I don't own anything.
A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Life just got in the way. I really want to thank my reviewers from last time, thank you all for the kind words. I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter and please review.
Chapter Thirteen
Casey Bennett sat back in her chair slightly in shock over the story that she had heard so far. Micah Jones certainly didn't present himself this way to the public, she could already tell that this story was going to have a pretty big fall out. Sam studied her from Mercedes' side. Rubbing a hand over his face, he looked at her and the spoke. "Don't tell me you that you don't-."
"Oh I believe you. . .you both haven't given me any reason to believe that you'd lie. I just didn't expect for Micah Jones to be like what you described. Did he really not release the single? Because to be completely truthful I find that hard to believe." Sam nodded his head in agreement.
"Oh we knew he released that single. . .we just didn't have proof until years later." Mercedes said softly as she looked at the reporter. "He was working extremely hard to cover that up. "Everyone I asked told me the same thing until-."
"Until you about a few years when left your brother's record label. . .that's what caused you to leave."
"It was a deciding factor, yes." Mercedes admitted softly. "There were other reasons like-."
"Her brother being a racist. . .that was probably the most important thing, cause like I said before there's no way I'm gonna allow anyone in my family to be around especially when he called my daughter that awful name." Casey nodded her head as she looked between Sam and Mercedes. She remembered the name that Micah had called his niece.
"I understand Mr. Evans. . . so since you two knew about Micah and suspected that he released the single how did you still end up being on his label for so long?" Mercedes shifted in her chair for a moment before clearing her throat.
"Well I did sign a contract and my brother wouldn't help me out of it." Casey nodded her head and quickly wrote that piece of information down before looking back up at the couple.
"Is that how he eventually got you to leave McKinley High?"
"Yes, the label wanted me to start recording my album," she paused and looked over at Sam. "They weren't willing to wait until I graduated. I had to do it all on their time schedule, they really wanted to capitalize on the single that had just released. It shot up the chart and well they wanted me to release more and more songs."
"And you couldn't back out of it."
"Nope. . .I couldn't do anything but follow along with what the label wanted which is exactly what my brother wanted to happen. He saw it as the perfect opportunity to get me as far away from Sam as he could." Sam nodded his head slowly as he thought back to what happened between him and his wife so long ago.
"You told me that you two broke up. . .was it because of this."
"He meddled a bit more into our relationship but when you get right down do it. Yeah it was because of him and what he did." Mercedes said with a quick nod.
Mercedes pulled up outside of the Evans' new home, getting out of the car she was immediately attacked by an over excited Stacy that latched onto her leg. "Mercedes! Mercedes! You gotta see my room okay . . . it's huge." The little girl exclaimed as she beamed up at the older girl. Mercedes smiled as she looked down at Sam's little sister and nodded her head.
"Of course I'm gonna go see your room, sweetie. I promised you I would help you fix it up didn't I." At her words, Stacy's smiled grew even wider before she stepped back and grabbed hold of Mercedes' hand. Swinging it back and forth in excitement, she turned as Sam came out of the house.
Sam couldn't help the smile that went across his face as he looked at his little sister and girlfriend. It really made him happy that his siblings loved his girlfriend, plus the smile he was currently seeing in Mercedes' face was a welcomed sight. He hadn't seen her give a genuine smile in about a week. Afterall, she was still reeling from the curve ball that had been thrown her way by her no good brother. He didn't care what Micah or some record executive said, he knew who to put the blame on. Micah wasn't as sneaky as he liked to think he was. He knew without a doubt that Micah had released Mercedes' single ahead of schedule.
"Okay! Are you gonna hang out with Sammy first." Stacy asked bouncing on the heels of her feet as she looked up at her brother and Mercedes. Sam shifted the box he was carrying and looked at his sister and Mercedes for a moment.
"We can do your room first, Stacy." He watched as his little sister jumped up and down with excitement before dragging a laughing Mercedes deeper into their house. Shaking his head, he set the empty box down and quickly headed over to the van so he could remove another box that needed to be unboxed. Heading back inside, he walked down the hallway towards Stacy's room. He leaned against the doorway and watched as Stacy pointed out different spots in her room where she wanted certain things. Mercedes listened closely to his sister and only offered suggestions when the little girl asked for some.
"So what do you think?" Stacy asked as she stared up at Mercedes with large hopeful eyes. "It's gonna be nice right?"
"Of course it's gonna be nice. Sam and I would love to help you decorate this room too." Mercedes gushed as she bent her knees slightly so she was staring Stacy in the eyes. "I bet once we're done that your room will be the best in the whole house."
"Really you think so?"
"Yeah, I think so. . . I mean come on we all know that girls are the best." Mercedes said with a wink before looking over at Sam.
"Oh Mercedes come on that isn't really nice." Sam replied with a shake of his head as he looked at his girlfriend and sister. Stacy turned towards him and graced him with her most dashing smile before running over to him, Sam effortlessly picked her up and tucked her on the side of his hip. "Is that true Stacy do you think girls are best?"
"Maybe." Stacy shyly said as she hid her face into her brother's shoulder. Mercedes just smiled at her answer and looked at Sam who met her gaze. He saw the light dim in her eyes a bit at the sight of him and Stacy and he knew immediately what she was thinking about without even asking. Deciding it would be best to get her mind off Micah, he walked over to Mercedes and placed a quick kiss on her cheek while setting Stacy back down.
"Alright then. . .I guess you ladies are the best then. I suppose I'll just have to follow orders, huh." Mercedes looked over at him and smiled.
"I guess you can help us out cause you're a good brother, right Stacy." When the little girl nodded her head, Sam reached out for Mercedes' hand and the girl leaned her head on his shoulder. "And you're a pretty awesome boyfriend." Sam brushed his lips against her cheek and then turned towards Stacy who had walked over to one of her boxes and started digging through it.
"Alright I'm glad I can be of help. . .let's get started and then maybe once we're done with everything we can watch a Disney movie and-."
"Hey!" They all turned and saw a frowning Stevie standing in the doorway with a pout on his face, no doubt a little bit upset over the fact that they were deciding to watch Disney movies.
"Oh and then we'll watch what Stevie wants to watch after the Disney movie." he said with a chuckle, Stevie nodded his head in approval and then disappeared down the hallway as his mother called his name. Sam watched him disappear down the hall with a chuckle before he turned towards Mercedes. "Come let's go and get the rest of Stacy things," he quickly grabbed her hand and led her out of the room. As they neared the front door, he looked over at her and quickly added. "Oh and no picking up boxes. . .just get the unboxed items."
"Um, I thought I was suppose to be helping?" Mercedes asked as she looked over at her boyfriend, Sam sighed and just shook his head as he looked down at his girlfriend.
"My father isn't letting my mother carry in any boxes and I'm not letting you either. Call us old fashion but that's what gonna happen." he said with a small smirk as he looked over at her before leaning down and brushing a kiss on her cheek. As soon as they stepped outside, Sam saw his father getting out of the back of the moving van with a large box in his hands. "Dad you need some help with that?" Sam called out as he hurried over to his father's side and grabbed the other end of the box. Mercedes watched as they both headed inside.
"Let me guess, Sam's not letting you carry anything either." Mercedes turned around and saw Mrs. Evans standing by the van. "He's just like his father in that respect. A southern gentleman right down to the bone." Mercedes smiled at the description and nodded her head, Sam really was a gentleman and she knew his father had taught him well.
"Well I mean I thought I was suppose to come over and help and-."
"I think we should just be carrying the easy things and maybe along the way we can sneak in a box or two but I suggest we do that without them catching us unless you want to hear a lecture." Mrs. Evans said with a bright smile. "Believe me, I've had them before." Mercedes smiled at that and just shook her head as she looked at the older woman.
"Okay then so what should we carry in."
"How about these lamps? I don't think we'll get into so-called trouble carrying these inside." Mrs. Evans said with a laugh as she reached into the truck and grabbed two lamps. She handed one to Mercedes and together they headed inside the house.
It was a later on that night when Sam and Mercedes finally were able to have some time to themselves. Sam rested his back on the headboard of his new bed and sighed as Mercedes settled down between his legs. He took a quick glance at the door and saw that the doorstopper his father had given him was in place. Frowning at the offending object that wouldn't allow him privacy with his girlfriend. However, he didn't notice Mercedes turning around to look at him. "You know it really isn't that bad, Sam. Your parents are still giving us plenty of privacy." Sam tore his gaze off the doorstopper and looked down at Mercedes and slowly nodded his head in agreement.
"I guess you're right about that." he murmured. "So did you enjoy yourself? I know it's not much of a date but-."
"Sam I really did enjoy spending time with you and your family. It's like a home away from home and you know I want to spend as much time away from home as possible." she said as she leaned back against his chest and relaxed in his arms.
"He hasn't done anything else has he?" Sam asked softly as he tightened his hold on her. "I mean if he doesn't one more thing I probably won't be able to stop myself from beating his ass. I still can't get over how he expects us to believe that he didn't release your single. I thought he'd be man enough to stand by that."
"Yeah and his bosses are standing by his lie," Mercedes replied softly. "You know they want me to finish recording the rest of the album but you know I'm not really wanting to do anything with anyone one of them at the moment."
"Of course that's understandable." Sam replied while nodding his head. "Micah completely went over the line and betrayed your trust. I couldn't believe he did that to you but now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure he had it in him the whole time."
"But why?"
"Cause he wants me away from you and he'll try anything I suppose." Sam muttered darkly. "But we're strong than his hate right baby." Mercedes smiled at that and nodded her head.
"Yeah we're stronger than he thinks we are." Sam smiled at that and kissed her lightly on the shoulder before he leant back on the bed. "I'm glad you came over to help. Stacy has been talking about you coming over for weeks. You made her day."
"Good, Stacy's a sweetheart." Mercedes said brightly. "I'm glad I could help her make her dream room."
"But enough about all that, how about you help me make my room, my dream room." Mercedes turned around in Sam's arms and looked into his eyes briefly before sighing.
"And how do you want me to do that."
"I don't know," Sam murmured. "It's a little difficult for me to get what I want with my door wide open." he said while pouting. Mercedes giggled at the look on his face and shook her head at him while lifting up a finger and lightly tapping it against his bottom lip.
"We could do something PG-13. . .you know kissing and hugging." Sam gave her a lop-sided smile at that suggestion and nodded his head slowly.
"You might be on to something but none of that usual moaning that you do," he whispered back with a shake of his head while grinning widely at her. "Although I like it, you probably should wait till we're more alone." Mercedes giggled at his statement and laid her head down on chest trying to cover up her laughter.
"You're parents are just looking out for us."
"Taking away our fun is more like it." Sam grumbled as he shook his head and looked down at her. "But I guess I shouldn't let that stupid doorstopper stop me from appreciating my girlfriend." Reaching down, he lifted Mercedes' head and moved his head down so their lips could meet in a quick kiss. Sam smiled against her lips briefly before deepening the kiss.
"That's a pretty good first kiss." Sam's mouth dropped open for a moment as he listened to Mercedes before shaking his head.
"First kiss! Now I know that isn't true." he replied with a deep chuckle.
"First kiss in this house. First kiss in your bedroom." Sam nodded his head then and sighed.
"I guess you're right. It's a good habit starting out a new phase in my life by kissing you. I think I can get used to things like this what about you."
"Yeah, everything is okay with me. I think I like it just fine." she said with a bright smile as she pushed herself up a bit more so she could give him another quick kiss. Once the kiss was over, Sam got up off the bed and walked over to his bedroom door. Mercedes propped herself up on an elbow and watched as he removed the doorstopper. "Oh! You're being a naughty Sam now huh?" Sam looked over at her and shook his head as he allowed the door to close until just a bit of space was left then he placed the doorstopper back down. Turning back around, he smiled at Mercedes and motioned towards the door with his head.
"See Cedes, I'm not being naughty," he looked at the door one more time before turning around to look at her. "I mean the door is still opened."
"Barely." Mercedes stated with a smile as she watched him walked back over towards her with a large smile on his face.
By the time Mercedes finally made it back home, she was exhausted. Even though all she and Sam did was have a very intense make-out session, she found she was tired from helping them move into their new home as well. Opening the front door of her house, she stepped inside and immediately saw Micah standing in the doorway. "What do you want?"
"Is that anyway to greet your brother?" Micah asked with a small smile as he looked down at his sister who quickly brushed by him and made her way deeper into the house. Unfortunately, Micah didn't seem to understand that she wanted to be away from him and followed her. "I guess you're still mad about the song."
"Try furious and then you might be moving into the right direction." Micah rolled his eyes at his sister's statement.
"Look, I couldn't hold that single back from my bosses. I have people to answer too," he stated firmly as he grabbed his sister's arm and turned her around so that she was finally looking at him. "And you have to answer to them as well."
"What exactly is that suppose to mean?" Mercedes asked as she glared up at her brother who merely sighed and shook his head.
"I know you wanna stay here and-."
"Micah what's going on? What did you do?" Micah rubbed a hand over his face as he looked at his sister.
"They want us out in L.A.," he stated bluntly. "As soon as possible, they want you working on your album, they want you to make a video for the single. They just want you out of this town and with them and their handlers." Mercedes' mouth dropped open in shock as she looked at her brother.
"And I'm sure you didn't bother to tell them that I wanted to finish my Senior Year here with my friends."
"I don't argue with my bosses."
"And you don't listen to your sister either. All you care about is making money." Micah frowned at that and shook his head.
"I also care about. . .what are you trying to stay here for huh," he asked as he stepped into her space. "If Sam is go great than he'd understand right," he narrowed his eyes as he bent his knees slightly and got into her face. "I know you're in love and all but you shouldn't let some boyfriend you got over the summer mess up your dream."
"Sam's apart of my dream now so he isn't messing anything up. It's only you and your bosses that are messing things up for me." Mercedes stated as she pulled away from him. "I don't care what you have to do but you call those bosses of yours and tell them that I won't come until I graduate."
"That's going be a little hard to do since you're on contract, lil sis." Micah replied as he walked over towards her. "Now what I suggest is that you follow their rules. I'm not going to screw myself out of a dream just because you happen to be screwing that white boy. Get your priorities straight and get ready to move to L.A. You don't really have a choice and I'm tried of pretending that you do."