Chapter 7: The Return Of School
Warning! This chapter does contain more Shane!
But he is already on the slippery slope i promise!
Let's all just enjoy loving to hate him!
"Yes! Sam and I dated. But his dad got a job out of State - but I'm going to give you an exclusive. There's a new man in Mercedes' life now, and he's my future plans..."
Sam replayed the clip over and over, desperately hoping that the next time he watched it her words would be different. Or that she wouldn't be resting her hand on some other man's chest. Or that she did not ROLL HER EYES with irritation when she mentioned that they'd dated.
And the phrase 'cocoa babies'. Well that was just a whole new level of hell to the no!
Right now his heart felt like the heart of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean. Still beating but locked away in a box.
He knew that Kurt had said she wasn't herself at the moment but there was NOTHING he recognized about the girl on the screen in front of him apart from the backpack that she was carrying.
Kurt had shared with him a suspicion that Mercedes may have liked someone else. At first he'd wondered why his friend might have done that and he now realized it was to mentally prepare him for something like this.
But nothing could possibly prepare him for something like this.
He should have felt angry at her. Betrayed and hurt. But he didn't. He just felt sad. And in his own strange way he actually understood. He had rebounded onto Santana. She was rebounding onto this ugly hulk of a guy. His only consolation was that at least it wasn't somebody that he knew. If it had been one of the other guys from Glee he might have had to spend all his money on gas to drive back to Lima and smash their face!
He played the clip from Jacob Ben Israel's blog once more. On the one hand, enjoying the sound of the voice that he'd missed so much, and on the other, being stabbed repeatedly by the words which she said.
He'd waited patiently for the first day of school in Lima, to tune into JBI's blog, knowing that he would approach Mercedes after having caught them together at the fair over the summer, and desperate to know what she would say.
Of all the things she could have said, this had in no way featured in the list of possibilities that he'd put together.
This year, the schools in Ohio were starting three days earlier than those in Tennessee, so he had three days to find other distractions from the ten second clip that had driven a nail into his still beating heart.
This guy had better be treating her right or there would be hell to pay...
Thomas Waterson High School looked all wrong. The buildings looked wrong, the layout looked wrong and all the kids looked like freaks!
Sam Evans sighed as he slammed the door shut on the beat-up Chevy. It was his grandmom's car but the arthritis in her hands had made it too difficult to drive so he had added himself on to the insurance. At least he had his own ride for the first time in forever!
He hated having to start all over again. But it was something he had to do. If Stacy and Stevie could manage it then so could he.
Football tryouts had been a success and he was on the team in no time. But the other guys on the team were total jerks. He couldn't believe just how different he was from them and their superficial lives. For them it was all about how many different girls they could hook up with, where the coolest parties were and how much they could drink.
But Sam's High School experience was going to be different this time. He had no desire to be popular and did his best to keep a low profile. However, being an attractive football player meant it was impossible to keep a low profile. And the cheerleaders were the worst. They openly called him 'fresh meat' to his face as if that would somehow ever endear them to him! They'd made their way through the existing teams over the last year and were doing their best to snag him and the other new guy Ashley as soon as possible. Ashley had no problem working his way through them. But Sam just wasn't inclined that way.
Every day in the halls he had to put his head down and run the gauntlet of cheerleaders and other girls all trying to 'get up in his grill'. There was just no convincing them that he wasn't interested and it was like it had become a challenge to see who was going to be able to get him to crack first.
But they were all out of luck. There was only one girl he wanted. And if he couldn't have her then he simply didn't want to be with anyone else. At least not yet anyway. She may have moved on but he knew that he wasn't yet ready and there was no way on earth that he was going to make a rebound mistake like Santana all over again!
"Hi Sammy! How are you doing today?" He didn't need to turn his head to see Krystal hovering by his locker. He hated that she called him Sammy. Nobody but his family and Mercy were allowed to call him that, but he knew that if he said something it would just make her do it even more to evoke a reaction.
She'd been on to him from the very first day and it was getting tiring. As soon as he'd come out of Coach Rogers' office after enquiring about tryouts for the team she'd been there. Chewing her gum all loud and swinging her hips at him. If she hadn't caked herself in so much makeup she may even have been pretty. She knew she looked good, but had worked her look completely wrong, resulting in her looking like a cheap whore who was trying too hard. She was tall and blond like Brittany, but her hair was shorter and her eyes more of a hazel.
"Hi! I'm Krystal. With a K!" She was leaning against the door smiling and chewing her gum loudly. A sound that he loathed.
Sam knew her type and knew that he couldn't get away from her fast enough.
"So you're going to try out for the team?" She eyed him up and down, mentally undressing him. "Well you're definitely built like a ball player!"
He put his head down and kept walking.
"Oooh! The strong silent type are we? Nothing wrong with that. We all know the quiet ones are always the biggest freaks in bed!"
She was now following him down the hall. "So what's your name, handsome stranger? Come on! You're going to have to talk to me sometime!"
Sam hoped that sometime wasn't going to be today, or anytime soon.
But she had continued the pursuit.
By the second day she'd known his name.
And by the third she knew that he had transferred from Ohio but was originally from Nashville. Other girls had tried it on but she was by far the worst offender and it got really old really fast.
The first couple of weeks of school passed by quickly. Being on the football team meant that he couldn't be completely anonymous, but outside of sport he kept his head down in class and didn't hang around after school. Not wanting to be popular meant that he could roam the halls in relative peace.
The other boys on the team questioned why he hadn't yet 'tapped that' when it came to Krystal. After all, they'd all been there. Some more than once. And yet none of them realized that talking like that really wasn't 'selling it' to him. Despite what coach said he didn't like walking around the school in his new Letterman jacket. Although he played with the team he didn't really hang around with them.
Today at lunch he was sat at a table of randoms when the school's Glee club pulled an impromptu performance. He watched with curiosity as they danced and sang their way around the lunch room and between the tables. They were actually pretty good. Not as good as the New Directions but there was definitely talent there.
Nobody at his school knew that he could sing and play. He'd decided that joining Glee club would be out of the question. What if they got through to Sectionals and Regionals? There was no way that he would be able to sing against his old group. And there was no way on earth of knowing how he would react seeing Mercedes and her new boyfriend there.
No, his voice and guitar were staying at home for his own personal pleasure and comfort. Nobody else's.
Home. He smiled to think that he referred to his grandparent's house as home in a way that he never could the motel room.
He returned his tray then headed back to his car to retrieve a forgotten textbook that he needed for the afternoon.
On his return he heard a yell and turned in time to see three letterman jackets hoist a pair of flailing arms and legs flying into one of the large trashcans.
"Hey!" He ran over to be met by three of his grinning teammates.
"This isn't your battle Evans!" They simply pushed past him, high-fiving and congratulating each other.
Sam leaned over the side of the trashcan to see who was in there. Inside was a slightly built boy with red hair. His face looked vaguely familiar from English class. Sam offered his arm and helped pull him out.
"Thanks mate! That's really decent of you! Look, I would offer to shake your hand but I'm all – you know!"
Sam nodded.
"I'm Oliver by the way. But my friends call me Ollie."
"I'm Sam. And I do not like green eggs and ham!" Why the hell did that just come out?
The boy's face lit up. "Doctor Seuss! I used to have those books when I was little!"
Sam grinned at the acknowledgement. "Great accent by the way!"
"Thanks. As you can tell I'm not from around here. I was born and grew up in London but moved here last summer with my mom when my parents split up. She's from just up the road. Look- I hope you don't mind but I really need to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up from all this…"
"No worries. I'll come with you. I think I also got some stuff on me from when I reached in."
"That's cool. I'm so sorry you got yourself–Oh my god my Ipad…" Ollie suddenly stopped and rummaged through his bag until he found his computer. It was unharmed in its case. "Phew! I'm so sorry. If this had been broken I don't know what I would have done. There's stuff on here which hasn't been backed up yet!"
They reached the bathrooms and started to clean up.
"So you're new to this school aren't you!" He looked at Sam curiously.
Usually Sam didn't like talking about himself with the kids at school but for some reason he didn't mind this guy. "Yep. My family moved here during the summer. I'm still adjusting."
"Well I hate to say this but this will be my second year and I'm still adjusting too! But then again I've got the whole America thing to adjust to, not just the whole school thing which, I have to admit, it is just like it is on the TV shows!"
"But do you like it here?" As soon as the words came out Sam realized that it was a stupid question. "I mean apart from-"
"Oh I know what you mean. I suppose its okay. I don't have much else to compare it to. Well, when I say okay I mean apart from the bullying that is!"
"Can I ask? Why do they do it?"
"How long is a piece of string? I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm English. Maybe because I'm ginger. Maybe it's because I'm gay. Maybe it's because I'm a computer geek. Maybe it's because I try to put at least a little bit of thought into the clothes I'm going to wear each day. Maybe it's because I'm just simply different and that threatens them. Bullies don't need a reason and I already give them plenty."
Sam nodded. "You're just like my friend Kurt! You guys would get on so well!"
"Is he gay too?"
"Very! But he has a boyfriend. He had to transfer schools for a while because of bullying. Fortunately it got sorted and he came back, but he had the same kind of attitude as you and is just as clothes crazy!"
"Sounds like someone I'd like to shop with!"
Sam grinned. "You would. But you'd have to fight my girl- ex girlfriend for shopping privileges."
Ollie's eyebrow shot up in a perfect Kurt impression that made Sam wonder if they were separated at birth.
"I'll talk about it one day. But not today!"
"That's fine," said Ollie, tossing a multitude of dirty wipes away into the trash. "Did you know that baby wipes are brilliant for cleaning everything off everything in an emergency?"
Sam couldn't say that he did.
The bell rang for class. "Time for English. Shall we go?"
Sam and Ollie's paths crossed a couple more times over the next week. Ollie tended to spend lunchtimes alone hunched over his Ipad and Sam didn't want to disturb him. Besides, he was too busy trying to hide from Krystal who was taking his refusals as a personal challenge to try harder.
It took a week before Sam noticed Ollie walking to school alone. He slowed the car and offered him a ride.
"Thanks! That's really decent of you."
"No problem. I just live round the corner on Long Dale Drive."
Ollie's eyes opened wide. "No waaay! So do I! What number?"
And that's how they found out they actually lived precisely six houses down from each other, and Sam became Ollie's ride from that day on. As they travelled they found they actually had a lot in common. There was a mutual love of sci-fi. But the biggest thing was computer games. Now that Sam had his own computer he was back into his avid online gaming with a vengeance (and it also kept his mind off thinking about Mercedes and her new boyfriend.) Their avatars had even played against each other before without them knowing who the other person was.
But Ollie was the greatest computer whizz and one day showed him what it was that kept him hunched over his Ipad and laptop over his breaks. He was actually working on a computer game and had been for the last two years. "I'm great with the programming and the technical stuff, but what I lack is the imagination and artistic skills for the variety of characters that I need."
Sam grinned as an idea formed in his head. "You won't believe this but I used to do drawings. And most of them were comic and computer game characters that I made up. I'll dig some out and if you like any of them you're welcome to use them."
"Really? Just like that?"
"Sure. They're just sitting in a book. If they can be of use then that'll be great."
"Sam I swear, when this game goes viral I swear you will get a share of the royalties!"
Sam laughed. "It's a deal!"
Sam woke up with a feeling of foreboding. It was just going to be one of those days, he could feel it in his bones.
Stacy had fussed in the morning and his trying to settle her had made him late. Then Ollie had texted to say that he was unwell and would not be coming to school so he had made his way in alone.
At lunchtime he really missed having Ollie to talk and finished his lunch quickly before heading to the library. He had to pass the table with all the cheerleaders and popular girls. He felt their eyes leave their salads and follow him as he walked but he didn't turn or break his stride. Unfortunately for him, Krystal was very fit and very fast.
By the time he'd collected the books from his locker to take to the library she was right there next to him. And as he slammed the door shut he sensed that he wasn't going to be able to get rid of her easily today.
"Hey Sammy! What's new?"
"Nothing. Look Krystal, I'm busy."
She ignored him as usual. "Ashton's having a party on Saturday. All the football team will be there."
"And what has that got to do with me?"
"Well are you coming? Coz I'd really like to go with you!"
"I'm not going!"
"Oh come on! Where's your sense of fun?"
"I left it in Ohio!"
She scowled. "Clearly you did!" She was looking around to see if anyone else was in the hallway. But it was deserted.
Sam suddenly felt nervous. Why the hell did she need to check if we were alone-
Before he could finish his thought she had reached up on tiptoes and crushed her lips against his, forcing him back up against the locker, wanting to push her away but not quite knowing what to do with his hands that would not be misconstrued as being an assault. Because the actual truth was that he was the one actually being assaulted here!
He tried to shout for her to stop but the second he opened his mouth she forced her tongue in, her hands on his shoulders trying to draw him closer.
Total panic set in.
Panic and guilt flashed up with an image of Mercedes and a sense of- oh my god please tell me she has not just been eating blue cheese dressing! I can taste it on her tongue! That was the vilest thing since the third Star Wars Movie...
Sam could feel his gag reflex kick in and he started to dry heave.
Krystal pulled back and stared at him with an expression which was equal amounts of shock, anger, distain and horror.
He didn't care. He shot her wild look before running to the nearest trash can and vomiting into it!
He then ran into the boy's bathroom to wash his face and mouth out.
Sam didn't expect Krystal to follow him but she did. She was livid. Without a word she checked every stall to make sure nobody else was there before totally losing it.
"What the FUCK was that all about! How DARE you vomit after kissing me!"
Sam turned to her. She wasn't the only one who was livid. "YOU kissed ME! I did NOT kiss you back. You're the one who tongue raped me you crazy bitch!"
"Oh my god!" She took a step back, "Kelly was right. You are TOTALLY gay!"
He glared at her. "No I'm not!"
"You totally are! You spend all your time hanging round that British ginger fag. You even arrive to school together! It's so not subtle Sam! And you've not even looked at a girl since you started this school..."
Sam started to retaliate before realizing that there were worse rumors that he could be faced with. If the school believed he was gay it would get every single girl off his back. And if anyone on the team tried to make things difficult for him, he was more than prepared and capable of fighting back. He thought about it quickly then changed his reply.
"Look! I don't want to talk about it," he said, his voice suddenly calm. Admit nothing, deny nothing...
"I KNEW it!"
"No you didn't. Otherwise you wouldn't have spent all that time pursuing me."
"Maybe I thought I could change you."
"Nothing you could do would change me. I know who I like and I'm not changing from that."
Krystal looked totally floored. She just didn't know what to say.
The door opened, a junior walked in, took one look at the two of them and ran straight back out again.
"Now this can go one of two ways Krystal," said Sam, feeling the upper hand going back to him. "We can just end this now, quietly, and you'll leave me alone for the rest of the year and not spread rumors about me. Or, as a counter attack, I can tell the world that you're so skanky and riddled with infection from being with every boy in the school that when you tried to kiss me I threw up. And nobody will want to go near you ever again!"
She looked at him long and hard before admitting defeat.
"Oh whatever Evans!" she said before dramatically opening the door and huffing back outside to her friends.
Sam knew that the rumor about him would get out. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow. But it would get out. Because Krystal was a slut who couldn't keep her mouth shut. It was only a matter of time and he would be prepared!
But for now it worked for his advantage.
And he would use that.
