Sweet Caroline

When the dance ended, Quinn asked if I wanted to go out for ice cream with her and Sam before he dropped us off at her house. Eager for more of a good time with my friends, I agreed, and within fifteen minutes, the three of us were seated at a booth at a local fast food restaurant, enjoying spoonfuls of delicious, creamy treats. I sat across from Sam and Quinn, but it didn’t feel weird. I didn’t feel like a third wheel; they both made the effort to include me in conversation, which made me think of how Rachel never let that happen during the odd times when I hung out with her and Finn. It wasn’t really Finn’s fault—Rachel usually couldn’t keep her mouth shut long enough to let him get a word in edgewise.

“So Caroline,” said Quinn, “what did you think of the dance? The first one of the year is always pretty wild, but I thought this one was pretty fun, too. The Christmas Formal is next month; that’ll definitely be a good one!”

I nodded at her with a smile. “Yeah, it was a good night. I had fun.”

“Dance with anyone special?” Sam asked playfully with a teasing wink.

A giggle and shake of my head seemed appropriate. “No, silly. Not tonight.” I wasn’t about to tell them about Puck. No way. Not yet. Maybe not at all. I didn’t want to screw things up with Quinn—she’d be furious if I told her about my secret attraction to her ex-boyfriend. Sure, it probably would be nice to talk to someone about it, but she wasn’t the right one. Sam wasn’t either; I didn’t know him well enough to put my complete trust in him, and I knew that he could very easily tell Quinn anything that I told him.

“Nathan wasn’t there,” I commented before licking Oreo ice cream off my spoon. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Quinn nodded. “Maybe he’s finally gotten some sense knocked into him about everything.”

I still didn’t know what “everything” was, and it was sort of beginning to bother me. I wanted to know. Quinn was becoming my best friend, and I wanted to find out what was really going on with Nathan Carter, and what had gone on in the past. I had my suspicions, but I didn’t want to say anything in fear of upsetting or offending Quinn.

“I sure hope so,” Sam said with his mouth full. He swallowed, then added, “But just be careful, Quinn. Nathan’s a twisted kind of guy.”

“I know, I’ll be okay,” she replied, and patted his hand comfortingly.

Once we had finished our ice cream, we got up from the table and left to go outside. The night was chilly—fall weather was definitely present in Lima. Quinn shivered as we left the restaurant, and Sam slipped his arm around her waist. We began to make our way to Sam’s car and would have climbed in for the drive home, except something was blocking our way. Someone was blocking our way.

It was Nathan Carter, perched casually on the black motorcycle that was parked in front of Sam’s car. He was wearing a grin that scared me. I think I shuddered, only it wasn’t because of the cold. I looked over at Sam when Nathan stood up from his motorcycle and began to stride toward us. Quinn was glued to Sam’s side, and his arm was tightened around her protectively.

“Oh, hey there, Quinn. How’ve you been, babe?” Nathan said, his tone smooth and deep. Disgusting.

“Shut up, Nathan,” Quinn snapped. “What are you doing here?”

Nathan chuckled darkly and folded his arms across his chest, totally at ease. “I followed you, of course. Come on, blondie, keep up!”

“Why don’t you just leave her alone and back off?” Sam growled. “She’s with me, and that’s not about to change, no matter what you try to do. Things would be a whole lot better for all of us—including you—if you just dropped this whole thing and moved on.”

With a shake of his head and a sigh, Nathan took another step forward. “I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to stop until I get what I want. And I will, Sam. You’re not going to stop me.” Then, he turned his attention toward me, as if all of a sudden noticing that I was there. “Oh, you again. Caroline, right? Caroline Berry? You and Quinn are practically joined at the hip.” He scrutinized me for a moment, then began talking to Quinn, although he didn’t tear his piercing gaze away from mine. “Well Quinny-bear, I might just have to…ah…do something about this one.”

“If you so much as breathe within two feet of either of these girls, I swear that I’ll punch you in the face so hard that your nose will get shoved up into your brain.” Sam spoke in a loud, rough tone, then added, “That is, if you have one.”

Nathan’s laugh was black. “Threats and insults won’t get you anywhere, lover boy.” He took a step forward, standing directly in front of Sam. His mimicking tone was sickening. “I’ve got the upper hand, Sam, and that’s not about to change, no matter what you try to do. Things would just…be a whole lot better for all of us if you just dropped this thing and moved on.”

I’d heard enough; this was no time to stand there shyly and be silent.

“Sam’s better for Quinn than you could ever hope to be,” I spat at Nathan, placing myself in between him and Sam. “So why don’t you just get over her and leave her alone!”

Nathan turned to look at me curiously, assessing me with a tilted head. “I wouldn’t count on that, sweetheart. But maybe I’ll just have to prove to you that I’m what’s best for Quinn by showing you exactly what she’s missing.” He winked at me, and dozens of implications rested in his cold eyes.

This time it was Quinn who stepped forward boldly, leaving the comfort and protection of Sam’s embrace. “You stay the hell away from her, you monster! And I’d rather die than be with you! Grow up and get out of my life.”

It didn’t even faze him. He chortled venomously and started backing up in the direction of his motorcycle. “I don’t plan on it, babe. I have to make you love me back. And this time, I’ll get what I want. Not even your Mohawk friend will be there to protect you.” And with that, Nathan slammed his helmet onto his head, kicked the motorcycle into gear, and sped away, leaving the three of us stunned in his wake. A million things were running through my mind, but only one was throbbing at the edges to escape.

Mohawk friend.

“What the hell, Quinn?! Puck? Puck knows about all this? Puck was there when Nathan did…whatever?!” I spluttered, my confusion and shock fueled by the anger that was boiling inside of me.

“Puck is the reason Nathan went away six months ago, Caroline,” Quinn said gently, trying to calm me down. “He’s the reason Nathan finally got it through his head that I was done with him…or, he sort of did. Without Puck…I don’t know what type of person I’d be right now.” Her tone was intense; this was important.

“Quinn, what do you mean?” I asked, desperate for answers.

Quinn leaned into Sam’s side as he rubbed her back soothingly. She inhaled a heavy breath and looked at me, saying, “I think it’s time that I tell you what happened.”