Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Fox or Ryan Murphy or anything like that. I can promise you that if I did, there would be a lot of shuffling of characters screentime.
A/N: This is a pre-quel to "Born and Raised in a Summer's Haze," taking place at the end of season 2, canon compliant. 2 week period of time, spanning Funeral and New York.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011; 2:30 PM
McKinley High School - Mercedes' Locker
Merely a few days ago, Sam Evans had had the best night of his life. A no pressure, non-date with a girl to junior prom and he had never had so much fun. They had danced like it was nobody's business, laughed and talked and he could have sworn that he had never seen a more beautiful woman anywhere than Mercedes Jones. His head still swam with images of the girl's beautiful smile, the way that pink dress hugged her curves in just the right places, and the sounds of her voice as she belted out ABBA's "Dancing Queen." He knew that he needed to have her in his life all the time, more than just a friend. Suddenly, as though she had jumped out of his thoughts and into the hallway, the girl was in front of him, closing her locker. "Mercedes, wait," he exclaimed, causing the girl to turn on her heel, illuminating her face with her smile as she faced him.
"What's up, Sam?" she asked, almost hesitantly.
Sam's heart sped up to a million miles per hour. He was scared to death for what he was about to do, but he just had to do it. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Well, okay so, I had a great time on Friday and I was wondering-" but he was cut off.
"Guys, come on! We have to get to rehearsal," Kurt said, sliding between the two, grabbing each of them by the arm and dragging them down the hallway.
Mercedes laughed at her best friend, remembering how ecstatic she was to have him back under the same roof. She couldn't help but feel a little bad, though. She really did want to hear what Sam had to say. She glanced across Kurt to the blond, and offered a small smile. He responded with a half-hearted smile, and a nod. It wasn't that imperative anyway. He could wait until later... or tomorrow... Or when he had his courage back.
Sam would have to remember to pick better moments now, considering that Kurt was back.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011; 5:00 PM
McKinley High School, Parking Lot.
After rehearsal, Sam nearly ran out of the school, heading for his truck. It had been a really long day and he just wanted to get home. He had almost reached the door when, "Sam!" The boy whirled around instantly, knowing exactly to whom the voice belonged and cursing himself for being that excited to hear it calling to him. "Wait up!"
He smiled warmly and nodded, acknowledging the beautiful girl walking towards him, setting sun bouncing off of her beautiful Raven hair. "Hey, Mercedes. What's up?"
The girl tugged him into a tight hug. "First, I thought you needed that. You looked a little bit down today." She smiled at him, and continued. "Second, I wanted to apologize on Kurt's behalf and ask what was on your mind earlier."
The boy exhaled, pointedly. There was no escaping it now. "Okay..."
"And finally, I wanted to ask if you might be able to give me a ride home?" She said shyly, adding, "My car's in the shop," as she tugged oh the edge of the bright blue an yellow hoodie she was wearing.
"Absolutely, that's no problem," he said, unlocking the truck and sliding up into the cab. "What do you think of Schue and Jesse's audition ideas?"
"I think they're totally bogus, but I'm not too worried about it because I know that I've got the pipes to knock all the rest of them back." The girl stated, with all of the sass she could muster. After a moment, she folded her arms and sunk down into the seat, a little crestfallen, adding "The only issue I have is the whole Jesse and Rachel history thing because the only advising that he's gonna give her is the way right into his bed."
Sam looked shocked for a moment and then laughed a little. She was so incredibly beautiful, even when she was clearly pissed off. The more he talked to her and got to see the hysterical, emotional, even sometimes insecure side of her, the more he realized that he really could love her. He put his key in the ignition and started the car. "Well, I think that it should just be up to Mr. Schue, honestly," he said, starting a stream of thoughts, not really sure if it was his place to say. "I mean, everyone in there knows that you have the best voice in there."
Mercedes looked at the boy, her brown eyes glittering. "Do you really mean that?"
"Of course I do," Sam replied, realizing what he had just said and blushing a bit. "You know what song I think you could absolutely kill?"
Did he really pay that much attention to her voice to know what song she "could absolutely kill?" "What would that be, Sam?" She was eager to hear.
He smiled and looked ahead, trying not to give away that he had the best idea ever, or that he wanted her to understand the kind of guy that he is without having to butcher the song himself. "Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding."
Mercedes was awestruck. "You know Otis? Damn, blondie got soul."
Sam nodded his head a little, hoping that she'd get the hint.
They drove on for a little while. Mercedes wanted so badly to know what was on the boy's mind earlier. She wanted to know more and more about him the more they spoke. In the days since prom, they hadn't really stopped talking. She had gotten to know a bit about his family's situation and why he moved to Ohio and his real reasons for joining glee club and was now beginning to learn more about him in the little things, his favorite ice cream, what kind of music he really liked, actors he hated, the whole thing. Why couldn't he just tell her? She decided that it was time to just ask. "Sam," she started, "what was it you were trying to ask me before knucklehead got in the way?"
Sam's heart began to race. "Oh... uh... that?" He had to just spit it out. She had asked, after all. "I was... I was wondering what, exactly... you uh... what you thought of me?"
Mercedes blinked rapidly. Was Sam Evans, the beautiful, sweet, perfect guy asking her opinion on him? Why? What was he getting at? This answer had to be diplomatic, and definitely open for interpretation. "I think you're an incredibly sweet guy, and that you have this... light about you that just... makes you almost irresistible." Great job, Cedes. Real diplomatic.
Sam didn't know how to take that. Saying that a guy was sweet usually was a no-go, but at the same time, she had said that he was almost irresistible. That almost would kill him if he didn't know what side he actually fell on. "Well, I was just wondering if, maybe, after the funeral on Friday, you might... possibly... want to go... get a bite to eat or something?"
"Wait... seriously?" The girl couldn't help but express some shock at the whole thing. Was she actually being asked out by Sam? HOLY JESUS! Her first boyfriend was going to be SAM EVANS!
His face fell completely and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Oh, uh... I guess... never mind... I was being..."
"Sam, stop," she giggled, "I want to." She beamed when she saw his eyes light up. He wasn't kidding. "I really just never thought that you would... I..."
"I'd have to be insane not to want you, nga zong oe lor."
"Nga zong oe lor... I'm gonna guess that's na'vi. What does it mean?"
The blond was shocked. "How did you know that was na'vi?"
"I told you I'm almost as big of a nerd as you, I just package myself differently.. She smiled coyly and slid a bit closer to him. "So, nga zong oe lor?"
"I think that can wait." He slid his hand into Mercedes and smiled to himself. All the time in the world.
Friday, May 13, 2011; 6:30 PM
Hover Park
Sam bolted around to the other side, opening the door and offering a hand to Mercedes, helping her down from the truck. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her all day. He knew that saying anything at the funeral would have been wildly inappropriate, but now it was fair game. "You look stunning, Mercedes. You really do," he said, kissing her hand.
She blushed furiously. "Thank you. You look very handsome as well." So, this was really happening. She was going on a date with Sam Evans. She let out a small breath and grabbed the blanket out of the back of his truck.
Sam grabbed the small picnic basket out of the back as well and smiled. Mercedes was going to be so happy. Also, he'd have to thank Stacey again for loaning him her tea party set. "Where do you wanna go?"
"How about..." Mercedes looked around a bit. It would have to be a clear shot west for them to see the sunset. "right here!" She grabbed the boy's hand and tugged him over towards a tree down by the lake.
"Looks perfect," he said, setting down the basket and helping to lay out the quilt. As they placed heavy rocks down on the corners, they both stole glances at the other, neither quite believing that this was happening. Sam reached over to the basket, reached in and pulled out his iPod and speakers. Quickly, he set it to his 'chill' playlist. Not many people got to hear that one, but the occasion really called for it. Next, he pulled the basket a little closer and reached in, pulling out the small snack foods he had brought.
Mercedes let out a raucous laugh, seeing the plethora of grapes, fruit snacks, teddy grahams, string cheese, cheez-its, M&M's and juice boxes. Sam couldn't resist joining in. She was the only girl he knew who actually laughed real, hearty laughs. She didn't shy away and giggle; the girl nearly roared. It was one of the most beautiful parts of her. He reached into the basket and handed her an orange juice box. "Orange is my fave. How did you know?"
"You told me," he said, smiling shyly. "The first day I joined glee, at lunch."
She was dumbfounded. "Sam," she started, "That was, like, months ago. How do you even remember that?"
The boy shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you just remember everything about the people that really matter."
That was it. This boy was too good to be true. She had to admit, though, that she was a little ashamed that she didn't remember more of their conversation. To be honest, she couldn't even remember them talking about juice boxes. How does that become a topic of conversation, anyway?
Time went on. The sun set. The night, still, was illuminated by the moon and it's reflection. Nonetheless, Sam was prepared. He grabbed two candles out of the basket and lit them.
The song wafting from the speakers changed a bit. Mercedes gasped. "I. Love. This. Song."
Chuckling, Sam stood up. "I agree. Adele's got the entire emotional spectrum covered. This one, however," he offered out his hand, "is perfect for tonight. May I have this dance?"
With her entire face lighting up, she took the boy's hand as he helped her off the ground and pulled her in very close, placing his right hand on her hip and keeping her left hand in his.
When the rain is blowing in your face
and the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.
Mercedes stared up at Sam. What had she done to deserve this magnificent man? She had had the best prom ever with him only a week prior and here they were, dancing together under the stars on a beautiful night. Crazy to think how fast things could change.
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
and there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.
"This feels like something out of a movie," Sam thought. "I wonder if she thinks so too... maybe she'll think that I stole the idea from a movie. I didn't! I just thought it would be really amazing and perfect and it is. She looks so beautiful." He brought the girl in a bit closer and leaned down, humming lightly.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong.
The skies cracked open. The rain that had stopped hours ago came back with a vengeance, soaking the pair through. They scrambled to get everything back into the basket and they ran, laughing, back to his truck.
I'd go hungry I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love.
Climbing into the cab, they were both laughing and glancing occasionally at each other. Mercedes shivered, slightly. Sam slid her over closer to him and wrapped his arms around her.
The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet.
Shaking, Sam tickled lightly along Mercedes' neck, finally placing his hand. He moved in slightly, not sure if this was appropriate for a first date, but it seemed so perfect. To his surprise, Mercedes moved in further at his hesitation, initiating the kiss.
I could make you happy make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love.
The song ended and Sam's iPod shut off. Neither of them noticed or cared, they were too engulfed in each other. They pressed themselves closer together, allowing more reach for their hands to roam. Suddenly, minutes later, Mercedes' phone buzzed. It was Kurt. "Where are you?"
A sigh escaped her lips as she mouthed "It's Kurt..." and pressed a finger to Sam's lips. "I'm out, what's up?"
"Well, I just swung by your house to grab you. Rachel's having another emergency rehearsal and wants us all there. She said she tried calling you and you picked up, but all she heard was some rustling and Adele's To Make You Feel My Love."
The girl froze, her face settling into an embarrassed smile as she covered her face. "Oh my God."
"What?" Sam shrugged.
"Who is that in the background, 'Cedes?" Kurt asked, a bit of mischief in his voice.
"Uh, it's Sam." She replied, exhaling and closing her eyes as she curled into a ball. Sam's eyes widened, curiously. What was going on?
"Oh, okay. Tell him I said 'Hi' and if the two of you are together wherever you are, that makes it easier. Just both of you get here ASAP, okay?"
"Sure, I'll tell him, Kurt. Bye." The girl snapped her phone closed and laughed nervously. "So, uh... Apparently Rachel called me at some point in the last couple of minutes."
Sam blanched, "And?"
"And all she heard was noise and the music. I'm gonna take a guess that one of us picked up the phone when our hands were travelling," she giggled, blushing. "However, they are apparently having an 'emergency rehearsal.' I don't know why, if we don't have a set list or music... Maybe we're just going to try and brainstorm for the songs?"
"Maybe," he responded. "Either way, we should probably head over there." Crestfallen, Mercedes agreed. She didn't want to go, she wanted to sit here with Sam all night, but that didn't seem feasible. The pair chattered on pleasantly on their way to Rachel's. When they got there, though, the question came up. "So," Sam started. "I had a really great time with you tonight Mercedes. Do you think, maybe, that you'd want to be my girlfriend?"
Mercedes smiled the biggest, brightest smile he'd seen yet. "Yes, absolutely," she said, flabbergasted. Was this really how it worked? Before they slid out of the truck, she gave him one last, unplanned, kiss.
Saturday, May 14, 2011; 11:53 A.M.
The Lima Bean
It wasn't an odd occurrence to see teenagers coming in and out of the coffee shop at this time of day. It wasn't an odd occurrence to see Kurt and Mercedes going in there at this time of day. As a matter of fact, it was perfectly normal. Every Saturday since Kurt had started at Dalton, they had, barring a few occasions, had their coffee dates to catch up on everything that had happened during the week. What was odd, however, was the fact that Mercedes had, on this particular morning, been locked in a dreamlike state and was hardly acknowledging Kurt at all. "Ced? Hey," Kurt tried again, growing tired of this already. "Mercedes. Are you even going to speak to me? What's going on in your head today, girlie? You've been acting weird since last night. What happened with you and Sam?"
At the sound of her boyfriend's name, Mercedes instantly came to. "Sorry, what? What about Sam?"
All Kurt could do was nod. He knew what was going on now. "So how long have you two been dating?"
"What?" Mercedes didn't know what to do. They didn't necessarily decide whether or not it was okay to tell everyone, but it was only the night before. "How did you know?"
"Darling, your reaction told me everything," he smiled. "You're my best friend. You have been for a long time. I think I should know the general signs of change and what the change is, silly." He took a sip of his coffee, and shook his head a little bit as he thought of what he wanted to ask. Of course he needed every detail, but there were times that, as much as he loved Mercedes, he'd rather skip any thought of boy-girl relationships. "Let's start at the very beginning, which you and I both know is a very good place to start."
Feeling blessed to have a best friend who knew her that well, (and a bit overwhelmed at the thought that he could probably read her mind clearer than she could,) Mercedes started her story. "I don't even know where the beginning is," she confessed. "It's all sort of blurred together. We've been friends for a while, obviously. I'd come around to help him out with school stuff and just to hang out a couple of times with a couple of the other Glee kids, usually at least Quinn or Rachel." She began picking at the cup sleeve and wondered a bit about how Quinn would handle this. It didn't really matter, but she loved the girl dearly and didn't want to put any undue strain on their friendship. "I had never really thought about him that way until we started planning for prom and stuff. He got really excited when Rachel decided to bring Jesse, and I didn't really know why." She paused for a moment. Could she really have been that dense? "Well, as it went on, we had a great time together. He treated me like a princess and he is the storybook prince I've been waiting for since I was a little girl." She smiled a bit, and Kurt nodded slightly, showing that he was still paying attention. "So, he and I continued on for the beginning of this past week like nothing happened. Try a Little Tenderness was actually his idea. He thought that it..." she trailed off into nothing.
"It what, Mercedes?"
"I feel so dumb," she said. It was the truth. "He thought that it would be one that I could knock out of the ball park both vocally and emotionally."
"And he was right, Ced. You did knock it out of the park." He cringed, not really understanding that analogy. Was it even possible for the ball to go out of the park. That seemed impossible, but he was getting off track.
"Yeah, but he's been dropping hints all along, and I didn't see it." She propped her face up on her hand and shook her head a bit. "Anyway, so Wednesday, he had been trying to tell me something all day and we kept getting interrupted." Kurt blushed, knowing that one or two of those instances had been at his hand. "But, I figured I needed a ride home anyway, with my car in the shop, so I'd just ask him and he could tell me then. And when he was taking me home, he asked me what I thought about him and it just... was really adorable. And I told him that I thought he was sweet and nearly irresistible. So, he asked if I might want to go out with him on Friday. Being me, I asked if he was serious." Kurt gave Mercedes a disconcerting look, to which she merely held up her hand. "He sort of got discouraged and he started babbling about how he was being stupid that someone like me could ever go for someone like him. I set him straight, though. I told him that I did want to, I just didn't believe that he would be asking me. So, we started discussing date options, and we settled on yesterday, after Sue's sister's funeral. He wouldn't tell me where we were going. I sort of get, now, that it was dependent on the weather." She saw Kurt grow mildly confused and giggled a bit. "We went on a sunset picnic last night."
Kurt beamed. "So he is gay. I knew it. Blaine owes me $10."
Mercedes pursed her lips and looked anything but amused. "No, he's a gentleman. And he's legitimately everything I can think of to want in a guy."
"This from the girl who wanted me a year ago, and honey, I'm about as gay as they get." Kurt swung his leg up over the other and flicked his hand away.
As this all happened, Mercedes rolled her eyes. What else could she do? He was her best friend and, while he did have a point, she had grown reasonably weary of the constant jibes about that. "Yeah, well, you are just the perfect specimen, aren't you."
Tipping his hat, Kurt said, "That's me."
This conversation wasn't exactly going how she had planned. "Anyway, we talked and had a whole bunch of snack foods that we talked about the very first time we ever spoke, and he even remembered that my favorite juice boxes were the orange ones." Seeing the disdain in his eyes, she reiterated, "yes, juice boxes. Some people's palates don't always need delicate flavors. Well, he had his iPod on some playlist and the last song on it was To Make You Feel My Love. I mentioned how much I loved the song, so we started to dance to it. It was almost like something out of a movie."
"Knowing Sam, it very well could have been, Cedes."
"No, but Kurt, it was... perfect. Even down to the fact that it started to pour so we got absolutely soaked. And then he leaned in to kiss me and chickened out, so I kissed him," she trailed off. "I think that's where Rachel must've called, because my phone was in the pocket of my sweater so one of us must have answered her accidental. I don't even remember it ringing. A few minutes later, you called."
Smiling at his best friend, Kurt had to burst her bubble... Or inflate it, whichever. "Ced, you know that it was every bit of twenty minutes between Rachel calling you and me calling you, right?"
The girl's jaw dropped. Were they going for that long? "Oh my gosh, Kurt... you're kidding, right?"
"Sorry, love," he giggled. "You and Sam were necking for quite some time, there."
Mercedes buried her face in her hands. "Anyway, the only other thing you need to know is that he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes, so now I guess I'm Sam's girlfriend and I have all of these butterflies and... yeah. I guess that's it."
It was kind of funny, to Kurt, that "I guess that's it." was summing up her prattling on for longer than he'd ever heard Mercedes go on about anyone. She was clearly taken with Sam. "So, is this public knowledge?"
"No!" Mercedes exclaimed, a bit louder than she had intended. "I mean, I don't really know but I don't want to take any chances."
"I hear you loud and clear," Kurt said, as he took Mercedes hand. "And, all kidding aside, I really am happy for you. I just have to remember where I put the rough draft of my 'break-her-heart-I-break-your-face' monologue I drew up before I realized that you and Puckerman weren't actually serious," he said, winking so as not to let on that he was being 100% honest.
Sunday, May 15, 2011; 7:09 p.m.
Jones' Residence
With her phone cradled in the crook of her neck, Mercedes continued to pack, not really listening to Rachel as she went on and on about New York, what she was packing, what she planned on doing and everything else. They were leaving tomorrow and they would be gone for almost a week. Even with that realization, Mercedes was nowhere near finished packing and she wanted to make a different phone call than this one from Rachel. "Rach, honey, listen to me, I'm gonna put you on speaker. I need both hands to fold and pack."
Rachel was shocked. "You're not packed yet? I've been packed for weeks. I have all of my clothes organized by color and usage, I have my competition dress and my dinner dress steamed and hanging in my hanging bag and all of my other essentials- writing pad, pencils, rhyming dictionary, throat moistening spray, non-mentholated cough drops, shampoo and conditioner, makeup and the like- in my carry on, each individually wrapped incase something explodes."
"You know Rachel," Mercedes said, rolling her eyes, "I think I should probably just hang up. I really have to get a move on if I'm going to be ready for 6 a.m."
Feeling a bit put out, Rachel replied. "Okay, one last thing, are you driving tomorrow or would you like me to ask Kurt and Finn to pick you up on their way to get me?"
Stopping for a moment, she realized she hadn't even thought about it. "No, I think my parents want to take me, just because they're not used to me going away for long periods of time." She shook her head, assuming this would be the case and remembered one last thing. "Oh, are you going for comfy-travelling or nice-travelling clothes? Schue didn't specify."
"I'm going for nice and comfy. I'm sure you have something that will fit the bill."
"Alright, thanks girl. I'll talk to you in the morning," she said, cutting the conversation off.
Rachel sighed, "In the morning, then. Bye, Mercedes." And with that, the line went dead.
Moving toward her closet and swinging the doors open, Mercedes sighed and leaned against the frame. Slowly, she started shifting through the hangers, trying to find a good dress for the awards ceremony and another nice one for going out. She pulled out a halter dress with a black top, red ribbon around the waist and black and red flowers on a white skirt. She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror, beginning to sway and waltz around like some Disney dream sequence. Humming to herself, she began to pack everything into her suit case. Her room was a hurricane of textiles. She knew she was over packing, but she didn't much care. She didn't know what to expect and she didn't want to be unprepared.
It didn't take very long for her to pack everything into her turquoise and purple suitcase. Then, as she proceeded to lay out her outfit for the next day, she dug her phone out of her pocket and called Sam.
Sam was in a similar situation at the moment. For the most part, all of his clothes were still stuffed in a suitcase, but that wasn't the point. He needed to make sure that everything was clean and ready to go (and that nothing of Stevie or Stacey's had made it into his bag at some point.) When he heard Adele's voice pouring from his phone, he couldn't help but laugh as he picked it up. "Hey, beautiful. What's happening?"
With her heart lodged soundly in her throat, Mercedes responded. "Hey," she started, her smile radiating through the phone, "Nothing really. Just thought I'd see what you were up to."
Sam picked up one of his shirts and made an appalled face as he threw it across the room. "Just finishing up my packing."
"I just finished mine," she said, perching herself on top of her suitcase, trying to zip the whole thing closed. "So, are you excited for this week?"
He leaned back against the foot of the bed and smiled. "Are you kidding? A week with you - away from Lima. Why wouldn't I be excited?"
Letting herself absorb every word he said, she smiled. She ran her fingers through the dust ruffle on her bed. "I'm excited, too." She took a deep breath and just decided to ask the question that had been looming on her mind since she told Kurt the day before. "Well, I have a question for you."
"Anything."
"Are we going to tell people that we're together, or should we wait it out? I don't know how this works and..."
The blond cut her to the chase. "I think we should let people figure it out on their own. I don't think we should be any more or less than we want to be. Let them come to us," he said, chucking a pair of jeans with some sort of unnamed substance - perhaps mustard? - off to the wash pile. "That way, we're not rubbing it in anyone's faces. It's not really anyone else's business, anyway."
Relationships were a very personal thing for him, and she knew that. She smiled a bit. Maybe she wouldn't tell him that she had already told Kurt. This probably wasn't a great move on Mercedes' part, but she didn't really much care. Sam would understand. Kurt was her best friend, did he really expect her to keep things like this from him? "Well, if that's the case, then how're we going to excuse our running around Manhattan together, because I've got news for you. I have every intention of exploring that city on your arm."
"Well, we'll have to figure that out then, won't we." He thought for a moment. "When we're all out together, that won't be a problem, but I very much want to spend some alone time with you. I actually have a few things in mind."
"Oh, do you now? Like what," she asked, lips curling into a curious grin.
Sam stood up and began putting his dirty clothes into a bag so he could take them down to the washing machine. "You'll see," he said as he slid a few quarters into his pocket and began walking to where the motel's laundry area was. "I think you liked my first idea, so I've got a whole bunch more."
He was right about that. She really loved his first idea. She had no idea where this guy came from, but she didn't ever want him to leave again. "Alright, blondie, I trust you."
Trust. That was one thing he didn't expect to come so fast. He was thoroughly prepared to have to work non-stop to earn that. He was so used to his girlfriends not telling him things and keeping him at bay that he just thought that that was how the girls were around here. "Seriously?"
"Of course," she responded. Not really getting it, until after a moment, "Sam, you know I'm nothing like Quinn or Santana, right? I'm not going to hurt you."
Man, this girl was good. Even without seeing his face, she knew what he was thinking. For what he was thinking, though, he was a bit ashamed. "I know, nga zong oe lor. I know."
It was such a shame how badly this boy had been hurt. As she boosted herself up off of the suitcase, she tried to figure out what "nga zong oe lor" meant. She had tried looking it up on google before, but all she could come up with was that it was, in fact, na'vi. He was too cute. She decided that, for now, she'd let it go. She laid down on her bed and pulled herself under the covers. They both needed some sleep before their early flight. "Sam," she started.
"Mhm," he responded, trying not to let on that he had just slammed his little finger into the door of the washing machine.
"How are you getting to the airport tomorrow?"
"I'm probably going to drive. Why," he asked, rubbing the tip of his finger.
Mercedes blushed a bit. "Well, I actually don't know how I'm getting there. Do you think that-"
"I'll be by to pick you up at ... we're meeting at the airport at 6, so ... how's quarter of 5?" He asked, not letting her finish at all. He actually wanted to spend the drive with her, anyway, but didn't want to pressure her into it.
Shocked by the instant decision, she stammered, "Uh, okay, sure. That sounds great."
Smiling from ear to ear, Sam moved to sit on top of the washing machine. "So..."
The silence rang out as crisp as the yawn Mercedes released. "I'm tired. I should probably get some sleep so I don't have to be dragged out of bed in the morning."
Sam grinned, imagining a sleepy Mercedes curled up in a ball. "Good night, beautiful. And sweet dreams."