A/N: Finally, I came back with another chapter! And this is definitely longer than the my last. Haha. :)
Note: I'm part Spanish but I have no knowledge of my language whatsoever. I used Google Translate to help me with this, which I know isn't very accurate. So please, bear with my Spanish.
Chapter 10 - Keeping my mind wide open
"I'm telling you Brittany," Sam looked back up from his paper to meet his friend's gaze, "The answer is x equals negative two."
The girl examined the problem again, her eyebrows furrowed as she came up with the same answer as the first time.
"No, it's x equals two," She replied. Meeting his competitive gaze, Brittany engaged in a heavy argument on problem three. Neither of them were planning to back down. The racket soon became too much for their smaller-in-stature friend, who gave up her work because it was too noisy to even hum to Barbra Streisand. Where was their teacher?
"Can you both please put an end to your squabbles?" Rachel interrupted the two blondes, who looked at her in surprise from the intrusion.
"Rachel, we're not quacking," Brittany said, then shifted her attention back to Sam, "He just won't admit he's wrong."
"I think I'm right. I double-checked my solutions," Sam responded as he handed Rachel his paper for proof. The singer was reluctant at first, but gave in eventually, thinking she might as well tell them who was right and who knows? She might get some peace and quiet for once.
Rachel's eyes squinted as she struggled to make out the numbers and symbols scrawled across the paper. She knew boys wrote terribly, omit Kurt, but this was ridiculous, even compared to Finn's writing.
"The answer is x equals two," Rachel announced as she redid the whole problem in her head because Sam's answer was incorrect. Brittany threw her arms up in victory.
"I knew I was right!" She exclaimed unabashedly whilst doing a little dance. It was always fun to squeeze in a little dancing time to time in stressful classes like Algebra. Look at Albert Einstein! All those equations must've been stressful. It's the reason he's bald.
"Brittany, you got it right?" Rachel questioned in disbelief because she thought they had both gotten it wrong.
"Yeah!" Brittany grinned, and held her paper in front of Rachel, "See."
What a nice surprise! Rachel exclaimed inwardly as she saw that Brittany was, in fact, correct. But her smile was wiped off and replaced with slight disbelief again.
"Why is everything in crayon?" The singer asked as she noted the blues, oranges, and yellows on Brittany's paper.
"Oh this? I ran out of pencils and besides, crayons are way cooler."
One day, Schuester's gonna get it. One day, Santana thought bitterly as she cringed at the sounds coming out of her partner's mouth; she wasn't even sure it was real words. One fucking day, he's getting it for pairing me up with her.
"Can you stop?" Santana harshly interrupted Brittany. The surprised girl threw back a confused look from the sudden interjection. The brunette slowly let out a breath of relief now that the cacophony had ceased.
Brittany is so clueless sometimes, Santana thought as the blonde's expression asked her what the problem was, and she decided to go soft on her for once.
Looking straight into Brittany's eyes, she said softly, "Your Spanish sucks so much ass."
For Santana Lopez, that was taking it easy. At least she wasn't cursing.
The brunette was a bit puzzled as she watched a pair of Blues turn brighter. It was like a neon color… or lightning. And too fast, too soon, Brittany looked away and it was gone. Brittany's lower lip then jutted out into a pout as she looked back down at her paper numbered with sentences in Spanish which they were to recite as their assignment.
"But it's hard!" Brittany grumbled. Was her Spanish really that bad?
Santana found the sight before her both irritating and somewhat endearing. What a fucked up feeling.
"It's not that hard," Santana said, getting back Brittany's attention, "You just need to loosen your tongue a little."
Her pout was gone to Santana's unusual relief, but she still looked confused, so the brunette decided to demonstrate.
"Like this."
Santana took a brief moment to clear her throat before speaking in a lower, sultrier tone, something she always did when she spoke her language. Brittany's eyes instantly widened as Santana's Russets seemed to burn through her.
"Soy el más caliente de persona en la escuela."
There was silence between them after Santana finished. The only noise was their classmates practicing, but it seemed far away for Brittany. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She couldn't even swallow to alleviate the dryness.
"Wow, that was…" She pauses only to gulp down dry air, "Hot."
It's the first time Brittany's heard Santana speak Spanish, and she's never been this turned on so quickly before… What was happening?
"Yeah, I know," Santana smirks at the now flustered Brittany, finding it amusing at the immediate effect her Spanish had on her, "I always am." It was fun playing around with people, seeing them squirm under her stare made her feel powerful.
The flustered girl clears her throat and lets out a breath to try and cool off. She might've disliked Santana, but she would be lying if she said she didn't find her hot. Looking at her paper, Brittany decides to give it a second shot.
Squinting her eyes, she slowly reads, "El padre y el hijo se fue caminando."
It wasn't half-bad, Santana was both surprised and grateful for that. Brittany just needed a little more practice.
"How was that?" Looking back up at the brunette, her eyes shined with hope as she waited for her opinion. The corners of Santana's lips couldn't help but lift a little.
"Still crappy but it was better than the first time," She said, her hand was mid-level, stating it to be so and so. Brittany broke into a grin.
"Awesome! Can you help me pronounce these too?"
"That's Schuester's job. Not mine." Santana said, her smile already gone. Since when did she help people? This was the second time this week, a definite record. Brittany gave her an understanding nod and shifted her attention back to her paper.
When Santana was sure the blonde was occupied, she looked at her own paper for the first time. She never tried practicing her Spanish in class. It was her mother language anyways. But she guessed it wouldn't hurt to try once. There was nothing to do here.
The brunette cleared her throat again and read the whole paper without a single mistake. Hm… What do you know? It wasn't that bad. She actually liked hearing herself speak Spanish. Don't get her wrong; she thought she sounded fine. It was just that now, she really noticed how hot she sounded. No wonder people were always a stuttering mess whenever she spoke in Spanish.
Santana was going to read it a second time until she felt someone's eyes burning on her face. It made her feel uncomfortable. Takes her a moment to realize it's Brittany who's staring at her.
"Okay, your stares right now?" Santana questions petulantly as she faces a deer-caught-in-headlights Brittany, "Are creeping me out so please avert your eyes to the front."
Brittany's head jerks frontward and her face is beet red from being caught staring. She couldn't help herself. Santana sounded so pretty, her ears couldn't help but listen to the honey-peppered voice. Then her eyes followed her ears and before she knew it, she was watching Santana. Wow, that was embarrassing.
"Sorry…" Brittany mumbles as her ears were aflame. Santana rolls her eyes at the apology.
"And stop apologizing for everything." People who apologized too much made her want to claw her ears out. It was fucking irritating.
"I don't apologize for everything," Brittany said as she looked back at Santana, her face now back to its usual shade.
The brunette snorted and replied in incredulity, "Yesterday you apologized to the table when your highlighter accidentally marked it."
"Well, if I were a table, I wouldn't want anyone to write on me," Brittany retorted, folding an arm over the other as she mirrored Santana's judging gaze. The Head Cheerio narrowed her eyes, wondering why this girl kept talking back. She had guts, that's for sure.
"Look, if you're going to be my co-captain, you need to man up because no co-captain of mine, no matter how annoying, would apologize for anything, let alone to inanimate objects." That was Santana's first rule. If she was going to have a co-captain for more than a month, she sure as hell didn't want a wuss,
"I hate being co-captain," Brittany pouted. If you don't apologize for doing something wrong, they'd hate you. And then you would have no friends. She did not want that.
"Well, it's not all puppies and sunshine for me either," Santana replied as she examined her nails like all those other times, and like those other times, her nails were perfect.
"Maybe I should quit."
Santana's eyes immediately snapped to Brittany, who seemed to be mulling over the idea, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"What?" She'd never heard of a girl who'd want to give up Cheerios. It made you untouchable. And it… it… motherfucking god they needed Brittany for Christ sake! Santana could already feel New York slipping through her fingers, it scared her.
"I don't like being on the Cheerios. It's not as fun as I thought it'd be," Brittany explained with a half-smile.
"First of all, we need you to win," Santana said, her full attention was now on her co-captain.
"I'm sure you guys can do fine without me if you work together," Brittany said with a reassuring smile, though it provided no sort of comfort for Santana.
"No, we literally need you to win. I'm one of the few decent dancers left. "
"Left?"
"The rest last year graduated and are off on their own, doing their own shit. Coincidentally, they happened to be the best dancers on the squad. And now that they're gone, we suck," Santana said with a bitter smile.
"You guys aren't that bad," Brittany said with a tone that fooled no one. Santana let out a snort.
"Oh please. If we weren't that bad, you wouldn't even be here talking with me. In fact, the only reason you're not in the hospital right now is because we need you to win Nationals. As much as I hate to admit it, you're the best dancer," Santana muttered that last part but Brittany caught every word. She smiled brightly.
"So you admit I'm a better dancer than you?" The fact that Santana complimented her was big.
"Don't push your luck Blondie," Santana said, ignoring her question altogether. Brittany chuckled to herself. It was kind of fun irritating Santana.
"Where is your house anyways?" The brunette asked as the thought of Nationals came to mind, reminding her of the dance Brittany had made, which she hadn't seen yet. She rolled her eyes when Brittany gave a look of confusion. "I'm not stalking you. Geez, you're supposed to teach me the routine today remember? At your house?"
"Oh," Brittany said in realization, "It's actually a few blocks away from yours."
"Okay, that doesn't really help much… I'll just use my car and you'll lead the way."
"You have a car? Which one's yours?" Brittany wondered what kind of car Santana would have. Sometimes a car reflected the driver's personality.
"It's the red Mustang. I'm not sure what model though," Santana replied nonchalantly. The blonde was shocked by her words. She had expected a black hearse as Santana's ride. Her shock was soon replaced with excitement as realization of Santana's car hit her.
"That's so cool! This is like, gonna be my first time to ride in a Mustang!" She wondered if the car could go topless, already picturing herself with the wind in her hair.
"Who said you're going to ride in it?"
Brittany's daydream vanished as she looked at Santana in puzzlement.
"I thought you said we're riding your car?"
"No, I said I will use my car," Santana said straight-faced, "You'll be walking beside it pointing out the way."
There was silence… until Santana broke into a low chuckle. Brittany glared at her.
"That's not funny Santana."
The brunette snorted again.
"Uh, yeah it is."
The boy sauntered through the halls, on his way to Brittany's class to walk with her to Home Ec. He had been so busy this week, he hardly even saw her in the morning. Add the fact that a freshmen kid by the name of Blaine Anderson wouldn't stop calling him and you could say he was going crazy. Not wanting to seem like a pedophile, he rejected him, but Blaine just kept coming back to ask the same thing, Will you go out with me?
What was he to do?
Kurt was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as he was met with the sight of Brittany… walking out of class with a tall, baby-faced kid by her side. Not wanting to interrupt them in what appeared to be a fun chat, he waited. After Rory left, Kurt approached her with a knowing smile.
"So, who's your boyfriend?"
Brittany gave a surprised look being that Kurt came out of nowhere, and then a disapproving one as she realized what he'd just said.
"Rory's just a friend," She said as they started their walk to Home Ec. Kurt wasn't convinced but decided not to voice it.
"Well, he's cute," He chose to say, wondering what reaction he'd get from Brittany. She gave him a smile, which he guessed was a good sign?
"Yeah. He's Irish too. He's also a foreign exchange student from Ireland."
"Wow, Ireland. That's thousands of miles from here," Kurt emphasized the words, "You do know long-distance relationships never last right?" If Brittany went out with Rory, how would that work? Once he goes back to Ireland, it's over. What if Brittany got too serious?
"Not if they love each other enough," Brittany stated as they took a turn into another hall. She was a bit bemused by Kurt's questions about relationships. Where did this topic come from? But she didn't bother to ask; she just gave her honest opinion. And that's what she thought, if two people loved each other a lot, a few thousand miles would be nothing for them. They trust each other, so it would work. And if it didn't work, maybe they should see other people.
Kurt took her answer as a confession.
"So you like him?" He asked, observing her features to see any changes.
"What? No," Brittany mumbled, her ears turning pink, "I just think he's a good friend. He understands how hard English class is."
They arrived in Home Economics with Kurt still chuckling.
"Whatever you say Britt, whatever you say."
Taking their usual seats in the back row, they wait for the tardy bell to ring. While waiting, Kurt briefly remembers something and mentally curses himself for almost forgetting.
Opening his bag, he begins, "So, I was looking through my movie collection last night and found something interesting." He quickly fishes for the item.
Brittany's smile is so huge when she sees the movie, Kurt's worried her face might get stuck like that.
"Mean Girls!" She exclaims, a few people look at her, wondering what had caused the ruckus, but then resumed their side conversations when they see it's just Brittany.
"That's awesome Kurt! We haven't watched this in like, forever," She says as she looks over the cover. Gretchen is so hot.
"I know! I still remember those times when I pretended to be Regina and you were always Karen." Kurt said, recalling their sleepovers long ago, where they'd eat tons of marshmallows, watch movies, and talk about the cutest guy in class. Those were the days…
"Karen is the best weather woman," Brittany chuckled.
"Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to stop by my house after class for a refreshing dose from Tina Fey's brilliant mind?" Kurt asked as he held the movie up for further persuasion.
She was going to say yes, but remembered her promise to a certain Cheerio, and that pretty much killed Brittany's ecstatic mood. She threw him an apologetic smile, and it reached her eyes.
"I'd love to Kurt but I have to teach Santana this routine for Nationals today," She said in a slightly weary tone.
"I'm sorry, but what?" He couldn't believe what his ears were hearing.
Brittany gave a sigh and explained, "Coach Sue assigned me to make a dance, teach Santana, and then the whole team. And we already agreed to meet at my house today so yeah."
That didn't seem to make anything better; in fact, it exacerbated matters as Kurt's expression took on an irritated look.
"It's at your house too? Is she replacing me as your best friend or something?"
"Kurt, stop over-reacting. I'm not that happy about it too but if I don't do this, we lose Nationals," Brittany says, and even decides to add something pertaining to Santana, "And Santana's not that bad. She's… kind of nice?" That last part was more of a question to herself. She didn't know anything good to say about Santana at the moment… well, she did have nice teeth.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to be sick," Kurt's face was anything but. He was still upset though.
"Kurt, I'm sure it's only going to be for a few days. She's a fast learner," She gives him a smile that said she was aware of what she was doing, and who she was teaching. He responded with a nod of understanding.
"Okay, as long as we watch 'Mean Girls' the moment she's learnt it."
Brittany gives him a brief squeeze, "Deal."
The two friends then face forward as the old teacher begins her lecture about soufflés.
It was finally afterschool and the two Cheerios were on their way to a certain car, which Brittany was happy to say was topless.
"This is your car?" She knows it's Santana's but still asks because it seemed surreal. There were tons of nice cars in New York, but she didn't expect someone to own one in a place like Lima.
"Yep," Santana smirks, pushing a button on her car remote to turn off the security system, "I just got it this year on my sixteenth." She didn't even have to beg her parents. All she needed to do was ask and she received.
The brunette slides into her seat and then looks at Brittany expectantly, her eyes asking the blonde what she was waiting for and to get in the car. Brittany wastes no time and takes her place in the passenger's side. Takes a moment to examine the sleek, charcoal leather interior. Everything looked new. This definitely wasn't secondhand, and even if it was, it would still be impressive.
Looking to her side, she sees Santana examining herself through the mirror, which Brittany thought was ridiculous because not one hair was ever out of place. Well, that's what she noticed anyways.
"Are your parents doctors or something? This must've cost a lot. I could like, buy more Insanity workout DVDs for Lord Tubbington with the money," Brittany asks to kill the silence that had fallen upon them. She didn't like silence.
"And maybe another Hello Kitty beanbag," She adds as an afterthought. The blonde didn't notice the way Santana's jaw clenched as she broached the subject of parents so casually, as if everyone talked about it every day… and they did, just not Santana.
"Yeah," Santana replies in a mutter and turns on the ignition, the engine instantly purrs to life. She wanted this topic done with already and to stay dead, never to be brought up again.
Brittany gives Santana a weird look, but is ignored. Not knowing if she should ask her if she was okay or not, she chose to take away the weird, serious silence with some music.
"Do you have any Britney?" She asks, and grins when she sees Santana smile, her hard demeanor seeming to lift a tad.
"I like your taste Blondie," She thought she'd never say that in a million years but she says it. Santana plugs in her iPod and scrolls down to her favorite Britney song. Toxic soon filled the air and Brittany was already nodding to the beat, feeling her toes tingling, waiting to get up and dance.
Santana drives out of the parking lot and stops at the exit, "Which way is it?" She asks as she looks both ways, finding no cars, which was typical. There never was any traffic here.
"It's on the way to your house."
"Oh, I knew that," Santana says as she takes a left.
"Sure, you did."
"I wouldn't mind letting you walk either," The brunette says without taking her eyes off the road. That pretty much shuts Brittany up but she ends up chuckling afterwards. They fall into a more comfortable silence as they listen to the song.
Santana steals a glance to the mirror, looking briefly at Brittany, who seemed to be busy imitating Britney Spears, before putting her eyes back on the road with a smile now on her face.
Brittany's okay.
A/N: What are you guys' thoughts on the last episode? I thought it was okay... EXCEPT for the fact that they made Brittany eat chocolate out of the fucking LITTER BOX. *gags* Other than that, I'm glad Brittany and Santana are officially dating now and that Brittany has no romantic feelings for Rory that we know of. I kind of expected the episode to be like, epic. But it was just an average episode. I guess it wasn't too serious because they're setting up their storyline in that episode. Guess the serious stuff and endless creys will come later...
Oh, and for those who want to know what they said in English:
Santana: "I'm the hottest person in school." Brittany: "The father and son went walking."
And now to start on my homework and study for Final Exams this week :)
PS. I'm not that fond of Klaine, but I kind of want Kurt to have a boyfriend and I don't like OC characters... so maybe I'll go with Klaine. Idk. Maybe I could give Blaine a personality since the writers failed to do that... *silence* (Not trying to hate on any character. It's always the writers' faults anyways) Don't worry, they won't take up most of the story like they do on the show xD
EDIT: I just wanted to put down the only two things from Pot o' Gold that gave me so many feelings.
Lord Tubbington thinks you're purrrrrfect and so do I. (This clearly shows how much Brittany loves Santana. Everyone thinks she's just a cold, heartless bitch, but Brittany thinks she's perfect.)
She's beautiful. She's innocent. She's everything that's good in this miserable, stinking world. (I've always thought this was also why Santana loved Brittany. The world is such a fucking sad place but Brittany is like her safe haven)
I'm just super happy these two things are now canon. Okay. BYE.