A/N: Hey guys! This shot is directly related to the last one. A few of you thought I should get rid of Thomas so I figured why the hell not. I just wanted to say that as much as it pained me to write ghettout I did it for two reasons. One, those are the lyrics and two I refuse to question the lyrical genius of R. Kelly.
Now this song is super repetitive so I cut out of some the repeated parts because if I hadn't I'd still be trying to write this chapter.
So, Happy Reading!
And as always, REVIEWS = LOVE!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own: Glee, it's characters, Sylvester Winkle from California Dream (which I don't own) or GHETTO-U-T by Changing Faces. Thomas and Erin (you'll find out who she is as you read) are mine.
NOTE - Any words within the dialogue that are bold are the song lyrics. Sometimes I have to change them a little in order for them to work in the sentence properly.
Mercedes left Sam's apartment at 2am disappointed in herself. She had cheated on her boyfriend; the last thing he wanted to do. The entire cab ride home she thought about Sam's words to her before she left.
"You shouldn't feel bad, Mercedes. If you felt like being with me last night was the right thing to do then it was. He doesn't love you like I do. Now all you have to do is make a choice." he said as he walked her to the door. Easy for him to say. He only had one choice. Her.
"It's not that simple." she said facing him. "
"No, it is that simple." he said sternly. "Listen to me closely, he's not right for you. He's hurting you so he doesn't deserve you. Mercedes just turned away from him and left the building.
She knew that he was partly right but that didn't mean she should have cheated. She paid the cab fare then headed upstairs to her apartment. She unlocked the door and found all of the lights out.
"Shit." she whispered. She took off her shoes and tiptoed to the bedroom. She moved quietly into the closet, changed her clothes then made her way to the bed. She eased in as to not wake Thomas but when she moved over to snuggle next to him she realized that the lights had been off because he wasn't home to turn them on. Mercedes reached over and turned on the lamp. She was alone. She sighed as her feelings confused her. Was she angry? Or sad? She didn't know anymore but she knew she couldn't sleep.
She threw the covers back and went back to the closet. From his side she pulled a few suits that he had wore and brought them back to the bedroom. She went back and grabbed a few of her dresses. Since she couldn't sleep she figured she'd be productive and get things ready for the dry cleaning and the laundry.
Mercedes started going through the pockets of his suits and when she pulled her hand out of one of the jacket pockets she found a bunch of tiny slips of paper. She looked at them and realized they were phone numbers. Angry, she searched through all of his pockets. In the pocket of a pair of his jeans was a couple of folded pieces of paper. She sat on the edge of the bed and opened the first one. They were letters.
Thomas,
What's going on with us? I thought that you were going to leave that bitch. I need to know where I stand with you.
Erin
Mercedes let the letter fall to the floor as she opened he next one.
Tom,
I'm sorry about the last letter. I was frustrated, baby. I love you. I just want to be with you. Don't you want to be with me. The woman who loves you, not the bitch that treats you bad.
Erin
She lets that one flutter to the floor.
Tommy,
I can't wait until next week. Our six month anniversary! Can you believe it baby? I'm so happy you finally picked me over that bitch. Our anniversary is much more important then the one you share with her. It was so lucky that our six month fell on the same day as yours with her. Hopefully after that night when I show you exactly what you'd be getting with me all the time you'll come to your senses and leave that horrible bitch.
I can't wait.
Erin
Mercedes couldn't believe what she had just read in those letters. He was cheating on her! She pushed his suits onto the floor and reached for her cell phone. She shook as she dialed a number.
"Hello?" the voice answered.
"It's Mercedes." she said. "I need to find a new place to live."
"Why?" her manager asked concerned.
"I'm breaking up with Thomas and I want to move out." Mercedes said as she pulled her suitcase out of the closet.
"Why would you move out of your apartment?"
"I just told you I was breaking up with Thomas."
"No, no. I mean it's your apartment. Why would you move out?" Sylvester Winkle asked.
"Because I moved in here, Sly." she said throwing clothes into her suitcase.
"Yeah maybe but that's your apartment now." he said. "I worked a little magic when you first moved in."
"What magic?" she asked sitting on the bed.
"I got the label to buy him out of the lease and put the apartment in your name." he explained.
"Why?"
"For a couple of reasons actually. One, in case something like this happened and you wouldn't be embarrassed by having to move out and two what's it look like for a famous recording artist to be living with a club manager?"
"Swag is..." she started.
"...a swanky club that he manages." Sly said interrupting her. "Everyone knows that means he hands out paychecks and handles petty cash."
"But I didn't sign any papers."
"Yes you did. Do you remember when you first moved in and I told you to come down to my office, I had some papers I needed you to sign?" Sly asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, the lease was one of those papers."
"So this is my apartment?" Mercedes asked.
"Free and clear."
"You're the greatest, Sly." she said happily.
"You betta believe it." Sly said before he hung up. Mercedes put her phone back on the nightstand. She took all of her things out of her suitcase and hung them back in the closet. She replaced her suitcase with his and just balled his suits and jeans and vest all together and threw them randomly into the luggage. She pulled his bags to the door and sat in the living room and waited.
As she sat there memories began to flood her mind. A few weeks ago, Thomas had told her that he had to go out of town for some kind of convention. The night that he got back they were laying in bed; she was reading and he was asleep. He had started talking in his sleep to someone named Erin. At the time she assumed it was a boy but apparently, she had been wrong.
It was 6am when the lock turned and Thomas came into the apartment. He gasped when he saw her sitting in the living room.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked. He happened to glance over and see his suitcases by the door. "What's going on?"
"First, I want to thank you for the apartment." she said. His eyes grew wide. He didn't know she knew about that.
"What's all this about?" Thomas asked.
"I been feeling kinda strange lately. I don't know what's going on baby
Ever since you came back from out of town, something's telling me some bullshit is going down." Mercedes said quietly. Thomas took a few steps toward her but she put her hand out to stop him. "Boy is there someone else you're seeing?
"No." he said shaking his head.
"Is it someone else?"
"No, Mercedes."
"My vitals telling me you're creeping." she said. "I'm finding numbers in your jeans, you're talking in your sleep, fed up letters written 'bout me ghett-o-u-t."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Thomas said stepping toward her again.
"I'm done. No more sittin' at home alone; while you're out with somebody else. No more staring at the phone; 'cause I can do bad all by myself."
"Come on baby. Let's talk about this." Thomas said gently. "I know things are different but come on."
"Yeah, it's obvious how things have changed within a year. Just give me half of the rent and get out of here." Mercedes said her hand out.
"What? You're not serious. Come on baby, you know I love you."
"No more talking save your lines for somebody else." Mercedes said interrupting him. "Keep on walking 'cause I can do bad all by myself."
"Can we talk about this please? I think you're confused." he said.
Boy is there someone else you're seeing?" she asked him again.
"No, Mercy."
"Is it someone else?"
"No, I swear."
"My vitals telling me you're creeping. I'm finding numbers in your jeans, you're talking in your sleep, fed up letters written 'bout me ghett-o-u-t." Mercedes said pointing toward the door. "No more sittin' at home alone; while you're out with somebody else. No more staring at the phone; 'cause I can do bad all by myself."
"You're my woman. The only good thing in my life." Thomas pleaded.
I gave you all of my time but you would not know a good thing, if it stares you in your face." she yelled. Thomas rolled his eyes. That was her confirmation but she wanted him to say it. Boy is there someone else you're seeing?" she asked once again. He remained silent. "Is it someone else?" Mercedes yelled this time.
"No! I told you that!" Thomas yelled back.
"My vitals telling me you're creeping. I'm finding numbers in your jeans, you're talking in your sleep, fed up letters written 'bout me." she ticked off again. "Go live with Erin, ghett-o-u-t!" Thomas couldn't hide his surprise. He had denied and denied but she knew the whole time. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head. "I went to Sam's tonight."
"Of course you fucking did." Thomas said, his voice dripping with disdain.
"I slept with him." Mercedes admitted. "I felt guilty about it." she said with a laugh to herself. "Silly me. I felt so right when I was with him but I wouldn't allow myself to keep feeling that way because of you. Then I come home to do you a favor only to find out you've been fucking someone else for the past six months...at least."
"What do you expect?" Thomas questioned. "A man has needs."
"Then you should have talked to me about what I wasn't providing for you, not go out and find some scallywag." Mercedes said annoyed. "Listen. I'm done. With you, this conversation, all of it."
"You need a man." he said with a chuckle as he grabbed his bags. "You really think that Sam dude is gonna be there for you?"
"I know he will. But I'm just glad that that there'll be No more sittin' at home alone; while you're out with somebody else. No more staring at the phone; 'cause I can do bad all by myself." she said as she closed the door behind him.
Mercedes leaned against the door and began to cry. Not because she and Thomas had ended things but because she wasted so much time not with Sam. She ran to her bedroom, threw on some decent clothes before she left her apartment and grabbed a cab in the direction of Sam's apartment. She paid the cabbie and ran upstairs to his apartment. She pounded on the door until he opened it.
"What the hell?" he said as he snatched the door open.
"I just wanted to tell you that you were right. I did have a choice and that Thomas made the choice easy for me." she said trying to catch her breath.
"What's that mean?" Sam asked as he stepped close to her. His chest against hers.
"I choose you."
"You do. Why?"
"Because, I love you." she said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
"I love you too." he said returning her kiss. He moves his fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss.
"And..." she said breaking their fiery lip-lock. "When I'm with you, I feel right." Sam smiled at her, his green eyes shining. Mercedes smiled back. She couldn't help it. She hadn't realized it until that moment that, the entire time she was with Thomas she was missing something. She was missing a feeling, but standing there with Sam, his lips gently kissing her lips, jaw and neck she knew that what she missed was feeling right.