Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: Not beta'd; all mistakes are mine. Please mention them if you find any.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
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A/N3: Keep in mind, within this AU... There is no Puck/Quinn, no Finn/Rachel, Quinn is NOT pregnant at all, Puck's dad never left when he was a kid and Puck will be OOC so yes, totally AU, though you'll see similarities to the episodes.
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As the bell rang to end class, Noah sat, his mind so foggy with questions that he didn't hear it, so his friends waited for him and Finn finally nudged him, "dude, are you coming? Noah, snap out of it," Finn commented snapping his fingers in front of his face.
Noah shook from his daze and got up, following Finn and the guys, "sorry, was thinking about something," he said.
"Oh. We're heading to lunch, are you coming?" Matt asked.
"Actually, I need to make a phone call, so I'm gonna bounce for now," Noah admitted, "so I can think without interruptions," he mentally added as they reached the cafeteria and girls began screaming again. "Seriously?" He groaned and looked at his friends in a 'please don't leave me' look.
The three guys seemed to figure out his look because as soon as several girls ran over to him, begging for his autograph or a picture with him, the three guys stood behind and on the side of him. Noah signed the few notebooks he was handed and then smiled when the girls stood next to him, doing his best to at least look like he cared, but at the moment he had other things on his mind that kept him distracted. Feeling his phone vibrate, he reached into his pocket and dug it out, answering without looking to see who it was, "hello?"
"You owe me, dude," the voice on the other end laughed.
Noah glanced over at Finn, who was a few feet away, motioning to play along, "uh, yeah I just gotta find someplace to hear you. Hang on," he paused and looked at the girls, "it's my manager, so I gotta go, but I'll be around, bye," he waved at them and headed out of the cafeteria, "thank you," Noah smiled, still on the phone with Finn, "seriously, you've saved my ass twice today."
"No worries, I just hope it doesn't continue all year," Finn said. "Or you will start owing me big time, bro," he added with a laugh.
Noah laughed along with his friend, "I hope not all year," he agreed, reaching his locker, "I'll talk to you later, man," he replied, closing his phone and sticking it back into his pocket. Grabbing his bag and binder from his locker, he closed it and began to wander around the school. He felt a little lost now. After four years of being thrown from every situation imaginable, he was actually nervous to be in high school, "dude, chill out. What the hell? You weren't like this last year!" His mental thoughts continued as he walked through the school, until reaching a set of doors saying 'auditorium.' Trying the doors he found them unlocked, so he stepped inside, seeing the only lights on were shining on the stage, "perfect, I can hide out and no one will see me right away."
He moved towards a secluded corner and took a seat, kicking his feet up on the back of the seats in front of him and then relaxed, closing his eyes, "perfect. Peace and quiet. No screaming fans, no one wanting anything from me," he stuffed his hands in his pockets and got comfortable, knowing he'd have a good hour that he could nap if he wanted.
"I wonder what I should do for my next album... Damn it! NO! No work! Only fun... You wanted this so don't start thinking about a new album or anything related to that!" His mental lecture was broken by the sound of something on stage, so he opened his eyes and glanced towards the noise, seeing a brunette moving a piano towards the front of the stage.
"So much for peace and quiet," he thought watching her curiously. "Wait; brunette hair, short... Isn't that the girl from earlier? Rachel?" He focused on her and as she turned, the lights hit her necklace, "yes it is. She's got different clothes on now... What is she doing?"
Noah's question was answered moments later as she began to play a familiar melody on the piano, but it was a little slower than the version he knew. Before he could focus more on the music, she began to sing, like no one he had ever heard before; she had perfect pitch, and hit the notes right on to the original, "I've always been the kind of girl that hid my face. So afraid to tell the world, what I've got to say, but I have this dream, bright inside of me. I'm gonna let it show, it's time to let you know, to let you know... This is real, this is me, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now. Gonna let the light shine on me. Now I found who I am, there's no way to hold it in. No more hiding who I wanna be, this is me..."
He took a deep breath as he listened, his feet falling off the back of the seats where they had been propped up. She continued to play, as if she'd arranged it herself to be slower. He felt the meaning behind each word she sang and felt chills, "she's got a beautiful voice," he thought, staring at her, "how can a girl this beautiful, with this much talent, be humiliated on a daily basis?"
On stage, Rachel began the second chorus, "do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark, to dream about a life, where you're the shining star? Even though it seems, like its too far away. I have to believe in myself, it's the only way."
His chills never went away as she sang the second verse, but this time, he stood up and slowly grabbed his bag as she continued with the chorus once more, hoping she would continue playing. Climbing the stairs to the stage, he set his bag down and took a deep breath as he belted out the male part to the song, "you're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing, I need to find you, I gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me, I need find you, I gotta find you..."
Rachel's eyes widened in shock and fear as the stranger on stage kept up with her song, and sang to her as if he'd done it before, but she couldn't seem to stop her fingers from dancing along the keys until his verse had finished. Swallowing hard, she stood up quickly, "who are you?" She asked, "what are you doing here? Are you some kind of stalker?"
He smirked, "no."
"Then what are you doing here? No one is ever in here during lunch," she said.
He shrugged, "came in here for some peace and quiet. Got this instead," he stepped closer to her and held out his hand, "Noah Puckerman."
She timidly took his hand and shook it, "Rachel Berry. I've never see you here before."
"I guess you could say I'm new here. I was here last year for about three months, but, um, some personal stuff took me away from school," he admitted. "I had to finish the year out with a tutor... You have a beautiful voice," he blurted out. "With that hell, Puckerman? Good start there!"
She blushed, "thank you. After fifteen years of voice, piano and dance lessons, I sure hope I have a beautiful voice, even if no one around here respects it," she muttered the last words.
"I saw what that guy did this morning... I... I was the one who asked if you were alright," he told her.
Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, "that was you?" She gasped.
"Yeah," he held up his hands, noticing her retreat, "I'm not here to throw anything at you. Damn, they've really fucked you up," he noted.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded, "yes, well, after last year, my fellow Glee members and I got used to it, so we just started keeping a towel and a change of clothes in our lockers."
Raising a curious eyebrow at her, he asked, "so why do you put up with that? Stick up for yourself; fight back. You're letting them win."
"Easy for you to say. I'm the school freak; you're a jock, or did you just steal that Letterman's jacket?" She snapped.
"I earned this jacket," he hissed, motioning to the red jacket he wore. "What the hell is with you and attacking everyone that asks you a question? First earlier, now this!"
She sighed, pressing the bridge of her nose, "I'm sorry, Noah, but it's my protection. I have to put on a good face for my peers and let them think that what happens out there is nothing," she motioned towards the exit doors.
He scoffed at that, "yeah, well, you don't need fifteen years of lessons in voice, dance and piano to get a slushy thrown in your face, so what's all this for anyway? Why do you do this?" He waved his hand towards the piano.
"I'm going to be on Broadway someday and play the lead in a musical. I want to win a Tony and see my name up in lights," she said, her hands making the motions as if she was drawing out the sign in the air.
"So you want the glamorous life? The life where you have to put your family and friends second to your job? You want to work yourself to the breaking point and wish you had never done it? It ain't so glamorous... I'm sorry, but you're crazy if that's what you want," he shook his head, knowing all to well what the life of a celebrity was like.
She crossed her arms over her chest, "you don't know the first thing about being in the spotlight, Noah Puckerman," she retorted.
He took a deep breath and balled his hands into fists at his sides, "you obviously don't know a damn thing about me, because if you did... you know what? Forget it. I'm out," he threw up his hands and moved to the stairs, grabbing his backpack on the way and walking out of the auditorium without a glance back at her. "Smooth move Noah! The one girl who obviously doesn't recognize you and you just blow her off... The one person who probably would be friends with you and you just walk away." His feet guided him outside and he was now standing in a small alcove of away from prying eyes, "damn it! Why the fuck is this bothering me so much? Fucking Elliott being at that damn party four years ago!" His mind screamed as he kicked the wall to let off steam. "Four fucking years I lost with my friends and family!" He hissed out loud. A gasp startled him and he turned around to see the girl who got him so frustrated, "what do you want?"
Her eyes were wide in shock, "what do you mean, you lost four years with your friends and family?" She asked quickly.
"What do you care? You tell me I don't know anything about being in the spotlight, well, you're wrong. Why don't you go Google my name and let me know what you find," he snapped, pushing past her and heading back inside.
Rachel's mouth fell open from shock as she watched him walk away again, this time, looking more upset and defensive than he had been before. "Google his name? Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt," she thought, moving back into the school and heading for the library. Signing in, she moved towards the open computers and found one far enough away so she couldn't get caught and pulled up a web browser. Going to Google, she typed in "Noah Puckerman," and hit the enter button, not expecting to get anything. Seconds later, the results came back, "24 Million results in a quarter of a second? What in the world?" She gasped. At the top of the results were four pictures under the 'image results' and she clicked on the largest of the four, and the image got larger on the screen. The subject of the photo was standing in a relaxed pose with his hands in his jean pockets, a blue t-shirt standing out from the gray background, but what stood out the most to her was the mohawk on his head. "He looks like... His eyes... It's Noah... A mohawk? He must have shaved it of..." She held her hand over the screen to cover up the mohawk on his head, and sure enough Noah stared back at her, "that is him... That must have been what all the screaming girls were about earlier," she thought, going back to the search results and skimming them. "Puck this, Puck that, I thought his name was Noah... Look for a credible source... There, the 'Official Puck' website." Clicking on the link, she was immediately taken to a darker screen, a black and white photo of him sitting in the center, with a few links on either side, "yes, that is him." Clicking on news, she read the most recent post.
"August 25, 2009:Puck back home to finish his high school education... After a long, yet successful four years in the business, teen sensation, Puck, a.k.a. Noah Puckerman, has returned to his hometown in Lima, Ohio to finish his final years in high school and reconnect with his friends and family. Puck assures all his fans that he will be back. He is quoted saying, "I'm not leaving for good. I'm just taking some time to spend with my family and to share the high school experience with my friends. I will still be writing and working on music for my new album, but I won't be recording much until after I finish school. I am truly grateful for all of my fans' support over the years and thank each and every one of them for the wonderful time we've had. I look forward to our future and I'll see you soon." So while Puck's fourth album is a ways away, check out our store for his first three albums, concert DVDs, merchandise and autographed photos. And don't forget Puck's official twitter and blog, where you'll get live updates from Puck himself!"
As soon as Rachel read the post, she went to the media section and skimmed over some of his photos from concerts, photo shoots, TV appearances, award acceptance speeches, and many more. "How did I not even know about him? I thought I was pretty up on music... No... If it's not Broadway or classics, you usually turn your nose up at them..." Skimming over his biography section she saw his was born in August, "he just turned 17... Has a little sister... Born and raised in Lima, Ohio..."
The bell overhead rang loudly, signaling the end of lunch. "I need to apologize to him. I just hope I'll able to find him." She closed the browser and dashed off to her next class, her mind running a marathon, "I need to go get his CDs after school... No wait... Glee is after school... Okay... After Glee... Oh no! Jeremy left! We need another guy... Wait... Noah could join... I doubt he would, though... No... He doesn't seem like the singing and dancing type..." Sighing, Rachel slid into an empty seat in her history class and hoped she could get her mind on something else, but every time her teacher would begin to explain something, her thoughts would travel to Noah. "No, Rachel, do not even think of getting a crush on him! He will never see you as anything more than a... what? After today he probably will never speak to me again, so what does it matter? He can have any girl he wants... The chances he'd want me are so small..."
Escaping a history class she hardly remembers writing down notes in, she stashed her book in her locker and looked at her schedule, "Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry. Nice, it's just a few classrooms away from my locker and from my last class, Earth Science, so perfect," she smiled and headed towards her class, freezing when she walked in and saw the object of her thoughts for the past few hours sitting in the back of the classroom, bag on the table, head leaned back like he was sleeping. "You can do this, Rachel. Just go sit next to him. He probably won't even notice you're there until after class starts and you won't have a chance to talk." With her mental pep talk, Rachel moved towards the back of the classroom and silently took a seat next to him at the table.
"Hello, Rachel Berry," Noah said calmly, resting his arms on his bag that sat on the table, "read anything good online lately?"
Taking a deep breath, she nodded, "um, yes, well actually more of discovered something. You see, I made a mistake and told someone they didn't know the first thing about being a star, and I didn't know he was one at the time, but just a few hours ago, I went online and looked up his name. I would like to apologize to him, but I'm unsure if he would even accept it," she bit her lip nervously.
"You won't know unless you say something," he said, fighting the urge to smile.
Turning to look right at him, she calmly replied, "I'm sorry. I was wrong to snap to the judgment I made of you."
A smile tugged at his lips, "apology accepted, but F.Y.I., it's best not to jump to conclusions about someone without even knowing them first," he added.
"Yes, you are correct. Could we," she paused, "could we start over?" She asked holding out her hand.
Noah eyed her hand for a moment, but nodded, "I'd like that," he agreed, taking her hand in his and shaking it gently.
Rachel smiled, "compliment him!" Her mind screamed, a blush forming on her cheeks, "I... Well, I only heard you briefly today, but I like your voice. I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar your music," she admitted sadly.
He shrugged, "good, for once someone's talking to me without knowing me."
"What?" She looked at him suspiciously.
"I'm a 'celebrity.' There are those who treat me like a person, like my family and best friends, but most everyone else just wants to be seen with me or wants something from me. I appreciate all my fans, I really do, but it's nice to talk to someone without wondering why they are or knowing they are talking to me just to be seen with me," he admitted softly, seeing the class fill up a bit more.
"I suppose that must be pretty upsetting," she replied gently.
"Yeah, but at least I know who my true friends are," he explained, "and honestly, I know we just met, but I think you'll be one of them, too," he added, his voice soft.
"Really?" Her eyes went wide at what he had admitted.
"Yeah," he laughed, "you were the first person to stand up to me and yell at me. Well, not yell, but at least treat me like a person and not a glass object. Well, besides my parents, sister and my best friend."
Rachel smiled and pulled out a piece of paper to take notes on as he spoke and then took out a smaller notepad, golden paper in the shape of a star and wrote something down on it. Pulling the paper off, she handed it to him, "if you would ever like to talk... you know, about anything, let me know."
Noah took the golden paper from her hand and nodded, seeing her phone number and name. "I'll hold you to that," he folded it up neatly and for the first time in two years at WMHS, he slid the paper into his pocket and saved it. Taking a leap of faith, he sat forward, reached for the tablet and her pen and scratched his number onto the top sheet, "I trust that you won't give this out?" He said quietly before pushing the tablet back to her.
Her eyes widened, quickly taking the paper off and folded it, sliding it into her purse by her cell phone, "it's safe. I won't give it out."
"Good," he tugged his binder out and set his bag on the floor, just as their class began.
Books were passed out and the teacher did what every other teacher had done through the day; went through the year of class, but it didn't take long. The rest of class time, they got a chance to 'get to know their neighbors' because they would be sitting next to them the rest of the year.
"Guess it's a good thing you got here first," Noah smirked as he glanced at Rachel.
She blushed, "yes, I guess it is. Can I ask you something?"
He grinned, "you just did, but yeah, what's up?"
"How did you get a Letterman's jacket from McKinley?"
"I was here last year for about three months, well through the end of football season and I had lettered in football. Halfway through the season those who lettered got their jackets," he explained.
"Oh. I was only a freshman last year and didn't know much about the school. I guess I never realized what was going on," she admitted. "I'm sorry I suggested you had stolen it."
"No worries," he shrugged, stuffing his math book into his bag, "what do you have next?"
Rachel glanced at her schedule, "Earth Science with Mr. Ruins," she replied.
"Me too," Noah smiled, "want to sit together again?"
"Sure," she smiled, "I would like to go drop my book off at my locker, but we could walk together... That is, if you don't mind being seen with me. Most people don't want..."
He laughed a her and stood up as the bell rang, "I'm not most people," he held out his hand to her, "watch me."
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Music: 'This Is Me' sung by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas in Camp Rock.
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A/N4: Thank you, thank you, thank you ALL for the awesome reviews and alerts! It's been so great to see such quick feedback; keep it coming! :D
A/N5: Hope you liked ;) if things go well, I may be able to get the next chapter up in a day or so. I'm balancing 'Out of the Blue' and 'Starlight' so hoping to get at least one chapter of each posted during the week, more if possible. Right now, this chapter was also part of chapter one, but it got long, so I split them up.
