Over Night

Chapter Two


"Thanks for the ice cream and the tiger, Sam," Rachel said. "I'm really thankful for what you did. I am really sorry about what Noah said-

"Don't worry Rachel," Sam replied with a small smile.

Rachel sat in the passenger seat of Sam's huge jeep. Ryder had caught a ride home with one of his other friends after they finished at the Diner. "Tell Ryder that it was a pleasure to meet him," Rachel told Sam as she unbuckled herself.

Sam nodded. "I'm sure, he'd say the samething." Sam held the steering wheel in his hands tightly while Rachel gathered her things from the floor of the jeep.

Rachel pulled open the door and leaped down from the high jeep. "Thanks again, Sam" she dolefully said.

"No problem Rach. If you need anything just give me a call, alright?"

Rachel nodded lightly to the ground and sent Sam a weak smile before closing the door. Sam finally left after Rachel entered her house and closed the door. She dropped her purse and sweater on the floor making her way to the kitchen where a note lay.

Rachel,

Left for work, be back before the end of the month.

Money's where it's usually at.

Be good.

-Dad and Daddy

It was the first week of September. She'll be alone for about a month. She's been home alone longer. Rachel turned off the kitchen lights and dragged her lion up the stairs to her bedroom.

The whole house was unpleasantly warm. She fled to the windows in her room and cracked them open. Taking to the bathroom, Rachel got ready for bed and brushed her teeth and did everything else that bedtime called for. After cleaning herself up from the fair she surrendered to her bed with a blanket. It was too hot to sleep with the comforter and sheets. Rachel clicked her lights out and positioned herself on her bed and lay awake.

An hour passed before she finally felt her eyes go blurry but, a sharp howl made her heart beat speed up. Rachel switched sides, throwing her arms around the tiger Sam had won and within a couple minutes she fell asleep.

It was Saturday and Rachel woke to a cold room. She breathed in the fresh air but her throat protested with pain. She swallowed and felt the light sting at the back of her throat. Her hands felt around her for her phone. Zero messages. Maybe it was time for her to call Noah. Rachel glanced at the clock and saw the single digit number. Puck would still be asleep and even though she hated him right now she wasn't going to disturb his sleep.

The Jewish girl got herself ready and made breakfast. Noah would usually come by after waking up to eat whatever food Rachel had made so, she made extra. She dished out the food onto a plate and placed it in the microwave for him. He never showed.

The clock rang two, meaning it was two in the afternoon. Even though Noah loves sleep Rachel knew he wouldn't sleep past twelve. When the little hand reaches the seven, Rachel pulls out her phone and presses 2, her speed dial for Noah.

It rang exactly twenty times before finally going to voice mail. Rachel called five times and not a single time did she hear Noah's voice on the other side.

"-again I'm sorry Noah, for whatever I did," Rachel sorrowfully said into her phone. This was her seventh time calling, now she knew he was ignoring her. When she called it would ring for a minutes or forty seconds to twenty seconds, each time directing to the voice mail. She threw her phone against the floor and brought her knees to her chest.

Breathe Rachel. He just needs space.

So she gave him space. For the rest of Saturday and Sunday she didn't call or text. But an unexpected wolf sat in the middle of her porch. The little stuffed creature was set directly in front of the door and perfectly sitting up.

Rachel didn't know why the peculiar animal was on her deck. She didn't think much of it at the time, and it faded away from her importance.

When Monday started approaching Rachel began to freak. Puck hadn't returned her calls, he din's do anything.

Monday morning the school campus was buzzing with students when Rachel stepped on school grounds. Each football player with a Letterman jacket caught her eye, tricking her that it was Noah. And Noah? He wasn't at school period. Rachel also noticed that the Police squad wasn't there either.

Sometime that day Rachel pulled Jake aside. "Where is he?" she asked his brother.

"I don't know Rachel," Jake said honestly. "He called mom early Saturday morning that's it. That's all I know, Rach."

Rachel let go of her grip on the Freshman and sighed. "I'm sorry Jake. I just, feel that this is all my fault."

Jake blew out air from his mouth. "I'm sure it isn't Rachel. He just has a lot on his plate now, you know with him taking all of Finn's positions. He just needs sometime to breath. He'll be here tomorrow." Jake gave an encouraging smile to Rachel.

Rachel agreed with him. Noah just needed some time on his own for a while.

Except both of them were wrong. He never showed at school or any other day of that week. He followed in Santana's footsteps. But Rachel didn't see the pattern he had with the other members of Finn's pack.

The weekend was here and Rachel's throat had gotten worse through the whole week. She spent that week doing home remedies to try and speed up her sickness but nothing worked. Her phone called the Puckerman resident a couple times that weekend but all she got was Jake telling her Noah was fine and needed space.

Monday was finally there and Rachel walked through the doors of McKinley only to be slapped so hard she thought she was going to die. Santana, Tina, and now Noah? There he stood by his new locker with his new locker buddies.

Puck turned as if he felt Rachel enter the building and locked eyes with Rachel. His eyes were powerful that she had to blink a couple times under the intimidation. She finally had enough courage to look back up to see him tear his eyes away from her. Puck faced the floor and turned his attention back to his new friends. He smiled at them and shook his head at what they were doing and hoisted his bag over his shoulders. He slammed his locker shut, causing Rachel to flinch. Puck lead the five down the hall, he was their leader.

Rachel couldn't take it. It was too much for her to handle. When the six of them turned the corner, Rachel turned from school and fled. She ran and she ran, until she ended up on main street. The tiny Diner on the corner comforted her as she ate her sundae slowly. The cold ice cream was doing nothing for her swollen throat but she didn't care.

Rachel ended back at her house. She felt nothing at that point, she didn't know if she was suppose to feel broken, angry, or relived? She knew that she felt relived because Puck wasn't dead somewhere. She also knew she was angry at him, and there was plenty to be mad at. But why did she feel broken? To feel broken about someone you have to like them.

Rachel liked Puck.

You have to care about them.

Did she?

You have to love them.

Had she? Maybe as a friend, but nothing more.

Her feelings were screwed up and bouncing off the wall, emotions practically raped her. She'd cry her eyes out at the betrayal of her friends. She'd start screaming and pulling at her hair at the anger they caused her. She'd laugh at how pathetic her life was. And it was a constant cycle that she went through for that week.

Rachel didn't attend school for that whole week of September and let her emotions play out at home.

Mr. Shue and Ms. Pillsbury even called to check up on the brunette that played hookey the whole week.

"I'm fine, Mr. Schue just have a really bad cold." Rachel stated. She did have an amplifying cold that was at moment worse then her pain.

She doesn't know how she did it. But she was sure it started by flipping the channels. Rachel stopped on the old movies channel and took in the sight of Marilyn Monroe on her T.V. The Prince and the Show girl was what was showing and somewhere between the movie she had fallen asleep.

Rachel sat helplessly on the Forrest floor, cold and weak. She could feel her tears running down her face and the musky smell in the wind. How had she got here? How had she got so low in her life?

But then when she thought of the forbidden a light appeared from the horizon. Now she was sitting on a red velvet chair with a chandelier over her head. And there standing before her was Marilyn Monroe in all her beauty and smiled at Rachel.

"You've been going through a rough patch, yes?" she asked in her smooth, sweet voice.

Rachel was star struck. Was this real? She only nodded to Ms. Monroe and looked down.

"My dear," she giggled and lifted Rachel's head. "This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about."Bent over and kissed Rachel on the forehead.

At an instant she disappeared along with all her beautiful possessions. Rachel lay still on the couch as she thought of her dream. Her eyes landed on the junk food scattered around her and she let a shaky breath out. That was the last time she was eating junk food.

Her dream had meant so much to her though, was she just going to sit around her house and mop around because she lost some friends and a boyfriend? There was a lot out there in the world-heck a lot in Lima and Lima was grain in the sand compared to the joys in the world. Rachel shouldn't be sitting in her house feeling sorry for herself!

She looked at the time on her phone. Two o' clock in the afternoon on a Saturday. Sitting in her junk food made Rachel question her food products in her kitchen. First she threw all the junk food that she didn't need into the trash. When she had accomplished her task, her kitchen was empty. She didn't have enough money to buy food and pay for the house. She needed a job. Going through a list in her head, Rachel settled on the Diner on main street.

Making herself presentable Rachel heads out of her house. Entering the world again in a new view had Rachel appreciating the little things. That she had a roof over her head and that her neighborhood was so caring towards her and her family, even though some did not believe in gay marriage.

The new Rachel made her way up town to the diner and since seeing life in a new light she had arrived fast. The bell rang once Rachel entered the small diner.

"Hey Rachel," the waitress said. She remembered her name.

"Hi, June," she said with a smile.

"Here to eat honey?"

"Not really- I was more hoping for a job?"

"You're timing couldn't have been any better. One of our waitresses just quit today-you could start now, if you're up to it?" June questioned her.

Rachel was taken back, at the offer. Maybe this new life is a good thing. "That would be great! thank you, June."

June smiled sweetly at Rachel. "You're welcome sugar, go grab an apron and wait that table over there." June motioned to the couple.

"Thank you again," Rachel stood awkwardly before finally taking June into an embrace. She hurried to the counter where Rachel pulled on the half apron and took to the table.

It's Monday and Rachel sits on her couch with Sam's phone number in hand and her phone in the other. Rachel had no school because it was a teacher work day meaning no school for the whole district.

After a couple minutes debating about it she pressed in the numbers and pressed send. It rang once.

"Hello." It was Sam.

Rachel swallowed her lump in her throat. "Hey, Sam. It's R-

"Rachel!" He pepped up. "How are you?"

She laughed silently, it's been awhile since she laughed. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm alright-Hey a couple of my friends and I are going to the lake, you want to come?"

Rachel paused. "Yeah, sure."

Sam laughed making Rachel smile. "Okay than, I'll pick you up in, twenty minutes. How does that sound?"

She nodded while saying, "yeah. Do you need directions to my hou-"

"Nah I remember where you live," Sam said carelessly. "I'll see you in a few."

"Bye." Rachel ended the call and sat. She still had the smile on her face as she got herself ready. She slipped on her bathing suit on and then her clothes over it. Her bag was filled with lake essentials.

There was a knock at the door. Rachel looked out her window as she rubbed sunblock on her skin. Sam's large jeep was parked on the curb. Grabbing her bag on her way out the door, Rachel hurried down stairs.

"Hey," she greeted when she opened the door.

"Hey," he responded with a grin. "You look nice," Sam complimented. "Ready to go?"

Rachel nodded as she slipped on her flip flops. "Yeah."

Sam courteously took the bag from Rachel and lead her to his jeep. "Here, let me help you." He placed the bag in the back and lift Rachel into the jeep.

"Thanks," she mumbles as she buckled herself in.

He smirked in return and shut her door.

Rachel watched as he had no problem getting into the jeep. Sam just jumped right in and started the jeep up and took off.

"How've you been?" he asked her as he turned off on a dirt road towards East.

"I've gone through something traumatic, recently," she spoke.

Sam turned to Rachel for a moment but focused his attention to the road.

"I got through it though. Realized that there's so much more out there." She gazed out the window in front of her and smiled lightly. "That doesn't matter now."

Sam caught her eyes and gave her an assuring smile. He parked the car next to a Range Rover, that Rachel was oddly familiar to. The blond helped Rachel out of the jeep and walked with her to the lake.

Rachel noticed a couple of bright colored tubes in the water with people laying on them. Beach towels lined the ground with boys sitting on them.

"Samster!" a boy called from one of the beach towels. He got up from the ground and ran over to Sam. "Hey man," he embraced him with a half hug. "Hey Rachel," Ryder said.

"How's it going Ryder," Rachel politely said.

"We're just doing what we're doing," He nodded to his friends along the shore.

"Come on I'll introduce you to gang." He looked to Sam and pulled Rachel to the bank. "Hey man, this is Rachel." Ryder hit the guy on the blue towel.

The guy removed his sunglasses and looked up to Rachel. "I know Ryder, we've met."

Rachel recalled remembering the Range rover. It belonged none other, Jesse St. James.

"How are you Rachel?" Jesse asked as he shifted his hands outward for Rachel to shake.

New beginnings. Rachel beamed to Jesse and accepted his greet. "I'm fine, how are Jesse?"

Jesse shrugged simply. "Okay," he said to Rachel. "How'd you find our secret place?" he asked.

"Sam's new friend," Ryder told Jesse and sat next to him.

Jesse nodded his head in understandment. "Ahh, quarter back Sam?"

Rachel turned her attention to Sam who was talking to another friend of his a couple feet from the three. "He nice," she gently said.

"Evans is more than nice," Jesse chuckled as he placed the sunglasses back on his face.

Rachel turned back to Jesse giving his a questionable look.

"It's good to see you again, Rachel." Jesse gave her a smile and looked out to the lake. "Glad you met Sam."

"Hey Rach, this is Kurt," Sam introduced the porcelain boy next to him. He wore jean Capri that were rolled up with a plain t-shirt and sunglasses over his eyes.

"Hi, must be Rachel Berry. Heard a lot about you. Kurt Hummel." He also stretched out his arm to Rachel for a hand shake.

Rachel smiled at what Kurt said. And Sam stood stiff beside Kurt after his comment. "Nice to meet you, Kurt."

"You like Broadway?" he questioned her seriously.

Rachel laughed slightly and nodded. "I have dreams of going to New York."

Kurt squealed as he tugged Rachel to his chair and umbrella. The two of them talked and talked and with an thirty minutes Kurt had decided that Rachel was his new best friend.

"That's Karofsky." Kurt pointed to the big guy sitting in the back of his truck with another guy. "And next to him is Sebastian." Kurt played with his sunglasses. "They're best friends." He nodded as he flipped through his magazine. "Just like Sam and Ryder."

Rachel observed them, especially the bigger one, Karofsky, He kept making eye contact at Rachel but would tear his away. "Who are they?" Rachel motioned to the girls in the tubes.

"Brittney and Sugar." Kurt informed her. "They're besties forever." he yawned out. "Sugar belongs to Artie." Kurt directed Rachel to the two guys sitting passing a ball back and forth. "He's the one with blue shorts. The other is Rory, he moved here from Ireland." Kurt blew a bubble from his gum as he popped it he said, "As you can tell Rory and Artie are best friends like Sam and Ryder and Karofsky and Sebastian."

Rachel sat comfortably on her towel as she inspected Sam's group. She noted that she had seen all of them at some point, during rival sport games. Brittney and Sugar both were in cheer leading and in volleyball. All the boys we're apart of the football team and basketball. All were in Vocal Adrenaline. They were picture perfect in Rachel's eyes. The clique every person desired to be in.

The sun was setting and the girls had finally been dragged from lake by Artie and Rory. Artie threw Sugar over his shoulders as Rory did the same to Brittney. Rachel watched the boys play football on the sand with Sam as the quarter back even Kurt and Jesse played. Kurt informed Rachel that he was the school's kicker for the football team.

Karofsky and Sebastian made a fire for all of them and they all sat warmly by the fire.

"Hi," the blond girl said. "I'm Brittney, nice to meet you Rachel."

Rachel smiled back and took the girls hand and greeted her. "Nice to meet you too."

"I'm Sugar," the smaller of the three said beside Brittney. "You're very pretty Rachel."

Brittney agreed as she nodded her head. "Would you like a blanket?"

Rachel responded and Brittney gave her a blanket to cover herself up.

"Well," Karofsky said letting his eyes wander to Rachel. "I'd just like to welcome Rachel to our little pack of friends." He raised his plastic cup. "Rachel."

The rest laughed at Karofsky's joking around. "Rachel!" they finally said.

Sam sat next to her as he nudged her with his shoulders. "You're apart of us now," Sam chuckled. "You can't get away now."

"Even if you try!" Artie shouted into the night with Sugar giggling on his lap.

Jesse spoke next to Kurt. "I was trying to warn you to run away from these idiots." Jesse joked dryly.

They all laughed again and Rachel couldn't have thought of a better thing to do than this.

"I should have brought that blanket with me," Rachel said. "It's freezing!" she told Sam as the two of them walked away from his friends.

Sam stopped walking and shrugged out of his jacket and placed it over Rachel. "Here." he sighed as he placed it over her.

She smiled and thanked him for the sweatshirt. "Thanks for inviting me today. I needed this," Rachel breathed out as she took in the stars.

"It's nothing, I think you made today even ten times better for everyone." he snickered as he thought of Kurt. "I sure haven't seen Kurt that happy. He's never met anyone who wants to go to Broadway."

Rachel beamed in the dark as they continued to walk. She coughed suddenly remembering that she had a sore throat.

"Sounds bad, Rach. Have you seen a doctor?" Sam asked concerned.

Rachel shook her head even though he couldn't see. "It's just a sore throat, it'll go away after time."

Sam let out a breath. "I have this juice that helps sore throats. I use it when I feel a cold coming during football season. You want some?"

This is just what she needed. "Could you?" Sam agreed. "Oh thanks so much Sam. I've had this since the fair." A week ago. When Noah sided with Finn and his pack.

The two walked back to the fire and saw that some of the people had left.

"Karofsky, Sebestian told me to tell you that it was a pleasure to meet you and hope to see you soon," Sugar told Rachel as she folded her towel up and threw it in Artie's car. Sugar wrapped around her arms around Rachel and squeezed. "It was a pleasure. See you soon."

"Bye Rach." Brittney waved to Rachel. "Sorry we have to leave so early. Sugar and I have a game tomorrow."

"It was all nice to meet you guys."

The three got in Artie's car and sped off.

"I've got to run too," Jesse told Rachel and Sam. "It's good to see you again Rachel." Jesse kissed her cheek and ran to his Range Rover.

Kurt slide into Rachel's view with his bag by his side. "He's my ride." Kurt nodded to Jesse. "He's my best friend out of the group like the others," Kurt whisperd. "I hope to see you soon, Rach." He gave her hug when Jesse honked his horn. "I left my phone number in your bag," he whispered to Rachel. Kurt made his way to the Ranger Rover and yelled once Jesse honked again. "I'm coming St. James!"

Rachel laughed and turned to Sam. "You have wonderful friends."

Sam shrugged. "We have wonderful friends," Sam smiled down to Rachel. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Think so," she sighed happily as she swung her bag back and forth.

"Lets go then."

"We're heading out now," Sam yelled over to the fire.

"Bye Rachel!" Ryder and Rory said.

"See you guys!" she waved to them.

Sam put his hand on Rachel's back as they walked to his jeep. He kept his eyes on edge of the trees. He helped her into the jeep and shut the door. The jeep started and they headed off towards Lima. They passed the Carmel school and it wasn't too long until they entered the McKinley district. On one side of the road was the town and the other was the woods. Up head was a boy, young man walking across on the edge of the road.

Rachel noticed that Sam stiffened. She recognized the guy, it was Finn. He had no shirt on and just basketball shorts on. She kept her eyes locked on him.

"A friend of yours?"

"Sort of," Rachel answered him.

Sam's jeep pulled up on the curb and shut the engine off.

"This has happened twice."

"What?" Sam asked confused.

"You taking me home, me thanking you for what you did. It's the second time."

Sam flipped on the lights to see Rachel's face. "Rach, I don't mind. If I told you the truth, I actually like doing this. Picking you up, hanging out, taking you home."

Rachel's eyes caught Sam's and she just nodded to him with a smile. That's all she could do. She opened the door and got out wordlessly.

"Rachel." Sam called before she shut the door. "This weekend?"

She agreed and closed the door. Like the first he waited until she inside before he left her house.


A/N: Hey babes! Thanks for the feedback! Made my week feel even sweeter. Also, I'm sorry that this had a more of an Evanberry feel to it, actually I'm not... Haha, I love Rachel and Sam, too. But Puckleberry is ENDGAME, in the story!

Chapter Three sneak peek: Then when he thought he was going to die, die on the forrest floors his eyes caught something. His skin started to move, he felt like worms were crawling around him. Suddenly little pricks started growing from his skin. Hair?

If you lovelies review, the next chapter, might be uploaded sooner!