This one's a little shorter, sorry about that. I've been working on my other fic Puckleberry, which you guys should check out. Sorry about that shameless plug, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. ;) Thank you guys all so much for the reviews, I love hearing from you. Don't forget to review this chapter too!
CHAPTER TWELVE:
Defying Gravity
Rachel and Puck were 10 minutes late for glee- Rachel was never late. The entire glee club, including Mr. Schue watched silently as the two barreled into the choir room. Rachel was trying to adjust her hair with one hand while dragging a smirking Puck along behind her with the other. "Sorry we're late, Mr. Schue."
Puck's smirk turned into a leer. "I'm not sorry. I didn't even want to come at all."
Rachel let go of his hand and slapped him lightly on the chest. "Noah!" She scolded.
The jock grinned, grabbed her hand again and led her to the seats Brittany had saved for them.
"Right!" Mr. Schue cleared his throat and clapped his hands "we've only got a few weeks 'til Sectionals. Any suggestions? We'll definitely need a standard; those usually go down well with the judges. And we need a ballad for sure… Third song's up to our discretion." He looked around the room. "Well?"
Rachel triumphantly pulled several sheets of paper out of her bag. "For the standard might I suggest-"
"Defying Gravity." Kurt cut her off. "It's one of my personal favorites and it might behoove us to do something out of the box and have me sing it."
"The part's written for a woman Kurt." Rachel frowned.
The soprano shot Rachel a dirty look. "And I suppose you think your suggestion's so much better."
"Actually," Rachel said primly, "I was going to propose the same song."
"With yourself as lead."
Rachel just blinked. "Of course."
"Seriously Rachel," Kurt said crossing his arms over his chest angrily "you can't sing every song."
"I don't sing every song," Rachel insisted "but I want to sing this song." She imitated the soprano and crossed her arms over her chest.
Puck grinned as the action caused the fabric of her shirt to gape open. Red bra. Score.
"I demand you give me a chance to sing!" Kurt shouted at Mr. Schue, springing up out of his chair.
Rachel glared at their teacher "Mr. Schuster, the song was written for a woman, plus my vocal ability is far superior. I can reach all the high notes."
Kurt gasped indignantly and stomped out of the choir room, followed quickly by Mercedes.
Rachel was about to follow suit when Puck grabbed her hand and tugged her back into her seat. "Babe, Beyonce already stormed out, just sit down and let's get on with practice."
"Fine." The diva acquiesced.
Puck draped his arm across the back of her chair triumphantly. He glared when he noticed Finn making his puppy dog eyes at Rachel. "Hudson!" he snapped "Keep your eyes on your own girlfriend!"
"Right…" Mr. Schue said after about a minute of uneasy silence. "So we need a ballad…"
"Why do we need a duck?" Brittany asked innocently.
The room erupted into laughter as Rachel and Mike tried to explain to Brittany the difference between a ballad and a Mallard. Rachel further explained that a male duck was actually called a drake, but no one really cared.
Nobody noticed Quinn sitting in the back row, seething as she glared at Puck and Rachel and slowly rubbed her baby bump.
Rachel slammed her locker door shut and glared when Puck laughed. "It's not funny, Noah!"
"Sure it is babe." Puck smirked, leaning back against the bank of lockers. "You're just mad you got out divaed."
"I am not a diva!" She exclaimed haughtily.
"I hate to break it to ya, Rach," Mike disagreed "but you kinda are. It's not a bad thing!" He added hastily when she turned her glare on him.
"I don't get it." Brittany announced cutting Rachel off before she could rant at the Asian dancer about her diva status, outlining a carefully constructed list she'd created the last time someone had called her a diva.
"Get what, Brit?" Rachel asked.
"Why can't you and Kurt just sing the song together?"
"Rocky and Beyonce together?" Santana scoffed from where she was leaning against her boyfriend.
"Why not?" Matt asked agreeing with the ex-Cheerio. "It doesn't have to be a solo, does it?"
Rachel grinned widely as Puck draped an arm about her shoulders and the six of them left the school. "Brittany!" She grabbed the blonde's arm excitedly "You're a genius."
"Really?" she asked "Could you tell my mom that? Maybe then she'd stop bugging me about my grades…"
Mike chuckled and kissed his girlfriend's temple. Then he, Matt, and Puck involved themselves in a complicated three way handshake that caused the girls to roll their eyes. "See ya man."
"Chang." Puck acknowledged his friend.
"Bye Rach."
"Bye Mike. Brit."
"Rutherford."
"Bye guys." Matt grinned, leading Santana towards his car.
"Wait!" Brittany stopped suddenly. "Rachel, you and Puck are coming to Santana's party after the football game tomorrow night, right?"
"I wasn't aware Santana was having a party." Rachel replied.
The blonde looked between her two brunette friends. "San?"
Matt nudged his girlfriend when she pursed her lips, but didn't answer right away. "San…"
"I suppose you can come, Rocky, but only if you dress normal."
"Gee, thanks Lopez." Puck sneered.
Matt just shrugged. "Later."
"So why's Brittany a genius?" Puck asked as he pulled out of the school parking lot.
"You'll see." Rachel grinned as she pulled out her cell phone. "Mercedes," she greeted when the fashionista answered, "let me talk to Kurt."
"I don't think so, white girl."
Rachel rolled her eyes "Tell him to stop being such a drama queen. I have a proposition for him."
"Me?" Kurt suddenly screeched into the phone "You're calling me a drama queen?"
"Honestly Kurt," Rachel sighed in exasperation "just hear me out."
"I don't really want to hear anything you have to say, song stealer-"
Rachel rolled her eyes again "Please. You know I was born to be Elphaba."
Puck just shook his head, grinning at his girlfriend's 'bitch, please' tone. "What's the proposition?" Kurt finally asked.
"A duet."
"What?"
"Defying Gravity, it was originally a duet."
"Rachel-"
"I'll let you have the note." Rachel cut him off.
"What?"
"The high note. If you think you can hit it," she closed her eyes as if she was in pain "it's yours."
"Deal." Kurt said quickly. "We are going to own Sectionals! I'll see you tomorrow at school, Princess."
Rachel sighed when hung up the phone. "So you're gonna share the spotlight?"
"I suppose."
Puck grinned, grabbed her hand and squeezed it slightly. "I'm proud of you, babe."
"Whatever," Rachel shrugged, opening her eyes "if he screws up that note once, it's mine."
Puck laughed "That's my girl." He turned back to the road, but after a few minutes of silence he looked back over at her. "Hey Rach?"
"Yeah?"
"What's an Elphaba?"