Everyone finds out Santana's secret and Rachel comforts her.
He looks around and makes sure the coast is clear. When there's no sign of anybody, Jacob Ben Israel quickly sneaks into Mr. Shue's classroom. He hasn't gotten any good gossip about the glee club in a while, and he's hoping he'll find something in here. He opens the teacher's file cabinets in hope of finding something gossip worthy.
"A ha!" he exclaims when he comes across a paper that has Santana Lopez's private information on it. "This is gold! Jacob, you hit the jackpot!"
He quickly locks the cabinets, and leaves the classroom. Mission complete.
"Uh! I don't get it!" Santana exclaims, pushing the book away.
"Now Santana, don't get frustrated. Com one, let's try it again." Miss Brown says to the Latina. She has been Santana's special education teacher for two and a half years now. She loves working with her, but she feels bad for the girl. She keeps her dyslexia because of what happened to her in the past. Miss Brown always tells her to not let the past affect her, the Latina always disagrees.
"No! I'm tired of this! I don't want to!" she exclaims, crossing her arms.
"Santana." the teacher warns. She's used to the Latina's antics because they go through this every day.
"No, Miss Brown! I'm so sick of trying to do something that comes so easy to everyone else! Why can't I just be normal?" she asks Miss Brown.
"Because you're you, Santana. You're special. And just because you learn differently, doesn't mean that you aren't normal."
"It sure feels that way." the Latina says solemnly.
"Look, I know it's hard, but you're strong, Santana, and I know you can do this. So can we try one more time? If you get it I'll let you out earlier than usual?"
"Okay." Santana sighs.
"Great! Now what does it say?" Miss Brown asks, pointing to the sentence.
"Um . . . The . . . I-Industrial . . . R-Revolution . . . was . . . a . . . t-turning . . . point . . . for . . . the . . . US?" the younger girl asks, hopeful.
"Santana! You did it! See? I knew you could do it!" the teacher exclaims.
"Really?! Yes!" Santana exclaims, jumping up to hug her teacher. When they part, Santana blushes and gets her things. She isn't really a huggy person, but when she actually understands things she gets overexcited.
"Thank you, Miss Brown." she says sincerely.
"Santana, how many times do I need to tell you to stop thanking me? It's my job." Miss Brown smiles.
"You're right, sorry. See you later!" Santana calls before leaving the room. Miss Brown always lets her out early so she doesn't have to be seen coming from the special education room.
She walks up to her locker and puts her combination in. When she opens it, a paper falls out. She picks it up and looks at it, confused.
"Why was this in there?" Santana asks herself. From what she gathers, this is a copy of her IEP (Individualized Education Program). On it is her deepest darkest secret that she has kept hidden for two and a half years.
She looks around to see if anyone is in the hallway and when the Latina sees that the coast is clear, she rips the paper to shreds. The bell rings and she quickly throws the scraps in her locker. She gets out the books she'll need for homework and closes her locker door. When she looks up, she sees Azimio and Karofsky walking down the hallway.
"Hey Santana! Or shall I say retard?!" Azimio calls as him and his friend pass the Latina. They high-five each other and continue down the hallway.
Santana is hurt by the boy's words, but she shakes it off. She can't show that they got to her. Besides, why would they call me a retard anyways? It's not like they know anything. . . Oh crap! How did they find out? Santana can feel herself getting worked up, so she calms herself down. Its okay, Santana. Maybe they just decided to call you that for no reason.
She takes deep breaths as she walks to the choir room for after-school glee club. When she gets to the door, she sees everybody in there already. It seems that Rachel and the rest of the members are arguing. Typical. She takes one last deep breath and enters the room. All of the conversations stop when she comes in.
"What?" the Latina snaps.
"Santana, we need to talk to you."
"Guys! Did we not just talk about this?!" Rachel exclaims.
"Rachel's we're doing it whether you like it or not." Finn says.
"Okay fine, do as you please. But I am telling you, this is the absolute worse way of handling this." Rachel warns before sitting down on a chair in the back of the choir room.
"Anyways, we need to talk to you, Santana." Kurt says.
"Like Hell you do." she sasses, knowing what they might want to talk to her about.
"San, this is serious. Now sit down." Puck says.
The Latina sighs, but sits down anyways. "What is it?" she asks.
"Jacob Ben Israel posted an article about you. We think that you should see it." he says. Finn gives Santana his phone and on the screen is the article.
Santana skims it as best as she can, but it doesn't really make sense to her until she sees the word dyslexia.
"It's not true." Santana says dismissively as she hands the phone back to the boy.
"Girl, now I know you're lyin'." Mercedes says.
"I told you it's not true!" she exclaims, trying her best to make them believe her lie.
"Well if it's not true, then read the article to us." Kurt says.
"No. I shouldn't have to prove to you that it's not true! Why would you guys believe Jewfro over me, your friend?"
"S, we all know it's true." Quinn says.
"Yeah you get special help in class."
"False."
"You disappear during free period."
"I leave school."
"And you're in all of the lower level classes."
"So?" Santana asks.
"Uh, just face it. Santana we all know." Finn says.
"FINE! OKAY?! I HAVE DYSLEXIA! NOW EVERYONE KNOWS MY SECRET!" the Latina yells before bursting into tears and running out of the classroom.
"See?! I tried to warn you! Obviously if it was kept a secret, it was for a reason! And obviously Santana is very sensitive about it or else she wouldn't have run out of here sobbing! Now I'm going to be a good friend, unlike the rest of you, and comfort her." Rachel says before leaving the choir room.
The glee club all look down in shame. They definitely handled that wrong.
The brunette leaves the room and goes straight to the auditorium. She and Santana are alike in the fact that that they both like to go there when they're upset. When she enters she sees Santana sitting on the stage, crying.
"Santana?" she quietly asks as she makes her way up the aisle. She says it very quietly but the Latina on the stage still hears her.
"What, Berry? Did you come here to make fun of me?" Santana tearfully asks.
"Santana, you and I both know that I would never indulge in an activity like that! I came to see if you were okay." Rachel says as she climbs up the stairs.
"Oh yeah, besides the fact that everyone knows the secret I've kept for two and a half years, I'm just peachy." she says sarcastically.
The brunette sighs and sits down beside her friend. "Why'd you keep it a secret anyways?" she asks.
"Because if you haven't noticed, people can be mean. And plus, its super embarrassing. I didn't want people to know that I'm stupid." the Latina says, looking down at her hands.
"You're not stupid." Rachel disagrees.
"Yes I am! Rachel it takes me minutes to read one sentence, and even then I don't fully comprehend it! Do you know how it feels when everyone else around you is done, and you're still stuck on the first question? Its terrible." she says as she lets some tears fall down her cheeks. Rachel wraps her into a hug and lets her cry.
"If I told you the story on how I decided that I would keep it a secret, would you promise not to tell anyone?" the Latina asks after she calms down.
"Of course, San, I promise."
"Well, I was in second grade . . ."
**Flashback**
"Santana, can you read the next sentence?" Santana's teacher, Miss Carter, asks her.
"Huh?" the young Latina asks, snapping out of her daydream.
"Can you read the next sentence please?"
"I-I don't know how." she says.
"You don't know how? That's absurd! You're in second grade, of course you know how." the teacher chuckles.
"I don't."
"Santana just read the sentence."
"Um, t-t-t-the b-b -"
"Wow, you're right! You can't read!" Miss Carter exclaims.
The kids in the class all laugh at her. She puts her head down a cries the rest of class.
Later that day, the kids are outside for recess. It had rained yesterday, so they all had their boots and coats on.
Santana is playing on the jungle gym by herself because the kids in her class don't like to play with her. She gets down from the apparatus and decides to walk around until recess is over. Suddenly, she is pushed into a big mud puddle, getting her new outfit soaked.
"Hey!" she exclaims.
"Shut up, retard!" the meanest boy in her class, Gabe, says to her.
"I'm not a retard!" she yells as she gets up.
"Yes you are! You don't know how to read! Now shut up and get back into the mud, where you belong, retard!" he yells, pushing her back into the mud.
Santana just sits there in the mud puddle, sobbing.
**End Flashback**
"Santana, that's terrible!" Rachel sympathizes.
"They officially diagnosed me with dyslexia a month later. I had to change schools after that. Even at the private school that I went to after, it wasn't much better. Kids are the same everywhere. That's why when I came here I wanted to keep it a secret. I was bullied for nine years, and I didn't want that to continue anymore. God, it sucks to be different!"
"I know how you feel." Rachel sighs. "I'm different from everyone else in this town."
"Yeah, but you're like the good different. At least you'll get out of here and do something with your life. I'm so dumb I'll probably be stuck here forever." the Latina sulks.
"Santana, for the last time, you are not dumb! And all different is good. Remember that, San." the brunette puts her hand on top of the Latina's.
"Whatever you say." Santana sighs as she leans into Rachel. "Rach, when I get bullied, will you stick up for me? Because I know Karofsky and Azimio are probably ordering a bunch of slushies for me already." Santana asks, vulnerable.
"Of course, San. And I'll do more than that. How about I tutor you everyday after school? I'm about two weeks ahead in all of my classes, ad I'm fully trained on how to tutor people with learning disabilities as well?" Rachel asks hopefully.
Santana's brown eyes light up and she leans up and kisses the girl on the cheek gratefully. The brunette is taken back, but then smiles.
"Thank you so much Rachel! That's the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me." she thanks.
"No problem, San. Now come on, I think we have some studying to do." the brunette says. She offers Santana her hand, and the Latina gratefully takes it. They both smile as they leave the auditorium, together.
