Stuttering
Rachel and Finn, 12:00 PM, August 15th
"Rachel, I just…don't like this apartment," Finn said, frowning and running a hand through his brown hair.
"What do you mean you don't like it?" Rachel snapped, spinning on her heel to face her fiancé.
"This apartment is heaven, it's perfect, it's exactly what I've been looking for," She said, twirling around.
The apartment itself was stunning. It was technically a penthouse suite, going for a dirt-cheap rate because it wasn't getting any renters, even though it was beautiful. The floors were hardwood, the kitchen tiled in marble. The ceilings were vaulted and there were two rooms, a master bedroom with a large closet and a smaller bedroom with a smaller closet. The walls were painted cream, and the large windows filled the living room with light. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
"Rach, maybe you should move in here on your own," Finn said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans uncomfortably.
"What do you mean Finn," Rachel squawked, turning once again to face him.
"Well, I can't afford this…and I mean, really, what's the point of us moving in to such a huge house, it's not like either of us are really wanting children right now," He said with a shrug.
"Finn, you're the fiancé of a Broadway star. I can afford this. I want this," She said, biting her lip and narrowing her dark eyes.
"Maybe this isn't going to work," Finn said, tilting his head to the floor, his eye fixed on a spot of dust.
"What do you mean, us moving in together? You're right, where would I EVER get the idea that you would be committed enough to move into an apartment. In fact, if you can't even commit to live in an apartment with me, can you even commit to marrying me, or staying faithful to me?" Rachel said, her voice steady and cold.
"Rach, that's not what I mean and you know it," Finn pleaded.
"Well what do you mean then?"
"I don't know, I mean this is a big place. And a big step. And I don't know if I can handle this," Finn said, wincing.
"So you basically just rehashed what I said, except you shortened it," Rachel snapped. She grasped her ring finger and wiggled her engagement ring off her finger. The diamond caught the light as she threw it at Finn. It bounced off his chest and fell to the floor with a tiny clink.
"Let me know when you're ready to be committed. But don't expect me to wait around for you. I'm so tired of your indecisiveness. You piss me off so bad! I'm done with this."
"I slept with Roxanna." Finn said flatly.
"Oh, so not only can you not commit to moving in, or our engagement, you also can't commit to a monogamous relationship? And I would expect something like that from Noah, but never, NEVER from you," Rachel snapped.
"When you're ready to man up, let me know. But for now, get the HELL out of my life," Rachel yelled at him. Finn bent down to pick up the ring and turned to walk out the door. As it shut behind him, Rachel brushed at her eyes, trying to sweep away the tears she felt welling there. She went to stand by the window, looking out over the city. The apartment was everything she wanted, and now, well now it was going to be a brand new start. A single start she supposed.
"Miss Berry?" Rachel recognized the voice of the real estate agent working for her.
"Yes Mrs. Thompson?" She asked, clearing her throat.
"I was wondering if you had made a decision about this apartment, when Mr. Hudson walked out I assumed you had," the woman said. Rachel smiled graciously.
"You assumed correctly Mrs. Thompson. I'll take the apartment, but post that I'm looking for a roommate. If someone comes by that can afford half this place, just let them know that they can have the guest bedroom and let them in immediately. I'll start moving my stuff in tomorrow, and I'll sign the papers then," Rachel said.
"Very good Miss Berry. I will see you tomorrow,"
"I'll see you later," Rachel said, moving to leave the apartment.
"Just a word of advice Miss Berry, forgive your fiancé," the realtor said with a gentle smile.
"He slept with my competition," Rachel stated simply.
"While he was engaged to me," she finished, her voice flat. She walked towards the door, taking one more glance at the apartment. Yes, a roommate would be a useful distraction. Until she found someone who knew her better, who could really love her and care for her, unlike Finn. She stepped onto the elevator, the scene in the apartment replaying over in her head. This time she couldn't stop the tears from coursing down her face. She hurried out of the lobby of the apartment building so that no one would see her, recognize her, and ask why the little Broadway star was crying. She waved for a taxi and when one stopped she got in.
"Bring me to 950 5th Avenue please," Rachel said. The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb. Rachel couldn't help but worry about what was next for her.
"Here's your destination, ma'am," the cab driver said. Rachel handed him a fifty-dollar bill.
"Keep the change," She said as she hurried inside and got into the elevator. When it got to her floor, she ran down the hall to her room, unlocked the door, slammed it behind her and collapsed in her bed, only pausing to kick the shoes off her feet. She buried her face into the pillow and began to cry, her sobs overtaking her body.
Puck, 1:00 PM, Starbucks, Time Square
Puck opened the newspaper open to the classified section while he took a sip from his Americano. He ran his finger through the listings, pausing when he thought he saw something interesting. Generally the price was too high. His finger stopped on one entry in particular. It was a penthouse suite rental for four thousand dollars a month. He glanced at the number and pulled his cell phone out of his jeans. He keyed in the digits and held the phone up to his ear.
"Hello, Archstone Apartments, Sandra speaking," a nasal voice on the other line said.
"Hi, my name is Noah Puckerman, I'm inquiring about the penthouse suite that you have listed in the newspaper," he said.
"Oh, that apartment, we actually just got a renter looking for a roommate. As long as you can pay half the rent, you can move in, no questions asked," the lady on the other end said. A slow smile crawled across Puck's face.
"Who's the renter?" Puck asked.
"She prefers to be kept anonymous until you've moved in," the woman said.
"Could I pop by to take a look?" Puck asked.
"Yeah, we have an opening for a viewing right now. How fast do you think you can be here?" The woman, Sandra asked
"I can be there in about ten minutes," Puck said, flagging down a taxi as he said this.
"Alright, see you soon," Sandra said, sounding remarkably perky. Puck hung up the phone and hopped in the cab.
"101 West End Street please," He said. The ride was quick, the city passing by in a blur. Puck couldn't believe he was actually here, in New York, carrying an acceptance letter from Julliard in his duffel bag. He knew Rachel had told him he was talented, but her hadn't actually believed her until the letter came in the mail. His grades weren't great, but that fact that he had been in glee club had helped his chances, offering him an opportunity of a lifetime. He had sent them a demo along with his application, and they accepted him, on a trial basis, with a scholarship for his first year, or until they thought he wasn't taking his education seriously. Puck was amazed that they had even accepted him.
"We've arrived at your destination sir," the driver said. Puck handed him a ten-dollar bill that he wrestled from his pocket.
"Thanks dude," he said, waving good-bye as he walked to the doors. The apartment complex was huge. Almost to the point that it could be called majestic. There was absolutely no way that the apartment was as cheap as it was. The doorman opened the door.
"Thanks," Puck said, his voice hushed. The man nodded, tipping his hat slightly. Puck walked into the lobby, the floors were marble, the walls painted a warm golden yellow, and there was also a reception desk, made of a dark wood. The reception desk looked out of place an apartment building. Puck walked up to the desk, feeling out of place in his grey t-shirt and loose jeans.
"Hi, how can I help you?" A blonde woman asked, plastering a fake smile across her face.
"Hi, I called here about an apartment about ten minutes ago. I talked to someone named Sandra," He said.
"Well, that's me," She said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"Right, I'm Noah, I called about looking at the penthouse suite," He said.
"Okay then, if you'll just come with me and I'll give you the grand tour," she said. Puck nodded as she walked around the desk, her high heels clicking on the marble. Puck followed her, catching up easily. The woman began to speak.
"So the Penthouse is not furnished, only the two bedrooms have furniture in them. We've also provided basic appliances in the kitchen, as well as cooking supplies. How you eat and store food here will be discussed with your roommate, as well as furnishing of the apartment. We have cleaning staff for hire, you can hire someone, or you could clean it yourself, though I'm not sure you'd want to. There are two ensuite bathrooms, one in the master bedroom, and one in the other room. Your roommate has asked to stay in the master bedroom. They will be moving in tomorrow. If you do decided to move in, when would be best for you?" Sandra asked, finally stopping the onslaught of words coming from her mouth.
"Um. Wow. That was a lot of information to take in." Puck said, rubbing a hand over his face. Normally he would be more eloquent with his words, especially around a slim, leggy blonde like Sandra, but he was tired, he just wanted to sleep. Sleeping was hard to do when he didn't have a place to live.
"I'd be able to move in today, if that's possible. This duffel bag is all I've got," Puck said. Sandra nodded,
"We've got the forms here, so it'll be easy to get you moved in today. As long as you can pay your half of the rent for the month now, we'll be good to go," Sandra said, her hands flailing around her head. Puck narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the woman.
"You remind me of someone I knew," he said with a grin. Sandra reminded him of a young Rachel Berry, non-stop talking, everything. He was never truly friends with Rachel, but he still missed her more than he missed girls like Quinn and Santana. Actually, he heard that Santana had been living in New York. If he could find her, he knew where he could go for a quick lay. He winced as he thought that, remembering how he had been in high school.
"So would you like to see the apartment?" Sandra asked, staring at him with her blue eyes, head cocked.
"Um. Yeah, sorry about that," Puck said. He followed Sandra to the door. The young woman slipped the key in the lock and twisted it. With a click, the door opened, and Puck's breath was taken away.
"Holy shit!" He breathed out, his eyes scanning the high ceilings, the natural light from the windows, the hardwood floors. The chandelier was breath taking, and he was a man. He wasn't into interior decorating, but whoever had designed the house had done a damn good job.
"Would you like to see the bedroom and the kitchen?" Sandra asked.
"I don't think I need to. I'll definitely take this. It's probably the best deal I'll get in the city," Puck said, looking around.
"All right, well I'll run down and grab the papers, you stay here and take a look around," Sandra said. Puck nodded mutely. When Sandra left the room, Puck let out a deep sigh, before wandering through the living room. There was a closed door at the end of the hall, Puck assumed it was the master bedroom, so he steered clear, instead entering the bedroom on the right side of the hallway. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than his old room. The room was cream coloured, like the rest of the house. He would have to check if he was allowed to paint, the colour was not conducive to his concentration or sleep habits. He saw the door leading to the bathroom, and a door to what he assumed was a walk in closet. The furnishings were simple, a small desk in the corner of the room, a bed, with a dark wood bed frame, there were no sheets or blankets, just a mattress. Beside the bed there was a small bedside table made of the same colour wood as the bed frame. The mattress looked so inviting, but Puck had to sign and pay for the place first.
"Hello? I've come back with the forms," Sandra called from the living room. Puck dropped his duffel bag on the floor and walked back out.
"Hey sorry, was just checking out my room. Do you have a pen?" Puck asked. The woman nodded and handed over a clipboard.
"I need you to sign here, here, and here," Sandra said, her slim finger pointing at the blank spaces. Puck picked up the pen and signed along the lines.
"And how will you be paying today?" She asked with a smile.
"Do you take cheques?" Puck asked. Sandra nodded.
"Then I'll be right back with my chequebook," Puck said. Sandra nodded and Puck walked to his room, unzipping his bag and grabbing the black book that sat on the top of all his belongings. He brought it back into the room and filled it out, ripping it off and handing it to Sandra.
"And you are now the half renter of this apartment," Sandra said.
"Here are two keys for you. Your roommate will be moving in tomorrow, so enjoy the peace and quiet while you can," Sandra said with a smile, taking two keys off her key ring and dropping them in Puck's outstretched hand.
"Just call down to the reception desk or come on down if you need anything," Sandra said with a wink. Puck just gave her a weak smile and saw her to the door. When she left, Puck locked the door behind her and wandered back to his room, not bothering to put sheets or a blanket on the bed before he collapsed on it and fell into a deep sleep.
Rachel, 6:00 PM, 950 5th Avenue
Rachel woke to the incessant ringing of her phone. She stumbled out of bed and grabbed the phone off of her dresser.
"What?" She growled into the line.
"Well that's not a very nice way to greet your best friend,"
"Sorry San,"
After both Rachel and Santana had moved to New York, they became friends. The head bitch in charge attitude had been left behind when she left the Cheerios. Santana turned out to be a fantastic writer, and was working on her first novel, after publishing a few short stories and columns in the New York Times. They had found a friend in each other when they had nowhere else to go. As far as she knew, Santana, Finn, and Kurt were the only ones of New Directions that had moved to New York, in fact, Kurt was actually on Broadway with Rachel. Brittany was a very notorious back-up dancer for Britney Spears, and Rachel didn't really know where everyone else had ended up.
"Earth to Berry?" Santana asked
"Ugh. Sorry. This hasn't exactly been a fantastic day," Rachel sighed into the mouthpiece of the phone.
"What's goin' on hun?" Santana asked.
"I broke up with Finn. For good. He cheated on me with Roxanna," Rachel said, grabbing for the glass of water she had placed on her bedside table. She quickly gulped the liquid down and scrubbed at her eyes, waiting for Santana's reply.
"That Sonovabitch!" the Latina girl snapped, her voice cold.
"I know," Rachel let out a long sigh and flopped back down on her bed.
"San, what do I do? I mean this is the first I've been single since…well since Finn and I started dating for good. And I'm twenty-two," Rachel moaned into the phone. Santana scoffed.
"I know exactly what you need to do," her voice was matter-of-fact.
"Really, what's that?" Rachel asked, her mood perking up
"Get laid!" Santana declared as if it was an epiphany given to her from God.
"Santana, how many times are we going to go over this, I don't believe in having sex before…"
"I know, I know, you're being a good Jew. Gosh how do you live without having fun! By fun I mean sex," Santana gave a short laugh.
"Well, for a while Finn was okay with it,"
"Until he cheated on you,"
"Santana," Rachel said warningly.
"What?" The other girl said,
"You're not putting out. He was probably desperate,"
"Santana, that's out of line," Rachel snapped.
"If you have nothing else to say to further damage my ego, I'll hang up and crawl back into bed thank you,"
"Shit. Rach I'm sorry, you know…"
"No filter. I get it. I'm just not in the best mood for no filtering right now," Rachel sighed.
"Well, we're going to fix that. We're going out tonight," Santana yelled into the phone.
"Santana, I'm not really in the mood," Rachel hedged.
"Berry. It's not even an option at this point. You need to get drunk. And laid," Santana said. Rachel could hear screeching and rustling, the typical sounds of hangers.
"Santana, I'm not going out. You don't need to go through your closet," Rachel said, knowing her friend had already won the argument.
"Hun, trust me, you're going out. I'll be over in an hour, be dressed by then," Santana said, before hanging up the phone. Rachel groaned and rolled off of her bed, landing on the floor with a thud. Basically everything was in boxes, including all her clothing. She ripped the tape off of one of her clothing boxes and dug through it. Rachel pulled out an emerald green camisole and skinny jeans, and a pair of black wedge heels. The outfit was simple but fun. She also dug out a long silver link necklace and a black cardigan. Rachel slipped the necklace over her head and draped the cardigan over her arm before sitting, unceremoniously on the floor. Rachel had nothing better to do before Santana came over. She let out a sigh. This would be a long forty-five minutes.
Puck, 6:30 PM, 101 West End Avenue
"Hey Finn," Puck said into the cell phone nestled between his ear and shoulder as he unpacked his clothes from his bag, glancing over at his guitar. He hadn't played in a while, and he was really feeling that urge right about now.
"Look man, can I tell you something?" Finn asked, his voice urgent from the other side of the phone. Puck raised an eyebrow.
"Sure man, what's up?" He asked, pulling a black v-neck t-shirt out of his pile of clothes and tossing it beside his guitar case on his bed.
"Rach and I broke up," Finn said, his voice flat. Puck mentally cheered, but shook his head. He couldn't do that; he shouldn't be cheering at the fact that his best friend had just broken up with his fiancée. Regardless of how he couldn't stop thinking about said fiancée.
"What happened, man?" Puck asked, as he stretched his shirts onto hangers and stuck them in his closet.
"I kind of cheated on her. With her competition." Finn said sadly. Puck paused to sit on his bed. What the fuck had Finn been thinking? It reminded Puck of his lapse in judgement with Quinn.
"What the hell were you thinking man?" Puck spat into the phone, wincing at how harsh his voice sounded.
"I know Puck, god, I'm such an idiot. It was all because she didn't want to put out. And I was too desperate," Finn mumbled. Puck shook his head. Here was his best friend, who just told him he cheated on the best thing that had happened to him. And was blaming it on her. Puck rubbed his face, he needed to help his friend, but he couldn't help but think about what an idiot Finn was being.
"Look man, let's just go out for drinks and I don't know, sing karaoke or something?" Puck suggested.
"What do you mean? You're still in Lima," Finn asked. Puck could almost hear the other man's confusion over the line.
"I um, I got accepted into Julliard on a trial basis," Puck said.
"Man, that's awesome. Yeah, let's go out for drinks. We could go to like Pulse Karaoke or Planet Rose. I've heard they've got the best karaoke," Finn said, his voice tired.
"Do you need to make reservations?" Puck asked.
"Only for Pulse," Finn responded,
"I'm on the internet checking it out now,"
"Alright, then lets go to Planet Rose," Puck said, taking initiative.
"Yeah, sounds…great. Rach would've loved that," Finn said wistfully.
"Dude, we're going out and getting drunk tonight. I'll meet you there in a bit." Puck said, hanging up the phone. He tossed it on his bed, equal parts pissed off and unhappy for his friend. He wrestled his grey t-shirt over his head and replaced it with the black t-shirt that he had tossed on his bed, before pulling on a black button up shirt over that, leaving it open. He slipped his feet into his black converse and laced them up. Puck left the apartment, locking the door behind him, taking the stairs instead of the elevator; he jogged past Sandra and waved good-bye.
"See you later Sandra, thanks for the help with the apartment," he shouted. The woman smiled and waved back, turning to her paperwork. Puck flagged down a taxi and hopped in.
"Planet Rose please," Puck asked. He was getting used to the idea of New York.
Santana and Rachel, 7:00, 49 Grove Street
"Gosh, Santana, this is way too classy to meet guys. I'm not about to pour martinis down my throat and drape myself all over boys," Rachel said with a groan.
"Oh gosh, suck it up Berry. Dressed like that I'm pretty sure that guys will be pouring themselves over you," Santana snapped as they sat down at the bar.
"Two martinis, very, very stiff," Santana said to the bartender, turning back to her friend.
"We're not staying here all night anyways. We'll go to karaoke. There's this place one of my co-workers wrote about, it's called Planet Rose or something like that," She said. The bartender slid two martinis onto the counter.
"Just start me a tab, I'll clear it up at the end of the night," Santana said. The man nodded and Santana slid one of the martinis to Rachel.
"Bottoms up, hun," Santana said.
"Luckily, I can write this off as a business expense, because I'm writing a review on this place," she grinned at Rachel, and the girl lifted her martini in toast to her friends brilliance, before pouring the drink down her throat.
"So, does this mean that I can have as many martinis as I want tonight and you're paying for them all?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded and gestured for the bartender to bring them another round.
2 Hours Later
"San, do we reeeallly have to do karaoke?" Rachel drawled out as she attempted to stand. She tripped over the barstool.
"Easy there Berry, and in answer, yes. I want to see you doing drunken karaoke, I want to see if you're as good at singing when you're drunk," Santana said, grabbing her friends arm and helping her outside to the taxi.
"Planet Rose please," Santana said, as she closed the door.
"Santanaaaaa," Rachel whined, brushing her dark hair off of her face.
"What Berry?" Santana asked as she helped her friend out of the cab. Slightly less drunk but no better with her coordination, Rachel tripped over curb. Santana caught the tiny brunette before she fell flat on her face.
"Finn's a jackass," Rachel mumbled into her friend's shoulder, Santana nodded
"I know hun," she said, glancing around the area. No one had seen her friends near mishap. The doors to Planet Rose swung open and a familiar dark-haired male hurried out, staggering slightly.
"Berry, wait here," Santana said, lightly pushing her friend onto a bus bench. Heels echoing against the concrete, Santana followed the dark-haired man.
"Hudson, come here," Santana growled. The man stopped and turned to the Latina.
"You're a fucking idiot. As if you did that to her. I don't want you coming around her at all. Ever! I could expect Puck to cheat before you would, but I guess you proved me wrong. And with her Broadway rival nonetheless! You are so unbelievable," Santana yelled, raising her hand to slap the man. Clumsy as he was when he was drunk, Finn managed to bat Santana's hand down.
"I know. Tell her I'm sorry, and that I'll stay out of her life," Finn said, staring at his feet with a strange fascination.
"Look Finn, I understand that you're hurting. But she is too, and she's always mattered to me more. My best friend always comes first," Santana said gently. Finn nodded and turned away. Santana rushed back, hoping Rachel hadn't seen the exchange. She had hoped in vain; when she was in view of her best friend, she noticed that Rachel hand her head buried in her hands.
"That was Finn wasn't it," Rachel asked.
"Yeah Hun. He said sorry and that he won't bother you anymore," Santana said, helping the tired girl to her feet. Santana led Rachel into the karaoke bar; it was busy and a woman was singing a tone-deaf version of "Don't cha" by the Pussycat Dolls. Santana winced. The girl's voice was shrill in her ears.
"God, this is horrible," Santana muttered.
"I agree. You should get up there and show her up," Rachel said as the duo sat down at the bar.
"One shot of tequila please," Santana said. The bartender nodded, toured the alcohol and slid the shot glass to the Latina.
"Okay Berry. Here's the deal, I'll sing something while you do this shot, and then you have to go sing, okay"
"Okay," Rachel nodded. Santana smirked and strutted up to the area that the karaoke machine was set up.
"Oh, we have a new girl here tonight. New girl, what's your name?" the emcee asked.
"That's for me to know and for you to scream out in bed with me," Santana said with a shrug. The emcee and the crowd laughed.
"Who said I was joking?" Santana smirked.
"So new girl, what are you going to sing for us tonight?" the emcee asked. Santana grabbed the mic, twirled her curly dark hair around her finger and nibbled on her lower lip.
"I'm going to sing Radar by Britney Spears," the girl said, shifting her eyes to the emcee, who gulped visibly.
Puck noticed a sexy Latina girl shamelessly flirting with the emcee and the males in the bar before she began an incredibly sexy rendition of Radar by Britney Spears. She was shimmying and twisting her hips to the beat, knowing she was sexy and relishing in that. Puck swore the voice and the body seemed familiar, but the only Latina he knew was Santana, and he hadn't seen her in ages. Besides, if Santana were there, Rachel would probably be nearby. Finn did say the two girls were best friends. Puck shook his head, grabbing his beer by the neck of the bottle and taking a swig. The Latina woman really was shameless, and now she was dancing with some guy as she finished the song. The man leaned over and whispered in her ear. Puck had to stop himself from laughing. Three years ago, he would've used that same move. He was smarter now, and he was looking for a relationship. He loved having a healthy (okay, over-active) sex life, but he was tired of one-night stands. He watched the movements of the Latina girl again. She had agreed, but she was gesturing off by the bar. Her friend was probably sitting over there, and she was telling the boy who was about to take her home that she had to let her friend know she was going.
Santana smirked as she strutted over to Rachel.
"Hun?" Santana asked, Rachel stared at her friend blankly.
"Hey Berry, you all there?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head and blinked.
"Sorry, I was kind of out of it there." A slow smile spread across Rachel's face.
"You going to go home with Mr. Sexy there?" She asked. Santana nodded,
"If you're going to be okay," Santana said. Rachel nodded,
"Yeah, I'm just thinking of a song to sing," Rachel said.
"Alright, well you have fun with your little song, have a few more drinks, loosen up, then take a cab home," Santana said, leaning down to give her friend a hug.
"Have fun," Rachel said with an exaggerated wink. Santana tossed her head back and laughed, then walked back to the man who was waiting for her.
Rachel waited until her friend had left before she stood up and walked towards the emcee.
"Hey, we've got two new sexy girls tonight!" the emcee exclaimed,
"And who would you be?" He asked. Rachel smiled and leaned over to talk into the mic.
"If you can't recognize me from the voice, I truly question your belief in culture," She said to the rowdy crowd. A few chuckles broke out.
"Just give us a hint other new girl," the emcee said.
"Does the name Berry ring a bell?" She asked. The emcee raised an eyebrow, but shook his head.
"It will in a minute," Rachel said,
"I'll be singing "Stuttering" by FeFe Dobson," she smirked and grabbed the mic from the emcee, twirling away from him as the music started up.
"There's a whole lot of things that I will forgive
But I just can't take a liar
I was by your side till the very end
Till you pushed me in the fire
I tried to believe you but something is wrong
You won't look in my eyes
Tell me what's going on
It's you and me against the world
That's what you said. That's what you said
If you can't be honest with me, then I'm afraid this is
The end
Hurry up Hurry up
If you ever really cared about me
Tell the truth, give it up...
You sound guilty cause you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Now, The seconds turn into minutes now
But you won't give me an answer
You can tell me this, you can tell me that
But don't say you don't remember
Coz I know you better than you know yourself
So don't say I'm crazy, I know very well
It's you and me against the world,
That's what You said, that's what you said
If you can't be honest with me, then I'm afraid this is
The end..
Hurry up, Hurry up
If you ever really cared about me
Tell the truth, give it up
You sound guilty cause you're stuttering
Ohhh...eyyy...Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Ahhhh ahhh ahh.
Don't want to hear you're sorry now
The best thing you can do for me is just spit it out
Ahhh ahhh ahh.
Don't want to hear your sorry now
Stop stop stuttering your words
Its only making you look worse
Hurry up
Hurry up
If you ever really cared about me
Tell the truth
Give it up, you sound guilty
Cause you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Keep on stuttering
Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh
Yeah you're stuttering
Keep on stuttering
Ohhh...
Yeah you're stuttering"
Berry. Berry? BERRY! The recognition hit Puck like a tonne of bricks, and his head snapped up to focus on the girl singing an intensely emotional song. Sure enough, fair skin, slightly upturned nose, dark eyes and dark hair cascading down her back in curls. She had learned how to do her brows, and her makeup, and had learned how to dress normally. Actually, a whole of a hell lot better than normally. She was sexy. Rachel Berry oozed sex appeal…he shouldn't be thinking of her that way…she was his best friends ex-fiancée. Puck supposed he would have to ask Finn for permission if he wanted to date her. Whoa. Where had that thought come from. Puck shook his head, his eyes following Berry's movement. Her eyes met his and he turned his head in the other direction. Puck didn't know where the sudden dose of shyness he was feeling had come from (of course he did. He just didn't want to admit it).
Rachel felt eyes watching her through her entire performance, but once she had finished singing, she just wanted to sit down and drink. Singing that song had taken a lot out of her, and now she just wanted to forget. She sat back down at the bar.
"I'll have another shot of tequila please," She asked. The bartender slid the drink to her and she poured it down her throat, the bitter taste burning. She made a face, and then signalled for another one.
Puck watched as Rachel Berry, in a totally un-Berry-like fashion, knocked back drink after drink. Until he saw the bartender shaking his head. He moved closer to hear the conversation.
"Gimme another beer," Rachel slurred, slamming the shot glass down on the bar.
"I'm sorry Miss, I can't do that,"
"Fuck you," She growled
"You've exceeded our drink limit for the night," the man said, rather patiently for talking to a piss-drunk drama queen. Puck couldn't help but smile. So this is why Berry never got drunk, she had a secretly foul mouth. Rachel stood up and attempted to turn on her heel, clutching onto the counter for support. Puck covered his mouth to stop from laughing when Rachel flipped the bartender her middle finger and stormed off. Puck followed her when he saw she could barely keep her balance, using tables and chairs for support.
"Berry, wait up," Puck called. The brunette paused, shoving her hair behind her ears.
"Noah?" she slurred, turning to face him with cloudy eyes.
"That's me Berry, what's got you so screwed up?" Puck asked her, concerned, as he reached his arm out to steady her. Rachel clung to his arm like it was a lifeline.
"He fucking hates me. He's a fucking jackass. He CHEATED on me," Rachel blubbered, falling into Puck's chest. The man wrapped his arms around her as her tiny body shook with sobs against his muscular frame.
"Let's get you home Berry," Puck said.
"Where do you live?" He couldn't get a clear answer; she was too choked by tears.
"Rach, I'm just going to take you to my place, you can go home in the morning, is that okay?" he asked. The girl nodded, and he kept her close to him with one arm while gesturing for a taxi with the other. He helped Rachel in, and she buried her face into his shoulder, promptly falling asleep. Puck chuckled softly. Just his luck. He was going to give up his bed to sleep on the hardwood floor, wrapped in a blanket for the night. The things you did for girls. With his luck, he would have to carry her up to the apartment too. When they finally got to his apartment, Puck got out of the taxi, before gently pulling Rachel into his arms and lifting her out of the cab. He handed the cab driver a fifty.
"Thanks man," Puck said. He looked at Rachel's face. She was almost peaceful in sleep, minus the tear tracks on her face. The doorman pulled open the door and Puck nodded his thanks. Sandra was still sitting at the front desk. She must have been tired; she had been working all day.
"Hey Sandra, see you later," Puck said softly.
"What? Your girlfriend?" the receptionist asked with a grin.
"No, Rachel Berry, famous Broadway star and one of my good friends," Puck said. Sandra raised an eyebrow and nodded. Puck walked past her and pushed the door for the escalator. Luckily he worked out on a regular basis, not that Rachel was heavy, but he had a long way to go to get to his room. Rachel stirred in his arms and he smiled. This was totally reverse of what he was normally doing with a girl. Normally he would sleep with her then pretend to be asleep. But with Rachel, it was different. He struggled to unlock the door to his apartment, closing it behind him. He didn't bother to lock the door; he'd do that after he put Rachel into bed. He walked to his room, and gently placed the drunken girl in bed. He took off her shoes and dropped them on the floor, before pulling the comforter over her slim body. She snuggled in and a small smile spread across her face. Puck went to go grab his extra blanket out of his closet, when Rachel reached out an arm.
"Stay in bed with me," she mumbled.
"Rachel, you'll regret it," Puck said.
"I just need someone to hold me," she said, turning over to see him, her eyes opened sleepily.
"Fine, he sighed, then kicked off his shoes, crawling onto the bed but not under the covers, before draping an arm around the girl's waist and closing his eyes. He breathed in her scent briefly, vanilla and notes of something spicy. A lazy smile spread across his lips. He could get used to this.