Mercedes: POV

So far Marcy's worn a skirt every day this week. It's only been two days but still. She decided today was going to be her last day wearing after school clothes because she wanted to save her days for when she wanted to dazzle.

So she was wearing a sweater.

I know it sounds underwhelming but it's totally cute. It's grey, white & red striped & comes to her thighs. It's a little cold today (it is the end of October after all) so the thick material will be appreciated. She's not wearing bottoms but her shoes are these grey knee high heeled boots.

She's been wearing heels all week, too.

She was wearing a knit cap over her hair & I applied light makeup. She had on hoops, her rosary, Mal's ring & no other jewelry. I don't think she's ever taking that ring off. I haven't seen her without it since he gave it to her.

We ate breakfast & grabbed our stuff to go. Lucy walked in with Beth. "Hey, guys."

"Hey." We greeted. "Hi, Beth!"

Beth reached out for us so we took turns hugging her.

Lucy took her to Marionette then came back. "Mercy, ride with me."

"Why?" I asked.

"We're going to the same place & I have to come back here anyway. Carpooling is environmentally sound."

I pursed my lips at her. "Uh huh."

She smiled & batted her eyes.

"Why don't we ride with Marcy? She's going to school, too & she's bringing the kids to practice."

"We can switch it up. Ride with me some days, ride with you some days. But Marce has other places to go."

"Keep me outta your club. I gotta twin, too." Marcy lifted her nose.

We giggled & hugged her. "We wuv you!"

S&M&P

"Is Shelby letting you spend time with Beth a lot?" Tana asked at practice.

Lucy chewed on her bottom lip. "Something like that."

"That's really cool of her." T said.

"Why aren't you telling them?" Marcy asked in Japanese.

"I don't want Kurt to go back & tell Rachel." Lucy shook her head.

I shook mine, too. "He's not talking to her remember? Not after she sabotaged his campaign. He's back to dogging her."

"Like she cares. I don't even know why I'm sparing her feelings." Lucy sighed.

Marcy's lips quirked. "Is anybody being nice to Rachel?"

"Not that I know of. Kurt says that she's really mad I got the part of Maria in West Side Story." I lifted a shoulder.

"She's such a freak." Lucy rolled her eyes.

Marcy looked like she wanted to say something but said nothing.

"You know it's rude to talk about people in front of their faces." Tana drawled.

"Who was talking about you?" Lucy kissed her teeth.

"Then why were you speaking another language?"

"You sound real paranoid, Lopez." Marcy rolled her eyes.

"I don't speak Spanish in front of you."

"I speak Spanish."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?! We could have been talking about people in front of they faces!" She hit her.

I facepalmed. "Stop showing your badness!"

"I think Marcy said it best. Tana's ghetto." Lucy teased.

"Watch it, Tubbers!" Tana pointed at her.

T, Britt, Marcy & Kurt giggled.

"How can someone from the right side of the tracks be so ghetto?" Lucy ignored her.

Tana glared at her. "Be glad you're holding your kid!"

"Or what?"

"Get back to work! Break's over!" Coach Sue screamed.

Marcy rolled her eyes extra hard. "What am I supposed to be liking outta this?"

"Us." Kurt said. "Cuz it's sure not her."

We giggled.

S&M&P

Mrs. Gonzales made us parfaits for breakfast. They had yogurt, oatmeal, bacon, granola, jam & mascarpone cheese with extra fruit. Marcy's had apples & blueberries while mine had strawberries & bananas. Lucy was early so Mrs. Gonzales made her one, too. Hers had cherries & apricots.

She packed them in mason jars with plastic spoons to go with extra juice. She made a little one for Beth so Marionette could feed her.

We left for school & were some of the first ones there.

Artie grinned at Marcy as she swung her crossed leg & ate. "Is that dress short enough?"

"Nope." She put her spoon in her mouth.

"Yes, it is!" Mikey came through the door with Mal & T. "What are you eating?"

"It's a parfait." I told him when Marcy ignored him entirely. "Want some?"

"Sure." He sat in front of me. I handed him the glass & he dug in. "Mmm. Bananas."

"Good, ain't it?"

He nodded. "Let me try yours, Q."

Lucy handed hers over.

"Want some?" Marcy asked Mal.

He nodded. "What's in it?"

"Do you even care?"

"You might have bananas."

She gave him a look. "I have apples."

He smiled. "Yay."

"You don't like bananas?" Britt asked Mal.

"He's allergic." Marcy spoke for him because his mouth was full.

"I'm sorry!" Britt gasped.

He shrugged.

"I couldn't imagine being allergic to food."

"It's only bad if it's a commonly used food." Marcy said.

"How do you know? Oh yeah, you're allergic to cherries." Artie snapped his fingers.

"& strawberries, nuts, grass, weeds, pollen, dust, bees & actually the sun."

"Say that one more time." He gaped at her.

"The sun?!" Noah had just walked in.

"That's a lot of stuff." Finn added.

"How are you allergic to the sun?" Noah sat next to me.

"I have a skin disease & the sun messes me over. If I'm in it for too long, bad things happen & I can even get sick & have to go to the hospital." Marcy explained.

"What about the summer?" Finn asked.

"I'm supposed to be covered up but I hate being hot so I apply sun screen every thirty minutes I'm outside."

"Are you allergic to anything else?" Artie taunted.

Marcy thought about it seriously. "No but I have asthma & bad allergies."

"Really?! Why?!"

"I was born with them. I take medicine every day."

"How can you be a cheerleader with asthma?" Finn wanted to know.

"You can live an active life with asthma. It's not the outdoors killer it used to be." Mikey said.

"How do you know?" Tana crossed her arms.

"I was diagnosed when I was three. I have bad allergies, too & have to take Claritin every day."

"So you're allergic to bananas, you have asthma & allergies, you are allergic to peach fuzz & mint & you're allergic to life. What about you, MJ?" Artie pointed to Mal, Mikey, Lucy & Marcy before looking at me.

"I'm extremely susceptible to garlic & that's hard cuz Italian cooking." I told him. "& Marcy left out peppermint."

"She's allergic to peppermint, too?!"

"No. The smell of it makes me throw up." Marcy shrugged.

"Your life is hard for no reason. What kind of nuts are you allergic to?"

"All except tree nuts. I can eat pine nuts & hazelnuts. I just don't like them."

"What about the rest of your siblings?"

"They're lucky." I scowled. "Marc can eat anything. Laura & Maddie aren't allergic to anything either."

"I'm actually allergic to bird feathers." He shrugged. "All birds. They make me sneeze."

"So duck feather pillows?"

"I brought my own pillow from home when we went to New York. I didn't want to take any chances."

"Now we know." Mikey nodded.

"Want some?" I asked Noah.

He peered into the half eaten jar. "What is it?"

"A parfait."

"What's that?"

"Layered food, dude." Marcy lifted her spoon. "It's good."

I found a spoon in my lunch. "Here. Try it."

"Why'd you give Puck a spoon but not Mike?" T's eyes twinkled.

"Why would I give Mikey a spoon?" I blinked.

"Why do you eat behind Chang but not Puckerman is what she's asking." Tana crossed her arms.

"Mikey's my brother." I blinked again.

"You'll eat behind your brother but not your boyfriend?" T teased.

I finally saw she was just making trouble. "Hush! Noah & I aren't there yet."

He gave me this weird look as he scooped some parfait into his mouth. Then it got weirder as he chewed. "Is this bacon?"

"Yeah."

"Who puts bacon in a parfait?" Rachel crossed her arms.

"Italians." Marcy took her at face value.

"Japanese." Mikey added.

"Swedes." Lucy finished.

Rachel sat back with a disgusted look on her face.

"It's scoop, scoop, pass!" Marcy bit off. "You're messin up the flow, Chang!"

Mal scooped out more parfait before giving her the spoon & jar. "Sorry."

S&M&P

Quinn: POV

I was paying attention in class when Finn leaned over. "Hi."

I looked at him. He'd been trying to get my attention for weeks but I've ignored him every single time. But it was hard. "What?"

"You're glowing lately. Are you sure you didn't get pregnant by that Kelly guy?"

"You sound jealous." He sputtered but I continued to take notes as if I hadn't just stumped him. "Don't worry. If I was, I wouldn't pin it on you this time."

"Maybe I wouldn't mind?"

My hand spasmed. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Do you care?"

"Are you saying I shouldn't?" My heart raced.

"I'm just saying you look pretty."

I scowled. "Tell your girlfriend."

"I'd rather tell you." He leaned over. "You're pretty."

He had a lot of nerve telling me I was pretty when he had a girlfriend! I just wish it didn't fill me with so much light & happiness. I faced front. "Take notes, Finn. Education waits for no man."

"I thought that was pretty girls." He turned around. "But I think you'll wait for me."

My mouth fell open. No, he didn't!