Puck doesn't know why he hightailed it out of the room to follow her but he knew it was better than sitting in Glee Club, listening to Finn continue to warble. Really, did he have to sing to prove how wonderful he is? As if singing is relevant to raising a child. He searches the bathrooms on the floor, and he couldn't find her there, figuring she must have ran up to the one upstairs. He can't understand why, if she has to vomit her intestines, shouldn't she be at a closer location? He finds her, clutching the sink as she did the first day he followed her, and he walks over, pulling the hair out of her face.

She sniffles, and the sound is heartbreaking to his ears. Understanding she's crying more than about the vomit, he wants to explain about the morning. He didn't mean to hold onto Quinn's hand when she grabbed it, they're not together, he does want to be with her but she's so low at the social hierarchy, he's afraid. He's afraid of what this will do to him.

"I think you should leave. I don't think there's anything to be said with us anymore." Her voice cracks.

"But I meant what I said last night." He figured the morning, and the Quinn thing, would ruin everything. He just didn't realize the extent of the damage his silence would create in its wake.

Washing her face, she turns around to face him. "I don't believe any word that comes out of your mouth so you may as well save it for someone who cares, someone like Quinn."

"Quinn and I aren't dating." His own words sound feeble to his ears, and he wishes he was better at speaking.

"At this point, after that stunt you pulled this morning, it's irrelevant whether or not you're dating. I came up to you because I wanted to see if you meant any of the words you said last night, and then, you ignored me like I wasn't even there, like last night didn't even happen. Did you think you could treat me like that this morning, and I'd still want to talk to you, much less look at you? "

"I'm not dating Quinn. I can't explain why she grabbed my hand."

"Really? So you can't explain why you didn't let go either, right?"

He shrugs at the accusation in her tone. "What was I supposed to do? Let go and tell my friends I'm dating the Queen of the Gleeks? Or tell them, I had sex with the girl I slushied for a year and a half and got her pregnant? Which one do you prefer? Really, Berry?"

He sees the hurt in her eyes, and he knows instantly that was the wrong thing to say.

"You can't even acknowledge me in public, and I'm carrying your child. How did you expect it to work when I started to show?"

"I would have told people eventually. I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead, really. I just thought, I don't know. You don't even want me to be a part of the baby's life. I didn't think one night between us would change anything. I don't see why you're angry." He plays stupid, wondering if it would solve anything.

She looks at him strangely. "One night, that one night is what got us into this mess. You and I know better than anyone right now that one night can change everything. You know exactly why I'm angry, why I'm upset. Don't play stupid, Puck. It doesn't suit you. Did you have a brain transplant between last night and this morning? Change of heart?"

"I didn't have a change of heart." He fidgets uncomfortably, and a look of apprehension dawns on her face.

"You don't want this be acknowledged in public because you're afraid of the damage it would do to your reputation. You'll take responsibility, but you'll do it behind the scenes. You don't want to admit that this is your baby, not to the walls of this high school."

Puck doesn't say anything, her words are speaking the truth he was afraid to speak. He looks away, at the background behind her, and he wonders why he can't be a better person.

"I'm right, aren't I? I'm right. That's why I picked Finn. Father or not, he wants to do the right thing, he'll stay with me like he promised, reputation be damned." Her voice is on the verge of hysteria and he feels the walls closing in around him.

"Whatever, Berry. You think you know me but you don't. You don't know anything."

With that he walks out, slamming the bathroom door, and Rachel bursts into tears.

In the middle of her hysterics, she doesn't hear one of the bathroom stalls open.

also, please please don't hesitate to let me know if you're unhappy with the story or provide constructive feedback. happy holidays, everyone!