A/N: I upped the rating to M because I really do use an awful lot of crude language, especially writing Puck.
...
Rachel skipped breakfast entirely Wednesday morning, barely even waking up to her alarm clock at 6 and definitely too sore to drag herself to the elliptical. She rolled over, smacked her snooze button, and went back to sleep. She dragged herself out of bed by the grace of God with just enough time to shower, stretch out her sore muscles and head to school for the day, not even bothering to check her backyard this time or to even go into the kitchen. No use pretending like she was going to eat breakfast when her stomach was already in knots and the day hadn't even started yet.
There was no note in her locker that morning and she wondered if it was because this mystery person had somehow gotten her phone number and didn't need to handwrite notes when he could just text her his creepy prank messages. Assuming it was a male perpetrator and not one of the Cheerio girls. However, when she closed her locker and spun around to head to her first class, Finn was standing against the opposite wall with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
"Hey," he said when she looked at him. His voice was low and mournful, his eyes downcast like a sad puppy. She felt her heart tug. She held tight to the anger she could feel melting away at his wounded look. He didn't look like he'd been sleeping well at all and his shoulders were hunched down like he was trying to make himself smaller. It was sad and Rachel felt bad. Who knew the word 'Hey' could be so heavy?
"Good morning, Finn," she replied not moving down the hallway and away from him as she had initially wanted to. It made her feel uneasy. Like he had some kind of hold over her.
"Look...can we talk, Rach? Please?" he implored insistently, his voice strained. "I just want to talk."
"I don't know, Finn." Her legs were starting to ache just standing there. She really wanted to get to her first-period class and sit down but Finn was gazing at her with such longing and sorrow that she was rooted in place, still feeling uneasy. She honestly didn't know if she trusted herself not to immediately give in to him if he expressed a true, sincere, apology.
"I won't mention Puck. I promise," he swore, looking incredibly serious.
Rachel found herself nodding before she really had time to deliberate over whether or not it was a good idea. If they weren't fighting over Puck, they could be civil, right? It didn't mean she was going to take him back and it certainly didn't mean he was absolved. "Okay, I'm listening."
"Right," he nodded and then paused. He silently pulled his hands from his pockets and rubbed them on his jeans, opened his mouth...and then closed it again. He frowned and looked to the side, as though he were trying to find the right way to say what he wanted to. He opened his mouth again. "I…" he snapped his mouth shut and sighed, toeing at the linoleum.
"Finn, I have to get to first period soon," she sighed, glancing up at the clock anxiously.
"I know. It's just...I'm trying to apologize, you know that," he added petulantly.
"Maybe, but you're apologizing to me, so why should I give you the words to say?" Rachel retorted. "I'm not going to make your apology for you to myself, that's ridiculous."
"I'm really torn up about this, Rach," he told her, his voice scratchy. "I never wanted to lose you, especially to something stupid like this."
"This is not stupid, Finn!" Rachel hissed, taking a step back away from him.
"No, I didn't mean that, of course, it's not stupid that you're mad about what I did to Santana. What I did was stupid and I'm mad at myself because you broke up with me for it." Finn sighed. "I just want us to go back to how things were, Rach, what can I do to fix this? Tell me and I'll do it."
Her heart melted just a little bit, but not enough to assuage her anger. "I don't know, Finn. I don't even know if this can be fixed." She sighed, looking up at the clock again as the first bell rang. "Excuse me, I have to go to first period," she added gratefully, grabbing the handle of her trolley bag and making her escape down the hallway.
In the middle of her third-period class, she got a text message from the same missing number and she immediately stuffed her phone back into her bag without reading it. When lunch rolled around, her curiosity won out and she opened her phone, hovering over the message before selecting it. It was an audio file, about song length and she felt an uncomfortable jolt through her stomach. She skipped the noisy lunchroom entirely and shut herself in the choir room for some quiet so she could listen in peace.
She clicked on the song and waited a couple of seconds for it to download before it would open and play. When it started, she listened intently to the lyrics. The only reason to send someone a song through text message was to tell them something and she wanted to hear it. The more she listened, the more she kind of wished she hadn't been so curious.
You're out there
I hear you calling from behind... the star fields
I feel you
Radiating energy like... eternal northern lights
Far from the sun
Where no one knows
I've watched you from
My telescope
She shivered at the implication, her throat tightening imperceptibly and her skin tingling.
I will travel the distance in your eyes
Interstellar light-years from you
Supernova: we'll fuse when we collide
Awaking in the light of all the stars aligned
I see you
Washing over me across the sky
Overcoming
Projected on my eyes eternally
I find you in the night
Far from the sun
Where no one knows
I've watched you from
My telescope
I will travel the distance in your eyes
Interstellar light-years from you
Supernova: we'll fuse when we collide
Awaking in the light of all the stars aligned
I will find you…
These words repeated over and over for a moment. "I will find you", that simple phrase was terrifying in the context of the song she was listening to. Definitely not as reassuring as it was probably meant to have been.
I will travel the distance in your eyes
Interstellar light-years from you
Supernova: we'll fuse when we collide
Awaking in the light of all the stars aligned
For just a moment, Rachel considered going home and skipping the second half of the day. She couldn't make her heart stop racing and she was now, more than ever, convinced that this was some gross prank deliberately thought out to torture her. What better way than to get to Rachel Berry than through music? she thought sarcastically. It didn't change the fact that her skin was chilled and her feet were practically shaking, making her legs ache. She felt sick to her stomach and she didn't think a pep talk was going to work this time. She needed a distraction. She couldn't give in and give these pranksters what they wanted, which was her fleeing with terror, probably.
Her phone alerted her to a new text message and with shaking hands, she picked it up and looked, despite the gnawing feeling in her stomach.
'Did you like your song?'
How did they know she waited until lunch break to listen to it? Unless they realized she wasn't at lunch. She nearly dropped her phone as she tried to type out a response with numb, unresponsive fingers.
'How did you get my number? Who is this?'
She furiously stabbed the send button with her finger and slumped back against her chair, trying to catch her breath. The adrenaline spiking through her body was making it difficult to loosen the knot wrapped tightly around her chest.
'You don't need to know that yet. Just know that I'm here and I'm watching.'
She didn't know how to respond to that and so she didn't. With a frustrated rumble, she shoved her phone into her bag and faltered as she stood from her seat. The only other place she had to go now would be to the lunchroom for the rest of the period and this prankster, whoever it was, had made it perfectly clear that they had been watching her yesterday during lunch. She couldn't go into that room, knowing that someone might be able to read the unrest on her face.
Deciding it would be best just to remain in the choir room, she wandered over to the piano absently plucking at the keys until she found herself mimicking the melody of the song she'd just been listening to. Immediately she slammed her hands on the keys, creating a loud dissonance. Once again her chest was heaving and she gripped the edge of the bench as she tried to catch her breath.
Maybe the piano wasn't the best choice, she reasoned as she moved away. She fell into a steady pace across the room, murmuring things out loud to distract herself; like what song she planned on singing and which day she wanted to pick to do her song. She rearranged the chairs on the risers twice before she could leave them alone and she'd never been more thankful to hear the period ending bell.
Hopefully, classes would prove to be a better distraction.
…
They didn't.
…
Rachel kept her breathing slow and shallow as she approached her house, feeling like she'd hyperventilate if she tried to breathe too deeply. Her palms were already so damp with sweat that her keys nearly dropped to the ground as she moved a shaking hand to unlock the door. She locked it behind her immediately. Her shoes were toed off with haste but straightened immaculately by the door before she moved into the kitchen automatically. It was like a magnet was pulling her toward the window to look outside. When she didn't see anything out there, she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She opened the fridge and selected a suitable meal, considering she'd missed lunch… and several meals before that… in fact, Rachel was pretty sure the last thing she'd eaten had been at lunch the previous day with Santana and Brittany.
Her stomach was still churning uncomfortably though and she'd only gotten halfway into her sandwich before her stomach started to hurt and a sinking feeling crept up the back of her throat. She groaned and put the sandwich down, focusing on controlling her breathing and settling her stomach before she ended up sick.
Homework didn't take as long that night and by five she was already out of assignments to complete and she was already a couple of chapters ahead on the reading. Not that she minded a review of course, but it just didn't seem like something that would hold her interest at the moment.
After standing in the room for several minutes, looking at everything with serious contemplation on what would distract her the most, she settled on her video camera and her computer. She hadn't done a music video in a while, mostly due to shutting down her Myspace account when the site itself became a joke. She'd, of course, joined the growing Facebook trend, but she never really posted videos there. Because of the comments.
It didn't take her long to set everything up, though. She spent some time doing her make-up and picking a 'stage' outfit. She already had the perfect song in mind, probably due to years of conditioning to have a number on the drop of a hat for any occasion.
"Close your eyes, little girl. You're a princess now. You own this world." She sang into the camera. "Twirling in your twirly dress, you're the loveliest. Far above the rest." She felt her face twitch as she pushed her sadness down. "You build your castles in the skies, stars reflecting off your eyes. And angels sing on silver clouds and no one cries, screams, or shouts."
Her hand curled into a fist at the front of her shirt as she turned her face away from the camera.
"Oooh set apart this dream, oooh set apart this dream for me, set apart this dream...for me." Rachel took a deep, steadying breath and exhaled the hurt that was squeezing her insides as she sang. "Close your eyes, pretty girl, cause it's easier when you brace yourself. Set your thoughts on a world far off, where we only cry from joy…"
A tear slipped down her cheek, her face crumpling slightly as she powered through an extra set of the chorus instead of slipping in the bridge. Once the song wound down, she turned the camera off, transferred the file to her computer, and set about editing it so that she could post it.
She tried to spend extra time really focusing on it, but once you're proficient at something, it never seems to take quite as long to do it. It was only after seven when the video was posted and her computer was abandoned because she couldn't just sit there. After an anxious check of her phone, she was relieved to see that there were no new text messages from the anonymous number. It made her feel better about going down to the kitchen, making dinner and watching a movie before doing all her normal wind-down routines for the night.
As the pan was heating, the olive oil popping, and the vegetables marinating; Rachel's phone chirped with a text message alert. Immediately feeling a thrill of fear, she snatched up her phone and stared intently at the display, which was lit up with a message notification, like it was mocking her. She slammed her phone down on the counter, probably more forcefully than she should have, but proceeded to ignore it while she finished her dinner.
The phone chirped again.
She ignored it harder.
Finally, it chirped one final time as she was loading her meal onto her plate and she nearly dropped the pan when she jumped.
Rachel's mouth was dry and her hands were shaking as she reached for her phone again. Three messages, all from the anonymous number. She couldn't ignore her racing heart anymore, or her insatiable curiosity. She opened the messages and scanned them, feeling like her heart was pulsating inside her throat and behind her eyes.
'I love watching you perform. I'll have that video on loop all night. [7:33 pm]'
'Still watching that video. I'm going to keep it on my phone. [7:40pm]'
'Aren't you even going to answer me? [7:48pm]'
Rachel nearly screamed out loud when her phone went off in her hands and another text message was added to the three she was scanning rapidly. Her eyes automatically took the words in, her brain still processing even as her face drained of color and her skin became chilled and tingly.
'I see you, Rachel. Enjoy your dinner. [7:52pm]'
She felt sick and her dinner was left forgotten on the counter as she ran through the house to check all of the locks thoroughly. Her phone was still clutched in her hand and she had half a mind to call someone - anyone - but she didn't want to be seen as weak for falling prey to a prank and she didn't want to be laughed at for being pranked so severely in the first place. It was all just harmless immaturity, she was sure. It didn't take away from the terror she was feeling and she applauded the prankster for being increasingly creepy and uncomfortable.
Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a loud banging on the front door like someone was trying to hammer their way in rather than get her attention. Anxiously, she crept down the stairs and stared at the door, hand reaching but her body was too frozen to actually grasp the knob. The banging stopped abruptly and after a couple of minutes, Rachel was able to peek out of the foyer window and onto the porch. There was no one there and there were no cars parked around except for her own. No one was there.
The window in the living room started to rattle and Rachel felt a whimper build in the back of her throat as she shrank away from the noise. This was her home, her sanctuary outside of school, and all of the torment that happened there. It was like they'd mapped out all of her weaknesses at once. The music, her vulnerability, the fact that she was alone this week due to busy parents who figured since she was senior she was practically a grown woman. She was terrified and she hated it.
Rachel only breathed again when the window in the living room stopped rattling, but the terror was only gone for a couple of minutes as the person outside kept trying to find new ways to get in. She could hear each window being tested and roughly rattled and she could do nothing but curl in the foyer against the wall and let the tears stream down her face. Each breath was a gasp and each sob was choked down to hide the noise. Desperately, she sent out a hopeful text to Noah.
'Please tell me you're pulling a prank on me.'
'Nope y? wait what did I do now?'
'Nothing. Never mind, Noah, have a good evening' Her hands shook as she sent the message, scolding herself internally for not demanding that he come over and save her from whoever was outside, but that seemed silly. It was just a prank after all. Besides, she didn't need Noah Puckerman to come and save her. Even if she was only five foot three and weighed roughly 115 pounds. Rachel Berry was a strong, independent woman and she could save herself. She was not some damsel in distress!
She flinched as the backdoor in the kitchen started rattling on its hinges. Whoever it was had scaled the fence and was in the completely private backyard. Darting to her feet, she shot a hesitant look at the kitchen before shooting up the stairs as fast as she could. When she got to her room, she threw the door closed and locked it behind her, panting against it for only a moment and ignoring the intense burning in her overworked leg muscles. With a sick feeling churning in her stomach, she lurched forward and grabbed her sturdy desk chair, stuffing it up underneath the handle for good measure.
For a full minute, Rachel stood in the center of her room, chest heaving and heart racing. She still had tears streaming down her cheeks in a steady, terrified flow. Her entire body shook as she took ragged breaths. Her light was just going to have to stay on. Whoever was outside would have seen it was on and she wasn't going to turn it out and risk them knowing where, exactly, she was in the house. Maybe she should have gone to her parent's room. Hers seemed like the obvious choice now. Maybe she should have gone to the basement…
Rachel's mind was going wild with 'should have's and 'what if's and she paced the room anxiously, throwing crazed looks at the door every once in a while; checking that the chair was still there and the door was still locked. After a couple more minutes, the various rattling and banging noises stopped and Rachel started to calm down slowly. Her legs ached and she shuffled over to her bed and slowly sank into the center of it, crossing her legs in front of her with a sigh. She was still way too amped to lay down and go to sleep, but it was only nine. Instead, she piled up her pillows and turned her small tv on, flipping through channels until she found something suitably distracting to watch.
Rachel wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep or just zoned out while watching the mind-numbing tedium of nighttime television, but when a loud banging started on the front door, her eyes darted to the clock and noted that it was just past midnight. It stopped abruptly and Rachel lay frozen, heart hammering against her chest and her breath caught in her throat. It didn't take long for whoever it was to get around the back of the house and scale the fence again because soon, Rachel could hear noises coming from the back of the house, where it was private and no one was likely to see.
She gasped and pulled the pillow against her ears and screwing up her eyes in an attempt to block out the noise that was terrorizing her. Maybe the prank had gone too far now? Maybe it was time to involve someone else to remind the prankster that it can only go so far. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and she turned up the volume on the TV without opening her eyes.
…
Rachel woke Thursday morning to the sound of her bedroom doorknob jiggling softly. Immediately, she noticed the sunlight pouring through her blinds, but it did nothing to put her at ease. Her heart jumped into her throat and began to race uncontrollably. She pressed herself into her bed, trying to disappear into the comforter and holding her breath as if that would somehow make her invisible. With the chair shoved under the door, Rachel was sure she'd be able to get out of her bedroom window before the intruder made it into the bedroom, but she couldn't get her body to move.
"What the fuck, Berry. Do you have a chair in front of your door or something?" Noah's demanding voice broke through her adrenaline haze, leaving her feeling jarred and deeply shocked. What was Noah Puckerman doing outside of her bedroom door? Still, her body flooded with relief and she felt the knot in her chest loosen, the lock on her muscles seemingly disappearing.
"Noah, how did you get into my house?" Rachel frowned from her bed, staring at her closed and locked door incredulously.
"Dude, you totally keep your spare key under the porch." He laughed easily.
She shot up out of her bed like a flash, her feet barely even touching the ground as she launched herself at her bedroom door. With unnecessary force, she ripped the chair away and it tumbled across the room. She could hear Noah's noise of surprise and worry even as she was throwing the door open. As startled as he looked, she knew she must have had a wild look on her face.
"How long have you known about that?" Rachel demanded, marching forward. He backed up into the hall with wide eyes, raising his palms in surrender. She didn't give him the chance to answer before carrying on. "Who else knows about it?"
"Whoa. Dial back the crazy, Berry," he said, his voice sounding more concerned than angry.
"Who else knows," Her voice was high-pitched and edging on hysterical.
"No one! I think. Probably. Maybe Finn? I mean, you two dated too, so he's probably seen you reach under there and get it." He stared at her blankly. "What is wrong with you?"
She was jarred out of her fear-induced haze by Noah reminding her that they'd dated for like...a week two years ago. "Oh right," she nodded and eased back slightly. "I need to put that somewhere else. Or just not have a spare key. Spare keys can be dangerous, you know. If the wrong person knew where to find it. What if someone wanted to burglarize my house? They'd have an easy in, wouldn't they? Spare keys are a ridiculous concept. Give me that," she snatched the key out of his hand and tossed it in her desk drawer. "I'll keep it there in case I need it but it's best not to keep it outside anywhere, right?" she turned back to him.
"You're being really intense right now. Should I like...call someone? I can call Kurt right now if you need me to." Noah shot her a hesitant look and backed up a couple more steps for good measure.
"Noah." She gave him a long-suffering sigh. "I am not being intense!"
"You are being super intense. It's uncomfortable." He retorted, folding his arms over his chest with a glower.
"Why are you even here? Breaking into my house and trying to open my bedroom door?" She threw back at him.
"I didn't break-in, I had the key." He smirked.
"That's not an answer."
"I was worried or whatever." He shrugged and looked away from her with a set jaw. "You texted me that weird-ass text and I didn't like it. Was there really a chair in front of your door?" He peered into her room at the overturned chair and stared off thoughtfully for a moment, the look in his eyes darkening. "Rachel, was someone here last night?"
"What?" she squeaked defensively, pulling away further into her room and wrapping her arms around her middle. The soft cotton of her tank top reminded her that she was still in her night things, which was only a tank top and cotton shorts. Noah was only kind of looking though, instead of blatantly ogling so she felt comfortable enough to let it go.
"You asked me if I was playing a prank and then you never really answered me when I said why; just ended the conversation. Didn't think much about it last night cause I was playing COD with Mike but now that I'm thinking about it, I can think of a lot of shit I could do that you would consider a 'prank'." His gaze hardened and he fixed her with a stern look.
"It was nothing, just someone pulling a prank." She shrugged uncomfortably. "Rattling doors and banging on the windows. I ignored it and went to bed." she lied.
"With a chair shoved under the door," he muttered.
"It was nothing, Noah. Teenagers being teenagers. I'm fine, but thank you for being worried," she smiled at him. "Would you like breakfast?"
"Uh...yeah. Definitely."
"So...why did you come in the house and upstairs instead of knocking on the front door?" she asked as she led him down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"I had all kinds of weird bullshit scenarios running through my head when I got here." He shrugged moodily as if admitting that he cared hurt.
"That's cute, Noah. Breaking and entering is not. You scared me half to death when I woke up to you rattling my bedroom door." She pulled open the refrigerator and pulled out some cut up fruits and cold oatmeal.
"My plan was only flawed because of that stupid chair," he replied.
"Right, I would have been less terrified if I'd have woken up to you in my bedroom?" She arched an eyebrow at him. "Heated or cold?"
"Heated. Okay, you're right, it was a stupid plan but I was like...coming to the rescue and shit. I'm a hero." He puffed out his chest as she rolled her eyes and put a pan on the burner, heating the stove before pouring the oatmeal in. After a couple of moments of silence, he sighed and looked her over again. "Are you sure you're okay, Rach? I know your parents aren't home this week. You look like shit."
"How do you even know that?" Rachel muttered, feeling her stomach flip over anxiously. "Is that...common knowledge?"
"Oh please, I make it my business to know these things," Noah scoffed.
"That is so beyond creepy, Noah," Rachel wrinkled her nose.
"How else would I know where to throw parties?" he arched an eyebrow at her and then pointedly waggled it.
"Okay, no, we did the party thing once, remember? It was a huge disaster," Rachel groaned as she flipped off the stove and dished out the oatmeal, offering the cut up fruits to Noah so he could choose first.
"Only because you're uptight and totally controlling," he rumbled sullenly, dumping some peaches into his oatmeal before stirring it up and taking a bite.
"Yeah, and then I wasn't and everyone got drunk and stayed drunk for an entire week until Brittany puked on me in front of the entire school. No thanks," Rachel reiterated.
"True. Maybe Rachel Berry parties too hard," he joked.
"Ha. Ha. Shut up."
They ate in companionable silence for a while, Rachel glancing to the clock every now and then to make sure they weren't going to be late for school. When they were finished, Rachel took the bowls and dumped them in the sink, putting the rest of the fruit away. She turned around to find Noah watching her with a frown.
"What?" She sighed.
"Do you want me to like...beat some heads during practice and find out who was here last night?" He asked her seriously.
"What would that honestly solve?" Rachel questioned with a sad smile. "It's just a prank, Noah."
"You cried."
She thought about denying it but knew she'd just woken up and her eyes would show the tell-tale puffiness and redness of a night of crying. Instead, she brushed it off with a smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Pranks are supposed to be scary. I was appropriately scared and I'm sure they got their thrills."
He still looked fairly uncertain but checked his watch with a shake of his head. "We're gonna be late if you don't get dressed now," he told her.
She gasped in alarm, eyes shooting over to the oven clock. Classes started at 8 and it was now 7:15. "Noah!" she turned an accusing glare on him.
"Hey, I got up extra early for you," he defended. "Usually I don't roll into school until five minutes after the bell rings. To second period."
Rachel huffed and pursed her lips only to stop herself from beaming at him. It was weird to think that Noah Puckerman, someone that had tormented her for years, would somehow become one of her best friends because of an epiphany he had when locked in a port-a-potty. It still seemed surreal and yet here he was, standing in her kitchen after having breakfast with her and he was smirking in a way that didn't make her want to scramble for cover. It felt companionable and he was only leering a little bit.
"Look, I'm pretty sure those little cotton shorts are going to be the only thing on my mind today, bad friend that I am, but you can't go to school in that. Finn would cum in his pants instantly and no one wants to deal with that." Noah arched an eyebrow at her and chuckled.
"You're gross." She wrinkled her nose.
"I'm totally right." He scoffed. "Your ass could kill a man. It's just a miracle I like you too much to tap that."
"That doesn't even make sense," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably.
"I'm a hit it and quit it dude, Berry. You're a...faithful and loyal puppy dog or some shit. I don't want to date you, babe, but I definitely wouldn't say no if you ever wanted to experiment with one-night stands…" He explained with a suggestive smirk.
"You're gross," she repeated but smiled at him nonetheless. She didn't really feel anything besides embarrassed. No tingles, no butterflies, and no desire to stare soulfully into his eyes. She took that as a rather good sign. "While I've always been ironically turned on by your bad boy image, that ship has long since sailed and I don't do one-night stands," she fixed him with a pointed stare.
"Whatever, Berry, I'm a stud." He flexed dramatically.
She laughed and shook her head at him. "You're ridiculous. You'll have sex with anyone."
"Not anyone," he defended. "I probably wouldn't sleep with Kurt if that situation ever happened."
"Probably?" she teased.
"Well...anything's possible, babe, I am a stud." He winked at her.
She snorted loudly, so hard that it stung a little in the back of her throat. "I'll be sure to let Kurt know that he has at least a 1% chance of success then." She couldn't help but giggle.
"Whatever," Noah shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. "Hummel's too scared of me to try anything anyway." He looked down at his watch again and then pointedly back at Rachel. "Get your ass up those stairs and get dressed, I'm driving you to school."
…
Fifteen minutes later, she was out the door and sitting in the cab of Noah's truck with her bag, looking fresh and energized. As they took off down the road, Noah began tapping his fingers against the wheel. He kept taking sharp breaths like he was going to start a sentence but never opened his mouth. Finally, when they paused at a red light, he side-eyed her and said. "I was thinking about it and you're not like normal people."
"That's mean, Noah." Rachel sighed. She wondered if they would ever move past him taking digs at her.
"I'm not being mean. You have like...a morning routine and shit. I remember you talking about it non-stop while we were dating and why I could never come pick you up and take you to school. Other than the fact that I was late," he added with a wry smirk. "You were still sleeping when I got there after 6:30. You wake up at like 5 or some shit."
"I wake up at 6," she frowned at him. "I was just tired after the prank last night so I didn't set my alarm clock. I missed an hour on the elliptical, but I'll make it up."
He glared at her suspiciously. "You sure? Cause you've kinda looked like shit for most of the week.".
"Well, I did just break up with Finn at the beginning of the week," she reminded him, though she hadn't really found much time to dwell on the lost love. She knew that was going to come back to bite her in the ass at some point, too. "I'll get over it," she assured him.
…
It didn't take long from the time they parked to the time they both reached the front of the school for Rachel to realize what a terrible miscalculation of events she'd made. She'd totally forgotten to factor in Finn's reaction to her arrival with Noah. That was saying something because usually, she tried to map out every possible reaction from everyone. She'd let that week's prank get to her too much, it was throwing her off her game.
Just as she was realizing her mistake and people were starting to whisper together, she felt an almost bruising grip on her arm as she was yanked off to the side of the hallway. She couldn't stop the little yelp from escaping her mouth and she heard Noah's rough 'Hey!' from behind her.
"What the hell, Rachel!" Finn thundered, his face red as he towered over her. She flinched back with wide eyes and stared at him. "You swore nothing was happening with him, told me you two would never date again. Now you're coming to school with him? You've been screwing around with him this entire time!" He accused, pounding a fist against the lockers beside him.
"I am not!" She gaped at him, face twisted with offense. "You do not get to dictate my friendships, Finn Hudson. Just because Noah picked me up for school today does NOT mean that we're dating. He is my friend."
Finn scoffed and glared at her. "I can't believe you would do this to me, Rachel. I knew you were petty, but this is low."
"I'm not doing anything to you." Rachel shook her head sadly. "Not everything is about you, Finn. My life is not about you anymore," she reiterated.
"It used to be," he muttered.
"Maybe that was the problem." She shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm gonna be late for first period if I don't get to my locker right now. Thanks for sticking around, Noah, but I'm okay. I have to go." She quickly hurried away from both boys and refused to turn around even when she heard Noah's angry tone as he laid into Finn.
She reached her locker with only five minutes to spare and quickly she spun the combination and pulled open the thin metal door. A thin sheet of paper drifted out and fluttered to the floor and her eyes followed its path, her hands not even grabbing it. Briefly, she considered leaving it there, grabbing her books, and running - but she knew she couldn't. Whoever the prankster was, they must have been mad that she hadn't investigated his prank the previous night.
She must have been staring for longer than she thought because the ringing of the bell suddenly snapped her back into clarity. Her eyes darted up to the clock and she sighed, hand trembling as she reached down and grabbed the loose-leaf paper. As she flipped it over, her eyes took in the lyrics scrawled across the lines.
Listen as the wind blows from across the great divide
voices trapped in yearning, memories trapped in time
The night is my companion and solitude my guide
Would I spend forever here and not be satisfied?
And I would be the one to hold you down
kiss you so hard I'll take your breath away
and after, I'd wipe away your tears
just close your eyes dear.
Through this world I've stumbled, so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find the truth enslaved
Oh, you speak to me in riddles and you speak to me in rhymes
My body aches to breathe your breath, your words keep me alive.
And I would be the one to hold you down
kiss you so hard, I'll take your breath away
and after, I'd wipe away your tears
just close your eyes dear.
Into this night I wander, it's morning that I dread
Another day of knowing of the path I fear to tread
Oh, into the sea of waking dreams I follow without pride
Nothing stands between us here and I won't be denied.
And I would be the one to hold you down
kiss you so, I'll take your breath away
and after, I'd wipe away your tears
just close your eyes dear
I'll hold you down, kiss you so hard, I'll take your breath away
and after, I'd wipe away your tears
just close your eyes...
When the warning bell rang, she tore her eyes away from the paper with a ragged gasp. Rachel stuffed the paper in her locker and grabbed her History book quickly before slamming the door closed and hurrying to her first-period class. Brittany was sitting at her table waiting for her with a smile and she forced a smile on her face in return. In all honesty, her stomach was in knots and she was almost 65% sure she was going to throw up.
The more she tried not to think about the song in her locker, the more she could hear it playing in her head. It was scary, the connotation behind the song. Like he was announcing his presence. Sarah McLachlan had written that song when she was being harassed by fans of hers who had concocted relationships with her in their heads. One man had accused her of using his love poems as the basis for the song itself. They were stalking her. It made her sick to think about and she wondered if this was just another step of the prank gone too far.
She wasn't sure she could actually call it a prank anymore.
...
Songs Used:
Telescope - Starset
Set Apart This Dream - Flyleaf
Possession - Sarah McLachlan