Title: A New Direction
Pairing/Characters: Puck/Rachel with Rachel/Kurt (friendship), Rachel/Finn and Kurt/Blaine (in later chapters)
Rating/Warnings: Probably T for language, may go up in future chapters.
Summary: Post Special Education, Rachel has a few difficult decisions to make, and finds allies in both Kurt and Puck. Definitely AU after Special Education
Spoilers: Anything up to Special Education can be considered fair game.
Word Count: 3577
Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me.
Authors Note: To everyone who's alerted this story or left me reviews, you guys rock my socks! I love you all! And it gives me so much motivation to keep going. Also, I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update, but writers block and the fact I've had the flu for the past fortnight have made writing difficult. Here it is, hope it was worth the wait!
Chapter 3 - First day of a brand new life.
By the time they had been at the mall for a few hours Rachel was doubting her sanity. She had tried on more clothes in the past hour than she had in the past six months combined. She had spent half of her savings already, and Kurt showed no sign of slowing up. He was almost giddy at, in his words, "The chance to finally get away from plaid skirts, hideous sweaters and ridiculous dresses." Rachel would have been insulted if she had the energy. She groaned as Kurt handed her another handful of garments.
"Kurt." She whined. "I'm sick of this already. Can we please just go now?" Kurt stuck his head over the door and looked at Rachel, with one of his eyebrows cocked in what she assumed was a questioning manner. She knew she looked tired having the strain of the past few days finally catch up with her. "I just want to go home." she said as her eyes filled with tears. She'd tried to be strong, but she was hurt and tired and more than anything wanted to go home and see her dads, and just unwind. Kurt walked through and into the stall and knelt down in front of Rachel and looked her in the eye.
"Sweetie are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean mini makeover aside, everything is completely reversible." Rachel tilted her head back and and really and truly thought about it for a minute.
"Kurt, of course I'm sure I want to do this, its just its been a long day and I'm tired. Want to come to my house and help me choose a suitable outfit for tomorrow?" As Rachel looked at Kurt, she could see him doing a mental inventory of what they'd purchased.
"I just have one more stop to make before we leave. You need to just be patient for a few minutes longer okay?" Rachel nodded and stood up.
Even two weeks ago the thought of trusting Kurt enough to let him give her a makeover would have been unimaginable given the disaster last year. Today had given her more perspective for what Kurt's life was like, before he left. They had had some honest and frank discussions over the past few hours, and it left Rachel feeling hopeful for their friendship, and when she thought about what was going to happen tomorrow she felt a jolt of excitement in her stomach.
The next morning Puck was walking across the parking lot toward the school when he heard his name being called. "Noah." Rachel called, the hint of exasperation in her voice letting him know it wasn't the first time she'd shouted on him. He turned to face her and felt his eyebrows shoot up and his jaw drop.
Rachel stopped in front of him and smiled at him. "Do you like my outfit? I wasn't sure but when Kurt picked it out last night, he was insistent. I'm not so sure however, its very different from anything I've worn before."
Puck looked down at Rachel and felt every muscle in his body tense. She looked fucking amazing. She had on black boot cut jeans, paired with black pumps with a definite heel and a long white tank top with a black vest that ended just under her bust. She'd left her hair down and it was all rumpled and curling, making it look like someone had their hands in it, and for a change, she was wearing make up. She looked amazing and similar to how she looked for the mash-up only without the leather. The tight jeans emphasised the length of her legs and the way the vest clung emphasised her already amazing chest. Puck shifted feeling his jeans tighten uncomfortably as all his blood headed south of his belt. He had always been attracted to Rachel with her short ass skirts and stupid animal prints, but dressed like this, she was smoking.
"Kurt needs to dress you everyday, you look hot and Hudson is gonna lose his shit." He mentally kicked himself when Rachel flinched at the mention of her ex-boyfriend.
"Finn's reaction to my outfit is no longer my concern Noah. He can do what he wants, when he wants. I don't care." She raised her chin and although Puck recognised a bluff when he heard it, even he wasn't enough of a dick to call her on it. It was the first day of the plan, and Puck knew her confidence had to be low. He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice.
"You sure you still want to go through with this? I mean for sure those dicks need taken down a peg or two, but I don't want you to have second thoughts."
Rachel shook her head, then turned and walked off over the parking lot. She looked over her shoulder, "Are you intending on coming in the building today Noah, or are you going to stand in the parking lot all day?" Puck grinned and followed slowly. He wouldn't miss McKinley's reaction to the new and improved Rachel Berry.
As Rachel walked into the school building, everything went silent, then after a few seconds that felt like minutes, talking started again. Rachel walked down the corridor, her head held high and acting like she couldn't hear the talking. She faltered when she saw Jacob Ben Israel lurking by her locker. She slowed down and Noah walked up behind her and gently bumped her shoulder with his arm.
"New day, new attitude. Start with jewfro." He said as he walked past. She straightened her spine and walked up to her locker aware that from the corner of her eye Jacob was walking up to her. "Hello, my love. Since you have now finished with that oaf, Finn Hudson, we can be together, just how we were meant to be."
He leant in closer, looking like he was about to kiss her and Rachel made a split second decision as to how to handle the situation. Last week she would have screamed, but she decided on a different tactic. She stepped in closer and he grabbed her, which she had been counting on.
"Jacob Ben Israel, you unhand me this instant you uncouth baboon." She said loudly and a few heads turned toward them. When he ignored her and pulled her in closer, puckering his lips, Rachel felt a joint surge of revulsion and anger. With a hidden grin, she stepped up into his personal space and kneed him as hard as she could in the groin. Jacob collapsed with a muted scream and curled up into the foetal position.
As he fell, Rachel stepped back and calmly walked over to her locker, putting away her things and pulling out her books for her first class. She looked over the corridor where Noah was stood at his locker, and he was smirking and when he caught her looking at him he winked. She walked past and held her hand up for a high five and he laughed and obliged her. She smiled up at him and he slammed his locker shut and they walked to the morning meeting for Glee, completely oblivious to the stares and comments.
As she walked into the choir room, Rachel held her head up high, not giving into the nerves that were fluttering in her stomach. She walked over to the far side of the room and sat down, a few seconds later Noah dropped into the chair beside her. The only other people in the room were Santana, Brittany and Quinn all sat on the far side of the room talking about the latest diet Sue had them all on. Rachel sat in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, then stiffened Finn walked in, shortly followed by the rest of the glee club. Rachel let out a breath n relief when Finn walked across the room and without looking at Rachel sat down beside the cheerios.
A minute later Mr Schuester walked in, and stopped in the centre of the room, running a hand over his hair. "Good morning guys. Before I get to our assignment for the week, I need to talk to you. The first thing I wanted to do was to use this time to apologise to Rachel for the way I spoke to her last week,. I had no right to single her out, when you were all behaving badly. In fact, that's what I wanted to talk about. I have noticed the way you guys treat each other, and it stops, now, no more discussion." He looked at Rachel. "I offered you a solo the other day and you turned it down, so do you want it now?"
Rachel stood up and walked into the middle of the room. "I would love the opportunity to sing, but first I have a few things to say." At that there were a few groans and Mercedes very obviously sighed and rolled her eyes.
She took a deep breath and looked at the rest of the group. "I just have one question. Is what Santana said true? Do you all only pretend to like me?" There was an awkward silence and Rachel smiled bitterly. "Yeah, that was pretty much what the reaction I thought I'd get."
Santana stood up, her habitual sneer in place. "Seriously, you had to ask to know whether people don't like you, how deluded are you? You self-important little prude. No-one here likes you, I mean sure, you can sing, but apart from that, you're nothing to me, or anyone else, it seems."
Out of the corner of his eye, Puck saw Mr Schue go to step forward and he quietly coughed and as Mr Schue looked over Puck shook his head very firmly. Mr Schue sighed but reluctantly stepped back.
Rachel was stood with Santana glaring at her across the choir room, and she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, for once she was going to have her say without worrying about what anyone thought, it was a liberating thought. "I'm nothing to you? Good. I wouldn't want to be anything to you. Due to the fact that the only way you know to deal with people is to spread your legs for them. I might be a prude but at least I'm not a whore." Everyone gasped in shock and Santana's jaw dropped before her face went white. In the sudden silence everything sounded really loud and out of the corner of her eye she saw Puck's jaw drop and then he coughed to muffle sudden laughter. With a surge, Santana stood up but Rachel refused to back down in the face of the other girls anger. "You say I'm nothing and you're so popular." Santana smirked and Rachel just rolled her eyes. "I just have one question. If you weren't a cheerio, or slept with anyone who asked, would anyone really like you? I mean lets be honest, you're not exactly the girlfriend type, more the screwing in a cheap motel type." Santana moved across the room and stood in front of Rachel clenching and unclenching her fists, and when nobody moved to intervene, Puck stood up, and moved in between the two girls, nudging Rachel gently back out of the way. He scowled at the other girl.
"No way Lopez. I know what you can do, and she's smaller than you and unused to fighting. Use your words for once, señorita loca." Santana stood there and opened her mouth but when nothing was forthcoming, she moved and went and sat back down and although the other girl hadn't spoken, Rachel knew that the subject wasn't finished. She looked around the room but no-one else was saying anything, then Mercedes spoke up.
"Whoa there Miss Diva, don't you think that was a tad harsh? I mean did Santana really deserve that?" Rachel felt her jaw drop.
"Harsh? I'm sorry did you hear what she said to me first? So what, name calling is okay, as long as its aimed in my direction?" There was another awkward silence and then Rachel let out a short scream, her temper completely fraying.
"I am so sick of this crap!" She half-shouted and she saw people jump. "I have never once done anything deliberately malicious to any of you. I realise my passion for singing might have caused me to act irrationally and I have been childish before, but recently what have I done that is so bad? All I ever wanted for this team to win. Not me, this team. I've endured the looks, the comments, the pictures drawn about me, the slushies that I seem to be the only one still getting," She looked over to see Quinn smirk and nodded. "I am so sick of trying to get you to like me. So guess what? I'm not going to any more. You don't like me? Great, more power to you. I shouldn't have to take this, and more importantly I won't. You don't like me? Don't want me around? Fine. I'm not going to quit and leave you in the lurch, but I refuse to remain somewhere I am so clearly not wanted, so I'll see you all at rehearsals this afternoon."
She turned to face Mr Schuester who was gaping at her. "I've thought about what I said the other night Mr Schuester, and I'm not going to continue to look for alternate schools to attend, I'm staying at McKinley, but I need you to have a good look at this Glee club and think about what's happening here, because if things don't get better, after regionals, I'm quitting Glee." She turned around and grabbed her bag, then paused as a sudden thought hit her.
"Oh, and Mercedes?" Mercedes looked up at her. "Kurt said to tell you he's ashamed of you, that he expected diva's to stick together."
Mercedes scoffed. "Please, like my man Kurt would bother himself with you." Rachel just smiled and raised an eyebrow.
"Have you seen my outfit? Who do you think helped me buy it and picked it out for me? He's become a good friend, and I'll be seeing him after school today, when was the last time you spoke to him?" With that parting shot, she turned around, picked up her bag and went to walk out.
"Hey Rachel, wait up." Puck called after her, and she paused in the doorway, with her back to the room. He turned to face the shocked crowd. "She's to classy to say it, so I will. Fuck the lot of you. She didn't do anything to deserve the shit you put her through. So, I'm out of here too. Later bitches." With that he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked to the door, nudging Rachel to get her to move.
They walked down the corridor, and Puck went to talk to Rachel when she looked up at him and her eyes were swimming with tears. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest empty classroom. He sat on the desk and pulled Rachel in to stand in between his knees. He cupped her chin with his hands and raised it slowly, shocked again by how tiny she really was. As tear filled brown eyes met hazel, Puck sighed, then pulled her close into a hug, softly stroking her hair and her back, like he would do for Sarah, his little sister. He pulled back, and realised that with the heels and him sat down they were eye to eye. He looked her in the eye and sighed, frowning slightly, one hand still under her chin to keep her looking at him. "I'm sorry," He said quietly "That must have really fucking sucked to hear. What a bunch of assholes."
Rachel sniffled quietly and then let out a small sob. "I never realised it was that bad. I mean, not one of them ever really liked me." And with a few tears overflowed and Puck gently wiped at them with his thumb.
"Ssh, Rachel. Don't cry. I like you, I said so at sectionals, and I meant it. Remember that. Another thing to remember? Not one of those fuckers are worth even one of your tears. Not to mention you promised Kurt you wouldn't get upset."
Rachel closed her eyes and took a deep breath knowing that Puck was right. She had made a promise with Kurt that if she was going to cry, she would wait until she was at home. At school she was allowed to show no signs of weakness. With that reminder, Rachel smiled, and wiped her face. "Noah, I believe you're right. I can't cry that would completely ruin my make-up and then Kurt really would kill me. Thank you." She looked up at him and then impulsively leant forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. She stepped back and looked at Puck, who had completely frozen. She went to speak but before she could, he was pulling her closer and before she knew what was happening they were kissing.
Rachel shivered as Puck pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She heard some distant part of her brain trying to tell her something but she couldn't focus. Then the silence was broken by the sound of a door slamming. The pair jolted apart at a shout.
"I knew it." Rachel felt her heart sink as she turned to face an irate Finn. He took a step forward. "I knew you were cheating on me with him." Finn said with a hard look at Puck. Rachel stepped forward deliberately into Finn's line of sight, drawing his gaze.
"I am not cheating on you." Finn's brow creased and he pointed from Puck to Rachel and back, with a dark scowl on his face.
"I just walked in here to find you two kissing, what the hell would you call it?" Rachel looked at Finn and shook her head, sorrow filling her chest. She had known this confrontation was coming, but hadn't wanted to involve Noah, not wanting to damage the boys fledgling relationship. Now, if she didn't say something quickly that outcome looked almost guaranteed.
"Yes, Noah and I were kissing, I still fail to see where that is considered cheating." Rachel said quietly.
"You're my girlfriend and I caught you kissing another dude, that's like the definition of cheating." Finn spoke slowly as though talking to a five year old and Rachel felt her temper flare.
"I am not your girlfriend. You broke up with me, remember?" Finn looked dumbfounded, and Rachel let out a laugh that she knew, even to herself sounded bitter. "What? I'm sorry, but did you expect me to come running after you and ask for your forgiveness and play the simpering girlfriend? Why should I?" Rachel said angrily putting her hands on her hips. "In all the time we've been together since we got back to school neither of us have been happy. Frankly, you haven't been a good boyfriend to me, you side with the people who call me names, tell me I'm selfish and a million other things, that somehow makes you so much better than me. I'm sick of feeling never good enough Finn. I get it enough from the rest of the glee club, I don't need it from my so-called boyfriend as well. I'm telling you right here and now, I've had enough of this and I'm saying, we're done." With that she turned around and winked at a gaping Noah, and picked up her bag and walked out the door heading to her next class.
Puck stood there, feeling pole-axed as Finn stood there a few seconds, then stormed out in the opposite direction from where Rachel had gone. Okay, this new Rachel Berry who spoke her mind? Was insanely hot, and Puck suddenly had the urge to actually go to his maths class today, well you know, studying was important. He thought with a grin, plus it didn't hurt that a certain talkative midget was in his class. Yep, this was going to be an interesting week.