A/N: Wow, I'm speechless with the reviews you guys have left me. Thank you so, so much.
He doesn't go back to the apartment, but heads to the university library. He feels like a douche, especially when he runs over all the conversations they shared. When he looks back, it's obvious that she was just trying to help him, and meant no harm.
He texts Brittany on the way and asks her what year Rachel graduated and which town she was from.
Britt [12.05pm] I'm so glad you're making an effort to get to know Rachel better! She graduated the same year as us... I think she said it was from McKinley High, and it was definitely in a town in Ohio. It's named after a bean but I can't remember which one... sorry!
He rolls his eyes at the text but sends her a thank you message anyway. After a quick Google search, he discovers that McKinley High is located in Lima, Ohio.
He scrolls through their website and finds a contact address for the school receptionist. He sends her an e-mail, hoping that she'll be able to help him.
I don't know if you'll be able to help me with this, or if you know someone that can help me, but I'm friends with Rachel Berry. She graduated from McKinley High a few years ago and she's just started NYU. She's roommates with one of my best friends, and she told me today about her boyfriend. I was wondering if you had access to any articles about the accident or police reports. She's been really upset about it recently, and I want to know as much as possible so that she won't have to tell me all the details. I'd hate for her to relive it.
He hits send and then logs off of his e-mail program. With a sigh, he realizes that he'll be sleeping in the apartment again tonight and won't be able to avoid Quinn.
He gets home before anyone else. Quinn's sitting on the couch eating a bacon sandwich; her eyes alight as she watches some stupid soap opera on TV. When she hears the door open, she turns her head and drops her sandwich when she sees him.
"Puck", she says softly, turning off the TV and placing her plate on the coffee table. "You're really here"
"Yeah, well... I had no choice tonight", he says stiffly, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. "Let's just get this over with Quinn. Why are you back?"
"I told you on the phone... I miss you guys. I miss Matt and the way he could always make me feel better; I miss Mike and the way his dancing made the world a little brighter; I miss Santana and her sick sense of humour and I miss Brittany and her view of the world. I miss you most of all. I miss the way you held me, and the way you smell, and the way your jackets used to drown me but made me feel so safe", she said softly, her eyes sparkling sadly. She looks beautiful but he doesn't recognise her.
"What's the real reason Quinn? You've been gone for years... I find it hard to believe that you only miss us now"
"My internship got cancelled. I have nowhere else to go and it made me realize just how much you meant to me", she explained, her eyes trained on his.
He takes the opportunity to look at her properly. He sees the beautiful girl that he used to love with all his heart but he doesn't feel that spark in his chest that only she could ignite. Her eyes are too green and her hair is too blonde and her skin is too pale. She's too tall, and her nose is too perfectly proportioned. She's just told him that she misses him but all he can see is Rachel, with her finger outstretched and poking him in the chest, and her angry words flying through his head, and he's never felt so disappointed with himself.
"Look Quinn, I appreciate that you're being honest with me. It's the first time in a long time when you've actually looked me in the eyes and told me the truth, so I'm going to give you the same. Everything you did to me hurt. It hurt that you cheated on me, and it hurt that you lied about it, and it hurt that you gave the baby away when I wanted nothing more than to be her father. For a long time, all I could feel was pain. I never hated you though because I still loved you way too much"
"I'm really sorry Puck. You have no idea how sorry. But you still love me... we can fix this. We can be Puck and Quinn again", she whispered, taking a step closer to him.
"I'm not finished", he cut her off, taking a step away from her. "I still loved you way too much until a few weeks ago, when you called me drunk, saying that you were coming home. That day, I let down Brittany when she wanted me the most, and I made all my friends angry because I'd missed something important. I'd missed the celebration Santana had thrown for Brittany because I was drunk, and when I did arrive, I pissed off everyone and was an asshole to Brittany's roommate, someone I've never even met before. And I kept being a douche to Brittany's roommate, and I was aggressive towards Brittany and I'm fairly sure Santana wants to cut off my junk..."
"What are you getting at here?" Quinn asks her voice venomous and her eyes hard.
"Tonight I snapped at Brittany's roommate and I found out some stuff that I hadn't known and I realized how much of a jerk I was being. I stopped loving you tonight, because I realized that even hearing that you were around makes me into a bad person. Even being in the same city as you transforms me into a person I don't like"
"You're in love with Brittany's roommate, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not. Before tonight, I didn't even like her. She's just served as the wake-up call that I really, really needed. I would have given you everything Quinn, but you threw that away, and I'm glad. I'm a better person without you"
She flushes like she's just been slapped and he remembers the way he used to think her blush was the most beautiful colour in the world. Of course he was lying to her, at least a little. He knows now that she brings out the worst in him, but he can't just switch off his feelings for her.
"I see", she says softly, her mask firmly in place. He has no idea what she's feeling right now, which shows just how far apart they've grown – she used to be an open book to him. "I'm sorry for camping out in your apartment for the last couple of weeks and forcing you to stay in Brittany's dorm room. I'm not leaving New York, and I won't be out of your life forever, because I do want to repair my friendships with everyone, but I'll try and stay out of your way. I'll just grab my stuff and then I'll go. My parents kept my room intact so I'll go and stay there. Please thank everyone for being so welcoming to me".
He sits on the couch and listens to her in his bedroom, packing up all her stuff. He tries to ignore the sound of her tears because this is what's best for both of them. This is what they both need – a fresh start away from each other.
(His heart still aches when she walks out that door for the last time).
He asks Santana to collect his stuff from the dorm room, not wanting to risk running into Rachel. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to see him ever again. Hell, he wouldn't blame her if she stabbed him while he was sleeping.
Santana grabs his clothes because she never misses a chance to see Brittany but he can tell she's pissed as soon as she walks in the door. Her eyes are fiery and she looks like she's about to take a swing at him, and he's right. She throws his bags on the floor and launches her body at him, and although she's light as a feather, it freaking hurts.
She manages to knee him in the groin and scratch his face before Matt arrives home from work and quickly pulls her away.
"What the fuck Satan?" his wheezes from his hunched up position on the floor, in an attempt to protect the family jewels.
"You made Brittany cry", she shrieks, as she tries to pull away from her boyfriend.
"So you attack me?"
She doesn't reply, choosing to fly out of Matt's arms and land a swift kick, this time getting him in the stomach. She pulls her leg back again, until Matt softly tells her to stop. Matt and Brittany are the only ones that have ever been able to pull Santana out of a rage.
"Santana, what has he done that's so awful? He's made Brittany cry plenty of times before but you've never flown off the handle like this before", Matt asks, his face painted with concern.
"I have no idea what he's done. Britt's hysterical, and I couldn't make her stop crying", she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. Over the years, they've all noticed that Brittany and Santana pride themselves on helping each other through the worst of times, so it must be killing Santana to not be able to help. "She's going crazy worrying about Rachel. She got home from her lecture and there was a note on the door saying that she'd had an argument with you and that she wouldn't be coming home for a while"
"That's it?" he asks from his spot on the floor.
"You have no clue how scared Brittany is. She's grown attached to Rachel and you know how she is when she cares about someone".
Everyone's silent for a while, remembering the time when Santana ran away for a week in high school after an epic argument with her family, and just how crazy Brittany became.
"She's furious with you Puck, so you better not show your face around there. And until you've fixed this mess with Rachel, and made Britt feel better, you aren't welcome in this apartment", she hisses.
"You can't do that San, he lives here", Matt reminds his girlfriend but quickly shuts up when she glares at him. "I'll help him pack his bags", he says quietly. "Sorry Puck", he whispers as he makes his way into the bedroom.
He goes to a cheap motel halfway between the university and the apartment. He can just afford a room for a week, mainly because he hasn't paid the rent in a while, but he'll have to pick up extra shifts to be able to afford any longer.
No one calls him, and he doesn't dare to call anyone. He knows that Santana was just doing what was right for her best friend and he can't resent her for that. Sure, he's upset because Santana's supposed to be his friend, but he understands. He and Santana are practically the same person and if he were in her shoes, he would have had to do something drastic too. Everyone knows that Brittany is the most important person to Santana, and if anyone messes with that, they get hurt. He was stupid enough to mess with that and now he's suffering the consequences.
He checks his e-mails every day, just waiting for the receptionist to get back in contact with him. On the third day, he opens his hotmail account to see a new message from McKinley High.
Sorry about the delay in the reply. I am indeed able to help you on your quest for information. I remember Rachel Berry well, and I'm sorry to hear that she's still struggling. I've been searching our school files for anything that we can disclose to you, and I've enclosed as much as possible. I also searched the newspaper archives for all references of Rachel Berry, and I managed to include a copy of the police report. Please take caution whilst reading the police report. I read it myself, and the level of detail included is horrifying.
Good luck to you. I hope you can help Rachel recover. She was an unforgettable girl and I hope you will help her find happiness again.
He looks at the next e-mail in his inbox. It's an empty message from the receptionist but when he looks closer, he sees that it includes multiple attachments. Twenty four attachments.