A/N: Okay, I appreciate reviews, but give me a little leeway guys. We all recognize that drugs are bad and what Puck does is kinda- if not really- skeezy, but in conjunction to the allegory it's based off of, this really isn't that much of a jump. Except I'm trying to make Puck a little redeemable.

As for the people that are questioning how she couldn't figure out it was Puck- I had to suspend reality for that one. There was really no way around it. So tell yourself what you need to- he took out his nipple ring when he was around her, he shaved his head, she was high on adrenaline and was oblivious- and just accept that it's never going to completely add up. Thanks.

Rachel couldn't believe how her world had turned inside out in the course of one lunch period. She had started her day being a relatively (okay completely) unpopular and inconsequential McKinley sophomore with a secret boyfriend that adored her. Granted, she had had no clue what said secret boyfriend looked like, but he was like heaven to her body and maybe her best friend. He was genuinely interested in her life and passions, and she him. Then, with one picture, one light, she'd managed to ruin all of it, lose everything in the shadow of horrible gossip and the revelation of Noah's identity.

When she had turned on the light in the closet, followed him into the hall, she couldn't believe that the beautiful soul she'd fallen in love with was the same bully that had thrown Jacob Ben-Israel in a dumpster just that morning (not that she didn't feel a teensy-bit vindicated, considering he'd tried to grope her just two days ago) and made lewd comments every time he saw her, provoking her at every interaction. But when she saw Noah run down the hall and out the door, she realized it didn't matter; she still wanted to drop everything and run after him, wrap her arms around him and tell him it would be okay.

Then he was gone, and everyone was staring and whispering, and thank god for Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Artie, who suddenly surrounded her and steered her to the choir room, closing the door. She was never more grateful than when they asked nothing, Tina and Mercedes just whispering softly and holding her hands while Kurt pulled out her brush to fix her slightly mussed hair.

She lay in her bed, listening to the clock's tic tic tic, tossing and turning as her body protested being alone, her heart aching at what was missing. The moon was bright tonight, and the light seemed to mock her solitude.

When she heard the scraping of the window, her breath caught in her throat, she was so hopeful. She turned and watched as Noah, clad in the same jeans, tee-shirt, and plain black mask he'd worn when they met, crawled in through her window. The light was behind him, and yet his eyes blinded her with their intensity. He approached her, standing next to the bed, staring down at her.

She sat up, reaching towards him. "Noah," she whispered, almost crying in relief. "I'm so glad you're here. I thought—"

He took her in his arms, shushing her softly before placing his lips on hers. Rachel melted into his kiss, the kiss she thought she'd never feel again, and gave his tongue access to her mouth. His arms wound through her hair, around her petite body, pulling her closer to him as knelt next to her on the bed.

"Don't even think about it," he told her, tracing his hands across her jaw. "You were right; none of it matters now."

She sighed in contentment as he kissed her again, his hand trailing down her torso and sliding off her shorts. He slid his finger over her clit, massaging it gently, smirking over how wet she was simply by his presence.

"Noah," she breathed.

"Rachel," his soft words buzzed in her ear, and the heat in her began to rise even more. She whimpered softly at the way her name sounded coming from him. "I've missed you. I can't—"

She smiled up at him, loving his eyes staring into hers, communicating the need she'd felt as much as she had without him. "Noah, please," she told him, arching into him slightly. "I want you inside me—I need you now."

Her permission was enough, and his jeans were shucked on the floor, releasing his stiff cock. He pulled a condom from nowhere and quickly slid it on, his arms draping her legs over his shoulders, continuing to stroke her center as he inserted himself into her.

It was tighter than usual, but she'd missed him so much it may have been better that way. She couldn't stop moaning his name as his attempts to be gentle soon gave way to their need for increased speeds: she knew he wouldn't last as long, but she didn't think she would either. She was so close, and their eyes connected, chocolate and green, as he rubbed her clit and pounded into her, harder and faster, over and over.

She felt his release and felt happy, safe as he rolled her onto him…

Suddenly, Rachel was standing in the hallway of McKinley High. She was surrounded by jocks, Cheerios, students she knew and didn't. She looked down and realized her outfit was covered in slushie, though she couldn't remember getting doused.

And just a few feet away from her was Puck, angry and cruel. He was laughing with his jock friends, holding an empty cup. She instinctively knew he'd been the one to throw it at her. He'd humiliated her and began walking towards the cafeteria with the rest of the football team.

Just before he'd passed her, however, they'd made eye contact, and Rachel saw it. Not Puck-Noah. The same look in his eyes when she'd confronted him, the same feeling she got when he spoke of his plans and getting out of Lima. She looked down again and saw a cell phone in her hand, a picture of him sleeping peacefully beside her in the dark.

Rachel awoke with a start. Weeks had passed since her and Noah—Puck—'s tryst had been discovered. Despite having Glee together, he refused to talk to her or even make eye contact, ignoring her attempts to get his attention. The rumors were already swirling about her being desperate, pathetic, and so on (as so many rumors did when any girl tried to hang on to him), but she didn't care. She knew that the Noah she had known was real, and she knew she loved him. This mess was all her fault—he'd asked her to trust him, so he could keep her and himself safe, and she'd blown it with her own insecurities. She realized she had to fix it somehow.