Chapter four
Quinn was waiting for Finn at his locker. She was waiting to see what he had to say, he'd texted her the night before asking her to meet him, so here she was, waiting. When Finn finally strolled in the bell was making the buzz sound that it makes right before it rings. Quinn looked at him with an arched brow, as he cleared his throat to speak.
"I broke up with Rachel," he said it so suddenly, so quickly, so solidly, Quinn actually blinked for a moment. Then she quickly composed herself and switched her books to her other arm.
"And you're telling me this because?" She prompted. Just because he finally broke up with the Annoying One didn't mean much, did he expect her to jump for joy, fall into his arms, profess love for him? Quinn started walking toward class with Finn at her heals for a moment, before he fell in stride next to her.
"I-" he mumbled, but then he suddenly didn't know what to say, so he put his hand in the pocket of his coat and picked up his pace, "Class. I have to get to class." Quinn watched him as he hurried down the hall.
Ever since she could remember there had been something between Finn and herself. When they were kids, in grade school he had always been taller than the other boys, but he used his height to be a guardian of the girls, particularly Quinn, rather than a bully. If another boy bothered a girl, he would take that boy aside at recess and talk to him about the proper way to treat girls. Quinn knew Finn was being raised by his mother alone, and she suspected the reason for his manners was because she was teaching him how to look out for girls.
Then there had been that horrible incident, with Puck… Why did Puck have to have such natural charm, such raw magnetism? Quinn hated herself for sleeping with him, even for kissing him, for getting pregnant by him and lying to Finn. If only she could go back in time, if she could, she would never have spent a moment alone with Puck, then she never would have hurt Finn, then she never would have had to go through a pregnancy and labor and delivery! Ouch! At least she knew her baby had a good mother.
By lunch Quinn was curious if Finn told her he broke up with Rachel because he wanted to date her again or if he was just announcing it. She was just sitting down with a tray with a big salad when Finn's tray dropped next to hers and he sat on the bench right beside her.
"When I found out about you and Puck I was furious," he said quietly. Quinn took a stab of salad and looked at it while she turned her head toward Finn, she wanted him to keep his voice down and figured there was a better chance of that if she listened carefully. "Dating Rachel made me realize, you are the one I want to be with. It's not the whole Cheerios thing, it's not the power couple thing, it's, you. I mean, you can be sort of, well, bossy," Quinn raised an eyebrow at him and took another small bite of salad, "But, somehow it's different. And, I'm used to being bossed anyway, I guess I just like it better from you than other people." Finn picked up his burger for the first time since he'd sat down, and took a bite.
Quinn looked up from her little world, the table and her salad and Finn, and the first person who caught her eye, a few tables across the cafeteria, was of course, Rachel. Rachel was sitting with her usual buddies; Mercedes and Kurt, but Puck was at a table nearby and he was ignoring his jock buddies and looking in Rachel's direction.
"It's like a damn love square," Mercedes said low to Kurt, but not too low, Quinn heard it. She looked back at her salad, avoiding the glances from Rachel's table.
"I don't know Finn," she said quietly, "I haven't minded being a single woman, not to mention I have talked to Sam a little-"
"But do you want to go with him? Has he asked you?" Finn interrupted, around a mouthful of food. Quinn looked to her left, to the jock table where Sam was playfully goofing around with some of the other football players. Puck was sitting next to him and she couldn't help but notice he was still looking at Rachel. Quinn looked at her table and she was leaning over ever so slightly talking to Puck. Puck got up and took his tray to the trash and Rachel followed. Mercedes gave a knowing look to Kurt, who dabbed his mouth with a napkin and shook his head.
"Quinn?" Finn's voice brought her out of her thoughts, she put her fork down and took a drink from a bottle of water.
"I don't know," she said again, "I think you need a little time before you start anything up, with me, or, well, with anyone," she turned her body so she was facing Finn, looking straight at him, she put her hand on his arm without thinking. He looked down at her hand, then scanned her body as he looked up to her face. "You know, the whole rebound thing," Quinn said. She stood up and then picked her tray up, "Talk to you later, Finn," she said and left the table. Finn stared after her, confused as ever. She wasn't with Sam, she obviously wasn't with Puck, he hadn't seen her walking with or riding in a car with any other guys at school, and they already knew each other… Finn gulped down the rest of his food as the lunch bell rang, and hurried off to class.
In her last class of the day Rachel had a hard time keeping her mind on the teacher. Teachers could be dreadfully boring of course, why didn't they try harder to keep a student's interest? All they had to do was bring what they were studying into modern times and one would not only be more attentive to the lesson, but get more out of it. Rachel could see the back of Quinn's blond pony tail, she sat casually toward the front of the class. Puck was in a seat next to her in this class and Rachel for some reason felt her face burn with frustration seeing them sitting near one another, knowing they knew each other in a way she did not know Puck, or any boy for that matter. Finn wasn't in this class, thank goodness for that! Seeing him in a few classes and at lunch and in the hallways today made Rachel glad it was Friday. Suddenly a folded up piece of paper landed on her desk in front of her, Rachel picked it up and opened it right away, the unobservant teacher would never notice.
Is Puck driving you home? If not, I'll take you. Let me know. –Kurt.
Rachel uncapped her pen and wrote on the back of the slip of paper that yes, she suspected Puck was driving her home, because there was no football practice today, but to hang around a few minutes just in case. Then she tossed the note back to Kurt. Suddenly Rachel noticed Quinn's sweater-covered arm reach ballet-like across the space between her seat and Puck's, and drop a paper on his desk top. Rachel's heart doubled time for a minute, she watched the side of Puck's face, hoping to catch a reaction. She saw Quinn glance back at her, and quickly lowered her eyes so Quinn wouldn't know she'd caught the exchange. Oh, how she wanted to know what was in that note! Puck quickly tossed it back, Quinn opened it then pocketed it. Rachel had a hard time keeping her face relaxed.
When the bell rang Rachel tried to stay cool and composed, she gathered her books and stood up serenely and walked to the door. Much to her joy Puck was standing there waiting for her. He stood back and let her go first, then he walked out right behind her and walked next to her.
"Need a ride?" He asked. Rachel nodded. They stopped at their lockers, waiting for each other, then headed out into the parking lot. Rachel didn't want to ask about the note. She was willing herself not to ask, telling herself no she would not ask. Puck put his hand on the small of her back as they turned toward his car. She liked it. He opened her door, waited, closed it, then went around and got behind the driver's wheel. He started the engine and started to pull into the line of cars leaving school.
"Come on now, out with it," Puck said to her. Rachel smiled, then looked at him innocently.
"What?" She asked. Puck laughed, he reached over and gave her upper arm a little rub.
"I know you saw Quinn hand me a note, I know you saw me hand it back. You women are like that, always paying attention, a guy can hardly get away with picking a wedgie what with the way you women keep an eye on everything. So, ask me what was in the note, I know you want to know!" He was grinning from ear-to-ear and Rachel felt annoyed, but she had to laugh.
"Well, I was thinking about it-" she began.
"Of course you were," Puck said, nodding.
"-and I guessed she was asking if you knew why Finn broke up with me, or, if you were seeing me now," Rachel added the last part shyly, feeling a little nervous, she didn't want Puck to think she was asking if he was seeing her, she just wanted things to go on as they were so far, and hopefully lead to something, well, something nice, or something exciting. Puck was so exciting.
"You are wrong, Rachel Berry," Puck said, he stopped at a stop sign and leaned over and kissed her cheek, then turned her face with his finger on her chin and pressed his lips hard and hot onto her mouth. Rachel didn't have time to move before he stopped kissing her and put his foot to the gas pedal, sending the car foreword. "Care to guess again?" He teased.
"No," Rachel answered, a little flustered. Puck chuckled to himself.
"She was asking me if Santana had invited me to a movie night she is having. She is inviting all the football players and all the Cheerios, some big sort of end-of-the-football season shindig." Puck turned onto Rachel's street. He knew she was dying to know if he was going to Santana's party, he decided to torture her a little by not giving her the answer she was waiting for, it was so easy to mess with girls, especially Rachel, though he didn't want to mess with her too much and make her cry or something. Girls were so prone to crying.
"Do you want to come in?" Rachel asked, reaching for her door. Puck nodded and jumped out, by the time he got to her door she had it open, but he held it for her. Once both her feet were on the ground he put his arms around her waist and lifted her up to kiss her, the same kind of pressing, hot kiss he'd given her at the stop light. Rachel dropped her back pack and kissed him back. Neither of them heard the door of her dad's car close. He was already in the drive, looking at Rachel standing outside Puck's car at the curb, in a serious lip lock.
"Eh-um!" Rachel didn't hear that either, as her dad cleared his throat to get her attention. Puck was still kissing her and her arms were at her sides, his were tight around her body, it was the most delicious kiss she'd ever had, better than she'd ever even dreamed of.
When Puck felt someone tap his shoulder, not roughly, but not exactly like a waitress asking if you wanted a refill, he stopped kissing Rachel but kept his arms around her, when he saw it was one of her dads he slowly released her and smiled. It wasn't the first time a dad caught him with his tongue inside a daughter's mouth. Rachel's face was white as a sheet when she realized what her dad just saw her doing! She blushed then and her white face gained two rosy spots. She didn't know what to say. Puck was standing there beside her smiling, not embarrassed at all. She was surprised to see her dad didn't even look mad, just mildly amused. He picked up her back pack and started for the house. Rachel looked at Puck, then glanced after her dad, he was walking slowly up the front walk.
"I don't know what to do," she confessed to Puck. He only laughed, kissed her cheek, then planted one on her mouth, and started around the front of his car.
"I will call you later," he opened his door, but looked at her over the top of his car, "Okay?"
"Sure. Yes. Okay, talk to you later," Rachel answered, her response sounding all jumbled up, she took a deep breath, and could still smell Puck's scent on her clothes, "Talk to you later," she said, smiled, and walked after her dad, who was still poking his way up the sidewalk. She glanced over her shoulder one last time to see Puck smile and wave, then pull away from the curb like a driver's ed student, slow and easy. She caught up with her dad who put his arm over her shoulder and kissed the side of her head.
"Boys," he said, kind of like he missed that youthful time of life, "Being a teenager can be so exciting, I hope you remember everything we've taught you," Rachel sighed, she felt a sex talk coming. It didn't even embarrass her anymore when her dads talked to her about sex, she knew they only wanted to make sure she was informed and safe. Though getting caught making out on the boulevard in front of the house wasn't her favorite moment. Although, she was making out with Noah Puckerman, and she could not imagine anytime she'd be embarrassed caught in his arms.