Reminders: Santana and Quinn have a pre-determined relationship, and Rachel will not come into play until a little later. The Glee Club has dark secrets that won't come out until necessary. Friendships are not as they seem, and again, some characters are extremely OOC. I took creative liberties with most of the characters and I'm not ashamed of that. As for Rachel, she will learn fairly quickly that the bones in her closet are coming to life and fighting to be released.
TM
Santana hated being right. Almost. Kurt and Mercedes didn't sing during their second period, third period, or their lunch period. Instead, they decided to ambush Rachel shortly after the end of their sixth period. The song choice was awkward, to say the least, and Santana gladly watched as Tori and LJ were introduced to the mania that was the former McKinley High Glee Club.
I am beautiful with you
Even in the darkest part of me
I am beautiful with you
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be
"Do they normally sing these types of songs?" LJ whispered in her ear. "I thought Glee was a show choir for like Broadway and stuff."
"We dabbled outside of the bright lights now and then."
"But Halestorm? It's kind of hard to match the powerhouse that is Lzzy Hale. I mean, that chick Michelle sounds pretty dope, but Kevin's voice isn't really suited for…" LJ trailed off and then said, "Uh, what is going on? Who are those people?"
You're here with me
Just show me this and I'll believe
I am beautiful with you
Santana leaned back against the lockers and pinched the bridge of her nose. "First, her name is Mercedes. Second, his name is Kurt, not Kevin. And as for your last question, those are the other members of the Glee Club singing with them," she murmured.
"Rachel isn't going to react well to this," he pointed out. "You do know that, right?"
"Yes. What's your point?"
"So why haven't you stopped it?"
"Why would I? I want to watch them crash and burn."
"You are a sick and twisted individual."
"I've only known you for a few hours, and I can confidently say that comment coming from you is like the pot calling the kettle black."
LJ waved her off and said, "Semantics."
Santana rolled her eyes and looked at Quinn from across the hallway. Tori and Quinn had a class separate from Santana, LJ, and Rachel, and the two seemed to be deep in conversation. Santana noticed the way Tori stood turned to the side, hiding half of her face, and she also saw the way Quinn kept turning red.
"What is your sister doing to Quinn?"
"Ah, the same thing I've been doing to you all day. Asking questions about your relationship," LJ said.
"That seems like it's going as well as mine," she muttered.
"Yeah, Tori doesn't really have a filter. She pretty much just says something and deals with the consequences later. I remember freshman year, she threatened to blow up the principal's car, and she ended up having to spend the night in jail. Apparently, they take threats like that seriously."
Santana blinked at LJ and said, "Is your sister certified?"
"In what?" he asked confusedly.
"Nevermind," Santana sighed.
I've been the strong one for so long
But I was wrong
Does it make you weak if you're needing someone
I'm not holding back and I know what I want
"This song isn't exactly giving off the vibe I'm assuming they were looking for," LJ said. "This sounds like something I would sing to my boyfriend or something. Well, if I had a boyfriend or something and I needed to prove to him that I'm better with-
"Oh my God, please shut up," Santana interrupted. "I swear you're nearly as bad as Puck sometimes."
"Why? Is he gay too?"
Santana's eyes rolled so far back into her head she could've sworn she saw her brain before she huffed, "I have no idea, but you both don't know when to shut up."
"Rude."
"Tell me something I don't know."
LJ bent down and placed his hand on her arm, whispering, "Rachel used to have sex dreams about you when we lived in Seattle."
Santana jerked away from him so fast that she banged her elbow against the locker and to keep from screaming out, she bit through her lip and drew blood.
"That reaction was almost as satisfying as I anticipated."
"What is wrong with you? Why would you tell me that?!" she exclaimed.
"Because you challenge me to be better. I have to struggle to keep up with you in our banter, but finally, I have the upper hand. It's extremely satisfying for someone like me to be on top."
"You're such a fu-
Someone spun her around, and she nearly punched them in the stomach had it not been for the hand instinctively pushing down her right wrist.
"It's just me, you idiot," Quinn hissed.
"Even more reason for me to gut check you. You know better than to sneak up on me," she hissed back.
"She called your name like twice," Tori said, coming to stand by LJ. "You just have poor hearing."
"I would respond, but I feel like you would slice my neck open with your nails."
"Not my nails, but that's a reasonable fear," Tori drawled.
After a beat, Santana asked, "You're certified, aren't you?"
"What does that even mean?" LJ whined.
Tori ignored her brother and blew Santana a kiss before tugging him off and starting an entirely new conversation. Santana blinked and shuddered as she faced Quinn.
"How are you able to hold a conversation with her?"
"I can hold a conversation with you, can't I? You're both ticking time bombs."
"Yeah, except I'm the type of bomb you put in a mailbox while she's a nuclear weapon."
"They're both deadly," Quinn said wryly.
"I leave you with second-degree burns and physical therapy. She'll leave you with six eyes and four hands singing the alphabet while you push your shopping cart full of dismembered family members down the street."
Quinn stared at her for a long moment, long enough for the song to end with Mercedes hitting that last note, and she eventually said, "We need to have a talk about your addiction to nuclear zombie games."
Santana scoffed and said, "There is nothing to talk about, thank you very much. Now hush, I want to watch the show." She pointed over to where Rachel was standing with Mr. Schue. The rest of the Glee Club, minus Puck, her and Quinn, walked over and were practically giddy with misplaced excitement. When LJ and Tori brushed past them, Santana and Quinn followed after them and hoped that nothing would go South.
At least on their end.
Santana didn't particularly care about Kurt and the others getting hurt. She still was angry about the aftermath of Rachel's leaving. A hand grabbed hers, and she glanced over at Quinn, and the blonde leaned over and whispered, "Your skin is turning red, and I don't want you going off on anyone."
"Why not?" Santana gritted out. "They all deserve it."
"Maybe, but this is about Rachel. If, and only if, she needs us, then we intervene."
Santana chewed on her lip and whispered back, "We still need to talk about her, you know that, right?"
Quinn sighed and nodded, squeezing her hand as they reached the group. It took a second for everyone to get past that massive amount of tension. They hadn't all been together in so long, and it was obvious they were trying not to pick up right where they left off. Brittany stood as far away from Finn as possible, but the looks they were shooting each other and Santana could've been seen by the ISS millions of miles away. Quinn was full on ignoring Mercedes and Tina, the situation with them nearly as palpable as the one currently happening between Puck and Finn.
All in all, Rachel had jumpstarted World War Three, and she didn't even know it.
"Why do you all think singing to me would get me to come back?" Rachel asked, breaking the tension.
No one responded.
"That's what I thought," she sighed. "I'm not rejoining the Glee Club. I don't," Rachel paused and changed the subject, "it was a good song, and if you guys really want to win, then you should focus more on songs like that."
"But we need you. We were idiots before, and we made a mistake in thinking we could do it without you," Kurt said.
"Yeah, though you stole every solo, I can't lie that without you, we sound like shit," Mercedes said.
"Plus, who's going to keep us all in order?" Finn asked. "You were really good at being controlling."
"Wow. You were right," LJ said to Santana. "Foot in mouth syndrome to the max."
"I would be careful listening to anything Santana says," Kurt said. "She has a bad habit of speaking on things she knows nothing about."
"Says the guy who just lied straight to Rachel's face," Santana snapped. "Tell her the truth about what happened after she left, and maybe then I'll consider holding my tongue."
"You couldn't hold your tongue even if someone ripped it from your mouth and placed it in your hands," Tori said.
"Shut it, you fucking psycho," Santana hissed, glaring at the side of Tori's head. Then she added, "My point was this entire group is full of liars and cheaters and fucking dickheads, and if you really wanted Rachel back, you would tell her what the hell went down and let her make the decision for herself based on truth and not lies."
"Did you tell her your role in all of this? Huh? Since you're so adamant we say something, how about YOU tell her what YOU did!" Finn shouted.
"I DID NOTHING YOU DIDN'T DESERVE YOU-
Warm hands cupped her cheek while an arm snaked around her waist, and she blinked as she focused on Rachel in front of her.
"Peace," Rachel whispered.
Santana hated what was happening. On the one hand, she had Quinn massaging circles in her waist to ground her in the moment and on the other, she had Rachel pumping straight serenity into her skin through touch, and she did not like the feelings bubbling in her chest. When Rachel dropped her hands, Quinn stepped away, and Santana felt like someone dunked her headfirst into an ice bath. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Rachel smiled and turned back around to face the stunned Glee Club and her siblings.
"I'm not sure what went down when I left, but regardless of whose role in it, I'm not coming back. You can sing as many songs as you want, but I will not be returning. Singing is not my passion anymore, and I would appreciate it if you guys would respect that."
Rachel didn't wait for a response. She merely bowed her head and walked off in the opposite direction with LJ and Tori hot on her heels. Puck cleared his throat, and Santana realized that was their cue to leave as well. She intertwined her fingers with Quinn and glared at Finn so hard the boy took several steps back. Quinn tugged her away, and the three jogged to catch up with the Berry trio heading for the front door.
Despite not being around the Glee Club, Santana still felt tension boiling in her bones, and she didn't want to think too hard on it, because if she did, she would know that the conversation she needed to have with Quinn just got a whole lot more complicated.
Artie, Mike, Blaine, and Sam walked away, which left Kurt, Tina, Mercedes, Finn, Brittany, and Mr. Schue standing in the hallway.
"I thought you said that would work," Finn whined. "You said she would at least think about coming back."
"She has the wrong people whispering in her ear," Kurt huffed. "Santana and Quinn are poisoning her perception of us, and that has to change."
"You two are obviously in bad graces with Santana, and Rachel is picking up on that," Mercedes pointed out, talking to Finn and Brittany. "You two should have been more careful with your relationship."
"It isn't just our fault," Brittany snapped. "You and Tina nearly got Quinn killed with that stunt you two pulled with her father."
"We needed to break them up!" Mercedes protested.
"How were we supposed to know that would happen?" Tina grumbled.
"Yes, break them up, not out Quinn to her father and have him nearly beat her to death," Brittany hissed.
"Enough," Mr. Schue interrupted. "Enough. You all played a role in last year. You need to fix it, now. You know what's at stake for all of us if she doesn't come back this year."
"What about her siblings?" Kurt asked wearily.
"Don't worry about them yet," Mr. Schue said. "Focus on getting Rachel back into your good graces."
"The best way to do that is to remind her that Santana and Quinn are selfish, cold-hearted bitches who will do anything to regain that top spot," Brittany said.
"I don't care what you do. Just do it," Mr. Schue warned.
The group nodded and went their separate ways.
Had they been paying more attention to their surroundings, they would've seen the two people listening to their every word and they would've been a lot more careful with their words.
"Call Leroy, tell him we're coming over for dinner."
"And what exactly are we going to be telling him?"
Sue pushed off the wall and looked down at Emma, "Tell him that those rumors about Will Schuester may have more truth to them than I first believed."