Paperweight

Chapter 6

On September 30th, it's raining in New York City, and Santana is late for work. This is one of those things Santana doesn't give a flying fuck about while it's actually happening, but later she'll look back and realize that if she was on time to work today, it might not have happened.

Quinn has taken the morning off to go and visit some up-and-coming photographer in Brooklyn, and so Santana is left to travel to the studio herself. It's not raining when she leaves her apartment and begins to walk towards the subway station. Santana doesn't really feel like spending twenty minutes crammed into a tiny, overheated train while some pervy old man leers at her, so she decides to walk. It doesn't take her that much longer, and she probably needs a clear head before another day of avoiding Brittany.

It's been a week since the Hollidaze Celebration Incident, as Santana has named it, happened, and she hasn't spoken to Brittany since then. She's seen her at the studio obviously, but they've barely exchanged a hello over the past seven days.

Needless to say, it has made for an awkward week.

Quinn seems to have finally dislodged that stick that's been wedged up her ass since high school, and hasn't even noticed the odd tension between her new favorite employee and her best friend. Quinn's actually been weirdly less uptight since last Wednesday.

After Santana woke up from her much needed nap and went through to the kitchen to make coffee, she discovered Rachel eating her strawberries wearing nothing except her underwear and one of Quinn's old cheerleading tshirts. As Santana was in the middle of ranting at the hobbit about keeping your stumpy paws off my berries, Berry, Quinn came skipping, like, actually skipping, into the kitchen. Santana just stared wordlessly at her as Quinn flushed and said she didn't realize Santana was home.

A drop of rain splashes right onto Santana's nose at that moment, breaking her from her thoughts. Fucking fantastic, Santana thinks to herself, the one day you decide to walk and it starts pissing it down. And you're wearing a white shirt. Fabulous.

When Santana eventually gets to the studio at 9.30am, she resembles some form of drowned animal. Or possibly a homeless person. Or the horrifying mutant offspring of both. She glares at Kitty before Midget Blond Berry can even think of opening her mouth and making a comment about Santana's soaked state.

The Latina almost laughs out loud. This must be the first time in weeks she's not soaked because of Brittany. She takes the thankfully empty elevator up to the third floor and dashes into her office before anyone can see her.

Santana dumps her bag down on her desk, looks into the mirror hanging on the opposite wall, and nearly screams. Her hair has started to frizz already and her make-up is slowly making its way down her cheeks. She looks like a clown. Santana groans, and starts digging around in her bag for a brush and her mascara.

Once she eventually manages to tame her hair and restore her make-up, her shirt has thankfully dried. She didn't particularly want to stroll around the studio giving everyone a free show of her bra and the twins. She flops down in her chair, and switches her computer on. Once she's gone through her usual routine of checking her emails and updating the company's Twitter, she'll go and get some coffee and then find Tina, possibly get some more coffee, and then she can actually get some work done today.

/

She's wrong.

It's 5.45pm and despite Santana, Tina and the entire advertising design team hardly taking a break all day, they've made very little progress so far.

They're trying to come up with a marketing campaign that Holly demands is "witty, and has pretty faces on it", and so far they've come up with barely anything. The photography department has been screen testing male models most of the day, to find someone to pose alongside Sugar when the time comes for photos. Quinn's still in fucking Brooklyn doing God knows what, leaving Unique in charge, and Santana knows she'll eventually have to go and visit the photography team to approve the final pick.