DISCLAIMER: On first chapter.

This chapter is LONG. LOL. And a lot of plot lines begin, but I'm excited! Happy reading! :D I'm gonna go pass out now. LOL.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

The Jones Estate—Mercedes' Bedroom

Lima, Ohio

6:05AM

Mercedes slammed her hand down on the beeping alarm clock and let out a groan of annoyance.

Waking up so early in the morning had always been the part that Mercedes hated about being a high school student, but she had a long day ahead of her and it was time to get a move on. It usually wasn't this hard to get out of bed, but she and Quinn had stayed up really late studying for their final exams and finishing up their final English essays.

They hadn't gone to bed until about two in the morning—the math study guide had been killer and the two of them had argued over the easiest ways to solve a few of the problems.

Mercedes still wondered what teacher would request a ten page analysis of Brave New World from a high school student, but that's what she got for taking the advanced class. She didn't even want to think about her workload the next year—she would be taking all AP classes.

Shaking off the brief consideration of just quitting school and being a bum, Mercedes sat up in bed and scrubbed a hand across her eyes. She finally realized that the lump in bed beside her hadn't so much as moved an inch since the alarm clock went off.

"Que, wake up," she said. There was no response from her blonde friend, so Mercedes leaned over and shook her shoulder. Quinn gave an incoherent protest and burrowed further into the blankets.

"Que!" Mercedes said, "You need to wake up, girlie. We've got to get ready for school."

Quinn responded by pulling the blankets over her head. Mercedes had to smile because all she could see of her friend was a sleep-rumpled tuft of short blonde hair sticking out of Mercedes' comforter.

"Quinn, get up!" Mercedes told her with a poke of the girl's shoulder.

"G'way," Quinn groaned from under the covers.

"We have to be at school in an hour and a half and you take forever to get ready!" Mercedes replied, "So get up."

"How the fuck are you so fuckin' cheerful this early in the fucking morning?" Quinn growled—she still didn't surface from beneath the blankets though. Her voice was muffled, but Mercedes could tell she was pissed—she just thought it was hilarious to hear her friend be so vulgar.

"Ooh," Mercedes mocked, "Quinn being profane—I'm so scared."

"Leave me alone, Mercy!" the blonde shouted from under the covers. Mercedes laughed when the girl rolled over onto her stomach and splayed out in the bed.

"Grumpy Quinn was one part of living with you that I didn't miss—though it is pretty funny."

"I'm ignoring you, and going back to sleep," Quinn replied. Mercedes shook her head.

"Quinn, get up!" Mercedes told her, "I'm serious."

There was silence and Mercedes felt her patience thin. "If you don't get up right now, I'm going to make you get up."

Quinn remained stubbornly silent and Mercedes rolled her eyes in exasperation. She crawled over to where Quinn was laying motionlessly on the bed.

"I'm warning you Quinn," she said, "Get up!"

When Quinn didn't say another word, Mercedes raised her hand and slapped Quinn hard on the ass. The loud yelp that the blonde emitted made Mercedes laugh, but she just raised her hand and smacked Quinn again as the girl scooted herself up on the bed—fighting to get from under the covers.

"Mercy!" she yelled after the third slap on the butt.

"I told you!" Mercedes retorted as she smacked Quinn again. Quinn stopped fighting with the covers and desperately tried rolling away from Mercedes' swinging hand.

"Mercedes! Stop it—OW! Holy shit!" Quinn screeched when Mercedes' hand smacked her again.

"Get up!" Mercedes said before letting out a loud war cry.

"I'm up—oh my god, stop it, you savage!" Quinn scrambled from beneath the covers, but Mercedes hand clipped her rear once more before she could completely get away.

Mercedes was practically tackled by Quinn—the blonde was hell-bent on revenge. They both went down onto the mattress with shrieks of laughter.

"Next time, you'll take your ass out of bed, won't you?" Mercedes stated breathlessly as they wrestled around on the bed.

"I can't believe you just spanked me, Mimi!" Quinn said—her tone full of amusement, disbelief and indignation. "What am I—five?"

"You were acting like it," Mercedes cracked, before Quinn took a pillow and smacked her with it. Mercedes couldn't stop laughing over the whole situation—and soon, both girls were laid out on the bed in fits of giggles.

Still breathless from laughing so hard, Mercedes looked over at Quinn. "You ready for your doctor's appointment this afternoon?"

Quinn sucked in a deep breath. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'm never going to be ready, Mercy." She turned her head and their eyes met. Quinn was still terrified and Mercedes could do nothing but show her support and compassion.

"I just have to do it and hope I don't freak out while I'm at it," she admitted. Mercedes nodded and reached for Quinn's hand. Their fingers entwined briefly—and she gave a reassuring squeeze. "There's no lower feeling than knowing you're crazy—"

"Stop that!" Mercedes admonished. "You need help, Quinn—that doesn't make you crazy."

"No, but it does make me emotionally unstable—which is as good as crazy," Quinn replied. Mercedes, even though she wanted to, couldn't really refute that statement.

"I'll be right there with you the whole time, Que," she told her friend and Quinn nodded.

"I know, Mimi," Quinn replied. They let go of each others' hands just before Mercedes rolled off the bed—and practically dragged Quinn off the mattress too. She escorted the blonde to the bathroom, before making her way to her closet. It was going to be a long day.

There was school, the final Glee club meeting of the year, Quinn's doctor's appointment, and Stacey's recital. As she rifled through her clothes to find an outfit—Mercedes wondered when her calendar had gotten so full.

And she really hoped they had time to get coffee before school.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

McKinley High School—Biology Classroom

Lima, Ohio

9:43AM

Mercedes glanced over her study guide—making notes in the margins as the teacher reviewed the material once more before the exam tomorrow. She had finished hers almost three weeks ago—when Mr. Carson had first given them out. Despite having it pretty much memorized, Mercedes brought it to class every day and took more notes—just in case she missed something.

Sam was in this class with her, but he'd been assigned to a table two rows behind her and on the opposite side of the room. They weren't allowed to switch lab partners, so that's where he'd been all year long.

It kind of sucked, because now that they were together—she wished he was sitting by her. But she was also grateful because she could actually pay attention in class. Sam being next to her would be detrimental to her attention span.

Mercedes scanned the next question under the topic Mr. Carson was lecturing about and nodded at every point the teacher listed as he talked. It was all on her paper already. She couldn't prevent the satisfied smile from crossing her face when she realized that she had every part of his answer written down.

That smile slipped a bit though when he said something new about the next question though. Mercedes picked up her pencil and hurriedly scribbled down what he was saying. She listened closely to the rest of his explanation in case she'd left something else out.

She had the rest of it correct though, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Mercedes had just flipped to the next page of the study guide when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She jumped lightly—the feeling unexpected and she startled her lab partner, Chloe with the abrupt movement.

Giving her friend an apologetic smile and receiving an indifferent shrug in return—Mercedes fished her cell phone from the pocket of her sweater. She blinked when she saw Txe'lan flash across her screen. She couldn't believe Sam was texting her during class! His icon was a picture of him from when they first went to Paradise Park together. His crooked smile was just as cute in photo form as it was in person.

She slid the unlock button across the screen with the pad of her finger and a smile crossed her face when she saw the background of her phone. It was a picture of her and Quinn from last night—Quinn was standing behind Mercedes with her head resting on Mercedes' shoulder and both of them were laughing.

She pushed the fond memories aside and opened the text from Sam.

Stop freakin' out, Nala.

Confused, Mercedes texted him back.

What are you talking about, Blondie?

She tried to refocus her attention on the teacher, but Sam replied really quickly.

You started scribbling really fast for a second there. And you didn't look happy about it.

Mercedes pursed her lips and typed out a reply, before setting her phone down. She needed to pay attention.

I missed an answer. Kinda like I might right now because someone is texting me!

Sam's reply was almost immediate though.

It was one answer, and probably not even a whole one.

After reading his response, Mercedes shot her boyfriend an exasperated glare over her shoulder. He gave her that cute smile in return and she turned around to calm the swarm of butterflies that had spread through her stomach at the sight. Damn that boy and his attractiveness. She texted him back rapidly.

You still lose points for not answering the question completely!

Sam's return text was short and to the point.

Cede, you have an A.

She replied,

...what does that have to do with anything?

She could practically picture Sam shaking his head in amusement as she read his response.

It means you don't have to worry about missing ½ a point.

Flustered, she typed out a reply and pressed send.

Sam, I can't just stop paying attention in class!

Sam took a minute or two to respond and Mercedes thought she'd finally won, but her phone vibrated again—not two seconds after she'd picked up her pencil.

You finished that study guide the day Carson gave it to us.

She didn't get a chance to respond before her phone buzzed with another new text message.

And you probably already have it memorized.

Slightly indignant—even though it was mostly true—Mercedes answered his text.

I do not!

Sam responded just as quickly.

What is question 19?

Without even thinking about it, Mercedes answered his question in her text and tacked on another at the end.

Which of the following is found within mitochondria? Why?

Sam's texted her back immediately.

You didn't even look at the paper to tell me that.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she realized that it was true—she hadn't so much as glanced at her study guide that was splayed open on the desk. But she wasn't going to let him win that easily.

How do you know?

Sam responded.

I'm staring at you, beautiful.

Mercedes turned her head and glanced back at Sam again. He literally was staring at her—one of his blond eyebrows raised high on his forehead and an amused grin was on his face. His green eyes were sparkling with a little too much laughter for Mercedes to not blush. She moved her gaze back down to her phone, her face hot as she texted him back.

...

Sam replied immediately.

LOL.

Mercedes rolled her eyes as typed out her snarky response.

Liar! You didn't laugh at all!

It took a few seconds before Sam's reply lit up her screen. Mercedes couldn't restrain the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

You can't call me on that! That's like a texting party foul. No one actually laughs when they say LOL.

Feeling slightly flirty, Mercedes responded.

That statement is FALSE, Mr. Evans. I'll have you know that I've LOLed for real many times.

His reply was just as teasing. Mercedes felt her cheeks get warm for a different reason this time as she read his text.

Uh-huh. I call BS.

Mercedes answered in a joking manner.

I call BS on you calling BS!

When she read Sam's reply though, she blanched momentarily, before she felt her face heat up again. Yeah, he'd won that round of flirt-texting.

...I'd really like to kiss you right now.

Blushing furiously, Mercedes replied. She couldn't believe she was doing this in class!

That's playing dirty, Sammy.

Sam's text came not two seconds later.

I don't mind getting dirty.

Holy crap—she hadn't been expecting that. It was so wrong to be turned on in the middle of class. What if someone saw her, or if someone figured out what was going on? She eyed her lab partner before leaning away slightly. She responded quickly.

Sam! You need to stop!

Sam's response though was anything but serious.

When I get you alone...

Mercedes' face was on fire. The kind of naughty thoughts that were floating around in her head right now did not belong in an 11th grade Biology classroom. Sam was trying to kill her, she decided.

OMG, we're in class. Stop it!

Sam seemed to finally listen to her this time though, because his text was funny enough to make her have to choke down a laugh.

At least you're not in church this time.

Her shoulders still shook though, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as she texted back.

LOL. Jesus would've protected my virtue.

Sam started their little flirting session up again though.

Does that mean it's fair game now?

Her jaw dropped and she responded immediately.

NO. Samuel Evans!

She couldn't believe that this was happening to her.

Come on Lady, you know me sending you suggestive texts gets you all excited.

Was she practically sexting Sam? This was quite the unexpected occurrence and she would never admit to actually liking what was going on right now—even if she knew she should be listening to her teacher.

...I admit nothing.

Sam's reply had her lips tingling and that tightening feeling in her stomach was back. She shifted nervously on her chair as she read his reply.

I would love to kiss your mouth, your neck—your skin is so soft, Nala.

What was a girl supposed to say to that? Thanks? What she actually replied didn't seem too coherent—it matched her thoughts exactly.

Well, then—umm, Sam.

And boyfriend totally went there. It was official—she was turned on in the middle of Biology class. This had to be some sort of cosmic joke gone bad. His reply made her blush.

You always smell so good.

She responded quickly—hoping he would stop, but at the same time—really hoping he wouldn't.

Sam!

Sam's text had her face on fire and her eyes nearly bugging out of her head in shock. She slapped a hand over her mouth as she gaped at her phone—the surge of arousal she felt took her by surprise as she read his text.

I love that little sound you make whenever you're really feelin' my kisses.

Chloe looked at her askance, but Mercedes waved off her concern. The diva reread his text—and decided to take a chance. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but Blondie needed a good dose of his own medicine and Mercedes was pretty sure that she knew how to do it. She replied.

Alright, you want to play dirty—I can play as dirty as you'd like, Txe'lan.

She peered back at him over her shoulder when she didn't receive a response two minutes later.

She found Sam staring at her—his green eyes practically smoldering. Her body reacted immediately and she had to stop herself from gawking.

Mercedes spun around again—feeling a mix of surprise, desire, and satisfaction.

It was gratifying to know that she could turn Sam on—there was a power in it that she hadn't really been expecting to ever encounter or appreciate. She might have to investigate this a bit more.

When the bell rang—Sam had pretty much recovered from his sudden onset of lust, but Mercedes was ready for revenge. She wasted no time in slapping him on the arm when he walked past her table.

"That was for making fun of my nerd tendencies!" she told him, before she hit him again. "And that was for distracting me during class!"

"You done with the abuse?" Sam asked—his tone teasing.

"Not yet," she replied.

Mercedes chased a laughing Sam out of the classroom—determined to get in a few more licks just for good measure.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

McKinley High School—Choir Room

Lima, Ohio

3:02PM

Mercedes walked into the choir room—still laughing over the joke that Sam had just told her. As soon as she stepped across the threshold, Artie yelled, "I'm gonna be all up in yo' crib on Friday, Mercy!"

Mercedes blinked in surprise, but then she laughed when she saw the gangsta sign Artie was throwing. Finn tore himself away from his conversation with Rachel to smile at her.

"Yeah—my parents said Kurt and I could go too," Finn told her. Mercedes nodded with an excited grin. She glanced over at Sam—and she beamed when she saw the smile on his face. Sam touched her arm lightly, before he moved across the room to sit down by Mike—the two exchanging a fist bump and a grin.

"I gladly accept your invitation, Mercedes," Rachel said and Mercedes bit back a laugh when she saw the look Tina shot the girl.

"I'm there!" Tina stated as Mercedes walked over and sat down in the empty seat next to Quinn. "And Mike is coming too." Mercedes put her bag on the floor near her feet before smiling at her friends.

"I'll be there, but I have to leave at midnight," Lauren said, "Early bus to wrestling camp the next day."

"I still can't believe you're ditching me for a month," Puck complained—Lauren responded with a pissy look.

"It's four weeks—I'm sure you can survive that long."

"I can, but Puckosauraus is not sold on this idea."

With wide eyes, Mercedes decided to intervene before she learned a little bit too much about Puck and Lauren's relationship. "I'm just glad everyone can come!" she interrupted the couple's bickering, "Be there at eight tomorrow night. If you get lost—just call me."

Mercedes got affirmative nods from everyone else—except Mike who sent her a pair of thumbs up. She smiled at his goofiness, but didn't have time to say anything as Mr. Schue strode into the room.

"Alright guys," he said with a clap of his hands, "Our last meeting of the year! Can you believe how far we've come?"

It may have been a slightly bitter thought, but Mercedes was sure that they could've gone farther if Mr. Schue wasn't so stuck in his ways. He had pretty much everyone convinced that without Rachel or Finn—they'd lose and Mercedes didn't think that was fair for anyone.

"We got all the way to Nationals this year—and I'm positive that we'll get there again next year and win it all," Mr. Schue told them. "We're going to have to work harder this fall to get back to where we were, but we can do this!"

They never prepared on time for anything and sometimes Mercedes wished she could do more for the group. There was a reason she stopped asking for solos—who wouldn't after being shut down so many times? Mr. Schue was a nice man, but there were moments when Mercedes wondered if he knew what he was doing.

"Since this is our last meeting—I was hoping we could sing one more number and then we could all hit the road early," Mr. Schue said, "It's been a long year, but come back ready to start fresh in the fall."

With another wide grin and a clap of his hands, he asked, "Anybody have any song ideas?"

There was silence in the room as everyone glanced around at each other. It wasn't until Sam slowly raised his hand that everyone found something to focus on. Mr. Schue nodded at him.

"Does the song have to be—I don't know—relevant?" Sam asked and Mr. Schue laughed a bit.

"I guess not," he answered and Sam smiled.

"Well, I have one," he replied.

"Well, come on down Mr. Evans," Mr. Schue announced and a sweeping motion of his arms. Sam stood up and made his way down the risers until he touched the ground. He walked over to the wall and picked up his acoustic guitar.

Sam made his way back to the middle of the room. Mercedes watched as Mr. Schue clapped a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. She wondered what song he was about to sing.

"What song do you have for us, Sam?"

"Summertime by New Kids on the Block," Sam responded and Mercedes could tell he was blushing when chuckles started floating around the room.

"Let's hear it, then!" Mr. Schue said before moving quickly to his seat.

"Artie, I'm going to need your help with this, man," Sam told his friend and Artie dutifully rolled his way over to Sam. Puck stood up and grabbed his guitar.

"I want in on this—boy band tunes always make the ladies hot," Puck said as he stood next to Sam. Mercedes watched Sam laugh at his friend, before he started strumming chords on his guitar.

Artie clapped to the beat and he started speaking when Sam nodded at him. "Lima Ohio 2011. Come on!"

Mercedes heard Brad start playing the piano and Sam's guitar playing picked up. Mercedes couldn't help but sway in her seat as he started singing, "Do you remember or should I rewind to that summer when you caught my eye?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mercedes saw Finn get out of his seat and move over to the drum set. Sam looked up in surprise when the percussion started and his singing got louder as he continued, "I played it cool. The weather was hot—you had the beauty and the beach on lock."

Mike joined the boys on the floor and started dancing along with Artie, who added background vocals to the next verse as Sam sang, "With your flip flops, half shirt, short shorts, mini skirt-walkin' on the beach, so pretty! You wasn't lookin' for a man when you saw me in the sand, but you fell for the boy from the country."

"I was like, "hey, girl, can I get your number?"I remember what you told me too, "Don't call after ten."But you know that I did,'cause I couldn't stop thinkin' 'bout you," Puck took this verse from Sam and totally rocked out. Mercedes was full out dancing by this point. She clapped her hands to the beat as the boys played.

Quinn, Tina, Brittany, Santana, Rachel, and Lauren joined her as she clapped. They all cheered when the boys sang the chorus together.

"I think about you in the summertime, oh, oh! And all the good times we had, baby. Been a few years and I can't deny, oh, oh. The thought of you still makes me crazy! I think about you in the summertime, oh oh!" Mercedes was out of her seat by the time the chorus was almost done—the boys had done the cutest dance move together and she couldn't stop laughing.

Sam stepped out front and sang, "I'm sittin' here in the sun with you on my mind.You're my, my summertime." He was staring directly at her as she danced towards him—the other girls had joined her—adding in harmonies as the song continued.

Mercedes shook her hips and did a partial body roll right in front of Sam. She bit her lip when he stared her down—she backed away when he stepped towards her, dancing. His green eyes sparkled.

Sam and Mercedes danced around each other in a circle—her chest shimmying and her hips rocking as he sang, "Do you remember? I'll never forget—touchin' your body all soakin' wet. The water was cool. The feelin' was hot—kissin' on you while the ocean rocked."

Sam swung his guitar onto his back and took the chance to grab her hand and spin her in a circle. Mercedes laughed as she twirled—Artie and Puck picking up the vocals, "In your strapless sundress—kickin' back, no stress. As long as we was together,'cause we were feelin' young love.And we couldn't get enough.Baby, I could reminisce forever."

Sam grabbed her other hand and danced with Mercedes—pulling her only a little closer than what could be taken as platonic. At the moment though, Mercedes didn't care—Sam's green eyes were bright and less than three feet from her and the smile on his face was mesmerizing. He spun her around again, before letting her go with a quick squeeze of her fingers.

Sam pulled his guitar back around front and literally jammed on his guitar in front of her as she moved her hips and shoulders to the beat. Quinn joined her and the two danced back to back, but Mercedes' eyes were on Sam the whole time, especially once he started singing again, "And now I'm like—Hey, girl, don't you know I miss it?And I wonder if you miss it too. Never thought it would end 'till it did. Now, I'm here and I can't stop thinkin' 'bout you."

The song wasn't really relevant to their relationship, but Sam singing and playing guitar was fucking attractive and Mercedes didn't want it to end.

"I think about you in the summertime, oh, oh! And all the good times we had, baby. Been a few years and I can't deny, oh, oh. The thought of you still makes me crazy! I think about you in the summertime, oh oh! I'm sittin' here in the sun with you on my mind.You're my, my summertime!" Sam rocked out on his guitar, before he moved over to the guys.

They formed their line again—the girls singing harmonies as Sam waved for the musicians to stop playing. Acapella—they all sang, "Break it down—Summer ended, winter started,it got colder, when we parted ways (I like this part). As the seasons change.(Bring it forward, bring it back)Winter melted. Spring I felt it. Summertime will never be the same,(Without you, my summertime)—My summertime!"

Sam went really high on that last note and Mercedes couldn't stop smiling. The boys had done this whole boy band type dance—complete with turns and switching lines. They all did the Carlton in time with the clapping and it was the cutest thing Mercedes had ever seen.

The music picked up once again and this time—all of the guys sang the chorus, "I think about you in the summertime, oh, oh! And all the good times we had, baby. Been a few years and I can't deny, oh, oh. The thought of you still makes me crazy! I think about you in the summertime, oh oh! I'm sittin' here in the sun with you on my mind.You're my, my summertime!"

The final note ended with several harmonies and a vocal run from Artie. Cheers and laughter went up around the room as they fell into a massive group hug—practically dog-piling Sam in the middle.

The rest of the hour digressed into taking tons of pictures with Mercedes' digital camera and just laughing over anything and everything. It reminded Mercedes of why she loved Glee so much, and she swore to herself that they would get their victory next year—even if she had to make it happen herself.

After many hugs and lots of goodbyes, the meeting finally ended—almost an hour earlier than usual. Sam took the liberty of walking Mercedes and Quinn out to Mercedes' car. Mercedes blushed when Sam lightly grasped her fingers as they walked side-by-side towards her BMW—her blush only deepened when she saw the knowing look on Quinn's face. Mercedes didn't let go of his hand though.

When they finally reached the truck, Mercedes unlocked the doors and Quinn immediately tossed her messenger bag into the backseat before climbing into the front passenger seat. Mercedes walked to the opposite side of the car—the driver's side facing away from the school. Sam followed her.

She turned around to put her bag in the backseat and was taken aback when Sam grabbed it from her and did it for her. She wasn't used to chivalry, and she had a feeling that Sam wasn't going to stop no matter what she said.

"I can do that on my own, you know," she told him—her hands on her hips.

"I know," Sam agreed, "but that doesn't mean I can't do it for you sometimes."

"I don't want a manservant," Mercedes retorted as she opened the door of the truck.

"You don't have one," Sam replied, "You just have a very willing—very Southern boyfriend."

"Uh-huh," she said as she gave Sam a look of fond exasperation. "You're not going to stop, are you?"

"Nope," Sam answered and Mercedes laughed lightly.

"I would date the only guy who remembers chivalry," she muttered as she turned to climb into the truck. Sam's hands on her shoulders stopped her though and he shifted her until she was facing him again.

"I was raised on chivalry," Sam told her, "So I guess you're just going to have to get used to it."

"It might take me awhile," she admitted—Sam smiled in response.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," he replied, before he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. It was strange to realize how addicting kissing Sam was. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed his lips until now.

They hadn't had a second alone at all today—they were always around someone else and that didn't work well for people in a secret relationship. She wondered why they were still keeping it a secret, but it didn't feel right to tell everyone just yet.

But at some point, Mercedes knew that she wouldn't want to restrain herself from kissing Sam in front of their friends—and that time seemed to be rapidly approaching.

The kiss ended with another soft brush of the lips. Sam brushed a curl out of her face and ran his thumb across her cheek in a gentle caress. The movement was so sweet that it literally brought tears to her eyes—she had never thought she'd have this and the things she was feeling were even more intense than she'd expected.

It felt like a dream—a dream that she never wanted to wake up from.

Oh yeah, that time was coming quickly. The longer she was with Sam—the more she wanted the world to know that he was hers and no one else could claim him.

"Bye Sammy," she whispered—her hands clutching the front of his letterman jacket.

"I'll be at your house around seven tonight, Mercy-Mine," he replied just as softly before he pecked her on the lips once more and stepped closer to her body. Sam leaned past her to shoot Quinn a smile and the two shared a fist bump over the armrest.

"Bye Quinn," he told her before pulling out of the truck.

"Bye Sam!" she called back. Mercedes laughed as Sam tugged her close and placed another kiss on her lips. She brushed the hair out of his face and couldn't resist pulling him into another kiss.

"Go, before someone sees us!" she told him as she moved out of his grasp. Sam hugged her again and then relented. Sam waved, before he jogged down the line of cars to get to his truck.

Mercedes finally crawled into the vehicle and shut the door behind her. After fastening her seatbelt, she turned to see Quinn leaning forward on the arm rest—the smug smirk on her face said everything.

"Mercy-Mine?" she teased and Mercedes blushed. Quinn cracked up. "You've got it bad, Mimi!"

"Shut up!" Mercedes groaned as she started up the vehicle.

"I'm serious!" Quinn told her, "He's got it bad too. You guys are good for each other."

Hearing that from her soul-sister put a smile on Mercedes' face. She wasn't completely there yet, but she was almost ready to fully believe that Sam Evans had chosen her. It was a spectacular feeling. She was moved from her thoughts though by Quinn giggling.

"Sammy," she said—her tone full of teasing and amusement. Mercedes blushed furiously.

"It's his name," she protested and Quinn just made a fake noise of agreement.

"I know—it's just I thought that I was going to have to vacate the premises with the way the two of you were kissing all over each other," Quinn joked.

"Que, stop!" she said in embarrassment. How many times was she going to blush today?

Mercedes backed out of her parking spot as Quinn snickered into her hand.

"Not that I wouldn't watch, because sexy times with you and Sam would be hot as hell—"

"Quinn, if you don't shut it—"

"Ooh, you guys would make a beautiful human chocolate swirl—"

"Quinn Fabray!"


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

Cadence Clinic—Herald and Meyer Offices

Lima, Ohio

4:11PM

Pulling into the parking space in front of the clinic had the atmosphere in Mercedes' truck changing swiftly from playful to terrifying. The smile on Quinn's face died a tragic death and she seemed to shrink into herself.

Mercedes was disturbed by the sudden change in her friend, but what could she do?

She silently turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. She looked over at Quinn and followed her eyes to the brick that lined the outside of the building.

"Que?" she asked softly—reaching out with her right hand to touch Quinn's arm. When her hand came into contact with her friend's bare arm—Mercedes could feel her trembling.

"I—I'm okay," Quinn said and Mercedes could tell that she was lying. Her hands shook as she unfastened her seatbelt. Mercedes watched her climb out of the truck before she opened her own door and stepped out of the vehicle.

Quinn was standing next to the hood of the BMW—she looked like she wanted to bolt in the other direction. Without anything else she could do, Mercedes took off her dark blue knit sweater and tugged it over Quinn's shoulders.

Quinn's green eyes stared at her—a fine sheen of tears and fear glossing her orbs.

"Put the jacket on, Que," Mercedes said—her voice was thick with uncertainty but she wasn't going to walk away now. They had come so far and Mercedes would be damned if she didn't stay strong for her soul-sister. "It's always cold in doctor's offices and I know you get cold easily."

Quinn put her arms through the sleeves of the sweater and her fingers immediately started twisting the fabric at the hem. Just looking at how distraught Quinn seemed to be had Mercedes near tears, but she couldn't break down now. Quinn needed her.

There was time for crying later.

She grabbed the blonde's hand and they walked up to the clinic doors together.

The inside was bright and welcoming—with yellow furniture, sunflowers, and huge windows. The receptionist at the desk gave her a smile and Mercedes nodded back as she walked Quinn over to the check-in counter.

"Hello girls," the receptionist greeted and Mercedes responded with a quick hello. "How can I help you today?"

Quinn didn't respond and Mercedes nudged her. She gasped a bit, before clearing her throat and saying, "Oh, I-I have an appointment with Dr. Herald."

The lady nodded and Mercedes watched as she did some clicking around on her keyboard. She glanced around the room—disconcerted to see that she and Quinn were the only ones in the waiting area.

Maybe they just weren't busy today?

"Do you have your health insurance card?" the receptionist asked. When Quinn just stared at her—not answering, Mercedes decided to take charge. She turned to her friend and touched her arm. Quinn looked at her with those scared green eyes and Mercedes had to bite down the lump that suddenly rose in her throat.

"Que, why don't you give me your wallet and I'll get everything worked out?" she said. Quinn handed the wallet over and Mercedes said, "You can sit down and I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

Without a word, the blonde walked over to the row of chairs against the wall and sat down. Mercedes breathed deeply—trying to calm her own emotions. Seeing Quinn like this was hard. She turned her attention back to the receptionist who was giving her a sympathetic look.

"Is she always like that?" the lady asked in a hushed voice—she looked incredibly concerned.

"Not at all," Mercedes replied—her heart heavy. The difference between the Quinn on the ride over here and the Quinn that was in the room right now was astronomical. "What do you need me to do?"

It took Mercedes about ten minutes to fill out all of the paperwork and get Quinn all checked in for her appointment. When she was done, the lady told her that the doctor should be ready for her soon.

Mercedes left the counter with a nod and made her way over to Quinn. "You're all ready to go," she said with false cheer as she sat down next to her friend. The two of them sat in silence—Mercedes not knowing what to say and Quinn was lost in a maelstrom of her own emotions.

When the nurse walked out of the back room and said, "Quinn Fabray?" Mercedes made to stand up, but Quinn's pale hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

She looked over to her friend and Mercedes thought her heart stopped for a moment. Quinn's expression looked ashen—the terror in her eyes unmistakable.

"Mercy—"Quinn choked on the sob that rose in her throat and Mercedes sat back down, "I-I can't do this."

Her breath was quickening and Mercedes saw her pupils dilate—and shit, was Quinn having a panic attack?

"Quinn, it's okay!" Mercedes said hurriedly as she grabbed onto Quinn's shaking hands. Quinn's breathing sped up—the tears falling from her eyes at a rapid pace as she shook her head.

"I-I can't do this," she gasped, "I want to go home—please take me home?"

Quinn was shaking violently and Mercedes couldn't get a good grip on her friend. She didn't know what to do—what should she do? Mercedes slid off her chair and onto her knees.

She knelt before Quinn and tried to hide her own panic.

"Quinn, breathe!" she urged her friend, but Quinn's chest was heaving and she grew more pale by the second. Mercedes was desperately trying to calm her but Quinn wasn't listening—no matter what she said.

She turned around looking for something that could help. When she spotted the nurse staring at them—rage exploded in her chest and she shouted, "You're a fucking nurse! Don't just stand there. Help me!"

Mercedes looked back at Quinn when she heard the sound of a clipboard dropping onto the ground behind her. "Quinn, calm down! It's going to be okay," Mercedes said—her own heart pounding faster the more Quinn cried and hyperventilated.

"Quinn, look at me—I'm right here!"

She was so helpless. What could she do? WHY COULDN'T SHE FUCKING DO ANYTHING?

"Carol, get Dr. Herald," Mercedes heard the nurse yelling, before someone was suddenly on the ground next to her. "What's your name?"

"Mercedes—why are you asking me questions? Help her, damnit!"

"You're familiar to her—I'm going to need you to keep calm as well or we'll be dealing with two panic attacks," the nurse replied and Mercedes could see her point, but she was still pissed and she just wanted Quinn to stop looking like she was about to pass out on the floor.

"Fine, just do something!" she told the nurse in a harsh whisper. They were interrupted by the arrival of a tall man in a white coat and blue scrubs.

He knelt next to them on the ground and said, "Julia, I've got this. Can you help her friend calm herself?"

"Excuse me?" Mercedes demanded—who was this douche-bag that thought he was going to make her leave Quinn by herself right now? "I don't know who you are and I'm not leaving her—"

"Your emotions are amplifying the situation," Julia replied quietly, "Just let the doctor handle this."

Mercedes was reluctant and Julia could tell. "I promise that she's going to be alright, Mercedes." With one last look at her friend, Mercedes allowed Julia to help her off the floor and move her a few feet away.

"Quinn?" the doctor said—his voice was calm, soothing even—something stable in the midst of Quinn's loud gasps and crying. "I'm going to need you to listen to the sound of my voice."

"I-I can't—"

"Yes, you can," the doctor replied just as calmly as before. "I know you're scared and I know you don't know what to do. Just listen to my voice, okay?"

Quinn nodded rapidly.

"In your head—I want you to count with me. Don't think about anything other than the numbers I'm saying," he instructed. And Mercedes was amazed by his composure.

He started counting backwards from fifty and as each number passed—Quinn's breathing calmed little by little—her tears slowing. When he got to thirty-one, Quinn's voice—low and shaky—joined his.

When they reached zero, Quinn was talking normally and breathing calmly again. Her face was streaked with tears, and her skin far too pale—but she wasn't shaking anymore. The doctor waited until Quinn opened her bloodshot green eyes, before he said anything else.

"I'm Dr. Eric Herald," he said as he stretched out a hand to her. Quinn shook it hesitantly. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Fabray." He gave her a kind smile.

"Why did Dr. Sholtz leave?" Quinn asked. Mercedes stared between the two of them—wondering what was going on. Mercedes hadn't even thought about the fact that Quinn was seeing someone other than her usual doctor.

"He opened his own practice," Dr. Herald replied, "And your mother decided to shift your family's clientele to me because he moved out of state."

Quinn nodded and she looked over at Mercedes. The lump reappeared in Mercedes' throat and she rushed over to Quinn. The blonde hugged her tight and Mercedes had to fight to keep all of her emotions put away.

Julia handed Quinn some tissues when they let go of each other. "How about we go get you checked out?" the doctor offered and Quinn bit her lip. She nodded though.

The two of them followed Dr. Herald into the backroom—and then into a treatment room. He ran through all of the diagnostic checks and read through her file— Quinn finally asked for a referral to a psychiatrist.

They discussed the previous prescription she'd been given—and Dr. Herald told her that he wanted to get a new analysis done and that she should finish the medicine regiment she was on now, but they'd retest once it was gone and see if they could take her off some of the medications.

He happily gave her a referral to a psychiatrist that was about a forty minute drive away. Mercedes grilled him about everything he said—his treatment methods, his degree, his opinion of this psychiatrist. She wanted to make sure that Quinn was getting the best possible.

Mercedes could go her whole life without ever witnessing Quinn having another panic attack—and it still wouldn't be enough.

"I must admit, Miss Jones," the doctor said with a chuckle, "I've never been questioned so extensively before—my med school application was easier!"

Mercedes blushed when she realized how intense she was being, but she wasn't about to apologize for it. "I just want Quinn to have the best treatment possible," she replied, "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Not at all," Dr. Herald responded, "I'm always happy when my patients have friends and family that care enough to ask questions."

Mercedes just nodded at him—maybe she'd have to change her opinion on his douchebag status after all.

Mercedes asked about different ways to deal with panic attacks and both the doctor and Quinn looked taken aback. Dr. Herald recovered quickly though and had the nurse print off some information for her.

Quinn and Mercedes left with a ton of new information, another appointment scheduled for the end of the summer, and Quinn's assessment appointment with her psychiatrist scheduled for the next week.

When Mercedes pulled up in front of Quinn's house—the two shared a long and tight embrace.

"I love you, Mercy," Quinn said.

The burning behind Mercedes' eyes was intense. "I love you too, Que."

Mercedes watched Quinn go inside her house before she drove away and headed straight home.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

The Jones Estate—Entrance Hall

Lima, Ohio

5:32PM

Mercedes stepped through the front door of her house—wondering how the hell she was going to pull herself together emotionally before Sam came to pick her up. She closed the door behind her and walked towards the stairs.

Unfortunately for Mercedes—her mother chose that moment to walk out of the downstairs playroom.

"Sweetheart!" Delia said with a smile, "How was school?"

Mercedes tried to fight it—she really did, but as soon as she looked into her mother's loving eyes—she couldn't keep the tears at bay anymore. Her expression must have completely crumbled because her mom was instantly alarmed.

Mercedes threw herself into her mother's embrace and Delia wrapped her up tight.

"Mercedes, baby girl," Delia said as Mercedes just cried into her mother's shoulder. "Come here—let's go sit down in the sitting room."

Mercedes let herself be led into the sitting room—still clinging to her mother. As soon as they sat down, the whole story came pouring out. She told her mom about Quinn and why she had been so off last year—she told her mother about the doctor's appointment and Quinn's panic attack.

"Mama, I've never felt so helpless before," she cried, "I don't know how to help her."

"Mercedes," Delia said as she framed Mercedes' face with her hands—her thumbs brushing away all the tears. "You don't need to do anything else than be there for her. You're doing a great job of encouraging her and just loving her—that's what she needs from you."

"But what if she has another panic attack?" Mercedes asked, "What if I'm the only one there and I can't do anything—"

"There will always be those questions, my love," Delia remarked, "But you just have to take each day as it comes—we can't predict the future, but you don't need to fix Quinn. That's not your responsibility. Quinn needs to help Quinn—she has to learn to love herself again and she's got a rocky road in front of her. The only responsibility you have is to be her friend and encourage her to keep moving forward even when the pain seems too much."

Mercedes sniffled—she was exhausted and her eyes felt heavy. She'd felt far too many emotions in one day.

She laid her head down on her mother's lap and just let herself relax as her mom ran her fingers through her curls. "Do you want me to call Sam and let him know that you're not feeling up to going tonight?" her mother asked softly.

"No," Mercedes replied, "I'm still going. I'd just like to take a really short nap before I go get ready. Is that okay?"

"Of course, sweetheart," her mom responded, "Just relax. I'll wake you up by six."

Mercedes was already drifting off. "Thanks mama," she mumbled before fell into a light slumber—it really had been a long day.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

The Jones Estate—Driveway

Lima, Ohio

7:02PM

Sam fiddled with his tie as his dad turned into the driveway of the Jones Estate. He was so nervous, petrified, or was he anxious?—he didn't know, but he was dreading the moment her family saw him.

She'd told him that it was all good and that they were even happy about them dating, but there's a huge difference between knowing that someone was dating your daughter and then encountering the person dating your daughter.

He hadn't seen the Jones family since the weekend before Prom Week. He'd heard all about them while talking to Mercedes, but he hadn't been over to her house since his whole family had stayed the weekend.

And now they all knew that they were dating—shit; maybe he should just go home?

Sam glanced at Stacey and her excited face made that thought shrivel and die a quick death. She'd been looking forward to performing for him and Mercedes since she found out about the recital in April. He couldn't take that away from her—no matter how scared he was that he was about to die.

His dad turned off the ignition of the car and Stevie and Stacey practically crawled over each other to get out of the car.

"Guys, be careful!" Lynn called after them as she stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle. His dad got out too, and Sam opened his door slowly.

He double-checked his reflection in the mirror to make sure that his white dress-shirt was wrinkle free and that his black dress pants looked okay. His dad clapped him on the back and Sam jumped away in terror.

Jeff chuckled as Sam's cheeks turned bright red. "It's going to be okay, son," Jeff reassured Sam as they walked up the steps to the large front door. Stevie and Stacey were standing on each side of Lynn—they had rung the doorbell already.

"That's easy for you to say," Sam whispered nervously, "I've never met a girl's dad and brothers before. I don't think Quinn's mom counts in this situation."

Sam could tell that his dad tried really hard not to laugh at his plight when he squeezed his son's shoulder. Before Sam was ready, the door swung open and Jason stood there with a bright smile on his face.

"Jay!" Stacey cried as she leapt at him. He swung her into a hug before settling her back on the ground. Jason hugged Lynn and Stevie and his father, before his eyes focused on Sam.

"Hi Jason," he greeted the other boy. Sam's eyes widened when the smile fell off Jason's face.

"Come on in, Sam," he said calmly and Sam gulped, before walking past Jason as quickly as possible. As soon as he stepped into the entrance hall though, Mercedes' whole family stared directly at him.

Sam felt like his whole body blushed bright red as he stood there—shifting from foot to foot anxiously.

"Um, hi?" he stammered, trying and failing to hide his embarrassment.

Kyler glowered in his direction and Josh's eyebrows were furrowed deeply. Derek's arms were crossed and a stern frown was on his face. Sam felt like crawling under a rock and dying, but he closed his eyes and reminded himself that he liked Mercedes—he had never found anyone so amazing and smart and beautiful in his whole life—and he wasn't about to let her family intimidate him into backing away from being with her.

Sam opened his eyes—feeling a tad more confident, but still terrified at his predicament.

Sam gave everyone a half-smile and he couldn't help but bite his lip when Derek let out a soft growl. Delia smacked him upside the head though.

"Rude as hell," she remarked—making Derek's expression turn contrite, "You don't growl at any guest, young man."

"Yes ma," Derek replied. Delia nodded sharply, before turning to face Sam.

"Hello sweetheart," Delia said with a cheerful smile as she walked to him and wrapped him in a hug. Sam blushed, but he hugged her back. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him over. "Well don't you look handsome?" she asked and Sam found himself ducking his head in slight embarrassment. "Did you cut your hair?"

"Uh, yes ma'am," he answered, "Lynn did it for me."

"Well, it looks fantastic!" she replied, "No wonder Mercedes fell for you."

Sam was torn between beaming and wanting to sink into the floor. "She actually likes it?" he asked—Sam was sure that she did like it, but Mercedes had high standards and even though she didn't care what he looked like—he wanted to look his best for her.

Their conversation was halted when a heavy hand fell on Sam's left shoulder. With a gulp, Sam looked up into David Jones' eyes and couldn't figure out his expression—was he mad? Was he sad? Was he ready to shove a shot gun down Sam's throat and blow him to oblivion?

"Can we talk in private for a moment, Sam?" David asked and Sam was sure he completely blanched.

"Uh, yes sir," he replied—and Sam wanted to slap himself for letting his fear bleed into his voice. Sam glanced back down at Delia and cleared his throat lightly. "Excuse me, Mrs. Delia."

She gave him an encouraging nod, before stepping away. David let go of his shoulder and walked away. Sam followed him—his fingers drumming against his legs as he walked after the man. Sam just had to remind himself about how much Mercedes meant to him and how much he wanted to be with her as he stepped through the door of the man's office.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

The Jones Estate—David's Downstairs Study

Lima, Ohio

7:09PM

The click of the door shutting behind Sam sounded incredibly final in the silence of the office. He bit his lip anxiously as Mr. Jones sat down in an armchair and then motioned to the one next to him.

Sam sat down immediately. He was disconcerted when David just stared at him for about two minutes. Sam fiddled with his hands and picked at the imaginary lint on his pants legs. He was completely zoned out—which is why David's voice made him jump in his seat when the man finally spoke.

"I have three daughters, Sam," David said, "Mercedes, Quinn, and Annabelle—you dated Quinn for three months and then she cheated on you. And you've already had to turn down Annabelle's advances." David looked incredibly amused by the fact that Sam got hit on by a seven-year old.

Sam blushed, but David didn't give him a chance to respond. "So technically, you're on your third strike," David told him, "Quinn isn't my baby girl by blood, but she's been practically adopted into this family and I consider her one of my children. She broke your heart—and she was wrong for that, but I get the feeling that there was some significant hurt."

Sam looked away, but he answered David's unspoken question. "There was a lot of hurt after what Quinn did to me, Mr. Jones," he said, "I've talked to your daughter about it—long before we actually started dating; it was one of her main concerns about having feelings for me. Mercedes refused to be a rebound—and I respect her for that. I've also talked about this with Quinn. We discussed what happened between us and our hurt feelings were made known. I can't say that we're friends yet, but we're working our way to it."

David nodded and said, "Look, Sam, I like you. You're a good kid—and you've had to grow up faster than any child should. I can see that you understand the value of trust and love and I'm glad that you know these things—but I'm not happy about the way you had to learn it."

"You and me both, Mr. Jones—"

"Call me David, Sam," he replied and Sam nodded. Sam watched nervously as David leaned forward in his chair and said, "My only worry about you and Mercedes being together has to do with the way you learned the importance of relationships."

"I-I don't understand, sir—"

"Sam, your mother walked out on your family and shit on all your feelings," David said bluntly. Sam winced and looked away. He tried his best not to think about her and what she'd done to his family, but it seemed that he'd never be able to escape her mistakes.

"That kind of thing," David implored, "it can lead to bitterness. And bitterness is more potent and more dangerous than rage. And the way you and my baby girl feel about each other can lead to some kind of forever—and I don't want my daughter to be stuck in a forever with a man who's bitter about his own mother."

"Are you suggesting that I might hurt her one day?" Sam questioned—the very thought horrified him.

"Sam," David said, "Maybe I should tell you about my life—"

"David," Sam interrupted, "Mercedes told me."

That fact seemed to be a blow to Mr. Jones' composure. He sat back in his chair as if he'd been slapped. "That's not a story she's told anyone," David said slowly.

"I wanted to know her—what made Mercedes who she is," Sam replied, "And you are big part of that."

"How do I know that you aren't going to hurt my daughter?"

"Sir," Sam said slowly, "I can't promise you that I won't hurt Mercedes. She is a very strong, very opinionated woman—and I'm not used to a woman who'll verbally bitch slap me if I do her wrong, but please know—that I'm never going to try and hurt her. My mom—she's a bitch if I've ever known one, but her leaving was the reason I discovered how amazing your daughter is and that's something I could never be bitter about."

Sam prayed that David could see how genuine and honest he was being. The two sat in a contemplative silence for about five minutes—Sam was sure that he had fucked up his chances of being with Mercedes. He was about to slap himself when David finally spoke up.

"I give you my blessing to date my daughter," David told him and Sam couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "You're a great kid, Sam, but I have plenty of combat training and a whole storage locker filled with guns—so don't do anything stupid."

"You have my word, David."


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

The Jones Estate—Entrance Hall

Lima, Ohio

7:22PM

When Sam walked out of David's office—a blinding smile stretched across his face; the hard expressions on the faces of Mercedes' brothers dropped. They all approached him with varying smiles and laughter.

"You hurt my sister and I'll end you," Kyler threatened, before he pulled Sam's head into a headlock.

"Don't make me kill you," Josh said with a hard punch to Sam's shoulder.

"We're friends, Sam," Jason told him, "but I will shove my basketball up your ass if you fuck my sister over."

"You already know that I'll slap the taste out ya mouth if you do anything stupid," Derek said gruffly.

It just digressed from there. Loud jokes and hilarity ensued as they pretty much dog-piled Sam. He couldn't stop laughing as they talked. Somehow, Sam ended up leaning against the wall next to the stairs—hearing Josh give him the low-down on Dragon Age: Origins. It trailed into a discussion about playing a game of basketball some day.

He was distracted from the conversation when he heard the sound of heels tapping against the hardwood of the staircase. Brows furrowed in slight confusion, Sam glanced up towards the stairs and his breath caught in his throat.

Mercedes looked stunning.

She was wearing a sleeveless white dress with a turtle neck—an empire waist created by a caramel brown belt with a bow in the center. She had a black cardigan on over the dress and she rocked a pair of sexy black heels that had straps criss-crossing the top of her foot and ending at her ankle.

Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in waves and her brown eyes were framed by her thick-rimmed black glasses. Of course, Sam being the nerd that he is—found the sexiest part of her outfit to be those glasses.

He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Whoa," he breathed and Mercedes finally spotted him. Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly as she quickly walked down the last few steps. Sam moved over to meet her. She stepped onto the ground and did a twirl before she grinned up at him.

"You like?" Mercedes asked—smoothing her hands down the sides of her dress and looking down at her outfit. She glanced back up at Sam.

"You look amazing," Sam told her honestly. Her brown eyes practically sparkled behind her lenses. "Is it new?"

"No," Mercedes replied, "I've had it for awhile, but I never had an occasion to really wear it. I figured tonight was a good time."

"Cede, you don't need an occasion to wear that dress," Sam said—and he grinned when she blushed in response. "You lookand those glasses—just—wow."

Mercedes laughed at the blush that rose on his face.

"Blondie," she said in amusement, "You've seen me wearing glasses before."

"Not when you were wearing a dress! I thought you were pretty before, but dang—girl, you gots my heart going boom-boom-boom," Sam sing-songed as he danced around her in a circle. Mercedes watched him with a look of fond incredulity, before laughing when he finally came to a stop beside her.

"Boy, you did not just sing a song from Zenon."

"Why not, babe? You're my supernova girl!" he told her as he tossed an arm over her shoulder.

Mercedes rolled her eyes in amusement. "Why are you such a nerd?"

"Says the girl who can quote DC comics like they're song lyrics," Sam retorted.

"Don't hate, Sam! It's not my fault you're fond of that trash they call comics over at Marvel—"

"Hold up there, Cede—don't disrespect the comics. Even if you are pretty, you can't get away with all that."

"Wanna bet?" she asked as she gave him a coy look. Sam stared at her—those dancing brown eyes peering up at him from behind her lashes—and yeah, he was blushing.

"Uh, maybe not."

Mercedes laughed—causing Sam to smile down at her.

"You do look beautiful, Cede," he told her and she blushed.

"Thanks Sam," she replied. They stared at each other for a moment, before their flirting was broken up by a loud cough.

Face red with embarrassment, Sam tore his eyes away from Mercedes. The room was filled with teasing smirks. He ignored the knowing looks as he grabbed Mercedes' hand in his—their fingers entwined and he led her out of the house.

As soon as they were outside, Sam pulled Mercedes into a kiss. Their lips moved together—their tongues brushing, before Sam pulled away slightly. They stared at each other before Mercedes pulled Sam into another kiss.

"Beautiful," he whispered against her mouth and Mercedes gave him a smile when they separated. The two stepped away from each other as the front door opened behind them, but Sam kept her hand in his as they headed to the car.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

Cedar Crest Elementary-Auditorium

Lima, Ohio

7:46PM

"Um," Mercedes said in disbelief, "these kids have quite the hookup!"

She was amazed by how nice the elementary school auditorium was. It was on par with the one at McKinley, but a bit smaller. The entire place was really nice. Mercedes stared around the room—her hand still grasping Sam's as they walked down the middle aisle. Jeff, Lynn, and Stevie were in front of them.

"I know, right?" Sam replied, "I went to Stacey's dress rehearsal last night and I was surprised too. The acoustics are amazing."

"How was she?" Mercedes asked. She had heard a lot about Stacey's recital but she still had no idea what was actually going to happen.

"She's a diva in the making," Sam cracked—making Mercedes giggle. "She's really good actually. She's good at keeping notes and she actually sings on key. Sunshine just needs to learn the notes."

"Have you talked to her about joining a choir?" Mercedes asked curiously, "I know that my church has a fantastic children's choir and they get vocal lessons from their director—which I may not have mentioned before, but is now me!"

Sam shot her a proud smile and kissed her on the cheek. "I didn't even know you were applying for the position," he said. Jeff found seats for five in the first row. He sat down with Stevie in between him and Lynn. Mercedes sat down next to Lynn and Sam next to her.

Sam tossed an arm over the back of her chair and Mercedes leaned into him as she started speaking again, "Well, I wasn't really considering it, but my choir director emailed me just before you came here and asked if I would be interested. I start in two weeks."

"I'm sure you'll do an amazing job," Sam replied, "You're certainly qualified with your background in competitive music."

"I hope so," Mercedes said, "I don't want to let anyone down."

The two of them talked softly about songs that she was considering doing for the recitals, but they got quiet when the lights dimmed in the room and the curtain rose. It was a night full of surprisingly good and shockingly bad performances, but they were all incredibly cute.

Stacey's rendition of "Walking on Sunshine" was the highlight of the show. Her bright yellow dress, bouncing curls, and cutesy dance moves added to the energy of her performance—but her voice was spot on and she just owned the stage.

She got a standing ovation—the five of them being the loudest in the room. The smile on Stacey's face was blinding as she did a curtsy and ran offstage.

"Yeah," Mercedes whispered to Sam as the next act came on, "She's definitely a diva in the making."


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

Zuca's Creamery

Lima, Ohio

9:48PM

The group of six poured into the ice cream shop. Stacey was still glowing from her performance and Lynn decided to treat everyone to ice cream for such a job well done. Stacey talked Mercedes' ears off about the rehearsals and picking her dress and performing.

Sam just smiled when his girlfriend listened intently to everything his sister was spouting. They ended up staying in the store for almost an hour, before Stevie started yawning. Jeff decided that it was time to get the munchkins to bed—they did have school tomorrow after all.

Mercedes pointed out some of her favorite stores to Sam on the drive home—talking about how they had great sales but good quality at the same time. That was one of the main reasons—Sam hadn't noticed the way they were heading.

When he recognized the familiar surroundings he didn't say anything. They all stepped out of the car when Jeff pulled up in front of Lynn's house. Mercedes gave hugs to Stevie, Stacey, and Lynn while Sam was pulled aside by his dad.

"What's going on?" Sam asked and Jeff gave him a stern look.

"It's a school night, muffin head," his dad told him, "You've got a full day of exams tomorrow, so be back to this house by midnight."

"I don't get it," Sam replied. His dad put the car keys in his hand.

"It means that I'm giving you an hour to be alone with your girlfriend," his father responded, "It's not much, but I know this week has been hectic for you and I figured you'd want to see her."

Sam smiled and hugged his father. "Thanks dad."

"You're welcome, son," Jeff replied, "Midnight!" He reminded Sam once more before he walked away. Sam gave his siblings both a hug and a kiss, before sweeping Lynn into a bear hug. She laughed at his antics before heading inside.

Mercedes looked at him in confusion and Sam escorted her back to the car. "We have less than an hour," he told her and Mercedes beamed.


May 18, 2011 (Thursday)

Paradise Park

Lima, Ohio

10:51PM

Sam and Mercedes were relaxing in the backseat of the car—all the windows in the car were rolled down. Mercedes was laying in between Sam's legs—her back against his chest and his arms around her waist.

"Are you ready for exam day tomorrow?" she asked and Sam let out a snort.

"I never feel ready for exams," Sam replied, "but I've never studied this much in my life. I think you're rubbing off on me."

"Do you expect me to be sorry about that?" Mercedes joked and Sam chuckled.

"Nope," he answered.

"Good, because it won't ever happen," she told him. "I might look over my notes again when I get home—"

"Why don't you sleep instead?" Sam said, "You work too hard."

"I barely work at all," Mercedes replied, "I'm getting a job for next year—and with Glee club, yearbook, and now choir director—"

"Plus all your AP classes—"

"Yeah, senior year is going to be awesome!" Mercedes said and Sam laughed.

"You're the only person I know who is excited about getting more work," Sam told her.

"I just like feeling productive—," Mercedes protested, but Sam shut her up with a kiss.

"I like it," he said once their lips separated. "It makes you, well, you."

"I'm glad you can appreciate my inner nerd," Mercedes replied with a smile.

"I really appreciate your inner nerd," Sam said, "But I'd also like to ask you if you'd go out with me on another official date next Friday night?"

Mercedes' brown eyes sparkled in the moonlight shining through the open window. "I'd love to," she replied.

They spent the next twenty minutes just holding one another and trading soft kisses every now and then. Sam drove Mercedes home and walked her to her door.

It was bittersweet wishing her goodnight, because he hated to see her go, but there was the slumber party to look forward to the next evening.


REVIEW! I'd love to hear your thoughts! :D Until next time! And spoiler for next chapter: There will be Kurtcedes. :)