Chapter Four
Shelby woke the girls at 6 am, instructing them to get ready for school by 7:45 am. Kitty and Quinn shared a bathroom, with Quinn applying makeup while Kitty showered. Later, Quinn proposed picking up Rachel, before going to school via the Lima Bean. Kitty, who had emerged from the shower, complained about having to wake up so early. Quinn explained that they needed to arrive on time as Carmel High starts earlier on Thursdays.
During their conversation, Santana interrupted, claiming that they continued talking about an earlier parking lot discussion. An argument ensued but was interrupted by Cassie's loud summons to be downstairs within 10 minutes.
San went to her room to prepare while Quinn joined her on the bed. San tried to comfort Quinn as she seemed upset about the tension between Cass and Shelby. Quinn lamented that she would be grounded but shared her plan to attend Berry's party before Sectionals and return.
As Quinn hit her forehead, she realized that she had forgotten that she was to be grounded. She quickly shared her plan of going to Berry's party before Sectionals, making it back before curfew, and then sneaking out again later when everyone was sleeping. San agreed to go with them saying, "I'm sick of being stuck inside". They all left the room and joined others for breakfast before school.
Following Cheerios Practice, Q, and Kitty were to immediately return home. After that, they had to go to Rachel's house to pick up her things. Cassie informed San that her mother would take her to Carmel High where she could complete her class assignments in her mother's office, and detention would not be a concern.
Throughout the day, everyone had to maintain good behavior as detention was still a possibility. At 7 pm, there was to be a family meeting, which was met with groans from San and Quinn, while Kitty was confused. Shelby reassured her that there was nothing to worry about.
After breakfast, the girls gathered their school bags, and Santana loaded the dishwasher. Shelby kissed each girl on the cheek before they left for school. Shelby and Cassie drove to Carmel High.
Quinn and her friends stopped at Rachel's house and were greeted warmly by Rachel with a "Good morning." They quickly got some coffee from The Lima Bean and then went to school. Rachel and Kitty walked together to class while Quinn talked to Santana about their conversation. Santana mentioned that she saw how hurt they were when they found out about what she and Quinn were doing. Quinn urged Santana to tell her parents about what was going on in school before something bad happened.
Santana tells Quinn that she will inform her parents about the situation at school on her terms, as she is dealing with harassment from Karofsky and other students. When Quinn brings up Mr. Schue singling Santana out in class, Santana decides to tell her parents about Mr. Schue that evening. Quinn is pleased and agrees that someone needs to wipe the silly look off Mr. Schue's face. They continue on their way to their respective classes.
During lunch, the Glee club practices together, but Mr. Schue is unfortunately absent. Kitty shares some exciting news with the group, which they discovered when they left the room. Puck, Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, Finn, Britney, Mike, and Artie are all eager to hear what it is. Rachel reveals that Santana's parents coach Vocal Adrenaline, which shocks Finn. Kurt remembers seeing Santana's mom in the hallway the day before, and he suddenly realizes who she is. Quinn confirms that it is indeed Santana's mom. Finn starts to worry that they might end up losing, as Santana failed to mention that their competition coach is her mother and may have even shared their song choice…
Quinn tells Finn to keep quiet and not accuse Santana of spying on the Glee Club, since it was known that Santana enjoyed being a part of the group. Although Finn accuses Santana of sabotaging the group at Sectionals, Quinn counters by saying that Santana and her parents were not capable of such an act. Meanwhile, Santana's mothers meet with Figgins and Mr. Schuester to discuss their daughters' behavior at school.
Principal Figgins introduced Mrs. Corcoran July and Mrs. July to Mr. Schuester, the coach of New Directions while gesturing towards them. "These are Miss Santana Corcoran July's parents," he announced.
"I recognize you both as the coaches from Vocal Adrenaline, the team we're competing against," Schuester said. "But I had no idea Santana was your daughter."
"We take our jobs seriously and our daughter's well-being is our top priority," Mrs. Corcoran July said. "We're interested in hearing about what's been going on with her lately."
"All I know is that she's been moody and tardy in my classroom. She's also been walking out of class when I ask her to stay and giving me backtalk," Schuester stated.
Cassie spoke up, "For the last month, we have been dropping her off at school early, but no one informed us of her absence."
Mr. Schuester added, "Over the past two weeks, I made several calls to you, but Santana answered the phone and told me her parents were not available until 8 o'clock. When I called back, she hung up on me after someone asked who was on the phone."
Mrs. Corcoran issued an apology for Santana's misconduct, promising that it wouldn't be repeated either on the phone or in school. Meanwhile, Shelby provided Mr. Schuester with her business card, which he then pocketed. Cassie had something to discuss with both Principal Figgins and Mr. Schuester since their daughter had been bullied in school, but the culprits were unknown. They requested Principal Figgins' intervention to resolve the matter, even though they did not know the identities of the perpetrators.
Principal Figgins agreed to their request and asked for the names of the bullies so that he could address the situation. She explained that favoritism was not acceptable in their school and that everyone would be treated equally. Mr. Schuester apologized for their daughter being kept in detention longer than the other students and assured them that he did not intend to favor any one student over another.
Shelby and Cassie agreed to Mr. Schuester's explanation but suggested that a teacher needed to step in when he was not in the classroom to avoid distracting the students from their education. Cassie also expressed her concern about why her child was singled out in front of the entire class. Mr. Schuester denied the accusation of deliberately singling out Santana or any other student, reiterating that he treats everyone equally.
Finally, Mrs. Corcoran and her wife stated their suspicion that Mr. Schuester had wrongfully singled out their child in his Glee Club and warned that if he had misused his position as an instructor, he could be jeopardizing his career.
Shelby warned that your job could be in jeopardy if my wife and I find out that you are continuing in your bad ways. Our top priority is the well-being of our child, including her education. If this school does not meet our requirements, we will enroll her in Carmel High School, where we are both employed. We must act immediately to stop the bullying and protect not only our children but also other students. Principal Figgins agreed with Coach Corcoran and promised to take action to stop the bullying in the school.
Meanwhile, Coach Corcoran signed the Latina out of school early and handed the paperwork to Principal Figgins. She waited for her to arrive while Mr. Schuester left the office. During the meeting, Karofsky verbally attacked Santana in the hallway and threatened her while she was using the bathroom pass. He warned her of severe consequences if she revealed that she had lesbian parents. Santana, who had done nothing wrong, tried to resist, but Karofsky twisted her arm, slapped her twice, and pushed her against a wall. When he demanded to know how her parents found out, she insisted that she had done nothing wrong. Karofsky threatened her with violence unless she convinced her parents to drop the matter.
In frustration and pain, Santana screamed that he "would pay for it." As Karofsky left the room laughing, she lay on the floor. Santana regained her composure and went back to her class to continue the assignment until her teacher told her to grab her things, as she was going home. She collected her things before heading to the Principal's Office.
After the school bell rang, the Latina arrived at the office. Her mom asked her if she was okay, to which she replied with a reassuring "I'm okay". As students poured out of their classrooms, members of New Directions stopped to stare at Santana and her Vocal Adrenaline coach, Corcoran. Britt called out, pointing at Shelby and questioning Santana's presence while asking where she was headed.
Santana's mother noticed Britt's inquisitive behavior and encouraged her daughter to speak with her friend quickly, so they could leave. Santana agreed and began to make her way toward Britt.
"Don't worry about me, Britt. I'll catch up with you tomorrow," Santana assured her before Britt nodded in agreement. As Britt faced Coach Corcoran, Shelby walked over and placed a comforting hand on Santana's shoulder.
"I'm looking forward to your performance with Quinn and the others at Sectionals," Shelby told Britt with a smile. "My team and I will be cheering you on from the audience until it's our turn."
Britney added, "Everyone knows you're Santana's mom, Shelby."
Shelby responded calmly, "That doesn't bother me, Britney. They were going to find out sooner or later."
"We better get going," Britt agreed, and Shelby led Santana out of the school building.
Santana sat in the car venting
to her mothers about how she had warned them that Kitty would tell their secret but neither of them had believed her. Shelby tried to comfort her, saying that the secret was bound to come out sooner or later.
Santana agreed, explaining that she had planned to tell them when the timing was perfect but with everything happening all at once, she hadn't been able to. She was worried that they might believe she had spied on them for her gain.
Cassie reassured her, saying that they would never have asked her to spy on anyone just to win a trophy. Santana suggested going to her grandmother's house or her own, but Shelby refused and explained that leaving Santana alone or driving an hour away to her mother's house would not be safe.
Santana expressed her annoyance, but Shelby was firm and repeatedly said that it wasn't safe. She finished the conversation with a smile, reminding Santana that she would always be their little girl.
The girl sat in the backseat of the car, unwilling to interact with anyone at school. Cassie drove, while Shelby turned to the girl and reminded her to treat everyone with respect, regardless of whether or not she liked them. Despite the girl's disagreement and grumbling, Cassie agreed with Shelby. Additionally, Shelby tapped the girl's thigh and gently reminded her to lose the negative attitude.