PLEASE READ!
Okay, here is my second chapter, all planed out.
DA DA DA DA! The Grand entrance of Puck! YAY!
Also, about the whole Finn/Rachel closure, Yeah, it's moving kind of fast, but keep in mind, this is not a Finchel piece, so excuse me if I'm shoving that option out the door a little too quickly. Also note that this whole debacle? Not. Over. Yet.
Disclaimer: Don't own Glee or Avril Lavigne just borrowing.
Chapter Two: Inside Out
The Next Day…
Rachel ripped through her closet for what must have been the thousandth time. She had to have the most perfect outfit for the most perfect day of the most perfect school year. However her clothes were definitely not cooperating, and she couldn't find the one blouse that would have been just right for this special occasion.
She let out an exasperated sigh as she collapsed on her bed, right on top of a pile of newly ironed clothes. She groaned again, and pulled herself up before she could ruin them further.
Giving up, she grabbed the nearest sweater and skirt combination she could find, and searched for her favorite pair of flats, which she had kicked under the bed at some point. Bending over, she found one next to her night stand, and the other next to another pair of familiar shoes under her bed.
She slowly pulled out her flats, and also the gorgeous shoes Kurt had convinced her to buy for her 'Makeover'. She hadn't worn them since.
But, she thought as she pulled them on anyway, there's a second time for everything.
Just as she walked out the door, her phone vibrated with a new text. She pulled it out and saw a message from Finn.
Cant drive 2day, Im workin on sumting skool.
She grimaced. She didn't mind that Finn couldn't drive her, but her Prius was in the shop, and she could hardly walk in these heels.
Turning back around to the house, she remembered how her fathers had left for work early today, so their cars were gone as well. She gritted her teeth together in frustration, then prepared for what was sure to be a long walk to school.
She made it about four blocks until she was ready to swear off heels forever. She made it five more steps until finally removing the god-forsaken shoes off her feet, and walking barefoot down the street, an extremely irritated expression on her face.
That might have been why Puck was laughing so hard when he pulled up beside her.
"Need a ride Berry?" She shot him one hard look and continued walking. He smirked evilly and continued his car at exactly her pace, speeding up every time she did.
She stopped for a moment, looking at the heels in her hand, than at the grinning boy in the truck. She wasn't exactly sure what to do in this type of situation. Sure Finn and Puck had been friendly toward each other lately, surely on the road to forgiveness, but would it seem suspicious if she arrived at school with him? Would it upset Finn?
She looked at her heels again and decided she was past caring. If she had to walk the next mile and a half to school she'd disable herself permanently, and she must live to be a triple threat.
So she hopped into Noah Puckerman's truck for the first time since they had dated, and hastily put on her shoes.
Puck snickered as he watched her. "Nice 'Fuck me' heels Berry." She shot him a death glare.
"Probably not good for walking though." He added as an afterthought, starting the car.
They sat in silence for another few minutes before Puck finally asked, "Where's Finn?"
She spared one glance in his direction. "He's working on something at school." Puck's eyebrows rose.
"It's only the second day." She merely shrugged, then changed the subject.
"Our first Glee practice is today, are you excited?" Somehow her conversations with him always revolved around those two things. Finn and Glee. But what else was there really to talk about? After all, they didn't have much in common.
He shrugged. "I guess it would be cool if we actually won this year." She nodded in agreement. She was all up for the journey, and 'winning's not important,' but still, there are only so many times you can lose and still keep going.
Puck chuckled beside her. She turned to face him again. "What's so funny?" He merely chuckled again.
"Remember last Regionals? The guys who won second? Aural Intensity?" She nodded, but then noticed his eyes were on the road, as they should be.
"Yeah, so?" There was a beat.
"Think about Berry, Aural Intensity!" Her face froze for a moment. And then she got it.
"Noah!" She gasped then hit him lightly on the shoulder as he laughed harder.
"For someone smart that sure took you a while." He pointed out, still laughing as he stared ahead.
"Well my minds not always in the most perverted place possible!" She said definitely, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Ha, I bet you didn't figure out New Directions then either." She didn't answer. He cast a side-long glance at her. "Sound it out." He said in a mocking tone.
"N-e-w D-i-r-e-c-t-i-o-n-s." She said cluelessly.
"Slur it a bit." He said, smiling in anticipation.
"N-u-d-e E-r-, Noah! That's awful! Only you would figure that out!" He laughed again as she sat beside him fuming with disapproval. "You're so immature." She muttered angrily as he continued to laugh at the shock on her face.
"Whatever Berry." He said, recovering. "We're here." He reached across and popped open her door. She smiled at the gentlemanly gesture, and decided to forgive him for the time being.
"Thank you for the ride Noah. I'll see you in Glee." He gave her a little half wave as she got out. She tugged her bag further over her shoulder, and then sent Noah one last look before heading into the school building.
She was later to school than she normally was and running down the hall in a rush to get to her locker when she nearly passed Finn. But then again, he was just standing there with a rather confused expression on his face. She skidded to a halt.
"Finn?" His head snapped toward hers. "Are you okay?" He blinked several times.
"Umm…" The poor looked hopelessly lost, and very scared. Her eyebrows raised in confusion as she waited for an explanation.
"I was just…" He gestured toward the door then back. Her eyebrows rose higher. "I mean I…" Higher. "I-I'm fine." He finished lamely.
Rachel nodded her head slowly. "Okay." She put her hands up in a shrug, then lowered them again.
"You're here early." He commented hurriedly, as he took her arm and started walking down the hall.
She glanced at the clock then looked at him incredulously. "Actually I'm late, are you sure you're okay Finn? You're acting strange."
His face froze in frustration, like he was arguing with himself. When his expressions settled, he sighed and pulled her over to the side of the suddenly crowded hallway.
It all seemed so familiar.
" I don't think I wanna be your boyfriend."
"I think we should… take a break."
She froze. She waited for the heartbreak, the tears. But she didn't feel anything, and it was scaring her. She was just plainly and overwhelmingly shocked.
"…What?"
"…What?" She said quietly. "…W-why?"
He had the decency to look ashamed. Even hurt, a bit regretful, not sympathetic like last time. "I-I… I'm sorry." He finally said, looking truly upset. "I just…. sorry." She watched as he turned his back and walked down the hall.
So much for perfection.
She was getting weird looks to say the least. It was the first day of Glee, she was expected to be chipper and happy, singing something painfully optimistic. Maybe something involving rainbows. Or sunshiny days, true love, and happiness. Not Avril Lavigne.
She opened her eyes on her musical cue to face her audience for the first time in three months.
Let's talk this over,
It's not like we're dead,
Was it something I did?
Was it something you said?
The music didn't even exaggerate what she was feeling. She just didn't understand. They had a chance, what had she done? Just, why?
Don't leave me hanging,
In a city do dead,
Held up so high
On such a breakable thread,
She took a deep breath and continued, finally opening her eyes.
You were all the things I thought I knew,
And I thought we could be…
Various expressions rose from all around the room. Kurt looked smug, Quinn pitying, Puck confused (and somewhat angry), Finn ashamed.
You were everything, everything
That I wanted
How many times had she been up here singing just to him? How many rivers had she cried? She didn't get it. She wanted it to work, he hurt her, and she just kept coming back, and getting hurt all over again because she had a firm belief that this would just work someday.
We were meant to be, supposed to be,
But we lost it,
How do the memory's so close to me
Just fade away,
All this time you were pretending,
This wasn't supposed to happen just like it had before. It was like some badly written drama. She chased after him, he chased after her, one heartbreak after another.
He was her dream come true. He was exactly what she needed. He was the key to making everything better, to making this year absolutely special. Together they could be perfect. But like every other time, something got in the way.
So much for my happy ending.
A/N: Ha, I actually laughed out loud at the 'badly written drama' line, because just by the way, this totally is a drama. I'm just hoping you don't think it's badly written! Sorry I took longer getting this out than I originally planned, but I've been super busy. Sorry. Anyway, review!
-xoxo SIL xoxo