Summary: An interlocking series of moments between Rachel, Puck, and Finn. Sparked from 'Thinking of You' by Katy Perry, mainly this lyric: you said move on, where do I go? I guess second best is all I will know. It's equally Puck/Rachel and Finn/Rachel.

A/N: Apparently, I am unable to write anything but melodramatically for this bunch of characters, so you've been warned. This part's definitely for mature readers, so you've been warned again.

--

Rachel Berry does not want to die a virgin.

Sixteen years, five months, twelve days into her life with her virginity still virtuously in place and no line of boys asking for the honor, she's beginning to think that long-held fear of hers might become a reality.

Especially when she seems to repel people rather than attracting them. She has yet to master that magnetic quality that the other girls (like Quinn) seem to have been born with.

She was born with truth. A quality she's beginning to fear might do her more damage than good. Especially when it comes to boys. Or people.

People don't want truth. They want pretty, shiny lies.

So, she's beginning to believe that she and a certain football player-turned-glee-club-member could live their own pretty, shiny lie.

It is Finn that she thinks about in the dark, still of her bedroom. She lets her mind wander to him. His lanky body hovering carefully above hers. His kisses gentle against her lips. His large hands everywhere on her body.

Those thoughts get her through the loneliest nights when she's wishing for his warm body besides hers.

(Even if he's having a baby with Quinn).

She knows they could be phenomenal together.

She's willing to bet she'd see stars.

And Rachel Berry knows a thing or two about stars. Melodramatically

--

Rachel always gets what she wants.

From the time she was four, she was aware her fathers would give her anything she asked for by batting her eyes and slightly pouting her lips.

She has used this tool to her great advantage ever since.

So, when Rachel decides that sixteen years, five months, and fifteen days is long enough to be a virgin, she is determined to do something about it.

And, after months of being insulted by the student body and ignored by her fellow glee club members, she wants to prove, once and for all, that someone likes her.

Someone like Finn.

It happens in the dim, empty theatre.

They have spent the afternoon rehearsing at Mr. Schuster's encouragement that his leads need to perfect their song. Rachel delighted at the opportunity, choosing to ignore the annoyed look on Quinn's face and the bored one on Finn's.

After they have practiced and Rachel declares them perfect, she launches herself on Finn in the middle of the stage. She throws her arms around his neck and presses her lips hard against his.

She feels his hands come to her waist. But they are not pulling her closer, they are pushing her away.

"Rachel," he says apologetically. "I cant."

"But, I thought…"

"I'm sorry. I'm with Quinn."

"Right," she whispers, her voice shaking despite her best efforts.

"I hope we can be friends."

--

Rachel resolves not to cry.

She marches out of the theatre with her head held high, her back straight, and Finn still standing on stage.

She is still proud when until she makes it all the way to the parking lot until remembers she did not drive herself to school that day.

And now she is stranded. Proud and stranded.

"Need a ride?"

All she can do is tightly nod her head and follow him to his truck.

As he drives her home, she tries to ignore how often he glances over at her and keeps her eyes focused on the road instead.

Finally he asks with an annoyed sigh, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I was under the impression that you didn't care for when I spoke," she responds curtly.

"Yeah, but it's… weird. You being silent. You're always yapping on about something. Broadway or glee or whatever other lame topic of the day. And now you're all… quiet. It's just… weird."

"Oh." But that's all she says.

He doesn't press the issue because he's 99.9% sure he wont care, whatever it is. But he's used to the Rachel that talks a million miles a minute about the stupidest stuff or the Rachel who's belting out a stupid song he's never even heard of or the Rachel that's whining or nagging. But silent Rachel is new. And unnerving.

It's almost like seeing a new side of someone you're with every single day. A side that's not half bad. A side that's actually kind of pretty when she's quiet.

Almost.

When he pulls into her driveway, she turns to him and opens her mouth to (finally!) say something but yet again, she takes him by surprise and before he knows it, Rachel's in his lap and her tongue is moving in tandem with his.

He is a much more willing participant than Finn was and kisses her back just as hard as she's kissing him.

He welcomes the way she takes charge. Straddling his lap, her impossibly short skirt hiking up over thighs, she crushes herself against him in an effort to get as close as possible. She even takes his hands and puts them exactly where she wants them - right on her hips, but with his long fingers, he's able to feel the bare skin of her thighs with how high her skirt has been hiked up.

It is not long before she feels very prominently the effect she has over him rubbing against her core. She hears a moan echoing inside the truck and she isn't sure if it's her own or his.

The effect is dizzying nonetheless. Powerful.

She is more determined than ever to prove that someone - anyone - could like her. Could want her. That she can make people feel and she can feel in return.

And that's exactly what she's setting out to do with the boy beneath her. She forgets her head and just goes with what she feels instead.

Maybe behind her eyes she sees someone taller, someone softer, but she tries to focus on the boy she's with in the here and now. The boy who isn't pushing her away.

Her hands find their way under his t-shirt and skate over the curves and contours of his chest. It is not long before her hands move even further down and she's quickly unbuttoning his jeans and snaking her hand inside to feel him.

He is hot and heavy in her hand. Hard like she imagined, but soft, too.

She pulls away from his mouth and meets his eyes. They are wide and wondering, but he makes no move to stop her, so she curls her fingers around him and slowly drags her fist over the length of him. She watches as his eyes slowly flutter close and his head falls back against the seat, his mouth hanging open.

Empowered, she moves her hand faster and faster until he calls out her name and digs his fingers into her hip. His entire body shudders and he releases into her hand.

He opens his eyes on hers and stares at her for a moment. He's thankful for the dark shield of the night because he's almost certain he's blushing. Glancing down, he sees her sticky hands and pulls off his t-shirt. He uses his shirt as a towel and carefully wipes her hands clean.

When he is finished, she kisses his lips quickly. It is friendly rather than passionate. She leans her forehead against his, a sigh billowing out, before she gracefully picks herself up and slides back into the passenger seat.

"Thanks for the ride, Noah," she whispers as she reaches for the door.

It is him who is speechless as she gets out his truck.

Rachel smiles as she walks to her house.

She knows she learned a valuable lesson today: she cant get everything she wants, but at least she can get second-best.

--

The next day at school, she avoids both boys in the hallways.

She dreads glee after school and holds her breath every time the door opens.

When Finn enters, he smiles at her like usual and he seems to have forgotten their brief encounter the day before. That makes her breathe easier.

It is not, however, easier, to see him gravitate towards Quinn like he always does. Their hands lock together as soon as he takes his seat beside her and she cant help but notice the gentle bump beneath her shirt today.

Puck is the last to arrive (like always) and he stops when he sees her. Their eyes meet for a moment and it almost looks like he's about to smile, but he stops himself and takes a seat.

It is the seat furthest from her.

--

Two weeks later, Rachel has managed to forget the afternoon she threw herself at two boys and the one she really wanted rejected her.

Her feelings for him have not changed. She still holds out hope that he will realize that she is the girl for him.

Her heart is his any time he's ready to take it.

"Rachel, wait up!" he calls to her one afternoon after practice.

She is in the parking lot, about to get into her car, but she twists quickly around when she hears her and her heart begins to race when she sees it is Finn that is hurrying after her.

"Yeah?" she asks, almost breathless as he towers above her.

"That song you sang today? It was awesome. I've never heard anyone sing like that before. Well, I mean, you always sing well, but… never like that."

"Thanks," she says as humbly as possible.

"I think you're the most talented person I know, Rachel. We wouldn't be anything without you."

She feels dizzy.

"That's very sweet of you to say, Finn. You're a great singer, too. You're really coming into your voice."

"Thanks to you," he tells her, his voice is dropping lower and he steps even closer to her.

She swallows hard at his nearness. "Of course. Anything for glee, right?"

"Right." He glances around him before he looks back down at her. "I just want you to know… about that night a few weeks ago?" She nods, holding her breath. "It's not that I don't like you, Rachel. I do. God, I really do. But with Quinn and the baby…"

She sucks in a breath and feels tears stinging her eyes. Another reminder of the reason the boy before her will never really be hers. Another let down. Another broken future she had envisioned so clearly for herself.

"I have to be there for her and my kid."

"Of course," she says as calmly as possible but ducks her head, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," he whispers. On a whim, he reaches out to her and trails his fingers carefully across her check before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes quickly snap back to his and they hold while his touch lingers against her.

Finally he drops his hand, whispers another hurried apology and leaves her gasping for breath against her car.

She catches Puck watching her when she can finally get her legs to work again.

--

"He's never going to leave her, you know," Puck whispers antagonizing in her ear as she stands at her locker.

She stands rigid as the words wash over her. Slamming her locker close, she turns and defiantly meets Puck's eyes. "Why do you even care?" she hisses.

He shrugs. "I don't."

"You want them broken up just as much as I do," she reminds him. "You love her."

He snorts at her accusation.

"Deny it all you want, but I see how you watch her, how you look at her. It's the same for me with Finn." She pushes past him. "Like it or not, Noah, I know how you feel."

Puck curses Rachel Berry as she walks away from him.

--

Optimism is one of the traits Rachel likes best about herself. It goes hand-in-hand with the hopeless romantic in her.

Combined, she still holds out hope that Finn will be hers. She looks for meaning in everything he says to her (especially when he speaks to her in that husky tenor of his) and still feels butterflies every time he touches her.

She's not quite sure what this kind of love is like, but she imagines it feels something like this.

But she's quickly becoming aware that unrequited love is the worst kind of love. No matter how pretty every song she knows on the subject makes it sound, it hurts like hell.

She learns this lesson when she once more tries to tempt Finn away from Quinn.

And once more, she is rejected.

This time, she cannot help but dissolve into a fit of salty tears. Finn leaves her crying in the middle of the choir room.

When Puck walks in on her, sobbing on the piano bench, she looks up at him with tear-filled eyes and asks him for a ride home.

She mentions that her fathers are out of town while they walk to his truck.

--

tbc