A.N.: Puck's bromance is with everyone BUT Finn, lol. To be completely honest I love Cory Monteith, but I hated Finn's character so expect a lot of bashing. :)

Disclaimer: If you thought you saw any violations, you didn't. Move along.

Rachel was not really sure when Santana convinced her to throw a pool party for the end of summer, but she started regretting it once the social anxiety started setting in. She may have lied to her fathers about the actual size of the party, but they were unsurprisingly on board with their daughter having a social life for once. The Berry men decided to take a weekend trip to Cincinnati only after Rachel promised to keep anything from being broken or stolen and that everything would be cleaned up before their return Sunday night. The rules were simple for Santana as well: keep Rachel calm, keep Puck out of trouble, and immediately call her parents if anything went wrong.

In comparison, the last party the diva threw really wasn't that bad, but Santana insisted they pull out all the stops and Rachel could hardly say no to the girl who has been plaguing her thoughts for weeks.

Kurt and Blaine were on board as well and had actually been incredibly helpful by assisting with decorations for the party. Rachel's modest backyard had been turned into the perfect tiki island set up. There were tiki lights fencing in the entire area connected by fairy lights, giving the whole space a warm glow. The fire pit was stocked and ready to go thanks to Blaine, and Kurt had bought over some of his dad's fold out chairs to ensure there was enough seating for everyone. Noah was kind enough to once again lend his pool boy cleaning services to the Berry family a week earlier and everything looked great.

Rachel made vegan entrees and even set up non vegan party snacks for those with less open minded eating habits. Puck was set to bring the alcohol along with his amateur DJ setup since Santana insisted there be no karaoke this time around.

Rachel was really only interested in having the other Glee kids around, but had already relented to Santana's request to invite people outside of their small circle of gleeks.

"Having a couple of cool kids at the party will generate a little buzz for you once school starts up again, Tiny. No worries, Puck and I will be there to handle anyone who steps out of line. Just consider us crowd control." The Latina had reassured her a few days before the party.

Even though Rachel was positive everything for the party was set up and ready for the guests that would be arriving, she couldn't stop the nervous energy inside her. A few days prior, Santana also informed her that Brittany and Quinn would be in attendance since the taller blonde had just returned from her trip abroad the day before and somehow convinced the third member of their trio to attend as well.

Something about Quinn's demeanor had always made Rachel nervous so it was easier to be more focused on the other blonde in the Unholy Trinity. Brittany had always been Santana's favorite person and that would continue to be the case even when new people entered their lives. Rachel didn't expect that to change overnight. The small Jewish girl felt a bit out of touch with Santana in the face of the bond she shared with the quirky blonde. And she felt jealous. There was a lot of jealousy.

The realistic side of her knew that Brittany and Santana would still want to have a functioning relationship even though their attempt at romance didn't go so smoothly. The horribly jealous and irrational opposite side of her however was not too thrilled about the idea. For one, Brittany was beautiful and could easily have the Latina's affection if she wanted it. Two, the pair had so much history together and always just made sense. One was rarely without the other, almost as if they were true loves and their soul tie kept them bound by their pinkies. How in the hell was Rachel going to compete with that?

Compete? Santana is not a prize to be won, and even if she was you, Rachel Berry, should not be the one competing.

Acknowledging her negative feelings about the situation was usually extremely helpful for Rachel, but it didn't help her not be attracted to one of the only friends she's managed to hold on to. This didn't keep the rich laughter and smoky voice known to accompany Santana out of her mind. It didn't help her heart stop racing whenever the cheerleader smiled in her direction. Nor did it help the fact that the shorter brunette's hands still sweat whenever Santana was a little too close for her to handle. It damn sure didn't help all the naughty thoughts and teasing dreams about the fiery alto that often left Rachel aching in the middle of the night.

She wasn't sure how she was going to go on like this. Rachel was a very vocal person and also not the best secret keeper, so hiding her true feelings from Santana felt like a knife twisting in her gut with every interaction.

Before she could spiral too far into her own thoughts, Kurt pulled her away from the cooler where she had been organizing the drinks by color and type.

"Okay, you weren't even this anxious at the last party you threw. What's going on?" Kurt asked, folding his arms across the well fitted tank top he was sporting. The boy raised a freshly plucked eyebrow at her and Rachel was seconds away from spilling her guts when a commotion inside at the front door caught her attention. She gave Kurt a look that said they would talk later and went to see what all the fuss was about.

When Rachel rounded the corner into the foyer she could see Santana pacing back and forth speaking Spanish rapidly to herself and Noah postured to keep Santana behind him while also stopping whoever was at the door from crossing the threshold.

"Look dude, it's a private party." Puck said to the unknown person on the other side of the door.

"What the hell do you mean private? This is Rachel's house, her dads know me. I'm also like the quarterback and Glee captain so I'm pretty sure if everyone else on my team is here I can be here." The unmistakable voice of Finn made its way to Rachel's ears. She hadn't personally invited the boy, but she had assumed Puck would since the rest of the Glee club and various athletes would be coming as well. Apparently Santana also decided that was a no go.

When it became apparent that Puck wasn't going to step aside, Finn began to get visibly agitated.

"Let him in! It's better if I kick his constipated ass before the party gets going."

"Shut up, Santana. You're all bark, no bite just like a little chihuahua." Finn said over Puck's shoulder, grinning at what he thought was a solid comeback. When the taller boy swayed on his feet then stumbled a bit, Rachel realized he must already be too drunk to realize the racist undertones of his comment.

"What the fuck did you just say to me, Hudson?" Santana sneered, gearing up to find a way around Puck and introduce her foot to Finn's groin.

"I didn't stutter, Lopez. Shouldn't you be somewhere begging Brittany for pity sex? Fucking dy-" Before Finn could even finish slinging his slurs at Santana, Puck threw a devastating right hook that had his knuckles throbbing and the star quarterback laid out in Rachel's bushes.

The small crowd his outbursts drew let out a small gasp as he hit the ground with a thud. Santana leaned over the unconscious boy and laughed in his face.

"You got knocked the FUCK out!" Multiple onlookers chucked under their breath at the cheerleader's reference.

"Serves him right. Asshole needs to learn to watch his mouth. Sorry Rachel, he was asking for it. He knows I don't like slurs."

"Even though you know I don't support violence, he really was asking for it like you said. I owe you a thank you for defending mine and Santana's honor." Rachel finished, leaning up to the taller boy and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek to show her gratitude. Puck smirked in response.

"Don't enjoy it so much, creep." Santana mumbled next to him.

'What's the matter, San, jealous?" Santana rolled her eyes and Rachel laughed to cover her interest in the answer.

"The problem is I haven't had enough alcohol to deal with Finn and your annoying ass too. Did you put the beers in the fridge?" At Puck's nod, the Latina walked off in search of alcohol. Puck slung his arm around Rachel and guided the stragglers towards the backyard.

"Don't worry about the Golden Boy, I'll check on him in a few minutes. If he's smart he'll wake up and decide to walk it off before I get to him."

"Thank you, Noah. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure Santana doesn't hoard all the beers for herself."

There was quite a crowd forming and so being the perfect host that she was, Rachel stopped and greeted everyone she knew and told them where the refreshments were. By the time Rachel had finished making her rounds, the Latina was nowhere to be found. While she was making herself a drink, the shorter brunette was able to spot her through the kitchen window.

The cheerleader's head was thrown back as she laughed at something Puck had said. The embers from the fire pit casted a glow on her face that made her eyes sparkle. Rachel was captivated. Santana was beautiful all of the time, but there was something about the girl when she was completely relaxed without a care in the world that Rachel couldn't help but be drawn to.

Feeling eyes on her, Santana looked up and locked eyes with Rachel. She smiled at the Glee star and motioned for her to join the pair outside. Walking up to the fire pit, Rachel could see that Quinn decided to grace them with a completely different look than what the girl normally wore. The bright pink hair was the first thing Rachel noticed. The next thing was the were the baby doll dresses that were a staple of the girl's wardrobe. They had been replaced with dark skinny jeans that had been distressed almost to the point of destruction. A loose fitting crop top with what Rachel swore was a Ryan Seacrest tattoo peeking out, dirty vintage chucks, and a flannel tied around her waist to tie the look together. Rachel's eyebrows hit her hairline when she finally was close enough to see Quinn's face fully. There was a gold hoop adorning the nose that she was so desperate to replace her own with. Rachel was shocked.

Quinn didn't shy away from the diva's stare, in a way it emboldened her.

"Did somebody finally shut her up or did I miss something?"

"Well Q, when you show up to the party with a brand new aesthetic, it's bound to draw people's attention." Santana commented, rolling her eyes. Rachel guessed that she was not a fan of her frenemy's new look.

"Don't worry baby mama, the sexy skank look is totally badass. The Puckassaurus is digging it." There was a thud and then Noah bent over in pain. Quinn had given the horny boy a solid punch to the gut. Santana smirked and took a drink of her beer at their antics.

"I told you never to call me that, dickbag."

"Yup, you did. That's my bad. I'm gonna.. go get some ice. I'll be back." The mohawked boy wheezed and then swiftly made his exit. The girls chuckled as he waddled away.

"What'd the hair dye give you superpowers or something, Q? You damn near put a hole in Puckerman."

"When has he not deserved it? And unless Berry is suddenly pro-violence, I'm pretty sure it was one of you two that laid out that sack of potatoes I passed in the bushes earlier." Santana snorted into her cup. Rachel smiled mysteriously.

"I plead the fifth." Both brunettes chimed in at the same time, making Quinn eye the pair for a second.

"Fine then, keep your secrets. Brittany just parked, so I'm gonna go grab her." Taking note of the lack of reaction from Santana and the nervous glance from Rachel, Quinn made her way around the side of the house to the driveway wondering what all she missed while she was dealing with her own shit.

When Quinn returned with the leggy blonde, Rachel had somehow ended up dancing with some other gleeks near the speakers. They seemed to be feeling the effects of the alcohol if their sloppy dance moves were anything to go by. Puck was supposed to be controlling the music, but the DJ seemed to be taking a party break as he was in the pool with several cheerleaders and other jocks playing Chicken. Santana had unsurprisingly taken his place at the table where his equipment was set up.

Santana's eyes lit up once the blondes made it to the makeshift DJ booth, but she didn't go for a hug as her head was currently attached to the headphones she was using to play Puck's mix. The boy would kill her if she pulled his entire setup down trying to get to Brittany.

Once Santana finally got all the songs queued and ready to mix, she took the headphones off and gave the blonde a warm hug.

"Welcome back, B! How was your trip?"

"It was totally awesome, San! I have so many pictures to show you and Lord Tubbington!" Brittany exclaimed, flashing a brilliant smile in the Latina's direction.

"I can't wait to see them, I'll come over soon!"

"Sounds like a plan! So do you know why Quinn has cotton candy on her head?" Santana let out a boisterous laugh and Quinn did her signature eye roll.

"Will you guys lay off my hair? I knew I should've stayed home. Can't even smoke in here anyways."

"Chill out Lucy Q, you've been M.I.A. all summer long, and when you do pop up you've got a completely new look. It's gonna take us a minute to get used to it. This was definitely not what I had in mind when I gave you that pixie back in New York."

"Yeah well speaking of things I didn't expect to happen, did you use your Rachel Berry voodoo doll to make her throw a banger?"

"Quinn, nobody calls parties bangers." Brittany said with a straight face.

"Anyways. Are you going all Mean Girls on Rachel or what?" Santana knew her old captain was fishing for information.

"Everybody knows you're the real Regina George here, Quinnie. Rachel and I have been hanging out all summer. We're friends now, it's that easy. As for the party, I figured Puck and I could use our juice to throw a banger that might make the Glee club a bit more likeable considering the way we got shit on at Nationals. Satisfied?" Quinn raised her hands in defense.

"Easy Snixx, I just wanted to know who got Berry to reel her obnoxious personality in so I could personally thank them."

"I'd say that's me, but the kid is still annoying. She's just a whole lot more fun when Finn isn't her only personality trait."

"Oh, so like the same thing that happened with Quinn?" The girls laughed at Brittany's comment.

The dancer was right, the quarterback did seem to have that effect on girls. Once Quinn was able to get away from Finn and his drama, she was able to accept that she didn't need him. She was a smart, beautiful, and resourceful young woman with her own talents and goals. What the hell was Finn Hudson going to do for her? What was any man going to do for her?

If it wasn't about pleasing her father it was about pleasing some boy who couldn't even please her back. Quinn was tired of pleasing everybody but herself. She wanted things to be different from the joyless, people pleasing routine of her day to day life. The first step was to stop dressing for the male gaze, hence the necessary aesthetic change.

"This year is going to be all about me. No cheerios, no boys, no baby, just Quinn." Her friends nodded in agreement with her declaration.

"Hashtag QuIndependence" Brittany said, making Quinn laugh at the ridiculous phrase.

"I love this for you, Q." Santana Quinn smiled at her friends.

"Thank you guys. It means a lot."

"Unholy Trinity hug!" Brittany declared while the moment was still tender.

It was at that moment that Rachel looked over from where she was dancing with Kurt and Blaine and saw the trio enjoying themselves by the DJ equipment. Apparently alcohol made her more obvious to Kurt who had been waiting for his friend to talk about whatever's been on her mind.

"If you look any harder, your eyes will bleed. Spill." Kurt said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. Rachel's eyes were wide when she realized she had been caught staring.

"Kurt, I really don't know what you're talking about." Rachel tried to play it off.

"Don't play coy with me, Berry. You've been awfully close with Santana for weeks. I've been letting it slide because Blaine said so, but you have not been able to take your eyes off her all night." Rachel flushed from more than just the alcohol. She hated how Kurt was always able to put her on the spot.

"Will you keep your voice down! Santana and I have sparked a friendship, yes, but that's all that is going on between us."

"You like her, don't you?" A myriad of emotions flashed across Rachel's face until she finally settled on embarrassment.

"Why don't I just get you a microphone, Kurt!" Blaine turned away from dancing with Tina to tune into his boyfriend's conversation.

"That still wasn't a no, Rachel."

"So what if I do? I'm not going to do anything about it."

"Nothing but stare at her longingly for the rest of your life," Rachel rolled her eyes, "So you're just going to let her go back to Brittany without even telling her how you feel? That hardly sounds like the Rachel I know."

"You're being dramatic and that's saying something coming from me. Besides, Santana and Brittany may work out whatever's going on between them and I don't want to get in the middle of it." Blaine decided it was his time to interject into the conversation.

"Was that an admission to the crush? Just checking because if so I owe Kurt a twenty." Rachel was flabbergasted.

"What? You guys bet on this? I hate you two." Kurt gave his boyfriend a look for spilling the beans about the bet while Blaine just shrugged sheepishly.

"It was all in good fun. Now look, I've been in your position. Watching somebody you have a crush on have feelings for someone else is no fun, but we admire your quiet strength and will be rooting for Pezberry from afar."

"Thank you, Kurt. Now if you'll excuse me. Vodka makes me have to potty." Blaine gave the tiny diva a confused look.

"Rachel, honey, I think that's teq-" Rachel didn't hear him as she was already moving forward into the crowd of teens.

"Just let it go, Blaine. Let her go." Kurt sighed, rubbing Blaine's back as he sipped his own tequila sunrise.

A.N.: This was a VERY long chapter. I had to stop it here or it was going to be well over 5k words, part two coming soon. Any questions, comments, or concerns are welcomed and appreciated. Until next time!

-C.D.