Easy Come, Easy Go
(You Put On Quite A Show, Really Had Me Going) Take A Bow
Puck had a headache. It was not a good way to start off Sectionals. Especially not one where he had a solo. A solo! What had possessed him to ask Mr. Schue for a solo? Usually he was more than confident, but suddenly he wasn’t so sure. It meant he had a lot more responsibility in whether they won or lost…maybe he should have left the solo to Rachel…
No. He could do this. And he knew why he had asked for a solo. He would win this.
He sat backstage with the rest of New Directions. Brittany and Mike were doing some last minute dance coaching with Finn. Quinn was fixing her makeup. Rachel had finally stopped trying to coach him on performance techniques and gone to do vocal warm ups with Kurt. And Santana was…coming over to sit next to him on the couch. Great.
“Hey Puckerman.” She purred. She looked damn good in the red dress she was wearing for the performance. He just wasn’t in the mood to deal with her right now. “We haven’t really talked since our hookup Saturday night. Something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong Santana. I’ve been busy with rehearsal for Sectionals. Rachel wanted to work with me on the solo and she’s a slave driver.”
“Kinky.” Was Santana’s automatic reply.
“Rachel Berry, kinky? Not even. You forget I dated her. And hooked up with her. I don’t know how Finn puts up with it.”
“Whatever. Come on, I know something’s wrong. It’s not that bitch you brought to my Halloween party is it?”
“Adelaine? No, don’t be stupid, San. Like I said, I’ve been busy.” That was such a lie. Hooking up with Sanatna had been impulsive and stupid. It had been a week since the breakup/hookup. Two weeks since he told Adelaine he loved her. He still couldn’t get her out of his head.
“Fine. Then how about after Sectionals you and I get out of here and celebrate on our own?”
Puck stood up. “Look, Santana, can we talk about this after we compete? Getting turned on right before a performance seems like a really bad idea.”
Santana rolled her eyes and stood up. “She ruined you. You’re no fun anymore.”
“Look, we’ll talk later, all right?” He called after her. He didn’t want to lose Santana…she could be a bitch, but she was the best person to go to when he needed someone. She ignored him and he cursed under his breath. This was so not the best way to start off his performance.
Five minutes later New Directions was called to the stage.
Puck took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage.
He could feel everybody watching him. The audience. The judges. His teammates backstage. Was this how it always felt for Rachel or Adelaine?
The music started and he focused on that.
“Easy come, easy go, that's just how you live, oh, take, take, take it all, but you never give.” Puck fell into the pattern he had fallen into at rehearsals, and stopped worrying. He played the audience, getting into the song and going into full performance mode. “Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash, you tossed it in the trash, you did.”
Suddenly his eyes made out a familiar figure in the crowd. Usually the audience all blurred together, but she was in the front row and besides…he would recognize her anywhere. What was Adelaine doing here?
He refused to let this throw off his performance. In fact, it actually only encouraged him.
“Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb, tell the devil I said “hey” when you get back to where you're from.” His eyes kept returning to her as he performed. He didn’t know if anybody else noticed. He didn’t particularly care, either.
About halfway through the performance, Tina, Santana and Brittany came out to sing backup, just like they had rehearsed.
“I would go through all this pain, take a bullet straight through my brain.
Yes, I would die for ya baby; but you won't do the same. No, you won’t do the same. You wouldn’t do the same. Ooh, you’ll never do the same. No, no, no, no.”
He finished the solo with his eyes resting on Adelaine. He couldn’t read her expression, but he didn’t think he wanted to.
They moved immediately from that into Raise Your Glass, the closing song which Rachel and Santana took lead on. An interesting combination, but it worked really well. Really well. When they finished the song they got a standing ovation. Puck’s eyes automatically searched to see if Adelaine was one of them standing but he didn’t see her anymore.
They went back to the back room to wait, and this time when Santana began flirting with him he let her. Seeing Adelaine…and then having her disappear…had sparked something in him. He kept his arm around her when they waited on stage to hear who had won, and pulled her into a tight embrace when New Directions was announced the winner.
It occurred to him that now they would be facing Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals.
Whatever.
“You and me. My place. Tonight.” He whispered in Santana’s ear before pulling away and celebrating with the rest of New Directions. It was about time he forgot about Adelaine and moved on.
No. He could do this. And he knew why he had asked for a solo. He would win this.
He sat backstage with the rest of New Directions. Brittany and Mike were doing some last minute dance coaching with Finn. Quinn was fixing her makeup. Rachel had finally stopped trying to coach him on performance techniques and gone to do vocal warm ups with Kurt. And Santana was…coming over to sit next to him on the couch. Great.
“Hey Puckerman.” She purred. She looked damn good in the red dress she was wearing for the performance. He just wasn’t in the mood to deal with her right now. “We haven’t really talked since our hookup Saturday night. Something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong Santana. I’ve been busy with rehearsal for Sectionals. Rachel wanted to work with me on the solo and she’s a slave driver.”
“Kinky.” Was Santana’s automatic reply.
“Rachel Berry, kinky? Not even. You forget I dated her. And hooked up with her. I don’t know how Finn puts up with it.”
“Whatever. Come on, I know something’s wrong. It’s not that bitch you brought to my Halloween party is it?”
“Adelaine? No, don’t be stupid, San. Like I said, I’ve been busy.” That was such a lie. Hooking up with Sanatna had been impulsive and stupid. It had been a week since the breakup/hookup. Two weeks since he told Adelaine he loved her. He still couldn’t get her out of his head.
“Fine. Then how about after Sectionals you and I get out of here and celebrate on our own?”
Puck stood up. “Look, Santana, can we talk about this after we compete? Getting turned on right before a performance seems like a really bad idea.”
Santana rolled her eyes and stood up. “She ruined you. You’re no fun anymore.”
“Look, we’ll talk later, all right?” He called after her. He didn’t want to lose Santana…she could be a bitch, but she was the best person to go to when he needed someone. She ignored him and he cursed under his breath. This was so not the best way to start off his performance.
Five minutes later New Directions was called to the stage.
Puck took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage.
He could feel everybody watching him. The audience. The judges. His teammates backstage. Was this how it always felt for Rachel or Adelaine?
The music started and he focused on that.
“Easy come, easy go, that's just how you live, oh, take, take, take it all, but you never give.” Puck fell into the pattern he had fallen into at rehearsals, and stopped worrying. He played the audience, getting into the song and going into full performance mode. “Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash, you tossed it in the trash, you did.”
Suddenly his eyes made out a familiar figure in the crowd. Usually the audience all blurred together, but she was in the front row and besides…he would recognize her anywhere. What was Adelaine doing here?
He refused to let this throw off his performance. In fact, it actually only encouraged him.
“Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb, tell the devil I said “hey” when you get back to where you're from.” His eyes kept returning to her as he performed. He didn’t know if anybody else noticed. He didn’t particularly care, either.
About halfway through the performance, Tina, Santana and Brittany came out to sing backup, just like they had rehearsed.
“I would go through all this pain, take a bullet straight through my brain.
Yes, I would die for ya baby; but you won't do the same. No, you won’t do the same. You wouldn’t do the same. Ooh, you’ll never do the same. No, no, no, no.”
He finished the solo with his eyes resting on Adelaine. He couldn’t read her expression, but he didn’t think he wanted to.
They moved immediately from that into Raise Your Glass, the closing song which Rachel and Santana took lead on. An interesting combination, but it worked really well. Really well. When they finished the song they got a standing ovation. Puck’s eyes automatically searched to see if Adelaine was one of them standing but he didn’t see her anymore.
They went back to the back room to wait, and this time when Santana began flirting with him he let her. Seeing Adelaine…and then having her disappear…had sparked something in him. He kept his arm around her when they waited on stage to hear who had won, and pulled her into a tight embrace when New Directions was announced the winner.
It occurred to him that now they would be facing Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals.
Whatever.
“You and me. My place. Tonight.” He whispered in Santana’s ear before pulling away and celebrating with the rest of New Directions. It was about time he forgot about Adelaine and moved on.