Santana gave a huff of hot breath out and watched the annoying strand of hair on her forehead float up before falling back, sticky onto her forehead.

"It's too hot…" she murmured to Quinn, falling back on the rapidly warming steps she was sitting on and staring out at the pool. Her father, the doctor, had rented this villa for a few days, and had told all his children to invite as many friends as possible on this day to have a pool party.

Santana wasn't really too big on friends, so the only people she had invited were the few people she considered her confidantes…

Mike and Tina were walking back to them with hotdogs for everyone, laughing with each other about some inside couple-y joke. Puck was chugging back a beer, sitting right next to her. Quinn and Rachel were sharing what they called butterfly kisses but what looked more like nose-nuzzling to her.

And the place was filled with every other kid at their school that her brothers had seen fit to invite.

"Here," Mike smiled, handing her a hot dog and sitting down behind her with Tina on his lap. "Why aren't we swimming, guys?"

"Because my brothers decided that now was the appropriate time to play Chicken…" Santana answered back as she bit into the bread and sausage, swallowing back before continuing. "And I don't feel like another Lopez-family-fun-induced-bruise…"

"I think it would be a lovely opportunity to get to know your family better, Santana," Rachel shrugged, biting into her own hotdog. "I've only ever met them in passing at school and they seem like lovely people…"

"Yeah, sure…" Santana shrugged, rolling her eyes a little.

Tina poked her in the shoulder and she turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you even know half the people here, San?"

"Nope. That's why I invited you guys."

"Awwwww!" Quinn gushed, placing a sarcastic hand on her heart. "She cares about us! The Devil has a heart!"

"Fuck off, Fabray!" Santana laughed as she hit her playfully in the thigh.

"Nah, I'm saving all that for tonight with this little one."

"Quinn!"

"Oh come on, Rachel, no one cares!"

Santana tore her eyes away from the two hopelessly-in-love girls and stared out at the pool again. Her eldest brother, Cristof, was climbing out of the pool and running to the door that led from the house, obviously greeting some new arrivals. Her parents were too engrossed in the barbeque to care about who was walking through, but Santana singled her out almost immediately.

"Lopez, you're blushing, what's up?" Puck asked as her mouth fell open slightly, her face turning a shade of red. Every person on the stairs followed her gaze, and she heard Mike whistle lowly.

"Wow."

The tall blonde was walking around her brothers, making her way to one of the deckchairs on the side that her sister had set up. She said hello to Demeter (Santana's younger sister) and sat down next to her, easily flowing into the conversation she was having with her friends.

"Who is that?" Mike asked, the question hanging around them like a heavy black cloud on this hot summer day.

"I believe her name is Brittany Pierce?" Rachel shrugged, leaning forward to get a closer look at the girl. "She's on the gymnast team, I've seen her before. Maybe that's how your sister knows her, Santana?"

"Probably…" Santana shrugged. Her sister, the ever-perfect one, was a gymnast on the McKinley High Team. She had single-handedly won the group Nationals three years in a row, and was the reason Santana was pretty much always in the shadow to her parents.

"Imagine the flexibility in those legs…" Puck murmured, whispering into her ear. She felt her blush grow redder, her face grow hotter, and she slapped him away.

"Don't tempt me, Puck!" she growled, a little louder than she had intended.

The blonde's head snapped her way, and she froze, her chocolate brown eyes meeting blue ocean pools. The girl, Brittany, gave a small smile before turning back to Demeter, and then quickly snapped her head back to Santana, frowning.

"Looks like she's made the resemblance…" Quinn muttered. Santana looked behind her, at all her friends steadily observing the blonde and her.

"Will you guys stop staring at her?"

"Overprotective already, kid?" Puck grinned.

"No! It's just…" she turned her eyes back to Brittany, her words lost as she realized that the position the girl had laid down in was revealing a lot of legs…

"Santa Maria…"

"Lopez, if you don't go and talk to her now I will!" Puck growled at her and Santana rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'm going!"

She got up, pushing herself off the stairs and walking to Brittany, her eyes never leaving the girl. Brittany smiled at her as she walked over, and Santana was sure her eyes were actually checking her out.

"Hi."

"Hi!" she chirped back, smiling at her, tearing her eyes away from Santana's hips. "I'm Brittany."

"Santana."

"You're Demeter's sister?"

"Unfortunately…"

Demeter glared at her out of the corner of her eye and turned back to her conversation.

"So…couldn't help noticing you from over there…" Santana gestured backwards to her friends, who suddenly all gave a cheery wave. "And I was just wondering if you wanted to come hang with us, people your own age?"

Brittany shrugged. "I don't see why not." She got up and nodded at Demeter. "I'll see you later." Demeter smiled at her, waving her off as the two walked back to the group on the stairs.

"So," Brittany spoke as they neared the group steadily, looking down slightly at Santana, "Demeter's told me a lot about you…"

"Good things I hope…"

"She has told me about your…reputation…"

Santana sighed and gave a half-hearted dismissal wave with her left hand. "Whatever."

"Let me finish."

Santana stopped walking, turning to look at Brittany, who was looking at her with a very unfamiliar look in her eyes.

"I've heard about your reputation and let me just say…I definitely wouldn't mind getting to know that side of you."

As Brittany walked on ahead of her, Santana chanced a glance at the pool.

Maybe jumping in with cool that feeling off for a while…