A/N: I want to thank everyone again for reading, reviewing, and following this story! I know you all want some Puckleberry action, but there needs to be a procession, right? Well, I think so! Well I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Happy Reading :)

Rachel has been spending some time with Finn and has learned that Puck may have been a little harsh on his worries about Finn's intentions. He's not any worse than any other guy his age (he's definitely not worse than most guys she knows, by far.) They've only been hanging out for about 2 weeks and he hasn't really tried anything, but Rachel knows if she let it go there, he'd be all for it. But right now she's just enjoying his company and the distraction. He's really funny too and half the time she spends with him, she's laughing. (Most times Finn has no idea why she's laughing, but he doesn't seem to care.)

It's the morning and Rachel is curled up on her favorite chair on the porch with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. She just loves how quiet and peaceful it is right now. There is still the fresh dewy smell of morning and the summer heat hasn't quite kicked in, but the sun is shining brightly. She hears the screen door open and close and feels the weight shift next to her. She looks over and sees her Aunt Sarah sitting there with her own cup of coffee.

Right after Aunt Sarah sits down, Puck pulls up in his truck. He jumps out and sends Rachel a smile and a wave and offers one to Sarah as well. Rachel keeps the smile on her face as she takes a sip of coffee and watches Puck make his way out to Joe.

"What's going on there?" Sarah asks with a hint of excitement in her voice. (Rachel knows that Aunt Sarah loves to talk boys with her, she always has.)

"What are you talking about?" Rachel responds, finding the inside of her mug much more interesting than whatever way her aunt is looking at her.

"Oh, just that smile that's plastered on your face and the one that's plastered on his."

It's weird that she can feel her aunt smirking at her even though she's not looking at her. Rachel has been pretty good lately with not reading into the little things with Puck, but she already knows that this conversation is only going to make her take a step backwards in her fight to get Puck out of her brain plans.

"It's nothing, we're friends, that's all."

Sarah smiles knowingly, "It doesn't look like nothing."

Rachel huffs and turns to look at her aunt, "Well it is. He has a girlfriend and they are perfectly perfect together."

"Things aren't always as they seem."

Rachel rolls her eyes and says, "Well that's not a completely cliche statement."

"I'm just saying, the way he was looking at you? That didn't look like nothing to me." Sarah says then takes a sip of her coffee.

They sit there quietly while Rachel thinks about everything she just said. Part of her wants to just brush it off so she doesn't get swept up in it. But there's another part that thinks that maybe Aunt Sarah is seeing something she isn't and she can't be at fault for thinking it over.

Quinn and Rachel have lunch one afternoon because as weird as it is, Quinn is quickly becoming a friend to Rachel. It's completely screwed up and she feels like the universe is playing a huge joke on her, but she just has to deal with it. But anyway, Quinn makes Rachel tell her everything about the couple of dates she had with Finn. And even though she's not crazy about Finn, she likes him, and it's always fun talking about boys.

Rachel notices after a lull in their conversation that it looks like Quinn is worried about something, "Quinn, are you okay?"

"Yea, everything's fine." Rachel can tell that means that everything is not fine.

"You sure?"

Quinn sighs and after a moment says, "It's about Puck."

Rachel isn't sure she actually wants to hear about this. She also is nervous that Quinn has caught on to her not so platonic feelings for Puck and is just going to call her out on it in a public place to humiliate her.

"Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened per say. I just, I don't know, things have just felt a little off lately."

"Off?"

"We have just been together so long you know?"

Rachel nods her head. (She doesn't really know. The longest relationship she's been in was for 5 months and she didn't even really like him that much.)

"Everyone just expects us to get married, have kids, and stay in Shelbyville forever. What if we're still together just because it's what's expected and we're just comfortable? I feel so awful thinking these things because I do love Puck, I do. It's just kind of a lot thinking about forever when you're just barely 19."

Rachel listens to Quinn and tells her, "Listen, you can't help how you feel. Emotion is one of those things in life that's pretty much uncontrollable, so don't feel awful about something that's completely reasonable."

Quinn takes a breath and Rachel thinks it literally looks like there were weights on her shoulders and they were lifted off.

Quinn smiles at Rachel when she says, "Thanks. Honestly I feel better just talking about it with someone, it's hard to discuss things like with people we've both known our whole lives. I know we haven't known each other that long, but you're a really good friend, Rachel."

Rachel just smiles at Quinn and can't help but think back to what Aunt Sarah said to her about things not being as they seem. She also doesn't feel like a good friend when she can't help but think about what this could mean for her chances with Puck.

Somehow Rachel, Finn, Puck, and Quinn wind up on a double date on a Friday night. They are sitting at the local diner in a booth and it's so much more awkward than she thought it would be. Well she's not sure if it's awkward for everyone or just her. It's probably just her.

But Finn is to her left, Puck is right across from her and Quinn is next to him. She is mostly just nodding a long because she has to deal with the war that's going on in her heart and mind. Finn puts his arm around her while they're eating and she tries hard not to wish it was Puck's arm instead. It's just an awful thing for her to think when Quinn is sitting right there and she hates it.

It gets less awkward once they leave the diner and continue the night with a round of mini golf. It's a lot easier to just have fun and let loose when there's a game involved. Rachel is a very competitive person and she is using this game as a distraction and is fully focused on winning. She thinks Finn, Puck, and Quinn are a little surprised at how well she's doing and how competitive she really is.

Naturally, Rachel wins and it's not even because the boys let her. She can tell because they both look thoroughly confused. She feels a little bad, but not bad enough to not rub it in their faces. Even though Quinn came in last, she's taunting the boys right along with her.

Finn drops Rachel off at the end of the night and kisses her in his car. He tells that he's never dated anyone like her before. She asks what she's like and he tells her she's beautiful, funny, smart, and really cool. When he kisses her again, it's the first time she doesn't wish it was someone else kissing her instead.

It's a beautiful day, so Puck and Rachel eat lunch outside on the porch while Joe and Sarah are inside. She can tell he's thinking about something he wants to talk about, but even in the short time she's known him, she knows he takes his time to let it out. So, she just sits silently next to him, waiting for him to finally get it all out.

Finally she hears him take a deep a breath and he asks, "Has, um - Has Quinn said anything to you at all. About me?"

Rachel knows girl code and she is not going to break it. She knows that when Quinn talked to her about Puck, that it was to stay between them. She can't repeat or allude to anything Quinn told her. But she also can't lie to Puck, he is above all else, her friend. She can't straight out lie when he is asking her such a direct question. So she takes a moment to form her thoughts and figure out a way to talk to him without lying and without saying anything at the same time. Rachel wonders if everyone thinks this much about everything or if it's just her (it's probably just her).

"Why would you say that?" Rachel asks him.

Puck shrugs, "She's just acting weird."

"Weird?"

"I don't know, it just seems like she's pulling away from me. I don't know why, I don't know if I did anything. And what does it mean that I don't even know if I did anything?" Puck says, completely frustrated.

Rachel really doesn't know what to say. She could really use this to her advantage and a part of her is considering it. But a bigger, and better part of her pushes that thought away. She just shakes her head and tells him, "I think the only person who can answer these questions for you is Quinn."

Puck nods in response, "Yea, you're probably right."

Rachel, in an effort to lighten the mood, just says, "I'm always right."

That results in Puck letting out a small laugh and offering her a smile. She smiles back and they continue to eat their lunch.

Later that night, Rachel is lying in bed thinking about what might happen between Puck and Quinn. There is literally a million thoughts and feelings going through her and they are all conflicting with each other.

There's her completely overwhelming, something that she has for Puck. It started off with just an attraction but it has completely changed into so much more. She not only looks forward to seeing him because he is certainly the best looking guy she has ever seen in real live, but she looks forward to just spending time with him. She finds she gets the same enjoyment from looking at him work with his shirt off as when he tells her those corny jokes he thinks are so much funnier than they are.

But then there's Quinn. She really is becoming her friend and it really sucks that this is all so complicated. The easiest thing for Rachel to do is just suck it up and the only one that will get hurt is herself. And that's what she's been doing. But after the conversations she's had with Aunt Sarah, Quinn, and Puck it isn't as simple as that anymore.

If Quinn and Puck break up, it wouldn't be because she is scheming and plotting against them. No, it would because of things having nothing to do with her. So is it bad if she hopes that they break up? See, complicated, conflicting thoughts and feelings.

And then she thinks about Finn and she feels bad because he didn't pop into her head until right then. She thinks about how she doesn't even think about him much when she's not with him. She just hopes he doesn't feel anything more for her than she feels for him. That would add a whole other level to her problems.

But whatever happens, happens right? Half the summer has already passed and these unrequited feelings haven't killed her yet, so if she has to go the rest of the summer this way, Rachel will deal. Still, in the silence of her room and of the night, she hopes that there might be a way for her feelings to get very much requited.

When she sees Puck the next day, she's not exactly sure what she's expecting to happen, but she needs to know if anything happened between him and Quinn. She just needs to know how she needs to proceed with her own feelings. They finally have a chance to talk and she doesn't even have to ask before Puck tells her he talked to Quinn the night before.

"And?"

"It wasn't anything I did, so that was good."

"Well, yes that's good." Rachel says but she just wants to yell at him to just tell her everything right now.

"She just told me that she was scared we were only together because we were just used to it and because everyone expected us to."

Rachel nods her head like she is hearing this for the first time.

"But we both wouldn't care so much if we didn't want to be together, right?"

Rachel heart feels like it dropped to her stomach. She's forgetting to breath in the moment and just realized how much she was holding out for the hope that they would just break up. She just feels a bit stupid, "Yea, right. I'm glad you guys are working it out."

"Yea." Puck says, almost as if he's not so sure. He looks to Rachel, "Thanks though, for listening or whatever."

Rachel plasters on her fake smile and says, "No problem. That's what friends are for."

She told herself not to get her hopes up about any of this. But she knows she did and she can't help that when she is falling asleep that night, she cries for the first time over Noah Puckerman.

Next: Puck showing some jealousy when it comes to Rachel.

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