Author's Note: Well I've just had my first two days of Uni, well, of the Induction week anyway! Met the folks on my course, spoken to a few of them and they seem lovely and I cannot wait to get to know them and work with them on stuff =) it's been raining heavily all fucking day so not only am I soaked, I also found out there is a leak in my roof so there's water getting into my bedroom and no one can come sort it until tomorrow *sigh * apparently the world thought I hadn't been kicked enough while I was down.
I have nothing on tomorrow and I have a medical appointment Thursday so I mostly have the days to myself to type up and write for you guys so expect another chapter by next week! But I also need to chill and finally fucking sleep because I still haven't gotten more than four hours a night in the last 2 months and it's really starting to take its toll on me =/ so wish me luck with that!
Anywho, a massive thank you to the brilliant and kind folks who have reviewed and all the favourites and follows I've gotten, they make me so happy and always give me the boost I need to get working on the next chapter for you all. So really you're helping yourself too by reviewing and being lovely ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, not even the house with the leaky bloody roof I'm currently living in! Which does have its upsides cos it means I don't have to pay for or deal with repairs so =D
Content Warning: Mentions of s*x, r*pe/assault, bullying, shitty parents, suicide, violence, slut-shaming, pregnancy. Please stay safe.
Chapter Fifteen
Santana, arms folded over her chest, drummed her fingers nervously on her biceps. It had been exactly seventeen minutes and thirty-five seconds since she had been welcomed awkwardly into the Hudson-Hummel household by Burt Hummel alongside the Berry men. It had been nine minutes and six seconds since Carole Hudson Hummel has set down cups of coffee for them all and her and Burt had taken their seats opposite herself and the Berrys at the kitchen table. And it had been three minutes and fifty-two seconds since anyone had spoken.
Santana knew all this because of the clock that hung on the wall across from her that she had been staring a hole into since they arrived. The atmosphere was charged to say the least. And it had the Latina on edge, out of sorts. She had started to regret this idea the moment she had shut the Berry's front door behind her, leaving three anxious, concerned girls in her wake. All she could say so far was that she was glad Finn had not made an appearance. But she did not anticipate that lasting long once he got wind of her presence. He was nothing if not determined – his grudge against her and her family was petty but when he committed, he really went for it, she'd give him that… Now if only she could give him her fist squarely in his face she'd feel much better about the whole situation. For a few minutes anyway until Quinn heard about it then she'd never be allowed out of the blonde's sight again and she did not want to add any more burden and worry to her girlfriends' then she already had.
Another minute ticked by without anyone saying anything. Santana was so impatient, itching to get this over with that she finally snapped. "Look, we all know why we're here so can we please just get this started? I do have a life to get back to!"
All four adults stiffened, their eyes on the Latina looking between them expectantly. LeRoy cleared his throat and placed his cup carefully on the table. "Santana is right. This is not a social call."
Burt and Carole exchanged a pained look and nodded.
"We know. We just… don't even know where to start with all this…" Burt sighed.
"Or how to ever begin to apologise for the damage Finn has caused!" Carole sounded so genuine that the three opposite her relaxed a little.
They had almost expected a fight, to have to convince the woman that the girls hadn't made it up. It was a relief to know they could skip that part and get straight to figuring out where to go from there.
"We appreciate your candour, Carole, Burt. This is a difficult situation all round so we wanted to handle it as delicately and maturely as possible, so no further harm is caused to anyone." Hiram's voice was calm, he spoke clearly and confidently – in full lawyer mode.
"Thank you." Carole held Hiram's gaze making the man incline his head at her.
"So where do we go from here?" Burt straightened a little in his chair, all business now too.
LeRoy mirrored Burt's attitude. He folded his hands on the table and steeled himself. "We have been made aware by Santana that Principal Figgins is starting the process of looking into the… Situation between the girls and your son. We are also aware that that could take a long while for any outcome to be achieved so we wanted to explore other avenues while that was going on – this get-together being one such option." LeRoy glanced either side of him at his husband and the now silent Latina. "There are more extreme routes we can go down but out of concern for all those involved and the toll they could take on them, this seemed a better, safer choice for now."
"I agree," Burt clasped his wife's hand. "Carole and I have already spoken at length about this… Situation and we wish to offer whatever support we can, and we will do everything we can from our end."
"You have to believe me, LeRoy, Hiram, this is not how he was raised! I taught him to respect women and never lay a hand on anyone. But…" Carole swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "I was a single mom for most of Finn's life. I worked two jobs alongside that but I tried my hardest to raise him right, I swear to you!"
The Berry men found each other's hands and held tight, battling against their own emotions.
"We know you did, Carole." Hiram lent forward, his free hand stretching out for the woman's but stopped just short on the table. "We always want to give our children the best, all the things we never had. But we are having to work ten times as hard just to counteract the toxicity of our current society and all the rules forced onto the kids these days. Not just by us and society but by their own peers too."
Carole closed the distance to grasp Hiram's hand and squeezed it gratefully. They exchanged a small smile before sitting back again.
"Mr. Berry's right," Santana conceded. She let out a quiet sigh and sat up a little straighter in her seat. "High school is all about labels and fitting into those boxes you're put in. And if you don't, you're pretty much beaten down until you do conform. The toxic masculinity of the jocks is dangerous. Even the nicest, kindest of kids can get corrupted if they don't have the right support system, don't have an escape or even just lose the will to keep fighting it." She hesitated for a second before pushing on. "I know I've done a great deal I'm not proud of, last year especially. I've hurt people, made dumbass decisions and almost destroyed myself and the people I care about just trying to fit in and survive high school. If it wasn't for my support system now, if it wasn't for having Glee Club as my escape then I probably wouldn't be here. And I would definitely still be that angry, bitchy, Cheerio who didn't give a fuck who she hurt because… because I was hurting worse."
LeRoy felt so proud of the girl in that moment. She had so much guilt and pain about the things she had done and who she used to be – and shame was so plain on her face but she had still been honest and told them about it all in hopes that maybe it could help Carole… Perhaps even help Finn. He had such an overwhelming urge to hug the Latina to him and never let her go. To just apologise over and over for who her parents were and how awfully the world had treated her so far. Because hearing her admit to being suicidal, even though it was before he ever met her, absolutely broke his heart. And from the way Hiram was crushing his hand, he could tell his husband felt it too.
Carole dipped her head to meet Santana's eyes. "High school was bad enough when I- when we were there." She gestured to the adults around the table. "I can't even imagine how much worse it's gotten in the age of technology. I mean, you don't even have to be in the same country as someone to bully them these days! And then add on all the peer pressure and insane beauty standards put on kids, girls especially… I don't want to imagine…" Her face darkened. "And now my own son is a part of the problem too… God!"
"That's exactly why we thought this – us sitting down together – would be a good idea. So we can find a way to help Finn and stop all this happening again." LeRoy smiled kindly. "So-"
"What the fuck is she doing here?"
Santana's blood ran cold as her eyes homed in on the tall, pissed off looking boy stood in the kitchen doorway.
"Finn!" Carole hissed at the boy, whipping round.
"Santana is a guest in our home, she came with the Berrys to discuss the situation you've caused."
Finn scowled at Santana. "Why?"
"Because she is well within her rights to be involved-"
"No," Finn cut Burt off. "Why are you having anything to do with one of the bitches who spent all last year making Rachel's life a living hell?" The boy directed his question at the Berry men.
Santana gritted her teeth - her jaw clenching so painfully she tasted blood - her whole body stiffening. She glared daggers at the smirking boy, with a triumphant gleam in his eye.
"What, did she not mention how her and Quinn insulted and bullied Rachel every chance they got? How Rachel was slushied to please and impress them? How all three of them worked for Coach Sylvester to try and ruin Rachel's beloved Glee club? How they are still using her for whatever sick game they have going on-"
"Shut your fucking mouth! You know nothing about anything!" Santana stood so abruptly her chair clattered to the floor. "That might have been who I thought I had to be to survive last year but it ain't me, or Q, or Britt any more. And we would never treat our relationship with Rachel like a game, like she was some toy to use and abuse whenever we got bored like some people in this room!" The Latina's eyes burnt with anger. It took everything she had not to launch herself across the room and beat him into unconsciousness, until he got the message to keep her girls' names out of his mouth.
"Ha!" Finn laughed in her face. "You're the manipulative slut here, Santana. You, Brittany, Quinn – you're all liars. You're all sluts and users!" The boy jabbed a finger at Santana as he turned to address the adults again. "Between the three of them they've probably fucked most of the school, I know Santana has! And Brittany's so fucking stupid she even made out with the janitor. Let's not forget holier-than-thou Quinn Fabray herself. All she fucking did was tease and flirt when we were together, then she's spreading her legs for the first guy who buys her booze? If that's not the definition of a 'slut' then I don't know what is." He rounded on Santana again, stalking towards her with a sneer on his face. "You deserve each other. But leave Rachel the hell alone, stop corrupting her and using her. You don't deserve her."
"Finn!" Carole was on her feet now, Burt too, their mouths hanging open.
"That's enough, young man!" Burt made a move to intercept Finn before he could reach Santana, setting himself firmly between the two, hands out to physically stop the boy if need be.
"Oh, and you do, do you?" Santana snorted – her fury outweighed her fear of the boy and the consequences now. "Fine. If this is what you wanna do, let's do it." She rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles, taking a step towards him so she could square up to the giant boy. "You cheated on Quinn with Rachel. You outed Quinn's pregnancy to her parents when she begged you not to and got her kicked out. You belittled and called Britt 'stupid' more times than I can count, when you're the one who fucking believed you got Quinn pregnant via hot tub, you fucking ignoramus! You've chosen your reputation and popularity over your friends, over the Glee Club, over your own girlfriends every single time. You've gotten into punching matches in the middle of the school hallways. You treated Kurt like shit because you thought you could 'catch it'." Santana tapped Burt on the shoulder until the man looked at her. "I've seen him helping Puck throw Kurt in the dumpsters outside school, more than once. Not to mention laughing before when the Jocks locked Artie in the Porta-Potty."
Burt's head swivelled slowly back around to glare silently at Finn, his jaw tight as he puffed himself up to his full height making Finn gulp visibly.
"And since you brought it up, how about the fact that you knew Rachel liked you last year but because it would hurt your 'rep' to date her, you instead spent the year stringing her along, manipulating her for your own agenda, and at the behest of Mr. Schue, by the way!" Santana called over her shoulder to the Berry men. "And playing her and Quinn off against each other. You only ever wanted one of them when you couldn't have them. It was all a fucking game to you. A selfish, childish, pathetic game. It's no fucking wonder they're both so fucked up when they had you treating them like expendable garbage, getting what you wanted from them before leaving them again when the other had something you wanted more." Santana curled her lip at him. She shook her head and took a step back, not wanting to be anywhere near the boy. "I am so fucking glad they both had the good sense and taste never to sleep with you."
Finn started to open his mouth to bite back, hatred scarring his face but Santana was quicker. She was not done yet.
The Latina turned to Carole and pointed at Finn. "You want to know how your son could have ever done something so awful and unforgivable to Rachel?"
Carole's eyes widened and her lip quivered. She nodded hesitantly.
"Do you remember last year when you let your son kick a pregnant Quinn out onto the street after he found out the baby wasn't his? What he didn't mention was how his still best friend had gotten Quinn drunk, coerced her into a vulnerable position and then lied about using a condom. I don't know what the law says," she waved an arm in Hiram's direction. "But to me? That sounds like rape. He forgives Puck but Quinn is still a lying, cheating slut? Fucking really? I am so fucking done with these double standards. So if he comes anywhere near me, Brittany, Quinn or Rachel ever again, I will press charges with the cops. Because if his best friend can do something like that, what's to stop him?" Santana stepped away from the scene, backing up until her back hit the fridge.
Finn's eyes hadn't left her – it looked like he was trying to eviscerate her with just his gaze. But when his mother and step-father surrounded him, and the Berry men stood glaring at him, the boy shrank and stopped trying to close the gap between himself and the Latina.
"That's-That's bullshit! I would never hurt Rachel, I would never do that to her. It was just a kiss, I just had to let her know how I felt about her, that she didn't have to be with those bitches if she didn't want to because she has options!" Finn desperately tried to explain as he was backed out of the kitchen. "I was trying to protect her! From them! All they did was hurt and attack everyone last year, I just wanted it to stop. I wanted Rachel to be safe, I was trying to prove that I can look after her if she just lets me-" The boy's voice got quieter and quieter as his family root marched him back to his bedroom.
Santana's vision was a little spotty as her chest heaved, her breath coming out in hard, painful gasps. She took a minute to focus on her burning lungs and sucked in some deep, slow breaths. Her throat felt raw, like it was made of sandpaper and her head pounded. She hadn't meant to say all that but now that is was out there finally, she was kinda glad. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she could stand up straight again for the first time in years… maybe this being honest thing had some merit to it after all. She made a mental note to remember exactly that when she got back to her girls.
"Santana?" LeRoy's voice snapped the girl out of her head. The Berry men were stood before her, watching her with unreadable expressions.
Santana felt her throat close and panic stabbing at her lungs. These kind, caring men now knew all the shitty, awful things the Unholy Trinity had been a part of last year, and all they had done to their daughter. Not to mention how truly fucked up and shitty a person Santana really was. Her heart sank into her boots as she met the waiting men's eyes. Well, if this was going to happen then she was going to get as much out first before they could scream at her and banish her from Rachel's life forever – maybe that way she stood a chance… maybe that way it wouldn't hurt quite so much.
"Everything he said about last year is true, okay? But I can assure you, you could never hate me more than I hate myself." Santana wrapped her arms around herself, such a deep frown on her face as she dropped her chin to her chest. "But everything I said in your kitchen the other night is true too. We care so much about Rachel, we'd do anything for her… even if that means staying far away from her." She barely managed to choke the words out. They hurt her so much to even think, never mind say or actually do. But she meant them. If that's what it took to keep the diva safe then they would do it in a heartbeat. Even if it would be agony for them to spend every day keeping the girl they lov- cared for at arm's length, keeping their feelings for her locked away, never getting to complete their family…
"Santana…" LeRoy's voice was softer this time. He clasped a hand on both of her shoulders, squeezing gently until she looked up at him. "Maybe all that was true of who you were. But that is not who you are now. That is not the person we know."
"Those are not the girls who spent every day last week making sure Rachel was safe at school. Those are not the girls who have stayed by her side since Friday to ensure Rachel wasn't alone and knew she was cared for and supported." Hiram moved to his husband's side, a reassuring smile on his face for Santana.
"You are all still so young, still figuring yourselves out. And you are all so much more than your pasts, and your mistakes! Yes, it saddens us to hear that Rachel was bullied and we never want that to happen again, are we clear?" LeRoy raised his eyebrows at the Latina pointedly.
Santana nodded eagerly, firmly. She would rather die than ever let that happen again!
LeRoy smiled. "But I am also aware that our daughter has made her own mistakes and done her own hurting, right? I know for a fact she was the one who told Finn that the baby wasn't his."
Santana averted her eyes and half shrugged.
The taller man chuckled. "No one in this world is perfect, Santana. No one. But if Rachel can forgive you all, and you can forgive her, and move on, then so can we."
Hiram nodded his agreement. "And anyway, you guys have admitted you've done wrong and are actively trying to make up for it, make things right and be better people. Finn still doesn't seem to be able, or willing, to do that."
The men's words churned around Santana's head as she tried to make sense of all the emotions they had stirred up. Of all the things she could have imagined Rachel's fathers saying to her after learning the truth about her past with the diva, not one of the things they had actually said had been among them. These men, whom she had known for all of a week, had been more forgiving and generous and accepting than any of her own blood related family. How was that even possible? It took everything she had to fight back the crushing realisation that this is how family were supposed to be and she hadn't had to go through life feeling like a burden, useless, in the way… not everyone's family were as shitty as hers and Quinn's and, to be honest, that was strangely comforting. The fact that there were people out there who didn't have to go through the neglect and disappointment and abuse that they had gave her just the smallest sliver of hope.
When Santana finally met the Berry men's eyes again it took only a gentle yet sad smile and for her to clock the overwhelming kindness and concern in their gazes to rip her walls to shreds and make her fall apart. She lurched into LeRoy, burying her face in his chest as the tears came. She felt the man's arms engulf her, Hiram following suit. She heard them murmuring reassurances to her.
"You are a good person, Santana. Don't beat yourself up so much." LeRoy dropped a kiss to the top of the girl's head.
"You deserve to be happy and safe just as much as anyone. And as much as we should never have put you in this position, I know I speak for us both when I say we are very proud of you right now." Hiram's words only made Santana cry harder.
She held onto LeRoy even tighter and he returned her hug just as fiercely. He had a sneaking suspicion her own father had not hugged her, or shown her any affection at all, in a very long time. When he moved to pull away, Santana confirmed it with a shake of her head and a muffled sob. He made a promise to himself then and there to do his absolute best to make up for the years of distance and coldness he was certain she had received from her own parents. He knew it wouldn't change the past but perhaps it could make her future just a little bit warmer.
"I have no idea what's going on with him lately. I'm hoping he's just gone insane from all the hits in the head he's taken from playing football! But whatever it is, Finn needs professional help because his obsession with Rachel and the Unholy Trinity is dangerous." Kurt lay on his bed, cell phone held to his ear, staring up at the ceiling. He listened attentively to the person on the other end as they spoke. "Definitely, this whole thing with them has for sure made him lose his goddamn mind. I mean, he's my brother and I love him but…" The boy sighed, smoothing down his hair with his free hand. He uncrossed and crossed his legs as he listened again, nodding. "Exactly. I don't condone violence, I mean, I've been on the receiving end of my fair share, but I am genuinely surprised Santana, or Quinn, hasn't smacked him down yet after all the fucked up stuff he's done to them lately-"
"Oh, believe me, I wanna!" A voice came from Kurt's bedroom doorway.
The boy rolled onto his front, almost falling off his bed and dropping his phone as he did so. His eyes landed on Santana, lent casually against the wall, arms crossed, watching him with a smirk. Her eyes looked a little red and there was something a little more reserved in her demeanour...
"San-Santana?" Kurt gawped at her for a long moment. "Did I summon you by saying your name?" He whispered, slightly terrified. He glanced about quickly to make sure Quinn hadn't popped up too. The sound of a male voice could be heard coming from the phone clutched in the boy's hand.
Santana raised an eyebrow, her eyes going from Kurt to his phone and back again pointedly. "I'm not fucking Beetlejuice, you moron. More like Bloody Mary," She shrugged with a wicked grin. "But don't let me interrupt! I believe you were saying something about my girlfriend?"
Kurt's eyes widened even further and he gulped noisily "No, I- Uh- I was just…" He put the phone back to his ear. "Blaine? Yes, I'm here but I have to go. Call you later. Bye." He hung up and slid off his bed. "What exactly are you doing here, Santana?"
The Latina narrowed her eyes at him for a few very long seconds before a grin lit her face. "Relax, Hummel. I'm here to beat your step-brother's ass not yours." She threw herself onto Kurt's bed and laid back, her hands folded behind her head.
Kurt blanched.
"Fuck sake, Kurt. Stop looking at me like I'm gonna eat you. You ain't even my type, firstly!" She shot him a wink, making the boy purse his lips with a scowl. "And secondly, I've finally decided how you can start making it up to me for being Hudson's accomplice."
A frown appeared on Kurt's face. "I thought I was keeping Finn out of your way?"
"Oh you are. But you're gonna do this too because it's mostly for Rachel." She thought for a moment. "And for you as well, I guess." Santana beckoned him to sit back down on the bed with her.
Kurt rolled his eyes but sat cross legged opposite. "Fine! But only because it's for Rachel and I."
Santana snorted. He was as big a diva as Rachel any day of the week! "Here's what's gonna happen… You're gonna start acting like the goddamn friend you claim to be to Rachel again. And you're gonna fucking mean it! Then, next Friday, you and Rachel are gonna have a sleep over at her place-"
"Hold up, Satan!" Kurt held up a hand, disbelief colouring his voice.
"I'm not finished yet, Lady Face." Santana bit back at him with a glare. "You're gonna do the whole best-friends-sleep-over-experience and you're gonna make fucking sure she has a damn good night – because I will hear about it the next day and if I don't think you've pulled out all the stops, I'll be incredibly unhappy, Kurt. And you don't want me to be unhappy now, do you?"
Kurt recoiled at the venom in the Latina's voice, shaking his head frantically.
Santana held the boy's gaze until she was satisfied that he was thoroughly terrified. She softened then. "Rachel deserves something fun and uncomplicated, even if it's only for a night. She deserves friends, Kurt, a support system, to just be a regular teenage girl for a little while. Q, Britt and I, we can't give her that. Everything between us is so unsure and messy right now. There's too much history and too many feelings. So will you do this? Please? For her?"
Kurt sat a moment in silent contemplation – his eyes never leaving Santana. Of all the crazy things he had steeled himself for, of all the requests she could have made… this was not one he ever would have expected. But then again, he barely knew this version of Santana, so really he couldn't assume anything anymore.
Honestly though, he was still trying to get his head around the fact that Santana seemed to genuinely care for Rachel. As did the rest of the Unholy Trinity apparently! The girls were all such polar opposites – not just of Rachel but of each other too – that he found it difficult to imagine how any relationship between them could possibly work – let alone work cohesively! Except Santana was right, he barely knew Rachel either having been such a lacklustre friend to her of late. He knew he was to blame for that – when he had noticed the diva withdraw and close herself off, he had pulled away too, afraid of getting hurt himself. He regretted it every day but he had been anxious about making things worse for the tiny diva and could not think how to restart things with her again. So perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to solve the mystery of the Unholy Trinity as well as make things up to Rachel…
"Very well, Santana. I shall make the call." Kurt dialled Rachel's number and put his phone on loud speaker as it rang.
"If you mention me I'll kick your ass, Hummel!" Santana hissed at the boy.
Kurt waved her off as Rachel picked up.
"Hello? Kurt?"
The boy watched a soft smile slip onto the Latina's face at the sound of the diva's voice and he couldn't help the smirk and eyebrow raise he shot her. She was so fucking into Rachel and it made him happy to see the usually guarded, prickly girl being so open and loving to someone who wasn't Brittany.
"Hey, Rach, how are you?"
"I'm… I'm fine, Kurt. And yourself?" The diva sounded confused and… sad?
Santana immediately picked up on it and leant forward, concern on her face. Kurt did not fail to notice either but pushed on.
"I am well, thank you. I was just calling to check on you, I wanted to make sure you were okay after everything on Friday."
"You-You did? I mean, that's very thoughtful of you, thank you. But there is no need for concern. Santana, Quinn and Brittany haven't left my side all weekend." The smile in Rachel's voice was so obvious but her tone contradicted it. "They have been so sweet and so… so perfect."
Even Kurt was worried now. "So why do you sound upset?"
Rachel was silent but then a sniffle came across the line and Santana's heart beat picked up. Before another word could be said, the Latina had her own cell phone out and was furiously texting her girlfriends.
"Rachel?"
"My apologies, Kurt. I'm just… have you ever wanted something so badly that it's all you can think about? But you know it's all just a beautiful dream and the chances of it happening for real are a million to one? Yet you still let yourself hope and let the dream pull you back in over and over. Even though you know it's going to hurt so badly when it's finally over but… it's better than your actual reality so you just can't bring yourself to care at all…"
Kurt and Santana exchanged a look – Kurt with his hand clasped to his chest, Santana clenching and unclenching her fists, almost crushing her phone. Flashes of pain shot through the Latina's chest at Rachel's words – she had to talk to the girl, she had to explain, she had to make this right, she had to… she had to…
Rachel cleared her throat. "Forgive me, sometimes I can't control the dramatic diva in me." She tried a chuckle but it came out weak and strangled. "Anyway, was that all or…"
Santana nudged Kurt's knee hard with the toe of her boot. She stabbed a finger at him and then at the phone he held, her eyes wild.
He scowled at her but did as he was told. "Actually, I wanted to know if you were up for a Barbra fest Friday night?"
"Really?" Shock coloured Rachel's voice and it made guilt eat at Kurt.
"Of course! What could be better than you, me and Ms. Streisand herself? I'll even let you choose the snacks, I know how picky you are!"
Santana narrowed her eyes at the boy, about to kick him again but Rachel's quiet laughter stopped her.
"That actually sounds great. Exactly what I need, Kurt, thank you."
Kurt felt a genuine smile cross his face. "Excellent. We shall finalise the details tomorrow at school."
"I'm looking forward to it. Goodbye, Kurt."
"Goodbye, Rachel."
The call ended and Santana was off the bed and heading out the door before Kurt could blink.
"Santana?"
"I gotta go. Thanks for doing that," The Latina mumbled, distracted as she read something on her own phone.
"Santana!" Kurt called more forcefully.
"What?" The girl spun back to face him, a glint of panic in her eyes.
"Tell her how you feel already. Clearly she feels the same."
Santana worked her jaw side to side briefly before gritting her teeth hard. She gave a nod before turning and vanishing. Kurt sighed and flopped back onto his bed.
"You have certainly got your hands full with those three, Rach. I hope you know what you're doing…" He pressed speed dial three on his phone and put it to his ear. "Hey, Blaine, sorry about that. You will never believe what just happened though!"
Santana all but ran back through the Hudson-Hummel house towards the kitchen, heart in her throat. Quinn had finally text her back. The blonde had tried to tell her it was nothing, that everything was fine, but Santana wouldn't be placated. She knew her girlfriend was trying to protect her but she needed to know before she had a fucking panic attack.
'She said she wants us to stay away from her, S. She thinks she's taking advantage of us and getting us hurt!' Quinn had texted her the condensed version, Santana knew. There had to be more to it than that…
Santana's phone rang just before she got to the kitchen. Quinn's name flashed up and she answered immediately. "What the fuck happened, Q?" She hadn't meant to snap but she could barely think over the thundering of her heart and the darkness thrashing in her mind.
"I'm so sorry, S, this is all my fault!" Quinn sounded as panicked as the Latina did.
Santana reigned herself in and did her best to keep her voice calm. "I very much doubt that, mi amor. I know you care about Rach as much as Britt and I do. We just need to talk to her and get to the bottom of all this, okay?"
Quinn exhaled shakily. Santana could hear Brittany muttering reassurances and sweet words to the freaked out girl on the other end of the line.
"Please just get back here, S."
Santana smiled at the thought of getting far away from Finn and back to her girls. "I will be back as soon as humanly poss-" The Latina was yanked forcefully backwards, her phone falling from her grasp and clattering to the floor.
As the girl was hauled bodily down the hallway at breakneck speed, Quinn's voice sounded faintly, calling the Latina's name over and over, more and more desperate each time she received no answer.
No answer except for the faint sounds of a struggle that could be heard in the background…
AN: Sorry about the cliffhanger XD I'm evil, I know, but I gotta do summat to keep you coming back for more! Plus if I just gave you everything without making you work for it you'd be bored stiff already!
Anywho, I hope you are still enjoying the story, there's still a shit ton of drama to come but I promise the ending will be worth it ;)