AN: I'm convinced I should film myself reading reviews because like... My cheeks hurt from smiling and I do this little dance and well... I pretty much go psychotic for reviews.
Argh! My mum found out about fanfiction cause I was dancing around my room singing and she asked why I was happy and I said I have reviews. Then she insisted I give her the URL to my stories and my mother isn't a woman you refuse. She crazy when she wants her way (kind of like Rachel but on crack and diet coke... seriously cause my mum's a bit more mellow and doesn't use as many words, probably because unlike me she detests reading but whatever... and cause she has head spins she has to take this medication that makes her go a little loopy which is kind of funny but she keeps telling me it's really serious and I know it is but still... hilarious). But now I feel like... exposed? Because fanfiction is like, my little piece of sanity which my family and friends don't know about... (except for TFW but she reads fanfiction too and only reads my stories sometimes) but with my mum and my dad it makes me feel... open? I don't know... I don't like it. It's just like when both my parents got facebook and made me their friends. How could they do that?!
Okay, I know they just care but whatever... I say 'whatever' a lot. It actually annoys me.
Thanx
Mike and Rachel had just walked the police out of her house after reporting all the things they had found on Jacob from his laptop. (Everyone discreetly failed to mention his website seeing as their was a video posted up on it of Puck, Matt, Mike and Finn torturing the guy). Charges were pressed only for the cameras in the bedroom and her dad's had been called and promised to get the first flight back to Lima, but Rachel told them not to worry and that her friends had everything covered. (She felt herself smiling as she said friends and she looked at Mike who was tilting his head at her movie collection while Artie waited for his dad to come pick him up).
It was just after Mike offered to let Rachel eat dinner at his house so she wouldn't be alone did his phone ring. "Hold up, it's probably David wondering where I am." Mike said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Hello?"
"Mike?!"Finn's voice blared from his phone. Mike jumped a bit and pulled the phone back, sticking it on loud speaker.
"Oh hey man, I'm just with Rachel and Artie. Your on loudspeaker."
"Dude, Puck just showed up with a black eye and his sister."
Mike froze just as Artie said. "What happened?" Artie asked.
"I have no freaking idea what happened." Mike gathered Finn hadn't registered someone else speaking. "I might need your help."
"Yeah, I'm coming." Mike grabbed his jacket and then swore. He'd come in Rachel's car because that morning he'd carpooled with Puck. Just as he was about to ask Rachel to borrow her car, she was pulling on her own jacket too. Damn, Hurricane Rachel's back.
"Where's Matt?" Finn asked just as Mike took him off loudspeaker.
"Ah, babysitting." He headed out of the house, Rachel just behind him.
"Fuck."
"Artie, stay here." Rachel ordered as she handed him a set of keys.
"Not like I have much choice." he muttered. "Where are you going?"
"Don't know yet, but if I'm not back by the time your dad gets here these are the spares to my house. Lock up and put the alarms on. The codes forty-twenty-two. I fully trust you with that bit of information."
"Cool, but do you trust your neighbours?" Rachel's voice was frantic and on the verge of screaming, but Mike forgave her for that. What he wasn't forgiving her was holding them up.
"Rachel!" he called out and Rachel instantly turned and ran across her lawn and to her car.
"Just, he's heading down to the lake." Mike heard Finn say.
"Are you sure?" he asked as Rachel turned on her car.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Shit that's bad." Mike commented.
"Where are we going?!" Rachel yelled at him hysterically as she pulled out of her drive, just as Finn yelled, "I know it's freaking bad Mike, that's why I'm calling!"
"To the lake." Mike said. "Uh, turn right here."
Rachel did as he said and eventually they were right behind Finn who was tailing Puck. "Okay dude, we're the Prius behind you." Mike hung up and adjusted himself in the seat. How the hell did normal sized people fit in these cars?
Rachel tore after Finn and the three cars reached the turn off to the lake, just like Finn had predicted. As Rachel drove into the car park, she saw Puck jump out of his car and run into the park and down to the lake. Rachel pulled up instantly and both Mike and her got out of the car, following Finn who was following Puck, at breakneck speed. "Puck!" Finn yelled and a moment later so did Mike. Rachel was so busy trying to keep up with the boys who did nothing but run up and down a field all day so they were way out of her athletic league. (Who was she kidding? She had no athletic league. A two year old on a push bike could probably beat her).
But at that moment adrenaline was rushing through her system and she was pretty sure there was no one on the earth that could run faster than her. (Except for the fact she was out of breath, despite her expansive lung capacity).
They watched Puck drop his phone and keys and Finn do the same. Mike swore loudly and emptied his own pockets as he ran, because Puck was already halfway up the tree. There was a pause, a brief moment when all three of their heartbeats stopped, because Puck was standing up high on the branch that was leaning over the lake.
Finn actually stopped in his track, his steps stuttering as he did so. "Puck!" he yelled out again just as Puck stuck his foot off the branch and his balance broke.
Terrified, Finn's mind went back to that day when they were nine.
"Noah, wait up!" Finn pushed along with his bike as Noah sped along the streets to the lake by the park. It was a year before Noah became 'Puck' Puckerman and half the student population forgot his first name and the first night he totally lost control of his anger. He'd pretty much destroyed his room and for a nine-year-old to do that it meant something was more than terribly wrong.
"Noah!" Finn streaked behind Noah on his bike, trying to catch up. But Finn had a wagon on the back of his bike that made things difficult sometimes and slowed him down and Noah was the fastest one on a bike in their entire year.
They rode straight through the car park and onto the bike track and Noah didn't stop until he got to the tree that half hung over the lake. Noah jumped off his bike and threw it down to the ground and Finn groaned. For some reason, when Noah got angry he liked to climb things. Trees, cars, rooftops... you name it, he would climb it when he was thoroughly pissed. Then he'd like to do something drastic like jump of the cars roof or swinging off the tree branch and into a pile of leaves or trying to walk along the guttering around the roof.
This tree was massive and Noah had been talking about how cool it would be to get up onto the highest branch. He'd bragged about how you could probably see the whole of Lima from up there. Finn wasn't too sure and didn't particularly want to find out seeing as he was afraid of heights. Added to the fact that Finn had just snuck out because it was almost eleven pm and they were the only ones in the park, Finn really didn't want to look into the possibility of great views at the moment. "Noah, come on don't."
Finn too had gotten off of his bike but he was standing in a pool of light from the street lamp while he tried to see his friend disappear into the darkness of the tree. That was another thing Finn hated. The dark. He even hated going out at night when he had to make that travel from the front door to the car because whenever he saw other people walking up and down his street he was convinced they were aliens.
He eventually saw Noah emerge from one of the branches that hung over the edge of the lake, holding onto the branch above him to keep him steady.
"Dude, get down!" Finn ordered, trying to do the 'I'm the older one' voice. But it didn't work. Actually, it never worked.
"What, are you afraid Hudson?" Noah snapped back. "Afraid of heights? Still? Your like the tallest dude in our class man."
"No." Finn bit back. "Well yeah. And I'm thinking see as I'm afraid of heights and you can't swim to save your life, this is one of your more stupid thoughts."
"I so to can swim!"
"You flail, Noah." Finn narrowed his eyes at him and was hoping Noah could see him through the dark. Noah looked kind of like a shadow to him, except for the fact he was wearing a red shirt and jeans. "And this lake is like, fresh water or something. It's harder to flail in fresh water. So like, come back."
"Come up here." Noah dared him.
Finn growled. "What the hell is wrong with you tonight? You come through my window, beg me to sneak out and then you bring me here to what? Watch you drown?"
"Yeah Finn." Noah said sarcastically. "I dragged you all the way out of bed so you could see me off myself."
Finn rolled his eyes. "What happened this time? What's with all the bruises on your face? Did you get into another fight with Karofsky? Because dude, that guy is a giant. And you should stop trying to fight him."
Noah became really silent and his grip on the tree branch above him grew tighter. "He left." he muttered.
"Who?" Finn was confused. "Karofsky?"
"My dad!" Noah yelled out and it echoed across the park.
Finn frowned, "Another business trip?"
"He never went on stupid business trips!" he shouted. "My dad doesn't even have a job. He beats up my mum and me and then disappears for weeks at a time before coming back and doing it again. Usually drunk by the way. Actually, always drunk. And then he goes and breaks something or looses a bet or something stupid like that and he blames me. If I had been a better son, or done something better. Guess what Finn? I'm not better! I'm never gonna be better! I don't know how to be!"
Finn realised then and there that this was something out of his league to deal with but he also knew that this was his best friend and he was hurting. "Maybe I should just drown." he said, tilting over the edge.
"No!" Finn yelled.
Noah frowned. "It's not like anyone here wants me. All my mum wants is for my dad to come back. That's all she ever does. Cry about him. He hits her and she loves him. She doesn't care about me, she just cares about him."
"Dude, I'm sure that's not true..."
"It is!" Noah swung dangerously on the edge.
Finn shivered. "Dude, come on. Get down from there..."
Noah shook his head and started leaning over the branch. "Noah!" Finn yelled but Noah kept leaning, testing the branches support. "Just come back down you idiot!" It was probably the worst thing Finn could've yelled at him at that moment in time. Noah glared at Finn, his eyes lighting up the night with a flash of anger.
While leaning forward, he let go of the branch above, loosing his balance and moving to fall into the lake below. It wasn't until his feet had left the branch did Noah realise what a stupid idea that was. He couldn't swim to save his life. He'd only been to the public pools twice in his life and had been to above ground pools a couple of times which weren't really deep and he'd just wade around. He wasn't a strong swimmer and he didn't really want to die... Only just a little bit.
"Finn!" he yelled out just as he caught the branch he had planted his feet on previously. He wrapped his arms around it, scratching his arms. "Finn!"
Finn's eyes widened in fear and terror. "Noah!" Without thinking and ran up to the tree and grabbed the lowest branch, hoisting himself up into the crook of the branches like he'd seen his best friend do so many times. He climbed up until he was at the branch that Noah had been holding onto tightly. He crawled out to where Noah was and held out his hand. "Grab it."
Noah just shook his head, terror in his eyes. "I'll fall."
"Not if you grab my hand quickly." Finn stuck one hand underneath Noah's and held on. "Now wrap your arm around mine."
Noah squeezed his eyes shut as he quickly released his death grip on the tree branch with one hand and latched onto Finn's arm. But just as he did, his other arm slipped from the branch. "Don't let go!" Noah shouted.
Finn gritted his teeth, trying to pull Noah up. But he was just a gangly nine-year-old and wasn't really that strong. Actually, he was quite the opposite. He had no strength whatsoever which is how he became friends with Noah. He had strength and beat up everyone who called Finn dumb. "I'm trying not to." he tried yanking Noah up, latching his other arm on his one. His arm was starting to get sweaty, slipping.
"Don't let go!" Noah shouted again.
"Stop sweating!" Finn demanded, pulling harder. Noah tried to reach out with his other arm to grasp something and pull himself up but it wasn't working and Finn couldn't pull him up. Added to that, Finn was starting to loose his balance on the branch.
Finn felt himself wobble and quickly tried to right himself at the expense of Noah sliding down his arm. "Argh!" both boys screamed. Both of their arms felt like they were going to be pulled out of their sockets.
Noah realised that if he didn't fall, Finn probably would. He squeezed his face shut. "Dude, listen very carefully." Noah said, and Finn thought he had an idea. "You get all my toys and all my games. Seriously. Nintendo and Playstation. Just go through my room and grab whatever you want." Noah tried to smile but it looked painful. "And uh, tell my mum I love her... sometimes... Well all the time but she's crazy dude."
"Your not gonna die Noah." Finn just yanked again, trying to pull Noah up. "What do you eat?"
Noah gave a one shoulder shrug then squeezed his eyes close as he released his grip on Finn. He fell a few feet before Finn's death grip held firm. "Noah!" but Noah just tried to jiggle out of his grip, figuring it was the only way. Finn had one arm wrapped around the tree branch, as well as his legs and arms and the other holding onto his best friend. He realised too what needed to happen but he didn't want it to. "Just swim up, okay?" He said. "Swim up."
Noah nodded, taking in a big gulp of air just as Finn let him go. He pulled his arm up and securely wrapped it around the branch as he made the thirty-foot drop into the water.
There was a large splash and Noah disappeared underneath the surface. What did they teach him at swimming lessons again? Oh yeah... the higher you fall, the deeper you'll go.
No wait... that wasn't good.
"Noah!" Finn yelled out his friends name a couple of times. At least a minute past by as he waited. His heart was hammering in his chest as the ripples on the surface of the water started to die down. "Oh no..." Finn's eyes widened in alarm. "Noah!" he practically screamed and he was surprised none of the hobo's in the park hadn't heard him yet.
Forgetting about his fear of heights totally, Finn pushed himself up on the branch and leaned over. It was about the same height as the diving board at the pools. The one he'd never been on because he'd been too frightened of the height. But now it didn't matter because his friend was in trouble. He dove in, headfirst, opening his eyes straight away. At first there were only bubbles around him and that's all he could see.
He swam a little further down, away from his splash and looked around. Noah was drifting aimlessly ahead of him, his eyes closed and his body limp. His curly hair was floating everywhere around him and Finn swam straight at him, wrapping his arms around his torso and dragging him up. As he broke the surface of the lake, he gasped and shook Noah a bit.
His friends spat out water and lolled his head back onto Finn's shoulder. It took every bit of strength for Finn to swim over to the waters edge and drag him onto the grass. Noah was choking on water, lying with his back on the ground. Finn lightly tipped his head to the side and all the water fell out of his mouth thanks to gravity.
"Can we go home now?" Finn asked quietly, shivering on the spot.
Noah nodded, closing his eyes again, his head lolling. Finn freaked out for a moment, waking him up again but Noah just turned on his side, curling up tight. "S-S-So ti-ti-ti-tired...." his breath was hiccuping and Finn just nodded and got up. "Don't leave." Noah reached out, grabbing Finn's pant leg and almost tripping him up with his death grip.
"I'm not." Finn assured him. "I'm grabbing my bike so I can put you in the wagon."
Noah nodded and pried his cold fingers off. Finn dragged both his and Noah's bikes down to the edge of the lake and helped Noah up. He laid down in his wagon, closing his eyes and letting his legs tumble over the edge. Finn loaded the bike on top of Noah and he loosely held onto it.
Then Finn, who still had adrenaline rushing through him, rode his bike to his home, dragging Noah behind him. He then dragged him upstairs, threw him a change of clothes and dragged him into bed. It was then Finn realised he'd be dragging Noah around for a long time.
"I wanted to die." Noah mumbled, twisting around the covers on Finn's bed. "Once I got into the water... I realised."
Finn shivered and sat on the end of his bed. In his mind, Noah falling into the water kept replaying, over and over again. When the two kids had first met back in kindergarten, Finn was getting picked on by two kids in second grade. But Noah had come along and just knocked both of them out before producing a tennis ball out of nowhere and asking if he wanted to play handball. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you survive Elementary."
"I'll make sure you survive life." Finn muttered, wrapping his arms around his knees and just watching as Noah slept.
Finn wasn't afraid of heights anymore and climbed the tree quickly, diving straight off the branch and into the water. Mike dove straight after him and what surprised them all was that Rachel dove straight after that.
The three were caught in a whirlpool of bubbles, not able to see anything at all. Actually, Rachel couldn't open her eyes under water so she had to feel around, bumping into who she presumed was Mike and Finn numerous amounts of times before she tried to claw her way to the surface. To say she didn't think it through was an understatement.
While the other three were under water, Puck broke through the surface of the lake, gasping the fresh air and finally looking around for the voices that had been calling him. Now that the water had doused the fire, he was thinking a bit clearer and he looked right and left for Finn and Mike. He saw a shoe, floating on the surface of the water and swam to it, studying it carefully. It had a label on it that said Rachel Berry.
First thought that ran through his head was, of course the diva would label her shoes. But then he had to wonder why her shoe was there. He looked around and saw there were bubbles below the surface and his eyes glazed over as he figured just why her shoe was there. Puck threw the shoe to shore and then dove straight down.
The bubbles were clearing and Mike and Finn saw Puck dive again. They were a bit confused by that but then they saw Rachel struggling to surface, the jeans and jumper she'd been given after the slushie were weighing her down and her eyes tightly shut as she blindly navigated. Then they figured it out. Mike and Finn swam down with Puck and together the three hauled Rachel up and guided her up to the top.
Mike, Puck and Rachel came up first, Finn a few seconds later seeing as he was pushing Rachel up from her hips. "Why'd you jump in?" Puck asked while Rachel was rubbing water out of her eyes.
"Why'd we jump in?" Finn shouted. "Why the hell did you jump in? Why the hell did you climb the tree?"
"Dude, you know I climb shit when I'm pissed." Puck rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then why'd you jump?!"
"I wanted to cool off!" With that comment, Finn slammed at the water sending it flying at Puck's face.
"Dude!" Puck slammed back and Mike just sighed.
"I've lost my shoes." Rachel mumbled, shivering in the probably contaminated lake and Mike started to swim around looking for them while Finn and Puck continued with their half punch-up half water-fight. Mike just let them deal while Rachel struggled to stay up, her clothes heavy with water log.
"You never freaking think!" Finn shouted. "Ever! Seriously, dude. Remember what happened last time you douche?"
"Yeah, but I know how to swim now, remember? You're the one who freaking made me learn! Plus I clean pools which pretty much means I've got to know how to swim."
"I didn't think you were jumping in to do a couple of laps!"
"Found one!" Mike said as he swam back to Rachel. She sighed and waded between the boys, her head ducking under the water once as she did so. She came back up and got splashed in the face by Finn.
"Enough." she spluttered, choking out the water. She sunk under again and pulled back up, emerging with her hands on either boys chest. Before thinking about it, Puck reached out and wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist, pulling her up and resting her on his knee. "Thank you." she said, sneezing as she did so. Then she looked at Puck's face, about to say something but she saw the bruising. "Oh Noah..." she lightly touched his face and he winced.
"Kind of hurts." He said, waving his arms around to keep them afloat.
"Argh, I hate this lake." Mike said, removing something green and slimy off his shoulder. "Can we please just get out now that you've had your moment to cool of Puck?"
Puck sighed. "Fine. The other shoes is on the shore." He went to let her go but Rachel latched onto his shoulders.
"I'm not that great of a swimmer." she murmured and Puck sighed, dragging her along in the water.
"What did you all think?" Puck asked aloud as he, Finn and Mike reached a part they could walk. "I drove all out here so I could off myself?"
Luckily Rachel could walk to now because Finn jumped over to Puck and punched him twice, once in the arm and then once in the stomach. "Finn!" Rachel scolded as Puck clutched his gut.
"Nope, nope... deserved that." Puck patted Rachel on the back then looked up at Finn. "Will it make a difference if I say sorry?"
"No." Finn growled. "Your so freaking sleeping in the basement while my mum does laundry." Puck groaned and wrapped an arm around Rachel who half-carried him up.
AN: Oh I have to say the coolest thing in the world. My internet screws up my Foxtel and it kind of makes it spazz out every time I load a page on the net. And I decided to record Acafellas which was playing last Sunday night. But I forgot I was recording it and was online that night and pretty much the whole episode screwed up... Now everyone is thinking that is so not cool. But it totally is because the only scenes that didn't screw up were the ones with Puck in them and the ones where Acafella sings. And really, apart from the 'Bust your Window' song, it's the only reason why I love that episode. (Well, that and it's Glee)
So I wanted to share my little bit of happiness with you all.
Smile! And review... Both keeps death at bay... the first one yours, the second one mine...