A/N: Sorry this took so long! I know I got the first two chapters out one after the other but I had a couple long days at work at this weekend I was a little sick, so it took a little longer.

I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I'm excited to get the next couple chapters done and ready to post :)

Enjoy!

Rachel feels like she's gotten to know Puck pretty well over the last couple weeks. It's never been this easy for her to talk to a boy before. They can talk about the silliest things but there has been moments when he's told her something she can tell he doesn't talk about much. He talks a little about his father and how he left when he was young, but Rachel doesn't try to pry much out of him because she can tell just telling her that is hard for him.

Rachel even gets to know Quinn better. Quinn calls her and tells her they should get lunch because she needs to know everything about Rachel and her life in New York City. She learns that Quinn wants to get out of Shelbyville more than anything. She's majoring in Political Science and wants to transfer to a school in a city in the North East somewhere. Rachel knows that life would be so much easier if Quinn was just a complete bitch, but she's not and she actually really likes her. This fact makes her feel even worse about all the daydreaming Rachel does about her boyfriend.

Rachel and Puck are talking at the end of the day on the porch. He's lounging on one of the chairs when he looks at her and says, "So Broadway, when am I going to hear you sing?"

She looks over at him, a bit surprised, "You want me to sing?"

Puck shrugs, "If you want to."

"I always want to," Rachel says automatically.

Puck laughs and looks at Rachel, waiting as she still sits there, "So ..."

"So?"

"Sing"

"Now?"

"Why not?"

"Okay" Rachel says nervously as she gets up and stands in front of him. She hates that he is making her nervous. She is never nervous about singing. Ever. She thinks for a minute deciding on the perfect song and sees Puck sitting there, waiting with a smile on his face.

Rachel decides to sing a song by Carrie Underwood that's all over the radio down here, so Puck will actually know what she's singing and because it can show off her singing ability. Rachel starts to sing, but keeps her eyes close. Usually it's very important to her to have eye contract with her audience when giving a performance, but she just can't look at Puck right now.

Rachel feels like she hasn't sung like this is forever and it feels really good. She opens her eyes as she sings her last note and once she's done, looks at Puck. He went from relaxed and lounging on the chair to sitting straight up and just staring at Rachel. She plays with the bottom of her dress and asks, "So?"

Puck just shakes his head, lets out a laugh, and says, "I think you have the best voice I've ever heard."

Rachel has always enjoyed compliments, but she's never been modest about her talents. But as she stands in front of Puck and he tells her that, she can't help but blush and say, "Really?"

He smiles at her, nodding, "You're like, amazing."

Rachel smiles back and feels her heart race speed up, "Thank you."

A week later Rachel sneaks up on Puck working with ear buds in his ears and singing along to some classic rock song she vaguely knows. She is pleasantly surprised when she hears his singing voice. It's definitely not a trained voice like hers, but it's got a raspy and deep tone that works well with the rock music he's singing along to. He's also in tune and on pitch which she knows means he knows something about music.

She just stands there watching him and laughing when turns around, eyes closed, singing and playing air guitar. He opens his eyes in the middle of it and sees Rachel standing there giggling. Instead of getting embarrassed he just finishes the last couple lines of the song, smiling at her and bows.

When he takes his ear buds out Rachel asks, "Why didn't you tell me you could sing?"

"I was just singing along to some song, it's no big deal" Puck says when he shrugs his shoulders.

"Well I think you have a lovely voice, Noah."

"Lovely?" Puck says making a disgruntled face.

Rachel doesn't know why he sounds so negative and she says, "Yes."

"C'mon, Rach, lovely isn't very manly."

Rachel giggles as Puck scoffs, "I'm just trying to tell you that I think you are very talented."

Puck shakes his head and looks down.

"Sing more."

"What? No."

"Please?" Rachel says as she give him her best pout and wide eyed look.

Puck grunts and says, "Another time."

Rachel lets out a squeal and a huge smile forms on her face, "You promise?"

"Yea, whatever."

"I'll hold you to that."

"God, are you always this pushy?"

"Yes." Rachel says laughing. Puck just smiles at her and gets back to work.

Friday night comes and Rachel is on the phone with Kurt discussing her plans for the night.

"So, you're going to a party with you're Cowboy Cutie and his Miss Susie Q?"

"Yes and stop calling them that." Rachel says as she balances her phone on her shoulder as she holds up different shirts up to her in the mirror.

"I can call them whatever I want to sweetheart, I'm the cynical best friend, it's in my nature."

Rachel laughs and says, "Fine, but I'm still not going to try and scheme and sabotage their relationship. I just can't. And I'd rather spend my summer making friends, not enemies."

"Even if you want to rip the clothes off of your so-called friend?"

Rachel responds with a huff, "I'll get over it." and then pauses as she lays out on her bed, "I think."

"They say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody else."

Rachel scrunches up her nose, "You know I hate that saying."

"Yea, but it's true."

Rachel just grunts and Kurt knows she knows he's right.

"Just find some other cowboy tonight, I'm sure there will be plenty to choose from. You just have to look past the red cups and stale beer, and your prince charming will be waiting."

Rachel laughs and tells him she will try and they continue to talk until she's ready to leave.

The party isn't anything like she's used to back home. One, no one is wearing anything by a designer. Two, they're in the middle of a field. Seriously, she's standing in the middle of a field, light illuminating from a bon fire, and the only choice of drink is from the keg. She smiles because as much as her life seems to be a complete cliche, this party is completely cliche as well.

Rachel is hanging out with Quinn and Puck because they're the only people she knows here. But Puck wonders off to some of his other friends and Quinn makes it her personal duty to introduce Rachel to every person there. She thinks it's says something about Quinn's character that she's not the type of girl that has to constantly hang onto her boyfriend at all times. She's seen too many girls define themselves by whoever they were with. Where she's from it has a lot to do with status and needing to be better than everyone else. But she is learning that Quinn is a lot different than she imagined her to be.

Rachel also has to admit that there are a lot of cute boys in middle of this field to chose from. There must be something in the water here, because boys definitely do not look like this everywhere.

"Come on, there's someone I want you to meet!" Quinn says, grabbing her hand.

Rachel laughs, "You've said that about every person here."

"Well I mean it more this time."

Quinn drags her over to where Puck is talking to another boy. The first thing she notices is how tall he is. Next she sees the goofy smile on his face and that he has boyish good looks. Her breath doesn't get caught in her throat like when she looks at Puck, but he still is very cute.

"Finn Hudson!" Quinn says as we get to them.

"Hey Quinn!" Finn says as he turns and hugs her. When he pulls away from Quinn, Rachel sees him smirking at her as he says, "Who's your friend?"

He looks her up and down and Rachel blushes, "Hi, I'm Rachel."

"Well Rachel, it's very nice to meet you. It seems my cup is empty," then looks over into hers, "and yours looks like it's running low. Would you like to join me in a trip to refill?"

She looks over to Quinn who is smiling, nods, and pushes her towards Finn. Rachel laughs and says, "Sure", and follows Finn.

Rachel spends the rest of the night with Finn. She finds out that he's a bit ditzy and clumsy but she's finding it completely charming. He grew up in Shelbyville and can't see himself living anywhere else. He thinks it's cool that she's from New York City, but doesn't go crazy over it which is refreshing.

They have been flirting all night and she's a little drunk off of this cheap beer so she doesn't push him away when he leans in and kisses her. He's not the best kisser in the world, but he's pretty enthusastic. She's not getting any butterflies or flutters in her heart. It strange how she can feel that just looking at Puck or hearing his voice, but she's trying not to think about that right at this moment.

They pull apart a couple minutes later and he is smiling down at her. She smiles back because he is just really cute. He trails his lips down her neck and before Rachel closes her eyes, she sees Puck looking at her. Their eyes meet for a split second before he turns and walks away. Rachel doesn't get much time to think about it because Finn's lips find hers again.

When Monday morning comes around, Rachel is in her usual spot on the porch waiting for Puck to arrive. She waves to him, he waves back, but he doesn't have a smile on his face like every other morning. Maybe he's just having a bad morning.

Then lunch comes and when Joe comes into the kitchen, Puck is not following behind him. Rachel waits a couple minutes before going outside where she spots Puck sitting in the bed of his truck eating his lunch by himself.

Rachel is confused because he always eats inside with Joe. She goes over and hops up into the bed of the truck next to him, "Hey."

He doesn't look at her when he grunts back a hello.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he says still not looking at her.

Rachel has no idea what's wrong with him. "Well you don't seem fine."

"Well I am" Puck replies shortly.

"I don't believe you."

Puck just shrugs his shoulders. After a moment he asks, "You have fun with Finn?"

It takes a second for Rachel connect the way he's acting and the way he asked her if she had fun with Finn.

"Wait, are you mad at me because of Finn?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

Puck sighs and says, "I don't know - I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you."

Rachel looks at him waiting for a better explanation.

"Listen, I've been friends with Finn my entire life and he's my boy and all, but I know him. And I know that when it comes to girls, he doesn't always have the, uh, most honorable intentions."

Rachel hold her breath and tells herself not to read into this like she wants to. She just waits a moment before saying, "Noah, I'm not a little girl, I can take care of myself. I'm not expecting anything either, I'm just trying to have some fun."

Puck nods and Rachel bumps her shoulder with his and says "Cheer up, Cowboy."

He rolls his eyes at her but lets out a laugh which makes Rachel smile.

He looks at her after a moment and says, seriously, "Just be careful, okay?"

Rachel just nods. She hates this feeling she gets when he looks at her while he says it. He obviously cares about her in some way if he's worried about her and it just makes her care about him even more. And she's starting to really care about him in a way she's never felt with anyone before.

They spend the rest of his lunch talking, even though Puck still seems a little off. But by the end of the day, Puck is acting like his normal self and like nothing ever happened. Rachel thinks whoever says that girls are more confusing than boys are completely mistaken.

Next: A double date and Rachel learns that Puck and Quinn's relationship isn't as perfect as it seems.

Comments/suggestions are appreciated. Review, if you please :)