Two Steps Beyond
Part 117
Since Blaine and Jeff had one last bit of tweaking to do on the arrangements for Dylan, they stopped by Jeff's on their way home before proceeding to Blaine and Sebastian's. When they walked through the door Blaine was surprised to see a suitcase and Santana's purse sitting near the door. "Nicky, is that…oh, hey guys."
"Hey Santana!" Jeff replied. "I'll go get the arrangements from my room, I'll be right back." After Jeff spoke, he headed for his room leaving Blaine and Santana alone in the living room.
"Everything alright? Blaine asked.
"Yes, why do you ask?" Santana replied then followed Blaine's gaze to the bags. "Oh, I'm just going away for a couple of days, that's all."
"Care to tell me where you're going?" While Blaine spoke, Nick came walking through the front door.
"Ready to go? Hey Blaine, what are you doing here?" Nick asked as he took ahold of Santana's suitcase.
"Jeff and I just stopped by to pick up the arrangements before going to my place."
"Cool. Well, we need to get going. Do you mind if I swing by afterwards?"
"Not at all, since Bas and I aren't going out till later. And Santana, have a nice trip, wherever it is you're going."
"Thanks Blaine, hopefully it serves its purpose." She then kissed Blaine on the cheek before following Nick out the door. The door had barely closed when Jeff came walking back in.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes once you tell me where Santana is going." Blaine said to him.
"I'll tell you on the way."
"Everything has been taken care of." Nick told her as they sat parked out front of departures. "Logan will be waiting for you at the airport. And once you drop him back off at Dalton his car is yours to use for the weekend as long as you remember to pick him up on Sunday to let him take you back to the airport."
"Alright. Now, are you sure they're going to be at school this weekend?"
"Yes, as my Mom says they've only been home twice on the weekends since they've started. Oh, please stop by and see my parents while you're home as they'd love to see you."
"So, your Mom wants all the gossip?"
"Basically, just don't tell her about what's going on with the girls as she'd be livid."
"I remember, as far as anyone is concerned except for Logan and Jacob, I'm home to visit my parents. And I will do that while I'm there. I better get going." She then leaned across the seat and kissed him. If anyone looked at them, they'd think she was leaving for more than just a couple of days with the kiss they shared. As they got out of the car, Nick got her suitcase from the trunk while she got her purse from the back seat.
"Call me when you land, okay."
"Of course. Bye Nicky!"
"Bye." And they kissed one last time before she headed inside.
By the time Nick got to Blaine and Sebastian's, Sebastian was already home. "How was traffic?" Sebastian asked after they exchanged hellos, while walking towards the living room.
"What do you mean?"
"The traffic to and from the airport as that's where B and I presumed you went."
"It could've been worse. Did Jeff tell you what's going on?"
"No, he felt it best to wait till you to got here." Blaine said as they got closer to the piano. Nick shrugged his shoulders and looked across at Jeff.
"What did you tell them?"
"Just that Santana was going away for a couple of days to deal with a few things." Jeff said
"Alright. Well, Santana is heading back to Ohio."
"Are these issues family related?" Blaine asked.
"Somewhat." Jeff replied.
"Shit, is she going to Crawford?" Sebastian asked and both Nick and Jeff nodded. "Those girls aren't going to know what hit them."
"Bas, she had calmed down by the time she saw you last night." Blaine told him. "We were all pretty certain she could've hurt someone last night when they first arrived. I think the only thing that helped calm her down was you guys winning. As while your game was going on she couldn't dwell on whatever it was that was pissing her off."
"We have that effect on people." Sebastian said with a smile. "Now, do your sisters know she's coming?"
"They know someone is coming, they just don't know who. I called them on my way back to the city this morning after we all talked."
"I've got to tell you, they never expected anything like this when they called us." Jeff told them. "They just wanted advice on how to deal with the situation. Yet, we all realized that this girl needs an attitude adjustment and Santana's the perfect person to do it."
"So, I bought a plane ticket early this morning." Nick told them. "And then I called Logan to see if he or one of the guys would be able to pick her up at the airport."
"While I agree, Santana is perfect to deal with this I hope you warned her that she can't touch the bitch no matter how much she wants to." Sebastian said.
"She knows." Nick said. "And I reminded her on the car ride over. She knows she needs to put this girl in her place all while maintaining her composure. So, on a more pleasant note, what are you two doing tonight?"
"We're going to a show." Blaine replied. "Nothing too crazy as we weren't sure as to what sort of mood someone might be in today."
"What, I'm always a ball of sunshine." Sebastian said in mock response causing the others to laugh. "But seriously, we needed to be careful as I tend to be in a crappy mood for an entire day after I lose. Yet, that didn't happy so we get so celebrate once more instead of trying to cheer me up. As for you two, what are your plans for the weekend since you're missing one?"
"Britt thought it would be a great opportunity to go to the studio and rehearse." Jeff told them. "Wes and Hailey are actually coming into town tonight as well."
"Doesn't that leave you without a partner Jeff?" Sebastian said.
"My girl has offered to dance with me, though we were supposed to tell you both you're more than welcome to join us."
"We just might. So, I guess that means we'll have to share Britt."
"Guess we will then."
"You two realize the conversation you're having could be taken in a completely different context, right?" Nick said.
"What, are you saying it sounds like we could be having a ménage à trois with Britt? Wanky."
"You just had to go there, didn't you Nick." Blaine said as he shook his head.
"Come now, if it was anyone besides our little clique of friends they'd totally think the three of them were having sex upon hearing that conversation."
"Guess it's a good thing we don't have conversations like that around people we don't know." Jeff said.
When Santana got off her plane she just shook her head. While she had no problems helping the girls, going back to Ohio for a reason other than a holiday wasn't on the top of her priorities list. She'd just passed the security check point when she spotted Logan waiting for her. "You realize wearing that uniform made you easy to find." She told him after giving him a hug. "Thank you for this."
"No problem." He replied as he took her suitcase from her. "Glad to be able to help. Now, Nick didn't say why you were coming but I have a feeling it deals with their sisters."
"And what brings you to that conclusion?"
"I'm the reason they called Nick and Jeff. They told me what was going on and after we spoke I gave them two options, you see the one they chose."
"Well, your instincts are correct because that's why I'm here. How hard is it to get into Crawford?"
"It's not too difficult; it's harder to get into Dalton. If you want, I can called Jacob and have him get you a visitors pass so you don't have to deal with all the crap that usual pertains to getting one."
"That would be wonderful."
Once they were inside his car, Logan gave Jacob a call to get Santana the visitor's pass she needed. Upon hearing Jacob say it would be there when they arrived, Santana felt a sense of relief. The two of them spent the drive back to Dalton catching up; most of it pertaining to what the guys had been up to since they'd last spoken. When they pulled through the gates of Dalton, everything came into greater focus for Santana. As they pulled up in front of the main building, there stood Jacob with a few of the other guys and from what Santana could recall, they were Warblers as well.
"Thank you so much." Santana said as she took the two passes from Jacob. One being for Crawford, the other for Dalton when she returned.
"You're welcome. Now, when you get there you're going to have to go into the main building to sign in as they keep a record of all visitors on file. You'll then have to say who you're there visiting." Santana nodded as it sounded similar to what she had to do when she'd come to Dalton previously. "I took it upon myself and found the girls will be in rehearsal when they get there so just ask at the desk where the choir room is."
"What, they don't have a spiffy common room to rehearse in like you guys?"
"Nope." Logan replied. "If you need anything else, just call Jacob or myself and we'll see what we can do from here."
"Alright, well, wish me luck." Santana said before taking the keys from Logan.
After she got in the car and pulled away, Logan looked at Jacob. "Whoever is messing with those girls doesn't know what they've gotten themselves into."
When she pulled into Crawford, she was surprised. While the buildings and campus were beautiful, they didn't seem to ooze the same sense of grandeur that Dalton did. After parking in the lot outside the main building, Santana gave herself a once over in the mirror. "Remember, remain calm." She said to herself softly before grabbing her purse and heading inside. Once she signed it, one of the secretaries directed her towards the choir room. As she made her way through the halls it felt eerily familiar, as it was laid out similar to Dalton. Yet, it didn't feel the same as the décor was clearly more feminine.
Santana knew she was getting close when she heard the faint sounds of singing. The closer she listened, she realized they improved since last she'd heard them, but they still had a far way to come. And just before she reached the doorway she cringed upon hearing someone attempt to hit a high note. The girls were still singing as she reached the doorway. She did her best to keep quiet till they finished, but once she saw the smiles creep onto Ally and Megan's faces she knew she'd been spotted. Luckily for Santana, as soon as they finished, their captain decided to give the girls a five minute break. So they made a b-line straight to Santana.
"I can't believe you really came!" Ally said as she gave Santana a big hug. Santana still had her arm around her when Megan gave her a hug as well.
"Nick wouldn't believe this if he witnessed it with his own eyes." Santana told them.
"Yea, again, I'm sorry for being so mean to you this summer."
"It's okay; you just didn't like sharing what little time you had left with your brother. I get it. Now, is the bitch in this room or is she elsewhere?"
"She's here." Megan said. "She's over there talking to our captain."
"You mean the one that murdered that high note?"
"That's her. We've all told her it's out of her range but she's determined to do it." Ally told her.
"She should listen, while you guys still aren't great, you're getting better."
"And just who pray tell are you?" The girl asked as she and the captain came walking towards them.
"This is my brother's girlfriend, Santana." Ally said. "Santana, this is our captain Sarah and Jen."
"So Santana, what brings you to town?" Sarah asked.
"I'm home visiting for the weekend and I promised Nick and Jeff I'd come by and see how their sisters are doing."
"Isn't that sweet." Jen said sarcastically.
"What is your problem?" Santana asked as she took a step closer. "Is it really out of the ordinary for someone to come by to visit?"
"No, but I've never heard Ally say anything about you so why would you come and see her."
"You mean besides the fact that I told my boyfriend that I would."
"Yes. I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than visit your boyfriend's sister and her friend."
"Actually, I don't. And for your information, just because Ally doesn't talk about me, doesn't mean anything. Does she talk about Nick?"
"Not really."
"See, no difference and he's her brother. Yet, I know you guys were all for using Ally and Megan's brothers to try and get something you want. And that was wrong. The Warblers have more important things to deal with than trying to help you." Ally and Megan looked at each other as Santana spoke.
"I know the way we went about things was wrong, but we just wanted some help." Sarah said to her. "It really didn't dawn on us that they had so much to do. So, I'm sorry. I've spoken with Logan and Jacob and cleared the air. There aren't any more hard feelings. And I don't know if you know this, but Nick, Jeff, and their friends agreed to help us."
"Oh, I know. I was there when you all sang for them. I watched as some of you rolled your eyes at their comments all while you were making eyes at the guys. It was rather nauseating if I'm being honest. Yet, I arrive and it didn't sound like you took any of their advice."
"We have, we were just trying a new number." Sarah told her.
"Well, you need to do what Blaine said, keep it simple. That song wasn't bad, but you don't have the range to do it. At least your soloist doesn't"
"Like you could do any better." Jen replied.
"Uh Jen, Santana could do better." Megan told her. "She's got an amazing voice. She was a member of the New Directions when they won Nationals."
"Oh, that must make you feel special."
"No, it doesn't. But Megan is right, I can do better. But that's not why I'm here."
"I thought you were just visiting." Sarah said.
"I am just visiting, but I'm also here to deliver a message to Jen here."
"Jen, what's going on?" Sarah asked.
"I have no idea what she's talking about."
"You are such a liar!" Santana said as she took a step closer. "Jen here is making these girls lives a living hell. And not just them, every freshman in this room. But Ally and Megan seem to be her favorite targets."
"She's lying Sarah."
"Everyone, clear the room." Sarah told the others. "Be back in twenty minutes." Once all the girls filed out of the room, Sarah closed the door. "Those are some pretty harsh accusations Santana."
"I know they are which is why they need to be dealt with. And here I thought you girls here at Crawford would adhere to the same zero tolerance policy Dalton does. Yet what Jen is doing is downright bullying these girls to get them to do her bidding. Didn't you find it odd that they always seemed to be running errands for her? Or that they never go home on weekends? She's made their lives a living hell for no reason whatsoever."
"They weren't here last weekend." Jen told her.
"She's right, they weren't."
"That's because they were hiding out at Dalton because they couldn't take it anymore."
"They weren't hiding out. No one goes to Dalton to hide out; they go to hook up with the guys there."
"But we didn't!" Ally cried out. "Santana, you've got to believe me. That's not why we were there."
"I know dear, don't worry. See, you could try and spin that little story of yours to anyone else, but it won't fly with me. You see, Nick and Jeff have made it very clear where they stand in regards to their sisters dating anyone at Dalton. While they're alright with it, you should also know their brothers have eyes all over that school. And if they were to stay over, Nick and Jeff would find out."
"Your point being." Jen said.
"Not only would there be two brothers on the next plane to Ohio, but their friends would be joining them. You see, Nick and Jeff have a close circle of friends who view these two like their own little sisters and there wouldn't be anything they wouldn't do to protect them. And while you might be sleeping around, they're not."
"That you know of."
"They're fourteen. They're not sleeping around as they both have more respect for themselves than to do something like that. But to get back on track, all that crap you've been forcing them to do is taking its toll."
"Awww, are the poor things not getting enough sleep?"
"Knock it off Jen." Sarah snapped at her. "If things were so bad, why didn't you come to me or go to a member of the faculty?"
"She's your best friend, why would you listen to us." Ally said. "And well, running to the faculty didn't come to mind because we didn't want to deal with the backlash that could happen."
"But you had no problem running to your brothers." Jen snarked back.
"Do you really think it was easy for us to go to them?" Megan asked. "The last thing either of us wanted to do was involve them, but Logan said we either talk to Nick and Jeff or he was going to."
"And we both knew it wasn't an idle threat. The seniors at Dalton basically promised our brothers they'd keep an eye on us." Ally added. "So, we had to call them."
"And I see you're both such a concern they sent one of their girlfriends as they couldn't be bothered themselves."
"I'm here because my schedule is a bit more flexible than either of theirs. Plus, I care about both of these girls as well. To say I wasn't happy upon hearing about what's going on is an understatement. While I totally understand the need to be a bitch, I try to keep my targets to those that truly deserve it. Now, what exactly have either of them done to you to deserve the way you treat them besides being a freshman?"
"You think they're so innocent, they're not. They think they're something special because their brothers were freaking Warblers."
"No we don't." Megan said. "Both of you used the fact that our brothers were Warblers to try and get the guys to help you. And then expected them to say yes to us after they said no by playing the sister card."
"And once they said no, you started treating us like something you'd find on the bottom of your shoe. The worst was the day after our brothers and their friends agreed to help. And Blaine and Jeff sent back that great arrangement." Ally blurted out. "If Megan and I didn't truly love singing, we would've quit. But neither of us are quitters."
"It wouldn't be a loss, neither of you are that great." Jen said.
"Enough!" Sarah yelled. "This is getting us nowhere. Obviously, from what the girls are saying and the way you're reacting Jen, it's true. I must admit, I was always curious why they were always doing things for you."
"Like I could force them to do anything."
"She threatened to tell anyone that would listen that the girls were sleeping with all the Warblers, and basically ruin their reputations. While it might sound menial, it's not. Shit like that stays with you lie or not. So, since they're freshmen, they'd constantly have to carry that stigma around with them regardless." Santana told her. "And Ally and Megan aren't stupid; they know people would believe crap like that, so they caved. One more thing, I don't know who you were listening to, but both of these girls can sing. And they both sing a heck of a lot better than you! Guess the Warblers look passed age and just go with the best singer, but you guys play that whole I'm a senior crap."
"For your information, the Warbler leads are seniors this year."
"Correction, one is a senior and they also have a freshman sharing the duties." Santana corrected. "And while you're both seniors, you both know Blaine Anderson was the lead soloist of the Warblers when he was a sophomore."
"Santana, girls, I can assure you this is over and no such rumor will ever be spread." Sarah told them. "Right Jen."
"I don't…"
"Jen, I know you and the way you reacted proves it's true. Every time you spoke you just made matters worse for yourself. Maybe if you didn't deny it so harshly I might've believed you a bit longer."
"You can't be serious; you're taking their word over mine? We've been friends for five years."
"I know that, which is why it kills me to hear what you've been doing. And Ally, Megan, I'm sorry that you felt that you couldn't come to me about this. But I can understand why, I'm not necessarily the easiest person to talk to."
"Sarah."
"Shut up! Do you realize how fucking lucky you are that they went to their brothers and not their parents. If they did you would've been expelled and any chance you have of getting into your dream college over."
"Speaking of colleges, I'd recommend somewhere on the west coast." Santana said with a smile before looking at Ally and Megan. "I don't think you'd want to risk running into their brothers or one of their friends."
"But I'm applying to Ivy League schools."
"I'd recommend a new perspective. You see, most of the recently graduated Warblers go to Ivy League schools. But while I understand your desire to go to one, don't apply to any of them in New York. As I can't really say how Nick or Jeff would react to seeing you."
"She'll take that under advisement." Sarah told Santana. "Anything else?"
"Come to think of it, yes. I think you need a new soloist and everyone should be given an opportunity."
"Jen's not our only one."
"The fact that you even consider her a soloist proves why you have issues. She couldn't carry a tune if her life would depend on it." Both Ally and Megan giggled at Santana's comment.
"If you think you're so special, why don't you show us what you're capable of?" Jen snapped at her.
"Girls, what do you think I should do?" Santana asked as she looked at Ally and Megan.
"I say go for it. Show her what you've got." Ally said with a smile.
"Alright, I'm game. But if you expect me to sing, I'd prefer better acoustics as the ones in this room suck."
"That is something I will agree with." Sarah told her.
"How about the theater, that way everyone can be comfortable while I show miss thing she not all that?" Jen said.
"Won't work, the drama department is using the theater." Sarah reminded her. The next thing they saw was Megan tug on Santana's sleeve and she leaned down.
"Well, since you don't have a place I say we take this to Dalton." Santana said.
"That won't work." Sarah said.
"And why is that?" Santana asked.
"They wouldn't let us use their rehearsal space or theater for something like this."
"Oh, you underestimate my pull." Santana said. "Just let me make a phone call. And by the way, I prefer to take a chance today. We let the Warblers choose the songs so that we're on equal footing."
"Fine, but they're going to say no to you." Jen told her. "They're too stuck on themselves." Santana scoffed before making a call. As she talked, Ally and Megan exchanged looks as Sarah talked with Jen. From their point of view, Sarah was livid and Jen was shocked that everything was now in the open.
"The Warblers said it wouldn't be a problem. They'll be waiting for us in the theater."
"They said yes?" Sarah asked, shocked that the guys agreed.
"They not only said yes, Jacob said it would be their pleasure. Now, I'm going to head over and I'm sure you don't mind if I bring Ally and Megan with me, correct?"
"Not at all, they're more than welcome to go with you. The rest of us will be there soon."
"Girls, get your coats."