AU Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to their alerts. I'm flattered :)
Sorry this update has taken me so long - unfortunately, my schedule is super busy, but I'll do my best to write new chapters as fast as I can! Oh, and this story follows some of the S2 canon, but not all of it. I'm manipulating it to suit my needs :) And also to pretend that Tina breaking down while singing MFV because she was so overcome with love for Mike never happened...it felt so OOC to me :P But enough of my yammering, here's the next installment in Santina's evil plot :)
Santana tapped her foot impatiently against the wood floor. What in the hell is going on in there? The last time I was in a changing room for this long, I was making out with the cute store checkout guy.
" Hel-lo? Are you alive in there?" Santana called out, rolling her eyes. "I'd like to get out of this one store before everything shuts down and I'm forced to spend the night in the mall with you, surviving on stale pretzels and day-old cheese sauce…sooo…"
Santana examined her nails. Damn, a chip. "Look, gothika. Get the fuck out here. I need a manicure, pronto, and I'm leaving to get one in 5-4-3-2—"
She was interrupted by the sound of a curtain being yanked back furiously. Standing before her, was a transformed Tina Cohen-Chang. Santana nodded approvingly. She looks hot. I'd tap that.
Unfortunately, the look on Tina's face did not match Santana's look of mixed approval and lust. It was more…mixed fury and shame.
"I can't walk out in public looking like this!" Tina hissed. "I look like a baby prostitute!"
Replacing Tina's usual garb of black Victorian dresses, plaid, skulls, combat boots and the occasional pop of color was a bright fuchsia bustier tank with a hint of lace at the top, and a short, very short, leopard-print mini skirt. Finishing off the look was a shrunken black leather motorcycle jacket and pair of knee-high boots.
"No. You look hot. And when Wheels sees you, he's going to drool and drop Brittany like a hot potato." Santana retorted. She grabs the nearest pimply-faced teen, who up until then, had been quietly folding shirts and surreptitiously sneaking peeks at the two girls.
"You, what do you think? She looks hot right?" Santana asked, shooting the boy a look that read say yes, or I'll rip your balls off.
"Y-yes. Definitely. Totally hot," the boy managed to squeak out.
Santana let him go and turned to Tina "See? I've proved my point. Now let's pay and go get manicures. And sodas."
"No fucking way, Santana. I'm not wearing this! It's so not me." Tina retorted, storming back behind the curtain to change.
"It's your grave, gothika. I was just trying to help." Santana called after Tina's retreating figure, a tiny bit of hurt creeping into her voice.
"I—I know. And I appreciate it, I do! It's just…Artie liked me as I was before, and there's no reason he won't like me just as I am now. I don't want to pretend to be someone else to get him to like me again." Tina's disembodied voice drifted out from behind the curtain.
Tina pulled back the curtain and surveyed herself in the mirror. Back in her long-sleeved lacy black top, plaid pants with chains hanging off one pocket and combat boots, she felt much, much better.
"If I remember, Miss. High Horse, Artie once told you to wear tighter, sexier clothing. Voila." Santana said snarkily, gesturing at the leopard print skirt now lying discarded on the changing room floor.
Tina crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "And I told him off for that – look, I'm not changing who I am, so if this was your entire plan for getting us back together…we'd better figure out Plan B."
Santana stood up huffily, muttering angrily in Spanish under her breath. "He's with Brittany now. He might have dug your all-black, part-undead, part Victorian doll look before, but he's used to Britt's look now. And in case you haven't noticed – she kinda dresses like a baby prostitute. And it works."
Tina rolled her eyes. "I'm not standing here and fighting with you Santana. We're going to get manicures, and sodas. And maybe, maybe, I'll let you talk me into getting my skirts and dresses hemmed up half an inch. But you best believe that I'll be watching your every move so you can't sneak off and seduce the tailor into transforming my clothes into hooker outfits."
Santana rolled her eyes, held out her pinky finger, and Tina hooked hers around it. "Deal."
The two girls wandered out of the store and headed in the direction of the manicure place at the other end of the mall. As they strolled past the food court, Santana hissed into Tina's ear "Plan B. Plan B."
Tina stopped in her tracks, looking truly befuddled. "What? Plan B? What are you talking about? If you're talking about the morning after pill—"
Santana smacked the side of Tina's head lightly "No. God – the morning after pill? You idiot! Plan B – look, Artie and Britt are over there in the food court. We're not going to get manicures –I can't believe I'm saying that – we're going to go and hang out with them, at the food court. Plan B, get it?"
Tina nodded, a little nervously. "I—I haven't seen Artie since I broke up with Mike. Do you think he knows? I—I don't know what to say…what to do…"
"Get a grip, lady. Just pretend that you have an ounce of confidence, and follow my lead, OK?" Santana said firmly, grabbing Tina by the arm and dragging her in the direction of the food court.
"Hey! Imagine bumping into you guys here. Enjoying a little mall-time?" Santana asked, her voice dripping with sugar, her arm still hooked around Tina's. "Mind if we join you? We're a little thirsty after all that shopping…and it doesn't look like there's anywhere else to sit." Santana gestured casually around at the mostly-full food court.
"Sure! Artie and I were just splitting a sundae and some sodas. Did you know that you can have a sundae on a Saturday? Or Friday? I always thought sundaes were a Sunday-only food." Brittany babbled cheerfully.
Santana smiled, and slid into the seat opposite Brittany's, leaving Tina to sit opposite Artie. Tina couldn't quite bring herself to look directly at Artie, but from her lowered lashes she could distinctly make out Artie looking between her and Santana with a confused look across his face.
Artie cleared his throat. "So…I didn't know you two were friends…I mean, we're all in Glee…but you guys don't really hang out that much outside of Glee…"
Santana smiled widely "Well, I needed someone to go shopping with me, and Tina here needed a little TLC after her breakup with Mike…so, since I figured Britt would be busy with you, I invited Tina to hang out. We're going to get manicures after this." She pinched Tina in the side, causing Tina to jump just a little.
"Y-yeah…Santana called, and I thought 'why not?'" Tina said quickly. "I needed to get out of the house; and I never say no to a pretzel from the mall. You know how they're my biggest weakness."
Artie laughed just a little. "Yeah, I remember." He looked at Tina, worried, little lines creasing just above his brow. "I didn't know you and Mike broke up…I'm sorry to hear that. You OK?"
A lump formed in Tina's throat, and tears threatened to follow, but she forced herself to toss her hair and smile brightly. "Yeah – I'll be fine. We…we weren't really working out. Turns out, we didn't have that much in common. Anyway, it's nothing a pretzel can't fix."
Santana was watching this whole exchange, a tiny smile curling the sides of her mouth. "I'll get you one. And a soda. Cherry coke, right?" She turned to Brittany. "Looks like you're out, Britt. I'll get your refill – Fresca right?"
Brittany's smile transformed quickly into a pout, her eyes sad. "No, I like half ginger ale, half orange soda. You used to remember my favorite soda, San. Is Tina your new favorite person? You remembered her favorite soda."
Tina stared at Santana, a little bit in awe. Brilliant. Of course she knows my soda order. She only watched me down 6 cherry cokes at Breadstix the other night…and I'll bet she "forgot" Brittany's on purpose, knowing how much that would mean to her.
Santana laughed "Don't be silly, Britt. I just haven't had to get you a soda in a while. I'll remember now, though. I promise." At this, Brittany returned to her smiley self, and turned her attention back to the sundae.
Santana turned to Artie. "I'll get you another soda, too, if you want. What are you having?"
And before Artie could respond, Tina jumped in "Three-quarters Coke, and fill the rest with lemonade. Here let me help you, Santana – it's a lot to carry."
As Tina got up from the table, she couldn't help but smile shyly at Artie. And when he smiled back at her, her whole heart filled with joy.
And as she and Santana walked towards the pretzel stand, Brittany and Artie's empty cups in hand, she leaned over and whispered. "It's working! I cannot believe I'm about to say this but, you're a genius."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Duh. Stick with me, and we'll get things back to the way they're supposed to be."
Reviews = awesome Artina background moments :)