Santana slammed her locker door shut, jumping in surprise at the face that appeared behind it. Brittany said something, but Santana pointed to the earphones in her ears and made to walk away.
A soft hand on Santana's shoulder stopped her in her tracks. Brittany removed the earphones from Santana's ears, letting them fall. Santana repressed a shiver at the feel of Brittany's fingers brushing lightly against the skin on her neck.
"Santana." Brittany's voice was gentle, but her tone was firm. "Turn around."
Santana whipped around, deliberately focusing on a spot above Brittany's head. "What?" she snapped.
"San, look at me," Brittany said.
Santana looked at Brittany, and she couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes as she saw everything she'd ever wanted, and everything that she was about to lose. She felt like she owed Brittany an explanation. "I'm sorry." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm so sorry, Britt. I messed this up so bad."
Brittany furrowed her brow in confusion, but Santana continued.
"I don't care about Sue or the cheerios. I care about Glee Club." She lowered her voice. "I care about you. I just ... I don't ever want to let you down, and I'm sorry. I ruined everything." A sob escaped her quivering lips.
"San, what are you talking about?" said Brittany, taking Santana's hand. "You didn't let me down! You didn't let any of us down! Santana, I've been there." She quirked an eyebrow. "Remember? Coach Sylvester used to try to push me around too. And I did everything she said because she's scary, and because I thought it would make me popular. I get it, San."
Santana nodded absently, not convinced.
"You could never let me down, Santana," said Brittany. "Ever. Everything you do makes me wish I could be half as amazing as you are. You're so strong," she grinned, leaning in closer to Santana, "so smart ... so beautiful. You inspire me."
Santana looked into her best friend's eyes, and got lost there. She knew Brittany so well, it felt like she could see her thoughts. And she could see now that Brittany wasn't lying to her.
The school melted away. The lockers, the posters, the people - they weren't there, they weren't real. Everything was Brittany, her words, her smile, her eyes, the feel of her hand on Santana's, her lips ...
Santana took her chance. With those big eyes staring so lovingly into her own, she took a chance, and she believed. That this was it - this was everything. Everything else could wait, but this was the most important thing in the world.
She pressed her lips to Brittany's.
It was just a sealing of the lips, a quick kiss, although it seemed to Santana to last an eternity. She felt a tear fall down her cheek and onto their lips just before she pulled away. She kept her eyes shut, wanting to hold onto that kiss for as long as she could, before she had to face reality again.
Santana expected Brittany to be shocked, angry, even. She knew she was out of line, and she braced herself to be yelled at.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
Brittany was smiling. Just a small curve playing on her lips.
But it was her eyes that smiled the brightest. They searched the depths of Santana's, and they shone.
"Come on," Brittany said, grinning, her eyes never leaving Santana. I'm organising Kurt's class president campaign, and I have a plan to get you back into Glee Club."