Are You Questioning My Badassness?

Puck wasn't lying when he had called me future dead meat. He really wasn't. He had gotten the whole football team together to make sure I didn't have one outfit that wasn't slushie-stained.

I'd gotten slushied about thirteen times throughout the entire next day. I may have deserved it the first time, but after that, it was just a whole lot of dick moves.

Mason, Kurt, and Mercedes told me they weren't going to stand around and watch me get slushied time and time again. They just weren't sure exactly what they were doing to do about it yet.

The morning went by extremely slowly. I had Math, English, and Art for the first three periods. It was brutal because Puck was in all three of those classes, which meant I spent approximately three hours of getting pencils and spitballs thrown at me. Also, he would have conversations about me with his football friends...right in front of me.

"You know that new chick?" he asked Dave Karofsky, a fellow football player, in English class.

"You mean that bitch up there?" Dave replied, pointing to me. My back was turned, but there were no new kids in that class, so obviously they were talking about me.

"Yeah," said Puck. "She's fuckin' gross."

"Look at what she's wearing," another football player chimed in. I think his name was Alan, but I didn't care enough to confirm that.

"Someone doesn't wanna get laid!" Puck practically yelled, making sure I and everyone else could hear him.

And that's how my first three periods of the day went. As you can tell, just lovely.

At lunchtime, I went to meet up with Mason, Kurt, and Mercedes to eat lunch together. I told them how my day had been so far, and they stated that something had to be done immediately. But what? I already threw a slushie in the guy’s face, and that just seemed to make my school life worse.

Another Glee club meeting was announced over the intercom, and as much as I hesitated, my three good friends convinced me to go with them again.

"But...he'll be there," I rolled my eyes as Puck walked past our cafeteria table with that cocky look permanently pasted on his face.

"That's why you should go," Mason told me. "You're probably safest in the choir room."

"Yeah, his friends think the Glee club is quote-on-quote 'for fags', so you have no worries about them teasing you there," Kurt assured me. "And I doubt Puck would do anything too extreme around Mr. Schuester."

I agreed that I would be better off going to Glee club than staying alone in a cafeteria, where idiots and assholes ran wild. So, I followed my friends to my second Glee club meeting, wondering what exactly would be in store.

Mr. Schuester met us at the choir room door. "Nice to see you here again, Nova."

"Thanks, Mr. Schuester," I smiled as the four of us entered the room. Most of the members were already there, including Fuck. I took a seat very far away from him, next to Rachel.

"Well," Mr. Schue began as he shut the choir room door. "Today, we're going to take things back to last year."

"Don't tell me we're doing ballads again," Finn rolled his eyes. "That was just uncomfortable."

"Well, that's part of it, Finn," Mr. Schue nodded. "But I'm giving you guys a choice."

"And what is that?" Quinn asked.

"This week's assignment is to either come up with a ballad or come up with a mash-up," Schue told the club. "It's not that hard, and we've been doing great with them."

He gave us a minute to think about it, and then asked us if any of us had something in mind.

"I've got a ballad," I blurted without even realizing I'd say anything. Everyone looked over at me.

"That's great, Nova," Mr. Schuester smiled. "But you haven't even auditioned yet."

"Well, maybe I could audition, and then be a part of the ballad assignment?" I suggested.

"Great idea," Mr. Schue agreed. "Would you like to audition now?"

"If you don't mind, yes," I told him.

"Of course I don't mind. I love hearing new voices!" he replied a little too enthusiastically. "Come on up!"

I stood up and walked to the front of the room. But then I realized something important.

"Uh, Mr. Schuester?"

"Yes?" he looked up at me as he sat in the seat that I'd just gotten up from.

"I'm gonna need a guitar. Mine's at home," I winced.

"Mine’s over there,” Puck nodded towards the corner of the room. “You can borrow it…for a small price." He winked.

And we had to have Glee meetings after lunch, why!? It was that much harder to keep my food down.

Mr. Schuester gave him a "look", and Puck "apologized", although I doubt he even knew what he was apologizing about.

"You can use my guitar if you want," Puck told me in a tad more polite voice. "Free of charge...but only this time." And the smirk was back.

I did some major eye-rolling, but eyed his guitar in the corner of the room. It was his because he had his own personal sticker with his name on it, and a bunch of other stickers that looked like they came out of a Playboy magazine.

I picked it up, and brought it to the front of the room. I began to strum a few chords to get me warmed up, which led straight into a random song that appeared at the top of my head.

“I walk the streets of Japan, till I get lost.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
With a graveyard tan, carrying a cross.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
I like studying faces in a parking lot.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
I like driving backwards in the fog.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.”

“The things that I've loved! The things that I've lost!
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped!
I won't lie no more, you can bet!
I don't want to learn what I'll need…to forget.”

“I like gypsy moths and radio talk.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
I like gospel music and canned applause.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
I like colorful clothing in the sun.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
I ilke hammering nails and speaking in tongues.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.”

“The things that I've loved! The things that I've lost!
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped!
I won't lie no more, you can bet!
I don't want to learn what I'll need…”

“Bend and shape me.
I love the way you are.
Slow and sweetly.
Like never before.
Calm and sleeping.
We won't stir up the past.
So descretely.
We won't look back!”

“The things that I've loved! The things that I've lost!
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped!
I won't lie no more, you can bet!
I don't want to learn what I'll need…”

“I like throwing my voice and breaking guitars.
‘Cause it doesn't remind me of anything.
I like playing in the sand, what's mine is ours,
If it doesn't remind me of anything.”

The song ended, and everyone clapped before sitting back down. Mr. Schuester looked at me in awe, and then burst into random applause.

"Bravo!" he came up to me and high-fived me. "That was a great song choice! You sang it extremely well, too! You guys could seriously get a tip or two from this girl."

I glanced over at Mason, who gave me a thumbs-up. I wondered if Mr. Schuester always praised all of his students up like that. But the glare I was receiving from Rachel Berry gave me the answer I was looking for.

---------------------------------------------------

After a few Glee club welcomings and hugs, the bell for fourth period rang. Everyone shifted out of the room to go to their next class.

"Hey, Puckerman." I called out to Puck before he could leave.

He slowly turned around and shielded his face with his hands, fearing another slushie facial.

"Hey, calm down," I chuckled.

He put his hands down at his sides and smiled. This time it wasn't a dickhead smile. It was actually kind of cute. "Well, you said my name in the exact same tone as last time, and look what happened. I was just preparing myself."

"Sorry about that," I apologized.

"Can't say I didn't deserve it. I'm actually surprised more people don't slushie me."

"Me too," I laughed. I then remembered why I'd called out to him in the first place. I looked down at his guitar, which I still held minutes after my performance. I handed it to him. "Thanks for letting me use your guitar."

"No problem. By the way, I was totally kidding about it being free. You owe me now."

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he nodded with a smile.

We both walked out of the choir room together (something I never thought would happen), and down the hall. We had to part ways before we could get into a deep conversation, considering our lockers were in two completely different hallways, but before he turned the corner, he told me that my performance was "kinda hot".