Backlog: Brittany and Quinn.
WHO: Brittany Pierce and Quinn Fabray
WHAT: Shopping
WHERE: The Mall
WHEN: Britt’s a 6th grader, Q’s in 7th.
On the one hand, Brittany was disappointed that Santana couldn’t come to the mall - the more time she could spend with her best friend, the happier she was. But on the other hand, she really liked spending time with Quinn too. Most of the time when she did, Santana was there too, and she always felt a little bit guilty - like she was ignoring Quinn or at least not paying enough attention to her. So this would be a good chance for the two of them to hang out. The words - hang out - still sounded funny in her head even now, but it was what Santana had told her outside the dance studio that day, and she’d never forgotten. She wasn’t a little kid, not now that she was in middle school, and she didn’t want to give Quinn or Santana a reason to be embarrassed to be seen with a younger friend. She could be cool like them.
Waving goodbye to her mom - who still, frustratingly, insisted on driving her everywhere instead of letting her walk or take the bus or something - Brittany stepped into the air conditioned confines of the mall and took a look around. She was early, but she wanted a few minutes to go and look at the kitties and puppies in the pet store first. She knew it was a kiddie thing to do, but she liked them. Fluffy animals were so much fun to watch - way more fun than trying on clothes, really. But she’d happily go to all the clothes places with Quinn and pretend it was the best part of her day.
The first time Quinn met Brittany, she thought she was kind of dumb and childlike. She didn't like her. But Santana liked her and Quinn liked Santana, so Quinn decided it was best to like Brittany too. They never really hung out unless it was around Santana and while Quinn didn't care for the other blonde too much, she found that she had started to grow on her a little bit. She wasn't so bad and her carefree sort of attitude was kind of refreshing.
Quinn was dropped off at the mall and headed inside. She had cash inside the wallet in her purse. She asked her mom for some money to get a new dress. She was sure there would be some sort of party she would attend soon, so she wanted to be sure she had something to wear that no one had seen before. When she entered the mall, she texted Brittany, letting her know she was in the food court. They hadn't decided on where to meet. She quickly sent another text to Brittany that was was going to be in Claire's, which was a few stores down from the food court. Inside the store, she started to look over the jewelry, trying to decide if she wanted a new necklace or something.
It took a moment to identify the buzzing noise as her phone, and Brittany laughed a little when she finally figured it out. The food court, she told herself, trying to think of the quickest way there. The second text took her a minute longer to decode. Who was Claire, and why was Quinn going to her place? Weren’t they supposed to meet up? Then it hit her, and she nodded at the phone as if Quinn could see her. Be right there, she texted back before turning around and taking one last look at the kittens. “I hope you find a nice family!” she smiled, scratching a soft black and white one under the chin. “I’d totally bring you home, but Tubbs is kind of protective of his space. I don’t know if he’d like another kitty in the house or not.”
With a little bounce in her step she found the escalator and headed upstairs, looking for Claire’s. She knew it was somewhere near the food court, but she wasn’t exactly sure where. It took a loop and a half of the upper level, but finally she saw the sign and popped inside, hoping she hadn’t taken too long. Quinn was still there, though, fortunately. “Hi Quinn,” she greeted her brightly, moving to stand beside her. “Find anything nice?”
Quinn didn't mind waiting for Brittany. She actually didn't even know if she was in the mall or just on her way. After browsing the jewelry, she headed toward the back of the store, looking at the other merchandise. She wondered if her mom would kill her if she got her ears pierced again. She had one hole in each ear and though her mom might be okay with it, she was sure her father wouldn't. She wandered back toward the front of the store and smiled when she saw Brittany. "Hi," she greeted the other girl. She shrugged. "Not really. I think I want to go to Limited Too and look for a dress there."
Some of the jewellery they sold was really pretty, Brittany thought, but most of it would just get in the way if she wore it to dance. She usually just wore a couple of rings and a bracelet at most, not being much for lots of dangly things. They mostly distracted her anyway. “Sure!” she agreed easily. Really, whatever Quinn wanted to do was fine with her. She’d gotten her chance to look at cute animals, which was all she wanted out of the day, so wherever they went now was just a bonus.
She grinned. "Awesome." Quinn led the way out of the store. She kind of liked hanging out with Brittany. It wasn't a struggle like it was with Santana. If Quinn wanted to do something, Brittany agreed. Quinn liked that. A lot. "My mom gave me money to get a new dress so I definitely need to see if there's something I like. You're coming over after, right? My mom said you could. We're having chicken nuggets for dinner." Normally, Quinn wouldn't eat those, she'd only have salad and such, but if Brittany was there, she could totally have chicken nuggets.
Brittany fell into step beside Quinn, bouncing a little as she went. She’d had a really good dance class the day before, and she still felt all...well, bouncy. She didn’t mind looking at the dresses Quinn tried on, even if she wasn’t planning on getting anything for herself. “Totally,” she nodded with a smile. “I’m just supposed to let my mom know when we’re done at your house. She doesn’t want me to walk home by myself.” She rolled her eyes, a gesture she’d learned well from Santana, as if the whole idea offended her. Really, it was probably better that she didn’t or else she’d end up lost. “I love chicken nuggets,” she grinned. “I saw these ones at the grocery store that are shaped like dinosaurs, but mom wouldn’t buy them. They’re way more expensive, or something.” She knew she was talking too much, but she couldn’t help it. She was happy.
"Cool. You can stay 'til whenever. My parents don't care." She stepped into Limited Too and headed for the dresses. She really hoped they'd have something she'd like. "We might have the dinosaur ones," Quinn told her. Her mom had thought they were cute, but Quinn told her they were lame, even though she still thought animal shaped chicken and pasta was kinda fun. "I'd have to ask my mom."
“Yay,” Brittany clapped. She followed Quinn into the store, looking around at all the fancy clothes. She didn’t know whether it made her a little kid or not, but she still preferred jeans and tops compared to really nice dresses. They seemed like too much work. “That would be awesome,” she grinned, “but it’s okay either way, really. I’m pretty sure they taste about the same.” She fingered one of the frilly dresses on the rack in the middle of the store. “So, how come you need a new dress? Just for fun?” She wasn’t exactly the kind of person who got invited to parties unless Santana brought her along, so she didn’t know if there was one coming up that Quinn was shopping for.
Quinn watched Brittany, slightly amused with her childlike qualities. Quinn hated trying to act all mature and cool all the time. It was fun to just sort of let loose. "You wanna try on that dress?" she asked, indicating the frilly one. "You should." Quinn turned and looked through some of the dresses on the rack. "Yeah, for fun. I want to make sure I have something cute to wear for any parties that might come up. Gotta look good, you know?" She looked over at Brittany and smiled.
Taking the dress off the rack, she held it up and wrinkled her nose a little as she thought about it. “Do you think it would look good?” she figured she should ask. She didn’t wear them enough to have any idea. As Quinn looked through the dresses, Brittany smiled and shook her head. “You don’t need to buy anything new for that - you always look good.” It was true - Quinn was a very pretty girl, almost as pretty as Santana. Her hair was always shiny, and she was always dressed really nicely - it made Brittany think she was pretty plain, being around someone like that.
"Of course!" Quinn answered and took the dress from Brittany. She held it up to Brittany's body and nodded. "You have nice legs. It would look great." She handed the dress off as she continued looking for a dress for herself. "Thanks." She flashed a smile to Brittany. "But it's always good to have something new and fashionable." Quinn hadn't cared too much about clothes before she lost weight. But, now she loved getting new things to wear.
Really? Brittany kept the thought to herself, but looked down quickly at her legs. She didn’t give them much thought, really. She was tall for her age, her mom had told her that, but the only time she really noticed them was when she danced. She could watch the muscles flex and strain as she moved, and she was learning the names of all of them and how to make them work better - but she’d never thought of them as being nice, exactly. The thought actually made her feel good. “Okay,” she murmured with a blush. “I’ll try it on.” She wanted to wait and see what Quinn picked out before she went to the dressing room...or whatever you called it in a store. “I guess so,” she nodded, as if she actually knew. She’d never worried too much - or at all, really - about being fashionable. Maybe she needed to start. She didn’t want to look bad next to Quinn and Santana.
"Good." Quinn grinned at her. Brittany really did have nice legs and Quinn wished she was taller like her. She hated being short. She picked out a floral patterned dress and held it up. "What do you think of this?" she asked Brittany. And it was, again, a reminder of why she liked Brittany. She probably would like the dress unlike Santana, who had a smart remark to everything.
She may not have known the first thing about what was fashionable, but she knew what she liked. And the dress Quinn held up was certainly something she liked. “It’s really pretty,” she smiled. “I love flowers. And they used really nice colors - I love the yellow, it’s really bright.” She looked from the dress to Quinn and back again. “It almost matches your hair. You should definitely try that one on.” Brittany had no idea if her advice was good or bad, but she felt great being asked for her opinion.
Quinn smiled. "Yeah, maybe I will try it on then." It was really nice hanging out with Brittany. The other girl wasn't trying to bring her down. "I'll try on my dress and you try on yours, okay?" She pulled he dress off the rack that was in her size.
“Sounds great!” Brittany smiled. She wasn’t totally sure if the dress she was holding was the right size, but she thought it was close enough. If she needed a different size, she could always change after anyway. Gathering the dress, she followed Quinn toward the changing rooms with a bounce in her step. “I’ll take this one,” she pointed, smiling. “I’ll see you in a minute?”
Quinn smiled back at Brittany and led the way to the dressing rooms. She never had trouble taking charge. "Yep! See you in a minute." She went into the dressing room and quickly changed. The dress looked nice and she looked good in it, but she wasn't completely sold on it. She stepped out of the dressing room. "You all done, B?" she asked, wanting to see how Brittany looked in her dress.
The dress was a little bit more complicated than Brittany had thought, but eventually she got it zipped up and looked at herself in the mirror with a little frown. She felt like she was dressing up as someone older, like a big sister or something. But she had to admit it looked pretty nice. “I’m done,” she called back, opening the door and stepping out. “You look so beautiful!” she gasped. “That looks perfect on you!” She turned in a little circle. “What do you think?”
Wow, Brittany looked really good in that dress and Quinn couldn't help but be slightly jealous. She bet Brittany was one of those girls who could eat anything and stay super skinny. She smiled, though, when Brittany complimented her. "Thanks." She nodded. "That looks great on you, Britt. You should totally get it. And it totally shows off your legs, too, and that's a good thing."
It was the second time Quinn had complimented her legs, and Brittany wasn’t going to lie to herself - it felt really good. She looked at herself in the mirror, and found that she actually didn’t mind the dress after all. She wasn’t sure whether fancier clothes like this would ever replace the simple wardrobe she normally wore, but it might be nice for a change. Maybe Santana would like how she looked in it? She turned a little, holding the price tag out to the mirror. It was expensive, but she hadn’t spent her last few allowances, and she could afford it if she really wanted it. She took one more look at herself and nodded. “I think I will,” she nodded decisively. “Are you going to get yours?”
"Good because you should. You look amazing in it." She gave a shrug. "I dunno. I like it, but I think I might like one of the other dresses better. I'm going to change back and go look at some of the other ones." Quinn headed back into the dressing room and changed into her clothes. There was a blue dress over there that she wanted to check out again. Once she was changed, she headed back over to the dresses.
Brittany nodded. Personally she thought it looked really good, but Quinn would know these things much better than she would after all. She slipped back into the dressing room and changed into her regular clothes, draping the dress over her arm to bring it to the till when they were done. She followed Quinn back toward the dresses, looking at everything with a brand new perspective. If her legs were nice, like Quinn said, should she be wearing dresses more often? They were expensive, though, and her mom probably wouldn’t pay for many. Maybe they’d be better for special occasions.
Quinn picked up the blue dress, but there was also a green one she liked. She'd definitely try them both on and go from there. She turned toward Brittany and held them both up for her to look at. "Which do you like better? The blue or the green?"
Brittany took a moment to think before she answered. She knew it wasn’t a test or anything, but she didn’t want to give bad advice. “Well, the blue one is nice...” she said thoughtfully, “but I think the green really makes your eyes look nice. I’d go with the green one.” She held her breath, hoping she hadn’t said something stupid.
Quinn looked from the blue one to the green one and nodded. She grinned at Brittany. "You're totally right. I'm gonna try on both, but I think I will probably go with the green one. Come on. I'll try the blue on first." She led Brittany back toward the dressing rooms and disappeared inside.
Brittany grinned. You’re right wasn’t something she got to hear very often, and it made her smile. She followed Quinn to the dressing rooms, practicing a few simple steps in front of the mirror while she waited for her to emerge and show off the blue dress. She was anxious to see them both and see if she’d guessed right.
After changing into the blue dress, Quinn stepped out of the dressing room, showing it off. "See, this one's not so bad. I'd probably get it, but I think the green one is going to look way better." She quickly ducked back into the dressing room and began to change into the green dress.
Brittany looked at the dress with a slightly clueless eye. She didn’t know what made it good or bad, really, she only knew that the green would probably look better. Or at least she thought so. “It’s really pretty,” she called after Quinn, “but I think you’re right - the other one’s going to look better.”
"Yeah," Quinn said and put on the green dress. Brittany was right. It did go really well with her eyes. She stepped out of the dressing room and grinned. "See, you were totally right. This dress is, like, perfect." She spun around in it, showing it off.
Brittany grinned. She loved that she’d been right about that, and that Quinn had actually liked the one she’d chosen. “It totally does,” she nodded, taking Quinn’s hand with her own and spinning her around. She had no idea whether Quinn danced, but she tried it with all of her friends eventually. She liked making Santana laugh at her by dancing in strange places. “You look beautiful,” she smiled. “You should definitely get that one.”
Quinn laughed with Brittany spun her. It was kind of weird, but kind of fun too. She let go of the other girl's hand. "Thanks, Britt. I definitely am. Let me change and then we can get going." She hurried back into the dressing room, excited about her new dress. She couldn't wait for the chance to wear it. She emerged a minute or so later with the green dress in her arms. She led the way toward the cash register, but stopped at a display of lip gloss. She picked up a strawberries and cream flavored one. "Want one?" she asked Brittany. "I'll buy you one, any kind you want."
Looking in the mirror, Brittany brushed some of Lord Tubbs’ fur off her jeans as she waited for Quinn to emerge again. She followed her toward the till, but stopped when Quinn did and stared at the lip gloss - this store sold so many flavors! “That’s so nice of you,” she smiled, “thank you! Ummm...” she looked over the selection. “Here we go - root beer sounds awesome,” she smiled as she passed it over. “So,” she asked as they waited, curious about the parts of Quinn’s life she didn’t know about, “do you go to a lot of parties?”
"You're welcome." Quinn took the lip gloss and then moved toward the short line. She nodded in response to Brittany's question. "Yeah, of course. Most of the parties are kind of lame though, so you have to pick and choose which are worth your time, you know?" Quinn didn't get invited to a ton of parties, but definitely more than she had last year. She didn't always go to all of them either because she knew that she had an image to uphold and had to be sure to only go to the best parties. She began to browse through some of the jewelry at the display counter. "Do you go to parties? You should come with me some time."
Brittany nodded as if she had a clue what Quinn was talking about. She wasn’t invited to any parties, really, much less enough of them to have to pick and choose which ones to attend. She wasn’t sure whether she should be jealous or just glad that she didn’t have to face a decision like that. “Not really,” she shook her head. “I’ve tagged along with Santana a couple of times, but I don’t really get invited to any. I’d love to come with you, though - they’re fun, I just don’t go to very many.” Her mom would actually be happy if she had more friends, she knew, and it would definitely make her feel like she belonged instead of being the little kid that hung around Quinn and Santana.
"Oh." It sort of made sense that Brittany wasn't invited though. She was a year younger than them and didn't really seem to have much of a social standing. But that could change and Quinn didn't mind helping Brittany become more popular if it meant Santana would like her better and they could stay good friends. "Well, you're cool enough so you can come with me for the next party I'm going to. You can wear the dress you're buying." Quinn smiled at her and then set her stuff on the counter to get ringed up. She pulled her wallet out of her purse to pay for it.
Had Quinn just called her cool? Really? If the smile on her face got any bigger, she was sure it was going to make her cheeks hurt. She briefly pondered whether it could get stuck like that, as her mother had warned her, but decided it didn’t really matter. If it did, there were worse ways for it to get stuck, right? She’d just be smiling all the time. “That sounds awesome,” she bounced on her feet. “I was wondering when I’d get a chance to wear this!” She waited for Quinn to pay and then took her dress to the till and fumbled through her purse for the cash she had tucked into a pocket in the side. “There,” she counted it out - slowly - and smiled at the salesgirl who gave her change. Her dress was put in a nice bag for her, and she draped it over her arm before hurrying after Quinn. “So...” she mused, “what do you wanna do now?”
Quinn definitely noticed that Brittany seemed pleased to be invited along to the party. Quinn wouldn't invite just anyone along, but Brittany was good friends with Santana and she'd look good in the dress she just bought, so Quinn was sure she wouldn't be an embarrassment at any party she'd bring her along to. She paid for her dress and the lip gloss and then took her bag. "It's a perfect party dress," Quinn assured her. She opened her lip gloss and put it on while she waited for Brittany to pay. Once the other girl with through, she led the way out of the store and then handed off Brittany's lip gloss to her. She shrugged. "I dunno. We could go look at some shoes in Macy's. Or check out the make-up counter."
Quinn was being super nice to her, and Brittany reminded herself to find some way to pay her back. She knew she wasn’t popular or anything, not like her and Santana were, and that getting invited to a party was a really nice thing for Quinn to do. She gave herself another reminder too, to ask Santana how to behave when she was invited. She didn’t want to do anything that would make Quinn think she shouldn’t invite her again. She liked shoes, but the idea of make-up was intriguing. “I actually don’t wear much make-up,” she confessed. “Want to go there, and you can tell me what would look good on me?” She was going to soak up all the advice she could - her mother was adamant that she was too young, but Quinn would help her learn what to wear. Then she could wear it to the party.
"You honestly don't need a lot," Quinn told her, raising her chin slightly. She liked feeling like an expert on things. Maybe that's why she did like spending time with Brittany. It made her feel smart and somewhat superior. Quinn didn't often feel that way. She led the way into Macy's and towards the make-up counter. "For, like, school and stuff, you don't want to overdo it on make-up. But going out, you definitely want to have enough on to make your eyes pop and make yourself look really good." She patted the seat at the outside of the make-up counter for Brittany to sit there. The saleswoman knew Quinn and her mother, so she didn't say anything while Quinn took a bit of charge in there.
She was listening carefully. This, unlike school, was stuff she actually needed to know. Don’t wear too much at school - check. More at parties. She didn’t want her eyes to pop, though, that sounded gross - but then, that probably wasn’t what Quinn meant, right? She hoped so, anyway. She took the chair that Quinn indicated, looking briefly at herself in the mirror. She wanted to remember the difference between what she looked like before the makeup and what she looked like after.
Quinn grabbed a bunch of samples and began to apply the make-up to Brittany's face, being careful not to poke her in the eye or anything with eyeliner. "My sister always says that make-up is kind of like icing to the cake. A cake looks good, but it looks better with icing, you know? Like, all decorated and done up." Once she was done with the eyeliner, she moved on to the eye shadow. "I'm putting make-up on for something you'd wear to the party. If you're going to school, you'd wanna use less eyeliner and less eye shadow too. And a different color, probably."
Some of Quinn’s touches tickled, but she willed herself to stay still. She wanted to see how it looked, after all, and if she flinched then it would all be ruined. “A cake definitely looks better with icing,” she agreed. “That makes sense - and just like icing, too much would be bad, right?” she hoped her way of thinking about it made some kind of sense. “Thanks for this, Quinn,” she smiled, anxious to see herself. “What colors would be good for school, then?” she really didn’t have the faintest idea, so any advice was good. She’d probably have to put it on in the bathroom at school in the morning, just so her mom didn’t try and take it away from her, but as long as she knew what she was doing then that wouldn’t be a problem.
"Yes, exactly. Too much icing is bad." Brittany wasn't that dumb. Quinn was pretty sure she just needed things to be explained sort of differently to her. She put away the eye shadow and added some light blush to her cheeks, then got the mascara. "You're welcome." She smiled a little to herself and then had Brittany open her eyes to put the mascara on. "You want lighter colors for the day. Darker colors for at night when you're going out and to a party or something. No crazy colors, of course, and if you're unsure, earth tones are always good." She paused, thinking Brittany would be confused. "Like golds and tans and stuff." She set the make-up down. "What do you think?" she asked Brittany now that she had finished.
“Light during the day, darker at night,” Brittany nodded. “That makes sense.” She was about to ask what earth tones were when Quinn explained it, and she smiled gratefully. She would have felt silly if she had to ask. When she told Brittany she was done, she turned eagerly to the mirror and almost gasped as she saw herself. For the first time, she could actually imagine herself as being grown up. Her eyes looked so pretty, and the makeup really made the dull blue...change, somehow, so that they seemed to be sparkling. Her cheeks had a nice glow, and the mascara made her eyelashes seem bigger. She actually looked pretty, even to her own eyes. She turned back to Quinn with a huge smile. “It looks awesome,” she said enthusiastically. “I had no idea makeup could do all that - you’re, like, a genius!” she leaned forward and gave Quinn a hug. “When we’re over at your house, you’ll have to show me how to put some of this stuff on. What kinds do you think I should buy?”
Quinn watched Brittany's reaction and was happy that Brittany liked it. Quinn hugged the girl back, a little surprised that she was that happy about it. "I'm glad you're happy with the outcome," Quinn told her. "Okay! Um, you should probably buy some mascara and eyeliner, but I have some old eye shadows and stuff I can give you. Not old old. You can still wear them, but I bought new ones so I don't really use them anymore. You can have those if you want them." Quinn bought new make-up all the time.
“Mascara and eyeliner,” Brittany nodded. “Would you really? That’s so nice of you!” This day was turning out pretty fantastic, she thought, and she was glad to have had some alone time with Quinn. The blonde was really super nice, and she’d given Brittany a ton of help learning how to look more grown up. No one would mistake her for a little kid, not anymore. Not even...no, she wasn’t going to go there. It was in the past.
"No problem." She'd just end up throwing her old makeup out anyway so it made sense to offer it to Brittany. Quinn browsed the make-up and picked up an eyeliner and mascara for the other girl. She handed them off to her. "There you go. And once we get some stuff from my house, you'll be all set." Quinn eyed up some eye shadow, considering getting a new color. She chewed her bottom lip.
Brittany just grinned. This was the most fun she’d had shopping in a long time. “Sounds good,” she nodded, standing beside Quinn as she looked over the eye shadow. She couldn’t really offer advice, but she wanted to help if she could, so she took a few of the colors and held them up near the other girl’s eyes. “Hmm,” she frowned. “No, no, maybe...ooh, I like that one!” she held out a dark purple shade. “I know it’s really dark, but I think it’d look really pretty on you.”
"Yeah, I was looking at that one," Quinn told her and picked it up as well as a very dark blue. These would, of course, have to be for when she would go out somewhere. Definitely not for school. "I think I will go with the purple." She put the other one back. "Did you wanna pay for this stuff and then get out of here?" she asked.
Brittany was just happy she’d guessed a color that Quinn liked as well. It made her feel like she was learning something about makeup, and that was pretty neat. “Sounds good,” she nodded, waiting for Quinn to lead her to the till.
Quinn led the way to the cash register and paid for her eye shadow. She stepped aside to let Brittany pay for her own stuff. She took a look around the store. She would have to make her mom come with her sometime to buy her more stuff. She particularly wanted to find a new pair of shoes.
Brittany nodded at the cashier as she totalled her purchases, digging more money from her purse and passing it over. With those purchases in hand as well as her dress, she bounced her way over to Quinn’s side. “Ready to go?” she grinned.
"My mom should be here soon to pick us up," Quinn told her as she led the way out of Macy's. "We can hang out in the arcade or something, I guess, until she gets here. Unless you wanna go somewhere else." She looked over at Brittany.
“Ooh,” Brittany jumped up and down a little. “Arcade sounds awesome. I’ll totally beat the high score at DDR if you want to watch me!” She hoped she didn’t seem too...little kid-like with that, but she loved DDR. A game where you danced? How could be any better?
Quinn wasn't sure what DDR was. Some game, but she didn't really play the games, she mostly just watched boys show off. "Okay," she agreed and tried to figure out which game Brittany was referring to. Guess she would just have to find out when they got there. She entered the arcade first and then stopped, letting Brittany take them to the Dance Dance Revolution game.
Brittany led Quinn deeper into the arcade, back to where the game was standing empty. She could hardly believe her luck - usually there was a lineup, and she had to wait anxiously for her turn. “Aw,” she pouted. “Nobody’s beat my score yet. I guess I’ll have to do it myself.” Setting her bags down next to the machine, she stepped up and dropped in a few quarters from her change purse. She picked the hardest mode, of course, and began to dance. This was her favorite game in the world.
Quinn leaned on the handle on the back of the machine, but then stood up straight as Brittany stepped on. She moved around to the side and looked it over. She had seen someone play once before, but they weren't very good. She usually didn't go very far back into the arcade. "So, you just, like, step on the arrows..." She looked at the screen. "Like when they hit the top there?" They were going kind of fast, though, and there were a lot of arrows. And Brittany was getting "perfect" on nearly all of them. Quinn was impressed.
“Exactly,” Brittany confirmed with a nod, not even looking away from the screen. This game was meant for her. All she had to do was dance. Let the song flow through her and find the rhythm of the steps. The rest was just concentration - don’t lose the beat, don’t lose track of where your feet are. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead, but didn’t bother wiping it away. The song wouldn’t play for much longer anyway, if she remembered right. Sure enough, thirty seconds later it came to an end, revealing that she’d once again taken beaten the high score. “Yay!” she clapped, entering her name and turning to Quinn. “Did you wanna try?”
Quinn watched and was still surprised at how well Brittany did. She really was great at the game. When she finished, Quinn smiled. "Good job, Britt!" she told the other girl. She paused for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah... I don't think I'd be any good."
“Aw, c’mon,” Brittany pleaded. “You can do it - I mean, you’re a cheerleader, right? You can totally handle this. I’ll hold your stuff!” She handed Quinn a couple of quarters. “C’mon,” she insisted with a grin. “You can totally do this.”
"Well... all right," Quinn gave in and handed off her shopping bags to Brittany. She took the quarters and stepped on the machine. She slid the quarters in and made sure she picked the easiest setting. She knew she couldn't do the hardest one. Then, she picked a song that only sounded okay because she had been running out of time. As she started playing the game, she realized it wasn't that hard. She just had to get the timing right with hitting the arrows.
Brittany watched with an excited grin as Quinn began to play. She was, as Brittany had expected, much better than she’d thought. It only took a few seconds before her feet were moving in time and hitting the arrows, and Brittany clapped. “See?” she crowed. “I knew you’d like this if you tried it. I could spend all day playing that.”
Quinn didn't answer Brittany until the song ended. She wanted to stay focused and do a good job. She smiled at the other girl when the song ended. "It was fun," she agreed, but she definitely wouldn't spend all day playing it. "You wanna go again?" Quinn asked and stepped off the machine. She didn't mind watching Brittany play, especially since they'd be leaving soon anyway.
Brittany was actually really impressed with how well Quinn did - for her first time playing it, she looked like she’d practiced a lot. “Sure!” she nodded enthusiastically in reply to Quinn’s question. She’d never turn down another game. Handing everything back to Quinn, she jumped on and threw a couple more quarters in, picking the hardest setting and the hardest song, wanting to tackle it again before she left.
Quinn held all their stuff as she watched Brittany play again. She really was quite incredible at the game. "If they'd have, like, competitions of this, you'd definitely win," Quinn told her. It was probably true. Brittany was seriously crazy good. "So you like to dance a lot then huh?" Quinn knew Brittany danced or something like that, but she never really talked to her about it before.
As far as Brittany knew, there wasn’t any contests for the best DDR player. But she’d totally go into one if there was, because she knew she was pretty good. She hated to sound so proud of herself, but she really was. “I really do,” she wiped the sweat from her forehead as she climbed off of the machine. “I’d dance all day long if I could. I take classes on the weekends, and there’s recitals and stuff, but it never seems like enough. What do you like to do on the weekends?”
"That's cool," Quinn commented. She wondered if that's what Brittany wanted to do then, for the rest of her life. She gave a shrug and handed Brittany's bags back to her. "Um, whatever. Hang out, go to the mall or the movies or, like, go to the spa sometimes too and get my nails done." She began to lead the way out of the arcade. "My mom should be here, like, now."
“That sounds fun too,” Brittany nodded. “My nails are always pretty short, because I just break them when I dance if they’re too long, but I like yours,” she nodded at Quinn’s longer, painted nails. “They’re really pretty.” She gathered her bags at Quinn’s prompting, following her toward the exit. “I had a really good time,” she smiled. “Thanks, Quinn.”
"Mm, yeah, I like my nails how they are. I used to play piano, but stopped because you need short nails to do that," Quinn told her. She smiled at the other girl. "I'm glad. I did too. It was fun. You're kinda cool, Britt."
“I love the piano,” she smiled. “I could never play it, though, I’d forget where my fingers were supposed to be.” She blushed brightly at Quinn’s compliment - she was nowhere near as cool as her or Santana, but hearing that made her happy all the same. “Thanks,” she said shyly. You’re really cool too.”
"It's not that hard once you get the hang of it. It takes a while though, to get that good," she explained. She headed for the doors. "Yeah, I know," Quinn replied to Brittany calling her cool. "That's my mom." She pointed to her mother's car and stepped out of the mall, leading the way to the car.
WHAT: Shopping
WHERE: The Mall
WHEN: Britt’s a 6th grader, Q’s in 7th.
On the one hand, Brittany was disappointed that Santana couldn’t come to the mall - the more time she could spend with her best friend, the happier she was. But on the other hand, she really liked spending time with Quinn too. Most of the time when she did, Santana was there too, and she always felt a little bit guilty - like she was ignoring Quinn or at least not paying enough attention to her. So this would be a good chance for the two of them to hang out. The words - hang out - still sounded funny in her head even now, but it was what Santana had told her outside the dance studio that day, and she’d never forgotten. She wasn’t a little kid, not now that she was in middle school, and she didn’t want to give Quinn or Santana a reason to be embarrassed to be seen with a younger friend. She could be cool like them.
Waving goodbye to her mom - who still, frustratingly, insisted on driving her everywhere instead of letting her walk or take the bus or something - Brittany stepped into the air conditioned confines of the mall and took a look around. She was early, but she wanted a few minutes to go and look at the kitties and puppies in the pet store first. She knew it was a kiddie thing to do, but she liked them. Fluffy animals were so much fun to watch - way more fun than trying on clothes, really. But she’d happily go to all the clothes places with Quinn and pretend it was the best part of her day.
The first time Quinn met Brittany, she thought she was kind of dumb and childlike. She didn't like her. But Santana liked her and Quinn liked Santana, so Quinn decided it was best to like Brittany too. They never really hung out unless it was around Santana and while Quinn didn't care for the other blonde too much, she found that she had started to grow on her a little bit. She wasn't so bad and her carefree sort of attitude was kind of refreshing.
Quinn was dropped off at the mall and headed inside. She had cash inside the wallet in her purse. She asked her mom for some money to get a new dress. She was sure there would be some sort of party she would attend soon, so she wanted to be sure she had something to wear that no one had seen before. When she entered the mall, she texted Brittany, letting her know she was in the food court. They hadn't decided on where to meet. She quickly sent another text to Brittany that was was going to be in Claire's, which was a few stores down from the food court. Inside the store, she started to look over the jewelry, trying to decide if she wanted a new necklace or something.
It took a moment to identify the buzzing noise as her phone, and Brittany laughed a little when she finally figured it out. The food court, she told herself, trying to think of the quickest way there. The second text took her a minute longer to decode. Who was Claire, and why was Quinn going to her place? Weren’t they supposed to meet up? Then it hit her, and she nodded at the phone as if Quinn could see her. Be right there, she texted back before turning around and taking one last look at the kittens. “I hope you find a nice family!” she smiled, scratching a soft black and white one under the chin. “I’d totally bring you home, but Tubbs is kind of protective of his space. I don’t know if he’d like another kitty in the house or not.”
With a little bounce in her step she found the escalator and headed upstairs, looking for Claire’s. She knew it was somewhere near the food court, but she wasn’t exactly sure where. It took a loop and a half of the upper level, but finally she saw the sign and popped inside, hoping she hadn’t taken too long. Quinn was still there, though, fortunately. “Hi Quinn,” she greeted her brightly, moving to stand beside her. “Find anything nice?”
Quinn didn't mind waiting for Brittany. She actually didn't even know if she was in the mall or just on her way. After browsing the jewelry, she headed toward the back of the store, looking at the other merchandise. She wondered if her mom would kill her if she got her ears pierced again. She had one hole in each ear and though her mom might be okay with it, she was sure her father wouldn't. She wandered back toward the front of the store and smiled when she saw Brittany. "Hi," she greeted the other girl. She shrugged. "Not really. I think I want to go to Limited Too and look for a dress there."
Some of the jewellery they sold was really pretty, Brittany thought, but most of it would just get in the way if she wore it to dance. She usually just wore a couple of rings and a bracelet at most, not being much for lots of dangly things. They mostly distracted her anyway. “Sure!” she agreed easily. Really, whatever Quinn wanted to do was fine with her. She’d gotten her chance to look at cute animals, which was all she wanted out of the day, so wherever they went now was just a bonus.
She grinned. "Awesome." Quinn led the way out of the store. She kind of liked hanging out with Brittany. It wasn't a struggle like it was with Santana. If Quinn wanted to do something, Brittany agreed. Quinn liked that. A lot. "My mom gave me money to get a new dress so I definitely need to see if there's something I like. You're coming over after, right? My mom said you could. We're having chicken nuggets for dinner." Normally, Quinn wouldn't eat those, she'd only have salad and such, but if Brittany was there, she could totally have chicken nuggets.
Brittany fell into step beside Quinn, bouncing a little as she went. She’d had a really good dance class the day before, and she still felt all...well, bouncy. She didn’t mind looking at the dresses Quinn tried on, even if she wasn’t planning on getting anything for herself. “Totally,” she nodded with a smile. “I’m just supposed to let my mom know when we’re done at your house. She doesn’t want me to walk home by myself.” She rolled her eyes, a gesture she’d learned well from Santana, as if the whole idea offended her. Really, it was probably better that she didn’t or else she’d end up lost. “I love chicken nuggets,” she grinned. “I saw these ones at the grocery store that are shaped like dinosaurs, but mom wouldn’t buy them. They’re way more expensive, or something.” She knew she was talking too much, but she couldn’t help it. She was happy.
"Cool. You can stay 'til whenever. My parents don't care." She stepped into Limited Too and headed for the dresses. She really hoped they'd have something she'd like. "We might have the dinosaur ones," Quinn told her. Her mom had thought they were cute, but Quinn told her they were lame, even though she still thought animal shaped chicken and pasta was kinda fun. "I'd have to ask my mom."
“Yay,” Brittany clapped. She followed Quinn into the store, looking around at all the fancy clothes. She didn’t know whether it made her a little kid or not, but she still preferred jeans and tops compared to really nice dresses. They seemed like too much work. “That would be awesome,” she grinned, “but it’s okay either way, really. I’m pretty sure they taste about the same.” She fingered one of the frilly dresses on the rack in the middle of the store. “So, how come you need a new dress? Just for fun?” She wasn’t exactly the kind of person who got invited to parties unless Santana brought her along, so she didn’t know if there was one coming up that Quinn was shopping for.
Quinn watched Brittany, slightly amused with her childlike qualities. Quinn hated trying to act all mature and cool all the time. It was fun to just sort of let loose. "You wanna try on that dress?" she asked, indicating the frilly one. "You should." Quinn turned and looked through some of the dresses on the rack. "Yeah, for fun. I want to make sure I have something cute to wear for any parties that might come up. Gotta look good, you know?" She looked over at Brittany and smiled.
Taking the dress off the rack, she held it up and wrinkled her nose a little as she thought about it. “Do you think it would look good?” she figured she should ask. She didn’t wear them enough to have any idea. As Quinn looked through the dresses, Brittany smiled and shook her head. “You don’t need to buy anything new for that - you always look good.” It was true - Quinn was a very pretty girl, almost as pretty as Santana. Her hair was always shiny, and she was always dressed really nicely - it made Brittany think she was pretty plain, being around someone like that.
"Of course!" Quinn answered and took the dress from Brittany. She held it up to Brittany's body and nodded. "You have nice legs. It would look great." She handed the dress off as she continued looking for a dress for herself. "Thanks." She flashed a smile to Brittany. "But it's always good to have something new and fashionable." Quinn hadn't cared too much about clothes before she lost weight. But, now she loved getting new things to wear.
Really? Brittany kept the thought to herself, but looked down quickly at her legs. She didn’t give them much thought, really. She was tall for her age, her mom had told her that, but the only time she really noticed them was when she danced. She could watch the muscles flex and strain as she moved, and she was learning the names of all of them and how to make them work better - but she’d never thought of them as being nice, exactly. The thought actually made her feel good. “Okay,” she murmured with a blush. “I’ll try it on.” She wanted to wait and see what Quinn picked out before she went to the dressing room...or whatever you called it in a store. “I guess so,” she nodded, as if she actually knew. She’d never worried too much - or at all, really - about being fashionable. Maybe she needed to start. She didn’t want to look bad next to Quinn and Santana.
"Good." Quinn grinned at her. Brittany really did have nice legs and Quinn wished she was taller like her. She hated being short. She picked out a floral patterned dress and held it up. "What do you think of this?" she asked Brittany. And it was, again, a reminder of why she liked Brittany. She probably would like the dress unlike Santana, who had a smart remark to everything.
She may not have known the first thing about what was fashionable, but she knew what she liked. And the dress Quinn held up was certainly something she liked. “It’s really pretty,” she smiled. “I love flowers. And they used really nice colors - I love the yellow, it’s really bright.” She looked from the dress to Quinn and back again. “It almost matches your hair. You should definitely try that one on.” Brittany had no idea if her advice was good or bad, but she felt great being asked for her opinion.
Quinn smiled. "Yeah, maybe I will try it on then." It was really nice hanging out with Brittany. The other girl wasn't trying to bring her down. "I'll try on my dress and you try on yours, okay?" She pulled he dress off the rack that was in her size.
“Sounds great!” Brittany smiled. She wasn’t totally sure if the dress she was holding was the right size, but she thought it was close enough. If she needed a different size, she could always change after anyway. Gathering the dress, she followed Quinn toward the changing rooms with a bounce in her step. “I’ll take this one,” she pointed, smiling. “I’ll see you in a minute?”
Quinn smiled back at Brittany and led the way to the dressing rooms. She never had trouble taking charge. "Yep! See you in a minute." She went into the dressing room and quickly changed. The dress looked nice and she looked good in it, but she wasn't completely sold on it. She stepped out of the dressing room. "You all done, B?" she asked, wanting to see how Brittany looked in her dress.
The dress was a little bit more complicated than Brittany had thought, but eventually she got it zipped up and looked at herself in the mirror with a little frown. She felt like she was dressing up as someone older, like a big sister or something. But she had to admit it looked pretty nice. “I’m done,” she called back, opening the door and stepping out. “You look so beautiful!” she gasped. “That looks perfect on you!” She turned in a little circle. “What do you think?”
Wow, Brittany looked really good in that dress and Quinn couldn't help but be slightly jealous. She bet Brittany was one of those girls who could eat anything and stay super skinny. She smiled, though, when Brittany complimented her. "Thanks." She nodded. "That looks great on you, Britt. You should totally get it. And it totally shows off your legs, too, and that's a good thing."
It was the second time Quinn had complimented her legs, and Brittany wasn’t going to lie to herself - it felt really good. She looked at herself in the mirror, and found that she actually didn’t mind the dress after all. She wasn’t sure whether fancier clothes like this would ever replace the simple wardrobe she normally wore, but it might be nice for a change. Maybe Santana would like how she looked in it? She turned a little, holding the price tag out to the mirror. It was expensive, but she hadn’t spent her last few allowances, and she could afford it if she really wanted it. She took one more look at herself and nodded. “I think I will,” she nodded decisively. “Are you going to get yours?”
"Good because you should. You look amazing in it." She gave a shrug. "I dunno. I like it, but I think I might like one of the other dresses better. I'm going to change back and go look at some of the other ones." Quinn headed back into the dressing room and changed into her clothes. There was a blue dress over there that she wanted to check out again. Once she was changed, she headed back over to the dresses.
Brittany nodded. Personally she thought it looked really good, but Quinn would know these things much better than she would after all. She slipped back into the dressing room and changed into her regular clothes, draping the dress over her arm to bring it to the till when they were done. She followed Quinn back toward the dresses, looking at everything with a brand new perspective. If her legs were nice, like Quinn said, should she be wearing dresses more often? They were expensive, though, and her mom probably wouldn’t pay for many. Maybe they’d be better for special occasions.
Quinn picked up the blue dress, but there was also a green one she liked. She'd definitely try them both on and go from there. She turned toward Brittany and held them both up for her to look at. "Which do you like better? The blue or the green?"
Brittany took a moment to think before she answered. She knew it wasn’t a test or anything, but she didn’t want to give bad advice. “Well, the blue one is nice...” she said thoughtfully, “but I think the green really makes your eyes look nice. I’d go with the green one.” She held her breath, hoping she hadn’t said something stupid.
Quinn looked from the blue one to the green one and nodded. She grinned at Brittany. "You're totally right. I'm gonna try on both, but I think I will probably go with the green one. Come on. I'll try the blue on first." She led Brittany back toward the dressing rooms and disappeared inside.
Brittany grinned. You’re right wasn’t something she got to hear very often, and it made her smile. She followed Quinn to the dressing rooms, practicing a few simple steps in front of the mirror while she waited for her to emerge and show off the blue dress. She was anxious to see them both and see if she’d guessed right.
After changing into the blue dress, Quinn stepped out of the dressing room, showing it off. "See, this one's not so bad. I'd probably get it, but I think the green one is going to look way better." She quickly ducked back into the dressing room and began to change into the green dress.
Brittany looked at the dress with a slightly clueless eye. She didn’t know what made it good or bad, really, she only knew that the green would probably look better. Or at least she thought so. “It’s really pretty,” she called after Quinn, “but I think you’re right - the other one’s going to look better.”
"Yeah," Quinn said and put on the green dress. Brittany was right. It did go really well with her eyes. She stepped out of the dressing room and grinned. "See, you were totally right. This dress is, like, perfect." She spun around in it, showing it off.
Brittany grinned. She loved that she’d been right about that, and that Quinn had actually liked the one she’d chosen. “It totally does,” she nodded, taking Quinn’s hand with her own and spinning her around. She had no idea whether Quinn danced, but she tried it with all of her friends eventually. She liked making Santana laugh at her by dancing in strange places. “You look beautiful,” she smiled. “You should definitely get that one.”
Quinn laughed with Brittany spun her. It was kind of weird, but kind of fun too. She let go of the other girl's hand. "Thanks, Britt. I definitely am. Let me change and then we can get going." She hurried back into the dressing room, excited about her new dress. She couldn't wait for the chance to wear it. She emerged a minute or so later with the green dress in her arms. She led the way toward the cash register, but stopped at a display of lip gloss. She picked up a strawberries and cream flavored one. "Want one?" she asked Brittany. "I'll buy you one, any kind you want."
Looking in the mirror, Brittany brushed some of Lord Tubbs’ fur off her jeans as she waited for Quinn to emerge again. She followed her toward the till, but stopped when Quinn did and stared at the lip gloss - this store sold so many flavors! “That’s so nice of you,” she smiled, “thank you! Ummm...” she looked over the selection. “Here we go - root beer sounds awesome,” she smiled as she passed it over. “So,” she asked as they waited, curious about the parts of Quinn’s life she didn’t know about, “do you go to a lot of parties?”
"You're welcome." Quinn took the lip gloss and then moved toward the short line. She nodded in response to Brittany's question. "Yeah, of course. Most of the parties are kind of lame though, so you have to pick and choose which are worth your time, you know?" Quinn didn't get invited to a ton of parties, but definitely more than she had last year. She didn't always go to all of them either because she knew that she had an image to uphold and had to be sure to only go to the best parties. She began to browse through some of the jewelry at the display counter. "Do you go to parties? You should come with me some time."
Brittany nodded as if she had a clue what Quinn was talking about. She wasn’t invited to any parties, really, much less enough of them to have to pick and choose which ones to attend. She wasn’t sure whether she should be jealous or just glad that she didn’t have to face a decision like that. “Not really,” she shook her head. “I’ve tagged along with Santana a couple of times, but I don’t really get invited to any. I’d love to come with you, though - they’re fun, I just don’t go to very many.” Her mom would actually be happy if she had more friends, she knew, and it would definitely make her feel like she belonged instead of being the little kid that hung around Quinn and Santana.
"Oh." It sort of made sense that Brittany wasn't invited though. She was a year younger than them and didn't really seem to have much of a social standing. But that could change and Quinn didn't mind helping Brittany become more popular if it meant Santana would like her better and they could stay good friends. "Well, you're cool enough so you can come with me for the next party I'm going to. You can wear the dress you're buying." Quinn smiled at her and then set her stuff on the counter to get ringed up. She pulled her wallet out of her purse to pay for it.
Had Quinn just called her cool? Really? If the smile on her face got any bigger, she was sure it was going to make her cheeks hurt. She briefly pondered whether it could get stuck like that, as her mother had warned her, but decided it didn’t really matter. If it did, there were worse ways for it to get stuck, right? She’d just be smiling all the time. “That sounds awesome,” she bounced on her feet. “I was wondering when I’d get a chance to wear this!” She waited for Quinn to pay and then took her dress to the till and fumbled through her purse for the cash she had tucked into a pocket in the side. “There,” she counted it out - slowly - and smiled at the salesgirl who gave her change. Her dress was put in a nice bag for her, and she draped it over her arm before hurrying after Quinn. “So...” she mused, “what do you wanna do now?”
Quinn definitely noticed that Brittany seemed pleased to be invited along to the party. Quinn wouldn't invite just anyone along, but Brittany was good friends with Santana and she'd look good in the dress she just bought, so Quinn was sure she wouldn't be an embarrassment at any party she'd bring her along to. She paid for her dress and the lip gloss and then took her bag. "It's a perfect party dress," Quinn assured her. She opened her lip gloss and put it on while she waited for Brittany to pay. Once the other girl with through, she led the way out of the store and then handed off Brittany's lip gloss to her. She shrugged. "I dunno. We could go look at some shoes in Macy's. Or check out the make-up counter."
Quinn was being super nice to her, and Brittany reminded herself to find some way to pay her back. She knew she wasn’t popular or anything, not like her and Santana were, and that getting invited to a party was a really nice thing for Quinn to do. She gave herself another reminder too, to ask Santana how to behave when she was invited. She didn’t want to do anything that would make Quinn think she shouldn’t invite her again. She liked shoes, but the idea of make-up was intriguing. “I actually don’t wear much make-up,” she confessed. “Want to go there, and you can tell me what would look good on me?” She was going to soak up all the advice she could - her mother was adamant that she was too young, but Quinn would help her learn what to wear. Then she could wear it to the party.
"You honestly don't need a lot," Quinn told her, raising her chin slightly. She liked feeling like an expert on things. Maybe that's why she did like spending time with Brittany. It made her feel smart and somewhat superior. Quinn didn't often feel that way. She led the way into Macy's and towards the make-up counter. "For, like, school and stuff, you don't want to overdo it on make-up. But going out, you definitely want to have enough on to make your eyes pop and make yourself look really good." She patted the seat at the outside of the make-up counter for Brittany to sit there. The saleswoman knew Quinn and her mother, so she didn't say anything while Quinn took a bit of charge in there.
She was listening carefully. This, unlike school, was stuff she actually needed to know. Don’t wear too much at school - check. More at parties. She didn’t want her eyes to pop, though, that sounded gross - but then, that probably wasn’t what Quinn meant, right? She hoped so, anyway. She took the chair that Quinn indicated, looking briefly at herself in the mirror. She wanted to remember the difference between what she looked like before the makeup and what she looked like after.
Quinn grabbed a bunch of samples and began to apply the make-up to Brittany's face, being careful not to poke her in the eye or anything with eyeliner. "My sister always says that make-up is kind of like icing to the cake. A cake looks good, but it looks better with icing, you know? Like, all decorated and done up." Once she was done with the eyeliner, she moved on to the eye shadow. "I'm putting make-up on for something you'd wear to the party. If you're going to school, you'd wanna use less eyeliner and less eye shadow too. And a different color, probably."
Some of Quinn’s touches tickled, but she willed herself to stay still. She wanted to see how it looked, after all, and if she flinched then it would all be ruined. “A cake definitely looks better with icing,” she agreed. “That makes sense - and just like icing, too much would be bad, right?” she hoped her way of thinking about it made some kind of sense. “Thanks for this, Quinn,” she smiled, anxious to see herself. “What colors would be good for school, then?” she really didn’t have the faintest idea, so any advice was good. She’d probably have to put it on in the bathroom at school in the morning, just so her mom didn’t try and take it away from her, but as long as she knew what she was doing then that wouldn’t be a problem.
"Yes, exactly. Too much icing is bad." Brittany wasn't that dumb. Quinn was pretty sure she just needed things to be explained sort of differently to her. She put away the eye shadow and added some light blush to her cheeks, then got the mascara. "You're welcome." She smiled a little to herself and then had Brittany open her eyes to put the mascara on. "You want lighter colors for the day. Darker colors for at night when you're going out and to a party or something. No crazy colors, of course, and if you're unsure, earth tones are always good." She paused, thinking Brittany would be confused. "Like golds and tans and stuff." She set the make-up down. "What do you think?" she asked Brittany now that she had finished.
“Light during the day, darker at night,” Brittany nodded. “That makes sense.” She was about to ask what earth tones were when Quinn explained it, and she smiled gratefully. She would have felt silly if she had to ask. When she told Brittany she was done, she turned eagerly to the mirror and almost gasped as she saw herself. For the first time, she could actually imagine herself as being grown up. Her eyes looked so pretty, and the makeup really made the dull blue...change, somehow, so that they seemed to be sparkling. Her cheeks had a nice glow, and the mascara made her eyelashes seem bigger. She actually looked pretty, even to her own eyes. She turned back to Quinn with a huge smile. “It looks awesome,” she said enthusiastically. “I had no idea makeup could do all that - you’re, like, a genius!” she leaned forward and gave Quinn a hug. “When we’re over at your house, you’ll have to show me how to put some of this stuff on. What kinds do you think I should buy?”
Quinn watched Brittany's reaction and was happy that Brittany liked it. Quinn hugged the girl back, a little surprised that she was that happy about it. "I'm glad you're happy with the outcome," Quinn told her. "Okay! Um, you should probably buy some mascara and eyeliner, but I have some old eye shadows and stuff I can give you. Not old old. You can still wear them, but I bought new ones so I don't really use them anymore. You can have those if you want them." Quinn bought new make-up all the time.
“Mascara and eyeliner,” Brittany nodded. “Would you really? That’s so nice of you!” This day was turning out pretty fantastic, she thought, and she was glad to have had some alone time with Quinn. The blonde was really super nice, and she’d given Brittany a ton of help learning how to look more grown up. No one would mistake her for a little kid, not anymore. Not even...no, she wasn’t going to go there. It was in the past.
"No problem." She'd just end up throwing her old makeup out anyway so it made sense to offer it to Brittany. Quinn browsed the make-up and picked up an eyeliner and mascara for the other girl. She handed them off to her. "There you go. And once we get some stuff from my house, you'll be all set." Quinn eyed up some eye shadow, considering getting a new color. She chewed her bottom lip.
Brittany just grinned. This was the most fun she’d had shopping in a long time. “Sounds good,” she nodded, standing beside Quinn as she looked over the eye shadow. She couldn’t really offer advice, but she wanted to help if she could, so she took a few of the colors and held them up near the other girl’s eyes. “Hmm,” she frowned. “No, no, maybe...ooh, I like that one!” she held out a dark purple shade. “I know it’s really dark, but I think it’d look really pretty on you.”
"Yeah, I was looking at that one," Quinn told her and picked it up as well as a very dark blue. These would, of course, have to be for when she would go out somewhere. Definitely not for school. "I think I will go with the purple." She put the other one back. "Did you wanna pay for this stuff and then get out of here?" she asked.
Brittany was just happy she’d guessed a color that Quinn liked as well. It made her feel like she was learning something about makeup, and that was pretty neat. “Sounds good,” she nodded, waiting for Quinn to lead her to the till.
Quinn led the way to the cash register and paid for her eye shadow. She stepped aside to let Brittany pay for her own stuff. She took a look around the store. She would have to make her mom come with her sometime to buy her more stuff. She particularly wanted to find a new pair of shoes.
Brittany nodded at the cashier as she totalled her purchases, digging more money from her purse and passing it over. With those purchases in hand as well as her dress, she bounced her way over to Quinn’s side. “Ready to go?” she grinned.
"My mom should be here soon to pick us up," Quinn told her as she led the way out of Macy's. "We can hang out in the arcade or something, I guess, until she gets here. Unless you wanna go somewhere else." She looked over at Brittany.
“Ooh,” Brittany jumped up and down a little. “Arcade sounds awesome. I’ll totally beat the high score at DDR if you want to watch me!” She hoped she didn’t seem too...little kid-like with that, but she loved DDR. A game where you danced? How could be any better?
Quinn wasn't sure what DDR was. Some game, but she didn't really play the games, she mostly just watched boys show off. "Okay," she agreed and tried to figure out which game Brittany was referring to. Guess she would just have to find out when they got there. She entered the arcade first and then stopped, letting Brittany take them to the Dance Dance Revolution game.
Brittany led Quinn deeper into the arcade, back to where the game was standing empty. She could hardly believe her luck - usually there was a lineup, and she had to wait anxiously for her turn. “Aw,” she pouted. “Nobody’s beat my score yet. I guess I’ll have to do it myself.” Setting her bags down next to the machine, she stepped up and dropped in a few quarters from her change purse. She picked the hardest mode, of course, and began to dance. This was her favorite game in the world.
Quinn leaned on the handle on the back of the machine, but then stood up straight as Brittany stepped on. She moved around to the side and looked it over. She had seen someone play once before, but they weren't very good. She usually didn't go very far back into the arcade. "So, you just, like, step on the arrows..." She looked at the screen. "Like when they hit the top there?" They were going kind of fast, though, and there were a lot of arrows. And Brittany was getting "perfect" on nearly all of them. Quinn was impressed.
“Exactly,” Brittany confirmed with a nod, not even looking away from the screen. This game was meant for her. All she had to do was dance. Let the song flow through her and find the rhythm of the steps. The rest was just concentration - don’t lose the beat, don’t lose track of where your feet are. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead, but didn’t bother wiping it away. The song wouldn’t play for much longer anyway, if she remembered right. Sure enough, thirty seconds later it came to an end, revealing that she’d once again taken beaten the high score. “Yay!” she clapped, entering her name and turning to Quinn. “Did you wanna try?”
Quinn watched and was still surprised at how well Brittany did. She really was great at the game. When she finished, Quinn smiled. "Good job, Britt!" she told the other girl. She paused for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah... I don't think I'd be any good."
“Aw, c’mon,” Brittany pleaded. “You can do it - I mean, you’re a cheerleader, right? You can totally handle this. I’ll hold your stuff!” She handed Quinn a couple of quarters. “C’mon,” she insisted with a grin. “You can totally do this.”
"Well... all right," Quinn gave in and handed off her shopping bags to Brittany. She took the quarters and stepped on the machine. She slid the quarters in and made sure she picked the easiest setting. She knew she couldn't do the hardest one. Then, she picked a song that only sounded okay because she had been running out of time. As she started playing the game, she realized it wasn't that hard. She just had to get the timing right with hitting the arrows.
Brittany watched with an excited grin as Quinn began to play. She was, as Brittany had expected, much better than she’d thought. It only took a few seconds before her feet were moving in time and hitting the arrows, and Brittany clapped. “See?” she crowed. “I knew you’d like this if you tried it. I could spend all day playing that.”
Quinn didn't answer Brittany until the song ended. She wanted to stay focused and do a good job. She smiled at the other girl when the song ended. "It was fun," she agreed, but she definitely wouldn't spend all day playing it. "You wanna go again?" Quinn asked and stepped off the machine. She didn't mind watching Brittany play, especially since they'd be leaving soon anyway.
Brittany was actually really impressed with how well Quinn did - for her first time playing it, she looked like she’d practiced a lot. “Sure!” she nodded enthusiastically in reply to Quinn’s question. She’d never turn down another game. Handing everything back to Quinn, she jumped on and threw a couple more quarters in, picking the hardest setting and the hardest song, wanting to tackle it again before she left.
Quinn held all their stuff as she watched Brittany play again. She really was quite incredible at the game. "If they'd have, like, competitions of this, you'd definitely win," Quinn told her. It was probably true. Brittany was seriously crazy good. "So you like to dance a lot then huh?" Quinn knew Brittany danced or something like that, but she never really talked to her about it before.
As far as Brittany knew, there wasn’t any contests for the best DDR player. But she’d totally go into one if there was, because she knew she was pretty good. She hated to sound so proud of herself, but she really was. “I really do,” she wiped the sweat from her forehead as she climbed off of the machine. “I’d dance all day long if I could. I take classes on the weekends, and there’s recitals and stuff, but it never seems like enough. What do you like to do on the weekends?”
"That's cool," Quinn commented. She wondered if that's what Brittany wanted to do then, for the rest of her life. She gave a shrug and handed Brittany's bags back to her. "Um, whatever. Hang out, go to the mall or the movies or, like, go to the spa sometimes too and get my nails done." She began to lead the way out of the arcade. "My mom should be here, like, now."
“That sounds fun too,” Brittany nodded. “My nails are always pretty short, because I just break them when I dance if they’re too long, but I like yours,” she nodded at Quinn’s longer, painted nails. “They’re really pretty.” She gathered her bags at Quinn’s prompting, following her toward the exit. “I had a really good time,” she smiled. “Thanks, Quinn.”
"Mm, yeah, I like my nails how they are. I used to play piano, but stopped because you need short nails to do that," Quinn told her. She smiled at the other girl. "I'm glad. I did too. It was fun. You're kinda cool, Britt."
“I love the piano,” she smiled. “I could never play it, though, I’d forget where my fingers were supposed to be.” She blushed brightly at Quinn’s compliment - she was nowhere near as cool as her or Santana, but hearing that made her happy all the same. “Thanks,” she said shyly. You’re really cool too.”
"It's not that hard once you get the hang of it. It takes a while though, to get that good," she explained. She headed for the doors. "Yeah, I know," Quinn replied to Brittany calling her cool. "That's my mom." She pointed to her mother's car and stepped out of the mall, leading the way to the car.