The week following was one of the best Tina could remember. Kurt and Mercedes were the two best friends she always secretly wished she had, stealing moments to tell her little pieces of gossip in the hallway and having long conversations at the lunch table. She loved it, loved how they accepted her so easily. Already she felt like they were all best friends. Everything was going amazingly, but she knew it could never last.
The day it all went down, Kurt was out of school sick. Tina didn't really know what to expect but, sure enough, Mercedes was there waiting by her locker when she got there. She smiled, happy to see that Mercedes still wanted to hang out with her even though Kurt wasn't there. They walked to class, idly talking about silly girl things. New outfits, the latest gossip, what they were doing this weekend. It wasn't until lunch when they ran into trouble.
"Hey Tina, I was just wondering where exactly you lost your last brain cell? I thought maybe we could start up a search." Jenna said, leaning across their table to act like she was concerned. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mercedes roll her eyes. Tina wished she could do that, or at least come up with something colorful to say. None of that happened.
"Huh?" Nice, give the girl a prize for originality.
"Don't play dumb Tina. A couple of days I could understand, maybe you could be working on a science project. I know you're into all that grades stuff. But a week is just too much. So if you're done with your quick identity crisis, why don't you come back over to our table before we decide that were too embarrassed to be around you." Her voice was so sickly sweet that Tina feared for her lunch. Well, she feared her lunch before, but not it's reappearance. Still, she smiled shyly and tried to respond without too much sarcasm.
"Um, I think I'll just stay here. Thank you though." She said quietly, looking down at the food on her tray. The butterflies in her stomach did a dance, and she felt her face turning red. She could only wait for what she knew would come.
"Stay here? Tina, I have offered you something that people have to work their whole lives for. You'd be an idiot to pass it up." Jenna said haughtily, putting her hands on her hips. Tina refrained from rolling her eyes, but only just.
"I know that Jenna, but I just want to sit here."
"With this loser? She takes up the whole freaking table!" She raged, her face turning red. Tina's head snapped up, her own anger rising, but she felt Mercedes grab her hand and refrained from saying anything. She wouldn't be able to out-talk the loud mouthed girl, and she didn't know anyone who could.
"I don't even know why we even talked to you in the first place. You never talk, you act like some sort of freakish vampire, and the only person you can attract is that disgusting Joey Halls. But now you've embarrassed us, so I'm going to make your life a living hell. You better watch it in dark alleys…"
"Oh please, like anyone is scared of you drama queen? Take that stick that is surgically implanted up your ass out for a minute so you can hear me clearly. You're no more threatening to us than a fuzzy squirrel that decided to try its luck as a guard dog. And who the hell are you to be calling me fat? Your hips have a continent all their own and they make you the exact opposite of top heavy since you have nothing in that spray tanned head of yours but hairspray. You talk about Tina not being able to attract a guy, but I've never seen you attract anyone who wasn't there just for your status or that generous cake stand you call an ass. The truth is that you're going to be the one working in a bar or on a pole. Us? We're the ones that actually care about something other than a platinum spot in the yearbook, and we're the ones that are going to be selling records. We've only just began kicking butt and taking names, and we've just gotten to the part where we take addresses and phone numbers just to call people up and remind them how fabulous we are. Maybe Tina just decided to rearrange her priorities, and stop hanging around with the Future Victims of Skin Cancer Association." Mercedes ranted, causing everyone in the cafeteria to put a halt to whatever they were doing and stare. This was the type of thing that was life changing, a momentous occasion. Jenna had nothing to say.
"Whatever. Just stay away from our table freaks." She said, turning on her heal. Mercedes snorted loudly.
"Wouldn't dream of coming near it, mono probably spreads by air over there." She said, making sure Jenna could hear. All was quiet for a moment, but then you could hear various people cheering. Tina was still awestruck.
"Wow. Mercedes…that was amazing!" Tina said with stars in her eyes. She couldn't believe that her new friend had just stood up for her like that in front of the whole school. It amazed her even more that the diva thought nothing of it, shrugging as if it were no big deal and sipping on her orange juice.
"Honey, I just told the girl the truth. How she takes it is her problem. And no one messes with my friends." She said, cutting her eyes in a mock glare. Tina smiled brightly.
"So, we're really friends then?" She asked, butterflies swarming in her stomach as she spoke. Mercedes turned to face her.
"Definitely. I like you Tina, and not just because Kurt likes you. Though, I'm going to have to warn you, if you hurt him again, I will cut you." She said, narrowing her eyes in hesitant suspicion. Tina put up her hands, assuring the girl that she had nothing to fear.
"I won't, I would never hurt him again. I hate that I did at all, I just hope he'll forgive me." She said, looking down in thought. Mercedes took her hands and waited for her to look up before speaking again.
"Baby, he already has. We wouldn't be having this conversation if he hadn't. I know you guys have been friend longer, but we've become kind of close…"
"I've seen, and I'm glad. Your really good for him Mercedes, and your really good for me too." Tina said, smiling happily. She hadn't had this much ease with words in a long time, and it felt refreshing. She loved it when Mercedes smiled, blushing slightly.
"Thanks Tina, that means a lot. I'm glad we found you, I think you're a keeper! Oh dang, we got to go!" Mercedes panicked, pulling a confused Tina up and out the door.
"Why? We still have thirty minutes before lunch is over!" She said, wondering what the big rush was. Mercedes laughed and swung them into the handicap stall of the girls bathroom. Then she whipped out her phone.
"What? Handicap stall has the best reception." She said when she noticed Tina's still confused glance. It took two rings for whoever she was calling to pick up.
"Hey 'Cedes. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to leave me to my lonesome." Oh, of course Tina thought to herself, she was calling Kurt. Even if he sounded like he couldn't breathe, she would know that voice anywhere. Mercedes laughed quietly, bringing the phone a little closer as she leaned against the support handle.
"Baby, I would never leave you lonely. But hey, at least I'm not all by myself now. Say hello to Tina!" She said, stretching the phone toward Tina.
"Why hello Tina, pleasure to hear you!" He exclaimed, sounding funny as he tried to talk normally, but ended up having to blow his nose loudly.
"Hey there Kurtsie, enjoying your day off…" She said, trailing off as he sneezed powerfully.
"Dang baby, you sound bad. You gone to the doctor yet?" Mercedes asked, looking concerned.
"No, I'm fine. I just have a cold, probably from that ice thing yesterday." He said, not sounding very convincing. But Mercedes let it go, making a sympathetic noise.
"I know, that was horrible. I heard they actually have a slushy machine at high school, that's really going to suck." She said, looking sorrowful. Tina hadn't been there for the ice incident, but she had heard about it. Apparently when Kurt and Mercedes had been walking out of the gym, talking excitedly like they usually were, some of the baseball players came up and shoved ice down their shirts and pants. Tina had come out of science class to meet up with them only to see her two best friends completely soaked and shivering.
"Yikes, don't remind me, I'm going to have to go make some soup now just to warm up!"
They talked for the whole thirty minutes, only hanging up after the warning bell. Mercedes hesitated for at least five minutes, badgering Kurt about fluids and bed rest. Finally, they just agreed that she was coming over after school to take care of him since his dad was at work. Tina finally was able to drag her out of the stall, just in time for the tardy bell to ring. The pair looked at each other for a moment, unsure of how to handle the situation. Tina threw her hands in the air.
"Nice, now we could have just hid out in the bathroom the whole period! Have you noticed no one comes in here?" She said, trying to keep a straight face. She met eyes with Mercedes, and they both burst out laughing.
"Yea, I wonder why we've never thought of this before! You know what Tina, screw it. We're skipping class for the first time in our lives, and you know what? I'm giving you a makeover. We'll finish this at Kurt's house." She said, retrieving a brush and a pair of scissors. And for the next hour, they just sat there. In the handicap stall. Doing Tina's makeup and hair. And when Mercedes put her in front of the mirror to see the new Tina, she realized that the reflection she saw was who she really was. More mature, more bold and just happy. This was the new Tina, Mercedes and Kurt's Tina, and she loved it.
A/N So yea, there we go! So I'm planning something kind of unexpected in the next chapter, but im not quite sure what I'm doing after that. I have an idea, but it's a bit angsty, and I'm not sure if everyone would want that? Well, that's it for the writers lament. Give me your opinions please, and remember, reviews are love 3