Sometimes Love Needs A Little Guidance

Chapter 4

Rachel opened the door to the bathroom and walked over to the mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed when she saw herself. Her eyes had dark rings under them from lack of sleep; she couldn't sleep thinking about what Finn had said to her the day before. She needed to 'stop playing the victim.' Rachel didn't think she was playing the victim at all, she was acting the way she was being treated. As Rachel looked in the mirror and ran Finn's words over in her mind, she heard the bathroom door open again.

"Excuse me, I'm going to need you all to evacuate the room." She heard Puck's voice say.

She watched in the mirror as the other girls left, glaring at Puck as they did. When everyone had left, Rachel turned back around.

"Noah, this is the girls' bathroom, you're not supposed to be in here."

"But this is important." Puck said as he walked over and leant against the wall next to Rachel. "Where the hell were you this morning?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you freaking stood me up!" Puck said in annoyance. Rachel sighed as she remembered she was supposed to meet Puck. "Anyway, what's wrong with you? You look like hell."

"Thanks, Puck." Rachel said sarcastically with narrowed eyes.

"Seriously, what's up?" Puck didn't sound interested in what she had to say, he sounded like he was trying to be polite. That didn't matter to Rachel though, she just needed someone to talk to.

"I don't think I can do this."

"Do what?" Puck asked with a frown. He looked around the bathroom and then his frown faded. "Oh," He said understandingly. "If you like I can turn on the hand dryer so I don't hear you?"

It was Rachel's turn to frown now. "No, not that!" She said. "I mean Operation Happy Ever After."

"What now, Berry?" Puck said with a sigh. "If I knew you'd take so much convincing I would have done this myself."

"Finn yelled at me yesterday." Rachel sat quietly, staring at the sink.

Puck stayed silent for a moment. "Why?"

"Because I'm 'playing the victim' in the whole Finn/Quinn situation. He wants me to move on." Rachel turned around so Puck couldn't see the tears that were filling her eyes.

"He doesn't mean that." Puck assured her. "He's just saying that because he knows that you have the power to win him back. At the moment he thinks that Quinn is the one for him, give him a week and he'll be doubting himself. In fact, I bet he's already thinking he made a mistake with Quinn, which is why he snapped at you."

"You honestly think that?" Rachel asked, slowly turning to face Puck.

"I really do." Puck smiled briefly. "Now come on, pull yourself together and win Finn back!"

As Puck walked onto the football field for practice, he could see Finn running to warm up. He immediately headed in Finn's direction to have a word with him, and Finn stopped the minute he saw Puck on his way over. They met each other in the middle and greeted each other.

"Where have you been lately, man?" Finn asked casually as they walked to get helmets.

"Nowhere special." Puck shrugged. "By the way, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Puck nudged Finn with his arm.

Finn stopped walking and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw Rachel this morning." Puck stated.

"How was she?" Finn was acting nonchalant, but it was just that: acting. Rachel had seemed upset when Finn snapped at her and he had been concerned about how she was doing since then.