It's Brittany. Ohio's Brittany. Lima's Brittany... Santana's Brittany. What the California fuck was she doing here? Doesn't she know that this was Quinn's state?
"Quinn! Oh my god, it really is you!" She gets up from behind the desk, basically lunging at Quinn to hug her with strong arms. Her grip is tight on Quinn's lower back, but eventually loosens enough to pull back and look at her old friend's face as she spoke.
"Hey. Yeah, it's me, the one and only." Quinn smiles tiredly. "I could show you some Cheerios scars to prove it." Despite her unexcited demeanor, Quinn was actually pretty happy to see Brittany. None of her present friendships could ever compete with the one she once possessed with the other blonde. She'd hate to admit it, but it's kind of nice to see that face again, one so honest and kind.
"No need, Quinn, I know a Fabray when I see one." She doesn't know how wrong she is. "So how's it going? What have you been up to? What happened to you... after graduation?" They sat down with Brittany's hands firmly holding on to Quinn's, as if she was afraid she would leave again.
"Not much. Looking for work. And I left to go to college here." Brittany's expression hardens somewhat at the limited disclosure of information; clearly, those were not the answers she was looking for.
"You know everyone missed you... especially Santana. She would never say so because of her hardheadedness, but we all knew." She got up and sat back down behind the desk, putting a physical distance between the two of them similar to Quinn's emotional distance.
"Yeah, well you know me; there was nothing left for me in Lima."
"I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? We're here now and that's all that matters." She gives a smile that reaches her eyes. Genuine. Quinn realized then that this Brittany was not the Brittany she knew in high school. Brittany had been educated by life, just like Quinn, growing to become a more mature version of her previous self. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"I need this job, Brittany. I mean, I really really need this job." Quinn made direct eye contact with her hopefully new employer, telling her with the intense stare that she was serious. Brittany could only look away with one hand lightly rubbing the back of her neck and one corner of her mouth slightly lifted in a sympathetic yet tired way.
"I'm sorry; Quinn, but I just filled the last spot available. If you had shown up an hour or two earlier, hands down, it would have been yours. I'm sorry." Quinn expected it; this was the story of her life after all.
"Is there something you can do, Brittany? I'll do anything. I could clean up around here or help teach a class..."
"I wish there was something, Quinn, I really do. It's just, we had cutbacks this last year and..."
Quinn leaned forward and looked into her friend's eyes once more, this time with a glistening in her own eyes and a pleading in her tone. She had never expected to be this... vulnerable and pathetic, so... broken."I need this job, Britt, really."
"There's nothing I can do, Q"
Quinn blinked several times to rid herself of her inevitable tears, looking away before putting on a brave smile. "It happens." She gets up and rounds the desk, bending over to hug her old friend. "It's nice seeing you again, Brittany." When she lets go, Brittany's arms were still wrapped around her, not letting go. "I kind of need my upper half to get out of here."
"There's a job opening at Santana's work." Santana. "It doesn't pay much, but..."
"You don't have to." Quinn had seen how hard it was for Brittany to tell her this, to be indirectly offering her a chance to get closer to Santana again. When she left, Brittany still hadn't known about their secret relationship, but she knew Santana would've felt obligated to tell. Surely, by now, if the way Brittany's been speaking and acting was any indication, she knew.
"You need it, remember?" Brittany lets go and looks at her expectantly, time seems to stand still as Quinn thinks over the proposition. There was no doubt that without the job, in a couple of months she'd be in tattered clothing with all her belongings in a stolen shopping cart. With the job, however, her feelings for Santana would surely ignite again; they fizzled out yes, but never really died. So, no job equals homeless and job equals drama... Drama it is.
"So what's the job?" She smiles at Quinn giving in.
"They're looking for a sales associate at that store, Dirty Deeds. You know it?"
"No and I don't really think I'm into that kind of thing." She's thinking about a sex shop...
"It's not that kind of store. It's a new clothing store that supports undiscovered artists and designers. They self-print original designs mostly, you know, like graphic-Ts and stuff." Holy hell! Quinn was a graphic design major! What a coincidence.
"Where's this place?"
"It's at an outlet fifteen minutes away from here. I could drive you."
"No, you're busy. Just give me the directions and I'll drive myself."
"Don't be silly, I'm done with the interviews and I don't have any lessons today. Let me take you."
"Okay."
/
They're driving in Brittany's Range Rover. Range. Rover. Quinn lives in a freakin' Mini Cooper for god's sake. She parked it down the street for the dance studio, just in case someone saw her getting in and out of it. She couldn't take the chance.
"You weren't surprised when I mentioned Santana was here." Brittany spoke without taking her eyes off the road.
"I wasn't. It's just like high school, right? Wherever you go, she goes and wherever she goes, you go. I wouldn't expect you to have a long distance relationship, you're not those types of people. Plus, they always lead to breakups." Quinn spoke as she looked out the window of the passenger side. Both their words were void of emotional attachment, as if it were a conversation amongst strangers.
Brittany gripped the wheel tighter, the whites of her knuckles becoming visible. "Among other things." Minutes go by before she broke the silence. "I know about your relationship, the two of you."
"I wouldn't expect you not to."
"Sometimes... I think about what would've happened if you came out and stayed together. You'd probably still be together now." Her words come out as calm and indifferent as when the conversation had started.
"Brittany..." Quinn finally lost, turning to Brittany with emotion in her voice.
"But then again, I still would've fought for her... because she's worth it."
"Why are you telling me this, Brittany?"
She pulls into the parking lot of an outdoor shopping center and parks. She turns off the engine and removes the keys, but remains sitting there, looking forward for a few moments while she collected four years of thoughts into one.
She finally turns to Quinn, locking eyes. "I'm telling you this because things changed, Quinn. I don't know if you're the same as before, but I'm not, Santana isn't... I haven't seen you in four years, but not forty minutes ago, I felt like how I did back in high school. I just want you to know that I've had a lot of time to think about this and nothing could've prepared me for our meeting today, but I understand what I did. I understand that I could've let you go again. I didn't because I want to know what would've happened. Now I have the chance."
"Brittany..." Quinn reached out for her hand.
"I told you, Quinn. I'd still fight for her." Brittany's expression was so enduring and void of spite that it unnerved Quinn in a way. "Now let's get you that job."