Ch. 1 : Hiding

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that pertains to Glee nor references to popular culture. 

At the end of the hallway of William McKinley High, a tall dark senior stood next to a particular locker. He wore the traditional red and white Letterman jacket that gleamed under the ceiling's incandescent light and his refined face glossed over a piece of notebook paper instructing him to meet his Friday night date. He was the kind of guy everyone liked. The kind of guy every girl had a crush on; and the kind of guy Kurt Hummel deemed suitable for his best friend, Mercedes Jones.

*~*~*

When Kurt and Mercedes walked into the cafeteria for lunch today, they noticed it was swarming with a myriad of juniors and seniors wearing winter coat jackets over hooded sweatshirts. Usually during lunch most students sat outside in the courtyard, but with the heavy rainstorms pouring all day it seemed everyone wanted to stay dry today.

"So," Kurt frankly began as they tried to find an empty seat, "I know since my relationship with Blaine flourished you've been substituting me as a boyfriend." He glanced from the corner of his eye the skepticism brewing in Mercedes and promptly realized he needed to get his point across fast. "But have no fear, because I know love is just around the corner for you too," he exclaimed as their steps halted a few feet away from a table where the football players and cheerleaders sat.

"You see him?" Kurt pointed to a guy with a coffee brown complexion and wearing a red and white Letterman jacket. Mercedes shifted her gaze to whom Kurt was pointing at. He was sitting at the far end of the table looking over a piece of notebook paper. "His name's Anthony Rashād. He's the wide receiver on the football team and a member of The Black Student Union. And I, my best friend, have set you up on an exclusive date with him tomorrow night."

"A date?" Mercedes warily asked, her eyes widening with the sudden engagement Kurt had bestowed upon her.

"Yes," Kurt happily nodded.

"With him?" Mercedes pointed, "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"But...," Mercedes reluctantly thought, "why?"

"Okay Mercedes," Kurt put his hands on her shoulders, “it seems you're not getting the concept here."

"But-"

"I know this seems completely forced upon you," he looked into her eyes with no means of contempt, "but please know it's for your own good."

RING

"He'll meet you at your locker," he entailed and with a sudden wave of goodbye scrambled out of the way before the entire student body stampeded inside the hallway.

"But -,"...I've never seen him before, Mercedes thought and looked back to watch the football player named Anthony meet her at her locker.

Mercedes walked out of the cafeteria wondering what had just occurred. She didn't get Kurt at times and especially this week it felt like he was signing her off. First it was cancelling on bowling to be with Blaine and now telling her she was substituting him as a boyfriend. But I know he's gay, she consciously thought as she started to walk down the hallway. She envisaged if she had seen this date coming and didn't know how to comprehend the situation at hand. She turned a corner and unexpectedly heard the resonance of the rain outside. Her head quickly jerked up to the pouring sound and noticed at the far end of the hallway the florescent green exit sign glowing above the opened doors. I really don’t want to go on that date tomorrow, Mercedes thought as she gazed at the neon green sign.

She realized she wasn't ready for this. She wasn’t ready to go on a date or be with anyone for that matter. In fact, Mercedes Jones knew she wasn't substituting Kurt as a boyfriend or anything for love and comfort because she knew deep down she was already content with her life. She had her family, she had her friends, and knew at the beginning of the school year in order to succeed junior year she just had to be herself.

Mercedes began stepping forward towards her limelight of an escape. She bumped and pushed teems of peers crowding the hallway as she watched the glowing exit sign approaching closer to her. Her lips began to curl up into a grin of relief as she dashed faster towards the resonance of the rain. But as she continued to dash closer towards her escape, her steps had come to an unexpected halt - she spotted Anthony checking locker numbers. Mercedes felt everything in her sink. Her lips fell into a grimace of despair as she watched Anthony bypass lockers that weren't hers. Without an intended notion of thought, Mercedes quickly stepped to the side and threw her back against the wall. Even though she dreaded catching the sight of Anthony glancing at lockers, she felt lucky and safe that an open locker was shielding her from his view.

"Mercedes," she heard a slight profound voice trickle through her ears. Mercedes unconsciously widened her dark brown eyes and slightly dropped her bottom lip as she watched a familiar pallid hand slightly closing the open locker.

"What are you doing," Samuel Evans from glee club asked with his eyebrows scrunched together. He didn’t find this weird…just odd to find Mercedes on the back side of his locker.

"I'm...," Mercedes gasped as she looked into his royal blue eyes. She felt mildly ashamed and embarrassed that she was hiding behind his locker, but it didn’t deter her away from abandoning her cover. As she quickly thought of a reasonable excuse to give, she tore her eyes away from his to lean forward to see if Anthony was still checking each locker - he was. Mercedes gave a regrettable sigh and leaned back against the wall.

"Hiding," she confessed.

Sam thought this was strange. He would have never guessed The Mercedes Jones would hide from something. Ever since he joined the glee club he noticed everyone in the club – especially Mercedes – wanted to be noticed. He then turned his head to see who Mercedes was looking at and spotted Anthony glancing at lockers.

“Not your type?" Sam smirked back at her.

Mercedes returned a small smile. She remembered all the crushes she had of guys similar to Anthony's appearance, “He was, but...” but as she remembered who she was last year and who she was becoming this year her smile faded, "But I know his type now."

Sam looked at her slightly confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Mercedes reluctantly explained, "he wants to hookup so he could be like everyone else."

Sam nodded - now he understood. He realized he was doing the same thing with the head cheerleader, Quinn Fabrey. He, or they, - for that matter - were just hooking up to gain popularity and cease the return of slushy facials chugged at them. As he glanced back at Anthony, Sam realized he was no different from him.

"I just don't get Kurt sometimes," Mercedes softly confessed to herself.

Sam heard what Mercedes said and turned his head to look down at her. He saw that she was looking down at the brown paper bag she was carrying. He would have never guessed Mercedes had trouble understanding Kurt. He always saw them together...well...except after Kurt came up to him and asked to be duet partners; but after that, he saw them inseparable. He watched as she tightened her grip on the brown paper bag and her eyebrows knitting together.

"Do you ever feel like you're watching everyone change around you while you're still staying the same?" Mercedes asked as she lifted her head to look up at him.

Sam smirked because even though he had a hard time reading people he knew exactly what Mercedes was talking about, "Like The Twilight Zone?” he kindly smirked back at her.

Mercedes’ felt the hairs on the back of her neck slink in as her heart abruptly sprung. She didn’t know whether it was from the chilling wind from the rain that swept through the building but it felt astonishing to hear someone – particularly at school – reference The Twilight Zone to her. She slowly loosened her grip on the brown paper bag as she eyed Sam with an awakened expression.

"Yeah," she replied with a titter of relief, "like The Twilight Zone."

Sam was content to see Mercedes relieved, but honestly he couldn't help in feeling an immense warmth fill within him as Mercedes smiled back at him. It may have been from the portable heater the hall monitor strolled around to warm the hallway, but that didn’t register to him once his heart involuntarily raced. He would have never guessed he would find someone else at school understand what he was talking about. Ever since he transferred to William McKinley High two months ago, he consistently received bewildered looks whenever he shared his interests with anyone. Sure, he had Quinn because she said she watched Avatar, but whenever he spoke the Na-vi language to her she completely disregarded it.

"Have you seen the one where the guy goes back to his old town and everything is backwards?" Sam spontaneously asked as his smirk crept into a fanatical grin.

"Uumm...,” Mercedes recognized the elation in his voice, “aren't they all like that," she tentatively chuckled.

"No, this is different," Sam seriously said before closing his locker. Mercedes noticed he was beginning to walk and eyed with relief that Anthony wasn't at the lockers anymore.

"Are you familiar with the ninety-ten-percent?" he asked.

"The theory about when you believe in ninety percent of something it doesn't come true," Mercedes naturally replied.

The rising warmth continued to overwhelm Sam of Mercedes’ response, but something she said triggered him to think. "Wait...,” he interjected, “I thought the theory was about when you believe in ten percent of something it doesn't come true."

Sam and Mercedes’ steps had simultaneously paused. They began figuring out which version of the theory was correct, but after a minute had passed their heads were beginning to hurt.

"So...you watch The Twilight Zone," Sam continued their stroll.

Mercedes followed suit, "Yeah, I got hooked when it came on during summer vacation on one of those public local stations."

"On channel 56?!" Sam enthusiastically replied.

"Yeah," Mercedes smiled. She couldn't help but silently snigger to herself of Sam’s excitement of The Twilight Zone.

"Yeah, I've been watching that channel since I moved here from Tennessee. They had a marathon over the summer one week." Sam responded.

"Oh yeah - I saw that! They had it on at like two in the morning one Sunday and ended until 2am the next Sunday. That was pretty cool!" Mercedes added.

"You think they'll have it again - maybe over the holiday?" Sam asked.

"I hope so...that would be dope," Mercedes grinned back at him once they reached the end of the hallway.

The chills within Mercedes subsided as she watched Sam smile back at her. She would have never guessed that discussing about a random television show she stumbled upon one summer morning would actually make her frustrations go away.

"Did you catch last night's episode?" Mercedes continued their conversation as their steps directed them towards the cafeteria.

Sam slightly dropped his grin as he remembered his recent situation. He was so excited of all the talk of The Twilight Zone that he almost forgot he hadn't watched it in weeks. At last month's football game he injured his shoulder and due to frequent medical visits for his treatment his family began experiencing financial situations. He felt the guilt weighing on him every time he went in for his treatment as he watched his dad quietly ask the physician if he could cash the check in by the end of the week. He knew he was to be blamed for his parents' struggles, but felt lucky enough that no one in school knew about his current situation.

"My cable's been out for a week," he instinctively revealed.

Sam felt his steps suddenly halt as he watched Mercedes glance back at him. His eyes slowly widened with embarrassment as he felt the compulsion of truth expel out in front of him.

"Did you see it," he quickly asked - not wanting the conversation to be diverted towards his family's situation.

"Yeah," Mercedes glanced back as he followed her to an empty table. "It was the one where the guy's car was haunting him because he did a hit and run.”

“Like the movie Christine?” Sam was thinking he may have seen this episode before.

“Yeah, have you seen it?” Mercedes turned around to look back at him.

“I may have,” Sam recalled, “is this the one where instead of the car killing people it wanted the guy to confess the crime he committed?"

Mercedes nodded as they sat down, "Do you remember the ending where the wife just saw the car drive off without anyone in it and just did this," Mercedes put her hand above her chest and mimicked an expression of shock and surprise. Sam nodded and chuckled at Mercedes gesture. He was thrilled he had remembered watching that episode and brought back a little hope that he hadn't missed much since the cable turned off a couple of weeks ago. As their laughs lessened, Sam watched Mercedes unravel the brown paper bag she was carrying.

"Tots?" she offered in a purple lid Tupperware.

Sam's eyes slowly widened as he saw a wispy steam of golden potato tots pushed towards him. "Uumm...," he glanced warily at her, "didn't Coach Sylvester ban these?"

"And?" Mercedes shrugged and popped one in her mouth. She was delighted they were still crispy and warm. Sam's mouth watered as the wafting smell drifted in his nares and eventually grabbed one and threw it in his mouth. Along with Mercedes, he too was delighted it was crispy and warm."So...where did you get these?" he chewed and grabbed another one.

"I know someone," Mercedes shrugged nonchalantly. She was putting ketchup on one then gestured to him if he wanted some. He gave another smirk and held out his hand for the packet of ketchup. By her brief response, Sam figured Mercedes wasn't going to elaborate on where she got the tots and went back to discussing the show.

"Alright...so...what was the episode before that?" Sam put ketchup on another one.

"Uumm... the one with William Shatner and he sees this gremlin on the plane." Mercedes thought after swallowing one.

"I liked that one!” he pointed, “Did you think the gremlin looked like a bear to you?”

Mercedes chuckled. "Yeah, that was pretty funny," she recalled.

“My favorite part,” Sam grinned, “is when Shatner pulls the curtain and the creature looks like this," Mercedes watched as Sam’s jaw construed in a downward motion while his eyes crossed out wide. As his hands began to curl up in the air and dangle right in front of her, Mercedes compulsively began laughing out loud. She remembered this impression mimicked the creature when it pressed its face on the airplane window. Sam never heard anyone at school laugh so exuberantly at his impressions before and his contorted expression instinctively turned into a rapturous guffaw. Their laughs resounded like thunder in the cafeteria, which made some of the people look at them awkwardly. Sam and Mercedes were unaware of the inept stares directed towards them until they heard the shatter of the rain pelt down harder onto the window sills. Their laughs slowly began to lessen as their heads lifted up towards the ceiling and when they looked back at each other they softly began laughing again.

"So…” Sam smoothly asked as they both reached for more tots. He felt another surge of the generating heat rise within him again as he felt his hand overlap on top of hers. “…was Kurt setting you up with that guy?" The warmth he felt could’ve been from the steaming golden potato tots, but that didn’t register to him as his heart involuntarily raced again.

Mercedes was taken off guard of Sam’s question. She felt the calming warmth from his hand freeze into the chill of the rain that crept within her again. She didn’t even think Sam cared to know her situation with Kurt or even with Anthony and rolled her eyes of the subject at hand. She didn't want to talk about it, but suddenly felt something within herself to impulsively nod.

"Why do you think he was?" Sam continued to ask. He kept his hand over hers and slowly began rubbing his thumb on top of hers.

"He said I was substituting him as a boyfriend," she answered without hesitation. She began feeling the calming warmth slowly returning back to her.

"Were you?" Sam pressed on.

Mercedes quickly glared at him. "I know he's gay, Sam," she retorted and snatched her hand back.

Sam’s eyes grew wide as he watched Mercedes’ look away from him shaking her head. His mouth slightly dropped as he felt his heart pump furiously – but not in the way it felt before. He realized first hand that he had sparked a nerve and didn’t mean to get Mercedes upset. He simply was curious of her perspective on the situation.

"I...I,” Sam began trying to stumble out the words to his defense, “I wasn't judging you or anything;” he shifted his head closer for her to see, “I was just asking if he's right?" he looked at her honestly.

Mercedes continued to glare at Sam from the corner of her eye. She didn’t turn around at first, but when she did her glare began to slowly lessen. As she gazed into his royal blue eyes she felt the calming warmth within her again and saw something within him that she hadn’t seen in anyone else before.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’m just really upset at Kurt.” Mercedes then heaved a heavy sigh and felt a strange yet warming feeling to confess something to him. “The truth is, last year I was told by Quinn and Santana that Kurt was into me. I was so stupid back then," she rolled her eyes again. "I knew ninety percent of what they said wasn't true but I guess the ten percent got the better of me,” she paused for a bit reflecting about that moment in time last year. “You know, once he came out to me that was when we became best friends.”

Sam nodded. He related to what Mercedes was going through since he experienced somewhat of the same thing last year. "I know what you mean,” Sam began, “I liked this girl last year and –” Sam paused. It struck him this was the first time he has ever talked about his past to someone at school before, "one of my teammates decided to hook up with her as a joke or something saying like he had more balls than I had."

Mercedes watched as Sam’s expression turn into a solemn frown. She had never heard Sam talk about his past before since they were always on opposite ends when they were in school together. She was with Kurt, Artie, and Tina while he was usually with Quinn, Finn, and the rest of the football team. Sam hadn’t remembered this event since the day he moved here two months ago. He decided to pick up another tot, but instead of eating it he aimlessly began twirling it as he tried to not think of the intricacies behind the event. He hated that it still stung him like it did before as his eyes slowly trailed passed the spinning golden potato tot towards the exit doors.

“Let’s go outside,” Sam suggested – he needed fresh air.

"But it's raining," Mercedes replied. She was caught off guard by his sudden change of demeanor.

"And?" Sam shrugged nonchalantly. "Come on, when was the last time you played in the rain?" he stood up with his hand held out.

Mercedes glanced at Sam’s hand cautiously still wondering what had brought this sudden change of demeanor in him. Her eyes slowly trailed up to look at him and as she gazed into his deep blue orbs she suddenly felt an intrinsic pull. It overwhelmed her of something incomprehensible as a soft breath expelled out of her as she grabbed his hand and felt the calming warmth seep within her again.

"Let me just get my umbrella,” she smiled as she felt Sam gently squeezing her hand once she took his, “It’s in my locker."

"But you don't need it," Sam led the way.

“But I do,” she replied. “Sam, do you know how much this piece was?" Mercedes grabbed a piece of her weave.

Sam opened the door, "Mercedes, the whole purpose of us to be out here is to play in the rain."

"I know. Let me just get my umbrella," she loosened her grip.

Sam instinctively gripped his hand tighter around Mercedes as he felt her hand beginning to slip from his. He felt the weight of Mercedes stumble back onto his chest and from the sudden motion of impact, their steps continued to stagger back. They instinctively began wrapping their arms around each other to prevent themselves from falling, but as they reached a bump in their step, Sam and Mercedes eventually tripped and fell onto the saturated grass.

"Oh my god Sam,” Mercedes laughed with the rain pelting down on them. “Are you okay," she pulled herself up to check if he was alright. She didn't care anymore that she was in the rain unguarded.

Sam laughed with her. "I told you, you didn't need it," he replied as he felt the weight of Mercedes shifting herself off of him. He lifted himself up onto his elbows when he noticed Mercedes rolling her eyes at him again and nudged him back onto the sopping grass. Sam continued to laugh as he looked up at her and watched as she looked back down at him chuckling. He didn’t notice this before but hearing Mercedes laugh made him feel weightless – like there wasn't a care in the world. It made him feel like everything he had felt before – all the pressures or all the defeat that he experienced before – they all simply didn't matter anymore. To him, at that moment, it felt like the only thing that mattered was how to keep her smiling, how to keep her laughing because he knew when she laughed it innately made him laugh too. As he watched Mercedes continue to laugh and smile back down at him, Sam slowly lifted his palm towards her palpable cheek and gently began combing the strands of her hair that stuck to her cheek. He placed each strand behind her ear and smiled wider as he listened to her softly giggle as he completed each stroke.

Mercedes continued to feel the calming warmth from before as she felt Sam’s gentle caresses behind her ear. She still couldn’t really comprehend what was going on or what she was feeling towards Sam, but she knew she didn’t want it to end as it felt like everything – except him and the droplets pelting down on them – had suddenly stood still. The way he brushed her strands behind her ear was gentle and soothing that it made her body warm like it did when he rubbed her hand with his thumb. She realized that his touch was comforting – that she was comfortable with him when she least expected it. She looked back at him and noticed he was smiling back at her like before.

Sam never faltered his smile as he continued to place the loose strands behind her ear. He then instinctively felt a tug within him to shorten the distance between them. He didn't blink as he looked into Mercedes' chocolate brown eyes because he felt a sense of truth that fit beyond the belief of the ninety-ten percent. He never felt this with anyone else before and felt every cell in his body rise with immense heat as he placed his palm back towards Mercedes’ cheek.

Mercedes still wondered what was going on as she froze at his soiled touch, but as she looked into his deep sea eyes she too found a sense of truth that she hadn’t seen in anyone else before. The gentle caresses on her cheek returned to soothe her like before and allowed her eyes to flutter down as she expelled a small breath that slightly parted her lips.

Sam drew closer towards her infinitesimal breath, further closing the distance between them. As he felt her forehead press against his, Sam made one final stroke on Mercedes’ cheek before bringing his thumb to the bottom of her chin. He lifted it up slowly, smirking one final time before feeling her lips softly graze on top of his.

"Hey,” Coach Sylvester strode by them, “no plausible sexual tension on the premises." Sam and Mercedes quickly opened their eyes before Coach Sylvester suddenly halted her steps. "Mercedes," she turned, "do I smell tots?"

"What?” They stood up to look at Coach Sylvester quizzically. “No!” Mercedes immediately replied.

Coach Sylvester stepped closer towards Sam and Mercedes. "You know Mercedes,” her eyes narrowed as she sniffed any hint of the banned golden potato tots, “you are aware I've dropped the charges against you? But, if I see any tots on the premises you'll be the first to be expelled," she threatened.

Sam and Mercedes eyes widened. They remembered they forgot to take the tots they ate in the cafeteria back to Mercedes' locker. As they watched Coach Sylvester walk off and head towards the cafeteria, Sam and Mercedes quickly looked at each other and dashed for their escape without an umbrella to cover them from the rain. They sprinted down the corridor and quickly turned into the nearest corner they reached. Their breaths were heavy as they halted their steps behind the wall. They didn't pay attention to their surroundings at first since their main objective for this escape was to be as far away from Principal Sylvester's radar as possible. Mercedes' breaths began to slow down cautiously. She was fully aware now if Principal Sylvester caught her she would actually get expelled; and not just expelled of having poor grades or setting slushies in the football team’s lockers, but getting expelled for bringing tots to school!

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Sam slightly tilting his head out from the edge of the wall they were hiding behind. Mercedes turned her head to what was in front of her. She trailed her eyes up and realized a heavy sounding machine was above them. She figured these were the air conditioner and heater machines for the classrooms. She then heard a door from the cafeteria slam onto the brick wall and a pair of footsteps speedily running out of it. Sam quickly lifted his finger to his lips and turned to Mercedes. Mercedes stilled her breath as her eyes opened wide to the scurried sound. She watched as Sam tilted out of the corner. From where he was standing, Sam noticed a young blond girl with glasses wearing a cheerleader uniform over red pant sweats.

"It's Becky," Sam replied in a whisper and leaned back against the wall.

"Do you think she knows?" Mercedes whispered back in a panic.

"I don't think so," Sam lightly shrugged.

"Well…," Mercedes began, "Coach Sylvester can't do that right?" she whispered until the coast was clear. "I mean, she's just a substitute principal for Mr. Figgins - she's just filling in for him while he's out sick."

Sam nodded in agreement. "She's just threatening you because she can," he reassured her while they stayed in their positions. "Look, once she was assigned as principal the first thing she tried to do was terminate the football team. But Coach Bieste asked her who the cheerleaders were going to be cheering for and Coach, I mean, "Principal" Sylvester just walked away." He grinned hoping this information alleviated her stress - it somewhat did. "Besides," Sam leaned in closer towards her, "if she does find out I'll just say it was me."

"What?" Mercedes knitted her eyebrows together immediately shaking her head, "...No, I can't let you do that! I was the one who brought the tots in. Plus, if she does find them she would already suspect me."

"But," Sam said, "I can't let you get in trouble if I was there too. Look," he quickly thought, "I could just say I didn't know we couldn't bring tots since I'm new here or something like that."

Mercedes continued shaking her head, "Sam…I can't," she whispered with a pang of guilt filling within her.

Sam heaved a heavy sigh as he watched her shake her head looking down. He noticed her fingers nervously flickering at the bottom of her jacket where the base of the zipper was located. He wasn't lying to Mercedes - he really didn't want her to get in trouble if he was there too.

"Cedes...," he tilted his head closer to hers, ".…I can't let you take all the blame."

Mercedes slowly lifted her coffee brown eyes up to his. She realized they were inches away from each other like before. The intrinsic pull she felt earlier returned as her heart raced to the chilling droplets pouring on her skin. She watched his bare pink lips curl to the side as she felt the warm touch of his fingers instantly rubbing them away. His touch - his presence - was entrancing to her that she still couldn't really comprehend what was happening to her as she watched him lean closer to her.

Sam crept closer until he finally felt his nose nearly touching hers. He smirked further as he licked his lips before gently grazing Mercedes softly pouted lips again. His eyes fluttered down as he engulfed her lavender scent while softly gripping her bottom lip in between his. It was soft and warm that it instantly made him press his lips firmer into hers while unconsciously wrapping his arm around her waist. The cells in his body warmed immensely as he felt Mercedes' soft body pressed against his while feeling a light hitch in her breath exude into him.

Mercedes slid her soft hands up in his arms and around his neck as she gripped his top lip with slightly more vigor. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care that she couldn't comprehend the situation between them. She didn’t care because it simply didn't matter like before. That what they were doing didn't matter and kissing him back with no hesitation made her feel as if maybe she needed this or more like wanted this. She then softly entangled her fingers into the back of his hair while gently shifting her moistened lips to the bottom of his. She felt Sam's other hand trail up to her neck as he too pressed her face closer to his before shifting himself back to the bottom of her lips. He felt her hot breath picking up in his mouth that it made him instantly wrap his soft warm tongue onto hers which made her emit the softest and quietest moan he has ever heard.

"So," Sam groaned. He intensely felt everything in his body weaken as he pulled himself away breathlessly. "Going to the game tonight?" He was beginning to exhale heavy breaths as he watched Mercedes still having her eyes closed.

It took Mercedes awhile as she too exhaled heavy breaths from her luscious lips to understand what Sam was saying as her head was still filled from the warmth and comfort of his lips.

"I'd love to, but -"

"Anthony," Sam finished her sentence. A sinking feeling crept in his stomach as he watched her tilt her head down. He wasn't ready to depart from her - not like this.

Mercedes nodded regretfully as she watched Sam nod with a disappointing smile until suddenly a thought occurred. "Well…," she smiled hopefully, "do you want to come over tonight after the game and watch The Twilight Zone? I have a DVR player at home and still have the episodes you said you missed."

Sam felt his heart race again and his body warming. Mercedes watched Sam smile at her. The sullen expression he had before crept into a delightful grin, "I'd be honored," he replied. Mercedes grin grew wider as she pulled him closer to her lips again.

*~*~*

There wasn’t much to see in the dim lit hallway, but a single ray of light shining at a particular locker. The locker wasn’t special. It didn’t hold any significance, but there was a white piece of paper hanging on the front slits of it. A fair skinned beauty - for whom the locker belonged to - looked at the white piece of paper curiously. She noticed it wasn’t of anything official from the principal's office but instead a piece of notebook paper. She snatched the note quickly and opened it with a sense of intrigue. Meet me in the astronomy classroom, she read with a grin of satisfaction on her lips again.

*~*~*

Samuel Evans walked into the hallway cautiously yet felt invigorated at the same time. He glanced at the large glass window panes of the principal's office and spotted that it was completely empty. In fact, as he turned around he realized the entire hallway was empty except for the ray of light shining at a particular locker. A grin of relief crept on his lips as he felt pumped, happy, and ready to play in the game despite his shoulder still being injured. He couldn't believe he had skipped his whole class schedule making out with Mercedes Jones and just thinking about it and her made his entire body weaken yet ecstatic that it made his grin curl up even wider.

"Hey," he heard a familiar voice. Sam turned around and saw Quinn smiling at him. "I got your note," she lifted a piece of paper up to him. "What is it that you wanted to meet up for?"

"Oh…right," Sam remembered. He was planning to propose to her to officially be his girlfriend and to get his status back in school. For one week, Samuel Evans was on top. He wasn't considered the new kid anymore nor did anyone know his financial situation. Instead, he was Sam Evans, the quarterback, dating the head cheerleader Quinn Fabrey. He remembered he had everything in place - the ring, the classroom, even his speech - and also remembered the first time he saw Quinn. He didn't even believe he would have a shot to be with her. According to the theory, Sam thought if he believed in ninety percent of something it would come true, but now that he sort of was with Quinn, he realized ten percent of the theory came true. Maybe Mercedes was right, he mulled over in his head then thought about the few moments ago he was out in the rain with Mercedes. Ever since he had departed from her he knew he saw something that was completely incomprehensible to the ninety-ten-percent, but when he looked into Quinn's eyes they were beautiful, gorgeous, but knew he couldn't connect with it like he had with Mercedes. But when we were out there, I didn't have a percentage on her. That moment - that mere moment - he had with Mercedes he hadn't had with anyone else before. It was a simple feeling of acceptance to act and be whoever he wanted to be without any means of judgment.  He still couldn't believe he forgot about his prior engagement and wondered if he still wanted to follow through with it. He grew confused of the theory and knew he had to think of something quick.

"Uumm…I was going to ask you if I should ask Coach Bieste if I should play in the game today since my shoulder's been feeling better. See," Sam lifted his arm above his head and did a minimal rotation. He grimaced a little as it still tinged a bit.

"Well it would be a perfect opportunity to start campaigning for prom queen and king. You know it's never too early," she replied.

Sam nodded with a tight smile and felt Quinn take his hand. They began walking down the hallway as Quinn suggested several duties they needed to do to begin their campaign. "If you play tonight, that will definitely solidify us for the running. Be persistent, you know, tell her that you just had your last medical visit yesterday and the doctor said that you could play. But she would probably want a doctor's note," she pondered.

Sam wasn't really paying attention what Quinn was suggesting as they turned the corner. He was still thinking about Mercedes and the salacious event they did. He also still didn't know if this meant if he should be with Mercedes or still propose to Quinn to be his girlfriend. As they walked closer to the boys’ locker room, Sam saw Kurt and Anthony standing in front of the entrance.

"Well, I don't know what happened," Kurt began as he shook his head. He was looking down at his phone trying to find Mercedes' number. "She should've been there. I told her you were going to meet her at her locker. I mean granted that she was surprised at first but still you know I figured you would be able to see her."

"Yeah, I don't know," Anthony shook his head, "her locker number is 1403 right? Top row?" Anthony confirmed.

Kurt nodded. He pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear then turned around and noticed Sam and Quinn walking towards them.

"Hey," Kurt whispered as the phone was ringing, "have you guys seen Mercedes?"

Sam and Quinn halted their steps in front of them. Quinn shook her head and looked up at Sam. Sam watched as all three of them simultaneously looked at him for a response. He knew he had to think of something quick. "I saw her after lunch and noticed she wasn't looking well. I think I saw her heading to the nurse’s office and maybe she left home early."

"Oh - ", Kurt began as he cut his sentence short, "hey Mercedes call me back," he said into his phone. "Really? But when I saw her for lunch she looked fine."

Sam shrugged his shoulders. He figured if they bought that then maybe Principal Sylvester would too. He then turned to Quinn and released his grip from her, "Well here goes nothing," he responded with a tight smile.

"Good luck," Quinn replied, "and remember be convincing and persistent. I'll try to get a doctor's note before the game starts," and kissed him on the cheek before he walked into the locker room.

***

Mercedes was standing in the middle of the kitchen making sure she had everything in place. Popcorn. Check. Drinks. Check. Past Episodes and tonight's episode. Check.

While walking home from school Mercedes head was still filled of clouds and wonderment from what had happened hours before. She still couldn't believe that her and Sam made out - more so of him making out with her. And it wasn't just a peck or her coming to him, it was full blown making out with tongues wound together and moans into each other’s ears and arms wrapped around each other so tightly that none of them didn't want to let go. She still couldn't believe it and instantly smiled when she remembered the event. Her body chilled stilled but something inside her would rush it all away. Sam Evans, kissed me, she thought. Me of all girls he kissed me, her grin turned wider.

RING

Mercedes turned around once she heard the door ring. Her heart intensely pounded as she glanced at the time - a quarter to eleven. She then quickly glanced back at everything - making sure she had everything in place and properly prepared before she walked with a skip in her step towards the door. She checked how she looked in the mirror. She didn't really do much to herself when she got home - just changed into a stylish t-shirt and dark jeans. Her hair was still down but instead of it being sleek and straight when school started it was crinkled and limp from the rain. She wondered if she should have put it in a ponytail but knew that would cause more breakage than necessary before opening the door.

Sam turned around and saw Mercedes standing at the front door. He noticed she changed, but her hair was still down. His smile widened as he saw that her hair was slightly curled and immediately wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him.

Mercedes didn't hesitate to give him a little "something something" as she lifted her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. They instantly leaned in and kissed for a bit as they laughed and smiled onto each other’s lips - excited in seeing each other again.

"So..." Mercedes began as she slid herself down, "did the team win tonight?"

"No," Sam exhaled a soft sigh.

Mercedes grimaced, "I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal," Sam shrugged with a grin, "I'm sure come Monday Coach Bieste is definitely going to have us run sprints until we puke."

He watched as Mercedes returned a concerned look before feeling her hand intertwine with his. He realized this was the first time he had felt Mercedes' hand intertwine with his and noticed it felt soft and comforting and also warm. He felt himself being led inside and felt the warmth and smell of popcorn rush through him once they reached the kitchen.  He took note of how nice and luxurious her house was that comparing it to his place...well...more like comparing it to all the houses he's visited thus far…it seemed none of them has heard of the Goodwill.

"So," Mercedes began as she let go of Sam's hand and walked towards the refrigerator, "we have Coke, Sprite, my mom's infamous lavender lemonade, water, and I think we still have a bottle of apple juice?" Mercedes said as she looked in the fridge.

"Umm...I'll take Coke," Sam replied. He watched Mercedes take two Cokes out. He saw the bowl of popcorn on the counter and offered to grab it before following her to the living room.

"So did Kurt call you earlier today," Sam asked.

"Yeah," Mercedes nodded. "He was asking if I was feeling better because apparently I wasn't feeling well after lunch," she looked back at him with an interesting smile on her face.

"Yeah," Sam smiled back, "when I walked into the hallway after you'd left I saw him talking to Anthony and he asked me if I saw you and figured that excuse would work."

"So it was you that told him," Mercedes softly laughed and turned around to look at him, "No wondered he acted all concerned. He actually wanted to come over and check if I was feeling better but luckily I told him that its better he didn't so he wouldn't catch what I had." She watched as Sam began laughing with her too and once their laughs began to lessen she thanked them.

"You're welcome," she heard him reply. She watched as Sam still had a huge smile on his face and felt herself slightly lean against the nearest wall. She shifted herself closer to him as her eyes locked with his and felt the familiar pull just like when they were out in the rain earlier today. Her smile widened as he drew closer to her. She watched as his head tilted on the wall as he leaned down slightly to be eye level with her. In that quiet moment, they were just looking at each other. The feeling to kiss or place a hand on a cheek wasn't necessary because in that moment they saw the level of truth between them again. It was satisfying, rewarding, and even calming that not saying anything was satisfying in its own way. They looked each other deeply - wondering if possible they could read each other’s mind - before Mercedes turned around and continued walking towards the living room.

"So, we can either watch the episodes that you missed or tonight's episode," she placed the sodas on the coffee table and sat down on a big cushioned couch.

"What's tonight's episode about?" Sam asked as he placed the bowl of popcorn next to the drinks and sat next to her.

"It's about," Mercedes toggled through the episodes to find the most recent one. She saw that it was titled The Purple Testament then clicked on the information button, "a US army lieutenant serving in the Philippines during WWII develops a harrowing ability to see in the face of who will be the next one to die in his platoon."

"Hm, never heard of this episode before," Sam replied after listening to the description.

"Me neither," Mercedes shook her head then looked back at him, "Want to watch it?"

"Sure," Sam nodded then leaned back comfortably into the cushions.

Mercedes pressed the play button and leaned back as well. They instantly drew close to one another – Sam placing his arm around Mercedes and Mercedes placing her head on his shoulder - grinning to the sounds of The Twilight Zone.

♥