****I do not own glee or the songs posted... I don't own the characters either. This will be the competition chapter. Let me know what you think of the song selections. Only one of the performances will be from glee and that's Unique and Marley's "Blow Me from pink" performance****
2 months later
"Good morning, New Directions! Today is the day we've been all waiting for!" Mercedes heard the voice of Will Schuester on the on the intercom. It had been crazy for the last two months at the school. At most schools, basketball and football were the big events that people got excited over. Not at New Directions! There were banners everywhere! "All students will report to the auditorium after first period and are required to vote in our first ever New Directions Glee competition!" Mercedes watched as the students clapped and cheered. She smiled and clapped as well. She'd work hard for this moment and couldn't wait to see the kids perform. "Good luck to Rachel and the upperclassmen, they will be performing first! Good luck to Ms. Mercedes Jones and the underclassmen as well. We can't wait to see all your talents! The winning team will perform a grand ending number for the winter showcase!" He shouted with enthusiasm. Mercedes and everyone cheered with excitement. "Now in other news-" he continued but Mercedes turned it off.
"Good morning class! Are you all as excited as I am?" Mercedes asked looking at the class. They looked excited as well as nervous. "I know you will all do great!"
"Let's get some excitement in here!" Sam said as he walked into the classroom. He always helped them loosen up. He smiled over at her as he walked around getting the students more excited.
Sam had been such a great help during the past two months. Not to mention how great their relationship has been ever since she had opened up to him. They went on dates like he wanted but there were days when she cancelled because of the prep work foot the competition. On those days she could hear the disappointment in his voice but he never said anything about it. She made time for him, but mainly on the weekends. She just wanted everything to be perfect for the students.
"Alright, I know not everyone in hear is performing but I want to thank you for all your contribution, small or big, and we couldn't have done it without you all." Mercedes said smiling genuinely at each student. "Win or lose, you all are winners in my eyes!"
"We're going to give our all, Ms. Jones!" Marley said with a huge smile on her face.
"That's the attitude! Now let's get ready to go!" Sam said clapping. She nodded and grabbed her handbag and followed the class out.
The auditorium was noisy as everyone started to arrive. Sam looked over as the students did one last rehearsal. Mercedes was in the corner backstage talking to Kurt. He could see how nervous she was and wanted to let her know it would all be alright. He's watched the kids perform the routine and they were great. She'd put so much of herself into this competition, Sam was happy that it was just about over. Now he'd have his woman to himself more.
"She looks nervous, doesn't she?" Blaine asked Sam as he noticed him watching her. "The kids are going to kill this performance, I know this!"
"I agree! I'm going to go talk to her." Sam said patting Blaine on the back. Sam knew Mercedes was a perfectionist and that she gets in her own head sometimes and kills her confidence. The time they'd spent together had shown him this. Sometimes she'd cancel dates just to make minor changes to an already perfect routine. He couldn't lie about his jealousy of how she always put the kids before him. He felt selfish at times but he also loved the way she was selfless when it came to them. Which is one of the reasons he was happy that today would be the end of all the stressing. "Hey Mercedes, hey Kurt!"
"Hey Sam," Kurt said waving. "Let me go see what Blaine's doing." He said excusing himself. Sam could tell he was just leaving to give them a moment alone.
"Sam, I'm beyond nervous right now!" She said chewing her nails nervously. "I just saw some of Rachel's students rehearsing and they looked great!"
"Mercedes, calm down!" Sam said placing his hands on her shoulders. "The kids are going to need you to be calm. If you lose confidence in them, they won't make it. You're the reason they are as good as they are today because you believed in them!" He said to her. He watched as a smile slowly crept on her face.
"You always know just what to say!" She said grabbing him and hugging him tight.
"Excuse me," Rachel said clearing her throat. "I don't mean to interrupt but I just wanted to come and shake my opponents hands before the kids start." She said extending her hand. Sam watched as Mercedes slowly took Rachel's hand as if she wasn't too sure if she should. "May the best class win!"
"Thank you Rachel!" Mercedes said and shook her hand. Rachel smiled at Sam then looked back at Mercedes before turning and walking away. "Well, here goes nothing!"
"No, here goes... everything!" He said as they both laughed. They walked hand and hand sitting next to Kurt and Blaine. The gang was all there smiling with excitement. The auditorium was loud but finally got quiet when Mr. Schuester came out.
"Welcome to the first ever New Direction Glee competition!" He said and smiled as the auditorium erupted with cheers. "You all are in for a treat. Going first will be the upperclassmen and then the underclassmen will perform. Once both performances are over there will be a page on the schools website where you can vote your favorite performances. Only one can win, but you can still vote your favorite and they can see the videos on the website." He announced. The auditorium erupted again loving the idea. "Now let's get this show started!" He said walking off the stage.
Three lights turned off leaving the auditorium pitch black. Everyone got quiet until one of Rachel's students came out. Just as Sam assumed she had them singing Broadway. He looked over at Mercedes and grabbed her hand. She looked more nervous than before.
"Come with me!" Sam said in Mercedes ear. She looked at him puzzled but got up. Kurt looked at them and pulled Blaine and the others.
"They sounded great!" Blaine said looking worried as well once they were out the door. Sam looked at the sad look on their faces in disbelief.
"Come on you guys! We knew they would be great. Don't lose faith in the kids so soon!" He said looking at everyone.
"Sam's right you guys, Mercedes they need you to believe in them!" Artie said fixing his glasses on his nose. "Let's go get the students ready!"
"Thanks you guys!" Mercedes finally spoke squeezing Sam's hand.
Mercedes watched as Rachel's students finished performing their group number. The students cheered with delight and she had to admit she enjoyed the performances as well. She had a lot of doubt and each time she did Sam was there to calm her down. When she faced the students she made sure she didn't display how nervous she was.
"Alright, Joe you know you're going first. Start strong and we end strong!" Mercedes said looking at everyone. They all nodded, bowed their heads for a quick prayer lead by Joe then hugged. "Let's do this!"
"Woooo! That was some performance. Let's see what the underclassmen will do to follow such an act! New Directions give it up for the underclassmen!" He said walking off the stage as the auditorium erupted wth cheers again. Mercedes and Sam watched from backstage as Joe walked towards the middle of the stage with a stool and mic stand. He sat and push back his dreads and looked over at Mercedes and smiled nervously. Closing his eyes he began to sing the first note as they rehearsed it.
"Ohhhhhhhhh oooohh." He repeated and then opened his eyes and said softly. "Listen." The auditorium went completely silent as if they didn't want to miss a note as he continued to sing Usher's Moving Mountains.
"Now, now she loved me, like I loved her...Used to jump up in the Maybach and roll out...Used to care, she used to share...The love that she used to give me can't be found...I lost my way, she said she'd stay..." He sang closing his eyes again he continued. "And lately I've been sleeping with a ghost...My stock is down and out, I used to be worth my weight in gold...That was before a great depression kicked in and rocked us..." He opened his eyes slowly and gripped the mic. "And that was before the hurricane came in and stopped us...I told you to leave, but you lied to me...When you said that, baby no worries I promise to get us back." He sang getting up from the stool and grabbing the mic. Sam held Mercedes hands as she watched Joe sing like a proud mother watching her son perform.
"I know sorries, just wouldn't do it...Her heart is obliterated, I'm trying to travel through...But it's like moving mountains...It's like moving mountains... hey...But I keep climbing and hoping things would change...And the sky turns gray, and the water from the rain washes progress away.
It's like moving mountains... moving mountains...It's like moving mountains... moving mountains"
"Why just leave me? Just leave me be...Just leave me...Just leave me be...Why you just leave me...Just leave me be...Why you just leave me...Just leave me be, ooh, ooh...Be, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoaaa, whoa." He finished. The auditorium gave him a standing ovation as he smiled and walked off the stage. "I did it, Ms. Jones!" He exclaimed running up to her for a hug. Her and Sam both hugged him smiling at how proud they were of him and his performance.
"Good job, Joe! Just amazing!" Mercedes said wiping her tears away. She smiled as he walked past Marley and Unique. "Alright girls! Your turn to blow me away!" Mercedes said to the girls. They smiled and walked on the stage and began to sing automatically getting the entire auditorium on their feet.
Marley and Unique killed their duet on the stage and had everyone dancing as they belted out each note effortlessly. Marley danced the routine as if she'd never had a worry on the dance moved. Sam looked over at Jake who was watching his new girlfriend perform.
"Oh my God they sound amazing together in here!" Mercedes said smiling and clapping. Sam had to agree as he watched the students in auditorium dance and cheer. They sang the last note and walked off the stage holding hands. "Alright you guys this is the group number. Jake and Ryder you're up first." Mercedes said. Jake hugged his girlfriend and then fist bumped Ryder as they took the stage.
Jake and Ryder got on the stage and began dancing as the beat from THIS IS HOW WE ROLL from Georgia Florida Line started to play. They did some flips then gave each other high five, making everyone cheer with excitement.
"The mixtape's got a little Hank, little Drake...A little something bumping, thump, thumping on the wheel ride...The mix in our drink's a little stronger than you think...So get a grip, take a sip of that feel right...The truck's jacked up, flat bills flipped back...Yeah you can find us where the party's at!" Jake rapped as he and Ryder danced the routine as practiced.
"Yeah we're proud to be young...We stick to our guns...We love who we love and we wanna have fun...Yeah we cuss on them Mondays...And pray on them Sundays...Pass it around and we dream about one day..." Ryder sang just as the rest of underclassmen came on the stage and sang.
"This is how we roll...We hanging round singing out everything on the radio...We light it up with our hands up...This is how we roll...This is how we ride...We slingin' up the mud, cuttin' through the countryside baby...This is how we roll." The group sang the last note than bowed before leaving the stage.