Chapter 8:
On Monday morning, when he reached McKinley, Puck had already resolved to skip first period to have a little talk with the jock he hated the most. He saw him walking in the parking lot and ran to him as fast as he could considering his ribs.
"We need to have a talk." Puck told him grabbing his arm. Karofsky looked at him snorting.
"We've got nothing to talk about" He answered.
"You could still go back on what you've done." Puck said calmly. Karofsky grabbed his arm violently and led him towards the football field.
" I can't, it's too fuckin' late !"
"Look I'm ready to forget about what you did to me and I'm sure Kurt's ready to forget as well as long as he's free." Puck tried to reason the jock.
"You say that now and the second I'd release him you'd both fuckin' run to the police station. And anyway, everyone knows he's been kidnapped, he'd be forced to tell them." Karofsky said.
"So you're gonna keep him in that shed for the rest of his life ?" Puck asked sarcastically.
"I fuckin' don't know okay ?" Karofsky answered angrily.
"Well I do know, if you don't release him you can be sure I'll find a way to take him out of your dirty hands !" Puck shouted at him wincing at his painful ribs.
"Be careful what you do Puckerman if you want your sister to be alright !" Karofsky threatened before punching him in the ribs and storming off.
Puck cursed and wrapped his arms around his ribs.
Puck was sitting in the choir room at the end of the afternoon after one of the most boring days of his life. He felt bad when he saw the faces of his glee mates, they all looked really sad but Puck could not tell them that Hummel was doing somewhat well locked in some hut.
"Alright guys, I have chosen two songs we'll work on today."Mr Schue said faking a cheerful tone to brighten up the general mood.
"Mr Schue ?" Puck said trying to sound polite.
"Yes Puck what is it ?"
" I won't be able to sing with you today." He said trying to sound casual even though he knew that everyone would be mad at him again.
"And why is that ? You sang with us at the end of last week." The teacher said frowning.
" I can't sing I have cracked ribs." He said.
"You went into a fight ?"
"No ! I didn't fight I just..." Puck trailed off, not knowing how to explain what happened.
"Stupidest pretext you've ever used in order to not sing for my boy !" Mercedes said pissed off.
"Hey no ! It' not a pretext ! I really have cracked ribs, wanna see ?" Puck said lifting his shirt, revealing the purple bruise that covered his left side.
"You told me you went to your Nana's last week end how come you come back with cracked ribs ?" Finn asked suspicious.
" I … okay I wasn't at my Nana's but where I was is none of your damn business, now let's go on already !" Puck said pissed off too now.
During the rest of glee club, everyone was standing up singing glaring at him who was sitting in the corner arms crossed. When it was finally over Puck walked towards the school entrance relieved.
"Hey dude wait up a second" Finn asked catching up with him.
"What ?" Puck snapped.
" I can't follow you, last week and even yesterday on the phone you seemed to care for Kurt, why d'you act like this now ?"
"Act like what ? I have fuckin' cracked ribs I can't sing, period." Puck answered.
"Why didn't you tell us where you were last week end then ?"
"I had my last community service, it was shit, I got beaten up and that's all." Puck made up a story.
"Oh... I see." Finn said remorseful.
"Yeah whatever. See you." He said going away.
When he got at the shed late that night Puck directly sat against the door and sighed, he knocked a few times to indicate he was there.
"Puck ?" Kurt asked.
"Yep." He answered.
"Are you okay ? You sound all... I don't really know." Kurt asked concerned.
"The glee club hates me. Again." Puck stated.
"Why do they hate you ?"
"Last week they hated me because I didn't want to sing for you, no offense but it was useless and you wouldn't have heard it." Puck explained.
" I think it's useless too don't worry."
"Then Finn saw me talking to Karofsky and assumed that I was looking for you, he told the others and they all started to like me again Mr Schue even obliged me to sing a lame song for you ..."
"What song ?" Kurt asked.
"Hey Jude, at first he told me to pick a song for the whole group and in the end I had to sing it by myself" Puck explained. There was a long silence after that statement. "Uh... you're supposed to say something now dude." Puck said feeling awkward.
" I was just thinking, no one ever sang a song for me before." Kurt explained. "And don't dude me !" He added.
"Well the whole glee club did all week long and they'll go on until you're back among us."
"Hey Jude is my favorite song too." Kurt said and Puck felt embarrassed, he had spent a long time to choose the song, but knowing it was Kurt's favorite was really awkward, he had to say something to hide the fact that he was embarrassed.
"Really ? I'd have bet it'd be some show tune song like Gone with the wind or something like that."
"Gone with the wind is a novel adapted as a movie Puck, it's not a song."Kurt told him exasperated. "Anyway, Hey Jude is my favorite song because my aunt Helen used to sing it to me when my mom was ill and after her death." Kurt's voice broke at the end of the sentence. Puck had no idea why was Hummel telling him all that, he was opening up to him, the guy he had every reason to despise. And Puck was not the emotional kind of guy, he had no idea what to answer to that.
"Yeah it's like when my dad left I spent hours shouting Thank you for the Venom in my room." Puck answered to show that he knew what the smaller boy meant.
"It's not exactly the same musical range but the idea's the same, you can't listen to this song without thinking of what happened anymore can you ?" Puck nodded even though the smaller boy wouldn't see him.
"Totally. As I'll never be able to listen to Hey Jude without picturing you jailed in the hung man's shed." Puck stated.
"Don't call it that ! I have to sleep here, it's hell enough for you to add nightmares to it." Kurt scowled. "I'm sorry for ruining you one of the most beautiful songs ever." Kurt said apologetically.
"You're not ruining it I think it's cool, not that you're locked up, but when I'll be older I'll can tell my children 'you see this song ? I sang it for a friend of mine who had been kidnapped by a dangerous psycho, I even tried to save him but I got locked up myself. In the end I was the hero to kill the psycho.' That sounds totally badass !" They both laughed for a while.
"Wait, you can't kill Karofsky !" Kurt said realizing what Puck just said.
"Hey I'm allowed to exaggerate the facts for my children as long as the rest is the truth. I'll probably just cut his male parts or something like that." They laughed again. After a silent while Kurt said.
"I'm really glad you came back to talk to me."
"You really thought I'd just go away and leave you alone ? I know I've been an ass to you in the past but I'd never be that cruel." Puck sated.
"Thank you, it was nice to laugh for once." Kurt's voice said.
"Totally ! Why didn't we laugh when I was in the shed ?"
"Because we spent all our time fighting for nothing." Kurt reminded him.
"That's crap ! Why did we even do that ? I know I'm not your best friend but for once you were not alone we should have made it pleasant." Puck said.
"We thought you'd stay here longer Puck."
"Yeah, well at least now you have the bed all for yourself." Puck said pointing the bright side of this mess.
"It's still very cold."
"I know, I'd bring you blankets but I can't give them to you. I made a good radiator huh ?" Puck said. Kurt laughed.
"I admit that I wasn't cold that night."
"That's because I'm totally hot ! I even helped you to have better dreams."
" I still don't really want to talk about that. But thanks again."
"You're welcome." Puck said. " I think I should go it's past midnight." Puck explained feeling bad for leaving the boy alone again.
"Okay, bye Puck." Kurt said reluctantly.
"Bye Kurt, I'll find a way to get you out this !"