Turn Off the Light
It has been two weeks. Two weeks since that fateful day when Santana Lopez confessed her true feelings for her best friend. Two weeks since Brittany Pierce rejected her for her boyfriend. Two weeks since Santana had her heart broken.
Two weeks did nothing to relieve her heart from the ache. She still felt hurt and rejected. She steeled herself, building up her walls taller than ever. But Brittany could see through Santana. She knew her best friend well. Brittany tried to talk to Santana and keep her as a friend. But it hurt Santana to even look at Brittany. All she saw was a beautiful innocent face that crushed her heart. She couldn't bear to look at her anymore.
Her friendship with Quinn, however, grew. Quinn wasn't blind to Brittany and Santana's apparent intimate friendship. She had a feeling that they were closer than most best friends were. Of course, she didn't ask Santana about it. It was none of her business what her best friends did in their private lives. But she noticed how Santana avoided Brittany and stopped talking to her. So Quinn asked her what was wrong. Santana didn't budge in telling Quinn anything. But Quinn made sure to tell her friend that she was here for her whenever she needed to talk.
Regionals was this past weekend and the New Directions won. It was a happy win for everyone, except maybe Kurt, who was torn between pride for his former teammates and sadness for himself and his new team the Warblers. Now it was the start of a new day and a new week. The day passed by quickly for Santana, which she was thankful for. Now all she had to do was get through glee club rehearsal and she could lock herself up in her room.
Santana made her way into the choir room. Not many people were inside yet. She made her way to the top row, far away from where Brittany would most likely sit with her boyfriend Artie. Quinn came in and sat to the left of Santana and Finn sat next to his girlfriend Quinn.
"Hey Santana," he greeted her politely.
"Sup Finnocence," she smirked.
Quinn rolled her eyes at their interaction. She never understood what Santana had against her boyfriend. Before Quinn could greet Santana, Mr. Schue walked into the classroom.
"Congratulations on our first place win at Regionals yesterday!" Everyone cheered. "Okay. Now we have to gear up for Nationals. As you all know, it is taking place in New York City this year. I know we are going to have to put in a lot of effort because it is not going to be an easy win this time. The show choirs you'll see in New York are going to be the best of the best. But for this week, I'm giving you a different assignment. First I want to ask, how many of you see yourselves in New York City, or any city other than Lima for that matter, after you graduate?"
Rachel shot her hand up as soon as she heard the words "New York City." Almost everyone's hands rose in response to Mr. Schue's question, Santana's included. She wasn't absolutely sure what she wanted to study in college, but she knew that she wanted to attend a college out of state. No one wanted to stay in Lima and end up a Lima Loser.
"Okay." Mr. Schue nodded. "Almost all of you want to get out of Lima once graduation comes. But leaving home means you are out in the world on your own. There are a myriad of opportunities out there for you, but if you don't have a strong idea of who you are and what you want then the world is going to eat you up and swallow you whole."
Most of the club looked confused. Finn looked disturbed. Santana whispered a quiet "wanky" to Quinn who chuckled lightly. Brittany turned to Artie. "How can the world swallow you? It doesn't have a mouth?" Santana heard Brittany's question and she sighed quietly, wishing that Brittany was asking her the question instead of that boy. Santana couldn't understand how Brittany could ever choose Artie over her.
"Okay. Settle down," Mr. Schue said trying to regain control of the class. "What I mean is that I want you all to have a good sense of who you are. So this week's assignment is 'Self Expression.' I want you all to choose a song that represents who you are. I want you to dig deep and explore yourselves. Choose something that isn't so obvious but is still true to you. Does everyone understand?"
Nods of approval indicated the answer. "Good. You all can go home and start thinking of songs for the assignment. I'll see you on Wednesday."
Everyone stood and got ready to leave. Santana stood and went to walk to the exit when Quinn grabbed her wrist, effectively stopping her. "Hey S. Do you want to come over and work on the assignment with me? I don't even know where to begin," she asked.
Santana looked between Quinn and Finn. "Aren't you both busy doing couple stuff," she asked, trying not to sound bitter but failing miserably.
Finn was the one to respond. "No, not today. My mom wants to take me out to dinner to celebrate our Regionals win. Burt is going to Dalton to pick up Kurt and Blaine as well – family dinner. So you are free to hang with Quinn."
Santana nodded. "Alright Q. I'll meet you at your house."
Quinn smiled. "See you then!"
