Summer of Lies

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Chapter 2

After what seems like hours, I make myself leave her front deck, knowing she's not going to come down after me if she hasn't already. The last thing I want to do is be there when her mom gets home, we've never really gotten along and with the mood I'm in, I will most definitely say something I know I'll regret. I hear the sound of tires as I stand, "Shit," I mutter quietly as I eye the black Lexus pulling into the driveway.

"Oh Brittany, leaving so soon are we?" she asks as she gets out of the car.

I try to force a smile but something about her has always rubbed me the wrong way. She has always made it quite obvious that she hates all the time Santana and I spend together. I think it's because deep down she knows we are more than just friends but she'd never say it aloud. I watch as she studies me, taking in my puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

"Is something the matter?" she asks with a sincerity so fake she might as well have said nothing at all. She's already looking towards the door of her house, and I just know she's hoping I say nothing is wrong because she really doesn't want to stand around and talk to me.

"Just fine," I say, trying to make it sound convincing. "I really have to get going. Bye Mrs. Lopez." I look back at her for a response, but she has already made her way into the house. I make the normally five minute walk from Santana's house to mine into about half an hour, wandering aimlessly, not really sure what to do with myself.

"Brittany, is that you?"

I turn towards the road to see a black Ford Fusion slowing down near the side of the road and recognize it as Rachel's car.

"Everything ok?" she calls out through the passenger window. "Are you lost or something?"

The way she says that jolts a memory in my mind and I can't help but to be taken back almost ten years.

Summer of 2001

"Hey! You! Are you lost or something?"

I turn to see a group of boys coming over towards me, and immediately sense no good can come from this. "Um, I don't think so, thanks though."

"What's your name?" one of the taller boys asks.

"Brittany," I answer slowly, trying to figure out a way to get away from the group and begin to chew the end of one of my pigtails nervously.

"Leave her alone Karofsky."

I twirl around to see a small girl with darker skin and frizzy hair in a ponytail come over with her hands on her hips and a fierce look on her face. I can't help but stare at her, she's like no one I have eve seen before. There's a strange tingle that begins in the bottom of my stomach but I figure it has to do with the fact that I'm about to get beat up by a group of boys.

"Go pick on someone your own size!" she says, glaring up at him. "Take your stupid posse of boys and get lost."

I watch as the taller boy looks from her to me and then back to her again. "Fine Lopez, I'll walk away this time. Tell your little friend here to be more careful next time about where she's walking."

"We're not friends, I've never seen her-" I start to say but she cuts me off.

"I think you're the one who should be more careful next time. I can take you and your group of boys. You should watch your back," she warns him and glares at the boys until they're on the other end of the park.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that."

She shrugs, "It was nothing really. I'm Santana by the way," she says, sticking out her hand towards mine.

"I'm Brittany." I take her hand and immediately feel a connection I've never felt with anyone before.

"Did you just move here?" she asks, dropping all my fingers but my pinky, keeping it linked with hers.

"Yeah, my parents just got new jobs here, we just moved into the Lima Heights community."

"Really? Cool. I live there too! Only, if anyone asks, I live in Lima Heights Adjacent."

I look at her, confused as to what she's talking about.

She looks away from me, her cheeks blushing brightly. "It makes me look tough, ok? It's working so far, I just saved your butt from those stupid boys."

"Yeah thanks for that. I hate being the new kid."

"Stick with me, I'll take care of you, I'll always have your back Brittany."

Present Day

"Brittany, are you ok? It's been a few minutes and you have just been staring at me."

I shake my head of the memory and walk to the passenger side of the car, leaning slightly to peer in the window. "I'm fine, thanks though. Just taking the long way home. What are you doing out this way?"

"Just visiting Finn at work. Do you need a ride, wait, have you been crying? Get in the car now!"

I sigh, not wanting to really get into it, but I get in the car because I know Rachel won't let it go. "I wasn't crying, I just have allergies," I say weakly.

She studies me, taking in my puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks, knowing very well that I'm lying, and badly at that. "I know we're not close like you and Santana are, but I'd like to think we're friends and you can talk to me if you want. So, what's wrong?"

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I want to talk to her, hell anyone, so bad, but I can't. Talking about what's going on would mean outing Santana and I could never do that to her. "I appreciate it Rachel, but I'm ok, really ok," I say, more to convince myself than her.

She eyes me, knowing there is more to what I'm saying, but thankfully gives up. "If you insist. Just know that if you ever change your mind, you have my number. Want me to take you home?"

"Sure, thanks. I'd really appreciate that."

XXXX

Santana takes one of the down pillows off her bed and throws it at her wall, not satisfied with the soft thud it makes upon hitting the floor. She looks around her room, needing something that's going to give her a better sense of relief. She eyes the framed picture of her and Brittany, and picks it up with trembling fingers. Sighing heavily she places it back down on the night table, not able to throw it, she can't bring herself to ever hurt Brittany, even if it is just a picture. She wipes the tears from her eyes and peeks out her bedroom window, looking to see if Brittany was still outside. "Just fucking great," she mutters when she sees Brittany is gone, but her mother is just getting home. "Can this day get any worse?" Normally she and Brittany would be holed up together in her room, and her mother would always leave them alone, but now she was alone and afraid her mother would make her do something she didn't want to do. She flops down on her bed, going over what had just happened in her head. She loves Brittany, of course she does, but how was she ready to come out to people and hope that they accept her, when she hadn't even fully accepted it herself?

"Santana, Honey, are you home?" Mrs. Lopez calls up the stairway.

Santana pulls herself up off her bed and walks to the landing of the spiral stairway. "Yeah."

"Oh good, come downstairs, see what I just got."

She reluctantly walks down the stairs, not caring at all what her mother could possibly have to show her.

"Your father and I are going to a benefit dinner tomorrow night, look at this dress I just got."

"Seriously? You made me come down for this?" Santana can't believe her mother made her come all the way downstairs for this, when all she really wants to do is wallow in self pity and listen to depressing music. She can't even fake a smile and tell her the designer dress would look nice on her because she simply didn't care. "Is that it? I'd like to go to bed."

Mrs. Lopez looks at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's only 4:00 in the after noon. How can you possibly want to go to bed? I saw that Brittany girl leaving here earlier today, did something happen?"

Tons, she thinks to herself. I very well may never see her again. "No, nothing happened. I'm just tired," she says, not being able to come up with anything else quickly, which was very rare for her.

"Well, ok. Why don't you come to the benefit with us? There's this nice boy I think you should meet. I'll have your father set it all up."

"No Mom," she searches her brain frantically, trying to come up with anything that can be used as an excuse not to go. She's too emotionally drained to even think of anything.

Mrs. Lopez eyes her daughter suspiciously. "I've just decided that you don't have a choice. Go upstairs and see if you have something to wear or we'll go shopping."

Santana rolls her eyes as she slowly makes her way back up to her room. This summer was starting out just fucking fantastic already. Brittany was gone and now she was being forced to go to some stupid dinner with a stupid boy. Unfortunately, she was going to have to grin and bear it because the other alternative was telling her parents the truth and she wasn't sure she was ready for that. Let the summer of lies begin…