Bettering The Bruises

After everyone in the building left, I decided to roam the hallways to wait for Finn. Since it was Thursday he didn’t have football practice- but he was still really social.

He came along after a few minutes. “Hey, you ready to go?”

I thought about it for a moment before speaking. “No. You can leave though. I’ll probably just take the cty bus home. I just really want to be alone right now.”

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, as he pulled me closer to him.

“This whole Mercedes thing is really getting me down, that’s all,” I admitted.

He pulled me into a hug. “Hey, it’s okay. Things will get better. I know how close you and her are. Don’t worry too much, give it some time. I promise it’ll be okay.”

I sniffed. “Thanks Finn.”

“Now, you sure you don’t want me to take you home?” he double-checked.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I smiled. “Thanks though.”

He leaned down and pecked me on the lips. I kissed back, but got startled when I realized no one else was in the hallway. “Finn, why’d you do that? Nobody is here.”

“Uh, oh yeah.” an instant fake smile came onto his face. “It’s just uh, yeah I don’t know. Just practice, yeah, practice. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye Jen!”

And with that- he quickly walked off. What was that about? Whatever, I decided to just let it go.

I didn’t know where to go in the building- but I knew I didn’t want to go home. I knew that the moment I walked in, Emma would be asking questions about my day. And the second I got anywhere near lunch; I would surely burst into tears. Then that would just lead to nowhere good.

I decided to walk around the school building, to find a place to do my homework or something. I might as well do something productive with my sadness. I decided that the small wall between Mr. Schue’s room and the auditorium would do.

As I slid down the wall and began to take out my English binder- I heard noise. At first it startled me slightly, but then I realized it was someone singing. Being the curious person I was, I put my stuff back into my backpack and swung it in my shoulder.

I opened the auditorium door slowly, trying not to startle the singer. First, I pushed my backpack into one of the seats, so I could crouch down easier. Then, I slowly made my way closer to the front. As I sat in the middle of the chairs, I realized it was someone I knew. That someone happened to be Puck.

His voice filled the entire room, “I’m so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest, I believe in you, you’re a virgin, you’re Madonna, and I’m always gonna wanna blow your mind. Hey soul sister.”

I listened intently throughout the whole song. His voice captivated me into a minute of pure joy. His facial expressions showed so much emotion. He was honestly a great performer; I wonder why he wasn’t doing anything theatre-wise. Oh right, he is a jock, and he doesn’t like moving into things that jocks aren’t supposed to do. It really was a shame though- Puck had a lot going for him.

As he finished the song, he smiled and breathed heavily. It must be hard for him to sing some of the higher parts because his voice is normally lower than that. But, he pulled it off really nicely. Without thinking about it, I started clapping.

I immediately realized the stupidity of my acts- because Puck looked up at me with a startled face. It somewhat calmed when he realized it was me and not someone who would mock him for this. “You’re really good.”

“Thanks,” he blushed slightly. “What are you doing here?”

I started walking down towards him. “I was doing my homework and heard you. So, I came in to check it out.”

“Oh,” he said plainly. “Did you really like it?”

“Yes I did,” I smiled. “I thought it was really good.” I then sat on the edge of the stage, where my feet dangled off the side of it.

He quickly joined me, “Can you sing at all, Jen?”

“Eh, I’m okay.” I shrugged. “I like it- but I’m definitely not great or anything.”

“Do you want to sing something with me?” he asked. “I can play guitar.”

“Eh, I don’t know,” I rushed out. “You’re so much better than I am.”

“Oh no, come on.” he insisted. “It’s not like we have anybody watching. It’s just me, you can trust me.”

His words oddly sent butterflies swirling around in my stomach. I could tell that he felt so comfortable around me, and I instantly felt comfortable around him. “Okay, fine. What do you want to sing?”

“Do you know Mine by Taylor Swift?” he asked. “I can put it down an octave for me, and you can sing her part.”

“Yeah, I do.” I replied. “Let’s do it.”

He began playing it on the guitar as he began singing, “You were in college working part time waiting tables, left a small down never look back, I was a flight risk, with a fear of falling, wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts”

He gave me a look that told me to start singing. I took a deep breath and then began. “I say can you believe it, as we're lying on the couch, the moment I could see it, yes, yes, I can see it now.”

As the chorus began to come around, he started to sing along with me. “Do you remember we were sitting there by the water, you put your arm around me for the first time, you made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter, you are the best thing that’s ever been mine.”

He stopped playing his guitar as the last word was spoken. We looked directly at each other, right into his hazel eyes. The lights of the auditorium complimented them well. I couldn’t lose eye contact with him, no matter how hard I tried.

I leaned in closer on instinct as he followed. Our lips soon met each others. His felt so soft- it made me want more of him, as quickly as possible. As we fought our hunger for each other, I started to lose my breath. I pulled away, panting. The look on his face explained it all. I have just kissed Noah Puckerman.

“Uh, I’ll see you tomorrow Puck,” I said as my eyes went wide. I jumped of the stage quickly and got my bag.

The last thing I heard was Puck yell my name one last time.