I realize that I haven't updated this in over two weeks but I have been extremely busy. So, I apologize for leaving you all hanging but now I'm back and more focused than ever.
For Faberry shippers, I have a new story up concerning the two. It's called 'Make Or Break' and the first chapter is up since I already wrote it a while ago just to give everyone an idea of what the story will be about.
Now without further ado, I give you chapter 8.
Santana was jarred out of her sleep due to the constant ringing of her phone. She ended the call before even checking who was on the other end. She still had an hour left until she had to get up to go to school and she was bent on enjoying every second of sleep that remained. She wasn't able to get much of it since Rachel was on her mind all night. Once the ringing started up again, she decided to put her phone on vibrate and drift off to sleep.
An hour later, her alarm clock went off for a second since she smacked it as soon as she heard it. She let out a disgruntled groan of displeasure as she got out of bed. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed in frustration at what she saw. She had black bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep and her hair was messier than ever. She then started getting ready, not even thinking back to the racket her phone was making an hour ago.
Once she was done and pleased with her appearance, she head downstairs to the kitchen where she was met with the sight of her little brother Mateo eating cereal and her mother Maribel placing a stack of pancakes on a plate. She ruffled her brother's hair which earned her a pout in return. She then placed a kiss on her mother's cheek in order to announce her presence.
"Looks like someone's awake. I made you some pancakes." said Maribel as a smile crossed her facial features.
"Thanks but I'm not hungry." answered Santana with an apologetic look on her face.
"Are you sure? You know what happened when you -"
"I know, mom. It's not that. I'm just not really in the mood to eat." quickly interrupted Santana before hearing a honking sound. "Oh, that must be Quinn." added Santana before waving goodbye to her mother as she walked out of the kitchen.
Quinn had insisted on taking her to school herself despite Santana getting her car back the other day. The blonde knew the Latina would not get much sleep after the day she's had and would not be in the mood to drive either way. Although Santana would never admit it; she was eternally grateful to have had someone like Quinn by her side for so long.
"Oh, Santana!" called out Maribel as Santana walked back into the kitchen with her eyebrow raised. "Before I forget, I wanted to tell you that Rafael will be staying over for the weekend." Santana nodded, desperately trying to stifle the aggravated sigh that was fighting to escape.
Santana was not too fond of her cousin. Rafael was a twenty two year old man who was still living with his parents in Lima. He only applied to one college and got rejected. Santana couldn't blame the admissions' board since he did have outlandishly low test scores and as a result, he didn't graduate and ended up dropping out altogether. His girlfriend dumped him when she moved away to study at UCLA and he has been drowning his sorrows in alcohol in his parents' basement ever since. The only job he ever had was working as a bartender but he was fired after a week because he was constantly drinking on the job. He even spent some time in prison since he got caught trying to steal some beverages after getting wasted while threatening the staff with a fake gun at that same bar a day after getting fired. He only spent a night there and it was the night Santana came back from New York.
A honk that lasted a couple of seconds longer than the first one caught Santana's attention. The Latina rolled her eyes at her best friend's impatience before shooting her mother a smile and heading out with her bag. That's when she saw Quinn waiting in her car while tapping her fingernails on the steering wheel. Santana glared at her as she entered the vehicle.
"What?" questioned Quinn.
"You really couldn't have waited?" asked Santana with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I apologize for not wanting to be late for school."
"I would've only taken a second longer."
"The last time you took a second longer, we showed up late and it shifted our entire schedules. Do I need to remind you of the laps coach Sylvester made us do because of that? Weren't you the one complaining about aches for an entire week?"
"Whatever." said Santana as she looked out the window while Quinn drove off. "Were you the restless person constantly calling me this morning too?" The question only made Quinn furrow her eyebrows.
"I didn't call you today."
Santana turned her phone on for the first time of the day to find five missed calls and one recent voicemail that her father left her. She didn't even hesitate before listening to it.
"You're probably not picking up your phone because you're still sleeping but I wanted to let you know that Rachel was panicking when I went in to check on her. She was trying to get out of bed but she ended up giving up and falling asleep. I don't want you to visit her now because you have to go to school so that you can get your mind off of what happened. You can visit her in the afternoon. Don't worry. She'll be fine."
"We have to get to the hospital." was the first thing that came out of Santana's mouth when the voicemail came to an end.
"But your father -"
"I don't care. Just go."
"We can't just skip school, Santana."
"Yes, we can. I've done it before. Hospital. Now."
"Look, being there now won't change a thing. She's resting and your father won't be happy to see you there. It's better to check on her in the afternoon when she'll probably be awake."
"Fine. But if something happens -"
"Hospital. I know."
Santana nodded in confirmation before directing her attention back to the window, enjoying the silence that ended up being short lasted.
"You really do love her, don't you?" asked Quinn.
"What makes you say that?" answered Santana in a questioning tone, her eyes not leaving the window.
"I know you, Santana. You only get overprotective and defensive for the people you love. Family, friends and love interests. Last time I checked, Rachel isn't a part of your family and you two haven't really been getting along quite well these last years so that rules out the friend option. That only leaves out one thing. Besides, you won't even look at me right now."
"Well, it doesn't matter." said Santana as she devoted her attention back to Quinn. "She's not into girls and if she was, why would she even go out with someone who has made her life a living hell at school while she hasn't really been having the best family situation?"
"So, you do like her?"
"Fine! Yes, I like her! But like I said, it doesn't matter."
"I know about what happened between you and Brittany."
"What? How?"
"I overheard your conversation the day you admitted your feelings to her. You just don't want it to happen again with someone you actually love."
"Are you saying I don't love Brittany?"
"You love her as a friend. You don't get over things as quick as you did with Brittany. I was there when you went through what you did during sophomore year. It took you longer to get over that than to get over Brittany. This thing with Rachel is really getting to you."
Santana looked down at her lap as she started nervously fiddling with her fingers. Quinn stopped at a red light and draped her hand over Santana's to stop her from stressing. She used her other hand to lift Santana's chin up so that her best friend could meet her eyesight as she spoke.
"She likes you too."
"How would you know?"
"I see the way she stares at you. Wasn't your name the first thing she said when she woke up?"
"Probably because I took her to the hospital. Let's face it. She probably thinks I just took pity on her and that I'll leave her when this thing is over with. Besides, I'm done telling people how I feel. Never ends well."
"But you can prove to her that you won't. I know you feel scared after getting rejected by one of your closest friends but -"
"Don't tell me what I feel." interjected Santana as she pulled her hands away from Quinn's grasp and looked out the window again. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Santana…"
"The light turned green."
Quinn let out a frustrated sigh before turning her attention back to the road, sneaking quick and discrete glances at Santana any chance she got just to see if it was possible to catch an emotion being shown or a crack in her mask. The blonde didn't want to miss the moment the Latina's walls crumbled. Quinn wanted to be there for her but it can start to get slightly annoying if Santana always pushes her away and refuses to let her in.
The situation reminded her of what a wild ride sophomore year was. It was the year they joined Glee Club together. It was the year Santana helped Quinn through her pregnancy. It was the year Quinn helped Santana through her eating disorder. It was also the year they promised each other that they would never keep their emotions caged in because they would need an out at some point.
Quinn understood why Santana was still doing it. Especially after everything she's been through. Although it is a proven fact that keeping everything locked in could lead to a catastrophic disaster. Quinn knew Santana needed help even though she wasn't willing to admit it. Quinn still knew.
When Quinn glanced at Santana one last time to find a blank expression and a face void of emotion, she decided to try her hand at an entirely different tactic that worked most of the time.
"So, what else is going on in your life?" asked Quinn as a smile took formation upon her facial features when she noticed Santana opening her mouth to speak.
"Well, Rafael is staying over for the weekend and I just don't have enough energy to deal with his ass right now."
"Do you ever have enough energy to deal with him? I mean, didn't his parents ask you to actually babysit him once? And didn't they offer you a lot of money so that you would actually do it?" Quinn noticed Santana's lips twitch, threatening a smile before she actually answered.
"No amount of money in the world is worth having him around for even a second."
They both erupted into a fit of laughter as they continuously discussed stories about Rafael's behavior. One comment regarding the man's attitude resembling Puck's on steroids seemed to have made Santana's day as she ended up panting and gasping for air because of how hard she was laughing.
Quinn's plan had worked yet again. Changing the subject or just talking about anything and everything really helps lighten the mood when she senses tension while hanging out with Santana. Targeting Rafael once he was brought up was the best decision she could've made to get Santana's mind off of things.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The car ride went silent again as they neared the school. As she parked the car, Quinn looked back at Santana to find her taking deep inhaled breaths with her eyes tightly closed shut. The blonde once again got a hold of her hand before the Latina had a panic attack.
"Hey, look at me."
Santana evened her breaths and slowly opened her eyes. It pained Quinn to see her best friend in such a state. It was pretty clear that Santana just didn't want to get swarmed with questions about what happened after Rachel fainted. She wouldn't be able to handle it for sure. Truth is, Quinn was worried about that as well but she knew she had to be strong for Santana and she wasn't going to show any ounce of fear.
"What's your name?" asked Quinn as she looked Santana straight in the eye.
"Santana Lopez." answered Santana in a shaky voice barely above a whisper.
"What was that?"
"Santana Lopez." repeated Santana just a bit louder.
"Exactly. You're Santana Lopez. You got this."
No cliffhanger this time (not exactly) so you're welcome. Just a way of me saying sorry for leaving you guys without an update in so long. Writing Quinntana is just soooo fun. Please review if you enjoyed! Happy Independence Day to my readers who live in the United States! It is technically July 4th here since it's 4am right now so yep. And I'm out!
