DISCLAIMER: Look on first chapter. This chapter contains dialogue from the Glee episode "Rumors". I take no credit for those lines. That dialogue belongs solely to the writers of the show.


April 5, 2011 (Tuesday)

McKinley High School

Lima, Ohio

8:37AM

Sam stuffed his history textbook into his backpack and grabbed a mechanical pencil from the top shelf of his locker. Zipping his bag and flipping some long pieces of hair out of his eyes, he nudged his locker closed with his shoulder only to yelp in shock at the sight of Kurt standing behind his locker door.

"Geez, Kurt!" Sam said, "Give a guy some warning, will you?"

Kurt just raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and stared at him in silence. Sam smiled awkwardly as the brunet studied him like a bug under a microscope. Sam hadn't felt like such a freak in days.

"Something's wrong," Kurt said and Sam tried to stop the disturbed look from appearing on his face. Man that kid was blunt and he was observant. For most people, that was a great combination, but for Sam—who had no desire for his business to be known by others—Kurt was a nightmare in designer clothing.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked in return and Kurt just gave him his customary 'Are you serious?' look before answering.

"For one, your eyes are red-rimmed and slightly puffy," he began and Sam touched his face self-consciously—he hadn't been crying. He'd almost cried, but he had never cried—not since all this started. "Secondly, you look even more exhausted than when I left you last week and for some strange reason, I'm sensing some major guilt going on here, but I don't know why."

Panic almost set in and he was positive that Kurt saw the flash of terror on his face before he hid it away again. Sam felt the still un-cashed check burning in the pocket of his jeans. He didn't know why he was clinging so desperately to it. His guitar wasn't even his anymore. It was in a music shop, owned by Lynette Orchid. There was virtually no chance of him ever getting it back, but that didn't stop him from going to The Music Shop every day for the past week.

He never went inside—he could see his guitar on display from the street window. Miss Lynn had polished it and put it inside a glass display case instead of hanging it on her wall. It looked beautiful and Sam longed to play it again. There had been a number of times when Sam almost handed the check over, but then someone would do or say something that made him retract his hand.

It was like signing himself over to the devil. He had no idea why he felt that way, but he couldn't beat that feeling of wrongness that came every time he almost gave in. He fidgeted in front of Kurt and tried to let his words roll off his shoulders.

"And thirdly, you just have this defeated aura about you today," Kurt said, his tone matter-of-fact and Sam just blinked at him.

"Defeated aura?" he asked, "Really, Kurt?"

"What?" the brunet responded defensively, "Your shoulders are slumped; your gaze is on your feet. You look pale and sad. What else would you call it?"

"I think you're crazy, maybe your facial cleanser is getting to you or something." Sam said dismissively, desperately trying to make his escape from the far too perceptive sixteen year old.

"I am not crazy, and you know it, Sam." Kurt said, his voice firm as Sam moved to the side and began striding past the brunet.

"Says the guy wearing gold pants." Sam threw at Kurt. The countertenor reached out and grasped Sam's bicep, stopping the blond in his tracks.

"There is something wrong, Sam," Kurt stated, his tone sad and concerned, "You know you can trust me, right?"

Sam let out a breath. As much as he wanted a friend right now, he knew that none of them would understand what was going on in his head. They would probably be outraged at the fact that he hadn't handed over the check the moment he got it. None of them would get it. He didn't even understand his hesitance, so why should anyone else?

"I know, Kurt." Sam replied, "But this—this isn't something you can help me with."

"Try me," the brunet persisted and Sam shook his head. He gently removed Kurt's hand from his shoulder and gave the boy, who had been such a great friend to him lately, a sad smile.

"I would, but I know you wouldn't understand. No one would." Sam said and he squeezed Kurt's incredibly soft hand. "I'm sorry."

Kurt looked disheartened as he looked at him. "I'm sorry too, Sam."

Sam nodded at him and walked down the hall, feeling Kurt's eyes burning into the back of his head, guilt in the form of a check slowly eating a hole in his pocket and his thoughts flying a thousand miles an hour. But during all this, he didn't see the calculating and horrified look on Rachel Berry's face from across the hallway.


April 7, 2011 (Thursday)

McKinley High School

Lima, Ohio

3:24PM

He could feel their stares on the back of his neck and it made him blush something fierce. Sam wasn't dumb—maybe a bit slow sometimes, but not stupid—and he knew what people were saying about him. It was that damn Muckrakers fault. The school newspaper had done nothing but cause misery for everyone—especially the people in the Glee club.

Santana was pissed at Brittney, who was upset because Artie accused her of cheating with Santana and then called her stupid. Quinn and Finn were fighting because Rachel was determined to point out her history with cheating and how it was likely Quinn was cheating on Finn with Sam. Lauren and Puck weren't really involved, but he could sense their curiosity and he also knew whose side they were on—it definitely wasn't his.

Quinn and Kurt were trying their best to deflect attention, but Sam was sure that was only making things worse—not helping.

Mike, Tina, and Mercedes were silent—but he could sense some animosity. They seriously thought that Sam was making Kurt cheat on Blaine. Mercedes was pissed because she probably felt like he was making Kurt destroy the perfect relationship. To Sam, it was all laughable. He was not gay and had no interest in Kurt beyond friendship.

Blaine had become a good friend of his, and Stacey had a major crush on Kurt's boyfriend, which the couple found hilarious, but Sam found a bit embarrassing. He wondered what he had done to be seen as such a bad guy—when he'd been nothing but honorable since coming to Lima.

And Quinn, he honestly had no desire to date her again. The girl was one step away from being psycho—at least about this whole prom business—and the only thing they had was friendship. He just didn't understand how all this was being twisted way out of proportion.

It stunned him and pissed him off at the same time. Sam shook his head as he tossed his backpack into his locker and shut the door. He ignored the whispers and walked into the choir room.

Giving Artie a smile, he sat down next to him. Kurt walked in a moment later and as he made his way towards the top of the risers, he placed a friendly hand on Sam's shoulder. The blond looked up at him and answered Kurt's silent question with a weak grin.

Kurt nodded before making his way past Sam and to the top. Sam wasn't oblivious to the stares of everyone else in the room, but he pretended like he didn't notice as Mr. Schue walked inside—a bright smile on his face.

"Who is up first today?" the curly haired man asked and Rachel's hand shot into the air. He nodded towards her and she responded eagerly.

"Mr. Schue, if it's alright with you, I'd like to do my own reinterpretation of my favorite Fleetwood Max song."

The teacher looked surprised at the song choice, but he was pleased—Sam could tell. "Great Rachel, which one?"

"Go your own way. It's the song about the painful breakup between Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nix." Sam saw the nasty look she shot Quinn and he sunk lower in his seat trying to avoid even the possibility of getting sucked into the crossfire.

Rachel continued as she sauntered up to the front of the choir room, "It's traditionally sung by a man, but today, Rachel Berry is going to put her own feminine twist on it."

She twirled the microphone in one hand before saying, "Hit it!"

As Rachel performed her heart out, Sam couldn't help but fall in love with her song choice. The brunette girl was incredibly annoying, but she had good taste in music—most of the time—and the girl could sing. He danced in his chair a little; happy that he could enjoy this time away from the problems of his home life. Listening to the guitar riffs in the music made Sam miss his guitar even more, but feeling the beat of the music didn't let him dwell on it.

When the song ended, Sam was the first to break into applause. She had done that song justice, but of course—right when he was feeling better about himself, hell had to metaphorically break loose in the choir room.

Quinn was pissed. That much he could tell from her voice as she spoke, "Don't you think it's maybe a little inappropriate of you to sing a love song to my guy?"

The drama between Rachel and Quinn seemed never-ending. Sam thought they were both crazy and after dating Quinn—who was moderately sane—he couldn't quite understand how the hell Finn fell in love with both of them.

"You're such a hypocrite; you little miss perfect prom queen. You're a cheater who cheats in cheap motels with Sam!" Rachel's tone was biting and Sam almost choked on air.

His heart started pounding. Why were they bringing him into this? He hadn't done anything wrong! He looked away from Rachel, hoping that his name wouldn't be brought up again.

"Nothing is going on between Sam and I!" Quinn hissed and Sam winced. Apparently, his luck was good for nothing. Mr. Schue looked weary as he rolled his eyes.

"That's enough, guys." He stated, but of course, his ex-girlfriend Santana had to put her two cents into the conversation.

"You know, I blame Sam for all this," Santana mused aloud and Sam inwardly groaned. Well, he certainly knew how to pick the girls, didn't he? "And Rachel too, I blame her."

"What did I do?" Rachel exclaimed. Sam felt his stomach trying to slither to his knees. This couldn't be happening.

"I'm sure you did something," Santana stated and shook her head. Sam felt his hands shake as he scrubbed his hand across his face. He sat there in silence, hoping to be forgotten.

Unfortunately, Lauren piped up, "See, I agree with Santana. I mean—why doesn't Sam have anything to say about this?"

"Guilt," Puck threw in from the opposite side of the room. Sam's temper was rising and so was his panic. It was not a cute combination. "Seriously, dude what you're doing is wrong." The irony of Noah Puckerman telling Sam something was morally wrong was infuriating. He couldn't believe his ears. But it was his last comment that set Sam off. "They both have boyfriends."

Like he didn't fucking know that. "Shut up!" he growled, "Look, I'm not messing around with Quinn or Kurt or anyone of those guys. They're just helping me out."

Mercedes looked outraged. "So is that what we're calling it now?" For some reason, her words stopped his heart and he stared at her, feeling betrayed beyond all belief.

He and Mercedes had practically never spoken before. She didn't even know him as a person, but from what he'd seen before—she'd always given others the benefit of the doubt, but him—he wasn't enough to reserve judgment?

Shaking his head, Sam looked away from her as Mr. Schue protested. "Wait, hold on! How are they helping you out?"

That was the question Sam had been dreading since this whole discussion began and as much as he wanted to lie and keep them away from his secret—he couldn't take any more stress and not telling them would just make them harass him even more.

Sam looked down, frustrated and defeated. "Kurt was bringing me some clothes and Quinn was helping me babysit my little brother and sister."

"Then why were you in that motel?" Finn asked his voice full of accusation.

"Because that's where I live now!" Sam yelled at the drummer who looked taken aback. The silence in the room was stifling. "A few months ago, my mom lost her job and then my dad did too. Then we lost our house, so now we live in that motel—in one room."

He could feel their shocked stares boring into him as he stood up in one motion. "Are you all happy?" he asked them derisively. Sam was full of disappointment and fury. He couldn't even stand to look at them.

"The truth's finally out," he said sarcastically, before he turned around and stormed towards the door. He kicked over some metal music stands on the way out of the door. Everyone flinched at the loud crash it made, but no one stopped him from walking out and slamming the door harshly behind him.


April 7, 2011 (Thursday)

The Music Shop

Lima, Ohio

5:47PM

Mercedes walked into The Music Shop, her backpack thrown across her shoulders and her eyes on the ground. She had never felt so ashamed of herself before. Her mother had always taught her to ask questions before assuming you have all the answers. Usually, she did that and took pride in the fact that she didn't fall victim to the malicious gossip that went around McKinley High, but this once, she let her own problems cloud her decisions.

She was angry at Kurt for ignoring her and their friendship. Yeah, she was happy that he'd found a boyfriend—she couldn't be more pleased, but it wasn't fair for him to forget about her and the things they used to do together with this new development.

So hearing that Kurt was cheating on Blaine—the most perfect boyfriend ever—with Sam pissed her off. She had assumed that he'd chosen his relationship with Blaine over her, and to a degree, she could totally understand, but to hear that he was two-timing Blaine with Sam Evans was unacceptable. She refused to be replaced by a pretty blond kid and her jealousy had unfortunately affected her thinking.

It humbled her when she thought of Sam's face as soon as she'd spoken. It was almost as though he'd expected better from her; something that didn't make sense considering they'd hardly even talked. That was something else that made her feel bad. She had never even taken the time to try and get to know Sam—she just assumed he was like all the other jocks; cute and stupid.

But after today, it seemed that there was more to Sam Evans than she'd first thought, and it also seemed that she needed a wakeup call to her sudden arrogant and jealous nature. Mercedes' train of thought was interrupted when her aunt stuck her head out of the door of the back room.

Her aunt beamed when she spotted Mercedes and the girl smiled back. "Mercy, darlin'!" she called, "It's good to see you, honey."

"You too, Auntie," Mercedes replied as Lynnette walked from the room, a huge box in her arms. The small lady sat the box down onto the counter and then held her arms open for her niece. Mercedes willingly walked into her embrace.

She hugged the woman tighter than she normally would, and when Lynn pulled out of the hug, she placed her hands on the sides of Mercedes' face. "You get more beautiful every time I see you, "she said, "You haven't stopped by in a long time. Ever since you started that Glee club, I hardly see you—except when you want to raid my shop for some sheet music."

Mercedes shrugged sheepishly, knowing it was true. Lynn was her favorite. She wasn't related by blood. She had married into the Orchid family by her husband, Davis—Mercedes' mother's brother, but Davis had left her for another woman seven years ago. Lynn had been adopted into the family and she'd gone by Auntie Lynn for forever.

Lynn had two kids—a twenty year old son named Jonathon and a sixteen year old daughter named Karly, who'd left to live with her father during the divorce. Lynn had been heartbroken, but she still loved her children and tried her best to stay in contact with them.

Mercedes and Lynn had grown close over the years—the woman was like another mother. She could talk to her about anything on her mind. Mercedes hoped to be the type of woman Lynnette was—strong and capable, loving and compassionate, beautiful and intelligent. She was everything her real mother was, and she was grateful that she had such a wonderful family to come home to.

Now, standing in front of Lynn, wanting advice, but too ashamed to really ask for it—Mercedes fidgeted. "What's going on, darlin'?" she asked and Mercedes sighed deeply.

Lynn lifted a hand, silently instructing Mercedes to wait before she went to the front door and locked it; she switched the open sign to closed and then escorted Mercedes to the back room.

The backroom was nice—it had plush couches, cherry hardwood flooring, and a table in the corner of the room. In the far left, there was a wooden door that had 'Storage' written across it in black lettering. Lynn led Mercedes to the couch and then sat down beside her when she fell ungracefully into the cushions.

"I made a mistake, Auntie." Lynn's eyebrows rose, but she only waited for Mercedes to continue. "I've always been taught that I'm not supposed to judge others, but today, I said some stuff to someone who's already having a hard enough time."

"Honey, we all make mistakes—"

"No, you don't understand! I don't even know this guy! I didn't even take the time to ask questions before I accused him of something that he didn't deserve."

"Darlin', you sound angry enough for me to think that there is more to this situation than being rude and judgmental. Am I right?"

"Yes," Mercedes answered, feeling as though her aunt could see right through her. It made her uncomfortable because she was already feeling like a heel, but now someone else could see her mistakes too. "I implied something about Kurt because I was jealous of him."

"Mercy—"

"I didn't know what to think! He had ditched me before for a guy and now that he's found someone perfect, I'm left in the dust again. He wouldn't tell me anything, so I just assumed that he was cheating on Blaine."

"Mercedes—" Lynn tried again, but Mercedes was too frustrated to listen.

"I just want my best friend back!"

The tears clouded her vision before she could blink them back and Lynn only watched her sadly.

"Mercedes, you know what you did wrong, so you don't need me to tell you again. Just let me say this, darlin'; there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting your best friend back, but people change and we have to change with them."

"I don't want Kurt to change, we were good the way we were."

"Yes, that's true," Lynn implored, "but, honey, nothing stays the same. You've been focusing so hard on getting back to what you had that you've forgotten about the fact that Kurt is still here. He's still your best friend, but now you have to share him with someone else."

"What if I don't want to share?"

Mercedes was petulant, but Lynn only gave a disapproving quirk of the lips.

"Mercedes Jones! You were not raised to be selfish. And you know that life doesn't work that way." Mercedes pouted slightly, but Lynn only pulled her into an embrace.

"I know; I'll stop being a brat." Mercedes said softly and Lynn chuckled.

"Thank you, and I'm sure you know what you need to do to make up for your mistakes." Lynn said.

"Not really," Mercedes replied and Lynn poked her in the ribs, making the girl squeal. "But I have an idea." Lynn laughed.

"That's my girl." The two sat in silence for a moment. "And who's to say that what comes of this won't be better than it was before?"

Mercedes felt a smile cross her face. Lynn had optimism about the strangest things, but it was words like that—that made Mercedes love her auntie all the more. She was such an amazing woman, and to have that type of presence around her was incredible.

"I've been thinking about building a restaurant that attaches to this place," Lynn mused aloud and Mercedes looked up at her. Lynn shrugged. "What? I've got the free space next door, and I could just knock down the wall. I've just never finished renovating it. I have no idea what I'd do with all that space."

Mercedes just shook her head and relaxed. The two chatted about the merits of that business venture for a long time. Mercedes felt like herself again. It was wonderful. When it was almost ten o'clock, Mercedes helped Lynn close up shop and on her way out she noticed the new glass case in the right hand corner of the room.

Curious, she stepped closer and felt a sense of familiarity overtake her. Why on earth did that guitar look so familiar? She walked right up to it and racked her brain for an answer. She could remember seeing it somewhere, but it just wasn't clicking inside her mind.

Lynn noticed her staring. "What's wrong, Mercy?" she asked and Mercedes answered her absently.

"I've seen this guitar somewhere before, but I can't remember..."

Lynn frowned at her niece. "Well, I just got it this weekend from a blond boy who needed some money."

Mercedes brow furrowed and she looked between her aunt and the guitar. When the answer came to her, she felt the air escape her lungs. "Was his name Sam Evans?"

Lynn looked surprised and she nodded slowly. "How do you know that, darlin'?"

"Because he's in my Glee club; he was the one I was rude to today." Mercedes' heart clenched at the thought of Sam having sold his guitar to help his family. Even though she didn't know him well, he took his guitar everywhere and she could tell it was important to him. It must have been difficult for him to give that up.

Mercedes' urge to apologize and make it up to him tripled in strength. Mercedes Jones was back and she was determined to make herself better than before.


April 7, 2011 (Thursday)

The Motel 6

Lima, Ohio

10:14PM

Sam had put his siblings to bed an hour earlier and was just staring at the wall, waiting for his parents to come home. He was done with all of this. He couldn't live this way anymore. And that check was their ticket out of this motel room.

Sam hated the fact that his secret was out, and all of this could've been prevented had he just handed the damn check over before. He was so ashamed of himself. He had been so self-centered this past week that he hadn't even fully considered all that the money could do for them.

But no more. He was no coward and he was no jerk. He wasn't going to keep this from his parents any longer. They could use it to get a small apartment maybe, or at the least a bigger suite. His guitar would just have to be replaced. And even though the thought pained him, he felt better about his situation than he did in days. He was actually going to help his family in a significant way.

Things were going to get better, he could just feel it. He was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of his mom and dad arguing. Their raised voices reinforced his decision.

When the doorknob squeaked and finally turned, Sam's heart leapt into his throat. His parents both walked in, his mother stony faced and his father looked world weary.

Sam stood up slowly as his dad closed the door. "Hi Sam," the man greeted his son with a kind, but exhausted smile. His mother didn't even speak.

"Uh, I-I have something to show you," Sam said nervously, his tongue felt huge in his mouth and he could feel sweat beading at his forehead. His parents just looked at him and Sam pulled out his wallet. He fumbled with opening it—causing him to blush—but he powered through and he pulled out the check.

It was crinkled and creased, but definitely readable and Sam handed it to his father—who was standing the closest to him. "I went out last weekend and I sold my guitar."

Jeffrey Evans looked up sharply at that. He knew how much that guitar meant, but Sam held up a hand as his father spoke, "Son, you didn't need to—"

"Dad it sold for vintage pricing." Sam said and Jeffrey froze. Sam knew he would understand the reference, but his mother looked clueless. Jeffrey unfolded the check in his hand and his eyes got wide. He literally had to sit down.

"What?" Elizabeth asked warily. "What is it, Jeffrey?" Getting no response, she strode over and took the check from Jeff's hands. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she read the figure and she let out a short scream.

Sam saw the tears rush to her eyes and his father was no better. They both looked at him with such love and gratitude that Sam almost burst into tears as well, but he kept it together. When he was blindsided by his mother throwing her arms around him in a hug, he staggered and his father joined too. They stayed that way for a long time, and neither asked about the dates on the check.

Sam was grateful. Life felt like it was getting better already. And as he went to bed that night after agreeing to go to the bank in the morning with his mother, he felt less tortured, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness that had plagued him since he'd sold his instrument.


* = indicates the beginning and end of dialogue in the Glee episode "Rumors".