A/N: I don't own Glee nor the characters within. This small drabble was written after I was given the first sentence by ellowyntinuviel. Thanks!
"You get what anybody gets - you get a lifetime."
Santana had never understood those words better than at that moment. Ever since her abuela had turned to her on that warm summer day after taking the time to honestly think about a too curious for her own good seven year old Santana's "Abuela? If you do something bad – like, really really bad, how long do you get to make it better?" and given her the words she remembered any time her mind became too quiet and wandered, she'd tried to figure out what it was that had made old pain shine in her grandmother's eyes.
And now, on the day after what had meant to be the start to the rest of her life, Santana knew. Crushing her cigarette stub under her foot, she sighed and leaned her head back against the rough bark of the tree she'd been sitting under that summer afternoon her grandmother had given her something she'd never forgotten.
But today wasn't warm and bright and full of happy memories. It was cold and dark and slowly leaking most of what she'd expected to be feeling. "But that's what you get for fucking up," she whispered to herself, tired and humorless, "That's what you get for running away."
Dragging her hand down her face, Santana closed her eyes. If she only had a lifetime, she hoped it was time enough.
