Disclaimer: I Don't Own Glee
This story was moved from my other account (LopezPierce94) but I decided to just move it to my main account so all my stories are together. This is something a little different. It does have brief mentions of sexual abuse so if the subject makes you uncomfortable to read or it is a trigger for you then I wouldn't suggest reading this story. When the chapter does have mentions of it I'll mention it in the author's note at the top of the page. I hope you like the story. Here's the first chapter :)
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Travelling wasn't something Brittany had ever thought of doing. She had always planned to stay in Phoenix through high school and College then maybe think about moving after that to somewhere close by after meeting someone, but then again things change all the time. Her whole life had changed in the past two years and it was definitely not something she liked putting up with. You think she enjoyed hiding how she really felt around school? Hiding things from her friends just so they wouldn't feel sorry for her? No. Did she really want to be the person living with her stepdad instead of her own mother? No. She would have gone and lived with her father but he moved away a week before it all happened so that plan was gone before she could even think of it.
Brittany was stood on the platform looking at the train with her backpack on one shoulder holding onto it. She looked over her shoulder and around her to make sure she wasn't being followed before walking up to the train stepping onto it. There weren't many people but that was a good thing. She didn't know if she could deal with other people right now. Travelling away from your home is something everyone has to do at some point, but she never anticipated it being this soon. She took a seat at the back of the train sliding into the seat looking out of the window. She should feel relief as the train began to move but she didn't. She felt freer but also she felt fear. It wasn't an emotion she liked feeling but sometimes you can't do anything about it. Feeling scared is nothing anyone should feel, but it's the emotion everyone feels at one point or another.
How is it that one person could instill so much fear onto another? Brittany shook her head trying to rid the thoughts from her mind whilst opening her bag, taking out her drink and taking a sip. She let out a sigh. Was running really the answer here? Shouldn't she be back in Phoenix fighting everything that was going on? Her mother would want her to fight but her father on the other hand was just as bad. He ran when he saw the first sign of things getting hard which is why he moved away. He needed to get away and start new. That was his, what, fifth time? He'll most likely last there for a year at most before moving again so there was no way she could count on him. Luckily she had no siblings to worry about or she'd be back there fighting for them. It wasn't the end of the world that she was moving out of Phoenix. New could be good, right? New meant that she could start fresh without all of this worry and fear. She needed this.
Brittany looked away from the window noticing a man sitting not that far from her. He seemed to be watching her with a great curiosity which, for some reason, intrigued her. He looked a bit older than her but she was not going to find out who he was no matter how curious she was. This new start was real which meant keeping to herself. She had to do that or else people could find out about her and opening up was not her forte. She couldn't; not after everything that had happened. She had to make sure he wouldn't find her. She had to stay hidden. She couldn't go back to...to him. Brittany had to force herself not to cry since she was in public. She would be stronger than this. She had to be strong. With that thought in mind and a quick glance down the train, she took a jumper folding it up putting it under her head closing her eyes. She felt as though she hadn't slept in weeks. Brittany knew she deserved a quick nap without feeling scared to do so and it proved how tired she was since within a minute of having her eyes closed she fell asleep, hoping that whatever town was at the end of the line was far enough away from Phoenix for her to feel safe.
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Santana awoke to the sound of a faint breeze and birds chirping from outside. She was used to waking up early due to the fact that she did it every morning before going to school. She had to so that she was able to keep herself fit to keep up with the Cheerios routine at school. Her coach, Sue Sylvester, wanted her team to be the best of the best which meant hours upon hours of practice. The problem was that she didn't think anyone was good enough because, in her eyes, she was the best. She was the only one who could be the best which made it so hard for the rest of them to even be noticed by her. Being the Cheerio's Cheerleader Captain made it slightly easier to be liked by her but not much more. She was just not seen as a loser.
Getting out of bed she went to her closet and got her running gear out putting it on which, generally, only really consisted of some sweat pants and a t-shirt. After tying her trainers up she grabbed her iPod and headphones putting them on before walking downstairs and outside looking out onto the street. Santana smiled and turned her iPod on and began running hearing the song Photograph by Ed Sheeran. She loved the song so running to it wasn't that bad. The weather wasn't that bad generally that morning with it being a clear sky with a small breeze. There was nothing worse than going for a run with it raining or it being too hot. Getting home either sweating more than usual or being soaking wet wasn't something she enjoyed since it usually consisted having horrible hair that morning or taking an extra shower to get the sweat off of herself.
Running through the park Santana noticed that no one was about It was deadly quiet but that was a good thing since it meant no running around people or having others annoyed at you for running and getting in their way when actually it's them getting in your way. As the song changed Santana hear the sound of the train coming up to the station. It wasn't like she knew the train times, like at all, but she knew that this particular train turned into the station at exactly 6:28 every morning. She only knew this by her running schedule and no one was usually on it anyway so it basically stops for no reason. Weird right? She was about to turn to run back home when she saw a girl getting off the train which caused her to stop running for a second to see who it was. She had blonde hair and most likely blue eyes, but that wasn't noticeable from where she was standing. The girl put the hood of her jacket up hiding her face and hair walking out of the station. She looked as though she was alone. Why would a girl at her age be travelling alone? Her parents would never let her go on a train alone without a friend at least.
Santana watched the girl for a minute or so until she knew that she had gone past creepy and needed to walk away so that's what she did. She took one last glance at the girl before turning in the opposite direction and running back home. Living in Lima didn't make her life very interested since basically everyone knew everyone. They were all quite close so whoever that girl was everyone would notice. They didn't have many new people arrive in this town so it was definitely going to be exciting finding out who this girl was. Well, that depends if she would even let that happen because by watching her from afar it looked as though she didn't want anyone to know her. It was fine, of course, but that would make her an outsider for definite. Santana shook that thought out of her head as she ran up her drive to her house walking inside closing the door. She heard the chatter of her family in the kitchen whilst she walked up to the door opening it. She saw her parents and brother sitting at the table eating breakfast.
"Morning" Santana greeted walking up to the fridge getting a bottle of water out of it having some before walking to the table picking up a banana but not before ruffling her brother's hair. He was six years younger making him ten. He went to the local elementary school but he was moving up to middle school in September. He was excited.
"Tana, not my hair!" He whined pushing her hands away making his hair tidy again. "I tell you every day not to mess with my hair!"
Her father, Antonio, chuckled taking a sip of his coffee. "You are as bad as your mother Jonah."
"Excuse you. I'll have you know it takes time to make my hair look this good. I don't wake up like this." Her mother, Maribel, said hitting him on the arm.
"Oh, I know honey since I wake up next to you." Antonio teased with a smirk.
"You are unbelievable," Maribel said rolling her eyes before turning to her eldest child with a smile. "How was your run sweetheart?"
Santana nodded her head. "It was good. Actually, I have a question. Are we expecting anyone to be moving into Lima? I thought you two might know."
Antonio and Maribel looked at one another as though one of them would know the answer but neither of them had heard of a new person joining the town. Antonio worked as a Neurosurgeon up at Lima General so throughout the hospital he heard a few things but he hadn't heard anything about someone new coming to the town. It's something someone usually knew since they would usually visit a house so someone would them figure it out but not this time. Nothing had been said at all. Maribel, on the other hand, had a lot of friends around the town so usually if someone found out something, she'd be the first to know but nothing had been said. It was strange.
"I haven't heard anything," Antonio said looking up at his daughter. "Have you heard something?"
"No, it's just that whilst I was running I saw this girl get off the train so I thought maybe she was new," Santana stated before shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe she's just visiting family."
"Could be. I'll listen out for anything and let you know." Antonio told his daughter before standing up and putting his blazer on. "I do have to get going now though so I'll see you later," Antonio added before leaning down kissing his wife and children and walking out of the house.
Santana watched her father go out the door then walked up to the door to go upstairs. "I'm just going to get ready for school."
"Okay dear," Maribel said with a smile. "Jonah, eat your breakfast up. You're not leaving the table until you finish your toast."
Santana shook her head in amusement before walking up the stairs to get ready. She had a bit of time before she had to set off so Santana thought that she might as well make the most of it and look her best. Who knows? She could meet a girl she wants to be with. Okay, so the school doesn't know that she was gay but they didn't need to. She had her reputation and if they didn't know who she actually was, the better school will be for her. Sometimes keeping things to yourself is the best thing to do to be happy. Santana walked into her room and got on with getting ready for school. It wasn't long until she had to pick her best friend Quinn up and she didn't plan on being late.
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Walking through the town Brittany couldn't help but notice how compact it all seemed. There weren't very many houses that weren't connected to another one which was definitely different from where she lives, well, used to live now. She had no idea what she was going to do with herself. She had already had a number of calls which she ignored. Some from friends and some from the person she ran away from. She had no intention of talking to him and she couldn't risk telling her friends in case he found them and threatened them or something. She cared too much about her friends for that. That was the problem with the entire situation. She cared too much which is what caused her to keep her mouth shut. She kept her mouth shut for her mom so she didn't upset her and now look at the consequences. She had to run away to get away from the person who had been hurting her for so long. She just couldn't take it anymore and now she couldn't even go and visit her mother. She had told the hospital before she left though to contact her if anything happens which, hopefully, won't happen.
Since it was coming up to spring now it was getting warmer which would definitely benefit her. All that Brittany had on her currently was a few clothes, her phone along with a few personal possessions which she didn't want anyone touching such as her diary and a photo of her family before her parents separated. She loved it since it was a picture of her and her parents. She didn't have any siblings but she remembers her mom telling her she wanted more kids. She has a new husband now and they had talked about it but she didn't think it was a good idea. She never liked her husband but she kept quiet because her mom was happy and all she wants is for her to be happy. She sighed at the thought and continued walking down the street to find some shelter. It looked like it was about to rain and she didn't exactly want to get her clothes wet since she hardly had any as it is so she looked around to see if there was any shelter she could get under.
Brittany turned a corner and noticed a building upon the horizon. She walked towards it tightening the grip she had on her bag strap and noticed as she got closer it was a school; quite a good school by the looks of the field that was in view. She noticed how the grass actually looked green and they had a football field along with bleachers. Definitely better than the school she attended anyway. Brittany looked up and sighed when she realized the fence was too high to climb.
"Damn it." She mumbled then went to turn around until she spotted a tree in the parking lot. Well, it wasn't anything like they have in the school but it'd have to do.
The blonde walked over to the tree and put her backpack fully on her back before climbing up settling herself on a branch. She didn't want anyone who walked in to see her and since the leaves were green she wouldn't be able to be seen and she'd be safely hidden. She felt her phone vibrate and saw her step-father was phoning her. She felt her heart jump like she always did when he called her or was close by. She shook her head and put her phone in her bag looking out onto the school. There were a few cars in the parking lot which she assumed were teachers or something along the lines of that. It was too early for students to be arriving anyway. Brittany put her hand in her bag getting out a banana she took from the house before leaving taking a bite of it. She didn't have a lot of money so wasting food that she had brought with her was not a good idea. She probably had around $50 give or take which was not a lot when you think about it.
Brittany sighed and leant her head back against the tree trunk looking up to the sky. How did things get this bad? She heard a car pull up and looked down to see someone who looked like a teacher. She watched as the man got his bag out of the car and walked towards the school. Brittany moved her foot slightly and before she could stop it, her bag fell to the floor with a thud. The man looked at the tree and walked towards the backpack that had fallen out of the tree. He picked it up off of the floor looking up to see her. She didn't say anything, just looked at him, when he gave her a gentle smile.
"This must be yours I presume?" He asked holding her bag in which she nodded in response climbing down taking it from him.
"Thanks." She mutters quietly putting her bag back on her back to climb back up.
The man looked at the girl in front of him. "Hey, do you go here? My name is Mr Schue, I'm a teacher here."
She glances back looking at the man before shaking her head. "No, I don't. I...err...kind of just moved here."
"Oh, so you're the new girl, huh? Must be scary, right?" He asks with a smile to his face.
Brittany nods her head feeling a little uneasy around the man. "Yeah, it is scary. Don't let me keep you, sir. I'm sure you have much better things to do than talking to me."
Mr Schue chuckles. "Oh I assure you I don't but I understand. I'm a stranger and you don't like that so I'll let you go. If you're new you should talk to your parents about coming here. We have a fantastic education curriculum along with performing arts, which I'm in charge of, and Cheerleading. You should think about it."
Brittany nods her head which seems to please the man since he gives her a wave goodbye before walking into the school. She watches then climbs back up the tree hanging her bag on a strong branch so it won't fall down like it did just then. Maybe joining a school wouldn't be the end of the world. God knows it'll be safer than staying out on the streets all the time. Heck, she didn't even have any money for a place to spend the night. Sighing she went back to looking up at the ceiling trying to think of a way she could live here without being in danger of being found. Maybe this school would be her only option right now.
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Santana walked up to Quinn's house texting the blonde to let her know she was outside. She wasn't a fan of her parents with them being all religious and catholic so it made her feel uncomfortable, what with her being gay and everything. She took out her mirror to check her makeup when Quinn exited her house walking towards her putting her bag on her shoulder. She put the mirror back in her bag and walked alongside the blonde towards school. Luckily they didn't have any Cheerleading practice since Santana had things on her mind that didn't consist of Coach Sylvester telling her what moves she needs to be doing. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Quinn's voice.
"San? You alright?"
She glanced towards her best friend nodding her head. "Fine thanks. Just thinking that's all. How's it going with Hudson?"
Quinn sighed shaking her head in response. "Awful. I don't see why he wouldn't want to be with me. I mean look at me! I'm hot and a cheerleader. What more could he want?"
Santana shrugged her shoulders. "No clue. I don't understand guys sometimes. Maybe you could go after Puckerman instead. I hear he likes you."
"Yeah, so he can have sex with me. I want more than just a quickie." Quinn said sighing. "I just want someone to love me. Don't you?"
Santana nodded her head in response. Yes, of course, that was what she wanted but at the moment it wasn't exactly realistic. Lima was just one of those judgmental places and if one person found out about her sexuality then everyone would know. She wasn't about to let that happen but then again she wasn't going to pretend to be someone she's not. She tried that last year and just hated it so she gave up. She wasn't going to make herself unhappy just to please everyone else. Why should she? It's her life, not theirs.
"I do but right now I'm trying to focus on my school work so I don't think a relationship is in the works for me right now."
"You really should get a boyfriend," Quinn said looking at the Latina. "You haven't had one since last year."
"Your point?" Santana asks with a bored expression.
"My point is that people will think you're not into guys at all. I'm just saying that-" Quinn goes on to explain when Santana cuts her off.
"How about you mind your own damn business?" She snaps looking at the blonde with a piercing glare. "Who I date is none of your concern, so just shut up and leave it at that!"
Quinn sighs but nods her head anyway. Santana always did this whenever she questioned her dating life which was odd but she couldn't talk to her about it since she always snapped at her. What else could she do really? She just wanted to protect her friend. People had already come up to her asking if Santana was gay or not and what exactly could she say to that? She didn't think she was and she always responded with telling them that she was straight but still. She can't pull it off forever.
Santana sighed walking into school turning to Quinn. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot going on right now."
"I understand no worries. You know I'm here for you if you need me, right?" Quinn asked hesitantly putting a hand on her friend's arm "You're my best friend and I want to be here for you if you'll let me."
"I know but I'm okay. Let's just get into school. I want this day to be over and it's not even begun yet." Santana sighed walking up to the school.
But what she didn't know was that she had caught the attention of a certain blonde sitting high up in a tree in the parking lot watching her with interest. But what she doesn't know won't hurt her.
