Mild violence warning in this chapter. I don't want to give anything away, but if you want to know why I am giving this warning because if violence bothers you, I put the reason at the end of this chapter.

Also, I absolutely cannot wait for Demi! I watched the episode last night, and wasn't super impressed, but next week looks great!The Beatles album came out the 23rd and Here comes the sun has Demi and Naya singing together and it's incredible! You have to buy it now! I can't wait to see them together :)

Principal Figgins sighed, sitting down slowly in his office chair. He looked at Ariana, obviously not recognizing her, then turned his head towards Santana and closed his brown eyes. "Miss Santana Lopez," he began in his foreign accent. "This is not acceptable. You have been in this office too many times for slapping or violently abusing someone, Finn Hudson being one of your victims! You need to take control of your anger."

"For the last time, Figgins, it wasn't me!" exclaimed Santana. "Do I really have to explain again? It was my angry alter ego Snix!" She emphasized the last four words, being incredibly articulate. "Besides, Finn told you himself that it was a stage slap," she added. She knew this was a lie, but Finn had been nice enough to make it up and get her out of that situation. She had a feeling that Ariana was not going to do the same.

"Please, Miss Lopez, save it!" yelled the Principal angrily. "This is no time for jokes or your ridiculous 'Snix' excuse!"

"If I may, Mr. Principal," began Ariana sweetly, her left cheek still glowing red. "But I am completely innocent in this situation. I was merely trying to to talk to her and our friend Zoe about how our friendship was not working out, and I wanted to fix it, and she slapped me!"

Santana rolled her eyes. Such a little freaking liar, she thought. I didn't even know who she was until today, and Zoe and her aren't even friends anymore.

"Oh please," said Santana. "Figgins, this girl was bullying my friend Zoe, who is no longer hers, and I stood up for Zoe. Then, she called me a lesbian from out of nowhere and that's why I did it."

Figgins raised an eyebrow and moved his eyes onto Ariana. "Miss Monterey, is this true?"

Ariana scoffed. "Of course not! She's stretching the truth! I simply told Santana that although I like how passionate she is about her friends, who are mostly girls, I think it was going a little overboard," she lied.

Santana stood up. "That's a lie! Her and her little group of skanks and man whores were all laughing with her at me and she told my best friend to be cautious around me because I'm a lesbian, which is all a lie she pulled from thin air!" Santana knew that the being in love with Zoe part wasn't a lie, but that would be too complicated and way too risky to say. Besides, she wasn't even sure if she was a lesbian. Maybe bisexual? She didn't know. But one thing that was clear to her was her feelings for Zoe. She knew those were real. They had to be. But she was too afraid to admit it.

Figgins was very angry now. "Miss Santana Lopez, sit down right now and do not use such foul language! I could suspend you for all of this!"

Santana death glared Ariana and sat down, crossing her arms and looking to her right, away from Ariana and her Principal. She couldn't believe any of this was happening. She shouldn't be the one getting punished. And what if Zoe thought Ariana's somehow accurate statement about her being in love with Zoe was true? Their friendship would be ruined. She'd be so freaked out, and Santana would hate herself forever. She couldn't even think about what she would do if Zoe began avoiding her.

She was never going to let that happen.

Zoe's POV

Zoe's green converse sneakers squeaked down the hallway as she made her way towards the exit. Her head hung down as she thought about what had happened today. She desperately wanted to talk to Santana and thank her (for real, not mouthing it to her) for standing up to her like that. Santna was the most incredible friend she had ever had. And she had to admit, watching Santana slap the hell out of Ariana, her new arch nemesis, was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen. Ariana deserved it.

But, the one thing that was bothering her was the comment she made about Santana being in love with her. It was so random and out of nowhere that it made Zoe feel uneasy, and she wasn't sure why because even if it was true of course she wouldn't mind. But this uneasy sensation continued to tug at her stomach and her heart. And the strangest thing that this sensation almost felt... good.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, she heard a voice calling her name.

"Zoe! Hey!"

She turned around and her stomach dropped, completely forgetting the unpleasant... but, also pleasant... sensation. It was Cooper. He was running up to her, a small smile on his face. He stopped in front of her, wearing baggy jeans, bright red converse and a blue v-neck with a band name she didn't recognize.

"Look," he started, his smile vanishing as he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down. "I know it's kind of awkward between us. But I realize what I did was... Idiotic. Like, beyond that. And I promise I won't do it again. So, can we just be friends?"

Zoe laughed, tingles shooting up and down her spine and in her stomach. "Yeah, of course," she replied.

He smiled, looking her in the eye. "Perfect." No matter how hard he tried, Zoe could tell that he couldn't resist from keeping that flirty sparkle in his eyes. And she was okay with that. In fact, she really liked it when he looked at her that way...

As they exited the school, Zoe sighed. "I've had the craziest day," she muttered.

Cooper looked over at her. "Tell me about it."

She gave him a surprised look. Usually, guys weren't into long, drama-filled stories. "Are you sure? Because for it to make sense I'm going to have to start from the beginning."

He shrugged and smiled, looking at her. "I don't mind."

Zoe returned the smile and began from the day she met Santana. Cooper knew exactly who she was when she said her name. Obviously, he knew everyone in Glee club. He was the band.

"Santana has a ridiculous voice," he said. "It's literally mind-blowing."

Zoe giggled and looked down. "I know. I love it. She's incredible." A bubbly feeling was rising from her stomach.

She continued her story. She told him everything as they made their way towards Zoe's house- she even told him about when she had found her crying outside the auditorium after Cooper had kissed her.

He looked confused. "She was that upset about it?" An eyebrow was raised above the other. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought girls got excited when something like that happens to their friends..."

"No, your right," she said. "It was really strange. I could understand her being a little concerned, but she was crying so hard... I think maybe something else was going on that was upsetting her that I don't know about." She wished she knew what this was.

As she finished her story, Zoe couldn't help but notice how incredible of a listener Cooper was. He payed attention to every little detail, followed the whole story all the way through, and even dropped his jaw and gasped a little when she told him about the slap.

"I heard commotion in the hall, but I was in a different part just near that hallway. I had no idea," he commented.

Zoe nodded. "After she was sent to Figgins office, I went to Spanish class, and that was the last time I saw her..."

Just as she was about to say something, she realized that they had arrived at her house. She stopped, pointing to the building.

"Well, this is my stop," she said.

Cooper looked the small house up and down. "I like it," he said. "It's cute."

Zoe laughed. "Sometimes too cute. I wish it was a little bigger... But, my dad and I are the only people living here, so it's okay."

Just as they said goodbye and he began to walk away, something inside of her was telling her to stop him. She felt the word begging to come out of her mouth, and finally she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Wait!"

He turned around. "Hm?"

"Do you..." she hesitated. "Do you wanna come inside?"

He smiled, showing his glowing, white teeth. "Of course I would."

She smiled back and led him to the front door. Using the key in her backpack, she inserted it into the key hole and turned it. She pushed the door in and walked inside, Cooper following her. He spun around, taking in the place. "Nice," he said.

"Pff. Yeah right," she said. "You don't have to lie."

She walked over to the couch in front of the TV. Cooper walked over sat down next to her. Zoe noticed how close he was sitting next to her, and remembered how Santana had done the same. Was that a coincidence? Maybe it was the way the couch was made... The tingling, bubbly sensation returned in her stomach. He was so close to her...

He looked at her and sighed. "Okay, let's get this over with. You have a boyfriend, don't you?"

Zoe's eyes widened. There were a few moments of silence before Zoe burst into laughter. "Wh-what?" she said between giggles. "No, of course not."

He looked confused. "Then why didn't you like it when I kissed you?"

It was Zoe's turn to sigh. "I told you. It was going way too quickly. I didn't really know you."

Cooper nodded his head. "Of course. Yeah. It's just... you're way too cute to be single. There's gotta be some guy in your life."

Zoe felt her cheeks warm up. "Nope," she said softly, smiling. "There's no one."

Cooper nodded, looking at the blank TV, obviously trying to restrain himself from kissing her again. But this time, Zoe felt something back, and it was getting stronger. The bubbly feeling was boiling now, and she was ready for him to kiss her.

"And," she began, scooting even closer to him, quickly adjusting the blue bow in her hair. "That means that it wouldn't be a crime if you kissed me..."

Cooper looked at her, his eyes emoting strong feelings of attraction. He was being cautious and not trying anything, but Zoe wanted him to. When she realized that he was too good to his word earlier about staying friends, she realized she would need to be the one to make the move, letting Cooper know it was okay to break his promise. She leaned in slowly and kissed him.

She felt the feeling of firecrackers going off inside of her. He put his hands around her waist and she wrapped hers around his neck, softly holding his head and feeling his soft, dark hair. She never wanted to let go. It was all so incredible. She felt Cooper smile while she kissed him, and she smiled too.

Yet something wasn't right, and she didn't know why.

Just as she was about to delve deeper into why this was, the door swung open. Zoe pulled away immediately and her whole body turned cold as ice. Her heart practically stopped and she could feel her insides flip.

It was her father.

"WHAT IN HELL?!" He screeched. Cooper cowered, startled from his booming words. Zoe stood up.

"Dad!" she exclaim. "Please don't freak out. Please. It isn't his fault."

He growled and stumbled over to them, still incredibly drunk from the day. Cooper was still sitting, looking confused and startled. Her dad stood over him and pointed a finger at him, completely silent for a few moments.

"Get out," he said, barely audible, in a low, grumbled murmur.

Cooper stood quickly. "I am very sorry, sir," he said quietly, then looked at Zoe with a worried glance. He passed them and made his way toward the door. They both heard the door shut, and she immediately began to speak.

"Dad, he's a really great guy, I promise! Please don't be mad at him!"

"Oh, I'm not mad at him," he yelled. "I'm mad at you! You know the rule, and you betrayed me! He is a perfectly nice and innocent young man, and if you leave him he will be sad for the rest of his life! Girls like you ruin guys like him!"

Zoe felt a tear rush down her cheek. "Dad... you aren't talking about Cooper anymore, are you?" she said slowly.

"What? What are you talking about?!"

Zoe sighed. "Your talking about you and Mom..."

And with that, he screamed, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" and slapped her on the cheek so hard she fell to the ground, her leg slamming into a sharp corner of the table nearby. She cried out and felt warm, sticky blood begin to rush out of her leg. As she tried to get up, her father picked her up by her t-shirt with his muscled arms and threw her onto the couch. He leaned over her, his face incredibly close to hers.

"D-Dad, please calm down," she stuttered softly. "I-I'm s-so sorry... I m-miss her too..."

But this only made her angrier. He punched her in the stomach with great force. The impact caused the air from her lungs to explode out of her mouth. His wedding ring on his hand caused the injury to become more serious, and she could feel the bruise forming already.

But he wasn't done. He punched her in the same spot again, the pain becoming much worse, and Zoe knew that with a bruise like this she wouldn't be able to move very well.

She felt hot tears spilling out of her eyes. "Dad..." she managed to say. "Pl.. Please... Stop..."

He grabbed her arm, digging his fingernails into her skin, causing it to bleed slightly, and pulled her in closer.

"Don't. Ever. Bring. A boy. Here. Again." he said softly, but with so much power and anger that Zoe could feel it radiating from his words. "Do you hear me? Ever."

She nodded. "Please let go, Dad, my arm is bleeding and it really hurts..."

He scoffed. "You're weak," he said, and threw her back on the couch. Just as Zoe felt relief wash over her, he said something.

"That's why you need to learn to be tougher."

And with that, he punched her once again in the same spot, a tear rushing down his own cheek, and simply walked towards his room and shut the door.

For a while, Zoe just lay on the couch, feeling the immense pain in her stomach increase. Compared to this pain she could barely feel her bleeding leg and arm. Although it hurt her stomach to even lift her head, she tried to see how bad her injuries were. Her leg was bleeding everywhere. It was a cut at lease 5 inches long, and it looked pretty deep. Zoe felt faint; she could hardly look at it. She felt around her ribs to make sure there were no broken bones, and to her relief they were all still in tact. Her arm wasn't too bad at all, just a few shallow cuts.

Zoe felt more tears rush down her cheeks. She couldn't even believe what had just happened. Her father had never abused her, except for that one time when he slapped her many, many years ago. He must have been incredibly intoxicated. Zoe felt herself cry harder.

An idea suddenly popped in her head. She needed help. She couldn't sit on this couch for much longer. Who knows how bad her injuries could get? She looked over at the table, the one that had cut her leg, and spotted her phone lying on top. She smiled. She reached over, her arm just barely long enough, grabbed it, turned it on and unlocked it. She went to her contacts and scrolled through, stopping on the one she was looking for.

Contact: Santana

What would I do without her? Zoe thought. She clicked on the number, put the phone to her ear, listened to the numbers dial and hoped to God that she would pick up.

For the people looking down here to see the reason for my violence warning, in this chapter, Zoe is abused by her father. Its nothing horrible I promise. Abuse is a very sad, horrible issue that I think is wrong, but I felt the need to address this issue, obviously along with issues that have to do with sexuality and struggling with liking someone you can't have, in this fanfic.