I landed in L.A about an hour ago and was met by Cassandra who took me straight to ABC studios. I get reacquainted with the cast I met at the table read months ago. We chat about how excited we all were to be working with Shonda Rhimes and how we thought the show could be a huge hit. After I meet the cast the crew directs me to my trailer, my personal assistant Shay was waiting for me when I walked inside.
"Good morning Santana." Shay greets me as soon as I walk inside. Shay has been my personal assistant for the last three years and she is the best assistant anyone can ask for. She always showed up to work motivated and on time, never complaining no matter what I asked her to do.
"Morning Shay."
"How was your best friend's wedding? I know you were nervous about going back home." I sit down on the couch, pulling out my cellphone to check my text messages.
"The wedding was awesome and I have so much fun seeing my friends again. At first I was nervous about going back home but everything worked out better than I expected."
"I'm glad you had a good time, you worked so hard this year you deserve a break."
"Thanks Shay."
"Your welcome, by the way here's the script if you want to go over your lines so more."
I take the script out of her hand then get back on my phone, I have a text message from Mercedes that I quickly open up. The text was actually a picture of me and Aliyah fast asleep in her bed. A big smile spreads across my face, I stare at the picture because it was absolutely perfect. Aliyah looks like a perfect little angel while she slept,my angel. I immediately set the picture as my wallpaper on my phone. I text Mercedes thank you for the picture and tell her I would call her later when I was done on set.
"What's got you smiling like a Cheshire cat?" Shay says sitting down next to me looking over my shoulder. I lock my phone so that the screen would go black.
"Nothing I'm just reading a funny text message from a friend." I put my cell phone back in my pocket. I did not need anyone knowing what was going on with me and Mercedes right now. If the tabloids got a hold of information about Aliyah they would have a field day.
"Oh okay." Shay says obviously not believing me but she didn't push the issue any further. Shay was professional in that way, she knew when to treat me like a boss and when to treat me like a friend.
I sit in my trailer going over my lines for a couple of hours until they were ready for me on set. I hear a knock on my trailer door and in walks Cassandra.
"Alright Santana they are ready for you on set." I stand up from the couch, handing my script over to Shay.
"I hope they are ready for me because I am about to knock these producers off their feet."
"Santana Lopez knows no other way, come on let's go." Cassandra says and all of us exit the trailer then walk over to the set.
I enter the set and meet the producers, directors, and Shonda Rhimes of course who tells me how perfect she thought I was for the role. I play a character by the name of Rosario Cruz, a twenty one year old college student whose best friend is murdered and she gets framed as the killer. It's a crime drama and I was hooked the first time I read the script, I knew I was meant to play Rosario Cruz. I talk to Shonda and producers for a moment then we got right into business and started filming. The whole day on set was amazing, I loved everyone I worked with and after filming today's scenes I know it's going to be an instant hit. I walk back to my trailer with Shay, Cassandra had to leave to take care of other clients. As soon as we get inside the trailer I flop down on the couch, it was fun filming but it's been a long day and I am exhausted.
"You did fantastic today Santana, the whole cast is so talented." Shay tells me.
"Thanks Shay, I have no doubt that this is going to be the beginning of something special." As soon as I finish my sentence there is a knock on my trailer door.
"Come in." I announce.
"Hey Mrs. Lopez, our executive producer wants to meet you." Jerry a crew member peeps his head inside my trailer.
"Of course, send them right in." I stand up from the couch, making sure I was presentable in front of the boss.
"Okay, right this way Mrs. Valentine." He opens the door and in comes the one person I made it my business to stay away from five years ago. The woman who I regretted ever laying eyes on is standing right in front of me.
"Well hello Santana Lopez, it's been way too long." The older woman says to me in a seductive voice.
"Emily Valentine." I can't believe this is happening to me, Emily was the reason for Mercedes and I break up and now she was my boss. How in the hell am I supposed to explain this to Mercedes.
"Could Santana and I have a moment to talk in private please." Emily says to Shay in her fake sweet voice that I hated so much.
"No problem, Santana I'll be waiting outside."
"Shay you don't have to wait, just go ahead home I'm good for the rest of the night."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure, enjoy the rest of your night and I will see you in the morning."
"Okay thanks, I will make sure your driver is on his way so he can take you home when you're done here." Shay grabs her stuff and quickly leaves the trailer so now it was just me and Emily.
"Santana, how have you been?" Emily sits down on the couch
crossing her legs. Emily is about fifteen years older than me with dark brown hair and green eyes. Just picture Victoria Davis from One Tree Hill and you got Emily Valentine.
"I've been fine Emily." I really wasn't in the mood to have small talk with her.
"That's good to hear, you know I've been following your career for the past five years. You've really done well for yourself, I guess you never needed my help after all."
"Yeah I guess not."
"Santana why don't you come sit down, I don't bite.. Well on most occasions I don't." Emily winks at me, I can't believe she is really trying to flirt with me right now.
"I'm good right where I am." I lean back against the counter opposite of the couch.
"Santana you seem so uptight, I know it's been awhile and I'm your boss now but you don't have to act like we don't have history."
"A very brief history and I'm not being uptight I'm just trying to make sure things stay professional between us. By the way are we going to pretend like you didn't try to black ball me in Hollywood after I ended things with you." I fold my arms across my chest, I was already irritated by her and I have no time for her foolishness.
"Oh Santana you know the saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Emily giggles and I don't find anything funny. If I wasn't so talented she could of really ruined my career.
"Don't pretend like our relationship was anything serious. We were together for only two months and you were just using me for arm candy to show off to your elite friends." In the two months that Emily and I were together she was constantly dragging me to parties to meet her friends. We never did anything sexual even though Emily would beg me to have sex with her I just couldn't do it. The only thing we ever did was make out and that was bad enough since I was still in a relationship with Mercedes.
"Part of that may be true but I did care for you Santana and I wanted to give you are great life but you just couldn't get over that little home town girl of yours." Emily says rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Don't even speak of her, she was the best thing that ever happened to me and I fucked it all up for nothing."
"Aww isn't that cute, you actually still love her. I'm guessing from all the girls I've seen you with all over TMZ that things didn't work out with your highschool sweetheart."
"That's none of your business Emily." I just want this conversation with her to be over with, she is the last person I wanted to be around right now.
"Fair enough." Emily says. "Anyway I'm over all that now and I just want to make sure we make this show as big as it possibly can be." Emily stands up from the couch and inches closer to me.
"If that's the case then we should have no problems." I try to back up but I'm already pressed against the counter.
"Absolutely." Emily backs away from me with either a smile or a evil grin on her face, I can't tell which one.
"By the way my number is still the same if you need to call me for any reason at all." Emily tries to caress my face but I quickly slap her hand away.
"You're still as feisty as I remembered, see you tomorrow Santana." She blows me a kiss then she goes over to the door and walks out of the trailer.
Why is this happening to me, my life is going great and here comes Emily to ruin it once again. Both my personal life and career are going exactly the way I want it to and now I have to deal with Emily. It was no way I was going to let Emily ruin this opportunity for me but I have to tell Mercedes what's going on.
I catch a ride to my condo with my driver and as I ride in the back of the car my mind wanders to my history with Emily. Emily and I met at a party about a month after I moved to L.A, I was introduced to her by a friend. At first it was just a friendly relationship, she was selling me all these dreams about how she could make me into a star. Me being young, naive and wanting desperately to make it out of Lima my nose was wide open. I ate up all the attention she was giving me and I lost my way. I wanted to be a star more than I wanted to eat or breathe and I saw Emily as my first class ticket to stardom. I was so far gone that when she started to make advances at me I didn't turn her down. Then one night we made out in the back seat of her car, which started everything. At first I felt so guilty about it because I knew it would break Mercedes heart if she found out but I quickly put that guilt to the side. Soon I was spending everyday with Emily, going to all the exclusive Hollywood parties, events, meeting celebrities and I was loving it. This went on for two months until the night Mercedes broke up with me. The next day I called Emily and ended things with her, she tried and tried to get me to be with her. Telling me that she would give me the world and making all kinds of promises but none of that mattered anymore. I lost the one thing that mattered most to me in my life, which was Mercedes. I never saw Emily again after that but I felt her presence everywhere, especially when I would go on auditions. All the writers and producers that were friends with Emily black balled me and if it wasn't for one director given me my big break I would probably be back in Lima working at Breadstix.
When I finally get home to my condo I go straight to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of wine. I take my wine and sit down on my sectional to relax. My cell phone starts to ring and I look at it and see that it's a FaceTime call from Mercedes. I accept the call and the most beautiful face I've ever seen appears on the screen.
"Hi Tana!" Aliyah greets me, it's looks like she is in her pajamas probably getting ready for bed.
"Hey baby girl."
"I'm about to go to bed but mommy said I could say goodnight to you since I couldn't talk to you today."
"I'm sorry I didn't call you today I was very busy working but I'm glad I get to see you before you go to bed."
"It's okay Tana, I just miss you."
"Sweetie you have no idea how much I miss you. I think about you all day long."
"I think about you all day too Tana!" Aliyah is so sweet, I wish I could just jump through this phone and hug her.
"So what did you do today?" I ask Aliyah as I lay back on the sectional, the glass of wine still in my hand.
"Mommy took me to the park and we had a picnic and it was so much fun. I wish you could of came too Tana."
"I wish I could of been there too Aliyah. How about when I come to visit we can all go on a picnic together."
"But when are you coming back Tana?" Aliyah asks with a small pout on her face.
"I wish I could come back soon but I have to work so it might be a long time before I can visit again." I hate that I have to be so far away from my daughter but with my schedule I just don't see how I could make it back home any time soon.
"Can mommy and I come live with you?"
"Trust me sweetie I would love for you and mommy to come live with me but that's just not possible right now."
"Why not?" Aliyah asks innocently. I should've known it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Because mommy has a job there and you will be starting preschool soon. Right now it's just not possible for you to move out here but I promise I will come visit you the first chance I get."
"Okay." Aliyah says sadly. I hear Mercedes talking in the background.
"Tana, mommy says I have to go to bed now because it's getting late."
"Okay sweetheart, goodnight and sweet dreams."
"Goodnight mama." My heart melts hearing Aliyah call me mama. I just want to be there to hug her and tuck her in for the night. Instead I'm stuck here almost two thousand miles away, all alone in this big empty condo.
Aliyah hands the phone over to Mercedes, I was happy to see her face too after the crazy day I had.
"Hold on a second Santana, let me tuck Aliyah into bed and I'll be right back."
"Okay I'll wait." Mercedes puts the phone down. I wait while she deals with Aliyah. She comes back in about five minutes and greets me with her beautiful smile.
"Hey baby." God it feels so good to hear her call me that again.
"Hi babe, I miss you."
"I miss you too, so much."
"Thank you for that picture you sent me, it's my background picture now."
"Yeah I thought you would like it, now you can look at it whenever you start to miss Aliyah."
"It's perfect." I respond. I can see now that Mercedes is in her bedroom sitting on her bed.
"So how was your big day superstar?"
"It was eventful to say the least. The cast and crew are amazing and I had so much fun filming today. I have a really good feeling that this show is going to be an instant hit."
"I'm so happy for you baby and I can't wait to watch."
"Thanks babe."
"Your welcome."
I take a sip of my wine because I know that I have to tell Mercedes about Emily, I just don't know how.
"San is something wrong? You look like you have a lot on your mind." I take another sip of my wine, I'm so nervous about how Mercedes will react.
"Yeah, I have something to tell you and I know you are not going to like it."
"Well that doesn't sound good but lay it on me." I can see on Mercedes face that she is really concerned by what I have to tell her.
"I met the executive producer of the show today and she's a girl from my past."
"What's so significant about that? I knew you would be in the same circles as girls you dated before."
I take a deep breath and exhale. "Because she's the woman I cheated on you with."
Mercedes instantly face drops, I'm sure it's not what she expected to hear me say.
"Wow, I uh don't know how to feel about this." Mercedes runs her fingers through her hair.
"I'm sorry Cedes, I thought she was gone out of my life forever. I had no idea that she would be working on the show when I auditioned."
"Did you talk to her?"
"Yes we talked for a little bit."
"What did you talk about." Mercedes seems a bit agitated now.
"Mostly about our past and what happened between us."
"Did you tell her about me?"
"No, I didn't think it was any of her business."
"Of course you didn't." Mercedes rolls her eyes at me, why is she getting upset with me like I did something wrong.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"So you're still going to work on this show even though the woman who ruined our relationship is your boss."
"Mercedes I'm not going to miss out on the biggest role of my career because of her. I can't believe you would even want me to throw the opportunity away."
"So you don't even care about how it makes me feel to know that you will be around that woman again. It's like five years ago all over again, you picking your career over me."
"It's not like five years ago because I'm not going to hurt you like that again, I made you a promise. This is going to be strictly a business relationship between Emily and I."
"I don't want you working with her!"
"That's not fair Mercedes, this is what I've been working my entire career for. Now you want me to throw it all away over someone who means nothing to me."
"So you're telling me that you don't think that she will try and rekindle whatever relationship the two of you had."
"I don't care if she does because nothing is going to happen. I love you and I want to be with you, I was being honest and upfront with you." Now I'm angry because I did nothing wrong today and I was honest with her.
"So your choosing her over me again."
"Mercedes are you serious right now, I'm not choosing her I-." Before I could finish my sentence I hear a knock on my condo door, I was definitely not in the mood for visitors. Plus it was a odd time of the night for someone to be knocking on my door.
"Hold on one second Mercedes just let me see who this is and we can finish this conversation. Do not hang up, we are not done talking about this." The knocking continues as I hop up off the couch, running to answer the door.
I open the door and before I have the time for my brain to register who the woman was in front of me she begins attacking me with her lips.
"Santana baby I missed you so much! It's been way too long since I had that big cock in my mouth!" This has to be the worst day of my life.
"Nicki stop! What are you doing here?" I pull the young blonde girl off of me.
"I just got back from New York baby and I'm super horny and ready for you." Nicki drops to her knees in front of me and tries to unbutton my pants.
"Nicki no I can't! Get off your knees." I grab the girl by her hand and pick her up off the ground.
"Baby whats wrong? You would normally be cumming in my mouth by now." Shit Mercedes is going to kill me if she heard all of that. I push Nicki to the side and she stumbles back. I run over to my phone left on the couch and I see a livid Mercedes Jones staring back at me.
"Baby let me explain it's not what you think okay. Nicki is someone I was hooking up with before you and me got back together. I had no idea that she was coming here tonight." I quickly try to explain myself but by the look on Mercedes face, it didn't matter what I said.
"Santana who are you talking to." Nicki yells at me.
"Nicki please shut up! Mercedes please I swear I had no idea that she was coming here!" I plead with Mercedes through the phone.
"It doesn't matter Santana, I don't know why we thought this would work out. You have your own life in L.A and it's just too much for me to handle. I'll never keep you away from Aliyah again but I'm not ready to go through this, bye Santana." Mercedes hangs up and our FaceTime call ends. I can't believe that really just happened. Today went from the best day of my life to the worst, how in the hell did I get here.
Nicki walks up behind me. "Who's Aliyah?"
I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THE UPDATE! ALSO #TEAMMERCEDES OR #TEAMSANTANA ON THE EMILY SITUATION?