Title: they just gave me the number when i was young
Chapter: 1/1
Warning: Language
Character: Finn/Santana
Summary: Finn and Santana are best friends from the moment she moves onto his street, up until they reach high school. This is their story.
Word Count: 6,300
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or the song "Thirteen" sung by Johnny Cash/Danzig.
Author's Note: Hiya! I'm back. Decided to finally finish this fic I started a couple of months ago. It's un-beta'd so you may notice a few mistakes. Hope you enjoy!

Bad luck wind been blowing at my back, I was born to bring trouble to wherever I'm at
Got the number thirteen tattooed on my neck, when the ink starts to itch then the black will turn to red

She moves onto the same street, same town as Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman when she is five years old. Beside Finn, across from Puck. They're the only two kids her age on the street and school doesn't start for another month, so she decides to befriend them, dorky as they may seem.

She sees them sitting on Finn's steps with some toy cars and walks over, very quickly realizes sauntering up and saying 'We're going to be friends now, got it?' before even introducing herself was kind of silly. But hey, what can she say? At age five she was already snarky, she just didn't have her father to blame at the time.

Speaking of, she finds it kind of weird when the two of them always talk about how weird being without their dads are, when she still has hers. So for that reason, and that reason only (seriously, just that reason, she swears, even though her mom hates it when she swears) she decides to lay off the rudeness, if only a little. (It's funny though, she's still rude as ever to Puck. She tries not to notice.)

It's March when it all comes undone, exactly three months and thirteen days until her birthday. She's sitting in her room showing Finn this 'awesome new book her brother got her from Spain', when she suddenly sees her mom run by her room in tears, then rush down the stairs, very quickly noticing her father follow behind. She frowns, because she knows her momma never cries, except that one time Santana tumbled down the stairs when she was three, the exact same stairs she hears yelling on right now.

She moves to get up, hates that her parents are arguing, but feels a hand pull her back and she just sits there, with Finn, this awkward boy who's shorter than she is, dorkier than she will ever be, and yet she's kind of (really) glad he's there. Even happier when he starts telling her this silly story about how he ended up covering his dog with flour, apple sauce and feathers.

She laughs and laughs and laughs until she can't really hear the yelling anymore, and she just kind of forgets about it.

That is until her dad comes up, gives her a quick kiss to the cheek and says he's leaving.

It's almost comical how fast laughter can turn to tears and yet it isn't, not at all.

She should feel weird crying in front of him but her daddy just told her he was leaving, and he says he'll try to see her soon, and he can't tell her why he's leaving, and he just lightly pushes her off his leg as she grabs onto it, but that always works, and now she just doesn't know what to do.

He's gone.

She can hear her mom crying in the kitchen and she's just too scared to go down there right now so she just sits and sits and sits, and then there's that hand again except this time there's both hands and, oh, arms, and .. he's hugging her, and boys still have cooties and it's super awkward, but it's also really nice, too.

It all still sucks though.

She blames her brother for telling her all about the unlucky number thirteen.

Suddenly, it's like the Puckerman, Hudson, and Lopez women have formed this sort of single mothers' ... thing, and she sees Finn and Puck a lot more now. Soon they start in actual public school, no more pre-school, but the three of them are attached at the hip except not really, because boys are still gross and they still have cooties (and she doesn't hug them, shut up, it didn't happen).

One day, Dave Karofsky and his friend with the funny name that Santana can never pronounce, decide they're bored during recess and go over to where Finn and Puck are on the teeter totters. She hears yelling, thudding, and words that her mom doesn't really care if she says anymore, and she turns around to see Finn getting pushed onto the ground and hears Dave saying something about how much of a midget Finn is.

Not nice. Only her and Puck get to tease Finn about his height.

She runs up to Dave and Az (– whatever the heck his name is, why couldn't his parents have just named him something easy, like ... Finn?) and says exactly that, and then pushes them back with her tiny clenched fists.

Of course, this is when the teacher on duty decides to finally pay attention.

She has to sit against the wall for the rest of recess.

He comes and sits beside her, smiles, thanks her.

She just giggles, repeats what she told those dumb old bullies, then kisses his cheek (no one saw, it didn't happen, cooties) as the bell rings, skipping away.

Junior kindergarten comes to an end and yeah, they get closer. She kind of stops using the cootie excuse as his mom buys them ice cream in the summer and he's teasing her about something or other so she just shoves her cone right onto his nose, so he tickles her, and she laughs.

Summer turns into senior kindergarten and so what, they hold hands during recess. She thinks it's cool how their hands look together (kind of like how her parents' used to look), and his hands are soft, so it's nice.

They always have their mats beside each other at nap time and just whisper silly jokes to each other, and try (and fail) to giggle quietly as the teacher tells them to quiet down.

Puck teases them, like, non-stop. He says they're dating, which is silly. They're friends, why can't friends hold hands and eat ice cream together? So what if she doesn't do that with Puck, or her new friend Mike. It's just ... a Finn and Santana thing.

They graduate from kindergarten, which is really exciting, and she squeals loudly as Finn wins the award for Best Storyteller, and she swears (again with the swearing, she wishes her mother would just reprimand her for it again) that she's never seen him smile wider than when she wins Student of the Year.

It comes time to move from the tiny kindergarten room over to the big building for grade school. Unlike kindergarten, it doesn't seem very exciting at all. It's actually kind of scary.

He holds her hand as they walk into the room and they run for the two seats in the back, saving one on Finn's other side for Puck. They always sit together, the three amigos, even though Finn doesn't know what that means (which she finds kind of adorable).

Their classroom has a microwave, which means she can bring pizza, and the playground is bigger, and there's a field where they can play soccer, so maybe grade school isn't so bad at all.

They never really got in trouble for talking as much as they did in kindergarten, so they don't figure there's a problem with it here. That is, until their teacher tells them to stay after class, and moves them to different desks.

She takes it back.

Grade school sucks.

Grade one turns to grade two, and they're really happy that they get a nicer teacher that year. Santana's brother graduates high school after first semester, and she brings Finn with her to the graduation, and they don't really pay attention to anything, just grab a couple loose balloons and laugh and talk a little about their own high school graduation. "We'll still be the best of friends,"he says. She nods with a grin, because, why wouldn't they be? He's her favourite.

Grade three, the class goes on a trip to the Columbus Zoo for social studies research. Paired into groups of two and assigned a different animal, each pair had to write out a report about it. Of course, Finn and Santana are together. She may have fixed Mrs L's paper so it worked like that. Oh, and they're given a penguin.

A penguin. What the hell.

They're sitting outside the penguin exhibit and she honestly has no idea what to write. They can't fly. They eat fish. They look like they're wearing tuxedos. They waddle. So, what, it's like her fat uncle Aaron at practically every wedding the family has, just eating whatever fish he can find? She snickers, doodling the image of her uncle the penguin into her notebook and it kind of actually catches her off guard when Finn talks, though it shouldn't, because she's actually kind of shocked he was quiet for this long.

Though she can't say she's not shocked with what he actually says, or mumbles, really; "Did you know penguins mate for life?"

She gapes, sighs, smiles, all in a matter of seconds. "No, I didn't. That's ... cool, though." She can't imagine her uncle mating for life, but the fact does give her a boost on their report.

They get an A.

Grade four, June 13th. Six days before her birthday.

Her mom decides it's the perfect time to tell her why her dad really left.

There are tears, and anger, and shock and she's not really sure what she wants to do more: yell at her dad, or hug her mom.

What kind of asshole cheats on a woman as awesome as her mom for a year and then has the audacity to talk to said woman on the phone in their house? A cheating asshole who she used to call daddy, that's who.

So she cancels her birthday party for the following weekend. Everyone's kind of surprised because 'Santana Lopez's 10th birthday extravaganza' was all she could talk about for the past, like, month, but they really pay no mind. Figure it's her choice, move on.

Except he doesn't.

He knows how excited she was and figures something must be wrong because she wouldn't just cancel like that.

So he asks her, confronts her. She tries (yet fails) not to cry as she tells him, and she yells and paces and curses in Spanish, at least he thinks so. He's not exactly sure what she's saying. She lowers her voice eventually and he just hugs her and she cries and he can't relate, not really, because he never even knew his father at all.

He comes over on the nineteenth with ice cream cake, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Fox and the Hound (weirdest combination ever, but it's her favourite, so sue her) in hand, because he figures she needs to celebrate somehow.

It's the best birthday present she could have asked for. (And it's the best birthday she's ever had, ever will have.)

Fucking Puck.

He invites the both of them over on a Friday night when his mom's not home, and at first she's really excited, finally gets a chance to have the three musketeers back together again.

That is, until she gets there, with Finn (whose mom dropped them off) and realizes Puck's not alone.

He's with his new girlfriend, pretty and popular and spoiled, Sophia Brady. She's blonde and skinny and already is starting to get boobs, and she tells herself that's why she hates the fake bitch.

(It's not because on the first week of grade five, Sophia would not stop following Finn around and flirting with him, twirling that stupid blonde hair that Santana just wants to pull out of her stupid head. Not because of that, not at all.)

Anyway, she stays because she doesn't have a ride home and she's not going to walk, so it's not like she has a choice. It kind of sucks though, because not only does she hate her best friend's girlfriend, but since it's the two of them, and her and Finn, she kind of realizes how that looks.

Whatever.

Puck was able to steal a couple of his mom's wine coolers, and the two couples (not couples, not not not) each share one. None of them really ever drink a lot, so the coolers are enough to get all four of them at least a little bit tipsy. Mr. Popular decides it's a real bright idea to play truth or dare and she's too giggly to disagree so they do.

After they've made Sophia attempt to put on her lipstick The Breakfast Club style, and laughed as Puck tried to explain to the blonde why he loved REM so much, Puck asked Santana the simple question. "Truth or dare?"

There's never been much she wouldn't do, and she's definitely not a chicken, so she answers "Dare," with ease. "Give me your best, Puckerman."

Puck knows exactly what her dare is going to be, and he smirks, looking to Finn for a moment then back at her, his expression even smugger. "You two, kiss."

Well, shit. That was not what she was expecting.

There's this awkward moment where her and Finn turn to look at each other and immediately glance away, and this weird silence that's never been present between them is suddenly there all over, and damn it, why is she getting all these weird feelings in her stomach at the thought of kissing him?

So, yeah, they all kind of just sit there for a minute while she thinks of kissing him and anything but at the same time, until Puck gets sick of the silence. "You chicken, Lopez?" He scoffs, though they both know that saying that is going to make her prove just how much she isn't.

So she rolls her eyes, returns with some off-handed comment that she's not some fucking chicken, and she'll prove it, as she turns to Finn and grabs his face, kisses him as well as a fifth grader knows how to kiss (and, well, she's not half bad at it, if she says so herself).

She pulls back after a few moments (longer than a truth or dare kiss should last) and smiles at him softly, before she turns to Sophia who chooses truth, and asks her some dumb question about if she's a natural blonde or if it's her ditziness that's natural. So, yeah, the kiss doesn't change anything. Doesn't mean anything (is that their motto or something?).

She tells herself that, but she's still licking her lips as she falls asleep. It doesn't mean anything, Santana. God, he's your best friend. Get over it.

(But damn it, she kind of really wants to kiss him again.)

They graduate from Lima Elementary, and suddenly they're in middle school. Luckily, since they all still live in the same area, they are all sent to the same school.

Unluckily, the stupid system puts her and Finn in separate classes. Who the hell would split the alphabet at Le – Lo?

They still hang out at recess, and their new school has a cafeteria so they eat lunches together, but it royally sucks not having him in classes with her, and she's lonely enough to actually admit that.

Sure, there's still Puck, and this new girl named Brittany, so she thinks she's probably less alone than Finn is, but still. She just wants elementary school back.

But yeah, he joins the middle school football team with Puck in October, which is pretty cool because her teacher's the coach so he lets his class come to the during school practices a lot.

Then there's the after school practices, which takes even more of his time that's usually spent with her, so football kind of loses its charm too.

She starts to hang out with Brittany a lot, but then after spring break, she lists the (way too long already) list of girls Puck has dated, and, well, she's alone again.

She misses her (newly) tall and awkward best friend.

The school board smartens up come grade seven, decides being experimental with class splits is just plain stupid (probably not their exact train of thought, but it fits) and goes back to the regular A-L and M-Z split that they're all used to.

She figures she should feel bad that Puck's the one that's all alone now, but she's just happy she has Finn back.

They go back to hanging out a lot, with Puck, and things are basically back to normal, with the exception that Brittany joins them sometimes (her and Puck split during the summer but they're still friends, and Brittany's nice, but it is nice it just being the three amigos again).

She's happy and life's pretty simple and she hopes her upcoming years as a teen will be as great as these last few years have been.

A day after the New Year hits, her mother gets a phone call. There's yelling and cursing like she hasn't heard since her father left, but she just figures some telemarketer was getting snippy and unfortunately caught her mom on a bad day.

She forgets about it the moment she sees Finn outside his sled, and a cup holder with two hot chocolates from her favourite place down the street. He's kind of the best friend ever.

Spring break comes and her mom gets a couple more of those phone calls that elicit the exact same response from her. This time Finn isn't there to distract her from it so she asks her mom, and gets brushed off quicker than pet hair off of a nice fancy dress. Whatever, it's not like adults are ever honest with her anyway.

It's June, a few days until her birthday and her brother's home and it's, like, the greatest thing ever to have him here. There hasn't been a phone call since March and she hasn't even thought about it, really. She ponders the thought that it could've been her dad, as she eats dinner one night with her mom and her brother and that forever empty seat at the table, but shakes it away as it soon as it comes, because she's sure he's forgotten all about them anyway.

June 19th, and Santana Lopez is finally a teenager. Finn calls her at 11:58pm because he "just couldn't wait another two minutes to say happy birthday", and he kind of wanted to see if she sounded any more mature as a teenager. When midnight strikes, she's snorting at some stupid joke he's made and nope, no more mature than before. Whatever, she likes how things are now, remember?

She's sitting around with all her presents after the party and everyone except her family and Finn has gone home. It's only her and him in the living room as her mother cleans up in the kitchen and her brother is out in the garage assembling the scooter her aunt bought for her. They're laughing about something Puck did earlier in the day as they hear the door open, and she's just about to ask her brother if the scooter's ready to ride yet, when her dad walks into view.

Holy shit.

He has some real fucking fancy present for her or something, and apologies as long and winded as a tornado, and probably as dastardly as one too. She doesn't want to hear it.

She unconsciously leans into Finn as her dad goes off on how he's realized his mistakes and doesn't want her to grow up without a father (uh, too late), and doesn't want her to turn into a disappointment like her brother.

She thinks he needs to learn the meaning of the word disappointment because her brother's a cop now in Columbus and a damn good one at that. He'd know that if he hadn't of just left.

She's about to say that when he notices the way her and Finn are, and how his arm is wrapped around her shoulders protectively and he scoffs. "Too late," he says, "apparently mi hija is nothing but a slut now."

She gasps, and turns to look at Finn and she can tell by the look on his face that he's trying to figure out what the hell hija means, but then he realizes what her father said afterwards and shit, she's never seen him angrier.

Santana honestly thinks Finn may lunge at her dad at any second, and though the guy's way taller now, her dad would easily take him. Her mom comes in before he has the chance to even try though, and she's rushed up the stairs once more as she hears the yelling of voices. Unfortunately, Finn doesn't have some silly story about applesauce to tell her now, and they just sort of sit there in awkward silence.

She fucking hates the number thirteen, fuck.

Her dad had left basically a half hour after he arrived and he hasn't been back since. A wrapped box lies in the hall closet untouched. She doesn't think she'll ever have the heart to open it.

Finn's kind of her rock that summer. He literally doesn't leave her side unless it's to pee or sleep (though her mom lets him sleep over a lot in the summer – he's the only boy she allows it with, ever).

Grade eight, last year before high school. Ever since her dad called her a slut, Santana's become a little bit more reckless. She and Finn definitely got drunk multiple times during the hot summer months, and, okay, they may have kissed a couple of times.

(It's silly, now, that back then that was how she decided to act like a slut. Oh, how a year can change things.)

She doesn't understand how eighth grade suddenly makes them so mature, but they're, like, fucking royalty at school now. There's eighth grade parties, bonfires when it's still warm enough, and a helluva lot more sleepovers that Santana doesn't bother going to because she already has plans (with Finn).

Stupid fucking Sophia moves back from wherever the hell she went (who cares, really) and now that Finn's matured a bit and is not some weird shorty, she seems even more attracted to him than she was in grade five.

So she asks him out. And what does the stupid fucker do? He says yes.

She spends the entire night that she just knows that blonde bimbo is spending flirting and touching Finn as much as she can without seeming like a total slut, watching the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, and trying to pretend like she doesn't wish it was her on that date with Finn right now.

They go pretty strong until Christmas break, when she goes to California or something, and Finn spends his time with Santana (like it should be).

Sophia doesn't come back when school starts back up again, and Santana kind of loves how much Finn doesn't even care.

(Turns out, as Santana overhears one night when she's at Finn house studying for a test and his mom's on the phone as she passes by, Sophia the slut cheated on Finn with her ex-boyfriend and got herself pregnant. Fuck, this guy and pregnant chicks. It's like her and the number thirteen.)

Finn and Sophia aren't officially broken up and it's February, and it kind of pisses her off a bit. She expects the mommy-to-be could just at least text him or something, though she's pretty sure Finn knows they're done anyway (he doesn't know she's pregnant, and she plans to keep that heartache away from him). The Valentine's Day dance is coming up and she doesn't have a date, as per usual, and her, Finn and Puck usually go together but of course he has a date, and Finn's not officially single.

Apparently he is, or plans to make it official anyway, because he calls her one night and asks her if she wants to go with him. She lets out a non-committal sure, but when she hangs up the phone she's jumping on her bed and squealing and her mom comes in and asks her if she won the lottery or something. She giggles.

So, the dance is kind of awesome. Finn can't dance to save his life, but he's still funny no matter what the atmosphere, and he looks really nice in this red dress shirt his mom probably chose. It doesn't hurt that he compliments her looks about nine times before they even get there.

They don't slow dance because they're Finn and Santana, and no matter how comfortable she is with him she won't do that shit, but they do stand on the sidelines and laugh at how awkward all the non-couples look.

He kisses her cheek after he walks her home and it's sweet, and she kind of wants to kiss him, completely sober for the first time, but then her mom opens the front door and that moment's gone so she just waves goodbye and walks inside.

(She's way more disappointed than she should be. And she thinks this may be a little bit more than a crush. Damn it.)

After the dance, they're kind of inseparable again, like they always end up being. He goes with her and her mom to Puerto Rico for spring break, and she spends Easter weekend with his family in Toledo. She thinks she likes his family (well, his mom) a little too much. She never thought about it before, but she also never thought about him this way before either. She probably never should. Damn it.

They find out in class sometime during the month of May that their graduation is going to be on June 13th, and he immediately turns so he can face where she sits beside him in class, gives her this soft little reassuring smile like this is going to be one of those times where thirteen is a good number to her.

She really fucking loves that he's noticed that pattern too. Maybe she's not the only one that notices way too much shit about the other. Or maybe it's just that he knows her, which is even scarier and more thrilling than her previous thought. She kind of can't wait for graduation now.

She's even more excited when they decide to be each other's non-date again.

They show up and they're given these cheap corsages (well, flowers for the boys) and she laughs as she sees the rest of her classmates wearing them, even Puck, as they line up for their grad photos. It's just solo shots and one big group shot, but her mom (who's there in her tear-filled glory, snapping away at the camera) is able to convince the photographer to get one of her and Finn, just because. So yeah, this night doesn't suck yet.

It gets even better when she wins the Spanish, Math and Social Studies awards and doesn't trip in her heels once up the stairs. Finn's cheering gets louder each time her name is called, and if it didn't make her smile so much, it'd be embarrassing. She returns the favour when he's called for the English award, though, and they share this little forbidden glance as he walks down the stairs, and okay, this is definitely more than a crush.

They actually slow dance this time because fuck it, she's going into high school in a couple months, and a lot of these kids she will never speak to again in the halls, or are going to a different school entirely. Plus, she just really kind of wants to, okay?

And yeah, he sucks at dancing, and he's obviously an awkward, bumbling dude, but for a slow dancer, he's actually kind of awesome, and she kind of hates when the song ends and she doesn't have a reason for her arms to be around him anymore (well she does, but she's not willing to admit that out loud quite yet).

They're freakin' graduates (just grade eight, but still), and her, Puck and Finn have this cake fight in the back of the gym to celebrate because they made it. Little did she know, however, her mom caught it all on camera, and as she finally watches the video almost a month later, she can't help but notice the way Finn looks at her, and maybe she's not the only one feeling like this.

It's when she watches the video for the thirteenth time (she's counted), she realizes she has to do something about this. Text him, talk to him, kiss him, something. She also realizes that maybe the number thirteen isn't so bad, at least when he's involved.

There's this new girl in town, Quinn something, and she's throwing this big bonfire bash down by the beach (it literally said that on the poster – she hopes the girl isn't as bubbly as that comes across as) , and she knows that Finn's tagging along with Puck, who wants to check out the fresh meat, and as she gets a text from Finn inviting her, she's smart enough to know not to pass up the opportunity.

When she gets there about two hours after the party's started, however, she finds this Quinn chick sitting on Finn's knee and giggling into his neck about something. Seriously, what the fuck is with this guy attracting the blonde bimbos? Shit.

She can tell that they're both drunk (her more than him) and she realizes she needs to be a lot less sober than she is now if she's going to deal with this for the rest of the night.

So she just kind of stands there, leaning against a tree as she glares at them and she's done her third beer when Puck walks up behind her and follows her line of vision, rolling his eyes at what he sees.

"You know you had your chance, Lopez." She scoffs, and is about to tell him she has no idea what the fuck he's talking about (because she's not that transparent, is she?) but he interrupts her before he has the chance, "and don't even start with that whole, 'I don't know what chance you even mean' bullshit. You know exactly what I mean, and maybe, if you hurry, you still have a damn chance. That is, if you stop sulking around here in the shadows like a creeper." He smirks at her so she knows he's joking and then gives her shoulder a push, and she remembers why he's her best friend in the first place.

She walks up to Finn as he gets up (to get another drink, presumably), finally rid of that blonde and chipper beast. His face lights up when he sees her and he pulls her into a hug and it'd be nice if he didn't smell like he took a bath in stale Corona, but whatever, she doesn't hate it (because it's Finn).

They make small talk for a little while and they're a lot touchier than they usually are, and he's nudging her shoulder when she realizes this is it, it's now or never, Lopez and she just goes for it.

"Listen, Finn, I have something I've been wanting to say to you for a while now," he grins that lop-sided grin of his that's permanently on his face when he drinks, but always seems to be a little bit wider when he looks her way, and nods for her to continue, and she takes a deep breath. "Look, you know you're my best friend, and I don't know where I would be without you being there for me all these years, but I've been thinking a lot lately, and I think it's time we stop lying to ourselves. We don't work as friends, but we could work as-"

Quinn whateverthefuck her name is chooses this goddamn moment to find them and practically fucking slither her way over to them, tucking herself under Finn's arm like they belong to each other or something.

They smile at each other and it's fucking gross, and then she calls him baby as she asks him if he's ready to roast marshmallows, and she wants to throw the fuck up.

He looks back to Santana and keeps his mouth shut, and she subtly takes a giant sip of this shitty beer, clearing her throat. "Sorry blondie, but we were talking. You can go now."

Quinn looks up at her like she just realized Santana was there and really? This bitch does not need to give her more reasons to hate her. And yet, she gives her about seven thousand more with just one sentence. "Well I think me and my boyfriend are a little more important," she pauses, turns to Finn, "isn't that right, baby?" And Santana's pretty sure she's doing this shit on purpose now; her suspicions confirmed when Quinn leans up on her tip-toes to press her lips against Finn's, who just kind of stands there with his eyes open and he's fucking staring at her which sucks, because all she wants to do is cry.

It's silent for a moment as Quinn's full of smug, Santana's full of sadness, and Finn, she supposes, is full of confusion. Quinn then turns back to her and smirks sweetly (how is that fucking possible?) at the way Santana's slowly walking backwards, away from them. "Who are you, anyway?"

Santana lets out a shaky breath, and she realizes everything's fucked beyond belief, and she kind of hates Finn right now (except she kind of loves him), so she figures he deserves this fake blonde so she just shrugs. "Nobody. Just fucking nobody," she says it as strong and with as much snark as she can manage, which isn't much, before she turns and walks away from them, from the beach, and then she runs.

When she gets home, she happens to pass by her mom's Elvis calendar.

It's July 13th. Fuck her life.