On their way to Quinn's car, Quinn kept a slow steady pace so that Santana could keep up with her. When Santana paused for a moment Quinn moved closer to her in an attempt to offer her some support. Santana noticed what she was trying to do, and quickly stopped her.
She shook her head. "I don't need your help, I can walk."
Quinn contemplated on whether or not she'd argue, but then she figured, getting the feisty Latina to come home with her was already quite an accomplishment. Knowing Santana, pushing for more would only set her off.
"Fine," Quinn replied in a nonchalant tone. "Then start walking."
Santana scoffed before she started moving again, feeling every inch of her body ache as she did so. Not that she'd let Quinn see.
Luckily for Santana the car wasn't that far. As they approached it Quinn opened the door for her. Santana shot her a somewhat angry glare in response.
"Yeah yeah, you don't need my help. Get over it." Quinn's voice sounded cold, but the truth is that she was worried. Finding the Latina the way that she did, it was shocking. She had a lot of questions, but she decided to save them for later. First she needed to get Santana inside. She crawled into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. During the ride it was mostly silent. While Santana looked like she had nothing to say, Quinn was still eager for answers. Eventually she decided to break the silence.
"Santana."
The Latina didn't bother to look up. "What," she replied.
"What happened?"
Santana rolled her eyes. "Guy was mad at me. He wanted more while I gave him what he paid for. Dickhead."
Quinn was surprised at how easy it all came out. Just a few moments ago she was laying broken on the ground, and right now she treated it like it was no big deal. Maybe this wasn't the first time? She shot Santana a quick glance, but found her eyes glued to the girl's face.
"You should keep your eyes on the road," Santana stated as she caught Quinn staring.
The blonde did as she was told. Even though it was just instinct to argue with Santana, seeing the blood staining her cheeks, she couldn't bring herself to do it. However, she was not planning to let this go any time soon. For some reason their encounter worried Quinn as much as it made her curious. What the hell could have happened over the past few months? She thought back at their last confrontation back in Lima, trying to think of any signs that might've gotten Santana into this mess. Nothing.
Quinn had heard about Santana moving to New York, but considering their latest conversation neither of them really bothered to visit. Strange, how you can live in the same city, and still feel like you're on the other side of the world. Quinn didn't know why Santana moved to New York, or why she dropped out of college in the first place.
After a short while she pulled up the car into the parking spot. As Santana got out of the car she stood still for a moment, taking in her surroundings. She spotted the apartment complex in front of them, nothing fancy, but it was still better than her own home. She furrowed an eyebrow. "Thought you lived in a dorm room? Did you drop out or something?"
Quinn shook her head. "No, I'm still in college, and I used to live on campus. I got into a little trouble… So I started looking for an apartment instead."
Somehow this seemed to amuse Santana. "A little... trouble?"
"Let's just get you inside," Quinn replied with an eye roll before she started walking.
Santana followed but kept her gaze fixed on the blonde. "That teacher you were bragging about. It's him isn't it?"
Quinn felt herself getting slightly irritated. How come Santana could ask her all these questions while she still got nothing out of Santana?
"So it's the teacher," Santana answered her own question, based on the other girl's lack of response.
They reached the entrance and Quinn led Santana up the stairs. Quinn noticed Santana was clutching her side whenever she thought Quinn wasn't looking. She made a mental note to herself to check it out once they got inside.
Quinn fumbled her pockets to find the key.
"So… You live here alone?" Santana asked while Quinn finally got a hold of the key, opening up the door.
"Yep. Welcome to my apartment," Quinn replied while motioning for the Latina to sit down on the couch.
Santana sat down as she let her eyes wander around the room. It wasn't big, but it was kind of cozy. And by cozy, she meant messy. "Geez Q, do you ever clean around here?"
Quinn turned to face her with a frown. "Are you always this nice to people who help you out? No wait. Don't answer that."
Santana rolled her eyes. Quinn should know by now Santana wasn't one to be subtle.
"I'll be right back," Quinn announced before making her way to the bathroom. She came back with some bandages and a tiny bottle of disinfectant. The thought of the stinging liquid touching her skin made Santana shudder before it even happened. But she knew to keep a straight face.
Quinn sat down beside her, trying to get a closer look of the cuts on her cheek before she started cleaning them. Santana couldn't help but wince at the pain as she struggled not to curse out loud. "Umphf."
"Sit still," Quinn said calmly, keeping her focus on the cuts.
Santana let out a huff before she even managed to laugh a little. You try it, she thought to herself.
As Quinn finished up, she took a look at the result. The bleeding stopped for the most part, but it didn't exactly look good either. The bruising was now starting to become clearer. "I still think you should –"
"I'm not going to a doctor. It's fine," Santana replied, immediately recognizing what Quinn was getting at.
Quinn offered her a skeptical look in response. "Is it? Santana what happened?"
Santana cocked an eyebrow. "I told you, that guy –"
"No," Quinn cut off. "I mean, what happened these past few months? Why were you working as a…"
"A what Quinn?" Santana asked as she couldn't help but laugh a little bitterly.
Quinn let out a sigh. "A stripper."
A smile appeared on Santana's face, yet there was nothing light about this situation. "Just living up to the expectations, right?"
For so long people joked about Santana becoming a stripper, but Quinn never believed she'd actually end up like that. Not until tonight, at least. What happened? She wondered again. There's no way her parents know about this right?
"I know there's more to it than that."
Santana shook her head. "And you also know I told you it's none of your business."
Of course. But that was before Quinn found her bleeding out on the street. Was she just supposed to ignore this? There's no way. Somewhere deep down Santana was still her friend, and she obviously needed help.
"Santana, just –"
"Give it up Q."
"No!" Quinn said while raising her voice. "I haven't seen you in forever, and I get that we're both at fault. But when I find you walking out of a damn strip club, telling me that's your job, you expect me to just let that go?"
This caused Santana's expression to harden. "Yes. I do."
She got up, but as soon as Quinn saw she was trying to leave she stopped her. "Where are you going?" Quinn asked, irritated at the Latina's careless behavior.
"Out," Santana simply stated before turning around.
What the hell? Quinn thought to herself. After all of this, how on earth did Santana think it was okay to just leave like that? Before Santana reached the door Quinn grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Stay. It's late, and you shouldn't be out there," she said in a softer tone. She wanted to get angry at Santana, but if there was anything that would chase her away even faster, that was it.
Santana turned back around to face Quinn. She saw the worried expression on the blonde's face. She contemplated on whether she should walk out anyway or just stay. The truth is, she didn't want to get back out there. But then again, she also didn't want to stay here if Quinn was just going to keep pushing for answers.
"I promise, no more questions. For now," Quinn assured her.
Santana let out a sigh. "Fine."
"I'll get you something more comfortable to wear." Quinn made her way to her bedroom before returning with a red hoodie and some sweatpants.
This caused Santana to frown a little. It's been ages since she just hung out in something other than a dress or a pair of tight jeans. She was usually too tired from work to change before passing out on the couch.
"What, not fancy enough for you?" Quinn replied as she caught Santana staring at the clothes.
"It's fine," Santana answered, accepting the clothes.
She made her way over to the bathroom to change. As she took off the dress she bit her lip in order to stop her from flinching at the pain in her side. She looked into the mirror, raising her hand to trail across the bruises from where the man had dug in his elbow. Dark shades of purple and blue covered her skin.
"You okay in there?" Quinn's voice echoed through the other side of the door.
"Yeah," Santana called back before quickly slipping the hoodie on. Once she was dressed she came out of to the bathroom to find that Quinn had already laid out a blanket for her on the couch. She fluffed a pillow before looking back at Santana.
"You can sleep on the couch."
"Uhh… Thanks," Santana mumbled. It caught her a little off guard, Quinn being so nice to her.
"Just call me if you need anything," Quinn said before walking to her room.
"Quinn,"
Quinn stopped her movement and turned to face Santana. "What is it?"
Santana looked away, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. "I uhm… I appreciate it, that you…"
A smile appeared on Quinn's face.
"You're welcome."
Song / Chapter Title: Tomorrow Comes Today by Gorillaz
