AN: Sorry about the late update, but the fall semester has begun so classes, the next chapter shouldn't take as long. Also I have no beta, so this is just me rereading my chapters over and over again. If you see any mistakes mention them to me and I'll correct them right away. Thanks for reading.

She woke up not to the sound of her radio alarm but to shouting outside her bedroom door followed by loud thumps of either a fist or foot hitting the old worn down wood. The distinctly male voice of her mother's boyfriend made her both cringe and scowl. Casting one wary eye at her barricaded door, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Shoving off the sweaters and thin sheets she had pulled over herself last night in a fit of cold; she rolled her eyes once the shouting and thumps stopped. Pulling out a fresh uniform she pulled it on before brushing and tying her hair up. Gathering last night's math homework she shoved it into her Cheerio's duffel bag before sliding her window up and open. She checked her phone for messages and found Brittany's customary good morning with a heart and smiley face.

Despite being ditched last weekend it made her lips quirk up and she quickly texted back her own greeting and telling her she would be over in bit to pick her up. Her ears perked up at the sound of a door slamming closed, then the rumbling and squeal of a car driving off. Tucking her phone into her bra she grabbed her bag and car keys before nimbly hopping out the window of her room. White sneakers hit sickly yellow grass and she walked around from the side of the small one floor house. She peeked around the corner to double check to see the black Dodge Challenger gone from outside her house's front yard and walked to the front door opening it and stepping back inside.

She barely took a double look at the thin, middle aged Latina in the kitchen sipping coffee and muttering to herself while watching her with dark beady eyes. Instead she strode into the washroom, did her business and double checked her reflection. While touching up her mascara the woman who was her mother appeared in the doorway.

"You can't keep ignoring him mija." the ghost of a woman said lowly to her, her hands clenched around the white mug in her hands. Santana kept her own dark eyes trained on the mirror. Finally she puckered her lips as she finished applying her lip gloss before replying.

"He's your boyfriend, not mine. So yeah, I can ignore him." she stated neutrally. She turned and brushed passed her worn down mother.

"It makes him angry when you do." her mother muttered lowly.

"Well that's your problem then." Santana scoffed, she tightened her ponytail once more and stepped into the kitchen to quickly rinse out a travel mug before filling it with black coffee. She twisted the top on and turned to face her mother. Her eyes were sunken in, dark bags, thin and tired looking. Her once beautiful dark hair was growing grey, and not from age. "I told you he would be no good for you Mom." she told her coldly.

"We need him" the older Latina cried out desperately. Santana shook her head.

"No. You need him." she said sharply. "Or, you think you do." she sneered at the woman before her. Weak willed, a victim and completely dependent on a man who did nothing but yell, scream and abuse her. Santana had long ago promised herself, she would never be this woman. She would never turn out like her mother. She strode out of the house before the repetitive argument was continued.

Her hands were gripping the steering wheel of her car so tightly that by the time she released it to honk the car horn to call Brittany out her forearms were a little sore. Taking a drink from her travel mug she looked up as the passenger door flew open and her bubbly blonde best friend hopped in.

"Morning San!" Brittany chirped to her, she picked up Santana's duffel and moved it to her right side and slid over so their thighs touched as it was a bench front. Pink lips pressed against a tanned cheek and Santana returned the greeting with a murmur against the soft cheek of Brittany.

As the red Chevrolet truck pulled out of the Pierce's driveway and towards William McKinley, Santana listened with a small smile as Brittany chattered on about how her cats Charity and Lord Tubbington were finally getting a divorce while playing with the radio stations. Just as they were brainstorming what imaginative yet cruel insults Sue would scream at them that day, Santana pulled into her usual parking space. Not only was it out of the way from the other student's but it was also closest to the football field.

"Why don't we have sleepovers are your house anymore San?" Brittany asked curiously as she hopped out of the car holding both their bags. Santana shut the driver's side door hard and locked it before meeting Brittany in front of the car hood.

"Cause your house is better than mine." she said already used to this constant question. Brittany frowned at that answer and handed her the duffel bag which the dark haired girl pulled over her shoulder. "We've gone over this already B." Santana sighed.

"I know, your mom's boyfriend is mean. But can't I come over when he's not there?" Brittany asked softly. "I miss your mom's cooking-"

Santana glanced at her best friend who was staring at her with a pleading look. Usually her puppy pout worked but this wasn't something that Santana would give in to. Brittany didn't need to know her family crap, she really didn't.

"My mom doesn't really cook anymore." she said instead, she held out her pinky to the taller. Brittany sighed and hooked their pinkies together, they strode towards the locker room together. Santana let out a frustrated growl seeing the pout on the dancer's face. "How about we go grab ice cream after school today?" she suggested, it was an instant reaction. Brittany's face lit up and she nodded excitedly. Grinning Santana tugged Brittany a little faster before they were late to practice. "Alright, we'll even get the sundae with all those sprinkles you like." she said. Her grin widened as she heard Brittany's reply.

"You're the best San!"

Practice ended with a sore back and thus her having a grouchy mood again. She skipped first period in favour of a hot long shower, and just to skip for the hell of it. Second period was a blur of note-taking and a pop quiz on calculating molar mass. And as the halls filled with students getting their lunch or heading to the cafeteria, the fiery brunette stood waiting at her locker waiting for Brittany. She checked her phone and found no texts, a creeping worry niggled into her mind and she was off looking around for her best friend. After ten minutes of scaring the other students, making another Cheerio cry and tripping a band loser she enter the choir room to find Brittany, Quinn and Tina listening to Rachel Berry rant.

"What the hell is this? No one told me we were having a Glee girls meeting." she bitched out, her eyes looked from Berry to Brittany who looked down with a guilty expression on her face.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked to Quinn and Tina next. Tina being the typical scared shy girl she was looked away and began fidgeting but Quinn met her stare head on and raised a challenging eyebrow and a smirk. The brunette scowled and turned back to Berry who had been saying something about only girls who were dating.

"I'm dating Puck." she said though that was a complete lie, she hasn't dated him since he knocked up Quinn. Mostly she just slept with him now just to get out of her house, at least he wasn't a terrible lay she supposed.

"No you're getting naked with him." Quinn said with a condescending smile.

Making a mental note to bitch slap the head cheerleader later, Santana scowled as Tina reminded her that her drinking and sex buddy was seriously losing street cred these days even after getting out of juvie. Shooting a glare in the Dwarf's direction she stormed out of the chorus room hurt and dammit, lonely.

Her feet brought her automatically to her locker, as she put in the combination her mind drifted to what she had walked in on and got kicked out of. She snorted, honestly Berry thought that Ken, Other Asian, Finnocence and a cripple could scare Karofsky? Oh the naivety of the short Jewish little hobbit. At best the combination of those losers would only piss off the centre lineman further, which meant that Dolphin would be getting it even worst.

Re-applying a layer of lip gloss she puckered her lips and smacked them together. Coffee eyes glanced over to the side as Karofsky walked by, the sound of another student hitting the lockers followed his bulky frame. She peered around the locker door in time to see Karofsky push Kurt so hard he tumbled back and slammed his head into another student's open locker. Mercedes hurried forward to help the fashion diva.

She didn't need to look in her mirror to know she was frowning or that her eyebrows were knitted together. The sight of someone like Karofsky bullying someone as small as Kurt in comparison really was a sad sight. She didn't know why the big idiot was so obsessed with Dolphin. It's not like the pale skinned boy went around hitting on every person with a Y chromosome, other than boasting his fashion and artistic prowess- not to mention his knowledge in skin care; Porcelain kept to himself.

Santana shook her head and forced herself to roll her eyes. It wasn't any of her business, she had promised not to butt her head into it- and despite what people thought she kept her word. Because when it came to the streets, your word meant everything. One lie, one back-stab and your reputation was completely shat for.

Even so she found her eyes watching carefully as Karofsky neared where a particular diva pair were standing oblivious to the closing distance between them and the football player. It was like slow motion, a slushy was handed off to the jock and in mere seconds the cherry flavoured ice beverage was all over Kurt's hair, clothes, bag and shoes. A dark laugh, a stare down and the attacker was gone around the corner.

Frowning at herself she shook her head again, with a snap her locker was closed. Turning she walked off absently replying to Brittany's apology text on the way.

She had been sitting outside the ice cream parlour watching Brittany devour a triple Sunday with extra rainbow sprinkles on top when it happened. Just as she licked a wandering sprinkle from the taller's cheek her phone started ringing. Pulling back with a grumble she pulled it out from her bra and answered without checking for the ID.

"This is Lopez." she said with disinterest, she shot an indulging smile at her best friend who had now gotten whip cream on the tip of her nose somehow. Dammit, that girl was just too adorable for her own good. Though as she met gleaming blue eyes she knew it was done on purpose. Reaching her hand over she swiped the blob of cream from the tip of her nose and sucked it from her thumb. She smirked as her best friend pouted at that action. Mocha eyes glanced to the side as she listened to the caller, her smirk faded quickly and her face went blank. "Where?" she asked. She ignored the fact that Brittany was now staring at her worriedly, rather it felt like she was stuck in some sort of air tunnel. The rushing sound in her ears was loud and the only thing breaking through was the female on the line. Her heart was pounding and she had to grip the edge of the table to still her shaking hand. "I'll be there." she heard herself say, she hung up just barely and dropped her cellphone on the table and stared at it.

Did she hear correctly? It had to be a joke but as she checked the caller history, she shut her eyes and grimaced.

"San? San what's wrong?" Brittany called out to her, a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders. Despite it being in public, she didn't care- not in that one moment. She turned and pressed her face against Brittany's red Cheerio jacket and just stayed there.

Even now over Brittany's hushed whispering comforts, she could hear it.

"I'm sorry Miss Lopez,but your mother is in the hospital."

The world was really, really fucked up and so was her life.