Present Day
9 years later, Mercedes sat in the same position, her eyes mostly cried out as she relayed the entire night to the boy in front of her, who was also crying.
If he was honest, Sam didn't know why he was crying. Actually, yes he did. He always knew his dad didn't want him and he never had to hear about it, but she did. He didn't know if he would've been able to make it through hearing the reason his dad didn't love him. Plus, he really cared about Mercedes and hated seeing her in pain. When he thought about that, he was purely angry. No, fuming. How could a father say those things about his own child?
Mercedes ran her hand through her hair, glad to be done with telling the story. "To this day, I've never cried that much in my life. And you don't know me that much, so I'll let you know that that's saying something. Now, you know why I don't talk to my dad. No one who could say those things about their own daughter wants a second shot at being a dad, nor do they deserve it."
He wasted no time with his questions. "Is that also why you don't want Maiya talking to him and getting to know him?"
"Who's to say he doesn't feel the same way about her? She may not have been the reason my mom decided against treatment in the first place, but my mom died right after having her. So long as I can help it, she will never talk to him or see him. Ever."
"Can I ask another question? Is that the real reason you're 'introverted?' You don't really want to keep people at arm's length, do you?"
"My dad said it best. I come into people's lives and I flip them upside down." She didn't even seem upset about it. It was like she held it as some unfortunate truth.
Sam was in too much disbelief to form a sentence. What even made her think that? He just showcased his confusion with his facial expression.
"Have you not realized this yet? My mom, my sister, my grandparents, everyone. I already destroy everyone and everything I touch. It's the least I can do to minimize the casualties. It's the least I can do for you."
"Me?"
"That's why I can't be with you, Sam. If we get together, you're going to lose everything. Not just football, but the family and friends that you've found here. You told me you've never had anyone in your life who's made good on the hope they've given you. I can't add to the list of people who have hurt you. I won't."
"You don't know that you will, though."
"I do! If we take this any further than just friendship, it's not a matter of if you get hurt, it's when. Same goes for all my friends. I don't do it on purpose, but that's just the truth."
"Ok, no it's not," Sam blurted. He'd had enough.
"What?"
"Mercedes, do you hear yourself? The things you're saying about yourself and who you are? None of that is true. Do you know how many people absolutely love and adore you? When I first got here, people who knew your family told me how lucky I was to have found a home with the Jones women. They called all three of you the kindest, sweetest, most genuine people they knew. They singled you out as being especially incredible." He pointed at her. "They said that not only were you the spitting image of your mom, but you had her same light and her same joyful spirit."
"Yeah, right," she said, both annoyed and in disbelief.
"Even Santana and Kurt! When I first got here, they cornered me to make sure I wasn't trying to take your family or friends from you. Santana literally asked me if I was a body snatcher trying to take you with me while you were asleep." Going back over the interaction in his head, Sam sat silently for a second. "At the time I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, so I just said no. But now that I'm thinking about it, she seemed to really be serious, which means she may actually think that those things are real and that there's an alien life-form attempting to take over the planet."
Mercedes smiled just enough to keep her teeth hidden.
Sam smiled back at her, seeing that as a good sign. "Cedes, so many people love you and the absolute joy you've brought into their lives. You may think you're a destructive person, but no one else does."
"My dad does."
"Screw your dad," he responded quickly. "He doesn't know you. He's never even bothered to get to know you. What he thinks is based on the version of you he created in his head, not who you actually are. And that's his cross to bear, not yours."
Mercedes looked into his eyes, unsure of what to think. It just didn't add up for her. "How do I know you're not just making this version of me up in your head?"
He shrugged. "I guess you just have to believe me when I say that that's how others see you. I know that's how I see you."
Mercedes almost didn't respond, she was too busy thinking. Could he be right? "I just don't want to hurt anyone else."
"What about yourself? Shouldn't you want to protect yourself as much as everyone else?"
"Is that really relevant?"
"Of course it is." He smiled out of disbelief. "Also, why haven't you told anyone this? Not even Kurt or Santana? This is a lot to keep to yourself. And that's coming from me."
"Well, it's like you said. When things are hard, being alone is easier." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "If I keep things to myself, I don't have to deal with questions from anyone else. I can deal on my own terms."
"But look at how unhappy it's made you."
"I said it was easier, not better," she mumbled. She moved on from the subject. "I planned on figuring things out before my dad got out. He got 10 years, for God's sake. That's why I've been stuck here since yesterday." She looked down sadly. "I thought I had more time. I have no clue what I'm going to do now."
He never would've known from their conversations that she was dealing with something so huge all by herself. If he had, he never would've pushed her away. The last thing she needs is for someone to keep her out the same she does everyone else. "Can I," he paused with apprehension, "Can I hug you?"
She frowned. Hug her? "Okay."
He tried to avoid the awkwardness as he moved over. He hugged her very lightly at first before giving in and tightening it. "You didn't deserve that," he said softly. He couldn't tell if that was corny or not, but he felt it needed to be said, "I know you think it's easier, but keeping things to yourself and running from them isn't the answer." He certainly wasn't one to talk, but it was always easier to give advice than it was to practice it. "Your dad was wrong about you and I'm going to do whatever I can to prove that to you."
He felt her tighten her arms around him and sighed internally with relief.
"Thank you," she whispered.
As they separated, Sam hadn't leaned back enough to clear her face. They both sat on her bed, their faces now within an inch of each other. He looked down and took her hand.
"Sam," Mercedes said quietly.
"I know," he said.
"I'm with No-"
"I know." He finished leaning away from her. "It's not about that. I just hate that you've been through all this." He looked up at her. "Do you think we could just have a reset? Go back to before homecoming when we were foster family turned fast friends who knew just a little too much about each other's personal lives?" He planted some humor in his proposal. "I'll even back off of this whole you and Noah thing."
She laughed a little. "You think you've got the willpower to do that?"
"Not really," he said dryly. "But in the words of the great Jedi Master Yoda, 'Do or do not. There is no try.' I'm going to respect you two. Oh, and I need to apologize to you for that whole… Quinn thing. You were just trying to look out for me and I shouldn't have blown up on you like that. And just so you know, I heeded your advice and called things off with her."
Shaking her head, she said, "You don't need to apologize for that. I was just trying to," free you up for myself, "make sure you didn't get hurt, but it's not that deep. Quinn may be on the shallow side but she does really care about the people she's close to."
Sam didn't really know what to say in response to that. As far as he was concerned, he and Quinn were over after this morning. "So, let's rewind. Back to family/friends. Deal?"
She nodded with a smile. "Deal." She couldn't quite understand why, but she almost felt sad knowing that he was letting go of her officially.
Then, his eyes drifted over to her nightstand and he did something he hadn't done in a while: the lopsided grin.
God, how she'd missed that grin.
She followed his line of sight and chuckled. "My glasses."
The metal-framed bifocals had gotten an update, looking much more like something an adult would wear.
"I noticed you were wearing them in the photo with your mom. They were cute. Why don't you ever wear them?"
"Contacts." she pointed to her eyes.
He nodded as he understood her. "You have them in now?"
She shook her head.
"Okay. How many fingers am I holding up? Quick!" He shot three of his fingers up.
She laughed aloud. "That's not how it works, you doofus."
He shot her a smile, both happy he could make her laugh and confused by her statement. "Huh?"
"I can count your fingers. They're just blurry. That's not how vision works."
He gasped, surprised. "Are you serious? You can't be serious. Are you pulling my leg or something? Holy shit. Am I in the Twilight Zone?"
She cackled again, letting herself fall onto the bed on her side before bringing herself back up. "Yes, I'm 100% serious, no I'm not pulling your leg, and no, this isn't the damn Twilight Zone. How is it that no one with normal vision realizes this?"
"Wait, so what do you see?"
"I told you, it's just really blurry. For me, it's clearer up close than it is far away, but my vision pretty much always sucks without my contacts."
"Oh, I see. So what do you see… now?!" He abruptly brought his fingers extremely close to her face.
She jumped, startled, and grabbed his hand, still holding it as they laughed together this time.
While she was still laughing, he reached for the glasses and gently placed them on her face, careful not to poke her. "What do you see now?" He asked.
Her laughter eased and she smiled at him just a little. "I see a lot of things. I see a star quarterback, talented singer and musician, and a dork who's also a little too into sci-fi movies."
They both laughed.
"You sure are one to talk. You have like, 12 different volumes of comic books in your closet."
"Wha- how did you know that?"
"You told me, remember?"
She thought a second before realizing. "Oh yeah. I did." She smirked. "But still. Star Wars, The Body Snatchers, The Twilight Zone. What's that, three different references in one conversation?"
"What can I say? I'm culturally competent."
She rolled her eyes and returned to the question at hand. "The most important thing I see is family. Someone who I'll always be there for and who'll always be there for me. Or at least I hope he will."
He affirmed her. "Whatever you need, I'll be there. You're not alone anymore, Mercedes. And whatever's going on with your dad, we're gonna figure it out together."
After a moment of them staring at one another, she said, "I think you should un-end things with Quinn. You deserve to be happy, even if it's not with me. Plus, winter formal is in a few weeks and considering the fact that she's usually already gotten her date to match his suit to her dress by now, he's definitely stressing about not having one." She joked with him.
Sam fought the grimace that wanted to come with his laugh. He had already gotten over what he had with Quinn, especially since it had barely even started. "I don't know. One bad date was kind of enough for me. Plus, I doubt she'd even give me another chance after all the crap I've put her through."
"Just try one more time. Explain that you've had some stuff going on, but you're good now, and it'll all be okay. She's forgiving like that. After that, just be yourself. Not who you think she wants you to be. Guys have a habit of doing that with her." She begged, "please?"
He frowned at her. "Who are you? The Quinn Whisperer?"
She whispered as if she were revealing a secret, "Don't tell anybody, but yes. TLC is calling me tomorrow to set up a mini-series to fill the slot between 90-Day Fiancé and My 600-Lb. Life."
Gut-busting laughter filled the room again before Mercedes' stomach growled loudly, prompting an embarrassed stare between them before they fell apart once more.
After getting himself together, Sam took one of the plates he brought with him, opened the box, and handed her a slice. "Here. You should eat something. It's still hot."
She took it with a small smile. "Thank you."
"Unfortunately, I can't stay. I'm already late for practice. If I don't show up without notice, Beiste will kill me and I'll be like the redshirt quarterback whose job was to get us to the state championships." He made a Star Trek reference as he got up.
"God, you just couldn't resist, could you?" She asked sarcastically.
He shook his head. "I tried. I was so close." He pinched his fingers together. "So close. But I really couldn't." As he reached the door, his phone went off in his pocket. It was a text from Mike.
Dude. WHERE are you? Coach canceled practice. Family emergency. Thank god he didn't show up bc ur ass would've been grass.
"Actually, looks like I've got a little free time," he said with a smile. "Practice is canceled. Mind if I sit a spell? Eat a slice?"
Mercedes opened the box back up and patted an empty spot beside her on the bed. "Come on. But watch the pepperoni. You get pepperoni-light slices only."
He scoffed. "But the pepperoni's one of the best parts."
"So? When you've laid in bed all day with nothing to eat and you've had to relive one of the worst days of your life, you can have all the pepperoni you want. But today, it's mine." She picked off a piece of pepperoni from his slice as he was pulling it onto his plate. She popped it into her mouth. "Thank you."
He saw the game she was playing. "So, now, all I have to do is tell you about one of the many truly awful days I've had and you'll buy me an extra-large double pepperoni with extra cheese and extra grease? Got it."
"Not with that tone, I won't." She joked with him.
They talked for what had to have been another hour at least, but it felt like no time at all. As they sat together, Sam noticed that Mercedes was so much more talkative than before. There was something about her that seemed lighter, too. He'd never seen her like this. He liked it. No, scratch that. He loved it. As they talked and laughed and ate themselves into pizza comas, he realized he would do just about anything for her. He loved her. And it sucked because he'd just promised to let her go. He was happy that she was happy, but it was going to hurt like hell to be around her while not being able to be with her.
After finishing their food, they laid face up beside one another on her bed, talking about anything and everything. It felt just like when Sam first got there, sans Mercedes' distance. Sam stared straight up at the ceiling, but Mercedes couldn't take her eyes off of him. Christ, even with his side profile bending to gravity's will, he looked amazing. Even his lips. Oh, those lips. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about them. How soft they were and how right they felt against hers. If she weren't with Noah, she had no doubt that she would lean over and kiss him right now. Foster care be damned.
All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. They froze. It was her grandmother, who else would it be? And Sam was NOT supposed to be here.
Mercedes motioned for Sam to move into her closet.
"Mercedes? It's me."
Sam peeked out of the closet. That voice was too deep to be Ms. Abby's.
"Noah? Come in."
He opened the door. "Hey. Santana told me you weren't feeling well. Practice was canceled last minute, so I thought I'd bring you some soup before I went to work downstairs… but it looks like you've already eaten." He saw the pizza box on her bed before he saw Sam. "And you have company."
Mercedes looked at the pizza and then at Sam before deciding to send Noah off. Sam had her feeling a lot better and she wanted to keep it that way; she didn't have to lie to him anymore. Noah, on the other hand, was a different story. "Actually Noah, Sam and I were—"
"Just finishing up," Sam said. "I was just leaving." He gathered his things, including the pizza. Step 1 of respecting their relationship, no matter how much it makes my skin crawl. One thing's for sure, though. Noah's not getting any of this pizza I bought. "I'll see you guys later. Noah." Sam nodded to the other boy, speaking to him much more cordially than he had before.
Noah nodded at him with an intrigued smile.
As Sam went to close the door behind him, he winked and gave her the Vulcan salute, yet another Star Trek reference.
Glad that Noah was looking down at his phone, she gave him an annoyed smile and shook her head before winking back at him.