The next morning, after a quick breakfast and a very, very brief makeout session, Brittany leaves for the dance studio. Santana had, of course, been right. Eating a proper meal and sleeping 10 hours last night mean that rehearsal is much less terrible today. After running through her talent show number a few times, Brittany decides to cut rehearsal short and get some extra time at the library before eating dinner and going to bed at a decent hour. She thinks Santana would be proud.
As she's rounding the corner, she runs right into someone. "I'm sorry!" She looks up, apologizing to the tall boy she'd just run into. "I should watch where I'm going."
"Me too, I'm always running into things. My name's Mike Chang. I've seen you around a few times. Are you a new major?"
"Yep. First year. Brittany Pierce."
"Cool. What are you up to here on a Sunday?"
"Rehearsing my audition piece for the solo for the winter show." She feels a little embarrassed to be talking to another dancer about it. "I know I probably won't get it, but I think it's important to try, so I am. Are you auditioning for it?"
"Nah. My girlfriend said she'd hit me if I joined another piece and had to spend more time in this building. She's in the Theater department. Costumes. She's pretty awesome. Her name is Tina." Brittany likes the way Mike's face lights up when he talks about his girlfriend; she can relate. "And hey, don't think you won't get it. You've got just as much of a shot as anyone else here. Plus, the professors are pretty good about not showing favoritism."
"You think? It would be nice to establish myself early."
"Definitely. That's a really good way to think about it, Brittany. Hey, I've got to go to rehearsal, but let me give you my number. If you'd like, I could take a look at your audition piece before Thursday." He writes down his number and hands it to her. "Just text me your number on your way out."
"Really? Thanks Mike! Have a good rehearsal." He waves at her as he walks away. He seems really nice, Brittany thinks. Although she's incredibly glad to be friends with Santana's friends, she desperately wants friends in the Dance department too. She quickly texts Mike, then heads to the library to try and make her way through a mountain of homework.
Much like last week, Santana only sees Brittany at lunch this week, but she makes sure her girlfriend is eating well, and she can tell Brittany is sleeping more. At lunch on Tuesday, Brittany tells her, "I made a friend on Sunday. He's a sophomore, and his name is Mike." Though Santana tries not to be suspicious about Mike's intentions with her girlfriend, Brittany can tell what Santana is thinking and looks at her with an amused expression. "And he has a girlfriend in the Theater department."
Santana lets go of that little bit of jealousy. "Yeah? I should ask Kurt if he knows her. What's her name?"
"Tina."
"Oh yeah, she helped him make a sequin cape. I might never forgive her for that hideous thing he drags out every time he's drunk."
Brittany laughs. "Well, Mike's going to watch my audition piece tonight and give me feedback."
"That's great, B. Can I watch?" Santana slips in the question, but her hopes aren't high. They've discussed this several times. Santana really wants to see what Brittany's been working on, but Brittany wants to wait. If she doesn't get the solo, she'll show her when they have time. If she gets the solo, then Santana has to wait to see it at the winter dance concert. While Santana accepted these terms, she still tries to trick Brittany once in a while.
"Nice try." The blonde winks at her.
They part ways after lunch, Brittany to class and Santana to a practice room at the music building, where she spends the rest of the afternoon working on both songs that she's picked. She still doesn't know if she wants to perform the song that shows the depth of her feelings for Brittany.
On Thursday, Brittany is a giant bundle of nerves. Right before her assigned audition time, Santana meets her at the dance building to kiss her and wish her good luck. The audition goes by quickly; she dances the part she's choreographed, and after one minute, she finishes, the music is shut off, and she says a humble "thank you" to the watching professors.
"Thank you, Brittany. Now, I know this is your first year. Was that piece something you did before you came here?"
"No, sir. I've been working on it since the day we were told that we could audition. It's part of the entire piece I intend to perform if you choose me."
"So you've already started choreographing the piece, even though you don't know if you've gotten the solo yet?"
Brittany gets nervous. Does he think she's cocky? "Y-Yes, sir. I just didn't want to waste any time if I was lucky enough to be chosen."
"I see. Nice work, Brittany. We'll be posting the results at 5 PM tomorrow. Thank you for auditioning."
That's it. Exiting the room, she finds Santana sitting on some stairs halfway down the hall.
Santana runs over to her. "All done? That was really short. How'd it go?"
"I think it went okay? They're posting the results tomorrow at 5. Oh, that means I won't find out until after the talent show."
"If you want, I can have someone check for you. Or Rachel would, I'm sure."
"No, I want to look myself. I'll wait. Will you come with me though?"
"Of course, Britt. I was kind of hoping you might want to stay the night tomorrow, anyway. Take Saturday off so we can spend some time together?"
Brittany kisses Santana sweetly. "Yes. I definitely want that. But in the meantime, I have to spend the rest of the day at the library...I am so behind."
"Okay. I can come with you, but I have to rehearse with Mercedes at 3. After that, I can come back."
"Perfect." Brittany texts Mike to let him know that the audition went well, and to tell him about the talent show, in case he and Tina want to go.
By 11 PM, Brittany is feeling significantly less behind, thanks to Santana (as always), and they decide to call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
Mercedes asked them all to meet at the student union at 4:30, so they can be ready for the start of the show at 6. As she heads over, Brittany finds herself getting more and more excited to sing and dance. She doesn't sing for people very often, and while she knows she'll never make a career out of it, it's a lot of fun. When she arrives, she immediately finds Santana and stands behind her, with her arms draped over the shorter girl's shoulders.
"Alright, we need to come up with a show order." Mercedes says to the performers. "Let's have the drag queens do a couple numbers to open the show, and then which one of you wants to do your number first?" Nobody speaks up, and Brittany wonders why. "Come on, guys. Don't make me force you."
"I'll do it." Brittany raises her hand.
"Thank you, Brittany. You're an angel."
Santana nods, as though affirming Mercedes's statement, then turns to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek. Once the rest of the order is worked out, everyone parts ways to eat dinner and make sure the DJ has their music.
At 6 PM, Brittany peeks out at the audience to see a pretty packed house. Good. Big crowds are better crowds, she thinks. Looking to the corner, she sees Santana clutching her cup of tea, pacing a little. "Nervous, baby?" she asks, accidentally scaring the Latina, who jumps a little.
Truthfully, Santana is nervous—not because she has to perform, but because she still hasn't completely decided on a song. "Yeah, a little. It'll go away as soon as I'm onstage, though."
"Well, I can't wait to watch you. I gotta go change now. See you after I'm done!" Brittany rushes off to change into her costume. It's not very elaborate, just a torn up t-shirt with some black booty shorts and heels. Then, she tousles her hair, throws some glitter on her face and body, and is ready to go. As she stands in the wings on stage left, the technician clips on her mic pack and headset.
Santana is standing in the audience, just off to the side, with a good view of the stage. When the music starts, she sees Brittany strut confidently onstage and hears her start to sing Ke$ha's 'Tik Tok.' She watches, wide-eyed, as Brittany moves and pops her body in ways that Santana has only ever seen on TV. When Brittany suddenly drops into a split, Santana has never been more thankful for her compression shorts, which feel incredibly tight. After the last note, everyone in the audience cheers, but none louder than Santana, who then quickly runs backstage and jumps onto Brittany, pressing their lips together forcefully.
"So you liked?" Brittany asks as she supports the Latina's weight against her body. She can vaguely hear the drag queens praising her moves in the background, though she's not paying them any attention.
"You were amazing. God, you're so sexy. Did you have fun?"
"Tons. I'm excited to see you now."
"Oh shit, I have to go get dressed. I. Will. See. You. In. A. Bit." Each word is punctuated with a kiss.
"You did awesome, Britt!" Sam ruffles her hair. "This is my friend, Artie. We're doing Stereo Hearts. We're on next."
Brittany waves at Artie. "Cool! You guys will be great. I love that song." They exchange small talk until the drag queen's number ends, and the boys head onstage. Thinking she should be back soon, Brittany starts looking around for Santana.
"Wow. You are…really hot." She hears a distinctly male voice say in her direction.
Turning around, she notices a guy who'd been talking to Sam earlier standing there. "Uh, thanks."
"I'm Brody. Brody Weston. And you are…?"
She doesn't like the way he's looking at her. "Brittany. Are you friends with Sam? He's like my brother." She starts to back away and hopes that saying this will get him to stop advancing on her. It doesn't, and too soon, she finds her back pressed against the wall.
"You and I should head out, maybe go back to my place." He puts one hand against the wall over her shoulder and one on her waist. His big, rough hand feels uncomfortable compared to the small, feminine hands she's used to.
"I-I have a girlfriend."
"You just need a real man to show you what you're missing." He thrusts his pelvis against hers, and tears spring to her eyes.
Putting her hand against his chest, she pushes, trying to shove him away. "Please stop. Leave me alone." Tears are running down her cheeks now as he presses further into her. Brittany shuts her eyes tight against what is happening. It all feels too familiar.
Finished with their piece, Sam and Artie go backstage and high-five. The blond boy searches for Mercedes but doesn't see her. However, he does see Brody, some guy in the Theater department that invited himself to this thing, pressed up against Brittany, who is clearly upset and trying to push him away. Sprinting towards them, Sam grabs Brody by the back of his shirt and pulls him away from her.
"If her girlfriend catches your stupid ass, she will kill you. Get the fuck out of here right now. I don't want to ever see you around here again."
"What the hell, man? I wasn't doing anything wron—" Before he can finish, Sam punches him in the jaw.
"Get the fuck out of here now."
After shooting them an angry look, Brody starts to walk away, and Sam turns around and hugs Brittany. "Are you okay, Britt? Did he do anything?"
Brittany's gearing up to explain when she hears Santana's voice. "What the fuck, Trouty. All up on my woman?" she says in a joking tone. Her expression immediately changes when she sees the tear tracks on Brittany's face. "Brittany, what happened? Sam?"
Sam looks nervous to explain, and Brittany is shaking.
"He's gone now, Santana. It's okay." Artie steps in to try and explain.
"Who's gone? What did he do? Brittany? Sam? Tell me what happened!" Santana is freaking out a little.
"This guy Brody got really handsy with Brittany and didn't stop when she told him no. I got rid of him though."
Santana hugs Brittany into her tightly, then pulls back to look at her face. "Britt, baby, are you okay? Please talk to me. Did he hurt you?"
Brittany shakes her head, feeling herself calm slightly in Santana's presence.
"Sam, watch her. I'm going to go kill that fucker." Santana turns to walk away, not even knowing who she's looking for, but Brittany holds on to her.
"No, Santana. Please stay with me. He's gone. Sam busted his jaw. I'm okay. I was just scared. I just...you know." Santana nods; she does know. "Please don't go. I need you, and I want to hear you sing."
Santana nods and hugs her girlfriend again, needing to feel her close. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you, Brittany. So, so sorry."
"It's okay, San. I should've pushed harder or kicked him or something. I just panicked, but Sam was there."
Santana can tell Brittany is downplaying the entire thing. She can't stop her brain from spiraling. What if Sam hadn't been there? Would she have gotten back in time? Would he have touched her? Shaking her head, she tries to force away the thoughts. Harboring anger isn't going to help right now, but if she ever sees that fucker, she doesn't know what she'll do. "Okay. I'm here. We're good. Right?" Wiping a stray tear off her face, Brittany nods at Santana, a small smile playing on her lips. She leans in and kisses Santana.
After a few seconds of kissing, Santana hears an "ahem." She pulls away from Brittany, keeping their bodies pressed together, and looks in the direction of the noise. "What?" she asks Mercedes.
"You're on in a minute. Everything okay?" Santana and Brittany walk away while Sam explains to Mercedes what happened.
Santana pulls Brittany into her again and kisses her deeply.
"Will you sing for me?" Brittany whispers against her lips.
"I'll do everything for you." Santana kisses her once more before she turns to walk onto the stage.
"OH, look at this sassy little girl! I like her. She was just necking with her girlfriend backstage. Gasp. Scandal." The drag queen announces to the crowd, who laughs. Santana just winks at her and sits down at the piano. "So, it says here you're going to sing a little Adele 'Hometown Glory' for us."
"Change of plans. That beautiful blonde I was 'necking with'? She's my girlfriend, and this is for her." Walking across the stage, Santana had made a snap decision to sing to Brittany. "This is 'Make You Feel My Love' by Adele."
As Santana plays the familiar tune, Brittany feels her chest swell. Her girlfriend's voice is so beautiful. It's slightly raspy, and it fills the entire room, emotion burning in every word. She looks beautiful, she sounds beautiful, she is beautiful, Brittany thinks.
Once Santana stops singing and the applause dies down, the drag queen walks back out onstage. "Wow girl, wow! Your girlfriend now has a roomful of competition, because I think we all might be in love with you now."
"Nope. No one can compete with her." Santana gives a teasing smile, waves, and walks towards the wings, where Brittany is bouncing on the balls of her feet.
As soon as Santana is backstage, Brittany tackles her. "I can't even." She presses their lips together desperately. "You are amazing. Beautiful. Perfect." And then, they're kissing again, tongues wrapping around each other, hands gripping each other's waists and hips.
Like last time, Santana hears an "ahem" and reluctantly pulls away from her girlfriend to glare at Mercedes. "Bitch, you really need to stop interrupting my sweet lady kisses, lest you feel my wrath."
Mercedes simply raises an eyebrow and cocks her hip to the side. "Whatever. After these last two drag numbers, they'll announce the winners, so don't go locking yourselves in the bathroom or anything like that." She walks off without waiting for a response, and Brittany just laughs.
Once everybody is called out onstage, the drag queen announces, "So, we have a three-way tie! No matter how hard I tried to persuade the judges to pick a first, second, and third so we could get some drama, they said they couldn't do it. So, without further ado...your winners, each receiving $50 gift certificates to the local coffee shop The Fix, as well as $125 in cash. Sam and Artie with Stereo Hearts!" The boys go up, hug the drag queen, and take their prize. "Santana Lopez singing Adele's 'Make You Feel My Love'!" Brittany starts jumping up and down and clapping for Santana. How exciting! In her excitement, she almost misses the final announcement. "And Brittany Pierce, one of the finest damn dancers I've ever seen, singing and dancing to Ke$ha's 'Tik Tok'!" Still celebrating for Santana, Brittany is slightly confused when she feels Quinn push her forward, but hears "Tik Tok" and walks up to the drag queen.
"Before I give this to you, give us one more split." Brittany shrugs and drops down into a split, then fluidly bounces back up. The drag queen looks around her at Santana. "Damn girl, you better hold on to her!"
Brittany is so excited about everything that she runs back to Santana, throws her arms around her neck, and kisses her in front of everyone. Santana eagerly returns the kiss.
Once the audience files out and the performers walk backstage, Mercedes announces, "Alright, everyone, we gotta clean up! Everybody has to stay and help." Brittany's eager to find out her audition results, but she decides that another half hour won't hurt—even though she really wants to go see.
Seeing her girlfriend's face fall a little, Santana decides to ask for a favor, which she hates to do, but Brittany is worth it every time. "Hey Wheezy. Would it be okay if Brittany and I left? She needs to go check and see if she got this dance solo. It's kind of a big deal. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Mercedes's face softens. She knows the only reason Santana approached her in a mostly respectful way is because of Brittany. Mercedes loves this version of Santana. "Yeah, go for it. Text us and let us know how it goes."
"Thanks 'Cedes, I will. Britt doesn't seem too hopeful, but we'll see!" With that, Santana turns around, grabs Brittany's hand, and drags her outside.
"Where are we going? We have to clean up!" Brittany giggles as she's pulled out into the night.
"No, we don't. We have to check your list, and then we have to spend some real time together." Anticipating Brittany's next question before she even asks it, Santana reassures her, "Don't worry, I asked, and Mercedes said it's fine. Now let's go!"
They pull up in front of the dance building, where they both see a piece of white paper taped to the window. Suddenly anxious, Brittany bites her lip and looks apprehensive.
"What's going on, B?"
"Can I tell you something?"
"Anything."
"I know that I shouldn't have got my hopes up, but I did. I mean, it'll be okay if I don't get it, which is likely, but...I just really want it." She looks down, feeling a bit bashful.
"They'd be stupid not to pick you. I can say that with complete confidence, now that I've seen you dance for real. I know that was a different style you did tonight, but I've never seen someone so in control of their body. It does exactly what you want it to and looks so amazingly beautiful and sexy."
"Sexy? I'm not sexy, San. I wear bear hats and shirts with dinosaurs on them."
"Britt, I can't even begin to explain how sexy you are. But that's for another time...maybe in a few hours. Right now, we've got to go look at that list. Come on, I'll go with you." They get out of the car and walk to the front of the building. Brittany can't make herself look; she's too nervous. Santana doesn't have that problem though. She reads it, then looks at her girlfriend. "Just look, baby. You can do it. And then we can go back to my place and do whatever you want."
Brittany takes a deep breath, then looks at the sheet. "Me. San, that's me. That's my name! I got it! San, I did it!"