Lima Loser.

I met Rachel at her locker. “Spanish, right?”

“Yep. What a great way to end off the day,” she said. Oh, and she wasn’t being sarcastic about this statement, which disturbed me.

“Riiight,” I laughed.

Spanish class was right across from Rachel’s locker, so all we had to do was walk across the hall, which, trust me, is harder than it sounds with the herd of people in the way.

Mr. Schuester, who just so happened to teach Spanish, greeted us with a “Hello, my two little stars!” His cheerfulness was amusing.

We took our usual seats, which just so happened to be near the front this time. It might’ve been different if Puck was in my Spanish class, but he claimed he already knew enough Spanish, so his mom made him take a different course.

Mr. Schue assigned some seatwork, which I would admit wasn’t the simplest. But Rachel helped me get through it, and we were done within the first thirty minutes of class.

“So, we should hang out sometime. My gay dads are always at work, so I usually have the house to myself,” Rachel told me.

“Yeah, we definitely should,” I agreed.

“How does Friday sound?” she looked at me, after checking her schedule. And I am serious when I say Rachel Berry actually has a schedule that she checks more than she should.

I thought for a moment, and remembered the assignment. “I’ve got plans on Friday.”

“With whom?” she asked, nosily.

I didn’t really want to say his name, because then I’d have to go through the next thirty minutes listening to Rachel rant about how he was only trying to get into my pants and whatnot.

“Puck and I have to work on an assignment,” I said, simply, turning my head so that I wasn’t facing her.

She frowned. “Assignment? The only assignment he’ll be doing is you.”

“Look, Rachel, I’m no dumbass. He’s just a friend, and if he tries anything stupid at my house, I’ll tell him no,” I sounded confident, but really wasn’t.

“It’s not that simple. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that,” she explained. “I needed a guitar player at my house for practice one time, and it turned into me singing for about ten minutes, him complaining, and us making out.”

“Well, I’m not you,” I told her. “I can handle myself.”

“It’s not about you handling yourself. It’s about him handling himself,” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Just look at him. I hate to say this…I really do…but Puck’s a sexy piece of meat, and Courtney, he’ll suck you in. Ask any of the girls he’s been with.”

“I don’t need to. I’m not those girls. I’m smarter than that. Thanks for warning me, but I’ll be fine. It’s just an assignment,” I informed her.

“Courtney, please, please, please be careful,” she begged.

I was starting to get pissed off with Rachel’s nagging. I knew who Puck was, and I knew exactly what kind of guy he was. I wasn’t some clueless dweeb. Sure, Puck was hot, buff, and…hot. That didn’t mean I couldn’t control myself every time he came around. I wasn’t like the other girls, who basically hung off of him.

“Look, Rachel, I understand that you’re concerned for my…innocence, but there’s nothing to be worried about. I’m a smart girl,” I shrugged.

“You could have an A+ average, and still get caught up with him,” she shook her head. “Trust me.”

“Why should I?” I glared at her. “I don’t even know you.”

And with that, I picked up my books, stood up, and transferred my butt to a seat next to Mercedes.

I wasn’t in the mood to hear Rachel complain about Puck. She might’ve had weird experiences with him, but I could certainly take care of myself. She wasn’t my mother.