A/N: Thanks for the continuing support, guys. Follow me on .com if you wish to give prompts or read snippets. I hope you like this chapter. Your reviews, PM's and follows/favorites are what keep me going.
Santiago and Sue broke their staring contest to rush outside to the hallway where Quinn had Brittany backed up against a locker.
"I told you to have your ponytail at regulation height and you haven't listened. Are you really that stupid, Brittany? I won't have any of my Cheerios blatantly disrespect my orders," Quinn's hands were clenched by her sides as she stood on the tips of her toes to stare directly into Brittany's eyes. Santiago glanced at Sue who was watching the showdown with intrigue.
"The hair tie isn't tight enough, I told you already that I had to take my little sister's because I couldn't find any of mine this morning," Brittany's voice was shaking and her head bowed in submission. Santiago was itching to give Quinn a piece of his mind but he was all too aware of the report card burning a hole in his pocket and he didn't want to give Brittany a reason to be annoyed at him. A few students who were clearly running late for class were watching them intently, waiting for a fight to break out. Neither girl noticed the presence of Sue or Santiago as they argued.
"I didn't ask for an excuse. You'll be running an extra ten laps at practice and I don't want you sitting at the Cheerios table at lunch time. Maybe you can sit beside that lowlife scumbag you insist on playing best friends with. I'm sure he'd be very happy to drool over you like a pathetic little dog," Quinn hissed just loud enough for Santiago to hear, as did a few onlookers who eyed him uncomfortably obviously aware that he was the lowlife scumbag in question.
He prepared himself for Brittany to accept her fate and apologize but she straightened up and met Quinn's stare for the first time, determination written all over her face.
"He's not a lowlife scumbag and you know what? I quit the squad anyway so you can take this hair tie and throw in the trash because I don't need it anymore," Brittany pulled her hair tie out and shoved it into Quinn's previously clenched fist.
"What?" Quinn screeched in surprise and indignation.
"I said I quit and I'm finally going to join Glee and actually enjoy the rest of my time at McKinley," Brittany's words made Quinn visibly wince and the sizeable crowd of spectators gasped at the revelation. A Cheerio joining Glee was not an everyday occurrence. It was so rare, in fact that it had never happened before.
Santiago swelled with pride and happiness. Seeing Brittany stand up to Quinn was so refreshing and even if he had just been trying to secure her place on the squad, he really just wanted her to be happy and if quitting was what she really wanted to do, then he would support her all the way even if he worried how miserable Quinn could make her life be.
"You can't quit the squad like that, Brittany. You're being ridiculous. As if someone like Santiago is worth that. He's probably moved on to the next dumb blonde anyway." It was clear to everyone that Quinn was panicking at the sudden shift of power, but Santiago knew that by the look on Brittany's face she was not going to back down.
"I can and I do. And I'd like for you to stop talking about my boyfriend like that because it's not nice. It's bullying and I won't stand for it." Brittany held her breath waiting for Quinn's response.
"What the fuc-" Quinn started to say before being interrupted.
"ENOUGH!" Sue bellowed at long last, "I was content to watch this ridiculous display of power from you Fabray as I believe it's important for character building but I must draw a line on it now. Students, direct your attention elsewhere and get your useless butts to class. I knew free education would be the downfall of our society. Why are you all wasting time in the hallways when my tax dollars are paying for your puny brains to try and digest some information bestowed upon you by these lazy teachers? GO. And you three, get to my office immediately." She pointed at Santiago, Brittany and Quinn who stood rooted to their spots while the crowd around them scattered.
Brittany's head twisted in his direction and she cocked her head in confusion, unprepared for his apparent sudden appearance, "San?"
For the second time in as many days he found himself the center of attention as the inquisitive eyes of every student present landed on him while they slowly shuffled to class, not wanting to miss any bit of drama that may occur.
"Hey baby," he smiled with a shrug. Her face lit up as her cheeks darkened slightly.
Quinn looked positively disgusted as her eyes shifted between them.
"Shut it and get in here, immediately," Sue ruined the moment with her harsh orders and the three made their way into her office. Quinn pushed past him to get in there first and Santiago took the opportunity to take Brittany's hand in his own. Holding her hand for the first time at school was exciting and exhilarating. He really never thought he would be the type of guy to get so mushy about something as trivial as hand holding but he couldn't help himself.
Once inside the office again, Sue sat in her fancy leather chair behind the desk and snapped her fingers for them to sit down on the three school standard chairs facing her, which they did without hesitation.
"Now, please explain to me why my two best Cheerios seem to be fighting over McKinley's very own Enrique Iglesias and even more importantly, why was Enrique in my office only moments beforehand throwing around demands like some sort of conquistador?" Sue glared at all three of them as Santiago saw Brittany turn to him in surprise. He didn't dare look at her though, he knew she wouldn't be happy that he went behind her back and tried to speak with Sue.
"We are not fighting over him," Quinn said the last word with utter disdain, "we were simply having a disagreement about who is in charge and Brittany seems to be entirely too stupid because apparently she has gotten herself involved with Santiago."
"Seriously Q, you should really watch your mouth," Santiago couldn't hold his tongue any longer as Quinn insulted Brittany.
"Excuse me? I don't remember talking to you and stop trying to be her knight in shining armor, you couldn't be further from it," she said with a snarl.
"Guys, stop it. Sue, I just wanted to tell Quinn that I quit the squad and I was going to do it in private later but she forced it out of me. So I'm sorry for that but I feel my time on the squad is over. It's one thing for Quinn to tell me what activities I can take part in at school but I don't need her telling me who I can go out with or who I can be friends with. Especially when she goes behind my back to do so." Brittany spoke timidly but with conviction.
"Are you actually telling me you guys are together? Brittany, I was looking out for you when I told him to stay away. He has a horrible reputation and I don't want to see you getting screwed over like all the other girls he used." Quinn pretended to be the concerned friend but Brittany refused to even look at her, choosing instead to stare at the ground with great interest.
Santiago was fuming now, "No I won't. You know as much as every other person at this school how crazy I am about her." Who was Quinn to say that to Brittany? He was sick of her shit.
"Oh please. Like you were crazy about Kayleigh? Or Courtney? Or Lara?" Quinn scoffed.
"Definitely not because I never even told them I liked them, let alone that I was in love with them," Quinn froze when he said that, like he had just slapped her in the face.
Sue, who had been sitting in silence while observing the bitter exchange of words, decided to interrupt at long last. "Isn't this precious? The Latin ladies man has calmed his promiscuous ways to settle for the cute, but slightly dimwitted, new girl. I can imagine some failing Hollywood writer typing out a version of your story in a quaint but homely apartment in New York in the hope that a generic hotshot producer will buy it and turn it into a predictable yet strangely watchable movie for the mass audience of pre-teens who would love nothing more than to spend their parents' hard earned money to attend their local cinema in droves. But do you know what? I am not one of those pre teens nor am I a fan of liberal Hollywood so I am bored by this declaration of love and would appreciate if I could actually get a coherent explanation from one of you. Santiago, you first." She tilted her head in his direction.
He shifted in his seat and the loud squeaking of the chair punctuated the silence that had settled upon them as all three women eyed him with interest.
"Um, right. It doesn't actually matter anymore so we can probably just forget it," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He knew it was a longshot but he just really wanted to explain to Brittany in private not in front of the Ice Queen.
"You're speaking to the woman who remembers her own birth, so I will not just forget it," Sue said the last three words with an imitation of a Spanish accent, not that he spoke with one but whatever. He wasn't in a position to argue.
"San, what were you doing?" it was Brittany who spoke this time and he cracked immediately. Her bright blue eyes burnt holes through him. She was picking her nails nervously but waiting patiently for an answer.
He coughed to clear his suddenly dry throat.
"I sorta just came here to see if Sue would make sure that you'd have a place on the team no matter what Quinn said. It was stupid of me and I'm sorry," he rushed the words out as if saying them faster would soften the impact.
Sue started laughing incredulously, Quinn chuckled lowly and Brittany had no expression whatsoever which freaked him out even more.
"Oh that is funny. Anyone who dares ask me such a thing is either crazy or looking for a death wish. In this case Mr. Lopez I assume you're crazy with raging teenage lust and puppy love for Brittany so I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I hereby dismiss you as I wish to speak to these two ladies alone." Sue gestured to the door and Santiago was surprised at having been asked to leave so suddenly. He glanced to both Quinn and Brittany and then back at Sue, hoping someone would tell him he could stay. No one did. He stood up reluctantly and turned to leave before making the rash decision to turn back to Brittany, lean down, and whisper into her ear.
"I love you and I'll wait outside," he kissed her ear and her cheek, he went to leave again but Brittany grabbed his arm to stop him.
"I love you too," she said with a genuine smile. Quinn scoffed loudly.
"Please leave. I do not wish to bear witness to any more of this nonsense," Sue said with a sigh.
He left without a backward glance and slumped against the door once he closed it behind him.
He really wanted to be by Brittany's side right now but he couldn't. Instead he'd have to wait outside with bated breath. He knew Quinn would be ripping his character apart and intimidating Brittany and he wasn't too sure what Sue would do about it. He just hoped beyond hope that she would be ok.
After a horrible twenty minutes of distractedly playing Angry Birds on his phone, the door to Sue's office finally opened. Santiago jumped up from where he had been sitting against a locker and walked straight over to Brittany who appeared on her own, Quinn was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you ok?" he asked with concern.
"It went really well, San." She hugged him close and he inhaled the familiar smell of her shampoo.
"I'm co-captain of the Cheerios." She laughed in disbelief and Santiago had to take a step back to look at her properly, gauging if she was winding him up or not.
"What?"
"She said that she needs me on the team and she wants me to be co-captain because Quinn is apparently too emotionally unstable right now," Brittany explained like she couldn't believe she was even saying the words. He couldn't either.
"Are you serious? This is amazing, Britt." He picked her up and twirled them both around, her squeals echoed in the hallway. He dropped her back down to the ground and kissed her hard on the lips. He could feel her smiling into the kiss.
"Are you mad at me?" he asked as he pulled her close into him for another, more subdued hug.
"Nuh uh," Brittany shook her head in his chest, "I know you just wanted me to be protected but I don't need it. I just want to be happy and if being on the Cheerios doesn't mean I have to live under Quinn's rules then I will be happy, especially with you by side."
The door to the office opened again and Quinn stepped into the hallway. She barely acknowledged their presence as she stalked off toward the lunchroom.
"Looks like she's not too happy," Santiago spoke into Brittany's hair.
"I guess not," Brittany's voice was light and carefree, "lunch is starting in a few minutes, let's go get something to eat. I can't wait to show you off." She took Santiago's hand and led him in the direction that Quinn had gone only seconds before.
They could finally act like a couple together in school.
And he could finally tell the guys to back off and stop trying to get into Brittany's pants.
Especially that asshole Evans.