Author's Note:
I am glad so many of you are enjoying this story! I'm definitely enjoying writing it!
I DO NOT OWN GLEE OR ANY CHARACTER ASSOCIATED WITH GLEE
Chapter 4 – April Rhodes vs Rachel Berry
Sam Evans was a personal trainer at CRUNCH who took a lot of pride in the work he did. There were a lot of options for him when it came to a career but he always remembered what his Grandpa used to tell him, 'Do whatcha ya love.'
What he loved was working out, so becoming a personal trainer was always his goal.
He was changing in the locker room when his phone rang. It's an unknown number, and figured it was the girl he had met at the bar the night before.
"Hello?"
"I am going to tell him tonight, Sam," said a female voice.
She sounded familiar but he can't quite place it, "Um, who is this?"
"Oh! Goodness, I'm sorry. It's Rachel, Rachel Berry."
Sam chuckled, "You had me at Rachel. What's up?"
He can hear the huff from the other end of the line, "I'm telling Noah tonight Sam."
Sam jumped from the bench he had been occupying, "No, please, not yet! It can wait, can't it? I mean it's just the first date."
"Sam, I'm going to be completely honest with him. I have to be. Besides, normally I am not the type to condone having sexual relations on the first date-"
"Or one-night stands," mumbled Sam.
Rachel ignored him and pressed on, "but Noah and I have a very strong…chemistry, and I do not want to give in without him knowing about our little tryst."
Sam rolled his eyes at the word she uses for their night of unbelievable, drunken sex.
"Rachel, Puck will kill me! Seriously, I have way too much living to do!"
"Sam, what happened between us happened well before Noah and I met. Besides, it was a one-time thing."
He took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his hair, "It would have been nice to have a second…or more." He was talking softly and the silence made him think she didn't hear him. Then she finally spoke.
"I got back with Jesse the next day. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."
There was more silence after that until he spoke again, "How did you get my number anyway? I know you didn't get it that night."
"Well, that is a funny story and not really important,"
"Rachel?"
"Okay, so I may have looked at Finn's phone while he and Quinn were, um, busy. That's beside the point, Sam. I really like Noah and I don't want there to be anything that could possibly cause problems."
Sam accepted defeat. She was a really sweet girl and he knew that Puck was really into her. Plus he'd been a lot less of a dick since she accepted the date. Their one night together was great, but that's all it was. He just hoped Puck would understand that. He was glad he wasn't the one that had to tell him, but he would be prepared for a late night visit from his friend. Or late morning, depending on how pissed he would be.
"Alright Rachel you can tell him on one condition."
"What would that be?"
Sam leaned against the lockers, "Promise to sing at my funeral?"
(~~~~~~~~)
Rachel was a bundle of nerves by the time she opened the door to greet Puck. She wasn't quite sure if it was the way he was looking at her (specifically the way her breasts and legs looked in her lilac dress) or the fact that she has to tell him that she had sex with one of his best friends. She figured it was probably both.
Her mind went blank however when he pulled a bouquet of pink lilies from behind his back. She smiled brightly and took them, "Thank you, they are beautiful," she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Let me put these in a vase and then we can go."
"Rachel, hold on," he grabbed her by the hand and turned her around back to face him, "You have been avoiding talking about Jacob. You know that this could get pretty serious, right?"
"I know, it's just that," she started shifting on her feet, "Do you really think that he is dangerous?"
"He definitely has a chance to be from what you and Quinn told us the other night."
"Okay, how about this? Come to the show tomorrow and you can sit backstage. And then you can be there with me when I leave. Jacob is always there waiting at the stage door."
"You saying you want me to be your bodyguard, babe?" he winked at her which caused her to blush.
"Be the Kevin Costner to my Whitney? Yes, I think I am," he smiled down at her and cupped her face in his hand,
"You are so beautiful," Rachel gasped but was quieted by Puck kissing her. It was quick, yet still made her legs wobble.
He took her to her favorite vegan restaurant and by the time the meal arrived, Puck admitted to getting a little bit of help from Quinn on the place.
"And the lilies," Rachel asked with a quizzical look.
He narrowed his eyes, "Now what makes you think I don't know what your favorite flowers are?" the raised eyebrow she gave him made him laugh, "Yeah, she helped with those too."
The waiter cleared their plates when they were finished and Puck reached across the table and grabbed Rachel's hand.
"I'm having a really good time, Rach," he said as he lightly rubbed his thumb along her knuckles.
"As am I," she replied. Rachel knows this is where she needs to talk about Sam. She's had some (4 glasses) of wine and the way Puck is looking at her makes her want to take him to her apartment and tear his clothes off.
"Something on your mind, Broadway?"
Rachel smiled at the nickname and she finally knew how to tell him about Sam. He had to know everything. Everything about April, about Jesse and finally about Sam.
"Noah, if you don't mind, I would like to go get some coffee."
That's what brought them to a coffee shop just around the corner from the restaurant.
Once they were settled into the booth, Rachel put her hand on the table asking for Puck's. He didn't hesitate to join his hand with hers.
She used her free hand to take a sip of her coffee. Rachel could not look at him right now. She did not want to see his reaction for what she was about to say, "I feel that I owe you an explanation, about why that day hurt me as much as it did."
Rachel finally looked at him and took in a deep breath.
"Go for it," he said.
"I was a very determined and stubborn girl in high school, and if you think I am a little overboard now, you should have seen me then. That was why I didn't experience the same type of "situations" as the popular kids, such as parties, drinking and sex. So college was my rebellion. Rebellion of animal sweaters, plaid skirts and knee high socks," Rachel noticed his eyebrow rise and she knew he was imagining her in what she wore in high school, and he liked it.
"I met Jesse the first semester of my senior year. We shared Theory of Dance and I fell head over feet for him. We had so much in common, yet, three weeks into the relationship I found him making out with some girl at a Frat party."
Rachel stopped for a moment to study his face. His hand was still holding onto hers firmly. It was comforting so she continued,
"I ran from the party and he caught up to me. He got on his knees and begged and I forgave him.
After I graduated I started auditioning. I didn't in college because I wasn't going to drop out. If for some reason I did make it big, and injured myself, I would have nothing to fall back on, it's good to have a Plan B and in my case a Plan C," Puck laughed and his eyes turned a lighter shade of green. Rachel became entranced,
"Stop staring, continue the story," he leaned forward looking at her intently to be sure he heard every single word that came out of her mouth. He didn't know how long it had been since he had ever listened to a woman talk for this long. He couldn't even count his mom. He usually just tuned her out after the first five or six words. But Rachel Berry was giving him her autobiography for the last two years. Wild horses could not drag him away from this woman's hand.
"My first show was some off-off Broadway show that only lasted three weeks. I played the sister of the brother in law of some dead man. I went out the final night of the show and ended up meeting my Broadway idol. The woman I had desired to work with and learn whatever I could from. Her name was April Rhodes and she was currently playing Glinda in Wicked."
The moment April's name came out of her mouth, Puck's jaw feel slightly, his eyes slightly wider. When his eyes softened and Rachel could see the sympathy in them, she had to close her eyes to keep away the tears that wanted to form.
"April ended up becoming like a sister figure to me. For almost a year, we were inseparable. She always listened when I needed advice or when I had a fight with Jesse. She ended up getting me the audition for the understudy of Elphaba in Wicked and she told me later that as long as I stayed away from Glinda, it was all good!" Rachel added the last part mimicking April's southern accent. Puck had to laugh,
"That was pretty good."
"Thank you, anyway, word got out about the new production of Beauty and The Beast. One of the producers from Wicked was involved and there was a rumor he was "keeping an eye out" for Belle. So, being the determined person I was, I shaped up. I stopped going out, stopped drinking unless on special occasion, so in turn I wasn't around April very much."
"After rehearsals one day, Jeffrey, the producer asked me to meet him and some friends for dinner. I did so and I was offered Belle," she smiled at the memory, "I called Jesse the moment I got out of dinner, but he didn't answer. I practically ran to his apartment and used the key he gave me to get in. And that is when I found him with April. Naked and sweaty and in a position that I'm not sure is legal in all fifty states."
Puck watched as a tear ran down her cheek. He stood and slid into the booth next to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to his side.
"I started screaming at them and Jesse of course flew over to me and tried to apologize, naked. All I could do was look at April and ask why she did this to me, that I looked up to her. She just smiled and told me that Belle was her part. And that I stole it from her.
Apparently she had heard that I was going to be offered the part and that's when she went to see Jesse."
Puck huffed, "There is no way in hell she would have gotten that part."
"Yes, and I told her as much. I told her she was a washed up has been that can't seem to stay sober. I also told her the only reason she still worked was because she was giving Jeffrey blow jobs every day."
Puck choked as he took a sip of coffee, "You said that to her? Wow, no wonder she hates you. That's awesome baby," Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Jesse told me he was drunk and upset that I went to dinner with Jeffrey. I called him out on his bullshit and broke up with him."
"I was so upset and I wanted to get back at him, so I went out, got drunk and slept with the first guy that I talked to. The next day, Jesse was on my door step pleading to take him back, and for some stupid reason I did."
"I left Wicked and began rehearsals for Beauty. Before I knew it, the opening night arrived and suddenly I was the talk of Broadway. I was on top of the world and just waited for it to come crashing down. After almost year I was offered the part of Maria. When I went to the first meeting one of my fellow cast members told me that Jesse had slept with her roommate few weeks earlier. I broke up with Jesse immediately and told him that I didn't need to be in a relationship now anyway. My career was soaring and I didn't need anything distracting me."
Rachel had to stop and take a few breaths to calm herself. The hardest part was coming up and she was glad he was sitting next to her so she didn't have to see the look in his eyes when she told him.
"A week after the breakup, I ran into April. She acted like nothing had happened and we were just long lost friends. She invited me out one night to a bar she knew had sexy men that would help us forget all our man problems. By the time I got there, she was gone. A mutual friend told me she had left practically humping some hot cop. I ended up sitting at the bar and talking to this guy who was actually very sweet and we exchanged stories of our exes. His had just left him for another woman."
Rachel pulled away from Puck slightly and looked up at him, "His ex-girlfriend's name was Santana."
Puck could only stare at her and whispered, "Sam."
She nodded, "Yes, Sam. And I have come to the conclusion that you are the man that April left with that night."
Puck nodded as he processed the information. He had taken Sam out that night to get him drunk and laid. He ended up meeting April not long after. He had ditched Sam who he called the next morning to apologize to. Sam told him it was all good and that he ended up meeting a really cool chick that he got drunk with and they ended up having, as Sam called it, "One Epic romp in the sheets."
"So," he choked on the word and cleared his throat, "You are telling me you slept with Sam."
"Yes, and I felt it necessary to tell you the whole story, to make it a little easier for you to accept. Now the question is," she looked away and played with her coffee cup, "Do you still want to see me?"
She braced herself for the worst, but all she got in return was laughter. Rachel looked at him in shock, "Why are you laughing?"
"Babe, it's okay. Yes, it kinda sucks that he got to have you first, but whatever. Hell, if I wouldn't have left with Crazy McDrunkerson, I probably would have ended up with you that night. And damn it, I wish I had."
"Really? You mean if you were still there when I arrived, you would have blown off April to talk to me?"
"Absolutely, babe. I told you I had a massive crush on you. Hell, I could have gone home alone and been happy just by you acknowledging my existence."
Suddenly, Puck jumped like he had been burned, "Holy shit."
"What? "
"April knew about my thing for you. I talked about you a lot and asked what kind of person you were. It wasn't long after that she stuck her tongue down my throat. She must have been worried that once you got there, I would forget about her."
"That does sound like April. She never was one for sharing."
Puck kissed her sweetly and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "Now that you got that all out, how do you feel?"
It was Rachel's turn to laugh now, "Honestly, tired."
"Alright, then let's get you home."
(~~~~~~~~)
Puck pounded on the apartment door loudly and covered the peephole with his hand. He heard someone cuss right inside the door.
"I know it's you Puck, and I'm not going to let you in unless you swear on your guitar that you won't kill me."
Puck tried his best to contain his laughter, "Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you? Let me in."
"You mean you-wait, weren't you on a date with Rachel tonight?"
"Yeah, just dropped her off, why?"
Puck could hear Sam turning the locks and the door slowly opened. Sam was using the door as a shield as he peered around to look at Puck.
"Uh, come on in."
Puck shook his head and pushed his way through the door laughing, "You seriously thought I was going to kill you? Come the fuck on man."
"You mean you know? Rachel told you?" Sam was keeping his distance still. He didn't know if this Puck was just an act and his nose was about to be broken or Puck really wasn't pissed about him sleeping with Rachel.
"Yes she told me. She told me everything. And that includes shit that happened to lead her to that bar that night."
"April?" Puck nodded.
"Yes, and Jesse. You know if I ever see that douche I can't promise I won't use my taser on that fuckwad."
"So, we're cool then," Sam held out a fist and Puck punched his to it,
"Yeah, we are, but I just got one question?"
Sam looked at him nervously. He was really hoping Puck wasn't going to ask his typical question, 'How was it?'
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam let out a breath and Puck continued, "You heard me talk about her all night and then she shows up after I leave and you end up fucking her."
"I know, I wanted to! But when I woke up she was gone. She left a note thanking me for a lovely time," Puck raised an eyebrow and Sam continued, "There was no number, so, you know. A week later I was flipping channels and saw her on the red carpet for the Tony's. She had Jesse on her arm and I finally got the hint."
"Plus, Santana had just left with Britt and I just didn't want anyone giving me any more sympathy."
"You didn't tell anyone because you were embarrassed? Because you really liked her, is that what you're trying to tell me?" Puck suddenly felt sick. Sam obviously held some kind of torch for Rachel.
"I'm sorry man," said Puck quiestly.
"No need to apologize. She really likes you, she told me today."
Puck looked up at him, "You called her?"
"No dude, she called me. She told me she was going to tell you. Why do you think I didn't want to let you in?"
"And she told you she liked me," Puck tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile.
"Yes dude, so don't fuck this up alright? Cause if you do, I have her number now, and bro code doesn't count cause I had her first, alright?"
Puck knew Sam was serious, but trying to be funny at the same time. He had to make sure that things with Rachel went well. Cause Sam seemed more than willing to step in if he did.
"Yeah, dude," Puck smiled.
Puck's phone rang in his pocket and he fished it out and saw it was Finn he answered it, "What up fucker?"
"Puck, it's Quinn, you need to get here right now! Jacob just showed up at the apartment."