this is inspired by a bunch of different fanfictions, so if any of you writers see anything that seems really familiar, i'm not copying you, i'm inspired by you.
"i see signs now all the time, that you're not dead you're sleeping. i believe in anything, that brings you back home to me."
.
the last time santana lopez ever sees brittany pierce is behind a bowling alley in late july. they're on double dates with sam and artie, and santana went outside for fresh air.
brittany steps out of the stuffy bowling alley room and out onto the back courtyard. flies fill the warm air and the sun begins to set.
"love me," santana murmurs. brittany looks at her pale purple toenails.
"artie and i have to go."
.
brittany pierce is pronounced dead by homicide at 6:36 on a sunday morning. artie survives.
.
she's staring down at brittany's obituary in the newspaper in the glee club classroom in august. school hasn't even started yet for the year, but the glee club is gathered in the classroom because of the recent events.
almost everyone is either screaming or crying. through santana's glassy eyes, she can make out quinn sobbing against rachel's shoulder, finn's head in his hands, and puck comforting lauren and mercedes. sam and kurt are hugging each other and it doesn't look like they're going to let go anytime soon.
suddenly she can't take it. her head's buzzing and her claustrophobia is growing at an enormous rate.
she walks out of the room and starts running down the dimly lighted hallway, her skirt slapping against her thighs.
when she reaches the end of the hallway, the light goes out.
.
she's being haunted, there's no doubt about it, she tells herself.
things are being moved when she doesn't move them. flashes of blonde hair and blue eyes. childlike laughter in the middle of the night that comes from no one.
one night she cries.
"please come home. you're not dead. you can't be."
she turns off the light.
it stays on.
.
on the first day she goes to school and sam is waiting by her locker for her.
"santana. i've called you a billion times. are you okay? i've been worried."
she hisses back at him, "of course i'm not okay. my best friend just died."
he kisses her because he's not really sure what to do and she kisses back, because she's lost, but she breaks it and runs.
she finally finds an abandoned classroom and sinks to the floor.
she feels someone hugging her and a faint whisper of "i'm right here. can't you see me?"
when she opens her eyes, no one's there.
.
santana goes back to the park where she and brittany had first met, and went so many times after that. she gulps down tears, staring at the oak tree where brittany and her watched finn and puck play soccer when they were twelve. she sees the bench where they hula hooped when they were nine.
she closes her eyes and feels something whoosh past her.
Let go.
when she opens her eyes, the light from the streetlamp is still on.
it begins to rain, and she walks away, but not before putting a bright yellow daisy (brittany's favorite flower) on the ground.
.
she goes back every year to the park, and although brittany is still there for santana, she's not haunted anymore by her.
she's where she should be. resting in peace.
santana whispers "i love you" into the cool spring air on a rainy day, and she's almost sure brittany can hear her, wherever she is.