AN: Sorry it took me sooooo long to update. Here you go emzjuk, I hope you enojy this chapter. One more left! Be sure to review and send in those requests! I apoloize for any spelling errors.

Dave thought about all of the things Mercedes had said to him. When he thought about it, she was right. He had been nothing but a jerk his entire high school life. He fucked around and ended up getting a bad reputation and a stamp that labeled him as nothing but a bully. Dave sighed and raked a hand over the back of his neck, pulling huge breaths of air down to his toes.

He didn't want to be a bully anymore. Not if it meant that he couldn't have Mercedes smile at him. He wanted her to smile at him more than he wanted to terrorize the entire town and that was a big deal, for him anyway. Dave glanced around his bedroom and looked at the clock; it was only seven in the morning. He still had time to get ready for school. Quickly, Dave got into the shower before stepping out and dressing into his usual clothes. His letterman jacket fell loosely around his shoulders as he shrugged into it. Without hesitation, Dave stepped into his tennis shoes and headed out of his bedroom door, walking down the dark vacant hallway of his house. Though his home was nothing more than a three bedroom townhouse settled in the belly of Lima, it was still a place of refuge for Dave. When his father left for rehab nearly six years ago, it seemed like both Dave and his Mother could finally relax and not have to worry about getting verbally abused by a drunken man that they were forced to love. Dave trudged through the kitchen, flicking on the lights as he went. He rummaged through the cabinets for a brief moment before pulling out the bag of coffee grinds and setting them into the coffee machine.

With his mother working double shifts to make ends meet, she could use all the help that she could get. So Dave did the simple things, like picking up a job at the local grocery and helping out around the house. It really was the least he could do to make his Mom's life a little more livable. Patiently, Dave waited for the coffee to finish, busying himself with preparing his own little bowl of cereal. As he ate he poured the molten brown liquid into his Moms favorite orange coffee mug and switched the machine off. He placed two spoons of sugar into the mug and watched as they began to mold into the liquid as he stirred. "Well Ma this'll be waiting for you when you wake up" Dave said to no one in particular, polishing off the rest of his cereal and washing the bowl out. He grabbed his house keys off the rack situated beside the front door and let himself out of the house, locking the door behind him.

As he began to head down the road a familiar shape came into view. Kurt Hummel was walking down the same sidewalk and was headed in his direction. He must've not noticed that Dave was there so he kept walking his figure disappearing down the darkened road. "I'm sorry Kurt" Dave said loud enough for Kurt to hear him as he walked past. Kurt seemed to stop on the sidewalk for a moment and Dave peered over his shoulder to stare at the much tinier boy. Instead of looking at Dave, Kurt kept moving, his Dalton school uniform flickering beneath the streetlights.

Dave sighed and walked along, at least he tried.

...

Mercedes walked through the crowded hallways of Lima High being elbowed by peoples flailing arms and assaulted by the heavy smell of others cologne. She hated walking alone in these hallways, at least when Kurt was here she had someone to link arms with as she plowed through the current of bodies. It was all Dave's fault that he wasn't here anymore. People might call Mercedes bitter but that would have been the understatement of the year for the feelings that she felt towards Dave right now. Most of them were borderline hostile and just about ready to make her do something that would get her suspended.

Mercedes shook her head and continued down the hall ignoring the little voice in her head that told her that her feelings of hatred toward Dave were only hiding her true feelings. Feelings that felt the total opposite of hate….Feelings that she didn't want to ever express, even if her life depended on them.

The diva living inside Mercedes had too much pride to show Dave what she really felt. It would be impossible.

Mercedes caught sight of a familiar letterman jacket coming towards her. Dave walked through the crowd his eyes focused on her a look of determination on his face. Well, it wouldn't be impossible to show her feelings if Dave confronted her first.

AN: How did I do?

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