She hears the rumor in third period when that Jacob kid thinks it's a good idea to open his mouth. It's not and Santana promptly makes him shut it with a single look that once upon a time made Puckerman piss his pants. The kids quaking and it's kind of hard not to laugh so she hides her smile behind her text book.
She hears it again during lunch, when she's walking past one of the jock tables and ireally/i, Joe Lewis shouldn't even utter the word sex given his inadequacy in that area. She drops her tray at the empty spot across from him drawing the attention of the entire table and scowls, "You should really be careful about which stories you choose to share because I have a few of my own." She leans in closer and lowers her voice to a threatening growl, "Like about how much trouble you had getting it in."
His entire face turns read and it almost matches the jersey he's wearing. She's so pissed at that point that she doesn't even bother eating lunch, just leaves her tray there and makes her way out of the cafeteria.
She doesn't mean to end up at the choir room but that's where she is and she can see Rachel through the window in the door, head resting against the top of the piano as her fingers play idly over the keys. She's been the center of rumors herself (some of them true) and its never fun. Her hands on the door knob before she realizes it and Rachel's jerking around to look at her so it's kind of too late to turn back now.
"Hi," Rachel sighs ducking her head and turning back to the piano. "I can leave if you want."
"You're pathetic you know that." She rolls her eyes because that's not what she meant to say, iat all/i.
She can hear Rachel swallow and the girls head bobs slightly like she agrees and that's just fucking ridiculous.
"You need to start sticking up for yourself," she admonishes. "Stop letting the losers at this school fuck with your head. It's like…if they smell weakness they pounce on it."
"But everyone thinks I slept with the Vocal Adrenalin Coach and that's why they pulled out of Nationals."
"So? Rumors are as dumb as the people who want to believe them and your friends, iyour real friends/i, know better than that."
"And you? Do you think I slept our way into winning Nationals."
"Fuck no! You're not brazen enough for something like that. Me on the other hand…" Rachel laughs and that's kind of what she was aiming for. "Look, just…hold you head high and ignore the idiot masses. Eventually it'll die down and another scandal will come along and sweep it under the rug."
"Thank you," Rachel offers smiling meekly and Santana thinks this little heart to heart needs to be over because she's starting to feel nauseous.
"Whatever," she sighs shrugging a shoulder. "This conversation inever/i happened."