Hey all! This is a character study on the one and only Brittany Pierce. I feel like there's a lot we don't know about her character (which is true), and this is about me exploring the possible sides of Brittany. Enjoy! :)

i. knowledge

Contrary to popular belief, Brittany Pierce is not stupid.

In fact, she has an I.Q. of 125.

She was top of her class from kindergarten through to grade six. That year, she moved into middle school, became best friends with Santana and Quinn, and joined the cheerleading squad. That was also the year that her grades dropped dramatically.

At first, nobody took notice of the drop in her marks. She was, after all, at a new school, with new teachers and harder material. A small decrease in marks, her teachers assured her mom, was to be expected. This seemed to placate Miranda Pierce.

Until, that is, she sees Brittany's science test- the one with a big, fat, "F" written on the top in red ink.

Miranda nearly goes ballistic- but she is not, Brittany is relieved to find out, mad at her daughter; she is angry with her teachers for misinforming her, making her believe everything was fine when it clearly wasn't.

When her mom asks her what happened, Brittany lies through her teeth.

"I don't know."

But she does know.

She knows that at her new school, being smart is uncool. She knows (or at least trusts Santana when she says she knows) that by acting dumb, she can get away with pretty much anything. She knows what happens to the smart kids.

Look at Rachel Berry. She gets slushies in her face almost everyday (some, Brittany is ashamed to admit, thrown by her), and is bullied constantly. People roll their eyes and whisper "teacher's pet" every time Rachel raises her hand.

Brittany knows that she doesn't want to be like that. And if acting dumb boosts her popularity, which in turn protects her, then it's a price she'll pay.

But she knows, deep down inside, that the dumb cheerleading blonde isn't the person she wants to be either.

A/N And that's the first section! Short, I know. Please let me know what you think! :)