Summary: Brittany S. Pierce was the hero of Midland High School's girls' basketball team. Having almost single-handedly won the Texas State Champion title for her team sophomore year, her reputation as high school basketball star was on at full-force. However, when the death of her grandfather forces her family to move to the small town of Lima, Ohio, she must rebuild her life from the ground up. There she desperately searches for true friendships, another State Championship trophy, and the key to Santana Lopez' heart.
Warnings: None really, except for the use bad language (lots and lots of swearing on the court).
A/N: Hey there! This is my first fic, but I promise if you decide to stick around you're in for a good one :D
Enjoy :)
Some people believe that there are one or two monumental moments we experience in our lifetime that make or break our future—that define who we are as a person. And once those moments unfold, the rest of our life is decided. There's no other way to go back or change it, fate has already taken over and made its decision. The only thing we can do is sit along for the ride and hope that no more wrenches are thrown our way.
Others believe that little tiny moments, the small choices we make everyday, are what our lives build upon, and if one choice is made, it can always be reversed. The moments don't define us, we define the moments. Nothing is ever set in stone, any missteps can be erased and replaced with better, smarter decisions.
Brittany always thought she was part of the latter group. The group who believed that no single event could drastically change your life and lead you down one long path without a choice in direction. Instead, it was a series of small paths that added up and eventually lead you to your destination. No way can a single decision or event permanently affect your future. Especially when it's someone else making that decision.
Nothing is inalterable.
Or so she thought.
August 11, 2013
There Brittany sat, with her parents and younger sister, in the living room of their modest home in West Texas. The Pierce family wore anxious expressions, waiting with bated breath. The only sound was the unwaivering, monotonous tick of the clock on the mantle and the intermittent static emitted from the object that held everyone's attention.
Then, a confirmation of the dreaded. To Brittany, the words did not register. The soft sobs from her mom and the comforting words of her dad were nothing but a ceaseless stridency, lodged in the farthest and most disregarded section of her mind; the white noise in the background of an old TV film that everybody tries so desperately hard to ignore. Usually she was an expert at imagining good things that weren't there and ignoring the bad things that were. But the white noise and the truth that came with it wouldn't go away.
Her Grandat was not dead. There was no way. The man who brought her the most thoughtful gifts on the rare times he and Grammy would visit, the man with his kind, bright smile and persuasive turquoise eyes—the man whom she barely got to see but loved so dearly— was not dead.
Yet there she sat, huddled with her family around the landline telephone set to loudspeaker, elbows resting on the coffee table and knees bent on the carpet.
"The doctor said it was congestive heart failure and there was nothing..."
Brittany made herself tune out her grandmother's hysterical cries and the unavoidable explanation of her grandfather's death. She didn't need another confirmation. She didn't need another round of fresh tears. She just wanted to take back the last 15 minutes of her life. The call from the hospital and Grammy saying there wasn't much time left. The silence and anticipation of the inevitable. The affirmation.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
"I just wish we could have been there holding his hand when he let go," Elizabeth Pierce sobbed, shaking her head with grief.
"Liz, we knew this day would come soon," her husband stated. "At least we got to be with him on his last Christmas."
"That was nearly a year ago, Tim!" she lashed out. Timothy Pierce visibly flinched at her uncharacteristically harsh tone, which seemed to snap her out of the exasperated, disbelieving haze she was under.
"I'm sorry honey, I just can't believe this is happening, he can't be gone."
Brittany let out a deep breath and closed her eyes as she felt a sharp pang stab her chest, an ice dagger tearing at the hole in her heart. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had sneakily crept up and accumulated behind her closed eyelids. Beside her, a young girl reached up and latched on to the teenager's arm. Although just barely eight years old, Hayley knew the gravity of the unfortunate news that had developed in the Pierce household. It settled in the air like dust, only heavier.
"I only got to see him three times in my life," Hayley cried. Brittany, who had been alive before Grandat's health took a turn for the worst, was lucky enough to see him thrice as many times before she turned Hayley's age. By the time Hayley was old enough to keep memories of her grandfather, he was only the frail shell of the man his family once knew and loved. Even though Hayley never got to see the extremely hilarious and kind man that he was before his stroke, she had heard many stories from Brittany about going to Lima, Ohio in the winter time for midnight snowball fights and hot chocolate fort-building breaks with Grandat.
"Shh honey, it's okay," Brittany held her sister tight to her body in a strong hug. If there was one thing she hated the most, it was seeing her little Hayles upset. "We're gonna be okay."
As the four Pierce's gathered together for a comforting group hug, those same words were repeated over and over, each family member only praying that it was the truth.
October 27, 2013
It's been over two months since Brittany and her family recieved the heartbreaking news on that mid-August day, and by now things have slowly started to sink in. The tears have stopped coming, and Brittany finds that the only way to keep them out is to live her life as she normally would. She's sure that's what Grandat would have wanted anyway—to keep him in her memory but not let it slow her down in carrying on with her endeavors. More than anything, she's been worried about what his death is doing to her Grammy, the woman who loved him the most. Sometimes Brittany just wishes she could hug her Grammy and be there for her when she feels lonely. Maybe we can visit her over Christmas break, she thinks to herself.
"Mom, I'm home!" Brittany calls out as she steps into the hall of her two-story condo.
There's a crash followed by a slew of curse words, including 'watch it fat ass' and 'damn cat', before a flash of grey is caught running swiftly (well, as swift as an animal with that much landmass can run) out of the kitchen and into the waiting arms of its owner.
"Lord T! I missed you so much, too," Brittany exclaims as she picks up her favorite animal and snuggles him closer.
"He better watch it, or he's gonna be missing a lot more than your home-from-school hugs," Mrs. Pierce remarks, walking out from the same entryway Lord Tubbington ran out of, with her arms folded and a disapproving look etched into her brow.
"Mom, you wouldn't possibly send him away!" Brittany gasps with feigned horror as she hugs Lord Tubbington closer to her body and gently whispers 'I'll protect you' into his fur. This is a common occurrence between the mother and daughter, with Mrs. Pierce constantly joking that she'll send the cat to kitty boot camp to lose a few pounds—or twenty—and Brittany pretending to be his protector from all things healthy.
"No honey, I was talking about taking away the T-R-E-A-T-S," Mrs. Pierce replies, spelling out the last word in order to not alert the cat in question.
This time Brittany's gasp is genuine as she quickly reaches to cover Lord Tubbington's ears. "Mom! How many times do I have to tell you that I taught Tubbs how to read last year! He can spell and he totally knows what you're saying," she huffs.
Mrs. Pierce lets out a chuckle and shakes her head (she can never tell if Brittany's joking or not when it comes to anything Lord Tubbington).
"Well next time teach him how to watch where he's going," she says. "He nearly ran me over when I was walking out of the kitchen."
Brittany just gives Lord Tubbington a disapproving look and waves her finger back and forth. "Bad Tubbs, no cigars for you."
After a couple of moments, Mrs. Pierce sighs and looks at Brittany with hesitant eyes. Noticing her mom's careful expression, Brittany turns her attention from scolding her cat to look at her mother expectantly.
"Brittany, there's something your father and I would like to tell you and Hayley," Mrs. Pierce finally reveals. Sensing her daughter's confusion, she adds, "Come on, they're waiting in the living room."
Following her mom through the hall and into the living room, Brittany can't help but wonder what it is exactly that her parents want to tell her. Are they getting a divorce? No, there's no way, they're the happiest couple she's ever seen. Did her dad get fired from his job at the car repair shop? Not out of the question, but highly unlikely. Were they really sending Lord Tubbington to that kitty boot camp? Oh crap.
As they enter the living room, Brittany immediately sees her sister and her dad sitting on the couch and watching TV. Or at least, trying to watch TV. It seems like they're fighting over the remote and the TV screen is rapidly flashing between an NBA basketball game and the latest episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians". It would be a really amusing sight, except that Brittany realizes the game is between the Spurs (her favorite team) and the Suns (her favorite team's biggest rivals) and she really wanted to watch it.
Therefore, she wastes no time in dashing towards the couch and tackling her little sister into a tickle war. Being an expert tickler has its perks, especially when it causes Hayley to drop the remote and cry 'Uncle!' over and over. Brittany swiftly snatches the non-guarded remote and sprints to the opposite side of the room where she plops down on a well-worn and extremely comfortable leather chair.
"Brittany, that's no fair!" Hayley exclaims after Brittany changes it back to the ESPN channel.
"All is fair in love and remote stealing," Brittany smirks at her sister before turning back to the TV. Just as she starts paying attention, the game cuts to a commercial about hamburgers that look way too overly-sexualized.
"Wait, dad, I missed it! What's the score?" she asks excitedly looking at her dad with eager eyes.
"97-92, Spurs with 2:53 left on the clock," Mr. Pierce replies enthusiastically. "You should've seen Parker, he's been dominating all game!"
"Awesome," Brittany starts, "I gotta check out the highlights then!"
"Okay guys, that's great, but no one cares," Hayley cuts in. "It's commercials right now so change it back!"
"Shhh, no, the game can come back on anytime," Brittany replies. "Plus anything is more interesting than watching Snooki get pregnant and people getting drunk."
"That's Jersey Shore, you idiot. This is KUWTK," Hayley retorts, folding her arms and huffing loudly. Usually Brittany and Hayley are the closest of sisters and each other's best friends, but when it comes to their favorite things (basketball and reality television, respectively), it can turn heated pretty quickly.
"Hey, girls watch it," Mrs. Pierce interrupts the bickering between the two sisters just as Brittany sticks her tongue out at Hayley. "Britt, can you put it on mute for a second? We have an announcement to make."
Brittany snaps out of her glare war with Hayley and turns the TV to mute as she remembers the reason for coming into the living room in the first place.
She raises her eyebrows expectantly and looks with a questioning glance towards Hayley, who just shrugs with an equally befuddled expression. At the same time, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce seem to be having a secret conversation with their eyes, probably trying to decide who should be the one to make this 'announcement'. It looks like Mrs. Pierce wins the battle because in the next moment Mr. Pierce is sighing and beginning what seems like a well-rehearsed speech.
"As you all know," Mr. Pierce starts, "Grammy has been having a difficult time dealing with the loss of Grandat. Everytime we call her, she says she's lonely and she wishes someone could be there with her."
Uh oh. Is this going where Brittany thinks it's going?
Mr. Pierce pauses, receives a reassuring nod from Mrs. Pierce, and continues, "So your mother and I have been discussing this for a couple of weeks and we think it's the right thing to do...for all of us, and especially Grammy."
Yeah, this is definitely going where she thinks it's going.
"Just cut to the chase, dad," Brittany interrupts (she's never been one for patience).
"We're moving to Lima." As soon as Mr. Pierce utters the words, Brittany lets out a long breath and hears Hayley outcry in protest. "Next Friday."
"Whaaaat?! We can't move! I've got friends and school and...and a life here!" Hayley whines, continuing to list off all the things she'll be leaving behind if they move.
Brittany, on the other hand, is silent as she contemplates what exactly this means. Moving. New life, somewhere else. Starting over. It could be good. It's not like she has much here. Besides her three basketball pals, she doesn't really have a lot of friends. The only thing she was looking forward to this coming year at school was another State Championship. But who knows? Maybe her new school has as good as a basketball team as Midland High. Maybe even a better one. And it's not like it the move will change her life that much. In two years she'll be off to college and none of it will even matter.
And it would be nice to see her only living grandparent more often. But moving to Lima would mean no more Texas. She'll definitely miss Texas. The warm autumn nights spent sitting on the top of the roof watching the twinkling lights of downtown Midland. Camping trips to Red Bluff Lake with the family. Suspenseful, fast-paced basketball games with her teammates that they somehow always managed to win. Would it be the same in Lima? Probably not. Would it be better? I guess I'll just have to wait and see for myself, she supposes.
She can't say she's surprised that her parents have made this decision. Grammy had been dropping hints left and right about wanting more of her family closer to her, and she can be pretty persuasive with the things she wants. Like that massage chair she wanted last Christmas. Let's just say Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were looking up the most comfortable chair within minutes of getting off the phone.
In the midst of her speculations, Brittany's parents had managed to calm Hayley down with promises of new friends and a well-established school. Where Brittany never has the best grades and isn't too concerned with academics, Hayley is the complete opposite.
"And you'll always be able to keep in touch with your old friends," Mrs. Pierce reassures. Hayley just rolls her eyes and crosses her arms again.
"This will be a good experience, I promise. Brittany, you've been awful silent," her mom turns toward her, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, yeah. Just...taking it all in is all."
Mrs. Pierce nods. "It's a big change for all of us, but family is important. That's why we have to move in with Grammy. I know this news is abrupt, but I think this could be a great new experience for you girls, living in a different place."
"Of course mom, we understand," Brittany smiles at her mom and dad, trying to show that she is in fact okay with this.
The more she thinks about it, the more excited she becomes. Maybe she'll have better success at making genuine friends, or getting her team to like her instead of envying her, or avoiding weird looks at school because sometimes she says things that don't make sense (to them, anyway).
Yes, this could be good.
"Thank you Brittany, we'll go over more details during dinner," Mrs. Pierce smiles back softly. "But just to let you know Britt, it's almost four o'clock."
At that, Brittany shoots up off the chair and rushes to read the clock closest to her. 3:47 blinks back at her in green LED. Shoot, she's going to be late. And with that thought in mind, she's climbing the steps two at a time and sprinting until she reaches her room. Once there, she hastily changes into her shorts and t-shirt, grabs her duffle bag, runs back down the stairs into the kitchen, and grabs a water bottle from the fridge.
It's only after she's out the door that she realizes she never got to see the end of the game.
"Hey bitch, you're late," Brittany hears as soon as she steps into the fluorescent-lit community gym.
"Oh shut it, Jer, I know you're just complaining cause you missed me," she retorts coolly, walking up to her basketball friend/mentor and giving him a fist bump. "Where're the other two dickheads?"
There's two things about Brittany that she takes pride in: her athleticism and her badassness. Especially on the basketball court. Off of the court, (with the exception of her close friends and family) she can be a shy, fumbling spaz, but once she sets foot onto the lacquered wood paneling floor and gets her hands on that familiar round leather ball, she's anything and everything she's ever wanted to be.
"They're getting candy at the vending machine because somebody thought it would be cool to take their time in getting here," Jeremy replies.
'They' being Brittany's other two mentors, James and Ryan. James and Jeremy are twins, and they've known Ryan practically since birth. Brittany met them all in this very gym at the beginning of her freshman year, when they were sophomores. Fast forward to two years later and now they're the closest friends she's got. She's never been able to joke around with anybody else like she does with them (they don't take anything offensive she says to heart like she knows other people would). She'll definitely miss these three idiots who took her under their wing and helped her become the amazing athlete she is today.
"Sorry, something came up at home. I have something to tell y—" Brittany's cut off by whoops and hollers coming from behind her.
"Yo Britt!"
"Hey Britt's here!"
Before she knows it, she's getting picked up and brought into a hug from behind.
"Bitch, let me go, I have something to say," Brittany says through her laughs, struggling from who she suspects is Ryan's strong hold.
"Okay, sheesh, drama queen," Ryan says as he drops her back onto the ground. "Why you suddenly in a serious mood?"
Brittany just shrugs and says, "Guys, I have something to tell you. And you're not gonna like it."
November 1st, 2013
Well. This is the day. Goodbye Texas, hello Ohio. If you were to ask Brittany if she whispered goodbye to her bathroom, her refrigerator, and her bedroom window the night before, she probably would refuse to answer. But whispered goodbyes or not, this is the day.
After she told James, Jeremy, and Ryan that she and her family were going away, they had stared with disbelieving faces before enveloping her in a strong group hug and making her promise to keep in touch.
"You better text me everyday," Ryan said.
"The girls' basketball team is really gonna suck without you," Jeremy remarked.
"Yeah, you better be the best one on your new school's team," James added. "Oh hell, of course you will be."
"Thanks guys, I'm gonna really miss you too," Brittany replied. "But don't tell anybody I said that," she added jokingly.
"Who knows, maybe you'll find a really nice guy and finally get a boyfriend instead of dating all three of us like you've been doing," Jeremy quipped.
"That's disgusting. I would never date any of you."
"Nah, Jeremy, I think she'll go after a girl this time."
"Yeah? What makes you think that?"
"I don't know. Just a hunch."
"Guys, you do know that I don't 'go after' anybody," Brittany spoke. "Or a specific gender for that matter..."
"We'll see," Jeremy smirked. "We'll see."
Brittany rolls her eyes as she thinks about how teasing Jeremy can be sometimes. It's no secret to her three friends that she's bi. In fact, aside from her family, they're the only ones who know. She had never come out at school, but she often told the three guys about her current crushes—both boy and girl—which of course they would tease her endlessly about.
"Hey Britt, you ready to go?" Her dad's voice brings her back to reality as she looks towards the plane terminal, which currently reads 'NOW BOARDING' in bright red LED lights.
"Yup," Brittany says, as she jumps up and grabs her suitcase. She joins the rest of her family who are waiting with tickets in hand as the flight attendants start letting people onto the plane.
Once they finally get settled into their respective seats (Brittany happily takes the seat by the window), and the pilot has delivered his monologue about safety and blah, blah, blah (Brittany's not really paying attention, well, maybe just to the hot brunette stewardess holding the oxygen mask), the plane finally begins its ascent. As it breaks through the cloudy haze, Brittany only has one thought before dozing off: this new school better have a damn good basketball team.
A/N: Yeah, they better! Haha hope y'all liked it :D Next chapter we meet the McKinley gang (yes that includes you-know-who ;) Stay tuned! Updates should be at least every couple of weeks and hopefully no longer than a month if times get real busy.
Until next time! :)