For the first time, Brittany notices that Sugar is in her math class. She walks in before the bell, unnoticed by Ms. Bletheim and other students sitting in their desks, but sitting on the opposite side of the room is Sugar, who smiles and waves at her. Brittany pauses, and then makes her way to her own desk.

She looks over at Sugar to see she's still smiling. Ms. Bletheim crosses the room to close the door and Brittany smiles back just before Ms. Bletheim walks to the front of the class.

With all the work they get, and Brittany being one of the first ones out of the classroom, they don't get much chance to talk. However, after a trip to her locker, on her way to second period, Sugar appears at her side.

"Hey," Sugar says, like the words have been waiting to spill out all morning.

Brittany glances over, but directs her eyes back in front of her. "Hi," she replies. She has to pay attention; she never knows what she'll need to protect herself from.

Sugar walks into the same class, but she doesn't say anything else. She sits next to Brittany; still she stays silent.

When class ends, they start down the hall together but end up going separate ways. Sugar isn't in her next class.

Brittany looks around when she takes her seat in Economics and finds Sugar on her left, two seats back from where Unique typically sits. Sugar smiles at her.

Throughout the period, Jared sends her quick, confused glances.

Unique never shows up.

Brittany hesitates between the bathroom and her English classroom, almost wanting to hide away with Sugar again, but Sugar's already disappeared down the hallway. She would also rather not get caught skipping. She has enough to deal with without getting detention.

With a sigh, she continues to her class, but moves to the front corner of the classroom, away from everybody else, almost hidden from Ms. Mcleer.

Nobody notices.

They're finishing the movie, so when Ms. Mcleer turns the light off as she walks out of the room, Brittany pulls out her phone. She doesn't expect to see anything, but the blue light flashes from a text.

9-47-18

She stares at the numbers in confusion, and then her face breaks into a grin as it clicks into place.

Santana!

She doesn't bother putting her phone away; she keeps it on her desk, hidden by her book and binder.

The movie finishes ten minutes before the bell. Brittany slips her phone into her pocket as Ms. Mcleer explains what they'll be doing tomorrow.

Brittany

Brittany smiles, reading her name over and over as she sits cross-legged on the gym floor. She's about to text back when her phone rings.

"Hey," Brittany answers.

"Hey," Santana says; her voice is groggy.

"Santana," Brittany murmurs, "You don't have to call me every day, you know."

There's some shuffling on the other end, and then Santana's voice returns. "But I wan'oo."

Brittany smiles slowly, closing her eyes. "You're gonna fall asleep on me again, only this time I won't be there next to you."

There's a pause. "No, 'm not," Santana promises.

(No, I won't.)

"Okay," Brittany agrees, not believing it.

"Anyways, I wan'ed to say s'rry for las' night."

"Why would you do that?"

"'Cause it w's late... an' I don' think anything I said made sense..."

"You were cute."

Brittany thinks she hears Santana groan, and then, "My head hurts."

"You should go back to sleep," Brittany suggests.

After a moment, Santana agrees. "Have a good day."

"You too," Brittany says. She waits for Santana to hang up.

But she doesn't. Instead, she says, "Bye."

"Bye," Brittany repeats, laughing lightly. She hesitates, just in case, and then hangs up.

As she sits in the dark, in the silence, she realizes it's been a few days she's danced—it feels like forever. She unlocks her phone and goes to her music, scrolling until she finds something good.

She leaves her phone in her spot, music spilling out of the speakers, as she gets up to dance.

Everything falls away as she moves, and it's easy to forget where she is.

Brittany practically jumps when someone taps her shoulder as she's walking into her seventh period class. She steps away from the doorway and turns back.

"Hi," Sugar says, grinning at her.

Brittany's busy wondering if Sugar shares this class with her, too, so it takes her a minute to respond. "Hey."

"Test today, guys," Ms. Wilson reminds them, walking out of her office with a stack of said test in her hand. "It's right here when you're ready," she adds, setting them down at the nearest empty table. She takes a quick look around before walking back to her desk.

Sugar sighs dramatically, turning away from Brittany with a roll of her eyes. They walk over to grab a test, and when everyone starts to crowd around them, Brittany slips away to her table on the other side of the room.

She writes her name first, and then bends over her paper, hoping she can remember all the answers she crammed into her head the previous period. The group that sits at the tables next to her is only a little distracting with their conversations.

As usual, it's when she gets to the "essays" that she starts to struggle. She doesn't remember the study guide answers, but the first to are pretty easy to answer with common sense. The other two aren't. It'd be even worse if they were actual essays.

She leans back in her chair, still staring at the paper, chewing on her pen as she thinks.

She glances up at the clock on the wall in front of her, seeing how much time she has left, but also willing time to go faster. The quicker this class ends, the quicker she can get through her next one, and the quicker she can go home.

Her mind drifts to Santana instead of the answers. She pulls out her phone, and just as she's typing Santana, someone sits in front of her. She hits send and looks up, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

She shouldn't be surprised when she sees Sugar smiling at her, again, across the tables. "Do you want the answers?" she whispers.

When teachers assign group work in class, Brittany never gets picked unless the teacher picks the groups—and, still, the rest of the group ignores her and she does the work by herself. It's the same thing in this class: when everybody else cheats on these tests, Brittany doesn't get the answers. Not that she really needs them most of the time.

But Sugar got them, and she's offering, so Brittany accepts. Sugar pushes some papers onto her table.

Brittany copies the last two essays and then slides the papers back. "Thanks," she whispers.

"No problem," Sugar says. "You didn't even need it."

Brittany shrugs, following as Sugar stands up to turn in her test. When she goes back to her table, Sugar sits with her again. She can feel Sugar watching her as she sits there. She fidgets and then, finally, looks up from the desk.

"So where do you go during lunch?" Sugar asks, grinning curiously. "I never see you in the cafeteria or anything."

Brittany's surprised she noticed. As far as Brittany knows, nobody else has, nobody else has cared, that for thirty minutes of the school day she disappears—so why does Sugar, a girl who has known her for less than a week?

Brittany's not quite sure why, but she tells her. "I go to the gym."

(Santana is the only other person that knows.)

The bell rings just as Brittany glances at the clock again. Sugar doesn't say anything else apart from a cheerful goodbye as they leave the classroom.

Brittany almost walks straight into Sugar as she's leaving her last class, which Sugar wasn't in.

"Brittany!" Sugar exclaims.

"Hey," she replies.

Sugar follows her without saying anything, and Brittany remembers the jacket she stuffed into her locker this morning. "Oh," she starts, glancing at Sugar, "Your jacket's in my locker."

Sugar nods. "Okay."

Jesse, Chris, Giselle, and a few other Vocal Adrenaline members are singing in the hall, dancing—or moving side to side—against the lockers next to Brittany's. Brittany watches them as she tries to get to her own locker, Sugar squished between her and them.

Brittany manages to exchange her books for her backpack and Sugar's jacket, but just as she turns, she's pushed into Sugar's back. She's able to keep herself from falling, but the force causes Sugar to fall forward and smack her head against the lockers.

Brittany's chest stings, like it was her hitting the lockers again.

(But this is worse.)

Rage fills her entire body and she twists around, about to yell at them, about to tell them off, about to—nothing.

There's nobody there.

The singing has stopped, the group is gone, the hallway is emptying.

She turns back. Sugar's rubbing at her forehead, frowning, but when she notices Brittany watching, she gives a small, unconvincing smile. Brittany's not sure if the redness is from the rubbing or the hit, but she can see a bump already starting to form.

The rage fades out, and she shivers as it's replaced with guilt. She takes a step back, horrified. Sugar was hurt because of her.

"I'm okay," Sugar says, dropping her hand. But Brittany just stares, then shoves the jacket into Sugar's arms and makes a beeline for the door.

She only makes it as far as the sidewalk before she pulls out her phone. There's a Brittany waiting for her, but she isn't focused enough to appreciate it.

She texts Santana.

And she texts Santana.

And she texts Santana.

Her phone vibrates a few times, but she can barely keep the frown off her face as she walks with her sister's hand in hers, so she doesn't look.

(She can't stop seeing Sugar's face trying to mask the pain.)

She heads upstairs to her room instead of to the kitchen once again. Only this time, she doesn't go back down. She closes her door and sits on her bed, throwing Santana's blanket over her legs, and pulls out her phone.

Missed call

Santana

She calls back. It doesn't take long for Santana to pick up.

"Brittany," is the first thing she says.

"Hey," Brittany mumbles back.

"Is everything okay?"

"Not really," Brittany says honestly.

There's a pause, then, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Brittany closes her eyes, breathing slowly as she takes in the softness of Santana's voice.

She tells Santana about Sugar—that she's new, that she's been nice, that she's talked to Brittany—and that, for her, this is strange. "I don't have a lot of friends."

Brittany explains how Sugar followed her to her locker, and that the hallway was more crowded than usual with the group of members from her school's Glee club—Vocal Adrenaline—singing next to her locker. "Someone bumped into me," she says. Sugar was right next to her, and she had no other way to catch herself.

"Nobody even cared," Brittany growls, that same anger welling up inside her. She doesn't mention how, just a few days before, almost the exact same thing happened to her.

Satana, of course, tells her it's not her fault. "You didn't do it. Accidents happen, and people are dicks."

But her guilt is there, it's vibrant. She holds Santana's blanket to her chest, tears pushing at her eyes, fighting to get out.

(If Sugar hadn't been there with her, she wouldn't have gotten hurt.)

Brittany's still on the phone with Santana when Lord Tubbington starts meowing at her door. She's about to get up and let him in when the door opens. Her cat runs in as quickly as his legs will take him, and her dad stands in the doorway.

He smiles at her the way he often does: concerned, but trying to hide it. "Dinner's ready," he says.

"Okay." She bends down to pet Lord Tubbington. "I'll be right down."

He nods and then backs into the hallway, pulling her door closed.

"Gotta go?" Santana questions.

"Yeah," Brittany says, "but I'll call you later."

They hang up, and Brittany makes her way downstairs.

Brittany doesn't participate much in dinner conversation. She's not even sure what they're talking about because she can't follow their conversation for more than few words here and there. She's just so stuck in her own head.

She's so tired of going back to school, dreading day after day, knowing the hours will provide little to no comfort. It's the same as always—except for Sugar. She's grown used to it, but not quite numb to it, and it only seems worse after her break. That same feeling is creeping up on her, her mind unearthing that question: Should I?

And then her mind jumps back to Santana.

She misses her more as the week progresses, as the weekend draws closer. Last weekend she'd had something she didn't know she even know she wanted and something she'd always wanted: Santana and an escape.

It was so refreshing to have people look at her, to have them look at her like she meant something. To feel such ease around someone that she hasn't experienced in forever.

(She just didn't expect to return to this.)

She loves her family, but she hates everything else, and it's hard to not miss it.

(Hard to not miss Santana.)

(Hard to not want to go back.)

It's not like she can just disappear and hop on a plane to New York again, though. Not when she has no money. Not when she's stuck here again. Not when her parents don't know.

(Can she?)

Brittany helps her dad clean up the kitchen when everyone is finished eating. They work well together, but don't say much. They finish quickly, and Brittany follows her dad into the living room where her mom and sister have set up another movie.

There are pillows and blankets thrown down in the center of the room, with Brittany's sister sprawled out on top of them. Brittany's mom, sitting on the middle couch, smiles. Her dad joins her mom, and Brittany's sister immediately beckons Brittany down.

It's not too hard to conjure up a smile as she sits next to her beaming sister. She piles some of the pillows behind her and then lies back. Her sister cuddles up next to her and the movies starts. She stares at the TV aimlessly for the first few minutes, and then Lord Tubbington crawls on top of her, blocking her view as he moves to settle on Brittany's stomach. She pets him, not really caring that she can only see the top half of the screen.

She feels at her side blindly when her phone buzzes. Her lips lift tiredly at Brittany, and she then lays her phone back at her side. Her hands return to Lord Tubbington, holding him against her.

(How can she miss holding someone she just met?)

(How can it feel like they haven't just met?)

She ends up doing more thinking than paying attention again. She can't keep the thought of going back out of her mind. She contemplates asking her parents. She wonders if it would work.

(The more she thinks about it, the more she wants it.)

"Alright, let's get this log up to bed," Brittany's dad announces quietly, about to stand from his spot on the couch.

Brittany waves him away with a whispered, "I'll get her."

He smiles at her in thanks and relaxes back into the couch. Brittany throws her pillows to the side and moves off the blanket. She throws each side over her sister, wrapping her up, and then lifts her up and carries her to bed. She walks back down trying to think of what to say to her parents There's another movie paused and she assumes they were waiting for her, but she sits on the couch facing them.

"What's up?" her dad asks.

"I was wondering..." she pauses, looking between them nervously, "if I could go to New York?"

Her mom sits up straighter, and her dad frowns.

"What's in New York?" her mom inquires.

"I just... I have a friend... that I want to see." She didn't think this out very well.

"In New York?" her dad questions, his face scrunched in confusion.

"When were you thinking about doing this?" her mom asks, ignoring him.

"This weekend," Brittany answers, looking more at her mom than her dad.

"By yourself?" her dad says quickly.

Her mom glances at him and he leans back. "Brittany," she says softly, leaning forward. "We don't have money for a random trip right now." Brittany fidgets under her gaze, knowing she wants to know more. "I'm sorry."

She tries not to act upset.

She tries not to be upset.

"Okay," she says. She settles into the couch to watch the movie with her parents. Her dad looks away first. When her mom does the same, he presses play and Brittany pulls out her phone.

(She knew it wouldn't work, anyway.)

She texts Santana.

Brittany doesn't look at Sugar the next morning. She's almost late to first period and later than usual to the other classes she shares with Sugar, trying to avoid any kind of conversation with her. She even gets to English early, just in case.

When the lunch bell rings, however, she runs out of luck. Sugar finds her as she's putting her books in her locker.

"Hey," Sugar greets.

"Hi," Brittany mumbles back, messing around in her locker to waste time. She feels her phone vibrate in her pocket and closes her locker.

Sugar falls into step beside her as she starts toward the gym. "Did you forget your lunch?"

"No," Brittany says simply.

She walks slower as they approach the doors, and then shoots a glance at Sugar, who just looks over and smiles.

Brittany stops just inside the double doors. She turns toward Sugar and opens her mouth—

"Do you mind if I go with you?" Sugar asks.

"Um," Brittany falters. "Okay."

Sugar's smile brightens. She pushes the door open, walks out, and holds it for Brittany.

Sugar hesitates, but when Brittany sits on the gym floor, she does the same. For the first time today, Brittany actually looks at her. It's dark, but the windows provide enough light to see her and Brittany's eyes automatically scan her face. There's no real indicator that anything happened yesterday.

"I'm fine," Sugar says, a hint of exasperation in her voice. Brittany looks at her more closely, her eyes narrowing. Sugar rolls her eyes, but she's smiling.

Brittany's phone vibrates against her leg and her heart jumps. She forgets about Sugar until she's staring at Santana's name on her screen, her call unanswered.

Sugar's watching her. She shrugs.

Brittany swipes her thumb across the screen, but she's too late. She frowns, glancing between Sugar and her phone.

"Who was that?" Sugar asks.

Brittany shifts, holding her phone in her lap as the screen goes black. "A friend," she says. Sugar continues to look at her, like she's expecting more, as Brittany fidgets with her phone.

"What's their name?"

Brittany looks at her, and then, "Santana."

"That's a cool name," Sugar comments, smiling. "She's not from around here, is she?"

Brittany shakes her head. "She lives in New York."

"New York?" Sugar repeats. "Really?"

Brittany nods. After a minute, Sugar directs her attention to the bag she brought with her. Brittany unlocks her phone.

Sorry! Sugar is in the gym with me

"Want half?" Sugar's arm is extended toward Brittany, half a sandwich in her hand. Brittany stares at it. She didn't breakfast or very much dinner the night before.

"It's PB&J," Sugar sing-songs, and Brittany accepts with a tentative smile.

Her phone vibrates as she takes a bite.

Should I be jealous?

Brittany smiles at her phone curiously.

"So how did you guys meet?"

She types, Of what? before she answers Sugar. "Well... I was down there last weekend. She was at the park I went to and I decided to talk to her."

"She's more than a friend, isn't she?" Sugar prompts, smirking.

Brittany grins a little, but only shrugs in response.

Sugar doesn't seem to mind. "When are you gonna see her again?"

Brittany's shoulders slump. "I wanted to go back this weekend, but.."

"But?"

"It's not practical," Brittany says, frowning at her. "I don't have money. I can't. I'm stuck here."

Sugar looks slightly taken aback and Brittany looks down. Brittany tries to mumble, "I'm sorry," but it's drowned out by the return of Sugar's voice.

"I could pay for you," she says.

Brittany's phone vibrates. She glances at it before speaking. "I couldn't take your money."

"I'm rich," Sugar blurts excitedly. "I'd be happy to do it!"

"I don't know," Brittany says, uncertain.

Sugar reaches over and hands Brittany a bottle of water. She smiles, meeting Brittany's eyes. "Think about it."

Brittany looks at her, skeptical, but Sugar only smiles back. "Okay," she agrees quietly.

Brittany takes the last bite of her sandwich half and unlocks her phone. Are you dancing?

Brittany texts back No, she gave me half a sandwich.

Brittany wants to hide away and call Santana as soon as she gets home, but she can't. Her sister stops her before she can even try, dragging her to the kitchen with her.

As soon as dinner is over, however, she makes her escape. She's pulling up Santana's name as she walks up the stairs, and she listens to it ring as she makes it to the top and walks to her room.

"Well hello there," a voice says. It takes a minute for Brittany to place it.

"Kurt?" she guesses.

"The one and only," he confirms.

She leans back against her headboard. "How are you?"

"I am doing very well," he says. "And how about you?"

"Uh," Brittany starts—

"Better than Santana, I hope?" Kurt interrupts. "She's been going crazy since you left."

"Kurt," she says slowly, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he tells her.

"I want to go back," she says. "This weekend. The only problem is that I don't have any money."

"Well you must have spent a lot coming out here last weekend," he points out.

"Yeah," Brittany sighs. "The thing is, this girl at school... a friend... she offered to pay."

"Wow."

"I told her I couldn't," Brittany continues. "But she insisted. She said she has more money than she knows what to do with and she wants to help."

"Now, normally I would say that it's a lot to accept from somebody, but she's practically throwing it at you... and you could always pay it back," Kurt says.

"I was going to ask Santana what she thought—"

Kurt cuts her off. "No, don't tell her anything. It'll be a surprise."

"Do you think Santana would be okay with that?" Brittany asks.

"Brittany," he says, like duh. "She won't shut up about you. Or she won't say anything, but she'll have this look—"

"Who are you talking to?" Brittany hears in the background.

There's shuffling, and a mix of voices, and then, "Hey, Britt," Santana says softly.

Brittany bites her lip. "Hey."

Santana's breath fills up the next few seconds. Brittany hesitates before asking, "Can I talk to Kurt again real quick?"

"Oh," Santana says. "Uh... okay."

"Hah!" she hears somewhere on the other end. "So as I was saying," Kurt says loudly.

It takes a moment, but then he says more. "I think Santana will seriously lose her mind if you do not get back here. If you honestly want to come back, I think you should do it."

Brittany really wanted to be away from this again, wants to see Santana again. Like Kurt said, she could pay it back—eventually.

(It didn't take much convincing.)

She asks to talk to Santana, but Kurt doesn't want to give the phone back so soon. Even though she's no longer needing to talk to Santana about returning to New York, she's still itching to talk to her, but she talks to Kurt a little while longer.

"What were you guys talking about?" Santana asks when Kurt finally gives back her phone.

"Nothing," Brittany says, unable to stop smiling.

"He's got that creepy smirk on his face..."

To those who wished me luck getting a beta, I actually got a few offers, so thanks!