A/N: So this one is for day seven, free day. I decided to try writing popular!santana and nerd!quinn. It turned out to be extremely angsty and long as hell (which is why you're getting this monster in two parts). Mostly Santana centric but I hope you enjoy it just the same. This is for karishmaYOLObitches, who asked me to try some of the themes and seemed to like this idea the best.

Her Nerd

QW2014 – Day Seven – Free Day

Part I

Wednesday morning before first period found Santana leaning against her locker and surrounded by some of her teammates, who were talking excitedly about their upcoming game that weekend. Not that she was having much luck paying attention to what one of them was saying about the opposing team. Try as she might, she couldn't help that her eyes kept moving down the hallway every few seconds.

She knew they would probably make fun of her if they ever figured out who she was looking at, but she didn't really care. While she was a part of the popular crowd in school, she never let that go to her head. She had been taught well by her parents and she didn't discriminate against anyone. She got shit for it by some of her peers, but one of her famous glares and they fell back in line.

She guessed she was popular because she played sports and she was really good at them. She also managed to keep a 4.0 average, was in all AP classes and already had a lot of college credits under her belt. She was an only child and lacked for nothing, but she was expected to study hard and to shine in anything she wanted to try. She didn't have much free time, but she knew that would pay off in the future. Her father was a surgeon at Lima General and her mother had her own law firm in town. She wanted to follow in their footsteps and make something of herself. She wanted to help people just like they did.

So lost was she in her inner musings that she almost missed the nearby gasps and shuffling of people moving out of the way. She turned just in time to see some football losers coming down the hall with a couple of slushy cups filled to the brim with the colorful, icy liquid. They were looking up and down the hall, clearly looking for someone.

"Jesus, won't these jerks ever stop being so childish?" she muttered under her breath as she pushed off from her locker and started walking in their direction. Maybe she'd be able to stop them.

But just as she was nearing them, they seemed to set their sights on someone and Santana's blood ran cold when she looked and saw who they had targeted. Their unsuspecting victim didn't even notice since she was facing her open locker looking for something.

Santana tried to hurry, but with every other student trying to move away from the jocks, it was proving to be difficult. She gasped as she saw the cups move back before they called her name.

Quinn Fabray turned around and could barely even gasp as the icy liquid connected with her face and chest. She only had time to close her hazel eyes before she was drenched and shivering. She lifted her hands to her eyes and tried to get the slushy mixture out of them before she tried blinking them open, whimpering lightly when some of the liquid made contact with her eye.

"That's what you get for not letting us copy from your test yesterday!" one of them sneered. "I need to pass that class so I can play football, you fucking loser!"

Santana finally broke free from the barrier of onlookers, but before she could reach the blonde, the overweight player pushed her back against her locker, causing Quinn to slip on the puddle at her feet. Her arms flailed about, but it was no use. Her legs went out from under her so fast she had nothing to hold on to and seconds later her body slammed hard against the tiled floor, her head making a sickening thud when it connected with it.

Gasps were heard as Santana pushed everyone out of her way and sprinted down the hall towards the fallen blonde, who was still not moving.

"You stupid fucks!" Santana yelled as she reached them, pushing them both away with all of her might. "I will make sure you pay for this, you dick," she told the one that had pushed Quinn. "If anything happens to her, there will be hell to pay."

"Whatever, Lopez. She had it coming," he said, but she noticed the slight tremble in his voice.

"Well, then, if I follow your logic, I guess it's okay that I do this," she told him before resting her hands on his shoulders and lifting her knee swiftly until it connected really hard between his legs.

His high pitch scream was like music to her ears, but she pushed him away and turned to look at the blonde who was still lying on the floor, eyes closed.

"You bitch, I'll get you for this," he mumbled as he rolled on the floor next to her, hands cupping his crushed manhood.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone who cares," she sneered as she knelt down next to Quinn and scanned her body for any injuries. Her jeans were getting soaked, but she couldn't have cared less.

She lowered her head so it was closer to the blonde's and cupped her cheek with her hand.

"Quinn," she whispered. "Come on, pretty girl, open your eyes for me."

She waited for a few seconds before calling her name again, aware that everyone was just staring at them. Not that she gave two fucks about what anyone thought. Her main worry was getting Quinn to wake up.

"What's going on here?" one of the teachers asked as she reached them. "Santana, is she okay?"

"I don't know, Miss Holiday. She won't open her eyes. She hit her head really hard when she fell."

"I'll call the paramedics and then take care of these two," she told Santana as she looked pointedly at the two jocks. "You two better be in Principal Sylvester's office when I get there. I'd start praying now if I were you."

She quickly dialed 911 as Santana kept vigil over the unmoving blonde, shaky fingers trying to remove as much slushy as she could from her face and hair.

"Here," someone said and handed her a small, wet towel. "This might help."

Santana looked up to see Rachel Berry standing there, a sorrowful look on her face. She knew Rachel was often the target of slushies, but no one could seem to break her down, something the Latina silently admired. It wasn't a surprise that she was the only one offering to help while everyone else just stood there watching.

"Thanks, Rach," she said softly before going back to working on Quinn's face with the aid of the towel.

"Is, do you think she's going to be okay?" she asked quietly as she knelt down next to them.

"I hope so or I'm going to kill that bastard for doing this to her," she murmured before exchanging a glance with the brunette.

"I don't think Quinn would like any more violence after this, Santana. I think you should let Principal Sylvester handle it. I think she'll give them a swift punishment."

Santana sighed as she worked on Quinn's neck careful not to move her. "I guess you're right."

"Move out of the way, you bunch of pathetic losers," they heard Sylvester's voice booming through the hallway. "Show's over. Get your asses to class!"

Santana and Rachel looked up in time to see the sea of students parting and Sue Sylvester walking towards them followed by the paramedics. They both moved out of the way quickly to give them room to work and watched as one of them immediately immobilized Quinn's neck.

"Has she been unconscious long?" one of them asked Santana.

"Since she fell and hit her head. She just hasn't reacted since then. It's been maybe fifteen minutes?" she looked at Rachel for confirmation.

"Just about. She slipped in the slushy mix that was all around her and couldn't hold onto anything. She hit her head really hard."

He nodded as he checked her pulse and took her vitals. He looked at his partner, who immediately brought the stretcher closer and lowered it. They quickly worked the spinal board under Quinn's limp body and secured the straps around her. They lifted her carefully and settled her on the stretcher.

"Where are you taking her?" Santana asked as she moved closer to the blonde and peered down at her. "My dad works at Lima General and I'd appreciate it if you took her there. I'll call him and tell him we're on our way."

"That's where we're headed," he told her. "Do you want to ride in the back with her?"

Santana started nodding yes before pausing and looking towards Rachel and changing her mind. "No, we'll follow you guys, though."

"Let's go then."

They started rolling Quinn out and Santana and Rachel quickly followed them before Sue called out to her.

"Yes?"

"Make sure you call me the second you find out what's going on with Quinn. I'll decide on their punishment after I know what the doctors say."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll call you as soon as we know something."

"Go, then. I'll take care of things here and let the teachers know you and Berry will be out for the day."

"Thanks," Santana rushed out before taking Rachel's hand and sprinting down the corridor and out to her car.

Once they were buckled into her SUV, she took out her cell phone and dialed her dad and then her mom.

0-0

Santana and Rachel sat quietly in a waiting area near the room Quinn was in. They had been in the hospital for several hours now and there was just no change. Quinn would not respond to anything they had done so far. The doctors had concluded Quinn was just suffering from a concussion and would be keeping her overnight to make sure no complications arose.

Quinn's mother had arrived at the hospital shortly after they had and she had been clearly upset and crying. They'd watched as she talked to the nurse before being escorted into the ER area. They had not seen her since. What seemed curious to both girls was that one else had shown up. Didn't Quinn have more family or friends that cared?

"Do you think they'll let us know what's going on?" Rachel asked as she looked at her, unable to hide the sadness in her chocolate eyes.

"I'm going to text papi in the next few minutes if we don't hear anything. I know he's been in to see her already, but they were waiting on some more tests. I guess they have to do a brain scan on something if there is no response."

"I don't mean to pry, Santana, but I didn't know you and Quinn were friends."

Santana sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. How did she even being to explain herself to Rachel?

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's not that. I just…you see," she tried.

"Complicated?"

"You don't know the half of it."

"I'm a good listener and I won't tell another soul what we talk about. It just seems like you need to get something off your chest."

"I guess it won't hurt anything to talk. It might actually make me feel better."

"Want to head out to the canteen and get some coffee? We might be here a while from the looks of it."

"Let me send papi a text letting him know where we are in case something changes."

Once she was done, they headed towards the canteen. Rachel told Santana to find a table once she got her coffee order and went to get them herself.

"So," Rachel started once she sat facing Santana and handed her the cup of black coffee.

Santana blew on the liquid before taking a careful sip.

"You promise you won't repeat what I tell you?"

"I won't say anything to anyone, Santana. You have my word."

Sighing, Santana rested her arms on the table and looked at the dark liquid in her cup, wondering how to start the conversation.

"Even though I don't know her very well, I have a massive crush on Quinn, Rachel and other than my parents, no one knows about it."

Rachel's eyebrows rose slowly as she nodded. "I see. How long have you felt that way?"

"A really long time it seems. I've always found her attractive, but more so this year. I'm just too much of a coward to approach her because I don't know if she would even consider letting me take her out on a date."

"I had no idea you liked girls!"

"Yeah, well, I don't hide it, but I also don't shout it to the world. I usually date girls that don't go to our school. There are too many small minded idiots in our town."

Rachel scoffed. "You're not kidding there. I honestly don't know how my fathers do it. I keep telling them when this year is over and I move to New York they need to come with me so we can finally be happy and accepted as a family."

"I imagine is rough for them. I've never had a serious relationship because of that. I only date casually, but when we graduate, I'm also getting out of this godforsaken town."

"I don't blame you one bit. Is that why you haven't told Quinn how you feel about her?"

"Well, it's one of the reasons. The main one is not knowing if she would be open to dating a girl. Quinn is such a loner that I haven't figured out how to approach her yet."

Rachel smiled at her. "I think it's really cool that you like her just as she is."

Santana frowned at her. "What do you mean? Are you one of those people that think she's too much of a nerd? A weirdo that only cares about comic books?"

Rachel just looked at her for a moment before answering. "That's kind of unfair of you. Remember who you're talking to? I'm mocked for how I dress, for who my parents are, for being ambitious, for having talent. Why would I think any less of Quinn for being a little different?"

Santana lowered her eyes and nodded. "My bad. I'm sorry, Rachel. You're right and I was out of line."

"Apology accepted," Rachel told her with a small smile. "What are you going to do now, though? When she wakes up?"

"I think today was a kick in the ass for me. I think once she recovers, I'm going to try befriending her and seeing if she'll go out with me."

Before either could say anything, her phone flashed and she looked down at the screen. She ran her finger over the screen and got up.

"Come on, Rach, the results of the tests are back."

0-0

When they reached the waiting area, her dad was waiting there for them. Santana ran over to him and hugged him.

"Hi, papi. What's going on?"

"Well, we ran a lot of tests and everything seems to be working as it should. Other than a concussion, there is really nothing wrong with Quinn. It's boggling all of our minds that she isn't waking up."

"That's good, isn't it? I mean, that nothing is really wrong?"

"Yes, of course, mi amor, but it's just hard to watch. Her mom has been crying a lot and she won't talk to anyone. She's just sitting there holding her hand and begging her to wake up. It's just really sad to see."

"Doctor Lopez, do you think it would be wise to approach her and offer our support?"

"It could help. I mean, if she sees that there are other people that care about Quinn, she might feel a little better. It seems to me like it's just them against the world."

"That's sad. I wonder what happened to her father. I had heard from my dads that they had divorced last year, so I guess he is no longer in their lives."

"That could be. When I asked if there were other family members we could contact she told us it was just the two of them."

"Poor Quinn," Santana said softly. "No wonder this year she's been more quiet than usual. She just keeps to herself and she doesn't participate in any clubs or anything anymore."

"I wonder what happened to them. My dads know, but they won't tell me. They just said it was an ugly situation and its best not to talk about it."

"That bastard!" Santana seethed. "All I know about him is that he is really religious, like fanatically so, and that she had a very strict upbringing. She never seems happy other than when she's reading one of her books or comics. She'll smile then. And also when she's drawing, but I haven't seen her doing much of that lately, either."

"She goes to the library a lot to get books, but I know she's probably gone through all of the good ones already. I've seen her in there a bunch of times and she's always sitting by herself in a corner."

"Papi, do you think they're struggling financially as well? It just seems like she has stopped doing a lot of the things she used to enjoy."

"It could be, mi amor. I honestly don't know much about them other than the things you've both mentioned. I know he wasn't the best father or husband and with him being the only one that worked, I can imagine they're struggling if he's not offering support."

"Do they still live in that big house down the street from us? I haven't seen much movement out of there in a while."

"No. She put a different address down on Quinn's paperwork. It must be just him there."

"Jesus, what a gem of a man. I think we should go see Quinn's mom and offer our support, Rachel. It might make her feel better."

0-0

"Come on, sweetie, do it for me? You have to wake up, Quinnie. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself if something happens to you. I know it hasn't been easy. I know I barely make enough to keep us going, but I promise, baby, things are going to get better. I might get promoted at work if I manage to sell that one house. I know I'm rusty because I haven't worked the real estate market in a long time, but I have a good feeling about this one. With the commission I receive I'll buy you some more comic books and some of your drawing supplies. But you have to wake up, baby, please," Judy whispered softly as tears kept falling down her cheeks.

She rested her forehead on the bed. She was worried and exhausted, but she wasn't about to leave her daughter. So she did the only thing she could think of doing, even if she was out of practice.

She prayed.

"Dear Lord, please, if you still listen to me, let her wake up. The doctor said there isn't anything wrong, so why isn't she responding? I'm trying so hard to stay positive and take it one day at a time, but I can't handle losing her. Not after everything we've given up just so she can be herself. She's your perfect creation and I don't believe you make mistakes. She's not an abomination like Russell said. She's not crazy and no one has poisoned her mind. She's just Quinn. She's no different just because she happens to like girls. You made her that way, so you have to help her get through this! Please, Father, please help my babygirl. She's all I have left. Amen."

0-0

On the other side of the door, Santana and Rachel stood stunned. Both of their eyes were wide in surprise and filled with tears.

"That rat bastard," Santana exclaimed quietly. "He kicked them out because Quinn is gay! They're struggling to make ends meet because he's too much of a sanctimonious prick to love his daughter for who she is."

"I didn't know it was this bad. I would have approached her sooner had I known. My fathers would have helped them out and been a support system. God, I feel awful because I could tell something was wrong but I didn't do anything about it."

"We have to do something to help them, Rachel. There's gotta be something we can do to make this better. It's obvious they're in a lot of pain and struggling."

"For now, we should go in there and offer some moral support. We'll figure out the rest once Quinn wakes up. But right now I think her mom could use some company."

They dried their tears, took deep breaths and then Santana knocked softly on the partially open door.

Judy looked up as they entered but they just stood by the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Fabray," she greeted softly. "Is it okay if we come in and keep you company? We know Quinn from school."

Judy looked at both of the girls, noticing the slushy stains on their clothing and frowned.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Fabray, it wasn't us that did this to Quinn. We just tried to help her when she fell and hit her head," she explained quickly.

"Oh, thank goodness someone was there for her," she whispered as she looked back at her sleeping daughter. "I hate knowing how lonely she is. She doesn't think I know she doesn't have any friends or that they tease her at school. She doesn't think I hear her crying at night wondering why she has to be so different. It breaks my heart that nobody takes the time to get to know the real her. To the rest of the world she's just a nerd, a geek and it's just so unfair. She's such a special girl and it saddens me that no one notices that."

Both girls were surprised that Judy Fabray was sharing so much, but at least she was letting it all out. She probably didn't have anyone to talk to, either, and with everything that had happened, she probably couldn't hold it in anymore. Knowing they had been the ones to help Quinn probably helped.

"Mrs. Fabray, I assure you, we don't think those things about Quinn at all. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like what you said isn't true because she is bullied at school for being a little different. I've intervened many times to defend her and I'm so sorry I couldn't get to her on time today," Santana explained sadly as she moved closer to the bed.

"Are you Santana Lopez?"

"I am, ma'am. Why do you ask?"

"She's mentioned you a lot. I think she's in awe of all you do for her since not many people seem to care. I think she'd love to be your friend, but I think she's afraid of approaching you because she says you're really popular at school. But she thinks highly of you for sure."

Santana blushed while Rachel smiled. "Santana was the first one to reach Quinn today and she made one of those Neanderthals pay," Rachel informed the blonde woman. "He sure got what he deserved and that was before Principal Sylvester got started on him."

Judy's eyes found Santana's and she appraised the young Latina with admiration. "You did that for my Quinnie?"

"I did and I'll do more. I promise you, Mrs. Fabray, that from now on Quinn won't be alone and Rachel and I will do our best to protect her at school."

"Neither of us is friends with her, but I also promise that will change from now on," Rachel assured her. "I've partnered with Quinn in several class projects and we always say hi in the corridors, but we've never gone past that. I'll make sure that doesn't happen anymore."

"Oh, this is such a relief, girls. I don't want her to finish school not having any good memories, not after everything she's been through in the past few years."

"It's no problem," Santana told her as she moved closer still to the bed.

She couldn't help but lift her hand to brush Quinn's hair lightly, frowning at the stains in her pretty blonde locks. She couldn't believe what those bastards had done to Quinn and she couldn't understand why she wasn't waking up. She was worried and saddened that this had happened. She was also hoping Sylvester's punishment was swift enough to control the bullying going on at their school. Now that a student had ended up in the hospital, she had to do something dramatic and make examples of those fools.

Judy watched Santana, who seemed lost in thought, as she played with Quinn's hair and just stared longingly at her. She turned to look at Rachel questioningly, not wanting to assume anything and Rachel just smiled at her and nodded lightly.

Oh, she thought and then smiled. So her Quinnie wasn't going to be all alone after all!

"Have you eaten anything, Mrs. Fabray? I could go get you something from the canteen if you'd like," Rachel offered.

"Not right now but thank you for offering. And please call me Judy, dear. I'm no longer a Fabray and as far as I know, good riddance! I'd give Quinnie my last name if I could."

Rachel nodded and smiled. "I don't blame you. From what little I've heard, your ex-husband wasn't easy to please or be around."

"You've not heard wrong. He was impossible to please, arrogant and judgmental. I should have divorced him years ago. Maybe then I would have spared Quinn so much heartache."

Rachel lifted her hand and rested it lightly on Judy's shoulder. "We're going to help from now on. It's not just the two of you anymore. I'm going to talk to my fathers today and as soon as we can set a date, I'd like you and Quinn to come over. It might do both of you some good to get out of your place and socialize a little with people that are totally accepting."

"That sounds lovely, dear, but I would hate to impose."

"I assure you, they love entertaining and don't have many opportunities to do so, as you might imagine in this small-minded town. I'll also make sure the Lopez's' are invited."

"Then we would love to. I'll make sure we exchange numbers before you ladies leave."

They both turned to look towards the door when there was a light knock on it. A petite woman with a strong resemblance to Santana poked her head in.

"Is it okay if I come in?"

Santana turned when she heard her voice. "Mami!"

"Hi baby. After your call earlier and I wanted to come and check on the situation."

"Bendición," she greeted back as she moved towards her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm glad you're here. Come meet Mrs. Fabray."

"Judy," the blonde woman corrected as she stretched her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Maribel, Santana's mother. I'm so sorry about what happened to Quinn."

"Thank you. I appreciate you stopping by. I just found out a moment ago that Santana was the first to come to her aid as well as Rachel. You should be so proud of her for doing so."

Maribel grinned at her daughter with pride and kissed her cheek. "I think Santana is great. She makes up proud all of the time."

"Mami, you're embarrassing me," she whined quietly, making the others laugh.

When they were done, Maribel handed Judy a bag. "I hope you don't mind, but I left work as soon as I could and went home to make you guys something to eat. I don't know if you've ever had Puerto Rican food, but I hope you like it. I figured you'd be here a while today."

"Oh, Maribel, that is so thoughtful of you. I really appreciate it. I didn't want to leave her side."

"So what have the doctors told you?"

"Nothing much so far. Apparently there is nothing wrong with her other than a concussion. Doctor Lopez actually thinks she doesn't want to wake up on purpose."

"Papi said that? But why?"

"He explained that, subconsciously, by being asleep, she doesn't have to deal with the things that have been happening."

"So she could wake up any moment?"

"Or she could stay like that for a few days. It all depends on when she's ready to deal with things. With everything that's happened in the last few years, she might just be tired of thinking and feeling. This is her way of coping."

"But that's so sad," Rachel mentioned as she looked at the sleeping blonde. "She has so much to live for!"

"But she doesn't seem to know that, dear. She's sort of given up on life at this point."

"Well, I guess it's up to us to make sure she knows we care and she's no longer alone," Santana said with a determined look on her face. "Judy, why don't you go to the canteen and eat what mami brought? She is a wonderful cook and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Rach and I will watch over Quinn and come get you if there is any change."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'm sure you can use a little breather as well."

"If you're sure."

When everyone nodded, Judy walked out of the room followed by Maribel.

Santana turned towards Rachel. "God, this is worse than I ever expected. Poor Quinn. I should have tried talking to her before now. I just didn't know how she would react. I didn't want her to think I was only befriending her just to play a prank on her."

"Santana, I don't think Quinn would have thought that. She might have wondered why one of the popular kids was seeking her out, but she would have given you a chance. She seems like a really nice girl. I honestly don't know why they make fun of her at school."

"I don't either. I think her super heroes shirts are awesome. And she usually just wears them with jeans and a hoodie so nothing strange there. The times I see her wearing her glasses, she looks really cute and they fit her well. Just because she's always reading and aces all of her classes doesn't mean she's so different."

"I think it might have to do with how reclusive she is. She doesn't sit by anyone at lunch. She was part of the debate team, the math and science clubs and she doesn't seem to like sports. She doesn't do anything against those that bully her. They get no reaction so they keep pushing for one. Look at how far they took it today simply because she didn't let that moron copy from her test."

"I know. Those fuckers. I'm still of a mind to go back to school and kick their asses into next week for doing this to her." She moved closer to the bed and sat on the chair Judy had by it. She then took Quinn's pale hand in her own and sighed. "God, Rach, even like this she is so beautiful to me."

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

"Win her heart, what else?"

"That's the spirit! I'm going to go use the facilities. I'll be back in a little while once I've found us something to drink and I call my fathers to let them know what's going on."

0-0

Santana had been in the room with Quinn for a few silent minutes when an idea struck her. Judy had mentioned that Quinn didn't have a reason to wake up, so she was going to try and give her one.

She looked towards the table by one of the walls and spotted when she was looking for. The hospital provided all patients a small plastic washbasin with toiletries and hygiene products. She looked through the contents and found some soft wash cloths and a small bottle of body wash. Taking those and the basin into the bathroom, she filled it up with warm water and the body wash before going back to the room.

She set it on the table by Quinn's bed before dipping the wash cloth in and then squeezing out the excess moisture. Carefully, she began cleaning the remainder slushy stains from Quinn's face, neck and hair.

"Hey, pretty girl," she started softly. "I don't know if you can hear me, but you gotta wake up, okay? Your mom has been crying and she's worried about you. She thinks this is somewhat her fault. So you gotta wake up so she feels better."

She continued to work slowly and tenderly, talking to Quinn the entire time. She didn't know how long she had been at it but she didn't stop until she had gotten most of the stains out. Her hair was still stained, but knowing she had a concussion, Santana figured she shouldn't move her head around too much.

"So how about it, pretty girl? Are you going to wake up any time soon? Mami brought food and I'm sure it's delicious and you'll enjoy it. And I really want to know that you're okay. Quinn, I feel so bad that I didn't get to you in time. I promise you I was trying, but everyone else was also trying to move out of the way and I just couldn't get through them until it was too late.

"And if I'm being honest, I just want to see your beautiful eyes and know that you're going to be okay. I've been too much of a coward to tell you, but I want to get to know you better and I want you to know me so maybe one of these days you'll consider going on a date with me. But for that to happen, for us to become friends and maybe something more, you have to open your beautiful eyes. Come on, pretty girl. Wake up, please," she finished in a broken whisper before leaning down and placing a tender kiss on Quinn's forehead.

0-0

… to be continued!