Chapter 1
Step one
The day drags on. It usually feels long and Santana is spent by the time the last bell rings but today feels like torture as if she's been waiting for something to happen. She doesn't even know what it is she's anticipating.
Throughout the day she'd kept her eyes open for the girl she'd be meeting later. She didn't see her once in the halls, and she wasn't crazy enough to stalk the different rooms for a glimpse of her. No doubt Brittany had been on her mind all day and now that the last bell was ringing it felt like she was finally going to unravel the mystery that was Brittany S. Pierce.
Santana usually stayed a bit after all her students evacuated the classroom, she'd straighten the chairs and check for any belongings left behind. She doesn't have much to look forward to after work so she stays. Today is anything but usual. The moment the bell rings Santana jumps up faster than any of her students and grabs the manila envelopes lying on her desk, no longer containing her student's homework. She flings her hand bag over her shoulder and strides swiftly out into the hall, calling behind her for an extra unruly boy, Jim, to wipe the chalkboard clean.
She makes a slight detour to Figgins' office to pick up directions to Brittany's home.
It takes her a minute to spot her car among all the other ones. Usually by the time she gets out there aren't many cars left but today she's one of the firsts. She puts her teaching materials in the back seat and buckles in.
The directions are drawn on half a note page; it's simple to figure out where Brittany's house is especially when it has a landmark like 'Hummel's Auto shop' right next to it. She hasn't been there since coming back to Lima, never been a reason to revisit.
She takes a left and starts down a straight boulevard. Someone on the street catches her attention. It's a girl; she's tall with long legs that power her forward down the sidewalk. Santana drives closer and lets her car roll slowly parallel to the walking girl. Its cold out, Santana can see the breath coming out of the girl's mouth in puffs like smoke.
"Hey," Santana calls out to get the girls attention but she doesn't seem to hear. "Hi," Santana says louder and the girl turns. She looks surprised but takes her headphones off – Santana hadn't seen them under her hood. It's Brittany, Santana's sure of it. She looks like Mrs. Pierce in more ways than one.
"You're Brittany right?" The girl nods, still wearing a puzzled face. Not many people talk to her and even less know her name.
"Do you want to ride with me? We're going the same way." Brittany hesitates and begins to shake her head. Santana realizes Brittany doesn't even know who she is; of course she wouldn't ride with a stranger.
"I'm Santana Lopez; I'm a teacher at McKinley." Santana watches the girl run through her choices and smiles when she walks to the passenger's side.
Brittany holds her backpack to the front of her body and stares out the front window. She hasn't said a word to Santana.
"You must get really cold walking to and from school." Santana tries to make conversation. She doesn't get a response, just a nod – and a small, crooked smile. Its better, Santana feels she's getting somewhere. "So, what's your favorite thing in Lima so far?" Brittany's eyebrows screw closer together as she thinks; she rocks a little back and forth in her seat.
At first Brittany shrugs her shoulders, Santana takes it as nothing is her favorite or everything is and she can't choose. After a minute though, Brittany points to a colorfully lit shop with fake snow sprayed onto the windows - getting festive early.
"Ice-cream huh? I used to go there sometimes when I was younger." Santana chuckles when Brittany raises her eyebrows and her eyes scan Santana's whole figure.
"I know I'm not that old. Before I came back last year I lived here, I know all the best food places." Santana stops herself from saying she'd love to show Brittany around, it's too soon. The whole time Brittany listens to Santana talk as if fascinated by her. She nods and sometimes she smiles.
They get to Brittany's house and Santana kills the engine. Brittany looks over at her as if to ask how she knew and Santana just shrugs. She receives one last smile from Brittany and watches her walk up the steps to her house.
When she's sure Brittany's been inside for approximately ten minutes, Santana gets out of her car and makes her way to the front door. It would have been awkward to walk in together when she hadn't said anything about stopping by. Little does she know Brittany has been spying on her through the window.
Mrs. Pierce opens the door and lets Santana in immediately; she's dressed ready for work in her nurse outfit.
"Brittany just got back a few minutes ago." Mrs. Pierce scurries about tidying the living room. There isn't much to tidy though, the house actually seems barren – well, compared to Santana's.
"I have to get to work; I usually get the night shifts so I'm not back till early mornings." Mrs. Pierce talks more to herself than to Santana. But Santana understands.
She's starting to understand a lot of things about the Pierces'.
Before she leaves, Mrs. Pierce takes Santana's hand and tells her how much she appreciates what she's doing. Santana assures her she took the job because she wanted to.
"Brittany is a special girl Santana; don't worry if she doesn't take to you very well at first. She's shy but she'll come around." Mrs. Pierce leaves Santana with those words.
The second time Santana enters the house it's with a hint of hesitation; it's only her and Brittany now. If she's being honest, she doesn't know where to begin. There isn't much in the house that says anything about the two women who live in it.
The walls are bare and white. No pictures rest on the fireplace or anywhere else for that matter. Santana wonders how long they've been living here; the home doesn't feel like a home, it's just a house. Like the living room, everywhere else has just the bare minimum.
"Brittany," Santana tries calling. She doesn't know if she should go upstairs to where she knows the girl is. "Are you going to come down?" She sits on the stairs and looks up to the second floor hoping to see a head of blond hair whisk past and down the stairs to join her. In a moment Brittany does surface, she leans against the railing and looks down at Santana from her vantage point directly above.
"Hi, why don't you come down so I can talk to you?" The girl really is shy, or she doesn't like to be around people much. About five minutes of staring at each other pass, then Brittany reluctantly comes downstairs – Santana can tell from the way she drags her feet.
It's a little bit awkward standing at the bottom of the stairs so Santana suggest that they sit on the couch. Brittany agrees with a shrug and plops herself on one end, Santana takes the other.
"So, I don't know if your mom told you but I'm going to be your tutor until you finish high-school." Brittany nods her head in acknowledgement. "Sorry, I didn't tell you in the car. I would have but then you might have not got in."
"Are you scared of me?" Santana asks. It's strange that Brittany hasn't even spoken to her. Brittany doesn't answer right away but then she shakes her head, "no."
She's glad to finally hear the girls say something. "You have a pretty voice; I'd love to hear it more often." Santana smiles genuinely, and she can't really tell but she thinks the girl blushes. At least her worries about Brittany maybe being dumb are now moot.
Now that Brittany had said something, Santana waits to see if she'll say anything more. Brittany is sort of lost in her own world, staring at Santana's lap. "You know, I think we'll get along really well Brittany. I'm going to come over every day after school and help you with anything you're struggling with." She looks into Brittany's eyes before the girl quickly looks away with a shy smile on her face.
Santana scoots closer; all the while making sure Brittany knows and is comfortable with her closing some distance. "Since we're going to be spending a lot of time together, why don't we get to know each other? I have this really corny game that is super unoriginal if you want to play it, it's called ten questions." Brittany bobs her head and says a silent oh, as she recognizes the game.
"I know right? Even the title is uncreative. How about you start first, you get to ask me ten questions; they can be anything. " Brittany nods her head and sits up a little straighter taking the game seriously.
She opens her mouth several times but quickly closes it. Santana knows she has questions but maybe she's afraid to ask.
"What's your favorite type of cake?" Brittany's taken aback, not expecting Santana to ask her first. "Vanilla with crushed M&M's", it's Santana's turn to be surprised.
"That sounds like an awesome cake, is it your mom's special recipe?" Brittany chuckles and nods her head.
"I'd like to try it one day. Now your turn, ask me something." Brittany's face turns serious as she tries again. "Why?"
Santana doesn't understand the question.
"Why what Brittany?" She's sure the girl isn't talking about cake.
"Why me?" Brittany asks more firmly.
"Oh," Santana's shoulders drop a little bit; she had wanted Brittany to loosen up but if the girl had to know than Santana was going to tell her. "Because, I think you are too good to be in high-school. I know you can get through it easily but maybe you just need someone to cheer you on. And let me tell you, I used to be Captain of the Cheerios, I know how to cheer." Brittany smiles again. To Santana that smile could possibly the most beautiful thing on the planet right now. If anything, Santana tells herself to always encourage that smile.
"Is it my turn again? Ok, so why the Cheerios?" It'd been in the back of Santana's mind ever since accepting the job. Brittany was on the Cheerios but avoided interaction with people at all costs, so why would she join the most popular group of girls in the school? It certainly wasn't for popularity, Santana knew that much. The girl lay as low as possible, heck it didn't even seem like she had a friend.
"I like to dance." Santana expected a longer explanation but it seemed like Brittany was going to leave it at that.
"Are you hungry?"
"Is that really your question?" Santana asks and cocks her head to the side.
"No, I'm just asking. It's six o'clock, that's usually when I eat."
"Then by all means, help yourself." Santana gets up from the couch, "actually, I think I'll head home a little early today. We'll officially be starting lessons next week but I'll come again tomorrow and we can chat some more." Brittany nods and stands up to get the door for Santana as she puts her coat back on.
"If you see me at school, you can say hi. Don't be a stranger." Santana chuckles and walks out onto the porch. "Okay," Brittany says quietly and watches Santana put her gloves on. She smiles the whole time, it doesn't go unnoticed.
"I'll see you tomorrow Brittany, I had a good time." Santana receives another nod before she turns around and walks to her car.
The short drive back to her house Santana thinks about her encounter with Brittany. The girl is still a mystery to her. She didn't learn much today but there was progress. The first step is always gaining another's trust and confidence. Santana thinks she's gotten a little of both.
Santana pulls into her driveway and eagerly goes into her house. She can't wait to take a warm bath, a few minutes outside already has her teeth chattering and she wonders how Brittany could walk the distance from her home to the school. Maybe she could arrange to pick Brittany up in the mornings, but then that could be overstepping. She's not Brittany's caretaker, she's just her tutor. The girl might appreciate it though. She'll bring it up next time she gets to talk to Mrs. Pierce. If it's a no go, at least she tried.
The warm water quickly sinks into her skin as Santana relaxes in the tub filled nearly to the brim. She thinks of all the things she needs to do; make notes for tomorrows English class, prepare a pop quiz on the renaissance movement in France for tenth grade history, and most importantly, think of how she can help Brittany.
Santana almost drifts off to sleep when a notification sound comes from her computer. She forgot she'd turned it on before her bath. Wrapping a towel around her quickly, she tip toes out of the bathroom, the cold air raising the hairs on her damp skin.
The pop up screen gets her attention as she reads the message.
Kurt Hummel (7:10pm)
Hey, don't think I'm a stalker or anything but I got your IM from Mercedes. I thought I saw you today at a house near my dad's auto shop.
A smile plays on Santana's face as quickly types out a reply; she hadn't known Kurt was in town.
Santana Lopez (7:16pm)
Yeah, that was me. I didn't know you were in Lima or I would have dropped by.
While waiting for a reply, Santana dries off her body; she's already shivering a little bit. She gets into her warmest pajamas and turns the heater up.
She's just plugged in the hair dryer when her computer beeps again.
Kurt Hummel (7:24pm)
I've been back a week. I haven't seen you in ages. We really need to get together sometime and catch up. I'll be in Lima for another two weeks.
Santana Lopez (7:28pm)
Sounds good! I'll message you my phone number so we can arrange to meet. Feel free to call me at any time. Except, I might not pick up if I'm in the middle of teaching a class.
Kurt Hummel (7:31pm)
Wow, so you're a teacher? I never thought you'd have the patience Santana. But I do admire you. I'd like to know how that came about.
Santana Lopez (7:32pm)
Thank you Kurt, I look forward to talking with you but right now my hair needs attention otherwise I might not be able to tame it tomorrow morning. I'm sure you understand.
Kurt Hummel (7:34pm)
Of course I do honey, a girls got to do what a girls got to do. Please, just don't talk to me about hair or make-up. I'm back in Lima to get away from all that.
Santana Lopez (7:35pm)
LOL. I'll talk to you soon.
Kurt Hummel (7:36pm)
I'll call you
Santana Lopez has signed out (7:37pm)
Something about reconnecting with an old friend makes Santana feel better. She goes to the mirror and dries her hair. She looks at herself and sees something different, she's smiling. This is one day she can admit to being happy, these days don't come often but with things happening the way they are, Santana hopes she'll see this version of herself more regularly.
It's eight-thirty when Santana settles down to her work. She'd ordered a pizza to be delivered and it just got here ten minutes ago. She opens 'Great Expectations' where she's placed her bookmark and begins reading the next few pages in preparation for tomorrow's lesson.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's no secret Brittany doesn't talk much. But that doesn't mean she has nothing to say. It's the opposite actually. In her mind she's got so many things she's sure someone would want to hear; stories of myth, experiences worth retelling, and opinions of the world around her. She just needs someone to listen. Of course she hasn't found that person yet, not in the real world anyways but that doesn't mean her thoughts are never heard.
That's why she keeps a diary. It stays buried under her pillow for the whole day but at night it gets to come out and get filled with words. Night time is the best time in Brittany's mind. It's when everything is finally quiet and she can stop yelling in her head for everyone to shut up. The night has a whole lot of meaning to Brittany and so does her diary. This is the only time and place she can say the things she's collected in her head all day, she tries to remember them all because even though she knows her Papa can see everything she does from where he is now, he loves to hear her tell him in her own words.
While the rest of the town settles in for bed, Brittany writes in her diary.
Dear Papa,
I finally have something exciting to tell you today. It's something exciting for real, not just that I found a marble in the streets with colors that made rainbows on the snow. No, today was even more special than that. We had our first visitor Papa. I've counted, and you know I was never super good at that, but I did my best. It's been three months and we had a visitor. She's really very pretty. Oops I probably should tell you more about her before I say things like that. My tongue slips an awful lot even when I'm writing. So, when I came home today Mama told me I was getting help with my school. I don't really want it because I could be smart all by myself if I wanted to. I know you always told me to be the best I could be but I like how I am now, please don't be too upset.
Anyways it was funny that Ms. Lopez, that's the pretty girl's name, offered me a ride home and then sat in her car for a long time before coming into the house. It's nice to know that sometimes other people do silly things too and it's not just me.
She's a teacher at my school, but you already know that. I think I like her. I mean she's really nice and she didn't make me feel squirmy. She even asked me about my favorite cake today Papa, no one's ever asked me that before. I don't think I'll mind her coming to tutor me; I'll probably try to distract her and get her to do other things that are more fun.
Sorry I talked so much about Santana Lopez today; she was the most interesting thing. And I should probably warn you that I'll talk about her pretty often, especially if she comes over every day. You'll have to get used to it, but believe me; you'll get to like her as much as I do already.
I love you so much Papa and thank you. I know you're watching me from up there. Please watch over Mama too, I don't like to see her sad but I don't know what to do. I guess I could try to do better in school then maybe she'd be happier but you know, I think she misses you a lot like I do.
Goodnight and kiss a star for me,
Xoxo Your Brittany
Picking this up because I got so many reviews for the prologue. I hope you liked the first chapter
