Based on the Taylor Swift song - I'd Lie

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or the song that this is based off. If I did own the song I'd be younger, blonde and skinny. Damn you Taylor Swift and all your perfectness! (Joking I actually love Taylor Swift)

AN: This is just a one shot.

She'd Lie

"What's Puck's favourite colour? Blue?" Kurt asked holding up t-shirts against himself that were Puck's size and Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. Kurt turned to Santana; the cheerleader had dated him after all but Santana too just shrugged her shoulders not having a clue. When she was with Puck they didn't exactly talk about their favourite colours, they had better things to do. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"It's green," she piped up from where she had been sitting separating strips of material into their colour groups and all eyes turned to her.

"How on Earth do you know that?" Mercedes asked in disbelief and Rachel cocked her head to one side.

"We did date you know," she reminded them briskly and Santana snickered.

"For a grand total of like five days," Santana quipped causing Brittany to giggle.

"I, unlike some people, pay attention when people tell me things," Rachel retorted looking pointedly at Santana who threw her a nasty glare.

"Stalker," Santana coughed under her hand and Brittany laughed out loud while Mercedes and Kurt smirked at each other.

Rachel was sick of being the butt of their jokes. Silently she stood up and gathered her things together. Glee was over for the day; she had stayed behind to assist Kurt and Mercedes with planning the costumes for Sectionals and Santana and Brittany had stayed behind as well to offer their advice, and it was becoming painfully obvious that Rachel wasn't needed.

"Aww Miss Diva having another of her storm out tantrums again? Get a new signature move man hands," Santana yelled out as Rachel made her escape, not even stopping to dignify Santana's cruel words with a response.

Rachel saw Puck standing in the doorway, probably having heard everything that was said. Rachel just averted her eyes and pushed past him, not giving him a chance to join in on the teasing like she knew he probably would. As she brushed by she felt his hand take hers and squeeze it once. Rachel turned to look at him but Puck had already entered the choir room. Rachel figured she must have been imagining his hand on hers. She was supposed to get a ride home with Kurt today but she didn't really want to see him after what happened in the choir room. She had only asked him because he lived down the road to her and he had only agreed when she had let him borrow her Hair soundtrack.

Rachel dragged her pink trolley bag behind her as she started walking; she didn't necessarily feel like going home, no one would be there after all, instead Rachel decided to go for a walk. As she walked she thought about Finn, and about Quinn and how they were having a baby. She thought about Glee and the people who were supposed to be her friends. She thought about Puck, and how he was kinder to her than her actual 'friends' were, in spite of his claim that they weren't friends at all. She spent some time at the local park until it got dark, then she headed to the movies to watch a movie by herself and then she headed to a nearby diner to eat a simple dinner. Once she had eaten her fill Rachel started the long walk to her house.

Rachel was walking along when a familiar car pulled up beside her and Rachel halted her stride. Puck leaned over to wind down the passenger window so they could talk.

"Holy shit Rachel, have you just been walking around Lima all night?" Puck asked in disbelief, looking at her like she was a lunatic. Rachel shrugged.

"I needed to clear my head," she replied by way of explanation and Puck glanced down at his watch.

"For nearly five hours?"

Rachel just shrugged in response.

"Don't your dad's care?" Puck persisted with his questioning and Rachel shook her head.

"They went to a conference in LA this week, I can look after myself," Rachel told him shortly starting to walk again, offended that he thought she was less that capable of looking after herself. Puck drove so that his window was in line with her again and she stopped to glare at him.

"Get in," he growled at her with annoyance and Rachel wondered if she had heard him correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm taking you home," he informed her as though she didn't have a choice and Rachel frowned.

"Why? I thought you said we weren't friends."

"We aren't," Puck spat back at her quickly and then he sighed with annoyance and stared out of his windshield, "Look I know I'm a giant asshole but my mom taught me better than to leave a girl stranded on a sidewalk, so just get in."

Puck leaned across and opened up the passenger door swinging it open for her and Rachel had a thought that the passenger seat in his car had never looked so good to her, she was tired of walking. She handed him up her bag then climbed into the passenger seat. Her pink bag sat between them. Puck was wearing nice jeans and a tight t-shirt and when Rachel gave his clothes a questioning look he threw the car into gear and started driving while he spoke.

"Went to a party but it got boring, Santana is getting all touchy feely wanting to get back together," Puck didn't seem enthused by Santana wanting him back at all. In fact, he seemed annoyed. Rachel knew that he and Santana had been getting close again, she had heard the exchange between Quinn and Santana a while back about the sexting debacle involving him. She had thought that Puck wanted to get back together with Santana.

"Do you love her?" Rachel ventured to ask and Puck let out a gruff snort of laughter.

"Love her? Shit no, Santana's a Grade A bitch," Puck retorted still chuckling at her thinking he was in love with Santana Lopez.

"Then why do you bother with her?" Rachel queried frowning in confusion and Puck grinned over at her shrugging.

"She's hot Berry, and she puts out."

"You're a pig," Rachel sighed automatically and Puck just laughed.

"Guilty."

He had a smirk on his face and his eyes were smiling. She knows his eyes are hazel but just now she notices that they change colour with his mood. When he is in a playful mood like he is now, they have flecks of green in them; but when he is upset they turn almost brown, the way they did on the bleachers when she broke up with him that day. Rachel had thought she was in love with Finn at one point or another, but now it's like her feelings for him had fizzled. Ever since she dated Noah; ever since Finn let her down one time too many. Now Finn was just like any other boy, and Rachel's thoughts fell too often on the boy who was with her now wondering if she did the right thing in letting him go.

"Have you ever been in love?" Rachel asked him and Puck scoffed at the notion.

"Nope, and I never will," Puck gave a bitter laugh as he ran his fingers through his Mohawk, "love is for suckers, my mom loved my dad and he still left her for some piece of ass half his age. I'm not gonna let that happen to me."

"Love does suck," Rachel agreed after a moment's pause and Puck looked over at her with an amused smile on his face.

"That's my girl," he joked playfully and Rachel laughed, but inwardly she hoped that he was wrong.

Rachel hadn't experienced being completely in love yet, but she had an inkling of what it may feel like. Especially considering the way her heart jumped in her chest whenever she saw Puck, and they way she crumbled when he was sweet to her, like he is being now. She thinks that Puck; while being a Neanderthal and sex-obsessed, isn't as bad as he makes himself out to be. Actually, Rachel thinks he can be kind of sweet, like the way he offered to drive her home, and the way he spoke to her in the bathroom that day he received a slushie to the face, and how he chose Glee over football. Noah Puckerman may think he's a badass but Rachel knows somewhere underneath all that male bravado; way, way underneath; lies a sensitive young man. It's time like this when they are alone, which is rarely, that Puck allows himself to be Noah. It is almost like he can only be himself around her and Rachel likes knowing that. Puck pulled up at her house and peers out of her window up at the darkened house.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Puck asked her hesitantly and Rachel nodded.

"I'll be fine, I'm used to being alone," she told him grabbing bag and opening up the door.

"Something we have in common," she heard Puck murmur to her as he helped her drag her trolley bag out of the car. Rachel moved to shut the door but then remembered something.

"Noah."

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday for tomorrow."

"What?" Puck looked startled and Rachel wouldn't put it past him to have forgotten his own birthday.

"Your birthday is the seventeenth right? That's tomorrow," Rachel reminded him and Puck's face brightened.

"Oh man, I totally forgot, thanks Berry," he said to her and Rachel smiled and moved back so that he could drive away. He waved as he went and Rachel watched him go.

They spend more time together alone before Sectionals. He starts driving her home every afternoon. It raises eyebrows at Glee and around school but Puck doesn't care, just as he didn't care what people thought when he was dating her. His confidence was admirable. The night of Sectionals all their families were present and when they won it made the victory even sweeter. Rachel's dads couldn't make it; they had another conference to go to, this time in Phoenix. Rachel stood in a corner by herself as the others hugged their families. She had to wait for the bus to take her back; the other kids would probably get a lift home with their parents.

Rachel was startled by a woman coming up to her, with a familiar face and brown hair.

"You must be Rachel," the woman greeted her excitedly holding out her hand and Rachel took her hand hesitantly trying to figure out where she had seen this woman before.

"Yes."

"I'm Noah's mother, Eliza," the woman introduced herself and Rachel smiled. That was why she looked familiar. Rachel noticed that Eliza and Puck had the same hazel eyes.

"It's nice to meet you," Rachel said politely and Eliza's eyes were focused on Rachel intently.

"My Noah has told me all about you," Eliza told Rachel, looking almost secretive and Rachel was surprised by the confession. Puck talked about her to his mother?

"He has?"

"He was right about you; you are extremely talented and very pretty."

Rachel felt her cheeks blush bright red. Had Puck really said those nice things about her? Puck noticed his mother accosting Rachel and sauntered over to run interference.

"Ma, you aren't embarrassing me are you?" Puck asked her, his voice teasing and Eliza looked at her son affectionately.

"Of course not, I'm just meeting your lovely Jewish teammate," Eliza replied, putting an emphasis on 'Jewish' teammate and Puck groaned.

"Give it a rest Ma," Puck complained rolling his eyes at Rachel and Eliza pouted folding her arms under her chest.

"Noah!" a tiny voice cried out and a flurry of brown hair ran and attached herself to Puck's waist. Puck looked down at the little girl holding him.

"Hey Abby," Puck ruffled his sister's hair then pulled her off him and spun her to face Rachel, "Rachel this is my younger sister Abby."

"Hello," Rachel greeted her awkwardly. Rachel had no brothers or sisters and hadn't really spent time with someone so young.

"You sing so good," Abby gushed and Rachel had to restrain herself from correcting her grammar. Instead she smiled politely bowing her head.

"Thank you,"

Eliza grabbed Abby by the hand and walked off to talk to Mr Shue, leaving Puck standing with Rachel. Rachel expected Puck would go stand with someone else, like Santana who was making doe eyes at him, but instead Puck stayed standing next to her.

"Your sister is adorable," Rachel commented lightly and Puck gave a crooked smile as he looked over at his sister who was bouncing up and down as she spoke to Kurt.

"She's all right," Puck said shrugging his shoulders but his voice betrayed his affection for her. Rachel took a moment to admire his side profile. Rachel always knew that he was handsome but since he had been spending more time with her, the more attractive he became.

"You told your mom that I was talented," Rachel blurted out and Puck looked over at her.

"You are," he said without a hint of teasing, and Rachel blushed.

"And pretty," Rachel pushed her luck. She wanted to hear him say it out loud.

"I dated you Berry, obviously you're not a leper," Puck replied grinning at her appreciatively.

Rachel stared at the boy she had thought didn't see her as anything but second best and found herself thinking that maybe he saw her as a first choice. He had been so sweet to her these past couple of months, even though he still claimed they weren't friends. He treated her like she was real, spoke to her like she was normal. Rachel started to realise that maybe she had developed feelings for Puck without even realising.

"Noah," Rachel whispered and Puck turned to look down at her.

"What?" he asked and Rachel was acutely aware of how close they were standing to each other and how close their faces were to each other.

'I think I love you.'

"Nothing," Rachel said tearing her eyes away from his and Puck nudged her with his shoulder.

"Where are your dad's?"

"Conference."

Puck looked around the room, not noticing how Rachel's eyes were fixed firmly on him. Rachel didn't know how he couldn't see what was right in front of his eyes. Even Santana had started giving her the stink eye when Puck wasn't looking.

"Want a lift home?" Puck asked her gallantly and Rachel smiled.

"Okay."

Puck dropped his mother and sister home first at Eliza's insistence. She wanted to give them some 'time alone' to 'talk'. Puck later told her that his mother was obsessed with him dating a nice Jewish girl and ever since Invitational's when his mother had caught a glimpse of Rachel's star, his mother had been convinced that Rachel was the one for him. Rachel had laughed along with him, but secretly she hoped his mother was right. When Puck dropped her at home this time, he walked her to her door. Rachel held her breath when they reached the door as she turned to him.

"You were really great tonight," Puck told her sincerely and Rachel felt her face blush at the compliment.

"You were too," she replied a little shyly.

Puck opened his mouth to say something else, but then he changed his mind and just grinned.

"See you at school Berry," he called out as he turned and walked away, back to his truck.

Rachel stood there watching him drive away.

"If only I could say; if only I could tell you," Rachel whispered when he was gone. Standing there on her porch she made the decision to tell him how she felt the next time she saw him.

It turns out that the next time Rachel sees Puck is in Glee. He's early today, strumming on his guitar, playing his favourite Kings of Leon song softly so that no one notices how good he actually is. Rachel doesn't know why he feels he has to hide how talented he is but he does it anyway. Rachel takes her seat quietly, mentally preparing herself for after Glee when she will confess to Puck everything she feels about him. Puck raises his eyes to hers for a moment and he gives her a small crooked smile.

Quinn and Finn walk through the door and Puck's eyes automatically make their way over to Quinn. He remains staring at Quinn for the rest of rehearsal and Rachel looks down at her hands smiling bitterly. Rachel knew it was silly to think that Puck thought of her in a romantic way, not when he had Quinn in his sights. She couldn't believe how foolish she'd been, and how close she had actually come to telling Puck how she felt about him. He would never feel that way about her and Rachel would never admit the feelings she has for him, because he would never reciprocate.

Rachel could tell you all his favourite songs or that his favourite colour is green. She could tell you that he loved to argue, especially with her, though that was pretty obvious. She could tell you he was born on the seventeenth, or that his sister is beautiful, or that he has his mother's eyes.

But if you asked Rachel Berry if she was in love with Noah Puckerman; she'd lie.

AN: Not sure how much I like this but whatever. A teeny weeny little bit angsty. I'd really like to try an Ipod challenge...however I have no Ipod...well I do but it has no songs on it, long story which I won't go into, so I might just try randoming my fav playlist and see what pops up.

REVIEW! I KNOW YOU ARE ITCHING TO, I KNOW IT!