Social Outcasts
By LiveYoungDieFast
Prompt by: Milkk
Prompt: Nerdy, wheelchair Santana and Rachel (goth, regular or popular is up to you.)
Summary: On the first day back at school Santana meets Rachel, with both of them being at the bottom of the social ladder they form a strong bond.
I hate waking up on Monday mornings, especially after being able to sleep in till whenever I wanted over the summer break. The rest of the McKinley high are most likely still in bed but being handicapped means that it takes me nearly twice as long to do something. This means I have to get up early so I make it t school on time. The school only has one ramp, which Is located right at the back of the school and adds on at least ten minutes on to the journey. I just have to keep reminding my self that this is my last year at McKinley and soon I'll be away from that hellhole and all the morons in it.
I make my way into the kitchen and find my Papi making breakfast.
"Morning Mija, I bet you weren't too excited about getting up this morning"
"What are you talking about, I can't wait to get back to that wonderful place called McKinley High" I sarcastically reply.
"I know what will make you feel better, this came in the mail this morning"
He hands me a brown paper envelope. I carefully open it at the seal and pull out the contents.
"I have been waiting for this for months I pre-ordered it in May, I can't wait to read it"
"It's only a comic book"
"It's not just a comic book, it's a special edition they only printed a hundred of these worldwide" I explain.
He shakes his head at me, he doesn't really get why I'm so obsessed with comic books.
"Come on, let's get you to school"
I finally make it to my locker after making the long journey around the school. The only problem is I have been assigned a locker on the top row, which I can barely reach. I spend a good five minutes attempting to open it and was just about to give up.
"Do you need some help?" a voice asks.
I look around and find a short gothic girl staring at me. She was wearing a very odd black dress and had a sexy streak of blue running through her straight black hair.
"Yeah, I can't reach my locker" I say, trying not to stare at her to much.
"Mine is the one below yours, we can swap if you want" she offers.
"That would be really helpful, thank you."
"Your very welcome, I'm sorry I didn't get your name"
"It's Santana" I reply.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Santana, I'm Rachel" she holds out a fingerless gloved hand for me to shake. I have never met a teenager before that greets people by shaking thier hands.
She smiles at me as we exchange pieces of paper with our locker combinations on.
"Are you new here? I don't think I have ever seen you before" I ask.
"Yeah, I just moved here with my parents. I'm not sure where any of my classes are do you think you could help me?"
"Sure which class do you have first?"
"Spanish with Mr Schuster" Rachel replies.
"Same, you'll like Mr Schue he's a great teacher he's just not so good with Spanish. He teaches our glee club too"
"Your in glee club?"
"Yeah, I know people think it's lame but I love music and I love glee club"
"I don't think it's lame, do you think I'd be able to audition?" she asks.
"We're always on the look out for new members, although I must warn you we are bottom of the food chain" I explain.
"I'm not worried about that. I'm used to it by now I was the least popular girl in my last school"
"Well you should fit right in with the glee club then" I laugh.
The laughing soon stops when I feel the full force of an ice cold slushy hit me in the face which causes Rachel to gasp.
"Welcome back R2-Dork2" Karofsky laughs whilst walking off.
"Oh my god Santana, are you okay?" Rachel asks as she attempts to wipe some of the slushy off my face.
"Yeah, it's hard to be angry with them when they make a Stars Wars related insult. Can you help me to the bathroom?"
"Of course"
She wheels me to the closest bathroom and pushes me over to the sinks. She runs the tap to get the water hot and grabs some paper towels.
I take my glasses off and wipe the frozen drink from them making sure that they aren't sticky anymore. Rachel leans over my chair and starts to remove the slushy from my face.
"You don't have to do that, you shouldn't make yourself late for class" I tell her.
"Don't worry I'll tell them that since I'm new I got lost, besides I want to help you"
She continues to dab my face with the paper towels, nobody has ever wanted to help me before. It felt nice, not just because she wanted to help me but because she was standing so close to me. She was being really gentle and she smells really good.
"I think you're good to go, except for your shirt it's still a bit wet" Rachel says.
"I have a spare in my bag, can you get it for me?"
She makes her way to the back of my wheelchair and locates the shirt in my bag.
"Their should also be a plastic bag to put the wet one in"
"So this happens often?" she asks.
"Yeah, comes with the territory of being bottom of the social ladder."
Rachel doesn't reply, maybe she regrets helping me. She probably thinks that being my friend will make her become a target.
"Maybe I should bring a change of clothes with me tomorrow just in case. I mean If they slushy someone like you what chance do I have" Rachel says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well compared to me your normal, if anyone is bound to get slushied it's going to be me"
I fell my heart swell a little bit when she calls me normal, I know it sounds silly but in my condition you always have people that see you differently. Some people pity you and some see it as a reason to use it against you like Karofsky and the other jocks. As much as I hate being picked on in a weird way it does make me feel accepted because they treat me just like everybody else in the school, although they probably don't realise that.
She hands me the new shirt and I wheel myself into the handicap stall so I can change. When I finish I find Rachel still standing by the sinks. She takes the old, wet shirt and puts it in the plastic bag.
"We can put this in your locker on the way to class" Rachel says.
Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.
The bell finally rings signalling the start of lunch. I have arranged to meet Rachel in the choir room so we can eat together. When I arrive she is already sat there waiting for me, a smile appears on her face when I roll myself in her direction
"Hey" she greets.
"Hey, how has the rest of your day been?" I ask.
"It's been okay, I managed to find most of my classes quite easily thanks to the map you drew for me."
"So the jocks and cheerios haven't been bothering you?"
"I've had a few comments but nothing I can't handle" Rachel replies.
"They might be laughing now but we'll have the last laugh when they're still stuck in Lima working at a drive through and we are living out our dreams" I laugh which causes Rachel to join in. God, she has an amazing laugh.
"So is there any particular reason why we are eating in here instead of the cafeteria?" she asks.
"I like eating in this room, it's one of the places I feel most comfortable plus I get less hassle from the jocks eating in here. I'm glad you're here with me though, it gets pretty lonely eating lunch by myself"
"I'm glad I'm here to" she smiles.
"I was worried I wouldn't make any friends like at my last school, especially when I first encountered the cherrios. Luckily for me I ran into you and you made me feel really welcomed just like a real friend."
I blush slightly at this, It felt nice to be called someone's friend sure I know people in the glee club but I wouldn't really count them as friends more like mere acquaintances.
"So do you have an idea of what song your going to sing for your audition for glee club?" I ask.
"I was thinking of signing a version of Evanescence's Bring Me To Life"
"Wow you must have a really good voice" I reply.
"I like to think so, although it's not often appreciated"
"Well the New Directions need all the help they can get"
We spend the rest of lunch talking and getting to know each other better. I could see my self really liking Rachel, she was funny, smart, kind and extremely beautiful. I had come to terms with my sexuality last year. My parent's knew but the population of McKinley didn't, I didn't need to give them another excuse to ridicule me. This is why I haven't mentioned it yet to Rachel, I feel like I can trust her but you never know how some people are going to react to that type of revelation.
The next class Rachel and I shared together was last period, which meant we could make our way to the choir room together. We were the last to arrive, I rolled into the middle of the room with Rachel next to me.
"Mr Schue, this is Rachel Berry she wants to join glee club" I tell him.
"First day back and we already have a new member maybe this year will be our year. Good job Santana. Welcome Rachel but before we go any further I always ask everyone to perform a song before you can officially join glee club." Mr Schue smiles.
"That's not a problem, I already have a song prepared"
I roll over to the empty spot near the chairs and watch as Rachel walks over to the band and tells them her song. She walks over to the middle of the choir room as the music starts, as soon as she opens her mouth we are met by the amazing sound that is Rachel Berry's voice.
As soon as the music stops everybody is on their feet clapping.
"Congratulations Rachel that was outstanding" Mr Schue says.
"Thank you" she smiles.
She takes the seat next to me and sends me a smile.
"You have an amazing voice" I tell her.
"Thank you Santana, I can't wait to hear what you have to offer"
"I'm more of a background singer" I say.
She doesn't have chance to reply as Mr Schue claps his hands and begins the lesson. We start off slow as a way to ease Rachel into things but she soon picks things up. We also discuss how we can get new members to join the club. I still don't understand why we do this every year nobody ever wants to join us. I'm grateful when we are finally able to go, it has been quite a long day.
"Would you like to hang out at my house?" Rachel asks.
"I really want to but I can't, with the wheelchair my Dad would have to drive and he has to get back to work once he picks me up and drops me off at home"
"I understand"
"You can come over to my house though" I say quickly.
"Okay, I'll ring my Dad and tell him" she beams.
When we get to the front of the school, my Dad was sat waiting for us.
"Hello Mija" he greets.
"Hola Papi, this is my friend Rachel. Is it okay if we hang out at our house?" I ask.
"Of course. It's nice to meet you Rachel, it'll be nice for you to have some company Santi"
"Dad" I whine.
Did he really have to embarrass me in front of Rachel, now not only does she know I'm a loser but she also knows that I have no friends.
Papi helps me get out of the car when we arrive at our house. Rachel kindly offers to carry my bag for me as we wave to my father who is leaving to finish his shift at the hospital. I show Rachel to my room, she is the first person I have ever shown it to other than my parents.
"You have the new Marvel" Rachel says looking towards the comic on my bed
"Yeah I had it on pre-order and it came today. Are you a fan?" I ask.
"I have a small collection but not as vast as yours"
I openly admit to being a self proclaimed comic geek, I have a whole bookcase filled with various comics and figurines. "Do you want to read it with me?" I ask her.
"I wouldn't want to intrude."
"You wouldn't be intruding, I'd love to have someone to share them with" I tell her, she agrees and helps me onto the bed propping me into a sitting position.
She walks around the bed and sits next to me on the other side. I place the comic book in-between us, I didn't think about how close we would have to sit before but I want to give myself a mental high five for suggesting this. She's sitting so close that our arms are touching and I can feel her silky soft skin against mine.
Our hands are resting next to each other and I have to restrain myself from lacing it with mine. I have only known this girl for less than a day and I'm already having some thoughts about her that would be deemed inappropriate. God knows what she would say if she knew what I was thinking.
We decide to watch a movie after we finish reading the comic book, my Mom had come home halfway through and asked Rachel to stay for dinner. I think my parents are more excited that I have found a friend more than I am.
It has been nearly two months since the start of school and I met Rachel. My feelings for her had started to develop even more, the more time I spend with her the more my feelings grow. We hang out everyday after school either at her house or mine. I also got to meet her parents, I was sure what I was expecting at when I first met them but I didn't expect her to have two Dads. It actually made me feel a bit more relaxed about telling her about my sexuality. She was the first person outside of my family that I came out to and it didn't bother her.
It was Friday night and Rachel had asked me to sleep over at her house while her Dads went away for the weekend. This was my first time stating over at a friends house so my Mom had mixed emotions. On one hand she was excited that I was finally going to get to experience something people my age had been doing for most of their lives but at the same time she was worried about me. I had never spent a night away from my parents before so they have always been there for me if I needed something I assured her that I would be fine. We are currently in my bedroom packing my overnight bag.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay Mija?" she asks.
"I told you Mami, I'll be fine. If I need anything Rachel will help me" I tell her.
"I'm glad you found Rachel, she's a really good friend"
"Yeah she is" I say, a big smile appears on my face just like it does anytime I talk about Rachel.
"Are you sure she's just a friend and not a friend friend"
"Yes she's just a friend and friend friend really Mami"
"You want her to be your friend friend though, I can see it when you talk about her" Mami says.
"Fine, I'll admit that I like her and want her to be my girlfriend. You happy now?"
"Very, so are you going to ask her out?"
"It's not that simple" I say.
"Yes it is, you just ask her if she wants to see a movie or something"
"I meant because I don't know if she likes girls, what if I ask her she says no and then she doesn't want to be my friend anymore"
"You won't find out unless you ask. You know Rachel, if she doesn't feel the same then she will let you down gently. It won't make her feel any differently about you, she'll still be your friend" Mami explains.
"Now lets get you to your potential new girlfriends house"
"I just tell you that I attracted to a girl and your still okay about me sleeping over at her house unattended?" I ask.
"I trust you and I trust Rachel. Besides your going over to your friends house. It's not like she's your girlfriend….yet" she laughs.
When I arrive at Rachel's house she waiting for me outside. She is pulled into a huge hug by my Mom who has left me sat in the car. Once I'm out of the car I'm also pulled into a huge hug, although this one lasted a little longer which was my fault as I didn't want to let go of her.
We wave to my Mom and as soon as Rachel turns around she sends me a thumbs up, I was lucky that my parents were so supportive of me.
Rachel helps me into the house and gets me comfortable on the couch, we order Chinese food and watch a movie. We are watching an old classic zombie film, it one of my favourites plus since it's a little scary Rachel has opted to sit relatively close to me. When it starts to get late Rachel suggests that we change into our pyjamas, I roll my way to her bathroom so I can get myself ready. When I return Rachel had pulled out the couch into a bed, and was just finishing putting on the bedding. Since I can't get up to her room I would have to sleep down here tonight and I was really hoping she was going to stay with me.
She helps me onto the bed making sure I was propped up enough so I could still see the television. She slips in next to me and pulls the comforter over us, she is sitting even closer to me this time. She presses play on the dvd remote and I a make a quick decision and wrap my arm around her shoulder. She rest her head against my chest and snuggles into my side.
I try to keep my focus on the movie but I can't not when I have Rachel cuddled up to me like this.
"Rach"
"Yeah" she says.
I don't reply. I'm not sure exactly what I want to say to her, so when she lifts her head up to look a me I kiss her. I pull back quickly not sure what to say, these are the times where I wished my legs worked so I could run away.
"Sorry, I.." she cuts me off with another kiss.
I moan into her mouth when she deepens the kiss, I still don't think that I have fully processed the fact that I'm actually kissing Rachel. We carry on making out for a while before I reluctantly pull away.
"What does this mean?" I ask.
"I don't know but I really like you Santana"
"I really like you too. I'm not really sure how this all works."
"What do you mean?" Rachel asks.
"Well am I suppose to ask you to be my girlfriend or am I suppose to ask you out on a date"
"You can asks me what ever you want" she replies.
"Rachel, will you be my girlfriend?" I asks.
"Of course I will"
She kisses me and I can't help but break into a massive smile.
"So as my first official duty of being your girlfriend, I'm going to take you out on a date tomorrow night" I tell her
"That sounds amazing, but now I think we should get some sleep"
"Are you staying here with me?" I ask.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else" she smiles.
She turns off the television and we cuddle up together. She wishes me good night and kisses me one last time, I can't believe that I can kiss her anytime I want. I can hear her slow breathing against my chest. I reach for my cell and quickly send my Mom a text.
She said yes! x
"Please San, you promised" Rachel whines.
Our six month anniversary was coming up and Rachel had asked me to perform my first solo in front of the glee club as her gift.
"I know I did but I have never sung on my own before"
"Your going to be amazing, we have practised remember. You know I wouldn't ask you to do this If I didn't think you were good enough." Rachel tells me.
She kisses me quickly before the rest of the glee club turn up. We haven't come out to the rest of the school for the same reason I never came out in the first place, we don't need another reason for people to torment us.
"Fine" I say.
"I can't believe you got her to sing in front of other people" Mami says.
We are all sitting around the table having dinner, something that has been happening quite a lot since Rachel and I began dating.
"All she needed was a bit of confidence, she was outstanding all of the glee club agreed including Mr Schue." Rachel replies.
"I must say it's all down to you, we have seen a completely new side to Santana since she met you" Papi says.
"It was all down to her trust me, she's always had it in her" Rachel replies.
"But you're the first person to bring it out in her" Mami adds.
Rachel blushes at this.
"Mami, Papi stop it your embarrassing her" I tell them.
"We're only having a conversation Mija"
"Yes and it's making my girlfriend uncomfortable" I reply.
"Fine you girls can go to your room, your Papi and I will clear away the dishes" Mami says.
"Thanks Mami"
"Thank you for the wonderful dinner Mr and Mrs Lopez" Rachel says.
"You're welcome Rachel dear"
We spend the rest of the night playing xbox, my parents even agreed to let Rachel sleep over even though it was a school night. I love falling asleep with Rachel in my arms, it always makes me feel safe.
The next morning, we are back in the halls of McKinley High School. Rachel was helping me gather my things from my locker whilst we talked about this years Comic Con. We were so engrossed in our conversation we didn't see Karofsky approaching slushy in hand.
I watch as the purple coloured ice runs down Rachel's face, I don't have time to react before I feel the ice cold slush hit me. I hear Karofsky and Azimio high five each other before I'm pushed into the nearest bathroom.
Rachel runs the taps and hands me some paper towels.
"Thanks" I say.
"It's funny really, the jocks slushy us to try and make us miserable but by doing so they brought us together and made me the happiest I've ever been" Rachel says as she washes the slushy from my glasses. Once they're clean she puts them back onto my face and pecks me on the lips.
"You taste like cherry" she laughs.
"Well you taste like grape. Who knew that cherry and grape would taste so good together"
"Want to try it again" she innocently asks.
I nod my head and she connects our lips once again.
I only have a couple of months left at this school and even if I have to take a slushy in the face now and then, I won't bother me as long as I have Rachel to help clean me off.
A/N Thank you to Milkk for the prompt, there wasn't really a suggestion for a plotline so this Is what I came up with and to be honest I'm not sure about it and I'm sorry it's on the shorter side. I went with gothic Rachel to give them a connection through being outcasts plus Rachel as a goth was sexy. If you have a prompt for me please let me know and I'll try my best.
As ever your reviews are always appreciated. I have a story idea in my head but I still want people's opinion so if you want me hounding you for advice then please contact me.
Live_Young