DISCLAIMER: Look on first chapter. There is dialogue from GLEE episode "Prom Queen". I take no credit for those lines. That dialogue belongs to the writers of GLEE. (No matter how sucktastic they seem at the moment for writing off Sam)
PROM is in the next chapter! Happy reading! :D
April 29, 2011 (Friday)
Puck's Place
Lima, Ohio
7:07PM
"I don't see how you do it, Puck," Mike said as he furiously battled his friend. Sam wanted to laugh at the smug smirk on Puck's face as his character laid the smack down on Mike's player. They had already gone through four rounds of Super Street Fighter II: Turbo and Puck had destroyed them all.
Mike was trying valiantly but he was defeated a minute later. Mike groaned and tossed the controller to a grinning Finn. He stared at the victorious Puck and said, "You have to be cheating. Nobody is this good naturally."
"That's what all the girls say, but then I prove them wrong too."
Sam cracked up when Mike shot Puck a disgusted look. Finn was laughing on the side and Artie was snickering under his breath.
"I do not need to know about whatever action you're getting from Zizes." Mike told him.
"That girl has a strong—"
"Finish that sentence and I will hurt you, Puckerman." Sam yelled as he looked away from Puck's grinning countenance.
"Someone's touchy," Puck teased, "I don't see why—we all know Santana had her hands all up in your business."
Sam tried his best, but his cheeks lit on fire anyway. He heard them all laugh as he blushed a bright red and avoided their gazes. "How do you know that?" he asked sheepishly; wondering if Mercedes had told anyone.
Puck gave him a look as he and Finn started a new round. Artie was the one to answer him though. "It's Santana," he said, "She's slept with pretty much every guy in glee club—with the exception of Mr. Schue, me and Mike."
"The glee club?" Puck snorted before cursing as Finn got the upper hand. He focused on his game until he reestablished equilibrium and then said, "She's had pretty much every guy in school."
Sam frowned. He had known that she got around, but he didn't think she was all that bad. Santana was abrasive yes, but she could also be nice when she wanted to be. She just showed her caring in different ways.
"She may have gotten around, but she's a nice girl," Sam told them, trying to mentally figure out why he was defending her. When they were together she had done nothing but insult him right after complimenting him. She had dragged him around like an accessory, but she had helped him when he needed it.
He didn't like her much as a girlfriend, but Sam got the feeling that there was more to her harsh nature than they thought. And he really wasn't a fan of dissing people. Sam got four incredulous looks in response to his comment.
"A nice girl?" Mike exclaimed, "She tells me to paint her nails every time I'm around her."
"She locked me in a closet once." Artie threw in.
"She calls me a lumbering giant with custard nipples!"
"And she tries to trash talk my girl—that isn't cool."
Sam couldn't find words.
"And she made up that Trouty Mouth song about you," Finn said causing Sam's cheeks to flare red. "How could you say that she's a nice girl?"
"W-well, she doesn't do nice in the stereotypical way," Sam replied, "but neither does Rachel." Finn looked torn between surprise and irritation.
"Rachel's brand of annoying is different," Finn responded, "She does everything to get ahead. She usually has a reason. Santana is just mean."
"Yeah every once in a while I want to kick her in the ovaries," Puck tossed into the conversation, "Just to see if it'll bring out her missing mommy side or more bitchitude."
"I'm pretty sure you would bitch if someone kicked you in the ovaries," Artie pointed out and Puck waved him off.
"Come on, man, she's not that bad," Sam said back. Puck let out a cry of indignation as Finn's character sucker-punched his, and they fought intensely. Puck won again before Mike stopped staring at Sam in confusion.
"What?" Sam asked and the Asian boy just gave him a knowing look.
"You still have the hots for Santana," Mike declared and Sam—who had just taken a sip of his soda—did a spit take. Finn let out a disgusted sound as he wiped soda from his arm.
"Where would you get an idea like that?" Sam demanded, but the four boys looked as though they had figured out the problem.
"You defended her and I saw you staring in her direction all week," Artie replied and Sam blushed.
He hadn't been staring at Santana—he'd been watching Mercedes all week long and she had been sitting next to the Latina. He wasn't sure that admitting that would help his case though.
"I do not have the hots for Santana," Sam told them, "I have no intention of going anywhere near that relationship again. It was too much work dating her. And I'm almost positive she's a lesbian."
"Right," Puck replied, disbelievingly. "What about Quinn? You were looking at her like she'd betrayed you on Tuesday when Mr. Schue talked about prom."
Again—that had been about Mercedes. This did look kind of bad, but there was nothing he could do about it. Finn's eyes were narrowed in his direction.
"You trying to get my girl?" he demanded and Sam rolled his eyes.
"Sorry Finn, but I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole," he replied. "I've had quite enough of crazy in my life. Quinn and I are friends and that's all we will be."
Finn looked relieved and he nodded at Sam. The blond was just happy that he'd avoided any unnecessary drama. Quinn and Finn had been acting strange since they officially started dating again after Regionals.
"Alright fellas," Puck declared suddenly, "Time to stop talking about these boob-growing topics. We're men." Puck raised his controller high and said, "And men don't talk about feelings. Let's go get some drinks, eat some crappy food that Kurt will bitch at Finn for later, and play some pool."
There was a chorus of cheers from the group and the night dissolved into fits of laughter, pranks, trash-talking, and serious game playing. They had another table tennis tournament and Artie smoked them again, but Sam destroyed them all in punch pong. With the exception of Artie—whose mom had come to pick him up—all the guys ended up passing out in various positions at Puck's house.
It had been an awesome night.
April 29, 2011 (Friday)
Quinn's Mansion
Lima, Ohio
8:17PM
"Girls," Kurt said as he smoothed an avocado based facial mask onto Brittany's face, "have any of you seen the newest cover of Vogue? The outfits are to die for."
Tina smiled at the brunet boy as he turned Brittany's head to the side. "I've seen it on the shelves, but none of us are so fashion savvy. I have to make the recent trends work with my personal style and that's harder than it looks."
Kurt nodded in agreement as Santana plopped down on the ground—her legs crossed in front of her and her back resting against the edge of Quinn's huge bed.
"Even if you can't afford things exactly like the newest trends—remember that fit is always the most important thing. If the clothes don't suit your shape, then they're not worth buying." Kurt replied.
Lauren rolled her eyes as she sprawled out on a soft green chaise that rested in the sitting area in front of Quinn's bed. "In that case nothing is worth buying," she grumped as she examined her nails, "Fashion trends don't look good on anyone bigger than a size two."
"Face it, Kurtsie," Santana said as she flipped through a recent copy of People magazine, "Triple X over there has a point. Women with curves don't look good in those clothes. I'm a size four with boobs and some dresses make me look like an overstuffed sausage."
"Fake boobs tend to do that to you," Lauren tossed back. Santana gave her a look.
"None of that," Mercedes spoke up as she walked into Quinn's room from the bathroom. Mercedes had to admit that Quinn's family was rich, but she had nothing on the Jones family.
Quinn's room was huge and made up of various soft blues and greens. She had a large bed in the center of the room—a canopy bed with sheer curtains falling softly around the entire thing. It was cast iron and had a blue and green quilt spread across it. Her walls were covered in band posters and family pictures. Mercedes noticed the pictures of various Glee club get togethers along one wall and had to smile.
About fifteen feet from her bed was a square sitting area with a rug in the center, a fancy looking couch, a chaise, and two armchairs sat closest to the fireplace that was in the wall. To the left of the sitting area was her study area—a light oak desk with cast iron fixings and a pretty green desk chair.
Quinn's books for school were all on the bookshelf to the right of the desk and her computer had a photo album screen saver. For a lingering moment, Mercedes stared at the picture of her and Quinn when she'd lived with the Jones family. It was right next to her bed—on the nightstand next to her lamp. She didn't think that Quinn remembered being almost sisters with Mercedes, but there was living proof that it had meant something to the blonde.
She shook off the thoughts, before turning stern eyes onto her friends. "This is a pre-prom beauty marathon, and we only get two of these, so don't spoil the night by getting into a fight." She looked pointedly at Santana and Lauren—both of whom rolled their eyes.
"That rhymed," Brittany said with a giggle. Kurt smiled at the girl in amusement and Santana looked at the blonde fondly.
"Can we be nice?" Mercedes asked and Lauren flapped a hand at her.
"Whatever, Wheezy," Santana replied.
"Watch it girlie," Mercedes stated as she walked to the sitting area and sat down next to Brittany on the couch. "I can take you. I may not be from Lima Heights Adjacent and speak Spanish, but I'm from Lima Perpendicular to Lima Heights Adjacent and I speak kick ass."
Santana didn't look up from her magazine, but Mercedes caught the smile on her face. The Latina was a whole lot of talk and very little action, but when she popped off—Santana could tear shit down.
Kurt finished putting the mask on Brittany's face and said, "Mercy, you next?"
"I need to get my hair out of my face first," she replied and almost immediately Rachel was bouncing onto the couch behind her.
"I'll do it," the brunette said as she reached for Mercedes' hair. Kurt shrugged at her enthusiasm, before beckoning Santana over to get her mask. The Latina dropped her magazine and came over—plopping down in front of Kurt and next to Brittany.
"Can I braid your hair, Santana?" Brittany asked and Santana nodded. They shifted around until Santana was in between Brittany's legs—who had crossed her legs across Santana's lap—and Brittany was directly behind her against the couch cushions.
Brittany clapped in excitement before she started brushing the Latina's hair with her fingers.
"It's so pretty!" she said, "Nothing like Lord Tubbington's."
They all laughed, before Quinn walked into the room. She pushed a cart thingy into the room that was full of facial cleansers, make up, nail polish, and hair stuff. There was also a basket of bottled water and Kurt approved snacks on the bottom of the cart.
Lauren immediately went over to investigate and Tina hijacked the nail polish bin as she made her way to the sitting area. She plopped down on the floor next to Mercedes' feet.
"Alright ladies—and Kurt—it's time to get this pre-prom beauty marathon started for real," the blonde declared as she walked over to them. Quinn smoothed the cotton fabric of her green-polka dotted pajama top and shorts, before picking up her remote control.
She pressed a couple of buttons and everybody looked up as Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" started pouring out of the speakers of her built in surround sound system. She pulled her hair from its ponytail and shook it out, before throwing a fist in the air and letting out a yell. The others followed her lead and the fun began in full force.
Quinn took the lead and painted Santana's finger nails while Tina did her toenails. Santana painted Tina's fingernails while Quinn did her toes and they switched to finish Quinn. As the night progressed, topics abounded. From bitching about boyfriends hour—which Mercedes listened to with amusement and slight sadness—to how to deal with monthly puffiness during cycles—Kurt looked faintly green at that point, but when he told them that he was blessed to be born with a penis; he had been attacked with couch cushions.
There were of course some spats—that was impossible to avoid because of the sheer number of divas in the same room, but they all ended in laughter. Humiliating stories were shared and truth or dare was played. They had a conga line around Quinn's room and a pillow fight took place. Kurt had been mildly annoyed about his hair being messed up, but the girls had fun fixing it for him.
Of course, makeovers had been done. Kurt had talked each person through it—giving them advice on which colors would look best with their complexion and skin tone. They ended the night by watching Cinderella—the animated version. Being the Glee club members that they were—they all had to sing every song on the show as they reclined on Quinn's huge bed.
No one passed out until almost six in the morning, but they all slept with smiles on their faces. The first pre-prom beauty marathon was a success.
April 30, 2011 (Saturday)
The Motel Six
Lima, Ohio
9:03AM
When Sam walked into his family's motel room, he was instantly glomped on by his overexcited seven year old sister. "Sammy!" she cried as she leapt into his arms. The blond had to drop his backpack to catch her before she fell.
"Whoa there Sunshine," he said as he fumbled around trying to secure her in his grasp. She helped by latching onto his neck.
"We missed you last night," Stacey said as Sam kicked the door shut with his foot.
"You did?" he asked with a grin towards his father. "I thought you guys were gonna watch some movies."
"We did, but daddy doesn't do your impressions," Stacey replied, "And he's not very funny."
Sam burst out laughing at the put out look on his father's face. Stevie was grinning behind his comic book on the bed.
"Yeah," Sam said through his laughter, "I'll have to teach him a thing or two."
His father just flicked him on the ear as he walked past to sit on the bed. Sam grinned. "Teach me a thing or two—"Sam heard his father muttering. "I taught that little muffin head everything he knows."
Oh, God, not that nickname. Muffin head had been his father's go to nickname ever since Sam's fourth birthday party when Sam had demanded a giant muffin for his cake instead of an actual cake. It wasn't his fault. He had always preferred muffins to cake. Something no one seemed to understand.
He ignored his dad's musing as Stacey started talking. "And your big dance is tonight, right?" she asked and Sam nodded. "You're going to be singing too?" He smiled in agreement and was surprised when Stacey looked sad.
"What's wrong, Sunshine?" he asked her and she shrugged at him.
"We never get to see you sing," She admitted sadly, "We couldn't make it to your Sectionals or your Regionals performance and now we can't see you sing again."
"I sing to you all the time," he replied in confusion and Stacey shook her head.
"It's not the same!" she protested, "You're not all dressed up and dancing and on a stage with all the lights and stuff. I want to see you sing with the Glee club!"
His father looked like he felt the same way as Stacey, but was trying to hide it and Stevie avoided his gaze. Sam felt happy that they wanted to see him perform, but upset that the timing was always wrong. He hadn't realized that it meant so much to them—especially Stacey.
"I promise that you'll get to see me sing sometime Stacey," he told her wondering how the hell he would pull that one off, but he'd figure something out. He always did. "But in the meantime—you can dance with me, right now."
His little sister looked surprised but excited. "Why, Sammy?" she asked and he grinned.
"Because Lord knows that I need to practice," he told her making her giggle, "I have to impress the ladies." In one smooth motion, Sam stood up and spun them around in a circle. Stacey laughed loudly as he twirled her around the room.
"Are you gonna help me?" he asked and Stacey beamed. They both looked up when some 80s pop music started playing. Sam had to laugh as he watched his dad try to do the mashed potato. Stevie was standing on the bed—pulling some serious disco moves. As he placed Stacey on the ground and watched her start doing the sprinkler, he smiled.
His family was so awesome.
April 30, 2011 (Saturday)
The Motel Six
Lima, Ohio
5:21PM
"Sam, stop fidgeting!" Jeff ordered as his son twitched nervously in front of him. He was trying his best to fix the sleeves of his suit coat because they were too long for Sam's arms, but his impatient teenager wouldn't stop moving around. Jeff had accidentally stabbed his son twice with the pins he was using, but Sam apparently didn't learn.
When Sam almost made Jeff stab him with a pin again, the father of three tossed his hands into the air. "Muffin head, what is wrong with you?" he demanded as he looked at his son in exasperation. "It's a dance, Samuel. Not a wedding ceremony!"
He raised an eyebrow when his son blushed a bright red. "What's going on Sam?" he asked warily. Sam's cheeks darkened in response and he wouldn't meet Jeff's gaze. "Is it the girl you're taking?" Jeff questioned.
"Well," Sam admitted sheepishly, "I'm taking two girls." That confession threatened to stop Jeffrey's heart mid-beat. He gaped at his son.
"You're what?" Jeff asked, appalled. He had not raised a two-timing son. Jeff was positive that he'd taught his child better than that and—well; he forcefully kept his thoughts from wandering in that direction. Jeffrey stood up straighter and stared his son down. "Explain yourself right now, young man," he instructed. "You're not taking that Quinn or Santana girl are you?"
Sam seemed to finally understand where his father's thoughts had gone, because his eyeballs just about popped out of his head. "They know about each other—and no it's not Quinn or Santana," Sam said, "They paid me."
"What?" Jeffrey exclaimed and Sam jumped. Jeffrey was on the verge of a heart attack.
His son was a prostitute! He should've taken him to church more or stopped him from watching all of those crime shows on television.
Sam blushed when he realized how that must have sounded to his father and he rushed to calm him. "Dad, they called it a prom on a budget. We each got twenty dollars—loaned from Rachel, who's one of my dates—to get outfits, dinner and everything. They didn't want to go alone so they invited me—knowing that I couldn't exactly afford everything on my own."
Jeff felt his heart beat returning to normal as Sam explained. He was getting too old for this.
"Rachel?" he asked, "Who else are you going with?"
"Mercedes," Sam replied as Jeff went back to work on pinning his sleeves. A smirk threatened to cross his face. Mercedes and Sam were like ostriches with their heads in the sand. They were so into each other that it annoyed Jeff to realize that they didn't even know they liked each other yet. It hadn't been hard to see.
Jeff, Lynn, David, and Delia had noticed it almost immediately after watching the two of them interact this past weekend. Mercedes' brothers had seen it too. Initially Jeff had worried about their reactions to the discovery, because he thought for sure that they would try to mess up his son's face. And Jeff wasn't going to let that happen—no matter how old he was; if someone tried to hit his kids, he would be the first one in that fight.
Surprisingly, the boys hadn't done that at all—and they ended up being friends by the end of the weekend. Jeff was happy that they got along well. He didn't see their friendship ending any time soon. It helped that Mercedes and her family were incredible people. And Jeff wasn't ashamed to admit that Lynn was a beautiful woman, who had given him a chance to turn his life around.
He would be forever grateful to her for hiring him.
"I'm sure you're going to have a lot of fun," Jeff said in reply and Sam grinned.
"I hope so!" Sam told him. "Cede said that I could pull out my robot and she would still dance with me. So I'm going to have to test that out." The delighted smile on Sam's face did wonders for Jeff's heart.
He would be forever grateful to Mercedes Jones as well. She had brought his son out of a lethal depression and back into their family. Seeing Sam smile so earnestly made him realize how much of a treasure his son was. His son had always been shy, but he had a loving personality whenever he felt comfortable. That joy had been missing for a year, and all traces of happiness had vanished along with his guitar.
To see him, laughing and happy again, it was a gift beyond comparison. He looked down at Sam's sleeve to hide the sudden watering of his eyes. He couldn't believe that Sam was about to go to his junior prom.
Sam had been his baby boy for so long that it felt like a punch to the gut to realize that he only had one more year with him in high school. They had been through so much together lately that time seemed to drag and speed by at the same time.
Jeff looked his son over once more to make sure he looked presentable. He chuckled a bit when he spotted the bolo tie he was sporting. Sam smiled at his dad, and Jeff couldn't help but place his hands on his son's face.
Sam looked confused as Jeff placed a kiss on his teenager's forehead. "Do you have any idea how proud I am of you, Samuel?" he asked—his voice gruff with emotion. Sam looked taken aback, but hopeful.
"You are?" Sam asked quietly and Jeff could've burst into tears right then. Their relationship had been strained to the breaking point in the past year and they had made tremendous progress in the last couple of weeks—having come together after Elizabeth's abrupt departure from the family.
But, they had a long way to go and Jeff prayed that this could be fixed before Sam went off to college. He would be damned if his son didn't know that he loved him at the end of every day from here on out.
Staring down at his son's nervous green eyes—eyes that he'd gotten from Jeff—he said, "Yes, I am." Jeff pulled his kid into a hug that Sam returned tightly. "I am so proud of you."
Jeff ran a hand through his son's hair as Sam's fingers gripped the fabric of his t-shirt. It looked like Sam had needed to hear those words far more than he'd first thought.
The hug broke off a moment later and Jeff pretended to not notice as Sam tried to inconspicuously wipe tears off his face.
"Let's get you to prom, muffin head," Jeff said with a teasing grin. Sam laughed as his dad clapped him on the shoulder and led him to the door. Jeff herded the youngest two out of the door of the motel room. "Where am I dropping you off?"
"Breadstix," Sam answered as he climbed into the passenger side of the truck and buckled his seatbelt. Jeff started up the truck as Stevie and Stacey fastened themselves in the backseat.
"Alrighty then," he said before putting the truck in reverse and pulling out of the motel parking lot. Jeff silently hoped that Sam would have the night of his life. His kid deserved it.
April 30, 2011 (Saturday)
The Jones' Estate
Lima, Ohio
5:47PM
All afternoon, Lynn had watched as Mercedes was sent through the beauty ringer—shower, shave, hair, dress. It was an exciting procession to watch and even more exciting to take part in. Lynn felt her heart constrict.
Spending the day helping her niece prepare for prom was a dream come true. This was something she would never be able to help her daughter or son with. She would never be able to help her pick out a hairstyle or do her makeup or zip up her dress. Lynn longed for a child to take care of.
And the Jones family was as close as she was going to get. Mercedes looked absolutely stunning in her fuscia dress. Her hair had been straightened and curled—tied in a side ponytail with a silver ribbon. Her makeup had been painstakingly put on by Lynn and Delia.
Lynn felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she watched Mercedes descend the staircase. She looked so much like a princess that Lynn was tempted to squeal in excitement. She wasn't the only one moved by the sight of Mercedes. Delia was in tears and David looked like he was tempted to escort his daughter back upstairs and lock her away forever.
Her heart wouldn't stop breaking—no matter what she tried. Lynn watched David tell Mercedes that she looked beautiful and she couldn't help but want that moment. She observed as Delia hugged Mercedes close and exchanged words of endearment. The desire was burning a pit into her stomach.
She felt hollow. She would never have that. Her ex-husband Davis had made sure of that. He had taken her kids from her—not that they would've stayed anyway. Davis had fed them so many lies about her that she hadn't stood a chance. Their hatred was what hurt the most.
Lynn watched her niece from afar—them having traded goodbyes earlier and she couldn't help but cry. She had lived with this pain for seven long years. Every day she prayed for God to soothe the ache in her heart. And most days, it was bearable, but moments like this—when she was reminded of everything she would never have or experience—the pain was excruciating.
Lynn smiled as Mercedes waved at her from the driver's seat of her BMW as she pulled out of the driveway. She just prayed that Mercedes would have the time of her life tonight. She deserved it. And she prayed that she would once again find the strength to smile tomorrow morning.
April 30, 2011 (Saturday)
Breadstix Restaurant
Lima, Ohio
6:06PM
Mercedes ran into Rachel on her way into the restaurant. She loved Rachel's dress immediately, but she was not a fan of the guy on her arm. Rachel must've seen the look on Mercedes' face because the brunette girl sent Jesse ahead of her to find a table.
"And what is he doing here?" Mercedes demanded and Rachel gave her a shrug.
"We ran into each other the other day and I invited him to join us."
"Rachel," Mercedes groaned, "he made you into a breakfast plate—the least you could do is have some form of self-respect and tell him to get lost."
"He's not my date," Rachel protested immediately. "He's joining us—"Mercedes cut her off with a raised hand in the classic stop gesture.
"You're into him, Rachel," Mercedes told her bluntly. The brunette looked down at her pearl pink ballet flats. "And you try to deny it because you don't want others to know, but you're also still in love with Finn." Rachel's wide eyes snapped up to hers and she gave the shorter girl a knowing look.
"Just think before you do anything, okay?" Mercedes pleaded. "If you ask me—Jesse is dumber than a box of rocks. And you shouldn't let the desire for a boyfriend play into how you treat him tonight." As much as Mercedes wanted to say that she didn't think Jesse was good for Rachel—it wasn't her place. Rachel needed to get out of her head and start treating people right.
Normally, Mercedes would tell her just that—but tonight, she wanted no part in the drama that was bound to start between Finn, Quinn, Jesse and Rachel. It wasn't worth her time. And she planned on making her junior prom the most awesome night of the year—not just for herself but for Sam as well. Blondie deserved to have some fun.
Rachel nodded lightly before walking past Mercedes to the table where Jesse sat. The diva didn't have to think twice to know that her advice had gone in one ear and out of the other. She rolled her eyes and turned to walk inside when she caught sight of a familiar figure loping towards her.
"Sam!" she called and he turned his head to look at her. She could lie to herself and say that her heart didn't do a strange flip in her chest when Sam's green eyes lit up as he beamed at her, but tonight was supposed to be a good night and she didn't feel like being dishonest tonight.
So she grinned back at him from where she stood. "Hey Cede," he greeted when he finally reached her. Sam looked quite handsome in his borrowed suit, but the bolo tie was ridiculous. She didn't say anything though as he enveloped her in a hug.
"Shall we?" he asked—extending an arm to her and Mercedes couldn't help but laugh as she took his offered elbow. The host held open the door for them as they walked inside together—chatting up a storm about the previous night's activities.
When they reached the table—greetings were exchanged as Sam slid into the booth and sat closest to Rachel.
Mercedes stood in front of their booth, her hands on her hips. "How do I look?" she asked with a bright smile as she did a small twirl. Cheers and laughter from their table immediately rose as she modeled her dress with as much attitude as she wanted.
"Mercedes, can I just say that you look fierce in your dress?" Rachel said with a huge smile on her face.
"Totally Mercedes," Jesse agreed, "You both look smokin'."
Mercedes flicked her curls for a second and said, "Damn straight, I do." She slid into her seat next to Sam and smiled at him when he shot her a cheesy grin. Looking eager, the blond leaned forward—playing with his tie.
"Seriously, Jesse," Sam began excitedly, "What do you think of the bolo tie?" Sam's inner dork was showing and Mercedes couldn't help but look at him fondly. He had no idea that bolo ties had gone out of style twenty years ago. "Pretty cool, right? It's all Bruce Springsteen on the cover of the Tunnel of Love album."
Jesse looked like he didn't know what to say, and Mercedes almost wished he hadn't said anything when he did speak.
"Dude, that was like twenty years ago." He told Sam and Mercedes saw his expression drop. It was ridiculous for someone to look so upset over a bolo tie, but it seemed like Sam had really thought he'd gotten it right this time. "I'm really sorry to hear what happened to your family, Sam." That made the smile completely disappear off Sam's face and Mercedes wanted to smack Jesse for bringing it up. Wow, curly Q, way to bring down the mood.
"I hope you don't mind," Rachel said, "I sort of filled Jesse in on what was going on." Mercedes narrowed her eyes in the brunette's direction and she gave Mercedes an apologetic look. She should've expected something like this because it was Rachel, but it didn't sit well with her. Sam didn't appear to be a fan either.
He looked incredibly uncomfortable as the conversation continued. Mercedes just rubbed his arm lightly in sympathy. He gave her a grateful smile.
"Of course it's okay," Jesse implored, "Sam has nothing to be ashamed of. I know how tough it is out there. I couldn't even get a job as one of those singing waiters at Johnny Rockets. But, I've got an idea. They say that the best time to start a business is during a recession. I have no idea what that is, but it's my understanding that we're in one."
Rachel looked enthralled with the drivel Jesse was spouting off about. And her next words just made it even clearer to Mercedes how naïve Rachel could be as she looked over at them and said, "He's so smart. I don't see how he flunked out of college."
Mercedes and Sam traded incredulous looks which earned a confused expression from Rachel. How could one person be so utterly oblivious?
"So I was thinking—what are the two things I'm great at?" Jesse continued, "Show choir and destroying the competition—so what if I open up a dance studio and work as a consultant for show choirs looking for an extra edge."
Mercedes was skeptical. He was going to run a consulting studio from Lima, Ohio? There were like four show choirs within two hundred miles. That wouldn't create enough profit to live off of—unless he charged exorbitant prices for his consultation work.
"Are there enough show choirs around for you to stay in business?" she asked—her tone doubtful; and Rachel being the opportunistic nut ball that she is—immediately piped up.
"Of course there is. That's perfect," she said. If this had been a cartoon moment—Rachel would've had stars and hearts coming out of her eyes. "You could be like the show choir whisperer! We could get Mr. Schue to hire you in a minute and that's how we could be Vocal Adr—"Her passionate speech was interrupted by Quinn and Finn's sudden appearance at their table.
"Hi guys! You look amazing!" Quinn gushed with the fakest smile on her face that Mercedes had ever seen. She felt sorry for her friend. Mercedes didn't know what the hell was going on with Quinn, but whatever it was—it obviously wasn't working out the way she wanted it to. "And don't forget to vote Hudson-Fabray tonight."
Finn looked mutinous as he said, "Hey Jesse, what did you order? Scrambled eggs? I know you usually like them served on people's heads."
Mercedes and Sam traded annoyed looks. She had seen the shame and embarrassment on Rachel's face when Finn spoke. This whole love web bullshit was getting old—correction it had been old since last year when it first started. She wished they would just make up their damn minds already.
"Quinn, you look stunning—the ghost of Grace Kelly," Jesse said with a sarcastic smile on his face, "When you get tired of your boyfriend here stomping all over your pretty little feet all night, I'd be more than happy to cut in."
Damn it all to hell. They were not going to ruin prom for her or for Sam. Shit had gone down the past couple of weeks and she was determined to have some fun tonight—and make sure that Sam did too. Rachel's love problems could wait for another day.
"Okay stop it, you guys," Mercedes stated before the pissing contest could continue. "You're totally ruining the prom mojo. Quinn you look hot. Finn you look handsome. Love you guys, but get lost. We'll see you there." They looked surprised at her words, but she just shooed them away with a smile on her face.
When they were gone, Mercedes turned to face her table mates and said, "Alright, this is gonna be off the hook!"
Sam thumped the table top with his fists and asked, "Who's ready for some prom?"
"I am!" Mercedes said, "but can we eat first?"
Laughter echoed around the table and soon enough, dinner was ordered and eaten. Jokes were told. Song choices were mentioned and forty minutes later they were ready to head out.
"To prom!" Sam said as he raised his plastic glass. They all followed and toasted.
Cheers went up as they laughed together and walked out of the restaurant towards McKinley High. It was time for the night of their lives.
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