I own nothing other than my interpretation of the Gleeniverse. I did not create these characters nor their epic love.
Embarrassing spelling and typographical errors, sadly, all mine.
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Love this ship.
Go Big and Go Home
Chapter 2
My mother was waiting at the station in her sunglasses when I arrived. The sun wasn't up yet. I threw my overnight bag into the back seat and I swear I could hear her eyes clunk from one side of her head to the other as I sat down.
"Mija…." Her sleepy contralto spilled into the front of the car with as much fear as harsh judgment. "This better be good, Santana. We didn't save up all that money for you to run back and forth to Lima every time Brittany 'needs you'." She made the annoying little rabbit ears with her hands when she said, "needs you". My heart sank. My mother's hands suddenly looked a lot like my hands and that made my throat struggle to work but her continued rambling interrupted the looming panic attack starting in the passenger seat. "That money was for college, or your career. Or something other than this over night train."
Silence.
"Again."
I swallowed. Hard. She was right. I hate when she's right. But she was right. As speckles of pink started to sneak into the atmosphere it felt like all of Ohio itself was blushing. I shouldn't have come. It is not my place. I don't even know what the hell is going on. No one answered my texts other than Tina and all she had to say was "Yup. She's loosin' it. News at 11." But even after a nap on the train I felt like I had a five hundred pound elephant sitting on my chest and I just couldn't breathe.
"There's a coffee in the cup holder, baby. That's for you." My mother put her hand on my knee and started to make little circles with her thumb. She used to do that on my back when I couldn't sleep. I used to catch myself doing the same thing to Brittany all the time. I rolled my eyes at myself for even thinking about it. The apple doesn't fall far. I grabbed the coffee and let the scent of it open my nose.
"Thank you for the coffee. And for getting up at the butt crack of dawn get me. I have no idea what's coming, but it certainly doesn't feel good."
"But you said Sam and Brittany broke up? That's what you said last night when you called. I mean that's what you wanted right? Isn't this about you trying to get back together with Brittany?"
I couldn't believe she was just putting that all out there, like I would just run home at the fist mention of Sam and Brittany's break up, ride in on some kinda white horse and reclaim my maiden. Does she really think our relationship was that simple? Or that I was that shallow? God. My own mother.
"No mom. That's not why I'm here. Sam called me. He begged me to come home. He's frightened. Some crazy shit's going on and no one will give me straight answers so I'm just going to have to find Brittany and ask her myself."
"Okay. So should I head to Brittnay's or to school?"
"I don't know. I hadn't thought that far into this plan, mom. All I know is Brittany went to Boston to talk to people at MIT and she came back all kinds of crazy. I mean, the new girl, Marley, that I actually really like, she's like a less psycho Rachel, posted some cryptic Facebook status about Glee Club getting disqualified for Regional's because of she was 'betrayed by someone who tried to steal her solo' #BRITTNAYSADIVA? And Becky Jackson posted a picture on Instagram of Brittany in Coach Sue's office with Coach Roz and a blazing fire. A fire mom!"
"Okay, okay. I get it. And Brittany's not answering her phone?
"Right to voice mail"
"Or texts?"
"Not from me, or Sam, or even Mr. Shue. I asked."
Moma bear sucked her teeth as she put the car in drive and started to exit the lot. Sunlight was spreading like my anxiety as we pulled into the Lima morning commute.
"Do you think maybe I should call her parents San?"
"She was wearing my hat though."
We stopped at a red light and Mom took off her sunglasses to look me in the eye.
"Huh?"
"In the fire picture, she was wearing my red beret."
The light turned green.
"It looked really cute on her," I swallowed the end of the phrase.
My mother then pulled the car over, put on the emergency flashing lights and turned to me in the front seat. She rubbed her mascara-less eyes and looked at me head on. Her pupils were sparking and excited.
"Okay, Santanita, this is what we're going to do. I'm going to take you to your car. You're going to put yourself together and wake the hell up. I'm going to get myself dressed and off to work and you can go find your girl and get back your hat, okay?"
"It's just a hat mom. Who cares about the damn hat? But yea that sounds perfect, mommy. Thank you. Seriously."
"For Brittany? Honey. Anything."
