Author's Note: So, this little diddy has been in my head since I woke up this morning and I had to get it out. Guess that's what I get for listening to my iPod while sleeping—specifically "Easy" by Rascal Flatts & Natasha Bedingfield . I LOVE Samcedes, people. Deal with it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my wild, wild imagination…and it's full of Samcedes.
Easy
Outfit?
Tight.
Hair?
On point, of course.
Accessories?
Do you even have to ask?
Attitude?
Back and in full effect.
Mercedes gave her reflection one last look and blew a kiss to herself on the way out the front door. This was part of her morning ritual before jetting off to school. Everyone knows a diva's biggest fan must be him- or herself, first and foremost. After that, it was up to everyone else to recognize royalty when they saw it. Mercedes was newly single and not quite ready to mingle, but she knew life goes on. Although she and Shane didn't last long enough to see his plan through—
Cocoa babies…really? Mercedes still laughed out loud when she remembered that particular part of the plan. And I went along with his foolishness, she mentally chastised herself for that gaffe.
Although her relationship with Shane was over, they were still cordial to one another, for the most part. A certain someone never failed to set him off on occasion. Someone named Sam Evans. Of course, she could see how that might happen, seeing as Shane sort of blamed Sam for their break-up, even though Mercedes was adamant that Sam had done nothing to come between them and the break-up was inevitable as they were growing in different directions. And that was the gospel truth. Of course, Shane's constant, steadfast reply was simply, He came back. And come back, he did. From their initial reunion in the hall with him holding her hand to this constant presence in glee club, lunch, and the classes they shared, he was making it really difficult to knot want to be with him, around him.
Shaking herself free of that little piece of drama, Mercedes fastened her seatbelt, started the car, and proceeded to sing along with Jazmine Sullivan as she crooned about "Lions, Tiger, and Bears".
McKinley High School…
Santana Lopez looked to be in love. Her eyes had glazed over and her mouth had fallen open slightly as she gazed at the object of her affection. In her hands she held a shiny new razor. Smiling gleefully to herself, she securely tucked the little treasure among her ebony tresses. It never hurts to be a little prepared, she mused to herself, almost giddy with excitement.
"It terrifies me how excited you are right now." Kurt deadpanned as he watched his friend enjoying herself.
Quinn chuckled and leaned into him, "Come on, Kurt. You know she'd never really hurt anyone with those things. It's just part of the package that is Santana."
"I would beg to differ. I heard reports earlier this year that she actually cut a would-be Cheerio's pony clean from her head with one of those things."
"Berry, everyone knows these little blades aren't sharp enough to cut an entire pony." Santana remarked as she gave the girl a sideways glance. "I used a bowie knife."
The gasp of surprise and…yep, horror from Rachel's lips was enough to make Santana chuckle to herself.
"Well, I, for one, think it's cool that you can have those in your hair and never cut yourself."
"Thanks, Chang-Chang." Santana looked truly touched by the other Asian's comment, and followed it up with a high-five to the girl.
Kurt good-naturedly rolled his eyes at the band of misfits he called his friends, glancing at his watch. "Really. I know Mercedes is all about being a diva and making a grand entrance, but she's cutting it awful close to being late for homeroom."
"Kurt. Now you know I'd never miss my morning bathroom pow wow with my girls." Mercedes voice glided across the bathroom, announcing her arrival. She greeted each of her friends with a peck on the cheek. "Morning, my lovelies."
"Alright, 'Retha. Now that you're here we can get down to business before class gets in the way."
"Well, I see you're not wasting any time. You must be in a really good mood today. Lemme guess, new razor blades?" Mercedes quipped.
Brittany poked Santana's side, "See, I told you she was psychic."
Mercedes laughed at the blond, "Not psychic, girl. I just know that San loves herself some blades."
The room erupted in laughter, including Santana even though she tried to mask her laughter behind a mock scowl.
"Satan does make a point, diva—you're single now, Sam's single…"
She raised a hand, "Stop that train wreck of a thought right there, boy. How many times do I have to tell you guys that I am not going back down that road again. Sam and I dated. We broke up. I moved on."
"And yet here you stand, newly single. And I know how much you miss those lips of his." Quinn added.
Et tu, Quinn? Mercedes shot her 'soul sister' her best glare.
"There is nothing wrong with going back to revisit the potential of a past relationship, Mercedes. Plus, think of the well of emotion you will have to draw upon if doesn't work out. Think of how that will impact your singing!" Rachel was practically glowing as she spoke, drawing disapproving looks from all others in the room. Sensing their eyes upon her, she retreated slightly. "What? You all know I speak the truth." She was so unapologetically…Rachel.
"Okay. This line of questioning ceases right here and right now. My love life—or lack thereof—is not fodder for conversation. I'm serious, guys." Mercedes warned. They'd had – or at least—attempted to have this same conversation with her every since she and Shane broke up two months ago. They were nothing, if not persistent.
Brittany emphasized Mercedes' point with two snaps and a "hmmph!". Mercedes thanked her friend with a brief nod.
"O-kay…so…" Kurt began.
"Yeah..um…" Trina trailed off.
"Do I even need to make the cricket noises?"
Mercedes glared at the sassy Latina. "Verrrry funny, guys. Surely, there are plenty of other things to talk about than whether Sam and I will get back together. Which I can tell y'all we won't."
"Mercedes, love. We only ask because we care."
"Kurt, love. This is why Sam and I initially kept our relationship secret."
"Yeah, and you two kept that secret for all of five minutes, with the way Trouty Mouth looked at you… like you were the last Dorito's crumb in the bag and he didn't mind licking the bag to get you out." Santana responded matter-of-factly, causing the room to erupt into raucous laughter.
Mercedes wiped tears from her eyes as she leaned on her quick-witted friend, "San, you are a fool!"
Meanwhile…Outside of the Girls' bathroom….
"You know, staring at the door won't make it open…right?" Finn asked hesitantly.
The blond gave no reply, instead choosing to lean against the lockers behind him and trying to look all aloof and whatnot. He wished his friends would catch a hint and leave him alone to his thoughts. Why would they assume he was waiting for the door to open, anyway? Just because Mercedes and the girls—and Kurt—met there each morning before class didn't mean anything. He certainly wasn't waiting for the one girl who still held his heart to emerge. Also, one would assume that being continually ignored would indicate a desire to not speak, but of course, his friends didn't get that logic. He exhaled a long breath and folded his arms across his chest.
"Uh-oh, y'all. He's folded his arms—you know what that means? The Jedi mind trick is in full effect now." Artie quipped.
Puck leaned closer to Sam, bumping his shoulder. "You know you're not a real Jedi, right, dude?"
The shrill ringing of the first bell sounded throughout the school, indicating students have precisely seven minutes to report for their classes. Sam uncrossed and crossed his arms, eyeing the clock above the bathroom.
"Guys, please. Can't I hang out somewhere without you hovering?" He glanced to the clock again. Just a few more minutes….
Mike clamped a hand across his shoulder. "Live to fight another day, dude. You know how Mr. Stein gets when you're late for homeroom."
He resisted for a minute more before wordlessly walking down the hall, his boys flanking him on both sides. There was always tomorrow.
Fifth Period, Mrs. Stewart's Civics Class…
Sam drummed his lead pencil across the pages of his book as he waited for class to begin. He was ready to get the torture over with. Every day he had to sit on the back row and try not to get caught staring at Mercedes as she sat directly in front of him. Per her requests, he didn't pressure her for anything. Instead, he was the paragon of an ex who'd accepted things and moved on. Nothing could be further from the truth. When she'd told him that she and no Shane were no longer together, he could barely contain the whoop! Of joy he wanted to scream. However, he played it cool, telling her that she had to make decisions that would make her happy. That was when she dropped the bomb on him.
"I just wanna…be Mercedes Jones, ya know? Not Shane's girl…not anyone's girl for that matter."
"Yeah, totally understand. Flying solo may be a good idea." He replied.
Who does that? The girl you're in love with tells you she's single and you encourage her to live the single life? I'm ready for my close-up, Merriam-Webster. Just put my picture beside the definition for 'stupid'.
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Reeeaal smooth, Sammy-boy. He took in a deep breath of air and smelled…cinnamon. Mmm, cinnamon. He took a chance and cracked open an eyelid. Just as he suspected, Mercedes had arrived and was settling into her seat before him. She took a moment to turn to him, smiling as she waved hello but turning around just as quickly. Sam had long ago associated Mercedes with cinnamon as she always had piece of the spicy treat nearby, citing a refusal to have bad breath of any type anywhere near her. He recalled an incident the previous school year when they had the displeasure of being confronted by Azimio. He still chuckled as he thought of how Mercedes handled the bully, the scent of cinnamon wafting around him.
"Get ready for a nerd-bath, slushy style!" Azimio threatened as he circled Sam, Mercedes, and Tina.
"Azimio, don't even think about." Sam warned as he faced off with the larger boy, effectively drawing the focus from the girls.
"Evans, you're on the football team so I have to at least give you the opportunity to walk away. Walk away, little man."
"Not. Gonna. Happen." Sam's usual cool demeanor was gone and he was ready for battle.
Mercedes saw this and –in hopes of avoiding a fight between the two—stepped in front of Sam and looked Azimio squarely in the eye. Sam kept trying to regain his previous position, but she never gave him the opportunity. Although he had to admit he enjoyed the feel of her curves brushing against him. So much, that he bit his bottom lip to quell the moan that wanted to escape so badly. There were just friends, after all.
"'Zim, you really don't want to do this." She cooed at the boy.
"Oh, yeah? Why not?"
"'Cuz I would hate to have to tell the school about you little problem." She teased.
Confusion was clear on his face. "What?"
Discreetly, pointed to her mouth as she spoke directly to him. "You know, your problem. Don't forget I assisted my dad last summer at his dental office. I believe the term for your condition was halitosis, right?"
Shock, anger, and fear flashed across his face in an instant. Sam had to admit that he was extremely impressed with this girl.
"Now, what do you say we trade: my cinnamon for your slushy. All this talking suddenly has me parched." She accentuated her point by daintily patting her throat.
Obviously cowed, Azimio took her up on her offer and beat feet down the hallway. Sam draped an arm over her shoulder and whispering in her ear.
"Why, Miss Jones, I do believe you saved my life." He drawled, delighted when he felt her body shudder in response to his nearness.
Without hesitation, she turned those big brown eyes on him. "And don't think I won't collect on that debt."
It was his turn to shudder. What he had meant to be joking gesture had suddenly turned into something else entirely, and he liked that something else. Like, a lot .
The ringing of the bell jolted him from his reverie. Had he really daydreamed through the entire class period? He shook the cobwebs from his brain and suddenly registered heaviness in his lap. He looked down briefly and saw the results of his little trip down memory lane in the form of a raging hard-on.
"Sam?"
His eyes shot upward and into the eyes of the cause of his current predicament.
"Are you okay? The bell rang a while ago and you looked a little dazed. You feeling okay?" Mercedes asked in concern, reaching out a hand to his brow.
Sam jerked away when her hand was mere inches from its target. "I-I'm fine!" Wow, did my voice just crack? So much for puberty being a thing of the past. He cleared his throat. "What I mean is, I'm good. Guess I dozed off during class. Sorry to worry you."
He really meant the last part, and hoped to hell she didn't notice he was trying to cover his lap with his textbook. Mercedes gave him a strange look.
"I promise I'm fine." His voice was softer, and he took her still-extended hand, looking directly into her eyes.
She didn't pull her hand away immediately, instead returning his look for a moment before shaking herself. "Well, i-it's time for lunch and I gotta meet the girls." She was gone seconds later, feeling his eyes on her retreating frame.
It's for the best, anyway. He had that look in his eye again.
Sam exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Damn you, cinnamon.
Three days later, glee Club rehearsal….
Mr. Schue had his back to the class as he scribbled the week's lesson on the board. 'SPONTANEITY'.
"Ok, guys. This is our word of the week, whattaya say?" He prompted.
"Lobsters." Brittany replied.
Santana leaned closer to her girlfriend, shaking her head as she spoke in a low voice. "No, babe. Spondivits is a seafood bar. He wrote spontaneity."
Brittany shrugged her shoulders, "Still makes me think of lobsters."
Santana shook her head, marveling at the blond beside her.
"Very close, Brittany. I think we're getting a little too predictable with our song choices and diet pairings, guys. We need to…mix things up a little, what do you think?"
"Mr. Schuester, while I applaud your attempt at ingenuity, do you really think this is the time for spontaneity. Regionals are only weeks away. Perhaps we should stick to what got us this far." Rachel treaded tactfully.
"Hobbit. I thought we agreed that you would offer no suggestions until after Nationals." Santana spoke into the air.
"Santana, we thought you were kidding about that. You can't still be mad about that kiss from last year's Nationals." Finn states incredulously.
Santana sent him an icy glare as her hand unconsciously went to her hair. Quinn's eyes went wide as she reached out to stop her with a hand, looking back at the tall teen seated near her.
"Back away slowly, Finn. Back away."
Rachel squeaked like a frightened mouse and pulled his chair three feet away from its previous spot. Blaine was helpless to stop the chuckle that he gave. Kurt had told him about Santana's infamous razor fetish.
"Guys, guys. Let's focus, shall we?" Will attempted to reign the group back in."Who's up first?"
"Uh, I'll go first, Mr. Schue." Mercedes started at the sound of Sam's voice to her immediate right. When did he sit so closely to me?
"Alright! We have a taker, ladies and gentlemen. Sam, the floor's all yours." Mr. Schue found an open seat in the audience.
Sam walked slowly to the front of the room. He wasn't even sure why he volunteered to go first. One minute he was enjoying the feel of having Mercedes near and the next his hand was up and his mouth speaking before consulting with his brain. He stopped when he reached the piano, suddenly realizing Brad was waiting for his song choice. Bless the piano man's heart, he must have seen the look of abject fear in Sam's eyes as he tried to think of a song.
"Don't worry Sam. This is easy for you." He tried to comfort the teen.
Just like that, it was like a light bulb went off. That's it! He quickly whispered his song choice to Brad, whom then relayed the information to the rest of the band. They all nodded their approval. Relieved, Sam turned to face his fellow gleeks.
"Here's my shot at spontaneity, Mr. Schue." He found his target. "Mercedes, will you do me the honor of singing a duet?"
Deer-in-the-headlight didn't even begin to describe the look on Mercedes' face at his request. Sure, they'd sung to each other and even had a duet here and there in private while they were dating, but they'd never sung a duet in front of their friends before.
"Mercedes?" Sam stood with his hand outstretched, pleading with his eyes that she wouldn't refuse him.
"W-we…I…don't know the song-"
"You know the song. Trust me."
He looked at her as if she was the only person in the room and she felt raw, exposed. She knew he had been trying hard not to pressure her, but that only served to put more pressure on her. It was as if she could feel how badly he wanted to talk to her, even if only for a moment, yet she allowed herself to stay busy. Was she a coward? Probably so. But she was afraid if she allowed him to get close again her would break her as he did before when he left.
"Mercedes?"
Kurt nudged her with his shoulder. "Go on…remember: over-thinking kills spontaneity."
"I gots this, Kurt." Santana announced as she pulled her stunned friend out of her seat and deposited her in the front of the room.
Sam stood before her, effectively blocking out everyone else in the room. He took her hand in his and spoke softly to her, " I got you, Mercy. Never forget that."
He looked to Brad and the band and indicated they should begin playing. Mercedes recognized the opening bars of the son and closed her eyes as she remembered Sam singing the song to her voicemail dozens of times after her left. He gave her hand a squeeze and she opened them to find him smiling softly at her. He then turned to their audience to sing the first verse.
We broke up
yeah, it's tough
most guys would've been crushed
Wastin' their time
Wonderin' where they went wrong
No way, not me
Hey, I'm doing just fine
I'm not afraid of movin' on
The guys joined him in harmonizing.
It's easy going out on a Friday night
Easy every time I see her out
I can smile, live it up
The way a single guy does
But what she, what she don't know
Is how hard it is to make it look so
EasyMercedes swayed to the music, allowing the words of the song to express how she was truly feeling.
The truth is
That I miss lyin' in those arms of his
But I don't ever let it show
I laugh and I act like
I'm having the time of my life
as far as he knows
This time, her girls joined in to harmonize with her.
It's easy goin' out on a Friday night
Easy, everytime I see him out
I can smile, live it up
The way a single girl does
But, what he, what he don't know
is how hard it is to make it look so
Easy
Oh, it's easy
She closed her eyes as she sang, but not before a single tear escaped. Sam went to her immediately, his hands at her waist, willing her to look at him. She complied and he sang directly to her.
(Sam) Oh, it's easy goin' out on a Friday night
(Mercedes)Oh, it's easy every time I see him out
(Sam)I can smile,
(Mercedes)live it up
(Both)Forget about the way it was
(Sam)But what she
(Mercedes)Oh, what he don't know
(Sam)What she don't know
(Both)Is how hard it is to make it look so
Easy
Look so easy…
The music slowly faded out as they finished their duet, Mercedes still held captive by Sam's intense green gaze. She barely registered the applause of her glee family as her pulse thundered in her ears. Sam drew her closer and was helpless against the pull her felt towards her. He decided not to fight it and brought his lips to hers in a tentative, explorative kiss. It wasn't long before he crushed her body to his and deepened the kiss. Really, it was inevitable. He vaguely heard the catcalls and woots! of his fellow glee clubbers and he reclaimed his lady.