Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. I also don't own Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, The Sorcerer's Apprentice or Wendy's.
A/N: I continue to be amazed by everyone's support. Thank you to all of my reviewers! I'd love to reply to each of you individually, but then I wouldn't get any writing done (and I have a feeling no one'd like that). Just know that your encouragement means so very much to me. And, if you're reading but not reviewing, thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you're enjoying the story! Again, the movies come from the current 2010 release schedule. They are set for release a month and a half apart and share the same two production companies, so I though it would be realistic that one would be a preview on the other.
Rachel was furious. She wasn't Schuester-had-another-stupid-idea annoyed; she wasn't Puck-laughing-at-her-insults mad; she wasn't Kurt-searching-through-her-underwear-drawer-uninvited outraged. No, she was furious.
Scratch that, she was livid. She was get-a-shovel-and-bury-Noah-Puckerman's-body-in-the-woods livid.
She shouldn't have taken his hand.
If she hadn't, she wouldn't be soaking wet right now. If she hadn't, she'd still be on the nice, dry deck in her nice, dry clothing instead of spitting out chlorinated water while weighed down by her waterlogged garments. Because Noah Puckerman? Yanked her into the water the instant she took his hand!
She had immediately surfaced and struggled to stay above water while still making her way to the edge. The pool was five feet deep, and since she stood at a mere 5' 1", she couldn't just stand and continue to breathe the way Puck no doubt could. If she weren't so worried about drowning, she'd see if her slight psychic powers extended to setting others on fire. However she was too focused on not drowning to worry about anything else (anyway, she suspected they didn't or Kurt would be a pile of ash by now). And the water was cold!
Just when she was afraid she couldn't keep fighting to stay above the surface any longer, two warm hands reached out and, nearly pulling her arms from their sockets, dragged her from the water. While she stood shivering from the aftershocks of the icy water in the breeze, those same hands rubbed up and down her arms vigorously, warming her back up before wrapping around her and holding her against an equally warm (and amazingly hard) chest. When that simple body heat changed into an electric heat, the thought that Noah had his arms around her cut through her cold-induced shock. And then the rage returned.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" She pulled out of his arms and smacked him in the chest. "I could have drowned!" whack "I knew I shouldn't have accepted your offer!" whack "I'll never, ever trust you again!"
"Whoa, killer, calm down!" Puck shouted, chuckling.
His laughter just made it worse.
"Take me home," she demanded stonily.
Calming down, Puck frowned. "Listen, Berry..."
"Take me home now," she hissed angrily at him.
He held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "Just give me a couple of minutes to explain and then, if you still don't want my help, I promise I'll take you home."
Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared coldly up at him, silently giving him permission to clarify.
Wasting no time, he said, "I just wanted to get you past your fear of getting in the water. Now that you know what it feels like to get thrown in off guard, it should be easier for you to get in on your own since you'll be in control. And, Berry, I know it's all about keeping control for you. And I never would have let you drown," he stated earnestly before ruining it by adding, "I don't want your ass haunting me for all eternity."
Though she continued to glare at him, internally she was considering his argument. It actually did make a lot of sense. She had to admit the thought of getting into the pool no longer terrified her since she knew it'd be under her own steam from now on. Plus, she knew him well enough (and it alarmed her to even think this) to know that he would just toss her in the pool should she hesitate to enter it in the future. Okay, so he probably took the best approach for her personality (and that thought-that her knew her that well-alarmed her even more), but no way was she going to tell him that.
"This was my only set of dry clothing," she grumbled at him, gesturing down her body.
She shifted uncomfortably as his eyes scanned down the clothing clinging to her every curve and then back up. When his eyes reached hers again, the disturbing heat running through her was reflected back at her. Maybe drawing his attention to her body wasn't her smartest idea.
"I guess you'll just have to ride home in your swimsuit," he suggested, raising an eyebrow at her. Then he smirked, "So, does this mean I'm forgiven?"
"Fine, whatever, but if you ever do that again..." She let the threat hang.
"Yeah, yeah. Your midget ass will somehow magically kick my badass. I assume you're wearing a suit under there Berry?" he guessed. She nodded. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of your clothes so we can get started."
Ignoring the way his voice deepened slightly with that particular order, Rachel moved to the nearest lounge chair. As she reached for the hem of her tank top, she remembered something important.
Looking over at Puck, she told him, "I need to be home by six."
Pulling his cell phone from the pocket of his trunks, he checked the time. "It's only 3:47." He dropped the phone on the other chair. "Why? Got a hot date?" He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows in a positively ridiculous manner before pulling his shirt off.
Quickly averting her eyes from the very nice, very muscular chest he had just revealed, Rachel lifted the hem of her shirt. "Brittany asked me to go to the movies, remember? Matt and Mike are coming too."
Struggling with her wet tank, Rachel missed the irritation on his face. He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'of course they are,' but she must have misheard him. Finally getting her top off, she continued, "Yeah, the guys wanted to see Prince of Persia so we're going to the 7:00 showing tonight. That's why I need to be home by six; I'll need time to wash the chlorine out of my hair."
Rachel was aware that she was babbling as she pulled her soggy yoga pants off, but she felt distinctly uneasy. She was essentially getting undressed in front of Noah, who was standing there shirtless and apparently completely at ease. Sure she had her swimsuit on underneath, but that didn't make her comfortable with the situation. Plus, she was trying really hard not to stare. Because his chest? Magnificent. And his abs? Even better. Not to mention those lovely, lovely arms of his. And the very intriguing nipple ring that she totally did not want to touch.
"Sure, right. Home by six. I've got it Berry."
He sounded unhappy, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.
"Into the pool," he commanded abruptly.
Slipping out of her flip-flops (which had miraculously stayed on during her earlier sojourn in the pool), she stuck her foot in the water to help acclimate her to the icy temperature. She heard Puck snort an instant before he jumped into the pool (not hard enough to hurt himself, but enough to make a bit of a splash).
"How can you just jump in like that?" she asked in disbelief. "It's so cold!"
"Sometimes cold is a very good thing," he stated cryptically, studying her. She frowned. What was that supposed to mean? "Lookin' hot by the way Berry." Oh.
"You don't think I look like asparagus?" she blurted out. The instant the words were out of her mouth she really wanted to take them back.
"Asparagus?" He was clearly confused. "Fuck no. No vegetable has tits like those," he winked at her. "C'mon Berry. If you're not in the pool in thirty seconds, I'm fucking pulling you in."
Hiding her smile (he didn't think her breasts were too small!), she let out an annoyed huff but slid into the water nonetheless. She kept a hold of the side as he came toward her. The water came up to his neck. Once he reached her, he explained the day's lesson.
"Today I'm just gonna teach you how to tread water so you can stay afloat while I teach you to swim. If fact, at the water park, treading water is probably about all you'll need to know since you should be able to touch bottom in the pools under the slides. You'll need to know how to swim for the wave pool though, even if you get an inner tube, since the waves can easily knock you off one of those," he took a breath before continuing. "You were actually treading water earlier, just a really rough, panicked form of it. So, let's try it."
She just stared at him. Where were the instructions in all that?
"If you're gonna learn this, you need to let go of the edge."
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, but when did you instruct me on how to tread water exactly?"
She saw the annoyance on his face, but he clearly tamped it down, because instead of yelling at her, he merely explained how to move her arms horizontally under the water and kick her legs. She let go of the side and tried. She did well for a few seconds, but then her head dipped under the water and she began to panic so she grabbed the edge of the pool again. Choking on the chlorinated liquid, she glared at Puck as if it were his fault she'd gotten scared. Of course, the fact that he was laughing at her again didn't help.
"That was good," he stated between snickers. "Try it again, but maybe keep your mouth shut this time."
Ignoring the feeling that he was entirely too happy saying that, Rachel took a deep breath and let go of the side again. She did much better and when she went under this time, her mouth was closed so she didn't swallow any water. She merely continued to work her arms and legs to get herself back above the water before grabbing the side.
Puck grinned at her (a genuine one amazingly, not a smirk) and instructed her to try it again. They kept on this way for quite awhile until she stopped panicking when she went under. She had just grabbed the side without going under even once when he announced that it was time to move to the center of the pool. She clung tighter to the side.
"No, I'm happy here, thanks."
He just shook his head at her. "It's too easy to grab the side here if you get uncomfortable. You need to try it further into the water since that's how the water park will be. A slide isn't going to drop you next to the edge. You'll have to move from the deeper water to the shallows. Since you can't swim yet, I'll pull you out."
He reached for her and she pulled farther away. She was now pressed tightly to the wall of the pool. He laughed at her. Rachel knew she probably looked ridiculous, but she couldn't help it.
"I don't want to drown," she whimpered pathetically, trying to get him to take pity on her.
"You aren't going to drown. I won't let you," he reaffirmed his earlier promise. "Now stop being a pussy Berry."
He grabbed her arm (and shouldn't the cold water minimize his effect on her?) and pulled but he couldn't move her because of her death grip on the poolside. Instead of getting angry, he simply chuckled again, moved closer, and reached across her to pry her hand off the edge. It wasn't exactly difficult because her grip had gone slack the instant he was pressed up against her side. Suddenly, the water felt entirely too warm. That feeling didn't lessen as he towed her out to the center of the pool. He kept a tight hold of her as she got her bearings and when she was ready, he let her go.
She did well; being in the center of the pool wasn't really all that different from being at the edge. In fact, she did so well that he started to teach her how to doggy paddle so that she could get herself around the pool. And true to his word, he didn't let her drown. Anytime she started to panic ( which happened more frequently at first since the edge wasn't there for her to cling to), he was right there anchoring her and keeping her above water. And every time he touched her another shock ran to the pit of her stomach. By the time he left her at the farthest edge of the pool and climbed onto the deck, instructing her to doggy paddle to him as the final part of the day's lesson, she was a bundle of sensitized nerves. She was highly relieved that their lesson was over because if he touched her one more time, she was afraid she'd lose her tightly held control. She had excellent discipline, but after so many hours in close contact with nothing more than his trunks and her suit separating them, she was at the end of her rope.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward, cupped her hands, and mimicked digging like he'd taught her as she kicked her legs to propel herself to the deck. When she reached the edge, he reached down and pulled her out and away from the water. She was thrilled. She'd made it all the way across the pool without going under or freaking out once.
"You did it," Puck said proudly.
"I did! And I'm not even scared anymore. This is so exciting!" In a fit of happiness, she leaped up and threw her arms around his neck.
He went instantly still before wrapping his arms around her waist and hauling her tightly against him. She pulled her head back to meet his eyes. They looked so very green from this close. And the intensity smoldering in them was enough to knock the breath out of her. He was so close, so very close. She could move her head two inches and taste him (she was sure she'd never seen a more appealing pair of lips). They looked so soft and the bottom one was so full; she felt a strange urge to bite it. From the way his eyes were flickering between her eyes and mouth, she thought maybe he felt the same. She'd kissed him before, months ago, but she just knew this time would be more intense. Because she wouldn't be thinking of Finn and he probably wouldn't be thinking of Quinn.
Oh. Right. Quinn. And Santana. And the cougars. One of whom lent him this pool with some 'convincing'.
Those thoughts were like ice water in her veins. They cut right through her desire fogged mind. As she shoved back from him, hard, she was glad he'd had the foresight to pull her away from the water's edge.
"So," she started in a hoarse voice. She cleared her throat as she picked up his phone and checked the time. "We should get going. It's nearly six already."
She handed his phone to him (he looked as unsettled as she felt), gathered up her clothing, and slid her feet into her flip-flops. She was halfway across the yard before she heard him following her.
After silently drying off and scrambling up into his truck with some difficulty, she buckled her seat belt and faced out the window. The easy atmosphere of the lesson had disappeared. Rachel knew it was her fault; he had to know she had nearly kissed him back there. She refused to feel bad about restraining herself though. Whatever everyone else thought, she deserved better than to be just another notch on Noah Puckerman's bedpost. She did. Except for the radio, the ride home was completely quiet, both teens lost in their own thoughts.
ooooo
At ten 'til seven Rachel parked her Prius in a parallel (less chance of damage) spot near the movie theater. She was feeling pretty proud of herself. Noah had dropped her off shortly after six and she'd managed to grab a quick shower, get dressed, dry and curl her hair, put on her makeup and still make it to the movies early. Granted, her shower basically just consisted of washing the chemicals out of her hair and she barely wore any makeup, but it still counted. And she looked good, if she did say so herself. Wanting to make her new friends proud, she'd dressed carefully. She chose her nicest black, red, and white plaid pleated skirt and a cute fitted white shirt with cap sleeves and black lace at the neckline. In celebration of summer, she ditched the knee socks and Mary Janes and opted for a pair of strappy black backless sandals with wedge heels. Her blow dryer had left her chestnut hair shiny and the waves were very flattering on her. Her makeup was very understated, just a single coat of brown mascara that brought out her eyes and a little shimmery pink gloss. So, yeah, as she approached the theater she felt very confident. In fact, she felt like a completely different girl from the one she'd been when Kurt had left her house earlier. And it had nothing do with how Noah was looking at her during their almost-kiss. Nothing.
She was relieved to find Brittany, Mike, and Matt waiting outside the ticket booth for her. It wasn't because she'd thought they'd ditch her. She'd moved beyond that fear when she hung up with Brittany that morning; she just thought waiting for them by herself would be uncomfortable.
"Oh my gosh!" Brittany called out as Rachel approached. "Rach, you look gorgeous!"
Rachel blushed as she reached them and Brittany pulled her into a hug.
"And Puck's not even coming tonight," she whispered into Rachel's ear with a giggle, causing the blush to deepen.
She pulled away from Brittany and faced the boys. "Hi guys."
Mike grinned and said, "God Rach. I swear if I didn't have Britt..." He let out a grunt as a beaming Brittany elbowed him in the stomach.
"You do look really good," Matt added sincerely.
"Thanks, you guys," she smiled at her three new friends. Because the guys had to be her friends, right? They wouldn't compliment her if they weren't, would they? Well, whatever they were, it was much more comfortable to her than whatever Puck was.
"Well, come on," Brittany broke in. "Stop drooling over her so we can get our tickets."
The guys stepped to the front of the line while Brittany fell in next to Rachel behind them. Linking their arms together, Brittany asked, "So how'd your day go? Did you get Mr. Schuester's message? I don't understand why he had to call us. I thought we all already knew that we were going to hang out together at the water park on Saturday. Do you think he's going senile already?"
Rachel laughed at the barrage of questions; she couldn't help it.
"I think he was worried that everyone would go off with their friends and he wanted to keep the whole club together."
"Oh. I didn't even think of that. If we had split up, you could have come with me, Quinn, and San. Then you could have explained to them about how you don't have manhands," she offered earnestly.
Rachel was touched. That certainly answered the question of whether Brittany was okay with everyone knowing they were friends.
She didn't get a chance to say anything though because Brittany cocked her head to the side and exclaimed, "Hey! You never told me whether Rupaul is really a part of your name! I always thought it was maybe your middle name. Is it?" She turned her head to Rachel expectantly.
"No, it's not. My full name is Rachel Barbra Berry. I don't know where Rupaul came from," she informed Brittany. She actually did of course, but she didn't want to break her rule about not coming between Brittany and the other two Cheerios, even if Britt was too good for them.
"Good. Rupaul's an ugly name, not like Rachel. Barbra's pretty too," the blonde nodded her head surely, high ponytail bobbing. "So, what did you do today? I went swimming with my older sister Tiffany."
"Not much. I mostly hung around the house and reorganized."
Brittany wrinkled her nose. "That doesn't sound like any fun at all. It's summer; you should be having lots of fun."
Rachel smiled at her. "I will. It's only the first day of summer. Plenty of time left to have fun."
Brittany grinned. "Good! And if you don't have fun on your own, then I can always make you!"
They shared a giggle (because she totally would and they both knew it) as the guys finished buying their tickets and left the line. When Brittany dropped her arm and joined Mike, Rachel stepped up to buy her ticket to the movie.
"What are you doing, Rach?" Mike questioned. "Matt already got your ticket for you."
Rachel looked over at the other three to see that Matt was in fact holding up two tickets. Blushing, she left the line and followed them through the door to the theater.
When Matt handed her a ticket, Rachel thanked him.
"You really didn't have to buy my ticket for me, though. I brought money; I could pay you back."
She'd hate to think he felt obligated to pay for her; after all this wasn't even a date. And even if it were, she was a modern woman perfectly capable of paying her own way.
"It's okay Rach; I wanted to," Matt reassured her, a shy expression on his face.
She smiled sweetly back at him. "Well, thank you. It was really chivalrous of you."
"Hey guys."
At the sound of that voice, Rachel's spine stiffened. Surely he didn't...She turned to the concession counter, and sure enough...there he was striding toward their group, his eyes narrowed at Matt.
"Noah?"
Reaching the four, Puck smirked at Rachel before casually throwing an arm around her shoulders.
"You said the 7:00 Prince of Persia, right Berry?"
Too stunned to even remove his arm, she tilted her head back to look up at him.
"Well, yeah, but I don't remember inviti..."
He cut her off. "Awesome. I've been wanting to see this movie. I've heard the fight scenes are fuckin' badass," he addressed the others.
Rachel chanced a look at Brittany and found her beaming ecstatically back at her. Yep, just what she was afraid of. She was so not looking forward to the next time Britt got her alone. That look meant she had about 200 questions to ask and she would never again listen to a single one of Rachel's denials that anything was going on between her and Puck.
"Britt, Rach, why don't the two of you go grab seats for the five of us?" Mike requested, easily accepting Puck crashing their outing. "We'll grab the popcorn and drinks."
Rachel happily shrugged off Noah's arm to do just that.
"What do you want, Rach?" Matt called to her back. "I'll get your snacks for you."
She spun around to answer him when Puck blocked her response.
"I've got it," he interjected, glaring at Matt again. "Strawberry soda and popcorn, right Berry?"
Noah's behavior was highly confusing. He seemed mad at Matt for some reason; maybe they were fighting? She had to admit she was surprised he knew her favorite soda.
"Yeah, let me give you money," she opened her purse up to dig out some cash.
"Nah, Berry. It's covered," he said.
"Okay then." She closed her purse. "Thank you."
He smirked. "Whatever. You gonna go save us seats or what?"
"Yeah, right," she agreed awkwardly.
She started toward the room their movie was playing in. She had only just gotten around the corner when Brittany grabbed her wrist and asked very excitedly, "So, when did you talk to Puck today?"
Rachel really didn't want to have this conversation right now, so she chose to use her earlier 'distract Brittany' tactic.
"Hey, maybe you should use the bathroom before the movie starts so you don't miss any. I went before I left the house, so I can save our seats," she hinted.
"Okay," Brittany agreed easily. She'd gone five steps before she turned around and said, "You're so lucky I really do have to go, or that wouldn't have worked again."
Realizing she'd been caught, both now and earlier on the phone, Rachel blushed but giggled, which set Brittany off. Rachel was still giggling quietly when she entered the correct screening room. She was scanning it for decent seats when she heard her name.
"Hey Rachel."
Turing to the voice, she found Artie and Tina sitting in the handicap row that separated the two halves of the room's stadium style seating.
"Hi guys!" she approached them with a bright smile on her face. She got along fairly well with them.
"I never would have expected to see you here," Artie stated, an impressed look on his face. "It doesn't really seem like your type of movie."
"While I must admit I'd rather see the new Sex and the City, the previews did make this movie appear very aesthetically pleasing," she confessed.
Tina gave her a crooked grin. "Yeah, the actors are pretty cute."
Rachel frowned. "I wasn't actually speaking about that so much as the special effects," then she grinned mischievously, "but yeah, they really are."
The other two teens let out surprised laughter. They'd never seen Rachel so relaxed. What had happened to her?
"Would you like to sit with us?" Artie offered.
Rachel was taken aback by the proposal. "I don't want to impose on your date, and besides..."
"You wouldn't be imposing. Why should you sit alone when we're right here? You should join us," Tina insisted.
"While it's a lovely offer..."
"Berry, get over here!" Puck yelled at her from the doorway. "Shit, we can't take her anywhere," he muttered loudly to Mike.
She looked over at her friends waiting on her before turning back to Artie and Tina. "Like I was saying, it's a lovely offer, but I'm not actually here alone."
Artie and Tina were both gaping in shock, their eyes sliding from Rachel to Puck (who nodded), Brittany, Matt, and Mike (all three of whom were waving with varying levels of enthusiasm) and back again.
Tina recovered first. "You came with them?"
Rachel smiled happily as she started to walk away. "Yes."
Artie shook his head, clearly still surprised, though he was grinning too. "Well, have fun, Rachel."
She paused mid-stride to look back at them. "You too!"
When she reached her group, still waiting in the doorway, she was aware that Tina and Artie were still watching her. She wasn't at all surprised by their astonishment at this revelation. It had to take some getting used to for others to see her with the jock gleeks. Or anyone at all really.
After she took her soda from Puck, their group found seats in the fourth row ('This is so bad for our eyes' 'Live a little Berry'). When they arranged themselves in the row, Rachel somehow found herself sandwiched between Puck at one end of their group and Brittany. She couldn't help but notice that Matt was clear at the other end of the row, as far from her as possible. Logic told her that was a coincidence, but her instincts said that Puck had arranged their seating that way. Luckily she didn't have to deal with Brittany's questions or Puck's off-color comments because the previews began almost immediately.
Halfway through the preview for The Sorcerer's Apprentice Rachel leaned over to ask Puck where her popcorn was.
"You can share mine," he responded never taking his eyes from the screen but moving the large bag between his legs so she wouldn't have to stretch.
So Rachel spent the whole first quarter of the movie basically reaching into Puck's lap. The first time she caught him smirking at her, she blushed bright red and decided she'd had enough popcorn.
When they left the theater after the movie (and after saying goodbye to Artie and Tina, who still looked both highly disconcerted and amused), they were all hopped up on caffeine, sugar, and adrenaline. They were arguing over restaurants when they reached Rachel's car, which was parked closest since the rest had settled for the angled spots around the park down the street.
"Well that's not good," Matt announced.
They were all standing on the sidewalk looking at the two inches left between her Prius and the two cars on either end of it.
Instantly incensed, Rachel's hands hit her hips and she stomped her foot. "Who does that?! It's so inconsiderate!" She turned her accusing glare on Puck. "It's like something you'd do!"
When Puck opened his mouth to retort, Mike cut him off (because those two arguing? Not getting them anywhere).
"I'll give you a lift to the restaurant and bring you back afterwards to pick up your car. Hopefully they'll have moved by then."
She nodded. "Okay."
When they reached Mike's vehicle he said, "Damn. I forgot I borrowed my dad's truck because my car got a flat this morning and I don't have a spare. I don't have room for you Rach since I've already got Britt and Matt. I'm sorry," he explained apologetically.
She felt the disappointment keenly; she didn't want to cut the night short.
"Don't be stupid Mike," Brittany admonished him. "Someone can just ride with Puck. You are coming with us, right?"
"Of course," he drawled.
"Good. Rachel, you'll ride with Puck," she declared. She shoved Rachel in Puck's direction for good measure.
The ride to the restaurant was quiet and uncomfortable. Without the other three present, all of the awkwardness from the aftermath of the almost-kiss returned. Plus, Rachel couldn't stop mulling over Noah's odd behavior. He had crashed her plans with Brittany and the boys, bought her soda and shared his popcorn with her, and sat next to her (and unless she was mistaken, ensured Matt sat far away from her). She just really didn't understand him.
Once they rejoined the others at Wendy's, things got back to normal. The boys discussed the movie and sword-fought (immaturely in her opinion) with their fries while she and Britt giggled over the actors in the movie and shared their sides (mandarin oranges for Rachel and fries for Brittany). Occasionally their conversations overlapped. It was noisy, confusing, and absolutely wonderful. Mike insisted on teaching Rachel how to make a scrunched up straw wrapper snake with her soda, Brittany declared they were going shopping tomorrow morning the instant she found out Rachel didn't own a single pair of shorts, Matt topped off the meal by buying everyone frosties (Brittany overrode Rachel's objections at the dairy), and Puck flirted outrageously with both her and Britt. She was really enjoying herself until Mike asked if Kurt had visited anyone else that day.
"He dropped by my house saying something about polling to see if he should check out your swimsuit, Rach. I shut the door in his face," he smirked in a very Puck-like way.
Though none of the others had been home that morning, Kurt had apparently attempted to contact all of them.
Brittany frowned, "I had a missed call from him when I found my phone right before Mike picked me up." They all gave her exasperated looks. "What? I left it in the fridge when I made breakfast this morning after I talked to Rachel. It wasn't really lost."
Puck nodded, "I had a message from him too, but I just deleted it like I always do."
"I let my voicemail pick up when I saw he was calling," Matt admitted. "He's kind of annoying, so I always screen and call him back only if it's important."
They turned to Rachel. She sighed. Might as well tell the truth.
"He stopped by and insisted on inspecting my swimsuit," she grimaced as she remembered the encounter.
"What'd he say?" Brittany asked, an unusually serious expression on her face.
"Nothing much. Just that the glee club had taken a vote to inspect my suit and ensure I wouldn't embarrass everyone. He also said that I have no...um," she blushed, not sure she wanted to say it aloud. Instead, she glanced down at her chest and luckily the others understood what she meant. "Oh, and that I'd look like a stalk of asparagus because of the color," she finished, ashamed that she'd told them details instead of the vague outline she'd intended.
"But that...what?...he can't..." Brittany had apparently lost her power of coherent speech.
Mike was muttering angrily under his breath and Matt was mouthing wordlessly.
Puck stunned them all into silence when he slammed his fist on the table. Rachel even turned her eyes to him in shock.
"Who the fuck does he think he is, the goddamn fashion police?! He's a fuckin' asshole and I never should have stopped throwing him in the dumpster! I knew there was a reason I did that! Because that's all he's fuckin' worth, tearing down Ra...others just because they're better than him!" This all burst from him as if he simply couldn't hold it in anymore and he stood up.
"Calm down Puck," Mike tried to soothe him.
"Calm down?! How the fuck am I supposed to do that?! Aren't you fuckin' pissed at him?! Rachel's your friend!" he roared.
"She is. And of course I am, but..." Mike started.
"Then how...?!" Puck cut him off.
Amazed at his fury (yet surprisingly not scared), Rachel reached out and laid a hand on his arm. This evidently got through to him because he looked down at her. She was dumbfounded by the anger she could see burning in his beautiful hazel eyes. Was that for her?
"It's okay, Noah. I'm used to it. It barely even hurts anymore," she stated softly, ignoring the internal voice that called her a liar. She tugged on his arm, and he let her pull him back down into his chair. "Your support," she turned her gaze to include everyone at the table, truly her new friends, "all of your support; it means a lot to me. Let's not let Kurt ruin our fun. He does enough of that at school."
She forced a grin and they mostly returned it, but they were clearly still upset about what they'd learned (and Puck was plainly furious). It wasn't surprising when the group broke up fifteen minutes later. As they said their goodbyes in the parking lot, Mike and Matt squeezed her between them in one armed hugs, making her giggle (and Puck scowl) and Brittany hugged her too, saying she'd call early the next morning because she was taking her shopping for shorts ('Your skirts are super cute, but everyone should have at least one pair of shorts. What if we want to play football in the park later?').
The ride back to her car was tense. Puck was obviously angry, and Rachel didn't know what to say to fix it. So, she was very relieved when they drove past her car to find the space in front of it empty. Puck parked a bit farther down the block and followed Rachel back to her car.
"Thank you for the ride. I'm sorry I kind of ruined dinner," she apologized as they stood next to her Prius for the second time in as many nights.
"Don't ever fucking apologize for Kurt. We needed to know how he treated you; it's what friends are for," he stated gruffly, avoiding her eyes.
She smiled up at him. "We're friends?"
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever Berry. I'll pick you up for your lesson at three tomorrow," he declared. He hesitated briefly before dropping a kiss on her forehead.
By the time Rachel realized what had happened, he was gone, no trace left but the tingling of her skin where his lips had touched.