Mike shuffled into the music room at McKinley High with a saddened look on his face. He had been dating Brittany for a while, and she broke up with him for reasons unknown. That's the last time he dates a cheerleader, he thought to himself. But that's not why he was sad. As he walked into the Glee meeting, he saw Brittany with her new boyfriend. He didn't really miss her, per se, but he hated being lonely. Not only that, but SHE had broken up with HIM. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The relationship had its flaws, its true. They wouldn't have lasted anyways. But now that he knew she left him for somebody else, he was angry. Not at her, but at himself. He wasn't good enough, he thought. If she left him for Puck, there was something he was missing. What is it? I'm good looking, I'm on the football team, I can sing, I can dance, and I'm a pretty good kisser. He had to admit, Puck is a bit better at all of those, but it's personality that counts, isn't it? It seemed to him that Puck was only dating her to get into her pants, and that's not what Mike was after at all. Yeah, making out was great, but if sex is all a relationship is, you don't even get to know the person. Maybe he was overthinking it. He tried to get himself prepared for Glee. The girls were performing a song, and the guys had to comment on how to improve. All throughout the performance, Mike was thinking of Brittany and Puck. He couldn't get her out of his head. Before he knew it, the song was over, and he didn't have a thing written down. He looked up to see if he could catch anything needing improvement before they performed again. Mr. Schue said the first time you see something, you listen to the lyrics and notes. The second time, the choreography and body language. He tried to focus on the dancing, which was pretty good. He caught Mercedes looking at him in a weird way a couple of times, but he didn't think much of it. He wrote down a couple of things so that he could think. His eyes kept drifting to Mercedes, which got him to thinking. She's single, right? She has an amazing voice, and she was looking over at Mike earlier...He thought he felt a little something in his stomach when their eyes met, but it was too early for him to decide whether or not he had feelings for her.
After class, Mike cornered Rachel. He assumed Mercedes would talk to someone if she had feelings for him. He was correct, but Rachel knew nothing. Same from Tina and Quinn. It wasn't until he heard the unmistakable voice of Kurt that he thought she'd talk to him. Kurt did know something, but of course, wouldn't tell. After much persuading, Kurt relented. Apparently, Mercedes had mentioned that she sort of liked Mike, but that he couldn't say anything. Mike promises to keep it quiet, and walked to his car feeling pretty good about himself, but he knew the worst thing to do would be to rush into things so soon. Asking a girl out right after you determine you like her often doesn't go well. He pestered Kurt some more when he got home, but Kurt didn't know any more. Mercedes only mentioned Mike once.
*two weeks later*
Two uneventful weeks had gone by since the girls performed, and he occasionally caught Mercedes looking over at him during Glee. She smiled when their eyes met, and he smiled back. Schue asked if there was something funny, and they both denied it. Tomorrow, the guys would perform. Mike didn't have time to worry about girls tonight. He had to practice his moves. He went to bed around 3 in the morning, but went to school bright awake. He had kept a little Vitamin D from Terri's nurse escapade. He only used it when he didn't get enough sleep. The day went by slowly, and when Glee came along, he was ready to go. The guys had agreed to give him a little dancing solo, and he rocked it. He had selected his best moves to try and impress Mercedes, and maybe make Brittany a bit jealous. When they got the anonymous suggestions from the girls, one of them said more dancing for Mike. He recognized the handwriting as Mercedes. He supposed now was as good as ever, and approached Mercedes after class. "Hey, Mercedes. How'd you like to go see a movie this Friday?" Mike asked nervously. Wow, really? A movie? That's it? He thought. Well, what's done is done. He bounced on his heels as he waited for a response.