Puckleberry One Shot- Rated T
Title: You're better than that
Rating: T (It's Puck so fluent swearing)
Summary: Rachel decides to confront Puck about his lack of goals in his life, but he has his own issues with the choices she's making in hers.
Spoilers: The Spanish Teacher, Heart
Author's Note: First Puckleberry Fic ever so be gentle. Written for itsstephyybitch
Puck walked out of the choir room after practice and threw his bag into his locker. He had been in a funk of sorts the past few days. He did not even know what the hell was wrong with him, really. He just knew that he was pissed as hell and had been pissed as hell for days. He had tried to think about what could have made his week feel the way that it did. It had been a normal week. He had skipped math all week, since he really didn't see the point in that shit anyway. It's not like he was really going anywhere. Maybe Quinn had been right. He never wanted to give her credit for anything. She had always treated him like shit so he was not going to give her the credit of even remotely being right about any of this, really. It was Friday though so at least he didn't have to deal with this place any more this week.
That also meant that it was time to get him some action for the weekend. He absently licked his lip, trying to figure out just who would be the lucky girl this weekend. Granted, he would rather go find him some sort of college girl or a cougar because high school girls just did not do it for him. They just didn't. He looked over and saw Rachel and Finn nuzzled in a corner, making out. He got tired of watching that. His mind went back to earlier in the week when she had, in her usual fashion, announced that he was marrying Finn. She was marrying him. She was all talented and shit, and she was marrying that douche. Sure, Finn was his boy but Rachel was bigger than Finn and his stupidity. He rolled his eyes, realizing that he was going to have to move past her and couldn't help but utter, "Get a fucking room. No one wants to see this shit."
He stormed out of the halls of McKinley, not even bothering to see if anyone was following him or if they had pulled away from their nauseating liplock. Fine, they were getting married and in love and shit, but that didn't mean that he wanted to fucking watch it. That just was not cool. He got into his truck, peeling out of the parking lot. He needed to relax or something. He had no clue why he was even handling it this way. He pulled up to the 7-Eleven. He was thirsty. After grouchily handing the clerk his money, he took a drink at the slushie he had bought. Grape. He hadn't had a grape slushie in a while and he did not know why he chose to buy it now. He finally got home and lay back on his bed, picking up his x-box controller. He figured that killing things would help his mood. It usually did. He heard his phone go off and rolled his eyes, as he tried to ignore it, until it went off again.
--
Rachel had been in a great mood all day. She was working on her wedding plans to Finn. She had been quite pleased that her dads had given her their support and she knew this was the right thing for her. The Glee Club had, as usual, had mixed opinions about her announcement but that was something that she was used to. Everyone met some criticisms along the way. Barbra never had it easy all the time either but yet she still managed to rise above any criticisms and to triumph. She was Rachel Berry. She could handle any challenge and that was just what she was going to do.
She had inititally accepted Finn’s proposal of marriage when her future was uncertain when it came to NYADA, and not long after, she had received the news that she was a finalist. She had even faltered for a second but then she put on the best show face that she could and remembered that she never backed down from a challenge. She did not know how to fail and her latest challenge was to become one Mrs. Finn Hudson and she would do it, no matter what obstacles came in her path.
She saw Finn in the hallway and he pulled her aside and pulled her into what she could only describe as a romantic kiss. She finally had her dream. She had the boyfriend, or no, fiancée, that wanted to kiss her in the hallways and he did not care who was watching. She, Rachel Berry, had come along way from gettingslushies thrown in her face by one Noah Puckerman every single day. She let herself relax into the kiss until she heard a familiar voice of disapproval. She pulled away with an incredulous look and was about to tell him what she thought of him acting like they were doing something highly inappropriate when she watched him walk away. She listened to Finn try to explain that Puck was probably just in a bad mood, but she could not help but wonder why he had been so cranky all week. She decided then that she would just text him.
Noah, you know it is rude to make a rude comment and then just walk away before both parties can defend their actions.
She was then relatively sure he was ignoring her, and she was not one to be ignored, so she sent him another text message.
I do not just go away, you know. You have been in a mood for days and as someone who expects this glee club to win nationals this year, we need to find a way to get you out of this stupor that you have gotten yourself into. So, why don’t you just share what it is that has you in a foul mood and then we can come up with an organized plan that will detail the best way possible to get you back up to the performance level that you need to be at. Your bad boy stage presence will need to be in pristine shape so let’s rectify this soon.
After another 15 minutes, he finally responded to her and it was not a message that told her anything. She had to roll her eyes at what it said.
I’m fine. I just don’t give a damn about you and Finn’s “perfect” relationship.
He was really quite frustrating at times. She wanted to know what was wrong with him. She was still upset at his lack of goals for himself, and thinking that he would be dead or in jail in 2030. She closed her pink binder, that was embellished with gold stars and got a look of determination, a look of pure ingenuity, a purely Rachel Berry look. She was going to make him see that he was more than that. She had to think though the best way. She wanted to march right over there and demand he believe in himself, but she figured a batch of her homemade sugar cookies would probably go a long way. But, she would not give up until he admitted that he was ridiculous.
--
Puck had tried as long as he possibly could to ignore her message. But then came the five part message. There was a part of him that was glad she cared because he really felt like no one did care, but then he thought about it and realized that she probably did not care about him as a person but cared more about winning. He rolled his eyes again and then threw his phone to the other side of his bed. Hedidn’t give a shit really. It’s not like she needed him to be at his best to be in the background while Finn undoubtedly got the lead. He blew things up for a while, when he heard an insistent knock at the door. He sighed, as he ignored it then realized the person was not about to go away and thought maybe he should answer it since he was the only one home. He threw his shirt back on and casually walked down the stairs and opened the door.
“What are you doing here, Berry? I told you I’m fine.” He left the door open and walked into the living room. He was not about to tell her to come in because he did not need her help. He was just in a shit mood. It just happened sometimes. He sat down on the couch then and flipped on ESPN.
Rachel marched in and held out the tin with the cookies in them. “I made you two dozen cookies, Noah, but first, we’re going to have a talk.” She then paused, before considering her next words. She was going to try to speak on his level. She then put one hand on her hip and spoke. “Should I say one jew to another? That seems to be the only way that you will listen to me.”
Puck crossed his arms and tried not to laugh. She really did amuse him sometimes and he never thought that she would ever actually use his techniques of one Jew to another so he was going to take what he could get with this. “I’m fine but cookies are good and shit, so I’m listening. Make your case as to how to fix my ‘bad attitude.”
She set the cookies down, where she could watch them. She meant it. He was not going to get those cookies until he at least had some goals for himself. She went and sat down next to him, smoothing out her skirt, pulling it down some as she turned to him. “Look, it really is quite frustrating how you, someone with talent, thinks that you will dead or in jail. You need some goals for yourself, Noah. You need to be more than that. You are better than that. You’re not that guy anymore who used to throw slushies in my face every day. Why can’t you just admit that you want to be more than that? That may have been you two years ago but that is not you now and I am not leaving until you realize that you need to stop being such a coward and actually believe in yourself.”
Puck stood up then and crossed his arms. “What do you know about me even? I mean, that’s all I have for myself. Sure, I’m a badass and all that but it’s not like I’m actually going somewhere important. My grades are shit so I doubt I could get into college and I just don’t see the point in stupid goals. I mean, yeah, I want to get out of Lima but I just don’t have the talent and dreams that you do. I’m just going to keep hooking up with chicks, partying, and maybe I’ll get a job doing construction or something. It’s whatever, Rachel. Stop worrying about me and go plan your dream wedding to your perfect life. I can take care of myself.” He crossed his arms again and gave her a look and she exhaled in annoyance. He knew that look. He was really going to need some beer or some pain medicine or something later to get over this headache.
She stood up and approached him. “I’ll have you know, Noah Puckerman, that you are frustrating and you are also a coward. You make this big show about how you are a..” She faltered for a moment then before speaking again. She didn’t like saying those kinds of things a lot but she was going to now because he was becoming increasingly frustrating by the minute. “Badass but you can’t even see the fact that you have a future and that you need to man up, as they say and actually try. Don’t give up on yourself. You have become this person who I consider my friend and friends don’t let friends destroy themselves.” She let out a huff then.
He looked at her, with almost a glare. “You’re a hypocrite, Rachel.” She looked at him with a wounded look but he went on. “Look at you. You’re Rachel freaking Berry, probably the most talented chick in Ohio and you are giving up on your dreams to be what? Mrs. Finn Hudson? What do you honestly think is going to happen? You’re bigger than fucking Lima and bigger than Ohio and you’re not the wife type. Sure, maybe after you win your first Emmy or whatever those Broadway awards are called but you’re just settling. You think that no one else will want you because you see that only Finn has ever fucking wanted you so you’re just giving up what you know is right so that you can keep him happy.” He crossed his arms and glared at her. “Barbra freaking Streisand wouldn’t settle so why the fuck are you? You’re no better than me.”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes then. “How could you say that? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Finn’s going to come to New York and I will be one of the first people on Broadway who is married by the age of 18.”
He rolled his eyes in response. “Oh because you know, Finn Hudson is the type that goes to New York City. Rachel, you’re compromising yourself and I don’t get why. What happened to that chick that had bigger dreams than Finn Hudson. You’re hotter than fuck and your personality isn’t that bad either so stop tying yourself down so young. Does Finn even make you feel anything?”
She looked at him in anger then. “I love Finn. I have always loved Finn. Even when I was with Jesse, I loved Finn still. I’m not settling and you need to learn that. I settle? Look at you. You’re with a different girl every weekend but no one tells you that you’re horrible.” She started to let the tears fall more freely then. She could not believe that he could say something like that to her. It was horrible. She was not wasting her life.
“You are bigger than love though. That’s what I am trying to say here. Don’t give all that up to be Mrs. Finn Hudson, at least not now. Don’t do it, Rachel. Love is not worth all of that shit.”
She sighed in sadness and anger. “What’s wrong with love, Noah? Why can’t I have both and why do you even care so much? You don’t care about your own dreams so why do you care about mine?” Her voice was at almost a yell and she never saw his next words come out of her mouth and at the force and level that they did.
“I care because I’m fucking jealous. I care because I want it to be me and not Finn. I notice everything that you. When you sang Without You to him, I watched you and hated that you were saying you were nothing for someone who doesn’tdeserve it. He doesn’t deserve you, Rachel. He never did. You deserve it. I don’t deserve you but neither does he.”
Rachel looked at him in shock then. She had not expected that to happen and shakily handed him the tin of cookies. “I have to go. I just, I have to go.” He then threw the remote as he watched her walk out of his house, and probably out of his life. It had taken them years to become friends and now in an instant, she had walked out. He had not even realized he felt that way but looking back, she had always amazed him. He had never wanted her to break up with him sophomore year and even though she came to him when she wanted to get back at Finn, it had not been all for Finn why he had sent her away. He had not wanted her to make a mistake that she could not take back and maybe even since then, he had wanted her for himself and now she was gone. He had told her too much and the friendship that they had would even be gone now.
--
Rachel ran up to her room and slammed her bedroom door. She then curled up on her bed in tears. He did not want her. There was no way that Noah Puckermanwanted her. This was a joke. Maybe he had not changed after all. It was another one of his games that he had played on her year after year. She looked at her engagement ring. Was she settling? Was she not being what she had always known that she could be? She managed to compose herself and could not help but think at what he had said to her. She opened her phone up to the wallpaper of her and Finn and closed it. She then heard her text tone go off and opened it to a message from Finn.
I was thinking it would be really cool if we went to one of those monster truck shows.
She then threw her phone. She was Rachel Berry. She found that whole thing barbaric. There was no way that she would do something like that. Her mind started to wander to Noah then. She remembered how he had given up football for her, how he had on several occasions stood up to Santana for her, how he always seemed to watching her when she sang, all of it. She put her face in her hands and cried. How could she never have realized it? When she was looking at Finn, he had been looking at her. She did not know what to do. She loved Finn but maybe she was settling and ignoring what was right in front of her.
--
Puck had fallen asleep at some point and woke up to a knock at his door. He really did not want to deal with anyone. This whole thing just felt like shit. He never thought that he even would care but whatever. She wanted to destroy her life, whatever. He was just going to go find a hot chick to distract himself with but first, he should open the door. He went downstairs and opened it slowly to see one Rachel Berry on his doorstep.
She looked at him almost shy and waved. “Hello, Noah.”
He nodded and then moved out of the way so she could come in. “Rachel. I didn’tthink I would see you again after earlier.”
“There’s no way that you would not see me again. We’re in glee club together and attend the high school. The chances of us not running into each other are impossible, really.”
He rolled his eyes in response. “You know what I mean.” He sat down on the couch and looked at the TV, trying to ignore whatever reason she was here. He was not in the mood for another lecture.
“I broke up with Finn.”
Puck had been expecting a lot of things but that was definitely not one of them. He looked over at her and sighed. "I thought you wanted to marry him." He hated how sad she looked. She looked really sad and he knew that she probably was not okay and he did not know how to make her okay, really.
She sighed and looked deep into his eyes. "I accepted Finn's marriage proposal when I didn't think I was going to get into NYADA and then it was too late to back out, Noah. I think part of the reason why I still wanted to go through with it is because I do not know how to give up on anything. I do not know how to give up when I know something is not working. I'll always love Finn on some level, but you're right. I'm not Mrs. Finn Hudson material. I'm Barbra Streisand material." She walked over to him and put her arm on his. "Were you serious about what you said, about you know being jealous of Finn? I mean, I need to know. Were you just trying to get me to not marry him? or do you really care about me?"
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I kind of like you. I didn't even know I did. I just knew that I was pissed as hell every time I saw you all make out and I hated that you were marrying him." He sighed before continuing. "When you came to me before Sectionals last year, I stopped what was happening not for him, but for you. I didn't want you to regret shit and to resent me. I kind of need you in my life or whatever."
She let a smile spread across her face. "I think that I've always felt something too. I just don't know what yet." He went to lean in to kiss her and she stopped him. "Slow. We're going to take this slow. I just broke up with Finn and we cannot create a scandal. It is going to take me quite some time to be over him and you have to accept that nothing is going to stop me from going to New York."
A smile came to his face then and he nodded and reached out for her hand and he was glad when she took it.
Four months later..
Rachel could not believe that the day was finally here. It was graduation day and it would not be long until she was finally in New York. She knew that she had just enough time to get there so that she would be an accurate amount of time early. She finished pinning up her hair and smiled eagerly at both of the reflections looking back at her. "Noah, while I know that I look quite flawless today, you really should tie your tie instead of just sitting there."
He shrugged. "Babe, my tie will be tied just fine. I don't see why we have to be there three hours early anyway. We're just graduating."
She walked over to him and moved to tie it for him. "It's graduation. Do you know how proud I am of you? You're actually trying and you got into a college in New York City. Do you not see that I was right to come over that day and tell you that you were bigger than what you were trying to tell yourself that you were?" She smiled down at him and placed a quick peck to his lips.
He shrugged in response. "I guess. I mean, I suppose having a future is alright and well, you'll be there so it's cool. You know, we have a little bit of time left so you should c'mere." She squealed in response.
"It is not graduation night yet, you know." She moved into his lap and ran her fingers through his mohawk. "I really am proud of you though and I suppose we have a few minutes but I want those hands where I can see them. I don't want to have to re-iron my dress."
"But, babe, I could take it off for you. I really don't mind. It would be my sacrifice for the cause."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut it Puckerman." She could tell he had some sort of a comeback so she shut him up the only way she knew how for a few moments. They had a future to look forward to. It would be a future where they would both be allowed to live out their dreams without holding each other back.
Rating: T (It's Puck so fluent swearing)
Summary: Rachel decides to confront Puck about his lack of goals in his life, but he has his own issues with the choices she's making in hers.
Spoilers: The Spanish Teacher, Heart
Author's Note: First Puckleberry Fic ever so be gentle. Written for itsstephyybitch
Puck walked out of the choir room after practice and threw his bag into his locker. He had been in a funk of sorts the past few days. He did not even know what the hell was wrong with him, really. He just knew that he was pissed as hell and had been pissed as hell for days. He had tried to think about what could have made his week feel the way that it did. It had been a normal week. He had skipped math all week, since he really didn't see the point in that shit anyway. It's not like he was really going anywhere. Maybe Quinn had been right. He never wanted to give her credit for anything. She had always treated him like shit so he was not going to give her the credit of even remotely being right about any of this, really. It was Friday though so at least he didn't have to deal with this place any more this week.
That also meant that it was time to get him some action for the weekend. He absently licked his lip, trying to figure out just who would be the lucky girl this weekend. Granted, he would rather go find him some sort of college girl or a cougar because high school girls just did not do it for him. They just didn't. He looked over and saw Rachel and Finn nuzzled in a corner, making out. He got tired of watching that. His mind went back to earlier in the week when she had, in her usual fashion, announced that he was marrying Finn. She was marrying him. She was all talented and shit, and she was marrying that douche. Sure, Finn was his boy but Rachel was bigger than Finn and his stupidity. He rolled his eyes, realizing that he was going to have to move past her and couldn't help but utter, "Get a fucking room. No one wants to see this shit."
He stormed out of the halls of McKinley, not even bothering to see if anyone was following him or if they had pulled away from their nauseating liplock. Fine, they were getting married and in love and shit, but that didn't mean that he wanted to fucking watch it. That just was not cool. He got into his truck, peeling out of the parking lot. He needed to relax or something. He had no clue why he was even handling it this way. He pulled up to the 7-Eleven. He was thirsty. After grouchily handing the clerk his money, he took a drink at the slushie he had bought. Grape. He hadn't had a grape slushie in a while and he did not know why he chose to buy it now. He finally got home and lay back on his bed, picking up his x-box controller. He figured that killing things would help his mood. It usually did. He heard his phone go off and rolled his eyes, as he tried to ignore it, until it went off again.
--
Rachel had been in a great mood all day. She was working on her wedding plans to Finn. She had been quite pleased that her dads had given her their support and she knew this was the right thing for her. The Glee Club had, as usual, had mixed opinions about her announcement but that was something that she was used to. Everyone met some criticisms along the way. Barbra never had it easy all the time either but yet she still managed to rise above any criticisms and to triumph. She was Rachel Berry. She could handle any challenge and that was just what she was going to do.
She had inititally accepted Finn’s proposal of marriage when her future was uncertain when it came to NYADA, and not long after, she had received the news that she was a finalist. She had even faltered for a second but then she put on the best show face that she could and remembered that she never backed down from a challenge. She did not know how to fail and her latest challenge was to become one Mrs. Finn Hudson and she would do it, no matter what obstacles came in her path.
She saw Finn in the hallway and he pulled her aside and pulled her into what she could only describe as a romantic kiss. She finally had her dream. She had the boyfriend, or no, fiancée, that wanted to kiss her in the hallways and he did not care who was watching. She, Rachel Berry, had come along way from gettingslushies thrown in her face by one Noah Puckerman every single day. She let herself relax into the kiss until she heard a familiar voice of disapproval. She pulled away with an incredulous look and was about to tell him what she thought of him acting like they were doing something highly inappropriate when she watched him walk away. She listened to Finn try to explain that Puck was probably just in a bad mood, but she could not help but wonder why he had been so cranky all week. She decided then that she would just text him.
Noah, you know it is rude to make a rude comment and then just walk away before both parties can defend their actions.
She was then relatively sure he was ignoring her, and she was not one to be ignored, so she sent him another text message.
I do not just go away, you know. You have been in a mood for days and as someone who expects this glee club to win nationals this year, we need to find a way to get you out of this stupor that you have gotten yourself into. So, why don’t you just share what it is that has you in a foul mood and then we can come up with an organized plan that will detail the best way possible to get you back up to the performance level that you need to be at. Your bad boy stage presence will need to be in pristine shape so let’s rectify this soon.
After another 15 minutes, he finally responded to her and it was not a message that told her anything. She had to roll her eyes at what it said.
I’m fine. I just don’t give a damn about you and Finn’s “perfect” relationship.
He was really quite frustrating at times. She wanted to know what was wrong with him. She was still upset at his lack of goals for himself, and thinking that he would be dead or in jail in 2030. She closed her pink binder, that was embellished with gold stars and got a look of determination, a look of pure ingenuity, a purely Rachel Berry look. She was going to make him see that he was more than that. She had to think though the best way. She wanted to march right over there and demand he believe in himself, but she figured a batch of her homemade sugar cookies would probably go a long way. But, she would not give up until he admitted that he was ridiculous.
--
Puck had tried as long as he possibly could to ignore her message. But then came the five part message. There was a part of him that was glad she cared because he really felt like no one did care, but then he thought about it and realized that she probably did not care about him as a person but cared more about winning. He rolled his eyes again and then threw his phone to the other side of his bed. Hedidn’t give a shit really. It’s not like she needed him to be at his best to be in the background while Finn undoubtedly got the lead. He blew things up for a while, when he heard an insistent knock at the door. He sighed, as he ignored it then realized the person was not about to go away and thought maybe he should answer it since he was the only one home. He threw his shirt back on and casually walked down the stairs and opened the door.
“What are you doing here, Berry? I told you I’m fine.” He left the door open and walked into the living room. He was not about to tell her to come in because he did not need her help. He was just in a shit mood. It just happened sometimes. He sat down on the couch then and flipped on ESPN.
Rachel marched in and held out the tin with the cookies in them. “I made you two dozen cookies, Noah, but first, we’re going to have a talk.” She then paused, before considering her next words. She was going to try to speak on his level. She then put one hand on her hip and spoke. “Should I say one jew to another? That seems to be the only way that you will listen to me.”
Puck crossed his arms and tried not to laugh. She really did amuse him sometimes and he never thought that she would ever actually use his techniques of one Jew to another so he was going to take what he could get with this. “I’m fine but cookies are good and shit, so I’m listening. Make your case as to how to fix my ‘bad attitude.”
She set the cookies down, where she could watch them. She meant it. He was not going to get those cookies until he at least had some goals for himself. She went and sat down next to him, smoothing out her skirt, pulling it down some as she turned to him. “Look, it really is quite frustrating how you, someone with talent, thinks that you will dead or in jail. You need some goals for yourself, Noah. You need to be more than that. You are better than that. You’re not that guy anymore who used to throw slushies in my face every day. Why can’t you just admit that you want to be more than that? That may have been you two years ago but that is not you now and I am not leaving until you realize that you need to stop being such a coward and actually believe in yourself.”
Puck stood up then and crossed his arms. “What do you know about me even? I mean, that’s all I have for myself. Sure, I’m a badass and all that but it’s not like I’m actually going somewhere important. My grades are shit so I doubt I could get into college and I just don’t see the point in stupid goals. I mean, yeah, I want to get out of Lima but I just don’t have the talent and dreams that you do. I’m just going to keep hooking up with chicks, partying, and maybe I’ll get a job doing construction or something. It’s whatever, Rachel. Stop worrying about me and go plan your dream wedding to your perfect life. I can take care of myself.” He crossed his arms again and gave her a look and she exhaled in annoyance. He knew that look. He was really going to need some beer or some pain medicine or something later to get over this headache.
She stood up and approached him. “I’ll have you know, Noah Puckerman, that you are frustrating and you are also a coward. You make this big show about how you are a..” She faltered for a moment then before speaking again. She didn’t like saying those kinds of things a lot but she was going to now because he was becoming increasingly frustrating by the minute. “Badass but you can’t even see the fact that you have a future and that you need to man up, as they say and actually try. Don’t give up on yourself. You have become this person who I consider my friend and friends don’t let friends destroy themselves.” She let out a huff then.
He looked at her, with almost a glare. “You’re a hypocrite, Rachel.” She looked at him with a wounded look but he went on. “Look at you. You’re Rachel freaking Berry, probably the most talented chick in Ohio and you are giving up on your dreams to be what? Mrs. Finn Hudson? What do you honestly think is going to happen? You’re bigger than fucking Lima and bigger than Ohio and you’re not the wife type. Sure, maybe after you win your first Emmy or whatever those Broadway awards are called but you’re just settling. You think that no one else will want you because you see that only Finn has ever fucking wanted you so you’re just giving up what you know is right so that you can keep him happy.” He crossed his arms and glared at her. “Barbra freaking Streisand wouldn’t settle so why the fuck are you? You’re no better than me.”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes then. “How could you say that? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Finn’s going to come to New York and I will be one of the first people on Broadway who is married by the age of 18.”
He rolled his eyes in response. “Oh because you know, Finn Hudson is the type that goes to New York City. Rachel, you’re compromising yourself and I don’t get why. What happened to that chick that had bigger dreams than Finn Hudson. You’re hotter than fuck and your personality isn’t that bad either so stop tying yourself down so young. Does Finn even make you feel anything?”
She looked at him in anger then. “I love Finn. I have always loved Finn. Even when I was with Jesse, I loved Finn still. I’m not settling and you need to learn that. I settle? Look at you. You’re with a different girl every weekend but no one tells you that you’re horrible.” She started to let the tears fall more freely then. She could not believe that he could say something like that to her. It was horrible. She was not wasting her life.
“You are bigger than love though. That’s what I am trying to say here. Don’t give all that up to be Mrs. Finn Hudson, at least not now. Don’t do it, Rachel. Love is not worth all of that shit.”
She sighed in sadness and anger. “What’s wrong with love, Noah? Why can’t I have both and why do you even care so much? You don’t care about your own dreams so why do you care about mine?” Her voice was at almost a yell and she never saw his next words come out of her mouth and at the force and level that they did.
“I care because I’m fucking jealous. I care because I want it to be me and not Finn. I notice everything that you. When you sang Without You to him, I watched you and hated that you were saying you were nothing for someone who doesn’tdeserve it. He doesn’t deserve you, Rachel. He never did. You deserve it. I don’t deserve you but neither does he.”
Rachel looked at him in shock then. She had not expected that to happen and shakily handed him the tin of cookies. “I have to go. I just, I have to go.” He then threw the remote as he watched her walk out of his house, and probably out of his life. It had taken them years to become friends and now in an instant, she had walked out. He had not even realized he felt that way but looking back, she had always amazed him. He had never wanted her to break up with him sophomore year and even though she came to him when she wanted to get back at Finn, it had not been all for Finn why he had sent her away. He had not wanted her to make a mistake that she could not take back and maybe even since then, he had wanted her for himself and now she was gone. He had told her too much and the friendship that they had would even be gone now.
--
Rachel ran up to her room and slammed her bedroom door. She then curled up on her bed in tears. He did not want her. There was no way that Noah Puckermanwanted her. This was a joke. Maybe he had not changed after all. It was another one of his games that he had played on her year after year. She looked at her engagement ring. Was she settling? Was she not being what she had always known that she could be? She managed to compose herself and could not help but think at what he had said to her. She opened her phone up to the wallpaper of her and Finn and closed it. She then heard her text tone go off and opened it to a message from Finn.
I was thinking it would be really cool if we went to one of those monster truck shows.
She then threw her phone. She was Rachel Berry. She found that whole thing barbaric. There was no way that she would do something like that. Her mind started to wander to Noah then. She remembered how he had given up football for her, how he had on several occasions stood up to Santana for her, how he always seemed to watching her when she sang, all of it. She put her face in her hands and cried. How could she never have realized it? When she was looking at Finn, he had been looking at her. She did not know what to do. She loved Finn but maybe she was settling and ignoring what was right in front of her.
--
Puck had fallen asleep at some point and woke up to a knock at his door. He really did not want to deal with anyone. This whole thing just felt like shit. He never thought that he even would care but whatever. She wanted to destroy her life, whatever. He was just going to go find a hot chick to distract himself with but first, he should open the door. He went downstairs and opened it slowly to see one Rachel Berry on his doorstep.
She looked at him almost shy and waved. “Hello, Noah.”
He nodded and then moved out of the way so she could come in. “Rachel. I didn’tthink I would see you again after earlier.”
“There’s no way that you would not see me again. We’re in glee club together and attend the high school. The chances of us not running into each other are impossible, really.”
He rolled his eyes in response. “You know what I mean.” He sat down on the couch and looked at the TV, trying to ignore whatever reason she was here. He was not in the mood for another lecture.
“I broke up with Finn.”
Puck had been expecting a lot of things but that was definitely not one of them. He looked over at her and sighed. "I thought you wanted to marry him." He hated how sad she looked. She looked really sad and he knew that she probably was not okay and he did not know how to make her okay, really.
She sighed and looked deep into his eyes. "I accepted Finn's marriage proposal when I didn't think I was going to get into NYADA and then it was too late to back out, Noah. I think part of the reason why I still wanted to go through with it is because I do not know how to give up on anything. I do not know how to give up when I know something is not working. I'll always love Finn on some level, but you're right. I'm not Mrs. Finn Hudson material. I'm Barbra Streisand material." She walked over to him and put her arm on his. "Were you serious about what you said, about you know being jealous of Finn? I mean, I need to know. Were you just trying to get me to not marry him? or do you really care about me?"
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I kind of like you. I didn't even know I did. I just knew that I was pissed as hell every time I saw you all make out and I hated that you were marrying him." He sighed before continuing. "When you came to me before Sectionals last year, I stopped what was happening not for him, but for you. I didn't want you to regret shit and to resent me. I kind of need you in my life or whatever."
She let a smile spread across her face. "I think that I've always felt something too. I just don't know what yet." He went to lean in to kiss her and she stopped him. "Slow. We're going to take this slow. I just broke up with Finn and we cannot create a scandal. It is going to take me quite some time to be over him and you have to accept that nothing is going to stop me from going to New York."
A smile came to his face then and he nodded and reached out for her hand and he was glad when she took it.
Four months later..
Rachel could not believe that the day was finally here. It was graduation day and it would not be long until she was finally in New York. She knew that she had just enough time to get there so that she would be an accurate amount of time early. She finished pinning up her hair and smiled eagerly at both of the reflections looking back at her. "Noah, while I know that I look quite flawless today, you really should tie your tie instead of just sitting there."
He shrugged. "Babe, my tie will be tied just fine. I don't see why we have to be there three hours early anyway. We're just graduating."
She walked over to him and moved to tie it for him. "It's graduation. Do you know how proud I am of you? You're actually trying and you got into a college in New York City. Do you not see that I was right to come over that day and tell you that you were bigger than what you were trying to tell yourself that you were?" She smiled down at him and placed a quick peck to his lips.
He shrugged in response. "I guess. I mean, I suppose having a future is alright and well, you'll be there so it's cool. You know, we have a little bit of time left so you should c'mere." She squealed in response.
"It is not graduation night yet, you know." She moved into his lap and ran her fingers through his mohawk. "I really am proud of you though and I suppose we have a few minutes but I want those hands where I can see them. I don't want to have to re-iron my dress."
"But, babe, I could take it off for you. I really don't mind. It would be my sacrifice for the cause."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut it Puckerman." She could tell he had some sort of a comeback so she shut him up the only way she knew how for a few moments. They had a future to look forward to. It would be a future where they would both be allowed to live out their dreams without holding each other back.