Chapter 1

It had all been OK. While she still had Brittany it had all been OK, she could deal with it. The funny looks, the snarky comments, the weekly slushy to the face. The other Cheerios being so careful in the locker rooms, hiding behind towels when they used to flounce around naked and not bat an eyelid. And the oh so humorous graffiti that had started to appear on her locker – "Satana Lezpez", "Captain Queerio", "Rug Muncher". Then there are the notes stuffed in to her locker – these veer between the pornographically obscene to the religious ones about her being smote down and burning in hell. But when she had Brittany, it was all water off a duck's back, she could give a shit. One smile from Brittany, and none of it mattered, she was invincible.

But that was before. Before Brittany had given her the speech – "I love you, but I'm not in love with you. You deserve someone who can love you back just as much. Someone who can give you everything you need. You're so special, so beautiful, you're my best friend, but I just can't go on like this. I can't keep hurting you…" She couldn't remember her reaction with any clarity – she remembered feeling like she'd been kicked in the gut, she remembered screaming, crying and begging. She knew it hadn't been dignified, to say the very least.

So here she was, 4 weeks later, still crying herself to sleep at night. Brittany was back with Artie, she seemed happy, she wanted to still be friends. But Santana couldn't look at her, couldn't bear to be in the same room. She felt like a ghost, wished she was a ghost, so no one could see her, no one could pity her, no one could laugh at her. She felt so embarrassed – she'd declared Brittany to be the love of her life in front of the Glee club, sung that fucking stupid song, only to be dumped on her sweet ass mere days later.

So, she had quit Cheerios and she'd quit Glee. She just existed now, dressed in black, going to class, trying to be invisible, trying to keep it together and not end up in the end stall crying her eyes out. Like right now. "Pull your shit together, Lopez" she chided herself. She was already 5 minutes late for class. Again. "Come on, you can do this."

Inez Lopez pulled in to the parking lot at William McKinley High School. It had been quite some time – maybe 5 years?

When the boys were still at school she had been called in to meet the teachers and the principal so often she had thought she deserved her own reserved spot in the car park, but since the boys had graduated and gone on to college, she hadn't been obliged to come to school for a "chat".

Her youngest child and only daughter Santana was a good student, she got mostly A's and B's, she was captain of the cheerleading squad and a member of one Glee club or another. She'd even had a part in the school musical this year, although neither she nor Miguel had managed to attend a performance. So Inez had been surprised to receive the call from Figgans' secretary asking her to come in for this meeting. Miguel couldn't get away from the hospital for this one, so she was on her own. As she approached the once very familiar principal's office, she idly wondered whether Figgans had changed much in the intervening years. Was he even balder? Had he put on weight?

She entered the reception area where the school secretary sat and introduced herself. The secretary had changed at least – this woman was new. She noticed that there were several people already in Figgans' office, so she made to sit and wait, and was surprised when the secretary ushered her right in, "They're ready for you."

"Mrs Lopez, thank you so much for coming in today," Figgans gushed. He hadn't changed one iota. "Please sit down." He indicated a chair to the right of his desk – they were now sitting in a little circle. Inez began to get a bad feeling about this meeting.

"Mrs Lopez, please let me introduce Will Schuester who runs our Glee club here at McKinley." Figgans indicated the handsome youngish man sitting opposite her- he nodded and smiled. Santana had talked about him. "And of course you know Sue Sylvester, our Cheerios Head Coach." She knew Sue, everyone knew Sue Sylvester. "And this is Emma Pillsbury, our Guidance Counsellor". Inez Lopez gave a quick smile to the petite redhead to her right – "What possible guidance could she give, she looks about 12" she thought, but kept her mouth firmly closed.

"Mrs Lopez, we've asked you to come in today because we are all concerned about Santana, " Figgans kicked off.

"Concerned? Why?" Inez asked.

"Her recent grades have not been as good as we've come to expect from Santana, and she has been late to class 8 times in the last 3 weeks." Figgans gave her a pitying look that set her teeth on edge.

"We all know that this has been a very difficult year for Santana, what with her struggling to accept her sexuality, and then that campaign advert, " Schuester continued with assurance where Figgans had left off.

"Her sexuality? What are you talking about? Campaign advert?" Inez was bewildered.

"She said that she had come out to you and Dr Lopez?" Schuester seemed less confident now.

"I don't understand what you're talking about, are you telling me that you think my daughter is a lesbian? Why are saying this? What is this campaign advert? Show me it!" Inez Lopez had lost her temper, something she thought she'd learned to control over the years since she grown up and moved away from Lima Heights.

"Mrs Lopez, please try to remain calm, we are all here because we want to help Santana," Figgans condescended.

"Show me it now!"