A/N: An update is here! This chapter is from Brittany's POV. I decided to write this story from both points of view, just cuz I think it helped with understanding each girl's character.
Enjoy!
The first day at a new high school is honestly one of the most terrifying things a teenager can go through. She thought she'd be used to it by now…but no.
It still chills her to the bone.
There are so many things to figure out, and every school differs. She has to learn how the caste system works, find the way to all her classes, and somehow find a way to make friends so she doesn't spend her senior year alone.
As much as she loves to stay in her room and paint, she also loves conversing and meeting new people. She just needs to find ones that like to talk back. There've been instances in the past where she'd speak to people only to be met with rude comments or inappropriate gestures. But hopefully, none of that will happen this year.
Her mom calls her "quietly outgoing," and Brittany thinks that's the perfect way to describe herself. She likes being social, but she also needs time alone. It causes internal conflict sometimes, but she's content with it. She likes being able to relate to both sides.
She gets to the school half an hour early and follows the directions her Aunt Holly gave her to the art classroom.
Holly Holiday is Brittany's aunt on her mom's side. They grew up in Lima, but Whitney eventually moved away and found a new life of her own. Holly still lives in Lima, but she's making good for herself as an art teacher at William McKinley High School. Brittany's father is newly retired from the Navy, and he and her mother agreed to move back home to Lima. Brittany's only been to this town around the holidays to visit her grandparents, but she knows it's relatively small in size.
She's walking down the unfamiliar hallway, looking at the room numbers pasted on the outside walls of the classrooms. It takes a few minutes, but Brittany eventually finds the correct classroom and enters the room with a bright smile.
"Hola, chica!" her aunt exclaims as she sees Brittany walk through the threshold. "You getting settled okay? How's the unpacking going?"
Brittany rushes over to give her aunt a hug, pulling back before answering. "It's okay. Mom's still trying to figure out where she wants everything to go, so it's kinda slowing everything down."
"Of course," Holly says with a roll of her eyes. "She's always been so nitpicky about things. Like when we were kids, your grandpa gave us a Beauty and the Beast poster to hang on our wall, and she spent four days deciding where it would go." Holly turns around to walk to her desk but still continues with her rant. "I didn't get a say, either! It had to be where Whitney wanted it to go."
Brittany laughs at her aunt's frustration. "Still bitter?" she jokes, setting her backpack down on a random desk.
"Nah." Holly waves dismissively. "Just not surprised she's holding up the process. Besides, little did she know, I turned the poster just an inch every day, and it kept getting more and more crooked until she took it down."
Brittany shakes her head with a smile, leaning her butt on the desk behind her. "She didn't really give us a choice either…the only thing we got to pick was our rooms."
"Figures," Holly says, plopping down in her big rolling chair behind the teacher's desk. "Lemme see your schedule." She holds her hand out, opening and closing her palm toward Brittany.
Brittany turns to open her bag, grabs the folded piece of paper, and hands it to Holly. "I only have one elective… everything else is a core class," she complains, crossing her arms over her chest.
Holly looks over the paper for a moment, her brows creasing as she reviews her schedule. "Meh, these aren't too bad. I know all the teachers, so if you ever get in a pickle, I can help you out." Holly looks up with a wink, holding the page back to her.
"Thanks," Brittany laughs, taking the paper back. She fiddles with the edges of it as she looks down at her feet.
"Nervous for your first day?" Holly asks, her tone soft.
Brittany shrugs her shoulders but doesn't look up. "I mean, who wouldn't?" she chuckles. "But at least I have you here, so I'm not totally isolated."
"Oh, Britt, you'll make friends in no time. There's a lot of clubs to join, too."
"I guess," Brittany sighs, turning around to put her schedule back in her bag. "It just kinda sucks that it's my senior year, and I'm the new kid. By the time I meet anybody, I'll be saying bye just as quickly when we leave for college."
"Not necessarily." Holly rests her hands behind her head and leans back in her chair. "Not everything's black and white, Britt. Things could be different…there's some grey areas, you know."
Brittany nods, not knowing what else to say to her aunt. It's evident she doesn't really believe her, but she doesn't say anything about it.
The bell echoes loud and clear through the hallways a few seconds later, and students flood the hallway like a rush-hour crowd.
"Guess that's my cue," Brittany says, pulling her backpack over her shoulder. "See you later, Holly."
"Have a good day, hot stuff!" Holly calls out, standing from her chair.
She follows Brittany to the door, leaning against the door frame and watching Brittany scurry down the busy hallway.
/
In Brittany's first class, she just sat by herself in the back of the room, not bothering to talk to anybody. Her first period was Environment Science, so the room was mainly filled with kids wearing sweater vests and talking about the different insects arriving with the new season.
Gross.
But her second period is much better. She's sitting patiently, waiting for class to start, and watching the variety of students flooding through the door. Some are cheerleaders, sporting the crisp red-and-white uniform, and some are obviously jocks, wearing their letterman jackets and walking with an overabundance of pride; but the majority of the class just looks like regular students. She's so entranced in the constant entrances that she doesn't notice the new body recently sat beside her.
"Hello," a boy sitting next to her greets. She quickly snaps her attention over to him, startled at his sudden presence. He has short brown hair that's coiffed in the front, and he's wearing a grey and blue striped dress shirt, a matching tie, and skinny jeans with a chain hanging from the belt loops.
"Hey," Brittany replies politely, smiling at him.
"I'm Kurt Hummel." He extends his hand toward Brittany for a handshake.
She accepts and grabs a firm hold on his hand, shaking it up and down. "I'm Brittany," she supplies.
"Are you ready for Mr. St. Pierre's class this year? Maybe he won't get high on cough syrup and forget the class times again," he chuckles, making conversation.
"Wait, what?" she asks, a slight tilt in her voice; she's unsure if Kurt's being serious or not.
He furrows his brows in confusion for a moment, seemingly surveying her, before softening. "You must be new here."
Brittany nods with a slight smile, looking towards the front of the class to check if the teacher's walked in yet. "First day," she says, tapping her fingers timidly on the desk.
"Well, in that case," he begins, "would you like an exclusive tour of McKinley from one of the school's most gifted students?" He bats his eyelashes with a goofy smile on his face, causing Brittany to laugh.
"That sounds great."
"Perfect!" He slaps his hands on the desk and sits up straighter. "After this, I'll walk you to your third period, I'll introduce you to all my friends at lunch, and then you can even attend glee club practice this afternoon!" He does a little clap with his hands, clearly excited.
"Um, actually," Brittany says hesitantly, "I'm going to be eating lunch with my aunt today…she's the art teacher, and she asked if I'd meet with her today."
"Your aunt is Holly Holiday?" he asks, staring at her dumbfounded.
She narrows her eyes with a nod. Is that a bad thing?
His features turn from bewilderment to elation after she confirms his question. "She's the best!" he exclaims, earning strange looks from a few surrounding students. "She subbed for glee club last year, and it was literally the best week of my life."
Brittany laughs at hearing how much he favors her aunt. "I didn't know she could sing."
"Oh, yeah! Got a killer voice." He nods. "Can you sing?"
Brittany brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, apprehensive at the new topic of discussion. "Um…I used to take lessons when I was little, but then I started painting and realized that was my true passion."
"Oh, but I'm sure you still got it." He waves his hand dismissively. "You can still join glee…we'll find a way to make it work."
"Oh, but—"
At that moment, the teacher stumbles in, his coat only on one arm and his hair heavily disheveled. "G-good mo-ning," he slurs, earning a few giggles from students around the room.
"Told ya," Kurt snickers in her ear, causing a smile to form on her lips.
/
After the bell rings, signaling the end of third period, Brittany hurries out of the classroom and into the hallway, heading to her aunt's classroom.
God, she couldn't wait to get out of that class. Her third period was math—a subject she always hated—and she was on the verge of pulling her hair out during the entire lecture. Not to mention, the teacher assigned two pages of homework, all due the next day.
As she walks into her aunt's classroom, she's instantly met with the familiar scent of paint.
"Wassup? How's the first day going?" Holly greets as she spots Brittany in the doorway. She walks toward Brittany, away from the easels she's organizing.
"You painting today?" Brittany asks, setting her backpack down on the floor near Holly's desk.
"Ya!" Holly exclaims. "I thought I'd just jump right in, you know? Who wants to go through all that boring instructions stuff first?"
"Makes sense." Brittany nods, walking toward the expanse of art supplies placed near each desk. "Mind if I play around?" She motions toward one of the stands, looking at her aunt for permission.
"Yeah, go ahead. I'm just gonna go grab my lunch from the teacher's lounge." Holly points her thumb over her shoulder at the door.
Brittany sits down at one of the easels without a second thought, picking up a pallet and squeezing a few colors of nearby paint on its surface. She picks up a random paintbrush—she likes to challenge herself sometimes by choosing random colors and brushes—and dips it into the purple glob of paint. She has the colors orange, blue, purple, and black on her pallet, and an idea comes to her mind as soon as her brush hits the paper.
Painting's always been like a sense of escape to her. Whenever she feels overwhelmed, confused, or just downright bored, she always finds joy and clarity in her art.
It's one of her passions…she couldn't imagine her life without art being a part of it.
She keeps brushing careful strokes over the page, ensuring every spot of paint is in its correct place. Before she knows it, it's been fifteen minutes and she's almost finished with her small picture. After a few short strokes, she leans back and looks at her finished piece, admiring the way the colors bleed together on the paper.
She painted a simple sunset, using the blue and purple to capture the darkness of the night sky, while the orange showed the newly setting sun. She used the black to create distant background features, like forest trees or birds in the sky.
With a smile of pride, she sets the pallet and paintbrush down on the table next to her. In her peripheral vision, she sees a figure standing in the doorway, assuming it's her Aunt Holly. She'd been sensing someone watching her for a few moments but was too focused on her painting to really care.
As she looks up, her eyes don't lock on the familiar blues of her aunt's, but rather, an unfamiliar brown.
Who is she?
Brittany instantly finds herself wanting to know more about the mysterious girl peering at her through the window. She gives her a soft smile and wave, but neither is returned. The girl's face turns a darker shade of red, and she darts away from the door before Brittany can even call anything out to her.
She has long brunette locks that are pulled back in a neat ponytail and eyes with the color of the most entrancing brown she's ever seen. Brittany doesn't think she's ever been caught up in anyone after just one glance. Maybe it's the new environment? Maybe it's because she's filled with giddiness after completing a painting?
She doesn't know.
But, she does know that she wants to learn more about this mystery brunette.
/
"So, the choir room's this way." Kurt has his arm looped through Brittany's, practically dragging her down the hallway. "Ooo, you're going to love everyone!" he squeals excitedly.
Kurt was waiting outside her classroom after her final class. How he figured out what her last class was? She had no idea. As soon as she walked out of the classroom, he wasted no time in taking her to the choir room for glee practice. She guesses she accidentally agreed to attend practice with him.
Did I, though?
She honestly can't remember. The day flew by and drug on at the same time. If she's being honest, she just wants to go home and take a nap, but she's not going to be rude and leave Kurt hanging when he's clearly so excited.
They take a few turns down the hallways until finally reaching an open door, revealing a piano and multiple chairs sitting inside. He yanks her arm as he turns rather sharply to enter the room in haste. "Ow," she mutters under her breath. Her shoulder's definitely going to be a little achy in the morning.
"Everyone!" Kurt exclaims as he stands at the front of the room.
Multiple pairs of eyes shoot over to the pair, and Brittany can feel the heat creep up her cheeks at the new attention. They're standing in the smack-dab-middle of the room, everyone paying close attention to them.
"Meet our new member, Brittany!" he says, excited, and lets go of her arm to start clapping joyfully.
The people seated before her give her a friendly smile as they start clapping along with Kurt.
"'Bout time we got more female power in here! Between me, T, and Rachel, the femininity in this place is decreasing by the day!" a girl in the back exclaims.
"Yes, yes, we welcome you to the most fabulous club at McKinley!" A short brunette stands from her seat and walks toward her.
She's wearing knee-high socks, a dark blue polka-dotted dress, and black ballet flats. Brittany can't help but think she looks like she raided a toddler and grandmother's closet and meshed the clothes together.
"Um, I—" Brittany starts, trying to explain that she never agreed to join the club, but gets interrupted.
"Welcome, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic summer, but we are back and ready to start another exciting year of glee!" A curly-haired man walks in, wearing a sweater vest and plaid shirt, and makes his way over to the front of the room.
"Mr. Schue! I think we should start planning for sectionals immediately," the shorter brunette speaks again. "We can't let any time waste this year…we need to be on top!"
Brittany's surprised by the girl's rise in volume, wondering what sectionals is and why it's so important.
"We can start next week, Rachel. For now, we need to introduce our new members," the man reasons. "Welcome to the glee club." He sticks his hand out toward Brittany for a handshake.
She hesitates before agreeing, knowing that if she shakes his hand, she's joined the club.
Well, at least Aunt Holly'll be glad.
"We're excited to have you." He smiles. "Please, take a seat." He gestures to the sections of seats displayed in front of him, and Kurt drags Brittany over to sit in the second row.
"Wait…" the girl from the back speaks, holding a finger up. "You said members…as in plural?"
"Yes, Mercedes." He nods with a smile. "May I welcome our second newest member this year…Santana Lopez!"
His arms flourish out to the side, towards the side door, and a brunette in a cheerleading uniform walks in.
Brittany recognizes her from earlier…she's the girl she saw through the window during lunch. She watches with intensity as the girl walks in, looking rather unimpressed with the situation. She comes to a stop near Mr. Schue and crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at everyone.
That's not how Brittany remembered seeing her. Santana didn't have a scowl on her face when they saw each other earlier…she didn't look anything like the girl standing in the front of the room right now.
Brittany looks around and notices how everyone's face has fallen at the entrance of Santana. They're all sitting there, open-mouthed and brows furrowed, like they can't believe the sight before their eyes.
"M-Mr. Schue, she can't join glee!" Rachel speaks first. "Do you know how she treats us?!"
"Rachel—" the teacher says.
"Oh, don't get your sequined leotard in a twist, Berry. It's not like I chose to be here—unlike you losers," she bites, motioning to everyone in the room.
"Then why are you here?" Kurt asks from beside Brittany, and she watches as Santana's attention turns to their side of the room.
She has a firm scowl on her face, and it honestly makes Brittany sink a little further into her chair. She'll give it to her…the girl can be intimidating.
"Schue's little girlfriend thought it'd be a good idea for me to join…have a 'creative outlet' or something," she says, using air quotes.
"It doesn't matter why she's here, guys," Mr. Schue says, taking a step closer to the group with authority. "Our policy is that whoever wants to join, can join…and to change the rules for her would be unfair."
"She's unfair, Mr. Schue! She could be sent to sabotage us—you know how Coach Sylvester is, and Santana's one of her head cheerleaders!" Mercedes exclaims from the back.
"You don't know that, so quit assuming," he replies sternly. "She's joining the glee club…and that's that. Santana, go have a seat." He says the last sentence softly, motioning toward the empty set of seats in front of Kurt and Brittany.
Kurt crosses his arms over his chest in a huff, obviously disagreeing with Mr. Schue's verdict. Santana rolls her eyes and plops down in front of Brittany.
She can't help but stare at the back of the brunette's head. Why is she acting so hostile? It doesn't seem like it's really who she is. Brittany could swear that the girl she saw earlier was a different person. Maybe she has a twin or something?
"Okay," Mr. Schue says, clapping his hands. "Vocal warmups…then the first number of the year."
She notices how everyone else in the room—aside from Santana—perks up instantly, clearly giddy at the idea of performing for the first time this year.
Brittany watches as all the club members stand from their seats and walk over to the piano.
Kurt taps his feet on the ground, excited, earning a glare from Santana. He ignores the girl's scowl as he grabs Brittany's arm and pulls her down the small steps to the center of the room.
Brittany can hear Santana reluctantly stand from her seat and follow them, so she turns around and shoots the brunette a small smile.
Once again, the girl doesn't return the smile, but looks down to her feet instead.
Weird, she thinks. She furrows her brows slightly, wondering what Santana's deal is. She looks at her momentarily before turning her attention to Mr. Schue as he starts going through vocal warmups.
She decides that she'll direct her focus on this for now, but she has a feeling Santana's going to constantly be at the back of her mind from now on…until she figures her out, at least.
I love reading reviews, so please share any thoughts you have!
:) - denelle_lee
