Ch. 5 Summer Fun? Part 2.
A.N. Part 2 of the chapter now. (Sorry for the delay and breaking up this chapter! Thanks for your reviews!)
Links are for parts 1 and 2 of chapter 5. See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=4LtEumBeHFU
and playlist: /view_play_list?p=FE5FBDDF210D9BC9
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.
…
As the guys finished their practice, Josh actually apologized. "Sorry about my attitude today, guys. I guess seeing Quinn put me in a bad mood."
"Yeah, I guess the same thing goes for me," Puck said.
"What? Why would seeing Quinn put you in a bad mood?" Josh asked. Trey and Eddie took their cue to leave the two guys alone.
"Well, it started last night when she called me. She reminded me that we're connected—like forever—because of our daughter."
"Yeah?" Josh thought Puck was stating the obvious. "And?"
"And it got me thinking about this whole future Rachel already seems to have planned out for us. You know, running off to New York after we graduate. Hell, that's what all you guys talk about."
"I thought you were on board for that too."
"I was…I am…It's just…"
"Look, you don't have to tell me your reasons if you don't want to, but why don't you just tell Rachel?"
"You know, man, I don't wanna make her cry or worry about it when I don't even know yet."
"Rachel seems like a pretty strong person. I think she can handle it," Josh said sagely.
"Yeah, she is strong. More than you know."
"So tell her. What's holding you back?"
"From telling her or from going to New York?"
"Both I guess," Josh shrugged.
"Well, nothing is stopping me from telling her any more now that you've reminded me I'm dating one tough chick," Puck smirked.
"Glad to help."
"Yeah... And what's stopping me from going to New York…it's mostly dumb shit. But the one that's not so dumb is my daughter. I'd be really far away from her."
"That's a pretty good reason, I guess. But how often do you see her? I thought Quinn told me you got like, one holiday a year."
"That was the original agreement, but the Harris' have pretty much let us see her whenever we want. This year that's been about four times."
"Four times a year? That would still be easy to do from New York. Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break, summer break. And within those you could probably see her even more."
"Yeah, that's true," Puck nodded. "But I started thinking about it, and these next four or five years are gonna be the ones where Quinn and I are gonna get the most access to Dizzy. She's gonna be having all of these like 'first moments' and stuff. And while she's too young to ask questions like—Why do I look more like Mr. Noah and Miss Quinn than 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'—that's when we can see her the most. I think after she turns four or five, the Harris' are gonna restrict us more."
"So what you're saying is that you're thinking of staying in Ohio for college so you'll be close to your daughter, but after that, you'd go to New York for Rachel?"
"Yeah, pretty much. That's assuming she won't dump my sorry ass before then."
"Good point."
"Fuck you," Puck flipped Josh the middle finger.
Josh laughed. "Just kidding. But hey, do you think it'd be cool if I call Rachel?"
"What? Already planning for when she'll break up with me?"
"No," Josh rolled his eyes. "I was thinking about asking her for some advice about the whole Quinn situation."
Puck didn't think there really was a situation anymore, but he shrugged and said, "Knock yourself out. Just don't hit on her."
"I'll do my best."
Puck flipped him off again before backing up his gear to head home. He figured he'd wait to talk to Rachel tonight about his concerns about making firm plans to move to New York.
…
The girls were at dinner after a long day of rehearsals for the individual showcases. Rachel had gone to the ladies' room and asked if she could leave her purse at the table. When Rachel's bag started ringing, Jen answered the phone. "Rachel's phone."
"Yeah, is Rachel there?"
"Is this Noah?" Jen asked.
"No, it's—"
"Jesse?" Jen guessed with a grin.
"No," he sighed. "This is Josh. I can call back." He was in no mood to deal with giggling high schoolers. He wasn't sure if calling Rachel was such a good idea.
"You don't have to do that, she's here," Jen told him. She motioned for Rachel, who was returning to the table. "Another man for you, Rachel. You know a Josh?"
Rachel nodded and reached for her phone.
"He sounds hot," Jen told Lilli and Alexa.
So of course, the girls teased Rachel about her man-magnet status once more.
"I'm sorry about that, Josh. I am surprised to hear from you. Is something wrong? It's not Noah, is it?"
"No, and don't worry, he gave me permission to call you."
"I wouldn't be worried about that. How silly," Rachel said.
"Whatever you say. I think he gets more jealous than you realize."
"Oh, well thank you for your impression on the subject. I assume that's not why you called…"
"You assume correctly," Josh smirked. "I'm calling for your advice. I found out that Quinn and Finn are on some kind of break. We agreed to try to be friends, but I wonder if that's really what Quinn wants. Like maybe this is some test, and she wants me to make a move. I figured you'd have some insider knowledge about Quinn…"
"Oh, Josh, I'm terribly sorry. I'm rather selfish, so because I've been busy at camp I haven't really checked in with Quinn. Having friends is kind of new to me—especially being friends with Quinn," Rachel explained.
"That makes sense given the whole tie to Puckerman, now that I think about it. But back when I first met Quinn you two seemed like best friends or something."
"Yes, well, there's more than the issue of Quinn and Noah's baby that caused…our unusual friendship status."
Jen, Lilli, and Alexa overheard this tidbit and looked at each other with wide eyes. They couldn't wait to ask Rachel about this!
Josh realized that Rachel wasn't going to be able to offer a magic solution to his problem. "I see, well, I'm sorry to bother you then. It sounds like you're in the middle of something."
"Oh, it's no bother. I'm just finishing dinner with some girlfriends at Broadway Camp. We're waiting for the checks. And while I don't have direct insight into Quinn's thoughts, from what I've heard from Noah she seems to be more interested in maintaining her relationship with Finn than ever before. I'm sorry, Josh."
"It's cool," he lied.
"I think the best thing for you will be to take what she said at face value and do your best to try to be friends. You know, there are lots of girls who would be interested in a great catch like you. I do recall that Vivian Riley seemed quite smitten."
"Here we go," Josh rolled his eyes, but a half-smile crept onto his face.
"I'll date him, sight unseen," Jen declared. "You sound adorable," she said loudly so Josh could hear her through the phone. Both Josh and Rachel ignored the intrusion.
"I think you're going to be fine, Josh," Rachel assured him. "But feel free to consider me a friend who'll give you advice whenever you like."
"Thanks, Rach. And good luck."
"You're welcome. And thank you, but good luck with what?"
Josh felt a flash of panic. He'd been referring to her impending conversation with Puckerman, but he decided that he should NOT be the one to say anything about that. "You know, Broadway Camp and all that."
"Oh, of course. Thanks so much. Goodnight and good luck to you too."
They said their goodbyes and the girls could wait no longer. "Ok, two things. One, do you have any pictures of this Josh guy? And two, what's this about Noah and some Quinn chick and a baby?" Lilli asked.
Rachel invited the girls back to her room for picture viewing and conversation. She explained a bit about the situation with Noah, Quinn, and their baby Diana Isabel. She pulled up some pictures on her laptop. The first ones she showed were of Josh and the band.
"Damn, girl, you know so many fine guys!" Jen exclaimed. "You already hooked up Lilli with Jesse, how about you do a favor for another friend?" she grinned.
"Well, Jesse is only two years older than we are. Josh is 21, almost 22. Is that too old for you?"
"Not when he looks like that," Jen confirmed.
"And you don't mind a long distance relationship?" Rachel quizzed.
"I don't. But he doesn't look like the kind of guy who could…keep it in his pants."
Rachel nodded. "You may be right, unfortunately—at least in his current state, rebounding from Quinn. But I believe while he was dating her he was faithful and they never…you know."
"Had sex?" Lilli asked bluntly, amused that Rachel couldn't speak the words.
"Yes…Well, I may have a picture of Quinn if you'd like to see…"
The smiling faces of Quinn and Noah appeared, along with their daughter on their lap between them. The girls looked at each other uncomfortably, unsure what to say. The images looking back at them were…beautiful. Rachel was gorgeous of course, but each of the girls could understand how this perfect little family could be…intimidating.
"So Quinn dated Josh, but before that, she had a baby with your boyfriend? Is that right?" Jen asked.
"That's correct. Noah wasn't my boyfriend at the time of conception, but yes," Rachel nodded uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what possessed her to share all of this personal information. But she did feel very close to these girls in a short amount of time.
"And yesterday you were saying there's a difference between your situation with Jesse and Noah's with his ex?" Alexa started. "Because they had sex and had a baby?"
"Precisely. Jesse and I never…"
"And I take it you and your boyfriend have?" Jen grinned.
"Yes, we have. But we're in a loving and respectful relationship," Rachel said defensively.
"Girl, we're not judging," Lilli said. "Hell, I'd be up on that, no love and respect necessary!"
"Lilli!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Just playin'" she laughed. "Sorta."
All the girls had a good laugh.
…
Safely back in her own room alone, Rachel prepared to call Noah to tell him all about her talk with Jesse and ask about going to the Hamptons. She was a little anxious.
Rightly so.
Everything started out fine. They talked about their days as usual. But this time, Puck had an important issue to bring up. Rachel had the events of yesterday to discuss as well. Perhaps fortunately, Puck went first.
"So, I know you're totally in love with New York, right?" he started.
"I really am! I love it here so much!" she enthused. "The only thing missing is you," she said sweetly.
"Thanks…yeah…that's what I thought…" Puck didn't really know how to tell her that he wasn't so sure about New York. But Rachel pried it out of him.
"Noah, is something wrong?"
Puck knew it was time to man-up. He just didn't know if he should go into all the details. He decided to start simply. "I don't know really what I want to do yet after high school. I feel like you have things all planned out. Josh, Eddie, and Trey are years ahead of us, and they have their plans. But I just…I don't really know…"
"Do you think you still want to be a performer, Noah?"
"Yeah, I do. There's nothing else I can imagine really liking as a career or whatever. Glee is ok and all, but when the audience claps for you…I don't know, it's kinda like they're obligated because they're parents and stuff."
"Oh, I know exactly what you mean!" Rachel exclaimed. "At home I expect the teachers, my dads, the other parents, to be polite and tell me how great I am. But when I hear it here, I really believe it. Of course, I always appreciate your compliments and honest opinions."
"Exactly. Yeah, you know I think you're awesome, and I know you think that about me too. But when we went out with the band—and especially when I got to sing lead…the feeling was…awesome. Especially because you know they don't feel any reason to be nice to you. If they hate you, they'll tell you."
"Especially in New York," Rachel added.
"Totally," Puck agreed. "So yeah, I still think that's what I wanna do."
"I know you'll be just amazing, Noah. You've grown so much—as a person and as a performer. I'm very impressed. Your singing and your playing is advancing so much. I just know we'll be great together once we finish senior year of high school and move to New York."
"About that…" Puck started hesitantly. "I've been thinking, and I just…I don't know if I can do New York. It's so…far away from everyone and everything we know." At first he didn't think he should mention how far away it was from Dizzy, but he remembered what Josh said—Rachel's strong. So he told her about his concerns, about Dizzy, everything he told Josh earlier. Rachel sat quietly, not interrupting. Her mind was racing to process everything he was saying, as well as her own response. Finally, after a brief silence, she spoke.
"You know, before we were here in New York together, I told you that New York could wait. We can always go to college in Ohio. There are performing arts programs in our home state. Broadway will still be here."
"Really? That's still ok with you?"
"Yes, all I want is for us to be happy."
Puck breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you said that. I've been stressing about that for a while."
"I'm sorry, sweetie. You should know you can tell me anything."
"I'm figuring that out."
While Puck was feeling much better, Rachel was feeling quite anxious. "Well, there's something I've been stressing about too."
"Oh yeah, you never told me about that last night," Puck said. "What's going on?"
Rachel prepared herself for what she was about to talk about—mostly because the idea of Shelby was still so upsetting to her. She actually didn't think that her boyfriend would have a problem with her next sentence.
She was wrong.
"So, when I met with Jesse last night, he told me all about the Shelby situation and why he assumed you felt compelled to assault him. I just can't believe what Shelby did, and of course Jesse's role as well is disheartening…"
Puck felt as though his brain was frozen. He needed to rewind what she just said. "Jesse? As in Jesse fuckin' St. James?" He was yelling into the phone. He was completely freaking out.
"Yes, of course! Who else? I don't understand why you're yelling!" she shouted back.
"Because when you said you were meeting Jesse, I thought you were talking about Jessie, as in short for Jessica! Not Jesse, I-have-a-girl's-name, St. James! Not your ex-boyfriend Vocal Adrenaline-spy douchebag bastard!"
"Noah! Please stop yelling!"
Puck took a deep breath. "Yeah, ok. Sorry. I just—what the fuck, Rachel?"
"What?" she whimpered. She felt tears welling in her eyes. She hated when he cursed—but especially at her.
"Ok, let me start over," Puck said as calmly as he could. "Why did you meet with Jesse St. James?"
As she spoke, she started sobbing. She couldn't control it. "I…ran into him…at the café. He'd told me after you beat him up at the beginning of the summer that he would tell me the whole story later…We'd never talked since then, and we were both in the city, so I agreed to meet him." She sniffled and looked around for a tissue. "And I asked you about it, and I thought you knew who I was talking about."
"Shit. Don't cry, Rachel," Puck told her gently.
"I can't help it!" she cried.
"Shit."
"That's not helping," she sobbed. "You know I hate when you curse. It just upsets me more."
"Sorry." Puck was silent as he replayed their conversation. It sucked. A few moments ago, they had a great moment—where Rachel was totally cool with him basically fucking up her life's dream—or at least delaying it because he had a daughter with another girl and he was too big of a pussy to move to New York right away. She took it in stride, putting him first. And he was yelling at her for a misunderstanding that was probably his own fault for not paying attention when she talks.
"Rachel, I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell at you. You haven't done anything wrong. I'm just…an asshole…as usual."
She took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. "I'm sorry. I think I can talk now. No, you're not a…jerk. I suppose I should have found it strange that you were so cavalier about me meeting Jesse."
"Yeah, if I knew what cava-whatever meant, I'm sure I'd agree with you."
Rachel let out a watery giggle. "I know for a fact that you know what cavalier means, Noah Puckerman."
"But I got you to laugh, didn't I?" he asked hopefully.
"That you did," she affirmed. "There's one more issue I think led to this debacle. I'm afraid that much of the time, you don't actually listen to me when I talk. Shall we use this incident as a reminder for you to pay attention to what I say?"
"Let's not get crazy here," Puck said. "A guy's gotta keep his sanity."
"No-ah," she chided in whiny sing-song.
"Kidding. You're right. And sorry again about the yelling. I just really hate that guy. He's so shady."
"You really think so? I've always found him to be rather honest—aside from the whole spying for Shelby thing—which he did come clean about later."
"Yeah, after I called him on it," Puck grumbled.
"True," Rachel said thoughtfully. Then she sighed. "Well, this makes the second part of my intended conversation completely pointless."
"Why? What were you going to say?" Puck asked suspiciously. "You want to hang out with him again?"
"Don't yell, please," she repeated calmly. But she was afraid if he started shouting, then she would start crying again. "Before I knew that you still felt such animosity toward him, yes, I was going to ask if you'd be comfortable with my new friend Lilli and I joining Jesse at his family's home in the Hamptons. Lilli was there at the café when I ran into Jesse, and she's interested in him…and anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll just tell them that I can't go."
"So now I'm the bad guy?" Puck asked sourly.
"That's one way to look at it, I suppose," Rachel admitted. "But I will respect your wishes. It's only sailing in the Hamptons," she said—a little too wistfully. "Lilli and the girls and I will just spend our free day on Wednesday together in Manhattan instead of making an overnight trip."
"Good," Puck grunted. He was a bit annoyed that Rachel even thought for a moment that he'd be fine with that arrangement.
Rachel was a bit annoyed that he didn't trust her enough to let her have a nice day off, and she couldn't help speaking up. "So, is this because you don't trust me to stay overnight with Jesse St. James, even when there is a girl going with me and we'll be with his family?"
Puck did not want to have this conversation, but he covered the phone so Rachel didn't hear him mumble "fuck". "It's not that I don't trust you; I don't trust him. The guy told me he thought you two were destined to be together and shit. He said that once you move to New York for good, he's gonna land you."
"What? Land me?"
"Well, he didn't say that exactly, but he basically said that I'll do something stupid, and that's probably true, and then you'll break up with me. Then because you and he would both be leads on Broadway or some dumb shit, he'd scoop you up."
"I had no idea," Rachel said slowly, dumfounded by his words.
"Yeah, well, basically anything the guy says to you now is probably all part of some master plan to get in your pants—even if that's a year from now."
"That shows…initiative..." she said, almost in awe.
"You've gotta be kidding me. You're totally falling for his bullshit, aren't you? Shit." Puck ran a hand through his hair—it was growing back, but right now he wished he had his Mohawk.
Rachel shook off the initial fascination she felt by the idea that someone could have such long-term designs for her after dating for less than half the time she and Noah had. "No, of course I'm not," she defended. "It's just very surprising, that's all. Like I said, I will decline his invitation. And I have no intention of seeing him in any capacity now that I know how much it upsets you."
Puck blew out a breath. "I can handle it. I'm not worried. He's a little douche, and I'm awesome."
"I concur," Rachel smiled. "You are exceptionally awesome."
"And don't you forget it," he joked.
"I could never."
…
Puck and Rachel got through their rocky phone call mostly unscathed. When Puck apologized again, Rachel reassured him that it was normal for couples to argue.
"While I do hate yelling and think we could do without that, I am glad that we communicate openly rather than suppressing our feelings. That's what real couples do, you know? Fight it out, work it out, and keep going strong."
Puck was glad Rachel knew what to do. He was relieved when she said that everything was going to be fine with such certainty.
Rachel was relieved to have weathered that unexpected storm, but sadness tugged on her heart. Waiting one year to start a life together in New York had been one thing…waiting five years seemed so long.
She resolved to cheer up and to enjoy every minute she had in New York. Sometimes a person has to make sacrifices for what she loves. Rachel couldn't possibly ask her boyfriend to sacrifice seeing his daughter when it clearly upset him so much—he hadn't wanted to give her up in the first place. And while Rachel believed that adoption was the best decision, she knew she had no way of understanding what Noah (or Quinn for that matter) were going through knowing that there was a little piece of them being raised by someone else. She only knew what it was like from the other side…and it was certainly not ideal. Rachel had survived worse—she could certainly survive staying in Ohio a little longer than she had planned in order to find happiness together with Noah.
She could.
She would.
…
Sunday Rachel threw herself into her rehearsals and the role of Evita. Even Blake and Rob noticed and complimented her on her performance. During their lunch break, Rachel broke the bad news to Lilli—that she was mistaken about her boyfriend's perspective on the Jesse situation, and she had to decline the invitation to the Hamptons. Lilli assured Rachel that she understood her reasons, but she was clearly disappointed.
Rachel was disappointed too.
…
Around the same time, Puck was preparing for their second all-ages show in Lima—a repeat performance at the CoffeeHouse, with a new set list. He had practiced the piano part for Josh's new song over and over last night—surprising his mother. He could tell she was shocked that he was playing piano at home alone on a Saturday night, but she must have been too scared to break the spell to say anything to him about it. Puck had learned the song fairly easily, and he had ended up messing around on the piano a bit more. Maybe the song he'd play when Rachel returned would feature him on piano instead of guitar. Just the Way You Are on piano went over really well. He'd have to make a good choice—a perfect choice.
Puck saw Quinn at a table near the stage. He didn't see any other familiar faces. Fortunately, there was a pretty reasonable crowd again, so the guys were ready to try to put on another good show. They played some well-known songs before Josh cued Puck to head to the piano for Inside These Lines.
"I know most of you here today won't know this song, but I'm dedicating it to my friend, sitting here in the front row," Josh said into the mic before beginning.
Quinn blushed and gave a small smile.
"Who's the one I see
Across the table?
Eyes that always seem
So familiar.
We sit alone so comfortably
In the silence."
Josh walked toward Quinn, reaching out without actually touching her.
"If I touch you
Would you be surprised?
Did we drift out
Closer to a compromise?"
He noticed she was surprised by his gesture. He moved back toward the band for the chorus.
"Have we lost what we had
Inside these lines
Inside these lines?
How could we watch it stay the same
All this time
And just be fine?
It's ok to see
Where we are and where we should be.
But are we gonna find ourselves
Inside these lines, inside these lines?"
He stepped toward her again.
"Your skin is next to mine
But I can't feel you.
We've learned to pass the time
In the same room.
So remind me
Of how the world stood still.
We were shining
Living just to taste the thrill."
As he sang the chorus, he had a feeling that Quinn was puzzled. It's true that this song was intended to refer to a married couple (or a long-time couple). He might have to explain to her how he was referring to the 'lines of friendship' instead.
"Circling the meaning
With the lines we've drawn, we're not believing
Circling the meaning
With the lines we've drawn, we're not believing.
Quinn wasn't sure what to think. In some ways, the song reminded her more of her situation with Finn than it did her attempted friendship with Josh. She and Finn were the couple who had been together for so long so that it wasn't easy to remember the excitement of when they first fell in love.
As Josh sang the final chorus, he hoped she understood that it seemed like they'd lost some of their spark by trying to be friends, but that it was ok—things could get better.
"Have we lost what we had
Inside these lines, inside these lines?
How could we watch it stay the same
All this time
And just be fine?
It's ok to see
Where we are and where we should be.
But are we gonna find ourselves
Inside these lines, inside these lines."
After they finished their complete set, Josh asked if Quinn wanted to hang out at the café and talk.
She agreed.
…
The guys let Josh off the hook and loaded the instruments into Trey's van without him. They had another show that night at the bar, so they didn't have to worry about unloading. Puck went home to chill between shows. He kept checking the time, but he knew Rachel would be in rehearsal until 6 or 7 that night, so he had a while.
…
After her rehearsal, Rachel called Jesse to break the bad news.
"I can't say that I'm really surprised," he said smugly. "I believe I told you he'd say no. Is that your recollection too?" he goaded her.
"Yes," she sighed. "You were right. I was wrong. Congratulations. No sailing for me."
"We both lose," Jesse said regretfully.
"It's true. But do enjoy yourself, Jesse. I'm sorry you and Lilli won't have this opportunity to get to know each other better. However, I'm sure I can be the conduit for you to exchange contact information if you like."
"Sure, Rachel, thanks. Enjoy the rest of your camp and break a leg at your shows," he told her warmly.
"Thank you, Jesse. I appreciate that. Good luck this semester at NYU as well."
Her heart hurt a little as she wished Jesse well and said goodbye. Not because she wouldn't see him, but because he was about to start the performing arts program at NYU as a freshman in the fall. That's where she wanted to be one year from now—but that dream would be on hold.
…
Puck ended up playing around on the piano while he waited for Rachel's rehearsal to end, but he got caught up and had to head out to the band's Sunday night show at The Tavern without calling her. He knew he'd call her after the show though, so it was no big deal. He was a bit surprised by their bassist.
"Eddie! What's with the suit, man?" Puck asked. "Doesn't seem to work with that new beard of yours."
Eddie chuckled. "Well, I had to come straight from Mass, so I'm in a suit. You mean you don't like the beard? Don't I look distinguished?" Eddie stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Hardly," said Trey. "You look more like a bum who stole a suit!"
Eddie rolled his eyes. "We'll see who has better luck with the ladies after the show—you or me."
"You're on!" Trey exclaimed. "I'm looking particularly fly tonight, so prepare to lose."
Puck and Josh exchanged amused glances at their antics, and Josh managed to get the guys back in line and ready for their first show back at their usual venue since the beginning of the summer. After they finished up, Eddie suggested they have their bartender friend Hank to take a picture. "To commemorate our return to The Tavern, document my awesome beard, and I figure Rachel's still on her photo kick. Am I right?"
"You're right about the Rachel part," Puck said. "The jury's still out on the beard."
"Stop hatin'. You know I make this look good," joked Eddie.
Puck shook his head. "Alright, let's get this picture over with. I've gotta get home, talk to my girl, and hit the sack—early football practice tomorrow."
"Tell Rachel we said 'hi'," Trey told Puck.
"Will do."
He did.
…
Monday at Cheerios practice, Quinn was working harder than ever, trying to focus solely on being made head cheerleader. After practice, she was distracted.
"Hey, Quinn," said Finn as he fell in step next to her.
"Finn! Does this mean our break is over?" she asked hopefully.
He shook his head and looked confused. "No, sorry. I was just saying 'hi'. I don't think one week was enough time."
"Oh," she said resignedly as she walked off the field.
She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. A kernel of a plan was forming in her mind. Instead of going to the locker room, she went to see if there was anyone in the A/V room.
She was in luck.
…
Tuesday was a typical day for Puck—wake up and get to football practice, but it was a big day for Rachel. He knew it was her Showcase or whatever—she'd talked his ear off about it the night before. It was like their pre-show for everyone at camp before the Family Finale thing he'd be going to over the weekend. She was pretty confident, but she was also nervous, which was an interesting combination but totally Rachel. From the Showcase, they'd pick the top acts for the Family show. Puck knew Rachel would kill it and she'd be in every number in the Finale if the directors didn't have to be somewhat fair. And that's what he told Rachel (several times) on the phone the night before. But even though he knew that she'd kick ass, he couldn't help but wonder how everything was going, and he was surprisingly looking forward to just talking to her and listening to her inevitable recitation of every little detail.
…
Sue Sylvester was suspicious when her top choice for head Cheerio didn't head to the locker room after practice. Instead, she watched as Quinn Fabray trotted up the bleachers and into the announcer's booth. Curious, and concerned that Christ Crusaders were infiltrating the school and holding secret meetings on school grounds without permission, Sue crept up the bleachers to investigate and catch any wrong-doers in the act.
After football practice, Finn looked around for Quinn, but he didn't see her. He shook his head and started to leave the field when he noticed two of the kids from the A/V club sitting at the announcer's table. One of them spoke into the microphone, "Finn Hudson, remain on the field."
"What?" Finn asked. He looked at Puck, who just shrugged.
"No idea, man," Puck said. He truly had no clue. "I guess I'll see ya later."
Finn nodded and walked back to the 50 yard line. "What's going on guys?" he asked the A/V nerds—because he couldn't remember their names—at all.
They just shook their heads and cued some music. That's when Finn saw Quinn walking down the bleachers with a microphone.
She was serenading him. Holy crap.
"One more time
sitting in a silent stare
and I'm the only one that's here.
Let's just get it all out
gimme every single word
even if it's gonna hurt…"
Finn wasn't sure he could believe his eyes. Or his ears. She was like an angel. But a sad one. The chorus was…wow.
"So If you wanna stay, just stay.
But If you wanna go, if you wanna go, just go.
So If you wanna stay, just stay.
But If you wanna go if you wanna go, just go
Go far away
Go far away."
Quinn meant her words. She just wanted to know. Not talking was killing her. She didn't want to be empty anymore.
"So let's just fight.
Maybe you could find some tears,
and I could feel something real again."
Finn was mesmerized by her voice, her words, her eyes. Especially her eyes. But he didn't know what to think.
"You and I
know we need to figure this out.
Tell me, is it too late now?"
He found himself shaking his head 'no'.
Quinn didn't know if he was saying 'no, it's not too late' or 'no, it IS too late.' She was struggling to continue, but this song meant so much to her.
"We've built too much just to stand and watch it fall apart.
It hurts too much just to stay the way we are."
The expression on his face was so blank—Quinn had no idea what to make of it. But she had to get through the song.
"So If you wanna stay, just stay.
But If you wanna go, if you wanna go, just go
Go far away
Go far away…"
She couldn't bear it any longer. A single tear ran down her cheek before she dropped the microphone and ran off the field.
Finn stared at her, frozen in place.
"Well, don't just stand there, mouth breather," Sue yelled from the bleachers. "Go after her!"
"Thanks, Coach," Finn called as he broke out into a sprint.
"Idiot," she muttered with a grimace.
…
Finn made it to the doors of the girls' locker room, but Quinn was nowhere to be found. He even cracked the door, not to look, just to yell her name.
No answer.
He trudged to the boys' locker room. Puck was there waiting for him.
"So what was that all about?"
Finn told him. But he started talking out loud about how things started from the beginning.
"So let me get this straight…" Puck shook his head at Finn. "You're saying that when you said you two needed a break, she said she chooses you? I think you left that part out the first time."
"I did?" Finn scratched his head. "Well, I thought the important part was that she was talking to Josh behind my back."
"Yeah, that's important. But the fact that she basically said screw him right away, that she wants to be with you, I think that's the key. So she sang a song to you then ran off?"
Finn nodded. "I tried to catch up to her, but she was gone. What should I do?"
Puck couldn't help but laugh. "It's not like she disappeared off the face of the Earth."
Finn furrowed his brows in confusion.
"You know where she lives! You know her number! Go see her, call her, whatever!" Puck explained animatedly.
"Right! Thanks, Puck!" Finn ran out the door.
"Idiot," Puck muttered with a grin.
…
As expected, Rachel wowed them with her songs at the Camp Showcase. All the students dressed up in formal wear—not costumes—and performed selected songs for the other campers and the directors of all the small groups. While she was singing, Rachel felt a surge of confidence and joy. And the praise she received afterward just heightened her post-performance glow.
They held a little party in the auditoriumtheater, with Rachel's director Carol acting as photographer, taking pictures of all of the campers. Rachel found herself posing with people she'd barely met. Thankfully, she started running into familiar faces again when Blake came by to congratulate her. "How about a picture?" he asked, waving his camera.
"Of course!" Rachel beamed.
Blake held out his camera and tried to aim while kissing her on the cheek. Rachel felt a second pair of lips on her other cheek, but before she could look, the camera flashed and the picture was taken.
"Congratulations on a wonderful show, Rachel," Jesse said.
"Jesse! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. She was a little taken aback that he was so forward to jump into someone else's picture and kiss her on the cheek. But after Noah's warning, she decided that such a move made sense. "I thought you would be sailing in the Hamptons right about now."
"I would have been, but I couldn't stay away. I had to see you perform. Since you couldn't come out for a visit, I thought it would be nice to catch your showcase. I hope that's ok."
"Of course. Thank you for coming out of your way," Rachel smiled politely.
"So, you still have that break tomorrow, right? Maybe I could hang out with you and your friends in the city before I head back?"
"That sounds lovely. Unfortunately, I should decline. Since I declined your invitation to the Hamptons out of respect for Noah, I should probably do the same again." Rachel now knew she should be cautious.
Jesse nodded with a sad smile. "Once again, I can't say that I'm surprised. In fact, I was more surprised that there was a remote possibility that your boyfriend didn't hate me and that you'd be joining me. However, in this case I was hoping that because it would be a group of friends touring the city, it would not be against the relationship rules."
"It's not against the rules," she corrected. "It's just…being respectful of his…concerns."
Jesse raised one eyebrow. "Whatever you say... Please just be careful about his possessive tendencies." He looked into her eyes and gripped her shoulders lightly. "Promise me that, Rachel."
"I promise," she nodded solemnly. "I do." She searched his face. His eyes seemed full of sincerity and concern. Still, she gently removed his hands from her shoulders.
Their moment was interrupted by the arrival of Lilli, Jen, and Alexa. Of course, the girls thought Jesse should stay and hang out with them.
Rachel was in no position to argue. She decided that if Jesse made her uncomfortable in any way, she could always leave the group and retire to her hotel room. Surely Noah couldn't fault her in this situation.
Right?
…