The Girl Who Can't Be Moved
By: SometimesIWish
"What are you doing?"
Brittany looked up from the camping equipment her brother had received for his birthday two months before to see her mother standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, her hands on her hips and a baffled expression on her face. She flashed her mother a grim smile before turning her attention back to the box the sleeping bag came in.
"Reading," she murmured.
Her mother sighed. "Brittany, when I told you to find something to do, I meant something productive," she murmured, squatting down beside the girl. "I know you're upset that Santana isn't here, but you can't just mope around the house, okay?"
"I'm not," Brittany said, opening the box and pulling out the sleeping bag. The GoLite Adrenaline 0 had cost her parents nearly five hundred dollars, but it was worth every penny, according to the reviews. It was supposed to be able to withstand temperatures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit and Brittany would be testing that.
"Where are you going with that?" her mother asked as Brittany slung the sleeping bag over her shoulder and walked towards the front door.
"Outside."
"It's in the single digits, Brittany!"
The blonde stopped at the front door, her fingers resting on the handle. "What's in the single digits?" she asked, confused. "Michael just turned twelve this year and Stacey is twenty-two. I'm sixteen… I am sixteen, aren't I?"
"No, it's five degrees outside, Brittany," her mother said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the door. "I'm not letting you go outside at seven o'clock at night with just a sleeping bag!"
"But it's warm!" Brittany protested.
"No," her mother said firmly. "Now go put that back in your brother's closet and find something to do in your room. Didn't your teachers assign you homework over the break? Start on that so you aren't cramming the night before you go back."
Half an hour later, Brittany was walking down the sidewalk towards the park, the one place, besides Santana's house, that she could actually get to without getting lost. At eight o'clock at night in the middle of the winter, there was no one at the park. The ducks had long since moved on, finding a warmer place to spend the winter. Brittany sat down on the corner of the sidewalk, set out her brother's sleeping bag, and slipped inside. The warm fabric was snug around her body and she shivered as the wind blew a flurry of snow into her face.
Brittany crouched at the edge of the pond, her eyes focused on the mother duck being trailed by her little ducklings in the middle of the water. A small smile played on her lips and she leaned forward a little more, wishing she could reach out and just pluck one of the ducklings off the water and snuggle it to her chest. She had done that once and the mama duck hadn't been too happy about it. There were still scars on her fingers for that encounter.
A firm hand pressed into her back and she was suddenly falling forward, her arms flailing out to catch herself on something that wasn't there. Her face hit the water and one thought ran through her mind: she couldn't swim. She reached out for something, anything, to pull herself out of the water, but found nothing. Another thought passed through her mind: this pond was really deep.
Her feet hit the muddy bottom and sank through the mire until they met solid ground. She could see the murky green light a few feet above her and crouched down, attempting to push off the bottom towards the surface, but something caught around her ankle and she was pulled back down. Water began to fill her lungs as she opened her mouth to scream.
Suddenly a hand clamped around her wrist and she was being pulled up towards daylight. As her head broke through the surface of the pond, she gulped in a mouthful of air only to start choking up the water on her lungs. The hand around her wrist only tightened and she felt herself being pulled through the water.
"Hey, open your eyes and look at me."
Brittany realized she had her eyes closed and slowly opened them, the image in front of her fuzzy as she tried to concentrate. She was lying on her back and staring up at someone's face, which slowly came into focus. A tanned face stared down at her worriedly, the girl's lips a tight line as her eyes searched Brittany's.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Brittany choked out, water dripping down her chin as she opened her mouth to reply. A blush spread across her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Are you sure?" the girl asked hesitantly. The blonde nodded. "Okay, then, I'm going to help you sit up. Do you think you can do that?" Another nod. A gentle hand slipped under her body, resting on her lower back, and she struggled to sit up, her vision swimming as she moved.
"How do you feel now?"
"Dizzy," Brittany whispered, leaning against the girl.
"Okay, just close your eyes and rest for a moment, then," the girl answered. "Are your parents or friends here? Is there anyone I can call?"
"Um… I can't remember," the blonde muttered.
"Is she okay?"
The blonde's eyes fluttered open as the girl pulled away and she focused on the anxious face of Noah, the kid who loved to bully her in school. She wasn't as smart as everyone else and it took her a little longer to get the right answer, and he made sure to take hold of every opportunity to make fun of her for it.
"No, she's not okay, you jerk!" the girl who rescued her yelled, shooting to her feet. Brittany's eyes moved from Noah's face to the girl, examining her rescuer closely. Long, dark hair dripped water as flipped it over her shoulder and her face was contorted in anger, dark eyes flashing. "You could have killed her!"
"I can't swim," Brittany murmured. The girl looked over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Noah.
"Like I said, you could have killed her!" the girl yelled. "You're an asshole, you know that? I don't care if you're the bad boy around here, but you don't mess with her, got it? Because you mess with her, you mess with me."
Noah smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And what are you going to do about it?"
The girl's fist shot forward, landing in the middle of his face. There was a loud crack and blood gushed out of his nose as Noah stumbled back, his hands flying to his face. She took a step forward, grabbed his arm, and yanked him towards the pond, pushing him in. There was a loud splash as he was submerged and he broke the surface a moment later, a dark red cloud staining the water around him as he struggled towards the edge of the pond.
"You bitch!" he growled as he climbed out of the water, blood still dripping down his face. "I'm going to get you back for this!"
"Whatever," the girl murmured, a satisfied smirk on her lips as he stumbled away. She glared at a few passersby who had stopped to witness the scene and they quickly started walking. The girl turned her attention back to Brittany and knelt by her side, a concerned expression replacing the satisfied one.
"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked.
Brittany nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "That was really cool," she whispered. "Can you teach me how to do that?"
The girl looked at Brittany uncertainly. "Um, how about we just stick close to each other so I can protect you if you get into another situation like this?" she offered. Brittany nodded happily, satisfied with the alternative.
"Okay!" she chirped cheerfully, jumping to her feet.
"How about I get you home and out of those wet clothes?" the girl offered, getting to her feet, as well. "I'm Santana, by the way."
"I'm Brittany!"
Santana smiled as Brittany linked pinkies with her and tugged her down the sidewalk in the direction of her house.
A shiver ran through Brittany's body and she pulled the sleeping bag higher up so it covered her shoulders. This park was the first place she had set eyes on Santana the summer before eighth grade and she knew that if she stayed long enough, the Latina would miss her enough to come looking for her. And this would be the first place she would look. So she settled down, snuggled deeper into the sleeping bag, and began her wait.
"Are you sure about this?"
The blonde looked at her best friend. The usual confident Latina had a look of uncertainty on her face and Brittany could see the fear in her eyes. She linked their pinkies and a small smile wormed its way onto Santana's face.
"Of course I'm sure," Brittany said. She looked around the crowded hallway of their high school and pulled Santana into an empty classroom, gently closing the door behind her and pulled the shade down over the narrow window.
"Why are you so nervous?"
Santana's pinky slipped out of hers and the Latina walked across the room, staring up at the planets slowly spinning above their heads. She shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered, drawing her lip in between her teeth and biting down on it gently. "It's just… I hate being judged. And Coach Sylvester seems like a real bitch. Plus we'll have to put up with Quinn."
Brittany tilted her head curiously, her eyes examining Santana closely.
"Britt, why do we have to try out for Cheerios?" the Latina suddenly asked.
"You're the one who wanted to do it," Brittany answered. "We don't have to if you don't want to. I don't really care."
Sighing, Santana brought her hand to her face, covering her eyes. "No, we're going to do it," she said with conviction. "I'm going to stop being such a pussy and we're going to go to that gym and we're going to be fucking amazing and Coach Sylvester is going to be on her knees begging for us to be on her squad."
For once, Brittany didn't have a cheerful reply to Santana's confidence-filled statement. She just narrowed her eyes in confusion, took a step forward, and caught Santana's hands in her own. "San, what's this about?"
The Latina's head dropped forward onto Brittany's shoulder. "I have… I have to be popular," she whispered. "I can't be a… a nobody and walk around school with my books clutched to my chest like Rachel Berry. That just can't happen to me." She lifted her head. "I have to do this." She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than she was trying to convince Brittany.
"No you don't," Brittany murmured, lifting a hand to tuck a lock of hair behind Santana's ear. "I don't care if you're popular or if you're a nerd. You'll always be my best friend."
"But everyone out there cares!" Santana exclaimed, pulling away from Brittany. The blonde looked hurt and Santana looked away, wrapping her arms around her body as if she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. "I have to be popular to protect you from them. I can't… I can't protect you if I'm not popular."
Brittany's eyes widened in realization and she took a step forward, her fingers slipping under Santana's chin and tilting her face up so their eyes met. She pressed their foreheads together as she stared into the Latina's eyes. "I love you."
Fear filled Santana's eyes and Brittany understood without her having to say anything. She pressed her lips against the Latina's, her eyes fluttering closed as she melted into her best friend. Santana's hands slid up her arms and around her neck as Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's waist. When they finally parted, both girls had identical, shy smiles on their faces.
"Come on, let's get to that tryout," Brittany murmured, dropping her arms from around Santana's waist and linking their pinkies together.
They both made the cheerleading squad without difficulty.
Brittany had kissed boys before that. Girls, even. But she had never kissed anyone and felt something like she had felt with Santana. A fire had started to burn in her chest, sparking every time she touched the Latina, or when they would exchange those looks when they just knew what the other was thinking.
"Britt? Is that you?"
The blonde was pulled out of her reverie and she blinked against the bright light of the sun reflecting on the snow. She looked up to see Quinn standing over her, a concerned expression on her face.
"What are you doing out here in a sleeping bag?"
"Waiting for Santana."
Quinn sighed and crouched down in front of Brittany. "You shouldn't be out here," she murmured. "It's freezing and you don't know who's wandering around. How long have you been here?"
"Um…" Brittany murmured, squinting her eyes in concentration as she thought. "I think… since eight o'clock."
"You've been out here for three and a half hours!" Quinn exclaimed.
"Only that long?" Brittany asked. "But… it's light out now. And it was dark when I fell asleep last night."
"Eight o'clock at night?" Quinn asked incredulously. "Brittany, you've been here for over twelve hours! Do you have anything to eat? Do your parents know where you are? Come on, I'll walk you home." She stood up.
"No."
"What?"
Brittany glared up at her stubbornly. "I'm not moving until Santana comes," she said resolutely, crossing her arms over her chest inside her sleeping bag. "When she realizes I'm the one she wants, this is going to be the first place she'll go. And I'm not going to miss her coming here because you want me to go back home."
"You're going to freeze to death!"
"Love hurts."
Quinn closed her eyes as she let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "Brittany, Santana is in Spain…."
"I know where she is," Brittany snapped, and Quinn stared at Brittany in surprise. "And I'm not moving."
"It's Christmas Eve…."
"No."
"Fine, but I'm telling your parents where you are," Quinn said. She started to walk away, but stopped a couple feet away, looking uncertainly over her shoulder at a stubborn Brittany.
Hot, sweaty bodies surrounded Brittany as she danced, her hands in the air and her hair whipping around her face as she moved to the music. A boy was grinding behind her, his hands resting on her waist, but she mostly ignored him, just enjoying the feeling of the music running through her veins, energizing her.
Music and dancing were the only two things, besides Santana, that she completely understood. Ever since she was little, she could move her body like no one else could, almost as if she had been born with music notes running through her body instead of blood. Someone had mentioned that to her before and she had cut herself open to see if it was true only to find the sticky, red substance of blood quickly leaking out of her body.
The boy's hands dropped from her hips and she turned around in confusion only to find Santana standing where the boy had just been grinding against her. Brittany threw her head back and laughed, grabbing Santana's hands and twirling her around in time to the music. A smile erupted on the Latina's face and she began to dance with Brittany, their bodies moving against each other.
The pounding beat ran through Brittany's body as she pressed herself closer to Santana, their breath mingling as they stared into each other's eyes. It was okay that they were this close in public because most everyone was either too drunk to care or thought they were drunk. In reality, Brittany was only drunk off the essence that was purely Santana.
"Come on," Santana whispered huskily, lacing their fingers together and tugging Brittany through the crowd of moving bodies towards the stairs.
Santana pressed Brittany up against the wall, their bodies fitting together perfectly as her lips found the blonde's and moved against them passionately. Brittany responded eagerly to the hard kiss, her arms wrapping around Santana's waist, but the Latina quickly pulled away, pushing open a door and pulling Brittany inside.
As soon as the door closed, reality seemed to leak into both girls. Santana looked away from Brittany as she locked the door, her hand resting on the polished silver. Brittany bit her lip as she waited.
Then Santana moved forward slowly and she stopped in front of Brittany hesitantly, her eyes searching the blonde's face. She scrunched her eyebrows together before reaching out and taking Brittany's hands in her own. Pressing a gentle kiss to the blonde's lips, she lifted a hand and gently stroked the pale skin of her face.
Everything after that was slow, tender, and carefully executed. Santana's hands slipped under Brittany's tank top, the Latina's fingers hot against the skin of her stomach. She gently pulled the shirt over the blonde's head and dipped down to press her lips against newly exposed skin as she carefully pushed Brittany back on the bed so she was lying down.
Santana's lips worshipped Brittany's body, gently nibbling, sucking, and licking every inch of bare skin. The blonde pulled off the Latina's shirt and ran her hands over her lithe and toned body, awestruck by her beauty. Santana smiled down at her, her eyes searching Brittany's before sliding down her body and stopping at the button of her jeans.
The Latina's movements were reverent as she slowly unbuttoned Brittany's jeans and slid them down her legs, pressing her lips to the smooth expanse of her thighs. Brittany trembled as Santana sat back, working at the button of her own jeans and quickly sliding out of them.
The first touch of naked skin against naked skin made Brittany throw her head back, a moan escaping her at the sensation. Santana smiled against her neck, her teeth gently nipping at the juncture of her neck and shoulder before tongue darted out to sooth the area. Lithe, tanned fingers snaked down between their bodies and Brittany moaned again as Santana touched her where no one else had ever touched her.
"I love you," Santana murmured against Brittany's lips as her back arched up off the bed and her hips thrust into the Latina's hand. An earth-shattering feeling spread through her body and spots danced behind her eyelids as Santana retrieved her hand and gently wiped stray strands of hair out of Brittany's face.
You are so amazing," the Latina murmured as she rained kisses down on Brittany's face. The blonde mumbled something and Santana pulled her close, pulling a thin sheet over their naked bodies as she stroked her hair.
A foot nudged Brittany's leg and she opened her eyes to see her older sister staring down at her, hands thrust in her coat pockets and a hat pulled snugly down over her ears. Brittany stared back stubbornly.
"I'm not moving."
"I know."
They continued to stare at each other.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" Stacey asked.
A smile spread across Brittany's face and she nodded, moving over so her sister would be able to sit on a clear piece of sidewalk. The older girl pulled a bar of chocolate out of her pocket and unwrapped it, snapping it in half and handing one of them to Brittany. The younger blonde took the chocolate thankfully and nibbled on it.
"It's going to be Christmas day in a few hours," Stacey said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I know."
"Santa won't come if you're still sitting out here."
Brittany looked over at her sister. "I haven't believed in Santana since I was eight and caught Mom and Dad putting gifts under the tree at two o'clock in the morning," she said. "I just thought they had fun pretending to be Santa so I didn't tell them that I don't believe anymore."
Stacey threw her head back and laughed. "Wow, you've really had everyone fooled for the past eight years, then," she said, nudging Brittany with her elbow playfully. Brittany smiled at her and continued to nibble on her chocolate bar.
"So what're you sitting out here for?"
The younger blonde stopped eating her chocolate bar. "I'm waiting for Santana," she murmured dejectedly. "This is the first place we saw each other. The first place we met. If she decides to come back, this is the first place she'll go."
"Britt, Santana is in Spain…."
"Yeah, I know, she told me."
They were both quiet once again.
"Do you love her?" Stacey asked in a whisper.
Brittany smiled, eyes shining. "Yeah."
"Well, you're just the girl who can't be moved, aren't you?"
Brittany sat on her bed, her legs stretched out in front of her and her laptop on her lap. She had to write a paper for Spanish and decided that since Santana had ditched her, she might as well get it over with. After spending so much time with Santana's family, she was pretty much fluent in Spanish, so it wasn't hard for her to write a paper about the Spanish education system.
Her door burst open and she looked up to see Santana walk in, a smug smile on her face and her makeup smeared, telling Brittany exactly what the Latina had been doing. The blonde clenched her jaw and turned her attention back to her laptop screen.
"Hey, Britt, what's up?" Santana asked nonchalantly, flopping down on the bed.
"Nothing," Brittany answered tersely.
"Whoa, what's with the attitude?"
The blonde fixed an uncharacteristically cold glare on Santana. "I don't know, what's with the smeared makeup and you being an hour and a half late?"
"Come on, Britt, you know…."
"Actually, no, I don't. Why don't you tell me?"
Santana sat up, a shocked expression on her face. "What is going on with you?" she snapped. "We do this all the time."
"No, we don't," Brittany corrected. "You do. You go off and have your flings with only God knows who and blow me off all the time and I'm left here by myself trying to figure out what to do until you finally show up. I've given up telling my mom what time you're coming over because you're almost always late and it makes me look stupid."
"Wha-"
"If you just want someone to hang out with when you aren't 'getting your mack on,' then go find someone else," Brittany muttered, looking back at her laptop and continuing to type.
The Latina sighed. "B… Britt, I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely. Brittany didn't say anything. "I… I would give you an excuse but I know there isn't anything that could make up for this. You're right and I'm wrong. I shouldn't be blowing you off like I have. I promise it won't happen again."
"I'm tired of empty promises."
Santana closed her eyes. "What do I have to do to make it up to you?"
Brittany looked at her. "Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"Stop hooking up with guys," Brittany murmured seriously. "I… I don't care if you have a boyfriend or whatever, but… I hate it when you just sleep around because… it makes me feel bad. It makes my heart hurt because… 'cause…."
"Because why?" Santana asked curiously as Brittany averted her eyes and shook her head. "Come on, Brittany, how am I supposed to fix this if you won't tell me what's going on?"
"It's stupid," Brittany muttered.
"No, it can't be stupid if it makes your heart hurt," Santana murmured gently.
Brittany slowly raised her gaze so she was looking directly into Santana's eyes. "It makes my heart hurt because I'm the one you should be with," she whispered softly. When Santana didn't respond right away, she snapped the lid of her laptop shut, set it aside, and stood up, walking over to her window when her feet hit the floor.
"Britt…."
"I know it's stupid, Santana, but I love you," Brittany said, not daring to look at Santana. "It's stupid because you're never going to love me the way I love you. But… it hurts so bad whenever I see you with the boys at school because you just throw yourself at them. I don't care so much if it's just one boy, but… not all of them, San. Not all of them."
Santana sighed. "Britt, I… this can't happen," she whispered. "I love you, too, but it just… we can't be together. We're in Lima, Ohio, and we would both be knifed if we were together. People wouldn't just throw a slushy in our faces every morning; they would actually hurt us."
"I don't care, Santana. I don't care," Brittany whispered, turning around to face Santana. She took the Latina's hands in her own. "They can say what they want about us, they can try to hurt us, they can try to pull us apart, as long as we love each other and we know that we love each other, we'll be okay."
"No," Santana whispered, shaking her head as she pulled her hands out of Brittany's. "It won't be okay, Britt."
It was almost midnight and Brittany's sister had long since left to go home and tell their parents that the younger blonde was fine. She shivered and pulled the sleeping bag tighter around her shoulders, wishing she had thought to bring a couple extra blankets or a coat. And something warm to eat or drink.
She closed her eyes for a moment and the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her.
"Britt, what the hell are you doing out in the cold?"
Brittany's eyes fluttered open and she was surprised to see Santana kneeling in front of her, an anxious expression on her face. "San?" she whispered.
"What are you doing out here in a sleeping bag at eleven-thirty at night on Christmas Eve?" the Latina asked.
"Waiting for you. I'm the girl who can't be moved."
Santana sighed. "Come on, I'm taking you back home and getting you warmed up. How long have you been out here?" She helped Brittany shimmy out of the sleeping bag and slipped out of her coat, wrapping it around the blonde's shoulders when she got to her feet. Brittany just trembled from the cold and Santana picked up the sleeping bag, slinging it over her shoulder and wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist.
"How long were you sitting there?" Santana asked as they walked down the sidewalk towards Brittany's house.
"Since last night," Brittany answered, her teeth chattering.
"God, Britt, what's gotten into you?" Santana asked. "Why were you waiting for me when you knew I was visiting my family in Spain and when I told you I wasn't going to be back here until the new year?"
Brittany shrugged. "I just wanted to."
Mrs. Pierce looked relieved when she answered the door and she ushered both girls inside, pointing them straight up to Brittany's room. "I'll be up in a few minutes with something warm to eat and some hot chocolate. Get her changed out of those clothes, into the shower, and into bed. I don't want her freezing to death."
Santana nodded and led Brittany up to her room, watching as the blonde ran to her bed and snuggled under the blankets.
"I was going to surprise you," Santana whispered.
The blonde's head peeked out from under the blankets. "What?"
The Latina sighed. "I was supposed to come back from Spain on January sixth, but I convinced my parents to buy a ticket for me to fly back today," she whispered, leaning against the wall. "I wanted to come here and surprise you for Christmas. But Quinn called me and said you were camping out at the park and I headed there as soon as my plane landed.
"The first thing I thought was that your parents kicked you out of your house for some reason. But I knew that couldn't be it because they are some of the most accepting people I've ever met. Then I thought you were trying to make a statement and camping out there to protest, but I couldn't think of anything you could be protesting." She lifted her head so she was looking at Brittany. "I still can't think of anything."
They were both quiet.
"It was where we first met," Brittany finally whispered. "I thought… once you realized we were perfect for each other, you would go to that corner where we first met and we'd live happily ever after, like in that song I was listening to the other day."
Santana let out a long breath and she walked over to Brittany's bed and sat down on the edge. "Britt, I was wrong for telling you we couldn't be together," she said quietly. "I was completely wrong. I was so focused on making sure no one hurt you that I ended up hurting you in the process, which completely violated every rule I set for myself."
She looked up at Brittany. "You're the only one who matters to me in the world," she whispered. "Everyone else… they're nothing. My parents don't really care. They're too wrapped up in their jobs to really pay attention to my life. Half the girls on the cheer squad at school hate my guts and the other half suck up to me because I'm the cheerleading captain and I basically have their futures in my hands. You… you're the only one who's been good to me, and all I've been is mean to you."
"No, that's totally not true," Brittany said, moving forward and placing a gentle hand on Santana's arm. "You saved me from drowning in that pond when Puck pushed me in and you stopped people from making fun of me at school. You invite me over to your house so I'm, like, fluent in Spanish now and I'm passing that class with an A. And you tutor me in everything else so I'm passing those, too. You're the best friend I've ever had."
"But I let you down," Santana whispered, taking Brittany's hand in both of hers. "You asked me to stop sleeping around; you told me I was hurting you and I just ignored you."
"You're scared, San," Brittany whispered, looking deep in Santana's eyes. A tear leaked down the Latina's cheek. "And that's okay. Because I'm scared, too. But we aren't alone. We've still got each other. And if we really need protection, my cat is secretly a ninja and can pull some awesome karate moves on anyone who tries to hurt us."
Santana let out a watery giggle and leaned into Brittany. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," Brittany whispered back. The digital alarm clock on her nightstand beeped, signaling midnight and the start of a new day. "Merry Christmas, San."
"Merry Christmas, Brittany."