Author's Note: Here is another chapter and I hope that you continue to enjoy. Please forgive any mistakes and please write a review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.
I Knew You Were Waiting for Me –Part II
Chapter 6
Silence filled the room for a few minutes as everyone processed what had just been said; for Sam it felt like hours, his heart sped up and a trickle of sweat built up on his temple. He had hoped that no one in the room had actually heard what Rick had just said. "Maybe her throat could be affecting her hearing too." Sam hoped with all his might; but all of his hopes were dashed as soon as he heard Mercedes use her voice.
"Bail money… what are you talking about?" Mercedes questioned. Rick looked at Sam and met Sam's cold stare looking back at him. "Oh, I meant…" Rick started but his voice trailed off not knowing how he was going to clean up the mess that he had just created. Crystal could literally feel the anger that was now starting to resonate from Sam. "Rick…..?" Mercedes watched them closely "Sam…?" Mercedes questioned again. "Can we discuss it later?" Sam spoke in a very cold and abrupt manner.
"Esse..." Rick started again "I'm so sorry." He whispered. Crystal began speaking "Rick maybe we should leave now?" Her voice trickled down to nothingness. "No" Rick said "I brought it up…" He said staring at Crystal then redirected his conversation back to Sam. "I'm not going to have you do this on your own." Rick finished his thought. "It's fine Rick you've done enough." Sam spoke matter-of-factly. "Why are you not answering my question?" Mercedes spoke again. Only to be spoken over by Rick "I've done too much! Don't try to...Esse; Crystal should know too." Rick stated. "What are you talking about?" Crystal questioned. "Why would you need bail money?" Mercedes asked again "When is someone going to answer my question?!" Mercedes attitude of annoyance was becoming more apparent.
Sam would've given anything to have the last three minutes erased from the world's timeline but he could not continue to ignore Mercedes pleading for clarity; she deserved to hear it all no matter how worried he was about her response. Sam took his middle finger, pointer finger, and his thumb and placed them around the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes when he said in an outright and forward manner "I got arrested for cocaine possession, attempting the corruption of a minor, and attempting to distribute illegal substances to a minor."
Sam felt like it hung in the air in big 50' tall neon letters. The headache he had just developed could kill a dinosaur. You could hear a fly bat his eyelashes in that room; it was so quiet. Mercedes could not even reconcile in her mind what she just heard and how that could be associated in any way with the man she knew. Crystal's mind started processing what she just heard and in regards to what Chris had fought with Rick about in her office today; "Could this be why Chris was so angry?" She thought.
Sam sat defeated in his chair waiting to take on the mountain of negativity that he knew he would soon be the recipient of. His face became flush from all of the stress he was feeling.
"Sam...ho.. how is that possible?" Was all that Mercedes could ask, her throat was burning again but she refused to stop speaking. Mercedes speech was slow and slightly labored. She quivered slightly as she spoke and her heart seemed to be crumbling in her chest and she couldn't even look at him. Sam didn't say anything for a long while. "SAM, ANSWER ME!" Mercedes shouted and grabbed his hand as it sat on the table.
Rick started speaking again "Please, Mercedes..." but he was quickly interrupted by Sam. "Rick you have nothing else to say." "Esse, you know that's not true." Sam stood up. "I think you two should leave now; that sounds like a really good idea." Sam spoke harshly. "Esse, please...don't...you can't... "Rick continued to speak. "RICK THIS IS MY ISSUE NOT YOURS-SO LEAVE!" Sam exploded. Crystal hurriedly stood up and grabbed Rick and pulled him up and out of his chair. "Rick, let's go." Crystal walked around Rick and pulled him with both of her hands on one of his arms; pulling him towards the front door. "I can't" Rick said solemnly. "If you don't leave right now don't expect to see me ever again." Sam stated firmly.
"SAM!" Mercedes shouted shocked by his sudden declaration. Rick was stopped dead in his tracks "Esse" Rick was so floored by his last statement that the loving nickname he had for Sam died a slow death as it crawled off of Rick's tongue. "Rick, if I have told you this once, I have told you a thousand times. I AM A MAN OF MY WORD." Sam's jaw clenched and a single tear slid out from his left eye. Rick stood for a moment staring at "Esse" knowing exactly what Sam meant; and with that Rick skulked out of Sam's apartment with Crystal in tow.
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Crystal walked with Rick to his car in the parking lot but when Rick arrived at his car he screamed as loudly as he could. He hit and beat the car, kicked the tires, he dented his hood as he let out a torrent of hits on the vehicle; "How could I have been so stupid?!" Rick chastised himself as he crumbled to his knees onto the curb.
"Rick please... how can I help?" Crystal asked. "That doesn't sound anything like the Sam that I know. Why was Chris so upset today? Was it because of this? Does he know?" Crystal's questions were like darts in Rick's chest. Rick continued to kneel on the ground fidgeting with his hands in despair. Crystal waited about five minutes but urged him to get up off of the ground and then she asked "Do you want me to drive home?" She helped Rick up and got him into the passenger seat of his car. Crystal drove to her place; she got out and walked to her door pulling out her house keys from her purse when she looked back and saw Rick, now, sitting in the driver's seat. "Aren't you coming in?" She asked through the driver's side half opened window. Rick simply shook his head "No" and then said "I need to be alone now." It was then Rick drove away leaving a worried Crystal watching his taillights moving off down the road.
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Rick spent the next two and a half hours sitting in a bar, drinking heavily, and reprimanding himself. "How could I have done that to Esse? This should have been the greatest day of his life and I ruined it. What if he doesn't forgive me?" He thought.
The bartender turned on the television that was mounted on the wall. He changed several channels until he left it on an entertainment roundtable news discussion about celebrities and drug use. They spoke about "Mercedes back-up singer dying from a drug overdose, and how especially moving it was when she sang at the televised funeral, the speech that she gave denouncing drugs, and the weeping she had done, and how sincere it all seemed; but now to find out that her first 'lover' has a drug background brings all that sincerity into question." The commentator said. "Maybe she is not as innocent as she always purported herself to be." One speaker said. "First, she had been known for her virtue and waiting to have sex until marriage and now we see that- that was all smoke and mirrors." Another guest chimed in. Then the other speaker, so eager to make his point, started speaking before the other man had even finished his sentence. "There is just no one that you can trust anymore- no one who you can genuinely put your faith behind." Then the first gentleman spoke again by moving on to the next famous celebrity.
Rick snickered, and dropped his head down on the bar in distress and disgust at the irony of it all. "He could not claim to be 'that type of person' (trustworthy) but he knew someone who was." He thought; Rick's sadness compounded. "He knew someone that he could count on; he knew someone who was 'A MAN OF HIS WORD.'
Rick thought back to his years at McKinley and the day that his relationship with Esse had changed.
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Rick's aunt had gotten hurt on the job and broke her foot in two places. His mother went to stay with her for a month to help her out with daily chores until she could recuperate. His mother had told him that "she had left enough money for the first half of the month and when his child support check came in the mail from his father; he could deposit it into the bank and use it for the rest of the month." She also warned him that "if there were any problems, if he ran out of money, she would come right back home; immediately." Of course the check never came but Rick said nothing to his mother about it.
Rick was the last one in the locker room every day that month not necessarily wanting to go home and be alone. Rick heard Mercedes' voice coming from the speakers in Esse's office. He always heard her voice coming from the speakers in Esse's office; if he didn't hear her voice that only meant that the Coach just wasn't there. Rick walked to the Coach's office and knocked on the door. He saw Esse sitting at his desk looking through a jewelry catalogue. "Hey Coach, what's up?" He said. "You're still here Rick? I thought that everyone was gone by now." Sam said. "You have a one track mind when it comes to music." Rick said. "My office; my tunes." Sam said.
"Going to get yourself some sparkle, huh?" Rick spoke as he pointed to the catalogue after he walked around Coach's desk and stood behind Esse looking over his shoulder. "I've been saving up for a few years now and with my tax refund that will be coming in a few days-less the amount I will have to give my mechanic for ordering the part and fixing my taillight-It will finally be mine." Sam said enthusiastically. Rick looked closer "Isn't that an engagement ring though coach? You didn't say that you were seeing anyone." Rick prodded. "Why would I tell you that- even if I had been?" Sam replied. "Awww C'mon Esse-I'm your boy! I should be the first to know if you're taking the plunge!" Rick threw his arms up and waved them three times and pretended to jump into the air but instead of his signature move he pretended to crash and burn. "Especially, if it's soon!" Rick said while patting Sam on the back.
"Wow" Sam laughed "Yeah, well, It won't be soon, we're not together now-maybe not for a long while; (This was the first time that Rick ever noticed sadness in Sam's eyes) but I hope to soar one day" was Sam's response. "You're buying the ring without the woman?" Rick questioned. "Oh no, I have the woman in mind, I'm just having trouble with the timing right now-that's all" which was Sam's cryptic response. Sam then circled the ring he had chosen and then he closed the catalogue and put it in his desk.
"So how are you doing Rick? You seemed a little sluggish out on the field today; are you getting enough rest?" Sam said as he beckoned him to sit down rather than to continue to stand over his shoulder. Rick sat down "Coach I'm trying it's just...I haven't been eating as well lately Coach." Rick said. Sam furrowed his brow "Why not? Are you suffering from some kind of stomach virus or something?" "Can I trust you Coach?" Sam finally felt the way he assumed Mr. Shue felt when any of the glee kids wanted to discuss their problems—he felt that, at least though, he had a good role model to imitate.
"Can you keep a secret Coach?" Rick pressed again bringing Sam out of being lost in thought for a moment. "I will keep your confidence Rick- I am a man of my word." Sam said. "Well, my mom left town to take care of my hurt aunt – she's been gone for two weeks already. I overspent the money that she left me and the money my dad was supposed to send never came; so I haven't eaten anything in a couple of days except school lunch." Sam sat and listened and then he asked "How much longer will she be gone?" "Another two weeks." Rick seemed like he truly missed her and not just the money or the food.
"Rick you know that I am obligated to tell the authorities if you are being neglected—are you sure that you are telling me the 'whole' truth?" Sam could not hide the inquisitive look on his face even if he tried. "The 'hole' is a perfect circle Esse- aren't I cute?" Rick said trying to be amusing as he pulled out a small beaten up leather football from his backpack and started squeezing it in his right hand.
"Rick you know that the Scout will be here in two weeks and you can't afford to lose your edge especially now, especially if you want to get into a good college." "I know Coach" Rick looked discouraged. "Please don't make me sorry that I told you Coach." Rick spoke again meekly. "Come have dinner at my place this week; maybe your dad is just late." "Really Coach, you won't tell on my mom?" Rick asked. "When I was your age my family went through something that from the outside made it look as if they may have been unfit- but they would have been misjudged; I never once doubted my parents love for me—just like you don't doubt your mother's love for you. I'll give you until the time she is supposed to come back and we'll take it from there-agreed?" Sam said. A very encouraged Rick jumped out of his seat and said "Agreed!" "Let's go and get you some food." Esse said. "Thanks Coach" Rick said as he dropped the ball back into his backpack. "Like I said before I am a man of my word." Coach said as they walked out of the office and closed the door.
"I am a man of my word" those words haunted Rick's mind. "Those were the same words that Sam had reminded him of today. He knew what he meant by it but that didn't make it any easier." Rick thought back again of those evenings hanging out with Esse; playing video games, and having home cooked meals again. The entire week went by but still no money came from Rick's dad.
Rick sipped his drink and then remembered the night that he fell asleep on Esse's sofa and woke up a few hours later. He went to find Esse, to say sorry, and then go home but he found him kneeling by his bedside praying-"He was praying about me." He was praying for me to "do well for the Scout, and that doors would open for me to go to a good college, and to have a future, to excel at football, and to be a good role model for others –if it were God's will." I watched and listened to him for a few moments but backed away unnoticed.
Rick liked Coach; he thought that he was "A great guy." Rick respected him, he desperately wanted to understand Coach better, he wanted to be like him, and most of all he didn't want to disappoint him. Rick could kick himself for that stupid idea. "If I have been the cause of his unhappiness; even now-if Mercedes doesn't forgive and forget; I will never forgive myself" he thought. "Not after everything..." His thoughts trailed again.
It was three days before the Scout from Ohio State was to show up at McKinley and Rick's mother was coming back the next day. Rick had come back to Sam's office when he saw Sam opening a box at his desk. His ring had finally arrived! "It was absolutely beautiful" Sam thought as he looked at the Marquis diamond on its white gold band.
Rick was in awe of it when he saw it. "What kind of sparkle is that?" Rick asked Sam who looked at him and said "You know when famous people have their names up in lights over theaters and concert halls?" Sam asked. "Yeah" Rick answered. "Well they, call that having your name on a 'Marquee' well this is a 'Marquis' diamond—it's an easy way to remember the type it is." Sam smiled but Rick could tell that Sam's thoughts of pride were not merely confined to this room. "Esse, that is sick! Are you sure that you are not sneaking off and getting married sometime—soon?" Be honest when are you poppin' the question? Rick asked. Sam's expression turned solemn as he thought for a couple of minutes. "When I stop being plan B" Sam said soberly and yet his voice was also filled with melancholy and longing.
Rick felt for him. Sam packed up the ring and started getting ready to leave his office "What do you want for dinner tonight?" Sam asked. "Fried Chicken Esse, you make the best fried chicken." Sam smiled with his lopsided grin. "And, I am totally beating you in the video game tonight; too. It's my night I can feel it." Rick commented. "You've been saying that every night this week and I haven't seen it happen yet." Sam's rebuttal came with a hearty laugh. It was then when Sam heard his name called over the loud speaker to come to the Principal's office. "I wonder what she wants now." Sam said "I will meet you at my car in twenty minutes." Sam told Rick and then he headed down the hallway.
Rick had used the bathroom in the locker room, while he waited, but then afterwards he heard movement in the locker room. As he came out he saw two of the other player's (Andrew and Robert) were passing something between each other but they jumped when they saw him. "What's the matter guys? I didn't mean to scare you." Rick spoke hastily. "Raven...are you the only one here?" Andrew asked while he looked around behind Rick. "Yeah, why?" "You need to get in on this action too—this Scout is going to be here and we need to be-beyond on point-to get where we want to go." Robert said. "The NFL-Not For Losers!" Andrew addressed his quick wit towards Robert with a shout and then gave him a high five. "No doubt" Rick spoke up laughing. "Then here" Robert placed three small packets of a white powdered substance into his hand. Rick looked at his hand and then back up at Robert and Andrew. "Oh, I don't know" Rick slightly protested. "Look my older brother is away at college and he sent me some so that we can be our best at everything for that game." Andrew said. "They don't call it speed for nothing." Robert interjected. "Look it's an edge...if you don't want it, and you don't want to go to Ohio State; then don't bother, somebody else can definitely take your spot." This was Andrew's peer pressured reply.
Rick thought about what his mother would think, he thought about what Esse would think if he found out. He also thought about how much work he put into this and how he didn't want to let either of them down. "It was just this one time; nothing serious." He thought. "Take one tonight and one two nights from now to get accustomed to it and then one game day." "Okay, that was already more times than he had expected to take it-but he had to use everything that he could" so he took the packets from the guys and left the locker room. On his way out he heard them say "Ohio State Buckeye's here we come!" As they high-fived again.
Sam was already waiting at his car when Rick came outside. "What took you so long?" "Sorry" was all that Rick said. "I have to make a couple of stops on our way to my place. I have to go to the bank and then to my mechanic about my taillight." Sam said. "I still get the fried chicken right?" Rick nervously inquired. "Yes Rick, you still get the fried chicken."
While Sam ran to the ATM machine at his bank Rick could feel his hand sticking to three small plastic bags in his pocket. He was in a panic he had never done anything like this before. He took the packets out from his pocket and lifted up Sam's armrest to expose the compartment inside and tossed them in. "Maybe if I just don't hold it in my hand I won't be so panicked." He thought then, contemplating again, "I probably won't do it anyway. Why did I have too? I am a great player—and a much better player than any of those two guys." Rick was slowly regaining his confidence and his sense of self. "Yeah, he didn't need any of that stuff." Rick thought as he looked toward the darkened sky as he saw Sam come running in the distance and opened his car door.
"Sorry, it took so long one of the machines wasn't working." Sam said as he drove off down the busy roadway. They had been driving for approximately 10 minutes with Mercedes' singing filling the air within the car. "You have a one track mind for music, Esse." Rick said again. "My car; my tunes." Sam answered. Then a police cruiser rolled up behind them. Rick began having a panic attack right at that moment; he had a hard time breathing Sam pulled over immediately "What's wrong?" Sam asked. "I'M SORRY ESSE; I'M SORRY ESSE; I'M SORRY ESSE." Rick continued over and over and over again. "Sorry about what?" Sam asked as the officer began walking towards Sam's, now pulled over, car.
The police officer knocked on the driver's side window and Sam opened it. The police officer looked inside and saw Sam desperately trying to help Rick. "Do you know that you have a broken taillight?" The officer said, before he noticed Sam leaning over toward a young man—who was still hyperventilating. The officer shined a flashlight into the window and asked them to both get out of the car.
The police officer asked Sam several questions as he had Sam and Rick move and sit down on the curb at the side of the road. "Did the boy eat anything strange? What is your relationship to the child? Where is Sam's license and registration?" Sam pulled the license out of his pocket but he told the police officer that his registration was in the glove compartment of his car. Rick turned more pail again and started dry heaving towards the ground. "Rick what is wrong?" Sam queried again. All Rick could do was to continue to mumble "I'm sorry" from his tall 17 year old frame.
The police officer radioed for the EMT and then went towards Sam's car. That's when Sam heard Rick whispering to himself and saw him fidgeting with his hands "Cocaine...my ruined future...the Scout...my mother...I'm so sorry Esse; Esse... I'm sorry." Did Sam hear what he thought he heard? "Cocaine?" Sam looked over at the police officer who was now rummaging through Sam's car when he suddenly heard and saw the cop come running toward Sam and flip him over on the ground, placing his knee into Sam's back and pushing him further into the ground, and handcuffing him. Rick started screaming and crying "NO! NO! NO!" "YOU STAY DOWN AND DON'T MOVE!" The officer yelled in Rick's direction.
Sam was shaking his head "This is a big mistake officer...you have this all wrong." Sam said as the man picked him up and walked him over and slung him over the hood of his own car. The police officer placed his flashlight on the hood and all Sam could feel was the breeze of all the cars that were speeding by him free to go wherever they pleased. Rick continued to scream "NO, DON'T, DON'T!" When the officer demanded that he "Be quiet and don't move!" The officer said sternly. It was then that Sam screamed out to Rick in an authoritative voice "DON'T DO OR SAY ANYTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME-DON'T SAY A WORD!" Rick lowered his head, his hand was twitching and he was rocking back and forth on the curb silently crying after hearing Sam's directions.
"So this is not what I think, huh?" The police officer redirected his comments back to Sam. It was then that he threw down, onto the hood of the car, three packets of Cocaine right into the stream of light that was extending across his car's hood through the darkness from the flashlight. This whole thing was so surreal for Sam as the cars on the road kept speeding by him with the wind gusting past and some of them honking their horns or screaming out of their windows; as they drove by. The police officer started frisking Sam who was constantly trying to plead his case. The police officer pulled out a wad of cash amounting to $1500 and also tossed that onto the hood of the car also into the stream of light. "THAT'S TO FIX THE TAILLIGHT!" Sam was yelling now, feeling that this situation was spiraling completely out of control. The officer reached into the car again and brought out Sam's bag. "What do you do for a living Evans?" He questioned disdainfully as he read his name off of his driver's license and then tossing that onto the hood too next to the other objects. "I am a high school football coach." "Walking around with that type of cash in small bills?" "The ATM only gave me small bills!" He quickly countered; but tried to calm himself down as to not to cause any other problems. "Now looky here though-you can also afford a diamond ring on your salary-I must be in the wrong profession." The officer's used the wryest of voices. Sam started to speak again. "That's it I've seen enough." The police officer said as he then led Sam to the back of his police cruiser and put him into the back seat.
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Rick asked the bartender for another drink but the bartender refused. "I think it's time that you called it a night." The bartender said. Rick looked in his jacket pocket for some money when he pulled out his cell phone and found that he had missed several text messages from Crystal wondering "If he was alright." He called her and said "Crystal, I'm drunk (He paused), in a bar (He paused again), can you come meet me, and give me a ride home, please?" "Just tell me where you are." This was Crystal's caring response.
Author's Note: Please forgive any mistakes and please write a review.