Disclaimer: I own nothing Glee related.
A/N: All of ND were seniors in this fic. Everything happened as it did in past seasons of the show, and as the story progresses we'll find out more and more about what happened in their senior year, since this starts with freshmen year of college.
Not new to fan fiction, but I am new to Glee ff, so I hope I can do it justice!
Chapter 1: New directions for New Directions
Mercedes POV
Hey Diva! How's move in day?Mercedes read the text message from Kurt.
She smiled imagining the excitement he would have for her landing her dream college. She'd always wanted to go to Oberlin College and Conservatory. It was close to home, but far enough away that the label Lima loser would never apply to her. This school satisfied her need for music and her parents' need for her to have a backup plan. Mercedes already had her fields of study mapped out. She always knew if she got in, the double major route would be for her. She was a Psychology and Vocal Studies major.
She quickly replied back to her friend. Just moved in, parents finally gone and Dad's not happy about my roommies!
I thought they liked Tina!
I didn't tell you? Puck n Art are here 2! He loves T. It's Puck and Art he don't trust!
You sure it's not just Puck?
While her family was helping her move in, she tried not to bust a gut laughing as the vein in her father's neck kept bulging from time to time. He was really trying to let her grow up and realize that now she was an adult. Puck was the one that was trying her father's patience with his little nicknames for her. Sexy Mama and Hot Mama and just Mama were not nicknames that would win over her father's trust of their living situation, even if he didn't know there was no possibility that Puck would even be the slightest bit interested in her. Even if he were, her heart was foolishly holding out for someone else. Before she could think the name, she shook the thought out of her head and replied to Kurt.
Lol True! How's NY, Blaine, and crazy…I mean Berry? They had all wound up at the Manhattan School of Music together.
NY is DELIGHTFUL! Blaine is wonderful as always. We're roommies! Rach got stuck with a Quinn-Twin.
She had to laugh. Quinn-twin…wtf is that? U and B…big step!
Blonde, blue eyes, witch with a B = Quinn-Twin…Rachel's words not mine! We'd rather live w/each othr than strngrs! So we're cool. Not much of a step, just a well thought out arrangement.
She rolled her eyes at that last text. Mercedes knew two things. 1, Kurt and Blaine were living together, which could either make or break their relationship, and 2, Kurt was in denial about the enormity of that particular situation.
Keep me posted!
Same for you, Diva! Love you & miss you!
Love you and miss you too!
Mercedes tucked her phone away, and walked back into the East Hall building. She had been outside, hugging her parents and seeing them off, but they had since been long gone. Mercedes was just standing in the parking lot, taking in the scenery of what would be her new home for quite a few of the years to come. While she couldn't believe Kurt's living condition, she had an iffy one of her own. She had to coexist with Puck, Artie, and Tina. She wasn't so sure how this would go, but she thanked God they all had separate rooms, and only shared the living room and the kitchen space. It was like an apartment except that they only had a mini microwave and no stove. They had a regular sized refrigerator though. There were two rooms and a bathroom on each side with the living room separating them. Another wonderful thing about this dorm room was that each side had a door so that they could shut off their side of the hall if they'd like. That particular knowledge helped her breathe easier, thinking that she could walk around in her towel on her side of the dorm without the guys seeing her.
The walk to her door was short because the co-ed floor was the first floor. She felt so lucky that Oberlin had a few buildings with wings and floors with the option of co-ed living upon request. The group had come to the agreement that living together would be best, so that they wouldn't end up with strangers. She understood where Kurt was coming from, but the difference was neither of the four of them were dating. She used her key and walked in, it already seemed like home. Puck and Artie were in the living room playing Call of Duty. She noted that the only thing they seemed to really unpack was the TV and the game systems. When she walked past Puck, she popped him upside the head.
He turned then with a frown. "What was that for, Hot Mama?"
Her eyes narrowed on him and she was fighting a smile at his bewildered look. "You know what it was for, Noah Puckerman! Trying to play me in front of my daddy like that! You must be out your mind!" She ranted with her hands on her hips, giving him as much divatude as she could muster.
"I wasn't trying to play you. I was just being honest. You are fine as hell, and even Dr. Jones knows it. That's why when you and your mom went outside, he stayed back to talk to me and Artie about looking after you," Puck admitted.
Mercedes had to look to Artie for reassurance. She couldn't believe her father had asked them to look after her. She wasn't mad; she just didn't know what to think. It meant that although he put up an angry front, he really did trust the guys. "He cares about you, 'Cedes, and he knows we do too," Artie paused the game to look at her and make sure she knew it.
She smiled, walking over to place a kiss on his cheek. She then did the same for Puck. Artie just blush a little in response, but Puck had to be Puck. "If I had known I would be getting Sexy Mama lip action, I would have told you I cared about you a long time ago."
Mercedes punched him in the shoulder, shaking her head and making her way to her room. Tina's door was open, and she waved at her to let her know she was back. Tina was sprawled across her bed on the phone with Mike, Mercedes guessed. She knew there would be plenty of long nights filled with girl talk and ice cream ahead of them with Mike being at the University of Michigan and Tina being all the way in Ohio. She hoped things worked out for them, but then again, maybe she wasn't the best to talk to about long distance relationships. Mercedes tended to have one grave outlook on the end result of those.
As she reached her room and closed her door, she let out a heavy sigh. "Look where that outlook got you, girl," she said to herself. Running her hands through her now natural hair, she sank down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had finally taken her 'Born This Way' T-shirt to heart. Her hair was now all natural. No weave, no relaxers, and no harmful chemicals would wreck Mercedes's beautiful chin length kinky curls.
She laid in bed and read over her text conversation with Kurt once more. Mercedes missed her friend. He was too far away from her, and they barely talked. She hadn't heard his excited voice in over two weeks. Kurt was the second man that had a special place in her heart that she seemed to be missing, the first being Sam. Their time together had been so short. Prom opened their eyes to friendship, and at the end of May, they had blossomed into something more. Mercedes had four blissful weeks to be Sam's girlfriend, but as June ended so did their time together. As soon as July first reared its ugly head, they were done for.
Her phone woke her up with the sounds of the corny Justin Bieber song 'Baby', playing next to her head. She knew it was Sam, and she couldn't be mad that he was waking her up at –she looked at the clock – three a.m.
"Kaltxì," she answered the phone sleepily. Over the summer Sam had taught her a little Na'vi, and she loved the smile that broke across his face when he actually had someone to speak the language with.
"We need to talk. I'll be there'n fifteen minutes," his voice sounded odd, and she knew it had to be serious if Sam had passed up the opportunity to speak his beloved made up language with her.
"Sam, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting straight up in bed.
"I'll be there soon, Mercy. I'll tell ya then."
After he hung up, she put on some sweats and prepared to sneak out the front door to meet Sam. She'd waited nervously, pacing the yard. Mercedes couldn't imagine what he could possibly have to say at this hour in the morning. The only time people said 'we need to talk' was when they were breaking up with you, and she knew Sam was a better person than to wake her up to break up with her because a beat down would be coming his way. You don't interrupt a diva's beauty sleep for foolishness.
She saw him jogging up the street and she met him in the driveway. Sam's eyes looked troubled and he looked like he'd been crying. Both his hands went on each side of her face and he kissed her hard, and for a long moment, Mercedes forgot that he was here to deliver some bad news. His lips tended to have that effect on her every time they kissed. When their kiss was broken, he was looking deep into her eyes with their foreheads touching and Mercedes saw tears falling down his cheeks.
"Sammy, what is it?" she asked, her voice cracking at just the sight of him in pain.
He shook his head and closed his eyes before saying, "We're movin'."
"Out of the motel?" was her first guess and he laughed humorlessly.
"Out of the motel and out of the state. We're goin' back to Tennessee. My mom got a job offer, and we're movin' in with my grandparents. My life is a mess and I can't even have the one good thing I've been blessed with."
"Sam," was all she could say before tears of her own began to fall.
"Mercy, I don't wanna leave you. I can't love you yet. It's too soon, but we were gettin' there," he practically whined.
Mercedes understood. She felt the same way. They were getting there, and all they'd have to do was face their friends, the whispers and the slushies for their upcoming senior year. Now they would have to face worse. Distance. As she looked at her boyfriend, the insecurities started to set in. They had only been together for a month. Had that really been long enough to continue a relationship solely based on phone conversations and letters? Dear John ended badly, and Mercedes knew this would too. Sam had steadily been talking while she was in her own mind.
"I'll call and write as much as I can. When I get a little money saved up, I'll even buy a cell phone so I can text you anytime. Mercy, this doesn't have to be goodbye, baby. I told you from the start, I'm in it for the long haul." His voice sounded determined and his eyes pleading. He was practically willing her to believe that it could work. "It's only for a little while, and then we'll have college. We can do that together, right?"
Mercedes couldn't see how Sam could possibly stay faithful to her when she wasn't even around to remind him that they were together. Out of sight out of mind, she believed. She knew there would be much hotter girls than her, flaunting themselves in front of the new, hot, blonde. She had seen it happen at McKinley when he first arrived, and after the 'shiny new toy' admiration wore off, they were still throwing themselves at him. She couldn't do it.
"I can't do that," she admitted.
"Merce, please," he begged.
"It would tear me apart, always wondering where you where, what you were doing, and who you were doing. I can't put myself through that. I can't put you through that. I don't want to be that girl, Sam." It was killing her to see the pain on his face and know that she had caused it.
"Wait, so you think I'm that kind of guy? Have I given you any indication that I have a wanderin' eye?" Instead of sad, he was angry now. Mercedes could tell.
She'd finally let go of the insecurities she'd been holding in for weeks. "Other than the fact that you dated Quinn and Santana? Do I need another reason to think I wouldn't be enough?"
Sam walked away from her with his back turned, pacing. "I came over here prepared to tell you I was willin' to fight distance to be with you. Who knew I would end up fightin' you? But you already have it in your mind that it won't work. You won't even try."
She was in agony at having to do this to him, and the funny thing was she had always thought it would be him breaking up with her. "Sam, if we try and we mess up, we'll –"
"No," he interrupted her. "You already said you believed I'd be the one to mess up." She couldn't believe he wanted to hear her say it.
She took a shaky breath. "If you mess up, you're going to hurt me. I can't allow myself to be hurt. I'm sorry."
That was when he turned to look at her, and she really wished he hadn't. His eyes were cold and his face hard. "But you can allow yourself to hurt me?" He didn't linger, turning and running back the way he'd came.
That had been the last time she'd seen Sam Evans. A week after school started, she got a letter from him. And it read: Saw the JBI interview. Nice to know 'So June' is how you think of me. Hope your new boyfriend treats you right. – Sam
Mercedes didn't have the heart to reply. She was just keeping up an appearance. Never let them see the diva crack was her mantra. If she was hurting there was no use in moping around. Sam was gone. "On to the next one," she'd told herself. She never imagined he would have seen the video.
She wondered where he was now, and if the small favor she did for him had paid off. He wouldn't know it was her, seeing as she hadn't talked to him in exactly and year and a month. Her thoughts were cut short by a short knock on the door, followed by Puck just walking in.
"Sexy Mama, are you crying?"
She hadn't realized that she was until she wiped the tears away. "Is it Shane?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "Cause I'll find him and kick his ass if he's calling you again."
"No. I haven't talked to him since the break up. It's nothing can we drop it?"
"For now," Puck challenged. "But I came in because me and Artie about to roll out. He has to go console his girl because she's about to open a can of whoop ass on her roommate. If you check your texts you'd know what I mean."
She picked up her phone then, seeing the text from Quinn. Kill me now! My roommate is a Berry –Bot!
Sam's POV
Sam couldn't believe his luck as he stepped off the bus with his two suitcases, heading toward his dorm. He never would have thought he would be able to say he'd had a place in college. He knew his being here had less to do with his luck than his Mercy. He and Mercedes had broken up a year and a month ago, but he still considered her his. Even when he was mad as hell at her stupidity, he still thought her as his stupid girl. Even after he'd seen the JBI report where she dismissed their month together, he couldn't bring himself to forget her. He knew she hadn't forgotten him either. The whole thing with her 'new man' was a fake. Sam had been willing to bet Mercedes hadn't even liked the guy that much. He was just a rebound.
Why was Sam Evans so sure that Mercedes Jones still thought about him? He wasn't. It was just something he told himself to keep from spiraling back into the dark period of his life months following the move.
He had been horrible to his sister and brother. He wouldn't sing to them anymore. Hell, hadn't sang a word since he left Ohio. He wouldn't play with them, and he'd barely talk to anyone. When he did talk, that bitter tone was always there. He'd have rather lived in the motel and stayed with his Mercy than moved all the way there. Either way he still had to work. At least now, his wouldn't be the sole income keeping the family afloat. He just had to help out with the groceries because now his grandparents had plenty of mouths to feed.
After the start of school things really took a turn for the worse. He'd seen that video and sent Mercy that letter out sheer bitterness. He hadn't really hoped for all the best for her and her new 'boo'. He hoped it wouldn't work out. Sam didn't want Mercedes to be hurt physically. He just wanted her to feel what it felt like to be hurt by someone you could almost love. That letter was the last he'd sent to her. It was the last tie he'd had with anyone from McKinley. He planned to forget them all, seeing as he would never see any of them again.
At his new school, he decided to let the girls play with the 'shiny new toy', but he didn't want them for more than a night. He didn't want anyone for any consecutive amount of time. Mercy was all he wanted, and he was sure he would never want anything else in life as badly as he'd wanted to be with Mercedes. The turning point in his life came around December.
"Sam," his mother called.
"What?" he yelled from upstairs, knowing irritation was in his voice. He didn't care though. His family knew he just needed time to get over Mercedes, so they ignored his bitterness and irritation for the most part.
"You've got a package!"
He came bounding down the stairs, not really knowing what to expect because he hadn't ordered anything. She was holding a manila envelope out to him and he grabbed it. The outside of it was addressed to him and in the corner it read Oberlin College and Conservatory. Curiously he opened it, pulling out a booklet and a letter. He had to read it twice before he could say anything.
"I got into a college that I didn't even apply to."
"What?" his mom asked, bewildered.
"Not only that, Mama. I got a full scholarship due to my excellence in composition abilities."
"There must be some mistake, Sammy. If you didn't apply…"
Sam thought long and hard about the last line. The only person that had heard his original stuff was the person the songs were about. "Mercy," he said. Mercedes had submitted his songs that he had written about her, for her. She had enough faith in him that she believed he would get into Oberlin. He knew the application fee had cost a pretty penny itself, and she'd paid it for him.
Negative Sam had reared his ugly head, not letting him get too excited about Mercedes's selfless act. She probably felt guilty because she'd practically kicked him when he was down. Sam wasn't a fool. He wouldn't bite the hand that fed him this wonderful opportunity. He just wouldn't go out of his way to shake it either.
He stayed true to that. He hadn't contacted Mercedes to say thank you. Sam wasn't ungrateful. He just didn't know exactly how he would react if he saw her. As much as he tries to fool himself, he knew even after a year he was still hurt and angry. Mentally, he wanted to be in a better place but he wasn't. Physically, he was in a better place. He was back in Ohio, and heading toward the place he would be calling home. He would reside in North Hall on the third floor. As he'd hopped off the elevator, he was greeted with a banner in the middle of the hall. It simply read:Zola'u nìprrte. That's when Sam knew he would love this place. The third floor was the sci-fi wing. He nearly fan-girled out when he'd read that in the brochure and all the money he'd managed to saved up went to his housing application so that he could actually get it in early and get on this floor.
He was a sci-fi nerd and he was going to be among others like himself. He was also planning on studying Astronomy and Composition in a double major. There would be no sports for him, unless they were intramurals. Sam had vowed to just be his dorky self for once in his life. He would be the person that Mercy had gotten to see for four weeks. In that brief time it had felt nice to just be himself. He'd let his hair go back to its normal dark brown color, and he'd cut it short. He looked at this as a fresh start to a new life. This could be a life where he let go of some of the bitterness surrounding his non relationship with not his Mercy.
Walking into his room, he realized he was the first to arrive. He plopped down on one of the beds in the room and decided to just unpack while he had the free time. He would start working tomorrow and all of his time would then be devoted to work and studying. As he unpacked his last suitcase, he found his McKinley letterman jacket. It reminded him not of McKinley High, but of Mercedes and how he'd wished he'd gotten the opportunity to just be with her their last year in school. He missed everything about her. He loved her laugh and the way she always covered her mouth because she laughed so loud. He missed her dimpled smile, and the way she'd roll her eyes when he went into 'geek speak' as she called it. Even though she knew what he was talking about and even had some 'geek speak' of her own. He just missed having that one friend that didn't judge you and knew so much about you that she understood you.
As his thoughts turned sad, the door opened and light skinned black guy walked into the room. "Hey," the boy greeted him.
"Hey," Sam replied before picking up his jacket and tossing it in the closet.
This didn't go unnoticed by his new roommate. "Dude!" he exclaimed. "You went to McKinley?"
"Yeah for a year," Sam answered with a frown.
"What's your name? I don't think I've ever met you, but I'm Matt. Matt Rutherford."
Instantly Sam knew who he was. "I'm Sam Evans. I came in the year you left. The kids in Glee talked about you a lot though, and you were missed on the football team too."
"You played football and did Glee club…nice!"
Matt and Sam spent the next hour talking about the year he missed in Glee. When he noticed that Sam had left out Mercedes, he asked about her. Sam cringed inwardly because he hadn't actually talked about her since December. He wasn't truly sure he could even say her name without pangs of heart ache. Sam took a deep breath. "Mercy and I dated for a little while."
"You used the past tense…" He was waiting expectantly for Sam to elaborate.
He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
Matt just nodded. "Well, I think we got lucky, because I think we're going to get along fine. That is if you like Avatar…"
Sam smiled for the first time in months. "Like it? It's my favorite movie!"
As if this wasn't enough for Sam to realize he was in the right place, they received a knock on the door. "Hi, I'm David, your Resident Assistant for the year. We're having a community building event tonight as a welcome. We'll be watching Avatar to kick things off. I hope to see you guys there."
When the door shut, Sam couldn't help himself as his smile grew and he said, "Hell yes! I'm home!"
Thanks for reading! I hope you like it. Definitely let me know what you think, whether it's interesting enough to continue or not!
Na'vi translations: Zola'u nìprrte – welcome (literally Pleasantly come)
Kaltxì - hello