Hey guys! I know it's been a while but... this chapter is really long, if that makes it any better. Anyways... heres chapter 45!
General POV
"Have I told you you look amazing?" Nathan said turning to look at Mercedes.
"Like 10 times since we left the house." She answered smiling at him.
"Well... for the 11th time... You look amazing." He said sincerly, sneaking a look over at her.
"Thank you." She said gratefully. "And have I told you how much I love my rose?"
"A few times." He said laughing a little.
"Well... thank you. I love it."
Nathan pulled up to his house and parked the car. He turned off the engine and got out. He walked over to her door and opened it for her. She stepped out and he took her hand in his.
"I wanna apologize right now for anything that my dad might say or do, ok?" Nathan said as they walked up to his door.
"Nathan.. Everything's gonna be fine." Mercedes said leaning into him a little.
"God I hope so." He said opening the door and stepping aside to let Mercedes in. She walked inside and he followed after her. "Come on." He led her into the living room where Dan and Deb were sitting waiting for their arrival.
Deb stood up and Dan followed after her stepping to stand next to her. Nathan and Mercedes walked in and stopped in front of them.
"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend Mercedes." Nathan said somewhat unenthusiastically introducing her. "Mercedes my Mom and Dad."
"It's nice to meet you Mercedes." Deb said taking her hand gently.
"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Scott." Mercedes said politely.
"We go on first name basis around here Mercedes. Please, call me Deb." Deb said smiling at her.
"Will do." She said smiling up at Nathan. Nathan smiled down at her. He knew his mom could always calm the mood and that she would make her feel welcome. He was just waiting for his dad to ruin it. "You have a lovely home. Mr. Scott." She said looking over at Dan.
"Mercedes... call him-" Deb began but was soon cut off by Dan and he stepped in front of her.
"Mr. Scott is fine." He said coldly. He looked Mercedesup and down as if studying her intently. "So, you're the girl that's going to ruin my son's chances with the scouts huh?" He said crossing his arms across his chest.
"Dan!" Deb said stepping in front of him again and staring at him in disbelief.
Nathan locked his jaw and looked at Dan with pure hatred.
"You could have done better than this Nathan." He said looking at Mercedes.
Mercedes raised her eyebrows a little but soon forgot about her own feelings when she felt Nathan tense up behind her. She turned to him and saw that he was about ready to do something that he might regret.
"Nathan, calm down." She whipsered holding him back and looking up in his eyes.
"She does your fighting for you I see." Dan said sarcasm oozing from his voice.
Nathan locked his jaw and moved forward but Mercedes once again held him back.
"Baby please." Mercedes said pleadingly.
"That is enough Dan." Deb said furious. "I need to speak to you in the kitchen, now." She said sternly. Dan kept his eyes on Mercedes as Deb pushed him into the kitchen.
Mercedes looked at Nathan and knew he was upset. She took him into his arms and he relaxed a little.
"Baby I'm so sorry." He said softly into her hair.
"No Nathan, don't be sorry. I asked for this." She said stroking his neck softly and kissing his cheek.
"I'm gonna kill him for this." He said pulling away from her. "I'll be back." He said walking towards the kitchen
She shook her head and waiting in the living room, although she could hear everything that was said in the kitchen.
"What the hell is wrong with you Dan?" Deb said furious.
"What? She deserves to know what she's doing to our sons life." He answered defensively.
Deb scoffed and looked at him "What she's doing to our sons life? I have not seen Nathan as happy as he has been the last week in the longest time Dan! Your right... she is doing something to our sons life... she's making him happy. How could you do this to Nathan!"
"I'm trying to protect him from making a big mistake. This girl is going to ruin him Deb."
"Your not tying to protect me dad." Nathan said stepping into the kitchen. "Your trying to ruin my life." Nathan said looking at Dan with anger and sadness in his eyes. "And I love Mercedes."
"You don't know what love is Nathan!"
"I know more about love than you do! You can't even keep your wife happy!"
"This is not about me Nathan, it's about you and the mistakes that your making. Are you really willing to ruin everything that you've worked so hard on over this girl?"
"You know what ...I think there's only one thing that I can do to fix this Dad." Nathan said calmly.
"Your finally seeing things clearly son." Dan said with a smile creeping on his face.
"I'm quitting the team." Nathan said quietly. "I'm done with basketball." He said looking up at Dan.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Dan said furious.
"Let's go Mom." Nathan said turning to his mother. "We're gonna be late." Deb followed Nathan into the living room and Nathan grabbed Mercedes hand softly leading her to the door, followed closely by his mother.
"Nathan, you cannot quit the team!" Dan said walking after them.
Nathan said nothing and opened the door ushering Mercedes and Deb out and closing the door behind him. Dan cursed at himself and headed back to the mini bar. Nathan walked over to open Mercedes' door when Mercedes looked over at Deb.
"Go ahead." Deb said with a smile.
"Are you sure? I could always just sit in the-" Mercedes said motioning to the backseat.
"I'm sure. Go ahead."
"Ok, thank you." Mercedes answered with a smile.
Nathan opened his mothers door first and closed her door. Then he turned to look at Mercedes and took her in his arms.
"You ok?" She asked looking up at him worried.
"I'm not sure really." He answered thoughtfully. "I'm so sorry that this had to happen. I shouldn't have let him-"
Mercedes cut him off by gently placing a kiss on his lips.
"Don't do this to yourself." She said caressing his cheek. "If anything... it's my fault that this happened. I shouldn't have pushed this on you."
"It's not."
"How about we just don't talk about this tonight. Let's just have some fun, ok?"
"Ok." He said placing a kiss on her lips.
He opened her door and she got in. He walked over to his and got in. They took off and Mercedes pulled her mirror out of her purse and applied some of her lip gloss. Nathan turned to her and smiled. Once she had put her mirror back in her Channel clutch Nathan took her hand and kissed it softly. She turned to him and smiled warmly. Deb sat back looking at them completely engaged in the way that they interacted. She loved to see Nathan so happy. They walked into Tric with Mercedes wrapped in Nathan's arms. They walked over to a table that had been set up for the occasion with the crew sitting around it. Some time passed and Mercedes explained to Peyton her experience with Dan. Peyton was shocked. She knew that Dan was completely capable of that but... she would have never thought that he would actually do it, especially tonight. Not many people were on the dance floor Jorge noticed.
"Hey Z you wanna move a lil' somethin'?" he said getting up and walking over to where she was sitting enveloped in Nathan's arms. "I mean... if Nathan doesn't mine." He said considerably looking at Nathan.
Mercedes looked at Nathan and then turned back to Jorge.
"Sure." She said taking his hand.
They walked onto the dance floor and began dancing. Nathan watched her closely. He actually was watching Jorge and where he was placing his hands. Ciara and Lucas were on the opposite side of the table and were engaged in a conversation. He enjoyed her company and her smile.
"Looks like Nathan isn't enjoying seeing Z dancing with Jorge." Ciara said playfully pulling her face closely to Lucas' ear so she could be heard.
"I guess not." He said laughing lightly noticing the look on his brothers face. He turned back to look at Ciara and stood up. "What do you say we got save him before he has a heart attack." He said holding out his hand.
Ciara looked up at him and smiled. She took his hand and they walked onto the dance floor. Mercedes looked over at the two of them and raised one of her eyebrow surprised.
"Well what do I have here?" She said pulling away form Jorge slightly.
"Nothing Z, don't get carried away ok?" Ciara said stepping closer to Lucas.
"Uh huh, whatever you say." Mercedes said playfully.
Ciara and Lucas both looked at each other and smiled. Nathan was sitting next to Peyton at the table and was still waiting for the song to be over so he could go get Mercedes.
"Is this song ever gonna finish?" He said impatiently turning to Peyton.
"Why don't you just go get her if it bothers you so much?" Peyton asked laughing a little at how Nathan was behaving.
"I don't think so." Nathan said seriously "I don't wanna act like the jealous boyfriend, you know?"
"Yes, but aren't you the jealous boyfriend?" She said laughing playfully.
"You know Peyton... sometimes I don't know why I'm friends with you." Nathan said pushing her playfully.
"Oh, ok." She said with a scoff. "And I was gonna help you get him away from her too. But I guess now I won't."
"Come on Peyton! You know I was just playing around."
"Ok, relax." Peyton said getting up. "I'll help you this time... but you owe me." She said seriously.
"Thanks Peyton." He said smiling.
Peyton walked over to the DJ and the music cut off. She stepped onto the stage and began the announcement. Nathan got up and walked over to Mercedes and Lucas on the dance floor in front of the stage.
"Hey everyone." Peyton said into the mike with a big smile. "I wanna welcome you to another night here at House Of Freaks." She paused and waited for the applause to die down. At that time Brooke and Q walked over to them and stood next to Mercedes who was already in Nathan's embrace by this time. "Tonight we have a two very special quests... So why don't we give a big round of applause to Ciara and Missy Elliot!" Peyton applauded as the crowd went wild. She moved to the corner of the stage and Ciara and Missy walked on.
"How's ya'll feeling tonight?" Ciara said adjusting her microphone on the platform. The crowd yelled and whistled and there was even a 'Ciara I love you.' from the crowd. Ciara smiled and spoke into the mike. "I love you too." She waited for the applause to calm and began once more. "Tonight... I wanna start off by congratulating one of my good friends that's in the audience." She stopped and looked at Mercedes. "Z this ones for you." The beat started and the crowd once again began with the bells and whistles.
After her set was done Missy came on and began hers. They were both awesome performances and everyone loved them. Even Peyton who really wasn't into Hip Hop was enjoying it. She was on the corner of the stage watching when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Jake standing behind her. It was loud where she was standing so she couldn't hear to well.
"Hey Jake!" She said basically yelling to be heard.
"Hey..." He said.
He said something else but she couldn't quite make it out. She saw his lips moving, not that she was trying to look at his lips, but... she couldn't hear what he was saying.
"I can't hear you!" She said "Listen can we talk later?"
"Sure." Jake said loud enough for her to be able to hear.
He smiled at her and walked off the stage. She smiled sadly. She wanted to leave with him and go hang out but... their set was almost over and she needed to be there when they finished. Before their set was over Ciara announced that Bow Wow would join her on stage to sing 'Like You' with her, he did. Neither Mercedes or Peyton were expecting this but the crowd loved it. Right before the end of the song was played Mercedes and Nathan joined Peyton on the side of the stage.
"Before we leave ya'll tonight..." Ciara said trying to catch her breath. "We wanna sing one more thing for you." Ciara turned to look at Mercedes and smiled. "But we need Mercedes to join us on stage." She said walking over to her. "Come on Z, let's do this." She said taking her hand.
Mercedes looked up at Nathan and he leaned down to kiss her quickly before she was pulled away completely. She followed her onto the stage and the crowd applauded and cheered. Especially her friends that were standing in the front row. Bow Wow and Missy walked over to her and began serenading her with the Happy Birthday song. Even some of the people from the crowd, that Mercedes didn't know, joined in. When the song was over they bursted in applause.
"Thank you, ya'll were great!" Ciara said waving as she exited the stage.
Bow Wow was quick to move next to her and take her hand.
"Night ya'll." He said before he was completely out of view.
After things had died down Mercedes, Nathan, and Peyton were in the dressing room with Ciara, Bow Wow and Missy before they were to leave.
"Thank you guys so much for coming." Mercedes said hugging Ciara before they left.
"Nah, don't even worry bout it." She said hugging her back. "But..." She said pulling away. "There's one thing that I have to give you." She said heading to her purse and pulling out a purple pouch. She walked back over to Mercedes and placed it gently in her hand. "Happy birthday Z." She said with a smile.
"What is it?" Mercedes said surprised.
"Open it." Ciara said impatiently
Mercedes looked over at Nathan and smiled at him. She opened the pouch and pulled out a pair of diamond chandelier earnings.
"Ciara.. Thank you!" She said giving her a huge hug.
"Do you like them?" Ciara asked, although judging by her reaction, she already knew the answer.
"Are you kidding me? I love them!" Mercedes said pulling away.
"How bout you open mine." Missy said getting her attention.
"You didn't have to do this guys." She said looking at them.
"Will you just stop being so damn modest and open the damn present." Bow Wow said getting up from the couch.
Peyton and Nathan both looked at each other with raised eyebrows but smiling and Ciara and Missy laughed lightly. Missy handed her a black jewelry box and Mercedes opened it. She pulled out a dog tag that was incrusted with Black and red swarovski crystals in the shape of her initials.
"Oh...my..." Mercedes said shocked. "I love it!"
"I knew you would." Missy said with a smile. "I know you already have on like that but... what's wrong with having another."
Mercedes laughed and gave her a hug.
"Thank you."
Nathan, Mercedes, and Peyton watched asthey climbed into the limo and drove away. After they left they headed back into Tric and were on their way back to the table when Mercedes spotted Haley sitting alone at the bar.
"You guys go." Mercedes said turning to Nathan and Peyton. "I'm gonna go get Haley." She said pulling away from Nathan.
Nathan pulled her back and gave her a kiss on the lips. Then he let her go and him and Peyton headed back to the table. Mercedes walked over to Haley and took a seat next to her at the bar.
"What can I get you?" A bartender said as soon as she took a seat.
"Can I get a Pepsi please?" Mercedesasked politely.
"Sure." He said walking away. A few seconds passed and Haley hadn't even turned to look at her. "Here you go." He said coming back and placing the cup under a napkin in front of her.
"Thank you." Mercedes said giving him a ten out of her purse. "Keep the change."
"Thanks." He said with a smile before walking away.
"What's up Hales?" Mercedes said after another moment of silence turning to look at her.
"Not much." Haley answered fiddling with her straw.
"Are you not having fun?"
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"...I don't know..."
Mercedes looked over at the dance floor and saw that it was a little bare.
"Come dance with me." She said getting up.
"What?" Haley said turning to look at her confused.
"Come dance with me." She repeated sticking her hand out waiting for her to take it. Haley hesitated and raised her eyebrows. "Come on Haley, we'll have fun."
Haleyhesitated a moment and then took her hand.
"Oh, what the hell." She said getting up.
She looped her arm through Mercedes' and walked in the direction of the dance floor, which was also the direction of the entrance. Suddenly Haley stopped dead in her tracks. She felt her heart drop and her hands felt clammy
"What?" Mercedes asked Haley turning to see what she was looking at. Then she too felt her heart jump.
"Chris?" Haley asked amazed.
"D?" Mercedes asked with the same astonishment that Haley felt.
At that moment Chris walked into Tric and began looking around for Haley. D was coming in right behind him and started looking around for a familiar face. D spotted Mercedes and began walking towards her. Seconds later Chris locked eyes with Haley and walked towards her. Haley and Mercedes looked at each other in wonder.
"Hey baby sister." D said when he finally reached her.
"D... what are you doing here?" She said still trying to comprehend what was going on.
"What... and miss your birthday?" He said with a smile
At that moment Chris walked up and glanced at D and Mercedes quickly before turning back to look at Haley.
"Haley can we talk?" He said looking at her
Haly tuned to Mercedes, who gave her a soft smile. Haley tuned back to Chris and shook her head. She was about to walk away when Mercedes pulled her back into a soft hug.
"Don't fight him Haley, just listen." She whispered into her ear.
Haley shook her head in her arms and Mercedes pulled away from her. Haley and Chris walked away and Mercedes turned back to her brother.
"I didn't think you were coming." She said looking at him sadly
"Look Z... I know that I've been a fucked up brother, but I don't want to be that way anymore. I don't want you to think that I don't give a shit cause.. I love you Z. I just hope you forgive me for the way that I've acted and that you'll let me treat you like a real brother should. " He said sincerely.
Mercedes looked at him and then pulled him into a big hug. He squeezed her tight.
"I love you too D." She said resting her head on his shoulder.
Haley and Chris walked outside and away from the loudness fo the club. They walked in silence for a while before he turned to look at her.
"I tried calling you a few times." He said trying to make eye contact with her
"I know." She answered hugging herself to keep herself warm, but never turning to look at him.
"Here." He said taking off his jacket. "You look freezing." He said lacing it around her slender shoulders.
"Thanks." She said finally looking him in the eyes and giving him a half smile.
He returned it and they began walking again.
"I didn't think you'd be here tonight." She said looking up at him.
"I wasn't going to come. But then I figured that you'd probably be here so.. I took a chance."
"Oh." She said simply.
It was silent for a second before he stopped walking and she turned to look at him.
"Haley.. I've really missed you." He said looking at her sadly.
"Chris I-"
"I know that you don't wanna talk to me ok, I get that but..."
"You know... for the last week, every time I sat down and tried to write something, I couldn't."
"Why not?" Heasked confused.
"I wasn't sure at first. But then I talked to Mercedes about it and she said that it was probably because I couldn't admit the way I felt about you." Chris looked at her and was about to say something when she continued. "I have feelings for you Chris, I do. I'm not going to deny that. But.. I'm not sure if I can trust you again."
"Haley... will you please give me a chance?"
"I don't know Chris." She said sadly. He lowered his head and she walked closer to him. "Listen..." He looked up at her with sadness in his eyes. Haley felt like telling him that she forgives him and just have him hold her like he used to but... she couldn't, she wouldn't let herself fall like that again. "I'm going away for the weekend. Can we talk when I get back? Maybe then I'll have my thoughts straight." He shook his head, and she took his jacket off and handed it back to him. "Bye Chris." She said walking back in the direction of the club.
"Haley!" He yelled out. She turned around to look at him. "I love you." He said softly.
She smiled sadly and began walking back to Tric. "I love you too." She whispered sadly to herself.
Haley walked back into Tric and headed to the table. The table was basically empty, except for Karen, Keith and Deb who were sitting there, besides a really cute guy who was sitting at the far end of the table. Haley took a seat next to Deb and looked out on the dance floor.
"You ok Haley?" Deb said turning to her.
"I'm fine thanks." Haley answered turning to Deb with a smile. "How come your not out there dancing?" Haley asked playfully nudging her.
Deb laughed and looked out on the dance floor again. "I don't think I can dance like that." She said looking at Lucas and Ciara who were basically all over each other on the dance floor.
Haley looked at them and laughed. Who would have thought? Just then the cute guy at the end of the table walked up and stood in front of her.
"You're Haley right?" He said looking down at her. "I'm Jorge." He said introducing himself.
"Hi." was all she could muster.
"You wanna dance?" He said rubbing his buzzed head shyly.
"Umm..."
"She'd love to." Deb said for her. Haley tuned to Deb with raised eyebrows. "Go." she whispered to Haley.
Jorge laughed lightly and Haley turned back to look at him with an embarrassed smile.
"Ok." She said getting up.
They walked onto the dance floor next to Lucas and Ciara. As they were beginning to dance the song changed to a slower one. 'Sideways' by Citizen Cope came on and the couples danced to it. Haley looked up at Jorge and gave him a shy smile.
"So... you're Z's friend right?" Haley said trying to make conversation.
"Yeah..." He said laughing lightly. "and you're her friend too. You goin to LA?"
"Yeah, spur of the moment decision."
"That's cool." He said with a shrug. "Don't worry bout it. I'll make sure you have fun." He said pushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.
Peyton stood near the doorway of the club and looked out onto the night sky. She felt herself shudder as the cool night air hit her skin. She was looking back on everything in that moment. Not just the events of the night but... on her relationship with Lucas... with Brooke... and Haley... and now this feeling that she got with Jake. She couldn't name the feeling... not yet anyways.
"Nice night huh?" Jake said coming up behind her. Peyton jumped a little, and turned to look at him holding her hand to her chest. "Sorry..." He said with a light chuckle. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's ok." She said laughing a little and pulling a soft curl out of her face. "What are you doing out here?"
"I don't know..." He answered shrugging and stuffing his hands in his pants pockets.
"Umm... I know what you mean." She said looking at the sky and leaning on the railing. "Where's Jenny?"
"Home. My parents are watching her this weekend."
"Oh."
"Yeah." He said joining her and looking up at the sky.
"Was there something you wanted to say to me earlier?" She said turning to look at him.
"Not important." He answered
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Ok."
They both continued to look up at the sky although both of them could cut the tension with a knife. But neither one wanted to be the one to say anything.
Inside the music had once again changed 'Grind Wit Me' by Pretty Ricky was playing, the kind of song that required both people dancing to be "close" to each other. Mercedes and Nathan were "close".. and everyone noticed. Even Deb who had been study them two closlly was a little uncomfortable by their "cloesness"
"What do you think of her Karen?" Deb asked curiously turning to look at Karen.
"Who?" Karen said following Deb's eyes to the dance floor. "Oh, Mercedes?" Deb turned to look at her and shook her head. "I think she's a nice girl."
"Don't you think their a little to close to each other?" Deb asked concerned. "I mean... they've only been dating for a week, not even."
Karen laughed lightly, and so did Keith.
"Their young Deb, just relax." Keith said looking over Karen to see Deb.
Mercedes could feel Natans breath on her neck. They were as close to each other as they could get. The atmosphere was hot, her cheeks burned and her breath was heavy. Nathan lowered his hand on her back, so it was right in between the small of her back and her behind. Mercedes closed her eyes and let herself sink in the moment. She could feel his breath by her ear as he leaned down and whispered in it...
"I want you Z." He said in a husky voice.
She pulled away from him enough to be able to look him in the eyes. Although he kept their hips together as much as he could. She could see hunger in his eyes, and hers were probably the same, she wanted him too, and she wasn't about to hide it. Her eyes traveled from his down to his lips. She lifted her hand to his face and brushed her fingers across his lips before reaching behind his neck to pull him into the most passionate kiss both had ever experienced. She pulled away and they both breathed heavily.
"Come on." He said pulling her towards the exit.
He opened the door and pinned her up against the wall. He smiled down at her before kissing her again. She pulled him even closer to her and arched her back to get them as close together as possible. His hands roamed and she had hers behind his neck. Jake and Peyton looked over at them from the railing and then looked at each other in shock. Both Nathan and Mercedes were oblivious to their presence.
"What the.." Peyton said with a small chuckle.
Jake turned to her and laughed hysterically. "Is it wrong that I'm really turned on by this?" He said playfully.
"Eww Jake!" Peyton said laughing. "You're gross, you know that?" She said backing up from the railing and walking towards the entrance.
"I was just playing around." He said trying to catch his breath.
"Yeah, ok... you perv." She said taking his hand. "Let's go back inside before they realize we're out here."
Jake looked at her with raised eyebrows and then laughed. "Look at them! Would you realize we were out here if you were them?"
"Good point." Peyton said laughing. "But we should give them some privacy."
"Alright." He said squeezing her hand slightly.
Peyton and Jake looked at them again and then looked at each other and laughed on their way back into Tric. Mercedes breathed heavily as Nathan's lips moved down her neck, and his hands traveled softly under her skirt and on her outer thighs. Nathan could hear her moaning in his ear when he bit her neck softly and he felt her skirt lift a little higher as his hands traveled farther up it.
"Nathan..." She whispered in his ear pulling him up to her lips and kissing him hungrily.
Just then Mercedes heard someone clear their throat loudly and she opened one eye to see who it was. She thought that it had been Jake or Peyton from earlier but... as soon as she saw who it was she pulled away from Nathan completely and pulled her skirt down. Nathan looked at her confused and then turned his head to see his mother standing by the door with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised. He passed a hand through his ruffled hair and looked at his mom although never making eye contact.
"Sorry to bother you." Deb said looking at Nathan. "But Brooke says their ready for cake and presents when you are." She said turning to Mercedes with a smile.
"Ok." Mercedes said returning and embarrassed smile. "Thank you."
Deb shook her head and opened the door. "I'll just leave you two alone now." She said before going inside.
Mercedes watched her leave and then turned back to look at Nathan.
"You're adorable when your embarrassed." Nathan said with a small laugh as he took her into his arms.
"Are you kidding me?"She said fixing her hair. "Your mom probably thinks I'm a hoe now."
"No she doesn't." Nathan said hugging her tightly.
"Are you telling me that you felt no kind of embarrassment whatsoever having your mother watch you with your hands up my skirt?... If she would have come out like 5 minutes later she basically would have watched us having sex on the balcony of the club she runs." Nathan looked at her and laughed. "Nathan it's not funny!" She said pulling away from him.
"Mercedes.." He said pulling her back to him. "I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry. But you're to serious about this. I'm sure that she doesn't think of you like that."
Mercedes looked up at him and then pulled him into a hug. She held on to him and he cradled her head in his hand. She pulled away from him and then took his hand. They were about to walk back inside when Nathan stopped her.
"Were you serious about us having sex on the balcony?"
"Nathan." She said pulling him to the door and he opened it
"I'm just saying.. Maybe we should try it sometime." He said with a grin spreading across his face.
"Shut up!" She said laughing and pulling him inside.
Nathan and Mercedes walked up to the table to find all her friends crowded around it with a cake in the middle lit with 17 candles surrounding it. She looked over at Brooke and Peyton as the finished lighting them just before they arrived.
"Awe... you guys!" Mercedes said hugging them both.
"Happy birthday Z." Brooke whispered into her ear.
After they sang her happy birthday for the second time that night and she had cut the cake, it was time for presents. Keith and Karen had given her their gift first. She opened the small rectangular box and puled out a pair of earnings that had a soft pink stone in them.
"Their beautiful, thank you." Mercedes said truly grateful giving Keith and Karen both hugs.
After their gift Deb gave her a hug and handed her a card. She opened the envelope and pulled out a birthday card. The message inside it was simple, considering the fact that they didn't know each other well. But there was also a gift certificate for the Tree Hill spa. Mercedes thanked Deb with a smile and hugged her. Haley handed her a box and she unwrapped it. Inside she found a light yellow halter and a pair of low-rise jeans. Mercedes hugged and thanked her. Jake handed her a small wrapped box and she opened it, inside it was a silver watch. Mercedes once again hugged him and thanked him for it. He told her that he didn't really know what to get her so he asked his mom to pick something out for him. Mercedes laughed and so did he. After Jake's gift Lucas gave her a larger box and she unwrapped it. It was a wooden box and she unlatched it and opened it.
"Lucas!" She said surprised. She looked up at him and smiled giving him a hug. "Thank you Luke."
"I knew you were into painting so..."
"I love it Luke, thanks" She said with a huge smile on her face.
He smiled at her and she closed the paint set and latched it again. Peyton then handed her, what looked like a thin wrapped square, Mercedes opened it and looked at Peyton with a smile.
"I knew you wanted it from the other day..." Peyton said looking at her.
"Hell yeah I wanted it." Mercedes said turning the cd in her hand. "Who wouldn't want one of the rarest NOFX bootlegs ever?" She said hugging peyton gratefully. Mercedes heard Peyton chuckle in her ear and she laughed. "Thanks Peyton." She said pulling away. Peyton nodded her head and smiled.
Monica smiled and handed her a wrapped box. Mercedes smiled and unwrapped it.
"It's the new Black Berry. Since you always get a new phone I figured I'd just give you one instead."
"Thanks Mon." Mercedes said hugging her.
"You can use it as your work phone, since you just bought the new sidekick last month as you play phone or whatever."
"Right." Mercedes said shaking her head. "Thanks Monica."
"She has more than one phone?" Lucas said turning to Ciara.
"Yeah, she has one for work and one for pleasure. It's a thing with her... she doesn't want work to interfere with her personal life so she has one number for work and another for her friends, and family."
"Huh." Lucas said surprised.
"Ciara what you got?" D said looking over at her.
"Well..." She said getting up and walking over to Mercedes. "I have this." She took Mercedes' hand and took something out of her purse. The she proceeded to put a charm on Z's charm bracelet. "It's a plane, cause it seems like your on them everyday of your life." Mercedes laughed and she heard everyone around her laugh too. "But your still my best friend Z, and this in another symbol for our friendship bracelets."She finished putting it on and took Z's other hand in hers. Then she looked straight in Z's eyes... "No matter how far away from me you might be Z... you'll always be my best friend..."
"Awe.." Mercedes said a little choked up. "You'll always be mine too Ciara." She said hugging her.
Ciara pulled away and smiled at her. "But.. I also have this..." She said taking a small gold box out of her purse. "It's from Uncle Johnny." She said handing it to her.
Mercedes took the box a little confused and opened it.
"His..." She said shocked. "Why would he give me this?" She said carefully taking out a gold rosary from the box.
"He said that you needed it more than he does, and that he knows how much you liked it from when we were little girls."
"I wish he was here." Mercedes said sadly putting the rosary back in the box.
"He hasn't been felling well lately." Ciara said simply.
"Yeah, I kinda figured." She answered sadly.
After Ciara's gift Mercedes took a box that Jorge had handed her and opened it. When she did... she felt her heart drop and her eyes begin to water.
"Oh my God." Mercedes whispered to herself. Then she looked up at Jorge with tears in her eyes. "Where did you get this?" She said almost in a whisper.
"Chill ok." Jorge said walking over to her. "It's not the one you think. I had this one made to look like the other one."
Mercedes picked the stuffed bear out of the box and inspected it. Then she felt a tear roll down her cheek. The thing was... she didn't wipe it away, instead she pulled Jorge into the biggest hug ever. Nathan looked at the two of them and felt... bad. Of course.. Mercedes didn't know this... and he sure as hell wasn't gonna tell her.
"Thank you Jorge." She said in a shaky voice. She pulled away from him and fiddled with the bears ear. Then she smiled when she found something unexpected. "It even has the rip in the ear." She said looking up at Jorge with a sad smile.
"It's just like the one you had." He said putting his arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah." She said with a sniffle.
"Here Z..." D said getting up and taking something out of his blazer pocket. "Happy birthday baby sister." He said hugging her.
"Thanks ." She said hugging him back.
She opened the silver box and pulled out a bellybutton ring with two dangling charms, incrusted in diamonds.
"Thanks D." She said hugging him.
"You know how I do." He said pretending to fix his designer blazer. "Only the best for you Z." He said with a cocky smile and a wink.
"Ok, now that all of you have done yours it's our turn." Brooke said anxious looking over at Q. He got up and walked over to the dressing room.
"What is it Brooke?" Mercedes asked her leaning into Nathan.
"You'll see." She answered with a huge smile.
Mercedes looked up at Nathan and smiled. He smiled down at her and kissed her on the lips softly. Her lips lingered on his for a second longer than expected and when she looked back on the room, and took her eyes on Nathan again, she saw Q come back with a Louis Vuitton Dog Carrier in his hands. She pulled away from Nathan a little with the look of surprise and shock on her face.
"Brooke you didn't." Mercedes asked looking over at her in disbelief.
At that moment Q walked up to them and set the bag on the table.
"We did." She said looking up at her. "Well... what are you waiting for?" Brooke said impatient. "Open it."
Mercedes unzipped the side of the bag and looked inside.
"Awe..." She said in a sing song voice as she pulled out a tiny little dog that barley fit in her arms. "You guys..." She said hugging Q and then Brooke. "It's so cute." She said lifting the puppy to eye level and looking at it.
"He's six weeks old and your to name." Brooke said putting her hands on her hips.
"Nathan... look at him." She said taking the puppy to Nathan. "Isn't he cute?"
"Yeah." Nathan said with a small chuckle. "What are you gonna call him?"
"Umm.. I don't know. Will you help me name him?" She said looking up at him with pouty lips.
"Sure" He said laughing lightly and pulling her into his arms.
After Mercedes thanked Brooke and Q once again for the puppy, which she adored, and hung out for a little while longer, it was time to head out. Tric was quiet now, and empty.
"Mom are you ready to go?" Nathan said getting his car keys out of his pocket.
"You know what..." She said turning from her conversation with Keith and Karen at the bar. "I'm gonna stay here and help Karen clean up a bit. Why don't you leave me your car and I'll take it home for you."
"Are you sure?"
"Go Nathan." She said putting a hand on her sons arm. "Have fun."
"Alright, thanks Mom." He said kissing her cheek.
Just then Mercedes walked up to them.
"You ready to go babe?" Nathan asked taking her hand.
"Yeah, I just gotta talk to them first." She said looking up at him.
"Alright, I'll wait for you outside." Nathan said letting her go.
"Ok."
After Nathan was gone Mercedes turned back to the adults.
"Is everything ok?" Karen asked looking up at her.
"Everything's perfect." Mercedes said avoiding eyes with them. "I just... wanted to thank you." She said looking up at all of them. "For everything. Tonight couldn't have gone any more perfect than it did." She said genuinely.
"You mean besides the Dan incident?" Deb said looking up at her.
"That was... my fault." Mercedes said looking at Deb. "I shouldn't have convinced Nathan to do it in the first place."
"It wasn't you fault." Deb said standing up
"Listen Deb..." She said facing Deb. "What you walked in on earlier.. Nathan and I were just... it wasn't what you think it was." She said trying to explain but being at a loss for words.
"It wasn't?"
"Well... maybe, but-" Mercedes said feeling her cheeks burn.
Deb looked at her and laughed a little.
"It's ok Mercedes." She said putting a hand on her arm "But I have to ask you something... why do you care about what I think anyways?"
"You're his mother, and I don't want you to think the wrong thing of me. I want you to like me."
"I do like you Mercedes." Deb said giving her a hug. "If anything... I should be thanking you for what you've been doing to Nathan lately."
"Thanks Deb but... I haven't done anything." Mercedes said after the hug ended.
"Well... then keep doing that, if your making him happy."
Mercedes smiled and Deb smiled back at her. The she said goodbye to them and walked to the door. Once she opened it Nathan pulled her to him and hugged her, and kissed her.
"There's something I have to give you." He said pulling a small black box out of his pocket. "I know it's not as good as a lot of the other things you got tonight but..." He opened the box ans showed her what was inside.
When she saw it her heart leaped and she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach and knocked all the air out of her, but in a good way. He pulled the slender sliver ring out and placed the box back in his pocket. She was mesmerized. She looked down at the ring and saw how the small stone in it twinkled, even in the darkness of the night it still managed to shine magnificently.
"Read it." He said softly, motioning to the engraving on the inside of the ring.
She took it and read it aloud. "I love you.. always and forever. -Nathan" She looked up at him and smiled, with tears in her eyes. "Awe..." She said kissing him and hugging him tightly. She pulled away slightly and looked him in the eyes. "I love you too." She said kissing him.
He pulled her away completely and slipped the ring on her finger.
"Happy birthday baby." He said as he put it on. "I know it's not the best thing in the world. I mean.. Compared to what you got tonight-"
"Nathan what are you talking about?" She said cutting him off and pulling him into her arms. "This means the most to me." He smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Nathan... you could have given me a hug for my birthday, and that would have been more than enough for me. The fact that you did this and that you actually mean it means the world to me. If I could only have one thing in my life it would be you. I don't need anything else."
He pulled her into a tender kiss and hugged her tight. She felt as if her heart soared. She could spend an eternity in his arms.
There it is ya'll. How did you like it? Hu? Hu? Hu? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave me a review and let me know. Thanks to...Newyorkchicka.. I would never hook Haley and Lucas up. I think that's just... wrong. But thanks for your review...brathanfan... I'm very happy that you loved it. AndI will try to update as soon asI have the next chapter finished...OTH-Mrs. Broody... I'm glad that you enjoyed it. What can I say.. their best friends...jeytonlover...I hope you like all the Jeyton stuff I threw in there for you!... and last but not least...hoLamOchIla... thanks for leaving reviews for chapters 3-13! You rock!... Aright ya'll... I'll be back laters. Don't forget to drop some reviews for me ite? Laters!