Chapter 1

Brittany's POV

I stared down at the pregnancy test in my hand. I had been so scared to actually look at it, and now that I was seeing it, I didn't know how to react. A part of me was excited; I had always wanted to have kids. But, the other part of me was scared, since I had no idea how my boyfriend, Reid, would react, and the idea of pregnancy was mostly foreign to me. Still, I knew that no matter what happened, I would love that baby to the best of my abilities.

He was screaming, punching the wall, throwing a vase. It took all I had not to throw something back at him.

"Are you stupid?!" he yelled, continuing his angry rant. "You knew this wasn't the plan!"

By "the plan," he meant his plan.

"You are going to the clinic tomorrow! No exceptions!" He pushed cup off the kitchen counter, letting it shatter on the floor.

In that moment, I felt like the cup: shattered and broken. My entire life had changed in only a few minutes. I had never seen him get that angry before.

It took almost an hour before he finally calmed down. I went to bed with him, but as soon as he started snoring, I got up and packed a suitcase and a backpack of my most important belongings. I knew that I couldn't stay; I had never wanted anything less than to go to the clinic and get rid of the baby. Despite the circumstances, I wasn't really scared. I knew what I needed to do, so I left, taking the car that I usually drove (although it wasn't technically mine). It was about 2 in the morning, and I was exhausted, but I knew I had to leave.

I drove for a few miles before realizing that I was going in the direction of my home state, Ohio. I went home every holiday, but besides that, I didn't want to be surrounded with reminders of my past. At that moment, though, I knew that being home with my family would be the best thing for me.

I arrived in Lima soon after the sun started rising. I knew I should be tired, but I couldn't feel any exhaustion yet. When I pulled into my parents' driveway and walked to the front door, I felt weird. I carried my suitcase and backpack, literally feeling as though I was returning home with my tail between my legs, embarrassed.

"Brittany!" my mom exclaimed as she opened the door. "What are you doing home?" She paused for a moment. "Is Reid with you?"

I shook my head. "We're done."

Since I'd been living with Reid for two years already, I'm sure my announcement came as a surprise to my family.

"Can I stay with you while I sort things out?" I asked.

"Of course, Sweetie," she said, hugging me tightly. "You know your room is just how you left it."

I'd been home only a month earlier to celebrate Christmas with my family, but it was still nice to see them again. I hugged my dad and sister once I was inside before bringing my bags up to my childhood (and every time I came to visit) bedroom.

I didn't have any close friends anymore, so I only had my family to talk to. I didn't have a boss to call, since I'd been laid off and Reid didn't want me getting a new job. He also hadn't wanted children, which is what he'd made very clear to me the night before when I told him the news I'd just discovered myself a few hours prior: I was pregnant. He'd said it was my fault, he didn't want kids, and I needed to get rid of it, but I couldn't.

I didn't want to tell my family about my pregnancy yet. They were quite nosy, though, so I was sure they'd find out soon enough.

After unpacking a few of my belongings, my stomach growled from hunger, so I went to the kitchen where my little sister and mom were eating breakfast, my dad already gone for his usual weekend golfing with his friends.

I practically inhaled two bowls of cereal, stopping myself before pouring a third, since my mom and sister started to look at me strangely.

After eating, I felt the need to stretch my legs.

"I'm going to go on a walk," I said, grabbing my phone and sliding it into my back pocket.

I walked to the Lima clinic. I made an appointment with a doctor I'd never met, since my mom was way too close with our regular family doctor, and I knew she would let it slip. Then, I walked to my favorite ice cream place in Lima where I'd gone all the time in high school. On the way, I walked past my old high school. I wondered where all my old friends and enemies were in their lives.

I ordered a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream cone, craving chocolate and peanut butter, and while I was watching the young (likely high school age) worker scoop the ice cream onto the cone, the bell above the entrance rang, signaling the arrival of a customer.

"Brittany?"

I heard the unmistakable voice before seeing who it belonged to. I turned around.

"Santana," I stated, not quite sure how to feel about seeing her after all these years.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Getting ice cream." I reached up to take my ice cream from the employee, thanking her. "Sure, it's winter, but ice cream is good any time."

"I know that; I mean what are you doing in Lima?" She turned to the employee and ordered (her usual) mint chocolate chip cone while waiting for my response.

"Oh, I'm just visiting my family," I replied. "What about you?"

"The same." She paused to grab her ice cream. "Would you like to walk with me?"

"Sure," I replied, licking my cone once more before using my teeth to put the glove I'd taken off when paying back on. I did feel a little nervous about being with Santana, but I pushed those feelings down.

So, we left the ice cream shop, walking together on the streets of Lima like we hadn't since we were teenagers.

"What have you been up to since high school?" Santana was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Not much," I said, glancing at her while we walked, glad that it was winter and my ice cream wouldn't melt all over if I was too slow. "I went to college, graduated, worked… You?"

"Basically the same. I'm still in school, though, just home for a few days." She paused and smiled. "What did you study?"

"Early childhood education. I worked as an Educational Assistant for a few months before the school I was at had to reduce its staff."

A small smile grew on Santana's face. "I bet you're really good at that. Kids love you."

"Thank you."

We walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Well," Santana said, "I'd better get going. I'm meeting my abuela in fifteen minutes."

"See you, Santana."

"Is your parents' number still the same?" she asked, cautiously. She knew that I'd changed my cell phone number the summer after high school.

I nodded, even more cautious.

"Maybe I'll call you then," she said as we parted ways.

Back at home, my mom fussed over how cold my hands and cheeks were. They were also sticky from my ice cream.

"You shouldn't have stayed out so long," she said, running my hands under lukewarm water.

"I'm fine." I paused. "I ran into Santana."

"Santana Lopez? Last I'd heard she was studying in Columbus."

"She said she's home for a few days visiting her family." I pulled my hands out from under the running water and dried them on my jeans.

"Don't get too involved again," Mom advised me.

"I'll be careful." I made no promise.

I went back up to my bedroom not knowing what to do. My appointment was in two days, but I had nothing planned before then. I knew sitting at home would bore me. So, I went on Instagram and looked for Santana. She wasn't hard to find, but she only had three posts that were all older. One was of her on a beach in her bathing suit, posted four and a half years earlier; one was of her holding a little baby girl, posted four years earlier; and one was of her graduation from university taken about two and a half years earlier.

I followed her, even though she appeared to be inactive, then looked through the people she followed until I found Rachel, Kurt, and Finn from high school. I was surprised that she followed anyone from those years, since she had never gotten along great with them. I didn't even follow anyone from high school. I clicked on Kurt's page and followed him as well, since he'd always been nice to me and a role model in some ways too. He had a few posts with Santana in them, but none were very telling either, so I stopped stalking her, tired enough to take a nap.