Puck's POV
The pathetic display of cliché high school puppy love made Puck's stomach churn – for some odd reason, he found himself growing nauseous. Finn was fawning over Quinn, putting on quite a show for anyone paying attention. (A list that, Puck later realized, probably only included himself and Rachel Berry, but that was besides the point.) Quinn relished in the spotlight – the only spotlight that remained in her favor now that she was pregnant, in Glee and banished from the Cheerios and dethroned as the celibacy club's President. In her world, only Finn mattered – because only Finn cared.
So she wanted to believe anyway; knowing damn well that Puck cared more than anyone wanted to admit.
As their eyes locked, Puck felt that throbbing agony ripping across his chest again. Her weak smile was mirrored by one of his own – but much more broad, almost flashy as he took his own limelight, acting much happier than he truly felt. Envy surged through him but for ten seconds, he had both of Quinn's eyes within his own and he could feel (somewhat, minorly) satisfied.
The return of Finn, all too soon, interrupted the moment and Puck held back a groan, dropping his gaze to his lunch – suddenly not hungry.
How the fuck was this stupid high school 'fairy tale' going to end? Not every day was like the movie Pearl Harbor, after all.
|F L A S H B A C K|
As Quinn snapped at him, he beamed. "Good, I kind of like rejection. Gives me a greater obstacle to overcome, therefore making you an even more desirable goal," he kidded. Well, he wasn't really kidding, because he knew that taking her virginity was high on his list of to-do's or hopeful to-do's anyway, and she was making this nothing short of a torturous game. She swayed slightly in her inebriated state and he was left clinging to her, trying to keep the small girl from falling flat on her face. "I know you want to go home," he answered her, "but listen to the voice of expertise in this subject. Your parents don't want to see you wasted, especially not the first time they witness it."
He had memories of those days, but he would say nothing more on the topic.
"Funny business?" he echoed, arching a brow as he feigned dismay. "What kind of animal do you think I am, Fabray?" Calling her by her last name made it seem less personal – made him sound less interested (or so he thought). Demoralizing, perhaps, but since when were morals high on his priority list? "I promise I will take you home as soon as you are no longer visibly drunk. You say the word and I'll take you. I will stop drinking, too, so I can ensure that you get home safely. And not a word to Finn."
He had the feeling that might not last long, but he could try.
Just then, a very intoxicated Cheerio intercepted them – her name slipped his mind as he recalled she was lousy at blowjobs, therefore she never got past that base with him. "Quinnie," she slurred, "try this shot. It's so fuckin' good, like juice!"
A shotglass of lime green liquid was pressed into Quinn's palm before the cheerleader pranced away, with four eager-looking young males in her wake. Puck shook his head, chuckling. "She's a hot mess who is going to be very unhappy in the morning," he commented, then glancing to Quinn. She was glaring at a mirror beside her and he tilted his head.
"Why do you look as though you want to throw your own reflection out the window?" he asked. "You better not turn into an angry drunk, throwing shit. I don't clean up messes," he warned her, pointing a finger at her in jest. Tugging gently on her ponytail, he laughed. "Come on take your fruity little shot so you can say you did, then you don't need to drink any more tonight."
He knew how addicting those fruity shots could be – and how strong they were if certain liquors, like Everclear, were slipped into them. But who was he to track what Quinn had already consumed versus what more she would take? He had offered her a safe return home, not a nanny.
"Come with me," he offered, "some fresh air on the deck might help," was his suggestion, suddenly eager for the warm summer's night and – well – darkness.
Quinn's POV
Those few seconds that their eyes locked on each other oddly enough, Quinn felt a longing for Puck. She wanted to kick herself at the thought. She didn't know what it was about him. It was a love, hate relationship though. That she was sure about. She could hate his guts and think he's the sleaziest Lima loser on the face of the universe one minute, but the next he would do something or say something that would completely shock her and make her actually, somewhat like him. She was thankful once Finn came back with her lunch, a sigh of relief escaping once her thoughts about Puck had been interrupted by the smell of her macaroni and cheese.
She looked down at the tray in front of her and then over at Finn with a smile as he sat right next to her. "Thanks," she said meaning much more than for just the lunch. He truly did everything and beyond for Quinn. Sure, they struggled at first with the money but ever since Finn had gotten that job things had gotten somewhat better. "You're welcome," he said with a smile as he began digging into his own food. Quinn watched him for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. That smile soon faded into a frown. Finn was so innocent and sweet and completely oblivious. He still thought that he was the father of her child from after he got too excited in a hot tub. Poor Finn. If he knew the truth, it would kill him.
She looked down at her food and slowly began to eat, trying to get rid of the emotions she was feeling. Being pregnant was so difficult. Not only was her perfect body gone, her emotions were way out of control. It was as though she were on some sort of emotional roller coaster ride. She still wished that she could keep her baby, but there was no way she could. It was impossible, she just wasn't ready. Her free hand immediately went to her large baby bump, unconsciously rubbing her hand over her unborn daughter.
|F L A S H B A C K|
Her eyebrow arched as she stared up at Puck after he asked her what kind of animal did she think he was. She just stared at him, the expression on her face answering his question. Once he had finally agreed to her terms, she nodded in agreement. She kind of felt both guilty yet flattered that he was going to stop drinking just so he could get her home safely. Before she could say anything, she felt a hand on her shoulder pushing her. It turned out to be Rebecca, one of Quinn's fellow Cheerios. Rebecca had put one of her hands on Puck and the other on Quinn, splitting them apart and forcing herself in between so she could shove a drink in Quinn's face.
"What is it?" She asked with an arch of her brow as the shot got put into her hand. However, Rebecca had got distracted by a small group of football players. That's when the mirror caught her attention. Her free hand immediately went to her stomach as she rubbed it unconsciously, grimacing. That's when Puck's voice caught her attention and distracted her thoughts. She looked up at him and just laughed a little, shaking her head. She lifted the little clear shot glass and tilted her head to her side, trying to figure out what it was. She then brought the glass up to her nose and breathed it in, a strong smell burning through her nostrils almost immediately. She grimaced again and closed her eyes, turning her head away from the shot.
Hearing Puck's little comment and the tug at her ponytail, made her take a deep breath and then suddenly there was no more liquid in the little shot glass. Surprisingly, it wasn't half bad. "Mm, that was surprisingly good," she said with a laugh. However, the shot didn't help the room stop spinning. Her hands went up to her head immediately as she groaned. She blinked a few times and then looked up at Puck listening to his offer. She nodded twice and then put the empty shot glass down and then followed him to the deck.
Once they closed the door behind them, Quinn was relieved to notice that it was much quieter and darker outside and luckily for her headache, no one else was out there. It was actually a nice night tonight; the weather was pretty much perfect. There was a cool breeze from time to time but other than that, it was fine. "Let's sit by the pool," Quinn offered and walked over to lay down on one of the deck chairs. Immediately, she closed her eyes for a bit, tilting her head up in the air as the cool night breeze blew throughout her entire body. She moved her hands to rest on top of her cheerleading skirt and pressed down so the breeze wouldn't blow her skirt up in the air.
She opened her eyes and looked over at Puck, guilt striking her instantly. "You know, you don't have to watch me if you don't want to. You can go back inside to the party, I'm fine out here. I'll just text my parents and tell them I'm sleeping over Brittany's or something," she said nonchalantly with a shrug of her small shoulders. Although she was serious about what she was saying, a large part of her didn't want Puck to leave her alone. She was actually enjoying his company, strangely enough.