Santana's POV

Spending the night at Brittany's was surprisingly refreshing. My parents had been arguing non-stop at home since my dad had the day off and wasn't very happy about it. He's always very stressed when he has time off. I had rushed home after school that Thursday since I had received a text from my mom about coming home early, but it had been a mistake to listen to her. So, I packed my backpack with some extra clothes, and I asked Brittany if I could go to her place for night.

I actually had fun playing Candy Land with Brittany's little sister. She was young, so it almost made sense that her room looked as though Pinky Pie threw up in it. Still, at her age, the most pink I had had in my room were the dresses my abuela gave me. I'd never been really into girly stuff.

Brittany and I got ready for bed early because of Cheerios practice the next morning before school. We'd almost survived our first week as real Cheerios, and I was exhausted. I tried to get comfortable on the floor of Brittany's room. I could tell that she wasn't sleeping yet either because of her breathing, but I didn't want to say anything to possibly disturb her normal schedule.

"Santana!" Brittany whispered. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah," I replied quietly.

She paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to talk?"

I looked up at her bed to see her looking at me. "Sure."

"Come up here."

I got up from the floor and walked over to Brittany's bed where she scooted over to one side to make room for me. At least we didn't have to share with Lord Tubbington too; he was sleeping in a cat bed across her bedroom.

I sat awkwardly in Brittany's bed, but she told me that I could lie down under her blankets if I wanted, so I did.

"Why are you so mean to the other girls?" Brittany asked. "You're nice to me."

"I'm usually mean to people," I replied, "but you're my friend, so I'm nice to you."

"You are mean to Quinn sometimes, though," Brittany pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess. She's too much like me, so we argue over everything. Besides, she isn't my best friend." I could barely believe the words coming out of my mouth. They sounded way too nice and actually smart, but as I thought about it, I didn't care that Brittany had seen this part of me that I barely even knew existed.

"Your turn," Brittany whispered.

"For what?"

"To ask a question."

I thought for a moment. "Um... why haven't you told anyone about... being raped?" The question seemed too serious, but knowing that about Brittany made me really sad, and I wanted to help her.

"Because no one would believe me," Brittany replied. "He got caught doing it to someone else, so he got in trouble for it anyway." She stopped for a bit to come up with another question. "What's your favorite color?"

"Red," I said, "or black. What about yours?"

"I don't have a favorite, but I do really love pink and blue."

Neither of us talked for a while. We just lay in silence. The best part was that we didn't feel awkward. It felt incredible to have such a good friend.

"You can stay in my bed for night if you want," Brittany said. "There's easy enough room for both of us. Be warned, though, I sometimes kick in my sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

I shimmied further down under Brittany's blankets, then turned to face her.

"Good night," I said.

"Good night, Santana." Brittany leaned over and gently pressed her lips against my forehead. The act may have been friendly for her, but it seemed strange to me. Why would a girl kiss her friend? The question kept me awake at night. Maybe it was because I liked it.

The next morning, we were awake bright and early. Well, Brittany was awake and dancing around her bedroom to '90s pop, which woke me up. She was already dressed in her Cheerios uniform with her hair up in a high ponytail as instructed by Coach Sylvester. She was completely ready for school, and I wasn't even out of Brittany's bed yet.

I groaned and climbed out of her bed.

"We're leaving in fifteen minutes!" Brittany said as she kept dancing. How anyone could have that much energy so early in the morning was beyond me.

I quickly got dressed in my uniform, put up my hair, and did my makeup.

"My mom said she'd pack us snacks so we can eat after practice instead of before. It helps with cramps," Brittany explained. "Are you ready?"

I grabbed my backpack off Brittany's bedroom floor and nodded, still exhausted. Then, we were on our way to school.

The school day passed slowly, but the energy was more excited than usual since it was a Friday. Everyone knew that if they got through the day, they would be rewarded with the weekend.

Puck was in my math class, and he asked if I would like to go out again that day. Luckily, one of the Cheerios interrupted, saying that they were planning a Cheerios sleepover for that night. Most of the girls going had already been on the team last year, so I politely declined. Still, I was not going to go on a date with Puck every weekend, so I didn't talk to him again that day.

At lunch, Quinn mentioned the Cheerios sleepover. Both Brittany and Quinn didn't want to go either, so we decided to have a sleepover with just us three girls. I didn't know Quinn very well yet, but it was better than being at home.

I went home with Brittany after school. We played Candy Land with her little sister, and we fed Lord Tubbington. I swore that cat hated me, but Brittany said he didn't.

I called my mom to let her know about our weekend plans, and she reluctantly agreed to everything as long as I got back home Saturday evening.

At 6 o'clock, Brittany's mom drove the two of us to Quinn's house. I hadn't been there before, but it looked really nice. I knew her parents were rich, so it didn't come as much of a surprise. We walked up to her house together.

"Welcome!" Quinn's mother seemed quite excited for her daughter to have friends over for a sleepover.

She led us up to Quinn's bedroom where she was setting up two extra beds on the floor, even though she had a queen bed that could easily be shared.

We ate supper in Quinn's bedroom, then went to watch a movie in her basement. The evening wasn't bad, it just wasn't the same with three girls; someone was always left out, it seemed.

"Do you want to play Truth or Dare?" Quinn asked once we were back in her bedroom and in our pajamas.

Brittany agreed excitedly, and I nodded, although every time I played the game it seemed to end in disaster.

"Truth or Dare, Santana?" Quinn questioned, looking at me.

"Truth," I replied.

"Have you slept with Puckerman yet?" she asked.

I nodded in response. "Brittany," I said, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you..." I couldn't think of a good dare.

"You dare me to do the splits?" Brittany stated a dare for me.

"Sure."

She smiled and easily slid into the splits. "Quinn, Truth or Dare?"

The game continued until all three of us were exhausted, and we decided to go to sleep. Brittany and I scooted our beds on the floor closer once Quinn had fallen asleep, so that we could keep talking.

"Good night, Britt," I said.

"Good night, Santana." Then she did the same thing she had done the night before and kissed my forehead before turning over to go to sleep.