"So" Sam called, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. She turned her head to the side, locking eyes with Puck down the hallway. She slammed her locked shut and turned her attention to her boyfriend, ridden with guilt.

"Since you don't have cheerleading after school today, want to come watch me practice?" he asked.

Had he asked days ago she would have said no, annoyed with the thought of sitting around and watching the men throw a foot ball around. She felt the guilt rising up inside her again and admitted for that.

"Sure" she nodded. She kissed him and grabbed his hand in hers, walking with him down the hall. Knowing that Puck was watching her.

"HEY!" Sam called from the field, waving towards her. She approached him on the field, trying not to look towards Puck sitting on a nearby bench with his helmet beside him. Sam took off his helmet and held in in his hand as he ran to hug her.

"I'll be sitting near the water cooler, on the bleachers"

"Ok" he smirked. "And hey" he held onto her wrist. "Next week's Valentines, is there somewhere special you want me to take you?"

She knew Puck's eyes were on her. Finn's probably as well. She swallowed the shame starting inside her and pasted on a smile.

"Surprise me" she requested with a innocent smile, taking his hand. She pulled him in for an obligatory kiss and felt more regret as he smiled a humorously large grin. She ruffled his hair with a forced laugh before letting go of his hand.

She walked towards the bleachers as their practice started.

Puck approached her after a half hour, yelling something about filling up his water bottle.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'm here for my boyfriend" she responded "It's not like you won't be going out with Santana on Valentines anyway"

"Nah" he responded, as he filled up his water bottle. "I'm too much of a stud for Valentines this year" he slurred.

"What a shocker" Quinn added with a sly smirk.

"We need to talk about this"

"It was a moment. We're done now" she brushed off. She glanced away from him, pangs of guilt rising up through her.

"PUCKERMAN! ON THE FEILD!" yelled coach Beast from the side lines.

He gave her one last look before turning back to the guys and running onto the field.

"GO SAM!" Quinn yelled from the bleachers, trying not to watch Puck as well, trying to focus on Sam in the practice and only him. Nothing could stop her wandering eye.

It was inevitable, she was telling herself as he approached her after practice. They walked around the bleachers, disappearing under the steps, not wanting to be seen together, no matter what they were doing.

"Where's Sam?" She asked, wondering if anyone could see them.

"Still in the change room, I think" Puck answered, still in his shoulder pads and football uniform. Quinn nodded respectively.

"So, what do you want?" she asked, bitterly.

"You can't pretend nothing's been happening" he responded and she laughed lightly. It brought a pain to his stomach he would later associate with butterflies for no reason at all.

"Well since I don't have a huge baby belly, I can" she responded harshly.

"You started this" he pointed out.

"And now it's done" she commented back. "I care about Sam and I don't want to hurt him"

"You realize the common point in all these triangles is me, right?" he asked. She looked away from him ashamed, playing with the zipper on her sweater.

"You're not the boyfriend type" came her remark.

"Is that what you want?"

She breathed out, exasperated and looked up to him with tears in her eyes.

" I don't know. Maybe I just want to hurt you like you hurt me. Or maybe I'm just bored with Sam, everything is so perfect" she paused and the word sounded vile on her lips, as if it was the worst thing possible. She continued "right now and compared to the mess of last year, I-" she paused.

"I don't even know who I am. I know who I was. Head cheerleader, hot football boyfriend, president of the celibacy club, I can go on" She paused for breath. "I'm trying to get back there, but I don't think that's who I really am" He leaned against one of the poles holding up the bleachers and nodded, waiting for to continue.

"When did you realize all this?" he asked, quietly. Refraining from the thousand probably stupid comments that flew to his brain.

"I saw Beth a few weeks ago" she responded, staring at the ground.

"If it's any worth, you're beautiful, and strong and I don't think you have only one thing you have to be, it's ok to change, you know? Not as much as Itunes or anything, but-" she didn't hear the rest of his argument, as she settled into his arms, holding on to him and burying her face in his chest, silencing him.

"and you're super hot" he added and she laughed, giving him a quick kiss.

"I should go" she sighed, leaning her head back on his chest.

"Make no mistake" she pulled away from him, not wanting to like how well she settled into his arms, not wanting to be drawn into his embrace. "This is just physical"

"Works for me" he smirked and wondered how much of it was a lie. He pulled her back into his arms, his hand on her wrist and caught her mouth in his. Moments of silence passed, all they could think about was each others hands, lips, warm taste. Her heart was beating fast, emotions running wild as he kissed her neck, teasing her with soft kisses on her lips before she could take it no more and they locked lips in heated passion.

She pulled away with a devilish smirk.

"You're bad for me" she commented before they parted in different directions and she tried to make sense of her cheating ways and attraction to the guy who had made her last year so difficult. It was just attraction she told herself. It had been there at the beginning after all, she was just seeing what the attraction felt like, how good and bad it made her feel. How it swelled her up with happiness and then like a sugar crash, filled her with self loathing, shame and a thousand other emotions she didn't want to name.

Puck knew what he was. He was comfortable with being the guy on the side. He knew how to do it. And yet this was not what he should have been doing. He was a heart breaker, he was a stud. A man's man. He was meeting the guys in a half hour. He had no idea what made him go to the mall early. He had no idea why he was now pacing in front of the jewelry store. He walked in, winded around the counters and walked back out, shaking his head in disbelief. He was not doing this. He headed towards the arcade, playing a quick shooting game to calm his nerves. He put the idea of what he was doing, the stupidity of it from his mind and went back into the store. He spent more time now, looking through the glass display cases. He stopped as one shimmery silver necklace caught his eye. He was glad the sales woman was nearly 60. She had no idea who he was, he didn't need to risk looking bad ass.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, coming towards where he peered over the perfect necklace.

"I'd like that one please" he responded, pointing to it.

"Great choice, she'll love it" the woman responded with a smile. He nodded, wondering if she really would or if she would see it tainted with their passion, their secret rendezvous, Beth. It was almost as if the word on his mind had summoned her.

"Noah!" he heard behind him. He spun around to lock eyes with Shelby Corchrin, pushing a stroller with a sleeping Beth.

"Hey" he commented, aware that his voice caught in his throat. He wasn't ready for this.

"That'll be 29.50 young man" the old woman from the counter requested.

"Shit" he breathed lightly, spooning over the cash as he watched almost all his money disappear.

"How are you?" Shelby asked behind him and he turned to face her once more as the old woman packaged the necklace for him.

"Good" he responded with a small smile. "How are, How's Be...th ..." he stopped, looking at the sleeping baby.

"I can't do this" he responded, he cleared his throat. "Sorry" he glanced once more at Shelby, then at the beautiful Beth that already had a few wispy locks of Quinn's golden hair.

He grabbed the packaged necklace and his receipt and left without another word, racing to the food court.

"Way to show up late dude" Artie commented when he arrived. Puck stashed the necklace in his back pocket.

"Heinous line at the pizza place" he lied easily.

"But you don't have Pizza" Mike commented.

"Ya cuz of the heinous line, are we seeing this movie or not?" he asked and marched past them with confidence, hating the feelings surging up inside him. Hating how he was already more like his dad than he ever wanted to be. Loathing how he was 30 dollars poorer, all for Quinn Fabray. Even if it was Valentines day next week.

Quinn hated them the minute she saw them. The obnoxiously bright flowers and the teddy bear stuffed inside her locker.

"You hate them" Sam commented and she smiled his doubt away.

"They're perfect" she sighed, wondering if Beth was having teddy bears like this one yet. If she would have given Beth teddy bears and stuffed animals. She kissed Sam lightly on the cheek and beamed at him, forcing more emotion than she felt.

She walked the halls with Sam hand in hand during the day dedicated to love. The red and pink hearts near by delegating confessions, I love yous and lonliness for those on their own. She overheard a conversation of Puck and Santana's as she passed them towards her locker and couldn't help but smile.

"You'll just pay me back and then dinner at breadsticks"

"I'm not doing valentines this year" Puck responded.

"It's not just on a leap year, Puck" Santana snapped.

"I'd rather be at home with Sonic the hedgehog and Doritos Chips"

"A hedgehog?" Santana stared back at him in shock. "Instead of me?"

"Besides, I don't have money to be spending on..."

Quinn had passed them before she heard more of the conversation.

She was apathetic to Sam's gift. It was so traditional, so unsurprising. Unlike the pink envelope that flew out of her locker as she opened it. It fell to the ground at her feet and she picked it up with curiosity. No wonder Puck was poor.

She put it into her textbook, feeling some sort of chain beneath the pink paper and slammed the locker shut, moving easily with a carefree smile towards her next class.

She arrived early and set her books down on her desk, slowly extracting the pink envelope. She teared it open and picked out the girly card. It was in the shape of a heart, covered with gold and red glitter, with the words "BE MINE" scribbled in cursive.

She suppressed a giggle as she opened the paper heart, imagining him saying something like 'The puckasaurus doesn't make valentines" and yet she smiled at the gesture.

When you get tired of hiding, you know where to find me.

P.S. Stole the card off my sister's pile.

It was unsigned but she already knew who it was from. She hid the heart in her textbook and looked into the pink envelope. She drew out the silver necklace with a gasp. Hanging on the silver chain was a small charm of a cupcake, glistening with pink paint on the top. She smiled to herself and put it back in the envelope, shoving it into her bag as the bell rang.