AN:Disclaimer I do not own any characters from Glee.
This one is an inbetween chapter. Thanks for everybody reading. XD
Chapter Fourteen: Passing the Hat
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The day flew past me. I guess that's to be expected when you sleep into the afternoon hours. For staying up all night long, finally falling asleep around three; I would have to say that I woke up early.
Finn had messaged me last night that he and Kurt were arriving around eight at the bar in All Star Lanes.
Rolling out of my bed, my hair sticking up and out in all directions, I felt an uncharacteristic smile on my lips. Normally when I woke my mind set was 'fuck errbody and errthing', so today was an experience I hadn't felt in quite some time.
Standing at my vanity I did my best to control my hair with my fingers. As my hands weakly attempted to tame my locks, a package of cigarettes sitting on the polished black wood called to me. I had been trying to stop smoking for months now. I used to think that it was cool, and it worked well with my bad ass image. Now I find that having something control my actions, like the nicotine was, to be disturbing.
I ignored the pack, for about thirty more seconds. I cracked my bedroom window, and lit up the tobacco with the lighter stored inside the pack. I was never one for smoke rings or fancy tricks. It seemed too showy, and I wasn't very good at them. Exhaling the white smoke out the second story window, I took my time to finish the cigarette.
Brittany never liked my habit. She said that the smoke clung to me and transferred the smell to everything I touched, including her cat.
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"Hello Santana, and Lord Tubbington. Where'd you find him? He escaped last night, and Britt's been upset." Mrs. Pierce ushered me and the cat into the house.
I shifted the cat in my arms to hold up his weight and knocking some of the snowflakes from his back.
"He was sitting next to the door." I lied. It was only because I couldn't think of a good excuse for me to be at the side of their house smoking next to the air conditioner unit with the cat perched on top of it.
"Well Tubbers always comes home." Mrs. Pierce smiled and scratched the underside of the cat's chin still in my arms. "Probably because the food's plentiful here."
I rubbed my face into his soft warm fur. Momentarily I forgot that I was with Brittany's mother.
"Nah, it's because Britt gives the best kisses." I stalled on the last word, my brain catching up with how the statement could be interpreted.
Mrs. Pierce petted Tubbington's massive head and turned back into the kitchen. "He's probably in withdrawal; you'd better get him to her."
I didn't say anything else to Brittany's mom, not trusting my stupid mouth. I heaved the cat's head over my shoulder, and marched down the hall into Brittany's room.
I knocked at the door with my foot only because the fat ass cat required both hands. Brittany opened her door with and was surprised to see me, but much more excited to see her cat.
"Lord Tubbington! Where have you been?" She pulled the heavy cat out of my arms and threw him up into the air. It's a wonder that she could twirl him around like that.
"Around, doing illegal things." I sat down on the edge of her bed after taking off my Cheerio's jacket and watched Brittany dance around with her cat. It was cute, Brittany dancing around singing with Tubbington, the cat meowing along with her.
Brittany paused to cradle the cat in her arms and pepper his head with kisses. "I've missed you so, so," Abruptly she stopped her kisses, and glared over at me.
"Why does he smell like smoke?" She took another sniff of the cat.
I became uneasy under her scrutiny. "Well when I was outside, I found him smoking…"
"Liar." Brittany dropped the cat from her arms, and strode across the room to stand in front of me.
I moved my hands behind my back. She looked down at me sternly and held out her open palm. I hung my head and handed her the pack from my pocket.
"You're the only one that's been smoking." She took the pack and tossed it in her waste basket.
Brittany pointed to the door, commanding me to go and brush the taste from my mouth. I did so only because Brittany really did have the best kisses.
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I flicked the filter out the window and pushed it shut.
"Just another reason to quit."
I made my bed before shuffling out of my bedroom and into the shower to prepare for my 'morning'.
After changing into some comfy shorts and a shirt, I decided that now would be a good time to pick out my outfit for tonight.
It was just going to be and the two boys, neither of which I needed to impress, so I thought that something laid back would be more appropriate. Something that I could drunkenly bowl in too, in case we decided to do that. I rifled through my closet to find a suitable top for my jeans.
I was torn between a white button up, and a green concert shirt I had bought while in Chicago. I tossed the jeans down on my bed along with the band shirt. Then I moved over to my vanity to pick out a few accessories, three thin silver bracelets and a pink sports watch.
Satisfied with my selections I followed my stomach's calls and climbed down the steps, the kitchen being the goal.
I came downstairs to find my father watching a movie and my mother barricaded away in the dining room on call with a client.
"Hey Papa." I dropped into the couch, pushing my glasses up my nose so I could see the screen properly.
"You get enough sleep?" My father sat in the recliner staring at the television, a half empty glass of iced tea sitting on the side table next to him.
I groaned, but he made no action to acknowledge it.
"Yes Papa, I couldn't fall asleep last night." I left out the reason why. They tolerated my relationship with Brittany, and that was more than I could have asked for.
"Mama will have words to say about it." He tore his eyes from the screen, "Just so you know."
I nodded and focused on the movie. It was an old action movie, one I've seen before. About a man searching the world over for his kidnapped daughter, it was pretty awesome.
The movie had just started so I decided to hurry into the kitchen and pour a bowl of cereal so I could watch the rest of the movie with my father.
This was how we bonded. Simply sitting in silence together, no talking, and no needless words; enjoying a good show. It was how we worked.
"Santana!" A harsh whisper from behind me pulled me away from the movie. I turned around to find my mother glaring at the empty cereal bowl on the coffee table.
I rolled my eyes after I turned around to pick up the bowl. As I rounded the leather couch, my father held up his empty glass for me to refill.
"You want more?" I took the glass from his grip and made my way into the kitchen.
"Yeah, thanks Tana."
I returned with two glasses of iced tea, my father nodded in gratitude after taking his glass. We sipped at our drinks and finished the rest of the movie without my mother coming back to bother me.
There was another action movie coming on next, and from my father's unmoving hand on the remote I gathered that we were going to watch the next one too.
"Have you had any luck finding an opening?" He muted the television and adjusted himself in the recliner to observe me.
Instantly I felt nervous. My palms grew wet, I fidgeted with my glasses, and I checked the time from the clock hanging on the wall across the room.
"No… It's not like I haven't been trying. There just isn't much demand for my field." It was getting close to six, so dinner should be getting started soon.
"I don't want your excuses. I understand your situation, but I have to push you." I watched him flip down the leg rest to plant his socked feet firmly on the ground. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward into a ray of sunlight coming through the curtains.
"It's the only way you'll learn."
"I know Papa." I stared at his watch, the silver metal dancing in the light.
"I was talking with you mother and-" I frowned at the mention of my mother and father meddling in my career. "Don't make that face. Now, we were talking and I thought that maybe you should try to get into her firm."
"Papa, I'm not a lawyer…" I understood his disappointment in my study choice, but I wasn't following where he was going with this.
He waved his hand to dismiss my thought and continued his lecture. "I'm not talking about a lawyer, though that would have been better for your future."
"Papa!" I pounded my fist on my thigh harder than I wanted to, leaving me with a dull pain.
"Anyway, since you have some background in law; we thought that maybe you could try your hand at project managing." The hand with his silver watch lifted to stroke through his facial hair.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, basically it's an office job. But you also could run interference with the press on bigger cases and keep the lawyers in line."
I sat quietly for a moment. It wasn't the description of my dream job, but I was in need of a good job. I needed to save up and get out of here as quickly as I could. André was lucky for finding a job quickly in New York. If he still talked to me I would have asked him how he did it.
"I thought it sounded like something that might interest you." My father stretched out in the recliner again, bringing the foot rest up, signifying the end of our conversation.
"Thanks, I'll talk to Mama about it." I was about to stretch out on the couch, mimicking my father; but my mother's voice called me from the kitchen.
I guess it was time to start dinner. At least I had something to talk to her about now.
There was a small grouping of vegetables for me to cut, the knife and wooden board sitting close by on the island. My mother was standing over the sink preparing the meat, slicing off unwanted pieces into the garbage disposal.
"I already rinsed them, just chop them up dear."
Saturdays were the only day that my parents would be home for dinner consistently. Which meant that my mother would drag me into the kitchen so I would have a chance to practice my culinary skills, and she would have the chance to condemn them.
I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Papa told me about some project manager position at your firm?"
"Yes, are you interested?"
"Yeah, it sounds… neat." I picked up the large knife and let its weight cut through the yellow pepper.
"You sound disappointed."
"I was just hoping to get out of Lima." I was hoping that I wouldn't have to live at home after college.
"Well you most certainly won't be staying here forever." She turned to glare at me, making me feel worse about leeching off my parents. "But, let me talk to a few people and see if I can pull some strings for you."
"Alright. Thanks." I didn't know exactly what she was talking about, but I've learned that the best conversations with my mother were short.
Very short.
"You can slice those a bit thinner." She hadn't even turned around to check before she berated my pepper slices.
I liked them thick. Her and papa can deal.
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Our newest recorded episode ended too quickly. The stupid DVR cut off the previews for next week. But I was more upset that I'd have to untangle myself from the girl under me. Coach Sylvester had been working us to the bone to prepare for Nationals. The addition of Kurt's voice meant revising our routines to fit seamlessly together again.
It also meant that I was tired all the time. Thankfully Brittany was more than happy to cuddle with me on the couch. Even though we had Glee and Cheerios, activities that left me drained after school, Brittany still had energy to spare. Which was probably good, since she had more extracurricular activities than anyone I knew.
Not interested in moving I kept my head on Brittany's shoulder. I was content to stay in the position for the rest of the night, blanket pulled over the two of us and her hand skimming my legs. I let my eyes flutter close hoping that if I fell asleep she would let me be, but I felt two quick jabs to my stomach.
"I'm hungry."
"What do you want?" I pulled my head from her shoulder and stretched my arms over my head.
"Uh, something to eat."
"What would you like to eat?" Brittany pulled me back down to her, laying her arm around my shoulder while she thought of what she wanted to eat. I tucked my head under her chin and listened to her muse.
"Something good." She murmured the words into my hair.
"Okay, do you want me to make something or do you want to go get something."
"I want you to make something. And I wanta help!" Brittany shot up from the couch, bouncing on her heels.
"Alright, come on then." I threw the blanket over the back of the couch and pulled Brittany into the kitchen.
"Are you really hungry or do you want a snack?" I opened the pantry to scan for potential snacks.
"I'm not super hungry." I turned around to find Brittany sitting on the island swinging her legs back and forth.
I thought about telling her to get down. If my mother was here she would have something to say about it, but I decided that Brittany would do as she pleases anyway. One blink of those baby blues had that affect on people.
"How do french fries sound?" The sack of potatoes caught my attention and I bent over to bring them to the island Brittany was sliding down from.
"That's not something you make Santana." There was a hint of confusion in her voice, the adorable quizzicalbemusement that caused my heart to flutter.
"We're going to make them, it's easy." Brittany tilted her head and continued to observe me as I retrieved two knives from the butcher block and cutting boards for each of us.
I placed the boards and knives down on the island, and grabbed a few potatoes to rinse off before slicing them.
"Here you slice up some, like this." I gestured for her to stand at her board, and I commenced to slice my potato.
"I've never made my own fries before."
I was sure to watch as she made her first cut, but I became distracted by her tongue jutting out at the corner of her mouth in concentration. She had made a few fries before I noticed that she could actually end up getting her finger tips cut off.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop. You're going to hurt yourself like that." I stilled her hand, wrapping my fingers around her wrist.
"What?" There was a pout on her face, and I had to shake my head to clear my thoughts.
"Do it like I do." I release her wrist to give a tutorial of how to properly slice the potato for making fries.
"Like this?" Brittany made a terrible attempt to slice the potato, sending one half twirling off the cutting board.
I giggled and picked up a fresh potato, a wicked thought popping into my mind.
"Almost… Here let me show you."
I dropped the potato on the board and moved to stand behind her. Before she could complain I pressed myself into her back, pushing her flush against the counter; and ran my hand down her right arm taking hold of her wrist.
I felt her take in a deep breath and slowly release it as my hand dragged down her arm. Brittany was too tall for me to peer over her shoulder so I had to stand on my toes to ensure that I wasn't going to maim either of us.
"Let the knife do the work." I lifted her left hand to hold the potato still, while I guided her right hand to hold the knife properly.
I tilted my head to husk my next command into her ear, letting my lips graze her skin.
"You just guide it through, pressing down firmly."
I pushed myself into her, my chest compressing against her shoulders and my hips into her butt. I faintly heard the knife chop into the wooden board. However, my full attention was on her parted lips and the strangled puffs of air passing through them.
I nudged her neck with my nose, taking in her sweet scent. Brittany sighed and pushed against me. I let my lips drag over the soft skin of her neck, searching for her pulse.
"What are you doing?" I stepped away from Brittany, spinning to find André standing at the garage door.
"Teaching Brittany how to cut potatoes. I thought you weren't coming home tonight." I put more distance between Brittany, rounding the island; I as I explained to my brother what we were doing.
"Right… I had to pick up an extra controller." He walked through the kitchen into the living room.
"Well go get it." I yelled at him from the kitchen as he climbed the stair case to his room.
"Shut up. I'm going. Weirdo…"
I huffed and tossed my hair over my shoulder.
"Santana?"
"What?" Brittany was pointing down to the potato she had destroyed under my tutelage.
"I don't think I did that right." I shook my head, and clean up the potatoes. The cut pieces were thrown away, and the others were tossed back into the sack.
I was no longer in the mood to cook. Brittany could be sedated with the stash of Dots I kept in my room for her.
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TBC
AN:Let me know what you think about things and stuff.
I'll update in a couple days.