You know what? I just started high school and I hate it. Especially in such a strict school where they give me homework every day in every class. But, I'm here now with an update! Woohoo! Also, I was listening to Day Gone By, by Colin Scott while writing this, so it would be A LOT better if you listen to it while you read.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything involving Glee.

Eight weeks...

That is what's going through Rachel's mind as she makes her way to her new apartment she got a week ago. It's a small apartment twenty minutes away from her job and forty-five minutes away from Owen's house. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen that is attached to the living room and a closet. It feels lonely there, mostly because she's so used to living with someone for the past twenty-four years. She shared one with her dads, Noah, Owen, Kurt, and with her roommate she had for the first year of college before moving in with her ex-boyfriend. But for some reason, she likes the space. With all that went down she needed time for herself and to focus on anything besides her current relationship. Besides, the apartment isn't that bad. It's even right next to a playground where kids jump around and play.

Sometimes she sits down on the bench next to the slide and watches them. Watching children play comfort her for some reason, which is why she's one hundred percent sure she wants kids in the future. She likes the way they run to their mom when they feel bad or get her. It's like with the comfort of their mother they're magically cured. It's even better when they run to their father. She smiles every time a father comforts or plays with their child. It shows this side of them that always gets to them. It's sweet and shows their family-oriented trait. It reminded her of how much Noah loved Beth.

Noah hasn't called or tried to contact her for almost three months. She's starting to think it really was the end of them— of Puckleberry. She's still hurting inside. Noah was a big part of her life. They've been together for six years and he's been with her to her first audition, and held her when she didn't get a callback, supporting her as she applied to work as a secretary at a daycare during the mean time, when Burt passed away— everything that brought her to this point, technically. Everything she is today would not have happened if it wasn't for him standing right by her side. And it kills her to know he just gave it all up. It happened so fast, so sudden that she questioned herself if he was the same man he was when they were together during those first four years.

A silent tear filled with Rachel's sorrow rolled down her cheek, the cold November air drying it up as soon as it fell. She wrapped her arms around herself tighter, trying to warm herself up as much as she can with the little sweater she had wrapped around her body. Stupid weather reports... she thought as she turned the corner twenty feet away from her house.

She felt the vibration of her phone that was in her Gucci purse Kurt bought her. She quickly pulled it out seeing Owen flashing every second, and pressed and slid the "Slide to Answer" button on her iPhone.

"Hello Owen," she said happily as she took out the keys to her apartment. "What brings this unexpected, yet lovely call?"

She could hear him moving around as if he's in some kind of rush. "Rachel I don't need a reason to call you."

She rolled her eyes and opened the door to her apartment, making her ways towards the stairs. "Yeah, you do. Because if you didn't, what's the reason you called?"

Owen chuckled on the other line. "Feisty, guys like that."

"I'm sure they do." She said as she approached her door. "But seriously, why did you call? Did something happen to Jason?" She asked.

Jason is Owen's brother who is currently in the hospital. He's been sick for awhile and Owen's mom recently took him to the hospital. Rachel knows Owen's been stressed for his six year old brother. He lost so much, and Rachel is worried about him and his brother. Rachel remembers the time Jason told her he loved her. It was the cutest, most heart-warming moment for Rachel. He's like Rachel's own little brother, and she cares deeply about him.

"No, it's not Jason— thank God. No, I was calling because I need the folder I left at your old house." Rachel blinked repeatedly, trying to remember the folder Owen was talking about.

It hit her all the sudden and she's cursing at herself. "Crap, I left it at Mike's house." She heard Owen groan. "When do you need it?"

"I need by tomorrow morning, Rach." Owen said.

Rachel looked at the time on her phone. 6:29.

She held the phone to her ear again. "Owen, I'll call Mike to see if he can bring it over here and you could pass by and get it."

"Alright, sounds fine. Thank you, Rach." He blew a kiss through the phone. "Love you, Rachel."

Rachel smiled. "I love you too, Owen." She hung up and searched her contacts as she finally opened her door and walked in.

She hasn't heard from him for a while now. Rachel gasped as she realized she hasn't spoke to him for a long time. She was mentally yelling at herself for being a bad friend to him. The last time she spoke to him, it was the day she broke up with Noah while she was lying on Owen's bed. Once she found his number, she pressed call and held the phone to her ear as it rang.

Please don't be mad at me. Please don't be mad at me. Please—

"Hello?"

Rachel froze, her movements becoming still and her heart beating five times faster. Her stomach churned, fading into the sweet touch of butterfly wings. She felt her heart sink deeper and her eyes well with tears.

That's not Mike...

Puck was at Mike's house when Rachel called Mike's phone. He was sitting on the couch with a control in his hands as he furiously hits the buttons repeatedly as he shoots at his opponent when Mike's phone rang. He had no intention on checking who was calling until Mike yelled from the kitchen to answer it. Puck rolled his eyes and lazily looked at the Caller ID. His eyes widen and his stomach churned when he sees its Rachel calling. He doesn't tell Mike who it is, and presses the "Answer Call" button.

"Hello?" He says, the feeling of something swirling in his stomach not going away.

She heard her gasp, and closed his eyes. Rachel...

A pregnant silence until her angelic voice spoke. "N-Noah..."

He swallowed hard. It is her. It's Rachel. After months...all those months, and it's her.

He clears his throat. "Rachel, hey— um, hey... Rachel. I mean— fuck." He breathed out; his throat tight like a knot is stuck through his esophagus.

He's runs his hand through his Mohawk and breathes out the air that his lungs were keeping hostage. He hasn't heard from her in four month and he misses her. It's not the same without her— he's not the same without her. Even Santana noticed it. She says he's more distant and less playful. In other words, he's out of it. And he knows it's because of Rachel leaving. These past month he has been taking his like Mike told him too, but it still doesn't fill in the hole he has in his heart.

He's not going to pretend like the past six years haven't happened. Yes, they dated for six years and he loved her— still loves her. Yeah, he's kind of pissed off that she left without telling him anything, but he hasn't heard from her for a long time and he misses her. And now that he heard her voice, all the anger flew out of him. And knowing that she's on the phone right now makes his heart jump around his rib cage with hope and relief.

She clears her throat. "Noah, hey... How are you doing?"

She can't pretend like nothing happened, right? She's gotta be fucking kidding me... "Rachel, where are you? I haven't heard from you after you disappeared out of nowhere." Just rip the band aid out, right? No reason to walk around the subject.

"Noah, please. I don't want to talk about this right now. I just called to ask Mike about a—"

He scoffs. "Like hell I'm gonna wait to have this conversation. You didn't even call me and warn me that you were leaving— you didn't even wait for me. Instead, you pack your bags and just leave without a single note." He drops the control on the couch and makes his way to the bathroom so Mike wouldn't hear him. "You could have called and told me you were leaving."

Rachel gasped in disbelief. "Call you? You have no right to tell me I should have called you! I said if you walked out of that door, it was over between us and all you said was 'Good Riddance,' and left without another word. How was I supposed to react? Oh, he's just playing a prank on me I'll just wait here until he comes back. Well, you're wrong Noah. Besides, the phone works both ways."

Puck breathed in deeply before letting the air out, immediately calming him down. "Rachel, I don't want to fight..." I want to see you, Rach. "I just— can I see you? I... I need to see you and talk this out in person."

On the other line, Rachel bit her lip nervously, contemplating if she should say yes or no. "Noah, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not..." She swallowed hard and tried to hold back her tears. "I'm still hurting, Noah. You hurt me that night and I just can't forget about it. I need time—"

"Time? Time? Rachel, was four months not enough for you? I understand, I needed time to clear my head myself, but I cleared my head four weeks after the fight. Weeks, Rachel. I don't need any more time. And I don't think you need any more time either." Puck said on the other line.

Rachel sighed. "I know, but you don't understand how hurt I am right now. You've been distant and every time I reached out to help you, you either yell at me or leave to Santana's house as if she was the one that you confided in and not me. I felt useless, and you did nothing to make me feel better. In fact, you made me feel worse. Then I questioned our relationship and if it was actually working, and that night you technically confirmed it by not staying and leaving knowing if you left it was the end of our relationship." Rachel felt the tears she's been holding back fall, and her voice began to shake. "Y-You made me believe our relationship was a joke, Noah. I can't and won't forget what you did. You even told me to fuck off!"

Puck closed his eyes tightly, the guilt gnawing his heart and stomach. "Rachel... don't think that. You know I lo—"

"I have to go, can you tell Mike to call me back as soon as he can?" She said in a rushed, shaky breath.

Puck gripped the phone tighter. "Don't hang up, please," He said desperately. He didn't want her to hang up yet, because then he's certain she would ignore his calls after. "Just... meet me somewhere. Where are you staying at? I'll go over there tomorrow morning and—"

Please Noah, my heart is about to explode with pain. Stop it, please. "I'll call when I'm ready, I promise."

He hated the idea of waiting to see her, but it's as far as he'll get. He'll take what she can give for now, no matter how much he hates it. "Fine, I'll wait."

She whispered a 'thank you' and was about to hang up until Puck told her to wait. "Yes?" Her voice sounds so weak making her seem fragile to Puck. It's like glass and he's afraid of doing anything to make it break.

"I-I... I miss you, Rach."

Rachel's face scrunched up and tears fell from her eyes even faster. Sobs raked her body, and sooner or later, she's going to crumble down. "Good night, Noah." She ended the call and let her sobs be the only sound in her apartment.

Puck let his head fall, causing it to hit the door, He closed his eyes tightly, trying to stop the heat welling up and tears to form. Mike knocked on the door and Puck pulled himself together before opening the door. Ignoring Mike's questioning gaze, he made his way to the couch and retrieved the remote he abandoned.

Puck killed twice as much soldier he had before; even his own teammates.

Rachel paced back and forth the small length of her room as she waited for Owen to come through the door.

She's been freaking out since her talk with Noah, and she feels like her stomach as been filled with never ending fireworks. Her nerves were high and she's scared to know what would come out of that conversation: more heartbreak, more pain, more suffering. Or maybe it will bring closure, a cure, or even bring them back together. That's the problem, Rachel doesn't know. And she hates the unknown. In fact, that's why she planned her whole life. The unknown could do only two things to her; fly her up or bring her down. And the unexpected most likely will bring her down. Like what happened with Finn. She never thought or planned to be cheated on, and unfortunately, she did get cheated on. No, it wasn't her first tear or her first heartbreak, but it was the time she guarded her heart a little more. The walls she built were because of Finn, but the damage of it tumbling down was all Noah.

She raised her sweaty hands to her hair and clutched a lock of hair, her frustration reappearing. She finally heard the knock on her door and she thanked the God that was looking over her. She rushed towards the door, tripping on a shoe as she did and opened the door, revealing a confused Owen. She grabbed his shirt and pushed him inside, ignoring his offended comments.

"Hey, what is your fucking problem?" Owen said as he recovered from being pulled— no, hauled into his best friend's apartment.

Rachel shut the door with her body and leaned on it, her hand shaking as it was planted firmly on the door on either side of her. "I talked to Noah,"

Owen's eyebrows shot up and the sides of his mouth dropped. "Puck called you? What did he say to you? I swear to God, if he said anything to hurt you I'll bust his skull open."

Rachel's eyes widened. "What? Owen! Violence is not the answer, you know that. And second of all, no. He didn't say something to hurt me, on purpose at least." Rachel sighed and pushed herself off the door, looking at Owen's tall and muscular frame tense and un-tense. "I meant to call Mike, but instead of Mike answering the phone it was Noah."

Owen sat down on the red velvet couch and plopped his feet on the coffee table. "What did he say to you? That's all I want to know, because nothing else matters. It's what he said and if he offended you. If he did, then that's just the green light I need to punch the fucker in the face and—"

"Owen," Rachel said cold and firmly. "Are you here to help me out and comfort me or are you hear for permission to punch my ex-boyfriend and ignore everything I'm saying? Because if you are, the door is right there and you could start making your way out."

Owen's jaw dropped and his eyes slightly widened. Rachel's cold glare was an indication she wasn't playing around. Owen sighed and pushed his feet off the coffee table. "Alright, I'm sorry."

Rachel nodded. "Thank you,"

Owen patted the space next to him and Rachel made her way over there, the silky fabric of her pajama's brushing her thigh and plopped down. Owen wrapped his arms around her small figure, and Rachel rested her head on his shoulder. She always felt better when Owen would caress her like this. It reminded her of the nights Noah would cuddle with her after their late night "activities". She felt so much love back then and nothing seemed to matter. So many things have changed since then.

Owen kissed the crown of her head. "Did he mention Beth?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, he was talking about how hurt he was when I left and that I should have told him I left or waited for him. I couldn't handle it, Owen. I felt like crying once I heard his voice. I did cry, actually. It was… overwhelming. The hurt, the pain he put me through was what reminded me that I couldn't say I love him. But… I do love him. And I don't think I'll ever stop. I'm scared, Owen. Why am I scared?"

"I don't know why you're scared. Only you know why, Rach. I think it's because you don't want to get your heart broken three times. But listen, remember when you told Finn you'd always love him but you couldn't stay with him? This is history repeating itself, and all you have to do is say what you said before with Finn. It's a similar situation. Same shit, different toilet."

Rachel giggled. "Do you have to be so vulgar while giving advice?" Rachel sighed and breathed in. "Owen, this isn't the same. Finn betrayed me. He cheated on me. Noah… he let me go when I our relationship was at stake. I can't talk to Finn without thinking about him cheating on me. I probably can't look at Noah without thinking about how he let me go, either. But… Noah was my best friend. He still is. Finn was never my friend before we dated, and maybe that's why I couldn't befriend him. I just can't live without Noah, you know? He helped me through so much and I need him to remain there."

Owen pulled away a little to look at her face. She was being totally honest. Owen sighed and unwrapped his arms that were around her, locking his hands together on his lap. "When Lea died, my mother was the one helping me through it."

Rachel straightened herself, now looking at him with sympathy in her eyes. Owen never talked about Lea unless he missed her so much. Rachel knew him talking about Lea was rare, and she knew it was her turn to comfort him at this moment. She grasped his shaking hands, and ran her thumb on his skin soothingly, a texture he loves to feel.

Owen breathed deeply for a few seconds. "Lea and I… we were endgame. I couldn't imagine my life without her when we were together. She kept me out of trouble and put me on my spot when I was misplaced. She was my life saver." Owen swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down. "After she… after she died, I wanted to kill myself. I couldn't think of a world without her by my side. My future was ruined, and I blamed myself. I was up to no good, and she put me on blast in front of my friends. I was pissed off and told her off to embarrass her. I broke up with her that night and didn't bother to call her. How I wish I could take everything back. I wouldn't have done that if I knew her life was already falling apart."

Rachel saw a tear fall on his pale cheek and she found herself crying too. Owen didn't deserve this. Owen was a troubled teen and let the moment get to him. Rachel grabbed his hand, wishing to take all the pain he felt away. She knew she couldn't. No one could ever take his pain away no matter how much they tried.

"Owen, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring back old memories. I just—"

Owen squeezed her hand. "It's fine. I just… I just miss her. I miss her so much, it kills me inside, but nothing can be killed if it had no soul to begin with."

Rachel hugged. "Don't say that. You have a soul and a good one too. The only thing that's missing is the one you gave your soul to. And the one that gave theirs." Rachel saw more tears escape his eyes. "Lea is still here. She wants you to be happy, and just because she ended her life doesn't mean she wants you to end yours."

Owen wrapped his arms around Rachel and cried silently.

Rachel comforted him like he did to her all these weeks. Rachel couldn't imagine the pain Owen went through. And she's sort of glad that she didn't because if that happened to her, she would probably be contemplating suicide the minutes she hears Noah's dead.

She cries more, and realizes at that moment that she can't live without Noah. She needs him in her .life.

She decides to call him as soon as she's ready. And she just hopes it's sooner rather than later.

Review, please. I'm begging you. Also, I still need a BETA! Inbox me if you're interested!

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