A/N: This chapter is in the POV of Santana. I'll be jumping back and forth between her and Dylan, but only to get an outside look at Santana's character. I do want to assure you all that this is not a self insertion. Dylan's character is a response to Anne Hathaway creating a new character but unlike her, I didn't create her for myself. I just used my location and knowledge of its geography as a building block. This story is more about Santana than anyone else, so don't worry =] I actually hate the idea of self insertion into a story.
In general, I know that readers are wary of original characters (I know I am) but this is not Dylan's story, its Santana's. If you're still skeptical, I urge you to still give it a shot. It pays off in the end, I promise. There is artwork for this chapter, found on my tumblr or LJ if interested.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, as usual.
Santana stood outside the school entrance, thrust her hands deep in her Cheerios jacket and let out a small shiver. It was freezing, yes, but her involuntary shaking wasn't from the cold alone. It had been a long and lonely Winter break for her in which she had way too much time to mull things over in her mind. This school year was supposed to be awesome, epic even. She was going to be head cheerleader and lead the Cheerios to another national title, she was going to have people begging at her feet, Glee was finally going to become popular and win Nationals, and through everything, Brittany was going to be at her side. It had started out that way, but soon everything began to fall apart. Her captaincy had been ripped from her, no one was begging at her feet and all the Glee kids were still losers. But she could deal with all of those; even though they sucked, they weren't what hurt her the most. No, what hurt the most was that Brittany was no longer the constant in her life that she had grown accustomed to. And over the last few weeks, Santana had all the time in the world to evaluate her current situation.
Taking a deep breath, Santana readjusted herself, and holding her head up high, confidently pushed open the doors. She hated this dance she had to put on for McKinley but she needed to make sure everyone understood she was still the 'HBIC' in this town, no matter what. But this front was getting increasingly more difficult, especially with what she realized over Winter break.
When did it change and what happened? When it came to Brittany, those were the questions she had repeated to herself until she came to her own heart-wrenching declaration. Santana realized that Brittany's demeanor started changing after one particular day, or at least that was the only moment in the past she could pinpoint. Santana had shot Brittany down, refusing to sing a duet with her. It all happened on instinct and now that she had reassessed the situation, she regretted it deeply. She had never treated Brittany that way before, so hostilely, nor had she ever made her feel like she was just using her.
Santana acknowledged that the relationship she had with her best friend was far from conventional. They had grown accustomed to acting a certain way with each other, almost as though they both needed the other to function. Santana realized that their physical relationship had been evolving, especially over the last year and a half. They started making out more and more just for themselves, rather than for others. They started finding more and more excuses to touch one another, during class, in the hallway or at Glee. But most of all, the morning-afters they shared were getting increasingly more intimate.
As she walks down the hall towards her locker, Santana remembers the panic that had begun to set in. With the questioning glances she received from others in school and all of the "gay is wrong" preaching she heard coming from her parents, Santana had no choice but to distance herself from the evolving feelings she was having for her best friend. She had no choice but to shoot Brittany down when she suggested singing a love song duet with her. But now she regretted it more than ever and was slowly realizing she was losing her best friend. Her only friend. Santana decided she would rather sit in agony knowing she could never actually be with Brittany and just simply be a friend, rather than not being friends with her at all.
She rounded one last corner and stopped abruptly. Her locker was just down the hall to the right but what she saw caused her feet to freeze. She recently dreaded going to her locker, seeing that hers was next to Brittany's, but now she wasn't only going to have to deal with the blonde. Dylan was standing next to Brittany with her back resting against Santana's locker. Growling at herself, Santana starts moving towards her locker once more.
Just as she was about to walk up to her locker, Dylan looks up and greets her with a large, warm smile.
"Santana! Hey, we were waiting for you," Dylan says as she pushes herself up off of Santana's locker.
As she approaches, Santana realizes she hadn't gotten the chance to really look at Dylan the day before. The first thing she notices, of course, is the lack of her McKinley softball uniform. Her attire has been replaced with some dark, low cut skinny jeans, topped with a tight blue v-neck that almost matched the hue of her eyes, which Santana now realized were speckled with grey. She wore a pair of black mid-calf slouchy boots and a light grey cardigan. Her wavy copper-colored locks fell just below her shoulders.
"You're in my way, new girl," Santana states, "That's my locker," pointing to the locker directly behind Dylan.
"Oh, okay no problem," Dylan replies, mockingly holding her hands up in a defensive manner.
"Santana," Brittany whines, "be nice! Dylan is. She's funny too."
"Aw, Britt, you're sweet. But honestly, I'm not as funny as you, you're hilarious, and adorable," Dylan says as she turns to face Brittany while bringing her hands up and placing them lightly on her hips, tracing the hem of her Cheerios top. Brittany giggles and leans into her touch before playfully swatting Dylan's hands away.
Santana just stands with her mouth slightly open as she watches the encounter ensue. She doesn't understand how this girl is so forceful and outgoing. Snapping to her senses, she pipes up, "Why are you here, Dylan?"
Dylan takes a second to respond to Santana's question, finally breaking the eye contact she was sharing with Brittany and turning to face Santana with a huge grin on her face. "I have first period with you, apparently," Dylan states, "Brittany told me you have Spanish with Mr. Schuester first, too." Brittany giggles and squirms as Dylan pokes her playfully in the ribs. "So I suggested we wait for you and all go together," Dylan added, filling Santana in.
"Yeah, San, we wanted to wait for you, we can all get seats together," Brittany says this hopefully, and for a second, Santana's heart starts to race, until she focuses on the two girls in front of her and how Dylan is standing way too close to Brittany for Santana's comfort.
But knowing Brittany was waiting for her makes Santana feel better so she responds, "Sure, B, we can sit together," while aiming an unwelcoming glare at Dylan, "whatever you want."
Dylan, however, doesn't seem to notice as she turns to face Brittany enthusiastically. Santana huffs, rolls her eyes and decides to just walk away and put some distance between herself and the other girls as they make their way towards their classroom. But when Santana pushes past Brittany and Dylan, it catches them off guard and they both jump in response.
"Hey, hold up there, hot stuff," Dylan calls as she trots to catch up with Santana, Brittany hot on her heels. "What's up?"
Santana wasn't expecting that question and a million things begin to rush through her mind, but she quickly shoves her thoughts down. This was no place to bring her feelings up and she sure as hell wasn't going to open up to a complete stranger. "Nothing," she settles for a simple reply.
"Sure, okay, I'm not gonna impose," Dylan replies, now walking next to Brittany as Santana keeps her pace in front of the pair.
"You're not wearing your uniform, Dylan," Santana hears Brittany point out from behind her.
"Oh, yeah. I don't have to wear it when we don't have a game or whatever," Dylan replies. "Why are you guys wearing yours? Constantly cheering?"
"Because being a Cheerio shows you're on top, and Coach loves to show who is on top," Santana turns as she replies to the question that was originally posed for Brittany. "And me and her," she motions toward herself and Brittany, "we're on top. And Quinn too," she adds Quinn as an afterthought, but it is true, so she feels obligated to acknowledge the fact that Quinn is indeed the head cheerleader once again.
"Oh I see, it's a status thing?" Dylan asks, "Yeah, never understood those," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.
Santana just looks at Dylan, perplexed for a few moments before finally turning to Brittany. "Come on, Britt, we're going to be late."
Spanish class for Santana was just another way to ensure she had a good academic profile. She didn't really need to take the class and if she actually cared or McKinley's administrators gave a damn, she would be in a different language, like French. Or Mandarin. But Santana chose to stick with Spanish not only for herself, but for Brittany as well. Some people just didn't have the capacity to learn a second language, and while Brittany wasn't a total lost cause, it helped that Santana was fluent in the language. So it was okay that she spent the entirety of the lesson focused on the pair of girls in front of her rather than on the lesson itself.
As they had entered the classroom, Santana took her usual seat in the back corner of the room, expecting Brittany to follow suit. But instead, her blonde decided to sit at the desk in front of her, with the new girl. What was with this girl? Santana couldn't figure it out but she couldn't help smiling at Brittany lovingly when she turned around and gave her a goofy smile.
There was something about Dylan that Santana couldn't adjust to. She wasn't used to someone barging into her perfect little set up. Dylan hadn't even been at this school for an entire day yet she was acting as though she had been part of McKinley for as long as anyone else. But what bothered her most was the way Dylan interacted with Brittany. It was as though they were lifelong friends and that was Santana's role, not Dylan's.
All throughout the lesson, Santana had to deal with the little touches, the small giggles and the lingering glances Dylan was directing towards her blonde. Even though it made her angry to watch the way Dylan was so obviously flirting with Brittany, it also made her sad. She silently admitted to herself that she could never act the way Dylan was acting right now (except maybe in the privacy of her own room), for fear of her reputation and for fear of herself.
At the sound of the bell, Santana was off her seat and out of the classroom before either Brittany or Dylan even had the chance to turn around. She made a bee-line for the nearest bathroom and headed straight for the sink. Santana leaned against the cool tile with both hands on either side of the basin, took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror.
She was just starting to adjust to living with the pain of Brittany dating Artie and admitting that she actually had deeper feelings for her best friend. The last thing she needed was another blow to the heart. Santana turned on the cold tap and let it run over her hands for a while until she finally brought her chilled palms up to her flushed cheeks. After another deep breath, she stood up straighter, tightened her pony and composed herself, ready to face the hallways of McKinley again. She did, however, draw the quick conclusion that she needed a distraction - one that would draw away any suspicions towards her inner turmoil. And as she exited the girl's bathroom and made her way down the hall, her answer presented itself as she spotted Finn near his locker.
Of course! Finn just dumped Rachel. It was her intention from the start to get them to break up. It's the only reason she told Rachel they had slept together in the first place. So there was nothing stopping her from actively pursuing him now.
"Hey, Finnocence," Santana called in her best seductive voice as she slid up behind him, "So I see you finally dumped your half-ling of a girlfriend, I knew you would come around." Finn turns to face her with a typical look of surprise on his face. "I knew it was me you wanted all along."
"Santana, hi," Finn replies. "Listen, I don't know what you're thinking but you're wrong."
"Oh, come on, Finn, I know what you want, and I'm here to give it to you," Santana sneers, "again," she adds with a roll of her eyes.
"Santana, I don't want to date you," she can tell Finn is getting edgy, "you aren't the reason I broke up with Rachel, so will you please just leave me alone?" He's almost begging her and Santana actually feels a little bad for him. What he must be feeling is similar to the pain that she has for her blonde. But she needs this disguise so she keeps pushing.
"Finn, you need to get over her, so don't be a pussy," it's the best excuse Santana can give him right now. She can't be honest with her intentions and she certainly can't tell the boy she can sympathize with him. "It'll be good for both of us. You can be the most popular guy in school again and I'll reclaim my captaincy as head of the Cheerios. What are you waiting for?"
"Look, I'm sorry, Santana, but I'm not ready for another relationship now. Not after what happened. The answer is no," Finn replies, more broken sounding than anything else. "I'm sorry." He repeats before brushing past her and heading down the hall. Santana is left once again standing in the same spot feeling helpless and confused.
The week progressed slowly for Santana. There was just so much weight on her shoulders and it felt as though she had been running a marathon with lead shoes and was getting nowhere. The football team was actually winning, so the Cheerios had to cheer for once. Usually this far in the school year, football season is over and they can focus on Regionals, which was approaching quickly. Instead, Sue is holding extra practices to make up the time they wasted cheering for their Titans.
On top of Regionals for the Cheerios, there was also Regionals for Glee that she had to worry about. Sure, her singing and Brittany's dancing had gotten them through Sectionals, but they had only tied with the Warblers. This was going to be the hardest competition they had ever encountered. They lost to Vocal Adrenaline last year and they didn't actually beat Dalton. The Warblers still had curt and Vocal Adrenaline had that Asian girl Rachel tortured into transferring. There was no way to predict what was going to happen, but it had everyone on edge. They needed something else to give them the advantage and they all knew it.
The last thing Santana needed was more stress, stress in the form of a bubbly blonde and her own wavering reputation. She would be doing just fine if she was still the captain of the Cheerios and had her best friend at her side. Damn these emotional revelations she's had over the last few weeks. She almost wishes she could go back to before her relationship with Brittany became intimate. But at the same time, those brief fleeting moments where she was still awake, arms wrapped around a peacefully sleeping, naked Brittany, were some of the happiest moments of her life. It was those small, beautiful moments she would turn to when she was dealing with Sue, or Mr. Schuester, or Artie. And now, she found herself returning to those moments while she watched Brittany with Dylan.
In a way, she was jealous of Dylan. The girl obviously had no inhibitions when it came to others and she was the most open and willing person she had ever encountered. Santana couldn't understand how Dylan seemed to just go with the flow and not care about what others thought of her. But what really made her jealous was the amount of time she was spending with Brittany. It turned out Dylan had the same History class as the two Cheerios but also the same art class as Brittany. They did all share free period together but Santana was never lucky enough to have three classes with her blonde. And it sucked because at least Santana could keep an eye on them while they were in Spanish and History. But when it came to what went on in that art class, Santana was clueless.
It was now Thursday and Santana was sitting in the library during free period. Across from her, on the other side of the room were Dylan, Brittany and Artie. The three of them were making it hard for her to concentrate and she had so much homework to get started on before Glee practice that afternoon which was followed by one of Sue's extended workouts.
Inhaling deeply, Santana places her headphones in her ears and turns on her iPod, drowning out any surrounding noise as she turned to focus on the precalculus in front of her. She briefly considered going somewhere else to complete her work, but honestly, this was the best place to try and pound through her assignments. Less chance of interruptions.
But of course, she instantly regretted that decision when she was rudely broken away from the work in front of her by a friendly slap on the back. Looking up, Santana's eyes met the blue-grey of Dylan's, much to her disappointment.
"Santana! How's the work going?" Dylan asked, voice just above a whisper, as she enthusiastically pulls up a chair and straddles it, sitting on it backwards. Her eyes are warm and inviting.
"Quite slow, actually," Santana replies through clenched teeth.
"Oh, need help? I'm actually pretty decent at math," Dylan chuckles as she reaches over and pulls Santana's textbook towards her.
"It's precalc, you're not even in this class," Santana responds, grabbing her book back from Dylan, "and I'm fine, I don't need any help."
Dylan laughs lightly again and holds up both of her hands, "Okay, no problem. But just so you know, I am in that class. Third period, after English."
"Oh, right," is all Santana has to offer, cursing herself for being so stupid. Just because Dylan wasn't in her math class didn't mean she wasn't taking the same subject. McKinley was a big school, after all.
"Sooo…" Santana hears Dylan begin, attempting to ignore the other girl. She didn't seem to take a hint though. "Glee today right? I'm going to audition. Kinda nervous though… got any advice?"
Santana throws down her pencil and turns to face Dylan, arms crossed.
Dylan sits up a little straighter and gives Santana her undivided attention, a small smile on her face. "What did you do for your audition?"
There is an unofficial staring contest taking place between Santana's brown eyes and Dylan's blue-grey's. There was something about the new girl's eyes, a perfect mix of blue and grey that was actually kind of enchanting. They weren't as warm and loving as Brittany's, but there was definitely something about Dylan's eyes. They were intimidating.
"Say a Little Prayer for You," Santana replied dryly.
"Really?" Dylan replies, sounding surprised. "Why?"
A small smile escapes Santana's lips before she recomposes her stoic stature and replies, "Quinn's idea, she was president of the Celibacy Club and needed to join Glee to win Finn back."
Dylan laughs, a look of misbelief on her face, "wow okay, you're gonna have to explain that to me at some point."
"Sure, Dylan, whatever," Santana was getting tired of talking. Dylan had a way of worming herself into other people. She had already befriended more than half of the Glee club, and not to mention how comfortable Brittany was with her. The last thing she needed was Dylan crawling under her skin.
"You don't want to know what I'm going to sing?" Dylan asked hopefully.
"No."
"Oh, okay then," Dylan replied, her gaze still set intently on Santana, even though the other girl was once again focused on her precalculus. "Well, I guess you'll just have to be surprised then."
"I thought you couldn't sing, Dylan"
"Yeah, well, no harm in trying, is there?" When Santana didn't give her a response, Dylan continued, "Alright, I'll let you get back to your work. But seriously, if you ever want help, just let me know." Dylan gets up and walks back to the other side of the room, retaking her seat next to Brittany.
Santana watches cautiously as the new girl retreats. As Dylan pulls her chair closer to Brittany, her eyes turn up and meet Santana's briefly, and a small smirk crosses her face. Dylan completes their interaction with a small wink before turning to help Brittany with the workbook in front of her.
Thirty minutes and only five math problems later, the period ends and Santana packs up her things, frustrated with herself for not being able to focus as well on the math homework she had been attempting to complete. Geometry was easy, but precalculus was hard. Her academic advisor had tricked her into believing she could do well in this class.
The remainder of the day seemed to pass without conflict. Santana spent all of sixth period History watching Dylan and her interactions with Brittany. She strangely found her attention focused more on Dylan rather than Brittany. The more she observed Dylan, the more she uncovered about the intruder.
The new girl wasn't short, but she was closer to Santana's own height rather than Brittany's. Dylan still had about an inch and a half on Santana though, which actually sort of sucked. Just one more thing Santana would have to compensate for with her attitude.
The girl had a good body. Well, not as good as Santana's or Brittany's of course. She was a little bit stockier than either of the cheerleaders were. It made sense to Santana, though; she was a softball player, so she was built more for sprite and heft rather than endurance and flexibility. After all, cheerleaders were often tossed into the air by other teammates. Softball players needed to be able to hold their ground in case a stray player tried to barrel them down.
Santana huffed and once more tried to focus on the teacher at the front of the room. She cursed herself for even thinking about Dylan's body. Why was she in the first place? It's not like she actually liked the girl let alone think she was hot or anything like that. She rationalized with herself, coming to the conclusion that Dylan was simply a threat, and Santana had to learn about her enemy before she could make any further movements.
As three-thirty came around, Santana made her way towards the choir room, making sure to bring her Cheerios bag with her. She would have to bolt straight to practice today, in hopes that she wouldn't be late. Running laps was the last thing she needed at the moment.
Brittany is already there, sitting on Artie's lap, giggling at him as he whispers something in her ear. "Ugh, gross" Santana thinks to herself, "Accepting this would be so much easier if I didn't have to see that every day."
Santana makes her way over to her seat in the corner, on the other side, far from Brittany and Artie. With one last glance at the pair, Santana catches Brittany's eye as she looks up. She gives Santana a small smile and for a second Santana thinks she sees sadness there. The moment is short lived, however, because Mr. Schue walks in and calls the room to attention. The other eleven members of the Glee club turn to face him.
"Alright everyone, welcome back! Let's settle down," Mr. Schuester says. "I hope everyone has had a good week back so far, but it's time to start working again. Regionals is coming up, and soon. We only have a few months until the big day and we have a lot of work to do."
Santana sees everyone shift anxiously in their chairs; they are just as nervous as she is about the situation. Even Rachel, who is still caught up with the whole Finn dumping her debacle.
"BUT! I have some great news; I'd like to welcome our potential new member, Dylan Frost!" Mr. Schuester announces as he points towards the choir room door.
Santana knew it was coming, as did everyone else, but she was the only one who didn't actually show excitement for the new girl. Rachel had grown attached to her, and whenever Dylan wasn't around Brittany, she was with Rachel. Puck seemed to like her and apparently thought of her as "one of the guys". She would often spot them talking enthusiastically about why Nintendo was better than Playstation. Even Quinn seemed to accept her and willingly held a conversation with her. But what pained Santana the most was the look of excitement on Brittany's face as Dylan entered the choir room with a big smile.
She had changed. She now wore a simple practice uniform with "WHMS Softball" on the front, with McKinley-red sweatpants, hair pulled back loosely in a messy pony tail. Sue would never let that one slide. Dylan came into the room and placed her softball bag down by the door before coming over to stand next to Mr. Schuester.
"Thanks, Mr. Schue," Dylan states, laughing a little. "I'm not much to get excited about though."
"Nonsense, Dylan," Mr. Schue replied. "So, are you going to sing for us today?"
"Sure thing, Mr. Schue," Dylan says, "but please forgive me ahead of time," she laughs, "been awhile since I've actually sung in front of people."
"No worries, take it away!"
Dylan walks over to the piano and hands Brad the sheet music before walking over to the band. She clues them in on the music and returns to the center of the room.
Santana sits slouched in her chair, arms crossed, staring at Dylan intently. Brad played the first few notes of the song and Santana's eyebrows scrunched together. She had never heard this song before. But her musings were interrupted because the second the drums came in, Dylan started singing.
"I'm in transit, but I'm stranded on this boat. And I pledge myself allegiance to a better night's sleep at home," Dylan sings, her head held down, one heal tamping keeping the beat.
"And the sweet, sweet sun's comin' down hard, the sun's comin' down hard, it burns the bones," She's looking up now, facing the rest of the glee club with a smirk on her face as she continues singing. "So hold a hand for cover, hold a hand for cover, hold a hand for cover from harm!"
The song is upbeat and the rest of the Glee kids start clapping along happily, especially Brittany who seems to be enjoying the performance a bit too much. Santana maintains her stoic posture. Dylan has started moving around the room, as she sings the, "Oh oh oh ohs" of the bridge, obviously trying to get the other members to join her in singing the background melody.
"Talk don't change a thing" Dylan sings and she points to the club to fill in the missing part, "Oh, it's fading fader," she walks over and takes a seat on Brittany's lap while she waits for the Glee club to finish their part "Words don't sink, they swim," Santana doesn't join the rest of her teammates as they sing along with the harmony. "Oh, it's fading fader!"
The chorus ends and Dylan immediately jumps into the next verse, "Bless! This mess we tried our best that's all that we can do," but this time Dylan is up, making her way through the stands to where Santana is sitting. "While the angels walk with the lonely ones," Dylan sits sideways on the empty chair next to Santana and leans back into her as she sings, tapping Santana playfully on the nose as she sings the lonely ones. Santana smacks her hand away as she continues singing, "In the cold rain to rescue you."
Dylan jumps up and makes her way back towards the center of the room, turning around as she sings, "And this fable world's comin' down hard, walls comin' down hard, in all our homes," She glances up at Santana, making eye contact as she continues singing. "So hold a hand for cover, hold a hand for cover, hold a hand for cover from harm!"
The new girl motions for the rest of the team to stand up and join her once again in the chorus, alternating with the harmony. "Talk don't change a thing," she dances playfully with Brittany now as Santana watches, still confined to her seat. "Oh, it's fading fader," Rachel approaches Dylan happily as she sings her part, Dylan responding with the lyrics after her. "Words don't sink, they swim," Artie seems to be enjoying himself as Dylan spins him around in his chair, "Oh, it's fading fader."
The instrumental part that follows gives the Glee kids a reason to dance. Mike is showing off his classic pop-n-lock moves while Brittany seems to be content with just playfully swaying with Dylan. The harmonies come in one more time, led by Dylan as she ends her song with one more repetition of the chorus, "Oh, it's fading fader!"
The music comes to an end and everyone is trying to catch their breath as Mr. Schue walks towards the group, clapping enthusiastically. "Great great job Dylan! Alright! That's what I'm talking about," he says as everyone else starts clapping as well. "Well, guys, it looks like we have our thirteenth member! Welcome aboard!"
The room erupts in shouts of approval and Santana has to close her eyes and swallow hard when she sees Brittany jump into Dylan's arms, giving her an overly friendly hug. When Santana opens her eyes, Dylan still has an arm around Brittany, and she thinks she might actually be sick.
"Alright, guys, settle down, we have to get started on work for Regionals. I know a lot of you have other places to be, too," Mr. Schue says in an effort to re-establish order in the choir room, "Good job, Dylan, please take a seat and we'll begin."
Dylan smiled at Mr. Schuester and turned to follow Brittany, who took a seat next to Artie, as opposed to on his lap and patted the vacancy on her other side, motioning for Dylan to join her.
"Okay, we have a lot of work to do, guys, but I know there are a lot of other events going on right now, this week's assignment is going to be a team effort," he says as he walks over to the white board. "How many of you have ever heard of Twee Pop?" Mr. Schue asks as he writes it on the board.
"Like the robin?" Brittany asks, "The one rocking in the tree?"
"Um, no, Brittany, that's the Jackson 5. Twee Pop is another name for Indie Pop. This week, I want to change things up a bit. Break into groups of four or five and try to put something together. We want to be a versatile and unique Glee club, and to do that we need to widen our repertoire," Mr. Schuester explains.
As Glee club comes to an end, Santana gathers up her Cheerios bag and makes her way towards the door, only to be blocked by Dylan as she picks up her softball gear. Santana stops short and waits impatiently, tapping her foot.
"So, did you like my song?" Dylan asks too kindly for Santana's liking.
"Yeah sure thing, Frosty, now bugger off, you're in my way and I do not feel like running laps today because you made me late," Santana snaps.
"Oh, my bad, you better go then, sorry about that," Dylan says as she steps to the side to let Santana through.
Santana pushes past Dylan and practically sprints down the hall towards the locker room. It's actually early for once, and she is in no danger of being late. She just needed to get away. Away from Dylan, away from Artie, and away from Brittany for a brief moment so they wouldn't have to be together in the locker room for longer than necessary.
As she reaches her locker, she drops her bag on the bench and leans her forehead against the cool, red metal and sighs deeply. "Goddamn it, Brittany," she breaths out, under her breath. She wouldn't be having this potluck of emotions if it wasn't for her blonde friend. She was growing more confused with every passing moment.
She was startled out of her haze when she felt a small hand on her shoulder, "S?" it was Quinn's voice. Santana bit the inside of her cheek. Though she was still not in a good place with the other blonde cheerleader, she secretly reveled in the fact that it hadn't been Brittany's hand. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, Quinn, leave me alone."
"Are you sure? You don't seem fine," Quinn replies quietly.
"I'm fine," Santana snaps.
"Fine," Quinn states, removing her hand from Santana's shoulder. "Be like that, but just so you know, I'm here for you, S, I think I've apologized enough. You need a friend right now and I'm willing to be that friend."
Santana doesn't answer and Quinn doesn't wait around for one either. Once again, Santana is left alone, this time sitting on the worn, wooded benches of the Cheerios locker room, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.
Song: Fader - The Temper Trap