Author's Note: So that's three chapters in one night...and I would keep going but I have to get my beauty sleep (ha ha). Hopefully this story is moving along at a realistic pace and the characters seem like...well, like them. Sometimes stories just write themselves and, so far, this story is doing just that, which sort of worries me. Well, let me know what you think!

Puck's Girl

A Pleasant Smell

That afternoon the music room was abuzz as the members of New Directions came together again. Though many of them had initially fought against it, a bond had formed between the twelve of them and they actually, mostly, liked each other. The only two that often stood aloof from the others were Puck and Santana.

When Brittany went to stand by Noah, Rachel felt four sets of eyes (because, yes, Tina did have to tell Artie) turn towards her. Ignoring them, and the way that Brittany's hand rested on Noah's forearm, Rachel put all her energy into focusing on Mr. Schuester, who was outlining what Glee's rehearsal schedule would look like with regional's fast approaching. But, try as she might, she couldn't help but be fixated by how comfortable Brittany appeared, sitting next to Noah, a cheery smile in place on the other girl's face.

How could Noah fall for her? Rachel knew for a fact that the girl wasn't that bright. Once, when Rachel had been describing the plot of West Side Story to Finn (a movie which Finn had never even heard of, a fact which at once shocked and disgusted Rachel), Brittany had asked, "Why would sharks and jets fight each other? Sharks live in water and jets fly in the sky."

Gritting her teeth, Rachel chastised herself for jumping to conclusions. Just because Noah Puckerman had never before been friends with a girl (besides her, of course) didn't mean that his relationship with Brittany couldn't be a strictly platonic one.

She wasn't aware that Mr. Schuester was speaking to her until Mercedes jabbed her in the side with one very pointy elbow. "I'm sorry Mr. Schuester," she said, apologetically. "What was that?"

Curious that Rachel hadn't been paying attention, since the girl was usually very astute during Glee's rehearsals, he cocked his head to one side. "You okay?"

Blushing as she fell under the scrutiny of almost everyone in the room (including Puck), she assured him that she was.

"I asked everyone if they were up to rehearsing 'Don't Stop Believing' and everyone but you said yes."

Grinning sheepishly, she enthused, "Of course I want to rehearse it! It's the number that's going to bring us victory at regional's!"

The rest of New Directions cheered at her statement and quickly moved into place. In doing so, Rachel had to pass by Noah. Their eyes met for a half a second before she tore her gaze away.

Concentrate, Rachel, she drilled herself.

Concentrating around Noah, though, was not going to be easy.

- - - - - -

"Friends," Finn kept repeating the next day. "She wants to be friends with me. That's it. Only friends."

Puck wasn't sure how much more of Finn's whining he could take. Plus, he didn't know what Rachel only wanting to be friends with Finn meant. He had stepped out of the way so that she could be with the other guy. Why, then, wasn't she with him? It infuriated him on one hand but also made him wonder… Snapping out of his thoughts, he heard Finn utter "Friends, only friends."

"Deal with it, man," Puck snarled, shutting his locker with a loud bang. "And quit being such a girl."

"I just don't get it," he muttered, trailing Puck down the hall. "I broke up with Quinn for her."

"No," Puck reminded him, rolling his eyes. "Quinn broke up with you because she caught you and Rachel kissing. Have you already forgotten about that?" Pursing his lips in annoyance, Puck entered Spanish class, Finn right behind him. "Dude, you don't have Spanish this period."

Glancing around, Finn realized where he was. "Right. You're right. About everything. I lost Rachel because of I couldn't decide who I wanted. But I want her and she doesn't want me now. What should I do?"

Finn had no idea the position he had put his friend in, the power he handed him with such a simple question. Puck could very well advise his friend to move on from Rachel but, with a sigh, he heard words of a very different nature exit his mouth. "If you want her, go after her."

As if that idea had never occurred to him, Finn grinned. "Thanks, man." Slapping Puck on the back, Finn left, not watching as Puck slid into his seat, a look of chagrin fixed on his face.

- - - - - -

She had passed by his locker at least six times that day, hoping that he might stop her and ask her if she meant to pester him with her presence, or something along those lines, anything that would alert her to him noticing her. Unfortunately, he didn't. Not even when she "accidentally" dropped her books all over the floor in front of him. One minute she had spilled the textbooks and the next, when she had very cautiously glanced out of the corner of her eye, he had been gone. And then she had had to pick all those books up by herself.

After school, she was preparing for the walk home when his hand (she knew it was his, she recognized his touch), latched onto her upper arm and dragged her to his truck. He practically threw her in, not aware of the blush spreading on her cheeks or the grin spreading across her lips as he did so.

"What's your deal?" he barked as he revved the engine.

Primly placing her hands in her lap, she acknowledged his question, keeping her strategy for winning him over in her mind. "To what are you referring?"

"You want to be just friends with Finn, you walk by my locker on the way to every class, which doesn't make sense because you have English with Ms. Smilansky third period which would take you the other way, and you're going to walk home on a freezing day wearing nothing but a little skirt!" His tirade left him feeling a little breathless (he had said it, after all, in one breath and one sentence).

Her smile grew as she took in his words. "Ah, Noah, I didn't know you cared so much. You know where my classes are? And I'm grateful that you don't want me to become an ice sculpture."

He had already started to pull out onto the road as she talked but he nearly put the brakes on several times in that short amount of time. "One, don't call me Noah. It's Puck, to you and everyone else. And, two, I don't care. I only know that you have English third period because I have History right next door at the same time. And if you froze to death, it would be no skin off my nose, but we need you for regional's or whatever."

Biting her lip to hold back a laugh, because it had only taken two days back at school for her to successfully discover that Noah wasn't over her, she forced herself to reply. "One, I'll call you Noah if I want to. And, two, I've never heard you speak so much before. And, uh, three, your truck smells like a dead rat." By the time she made that comment, they were already at her house and she hopped out before he could respond in anyway. With a bound, she was gone, giggling as she went into her home.

- - - - - -

The next morning, Noah was waiting for her in his truck, at 7:30, as she ran out of her house. Usually she left a bit earlier. His appearance there took her off guard but she played nonchalant, scooting onto the bench seat as if he always picked her up.

"You're late," he told her, his voice gruff.

As they pulled away from the curb, she couldn't help but notice that the cab of the truck smelled much more pleasant than it had the day before.