And here is me, shoving Finchel out the shipper door. For this story anyway.

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, don't own.

Chapter Three: Insult to Injury

One Week Later…

If she hadn't wanted to go to school before, she definitely didn't now. Now that there wasn't even a small glimmer of hope that this year would be good. She sighed to herself, it was only her second day and she was already doomed.

She heard a loud honk from outside. Frowning, she got up from where she was sitting and moved over to her window. Puck's truck was waiting outside.

Confused, she ran downstairs and grabbed her back pack, closing the door after her as she ran outside. She jogged through her yard and over to his window as he rolled it down. "Umm, hi?"

"S'up Berry? You getting in?" He asked without any further explanation. Her eyebrows rose, but she walked around his car and slid quietly into the passenger seat.

"I wasn't aware we'd be carpooling today." He shrugged from next to her, driving off her street.

"I figured you might want someone to talk to."

Warmth flooded through her, a little smile on her face. Somebody cared other than her parents. But then she remembered that person was Noah Puckerman, and she became confused again. "But, you hate talking about feelings."

He growled. "Look Berry, you're making this harder than it needs to be. I'm trying to be friendly here." She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you could start be calling me by my first name. That's pretty friendly."

"Don't wanna talk about it, gotcha." He interrupted, completely ignoring her last statement. She didn't say anything, because honestly, she didn't. At all.

She turned the conversation on him instead. "What about Quinn?" He was silent for a moment.

"What about Quinn?" He finally said. She didn't know how to answer, because she wasn't entirely sure. They had had a child together, surely that meant they were in some type of relationship. Did they break up? She didn't understand the situation anymore, and she hadn't talked to them in who knows how long.

"Well, I mean," She sputtered. "Are you… together?" He thought about this for a moment.

"I love her."

Oh. Was all she thought at first. She hadn't been expecting that. Not that it bothered her, she harbored no romantic feelings for Noah, but that doesn't mean she could sit through and entire car ride listening to him rant about the perfect Quinn Fabray. She was still too far in her post-breakup haze to be okay with that.

"But I don't think I'm in love with her. And she certainly isn't with me. Maybe once, but…" He was opening up to her. Slowly, he was letting her in. She almost forgot to look serious.

"No. Were not together." And just like that he was shut up again. Hidden away from view, protected from the world. She noticed the speedometer rise as he pressed down harder on the gas pedal than necessary.

"But you're friends I hope." She added hastily, trying to calm him down.

"Sure." He deadpanned. "After all we had a baby together. I'd like to think we're friends."

She zoned for a minute. Lost in thoughts of Beth Puckerman, and she wasn't even really paying attention when she respond somewhat dreamily. "My mother adopted her."

The car lurched forward, literally screeching against the pavement, and Rachel had to clutch onto the sides for support. "What?" Puck shouted angrily, facing her.

"I-I," She hadn't thought about his reaction. She wasn't even sure if he knew or not. "I mean, I was talking to her at Regionals, and I mention why you all had left, to deliver the baby, and she-I guess," She was rambling and she knew it. Puck stared at her lividly waiting for her to finish. "I mean, she can't have children, but she wanted a baby, so she adopted her!" She finished quickly. Puck turned away from her for a second, his head hitting the back of the seat. After a minute he leaned forward and started the car again, heading towards to school parking lot.

"She named her Beth." Rachel added hesitantly. He nodded at this.

The rest of the car ride was silent as he pulled into the loop, dropping her off in the front this time. He popped open her door without looking into her eyes, and she got out without saying a word. No goodbyes, nothing.

She felt pretty bad when he drove away again. But she was pulled out of her guilt by to voice of none other than Jacob Ben Israel.

"Hi Rachel, I was wondering if I could just get a quick interview from you. My blogs have been slow lately, not a lot of gossip on the first days of school." She didn't even glance at him as she began to walk away.

He followed her into the building. "I would have posted your juicy new break-up, but I didn't, I thought you might be upset." She didn't respond as she opened her locker. He ran to catch up with her and stood at her locker for a few moments, panting. "I didn't even post the videos." He said sincerely.

She stopped for a moment. "What videos?" His eyes gleamed at her response and she immediately regretted talking to him. He was like a hungry animal, and words were his food. And if you feed him once, it would take days to get him to go away again.

She grimaced at that particular metaphor as soon as she thought it. Because it sounded way too different than what she was actually thinking about.

"Oh, just the usual, break up videos, reaction videos," Rachel was staring at him as he talked; trying to decide what was horrifying enough to compare him to. "You can watch them in you want."

She rolled her eyes when he got back her attention. "Why would I want to watch them? I was there." She scoffed, grabbing the last of her books and slamming her locker shut just in time to see Jacob's eyebrows rise.

"You were there when Finn Hudson kissed Quinn Fabray? I thought he broke up with you."

Every muscle in her body turned to ice, while blood rushed to her head, drowning it completely. Her ears started to ring and her heart beat wildly, she was suddenly very aware of all the people around her.

"What?" Was all she managed to choke out. His eyes widened.

"You mean you didn't know?" He practically squealed with girlish delight. "This makes an even better story! Sorry Rachel I've got to go!" He cried, dashing off down the hall. Rachel was usually a nonviolent person, but she was getting the overwhelming urge to ram Finn's head into a locker, or break his heart somehow, anything to make him feel even a fraction of what she was feeling now.

But it all made since. That's where he was that morning. That's why he broke up with her, why he was standing there with a look of complete shock on his face. And all the sympathetic and slightly guilty looks from Quinn?

She gritted her teeth together. Quinn Fabray. She would always play second fiddle to that girl. Every time. Even if it was just a high school fling like with Puck. Even her own mother wanted a little piece of Quinn Fabray more than her.

Hurt, angry tears flew down Rachel's face as she squinted, trying to see through her tears and will her mascara not to run. She was going to find Finn and give him a piece of her mind. She was going to find him and-

The next thing she knew she was covered in cherry slushy, with Karofksy laughing as he turned the corner.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

She found him in the library, sitting there, struggling through a Shakespearian book. At any other time than this she would have laughed at the silly expression on his face. He glanced up at the sound of her approach, then down, then up again.

"Rachel?" He asked worriedly.

This was it. Her big speech. The time to make him feel completely awful and get the revenge that she wanted and deserved. But somehow all she could say was "You cheated on me."

His face fell and his eyes glossed over. "I-" He stammered.

She cut him off. "You cheated on me. Then you broke up with me and didn't even tell me that you did." She sobbed. "I had no idea. I thought that I had done something wrong. I thought it was all my fault. And you didn't even bother to correct me. I thought that there was something wrong with me,"

His face scrunched in guilt. "I-it wasn't supposed to happen. She just wanted to talk to me. I-I was afraid to tell you because, well I don't know, but then she just… kissed me, and then she ran… and I-"

"Well it least you know how it feels." She muttered through clenched teeth. "To have someone run." His face burned bright red.

"That was different." Rachel didn't see how. "Anyway," He continued. "You came up like, seconds after she ran, I was just so confused…" He closed his eyes and shook his head at himself. He reached out for her hands. She pulled them away and crossed her arms over her chest, taking a step back.

He sighed. "The only reason I broke up with was because I didn't want to hurt you." She scoffed. "No, I mean," He said hopelessly, trying to correct his mistake. "I didn't want to be in a relationship with you if I had feelings for Quinn, I didn't want to do that for you." Rachel nodded slowly and uncrossed her arms.

Finn took the opportunity to grab her hands again, grasping them tightly so she couldn't pull away. "But I figured it out. I don't have feelings for her. I don't like her. I like, what we were. Or what I was…" He struggled to make his point, before failing and starting over again. "I liked who I was when I was with her. I mean, not exactly, not the whole, awful jock part but, things were simple, and easy. Now everything's all complicated."

You're telling her.

He turned his head back and looked right into her eyes. "But it didn't mean anything Rachel. She kissed me. I don't have feelings for her, I figured it out." He straightened himself up. "And if you can ever forgive me…" He trailed off, and looked at her hopelessly. She carefully unfolded her hands from his as she gazed at him, contemplated all he had said.

He was going to kill her one day. With all his charm and his naivety and the way he could just make his things better because he was so damn honest. And so sincere. The way he made it so she would fall for it every single time.

But he was right. Everything was complicated. But it didn't have to be. All she wanted at that moment was to be in a musical, where everything was planned and laid out, just to have a happy ending. Where couples loved each other and that's all that mattered. A place where true love prevailed and you could do wrong. She wanted the guy Mr. Schuester had been talking about, one who loved every single part of her, even the parts she didn't like.

And a small hopeful part of her thought Finn could be that guy.

She had made up her mind.

"Finn. I believed in you. I gave you every chance I could possibly offer, and forgave you for every fault. But that, that was you, blowing the last chance I was willing to give." He lowered his eyes in shame. A single tear fell down her cheek as she took another step back. "I'm sorry."

They could have been great, amazing, show stopping, and they were. On the outside. They had chemistry that could light up a stage; he was the perfect Tony to her Maria.

But this wasn't a musical. And as upsetting as it may be, there was more to love than sounding good singing, or looking good together. And even though he was the one who ruined it, she felt like it was partially her fault. Her fault for not realizing that, and dragging them both into this mess. And she was sorry.

She really was.

A/N: I didn't notice how sad this story was turning out be until I was contemplating the irony of the "This is not a musical" line at the end. Then again, I have a lot of drama planned out for this story, so I might as well get used to it. Hmm… maybe I'll write a funny one-shot to lighten my spirits!

NEW CHARACTER APPERANCE NEXT CHAPTER!

-xoxo SIL xoxo