Sam

From the window, I watched the last group of workers leave the building. "Go on, be free," I mumbled in envy. I had to stay in the office until Quinn left, and she was never in any hurry to go home.

Quinn stormed out of her office. "Samuel, I've been calling you for the last three minutes. Didn't you hear me?" She didn't give me the chance to answer. "Do you expect me to survive on air alone?"

I took a deep breath as my full name echoed in my head. "You can me Sam," I offered. I was used to her being pushy, so most of her words went in one ear and came straight out the other.

She put her hands on her slim hips. She announced, "I am not your friend. I am not your family. I don't want to call you Sam." Her green eyes focused on mine. "I want my dinner, and I am giving you thirty minutes to get it to me."

Quinn's favorite restaurant was a ten minute taxi ride each way. The business refused to fill call in orders, so there was a fifteen minute wait for the meal to be prepared. There was no way I was going to make it in time, but for my job, I was going to try.

When I got to the restaurant, I was thankful that there was only one person waiting at the counter. I lowered my scarf and asked a worker, "Can I have whatever you have done, please. I'll pay anything. I'm in a hurry." I got a nod. I stepped to the side and was brought into the conversation of the woman on her cellphone.

"It's winter. What did you think was going to happen?" she asked. "If you had just listened to me-"

I looked up from the counter and scanned the room. I didn't care about my surroundings. I needed a cover to look at the woman beside me.

Standing beside her, it was easy to notice how short she was: somewhere in the first half of five feet. She was wrapped in a coat that tied to squeeze in at her waist and left the rest of her body to the imagination. Her black hair curled around her brown face and ended below her shoulders.

Her eyes closed and her body tensed as she listened to what was happening on the other end of her call. "I'll be there soon." She hung up the phone just as her order was being placed on the counter. She flashed a disgusted face before asking me, "Would you like this? It's paid for. I just lost my appetite." My fairy godmother left before I could respond.

I was lucky to catch her outside. I watched as she struggled to hail a cab, and I saw my chance to repay her. I tapped her on the shoulder and volunteered to help her. "At night, it's hard to catch a cab on this side of the block," I explained as I led her to the corner. I stepped off the sidewalk and waved for a driver's attention. When the yellow car stopped, I opened the door for the woman.

"Great, a white savior," she groaned, thinking out loud. She didn't recognize me from inside of the restaurant. She thanked me and climbed into the car.

I looked out and saw no available taxis on the road. I leaned over the door and asked, "If you're going straight, do you mind sharing?" I slid in as she scooted over. Before I could introduce myself, I felt a sharp pain strike my back tooth. "Curse you, Lucky Charms," I thought. I tell the driver the building's address and pull my scarf over my mouth to keep the cold air out.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, considering hopping out of the cab and running away.

"It's just my tooth." When I was asked about visiting a dentist, I admitted, "I can't afford it right now."

Her eyebrows raised. Her face said it all. "You work in the Davis Building, and you can't afford to go to the dentist."

I tried to bounce back and present myself as someone professional. "I don't really have time. My schedule is tight."

She sat in silence until we were closer to my stop. After she dug through her bag, she passed me a business card. "We offer a payment plan. I can't help you with scheduling, but I hope you can find the time. Oral health is important."

I look at the card and immediately take interest in the bold printed name. "You're Mercedes Jones?" I didn't think of how creepy it could be to smile at a stranger until it was too late. I just thought it was crazy that by accident I was one step ahead of Puck in our pact.

The driver called for me. "This is your stop. $12.71."

As I gathered my money, I tried to talk to Mercedes. "I w-"

"You don't stand a chance with her," the driver interrupted. "Give me the money and get out of my car."

Mercedes didn't protest.

I hopped out of the taxi and went inside. I peeked into Quinn's office and frowned at her blonde hair tied in a ponytail; it was usually a sign that we were in for a long night.

She growled into her phone, "Tell the judge that she can take her fine and shove it." Quinn had had another outburst in court, and she was failing to talk her way out of the ticket. "I was not out of order! She was out of order." In the heat of the moment, Quinn flung her phone across the room. She refused to acknowledge the cracked phone.

I made a mental note to schedule a therapy session into Quinn's plans. I had seen many of her meltdowns and tantrums, and throwing a phone was only level two.

She snatched her handbag and jacket. "Get me a new phone by tomorrow and pay this," she ordered. She shoved the slip of paper to my chest as she walked past me.

Puck

I like going to the gym. I get to relieve stress. I get to challenge myself. And at the end, I look good. Friends was an occasional bonus.

Just when I thought Ol Sammy Boy wasn't going to show, he strolled into the weight room. He smiled and passed a card. "I met Mercedes today. She seems nice."

"Hannibal Lecter seems nice compared to Rachel." I knew what he wanted; when he had a crush, he'd wear his goofy smile for a few days. "We're not switching. I have Mercedes. You have Rachel."

Finn asked, "You two were serious?" He was the reason why we couldn't switch partners: I needed someone that would follow through with the plan.

Sam argues, "But you're tougher. Quinn might not eat you." When I finally agreed, he led us to the window that overlooked the boxing gym downstairs. "This is what you're up against." He pointed to the blonde unleashing on a punching bag.

"That's Sauna Girl." I had seen her plenty of times at the gym; when I would come in for a late workout, she would be just getting into the sauna. I thought she was hot- it's obvious- but I thought I was above chasing women at the gym. I decided to make my move right then. I climbed down the steps and approached her. "Excuse me."

She stopped punching the bag. Her eyes rolled at the interruption. She didn't say a word, but dared me to talk.

I passed her to get to the set of dumbbells against the wall. "Are you using these?" I asked, and received a head shake. "People take them from the weightroom and never put them back."

She didn't care.

"I think I've seen you around. I'm Puck," I introduced. I wasn't bothered when she didn't respond back- I didn't need her to. "See you around." I returned upstairs with the weights and reminded myself to put them back in their rightful place when Quinn left.

"She didn't say anything to you," Finn said. He thought that would end the pact: he was very wrong.

Picking up girls at the gym is a science. You can't come on too strong, but you have to let here know that you're there. Being at the gym regularly would help, although you don't have to acknowledge each other every time.

Quinn had my name; the seed had been planted. She was going to make the next move.

Finn

I strolled through the doors of Berry Family Finances and was met with feelings of depression and debt. The front desk was empty, so I went ahead to the back. In my scrubs, I stood out from the professionally dressed. I passed several workers playing on their phones, putting on makeup and doing other things that wouldn't count as work. I made a beeline towards Puck's desk.

Puck looked away from his computer when I dropped the to-go bag in front of him. He thanked me and traded his money for the food. "Rachel canceled her trip and has been working us like dogs." He spun in his chair and called to the Asian woman sitting at the desk behind him. He offered, "I have two sandwiches. Do you want one?"

"That is very chivalrous of you, but no," she declined as she stood.

He introduced us to each other. "Finn, this is Tina, my coworker… who is leaving for some reason."

"I'm not canceling my lunch date because of Rachel. You will cover for me because I did it for you last month." She noticed Puck's confusion. "You don't remember? I'd be happy to remind you and Rachel."

"Come on. Blackmail is beneath you."

Tina shook her head. "Blackmail is more effective than bribery." She smiled, having the upper hand. As she buckled her coat, she announced, "I should be back before Rachel, but if I'm not, tell her I'm in the bathroom." She waved goodbye.

"It's going to be hard to explain a fifty minute bathroom break," he argued, but she was gone. Puck faced me. "So what did you get sent home for today?"

I exhaled as I tried to make sense of the ridiculous reason Mercedes had. "I hung my jacket on a hook behind the reception desk." I was the only one reprimanded for something that everyone in the office did. When asked about my plans for the rest of my day, I shrugged. "I'm sure Kurt needs some help."

My stepbrother, Kurt, was far ahead of the rest of us. When we moved to New York, he started with a long houred office job, but he was saving and plotting for his next move. He bought a theater; it was old and barely standing, but he was proud. He insisted on fixing it up himself which meant he would accept help from anyone that offered it.

Before another word could be said, a brunette dressed in cheetah prints rushed through the office. "Code Red. Rachel's coming up. Come on, people. You clean that up. You put your phone away. You," she called, pointing at the only man that was working, "look like a sad clown." She continued to pass between desks, giving orders. She wanted everything to look presentable for her boss. "Everyone look busy and remember, no eye contact."

Rachel entered, and every workers' head dropped. She strutted through with her assistant behind her. She rattled off her plans for the rest of her day. After passing Puck's desk, she stopped. "What is that smell?" she asked.

Puck waved the bag, unbothered by Rachel's disgust.

"Do you know how many cows had to die for your burger?"

He shrugged. "One burger, one cow?" he guessed.

"Get rid of it," Rachel ordered. She turned to her assistant. "Sugar, call sanitation."

Puck looked at me and saw an opportunity. "Rachel, Mr. Hudson wants a loan that's too big for me to sign off." Without any warning, he had thrown me to the shark.

Rachel led me into her office. She sat across from me; her pen and pad open and ready for notes. "What type of loan are you hoping for?" She sat silently as I thought. After a long wait, she aided me through my decision. "What do you need the loan for? Home? Education? Business?"

"Yes, business. I want to start a business." I watched as she wrote on her pad. I knew I was over my head and needed a reason to get out. "Isn't there a form I should fill out first?" I thought she'd give me the papers and let me out to fill them; I'd take that as my chance to leave and never look back.

It took being alone with her to fully understand the intimidation that most of her employees felt.

"This is just an interview to determine if you're a worthy candidate," she explained. "What type of business are you opening?"

I hesitated. "Um." It was hard to think of a business when I wasn't actually starting a business.

Putting her pin down, she had made up her mind. "Mr. Hudson," she called, "you've shown up empty handed without financial records or any documents to help your argument. You have no idea of the business you would like to start. It's clear that you're not ready for a loan, but you're welcome to return when you're serious about your future." She was a little upset that I wasted a minute of her time, but things were about to get worse for the little woman.

Her assistant knocked and opened the door. "There's a woman here to see you. She says that she's your mother, and I admire her for having the bravery to admit it."

Rachel rejected her visitor. "Please show her and Mr. Hudson out." She began to busy herself with work.

I left without a fight, but Rachel's mother wasn't giving up as easily. She was determined to speak to her daughter. She ignored every order given to her and went into Rachel's office.

Eating his lunch, Puck ignored my glare.

I know that I've been gone for a while, but I can explain. I had my son. He's a little angel, but baby brain is a bitch. I couldn't speak a full sentence. Writing was out of question. I'm back now and would love to know what you think.