Chapter 2: Change is a Good Thing

On Monday morning, Puck stood by his locker, looking all badass and cool and flirting it up with a girl from his math class. She was totally into him (honestly though, what girl wasn't?) and he was taking advantage of the situation by getting her phone number. This weekend he wasn't working at that damn cookie stand, and he was totally going to get some action to make up for his shitty weekend.

After he dismissed the girl he was talking to (he forgot her name already), he saw Finn walking up to him, wearing a scowl.

"Dude, you are such a whore," Finn said sadly.

"Usually girls are described as whores, but I guess I can roll with that," Puck shrugged. "I like having sex with girls. Girls like having sex with me. I know it and you know it. Hell, the whole school knows it. Why do you care about morals now?"

"I just wish you could settle down with one girl," Finn explained.

"Shit, Quinn sure is getting to you, isn't she? She is brainwashing you with her morals. You might be happy going out with Ms. Purity, but I like living my life on the edge."

"Quinn and I live on the edge!" Finn protested.

Puck scoffed. "Right. You two are just a ball of excitement. She breaks up with you, and you two get back together. The end."

"Shut up! Quinn is great for me."

"Do you even like her?" Puck raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do! Besides, everybody thinks that we should be-"

"See? There you go. You guys are only going out to make yourselves seem normal."

"That is not true…I like Quinn. But I will admit I did kind of have a thing for Rachel Berry when I went out with her for like two seconds."

Now Puck was intrigued. "Really? Then why did you say Quinn's name when you kissed her?"

Finn looked torn. "You see… I kind of like Rachel's personality and all. She can be overwhelming and seem like a bitch at first, but once you get to know her, she is actually sweet and caring. But the thing is… she is kind of a loser. I mean, you saw what those kids did to her. They put her on the Homecoming court as a joke, and they are planning all of that stuff! I can't be seen with someone like her… I need to have a good reputation. Joining glee club had already put me as target to get made fun of, and I don't want Rachel Berry doing something to ruin my reputation even more. Plus… let's face it, she isn't that pretty. So when I was kissing her… I wanted it to be Quinn. Quinn is popular and all, and all the guys want her, so I want her."

"Dude, you are the man whore!" Puck said, shocked. (And Finn didn't shock him very often).

"We are best friends, right?" Finn asked, now looking nervous. "I don't want you telling people I said that. I know it kind of makes me sound like a douche, but I thought I could tell you the truth."

"Yeah, whatever. I won't tell anyone." Puck hated that he knew Finn's opinions on Rachel. Rachel was already in a shitty position at McKinley High, and Puck finding out that even Rachel's biggest crush thought she was a loser didn't sit well with him. Even Finn, one of the nicest guys that Puck knew, had a side to him that Puck didn't expect to see. How did Puck not notice just how damn superficial Finn was?

Just then, Puck saw a sight that he never expected to see. Rachel freaking Berry. She was walking down the hallway cautiously, looking nervous at how everyone was analyzing her. And the weirdest part? She looked good. She had on tight jeans with a white shirt, and these boots that made her not look like a midget. And her hair had these bangs that framed her face, and Puck found himself staring at her longer than he thought was necessary. Who knew Rachel Berry could turn into a goddess? She wasn't kidding when she said she was going to transform herself.

"Woah," Finn breathed, staring at the same sight that Puck was looking at. "I think I was wrong about her…"

"Dude, you disgust me!" Puck growled. "You think I am bad, but you go from not liking her because she is ugly to liking her because one day she suddenly looks hot! And you have a girlfriend! Does that not ring a bell?" Puck said sarcastically.

Finn turned red with his rage. Before a fight could escalate, something happened that got both of their attention.

Rachel Berry was getting slushied while other students watched, laughing. And instead of keeping a face of dignity like she normally did, she burst into tears and ran to the bathroom.

… … …

Rachel Berry felt good on Monday morning. She spent the weekend getting a hair cut, shopping for more clothes, and practicing her singing and dancing (or course). She figured that Monday would be different than all of her other days at school. She would look good, and people would finally notice her in a good way. So Rachel opened the doors of McKinley in high spirits. She had a good feeling about today.

Everything was going fine for about… oh, five seconds. After her third step down the hallway, she immediately felt the cold burn of a slushy as it dripped down her back and soaked her white shirt. It was the ultimate humiliation. All of her hard work in redoing herself was for nothing.

She didn't think the moment could get any worse, but then all of her peers starting laughing at her, and the glee kids just stared at her. Normally, she could shake off a slushy attack, but today she was done with this crap. She was sick of everybody. She was sick of herself. What would it take to fit in with everyone else? Obviously changing her clothes and hair didn't help. What else could she do? So instead of making a remark to the guy who slushied her, she burst into tears, breaking the pact to herself yet again to not cry over who she was.

And when she went into the bathroom stall, crying harder as she saw her new white shirt stained and see-through, nobody followed her in to the bathroom. Nobody cared if she was alright. Nobody cared about Rachel Berry. And at this point, neither did Rachel.

Rachel continued that day as if nothing happened. She changed into her spare shirt that she kept in her locker and removed all signs of the slushy incident. In class, she kept quiet, knowing that drawing attention to herself was not the route to go anymore. Her new method seemed to have worked, because nobody said a mean thing to her during the day. Maybe that was the trick, she realized. Her personality was the main problem. She had to admit that at times, she could be a bit brazen, and she did need to work on that. It was natural for her to correct people, and she was starting to realize that people hated her for it. She hated how much she was going to have to change about herself, but it was going to be worth it in the end. Right?

… … …

Puck sat in the glee room, waiting for rehearsal to begin. For reasons he does not care to admit, he really wanted to see Rachel walk into the room with a bright smile. After seeing her get slushied, he felt bad for the girl, which was weird since he has seen/done the slushie-ing. But today was different. Hearing Rachel talk about how much she wanted to change herself altered his outlook on Rachel Berry. He actually liked Rachel (not that he would ever admit it), and he didn't want her trying to be someone she wasn't.

Finally, she walked in, though she wasn't smiling and talking. Usually she immediately tried to get people to start practicing, but today she kept quiet and let Mr. Shuester do his job.

Rachel sat one row in front of Puck, so he watched her as Mr. Shue spoke about what they should perform for Sectionals and how they should decide as a group. "Any ideas?" he asked, looking pointedly at Rachel.

But Rachel didn't interrupt with her opinion. She stayed silent as everyone looked at her in disbelief.

"Anyone?" Mr. Shuester said again.

The silence in the room was deafening. Nobody knew what the hell the glee club should perform at Sectionals. It was Rachel's job to decide things like that.

"Rachel?" Mr. Shuester asked hopefully.

"Um… well why don't we go around the room and let everybody vote for their favorite songs that we have done this far? Whichever songs have the most votes can be the ones we will perform."

Puck was pretty sure that everyone's eyes popped out of their heads. Not only was Rachel suggesting something that didn't revolve around her, but she had a really fucking awesome idea.

"Wow… that is a great idea, Rachel!" Mr. Shue said in awe.

Rachel shrugged. "Thanks," she said simply and left it at that.

Whoever this new Rachel was, she sure as hell was a lot less annoying. And apparently the other glee members agreed, because they were nodding their heads in approval.

Everybody voted for their favorite songs, which turned out to be a really good idea after all. Everyone could pretty much agree on two songs that they all liked, and Mr. Shue helped pick the other one. Rachel only added her input at the appropriate times, and people were being a lot kinder to her. Puck felt like he was in the Twilight Zone.

"Great practice today everyone!" Mr. Shuester said happily, dismissing the students after their two hours practice. In practice, Rachel sang the parts she was given and didn't try to take Mercedes' solo. The practice was a lot more effective when people weren't arguing with one another.

As the glee members were saying goodbye, some even said it to Rachel, whose smile got so wide Puck thought it was going to freeze like that.

Rachel went to her car, feeling better than she had in a while. Though the morning had been rocky, the day had gotten better. Rachel's new attitude seemed to have drastically improved her relationship with the glee clubbers. For once, Rachel felt like she was normal. Sure, her peers still didn't like her, but the people in glee were changing their opinions about her.

As she was opening her car door, a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her. She immediately thought of the worst, and started screaming, but her attackers' hand covered her mouth.

"Let me go!" she mumbled. "I will kick you where it hurts if you fail to release me!"

"Relax, it's just me," Puck said, amused.

"Oh," Rachel said, unsure if she should be relieved that Puck was her 'attacker.'

"I just wanted to ask you something."

Rachel nodded, waiting for him to go on.

He paused for a couple of seconds. "Look… I know that you are trying to change and all. But are you sure this is a good idea? Don't think I didn't notice your new clothes and hair, because I did. And now you are changing your personality too? I know that you are dying to speak up in glee. Don't you think completely changing yourself is a bit drastic?"

"No, not at all," Rachel said definatly.

"Then why is is so important that people like you?" Puck questioned fervently. "Just tell me why it matters so much to you."

"Nobody likes me! You said so yourself, Noah. I have no reason to stay that same girl. Nobody is going to miss that Rachel. What do I have to loose?"

"Who said that nobody would miss that Rachel?" Puck whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe I would miss that Rachel," Puck spoke lowly. "Maybe I think you are pretty fucking awesome the way you are."

"You don't mean that," Rachel frowned in doubt.

"Of course I do!" Puck threw his hands in the air. "You actually have goals, you know what you want to do with your life, you treat people graciously even though they don't deserve your kindness, you have a witty sense of humor… You are just a good person, Rachel. You shouldn't stoop the level of all of those jackasses."

"You don't know what it is like!" Rachel cried. "You aren't the one that gets publicly humiliated on a daily basis. If you were in my shoes, you would want to change yourself too.

"First of all, I can't fit into your shoes. You have tiny feet," Puck said, attempting a joke. When he saw she wasn't laughing, he decided that he was just a douche. "Sorry. I meant that if I were you, I would accept who I am and continue my life normally. People want me to change all of the time. They tell me that I need to grow up and stop being such a player, but I don't listen to them, do I? I don't change who I am because I think it is what I should be doing."

Rachel sighed. "I understand where you are coming from, I really do. But with Homecoming coming up… I just want to fit in. I don't want our peers to make a laughingstock of me. I am afraid I cannot take your advice."

"Then promise me one thing, Rachel."

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"When you are talking to me, you will be the Rachel Berry that I know. Believe it or not, I like who you are, and I don't want to see that girl disappear forever. Can you drop the act when you are talking to me?"

"Quite frankly, we don't talk much," Rachel pointed out, "So this is a bit of a moot point, don't you think?"

"Maybe I want to talk more," Puck said.

"Okay," Rachel relented, "When I am around just you, I can make that promise. I am still confused, though. I don't get why you care so much about something like this."

"Honestly, I can't explain it either. Maybe I just like crazy bitches?" Puck joked.

This time, Rachel laughed. Puck joined in chuckling, and he couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was becoming to talk to her. (And no, this does not mean that he likes Rachel Berry!)

… … …

The rest of the week was better… yet it was worse. It was a nice week for Rachel since she hadn't been slushied once since Monday. Just that small achievement made Rachel proud. Her peers still weren't too friendly around her, but she was definitely improving. She laughed with the rest of the kids at crude jokes (even thought she didn't think they were funny), she continued dressing well (she even got a compliment on her shoes), and she didn't brag once about a good grade she made (And this was really hard, since she got a 100 on her test! How could you not want to brag?)

But somehow, her life felt was worse. She didn't want to laugh at the joke Karofsky made (it was about gay men), she wore shoes that she hated (those heels were uncomfortable), and she couldn't even tell anyone about her perfect math score (she studied really hard). In just a few days, she felt like she was loosing Rachel Berry. If it weren't for her daily short chats with Puck, she wasn't sure what she would do.

As odd as it seemed, talking to Puck really helped her. She could use all of the big words she wanted, complain about Mr. Shuester's song selections, and just be herself. Puck didn't judge her, and he was actually a good listener. Sure, he said some crude things that were sometimes offensive, but she was almost forming a frienship with the guy she swore she hated.

But with Homecoming in just two weeks, she needed to stay focused. She had to remember to be the Rachel that people were starting to like. Even Finn was starting to pay attention to her. Over the course of a few days, he was talking to her more and more during glee and sometimes in the hallway between classes. He even mentioned that he was sorry about what happened between them, and he hoped that they could move past that. Rachel was shocked, but she didn't question it. She could use any friend she could get.

Things were looking up for Rachel, and on Friday of that week, the most amazing thing happended to Rachel Berry.

"So… there is this party at my house tonight," Puck said, shoving his hands in pockets and looking ever everywhere but Rachel.

"Ok," Rachel said, confused. "Why are you telling me this ineffectual piece of information?"

"I am inviting you to my party!" Puck said, exasperated. "You are dumb for a straight A student."

"I resent that! I am sure you can imagine my surprise that you invited me to a party. I have never attended one before."

"Never? Well tonight's going to be damn fun for you then!"

"Puck… why are you inviting me?"

(He still hated how she called him Puck)

"I know how much this whole social climbing shit means to you, and I figured this would help you out," Puck said, "And maybe I want you there."

"Oh!" Rachel said, cheering up. "Well in that case, thank you. I would love to go to your party. Should I bring anything? I can pick up some soda and games-"

Pucks laugh cut her off. "Seriously, Rachel? Do you even watch television? The only drinks available will have lots of alcohol in them, and the only games being played will involve removing clothing."

"That sounds… horrific!" Rachel said with disgust, though she was happy that she was able to be honest with Puck.

"It is what teenagers do," Puck shrugged, "Are you in or out?"

"I don't know," Rachel contemplated, " I am a bit nervous. I have never had more than one sip of alcohol at a time, and I will not be removing any clothing."

"I never said you had to do that," Puck said, not sure why he wanted Rachel to come to his party so much.

"Can you promise me that I will be safe?" Rachel asked skeptically.

"I can promise you that."

"Then I will see you tonight. I need to do this."

"Wear something sexy!" Puck smirked.

Rachel only smirked back as she prepared herself for the ultimate high school experience.

A/N: So this update is a little later than I expected, but with a busy school schedule and no internet connention for a while, I have not had the chance to update. I am so sorry for the wait. You guys have been so generous in your reviews, and I have gotten so many new people reading this story. I am so happy with everyone's responses. I am still doing a one-shot for the fiftieth review (we are getting there!), so maybe that is a little initaiative for you to review? :)

I hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter is the party! Woohoo!

Question of the chapter: Who just saw the latest episode of Glee and loved it? I am not gonna lie, it is kind of hard posting this after watching Finn and Rachel all cute together. I loved how they made a reference to Finchel and Puckleberry :D