Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, FOX, or any of the characters in this story
A/N: I cannot tell you how much it means to me that I've been getting a bunch of alerts for this story! You're all so amazing and you keep me writing, seriously. Keep hitting the alert button, reviewing, and don't forget you can tweet me ArmyMonchele whenever you want! In fact I'm dying of happiness right now from the tweets I've been getting tonight while writing this chapter! I love you all so much. Just a quick note: though the basic story line is based on actual events that happened to me, I am making up a lot so it can coincide with some glee things. So bear with me! Now, onto the story :)
Chapter 2: Someone Like You
Christmas break was finally over and now it was back to school for the second semester. Rachel was excited to be back at McKinley, and for once, it wasn't just because of Glee Club. Her and Finn had been talking all break long, and today she was finally going to see him.
"Nervous much?" Quinn said as she walked over to Rachel, who was frozen at the spot in front of her locker.
Rachel didn't respond. Her eyes were glued to the hallway, waiting to see if Finn would appear.
"Hellooooo, earth to Rachel!" Quinn exclaimed, snapping her fingers in front of Rachel's face.
"W-what? Oh, sorry," Rachel replied sheepishly, her cheeks turning red. "I guess I was...spacing out."
"Oh please," Quinn said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're waiting to see Finn."
"But I don't even know where he is, or if he'll even come this way."
"Well this is the way to the choir room, and it's almost 3:15. He's bound to come down this way,"
All of a sudden Rachel gasped, causing Quinn to give her a confused look. Rachel pointed a shaky finger down the hallway, and Quinn followed it till she saw what Rachel was looking at.
"Damn!"
Just as Quinn had predicted, Finn was walking down the hallway towards the choir room. He had his letterman jacket on with a white tee underneath, the total jock look, and boy did he look HOT.
"He's coming this way. Oh my god, Q, he's coming THIS way!" Rachel squeaked, wondering what she should do.
"Okay first of all, calm down. Second of all, you've been talking all break! Just go up to him and see if he wants to walk with you to glee rehearsal. I'll see you there," Quinn said squeezing her hand as she walked away.
"Wait, Quinn! Damn it," Rachel said under her breath, but she quickly stopped breathing once Finn approached her. He was coming up to her, and she was sure she was going to faint.
"Hey Rach," he said, flashing that super cute white smile of his.
"Hi Finn," she replied calmly, reciprocating the smile. Damn, she thought, I am such a good actress.
"What's up? How was your first day back?"
"It was pretty good, how was yours?"
"Eh, the same as all the others." They both laughed, agreeing that every day at school felt the same.
"So...were you on your way to glee rehearsal?" Rachel asked, praying that he was.
"Yeah, are you going?" You're so stupid Finn, he thought to himself, of course she's on her way to glee rehearsal.
"Yes I am...did you...do you want to walk together?"
"Sure, that'd be great." Finn smiled as Rachel closed her locker and took her place next to him as they walked side by side down the hallway.
"I wonder what this week's lesson is, I hope it's not something like disco," Rachel said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Yeah...I don't think Mr. Schue realizes how lame it is now," Finn replied, causing them both to laugh. The walk to the choir room felt like it had taken hours when in reality it had only taken about a minute, and that's because they had walked at the pace of a snail.
"Are you singing anything today?" Finn inquired, as he held the choir door open for Rachel
"I have something prepared, why?"
"I like when you sing, you always bring emotion to it. You make it your own." This caused Rachel to blush, and she quickly walked to her seat in an attempt to hide her red face from Finn.
"Oh, well thank you," she finally said, smoothing out her skirt as Finn took the seat next to her. Rachel could feel her heart beating faster as he sat next to her, something he didn't do all that often. The rest of the glee club members filed in, their conversations colliding as they entered.
"You haven't seen Wicked? Blaine, as the Broadway Police, I think I'll have to arrest you," Kurt said sternly as he took a seat behind Rachel. Blaine sat next to him with a pretend puppy pout plastered on his face, causing Kurt to giggle.
"I think my boobs look bigger today, and I'm loving it," Santana said, sticking out her chest and smiling.
"I like them. They're like...magical," Brittany replied, sitting down in the front row. Santana sat next to her and they continued to talk about the magical phenomenon that was, of course, Santana's bodacious bust.
Tina and Mike walked in, hand and hand, and sat next to Kurt and Blaine. Mercedes came in wheeling Artie, who looked grateful for the break from wheeling himself around. Mercedes waved at Rachel, who immediately waved back.
"Got a song for today hot mama?"
"Of course Mercedes," Rachel said, beaming.
The last two to enter were Quinn and Puck, who oddly enough walked in at the same time. Normally Rachel would have stopped breathing the moment he walked in, but today was different. Today she was sitting next to Finn, and she couldn't care less about Puck or what he was doing. Quinn took a seat next to Rachel, who gave her a disapproving look.
"Why were you with Puck?" she asked. Even though she didn't care about Puck being there, she didn't want Quinn going after him.
"He asked me about you and Finn." Rachel's eyes widened, unsure of how to react.
"W-what did you say?"
"I told him-"
Before Quinn could answer, Mr. Schuester walked into the room, looking more excited than usual. Puck finally sat down, next to Quinn no less, and snuck a peek at Rachel.
She was chatting with Finn, her smile insanely enchanting. Puck wanted to talk to her, he wanted to see if she would consider giving him another shot. But by the looks of it she wasn't interested, and he didn't feel like being rejected.
"Welcome back from break guys!" Mr. Schue said excitedly, interrupting everyone's thoughts and side conversations. "It's time to start getting ready for regionals, it's only a few weeks away!"
"Mr. Schue, I have a song I'd like to perform."
Everyone was expecting a line like that to be coming out of Rachel's mouth, so they were all surprised when the voice speaking up was Puck's. He rarely ever did solo's, it didn't seem to be his thing.
"Sure, Puck. Come on down," Mr. Schue said, motioning that the floor was his. Puck dragged a stool to the middle of the room and retrieved his guitar, taking it out of its sleek black carrying case.
"I've been working on this for a while...it's by one of my favorite country singers, Brantley Gibert."
As Puck began to play, Rachel gasped. She immediately recognized the song; It was a song Puck had sang to her many times before.
She says, look baby I'm a rockstar
Grabs my old guitar
Playin' it upside down
Dancin' round
In front of our tv
I can't see the ballgame
So I just wave my lighter and say
Yeah rock on baby
I'd rather watch you anyway
Rachel sat there fidgeting with her gold star necklace, wanting to run out of the room. Finn noticed she looked uncomfortable, and why wouldn't she be? Her ex was clearly singing a song that reminded her of their relationship, maybe he had even sang it to her before. Whatever the reason, Rachel was uncomfortable and in pain, and Finn couldn't watch it any longer. He slowly reached for her hand, grabbing it softly. He felt her tension ease as she slipped her fingers in between his, and he held her hand tight. Puck hadn't noticed this encounter happening as he continued to sing.
But when you're done
Can I come backstage
And get you to sign your name
On that Zepplin shirt of mine you're wearin'
I'll never wash that thing again
Yeah and she's my kind of crazy
The little games she plays
Lord they'll never get old
She's too cute to get on my last nerve
The way she throws her little fits
Pokin' out her lip and bitin' mine when we kiss
There ain't a fight that she can't win
She's my baby
And she's my kinda crazy
Puck finished singing and the choir room erupted into applause. Puck stood up and bowed a little, not taking his eyes off of Rachel. Rachel and Finn had strategically placed their entangled fingers between their seats, Finn's letterman jacket hiding it. Mr. Schue walked over to Puck and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That was great Puck, really great job," he said, praising Puck.
"Thanks, Mr. Schue. It's a pretty good song I guess." He shrugged, walking over to the side to put his guitar back. Finn and Rachel quickly let go of each other's hands, Rachel placing hers neatly in her lap and Finn folding his arms over his chest. Puck took his seat next to Quinn and snuck a glance at Rachel, who was staring straight ahead. Had she even gotten what he was trying to say to her?
"Anyone else have something to sing?"
"I do." Rachel rose from her seat and walked to the center of the room. "I was originally going to sing a song from the broadway classic 'Jekyll and Hyde', but I'd like to sing something by Adele instead."
"The floor is yours Rachel, this should be interesting!" Mr. Schue said enthusiastically, taking a seat next to Artie.
I hope you understand my message, Rachel thought to herself as she began to sing.
I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you
Old friend, why are you so shy?
Aint like you to hold back or hide from the light
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me, it isn't over
As Rachel approached the chorus, her voice began to gain momentum and strengthen, and these next few lines she sang directly at Puck.
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I begged. I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Nothing compares, no worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?
Rachel fought back tears as she pushed through, needing to sing the chorus one last time. The last time she would ever sing anything, or say anything, of this magnitude to Puck ever again. She wanted him to know how much he had hurt her, and that even though she was getting over him, the pain was certainly not over. She was insecure. She was heartbroken. Finn would fix that, she was sure. But if Puck was going to sing something that brought back great memories, she was going to let him know that he had single handedly destroyed all of it.
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I begged. I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead
Rachel finished singing and the entire room starting clapping and cheering, even the band members who always seemed to be there. Rachel smiled tightly and quickly went back to her seat, avoiding making eye contact with Puck. Finn gave her the sweetest smile when she sat down next to him, which made Rachel melt.
"Wow, Rachel...I think I speak for all of us when I say that was amazing. A possible contender for regionals everyone?" Mr. Schue said, getting a positive response from the glee members.
"If we could mash it up with something, it'd be a great dancing group number," Blaine offered, and the rest of the group seemed to agree.
"Alright, I'll get to work on finding something to mash it up with. Again, amazing job Rachel. I could really feel the power in your voice."
"Well thank you. As a performer I need to feel the lyrics I'm singing so I can give a genuine performance. It's just..show business," Rachel replied thoughtfully, though the praise made her smile wide.
"Alright guys, this was actually really productive. Bring in some more songs tomorrow and we'll start narrowing down choices for sectionals. Have a great afternoon."
With that, glee rehearsal was over, and Rachel couldn't wait to get out of there.
"That was a really good performance Rachel, and I think he understood the message..." Finn said, nodding to a very pissed off looking Puck storming out of the choir room.
"Thank you. It just...I couldn't let him think things were okay between us or that we had a chance just because he decided to sing a song to me that had..memories all wrapped up in it," Rachel replied, fidgeting with her necklace nervously.
The choir room had cleared out quickly, even Quinn had left. She figured something would go down between Finn and Rachel, and she didn't want to be a third wheel.
"Hey," Finn said, taking Rachel's hands in his own, "you're better than him, and you deserve the best."
"I do?" Rachel asked, looking up into Finn's light brown eyes. The way the light captured them made her heart beat fast, and she could swear it was a sound that filled the entire room.
"Yes, I do. Hey...can I...take you home?"
"S-sure," Rachel replied nervously, letting go of his hands to pick up her bag. Finn put on his letterman jacket and they walked out of the choir room, hand in hand, towards the student parking lot. One thing was for certain: There was no one like Finn Hudson, there was only him, and Rachel wanted him to be hers. Little did she know how much Finn wanted her, Rachel Berry, to be his too.
