My Imaginarily Real Best Friend

Santana was a good person.

Anyone /now/ would say it if anyone asked about her. Nine years ago, even her parents would tell you of what an awful young lady she was.

"She has no respect!"

"There's not a nice bone in that girl's body!"

"Oh, and her language!"

They spoke of how she tormented the other children since elementary days. How she had no feelings, no mercy. Though they spoke of her being emotionless, they never knew how truly empty she was.

Santana was a good person.

Brittany knew this. She'd only met the other girl once, but she knew. Santana had been, one could say, Brittany's imaginary friend. They met on the playground in pre-k. Brittany recalls a boy pushing her into the sandbox and laughing before Santana came and rescued her. Oh, how she told that story made the other girl seem like a knight. She told it in such detail and amazement. Yet, the true story was simple. Santana came over and pushed the boy before helping Brittany up. They shared names before playtime was over and they had to go inside. That was sadly, the day Santana switched schools. But, there was one detail in the small child's story that rang loudest.

When she looked into her rescuer's eyes, she saw the saddest cry for companionship.

And she would never forget that.

Amazingly, throughout her childhood, Brittany never forgot the girl. She asked every day for her only to be told Santana was never there. She never believed that lie. The other kids remembered her, but the adults tried hard to make them forget.

As Brittany grew older, so did the idea of Santana in her head. She would talk to Santana every night and have sleepovers with her and discuss their favorite things. After a while, her 'friend' moved in with her. She began ignoring the kids around her, only focusing on Santana. She rarely left the house.

At age 12, Santana began to fade and Brittany tried to hold on to her, but after months, forgot, only to be told the stories by her parents of her imaginary friend, how she'd talk to air every day and night, pretending a person was there.

At age 16, she was surprised to see her best friend walk through the halls of McKinley High of her Junior year. A best friend she was convinced was imaginary. The Latina hadn't changed much. Same long, dark hair. Same cheeks except for her defined cheekbones. She'd lost her baby fat, the blonde could note that from the half shirt the girl wore that day. It saddened her when Santana walked past her, sparing a simple glance with her head held high. Something else hadn't changed. Her empty, Mocha eyes, albeit lonelier.

The months that followed her arrival were filled with changes. The reign of the 'popular' began and Santana Lopez led it.

By the end of that year, fear filled the halls of McKinley. Those deemed 'unpopular' where targeted instantly. Brittany wasn't popular or unpopular, she'd joined the Cheerios but stayed out of the limelight. Santana had also joined but if she remembered Brittany, she didn't show it. She climbed to Head Cheerio quickly and ran the squad as an army.

There was one day, the last day of the year. In which, Brittany had quit the squad. When word hit Santana, she barely blinked an eyelash, only locking gazes with Brittany once and walking away. The same day, a jock attempted to slushy her as most Cheerios who left were. She closed her eyes and was ready to take the harsh, cool drink in her face. When it never came, she opened her eyes. Santana stood with the slushy in her hand and the jock pushed to the tiled ground. Again, Santana didn't say a word, but lock gazes with Brittany before walking away. At the end of the day, Brittany watched Santana drive home, hoping to had get a thank you to her. She walked home defeated.

Brittany spent the beginning of summer trying to track down the Latina in private but failed. The family had moved away the first week, due to unknown reasons. Brittany then spent the rest of the summer in Europe with her family.

The week before school began, she returned, only to be hit with the news.

Santana Lopez had died. She had killed herself. The news hit Lima pretty hard. There was a funeral. Brittany came. She came to realize, she was one of the only students to come, the other being Quinn, who had been fairly close to Santana. Seeing her lifeless body, Brittany didn't cry, she could only stare. It was as if her body had caught up to her eyes. Her empty, empty eyes.

The story was that Santana had drowned herself in the lake behind her house. Her body discovered weeks after her parent's had left. She drove back and did herself in. The confident, fearless Latina had killed herself.

Throughout her senior year, Brittany visited the lake almost everyday she could. She'd sit next to the great big tree beside it with moss covering the trunk and talk. She talked about anything and everything. She talked about her favorites and hopes and dreams. She talked to no one but knew someone was listening. After a while, her parents pleaded that she stay away, afraid she'd revert to her childhood self, talking to 'imaginary' Santana. Sadly, she was already there. It seemed her old friend had moved back in.

It was like old times for a few years, 'Santana' following her when she went off to college and after, though people thought she was crazy when she talked to air, she didn't care. She had her friend back and never felt so complete. She had lost friends because they believed that she was crazy, but she knew in her heart, Santana, the Santana she grew up with, was real.

At age 20, her parents died in a car crash and she began feeling down. She met Anthony, a doctor trainee and they became close, in a friendly matter. He talked her through her parent's deaths and made her feel normal again. Santana was fading again and this time, she let her.

At age 21, her brother was shot at a bar. Anthony was there for her. After a month, Anthony developed lung cancer. She talked him through it and he promised he'd fight it.

At age 23, Anthony passed away. She was back to having no one to talk to. She stayed in her room for months, crying her eyes out. She felt… Empty.

At age 25, she realized she was alone. Just by herself. Depression took over and she found herself returning to Lima. She stayed in her old house for a few days before going where she truly wanted to be.

The lake seemed the same as she left it. The mossy tree served as a wall for her to lean on as she spoke. This time, she spoke directly to Santana. She told her about her 'imaginary friend' and the hurt she felt when Santana didn't recognize her. She even told her the story, in her point of view, of how they met. She smiled out onto the lake and felt the happiest she had in a while.

The smile stayed on her face as she walked out into the water, finally feeling at ease.

( I still have to update my other story but I saw a comment on the TBOT page and had to reanimate it for Brittana. I added my own little twist to it. )

I have no idea why, but I think it's like a story about a normal boy who commits suicide and is stuck on a moon as a ghost who actually catches souls and not fish out of a sea that is popular for teenagers drowning themselves in it.