GLEE CLUB CHRONICLES: In the dark part I
[In this story, Mercedes is single, and Sam is in Kentucky with his parents still.]
Mr. Schuester: You're making a mistake, Mercedes
Quinn: You have to do this. Be strong. Don't let him intimidate you
Mercedes stood in front of Principal Figgin's office, her hand on the door handle. Quinn placed her hand reassuredly on Mercedes' back. "It's okay. It's time." Mr. Schue watched helplessly. He no longer had control over her.
"YOU BASTARD! OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE IT HAD TO BE YOU!"
Finn tackled Mr. Schuester to the ground. "No, Finn stop!" Quinn yelled, trying to pull her friend of the glee club teacher. Mercedes' attention that was originally held to the door was now held by the figure of a petite girl with long dark hair at the end of the hallway. It started with her, and it would end with her. Teachers managed to pull Finn off of Mr. Schuester. Quinn straightened her skirt, still holding Finn's arm just in case he tried to attack again. But then she noticed. "Where's Mercedes?"
"RACHEL!"
The long haired girl stopped in her tracks. Mercedes walked slowly up to her. "Mercedes," Rachel began, "You have to understand-"
Mercedes held up her hand for silence. "It's over Rachel," she told her. "Mercedes, you understand the need to be a star above anything else," Rachel said, looking ashamedly into Mercedes eyes.
"No, I don't. And if we were really friends, you'd have known that about me by now," Mercedes said without any sympathy. "There is no point in being the best if it brings out the worst in you."
"My whole high school career I've envied you, Rachel Berry. And here at the end of all things, there is only one thing I want from you. The one thing you don't deserve"
SIX MONTHS EARLIER
"That's perfect Mercedes," Mr. Schuester said, clapping Mercedes' performance of "Beautiful" in the empty choir room. "Thanks, Mr. Schu," she said, holding her side, as she sat down next to him on the piano bench. "You alright?" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, the doctor's has got me on a new regimen so it should solve the pain problem eventually," she said. Mr. Schuester got up, placing both hands on Mercedes' shoulders. "Just don't over exert yourself. The key is to be healthy. You're already beautiful."
Mr. Schuester began to massage her shoulders affectionately. Mercedes closed her eyes. There was a part on her neck, that every time he touched it, she would feel twice as relaxed. "Hmm," she moaned. There had been a time before when Mr. Schue's touch put her to sleep, and when she woke up he was playing piano next to her. But she didn't like the feeling of being half conscious. "Thank you," Mercedes said, getting up, so Mr. Schue had to stop. She picked up her backpack from the ground. "I should get home," she said.
Mr. Schuester made a turn onto the street where Mercedes lived. Mercedes had been giggling quietly at Mr. Schue's incessant humming to his Journey's greatest hits soundtrack. By the time Mr. Schue had made it to the front of Mercedes house, she was chuckling openly at his cheesiness. Even though he had stopped driving and signing to Journey, Mercedes could not help but keep laughing. He was her favorite teacher, and her biggest fan. He was the type of man she would hope one day to marry. Mr. Schue just stared at her while she laughed. He placed her hand on her back, rubbing it gently as her laughed slowly turned into a slow chuckle. He began to lean into her… He had kissed her on the cheek before, but the way he was looking into her eyes, Mercedes knew her cheek wasn't his goal. She moved her head before their lips reached. The car went quiet. Mercedes' teacher just tried to kiss her, and the worst part was, he knew she knew. Mercedes tried to wipe the shocked look from her face, but she couldn't. She couldn't help but continue to look at Mr. Schuester in disbelief. Knowing he had to break the awkwardness, Mr. Schuester smiled and laughed. He restarted the car, and reached over and unbuckled Mercedes' seatbelt. "Goodnight then," he said, seemingly unfazed. Mercedes, still speechless, managed to smile politely before getting out of the car.
Mercedes stood in the shower for what felt like an eternity. She completely ignored her parents when she walked through her front door, and went straight upstairs to the bathroom. As the water washed over her scalp, she kept replaying the scene.
"There's no way," she kept saying, as she kept seeing Mr. Schue lean into as if he was going to kiss her. Then she replayed the innocent smile he gave afterwards. "No, it isn't what you think Mercedes. The smile was for you because he thought YOU were acting weird, not him," She told herself. Could this be true? Whatever it was, Mercedes made a vow that whatever did or did not happen in Mr. Schuester's car would never happen again…
"Lazy"
"Excuse me?" Mercedes could not believe her ears. She stood there as her favorite teacher called her out in front of the entire class. "I've got pains Mr. Schue," Mercedes said, holding her stomach. He knew that. He had offered to take her to the doctor last month when the aches started.
"I'm assigning you extra rehearsals after school. I hope you take advantage of this time I'm offering you, Mercedes" Mr. Schuester said, before walking back to his office. Mercedes sat at the edge of the stage, letting herself cool off after the dance number. Everyone was packing up to leave. Finn was still practicing a move he was having a hard time with behind her.
Lazy? The thought never occurred to her. She worked and sang hard as everybody else in the glee club. She never put up MySpace videos of herself singing like Rachel, but she assumed she was equally as diligent. But maybe Mr. Schuester was right, she thought. After all, Rachel was getting all the solos now. In fact, everyone seemed to be getting more praise than she was. Could it be she was slacking off and didn't know?
"Hey,"
Finn held out his hand for Mercedes to use to get back up. "So, Mr. Schuester gave you extra rehearsals too huh?" he said, taking a sip of his bottle water, and then offering Mercedes some. "I'm good, thanks," she told Finn. "Yeah, I mean. I didn't think I was that bad, considering my stomach pain," Mercedes thought. "Are you kidding? Next to Mike, you're the quickest dancer we have," Finn said. Mercedes laughed. As nice as it was of him to say, anyone would look like Fred Astaire when next to Finn.
Finn: I have to admit though, I'm kind of excited
Mercedes: About extra rehearsals?
Finn: I mean, you can show me some moves, right? You're the only one that doesn't laugh at me when I dance
Mercedes: I laugh at you all the time Finn
Finn: [smirking] No you don't. It's different, when you laugh. It's like your laughter is more encouraging than mean. It just makes me laugh.
Mercedes: Thanks, I think
Finn: want a ride home?
Mercedes: Isn't Kurt picking me up?
Finn: No, he and Blaine are hanging out tonight. He asked me to take you instead.
Mercedes: Well, I guess it's better than last time when he just left me here alone
Finn: Mr. Schuester didn't offer you a ride?
[Mercedes flashed back to last month, when she was left stranded after school. Mr. Schue had kindly offered to give her a lift along with some performing tips. They laughed and sang together. He gazed at her longingly… then when he dropped her at her house.]
Finn: Mercedes? HELLOOO
Mercedes: what?
Finn: kind of zoned out there for a minute
Finn looked down and noticed Mercedes' hand was trembling. "Let's go," he said, picking up her bag for her…
Mercedes moved around her tots on her cafeteria tray. Kurt sat down next to her, immediately complaining about something she wasn't in the mood to here.
Kurt: Earth to Mercedes? Kurt at 12 o'clock
Mercedes: Where were you last night?
Kurt: Blaine needed help finding socks to match his new blaz-
Mercedes: Are you serious?!
Kurt: [rolling his eyes] I thought we went through this Mercedes. Blaine is my boyfriend. I just can't drop him for you
Mercedes: But you can drop me for sock shopping
Kurt: We need our quality time
Mercedes: You both go to the same friggin school now Kurt! And while we are on the subject, since when am I more droppable than Rachel? It's like after Nationals, the two of you are joined at the hip.
Kurt: So now I can't make new friends?
Mercedes: Kurt. It's RACHEL
[Kurt standing up, tray in hand]
Mercedes: It's called being civilized, Mercedes. It's our senior year, we have to let past transgressions go.
And with that Kurt left. Mercedes rolled her eyes, as Kurt took a seat next to Rachel and Blaine. Out of the corner of her peripherals, Mercedes spotted Mr. Schuester watching her from the doorway. He hadn't really spoken to her for a month. And if he did say something, it usually regarded her "questionable" work ethic. She got up and threw her trash away.
As Mercedes walked to Calculus, she checked her email on her phone. She knew Sam only really emailed her Wednesdays, but she still enjoyed reading passed messages to pass the time away.
My dad made spaghetti bolognaise last night.
I'm not sure if he knows what bolognaise means,
because the fam is still trying to recover lol.
How are you? Got any solos? I miss you.
Mercedes smiled at the message, not watching where she was going. "Ouch! Sorry Artie," Mercedes said after running into Artie. Artie backed up his wheelchair. "No, prob. Hey can you help me put callback list up?" he asked, handing her sheet of paper. Mercedes peered down at the list, which had many of the glee club members' names.
Mercedes: Call backs? When did auditions start for the school play?
Artie: Last week. Mr. Schue emailed everyone the time and schedule.
Mercedes: I didn't receive any email
Artie: That's too bad. I should think at least Kurt might have mentioned it.
Mercedes: I know as the director you have to stick to the rules and everything, but is it possible-
Artie: Say no more, babe. No tryout at McKinley is fair if Mercedes Jones doesn't audition.
Mercedes: Thanks boo
Artie: I'll text you the call back times.
Mercedes sat in the front of Calculus only half paying attention to what the teacher was saying. Mike sat next to her, taking notes feverishly. Two seats from her sat Quinn. After nationals, she had quit the glee club and all other extracurricular activities. Her hair was pinned back, and she wore a hoodie over her dress. Mercedes took out her phone and texted her:
Mercedes: Can we talk after class, Quinn?
Quinn: I have somewhere to be, and you still have glee club
Mercedes: It won't take long
Quinn: Sure
While everyone filed out, Quinn and Mercedes moved to the back of the class, sitting down in the two far off desks.
Mercedes: So
Quinn: So?
Mercedes: How are you?
Quinn: Alive and breathing. But that's information you already know.
Mercedes: Yeah I guess.
Quinn: Did you have something to say or…
Mercedes: It's about glee club
[Quinn rolled her eyes]
Mercedes: Mr. Schuester, well everybody really has been… I don't know. I just feel like ten thousand things are going on, and I'm not a part of any of it.
Quinn: Intentionally?
Mercedes: I don't know. I feel like I'm the same. But at the same time I feel
Quinn: Ostracized. I know the feeling
Mercedes: It's just for example, the tryouts for West Side Story. No one told me about them. Kurt even got a callback. It's like they all know I wouldn't be the right fit for Maria, like I'm not pretty enough
[Quinn stood up, picking up her school bag]
Quinn: Trust me you are… After all, Mr. Schue only likes the pretty girls.
Mercedes: …What does that mean?
Quinn: [solemnly]…You know what it means
Quinn left Mercedes in the classroom alone. The last school bell rang. She was late to glee club. She didn't care…
To be continued...