This Cheerleader's Trouble (And she's all mine) | Santana Lopez

32

A/N: 🥺

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The small, cramped apartment, never meant to accommodate this many somber teenagers, felt suffocating as Mr. Schuester found himself unintentionally playing host to what seemed like the most melancholic teenager gathering in the world. Every corner of the living room was occupied as his students perched on couches, squeezed onto chairs, scattered across pillows, and huddled on the floor.

The atmosphere was heavy with grief and unspoken words. Gazes fluttered around the room, repeatedly searching for the missing redhead and the spark that used to stand within each of their eyes.

There were moments he thought they would break out of their destroyed state; come back to the land of the living until he crushed them all over again. Mr. Schuester wished Emma would be here for this. Be here to tell them the news he dreaded since he called this meeting. Emma always knew how to handle grief with the kids without freaking them out more, and Mr. Schuester wasn't too sure he could deliver this information without ten drinks holding his hesitation up.

Mr. Schuester looked around the corner and sighed. It took all his strength to pull away from his kitchen window where a storm brewed dangerously, and step into the living room.

"No one wants any pizza?" He asked, looking around the room. His sigh was the only noise that answered him. "Alright, well, um... Thank you for coming to the first annual New Directions' Regionals' set list nominations party."

"What's the point, Mr. Schue?" Artie asked, eyes raising lazily. "Coach Sylvester's one of the judges. She's gonna crush us."

"Artie, you don't know that." Mr. Schuester frowned.

Santana scoffed, eyes puffy from crying in the car before she walked inside. It had been a tough few weeks, and she was slowly losing the push to remain positive about the entire Casper-Fabray mess. 

"Yeah." Brittany smiled sadly. "She said I'm going to crush the glee club during practice yesterday."

"It's not like we're gonna win anyway." Mercedes grumbled, sending Rachel a sideways glare. "Berry just had to trigger Madison enough to get her to quit."

"I didn't..." Rachel guiltily shrank under Quinn's glare. "I was helping her."

"Madison didn't quit, but..." Mr. Schuester inhaled deeply when the group looked to him for answers. "I've been informed by Principal Figgins that Madison is no longer a student at Mckinley. This was not her choice, and we will respect her parents wishes."

"What?" Tina gasped, as the room broke out into a string of different protests to the news. "Between Madison and Rachel, we could have won!"

"Madison is moving to New York City." Mr. Schuester spared a look in Quinn's direction. "With her father."

"She won't be back next year either?" Kurt's eyes saddened. "She's gone?"

"What? She can't just leave!"

"That's not fair."

"Way to go, Berry."

"She's gone, guys." Mr. Schuester reached out and squeezed Quinn's shoulder when he noticed the girl's bottom lip white from the forth of her teeth, desprate not to cry. "But we are going to give her our best support from afar. Maybe when we make it to Nationals, we can visit with her and tell her how great the New Directions are."

"She was an OG." Artie pouted.

"She was our friend." Mercedes shook her head and gently rubbed Santana's knee beside her. She didn't say anything, but the unsteady hands of the cheerleader was enough to see her hark expression was only a mask for whatever might be going on inside. "Yes, it sucks she won't be performing, but it's worse she won't be here anymore."

"Good riddance."

Brittany winced when Santana stood up and snatched a peice of pizza from the box. She watched her friend storm off to the bathroom, ripping bite after bite from the floppy slice.

"Couldn't be fucking happier." Santana grumbled her way down the hallway, ready to push any thoughts of Madison Casper out of her mind.

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"Do you want another jacket? Are you going to be warm enough?"

Madison stared down at the floor when Frannie tried talking to her. Her hand clutched the handle of her suitcase tight.

"Yeah." She mumbled, not looking up when Frannie placed her headphone's over her ears. Madison flitched away from her when the women fixed her glasses, anxiously touching her since they claimed out of the car.

"Okay, um." Frannie looked behind her where her mother stood beside Cassandra, then back to Elijah. "You have her? Her meds? All her things?"

"She's fine, Fran." Elijah sent Frannie a soft look. "Let her process."

"Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"We agreed with the case going to the news we need Madison out of the way." The man rubbed his beard and fixed his glasses, checking their daughter hadn't run away from them. "She's fourteen, and I have to agree with Agent Teal. She's too young to be in high school and bullied by kids when they find out what happened. Quinn can handle it, but Madison..."

"I know that, but... but we—"

"But nothing. She's still a child. She needs her life back."

"I know, alright? I know." Frannie grumbled. She turned back to Madison and sighed when little tears fell down her face again. "Mads, honey."

She sank a bit in front of the girl and tried to meet her eyes. It was pointless with how deliberately Madison was avoiding her, but it was enough for her to see the exhaustion in her daughter's eyes.

"You're going to love New York City. It's... It's a little loud at first and there's a lot of people, but Elijah can show you how to make it all work for you." Frannie brushed Madison's hair out of the way, kissing her scalp. "I'll come meet you once we finish up everything here, okay?"

She stepped back, shoving her hands in her pocket when Madison turned away to avoid her gaze again.

"Frannie." Elijah shook his head when the woman attempted to get closer to Madison once more. "Let her go."

"I know." Frannie hugged herself, folding her arms awkwardly into her chest. "Mads, I love you."

Madison opened her mouth like she'd respond, then pressed her lips tight together. She turned around and dragged her bag away from Frannie toward the gate.

"Give her time." Elijah looked over his shoulder at the anxious fourteen year old. "She's had a lot of changes. Let her settle into school and then come up and stay."

Frannie rubbed her arm. "You talked to the therapist Cassandra found?"

"This morning." Elijah nodded. "She goes once a week after she's settled. We can't push her."

"Please take care of her." Frannie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the taller man in a quick, short hug.

"She's my daughter too, Fran." Elijah gently kissed her head, rubbing Frannie's elbow as he stepped away from her.

Judy slowly stepped up beside her daughter and snaked her arm around hers. She comforter with a rub of her back.

"You're doing the right thing." She whispered.

Frannie's eyes glistened. "She hates me."

"She doesn't." Judy squeezed her arm. "She needs time. Let her wound heal."

"Time doesn't heal everything, Mom." Frannie watched as Elijah guided their daughter through the airport. 

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