"So how was your day?" Mrs. Jones puts her fork to her mouth.
"So confusing! Sam decided to team up with Santana and Puck with Quinn. Everyone is split down the middle fighting and the only person who's trying to stay out of it is making it worse!" Mercedes waves her spoon for emphasis before tucking back into her broccoli cheese soup.
"Who is that? Is it one of the boys? Why are Santana and Quinn "teaming" up with them? What is going on at your school?!"
Mercedes shrugs. "They've all lost their minds! Santana and Quinn say it's about being my best friend. Who is Mr. Shue. He says it's inappropriate but the rest of the adults have cast a vote and he's the only one out. Let's just say they're not taking it well and have decided to put on a fashion show to see who I look better with." She rolls her eyes.
"Mr. Shue decides now that getting involved in his students' lives is inappropriate? What a smuck!" Mrs. Jones shakes her head. "What about Tina and Kurt? Don't they object to the best friend label?"
"I don't think they know it's for the best friend title. I think they think it's just to call me a friend but I think that's stupid because we're all friends!" Mercedes finishes her soup and places the dirty dishes to the side of the table and starts on her salad.
"How are you handling it?" Rose looks at her daughter in concern.
"When we're away from people, it's great." Mercedes squints and then sighs.
Mrs. Jones waits for her to continue but when she doesn't, speaks up. "Who is we? How is it great? Honey, don't shut me out. I know this isn't an ideal situation but you're never alone." She reaches for her hand.
"I know, Momma." Mercedes squeezes her mother's hand. "When I have study lunch dates with Quinn and Puck, it's nice. We talk about everything. We eat. We study. It's actual quality time that I'm spending with both. I feel as close to Quinn like I used to. There's no popularity race she needs to win. No boy she needs to manipulate. No one to impress and ultimately hide behind. We're as close as before.
I feel like every moment I'm with him, I fall for Puck. I mean I already knew about his past. I know how it was when he let go of Beth. He's so deep sometimes I don't know how to handle it. People act like he only has one side. The perverted bully. But he's not. Not even close. He's sweet and sensitive. He cares about other people's feelings even if he doesn't show it. He's not about doing flashy things to show he cares. He does the little things. Like remembering my coffee order or picking me up so I won't have to walk through a puddle or grabbing books for me because I'm too short to reach them but without saying anything cuz he knows I'm sensitive about my height."
Mrs. Jones smiles slightly. She didn't know how far her daughter had fallen for the bad boy until now. Sam has real competition this time.
"Yes, he's cocky more than he should be but self-confidence is hot. He doesn't care what anyone thinks. He's just as much a diva as me or Kurt or Rachel. And he's so smart! Friday when we were doing our homework, once he let go of thinking he was stupid, he was blazing through the questions! If he'd stop letting people tell him he's stupid or a Lima loser, he could be in AP classes like me."
"I thought you said he was overly confident?" Mrs. Jones interrupts.
"He is. About a lot of stuff but he hides so much of who he is, too. Like Quinn, he hides what he values most so other people can't hurt him. I can't even pretend he's not smart to do so. You know how Lima is, Momma. People are so small-minded here. As a jock, at least people can't say too much without fear of retaliation but Puck isn't just some meathead jock. He's... he's… really special."
"His past?!" Mrs. Jones catches onto a part of her daughter's impassioned speech. "Is there something I need to know about him?"
Mercedes shrugs. "There's personal stuff I can't tell you but he's been to juvie."
"Juvie?!" Mrs. Jones stops eating to gape at her older daughter. "That boy has done time?!"
"Momma, it's just juvie! And he learned his lesson!" Mercedes rolls her eyes. She's overreacting!
"Just juvie?! Learned his lesson?!"
"Momma, relax!" Mercedes waves her hands in front of Rose's shocked face. "Do you want to meet him? I swear Puck is one of the best guys I've ever known. In fact, he reminds me of Daddy."
Mrs. Jones frowns. "Don't talk about that man!" She mutters. "Fine. I'll meet this Puck. Invite him to dinner this week."
"Okay." Mercedes waits a beat before asking gently, "So you and Daddy aren't talking?"
"Oh we're talking!" Rose snaps. "We're talking about how much of a hotheaded pig he is!"
Mercedes' eyes round. She's never heard her mother say such things about Dr. Jones before. "What's going on with you guys?"
Mrs. Jones hears the panic in her daughter's voice and smiles. "Honey, don't worry. We're fine. Your father is just being a big baby right now. I promise everything will be the same as always soon."
Mercedes smiles in relief. "Good. Are you enjoying the restaurant? Quinn brought me last week."
"Yes. The food is great."
Mercedes laughs hard remembering Quinn's reaction to the dressing.
"What's so funny?"
"When we were here, I told Quinn there was anchovy paste in Caesar dressing and she flipped out." Mercedes wipes away tears.
"Why would you tell her such a thing?!" Rose admonishes before chuckling herself.
"It just came out!"
"You shouldn't play jokes on people when they're eating!"
"Jokes?" Mercedes stops laughing long enough to stare at her mother closely. "You do know that Caesar dressing is made with anchovy paste. Right?"
Rose freezes. "No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
Mercedes laughs so hard she gets the hiccups. "Yes, it is!"
Mrs. Jones spits her salad into a cloth napkin much like Quinn did days earlier. "That is disgusting! Why didn't anyone tell me?! How do you know that?!"
Mercedes tries to contain herself but her mom's reaction is exactly like Quinn's and she appreciates the similarities. "Why do you think I always get ranch? It's in the ingredients on the back. You never look!"
"That ruined my appetite!" Mrs. Jones pushes the salad plate away from her, her face wrinkled in distaste. "Tell me more about the fashion show."
The show sobers Mercedes slightly but she keeps her smile. "It's the day after Regionals. All I have to do is show up cuz I said I wasn't putting in any input."
"Why not? You love fashion!"
"I know but if I have input then they'll assume I want one more than the other and I haven't made a decision yet. I want them on even footing."
"I understand. Your father and I dated other people plenty of times. You'll figure it out. So you told me about Team Quick. What about Team… what are they called again?"
"Lovans. Lopez and Evans. Santana and I got really close last year after we did our duet. Had to. We were butting heads too much and we wanted to win. Then this year with the TroubleTones, she was the only person I could count on."
"I really like the way you were there for her when she came out." Mrs. Jones figures she's still hungry and starts in on her entree. "I know I'm not surprised because of Kurt but it's different with girls."
"I know." Mercedes knows her mother is speaking of Marcy. "I remember how it was for Marcy and I think that really brought us closer."
"I'm glad. Now tell me about Sam."
Mercedes catches the bite in Mrs. Jones' tone. "Are you angry with him?"
"No." Mrs. Jones shrugs. "Yes. I'm nowhere as unreasonable as your father but I am angry about him telling people."
"I thought you said you understood young love?"
"I do. Maybe I'll be Team Quick. I always liked Quinn anyway." Rose wiggles her brows.
"Momma!"
"What?! I'd rather have Quinn as my daughter-in-law anyway."
"Quinn and I aren't- ugh! Nevermind! You know Puck is part of Team Quick?"
"I'm sure I'll approve after I meet him."
"You were just convinced he was a felon!"
"I was not! I was concerned but he was there for you last week. And you said it yourself; there's more to him than other people think. I'm just trying to give the young man a chance!"
Mercedes bursts out laughing at the absurd turn the conversation has taken. "Okay, Momma. Speaking of your favorite boy, can I make him lunch tomorrow?"
"Lunch?" Mrs. Jones tries to wiggle her eyebrows. "You're serious!"
"Serious about what? It's just that he can't make it cuz he has to make his little sister's and their mom is always so busy. Plus, they don't have the food we do."
Mrs. Jones puts up a hand to stop her daughter's feverish words. "Yes, you can make him lunch. You know that as a boy, he'll eat more than you?"
"So what should I make him?" Mercedes finishes her entree and takes a sip of her iced tea.
"What does he like to eat?"
"Food!"
"Mercy!"
Mercedes laughs. "Okay! He won't admit it but he likes bacon."
"Why won't he admit it? Everybody likes bacon!" Mrs. Jones is perplexed.
"He's Jewish."
"Oh! I see. Go on."
"How about I make a Reuben sandwich? He'll like that. He likes oranges. And pickles. Do you think he'll like kettle chips? They're hard; he's hard."
Mrs. Jones laughs. "He'll probably like them fine. How exactly are you going to bring it to him? Your lunchbox is only so big."
"We could go to Costco's. Buy him an insulated lunchbox. So what? Two sandwiches?" Mercedes takes a pen from her bag and writes a menu on a napkin. "Two Reuben sandwiches. Kettle chips. Pickles. Oranges. String cheese? Boys like string cheese."
"What kind of pickles?"
"Kosher spears. He likes those." Mercedes taps the pen against her bottom lip.
"What about something sweet?" Mrs. Jones suggests.
"Brownies? Put some chocolate chips in them to make them even chocolatey? And Sam told me about the cookies you made. Really, Momma? You really put no means no?!"
Mrs. Jones laughs. "I couldn't resist! I put them on Puck's, too."
"Puck said he finished them before he even made it to the cafeteria."
Mrs. Jones wipes tears from her eyes. "I really have to meet this boy!"
Mercedes laughs, too. "Are you done? Do you want dessert? I kinda wanna make his lunch now. We need to hit the store so we can get the stuff."
"We can go."
MJ
"How about this one, Momma?" Mercedes holds up a red Superman lunch bag.
"Is it insulated?" Mrs. Jones asks.
"I don't know." Mercedes checks. "Nope. I don't think he likes Superman anyway."
The Jones women have been at Costco's for half an hour. They have the food but it's taking longer than expected to find a lunchbox for Puck.
"Do you need any help?" A man in a blue smock walks to Mercedes.
"Yes!" Mercedes smiles. "I want to buy my boyfriend an insulated lunchbox but I have no idea what kind to get!"
The man grins. "That's really nice. I'm sure he'd like whatever you get him."
"But I want one that says him. One that he'll know for certain is his. It has to scream Puck!."
"Puck?"
"It's his name. His nickname. He's a total badass."
"Mercy!" Rose is astonished.
"Sorry, Momma. Here." Mercedes shows the man a picture of Puck. "This is him."
The man lifts an eyebrow. "What does he like?"
Mercedes thinks.
"Mercy." Mrs. Jones says.
"Yes, Momma?"
"No, I'm saying he likes you."
"Momma! Be serious!" Mercedes snaps her fingers as an idea hits her. "He likes Super Mario Bros.! Do you have a lunchbox with that?"
He nods. "What color would you like?" He leads them to the selection on the shelves. "All of these on this shelf are insulated."
Mercedes points to the one she likes. "The red one. Mario's his favorite character and red's his favorite color."
The store helper chooses the correct package and hands it to Mercedes. "Let me know if you need anything else." He winks at Mercedes before moving down the aisle and disappearing from sight.
"Did he wink at you?!" Mrs. Jones tries not to giggle.
"Huh?" Mercedes looks up. She doesn't see anyone around but her mother. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Your boyfriend, huh?" Rose grins wickedly. "I knew you really liked him."
"Momma!" Mercedes blushes hotly. "You know I like him! And I do love Sam. Besides, I'm just buying him a lunchbox."
"With his favorite character, which you know. In his favorite color, which you know. For his lunch, which you're making." Mrs. Jones lists. "It's even insulated. Yours isn't insulated."
Mercedes hides her face in the bag. Why is she so embarrassing?! "Momma, let's go! I want to make his food before bed."
"What are you wearing tomorrow? Red?" Mrs. Jones teases.
"Momma!"