Hey guys! Chapter three is now live. I haven't had as much free time lately to carryon writing this story so updates may take a little while longer. Hopefully they won't be any more than 3-4 days in-between uploads, fingers crossed. I hope you're still enjoying my story. Happy reading :)
*POSSIBLE TRIGGER: in this chapter, there are developments in the start of Santana's eating disorder*
Glee: Season 1 Episode 3 - Acafellas
Chapter Three
That night I had the worst night's sleep in a while, I couldn't stop thinking about Brittany. I'd missed our girl's night, and for what, a pointless hook up. I cringe at the thoughts of yesterday evenings antics with Puck. I wonder what Brittany did last night. Was she with Chase? Was she alone? Did she miss me? Do you think Britt's pissed? The questions constantly revolving around my head. If it was the other way around, I would be seriously pissed off. "beep…. beep". I turn to swich my alarm off, fuck how is it half four already, I haven't even slept yet. I drag my lifeless body out of bed, throw on some gym clothes, walk down the stairs trying my hardest to keep my eyes open and leave my house heading for the park.
After my morning run with Quinn, I do feel slightly better, the cool, crisp morning air seems to have woken me up, but I still can't help but question the decisions I made yesterday. I subconsciously have a shower and get ready for school my body on autopilot and make my way down to the kitchen. I pull a box of cereal out of the cupboard, get the milk out of the fridge and pour myself a bowl. I switch on the television nestled in the corner of the kitchen for some background noise and start to eat, still lost in my thoughts. I've eaten three quarters of the bowl when a loud grumble from my stomach snaps me back to reality. I look down and see a bump on my stomach forming, I look on the counter and see the almost empty breakfast bowl. Shit, shit, shitty, shit, shit. I think to myself starting to panic. Coach Sue's doing weigh ins this morning, she's going to know I've put weight on. Fuck, what should I do? I look at the time on my phone. I haven't got time to workout to burn it off. Then it dawns on me, what goes in must come out. Knowing, my parents are at work I run to the downstairs bathroom and lean over the toilet bowl. Nothing happens. 'C'mon' I say to myself 'you can do this stomach' almost willing my stomach on. Again, nothing happens. I look at the time again, I need to leave in five minutes. Shit. I look around and know what I must do. I take a deep breath and apologize to my throat. I take my two fingers, my hand almost shaking, and push them to the back of my mouth and down my throat. The back of my throat burns, and a tear escapes out of the corner of my eye, as I see my breakfast land into the toilet. Just think about the Cheerios, about winning nationals I tell myself trying to distract from what's happening, they're so important to my abuela.
I make it to school just in time for Coach Sue's weigh-ins but I can't see Brittany. She must have already weighed in and be on her way to class. "Next…Lopez…." I hear Coach Sue call through her megaphone as I stand up. I look down to my stomach, the bump has gone. I take a deep breath and walk towards the scale and step on. Coach Sue looks at the scales and then at her clipboard. "You're down two pounds Lopez…you need to try harder… or do you not want to be a Cheerio?"
"Yes coach" I reply stepping off the scale. Shit that's it, all food must come out I tell myself, no exceptions.
I didn't see Brittany that day until forth period geometry. "Hey Britt" I say spotting the blond at the back off the class, our eyes meet as I sit own next to her and get out my geometry book.
"Hey San" she replies. Hmmm, she doesn't sound pissed I think to myself that's good, but then again I don't think I've ever seen her pissed, well never with me.
"How was your night?" I ask, opening my textbook. Brittany shrugs her shoulders "Did you see Chase?" I probe, getting straight to my agenda. This question had been eating away at me all day, I need to know.
"No, why would I see Chase?" she asks, a hint of confusement in her voice. My heart sinks. Did I blow her off last night for no reason?
"Well, I saw you two together yesterday. By the lockers" I answer back.
"Oh that? No, I was just helping him out" Brittany answers.
"With what?" I ask furrowing my brows.
"His biology homework, obviously" Brittany says laughing "Seriously Santana, what did you think was going on?" I just shrug my shoulders in return. "If anything was happening, I'd obviously tell you first" Brittany continues, my heart skips a beat "You're my best friend" It quickly sinks again.
"So nothing going on with you and Chase then?" I quiz, trying to find a sensitive way around the subject.
"Nope" Then Brittany catches on to the conversation. A big smile grows on her face "Why? Do you like him?" she squeals leaning into my shoulder.
"I mean. Maybe" I shrug, hiding my face in my textbook.
"Well, you gotta go for it San. You look super-hot today" my face instantly heats up and I can feel myself blushing. Did Britt just say I look hot? No, super-hot? I bury my face in my book deeper, making sure she can't see.
That afternoon after schools done for the day, it's time to put our plan into action and hire Dakota Stanley, so a group of us meet in the parking lot and head off to Carmel High. Quinn drives me, Brittany and Mercedes, with Kurt taking Tina and Rachel.
"You ready to get your man?" Quinn asks Mercedes on the drive over. She just shrugs in return evidently nervous.
"Why you so scared?" I say bigging Mercedes up "You look hot and have the best voice in the whole of Glee Club". Kurt's gonna love you" I add.
"I don't know. What if he doesn't like me like that?" Mercedes asks.
"Oh, he will" Quinn replies, parking up and getting out of the car. "Just remember, confidence is key"
We walk up to Kurt's car as he and the others get out. We usher Mercedes forward towards him. "Damn, Kurt, this car is fly" She says to him.
"My dad got it for my sweet sixteen after I swore to stop wearing formfitting sweaters that stop at the knee" he replies. Wow, he's so obviously gay I think to myself. This is gonna be great. "What he doesn't know doesn't hurt him" he adds, before anyone can say anything.
"Are we even sure they're rehearsing today?" Quinn asks, quickly changing the subject.
"Vocal Adrenaline rehearses every day from 2:30 until midnight" Berry replies, arms crossed, that smug all-knowing look on her face. As we walk towards the Carmel High auditorium, I notice Mercedes and Kurt linking their arms together.
"I'm so nervous these Vocal Adrenaline kids are gonna laugh at us" Mercedes says aiming her conversation at Kurt. "They're so cool and popular, and we look like we just stepped off the short bus"
"Those sweaty Nazis have just had more time to practise" Kurt replies. "We have more heart. And you don't look touched in the head. That outfit is amazing." Mercedes glimpses over to look Quinn, Brittany and I. We smile back and I raise my eyebrows, silently willing her on.
"So, would you ever, you know what to hang out?" Mercedes asks. Wow, I can't believe she actually did it. I supress a chuckle.
"Come over. It's Liza Minnelli week on AMC!" Kurt replies. Oh wow, he really has no idea what's happening does he! How can someone be so oblivious.
"Guys!" Rachel pushes through between Quinn and Mercedes to the front of the group "That's Andrea Cohen. She won outstanding soloist last year at Absolutely Tampastic." We all stop and look at the girl with her head in a bin, puking. Eww, I think to myself, my arms crossed. Is that what I look like? I try to shake the thought out of my mind.
"You can't leave rehearsals for any reason" the girls massaging her shoulders says to her. "That includes heat exhaustion or Crohn's disease" Quinn, Brittany and me exchanging disgusted looks, did we make the wrong play here? Berry walks over to the girls. God, she's ballsy when she wants something.
"Are you guys Vocal Adrenaline? We'd like to talk to Dakota Stanley about choreography for our Glee Club"
"Don't" Andrea replies lifting her head from the bin. "He's a monster". Surely he can't be that bad Quinn, Brittany and I mumble to ourselves as Berry walks past the two girls and into the auditorium. We all follow and sit in the audience as their performance starts.
Oh wow, they're really good I think to myself as a voice bellows from the wings. "Get off my stage!" It was Dakota Stanley. Quinn and I turn to each other and smile exchanging looks, that silently say the same thing. With him in charge, the Glee Club will be disbanded by the end of the week. With him in charge the uncoordinated baboons in the McKinley High School Glee Club don't sand a chance of survival.
"Mr. Stanley!" Berry calls after the choreographer as we leave the auditorium. "We're the McKinley High Glee Club"
"No interviews" he shouts back getting into his car. Berry catches up to him.
"We'd like you to choreograph for us" Tina speaks up. Hey, I thought she had a stutter? I think to myself. Oh, well maybe not.
"Look, my fee is $8,000 per number, plus a $10,000 bonus if you place in the top three. And with Dakota Stanley at the wheel, you will place in the top three. Move it" he explains, driving off before either Berry or Tina have time to respond.
"How are we going to get $8,000?" Berry asks shaking her head.
"I know, we could charge people a dollar to throw trash at Berry's face" I say laughing to Quinn and Brittany as we walk past the rest of the Glee Club and head to Quinn's car. They laugh in response.
Back home that evening I again take out that wooden box from behind my closet. I look threw a stack of photographs until I stop on one taken during freshman year at McKinley. It was taken after our first time cheering for the football team. On the photograph with me was Quinn and Brittany all in our Cheerios uniforms and Finn, Chase and Puck in their football jerseys. We three were the only three freshmen to make it onto the Cheerios squad that year with the rest being a mixture of juniors and seniors. Quinn, Brittany and Me. 'The Unholy Trinity'. In the background of the photograph, I spot my abuela in the crowd a huge smile written all over her face. This was the first time she'd seen me cheer and the first time I'd seen her so proud of me. A smile escapes my lips remembering how proud she was. My eyes then fall onto Brittany. I'd only met the blonde a couple of months prior to this, when we all started high school together. I remember the first time we met. Her being so bouncy and energetic, practically pulling my arm out of my socket to be her partner during our first Cheerios practise. I was so nervous that day, I'd never cheered before, and we were with the big kids now. I was so thankful for Brittany. Brittany made me feel safe, like I could do it, and we've been inseparable ever since. That was the day I swore to myself to never let anyone ever hurt Brittany. To make her feel as safe as I did in that moment. Before this meeting I was a the quiet, never say boo to a goose type, but that day something changed. I found my voice, I found my sass, I found my missing piece. My bestie, my Brittany. My whole-body fills with happiness when I think back to them days, to that meeting. To Brittany's energy, her aura, her everything. My eyes then look at the boys, first at Chase. Chase, this is what I need, who I need, to feel something, anything I try to convince myself, trying my hardest to focus on his face and not allow my eyes to revert back to Brittany's bright blue eyes. I then see Puck on the end. Shit, Puck. I need to break it off with Puck. Santana Lopez maybe many things, mainly a bitch, but she's not a cheater. Okay, how am I going to break it off with him I ask myself putting the wooden box back in its place. I know, I need to find some dirt on him I decide, picking up my laptop, putting it on my lap and switching it on.
