"Sam? Is that you?"

Sam pushed the weights back up to their stand and sat up. It was after school and usually by this time the gym was empty but to his utter surprise Mercedes was standing across from him, smiling. She was wearing sweat pants and a vest that he couldn't help was being more than supportive of her ample bust. It had been a couple of weeks since prom and they were definitely friends in a way that they weren't before. He'd even stopped feeling self-conscious when she periodically offered him a ride home. And he was definitely more likely to be around, even for just a minute or two, whenever she was at the motel to babysit.

She returned the smile he shot at her with one that looked positively radiant. "I heard singing and I thought I recognized your voice."

"Yeah that was me." He rubbed the back of his neck. Now that his hair was getting long it seriously tickled and had given him the new habit. "Now that I don't have my iPod I have to make my own music to work out to." Man he missed his iPod! But as with all the other things that had monetary value but were not personally essential, it had had to go. Things like groceries were far more important these days. He grinned at her. "I didn't know you came to the gym!" His surprise was genuine, but he didn't mean it in an insulting way.

Mercedes clearly didn't find it insulting either because she smiled her cute smile and sat on the next bench across from him. "Not a lot of people do. I started coming with Kurt when he went through his 'macho' phase – please don't ask!" she rolled her eyes. "He stopped coming pretty quickly due to Karofsky being a regular here and making his life a nightmare but I still come once or twice a week to do some spinning."

Every time Sam had a conversation with this girl she never failed to shock him with new something about herself. Today was proving to be no exception. The Force is strong with this one he thought to himself.

He could see that her eyes were drawn to his belly and he touched it nervously. "I know. My belly's been getting big lately..."

She threw her head back and laughed. Then she stopped after a few seconds when she realized that he didn't join her in the laughter. "You do realize that you're totally ripped right?"

Sam remained unconvinced. "Word is out my friend!" She put on a Southern accent and grinned lecherously. "Word in the girl's changing room is that your body's mighty fine and from where I'm sitting I'd have to agree!"

He smiled at the impression but the smile didn't quite reach is eyes.

Mercedes shot him the look that she sometimes gave. Intent like she was a computer reading and scanning then processing him. He didn't like that look because it usually preceded her telling him something that was true, but not necessarily what he was wanting to hear. This was to be no exception.

"Rocky Horror." She said the words slowly and carefully.

"What?"

"When we did Rocky Horror together you thought you looked fat in those gold shorts."

Sam felt the color rising in his face. She'd hit the nail on the head and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable. "I was feeling very exposed that day," he said coldly.

Mercedes' eyes narrowed. She clearly didn't appreciate the change in tone. "Look, I was only trying to-"

"And I'm trying to tell you that I don't want to talk about it!" Sam's skin felt like it was burning and his heart was racing with anger. He leaned back and resumed pushing the weights. He knew he was being irrational. But he couldn't help it. She'd touched a nerve and he couldn't tell her why. He needed to take a moment in order to keep his cool.

After a few seconds he stopped again, took a few deep breaths and turned to her "Mercedes I-"

But she was gone.

Sam felt totally wretched. He knew he was totally at fault for this one. His snippiness had been totally uncalled for. He hadn't meant to be so mean to his new friend but hadn't been able to control his response fast enough.

And it really hurt him that he'd upset her.

The folded piece of paper contained one word. 'Sorry'. Without turning her head she could feel Sam looking at her from 2 desks across, anxiously awaiting a response.

She stared at it for a few seconds then folded the paper back up, stuffed it into the back of her book and continued to focus on the teacher and what was being written on the board. She wasn't actually mad at Sam anymore but he didn't need to know that just yet.

She had been mad last night though. Crazy mad. How dare he speak to her like that! Against her will Mercedes had actually shed tears when she got in her car to head home from the gym! How on earth was she supposed to understand what was going on? Why was there suddenly a problem? They'd been getting on well over recent weeks and this was the first time she'd ever heard such a cold tone in his voice. There's no way she would ever tolerate being spoken to like that by anyone!

But when she'd gone to bed that night and played the conversation back over and over she'd come to realize that all definitely was not all it seemed. The change in tone was too sudden. It was like he hadn't intentionally thought to be rude. It was more like she'd somehow touched a nerve and he was reacting rather than replying.

That gave her pause and made her wonder. She'd seen that type of reaction before in a friend that had a problem. Maybe she had walked out too fast.

But Mercedes also accepted that if she hadn't left when she did she probably would have diva'd out on him and responded in a way that she would have regretted.

She sighed inwardly.

This conversation was by no means over!

"Mercedes please –"

Sam had grabbed her arm as he followed her out of the classroom and he was not letting her go. She turned and looked him in the eyes.

His eyes looked very sorry and any residual anger which may have remained in her fell away.

"About yesterday-" He looked so uncomfortable.

"I know Sam." She sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. "I'm sorry too. I should have taken the hint and not pushed you. You wanted me to drop the subject and I didn't." She took a deep breath. "How about a coffee? Whenever Kurt and I lock horns, we always smooth it over a mocha at The Lima Bean."

"But I don't have any ca-"

"Hush! This coffee is my peace offering for upsetting you." It was the return of the tone that said she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Sam was unusually quiet in the car on the way to Lima Bean. She could see that he was still feeling bad about what had happened between them so she touched his arm to reassure him that she really wasn't mad at him any longer.

They sat in the corner near the back. Even with the drink in hand he still looked fidgety.

"How do you do it?" The question had suddenly and randomly burst out of his mouth like a bullet.

"Do what?" Mercedes felt like she had joined the conversation somewhere in the middle. What the hell was the boy talking about?

The pause was excruciating but she patiently continued to wait for him to speak.

"I mean... How do you break with convention? I know you were in the Cheerios for a short while. But they're so obsessed with body image. Even Quinn was always being careful what she ate!"

So this was what was burning through his mind. Even though he hadn't said the exact words she knew exactly what he was trying to ask. Mercedes paused briefly before giving her reply.

"I like being me. I wasn't always this comfortable about my size. And to be honest there are still plenty of days when I look in the mirror and get really unhappy. But this is me. I was born this way. I wasn't born to be skinny. I've never been skinny, not even as a child. I tried several times to lose the weight but it just doesn't shift. Besides, I'm not going to lie, I love my snacks and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. All I do is make sure that I'm not too unhealthy and unfit. Yes I like my food, but I have my daily fruit and vegetables along with everything else and I make sure that I can always fit enough to keep up with the dancing in Glee club just like everyone else."

She could see him leaning forward, drink forgotten, concentrating on every word so she continued. "Even when I was in the Cheerios, though I mostly sang, I was also able to keep up with a lot of their dancing. And as you saw yesterday, sometimes I even go to the gym to work out. I think there's nothing wrong with being big as long as you're not totally unfit and can handle yourself." She broke out in a smile. "Hell, most diva sisters are big. And between you and me I think it helps with the voice! Besides, I see the glances I get from some of the boys when they think I don't notice. And we won't even begin to discuss Puck and his roving hands…"

Sam looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. She could see him carefully processing all of her words and she hoped she'd managed to put herself across well.

"That's such an amazing attitude!"

She gave him a small smile. "I try... Listen Sam, it didn't happen overnight but it is possible to be comfortable in your own skin."

Sam took a long gulp from his drink and sank back into the chair. She sensed he was about to say something big and waited in total silence until he was ready to talk. "I used to be fat." His voice was low and didn't seem to be addressed to anybody in particular.

Whoa! WHAT did he just say? She nearly choked on her drink and looked at him incredulously. Sam kept his eyes firmly on the table as he continued to speak. "In my old school I got bullied for my weight and for my lips. I couldn't change my lips but the kids were so hurtful that I did lose the weight and change my body out of sheer determination."

Mercedes couldn't imagine him any shape other than Adonis. And she definitely couldn't picture him being bullied. To get slushied for being in Glee club must have been a really big thing for him after thinking he'd escaped bullying from his last school.

She watched him continue to finger his paper cup nervously and he still didn't look up. "I never used to play sports. I was just the fat kid with big lips who couldn't read well. When I lost the weight, got into sports in a big way and started to work out I simply became the kid with the big lips who couldn't read well. I even had my own version of Karofsky to deal with. It was never ending. McKinley High was my fresh start. For the first time in my life I finally got what I always wanted. What I had always dreamed of. To be the jock who got the pretty girls instead of being the bullied fat kid." He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "Now you know why Santana singing Trouty Mouth upset me as much as it did. It was an amazing tune but it brought back too many bad memories."

Mercedes had no idea what to say. It explained so much. I can't believe he's telling me all this stuff! She reached across the table and put her hands over his and hoped that he would understand that she was trying to be comforting. He looked up at her, glassy eyed and appreciative. "Does anybody at this school know about this?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Only Quinn. The one time we had a really deep conversation I told her. She seemed really surprised and slightly annoyed. But then she told me that she used to be fat too. Until Lauren's exposure of it for prom votes I was the only one who knew. It drew us together. In fact sharing those stories is what made me decide to give her the ring. I really believed at that point that I'd truly got to know her. And being with Quinn gave me the kind of popularity I could only have dreamed of in my old school. It completed my transformation. I wanted to hold on to that forever."

It made perfect sense but Mercedes really didn't want this to turn into yet another conversation about Quinn. They'd been down that particular dead end on more than one occasion. She decided to try and lighten the mood. "So, Sam Evans, what you're trying to say is that you are actually a fraud!"

He finally smiled, seeing where she was going with her point. "Yeah, I guess so. The hair's full of lemon juice, the body takes a lot of maintenance and I try to keep my dorkiness to a minimum by keeping my comics firmly zipped up in my bag and only speaking Na'vi around friends who understand it!"

Mercedes laughed and was thrilled when he joined in. Her Sam was back!

Now it was time for him to raise an eyebrow. "Did you mean what you said yesterday about me being 'totally ripped'?"

"Absolutely!" She was secretly mortified by those words having left her mouth. Classic example of mouth spewing things before checking them with brain first for appropriateness. Worse still - he had clearly been thinking about it! At home she had wondered if that statement of hers had crossed the line between friendship and flirting.

"Because you see, when it comes to my body there's a bit of disagreement between what I see in the mirror and what's actually there."

Mercedes decided to still keep it light. "Don't worry! If you ever need a second opinion I'd be more than happy to take a look and provide you with one free of charge!" She shot him a dimpled grin. OMG was she just flirting for real this time?

Sam simply laughed. "Sounds like something Puck would say for all the girls!"

"Too true!"

And just like that their normal conversation was back.

Before getting back into the car Sam held out his arms. "Hug it out?"

Mercedes didn't need telling twice. She enjoyed being squeezed then squealed as he picked her up and swung her around laughing. Then he bent down and buried his head in her neck and stayed very still for a moment.

He released her from his arms but still kept his hands on her shoulder. Eyes were serious this time.

"Let's not fight again Cedes."

"Hell no! Of course not!" She sounded strong, but on the inside she was getting more than a little bit gooey. Sam Evans was definitely dangerous to her emotional wellbeing!