The New Age - Chapter Sixteen

Quick Note: In this fanfiction, Santana came out of her own accord to the school in senior year, not because Finn forced her out. Everything up to 3x05 ('The First Time') is canon for this fic. After that, not so much...

Did you ever wonder how hard it is for you to snap? What truly takes you over the edge? There must be a breaking point, you think, a point in time where that internal rubber band keeping everything together finally just falls apart and you lash out, hurting everybody who so much as utters a syllable to you, even if you don't want to. You don't mean it, but once anger finds an outlet, it takes it.

And no matter how hard she tried, Brittany couldn't stop herself this time…

--

"Britt?" Santana called out into the dark space, rubbing her hands together in the cold. "Did you forget to switch the heating on again? It's freezing!"

"Yeah, sorry," Brittany mumbled from the only lit room, the kitchen. She poked her head out and smiled weakly. "I'm just seriously tired. I'm hitting the hay…"

"But it's so early!" Santana made to say, before she noticed the time. Quarter to midnight. "Oh. You have a test tomorrow, right?"

"First thing in the morning."

"Right, you better get your sleep then."

Brittany nodded and pointed to the kitchen behind her. "I'm making some tea before I go to bed. Want some?"

"Sure."

She breezed into the kitchen, shrugging her coat off and letting it slip to the floor as she went, rubbing her arms as they came bare. "It's too cold out there."

"It's almost December, S."

"Well, why can't we live in Australia where it's sunny this time of year?"

"And then come back here when it's July for the summer?"

"My thoughts exactly!"

Brittany gave a soft giggle as she poured the water into the red mug Santana had claimed as her own, stirring the tea bag around in it slowly. "So where were you out so late? Date?" Please God no.

"Uh, actually I was with some friends from Philosophy. Harley, Jamie, Rebecca, you know…the usual lot," she explained as she grabbed her mug and gave a content sigh as the warmth seeped into her fingers, slowly crawling up to her arms.

"Danielle was there?"

"Mhm. She gave me a lift home."

"What happened to your car?"

She blushed and shrugged. "Guess I left it at school. I'll go back for it in the morning."

She felt it coming, she knew. That anger was unavoidable and it was always just there, sometimes strong and sometimes quiet. It was totally unexpected that this would trigger it, though.

"You're spending a lot of time with her lately…"

"She's nice," Santana shrugged, leaning against the kitchen counter. "And quirky. She's got a bunch of those little…habits? The kind that just draw you to a person, the ones that aren't annoying at all. I like her for that."

"She's pretty too. And gay."

Santana looked at Brittany over the rim of the mug, raising an eyebrow stealthily. "Yeah, and?"

"Perfect catch."

"Oh come on, Britt!" Santana laughed, clearly not taking this seriously. She placed the now empty mug down into the sink and moved closer to Brittany. "Don't be like that! You know you're my favourite!"

"No."

"Wha-"

"I said, no!" Brittany shouted out, the sound of her voice vibrating through the apartment, startling her best friend into silence. She froze, her arms half way into embracing Brittany, her eyes growing wide.

"I don't get it…"

"Whatever happened to you loving me, huh?" Brittany screeched, letting go of her mug and hearing the crash distantly, but not registering it. It didn't matter right now. What did matter was this, and how long she'd been waiting to say it.

"You said you loved me. And don't deny it! You came out to the school and I was there for you. I helped you through all the insults, all the torture, you quitting the Cheerios and even the whole bar brawl you got into! I helped you back onto your feet, and not once have you ever shown gratitude!"

"I've said thank you!" Santana was raising her voice? Really? She didn't have a right to, not now…

"You never meant it!"

"Britt-"

"No, alright, you don't get a say in this!" she raved, slamming her hand onto the nearest surface – the wall. She felt the pain shoot up her wrist, but she was too engrossed in her anger to even care right now.

"You like this Danielle so much, why are you living with me and not with her? She's everything you've ever wanted! She's out, she's proud, she's strong and she's foreign! She's perfect for you so why don't you just go, huh? Get out of here and go crawling to her! God knows you'd make an amazing couple anyways!"

"Fucking hell, B, it isn't like that!" Santana screeched back, and Brittany's anger bubbled harder. "How long have you been thinking this, huh? You jealous or something?"

"So what if I fucking am?!"

"Then you need to get over it! There is nothing going on between me and Danielle!"

"You sure, because every time I see you with her you've got this look in your eye and it just screams 'take me now'!"

Santana paused, and clenched her fists, her arms shaking at her side.

"You want me out? Fine, I'm out. Good luck finding another room mate," she said. Brittany noticed how her voice volume had lessened, how her eyes had grown cold, how her forehead had decreased and became perfectly smooth. And then she turned on her heel and thundered to her room.

And in five minutes, the apartment was as empty as it had been weeks before.

--

"Danielle! Open up!"

The girl moaned and crawled off her sofa, shuffling her feet to the front door morosely. Who in their right mind woke someone up at one in the morning, she'd like to know…

"Santana, what are you-?"

The next second, Santana had roughly pushed her lips onto her own, stifling any words and groans of protest against the early hour. Danielle's body reacted almost instantly, closing the door with one foot and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's waist.

"I got kicked out."

"Your roommate?" Danielle mumbled breathlessly, dragging Santana further into the apartment.

"Yeah."

"Bitch."

"There's a lot of talking going on here."

Danielle smirked, dropping her hands to Santana's jeans. "Sorry. I'll fix that right away."

--

The only thing rushing through Brittany's mind as she lay in her now empty home was 'What have I done?'