She was enjoying another giant plate of her favourite creamy chicken pasta. School was about to start so she knew that meant getting the boys on the football team less useless than the previous year and she couldn't slack off for a second once they'd started. The bell signalling a new customer distracted her and although she usually doesn't look up, her pasta being more important, something compelled her to, just this once.
It was Santana Lopez; one of the Glee Club Cheerios. She had seen her here a lot actually, most weekends, sometimes during the week too; most of the time with a boy she recognised as one of her football players or a hockey player or someone around McKinley. She shook her head when she saw her with another guy, Marcus, an oaf from her team and she wonders why someone as fiery and small and talented and smart, according to Shuester would go out with the dickhead she knew Marcus was.
She was going to ignore them, just eat her pasta and leave like normal but Marcus had groped the girl before she sat down and the poor girl's face looked so fake that it was a wonder that even that douchebag didn't realise. She wondered for a second what it would be like, going on a date like that as she finished off her pasta but when she looked up Marcus was already footing the pairs bill, drooling as he watch Santana walk in front of him and through the doors.
When she finally left the restaurant she tried to ignore the two dark figures against the wall, the smaller one looking like she was being crushed slowly. She had only kissed Will but if kissing more guys meant she looked as broken as the cheerleader then she decided she was good with just that.
A week later she was there again, having a craving for their immaculate chicken pasta when she ran into the same cheerleader, Santana, again. She was walking out of the door as the coach walked in and she grabbed her wrist gently, pulling to indicate that she wanted to talk to her. The younger girl's wrist felt so tiny in her hand though, so breakable and she wondered how she could date the hulk of a boy Marcus when she was so delicate.
"You're Santana right?" she asked, the girl looked so little and even though she was using her normal voice, so much softer and nicer than her yelling one, apprehensive. "Look I know it's not my place but I saw you out with Marcus from the football team, anyway, I just know that he can be of a rough player out on the field and since you're dating I wanted to check that he was treating you right."
A tiny flicker across the younger woman's face was all that alluded to her inner feelings, Coach Beiste was almost in awe of her poker face but her next words were biting and she felt regret, not at what she stepped out of line to say but that the girl felt the need get so defensive.
"I don't think that's any of your business," she spat out and before the sentence was all the way through the bell rung and a guy was walking over to them. It wasn't Marcus but some guy from the hockey team, one of the main ones who had been pushing around her boys. She realised what was going on, that Santana wasn't 'dating' anyone and her heart broke. She had the potential to be so much more than just a body being used.
"You're worth more," she called out softly and the falter in the girl's step let her know that she was heard. She hoped though that she believed her.
She didn't think much more of Santana Lopez; football took up most of her time and the interaction outside the restaurant had faded into something she just tried to ignore whenever she saw the girl. She knew she was a teacher and above her but the kind of girls like Santana Lopez still unnerved her.
One night though, at breadsticks with her creamy chicken pasta of course, she saw her; tight dress as usual with her hair loose. There was something different about her though and it wasn't until she watched her pull out a chair before indicating for her date to sit down that she realised what it was. She was staring at the blonde girl, another one of Shuester's, with barely tames happiness. It looked good on her sharp face and she smiled to herself, digging back into her pasta as she saw a tanned hand meet a pale one on top of the table out the corner of her eye.
She was on her way out when she saw the pair of girls...no, the couple reaching the door. Santana's hand was resting gently on her date's back and she opened the door, murmuring a quiet, 'ladies first' that had Shannon's heart all kinds of warm. She kept walking towards the door and was surprised when the girl kept the door open, waiting just long enough after she had walked through for a quick smile. Her date was waiting rather impatiently up ahead so she skipped after her but it didn't matter because Shannon knew that in that smile the girl had said thank you.