A/N: WOW. You guys love your Brittana ;) This works for me, cos I do too :) Thanks for all the kind words :)
300 reviews :D So awesome :)
One of my favourite reviews ever from an anonymous reviewer: "Is it weird that I look forward to this more than the actual show?" SUCH a big smile :) It would be my absolute dream to write for a show like Glee :) So THANK YOU!
Let the dramarama begin… ;)
Onward and up!
-H
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(
CHAPTER 14
Brittany was a mess. Her head was everywhere and she couldn't look at Santana. Her breathing was completely erratic and her heart was racing. She couldn't actually believe what had just happened. Part of her wondered if it actually had.
"B? Holly said you came here," Rachel's voice called out again.
She took a deep breath and chanced a quick glance back at Santana and immediately wished she hadn't as she saw the Latina pulling the towel around her body. That creamy caramel skin, so smooth under her fingertips.
Stop it! Nothing happened.
Brittany wasn't exactly sure how she was going to pull that lie off, but she had to. She had to. It was a mistake. There was probably something in the steam that was messing with her.
Uh huh. That's why you're wetter than you ever have been before. That's why all you're thinking about now is kissing her again.
Brittany shook her head slightly and made her way down the benches to the door.
"Hey, Rach," she said casually. "Sorry, think I fell asleep or something."
"Geez, how long have you been in here?" Rachel teased, knotting her own hair on top of her head.
Brittany tried not to think of how Santana had done the same thing. "Uh, a while. Why?"
"You're all flushed. Sauna too hot for you?" Rachel smirked.
"Uh, maybe," Brittany replied, frowning as she mentally face palmed herself.
Get a fucking grip, Pierce! Rachel's going to suspect something if you don't get your act together.
"Whatever, I'm over it now. Let's grab something to eat."
"Cool. Um, you didn't see Santana come in here? She texted me to say she'd be in here."
Brittany shrugged, hoping she seemed casual, even though the mere mention of the Latina's name sent her body temperature skyrocketing.
"Haven't seen her. But she might've come in. Like I said, I think I fell asleep."
"Have some good dreams, B?" Rachel teased, opening the door.
"Wouldn't you love to know?" Brittany retorted, but her voice betrayed a note of nervousness.
Thankfully, Rachel didn't seem to notice it. "Ew, B. A day in your fantasies? Way too many male body parts for my taste, thanks."
Brittany managed a weak laugh.
Jesus, Rach. If you only knew.
Santana wasn't sure how long she sat in the sauna by herself. Her thoughts were muddled and incoherent and no matter how much she tried to make sense of what had happened, the memory of it overran everything and she found herself simply getting flustered and irritated.
"Santana?"
She looked up, but couldn't see the door through the steam.
"I'm at the back, Quinnie," she said weakly.
"Geez, this is worse than a fog," her best friend joked, appearing through the steam.
Santana didn't say anything and just ran a hand through her loose hair. She'd let it down to give her nervous hands something to do.
"What's wrong?" Quinn asked, sitting down next to her.
Santana covered her mouth with her hands and glanced sideways at her best friend. "I did something, Quinn. Something really bad and I have no idea how to deal with the consequences."
Quinn's eyes narrowed in concern and she scooted closer. "This sounds serious, San. Are you ok?"
She shook her head. "I've never fucked up like this before, Quinn. Never."
"It's ok, sweetie. Just tell me what happened. I won't judge you."
Santana scoffed quietly. Of course she would. And she deserved to. Cheating was reserved for the lowest of the low. And she was now part of that group.
Quinn moved her hand to Santana's back and she was instantly reminded of Brittany's hands all over her body. She shivered involuntarily and gently shrugged her best friend's hand away.
"Sorry, Quinnie, it's not you, I promise. I just…" She took a deep breath. "Ok, here we go. Brittany kissed me."
"Oh," Quinn said in surprise. "Well, I can't say I expected that."
"I kissed her back," Santana continued quietly.
"W-w-what?"
"I just…I don't know how it happened. Quinn, I've never been kissed like that in my life before. It was…mind-blowing. It was the full toe-curling, heart-soaring, romantic-comedy-final-kiss kind of kiss. I…I couldn't stop kissing her."
"Um…"
"Trust me, I know how fucked up this is. And the scary thing is, we probably would've gone further is Rachel hadn't walked in."
"What?' Quinn squeaked.
"She didn't see anything," Santana said quickly. "We were here at the back and Brittany immediately pulled away when she heard Rachel." She sighed. "Quinnie, what am I gonna do? I can't pretend that this didn't happen."
"San, maybe you should talk to Brittany about this before you decide to do anything."
Santana nodded. "I have this feeling that she's just going to ignore it and pretend it never happened, just like what she said last week."
"What did she say last week?" Quinn asked curiously, wondering how long this little thing between the Head Cheerio and her best friend had been going on.
"Well, I went to go and put Rachel's bag in her locker because she and Brittany had a fight. I was also going to try and talk to Brittany and make her see that Rachel had done a lot for her and she needed to stop acting like a bitch. So, we got to talking and I think she understood what I was saying even though she was being extremely antagonistic." She paused. "Then she said that she was jealous."
"Of you?"
"No, of Rachel."
"Huh."
"I know, right? I just got outta there. I didn't know what to say to that. But since then she's gone right back to the Brittany we all know. But when it's just us, she totally opens up. I can't explain it. She knows stuff about me that Rachel doesn't even know, purely because we just haven't reached that point yet. I…" She dropped her head into her hands. "I can't stop thinking about the kiss and how guilty it makes me feel. I can't hurt Rachel, Quinn. She's been so amazing and it's her best friend. It would kill her."
Quinn nodded. "I still think you need to talk to Brittany before you make any more decisions, San. You need to find out where she stands with this. I mean, is she gay?"
Santana shrugged. It was something she'd been wondering of late. "If she is, she's so buried in the closet that I doubt she'll have a grand opening anytime soon."
"Well, if that's the case, maybe this should remain between the two of you. I mean, what are the chances it'll happen again?"
"I don't know," Santana mumbled.
"Do you…do you want it to happen again?" Quinn asked curiously.
"Wouldn't you want to experience the best kiss of your life again?" Santana replied with a resigned sigh. "You're right. I need to talk to her. God, how did this get so fucked up? I start dating Rachel and my life just falls to fucking pieces."
"Love will do that," Quinn teased.
"I'm not in love with Rachel, Quinn," she said. "But the potential is there," she added wistfully.
"And Brittany?"
"Well, my body has never reacted like that before. She felt…amazing. All of her."
"Whoa, TMI," Quinn said, closing her eyes. "Um, without disclosing graphic details, how far did you two get before Rachel interrupted?"
"We were naked and she had me pinned against the wall."
"Oh," Quinn said, her eyes wide.
"We didn't have sex. We weren't even close to having sex."
"You were naked," Quinn countered.
"We're in a sauna. Plus, I didn't care that I was naked. Her hands…wow."
"Ok, enough mental images for me for the rest of my life," Quinn said, pulling a face.
Santana smiled a little. "We're supposed to join them for lunch. How the hell am I supposed to sit at a table with both of them?"
"Look, until you speak to Brittany, you're just going to have to have find a way to deal. Rachel is still your girlfriend and, like you said, she hasn't done anything to deserve you shying away from her because you feel guilty. Whatever this thing is with Brittany, has it changed how you feel about Rachel?"
"No," Santana said honestly. "I still care about her. I just feel so guilty."
"Well try and ignore that guilt for the rest of today," Quinn said. "Look, I realise the situation isn't ideal, but I think it's the best course of action for right now."
Santana nodded and stood up. Time to face the music.
Rachel laughed at one of the Cheerios pictures on Facebook and showed Brittany on her phone.
"God, why is half the squad fitted with half-assed batteries for brains?" Brittany scoffed, sipping her smoothie.
"Because the smart ones all become captain," Rachel teased.
Brittany rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Hey, Rach?" she asked after a while.
"Hmmm?"
"What do you think about me dancing after school? You know, like professionally?"
Rachel looked at her best friend. She looked a little nervous, a very rare look for the blonde. She smiled at her.
"I think it's awesome."
"Yeah?" Brittany asked, her face brightening.
"Totally. You choreograph most of our routines even though Coach Em always takes credit and you're by far the best dancer at McKinley. You thinking of going to New York or something?"
"I dunno," Brittany shrugged. "I kinda just started thinking about it in the sauna. I mean, do you know what you wanna do after school?"
"Actually, now that you mention it, I have no idea," Rachel said with a laugh. "Whoops."
She spotted Santana and Quinn entering the café in their robes and she smiled, waving them over.
"Promise you'll play nice?" she asked Brittany.
The blonde nodded, a pained smile crossing her face. Rachel rolled her eyes and stood up to greet her girlfriend.
"Hey, baby," she said, smiling at Santana.
Her girlfriend returned the smile and leaned in for a quick kiss. Rachel was a little surprised because they normally went into a little make out session when they greeted each other. Maybe Quinn was giving her a hard time after having to separate them on three separate occasions at school the previous day.
"Hey, Quinn," she greeted.
The blonde smiled genuinely and nodded her head before pulling a chair out.
"Hi, Brittany," Santana said quietly.
Rachel watched as her best friend's eyes flickered towards her girlfriend. "Hey," she said eventually, going back to her phone.
Well, she wasn't expecting miracles so it was a start. She sat down next to Santana and entwined their fingers. Her girlfriend smiled at her.
"So, what's good here, Rachel? I hear you know the owner?"
"Yup, she's a friend of my dads."
"Hey, now Santana has a conversation starter," Quinn said in a teasing tone.
"Quinn! Jesus, will you lay off?" Santana retorted, but she was smiling.
Rachel chuckled.
"Stop laughing," Santana berated her girlfriend. "You have no idea the torture I've had to endure because of this damn dinner."
"What dinner?" Brittany asked, trying not to look interested. Rachel knew better, though.
"Santana's meeting Rachel's dads tomorrow night," Quinn informed her.
"Oh?" Brittany asked, her eyebrows raised. "You think she's ready for the Dad Test?"
"Dad Test?" Santana asked nervously. "What's the Dad Test?"
"Relax, babe," Rachel chuckled, kissing her hand. "Britt's teasing. My dads are gonna love you."
"Well, it's not like they have any comparison," Brittany mumbled, her eyes moving back to her phone.
"Really, Brittany?" Rachel asked in exasperation.
"I'm the only girl you've brought home?" Santana asked, surprised.
Rachel shrugged. "As you know, I don't really do the whole 'girlfriend' thing."
Santana grinned. "I feel so honoured. I made it to the Meet The Dads stage."
Rachel blushed a little and her girlfriend leaned in to kiss her cheek softly.
"For what it's worth, I'm glad I've made it this far," she whispered.
The brunette cheerleader smiled and pressed her lips against Santana's.
"Hey, we're about to eat," Brittany said snippily. "Any chance you guys could hold off till after my wrap has been digested?"
Rachel rolled her eyes and leaned in for one last peck before moving back to settle into her chair comfortably. She eyed Brittany as she played around on her phone.
"Way to be antisocial, B," she said, arching an eyebrow.
The blonde Cheerio sighed dramatically and dropped her phone on the table. "Enlighten me with riveting conversation, then."
Rachel's eyes narrowed. Brittany had said she was going to try and this is her trying? She grit her teeth.
"It's fine."
Rachel glanced sideways at her girlfriend curiously.
"Quinn and I are just gonna grab some smoothies before we head to a movie. Hope that's ok?" she asked Rachel.
She nodded. "Sure, babe. B and I still have an afternoon here, but we'll talk tonight?"
Santana nodded and stood up, leaning down to kiss her goodbye.
"Bye, Brittany," she said softly, walking towards the front counter without waiting for a response.
"Uh, guess I'll see you guys around," Quinn said, following her best friend.
"So is this the effort I can expect from you?' Rachel asked once they were out of earshot.
"What?"
"You said you were going to try and make friends. But you were just as rude as you normally are. What the fuck, B? Santana is actually important to me and I'd like to think that my best friend supports me."
"I-I do," Brittany said, frowning. "I dunno, maybe I stayed in the sauna for too long. I'm just feeling a little weird."
"You sure?" Rachel asked suspiciously.
"What else could it be?" Brittany asked quickly. "I mean, it's gonna take a while, ok? Baby steps, right?"
Rachel nodded slowly, a little concerned with her best friend's odd behaviour. "But you actually have to take the first step in order for there to be baby steps, Britt."
"Totally," Brittany replied. "Tell you what, I'll invite them both to my party on Friday. In fact, I'll invite the whole Glee Club."
"Say what?" Rachel's mouth dropped.
"Yeah, we gotta start small, right? How else are things gonna change?"
Rachel leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. She felt like she'd stepped into a parallel universe or something.
"Ok, who are you and what have you done with Brittany Pierce?" she teased.
Brittany mumbled something and Rachel frowned. It sounded like she'd said fucking sauna but why blame the sauna? There hadn't even been anyone else in there when she'd found her.
Whatever. Her best friend was in dire need of a party and a good lay. And being the good best friend she was, Rachel was going to make sure she got that.
Brittany jumped off her bed and shut her music off forcefully. She glared at her iHome as though it was responsible for the turmoil she felt.
Ain't no one to blame but yourself, Pierce.
Brittany groaned and turned back to her bed, flopping face first into the pillows. Her hands clenched into fists and she started pounding the mattress in frustration. The rest of that afternoon with Rachel had been ridiculously awkward for the blonde. Every comment that her best friend had made about Santana simply brought the memory of them kissing back to the forefront of her mind. Not that it had ever really left.
She couldn't feel like this. It was wrong. What she'd done was wrong. So very, very wrong.
And yet it had felt so good.
"No," Brittany mumbled into her bed.
She refused to let the mistake with Santana fuck up her life even more. That's exactly what it had been. It was a mistake and it would never happen again. Her best friend's girlfriend was nothing to her.
Brittany squeezed her eyes closed and repeated the mantra in her head. Maybe after enough times, she could convince herself that she didn't want to do it again.
Santana stood outside the door to Rachel's house on Sunday evening and took a deep breath. She'd never been this nervous. She was about to meet her girlfriend's dads and apparently she was the first to do so. What if they hated her? What if they said she wasn't good enough?
The door suddenly opened and Santana blinked in surprise at Rachel's faded jeans and t-shirt look. She looked really hot. Santana loved the casual look on most girls, but it looked exceptionally good on Rachel.
"Are you planning on standing there all night?" she smirked.
"Uh…"
Get it together, Lopez. It has been established that your girlfriend is insatiably hot.
Rachel just chuckled and grabbed the Latina's hand and pulled her inside. She leaned up and kissed her softly and it made Santana smile. She wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her closer, gently moving her lips against her girlfriend's.
The cheerleader eventually pulled away, grinning. "I could definitely get used to greetings like that."
"But that is how I greet you," Santana replied with a smirk.
"But we're getting a rep," Rachel said, trying to be serious.
"And since when do I care about that?" Santana murmured, ducking her face into Rachel's neck, nuzzling the exposed skin with her nose.
The gesture made Rachel shiver. "You make a valid argument," she eventually giggled. "But we definitely need to calm ourselves down. It's awkward enough that our best friends keep catching us."
Santana stiffened a little at the reminder. She hadn't said anything to Rachel about her and Brittany's little tryst in the sauna and until she'd spoken to Brittany, she was wary of saying anything more.
She hated that she'd cheated on Rachel. It made her feel terrible. Her girlfriend was so affectionate and sweet that it only increased Santana's guilt about what she'd done. As much as she couldn't stop thinking about her kiss with Brittany, when she was with Rachel she tended to forget about it momentarily. She took that as a sign that her relationship with Rachel was worth something more to her than some inexplicable make out session with Brittany Pierce.
"You ok?"
Santana was shaken from her inner thoughts and nodded with a genuine smile, taking her girlfriend's face in and forgetting about the blonde cheerleader.
"My family would not let up about this damn dinner," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"And how do you feel?" Rachel asked curiously.
Santana shrugged. "Nervous as hell. I feel like I'm headed for an interrogation. I really want them to like me."
"Well, you need to meet us for that to happen," a deep voice said with a chuckle.
Santana jumped away from Rachel, dislodging her glasses with the jerky movement. She hurriedly righted them and offered a nervous smile at the two men standing at the entrance to the living room.
"Well, she definitely doesn't look like a serial killer," Rachel's one dad commented lightly. He was more grey than his husband, but in a very distinguished way.
"Not a serial killer, but I don't think I'd like to stumble upon her in a dark alley," the other man said good-naturedly.
"Nice, Dad. Way to make her feel at ease," Rachel huffed, folding her arms across her chest.
"But honey bear, it's out job as your dads to find out whether she's worthy of your heart. We need to be tough and direct."
"Um, sweetie, I think we established with your Spice Girls infatuation that you are anything but tough," his husband whispered loudly.
Santana couldn't help let a giggle slip out. All eyes were on her and she cleared her throat. "Personally, I love the Spice Girls. If ever they have a reunion tour, I'm gonna be all over that like white on rice."
Rachel's dads burst out laughing and the Latina felt a little less tense. Jokes were good, right? They eased the tension, right? Oh God, she was so terrible at this.
"Nice one, babe," Rachel said in approval, sending her a wink.
"Oh, Rach, this one is definitely a keeper. I like her."
"Tough if you didn't," Rachel retorted, but her voice held no malice.
"Yes, Derek, I think it's safe to say that our daughter is the toughest in this family," the greying man said.
Derek let out a dramatic sigh. "Why did we raise such a strong-willed child?"
"Who else is going to kick your asses at karaoke?" Rachel teased.
"I almost beat you last night!"
"Keep dreaming, Daddy," Rachel laughed.
"Strong-willed seems to be a substitute for smart mouthed," Derek said, arching a perfect eyebrow.
Santana just watched the exchange with a small smile. It was nice to know that her girlfriend had a good relationship with her dads, especially after what she'd told her the other day about her desire for a mother.
"Right, enough about our dysfunctionality. Santana, please join us for a glass of wine."
Santana looked at Rachel in alarm, but she just nodded and took her hand.
"Sunday dinners are a tradition with us. We try a new dish out of the millions of cookery books my dad owns and since I started high school, I've been allowed a glass of wine at dinner."
"Because you're such an angel and need a slow introduction to alcohol," Santana teased, linking their fingers.
"That's me," Rachel replied with a sultry wink. "Always an angel."
They all sat in Rachel's spacious living room, Rachel's dads sitting on one couch and Santana and Rachel occupying the other.
"Right, official introductions are necessary, I believe," the greying man said.
Santana sat forward, her nerves kicking up again.
"I am Derek Brenner and this is my husband, Seth Berry."
Ok, so Derek liked the Spice Girls and Seth was the distinguished grey man. Santana nodded to herself.
"Santana Lopez," she said in a strong voice, holding out her hand.
"Oh my," Seth said, holding his hand to his chest. "This seems all very formal, doesn't it?"
Santana's confidence fizzled and she slowly dropped her hand.
"Oh, honey, don't look so distraught!" Derek laughed. "Seth loves his drama. Clearly Rachel got that from him."
Santana heard her girlfriend scoff next to her.
"It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet the girl that has stolen our daughter's heart," Derek continued with a warm smile, extending his hand.
Santana lifted her own again and Derek clasped it firmly. She nudged his husband before releasing it and Seth grinned mischievously with a smirk almost identical to Rachel's.
"Apologies, m'lady," Seth said bowing low so that his head almost touched his knees. "As my husband so tactfully pointed out, I am definitely the gayer of us two."
Rachel chuckled and Santana couldn't help but smile as they shook hands. Maybe this wasn't going to be a complete disaster.
Santana parked her car in the parking lot on Monday morning and glanced around for Brittany's car. She saw it in her reserved spot and took a deep breath. She knew they had early morning Cheerios practice because Rachel had sent her a good morning text at some ungodly hour.
She had to talk to Brittany before the end of school. They didn't have any classes together because Santana was in all the advanced classes and Brittany was, well…not. They had Glee after school, but there was no way she was waiting that long. She couldn't sit with this nervous energy all day. It would kill her.
Waiting for the blonde cheerleader in the locker room would simply raise suspicion because Rachel would be there. The same thing applied with regards to Santana walking up to Brittany in the halls. Besides, she was pretty sure that the head cheerleader wouldn't appreciate that. She hardly needed Brittany to be any more defensive than she probably was already. She didn't have Brittany's number otherwise she would've texted her. She could probably have gotten it from Rachel's phone, but she felt that she was already being dishonest enough.
She pulled out of her notebook and scribbled a few words, tearing the paper out and folding it four times into a small square. Santana took another deep breath before exiting her car and hurrying inside the school. It was still early, but Santana had a History test later in the day and she'd wanted to get some extra studying in. Revising after what had happened on Saturday had kind of ended up being pointless.
Santana stopped outside Brittany's locker and glanced up and down. The hall was empty. She stuffed the piece of paper through the vents and hurried to the library. Hopefully with a more solid plan in mind she might be able to study.
Brittany rolled her eyes at her best friend bounding off immediately after exiting the locker room, saying something about a library. She'd never even set foot in the damn place. It was way too depressing. Who the hell went to a place filled with boring ass books to sit and be quiet the whole fucking time? As if.
The blonde strutted down the halls, glad to see that a path still opened for her. Some things would never change, regardless of what Santana thought.
Santana.
Brittany frowned. Her Sunday had been completely disastrous. Not only had she been forced to play babysitter for the Cramp Twins, any free moment had been spent trying not to think about the Latina. Which, of course, had only led her to actually thinking about her.
She shook her head as she reached her locker. She pulled it open and frowned at the unfamiliar piece of paper lying close to the front. She unfolded it and felt a mixture of apprehension, fear and excitement at the note.
Brittany,
We need to talk. You may not need to, but I do. I have a free period after first. Meet me in the library? I'm pretty sure no one will look for us there. I'll be at one of the back tables.
Santana
She tried really hard not to see the sexual side of what Santana had written, but she was an incredibly sexual being. How could she not? She simply smiled ruefully and refolded the piece of paper, slipping it into her bra. She definitely didn't need anyone finding it.
She didn't have a free period that day, but she did have some scientific subject during that time and she really didn't mind missing it. As she pulled her books out, she furrowed her brow at what Santana might say to her. And what the hell was she going to say back?
I can't do that to Rachel. I won't. Dad always says what a great actress you are so use them skills and lie your ass off. Make her believe whatever you need her to believe.
Brittany nodded to herself as she slammed her locker door closed, a little louder than intended.
This had better get her the fucking Awesomest Best Friend Award.
Santana glanced at her watch as she sat in a chair, her foot tapping subconsciously. Ten minutes of second period had already passed and Brittany was nowhere in sight.
After twenty minutes, she was about to give up when she looked up and saw a thoroughly uncomfortable Brittany next to the table.
"Hi," she said, suddenly surprised that she'd actually come.
"Sorry, got lost," Brittany mumbled, falling into the chair opposite Santana.
"You've never been in here before, have you?' Santana asked curiously.
The blonde shrugged. "I have no reason to."
"Where do you do your homework?"
"I don't," came the short reply.
Santana frowned and decided to halt that particular line of questioning until she'd covered what she'd planned to.
"Um, how are you?" she began.
Brittany's eyes shot up and narrowed. "Say your piece, Santana. I don't have time for bullshit small talk."
Wow. Guess that answers my question about her guards being up.
Santana took a breath. "I need to ask you how you feel about what happened."
"What happened?"
Santana looked at the cheerleader incredulously. She was examining her nails like any other day of the week.
"Brittany, you can't-"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do or say," Brittany cut her off sharply.
"So you're just going to pretend it didn't happen?" Santana asked in disbelief.
"Well, nothing actually happened, so I can't pretend that nothing happened."
Santana fell back in her chair, absolutely dumbfounded. Brittany was either in huge denial, like huge, or she had suffered some form of mental blockage. She had heard of it happening, like shock-induced temporary amnesia or something.
Something told her that it wasn't the amnesia.
Wait. This was actually a good thing, right? If they pretended like nothing happened, then Santana wouldn't have to tell Rachel anything. If Brittany could fake amnesia then Santana sure as hell could too. As amazing as kissing Brittany had felt, it was wrong. She as with Rachel and she was happy with Rachel. A serious lapse in judgement wasn't worth losing the best relationship she'd ever been in.
She nodded curtly. "Fine. We're agreed. I just wanted to make sure that we were clear about that."
As their eyes met, Santana could have sworn she saw a hint of regret and longing, but brushed it off in those baby blues. She couldn't have any more thoughts of Brittany like that anymore. It wasn't fair to Rachel and it was stupid. Brittany was clearly nowhere near ready to accept what she'd done, what they'd done.
Santana was fine with her living in denial. It meant that her relationship with Rachel was safe and her girlfriend's relationship with her best friend would also remain intact.
"Fine."
It sounded to Santana like Brittany's voice came across a little forced.
Tough shit. I gave her the option to come clean and talk about it, but if she wants to play dumb then she has to deal with the consequences. If I tell Rachel and she confronts Brittany, she'll obviously just deny it and then I'll look like the big idiot.
Nope. Not worth the risk.
"Have a good day," Santana said, pulling out her History book and flipping it to the page she had stopped at when Rachel had attacked her with kisses before school.
A few minutes passed and Santana glanced up from her book to find Brittany still sitting there with a small frown on her face.
"Brittany?" she prodded.
The blonde's head snapped up, seemingly surprised that Santana had noticed her. The Latina frowned.
"Why are you still here?"
"It's a free country," Brittany snapped back.
Santana rolled her eyes. Defences were clearly back up.
"Whatever. I didn't mean that you couldn't sit here. But considering you've never been in here before and are now staring off into space, I can't help but wonder why you're still here?"
Brittany shrugged. "It's quiet," she whispered.
Santana let an amused smile cross her face. She hadn't figured the notorious party girl for the P and Q type.
"That is the general idea in a library," she teased.
Brittany pulled a face and it simply made Santana chuckle softly.
"I'm just going to be sitting here studying. You're welcome to stay, but it's gonna be boring."
"What are you studying?" Brittany asked, looking interested. She even sat up a little straighter.
Santana frowned at the sudden behaviour change. "History. I have a test after lunch."
"Me too, I think."
Santana blinked in surprise. "I'm pretty sure we don't have any classes together."
"No, I have History the last period of the day," Brittany explained, her gaze fixed on the table.
Santana chewed on her bottom lip. Before she could let her logic tell her that it was a bad idea, she asked, "Do you want to study together? We could quiz each other."
Brittany shrugged. "What's it on, anyway?"
Santana's jaw dropped. "Seriously?"
"I never listen in class."
"Um, at the risk of sounding like a shrink, don't you think you should maybe start? If you want to get into a good school out of Ohio, they'll be looking at more than your cheerleading scholarship."
The look that Brittany gave her unsettled her. It was like the blonde could see into her soul. She shivered uncontrollably and shook it off.
Nothing happened, remember?
"Ok, well, the quiz is on Imperial Russia," Santana said, clearing her throat. "Can you remember anything about this section?"
Brittany simply shrugged again. The nonchalance was beginning to irritate Santana.
"Look, Brittany. I have no problem helping you study, but you need to be a little more reciprocal."
The blonde sat quietly for a few moments, playing with her hands before standing up and moving to the chair next to Santana. The Latina inhaled silently as their proximity was suddenly a lot closer than she'd anticipated.
Focus. Studying. Nothing happened.
Right…
Santana opened her book to the beginning of the section and started explaining Imperial Russia. After a while, she just saw Brittany staring at the page, but she knew that she was listening.
"Um, you may want to write some notes down," Santana suggested. "You know, have something to refer to later today?"
Brittany shook her head. "Nah, I got it."
Santana blanched. She covered a quarter of the work already. There was no way that Brittany could possibly have retained everything she'd said. To test her theory, she fired off some revision questions that she'd made up. Brittany got every one right.
"Brittany, do you have a photographic memory?" she asked curiously.
"What's that?"
"It's when you remember something after looking at it only once or twice. But you can remember it with incredibly clarity as though you're looking it whatever it is in your mind."
"I guess. I dunno. Maybe."
"Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" Santana asked incredulously.
Brittany turned her head to look at her. "Why?"
"Do you have any idea what I would give to have a photographic memory? Jesus, studying must be ridiculously easy for you. No wonder you're still passing even though you don't do homework."
Brittany's eyes narrowed and Santana immediately realised how her comment had sounded. "Brittany, I didn't mean-"
"You don't know anything about me, all right? Stop fucking pretending that you do."
Santana held up her hands in resignation. "It came out wrong. That wasn't what I meant."
"Whatever," Brittany huffed. "I'm over this."
Santana shrugged. "Fine. Good luck."
"Whatever," she said again, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
Santana just watched as she walked away. Brittany Pierce was one confusing girl, yet every time she found out something new, it simply made her all that more interesting.
Not interesting, Lopez. Nothing happened!
She sighed. Right. Nothing happened…
A/N: It's a process, remember? We got a little taste of Brittana, but it will still be a while until we see some actual Brittana. Sorry ;)
Apologies for not getting this out sooner. It was my sister's birthday on Friday and she felt the need to have a birthday weekend, hence me only updating now. But I love her anyway :)
Have a great week, everyone!
Would love to hear your thoughts :)
-H