DRIVE → FACE TO FACE
rbberrystars·:
Was it risky to walk alone in the middle of the night in New York? What kind of a stupid question was that? Of course it was risky, but, as Rachel told Santana with a shrug, “Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, you know?” She’d love a day job, working a 9-5 where she can both go to work and come home when the sun was still up, but she was either ineligible due to the lack of a college degree or it was a minimum wage job that paid far less than what she made at the club. It was better this way.
She was thankful that Santana didn’t mention how shitty of an area she lived in. It was kind of embarrassing, and the inside of her apartment was even more so, but she could only do so much with diapers and wipes, doctor’s visits, toys, and a nanny. Something had to slack, so that was the apartment. “Thank you,” she chuckled, smirking as Santana said she’d stalk her. “Like you did tonight?” she teased. When her former friend said she didn’t want her to die, she leaned over the center console to hug her. It was sideways, the gear shift was in the way, and it was pretty awkward because of that, but she didn’t care. It was nice that after all this time, Santana still cared about her. “Thank you,” she mumbled into her neck, repeating herself. “I’ll call you, okay?” she said as she pulled back, grabbing her purse. “I really appreciated the ride.”
There was something admirable about Rachel’s sense of duty, but even for the moderate wage, Santana wouldn’t climb onto a strangers ass and let them ogle her tits. It crossed her mind at one point, loomed in the back of her mind when she got a paper back and there was anything below an A marked on the top. It was this unreasonable fear that never quite disappeared until she faced that fork in the road. She’d dropped out of college and used up all her savings, but there were two adds in the paper, one for a strip club and the other for a bar. And here she was. Santana just wondered if Rachel ever had a choice, or if this one was made for her. “I like your work ethic,” she mutters, and shoots her a small smile.
It felt like a goodbye, like the one she’d been waiting for, but she still didn’t have the closure she expected. It all felt so awkward. “Just stay safe,” she says, and she knows nothing will change and it would be wrong to expect her to adjust her routine because an old friend thought it was unsafe. Santana didn’t want to be her hero and sweep her off her feet, so she bit her tongue. Rachel was a big girl and she got herself into this and she’d have to get herself out of it. But that didn’t stop her from imagining things playing out differently. Santana squeezed her tightly, for just a second before she let go. “Call me,” she says, just because she could, and it’s not like anyone else could hear how pathetic she sounds and she doesn’t drive away until Rachel is out of sight.














