𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 | s. lopez

All Or Nothing

"Guys, I have finalized our set-list," said Mr. Schue. "We're going with I Love It by Icona Pop, Hall Of Fame by The Script and will.i.am, and Marley's original song All Or Nothing."

"Hey, Mr. Schue, what about my original song?" asked Brittany as she walked into the room. "Do you remember?"

"My cup, my cup. Sayin' what's up? To my cup, my cup," Artie and Juniper sang along with her.

"That song was iconic," said Juniper, high-fiving Brittany.

"'My Cup' is one of a kind, but we're going with Marley's song," said Mr. Schue.

"Oh, come on. Boo. Two thumbs down," said Brittany. "The only way to polish that turd of a song is with my angelic alto voice. So, I demand to sing it as a solo. And I demand to sing all the good songs as solos. Everyone can snap their fingers and march around behind me. Tina, please make an exact replica of Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar dress."

"Um, no," said Tina.

"Um, yes," replied Brittany. "Let me break it down. No one in this musty choir room compares to my megawatt star power. Blaine, you're shorter than you're average lawn gnome. Joe, you look like a Yucatan spider monkey. Sam, your mouth is huge and 10 times bigger than your face. Tina is- you're just- you're Tina."

"Are you gonna let her talk to us like that?" Sam asked Juniper.

"Yeah, she is because she's probably drunk out of her mind and can't even process what's happening right now," said Brittany.

Juniper's jaw dropped.

"I haven't had a drink in 3 weeks," said the younger girl.

"I didn't ask," said Brittany. "Moving on. I repeat. I require all the solos. That's just the way it's gonna be."

"Brittany, why are you doing this?" asked Mr. Schue.

"Well, I'm just living your lesson, Mr. Schue. It's all or nothing," she replied and walked out the door. "All or nothing!"

****

After looking around for a while, Juniper found Brittany in the auditorium.

"Britt, what's going on with you?" the younger girl asked as she sat down next to her.

"I have to leave," the blonde mumbled sadly. "And we have to break up."

"What do you mean 'leave?' And what do you mean 'break up?'"

"I got into MIT. And they need me there immediately."

"What? Brittany, that's incredible," said Juniper.

"I know it is, but I don't want to leave you," said the older girl, her blue eyes filling with tears.

"Britt, you'll never really leave me," said the brunette. "I'm gonna be with you wherever you go. Even if we're not together, I'll still be with you in spirit."

"You sure you're gonna be okay without me?"

"I will be. Don't worry. This is a huge opportunity for you. I'll be okay."

"I'm really gonna miss you," Brittany sobbed as she hugged Juniper.

"I'm gonna miss you too," said the younger girl, biting her lip to keep from crying. She's not sad because she's losing her girlfriend, but because she's losing her best friend. With everything that she's been through in the last four years, Brittany has always been there.

Someone cleared their throat. Brittany and Juniper pulled out of the hug and turned to see Santana.

"Sorry I didn't give you a heads up, but Sam called and said I should come here," said the Latina.

"I'm really glad you did," said Juniper, the tears she was fighting spilling out of her brown eyes as she stood up to hug Santana, melting into the familiar feeling of being wrapped in her arms.

****

"Before we go on stage I have something I want to tell you guys," said Brittany the night of regionals. "I got offered early admission to MIT. I never thought that I would graduate high school, let alone go to college, so I have to jump on this offer before it gets taken away. They want me to leave immediately. That's why I had that meltdown. Um... my entire life, people have always told me that I was stupid. And after a while I started to believe them. And it wasn't until I walked into this room and I joined this club that I really started believing in myself. And as soon as I did that, as soon as I started believing that maybe I was smart after all, I think the whole world did too. And I'm really gonna miss you guys. Because you guys are like my family. Mr. Schue's like our dad."

Everyone laughed and Juniper wiped a tear off of her face.

"Mercedes and Tina and Sugar and Mercedes," she said, referring to Unique. "You guys are all like my sisters. And Mike Chang and Blaine and Kurt and Finn and Joe, you guys are all like my brothers. And Artie. You're like the boy next door who builds robots in his basement and who I take his virginity. And Jake and Marley and Ryder and Kitty. You guys are all like the foster kids who come to live with us when the orphanage closes. And who we don't trust at first but we grow to love, just like we do our pets. And then there's Sam. The cute boy from the wrong side of the tracks who does good impressions," she walked up and gave him a hug. "I love you so much, Sam."

"I love you too, Brittany," said Sam.

"And then Juniper," Brittany said, turning to the brunette. "You're the girl who tries to act all tough, but really she just needs cuddles. And chocolate. You're the girl who had a rough past and has trouble trusting people, but as soon as you're comfortable around them you become... this light that guides us through the darkness. And I love you so much."

"I love you too, Britt," Juniper choked out through the tears as the older girl hugged her.

"I'm really gonna miss you," Brittany whispered.

"I'm gonna miss you too."

After a few moments, the blonde pulled away and turned to Santana.

"And then there's Santana," Brittany said as she hugged her.

"You don't have to say anything, Brittany," said the Latina.

"Okay," said the blonde. After a moment they pulled out of the hug. "No more. Show circle."

Everyone put their hands in the middle and shouted, "Aaaamazing!"

****

sugar being a total mood ^^^

****

"And first place goes to McKinley High New Directions!" said the announcer.

Everyone screamed and went to get the trophy. Juniper turned to Brittany, who pulled her into one last hug.

****

Juniper went to the bathroom and changed from her regionals dress into the extra clothes she had brought with her. When she left the bathroom, she saw Santana leaning up against the row of lockers.

"Hey," said the Latina.

"Hi... um-"

"Do you want to come to New York with me for a while?" Santana asked, cutting the younger girl off. "I-I mean, you know, it's... it's not like your gonna miss anything here anyway and- and I need someone to keep me sane with Lady Hummel and Yentl and-"

"You're such an idiot," Juniper chuckled. "I need to get away from Mr. Pedo anyway. So, yes. I'll go with you to New York."

It was all or nothing.