A/N – I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, I've never really thought about writing Quinn before so I hope it comes off okay. I love the three cheerios together so I may try and incorporate more into follow chapters. Anyways, enjoy and as all reviews welcome!
Chapter Nine
It was a relatively warm night out and Santana was glad for the cool breeze as she sunk down onto the grass, leaning against a tree. Rachel was still inside, talking to Mr Shue about their opening number for the competition it seemed as though ever since she had realised it would be a chance to prove something to the jerks at Jackson High she had been twice as determined, which considering Rachel's personality was almost a scary sight.
'Hey!'
Quinn's voice rang out and Santana looked over to see the blonde heading in her direction. Her stomach clench in worry as girl sat down on the grass next to her.
'Hey, what's up?' Santana asked casually, immediately regretting her vague question.
Quinn bit her lip as she looked up at the brunette, she hesitated then quietly she mumbled something which sounded a lot like an apology.
'Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?' Santana replied with a confused look as she shuffled closer to the other cheerleader.
'For last night'
'Oh' Santana shifted awkwardly. She and Quinn hadn't been on the best terms recently but she knew that deep down even with all the stupid bitchiness that had passed between them that the blonde cared for her 'Well it wasn't your fault, some people are assholes'
'Yeah but I shouldn't have just stood there. I should have...'
'What, chased them up to whatever floor they're on and gone ape-shit on them?' the brunette offered with a faint smile 'What good would that do?'
'I should have done something' the blonde stressed, looking guilty 'We've been friends for years and…I didn't know what to do'
'There's nothing you could have done Quinn, shit happens you just have to deal with it' the Latina replied, she tried not to sound defeated but it was hard to feel anything but when she remembered the smirking faces and the ache of her ribs.
Quinn reached out and grasped one of the other girls hands, intertwining their fingers 'I wish there was something I could do, but I…I didn't even know what to say to you'
'We haven't exactly been friends for a while' Santana shrugged, her voice tinged with guilt as she looked down at their hands with a smile trying to hide her discomfort at the display of affection, 'But you're here now'
'I should have been there last night instead of letting Rachel take charge' the blonde sighed, 'But I was a coward'
'It's pretty impossible to stop Rachel taking charge of anything' Santana joked, wondering why the singer had apparently wanted to come to her aid. She assumed the other girl had actually wanted her bag; it never crossed her mind that it was a ploy to see her.
Quinn smiled at this as she looked at her friend 'I promise, from now on I'll be there for you, okay?'
'Thanks' Santana smiled as the blonde gave her a quick if somewhat awkward hug. As they broke apart she spotted Britney heading towards them and gave the dancer a small wave indicating for her to come over. She had been slightly bitchy with her friend yesterday after finding out she had picked Quinn as her room-mate but after everything that had happened it seemed petty and besides, it had worked out in her favour in the long run.
As the two girls broke apart Santana asked Quinn 'Did anyone tell Britney about last night?'
Quinn shook her head 'Not really, she overheard some of us talking but we only told her the basics, I figured you wouldn't want her to get upset'
'Thanks you' Santana replied sincerely, glad that the blonde knew her so well.
As the tall blonde made her way over to her friends Santana could see she was grinning 'What is she so happy about?'
Quinn turned around and then suddenly shot back to face Santana 'Oh god'
'Hey, did you and Rachel have sex last night?' Britney asked as she bounced over and took a seat next to Quinn.
'What?' Santana blanched, her voice way too high for her liking as her eyes flicked between the two blondes 'No!'
'Oh' said Britney frowning 'But she was looking at you like she's seen you naked'
Quinn grimaced, Britney had never had the best timing in the world but this particular sneak attack was pretty stunning. The blonde threw Santana an apologetic look but couldn't help but laugh at the shocked expression on her face. This soon turned to a glare which silenced her giggles.
'No, no…we did not-'
'So, she just wants to see you naked then?' the taller blonde continued innocently, as if she were trying to work out the situation.
Santana took a calming breath, 'Where is this coming from?'
'You have been kind of having eye-sex across the room all morning' Quinn interjected, shrugging as the brunette glared at her 'Well you have. And I know that that song had some subtext to it, but everyone in the room needed a cold shower when you two were done. Why do you think Puck was cheering so loudly?'
'No we haven't' Santana tried to defend, but was only met with disbelieving eyes 'Look, last night we got talking and she's actually not so bad and we decided to try not being at each other's throats, happy?'
'I didn't believe that when Rachel said it and I don't now. You're the worst liar I know have I ever told you that?' Quinn stated smiling as Britney nodded next to her.
Santana was silent; she couldn't work out what angle the two girls were playing. Deep down she knew that neither of her friends would really have a problem with her dating a girl, even if it was Rachel, but she wasn't entirely sure why they were quizzing her about it.
'You talked? Nothing else happened last night?' Britney asked, disappointment in her voice as she turned to Quinn 'I knew it wouldn't work'
Quinn shot Britney a glare as she gestured for the blonde to be quiet, already knowing that their plan had just been blown.
'Wait, what are you talking about?'
Before Quinn could reply Britney had already blurted out 'Our plan'
She saw Quinn slap her forehead in despair at the dancer, 'Seriously B, remember when we had that long talk about keeping this a secret?'
Britney shook her head blankly.
'Why am I not surprised?' the blonde muttered good-naturedly. Turning to face Santana she held her hands up in surrender 'Okay, promise not to be mad…'
'I promise nothing' the Latina growled.
'We might have altered the room arrangements so you and Rachel had to share'
'What?' the brunette screeched 'Why would you do that?'
Edging back Quinn smiled nervously 'There's a lot of tension-'
'Sexual tension' Britney added with a helpful smile.
'Between you and we figured it would give you two a chance to talk and you know work some things out' Quinn concluded, shooting Britney a warning look.
As her friend trailed off Santana raised an eyebrow 'What do you mean work things out?'
'Oh come on' Quinn said, her calm resolve crumbling as she threw up her hands in despair 'It's obvious you like her. You've always been a step away from pulling her hair and pushing her in the sand pit'
'It's true' Britney added happily 'Actually when we were eleven and we went on that field trip to some sports place you did push her in a sand pit'
'It was for the long-jump' Santana mumbled 'And she deserved it'
Quinn smirked 'Deserved it how?'
'I don't remember' the brunette lied, avoiding eye contact with the two girls.
'I do' Britney offered, waving her hand around as if asking Quinn to pick her. When the smaller blonde nodded she continued 'You asked her if she wanted to share a slushie with you and she said no'
Quinn laughed at this, imagining a young Santana sulking 'See, you've always had it bad for her'
'Shut up' Santana replied, blushing as she remembered one of her first encounters with Rachel.
The blondes giggled at their friend's uncharacteristic embarrassment, it was Quinn who spoke next 'So what really happened last night?'
Santana bit her lip nervously, she didn't want to explain everything that had happened but she also knew she couldn't explain how they had ended up sharing a bed without telling the rest of the story. Turning to Britney she tried to change the subject 'Are you sure you wanna hear this?'
She and Britney might never have officially dated, but they had spent more than a few nights together pushing the boundaries of friends with benefits and she had to admit, even though they hadn't slept together in a while she was still very aware that they had once been more than friends.
Britney nodded 'Of course, it was my plan to change the rooms. I see the way you look at her'
For her part Quinn looked a little uncomfortable, she had guessed there was something going on between the two but it had never been confirmed. As she looked between the two now she stayed quiet.
'So did anything happen?' Britney pried.
Santana settled for a half-truth 'Nothing happened last night but…we kissed this morning'
Quinn squealed happily bouncing up and down as she clapped her hands together in accomplishment 'Oh my god, I knew it! Does this mean you're dating now?'
'Sex isn't dating' Britney answered, earning a gentle slap on the leg from Santana.
'We didn't have sex' the brunette all but shouted, cringing as her voice echoed around them before adding 'But yeah, we're dating I think. I don't know, it's still pretty new y'know and it's…Rachel'
Quinn smiled at the confusion mixed with happiness in her friend's voice 'Are you going to tell anyone?'
Santana shrugged 'We kind of agreed to keep it quiet but I guess that didn't work so well. I don't mind if the glee guys find out but…'
'You're not worried about the jerks at school at you?' Quinn asked, all too aware what it meant to fall from the top of the social chain to the bottom.
'No' the brunette replied instantly 'The more time I spend thinking about it the less I care what they all think but Coach Sylvester…there's no way she'll let me stay on the squad if I'm with Rachel'
Quinn frowned 'Because it's a girl, or because it's Rachel?'
'I don't know, both probably. She cut someone a few weeks ago because she thought one of their legs was longer than the other. What chance do I have if she finds out about me and Rachel?'
'You've still got us and Glee' Britney interjected, suddenly pulling Santana into a hug and somehow managing to drag Quinn in as well 'We love you no matter who you date'
Santana grinned as she hugged her friends, 'You guys are awesome'
Once they had untangled themselves Britney hopped to her feet, twirling slightly before extending a hand to each of her friends and pulling them to their feet gracefully. As the trio headed inside Santana and Quinn walked side by side, the brunette let out a laugh as she watched Britney frantically chase after a squirrel, a happy grin on her face as the furry creature ran up a tree and began jumping from branch to branch.
The Latina could feel Quinn watching her, and turning to her friend with a raised eyebrow she knew it wouldn't be long before the blonde finally said whatever was on her mind 'What?'
The blonde let out a playful smirk as she shrugged 'Nothing'
'Spill it'
'I was just wondering...our rooms are next to each other and I heard Rachel singing the other day, it sounded a lot like defying gravity…'
'So?' Santana asked impatiently, stopping to stare at the blonde.
'I just wanted to ask, if you plan on making Berry 'hit the high notes' later tonight…could you do it when I'm not trying to sleep?' Quinn replied laughing.
Santana blushed, and in lieu of a witty comeback managed to stutter a few basic vowel sounds before reaching out to swat the blonde. For her part Quinn managed to dodge the playful attack and broke off into a run, her laughter floating across the open space. As Santana watched the blonde she shook her head in disbelief before setting off after her friend.
