CHAPTER 12
A.N
Hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Drop a comment/review if you're enjoying it, or if you have any feedback/advice for future chapters. I am looking for some plot points for later in the story so let me know what you want to happen and to who. Enjoy!
Later that afternoon, Santana stood in front of her bathroom mirror, her Cheerios uniform clinging to her body, her damp hair in disarray from the earlier cheerleading practice. She let out a frustrated sigh as she turned on the shower, waiting for the water to warm up. The steam quickly began to fill the small space, fogging up the mirror and even causing her to cough and splutter, only adding to her irritation. It had been an absolutely horrible day, and she wanted nothing more than to leave it behind in distant memory, even if she knew she couldn't.
Peeling off her clothes and underwear, Santana stepped under the scalding hot spray and allowed it to envelope her. Her life was a mess. It was nothing but never-ending chaos that seemed more befitting of a Netflix show than anything else. Sometimes, all she wanted to do was pull her hair out in misery and scream, and alone in the shower was one of the few times each day that she was able to do that.
Less than two weeks into the school year and Rachel had already seized full control of the New Directions in the same vice-like grip that she had used to dominate for the previous two years. There was no illusions in her mind: if decisions needed to be made tomorrow, then it would surely be Rachel soloing at Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals. It was utterly infuriating to Santana, who felt like her opening to swoop in and claim a spot center stage was beginning to slam shut. Rachel wasn't even the best singer in the club! That was the worst part! Santana knew that if given the chance, she would be able to do just as well, if not even better than her. But she simply wasn't able to curry Mr. Schue's favor in the same way as her. It looked more and more like Santana was going to be stuck playing second fiddle to Rachel yet again for her senior year. However, that was just one of the things rushing through Santana's mind and creating a pile of annoyance and frustration. The other was just as prevalent, if not more so, though it was much more personal…
As the water cascaded down her body, she closed her eyes and let herself think about Brittany. The memory of her infectious laughter, her carefree dancing, and her warm, genuine smile made Santana's heart ache. Santana was in love with her. It might've taken her a whole summer - hell, it might have taken her years - to come to terms with it, but she finally could. She loved Brittany. She was hopelessly, irretrievably in love. All of those cheesy stories people like Finn and Rachel told about love that used to make Santana want to throw up… for the first time, she felt herself feeling the exact same way. But with one tiny detail different: her and Brittany weren't together. In fact, most days, it seemed like Brittany was forever beyond her reach, and was only slipping further away with each passing day. Although Brittany was technically single for the time being, having broken up with Artie close to the end of their junior year, Artie very obviously wanted her back. He was even more obvious with his desire and affection for the blonde than Santana was. And the worst part… Brittany did seem to be drifting back towards him. It was like no matter what Santana did, Brittany never even looked her way. And it wouldn't be long before her and Artie were back together, and what little hope Santana had left of a future with her disappeared entirely.
Needless to say, as Santana finished her shower, thinking about all of this, she was in a foul mood. In many ways, it felt like her senior year was crumbling around her ears, and she was only in her second week. However, these thoughts were immediately shoved to the back of her mind at the sound of a distant CLANG!
It had come from within the house, that much was certain to her. But how could that be possible? Both of her parents were out, so either something had fallen off a shelf by accident, or there was something malicious going on downstairs. But given that she continued to hear faint sounds coming from downstairs, more and more she was starting to think that it could actually be the latter.
The safer option for her at that moment would have been to lock herself in the bathroom and call someone for help, but that thought didn't even cross Santana's mind. She was always going to investigate where the sound was coming from, so she quickly wrapped a towel around herself and began to tiptoe out of the bathroom and down the stairs.
The mysterious sounds continued, and Santana managed to zero in on where they were coming from: the kitchen. Her bare feet gently padded against the hardwood floor as she made her way towards the room, her sopping wet hair dripping a trail of water in her wake. The sounds hadn't seized yet, so whatever it was, it was still ongoing. Santana wasn't sure what to expect really as she turned the corner and entered the room, so what she saw as she entered the room was still beyond what she could have possibly imagined.
There was a figure - a frustratingly familiar person by this point - hunched over the kitchen stove. Hearing her footsteps and feeling her presence enter the room, Theo turned around and nodded his head in greeting as he saw her, lifting the pan he was using and holding it out to her.
"Eggs?"
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"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
Santana had briefly retreated out of the room and back to her bedroom to retrieve her bathrobe, but after quickly wrapping it around herself and tying it, she stormed back into the kitchen, eyes blazing with unbridled rage at Theo's presence.
"You told me to come over after football and cheerios practise for the Glee assignment." He said, before holding out the pan of scrambled eggs to her once more. "Seriously, get in on these. They're really good."
BANG!
Within seconds, Santana had slapped the pan out of Theo's hands, sending the eggs flying all over Theo's face and shirt, and the pan clattering harmlessly to the ground.
"Enough with your eggs!" Santana shouted. "You broke into my house?!"
"I tried knocking. There was no answer." Theo murmured, picking pieces of eggs off of him, eating the little pieces that remained.
"Yeah! So maybe you should've taken the hint and fucked off! Not broken in!" She yelled. Theo raised his hands in surrender.
"Technically… I didn't break in. The back door was unlocked." He murmured. Santana scoffed in disbelief.
"Ah! That explains everything, right?!" She remarked, her words soaked with sarcasm. "That explains why you broke into my house while I was in the shower! That explains why you just made yourself at home, started rummaging through my kitchen for food, and started cooking like you own the place! Like what the hell were you even thinking?! Who does that?!"
Someone who was completely and utterly starving, that's who. Someone who lived in a barren trailer in the sketchiest RV park in the city. Someone who, between Glee rehearsal and football practice, as well as dealing with the overwhelming grief surrounding his wife's death, still didn't have a job. Without a source of income, he was utterly broke, unable to buy things as essential as food and groceries. He had scavenged for food at school and had practically torn his trailer in half searching for whatever he had left, he had come up with certainly not enough to fulfil a man his size. He was absolutely ravenous, but he couldn't tell Santana any of that though. Pride got in the way, so instead, he kept silent and shrugged.
"I did offer you some. You didn't want any." Theo murmured. Santana threw her hands in the air with anger.
"Because that makes it all better!" Santana shouted. "God, you are the most annoying person I've ever met! Seriously! You're rude! You're so irritating! You're…"
Santana continued to go off on Theo for several minutes, hurling his way every insult and word of profanity under the sun, and it was all Theo could do to stand there and take it. He looked down, cheeks burning in shame, absorbing every word. His situation as a whole was undoubtedly shitty, and while he felt bad about breaking into Santana's house in the way he had without providing an explanation, he didn't regret doing it. He already felt a million times better after having eaten.
Santana's tirade of insults continued, but it swiftly came to a halt when the kitchen door swung open and Santana's mother, Mrs. Lopez, stepped inside. Santana shut up immediately, knowing better than to vehemently insult Theo in front of her mom, so instead she turned to her mom and nodded at her in greeting.
"Hey, mom. How was work?" Santana asked. Mrs. Lopez eyed her daughter carefully, her eyes flickering between Santana - who was still dressed in only a bathrobe - and the boy she was with, surveying the situation.
"Am I walking into something here?" Mrs. Lopez asked. It took Santana a few seconds to realize what her mom was implying, and she immediately shook her head furiously.
"What? No! No, no, no, no, no. God no. Never. Not in a million years. No. No. No." Santana exclaimed, unable to get across just how far away her mom was from the truth.
"10 no's? Really?" Theo muttered quietly to Santana, and the latina teenager elbowed him roughly in the ribs.
"Shut up." Santana snarled back at him, before looking at her mom once more. "Mom, trust me, that's not what's going on here. That's like the exact opposite. He's just here because we're forced to do a Glee assignment together."
"Mrs. Lopez, I'm so sorry. Where are my manners?!" Theo suddenly spoke up, standing taller and facing Mrs. Lopez. "My name is Theo, Theo Martin. I moved to Lima just this year. It's so lovely to finally meet you. Santana's mentioned so many wonderful things about you."
Santana stared at him like he had just grown a third arm, her eyes wide as saucers with shock. She had never heard Theo string more than 4 words together in a single sentence, and was starting to believe that he was incapable of doing so. And to be speaking so politely to her mother… it was the exact opposite of how he had always spoken to her.
"It's lovely to meet you too, Theo." Mrs. Lopez replied, shaking his hand and smiling at him warmly. "I can't say I've heard anything about you, but it's… refreshing to meet one of Santana's friends that's actually polite. Not like that mohawked idiot and that blonde ditz who are always around."
"Mom!" Santana snapped, not really caring about her mom's words for Puck, but immediately defensive when it came to Brittany. "Anyways, Theo was just leaving now."
Santana then proceeded to roughly drag Theo out of the room and away from Santana's mom, and in the direction of the front door.
"I was?" Theo asked, quietly. "Santana… we haven't done the assignment yet."
"Haven't we? The assignment was to learn about each other and I think I know plenty about you by now. I just need to pick one of two songs: Gives you Hell by the All American Rejects or Fuck You by CeeLo."
"You realise those are both breakup songs, right?" Theo mumbled, before getting slammed into the front door by Santana. "Ow."
"Walk it off. You're fine." Santana muttered. "Now, get out of here. I've honestly had more than enough of you for one day."
However, just before Santana could shove Theo out the front door, the pair heard a voice behind them.
"Santana, stop!" Santana's mom barked in an authoritative tone that even Santana, who answered to nobody, was forced to comply with. "You are being incredibly rude to our guest! I'm so sorry about her, Theo. I don't know what's gotten into her today. We would love to have you stay for dinner if you'd like to."
"Mom…" Santana tried to argue, but her mom swiftly raised a hand to cut her daughter off and stifle any dissent she might have had. Theo glanced from Santana to her mother and back again, seeing that the teenager was mouthing him a very clear message: NO! Seeing that, a thin smile graced his lips as he looked back at the middle-aged woman who had offered him the invitation.
"Dinner sounds lovely, thank you so much." Theo replied. "But only if you let me help you make it!"
"Oh, Theo, where have you been all this time?" Santana's mom chuckled, taking his arm and leading him back into the house. Just before he stepped inside, he turned to Santana, who was standing on the front porch. He had his back to Santana's mom for a moment, so Theo's smile was able to transform slightly into a smirk that made Santana's blood boil. He winked at her, before following Santana's mother into the house, ready for what would be undoubtedly a chaotic dinner with the Lopezes…
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"This food is delicious, Mrs. Lopez. Thank you so much for having me." Theo murmured as him, Santana and Santana's mother sat around the dining room table. Santana's mom was delighted to have Theo over. Santana was livid. And Theo… well, Theo was just grateful to be there, as it was his first hot meal in over 72 hours. Later, he realised that it was his first bite of home-cooked food - not including the unrecognisable mush they were served in juvie - since he had been living with Marley and her family.
"Thank you, Theo. It's our pleasure." Santana's mother replied. "Isn't it, Santana?"
Santana didn't respond, with her arms crossed so tightly with frustration that she could've tied herself in a knot. Santana's mother noticed, and her eyes narrowed slightly in the direction of her daughter.
"I'm sorry about her, Theo. I don't know why she's being so rude today." Santana's mother said. Theo looked down and didn't respond to this himself. He knew exactly why: him and Santana hardly had a good relationship. And so he probably shouldn't be at their house for dinner that night. But he just couldn't go another day without proper food.
Sensing the awkward silence that had befallen them, Santana's mother changed the subject, looking at Theo as she did.
"You know, Theo, the first time I made this dish, Santana was 6. She loved it so much that she ate 4 platefuls of it the morning before her first ever cheerleading competition. Needless to say, she quickly realised that she had made a huge mistake."
"Mom!" Santana's voice rose with worry as she realized the story her mother was telling. Theo was quite possibly the last person she wanted hearing about the single most embarrassing moment of her life.
"Oh, no! Did she throw up?" Theo murmured. Santana's mom chuckled as she shook her head.
"Not quite. But the food was expelled from her body in a different manner. A little bit further south of throwing up." Santana's mom said. Theo's jaw dropped in disbelief, but the story wasn't done yet. "It didn't help that she was on the very top of the pyramid at the time either."
"Mom! Stop!" Santana shouted, her face scarlet with humiliation. "I can't believe you would tell him that! That's private!"
"It happened 12 years ago, Santana. Relax." Her mother told her.
"That's not the point!" Santana snapped back. Theo raised his hands in surrender.
"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." Theo reassured her.
"So, Theo, tell me. What brought you here to Lima?" Santana's mom asked him. "Where did you grow up? You sound like you're from…"
"Texas? Yeah. I was born there. And I lived there up until last week actually." Theo replied. "I grew up in a really small town there, but then moved up closer to Austin for high school."
"That can't have been easy." Mrs. Lopez said. "I'm sure it must've been hard to leave your city and say goodbye to all of your friends there."
Theo gulped nervously and looked down slightly, feeling his cheeks begin to burn a little. They were approaching some cautious territory for him, with plenty of secrets that he still kept buried from everyone in Lima.
"Actually, uh… it was pretty easy. There wasn't exactly anyone to say goodbye to. I never had many friends." Theo mumbled.
"Shocker." Santana coughed under her breath, and was quickly shot a death glare from her mother.
"Come on, I find that hard to believe!" Santana's mom remarked. "Sweet, handsome guy like yourself… surely all of the young ladies there were sorry to see you go."
"N-no. There wasn't anyone." Theo stammered. "There used to be someone, but uh… not anymore. Not anymore, no."
"Imagine that. Let me guess… she realized what kind of a person you really were, turned around and fled the State?" Santana snarked.
"Santana." Her mom hissed angrily. Theo's face had gone slightly pale as he shook his head.
"Actually, she… she passed away."
The mood of the dinner instantly changed. Theo's revelation had slipped out before better judgement could stop him, and the bombshell had well and truly been dropped on Santana's mother, but on Santana in particular. The lingering anger on her face at his presence had disappeared and instead, was temporarily replaced by astonishment.
"I'm sorry, Theo." Santana's mom eventually broke the silence. Theo shrugged, still looking down and not looking at either of them.
"That's life, right?" He replied, in a voice no louder than a whisper. "Never seizes to surprise us."
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The rest of the meal was a very quiet affair, with none of them saying more than a few words. Santana and her mother were reflecting on what Theo had told them, and Theo was reflecting on the fact that he had actually told people at all. He had been so adamant about keeping his past life in Texas completely behind him and not carrying it into his life in Lima, so reopening that chapter of pain was definitely not something he had intended.
"Thank you for a delicious meal, Mrs. Lopez." Theo said. "Please, let me do the dishes."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, Theo." Santana's mom told him, but Theo shook his head.
"Please. It's the least I can do so you have me back someday." Theo replied. Santana's mom smiled and nodded.
"Okay, thank you. Santana will help you." She told him.
This time, Santana didn't protest. She was still reeling from Theo's revelation, so remained silent, deep in thought, as the two teenagers carried all of the dirty plates, cutlery and glasses into the kitchen. They began a dishwashing routine, with Santana rinsing and Theo drying and putting away the stuff. Theo could practically hear Santana's brain burning with unasked questions, but it was only when they were closed to finished that she finally plucked up the courage to ask them.
"Is it true?" Santana asked. Theo didn't need any specifics to know what she was asking about. Drying his hands with the cloth he was using, Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small picture, turning it towards Santana so she could see it.
"This is Marley Rose. We were together for four years." Theo told her quietly. He didn't tell her everything though. The photo had been taken before Marley's hand had been adorned by a wedding band, and so that was one secret Theo decided to keep for a bit longer.
Santana glanced at the photo for a moment before she sighed, her shoulders slumping with guilt.
"Look, I'm really sorry about what I said at the table. I had no idea." She murmured. Theo chuckled faintly and nodded.
"I know. I just wanted to embarrass you a little." He replied. Santana rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Well, for the future, I do a decent job at that myself. I mean you heard that story about me crapping myself when I was a kid."
"And I loved every second of it. Almost so much that I might have to my Glee assignment about that very story."
"I will end your life." Santana shot back, and Theo chuckled, glancing downwards for a moment before looking back up at her. The anger towards him from the Latina had melted significantly, to the point where they were almost enjoying each other's company.
"We never really did the assignment, did we?" Theo remarked. "Like apart from the stories your mom told, I know nothing about you."
"What do you want to know?" Santana asked. Theo shrugged.
"I don't know." He responded, honestly. "Well I told you about Marley. Is there anyone special in your life?"
"No. No, there isn't." Santana replied, weakly, causing Theo to raise an eyebrow at her.
"I almost believe you." He commented, slightly sarcastically. "So who is it?"
Santana took a deep breath. She hadn't admitted this to anyone, not even to those closest to her, not even to Quinn. Because she wasn't sure how they would react, for so many different reasons. Sure the Glee club had all been kind, opening and welcoming to Kurt, but the rest of the school certainly hadn't. And Santana didn't know if she wanted to risk telling someone and revealing her secret. But for some reason, telling Theo felt… right. He had been so open and vulnerable with her that evening, and for that reason, she felt no ill intentions coming from his direction anymore.
"Brittany." Santana eventually admitted, feeling a colossal weight being lifted from her shoulders as soon as that single word escaped her lips. "I've known her my whole life, but recently things have just felt… different. She's always been my best friend, but now she's the first person I think about every morning, and the last person I think about at night. And every day I don't see her just ends up being a really shitty day. I realised that it wasn't friendship anymore. It's love."
Santana's voice trailed off as she noticed the pained facial expression on Theo's face, and she internally kicked herself for her insensitivity.
"Sorry about that." Santana stammered, backpedalling slightly. "I, you know, I was…"
"It's okay." Theo said, raising a hand to cut her off. "You should be able to talk about these kinds of things. And for what it's worth, I think you should ask her out."
"It's not that easy." Santana grumbled. Theo nodded.
"I know. And I know I can't possibly relate to your situation in so many ways." He admitted. "But if there's one thing I do know, it's that nothing is guaranteed. You could wake up tomorrow and have that door slammed in your face, and that hurts badly enough. You don't want to have to wake up and on top of that, also be thinking what if."
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After they finished with the dishes, it was finally time for Theo to leave and go home. Santana's mom had retreated to her room to take a shower, so it was just Santana who walked Theo out. And as they did, for the first time since they had met, there wasn't any lingering hostility between them anymore. The Glee assignment, despite how little attention both of them had paid it, had actually helped them both find an unlikely ally (not quite friend just yet) in each other.
As Theo began to walk down Santana's driveway and away from her house, he was stopped by the sound of her voice.
"Hey, Theo!" She called him. Theo slowly turned around and faced her, seeing genuine concern on her face.
"What?" He asked, taken aback.
"Are you okay?" Santana repeated. "What you went through… I can't imagine how hard it must have been."
She really couldn't. Losing Brittany was something that Santana could not even fathom, and they weren't even a couple. The fact that she could go from seeing Brittany every day to never seeing her again was a thought that sent shivers down her spine, so she was filled with sympathy for the Texan.
"Understatement of the century." Theo chuckled mirthlessly at the comment, before looking up at Santana and replying. "And in answer to your question… No. I'm not. Not even close to it."
Theo hesitated for a moment.
"Hey, uh… please, uh… what I told you about Marley, it stays between us, okay? I don't want anyone else knowing." He asked. Santana immediately nodded.
"Of course." She replied. "And the same goes for…"
"Your secret's safe with me." Theo replied. "Goodnight, Santana."
"Goodnight."
