Summary

Santana is the new kid at WMHS. She has a goal and that's to get through her Senior year and graduate. She doesn't want anything to get in the way of that goal. That changes, however, when she meets a blonde cheerleader that won't leave her alone.

Brittany's looking for something in her life that she can't find.

Rating of T for now but with an upgrade to M in future chapters.

Chapter 1

As I approach the school the words William McKinley High School stand out in bold against the brick building. The parking lot is alive with people running in about every direction. Some students, some teachers, some parents, all hurrying to their destination. I try to take in as much as possible. Try to learn all I can about this place before I even step foot inside the building.

It's the first day of school. My first day of my senior year of high school.

Stepping into the building the air is charged with an unnerving sort of energy. There's red and white just about everywhere. From the banner welcoming students over the main entrance, to the red and white posters on the walls, to the Letterman jackets that the athletes wear, and the short shirts that the cheerleaders have on. It's very clear what the school colors are from first glance.

The hallway is a whirlwind of commotion.

My feet lead me forward towards my locker. Kids bump into me occasionally as they hurry passed. Luckily, I was here a week ago for a tour and I at least know where I'm going. Mostly, everyone ignores me as a walk by but the ones that don't look at me with the strangest look on their faces, like they've just seen a ghost or something. I don't know which I prefer the students who completely ignore me or the ones that look at me like they would a horrific car accident.

I don't care. They don't matter. All the matters is going to class, listening to the teachers, taking notes, getting good grades, and graduating at the end of the school year. That's my plan. Nothing and nobody else matters.

Watching the students enter Mr. Channing's third period Chemistry class I realize that there are some interesting characters in this school. I guess most school are the same though. They all have the same cliques just different kids to fill the roles. Jocks, cheerleaders, math nerds, band and choir geeks, loners. Every school has them and this school is no different. It's clear who's friends with who as the kids mingle with each other before the bell rings.

When the bell does ring everyone who isn't seated searches for an empty seat to take. There aren't desk in this room but tables with two chairs at each. There's an empty chair at my table yet that no one has claimed. Hopefully no one will.

A girl in a cheerleader uniform looks around the classroom as all the empty seats are filled by other students. There's one seat left in the far corner, at the front of the room, right by the teacher's desk, and then there's the seat next to me. I watch her as she makes her decision. She looks to the seat by the teachers desk and then to me. She locks eyes with mine and I know her decision is made. I duck my head to avoid eye contact as she comes over and pulls out the chair next to mine.

I chance a look in her direction. "What are you doing?" I ask quietly, not wanting the teacher to hear.

The blonde haired cheerleader pats her hands over her skirt then pulls her chair in closer to the table. Avoiding looking at me, the blonde glances around the room, then nods. She settles in her chair, shoulders relaxing, hands folded in her lap, turns to me, and smiles. "Sitting."

"You can't sit there." I whisper yell. I duck my head closer to her so she's the only one who can here what I'm saying.

The blonde squints her eyes. "Why?"

I let out a small groan. This can't be happening. Not here, not now. The day had been going great so far. Can't this girl just leave me alone. Is that too much to ask for?

"Fine. Whatever." I huff out as the teacher starts talking. I'll just have to ignore the blonde. Mr. Channing starts handing out papers to everyone. I get my notebook, folder, and pen out of my backpack and prepare for the class. I'll just ignore the cheerleader next to me as if she's not there and maybe she'll have the courtesy to do the same to me.

The teacher starts talking about the lesson plan and what's expected of the students. It should be easy for me to pay attention but I have this uneasy feeling in my gut and I can't concentrate as well as I would like. Not that what the teacher is saying is gonna be on a test or anything but it's still good to know.

I glance over at the blonde girl next to me. She's, to my surprise, staring straight at me. Her neck twisted so that her face faces mine, eyes staring at me directly.

"What?" I mouth.

The girl shrugs and turns her attention to the front of the classroom. I look over the girl for a second more while she is listening to Mr. Channing. She seems like your typical cheerleader with her perfect uniform and her perfect hair. A notebook and pen lay on the table in front of her untouched since she took them out of her backpack.

Someone coughs and it brings my attention away from the girl next to me and back to the teacher. His introduction to Chemistry is really dull and boring but I listen anyway. I have a goal in mind and I'm gonna do everything that I can to reach that goal even if that mean listening to this boring Chemistry dude every day for the entire school year.

I'm taking notes when something taps against my right forearm. I look down at my long sleeve shirt. There's nothing there but I have an idea. I look up to the blonde cheerleader annoyed that this girl is interrupting my education. She gives me a half smile and nods her head to the right. Her notebook is now open and there's something written in it. The cheerleader points to the words and then slides the notebook over towards me.

I lean over in my seat so that I can read the words. R U a nerd? Is written towards the top of the page. I narrow my eyes and look up at the blonde. I lock eyes with her and shake my head. The cheerleader takes her notebook back. I look back to the front of the room. The teacher is still droning on about something that I have now missed. I glance back at the blonde's notebook. She's scribbles something else and passes the notebook back in my direction.

I look to the front of the room first before I look at what she has written. Mr. Channing has his back turned to the class as he draws some sort of diagram on the whiteboard. R U new here? Are the words written below the first set of words. I look over to the blonde and she has the most unusual expression on her face.

She angles her upper body closer to me and whispers. "I've never seen you before."

I'm shocked that she would speak during class. I thought that passing notes back and forth was already bad enough. I don't want to get in trouble. That's not in my plan. I need to stay out of trouble.

I look around the room. No one seems to notice. If anyone does they don't do anything for it. Nobody turns around in there seats. Nobody shushes the cheerleader. Maybe no one heard her speak except for me.

With my pen I take the notebook and adjust it so I can write on the page. I won't speak in class even if she thinks that she can. If she wants to do this, I'll write. Yeah, why? I write down and slide the notebook back over to the cheerleader. I'm hoping she won't want to know anymore because she's really starting to bother me. She's taking me away from the plan.

The blonde cheerleader reads what I wrote and starts writing something back. I roll my eyes. When will this end? When she's finished she looks up at me and slides the notebook back to me. Her eyes have a certain mischievous glint to them.

Cuz I know everyone at this school and I know when I see someone new.

I look back to her and she's smiling away. Confident. Or maybe cocky.

"I'm Brittany. What's your name?" The blonde asks. My eyes go wide. This time when she spoke it was a lot louder than a whisper. Loud enough to get someone's attention for sure. I divert my eyes from 'Brittany' as soon as possible.

The teacher turns around, along with a few students, and glares at the blonde. "Brittany Pierce, are you talking during my class?" Mr. Channing nearly yells.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the cheerleader shrug and look away from the teacher. I duck my head hoping Brittany doesn't out me or that Mr. Channing won't direct his yells at me.

"Yeah." Brittany shrugs again. "I was just asking the new girl what her name is." The blonde explains to the teacher, ratting me out as her accomplice in the process.

"Well, ask her in your own time, not on my watch. This is my class and I expect you to be quiet while I'm teaching." The chemistry teacher shouts.

"Ok, sorry, Mr. Channing." Brittany says quietly. She ducks her head in apology.

"That goes for all of you, not just Ms. Pierce." Mr. Channing clarifies for the class. He turns back to face the whiteboard with a huff.

I try to pay attention but it's hard with the blonde sitting next to me. I keep glances over at Brittany to see her reaction to Mr. Channing yelling at her. She looks truly guilty. Sorry that she got caught. Sorry that she got yelled at and sorry that I was involved.

'Sorry.' She mouths and sighs. Brittany leans forward in her chair. She rests her right elbow on the table, and then her fist on her cheek, and stares off into space towards the front of the room.

I look from her to the notebook on the table in between the two of us. Mr. Channing is still at the whiteboard drawing his diagram when I look to the front of the classroom. I resume my note taking, trying to copy the diagram the exact way that Mr. Channing drew it. I listen and catch up with what the teacher is saying but every few minutes I catch myself looking over in Brittany's direction. Brittany catches me looking a couple times and smiles. Every time she smiles I look away quickly to avoid eye contact with Brittany.

When the class ends Brittany leaves in a hurry without saying anything.

Seventh period rolls around and I'm thankful. It's the last period of the school day. I'm relieved. I like school but it's been a long first day. Being at a new school is overwhelming. I'm just glad that the day is almost over and I can go home.

I find an empty desk in the middle of the room to sit at. There are already a few early arrivers to my seventh period American Literature class but the room is still more than half empty. I sit and get my notebook and folder out of my backpack for the class.

"Hey, new girl." The voice from earlier in the day rings in my ears. The voice that interrupted Chemistry class. I look up immediately to see Brittany passing by my desk. The blonde cheerleader half smiles at me as she passes by.

Brittany walks to the back of the room. I turn to see the blonde wave to another cheerleader who is already seated in a desk in the back row. They start up a conversation as Brittany takes the desk next to the other cheerleader. Brittany's desk is in the row I'm sitting in. Three desk separate her desk and my desk. I turn around in my desk to face forward and to keep from looking like I'm watching the two cheerleaders. I don't want anyone to see me watching and get labeled by other students as anything, especially not weird or a freak.

American Lit goes by like most of my other classes today. Boring first day stuff, the class overview gets handed out, the teacher goes over it with the class, and explains to the students what is expected from them. Mrs. Turner seems like a fair teacher and American Lit seems like it will be an easy class for me. I like to read and I've read a lot, so I don't expect to many problems from the class.

The bell rings signaling the end of the school day. The kids in my American Lit class disperse rather quickly. I'm packing my things into my backpack when a hand wraps over my shoulder. I jump and try not to scream but a little squeak comes out. I turn around to see what asshole thought it would be funny to scare the new kid.

When I turn around Brittany is standing there. When she sees the look on my face she drops her hand from my shoulder.

"Sorry." She ducks her head. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Any fright that might have remained in my body leaves me when I see the sad, sorry look on her face. I'm still aggravated though. "What do you want?" I try to sound very non-committal about it, but I really want to know why she approached me.

Brittany frowns. "I just wanted to know your name?"

I laugh cryptically. This again. "Yeah, right. So you can what, make fun of me? Find some way to rearrange my name or rhyme it with something derogatory to torture me."

"I wouldn't do that." Brittany looks everywhere but at me.

I turn away from her so I can leave. "Well, I don't believe you. You and your cheerleader friends probably already have it all planned out. I've seen it before, you're all the same. The popular kids always pick on the loners, losers, nerds, band and choir geeks. I'm not adding any flames to your fire." I tell Brittany and start walking away from her.

"What fire?" Brittany asks sounding confused. To my surprise Brittany starts after me. I hear her footstep following directly behind me. I look over my shoulder to confirm that she is in fact following me. I see the blonde shaking her head and looking at the ground in front of her. "I wouldn't do… what you said. I don't know what happened at your old school but I wouldn't do that to you."

I stop in my tracks and spin around. Brittany stops abruptly in front of me. We stand face to face, just a few inches away from one another. So close that I can see the freckles that dot the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. "Even if it's not you somebody else will." I tell her firmly. "I'm leaving now. Don't follow me."

Brittany looks down at her toes. I take that as my sign to leave knowing that Brittany won't follow me. I walk down the hall to my locker, get the books and other things I need for the night and then walk out of the school. The hallways are nearly empty already. Everyone sure clears out of here fast.

Now that the school day is over I kind of dread going home. I don't want to be at school anymore after the long day that I've had but I also don't want to go home yet.

I get home at about 3:30. My dad's truck is parked in the driveway. I walk up the steps and into the house. My dad sits there in his recliner, beer in hand, already watching tv. He gets done with work at 3 and is already home and settled in for the rest of the day.

"Hey, dad." I greet him and shut the door. It's dark in the room. The windows are covered by curtains. The only light comes from whatever television program he is watching. It's probably sports, or hunting, or whatever else it is that he watches. One day I caught him watching Dr. Phil.

"How was school?" He grunts, never taking his eyes off of the tv screen.

"Fine." I reply shortly. "I'll be in my room studying." I tell him. I walk behind his recliner passing through the living room on my way to my room.

I get to my room and shut the door my behind me. I throw my backpack on the bed and close my eyes. I take a deep breath and try to put everything out of my mind expect for my homework. I try to let go of the whole day. School, the kids, my dad, that cheerleader Brittany. When I open my eyes my focus is solely on my homework.

So that's the first installment. Let me know what you think.

I plan on continuing this story but i don't have a timeline for when chapters will be posted. They will be posted as i finish them and that's all i know about that.