A/N – Hey guys, a massive thanks once again for all the reviews/alerts. A little more Quinn in this chapter and coming up in chapter twelve, a hint of PezBerry and the introduction of Santana's Dad…
Chapter Ten
At school on Monday its clear Rachel wasn't lying. Santana spends the first half of her day with the smaller girl glued to her side, and despite the initial shock of the two previously sworn enemies showing up to school together the rest of the student body quickly moves on. Santana isn't surprised, her social status has been on the downfall for weeks and she's all but fallen off the radar to most people. She's mostly left alone, in fact aside from Quinn no one has spoken to her much recently. It's strangely comforting to be invisible on the social hierarchy, it allows her a freedom she's never had before, her cheerio's uniform still guarantee's slushy-free days and it's not so lonely now she has Rachel at her side.
The same can't be said about glee though, the rest of the club eyeing her sceptically as she takes a seat with Rachel near the front of the class, but Santana isn't aware of the stares they are receiving because as soon as Quinn walks in the room all she can feel is panic.
When the blonde strolls in the choir room Santana can see straight past the calm, controlled façade she has thrown up, and focuses on the terrified girl hiding behind the well-practised exterior. It's a lot like a caged animal and that scares Santana more than she's willing to admit, though she finds herself grabbing Rachel's hand discreetly as her heart rate increases.
Quinn doesn't even spare her a glance though as she waltzes past and takes a seat with Puck at the back of the room. For the rest of the practice all Santana can concentrate on is the feeling of eyes burning into her back and she immediately regrets picking a seat at the front, having Quinn lingering behind her only stirs up horrible thoughts.
Half-way through rehearsal Mr Shue sends Rachel to do something, Santana isn't so sure what though, having been too busy focusing on the blonde cheerleader behind her she only realises Rachel is leaving when the smaller girl retracts her hand from the Latina's grip and informs her she'll be back soon.
Santana isn't worried, Rachel said she would protect her and she believes her.
It's only when the clock strikes five and Mr Shue dismisses the club that the brunette panics because Rachel isn't back yet and Quinn is still in close proximity. It feels as though her body is moving through tar, she wants to stand quickly grab her things and go searching for her friend but she can't seem to move. The more people who filter out the room the slower time seems to move for her, and it's not long before they two are the only ones left.
"You told her didn't you?" Quinn growls as she steps down from where she is standing and squares off against the Latina who has only managed a couple of steps from her seat.
She wants to lie but it's kind of pointless so she shrugs "She figured it out"
The slap connects pretty hard with her cheek and Santana feels her head jolt to the left, she manages to keep her balance even though she hadn't been expecting it.
"Did you tell anyone else?"
Santana can hear the fear in the blondes voice and it strikes her as ironic that even though Quinn told her no-one would ever believe her story, that the blonde is more convinced than Santana that they would. The Latina shakes her head as she stares at the ground.
"Good because if you tell anyone else, if she tells anyone" Quinn spits "Then it's not just you who's going to pay"
The threat lingers in the air as Santana snaps her head up to stare at Quinn, her eyes wide with fear as she processes what the blonde has just said, her next sentence is shaky as she whispers "You wouldn't touch her"
"You wanna bet?"
Santana swears she feels her heart stop because she realises there's nothing Quinn isn't capable off. A terrified Quinn, panicked that people are going to find out the truth about her is genuinely capable of anything and there is no way Santana is going to put Rachel at risk. She knows now that their secret will forever remain trapped between the three of them.
"Please, leave her out of this" the Latina manages "I swear, we won't tell anyone"
Santana knows her best chance at protecting herself and Rachel is tied to keeping her mouth shut, she can see that Quinn knows how much trouble she'd be in if anyone else found out about her trips to see Santana and it scares the Latina, but she can't help but add "We won't tell anyone else…but you have to leave me alone"
It's not much of a threat really, more of an offer, her silence for her safety. It's a little like making a deal with the devil but Santana feels strangely confident.
When Quinn nods the Latina breathes a sigh of relief, its cut short though when the blonde grabs her arm and rams her against the wall. The blondes body is pressed firmly against hers and Santana squirms as she tries to free herself.
"If I hear you've so much as hinted that anything happened between us, I will make you sorry we ever met"
Santana grunts as she utters "I'm already sorry I ever met you"
It's probably not the smartest thing she's ever done, insulting the girl who's already hurt her, but Santana knows she needs to fight back somehow. Their deal is tenuous at best, each threatening to other, and the brunette needs to feel that somehow they are on an even footing.
The sound of a door slamming breaks them apart as they whirl around to the entrance, when Santana sees Rachel storming over she can only watch as the tiny brunette forces her way between the two cheerleaders.
Quinn finds herself being shoved back hard and she stumbles as she is caught off guard by the unexpected strength "Stay the hell away from her Quinn"
The blonde growls as she straightens herself up "Happily, I'm fucking sick of the sight of her, she's all yours RuPaul"
"Get out"
Quinn glares for a moment at the sight of the two brunettes stood together and for a second Santana could swear she sees a hint of jealously flash across the blondes features but it's gone quickly and she stomps over to the door. Not one to leave without a passing blow, the cheerleader sneers at Rachel "I give it a week before you're sick of her too, she's a worthless bitch and the only thing she's good for is a cheap fuck" Turning to Santana she adds "You think she gives a shit about you? She doesn't, no-one does, its pity. The only reason she's anywhere near you is because she thinks you're pathetic, and she's right"
Quinn slams the door behind her as she finally storms from the room.
"Are you okay?" Rachel asks as she turns to face the cheerleader.
Santana shrugs, an unconvincing smile on her face as Quinn's words echo in her head. It's not like the thoughts hadn't occurred to Santana before, she's well aware that people have a tendency to leave but it still stings to be reminded that Rachel probably won't be around much longer.
"I'm so sorry I left you" Rachel babbles on, reaching up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind the Latina ear "Did she hurt you? Do you want me to get you anything?"
"No. I'm fine, really" Santana manages, after all she doesn't want any of the precious time they have left together to be spent like this "Can we just go please?"
"Sure"
Tw head out of the school and over to Rachel's car and Santana breathes a sigh of relief as she slides into the passenger seat and locks the door. Closing her eyes she listens to the hum of the engine as Rachel pulls out of the parking lot, she knows it's only a matter of time before the diva spits out whatever is lingering on her mind.
"I hate her"
The words are spoken with such venom that Santana can only snap her eyes open and stare at the smaller girl who is gripping onto the steering wheel so hard her knuckles have turned white. The Latina doesn't say anything in response; she's not even sure what she could say so she settles for a nod before gazing out of the window.
She'd be stupid to think Quinn would back off now, that there wouldn't be another opportunity where the blonde would try and worm her way back into Santana's life but for the moment the Latina takes some comfort from the fact she has taken the another step forward. A tiring realisation sweeps over Santana as she gazes at the passing landscape, and she tries to ignore the stampede of thoughts in her head, because she knows that getting away from Quinn is just the start of it and that things are far from over.