A/N: This will be the last chapter for a while. I'm sorry for all my devoted fans that I only have 5 chapters written after this one, but I don't think that's enough. So from now on I will post a chapter when I have a new one written. Write one - post one. Seems like a good plan to me. Also a warning for everyone who is sensitive about the F-bomb… there will be plenty in this chapter…
Beta: LolaAnn and MissE, any remaining mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this fanfiction. Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and the FOX network. Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon.
Chapter Four: Back to School
Puck had never really had a first day at a new school. He'd had the first day in first grade where he met all the people he would be with until graduation, 12 years later. So the moves from elementary, to junior high, to high school weren't that big of a deal, he already knew everybody and everyone had their role to play and a place to stay in. Now that he didn't have that anymore, he didn't feel as sure of himself as he had in Lima. In Lima he felt like a big fish in a little pond, in Sunnydale he felt like a fucking guppy in an ocean full of sharks.
If it hadn't been for Willow, he would have stayed in his bed and never shown his face. He knew what they did to new kids at McKinley. What he had done to new kids. And even though he looked badass and acted like a total asshole, he was afraid to be greeted with a slushy in the face. He'd packed a change of clothes just to be sure. Willow had looked at him strangely when she saw the clothes in his bag when she put the bagged lunch inside it. He'd ignored her and went out the door with Willow hurrying after him at a sort of brisk walk/jog.
"So, just so we are on the same page… what's your story?" His cousin seemed to have no trouble keeping up with his fast, long legged pace.
"What?" Puck wasn't stupid, but he did have trouble following conversation first thing in the morning.
"Your story. Why are you here, Noah? I wouldn't think you'd want the whole school to know that you… uh… g-got a girl pregnant. And though the student population at Sunnydale High is used to people disappearing out of the blue, new students are not so common. So why did you transfer?"
Puck was seriously impressed with his cousin's lungs, she'd not only kept up with his pace (which meant she had to sort of run a little) but she had also delivered that speech without stopping for breath once. So Puck stopped dead in his tracks to think about what she'd said, and couldn't help but be a little amused by how long it took Willow to notice that he was no longer walking beside her.
"You could give Kurt a run for his money with those lungs, Rosenberg," Puck stated as Willow turned around to look for him.
"Who's Kurt? Kurt's a funny name. I've never heard of a Kurt before… how come you've never mentioned him before if he's your friend? Huh? You know it's your duty as a cousin to 'tell the truth and nothing but the truth' so help you someone-whose-name-I'm-not-supposed-to-take-in-vain!"
"Whoa! Will, chill out would you? You're going to pull something."
"Whatever, Puckerman! Who's Kurt?"
"He's just a guy I know from Glee. He's a really cool dude, and he's got more balls than a school gym." For some reason Puck felt uncomfortable talking about Kurt, it brought up feelings he'd rather not think about. Like how much more he missed Kurt than any other kids in Glee, even Finn – who was his best bro – or Quinn – who he was supposed to be in love with.
"Ew! I really didn't need to know that. It gives me strange mental images that I can never get rid of. But Kurt sounds like a nice guy. So, are you guys friends?" Willow just didn't know when enough was enough. Puck glared a little at her as he started walking again.
"No, I used to toss him in dumpsters," Puck stated and upped his pace. To his annoyance, Willow didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up. She did keep quiet though which was a total plus.
NPNP
The principal's office at Sunnydale High wasn't that much different from Figgins' office back at McKinley. The difference being that Snyder had an actual door instead of a really big window. At least Figgins was amusing. Snyder was not. He seemed to think that he was intimidating, but in reality, he was just a sad excuse for a middle aged dumpstertoss who actually thought he was cool. Willow had snickered behind her hand as she left him with Snyder.
"See you at lunch, Noah!"
"Well, well, well. Noah Puckerman. Another delinquent joins Sunnydale High." Snyder didn't get any further before Puck interrupted.
"The name's Puck. Could I just get the papers and shit so I can get out of here?" Puck was seated in the chair facing Snyder's desk, slightly slumped and arms crossed.
"Is that supposed to be cool?" Snyder said, but started putting some papers in a folder, then handing it to Puck anyway.
"Your schedule, locker number and combination, the student handbook – read it – and go see the librarian about your course books. Now get out!"
Puck sure didn't need to be told twice to leave, but as soon as he was out in the halls he was on full alert; ready to duck for cover at the slightest sign of slushie-danger. He must have looked like such a freak, walking close to the walls with his shoulders hunched up to his ears and glaring daggers at anyone in a letterman's jacket. He could easily identify every jock in the place, even those without an "S" on their chest.
He could even point out the sissies on the swim team. Splashing around in a pool with five other guys was not a real sport – anyone could do it. It wasn't like football; football took talent, hard work and a badass bod so you wouldn't get killed on the field. Unless your name was Kurt, then all you needed was some awesome moves and a divatude that would put even Beyoncé to shame.
And here he was thinking about Kurt again! What was wrong with him? Puck shook his head and almost walked right into a tall brunette girl talking to a mob of Cheerio-wannabees. Before the girl could even turn around to see who bumped into her, Puck had already told her what she was worth and was on his way again.
"Hey! Cro-Magnon Boy, do you even know who I am? I'm Cordelia Chase! I'm head cheerleader and the QB's girlfriend, I'm Queen of this school and you should be on your knees begging for my mercy. And what is with that hair? That is so last decade, I can barely even look at you!" Cordelia Chase sure was a drama-queen, but after dealing with both Rachel and Kurt, sometimes at the same time, Puck wasn't impressed.
"Is that all you've got, babe? Do you know who I am? I'm Puck. Killer on the football field, badass on the basketball court, awesome on stage and a cooler person than you will ever be, Cordelia Chase." Puck gave her his trademark smirk and walked away, knowing that Cordelia Chase was standing there with her mouth hanging open.
"Shut your mouth, Chase! You're catching flies," Puck called from down the hall, not turning around but knowing he hit his mark. He felt a wave of satisfaction as he heard the unmistakable sound of a drama-queen's huff and stomping foot. He felt so much more confident as he strutted through the halls for the rest of his first day at his new school.
NPNP
When lunch rolled around, Puck thought he had figured out the pecking order at the high school. Not very surprisingly, queen Cordelia was at the very top, and also some guy named Larry.
He was standing in the middle of the cafeteria looking for an empty seat when he heard it – the most terrible sound you could ever imagine.
"Noah!" Willow shouted from across the packed cafeteria. "Noah, over here!" She was waving her arms above her head and jumping up and down a little to catch his attention. Every kid in the cafeteria was staring at her and laughing behind their lunches. Puck hung his head and felt his chances of not getting tossed in a dumpster disappearing at a quick rate. He marched up to his cousin, wearing his most badass expression.
"What the fuck, Rosenberg?"
"What's with you?" a tiny blonde girl (standing slightly behind Willow and next to a tall dark haired guy) said while taking a protective step forward.
"Don't worry about it, Buffy. He's just in a mood." Willow looked at him with her big sad eyes and Puck felt his insides melt. Don't make the girls cry was what his mother had told him since he was old enough to pull pig-tails, and also – she was his cousin, it was his duty to take care of her, not to make her cry in public.
"I told you this morning; the name is Puck, at least when there are other people around." He pulled Willow into a hug, she squeezed back tightly.
"Okay!" the tall guy next to Buffy (what kind of name is Buffy anyway? Not even a porn-star would pick a ridiculous name like that!) clapped his hands together once and looked around at the girls and Puck. "Are we ready for lunch, because I don't know about you, but I'm starving! I haven't had anything to eat in 45 minutes and I'm wasting away over here."
"Oh, poor Xander," Willow chuckled from beside Puck, whose arms were still around her. Buffy and Xander turned down the hall and started for the quad. It was a very nice quad in Puck's opinion, not like McKinley – all cement and rickety picnic-tables. Sunnydale High actually had real grass, trees and even flowers. Nothing not bolted to the ground would last very long in Lima – mainly because Puck would find some creative way to destroy it.
He still did feel the urge to deface the picture perfect scene, but told himself that he had made a promise to abandon all self-destructive behavior and become the man he'd like to be. Even though he knew he'd never meet his and Quinn's child, he didn't want the baby to have a deadbeat father.
"Hey, new guy! Are you playing a game of Anywhere But Here by yourself? If you are, that's pretty rude. You should totally share." The short blonde one – Buffy – said, bringing Puck back from his somewhat depressing thoughts.
"What's that Blondie?"
"The Anywhere But Here game. A place, activity and person you'd rather be, do and hang out with… So, were you playing or were you just being rude for no reason?"
"Huh… Lima, singing, the Glee club." He'd said Glee but what he really wanted to say was Kurt. He really wanted to sing with Kurt. Finding a great song to do with him would be a challenge; they were so different.
"You sing? What's a Glee club?" Xander asked, leaning forward a bit as he took a big bite out of his apple.
"Yeah, I sing and play the guitar. Glee is a show choir. We're called the New Directions, and we just won Sectionals before I left."
"So, why did you?" Buffy asked.
"Did what?" If Puck thought Brittney was difficult to follow in conversation, it was nothing compared to Willow and her two friends.
"Why did you leave? It's clear that you miss your old school and this Glee thing sounds like a lot of fun."
"I had to. I got into some trouble… I really don't want to talk about it."
"Did you burn down the gym? Because I hear that teacher-type people don't think that's a very good idea… even if it was riddled with asbestos." Buffy took a bite of her sandwich.
"Who would burn down a gym? I did cause a small fire in the chem lab once, but I would be totally lost without the gym." Puck didn't look at anyone, he didn't like how moist his eyes felt.
"You work out?" Xander asked, his eyes had quickly zeroed in on Puck's chest area and shoulders, practically checking him out. Puck hadn't pegged him for a queer, but he supposed anything was possible. Instead of answering, Puck shrugged out of his jean jacket and flexed his guns, they looked awesome in the black muscle-tee he was wearing. Buffy's eyes widened a little and Xander made a little gulping noise. Puck smirked and put his jacket back on.
"Will, your cousin's a total hottie!" Buffy bumped shoulders with the redhead and smiled at Puck in a very flirty manner.
"Ummm… Buff? You have a boyfriend, remember? A very large boyfriend, who could very, very easily kill any guy who even looked at you and make it look like an extremely painful accident."
"Xander!" the girls exclaimed together.
"Angel would never actually do that!" Buffy sounded truly scandalized.
"Does he go to school here?" Puck asked but expected the answer to be a big resounding no with several exclamation marks tacked on to the end. He wasn't disappointed.
"He's totally old," Willow explained.
"I've done my share of older women – I can dig that," Puck shrugged and started on his third sandwich. His cousin and two new friends went unnaturally still and quiet. Puck looked up, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"
"Exactly how many is 'your fair share,' exactly?" Xander leaned his elbows on his knees so he could get even closer to the object of his interest.
"Huh… five-a-week since about two summers ago, I think. And then there were the Cheerios. Oh, and that totally hot waitress at Breadstix a few months ago. She was awesome."
"Noah Puckerman, you are such a man-whore!" Willow said punching him in the arm. Xander and Buffy raised an eyebrow at Willow's actions but didn't say anything.
"I'm the studdliest badass in Lima. The cougars had no chance of resisting my charms." Puck smirked his badass smirk, and in the corner of his eye he could swear he saw several cheerleaders swoon. He still had it. Not that he'd ever lost it – but he still had it.
NPNP
He didn't see the queen-bee or her cheerleader drones for the rest of the day, which he was sort of glad for – especially since hearing Xander and Willow's stories about Her Royal Cruelness. Puck had told them, "If this Cordelia chick was a drama-queen, then Kurt was a fucking drama-god." Then Willow had said that for not being his friend he sure did talk about Kurt a lot. Puck had told her to shut up.
NPNP
History, English and biology flew by pretty quickly and without any memorable happenings. It wasn't until they were on their way home that things turned to crap. Puck was standing by his locker, getting his bag and things together while waiting for Willow, when all of a sudden he was flying head first into his locker, banging his forehead hard enough to draw blood. Before he could even understand what had happened, a chorus of cruel laughter accompanied the sound of running as half the football team hurried around the corner.
"Fuckers!" Puck shouted after them and slammed his locker door so hard it flew right back open and smacked him in the nose.
"Oh my God! Noah, what happened?" Willow and her sidekicks came running just as he turned around to sling his backpack over his shoulder, blood dripping from his forehead and nose.
"Did you get attacked by a locker-demon?" Buffy asked with a perfectly straight face.
"Should we go talk to the G-man? If there's a locker-monster roaming the school feasting on… umm… students we should, you know, do something." Xander colored a little as he looked at Puck, obviously holding back some sort of bad joke.
"What the fuck are you guys talking about? Locker-monsters… Fuck! I'm getting blood in my eyes." He headed for the nearest men's room. Xander followed him in, but the girls stayed outside.
"So, no Locker-demon then, Puckerman?"
"Fuck, are you serious? I'm bleeding here and you're making cracks about monsters... very funny, dude!" Puck was holding one balled-up paper towel to his forehead and another one to his nose.
"You're gonna need stitches, man! It's not safe walking around with an open wound like that."
"Yeah, whatever. Good thing my nose isn't broken."
"What happened? Since you obviously weren't attacked by an evil Locker-demon, which of course was a joke and couldn't possibly exist, not even a little one." Xander was leaning back against one of the sinks while Puck examined his nose (which had finally stopped bleeding) in the mirror.
"Fucking football team shoved me headfirst into my fucking locker! At least I only shoved people into closed lockers; it'd give them a bad bruise but not cause permanent, fucking, facial scarring!"
"Ah, so you've met Larry. Big, violent and…"
"Gay," Puck interrupted with a strange cross between a frown and a smirk.
"What now?"
"Gay"
"Say what?"
"Dude! Larry the Jock is so far in the closet, he's in fucking Narnia!"
"How do you know? You've been here a day. I've known him since he was a fat kid in pre-school, and I had no idea."
"He hides it well, and I've seen it before."
"Seen what exactly?"
"He's ruthless to any guy a straight asshole would consider competition, and he treats the girls with less class than a white-trash hooker. And I also caught him checking out my ass in the locker-room after PE."
"Hey, you're like all observant and stuff." Xander scratched the back of his neck and looked towards the door as it opened a crack.
"Xander? Noah? Is everything alright in there? Are you guys coming out soon? Me and Buffy want to go to the Bronze before… you know… homework." Puck stalked over to the door and pulled it open the rest of the way. Willow gasped as she fell forward onto his chest.
"You ok, Willow?" He asked her as he helped her regain her feet.
"Yeah, yeah I'm alright, Noah. But you're not! You need to go to the hospital and have that looked at."
"I don't have time, it's almost 3:15. If I'm not at home by 3:30 Ira will have my balls. Fuck! I can't even go a day without getting in trouble!" Puck said as he headed for the exit.
"Don't you worry your misfortunate little fashion statement over it. Giles will give you a ride," Buffy stated and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"Oh yeah! I'll run ahead and alert the Master of Tweed. I bet he's knee-deep in research." Xander ran down a side hallway and around a corner. Puck stared after him for a moment before asking the obvious question
"Who the fuck is Giles? Master of Tweed… you guys have weird friends."
"Yeah, Giles isn't exactly normal by any standard; he's a librarian," Buffy said with obvious affection.
"Must be one hell of a librarian," Puck stated as they stepped through the doors of the school library.
"Buffy! Can you explain what Xander is blabbering about? Something about a locker demon and blood everywhere. Should I be worried? Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, no and yes." Buffy said and leaned against the checkout counter.
"What?" Giles said while cleaning his glasses.
"Yes, I'm Buffy. Yes, I can tell you what he's talking about. No, you shouldn't worry and yes, I'm alright."
"So?" Giles put his glasses back on after squeezing the bridge of his nose as if he was fighting off a headache. "Oh, hello. Who are you?" The man sort of tilted his head up and squinted at Puck through his old-man glasses. He looked like a real bore – old, British and covered in tweed. At least now he knew why Xander called him Master of Tweed. Puck smirked a little to himself.
"This is my cousin, Noah. Noah, this is Giles. The world's bestest librarian." Willow introduced them while taking Puck's hand in hers.
"If I'm not getting a ride I need to get going. I'll be late, and I'm in enough shit as it is." Puck said and headed for the exit again.
"Hold on, Noah, I'll drive you. You shouldn't walk around with blood dripping all over. It's not safe." Giles went behind the counter to get his keys and soon they were all packed into the librarian's tiny car.
"To the hospital, I presume?"
"Puckerman said he wanted to go home, something about 'being in enough trouble,' which I don't understand because he hasn't done a thing," Buffy said from beside Puck in the backseat.
"Are you sure? You do look like you need stitches," Giles pressed and glanced at the three teenagers in his backseat through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just take me home." Puck looked at the clock on his mobile and swore; it was 3:25. His uncle was going to kill him! What if he took away his guitar? Puck would surely die if that happened. He eased the pressure on his head wound, but quickly put the paper towel back when he felt blood start to run down his forehead again.
NPNP
To Puck's amazement, he was standing in the house, hanging his jacket up in the entrance hall at exactly 3:30.
"One more minute and you'd be…" Uncle Ira said as he came to greet him, but stopped short when he saw the state Puck was in.
"Not even a day!" His uncle stated and turned to go back to the family room.
"I wasn't fighting!" Puck exclaimed and headed for the bathroom to look for some kind of bandage that would hold his wound closed long enough to get to the hospital. His arm was getting totally tired!
"If you weren't fighting, then what happened? People don't just bleed for no reason." Uncle Ira turned to face him again.
"Some Neanderthal shoved him into a locker, Mr. Rosenberg. Really, it wasn't his fault," Buffy cut in. Puck had totally forgotten they were still there.
"Oh, well…" His uncle clearly didn't know what to say to that. He was expecting Noah Puckerman; troublemaker and screw-up. Not Noah Puckerman; abuse victim.
"Since Noah has been returned safely home, I must be going. The work never ceases at the library," Giles chuckled a little. Puck could tell he was not a people person, and that anything outside of the library and his books, was way beyond his comfort zone.
"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Giles!" Puck called from the bathroom. Even though he was badass, Puck thought the library-man was totally cool in a stuffy 'British' way.
"You're quite welcome, Noah. Willow, be sure to talk to our new friend about the safety precautions, and do try not to wig him out as you youngsters would say. I'll see you later, Buffy. Xander, do you need a ride home? I believe your house is on my way."
"But Buff, Will and I were going to check out that thing. You know, the 'fun, educational learning type thing' that we talked about this morning when you found that other 'fun, educational, learning type thing' in one of your 'fun, educational, learning type' books. You know this morning? And we were going to check that out now before it gets dark and we lose the… opportunity." Xander babbled and looked at Giles in a meaningful way, as if he was speaking in a code, so brilliant, no one could possibly figure it out. Puck, who had come out of the bathroom in the middle of Xander's rant, didn't know what to think. Mr. Giles, the stuffy, English librarian, who dressed in tweed (!), was in on some mischief the three teenagers were apparently planning. Mischief he obviously gave them the idea for, from one of his books. Puck decided that checking out the library was going to the top of his priority list.
"Oh, yes, quite right. I'll see you all tomorrow, then." Giles left without another word. The four teenagers and Uncle Ira stood there in silence for a few seconds before Uncle Ira remembered what was going on and said:
"Willow, are you coming with us or going with your friends?" He picked up his keys from the bowl on the chest by the door.
"I don't know. Noah?" She gave him a look, clearly asking if he wanted her to come. Puck didn't want to keep her from her friends and whatever they were going to do, but he really hated hospitals. But Puck was a badass, dammit! So he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever." He grabbed his jacket from the hook and went to wait for his uncle by the car. A few seconds later he was joined by both Willow and his uncle. Puck smiled as Willow got in the backseat with him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, and pretended not to notice when her hand snuck into his and stayed there the whole ride to the hospital.
This day had totally sucked.
End of Chapter Four