His lips were the first thing she noticed as she made her way to the back of her art class, in a new purple shirt. She had anticipated getting slushied on her first day and as such she made sure to pack extra tops and a pant just in case.
Art class was her last class of the day. She had been lucky enough to avoid him and her ex-boyfriend for most of the day, the benefits of taking all AP classes. There weren't many jocks and cheerleaders in those classes so she was safe from their taunting even though she still got someone curious stares from her geekier class mates. Art class wasn't AP so she had to deal with most of the jocks and cheerleaders in this class.
He was new, she noticed. Unlike everyone he did not stare at her when she walked into the room. She's sure he will soon enough, once he learns her story and sees the evidence. But back to his lips….though lips like his were not unusual to her, as she had plump lips her but it was the biggest she had seen on a non-black person. She absentmindedly wondered how it would feel to kiss him because both of their lips were so big (whose lips would go on top) just to test a theory she tells herself not because she desires or wants to kiss him. Plus the last thing she needed was to put a guy on her brain especially since her break-up was still fresh in her mind and in everyone's mind since it has been so public and humiliating. Still though she wonders how it would feel.
He still doesn't look at her as she takes the seat next to him. He just continues staring at the front door, almost expectantly. She wondered who he could be waiting for. The answer comes not a second later when Quinn Farbay walks in the room. The blond boys' green eyes light up immediately. It figures Mercedes thought everyone loved Quinn. Quinn was a nice enough girl but she cared about popularity more than she did anything else.
Mercedes and Quinn had known each other from their sandbox days but they did not become friends until their last year summer when Quinn became pregnant. Mercedes saw that the girl needed a friend. Everyone looked at her like she had a disease and her popularity status crumbled and her parents kicked her out. Mercedes begged her parents to let the girl stay with them and after a few crocodile tears her parents agreed. During Quinn's stay the girl found out they had much in common and labeled each other as soul sister. Quinn's parent eventually felt bad and Quinn went back to live with them but her and Mercedes remained friends. Once the baby was born and the pregnancy evidence disappeared from Quinn's body, her popularity came back. They did not hang out as much but Quinn came over after her Cheerio practices and sometimes the girls would just hang out in the mall.
Because of all they been through Mercedes was grateful that Quinn sought her out and was concerned about her wellbeing after she was publically dumbed, But Mercedes quickly learned that even though her soul sister loved her, she loved popularity more. Quinn wanted to remain friends with but be secrets friends. That meant texting, talking on the phone, her going over to Mercedes house but it did not include interactions at school or anywhere else where they could be seen. Quinn did not want to go back to being unpopular and she figured walking around with the school 'whore' as they called Mercedes would put her back at the bottom.
Some part of her figured it was more than just love why Quinn wanted to be secret friends and also that it was more than just popularity why Quinn was reluctant to be friends. Mercedes the answer already knew the answer had to do with him ever since she had that conversation with Quinn a few months ago. The girl had been distant ever since. For both her and Quinn's life were suddenly shaken up as soon as he took interest.
She takes her mind off her so-called friendship with Quinn and wondered why the green eyed boy was expecting Quinn. After all he was new, so how would he know her? Well, she thought maybe they became friends over the summer. After all she hardly came out of her house so maybe Lima got new residents while she was there in her room crying her eyes out every day.
The blond boy eyes' visibly sadden when Quinn took a seat at the front instead of the available seat that was next to him, it almost looked like he was saving it for Quinn. All the while he was ogling Quinn, Mercedes could not help noticing that the girl paid no attention to the boy, just like how she blatantly ignored her soul sister. And that was enough for her to believe something was going on between those two. Quinn was still dating the clueless but nice football player Finn, father to her baby Beth. Last time she checked, they had wanted to move in together. Though they did not talk Finn was actually one of the nice guys on McKinley High football team and Mercedes hoped Quinn was not up to her same ole tricks with the blond boy. Last time she did, she ended up with a baby and an unsuspecting man was lied to.
Mercedes never liked the lying game Quinn played but she knew deep down inside Finn was the better man for the job. She could see from the young man's actions that he loved his daughter and that look of love on his face whenever he was around Beth had stopped her a hundred times from telling Finn the truth. Finn deserved to know the truth but a sweet girl like Beth did not deserve to have a bastard like him for her father. She knows firsthand how cruel he could be (sleeping with his best friend's girl) and she does not want her god-daughter growing up with such an influence, so she decided against her better judgment to keep Quinn's secret.
Art class passed through uneventfully. They did not do any work, just small introductions were made and the art teacher explained the course outline for the year. Mercedes kept her eyes at the front of the class, though sometimes glancing at the boy beside her. She was always a sucker for a cute face and nice eyes but she told herself she was just observing. He wasn't her type anyways and from the way he looked at Quinn she could see she was definitely not his type either.