Yeah I know it's a new story, faithful readers, but when I come up with something I just have to write it down. But what's the harm in reading a little AU Pezberry story? I hope you enjoy, and keep reading. I'm working on updates for my other stories as well.

It was just a mask. Everyone had one, a front they put on to show the world that they were strong. That they could be strong. But people didn't always wear them, sometimes they took them off, sometimes they showed people that they cared and loved them. I knew she wore her mask on, her mask was unbreakable, because I'd seen her around here before. She was uncharacteristically quiet now, before she would hang out with a few other kids, even if they were in a bad crowd. She would laugh at stupid jokes, make sarcastic comments in class, and even go to lunch. Now that all changed.

It was none of my business, I knew that, but it didn't stop me from being curious.

"Can you believe it?" Kurt approached me and held up his English paper with a squeal. "An A-, my dad's gonna lose it. He might even get me a car for my sixteenth birthday. How cool would that be?" I couldn't focus on Kurt, I was happy for him, but I just couldn't focus. "Earth to Rachel, don't tell me you're thinking about your math test still, you did fine." I took my eyes off her and turned to Kurt, trying to put on my best smile.

"No worries, I guess I just zoned out. Congrats on your test though Kurt, I'm excited for you." We both opened our lockers and started putting our books inside. There was no use in carrying so many things to the lunch room. "I can't wait until we're seniors and can actually leave the school for lunch." Kurt scoffed like I was saying something so out of the ordinary.

"That's in like twenty billion years, and besides I kind of like the cafeteria." Now it was my turn to look bewildered. "Think about it, it's like a freakin circus, people watching at its prime. And word on the street is that Noah Puckerman got mad at Karofsky for showing him up at football practice, and Noah's gonna start something at lunch."

"I never understood the whole football thing. I think it's overrated." Kurt eyed me suspiciously as we closed our lockers and walked down the hallway, side-by-side. "It's just a way to glorify masculinity, it's gross."

"Sweaty boys tackling one another, gross is so not the word I'd use." We entered the cafeteria and headed right for the long line that awaited us. "Jesus what's with the line, they aren't serving lobster for Christ's sake." I looked around, I could see the popular table with all the cheerleaders and football players laughing and joking around, but I also saw something weird.

Santana was talking with Brittany Pierce, it was a brief encounter, but it was unusual. "Whoa, what's going on there?" Kurt had noticed too, which was good because I didn't have to keep all my thoughts to myself. "Are they friends?"

"I don't know." I said genuinely. "Where has she been anyway? I haven't seen her in a few weeks."

"I heard that she got arrested and had to spend time in juvie because her parents wouldn't bail her out." I arched an eyebrow, that was intense, not exactly what I was expecting.

"Who'd you hear that from?"

"Around, I guess. Why the sudden interest in the delinquent? She's bad news, everyone knows that. She's like sixteen and she's already lost, I give her like a year until she's dead." That hit hard. Why would Kurt say something like that? Why didn't I defend her?

He's was wrong though, about my sudden interest. It wasn't sudden, it had been awhile. She'd been in my sixth grade reading group. Group Tigers, that's what we were called. They didn't call it group 1 anymore because parents complained that it made the other less advanced kids feel out of place. Santana and I would read together sometimes though, back-to-back in the library. We'd get ahead of everyone, and then try so hard not to spoil the ending. Sometimes she'd ask me to read to her. She was so shy about asking that I could see her shaking, but I wouldn't mind not at all. I'd read to her and she'd listen silently, she'd never look at me though, not once. I thought that maybe no one had ever read to her as a kid, and that broke my heart. Like I said Kurt was wrong about the sudden interest.

About her being dead in a year, I wasn't so sure.

"Do you have dance today?" Kurt asked me. "I heard somewhere that dancers are the hardest working athletes in the world." I nodded but hardly paid any attention. Santana was walking over, heading right for us, and she slid into the line right in front of us. I was too shocked to object, but Kurt couldn't care less. "Hey what are you doing?" Santana turned and looked at Kurt.

"Cut me a break, yeah? I wanna get out of here before Noah punches Dave's face in." Kurt perked up, he loved having the inside scoop on everything. I just couldn't believe him though, one minute he's talking about Santana like she's nothing, and the next he's pretending like she's his best friend.

"So understandable. Do you know what's going on between them?" Kurt asked. I felt like an outsider here, Santana hadn't even looked at me. Sure we hadn't spoken, much or at all, in a few years but she still knew me.

"A lotta dick drama, stupid masculinity bullshit, you know how that goes. They're both gonna get fucked though, they'll probably get suspended and we'll lose the game Friday. Serves 'em right though." Santana turned away like she was done with talking about it, but then I realized we'd made it to the register. Santana reached into her pocket, seemingly scavenging for change. She looked at Cara, the lunch lady with a frown. "Hey I uh…I'm a little short."

"How short?"

"Like all the way short." Santana looked around for a second, realizing that she was holding up the line. "I'll pay tomorrow, I'm good for it."

"You've said that a hundred times before. Santana, the administration is cracking down, I could lose my job." Santana nodded, she didn't look like she was going to push it anymore. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, I could…" Cara and Santana looked back at me, like I was interrupting everything. I didn't know if I'd make things worse by interjecting but I felt like I needed to. "I can pay for you."

"Do I look like a fucking charity case?" The anger in her eyes is what hit me the most, not just her words.

"No you don't." I told her, hoping that would calm her down. She stared, like she was expecting me to say something different, or maybe something more. The cafeteria suddenly got ignited with passion, a loud clang of a tray hitting the ground caused everyone to look away. Dave had shoved Noah back and Noah swung first, it was primal and uninteresting if you ask me. I turned back to apologize to Santana, but she was already gone.

"We should get out of here." Kurt told me, and I couldn't agree more. We left the cafeteria just as security was rushing in.

The rest of the day moved so slowly it was painful. I just wanted to go home, I was in no mood for practice today either. It usually made me feel free and relaxed, but I just wanted a warm bath and a nap. On my final trip to my locker I saw Santana pacing aimlessly down the hallway. She was alone but looked as if she was waiting for someone.

Noah approached her, and he looked suspicious as hell. "Yo what the hell, stop acting all fidgety like that." Santana warned him. "And what the fuck was with that show in the cafeteria, it's gonna get you caught."

"You'd know a lot about that." Noah reached into his pocket and handed Santana a wad of cash. Santana shoved a baggie into Noah's pocket and she was about to walk off when she suddenly stopped. She unraveled the crumbled up cash and counted. "What?"

"You're about twenty short dickwad. I have rent to pay, this ain't the fucking Sound of Music, we aren't gonna sing about shit. You're gonna get me my money, okay." Santana shoved Noah backwards and reached into his pocket again, pulling out the baggie and putting it in her backpack. "I want my money tomorrow, all of it, plus ten percent interest."

"Come on San-."

"This isn't a game." Santana said. "Tomorrow, or you're fucked, got me?" Noah nodded and for some reason I followed Santana towards the door. Call me crazy, but there was so much I had to know. I had to jog a little just so I wouldn't lose sight of her, but I stopped when she'd popped the hood of her car. What was she doing back there?

I approached her, slowly, apprehensively, but still with curious eyes. As soon as she saw me her face dropped. "What are you doing here?"

"Walking around, it's a free country." Santana rolled her eyes and sat on the end of her trunk, feet steady on the ground. Her backpack was in her trunk and so were a few other bags, I was curious to see why.

"Yo that free country democracy bullshit is a lie. That's not how it works in the real world." Santana crossed her arms over her chest. "Word of advice from me to you."

"Gee thanks." I didn't know why but I was starting to realize that Santana had changed more than I'd realized. Even the way she talked was different, like she'd had a hundred years under her belt, instead of just sixteen. "Nice ride." Santana had a deep purple 83 hatchback Corolla, it was old but charming and probably really cheap to buy. "Did your parents buy you that?" Santana tensed and looked around like she was making sure no one was there before she smacked me.

"No…they didn't. I got it myself, saved up."

"Do you have a job?" Santana uncrossed her arms and stood up, slamming her trunk shut. I tried not to look so frightened but I couldn't help it. If she could scare Noah, she could easily get under my skin.

"I don't like this twenty questions shit you're trying to pull here. What's your deal? Kurt send you to find out the latest dirt on me?" I was shocked that she'd think I'd stoop that low, but not shocked that she'd blame Kurt somehow. He was an easy target, easier than me apparently. "Don't you have like a bus to catch or something?"

"My dad is coming to pick me up for practice." I told her. A part of me wondered why I even told her that I was going to practice. The other part of me realized I wanted to share a part of me with her, I'd already seen too much into her world to scare me away. And yet I was still here, that must have said a lot. "He should be here in a few minutes. Why are you waiting around here?"

"And she comes back with another question." Santana said as if she was commentating a sports game. "Look, I like waiting here for a while after school, it relaxes me." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, sticking one in her mouth and holding the package towards me. "Smoke?"

"No." I said, I was so taken aback. I didn't know anyone who smoked, except for gross truck drivers at gas stations. Santana shrugged and lit her cigarette with ease. "Those are really bad for you."

"Good." She said with a smirk. "Relax, it's not the worst thing I've done." I couldn't stop staring at her with wide eyes. She was just a little girl who wanted to be read to, how did she end up here? "Did you stay for the fight?"

"No, Kurt and I left. Violence scares me." Santana started laughing.

"I heard Dave punched Puck's stomach in, but laid off the face hoping his punishment would be less or something. Weirdest thing is…Puck didn't swing back. Not once. So Dave got five days off plus no football for a week. Puck did it on purpose, fucked Dave over." Santana seemed very impressed by the whole thing, I could tell. "That's some sneaky ass female shit, you know. Deceitful and all." All the while we were speaking I'd forgotten how different this was. It was strange that she'd just up and started talking to me, like we'd never skipped a beat, skipped four years.

"You're really quiet in school." I blurted out.

"So?"

"So…why are you talking to me now? I thought maybe you hated like all of society or something." Santana flung her cigarette on the ground and let it sit on the pavement for a moment before stomping it out.

"In school I'm in my own head, right now I'm relaxing…you caught me at a good time."

"I'm happy I did." Santana didn't seem to like that response, that or she'd just thought of something she didn't want to because her eyebrow furrowed and she looked around the nearly empty lot. "What?"

"Bad vibes…maybe you should get out of here." I didn't understand where that feeling came from.

"I have to wait for my dad." I explained to her.

"Look when I don't trust my instincts things don't turn out well. Now get outta here, wait by the front of the school." I didn't want to fight or get her any more upset, so I walked away, without any more questions. I didn't go to the front of the school though, I stayed at the side door, so I could still keep an eye on her.

A Cadillac pulled up by her, but no one got out. I could see a window go down, but my eyesight wasn't that great. Santana didn't look happy, but there wasn't any yelling just a lot of looking around. I wondered who was in the car, but I didn't have time to walk closer, my dad pulled up a moment later.

"Hey dad." I said trying to pretend like everything was okay.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your day?" I got into the passenger's side seat and pulled on my seatbelt. "Learn anything interesting?" I looked over at Santana again still talking to the mystery person in the other car.

"Yeah…I did."

So is this worth continuing?