A/N: This is my first fic. Appreciate your feedback!
Standard disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Glee universe.
This was not exactly what Brittany had envisioned when she imagined college. Sure, there were similarities; the picturesque campus, the scholarly and sometimes absent-minded professors, the diverse student population, the late nights spent studying. The level of discourse she encountered here was a breath of fresh air in comparison to what she had experienced in her previous life in small-town Ohio. There her attempts to engage those around her with observations on life and her unique and creative interpretations of the world were met with amusement at best, and more likely confusion. In fact, most of her classmates had been shocked when she had been announced valedictorian of their graduating class. They had never realized their inability to understand her points was invariably a reflection of their own provincialism.
However, though she came to college with a thirst to expand her mind and take in all the thoughts and experiences the broader world had to offer, she had not anticipated that the late nights in the school library would only be partly motivated by the desire to learn and do well in her classes. The other very real motivation behind her study sessions was the need to be anywhere other than her room.
It wasn't that she didn't get along with the roommate she had been randomly assigned by the college. She was nice enough and they got along well in the relatively small amount of time they spent in the same space. However, as Brittany discovered almost immediately, Santana had her own small-town history that she was glad to have moved away from. Indeed, she seemed to view college as the perfect opportunity to make up for all the time she had lost being closeted in high school, and more often than not Brittany would come back to the room to find their pre-arranged signal on the whiteboard on the door, letting her know that Santana had company.
Tonight was the third time this week she found herself in the undergraduate library, and though her grades had never been better, Brittany was running out of patience. She closed her calculus book and glanced at her watch with a sigh, wondering if enough time had passed to try once again to get into her room. She tried to wait for a long window, preferring to overestimate than underestimate and having to walk back to the library yet again.
"Hey Britt, trying to ruin the curve for the rest of us?" asked her friend Blaine quietly as he slid into the seat next to her at the study desk. They had met in one of their several shared classes and had quickly grown from acquaintances to friends.
She turned to him with an eye roll. "You know, at this point I think I'd actually trade a few spots on the bell curve for the freedom to go in and out of my own damn room when I want."
"Ouch, I take it this is an enforced study session? Santana kick you out again?" He frowned in sympathy.
"I'm not sure she even realizes how disruptive it is to me, you know? I don't think she's really thinking about the impact to me at all. I mean, I did agree to this signal thing at the start of the year. I guess I didn't really think that through, or maybe I just didn't realize it would be invoked quite so much…"
"Britt, you have to talk to her. Nothing's going to change if she doesn't even realize how frustrated you are. I'm sure if you bring it up with her you guys can work something out."
"I guess…I don't want to be the uncool roommate, and I guess things were tough for her in high school so I don't want to limit her college experience, but you're right, something has to change."
Blaine gave her a sympathetic smile and stood up, holding his hand out. "No time like the present. Come on, I'll walk you to your dorm."
Realizing he wasn't going to give her the chance to back out, she sighed again and took his hand to stand. She began packing up her textbooks. "Ok, you're right. But if this doesn't work out, I'm moving into your dorm room. You can spend your nights in the library."