Okay, this was originally posted as a one-shot, and will probably stay a two-shot. But I felt that I needed to explain why Santana was being so kind to Wes, and why she wasn't bitching off to him or anything. I hope my characterization is okay; Brittany and Santana are uncharted territory to me, so forgive me if they aren't perfect. :3 R&R please - I'd love to know what you think.
"San, I can tell there is something wrong." Brittany was saying from beside her best friend at the lunch table, chewing on a celery stick. Santana shot the blonde a look. Why was Brittany insisting that something was wrong with her? Santana's reply was heated, but she couldn't bring herself to look her friend in the eyes.
"Why do you keep insisting there's something wrong?" She practically growled at Brittany, wishing the girl would just lay off. Brittany looked taken aback, but she wasn't discouraged. The blonde giggled.
"Oh, I get it. You're in love with somebody." Santana's eyes widened and she sat back, staring at her friend in astonishment and disgust. What the crap was Brittany thinking?
"What? Are you insane? I'm just pissed off about Puck." She replied, her grip slowly tightening on the protein shake in front of her. Brittany laughed.
"Yeah, maybe a little, but that's not what has been distracting you all day." She replied good-naturedly, smiling brightly. Santana glowered at her again, but didn't reply.
What did Brittany mean 'she was in love'? Santana never fell in love. Sure, she made out with a guy a couple of times, or went on a date with him, but she had never had a steady relationship. And of course, she never wished to. It was much easier to just have one night stands. No complicated association with someone to hold onto and keep up with.
Santana, be completely honest with yourself. She had to remind herself. She had been slightly distracted, it was true, but how could Brittany tell? Santana was a rock. Just because she had been thinking about this one kid at a school two hours away didn't mean she was in love with him.
Whoa. Had she just admitted that? Is that what she had been thinking about? Wes? Wes Spalding? Santana sighed. This was not good. She would completely lose everything that made her a bitch if she was suddenly thinking about a boy all day.
"So what's his name?" Brittany asked out-of-the-blue, her voice curious and cheerful. Santana tilted her head with a look of disbelief that Brittany was still pursuing this, but for some odd reason, she couldn't bring herself to deny anything. This was her best friend she was talking to. She couldn't do it.
Instead, the Latino turned her thoughts to why she was thinking about him. Maybe it would help her forget about him, so she could move on. Why was he so different than any other guy, why had he stuck in her mind?
She already knew the answers. She just hadn't confessed them to herself yet. She remembered everything, starting at Sectionals. He had been watching her. The whole time. Her. Not Brittany and her amazing dance moves, or Mike. His eyes had been locked on her. She knew. She could feel them on her, could remember it.
As she first began to sing the first lines of "Valerie", she had looked immediately to Kurt in the audience. His eyes weren't critical and judging like some of the group, but a comfortable sight. His gaze was focused on her, of course, but directly in front of him so were the eyes of a charming, strong-jawed boy. As Brittany and Mike performed their choreography, she had once again found the time to look up at Kurt. He was watching Brittany and Mike. But the boy in front of him was still watching her.
During the Singles Night at Breadstix, Santana had been feeling incredibly down. Puck was being a jerk, everyone hated her, and she couldn't even sit with her best friend – Brittany was too busy snuggling up to Artie. So she had sat alone.
To add to it, Blaine had sang the line "Sometimes it doesn't come at all" to her. She knew it meant nothing, just the words of the song, but it had, for some reason, cracked her shell. Was she growing weak? She didn't know. But then Wes had come along, and had saved her from the misery.
The Warblers came out into the audience. New Directions and the Dalton boys were being friendly, dancing with each other and having a good time. As soon as the group moved forward into the audience, Wes pointed at her with a bright smile. It had never happened before, but at that moment, her heart skipped a bit. That was the first unusual thing that happened.
He and another blonde cutie, though not quite as charming, had circled around her table. Wes immediately waltzed up to her and put his arms around her, laughing and swaying with the beat. She had leaned into him. Her heart skipped again – the second thing that happened.
He let go for a moment, but then came back around the side of her chair, snuggling up next to her. She had laughed good-naturedly with him, but had secretly been reveling the moment. Her heart seemed to stop – the third thing, a totally new and strange feeling. But she liked it.
Three things that had never happened to her before with a guy, not even Puck. And it was the strangest feeling in the world. It made her feel…oh so very vulnerable, not powerful like she usually felt. But for some reason, she liked the feeling. Was that what it felt like to have a boyfriend? To feel completely secure, and to be able to let your guard down?
Suddenly, she was snapped out of her thoughts. Brittany had spoken again, laughing.
"San, what is his name? I may be stupid, but I'm not dumb." Brittany nudged her. Crap. How long had she been rambling pathetically in her mind like that? She wasn't in fifth grade, for heaven's sakes. Only children daydreamed about cute boys. She was losing her edge. But no matter how hard she fought it, something compelled her to answer truthfully this time.
"Wes. Wes Spalding." She murmured, not really looking at Brittany. The blonde's eyes lit up.
"No way! That cutie from Kurt's school? I saw you guys snuggling." She giggled again, raising her arms in the air and leaning against Santana, imitating how the Latino had acted with Wes. Santana rolled her eyes and shoved Brittany, but she couldn't help from laugh.
"Yeah, I guess so." She muttered. "I don't know…I've just been thinking about him lately." She kept her eyes trained away from Brittany's gaze – she felt exposed whenever she talked about her feelings, and for some reason, nervous. Brittany smirked.
"You should –" She started to say, but was interrupted as Santana's slim black flip-phone vibrated softly on the table. The Latino jumped and glanced down, puzzled.
"Huh, I don't know the number." She mumbled. She was about to silence it, but Brittany stopped her.
"Answer it!" The girl cried, gesturing to the phone. Santana tilted her head.
"Why? It's a waste of time. Probably a telemarketer or something." The girl rolled her eyes, but Brittany shook her head.
"What if it's Wes? I've had dreams like this. You talk about something, and then it happens." The blonde murmured, a mystified look in her eyes. "Better answer it." Santana gave Brittany a confused glance, but shrugged her shoulders and flipped the phone open, answering.
"Hello?" She asked into the receiver. The girl tipped her head as there was a silence, preparing to hang up. What was she thinking, following Brittany's advice? It probably was a telemarketer. She was about to hit "END", but just then a nervous, stammering voice answered her.
"Uh…yeah, hi, this is Wes. From, um, Dalton. Kurt's school? We…we met at the Single's Night at Breadstix." Her heart suddenly leapt from her chest, like a tiger leaping for its prey. It almost…hurt. She blinked a couple of times. A guy was calling her. And she was nervous. Gah, what was she, in middle school? Santana crossed her arms and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I remember you." There was a slight smile playing on her lips, and Brittany grinned beside her. Santana was surprised at herself. She hadn't felt the need to be sarcastic at all. Well…that was a first. There was a pause on the other line, and Santana's heart was pounding with each passing millisecond. She felt incredibly stupid, the way her heart was playing up, but she also kind of liked the nervous butterflies.
"Yeah." Wes replied finally. "Um, look, I was wondering…I know it's a bit sudden, and sort of unexpected, but…" He paused for a moment, and Santana's heart leapt again. "Would you…would you want to go out with me?"
Time seemed to shut down. Santana went into action mode, her brain running faster than normal. She held all emotions back for a moment, evaluating the situation. She liked this guy slightly. He had called her and asked her out. Evaluation done. Her heart thumped wildly. Slowly, Santana slid the phone to her shoulder and turned to Brittany.
"He…he asked me out." She murmured to her friend in disbelief. The blonde's eyes lit even more, and she clapped softly.
"Say yes!" She cried gleefully, and Santana held a finger to her lips, telling the blonde to be quiet. She needed to think. Did she want to go out with Wes? This wasn't just another hot guy trying to date her for sex; at least she didn't think so. He sincerely wanted to take her out to dinner, buy her food, and treat her like his girlfriend.
Of course she wanted to go out with him; what was she thinking? But what would happen if she did? She could risk losing her 'top bitch' status. If this turned into something more, an actual relationship, she would be on new, treacherous territory. She would feel vulnerable and, for the first time in her life, nervous, unsure, with a guy. Was it worth it?
Santana mentally laughed. Of course it was. It didn't matter why now; she had debated that enough. Yes, she wanted to go out with Wes Spalding. Yes, this was it. She was going to risk it. Maybe it was time for a change. After taking a deep breath, she found the strength to reply.
"You know what? I'd love to." Her body flooded with joy as she uttered the phrase, and Santana was surprised at herself. She had just decided to go out on a real date with a real guy, not some punk just wanting her body. And you know what? It was the greatest feeling she'd had in a long time.