The fate of Sam Evans' relationships seem to be unraveling more and more. With the departure of Quinn and the replacement of Santana- whose to say that anything is long lasting at McKinley. The small girl in Sam's eye is becoming closer and closer to being his.


Spring Was Sprung

With March coming to a close, Sam was sprung. The buzz of nature blooming enlightened him. The birds and the bees pollinating kind of freaked him out. With their health teacher being out sick, a spicy blonde was called to sub in her place. Holly Holiday had a plan to begin conversations about sex at McKinley despite the celibacy club's pleas. An impromptu performance of "Do You Wanna Touch Me" set the mood to sell sex, something Sam wasn't entirely sure about. "Don't get me wrong, I dig sex… and sex stuff… as much as the next guy, but isn't it a little inappropriate?" He hummed lowly into the phone and the answer shocked him. "Don't be a prude." The peppery voice of Santana Lopez seemed like a hum, hearing sly remarks from Brittany as background noise. Sam never had a proper conversation with Santana for the entire week they had been dating.

It was usually an awkward silence encumbered by the inevitable click of Santana hanging up on him. He sighed looking at his watch feigning a yawn. "I think it's time for me to hit the sack anyways." Sam decided to ignore the commentary of his temperance. The click on the other end of the phone signaled her departure. He sent a quick text to Mercedes to wish her a good night, as they had been texting back and forth all day about possible movie marathons to plan with the group.

It was an internal conflict. Sam's heart felt a swell whenever he talked to Mercedes. The feeling grew larger as time went on. His now girlfriend was constantly finding new ways to rip him apart. Not being able to speak N'avi anymore, read comic books, watch superhero movies. It got to a point where Sam was staying home every day after school just so he could get a fix of things missed out on when his parole officer wasn't around.

Strangely enough, Santana had been busy for the past couple of days. She mentioned a duet with Brittany that would be performed later on with the accompanying vocals of their substitute health teacher. It didn't take much for Sam to shrug off the isolation from Santana. At this point in their relationship, Sam and Santana should be in the honeymoon phase. It should be lovely and whimsical ;but instead of butterflies in his stomach he felt wasps.

He lie sprawled across the bed, not ready to sleep quiet yet. The hopeless romantic seemed to awake at night. All Sam had ever wanted was to curl up on the couch with someone to watch TV with . Since he always had trouble sleeping, it wasn't a far-fetched dream. Santana didn't have a curfew, but he didn't exactly want her presence on the couch. Sam didn't hesitate to think about her name in his mind. It flowed through like a slow, sugary molasses.

Cue to Sam sprawled on the bed with thoughts entranced in the future. His eyes were ready to stay shut but he hit the snooze button on his alarm clock three times already. Dazed and confused, the stumbling to the bathroom was an attempt to wash away the sleep.

Showering does little to nothing for the tiredness. Absentmindedly checking his phone every so often before the time came to get dressed Sam was looking for a response from a certain someone. Santana never replied to texts unless they were sexy, but Mercedes always replied within a small matter of time. He blew air out of his mouth exasperated and put his phone face down onto his desk. It was oddly comforting for Sam to be able to turn off the world when necessary. Sometimes the jumbles of letters and numbers made him feel like dyslexia is an inhibition impossible to overcome. He fought it like hell, though.

Pulling out a pad and a pen, he let a stream of consciousness flow onto the paper. Since the "original song" assignment for Glee club was really happening, he had better get started. It was easy to think of things he wanted to say, but writing them out was the difficult part. The words flowed in ways Sam understood, but no one else did. He supposed the term "learning different" made sense now. Writing for a long time without stopping made his hand pulse. Sam stopped to look at his watch and impulsively gathered his things for school. Almost half an hour early, but there was an old southern saying Sam's dad liked to say about how it's better to be early than it is to be late. It probably had something to do with hunting that he didn't care for particularly.

The slam of a truck cab into the empty parking lot would have caused a startled jump… if anyone else was around. Sam opted for the empty outside seating beside the cafeteria. It was just warm enough he didn't need anything other than a light red hoodie. The comfortableness of it soothed him. Sam knew he wasn't going to fall asleep outside again.

Clouds drastically shifting and speeding by as the time progressed before his first class. He saw the others slowly arrive one by one before their day would begin, and sure enough they all joined him for an impromptu song writing session at the metal tables before the Monday that they were about to endure. Santana and Brittany always came late donning iced coffees, no doubt after another sleepover they had every other night. Their closeness was something he wished to have with another Glee guy, as he never really had a best guy friend before. Sam thought that Finn was going to be the one to do that, before he came and wrecked his relationship with Quinn. Although, Sam was grateful for getting out of that mess soon. The scar of Quinn still ached his heart when he saw her, but he mostly felt nothing but indifference on a normal day.

The small girl who decided to sit beside him was looking like a picturesque spring day. She wore a loosely fitted cardigan with flowers covering a white tank top. Normal jeans and wedges donned her lower half, not distracting from the striking contrast of the white cream against her warm skin. The essence of flowers overtook Sam as he was nonchalantly trying to inhale her aroma. Her usual scent must have been a winter original because now it was a symphonic bouquet that complimented the now warmer weather.

If no one else was around, his hands would have pawed at the frills hanging from her cardigan.

Inevitably, the bell rang breaking his lull. A quick smile from her relieved him of tension before the school day.


Originality

"All right everyone, let's begin our song writing workshop!" A dragged out speech that Sam nearly snoozed through had ended. Now the Glee club had as much free time as they needed to write some amazing songs. He sat next to Mike with is girlfriend distanced away from him, at an angle in front of him. Santana hadn't said a word since lunch. What was going on inside of her mind? Sam shrugged it off before thinking too deeply, for fear her Mexican third eye would alert her out of nowhere.

Mr. Schue passed out the thesauruses with a genuine, excited smile. This was their first regionals competition all together and it was apparent that their teacher wanted them to succeed. Santana quickly grabbed one and tossed it into Sam's lap, missing the groin area by some feat. She got up quickly announcing to Mr. Schue the meaning behind her abruptness. "Mr. Schue, actually… Tina and I have been working on a song already. That I wrote. " There was no hesitation in her voice but the entire room fell hushed. Sam looked at Mike sitting next to him with a look that he tried to hide the fear in his eyes with, desperately. Mr. Schue's eyes lit up, "Wow Santana, that's amazing. Can we hear it?" She took center stage with a nod and Tina scurried to the piano. Santana looked over the room and made eye contact with Sam, who was smiling brightly. "This is a song I wrote for Sam." He nodded at her, still smiling even though embarrassment made his stomach churn. "It's called Trouty Mouth."

Sam's face dropped, seemingly through the floor. His eyes now shined in a confusion and rage that he didn't know how to address. His large lips were now sullen, trembling. Sam could barely utter his next words. "Wait, what's the song called?" He asked to no one in particular, but the soft voice of Mike Chang was in his ear, looking Sam directly in the eyes although he was fixated on Santana still. "Trouty Mouth." The room fell to an even more intense, awkward silence.

A slow paced piano melody began and Santana was dancing idly. She was facing Tina and began taking off her jacket to reveal a tight fitting tube top. "Guppy faa-aa-aace." Sam's stomach was becoming more and more dense with each words. "Trouty mou-ouu-ouuth." Her raspy voice continued on, and he wanted to run out of the room. Out of the school entirely. A small gasp escaped from Mr. Schue's mouth and the rest of the room had their eyes glued on Sam's now red face.

"Is that how people's lips look where you come from in the South?

Grouper mou-ou-outh. Froggy li-i-i-ips. I love sucking on those salamander lips.

Wanna put a fish hook in those lips so cherry red.

If you tried

hard

enough.

You could suck a baby's head!

Whoo!"

Sam erupted forth from his chair, unable to take the harassment any longer. "Enough! Stop the music! That's enough with the mouth jokes. I'm sick of it." His hands remained clenched in his hoodie pockets, but he was seething blood red in the face."

Santana's eyes grew a deep seething color. "Sit the hell down, I'm not finished yet."

He didn't care at this point if she ended it between them, because all he felt was rage towards her. "Yes you are! Mr. Schue, how can you let her sing this? We are not doing Trouty Mouth at regionals." Mr. Schue was out of his chair now too. "I have to agree with Sam here. Santana, it was a great start… but I don't really think this is a good fit for regionals." He tried to reassure her that it was great placing an accompanying hand on her back for support. Startled, she riled "Don't touch me! Do not touch me vest monkey." Her mouth was still agape as she sat down, and Sam seemed to be seeing red. He tried to focus on Puck's song for Lauren, but his mind was elsewhere the rest of the meeting.

Tapping his foot and snapping along with the music, Santana glanced back at him to give him a death stare. Sick of her shenanigans, he inched closer to towards her shrugging in a mocking way. This was the death of Samtana.


Hell To The No

The next day was going to be Mercedes' day to shine. Sam was excitedly texting her back and forth all night. Mostly to calm her nerves, but also to fully indulge in her words. She had emailed him a rough draft of her signature "Hell To The No" along with a voice memo, and he was completely obsessed with it. It was a get up and dance kind of song he could get into. "sooo ur sending me a copy of the recording right? when u get that record deal. bc this is amaaaaazing mercy." He sent her a reply as soon as he finished listening to the small sample. "youll have to get in line evans! :p" When she teased Sam, it made him feel as though they had been something more than friends. Maybe he wanted that all along.

"i will b fighting for that cd. way better than fuckin trout mouth." His embarrassment was still raw. The fact that Santana performed that song in front of all of their friends proved the type of person she was. Who does something like that? Sam would never fathom doing something like that to the girl he was dating. Mercedes text back made him feel better. "ouch, yeah that was rough. i dont kno what satan was thinking." An enormous laugh erupted as his fingers tried to move fast enough to text her back. "thats harsh miss jones". Sam was gleaming at the phone before her quick reply came through, making his green eyes water from how much he was laughing. "OMG. i mean i wasnt wrong but tht was NOT what i meant samuel!" His guffaws grew with each breath he tried to intake. The smirk she gave him made his fingertips vibrate.

Pulsations in his heart grew larger and larger as time dragged on. Being a part of Mercedes Jones' life was something Sam never expected to be so proud of. She was his best friend, the person he went to before anyone else. This was a brand new world.

The approaching regionals competition had everyone on edge. It was a far shot, but he hoped that Mercedes' song would push people over the edge and stop choosing Rachel to be the lead in competitions. He gave her the thumbs up on her casual outfit for the performance, and a good luck hug that was reciprocated nicely in her short arms. Sam couldn't help but slightly lift her as she was in his embrace. He wanted so desperately to sweep her off her feet.

They gathered in the tense choir room, still on edge from the blowout between Sam and Santana. Fucking Trouty Mouth. He sulked in Santana's direction who didn't dare sit near him. He opted for a seat next to Mike instead. Front row, ready. Anxiously awaiting her arrival, Sam pulled out his notebook to scribble some of this own consciousness down. The anticipated tingling adrenaline rush from hearing Mercedes sing made him feel inspired. He absentmindedly doodled comic strips in the corner as opposed to finishing up his original song.

When she approached the choir room she seemed to have a tinge of nervousness. Not anything that the average observer would figure out. Sam was not an average observer. He smiled his signature smile at her and gave her a thumbs up to encourage her. It was settling for that as opposed to scooping her up in his arms.

Mercedes gave him an anxious smile and nodded in his direction. Placing her hands on her hips awaiting Mr. Schue's arrival she was looking down at her feet an attempt to psyche herself up internally.

"All right everyone." They all looked up at the familiar voice entering the choir room. "Let's all give Mercedes our full attention for her original song." He gave a thunderous one-clap and then retreated to the piano bench. The electric keyboard accompanied by the drums started before anyone could even bat an eye. Mercedes was hitting her leg in rhythm and stomping one foot in sync. It was an intense beat Sam wasn't expecting because she sang the demo accapella. His eyes were glued on her figure, not hiding the enormous grin he was now wearing as he tapped his foot with the keys.

Before Mercedes even began to sing Brittany, Santana and Tina all gathered around the piano. They were dancing to the beat and basking in its' amazingness.

Mama said get your ass out of bed

I said hell to the no

Her voice was an electric current flowing through him. Sam would have been dancing is he wasn't so taken aback with wonder.

She moved over to Artie in the front row gesturing to him as she sang, and he wagged a finger in response.

Said wash your grandma's nasty head

I said hell to the no

They tried to take away my tots

I said hell to the no

Yeah, 'cause I'm the one that calls the shots

And I say hell to the no

Sam was etching roughly and quickly to make a sign before she inched over to him. Her approach was like the celestial heavens had gifted him. When she got to her iconic line again he held up his notebook which had "HELL NO" scribbled on it. Mercedes smiled brightly at him as she sang but didn't miss a beat. As he held up his makeshift sign he was smiling such an exaggerated, dorky smile with his entire face. His eyes were lit up like a christmas tree. Even after she had made her way to the piano, he was still smiling.

Try to make me change my weave

Well I got something up my sleeve

It's a whole lot of

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no

I said

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no

Mercedes danced and moved with her song like a soulful flow. This balance was a symphony to everyone's eyes and ears.

They tried to take away my tots

I said hell to the no

Yeah, 'cause I'm the one that calls the shots

And I say hell to the no

Tell me I should eat my wheaties, you know what

Hell to the no (Hell to the no)

Tell me I'll come down with diabetes

Hell to the no (Hell to the no)

With every line of the chorus she did a signature move where she shook her head and moved a finger back and forth against it. Sam would do it too but not on rhythm.

Try to make me change my eats

But baby that just isn't me

I'm a whole lot of

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no

I said

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no

Not a single person in the room was sitting still in their chair.

Take me you can leave me but I won't ever change

If you don't like the rules don't play my game

Talk to me to get R-E-S-P-E-C-T, but if I don't, it's all in me

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no

I said

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no

"Awe hell to the no." She finished the song with an enormous smile. Sam looked straight at her and winked as he clapped the loudest in his chair. His heart was still racing. Mr. Schue erupted forth and went straight for Mercedes, placing his hand on her back in congratulatory fashion. "Mercedes, that was amazing. I mean really, really good. But…." Mercedes cut him off with one swift movement. "But nothing Mr. Schue that song was amazing." The aggression in her tone was exactly the way Sam had felt when he heard Mr. Shue's statement, but he didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone. "No, I completely agree. But I just don't think it's regionals material." Mercedes didn't even acknowledge what he was saying as she walked away in the middle of his sentence. She looked like the world just fell from her palms, the exact opposite of when she performed.

Sam sat there sulking at Mr. Shue. He knew it was going to happen, but he was thinking wishfully that maybe this time would be different. He stared down at his notebook at the words his hands scribbled during Mercedes' performance.

The voice of his now ex-girlfriend could now be heard. Santana was seated at the piano bench with a pen and paper in her hand, holding it up for the class to see. "I've written another verse of Trouty Mouth if anyone wants to hear." She looked at Mr. Schue but Sam could feel the Mexican third-eye watching him for a response. The sign in his lap now perfectly summed up how he was feeling in this moment. Sam held up the "HELL NO" sign with a grimace on his face, pointed directly at Santana. The humiliation of his large lips was seemingly never going to stop. He shook his head in exasperation when Mr. Schue cut her off. "No no no. Guys. We have to focus." Their teacher looked around at all of the confused faces. "Think about your favorite songs. What makes a song great is its' emotion." Sam heard Mercedes falter in her chair, moving abruptly and scoffing. "They come from a place of pain. We have to channel that if we want to win regionals."

Artie interjected, "That should be easy for us. Sylvester tortures us every day in an attempt to get people to hate us. And it works." Mr. Shue's face was distraught as he heard the sorrow in Artie's voice from the revelation. He heard the fiery Latina start, this time with heartfelt words. "Yesterday she filled Britt's and I's locker with dirt." Their teacher was now running towards the white board to write down what they were saying. Sam heard Mercedes' voice now, sounding torn up as well. "Well she literally throws sticks at me. One time I was just trying to get my books for class and she started throwing twigs in my hair saying I deserved it because she was going to crush us at regionals." Sam looked back at her to check her composure and she seemed distraught. His heart sank with her words.

"Okay, what else?" Tina then came forward with her own Sue tale. "She called the secretary of state and told them she was me. She said that I wanted to change my name to Tina Cohen-Loser." The silence over the room was uncomfortable. Everyone telling their stories about how Sue has personally victimized them made them all feel regretful. "How did Sue doing these things to you make you feel?" Mr. Schue asked and no one seemed to want an answer. It was the tall quarterback who was silent the entire day that spoke. "Well, it hurts at first. But then it makes you want to win." It was as if everyone was looking for that exact answer because the room was filled wish hushed agreement. Mr. Schue looked at Finn and smiled. "Guys, I think you may have just found your song." Sam was confused to say the least, but he was excited to see what song that was exactly, although still upset Mercedes' wasn't going to be the one they were singing.


Losers

The crowd was intense as they entered the auditorium. The stage lights made him feel sick with nervousness. His anchor was three seats down. By some incredible feat, Santana was still side by side with Sam despite their less than amicable breakup. Almost as if she didn't care at all he had ended it, which is why she planted herself down next to him with Brittany on the other side of her. Mercedes looked gorgeous in her blue satin dress that Tina made. Every girl was wearing the same thing, but she looked especially radiant even in the low lighting of their seats.

He kept glancing over at her to see her reactions to the performances going on in front of them. Sometimes she was singing and dancing and other times she was grimacing at the pandering of Aural Intensity singing a Jesus song when the judge is a nun and a conservative Catholic.

Sam knew in his mind's eye that there was no way they were going to lose to Sue. Maybe to the Warblers, but definitely not Sue.

He rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees and breathed out in a slow pace. If he could get through a duet with Quinn, he would get through this.

Sitting through the horrendous numbers performed by Aural Intensity seemed almost worth it when Blaine and Kurt performed "Candles" by Hey Monday. Sam's eyes couldn't help his wandering eye to the beautiful girl seated just a few people down from him. It almost made him tear up.

"Blow the candles out, looks like a solo tonight.

I'm beginning to see the light.

Blow the candles out, looks like a solo tonight

but I think I'll be alright."

The New Directions clapped louder and harder than anyone else in the crowd. The giant voice of his enamored echoed above all else in response. She was the most enthusiastic and caring about her friend Kurt. If the New Directions lost, they wouldn't feel so bad if it was to the Warblers. Kurt, to be specific.

The end of their performance led to the scattering of his Glee club members to behind the stage. Their debut of Rachel's song was one he wasn't looking forward to. She was good, but not as good as Mercedes. One day everyone was going to realize what Sam already knew. Mercedes Jones was the most talented person he had ever met.

Rachel's song was moving in a way that he wasn't expecting. It was nice she was singing from the heart for once and not for theatrics.

The group song came too soon after, giving him only a brief thirty second pause to collect himself. Sam's nerves were glaringly obvious as he saw Mercedes looking at him with sympathetic eyes. She nodded a quick reassuring glance in his direction, and it made him glow instantly. If she was performing, no one would be looking at him. They'll all be too starstruck by her aura.

Where he stood, the music morphed into their signature beat. Their song was about to be broadcasted to this auditorium. Sam gulped loudly at the realizations he was having, but he made his way next to Mercedes and kept his thoughts fixated on her. "It's now or never, Evans." He said to himself in a low tone. Showtime.

"Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero

But, hey, everyone you wanna be

Probably started off like me…"

The chorus rang out from Rachel and Mercedes and he felt his body pulsating. In this moment, with these people, Sam didn't think of himself as a loser. More than any other time in his life, Sam felt like he was a part of something innately special. Holding onto this moment forever was exactly what he planned to do.

The walk to the dressing room backstage was a blank spot in Sam's memory. He felt his legs moving and the ache of his feet, but nothing else. He would most likely be dead if not for automatic breathing. He stood anxiously next to Tina, Artie and Mike, trying not to pace but vigorously rubbing his palms on his pants. The sweat glands in Sam's hands were overloaded.

He heard her laugh echo across the cramped room as his eyes darted up between blond bangs. Sam kept his head down but let his eyes trace her figure. Her face was red and glowy from the performance their team had just rocked. Sam hoped it was enough for the judges.

It must've been the shorted meeting between judges. Within not even two minutes the lights were flickering, beckoning them back to the stage. The jackhammer in the left side of Sam's chest was flicked on as he walked with his friends to the stage. They had to win.

Somehow Sam was situated behind the giant Finn Hudson who, despite being a step lower than him, was still obscuring his view. He stood behind Mercedes, who was situated next to the quarterback, excitedly talking up at him with her hands idly fondling with her dress. The announcer that walked on stage took eons. She was drunk off of her ass and slandering her husband who got her the job in the first place. Sam couldn't care less, and eagerly awaited the news blocking out any other unrelated gibberish.

"In first place we have…" The words slurred out and made Sam's heart stop. "The New Directions! Congratulations you're going to Nationals."

The loud noise erupting around him made his ears ring, but he was giddy with excitement. Claiming their trophy, they all stared in awe in its' glory. He had never felt so at peace in a crowd full of screaming people. Jumping up and down they feasted on the fruits of their labors.

It was the loud slap that pulled them out of their ecstatic rhythm, and the thud to the floor that followed. Sue had made her way across the stage to slap the announcer in the face with a cold hard hand. Ouch.

The night air was filled with cheers and screams on the way to their cars. He was running to catch up with the group, feeling the rush of the wind as he did so. To get home and try to sleep after tonight would be tough.

Entirely on the way home, he was texting Mercedes at every red light. Every stop sign. "miss jones, you truly were amazing 2nite. looked it 2. get home safe." The exuberant smile spread across his face as he heard the notification of reply. He drove eagerly to the next light and unlocked his phone in a rush. "dont make me blush! you looked great urself. we all did." Her kindness towards the people who constantly undermined her was beyond him. Sam couldn't understand how she wasn't so angry with them all the time for choosing Rachel. "she aint u mercedes. u would've done way better with hell 2 the no." Somehow Sam could hear her laugh echo in his mind reading her next message. "i dont think we can get better than first place. ur right tho, she def aint me! :)" He couldn't read her messages until he got home due to lack of traffic lights, but the approach was euphoric knowing her words were only a short period away. Sam Evans was becoming hooked, and he didn't mind at all.


AN: Tell me your thoughts on this chapter! I, for one, was glad to see Samtana be gone as quickly as it arrived. Trouty is now in the right direction, and I'm hoping he stays there :) Mercedes is obviously noticing something up with Sam's constant eye on her, but will she reciprocate? A night of neglect will surely have some events transpire. Until next time, please leave a review or private message me if you enjoyed. I appreciate your patience as always and thank you all for the amazing reviews.