Title: All's Fair In Love And War
Rating: T
Pairing: Rachel x Puck (Noah)
Summary: They were sick and tired of the social food chain ranking them as the losers of the school. They were fed up with having to bring extra sets of clothes to school knowing that they would have to change somewhere through the day. But most of all they wanted to put a stop to it all. So when the one girl who was at the very bottom of the ladder decides that enough is enough will they stand beside her to take revenge on those who have bullied and tormented them all throughout their school lives or will they just stand in the background and let it all continue?
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the songs used.
Chap 4 ~ Puzzle Pieces
RING! RING! RING!
Groaning Rachel Berry rolled over in her bed reaching for her blackberry that was going off on her bed side cupboard.
"Hello?" She asked having been to sleepy to even look at the ID caller name.
"Rachel its Dad" Her father Leroy's voice came through the phone "Sorry did I wake you honey?"
"Hey Dad, yes but its fine I would have had to got up soon anyway" Rachel said while yawning as she sat up in her bed rubbing her eyes.
"Listen honey I cant talk for long I have a meeting in five minutes. But I just called to tell you your Daddy and I wont be able to make it home for at least two weeks. Your Daddies court case has become more difficult than he first thought and I have surgeries booked up for the rest of the month" He explained "I'm sorry honey but your more than welcome to invite some of you Glee friends over to stay with you"
"Its fine Dad don't worry I'm used to it by now I'm a big girl" Rachel said "Hope that you and Daddy get home soon but"
"Me too sweetheart. I'll talk to you later then sweetie I have to go. Love you" Leroy said
"Love you to Dad" She said before she hung up sighing
Pulling her blankets away from her body she got up from bed and moved towards her wardrobe to start to get ready for the day ahead. In truth it didn't even bother her now that her fathers were never home she had grown used to it, sure she wished she saw them more but she couldn't do much about that so she didn't linger on it.
It wasn't until she had finished her morning routine that she realised something.
'My bag!' She thought
Having been in such a rush yesterday she had completely forgotten to grab her bag when fleeing from the auditorium.
'Please let it still be there' She thought as she started to walk to school knowing she was going to be early but she had nothing better to do.
Being so deep in thought she didn't even realise that she had made it into the school's car park until she was standing there.
Because her fathers were never home she never got the chance to learn how to drive that being the reason she didn't own a car nor drive one.
Walking through the car park she looked around to see if she was the first one there and that's when she noticed a truck was parked close by to where she was standing.
'Why now?' She thought desperately as she quickly turned her gaze away from the truck who she knew belonged to the one person she did not want to see ever again after yesterday.
But as she was almost passed and in the clear she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Fighting back the erg to gulp she looked up and held back a gasp as she looked into those eyes she hadn't thought she would see again willingly.
She had thought he would cover them up. Hide them. Just like he always did but there they were staring down at her. To win against something that was everywhere, something that had invaded her very soul was impossible.
"Yes?" She forced herself to ask after realising they has just been standing there staring at each other for a good minute or two.
But he didn't said anything he simply removed his hand from her shoulder and looked down at the ground. Following his gaze she saw her pink trolley bag sitting there but when she looked up again he was already walking away.
'What just happened?' She thought as she slowly reached for the handle of her bag and started to walk towards the school again casting glances over her shoulder every now and again to see him walking towards the football field.
Knowing she was not going to get any answers to her questions she pushed the subject of Noah Puckerman to the back of her mind and focused on the first stage of her plan that she had organised to start today.
The week passed by surprisingly quickly and before Rachel knew it Friday had rolled around and she found herself sitting her last class finished all her work with another half an hour left of the lesson.
"Rachel" Miss Garner her physics teacher said quietly as she came over to her seat
"Yes Miss?" Rachel asked looking up at her teacher
"You are already finished your work for today why don't you have an early mark" Miss Garner said with a warm smile
"Thank you Miss" Rachel said as she picked up her books and her bag and took the early pass from her teacher thanking god that every teacher in this school loved her because of her excellent attendance and grades.
Miss Garner was also a newer teacher and was young. She was a very nice woman and an excellent teacher.
Leaving the classroom she headed straight for her locker thankful that the hallways were empty so she got there quickly.
As she was going through her locker putting her books away she felt her phone vibrate in her skirt pocket.
Pulling her blackberry out she opened the new message and smiled instantly.
'Your sleeping at my house this weekend. No ifs no buts got it? You walked to school again today so I'm guessing your fathers aren't getting home anytime soon'
From: Kurt'
Quickly typing a reply she put the rest of her things away and headed to the school entrance.
'Seeing as I obviously do not have much choice in this matter I will gladly agree to stay at your house for the weekend. I'll be waiting at your car for you I was let out of my physics lesson early
From: Rachel
To: Kurt'
When she got to Kurt's car she sat her bag down and sat down next to it getting as comfortable as possible for her half an hour or so wait.
Pulling her phone out again she saw that Kurt had sent her another message.
'Stop texting the way you talk Rach its annoying :P
From: Kurt'
'Pay attention to your class Kurt
From: Rachel
To: Kurt'
Pulling her ipod from her bag she started to scroll through her playlists looking for more songs other than the one she had already picked that had the right type of lyrics for her plan.
But before she could even listen to more than three songs she was interrupted by a voice.
"Abby calm down ok" Obviously the person as not talking to her so as she glanced around the side of Kurt's car she gasped and quickly hid once again not wanting to be seen.
She had been successful in not seeing those dead eyes again since that morning in the parking lot. Sure she had seen Noah Puckerman many times during the week but not once had he shown those eyes to anyone, not even herself. And she after the tenth time of him looking at her with the expression he usually wore before she saw those eyes she thought that maybe it had all been in her head but now seeing him standing in the parking lot talking on his phone looking slightly frustrated but still with those dead eyes from what she had gotten a glimpse of, she realised it hand not been just in her head.
"Alright Abby I'm going to hang up now cause I gotta ring the ambulance alright?" He said
'Ambulance? Who was hurt?' Rachel thought while mentally scolding herself for eavesdropping.
"Abby you will be fine I need to hang up now" Puck said his voice holding what sounded like desperation
Rachel knew from Temple that Abby was Noah Puckerman's seven year old sister and that it was obviously her on the other end of the phone. And even though she didn't know what was going on she got the sinking feeling that it was serious and that if Puck didn't call that ambulance soon then things would only get worse.
Pushing aside her pride she stood from her hiding spot took out her phone and walked around the side of the car so she was in full view of Puck who was now staring at her in shock.
If Abby wasn't going to get off the phone to Puck then someone had to call the ambulance and seeing as she was the only one around she knew it had to be her.
Punching in the numbers 911 she let the phone ring while walking towards Puck holding the phone to her ear.
"You have called 911 emergence services. Please state what service you require - Ambulance, police or fire" The operators voice came through the phone
"Yes I need an ambulance" Rachel said in a calm voice before quickly clicking the phone onto loudspeaker so Puck could answer the questions she knew that were about to be asked
"What is the exact address of the emergency?" The operator asked
Looking up at Puck she waited for him to answer knowing that despite whatever issues they had towards each other he would not pass up this opportunity of getting whoever it was that was hurt help.
"14 Lisbon Street, Lima" He said instantly his gaze not leaving hers
"What is the phone number you are calling from?"
"0427756899" Rachel answered
"What is the problem, tell me exactly what happened?"
"My little sister is on the line of another phone. She has just called me crying telling me that our mother has fallen down and will not wake up she refuses to hang up from her end of the phone so I am using another phone. My mother has cancer"
That one line… that one small four word sentence was enough to freeze everything because it was now that she understood. Now that she realised why Noah Puckerman had the eyes of a dead man. She understood why they were empty pits of darkness just hollow right through to his very core. It changed everything now. Because she understood. She got it and worst of all she felt horrible for what she was about to do to him without him even knowing.
'You cant do it… not to him at least. Look at him, this isn't Puck… this is… this is Noah… this is the boy who is dead inside and who hides behind Puck. You cant do this not to him… not now' Her conscious told her
'…I know' She thought to herself as she refused to let the tears of grief and guilt spill from her eyes
She refused to let it out because as she looked up at this emotionless boy who was still answering questions to the operator she saw a person who she had never seen before. She saw a boy who had been forced to grow up to fast, a boy who was no longer a boy but not yet a man because he was like a puzzle, so many pieces were missing you would think that it was broken but if you looked hard enough you would see that they were simply lost and if you worked hard enough you might be able to find those pieces again some day.
And she wanted to be the one who helped him find them.
