AUTHOR'S NOTE: I THINK I KIND OF LOVE THIS CHAPTER. I KNOW I LOVED THE RESPONSE TO THE LAST ONE. I HOPE YOU GUYS ALSO FIND THIS ONE UP TO PAR. THANKS IN ADVANCE. - KRISTINE.
RATING: BORDERING ON R BECAUSE I BASICALLY TOOK A PAGE FROM THE DEPARTED AND THERE ARE 24 F-BOMBS IN THIS CHAPTER OR SOMETHING RIDICULOUS LIKE THAT
DISCLAIMER: HAHA, NO. IF I DID BELIEVE ME I'D INSIST THAT PUCK'S 'HAWK BE CLEANED UP AND THAT SOMEONE OTHER THAN FINN BE THE MALE LEAD. HELL IT'D PROBABLY BE ARTIE.
CHAPTER TEN: HERE'S THE PLAN
- P - & - R -
"Who did this to you?" She murmured as she gently applied a cotton swab to the nick above his eyebrow.
He winced for the briefest of moments as the rubbing alcohol hit his cut. In his bank of things that he really fucking hated, this was definitely in the top five. Seriously he fucking hated rubbing alcohol burns more than hated when Hannah decided to change the channel in the middle of a fucking game. Shit seriously burned.
He sighed quirking his eyebrow as if to say you've got to be fucking kidding me with that question. "I think we both know the answer to that one."
She pulled back to stare at him for a second before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. He managed to figure out that you told me about his offer from Stony Brook."
"Yeah he might have mentioned that after laying me out."
"He laid you out?"
"To be fair it was only because he fucking suckerpunched my ass."
Puck had been in the middle of talking to one of his client's about a problem with their pump. He hadn't even realized that Finn had pulled in his front of his house. He hadn't the way Finn slammed his driver's side door. No, the first thing he heard was "you're such a fucking dick!" and that was only seconds before Finn suckerpunched him and sent him falling to the ground sans his phone. By the time he was able to collect himself Finn had gotten in a cool seven clean shots. It only took Puck landing three shots for Finn to quickly depart with his fucking tail between his legs like the bitch that he was.
She groaned softly and shook her head. "I didn't mean for you to be dragged into this."
"I put myself in this shit when I told you about the scholarship offer," he reminded her. "I knew what I was doing."
She hesitated before smiling weakly. "We broke up."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she said nodding and resisting the urge to laugh at how badly he was playing cool. "You and Jesse were right. I've spent so long trying to be who Finn wanted when really what I wanted should have been more important."
He nodded thinking that this was the first time in a while that Rachel was really making sense. "Annie would have been pretty fucking disappointed in you."
She rolled her eyes. Annie was her Aunt. She was Sociology professor at Boston College. She was fluent in 4 languages. She backtracked through Europe and Africa, the latter of which had scared her and both of her father's half to death. Most importantly outside of Adele she was Rachel's constant source of approval and inspiration. Early on during high school it had been Annie who provided her with pictures, dreams, and reasons why it was important she escape the Midwest for a life on the East Coast. It should be noted that she pushed hard for Rachel to pick Berklee over Julliard. Still Puck was definitely right about the fact that Annie would have been irritated to learn all of the hoops Rachel had been jumping through to try to keep Finn.
"And the fact that you're silent like a sniper on COD or some shit says we both know I'm right." He joked. "Still she'd be pretty fucking proud of you right now."
They sat there in silence for a second. Rachel was musing about how many turns her day had taken. First she felt like she'd been suckerpunched herself by Puck. Then she somehow managed to rediscover herself in bullshit when she told Finn off. Now sitting here with him in her living room she couldn't help but think that just sitting with him and having a conversation made her feel happier than most of her relationship with Finn had. I mean there had definitely been reasons why she thought Finn was her one true love. Mostly they had to do with the fact that he was tall and strapping like every good leading man should be. Still sitting right there with Puck it just kept hitting her like a ton of bricks that she had spent the last few months putting their friendship in jeopardy on a daily basis. Well that and the way Finn so boldly questioned whether or not she was really talented enough to actually make it on Broadway.
Puck on the other hand was wondering what the hell his next move should be. He knew that it was too soon to admit that part of the reason he'd been such a dick was because he liked her as more than just a friend. Because not only did he know it would freak her the fuck out, but he also thought it'd make him sound like a pussy. Seriously more than just friend, why didn't he just say I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be with you? That was actually pretty much how he felt, but was still too macho to admit that shit especially on a day when he mostly got his ass beat in his own front yard.
"Do you think I can do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make it on Broadway?" She whispered. She inwardly cringed at how vulnerable and pathetic she sounded right then.
Puck looked at her like she had just spouted a second head. "Rach you're the most fucking talented person I've ever met. Of course you're going to fucking make it. Why?"
"No reason," she lied. The last thing she wanted was to add fuel to the fire that was this sudden feud she'd caused between Finn and Puck.
"For an awesome actress you're a terrible damn liar," he pointed out. "Did that asshole say you weren't good enough?" He could feel his blood boiling and his cheeks coloring as his face burned up.
She shook her head no, "No he didn't say that exactly."
"Well what then what did he say?"
"He just kind of questioned whether or not I really thought I would make it," she confessed. She nearly closed her eyes in anticipation of the outburst she knew was right on the horizon.
He leaned forward and gently took her hands in his. "Look at me," he urged gently. It wasn't until their eyes were locked on each other that he continued. "You are going to be somebody so fucking important that everyone who ever thought they could put you down won't want to think about because it'll force them to think about how pathetic their own lives are. Don't ever fucking doubt that Rachel," he demanded. His voice was so low that it was nearly a growl.
She sniffled and chuckled awkwardly as she quickly swiped at her eyes. "I feel like every time I've seen you lately I've been crying."
"You kind of have," he told her smiling so that she knew it didn't bother him in the slightest. He reached up and wiped a stray tear that she had missed. His brows furrowed when he felt her body react to his touch.
Her eyes immediately locked onto the floor as she willed herself not to blush. She couldn't believe that she'd just shivered that way. It wasn't until she knew that she had her body in check again that she managed to look up again. She bit her lip when she found him staring at her intently.
"What did you do about the client you were on the phone with?"
"Oh shit," he muttered. "I completely fucking forgot to call them back."
She laughed softly as she watched him immediately pull out his phone. The moment the person on the other end answered he immediately launched into a slightly modified version of the story. In this one he didn't get suckerpunched by his former best friend, but instead tripped and nearly broke his phone.
- P - & - R -
"Jesse St. James speaking," he trilled with his usual dramatic flair.
He'd just finished a vocal lesson and was feeling particularly self-absorbed so he'd proceeded to go home and decide which headshot he should start carrying around with him. Nothing made him happier than looking at amazing pictures of himself. Well that and criticizing people to the point where they were nearly in tears, but were desperately attempting to hide it. That really made him happy too.
"Hey douche," Puck replied as he flopped back onto his bed.
He hadn't wanted to call Jesse. He really hadn't. Life without St. James busting his nuts worked for him. At least it did when Rachel was so fucking into Finn that her head was practically up his ass. Now that the two of them had parted ways and Puck had an actual shot with her, well now he was lost. He knew that he needed Jesse's help even if he didn't want to fucking admit it. So of course he called Sam and basically allowed him to take him into actually calling St. James.
Jesse grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Noah," he greeted stressing the "o" just enough that he knew Puck was probably rolling his eyes on the other end of the line.
"It's Puck."
"Rachel calls you Noah."
"Rachel also has fucking legs that go on forever," Puck reminded him. How they had developed some sort of Will and Grace like banter was really beyond him.
Jesse laughed quietly. "Touché," he agreed. "So I'm sure you didn't call just to chat though I always do find our conversations particularly scintillating. What's going on?"
"You haven't heard?" He asked surpised that Rachel hadn't informed Finn's biggest detractor of her news.
"Heard what?" Jesse asked suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation than his headshots.
"They broke up."
"No way," Jesse replied. He bit his lip to suppress the urge to grin and shout for joy just in case Puck was teasing him. He didn't put it past the former delinquent.
Puck smirked wishing that he could see the look on Jesse's face right then, "If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'."
"We are all technically dying unless of course you've discovered the ticket to immortality since I last saw you."
"I'm not fucking with you Jesse. They really broke up."
"When?"
"This afternoon," Puck explained. "Finn got a scholarship offer from SUNY-Stony Brook and wouldn't even consider it. Rachel and I got into a fight and I might have mentioned Finn's secret. She decided to grow a pair and confront him. It all went downhill from there."
"Did she slap him or anything?"
"We didn't exactly go into the details of the breakup. I'm a fucking man remember," he jokingly declared.
Jesse snorted loudly at Puck's declaration.
"He did suckpunch the shit out of me though," he added. "It was worth it though because Rachel finally is done letting him lead her wrong."
"So when are you going to make your move?"
"Who says I'm going to make a move?"
"Because a real fucking man would make a move especially after he fucking has been in love with a girl for almost two years," Jesse stated matter-of-factly.
Puck sighed noisily into the phone.
"Do you at least know how you're going to make your move?"
Puck didn't say anything. Instead he stared at the ceiling and silently prepared himself for Jesse's reaction.
He gasped loudly. "You don't even know how you're going to make your move."
"We both know that dating girls isn't exactly my strongpoint," Puck reminded him quietly. He gulped and was happy that he was by himself because he could feel his cheek start to redden. He rolled his eyes and ran his hand over his face, falling for Rachel had turned him into such a fucking girl.
Jesse nodded in agreement raising his eyebrows to punctuate the point. "I can't believe I'm going to say this but don't make a move."
"What?" Puck practically exclaimed in surprise. This was definitely not the advice he'd been expecting to receive.
"You've spent so long kind of chasing Rachel. Maybe you should let her chase you."
"Let her chase me?"
"Rachel is in love with you. She somehow doesn't see it. But it's pretty damn obvious that she is. Just keep doing what you're doing and I'll help her realize that the right guy has been waiting for her this whole time."
"What if it doesn't work?"
"It'll work," Jesse insisted. "I'm hurt you doubt me."
"If you're fucking with me St. James," he warned.
"Are you forgetting that I'm the one who sought you out and offered my guidance?"
Puck smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Work your grades and vocals," Jesse advised. "I'll do the rest."
"How long is this going to take?"
"Honestly I don't know, but you're going to apply to school on the East Coast and by the time you have an answer to where you're going to school you'll also have Rachel to kiss you senseless and celebrate with you."
"Are you sure you dig chicks?" Puck teased. "Because you know you and Hummel would have made a good couple."
Jesse blushed. He knew that Puck didn't know about his actual secret crush on Kurt, but still even having him joke about it made him feel self-conscious.
"Dude are you there? I was just kidding."
"I know," Jesse replied as he took a couple of deep breaths to calm his jittery nerves. "We agree that we'll keep each other posted?"
"Of course," he replied even though the thought of regular conversations with Jesse gave him a headache.
When they hung up the phone both of them without knowing actually took a moment to glance up at the ceiling and murmured that they hoped this shit actually worked.
- P - & - R -
AUTHOR'S NOTE: TADA! ANYONE WANT TO MEET ANNIE? THAT COULD BE ARRANGED. THERE ARE PROBABLY LIKE TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT IN THIS THING. THIS CHAPTER ACTUALLY SORT OF THREW ME FOR A LOOP. WEIRD SEEING AS I'M THE ONE WHO WROTE IT. HAHA. YOU SEE ORIGINALLY I WAS GOING TO HAVE JESSE GIVE PUCK ACTUAL ADVICE AS TO HOW TO WOO RACHEL, BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT MAYBE RACHEL NEEDED TO BE THE PURSUER IN THIS SITUATION. ANYWAY I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT. PUCK'S GOING TO BE SINGING A SOLO FOR RACHEL FAIRLY SOON. I WOULD LOVE SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHAT HE SHOULD SING! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! I HOPE TO HAVE ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT BY LIKE NEXT WEEK. CONVINCE ME TO MAKE THAT A REALITY BY REVIEWING AND INSISTING I GET IT DONE PLEASE. THANKS! - KRISTINE.