Archive of Our Own

None of his fellow jocks were there but he was okay with that because he’d become some damn leper after the whole school found out he was the father of Quinn’s baby. Everyone sided with the golden boy and that left Puck on the outside and farther down the social ladder, than even Glee could take you.

Scanning the room for a place to sit because he wasn’t that much of a loser that he’d sit by himself. He caught sight of Aretha sitting at a table near the back and to his left. Dropping his tray on the table, he kicked his chair out and sat in front of her. Puck waited for her to say something after her eyes drifted up to see who was disturbing her but she just went back to the magazine she was reading.

“Hey,” he said around a mouthful of food. No one got to just ignore the stud.

She rolled her eyes as she put a chip in her mouth.

He kicked her under the table and she kicked him back. They went back and forth a few times before she shoved away from the table and stood up.

“Wait,” he said desperately before he sighed.

Mercedes eyed him warily. “What do you want, Puck?”

“Just sit down.”

Her hand on her cocked hip, she eyeballed him.

“Please.”

She was still wary but she sat. “You kick me again and that’ll be your last baby. You hear me?”

He gave her a cocky grin. “I knew you wanted me.”

“Boy, if this is what you wanted, you could have found some other little girl to play with.”

“God, can’t you just sit there and eat your damn lunch with me.” Puck ran his hand over his Mohawk.

“I’ll eat with you, if you can tell me my name.”

He smirked, this he could do.

“Aretha.”

Mercedes stood up so fast, she rocked the wobbly table.

“Mercedes! Damn, girl. Learn to take a joke.”

“You sat with me, I didn’t invite you.”

Puck knew she wasn’t going to make this easy.

“I don’t want to eat alone, ok.” He looked down at his tray.

She understood that, none of her friends were in this lunch either. Sitting, “So how’d you end up in this lunch, anyway?”

“Ms. P., she took away my study hall.” He pouted.

Mercedes laughed.