A/N: Okay, a whole year later…
I'm so sorry you guys. I totally meant to update before now but I lost my mojo and honestly didn't try too hard to get it back. But hopefully this was worth the wait.
As you all know, right now Puckcedes is on. They're happy…its all good. This chapter is gonna go into some specifics on the lovey-dovey side of things, while the next one will detail the not-so-lovey-dovey side. Without further ado, have at it…
Thanks Illy! I swear I forgot how fast you are on the turnaround front. You rock, please let me be like you when I grow up. Seriously. I take so long to proofread its criminal.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the characters of Glee.
Old Friends…
So I guess I should probably spend a little time describing the ins-and-outs of me and Mama's everyday life as a couple or whatever…because, our relationship wasn't just based on mutual enjoyment of all the hella-good boning. To be honest, sometimes I feel like the sex was almost un-important to who we became after we got together. I realized early on, that our relationship was very meaningful to us both from the get-go. I wouldn't want anyone to come away from this with a false impression, so I think I'll describe some of the ups and the downs of our thang... You know, so you all can get a clear picture. We'll start with the good shit.
The best way to really get you to a place of real understanding about me and Mercedes' "non-naked" good times as a couple, is to tell you how we interact with the people that mean a lot to us…because pretty much everyone Mama and I knew was curious about us as a couple –old friends, and new ones- so we found ourselves on display a whole lot. Right around early spring when Trouty left, some of me and Mama's high school friends started making their way to LA to see us, and be nosy as shit. First up was Santana.
Let me preface any description of Tana's coming to visit, by letting you know that it was not my damn idea…that shit was totally, all on my girl. See, Mercedes and Satan have been close as fuck, ever since they headlined the TroubleTones together senior year. They have a lot in common…i.e. fathers who work in the medical field, mucho attitude, and a curious affinity for loud-ass colored clothes. And they both went through a bunch of the same shit where Glee was concerned; you know…both not being into pop or Broadway all that much. Plus, Tana and Mama were each pretty vocal about how they felt about Berry…meaning that, for a time, neither of them could stand her tiny ass. They both also managed to find some common ground and become friends with the chick before graduation, too. So like I said, Mama and Satan have bonded, like, a lot.
The topic of Satan coming to visit started when my ex called up my current to complain about her life. She'd been flailing in one way or another ever since she dropped out of that hick college in Kentucky and moved to NYC to squat in Kurt and Berry's loft. When Santana made the call, she was really excited on the one hand, because she'd finally come up with an idea of what she wanted to do with her life…something about becoming an actress and ballet dancer…I didn't quite catch the specifics. But Tana was also a little bit put out, because she felt like she wasn't getting the support she needed in order to make it happen. Apparently, she and Rachel had found summer jobs in New York as singing wait staff in some deli on Broadway. And Tana was so excited about starting that she quit her Coyote Ugly gig immediately and prepared to spend her days practicing facial expressions and emotive pointing –like Blaine's big bro taught her- and her nights doing ballet at Rachel and Kurt's school…all while contributing nothing whatsoever to the rent and utilities. Basically, she wanted to have fun for two weeks while the Fairy and Berry footed all the fucking bills.
The reason she called Mama to complain was because Kurt told her ass "Hell to the NO!" He wasn't about to dip into his savings –that massive pile of cash he got when he sold his Navigator- to support a shapely, able-bodied Latina bombshell. According to Hummel, Tana ought to have been caking he and Rachel…because if she'd have found herself a pole to dance on the first week she was in New York, they all could have become full-time students sharing a brownstone on the Upper East Side. Rachel, despite how close she and Satan have become, agreed…So instead of going back to the hootchie bar and begging for her job back, Satan whined her way into our condo. She cooed, begged, and bribed; offering to take any lonely lezzie friends we may or may not have had off our hands, in the interest of mooching off of me and mine and finally getting to see Puckcedes 2.0 in person for the first time.
I had mixed feelings about her coming, to be honest. I mean, I really hated the idea of Berry and Hummel going off on Tana, since I remember plain as hell all of us c/o 2012 Gleeks promising to have one another's backs just before graduation. I knew for a fact that if she'd have traipsed her ass to L.A. instead of NYC, that my girl would have bent over backwards trying to help Satan find her path. She'd have worked her boss to get her fellow top bitch on, while shopping a record deal for herself, probably…or at least a backup gig like the one she had. An rightfully, we were paying the rent regardless of who came to visit, just like Gayberry, so they were dead wrong for trying to capitalize on her presence to save money. But on the other hand, utilities ain't free. And Santana is a flat-ironing, stereo-bumping, YouTube fanatic who can't sleep without the TV blasting in the background. Not to mention the three-a-day showers and constant Pay-Per-View purchasing. Santana can't help it…girlie grew up on the bad side of town, but she's spoiled as shit. I didn't want her coming in and mooching off us forever.
In spite of my misgivings, Mama was all for it, because of all our friends from Lima, she said she missed Satan the most. Also, she wanted Tana's blessing and benediction or some shit. Besides, Jones was a little upset that Rachel and Kurt would be so heartless…So we told Tana to scrape up money for a plane ticket, and we'd take care of everything else once she got here. I don't know if Santana begged and got it from her Moms, or if she has a sugar daddy on standby, but Satan Diablo Lopez was standing outside our condo exactly 36 hours after we extended the offer, with a shitload of bags and what Mama said was Kurt's favorite pillow. And so the rollercoaster began…
Santana spent most of her time with 'Cedes; they hung out in her recording studio a lot. The two of them also stayed up gabbing half of just about every night, too… they had a girls-only sleepover or two in my old room; ensuring that I didn't get any nookie as well. She walked around the Beverly Center to people-watch while Mama and I were at work just about every day…and she even managed to get some bi-curious booty from Jenn during her stay! Kept saying it was time she started banging "women of color" or some shit. My guess is, that this particular development was her way of exorcising all those Brittany-demons from her cooch. But anyway, by the time Santana had left, she did so with a few ideas for career opportunities –including, but not limited to Mama helping her write songs for a singing Telenovela (something like Mexican Bollywood) and shopping it to TV studios- and a lot of really positive things to say about our being in a relationship. Apparently, Satan had been hoping we'd get back together someday, since my picker and my pecker were both shitty since she dumped me way back when. It was exactly what Mama needed to hear, and that's why the whole thing counts as one of the good times.
The next ones to come see about us in LA were Tina and Unique…those two came up the weekend right after Cohen-Chang's senior prom…they were pissed as hell, and needing to get the hell outta Lima for a minute. Tina was mad…really, she'd been mad all year long because 1) Mike dumped her again, supposedly because she wasn't Asian enough. And 2) All the fucking not-as-sexy-as-Lindsey-Lohan-ass Mean Girls at McKinley decided to ban together and fuck with Cohen-Chang by getting her voted Prom Queen just so they could Carrie her ass. She damn near blew a real gasket over that last one…publicly threatened to fuck up every bitch that had a hand in her humiliation. Fucking Figgins probably would have expelled her quick-smart for popping off threats…he had a "no tolerance for violence" policy or some shit, one that didn't punish kids for tossing slushies apparently. But Principal Sue didn't give a shit. So she went home still mad as hell after the dance.
Cohen-Chang's parents didn't know how to make her feel better, so they promised her anything under the sun to stop blubbering and cussing. She immediately put on her nosy boots and asked to come to LA to see the two of us. Even wangled a ticket for her new favorite gossip-buddy! So they packed fast as hell, and made their way out to the left coast for a weekend of LA fun.
It was really good for my girl…the visit came right on the heels of Satan leaving, and I know my lady appreciated the sudden influx of Lima folks cuz she'd started to feel homesick. Tina and Unique did all the girly stuff with Mercedes that Satan never really got off on, like going for mani-pedis and massages. And they kept her rolling with high school gossip and shit while urging her to talk about all the aftermath with Sam. Again, this was all shit that neither Satan nor I had been very helpful with; so it was all good.
The most important -for me, anyways- thing those two did was urge Mercedes to take a trip to this big, mega-lingerie store for new sexy draws. Tina and Unique both did a lot of research before showing up in LA on the plane, and it was pretty much the thing they most wanted to do…more than Disneyworld and the Tar Pitts combined. They talked my lady into showing them her supply of lacy shit, declared it unsatisfactory, then took her shopping for more. She must have felt sexy as hell when she got home with all her bags and shit, cuz later on that night I got super-laid.
It was the hotness. I came in from b-ball with my boy all sweaty and nasty from the heat. Unique and Tina had caught the hell out, Mercedes told me, in order to give us some time to test out the sexiness factor of the new undies. I hopped in the shower and flopped on the bed naked, and my Baby waltzed in -happy as you please- wearing a fucking tit-less nurse's outfit, complete with cap, white thigh highs, clear stripper heels and a thong. While I gaped at her titties bouncing around just above the red cross insignia on the slip thing she wore, Mercedes slipped her panties off and proceeded to inform me that due to a recent outbreak, all patients in the facility were now required to wear masks for the duration of their stay. Then she stuffed them in my gotdamn mouth!
So I was shellshocked, right? Even if she hadn't gagged me with her thong, my ass woulda been speechless. Then Mercedes requested that I take her fucking temperature orally…with my dick. She slobbed my knob for at least forty-five minutes, edging the fuck out of me in at the same time, because she refused to let me bust a nut. Then, as the tears of frustration were starting to stream down my cheeks, my girl practically levitated before landing on my dong. She bounced up and down on it forever, like I was a trampoline. Jones must have gotten horny as fuck teasing me with her mouth. Cus I don't think I've ever made her pussy that wet any other time. She was still teasing me, actually. Jones would ride me fast, have me all ready to blow…then slow down and grind into me with this evil ass look in her eye. Sometimes she'd bend low to stroke her clit directly against me, before straightening up and grabbing my hand so she could use it to jill off. She turned around to let me watch her wind her booty into my groin, and I damn near lost my fucking mind when she set her feet flat against the mattress and bounced up and down froggy-style. She came…over and over and over again. The entire comforter was one big wet spot. But my lady made sure I didn't catch one fucking nut.
So I was liking and hating the torture equally, right? I wasn't getting off, but the shit was hot like fire, and hell…I torture Jones all the damn time by tying her up and not letting her come for a minute. Its one of our favorite games to play. Besides, when I finally DO let her get it, my baby gets thankful as hell. Anyway, my girl upped the stakes on the shit by grabbing her panties, pulling 'em outta my mouth, and sitting right on my face. She came over all "Dominatrix-Mercedes" and ordered med to "Lick Me" time after time after time. I was a little surprised, actually. I mean, I always use handcuffs or a scarf to immobilize Mama when I wanna have all the power. But she had me doing her bidding like a straight up pussy… and didn't use shit other than a sinister-ass smile and a few softspoken demands. It was in that moment that I realized how just how kittyy-whipped my girl had me…that was when I understood exactly who wore the pants in this 'ship.
But ask me if I care?
By the time I finally got mine, I was a blubbering idiot begging Mercedes and calling her "Ma'am," hoping it would make her show me some mercy. And I got sidetracked here, but in the end it didn't bother me at all that Tina and Unique came to visit…Plus, them stealing her away gave me an opportunity to hang out with Sean.
New Friends…
That leads me to the second example of the good times between me and my new girl. The fact that our couple-dom gave us an opportunity to lead by example. We started going on group dates and shit, setting a good example for other new couples on the brink of new love… right in LA. My boy Sean was the first one to go there with us.
Now, Sean and I were pretty tight around the time Tina and Unique were in LA… no doubt about that one. He and I had seen each other a bunch of times around one of the playgrounds close to where we lived, and he usually stuck around after his boys left and my pick-up game ended for a quick round of one-on-one with me. We also talked a lot.
Dude was 22, from Long Beach, and about three years prior to us meeting, he'd graduated from that performance high school that Cameron Diaz and Snoop Dogg attended back in the day. He wasn't the college type…more of a hustler, if you get my meaning. A legal one. But he had lots of friends from high school who kept a lot of balls up in the air that he stayed close to. One or two were in the military. A couple were in police academy, and his best friend from elementary was enrolled at UCLA. So they spent a lot of time in Westwood, near me and Cedes' condo shooting hoops and shit.
Sean was actually a pretty admirable dude. He'd parlayed his high school after-school job in an auto garage into a full-time career after graduation…even had dreams of opening his own shop one day, specializing in those old-ass cars the homies loved to buy at auction and pimp out with rims and speaker boxes. Classic Impalas and Monte Carlos and El Dorados and Regals…basically anything GM ever manufactured before 1970. According to my boy, cars like that were always running down on a dude, and the guys that purchased the shit stayed in a battle to keep them going at whatever cost…because those cars were basically the biggest part of their identities. If he could save up enough money and built the right relationships with vendors and shit over the next couple of years, Sean felt like he could be the man sometime soon…instead of coming home with grease under his nails or whatever, he'd be the one sitting in the office making money while the young-uns did all the dirty work.
He was his mom's oldest child, just like me…had a little sister too. His parents were married right out of high school and busted up when he was just a little boy. Me and Sean had a lot in common, just like I said. Only difference was that his romantic life was pretty much him going to clubs with his friends, meeting random girls, and taking them to cheap motels to fuck right before the sun came up. On this one particular day though -the day before Adams and Cohen-Chang left and Mama was with them buying draws- we were playing a round of HORSE and chatting it up; I don't know why, but I got the impression that my new friend might have been looking for more.
Our conversation started when I asked him about that homeboy of his who wanted to hook up with Ashley. Jenn had such a good time with Tana, getting booty, that Mama's other friend wanted to know when she'd get her chance at a double-date with us and a friend. I'd been asked to bring it up next time I saw Sean.
"Hey man…" I gasped, after sinking a layup from left of center with one hand behind my back. "…has that friend of yours who wanted to meet Ashley said anything to you? My girl told me to ask.."
He was so surprised by my line of questioning that he actually missed the shot…putting him in "H" territory, early in the game.
"Uhh…" he hemmed and hawed before shrugging his shoulders and coming out with it. "…naw, son. And I don't think the shit is gonna happen no time soon, either."
I hit him with a questioning look.
"See, my boy Dre ended up spitting to this little chumpee in the club that night," he explained. "Ole girl was fine as hell, just his type; like your girl. They been fucking non-stop since then, and from what I can tell he all sprung and shit, now. Got his nose wide the hell open."
I grinned. "Oh yea? Good for him…"
Not good for Ashley though.
"Yeah," Sean looked sheepish. "Thing is, she was my type too. Like, fine enough for us both to try and holler…you dig?" I nodded, while he shrugged. "But she picked him. So if you and your girl wanna hook me up with her friend instead, for real? I'd be aight with that…" He was embarrassed, and seemed to be talking fast as hell, but I took my next shot instead of answering right away.
As I sunk one backwards from the alley, I thought about what I'd say next. "I'm sure it won't be a problem. She loves tall dudes…If you're interested, I got your back. You wanna see her picture?'
Sean seemed relieved by not having to elaborate, and mirrored my shot before nodding his ass off. "Fa sho…"
So we went and sat down on the bleachers to towel off and grab waters; then I pulled out my phone and showed him a photo of Mercedes, Ashley and Jenn at a pizza place we love to grab dinner in on Friday nights. It was a full body shot, of the three of them doing their patented "selfie" pose…butts out, stomachs sucked in, legs bent at the knee, hands on waists. Mama wore skinny jeans and a long pink top with a matching headband around her fro and a pair of "J's" I bought her for when we go play B-Ball instead of the gym. Jenn, who is kinda built along the same lines as Britts, wore a crop-top and a pair of baggy jeans with combat boots, showing off her navel ring. Ashley wore a short skirt with leggings, and a low-cut wife beater. They looked cute.
"She kinda short, like your girl…huh?"
"Yeah…" I admitted. Not every tall dude can get down with tiny-ass women; and Sean was every bit of 6'5". "But a little taller. About 5'5" He nodded approvingly, so I went on. "Its kinda hard to tell about bodies, even in a picture, so if you can just picture this face on, say, Kat Dennings' body, but with more ass…"
"Who in the fuck is that?" I laughed. I guess Sean wasn't any more into 2Broke Girls than I was.
"Okay, what about, a more booby Mindy Kaling…"
He still seemed puzzled. "I aint even gonna pretend like I know who the hell that is…"
Frustrated, I pondered for another moment before I snapped my fingers, "Fuck it, you ever watch that old show, Living Single?"
"You know this…" he nodded, already straightening up in approval. "…that's my moms' shit!"
I'd been roped into watching with Mercedes on Oxygen enough nights that I knew exactly where he was coming from. "Oh yeah? Cool…so, for the purposes of comparison below the neck, picture Regine…"
"Oh, I'm most definitely in, son…" Sean dapped me and offered a bro hug while cheesing his ass off. "…a Tootie look-a-like? Man, I'm down…So where we going? To y'all's crib to hang?"
I looked at hem like he was crazy. Cuz, he should have known better.
"Hell no! Not unless you want these three…" I gestured to the picture of the three girls before stashing my shone back in my bag. "…to talk about your ass and read you for filth for being a cheapo."
"Cheap? Me?" Sean seemed offended. "Man, you crazy! I spend my money on my women…I'm saying, we show up, drink a lil something. Watch something funny on Netflix…Order us some wings, and chill. I wanna get to know shorty in a relaxed environment, you dig?"
I could see this dude needed schooling, the kind of education I've been getting on the sly for months listening to Mama and her friends run their mouths.
"Nah, dude…: I shook my head. "That ain't gonna fly. Not once Ash gets nosy and starts asking questions about your personal life. By suggesting that shit, you're gonna make yourself look bad."
"How?" He seemed confused as shit. "I just told you I was gonna pay…"
"Its not about paying," I explained. "See, girls like Jones and her girls are kinda funny. First of all none of them are from LA."
He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, like, 'so?' So I kept going.
"Meaning, They all moved here from other places…small places that don't have any nightlife or big fashion scene. Living in this city is something that they've all wanted to do for a long time. My lady and her friends are real big on experiencing shit that they'd never be able to do in their hometowns. They're living the dream."
"Okay…"
"In order to live the dream," I went on, "They all have to work, bring in a paycheck every month. They pay bills, so they can live independent from their families and shit."
"So?"
"So, for them, part of being in a new place and experiencing all this culture shock is paying the cost to be the boss. It translates into doing and seeing new shit…" I informed him. "... they wanna become new people. Go back to those hometowns one day and fuck everybody up with how much they've changed. So you see, no matter what kinda expensive liquor and shit you show up with, there ain't nothing new about hanging out all night in our crib. That's some shit they could have done at home. And it for damn sure ain't what any of them would consider a date…"
"I still don't get it…" Sean's no dummy, so I guessed I would need to break it down for him. "Cause its what I do with the hoes I usually hook up with…"
"That don't matter," I cut him off. "These ain't your everyday hoes. See, man, my girl and her girls talk their asses off about this shit all the time. And I listen. Trust me when I tell you that, any time a new dude takes one of them on the kinda date you just suggested, it ain't pretty afterward. Yeah, they might bear with it best they can for the night, and most of the time the dude don't even realize she ain't feeling them. But then when they lose the motherfuckers number the next day, they call 'Cedes up to complain. You don't wanna get caught up in the mind-fuck, because trust me, I've heard it all…"
"Heard what?" At least he was starting to hear me.
"First of all, when Mama starts grilling me on what I know about you –which she won't have to do much of, because we talk about everything anyway- to give intel to her homegirl, the very first thing she's gonna clock is the fact that you live at home with your moms and have a full time job. She's gonna tell Ash that before she says anything else…And that shit don't automatically put you in "scrub" category in and of itself, but it also tells the chick a lot about what's important to you."
"How?" He seemed fascinated.
I started counting on my fingers. "Well, it tells her that you don't pay bills, outside of maybe your car note and insurance and whatever you give your mother. And it tells her that while she's eating Ramen every night and paying out the ass for a roach-infested one-bedroom walkup in West Hollywood that she shares with three other chicks, you're spending all your money on Grand Theft Auto games for your PS3 and buying new kicks."
When I said that, Sean seemed sheepish. I gave him a knowing look and continued.
"The fact that you won't spend a little of your lunch money on her OUTSIDE THE HOUSE says that you don't respect her as a grown woman…" I continued. "…That you're used to impressing your way into little girls' panties with bottles of Grey Goose and Dominoes Pizza. These three? See, they're college girls at night…campus culture ain't no joke, so they know damn well that "chill" is bro-code for "fuck." So if you suggest to her, what you're suggesting to me, then Ashley is going to automatically assume that you've put her into the category of "Chickenhead," and she ain't down for it...trust me." I concluded.
Sean looked disappointed.
"That's not to say she ain't fucking." I was quick to say. "but there has to be a context for the fucking. If she wanted a booty call with some random dude, she'd have gone clubbing, and found the dude herself," I reasoned. "But Ashley agreed to a blind date, emphasis on the word 'date.' Which implies interaction with other people, like waiters or hostesses…people you have to show her off too, by the way…"
He listened intensely and nodded.
"…and the ritual of being picked up, and taken somewhere. I actually have this theory," I leaned back to pontificate. "That a certain type of girl…fun-loving, but classy and smart…you know the type."
He agreed silently.
"Well, I sometimes think this type of girl is more likely to fuck a dude on the first date if he takes her to Chick-Fil-A and for a walk in the park; rather than eighty bucks worth of liquor and Philly Cheese Steak delivery. The first date may have been cheap, but it implies that he's more invested in her. The second cost more, but girls don't like to be hidden away. I'm pretty sure Mama's friends ain't expecting dudes to take 'em to RuthChris on a first date; they just want guys to take the date seriously…"
"I feel you now, cuz…: He finally seemed to get it. "And I see it now. But you got me scared like a motherfucker right about now." He shook his head. "High-maintenance bitches ain't even the type I normally go for. But…"
He paused, and I prodded. "But?"
"But…" Sean continued. "…I need to start hanging with a new type of girl. I see you all happy and shit with yours. And you're rough around the edges, just like me… but you and your girl seem tight."
I nodded.
"A college girl would be cool to chill with," he continued. "Or somebody who works full-time. Usually I just fuck around with the girls in my neighborhood, and that shit is getting old. I'm trying to live a good life and I want the right kind of girl on my arm."
"I get you," I replied. "And its not to say that I would be any different from you if I were still in Lima. I think if Jones and me weren't here…we'd be stuck in that kinda rut, too. You just have to get outta those high school dating patterns, dude!"
He nodded. "You not wrong. So I'll go all out for Miss Chick-Fil-A." We chuckled. "Do the gentleman shit; at the very least it'll make my Moms happy…" he shrugged. "…she been throwing hints lately. But you and your shorty got to be there too!"
"No doubt!" I threw a towel at him. "I got you…You're picking where we go, though. This is your shit. Just remember... In public, spend a little cash, and if there's some music going on somewhere in the vicinity, you'll definitely get bonus points."
He seemed thoughtful as he stood up to grab his shit. I guess our game of HORSE was over. I stood up too. "I think I gotta good idea…I'll run it by you after I make a few calls, aight?"
We'd made it to he playground fence by that time so I just punched him on the shoulder in goodbye before answering. "You know this! Laters…"
Then I went home to inform my girl.
Where The Party At…
The date was cool. And it just so happened that we had even more Lima company in town that weekend. I guessed Kurt was feeling left out when Satan returned to NYC to brag about having spent a week in the Sunshine State, so he showed up with several suitcases and an air mattress, ready to be entertained. Rachel was probably on his nerves in that overgrown attic anyway. And Artie dipped into his early graduation money to come hang out with us, too. We ended up going out on a quadruple blind date with Trey and Kurt, Artie and Jenn …who was apparently all about finding out if Lima cripple-dick was as good as Lima Satan-snatch…and Sean and Ashley rounding up the team.
We started off the evening with everybody meeting up in our condo. Mercedes and I served everybody drinks while we made small talk and waited for Sean to show up with his big-ass SUV so we could all ride together. Jenn and Artie were a match made in heaven. She seemed into his sweater vest/khaki pants combo…maybe she has a geek fetish. And he was all about leering at Jenn's tatas in this tube dress thing she wore with platform flip-flops. I already mentioned how much she talked about race issues, just for GP. And she's a pretty big nerd, besides. She and ArtMan bonded over some comic book line with mostly Black heroes. Kurt and Trey weren't a love connection or anything…Hummel was already happily engaged to Anderson by that time. But he totally fangirled over Trey's outfit, and it looked like he had a new online shopping buddy to Skype with. When Sean arrived, he complimented his date in his normal pretty-boy-thug manner…She did look nice in a pair of shorty shorts with high heels and a sparkly tank top. From what I could tell, it seemed like Ash dug his Phat Farm gear and heavy boots, and I heard her tell Mama she liked his beard. Sean was pleased with her, too…he looked her up and down and probably referred to her as "shawty," when they met…but I think Ash responded well to it. After everybody grabbed their shit, we went outside, stowed Artie's chair in the back of the Yukon, hopped in my boy's ride, and took off into the night.
Sean had found the perfect date venue for all us musical types. One of those homeboys I mentioned earlier owned a little hole-in-the-wall spot near his neighborhood. You had to be legal to get in usually, but Sean's boy got us the hookup. The club's tiny main room was like a restaurant…there was a jukebox, pool tables, and a small bar; you could see a bunch of little old ladies back in the kitchen frying up chicken that smelled heavenly from where we sat. Middle-aged couples were on the dance floor two-stepping when we got there, towards the end of happy hour. But as the night wore on, it got less packed and the music changed to more urban-sounding shit. The ole-heads took off when all the jukebox selections were performed by rappers whose stage names started with "Young."
We ate and talked, conversation was flowing pretty good. Then my girl got nosy and went exploring the other rooms in the club. In the back was the real heart and soul of the place. There was a DJ and big screen TVs showing various sporting events, an ass-shaking contest was slated to start at ten, and some liquor vendor was handing out free samples. We could tell that joint was gonna get pretty live later on in the evening. I was looking forward to recreating me and Mama's first time as the sun came up…nightclubs were always gonna hold a special place in my heart after that night.
Instead of taking up space there, we ventured further into the place and found a little room with a Karaoke setup that was already jumping. Four girls were on the stage singing some old song by 702 as the crowd went wild. They had dance moves all planned out and everything! We found a booth and spent a little time cheering the performers on. It was cool…
At some point all us former Glee kids started talking about which number we wanted to do. Mama's backup singers were looking through the song lists too. So it wasn't a big surprise when Trey, Kurt, and Mercedes got up to perform "I'll Be There," the Mariah Carey version with my girl on lead and the guys on backup. The audience lost it and one of the bartenders sent them free cocktails for the rest of the night. Jenn and Artie did that J. Cole and Missy Elliot song, "Nobody's Perfect," with her looking crazy as hell because she never pegged my boy Abrams for much of a rapper. I took one for the team and got up to perform "Lovers and Friends" by Usher, Ludacris, and Lil Jon with Sean and Artie…Artie did Usher's part, Sean played Luda, and I "Yeah-ed" my ass off as Lil John. It was fun. By the time we'd all performed, the ice was well and truly broken and we all had a seat, gasping we were laughing so hard.
"OMG!" Jenn laughed. "See, this is exactly the kinda thing I would have killed to do back in high school….even though all my friends back then were way too "hard" to go do something this goofy with me."
Sean and Ashley seemed to agree with her; he was nodding his ass off and she passed her girl a fist bump.
Artie chimed in with, "Yeah, I feel you; this is the kinda shit I was too cool for, too…before I joined Glee." Jenn side-eyed his ass, and he brushed imaginary dirt from his collar, joking, "Artie-Art ain't shit if he ain't swagger-licious, yo. You betta recognize, Baby…" Jenn laughed and flicked his nose with her finger.
Ashley wondered aloud, "So you guys sang in public and stuff all the time in that Glee club?"
Kurt answered, "We sure did…someone from Glee was always serenading a lover in a shopping mall, or organizing a flash mob, or…Oh!" he remembered, "Taking over Breadstix for a Lonely Hearts anti-Valentine's day celebration. We were famous for our various shenanigans around Lima."
"Artie's right about one thing…" Mercedes added, "…most of us weren't very comfortable being ourselves before we joined up. But Kurt left out one vital part of this thing; and that's the fact that we paid dearly, every time one of us did something weird…Us New Directions got bullied on the daily for being so lame."
Sean asked, "Couldn't have been me dawg…" shaking his head, he added. "…I was all about maintaining my rep back in school."
I shrugged and admitted, "It was pretty lame, but I learned a lot from joining up. In the end it was worth all the bullshit…"
Trey looked at Puck skeptically. "Didn't you tell me once that you played football all the way through high school? Who in the hell was bullying your ass?"
"Oh, you'd be surprised at the sheer, unfettered ignorance the behemoths of McKinley were capable of…" was Kurt's reply.
I chuckled and agreed with Hummel, "He's right; for the most part my biggest foes were the rest of the jocks…hockey team mostly. And anybody else with a dollar twenty five for the slushie machine at the 7eleven that could catch my ass…"
Ashley wondered, "So did you ever slushie anybody before you became geeky, too?"
Me and Mama shared a glance. "Maybe…"
As everybody at the table busted up laughing, she called me out. "Fuck maybe, Boo…more like definitely." She leaned into my side. "But I forgave him a long time ago."
I hugged her close to me and whispered in her ear "You mean that?"
She nodded and whispered back, "Of course…I love you. Everything that ever happened between us before now, good or bad is water under the bridge." Then she kissed me on the cheek
Sean saw us and grinned before rolling his eyes. "Okay motherfuckers, you can chill out with all that shit. This aint that kinda party."
I kissed my girl full on the mouth for like, twenty seconds, before replying, "Anytime my girl is here and I'm here…its that kinda party."
Everyone laughed some more and we got up to go party in the other room.
Seeing all our friends -old and new- having fun together was really good for me and Jones. We felt like we'd planted seeds or some shit and that love was blooming all around us. I know for a fact that Artie and Jenn hung out in the den for hours before she invited him back to her place for a one night stand. And Ashley and Sean already looked done for. They got along great in the club…by the time everybody started dancing they were ignoring all our asses. Something in the way he held her close to dance, but never grabbed her ass, and how she kept coming up with excuses to slap his arm just because she wanted some contact told me and Mercedes that we'd done good. Sean never drank anything that night, 'cus he told me he wanted to make a good impression by playing designated driver; but he bought her whatever she wanted all night long. When he dropped us all off at the condo, and offered to follow Ash home, I was pretty sure he'd be invited to spend the night. At least, it looked like something was going down to me.
Me and Jones were spreading joy like a motherfucker those first months we were together. People looking for love and companionship flocked to us like bears to honey. It felt great to have that kind of influence on folks…that our peeps wanted what we had so bad, they'd try and absorb it from our very presence. And like I said, it was important for me and Mercedes to feel that acceptance.
All in all, it was the good times that helped us weather the bad ones. Which leads me to the flip side of the coin…
A/N: So I had a few reviewers tell me, after Chapter 17, that they were worried about this fic possibly becoming a diatribe on interracial relationships and the like…reviewers that liked the fact that Puckcedes accept it as an issue, but don't want it to become a consistent focal point in the relationship.
I just want to tell you guys…don't worry. This ain't even about all that.
What I was actually trying to set up, by making race such a big deal in Chapter 15, was how irresponsibly I feel the writers of Glee handle Mercedes, with respect to racial relations.
Its like…you can gave the girl vocalize her distain for never performing any of her favorite music in S1, right?
And you can show her at her Black church, and bring her choir members to school, time and time again…just because she asks them to come…
And she obviously had a real, instinctive bond with Matt Rutherford…despite the fact that they couldn't have been good friends before Glee started, because of the line of demarcation that kept jocks from hanging out with geeks.
But y'all don't give the bitch any Black friends?
Doesn't Mercedes deserve to have the same relationships as everybody else on the show? Doesn't her Berry deserve a Puck to talk heritage with? Doesn't her Satan deserve a Kurt to discuss gay issues alongside? Doesn't her Sam deserve a Britts to be idiotic with? Doesn't Mercedes' Will Schuster deserve a Coach Bieste to bond over teaching with?
Methinks she does. So I gave her a whole Black crew here.
That's my whole point. Not to beat the readers over the head about interracial love, and not to serve some agenda. I just want the girl to have some Black friends.