Hey,
I'm posting this as a present for Glee returning tonight. So those of you that still follow and watch, Happy Glee Day, and those of you that don't, Here's something else for you to do instead. lol
I am so happy with the response from my recent one shot so any of you that read or favorited of reviewed, thanks. I was going to apologize that it took up a good 3 days of my time I could have focused on this story but I can't say sorry now because of the great responses I got. They just pushed me to write even more.
Okay, here is why this had to be posted into two parts, they are super long! Enjoy.
She was on a high the rest of the day and not even Jes' secret plans or Carmen's sneers during lunch could break her out of it. She found she was even more aware of Brittany than she usually was. In the halls between classes Santana found they passed each other many times and she smiled in the blonde's direction each time. And every time Brittany returned the gesture Santana found herself releasing a breath she didn't know she kept holding. Quinn caught one of their interactions on the way to Gym but hadn't voiced any concern on the matter; she just rose a questioning brow and smirked knowingly. Santana pushed her into the door frame as they entered the change room in retaliation which made Quinn snort in amusement.
Being a Wednesday meant that they would usually take the period to work on strengthening or stamina. Their fitness tests had to be coming up soon so Santana was surprised when Coach Beiste announced they were continuing with basketball instead. Santana groaned, not because she hated the sport, in fact she really enjoyed it. If cheerleading didn't take up so much of her time she would actually consider joining the team herself. Some of her Cheerios were on the team, but they didn't have half the responsibilities as Santana. As long as their commitments remained first and foremost with the Cheerios she didn't have a problem with them joining other sports teams. It kept them in shape in the Cheerios off-season and kept them out of trouble. She wished some of the party goers on the team would suddenly take up a sport.
No she didn't mind playing basketball it was playing basketball with Brittany on the same team that had her groaning. Letting her walls crumble around Brittany in Spanish or even Math was not ideal but it was allowable. What wasn't was letting her guard down in Gym. Jes would take any opportunity to bait Santana and with all that was going on that week, giving Jes something to use against her was the last thing she wanted.
Her walls, from Santana's giddy mood, were obviously not strong enough to be in any kind of proximity to the blonde while Jes was near. As they split up into their usual teams, which didn't consist of Cheerios versus Losers for the first time in McKinley history, Santana made her way over to Quinn. Santana had initiated the odd team dynamics the second day into the basketball section of their curriculum. She played it off as a mixture of being very competitive and needing someone to challenge her and not wanting any losers to touch her with their germs. In reality she couldn't be on the opposite team as Brittany. The first day they split up into teams to scrimmage Santana had been dribbling the ball down the court and no one had stepped forward from the loser team to challenge her. She'd gotten a few easy baskets before Coach Beiste had stepped in and told Brittany to cover Santana.
Santana nearly died that day. Brittany took her job seriously once she was commanded. She stepped up immediately when Santana stepped over the half court line. She funneled Santana to one of the sidelines and effectively trapped her. As Santana tried to pass the ball to Quinn, Brittany had stepped forward and raised her arm in the direction Santana was sure Quinn was located. Brittany's movement caused her leg to shift and her body to change directions. In short, she pressed up against Santana's own body. In a panic Santana threw the ball away blindly only to have it bounce off Quinn's leg and fly out-of-bounds. It took a full minute for Santana's breathing and heart rate to return to normal. That wasn't the last time that period that they came in contact.
The next day Santana took a couple Cheerios and switched sides, claiming Quinn as her opposing team-mate. That way they could challenge each other, have a little fun, and Santana wasn't distracted by Brittany's skin coming in contact with her own.
They split up into their teams again and began. Coach Beiste walked around the Gym observing the boys and girls equally. She gave pointers and switched up a couple of players sitting on the bench when she felt they'd sat long enough.
Although Santana made it as safe as she could for herself she still came into contact with Brittany on occasion. They brushed sides often when either of them went in for a shot or if they used each other to block their opponents to get free of their defense. Santana tried not to think of how well they seemed to work together. Santana brushed past her and it was like she already knew what was coming and was in the correct position to block Quinn's form from following her captain. Their silent communication didn't mean anything except they were both good at reading body language, Santana was sure of that.
But without her walls up like usual Santana couldn't seem to stop herself from standing a little closer to Brittany, or passing her the ball more often, or using her body, strictly to help her shake Quinn of course. She even accidentally tripped over one of Quinn's feet at one point and since she had somehow drifted close to Brittany again, she found herself in Brittany's arms for the third time. For a split second Santana forgot where they were and who was watching them. She smiled at Brittany in thanks but didn't move right away. Brittany returned the gesture and squeezed Santana's waist while her eyes sparkled.
You good?
Santana's smile widened and only when Quinn swore did Santana break from her trance.
"Shit Santana." She walked in a small circle and was favouring her left foot. "Are you trying to break my ankle?"
Santana saw in her eyes that it was all for show. Santana gave Quinn a look that expressed her thanks as she stepped back from Brittany's embrace.
"Yes, that was my goal. Break your damn foot and while I'm at it break my face on the gym floor." Santana took a step towards Quinn and when Quinn hissed as she tried jumping on her 'injured' foot Santana rolled her eyes. She was really milking it. "Sorry Q. Are you going to be okay."
"Just dandy." She responded just as the Coach Beiste announced for them to return the balls to the equipment room as the period was about to end.
Quinn and Santana hung back to check on her ankle as the others headed to the change room.
"Gotta be a little less obvious Santana, unless you're going to go all the way with it."
"Not going to happen Q. I told you I'd think about it and that's what I'm doing. Thinking."
"Looked a little more than thinking to me." She lifted her lips in the knowing smirk Santana couldn't stand before she skipped off to change for Cheerios practice. Santana followed behind and a more leisurely pace.
When she and Quinn left the locker room in their Cheerios uniforms they nearly ran straight into Brittany who was blocking the doorway. Brittany stepped back and spared a quick glance in their direction and Santana could see her mask was in place.
"You're dismissed."
Santana nearly jumped when she noticed Coach Sue was standing a few feet from Brittany. At first Santana thought Coach was speaking to her and Quinn but a quick glance to her face proved her wrong. Sue was looking directly at Brittany. Brittany nodded and sped down the hall in the opposite direction.
Santana and Quinn both straightened in anticipation of whatever their coach wanted to discuss with them. Santana assumed that she was there to tell them she was going to observe their practice. She'd told Santana she was going to be doing that at some point. Instead they were both surprised when Sue turned and made her exit without saying a word to either of them.
Santana turned back in Brittany's direction only to catch one final glimpse of the blonde's retreating form. What had Coach Sue said to her? Another question stacked up among the many she'd already acquired in regards to her.
She didn't know who was out to destroy her more, Jes, Quinn or Brittany.
The next morning Coach Sylvester finally followed through with her threat; halfway through the squads warm up she sauntered onto the field, and even though Santana was expecting it to happen she still felt her nerves buzz with anxiety. She knew her squad could perform the routine perfectly, they'd done it many times in the past two or three practices. They now just had to go through it enough times for it to become second nature for them. Santana didn't want her team's nerves to cause them to forget a step during the competition. If their muscle memory was tuned into the routine than their nerves were less likely to affect their performance.
But the pressure of competition and performing in front of judges was a lot less than performing for their very judgemental and bitter coach. Santana witnessed a couple of her girls trip over their own feet as they did their warm-up laps when they spotted the infamous red track suit among them. If they were tripping over their feet when running in a straight line then what would happen once they got into the tougher choreography of the routine?
What made the whole situation worse was that Coach Sue didn't speak at all. She stood on the sidelines and observed as they finished their warm-up and stretches. And even when they finished she still remained silently waiting for them to continue.
Santana had a very bad feeling as she signalled the squad into their positions.
She wasn't sure what brought it on. One minute they were moving as a solid unit, military precise, and the next they were all falling into the depths of hell.
Santana became aware of a commotion on Quinn's side of the formation. She tried to conceal the looks she was giving to the left of the group but wasn't able to differentiate anything with the quick glances she was able to spare between her own required movements. She was naively hopeful that whatever was going wrong would sort itself out.
The next second Santana's attention was drawn to the other side of the formation. One girl had cartwheeled themselves right into the pyramids base to her right and the whole thing came tumbling down, Jes and Carmen in the middle of it. Santana was so surprised that when she was lifted into the air she was caught completely off guard. She regained her balance as she reached the top of her own pyramid. Santana looked to Quinn's side only to see Quinn suspended a foot and a half into the air, both her and the male Cheerio holding her, waiting for Shelby and Sarah, a.k.a. the pimple faced boyfriend stealer, to stop bickering over something. Quinn was placed back on the ground when the male Cheerio's arms began to shake uncontrollably.
So, the short and sweet description of their show and tell, they fucked up big time. Santana was almost afraid to look at Sue.
"Lopez, my office now!" Coach yelled, turning her back on the group. Fuck this wasn't going to be good.
"Laps!" Santana spoke up, not quite as loud as their coach had been.
The entire squad had a pretty good idea of what was in store for them after Santana returned from Coach's office. No one wanted to add to the sentence awaiting them so they all immediately took off at a fast sprint in hopes of appeasing their captain. Jes and Carmen pushed and shoved girls up and off of them from the middle of the Cheerio pile up, screaming at each and every one even though they were just as much victims as themselves. As each girl became untangled they looked to Santana before averting their eyes to the grass beneath them and taking off to fall in behind their teammates circling the field.
Quinn dismissed the girls and boys near her before she turned on Shelby and Sarah, advancing on them with a raised voice. Santana trusted Quinn enough to punish and shame the two enough for the moment. It wouldn't save them from her own wrath though.
Before following after Coach Sylvester, Santana scanned the field with narrowed eyes. Besides Quinn and the Cheerios she was berating, Jes and Carmen were the only ones not following Santana's orders.
"Hey!" Santana yelled to get their attention. "You bitches better get your fucking asses in gear."
They turned to her and took up defensive stances. Jes crossed her arms against her chest. Santana stared Jes down until the other girl backed down with a hauty huff, looking away. Santana took a few threatening steps in their direction, glancing between the two. Carmen's arm twitched and she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet, unconsciously shuffling further away from Santana in her own discomfort. She refused to look Santana in the eye. She may be the power-hungry one of the team but her spine was about as strong as a ball of putty. She didn't have the nerves needed to stand up to Santana, which only meant she didn't have what it would take to run the squad, even as a Second-in-Command. Jes, on the other hand, had the backbone and ruthlessness needed; she did not have the brains or the conviction to succeed in the long run, especially without Santana and Quinn's support, which she most definitely would never have.
"I suggest you two lady's join the rest in their exercise." Her voice lowered. "Now." Carmen took that as her cue to leave and slipped into the ranks of a few girls who were sprinting past, leaving Jes to fend for herself under the scrutiny of their captain. "Is there a reason you're still standing here?"
"I just had a fucking pile of fat asses land on me. Give me a goddamn second to catch my breath."
"You were at the top of the pile and you don't see Casper or Slutbag complaining about being crushed by your giant rear end do you?" Jes' arms uncrossed and Santana internally sighed in relief once she knew the confrontation wasn't going to require physical contact. Her threats didn't always have past circumstances to back them up. It didn't matter if she was proud of her actions or not. They were necessary to keep her in charge. It was the difference between herself and Quinn. Quinn couldn't ever bring herself to go beyond barking; she had little to no bite. Santana had bite in excess when needed. "Barbie hasn't made a mistake the entire season and for her to make such a huge error in positioning to crash her pale ass directly in the middle of your pyramid..." She paused waiting until Jes was fidgeting uneasily. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Jes mumbled out an incoherent response in which Santana could only deduce she was denying her role in the matter. Santana didn't have time to lay into the senior anymore at the moment because she was intensely aware Coach was expecting her. She waved Jes off with a flick of her wrist, waiting only until the taller brunette turned and slowly jogged her way into line around the football field before turning to make her own exit. She caught Quinn's eye as she did so and gave her a pointed look to keep an eye and ear open while she herself went to deal with Coach.
As much as she wanted to drag out the time remaining until Coach Sylvester got her claws into her she knew the longer it took her to arrive at Sue's door the worse her sentence would be. With that thought in mind Santana sped up her pace and forced her Head Cheerio persona to take over as she rose her chin, steeled her eyes and walked into Coach Sylvester's lair. She stopped before her coach standing in the middle of the office.
"Do you want to explain how that-" Sue swept her arm out motioning in the direction of the field on the other side of the wall behind her. "-constitutes moving forward and getting better?" Santana remained silent as both of them knew there wasn't a response that could appease the coach. "Those are the exact words you used to describe the squad's progress are they not?"
"Yes, Coach."
"Was that train wreck of a performance within your definition of better?"
"No, Coach."
"Then what happened?"
Santana honestly didn't know what all happened. She couldn't very well tell Coach that though. Not being aware of every detail, no matter how small, was as good as admitting failure. She knew Jes played some part in it and she wouldn't put it past her to actually have everything to do with it, but she had no evidence aside from vague hints from an idiotic jock and a deep-seated suspicion on her part. She knew Jes was involved but her word and beliefs would not be nearly enough to convince Coach Sylvester. Besides, admitting that she didn't have complete control of the squad was not something she wanted to admit to her coach.
"Today was an off day." Santana started but only hurried to elaborate when that seemed to anger Sue even more. "I mean that's obviously no excuse and I don't accept that kind of shit from the girls. You know that. If I could just get back out there and fix this. It won't happen again."
"Do I?"
"Excuse me?"
"I said do I. Do I know that that hasn't been happening lately? I've given you too much freedom Sandbags and I think it's best if that stops right now."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Santana panicked. "Have I ever given you a reason to question my abilities? I've taken this team to Nationals, and won, twice."
"I'm aware, but from what I am seeing and hearing, you are losing your touch. I've stuck up for you over the years because I knew you were as ruthless and cunning as me, even if a little young. But from the looks of the team just now it's not working anymore." Sue made her way around her desk and took a seat in her chair. "Maybe the team could benefit with a change. A new Captain would create a fresh outlook that the team hasn't had in a while."
"You can't do that to me!" Santana shrieked. She couldn't believe Sue was even considering replacing her. They'd bumped heads before in the past, had conflicting views and even went as far as shouting matches, but never had she threatened Santana's position within the squad. She owed Santana too much, or at least Santana had thought so. "I've spent the last two years of my life winning you these trophies." She walked up to the closest one, which happened to be a six-foot tall nationals one, and kicked its base. It wobbled, threatening to tip over before settling once more, unharmed. "Without me none of this would be here." She spun around, hands up as she motioned around her to the medals and trophies and framed magazine articles. "Without me-"
"Calm you tits Senorita. I didn't say I was demoting you now. I'm not completely cold-hearted. I'm the first one to admit that you've helped me out with the team and I've enjoyed watching how creative you've been in putting the misfits and glee losers in their rightful place at the bottom." She leaned her elbows on her desk and motioned Santana forward. She waited until Santana was seated in one of the chairs in front of her. "I'd honestly miss you. But I will not have this team moving backwards. I'll give you a chance, for old times sake, to change my mind. If you fail at the Meet this weekend, don't bother showing up on the field next week. But if you blow the competition away, then I guess that will earn you a second chance."
"So we fail and I'm off the team but if we win I still may be kicked off the team?" Santana questioned.
"See that's what I like about you, kid. You never jump to conclusions, calculating and smart. But you're right, I've been worried about the squad for a while now so it's going to take a little more than one lucky break to ease my concern."
"So that's it. The squad has one bad day and you're convinced it's my fault and that replacing me will fix all your worries? This is bull shit."
"Be grateful-"
"Grateful?"
Santana couldn't believe what was happening. How was she supposed to be grateful for having one more thing to worry about? She was already spread thin with worrying how Jes was affecting the trust within the squad but she knew that they would perform adequately. She never thought Sue would actually consider replacing her since the squad was useless before she'd taken over. She always knew Sue was slightly in denial as to her actual role within the squad. Coach liked to let others believe she was responsible for more than she actually was. But Santana never thought she would be so delusional as to imply the team might flourish without her leading the way. She was half tempted to quit and let the chips fall where they may. Once the team fell apart Sue Sylvester might take her head out of her own ass and realize what it actually took to run the squad.
"Yes grateful. If you were anyone else I'd have you handing in your uniform twenty minutes ago."
"Am I free to leave now." Santana was not impressed and as soon as she was able to take out her frustration on her squad the better she'd feel.
"I expect to never see that kind of thing again. Get out of my face."
The first thing she noticed as she left the office was that the halls were empty, first period had already started.
She didn't trust herself to face any of her squad, even the innocent ones, so she decided to skip Math. Instead she made her way to the change room and took a long shower hoping to calm her nerves. It didn't work.
Twenty minutes later she walked into Spanish, well before the bell ending first period went off. Mr. Schuester looked up from his paperwork but didn't mention the fact that she should be in another class at the moment. All her teachers were used to her coming and going at random times. She didn't let it affect her grades so they had no reason to argue.
She sat in silence, still trying to calm her anger, when the bell rang and still tried as the class filled up. Every sound the other students made grated on her nerves. Every smile or laugh another student showed was met with a scowl from Santana. How dare they be happy when everything she had built was threatening to crumble around her.
She snapped her head to the window the second Brittany walked through the door. She slowed her steps as she approached Santana's desk and even paused when Santana didn't look up. Santana couldn't deal with her conflicting emotions or controversy concerning the blonde so she turned her head further away from Brittany and closed her eyes. She only knew Brittany gave up when she felt the desk behind her shift.
"Okay class, everyone take a seat so we can get started." Mr. Schuester clapped his hands and then sat on the edge of his desk at the front of the room. He waited for the students to do as he asked. "Thank you. I want to first apologize to Brittany." Santana's attention was brought from the window at his words. She lifted her eyes to him as he continued to address the blonde behind her. "I'm deeply sorry for putting you on the spot and making you feel uncomfortable on Tuesday."
Santana wondered at first why he didn't mention yesterday's attempt at making a fool of her as well, but soon realized only three of them in the class were aware he did not know Brittany could speak Spanish. The other students probably thought it was an innocent interaction.
"I want to take you up on your offer."
"What offer?" Brittany asked. Santana didn't even need to turn around to know Brittany's face was blank, her tone remained even.
"Well you offered to show us an authentic dance." Schuester smiled, showing his overly white teeth. The worst part was that he was being completely sincere, like what he was volunteering her for was a gift to her.
"I said I would dance if I had a dance partner. I can't do it alone."
Santana expected Schuester to deflate as he realized his mistake. She did not expect him to turn and meet her gaze while his smile widened.
"Fuck no." She didn't mean to say it out loud, but really?
"How many times do I have to ask you to watch your language Santana?"
"You wouldn't have to worry about my language if you'd stop doing stupid shit." He opened his mouth to respond. "I'm not doing it."
"Brittany needs the participation marks."
"I don't give a shit."
"She could fail without them."
"Not. My. Problem." Did he really think guilting her was going to work?
"I don't want to argue with you about this. You'll do it Santana."
"You can't make me."
"This will count as your participation marks as well. If you don't do it you won't get the marks."
"It's not enough to fail me so why do you think I'll care."
"Because it's worth enough."
Fuck, he was right. The ten percent the participation marks were worth wasn't anywhere enough to make her fail. She would probably still hold the highest mark in the class even with that large of a drop. But it was enough for her do pretty much anything he asked of her. She couldn't very well explain to her parents why it was Spanish that caused her GPA to lower. She never really liked the Spanish teacher but at this point she hated him with as much passion as she'd ever felt. With the morning she'd had she really wasn't in the mood to deal with another adult on a power trip.
"You and Brittany will perform an authentic dance during the next Taco Tuesday. And I want to see something great. I don't want a mediocre last minute thrown together routine."
"So you don't want this to be like ninety percent of your Glee performances. Got it." Santana grabbed her things and stood up, not even able to take pleasure in Schuester's dejected look at her insult.
"Where are you going? Class isn't over." Schuester questioned and even held his arm out to block her path when she made her way to the exit.
"I'm leaving before my language gets away from me."
"You're doing the dance." She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself and tell him she refused. He seemed too sure of himself and she wanted nothing more than to knock him down a peg like she would any one of the other students that stood up against her. She blinked her eyes trying to focus her sight. She hated when her anger affected her senses.
But she didn't need anymore trouble. If Coach Sylvester thought she was falling apart it might just be the tipping point she needed to follow through with her threats.
"Yes, I'll do the fucking dance." She lifted her hand and knocked his arm out of her way. "Now excuse me. I have somewhere else to be. It's not like anyone's benefitting from sitting through an hour of this class."
She heard a few snickers follow her as she took her leave. The last thing she heard before the ringing in her ears took over was Schuester trying to shush them.
Cheerios scampered out of her line of sight as she made her way through the halls between classes and in trying to avoid confrontation with any of the girls on her squad until practice that afternoon Santana decided to skip lunch. When the lunch bell rang she gathered her things and made her way outside, without even stopping at her locker. She wandered around the grounds and took a seat in the first secluded spot she found. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing as she tried to shove all her recent problems from her mind. She would have plenty of time to think about them later.
"Oh!"
Santana opened her eyes and found Brittany standing in front of her not ten feet away. She was holding her lunchbag on one hand and a water bottle in the other. Santana waited for her to speak, assuming she'd come to find her for a reason. Brittany stayed silent though. She looked from Santana to the ground then up to the branches of the tree Santana was leaning on. She shuffled her feet against the grass beneath her shoes. She didn't make a move to leave and she didn't look like she was about to speak up.
"What do you want?" Santana snapped, wanting to be alone. Brittany was the last person she wanted to be near at this point. She needed her fucking strength and all Brittany promised was weakness for her.
"Oh, uh.." Brittany stammered before biting her bottom lip. "Nothing"
"Then fuck off. I wants to be alone." Santana glared and did her best to ignore the pained look that took over the blonde's features. When Brittany looked around her once more but did not make a move to leave Santana found her frustration increase. She felt the prick at the back of her eyes and realized she was close to crying. There was no way she could let Brittany see that. She never cried, not even in private. "I don't know why you came here but you really need to turn around and leave me the fuck alone." She hated that her voice broke and all she could do was hope that Brittany didn't hear it.
Brittany turned to look at Santana before she opened her lunchbag and took out a bag full of mixed nuts. She took a few steps forward and Santana was about to stand up and lose it on the blonde. Why couldn't she do what was asked of her? Why did she think she could push her luck at all times?
Brittany kneeled beside Santana before she was able to react and Santana watched as she opened the zip-loc bag. Did she really think nuts were going to be able to appease Santana's anger. She didn't even like nuts. She was in the middle of planning to grab the bag and dump its contents in the dirt beside her to show the girl she wanted nothing from her, wanted nothing to do with her, when Brittany did just that. She tipped the bag upside down and it's contents spilled out next to Santana against the tree.
Santana glared, trying to figure out what the gesture meant to portray. Was Brittany somehow trying to piss her off or tell her something. Santana was about to yell at her some more when Brittany's eyes looked to Santana's lap and then shifted to her eyes. She wasn't wearing her blank mask and Santana just wanted to wipe the pity look from Brittany's face. Brittany stood soon after and turned to take a few steps back.
"I'm sorry for my part in forcing you to do that dance." She said, her back still to Santana.
Santana clenched her jaw. Did she really think a fucking dance was working her up this much? She knew nothing.
"We don't have-" Brittany started before Santana cut her off.
"I am not letting that poser of a teacher affect my GPA. I'm doing the fucking dance. And it better be epic. I don't care what your grades are in other classes but I don't settle for half-assed marks. I'll be at your house tomorrow after Cheerios practice." She knew she didn't leave room for debate and all Brittany could do was nod her head as she took her leave. "Thanks for searching me out to disturb me and all." She spat. She needed someone to take her anger out on. She was shaking and she finally felt the burn of a hot tear run down her cheek.
Brittany paused in her retreat but didn't look back or further acknowledge Santana's hurtful words. She continued on after a few moments and Santana was left alone again.
Angry at her life in general, Santana looked to the ground around her. She ripped up a clump of grass, digging her nails painfully into the hard ground beside her and choked down the scream threatening to tear from her throat. She noticed the pile of nuts beside her and glared at them. She hated the way they made her think of Brittany. Hated the way the thought of Brittany made her stomach flutter. Hated that now that Brittany was out of her sight she felt bad about her words. She hated how Brittany affected her. And she hated the nuts for bringing all of these feelings to the surface.
She swung her hand out and knocked the pile over. She continued to take her anger out on the nuts until they were spread out in a ten foot radius in all directions, hidden in the tall grass, safely from her view.
It wasn't until the edges of her vision cleared that she noticed the ringing in her ears. She took several breaths and soon the ringing lessened and she was able to hear normally again. The first sound that caught her ear was an annoying squeaky chatter. She looked around her to find the sound, but no one was near enough to blame for the noise. She heard a rustle in the leaves above her and looked up. There was a squirrel jumping agitatedly from branch to branch and practically screaming at her.
She glared at the little creature, wondering what his problem was. She looked to the space beside her that was swept clean of the once impressive pile of nuts. She looked back up to the tree the squirrel was still chattering in.
A painful laugh left her throat.
Brittany left the nuts as a treat for the squirrel, not as some rude message for her. Santana hit her head painfully against the bark behind her as her laughter increased to hide the sobs wracking her body. She dug her hands painfully into the dirt beside her once more to stop them from wiping at the tears now freely trailing down her face. She hated herself for her weakness but somehow she felt that she deserved the pain.
Her pain increased as she realized Brittany hadn't sought her out to talk or apologize for what happened in Spanish. Santana just happened to stumble onto Brittany's lunch spot. Santana hit her head once more on the knot behind her. The physical pain seemed to fit the pain she felt inside.
Brittany hadn't come looking for Santana because she cared.
She only just was able to settle her nerves before the bell rang. She grabbed her binder laying in the grass in front of her and made her way to the bathroom. There were only two girls present and Santana immediately dismissed them with a wave of her hand. She would have glared but instead kept her head down in case her tears had left traces on her face. They scampered out so fast they almost trip over each others feet.
Santana spent the next ten minutes washing her face and reapplying her make up. She gave herself a once over before being satisfied and made her way to class. She didn't even bother acknowledging her teacher when she walked into class late; her eyes were glued to her seat at the far end of the room. She squinted at the two Cheerios sitting in front and behind her empty desk.
Barbie looked up first at Santana's entrance and her eyes went wide at the look she must have seen on Santana's face. Santana didn't want to have to deal with Barbie. At some point she would have to talk to her to find out what had happened, but after her emotional lunch period she couldn't trust herself with being near any of the Cheerios, especially those she knew played a bigger part in the disaster that morning.
Santana looked to the desks near her by the door and knew she could just force another student to give up their desk for her, but that would mean she was allowing two of her Cheerios power over her. She wasn't about to move from her own desk to avoid them. She was their Captain. She was supposed to be feared, not found cowering as far from her girls as possible like the practice that morning was her fault. She was Santana Fucking Lopez.
"Asian One, Wheezy." She acknowledged. Both girls looked up from their desks at the front of the class in surprise. They looked sideways at each other and then back to Santana. She could see the curiosity and slight fear they each held in their eyes. Santana didn't acknowledge them unless it was to insult. "Up, and follow me." She waited a moment before snapping her fingers and both of them quickly obeyed.
Santana made her way towards her own seat. Barbie and Gabby were both looking at her now and although Santana was sure Gabby hadn't had anything to do with the morning's practice, just the sight of the red Cheerio uniform pissed her off. She stopped directly in front of the two girls and heard two sets of feet shuffle to a stop behind her. The teacher was smartly ignoring the whole interruption to the class.
"Get up." Santana demanded of her Cheerios and they both rose immediately. She heard one of the girls behind her gasp, knowing that this was how Santana expected to be obeyed, immediately. "Now fuck off. I can't stand to look at you right now." Both scampered around Santana to take up the empty desks at the front of the class that had just been vacated by the girls still standing silently behind Santana. "Wheezy," Santana motioned to the seat behind her and felt Mercedes brush past her and sit. "Asian One," Santana motioned to the desk in front of her and Tina sat down at the same time Santana took up her own seat.
Where her Cheerios were prone to gossip about random things Tina and Mercedes remained quiet. Santana was sure it had everything to do with them being scared of making a sound but she found she was grateful for the silence no matter the reason.
As every minute ticked by Santana prayed for History to last longer. She scowled at the clock several times trying to force the hands to stop turning. But no matter how much she wished and silently threatened the clock it continued to spin and the end of the class grew nearer. She didn't want the bell to ring because that meant she'd have to make her way to the basement for Gym. Not only was she not looking forward to interacting with her Cheerios she wasn't even sure what to expect with seeing Brittany again. She tried not to think about their last meeting. She was embarrassed at the assumptions she'd jumped to. At first she'd felt bad for speaking and reacting the way she had, but after seeing the complete mess staring back at her in the bathroom mirror she came to a very important conclusion about the blonde.
Brittany was too much of a wildcard. A wildcard that Santana couldn't keep second guessing.
Quinn may think that Santana opening up to Brittany was a good thing but Santana was almost sure that was wrong. She'd believed that Brittany had searched her out at lunch. She'd been so sure of it, and with how rude Santana acted she knew she didn't deserve pity. But when it was clear that Brittany wanted nothing to do with her, that she'd just been there to feed a squirrel and not check on her, it broke her. She'd lost it and not only had her walls crumbled but they'd imploded in on her. She couldn't keep getting her hopes up when it came to the blonde. Everything she knew of the Brittany, which wasn't much, only brought more questions to the table.
The bell did ring, too soon for Santana. She hung back and waited for most of the students to trickle out before dragging her feet to the locker room. She timed it perfectly as it was nearly empty as she walked to her locker. She lingered once again when she was dressed to gather her courage and pull herself together. Taking several deep breaths she entered the Gym.
The first thing she noticed was that there was going to be no Basketball that day; the gym was set up with an obstical course of rope climbs, monkey bars, saw horses and balance beams at different heights. The second thing she noticed was that most of her Cheerios were sitting on the stands at the other end of the Gym. Quinn was the only one not seated with the group but was leaning up against one of the walls watching as some of the other students were finishing setting up the course. When the door closed loudly behind Santana Quinn's attention was drawn in the same direction. She'd obviously been waiting for her to enter.
"What's the plan, S?" Quinn asked when Santana moved into hearing range.
"Depends." Santana sighed, leaning against the wall beside her friend.
"On?"
"On what you know. I have no clue what's been going on today." She admitted. Quinn looked disbelieving in her direction. "Coach is threatening to kick me off the team so I am so sorry I've been slacking on the gossip front." Santana snapped.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Quinn rose her voice. "She wouldn't."
"I don't know. She looked pretty fucking serious to me." Santana looked around to make sure there was no one close enough to overhear them. "We lose this competition and I'm off."
"But us losing this Meet doesn't make us lose our chances at Nationals. We are returning champions. Even if we have to-"
"Don't you think I know that." Santana cut in. "Coach isn't worried about us getting to Nationals, that's all but guaranteed. What she is worried about is fouling up our perfect track record. We haven't lost a Meet, official or not, in two years. She's worried what the magazine and news articles will say if we don't win. Winning Nationals isn't enough for her if it means we lose even once. We'd lose endorsements, and that is a fate worse than death to Sue."
"Why would she be doubting you now?" Santana gave her a pointed look. "I mean, yeah, this morning was bad, but she's seen us perform perfectly ninety-nine percent of the time. She has to know this was a fluke."
"Someone's been feeding her rumours or at the very least is planting doubts in her head." They both looked to the Cheerios seated int he stands. "One guess who."
"There's a rumour going around that Jason is sleeping with Shelby." Quinn snorted.
"I'm sorry, Q, but I can't deal with the latest update in your ex's love life. I have more important eggs to crack."
Quinn hit Santana's arm with the back of her hand. "That's what the deal was on my side of the field this morning." Santana rose an eyebrow. "Sarah blew up at Shelby and their argument escalated from there."
"Is it true?"
"Does it matter?" Quinn shot back.
"I guess not, but it would help to clear things up faster."
"I'd rather not, you know that, but I'll speak to Jason tonight. Maybe he can tell me what's going on." Quinn rolled her spine against the wall behind her, lifting off of the flat surface before returning her weight to the wall with a soft thud. Santana knew it was a distraction for Quinn. She couldn't show how upset it made her thinking about talking to her ex incase other eyes were on them. It was now more important for the two of them to be seen as a unit. Having even one break down or seeming weak at all wasn't an option.
"I'm sorry. If there was any-"
"I know. Don't worry." There was a short pause before Quinn changed the subject. "So any idea what went down with the pile up on Jes' pyramid?"
"Yeah," Santana turned her gaze to the Cheerios and spotted Barbie. The platinum blonde was sitting a couple feet from the other Cheerios and was doing her best to look like she wanted nothing to do with Jes. "Barbie cartwheeled into the base."
"Nuh uh. That's not possible." Quinn spoke up in disbelief, looking to the girl in question herself. "She would never make that huge of a mistake."
"She'll open up more to you than me." Santana felt Quinn's eyes on her. "This is the shitty part of being the loveable one; you have to do all the dirty work."
"You got that completely wrong." Quinn smirked as she turned to make her way towards the Cheerios, Santana quickly fell in beside her. "The dirty work is when you come in and scare them shitless so they don't ever do it again. I'd much prefer my role to yours."
They climbed their way up the stands and Quinn sat beside Barbie, while Santana took a seat a few rows higher and further down from the squad, not having to even try to look pissed off at them. The Cheerios present didn't think anything of it, they probably prefered that she sit further away. It was less of a chance she would flip out on them.
Coach split the class up into halves, reading out names from her sheet. Santana and Quinn were put on opposite sides, which Santana was more than a little upset over. The only thing she was grateful for was Brittany was also on the other team, along with a couple of the other Cheerios. Santana's half of the class were to sit out as the others ran through the obstacle course. They were to take turns trying to complete it.
Santana watched in silent brooding as the other team swung from the bars and climbed the ropes. She watched as a few students walked across the balance beams and watched as a few lost their footing or balance and tumbled off of the obstacles onto the blue mats below. But most of her attention she focused on her team. The course Coach Beiste set up should be child's play to every single one of her girls. She was happy to see her Cheerios were, for the most part, the only students at the front of the pack.
Santana's attention was drawn to the monkey bars closer to the front of the course when a girl screamed. She'd obviously lost her grip and fell to the ground. Santana rolled her eyes, the floor wasn't three feet below Mercedes and there were mats laid out everywhere. It was a little overdramatic and Santana would normally shout out a snide remark but she still held a semi-soft spot for the small part Mercedes played in helping her during History so decided to choke down her comment instead.
She watched as Mercedes made her way to the beginning of the monkey bars to start over. She watched a few of the other students work their way through random obstacles and scoffed as they continually messed up, having to start over until they completed each one.
"Go through again you guys."
Santana glanced to the middle of the gym where her Cheerios were standing, looking bored, waiting for the other students to join them. Quinn motioned for the girls to follow her and made her way to the start at the far end of the gym. Before she got too far Santana called out to Quinn and gave her a pointed look when the other turned to acknowledge her.
She watched as Quinn took the lead once more and started running through the course again. This time, however, she made it a little more difficult. Instead of swinging across the monkey bars as normal she turned around and swung backwards, alternating every two bars, on the first set. The second set she lifted her feet to hook her knees on a bar and used it to swing herself around to grab the next bar within reach. She did backhand springs and flips on the space where other students were struggling to do cartwheels and somersaults. It was embarrassing watching some of the students. The Cheerios behind Quinn followed her exact maneuvers, going slower this time as it was more difficult than the last.
It wasn't lost on Santana that Brittany finished her first round shortly after the Cheerios and was told to complete it again as well. Her and the Cheerios passed many students still struggling with their first time. Santana also saw how Brittany slowed her pace considerably this time around, She did not have to do the course with more difficulty as she was not a Cheerio and was forced to go at a snail's pace in order to maintain the good twenty feet between herself and the trailing cheerleader in front of her.
Everything was going good until Marcey messed up and landed on the mats below one of the balance beam. The move, although way out of the normal students skill level, was something that every Cheerio should be able to do. Quinn had bent backwards and stood on her hands, took three strides backwards and turned, taking three more strides before bending her feet behind her head again and standing up straight. It required balance, obviously and was a really good exercise. Quinn obviously heard the thump at the landing as Marcey was the Cheerio directly behind her. Without turning her head to make sure she was okay she told the girl to get to the back of the line and do it again. Santana knew that was the worst punishment the girl could possibly get, to be distanced from her idol.
Marcey did as she was told, which resulted in the same thing happening, she ended up on the mats again, all other Cheerios having passed the obstacle with nothing more than a few wobbled steps. Quinn looked back and watched as Marcey tried a third time and failed. Bu this point Brittany had caught up, even though she was barely moving. She stood and waited as Marcey climbed up a fourth time and fell.
"Keep going, but we can't wait for you." Quinn called back and moved forward to lead the rest of the team through the course.
The fifth time she was able to take the strides on her hands and even managed to do the turn before she fell trying to get back up, which was where she messed up two other times as well.
"Fuck Skunkhead, get your damn shit together." Marcey looked in Santana's direction and nodded before trying once more and failing again. "I'm not screwing around here. Mistakes are not tolerated on this squad. Figure it out!"
"I offer a truce." Jes' voice stole some of Santana's attention away from the hopeless mess on the beam.
"Oh yeah?" Santana questioned. "Why is that?"
"I heard a rumour that your position of captain is about to be up for grabs."
"You're mistaken." Santana replied dryly.
"I don't think so." Santana could hear Jes' smirk. "It was a very reliable source."
"And why if there is truth to the rumour, which there isn't, are you offering up a truce? I thought you'd be the first in line to snatch the title for yourself. Or do you deny wanting it?"
"Oh, I would damn near kill to get it."
"Then why, oh why, are you offering something that will ensure I stay as captain." Santana was confused to say the least. "You'll not get captain doing this. I'm not handing it over to you just so you'll stop trying to make my life a living hell."
"I know."
"I don't get it. What's the catch?"
"There's another rumour going around." Jes' paused waiting for Santana to question her but when Santana refused to play along with Jes' games she started speaking again anyway. "Rumour is, that Coach has been searching out a new captain herself. She's been having meetings with this girl."
"Carmen?"
"Nope it's not a senior. And that's why I'm here. I will not lie; I want the title for myself, but if a senior isn't going to be named Head Cheerio than I'd rather you kept the title."
"Bullshit. None of the other Juniors have even a tenth of what it would take to be captain. They aren't good enough athletes, except Quinn. And she'd tell me if she was having meetings with Sue."
"It's not a Cheerio. She's not on the team, nor has she ever been a cheerleader."
Santana burst out laughing. "And you think the rumours of a non-Cheerio, a non-cheerleader in general, taking over a Championship winning team are true?"
"I told you, I have a very reliable source and I've seen Coach talking to this girl a few times this week alone. Who knows how long they've been plotting this."
"Who is it then?"
Jes looked to the course, staring directly at the spot Santana had been earlier. There were only two girls in her line of sight and one of them was Marcey.
"Okay, I think your grudge-match has started to affect your brain. There is no way Coach would replace me with Brittany." She became angry that Jes had bothered her and even more so that she had increased her worry over something that was so outlandish.
"Really?" Santana nodded. "I don't know. You must not be seeing what I am." Jes said while pointedly looking towards the two girls again.
Santana's eyes followed Jes' and saw Brittany had taken up the spot on the beam and Marcey was waiting on the platform behind her. She watched as Brittany turned around and slowly bent her body backwards, bringing her hands up to stop her decent. She kicked her feet up and took the three steps back on her hands and spun around and took a few more steps. She then shuffled her hands briefly and brought her legs down behind her to the beam at the other end from Marcey and stood. She looked to the Cheerio and watched as Marcey followed her example and fell just before reaching her feet to the beam once more.
Santana watched as Marcey laid down on the blue mat and spread her arms out from her sides. She saw her mouth move but could not hear the words leaving them. Brittany crossed the beam to the start, but paused halfway to look down on Marcey. She must have said something as well because Marcey was nodding her head. What struck Santana the most was that Brittany was smiling, genuinely. Even from halfway across the gym Santana could see it light up her face.
Marcey and Brittany continued to have a quiet interaction and Santana felt the anger rise once more. She couldn't tell what caused it; he fact that she'd been a bitch to Brittany earlier and Marcey was the one able to make Brittany smile, or the fact that Brittany seemed to care more about Marcey's well being, looking down on her from the beam, than she had about Santana's when she was found by the tree at lunch. Or that Marcey was disobeying her indirectly. She was still laying on the mat when she was supposed to be completing the course. Santana decided the last reason was the only one she was capable of dealing with at the moment. Brittany didn't care about her so she had to try and ignore her, try to pretend she wasn't in the equation.
"So what, she knows her way around a beam, big deal."
"You really don't know who she is do you?" Jes chuckled, pulling out her iPhone from her sports bra.
"Um a transfer student." Santana replied sarcastically. She didn't want to admit Jes might know something about Brittany that she didn't know herself, but the way Jes had said it, Santana knew there was something up.
Jes pressed the screen of her phone a few times before handing it over to Santana. Santana looked around, seeing that Beiste was out of the room, before taking the phone. The sound of music quietly made its way out of the speakers. Santana looked to the screen and saw the YouTube app was open that there was some movement as the person holding the camera was moving. There were a few heads at the bottom of the screen and suddenly there were some shouts and screams overpowering the music. The camera was turned to show a crowd in what looked to be a town square; there were probably about a hundred people who Santana could see from the view the camera gave.
The camera was drawn back to the same position it started in, looking over a couple of heads. There was a brick wall that was obviously lit up with artificial lighting, a spot light of some kind. A group of five came into view as they took their spots in front of the wall, placing themselves evenly spaced. They were all wearing hoodies and the hoods were drawn up but by their figures Santana could tell the three centers were female and the two on either end of the line were male. The crowd was shushed by someone offscreen and the music was changed.
The group began to move with the beat and Santana was amazed, they were really good. They danced in difficult movements at top speeds then suddenly slowed to do a few body rolls or move in slow motion for a few seconds before changing into the rapid choreography once more. They all moved perfectly together, precise even on the smallest movement. Santana was jealous she'd never gotten that kind of discipline from her own Cheerios. These weren't cheerleaders, they were professional dancers, schooled in movement for years and years. And they were amazing. Especially the center-most of the group. She was extraordinary. She made it seem effortless. Santana couldn't take her eyes off of her, she wished the hood wasn't covering her face because she really wanted to see the girl who could move her body so masterfully.
The video was only three minutes long and Santana was upset that it was coming to an end, even though she had no idea why Jes showed it to her in the first place. At the end someone's voice spoke up and Jes' finger blocked her view briefly and the sound increased.
"Yes, yes. That was incredible!" The male voice spoke up. "We have more like that coming up for you, but first I would like to introduce the mastermind behind this whole showcase. And remember that these are charity performances. All donations will go straight to the No-kill animal shelter here in town, so give generously. These dancers are here for your enjoyment and to help save some animals, don't be stingy." The sound of laughter could be heard. "Now, the name might be new to some of you but most of us here in the square see her bustin' crazy ass moves from dusk 'til dawn. I would like to introduce to you-Brittany S. Peirce."
Fuck.
The center girl Santana could not take her eyes off of stepped forward and pushed her hood back. Santana squinted to deny what the voice and her mind were telling her was the truth, but there looking back at her, or the camera, was a familiar pair of pale blue eyes.
"She planned, organized, choreographed and trained all the dancers here today and we couldn't be more excited to see what else she has planned for us." The voice spoke again and was drowned out by the screams and applause of the crowd before the video was cut off.
"Fuck is right." Jes spoke up beside her and Santana almost forgot where she was.
"What?" Santana's voice only came out as a whisper and she cursed herself. She still couldn't wrap her head around it.
"Brittany, over there-" Jes tipped her head to the middle of the gym. "-is an awarded dancer. Like she has more trophies and medals and plaques than all the Cheerios combined. She's won for performing herself and for choreographing. She's never not won anything she's ever entered. Hell they've made up awards at events where there weren't prizes or placings just for something to give her."
"How do you know all this?"
"I like to know things about new people. I told you we couldn't trust her, S." Jes took her phone back. "And you can bet your ass that Coach knows this as well." She shook here phone in front of Santana. "And Brittany over there has been seen talking with Coach many times this last week."
Santana wanted to not believe it. She wanted to tell Jes to fuck off and to hell with her made up rumours, but she couldn't. Because she'd seen one of these meetings. She'd walked right into one the day before. If Sue really had seen and learnt about Brittany's dancing then it wasn't such a surprise that she'd want Brittany on the team. If every one of her performances or choreographed routines were award worthy, than that could be exactly what Sue was talking about the other day about the team needing a 'fresh outlook.'
"Brittany doesn't want to be a cheerleader, especially with what you've put her through the last couple weeks." Santana tried to argue.
"And you don't think that could all be just an act?"
"She hasn't once mentioned anything about joining the team."
"You really think she's stupid enough to do that if she has Sue practically begging her to take over as captain?" Jes scoffed. "Don't remember much about when you took over do you? No one thought you'd wanted the position either. No one even looked to you as a threat until Coach came into practice one day and announced it. I was happy for you and all, no one liked Becca as the captain, we needed a change. I remember you always tried showing her up and would help the other struggling Cheerios. I even remember you trying to befriend Becca." Jes laughed.
"I don't-"
"Look at her out there." Jes motioned. "She's even befriending Cheerios. She should hate us all, you're right. She shouldn't want on the team because of what we did. She shouldn't want anything to do with us. But look! She's laughing and talking to Marcey like they've been friends forever. She's chummy with you because she knows if she gets you in her back pocket the rest of the team will have to follow. And look what happened, probably exactly what she wanted, all of us banned from so much as glaring at her. She's helping struggling Cheerios, befriending the Head Cheerio, flying under the radar but showing everyone up, including you, with her skills, talking with Coach in private. Don't you see? She's you two years ago. Only difference is she has the losers and Glee kids in the palm of her hand too. She's you but better."
Santana couldn't believe it, or maybe she didn't want to. Was Brittany playing her? Everything Jes said had validity. Was Santana just blinded by a girl who was a master at playing people. She was definitely a master at keeping her emotions secret. Santana had never been able to figure out Brittany's motives. Maybe her acts in Spanish were just that, acts. Maybe she planned it to get closer to Santana and had somehow orchestrated the whole dance homework thing in order to show off her skills and earn her an invitation to the Cheerios. She may be in close running for Head Cheerio but Sue had to get rid of Santana first. A place on the team would help Brittany befriend the other Cheerios and it would make the transition that much easier when Santana eventually failed and was tossed aside. If the squad trusted and already respected her than they would have no problem following Brittany after Santana was ousted.
Was Santana so worried and focussed on Jes' plans and betrayal that she was blinded to the plans of another wanting her spot on the team?
"The girls are already less scared of you." Jes said nodding to Marcey who was still laying on the mat, obviously not following either Quinn's or her own orders.
"For the love of God, Skunkhead! I said finish the fucking course, not take a nap. Now get up off your lazy ass and finish. If you can't follow a simple instruction like that I'm going to kick you off the team. There is no room for lazy, mediocre members on this squad. I'm still your captain, Brittany is not!" Marcey jumped up and almost hit her head on the beam. Brittany turned to look in Santana's direction and squinted her way.
Marcey clambered up onto the platform at the front of the beam and Brittany stepped forward. Marcey said something quick to Brittany and glanced in Santana's direction. Brittany's eyes followed hers and then she looked back to the Cheerio in front of her. She reached out one hand and squeezed Marcey's elbow and said something. Marcey took a deep breath and released it.
Brittany once again performed the required steps and at the end, before she placed her feet on the beam once more she shuffled her hands and exaggerated twisting her hips. She looked between her arms and said something to Marcey once more before repeating the movement with her hips and following through to place her feet perfectly on the beam behind her.
Macey turned around to try it herself when Brittany's soft words drifted across the gym and Santana could hear them this time.
"Breathe." And Marcey did. Santana saw her shoulders lift and her ribs expanded and contracted as she blew out the air in her lungs. She then bent back and connected her hands to the beam, took three steps, turned, took three more, and paused. Brittany's mouth was moving again and Santana watched Marcey mimic Brittany's earlier movements and twist her hips, less gracefully, and shuffle her hands, more clumsily. She then took another deep breath and lowered her feet behind her head. They made contact with the beam and she stood. She watched as Marcey jumped up and down and launched herself at Brittany, wrapping her arms around her. She must have been thanking her because Brittany shrugged her shoulders when Marcey released her.
"Hey!" Santana yelled. She stood up from the stands and hopped down the remaining three stairs to the gym floor. "Skunky, laps now!" Santana yelled as she stalked towards the two girls. Both jumped down from the platform they were standing on. Marcey's body twitched as she turned to obey. Santana watched as Brittany reached a hand out and grabbed Marcey's wrist, silently telling her to stay. Silently telling her to disobey. And Marcey listened, planting her feet and staring at the floor, even after Brittany released her. Santana clenched her jaw as her skin heated. She was reminded of how she felt earlier when she lost her control sitting against Brittany's tree and cried. She felt the same helpless abandonment, only she was too furious to cry. Jes was right.
Brittany's eyes traveled down Santana's body before meeting her own once more. Was she really just going to stand their and size her up?
"What's the problem?" Brittany asked gently. Too innocently to be real. Santana was fuming and everyone was putting as much distance as they could from her and Brittany was just standing there asking a fucking question. She should have been cowering like all the rest. She should have been on her knees and apologizing for anything and everything.
Jes was right. She'd given Brittany too much leash. She'd let her pretty eyes and long legs distract her from the scheming bastard Brittany really was.
"The problem," Santana spat as she came to a stop ten feet away from the two girls, "is that Skunkhead over there was told to do something and she isn't following through."
"She did the balance beam just like she was supposed to."
Was she really arguing with her? "I wasn't talking about that."
"But then w-"
"I was talking about her standing there when I clearly remember telling her to do some fucking laps." Santana spoke up but Marcey remained standing behind Brittany although she did meet Santana's eyes as she began to speak once more. "I suggest you move, before I take my anger out on you, and after this morning I have a lot of pent-up rage I'd like to release." Marcey's eyes went wide and she seemed genuinely surprised that her Brittany shield was not protecting her. She took off faster than Santana had ever seen her do before.
"That's not f-"
"I did not ask for your opinion on how to run my squad. I also don't remember asking you to help her with that course. She was told to finish and I meant for her to figure it out on her own. She's not gonna benefit from being coddled." Santana watched as Brittany's eyes began to blaze like they had in Spanish a few days before and knew she had to hurry up and continue before she was stricken speechless. She didn't know if she'd still be affected with how angry and betrayed she felt by Jes' revelations of Brittany. It didn't even make sense. They weren't friends how could she feel betrayed? "If my team needs help with something I'll help them. I don't need an outsider stepping in where they don't belong."
"I was trying to hel-"
"Well don't. She and the rest of my squad don't need your help or want it. Just back the fuck off!"
"I only was helping her because of you." Brittany took a step forward, moving into Santana's personal space. She was fuming and Santana couldn't look away. She was speechless, just like all the times Brittany raised her voice in anger, it was mesmerizing. "For some reason today hasn't been a good day for you and I was just trying to fucking help." Brittany glared at Santana, meeting her eyes for a long time, then her gaze dropped. It looked like her eyes traveled down Santana's arm, glancing at her hand before she looked up with a less murderous glare. "I wasn't helping her, I was trying to help you. I don't like seeing you frown; I'd much rather you smile." She said softly and Santana knew she was the only one who heard and was the only one meant to hear. She looked back up and looked behind Santana at the Cheerios Santana knew were collected there. "But if that's what you want, fine. I give up trying with you all. Just leave me alone and I'll stay far away from all of you." She rose her voice so the Cheerios could hear, but her blue steely eyes remained on Santana.
She turned abruptly and made for the exit, passing a bewildered Coach Beiste on her way.
"Santana?" Quinn stepped up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't." Santana shrugged the hand off and made for the emergency exit to the gym, the opposite direction Brittany had gone.
She was now more confused than ever. Brittany was a master at keeping her feeling is behind the mask she wore, but when the mask was down everything showed in her eyes. And just then, after Santana had sufficiently embarrassed and mocked her, Brittany had shown remorse; not for what she did, stepping in with Marcey, but for Santana having a bad day. It wasn't her fault and she was sorry about it anyway.
But Coach wanted her on the team, wanted her as the captain most likely. She believed the things Jes said. Brittany was a dancer, she was amazing, she would bring so much to the Cheerios and she'd probably make a great leader if she could get the others to respect her enough. But was she really capable of playing Santana the whole time? Was every interaction they ever had a hoax?
It couldn't be, could it?
So I suppose you can kill me now. The next chapter really starts with interaction between the two though so I hope you wait till then to hunt me down. Like actual interaction.
Okay, I started doing this but stopped somewhere along the way. Recommend 'Furthest From the Truth' by spiercemint. It is amazing.