A.N.: This little train is trudging along! I love it! This one's really just a fluffy filler.
Disclaimer: Pay no attention to the copyright behind the curtains! O_0
Santana is shocked to say the least. She's been hanging out with Rachel Berry for the past month and it's going way better than anticipated. With every shopping trip, food run, movie marathon, and tanning session, Santana questioned why she and Quinn were so determined to make this funny, considerate, passionate, and talented person's life so miserable. Memories of an image obsessed Quinn and horny Finn popped into her mind. To think, all this for a guy that none of them ended up with. Santana was appreciative of the fact that Rachel was so willing to forgive and forget and allow her to regain her trust. She also got two more friends to boot in the shape of Klaine. Santana was even convinced to meet up with the Rainbow Brigade every weekend for coffee.
Rachel said it's really because she secretly likes them.
Santana told them it's just an excuse to get free coffee every Saturday after her morning run.
The truth is it's because the trio really isn't that bad and it makes Rachel smile. It makes Rachel happy, which is what she deserves after carrying around all of Frankenteen's emotional baggage last year. It's still a weird feeling for Santana to care about anyone else's feelings besides Brittany's, but she really enjoyed the time she and Rachel have spent together. There was also the fact that Brittany still had another month of vacation until she returned and she's pretty sure Quinn's somewhere having a mental breakdown.
Maybe I should check on her..
Santana didn't have any more time to dwell on it as her thoughts were disrupted by Rachel opening the door to her bedroom.
"Hey, you. I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me?" Rachel said stepping into the room fully after seeing the Latina wasn't in a compromising position. Santana guessed she must have learned her lesson after the last time she came in unannounced. The cheerleader was only in a towel that time, but it was more than enough to have Rachel backing out of the room sputtering apologies and looking far more red than Santana had ever seen her, outside of a cherry slushie.
"No, sorry. I just zoned out I guess. My brother let you in?" She said sitting upright to put her shoes on.
"Yeah, he's downstairs playing a very violent video game. He told me to ask if you were going to order dinner or if he should." Santana picked up her phone to text her brother that she would be going over to Rachel's for dinner, but he should order pizza for himself and their parents as they would be home in a few hours.
"Alright bro, I'm heading out. Remember the rules and I won't tell mom and dad how the car actually got that dent in it." Santana said to her younger brother using the same eyebrow she used to keep the masses in check at Mckinley. The youngest Lopez snatched his headset off to stare at his older sister indignantly.
"You're the one who pushed me off my skateboard! It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you!" He pointed at her, jabbing a bony finger in his sister's chest for emphasis.
"Correction, none of that would've happened if you hadn't snuck your board outside while you were supposed to be grounded, Javi." Her brother waved her off as he got resituated in front of his game and she headed to the door with an amused Rachel behind her.
"All semantics aside, lock the door and don't open it. Mom and dad will be home in a few hours. Text me, if you need anything. Love you!" And with that they were out the door.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of nervous about having dinner with your dads. I'm sure they don't think very highly of me." Rachel looked over at Santana from the driver's seat.
"While I've been very honest about the treatment of the Glee Club members, I haven't actually given any details as to who my tormentors have been all these years." Santana let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.
"I still feel shitty about all the slushying and the name calling though. Now that I've had my taste I can definitely say that is cruel and unusual punishment." The taller brunette said, as she tried to laugh off the situation. Rachel had been hanging around the cheerleader long enough to know that the topic of conversation was getting uncomfortable for her and she had about one more response from the Latina before the subject was dropped and or changed.
"We've all done things in the past that we're not proud of Santana, I did send that Sunshine girl to a crack house last year, which makes all the slushies feel tame in comparison. My parents are forgiving people and once they see that your intentions towards me are genuine, the past will stay where it belongs. In the past." Rachel said with finality, making Santana chuckle.
"Thank you for saying that, Rachel, it means a lot to me. I know you feel like I've earned your forgiveness, but I know I haven't and so having your friendship means a lot to me." Santana said, keeping pace with the serious mood in Rachel's 2012 Chevy Volt.
"I could always just tell my dads everything and then they'll want to introduce you to their gun collection the same way they did Finn." Rachel pointed out with a shrug.
"Your dads are pro-gun...I'm somehow not surprised?" Rachel laughed in earnest.
"My dads are pro civil rights, not just pro gun."
"Sorry to break it to you, but there's nothing civil about them giving me the 'hurt our daughter, we'll hurt you' speech." Pulling up to the cookie cutter house on the other side of town, Rachel turned the car off to stare directly at Santana.
"Guess you'll just have to not hurt me, then." Something about the moment felt charged and Santana had not been expecting such a loaded response from the singer she had just begun to call a friend.
As she walked up to the house with more pep in her step than she'd had in weeks, Santana felt in direct contrast with her earlier prediction of how things would turn out.
This summer isn't boring at all. Not by a longshot.
