A/N: Thanks for the great comments and alerts! I love hearing from you. Just to clarify, this is set after Season Two. It's the start of their senior year and Brittany and Artie have broken up but Santana and Brittany are still kind of in limbo. Be sure to let me know what you think!
Disclaimer:I own nothing. Not the show and not the song, which is B.O.B's "Airplanes," btw.
Chapter Six
The following week of school went markedly better for Santana. She purchased an industrial model alarm clock whose alarm frightened her so much she woke up a full 30 minutes before the damn thing was set to go off just so she wouldn't be subjected to the god-awful wail. Subsequently, she hadn't been late to school since.
She met Brittany every morning at their lockers, aced her AP English report, and was excited about this week's biology lab on amino acids (she was pretty sure she was going to get to burn shit up).
Overall, Santana's week was looking up.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"This is bullshit!"
"Santana! Language," Mr Schue implored. "Look guys," he sighed. "This is just a preliminary look-"
"No fucking way!" Santana interrupted. She rolled her eyes and gave an apologetic nod at Schue for the curse. "Look," she took a deep breath, "we do this every year. We work our asses off to get to Nationals, then give every lead to Man Hands and Creampuff Nips-"
"Hey!"
"And lose! Every. Time."
"Look Santana, no one liked losing Nationals, least of all Finn and me," Rachel began. "But we're given leads because our voices pair the best and we have the strongest stage presence as a couple. Crowds love us!"
"Oh really! Then we should have a couple National Championships hanging around, huh?" Santana looked around the room dramatically. "Oh wait, we don't cuz you two can't put the team," she emphasized, "above whatever shit you got going on at the moment. We've come up short every time we let you work out your issues on stage. I for one want to win the damn thing, and this" she gestured at Rachel and Finn, "isn't working."
"Okay, okay, let's calm down." Schue stepped up and called the group's attention. "While I think Finn and Rachel have performed well in the past, Santana might have a point. Maybe we need to shake things up a bit."
Rachel was livid. "Mr Schue! You cannot be serious!" Her shrieking was interrupted, however, by a light rapping on the choir room door.
"Hey, um, am I too late? To join glee club?" Landon stood at the choir room door. She knew she entered during a rather heated debate, about what she hadn't a clue, but she figured she was going to have to interrupt at some point and the sooner the better.
The room fell silent and Landon tried to project casual confidence. She wore tan cargo pants that were tight along her hips but loose in the legs and crotch, and a black "Harley Davidson" shirt similar to the one she let Santana borrow last week. It certainly fit her better than Santana. It clung to her broad shoulders, and stretched across her breasts and taut stomach. She held a handful of books casually at her side.
Landon scanned the room quickly before her eyes settled on Santana in the front row. They exchanged quick smiles that did not go unnoticed by the beautiful blonde sitting next to Santana.
Schue approached her with an outstretched hand. "No, of course not. We're always open to new members. I'm Mr Schuester." They shook hands briefly. Schue was relieved to have something to lessen the tension in the room. "Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us what you bring to glee."
"Oh, um," Landon stepped up. "I'm Landon. Sharriff. You can call me Riff if you like. I'm new, obviously. I transferred from MLK. I'm a senior. Um," she glanced at her football teammates and wondered if she should say anything or acknowledge them somehow. So far, while they hadn't befriended her, they didn't give her too much grief either. Unless they were told to interact with her on the field, they basically ignored her. It was a tenuous relationship at best at this point, and in the end, she decided to avoid the topic altogether. "As for what I bring, I don't know. I play guitar. Dance a bit. I guess I can carry a tune if the music's loud enough," she chuckled softly at herself.
She looked up at mostly curious stares. Finn squinted at her, but she figured that was his standard look. The rest of the guys looked on noncommittal, still a bit wary about having a girl on the football team, no matter how talented she appeared to be. Santana smiled at her lightly. Landon couldn't resist giving her a little wink. A short brunette appraised her unabashedly. Landon pulled her books over her crotch and held them with both hands. The small girl's upfront appraisal unnerved her. Her gaze wasn't unfriendly but it certainly felt…clinical. A beautiful blonde sitting next to Santana looked at her hesitantly, brows furrowed. The blonde seemed overly interested in her shirt and Landon hoped it was because she was a fellow motorcycle enthusiast but the suspicion she saw in the bright blue eyes suggested otherwise. Tough crowd.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Mr Schue. "Alright!" he said overly cheerful. "Why don't you show us what you got?" He took a seat in the front row next to Santana and Brittany.
"Like, now?"
"Sure! It doesn't have to be overly complicated. Just sing us a little bit of something. Anything you like."
"Oh, okay." She put her books down on the piano. "Hey Lopez, you wanna help me out here?" She smiled at the surprised brunette.
All eyes were suddenly on Santana. She shrugged and made her way to Landon. "What'd you have in mind?"
Brittany's eyes followed Santana, wondering how they knew each other. Santana hadn't mentioned the girl and the brunette knew Brittany liked meeting new people. It was curious and disconcerting at the same time. The girl was beautiful. She was tall and lean and her eyes glittered under the florescent lights. She held herself confidently which only intensified her attractiveness.
What disturbed Brittany, though, was the new girl's outfit. It was obvious that the clothes Santana had borrowed last week belonged to Landon. Brittany didn't like the implications of how Santana would find herself in this stranger's shirt.
Landon and Santana conferred quietly.
Santana replied with a "dope" and a fist bump before taking off her jacket, placing it on the piano and moving over to talk to Brad. At first chords of the song, Landon leaned into Santana and whispered "let's see what you got, Lopez."
Santana shot her a confident, seductive smile.
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky are like shooting stars?
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now, wish right now
As Santana repeated the chorus, Landon gave her an appreciative nod and began moving to the music, eyeing Santana as the smaller girl sang. When it was her cue, Landon performed a quick spin that brought her facing the glee club.
Yeah, I could use a dream or a genie or a wish
To go back to a place much simpler than this
Cuz after all of the partyin' and smashin' and crashin'
And all the glitz and the glam and the fashion
And all the pandemonium and the madness
There comes a time where you fade to the blackness
And when you starin' at the phone in your lap
And you hopin' but them people never call you back
But that's just how the story unfolds
You get another hand soon after you fold
And when your plans unravel
And they sayin' what would you wish for
If you had one chance
So airplane airplane sorry I'm late
I'm on my way so don't close that gate
If I don't make that then I'll switch my flight
And I'll be right back at it by the end of the night
Landon's voice was deep and melodic. She rapped with purpose and clarity, feeling the words and making them pop as she glided across the floor. She rocked her hips to the beat, using her body to punctuate the words. When it came time for Santana's chorus once again, Landon moved toward her, wrapping an arm around her waist before sliding up behind her, holding Santana's hips as they matched their movements to the music.
There were a couple "woots" and "alrights" from the group as the duo performed. Most of the glee clubbers danced in their seats; even most of the football boys smiled and cheered the duo on. Finn, however, continued to squint and slouch in his seat, unmoved.
Brittany tried to get into it; she really did. She loved the song and she loved hearing Santana sing even more. But something about the new girl made her uneasy. It wasn't necessarily the flirting. Santana was super hot. Everyone flirted with her. At least Brittany thought everyone should flirt with her. And they were just dancing. Dancing, even provocative dancing didn't need to mean anything. Brittany knew that better than most.
It was just…the liberty the new girl seemed to take with Santana, and the liberty Santana let her take. There was too much familiarity in their movements and it didn't sit well with the blonde. Santana never took to people quickly. Brittany was the only exception and even she had met Santana as a kid, long before Santana's defenses had solidified and she became the guarded person she was today.
Brittany chewed the corner of her thumbnail quietly, tapping her foot too quickly to be in time with the music.
Landon and Santana performed like they'd been doing this their whole lives. They pulled close during the chorus, teased each other from across the piano during Landon's verses, their eyes straying from each other only enough to make the rest of the room feel included.
When the song came to an end, Santana found herself facing Landon, the taller girl's hands on her hips, pulling her close. She smelled like fresh rain and Santana blinked several times to clear her head. Landon smiled broadly before letting her go and Santana took her seat, leaving Landon on her own in front of the group.
"Well alright!" Schue stood, clapped along with the rest of the club—with a few notable exceptions. Brittany simply stared at Santana, perplexed. Finn rolled his eyes and slumped down in his seat further. "Landon, let me be the first to officially welcome you to glee club!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Landon stood up and stretched. Schue finally called the meeting to a close and Landon was more than happy to extract herself from the cramped chair she was sitting in. Before she could move very far, however, a very excited Rachel cornered the tall girl and smiled widely.
"Landon, let me just commend you on your excellent performance today, although 'Airplanes' would not have been my first choice as it does not give you adequate opportunities to showcase the range, tenor, and power of your voice. Fortunately, I have a highly trained ear and was able to pick out a unique depth and richness to your voice that I would like to explore more thoroughly."
"Uh-"
"And I have just the venue for this vocal examination as it were. A glee club karaoke-bowling extravaganza! Most of the club has already agreed to go and this is the perfect opportunity for me to better dissect the talents you bring in a setting that is both congenial and inspiring. It's this Friday at 6. Here's the address," she handed Landon a notecard.
"Um, thanks." Landon was a bit overwhelmed and it took her a minute to catch up to everything Rachel threw at her. "Wait, did you say it starts at 6? Like 6 pm?"
Rachel let out an exaggerated sigh. "Yes, I've been told it's unusually early, but Finn's starring quarterback on the football team and they have their first home game on Saturday. We need to make it an early night if he's to recuperate fully and prepare properly for his game. I hope the early start does not discourage your attendance."
"Oh," Landon didn't know how to respond, how much she should reveal. "So who all's going?"
"Well, yours truly, of course, and Finn, Kurt, Mercedes," she gestured to the individuals who remained, "Puck and Artie. Unfortunately, Mike and Tina are 'working on them' and Lauren has a wrestling function so they won't make it."
"What about Santana?" Landon wondered.
"Santana? Well, she's invited, of course, as are Brittany and Quinn, but I doubt they'll want to come. Santana doesn't really socialize with the group."
"Why not?" Landon was curious. She found Santana intriguing and wanted to get to know her better.
"Well, I guess you'd have to ask Santana that, but I wouldn't recommend it," Rachel added quickly. "I just think she prefers the company of those higher up the on the social ladder. Anyway, I hope to see you there, Landon. I think you are going to be an excellent addition to the group and I'd be happy to take you under my wing as your show choir mentor." Rachel smiled widely, clutched her books to her chest and left abruptly.
"Uh, thanks," Landon called after the girl. She looked around the room still reeling slightly from the Rachel Berry experience.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
After glee, Santana left to drop off some books and Brittany followed.
The leggy blonde leaned against the lockers, her eyes downcast. She fiddled with the straps of her backpack. "So, how do you know the new girl?"
"Landon?" Santana asked distractedly. "I met her in the girls' locker room last week. She's the one who lent me that god-awful shirt. Oh, and get this," Santana shut her locker excitedly. "She's on the football team! The football team. That's so badass!" Santana felt good. Like really good. She loved performing and was impressed by the new girl's audition. Even though she totally stole the show. She leaned back against her locker and turned to smile at Brittany.
Brittany rarely saw Santana this excited. She delighted in Santana's delight but couldn't help the nervousness that invaded her gut. "You like her," she said simply. It wasn't question, but Santana took it as one anyway.
"Yea, I guess. I mean we haven't really hung out or anything, but I think she could be cool. You're really gonna like her, B. She's a dancer and had this dance troupe or something at her old school. Maybe the two of you could start one here. Wouldn't that be awesome?" Santana grabbed Brittany's forearm, excited for her friend.
Brittany sighed and rolled her eyes, "she's a dancer?" She pushed off against the locker, stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest. "So, she's a football playing, guitar-playing dancer who's totally hot and can rap?"
"I know, right! She's like some made-up lead outta a teen movie or something."
"Aren't those always guys?" Brittany pouted slightly.
"Yea but it's like a hundred times better that she's a girl." Santana smiled broadly looking back at Brittany. She finally noticed the dullness edging into the other girl's normally bright eyes. "Hey," she reached out and placed a calming hand on Brittany's shoulder, "what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Brittany sighed. "So what kind of dancing does she do? Did you get to see her?"
"From what I can tell mostly hip hop, but I only saw part of one song. She was practicing with her old crew and they were amazing. She totally rocked it."
"So you like her dancing?" Santana took in Brittany's down-turned eyes, shuffling feet, and small pout. She smiled lightly and took the blonde's hands in her own, squeezing them gently until the other girl met her eyes.
"She's really good. But you're still the best dancer I've ever seen."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Hey Ladies, wait up!" Landon called after Santana and Brittany as they made their way down the hall. She smiled at Santana and turned to Brittany. "Hi," she extended her hand, "Brittany, right?"
Brittany stared at the outstretched hand. She really wanted to give this girl a chance but for as sweet as Brittany was she was equally as stubborn and protective. And something about this girl felt threatening. She hugged her arms to her chest, refusing the other girl's greeting, and moved behind Santana a bit.
Santana frowned at her friend's uncharacteristic chilliness. Before she could reach out to comfort Brittany and ask what was wrong, Landon retracted her hand and continued.
"Um, okay, well Rachel mentioned this karaoke-bowling thing for glee on Friday. You guys going?"
Santana snorted derisively, "karaoke-bowling? Unlikely."
Landon reached out and touched Santana's arm lightly. "Why not? Sounds fun."
"Please. Hanging out with the gleeks on my own time is not high on my priorities list."
Landon laughed. "You're the one who told me to join the club!" Brittany stiffened next to Santana. "What's the big deal about hanging out with them?"
"I said join glee, not become bffs with everyone."
"Come on," Landon urged. "From what I walked into, there's a lot of frickin' tension in this group. And this may be my first show choir, but I've done team sports all my life and tension within a team that has to rely on and trust each other to win doesn't work. This could be just the thing to smooth things over. You wanna win, don't ya?" Landon knew she was close to persuading Santana and she pulled out the big guns. "Besides, how are you going to show Berry up with that super sexy voice of yours if you're not there?" She winked and by Santana's evil smirk Landon knew she had her.
"Maybe Britt and I will make an appearance. When's the damn thing start?"
Landon cringed. "Oh well, 6."
Santana's jaw dropped. "Six. Like 6 at night, seriously?" At Landon's nod, Santana shook her head. "Fucking Berry."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Just a heads up, Chapter Seven might take a little longer to update. It'll cover the karaoke-bowling extravaganza and it's taking me a while to figure out how much I want to go down there. I'd love to hear what you think and what you all might want to see happen. I've got a pretty good idea of the overall story, but I'm open to suggestions for little things you might want included. Thanks again! Please review if you get the chance!