FIC: Heartbreak Hotel [4/?]
Title: Heartbreak Hotel [4/?]
Rating: PG-13
Brittany wasn't dumb. She knew exactly what was going on between Quinn and Rachel. But, sometimes, she wished she were just as oblivious as everyone else. Faberry, Brittberry.
Chp 3
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Disclaimer: I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.
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"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to work on some mash-up ideas."
Rachel should have known something was wrong when Puck suddenly approached her with no seemingly apparent ill intentions. But she couldn't help but look up and just blink dumbly at the boy instead of the usual rush to the closest girls' restroom. He actually seemed sincere with his request, and he did just give her a slushie to drink instead of the typical facial.
Besides, the chance to practice on her vocals, especially with someone else, was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Rachel cherished every solo she's ever gotten and worked hard to get them, but she had to (secretly) admit that she much rather preferred working on duets. These types of musical numbers gave her that rare chance of connecting with someone, even if only briefly for that one moment, when nothing else mattered but singing together with the person besides you.
And Rachel certainly wouldn't mind connecting with Puck and finding herself another compatible leading man; she couldn't just sing with Finn all the time, though their voices did compliment each other quite nicely.
So all in all, Rachel was rather excited to be working together on possible songs with Puck. School came and went for the day and Rachel quickly found herself in her room singing Christina Aguilera's What a Girl Wants while Puck accompanied her acoustically on his guitar.
Their practice session was progressing along adequately and she didn't think much of it when Puck stopped playing the guitar to ask for a break. She, of course, agreed; she wasn't a slave driver and allowed breaks whenever the situation permitted it. But then the strangest thing occurred. Puck had asked - rather bluntly - if they could make out.
Rachel wondered whether this was a joke or not but found that the boy was quite serious in his attempt of flirting, if it could be called that. This odd twist of events was sudden, random even.
Even so, Rachel had naturally declined. Not that Puck wasn't already an appealing specimen, but she was presently in a relationship though technically a secret one. And Rachel may be many things - a diva, stardom-crazed, intense, etc - but she was definitely not a cheater.
"No we may not make out," Rachel answered before standing straighter. "Besides," she put her hands on her hips, "I thought you wanted to work on mash-up ideas for Glee Club."
Puck stared at Rachel in slight surprise - no doubt unused to a girl saying no to him. "Well yeah," he started, "But I thought that would lead to us kissing later on."
"I assure you that there will be no kissing occurring between us 'later on' or ever," Rachel says promptly, nipping that idea right in the bud. After a slight pause, she crosses her arms and looks at Puck with an inquisitive thought.
"Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden Noah?" she asked, naturally curious.
Puck only put the guitar down and stood up with a big grin. "Why not?" he said as he took a couple of steps towards the girl. Gesturing between the both of them, Puck continued on with his reasoning. "We're both really hot Jews. It's only natural that we hook up sooner or later."
Rachel resisted the urge to smile at being called a 'hot Jew' and, not to mention, Puck's simplistic ways of thinking. "As flattered as I am by your interest, I'm going to decline your offer," she answers instead with a finality and a nod.
Puck only appears a bit put off and somewhat confused by the situation - no girl had ever rejected him before. And Rachel can sense the bit of awkwardness that was beginning to set in. "Maybe we should stop here for today?" she suggests.
Puck only nods to himself before mumbling a soft 'I guess so'. Walking back to pick up the guitar leaning against Rachel's bed, he furrows his eyebrows a bit in thought before heading towards the door. And just when he was inches away from exiting Rachel's room, Puck suddenly turns back, surprising Rachel who was right behind. "It's Finn isn't it?" he questions out of the blue.
Catching her breath and rewinding the scene in her mind, Rachel only remains bewildered at Puck's latest act. "Pardon me?" she asks, unsure of what was going on this time in the boy's head.
Puck only shifted the guitar to one hand, holding it solely by its neck, before emphasizing on his recent outburst. "Why you won't make out with me," he states rather bluntly once again.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Rachel stared up at Puck truly and utterly confused. "What does Finn have to do with any of this?" she questions straight away.
Puck merely scoffs. "Duh. It's kind of obvious," he gives Rachel an 'everybody knows' look and continues, "You're always looking at the dude whenever he's with Quinn and doing shit with her."
Immediately, Rachel straightens her posture before crossing her arms and adamantly replying. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Shaking his head, Puck lets out a small smirk at Rachel's lame attempt of denial before muttering, "And people say I'm a stubborn Jew."
No other words were then spoke between the two. Puck simply waits for an explanation, whereas Rachel contemplates the moments where Puck must have seen her (perhaps carelessly) gazing at Quinn. She could only thank her lucky stars - and the Almighty Barbra Streisand - that Puck figured she was pining over Finn instead.
"Well, I'm not interested in Finn. But if you insist on a reason why I won't 'hook up' with you it's because," she pauses a little in thought, "Because you don't have initiative. You have potential to become leading man yet you don't care." All the while, Rachel had began walking forward causing the Mohawk boy to walk clumsily backwards. The moment he took that last step out of her room, she looked at Puck seriously. "And I absolutely cannot be with someone who so willingly squanders their talent," she proclaims before shutting the door.
It wasn't long before she heard him mutter something about 'hot but weird chicks' and his fading footsteps. When she heard the front door of her house slam shut, Rachel let out a breath of relief. She could only hope that this conversation never comes up again, especially around Quinn. It didn't take much to provoke the blonde cheerleader, and it always took a while before Rachel could calm her down - particularly since the girl didn't want others to know about the two of them.
Rachel sighed before walking over and letting herself fall forwards onto her bed.
She really wished Quinn would become as comfortable as she was about their relationship.
----------
Things had certainly taken a turn for the worse (and awkward) when a few days later Puck came in with a song ready to sing. Rachel was truly flattered. And she might have fallen for the boy if she didn't already have eyes for somebody else.
Soon Puck began approaching with his guitar and Rachel shifted uneasily in her seat. When he looked at her like a little boy with his first crush, Rachel couldn't help but demurely look away.
Remaining undeterred, Puck continued on with his song and Rachel had to smile. He did, after all, have lovely vocals. And it wasn't long till Rachel found herself joining in and singing briefly alongside with some of the Glee clubbers.
As the song came to an end, Rachel was amongst the firsts to immediately applaud his performance. Even if Puck was only doing this to garner her attention, she had to congratulate him on his courage and presentation.
When he looks at her coyly and grins at her enthusiasm, Rachel's smile widens just that much more.
Briefly, she wondered what Quinn thought about all this.
And behind Rachel, Brittany looked on in alarm whereas Santana scoffs in disgust.
----------
Puck could be rather charming when he wanted to which Rachel surprisingly discovered. For the few days after his sudden rendition of Sweet Caroline, Puck had familiarized himself with the locations of her classes as he began escorting her to them. He even took up the duty of holding her books and other various items.
It was all very sweet really and Rachel found the boy's actions to be quite endearing. Puck had acted like a true gentleman. Quinn, however, was completely unamused and kept a close eye on the two Jews whenever they interacted. The blonde's heighten hostilities was also beginning to attract notice and blow completely out of hand.
Simply put, Rachel needed to put an end to Puck's charms, preferably before Quinn blew a gasket. Moreover, Rachel honestly couldn't see the two of them working out. She just didn't feel that type of connection that Puck was pushing for.
So ultimately she was rejecting the boy once again. That's why the two of them are left standing by her locker talking as they did long after school had ended for the day.
"I much rather be your friend Noah," Rachel states plainly.
The boy next to her only lowers his gaze onto the floor as if in pause for thought. When the moment continues to stretch with silence, Rachel begins to worry about Puck's mental state. She's about to voice her concern when the Mohawk boy suddenly looks up at her.
"Friends with benefits?" Puck asks with a roguish grin. Rachel only huffs before stomping one of her feet in slight anger, both at her unnecessary worry and his outrageous suggestion.
"Absolutely not! I'm not that kind of girl!" Rachel exclaims in indignation.
Puck quickly laughs it off. "I was just joking," he abruptly wiggles his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, "Unless you change your mind. I am the Puckasaurus after all." The tall boy proceeds to puff up his chest and show off his 'guns'.
Rachel merely rolls her eyes before shoving Puck lightly. "Puckasaurus or not, I'm already in a committed relationship."
"Or so you say," he retorts before playfully bumping his side against the little diva's.
"I am!" she shouts before bumping back.
"I'll believe you when I meet this person you're oh so committed to," Puck says casually.
At that statement, however, Rachel remains abnormally quiet, contemplating whether or not she could ever show off her girlfriend to anyone. Puck, sensing Rachel's mood change, slings an arms over the brunette's shoulders and switches the conversation's topic.
"You know what Berry?" he asks as he gave Rachel another roguish grin. Said girl only looks up with an eyebrow raised. "You aren't that bad after all," he continues before giving the girl a small noogie and walking off. Rachel lets out an indignant squawk at having her hair ruffled before cracking a tiny smile of her own.
"You're not that bad either Noah," she calls out to the departing boy.
Puck only turns around and continues walking, simply backwards this time. "Wrong. I'm totally bad - badass!" he retorts with a wink and a grin before disappearing around a corner.
Rachel just chuckles at Puck's parting words before turning to open her locker. She would have reached in to bring out a couple of books if not for the fact that her locker door suddenly slammed shut. Staring at the familiar hand pressed against the metal door, Rachel traced it back to the blonde it belonged to.
"What's going on between you and Puck?" Quinn practically demands.
Rachel only gives the other girl an 'are you kidding' look before replying with her answer. "Nothing. We were just talking."
The Cheerios captain remained skeptical. She had clearly seen the two being all buddy-buddy with one another some seconds ago. And she definitely didn't miss the smiles shared.
"Puck never just talks with girls," the blonde snips back.
Turning to fully face the other girl, Rachel crosses her arms. "Well I'm not like most girls and I don't think I like what you're insinuating here."
Whatever Quinn would have said next was silenced when - luckily or unluckily - Santana and Brittany made their presence known.
"What are you doing here with Berry, of all people, Q?" the Latina asked as Quinn quickly straightens at the two's appearance.
"Nothing," the questioned girl curtly answers before turning and walking off. Santana just raises an eyebrow at the scene before looking at Brittany who's (not surprisingly) looking at Rachel (again). Luckily, the shortest of the three was busily looking at anywhere but the remaining Cheerios within the vicinity.
Santana merely rolls her eyes at Brittany's blatant stares and grabs the tall blonde before following after Quinn. "Come on Britts, before we're late for practice as well."
And as Santana continued to lead Brittany away, she couldn't believe that the girl was totally spot-on about the relationship going on between the Cheerios captain and the Gleek Queen. Santana briefly wondered if this was truly hell on earth and, if not, whether she could stop the impending apocalypse.
----------
"Quinn," Puck answered with a big grin and a look that clearly hinted at his not-so-innocent thoughts.
He was the first to saunter up towards 'The Hat' and had immediately gotten Quinn as his ballad partner. Rachel tried not to appear disheartened before subtly glancing back to observe Quinn's reaction; the picked girl didn't seen to mind.
Next up were Artie who had gotten Mercedes; Finn (reluctantly) getting Kurt; and Tina who surprisingly picked up the card that read 'Other Asian'.
Standing, Rachel proceeded with strutting on up towards the piano only to have Santana abruptly cut in front of her. The little diva let out a small gasp at the other girl's audacity, whereas Santana only mockingly smiled back before reaching into the upturned hat placed on the piano.
It wasn't luck that Santana had seen Brittany's written name beforehand. And it wasn't fate when the Latina deliberately reached for the other folded blue card.
"Mr Schue," she spoke without much fanfare or enthusiasm.
Before anyone could comment on that pairing, a loud crash had interrupted everyone's thoughts. Looking back, the Glee Clubbers were treated to the sight of a Brittany sprawled out on the floor.
"Ouch. That hurt," the girl nonchalantly stated before getting back up on her chair. Luckily, no one other than Santana had noticed the light blush that coated the tall blonde's cheeks. And (fortunately) only Santana knew the real reasoning for Brittany's sudden feelings of being flustered.
----------
Although Brittany wasn't exactly her first choice for a ballad partner, Rachel found that she didn't mind the other girl's company. Brittany wasn't like most of the other Cheerios and jocks; the girl didn't actively participated in the ridiculous hazing of Rachel Berry ritual. Brittany was actually quite courteous around her. Rachel paused slightly in her movements as she mused over that.
Returning to her original thoughts, Rachel continued to leaf through some of the music sheets she had gathered for the Glee Club assignment. Even if she didn't get Quinn as she liked, Rachel was going to make the most of this moment. Ballads were all about expressing your feelings and getting through to the one you're singing towards. And Rachel Berry was definitely all about being expressive and being true to one's feelings.
Though, standing by her dresser, Rachel wondered why Brittany hasn't exactly said anything as of yet. Did the girl not have any ideas? Glancing back, she spied the tall blonde sitting on the bed gazing at the various objects that decorated her room. Smiling at the girl's natural curiosity, Rachel returned to her music sheets. However, her thoughts began to waver once more.
This scene was oddly reminiscent to the last time she had someone else from Glee Club in her room. After a moment's pause, Rachel quickly shook herself of that particular thought. As if Brittany would suddenly start hitting on her in her own room. Preposterous really.
But then she feels that penetrating gaze at the back of her head and Rachel stiffens slightly in response. Lately, she had caught the blonde staring at her more often than usual. Rachel wouldn't have cared as this was Brittany and Brittany tended to blatantly stare at her at times without ever realizing it. This was just one of Brittany's quirks Rachel surmised. It was kind of adorable really. And she didn't exactly mind the harmless attention, except that her sixth sense had been going off recently every time she caught the girl staring.
Or, more accurately, her sixth sense would start to ping and Rachel would look around just to catch Brittany not so delicately looking away.
She thinks Santana might have started watching her too. Though she couldn't actually tell since the fiery Cheerio probably would have been more discrete with her actions, unlike Brittany.
Whatever they might have planned she'd be ready for them Rachel reasoned.
Turning around, Rachel held the music sheets firmly in her hand before approaching the blonde Cheerio. "For this particular assignment I believe that -"
"Why do you like Q?" Brittany interjects, rattling Rachel in the process.
Stopped in her tracks, Rachel stuttered with her thoughts as she tried to determine what Brittany might have meant. "I... I don't know what you mean," she manages to blurt out meanwhile.
Brittany only gave her a look that clearly said 'I'm not that stupid' causing Rachel to quickly look away in guilt. The diva couldn't help but feel her heart hammer rapidly in her chest. And the usually naive blonde couldn't help but feel her own heart squeeze painfully when Rachel looked away.
-End Chapter Four-
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A/N: Yeah, a bit of Puckleberry in this. And Brittany falling out of her chair is awesome, especially since it's because she realized Rachel's her ballad partner.
Rating: PG-13
Brittany wasn't dumb. She knew exactly what was going on between Quinn and Rachel. But, sometimes, she wished she were just as oblivious as everyone else. Faberry, Brittberry.
Chp 3
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Disclaimer: I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.
----------
"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to work on some mash-up ideas."
Rachel should have known something was wrong when Puck suddenly approached her with no seemingly apparent ill intentions. But she couldn't help but look up and just blink dumbly at the boy instead of the usual rush to the closest girls' restroom. He actually seemed sincere with his request, and he did just give her a slushie to drink instead of the typical facial.
Besides, the chance to practice on her vocals, especially with someone else, was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Rachel cherished every solo she's ever gotten and worked hard to get them, but she had to (secretly) admit that she much rather preferred working on duets. These types of musical numbers gave her that rare chance of connecting with someone, even if only briefly for that one moment, when nothing else mattered but singing together with the person besides you.
And Rachel certainly wouldn't mind connecting with Puck and finding herself another compatible leading man; she couldn't just sing with Finn all the time, though their voices did compliment each other quite nicely.
So all in all, Rachel was rather excited to be working together on possible songs with Puck. School came and went for the day and Rachel quickly found herself in her room singing Christina Aguilera's What a Girl Wants while Puck accompanied her acoustically on his guitar.
Their practice session was progressing along adequately and she didn't think much of it when Puck stopped playing the guitar to ask for a break. She, of course, agreed; she wasn't a slave driver and allowed breaks whenever the situation permitted it. But then the strangest thing occurred. Puck had asked - rather bluntly - if they could make out.
Rachel wondered whether this was a joke or not but found that the boy was quite serious in his attempt of flirting, if it could be called that. This odd twist of events was sudden, random even.
Even so, Rachel had naturally declined. Not that Puck wasn't already an appealing specimen, but she was presently in a relationship though technically a secret one. And Rachel may be many things - a diva, stardom-crazed, intense, etc - but she was definitely not a cheater.
"No we may not make out," Rachel answered before standing straighter. "Besides," she put her hands on her hips, "I thought you wanted to work on mash-up ideas for Glee Club."
Puck stared at Rachel in slight surprise - no doubt unused to a girl saying no to him. "Well yeah," he started, "But I thought that would lead to us kissing later on."
"I assure you that there will be no kissing occurring between us 'later on' or ever," Rachel says promptly, nipping that idea right in the bud. After a slight pause, she crosses her arms and looks at Puck with an inquisitive thought.
"Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden Noah?" she asked, naturally curious.
Puck only put the guitar down and stood up with a big grin. "Why not?" he said as he took a couple of steps towards the girl. Gesturing between the both of them, Puck continued on with his reasoning. "We're both really hot Jews. It's only natural that we hook up sooner or later."
Rachel resisted the urge to smile at being called a 'hot Jew' and, not to mention, Puck's simplistic ways of thinking. "As flattered as I am by your interest, I'm going to decline your offer," she answers instead with a finality and a nod.
Puck only appears a bit put off and somewhat confused by the situation - no girl had ever rejected him before. And Rachel can sense the bit of awkwardness that was beginning to set in. "Maybe we should stop here for today?" she suggests.
Puck only nods to himself before mumbling a soft 'I guess so'. Walking back to pick up the guitar leaning against Rachel's bed, he furrows his eyebrows a bit in thought before heading towards the door. And just when he was inches away from exiting Rachel's room, Puck suddenly turns back, surprising Rachel who was right behind. "It's Finn isn't it?" he questions out of the blue.
Catching her breath and rewinding the scene in her mind, Rachel only remains bewildered at Puck's latest act. "Pardon me?" she asks, unsure of what was going on this time in the boy's head.
Puck only shifted the guitar to one hand, holding it solely by its neck, before emphasizing on his recent outburst. "Why you won't make out with me," he states rather bluntly once again.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Rachel stared up at Puck truly and utterly confused. "What does Finn have to do with any of this?" she questions straight away.
Puck merely scoffs. "Duh. It's kind of obvious," he gives Rachel an 'everybody knows' look and continues, "You're always looking at the dude whenever he's with Quinn and doing shit with her."
Immediately, Rachel straightens her posture before crossing her arms and adamantly replying. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Shaking his head, Puck lets out a small smirk at Rachel's lame attempt of denial before muttering, "And people say I'm a stubborn Jew."
No other words were then spoke between the two. Puck simply waits for an explanation, whereas Rachel contemplates the moments where Puck must have seen her (perhaps carelessly) gazing at Quinn. She could only thank her lucky stars - and the Almighty Barbra Streisand - that Puck figured she was pining over Finn instead.
"Well, I'm not interested in Finn. But if you insist on a reason why I won't 'hook up' with you it's because," she pauses a little in thought, "Because you don't have initiative. You have potential to become leading man yet you don't care." All the while, Rachel had began walking forward causing the Mohawk boy to walk clumsily backwards. The moment he took that last step out of her room, she looked at Puck seriously. "And I absolutely cannot be with someone who so willingly squanders their talent," she proclaims before shutting the door.
It wasn't long before she heard him mutter something about 'hot but weird chicks' and his fading footsteps. When she heard the front door of her house slam shut, Rachel let out a breath of relief. She could only hope that this conversation never comes up again, especially around Quinn. It didn't take much to provoke the blonde cheerleader, and it always took a while before Rachel could calm her down - particularly since the girl didn't want others to know about the two of them.
Rachel sighed before walking over and letting herself fall forwards onto her bed.
She really wished Quinn would become as comfortable as she was about their relationship.
----------
Things had certainly taken a turn for the worse (and awkward) when a few days later Puck came in with a song ready to sing. Rachel was truly flattered. And she might have fallen for the boy if she didn't already have eyes for somebody else.
Soon Puck began approaching with his guitar and Rachel shifted uneasily in her seat. When he looked at her like a little boy with his first crush, Rachel couldn't help but demurely look away.
Remaining undeterred, Puck continued on with his song and Rachel had to smile. He did, after all, have lovely vocals. And it wasn't long till Rachel found herself joining in and singing briefly alongside with some of the Glee clubbers.
As the song came to an end, Rachel was amongst the firsts to immediately applaud his performance. Even if Puck was only doing this to garner her attention, she had to congratulate him on his courage and presentation.
When he looks at her coyly and grins at her enthusiasm, Rachel's smile widens just that much more.
Briefly, she wondered what Quinn thought about all this.
And behind Rachel, Brittany looked on in alarm whereas Santana scoffs in disgust.
----------
Puck could be rather charming when he wanted to which Rachel surprisingly discovered. For the few days after his sudden rendition of Sweet Caroline, Puck had familiarized himself with the locations of her classes as he began escorting her to them. He even took up the duty of holding her books and other various items.
It was all very sweet really and Rachel found the boy's actions to be quite endearing. Puck had acted like a true gentleman. Quinn, however, was completely unamused and kept a close eye on the two Jews whenever they interacted. The blonde's heighten hostilities was also beginning to attract notice and blow completely out of hand.
Simply put, Rachel needed to put an end to Puck's charms, preferably before Quinn blew a gasket. Moreover, Rachel honestly couldn't see the two of them working out. She just didn't feel that type of connection that Puck was pushing for.
So ultimately she was rejecting the boy once again. That's why the two of them are left standing by her locker talking as they did long after school had ended for the day.
"I much rather be your friend Noah," Rachel states plainly.
The boy next to her only lowers his gaze onto the floor as if in pause for thought. When the moment continues to stretch with silence, Rachel begins to worry about Puck's mental state. She's about to voice her concern when the Mohawk boy suddenly looks up at her.
"Friends with benefits?" Puck asks with a roguish grin. Rachel only huffs before stomping one of her feet in slight anger, both at her unnecessary worry and his outrageous suggestion.
"Absolutely not! I'm not that kind of girl!" Rachel exclaims in indignation.
Puck quickly laughs it off. "I was just joking," he abruptly wiggles his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, "Unless you change your mind. I am the Puckasaurus after all." The tall boy proceeds to puff up his chest and show off his 'guns'.
Rachel merely rolls her eyes before shoving Puck lightly. "Puckasaurus or not, I'm already in a committed relationship."
"Or so you say," he retorts before playfully bumping his side against the little diva's.
"I am!" she shouts before bumping back.
"I'll believe you when I meet this person you're oh so committed to," Puck says casually.
At that statement, however, Rachel remains abnormally quiet, contemplating whether or not she could ever show off her girlfriend to anyone. Puck, sensing Rachel's mood change, slings an arms over the brunette's shoulders and switches the conversation's topic.
"You know what Berry?" he asks as he gave Rachel another roguish grin. Said girl only looks up with an eyebrow raised. "You aren't that bad after all," he continues before giving the girl a small noogie and walking off. Rachel lets out an indignant squawk at having her hair ruffled before cracking a tiny smile of her own.
"You're not that bad either Noah," she calls out to the departing boy.
Puck only turns around and continues walking, simply backwards this time. "Wrong. I'm totally bad - badass!" he retorts with a wink and a grin before disappearing around a corner.
Rachel just chuckles at Puck's parting words before turning to open her locker. She would have reached in to bring out a couple of books if not for the fact that her locker door suddenly slammed shut. Staring at the familiar hand pressed against the metal door, Rachel traced it back to the blonde it belonged to.
"What's going on between you and Puck?" Quinn practically demands.
Rachel only gives the other girl an 'are you kidding' look before replying with her answer. "Nothing. We were just talking."
The Cheerios captain remained skeptical. She had clearly seen the two being all buddy-buddy with one another some seconds ago. And she definitely didn't miss the smiles shared.
"Puck never just talks with girls," the blonde snips back.
Turning to fully face the other girl, Rachel crosses her arms. "Well I'm not like most girls and I don't think I like what you're insinuating here."
Whatever Quinn would have said next was silenced when - luckily or unluckily - Santana and Brittany made their presence known.
"What are you doing here with Berry, of all people, Q?" the Latina asked as Quinn quickly straightens at the two's appearance.
"Nothing," the questioned girl curtly answers before turning and walking off. Santana just raises an eyebrow at the scene before looking at Brittany who's (not surprisingly) looking at Rachel (again). Luckily, the shortest of the three was busily looking at anywhere but the remaining Cheerios within the vicinity.
Santana merely rolls her eyes at Brittany's blatant stares and grabs the tall blonde before following after Quinn. "Come on Britts, before we're late for practice as well."
And as Santana continued to lead Brittany away, she couldn't believe that the girl was totally spot-on about the relationship going on between the Cheerios captain and the Gleek Queen. Santana briefly wondered if this was truly hell on earth and, if not, whether she could stop the impending apocalypse.
----------
"Quinn," Puck answered with a big grin and a look that clearly hinted at his not-so-innocent thoughts.
He was the first to saunter up towards 'The Hat' and had immediately gotten Quinn as his ballad partner. Rachel tried not to appear disheartened before subtly glancing back to observe Quinn's reaction; the picked girl didn't seen to mind.
Next up were Artie who had gotten Mercedes; Finn (reluctantly) getting Kurt; and Tina who surprisingly picked up the card that read 'Other Asian'.
Standing, Rachel proceeded with strutting on up towards the piano only to have Santana abruptly cut in front of her. The little diva let out a small gasp at the other girl's audacity, whereas Santana only mockingly smiled back before reaching into the upturned hat placed on the piano.
It wasn't luck that Santana had seen Brittany's written name beforehand. And it wasn't fate when the Latina deliberately reached for the other folded blue card.
"Mr Schue," she spoke without much fanfare or enthusiasm.
Before anyone could comment on that pairing, a loud crash had interrupted everyone's thoughts. Looking back, the Glee Clubbers were treated to the sight of a Brittany sprawled out on the floor.
"Ouch. That hurt," the girl nonchalantly stated before getting back up on her chair. Luckily, no one other than Santana had noticed the light blush that coated the tall blonde's cheeks. And (fortunately) only Santana knew the real reasoning for Brittany's sudden feelings of being flustered.
----------
Although Brittany wasn't exactly her first choice for a ballad partner, Rachel found that she didn't mind the other girl's company. Brittany wasn't like most of the other Cheerios and jocks; the girl didn't actively participated in the ridiculous hazing of Rachel Berry ritual. Brittany was actually quite courteous around her. Rachel paused slightly in her movements as she mused over that.
Returning to her original thoughts, Rachel continued to leaf through some of the music sheets she had gathered for the Glee Club assignment. Even if she didn't get Quinn as she liked, Rachel was going to make the most of this moment. Ballads were all about expressing your feelings and getting through to the one you're singing towards. And Rachel Berry was definitely all about being expressive and being true to one's feelings.
Though, standing by her dresser, Rachel wondered why Brittany hasn't exactly said anything as of yet. Did the girl not have any ideas? Glancing back, she spied the tall blonde sitting on the bed gazing at the various objects that decorated her room. Smiling at the girl's natural curiosity, Rachel returned to her music sheets. However, her thoughts began to waver once more.
This scene was oddly reminiscent to the last time she had someone else from Glee Club in her room. After a moment's pause, Rachel quickly shook herself of that particular thought. As if Brittany would suddenly start hitting on her in her own room. Preposterous really.
But then she feels that penetrating gaze at the back of her head and Rachel stiffens slightly in response. Lately, she had caught the blonde staring at her more often than usual. Rachel wouldn't have cared as this was Brittany and Brittany tended to blatantly stare at her at times without ever realizing it. This was just one of Brittany's quirks Rachel surmised. It was kind of adorable really. And she didn't exactly mind the harmless attention, except that her sixth sense had been going off recently every time she caught the girl staring.
Or, more accurately, her sixth sense would start to ping and Rachel would look around just to catch Brittany not so delicately looking away.
She thinks Santana might have started watching her too. Though she couldn't actually tell since the fiery Cheerio probably would have been more discrete with her actions, unlike Brittany.
Whatever they might have planned she'd be ready for them Rachel reasoned.
Turning around, Rachel held the music sheets firmly in her hand before approaching the blonde Cheerio. "For this particular assignment I believe that -"
"Why do you like Q?" Brittany interjects, rattling Rachel in the process.
Stopped in her tracks, Rachel stuttered with her thoughts as she tried to determine what Brittany might have meant. "I... I don't know what you mean," she manages to blurt out meanwhile.
Brittany only gave her a look that clearly said 'I'm not that stupid' causing Rachel to quickly look away in guilt. The diva couldn't help but feel her heart hammer rapidly in her chest. And the usually naive blonde couldn't help but feel her own heart squeeze painfully when Rachel looked away.
-End Chapter Four-
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A/N: Yeah, a bit of Puckleberry in this. And Brittany falling out of her chair is awesome, especially since it's because she realized Rachel's her ballad partner.