A few days later and Rachel thought she was getting better.

Or at least getting better at pretending everything was perfectly fine and that she wasn't this horribly messy blob of emotion and bitterness.

Thankfully, after the showdown in the bathroom Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina had taken to being at Rachel's side as much as possible. They surrounded her during Glee, flanked her in the halls, and always kept a sharp eye out for Santana. And Rachel was grateful for all of this; she really was. It was just…

Santana wasn't exactly making it easy for Rachel to ignore her.

At least once a day she'd try to approach the little diva, with or without Brittany, and each time Mercedes and Kurt would glare at her and block her off. She'd sigh, let her shoulders sag just a bit, and walk away.

That wouldn't really have been a big issue if Rachel didn't catch the look the Cheerio would throw her way as she walked off. It was just sad. And in all honesty? It made her angry, because since when did Santana have the right to feel that way? It's her own fault. I did nothing wrong. Nothing at all. She'd tell herself that over and over again, and she knew without reservation that it was the truth. This wasn't on her. This was all on Santana.

But… still…

She thought about what had happened in the bathroom more than she cared to and part of her felt like maybe she should give the cheerleader a chance to explain things.

Of course that part was always squashed rather quickly, because she didn't owe the other girl anything.

I don't have to listen to a word she says. She had her chance to talk before she walked out, and why should I hear her out when she refused to hear me? It's completely ridiculous and she's insane if she thinks I would ever compromise myself like that. Groaning, the girl set her head down on her desk. English was as tedious as ever and she already had her essay done three days ago. Which meant she had too much time think, and it was giving her a headache.

As much as she just wanted to ignore everything, she was just so damn curious. She really, really wanted to know what the Cheerio had possibly been thinking when she cut things off…

The diva sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. I need to talk to someone… If I keep thinking about this on my own I'll just continue to go in circles and it will all be completely counterproductive. Also, I fear that if I lose any more sleep over the situation my health will surely suffer. We're too close to Regionals. I can't afford that. Running through the short list of people she could possibly go to about the issue, Kurt and Mercedes were immediately crossed out.

The two were in full guard-dog mode and wouldn't do anything but get angry and defensive for her.

That left Tina, which, well, it seemed the obvious choice now that she thought about it. Tina was loyal, and a good listener, and gave her opinion without necessarily pushing it. She'll offer a different perspective, thought Rachel with a relieved sigh. That's exactly what I need.

The bell rang, throwing her from her thoughts, and she hurriedly grabbed her books and sped out the door. She shared the class with Santana, and the taller girl sat just a few seats behind her. Rachel couldn't afford to catch sight of her, and she needed to find Tina anyway.

Rachel was at home, curled up on her bed, surrounded by her stuffed animals, and talking on the phone with Tina. Neither of them had had any time to speak during or after school, but the moment she got home from ballet and vocal lessons the singer had flipped her phone out and dialed up the self-proclaimed goth.

"So what did you wanna talk about, Rach?" asked Tina from the other end of the phone. Rachel sighed, flopping back onto her matress.

"I… kinda want to hear Santana out… But at the same time, I know I don't owe her that privilege, but I'm really curious at the same time as to what she could be thinking or wanting to say and… well… I just really a second opinion, I suppose…"

The line was quiet for a moment, and Rachel could practically see Tina biting her lip in thought. Then,

"I think you should do it."

That… actually surprised Rachel. Her brows furrowed and she frowned. But Tina kept going.

"You keep looking at it as though you're giving into Santana, or giving her something she doesn't deserve, but what about you?"

"I'm not sure I follow…"

"I think you owe it to yourself to hear what she has to say. I think you deserve to know the full story. This is about what you deserve, not what Santana wants from you."

Rachel smiled softly. "Thank you, Tina… I believe that is exactly what I needed to hear…"

"Of course! That's what friends are for. So… party line?"

"I'll dial in Kurt, you get Mercedes."

The night ended on a better note than it had begun, and Rachel decided to use the weekend to compose herself, focus on school and her lessons, and take Kurt and Mercedes up on that shopping trip they had offered.

Come Sunday evening she opened her Contacts up, scrolled down Santana's name, and sent her a simple text.

Santana Lopez

I am willing to hear you out.