Author's Note: This story is going to follow Santana through most of Brittany's birthdays from the time they meet when Brittany turns eight to their senior year of high school when Brittany turns eighteen. I'm thinking there are going to be about seven chapters, but I haven't decided if I want to do some future birthdays. We'll see. Enjoy Age 8!

Age 8

"Brittany was very thoughtful and brought in cupcakes for the class for her birthday."

I glanced over at the blonde girl sitting diagonally from me. She was new this year. She sat in my pod along with Noah Puckerman and Ian Warner. Mrs. Davis arranged us so that there were two boys and two girls at each pod because she thought that would cut down on the chatter. It didn't of course. Boys would always find a way to misbehave and you can't stop girls from whispering to their friends during class. Most girls hated having to sit next to the boys, but I didn't mind. Noah could be really funny and Ian was quiet.

Even though we sat together, I didn't really know Brittany that well. She would say some pretty weird things, so the other kids teased her. She mostly played by herself. I didn't like to see her get picked on, but I try to mind my own business because if I get in trouble at school my dad is not happy about it. The kids in my class know not to mess with me though. Last year I gave Finn Hudson a bloody nose when he said I couldn't play touch football with the boys during recess because girls don't play sports.

Mrs. Davis picked goody-two-shoes Erin and her best friend Shannon to help pass out the cupcakes.

"Okay, we're going to sing to Brittany, then we'll have afternoon recess," Mrs. Davis said. All the kids cheered. We only got afternoon recess on special occasions. I mumbled along as we sang happy birthday to Brittany.

"Happy birthday, dear Brittanyyyy, happy birthday to youuu!" the class sang loud and out of tune.

Chairs scraped across the tile floor as everyone pushed their chairs back and rushed to line up by the door. Of course Erin was line leader. She always was. I stood behind Brittany, licking at the icing on my cupcake. I thought about saying happy birthday, but then decided not to.

It was raining, so when we got outside I decided to stay under the overhang until I finished my cupcake.

"So what are you wishing for?" Mary Donahue asked Brittany. My attention turned to their conversation. This was a recipe for disaster. Mary only asked Brittany things because she wanted Brittany to say something strange so she could tease her about it, but Brittany never realized that.

"I'm going to wish for Prince Charming to ride his unicorn to my house and marry me," Brittany said happily. I let out a sigh.

Noah came up behind Brittany and smacked the cupcake out of her hand. The thing about Noah was that he could be funny, but he could also be really mean. I think it's because he wants the other boys to think he's cool.

"No one wants to marry you. You're too stupid," he sneered. "Everyone knows unicorns aren't real."

Mary laughed a little too loudly. I was pretty sure she had a crush on him.

The look on Brittany's face was too much for me. It was her birthday after all. I had to do something. I walked over to her.

"Don't listen to them. They don't know anything," I said. Brittany sniffed. She looked so pathetic standing in the rain, crying. The soggy leftovers of her cupcake were melting into the grass next to her. I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I used a word that I had heard my dad call his boss. "Noah is an asshole."

I wasn't quite sure what it meant, but I knew it wasn't nice. She looked up at me. She had nice eyes. They were blue like my swimming pool.

"I don't think we're supposed to say that word," she whispered. I nodded and kicked the ground with the tip of my scuffed sneaker. Then, I spotted something lying on the grass and it gave me an idea.

I picked up the worm and took a step towards Brittany.

"They're the stupid ones because I want to marry you," I said. I wrapped the worm around her finger like a ring. She giggled. I was so relieved that she wasn't crying anymore.

"It's slimy," she said with a smile. "Thank you!"

She flung her arms around me and hugged me close. I felt this strange feeling in my stomach. Hesitantly, I put my arms around her and hugged back.

"You're welcome," I said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the four square courts.

"Let's go jump in the puddles!" she said.

We played in the puddles for the rest of recess. My sneakers got completely soaked, but I didn't care. When we were going back inside, Brittany linked her pinky with mine.

"This is the best birthday ever," she whispered to me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I got a new best friend."