SPOILER ALERT: It has been hinted that Santana might end up working at Coyote Ugly now that she's in New York. That's all I have though…
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.
AN: Hi, I've only written one other fanfic (it's not really my thing) but I thought I'd do it every now and then to better my skills as a writer and keep my imagination fresh. I've been working on several novels but my mind has been feeling sluggish lately so I thought it was about time I gave it a kick.
Also, this is a Sebtana story. I know the whole Sebtana phase has long since gone, but I really like the pair. I would hate to see them together on the show because it would ruin their character dynamics and fanbase, but I like them in my head.
…
The mixture of booze, loud music, yelling men, breast, ass, and boots created a cocktail that did more than try to settle in my stomach before traveling back up through my esophagus and out of my mouth like some pre-show concoction that Rachel Berry whipped up. No, this mixture came through each of my senses, seeping through my skin, burning into my eyes, beating my eardrums, singeing my nose hairs, and engorging my taste buds. It soaked into both my heart and stomach and it made me sick!
My hair was sticky with sweat and my feet ached from walking on the hard bar with these uncomfortable cowboy boots. Tendrils of spittle and alcohol ran down my arms, into the cleavage of my breast, and down my exposed tan legs, having collected the two from the open mouths of the drunken men at my feet. The humidity of the many bodies in the room combined with the perspiration my own body was creating made my clothing damp, clinging to my body more so than skinny jeans on a fat man. I was disgusted.
When I took this job it had seemed like the best opportunity in the world for me. I could sing and dance and be sexy and get paid for it. I was tired of doing that shit for free. But after a week of being grabbed at by calloused hands, slipping on spilt beer, and singing the same old honky rock and country songs I kind of missed singing and dancing and being sexy for free because when I did that I was still a woman. Now I'm a slab of meat.
It was my third week on the job and I had learned to put non slip pads on the bottom of my boots. I had learned to wear a bikini under my clothes because they didn't stick to the body as uncomfortably as normal underwear. And I had learned to bring a towel and a jumbo sized container of sanitizer to work. A good wipe down and healthy dosing of germ killer all over my body during my ten minute breaks made me feel infinitely better.
But most importantly, I had learned to drone out everyone in the room but myself. If my coworkers needed me then I responded but otherwise I kept my mind to myself. This practice helped me get through the nights since it reminded me that in the end there will only be myself and only I can make me feel better. I don't rely on anyone else for that. Of course Rachel and Kurt are nice to have around when I'm trying to wind down, but they can't help me wash off my day.
So as I danced around and handed out beer one particular night, keeping to myself in my head, I felt a tug of something familiar and threatening in the room. The feeling was the same one I got in high school when I had transferred out of my AP English class into a regular English class halfway through the school year so I could spend less time studying and more time with the glee club. I felt superior to the other students in the class; they were nothing compared to me. But another AP student had transferred into the class as well and when he walked in his very presence challenged mine. It's the feeling of being met with an equal.
My eyes scanned the bar first, finding nothing of interest. Then I looked around the room, starting from the center and traveling backwards until I finally spotted a familiar face smirking at me. Without his Dalton blazer he was nearly unrecognizable but I never forget the face of an enemy.
With nothing else to do but continue working, I kept a smile on my face and carried on. However, I kept him within my eye throughout the night. It wasn't until the bar was closing and the last customers were being ushered out that he left my sight, through the front door with his eyes still on me. I found my breath again.
I took my time cleaning with the other girls. We laughed about the night and gossiped about what we'd be doing on our weekends. I even took my time changing out of my skimpy, sweaty clothes into a pair of jeans and a loose sweater. Oh, and the sneakers I pulled on felt like heaven compared to my boots. My nerves were no longer on end I was relaxed as I finally left the bar; so relaxed that I didn't notice him out front as I walked by him.
"Nice show, Lopez" he called after me. I spun around, pepper spray in hand only to be met by Sebastian Smith.
"What do you want, worm?" I hissed, taking a step back as he drew himself from the wall.
A smirk pulled at his thin lips as he made his way towards me. "I only want to catch up with a friend. Is that so bad, Miss Lopez?"
"If friend is the new word for enemy, then yes" I said with as much ice as my tired body could muster.
He laughed a genuine laugh, sounding odd yet soothing to my thrumming ears. His eyes sparkled when he spoke again. "Then I'm in luck," he said, "since I mean friend in no other way than its dictionary definition. So, a coyote, huh? It would be the perfect job for you if you were dancing for women, wouldn't it?"
For the first time since our conversation had started my face had shifted from its stony appearnce. "No, because then I would never be able to focus on my job and I'd get fired" I said. Feeling no need to defend myself against him I put my pepper spray back into my purse before I spoke again. "What about you? Last I checked, gay men normally didn't go to straight bars alone."
"Not unless they want to get laid. Straight bars are full of closet gays trying to look manly. I get some of my best one night stands from straight bars."
"Well, it seems to me like you're losing your touch, Smith. Instead of finding a man, you're stuck with a lesbian. Not switching sides, are you?" I taunted playfully.
Sebastian, however, began to scratch his head and tap his foot in an expression of embarrassment. "No, not really. I had actually run into Kurt sometime last week and he had mentioned you were working here. If I'm being honest, I came to see you."
My eyebrows shot into my bangs. I couldn't believe my ears but he had looked me straight in my eyes when he said that and I saw no lies. "Sorry, Smith, but I'm done with men. And even if I wasn't, I wouldn't dare try again with a homo. You probably wouldn't know which hole to put it in."
He cracked a smile, "Nah, we'd argue too much to be anything more than friends anyways. It's just, I moved to New Jersey a couple weeks ago but it's hard to make friends when everyone is intimidated by you. So when I ran into Kurt and he told me you were here I thought maybe I could just get along with you. Santana Lopez doesn't back down from a fight and she isn't afraid of telling me off. So, I thought, why not make a companion out of her?"
I was speechless. At a glance Sebastian Smith looked like a rich New York boy with the world in his belt. His hair was perfectly jelled, his white button-up was crisp and his dark jeans were fashionably faded and fitted. If I had seen him walking down the street I would have turned my nose up at him and walked in the opposite direction. But upon closer look, he looked lonely.
Sighing, I stuck my hands into the front pouch of my sweater and stared at him. If I was honest with myself, I would admit that I also felt lonely. Rachel and Kurt were amazing friends but they were in their own worlds. I was by myself and as much as I took care of my own, I was tired of being alone.
"Hey," I said, my voicing sounding weaker than I had intended, "there's a diner open down the street from where I'm staying. If you have nothing to do right now, would you like to go get something to eat with me? I've been craving pie and a root beer float."
With that Sebastian Smith smiled and nodded his reply. He walked forward and linked my arm through his, not saying a word but keeping a relieved and contented look on his face. I leaned into his side as we began to walk and for the first time in a while, I felt like I didn't have to watch my own back. He would be there to catch me if I fell like I had just done for him.