Hey, guys here is another drop for ya; I really hope you enjoy them! Stay safe and enjoy!
May 2009
Ohio Senior Year
"Sam! I swear, if you don't stop! I called a truce!" Mercedes screamed, covering her hair as Sam sprayed her with his squirt gun.
"Alls fair in love and war, Cedes baby." He teased, respraying her in the back.
"Oh, I am gonna make you pay for that!" She ran after him and hopped on top of him; they both fell backward, giggling.
"If this is you making me pay, then I don't want to stop being bad." He teased, kissing her softly.
She stared down at him, and he moved her hair from her eyes. "I love you." She said softly, and Sam smiled widely.
"I'm sorry, you what?"
Mercedes swallowed. "I love you; I am finally ready to admit it."
Sam pulled her closer to him, kissing her passionately. "It's about damn time." He said against her lips.
Mercedes let him kiss her as someone cleared their throat behind them.
"I found them, Mary; they are making out in the basement," Dwight screamed, and Mercedes shook her head, moving off of Sam's lap.
"Hi Popa E."
"Hi, Ladybug." He said, hugging her. "Your mom and dad are here; you should go say hi before your dad finds out you were down here making out like some teenagers." He teased.
"We are 17; that's the definition of teenagers. "Mercedes laughed, walking up the stairs.
Dwight looked at Sam. "You two are getting really close."
"She finally told me she loved me. You ruined it, so thanks, dad." He said sarcastically.
"Finally? I mean, you've been together for 9 months. The moment the Jones moved across the street two years ago, you swore she would be your wife."
Sam smirked. "And now that she loves me, I am one step closer to making that happen."
Sam and Dwight walked up the stairs; the Evans house was filled with the Jones, Hudson-Hummels, and Andersons. As they had their pre Graduation meeting. The teens didn't see the point, but the parents all wanted to coordinate who was filming, taking photos, and holding up the embarrassing signs.
Mercedes and her best friend Kurt made their way to the backyard while Finn was in the kitchen on the phone with his girlfriend Rachel. Sam noticed the mail on the table and froze, seeing a big envelope from NYU.
"Blaine…am I seeing things?" Sam asked.
Blaine shook his head. "No, it's there. Sam, I think you got into NYU."
Sam grabbed it and swallowed. "Do you-"
"CEDES! CEDES, ITS HERE!" Mario Jones screamed, running into the Evans household.
"Mario, I know you need to calm all that yelling down! What is your problem!"
Mario held up the same-looking envelope as Sam's, and he could feel their dreams aligning.
Mercedes ran into the house, looking at her brother. "What is wrong with you?"
Mario held up the envelope, and she moved over to him, grabbing it, not realizing another fell to the ground.
She looked at Sam, and he smiled, holding up his own. She squealed as their parents all cheered happily. Mercedes wrapped her arms around Sam's neck. "I knew you could do it, Sam!"
"I knew we could do it! I'm going to NYU for Graphic Design, and you are getting into FIT at NYU for fashion; we will be a power couple." He said, kissing her softly.
Mary bent down, seeing a letter on the ground, and smiled. "You got another one, Mercedes."
Mercedes looked confused. "Oh, thank you."
"Sam, let's go; we got practice!" Finn said.
Sam kissed her and smiled. "We are gonna take over the world, baby. I feel it." He said, running out the door as he grabbed his bag.
"Blaine and I are going to see if our letters are home." Kurt said, kissing Mercedes's cheek, and Mercedes nodded. "Uh-huh."
Kurt looked at her. "Diva… what's going on?"
She turned the letter around, and Kurt gasped.
"It's from London?" Open it!"
Mercedes shook her head. "No." She grabbed both envelopes and walked out of the Evans house."
Kurt followed her. "Mercy Me, what's going on?"
She sat on her porch swing and closed her eyes. "I applied before we started dating. Before I fell in love with Sam. I can't open this."
He sighed. "Mercedes, do you want me to open it?"
"Kurt, if I open this, everything might change." She said softly. "I've wanted this for so long, and NYC is great! It's one of the top-ranking schools for design. But London is the best. The absolute best, and I'd be a fool to turn it down. So if I don't open it, I can't turn it down."
"Kurt sighed. "I would say what if you didn't get in, but the letter is thick, and we both know you did. Read the letter, Mercedes."
She closed her eyes before looking down at the letter and opening it. "Dear Mercedes Jones, I am writing to acknowledge that we are pleased to offer you the UAL Postgraduate full-ride scholarship to The London College of Fashion."
Mercedes put the letter down and closed her eyes before opening her letter to NYU. "I only got a partial ride to NYU. My parents saved, but they have four kids, and once I go to school, they will be paying for four tuitions…. This full ride is everything. But so is Sam."
"Honeybee? Everything okay?" Amelia Jones asked her youngest, and only daughter and Mercedes stared up at her mother.
Kurt stood. "I am gonna let you two talk; I'll call you later. Mercy me."
As Kurt walked away, Amelia joined Mercedes on the swing. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"
Mercedes handed Amelia the letter, and she gasped. "Honeybee! This is amazing! A full ride to London's Fashion Institute! You have wanted to go there since you were 12 and made your first dress."
Mercedes nodded. "Mom, London is amazing, and it means College is paid for. But NYU has Sam and my friends. I…I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to make a choice like this?"
Amelia pulled Mercedes close. "It's not easy, and I was in a similar situation at your age."
"You were?"
Amelia nodded. "Yep. Your father asked me to marry him right out of high school, and I knew he was going into the Military. But I had gotten into Georgetown and could go with my dream career or my dream man, and I chose love and followed your dad across the world for his career. Now I don't regret your brothers or you, but I always wonder what if I went to school and got my medical degree."
Mercedes closed her eyes. "I'm gonna have what ifs no matter what I do…."
"Yeah. so you have to pick the one that will make you happy. I know it feels like Sam hangs the stars and the moon, but if it's meant to be, then it will be."
"I don't want to lose him, mom. I love him."
"I know." She said, hugging her daughter close.
Mercedes was lying in her bed staring at the ceiling when a tap at her balcony door startled her. Moving to it, she smiled, seeing Sam standing there with a lily in his hand.
"Hi, beautiful." He said, kissing her softly.
"Hey."
Sam took her in and knew she was upset about something. "Merce, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
She shook her head no and pulled him into a hug. "Sam, I have to tell you something."
She pulled him to the bed and sat down with him. Taking his hand in hers, she still didn't know what she was going to do, but she always thought better when he was near.
Sam kissed the back of her hand. "Just tell me, as long as the words that come out your mouth aren't breaking up, we are good."
"I don't want to break up, Sam. I meant what I said. I love you."
"Then what's the problem?"
She sighed. "I got into the London Fashion Institute, full ride."
Sam smiled. "Mercedes, that's amazing!"
"Is it? Because if I go to London, that means no NYC, no seeing you every day. No us."
Sam frowned, sitting down. "I didn't think of it like that." He said softly.
"I'm gonna go to NYC with you and everyone, it's our dream, and they have a great Fashion program." She said.
Sam turned her face towards his. "You have to go to London. When I first met you, Merce, you told me you wanted to study in London and have your first fashion show in Milan."
She smiled. "You remembered that?"
Sam moved her to his lap and kissed her lips softly. "Mercedes, you have big dreams, and the fact that you want to give them up for me makes me love you more. But I can't let you. We can text and visit each other; I always wanted to see Big Ben. This doesn't mean it's the end of us."
Mercedes wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him hungrily. "I love you." She said against his lips. "We are gonna be okay, and we can do this."
"Hell yeah, we can." He smiled, kissing her back.
August 2009
End of an Era
Mercedes paced around the Airport. "He's not coming…." She said softly, trying to hide her tears.
"You don't know that, honey; maybe he's just running late," Amelia said, looking past her hoping to see Sam coming towards them.
"Mom, he changed his mind. He's been avoiding me all week, and now he knew we were leaving, and he's not here. This was a mistake, and I can't leave now! Not like this."
Amelia sighed, pulling Mercedes into her arms. "Merce, it's gonna be okay. You are gonna be okay, I promise. Just breathe."
"Everyone else saw me off… its over." Mercedes looked at her watch.
"Good Morning, passengers; this is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 1050B to London. We are now inviting those passengers with small children and anyone requiring special assistance to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes. Thank you."
Mercedes chewed her bottom lip, shaking out her hands. Things started great when she decided to go to London, she was scared, but Sam was really encouraging. Loving. He threw her a going away party and wrote her love notes to tide her over until his next would arrive.
Then she walked in on him talking to Puckerman and laughing about how much "tail" he was gonna get with me moving away. She didn't bring it up or ask him about it because she didn't want to come off as untrusting. But the writing was on the wall when he had his dad lie for him. She watched him walk into his house, and when she knocked on the door, his dad said Sam wasn't there. That's when she knew it was over.
She sent him a text, telling him when her flight left and begging him to at least see her off, and now she was standing at the gate, hoping for one of those movie moments where he comes running up to her and declares his love.
"This is the final boarding call for all passengers booked on flight 1050B to London. I repeat, this is the final boarding call for all passengers booked on flight 1050B to London."
Amelia took Mercedes's hand; she was flying with Mercedes to London to help her get settled, and then her dad was going to meet them there this weekend. "Mercedes, we have to go."
Mercedes nodded, looking around. "Okay." She said sadly, making her way to the gate, heartbreaking every step she took.
Sam watched Mercedes look around in hopes of seeing him, the look on her face broke his heart, but it was for the best. They weren't meant to be together; the long distance was hard enough, but she was going to a new place, and she didn't need the stress of a relationship. At least, that is what he told himself; every time he almost gave in to needing to be with her, he assured himself he was doing the right thing.
His parents didn't like what he was doing to Mercedes, but there was nothing they could do to change his mind. Sam saw the writing on the wall when he threw her the going away party. Mercedes was meant for great things, and when Puck told him about all the things Sam would be able to do while Mercedes was gone, and started to fear of all the better guys that she would meet.
Mercedes was the love of his life, but he couldn't be with her and not have her. So a clean break was what was best. That didn't stop him from going to the Airport, wanting to see her one last time. He watched her text him, check her phone, her watch, and her surroundings and knew she was searching for him. She waited til the last minute before boarding the plane, and his heart broke watching her leave. "It's for the best." He told himself.
Heading home, Sam walked into the house, and his dad looked up to him. "You okay?"
Sam shook his head no and sat on the sofa.
"Did you see her?" His dad asked, sitting next to him.
Sam nodded.
"Did she see you?"
Sam shook his head no. "It's for the best."
"No, it's not. Sam, how is ignoring the love of your life for the best? You could have at least been a man about it, texted her back, and spoken to her. The other day having me lie for you." He shook his head. "You are my son, and I love you, but I don't understand what changed; why are you so adamant about ignoring her?"
Sam ran his hand through his hair. "The guys were talking about NYU and how long-distance relationships never work."
"You can't tell me that you think she's gonna cheat on you?"
"No, she wouldn't do that to me, and I wouldn't do that to her. But dad, she won't get the full experience because she's gonna be thinking about me, worrying about what I am doing. I didn't want that for her."
Dwight sighed. "So why not just tell her that? Why ignore her, make her think you don't love her?"
Sam shrugged. "If I see her up close, hold her, kiss her, I would lose my resolve."
Dwight hugged his son. "I'm sorry, Sam. I wish I had the words to tell you what to do, but I can only be here to help you."
Sam nodded, taking a deep breath. "This is for the best. I'll write to her and let her know what's going on, but this is…this is for the best." He said softly. "It has to be."