A/N: Hello again. I was really surprised that people read this, so thank you to all reviewers!

He can barely drag himself out of bed the next morning. Every time he thinks of school, he thinks of her, and then, well then he's just depressed. He had something amazing, before he went and screwed it up. He knows she's not blameless in any way, shape, or form, but he instigated it, and he knows that he had no right to make it her fault completely. If only he had discovered that before he chased her into the arms of Mr. Perfect. Eventually he gets his sorry self ready, and drives off to school in a saddened stupor, barely caring that he was late and had skipped breakfast.

As soon as he walked in the door, he knew his day would not be pleasant. The locker next to his had just been vacated, and there stood Rachel, in all her beautiful, underappreciated glory. She had a brilliant smile gracing her face, and a tall boy (not as tall as him, of course. Dude would have to be HUGE.) was smiling at her while unloading his backpack with one arm. He knew, somehow, that this was Ben. God. Did he have to be so perfect? No wonder Rachel fell for him so quickly. He had light brown hair, lighter than his own, and he was athletic, but not overly so. He didn't seem to be a jock, but looks were deceiving.

"Well hello. You must be Finn. Rachel informed me that your locker was here. I'm Ben. Ben Greenburg."

Whoa. This guy was good. Rachel gazed lovingly into his eyes, which were a deep teal color, as soon as he opened his mouth. However, Ben seemed just as into her, stroking her hair and squeezing her closer to him while carrying on a conversation.

"Uh, yeah. Um, nice to meet you. Hey Rachel." Her name burned on the way out, much more than he thought it would. "So, uh, yeah. Um, cool." With that, he walked away, forgetting his US History book, which had only ever seen the light of day twice, on the first day of school and once when Rachel decided to help him pull his grades up. He debated going back, but decided it wasn't worth it. It wasn't like he actually used the thing in class. He basically sat in the back and tried not to snore too loudly. His teacher had long since stopped caring, and the only other person who would care was Rachel, before he had ostracized her.

After his long, fitful nap-er, class-he ambled over to his locker, hoping Ben wouldn't be there. He wasn't the brightest, but he had a feeling that where Ben was, Rachel would be. His suspicions were confirmed later that day in Glee Club, when Ben and Rachel walked in holding hands.

"Really, Manhands? You already found a new victim? Way to go, Yentl." Santana's loud, obnoxious voice rang out from the back row. Rachel steadfastly ignored her, not even bothering to spare her a glance of disgust or anger, letting Ben lead her to a pair of chairs somewhere in the middle, near the center. Rachel didn't seem to accept what Santana was saying, or letting it get to her. She was simply rising above all such comments. Ben, however, glares at her and sighs as the pair sit down. He can only look on, thinking that, as inconsequential as it seemed, Ben was already defending Rachel more than he ever had.

"So, Rachel, is it okay with you if I sit by you at Temple this week? My dad is usually up front, so I normally end up sitting alone." Ben says this quietly, and he's not sure how he hears this. It might be because he is more attuned to their conversation than he is to the one he's supposedly having with Brittany about parasailing rabbits.

"Why, Ben, you don't even have to ask. Of course, no one should sit alone, it's a huge place. Being alone would be depressing." She says this so sweetly and innocently, he feels himself smiling slightly at the soft look on her face. No matter that it wasn't directed at him.

Ben smiled, clearly relieved. Love was apparent on his face, along with relief and gratitude. "Thanks," he whispered quietly.

"No need to thank me. So are you doing anything with your dad tonight?" Rachel replied happily.

"Actually, he's headed to Cleveland for the next couple of days. Would you like to come over tonight? We could rent a movie and maybe I could try some of your vegan cupcakes that you were talking about." Ben seemed excited by the prospect. Rachel nodded her head, seemingly surprised. "Did I say something wrong?" Ben said this nervously, anxiously.

"No, of course not. Usually in relationships, I instigate the 'couple' activities. It astounds and excites me that you are being so sweet." Rachel grins happily, and the rest of their conversation is cut short by Mr. Schue walking into the room.

"Hey guys. Rachel, who's this?" The teacher looks confused.

"Obviously someone with a mental problem who doesn't realize the mistake he's making." Santana states venomously from the back.

Ben stood up angrily, looking furious and tense. Santana's words had obviously pushed him over the edge. "Stop. Just stop. I don't even know your name, and I already want to punch you, but I won't because I was raised better than that. Leave Rachel and I alone. What have either of us done to provoke you today?

Santana sits back, shocked. He also leans back in his seat, defeated. Ben definitely has him beat now. Any hopes of winning Rachel back just flew out the window, along with any sense of self worth he had left.

Mr. Schue is clueless, as usual. "So, mysterious stranger, you are here because?" He chuckles jovially, immune to any conflict, glossing over it carelessly, as per usual.

"Actually, I am just observing. I have a free period, and Rachel mentioned that she had Glee Club. I realized that I had never seen her, or any of you for that matter, perform, so I just accompanied her. Is that okay with you?" Ben held Rachel's hand tightly, stroking her palm as he sat back down, pulling her onto his lap. Rachel's hand reached for his face, stroking his cheek with her fingers. Ben's eyes closed in contentment, and Rachel sighed happily.

He looked around at the other Glee members, noticing that they were just as shocked as he was. Good, someone else should feel his confusion for once.

Again, Mr. Schue was oblivious. "Okay, Ben. Just no distractions, or you'll have to leave. Let's work on Regionals now, guys!"

Everyone either jumped up and demonstrated choreography ideas or began shouting solo ideas for themselves. Even he yelled out a few duets and let Brittany teach him a quick routine, only falling over four times, a personal best. However, when he spared a glance at Rachel, she and Ben hadn't moved from their earlier positions, now whispering quietly with each other. Heartbreak consumed him, once again. He couldn't compete with that, not even close.