As Puck and Quinn were driving to Shelby and Beth's new house they were moving into they both silently counted down the minutes and seconds left until they would say their daughter that they had given up for adoption last June.
"She kind of pissed me off back there." Puck said as he zapped Quinn out of her daydreams of seeing Beth again. She turned her attention away from outside of the passenger seat's window and brought it towards Puck.
"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked before smoothing her dress out. Girls like Quinn were never seen with wrinkles in their dresses.
Puck shrugged his shoulders, trying not to act like it pissed him off that much. Just like Quinn couldn't be seen with a wrinkle on her dress, Puck couldn't be seen losing his cool. "When she said Beth was good with strangers. Like we're fucking strangers to her and not her parents."
Though Quinn had similar sentiments before when she had heard Shelby make the statement, she still could understand what the lady had meant. She had a feeling that Puck had taken it a bit more harsh than it had come off to herself.
"Well we kind of are Puck." She muttered it, trying not make it out like she was taking Shelby's side completely.
She saw his mouth drop and his face looked stricken with sadness. She didn't think simple comments like that had the power of hurting the Puckerone but she was obviously mistaken. Quinn tried to smooth the situation over. "I mean we're her parents and everything, her bio parents at least but... we haven't seen her since the say she was born."
Puck nodded but still looked disgruntled. "Aren't we supposed to have a connection with her or some sort of crap like that?"
Quinn shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't exactly an expert on the subject. "I don't know Puck. Maybe but seriously... we held her for a total of like an hour. I'm not expecting her to start calling us mama and dada. Puck we aren't her parents. I mean we are... but Shelby is. We're just the ones that gave her the genes."
Puck still did not seemed pleased with her answer. "You carried her around for nine months. You gave birth to her. We spent months worrying about everything. It just doesn't seem right that she doesn't know us."
Quinn didn't want to go through the whole conversation of why that was in Beth's best interest. It seemed like at this point Puck should have realized that by now. Quinn then realized that it might be possible that Puck did not understand such things yet. Though Quinn had accepted the fact months ago, Puck was always a bit slower at things and it wouldn't be so hard to actually think that maybe he didn't fully realize the concept of adoption. Possibly he didn't fully realize that Beth was going to grow up calling Shelby mom and they were just going to be the people that provided her with DNA.
"Puck," She sighed, "We just have to accept that Shelby is her mom. Let's have fun today and worry about everything else later."
That seemed to calm Puck down and he managed to peacefully continue driving to the address that Shelby had given them previously. The pair didn't talk much but were not mad or ignoring each other. Silence helped them. It gave them both moments to think and reflect. It was hard to find someone that made it comfortable to be in silence with and Puck and Quinn had always appreciated their ability to do so with each other.
Once Puck parked the car on the side of the street by Shelby's house both him and Quinn got out of the car and walked up to the front of the house where Shelby was waiting for them. Quinn was pleased that this was the house where Beth would be growing up. It was two stories and made of dark brown brick. It looked elegant but not intimidating. After all, Shelby was living on a teacher's salary so the house was by no means a mansion. It was very nice though and the front yard looked very big. Quinn could imagine Beth playing in it during the summer months.
When they walked up to Shelby she handed Quinn the diaper bag. "It has extra mittens and little things like that in it as well," Shelby explained, "I'll walk you two around to the back. She should be there with my mom. You can play with her, she loves the snow, but she'll probably start crying soon about it being too cold. Just bring her inside then and you guys can play with her with some of her toys."
The plan sounded lovely and Puck and Quinn both walked to the backyard, also large like the front, and saw her. There was their daughter. Beth was picking up small handfuls of snow with her tiny little hands and throwing it up into the hair. Her grandmother, Shelby's mother, was there laughing at the cuteness of the little child. She was beautiful. Bundled up in a winter coat, snow pants, hat, scarf, and mittens, she looked like a little marshmallow but she was without a doubt the cutest thing that either Puck or Quinn had ever laid eyes on. Her hair had grown, now there were tufts of light brown hair on the top of her head, and her rosy cheeks were as chubby as they had been the day she had been born.
Quinn wanted to run up and grab Beth in her arms that very second but she held herself back. She couldn't act like a crazy lady. She had to be calm, cool, and collected or Shelby may not be as open to letting them visit her. She simply giggled at the little girl and looked over at Puck who seemed to be mesmerized by Beth.
Shelby motioned for them to follow her as she walked over to Beth and her mother. She picked her daughter up and placed a soft kiss on her rosy cheek. Beth grinned and it made Quinn want to melt inside. Puck and Quinn stood awkwardly, not as warmly dressed as Beth was, and waited for their turns to hold the sweet baby.
Shelby signalled to her mother to start unpacking the boxes and the older woman made her inside of the house. Shelby then handed the diaper bag to Puck, and focused on Quinn. "I'm sure you two will be fine but it if you happen to have a problem then just come inside and I'll help out. She'll probably only want to be out here for another half hour or so. We'll start unpacking her toys first so you can entertain her when you come inside."
Quinn nodded and then felt her heart race as Shelby moved forward to hand her daughter over to her other mom. Not her real mom, but her biological mother, who loved her so much. Quinn couldn't believe how small she still was. She had never felt more whole or complete since giving birth until now when tiny Beth was laying in her arms. Everything was right once more. She was with the one person she had loved so much that she had sacrificed her own pain in order to make a better life for.
Shelby said her goodbyes and went inside to her new house to give Puck and Quinn some privacy with their daughter that they had given up. Quinn wrapped Beth up into her arms and gave her a big hug. She kissed Beth lightly on the forehead and was amazed at how smooth her skin was. She felt the tears coming to the surface and she was not ashamed of being brave or strong. Quinn realized that if there was ever a time to be emotional than this was the time.
Puck frowned when he saw her crying. "Don't start being a baby! She's got to see us being happy."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Shut up you jerk. I am happy. It's nice to see her finally."
Puck nodded, understanding the emotions that Quinn was feeling and waited for his turn to hold Beth. Quinn made sure not to hog her for too long, but it was hard not to. She never wanted to let go of her daughter but she knew that Puck wanted to have a turn with her just as much as she did. Quinn compelled herself to walk a step closer to Puck and put her arms out to let him take their baby girl. He was quick to react and his stone black heart melted as soon as she was in his arms.
He gave Beth a kiss on her forehead and felt the softness of her hair as he grazed his fingertips across the top of her head. Quinn grinned at the scene playing in front of her.
"You look like a dad." She told him.
He smiled at her comment and kissed Beth again. "I wish she was with us all the time."
Quinn felt the tears coming back to her eyes at rapid speed. She wanted to tell Puck that she wanted the same thing more than anything but that this was best for Beth. She didn't however because she knew it was a moot point. She's said the same thing to him time and time again and each time he didn't seem to fully get why it was best for their daughter. Instead, Quinn nodded, wiped the one tear that had fallen from her eye, and asked, "Want to pull her around in the sled over there?"
She pointed to a red toboggan that Beth's grandmother had been pulling her in earlier. Puck nodded and they walked over to it. Puck placed Beth in the seat and took the rope that was attached to it. Quinn laughed as Puck pulled Beth around the backyard and she gave the most startled, happy, and innocent expressions that Quinn had ever seen. Quinn took her camera out of her purse and started snapping away. Puck, someone who was strictly under the code of being too cool for school when it came to pictures, managed to put on his happy face and smile for a few pictures.
The afternoon continued with Quinn and Puck playing with Beth and amusing her outside in the snow. She was a well-behaved child and didn't cry or whimper much, and also could be easily entertained. However, about an hour after playing outside she began to cry about the cold and the teenagers knew that it was time to go inside. Once they did and had removed all of Beth's snow clothes to reveal a cute pair of jeans and a sweater that said Mommy's Girl on it, Shelby came over to give her daughter a diaper change. Afterwards she was ready to play with some blocks, stuffed animals, and other toys. Puck and Quinn treasured every moment they were spending with the little girl and took tons of pictures to remember the day by. Shelby would step in every so often so that the three of them could get group pictures.
"Noah, move over." Quinn whispered when they were trying to squeeze into a chair to take a picture of Quinn feeding Beth her bottle.
Puck raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell are you calling me Noah?"
Quinn motioned to the baby in her arms. "You should have a respectable name in front of her."
He shook his head. "No way. I'm too badass for a name like Noah. She's going to know me as Puck. End of story."
Quinn sighed and moved in closer so Puck could hold Beth's head as she fed her and Shelby snapped the picture.
By five o' clock though, Beth was getting tired after not having her regularly scheduled nap. Both Puck and Quinn knew what it meant. Their fun with Beth was coming to a close and they would soon have to leave her, not seeing her again until June so they could visit her on her birthday. They tried stalling, asking for more stories of Beth since the past six months, or asking for just one more picture, but eventually they realized that they had worn out their welcome and that it was time to go home. The pair didn't want to leave as they couldn't bear tearing themselves away from their daughter and Quinn realized that her fears were becoming a reality. She was going to go through the same process she had when she had given up Beth months ago. It would include lots and lots of crying.
However, the teenagers tried to be brave. Shelby promised to send more pictures soon, perhaps around Valentine's Day, and thanked the two for being such great babysitters. In turn, Puck and Quinn thanked her for allowing them to see their daughter. They tried to be civilized while leaving.
"Kick me in the balls." Puck whispered as he leaned in to say it in Quinn's ear.
"What the hell?" She asked as she held Beth for what was probably going to be the last time for months.
Puck gave Beth a kiss on the cheek. "Because of this. I want to kidnap her so knee me in the groin. As hard as you can; I can take it."
Quinn rolled her eyes but giggled at her ex boyfriend's comment. "We're going to see her again, don't worry," She reminded Puck and then Quinn focused her attention on Beth, "I love you Beth. I'm going to miss you so much but you're doing good here with Shelby. I'll see you again soon. I promise."
She then placed a light kiss on Beth's forehead and passed her on to Puck. She tried to give him some privacy as he said his goodbye, mostly because she knew how hard it was for him to be emotional and she didn't want to make him any more hesitant or uncomfortable, but it was hard not to eavesdrop when she wanted to know what he had to say so badly.
"I wish I could take you home," He whispered to his daughter, "But I'll see you soon. Me and Quinn both will. I promise. I love you... so much, and I want you to know that I always loved you. This was the best thing for you though. It's better not being with Quinn and me... or our physco parents. You're better with Shelby. But I love you more than anything. See you later kiddo."
With that he gave his daughter one last kiss and handed her reluctantly back to Shelby who could tell how upset the teenagers were to leave their daughter once again. She told them that she would send a bunch of pictures, and she would update them on Beth's progress. Soon she should be crawling, and trying to make out words. Quinn tried to hold her tears back as much as she could, though she couldn't stop her eyes from looking watery and told Shelby just how much she appreciated the visit. Puck agreed and said he couldn't wait until her birthday so that they could see her again.
Puck took Quinn's hand as he led them outside of the Cochran house and to his car. Quinn was thankful as she needed the support desperately. She didn't want to leave one bit but she knew that her and Puck both needed to. Shelby would be less reluctant to plan other meetings if they were good sports about leaving at an appropriate time and not hanging around like leeches.
Quinn waited until they had reversed out of the parking lot and driving down the street before she burst into tears. Puck put his arm around her shoulder and tightened his grip. "It's okay Quinn. Don't cry."
She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eye with her sleeve. "It just hurts so much. I knew it would be like this."
Puck sighed. "We don't... we don't have to do it again if you get this freaking sad."
Quinn shook her head. "No, don't say things you don't mean. You like doing it, and I do as well. It's just leaving that makes me so upset."
Puck nodded. "It fucking blows but at least we get to see her. We'll see her again soon. Less than six months."
"I guess it gives us something to look forward to. It just kills knowing that we could have her with us all of the time but we don't. I know it's my fault too because you did want her and I was the one that wanted to give her up. It makes me feel terrible. What kind of mother doesn't want their own daughter? What kind of mother just gives her away and didn't even want to see her ever again? I'm terrible!"
Quinn shrugged Puck's arm off of her and cried into her hands. She felt awful. Seeing Beth had made Quinn second guess everything. Had she given Beth up for adoption because it was the best thing for Beth... or had it been for selfish reasons? Quinn sighed. She felt incredibly foolish. She had been wasting months upon months worrying about being skinny, hot, and popular. She had been selfish and was going around trying to be a Queen Bee rather than being a better person. Her sobs were becoming heavier and her breathing was erratic. Her mind was racing with thoughts and regrets. She couldn't believe how she had forgotten all about her daughter but had filled her mind with such pointless things such as makeup and boyfriends.
Mike. She was suddenly reminded of her boyfriend that was furious at her. It had been at the forefront of her mind at the beginning of the day but now her priorities had shifted around drastically. The whole fight seemed completely pointless and she was sick of the drama. She had half a mind to call Mike up and break up with him on the spot for almost cheating on her, and then having the audacity to get mad at her for wanting to visit Beth with Puck. Her anger was bubbling up. Her hormones were out of balance.
Quinn actually found her self screaming at Puck. "Can you just say something?"
He looked surprised at her tone and shrugged. "You're not selfish and you fucking know it. You gave her up because she needed an adult to raise her and not two kids with shitty home lives. You know it. I know it. Don't beat yourself up over everything all the time."
Quinn couldn't believe how complacent he was with the whole situation. Here she was, crying her eyes out, and he was driving around cool, calm, and collected. It wasn't fair how he wasn't as upset as she was.
"Why aren't you crying," Quinn screamed at him, "Why am I the only one who feels terrible? Why am I the only one who feels guilty? Why are you so okay with everything?"
Puck slammed his hand on the steering wheel in frustration and pulled over to park at the curb. He turned to Quinn. "I'm fucking pissed that she isn't with us right now."
Quinn crossed her arms over her chest. "Then why aren't you showing it?"
"Because it doesn't matter," He yelled, trying to get the message through Quinn's skull, "It doesn't matter if I'm pissed or if I'm angry! She's still with Shelby, and we're still alone! We did this all for her. It sucks that she's not here but it's for the best."
Quinn nodded. "I know. I'm sorry I'm freaking out. I just miss her and seeing her is making me go insane. She looked happy though, right?"
Puck started driving once again now that Quinn was calmed down and not looking like she needed to breath through a paper bag. "She did. Did you still want to go out for dinner?"
Quinn took her cell phone out and looked at the time. It was 5:23. She also had a few new text messages. Most were unimportant fluff but she noticed that one was from Mike. She opened it quickly and saw that it read: We need to talk. Let me know when you can.
Quinn shuddered. There were the words everyone hoped to never hear in a relationship. We need to talk. He had to be breaking up with her. There wasn't a way around it. No one ever said those words and then told their significant other how much they loved them. No, it always meant that the relationship was done. Quinn couldn't believe how childish and immature Mike was being about the whole situation. It wasn't like she had even done anything! She tried back to hold back her tears. After finally calming down about the Beth situation, she wasn't in the mood to start breaking down about Mike now. In any case, it made her answer to Puck's question incredibly easy.
"Yes," She told him, "But can we do it like far away? I just want to get away from Lima."
Quinn didn't know why she had said what she had. She had meant it as she was sick of being i t he town where her daughter was living with her new mother, her boyfriend was plotting to break up with her, and Santana was probably trying to figure out how to successfully put Nair in her shampoo without Quinn realizing. She had it with all of the drama and she really wanted to be separated from all of it. However, asking Puck to take her away was spontaneous. She hadn't meant to say it but it had slipped out. Honestly though, Quinn was glad that it had.
Puck nodded to her. "Yeah, whatever you want. But do you mean really far, or just the nest closest town far."
Quinn shrugged her shoulders, closed her eyes, and looked up at the ceiling of the car. "I don't care Puck. It just has to be anywhere that isn't Lima."
Puck got the message and knowing that gas money was expensive decided to just drive tot he next nearest town outside of Lima. That town being Wapakoneta. Always made fun of for its name, not many of Lima teenagers visited it so Puck knew they wouldn't risk running into any catty Cheerio's or douche bag football players.
The drive ride to Wapakoneta was filled with Quinn replying to text messages (but not Mike's of course) and laughing at Puck as he turned the radio up and sang along to the songs. When Love the Way You Lie came on, Quinn was in tears as Puck tired to rap along to it.
"There's only one white rapper in the business for a reason Puck." She teased.
He turned the volume down on the radio a notch and said, "Very funny. But uh... where are we even going to eat? I don't stop in Wapakoneta much."
Quinn finished replying to a text message from Mercedes telling her that Beth was positively the most adorable thing in the world and focused her attention back on Puck's question. "Neither do I. Well, I used to. My dad would take me out to this diner when I was younger usually once a month here. They had the best burgers, but then I became a cheerleader and I was told i couldn't gain an ounce so the hamburger trips were cut off."
Puck looked out the side window to see only a Bob Evans and a Taco Bell. "Any idea where the hell it is?"
Quinn nodded and pointed in front of her. "Straight ahead. It's only a couple mintues up from the Taco Bell I remember. I once asked my dad if we could get tacos afterwards and he actually let me. It was kind of a huge deal because he thought that diner food and fast food was beneath us."
They continued driving until Quinn saw the diner that she had visited so often with her father a long time ago. Puck pulled into the parking lot and they exited the car. Once they entered the restaurant Quinn told him that they had to sit down and then they would be served. The pair picked out a seat closer to the back of the diner, next to the window. Menus were placed on the table but Quinn didn't open hers.
"I'm not even going to take a peek," She told Puck, "I can't be tempted with anything else other than the Home Burger. It seriously is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten."
Puck closed his menu as well. "Fine. Then I'll just have it as well. Maybe we could make it a classic fifties night. Fries and milkshakes as well?"
Quinn made a face. "I just made it back up to the top of the pyramid. I have to make sure that the girls are able to lift me."
Puck rolled his eyes. "You're fucking skinnier than pretty much all of those chicks. You can handle a freaking milkshake."
Quinn bit her lip, not sure on what she should do. It would be her first food splurge in forever, and she didn't think she would automatically gain a whole bunch of weight from one splurge, but she was afraid that it would somehow lead her into a addiction to eating junk food. However, she wanted to have a good time with Puck and she felt like she deserved a treat after all the crying she had done, and the impending doom of Mike breaking up with her, so she finally smiled and nodded her head.
"Fine," She told Puck with a giggle, "I'll get the milkshake and the fries as well. But it has to be a strawberry shake. Those are amazing."
When their waitress came to take their order Puck told her that they wanted two Home burgers, two orders of fries, and Chocolate and a Strawberry Shake. After the waitress left the conversation instantly and randomly turned more serious.
"How are you and Mike doing?" Puck asked her casually, not realizing how terrible the relationship was at the moment. He hadn't meant to bring up something that was going so terribly for Quinn, but without realizing it he had.
Quinn awkwardly smiled and looked out of the window. "Not the best right now."
Puck played with the napkin dispenser at the table, taking one out, ripping it into little pieces, and scrunching the pieces into little balls. "What happened? You two were all over each other at New Year's."
Quinn shrugged her shoulders. "He was grinding with some slut that night and he lied to me about it... but he's mad at me because I was going to come see Beth with you today. He's a hypocrite."
Puck looked at her weirdly. Quinn raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing... but if he's a douche bag then why are you with him?"
Quinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't necessarily want to have this conversation with her ex boyfriend, but she knew that she needed to vent her frustrations out. "He's not usually like that. He's usually so nice, and funny, and really sweet. He used to always be the best boyfriend ever. We like never fight but he was just so angry and then he didn't want to talk to me. I don't even know why he was so mad when he was the one doing something way worse. I think he's going to break up with me."
Puck was now focusing on the conversation intently. He leaned in closer across the table and his eyes were all on Quinn. He had stopped playing with the napkins. Quinn's conversation was now capturing his attention. "Why?" He asked.
Quinn held back tears but couldn't manage to hold back a sniffle. "We haven't talked since New Year's and he sent me a text today saying we need to talk. No one says that and then doesn't break up with the person."
Puck nodded but leaned back and crossed his arms behind his back, across the back of his head. "So he's an asshole. Just break up with him right now in a text message. Problem solved."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's not that simple Puck! What if he isn't breaking up with me? What if somehow he wants to apologize? Then I'd just be ruining everything for nothing!"
Quinn didn't honestly believe that Mike was going to apologize for his actions, but she did think that there was maybe a five percent chance that he would. She didn't want to risk a healthy relationship that was increasing her popularity when it wasn't in any danger. Plus, she liked Mike a lot and honestly didn't want to lose him. She was hoping badly that the five percent chance was actually the truth and she was simply being paranoid thinking that Mike was going to dump her.
However, Puck was thinking the opposite. "If the guy said that he needed to talk it meant that he needed to break up with you. Beat him to it."
Quinn bit her lip. She was starting to wonder if Puck was giving her solid advice or if he was somehow biased because of the history between the two of them. She silently pondered the thought if Puck somehow wanted to get back together with her. After all, they had just finished seeing the daughter they had together and that might have led to old feelings resurfacing. Quinn would be lying if she said that her mind hadn't drifted off to the happier times they had together during the summer.
"I can't. I just... why don't we talk about your love life actually? What's going on there?"
Puck smirked at her and she got the message he was trying to send to her. She waved her comment off. "Maybe it's better if you don't answer that question."
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just hooking up, and refusing to be tamed along with that Miley chick."
"Hooking up is overrated," Quinn muttered, "Don't you ever just want to stick to one girl?"
Puck opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when their waitress came to deliver their meals. The conversation was lost as the two teenagers dug into their hamburgers. Puck devoured his faster than Quinn imagined was possible.
"You're right," He told her, "These are the best hamburgers ever."
Quinn smiled. "I told you. They're amazing. I kind of always dreamed that when I was older that I would be living somewhere fabulous like L.A. or New York City, but that I would always come back here with my husband and kid when we visited my parents, and we'd have hamburgers right here. Now it's just stupid."
Puck raised his eyebrow and took a bite out of a fry. "Why?"
Quinn took a sip of her milkshake. "Lots of reasons. My parents are divorced, I'm never going to get out of Lima, and I'll always feel guilty about giving Beth up. Plus lots more. It just isn't in the cards for me to be able to move somewhere cool anymore."
Puck looked deeply into Quinn's eyes. "You can go wherever you want to. You will. You're fucking smart as shit. And, seriously stop it with the guilt trip. Beth is good with Shelby."
Quinn chuckled and Puck met her with a facial reaction asking her to expand on why she was laughing. "It's just funny," She explained, "I was the one always trying to make you feel better about giving her up. Now you're the one trying to make me feel good. It actually sucks. I'm sorry. It's just seeing her and then having to leave is terrible. By tomorrow I'm sure I'll be back to thinking that it was for the best."
Quinn hoped that she would at least. She had been worried that this sort of situation would happen when she had set up the meeting with Shelby and now her worst fears were coming true. She knew that Beth was having a much better life than she would have had with Puck and Quinn but it was still hard to go over the same questions in her head that she had when she was pregnant. The guilt was coming back to her, and although she knew that ultimately it had been the right decision, Quinn still wondered what life would be like if she had kept Beth and raised her with Puck.
Quinn decided to vocalize some of the thoughts bubbling in her head. "Do you think we'd still be together if Beth was with us?"
Puck stopped sipping on his milkshake, and pondered her question for a second. He casually, as to not make it sound like he had been pondering the same question in his head for months, told Quinn, "Probably... but only cause like fights and shit don't seem so important when there's a kid. We wouldn't have broken up over a stupid argument if Beth was in the backseat."
Quinn nodded. "That fight was pretty stupid and like, I'm sorry for being so overdramatic with it."
Puck smiled genuinely at Quinn, thankful for her apology. He sheepishly looked down at his meal. "Yeah, me too. I was an idiot. You were just trying to get over it all and I wasn't helping with wanting to see Beth all the time."
Quinn was grateful for Puck apologizing. He wasn't the type to offer up apologies and it meant a lot when actually did say that he was sorry. For that reason alone Quinn knew that Puck meant it and was actually sorry for the way he had acted. She was so happy that they were letting themselves come clean with each other and that the drama between the two was melting away.
Maybe if Mike was going to break up with her, things wouldn't end up so badly. Maybe Puck would want a real relationship with her. Maybe she could be happy with the first and only person she had ever loved. No! Quinn told herself. She couldn't be thinking those types of thoughts. She didn't even know if Mike was going to dump her and she was already planning on running off with Puck. Plus, she still liked Mike! Sure, their relationship was nothing like the one she had with Puck. It wasn't as passionate or filled with as much raw emotion, but Mike was a good guy and he made her laugh. Their fight had been pointless and besides that drama the relationship had been simple. She shouldn't be questioning things, and she definitely shouldn't be considering going out with Puck again. She had to remind herself that he only brought her hurt and heartbreak. Still, it was hard to be mad at a guy who was so good looking even when he was digging into a hamburger.
Quinn couldn't help but be attracted to him. He was muscular, his eyes were a deep brown that hypnotized her, his face could match any soap opera star's, and he had the whole bad boy image that sent Quinn over the edge. Then there was the added chemistry between them, not to mention the history. Still, she had to think with her head rather than her heart. And above all else, she was still in a relationship with Mike. She could not be thinking these thoughts when she still had a boyfriend. She had already cheated on one boyfriend. She couldn't start making it a tradition.
"I'm sorry I was a dick when we came back to school and everything as well," Puck told her, "It sucked cause you were dating Mike and I was just sleeping with random chicks. It felt like you were winning."
Quinn shook her head. "No it felt like you were winning egghead!"
The two laughed and Puck gave her that specific smug smirk that he had done once before while she had been baking. "I'm not an egghead."
Quinn giggled. "I'm sorry but you are. Would you rather me call you that or your Good Vibrations alter ego - Pucky Puck was it?"
Puck, never one to be embarrassed, acted proud of the nickname he had given himself during the rap with Finn and Mercedes. "Let's get out of here." He whispered and Quinn automatically, without thinking, nodded.
The pair walked up to the counter where Puck, even though Quinn insisted otherwise, paid for both of their meals. They then walked outside of the diner to Puck's truck. Puck walked Quinn to the passenger side of the car and Quinn was puzzled. Puck was not exactly a gentleman and he had never opened the car door for her. However, that wasn't his plan at all. Instead of opening the door for Quinn, Puck stood in front of her, with her back towards the car, and put one arm on the car so that her right side was blocked. He then leaned in closer to Quinn and her heart started racing. Her mind was getting dizzy and she knew that she should stop it. However he was getting closer and closer towards her and finally she felt his lips on hers. That was the moment her mind started thinking clearly and just as fast as his lips were on hers, Quinn was pushing him away.
"No," She whispered, "This isn't right."
Puck sighed, looked down at his feet, but then looked back at Quinn, almost as if he were angry. "Why the fuck not?"
Quinn looked up at Puck with eyes full of sadness. She always found herself in the trickiest of situations. "Because Puck... if we do this then you're just going to go back to all of the other girls tomorrow. This doesn't mean anything to you."
Puck contemplated what Quinn was saying. He then nodded his head. "Maybe that's true, but don't lie right now and say that if we do this and tomorrow you talk to Mike and he doesn't want to break up, just don't act like you would break up with him. You'd stay with him."
Quinn looked to the side, not wanting to meet Puck's eyes. She hated how he was right. "How can you be so sure?"
Puck laughed and Quinn hated him for it. "Because," He told her, "You play it safe all the fucking time. Telling everyone that Finn was the father, and now this. You're always going to go with what's easiest for you and now what you actually want."
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "You want to bet?"
Puck was taken aback and couldn't speak for a moment. He then regained himself and nodded, trying to be his smug self again. Quinn smiled, leaned in, and then kissed Puck square on the mouth. They became entangled in each other's embrace. Puck pushed Quinn further back so that she was leaning against the car. Quinn was so thankful that they weren't in Lima so there wasn't a risk that they would see someone that they would know.
Quinn let go of all her inhibitions and forgot all about what she "should be doing" and gave into what she wanted to be doing. The kiss deepened until Quinn realized that even though they weren't people she knew, people were still looking at the public display of affection going on and she was uncomfortable with that. So she broke away from the kiss, smiled at Puck and told him she didn't want it to be a one time thing.
"I want to start again," She told him, "For real this time. No more mistakes or stupidity. Just you and me trying to make this work."
Puck nodded his head and brushed her hair out of her face. "Me too. I don't want to be stupid anymore. So you'll end things with Mike?"
Quinn kept holding on to Puck's arm as she said, "I have a feeling that he's planning on breaking up with me anyways so I'll just let him have the pride of saying he was the dumper. Then we can be together."
Puck smiled and tried to lean in for another kiss but Quinn put her hand on his chest to stop him. "Until then... we can't do anything. I'm not cheating on him anymore. No more kisses until I'm single."
Puck smirked. "There's going to be a lot more than kisses when you're single."
The pair then drove off back to Lima, both completely content with the prospect of being together once again. Quinn almost didn't remember the pain and anguish she had felt only hours earlier when she had to leave Beth. Life was good. Life was great.
Author's Note: (Please Read =D)
So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter but first off I have to apologize for the ridiculous wait! I am so terribly sorry but I was hit with a massive dose of writer's block combined with a hugely busy schedule and things just didn't get done as fast as I wanted! I also didn't make this chapter as long as I wanted but I hoped to get a new one out as soon as possible!
Thank you so much though to everyone who is reading this story, leaving reviews, or setting the story or me to their alerts/favourites! It means so much and I appreciate it so much! Every time I get a new review or someone sets it to their alerts I get so happy!
Now this chapter ended with Puck and Quinn being happy but we all know that things can't stay that way right? No, there must be some angst thrown in there and it will swiftly come up in the next chapter! So that's something to look forward to!
Writers take great time and energy to create and write their stories so if you have the time I would very much appreciate if you could leave a review. It could be a word, a sentence, or even a paragraph! Any comments or suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated! They also work as great motivators!
I will try to write the next chapter quickly and I once again hope that this chapter was enjoyed by all!
Until next time,
Happy Reading! =)