16th August 2001

Santana Lopez bent her ankles over and scuffed her shoes against the stone tiles as she waited impatiently on the Pierce family's porch. She'd pushed the doorbell ages ago, and she knew they were at home because Mrs Pierce had told her on the phone that Brittany couldn't leave the house. The heat of the midday sun was beating down hard on the back of her neck making her whole head feel heavy, and she sighed melodramatically, switched the CD she was holding from her left hand to her right, and reached up onto her tiptoes to press the button again. As she leant on it, though, the door swung open, and there was Brittany's mom, smiling down at her.

"Okay, okay! I'm here, Santana! You can stop that!" she laughed, waving a hand across the street to signal an okay to Santana's mom, who was watching from their kitchen window. "I guess it's been a while since you two hung out, huh?"

"It's been one whole week, Mrs Pierce!" Santana replied sincerely, wriggling between the gap underneath where Brittany's mom's arm was resting on the doorframe. "Can I come in now?" she asked, from inside the hallway.

Mrs Pierce rolled her eyes, though they still sparkled brightly, just like Brittany's did when she was pretending to be mad but wasn't really. "Do I have a choice in the matter?" Santana thought about it for a second, before shaking her head and laughing back. "Listen, Santana, I know I said today was the day you could come round to visit, but Brittany's still recovering, and I want you to go easy on her. She's not ready to play too hard just yet. Can you be nice and gentle for me?"

Santana nodded furiously and wriggled on her feet again. "Uh-huh. Can I go upstairs?" Mrs Pierce's head had barely even finished its nod before Santana's feet were stampeding up to the top of the stairs, second door on the left.

"Britt Britt?" she called, slamming her feet into a halt as she got to the door, suddenly nervous. She reached for the handle, and pressed her ear against the door, still waiting for a response. "Can I come in?" A muffled sound came through from the other side and she opened it a crack. "Did you say yes? I can't hear you," she whispered.

"Um, well, you can," came the response, "but you have to keep your eyes shut."

"What? Why?" Santana asked, pushing the door open further and clamping her eyes tightly shut. "Britt I can't see to get to you…" Within a second, though, a firm pair of hands clamped around her waist and she flung out her arms to grab Brittany around the neck, pulling her in. "I've missed you so much!" she cried.

"Me too, San! It feels like forever!" Brittany replied.

"Wait, why are my eyes closed?" Santana asked, still not opening them up. "Do you look like an alien? Did you get a rash? Is it purple?"

"No, not an alien," Brittany mumbled. "I look the same, I guess." She sighed. "I just look so stupid with this patch over my eye. I don't want you to laugh at me." Santana stood still as she felt Brittany break away from their hug and sit down on her bed. "Britt Britt, listen to me," she said, sincere as ever. "You never look stupid. Never. I promise."

Even with her eyes closed she could feel Brittany squirm. "I do a little bit, San."

"Well I promise I won't think so. Can I open my eyes so I can give you my present?"

Brittany thought about it. "Only one eye. That way we'll be the same."

Santana chewed on her bottom lip. "Okay, well, I'll try," she replied. Carefully, she held one eyelid shut with a finger and opened the other one. Then, slowly, she prised her finger away, scrunching up her face to try to keep it closed. Brittany giggled.

"Santana! Now you look even sillier than me! Did no one teach you to wink yet?"

"No!" Santana frowned. "Is it working?"

"A little," Brittany decided. "Can you see anything?"

"Yes! I see you! And you don't look silly at all!" Brittany raised her visible eyebrow. "Okay, well maybe a little bit…" Santana giggled. "But so do I now! Can I give you your present? I have to use your CD player."

"Sure, but do you know how to work it?" Brittany asked.

"Umm. Maybe." Santana muttered. "Let me see." After a few tries, and accidentally switching on the radio, making Brittany laugh even harder, Santana got her CD to play.

Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky,

It had one long horn, one big eye…

"Santana!" Brittany cried, "What is this? It sounds like Grandpa music!"

"Shhh, just listen Britt! It's about a monster with one eye just like you!"
"I have two eyes, San, one is just covered up that's all!"

"But listen!"

It was a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater

One eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater

"This is crazy!" Brittany laughed.

Santana grinned. "Dance with me?"

Hearing thumping noises, Mrs Pierce poked her head around the door.

"Girls, I thought I said…" Losing her trail of thought, she raised both eyebrows and gazed wide-eyed at the scene she had walked in on. Her seven-year old daughter, wearing the eye-patch her doctor had made her wear, and her best friend, face scrunched up so that only one eye could see, were dancing around the room, oblivious to the fact that she was there, crashing into everything, screaming along to Sheb Wooley, who was blasting at an insane volume from the CD player Brittany and her sister had been given for their combined birthdays. It was too much information to take in all at once. She looked back at Brittany, who had been miserable for a whole week, and watched as she threw her head back in hysterical laughter whilst twirling Santana effortlessly under her arm. Smiling, she stepped backwards, and closed the door again.