The Boy Is Mine
Be yourself always, don't change so people will like you, the right people will love the real you
A Story from Mercy's POV
"Foxie's tonight" Quinn shouted out the car beeping the horn at me
"Yeah, yeah" I waved my hand without turning around to look at them all smiling in the car, like there was something to smile about
It was Friday night again and as usual every fourth Friday we were going out on the local town; we should have been at a gig I'd set up in Brooklyn, I couldn't fault them really it was the first weekend off in nearly eight weeks, they had a right to be excited about what the weekend held for them.
Rachel of course was meeting Finn, they'd been together forever, and were everyone's goals couple. Quinn was all churned up about a first date with some pool guy called Puck, think what you will about that one, because when she told us, all she got was silence, I mean Puck, fuck, that name says it all. While my girl Brittany was itching about some guy called Ryder, I'd met him about a month ago, but I'm fucked if I remember a thing about him, but she was excited to get to third with him, and nobody had the heart to tell her there was a first and second, which might be recommended after at least a second date.
Santana our fifth wheel with a third eye that could never see her own fuck ups, was getting over Will, an older man with a wife and a couple of kids that she believed he was going to leave. She'd sat waiting for just over three years, only to find out baby number three was on the way, and he was 'trying' to make a go of things. If she couldn't see that coming or that third eye couldn't tell her, he'd finished trying, he'd tried, succeeded, and gone to heaven on his wife's shit, then she needed to get herself a four eye.
Then there's make your mind up Tina, or Ms T as we call her, she can never make her mind up about anything, she was with this guy Artie for about two years, talked about them being a bad fit maybe three weeks into it but wouldn't let him go because he was always talking bling, of course it never happened, with her anyway. Then she got with this guy Mike and he's nice enough, but she can't decide whether he's the one or not, meanwhile he's out there doing god knows what, with who knows, and she thinks she's found love. Her moto is you don't know love till you've had a broken heart, so we just leave her to recklessly find love or whatever the hell she's looking for is called.
And then there's me, Mercedes freaking Jones, lead singer of our girl band, killer vocals, smart, funny, kind, heart of gold and single, yep I said it fucking single, don't ask. They don't make shelves that stay up as long as I've been on one, but hey what is it they say never lose hope "Yeah I laughed" I've never known anyone called hope, in fact I struck that word out of my vocabulary about three years ago, fuck hope, I'm into miracles now
So here we are the magical girl power band Dangles, living on a shoestring, bussing it from gig to gig while the day jobs, keeps us all afloat. Quinn works with the local newspaper writing articles about boats, no she's not into them unless there's a hunk of a man stood at the helm with a massive sparkling rock in his hand. Santana works in the purse making industry, she likes us to label it that way, and it actually does what it says on the tin, and I can't lie she brings us some seriously trendy pieces sometimes, but, behind her back we all know it's a glorified sweat shop.
Tina's doing something she loves, she's working in the clothing industry, something she'd always wanted to do, unsure if this was the chain of clothing she'd always wanted to be in, but it was it for now, everyone wants something dry cleaned at some point in their lives and she's their girl. Rachel was the one living closest to her dream she was in theatre, that place had been her dream from day one, she was elated when she told us she'd finally got her foot in the door and the only way was up, we were happy for her, but on the first group visit it was clear she wasn't the best cleaner. The job had its uses though, at least we had somewhere to practice four times a week.
Brittany works with a local lab, she's always been the inquisitive one of the group always needed to know that bit more about everything around her, so it was exciting for her to get a job chasing rats around the sewers, bringing them to the local lab. When we were super pissed off, Brittany would start telling us about a new breed of rat she'd found, and that would soon get everyone rolling around laughing. I worked with an audience, call it customer care even, one might even call me a counsellor or even a negotiator on some days, those sons of bitches always see bargains were there were none. When I see a troublemaker standing in my line I'd go slow, really piss them off, hopefully they'd move to another till, but if they didn't I'd screw my face up so much they'd think I was one of those typical ignorant ni… sorry, forgot who my audience were for a second, excuse me, people of colour.
So, yeah at times we were living the dream, standing on that stage in clothes we'd probably borrowed from Tina and Santana's places of work, singing songs we'd heard off the radio and bringing in some change. But if anyone in any of those crowds were to see us in the daytime they'd walk straight past us, we were so basic, everyone still lives at home, chasing guys with digs that we can crash out in, and looking for free drinks.
I wasn't looking forward to tonight, it was bound to end the same way it always did, with me sitting sipping a cheap glass of soapy wine while the others frolicked, yes I used that word, it was one my Gramps used to use and it sounded so much more romantic than plain old fucking, so in my mind I try to be proper, psych, another Gramps word
"Mercy" Santana called after me
"Seven I know" I answered back pushing my door open, calling to my family in the usual way to save my bro's fronting up with guns and the like "Hi mom, dad" I called running off up the stairs to get my freak on. Switching my stereo on of course my hands go up in the air and I start moving my voluptuous body to the sounds of 'Wet Dreamz' by Sevyn Streeter & Jeremih imagining this is how my man would be talking to me, don't hate, it's not my fault he only dates one girl at a time 'At midnight, can I, call you, to fuck on, from sundown, till it come up, can you be something, to fuck on' "Come the fuck on boy"
I better be getting ready for this damn night out, if this man carries on my night will be over before it starts, I crank the volume up so I can hear it in the bathroom 'Whoever it is, you better cancel, I was thinking maybe you can fall through "Wow" So I can put this pussy on you … mm' "So damn good" I wonder if this is how hot your body gets when you orgasm for real, I mean on a real dick, and steam fills the room like this, and pigs might turn into fucking bacon right before your damn eyes, or a lemon might fart, fuck sake Mercedes, stop with the dreaming shit, get out there and get you some
So, it was another girls Friday night out, and having exhausted myself with my man in the bathtub, I'm standing on the driveway waiting for Quinn to pick me up. I can't let her into the house because my brother's think she's a hoe, along with the rest of my friends because they've seen them with guys. It's freaking cold and I'm wearing this ridiculous green naked backed laced dress, with heels I know I'll need to fling off as soon as we walk into the place, red nail polish and lipstick to go with it, don't judge me, I take notes from Brittany, and it works for her.
"Come on" I'm checking my phone because this bitch is already twenty minutes late and if I go back in now, I'm in for the night 'Wet my dreams tonight, all that shit you've been talking, give it to me, oh, I'm tight…mm' I'm tapping my foot and making myself happy to keep the cold from piercing into my damn bones, trying not to do that flick thing I do with my nails to break them off when I need to scratch "This is infuriating"
"Mercy" Quinn comes driving up the road shouting, she does that shit on purpose, but one of these days that's going to backfire on her, one doesn't obey four older brothers for no reason
"Q, please" I check the front door for movement before jumping in the car so she can speed off
Pickups in the usual order, me, Brittany and Santana, Tina always calls on route because she never knows what Mike's doing but tonight we all know by the time Santana's in the car that Mike's on form. Of course, Rachel and Finn are always together, in whatever they do, so we meet up at the club ready for our evening of fun
"Mercedes you look fierce" Rachel high fived me as we walked towards her "You're in tonight"
"Yeah" I smiled, in what? in the running for the only bitch in this entire club going home alone tonight, or maybe there was some sort of competition going on about the last man standing alone having to take home the last girl standing tonight, and I was going to get lucky, the gods were never that kind
"Drink?" Finn asked me
"Dirty martini please Finn" I smiled he was always kind to all of us
The night went as we thought it would, Mike and Tina turned up, Quinn's Fuck turned up, Brittany's Ryder turned up and less than an hour later she disappeared, no one asked the question she'd already told us her agenda. I was as predicted sitting in the bay watching everyone making out, talking, or dancing, I wasn't just the third wheel I was the eleventh, do you have any idea what that's like?. The only reason I knew I was still part of the crew was because everyone kept bringing me a drink back every time they hit the bar, it was embarrassing
"I'm going to dance" I announced feeling the need to make a change for myself
"I'll come with you" Rachel offered
"No, it's fine, stay with Finn" I smiled at them, I meant it too
I got to the dancefloor kicked off my shoes and danced until my feet were sore, and all that time not one person felt sorry enough for me to join me. "Last one" the DJ called out, I don't know why I expected something different, but I did, I'd changed the way I did things come out of my box and nothing changed.
"Mercy" Quinn called from the booth, there was no one left on the dancefloor anyway "We're ready, come on I'll take you home"
There was nothing else for it, the night was over, and I was leaving in the exact same condition as I'd walked in, I was defeated, I'd given my all out there, I grabbed my shoes and made my way back to the booth, said my goodbyes watching everyone go their separate ways before I jumped in the back of Quinn's car to be dropped off. She never said it outright, but I knew, like all the rest of them, Quinn and Fuck were making their way over to Edmonds Creek, that was where all the couples, especially those that didn't have their own digs, hung out to get things moving after clubbing, and I was looking forward to a hot chocolate and bed. I smiled remembering I'd left Omar in there and hurried up the steps to see what the stereo had for me next, Santana had told me that at some point masturbation wasn't going to hit the button anymore, but in all honesty, when I was in the thick of it, I couldn't imagine any man, or woman for that matter, hitting those heights for me.
'We booked a hotel for the day bring some clothes' I picked my phone up ready to throw it against the wall for disturbing me at 07:20 on a Saturday morning and saw the message from Tina. I knew this was another intervention, they loved making me their pet project, when their shit didn't go to plan, I was like their go to therapy to make themselves feel better, a kind of what not to do reminder. My heart wasn't in it I just grabbed any old thing when I finally got up and made my way across town to the hotel they'd chosen
"This had better be worth it" I moaned like they expected me to, deep down I was hoping they'd found the miracle I'd been hoping for the past few years.
"We thought" Brittany rested her hands on my shoulders "We're always looking for quick fixes"
"And maybe" Santana came up behind Brittany peeping over her shoulder "We need to focus on the long process"
"Which means?" I asked suspicious of them actually talking sense
"You can say no if you want" Rachel rushed to fit into the conversation, making me even more suspicious
"No to what?" I asked looking around the room at them stood obviously wondering how I was going to take the news "What?"
"We brought you a gym pass" Quinn looked at her "We don't want you to feel offended but.."
I couldn't believe these bitches "So now the reason I don't have a damn man in my life is because I'm plus size?"
"No" Tina stepped forward "Not at all, we just thought if you sort of dealt with your body then your mind would follow"
"How?" I asked too mad to string two words together
"Don't be mad Mercy it's being done in love" Brittany assured her
"Yeah, Finn said maybe you might feel more confident if you just dropped a couple of po..un..ds" she looked around the room at the shaking heads knowing she'd gone too far
"So, I was the main topic of conversation last night?" I asked
"Not the main topic" Rachel admitted "But you came up"
"Just for a month, we've all got one" Brittany held her pass up "We thought if we did a fitness routine for a month, see how we feel and well if you shed a few pounds in the process it's all good"
"Think of it as a confidence boost" Quinn smiled at me
I had nothing else to do, nowhere else to turn, I hadn't tried anything like this before and I thought they might have something and anyway it was just for a month, I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I agreed. We weighed in on the first day after getting up at 05:00 in the morning, walking two blocks to get an hours gym session in before work. We'd taken to running there and back, eating fruit for breakfast, and drinking lots of water, lunch was a salad and our evening meals, when we made the time was generally made up of steamed vegetables, somehow we made it fun. After two weeks of eating that stuff I actually started tasting the food, I was smiling a lot more, my mood was up, I had much more energy on stage, and in all honesty I felt like a new me.
"This is it" Tina smile with relief as we stepped inside the gym for the last day of the month long fitness regime
"It will be sad to stop" Quinn frowned "But we agreed a month"
"Honestly I don't mind carrying on" Brittany told us
We went through our usual routine, had out shower and went for the weigh in for the final verdict, everyone had lost something, but I'd lost the most weighing a loss of a whopping 9lbs I was elated, we all were it had worked "Let's celebrate" Santana suggested, I was up for it this new me needed to get out there and do her thing.
I went out and brought myself this new dress, some might have said I was overconfident in choosing the strappy, red dress that clung to every curve as it stuck to my body, the bold red glitter strap shoes that went with it and tonight I was pleasing myself and grabbing a bag to match. I couldn't get dressed in that stuff at home and expect to walk out the door with my brothers, so I went to Quinn's. The girls got together and helped me do my hair, nails, and makeup, this was the night of reckoning, I must admit I felt like this was going to be a night like no other.
"Girl" Tina stepped back looking at me in the mirror, even I was impressed, a little self-care felt amazing "You've got this" she snapped her fingers
"The boy is mine" I grinned at myself looking fine as hell in the mirror
"Let's take the night" Santana jumped up smiling, it seemed everyone was happy tonight
We all jumped in a cab, hot as hell, that's the only way I could describe us, courtesy of exercise and healthy eating for a month. Jumped out the cab and into Foxies, our monthly haunt, seeing some familiar faces Rachel attached herself to Finn, Tina was still with Mike surprising everyone, that guy Fuck was lurking, and Quinn knew what for, and according to Brittany, Ryder was on his way.
"It's me and you tonight" Santana grabbed my arm "Dancefloor?"
"Straight" I giggled strutting my stuff all the way to centre floor, to any person looking at me, I didn't seem any different I was still the lusciously curvy Mercy Jones, but on the inside I felt super sexy, confident, pretty, worth it you know, I felt amazing.
That feeling lasted for all of three hours because now my shoes were somewhere on the dancefloor, my hair looked like it belonged to a stray cat, and the will to carry no had long left the building "Maybe this isn't your night" Santana returned to the dancefloor telling me
"Next you'll be trying to convince me this isn't my damn life" I moaned
"Don't give up Mercy, he's out there"
"It's alright for you, it's alright for all of you, click your fingers and some fool comes running, I can't do that, I can't be that, and I'm fed up with doing… this" I looked around shocked at my outburst but relieved I'd had it, this merry go round needed to stop, and fast.
"Mercy" Santana's voice was calm enough but it still hit a chilling bone in my body
"I'm going home" I grabbed the one shoe I could find, went to the booth, grabbed by purse, and left without another word, enough was enough. Three more weeks went by, and I did what I had to, I was there for ladies nights, did the gigs we'd booked and then I went home, fuck it, that hunting thing wasn't for me, there was only so many times a girl could be humiliated before she actually got the message and I'd got it loud and clear
"Not going out tonight?" Wayne my youngest brother asked watching me grab a pack of snacks to go with my bottle of wine in my bedroom, I was having a bi-monthly dose of my go to movie 'he's just not that into you' dreaming of that happy ending that was drifting ever further away as my biological clock ticked twenty ticks a second. Okay that's an exaggeration, as I'm only 23 and hell I've got no intentions of starting a damn family. Well, that's a slight exaggeration too, I mean I'd need to get someone to give me a child first, and seeing as I'm only desirable to my sexy play list, and a segment of that movie 365 for a quick fix, it sucked for me
"No, taking a break" I smiled at him slapping my butt playfully, it pissed me off, always had but I'd learned a long time ago the more I let him know that the more he did it, so it was just easier to let him think I was a kinky bitch and that had toned it down at bit "I've got a pizza coming" I warned him, save them beating down the delivery guy when he arrived, as I made my way to my bedroom
Of course, I turn my shit up, I need to be in several moods tonight, it's Friday night and after my date with Mr Pizza, washed down with Master Chateau La Fleur, is that how you say it? It's how I say it anyway, and of course the finale, a generous helping of Don and Laura to work that shit off "Wow" I started dancing around my room ready to set my mood 'All this talking when I know we should be fucking all this temptation …' "What the…" I stood watching the sleaze gazing in my window getting a free show. "What do you want?" I leaned out my window to ask
"I'm delivering your pizza" the guy held the box up
"We have a front door; it has a bell on it" I pointed at the gate
"I was enjoying the show" he smiled "Voice isn't too bad either"
"I'll be out in a minute" I shut the window to make my way to the front door "Thanks" I opened the door and dropped some change in his hand
"I really don't need this" he held his hand out with the tip in it "I got everything I need back there" he pointed at my bedroom window
"How long were you standing there?"
"Somewhere about someone giving it to you all night" he smiled, his smile was cute to say the least
"It's a song" I smiled scraping my hair back off my naked face, I looked a mess, I knew I did, so I guessed he was seeing the same as me, but he'd been stood there for nearly a minute chatting
"It's nearly midnight" he looked up as if he could tell that by the moonlight
"Is it?" I humoured him
"Can I?"
"Can you what?"
"Call you"
"What for?"
"To fuck on" he smiled "That was my attempt at singing the song" he laughed
"Cute" I laughed because he and it was
I found out his name was Sam, he lived five blocks away, we eventually moved the conversation into his car, talked through the night driving around delivering Pizza's, and four weeks later I introduced him to my girls finally confirming that, this particularly special boy was mine.
You know I wasn't standing in the front yard anymore I was down the street; I know, did you feel my eyes roll?, it's going to take a while to get this by my bro's, but it's a work in progress, we will, soon.
"Hey" he waved poking his head out the car window, his smile made me feel like my new favourite record was about to play, and you know how that gets me. And yes this is me walking towards my hot date, winding my hips, flicking my hair up in your damn face, and telling you to get the hell out my mind, and mind your business, I got code. It's our twenty fifth date, fantasise the rest, but what I will tell you, is that Santana was right when she said there was more.