Here's the newest chapter! The chapter was inspired by Anytime You Need a Friend by my girl Mariah Carey.

Disclaimer: No ma'am or sir.

It had been a month since I'd been back in Tennessee after my unplanned trip to Lima had failed epically. My family was pretty pissed that I didn't stop by when I was in town. I believe "YOU SUCK" was the exact text message I received from Stevie. I felt bad since I hadn't seen them in so long, but I couldn't bring myself to stay. Mike tried to convince me that maybe it was time for me to move back to Lima, but I didn't see the need to. Besides, he wasn't staying, so why should I?

I was for sure Mercedes had gone back to living her life happily without me. I felt like a fool for actually believing she'd still be available and willing to talk to me. I didn't blame Mercedes one second for the words she said, but God knows it hurt. If she was right about one thing, it was that I needed to move on. I'm watching all of my friends move on with their lives. And it's like I am stuck here, standing still. I thought about taking up a new hobby or starting a band, just to try and forget about everything. I even considered traveling. It would have been nice to leave the states to clear my mind. But none of those dreams came to fruition. As much as it may have helped, I never left. Something made me stay; I wasn't ready to leave yet.

So instead, I got a puppy. I had no shame in saying that I was a little, okay a lot obsessed with him. James was the epitome of man's best friend. He was an adorable black Labrador. I spoiled him with treats and belly rugs on a daily basis. He could have been my own child. My landlord was definitely not happy when he heard that I'd bought a dog, but even he couldn't resist James' charm. Little James was calm, cool, and collected for a puppy. He hardly barked unless he sensed danger or something he wasn't familiar with.

It was a rainy Saturday night in Wentworth. While all of my friends were at home being adults with their spouses and families, I was home alone watching Family Feud listening to the rain fall. I didn't mind at all; I absolutely loved the rain. It was therapeutic. And besides, I wasn't really alone. I had my TV, my remote, my amazing Avatar snuggie, and of course, James by my side.

It was almost 11:30 at night. I guessed that it was time for me to head to bed. Church was in the morning, and after that, James had an appointment with the vet. I went into my kitchen to refill his doggy bowls when there was a knock on the door. James started barking like crazy!

"Calm down boy, you know Eric doesn't like it when you bark," I said petting his head, but he continued to yelp. "What's wrong boy? Do you think I should get my rifle?" I said talking to him as if he were Lassie. He was no Lassie, but James was a smart dog. I was a little nervous; I hadn't seen him this upset, ever. I quickly discarded my snuggie and headed towards the door. One time, I forgot I had it on and answered the door to reveal a very amused Girl Scout. Before I could take it off, she snapped a photo of me. I had to buy five boxes of Thin Mints just to get her to erase the picture. I wasn't that worried about the photo; I just bought the cookies because I was very impressed with her blackmailing skills. And because Thin Mints were totally awesome.

When I looked through the peep hole, I was for sure I was having hallucinations from that bad Chinese food I eaten earlier. Mercedes Jones was standing outside of my door at 11:30 at night, in Tennessee. I opened the door so fast that it could have fallen off its hinges.

"Mercedes?"

I couldn't believe she was here. It didn't make sense to me. I stared at her for a second and after the initial shock, I noticed she was soaking wet.

"Oh my goodness, come inside! You must be freezing," I said pulling her inside. It was transitioning from summer to fall, and the high had only been 60 today. Who knows how cold it was outside, but her shivers told me that it was pretty cold.

"I'm s-sorry for not c-calling to let you know I was coming. I don't have your n-number anymore so…" Her teeth were chattering and her eyes were watery and red. Her hair was drenched. Her clothes looked like she ran through the sprinklers.

"Don't you worry about explaining anything to me right now; we need to get you dried off. Right, James?" My puppy had stopped barking and went to snuggle up to Mercedes' feet. She smiled at him affectionately.

"Come on, there's towels in my bathroom. I have a blow dryer in my room, along with some sweats and a shirt for you to change in." I took her hand and led her down the hall. James followed us; his paws clacking against the floor and his tags jingling. I stopped when we got the bathroom, which was across from my room.

"Here's the bathroom, and this one is my bedroom. Take as long as you need," I said to her with a warm smile. She continued to cry silently, but she managed to smile back.

"Thanks Sam, I swear it will all make sense when I explain it to you," she opened the door to my bathroom. James tried to follow her but I stopped him."Oh no boy, give Mercedes some privacy!" I scooped him up, but he started licking my face making Mercedes laugh.

"See? This is why I don't take you to the doggy park. One look and the girl puppies would be all over you," I laughed at him.

"C'mon James, you can come with me. I don't mind," she said letting him follow her. When she closed the door, I let out a much needed breath. I was freaking out, to say the least. What was she even doing in Tennessee? And why was she crying? I would have kicked Greg's ass if he did anything to my girl…well, um his girl now. Whatever it was, it had to have been pretty serious for her to travel all the way here. How did even get my address? I needed to sit down.

Back on my couch, I contemplated calling someone, but I decided to wait for her to explain as she said she would. When I reached over to pick up my remote, I examined my Avatar snuggie laying there. I smiled remembering when I got it.

"I can't believe we just graduated from high school!" Mercedes exclaimed as she pulled me into a hug. I was so proud of her, along with everyone in our class. I was especially proud of her because she had graduated with honors.

We were at one of the many graduation parties at the Hudson-Hummel household. Everyone was still on a "graduation high." All of the boys still had their caps on, and the girls were busy taking tons of photos in their dresses. Mercedes had broken away from the group for a moment to come and talk to me. I was sitting on the couch with Mike as we watched Finn and Puck play the new Madden 2K13.

"Me either, I'm so proud of you baby," I said kissing her on her cheek. She let out a giggle as she reached to her purse. My eyes widened when she pulled out a gift wrapped in Avatar gift wrapping paper. "Oh wow, I don't even want the gift, can I just keep the wrapping paper?" She just shook her head at my childish ways.

"Just open it, will you?"

As I opened the gift, I had no words. She was officially the best girlfriend in the world. There was no way that I ever deserved her. My mouth stayed open as I sifted through the package. There were multiple gifts! I immediately noticed the DVD. It was Avatar: Extended Collector's Edition.

"You didn't have to do this!" She really didn't have to do this, but I was so glad that she did. My copy of Avatar got ruined when Stacey accidently stepped on it one day. She cried for days, and even though I insisted that it was okay, I was dying on the inside.

"Go on Sam Evans, there's more! See what else you've won," she said imitating a TV game show announcer. I found the poster next. I unraveled it and almost shit my pants. My unworthy eyes lay upon an Avatar movie poster signed by the one and only James Cameron.

"How on earth did you get this?" I was fangirling to say the least. I'm surprised Puck wasn't recording this entire situation to upload to YouTube later.

"My older brother's college roommate may or may not be friends with the son of someone that knows James Cameron," she was smiling cheekily. I felt like a punk, but tears were welling in my eyes. I wouldn't dare to let one fall though."Ah, don't cry just yet! There's still one more left." She took out the last gift, which was wrapped separately from the others. My poor little heart couldn't take any more surprises. I was almost afraid to open the next gift.

"You open this one. I don't think I can take the excitement."

That wrapping paper didn't stand a chance. Mercedes ripped it open like it was a gift for her on Christmas day. She held up a blue thing with sleeves that read Proud to be an Avatard. I broke out into an infectious smile.

"Do you love it, or do you love it?" I grabbed it from her and ran my fingers across the threaded letters.

"Of course I love it…what is it?" She looked shocked! I felt bad for not knowing what it was, but what difference did it make? I was going to love it forever. "It's a custom-made Avatar Snuggie just for you! Look at the pockets," she exclaimed. I looked down to see that the pockets had too been personalized. One of them with my initials on them, and the other with my favorite quote from the movie. Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move.

"You remembered?" There was a blush that crept onto my face. I had told Mercedes a billion facts about Avatar; I never thought she actually paid attention to it all.

"I remember everything. And besides, the quote kind of relates to us. I made the insane decision to say yes to that first date, and look at us now!"

I bombarded her with hugs and kisses. After she calmed her fits of laughter, I got serious. "Babe, you like, win ALL of the awards for Best Girlfriend Ever. Hands down."

"Yea, yea. I love you too. Now, time for cake!"

I grinned thinking about how she had to explain to me later that it was actually a blanket with sleeves. I picked it up and looked inside that pocket. She had never told me about it, but the inside of the left pocket contained another gift. I found that out one day when I went looking for some Skittles that I had dropped. Sam and Mercedes, forever was engraved on a patch. I smiled sadly looking at the phrase. It was crazy looking back on how so much had changed in all of our lives.

About 30 minutes later, Mercedes and a very happy James emerged from my room. "I think it's safe to say that I've found my new best friend," she said holding James in her arms. I pretended to be hurt and grabbed my chest. "You left me for another woman? What happened to man's best friend?" She laughed when I held my arms out to him and he proceeded to lick Mercedes on her cheek. What a shame, just two seconds ago he was licking me on my cheek!

When I looked closer, I noticed that Mercedes had found my old McKinley football sweats and a New Directions shirt we got from Regionals our senior year. Her hair was now dry and pulled up into a messy bun. I had to hide my thoughts because she was still taken and probably wanted nothing to do with me, but she looked so damn good in my clothes.

"Wow, talk about high school memories!" I pointed to her outfit and she just smiled uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry; I didn't want to take any of your good stuff! Although, these sweats are so comfortable, you might not get them back," she said looking up at me. For a moment, it was awkward. I really wanted to know why she was here, but I would let her tell me when she was ready. Her eyes traveled behind me and she looked surprised. I turned to where she was looking and cursed under my breath.

"I can't believe you kept it," she said brushing past me to pick it up with her one free hand. She studied the gift she gave me years ago for a minute. I couldn't help it, but memories of us flooded my brain. Before it got too awkward, the subject at hand needed to be changed.

"So, can I get you anything?" I asked hopefully breaking the tension. James jumped from her arms and ran into the kitchen. He must have thought I was talking to him.

"What do you have?"

I smiled as I remembered my recent purchase. "There's a brand new, untouched half gallon of Red Velvet Cake ice cream in the freezer. What do you think? How about I get you a bowl?"

She smiled at the mention of her favorite ice cream. "I think…I think it's very awesome that you remembered."

We walked into my kitchen and she sat down at the small island. James sat at her feet and wagged his tail. He was in love with her already, not that I blamed him. I took out the ice cream, retrieved two bowls, and handed her a spoon. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the cold and delicious treat. After serving her and myself, we enjoyed it in silence. I didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing and upsetting her.

"Greg left me today," she stated simply avoiding my eyes. I felt a mix of sadness and rage. Calm yourself down; you haven't heard the whole story yet.

"I'm so sorry, what happened? Are you okay?" I was reluctant to take her hand, but I did anyway. Surprisingly, she gripped it back.

"Yes, well no, I-I really don't know what I am right now. But, it's not what you think." She took her hand back and placed both of them in her lap. She looked around my apartment before returning her eyes to mine.

"Do you want to talk about it?" As much as I was shocked and confused about the current situation, Mercedes needed a friend. And if her mother was still the same as I remembered, she probably hadn't taken the news very lightly. She didn't need me bombarding her with questions; she just needed someone that would listen.

She stared down into her bowl and stayed silent. I guess that answered my question. But if she didn't want to talk, something must have been on her mind to drive as long as she did. Startling me, she began to speak with a soft voice.

"This morning, I honestly didn't see it coming. For the past month though, I'd been super bitchy and attitudinal. All of the wedding planning was just so tedious and annoying. Before I knew what was happening, my life was turning into…something I didn't want. I mean, I didn't want anything to do with the wedding. Crazy right? The bride not caring about the wedding; it's supposed to be like, every girl's dream. But it wasn't a dream anymore, it was a nightmare."

More tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she immediately wiped them away. She looked like she had done enough crying. I yearned to make her feel better. It broke my heart into the tiniest pieces to see her hurt. I guess I could have been just a little bit relieved that it wasn't me this time making her cry.

"And then today, well it started out as usual. Greg would wake me up to tell me about something we needed to do for the wedding, and I would whine and beg to do it another day. On every other day, he'd oblige. But today, he just snapped. Greg has this great smile," she said happily. She stared off into the distance as if she was picturing him in her mind. Damn that guy, he was too good looking for his own good.

"That smile wasn't there today, at all. I don't know why I'm crying, because it's my fault! He finally got fed up, and just left. I can't blame him, especially with the way I've been acting. But it hurt Sam, it really hurt. I didn't see it coming at all."

"Wait, that's it…" I said surprising the both of us. I didn't realize I had said it aloud. My cheeks were on fire and I scooped more ice cream into my mouth. She had look of embarrassment on her face and I immediately felt like an idiot.

"I didn't mean it like, well whatever you thought I meant, I didn't mean it like that. It's just…I'm having an extremely difficult time believing he just left you for such a stupid reason," I said in disbelief. I would have never thought Greg was the type of guy to just up and leave over something so small. So what she wasn't that into the wedding? What happened to never giving up and working things through? Or whatever type of bullshit he would say. Okay, well it's only bullshit because he would say it.

"Well you did," she said quickly. The tension between us was unbelievable. Talk about pouring 10 gallons of salt on an open wound. My cheeks were red again and I couldn't look at her.

"That was mean. I'm so sorry; it's honestly out of habit. I told myself I would stop doing that." Her pleading eyes made me realize that her apology had been sincere.

"You don't have to apologize, I definitely deserved that," I chuckled softly. We were both done with our ice cream so I gathered our bowls and took them to the seat. When I turned back around, she was now facing me in her chair with a stern look on her face. "But you were right, that wasn't it. There was something else," she said letting out a nervous breath. I wasn't in any place to rush her, but it was killing me. What the heck was going on?

"It was you. Greg thinks I'm still in love with you." And with that, I needed to hold on to the counter to make sure I didn't collapse. I saw her lips move, and I definitely heard sound produce from her vocal cords, but those words couldn't have come out of her mouth. We stared at one another for what seemed like forever. I stopped trying to convince myself that this moment wasn't real, and finally accepted it for what it was. I couldn't get too excited though, this didn't mean anything. In fact, I didn't even know what 'it was you' meant.

I cleared my throat and tried to put coherent thoughts and sentences together before opening my mouth.

"B-but, he doesn't have anything to worry about, right? He's obviously mistaken."

My eyes were wide as I cautiously entered dangerous territory. And as crazy as it sounded, I was hoping she would say yes. Sure it would have sucked, but it would have been easier to deal with yes. Yes means that she can still convince Greg to come back and still get married. No means we open Pandora's Box of Absolute Hell Breaking Loose. Don't get me wrong, I still loved and cared deeply about this woman. But if she had feelings for me, we'd have to deal with a ton of other drama. For instance, Greg finding me and kicking my ass, or Mercedes' mom plotting my death. Her previous life was fine without me. I instantly felt responsible for all of this. If I had just stayed away, maybe I wouldn't have been a part of the equation. Ok, so maybe it didn't make sense, but I felt somewhat guilty.

"No. At least, I don't think he's wrong," she said this time staring me down. My brain was on overdrive as my mouth fell open. There were so many thoughts; I didn't think I could process them all. My mind was saying, shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. My heart on the other hand was dancing around to "Teach Me How to Dougie" like an idiot, fist pumping like a champ, singing sounds from Broadway musicals, enjoying a nice Southern meal, playing hopscotch, and watching Avatar. I was so torn; I didn't know what to feel. I knew that taking her in my arms and laying a nice kiss on her plump lips wasn't the right thing to do at the time, so I had to think of a rational plan.

"Mercedes, you're sure about this? Are you sure you aren't like, having second thoughts about marriage or whatever? I know it's scary, but you can still get him back if you wanted-"

"Sam. I really don't think I would have driven, how many miles? Oh yea, 453 miles in a day if I wasn't sure." She smirked at me and I just stood there dumbfounded. I was about to be extremely upset if this was another dream I was having. I honestly wouldn't know what to do myself if I had to wake up from this. My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed the bothered look on her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea, it's just I have this massive headache. I am so tired, but I kind of don't want this conversation to end." Smiling like a fool, I couldn't get over how wonderful she was. And as much as I didn't want the conversation to end either, we were both exhausted.

"Well, let's get you in bed then," I said with just too much excitement in my voice. She raised her eyebrow curiously as my eyes widened at my mistake. "That wasn't supposed to sound as bad as it did, I promise. I just don't think you should drive anywhere to find a hotel, and you look pretty tired." I didn't know how many times I was going to blush that night, but the number was getting high.

"It's quite okay, Sam. So, you don't mind if I take the couch?" I laughed involuntarily but then stopped when I noticed that she wasn't laughing with me. "Miss Jones! What kind of Southern gentleman would I be if I left you to sleep on the couch? My bed, now." She laughed again as I once again made myself look like a tool. I started to talk again, but she beat me to it.

"Yea, you definitely need sleep too, Sam. I'll let you get to it." Mercedes hopped off the bar stool and slowly walked towards me. Her short arms wrapped around me. I tensed at first; it had been so long she we shared an embrace. But then, I eased into it. Being in her arms felt so right.

"Thanks, for this. For just, listening and being a friend when I needed it. I don't deserve your kindness; I was pretty harsh the last time I saw you. And I know you probably don't feel the same way anymore, so I hope I didn't freak you out. Just…thanks." If she only knew how wrong she was.

"Anytime. Anytime you need a friend, I'm your guy. Now go get some sleep, we'll…figure the rest of this out in the morning." She finally let go and headed off to bed. Mercedes walking down the hall to enter my bedroom was a sight that I could definitely get used to.

After Mercedes closed my door, I did a victory pelvic thrust. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but something told me that light was at the end of our very dark tunnel. Even if it was only friendship for now, I was so glad that she was speaking to me. I scanned the room to see James snuggled up on the couch with my Avatar snuggie, fast asleep. As I laid down with him, I whispered to him with a smile on my face.

"Hey boy, I think we might have something here."

A/N: So if you haven't had Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream, your life is incomplete and I advise you to go and try it. It was a life changing decision for me! Also, 5 dollars to the person that gets the One Tree Hill reference. Lalalalalala, I won't rant on this time, but I will say that I'm so appreciative of all of your reviews and kind words. I love talking to you all on Tumblr as well; everyone's so sweet. Read and review as always, and enjoy your week. I know I always say, "I don't know if I'll have time to update soon, blah blah blahhh," and then I end up updating anyway. Well, this week might just be an exception! (SO BUSY!) Until next time, love and smooches :]