If you haven't read the A/N from 1 & 2, then I suggest you do so before you keep reading. I changed certain aspects of the story, and I don't want you getting confused about the name changes and attitude adjustment from the main characters.

-RCV

Rachel sunk down in the passenger seat the closer they got to the school. Her nerves were shot, and she was starting to regret coming back. Besides Puck, Rachel was adamant and purposeful about not letting anyone else know she was back in town. She didn't need or want undesired visitors stopping by while she was home. When she pointed out the school, Tori turned into the lot. Rachel watched the students, some familiar and some new, trek inside. Her gaze landed on a couple of red and white uniforms disappearing into the gym, and her stomach twisted. They weren't the ones she was hoping to see. As Tori searched for a spot, Puck jogged out and started waving his arms wildly, pointing to an empty spot next to his truck.

"Who is that?" Tori asked.

"My best friend, Noah, but everyone calls him Puck."

"I guess."

Tori honked at Puck to move, and he slid to the side as she parked. He waited for them to get out of the car. The moment he saw Rachel, he hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head.

"You two must be Tori and LJ," he said. "I'm Puck."

"Why?" Tori asked.

"My last name is Puckerman. Don't like being called Noah," he said.

"Fair."

Puck jerked his head at the school and said, "Welcome to Hell."

"Based on what I heard from Rae, it isn't as bad as our last school," LJ said, getting out of the car. "Slushies and insane cheerleaders were signs of a good Monday for us."

Puck scoffed and folded his arms. "Oh, come on, there's no way your old school is worse than McKinley," he said.

Tori blinked at Puck and locked the doors to the car. In the deadpan tone she was starting to be known for, she said, "Seniors poured bleach mixed with Pine-Sol on the heads of any student unlucky enough to show up to school on the last week. Our teachers get caught smoking weed in their cars before class, and some even get caught fucking on the back stairs during lunch. Our basketball coach put a camera in the girls' locker room and charged ten bucks for boys and teachers alike to peek at his footage after hours. LJ, the lovely brother that he is, paid the fee to see what it was all about and nearly got arrested for trying to attack the coach after he discovered I was the most watched student in the premium package. Imagine hearing that a sixty-year-old man recorded you and charged other men to jack off to you changing clothes."

Puck's eyes were nearly bugging from his head as he turned to Rachel. "And you went there for a whole year!" he exclaimed.

Rachel shrugged. Capitol Hall was quite possibly the worst high school in history. It made McKinley look like a private school. "All I will say is that I was most watched student number five, and I was the one who caught the teachers having sex. Mostly because I was skipping class and hoping I could hide out for an hour," she said.

"Who are you?" Puck whispered.

Rachel rolled her eyes and said, "I haven't changed."

Puck scoffed and threw his arm over her shoulder as they started to walk into the school. "Not changed? I saw you destroy a pepperoni pizza like you hadn't eaten in years when the last time I saw you, you were a vegan. You have on a pair of tight leather pants, some combat boots, and a cropped hoodie. Your hair is dyed light brown with blonde streaks, and you have on eyeliner. Don't stand there and tell me you're the same person. Honestly, seeing you today sealed it for me."

Rachel warily glanced at Puck as she asked, "Sealed what?"

He opened the door and said, "That you, Rachel Berry, are an enigma of epic proportions."

The moment she walked through the door, several eyes widened in shock, and she immediately made a left turn, heading towards the front office. Using the excuse that Tori and LJ needed their schedules, she shooed Puck away with a promise to meet him later. She kept her head down and walked quickly, only slowing when Tori called her name.

"What happened to the girl that was talking herself up in the mirror this morning? You know, the one hyping herself up? What happened to her?"

"She chickened out and went for coffee," Rachel muttered.

"You don't even drink coffee," LJ said. He then grabbed her arm, stopping their walk, and added, "What the hell is it with this school, this town, that turns you into a wallflower?"

"It's complicated, and I'm not a wallflower. I just want to finish this last year without interacting with many people and move on with my life."

"That's literally the definition of a wallflower," LJ said.

Rachel grunted and started walking back to the office. The conversation ceased for the moment, and she half-heartedly pointed out different rooms and places in the school. By the time they got to the front office, LJ was still confused as to why the Art club met in the science lab while the chemistry club met in the art room. Tori was too busy dreaming about the pool Rachel told her about, and Rachel was on the lookout for any familiar faces. She didn't want them seeing her before she was ready. Catching a glimpse of Tina and Kurt leaving the nurse's office, Rachel quickly hid behind LJ. They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice, and when they were gone, Rachel sighed in relief.

"Who were they?" LJ asked.

"Kurt and Tina," she muttered.

"Kurt is the gossipy one and Tina is the fake stutter one?" Tori said.

"Yes," Rachel sighed.

"Huh. I'm not impressed," LJ said.

"Just, come on," Rachel said, leading them through the main office.

"Who is the blonde lady glaring at us and coming at us like a train off the tracks?" LJ asked.

Rachel was confused. She glanced where LJ was pointing, seeing the one and only Sue Sylvester coming towards them. "Oh, fuck me," she groaned.

"Not really into that kind of thing, but whatever floats your boat," LJ joked.

"What- that's, shut up!" Rachel hissed. "I only meant that-

"You three, with me, in my office. Now," Sue interrupted, not once stopping her stride as she passed them.

Rachel groaned and grabbed their arms. "Trust me when I say she is not the type of person you want to annoy or disobey," she said.

"I got that from the tracksuit and choppy haircut. Quite progressive and conservative at the same time. I applaud the contradiction," LJ said.

"You would considering you've been rocking the same Danny Zuko leather jacket and jerry curl hair combo since we were in middle school," Tori pointed out.

The comment wasn't what caused Rachel to laugh. It was the look on LJ's face afterward, and it was that same laugh that caused two heads to turn in unison in their direction. When Sue opened her office door and ushered them inside, Rachel was the last one, and she just so happened to be the one responsible for closing the door. As she did so, her eyes met one pair of brown and one pair green. Rachel winked before she shut the door.

Santana and Quinn walked down the hall hand in hand. She would be the first to admit that their relationship took an interesting turn over the summer. They were usually quick to go at each other's throats, but that summer, their fighting became non-existent. They discovered it one day when Quinn walked in on Santana having a little meltdown. Their second clue was when they were drunk and shared a kiss. It was weird for them both.

"Where's your head?" Quinn asked.

"In the clouds."

"Tell me something I don't know," Quinn teased.

Santana stopped them and pushed Quinn into the lockers. She gripped her waist and bent down, whispering in her ear, "I want to take you against these lockers. Right here. Right now."

Quinn moaned under her breath and whined, "Not fair."

Santana nipped Quinn's neck and broke away. Quinn exhaled and the two continued their walk as if nothing happened. They turned the corner and saw Brittany at the end of the hall. Santana growled under her breath.

"You got to stop thinking about it, San," Quinn murmured. "It's been a year."

"Easy for you to say. She wasn't your girlfriend at the time," Santana said.

"True, but she did fuck my boyfriend at the time. So."

"Ugh. How'd you even know I was looking at her? I could've been looking at that weird kid with the shirt."

"You mean Sam?"

"Same thing."

Quinn snorted. "You're ridiculous," she said. "Come on, we have that meeting with Sue and we shouldn't be late."

"Right. Something about taking the new students around for the day?"

"Yeah. New students in Lima? It's probably some poor souls who got tricked by Sue into joining the cheerleading program."

"Or maybe blackmailed," Santana muttered.

The two made their way to Sue's office. No one said anything as they strolled through the halls. It was a new normal for McKinley, seeing Quinn and Santana as a duo instead of as a triplet. Brittany was off the squad and almost always with Kurt, Finn or Artie. They'd also left the Glee club. It was a shared belief that the amount of tension between Santana, Finn, Quinn, and Brittany would've suffocated the entire group, so they left. It was also a shared belief that had Rachel still been there, Finn wouldn't have gone after Brittany, and Santana wouldn't have gotten suspended, ruining her chances for a cheerleading scholarship. Quinn wouldn't have been at her house all those nights, keeping her company, and they wouldn't have grown that close.

They blamed Rachel for about two days, and then realized her leaving was the best thing that ever happened to them. And then, six months later, they realized that her leaving was the worst thing that ever happened to them. Sure, they missed performing, but they didn't think it was worth it without Rachel.

They didn't think a lot of things were worth it without Rachel.

"Hey, wanna make a bet? You think it's two girls, two boys, or-

The two stopped when a familiar laugh reached their ears. Santana looked at Quinn, and Quinn looked at Santana, and they both turned the corner. They stared directly into Sue's office as the door was closing. Startled brown eyes, so familiar and so foreign all the same, stared back at them and when the door shut, they could've sworn they saw her wink.

"Was that-

"Yeah."

"So we weren't dreaming?"

"Nope. That was most definitely Rachel Berry."

"Oh fuck."