So I wasn't entirely happy with the last chapter, I like this one better though... Let me know what you think. In the meantime I'll get on the next chapter. Happy reading!

CHAPTER NINE:

Even The Chess Team?

Quinn stood at her locker, barely listening as Santana went on and on about the fight that had happened yesterday on the football field. She didn't really care that Matt had punched Chris Mays, or that Chris Mays had tried to feel her friend up for that matter… She didn't really tune into the conversation until Santana mentioned Rachel's name. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, Rachel punched Karofsky right in the throat. It was pretty awesome actually, even Coach Sylvester-"

"Since when have we acknowledged RuPaul as anything other than an it?"

Santana frowned "I-" She looked away from Quinn, trying to avoid the blonde's glare, and smiled in relief as Brittany hurried down the hallway toward them. "Hi Brit!"

"Hey guys." Brittany replied, smiling her sunny smile at them. "You'll never guess what I heard this morning."

"What?" Santana asked, always eager to hear gossip.

"Rachel and Puck are going on a date."

Quinn's scoffed "Yeah right."

Santana nodded her agreement "Puck doesn't do dates, Brit. He's more of a 'wham, bam, you're welcome ma'am' kinda guy. I should know."

"I thought it was 'thank you ma'am'." Brittany mused.

"It is." Santana confirmed "But Puck's not a 'thank you' kinda guy either."

Brittany shrugged "I don't know about that, but it's true. Kurt told me."

Quinn scoffed again. "Like lady un-fabulous knows anything."

"But he told me that Rachel told him-"

"RuPaul, wouldn't know what being asked on a date was like if it bit her on her giant nose."

"Well, Mike told me too."

"Mike?" Santana asked with a raised eyebrow.

Brittany nodded "He told me Puck asked him for advice."

Quinn slammed her locker shut. "That's ridiculous. Why would Mike have any advice to give?"

"Hey!" Brittany exclaimed as Quinn stalked away. "Mike's romantic!" She looked over at Santana. "What's her problem?"

The Latina shrugged before narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "Brit, why aren't you wearing your Cheerios uniform?"

"Hey man," Finn said, jogging up to Puck's side, "what's up?"

"Nothing." Puck shrugged

"Mike told me-"

Puck didn't let his best friend finish his sentence. "Fucking Chang; can't keep his mouth shut… I knew I should have talked to Matt."

"What are you doing?" Finn demanded.

"What do mean?"

"Are you just screwing around with Rachel? 'Cause she's a nice girl and-"

Puck snorted. "Am I screwing around with Rachel? Look who's talking! You've been leading her on since this whole glee thing started!"

"What? I have not!"

Puck shook his head "Whatever, Hudson, keep telling yourself that. But Rachel is my girlfriend so go play 'big brother' somewhere else. And if I catch you doing that 'aw shucks, I'm so sweet' dopey eyed, flirting thing you do I'll kick your ass, broken ribs and all."

Finn stared wide eyed as his best friend stormed away. Did Puck just call him a dope?

Brittany took a deep breath as she knocked on Coach Sylvester's door. "Come in." The blonde tentatively pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

"Morning Coach."

Sue pushed the papers she was working on aside and looked up. "Wright. Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

"That's the thing Coach," Brit replied, placing her Cheerios duffle bag- full of her uniforms, pompoms and other cheering essentials- on a chair across from the coach's desk, "I don't want to be a Cheerio anymore."

"Excuse me?" Coach Sylvester asked incredulously.

"I don't want-"

"I know what you said, Blondie." Coach said, leaning menacingly forward. "I'm just not sure I believe it. Do you know what you're doing?"

"I-"

"I'm not sure you do, Brittany." She spat the blonde's name out as if it was a curse. "If you do this I will make your life a living hell. I will haunt you. At school. Outside school. In your nightmares… You will regret this."

Brittany shook her head. "I don't think I will, Coach."

"I'm not your coach anymore, am I?"

"No," Brittany said thoughtfully "I guess you're not."

"Think very hard about this, Wright." Coach warned as Brittany started out of the office.

Brittany looked over her shoulder. "I already have."

The tall cheerleading coach leaned back in her chair as the blonde closed the door behind her. Frowning at the door she slammed a hand down on her desk. First Fabray, now Wright, her best Cheerios were dropping like flies. If she didn't do something soon her chances of being state champion again this year were down the drain as were her funds. She'd be damned if she let that curly haired, prima donna, gleek beat her. Something had to be done.

Rachel was sitting alone at the glee lunch table when Brittany flopped down next to her. "Brittany? Why aren't you sitting with the Cheerios? And why aren't you wearing-"

"I'm not a Cheerio anymore." Brittany snapped. When the shocked, slightly hurt look crossed Rachel's face Brittany swore. "Shit. I'm sorry Rach; it's just that everyone in like the whole world has asked me that today."

"It's okay." Rachel said quietly. She looked down at her lunch, which was laid out in front of her, and selected the tastiest thing she had. "Cookie?"

Brittany smiled and took the proffered goodie. "Thanks."

Rachel nodded and took a bite of her sandwich, after chewing methodically and swallowing, she asked the question that was burning in her mind "Why'd you quit?"

Brittany looked up, her blue eyes meeting Rachel's brown ones, "I'm a good person."

Rachel didn't understand the blonde's reasoning, but nodded anyway. "Of course you are Brit."

The two sat in a comfortable silence until Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Artie approached the lunch table. "Hola!" Kurt greeted in a horrible Spanish accent.

"Hi Kurt." Rachel replied wearily.

"Well, it's nice to see you too." The soprano said huffily, due to the lack of passion in Rachel's greeting.

"Are you going to try and mentally dress me again?"

"No."

"Then, hi Kurt!" The diva cried.

Mercedes laughed at her over enthusiastic, fake greeting. "You know he just wants you to look hot for your boy toy."

Artie looked up at his friends "Rachel has a boy toy?"

"Boy!" Mercedes said disbelievingly "You mean to tell me you ain't heard 'bout Rachel and her man Puck?"

"But I thought they broke up." The wheelchair bound boy commented.

Tina patted Artie's arm as Mercedes and Kurt burst into laughter. "Y-you haven't seen the vi-video, have you?"

Rachel glared as both Kurt and Mercedes whipped out their phones. "Put those away." Then she turned to Artie, "We're back together, okay?"

The guitarist shrugged and began inspecting his lunch. "Cool."

Brittany poked Rachel in the arm and waited until the brunette was facing her again. "So is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Are you and Puck going on a date? Like a real date?"

Rachel nodded nervously. Then looking around, making sure Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, and Artie were all deep in conversation with one another, she leaned in toward the blonde "I've never been on a date before." She confessed.

"Really?" Brittany asked. Rachel nodded, refusing to look the ex-cheerleader in the eye. "It's okay Rach." The blonde said cheerily "I never really went on a date 'til last year."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously what?" Puck asked, coming up behind the two girls.

"Nothing!" Rachel exclaimed quickly. Brittany, sensing her new friend's embarrassment, just shrugged.

Puck didn't respond, dismissing the girl's conversation as girl talk, instead he pushed Kurt's chair- with the boy still in it- away from Rachel, grabbed a chair from the table behind him and placed it between the two divas. He was about to sit down when an annoyingly nasal voice piped up. "Someone was sitting there, gleek."

Puck quirked a brow and looked down at the table. When the scrawny, bespectacled boy looked up the jock's expression turned from amused to menacing. "What did you call me?"

The boy paled visibly. "P-Puck… I-"

Puck continued to glare at him until Rachel tugged on his shirt. "Noah. Come on, sit down."

Reluctantly Puck's glare left the boy and he settled into the chair he'd placed between Rachel and Kurt. He draped his arm along the back of his girlfriend's chair and looked around the now silent table. "So even the chess team treats you guys that way?"

Rachel sighed at Puck and Brittany's curious expressions. "It's the accepted social hierarchy at our school."

"English?"

Artie rolled his eyes and took a bite of his sandwich. "Yes."

"Congratulations Barbie," Mercedes smiled hollowly at Brittany, "you've just reached the bottom of the barrel."

Brittany took a close look at each person at the table. Mercedes- the tough fashionista, who wasn't quite as tough as she wanted everyone to believe, Rachel- the intelligent, driven, songstress, Puck- the unrepentantly honest athlete, Kurt- the lady fabulous, talented, soprano, Tina- the incredibly shy, goth chick with a heart of gold, and Artie- the geeky looking but epically cool guitarist. "Well, you guys and Mike will all be there with me, right?"

Puck was about to say something when Rachel cut him off with a slap to the stomach. "Yeah, Brit, we're all at the bottom with you."

"Then it doesn't matter."