Santana has been living with the Pierce family for two months. She hasn't heard anything from her mother, but she does get the occasional phone call from her brother and father. She was happy to know that she didn't completely lose her family because of her lesbian relationship, but she still couldn't go home to a house full of hate. She just couldn't do it. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce understood and were willing to let Santana stay with them for as long as she needed to. Santana is really happy to know that she has the support of the Pierce family if not from her own. They already feel like a second family. Santana really couldn't imagine her life without the Pierce clan in it.
Santana woke up on Saturday, March 24th with plans to take Brittany to the Center of the Performing Arts to see a ballet of Peter Pan. They had watched Peter Pan the night before to get ready to see the ballet. Brittany was so excited, Santana was surprised to find her asleep in her bed.
Santana decided that she was going to wake Brittany up in a totally childish way. Santana ran up to Brittany's bed and jumped on it. She then proceeded to tickle Brittany awake. "Stop! I'm awake, I'm awake!" Brittany screamed as Santana continued her assault.
"Come on, we've got to get ready. I got us early tickets so we can hang out at the mall later," Santana finally hopped off of Brittany.
"That was evil," Brittany pouted as she sat up in bed.
"Sorry, nena," Santana kissed away the pout on Brittany's lips.
"It's okay. Just know that I'm going to get you back later. You won't know when or where, but I'm going to get you back," Brittany kissed Santana on the cheek and stood up to take a shower.
"And you say that I'm the evil one!" Santana shouted to Brittany who had just shut her bathroom door behind her.
The ballet was amazing, magical even. Brittany had never really been to a ballet before and was bouncing in her seat the entire time. They then walked around the mall for a couple of hours and grabbed some milkshakes from a diner near the mall before heading home.
The couple had an amazing day. They couldn't believe that even after being together for five months, they still went on dates that felt like they were on their first date. Everything was perfect and being with each other only made it better. They couldn't imagine not having each other in their lives.
When they were finally home, they both made their way to their respective bedrooms and changed into pajamas. They were both just really happy to get out of the dresses that they had worn to the ballet. After Santana was done getting dressed, she grabbed her laptop and went into Brittany's room. Brittany was just finishing pulling a shirt over her head when Santana entered.
"Knock much?" Brittany wondered as she straightened out her shirt.
"Not when I might walk in on something interesting," Santana smiled.
"Is that how you get your cheap thrills?" Brittany smirked.
"Nope, this is," Santana set her computer down and pushed Brittany up against her wall and pressed their lips together. Santana pulled away before the kiss could get too heated and she sat down on the bed.
"Tease," Brittany giggled to herself.
"You know it," Santana replied with a wink.
Ever since they started dating, Brittany and Santana agreed to take things slow. They were both so new to the whole being in a relationship with another woman that neither wanted to jump into something that they weren't ready for. They wanted to take their time and get to all the stages in their relationship at an appropriate speed that was comfortable for both of them. They both loved each other enough to be physical with each other, but they were both such teenage boys; they had no idea what they were doing.
"I wanted to go over some things with you about college. You want to major in dance, so I looked up a bunch of colleges that specialize in dance. I also tried to isolate schools in big cities because they'll have more career opportunities," Santana explained as she showed Brittany a list of colleges that she had put together.
"These are really good schools San. Do you really think that I'll get in?" Brittany wondered as she handed the computer back to Santana.
"Totally. You had a learning disability that you overcame, colleges eat that crap up. Now you're getting straight A's and you got a 29 on your practice ACT. I mean, you're doing awesome and they'll see that," Santana explained. Santana's list included Northwestern University, New York University, Fordham University, Berkley, UCLA, UC-Santa Barbra, UC-Santana Diego, and Ohio State University.
"I believe you, but I just never thought that these types of universities were an option. Now that I'm getting straight A's though, maybe they'll think about accepting me," Brittany shrugged. "You never told me what you are planning on majoring in."
"That's because I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, I was always going to major in pre-law, or political science and then go to law school like my mom wanted, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, I love music and I love film and visual arts. I was thinking of maybe majoring in something along those lines instead. It's my never ending internal struggle of impress my family and do what will make me successful, or do something that I love," Santana explained.
"Do these schools have good programs for you too?" Brittany wondered looking at the list.
Awe, she wants to go to the same college as me. That's so cute, Santana thought before she replied, "Yeah, they all have great programs for me too."
"So what's the plan?" Brittany wondered.
Santana pulled out a map that she had already inputted into her computer. "Well, I'm guessing that our parents won't agree to a trip all around the country. So, we're probably going to only be able to visit the East Coast or West Coast schools. Since there are more West Coast schools on the list, I figure we should look at those ones. I have some family in San Francisco and some in Long Beach. I figure that we can arrange to stay with them while we're out there. We can hit Berkley first and then make our way south."
"Sounds like fun. Now all we need is for our parents to sign off on it," Brittany smiled.
"Yeah, I'll have to ask my dad," Santana's voice was distant.
Brittany mentally slapped herself, "I'm sorry, baby."
"It's okay. I'm making a bigger deal out of it than it is," Santana shrugged. Brittany placed a loving hand on Santana's shoulder. Santana decided to change the subject, "So do you want to go East Coast or West Coast more?"
"West Coast of course! Hollywood!" Brittany pumped her fist into the air. Santana couldn't help but laugh at Brittany's antics.
Mrs. Pierce entered Brittany's room without warning, "Santana, there's someone here to see you."
Brittany and Santana shared a look of confusion before Santana hopped off the bed and made her way towards the door with Brittany in tow. They knew that it couldn't be any of their friends because their friends would have texted or something before coming over. That means it's probably Santana's dad or brother coming over to see how she's doing.
When the two got to the bottom of the stairs, they couldn't believe who it was standing there. Santana's mother was standing in the Pierce's living room. "Mom?" Santana wondered in disbelief.
"Santana, sweetheart, I came by to talk to you," Santana's mother began.
Santana was so excited that her mother was here, but at the same time she was terrified of what her mother wanted to talk to her about. Mrs. Lopez motioned toward the front room for some privacy. Santana nodded and began to follow her mother. Brittany stayed close behind Santana. Santana turned around, "I really want you to come with me, but this is something that I have to do on my own, nena."
"Are you sure?" Brittany brushed a piece of hair out of Santana's face.
"I'm sure," Santana wasn't sure of her words, and Brittany knew that Santana wasn't sure, but Brittany decided that she'd just wait in the living room and if anything were to go wrong she would only be a short distance away.
"Alright," Brittany nodded her head.
Santana proceeded to follow her mother into the front room. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Santana wondered as she sat next to her mother on the couch.
"I'm so sorry, mija. What I did was wrong. I was scared and I took it out on you. I just don't understand, but I would like to understand. It's just hard for me, but I realize that it must be just as hard for you. I would like you to come home, mija. Help me understand," Santana's mom practically pleaded for forgiveness.
Santana wanted to just jump into her mother's arms and tell her that she forgave her, but something was bothering her, "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I never meant to kick you out. It just happened. I miss you so much, but I didn't know how I was supposed to handle this sort of thing. So I talked to one of my colleagues at the hospital. You know him, his name is Dr. Schaeffer. He told me that as afraid as I am and as much as I don't understand what's going on or how to handle this, it's even harder for you. I didn't even consider what you must be going through. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, mija. Please forgive me," her mother had tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.
"I-I don't know," Santana replied. Santana could forgive her mother for what she did to her, but she didn't know if she could forgive her mother for what she did to Brittany. "I'll be right back," Santana said as she left the front room. When she came back, Brittany was at her side, holding her hand.
"Hello, Brittany," Mrs. Lopez greeted as she rubbed a tear from her eye and attempted to put on her professional-looking face.
"Hi," Brittany returned.
Santana didn't really know how to tell her mother what she wanted to tell her, so she figured that she would just ramble until she got it right, "Mama, I know that you're sorry for what you did to me. I want to forgive you so much, but I don't know if I can just yet. I mean, it wasn't just me who you said those things to. It wasn't just me who you kicked out of your house…"
Mrs. Lopez cut her daughter off, "I understand, mija. I'm sorry, Brittany. I should have never said those things to you. You seem like a sweet girl. I was just scared and I was out of line…way out of line…I am so sorry. It would mean a lot to me if I could have your forgiveness."
Brittany smiled. Brittany thought that Mrs. Lopez was just a heartless witch, but apparently she's human and just made a mistake and she's apologizing. "I accept your apology."
"Thank you dear. Also, if Santana decides that she wants to come home today, I would like to invite you to dinner tomorrow. I need to formally meet my baby's girlfriend," Mrs. Lopez said. Both girls knew that it must be really hard for Mrs. Lopez to say all of this. They could both tell that she rehearsed everything that she was going to say. It wasn't that the words weren't genuine, just that they weren't easy to say out loud.
"I would love to come over to dinner!" Brittany replied excitedly.
"Britt-Britt, sidebar," Santana said as she turned to Brittany. She then whispered in her ear, "I'm not so sure about this. Can I really go home after everything that's happened?"
"Absolutely, you know how hard this is for her. I mean, it was hard for us at first too and it still is at times, but she's really trying. Give her a chance," Brittany always knew what to say.
Santana then turned to her mother, "Alright, I'll come home. You'll just have to give me a little while to get all of my stuff together."
Santana's mother jumped up and practically tackled her in a loving hug. "Thank you, mija. I missed you so much," Mrs. Lopez's tears finally came to the surface.
"I missed you too mama," Santana replied as they released from their hug. "I'll meet you at home; this will probably take a while." Mrs. Lopez nodded her head and hugged Brittany before she left.
After Mrs. Lopez was gone, Santana broke down into happy tears in Brittany's arms. Santana had never cried this much in the course of a few months. She never knew that she had it in her to be this emotional and this willing to just break down in front of someone. Santana didn't like that Brittany had to see her like this, but she loved that Brittany was there.
"Why are you crying Sanny?" Brittany just continued to hold Santana.
"Happy tears," Santana mumbled into Brittany's shoulder. Brittany just nodded in response and let her girlfriend cry happy tears into her shoulder until she was ready to pack to go home.
After a few moments, Santana pulled away from Brittany with a smile on her face that lit up the room. "Let's get me moved back home," Santana suggested, holding her hand out for Brittany to take. Brittany gladly took Santana's hand and followed her up to the guest bedroom. They quickly put all of Santana's things into bags and began carrying them downstairs.
They met at the bottom of the stairs by Brittany's parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, I love you both, and I only somewhat regret to tell you that I'm moving out and back home," Santana tried to sound professional because Mr. and Mrs. Pierce always got a kick out of it.
"We're so happy to hear that. We love you too sweetie and we love having you here, but we love that you get to go home to your family even more," Mrs. Pierce hugged Santana.
"Yeah, you're always welcome here, now leave, go, get moving, adios, goodbye," Mr. Pierce joked as he pretended to shoo Santana out the door. He then wrapped Santana up in a loving hug.
"Thanks so much for letting me stay with you guys for the past few months. I have no idea what I would have done if you all weren't so awesome," Santana said.
"We'll always be here for you darling," Mrs. Pierce added.
"Alright, well, I'll be on my way, wish me luck," Santana said as she turned to the door. Brittany followed her with one of Santana's bags.
Brittany helped Santana put everything in the trunk of the Bug. "Hey, if you need me, just call. I'm here for you," Brittany wrapped Santana up in her arms. Brittany is so happy that she's finally wrapping Santana up in her arms for reasons other than protecting her from her own emotions and pain.
"I will. Thank you so much, baby. Your family is amazing, you're amazing, and I can't imagine life without you. I'm really excited to move back home, but I'm kind of sad that I don't get to live with you anymore. I was really starting to get used to it," Santana pouted.
"I know, I feel the same way. But, I am so happy that you get to go home. I can't wait for dinner tomorrow night."
"Yeah, I wonder how that's going to go," Santana mused over a few situations in her head, one of which was an amusing food fight. Brittany opened Santana's car door for her and Santana slid in. Santana quickly started the car and rolled her window down.
"Text me when you get home so I know that everything is okay," Brittany requested.
"Absolutely," Santana replied as Brittany moved her head to the window and leaned in to kiss Santana goodbye. After Brittany pulled away, Santana breathed out, "I miss you already."
Brittany laughed at how sappy Santana has become since they started dating. Brittany really liked sappy Santana, mostly because she was the only one who got to see that side of her. "Goodbye Tana!" Brittany stepped away from Santana's car.
Santana shouted, "Bye, nena!" before she put her car in gear and made her way back home.
Yesterday, when Santana got home, it was a tangled mess of clichés. Santana's parents hugged her and told her that they loved her and that they were so glad to have her back at home a couple of hundred times. It was weird for Santana to move back into her room, but she liked that it was her room. Santana loved living with Brittany, but she liked having her own room back in her own house.
Tonight is the big night. Tonight, Santana's mother is going to really meet Brittany. Santana wants for everything to go well, but she doesn't want to act anymore. She's been acting for a very long time around her parents; always pretending to be someone she's not. Santana promised herself that she wouldn't do that anymore. She was going to be herself, no matter who she was around. She was going to keep things very PG, but she wasn't going to pretend like Brittany was just a friend. Brittany is Santana's girlfriend and Santana loves her. Santana is going to make sure that her parents know that.
4:31pm – So u want me 2 b there 5, right? – Brittany
4:32pm – That's the plan – Santana
4:34pm – I can't wait! – Brittany
4:35pm – Is it bad that I'm worried? – Santana
4:35pm – No, if u weren't worried, then u clearly aren't paying attention. – Brittany
4:46pm – Okay, what's that supposed to mean? #Confused – Santana
4:48pm – UR CONFUSED? Let me take a second to appreciate this moment… - Brittany
4:48pm – U should b worried, ur mom gave u a reason 2 b, but u should also know that everything will b fine – Brittany
4:50pm – I guess you're right 3 – Santana
4:51pm – I know, that's y I'm awesome. Now I have 2 leave or I'm going 2 b late. – Brittany
It was only when Brittany pointed it out that Santana noticed the time. Crap, crap, crap, and double crap, Santana thought as she scrambled around to get the table set. Mr. Lopez noticed that Santana was frantically placing utensils on the table.
He stopped her, "Santana, you should take a few breaths. I'll finish setting the table." Her father practically had to rip the fork in her hand away from her before Santana took his advice and took a few breaths to relax.
After what seemed like only a few moments of not-setting-the-table, the doorbell rang. Santana walked over to the door and opened it. Brittany stood on the porch in a bright pink button down shirt and nice blue jeans. The look expressed exactly who Brittany was without looking overly dressy or overly casual. Santana mentally applauded the well thought out outfit.
As Brittany walked into Santana's house, Santana greeted her with a hug and whispered into Brittany's ear, "You look amazing."
"Thanks, you look pretty great yourself," Brittany pulled an elevator eyes. Santana is wearing a tight-fitting black cardigan over a white camisole and hot skinny jeans.
Santana blushed a crimson red. Although Santana would never admit it, she loved it when her girlfriend checked her out and said that she looked amazing. Santana pretends to be modest, but she loves the attention she gets from Brittany.
"Hello, Brittany," Mrs. Lopez greeted as she came to the foyer.
"Hello, Mrs. Lopez," Brittany reciprocated.
"Come on into the dining room, we have dinner all set up. I hope you like Mexican food, I made Chili Rellenos Casserole," Mrs. Lopez said as she led the couple to the dining room.
Santana had to laugh at how stereotypically Mexican they were being with this dinner. They were having her grandmother's traditional Chili Rellenos Casserole and there were corn tortilla chips on a large plate with salsa and guacamole in bowls.
"Brittany!" Mr. Lopez has met Brittany a couple of times, so it was less awkward for him to greet her than it was for Mrs. Lopez to greet her. Mr. Lopez wrapped Brittany in a brief and welcoming hug.
"Hi, Mr. Lopez," Brittany giggled as she pulled out of his embrace.
"Please, help yourself," Mr. Lopez smiled as he waved his hand over the copious amount of food on the table. Mrs. Lopez had cooked enough food to feed an army. Then again, Mrs. Lopez cooks when she's nervous or remorseful, so the amount of food she made makes some sense.
Santana started putting food on her plate. She then noticed the confused look on Brittany's face. "What's up?" Santana wondered as she put a few chips on her plate.
"What exactly is in a Chili Rellenos Casserole?" Brittany's face scrunched up adorably in confusion.
"Lots of green chili, a ton of cheese, and tomato sauce," Santana explained. She put a small bite on her fork and lifted it towards Brittany. "You'll love it, I promise."
Brittany smiled and took the bite, "Mmm, you were right, that's awesome."
"Never question an Abuela recipe," Santana laughed as Brittany placed a huge portion on her plate followed by lots and lots of chips.
Santana and Brittany sat down with their food and quietly began to eat. They didn't really know how to start off the conversation and the room filled with a very apparent awkwardness.
"So," Mr. Lopez began, "tell us about yourself."
"Um, there's not a whole lot to tell. I was born in Texas, but I don't really remember much of it. I've been in school with Santana for what seems like forever. We never really hung out though. I mean, I was in a crowd full of jerks and she has always been a group of awesome and totally smart people," Brittany nudged Santana in the arm slightly. Santana's response to that was lacing their fingers together under the table. "Since before I can remember I've been in dance and I love it. Santana actually turned me on to Go Club, a dance club at our school, and it's really fun. I recently got into volunteering with Santana at City Hall. My favorite color is yellow…I don't know what else to say," Brittany shrugged.
"What kind of dance do you do?" Mrs. Lopez wondered trying to keep the conversation rolling.
"I do all sorts of dancing. I do ballet, tap, modern, and classical, but my favorite is hip hop," Brittany explained.
Santana's face was full of adoration at Brittany's little 'about me'. "She's an amazing dancer," Santana commented.
"I'm okay," Brittany blushed.
"This is a no modesty zone," Santana and Brittany looked at each other at the same time and smiled at their timing.
Brittany pressed her nose into Santana's shoulder, "You can't just make up rules."
"I totally can, it's like my thing," Santana retorted as Brittany pulled away with a smile still plastered on her face.
Mrs. Lopez watched the exchange. Maria noticed that Santana is a completely different person around Brittany. Santana is the little girl that she used to be. Santana is happy. Santana has been quiet and almost robotic for years now. It wasn't that she never looked happy, it was just that she seemed like she was in a trance; a trance that Brittany seems to have broken.
Mrs. Lopez couldn't help but notice the way that her daughter looked at Brittany with such adoring eyes and the way that the two trust each other on such a deep level. Maria knew that she had never seen Santana have this close of relationship with anyone. The closeness that the girls shared reminded Mrs. Lopez of when she first fell in love with her husband. How could she not accept a love so great? Maybe their love is unconventional, but it is true and it is pure. They're in love, Maria thought as she spooned some food into her mouth.
"How did you two decide to…well, you know, go out?" Mr. Lopez wondered with curious eyes.
"Well, I was having a hard time in school," Brittany began.
"And I was tutoring her," Santana chimed in.
"We had a mutual understanding and we clicked as friends immediately," Brittany continued. It was like they had their story rehearsed.
"We both thought that we were just best friends, but then we realized that it was something more…"
Brittany's face lit up, "When she came to my dance class, I think that's when it really set in that there was something more."
"Definitely."
"Oh, and I have a learning disability called Dysnomia. Santana figured it out like right after we met and tutored me accordingly, but didn't tell me for a while because…"
"…because I was worried about hurting her feelings. People have always treated Brittany like poop because she didn't really understand the material like other people," Santana added.
"Yeah and Santana had me start keeping a journal and write a lot of things down in my own way to understand everything. She said that it would be like writing letters to myself and that I could say things in the letters that I couldn't say out loud because it's only for me. Then I decided to start writing letters to Santana too and that's how we found out our mutual feelings for each other," Brittany squeezed Santana's hand expressing all of her love for Santana in the small gesture.
"Was it hard?" Mrs. Lopez wondered.
"Was what hard?" Brittany looked really confused and Santana loves Brittany's confused face.
"Was it hard to accept your feelings for each other?" Mrs. Lopez elaborated.
Brittany nodded, "Of course."
"It was no walk in the park. I mean, it was really scary. Your whole world is turned upside down. One day you have a certain mindset about yourself and the next you find out that everything you previously thought was wrong. Then there is the whole thing with worrying about other people…"
"…and freaking out because neither one of us has ever done anything like this before…" Brittany added her original fears.
"…and not knowing the consequences of your actions. The only thing that you know for sure is that your feelings are real and you can't escape them and that you don't want to escape them," Santana continued.
Brittany leaned over and planted a quick peck on Santana's lips. Mrs. Lopez panicked for a moment. She saw the love in their hearts and was fully ready to accept them, but she just wasn't really ready for that just yet. She had to mentally curse herself into calming down. However, directly following Mrs. Lopez's panicked face was a proud face. Mrs. Lopez recognized that what her daughter went through, and is still going through, isn't easy and that she fought for the person that she loved. Mrs. Lopez was proud of her daughter for making the hard decision. She was also thankful for Brittany standing by Santana's side through it all.
"So, we actually wanted to talk to you about something," Santana began. Before Mrs. Lopez could make any snap judgments, Santana continued, "Brittany and I are planning a college road trip and, with your permission, we would like to go to California to look at some universities there."
Mr. and Mrs. Lopez sat in silence for a few moments. They were clearly having one of their silent 'parent conversations'. Santana and Brittany waited patiently while the elder Lopez's decided on the next move.
Finally, Mr. Lopez broke the silence, "Sounds like fun."
"But you two have to be careful, you have to stay with family, and you have to make sure that you look out for each other," Mrs. Lopez amended.
Santana and Brittany bounced in their seats, squeezing each other's hands as if their lives depended on it. Neither teen could believe that the Lopez's had agreed to such a trip. They were preparing for their hopes to be squandered only to find that there really was a light at the end of the dark tunnel. They couldn't wait to continue planning the rest of summer and visit west coast colleges.
The rest of dinner continued with small conversations about Brittany and the couple's relationship. Even though the dinner started off on an awkward note, it finished with Santana and Brittany realizing that they were both welcomed and loved in the Lopez residence. Everything was out in the open and accepted…not just tolerated…accepted.
Santana relished the fact that she was loved by her mother and the fact that Brittany was equally loved by her parents. Then again, everyone loves Brittany. But it was nice to know that even after everything that happened, Santana could still sort through the issues with her parents with Brittany by her side. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with this girl, Santana thought as she locked eyes with Brittany. Santana always got lost in those ocean blue eyes. Santana unconsciously bit her bottom lip as she stared at her girlfriend.
Brittany smiled. She loved it when Santana stared at her. Some people might find it creepy, but the stare wasn't a creeper stare. Santana's stare was so full of love that it was hard to look away from her warm, welcoming eyes. It was like Santana's eyes wrote an entire romance novel that words could never convey. It was love, it was pure, and it was from the one person who she loved more than life itself. I'm going to marry this girl, Brittany thought. The thought brought a smiled to her lips.
Both teens could get used to the idea of having the other in their life forever.
Author's Note
Hey guys, sorry that it has been a while since I've last updated, I've been really busy with school this quarter. Here's a new chapter, I'll update soon. I hope you enjoy it. Please review. =)
"Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant