Author's Note: I promised some people I'd write a Mercedes story and ACTUALLY post it. I'd like to thank the people who gave me their feedback and encouraged me to put it up. Special thanks go out to Rachel for being an awesome Mercedes on tumblr and doing some beta-ing of sorts for this- if you'd like to continue being a beta for this story, I'd love your input.

Right now I'm not sure if I'll keep this story up on ff dot net, because I'm not sure how others will take to it. I'll probably keep writing if more than two people want me to. So this is completely up to you. Just for the first 2 chapters, if you could review and tell me if you want more or have ways to improve my writing, that'd be great. Just for the first 2. After that, I'm fine with you just reading and enjoying.

Before we get to the story, I'd also like to say that this is not how I view Mercedes. Amber Riley is beyond gorgeous and curvy and full-figured fits her.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. If I did, well, we'd see more of Mercedes… more storylines, more songs, more character development.

Trying To Reach You

Prologue

Mercedes stood in front of her full-length mirror; eyes closed, chest heaving, and tears flowing freely down her face. She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, peering through the blurry vision. As she blinked away her tears, the hazy version of herself was replaced with the real thing. Honestly, she'd prefer the hazy version. At least then she couldn't point out the specifics on her body that she despised.

The chocolate-skinned diva put on an act. For everyone. Her friends, family, strangers, even herself. Although, admittedly, she was a stranger to every single one of them; herself included. She always put on a huge smile and pretended that she was fine with who she was. That she was comfortable in her own skin. That she loved being Mercedes Jones.

All lies.

Truth was, she was a joke. She wasn't as confident as everyone thought she was. She thought her skin was a little too dark, her hair was a little too thin, and her body was a lot too big. What was even worse, was that her parents knew it as well. On the days where they actually acknowledged that she existed, they pointed out her flaws every chance they got in hopes that she would finally get the hint and do something about it.

Even though she had always told people her parents were nice, loving, caring people; she lied. In actuality, they were some of the worst people Mercedes had ever met. Which was saying a lot, because she's gone to McKinley all of her high school career.

They were rich. Something not many people knew, because Mercedes never bragged about it. She knew that there'd be less chance of people bullying her if she told them...but it didn't seem right because she never got a cent. They had stopped buying her things when she started middle school. The only thing they'd pay for was her schooling. She grew up in a grand estate and she hated it. It made it easier for her parents to forget her existence.

While most kids got allowances, she had to work for her money. Not 'chores around the house' work, but actual work. It was still at her house, considering she wasn't old enough to get a job at the time, but it was actual work.

They had fired their maid, butler, and cook and put Mercedes on the job. Surely, doing all that running around the huge house and bending down to pick things up would make her lose weight. It didn't. Then in the past year, her parents had a baby… and hired her as a nanny.

She hated it. She hated all of it. The fact that she had to pay for everything she owned with money out of her own pocket. The fact that her parents ignored her until they needed her to do something for them. She hated that after all of the diets, excessive exercise, and fat camps they'd sent her to over the years, she was still fat. Worst of all, she hated that, despite all that they put her through, she could never find it in herself to hate her parents.

That was the one thing Mercedes could say wasn't an act. Her inability to hate someone- her inability to be anything but friendly. But that didn't matter in the slightest to the girl because nobody cared about her enough to try to get to know her. They didn't want to be friends with the fat, black chick. She wasn't worth getting to know. Wasn't worth anything at all, really.

Mercedes bit her lip and turned away from her reflection, too ashamed of what she saw to look a moment longer.

That was all going to change. Mercedes wasn't going to be the fat, black chick any longer. She'd still be black, because there's nothing she could really do to change that, but she wouldn't be fat. She was going to be rail thin like the other girls at school. She was going be pretty enough for a guy to find her attractive. And she was going to starve herself to do it.

She had tried that once before and it hadn't worked. Quinn came to her rescue. This time, though. This time it would be different. She was going to stay away from food at all costs. She was going to try to stay away from anyone that could see what she was doing and convince her to stop. Which, unfortunately, meant that she was going to have to stay away from Glee club for awhile. Not the easiest task, but they wouldn't need her anyways. She was only a number. Sure, they knew her name and called themselves her friend, but to Mr. Schue, all she was, was someone who gave them enough members to compete. They could ask Lauren to come back. If it really came down to numbers, they could as Lauren to come back; Mercedes was sure she wouldn't mind stepping in. The glory note she was always given, well, they didn't need to do a song with a glory note. If they decided to do one though, surely it would be given to Rachel, even if the girl's already got a solo. According to Rachel, she didn't need anyone else. She could do everything.

Well, she'd have a chance to prove herself because Mercedes wasn't going to be coming to meetings or practices any time soon.

She tiptoed down the stairs, making sure no one in the house could hear her. Despite it being a large house, the sound seemed to carry. A few minutes later she was in her car, ready to start her school day- and the first day of the rest of her life.