A/N: I am so sorry about the delay! I have no excuses except I've been playing video games on Steam instead of writing when I'm not at work or doing things with my family. This was supposed to be a fun, easy chapter for me to write and the only thing that flowed easy was the conversation LOL.
I had one reviewer tell me that they liked the story and really wanted to know more but that Pezberry is not for them. I respect that and I'm sorry this story isn't for you anymore. I'm pretty sure this story is going to keep a Pezberry direction considering how easy it was to write them together, but it will honestly not be held more important over the plot and there aren't going to be any hardcore sex scenes because I'm an adult writing about kids.
…
"I don't fit in this."
"Bullshit, Berry, you weigh like 50 pounds." Came the scoffing reply.
"No, seriously. It's made out of like…latex paint or something. You might as well just spray paint me nude." Rachel popped her head out of the closet, using the door to cover up the rest of her body.
"Is that an option?" Santana's eyebrows inched up, her lips turning down into a contemplative frown.
"No!" Rachel's cheeks flushed bright red and she ducked back into the closet. "Pour another round, I'm going to try and find pants that aren't going to grab my butt more than Noah tonight."
Santana barked a laugh, rolling her eyes as she lifted the bottle and poured out the requested shots. "Say 'ass', Berry."
"That is so undignified," she responded, coming out of the closet in a pair of jeggings that laced up the sides and a white crop top with long flowing sleeves. "I know more words than curse words."
"You have to know a better word than 'butt', then." The raven-haired girl smirked.
"Derriere? Rump? Heinie? Tuckus? Oh, I know! Gluteus Maximus." Rachel grinned, turning slightly and wiggling her hips to show off her own rear end. "What do you think?"
Santana stared at her over for a moment before blinking and meeting her gaze steadily. "I think you know too many words."
Rachel huffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. She bit her lip and tried very hard not to whine at her new friend. It took a moment, but a smile teased across Santana's lips and she immediately looked away like Rachel had dragged it out of her against her will.
"I guess you look hot," Santana said, her tone sounding begrudging but the grin on her face overruled it.
"Dang right." Rachel nodded firmly and turned to look at herself in the mirror again, angling her body around to see what she looked like from every side.
Santana came up behind her and slid a shot over her shoulder, holding it in front of her face with a smirk. "One shot, as requested. You're gonna be trashed before the club even shows up, lightweight."
Rachel accepted the small glass and tipped her head back to swallow the liquid. Santana was standing so close that her head dropped back against the cheerleader's shoulder and when she opened her eyes, she was looking up into a carefully blank face and dark soulful iris'. She cleared her throat and immediately stood straight again, feeling the heat climb up the back of her neck.
"I like this outfit," She said decisively. "I'm thinking beach waves, fluffed bangs, and smokey makeup."
Santana contemplated this for a moment, looking her over critically. "Smokey eyes with a nude lip, absolutely. It's almost too bad Finn isn't invited to see how smokin' you look without him." She smirked and went over to the mirror, using her finger to wipe away any stray makeup from underneath her eyes.
"Tonight isn't about Finn." Rachel shook her head and smiled. She could feel the alcohol flowing through her system like a warm shower. Her body was nothing but pleasantness and light at the moment.
Santana raised an eyebrow at her in the mirror but didn't comment.
"Really," she insisted. "Tonight is…" She searched for the words in her foggy brain. "It's about us."
Santana's other eyebrow shot up as well, surprise crossing her face.
"We've all come so far together and no matter what breakups or drama we go through, we're going to be there for each other." She swallowed heavily, eyes automatically drawn to her phone where she knew she probably had messages waiting for her. She'd put it on silent and hid it as soon as Santana had arrived, though. "I know that should include Finn, but I'm not ready for it to, yet. He's not either. He said he was going to give me space, but he isn't going to stop trying to get me back even though I told him, for sure, that it was over."
The cheerleader rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Why does he only ever pay attention to you when you're trying to stay away from him?"
"Cause Finn doesn't like to be told that he can't have something he wants," Rachel responded simply. "For example, that's probably the only reason he actually came back to Glee the first time. Had it been his decision to leave and rejoin football, he probably would have never said a word and enjoyed his wholly regained reputation. But because someone told him that he couldn't have Glee club anymore if he wanted Football, he got petulant."
"I know that's not a good thing. Did you like that about him?" Santana side-eyed her, casually fixing her hair even though it was perfectly laid.
"No. But girls mature faster than boys, supposedly. I figured he'd grow out of that." Rachel shrugged her shoulders uncomfortable with how naive she felt.
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Santana turned around so she could look directly at Rachel.
"Maya Angelou." A smile brightened her face as she grabbed her curling iron and started twirling her hair.
Santana nodded, returning her smile as they fell into a companionable silence. Eventually, Santana moved away from the mirror and poured another round of shots. She silently came over and handed one to Rachel and then took the curling iron from her and finished up her hair without a word.
Rachel wasn't trashed when everyone else arrived, but she was pleasantly buzzed and wasn't planning on drinking any more heavily than that. Her goal was to maintain a good feeling all night and not wake up regretting her life in the morning. Or for the rest of the week.
Noah was the first to arrive and he was carrying two duffle bags, one slung over each shoulder. She stepped back away from the door, gaping as he entered.
"Damn, you look hot!" He looked her over appreciatively.
"Noah…" Her voice was quiet but reproachful, eyes sliding over the bags in his hands.
"It's not all alcohol, I promise!" He laughed at her and shook his head, laying them on the couch. "I saw Satan's car outside, is she here already?"
"Yep!" She perked up, a smile blossoming immediately. "She's in the kitchen figuring out which snacks aren't 'full of that vegan shit'." She made sarcastic quote marks and rolled her eyes.
"Oh good. That means she won't eat mine." Noah laughed, opening one of the duffle bags to reveal a stash of snack bags and a small wooden box. When he opened the other bag, he only pulled out a couple of bottles before pulling out a couple of different sodas as well. When he noticed her curious expression, he held up the bottle of coke and pointed to the rum. "Mixed drinks…or shot chasers for the punks."
She rolled her eyes at him again, grateful for the sound of the bell so she didn't have to see what else Noah had hidden in his bags. She felt like her eyes were in a constant state of motion when he was around.
When she opened the door, Brittany bounded in, wrapping her in a hug. "Yay! Party time! San's already here too, I saw her car. This is going to be so fun!" She started practically skipping into the living room before stopping in her tracks and turning to Rachel seriously. "You're not mixing drinks tonight, right?"
"I got it covered, babe." Noah sidled up beside her and handed her a drink with a smirk, tossing an arm over her shoulders.
"Oh good. Not that I don't love you now, Rach, but I don't want to vomit in front of the whole school again."
"It wasn't that bad," Rachel mumbled.
"You put oreo cookies and cough syrup in it, Berry." Noah sent her a disgusted look.
"We were dumb enough to drink it." Santana came into the living room with a laugh, holding up two bags of cheese crisps proudly. "Whose are these beauties?"
Rachel was quiet for a moment and then smiled softly. "They are my daddy's. He hid them in the back of the closet so Finn would stop trying to eat them."
"Oh." She frowned and turned back to the kitchen. "I'll put them back."
"No." Rachel shook her head and sighed. Her fathers had rarely spent more than a day or so home recently. Her daddy probably didn't even remember they were back there. "Go ahead. I'll just tell him I threw them away or something. He'll just think I threw a vegan fit." She offered a conspiratorial wink and hoped her dejection wasn't that obvious.
"You sure?" She asked, waving the bag around and letting her know that it was her last chance to take it back.
"Definitely. Enjoy." She smiled and turned back to the door as the bell went off again. When she pulled open the door, Kurt was standing there, glaring at her. "Hello, Kurt." She blinked slowly at him. Blaine looked more agreeable standing next to him with a grin, bouncing on his heels. "Hey, Bla-"
"First of all, I'm offended that Puck, of all people, had to invite me to your house for a party. Second of all, I'm appalled that you're apparently already drunk or almost there. And last, but certainly not least, why have you answered absolutely none of my text messages?" Kurt demanded with a very firm pout, walking past her and into the front hallway. He ignored the fact that he completely cut off her greeting to his boyfriend. "I've had to listen to Finn whine and complain for an hour, Rachel. An hour. Do you know how damaging that is to my ears? I might not even be able to adjust my pitch anymore."
She couldn't help it. She started giggling uncontrollably as she closed the door after Blaine, trying to cover it with her hands but it wasn't like he hadn't noticed. Kurt narrowed his eyes at her and then sighed, shaking his head fondly. His face brightened considerably when he looked over her outfit combination, however.
"Mon Cheri!" He exclaimed. "You look simply marvelous!"
She beamed and twirled for him. "Santana brought the clothes over and let me pick through them!" She told him excitedly. "I just loved it and then I did my hair and she finished it for me."
Kurt looked surprised and impressed. "You and Santana hung out?"
"Alone. For hours. And we had fun," she whispered conspiratorially, looking over her shoulder to make sure none of the others were paying attention. She was embarrassed to admit just how pleased she was that Santana and her could so easily be friends after everything. Not that she'd done anything particularly wrong to the cheerleader but it was especially validating that someone who supposedly hated her, actually enjoyed her company. They had both grown as people and that was a good thing.
"I think it's nice that you two are friends now," Blaine said.
"Wow…" Kurt was suitably impressed. "But seriously. Why are my text messages all unanswered? Did you think I was going to side with Finn?"
She frowned and tucked her hair behind her ears. "No… but -" She blew out a loud breath and crossed her arms across her chest. "I didn't want you to feel like it was me vs Finn and that you had to choose a side. Finn is your brother."
"Finn is going to be my brother no matter what." Kurt waved that off. "We are family now and, while that was not initially my goal, I'm happy with how my family has turned out. Having Finn for a brother is even more wonderful than I imagined. He's a great brother. He's not a very good boyfriend, however, so thankfully he never took me up on that."
"I'd say he grew into being a great brother. Maybe he'll eventually grow into being a great boyfriend for someone too." Rachel smiled sadly.
"But not you?" Kurt tilted his head slightly.
She shook her head silently and changed the subject. "I left my phone upstairs, by the way. I put it away when Santana got here and I haven't grabbed it yet. Will you watch the door while I get it?"
"Sure!" He leaned against the wall, greeting Brittany easily as she bounced over with a drink, nearly spilling it on herself as she passed Rachel.
Her room was empty and the bottle of alcohol was still sitting on her desk with the two shot glasses. She couldn't let herself hesitate or overthink, because if she did, she wouldn't grab her phone. It was absolutely ridiculous that she was scared of a simple piece of machinery. Scared of words. She couldn't do that anymore. She was stronger than that.
She had to be.
Straightening her shoulders and forcing bravado into her lungs, she took a deep breath and waltzed over to her night stand, yanking open the drawer and pulling out her phone. She had three missed messages from Kurt, one from Brittany, and four messages from the unknown number. She glanced over Kurt's messages quickly, just to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Brittany's message was just her excitement over the party.
The four messages from the unknown number were what she was really checking for.
'You let Finn into your house. Alone? I didn't know you were that easy. I appreciate that information.'
'I'm hurt that you didn't invite me to your party, Rachel. I thought we were really starting to connect.'
A half an hour passed between messages and then they sent:
'Now Santana in your house alone? When is it my turn?'
Two hours passed between that message and the last and the words chilled her to the bone.
'Stop ignoring me. It is making me angry.'
She knew she was giving this person what they wanted, but she couldn't help it as her fingers immediately flew over the keys.
'Good. I'm glad you're angry and you will NEVER get invited to my house to be alone with me. I don't even know who you are. I don't know your name. We can't have a connection if I don't even know you!'
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she slammed the send button with her thumb. Her mouth was suddenly very dry. Did it get hotter in her room? What if she had just made a very big mistake?
The response wasn't instantaneous but it did eventually come. She was startled when her phone chirped in her clenched hands.
'You do know me. I just don't think you want to admit it yourself yet. I'm glad you messaged me back, I was starting to think you were ignoring me. I hope you sing tonight. Maybe you'll film it for me again. I'll be watching. Waiting for you.'
Rachel sunk down to sit on her bed, feeling like her throat was closing. She had tunnel vision focused solely on her phone and the way her vision was blackening, she was afraid she was going to pass out. Her breathing was shaky as she took a deep breath and held her phone to her chest, too freaked out to reply back.
...
Meanwhile; Downstairs - POV switch (Third Person Omniscient)
Kurt continued to let people in as they arrived and Puck poured them all drinks, hoping to get the buzzes going early. They hovered around the front hallway, chatting with each other and watching as everyone else arrived. Kurt looked at his watch and sighed loudly.
"Who are we still expecting because I'm pretty sure it's party time and I'm ready to sit my pretty behind down."
Puck looked around and counted heads. "Well…Finn's not coming, obviously, and Mercedes had a family thing. So I guess we're just waiting on Quinn. She is coming, right?"
Several shrugs rippled through the room and silence fell as they all focused on their drinks. Tina was the first to break the silence.
"I'm really glad we're all here together outside of the school. I kinda wanted to talk to you guys and it's perfect with Rachel upstairs," she said.
Mike looked solemn. He already knew what she was about to say because they discussed everything and this was an extensive topic of theirs.
"You have my attention." Puck lowered his glass and raised his eyebrows.
Tina was suddenly nervous with all the attention on her and her eyes darted around to each face, her cheeks coloring. "Well…have you guys noticed anything off with Rachel recently?"
Puck frowned and nodded. "Yeah. What do you know?" He demanded.
"Whoa. Down, Puck." Santana shot him a look and then rolled her eyes back to Tina. "Spill," she snapped, maybe just a little too roughly.
"I don't know anything!" Tina held her hands up quickly. "I know that the other day she had a panic attack in Glee and she told me she was being pranked."
Puck was nodding already. "Yeah. She told me she was being pranked too. Someone came by her house and started banging on the windows and doors."
"That's what she told me too!" Tina agreed, eyes widening.
"What!" Santana wheeled around to glare at Puck and then turned an even more furious glare on Tina. "You both knew about this and didn't tell anyone! No wonder she's been a weirdo wreck all week. I just chalked it up to Finn but someone was really here?" Her voice lowered to a whisper, eyes softening with vulnerability for a moment before her demeanor hardened again.
"It's okay," Brittany cooed, stroking her hair. "Rachel would tell us if something were really wrong. Right? Maybe it was a one-time thing and she's totally fine now."
"Definitely," Artie spoke for the first time, a serious and contemplative frown on his face. "She seemed a little out of it in Glee. We don't really share any classes but…I guess I don't pay that much attention to her either…" He shrugged awkwardly, suddenly feeling guilty.
Kurt sighed. "It's really hard to tell with her sometimes. She is quite a fantastic actress, which she had no qualms about telling you. I thought she was just upset over Finn, to be honest. She hasn't said a word to me about it."
Blaine frowned and then spoke hesitantly. "Maybe she's scared? Or maybe she doesn't think we'd take her seriously."
Puck scoffed at that and they went back and forth for a couple of minutes about things they were apparently not paying attention to but had come no closer to figuring anything out other than the fact that Rachel had been hiding something from them all week. A soft knock on the door interrupted them and Kurt was quick to pull it open, revealing a surprised Quinn.
"Hello, Kurt," she greeted, giving him a weird look, wondering why he was answering Rachel's door. He stepped aside and motioned her into the house without a word. She walked past him, still making a face, and then looked around at everyone else. They all had serious expressions on their faces. "Is this a party or an intervention? Cause now I'm not so sure."
Santana snorted and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Q. Have you noticed anything weird about Berry this week?" she demanded
Quinn furrowed her brow, absently accepting a drink that Puck held out for her. "She's weird. So no. She's not any weirder than normal, I guess. What is this about?"
They filled Quinn in on their discussion and she looked around at all of them incredulously.
"Are you serious right now?" She asked them. "You could, I dunno, ask her? Tell her you're concerned? She might actually tell you if something were wrong. Where is she, anyway? Isn't this her party?"
They all looked at each other, only just realizing that Rachel hadn't come back downstairs yet.
"She went upstairs to grab her phone," Kurt said. "She probably got distracted looking at stuff."
"That totally happens to me." Brittany nodded her head. "My mom took my phone away for a week because I spent 10 hours looking at cat pictures once. I was standing in the middle of the living room."
Kurt gave her a puzzled look and raised his eyebrows at Tina questioningly. Tina shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll go check," Santana offered. "I left my bottle up there, anyway."
Santana entered Rachel's room and looked around. It was empty and the diva was nowhere in sight. She was about to turn around and walk out again when she heard the faucet turn on in the bathroom and realized that Rachel must be in there. She decided to grab her bottle and wait for the brunette by the desk.
Taking a swig directly from the bottle, her eyes traveled over the impeccable desk. Everything was neatly organized and there were pictures and notes pinned to a corkboard on the wall behind it. The only thing that seemed out of place was the small disorganized stack of rumpled papers. Like they had been crumpled up and then smoothed back out.
Santana was a nosy person, she'd never deny that and when she had something curious in front of her, it really never occurred to her to let it slide. Taking another swig from the bottle, she grabbed the papers off the desk and looked at them, wondering what Rachel could have possibly crumbled and then saved.
'I'm watching you, Rachel.'
'I'm here.'
There was also a whole page of lyrics from some creepy-ass Sarah McLaughlin song. All sitting in a pile that had been on Rachel's desk. What was this? What did this even mean? Who wrote these? Santana's stomach churned uncomfortably and she set the bottle down, feeling the alcohol like a lead weight at the moment.
When the bathroom door opened, Santana's gaze immediately shifted to meet the little diva's head-on. Rachel's face paled dramatically when she saw the papers in Santana's hands.
...
POV Switch - Rachel (Third Person Limited)
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She'd gone into the bathroom to clean her face after crying. She hadn't meant to be gone for so long and she really hadn't expected anyone to come looking for her. In fact, she was sure they would enjoy the party a lot more without her even being there.
And yet…Santana was standing there. At her desk. Holding papers she hadn't put away.
Rachel had been hiding them in her desk drawer. That was where the picture of her and the other letter from this morning was currently hidden. Those text messages had prompted her to retrieve the first few and look them over. That was when the tears had started.
Santana wasn't saying anything. They were just staring at each other and Rachel could feel the anxiety choking her. What was she going to say? What was going to happen now? There was supposed to be a party happening downstairs and she was supposed to be able to put on a happy face and forget all of this.
Finally, Santana held the papers up in a hand that was clenched and shaking. "What is this?" she asked. Her voice was quiet but sharp.
Rachel flinched. Her first instinct was to brush it off. Say it was nothing. Push her out of the room so they could go downstairs and drink more and forget this ever happened. She couldn't move though. She opened her mouth and nothing came out. She had nothing to say.
Santana was starting to look a little frantic. "Rachel…who wrote these?"
She opened her mouth to speak again but still - nothing. She shook her head, hoping Santana understood. She didn't know.
Santana looked down to the papers in her hand and then back up to Rachel, looking completely helpless. "What is this?" she repeated.
Rachel's chest constricted and she hurried over, taking the papers from the cheerleader and stuffing them in her desk. "It was a prank," she mumbled. "It was just a prank. It was a weird week but it was just a prank." She didn't know who she was trying to convince, honestly, but she felt reassured nonetheless. Santana didn't look so convinced.
"Puck told us that someone was here banging on doors and windows."
"A prank," Rachel said firmly, straightening her shoulders. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by Noah even though he'd done nothing wrong. She should be the one telling her friends and she was too scared to. Now she was scared that if they figured out something more was wrong, it might turn bad for everyone. She couldn't have that either.
"Right." A scoff passed through Santana's cherry lips and she looked like she was ready to sneer out a venomous insult, but it died in her throat and she only shook her head. "This -" She motioned to the drawer that Rachel had stuffed the notes into. "-Doesn't feel right. Prank or no, that's too far."
"They had their fun." She shrugged uncomfortably and picked up the discarded bottle on the desk. "Let's go back to the party, okay? I don't want this to ruin the night."
Rachel could tell the other girl wanted to protest but she couldn't let them get involved. It was either a stupid prank that she would feel humiliated over, or it was actually a threat and she couldn't put anyone in danger like that. Instead, she smiled brightly and looped her arm through Santana's, pulling her along.
"I'm sure it's over and done with now," she assured her new friend. "So let's go relax and unwind with our friends and forget about bullies and…assholes." A proud smirk crossed her face as Santana's head jerked around with surprise at the curse word.
A genuine laugh left the cheerio and she shook her head at Rachel. "Alright fine, but I'm gonna knock some heads if you get pranked again."
She smiled fondly. "Never thought I'd hear Santana Lopez say that about me."
Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it."
…
Rachel greeted everyone enthusiastically when she got down the stairs and accepted a drink from Noah. Everyone seemed surprised when she tipped it back like a pro but she merely brushed off the concerned looks from Santana and Noah and shouted "WHO'S READY TO PARTY!"
A resounding cheer was her answer and they moved their gathering into the basement where all the karaoke equipment was set up and there was a small bar off to the side. The alcohol cabinets were locked but that didn't matter since the alcohol was provided. It was fully stocked otherwise with mixing equipment and little cherries and olives in a fridge.
They spent hours drinking and hanging out. They played any stupid game they could think of until a fight started and then they would pick a different game. It started with Charades, which Rachel insisted that she won even though Brittany told her that her impression of a duck was a travesty. It carried on into Truth or Dare which abruptly ended when Mike asked Rachel about singing duets with Finn in Glee and Rachel, being a rather truthy drunk, admitted she'd never had a problem making people believe she was in love with Finn.
Everyone felt weird after that and decided their next game should probably be more light-hearted. So they tried Never Have I Ever. They were able to play that until the statements got too ridiculous or specific. When the last statement was 'Never have I ever dated a guy from Dalton Academy' and Kurt was the only one to drink, he demanded a game change.
"Spin the bottle?" Rachel suggested after thinking for a moment.
Everyone gave her a droll look.
"Why, so you can make out with Blaine again?" Kurt smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I'm on to you."
Rachel giggled into her drink and turned glassy eyes on Blaine. "Shh, he's on to us."
Blaine rolled his eyes and clinked his glass against hers. "Here's to assuring many more men that they are gay!"
Rachel's brow drew together as raucous laughter echoed around the room. She was sure that was an insult but he had said it so cheerfully that she was pretty sure he hadn't meant to insult her.
When Blaine realized what he had just said, his eyes widened but it was too late to do damage control. Kurt was practically falling into his lap because he was giggling so hard. He shrugged an apology at Rachel and made a face. She accepted it gracefully and moved on.
"Okay, so not spin the bottle, then," she remarked. "That's fine, I didn't want to kiss any of you losers anyway." She put on her best impression of Santana, scoffed, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest while snaking her neck.
Everyone looked from her to Santana to see how the other girl would handle a Rachel Berry imitation.
"She learns quick." Santana winked at them and smirked at Rachel.
"Do you really think we need Rachel's level of drama mixed with Santana's level of sass?" Blaine cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes to puzzle it out. "I don't think that's good."
"I think it's awesome." Santana shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure we could rule the world." Rachel nodded simply in response.
"Ooh! Let's do karaoke now!" Brittany jumped up and clapped excitedly. "We can totally sing 'Run the World' by Beyonce." She was already starting to pull Mike up, despite Tina trying to hold him in place. "Rach can film it for her channel again cause it was awesome last time and really, besides Azimio and some others, the response wasn't bad."
Brittany was right, that video was her best-reviewed, especially by strangers that had happened to find her channel and didn't actually know her from school. Still, she was uncomfortably reminded of the text from her unknown…admirer. How they assumed she would sing tonight and post a video. How they were waiting and would be watching.
She didn't want to give them what they wanted. But she didn't want to give up having fun either. Singing was her life. People were going to watch her sing no matter what. But what if someone said that she could have avoided this by not singing? That, by singing, she was encouraging this person to continue their pursuit? She couldn't stomach that thought.
But when Santana appeared in front of her with a grin and pulled her up by the hands without even a question, Rachel followed, hoping that her smile looked genuine. How could she say no when people were slowly starting to get into the idea, eager for a performance?
…
A/N: I know they did that song at the beginning of season 3 during the Senior President run so I'm putting it here since that plot is going to be in the background and introduced a little later.