A/N: Thank you so so SO much for your support! I'm really enjoying this fic so far, so I'm glad to know you all are, too :)

Jsct: Thank you so much! There's a lot more too it, and you start to see some of it in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! :)

You'll Get Wrinkles Like That: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! :)

ajak716: Thank you, I thought so too! I'm so glad I got this prompt, it's different but not too different..I like it. I'll do my best to put up a chapter every other week at least, so don't worry! :)

IheartTV 'tv-luvin-hottie': Thank you! I'm glad you thought it was well written, honestly, I was worried about that. This is definitely out of my comfort zone. And I'm glad you liked that about it. I was worried that people would want them together right away, but I think it's much better to have a slow build up. I hop you like the new chapter :)

So, for this chapter, the only thing to keep in mind is that italic paragraphs are flashbacks. This will remain true for the whole story, so remember that. Now, because you don't care about my rambling, without further ado, here's chapter two of A Contrast in Classes

Noah Puckerman walked across the grounds to the main gardens, hefting his toolbox higher on his shoulder. He was sweating pretty heavily now, and was thankful he was almost done for the day. The sun would be setting soon, and then he could go home. He could bathe and then talk to his sister for the first time that day. His mother would be happy to see him, as he hadn't been home much the past few days. His sister's birthday was coming up soon, so he was working for the Berry family more often so he could get her a new dress.

He finished pulling weeds and set about disturbing the soil with his hand held rake to make it easier to plant flowers tomorrow, thinking as he worked. He thought about Santana, his childhood best friend, and the way she had thanked him earlier. Noah had never seen her so happy and soft. Her expression had been open and downright vulnerable, and it had shocked him. Ever since they were children, Santana had never let her guard down the way she had let it down with Finn. She was honestly happy now, and Noah was happy for her. Jealous and kind of pissed that his other friend was taking up most of her time, when she wasn't with his boss' daughter, but happy. He thought back to how awkward Finn had been around Santana when they first talked, and how he had felt the need to step in.

Noah watched Finn and Santana stand there awkwardly. The tiny brunette with her hair loose had just ran back inside the main house, for what, Noah wasn't sure. He assumed the girl was Rachel, his boss' oldest daughter, as she had been arm in arm with Finn, and Noah knew the Hudson's had started the courtship towards the Berry's. He watched as Finn rubbed the back of his neck and Santana shifted her weight from foot to foot, his eyes narrowing as he watched them. Son of a bitch, he thought. His two best friends were standing there and he wasn't sure what was going through Santana's mind, but it was clear she wasn't acting normal. And...was Finn blushing? This was worse than he thought.

He made his way over there quickly, greeting Finn familiarly, which seemed to surprise Santana, and then turned and gave her the same greeting, which seemed to surprise Finn. Noah smirked as the two looked at one another and him, asking simultaneously, "How do you know each other?"

He explained quickly to Finn that he had grown up with Santana and that the Spanish girl was like a sister to him. Then he told San that Finn had been the one who had gotten him the job here, and Santana's eyes lit up. She turned to Finn and said, in an excited tone Noah had only heard her use twice before, "You got him this job?"

Finn blushed again and Noah inwardly rolled his eyes at his friend. He couldn't be more obvious if he tried. Soon enough, the tiny brunette, Miss Berry, came back outside, and Noah made excuses to leave. He hadn't been much of a part of the conversation, but he didn't want his boss' daughter to think he was slacking off of work. Santana mouthed a quick "Thank you" over her shoulder when he said his goodbyes, and Noah had blinked in surprise. Santana never said thank you. Not to him, at least. They were above that with one another.

He hadn't realized then how much Finn would come to mean to her.

The next few weeks had been spent prodding her to talk to Finn when he came over to visit Rachel, and then the few weeks after that were spent prodding Finn when they met after work. Noah was scared of Santana and when she had told him that she needed his help with Finn he hadn't hesitated. He was too fond of the family jewels to do something as stupid as hesitate when Santana asked...no, demanded help.

When it became clear that Finn was in love with Santana, Noah had washed his hands of the matter. He didn't get involved in love, even when it had nothing to do with him. Santana had yelled at him for that, because he had started to pull away from Finn. She cornered him at his house one night and pulled him outside so his little sister wouldn't hear "Aunty San" as she called her, yell at Noah. Santana had raged at him, cursing him out in flowing Spanish and then switching effortlessly back to English to tell him how stupid he was for throwing away a friendship simply because they were happy. Noah hadn't backed down, and Santana wouldn't talk to him for weeks after that.

Finally, she had pulled him aside one day when he was working and cornered him once again.

"Shouldn't you be working?" He scoffed at her. He knew her job meant as much to her as his did to him, and he was surprised she'd be endangering it by leaving in the middle of the day just to yell at him again.

"Rachel's having lunch with her father today, I have a free hour." Santana said, her familiarity with Mr. Berry's daughter never ceasing to amaze Noah. She talked about Rachel like a friend, not an employer.

"What do you want, San?" Noah asked tiredly. "I have to go back to work and I don't want your crazy Spanish swear words to reach my boss' ears. You know how much I need this job." He said, bringing up the guilt trip on purpose.

Santana sighed, pulling on her apron to make sure it was hanging straight, and then told him, "Look, Puck, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to scream at you the other night, but I couldn't get why you were being so pigheaded. But I get it now." She looked up at him, biting her lip. "This isn't going to turn out like Quinn, okay? I know you're still bitter and hurt but this has nothing to do with that."

She left then, leaving him standing there shocked that Santana had apologized, then angry that she had brought up Quinn.

After that, it had been his turn to avoid her for weeks, and she had retreated into the main house with Miss Berry. They hadn't called a truce until Finn came over one day on the pretext of visiting Rachel, then came out and talked to him while he was weeding the main gardens. He had apologized to Noah, something Noah hadn't been expecting.

"Look, Puck, I don't know what your problem is but I'm sorry." Finn told him, running a hand through his hair nervously. Noah knew Mrs. Hudson would give him hell for that later. "But the truth is, I really like Santana. And I'm really grateful that you gave me that opening to talk to her, even if you didn't mean to or realize it. I really do like her, and I'm sorry if you think I'm trying to take her away from you or something, but I want to marry her."

Noah dropped his trowel at that, almost slicing open his hand, and swore loudly, pulling his hands to his chest quickly. "What?" He yelled, not meaning to raise his voice, but caught off guard by the idea of Santana ever getting married. He didn't have feelings for the girl like that but still, Santana?

Finn glared at him, a little confused. "Don't do that, Puck, you could get in trouble if someone heard you, you know that." He said, berating the other guy for swearing, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Puck, but it's the truth. As soon as Rach and I get our parents to nullify the courtship I'm asking Santana to marry me. I..." he hesitated, his voice going soft. "I'm in love with her. And I'm sorry if you can't see that or understand that, but I don't mean any harm to you or her. I just want my friend back, Puck." He said pleadingly, and Noah had rolled his eyes.

"Shit, Finn, you know I can't say no when you do that. You're such a girl sometimes." He said, trying not to show any emotion. "But...I'm sorry too. I was being a jerk. I'll apologize to San later." Noah told him, and Finn smiled.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." The taller man said, then headed back into the main house.

Noah finished the last of the soil, then smiled when he realized it meant he was done for the day. He stood up and stretched, his back aching from being hunched over all day, and then packed up his gardening tools, taking them back to the shed. He put them all away and then grabbed his coat, shrugging into it and waving good bye to the head gardener, who waved back with a grin. Noah left the shed through the greenhouse entrance, then plucked a yellow daisy from a nearby bush, his hands twisting the stem quickly to make a clean break. Then he found a white one and did the same thing, heading back to the main gardens, where a little girl was spinning around, her dress nice and her feet bare. She had long dark brown hair and eyes that were sparkling with laughter. When she saw him approach, she stopped spinning, breathless, and grinned broadly.

"Puck!" She called out in a high pitched voice, running to hug him. He smiled at the girl, bending down to pick her up and then throw her in the air effortlessly, catching her just as easily.

She squealed with laughter, and he chuckled in response, setting her down and bowing deeply on one knee, holding out the yellow daisy to her. She smiled brightly, taking it and smelling it. "Thanks, Puck." She said, still smiling. Then she caught sight of the white one. "Who's that one for?" She asked innocently.

"You're welcome, Sarah. And this one's for my sister." He said, tucking it behind his ear to make her giggle.

"Only girls wear flowers like that!" She said, and he smiled at her, feigning surprise before pulling it out from behind his ear.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He said, holding it in his hand. "Is this better?" He asked her, and she nodded with authority.

"Much."

Noah smiled at the little girl again. "I have to go, Sarah, Abigail's waiting for me. I'm glad you liked the flower."

Sarah smiled back at him. "Thanks Puck! When are you going to bring Abigail here so I can play with her?"

Noah got up and twisted the flower between his fingers. "Soon," he said, and then waved at her before leaving. He walked home in silence, still smiling from his encounter with Sarah Berry. The girl had been talking to him for months, as he was usually in the garden during the day, and she liked to run around and play on the grass. She had no sense of shyness, and had struck up a conversation one day. She reminded him of his own little sister, Abigail, and he had quickly developed a soft spot for her.

Wrapped up in thoughts of the two young girls, he didn't notice when Santana fell into step beside him until she spoke. "I have a proposition for you."

He swore and jumped a little, glaring at her. "No."

"But you haven't even hea-" "No."

Santana glared at him. "Seriously, Puck, hear me out." He shook his head and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I don't trust you when you use big words like 'proposition.' Whatever it is, San, count me out." Noah told her, and she stopped, still glaring. When he had rounded the corner, Finn crossed the street to stand next to her.

"Looks like it won't work...sorry San." He told her softly, but Santana shook her head, smirking wickedly at the street corner Noah had just disappeared around.

"I always have a back up plan, Finn. I gave him his chance. He turned me down. Time for plan B."

The next morning, Rachel woke up to the sound of Santana clattering around her bedroom. Blinking sleepily, the tiny brunette glared at her friend. "San, what are you doing?" She asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"Looking for your boots. Finn's going to stop by today with his parents to talk about the settlement of nullifying the courtship." Santana said, pulling out clothes for Rachel.

The brunette jumped up and got dressed quickly, excited to get this all over with. In the back of her mind, she wondered why the Hudson family was coming over so quickly, but she pushed it out of her head when Santana laced up her corset, focusing on breathing. When Rachel saw how low-cut the dress was, her suspicions started to grow again. Then San fixed her hair so barely any was pulled back, leaving most of it loose, the way Rachel liked it, and the brunette knew something was up. As she put on the earrings the Spanish girl gave her, Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"What's really going on, San?" Rachel asked, and Santana, to her credit, didn't even blink.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Rach." She said, turning to open the door for her friend, smoothing out the skirt of her dress as she went.

Sighing and deciding to trust her friend, Rachel followed her downstairs and out the back door, straight to the gazebo and surrounding garden. Confused, Rachel sat on a bench near the main lawn, tucking her ankles underneath her and folding her hands in her lap. Santana made an excuse about getting the Hudsons and Mr. Berry, and before Rachel could say anything, she was gone.

She sat in silence for a few minutes, watching a hummingbird to keep herself occupied, then heard someone approach. She turned her head, opening her mouth to tell Santana this wasn't funny, or to greet Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, but it wasn't her friend, nor was it Finn's parents. It was a tall young man, though not as tall as Finn, with his hair shaved close to the scalp, which was unusual for most men. He looked to be a little older than her, though by how much, Rachel wasn't sure. He was muscular, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had been sweating, she could see, and she realized he must work in the gardens. He glanced at her, and she could see his eyes were a beautiful hazel color. Her legs turned to jelly and she was grateful she was sitting down.

Noah, for his part, was staring at the tiny slip of a girl sitting on the bench. She was gorgeous. He couldn't get past how pretty she looked, her hair curling gently around her face and down her shoulders, her dark eyes wide. He met her gaze, wondering who she was, and then when they made eye contact, he blinked. She had Sarah's eyes. This had to be Rachel Berry. Swearing internally so as not to shock her, he realized what Santana had done. He was not getting involved in their little circle of friends. No way, not a chance. Finn was more than enough upper class in his life. He wouldn't fit into this world. Quinn had made that clear years ago.

Rachel blinked as the man in front of her frowned angrily. She wasn't sure who he was or what his problem is but she figured that since she was here and she had time to kill she could help him. She still hadn't put two and two together because Santana had never mentioned Noah to her before. She honestly had no idea who this boy was.

Rachel opened her mouth to say something when all of a sudden the irrigation sprinklers went off. Sitting on the bench so close to the main lawn made her a prime target for the water, and Noah fared no better, as he was standing right next to the grass. Within seconds, they were drenched, and before he knew what he was doing, Noah had grabbed her hand and was pulling her off the bench, running towards the gazebo. She followed without thinking, her long legs keeping pace with his despite the height difference, and they ran together, ducking their heads against the water that was spraying them. When they got to the gazebo, sheltered by the thick walls of the rose trellises that were on the outside, Rachel began to laugh. Noah turned to look at her like she was crazy, but then when he saw the way her hair curled a little more when it was wet and her eyes closed as she tilted her head back and laughed, he couldn't help but smile.

When her laughter subsided, Rachel kicked off her shoes to drain the water from them, then looked at the man in front of her. "I don't suppose you know how long the sprinklers will be on for?" She asked conversationally, as if she struck up conversations with the people who worked for her all the time. Then again, Noah realized as he thought of her friendship with Santana and the way her little sister was, she probably did.

"About an hour or so, if they're on the timer." He answered, and she sighed a little, her face resigned.

"Well, I guess we had better get comfortable then. I'm Rachel." She said, holding out her hand for him to shake, like a man would. Surprised, he took it, shaking her hand firmly.

"Puck." He said, and she cocked her head, confused.

"The spirit of mischief?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.

Noah blinked, confused. "It's a nickname. My full name is Noah Puckerman. Everyone's always just called me Puck."

Rachel smiled, releasing his hand. "Well, if it's all the same to you, I think I'll call you Noah."

He shrugged, not about to refuse the boss' daughter, though it was weird to hear someone other than his mother and his little sister call him Noah.

"Of course, Miss Berry." He said, and she began to laugh.

"Please, call me Rachel. Miss Berry sounds much too formal for two people stuck in a gazebo." She said, and he decided he liked her laugh. It was a little too loud and uncontrolled, compared to the way most girls of her age and social standing would giggle. Rachel laughed the way Santana laughed; free and full of amusement.

As the two started to talk, Santana and Finn watched from one of the windows in the main house, a smile on Finn's face and a satisfied smirk on Santana's.

"I knew this would work." Santana said, looking much too proud of herself, and Finn laughed.

He turned back to the window, still smiling, and watched as Rachel laughed, her head thrown back, before turning to Noah and saying something that made him blink, his jaw dropping, and then begin to laugh himself. Finn had rarely seen his friend look that happy, and Rachel seemed to be enjoying herself immensely as well. He'd been skeptical when Santana had told him her plan, but now, watching it unfold, he realized what a good idea it was.

The woman he loved was nothing if not deviously smart, and Finn couldn't wait to see how this played out.

As always, please review, I don't bite! Unless you're kinky like that ;) Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Meyx