I don't react to celebrity deaths usually, almost never, but that's different today. So very different. Basketball became my favorite sport after watching the Lakers versus Celtics in '08. I watched Kobe make impossible shots and carry his team as far as he could. Then in 2010, I watched him do the same thing and will his team to victory. I legit cannot fathom the weirdness around this day. It's a lot. But, still... RIP to the GOAT and his daughter.

Live your lives, man. Don't take none of it for granted. Get fresh air. Get sunshine. Do it all. This world is not promised forever.

Much love to you guys,

RCV

Rachel, Santana, and Quinn flopped on their Queen mattress as soon as they walked into the hotel room. Clothes on and everything. The ride to Cleveland was fine until they hit traffic halfway there. Then there was the GPS malfunctioning once they got into the city. Then it was three cranky, hungry, and tired women in the car arguing about where they wanted to eat. Then it was a problem with their check-in, the woman at the counter was a new worker and had somehow messed up their reservation. Something they didn't know, that Quinn "forgot" to mention, was that she was a prime member of the hotel chain. In short, they were upgraded to the last available suite. They got their bags sent up, free room service throughout their stay, and a beautiful view of the city. It worked out in the end, but it took them far too long to get there. Rachel sleepily pulled out her phone as it started to ring for the third time that night.

"'ello?" she answered.

"Are you safe and sound in your bed?"

"Yes, Dad," she sighed.

"Are Quinn and Santana behaving?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Are you tired?"

"Yes. Dad."

"Want me to go now?"

"Oh for...please let me get some sleep and I will call you tomorrow," Rachel gritted out.

There was a chuckle on the end of the line before Leroy said goodnight and hung up the call. Rachel had closed her eyes for the second time when her phone rang again. She glanced at the screen, saw it was Kurt, and denied the call. She turned off her phone and threw it on top of her suitcase.

"We need rules. Bedroom rules," Santana said.

"Excuse me?"

"Not what she means," Quinn sighed. "Santana is a cold hotel room, burrowed under the covers type of person. I'm a warm room with as little clothes as possible type of person."

"Then how do you two sleep together?"

"We, uh, don't really sleep in the same room."

Rachel leaned up on her elbows. "You two don't sleep in the same room?" she asked. "Are you serious?"

Santana scratched her nose and said, "She sleeps in the guest room."

"But you two made it sound like you guys were always sleeping together."

"We don't tell people because then they'll start asking why and make assumptions and start rumors. It's easier to lie."

"So..."

"So, we need you to break the tie," Santana said. "Cold or warm?"

"I sleep in the nude."

The confession caused both Quinn and Santana to rise in unison. Rachel shrugged and moved into a cross-legged position.

"One more time?" Quinn asked.

"I sleep in the nude. It's something that started when I was a freshman. I don't know why I just do."

"That's...something we should've known before hand."

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Because what?"

"Dammit Rachel you know why!"

"I mean, I didn't think it was a problem. It's never been a problem before. When Puck and I-

Rachel coughed and stopped talking. She scrambled off the bed and started rummaging through her luggage.

"When you and Puck...what?" Quinn asked.

"Have you guys seen my charger?"

"It's in your purse. But what were you saying about you and Puck?" Santana asked.

"I could've sworn I put it in my-

"Rachel."

She deflated and straightened up. She brushed her hair out of her face and slowly turned around. Santana and Quinn both had that 'you better tell us' look on their face that Rachel not only didn't want to see, but never wanted to see again.

"You and Puck...what?"

"Well, you see, there's been a weird gray area with where I've been staying after being kicked out of the house. Sure, sometimes I stay with Sue and Emma, or I'll stay in the motel with the family. But...I've been staying at Puck's place every other night or so since like...the day before you all sang to me. But it isn't what you think..."

"You trying to grab some clothes or what?" Puck asked. He kept his hand on her back as he escorted her to his room, and she let it slide knowing what he was protecting her from. Rachel kept her eyes on Puck, but she felt the eyes of his stepfather following them as they moved through the house.

"Yeah, just some pants and a couple of shirts," she said.

Puck gave a short nod and pushed her inside of his room, closing the door behind him quickly. He locked it, and they both waited. Sure enough, they heard footsteps, and the door handle rattled just enough that Puck reached for the bat near his dresser. Rachel sat on Puck's bed and held her head in her hands for a moment, but the footsteps walked away and they both relaxed.

"You shouldn't be staying here," Puck whispered. "Not with him around."

"You shouldn't be either," she hissed. "I'm only here for you."

"If Santana and Quinn found out-

"I know. Okay? I already know I have to tell them."

"Think they'll be mad?"

Rachel ran a hand through her hair. "They'll be furious. But you have to trust me that I'll keep you out of it. It's my decision."

Puck looked uncomfortable but he nodded. Rachel sighed and shook her head.

"You've got to get out of here, Puck," Rachel whispered. "You can't keep living like this."

"What about my Mom and my sister?"

"What good are you going to be to them if you're dead or in the hospital?"

Puck stomped to his closet and pulled out her trunk of clothes. He grabbed a duffel bag off the top and threw it on the bed. "You need to let me handle this, Rae," he said.

"I'm trying, but you and I both know it's getting worse. You can't keep hiding this from the others," she pleaded.

Rachel got off the bed and started going through her trunk. She pulled out a dress, some heels, and other things. She threw them in the duffel bag.

"They got their own shit to worry about. I'm not trying to add on to that."

"That's bullshit and you know it," she snapped. "You and I have been through too much shit for you to try and pull that over me. We're pretty much family at this point and you're smack dab in the middle of it just as I am. Don't think I don't notice the way you light up when Emma kisses your forehead and makes you dinner. Don't think I don't notice how Sue lets you help her with stuff around the house and how you two sneak off and smoke cigars in the shed. And don't think I don't know about you sleeping with Quinn after she got beaten by her father. I know you, Noah. I always have!"

"Then why can't you leave this alone!"

"Because you're my brother, my best friend! You've had my back in everything. You were the one who took me to the city to watch those illegal fights. You were the one who hooked me up with that belly button ring that got infected and you had to steal antibiotics for me. You're the one who knew from the beginning about my feelings for Santana and Quinn. You've had me when no one else did. I love you and I am tired of watching you put your life on the line for this family when they won't do the same for you."

At the end of her rant, Puck stepped up to her, towering over her, but she didn't back down. He had tears streaming from his red eyes, and Rachel was no better. They stood there for a tense minute before Puck broke.

"I can't leave them," he cried.

"You're not leaving them if they don't want to come with you," she said, cupping his cheek. "Noah, this isn't healthy or safe for you anymore. You're having night terrors. You're drinking again. You're doing drugs, and don't even try to deny it. You're slipping again. I can't and won't watch you do this a second time. I won't."

Puck cried into her shoulder and the height difference was awkward for them both, so Rachel sat on the bed. She held on to him and sighed. Her eyes drifted to the door and she saw a silhouette beneath the frame. It was small, too small to be his stepfather, but it wasn't his mother as she was at work. Rachel knew it was his sister, but she didn't have the energy or patience to think about why she was eavesdropping on their conversation. Puck pulled back and sniffed, wiping his nose on his shirt.

"You talk a big game with Santana and Quinn. How do you think they'll react to knowing you sleep practically naked in my bed?" he teased.

"First, you and I sleep with pillows in between us. Second, I'm hoping that part never comes out," she muttered.

"And when you three finally sleep in the same bed?" he asked.

Rachel winced. "Yeah. I'm still working it out."

"And that's...the end of it," Rachel said.

Santana glanced between Rachel and Quinn. "Am I the only one who's stopped sleeping in the same bed with Puck?" she asked.

Quinn turned red. "It was only for one night. I was in too much pain to sleep and he laid there with me until I got comfortable," she said.

"This is insane." Pause. "That bastard has seen you naked before us!" Santana exclaimed.

Rachel and Quinn glared at Santana, who shrugged un-apologetically.

"Anyway," Quinn said. "That still doesn't answer the question about how we sleep tonight."

"Wait, you guys are over me and Puck? Just like that?" Rachel asked.

"Hell no," they said in unison.

"We're just too tired to fight you about it," Quinn said.

"Fine. But...to answer your question, I prefer it cold," Rachel said.

"Ugh."

"Booyah. Cold room wins."

LJ walked down the street with Tori. Sure, it was dark out, but it was better than being in that motel room. It was beginning to get stuffy and depressing. He looked from the corner of his eye and counted the number of times Tori would start and stop a conversation. He made it to ten before he grabbed Tori by the elbow.

"Speak before you work yourself into a panic attack," he said.

"I like Puck," she blurted.

"Okay."

Tori blinked. "That's it?"

"What do you want me to say? You can't like him? You can do better? I mean, I could say that, but we both already know you can't do better."

"Rude," she mumbled.

"I'm kidding," he said. "I don't know what to say. I know nothing about him, but he has the same demons floating around his eyes like you do, so I guess there could be something there. I'm rooting for your happiness always."

"Demons? What demons?"

"He has demons."

"No, I meant about me. I don't have any demons."

"Tori-

"No, LJ. I don't," she scoffed. "I'm as I've always been."

LJ frowned. "No, you aren't," he said softly. "You've changed."

Tori rolled her eyes and tried to walk away, but he didn't let her. He pulled her back and she moved out of his grip.

"You're being ridiculous," she said.

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are!"

"You're still running."

"Shut up."

"No. I'm tired of shutting up. I might tease you and crack jokes, but I'm your brother and I love you. What happened will catch up to you so why do you keep dodging it?"

"Because I don't want to talk about it," she exclaimed. "I want to bury it with everything else!"

"That's not how life works."

"Fuck life!"

"That's dramatic, even for you."

Tori huffed and rubbed at her face. "Do you know how hard it is for me to fight these urges?"

"No. But I've watched you hide them for the last three years. So has Mama. We know what you like to do. Hell, we've seen you in action. Do you not remember that turkey from Thanksgiving?"

"It was already dead," she whined.

"You sliced that turkey so damn thin that it was almost professional. My point is, we know your thing with knives and...skin. It's creepy as hell, but we know you wouldn't do it unless the person deserved it. You're like our Dexter. Equally morally compromised but more capable to live in society."

Tori shot him a withering glare.

"I'm just saying. If you like Puck, go for it. You deserve to be happy after that fucker Ryan Fryer."

Tori's face shifted. "Don't," she said.

"I'm just saying. I want my sister back. The real Tori, the one that used to pick me up and drop me into the pool when she felt like I was reading too much. The one who used to buy me different liquids and make me create a new element so we could be rich. The one who would keep me awake at night so I could study and be at my very best because she didn't want no stuck-up rich kid taking my place. That Tori."

"What if she's gone?"

LJ put his finger in Tori's face and nearly spit out his words, "She isn't, and you fucking know it. She's still there. The one who's a damn good swimmer, a talented musician, an intelligent thinker, and a beautiful soul who got fucked over by someone she loved. And, yeah, I know, what happened between you and Ryan wasn't fair, but it happened. It happened and it fucked up everything, I get it. Trust me, I get it. But for months, I watched my sister turn into this cold-hearted bitch when she is something so far opposite that it's scary. I love you, Tori, so much, but I'm sick of playing this game. You're something special and I want you to start acting like it. Okay? Just please, come back to me. I can't do this anymore and I- I want my big sis back so bad. Please."

Tori looked away and folded her arms against her chest.

"Tori, look at me," he pleaded.

She didn't.

"Tori, please."

Still nothing.

"Goddamnit, Victoria, look at me!"

When she finally turned her head, LJ's heart fell into his stomach. She looked exactly like she did the night she found out about Ryan.

Broken.

So, LJ did the only thing he could: he held her. He held her longer and harder than he ever did. His sister wasn't that much taller than Rachel, so she fit in his arms easily. He kissed the top of her head and her sobs were so loud against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Tor. I'm sorry," he whispered.

Tori kept crying. And he kept holding on.

Santana scrolled through her phone while Quinn devoured the rest of the macaroni and cheese. Her blonde was a black hole, and it was concerning how much food she ate on a consistent basis. The bathroom door opened and she looked up briefly but did a double take when she saw what Rachel had on.

"Now that is not fair," she said.

Quinn abandoned her food and said, "Is that what you're sleeping in?"

Rachel ran her hands down the black nightie and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Is it too much?" she asked.

"Not at all. We just...didn't expect it," Santana finished lamely.

Rachel laughed and crawled onto the bed. Santana took up her left side. Quinn ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her hands before she was back and taking up Rachel's right side. Santana turned off the light and they curled together. Legs intertwined and Rachel stared at the ceiling for a long time. She felt something click into place, and when she closed her eyes, she slept through the entire night.

The first time in a long time.

Emma carefully put back the ice cream she'd been eating when her backdoor opened. She yelped and spun around, spoon in hand. Tori and LJ looked at her in amusement.

"It's nine in the morning," LJ said.

"So?" Emma huffed. "I wanted ice cream."

Tori snickered and put her hands in her hoodie pocket. She cleared her throat. "Is Puck here? We know he isn't going to school today," she asked softly.

"I should not be letting you all skip this much," she grumbled. "But no, he is not. He went home and hasn't returned."

"Really? I thought he was avoiding his house?" LJ said.

"Me too. But he left last night after the girls left. Hasn't been back since."

Tori shifted. "Is that not...sitting well with anyone else?" she said.

"Huh. Maybe we should call?" Emma asked slowly.

LJ pulled up Puck's name and clicked on his number. It went straight to voicemail.

"It went to voicemail," he said.

"We're not going to freak out, right?" Tori asked. "Like he's fine, right?"

"Um, sure," LJ said. "Let's just do a drive by. Just in case."

"You two go over and call me if anything seems off," Emma said. "None of us need this stress, but they would kill us if we let anything happen to Puck while they were gone. I know he can take care of himself, but still."

"You know where he lives?" Tori asked.

"I'll text you the address."

LJ and Tori left the house. Emma sent the address and said a quick prayer. If not for Puck's sake, for Rachel's.

LJ and Tori saw Puck's truck outside of his house. They shared a look and kept driving down the street. They parked a few doors down and walked back. When they got close, they saw Puck go flying from the front door. A large man in a tank top and ratty shorts came stumbling out with a bat in hand. Puck had his hands covering his face. LJ moved before Tori even blinked.