A/N: I'm thinking of having someone work on this story with me to fix mistakes, add more, etc. If you're interested then let me know.
You've Got a Friend in Me: Chapter 2
Santana woke up to the smell of something burning. Had she left the stove on last night? The Latina couldn't quite remember, so she quickly threw on her clothes and made her way into the kitchen. She forgot about the whole situation that had taken place the night before. As soon as she saw Brittany hovering over the stove with tears in her eyes, she ran over.
"Brittany, what happened?" The brunette asked with complete concern. The blonde wiped her eyes and shook her head in frustration.
"I can't do anything right! I was trying to make you breakfast to be nice, but then I remembered that I can't cook. Now everything's burnt and smelly." Santana smiled sadly.
"That's okay." She said softly. "I really appreciate the gesture, but you're my guest. You don't have to make me breakfast." The Latina hoped that Brittany would feel better.
"I wasted your food." She sniffled. The brunette hesitantly placed a comforting hand on the girl's back.
"I'm sure we'll find something to eat." Santana smiled. She then went into her pantry and found some waffle mix. "What do you say I teach you how to make waffles?" The brunette saw a hint of a smile on the blonde's face as she nodded.
"That sounds good." Brittany replied.
The two girls spent a half an hour making waffles. Santana was surprised by how quickly the blonde was learning. She really didn't understand why the girl thought she wasn't smart. And on top of that, the waffles were absolutely delicious. Brittany said that it was actually her first time trying them, and that they tasted like what clouds would taste like. At that of course, Santana grinned. She really was loving the girl's humor. Unfortunately, now it was time to get back to more serious issues. The brunette didn't usually work on Saturdays, but she knew that in this case, she wouldn't mind.
Brittany had gone to her room to get ready, and it had been about an hour since, so Santana went to knock on the door. After the sound of loud shuffling, the blonde opened the it.
"You ready to go look for jobs?" The Latina asked. Brittany looked down at what she was wearing, which happened to be a great sweatshirt with a duck on it, ripped jeans, and pink boots. I guess Santana could say that the girl had an interesting taste in fashion.
"Sure.." The blonde said hesitantly. "But I don't think this is the right clothing." Her face showed her embarrassment.
"It's okay." Santana smiled softly. "I think you look just fine."
X.
The Latina had a car that she barely used, because well, living in New York City meant that it would be completely useless. However, some of the suitable jobs that she found for Brittany were a little out of the way, so she decided to take her Honda Civic. Plus, the blonde seemed more comfortable when it was just the two of them, and not some random cab driver.
They had been driving for the past fifteen minutes on an unfamiliar street, when Santana finally spotted the small cafe that her and Quinn used to go to all the time; Benny's.
"This place looks cool." Brittany beamed from the passenger's side as she took a look at the 50's theme cafe.
"I'm glad you like it so far." The Latina replied as she parked. "Ready?" She turned to the other girl now, and the blonde nodded. They got out of the car together, and Santana held the door to the cafe open for Brittany, who thanked her. Once in, the brunette let the blonde look around while she waited to talk to the owner, Benny. A few moments after, a short Italian man walked out.
"Ah, Santana!" He said happily in his accent as he walked over. "What a pleasure to see you, my dear. What can I get you?"
"Nothing today, Ben." Santana smirked, and then motioned for Brittany to come over. "I was actually wondering if there might be a job available for my friend here." The Latina pointed to the blonde. Benny took a moment to look between the two girls and then beamed.
"Of course! We're always looking for help. What is your specialty, sweetie?" He asked Brittany. In response, the girl just scratched her head and looked at the brunette for help.
"Uh, she's really open to anything. But she doesn't have much experience in this field.." Santana said hesitantly, while looking at Brittany for conformation. The blonde just nodded, letting Santana know that what she said was okay.
"That's quite alright, dears. And what is your name?" Benny asked the blonde.
"Brittany." She replied softly. "Thanks so much for giving me a job." She said genuinely. "I promise I'll try my hardest." Both Benny and Santana smiled at the girl's honesty.
"I think I'm going to like you." He laughed. "Santana, honey, I'll give you a call to let you know when her training begins." He then looked back at the blonde. "Thank you, Brittany." He smiled, and Brittany smiled back.
Once back on the road, the two girls sat in a comfortable silence. Santana wondered if it would be okay to ask the girl about her sister. Brittany seemed to be a little more comfortable around the Latina, so maybe she would open up more. She cleared her throat.
"Brittany?" The other girl removed her eyes from the window, and looked at the brunette. "Did you like, want to call your sister or something?" The blonde froze. She hadn't talked to her sister for a year; something she hadn't told Santana yet.
"Not right now." She finally said. It was an honest answer, and the Latina said no more on the subject. Instead, she turned on the radio and started singing. Brittany smiled. She sure had a good voice. The brunette's singing was soon interrupted by her phone ringing. Since it was connected to her car's stereo, all she really had to do was press a button on the control panel. Brittany looked at the scene with awe.
"Hello?" Santana spoke.
"San! I've been ringing on your door bell for ten minutes. Where the hell are you?" It was Quinn. She had totally forgotten about tonight's plans. Their parents were visiting them for the weekend, and Quinn was coming over to help Santana with dinner.
"Shit." The Latina breathed out. "I totally forgot. I'm almost there." After they said their good byes, Santana was trying to think of what to do. She couldn't just leave Brittany anywhere.
"Santana." The blonde spoke softly. "You can just drop me off somewhere." Santana gave her a look that let Brittany know that that was definitely not an option. "It's just that..you seem super busy. You don't have to take care of me. Your job is only to help me."
"I know that, Brittany." Santana replied softly. "I'm not letting you stay with me because it's my job or because I think that you need to be watched 24/7. I want you to, and we already went through this. So you can just join me with my plans. If not, then I won't stop you from leaving." The brunette finally decided. The blonde just nodded, still thinking that she was just a burden to this girl's life. Santana could clearly see that she thought that, but she didn't know how to get the point across that she wasn't. "I'm gonna warn you though. You'll be meeting my family tonight. They're nice as hell, but man are they weird." The Latina laughed. Now Brittany was totally nervous. She's never been socially fit, because she was never taught how to be. After 10 minutes, both girls were walking down the hallway to Santana's apartment. Brittany noticed an unfamiliar blonde girl standing in front of the brunette's apartment. "Don't worry. She's nice." Santana reassured Brittany.
"Finally." Quinn breathed out as she rolled her eyes at Santana. That's when she noticed Brittany standing there. "Oh hello!" Quinn smiled. "And who is this?"
"Uh, I'm Brittany." The taller blonde answered shyly.
"Yeah, this is Brittany. My friend." Santana smiled at Brittany, and the other girl couldn't believe that the Latina had just called her her friend.
"Nice to meet you, Brittany." Quinn said politely, as she offered her hand. Brittany awkwardly shook it. "I'm Santana's sister." Sister? Brittany couldn't see any resemblance between the two girls besides the fact that they were both insanely beautiful. She didn't say anything about it though.
"Shall we get to cooking?" The Latina looked between the two girls, and held her gaze longer with Quinn's. Quinn now understood that Brittany was going to be staying, and she didn't mind.
Brittany actually had fun cooking with the two siblings. She learnt how to roll dough and slice a tomato. Quinn was really nice too, and even laughed at her jokes. However, despite all of that, the blonde still felt completely out of place. She knew she didn't belong with people like this, and she didn't want to intrude on their family dinner or whatever. So she decided that now was the best time to leave.
"Santana." Brittany said quietly. They were both sitting on the couch, and Quinn was in the bathroom getting ready.
"Yeah?" She looked over.
"I think I'm gonna get going." Brittany said as she played with her fingers.
"What?" Santana said, obviously confused. "I thought you were staying." She frowned. Brittany hated making people sad.
"I know, but I decided not to. I have some stuff to take care of anyway. Thank you for everything, though." The Latina sighed. She wasn't going to convince the girl to stay when she obviously didn't want to.
"Okay. Bye Brittany." Santana cracked a small smile. "I'll see you soon?" The blonde nodded in response, and then got up.
"Bye Santana. Thanks again." She waved, and then opened the door. "Oh! And tell Quinn I said thanks too. She's really nice." Brittany smiled, and Santana smiled back and nodded. And that was that.
X.
It was Monday night, and Brittany hated herself for letting Santana down. She was back working at the strip club. It really wasn't as bad as most strip clubs. The blonde wasn't forced to always be there; only when she wanted to. Plus, she had a few friends here and there who she could relate to. Sure, Santana was one of the nicest people she had ever met, but what did she have in common with her besides being her client? On top of that, Brittany forgot that she had no way to get in touch with the Latina. She forgot to grab her business card for starters, and she was bad at remembering addresses. Oh well.
And as for the job waiting for her at Benny's, well, she knew she wouldn't be good enough for that.
"Brittany! Come on. We're up." A short brunette said from the doorway of the blonde's dressing room. Brittany always needed to be reminded when to go on, and Rachel Berry was always there to do just that. Rachel had been working at the club as long as Brittany had, and the blonde knew that it was only a matter of time before the shorter girl got a bigger and better job. Rachel was always auditioning for plays. She was super talented, and Brittany loved watching her sing. I guess you could say that Rachel was her closest friend at the club.
"Coming." The taller girl said as she got up and fixed her short skirt.
Both girls went out to the stage and took their places. Brittany was always one of the girls in the front, because she was one of the best dancers. Once the sultry sound of the music started, the blonde rocked her hips in a way that got all of the men screaming. To make it easier, she closed her eyes so she didn't have to look at them. As she dipped down, one man started whistling at her which made her open her eyes.
Extra money was all she thought.
Brittany made her way over to the man, and slowly grazed her fingers through his hair while dancing. She could tell that he was enjoying it. He slipped her a $10 bill, and after that, the blonde went back to the stage. She looked out at the crowd, and her eyes went wide as she saw a familiar face.
Quinn.
She looked equally surprised to see her. What was she doing here? Right after the dance ended, Brittany quickly made her way to her dressing room, and not to soon after Rachel came in to. She looked uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" The blonde asked her friend as she started to change into her regular clothes.
"Nothing. I'm just nervous. I invited my girlfriend here today, and I don't think she liked the show." She said quietly. Brittany frowned. She didn't even know that Rachel had a girlfriend.
"When did you get a girlfriend?" The blonde finally asked.
"Oh. Last night." She smiled. "Do you want to meet her?" Brittany smiled back and eagerly nodded. She waited for Rachel to finish changing too, and then followed her outside. She made sure to grab Rachel's hand, because she was always afraid of being alone in here. Brittany dropped the shorter girl's hand once she realized who she was kissing. Quinn.
"Brittany?" Quinn said with surprise as she now looked at the tall blonde. Brittany just gave an awkward wave in response.
"Hi Quinn." She greeted quietly. Rachel was now looking between the two of them, obviously confused. Her face looked kind of funny, Brittany thought.
"H-how do you two know each other?" The brunette finally asked.
"She's San's friend." Quinn answered. Brittany just nodded to confirm. Wait. Did Rachel know Santana too?
"You know Santana?" Rachel asked Brittany.
"Yeah?" The taller girl replied hesitantly.
"Wow." Was all the shorter girl said before shaking her head and laughing. "Small world." Before Brittany could say anything in reply, Santana came over to them. Just her luck.
"Brittany?" Santana said with shock.
"Hi." The blonde said nervously. Oh god. What was she going to say?
"What are you doing here?" The Latina asked.
"Uh, she works here. You didn't know that?" Quinn butted in. Santana now looked at Brittany, and something flashed in her eyes. Was it hurt? The blonde couldn't even look the Latina in the eye anymore because she felt bad. "We're gonna get some drinks." Quinn finally said. She grabbed Rachel, and they both walked away, obviously having sensed the tension. Brittany didn't know what to do now, so she just scratched the back of her head.
"Brittany.." The Latina said barely above a whisper. "I thought we had an agreement?" Santana genuinely looked hurt, and Brittany could not take it.
"I'm sorry. It's just." The blonde sighed. "This place suits me more. Can't you understand that?" Santana shook her head.
"Can't you see that I'm trying to help you?" Now Santana sounded angry, and she didn't know why.
"Of course! That's all you've been telling me." Brittany now raised her voice."I thanked you before I left. I appreciate your help, but I really don't need it. I've decided that I can't handle taking care of my sister right now." The blonde crossed her arms. Santana couldn't believe this.
"I thought that's what you wanted." The Latina breathed out. "So you're just giving up now?" Brittany shook her head.
"I'm not giving up. I'm doing what's best for her." The blonde admitted. She knew that she couldn't have Julia back in her life until she was comfortable and able to take care of herself first. "But" Brittany sighed. "I will get her back one day. She's a mature girl who understands the world." The taller girl laughed. "More mature than me. That's for sure."
"Can we go outside?" Santana asked after a moment. She was a bit uncomfortable with all the drunk people parading around. Brittany just nodded and followed her out.
"Can I ask you something?" Brittany said as they both leaned against a wall. The Latina nodded. "Is Quinn really your sister?" Santana sighed.
"Yeah. I mean, not by blood of course. I've been living with her family since I was 10." Brittany slowly nodded. "And now they're my family." She smiled.
"That's cool." She quietly said in response. It was cool, Brittany thought. She wanted to know more about how she ended up living with them, but she thought that might be too personal to ask.
"So Rachel, huh?" She laughed. "How's she?" Brittany frowned in confusion.
"She's good. I think? I mean, she looked pretty happy back there with Quinn." Santana shook her head and grinned.
"That's not what I meant." Brittany's mouth made an 'O' shape. "How is she, like, as a friend?" The blonde beamed.
"She's great. She talks way too much, but she's funny and she helps me a lot." Brittany said with a huge smile. Santana could tell that the annoying little brunette meant a lot to her, just like she meant a lot to Quinn. Santana would have to stop making fun of her so much. The girls were standing there in a comfortable silence, just watching all of the cars pass by. They both didn't mind it one bit. It was sort of calming. "I think I'm going to take the job at Benny's." Brittany finally said softly.
"Really?" Santana asked excitedly, and the other girl just nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, Rachel's going to be gone soon too." The blonde licked her lips in thought. "And I should probably be doing something more productive."
"Wow." Santana looked at the other girl proudly. "I'm really glad to hear you say that, Brittany. I think you'll like this job. Benny and the rest of the workers are super nice."
"Hm." was all Brittany said in reply, but she had a small smile on her face. She looked at Santana, who was now back to looking at the road. She never really had the chance to examine the girl. The Latina was beautiful. Her cheeks were naturally this rosy color, her hair fell perfectly on her shoulders, and her most favorite thing, the dimples. Brittany kind of wanted to poke one of them, but that would just be silly. Instead, she settled for something else. Before Santana could say anything, the blonde's hands were wrapped around her neck. The brunette was surprised by the gesture, but she, of course, returned the hug. They stayed like that for a bit longer than intended, but it felt nice. It felt comfortable and familiar. It felt like it was supposed to happen.
"What was that for?" Santana said while letting go. Brittany just shrugged and grinned.
"A proper thank you."