No matter how many times it happened, Mercedes could never quite get over the feeling of humiliation whenever a slushie was thrown in her face and this time was no exception. She had always seen herself as someone who was strong and could deal with confrontation; the slushie facials were different, they were personal.
"Merry Christmas loser", Azimio sneered, as he threw the themed Christmas slushie in his targets face. The green slushie dripped down Mercedes face and onto her shirt. That was definitely going to leave a stain.
When Kurt was still going to McKinley, at least she had someone to talk to, someone who understood how it felt to be judged by who you are. Now that he was gone to Dalton, the sting of slushies in her face was even worse. What hurt even more was that no one seemed to care; it was always passed off as something meant to be funny and playful but Mercedes knew the meaning behind it. Azimio and Karofsky made it their mission to let the glee club know that they were considered the bottom of the school hierarchy.
To avoid further humiliation, Mercedes made her way to the nearest bathroom. As she looked at herself in the mirror, hot tears began to fall. It hurt so much more when Kurt wasn't there to comfort her and help her clean up.
"I thought you could use some help", said a voice from behind her. Mercedes turned around quickly to find Noah Puckerman standing behind her, holding out a towel.
"Since when did you start caring whether I needed help or not", Mercedes replied back quickly "What are you even doing in here, this is the girls bathroom?"
Puck gave his typical smirk and leaned against on of the sinks. They had dated earlier that year but the idea that Puck cared if she was alright confused her. Their relationship had been about mutual gain at least that was what she had thought.
"Mama, just because we broke up it doesn't mean that I don't still care about you", shrugged Puck.
Mercedes looked at Puck warily before accepting the towel from him and began to wipe the slushie from her face. She never knew what to think about Puck ever since they broke up; he was still nice to her and she sometimes felt that there could have been more between them.
"I'm just surprised that someone actually noticed", began Mercedes somewhat sarcastically, "No one at this damn school ever cares when one of us losers gets a slushie facial".
"Well I noticed and I care alright", responded Puck as he shifted his weight and looked down at his feet.
"If I ask you a question, do you promise to tell me the truth?" asked Mercedes hesitantly.
"Yeah sure, shoot." replied Puck, looking at Mercedes questioningly. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on in her head right but he knew that he cared enough to find out.
Mercedes paused before she asked, "If I hadn't of broken up with you when I quit the Cheerios, what would you have done?"
Puck looked up, surprised by what Mercedes had asked. He hadn't expected that question at all and wasn't exactly sure how to answer it. Mercedes fidgeted nervously and looked everywhere other than at Puck when the silence lasted longer than she would have prefered.
"It kinda bummed me out that you quit the Cheerios 'cause you looked smokin' in that Cheerios outfit." teased Puck and gave her that killer smile that he was so famous for.
"I'm being serious Puck, I really want to know." said Mercedes, slightly exasperated by his confidence.
"So am I." laughed Puck, "I actually liked you Mercedes. You're the only girl that I actually respected enough to find out stuff about you. Actually if I'm being honest, I still like you."
Mercedes was quiet for a minute before responding. "Listen Puck, I've been having a really crappy month and I don't need you messin' with me! I don't want you just sayin' stuff because you think it's what I want to hear to make me feel better."
"Mama, I'm not trying to mess with you, honest. It's just that… I've been trying really hard to be a good guy lately and part of being a good guy is telling the truth right?"
"So you actually liked me… I mean, you like me?" asked Mercedes sceptically. "I thought that you were all about your rep when you were trying to get me to go out with you."
"Yeah I know but that doesn't mean that I didn't actually like you. I liked getting to know you and doing stuff for you. Like a real boyfriend." said Puck softly as he moved closer to her.
"Wow, replied Mercedes as a slow smile spread across her face, "I honestly wasn't expecting that."
Puck closed the distance between them and whispered "I like you Mercedes Jones. I want to be the kind of guy that deserves to be with a girl like you. I want to walk down the hall with you so that people know that you're my girl and I'm proud of it. I want to be there to protect you from those douchebag bullies and help you clean off your face if you do get slushied."
It seemed like everything went in slow motion from that moment on, as Puck leaned forward and softly brushed her lips with his, as if asking her permission. Mercedes hesitated only a second before meeting his lips and deepening the kiss. She had always dreamed about what her first kiss would be and this was everything she had hoped for and more.
When they pulled apart, Mercedes was smiling and it felt like, just for a moment, everything that had been hurting her, Kurt leaving, the bullies, being the only one in glee club without someone, was just not important anymore.
"So what does this mean exactly?" asked Mercedes, running her hands through Puck's Mohawk. "Are we an actual couple or are you still gonna hook up with Santana?"
"Mama, how could I ever want anyone but you?" laughed Puck.
And in that moment, Mercedes knew that he meant it.