A/N So from the rumours I've been hearing this story is pretty much going to be AU after tonights superbowl episode. On the plus side Finn's finally getting a clue though... this chapter is kind of short but it felt like a natural ending.

Thanks for all the comments

What you've missed on Glee – Finn dumped Rachel so she's gone off to LA to audition for a Disney TV series. She's been shortlisted for a part making Finn realise there's a good chance he could lose her for good. He's trying to hold on but she won't take his calls, that is until Puck steps in to save the day and knock some sense into his friend...

Don't own Glee or any of the characters – just using them temporarily

Chapter 11 – Lean on Me

Finn handed the phone back to the nervous looking freshman offering a distracted thanks. The kid looked surprised to actually get it back, stuffing it in his pocket before hurrying off to class.

Puck looked at Finn, eyebrows raised and hands out in silent communication. He just shook his head in reply.

"You blew it."

"Kind of I guess, I don't know. I mean she said she still loves me but she's not coming back."

"And that surprises you how?" Puck smirked. "I mean she's in freaking LA – it's like a million times better than this cow town. So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know – it's not like I can just drop everything and run after her. I mean I've got school and football and my mom would never let me go..."

"Boo-freakin-hoo, What are you, like 5?"

Finn didn't answer, turning on his heel angrily to walk to first period which he was now really late for. Puck wasn't giving up though, dropping into step beside him.

"You know what your problem is?" Puck said jumping in front of Finn to get his full attention. "You think the world owes you something, well guess what, you don't get jack unless you go after it. If you want Berry back then go after her, hell what have you got to lose? And I bet she'll be totally jazzed when you do – chicks dig that whole 'walk a thousand miles to be in your arm's' shit. Especially Rachel, she's a total sucker for a bit of attention and a few sweet words about how hot she is."

"Hey!" Finn said fronting up and pushing him backwards.

"Man if Rachel Berry was into me like she's into you," Puck returned pushing him back, "I'd be halfway to Hollywood by now so get over yourself. I'm doing this to help you. You can punch me out all you want but that ain't going to solve your problem."

Finn looked at him angrily but he knew Puck had a point and at the moment he was offering about the best advice he was going to get. As much as it annoyed him to admit it, Puck knew women, knew their motivations, their crazy logic, and knew how to get into their good books as well as their panties. He probably also knew the answer to the sixty-four thousand dollar question Rachel had thrown at him – why did she go home with Puck that day? As much as he didn't want to go there, he knew Rachel had a point, they weren't going to get anywhere until they understood each other.

"I just don't get it," Finn replied in frustration, "I mean she's the one that cheated on me and now I'm supposed to chase her halfway across the country and try and win her back? How does that work?"

"It's chick logic dude, that's the game and you just gotta know how to play it."

"Well it sucks," Finn stated. "I just wish I knew why she did it."

"See this is why history is important," Puck replied as if he was explaining math to his kid sister. Dragging Finn to the nearest table both boys took a seat on the top as their feet rested on the seat.

"If you're going to get this, we need to go back – way back. So last year you broke up with Rachel to go out with Santana right?"

"Yeah but it was like one date."

"Doesn't matter. The point is, you made the call that Santana was better than Rachel. Chicks remember stuff like that. So then she finds out that you actually slept with Santana and it becomes like you had a whole thing going on and that you think that it's more important being with a hot sexy chick than someone you're really into."

"Doesn't change anything - we weren't even dating when I slept with Santana and that was like ages ago. Rachel was over the whole thing about me going out with her."

"She probably was until she found out you actually slept with her, which you might have been able to smooth over if you hadn't then told Rachel that you still thought Santana was super-hot, which is so not the thing to say to your girlfriend by the way. So now she thinks you're still into Santana and she's wondering if you're fickle ass is gonna dump her again."

"That's stupid - why would I do that? I mean Rachel is super-hot and I totally lover her. I don't even like Santana."

"Have you ever told her that? 'Cos she seems to think you don't think she's sexy – mentioned something about how you hated her Britney Spears makeover..."

"Just because I don't like her dressing sexy doesn't mean I don't think she's sexy. I tell her she looks pretty all the time." Finn replied defensively

"Pretty?" smirked Puck. "That's what I say to my kid sister when she's heading off to temple. It's not what I say to my totally hot girlfriend whose panties I want to get into."

"She knows she totally turns me on – God the first time I kissed her I just about creamed my pants and man making out with her is like torture."

"Yeah totally," Puck mused his mind wandering.

Finn threw him a sideways glance slapping him on the arm. "Hey – you're not helping me here."

"Yeah right. So where were we?"

"You're explaining to me what the hell would make a nice girl like Rachel suddenly decide she wants to hurt me enough to make out with a douche like you," Finn replied flatly.

"Ok, so that would be you totally eye-fucking Santana in the hallway at school – Rachel saw the whole thing then practically dragged me out of there by my ear she was so pissed."

"What? I was not 'eye-fucking' her," Finn protested.

"You totally were," Puck smirked, "I saw it – I'm surprised you don't have her boobs and arse imprinted in your brain you were staring so long."

"Yeah well looking isn't doing –she actually went through with it," Finn grumbled.

"Look dude, if it had been anyone else she would have just hauled you out and put your balls on a plate for you and that would have been the end of it. But it's Santana."

"That shouldn't matter."

"So it wouldn't have made any difference to you if Rachel had just chosen to make out with some random dude and not me?"

Finn frowned, looking at his feet. He had a point.

Puck sighed, "In case you hadn't noticed Rachel is kind of Santana's favourite scratch pole and all those times you sat by and let S sharpen her claws on her just kind of reinforces that you have a soft spot for her. So for you to let Santana be the one to tell Rachel you did the nasty, in front of everyone and not say anything, just kind of nailed it. She was humiliated."

"Damn..." Finn said thoughtfully remembering what it had been like to find out Quinn had betrayed him in front of everyone. He hadn't said anything when Santana opened her big mouth because he didn't want to get into a fight with Rachel in front of everyone. Looking at it from her perspective it was pretty lame on his part.

"And that day Santana made sure Rachel saw you checking her out and then went up to rub it in – told her you'd bought her dinner after you had sex with her. Rachel was even more pissed because you never take her out for a meal."

"I only brought her a drive through burger before I dropped her home..."

"Yeah well whatever, could have been a four course meal for all Rachel knew."

Finn was silent for a long time, mulling things over in his head. "How do you know all this anyway?" he eventually asked noticing Puck getting fidgety beside him.

"Because we made out for like two minutes and then Rachel earbashed me for the next two hours – I mean your girlfriend's hot and all but it was so not worth it..."

In spite of everything Finn actually smiled at this punching his friend lightly on the shoulder. Puck was a total douche sometimes but he couldn't completely blame him for what had gone down, especially with what Puck had told him. Hell at least Puck had heard Rachel out, he hadn't even listened.

"So we're cool?" Puck asked raising a brow casually. Finn looked at him for a minute, as laid back as he seemed he knew this was important to him. Finn raised his fist in answer with a half smile, Puck's own fist meeting him in the middle as they bumped.

"Here take this," Puck said pulling a wad of cash out of his wallet. "It's enough to get you to LA at least."

Finn looked at him in shock. "I'm not even gonna ask how or why you're carrying that much money around."

"Boy scout rule – always be prepared," he replied with a wink. "And this is totally not guilt money – with or without me you would have messed it up anyway. This is just me helping out a bro'"

"You really like Rachel don't you?" Finn asked looking at him sideways.

"For a straight A student she's pretty badass. I mean she's not afraid to go after what she wants or tell it like it is and that's cool. You're going to have to man up if you're going to keep up with that."

Finn only nodded in reply, a plan already formulating in his mind as he pocketed the cash.