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Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters.
Santana lay awake in her bunk for hours after the party. She was absolutely exhausted but the thoughts that were racing through her mind wouldn't allow her sleep.
When she and Brittany had gotten home from the party there had been so many things she had wanted to say to the blonde girl. The words just wouldn't come, so they both went to their separate bunks in silence.
That had been about four hours ago and still Santana couldn't fall asleep. Sometime around one o'clock in the morning she heard Mercedes and Quinn stumble into their room next door. Every once in a while she thought about getting up and doing something, but she didn't want to disturb Brittany's sleep.
The Latina had been surprised by her own reaction to that guy at the party. It was just something about the way he had his hands all over Brittany that pissed her off. Santana was sure that the blonde could have taken care of herself, but Brittany had actually seemed more upset when he had pushed her.
It felt good for someone to stick up for her like that especially someone she was pretty sure she had a crush on. Santana put on a strong front but when it came down to it she would probably get her ass kicked if she was ever in a real fight.
Never in her life had she put her safety on the line to stand up for someone. Something in her felt the need to protect Brittany from anything and everything even if it was unnecessary. That guy probably would have gotten the hint eventually, but Santana hated the idea of anyone touching the blonde.
Her thoughts always returned to what the guy had said to her.
"What are you? Her girlfriend?"
The moment she heard those words, Santana had thought that Brittany would find out her secret. While she was afraid of the other girl's reaction, at the same time she was strangely thrilled by the idea of being of called her girlfriend.
Santana wasn't any closer to sleep when she heard the sound of Brittany moving around above and then her soft voice.
"Santana? Are you still awake?" Brittany whispered, causing the Latina to look up and see her head hanging over the side of the top bunk, her blonde hair falling down around her in waves.
"Yea. Can't sleep either?" Santana asked, watching as Brittany climbed down and took a seat beside her on the bottom bunk. The blonde leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, giving Santana the perfect opportunity to look at her.
Her pajamas consisted of red short shorts and a thin, black tank top that clung to her. The Latina felt a little guilty staring at her like this but it was hard to pull her eyes away from the beautiful woman beside her. In order to distract herself, Santana leaned back and forced herself to close her eyes as well.
"I'm sorry I made you leave the party," she heard Brittany's voice say to her left. This caused her eyes to flash open and she sat up so she could look at the blonde more directly.
"Are you kidding? That guy was all over you," Santana reminded her with an incredulous look on her face.
"Yea, but you could've stayed. I didn't mean to ruin the party for you," the blonde actually felt guilty. Santana couldn't comprehend how she could blame herself for something that was so clearly not her fault.
"Britt," Santana said and the blonde girl was almost forced to look her in the eyes, so she continued, "That guy was way out of line. I didn't want to stay at a party with people like that. I'm not much of a party girl anyway."
This statement was somewhat true. Ever since she had come out as a lesbian she had gone to less and less parties. For a while she would hook up randomly with some girl, only to find out that the girl wasn't really interested. That happened a lot and Santana had a hard time finding girls who actually wanted to be with her and not just making out with her for the attention of some guy.
Being attracted to someone was easy; the hard part was all the crap she had to do in order to act on it. For example, she always had to make sure she was at a party where it was even safe to be 'out.' If she did feel okay about the people around her she had to try to and find someone she was attracted to who also "played for her team." Then she had to make sure they weren't just drunk and didn't have a clue as to what they were doing. It was usually much too complicated to meet someone at parties, so Santana tried to avoid them if at all possible.
"Thanks," Brittany mumbled, looking down and Santana already missed her bright blue eyes. She was just starting to get comfortable again when she heard the girl beside her sigh in frustration.
"How come some guys just can't take a hint?" the blonde asked rhetorically, and Santana's mind began to race. She already knew she was in trouble for over analyzing ever word that came out of Brittany's mouth but this was getting ridiculous.
All she could think was that maybe Brittany meant that guys couldn't take the hint that she liked girls. That couldn't be it though; she probably just meant it in the usual sense: guys couldn't take a hint that she wasn't interested in them.
"You're really pretty. I'm sure lots of guys hit on you," Santana complimented her, and for some reason, she wasn't embarrassed about saying it. She looked to her side and she couldn't quite tell in the dark, but it almost looked like a blush was creeping up Brittany's neck.
"I should get used to it. I just got a job as a waitress at Breadstix," she said, deliberately not meeting the Latina's gaze.
"Let me know if anyone bothers you. I'll take care of them...in exchange for free breadsticks," Santana offered, jokingly flexing her muscles which awarded her with a giggle from Brittany.
"Thanks. I think I'm going to try and sleep again. Good night," the blonde murmured quietly and practically threw herself into the top bunk.
"Good night," Santana whispered, and she didn't even try to prevent the wide smile that stretched across her face.
The next morning Brittany crawled out of bed only to see Santana already awake and getting ready to leave.
"Where are you going? It's Sunday. I thought you didn't have cheer practice today?" the blonde mumbled groggily, trying to focus her eyes through a haze of sleep.
"I'm going for a run. Want to come?" the Latina replied, holding her ankle in the air behind her to stretch it. Finally, Brittany's eyes adjusted and she wasn't so sure that was a good thing because there, in nothing but a sports bra and some shorts, was Santana.
Her olive skin looked so smooth and soft as it stretched tight over her muscles. Her toned arms and legs were particularly distracting, but nothing compared to her flat stomach. To say she was in shape would be an understatement. All Brittany could think about was how incredibly...
Suddenly, she was wide awake and began to panic slightly. Why was she having these thoughts about her roommate? This wasn't right.
"Uhm, I think I'll just stay here," she sputtered, sitting up straight in her bed. Santana shrugged in a 'suit-yourself' kind of way and walked out the door with a wave.
As soon as she closed the door, Brittany jumped down from her bunk and grabbed her cell phone. There was only one person who could answer the questions swirling through her head at that moment and she prayed he picked up.
"Hey, Britt! Are you coming home yet?" Kurt joked, and Brittany was immediately relieved to hear such a familiar voice.
"Kurt, I have a serious situation here," she informed him, panic rising in her again.
"Whoa, slow down, Britts. What is it?" she could tell in his voice that he was worried about her, so she felt bad for making it sound like it was life and death.
"My roommate is super hot," she gushed as images of Santana's abs flashed before her eyes. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment and then a fit of giggles.
"Oh, this is too good!" Kurt exclaimed into her ear after he caught his breath from laughing so hard.
"You're supposed to give me advice, not laugh at me, you big jerk," Brittany scolded him sarcastically, but a smile was on her face nonetheless.
"I'm sorry, Sweetie. Why is it so bad to have a gorgeous roommate?" Kurt asked, trying to be serious now.
"Because...," Brittany trailed off, once again distracted by thoughts of the Latina's body.
"No way! You like her!" Kurt yelled into the mouthpiece and Brittany had to hold it away from her ear. It was true though. She had only known Santana for a few days but the attraction she felt for her was almost instantaneous.
"I do, but...does that make me a...a lesbian?" she stuttered uncomfortably. She sure as hell didn't judge people on who they were attracted to, but is that really who she was?
"Not necessarily. Britt, you can identify yourself however you want to," Kurt assured her, his voice somber.
"I know. It's just that I've never been seriously attracted to anyone before, and of course the first person I'm attracted to is my roommate for the entire year," Brittany admitted to her best friend.
"Does she seem interested?" he asked, trying to assess the situation. The blonde let out a small laugh and sighed into the phone.
"I don't know, but I can't mess up this friendship we've just built. I don't want any awkwardness to be between us for a whole year," Brittany said resignedly. She couldn't act on her feelings, even if she was brave enough to. Not to mention, she wasn't even entirely sure the extent of her feelings. All she knew was that Santana was extremely gorgeous.
"How about me and Blaine come down there next weekend? We can meet this sexy roommate of yours and you can show us around town. What do you say?" Kurt offered. Honestly, she loved the idea of her best friend and his boyfriend coming to visit.
"I'd like that a lot. Thanks, Kurt," she said sincerely.
"No problem. I have to go. Keep me updated, okay?" he demanded, only half-seriously.
"I will. Bye," she replied, and hung up feeling a little bit better about her situation.
Santana ran around all of the buildings where her classes would be and then back finally, which added up to about three miles all together. She really enjoyed running; it made her feel good and it helped to clear her mind.
On the last block before she got to the residence hall, she slowed to a walk in order to cool down her muscles. As she made her way up the stairs in the residence hall, she noticed Brittany sitting on the topmost stair talking on her cell phone.
The blonde hadn't noticed her yet so Santana waved at her to get her attention. Brittany met her gaze and a beautiful smile spread across her face. She pointed to the phone in her hand and mouthed the word 'mom' while rolling her eyes.
Santana gave her an understanding smile and made her way into the dorm to freshen up. By the time she was done with her shower, Brittany was back in the dorm watching reruns of some show Santana didn't recognize.
She didn't even have a chance to sit down because as she was drying her hair someone knocked on the front door. Brittany seemed just as surprised as she was as she glanced over at her questioningly.
Dropping her towel on the chair, Santana made her way over to the door. She looked through the peep hole but the previous tenants seemed to have scratched it up making it almost impossible to see.
The Latina opened the door and saw a short, brunette girl there. The stranger smiled brightly at her with a little too much enthusiasm.
"Hi! I'm Rachel. I'm the RA for this floor. That stands for Resident's Assistant," the girl told her matter-of-factly. Santana already knew what RA stood for, but she didn't have time to correct her.
Brittany walked up beside her and she looked even taller standing next to this Rachel girl. Rachel looked up at her as well, but her smile never faltered.
"Oh, hi. Anyway, I just came by to introduce myself and give you the dorm rules," Rachel informed, handing Santana a thick packet of paper. Without giving them a chance to respond, she waved and walked away quickly.
Santana turned to grin at Brittany who seemed just as amused by their RA as she was.
They would have both been lying if they said they weren't excited about their first day of college classes. Brittany was a little nervous but her and Santana actually had their math class together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They had both registered for classes a long time ago and the fact that they had both picked the same math class out of all the time slots was pretty amazing.
Ever since she realized that her feelings for Santana might be more than just pure friendship, Brittany had tried to keep her distance from her. It wasn't easy trying to block the Latina from her mind when they were together almost constantly, but Kurt would be coming that weekend. He would help her figure this out.
Her first class, bright and early Monday morning was Biology 101. Science just wasn't her thing but luckily most teachers would just be going through syllabi, or so she had heard.
Once she had survived that class, she walked around the main campus and just explored her new surroundings before her next one. As she approached the Commons, she saw lines of tables for student groups. It seemed like they were out in full force to get the new freshmen to join up.
She picked up a few pamphlets from a Gay and Lesbian Alliance and was about to keep walking on when she saw the cheerleading table. Santana was there in a short, black and gold cheerleading uniform and looking as beautiful as ever.
For some reason Quinn was there, talking and laughing with Santana and for a brief moment Brittany felt a jolt of jealousy. She mentally kicked herself for these ridiculous thoughts.
Brittany's feet acted of their own accord and led her straight to the Latina. By the time she got there Quinn was leaving and Brittany realized that she probably wanted to try out for the cheering squad, that's all. Santana looked up at her and smiled broadly, her white teeth in contrast with her dark skin.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Santana walked around the table in order to talk to her better. Brittany had a hard time meeting the Latina's dark eyes, but when she did, she couldn't look away.
"Just walking around between classes. Quinn wants to be a cheerleader?" Brittany asked, ashamed of her unfounded jealousy.
"Yea, what about you?" Santana asked, smiling at her. If Brittany didn't know any better, she would think the Latina was flirting with her. Maybe that was just her wishful thinking though.
"Oh, I don't think so. I wouldn't want to make you look bad," Brittany teased and Santana put a hand to her heart in mock hurt.
"Wow, really? Now you have to try out," Santana challenged her with a smirk and Brittany was temporarily distracted by her full lips. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly met the Latina's eyes and changed the subject.
"I'll think about it. Oh, I meant to ask you yesterday, do you mind if Kurt and his boyfriend come to visit this weekend? Don't worry they'd stay in a hotel," she added the last part quickly so Santana wouldn't think they'd all be crammed in that one small dorm room.
"I don't mind at all. I get to meet the fabulous Kurt," Santana joked, and Brittany had a hard time trying to tone down her own smile.
"I should get to class. I'll see you later," Brittany waved and walked away quickly. She really enjoyed seeing Santana but these feelings were really starting to confuse her.
At least her next class had potential; it was her first dance class. Since it was only her first year she was basically stuck in core classes that the university required for all students. Luckily, she was able to take an introductory modern dance class and she was really excited about it.
Miraculously, Brittany had managed to find both of her classrooms today without getting lost or being late. When she stepped into her next class she was deeply impressed by the space they had. It was a large room with a wood floor and a giant mirror on one of the walls. In different corners there were all kinds of training equipment, such as a ballet bar and soft mats, as well as a piano. Brittany had a feeling that this was where all the dance classes were held.
There weren't many people here yet, but those who were took a seat on the floor. The teacher, Mr. Schuester, had sent out an e-mail earlier in the week telling them that they wouldn't be doing any dancing on the first day so not to worry about how to dress.
About a minute before the class was about to start, a man with curly brown hair walked in the classroom. The only reason she could tell he was the teacher was the fact that he looked to be in his early thirties. A moment later a lanky Asian guy sat next to her on the floor and smiled at her in a friendly way.
"I was kinda hoping we were going to do some dancing today," the guy said and Brittany realized he was talking to her.
"Me too," she replied, giving him a small smile. He seemed like a nice guy and it was easy to see he was a dancer from his physique. He was a good looking guy but for some reason he wasn't attractive to her in the slightest. This thought only worried her more about her sexuality.
"Mike Chang," he introduced, holding his hand out to her.
"Brittany Pierce," she took his hand and then turned her attention to the teacher.
"Hey, Everybody! I'm Mr. Schuester. I hate to do this to you, but we have to go through the syllabus. University rules, not mine," he informed while handing them all copies of the class policies.
By the time they were through, it was almost time to leave. Brittany was bummed that they didn't get to do anything but Mr. Schuester was a really funny teacher. She knew it was going to be a good class and everyone seemed nice enough.
She was almost out of the building when Mike caught up with her.
"Hey, I know we just met, but I was wondering if you would want to go get some coffee with me or something," he asked, and he seemed genuinely interested in her. When she looked at him there was just nothing there. He was good looking and nice, but for some reason she had no desire to go out with him.
"Sorry, I...I'm seeing someone," Brittany lied, trying to be as gentle about it as possible. She hated hurting people's feelings more than anything.
"Oh, of course. I'll see you around then," he finished, walking away in embarrassment. Brittany felt a little bad about turning him down, but she had turned down quite a few guys before. There was no one that she was attracted to in return, though the idea of Santana asking her out made her heart pound in her chest.
The more she thought about it the more she realized: she had it bad for Santana Lopez.
