A/N: Ok, this is my first fic and I've had this story idea for a long time, so I hope it will be as good as how I imagined it. Quinn never had Beth and her and Puck haven't met yet in this story. I wrote this chapter in a hurry so I could publish it, but I will edit it later and fix any mistakes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anyone/anything in Glee. Unfortunately.
Puck was ecstatic. He just found out that New Directions and the Warblers had both won Sectionals and would be moving on to Regionals together. It wasn't so much that the Warblers would be moving closer to Nationals, although that was great. It was that he would be able to see one particular member of New Directions again.
As soon as New Directions began performing and he heard her voice, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He wasn't sure of her name, but he knew that Kurt, the new kid who just transferred from McKinley could tell him.
Through all the cheering from the audience and everyone on stage, he managed to hear a girl from New Directions, the one who sang Valerie, declare that there would be a party at her house tonight and that the Warblers could attend. She does seem like she would like to party. A final cheer was shared between the two clubs before both moved backstage.
Puck had taken a ride to the party with Jeff and Nick. He didn't get a chance to talk to Kurt earlier so he was determined to find him and talk to him now. He looked around at all the cars that were parked along the driveway and lawn of the house, which was surprisingly big, and couldn't spot Kurt or Blaine's car anywhere.
"I'll see you guys inside," Puck said to Nick and Jeff. "I'm gonna wait out here for Kurt and Blaine." After a nod and a wave from Nick and Jeff, Puck sat on the front step.
After about half an hour, a few Warblers and New Directions had joined the party, but there was still no sign of Kurt. Puck was ready to give up, figuring that either Kurt was already inside or decided not to even come to the party, when he saw Kurt's car finally pull up. He practically ran over, greeting Blaine along the way.
"Kurt!" Puck exclaimed. Kurt stood there for a moment, not too sure of what Puck wanted. He looked over to Blaine who gave him a simple shrug.
"Noah, hello," Kurt said a little awkwardly. He had fit in quite well during glee club but still hadn't had much time to befriend too many other Warblers besides Blaine, so to say he was a little confused at how enthused Puck was to see him was an understatement.
"You know, most people just call me Puck," he replied. Kurt nodded and tried to move around Puck. "No, wait," Puck exclaimed, causing Kurt to jump. "Is it cool if I talk to you first?"
Kurt still didn't know what Puck wanted, but if he wanted to go inside to see his old McKinley friends, he had no other choice but to agree. Besides, he was just a little curious to find out what Puck was desperate to talk to him about. He nodded and told Blaine he would meet him again soon.
"So what can I do for you, Noah?" He said brightly, leaning against the side of his car. Puck didn't seem like the sort of person Kurt would normally associate with considering the reason why he had to transfer, but he was in Dalton and a Warbler, so Kurt figured he was ok.
"Puck." Puck quickly corrected. He didn't know where to start with this conversation. Puck wasn't usually one to talk about a girl with someone, especially someone he only just recently met. He had never really paid much attention to just one girl at a time before, but something about this girl made him feel different. "So, um. How's Dalton treating ya?"
Kurt raised an eyebrow, obviously confused by the topic Puck had begun with. "It's been great. I've had no trouble with bullies, so I've enjoyed it. But something tells me that asking about Dalton isn't why you came running up to my car before."
"Right," Puck nodded, running a hand through his mohawk. He's still not sure why Dalton is letting him have his hair this way, but if they're not complaining, he's certainly not. "Well, you used to be in New Directions, so I figure you're the best one to ask. You know the girl that sang at Sectionals, right?"
"You mean Santana? Yes, of course I do. How can anyone not notice her and her loud mouth roaming around the school halls? " Kurt laughed a little, remembering all the times he had seen Santana spit poison at anyone who ever stood over the line.
"Santana?" Puck questioned. "I didn't picture her being a Santana to be honest. And I didn't really see her to be a girl that would walk around with no volume control. At least not all the time."
"Yes, well I would say she has at least 3 victims a day. She certainly did a brilliant job recreating Amy Winehouse, though. Sure, she is a bitch a lot of the time, but sometimes it's easy to look passed that when she's singing."Kurt replied, only confusing Puck more.
"Wait, what? Oh! You're talking about the girl who sung Valerie, right? The one that invited everyone here?" Puck had finally caught on, agreeing that she looked like a Santana. And she did look like she could be a bitch. "I meant the other girl. The blond."
"Oh, Quinn!" Kurt exclaimed. Now the two were both on the same page. "Quinn Fabray. She still has the potential to be a bitch when she's in the wrong mood, but Santana's definitely worst." Kurt smiled at Puck who was now just smiley one of his dopey smiles and repeating that name in his head over and over. Quinn.
"Wait. You're not thinking about hooking up with her or anything, right? Because I've heard rumours about you and your… love life and I don't want you to screw over any of my friends." Kurt looked sternly at Puck for a moment. "Besides, she has a boyfriend, so you wouldn't have a shot anyway."
Puck's smile instantly fell. "What? Wait, it's not the blond guy she was singing with, right?" he asked. Kurt had obviously noticed Puck's mood change.
"That's the one. He's pretty protective over her too, so you better not try anything. But look on the bright side," Kurt said, patting Puck's arm in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sure you can just be friends with her. Once you get to know her, she's a pretty nice person." And with that, Kurt gave Puck once last sad smile before heading inside to join the party.
Puck sighed deeply before following Kurt's lead. When he opened the door, no one looked too wasted yet. A couple of Warblers were running around chasing each other and there were various couples around the place making out. Although Puck didn't want to be nosey, he discovered that none of those couples were Quinn and her boyfriend. That gave Puck some relief. He found Nick and Jeff sitting on a couch and joined them.
"It's about time you come join the party, Puckerman!" Nick exclaimed. Puck assumed he had drunk a fair bit. Jeff just gave Puck a nod. He was obviously the designated driver of the night.
"Did you talk to Kurt?" he asked. "You look worse than when we left you outside before."
"Thanks, dude." Puck replied sarcastically. "Yeah, everything's cool. I was just asking him about this member from New Directions. No big deal." He let out another sigh before turning back to his friends. Jeff was about to say something before Nick interrupted.
"Do you see that girl over there?" Jeff and Puck looked at the girl that Nick was referring to; a short girl with brown hair. Puck recognised her.
"She's Rachel Berry. She goes to my temple. She's got one hell of a voice." Puck looked back at Nick, who was still staring at Rachel. He hit him on the shoulder, earning a wince and an annoyed look from Nick. "See big foot following her around? That's her boyfriend, Finn. I would stay away from him if I were you."
Nick looked disappointed. Puck was about to comment on how he can relate, but he knew that would just make Jeff worry and ask a bunch of questions. "But don't worry, I hear they're not gonna be lasting too much longer. Apparently the giant jackass did something to royally piss her off." This resulted in a happy dance from Nick and a confused glance from Jeff. "Everyone at my temple is obsessed with gossip, it's kind of hard not to overhear," he shrugged.
Jeff nodded. "Of course. Now why don't you tell me why you've been sitting outside on your own for half an hour to talk to Kurt? Surely you could have waited for him in here?" Puck let out yet another sigh, promising himself it would be the last of the night.
"I just wanted to talk to him alone, you know, before I came in here, saw her and made a complete ass of myself." Jeff raised his eyebrows. "Her, huh?" He grinned.
"Shit," Puck mumbled. "Yeah, the member of New Directions I was asking about. I still haven't seen her here yet." He was going to stop there but there was something about the way Jeff looked at him that made him want to share the rest. "Lucky I talked to Kurt, too. Turns out she has some douche boyfriend that's overprotective of her. If I didn't wait for Kurt, I would have come in here with you guys, seen her and done something to earn a broken nose from him."
"How do you know he's a douche? He's probably a good guy for her, Puck." Puck looked at Jeff questionably.
"Oh yeah, because I would just walk in and destroy her life, wouldn't I?"
"Calm down, you know that's not what I mean. Come on, Puck. If you really like this girl, first of all, you need the guts to go talk to her. We all know you have guts, so that's not an issue. Secondly, and probably the most important thing, you need to stop doing what you're doing with every girl you lock eyes with." Puck scoffed. "I'm serious, Puck. I know you've never been a relationship guy, so take a hint from someone more experienced than you."
"More experienced? And exactly what experience do you have, lover boy?"
Jeff laughed a little before turning back to Puck. "Are you serious? Last year I dated Lisa for 5 months. You seriously don't remember her?"
Puck squinted his eyes a little. "She was the brunette, right? The one that wanted to play Monopoly all the time?" Jeff opened his mouth in shock. "That was Rebecca, and that was only two months ago. And that proves I've got dating experience. Now, if you want to get Quinn's attention and avoid her boyfriend, you've just got to listen to me."
Puck didn't reply. Jeff found that slightly odd. Puck always had something to say when he had to listen to anyone else. That's when Jeff noticed that Puck was distracted by a beautiful girl with blond her. "That's her. She's beautiful, right?" He turned back to Jeff, who was grinning at Puck. "What?"
"You called her beautiful. Seems like you've already grown up a little, Puckerman." Puck smiled and looked back to her. If it weren't for the blond guy with the giant mouth standing next to her, the sight would be perfect.
"Sam! I finally found you! Come over here, Mike and Artie want to show you something." Finn shouted across groups of people. Quinn's boyfriend, who Puck now knew as Sam, waved to the guys. He turned to Quinn, probably telling her some excuse so he could abandon her for a while. He moved in to kiss her, but Quinn turned away at the last second, Sam only getting in a kiss on the cheek. He didn't seem to care though and didn't hesitate in saying goodbye to Quinn and running off.
Puck watched Quinn for a minute. She stood in the same spot that Sam had left her awkwardly for a while, before moving towards a wall and leaning on it. "If you wanted to talk to her before Regionals, now would probably be your best chance." He was a little startled at Jeff's voice in his ear, but then nodded; telling Jeff and Nick to wish him luck. Jeff obliged, but Nick was still too distracted by Rachel to know that Puck even said anything.
Puck took a deep breath before walking towards Quinn. She didn't seem to be enjoying herself all that much, and if she didn't turn up, Puck really didn't have any other reason to be here. He leaned against the wall next to her. When she obviously hadn't noticed his arrival, he cleared his throat. She quickly turned her head and looked at him. For a moment he was unable to move. He had never seen any eyes like hers, and reality was finally making an impression on his brain.
He opened his mouth a few times, but found no voice. This had never happened to him before. He usually walked over to girls with so much confidence that it practically radiated off of him. He was considering turning around and walking back to Nick and Jeff until Quinn spoke up.
"Can I help you?" she asked. She was obviously confused, probably a little bit irritated with Puck, but he could tell that she was glad that someone walked over to her. She must have been getting bored after her boyfriend left her alone so he could run off with his friends.
It was as if Puck had lost all ability to talk, or at least control his speaking. "Puck. Noah." He found himself saying. Quinn raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
"What?" Puck felt like an absolute idiot. He wished that Sam would stroll back over here right now and kick his ass.
"Uh, my name is Noah," Puck said, gaining some control of speaking once again. He even smiled at her. She responded with an amused smile, biting her lip slightly to hold back a laugh. And now that's what Puck was staring at. Great. He fought with his brain until he forced his eyes back to hers again.
"I'm Quinn. Quinn Fabray." She held out her hand and he hesitated a bit before taking it in his. She watched him as he shook her hand briefly before just staring at it in his. He must have been standing there for a minute before her voice startled him. "I think I'm gonna need my hand back soon," she said, laughing slightly. He quickly let go and he could feel a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. He never blushes.
"Sorry," he laughed nervously. "I don't know what's wrong with me tonight. I'm not usually like this."
"It's alright. I think I can forgive you." She smiled kindly at him. Puck liked Quinn even more as he continued to have this somewhat awkward conversation with her.
"I saw you sing. You were amazing," he blurted out without being able to stop himself. "I really like your voice. If New Directions let you sing at every competition, I'm pretty sure they would win a lot."
Now it was Quinn's turn to blush. "Wow, thank you. No one has really complimented my singing like that before. But I doubt that would ever happen. No one in our club can even compare to Miss Rachel Berry. Even if they did let me sing, we wouldn't win that often."
"Don't say that, you're amazing. In fact, with you singing, I expected New Directions to just take the win and leave the Warblers way behind." Puck liked the fact that Quinn couldn't stop smiling right now, even if she tried.
"You're very kind, Noah. But the Warblers deserved to win as much as, if not more than us. Warbler songs are incredible."
"Well how about we settle this and say the judges made the right choice then?" Both began to laugh and Puck made a quick glance over to Jeff who was giving him thumbs up. "Oh, and by the way, feel free to call me Puck."
"Puck? Why Puck? Do you play hockey or something?" Puck laughed.
"No, my last name is Puckerman, so all of my friends call me Puck. Only my family call me Noah. And Kurt."
"That makes more sense," Quinn nodded. She briefly looked towards where Sam ran off to before. Puck thought it couldn't hurt to be a little nosey.
"You looking for someone?" Quinn was unable to find her boyfriend, so she turned back towards Puck.
"Just my boyfriend, Sam. He was supposed to stay with me tonight but he obviously finds more joy in running around like idiots with Finn and the guys." Puck was sure he saw an eye roll in there somewhere. "Now I guess I'm supposed to hang here around looking awkward until I have to take a drunk Sam back to his house."
"Well for the record, if I got to take someone like you anywhere, I would be sure to have you by my side the whole night to show everybody that you're mine and that no one else can go near you. Someone would have to be an idiot to do anything to let you go." Quinn smiled softly at him again, turning away to hide another blush.
"You're really sweet. Sam's sweet too, but he's never said anything like that to me before."
For the rest of the night, Puck and Quinn stayed side by side against the wall. In that time, they had both exchanged phone numbers and told each other to keep in touch until Regionals. They had to say goodbye after a few hours when Sam was so drunk that he fell backwards and broke Santana's glass table. Kurt was right about her; she had a very loud mouth.
Finn and Mike dragged him to Quinn's car where he fell asleep pretty much straight away. Quinn didn't look too happy that he had gotten as drunk as he was, but she still managed to put on a smile as she said goodbye to everyone. Puck stood on the driveway watching her car drive away. Jeff walked up to him.
"You looked like you had a good time tonight. After the start of course." Puck nodded in agreement. That was probably one of his most embarrassing moments.
"Yeah, that was pretty bad. But obviously I started doing something right. I got her number and we both promised we would keep in touch until Regionals." Puck was beaming now.
"Well done, my friend. Well down. Now let's say we both haul Nick into the back on my car and try to get him to shut up about Rachel. It will be a tough job, but other people have left as well and I'm sick of Nick attempting to write drunken poems about Rachel for one night." They both laughed as they headed inside to get Nick.
"Yeah. To be honest, the only reason I had to stay here just drove away with her drunk douche of a boyfriend, so I'm good to go now."
"Don't worry, Puck. You seem serious about this girl. You've never been serious about anyone before. Maybe someday soon she'll realise that her boyfriend is a douche for leaving her alone at a party and make the right choice."
Puck nodded and helped Jeff drag Nick out of the house. "I hope you're right about that one, Jeff."