So I knew this entire update was going to be ruined by Sunday's episode, but hopefully y'all still find time to enjoy this story as I've created it. We have one more part after this, and I'll probably post it a few days from now (assuming I write it that quickly. haha). Once again I want to say thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to do so (for other crazy ideas I have in my head and are in the process of getting onto "paper"). Enjoy!
The football game wasn't an entire disaster like everyone thought it was going to be, but it wasn't going great either. They were surprisingly only down by two touchdowns, but the McKinley High Titans were sorely under-represented and growing weaker by the minute. Halftime was the perfect opportunity for everyone to rehydrate and rest up, but unfortunately the glee kids had to scramble to clean up quickly and make it back to the middle of the field for their performance.
Despite a rather lengthy lecture about the club's song choice after their first assembly performance, Mr. Schuester seemed to be of the mind that a halftime show was all about provocative-ness and entertainment value. It was an extra performance that wasn't being judged, and considering how hard everyone was working that day, they deserved to have some fun. Sans wardrobe malfunctions.
Still, when Puck came into glee that next day and said that he and Rachel agreed on a mashup of The Pussycat Doll's "Don't'cha" and Michael Jackson's "Beat It" – eloquently titled "Don'tcha Wanna Beat It?" – Mr. Schuester had some conditions. The first to go was the name, though Puck didn't put up much of a fight. He'd only suggested it for the laugh anyway, which everyone had; even Rachel had let out a small giggle, but Puck had tried not to notice.
After that, Mr. Schuester wanted to approve all the choreography and the arrangement. He and Rachel paired up to pull apart the two songs and blend them together harmoniously while Brittany and Mike took the reins on the dance steps even though Brittany wouldn't be performing. The next couple of days they worked on the performance for an hour and then went to football practice for an hour. They were so wrapped up in preparations that it actually gave everyone a break from all the drama surrounding their lives.
Until halftime, of course.
Thanks to their round-robin of relationships, the typical pairings in glee club were too volatile. Mr. Schuester wanted everyone to put the club first and consider how well each pair's voices complimented one another, but Rachel had argued that the halftime performance might be a good time to discover newer, better pairings. Considering the performance was relatively safe, with no risk of diminishing their chances at Regionals, it was the perfect opportunity to test new methods. Maybe what they thought was great had really only been adequate, the new pairings possibly being the key to clinching the title.
For the choreography to work, the people that needed to avoid each other needed to be placed two people apart, which wasn't easy in the group of ten. Luckily with Brittany and Santana out for the cheerleading competition the group was evenly matched with boys and girls, but that had only been thanks to Quinn and her sudden retirement from the Cheerios. She had said she was sick of being on a team that only cared about results, but for all her passive aggressive comments about Sam and Santana and their urge to be on top, no one was quite convinced she was willing to give up the throne yet. Without the cheerleading uniform and with basketball season fast approaching, Quinn seemed to have her eye on an old flame, and coincidently the captain of the basketball team.
Puck watched Rachel extra carefully during the week (all while somehow managing to avoid her at the same time), looking for any indication that she was going to spontaneous combust. Her ex-boyfriend and love of her life was not-so-slowly being wrapped back around the pinkie finger of his former girlfriend, and Rachel had barely bat an eyelash. She didn't just seem unaffected, but she didn't even act surprised. Instead, she suggested to Mr. Schuester that Quinn and Finn be paired up for the halftime show.
After that, Mr. Schuester paired Tina and Mike, Mercedes and Artie, Lauren and Sam and, finally, Rachel and Puck. The last pair was a natural choice, but one that did not go unnoticed by Finn. The choreography called for some pretty suggestive dance steps, the result of which had been a lot of high emotions during the glee rehearsals. They had four days of practice, and each one had ended up in an argument between at least two people. The first had been Quinn and Sam, the next between Puck and Finn. Mr. Schuester and Rachel had argued, and finally, in what was probably the most dramatic of all of them, Finn and Sam exchanged some pretty harsh words.
Perhaps it was for the best that they all had to perform for the halftime show instead of sitting together in the small locker room.
"… so without further ado, I'd like to introduce McKinley High's New Directions."
With the cue from Mr. Schue, the glee kids ran to the makeshift stage in the middle of the field, setting up in their lined up position and bowing their heads. The familiar beat of Michael Jackson's hit was immediately recognized by the crowd, and almost everyone sprung to their feet. When the strum of the guitar started, each of the five girls flung their heads up, crooning the lyrics over the rock hit.
I know you like me
I know you do
That's whenever I'm around
She's all over you
And I know you want it
It's easy to see
And in the back of your mind
I know you should be home with me
Each girl moved seductively from their partner to the one at their side, Finn and Puck ending up alone while Artie was surrounded by Tina, Mercedes and Lauren. The next verse was a mix of both songs' lyrics, Puck and Finn eventually yanking Rachel and Quinn back to them after doing a few (possibly offensive) dance moves.
Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me
(Beat it)
Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me
(Beat it)
Don'tcha, don'tcha
(Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it)
Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was raw like me
(Beat it)
Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was fun like me
(Beat it)
Don'tcha, don'tcha
(Beat it, beat it, beat it)
Pressed against his chest tightly, Puck lifted Rachel effortlessly, Finn managing to possess an equal amount of grace with Quinn. The rest of the group performed a rather tiresome dance routine while the guitar solo from "Beat It" played out and the girl's repeated the chorus again. Once it was time for the men to step up and take the reins, Rachel and Quinn had joined the rest of the girls, mimicking the classic moves from Michael Jackson's music video while the boys danced the same steps in front and sung the lyrics.
Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
(Don'tcha)
Showin' how funky strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
(Don'tcha)
Showin' how funky strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it
(Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me)
Beat it
(Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me)
Beat it
(Don'tcha)
Showin' how funky strong is your fight
(Don'tcha baby)
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Ending up back with the partner they started with, the girls swayed to stand in front of the boys. With their backs to the boys' chests, each girl grabbed their partner's hands and dipped dangerously low before delivering the last final line together.
Don'tcha wish your girlfriend would (beat it)
To say the crowd erupted in applause would have been an understatement, the sheer volume surrounding the center of the field deafening. Out of breath and sweating quite possibly more than they had been after the first half of the game, the club all managed wide smiles and waved enthusiastically before heading off stage. It would take about ten minutes for the crew to get the field back the way it was, which meant the glee kids playing in the football game had exactly fifteen minutes to change and rest before going out to finish the game.
And despite the questioning glances shared between Puck, Finn, and Sam and the passing looks Rachel got from Finn and Puck, everyone made it back to the bench without so much as a word between them. In almost the same breath, Coach Beiste congratulated the club and demanded they score a touchdown within the first five minutes. Apparently she planned to use the electricity of the crowd and the momentum of the glee kids to make an offensive run. At least that was the only reason to start Rachel that Puck could think of.
"Try not to slip in the mud, Berry."
"I'm more concerned about what they're passing off as mud around here, Noah." Rachel scrunched her nose while looking at the ground, her otherwise pristine uniform a complete contrast to the torn up field. The snow from a few days ago had melted, but the temperature was still relatively cold, so luckily much of the dirt was frozen over. "But thanks for the tip."
"Anytime."
It was quite possibly the longest conversation they'd had outside of the glee rehearsals and football practices, and it left much to be desired. Puck hadn't been able to shake the feeling of Rachel's body next to his, and frankly he didn't want to. Her lips had been softer than he remembered, her body more taunt than it had been last year. And after a fifteen minute performance with her grinding against him in an outfit that looked like it came out of an S&M catalogue, there was little left for Puck's imagination.
Quicker than he anticipated, those two dueling parts of him were merging into one, his desire to be with Rachel outweighing his urge to be the most feared guy on campus. Sure, the slushie facials sucked, but the teachers were pretty understanding when you had to clean yourself up. If he played his cards right, he could miss even more class than he already did. Besides, with Karofsky and the rest of the village people gone, there was a good chance that things at McKinley High School would be more peaceful for the remainder of the year.
"Left! Left!" Anthony yelled, giving the team the direction to defend as he caught the kickoff. He managed to run the ball up the middle to their forty-yard line, the Titans' offensive line charging the field with newfound spirit. Coach Beiste called for a quarterback sneak, and Sam actually ran the ball twenty yards. After that he threw a short pass to Tina, who ran out of bounds to avoid getting hit. The next play was meant to be slant pass to one of the other wide receivers, but the opposing team blitzed, catching Sam off guard.
In haste, he pitched the ball to the closest person, who just happened to be Rachel. She had no idea what to do, as her job on the field had so far been catching the ball near the sideline so she could step out of play and out of danger. In the middle of the field, she was like a sitting duck, at least three defensive players crossing the line of scrimmage and tackling her to the ground with inhibited ferocity. Rachel managed to keep the ball secure in her grip, but she yelled out in pain when the last of the three added his weight to the assault.
Puck quickly made his way to the pile, practically peeling the other players off of Rachel's tiny frame, nearly throwing the last (and the first to hit her) one ten feet by just his jersey. He carefully removed her helmet, moving her bangs away from her forehead to see if her eyes were open. To his surprise, she was looking right at him, albeit a little dazed.
"What the hell, Sam?" Finn said, pushing the smaller player back. "What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking I had an entire defensive line coming my way and I should get rid of the ball."
"So you hike it to Rachel?"
"I didn't think about it being Rachel," Sam argued back, taking a step forward to eliminate Finn's dominance. They might have been friends before, but now that the triangle between them and Quinn had been formed, Sam obviously felt the need to exude some sort of confidence. "I was thinking this was a football game and when the sack's coming, you flick the ball!"
"If you're going to be quarterback, you have to think about your surroundings and …"
"Make up your mind, Finn. Are you pissed I'm quarterback or are you possed Rachel got hurt?"
"Both of you shut up!" Puck growled, helping Rachel to her feet with one hand while his face was turned toward the two boys. "You guys can fight over who's getting into Quinn's pants after the game. Right now you need to run the ball," he said while pushing the football to Sam's chest, "and you need to block your damn side," he finished, pointing to Finn. Sam gave an unintelligible mumble in response and Finn muttered whether Rachel was OK. She responded in kind with a quiet squeak, everyone setting back up for the same play, this time with better results but still not enough to score.
By the end of the game, Finn had scored the only touchdown for McKinley in a dramatic trick play at the end of the fourth quarter. And even though the Titans had lost by nearly thirty points, the touchdown managed to lift everyone's spirits. The crowd went wild, jumping up and down in celebration, and even the players felt proud of what they had accomplished. Coach Beiste gave a quick inspirational speech about teamwork and family (Puck quick to joke that he was obviously adopted) and then everyone went their separate ways.
Some went to shower while others hung around and chatted with friends on the other team or in the crowd. Rachel was actually receiving a congratulatory hug from Kurt when she spotted Finn on the sidelines. He and Quinn were smiling softly at each other, and about the same time Kurt introduced her to Blaine, Finn leaned in and kissed Quinn. Rachel shook Blaine's hand with a smile and took Kurt's comment about her needing to hurry up to the showers in stride, quickly finding herself all alone and still watching the once ex-couple reunite.
"I guess Finn won," Puck commented flatly, both their eyes moving to Sam's slumped form as he walked off the field and toward the locker room.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice low but without any trace of jealousy or spite. "If it's any consolation, I think she made the wrong choice."
"You think she's better off with Sam?"
"What?" Rachel knitted her eyebrows together, looking up at him in confusion. "No. He's a pig." Her next comment forced Puck to keep his comment about her being a cheating hypocrite to himself. "I meant you."
"Me?" Puck shook his head, feeling like he was a broken record in front of her. "Quinn and I are not meant to be." He watched her bite her lip, and somehow managed to push the dirty thought aside to continue the conversation. "I'm not saying she and Finn are either, but they definitely have a better chance than we ever did."
They didn't talk for a long while, both just watching the two in the distance. Finn took Quinn's hand hesitantly, and she smiled softly before leaning her head against his arm. They walked all the way to the locker room entrance, parting with yet another chaste kiss and what looked to be a promise to meet up again later. Everyone else was headed to a local pizza joint to celebrate their loss (did that sound retarded to anyone else but him?), but something written on both their faces led both Puck and Rachel to believe that Finn and Quinn would be spending the evening somewhere a little more quiet.
"You're not going to go all Fatal Attraction on them, are you?"
Rachel rolled her eyes, moving her helmet to her other hand as she looked up at him. "While I imagine you'd find some sick pleasure in that, I am perfectly fine with this development." It was Puck's turn to roll his eyes, to which Rachel shoved him for playfully. "I mean it. I was devastated when Finn and I broke up, but I told you I spent the break really thinking about everything and evaluating my life."
"Is this going to be the story about growing up again?"
She sighed, looking more exhausted from talking to him than she looked throughout the entire football game. "Yes. I feel like I've grown up tremendously this past year, some of that no doubt a result of my relationship with Finn, the good and the bad." Rachel again looked forward, Finn and Quinn gone but still somehow in front of her eyes. "Clearly Finn hasn't grown up, though. He still needs the attention, relying on having the perfect girlfriend and the captain status to make him feel like he's worthy." She shrugged sadly. "I'm not denying that he had true feelings for me, but if he can find it within himself to forgive Quinn when he can still barely look at me without thinking about what you and I did, then obviously it has more to do with me than it does you."
"He'll regret it eventually, you know?" He didn't know why he said it, why he was trying to make her feel better by letting her think there was hope for a Finchel future. Just the thought made his blood boil, and yet he couldn't stop the words from forming. "When Quinn starts bitchin' about his clothes and school and shit like that, he'll think about how great he had it with you."
"Well, thank you, Noah." Rachel smiled shyly, her head bowing in kind. "But I'm not crazy enough to think I'm any less demanding."
"It's nice to hear your crazy has limitations." She giggled at his joke, stepping in sync with him on the way to the locker rooms. There was a lull in silence that passed before Puck spoke again. "But I doubt your demands are as petty as Quinn's." He looked away then, prepared to say the next sentence but not prepared to see her reaction to it. "You're just trying to bring out the best in people."
"I have it under pretty good authority that you don't need cohered into being a good person, Noah."
He instantly grew uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was headed. It was like they were back in her bedroom again, only now his hard on was the result of an odd fantasy with the locker room and Rachel in nothing but those cleats instead of the heavy making out from before. So much for good person.
"And don't bother trying to deny me, either, because if you weren't a good person, you wouldn't still be honoring some unwritten code between friends." She bit her lip but continued looking at him. "Friends who for the most part haven't had a civil conversation in almost a month."
Puck stared at her, stared into those deep chocolate eyes and wished he could read her mind. Rachel never said anything in passing, everything having some hidden meaning or agenda. But what could it be? What was she trying to tell him?
"I guess you're rubbing off on me, Berry." He shrugged casually, thinking it was safe to assume she was looking for a compliment. It was Rachel Berry after all. Compliments were like oxygen to her.
"Yea." She frowned, her shoulders slumping as her chin dipped down. "I guess you're turning soft."
Puck's stare grew cold, watching Rachel lift her head defiantly through slits. He didn't dare say a word, but rather demanded an explanation with just his eyes. No one called Noah Puckerman soft and got away with it. Especially not the girl who was walking evidence of just how hard he could be.
"It's fine, Noah. Honorable, even. You're growing up and maturing." She shrugged casually, walking away from him then but throwing one last comment over her shoulder. "I shouldn't expect for you still to be the same guy who would just take what he wanted, everything else be damned."
The click of her cleats on the walkway toward the girls' locker room punctuated each of Puck's passing thoughts. Did Rachel just curse? She thought he was mature? Was she swaying her hips more on purpose? She expected him to take what he wanted? Did she know what he wanted? Was she challenging him?
"Berry!" His voice roared in the empty space, his helmet falling with a crash to the ground as he took the ten or so quick strides it took to make up the distance she had set between them. She turned around quickly, her back pressing against the brick wall of the building and her eyes lifting up to his. This time he saw what she wasn't saying, could read her mind clearly. "I ain't fuckin' soft."
And with that, he crashed his lips against hers.
Author's Note: If you are having trouble picturing the halftime performance I came up with, go to YouTube and type in "Don'tcha wanna beat it" and you'll get a pretty good idea of what I was going for.
