A/N: Hey Everyone, I realize I didn't clear up character ages in the last chapter, so here are the ages of everyone in the New Directions as of now.

Mike:17

Sam: 14

Kurt:16

Rachel:9 1/2

Tina:16 1/2

Quinn:14

Santana:14

Artie:10

So without further ado, here's Chapter four.

Chapter Four

"Puck, honey, five more minutes then we gotta go." Mercedes said.

Puck sat with Artie, as Artie showed him how to play guitar. He gave Mercedes a thumbs-up, and then turned back to Artie.

"I can't wait to tell Finn!" Puck said. "He's gonna be so jealous."

Artie looked at Puck. "Finn as in Finn Schuester?"

Puck looked at Artie, unrelenting, and entirely unaware of the warning in the other boy's reply. "Yeah, but why do you sound so scared?"

"You haven't been in Lima long have you?" Artie said.

"I've been here for three days."

"AKA not long." Artie laughed. "Puck there are some things you gotta know about this town. C'mon." Artie wheeled over to Mike, Sam and Mercedes, Puck following close behind. "Mike," Artie wheeled up to the teen. "What do you know about the Schuesters?"

Puck stopped just a couple steps behind Artie. Why do I have a feelin' I'm not gonna like what they say?

"The Schuesters? Artie, I told you all this already." Mike said, as Artie shifted his head in Puck's direction.

"Ok, Puckerman, you wanna know the truth?" Mercedes said.

Puck nodded slowly. "Why is everyone so scared of 'em Mercedes?"

Quinn walked over. "You're not seriously asking about this are you new kid?"

Puck squared his shoulders, and glared. "I wanna know!"

"Ok kid, it ain't gonna be pretty." Mercedes said. "Get ready for a hard truth."

"The Schuesters' have a lot of baggage, and they're the meanest folks you'll ever come across." Sam said. "But Mr. Schue especially."

Puck looked around. "Not all of 'em are mean. Finn's real nice!"

"It's because he's little. His Daddy's ways haven't rubbed off on him yet. Puck, honey, just listen good, and learn now." Mercedes said.

"The Schuesters have a lot of influence, almost more than my folks. Way more than my folks." Mike shook his head. "Mr. Schuester used to be civil enough. He was still rough around the edges, but he was at least kind of nice. Mrs. Schuester was the nicest though. The Schuesters' are a hunting family, and Mr. Schue owns a chain of hunting shops. He wanted his boys to take over the business. He was so extreme; he gave Blaine a huntin' rifle at ten years old, breaking one of Mrs. Schuester's rules."

"Miss Shelby Schuester made it perfectly clear that the boys don't get any sort of weapon until they're thirteen, so you can imagine how mad she was." Quinn said. "She left that same evening, leaving her boys in the care of that monster. Blaine used to be a part of the New Directions, and he used to love singing. Heck that whole family used to love music.

"We were best friends." Mercedes said. "But then things starting changing. After Shelby left, Mr. Schue became bitter and hateful. Blaine became violent, and distant. He stopped coming to hang out with us, and all mentions of music became equivalent of curse words."

"Don't kid yourself. We all know you were more." Mike teased.

"But this is the most important thing kid, so listen up." Sam said. "The Schuesters have a real problem with 'low-class' people."

Puck tensed. "What does that mean?"

"It means sweetie," Kurt walked up with a sad expression. "That anyone with not as much money or anyone that seems 'fishy' is not allowed to be hanging out with those kids."

Then Puck remembered. "So this is who you were protecting? This little thief? I would've thought you would have come to your senses by now Jones."

"'Cedes, why do they think I'm a thief?" Puck asked, his voice a small whisper.

Mercedes wrapped Puck in a hug. "Don't take it personal Puck. That's just how Mr. Schue is, a mean man who thinks class is everything."

Puck nodded, but he still didn't quite understand. I never stole anything. Why do they think I did?

Mercedes noticed Puck looked upset. "Puck, I'm sorry but that's the truth. I know it's hard…"

"Stop sugar coating everything 'Cedes. If the midget can't take it, that's his problem." Santana smirked.

"Hell no. Santana, you aren't gonna come here and scare the kid!" Mercedes said.

"I'm not scaring him. I'm toughening him up. If he's gonna be one of us, he's gotta be able to roll with the punches, and if he can't well then…" Santana shrugged. "He'll be the first one to go when Schuester gets a whiff." She scraped her finger across her neck.

"Santana! What the hell?" Quinn squealed, as Puck collapsed to the ground in tears.

"Life ain't easy. He might as well get used to it." Santana said.

"You're a bitch Lopez." Kurt said, as he walked over to the crying boy followed by Mercedes.

Santana walked away rolling her eyes. "Whatever."

Puck sat up as Santana walked away, sniffling and barely understandable. "H…he isn't r…really gonna…"

"No way we'd let that happen man. Santana's a diva who likes seeing other people upset. Don't take anything she says seriously." Artie said.

Puck nodded, wiping his running nose, as Mercedes looked at her phone.

"We gotta get you home honey."

Puck looked at her, and nodded once before waving to everyone. "Bye! It was nice meeting you."

The group of teens waved as Mercedes and Puck walked away. Artie turned to Quinn.

"He's in more trouble than he realizes isn't he?"

The stillness answered the question for them.

The silence between them extended beyond that of an ordinary silence. It wasn't just I've got nothing to say silence. It was I've got nothing to say because you are in big trouble silence, and Finn knew that something had gone wrong. He just didn't know what that was yet. Finn didn't know this yet, but those kinds of silences were always the calm before the storm. 3…2…

"Why would you go over there? Haven't you learned anything?" Will was fury personified, standing over his son.

What did I do? Oh god, just tell me what I did. Finn was terrified beyond belief, shaking in the kitchen chair. "I… I didn't know."

"Finn," Will's glare softened, as he grabbed the tweezers and the antiseptic from the cabinet. "There are things you have to understand." The father started repairing his son's hand.

"Like what? Ouch!" Finn's hand recoiled slightly as the stinging liquid was rubbed in.

"There are people that you just can't be hanging out with. Some people are more of a threat than they lead you to believe. Bad company, do you understand?"

"You're talkin' bout Puck ain't you?" Finn asked.

"Unfortunately." Will said. "Finn, I'm sorry, but you can't see him anymore."

"But Dad…" Finn stood, before being forcefully pushed down by his father.

"Finn, that's final!"

Finn shook his head. "Dad, you ain't being fair!"

"Aren't I now?" Will crouched low whispering in his son's ear. "You want to keep them safe don't you?"

Finn nodded, breathing heavily.

Will pulled out his rifle, dusting the inside. "Then you best mind ya hear?" He made a big show of walking the rifle to its place above the door, before dropping it on the floor. As he picked it up he laughed. "I'd hate for my finger to accidently slip like that."

Will walked into the living room, shutting the double doors behind him, leaving a much shaken son in the kitchen.