Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
Chapter Nine
"Oh wow, Blaine. So you really did not tell Kurt anything. Thank you."
"Did not tell me what? Guys, please you are making me crazy here. What is this all about? Why are you not as surprised to see her here as I am, Blaine?"
"I can only explain…"
"Yes, yes. You can only explain part of it, I got that by now." Kurt tries to move the conversation along.
"Okay. So I told Santana, at Rachel's party, that I play not only guitar, but also piano. I did not expect her to reply that she plays as well."
"Don't look so shocked, Kurt. It is not like we ever talked much outside of or even in Glee Club."
"Right, sorry. I just did not expect that."
"There is more that you won't exactly expect." She says in a very small voice, so that the two boys almost do not catch it. Speaking up again she continues
"Anyways, so I told Blaine, that I can play piano, but also, that I had not played in years." Saying this Santana's expression grows rather dark.
Kurt knows this look, from Blaine, from Quinn in the first weeks after she must have found out that she was pregnant, and from all the evenings that he has
spend taking especially long on his skincare routine, not because he does it more thoroughly than on other nights, which is what he has always let his dad
believe. In fact it had been, every single time, because he had kept starring at his own face and drifted off into some especially painful memories.
Kurt takes her hand and without saying a word leads her, closely followed by Blaine, to the space Blaine pointed out earlier.
When they have all settled into the corner - Santana sitting against the wall on which the piano stands right next to them, and Kurt and Blaine settled
against the wall which too many boxes to count are pilled against as well – she looks at the two boys clearly uncertain how to say what she has by the look
of her, Kurt thinks, to get out desperately.
So Kurt, who is the one sitting closer to her, takes both her hands into his. "I know we haven't been that close before, but I would really like to be there for
you if you let me, and Blaine, well from the sound of it, you two already get along better than we ever have, in the past."
With a small laugh Santana continues "Thank you Kurt. Well, as I was saying as a child I had played piano, a lot actually. And Blaine told me about this
amazing teacher he has here. The way you talked about this group, and Miss Bright, but most of all the way you talk about music Blaine, it made me miss
playing so, so much." She pauses with a desperate look on her face. "So when I had sobered up properly, a couple of days after the party and that
horrendous Ke$ha performance we did with the Glee Club, I still had that thought stuck in my mind. Next thing I knew, I was looking up Miss Bright on the
internet, called her, and I guess…here we are."
"It is great you are here Santana." Blaine simply says. "As I told Kurt before, a new face is always welcome here, as long as it is a friendly one."
"Though that is why Kurt looked at me that way when you too stumbled into this room. Not exactly the friendliest face you could imagine, mh Kurt?"
"Well, we have our history Santana." Kurt simply states the fact.
"And there is so much that I really want to apologize for, because you know, there is something that I haven't told you yet, and that Blaine did as it seems
not mention to you either."
"Not my place to tell." Blaine says with absolute certainty.
"I am very grateful Blaine. I did not expect to be able to talk about this in a sober state so soon, I think I only talked to you about my feelings Blaine,
because I was already on my way to getting thoroughly trashed. Anyway, as I was about to say, I got some unexpected help last week. Miss Holiday was
helping out with some more Glee Club stuff, she is a substitute teacher that shows up at our school now and then Blaine, and Brittany really wanted to talk
to someone about it all so…"
Kurt looks slightly puzzled "Wait about what did you guys talk?"
"Do I have to say it out loud? Come on Kurt, you have had your suspicions about Brittany and me for a while now. Right?"
"Yes, but I never thought it was…"
"Well, it is serious Kurt, at least for me. I am gay, Kurt. As gay as you are, and we both know that there is no topping that." She does not give Kurt a
chance to reply at all, she goes straight on, tears pouring down her cheeks, while her eyes stare ahead at the wall behind the boys, unblinking, as if she is
afraid what she will see if she looks directly into Blaine's or Kurt's face "All the snide comments I threw at you, I am so sorry. I was just so scared. I had to
watch what they did to you at that shitty excuse for a school, and I just" she is sobbing now "I could not bring myself to stand up for you, or myself. And I
always thought I had at least Brittany, but she chose Artie over me when I
told her I am in love with her, and…I just…I really needed to be here. To get away from all the drama, and at least try and do something that I know I have
been happy doing once upon a time." There are no more words for what she feels, so she just sits there, her face buried in her hands.
Blaine and Kurt exchange a quick look, then scoot over one on each of her sides. The piano digs into Blaine's right shoulder, but he could not care any less.
"Hey, Santana, it is okay. I am not angry at you, I understand. It took me forever to come out to 'Cedes and my dad. I am so glad and honoured you told
me, because now I can be there for you. Allow me to be there for you, that is all I need you to do for me right now. And of course I accept your apology.
You know, some of your comments were actually almost funny."
Santana snorts "Yeah, sure. As funny as Sue Sylvester is a fluffy pink bunny."
"Hey. Just don't put yourself down any further, because of what has been, okay." Kurt replies.
"Okay."
"So what was that about you knowing how to play piano?" Kurt asks hoping to inject some happiness into this conversation. But he learns within seconds,
that while not being the worst possible move, it certainly is not the best either, as he feels Santana tense up under his touch.
Blaine must have felt it too, judging from the look he gives him.
Blaine thinks he understood where the problem is, because there is something that Santana does not seem to remember having told Blaine in her
half-drunken state. So for the second time this day, it really feels like a déjà vu to Blaine now, he asks in a tone as soft as he can anyhow manage "It is
about her isn't it? Your Mum I mean."
"What did I tell you at that party? Damn, why do I have to be such a whiny drunk." Santana sounds worried and equally annoyed, with herself apparently.
"You said something about her being off her ass on pills."
Kurt does not like what he hears from Blaine, or that it is Blaine telling it, actually. "Santana please talk to us. I am not going to tell you it will solve all your
problems, but it will make you feel better, I can promise that."
"Fine." There is the old Santana, with that one word she makes known she too is still somewhere in there, hopefully not to stay or take over completely
again, Kurt thinks, because he is sure she will definitely shut them out again completely and deny any of this ever happened.
