Moments that Matter
A Glee Fan Fiction
Original Song
A/N: I honestly thought this would be the hardest one-shot to write. And it was not only my longest, but (in my own opinion) one of my best.
She needed to tap into her emotion? Had Finn Hudson honestly just told her that? Was he stupid or just a complete and total hypocrite? He probably didn't even know what those words meant and he'd had the audacity to question her about how much emotion she'd poured into a song? He never even understood the songs they sang in glee, despite however many times Mr. Shuester explained the concept to the group. No, Rachel Berry knew how to pour her heart and soul into everything she did. She wasn't afraid to cry. She wasn't afraid to let her anger get the best of her. There was a reason she was the drama queen and head diva of Mckinley after all, and most of it had to do with her way to put her emotions into everything and be overly dramatic.
She seethed over the fact that he thought she couldn't get in touch with her real emotion. It just pissed her off. Just because he had the emotional capacity of a teaspoon didn't mean they all did. Her emotions were complex and hard to figure out. Sometimes she didn't even know what she was really feeling. It was difficult for her to get in touch with her emotions, but she did it. And most people-almost everybody out there-seemed to think she did so flawlessly, without a single error. It was as if she could do any acting task perfectly on the first try without any effort.
She balled her hands into fists as she made her way down the hallway, a fierce, seriousness to her steps. She was angry and she had a purpose. She was going to write a kick ass song that made every single person in that crowd burst into tears as soon as she belted out the first verse. Her power ballad was going to make sure there wasn't a dry eye in the place when she was done.
And that was going to involve a lot of time spent working on the lyrics, working on the notes, making sure she knew exactly which instruments would play the track in the background. And it was going to take a lot of nerve.
Because this solo? It was going to tell Finn that she wasn't so sure she wanted him anymore.
"Woah, Berry-slow down there," Noah Puckerman said, reaching out and stopping her with an arm wrapping around her waist from the front, pulling her into his embrace; a hug from behind, hands locked tightly around her hips.
"Let me go, Puckerman," She rolled her eyes, grabbing at his arms to try and remove them from her. "I'm in a hurry and I don't have time for your nonsense. I'm a very busy person, unlike you happen to be. Some of us have things to do, you know," She told him with a superior look on her face. In reality, she really did enjoy being wrapped in his arms for a lovely embrace. It made her feel safe. She always felt loved when she was there. Still, she needed to keep up appearances, because he wasn't changing his character at all.
"Since when do I happen to be Puckerman to you?" He asked her, frowning down at her with the teasng glint leaving his eyes.
"You're Puckerman when you're being annoying and a jerk. You're Puckerman when you're acting like the other neanderthals who wear those stupid football jerseys and letterman jackets all the time as if that makes them so great and so much better than the rest of us. You can only be Noah to me when you're being sweet and kind. And You're only Puck...well, you're never Puck to me. But that's not important. I really have to go," She pleaded with him.
"I'm being a jerk? Berry, I was just teasing you and trying to make a conversation. How is that being an annoying jerk? When was the last time I tossed a slushy your way? When was the last time I tossed eggs at your house? Come on, Rachel, think about it-how often have I been my old bullying self to you in the past year? That's all behind us now, isn't it? I thought I was like you now-one of us and all that? What changed between us?" He asked with a frown, his expression completely upset by now.
"None of that matters. I really must be going right now, alright? I do happen to be busy, so if you'll just excuse me," She sighed impatiently, looking up at him and tapping her foot to show her hurry.
"What's so important? What's your hurry?" He drawled out with his infamous-and incredibly sexy-half grin already in place.
"I need to work on an original song for Regionals. I absolutely refuse to accept that none of you actually believes we could win with an original song composed by one of our own. And just in case you decide to listen to me, I'd like to be properly prepared," She informed him. "So that I can spend as much time as I'd like to gloating that I did, in fact, tell you all so, and that I was right," She smirked.
"Berry, you know what? People would probably like you a hell of a lot more if you dropped the superior act and stopped using big words all the time. It's really annoying and slightly intimidating. You would have way more friends if you just tried...acting the way you do when we're alone together. You don't use those big words and you don't talk like you weren't from this century. You're just a normal teenage girl with feelings and real emotions. You're not this actress who's always playing a part when it's just you and me, and I miss that when we're at school." He told her, his hazel eyes filling up immediately with nothing less than pure honest. "And I hate hiding that we used to be best friends."
"Nobody told you that you needed to hide that we once were very close with one another, Noah," She rolled her eyes. "You decided to hide that fact on your own accord and I refuse-I absolutely refuse-to be blamed for it. Please don't say that I was the one who decided to end our friendship and act as if it never existed, because I miss it, sometimes, alright?" She told him. "Now, I really do have to go, so if you'd just release your hold on me and allow me to step aside, all would be fine and dandy," She replied.
"You miss our friendship?" He asked her suddenly. His face broke into a broad grin as he spoke, staring down at her with bright eyes and a hopeful expression on his face. "So you want us to be friends again? You never wanted to not be friends? You really miss our old friendship?" He asked her excitedly as he pulled her in for a quick hug that was definitely the best hug she'd ever had in her life. It beat any hug she'd gotten from her friends, any hug Finn had ever given her, and any hid he himself had ever given her before that day. It made her smile as broadly and as brightly as he was.
"Did I or did I not just say that? Have you ever known me to speak words that I didn't mean, besides when I was acting? Actually, don't answer that. Actually, yes, do, because I can't recall a time when I've told an untrue statement in my entire life," She said boldly.
He let go of her with one hand and brought his palm to his face, shaking his head. Hadn't she listened to a single word he'd just said to her? Her big words and odd terminology were a lot part of the reason that she had so few friends. People did not want to be around a girl who acted as if she were smarter than them. Who acted as if she were better than them just because she had a 4.0 GPA, was a member of almost every club the school offered, had a voice to match any others, could dance and act with the best of them, and knew that she was going to get out of this town. Sure, it was true that she was so much better than them, but it didn't need to be reminded to them all the time.
"Why can't you just call it a lie, first of all?" He asked her. "Seriously, Berry, I want our friendship back and I'll do anything to prove that to you and get us back to being best friends and all-because my mom and sister really miss you too-but you have to stop talking like that. What happened to the girl who used to pull pranks all the time at temple and get me into so much trouble?" He wondered.
"She grew up, Noah," She whispered softly.
Noah Puckerman and Finn Hudson had been best friends since they'd met back in the second grade. They'd always been there for one another. They'd always had each other's backs. If Finn needed help when it came to girl trouble, or just needed a guy to talk to, Puck was there for him, because Puck got it. He understood what Finn was going through. When Puck's dad took off and left his family, the only person Puck would let into his life, with the exception of Rachel, was Finn. And Finn had done everything he could at eight years old to help Puck. Which made Puck feel eternally in debt to the tall quarterback, meaning he'd do absolutely anything to make the big lard smile.
Of course, sleeping with Finn's girlfriend back in sophomore year probably wasn't one of the ideal ways to do that, but that had been a mix of drunken feelings, stupidity, and lust. It had nothing to do with real feelings towards one another, and Finn had understood that after a matter of time and the two had become quite close again, their friendship falling right back into place.
But, there were still some things that Puck would do that made Finn angry. There were still a few things that Puck would say that annoyed Finn. Not his bullying ways-Finn had always been right by his side for that. No, the only time Finn's disapproval came into place was when Puck was doing an actual good deed and being nice to a fellow Jew. Finn only thought poorly of Puck when he saw him talking to Rachel; touching Rachel; giving Rachel a ride home; looking at Rachel; or, most recently, singing with Rachel and dancing with her.
There was something about the tiny little brunette that made both boys weak in the knees (and quite hard in other places). There was something about her that made them both fight over her due to real feelings-something even Quinn Fabray hadn't been able to do to them.
They'd always had their life long pact of bros before hoes, but what happened when the girl they both wanted was far from a whore?
He shook his head as he watched her leave his arms and walk away, her final words killing him slowly.
What did that mean? That she'd grown up? And why had she said those words so sadly, as if her life were so god damned awful? There was no way her life could have been any worse to her than his own had been.
He'd lost his father, who'd just up and left him because he hadn't wanted to be a part of the family anymore. Instead, he'd rather go off and raise Puck's half-brother Jake. But...Rachel's mother had turned her back on Rachel. She'd decided she didn't want to mother a teenage girl. But, Puck had lost Beth-who had replaced Rachel in Shelby, her mother's life. It seemed that every negative event in either of their lives was related. It was all connected somehow.
Like her break-up with Finn, which had been all his fault-not her words, but instead, his own.
No, she hadn't wanted to start making out. She'd refused him when he'd first offered it to her. But then, in the middle of her talking and crying, something inside of Puck snapped when he looked into her eyes and noticed that she'd never looked more beautiful before. SO, he'd leaned in and kissed her. And it had all progressed from there. And when they'd been about to go on for more, he'd stopped her-not because of the reasons he'd said allowed, that he didn't want to hurt Finn. Instead, he'd stopped her because he didn't want to be her rebound guy. He didn't want to be the guy she slept with because she wanted to feel wanted and loved. He wanted to be the guy she slept with because she loved him.
Because, in all reality, that was how he felt about her. He'd loved her since the very first day he'd met her at the JCC. He'd loved her al through elementary school when cliques didn't matter and she wasn't a strange little loser girl. He'd loved her in middle school, when social circles were created and theirs did not line up. He'd loved her when she'd told him to slushy him for the first time, marking herself as a loser and him as the popular jerk who lived to bully anybody. He'd loved her throughout high school when he'd taken to tossing kids that messed with her in the dumpsters.
"What the hell just happened right there?" Santana Lopez asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she appeared besides her best guy friend and her ex-sex buddy. "Did I just hear you say that you missed Berry's friendship?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Don't start with me Satan. I'm not in the mood, alright? And if you start about her, I'm not going to be nice. I'm going to scream and get ready to punch you right in the face, because it's not cool to mess with her. It was never funny, alright? And everything I ever did to her? It was all her idea! And the kids I tossed into dumpsters? It wasn't because of Kurt's sexuality or Jewfro's hair! It was because of how they treated her," He snapped, looking down at the tall, leggy Latino with the chest that could almost rival Kim Kardashian's.
"I wasn't going to-wait a second...you don't want to be friends with Berry!" Santana gasped.
"The hell I don't. I wouldn't lie to her, Satan-I only lie to people I can't really stand. People like...oh, I don't know-you? I've never lied to her before in my life..." He said, even though it was a lie. He'd lied to her about the fact that he'd been planning on breaking up with her. In reality, he didn't care how much action he got. He didn't care that she wanted Finn. He was just happy that he got her.
"You love her, Puckerman. You love Berry, and you won't admit it, because even now that she's not with Hudson anymore, you're afraid that you're not good enough for her. You're too worried about being rejected by her to just go and tell her that you love her," Santana realized, a small smile forming on her face.
"So what if I love her?" Puck mumbled. "She's still all caught up on Finn. Besides, she's a good girl. She wouldn't want to be with me," He shook his head.
"The hell she wouldn't. Puckerman, she's picked you before. She's dated you before. And, whether you like it or not, she keeps coming back to you. So stop being such a baby and just let her love you! All she needs is a way to realize that you care about her and for herself to wake up and finally see that the guy she wants to be with has been in front of her face the entire time. Anyways, I know another reason you don't want to admit it. You're afraid of what people will say. Well, news flash? I've gotten to know Berry, and she ain't that different from me. She's just nicer than the bitch that I am, which makes people walk all over her. Now, make your freaking move before she goes back to the Jolly Green Giant," Santana said, giving him a shove towards the door.
He shook his head, mock-glaring after her, as he made his way towards the door, hurrying up a little bit when he spotted Rachel standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her phone in exasperation, looking as if she were ready to chuck it at the ground and storm off. He'd never actually seen her look that angry before, and it scared him a little bit.
"Hey, Berry, what's the matter?" He frowned as he walked towards her.
"My fathers just called me to say they're running late and won't be able to bring me home from school. Since Kurt gave me a ride to school, I'm stuck without my car at the moment, so I'm going to have to walk home," She sighed.
"Hey, Berry? Can I let you in on a little secret?" He asked her, leaning in close to her. She rolled her eyes, but she needed to bit her lower lip to continue to giggle and slight smile that was trying to work its way to the front of her expression. She would hate to admit that she found him amusing, and he knew that. He understood that. But it never made him stop trying.
"What is it, Noah?" Rachel asked with a sigh.
"We're the only ones around. That means you don't need to keep up this whole 'smarter than everybody else' act that you enjoy so much. You can use smaller words that actually make sense!" He told her teasingly.
"If you're just going to insult me for my word choices when I have a problem, than I'm just going to be going now. I really don't need to deal with this with right and I don't wish to have any more problems. As I told you before, I'm quite busy today and I don't have time for any games, especially your games that always result with getting me into trouble," She told him, crossing her arms. He half-expected her to go as far as to stomp her foot.
"If you go back to being the normal Berry that I actually enjoy spending time with, I'll give you a ride home. But, you're going to have to tell me what's got you so worked up, and if you say you're busy and leave it at that, then I'm going to leave you stranded here and I won't even look back at you," He was lying in his threat. It was empty, of course, because he would never be able to leave her. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. If she did decide to walk, he'd end up driving as slowly as he could to keep up with her the entire way to her house.
"If you must now," She rolled her eyes.
"I must," He cut in and she gave him a sharp, stern look before she sighed and went on to continue her speech.
"I previewed my original song for Finn this afternoon and he told me that he doesn't believe I'm using enough emotion in my song lyrics, and that simply bothered me. So, now I'm on my way home to create a power ballad to tell him exactly what I think of him and break the news to him that I've moved on, despite the poor choices I continue to make between him and the new interest in my life," She explained.
"Get in the truck. I'll bring you home, alright? But I'm picking the music," He winked at her, choosing to ignore her hint that she'd moved on from Finn to somebody that she'd some-what been with before. He didn't want to get his hopes up.
Quinn Fabray was a girl in a mission.
She needed to win back the boy she was madly in love with. The boy who was McKinley high school's golden boy, so that she could ensure her right as Prom Queen that year. She needed to get Finn Hudson back under her watchful eye where she could keep him under lock and key.
After all, it only made sense that the head cheerleader-not that she was one anymore, but she'd quit the CHeerios on her own free will-and the star quarterback should be together-despite the fact that it was currently basketball season where Finn was not as big of a star. She was a girl who was all about popularity, and becoming prom queen would make sure she won it.
After all, she was already the absolute best looking girl in the school. She had long, toned legs that she made sure were constantly tanned and perfect. Her muscles were perfectly conditioned and her torso was flat. She had slender curves that were in all the right places. Her green eyes were big, round, and bright, covered by perfect eyelashes and carefully arched eyebrows that were just thin enough. She had a perfectly symmetrical face, mostly due to the surgery she'd had years ago. And her hair was long, wavy, and blonde.
All she really needed now, to make her reign as the queen of the school official, was a trophy boyfriend to parade around with as she clung to his arm. Finn Hudson was, of course, the best choice. Unfortunately, from the stares he gave Rachel-despite the fact that they were actually dating-she knew she needed to work hard to get his actual, real love for her back. She knew she'd messed up, big time, when she'd slept with Puck, but that didn't matter. It shouldn't matter anymore, because Rachel had also cheated with Puck, and he clearly still wanted her back. So, Quinn was going to do everything in her power to make sure that Rachel and Finn never got back together, and that Finn fell in love with her all over again.
"Hey, Rachel!" Quinn smiled, hooking her arm through Rachel's own as she joined her, matching her step for step in their walk down the hallway the following day at school.
The key to her plan being a success was going to be very hard to obtain, though, because it involved befriending Rachel Berry. She'd not only need to become friends with the girl, but she'd need to gain her trust.
"What do you want?" Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes at the blonde before her. Quinn realized then that it would be even harder than she'd previously thought to get Rachel on her side. After all, she had been nothing but a bully and a bitch to Rachel. Still, she'd never taken Rachel as the type to actually hold a grudge. Apparently, she did. And that meant trouble for Quinn and her plan.
"I think your idea for an original song that one of us composes is brilliant! It's really going to broadcast who we are as a club, and make us stand out. That's what competition is all about, isn't it? Giving the judges something to remember you by!" She gushed happily, flashing her brightest, friendliest smile at Rachel as she spoke on. "And I thought it would be totally awesome if you decided to let me help you with your song! We could write it together, and maybe we could ever perform it together, if you wanted?" Quinn wondered.
"As lovely as that offer sounds-and while I'm sure it's not selfish in any way," Rachel said, and Quinn could practically feel the sarcasm of her words as she spoke. It made her cringe a little. "I've already begun to write my original song, and I already have a song writing partner. So, perhaps we could work on a song some other time. At the present moments, Noah and I are preparing a song for our upcoming competition, and that song is going to completely and totally kick ass. That's going to be what wins us Regionals," Rachel said with a bright smile in return for Quinn's as she unhooked her arm from the blonde's and walked away, ignoring Quinn's shocked expression at how somebody had stood up to her.
"RACHEL!" Quinn snapped.
Rachel sigehd as she turned on her heel, a lovely little pivot as she crossed her arms and faced the blonde. There was a bored expression on her face, as if she couldn't wait to get away from the popular girl.
And it wasn't just because Rachel looked afraid. Actually, she didn't look terrified in the slightest. It was as if she couldn't get wait to leave Quinn's presence because she just didn't care about Quinn. She was acting as if she couldn't be bothered by the popular blonde's obvious anger at her, and that just wasn't right. Nobody acted indifferent around Quinn Fabray.
"What? What could you possibly have to say to me? What else could you have to add? You made your offer and I refused you. Typically, that would be where the conversation ended, unless you'd like to beg me, which I highly doubt, because why would the perfect Quinn Fabray have to plead with the loser Rachel Berry to get her way? Shouldn't I just be bending over backwards to make you happy?" Rachel rolled her eyes. "Quinn, not everybody loves you, alright? You're not popular because you have friends. It's because people are afraid of you," She said boldly.
"When are you ever going to grow up and realize that Finn doesn't love you? Trying to constantly make him jealous with Puck isn't going to work anymore. He's moved on, and in case you've yet to notice, he happens to be dating me now. He no longer cares about you or your personal life when it comes to your relationships. He wants to be with me-not you-me. So it's about time you moved out of your fantasy world and realized that life isn't a fairy tale. There aren't happy endings all the time. God, Rachel, when are you ever going to just get it right?" Quinn snapped, not quite realizing how cruel she'd been until Rachel turned on her heel, eyes filled with tears, and walked away as quickly as possible.
Noah Puckerman had always been one to be a perfect gentleman. Perhaps at school he acted more like a player. A jerk. An ass hole. Anybody could insert their favorite word there, and it would most likely fit with his persona at school. But, when he was outside of school and away from the people who were always judging him, he was a perfect gentleman. He always asked to meet his date's parents, and the girl was always the one to tell him no. Based solely on his in-school character, he was not the type of boy that a girl would vote "Best to Bring Home To Mom" in the yearbook. The person who would win that would probably be brilliant Mike Chang or naive Finn Hudson, or even nerdy Sam Evans. But not Noah Puckerman.
Still, he knew what it meant to be polite, and he did use manners. His teachers were all amazed at how polite he would act when he went to make up the work he missed after skipping a class-he always went to get his assignments, after all. Parents he did meet were left in awe at his use of mister, misses, sir and ma'am. Even the cougars were impressed by his 'pleases' and 'thank you's' when he was talking to them. He also knew how to treat a girl. He would never insult them, never purposefully bring them down.
And he would never yell at a girl. He wouldn't swear at her or get into a fight with her. He'd get sarcastic and lose his cool-he'd done that quite a few times during Quinn's pregnancy-but he would never insult her or make her feel like less of a person. And it bothered him when anybody, even another girl, did that to a female. Especially when the girl was one Rachel Berry.
So, when he'd found out about Quinn's outburst towards the girl of his dreams, he was beyond angry. He wanted to put her in her place, and he was going to be throwing away all of his former concepts about how to treat a girl by doing so.
He wasn't sure if he hated her more for how she'd treated Rachel or making him throw away his morals.
"QUINN!" He snapped, storming towards her as she talked to some of the Cheerios who still worshipped the blonde haired girl.
The tall, curvy beauty pushed a strand of hair around behind her ear as she turned around slowly, smirking with a cock of her head as she faced the boy who was now standing right in front of her.
"Yes, Puck?" She asked with an eye roll.
"Why the hell did you say that to Rachel? Why the hell do you always have to make her feel bad about herself? What the hell is wrong with you that all you ever do is bring her down? I know that you're jealous because Finn's still into her and all, but that doesn't mean you have to tear her down! What are you so worried about? That she's going to steal your prom queen title or something?" He asked, crossing his strong arms across his broad chest, making the skimpily dressed, gorgeous cheerleaders sigh as they studied him, eyes locked on him.
A while ago, that would have made him smirk at them all and begin collecting numbers, working out a schedule for when he'd be taking them each on a date. But that was the old Noah Puckerman. The new one had become a a one-woman type of guy, and that girl was Rachel. Nothing in the world could change that. There was no force strong enough in the world to make him give a second glance to another girl.
"Rachel's not interested in that shit, okay? She's better than all that popularity crap that everybody in this school worries about all the time. She's above that, and I'm not going to let you make her feel bad about herself." He barked at her.
That was his way around breaking every single rule he'd made for himself. He wasn't going to actually yell at her. He wasn't going to allow himself to scream at her. He refused to let her make him shout. Instead, he would snap, he would bark, he would raise his voice. That would just give her more power. He wouldn't let her play the victim anymore. NOt this time.
"You really think she's not interested in popularity and she's above that? Well, you know what, even if that is true-which I doubt, because, well, she kind of went after Finn who was the most popular guy in the school-what makes you think she'd want to pick you? It's not like you're above that. Look at you, acting like some kind of jerk all the time just so nobody can get too close to you. You want everybody to be afraid of you, because at least then they won't hate you. You have power when you're the school's head bad ass, aren't you? But you're not really that guy. You're not really strong and without emotion. If you didn't have emotions, you wouldn't be defending her." Quinn smirked.
"You're right," Puck shrugged. "I do have feelings. And I do have emotions. I'm not a complete and total, grade-A bad ass, but I don't act like I am because I'm afraid people won't like me. I act like I am because I know what it's like to get hurt and lose everything, and I'm not letting that happen anymore. Now, why are you a total bitch? Have we ever tried to analyze that one? Because I've got a few theories as to why you're such a complete and total bitch, and unlike your made-up reasons, mine are real," He snapped at her. "You're a scared little girl who's afraid of anybody rising above her, so you have to bring everybody else down in the world. Your only joy is hurting people," Puck said.
He shook his head at her in disgust, loving her shocked reaction with the wide eyes and the dropped jaw as he turned around and walked away, only to end up walking right into Rachel when he got a few steps away from the blonde temptress.
"You didn't have to do that," Rachel said.
He knew she was only pretending to be strong though. He could tell from how red her eyes were. He could tell by the faded make-up that she hadn't bothered to try and fix. He could tell from how hoarse and low her voice was. This was all an act. She was trying to make it look like Quinn hadn't gotten to her; like the insults hadn't hurt her, but in reality? They'd killed her.
"I actually did have to do that. She's needed to hear that for a while and it was about time somebody said it. And it's nice to have been able to clear up all the shit people say about me and my bad-assness. I mean, come on-you've got to admit, getting you to admit that I have incredible guns makes me the most bad ass guy in this school. The baddest rebel without a cause this school has ever seen, right?" He smirked down at her. But it wasn't his usual smirk. It was an amused smile as he looked down at her, the girl he loved so dearly. "And besides, I'm sick of her talking down on you like she's so much better, because she's nothing compared to you." He told her honestly.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Rachel asked softly, lowering her head. And that killed him. He hated that she felt like people shouldn't be nice to her. Nobody should ever have to wonder why they were being treated like an actual person. It should be expected for them. Especially somebody as sweet and kind as Rachel. She was nice to everybody, and the end result was that she got walked all over like she was a piece of shit. She wasn't a doormat, yet that was what the rest of the school seemed to think of her as.
"Why do you even have to ask? I understand that I've bullied you before and all, but I never talked down to you. And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you were less of a person, because you're incredible. You're nice and sweet. You're a star, Berry, and you shouldn't have to expect people to ridicule and insult you. People only do that because they're jealous of you anyways. And...you know what? When you sing that song you're going to write for Regionals and we all win because your words with your voice throw everybody else out of the water, well, then you're going to get the last laugh. And you're going to be the bigger person." He said, lowering his head a little bit to hide his blush from her before hurrying away.
In the weeks leading up to Regionals, almost every member of the glee club wrote up an original song. Mercedes had, of course, been to broadcast her individuality while also showing off her incredible voice. Santana's had been a seductive love melody to Sam in order to insult Brittany by making her jealous, but only ending up hurting Sam's feelings. Puck's song had been a carefully written love song meant for Lauren. It's sole purpose had been to break up with her without causing himself any pain that he was sure would come from Lauren if he was the one to dump her. He swore that angering her would cause the break-up. The long hadn't worked well. It had impressed her.
Luckily, for Puck, Lauren had gotten the hint and set him free, allowing the two still remain as close friends with their bad ass reputations still in tact.
The break-up left him free to worry about getting Rachel. He could pursue her now without any questions being asked, and Rachel would not be considered a home wrecker once again.
Unfortunately for him, the timing was all off, because Rachel was stuck working her ass off on her song. The funny thing about the song was that Quinn had ended up helping her write it, without even knowing it. Her words in the hallway from that day had been her inspiration for the lyrics. Nobody was allowed to hear her song. She rehearsed separately from the rest of the club, to make sure that when she finally performed it for the first time in front of the club at Regionals, they were just as in awe of it as the audience would be.
Now, Rachel was up on stage, after telling Puck to make sure he listened to her lyrics very carefully, because she meant every word she'd written. She'd told Finn the exact same thing. The music that she'd carefully written was starting to play and she was taking a deep breath as she prepared to sing the song that would change everything. The song that she'd wrote.
"What have I done? I wish I could run/ Away from this ship going under/Just trying to help/Hurt everyone else/Now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders/What can you do when your good isn't good enough/And all that you touch tumbles down/My best intentions keep making a mess of things/I just wanna fix it somehow/But how many times will it take/Oh, how many times will it take for me, to get it right? To get it right?" She belted out the first verse of the song and the chorus. She could see Finn Puck looking out from the front of the lines, right where they were about the enter for the stage.
"Can I start again with my faith shaken/'Cause I can't go back and undo this/I just have to stay and face my mistakes/But if I get stronger and wiser, I'll get through this/What can you do when your good isn't good enough/And all that you touch tumbles down/My best intentions keep making a mess of things/I just wanna fix it somehow/But how many times will it take/Oh, how many times will it take for me, to get it right?" She locked eyes with Puck in the back of the room, basking in the glow of his smile that was flashed right at her, encouraging her to keep up with the good work; telling her that the song was amazing; telling her that she was doing great. He wasn't getting it.
"So I throw my fist up/Throw a punch in the air/And accept the truth/That sometimes life isn't fair/Yeah, I'll send out a wish/I'll send up a prayer/And finally someone will see, how much I care!" Her voice grew stronger as Puck's smile faltered a little bit, turning into a look of confusion as he and Finn led their lines towards the stage for their entrance in the performance. The took their places on the stairs set up behind her as she finished the song.
"OH, what can you do when your good isn't good enough?And all that you have tumbles down/My best intentions keep making a mess of things/I just wanna fix it somehow/Oh but how many times will it take/Oh, how many times will it take to get it right." Her voice began to get softer as she finished.
"Get it right," She finished with a soft voice as the music faded into the incredible song the entire club had written.
This song was much more upbeat with a faster tempo in a pop-like feel to it.
"Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero," Rachel began the next song, making her way towards Quinn with a smirk on her face. "But, hey! Everyone you wanna be, probably started off like me/You may say that I'm a freak show," She started back towards the front as Santana twirled across the stage, muttering about how she didn't care (I don't care!) "But, hey, give me just a little time/I bet you're gonna change your mind/All the dirt you've been throwing my way/It ain't so hard to take-that's right/'Cause I know that one day, you'll be screaming my name/And I'll just look away-that's right," She sang out, all of her feelings she'd ever felt taking over as the song went on.
"WE WON!" Rachel screamed, throwing her arms in the air and jumping up and down excitedly. "WE DID IT!" She squealed, turning around and flinging herself into the arms of the person closest to her.
"I know," He whispered into her hair as he lifted her off the ground, his arms around her waist as he held her close.
"Did you like my song?" She asked him, a large smile on her face that he knew would be there no matter what he answered her. She seemed so cheerful, as if nothing could destroy her. He'd never seen her so happy before. The smile seemed to take over her face, as if it could tear her face right in half. It was so bright, it was almost blinding.
"Of course I did, babe," He laughed, setting her back on the ground. The rest of the club had hurried off to see their trophy and stand by it, shaking hands and sharing hugs with Mr. Shuester, leaving the couple to stand there alone in their embrace for everybody in the crowd to see.
"DId you get what it was saying?" She wondered.
"I'm hoping that I understood it right, Berry." He whispered to her softly, his voice low and deep. It was such a beautiful sound. She wanted to hear him talk forever, but now wasn't the time for that. "Tell me if I am, alright?" He asked her, leaning down close until their lips were almost touching. "Am I getting warmer?" He wondered as he pressed his lips to hers.
She lifted herself onto her tiptoes and reached to wrap her arms around his neck. He slid his hands from her cheeks down to her hips, lifting her off the ground as his arms worked their way around her waist, holding her just as he had before, just much closer this time.
"Was I right?" He asked, breaking the kiss as he stared at her, breathing heavy, ignoring the looks from everybody else in the club. Their foreheads were pressed against once another's, and he waited anxiously for her response, even though he was fairly certain he knew what it was. Instead of answering with words though, she went right back in for the kiss.
"I love you," She whispered against his lips.
"I know," He told her, muttering the words back as he kept on kissing her. He didn't care that everybody and anybody could see. He just wanted to let her know. "I love you too, Berry. And I want you to be my girlfriend, okay?" He wondered with a cocked eyebrow.
"Yeah, I think I could go for that." She grinned up at him as she reached in to kiss him again, loving the way he smiled against the kiss at her guarantee that they were dating-that they were exclusive. That they were together and nobody could mess with that. Because she loved knowing that he wanted that as much as she had wanted it for weeks.
