FRIDAY – Part I
Story Summary: "I had always thought we were a family, and families were supposed to stick together no matter what. "It's been Five years since graduation. The members of New Direction have lost touch and been scattered all over the country. They are brought together for one long weekend where scores are settled and questions are answered. What happened between Brittany and Santana? What secrets are Santana and Rachel hiding?
"A ha!" I shouted triumphantly to my empty bedroom. I pulled the red and white duffel bag from the bottom of my closet. Some sneakers and old t-shirts fell out but I just kicked them right back in. I unfolded the duffle bag and held it up to read the black bold letters on the side. 'Cherrios.' Of course I had my own duffle bag that I brought with me straight from New York, but I felt it was oddly necessary to show up to this New Directions Lock-in Weekend Sleepover Thinger with my old cheerleading bag. (I'm pretty sure that's not the official name).
I only spent a short couple of months without this trustly duffel bag strapped to my side. That was only after Coach Slyvester had tried to shoot me out of a cannon. I unfolded the bag on my bed but it crumpled back into a heap. Whatever, it would stand up once I started packing it. I grabbed a handful of clothes from the shiny new duffel bag and forced the Cherrios bag open with my free hand. I heard something scratching along the bottom of the bag. I chased it until I wrapped my fingers around it.
I inspected the tiny ring in my hand. It was shiny blue with little silver notches along the side, like someone had scrapped it with the flat end of a screwdriver. It was one of those rings you get for a quarter out of those machines at the grocery store. All I wanted was one of those little finger puppet monsters. The one with its mouth open with poorly painted teeth and its arms flapped with you moved your hand up and down. I only had the one quarter and all I got was this dumb ring. I cried but Santana comforted me and told me that maybe I'll get a finger monster another day. For my next birthday she bought me a supply of them in each and every color. Apparently you can send away for them. I wished I had known that.
I chucked the ring back into the bottom of the bag and piled my clothes onto it. I finished packing and zipped up the bag just as my mom pushed open my door.
"Are you going to eat dinner before you head over?" My mom asked.
"No, Rachel asked me to get there a little early to help set up." I swung the bag over my shoulder.
"Oh okay." My mom looked at me. She looked like she wanted to say more so I just waited. "Is all of the old glee club going to be there?"
I nodded my head. That was a weird question.
"Even Santana." She asked
I just nodded again. Especially Santana. I don't know what that meant but I wanted her to be there. I was almost giddy with excitement at the thought of seeing her. So we weren't a couple anymore but she was still my best friend and she was like my family, and family always stay together even if they don't see each other for a while.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" My mom asked. She took a step towards me with a look of concern in her eyes. Why was she being so weird? I broke up with her, shouldn't she be asking if Santana would be okay.
I think my mom knew I was confused because she spoke again. "Its just that you and Santana have drifted far apart from each other these past few years."
I nodded my head again because it was true. We did drift apart but it was long before we broke up. I was all the way in New York and Santana insisted on staying at some local community college. It was the start of Santana's weirdness. Her parents had stashed away a hefty college fund for her but she insisted on a cheap two-year program. She never told me why and I never pushed her. I always thought Santana would tell me anything, as long as I gave her some time.
The topic was never addressed on her visits to New York or my visits home, and when it was brought up she would just brush it off and move on. I was fine with Santana having her one secret as long as I had the rest of her but then Sophomore year of college she sort of fell off the face of the earth. It was during the winter because I remember I had called Santana all excited about making the first cut of the Rockette try-outs but she never answered. I called her again about the second and the third cuts and still no answer. I didn't hear from Santana for another week and even then she was distant and her answers were short and usually one word. She sounded tired like she hadn't been sleeping and little bit out of it but I attributed that too much studying.
She didn't come to visit again that year and when I came home for the holidays she was distant. It was like her body was sitting right next to me but her mind was off in another land. I knew she was hiding something. Her secret about staying home for college had to be darker than I thought. I was scared for her. I tried every question I could think of trying to guess what was wrong. Her parents weren't having money troubles, her parents didn't take away her trust fund last she checked, and no one was sick. I gave up on my questions and tried to kiss her but she pushed me away, saying she really wanted to watch The Jungle Book this time.
I didn't work up the nerve to speak about her attitude until she was dropping me off at the airport at the end of winter break.
She pulled into the passenger drop off and shifted the car into park.
"Santana what's wrong?" I whipped around from the passenger's seat and tried to face my entire body towards her. She jumped a little but I wasn't sure if it was because of my body facing her or because of the question.
"Nothing." She smiled but it was forced and her eyes betrayed her.
"Santana." I started. "You've been distant the entire vacation. It's so obvious that something is going on with you, please just tell me." I was begging her. I felt tears well up in my eyes.
"Baby, everything is fine." She reached for my hand. Her eyes were lying again.
I ripped my hand away. Her tone was infuriating like she was treating me like a child, like she was protecting me from the big bad monsters. Santana had always defended me but she never once treated me like a child. Not until now.
"Brittany." She cocked her head. Her tone was still the same. Angry tears fell down my cheeks.
"I think we need a break." I said. The words pretty much fell out of my mouth but they were right, maybe Santana needed a break from me, maybe that was the problem.
"Brittany-" Her voice was broken and cracked now. Maybe that wasn't what was going on with her. I wanted to take it back. Santana looked down at her lap and opened her mouth to speak. "Brittany I-"
Someone pounded a fist on the side of Santana's car and with both jumped. Santana turned and lowered her window.
A man with poked his head through the window.
"This is a drop-off zone. You can't park here." He said.
Santana nodded and rolled up her window. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel and her knuckles went white, she looked over at me but she didn't say anything.
"Maybe it's for the best." I said. I hopped out of the car and grabbed my suitcase from the back seat. I slammed the door and headed straight for the check-in counter without turning back towards the car.
"Brittany?" My mom spoke again and woke me up from my memories.
"It'll be fine, mom." I smiled at her and she smiled back. Her eyebrows were still furrowed in worry.
"Its just that-" Her smiled faded and she looked down at her feet and chose her words carefully. "A lot can change in three years." She said.
"I know." I said. I brushed past her and out my bedroom.
