Shake It Out (2/10)
Title: Shake It Out (2/10)
Author: prsweetie915
Pairing: Santana/Puck, Sam/Mercedes, Blaine/Kurt, Finn/Rachel
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Puck had never been so happy to be back in New York and at work before in his life. A weekend in Lima was about three days too long. He caught up with Mr. Schue and even saw Artie who was running the drama department at WMHS. However ever since he saw Brittney, he had been in a foul mood and couldn’t wait to get back to the city where there would be no more memories of her. He was sitting at his office looking over the prints for some new Playbill when Rachel knocked on his door.
“Hey Berry. What are you doing here?” Rachel rolled her eyes as she took a seat across from Puck.
“Noah, I told you yesterday. I got a call back for the role of Sherrie.” Now Puck remembered. Rachel had auditioned for the role of Sherrie for this new Broadway musical called Rock of Ages. She had been rattling on and on about how Sherrie was the perfect role for her because Glee had made her a 80s music expert and that this was going to be THE part that propelled her to leading lady status.
Puck turned his attention back to Rachel as she talked on and on about this role. “I mean, this is the kind of musical that will undoubtedly be made into a movie one day and you know they hired most of the original cast of Rent when that became a movie. Can you imagine? Me in a movie? Barbara would be proud.” Puck nodded as he looked at his pictures. Almost ten years of friendship and Puck had learned that as long as Rachel had an audience she would talk, so Puck learned to drown her out.
He stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice singing from one of the rooms down the hall. The voice sounded amazing and brought chills to his arm. He hadn’t been that moved by someone’s voice since… Puck quickly got up and followed the voice, Rachel quick on his heels. When he reached the last door on the left, he stopped in his tracks, causing Rachel to almost collide behind him.
“Oh. My. God. Mercedes?!?!?!?!?!?” Mercedes Jones abruptly stopped singing and looked up just as Rachel launched herself in the diva’s arms. Mercedes seemed to be taken back but quickly recovered.
“What are you doing here?” Rachel demanded to know. “No one has seen you since graduation.” Mercedes smiled but Puck could tell it was forced.
“I did some work with Chris back in LA and he offered me the role of Justice.” Rachel clapped her hands with excitement and quickly started talking about what everyone was up to. While Rachel talked, Puck got a good look at Mercedes. She had lost a significant amount of weight since high school and her hair was cut into a bob with blonde streaks throughout. It was obvious that LA had been good for her. Puck cut Rachel off as he stepped up to hug her.
“Hey there my favorite chocolate drop.” Mercedes rolled her eyes but hugged Puck back.
“We should plan a dinner. Welcome you to town” Mercedes seemed a little apprehensive.
“I don’t know Rachel. I still have some unpacking to do, settle in, things like that.”
“Come on Mercedes. How about Friday? We can have it at me and Finn’s place. Do you have your phone on you? Take my number and I will text you all the details.” Mercedes sighed loudly before pulling her phone out.
****************************************
When Mercedes made it back to her apartment in Brooklyn Heights, she immediately slammed her front door as she kicked her shoes off and walked towards the kitchen for a glass of wine.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Did that construction worker hit on you again?” Mercedes whirled around to look at her roommate. She snorted to herself before pouring two generous amounts of wine and handing the other to the young woman staring at her.
“Worse. Looks like I am still playing second fiddle to Rachel fucking Berry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Turns out Rachel is auditioning for the role of Sherrie, the lead role. It’s been eight years, yet five minutes in the same room with Berry and I’m back to feeling like the black chick that stands in the back of Glee and is only good for wailing at the end of the song. Of course she would be the lead.” Mercedes took a gulp of her wine as she leaned back on the couch. She had worked hard to relive herself of the insecurities that plagued her throughout high school. She had done well in LA, worked back up for a lot of different artists but she had yet to be signed to any record label.
“Look at it this way; she had to audition for the role. Yours is already set in stone. Take comfort in that.” Mercedes nodded as she turned to really look at her roommate since she had walked through the door.
“How are you holding up today, San?” If anyone would have said that Santana Lopez and Mercedes Jones would become best friends, they both would have laughed in your face but that’s what ended up happening.
After Brittney had cheated on Santana, she headed West without any plans or sense of direction. She had Mercedes’s number since they had performed the Tina Turner duet. When she called, Mercedes offered Santana a place to stay and an ear to listen. They were two small fish in a very big pond and had leaned on one another for support over the years and Santana really needed support over the past 16 months. Mercedes getting the job offer in New York was perfect timing for Santana’s personal life. She was determined to leave the events of California behind her and start over.
“I haven’t left the house today.” Mercedes gave Santana a stern look but the Latina just rolled her eyes.
“Chill Sadie. It’s not like I’m scared to walk out in public. I just don’t think it’s time. Shit still hasn’t healed yet.” Santana said pointing to the right side of her face that was still a nasty purple/yellow color. Mercedes took a deep breath before she made her next statement.
“Rachel wants to throw a dinner thing. She’s inviting everyone who is in New York.”
“Who the hell is all here?”
“Uh...Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Tina, Mike….and Puck.”
“Puck? As in Noah fucking Puckerman? What is he doing here?”
“I didn’t really get to talk to him. Rachel pretty much dominated the conversation.”
“Wait. You saw him?” Mercedes nodded and Santana groaned softly. “You know I’m not going right?”
“Yes the hell you are. If I have to suffer through the Glee reunion, so do you.”
“Nobody knows I’m here.”
“I will tell them.” Santana opened her mouth but Mercedes kept on talking. “Do not make me pull out the blackmail card.”
“Have you seen my face?”
“It should be healed enough by Friday that you can use makeup to cover it up. Do NOT make me go to this thing by myself.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me.”
******************************************
“Dude chill the fuck out.” Puck said for the fifth time as he and Sam walked up the steps towards Finn and Rachel’s. It took all week to convince Sam to even come to this dinner and the whole train ride, Puck had to threaten to buy one of those children’s leashes in order to keep him still. Ever since Puck came home announcing that Mercedes was in town, Sam had been a barrel of nerves and a pain in Puck’s ass.
“Don’t tell me to chill. What if it was your ex-girlfriend coming to dinner after not seeing her for eight damn years? How would you feel? What if it was Sant…”
“Shut the fuck up. We’re here.” Puck knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Once the door swung open, Puck pushed past Finn and headed for the kitchen to get a glass with some ice for his Jack Daniels. He kissed Rachel on the cheek as he handed her a bottle of wine. After pouring his drink, he made his way back to the living room just in time to hear Sam rattle on again. Puck rolled his eyes and took a seat.
“I can’t believe she’s coming.” Kurt said from his spot next to Blaine.
“Wasn’t she like your best friend or some shit? How have you not heard from her?” Puck asked causing Kurt to look guilty and glare all the same time.
“We just sort of..drifted apart. But that no longer matters now that she’s in New York. I cannot wait to go shopping with her.” The doorbell rang and Rachel hurried to hit the buzzer to let Mike and Tina in. Kurt soon joined the ladies in the kitchen while they discussed upcoming wedding ideas. Mike sat down and finished his beer in two sips. For anyone else, that would be nothing out of the ordinary but this was Mike Chang. The kid never got drunk, not even in high school and he always prided himself on being the responsible one. Puck can’t even recall the number of times he had to call Mike to come play designated driver after one too many shots and rounds of beer pong.
“What’s up Chang?” Puck asked. Mike played with the label on his beer bottle for a few seconds while his mouth opened and closed like he was struggling to get words out. Just as he was going to talk, the doorbell rang and in true girl fashion, both Rachel and Kurt squealed as they headed for the door. Rachel unlocked the door and opened it so she could meet Mercedes in the hallway. She heard two sets of footsteps and Rachel just chalked it up to Mercedes having a boyfriend or a roommate. The last thing she expected to see was Santana Lopez walking behind Mercedes. Rachel was shocked to say the least. She pulled Kurt out from the doorframe before he could say anything and quickly shut the door.
Santana looked up at the two friends and tried to appear stoic and bored, like the expression that she had perfected in high school. Rachel was still in shock as she looked the woman over. Santana was skinnier than she was in high school, as if that was possible. Her hair was longer, with layers framing her face. She was still ridiculously beautiful, a trait that Rachel had resented when the former cheerleader had taken the love of her life’s virginity. She was wearing a long sleeve black shirt tucked into a maxi dress, even though it was June in New York and the humidity was horrible.
“What Berry? I’m not allowed in your house?” Santana quipped with an eyebrow raised. Rachel quickly shook away her thoughts as she pulled Santana in for a hug.
“Of course you are. I just…I didn’t know that you were in town or that you kept in touch with Mercedes.” Santana looked over at Mercedes who was giggling softly with Kurt and she couldn’t help but smile. Santana knew that out of everyone, Mercedes had missed Kurt the most. Her gay BFF had turned into Rachel’s gay BFF and that had stung. “Please come in.” Rachel grabbed Santana’s hand and pulled her in the front door. She almost bolted when she saw everyone’s eyes widen at seeing her stand there. She would have ran except Mercedes and Kurt were blocking the exit. She tries to shake off her nerves as she waves at everyone who seems too stunned to move.
“Jesus, what are you all looking at?” Mike was the first to recover and he pulled her in for a hug. When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes and the sympathy she sees is overwhelming and makes her wonder if he is giving her that look because he knows the truth or if he is looking at her like that because he remembers what happened 8 years ago. Either way, it is making her uncomfortable so she quickly moves on to the next person. She hugs everyone until she comes face to face with Puck. He has his arms crossed over his chest and he looks less than thrilled by her presence. She can’t help but to notice that everyone’s conversation seemed to halt the second she stood in front of him. Santana places her hands on her hip and glares.
“A goddamn phone call would have been nice, Lopez.”
“Excuse you?”
“I get it. Brit did some fucked up shit to you, but that doesn’t mean that you could just drop off the face of the Earth without saying shit to anyone. What is the matter with you?” If Puck hadn’t been so pissed, he would have noticed that Santana slightly flinched when Puck started to raise his voice. It was subtle but there before Santana reached deep within herself and found the courage to yell back.
“Get fucked Puckerman. Since when were you so concerned about me? Let me guess, you went looking for me so you could get a good fuck or two since you made it well known that was ALL I was good for when it came to you. You don’t get to yell at me for not keeping in touch when you spent YEARS being nothing but a shitty friend and an occasional lay.”
“Guys please.” Finn stood between the two. He knew better than anyone how nasty a fight between Santana and Puck could get. He had walked in the middle of their fight after the truth about Quinn’s pregnancy was revealed. No one had really took the time to ask how Quinn’s pregnancy affected Santana because she always put on a brave front but that day in the choir room, Finn saw a mirror image of the hurt that he was feeling in Santana’s eyes.
“Come on you guys. Dinner will be ready soon. Finn, Blaine can you guys get the dining table?” Considering how small their apartment was, whenever Rachel would throw a dinner party, the living room would be converted into a dining area. Everyone started to move things around as Santana moved closer to Mercedes who placed a protective arm around her shoulder.
Once everyone was seated (Santana made sure she was as far away from Puck as possible) everyone started catching Santana and Mercedes up with all their latest happenings. Mercedes, in turn, told them what brought her to New York.
“How about you Santana? What have you been up to?” Kurt asked. Santana had a forkful of pasta in her mouth and the question clearly caught her off guard.
“She’s actually my manager now.” Mercedes answered for her friend. When she had first arrived in California, she had gotten a job at a Burlesque type of bar that allowed her to showcase her talents. After two years, she had grew bored with the job and was looking for something more. Her natural ability to lead, get shit done and boss people around made her an obvious choice for a manager when someone at the record label that Mercedes was working at suggested it. Santana had hopped on board and Mercedes knew that she wouldn’t have gotten to Broadway had it not been for the feisty Latina.
“You got a man?” That question came from Puck and Santana glared in his direction. She shook her head and picked up her glass. “You got a girl?” Again, Santana did nothing more than shake her head.
Dinner continued and afterwards, the group of old friends sat back and made small conversation. Santana excused herself to go to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, she gripped onto the sink and forced herself to breath. She hadn’t been in a confined space with more than one person in a while and her anxiety was starting to kick her. For the 100th time, she cursed the man that seemed to take away all her self-confidence. Santana busied herself with washing her hands when there was a knock at the door.
“Be out in a second.” Santana looked up at the mirror and pulled her hair forward over her face before opening the door. She quickly took a step back when she looked in the eyes of a concerned Mike Chang.
“Bathroom’s all yours.” Santana tried to walk past Mike but her gently grabbed her wrist, causing her to flinch. Mike quickly dropped his hand like he was embarrassed. The two former friends stood in the hallway as laughter came from the living room. Santana wrapped her arms around her slim body as a shield as she waited for Mike to say something, anything.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m good.” Santana lied and she knew that Mike didn’t believe her.
“Santana…Matt called me.” Santana’s eyes widened.
FUCK. HER. LIFE
“What did he say to you?” Santana was immediately on the defensive.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit, Chang. What did he say to you? And keep in mind that I know exactly who you were doing that summer before senior year when Tina went away to art camp or whatever the fuck she was doing.” Pulling out the high school was stupid and childish but Santana was not above starting some drama to get the focus off her.
“He just said that you were moving here and he asked me to look after you.” Santana scoffed.
“I don’t need anyone to look after me. I am just fucking fine on my own.” She pushed Mike against the wall as she all but stalked towards the living room. She bent down to pick up her purse but she had forgot that to tuck in her shirt when she was in the bathroom. Thanks to her forgetfulness, her shirt rode up in the back giving Puck and Blaine a few of her back.
“What the FUCK happened to you?” Puck screamed as he stood up. Santana looked up at Puck who seemed to be focused on her back. She could tell by the sympathetic look in Blaine’s eyes that they saw the bruises. Santana looked down for a second, ashamed at what they saw before she ran out of the door, making everyone turn to Mercedes for some answers.
Author: prsweetie915
Pairing: Santana/Puck, Sam/Mercedes, Blaine/Kurt, Finn/Rachel
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Puck had never been so happy to be back in New York and at work before in his life. A weekend in Lima was about three days too long. He caught up with Mr. Schue and even saw Artie who was running the drama department at WMHS. However ever since he saw Brittney, he had been in a foul mood and couldn’t wait to get back to the city where there would be no more memories of her. He was sitting at his office looking over the prints for some new Playbill when Rachel knocked on his door.
“Hey Berry. What are you doing here?” Rachel rolled her eyes as she took a seat across from Puck.
“Noah, I told you yesterday. I got a call back for the role of Sherrie.” Now Puck remembered. Rachel had auditioned for the role of Sherrie for this new Broadway musical called Rock of Ages. She had been rattling on and on about how Sherrie was the perfect role for her because Glee had made her a 80s music expert and that this was going to be THE part that propelled her to leading lady status.
Puck turned his attention back to Rachel as she talked on and on about this role. “I mean, this is the kind of musical that will undoubtedly be made into a movie one day and you know they hired most of the original cast of Rent when that became a movie. Can you imagine? Me in a movie? Barbara would be proud.” Puck nodded as he looked at his pictures. Almost ten years of friendship and Puck had learned that as long as Rachel had an audience she would talk, so Puck learned to drown her out.
He stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice singing from one of the rooms down the hall. The voice sounded amazing and brought chills to his arm. He hadn’t been that moved by someone’s voice since… Puck quickly got up and followed the voice, Rachel quick on his heels. When he reached the last door on the left, he stopped in his tracks, causing Rachel to almost collide behind him.
“Oh. My. God. Mercedes?!?!?!?!?!?” Mercedes Jones abruptly stopped singing and looked up just as Rachel launched herself in the diva’s arms. Mercedes seemed to be taken back but quickly recovered.
“What are you doing here?” Rachel demanded to know. “No one has seen you since graduation.” Mercedes smiled but Puck could tell it was forced.
“I did some work with Chris back in LA and he offered me the role of Justice.” Rachel clapped her hands with excitement and quickly started talking about what everyone was up to. While Rachel talked, Puck got a good look at Mercedes. She had lost a significant amount of weight since high school and her hair was cut into a bob with blonde streaks throughout. It was obvious that LA had been good for her. Puck cut Rachel off as he stepped up to hug her.
“Hey there my favorite chocolate drop.” Mercedes rolled her eyes but hugged Puck back.
“We should plan a dinner. Welcome you to town” Mercedes seemed a little apprehensive.
“I don’t know Rachel. I still have some unpacking to do, settle in, things like that.”
“Come on Mercedes. How about Friday? We can have it at me and Finn’s place. Do you have your phone on you? Take my number and I will text you all the details.” Mercedes sighed loudly before pulling her phone out.
****************************************
When Mercedes made it back to her apartment in Brooklyn Heights, she immediately slammed her front door as she kicked her shoes off and walked towards the kitchen for a glass of wine.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Did that construction worker hit on you again?” Mercedes whirled around to look at her roommate. She snorted to herself before pouring two generous amounts of wine and handing the other to the young woman staring at her.
“Worse. Looks like I am still playing second fiddle to Rachel fucking Berry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Turns out Rachel is auditioning for the role of Sherrie, the lead role. It’s been eight years, yet five minutes in the same room with Berry and I’m back to feeling like the black chick that stands in the back of Glee and is only good for wailing at the end of the song. Of course she would be the lead.” Mercedes took a gulp of her wine as she leaned back on the couch. She had worked hard to relive herself of the insecurities that plagued her throughout high school. She had done well in LA, worked back up for a lot of different artists but she had yet to be signed to any record label.
“Look at it this way; she had to audition for the role. Yours is already set in stone. Take comfort in that.” Mercedes nodded as she turned to really look at her roommate since she had walked through the door.
“How are you holding up today, San?” If anyone would have said that Santana Lopez and Mercedes Jones would become best friends, they both would have laughed in your face but that’s what ended up happening.
After Brittney had cheated on Santana, she headed West without any plans or sense of direction. She had Mercedes’s number since they had performed the Tina Turner duet. When she called, Mercedes offered Santana a place to stay and an ear to listen. They were two small fish in a very big pond and had leaned on one another for support over the years and Santana really needed support over the past 16 months. Mercedes getting the job offer in New York was perfect timing for Santana’s personal life. She was determined to leave the events of California behind her and start over.
“I haven’t left the house today.” Mercedes gave Santana a stern look but the Latina just rolled her eyes.
“Chill Sadie. It’s not like I’m scared to walk out in public. I just don’t think it’s time. Shit still hasn’t healed yet.” Santana said pointing to the right side of her face that was still a nasty purple/yellow color. Mercedes took a deep breath before she made her next statement.
“Rachel wants to throw a dinner thing. She’s inviting everyone who is in New York.”
“Who the hell is all here?”
“Uh...Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Tina, Mike….and Puck.”
“Puck? As in Noah fucking Puckerman? What is he doing here?”
“I didn’t really get to talk to him. Rachel pretty much dominated the conversation.”
“Wait. You saw him?” Mercedes nodded and Santana groaned softly. “You know I’m not going right?”
“Yes the hell you are. If I have to suffer through the Glee reunion, so do you.”
“Nobody knows I’m here.”
“I will tell them.” Santana opened her mouth but Mercedes kept on talking. “Do not make me pull out the blackmail card.”
“Have you seen my face?”
“It should be healed enough by Friday that you can use makeup to cover it up. Do NOT make me go to this thing by myself.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me.”
******************************************
“Dude chill the fuck out.” Puck said for the fifth time as he and Sam walked up the steps towards Finn and Rachel’s. It took all week to convince Sam to even come to this dinner and the whole train ride, Puck had to threaten to buy one of those children’s leashes in order to keep him still. Ever since Puck came home announcing that Mercedes was in town, Sam had been a barrel of nerves and a pain in Puck’s ass.
“Don’t tell me to chill. What if it was your ex-girlfriend coming to dinner after not seeing her for eight damn years? How would you feel? What if it was Sant…”
“Shut the fuck up. We’re here.” Puck knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Once the door swung open, Puck pushed past Finn and headed for the kitchen to get a glass with some ice for his Jack Daniels. He kissed Rachel on the cheek as he handed her a bottle of wine. After pouring his drink, he made his way back to the living room just in time to hear Sam rattle on again. Puck rolled his eyes and took a seat.
“I can’t believe she’s coming.” Kurt said from his spot next to Blaine.
“Wasn’t she like your best friend or some shit? How have you not heard from her?” Puck asked causing Kurt to look guilty and glare all the same time.
“We just sort of..drifted apart. But that no longer matters now that she’s in New York. I cannot wait to go shopping with her.” The doorbell rang and Rachel hurried to hit the buzzer to let Mike and Tina in. Kurt soon joined the ladies in the kitchen while they discussed upcoming wedding ideas. Mike sat down and finished his beer in two sips. For anyone else, that would be nothing out of the ordinary but this was Mike Chang. The kid never got drunk, not even in high school and he always prided himself on being the responsible one. Puck can’t even recall the number of times he had to call Mike to come play designated driver after one too many shots and rounds of beer pong.
“What’s up Chang?” Puck asked. Mike played with the label on his beer bottle for a few seconds while his mouth opened and closed like he was struggling to get words out. Just as he was going to talk, the doorbell rang and in true girl fashion, both Rachel and Kurt squealed as they headed for the door. Rachel unlocked the door and opened it so she could meet Mercedes in the hallway. She heard two sets of footsteps and Rachel just chalked it up to Mercedes having a boyfriend or a roommate. The last thing she expected to see was Santana Lopez walking behind Mercedes. Rachel was shocked to say the least. She pulled Kurt out from the doorframe before he could say anything and quickly shut the door.
Santana looked up at the two friends and tried to appear stoic and bored, like the expression that she had perfected in high school. Rachel was still in shock as she looked the woman over. Santana was skinnier than she was in high school, as if that was possible. Her hair was longer, with layers framing her face. She was still ridiculously beautiful, a trait that Rachel had resented when the former cheerleader had taken the love of her life’s virginity. She was wearing a long sleeve black shirt tucked into a maxi dress, even though it was June in New York and the humidity was horrible.
“What Berry? I’m not allowed in your house?” Santana quipped with an eyebrow raised. Rachel quickly shook away her thoughts as she pulled Santana in for a hug.
“Of course you are. I just…I didn’t know that you were in town or that you kept in touch with Mercedes.” Santana looked over at Mercedes who was giggling softly with Kurt and she couldn’t help but smile. Santana knew that out of everyone, Mercedes had missed Kurt the most. Her gay BFF had turned into Rachel’s gay BFF and that had stung. “Please come in.” Rachel grabbed Santana’s hand and pulled her in the front door. She almost bolted when she saw everyone’s eyes widen at seeing her stand there. She would have ran except Mercedes and Kurt were blocking the exit. She tries to shake off her nerves as she waves at everyone who seems too stunned to move.
“Jesus, what are you all looking at?” Mike was the first to recover and he pulled her in for a hug. When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes and the sympathy she sees is overwhelming and makes her wonder if he is giving her that look because he knows the truth or if he is looking at her like that because he remembers what happened 8 years ago. Either way, it is making her uncomfortable so she quickly moves on to the next person. She hugs everyone until she comes face to face with Puck. He has his arms crossed over his chest and he looks less than thrilled by her presence. She can’t help but to notice that everyone’s conversation seemed to halt the second she stood in front of him. Santana places her hands on her hip and glares.
“A goddamn phone call would have been nice, Lopez.”
“Excuse you?”
“I get it. Brit did some fucked up shit to you, but that doesn’t mean that you could just drop off the face of the Earth without saying shit to anyone. What is the matter with you?” If Puck hadn’t been so pissed, he would have noticed that Santana slightly flinched when Puck started to raise his voice. It was subtle but there before Santana reached deep within herself and found the courage to yell back.
“Get fucked Puckerman. Since when were you so concerned about me? Let me guess, you went looking for me so you could get a good fuck or two since you made it well known that was ALL I was good for when it came to you. You don’t get to yell at me for not keeping in touch when you spent YEARS being nothing but a shitty friend and an occasional lay.”
“Guys please.” Finn stood between the two. He knew better than anyone how nasty a fight between Santana and Puck could get. He had walked in the middle of their fight after the truth about Quinn’s pregnancy was revealed. No one had really took the time to ask how Quinn’s pregnancy affected Santana because she always put on a brave front but that day in the choir room, Finn saw a mirror image of the hurt that he was feeling in Santana’s eyes.
“Come on you guys. Dinner will be ready soon. Finn, Blaine can you guys get the dining table?” Considering how small their apartment was, whenever Rachel would throw a dinner party, the living room would be converted into a dining area. Everyone started to move things around as Santana moved closer to Mercedes who placed a protective arm around her shoulder.
Once everyone was seated (Santana made sure she was as far away from Puck as possible) everyone started catching Santana and Mercedes up with all their latest happenings. Mercedes, in turn, told them what brought her to New York.
“How about you Santana? What have you been up to?” Kurt asked. Santana had a forkful of pasta in her mouth and the question clearly caught her off guard.
“She’s actually my manager now.” Mercedes answered for her friend. When she had first arrived in California, she had gotten a job at a Burlesque type of bar that allowed her to showcase her talents. After two years, she had grew bored with the job and was looking for something more. Her natural ability to lead, get shit done and boss people around made her an obvious choice for a manager when someone at the record label that Mercedes was working at suggested it. Santana had hopped on board and Mercedes knew that she wouldn’t have gotten to Broadway had it not been for the feisty Latina.
“You got a man?” That question came from Puck and Santana glared in his direction. She shook her head and picked up her glass. “You got a girl?” Again, Santana did nothing more than shake her head.
Dinner continued and afterwards, the group of old friends sat back and made small conversation. Santana excused herself to go to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, she gripped onto the sink and forced herself to breath. She hadn’t been in a confined space with more than one person in a while and her anxiety was starting to kick her. For the 100th time, she cursed the man that seemed to take away all her self-confidence. Santana busied herself with washing her hands when there was a knock at the door.
“Be out in a second.” Santana looked up at the mirror and pulled her hair forward over her face before opening the door. She quickly took a step back when she looked in the eyes of a concerned Mike Chang.
“Bathroom’s all yours.” Santana tried to walk past Mike but her gently grabbed her wrist, causing her to flinch. Mike quickly dropped his hand like he was embarrassed. The two former friends stood in the hallway as laughter came from the living room. Santana wrapped her arms around her slim body as a shield as she waited for Mike to say something, anything.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m good.” Santana lied and she knew that Mike didn’t believe her.
“Santana…Matt called me.” Santana’s eyes widened.
FUCK. HER. LIFE
“What did he say to you?” Santana was immediately on the defensive.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit, Chang. What did he say to you? And keep in mind that I know exactly who you were doing that summer before senior year when Tina went away to art camp or whatever the fuck she was doing.” Pulling out the high school was stupid and childish but Santana was not above starting some drama to get the focus off her.
“He just said that you were moving here and he asked me to look after you.” Santana scoffed.
“I don’t need anyone to look after me. I am just fucking fine on my own.” She pushed Mike against the wall as she all but stalked towards the living room. She bent down to pick up her purse but she had forgot that to tuck in her shirt when she was in the bathroom. Thanks to her forgetfulness, her shirt rode up in the back giving Puck and Blaine a few of her back.
“What the FUCK happened to you?” Puck screamed as he stood up. Santana looked up at Puck who seemed to be focused on her back. She could tell by the sympathetic look in Blaine’s eyes that they saw the bruises. Santana looked down for a second, ashamed at what they saw before she ran out of the door, making everyone turn to Mercedes for some answers.