Lima Loser.

“Whoa,” Puck looked around the basement, new to this environment.

I had to admit, I could see where the “whoa” was coming from. The walls were splattered with neon paint, and the carpet was a fuzzy snow white. Four 1990’s Spice Girl chairs were spread throughout the room, and a mini-fridge took place in one of the corners. Besides the noise coming from the washer and dryer, the room was pretty cozy.

“Yeah, I spend a lot of time down here. There’s a lot of space, so I just come down here and…sing my heart out.”

“That’s really cool,” Puck admitted. He then spotted something lying on the floor by an old shelf. “Is that yours?” His face lit up with utter joy.

“Yep,” I nodded.

He rushed over and picked up my baby, which just so happened to be my four-year-old acoustic guitar.

“You play?” he grinned.

“Yep. Been playing for a while now,” I told him.

“Me too!” He seemed pretty excited with this fact.

“Good, because you’re playing the song I’m about to give you. And we’re going to play it on Monday at Glee rehearsal to show that I’m practicing, okay?” I looked at him.

“Fine by me,” he nodded, taking a seat, guitar in hand. “What’s the song?”

-----

“Wow, that was really great,” Puck told me after the jam session. “You’re such a good singer.”

“Thanks!” I beamed at the compliment. “So are you.”

“Thanks,” he smiled. “So, I should probably call for a ride. It’s already 6:00.”

“Yeah. I’m kind of tired, actually,” I told him. I tossed him the phone in the basement. He called his mother for a ride, and we headed upstairs, to the porch, to watch out for her arrival.

“We both should get some rest if we want to kick ass on Monday at the Glee rehearsal,” Puck informed me.

“Oh, I know. I’ll get lots of beauty sleep tonight,” I rolled my eyes. “Practice that song, okay?”

“Will do, my fair lady,” he grinned.

The phone then rang in my hand. I’d forgotten I was still clutching it, actually. I looked at the caller ID. “It’s Rachel,” I frowned. For the billionth time today, I silently added.

“Ew,” Puck gave the phone a hard look. “Answer it if you want. I won’t be nosy.”

“I’ll just call her back later,” I shrugged, but when the phone didn’t stop ringing, I picked it up. “What!”

“I hate to be a bother, but is he still there?” she asked. As you can tell, the little spat I’d had with her had blown over, but she still annoyed me sometimes.

Lemme take this, I mouthed to Puck, and he gave me an okay back.

I went into one of the bathrooms that connected to the porch. “Yes,” I replied. “Yes, he’s still here, but he’s about to leave.”

“Did anything happen?” she wondered in a totally concerned voice.

“Nothing,” I shook my head. “I told you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Rachel, I’m sure,” I rolled my eyes. “Look, can I call you back when he leaves?”

“Hurry up,” she said before hanging up.

I left the bathroom, and Puck was still waiting in the porch.

“Sorry about that,” I chuckled. “You know how Rachel gets.”

“Oh, I know…” he rolled his eyes.

We then heard a beeping sound. “That’s my mom,” he stated the obvious.

“Right,” I nodded.

“Today was fun,” he smiled.

“Yeah, it definitely was,” I agreed. I hauled him into a huge hug. “Thanks for practicing with me. You’re a really good guitar player.”

I looked up at him to see his reaction, but he didn’t really have one. He was just kind of looking back at me. But not directly into my eyes. He was focusing on something lower than my eyes.

Before I knew it, I felt a pair of lips upon mine. It took me a few seconds to realize that Puck was kissing me, but when it processed, I was extremely weirded out.

I pulled away and looked away like a total coward. “Well, that was awkward.”

“Geez, I’m sorry,” he apologized right away. “I just made things really uncomfortable, didn’t I?”

Not wanting him to feel bad, I shook my head. “No, it’s okay.”

“Wow…I’m sorry…I’m just gonna go,” he opened the door.

“Seeya Monday, Puck,” I waved it off like it wasn’t a big deal at all, when really, I had this crazy feeling in my stomach. I wasn’t entirely sure what the feeling was, because it was completely new to me.

He was getting ready to get into his mom’s car, when I stuck my head out through the door. “PRACTICE THE SONG!” I yelled, trying to make it less…weird.