A New Beginning

In the morning, I was extremely tired, having stayed up until one thirty to finish the song. It was worth the lack of sleep, though. I was completely thrilled with how it turned out.

Just as I was humming the melody, I saw Puck walking in the front doors and immediately started toward my first period class, a blush filling my face. It still irritated and embarrassed me that he had invaded on such a personal moment of mine. He, of all people, was the first person to hear me sing, really sing. And that stung a lot. Considering I wasn’t a fan of his. At all.

“Sydney!” a voice screamed down the hallway.

I knew instantly that it wasn’t Finn’s voice, but I still hoped. Please, don’t let that be Puck.

But of course, the guy who swooped in front of me, blocking my path, was Puck. “Alright, so…about last night…” He raised an eyebrow.

“Please don’t try to make it sound dirty,” I shuddered, trying to push him out of my way. He just grabbed my hand and spun me around to keep me from getting anywhere.

“I wasn’t, but if you want to take it that way, go ahead, babe.” And there was that smirk. That annoyingly cocky smirk that made me want to rip his mouth off his face and throw it into a wood shredder.

“So what do you want? I have to get to class.” Once again, I tried to rip my hand from his grasp, but he didn’t let me free. It was like he knew that I would just ditch him, given the opportunity.

Maybe Puck was smarter than I gave him credit for.

“If you think back, you remember that you have rejected me every time that I’ve hit on you.” The tone that he used when he said this was unfeeling, as if he didn’t really care about the actual emotion part of being rejected time after time.

“So?”

“So…no chick rejects me. It’s just…no one does that. I have a preposition for you.”

A preposition? What…? “Wait, do you mean a proposition?”

“Whatever. I think that you should let me take you on one,” he raised his pointer finger in the air to elaborate, as if I was slow and wouldn’t understand otherwise, “one date. That’s it. Just one chance.”

A date? My stomach tightened. I didn’t want to go on a date with anyone. The word ‘no’ was positioned on my lips, ready to be spat, until I thought for a couple more seconds. “Are you saying that if I go on a single date with you, then you’ll leave me alone? No more pursuing, no more creeping…nothing?”

“Right.”

Hmm…a single date didn’t seem like a huge thing in exchange for a lack of being a creep. Maybe…it would be worth it? It wasn’t like it had to mean anything, anyway. It was more of a bribe, but I didn’t care.

“Fine,” I answered finally, giving my arm one last tug. This time, he let it fall to my side, since he’d gotten the answer he wanted.

“Great. I’ll pick you up Friday at seven.” After shooting me a grin, he started around me, calling over his shoulder, “See you around, Australia.”

And apparently, I’d just earned a nickname.

Wonderful.

* * *

“Are you seriously going to do that?” Finn questioned me at lunch, my sandwich a half an inch from my mouth.

A feeling of self-doubt overcame me, and I put the food back down on the saran wrap that was spread out in front of me as a blush filled my face. “Um, I guess not anymore.”

Finn looked at me questioningly for a second before he realized what he’d said. “No, no. Not eating. Please, eat.” He climbed in the seat next to me, stumbling a little. “I meant…did you really say that you’d go out with Puck?”

Another flushing of my face gave him all the answer he needed. “It’s only to get him off my back,” I mumbled. “It doesn’t mean anything, I swear.”

“That’s not what he’s telling everyone,” Finn rolled his eyes. “He’s bragging that he finally won you over before anyone else.”

I clenched my jaw for a second before taking a large bite of my sandwich to take out a bit of my anger without the danger of cracking my teeth. “He didn’t win me at all. It’s a deal, not a real date.”

“Do you not really like him like that?” I wasn’t too observant when it came with guys, but even I could tell that there was more of a meaning behind what he was saying.

“Not in the least. I think he’s a pervert, a manwhore and a creep.”

Finn let out a laugh, with an edge of relief. “No, please, Syd. Tell us how you really feel.”

A snicker escaped my mouth. “So what about you? Got a girlfriend?”

“No,” he admitted in a mutter. “I kind of just broke up with my ex a few months ago.”

“Ah.” Touchy subject. Whoops. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s cool. You weren’t here. And we were just…we were kind of completely opposites. So it was bound to happen.”

“But sometimes opposites attract,” I reminded him, crumpling up the wax paper into a perfect ball as I spoke. “Like the Paula Abdul song.”

“Oh my God…” Finn chuckled. “Isn’t that the video with the dancing cat?”

I let out a loud laugh. “You should be so embarrassed for being a guy and knowing that.”

“What? Can I say that I didn’t mind looking at Paula Abdul when she was younger? She was hot!”

“And now she’s that crazy ex-judge on American Idol that messed up her lines on the show.” For a second, I paused. “You know, I actually kind of liked her. She was always sweet. Kind of how I’d be if I was on the show.”

“Oh, really? Because you were so sweet to Puck all the times that you rejected him?”

“Well, that’s different. Puck’s a creep. But those people auditioning…they’re putting their souls out there for everyone to see. They’re putting their dreams on the line, and I would not be the outright bitch that would crush their ambition. That’s just cruel.”

Finn stared at me for a second. “You sound like you know that personally. Did you try out and not make it for American Idol?”

“Oh, you caught me,” I joked, snapping my fingers in an ‘aw, shucks’ kind of way. “No, but really, if something’s important to someone, then it should be honored, whether they’re good or not, you know? It should never be robbed because it’s what makes them feel like them. It gives them identity.”

Again, I got a surprised look from him. “You know, Sydney…are you sure you’re a sixteen year old girl?”

“Just an old soul, I guess,” I shrugged to go throw out my trash.

Yeah, an old soul. Too bad I wouldn’t have wanted it that way for me.

Or for anyone.