this room is he?" Finn asked as his voice rose again.
"I don't see how it concerns you Finn, we're done!" Rachel said simply, not wanting to get into this in front of everyone.
"I want to know who it is! Was it you?" Finn said as he looked at Sam and asked every guy the same question all over again.
"It was me alright! I've been in love with Rachel since longer you even knew her but at first I was too proud and immature to even consider it and when we finally have our chances we both thought about other people. I've tried to stay away from her because I actually believed you would be the best for her but I was wrong because you have absolutly no idea of how to treat her!" Puck yelled all of the sudden.
"You… No! You promised last year to stay clear of my women!" Finn yelled back, shocking every one.
"Excuse me?" The girls exclaimed offended while Will was trying to calm some of them down.
"I just wanted you to stop acting like a foul so we could win the big game. Why would I stop myself from being with the girl I love when you do nothing but make her cry and make her feel miserable? You're not even planning on following her to New York!" Noah said.
"Like you are? You're grades are not even good enough to graduate, you'll be staying in Lima too!" Finn laughed.
"If you were a good friend and actually were interested in what I did you would know that my grades are all up now. I have nothing else than B's and C's! I've even sent out an application to NYU! But you know what, even if I don't get into college, I will go to New York because I know I can always find a job until I can reapply." Noah said.
"You're lying!" Finn said in a low voice.
"Actually Puck is telling the truth. Emma informed me of this a while ago. We keep a close look at his grades and he has every chance of going to NYU next year!" Mister Schuster said as Rachel beamed at the young man that was working so hard for her.
"Listen Finn, the only reason you want to be with Rachel is because she let you bring her down and it actually made you feel better about yourself. What you need to do is to grow up and mature some!" Quinn exclaimed before she went back to her seat.
"You see this look in her eyes right now Hudson? Can you tell me when the last time you brought a similar look in them was?" Santana asked him.
"Before West Side Story… we were having dinner and she was happy because I told her the meat was vegetarian stuff and she was happy that I remembered…"
"What do you mean you told her that it was vegetarian?" Kurt asked.
"I lied, it really was meat!" Finn said quietly.
"Couldn't you have told her that when she was sick the next day?" Mercedes asked while Brittany said:
"It was really mean of you to let her believe it was just one of those 24hours viruses." Rachel was pale and looked sad.
"It's okay Rachel, you didn't know, he lied to you… It doesn't count!" Noah told her, trying to make her feel better.
"Why don't we get to the actual singing of this club? Who has something for us?" Will asked his kids.
"I don't feel like singing Mister Schu, I feel too betrayed for that!" Finn said in a hard voice.
"Oh come on Finn, grow up a little!" The teacher scolded him as everyone went back to their seat to see what Mike had prepared.
The rest of Glee club went by without an itch. Rachel and Noah were sitting side by side but hadn't had the big talk yet. They would have all the time in the world for that.
"Hey Rach, you want to come over for dinner tonight? I know it's the night your fathers work late." Noah whispered to her between two numbers.
"I would love to, thank you." She whispered back before texting her daddy that she was going to have dinner with Noah. The boy took his own phone out and informed his mother he would bring back Rachel for dinner so she could do one of her vegetarian dishes.
When Glee club was finally over, Rachel took her time getting up and Noah was glad. She was showing him she was open for discussion.
"You want to go home with me right now?" He asked her shyly.
"Sure, why not. I just need to stop home for a minute and drop off my things." She told him.
"Why don't I follow you there then and you'll just leave your car… I'll drive you to my place." He suggested.
"Sure!" She beamed back at him.
On the way to her place, in her own car, Rachel felt nervous but sure that things would turn out right in the end. When she parked her car, she waited until he parked his own to get inside. She left the door open for him.
"Do you mind if I change? I did a lot of dancing in this and I don't feel so fresh anymore…" she said.
"Sure, no problem, take your time." He answered.
"You can wait in my room if you want, I'll change in the bathroom." She told him as he followed her.
"Or you can change in your room while I wait in your room." Puck said with a smirk.
"I was wandering when you would come back to your comments…" Rachel said as she rolled her eyes.
"You know you love it!" He said.
"Off course I do!" She said as she blushed and opened her wardrobe.
"I like this one." Noah said from right behind her, pointing to a dress he liked. Rachel had been surprised and jumped slightly.
"Sorry, didn't want to scare you babe." He whispered as he put his hands on her waist to hold her down. She slowly turned around with the dress he picked in her hand. They were now very close to each other. As Rachel pulled her head up, Noah looked down and was slowly bending. Now, their lips were a few millimetres away from each others. Rachel stopped moving, wanting him to be the one to initiate this kiss. Understanding her message, Noah closed the space that was separating them and let his lips wander on hers. This new first kiss of theirs was slow and soft and contained all the love they had for each other.
"I should get changed." She said when they separated to breath.
"I'll wait on your computer chair." He replied, not wanted to be too tempted.
When she got in the bathroom, Rachel brushed her teeth, did a quick wash and got dressed. She really liked the dress Noah had chosen but she never really wore it because Finn didn't like it. After brushing her hair, she got out of the bathroom to see Noah looking through the music on her Ipod.
"Anything interesting?" She asked him as she walked toward him. He put the Ipod down and invited her to seat on his knees, which she did.
"I was just looking if you listened to anything new… You're not mad are you?" He asked her.
"No, I'm not. It's my Ipod, not my diary!" She answered.
"You have a diary? Where is it?" He asked with a smile as she playfully slapped him. Catching her hand, he pulled her toward him and kissed her again. This kiss was more intense and demanding that the previous one.
After a few minutes, they both stood to get into Puck's truck so he could drive them to his house. The car drive was quiet and comfortable, they both knew that everything would be fine with them and that Noah's mother absolutly loved Rachel.
When Noah parked his truck, his mother was outside arguing with an obviously pissed off Finn.
"I'll call Kurt and ask him to get Finn." Rachel said as Noah kissed her quickly before walking out to try and calm the boy before he hurt his mother. Rachel quickly called Kurt, who was with his father and Finn's mother, looking for Finn. They told him they were on their way and she hung up, getting out of the truck to see what was going on.
"…ole her from me!" Finn was yelling.
"I didn't steel her from you Finn, you lost her on your own…" Noah said, standing in front of his mother and trying to remain calm because he knew Rachel didn't like violence.
"What are you doing here Rachel, you too already doing it, is that it?" Finn asked, looking completely crazy.
"Are you crazy? I'm just about to have dinner with Noah and his family… What are you doing here Finn?" Rachel answered.
"I came to take you back! You have nothing to do with him. You're mine!" He yelled as they were starting to draw attention from the neighbours. Finn kept on yelling while, afraid, Rachel went to stand behind Noah. When Burt and Carole arrived, they looked shocked at the sight in front of them. Kurt was following them in his car with Mike, Sam and Blaine. He was obviously thinking his father wouldn't be able to reason with his new brother and decided to bring muscles to help so they didn't have to call the cops.
It took them a while but they managed to convince Finn it was over. Carole managed to convince her son that it was his own fault if he lost Rachel and that he would only achieve getting in trouble if he kept attracting attention like that. Rachel was still afraid when he left and Noah took her in his arms.
"Let's go inside now babe. Everything will be alright. Nothing happened, we're fine." He said as they walked inside.
The new couple walked to Noah's room and made out for some time until they were called for dinner. Misses Puckerman was really happy about them being together and she worked really hard on the best vegetarian dinner Rachel ever ate. She kept telling the young girl how much she was grateful for her motivating her son to go to college. Rachel was blushing a lot and when dinner was over, he drove her home and they watched a movie there until her fathers came home.
Rachel was glad that her fathers liked Noah more than Finn. They always welcomed him in their home and they got along very well.
Finn stayed in Glee but ignored them until the end of the year, when he joined the army.
Kurt and Rachel both aced their NYADA auditions and got accepted. Noah also received an acceptance letter for NYU along with a partial football scolarship and Rachel's fathers were helping the three young adult to look for an apartment for them to share in New York. Luckily, they found one pretty fast they were able to settle in as soon as graduation was over.
A few months later, when Rachel and Noah started sharing the same room, the one left over got taken over by Santana, who decided to give up cheerleading and to study law so she could be a lawyer.
The year after that, Blain and Brittany join the small collocation and everyone was happy.
Years later, when Rachel made it to Broadway, Noah was in the front row to support her through the small roles as well as the big ones.
Hello readers,
I hope you liked this short story. It was a small crazy idea that grew a little.
A review please?
Thanks
Keep reading me,
Lorelei Candice Black