What happened in Buffalo was not an accident and the sooner we realize that the better. RIP to the 10 victims.
Mercedes had been president for the past five months and though she had been making some wonderful changes she was still having doors slammed in her face at every turn. Despite her bill concerning the economic opportunities and education for young black youth having been passed her 40 Acres and Mule Bill had been dismissed by the Senate twice. She was starting to grow frustrated because despite her best efforts to show that the bill would do more good than harm she still could not have qualified for the right amount of votes. If that wasn't enough political propaganda was being spewed out consistently about her, the main rhetoric being that "How can she be president when she can't even find a man,". Mercedes took it in stride because even if she did try to date while she was President that would be a journey within itself and quite frankly that was a door she wanted to keep closed until her tenure as the president was over.
The few good things in her life now were being around Jane, Roderick, and Santana, but most of all being around Sam. When they were alone they would flirt with each other and make sexual jokes about one another. They had fun and Sam was there to have breakfast with her and even dinner when no one else was around. They had a formed nice bond between the two of them now and it was more than fun. It was exhilarating they both enjoyed it very much deciding to not put a label on it.
Mercedes was in her office going over today's agenda with Santana and Jane.
"Alright, so Mrs. Vice President you are going to be delivering a speech to the South Lawn regarding your plans on being in this prominent position. Now I am allowing you to speak about anything you so please because I talked to your assistant and she gave me the rundown on your own political agenda. So that is more than handled. Now, Mercedes, I want you to take a break on the 40 Acres & A Mule Bill, and try something else. I know you want that specific bill to be passed but you need to work on something else. Free universal healthcare, access to proper education despite income level, anything that you promised your voters." Santana explained she was about to say more until her phone started ringing.
"If this doesn't have anything to do with the current state of my job then quite frankly I refuse to be on this phone call any longer," She sighed with an attitude.
"Who would have thought the party-girl Santana Lopez would be the assistant to the President of the U.S.," Jane joked.
"I know it seems like only yesterday I was pulling her head out of the toilet and shoving pain killers and water down her throat so she could make it first period in time." Mercedes giggled.
Santana rolled her eyes at them, "Yall are going to hell for bringing that up, and I am going to my office to handle whatever emergency this is."
Jane laughed at her as she walked out. She turned towards Mercedes before speaking, "So how are you really feeling,"
Mercedes sighed, "Ugh I want to rip my hair out sometimes, this job is so draining but I feel like I can never complain because of where I am. I am taking all of the disrespect with a smile on my face because deep down I know just by being here I am making a difference."
"You'll accomplish what you want before you leave I know it." Mercedes was about to respond when she heard yelling coming from outside her door.
"What the hell!" She mumbled as she stood and opened the door.
"Unhand me I want to speak to my daughter," Her mother yelled at one of the security.
"Ma'am you have to come with me first and calm down."
"I want to see my damn daughter," She growled again.
"I SAID FUCKING CALM DOWN!" The man shouted as she shoved her to the ground and went to draw his firearm.
"THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO SHOVE MY MOTHER DOWN ON THE FUCKING GROUND OR PULL YOUR WEAPON!" Mercedes shouted out causing everyone to stop. She noticed that the security guard who shoved her mother was Connor a newbie and quite frankly she needed Sam here before she was to kick his ass.
"Ms. President I am doing my job," Connor spoke with conviction.
"What you are doing is assaulting my mother and damn near killing her," Mercedes growled as she went to the ground and helped her mother off the ground.
"What the hell is happening," Sam questioned as he and Puck raced to the scene.
"This woman was barging around and trying to be in contact with Ms. President," Connor spoke.
"You have one more fucking time to disregard that this is my mother and I swear to God we are going to have a bigger problem on our hands," Mercedes growled as she went to walk over to the man but Sam stopped her.
"Connor that woman is Francine Jones, Mercedes Jones's mother. The president's mother, you just assaulted and damn near drew fire on an elderly woman and something tells me that you are heavily trigger happy if you wanted to hurt her. So how about you go ahead and consider this your first and last day working here, and if any word about this incident gets out then I can promise you I will make it impossible for you to ever find work again or to even show your face in this country again." Puck remarked. Connor rolled his eyes and threw down his badge before leaving the scene.
"Mommy are you ok," Mercedes asked Francine.
"Mercy, I need help, the urges are starting to get worse I need some help, please." Francine whimpered as she rubbed her sore arm. Mercedes swallowed the lump in her throat and bit her jaw willing herself to not cry.
"Jane could you take her to the room close to mine please," Mercedes asked.
"Of course, Ms. Francine come with me," Jane spoke softly as she led the woman throughout the house.
"Mercedes I-," Sam began.
"Mr. Evans see that Connor is leaving gracefully and next time make sure my mother isn't being fucking manhandled by any of your staff," Mercedes articulated as she headed back into her office and slammed the door.
It was another white supremacy mass shooting. Located in a poor district in Alabama where numerous African-Americans lived. He portrayed it as ethnic cleansing and that he was satisfied with his work because he had been planning this for months actually. He was another white boy who used the system to his advantage, and he was proud that he killed 5 people and injured 15, believing he was going to go down as a hero.
Mercedes had heard about this during a series of phone calls and already knew what this was going to entail. Media frenzy, Fox news was pushing the shit that he was a troubled white youth and that he was suffering from mental illness, but black people knew and Mercedes knew that he wasn't suffering from mental illness. He was a white supremacist who was allowed to carry guns throughout his whole life and decided to take the lives of five people. There was no mental illness he was fully aware of what he did and concoted.
Mercedes had stepped out in the Brady Press Briefing Room. A frenzy of photographers and reporters were hurling questions already and trying to flag down her attention.
"Today in Alabama many African-Americans were hurt by the injustices of this system. We can no longer accept the fact that these white boys who are racist and white supremacists are just mentally ill. The young man knew exactly what he was doing and what he planned on doing, and even called it ethnic cleansing. As President of the United States, I am calling that the perpetrator is indicted on all charges but the number one is 1st Degree Murder. This has shown numerous details and multiple piles of evidence on how this incident can proceed with legal acts, and quite frankly I believe this should a be federal case. He is a white terrorist on American soil if anything he deserves the same treatment that past terrorists have gotten. And if anybody in the Senate, in the Supreme Court, and anybody in Alabama truly cared that Black Lives do Matter then they would do the same thing. Thank you." Mercedes spoke with conviction. She ignored the yelled-out
questions and retired up to her mother's room to check on her before going to bed. Sam of course was behind her but they hadn't spoken with each other since earlier today. The truth was she was slightly frustrated with Sam because he let this boy slip through the cracks and if she hadn't stepped in when she had then her mother could possibly be in the hospital or dead.
She knocked on her mother's door and entered and saw her mother sitting on the couch watching t.v. She looked at her arm and noticed the bruises and markings were still there from Francine's younger age but she saw fresh new wounds as well. She stepped closer and grabbed her mother's arm.
"You said you weren't using again," Mercedes said lowly.
Francine looked at her daughter with glossy eyes before taking her arm away, "I haven't poundcake honest,"
"Don't lie to me mom, not today. You have I am looking at the markings on your arms. Mom I thought you were clean when did you start using again?"
"Dammit child I said I am fine, I told you the truth after I was manhandled by that guard of yours, this is just a few needle shots from my doctor."
"If you are going to lie to me then I am going to leave because I refuse to have this conversation any longer. Mom, I can't get you the help you need if you can't tell me the truth." Mercedes argued.
"Then leave," Francine said. Mercedes looked at her mother and shook her head. She stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her before heading down to her bedroom with Sam close on her tail. She slammed the door shut and broke down on the floor. Letting out tears for all the victims and her mother. So much was happening today and she was expected to do it with a strong arm and a smile on her face but Mercedes was slowly starting to lose her mind.
"Mercedes can I come in," Sam asked from outside the door. He knew he was breaking hella protocols and procedures but Mercedes was his friend and he knew that she didn't cry often. He heard the door click softly and he took it as a cue to enter. When he walked in Mercedes was sitting on the foot of her bed wiping her eyes away. Sam went and took a seat beside her.
"I am so sorry for what happened today and you have every right to be pissed today. We should have completely vetted him, and I should have done it myself and not let him slip through the cracks of my assistant. It will never happen again." Sam spoke.
"Sam that incident was scary. Here I am as a black woman as a president and I can't even protect my own mother. If that wasn't enough the incident in Alabama. Sam no matter what I am reminded of who am I and what that entails, I'll never be able to escape the harsh realities even if I tried," She whispered.
Sam held her in his strong arms as he watched more tears fall. After a while, he lifted her up and swiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her and she did as well. Then without thinking about his job, or the boundaries he was about to cross he leaned down and kissed her.