**EIGHT YEARS LATER**
The story begins with me growing up after the death of my father:
Growing up wasn't like something out of a fairytale. I didn't have birthday parties; they were all saved for my stepsisters. I didn't have good clothes; Sue sold all my clothes I had and used to the money to buy herself a hot tub, which was placed in doors and in her room. Hand me downs were passed down to me, along with broken broaches and ripped dresses. Like I even used them, I haven't worn a dress since my 10th birthday.
I'm now eighteen and halfway into my senior. With the help of my best friend Kurt, we decorated my basement, and being no windows for the light to come through; we bought a lot of lights; some were Christmas lights but; it didn't matter. Kurt was and still is the only home I have left; along with my godmother Carole and my other best friend Finn.
This story begins with the 7th week of my senior year of high school:
Living in a basement, you can't really tell when the sun is out, or when it's raining. Feeling trapped was the least of my worries; I was had to start working at Sue's Mechanic shop, now that she was owner of it. I practically lived there, when I wasn't at home. I was juggling school, work and Glee club. Yes, Glee club. I joined when I was a sophomore; it was the only thing that kept me from having a nervous breakdown. Kurt and Finn joined with me as well; and unfortunately so did my stepsisters. It wasn't weird, I got to learn to almost love my step sisters; that is until Sue had them quit; and it was back to hating each other again.
Being the last year I would be in Glee Club, I decided to try out for the school play, West Side Story. Even though, a shot of controversy was being thrown at the school for having an African American girl play a role originally played by a Caucasian actress; Mrs. Pillsbury; our glee coach, didn't let that get me down. I played the lead role, along with Blaine, Kurt's boy friend of almost two years.
I planned to apply for NYADA, I want to sing and act; and being the school not only for theater but for music in general; I would study as hard; do more shows and plays in order to get noticed. Kurt applied with me; and hopefully we would go together and discover New York once again.
"Mercedes? Mercedes? MERCEDES!" I shot myself out of bed after hearing Sue's grumping voice on the speaker of the intercom she had attached to my wall so I could be able to hear when she was calling me; and that meant she needed me to do something for her. I had forgotten I had slept with my AP Calculus book and my AP Psychology book open; pushing them off me and I got out of bed, walking towards the intercom and pressing the button.
"Yes Sue?" I yawned and scratched my head as I waited for her to response.
"It's breakfast time! So bring me my breakfast!" I groaned and started getting ready. I promised Kurt; being Homecoming week; I would wear the new clothes he had bought me. I decided on an animal print shirt and purple skinny jeans. Finally for an accessory, I wore a pink heart. I quickly straighten my hair and gathered by books and I darted out of the basement.
I quickly went into the kitchen and started making Sue's "breakfast" or as she calls it "The Sue Sylvester master cleanse." I ran out of the kitchen and into the back yard where she was coaching Tina and Rachel how to become cheerleaders.
"You think this is hard, try water boarding that's hard!" Sue saw the change of clothes and hairstyle I had on and scoffed while snatching her breakfast from me.
"Is this my master cleanse?" She asked as she drank from the bottle. Seeing her nod in delight was my cue to leave. That is until she stopped me.
"Where do you think you're going?" I thought she was joking, but I don't know what to think about this woman anymore.
"To school? That's why I'm all dressed up." Sue laughed and blew her whistle as a sign for Tina and Rachel to stop doing cartwheels.
"It's not Halloween yet, go change and head on to the Mechanic Shop. I got a call from a worried client; says he has a dead possum in his car's coffer that has been causing his engine some problems. And I thought, you'd be the gal to get the dead possum out." Sue turned to her daughters and blew her whistle again. I scoffed quietly and tried to get out of working that day.
"Sue, I can't go to work today, I have to study to a big test. Plus, Will and Shannon are at the Mechanic shop; why can't they do it?" Sue turned to me giving me dagger eyes.
"Will and who?" I forgot that she doesn't refer Shannon to her real name but by her last name.
"I meant Beiste." Sue nodded and then continued to blow on her whistle, which was causing my ears to hurt.
"Listen Mercedes, no one knows more about fuels, carburetors or engines like you do. Without you, my Mechanic shop will lose business and I can't have that. People come to my Mechanic shop, and not only because it's the only one in Lima; but because they like you. You are popular; why do you want to go to school where you aren't. I mean; I'm just helping you. Go on now and get!" I sighed and nodded, Kurt was going to kill me for not dressing up for the entire Homecoming week. But without working I didn't stand a chance in paying for NYADA by myself.
Luckily, I had extra clothes fit for work in my car. Yes, I own a car, my precious old and rusty Volvo. Even though the paint had been scraped off, and the seats seemed eaten by a dog; it was still drivable. Wrapping my straight hair into a ponytail, I ran to my car and headed to work.
Arriving at the Mechanic Shop, I was the first one there and I decided to open early. Putting my overalls on, I started working on our first customer that had been waiting outside for the Shop to open, the same customer who had the possum stuck in between his engine. I grabbed a board and got under the truck and tried unjamming the coffer so that I could get into the engine.
"Mercedes?" I recognized that sweet and angry voice. I slowly moved my way out from under the truck and saw Carole with her hands across her chest and livid eyes.
"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at school!" I moved off the ground and removed the oil off my hands and onto a cloth.
"I'm almost done. Sue sent me here to help this customer." I turned and finally managed to unjammed the coffer of the car and with the same cloth I gently grabbed the neck of the dead possum and threw it in the trash.
"I don't care about what Sue says, I want you at school. She doesn't understand that you're not the only one who works here. Will and Shannon will take care of your shift, I want you to get to school." I hesitated and tried to tell her I couldn't just leave.
"Carole, they aren't here yet, plus we are getting more customers as we speak. I can't leave now, the Mechanic Shop needs me." Carole huffed and tried calming down before going to the front of the shop and switched the sign from "Open" to "Closed." I laughed softly as she patted me playfully on the butt and I started walking to my car.
"Mercedes Marie Jones! You promised me you were going to wear the clothes I bought you all week. Honey, you sure as hell aren't working those overalls, especially if they are all raggedy and oily." I turned to see my best friend, Kurt, walking from inside the Mechanic Shop. He was wearing a red fedora with a black shirt, and checkerboard pants.
"I'm sorry Kurt, Sue asked me to come help her. You know how she is." Kurt turned to Carole giving her an exasperated look and then turned to me.
"She always finds way to make you her slave. You aren't the only one who works here Mercedes. Will, Shannon and Finn work here; speaking of which, where is Finn, Carole?" Carole shrugged her shoulders, and then before anyone could say his name once more, Finn came running from inside the Mechanic Shop with his pants not properly buckled, his hair a mess, his shirt inside out and the books from his backpack falling out.
"Finn, dear what happened?" Carole asked as she was fixing her son's wardrobe.
"I overslept…again. Mercy, can you give me a ride to school?" I laughed, as he didn't know I was his one and only ride.
"Finn I have driven you and Kurt to school ever since junior year. Come on, or we wont find a parking spot." Kurt stayed staring at me as Finn walked to my car. I saw Kurt was eyeing top and down.
"What's the matter Kurt?" He laughed softly and grabbed my overalls unsnapping one of the shoulder hooks.
"You are NOT going to school like that." I just ignored him and started walking to my car, with Finn already inside.
"We don't have time, we are going to be late for school." Kurt chuckled and followed me inside my car. Finn didn't call shotgun because he knew Kurt always sat on the passenger seat.
"You'd be surprised what magic I can make in less than 10 minutes." We all laughed and I started the car and we headed off to William McKinley High School.
Just what I didn't want to happen, we probably spent almost an hour looking for parking. Kurt had somehow managed to dress me in between red lights. Finn had his eyes closed while Kurt took off my dirty shirt placing my animal print one on me. I took off my overalls off and placed my purple skinny jeans on. Combing my hair and doing my make-up with his "Emergency beauty" kit, he always had.
Passing through lanes, trying to find an open parking spot, we finally succeeded in finding one. That is until Quinn Fabray's car blocked us from taking it, annoyed I braked as I almost hit her.
"Really? God, if it wasn't for Glee Club; I wouldn't have to deal with her." Kurt laughed as we all saw cheerleader Quinn Fabray come out of her BMW along with her followers Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce. They all joined Glee Club; which I still can't believe because she is one of the most popular girls in school; she doesn't need Glee Club.
"Quinn wants me so bad." Kurt and I turned to Finn who was practically drooling over seeing Quinn flip her ponytail in a cute way.
"You have never talked to her before. Other than Glee Club, she has never given you the time of day." Kurt nodded his head in disapproval and looked straight ahead and tried to find an open spot.
"Oh she has, in my dreams. Believe me, in my dreams; Quinn wants me so bad." I rolled my eyes as Kurt nudged me on the shoulder and I saw an open parking spot. I set the gearshift into drive and headed towards the spot. That is until Sam Evan's Range Rover blocked us and took the spot just like Quinn did. We almost ended up crashing, good thing Volvo's have good brakes.
"Come on!" I yelled as I saw as football players: Mike Chang, Noah Puckerman started laughing at us that they got that parking spot and we didn't. All three of them joined Glee Club as well, maybe because their girlfriends did and they didn't have a choice. Slowly, Sam Evans started getting out of his Range Rover and looked like a model out of a catalogue.
Sam Evans was the quarterback of the football team and very popular like Quinn Fabray, maybe that's why they started dating last year. They needed each other's popularity to survive, Quinn being pregnant and not having anymore-street credit coming back for her junior year. And Sam being the new kid, he needed to earn his popularity and they have been inseparable ever since.
Sam Evans had light brown hair, he was build and under that letterman jacket he had muscles only a girl can ever dream of. That's what Quinn always said while in study hall as she sat behind me whispering to her followers. Annoyed by our defeat once more at finding a parking spot, I tried turning on my car, which had died out. I looked up to see Sam Evans walking slowly and looked like he was running down the catwalk.
I rolled my eyes and scoffed at him, he was one of those boys that every girl would die to go out with or have him talk to them. Trust me, knowing him for a year; there's nothing much to him.
"Sam!" Quinn walked to her boyfriend along with Santana and Brittany as they greeted their significant other. I tried turning the car keys to turn my car on, but it was no use.
"Great!" I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car; I had to check what was wrong with my car. Kurt nearly had a panic attack as I got close to the car's coffer by sticking his head out of the passenger seat window as he tried to stop me.
"You are going to stain your outfit!" I rolled my eyes and I raised the coffer to see what was wrong. Hearing the whispers of Quinn and her posse, I grabbed my hair in a ponytail and ignoring Kurt groan I started working on my car.
"Maybe it's the engine." I turned to see Sam Evans next to me with his hands in his letterman jacket and looking at the engine. I scoffed and ignored him; I closed my car's coffer and gazed at him, as he kept staring at me.
"Thanks for your input, but it's not the engine; it just heated up and it will take a few minutes to cool off, then I can turn it back on." Sam smirked and I gently pushed him aside as he was blocking me from passing through.
"You look nice. Very pretty." I couldn't help but blush at him comment, as I stuck half my body inside to see if my car would turn on. Being rusty at first, but it managed to come back alive.
"Perfect." Sam moved as I got inside of my car and drove off. Moving my rear view mirror I saw Sam watching my car leave from a distance then being interrupted by his girlfriend.
Finally finding a perfect parking spot, without it being taken away, Finn, Kurt and I headed off to class. After that we headed to Glee Club as we were going to be the entertainment at the Homecoming dance.
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