A hundred different ways to say the same thing

Chapter 4 - Summertime (p1)

Brittany S Pierce was not a violent person. By nature of virtue. Suffice to say, she would never hurt a fly- apart from that one time shed sat on one at recess and cried before holding it a funeral service.

And, yes. Sure, she'd beaten up Winnie the Pooh earlier this summer, but that had been a one time thing. An act of love.

So when she found herself, on the first day back at school, storming across the football field towards the bleachers. She reckoned with her options once she actually got there. What she was going to say, how she was going to say it. She had it all mapped out, quite concise, she imagined it going quite civilly.

But, as she got there, as the little horde of bizarre girls in leather turned towards her. Tried to look intimidating. As Quinn- Quinn fucking Fabray, stepped forwards and pulled down her sunglasses to meet her glare. The look on her face, of sheer disinterest- acting so nonchalant. For the first time Brittney saw red, and her body moved before she had time to process what she was doing.

She hadn't even processed that she'd thrown her fist forward, until the now pink haired little punk flew backwards onto the floor. Flew being the key word- it was a harsh thud as she fell into a sad heap, gripping her jaw where she'd been impacted. The other girls just stood, jaws agape. That 'cool girl' facade falling all too quickly. Maybe it was the look on her face. Because even Quinn looked, just a little, terrified.

Brittney immediately didn't like the feeling. She immediately wanted to crawl out of her skin.

Whether she did or didn't, she felt the jolt of two arms pulling her back- Kurt and Blaine having chased after her.

"Brittany!" Kurt squealed "What the hell-"

"Yeah, 'what the hell'" Quinn clambered up, trying to strap back on the new alter ego. Raising her brow challengingly, "That's not very you, twinkle toes."

"Don't call me twinkle toes!" Brittney spat back, the intensity of it enough to make Quinn step back. The way she was behaving was so divorced from her usual self. Even Kurt and Blaine seemed bewildered. Bewildered, but completely understanding.

"Come on Brittney." Blaine tried to calm her "This isn't going to help-"

"You knew!" She yelled over his shoulder, all but ignoring him.

Quinns face dropped.

"You knew and you didn't tell me!" She continued "You made a fucking joke about it!!! "

Quinn didn't speak, she just pursed her lips as she struggled to look Britt in the eye, yet struggled to look away.

Kurt and Blaine didn't know what to say either. Because, what was there to say?

All of a sudden, the thought of it made Brittney jolt forward, trying to break from Blaine and Kurt's grasp. For a moment, wanting to put Quinn through it. Luckily, they had a hold of her tight enough to hold her back, the pain of the force of her own pushing hitting her as she jolted back. She was instantly grateful she hadn't. Deep down she knew this wasn't helping. But what the heck would help?! This wasn't okay, but-

Absolutely nothing about this was okay.

~

Three weeks earlier, Santana had been sat in the church parking lot.

It was by her Abuela's will, the whole family attended every Sunday. Her aunt and cousins usually escaped this will, but Santana's father was her golden boy son, which made her golden girl granddaughter, and God forbid they lost her favoritism. Not if they wanted to inherit that musty hoarder home of hers.