The party was tomorrow. Sam had failed to successfully locate his beautiful, mystery girl. He threw himself into his football games and classes. Hopefully at the party he'd meet somebody else to take his mind off his stupid obsession. He began to make his way to his Calculus class, when Sam realized he'd forgotten his book. He shook his head at his absentmindedness. He turned around and jogged back to the dorm, hoping he wouldn't be late for class. As soon as he'd gotten back to the room, his phone beeped with an e-mail alert. He checked it quickly—Calculus had been canceled. Sam fist pumped in the air. Now he had some free time on his hands. He sat down his chair and contemplated what to do with his free time. The door burst open, and Finn walked in with a huge grin on his face.
"Hey, dude. What's with the big grin?" Sam exclaimed.
"I met a girl. She's amazing," Finn happily replied.
Sam whistled. "She must be quite a catch to have you so smitten. When do I get to meet the lovely lady?"
Finn shrugged and attempted to appear nonchalant. "Erm, I'm not sure. She might be at the OBE party."
"Cool, bro." Sam stood up. "Well, I've gotta jet. Hope all goes well with your girl." Sam quickly left. Finn's happiness was just making Sam's sadness about his failure more stark in comparison. He walked aimlessly until he ended up at his favorite place on campus. He took the stairs two at time until he made it to the roof of Providence Building. It had the most beautiful view. At night you could see all of the hustle and bustle of California's city lights from far off in the distance, but it was far enough that you didn't hear any of the commotion. It was peaceful. In the daytime, the sun shone and reflected off the windows of the surrounding buildings. All the flowers and architecture on UCLA's campus created a burst of color that was refreshing. Sam liked the city, but he often missed Lima.
He dropped his head into his hands. He hoped this OBE party was fantastic. He needed a distraction.
"Oh my god! This party tomorrow is going to be so epic," Char squealed. All her classes had gotten canceled, and Mercedes also had a free day. She had dragged Mercedes and the new friend they'd made in English class, Kurt, to the mall. They had some serious shopping to do. Everyone who was anyone was going to be at this party, and it was going to be a great opportunity to network, for a boyfriend of course! Char also had some serious fairytale magic to pull off. She was Mercy's fairy godmother. It wasn't that she didn't like Finn (it wasn't like she had stalked him out and surveyed his interactions with other people), she just thought Sam was a better option. Finn was cute (very much so!) and she hadn't wanted to meddle after seeing Mercy's happiness with him, but after seeing Finn be rude and inconsiderate to virtually everyone except his friends, she had reverted back to her original idea. Sam and Mercy had to meet. She kind of wanted to just go ahead and tell Mercedes about Sam, or come clean to Sam that she knew Mercy, but Finn had complicated things. She wanted them to meet naturally, and let fate take over.
Mercedes giggled. "Char, it's just a party. You'd think we were going shopping for my Grammy Awards or your Pulitzer Prize awards." Char smiled internally. She loved how Mercy considered both of their achievements inevitable.
Kurt tsked loudly; he slid one arm around Mercy's waist and the other around Char's.
"Mercedes, sweetie. This is not just a party. This is an Omega Beta Epsilon party. You should always be dressed to kill. I mean, at a certain point everyone will be too drunk to notice, but before the jello shots disappear everyone will remember how sexy and fashionable you were," Kurt impatiently explained.
Char nodded eagerly. "See this is why Kurt is my boo for life." She gave him an affectionate squeeze and turned to Mercy.
"We have to be on point. Also, you wouldn't want to disappoint Finn." Char quirked an eyebrow and looked at Mercy expectantly.
Mercedes sighed and a smile tugged at her lips. "How can I win against you two? Let's explore all the stores, buy all the clothes, and turn on all the boys,"
Kurt shouted, "Woo! That's what I'm talking about." He twirled in a circle and led them into their first store on their shopping extravaganza list. They flipped through the racks of clothes and picked out choices, then bustled to adjacent dressing rooms.
Kurt gushed from his dressing room, "I can't wait to see all the man candy. I heard OBE has the best looking frat boys."
Mercy huffed as she pulled up a very cute pair of leopard high-waisted shorts with leather trim over legs. She couldn't try on clothes and talk at the same time; she sucked at multi-tasking. She smiled at Friday's memory. She had accidentally smeared icing all over Finn's face. They had been sitting in the cafe, and Finn had asked for a bite of her cake. She'd attempted to feed it to him, but she was talking to her parents on the phone at the time. The cake ended up all over Finn's face, and as a result she'd totally missed her parents questions of when she'd find a good guy to settle down with—which admittedly were annoying her. Finn ended up rubbing his face against hers until they were both covered in icing. It was sweet. Literally.
Mercedes jolted out of her thoughts of Finn and laughed at Kurt's eagerness that reminded her so dearly of Char.
"God. You and Char are just alike! Boy-crazy birds of feather flock together," Mercedes said. Char gave a snort of indignation from the stall beside Mercy.
"I totally resent that. I am so not boy-crazy. I'm realistic. Plus, not everyone has a tall, strapping football player named Finn on reserve for us," Char stated with the tiniest tinge of jealous tainting her words. She was beautiful in her own right, but Mercy had the confidence that Char lacked. Her confidence overshadowed Char every time—not that Char had ever brought it up. She treasured Mercy's friendship too much to strain it over something as trivial as her insecurities. Plus, she knew Finn's real personality and although his feelings for her Mercy might be genuine, his entire character was a front.
Mercy giggled and conceded, "Yeah, I guess, but still. Haven't you guys every heard of being a little less...obvious?
There was a pause and both Kurt and Char yelled, "No!" in unison and burst into fits of laughter.
After more laughter and banter, they made their purchases and made their way to the other stores on their list, before stopping at Panda Express to grab a bite to eat. Kurt poked at his greasy Chinese food and moaned, "This is going to go straight to my thighs."
Char shoved a fork full of noodles into her mouth and announced, "That's why gyms are for! Asian food is perfection. We're young. Take advantage of your wonderfully pink and active metabolism."
"Pink?" Kurt tilted his head and looked confused.
Char nodded. "I have decided that your metabolism is pink. Mine is yellow, and Mercy's is blue."
Kurt looked even more confused, and Mercedes laughed and stage-whispered to him, "She's always this crazy. Don't worry." Char waved a soy sauce packet menacingly at Mercedes, and they all began laughing.
"Well, girls. I think today's shopping expedition has been a success," Kurt said excitedly.
Mercedes smiled broadly and added, "Next stop..."
"Partyyy!" cried Kurt and Char together.
Santana knocked on Sam's door.
"Guppy Lips!" she crooned loudly. He opened the door and quickly pulled her inside.
"Are you drunk, Santana?" Sam hissed.
She pouted her lips and pushed her dark hair from her face. She stumbled over the edge of Sam's red and blue Spider-man rug.
"Noooo, Saaam. I just wanted to get a little buzz on before the party. Like pre-gaming," she replied.
Sam looked at her in disbelief. This had happened often when they were back at home. Santana drunk when she couldn't cope with something in her life, but she was so happy at UCLA. Sam had thought things had changed. She hadn't been this drunk since her decision to not tell her grandmother about her sexuality.
"Santana..." Sam began slowly, "the party isn't until tomorrow night. You're pre-graming a whole day early?"
Her lips began to wobble and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
"I-i-it's Brittany. She met this guy in one of classes named Artie. She likes him, and she told me we should take a break. She has to figure out which one of us she likes more." Santana voice trembled with emotion as she continued, "She said Lord Tubbington told her it wouldn't be right to continue seeing me until she discovered what was in her heart."
Santana burst out in tears. Sam pulled her into his bed and cradled her head on his chest as she sobbed. Santana wasn't always quite in tune with her feelings and as a result everything just burst out and things like this happened. Sam was sad for his friend, and it broke his heart to see her like this. He hoped Brittany came to her senses soon. Santana wasn't the easiest person to deal with, but she loved with every bone in her body. The only thing worse than a mad Santana was a depressed Santana.
He sighed and looked down at her. She had stopped sobbing, and Santana had fell into a fitful sleep. Her brows were furrowed, and she kept making soft whimpering sounds. Sam pulled her closer and wished he could do something to stop his best friend's pain, but it wasn't that simple. Pain was inevitable for everyone.
He glanced over at Finn's bed. He hadn't came back yet. Well, it wasn't like there was any danger of him and Santana actually having sex. Sam smirked. That ship had sailed long ago.
His mind flashbacked to the time Santana had attempted to seduce him after he'd found about about Quinn's indiscretions. Quinn had gotten drunk off of wine coolers and slept with some mohawked guy named, Noah Puckerman. Puck had previously been sleeping with Santana and after she found out that Quinn had bedded him, Santana considered it only fair that she slept with Quinn's boyfriend. However, Sam rejected Santana's offer, which had been met with stunned and angry disbelief. If he remembered correctly Santana had yelled, "No me gusta. No person can turn down this pussy!" He chuckled to himself as he recalled the memory. After that Sam and Santana had become fast friends. He was her shoulder to lean on, and she was his voice of blunt reason. They were so different, but their friendship complimented each other perfectly.
He smiled down affectionately at her sleeping form. He kissed her forehead and leaned back into his pillow, then fell asleep.
Mercedes hurriedly put her shopping bags down in her dorm, then she quickly went back out of the door. She'd lost track of time at the mall with Kurt and Char, and it'd slipped her mind that she was supposed to chill with Finn. She smiled softly at the thought. Finn was such a great guy. He didn't act like the stereotypical athlete at all. He was thoughtful, considerate, and humble. Plus, they shared so many common interests, like music.
She made her way down to their spot in the park. They had dubbed the bench in the park where they had decided what song to sing for their assignment as their special place. It was kind of romantic. Mercedes smiled. Finn was sitting on their bench looking towards the pond. He held a single yellow calla lily (her favorite flower) in his hand. He noticed her, and his face lit up. He extended the flower to her as she sat beside him.
"Hey, beautiful."
Mercedes's eyes sparkled and her lips stretched into the prettiest smile. She accepted the flower.
"Hi, handsome. Thank you for the beautiful flower. How was your day?"
Finn kissed her lightly on the cheek. He replied, "Better now that you're here. Yours?"
Night had fallen, and the moon's beams reflected off the lake. Above their heads the stars twinkled, and a slight breeze rustled the leaves on the blooming trees around them.
She responded lightly, "Great." She giggled. "I went shopping with Kurt and Char. It was fun. I haven't laughed so much in ages."
Finn grinned down at Mercedes. He was glad she'd had fun. He loved to see her face when she was happy. He was determined to keep a smile on her face at all times.
"It's kind of late. Maybe we should go back to your room. It's getting kind of cool," Finn suggested. While their spot was romantic at night, Mercedes had a slight phobia of the dark. Since she had a single room, she didn't mind. She quickly agreed, and they made their way back to her room. Mercedes flipped on the lights and turned on the television. She changed the station to ESPN, which she knew was Finn's favorite channel.
"You remembered," he said in awe.
She smiled playfully and replied, "Of course, Finn. I remember everything." Mercedes was amazing. She kept track of the smallest details about him and found a way to surprise him everyday. He didn't deserve her, but she was the best thing to ever happen to him. He didn't want Sam or anyone else to have her. She was his. He pulled her to him possessively.
"Mercedes." Her eyelashes fluttered close as his lips crashed into hers. She could feel his need. Finn's kisses were so dominate. He swiped his tongue across her bottom lip, and she gave him entry. His tongue stroked her own, and Mercedes moaned into his mouth. Finn's arousal heightened, but he reigned it in. He didn't want to go too far with Mercedes, since they weren't official. He wanted to claim her more than anything, but she was special. He refused to fuck it up. He broke off the kiss and leaned down until their foreheads were touching. Mercedes looked into his brown eyes, and her heart beat faster at what she saw in them.
"Mercedes, you drive me crazy."
"Likewise," she said softly.
"We should be official," he lamented.
Mercedes kissed his lips gently. "Not yet," she murmured against his lips. "I don't want to ruin it—this beautiful thing we have. We should cultivate it before we slap labels on it. I want it to grow, not suffocate."
He nodded, even though he didn't quite agree. But, when Mercedes was looking at him like that, he'd give her anything.
"I should go."
"You should go."
But, Finn didn't move and neither did she. He cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. This kiss was gentle and chaste—a promise of things to come. It was sweet, and Mercedes could feel herself melting. Kissing Shane was different. It was nice, but that damn mustache was always scratching her face. Shane's tongue wasn't skilled either—it was slobbery. Mercedes dropped hints, and Shane's kisses improved, but they didn't make her feel like Finn's did. Finn made her feel exquisite. She deepened the kiss, and Finn responded enthusiastically. Mercedes gripped Finn's hair, and he tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed against each other. They didn't release their hold on each other, until their chests began heaving signaling that they were out of breath. Mercedes's breath hitched at the desire pooled in Finn's eyes. He pressed one more kiss to her lips.
"You know, I could stay..." Finn suggested.
Mercedes laughed lightly and asked, "And just what would we do, Finn?"
He smirked and sung in a teasing tone, "If models are made for modeling..."
Mercedes smiled and finished the song's line, "then thick girls are made for cuddlin'." She felt the heat rising to her face. Her stomach flipped.
"I love that song, Finn."
"I know."
Mercedes smiled regretfully. "But, I don't think cuddling tonight would be a great idea."
Finn knew when to accept defeat. He said quizzically, "I'll see you tomorrow at the party then, right?"
Mercedes nodded.
Finn took her small hand into his large one and walked to the door. He opened it and stepped out, with a firm grasp still on her hand. He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it, just like he did the time they'd admitted their feelings for each other.
"Good night, Mercedes. Have sweet dreams, beautiful."
He leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to her full lips.
"Good night, Finn."
"Hey, bro!" Sam called out. He was on his way to his last class before it was time to meet at the fraternity house to set up for the party tonight, and then he'd spotted Mike. Mike rubbed a hand across his face sleepily and waved at Sam lethargically.
"You look really tired," Sam observed, "are you okay?"
Mike nodded and answered slowly, "I'm fine, just sleepy. Tina kept me up watching old episodes of this show called 'Glee.' She wanted to see the development of her favorite couple back when she was still convinced that it was endgame."
Sam furrowed his brows in bewilderment. "Endgame?" he questioned.
Mike shook his head. "Don't ask, or I'll get mad at Ryan Murphy all over again for that stupid show. See ya at the fraternity house, dude."
Sam scratched the back of his head confusedly as he watched Mike amble away.
He thought to himself—who the heck was Ryan Murphy?
"Girls! It is time to get fabulous," Kurt announced excitedly. He had transformed his entire dorm room into a vanity room. Mirrors covered half of the surfaces, and there was make-up everywhere, as well other tools necessary for primping. Everyone's respective outfits were draped across hangers—wrinkle free, of course. Char, Kurt, and Mercedes had brought their respective fragrances and were freshly showered with robes tied around their bodies.
Char giggled. "We're going to be the sexiest people there," she insisted with a poke to Mercy's side. Mercedes's eyes widened at their excitement. She wasn't much of the partying type, but she was going to be on a good face for Char and Kurt. If she was going to be out the entire night, she might as well get excited, too. Besides, she loved to dance. Char loved going on the dance floor with Mercedes, because all eyes were always on them. Mercy could tear up the floor and move perfectly in sync with any song.
Mercedes laughed and put in, "We're going to rip up that dance floor."
Kurt nodded and then clapped his hands. "Down to the business, ladies. First order of business is to take a pre-shot of tequila. Then we're on to make-up and hair and any application of bodily lotions. We check each other and make sure everything is flawless, before moving on to our final steps. After that, we can remove our robes and slip into our clothes. Shoes are the next order of business, and then touch-ups to our hair or make-up if need be. Lastly, we apply our perfume and give each other another once-over to make sure we're all good. Then making sure our cell phone is tucked somewhere undetectable, but easy to reach, we will head to our destination."
Char bounced up and down on Kurt's bed, then burst out in awe, "You're so thorough, Kurt!"
Mercedes raised an amused eyebrow and added, "That is quite an itinerary."
Kurt appraised them and sniffed delicately. "Ladies...what else would you expect from a Fashion major?"
Mercedes chuckled and conceded, "You're right."
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's get fine!" Char exclaimed.
Two hours later, they were finished getting ready. Mercedes's hair was styled with soft curls that framed her face, and her bangs were swept across her forehead. Her make-up was mostly natural, with a bright red lip. She wore a black and white striped, strapless dress that fell above her knees and fit snugly across her chest; her shoes were a bright red heel and she wore sparkly black jewelry to accessorize. Char's ombre hair and bangs were bone straight and perched atop her head was a big, leopard bow. She had on the high-waisted leopard shorts that Mercedes had tried on at the mall. Her shirt was a bright yellow bandeau top, and her shoes were yellow cork wedges that strapped around her ankles. Her jewelry was quirky and gold, and she'd opted for the less subtle approach with her make-up—glossy lips, shimmery gold eye shadow with black accents, and a rosy blush. Kurt donned a light gray striped vest with a starchy white shirt underneath and beautifully tailored black pants. He had a black bowtie on, and his brown hair was perfectly coiffed.
"Okay. One more shot of tequila and we're good to go," bubbled out Char.
They clinked their shot glasses against each other, and downed it together. Then they began to make their way to the party.
The music bumped and the drinks were flowing. The DJ kept a good mix of hip hop and pop going, and the dance floor was never empty. A lot of the other frats' parties had people lined up on the wall, but not Omega Beta Epsilon. If people weren't on the dance floor they were at the snack/drink table, and eventually migrated back to the dance floor. When Finn walked in they were playing "Ass" by Big Sean, and the floor was filled with girls trying to show off theirs and guys attempting to get a piece of action.
He looked around and spotted a few familiar faces, but he didn't see his Mercedes yet. He went to the drink table and picked up a interesting looking drink with vodka soaked gummy bears in the bottom of the cup. He looked up and grimaced. Sam was headed towards him.
"Hey, Finn. Enjoying yourself?" Sam asked affably.
"Yeah, man. You guys have a nice set-up here."
"Thanks. I have a few more rounds to do before I can cut loose, so catch ya later," Sam stated.
Finn nodded his head at Sam as he departed into the back, presumably to restock the drink and snack table.
Then Mercedes flanked by a sharply dressed guy and a pretty girl similar to her build walked through the door.
Finn looked around, but Sam was still gone. He walked up to their group and enclosed Mercedes in his arms.
"Hey, beautiful."
Mercedes smiled, "Hey, Finn." Then she turned to Char and Kurt to make introductions.
"Finn, this is my best friend in the entire world—Charlotte, but I call her Char for short. And this is Kurt, our fashionable friend."
Finn grasped Char's hand and gently shook it. She was curvy like Mercedes, but noticeably shorter. Finn thought her hazel eyes were beautiful, but refrained from sputtering like an idiot. He liked Mercedes, right? He ran his fingers through his hair attempting to clear his thoughts and also shook Kurt's hand.
"Nice to meet you. Any friends of Mercedes's are friends of mine," Finn exclaimed.
Char smiled sweetly. "Likewise. I've heard so much about you. It's nice to put a name to a face."
Kurt nodded his agreement, and Finn could pretty much tell that Kurt wasn't a threat to him.
Char had began craning her neck looking for someone, and Finn looked at her interestedly and caught himself. He cleared his throat, and asked Mercedes for a dance.
She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Finn. I promised Char and Kurt my first dance."
Char grinned and trilled, "And now it's time to collect." She grabbed Mercy's arm and pulled her out to the dance floor with Kurt trailing behind them. Juvenile's song, "Back That Azz Up" had just started up.
Girl, you look good—won't you back that ass up?
You're a fine motherfucker, won't you back that ass up?
Mercedes was grinding into Kurt, and Char was grinding into Mercedes. It was basically a Mercedes sandwich, and most people had stopped what they were doing to witness the sexiness that was unfolding on the dancefloor.
Mercedes was the best dancer of the three, but Char was also quite skilled—Finn was pleased to note.
Kurt kept up with the other two, but they were the main focus. Both girls were curvy, and spectacularly blessed in the ass department. They danced the entire song, and the crowed whistled appreciatively. They all lapped up the attention and danced even harder.
Sam had finally finished his frat duties and was allowed to drink and dance. He picked up a shot of whiskey and looked to the dance floor where apparently somebody was making a big commotion. The crowd parted slightly, and he caught a glimpse of three people dancing together. It was two girls and a guy. He edged closer to the dance floor and noticed that one of the girls was Char. The girl Char was "backing her ass" into looked vaguely familiar, but her head was turned in the opposite direction. He drank from his glass at the same moment the girl dipped down and turned towards his direction—Sam choked on his whiskey. It was his mystery girl, right in front of his face and looking mighty fine. He almost barged on the dance floor, but he didn't think the crowd would be too appreciative. He waited until the song was over. The trio laughed heartily and curtsied at the applause they received. They declined giving another show and began to head over to the drink/snack table to get some type of refreshment. His mystery girl said something to the other two and began to make her way outside. Sam followed.
Finn saw Sam following Mercedes and made his way to stop him, when he was stopped by Char. She smiled brightly up at him. He looked towards the door where Sam and Mercedes had disappeared and tried to edge around Char, but she grabbed his arm. He looked questioningly at her.
Her smile widened. "Finn. Care to dance with me?"
Finn wanted to more than ever to follow Sam and Mercedes, but something about Char's smile and the twinkle in her eyes stopped him. It was inexplicable, but he found himself thinking that he did want to dance with her. He flushed and offered a hesitant, "Sure." He was confused by his feelings, but decided to sort them out later.
Char squealed lightly and dragged him to the dance floor, and Finn found himself smiling at her giddiness.
Mercedes stepped out into the cool night air. It was refreshing. She laughed to herself. They'd only been here for a while, but she was definitely enjoying herself. It wasn't the party she expected. She admonished herself for making assumptions. Mercedes had expected keg stands and a white T-shirt contest, not a fantastic DJ and neat drinks. The door opened behind her and she turned to see a tall, blonde guy with emerald green eyes. He smiled lopsidedly and came to a stop beside her. She smiled shyly at him.
He held out his large hand to her. "Hi," he drawled, "I'm Sam Evans. You're even more beautiful up close."
She took his hand and replied, "I'm Mercedes." Then she scrunched her nose and said bemusedly, "Up close?"
Sam chuckled and explained, "I hope you don't think I'm a complete psycho, but I've sort of been searching for you." He smirked. "For a little over a month, since move-in day. I saw you giving a tour, and I thought I just had to get to know you, but I couldn't find you. I sketched you to take my mind off it, but it didn't work to well. I was about to give up."
Mercedes looked into his green eyes and could discern his sincerity. How romantic, she thought. She giggled lightly.
"You're stupid," she stated teasingly.
Sam's face took on one of indignation. "I'll have you know that it wasn't stupid. I'm just dedicated. But, if you want me to be, I can be stupid. Or funny—do you like funny? I can do killer impressions."
Sam put on a heavier Southern accent, aiming for John Wayne and drawled out, "Darling, tell me what you need and I can round up a horse and get it for you. I'd give up my guns for you, Miss Mercedes."
Mercedes laughed and exclaimed, "John Wayne. Nice. But, Sam. You're an attractive guy. Why look for me for so long?"
Sam's cheery face grew serious. He was silent for a few moments and then he spoke.
"Mercedes, before I got to college, I had a longtime girlfriend named Quinn. I thought I loved her, and then she cheated on me. I'd thought our relationship was perfect, but nothing is really ever perfect. The high school we went to was McKinley High—it was named after President William McKinley. He was the third president assassinated and do you know what his last words were?"
Mercedes shook her head solemnly.
Sam continued, "He didn't die immediately, and the entire time he was lying on his death bed his wife was a wreck. She continuously cried and she said repeatedly that, 'I want to go too! I want to go too!' And, right before McKinley died he looked to his wife and said, 'We are all going.' And what he said was so simple, but undeniably true. We are all going, and I refuse to waste the time I do have on someone like my ex-girlfriend who at that time didn't really give a shit about our relationship. When I saw you it was just a glimpse, but I felt some kind of pull towards you. You felt different, and it seemed like you could provide something worth putting my time and effort into. So, I did put in time and effort trying to look for you. Now maybe I'm wrong or maybe I'm right, but I had to try."
Sam took a deep breath and smiled. Mercedes looked at him in amazement astonished at his dedication and openness. Then she kissed him. His lips were full and fit perfectly with hers. It was a gentle, hesitant first kiss, but-
"Mercedes?" a voice sounded out behind them.
They broke apart and turned to see Finn standing in the doorway, a murderous expression on his face.