Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Ok, so. It's been hella long since I have posted last, but this chapter is super long, so hopefully no one will be angry with me! Reviews are where it's at, so do that even if you just want to, like, talk about Phineas & Ferb, cause I love those guys...

"I know something happened with you and Rachel." I said as Noah handed me a soapy dish.

Noah froze, mid-motion, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." I said and dropped the subject. Pushing a topic wasn't my style. If someone didn't want to tell me something, that was their choice.

Even though I was itching with curiosity and I wanted to beg Noah to tell me, I just couldn't. I liked to know what was happening, sure; gossip is a part of nature. It just didn't seem right to force it.

"So, what should we do tonight?" I asked.

"I don't know, Claud." Noah grumbled.

"What's your problem?"

"I'm sick of doing stuff. Can we just sit at home and watch old movies?"

"The Breakfast Club?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm totally Judd Nelson." He replied in agreement.

(Rachel)

I was both dreading and hoping that Claudia would cancel our plans for the night. We had agreed last night, after the last round of Apples to Apples, before the bad horror movies (and kissing Noah in the half light of Claudia's bedroom), to go see a movie both of us had wanted to see.

I was afraid that Noah would either join us at the theater, or that Claudia would attempt to ask me about what had happened with him. I saw her watching me when I entered the living room, and I noticed the way Cyle had been looking between Noah and I.

When Claudia had sat next to Cyle and whispered to him, I was afraid that he was going to tell her about what he had seen. He had, however, rebuffed her and continued to watch the movie that was playing.

My phone vibrated on my desk and I eagerly opened it.

*Sorry Rachel, but I'm not feeling up to it tonight, I'm just going to hang with the fam tonight. I'll text you later and we'll make plans.*

A relieved sigh escaped my lips.

*It's not a problem. I would also like to spend some time with my family. I will contact you tomorrow. Goodnight.*

Claudia didn't reply and I felt as though a thousand pounds had been lifted off of my chest. I was safe for at least another day.

I wasn't sure why I was so upset about what had happened. Noah was a very attractive young man. Albeit, he was crass and rude, but it seemed as though he was more in touch with his human side than I had ever known. I decided it was because I didn't know him that well, and I was uncertain of what, exactly, I was getting myself into.

Maybe it would be worth finding out. I thought to myself.

(Noah)

I just needed sometime to think. I didn't know why I had kissed her. It's not like I was embarrassed or anything. I mean, come on, look at me. I'm a stud. I could wear a dress to school and people would think it was cool.

Maybe I wasn't the only one who felt like two different people. I wasn't a douche-y jerk here, and it seemed totally possible that Rachel Berry wasn't a loud, show-choir freak.

I stretched as the movie ended and looked at Claud, sleeping on my bed. Which was actually the couch in the living room, but whatever.

"Claud." I said, poking her in the leg. "Get off of my bed."

Claud mumbled something I couldn't understand and I poked her again.

"If you don't move I'm going to sleep in your room."

"Carry me." she said, as she repositioned her head on her hands.

I sighed and lifted her bridal style off of the couch. As I lay her on the covers I heard her mumble, and I heard my name.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I think I was wrong." She said.

"How's that?"

"Maybe, you can be two people, but I'm afraid it might tear you apart. I think you'll have to choose one, before you break forever." she said sleep tainting the gravity of her words.

"Go to sleep." I commanded.

"Snuggle with me. I'm lonely in this big bed." she sighed.

I looked at the queen-sized bed that consumed most of the room, and thought it would be hella more comfortable than the couch.

"Move over." I said.

I wrapped Claud in my arms and twined my fingers with hers.

"Who do you think you'll choose?" Claudia asked.

"What?"

"Noah or Puck?"

"I don't know yet. Do I have to choose right now?"

"Yes."

I could tell that she wanted me to say one and not the other. Her breathing was becoming less rhythmic as she came out of her haze of sleep.

"Noah." I said. "I'm going to choose Noah. Now go to sleep."

That seemed to make her happy and her breathing began to deepen again as she fell into a heavy sleep.

Honestly, I didn't know if I could choose. It scared the shit out of my that I even had to.

(Claudia)

I wasn't surprised to find Noah in bed with me. It happened sometimes, when I was half asleep and feeling lonely. We had our backs pressed against each other and the morning light was filtering though the windows.

I heard Noah stir and felt him stretch against me.

"Good morning." I greeted.

"Morning." He mumbled in reply.

"Do you feel better today?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess."

We lay in silence, almost falling back to sleep.

"You like Rachel. I know you do."

Noah didn't even respond.

"I'm only worried that if you act on it, you might hurt her when you get to Lima. I know that it's different for you here, but it's hard to change overnight. I was wrong. You can be two people. I'm just afraid that if it happens for too long, you'll break."

Something like deja-vu washed over me. Noah lay still next to me.

"It's still up to you, though. It's a fool who looks for logic in the chambers the human heart, after all."

Noah, still silent, rolled out of the bed and left the room to let me get dressed.

Noah and I both had work today, so after our three mile run I dressed in my best jeans, with little studs on the back pocket, and a cute orange top with a white jacket over it.

When I opened my door, Noah was at the fridge in a dirty t-shirt and even dirtier jeans.

We laughed at each other and he handed me an apple from inside of the fridge. When I went to work fashion was important, but Noah just got blood and guts everywhere.

"You almost ready to go, cousin?" I asked.

He popped his neck and said, "Yep."

"That was awful. Don't do that anymore." I cringed.

He popped his knuckles. "Do what?" he smirked.

"You are such jerk. Get in the car before I leave your ass."

Noah and I walked down the steps towards my little car and Noah plugged his ipod into the console.

(Noah)

I really liked when Claud and I could sit in silence on our way to work or jam out to some rockin tunes.

Today was a Sublime kind of day.

I gave her all that I had to give
She still wouldn't take it, whoa no!
Her two brown eyes are leaking like salty tears
It still ruins her makeup and never want to give

Wrong Way was blasting out of the speakers as Claud turned the corner to the meat house. We sang loudly and danced as best as the seat-belts would allow, and these were the days I loved best.

Days where I could just let completely loose and be crazy ans silly and exist. It didn't matter if my 'favorite' pastime was tossing that gay dude into a dumpster, or tipping over a port-a-potty with the wheelchair kid inside.

Claud did that. She left me forget all of the stupid, and mean things the I can do and she lets me be whatever I want to be. Maybe she pushed me in a better direction a little bit, but I didn't really mind.

Claud was silly and crazy and I loved that about her. (She loved that about her too.) She never let herself regret her decisions. She always saw the best part of every situation, and I mean every single one.

Last summer, Claud and I had been driving from Lander, a little town about 30 miles away, when we ran out of gas.

Wyoming is notorious for dead zones. You can literally go from end of town to another and lose three bars of service. That's four miles, people.

We couldn't get a signal to call anyone, so we had to walk the last ten miles to town. It kind of sucked because we knew it was going to rain. The sky had gotten dark and cloudy and the wind started to rise and whip around our faces.

It was awesome because We jammed out to our ipods, sharing songs with each other and laughing about the lyrics. It didn't matter that walked six miles before it started to rain or the we walked another two before someone had the heart to pick us up and give a ride to a gas station and back to the car.

We just did what ever we could to be happy in that moment, and she does that all of the time.

I waved goodbye to Claud as she drove off to work and I turned to greet Ted.

"Hey, man."

"Sup, gangsta?" He replied flashing imaginary gang signs.

(Claudia)

I cracked my neck and cringed at the popping sound that it made, pushing through the door that lead to the store I prepared my best smile. It was sometimes hard to work with people the way that I did.

I love my job, I do. It just gets hard to deal with people after a while.

Before I could even take three steps I smacked into a small body. I grabbed them and steadied them while I leaned hard against the door-frame.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going. I was just trying to find a dressing room and I saw that there was one over there and I just thought that I could—"

"It's no problem." I said. "Can I get your name and I'll get a room for you."

"Oh, Claudia." The body said as it picked up a couple of things that had fallen during our crash.

I laughed and took a few things from her hands. "Hey Rachel. I knew you missed me last night, but I had no idea..."

Rachel only smiled sheepishly and ground her toe onto the carpet.

I took the rest of the hangers from her hands and said, "Let me get you a dressing room."

(Rachel)

I was so embarrassed for running so blindly into Claudia, but she just laughed it off and set my things neatly in my room, separating the tops and bottoms and the folded items, and making idle chatter.

"I want to see everything." She said firmly, but there was still laughter in her eyes. "If I'm not waiting for you, you come and find me."

I smiled in agreement and closed the door to my room. As I was finishing the first outfit, I heard the little plaque that on the door rattle as Claudia wrote my name on it. I took a good loom at myself in the mirror and opened the door.

Claudia gave a low whistle. "You look good. I like it."

"Really?" I asked, turning to see my backside in the tiny white shorts.

"Definitely. You have legs for days."

I laughed. "What do you think of my top?" I asked. It was a deep purple strapless top with horizontal stripes down the length and palm trees silk-screened on it. It accentuated my shoulders and hugged my minimal curves perfectly.

"Cute, and we have a pair of sandals that look adorable with that outfit."

I spent the next two hours trying on countless sizes in different outfits. She didn't ask me once about Noah or what had happened the other night. I wanted to tell her, she was the closest thing I had ever had to a friend. She might actually be one.

That thought scared me a little bit, because it was kind of sad that I was 16 and I had never had a real friend before, and because I had never had someone to rely on before. I wasn't even sure that I was capable of such a thing.

I could tell that Claudia was very good at her job and that she loved it. I watched her as she helped not only me, but three other people in the dressing rooms and several others in the rest of the store.

She knew how to make someone feel confident in their choices and she walked such purpose.

If she wasn't already my friend, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she would be someday.