Enjoy!

Song Inspiration: You Make Me Wanna by Usher

God why did she have to sit next to me? Sam thought to himself trying like hell to look at her but when she nudge giving him a sweet smile, making him groan earning an amused yet confused look from his best friend.

"I see someone didn't get enough sleep last night." She joked lightly patting him on the shoulder making him blush.

"Sorry Cedes, long night." He whispered with a half smile.

"Everything okay?" She asked, looking concerned, making him bite the inside of his mouth to fight back another groan.

"Just a crazy dream, nothing to worry about though." He replied wishing the smell of her shampoo didn't make him think of said dream. Mercedes just looked at him before nodding and shooting him a knowing look.

"Hey!" Quinn said, making Sam jump before he shot his girlfriend a warm smile saying hey back to her.

"Hey Quinnie!" Mercedes cheerfully said, moving down one seat so that she could sit in between her and Sam.

"Cedie, are we still hanging out at your place tonight?" Quinn asked after giving him Sam a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yea! My parents leave at five so come after."

"What's that I hear? Party at Hot Moma's?" Puck asked with a devilish grin,earning him a swift smack from Mercedes.

"No, Noah. There will not be a party at my house. The girls and Kurt are coming over for a slumber party THAT'S IT!" Mercedes said in a hushed tone, narrowing her eyes at Puckman so he understood she was serious.

"Cool I'll be there too, besides I've always wondered what your pajamas looked like." He said winking at her, she just rolled her eyes and let out a soft laugh.

"Slumber party huh?" Sam asked and she nodded before shooting him a bright smile.

"You should bring Stace, right Quinn?"

"Oh she would love it! I think that's a great idea, will she be able to come?" Quinn asked Sam.

"No, my parents are taking them to see our grandparents so they won't be home for the whole weekend."

"That's too bad." Quinn said with a shrug.

"Wait, why aren't you going?" Mercedes asked.

"I-"

"Alright class, we only have two more months before regionals and it's time to get our set list together if we want to put something together that will guarantee us a win!" Mr. Shue said and Rachel's hand popped up earning groans from everyone else in the room.

"I think we should stick to original songs, I've already started the perfect solo for me of course." She said proudly.

"I'll stand in the back until you need me to belt out a note she can't reach." Mercedes said, rolling her eyes.

"I'll try to make my voice blend and pretend like I care." Santana added winking at Mercedes before they both shared a laugh.

"We'll pretend that Finn should have the male solo when it should actually be Sam, Puck or Artie." Kurt chimed in earning a high five from Santana.

"I'll just fade into the background." Tina shrugged.

"Okay guys enough! Everyone is valued in the glee club." Mr. Shue said growing annoyed and when everyone looked at him with the same expression you could tell he was getting angry.

"Me and Britt will pretend we're average dancers to make everyone else feel better but we know we're better than all of them." Mike added earning a fist bump from Puck before everyone burst into laughter at Shue and Rachel's shocked expressions.

"ENOUGH!"Mr. Shue shouted, making them stop before Santana looked at Mercedes and they started to laugh again. "Everyone has been showcased in glee club!" Shue added, giving both girls a stern look.

"Wrong." Mercedes quipped, rolling her eyes.

"Mercedes, that's not wrong. I have showcased everyone's talents and I have been very fair about who gets a solo." Mr. Shue said pointedly which only earned him a mirthless laugh from the young girl.

"No, you've showcased one voice and allowed others to have ten seconds to show what they can do. It was cute having Sam and Quinn perform instead of Rachel and Finn but we all know that the duets challenge was rigged. Sorry you two but Rachel and Finn purposely threw it so that Sam would stay in the club." Mercedes said looking at her friends who just smiled at her understandingly.

"You allowed Santana a solo, Brit and Mike a dance break but you haven't showcased everyone and now that we all know how you operate you're defensive. I literally had to ask for more black songs and little miss sunshine said some not so inclusive words which you chose to ignore. Tina hasn't been able to show what she can do, Puck has an amazing voice but you'd never know it because you keep putting Finn in the forefront, Artie is my soul brother and the fact that his voice is overlooked is a problem. Let's not forget how you put me at the end of every song to belt out some impossible note and then I fade into obscurity." Mercedes shrugged.

"That's not true and I won't tolerate-"

"You won't tolerate it? That's comical considering you sat there saying "you're all minorities because you're in Glee club and we had to tolerate that. We also had to tolerate you constantly overlooking all the bull crap that Rachel does because you refuse to hurt her precious little feelings. She sent Sunshine to a crack house, she quit more times because she didn't get a solo and yet she is still able to be a member." Mercedes interrupted growing angry.

"Mercedes go to the principal's office."

"No! I will not be punished for speaking truthfully! You did the same thing to Kurt when we begged you to let us do Britney and you still managed to use that specific lesson to try to impress Ms. Pillsbury, seems to me you only do things that will solely benefit you and how you look to your colleagues when you are supposed to shape and ensure we all get a chance to shine!"

"THAT'S IT! GET OUT, COME BACK WHEN YOU'RE READY TO BE A TEAM PLAYER!" Shue shouted and Mercedes shot him a dark look that everyone noticed.

"I quit!" She said through gritted teeth shocking everyone including herself.

"Mercedes don't do something that you'll regret." Shue warned and she raised an eyebrow at him before grabbing her things and walking right up to him.

"I won't regret this but you will." She said storming out refusing to let them see her cry. Everyone watched as she walked out in total shock looking at Shue who seemed completely dumbfounded and at a loss for words because he hadn't expected her to quit.

"Well… we will need to start recruiting to make sure we have enough people to compete." Shue said more so to himself but when everyone looked at him like he lost his mind he couldn't help thinking that maybe she was right and that he would regret it.

"So you're not going to go after her?" Puck asked, surprising everyone that he was the first one to say something.

"Noah, we don't have time to chase after someone who clearly doesn't want to be here." Mr. Shue responded.

"That's bull and you know it! Hot Moma is always here and ready to perform and you know deep down she's right about everything that she just said only problem is you don't want to admit it." Puck said, shaking his head at his teacher who chose to dismiss what he was saying as well.

"Someone needs to check on her!" Kurt said, starting to get up before Sam did.

"I'll go." Sam said, leaning down and kissing Quinn before walking towards the exit.

"Sam we have rehearsals, you can check on her afterwards." Mr. Shue said but Sam ignored him walking out and going to find Mercedes.

...

Mercedes paced back and forth in the school parking lot angry at herself but more angry at Mr. Shue for being so obtuse that he couldn't see he was doing the same thing over and over again without progressing! She wanted to storm back in there and throw her shoe at him but she didn't want to get suspended over an irrational urge, no she would just have to imagine herself going back in there going off some more then taking off her boot and hitting him across the head to drive her point home.

"Merce." Sam said when he saw her standing next to her car muttering, she jumped and let out a scream before hitting his arm.

"Don't scare me like that, I could've seriously hurt you with my moves!" She said, making him topple over in laughter before he quickly moved away from her oncoming attack.

"Hey now! Don't start something you can't finish Jones!" Sam warned and she shot him a knowing look before she launched at him making him laugh again because he grabbed her hands with one of his wrapping her up with his other.

"Let. Me. Go!" She struggled to no avail until she felt tears flowing down her face and Sam let her hands go wrapping her in a tight hug.

"It's okay Cedes, you didn't do anything wrong and you were right about him." Sam said softly while gently rubbing her back.

"I didn't want to quit but I'm so tired of the same old shit with that man. He wasn't going to give anyone else a chance to shine and Rachel isn't the only one that has dreams of making it big one day. I have dreams and scouts come to regionals, they won't get to see how talented Santana is, or hear how great Tina's voice is and they damn sure won't hear me because I'm not an ideal person to put out front but..." She said trailing off trying to figure out what she wanted to say.

"Sam, even you, Artie and Puck should get a chance to sing and be seen! There are so many more talented students and he only uses one of them… I'm not knocking Rachel's talent, but share the freaking wealth!" She finished burying her head into his chest and he felt it tighten.

"For what it's worth Puck was the first person to say something." He replied, hearing her soft giggle.

"I'm actually surprised it wasn't San…" She replied looking up at him and Sam knew he needed to move away before he did something he regretted. "Wanna get out of here?"

"You want to skip?" Sam asked, shocked, earning an eye roll from her.

"I'm not skipping if it's my last class." She replied. "Besides I quit so I now have a free period."

"If your dad kills me just know I'm going to haunt you at night." He joked, opening the passenger door and nodding her over. "I'll drive."

…
"So, you're having a slumber party tonight huh?" Sam asked as he pulled up to her house.

"I think I might cancel… I don't really feel like being around anyone, especially after what happened." She replied letting out a deep sigh before getting out with Sam following close behind her, she half expected her mother to at least be home but there wasn't anyone there. She went into the kitchen and sure enough there was a note written in her mothers beautiful handwriting letting her know that they had to leave earlier than expected.

"Looks like my parents left early for my dad's convention." Mercedes said coming back into the living room where Sam made himself comfortable on the couch, it wasn't his first time there and her parents treated him like family so he always felt welcomed.

"Well what do you want to do?" He asked, looking away from the tv at her with a smile.

"I just want to forget about today and do nothing." She replied sitting down next to him before laying her head on his shoulder. Sam closed his eyes because he could smell her honey shampoo and cursed himself for wanting to smell it even more.

"Well why not have the party Puck suggested?" He asked lightly nuzzling her hair, happy she didn't notice or if she did she didn't care.

"No, my parents would kill me and you by default."

"That is true… plus they always let your neighbor know when they're going out of town." Sam said with a chuckle.

"Ms. Ruthie? She would call them the second she spotted Puck, those two do not get along at all." She said laughing.

"What happened between them?"

"Oh one night he was trying to sneak in and she caught him, she hosed him down and told him if he ever tried to sneak into my room again she would call the police on him. What she failed to realize was that Puck believed in retaliation so he came back and egged her house for three days straight… now she keeps an extra watchful eye on who comes and goes when my parents aren't here." She answered, laughing even harder.

"Why was he trying to sneak in?" Sam asked, catching her off guard.

"Oh, he needed the notes from Spanish and didn't want to face my dad… for some reason he's scared of him."

"Hmm … he could've just texted you and let you know he was outside though." Sam countered causing her to look up at him with a confused look.

"It's Puck we're talking about." She joked before letting out another sigh. "Everything's going to change now isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I won't see you guys after school anymore nor will I be hanging out with a majority of the members." She said sadly.

"That's crazy and you know it plus we all have other classes together and-" He was cut off by the sound of a knock at her door, she moved from her spot and went to the door opening it letting out a gasp.

"You didn't think we were just going to let you leave like that did you?" Santana said giving her a hug followed by everyone else well almost everyone Rachel was noticeably absent so was Finn but she figured he needed to keep his girlfriend happy so she understood.

"Okay, okay get inside before her crazy neighbor sees me and tries to shoot me." Puck said kissing her on the cheek as he squeezed by everyone else and Sam shot him a look before feeling Quinn squeeze his arm giving him a sweet smile. The look didn't go unnoticed by Santana and she narrowed her eyes at Sam who wasn't looking at Quinn but looking at Mercedes intensely and a sly smirk crossed her face.

"So Merce, where's moma Jones?" Santana asked, still looking at Sam, noticing him still looking intensely at Mercedes.

"Seems they had to leave early." She answered avoiding Puck as he tried to tickle her before he wrapped her up in his arms leaning in and whispering something that made her laugh before hitting him.

"So non-glee sleepover at casa de Jones?" Santana said, earning cheers Ffrom everyone there.

"Wait, wait no I can't have all of you here! What if my parents call or worse what if Ms. Ruthie comes by to check on me!" Mercedes said trying to wiggle out of Puck's embrace failed miserably.

"We'll hide if she does and we can watch movies, order pizza and play games besides you have plenty of rooms for all of us. Me and Brit will share a room, Sam and Quinn, Kurt and Blaine, Mike and Tina, Artie will get one to himself and you and Puck can share yours. It's perfect." Santana said making sure to look at Sam when she mentioned Puck and Mercedes sharing a room.

"Nope, Artie and Puck can share a room." Sam said, earning confused looks from everyone including Quinn.

"Woah, I think Hot Moma should make that decision. Don't you?" Puck said nipping at her neck making her giggle before breaking free.

"I agree… you and Artie can share a room." She replied with a cheeky smile.

"Wait, so does this mean we're having a slumber party?" Tina asked excitedly and everyone looked at Mercedes waiting for the final say.
"Absolutely no one is allowed in my dad's office and my parent's room is completely off limits!" She said before being rushed by the girls cheering.

"This is so great! Everyone go home and grab clothes and meet back here in two hours!" Tina said before everyone started to pile out with Sam hanging back.

"You okay?" Mercedes asked after everyone left.

"Yeah… why'd you let Puck do that to you?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Kiss on you. Are you into him?"

"Woah, what? You know we dated years ago right? He always does that… are you sure you're okay?" She responded looking at him concerned before he closed the gap in between then and looking down at her intensely before nodding.

"I..." Sam started but stopped because he didn't know what to say.

Mercedes placed a hand on his cheek giving him a reassuring smile but it slowly faded when she noticed his eyes grow darker. She started to move back but he wrapped his arms around her waist keeping her in place, she felt him let out a heavy breath watching as he lowered his head closer to hers.

"Sammy… wh-what are you doing?" She asked softly, starting to move again but his lips captured hers catching her off guard especially when she didn't break the kiss, she instead kissed him back moaning softly before regaining her senses and quickly pushing him away shaking her head.

"What the hell?" She said, staring at him lightly touching her lips in disbelief, realizing she wanted to do it again.

"I… I'm sorry Merce, it's just that I've-" He stopped when she started shaking her head and backing away even more.

"You're with Quinn and we're friends… we've been friends for so long and I..." She said, stammering before looking at him confused.

"I know but I'm not sorry for doing that and I'm not sorry for this too." He said quickly closing the gap she created.

Sam crashed his lips on hers again and this time Mercedes didn't stop him reveling in how soft his lips felt and how much she enjoyed kissing him. She didn't stop him when he began to push her back against the wall or when his arms moved from her face slowly down her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Sam." She said between kisses but he took that as an opportunity to slide his warm tongue into her mouth groaning when she did the same and began to run her hands underneath his shirt jumping when they heard her door open and pushing him away. They both looked and noticed Santana standing there with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"I forgot my bag." She said picking it up and throwing it over her shoulder not breaking eye contact with them.

"Sam, you need a ride?" She asked, noticing they were both sporting guilty expressions.

"Ah… yeah, thanks." He said looking back at Mercedes who actively avoided his eyes still breathing slightly heavily.

"No problem." She waited for him to leave first and when he did she looked at Mercedes who had closed her eyes and lowered her head shaking it slightly figuring she would wait to say anything to her but she did walk over to her lifting her chin with her finger.

"It was never not obvious." She said emphatically before leaving and Mercedes let out a deep breath as she slid down the wall placing her head into her hands.

"What the hell are you doing Jones?" She asked herself sitting there for a few more minutes before figuring she should get the rooms ready for everyone and try like hell to make what happened disappear from her brain permanently.