Ch 9. Fallout
A.N. They can't all be like chapter 8, but I hope you like the Fallout. The idea will be to build to 'crescendo' type chapters like ch 8 throughout the story ;)
Songs featured in this chapter can be found on my youtube channel by adding the following to the youtube address: /view_play_list?p=3E9FAE8793A2944C
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, any songs mentioned, or anything familiar.
…
Puck went on to do damage control—to stop Sam from saying something stupid in front of Quinn and everyone else.
He was oblivious to Rachel doing her own damage control—by forcing down her emotions except for the ones that told her to stand up for herself and leave.
He made it back to the music room in time to hear Sam saying, "Yeah, I found her and-." Puck walked in and interrupted.
"Yeah, she was in the bathroom, like you thought, Q. She's still upset, so I think I'll offer to take her home, if that's ok." He looked at Schue but didn't actually wait for an answer before grabbing his bag.
Will cleared his throat. "I don't think so, Puck. I'm tired of the interruptions. Rachel can join us or leave, but I won't have the class disrupted over this. Sit down."
Puck flashed a dirty look but sat back down. When did Schue grow a pair? He figured Rachel might leave without him, so he'd have to work on his apology after glee. They got back to singing, but Puck couldn't help glancing at the door every now and then in hopes that Rachel would surprise him and walk back into glee.
She didn't.
The weird thing was that Sam seemed to be looking for her too. And Quinn took notice. As soon as the song ended, she couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"What is it with Rachel Berry?" she burst out at Sam. "Why do you keep looking for her? She's not coming back!"
"Alright, settle down, Quinn," Will told her. Then grudgingly he asked the class, "Do you think I should check on her?"
"Well, you are the teacher," Sam pointed out. "And she was crying." He gave Puck an accusatory glance, but Puck ignored him.
"Fine," Will sighed. "If I'm not back in five minutes, consider yourselves dismissed. But we'll have a lot of catching up to do for Sectionals."
As soon as Mr. Schue left, Quinn turned to Sam. "Why are you always defending Rachel Berry? You never defend me!"
"What?" He was stunned. "But you don't have any attackers," he said soothingly as he put his arm around her. "You're like the most popular girl in school."
"That wasn't always the case," she said sharply.
"Hey, you know that was before I moved here. I promise you that if I had been here, I would have defended you no matter what." He stroked her hair and tried to calm her down.
Quinn wasn't so sure if that would have been true, but she decided it was better not to bring up the details of what she had done her sophomore year. It was best that Sam was removed from that whole situation.
Now Puck on the other hand, thought it would be a great opportunity to bring up the past.
"You know I was there for you then, Quinn—you just wouldn't let me be."
Finn clenched his fists but didn't say anything.
"You were there for me?" Quinn asked incredulously. "You went from serenading Rachel Berry one minute to sexting with Santana the next! You never did anything thoughtful and public for me like you did for Rachel!" Her anger flared as she thought about the way that she always seemed to lose when it came to Rachel. Finn and Puck both gravitated toward her in some insane way, and she was afraid Sam was going in the same direction.
"Hey, that's not true!" Puck argued. "I sang Beth for you!"
"That was for our baby, and we both know it!" she bit out, surprised at the emotions she was feeling. Quinn continued resentfully. "If I had to guess, I'd say that you only stepped up with me out of obligation. But I think secretly you've always liked Rachel Berry. Why else would you two keep getting together?"
"Please, Rachel was only using me," Puck shrugged. It was true, even if it sucked. "I'm easy on the eyes," he smirked, "so it's cool with me if the ladies use me as long as I get something in return."
"That doesn't sound like Rachel," Sam said skeptically.
Quinn glared at him.
"Just sayin'," he shrugged back.
Puck defended his statement. "And I'm just sayin' every time we were together or whatever, she was doing it to get back at Finn. Even after I picked glee over football," he mumbled.
Finn's eye twitched at that phrase, and Santana raised her eyebrow as the wheels started turning in her head. She had some things to keep an eye on, but she decided to keep it to herself until she could figure out what in this situation could be used to her advantage.
Kurt didn't keep quiet. "So Noah Puckerman was rejected by Rachel Berry back in the Baby-Gate days?" he laughed. He was going to have to congratulate her—once he worked up the nerve to talk to her again.
"Whatever, Hummel," he said dismissively. He was relieved that everyone was still associating this with the past and that Sam didn't flap his giant mouth about what he just saw. He continued to cover for his rep. "We were just in it for the physical. Little known fact: she's actually a fine piece of ass," he smirked.
Finn cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "I'm not sure we should be talking like this about Rachel…" he said weakly.
"Finn's right," Sam agreed.
"You've got to be kidding," Quinn muttered. Then she realized Puck's contradiction. "Wait, you told me that Rachel's a virgin. Now you're acting like you two were doing it."
"I said Berry's a virgin, Q. I never said we didn't fool around and almost get there. Know what I'm sayin'?" Puck raised his hand in a high five for Artie.
Artie shrugged and returned the five. For once, he actually did know what Puck was sayin'.
Quinn glared at them. "Then why is Rachel the lucky one who got away with not having sex with you?"
"I wouldn't call that lucky—I'd call it the opposite; but I guess it's because she never said yes like you did, Q," he leered at her suggestively. Take that Sam! Heh.
Sam jumped out of his chair, realizing he had a chance to defend Quinn—even if what Puck said was true and stung a bit. "Hey, man, you're outta line. Stop being such a dick, ok? Leave Quinn alone."
"Or else what?" Puck asked from his chair, unimpressed.
"Or else I'll kick your ass," Sam threatened through gritted teeth.
Puck rolled his eyes—he knew he could wipe the floor with that little fuckface, but he decided to take a different route. This was due in part to the sound of Mr. Schue's loafers squeaking down the hall. "It's cool, I apologize. In fact, I'll even sing an apology song to Quinn tomorrow." He grinned at the ingenious plan forming in his brain.
"Whatever, dude," Sam said, sitting back down as Mr. Schue walked into the room.
Before anyone could say anything, Mr. Schue confirmed it. "I couldn't find Rachel. She must have left. Sorry for the interruption. Let's run through the song one more time before you head home."
Puck was kinda concerned since he never had the chance to talk to Rachel to explain. He figured she waited for him and left after awhile instead of coming back to glee.
He had no idea that she didn't even wait.
…
Puck stopped Artie before football practice as his song idea was forming. "Wanna help me out on a song for tomorrow?"
"What do you have in mind?"
After hearing what Puck had to say, Artie was intrigued. They started preparing right after football. That meant Puck was really late getting home that night. He almost forgot he needed to smooth things over with Rachel.
He called her, but she wouldn't answer. He texted; he emailed, everything.
Sure, his messages mostly just said shit like "Let's talk," and "Please talk to me," "I'm sorry," and "This isn't over."
He realized that last one sounded like a threat but he didn't care. He was kinda pissed too. It wasn't fair that she walked out on their deal just when it was getting good. He had too much planned for her to back out now. He wasn't ready to let her leave him like that—not without a fight.
…
Rachel surprised herself by successfully ignoring all of his attempts to reach her. Each time she fought with herself to keep from answering him. But she had made the right choice, she reassured herself (over and over). If she talked to him, she was certain he'd find a way to talk her into forgiving him. And that was something she wasn't ready to do. Not when she couldn't control her feelings for him. Why did he make it seem so much like he cared about her? And why did she let herself believe what she felt instead of what he said? He literally told her that he wanted Quinn, but no, Rachel Berry thought he was getting over the perfect blonde beauty because of the way he acted when they were alone.
She was better than this. She couldn't let herself fall in love with a boy who was so completely into someone else. Not again.
…
Friday Rachel was prepared to devote special attention to avoiding Noah, but she didn't have to work too hard. He wasn't in the usual places she would see him between classes in passing. But surprisingly, Finn approached her at her locker before lunch. They hadn't really talked much since she broke up with him, and every encounter they had was slightly awkward.
"So, Rachel…I was wondering…" Finn fumbled.
"Yes, Finn?"
"Is there something up with you and Puck?"
"Why do you ask?" She tried to remain calm.
"Well, Sam told me…what he saw, so…"
Rachel furrowed her brow in puzzlement. "Sam told you…? I didn't realize you two were such close friends."
"Yeah, I know it's kinda weird. He sorta replaced Puck as my go-to-guy, you know? Even though he's been dating Quinn, he never did anything behind my back. Not like Puck." Finn finished with a dark look directed internally, almost like he was talking to himself and forgot Rachel was there.
"Well, I'm not sure what Sam told you, but Puck was trying to apologize to me when Sam walked in…Did Sam tell Quinn?"
Finn didn't stop to wonder why Rachel asked such a strange question. He just answered her. "No, that's why he talked to me. He wanted to know if I thought that finding out that you and Puck were…close…if that would make her jealous and want Puck back. He figured that Quinn has a thing about you—which she probably does—because of our history and stuff."
"So, you told him not to tell Quinn?"
"Yeah, I told him that it would probably be better to drop hints and stuff so he could figure out how she'd react first. Kinda sneaky I know, but it seemed…smart," he shrugged.
Rachel just nodded, at first finding it hard to believe that Finn could be so devious. And then she remembered all of his past devious actions and realized it wasn't unusual at all.
"I haven't told Santana either," Finn continued, "even though it seems wrong. But if I told her, she'd probably tell Quinn, so I have to wait until Sam's ready."
"Why are you telling me all of this, Finn?"
He paused, caught off guard. He tried to remember how the conversation got to this point. "Oh, remember? I figured I'd just ask you directly—you know, go to the source—the honest source, not Puck," he glowered. "I'm just asking you if there's something going on. If there's not, that's what I'll tell Sam. If there is, you can tell me what you want me to tell Sam, and I'll decide what to say."
Rachel considered her options, but her mind worked fast. "Finn, what Sam saw was me upset and angry at the class for being so rude—especially angry at Noah Puckerman. I believe that Puck was trying to seduce me into forgiving him, which I did not do. Feel free to relay that to Sam."
"Oh, that makes sense…sorta," Finn nodded but grimaced with concentration. "I'm glad you're not letting Puck get to you—this time." Another dark look crossed his face before he looked down at her with a smile. "Thanks for telling me, Rach."
"Thanks for asking, Finn," she smiled wanly. "Good luck with keeping this from Santana until the time is right."
Finn nodded vigorously. "Thanks, I'll need it."
He didn't know it was too late.
Santana overheard quite a bit of their exchange. She had been looking for Finn to go the cafeteria together, and catching his convo with Rachel irritated her. And when they didn't just say a few words and part ways, she decided to try to listen in without being noticed. It worked. As Finn jogged away from Rachel, Santana walked to catch up with him without drawing suspicion—which was easy because it was Finn.
"Running a little late for lunch today, aren't you, Finn?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, sorry. Hey, Santana," he gave his signature half-grin.
"Anything you want to tell me?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.
"No…not really."
She stared harder, arched her eyebrow higher.
He sighed. "Yes…"
…
Puck spent his free time rehearsing with Artie for their song for Quinn. Artie thought it was a weird choice, but he was down for the chance to show off his mad rap skills. Puck had a one-track mind: telling Quinn that he could change for her. At lunch he caught up with her and asked her to show up to glee as early as she could so that he could get his apology song going before Schue could stop him. She agreed, intrigued.
Would she finally get a serenade in front of the club the way both Rachel Berry and Mercedes Jones already had from him? Even if Beth was for her, surely she deserved two songs from Puck if Rachel and Mercedes already had one each? Honestly.
…
Once Quinn walked in, Puck and Artie started on their performance of John Legend's I Can Change. Artie did the rapping by Snoop Dogg, wheeling around and enjoying the attention. Puck put on his show for Quinn, complete with smooth dance moves of course.
Others walked in during the performance, and were quite amused; many joining in on the singing and dancing.
Of course, more than one person didn't join in.
Artie: Hey yo nephew check this out man I won't get high if you want it When you talk I'ma listen I can change I'll give up all the places I used to go So I'm through with the women I'll get right if you want it Baby believe me
Now I know you got that bad chick right there
You ain't even tripping off her
But she doing all of that for you
She got this, she got that
She's off the hizzle
I mean when you find one like that
You got to make that change man
Cuz they don't come too often
And when they do come
You got to be smart enough to know when to change
Like Sam Cooke say change gon' come nephew
And you better believe that
Puck: As I look back on all that I've done to you
My biggest regrets
The things that I never could do
I see the light now baby it's shining through
Gotta give up the game
Yeah I got some changin' to do
Get that straight
9 to 5 if you want it
Keep my ass home at night if you want it
Whatever you need me to do
Give you all that attention you missing
Girl I swear I'ma handle my business
Just like a real man should do
I can change (you know I can change baby)
I can change
For you (you know I can stop baby)
I can change (you know I change baby)
I can change
I can change
For you (you know I can stop baby)
Stay out the club
Stay home because I'm with you
I'll give up all those girls that I used to know
They don't compare
Baby I swear it's the truth (you know it's the truth baby)
Yeah that's right
I give up on the pimpin'
Girl I'm gonna repent from my sinnin'
If that's what you want me to do
Go to church
Get baptized if you want it
Girl you opened my eyes and I'm gonna
Be much better for you
Baby believe me
Rachel couldn't sit through that train wreck any longer. She left while Puck and Artie continued. They noticed, but the show must go on.
Well, until Schue cut the music.
…
Will was concerned that his students weren't taking Sectionals seriously again this year. Their co-captain was absent again, the kids were goofing off before (and during) class, and they didn't seem excited by his song selections.
He decided to go the strict discipline route with the kids who were there and if Rachel missed another rehearsal, he was going to have a talk with her and maybe her parents.
…
The kids couldn't wait to get out of the music room after this latest rehearsal. Puck sent a text again, but he wasn't having any luck with Rachel, so he decided to check in with the other girl in his life. He needed to step up his plan if he had any chance of getting Quinn to even apply to Case Western with him. He hoped she was in a good mood after his song for her.
She wasn't.
"S'up Q?" he nodded at her as he approached her locker. "Got a sec?"
Quinn rolled her eyes. "I suppose."
"Well, first you can tell me what you thought of my apology song," he grinned charmingly.
"I thought it was completely inappropriate," she whispered harshly. "My boyfriend was sitting right there! Are you insane?"
"Crazy for you maybe," he shrugged his shoulders as he tried to push aside his disappointment. "But I get it; it was a bad choice. I'm just trying to say I'm sorry for being such a dick, ok? Do you accept my apology?" He gave her the puppy dog eyes.
They worked every time.
She sighed. "Fine. I accept your apology. Are we done here?"
"One more question for you, Q. Have you been thinking about college applications?"
Quinn gaped at him. That was about the last thing she expected to come out of Puck's mouth.
"Of course I have."
"I figured," Puck shrugged. "So are you applying to schools in state?"
"Yes, now that my parents are split up, there's not as much money for me…" she trailed off when she recognized the strangeness of the conversation. "Puck, what is this about?"
His eyes lit up and he started talking quickly in his excitement and nervousness. "So, I'm applying to Case Western in Cleveland, and I was hoping you would too. Is that one of your schools? If it wasn't on your list before, there's still time to apply."
She gaped at him again. "You want us to go to the same college? Noah Puckerman wants to make sure we go off to college together?"
"Not just any college, Quinn, Case. In Cleveland. Where Beth is."
"You cannot be serious."
"Of course I'm serious. What the hell? Why wouldn't I be?" he asked defensively. The look on her face told him this was the wrong move, so he decided he needed to explain it to her. "You see, I figure if we go to school there, we can see Beth whenever we want. I talked to Shelby, and she's just finishing up grad school or some shit and she wants to try to get a job at the university in the music department. She said she could really use some help watching Beth if she does get that job next year because daycare is so expensive. So it would be totally perfect. And I'll take care of her and everything. I know you're kinda nervous around babies, but I swear you'll get used to it and you'll love being around her. And I'm not saying we have to be a couple or anything, me and you. I know you're still into Sam or whatever, but I really think we should try to be in Beth's life. Especially now when Shelby needs us." He took a breath and figured he should let Quinn get a word in.
She stared at him like he had a third leg.
Well, he kinda did, but that wasn't the point.
"You're telling me that Shelby actually asked you to babysit?"
"Well, no…" Puck admitted.
She scoffed. "No, of course she didn't—because that wouldn't make any sense. She always seems a little uncomfortable around us. Haven't you noticed? She moved to get away from us, Puck, don't you see? Beth is her daughter."
"She'll always be our daughter."
"I can't talk about this right now," Quinn said in a tight voice. She was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, it's ok, Q," he put his hand on her shoulder. "Think about it. We can talk about it some more later. But if you're thinking of being a music major, you have to schedule an audition, so…"
"I'm not going to be a music major," she snapped. "I'm an honors student with realistic aspirations. I'm not Rachel Berry."
"Well, shit, a blind man can see that, Q!" he snapped back.
Quinn couldn't tell if that was an insult to her or to Rachel, but she didn't stop to ask him. She just needed to get away from him. The idea of going to college in Cleveland and occasionally babysitting for her own daughter…it sounded like the worst idea she'd ever heard. Ever.
She rushed off to get to the locker room for tonight's football game and he shrugged and headed to get ready for the same thing. Friday nights in the fall now were typically football nights.
Of course, when he got to the locker room, Sam Evans was waiting to pounce.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Puckerman?" he shouted as soon as Puck entered.
"What?" he asked casually.
It took all of Sam's restraint not to punch him right then. Cocky bastard. "You know what," he said, shoving him (not terribly hard) into the lockers. "You're going after Quinn—singing her that song was effed up man," he shouted without cursing. "And to top it off, you're screwing around with Rachel Berry on the side!"
"Shut the fuck up," Puck roared back—not bothering to avoid swearing since Beiste didn't seem to be around yet. "You're such a little pansy, I guess you can't take the competition," he said smugly, shoving Sam threateningly.
"Competition? You? Competition for me?" he scoffed.
Puck was so angry he could barely see straight. That little fucktard. He shoved Sam again. "I'm gonna get her back you know, and you're not gonna stand in my way."
Sam was a little confused—understandably so based on what he'd seen in the restroom. "Dude, are you talking about Quinn or Rachel? That's messed up to go after two girls at the same time," he shook his head. "What a shitty thing to do." He couldn't help it—this situation with Puck brought out the swearwords.
Suddenly Puck was confused too. Why would Sam be competition for him with Rachel? Unless…No fucking way… "What the f-?"
But Puck's half-formed thoughts in the middle of the shoving match he was having with Sam were interrupted by Coach Beiste.
"What's going on here?" she bellowed. "Break it up!" she shouted as she stepped between the boys.
They separated and Puck finished getting his gear on for the game. Both boys channeled their anger into destroying the other team in the game, though they both wished their positions called for more hitting. But Puck had other thoughts nagging in his mind.
Was there something more going on between Sam and Rachel? She did say that someone else might think she's cool, and then Sam stood up and said that exact thing. They were really…friendly during that duet thing.
But still, no way. Sam was all about Quinn, and Berry said she was all about him—that he was the only sex-stud for her.
He really needed to talk to Rachel—now.
It dawned on him that if Sam and Rachel were into each other somehow, that opened the door for him to get in good with Quinn—reminding him about that whole idea where he could be the comforting hero when Sam and Rachel were caught together. But now that thought didn't put him at ease at all. It just pissed him off.
But he couldn't really stop to think about it because he was the best receiver on the team—he had football to play.
Fuck.
…
Everyone who cared was at the McKinley High football game—which was exactly where Rachel did not want to be. Pretty much all of the glee club members were there either as players, cheerleaders, or supporters of their teammates. Rachel couldn't bring herself to go. She decided to focus her energies on working on her audition materials.
Audition! Crap!
She panicked as she thought about how she had already set up the audition at Case Western…with Noah. It would be poor form to cancel the audition… She would either have to tell her dads and convince them to take her so she wouldn't have to ride with Noah, find another way there, or make amends with Noah enough to at least still be able to share a ride with him.
What a mess.
To top it off, it had been days and she still hadn't received an email from Shelby yet. She supposed it was possible that someone her age with a baby might not check her email as often as today's youth. But still, she had a dull ache in her chest reserved for the thought that her mother was utterly disinterested in her and would not be answering her email.
Rachel knew the football game was over when her phone started buzzing with messages. She tortured herself by actually checking as they came in—and she was surprised to see that Noah had resorted to sending her pictures—apparently from the locker room. He was sending her dirty pictures and messages telling her that she didn't want to miss this.
She replied with one word: disgusting, and then refrained from responding.
She was disgusted.
What a ridiculous ploy.
She was also disgusted with herself for keeping each disgusting picture. She hated the throbbing she was feeling radiating from her core and the longing she still felt for him.
Why couldn't she learn? Why did she always want everything too much?
She thought about that day—on the bleachers—what if she hadn't broken up with him as a sophomore? She entertained a whirlwind fantasy of their happy years of high school before facing reality: they would have been doomed. They were doomed from the start. He was always going after what he couldn't have, and really it seemed that so was she. But in her second fantasy of how they would have broken up, he definitely would have cheated on her—maybe with Quinn, maybe Santana (and Brittany), it could be anyone. He was not a good choice for a high school boyfriend. Of course, that's part of what had steered her away from him in the first place and back to Finn. But she had been wrong about Finn too. There might not be any nice boys left in the world. Not Finn. Certainly not Jesse. Definitely not Puck. Maybe Sam, but even he was preoccupied with reputation and popularity. Not that she could blame him. She'd had her own obsession with popularity for awhile until it became all too apparent that she would never achieve status in high school. She'd have to wait. But if one achieved popularity, she decided it was somewhat reasonable to want to keep it.
Rachel tried to get back to thinking of her future—just this last year to go and she would be moving on with her life. She had to focus on her career and her auditions. She just had to decide if she would stop ignoring Noah long enough to go with him on that audition at Case or if she could find an alternative.
Rachel continued pondering these issues, and it was nearly midnight on Friday when Sam called Rachel. For an instant Rachel was afraid that it was a trick—that somehow Noah had gotten Sam's phone. But she decided she could always hang up if that were the case, so she took the risk.
"Sam?"
"Hey, Rachel. Sorry to call so late. There was a party after the game, and I just dropped Quinn off at her house. But I wanted to talk to you about what happened."
"Ok?"
"So, I talked to Finn and I want to check with you and make sure he got it right."
"Ok."
Sam relayed what Finn had said, and Rachel confirmed that it was correct.
"So the guy makes a joke at your expense, and then thinks he's God's gift to girls and can charm his way into your pants or something? Geez, Rachel…Are you ok?" he asked with concern.
Rachel smiled through the tears that had sparked in her eyes upon talking about the situation. "Yes, Sam, thank you. Just knowing that there is someone out there who cares about my feelings helps a great deal. I really appreciate your concern."
Sam grinned sheepishly into the phone. It was nice to be complimented on something that mattered for once—something that wasn't about being a popular jock. "Thanks, Rachel. I just wish I could do something. I can't believe the way Puck thinks the world revolves around him—it's like he thinks he should have you and Quinn. I mean, what the hell is going on with that guy?"
"I can honestly say that I don't know," Rachel replied. She wasn't bound by the secrecy of their agreement anymore, and she felt perfectly justified in warning Sam. He was sort of like a friend to her now. Of course, she wasn't about to tell him all of the details of her arrangement with Noah and what it entailed. She needed to hold onto her dignity.
"But you should watch out, Sam. I think he's very serious about Quinn. However his actions toward me may seem, that's like a game. But he's set on pursuing Quinn."
"Thanks, Rachel. I know you kinda warned me before when we were practicing our duet…I just figured after we got through the duets, it would all be over."
"You couldn't have known he would...do something so idiotic. I can't imagine Quinn was impressed," she assured him.
"Yeah," he chuckled. "I don't think she was. She said she was mortified. I was just pissed."
"Understandably so," Rachel sympathized. It was nice, to vent about Noah with Sam—even if she couldn't reveal all of her feelings or the whole truth.
"But here's the thing!" Sam exclaimed as he remembered the other reason for his call. "Finn's idea was for me to hint around to Quinn that Puck might be…you know, into you. So Thursday night, I kinda tried it. She did seem a little bit…I don't know…defensive about it or something. But then I guess what happened today kinda negated that—and I didn't tell her, you know, what I actually saw. I know you're not really her friend, but you're a girl…"
"Yes, that's true."
He chuckled. "So…I was wondering what you think that means. What do you think I should do?"
Rachel was touched that he asked for her advice on his relationship—like a real friend would do. She wanted to consider the question thoroughly and not give a hasty answer—which she told him. So after a pause while Sam let her think, Rachel finally answered. "I think there are two issues at work in your situation. First is the connection Quinn has to Puck—it's a connection that will always exist whether she wants it to or not. So her defensive attitude could reflect her negative feelings about her connection to Puck. Second is Quinn's…animosity toward me. I must admit that my past actions didn't help, but she's always…well, hated me. So if the girl in question was someone else—Tina for instance—Quinn might not have the same reaction."
"There's a lot of history and drama, huh?"
"Yes."
"But I still don't know what to do about all that."
"Oh, right! My advice is just to act normal with Quinn, or maybe a little extra romantic. I don't think you need to do anything special yet in regard to Puck's fixation."
"But should I tell her—about you two in the bathroom?"
"It might be a little late now," Rachel replied honestly. "Now that you've followed Finn's advice and kept the details from Quinn, it would seem odd that you suddenly tell her about it. And I must admit that I'm not looking forward to enduring the scrutiny that the release of that information might incite. Having said all that, if you prefer to come clean now, don't worry about my preference. They do say honesty is the best policy."
Sam sighed. "Yeah, that's what they say. Well, thanks for your help. It's pretty late, so I guess I'll talk to you later, Rachel."
"Goodnight, Sam."
…
Puck got a bit drunk at the after-party, but everyone around him was annoying as fuck. They were all happy and making out and shit. And he wasn't so fucked that he forgot that he wanted to prove to Quinn he wasn't going to get with other chicks. And all the drunk whores trying to get some of his action were just pathetic. He left the party early after snagging a half-empty bottle of Jack.
Rachel's phone went straight to voicemail—every time he tried to call from like midnight to 1am. He sent some more texts and pictures he might regret in the morning: even going so far as to ask what she was doing, if she liked Sam, and telling her that Sam was a limp dick who wouldn't compare to what he would do to her.
He fell asleep shitfaced and pissed off.
…
When Rachel woke up to Noah's messages about how Sam couldn't compare him, she was feeling rather mean. She sent a text saying that from what she recalled, Sam actually could give him a run for his money.
She smiled a little while she burned through her exercise routine on the elliptical.
…
Saturday he woke up bleary-eyed and exhausted. He saw a new message on his phone and he started to wake right up. When he saw Rachel's message, at first he panicked—there really was something going on between Sam and Rachel! He typed immediately WTF? U and Sam?
When Rachel saw his text, she felt a sense of evil satisfaction. But she decided not to continue cultivating that false impression. She typed back that she and Sam were just friends. She just remembered how he looked as Rocky Horror and delivered her unbiased opinion.
Puck smirked—he could almost hear her voice spouting out that shit. He was still a little hung over, but his brain was working well enough to realize he had an opportunity. He had tried to hold his sex hostage, but that didn't work at all. He decided to go the emotional route. He snapped a picture of his bloodshot watery eyes and sent that along with messages about how he was crying over her, how he just needed to talk to her, how he would make it up to her if she would just let him.
Rachel didn't buy it. There were many more reasons a teenage boy would have red eyes—crying over her was pretty low on the list of likely scenarios. Still, when her phone rang with an actual call, she decided to answer.
"Oh thank fuck, you answered," he sighed, relieved and proud that his idea worked.
"Yes, I did. But this doesn't mean I actually believe that you've been crying," she assured him.
"Yeah, well, it got you to answer the phone, didn't it?"
She was glad that he didn't sound like he was that upset—it made it easier to stay mad at him instead of letting him convince her otherwise. "Yes, congratulations. You've been thoroughly annoying me, and now I'm telling you directly to stop."
"Oh, come on, B! Now that we're finally on the phone, at least let me talk to you. Please?"
"Why? So you can tell me your side of the story? I don't care about your side. You obviously don't care about me considering how you treat me and that song you sang to Quinn…" She couldn't even finish her sentence.
"So you didn't think that song was a good choice either?"
"I can't even…I have no words for how tremendously bad that choice was…just spectacularly terrible!"
"Shit, Berry, don't hold back," he grumbled. It was bad enough that Quinn hated it, Sam made him feel shitty, and Rachel was definitely not helping.
"I don't see why I should hold back. Do you have any idea what it was like for me to watch you?" she exclaimed. Then she quieted. "Of course you don't. I don't even know what possessed you…"
Actually, he hadn't thought about how Rachel would feel about the song. And he didn't think about it too hard before he defended himself. "It was an apology song to Quinn. Some things were said while you were in the bathroom…"
"You mean at home," she corrected.
"Home?"
"When you left the bathroom, so did I. I went straight home."
"You didn't even wait for me like I asked?"
"No. Of course not. You left. You made your choice. Quinn."
"Hey, you knew I was trying to win back Quinn," he protested.
She sighed. That was true. "My reasons don't matter anymore. But that choice and your song to Quinn just cemented the decision I already made. It really doesn't matter. You broke our contract. Our arrangement is dissolved. Please do not call me anymore," she finished tersely before hanging up.
"Rachel, wait!" he yelled into the dead air. "Fuck!" he swore and threw his phone.
…
So obviously Puck was spending the weekend alone. Which sucked. And of course, all he could think about was Rachel. He figured he thought about Rachel instead of Quinn because he'd actually seen Rachel naked. When he was with Quinn, she wouldn't take off her uniform. She just took off those little panties (whatever she called them). It was quick and not really all that memorable except for the fact that it was Quinn and he'd wanted to get with her since…forever. And that he had scored her right out from under Finn. At the time that was a good thing—it was only later that the guilt ate at him over that. So it was understandable that he was thinking about Rachel now, right?
While he gripped his cock and stroked it, thinking of her perfect tits, perfect legs, that ass, that tight pussy, he fought to think of someone else... Santana probably had the best body in school, and then Brittany; Rachel was pretty far down on the list. So why couldn't he think about the last time he fucked Santana (and Brittany)? He should have a million memories to draw from—but there was only Rachel.
Fuck.
Fortunately that still did the trick.
It just pissed him off.
…
On Monday, Rachel actually made it through glee rehearsal, but Mr. Schue kept her after he dismissed the others so he could talk to her about her attendance problems lately. She promised that the past few incidents were anomalies and would not be habitual.
Puck tried waiting for her, but he was going to be late for football practice, so he had to leave.
He kept trying to reach her that night—unsuccessfully. Even Sarah looked away from the tv anxiously to ask him why Rachel didn't come over at seven like usual. He shut himself in his room.
He was getting fed up with this shit. He shouldn't give a flying fuck if she called him back. He should just take this contract and use the idea with some other chick.
But he wanted Rachel.
Shit.
No, that wasn't it. His mind worked quickly to come up with an explanation.
He couldn't trust anyone else to be so down with following the rules like Rachel. Yeah. Anyone else would brag about being with him, it would get back to Quinn, and ruin the whole thing.
So that's why he needed Rachel.
…
On Tuesday, Mr. Schue had the great idea to help get the seniors of glee more motivated to perform and help them bond to show better leadership with the younger students. He reminded them of looming college applications and music auditions season and invited them to Rachel's audition practice session.
"It will be a great learning experience for everyone. And I'll buy pizza! Is that okay with you, Rachel?"
Rachel reluctantly agreed. She felt obligated to do as he asked to make up for her absences from rehearsal, but she hated that he put her on the spot and forced the 'yes' out of her. She thought it was highly probable that he came up with this idea in part to punish her.
Mr. Schue could be a real jerk.
He called in for pizzas at the beginning of glee, and they were delivered just as the rehearsal ended. Of course, Rachel didn't partake, but she had to watch the others chowing down in the auditorium as she took the stage.
"Why don't you perform that Italian aria you've been practicing?" Will suggested.
She heard several groans from her classmates, so she shook her head. "Maybe I'll try something more contemporary for today." She handed Brad the music she'd been carrying as one of her audition options. He rolled his eyes but began playing I'm Not That Girl from Wicked.
Rachel walked quickly to the microphone to be there in time for her cue—since Brad started without her signal. She tried to look up—focusing on the rafters and away from the disinterested eyes and chomping jaws. Disgusting and uncomfortable circumstances for an audition, to be sure. Besides, she couldn't risk looking at anyone in particular with the wrong expression.
Hands touch, eyes meet Don't dream too far Every so often we long to steal Blithe smile, lithe limb Don't wish, don't start
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl:
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not…that girl
She finished with tears shining in her eyes. To cover her emotions, she spoke into the microphone crisply. "Then I'll transition into a stirring rendition of Defying Gravity, which most of you have heard me sing before—I've only improved since then, but considering the late hour, this concludes my public performance. Thank you for observing. I hope you found it…enlightening."
Just as she turned to leave, Mr. Schuester spoke into the microphone from his booth in the audience. "Rachel, that was a good song for showing your skills at infusing emotion into your performances, but it didn't do much to show off your vocal range. I think we can do better. So we'll meet the same time next week?"
She nodded and stepped offstage to a smattering of reluctant applause, joining the others in the auditorium seating so she could gather her things and end this nightmare—as quickly as possible. Mr. Schue left and Rachel did her best to scurry after him while the others were taking their time to scrounge the last pieces of pizza and exit the aisles.
"Dude!" Puck exclaimed. "You're totally into Schue… No, it is Sam isn't it?" he accused from his seat in the auditorium.
Rachel couldn't believe that is what he took from her performance.
Even Santana rolled her eyes.
"You're an idiot."
Santana and Rachel exchanged glances, realizing that they had said the same thing at the same time.
Rachel's eyes widened with her new knowledge: Santana knows.
…
A.N. Shouts to sweetcaroline1986 who wanted Sam to give Puck hell—I managed to fit a little bit of that in for you; and to Nova802 who wanted consequences for Puck's actions with Rachel on the Shelby front—the seed has been planted. Maiqu it's that end I told you about, and kaelaelameee there's the reference to Quinn as the perfect blonde beauty as I wrote in our PMs ;) Thanks also to those who have suggested songs. I'm going to work them in, but some are going to appear farther down the line than others. I couldn't fit everyone's suggestions into this chapter, but I want to thank you again and let you know more is coming with Shelby, Kurt, and of course Puck and Rachel.
