Waking Up
When he came to, Dave's parents were fighting in the hallway. He couldn't hear them, but he could see them, and he watched them for a few seconds, wondering if they were fighting over him, before he noticed that he had a visitor. There she sat, in all her glory... Except there was no glory. The grace and sharpness with which Santana Lopez usually conducted herself had disappeared. In its place sat a make up-less girl with a couple of zits, a set of green-framed glasses, unstraightened hair, wearing a sweatshirt and leggings with red cowboy boots.
That was when it hit him: He did this to her. He thought it was all about him, but he couldn't even see past himself. He was being careless. Again. He wanted to apologize, but the words "I'm sorry" got stuck in his throat, balled up there like it was gagging him, and he couldn't do it.
"Thank God," Santana said. She didn't cry, but he'd never seen her cry. For a few months, he honestly thought she'd had her tear ducts removed like Coach Sylvester said she had done.
"I -" he managed to get out. Dave squeezed his hand as hard as he could and pushed past it. "I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize for anything." She smiled. "I know it feels that way. It's a bit fuzzy, but I remember sitting where you are right now." She tapped her pen on a notebook sitting in her lap. "I've been waiting, trying to think up my best ideas for this." She looked him straight in the eyes, and suddenly it didn't matter that she had zits and was wearing a sweatshirt because Dave could see all the poise and danger in her eyes.
"No." Dave hung his head. "I'm so tired, Santana. I don't want to fight; that's why I changed schools in the first place. And now I can't even go back there. I'm so terrified, Santa-"
"Don't worry; I have you covered." He turned his head, and this time her expression was softer. "I can pay for tuition at Dalton for the rest of the year; it's not like my dad will notice. Just tell me you want to go."
"Isn't Dalton where that Sebastian boy goes?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I don't wanna go to school to see him every day." Dave winced at how much it hurt to talk. "He's just as bad as the guys at my school."
"I'm gonna punch that meercat in the face," Santana said. She turned behind herself. "Oh, shit, there's a nurse coming. Your parents are gonna come in with her. Listen to me, Dave, whatever shit they say, you know what's true and what isn't. It'll hurt, but you're not the only one. And there are people you can talk to, okay?'
Dave nodded. "Santana – I'm sorry I didn't call you. I tried calling s-someone, but..." He tried to smile.
Santana nodded. "I wanted to be the one you'd call. But I guess I've been too distant this year."
"I tried to start over... and that meant leaving you behind."
She stood up. "Nobody gets left behind this time, okay buddy?" She hugged him, and the nurse came in, with his parents behind her. He could hear his mother crying, and he could hear the nurse talking to his father, but for one warm moment, there was a caring friend there for him.
And then she left.
