Just a little preface for this chapter- I picture Matt, Brittany's brother, as Hunter Parrish, when his hair is shorter. It's up to you how to interpret and visualize them but it may help to have a general look. Enjoy!
Oh! Also, Santana's graduation year isn't canon, she's class of 2013!
On a crisp Friday morning, Brittany and I were halfway to Canton and we were alternating between singing and talking. I normally hate car rides but I'd drive to Alaska if Brittany were with me.
Brittany made sure to remind me that I needed to keep my mom in the loop and then she randomly asked me if I knew who my college roommate would be.
"Well, the housing contracts haven't came out but I'm pretty sure I'm going to room with Jackie Sparks."
"Oh, so not Kate?" She teased. Brittany swore that I had a crush on Kate, whether I knew it or not.
I rolled my eyes. "No, Kate's getting an apartment with a few other girls. She's a junior."
"Jackie's a swimmer?"
"Yeah, I've known her for a few years and we've been planning on rooming together for awhile. We're pretty good friends. She's a lot like Jenna. She's smart too so I figure she'll ground me and I'll probably be more inclined to study around her."
"Pshh," she scoffed. "Like you need that. Does she know your big secret?"
"Yeah, I told her. She was skeptical at first but she asked me a few questions and she came around."
"That's good," Brittany concluded. "Just don't fall in love with her..."
I grinned. "I'll try not to. I have to admit though, she's got a really nice face, not as nice as yours though." Brittany rolled her eyes. "What about you? You went down to find an apartment or house?" She was going to live in Hamilton. I would have my car there and she'd have hers. It wouldn't be hard to see her. It would just be hard to make time to see her.
"Yeah, I was off the other day and I drove down there and looked at a few places. I like them alright. I just haven't found one that I really, really want to live in."
"Are you leaning more towards apartment or house?"
"Probably an apartment; at least for now. It would be hard for any apartment to live up to the one I have right now though and I won't really have the salary to pay for a house either. I have savings and trust fund but I can't justify using it on a house that I'll live alone in. You know? I'll wait until I start a family and whatnot."
"Family? Like kids?" We hadn't ever really talked about it that much. I think maybe because it brings about the topic of the future and for so long, we were even unsure about our future together, not to mention the future in general.
"Yeah, I always have. I just think that kids can light up a room and it's a dream of mine to have one, two, a million maybe. What about you?"
I giggled. "Well maybe not a million kids. But I could see kids in my future. Kids are kind of my weakness. I don't even get pissy when they're annoying me, I think it's cute."
We talked a little bit more about future plans, while walking on eggshells though. We were both so nervous when talking about things like that. Eventually, with time, I'd hope we wouldn't be quite as nervous. We discussed the logistics of a lesbian pregnancy if insemination was practiced. Neither of us were experts on the topic so we had some open ended questions. Then we talked about adoption a little bit.
"But that's years and years from now," Brittany wrapped up.
"Yeah...I mean, I still have my whole life to figure out first."
Around eleven we reached Canton.
"Ahh, finally," Brittany sighed in relief. "I'm so tired of being cooped up in this car! Just a few more minutes and we'll be there!"
I smiled nervously.
We drove through part of the city and turned into a gorgeous neighborhood. It was seriously something else. The houses were set far apart from each other. Some houses had long wrap around driveways with artificial pond fixtures; some houses were up front, near the street; some houses had large yards, some had small yards. But they were all huge houses that looked picture perfect. These were the houses that one could only dream of living in.
"This is your neighborhood?!" I felt like I had to pick my jaw off of the floorboard.
"It's like yours!"
I contemplated her statement. "No, not at all. I know my house is nice but these are..." I trailed off.
She shrugged. "It's a nice neighborhood filled with semi-fake people, including my parents. They all play catch up with each other. The Joneses install new garage doors, then my parents have to. The Peterson's get a new lawn mower, my dad had to get the newer model. It's all a game. Sometimes, I wish I didn't come from such extravagant beginnings, I wish I came from a more humble upbringing. And I know that sounds like I'm a whiny, rich kid but I guess I am being one. It's just horrible to see what we've wasted our money on when there are people who need it so much more than us."
I nodded. Brittany was always really money shy. I think it was a sore subject that also stemmed from some of the problems she had with her parents. She knew that I knew she came from an affluent family but we didn't talk about money often. She's really financially responsible though, she worked for the money and had a been building a retirement and savings fund already. I also knew that she tried hard not to take money from her parents. When Shae moved out of her apartment, they took her part of the rent to help Brittany out. "They didn't need to, I would have scrapped by but it's nice of them that they did," she said.
"And… here we are."
We pulled into the long driveway to an absolutely gorgeous house. It was indescribable. It's a modern and chic house. A 4 car garage was tacked to the side of the house and the landscaping was impeccable. The home itself was two-toned brick, had a black front door, and a large archway of windows above it. The black shutters matched the door. The awning above the front door extended to the sides of the house, with a small patio set on one side. It was huge and an all around gorgeous house. I honestly could not imagine what the inside looked like.
"Oh my god. This is your house, Brittany?"
"Well, my parents'. Modesty at its best," she joked.
"So you grew up here?"
"Sort of. We lived in another house until I was in 7th grade, I didn't switch schools or anything. We just moved."
"It's fucking gorgeous."
"Oh, just wait till you see the inside. Did you text your mom that you were here?"
I fumble a message into my phone. "Now I have."
She parked outside of the garage, next to an Audi sports car.
She saw me checking out the Audi. "Sweet ride."
"That's Matt's car. He's very proud of it, he worked as a tennis instructor for forever and saved money because my parents made him pay for a lot of it."
"I figured it was your brothers."
"You ready?"
"As I'll ever be.."
She kissed me lightly on the lips and we got out of the car and got our bags from the back. We each just had a duffel bag.
A black Labrador greeted us as we walked out.
"Beowulf! Hi, boy!" Brittany threw her bag over her shoulder and bent down to pet the dog.
"Beowulf? That's a strange dog name."
"I named him!" Brittany said, offended.
I brushed her off with a grin. "You're such an English nerd." I patted Beowulf on the head. He was a cutie. "Lord Tubbington is better though."
"Well of course," Brittany agreed. "No pet name beats his."
Brittany let the dog be and we walked to the side panel of the garage where she punched in a code and it opened. There was a BMW and a truck parked inside. We made our way through the garage and walked up a few steps garage door. We walked down a hallway and into what I assumed was the front room.
"Here, I'll take that." She took my bag and placed both of the bags aside on a small bench.
I looked around the front room. It was huge, stunning décor, and immaculately clean. There was a high ceiling with a modest chandelier-like light fixture hanging from it. You could see a balcony from the second level form the front room but you couldn't see the stairs.
"Whoa," I said, stunned.
"Don't worry, I still do that every time I walk into your house." She was trying to make me feel more comfortable. "MOM?! DAD?! MATT?!"
"Oh, honey, Brittany is here with her girlfriend." It was a lady's voice, obviously Brittany's mother.
"Coming!" I heard a deep voice from a different direction. I guessed this was Matt's.
I heard a bunch of footsteps and shuffling around. I wasn't holding Brittany's hand, I wanted to but at the same time, I didn't want to. I didn't want to seem dependent on her. A tall guy with tousled darker blonde hair showed up in a v-neck shirt and jeans. It was Matt. He was buff, tall, and handsome. Good genes just ran in the family, I suppose. He had the same blue eyes at Brittany and you could easily tell they were siblings. Not long after, Brittany's parents made their way to the foyer area of the house. I had seen pictures of her family and saw them from afar at Brittany's college graduation; it was just different to see them up close and in person.
Her mom is clean cut. Her height is somewhere between Brittany and I. She's dressed in a casual light blue oxford button up and light pink contrasting capris. Her dark blonde hair is styled down falling right on her shoulders. It frames her circular face and square glasses. She looks good for a mom, I wouldn't have guessed she has two grown children. The only hint of her age is the subtle lines on her forehead, cheeks, and chin.
Her dad looks like the regular business man. He's clean shaven and very tall. He had short salt and pepper hair. He looked overall fit and healthy, barring just a hint of a belly. He's dressed nicely, wearing a crisp button up tucked into dark-wash jeans with a pair of black loafers.
Brittany's parents looked startled when they first saw me. Normally, I could care less about what people thought of me but today, I could not have cared more. I silently praised myself for choosing to wear my favorite long sleeve dress with modest shoes. I looked hot but not too hot. I was going for the classy look. I don't know of they were expecting someone Caucasian, someone older maybe? But surely Brittany had told them my name and with a name like Santana, Caucasian is definitely not the assumed ethnicity.
They quickly changed their expressions. Most people wouldn't have noticed, I was just extra perceptive today. Her parents were attractive people. They looked good together. I could see where Brittany and Matt got their good looks from. Brittany greeted her parents with a hugs and kisses and gave Matt a big hug, she hadn't seen him in quite awhile. They told her happy early birthday, it reminded me of the little present sitting in my duffel bag.
"Mom, dad, Matt, this is Santana."
"Hi." I extended my hand for a handshake and shook all of their hands. Matt's phone rang and he politely excuse himself to answer.
"It's a pleasure meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce. You have a lovely home." Oh no. Did I already screw up the conversation?
"Please," her dad smiled widely. "Call me Jeff and call this old mare Renee."
We all laughed except Renee who just kind of turned the sides of her lips up, forcing out a smile.
"Brittany has told us a lot about you but she didn't ever say you were so young," Renee contributed.
"Mother, stop," Brittany said defiantly.
Most people don't tell me that I look young. Most people assume I'm older than I actually am. Before I turned 18 right before the start of this school year, I could easily go to the store and buy R-rated movies, lottery tickets, or nail polish remover without ever being carded. So I was surprised at the forwardness of the comment. "I, uh, I'll be graduating high school in a few months."
"Splendid," she said with a time that meant the opposite if splendid. "Brittany, why don't you show Santana around the house while I finish lunch?"
"Okay." Jeff and Renee walk away in the same direction.
Brittany watches to make sure they're out of earshot. "I am so sorry. My mom isn't the best at filtering what she says. I think it's because she has to watch everything she says at court so when she's home it's just like.. word vomit," she said as we walked down a hall, unfamiliar to me.
"It's fine. I'm guessing she was under the impression that I was a teacher at the school you were student teaching at not that you were my student teacher?"
"Um, I think so. I'm sorry."
I was a little frustrated with Brittany. I was just trying to figure out something that could explain it better.
"Wait, didn't you come down here a few weeks ago before state?" I asked.
"Yeah and when I left, I told them that I was seeing a few of the kids that I student taught at the swimming state championships." She sensed my frustration with the situation. "I'm really sorry; my mom is really judgemental at times. I just didn't know she was going to be like this. On the plus side, my dad really likes you."
I didn't want to be angry at Brittany. I understood the predicament she was in and I don't think I could have handled it any better. This just really wasn't the first impression that I wanted to leave.
She grabbed my hand and led me around the house. "Here's the 'front room.'" The front room was nice, with two couches, a coffee table, chair, and piano. "And the dining room is over here." She led me past the front room into an exquisite dining room compete with China cabinets and another chandelier. She noted my looking around. "Yeah…" She stalled. "This room probably gets used less than 10 times a year."
We walked through a doorway and into the kitchen. Renee was mixing a salad over a large bowl. Jeff was next to her, leaning against the countertop. They were talking low and didn't really seem to notice us. The kitchen was so nice. Marble countertops complete with bar stools on the other side, the kind of fridge that disguises itself as a cabinet; and adequate eating space on the other side of the kitchen. "Here's the kitchen, this is where we usually eat." I sniffed the air. I smelled the salmon.
"It smells really good in here," I told her. I was talking low enough to wear her parents couldn't hear it.
"My mom's cooking is pretty good," she said, walking over and taking a baby carrot on a tray on the counter and giving me one.
I caught the eye of Renee as we walked out of the kitchen. It was brief and I had no time to accompany it with a facial expression before looking away.
"Here's the living room." The living room was large but cozy at the same time with a nice fireplace and a huge TV on the wall. There was a matching L-shaped couch, loveseat, and recliner complete with ottomans. A cabinet in the corner accented the room with shelves of family pictures and portraits.
"And then there's a bathroom and an office over there. Not interesting. Do you want to go downstairs?" She pointed past me towards the stairs.
"I do."
Their basement was just as stunning. The main room of the basement was occupied by a house bar, pool table, and an almost theatre like screen and furniture. In another room there was a treadmill, elliptical, and some weight machines. She said that some very memorable parties were held in here. Matt's room and a basement were also down there. She poked her head in before stepping in with me.
"Hey, jerk! Who called that it was so important to walk away from an introduction?"
"Nicole," he said flatly. Who's Nicole? "And I didn't want to deal with whatever mom was going to say, it would just make me angry. I saw it on her face as soon as she saw Santana."
"Yeah, I wish we would have gotten out of there, too."
He looked at me. "So you swim right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Man, I know that swimming is really tough. We've had to swim a few times for tennis. I can barely make it; none of the guys can. And I'm pretty sure that we don't swim a fraction of what any swimmer would swim."
I shrugged. "Yeah, well I'm pretty sure there aren't an abundance of swimmers that can serve a ball over 100 miles per hour." At least I could make sure that Matt liked me.
He smiled. "I like her, Brittany. She's a keeper."
"Lunch is in a little. I'm going to show her upstairs."
"Kay. See you in a little."
She led me upstairs to the main floor, and towards another set of stairs. I felt like getting lost in this house. We walked down the same hallway we did before but I didn't notice there were four hanging portraits on the wall. The top two were young professional photos, preschool or kindergarten of Brittany and Matt, and then bottom two were structured senior portraits. Both of them were stunning, Brittany looked so beautiful, her blonde hair cascading perfectly down her shoulders. Matt was handsome in his. It caught my eye because Ellie and I had something almost exactly like that at our house. Every year, Ellie's picture was replaced with her current school picture until she became a senior and that picture would stay forever.
"Our parents think alike," she said with a smile and a shrug.
On the upstairs level was Brittany's parent's huge room and bathroom, two guest bedrooms, another bathroom, and Brittany's room. Or, Brittany's old room, I guess. She opened the door. It was probably the most cluttered room in the whole house and it wasn't even messy, certainly cleaner than my room at home.
"So, this is your old room?"
"Yep. It didn't look like this when I lived here, but, you know, I haven't lived here in quite awhile. My parents don't really know what to do with it though. Another guest bedroom? How many guests do they think they're going to have at one time?"
I laughed and sat down on the full size bed, it was comfortable. I patted the spot next to me. She closed the door gently and sat down.
"Were you spoiled as a child?" I asked her out of curiosity.
Brittany chuckled. "Not really. My parents taught me how to save money as a really little kid. I never got everything I wanted. I had to save up for it, even some clothes. Then, when I turned 16, I got a job, bought my own gas, and paid for part of my car. The only things they really paid for after that was dance, any school activities, and health things. Clothes on just a few occasions."
I nodded, understandingly. "They're good parents."
"They are. These last few years though have been rough."
I put a hand on her thigh. She holds it. "Because you feel like you're disappointing them?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but I know they'll eventually see that even though I'm not making a six or seven figure salary, I can be happy."
She moved from my side and sat down on my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I wrapped an arm around her waist and another across her thighs.
"I'm especially happy because we're alone and I have been waiting all morning to do this." She peppered my cheek and neck with small kisses. "To kiss you."
"In your teenage bedroom?"
"Shhh," she whispered in my ear. "We won't think about that."
She leaned down and kissed me. I fell back onto the bed and got as much of Brittany as I could. Luckily, we were interrupted by her dad calling down for lunch or I'm sure something more would have happened. We got up and straightened out our clothing and hair before heading back downstairs.
The kitchen smelled really good. The table was elegantly set for lunch. A few dishes were on the table, a salad with a tray of vegetables, some fruit, and a platter of grilled salmon.
"Brittany tells me that salmon is your favorite food. It happens to be one of our favorites, too," Renee said as we sat down.
I smiled. "Yes, it is. It looks so great and smells delicious."
All five of us sat down and helped ourselves to food and started eating. I guess we were all pretty hungry, we really didn't talk very much for the first half of lunch.
"So Santana, what do you do at school?" Jeff asked me.
"I'm on the swim team," I said.
Brittany nudged my leg. "She's being modest. She's student body Vice President, president of at least half of the clubs at her school, and valedictorian. She was swim team captain; she's won seven state championships and helped her team place in the top 10 three times at state. And she's one of the top 10 high school swimming recruits this year and she even swam at the London Olympic trials last summer."
I smiled bashfully at Brittany's impressive recollection.
They all raised their eyebrows. "Wow, that's very impressive. What do you swim? Breaststroke?" Jeff offered with a grin. That joke never seemed to get old. Matt, Brittany, and I laughed shortly.
"Jeff!" Her mom interjected.
"Actually," I said, trying to lighten the newfound tension. "That's my worst stroke. I'm not too bad at backstroke and freestyle."
Renee put her fork on her plate, indicating she was done. "I assume with that impressive résumé, you plan on swimming in college?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm planning on going to Brooklyn-Hale University to swim."
"Ahh, BHU, that's a great school. Now I see why Brittany took that job in Hamilton." I couldn't tell if her mom was angry or just stating facts. "What are you going to major in?"
"I'm thinking of engineering, maybe chemical or biochemical."
We talked a little more about college. Renee continued to make some weird off hand comments. Jeff tried to make things not awkward. Matt slinked off to take another call, he said it was from his coach and that he'd be back.
And then my phone, which was was placed casually on the table, started vibrating. I looked at the screen Coach Carmichael. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. This is actually the coach at BHU. Please excuse me. I'm sorry."
"Oh, no. It's fine. We totally understand," Jeff said. I politely took the call into the other room.
"Hi," I said to Coach.
"Hey, Santana. I got your voicemail, what's up?"
I thought about how to phrase my words for a few seconds. I decided on the blunt approach. "This might seem weird but I wanted to tell you that I'm lesbian. And I know this may be a little awkward that I'd call just to tell you that but it's something I thought you needed to know."
"Oh, of course. I gotcha," he says in a kind way.
I continued, "When I went on recruitment and when I signed, I was kind of still finding myself and trying to come out to myself so I wasn't able to tell you but now I am. I just want you to know and I really hope that it's not going to be a problem."
"Absolutely not," he says quickly. "You know, I am very, very proud of you for telling me and for being so open about this. It takes a lot of courage to do that. I know that these girls will be behind you 100 percent. They are very open minded and it's not going to be a problem. I'm certain that they'll be more interested in your relay split times than your sexual orientation."
I smiled to myself. It was another load off my shoulders. "Thank you so much, Coach."
"No problem. Don't hesitate calling me if you need anything else."
"Oh, I won't. I'll see you in a few months!"
"Looking forward to it. Bye Santana."
I hung up and took a breath of relief.
"Sounds like a coach phone call." Matt walked up behind me.
"Yeah. Just sorting out some... Logistics."
Matt nodded without prying for more information.
We walked back towards the dining room. Matt was in front of me. I heard voices; Brittany and Renee. Before walking through the entryway, Matt motioned for me to stop and pressed a finger to his lips and then to his ear.
"You went to a twenty-five thousand dollar a year school just to hook up with a student you met while student teaching?! We helped pay for your home!" It was Renee's voice.
"First off, I got scholarships and the cost was a fraction of that. Secondly, it's not like we couldn't afford it. Just look!" She pointed to the open space, the house. "And third, we didn't hook up while I was student teaching. We didn't hook up at all." I heard the annoyance and anger in Brittany's voice.
"How old is she anyway?! 16? 17?"
"First off, that's illegal. She's freaking 18, Mother. She was 18 when she started her senior year. She voted in the freaking election. You and dad are 5 years apart. Can you just stop and be happy for me?"
"Renee, Brittany is right." Jeff was trying to mediate.
Matt gave me a sympathetic look but I could tell he wanted to keep listening.
"And what is this moving to Hamilton business? I pulled a lot of strings to get you that interview at Massillon and I know that this job had a better salary than any job there."
"It was only a few thousand more. They offered me an assistant dance team coaching job and Santana is going to be there."
Renee sighed, "Santana is a beautiful girl. I like her, I really do. She's polite and very charming. She has so much going for her and she's going to be so successful in whatever she does. But you don't know what the future is going to bring, if you'll even be together when the next school year starts. I don't want you to screw up her life like Lindsay did to you. You know, this could be a phase, it certainly wouldn't be the first time that a teenager explored her sexuality!"
"Mom, you have know idea who Santana is. She's not going through a phase, if she were, I'd be long gone by now. And you really have crossed a line comparing me to Lindsay! This is not the same situation at all. You don't even know, Mom!" The tone in Brittany's voice was angrier than I've ever heard it. She collected herself back up and took a quick breath. "Obviously, Lindsay didn't screw up my life too much. If anything, I just learned from her. I graduated a semester early and I have a job already lined up, I would hardly call that a screw up."
Matt jumped at the mention of Lindsay and cleared his throat before walking in. I followed a second later.
The tension in the room was strong but they didn't finish their conversation.
"Um, Mom and I have a few errands to run," Jeff started to say. He looked at Brittany. "Remember your birthday dinner is tonight. It was going to be at Bethany's family's place but they had space already rented out so it's at that other restaurant that you like. If you don't mind, Matt, could you clean up the dishes?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Renee told Brittany, "We'll finish talking about this later, Brittany." The look in her eyes was stern before she faced me and changed dispositions. "Santana, it was nice meeting you. I'm looking forward to getting to know you more."
I smiled and mumbled a response. I don't even know what I said.
Brittany, still angry and annoyed, replied, "I don't know what else there is to talk about. See you tonight."
Her parents cleared the room and all three of us waited in silence while Matt started to put away the dishes until we heard the door shut.
"Here, let me help you." I picked up a few plates from the table.
"Thanks!"
Brittany sighed. "So, how much of that did you hear?"
"Uhh, when your mom started talking about college and stuff."
"Oh, so you got to hear the best part." Brittany put her hands over her face in frustration. "I am so sorry. I don't know, my mom, she was out of line. She's usually not like this."
"Brittany, calm down." I put a my hand on her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. "It's okay. It's going to be something that they're going to have to get used to. This situation isn't… an easy situation to grasp. It's going to be alright. I promise. I don't want you to be upset; it's almost your birthday." I flashed her a half-hearted smile.
Brittany got up from the table, taking a few dishes to Matt who was putting them in the dishwasher. She stood up and gave me a hug. I let her melt into me. I knew this was hard for her.
"Do you mind if I take a nap before the 'birthday celebration' tonight?" She put air quotes around the birthday celebration.
"Not at all. You drove a bunch." I kissed her cheek.
"Matt, can you keep her company?" She clasped her hands together. "Pleeeeaaasssee?" She sing-songed. "And not by playing tennis, she's not dressed for that," she added.
"Sure, Brittany. No tennis. We'll stick around here."
"Thank you. Santana, wake me up if he gives you any trouble." She winked and went upstairs.
Matt closed up the dishwasher and wiped his hand on a towel and took a seat next to me at the bar stools on the island.
"Do your parents hate me?"
"No, they don't have the capacity to really hate someone, especially not my dad. They're just adjusting. And Mom is always like that at first. She was like that with one of my girlfriend. But now, they still talk sometimes, and we're not even together anymore!"
I optimistically laughed.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, though. I'm sure you know Brittany's relationship with my mom has been strained ever since she decided to become a teacher. Mom really wanted Brittany to become a dentist. I don't know if she's told you but Brittany was set on dentistry her whole life until her junior year when she started teaching dance, then she realized how much she loved teaching." Matt went on, "Also, she really wanted Brittany to go to her alma mater, UC, not Lima. Brittany didn't want to go to UC, even though she was accepted. She wanted to be at Lima to dance and to be closer to them. Brittany and my mom love each other and everything but they're a lot alike and they butt heads a lot."
"I see. I understand. I suppose it's not the ideal finding out that your college graduate is dating someone in high school. I mean just saying it is weird."
He shook his head. "It's love," he simply stated. "On the bright side, my dad is smitten with you."
I smiled. It was sweet that he wasn't trying to tell me that everything would be alright with her mom. Really, none of us knew what would happen. I changed the subject, "So how do you like Ohio State? I know a few people who are going there next fall."
"I love it there. It get's hard, juggling tennis, studying, and girls. But it's worth it."
"You really must love tennis."
He nodded. "Probably as much as you love swimming. It's just something about the way you can make a ball soar straight past someone down the line to where they don't even see it coming." He mimed a forehand. "I played basketball in high school and loved it but there was just something I loved more about tennis. The only downside is that there are some tennis players who are absolute jerks."
"Typical jocks. You're pre-pharmacy right?"
He nodded. "I know I don't look too smart but I'm getting through it." Matt had Brittany's same humble and genuine demeanor.
"So why aren't you beach bound yet? Isn't it a college spring break tradition?"
Matt hesitated. "I uh, well I really wanted to see Brittany since it's her birthday and all. I saw her at Christmas but if I didn't come up this week then I don't know when the next time I would see her would be. Tennis season heats up quickly around this time of the year. Besides, I'll have to be back tomorrow or the next day for training anyway, conference is really soon."
"Aww, that's so cute. You guys are really close?"
"Yeah, we've always got along really well. When my parents weren't around a lot, Brittany was there for me. Even when she was battling her eating disorder, she made sure I always had food and was taken care of, always brought me to my practices and everything, even when she had a million things to do herself. I can remember freshman year of high school when I couldn't drive, she'd have show choir or cheerleading practice, take me home from my own practice, and then go to the dance studio for practice rehearsal. I still don't know how she managed all of that and graduated in the top 10 percent." He chuckled. "Everyone always though she wasn't bright but she is so smart. So smart. She's got such a different way of looking at everything."
Brittany wasn't good at bragging about her own accomplishments, it was great to hear about her from someone who was so close to her. "She is really something else. I'm so lucky."
"She's pretty lucky to have you! What about you? Do you have any siblings?"
My face brightened at the mention of Ellie. "Yeah, I have a younger sister, Ellie. She's a sophomore. Uh, she actually loves playing basketball. We're super close." I pulled out my phone and showed her my background; it was a picture of us from the state meet.
"She's cute. Taller than you," he teased.
"She absolutely adores Brittany."
"Your family has already met her?" He asked, surprised.
"Yeah, at first it was in an awkward way but they've grown to love her." I must have looked down.
"Hey, they'll come around, trust me."
"I sure hope. So where's this celebration tonight?"
"Can you keep a secret.." He looked at his watch. "For a few more hours?"
"Yes."
"It's actually a surprise party. I got a hold of a bunch of her friends, convinced them to come here to celebrate her birthday, which was hard, considering it's spring break but it's Brittany and everyone loves Brittany. My parents rented out a room in her one of her favorite restaurant in town. It has a dance floor so you know she's all over it. I hope you like to dance…" I smiled and nodded. "It's going to be super great."
"That is so exciting! She'll love it."
"She better!" He joked.
We talked more while Brittany continued to nap. He was easy to talk to and enjoyed talking about Brittany as much as I did so it was great. We got along really well. Then we retreated to the basement to play a game of pool. He crushed me. It was almost an hour before the party so I called Brittany to wake her up; I knew she would want to have time to get ready.
Before she came back downstairs, I had to ask Matt one more question.
"Will you tell me about Lindsay?"
"I… I think that's something Brittany should tell you."
"SURPRISE!"
It was a classic surprise party. Matt, Brittany, and I walked in to an open room at a classy restaurant and a bunch of people popped out. I felt like if Gossip Girl or 90210 were set in Ohio, it would be her life. All of the people there, they looked around Brittany's age; they were all attractive and had such nice clothes.
"AHHHH!" Brittany squealed and kissed my cheek, probably because I was the closest person to her. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe this. She spotted her parents and ran up to them and gave them a hug. "Thank you! This is so great!"
She greeted all of her friends with hugs and 'I miss you so much's, she was so cute. After all the commotion, everyone settled down for dinner, she made sure that I was sitting next to her. I wouldn't have minded if she wanted to catch up with her friends but I really appreciated that she made sure I didn't feel out of place. There were multiple tables around the room, I spotted Matt with a bunch of Brittany's guy friends, Brittany's parents with some other adults, presumably parents of some of Brittany's friends, and then Brittany and I sat at a huge table with a handful of other girls.
"I'm so happy that you guys could make it. I can't believe that they set all of this up for me! I really underestimate my family sometimes!"
All of the other girls nodded and said they wouldn't have missed it for the world and whatnot.
When drinks orders were took, the Asian girl across the table, probably the one Brittany mentioned at the Chinese restaurant said, "Brittany, how rude! It's been twenty minutes and you haven't even introduced us to your friend here." She winked.
"Oh, my gosh. I'm sorry. I got caught up in all the excitement. Girls, this is my girlfriend, Santana."
"Oh, your girlfriend? I never would have guessed by your disgustingly cute looks you make at her. Hi, Santana."
"Hi!"
It was easy to pick out all of these people around the table, even around the room. I'd heard numerous stories about them from Brittany. I knew which girls and guys were the ones that Brittany studied with, partied with, hung out with the most often, and slept with. I knew more about them than they ever thought I would.
One intrigued me the most out of all of them. It was the girl sitting right across the table from me was Molly. The infamous Molly. Molly is probably Brittany's absolute best friend from high school, if she had to choose one. She was also the girl who Brittany first had sex with. Brittany's friend with benefits. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her auburn hair was pulled into a simple fishtail to the side. Her face was splashed with freckles that accentuated her perfect nose and pretty smile.
I'm not a jealous person at all but seeing her did make me just a pinch jealous. Maybe jealous isn't the word. I just wondered what it would be like to be able to have a friends with benefits agreement with your best friend, who just happens to be Brittany Pierce. The more I thought about it, the weirder it got though. I wouldn't have ever been able to just be her friend-with-benefits. There's no way that I woudn't have developed feelings for her. I wondered if Molly ever had feelings for her.
Molly was kind to me, they all were. They talked to me like I was a part of their group. Throughout the whole dinner, I really enjoyed getting to know them, I kind of just wished I could know more about Molly.
After dessert, music started playing throughout the restaurant. "LET'S GO DANCE!" I heard a guy's voice.
All of the girls cheered and started to get up.
"Do you want to dance, sweetheart?" Brittany asked, already standing up.
"Save me a dance?" I questioned back. "I'll be there in a little."
"You sure?"
"For sure." I smiled and put a small kiss on her lips.
Most of the room moved out to the dance floor and the waiters started to gather the dishes. I spotted Brittany's mom alone in the corner booth on her phone. I think her dad and Brittany's parent's friends left as well. Deep breath, Santana. You can do this. I fixed my hair out of habit, took a deep breath, and walked over. I sat down across from her in the empty booth.
"Hello, Renee," I tried to say it in a friendly but firm way.
"Well, hello Santana. I thought you would be dancing, Brittany tells me you love dancing as well?" Renee was texting on her phone while looking up from her screen to make eye contact as she spoke.
"Yeah. I'll dance in a little. I just, I wanted to talk to you."
She put her phone down and her full attention was on me. "Yeah? Oh, did you overhear some of the conversation earlier? I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear that."
"I did hear some of it and I understand where you're coming from. I know that you may think our relationship stemmed from unusual circumstances and it did but I just want you to know that I love Brittany and I would do anything for her."
"Would you give up swimming for her?" She countered.
I didn't miss a beat. "If I had to choose between the two, it would be her every time."
"Even though you've only known her for a few months?" She challenged again.
I nodded. "More than a few months," I corrected her. "Brittany is worth more than any hunk of metal that they could put around my neck."
Renee nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I do like you. You seem like a really nice girl, it's just so different from her previous relationships. And it's really hard for me to wrap my head around this."
I honestly don't know what to say back to her. It's awkward and not what I expected.
"Um..."
"Look," Renee took a casually sip of her drink. "I'm not going to sugar coat this and lie to you. I'm not going to tell you that I think that you two are a great couple. I'm not going to tell you that I'm happy about the relationship and the fact that you're still in high school. However, I will tell you that I've never seen Brittany so enamored and in love with someone as she is with you."
I forced a smile. "She's everything to me."
"I'm sorry that I can't just 'be okay' with this. Before you think this, it has nothing to do with the fact that you two are both women. It's just that Brittany could've not graduated because of this. There were real life consequences at stake." I figured it was the lawyer in Renee that was coming out. "Obviously, it's all alright now but it's just hard for me to know that it happened and that my daughter broke such a sacred teaching rule."
"I appreciate your honesty," I replied, trying to keep cool. Ellie's words You're dating Brittany not her family kept going through my head. "But Brittany didn't go completely behind everyone's back. She told her professor about us. The professor said that Brittany could keep her status because she was in such great standing with the LU and McKinley staff. She was honest."
"I didn't know that."
"You've raised an amazing young woman and no matter what happens, she's changed me for the better. I would really appreciate it if I could have the chance to know the amazing woman that shaped Brittany into who she is today." It was risky to be so blunt and it may have seemed that I was trying to suck up but everything that I said was true. I knew Renee worked her ass off for her family. She was the epitome of a working mom. Her kids are phenomenal so she obviously did something right.
Renee contemplated my words before giving me a quick nod and mumbling something about having to go. Before she had the chance to get up, I felt Brittany put her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.
"Hey, Mom," she said to her mom. Then looking at me, she said, "You owe me a dance."
I giggled, got up out of my seat, and looked at Renee.
She said, "Well, you two have fun. I'll see you at home. Brittany, don't forget these gifts and cards."
"I won't, Mom. And thanks again."
We watched as Renee walked out of the room. We were the only two left in here now. Brittany took a good look at me.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I assured her.
"Santana, I know you better than that."
"It's just, your mom doesn't like me. Well, she doesn't like us together."
"My mom doesn't like a lot of things," she stated with annoyance in her voice.
"No, it's fine. Don't let it ruin your night. Everything will work out," I lied. I didn't know if everything would work out.
She sighed. "Well, you're right. Might as well not lament on something that won't change."
She led me to the dance floor and immediately she changed her disposition. She lit up on the dance floor. We danced and danced and danced.
Brittany dance behind me with her hands on my hips. "I'm really glad you came," she breathed into my ear.
I leaned to the side so she could hear me. "I am too. Happy birthday, almost."
A slow song came on. I turned around and put my hands around her neck.
I feel both of her arms around my back, pulling me closer to her.
We danced without talking, just staring into each other's eyes, with goofy grins on our faces. It was more than enough to look through her gorgeous eyes, we didn't need words. The day actually turned out to be really great. I was happy.
Another song started playing and Brittany started showing off some great dance moves. All eyes were on her and she just brought the house down. She dragged me in and I danced along with her. When the song ended and Brittany brought me close to her and kissed me, full on tongue, in front of everyone. There were collective cheers and whistles from around the dance floor. Thank God her parents were gone, I'd be super embarrassed.
Her friends were really cool with it though. It was nice to be treated like everyone else for once.. We continued dancing for about another forty-five minutes, we just couldn't help it, dancing was just too much fun.
"Let's get out of here," she said.
"Are you sure? Your friends are all here."
"My friends stopped being my friends like an hour ago, now most of them are just really wasted."
I laughed. "I'll grab your keys and I'll take the stuff out to your car and you can say goodbye to them."
"Best. Girlfriend. Ever."
I smiled and started to walk away.
"Oh, Santana!" She called out after me.
I turned around. "Yeah?"
"Do you mind driving home? I had a few drinks."
"Sure," I told her with a smile.
"Hey, Santana," she said again. I turned around with a grin on my face.
"I love you."
I grinned even bigger. "I love you too, Britt."
I took her presents and cards out to her car and started it. It was getting warmer in the daytime but still pretty chilly at night so I warmed her car. I got out my phone; I hadn't checked it since Coach Carmichael called. There were a bunch of texts. I didn't really feel like replying to all of them. I let my mind wander while I waited. I wondered about Lindsay. She had told me about her before, Lindsay, the tennis player, and that their relationship ended badly, I just wasn't sure. I didn't know if I should bring it up today or later, when it wasn't close to her birthday. I closed my eyes for a second before I heard the passenger door. I opened my eyes and tried to adjust to the darkness.
"Hey, ba—" I paused mid-sentence because it wasn't Brittany. I turned on Brittany's cab light.
"Hey, sorry to disappoint you. Brittany's still talking."
It was Molly. The Molly.
"Okay. Hi. It's Molly, right?" The words tumbled out of my mouth.
She nodded. "I don't want to scare you or anything but I wanted to talk to you."
I raised my eyebrow slightly "Okay..." I said somewhat apprehensively.
"Has Brittany mentioned me?"
I nodded. "Uhmm, yeah. I know that you guys weren't... the typical high school best friends."
She giggled. "Yeah. You got that right. She really is one of my best friends. I know all about you."
"You do?" I said surprisingly. "What do you know about me?"
"Oh, just the stuff that Brittany tells me, which is actually a lot. She talks about you all the time.I know that your favorite food are breadsticks. I know that you probably missed a swim practice to come here with her. I know that you swim freestyle and backstroke but you hate the IM. But I don't even know what IM means."
I chuckled. "Individual medley. All the strokes in one race."
Molly still looked confused about the IM but went on, "She'd kill me if she knew I was talking to you but I want you to take really good care of her. She's been screwed over really badly in the past."
I frowned. "Of course. No matter what happens, I'll take care of her."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"I'm sure you will even if I said 'no.'"
"You think you're sharp, don't you?"
I grinned and opened my mouth to reply but she interrupted, "No that's not the question." We both laughed. "You must be like really strong since you're such a good swimmer, I assume you lift?"
I nodded. "Three times a week in off season. But swimming defines muscle even more than lifting." I didn't really know where she was going with this and it was an automatic response.
She mulled over that for a few seconds. "Promise me one thing, Santana?"
"And what's that?"
"Promise me that you'll never hit her. Ever. Even if she hits you, don't hit her back."
"I promise," I said without hesitation.
She smiled. "Okay. She loves you a whole lot, Santana."
"I love her too. I couldn't imagine my life without her. Now or ever."
We both looked as Brittany walked out of the restaurant.
"I'm going to say goodbye. It was really nice meeting you, Santana. Take care, alright?"
I smiled, in the corner of my eye, Brittany lingered by the door with another friend. "You too."
She put her hand on the car latch.
"Molly?" I called out before she got out. "What did Lindsay do to her?"
She exhaled. "Um, it's not really my place. I know that Brittany will tell you when she's ready though."
"Alright. Thank you."
Molly gave a sympathetic smile before getting out of the car. I watched as she gave Brittany a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. They talked long enough for me to wonder again what this whole "Lindsay thing" was about.
Brittany started towards the car and I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind.
"Hey, sorry it took so long," she said while getting in. I could feel the cool air. "You know how I am with goodbyes…"
"Yeah. It's not a problem. It's your old friends; you haven't seen them in a while."
"Was Molly just in here?" She asked with a quizzical look on her face.
"Y-Yeah. She was."
"What'd she say?"
"Nothing too much," I said with a smirk on my face.
I shifted gears and headed back to her house.
"Oh, hello girls. How was the rest of the party?" Jeff greeted us when we got in. I didn't see Renee anywhere and I was relieved. I didn't know where I stood with her after our conversation.
"It was really good. We did a lot of dancing. I don't know how you pulled it off but thank you guys. One of the best birthdays ever and it's not even my birthday yet!"
"We're glad you loved it! We also have something else for you but we'll save that for tomorrow." Jeff explained.
My relief was soon squashed when Renee walked in. She saw the two of us and said to me, "Brittany will show you where the towels and everything are upstairs if you want to take a shower. And the guest bed next to Brittany's old room is clean."
"Okay, thank you so much," I said politely
"Where's Matt?" Brittany asked.
"Where do you think?" Jeff questioned.
"Nicole…" She concluded. "I should've guessed."
"Well, I better head off to bed, it's pretty late. I'll see you two in the morning," Renee got up.
"I will have to agree with her." Jeff followed her example and got up.
We all said collective goodnights and parted ways. When we were safely upstairs, in her room, I asked Brittany about Nicole. It seemed like she wasn't the only one with intriguing past girlfriends.
"It's Matt's ex. They dated for a couple years in high school. But she's a senior and they broke up before Matt went to college. He says he's tried to date this year but he can't get over her. Every time he comes here, he sees her."
"Do you like her?"
"She's nice. I don't know. She just needs to stop stringing him along. But, hey, if they're meant to be together…" I loved knowing more about Brittany's past, her life, everything. I felt like I had an insatiable hunger for any and every part of her life.
"I see... She's missing out. Matt's great. Anyway, I gots to take a shower. All that dancing made me a hot mess. Do you mind?"
"Not at all, I'll shower after you. I guess I'll just..." she looked at the presents and cards. "Open these. Oh! Before you shower, flip the horizontal light switch under the regular light switches. It heats the floor so when you step out, the floor isn't freezing." She grinned because she knew how ridiculous that sounded.
"Technology these days," I muttered.
I stepped into the extremely cushy bathroom and found that her mom did lay out towels for us, along with shampoo, conditioner, soap, and face wash. It was better than being in a hotel. I flipped the heated floor switch and slipped into the shower. I looked around. I was in the same shower that Brittany had been in thousands of times. The same bathroom that Brittany had went to every morning, put on makeup in every morning for years. It was almost surreal. A year ago, I had never thought that I would be here, three hours away from Lima, in a huge, gorgeous house, with a beautiful girl who was as crazy about me as I was about her.
A year ago, I thought that I would be at Puck's more-than-sketchy family reunion for spring break. I only endured it for him but it was horrible. And Puck knew that, he was forced to go by his mom. When we got there, Puck always drank too much with his family members and then we'd go back to the cabin they stay at and, after sloppy sex, sleep. Then it repeated for a few days. Now, it would be Quinn? It wasn't all bad and some of the people were really funny but it was not my ideal way to spend break
I took myself out of my day dream. I didn't want to take up all the hot water. As I stepped onto the tile floor, it was warm and cozy. Definitely unexpected and so comfortable. I looked around the bathroom and I realized that I hadn't brought any clothes to change into. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom back Brittany's room to grab clothes.
"Whoa, now that is a better birthday present than all of these!" Brittany was sprawled on the floor, wrapping paper was strewn across. She had already fished out some thank-you cards and had started writing them.
"You're such a dork."
"Hey Brittany, do you..." Matt walked into the room. When he saw me in my towel, he stopped mid sentence and turned around. "I'm sorry. I, uh, I'm sorry."
"Matt, it's fine. She's swims, remember? She was on the cover of newspapers with more skin showing than that."
Matt slowly came back in the room with a goofy grin. "Looks like someone has been busy…" He nodded towards the pile of trash.
I grabbed my clothes and tiptoed out of the room, giving them some privacy.
I brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, changed into pajama pants and a tank top, and went back to her room. Matt was sitting on her bed, looking a little dejected.
"Oh, do you want me to give you some more privacy?"
"No! Don't be silly." I sat down next to Brittany. "Actually, I'm going to take a shower. Matt, get Santana's advice. She's the smartest girl ever." Brittany squeezed my thigh before getting up.
"Santana, can I ask your opinion on something?" Matt asked when she was out of the room.
"I'll probably be really honest," I warned.
"It's probably what I need."
Matt told me about the sad story of Nicole and him. Brittany basically recapped it well. Matt just retold it with more feelings. I knew he still really liked her but honestly, this Nicole girl is a bitch. She just strings him along but won't tell him what this relationship is between them two. And I told him that she's a bitch. Matt's such a great guy and deserved better than her. I told him to lay it all out, tell her to make a decision or no more booty calls. He said that he liked how honest I was with him, which was a scathing contrast to what most people think of my advice. It was nice talking to Matt again. He's such a good guy and I genuinely liked him.
Brittany was still showering, infamous for her long showers, when Matt decided to turn in for the night. As he was leaving the room, he told me, "You make Brittany really, really happy. I haven't seen her this happy in a really long time. I'm not even going to do that whole don't-hurt-my-sister-or-I'll-hurt-you- thing because I know you won't hurt her."
I smiled at him and he told me goodnight and exited the room. I walked over to my stuff and texted Ellie and my mom. Behind my stuff was a bookshelf. My curiosity got the best of me and I grabbed Brittany's senior yearbook. I laid down on my stomach and propped myself up on my elbows. I was smiling to myself while looking through it when Brittany walked in. A huge picture of her cheesing in the middle of a cheerleading pyramid graced the cheering spread. The headline read "Pierce Leads Cheerleaders to a Runner Up National Competition Cheer Title"
"Oh, gosh. You found that? That's embarrassing." Brittany said when she walked in.
She laid next to me and put her arm through mine. She showed me all the people I met that night and what they looked like years ago. She was voted prettiest eyes and best dance, which was not surprising at all. We spent another half hour talking and laughing about Brittany's senior year.
"I'm hella tired, Britt. What a big day." I yawned. "Uh, I guess I should go to the guest room?"
Brittany quickly shook her head. "Um, no. You're not going in there."
"Where do you suppose I go, Miss. Pierce?"
"Perhaps, you could just stay here with me. My bed is a little smaller here than it is in Lima but that just means—"
"We just have to cuddle closer," I finished her sentence. Then I backtracked my thoughts. "I dont' want your mom to be angry with me."
"She probably won't even notice. Besides, we're both adults and it's my birthday."
I laughed, she had been using that excuse the whole week. "Say 'It's my birthday' one more time and I'll…"
"Kiss me?" I felt her breath right next to my ear and her fingertips on my stomach.
I played along, "If you fucking say 'It's my birthday' one more time, I'll kiss you like you've never been kissed before. It'll make your head spin."
"Well, I think you should since it's my birthday."
I grabbed her waist and pulled her into me. I kissed her, aggressively but not sloppy. I slipped my tongue into her mouth like I had done hundreds of times before and felt hers over mine. I pushed her on top of her bed and laid down on top of her. I couldn't get enough of Brittany. I wanted to kiss her forever. I felt her hands under my shirt, on my back. I wanted her so badly, so, so badly. I wanted to take off all of her clothes. I wanted to kiss her whole body. Then reality hit me. I couldn't. We couldn't. Not like this.
I stopped kissing her and she moaned my name, "Santana." It was almost enough to make me rethink but I resisted. I lay down next to her, clutching her arm, with one of my legs over hers.
"Brittany, we can't," I said with unruly reluctance.
"Lesbian Bed Death already?" She joked.
I choked out a hard laugh. "You're hilarious, you know? And of course I want to, we're just...we're in your high school bedroom. Your parents are right down the hall. It's kind of awkward."
"Oh, I forgot about that. Good point."
I kissed her hand. "Goodnight, birthday girl. I love you. I love you so much."
"I love you, Santana."
I quickly fell asleep using her shoulder as a pillow.
The next morning, I woke up before Brittany, like usual. But this was a special day. This was Brittany's birthday. Her actual birthday. I carefully detached myself from her. I tried not to stare too long at a sleeping Brittany, I had things to do. I went to the bathroom, peed, and brushed my teeth. I looked through my bag and found what I needed. I put the unicorn-with-a-birthday-hat-on stuffed animal that I hid in my bag next to her on the bed. I took out the earrings I had bought her, looked at them one more time, I was actually jealous of myself for picking out such gorgeous earrings. Brittany didn't really like dangly earrings so I found these gorgeous post earrings. The center stone was aquamarine, her birthstone, and it was surrounded by tiny diamonds. Well, I suppose they weren't real diamonds. The earrings weren't horribly expensive but they were enough that I knew they were good quality.
I wrote a love letter where I wrote my favorite 22 things I loved about her, in honor of her 22nd birthday. Subsequently, it ended up being more like 44 things. I never realize that brevity wasn't my thing until I started writing her letter. Brittany just turned me into a giant marshmallow and such a sap. I placed the folded up letter under the earring box next to her phone on the nightstand. I knew she'd look there when she first woke up. Then I sat down on the floor and waited. I fiddled with my phone and finally got around to texting those people back.
Finally, I heard her stir. She mumbled something and I watched as she rubbed her eyes and woke up. I kind of felt like a creeper watching her for this long.
"What's this?" She held the unicorn in front of her. "Aww, a birthday unicorn. Wait, where are you?" Her eyes were still half asleep.
I laughed. "Down here, sweetheart." She smiled at me. Then, like clockwork, she looked on the night stand at the clock.
"What's this?" She sat up and picked up the letter and the box containing the earrings from the nightstand. She held the box in one hand and opened the letter with the other.
I watched for minutes while her eyes scanned the pages. The range in variety of emotions displayed on her face. When she got to the end of it, her eyes lingered on the page and I saw a tear of happiness slide down her face.
"Aw," I cooed. "I didn't mean to make you cry."
"No, it's perfect. It's not tears of sadness. I just love you so much."
She put the letter away and opened the box with the earrings. Her jaw dropped and she looked at me, back to the earrings, and then back to me.
"Santana! These are absolutely gorgeous. Oh my gosh." She smiled at me. "You're the best."
I stood up; she pulled me in for a hug.
"Ahh, I gotta go to the bathroom. Be right back."
She came back a few minutes later and took my face in her hands and kissed me.
"I'm the luckiest girl in the world. You really didn't have to."
"I wanted to." I smiled. "Happy birthday, baby."
We went downstairs for breakfast in perfect timing, too. The table was just being set. It wasn't just cereal and fruit either. It was extensive, like fruit, eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes good. 'Brittany's birthday breakfast,' they called it.
Renee sat across from Brittany once we all got our food. Brittany showed off her new earrings to her family. "Brittany! Those earrings are very pretty. Where did you get them?"
Brittany smiled broadly. "Santana just gave them to me!"
"Santana has really good taste," Renee complimented. Finally something nice.
"She does."
After breakfast was over, Jeff and Renee gave Brittany her birthday present. They gave her an iPad; claiming she needed one. Brittany accepted it graciously.
"Thank you, guys. You really didn't have to, last night was enough!"
"And not only that, we made a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation on your behalf."
Brittany smiled. "Thanks, really. You guys are so sweet."
Matt gave Brittany a card with a gift card inside.
"Wow, Matt, how original!" She turned to me. "Anytime Matt feels obligated to give a gift, it's always a gift card."
Matt just shrugged with a look that said Harsh but true.
"Well, I think that both Renee and I need to head over to work. Santana, it was very nice meeting you. You're welcome here anytime," Jeff said.
Renee half-nodded and forced out a smile. "Yeah, it was great getting to know you Santana," Renee said with a tone that meant the opposite of what she was saying.
"Thank you so much for having me." I got up and awkwardly stood there, wondering if I should hug them or shake their hand.
"I'm sorry we couldn't stay for longer, Brittany. Work calls."
"On a Saturday? You guys need to slow down," Brittany replied.
"Oh, some day," Renee said wishfully. "By the way, Britt, do you think you could go visit Grams before you take off? Maybe during her Scrabble time? She's been asking about you."
"Oh! Yeah, I'll go see her before we leave." I assumed that 'Grams' is Brittany's grandma.
Brittany walked with her parents out the door, saying her goodbyes. When she got back, we went back up to her room and changed.
"So, what do you want to go today?" She asked me.
"It's your birthday, what do you want to do?"
Matt walked in seemingly from nowhere. "How about what I want to do?" He winked. "And you thought that the only birthday present I could get are gift cards."
Matt's idea of a fun day was indeed a fun day. He drove us out to Akron and we went to the zoo for a couple hours. It was simple enough but being with Matt and Brittany made it a lot of fun. After the zoo, Matt treated us to a nice lunch at a small, trendy cafe in downtown Akron and we went to get frozen yogurt for dessert. It was a pretty great day and the weather was perfect for it.
"This was the best birthday ever," Brittany said one we got back. She threw her arms around Matt. "I underestimate you, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'd underestimate me, too." A goofy grin stayed plastered on his face.
"I'm going to go see Grams, do you want to come Matt?"
"I visited her Thursday when I got in but I have to go to the courts, we have conference in a few weeks."
"Oh, I forgot about that. Alright, well I guess I'll see you soon then."
Matt pouted. "Okay." He grabbed our bags for us, Brittany grabbed her birthday presents, and I grabbed a snack.
Brittany said her sad goodbye
We walked to Brittany's car.
"Okay, you two. Drive safe, say "hi" to Gram for me. Santana, it was so great meeting you. I hope to see you again soon!" He grabbed me in a bear hug. "Oh, and you too, Brittany."
"Shut up!" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck, Matt. Call me soon."
"I will."
I wished Matt good luck with Nicole and we headed out of the driveway. He smiled from the porch and waved goodbye to us.
Whoo! What do you think of her family? Her mom?! And what's up with this Lindsay?
Thanks for reading!
I also wanted to say this is my last chapter before starting back up at college. I'm hoping I'll still be able to update weekly but things may get in the way. Please be patient, I would estimate that we're about two thirds of the way through the story. I know I don't have thousands of readers but I appreciate everyone who even takes the time to read a paragraph of this. So I would never abandon this story! :)