Fic: Boundaries Unknown (4/6)
Title: Boundaries Unknown (4/6)
Pairing: Sam/Mercedes
Rating: PG-13+
Summary: Sam introduces Mercedes to his grandfather, the man who financially rescued his family. It all falls apart from there.
Warnings: Some severely racist language.
Mercedes hung up with Kurt, lying back against her bed. She had known this went deeper than one messed up racist and had been afraid to hear just that. Sam’s father was the man who saved his family from their horrible financial situation and she should have known that was going to affect this whole situation. Sam’s parents had been working like crazy to get themselves out of that hole and Sam had let on to her just how deeply his siblings were suffering. His siblings had been suffering so much as a result of the family’s poverty.
Stacy’s grades had dropped considerably, according to the concerned big brother. Apparently, she was picking up on the frustrations of her family and it had been making her sick, distracted. The two young kids had also been bringing lunches to school that no little kid should have to. They had been in a miserable situation.
Sam had been suffering too. Mercedes could see the exhaustion in his eyes when she met him at work to bring him something to eat himself. He worked way more hours than any successful high school student could, because it kept his family afloat. He was hurting so damned much and leading an adult life even though he was only sixteen.
“Cedes?”
She looked up and saw her mother’s head peeking through her bedroom door. “Hi Mama,” she mumbled, not even bothering to call her mother out for intruding on her privacy. She really needed her mother and that comfort. She couldn’t cast that away.
“Is something wrong?”
She nodded a little bit. She looked over the top of her head. “You can come in,” she said, sitting up. “I just realized how bad this whole thing with Sam is going to be. I mean, that man was a horrible, awful racist but he also saved Sam’s family from going under. You know how much Sam’s family has been going through.”
She nodded, wisely.
Mercedes was never one to keep things from her mother and she had told her what she could about her boyfriend’s financial situation.
“Do you think it’ll prevent Sam from dating you?” her mother asked, gently.
“I don’t know,” Mercedes mumbled. “I don’t wanna lose him Mama, not at all, but if it means that his family would be safe?” That just seemed to be the ultimate set of questions for Mercedes. Would she be willing to give up Sam and would he be willing to give her up? Did they have to? How could they keep the Evans family safe and keep what they had?
Mercedes felt lucky that her mother saw the same dilemma she did. “That is extremely difficult,” she said, hugging her daughter close, “but it’ll be okay Mercedes. I have faith in you; I have faith in that boy. I don’t know him very well yet but I sense a good spirit in him. He’s going to do whatever he has to. He’s already survived more than any little boy should have to deal with.”
Sam was the strongest person that Mercedes knew, honestly. She knew that she herself was blessed, being the child of a dentist and living in an upper middle class that didn’t feel the insane struggles Sam’s family had. She was lucky and she was dating the strongest guy she knew.
She didn’t see Sam again until he found her in the choir room the next day. She had gone to rehearse, think, even though glee didn’t meet on Mondays. “I hoped I’d find you here,” Sam said softly, slipping into the choir room. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for the conversation and then turning around.
“Hey,” she said softly, forcing a smile.
There was a long moment between them. Sam shook his head and he just looked so heartbroken. She wanted to hug him, but she resisted the urge. “Mercedes, I am so sorry about what happened with my grandfather,” he said. “I really didn’t know he was like that and…nobody deserves the kind of disrespect you received there, not just from him, but from my parents. My mom and dad are not bad people, they just…”
“I know Sam,” she said gently. “I know exactly what you’re saying. They didn’t want to put themselves at odds with the guy who saved your lives.”
“I thought that my dignity was the one thing they couldn’t take from me,” Sam said honestly, sitting down at the piano bench and staring at her. He looked as though he were going to cry, but struggled against it. “I mean, they took everything else. I’ve given up everything for my family.”
“Are they asking you to dump me?” she asked, bluntly. She knew that Sam was as miserable as she was, if not more, but she just had to know the answer to that question. She had to know if this was going to take her first love away from her.
Sam shrugged a little. “Not entirely,” he admitted. “My mom just told me that it’d be best if you didn’t come around for awhile. That just pisses me off so much, you know. I mean, I really am crazy about you Mercedes. I love being with you. I haven’t been this happy in years. You’re everything that a girlfriend should be.
“Except for the fact that I’m black,” she mumbled low. She couldn’t help it. “Sam, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to help you family.”
“I’ve done everything I can to help my family,” Sam muttered bitterly. “I’m not going to give you up just because my disgusting grandfather might get wind of me dating you. It’s going to be alright. We’re going to be alright.”
Mercedes frowned a little at that. “Sam,” she said delicately, leaning over and taking her boyfriend’s hand. “I don’t hold it against you, at all. I think that you should do whatever you can to keep your family safe. You’ve been suffering so much for those kids and you don’t want to go back to that. You were struggling so hard and Stacy and Stevie were messing up in school and you don’t wanna go back there.”
“Is it really worth it to deal with a man like that?”
Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. “I guess.”
“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me,” Sam mumbled. “I never had a girlfriend who likes me for me and sees me as an equal. I really want us to work out Mercedes, but I’d understand if you wanted to dump me.”
“I don’t,” she said gently.
“I don’t want to lose you either Mercedes,” he said. “I’ll do what I have to with my grandfather but I’m with you.”
“That’s all I ask,” she said, leaning over and kissing him.
Pairing: Sam/Mercedes
Rating: PG-13+
Summary: Sam introduces Mercedes to his grandfather, the man who financially rescued his family. It all falls apart from there.
Warnings: Some severely racist language.
Mercedes hung up with Kurt, lying back against her bed. She had known this went deeper than one messed up racist and had been afraid to hear just that. Sam’s father was the man who saved his family from their horrible financial situation and she should have known that was going to affect this whole situation. Sam’s parents had been working like crazy to get themselves out of that hole and Sam had let on to her just how deeply his siblings were suffering. His siblings had been suffering so much as a result of the family’s poverty.
Stacy’s grades had dropped considerably, according to the concerned big brother. Apparently, she was picking up on the frustrations of her family and it had been making her sick, distracted. The two young kids had also been bringing lunches to school that no little kid should have to. They had been in a miserable situation.
Sam had been suffering too. Mercedes could see the exhaustion in his eyes when she met him at work to bring him something to eat himself. He worked way more hours than any successful high school student could, because it kept his family afloat. He was hurting so damned much and leading an adult life even though he was only sixteen.
“Cedes?”
She looked up and saw her mother’s head peeking through her bedroom door. “Hi Mama,” she mumbled, not even bothering to call her mother out for intruding on her privacy. She really needed her mother and that comfort. She couldn’t cast that away.
“Is something wrong?”
She nodded a little bit. She looked over the top of her head. “You can come in,” she said, sitting up. “I just realized how bad this whole thing with Sam is going to be. I mean, that man was a horrible, awful racist but he also saved Sam’s family from going under. You know how much Sam’s family has been going through.”
She nodded, wisely.
Mercedes was never one to keep things from her mother and she had told her what she could about her boyfriend’s financial situation.
“Do you think it’ll prevent Sam from dating you?” her mother asked, gently.
“I don’t know,” Mercedes mumbled. “I don’t wanna lose him Mama, not at all, but if it means that his family would be safe?” That just seemed to be the ultimate set of questions for Mercedes. Would she be willing to give up Sam and would he be willing to give her up? Did they have to? How could they keep the Evans family safe and keep what they had?
Mercedes felt lucky that her mother saw the same dilemma she did. “That is extremely difficult,” she said, hugging her daughter close, “but it’ll be okay Mercedes. I have faith in you; I have faith in that boy. I don’t know him very well yet but I sense a good spirit in him. He’s going to do whatever he has to. He’s already survived more than any little boy should have to deal with.”
Sam was the strongest person that Mercedes knew, honestly. She knew that she herself was blessed, being the child of a dentist and living in an upper middle class that didn’t feel the insane struggles Sam’s family had. She was lucky and she was dating the strongest guy she knew.
She didn’t see Sam again until he found her in the choir room the next day. She had gone to rehearse, think, even though glee didn’t meet on Mondays. “I hoped I’d find you here,” Sam said softly, slipping into the choir room. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for the conversation and then turning around.
“Hey,” she said softly, forcing a smile.
There was a long moment between them. Sam shook his head and he just looked so heartbroken. She wanted to hug him, but she resisted the urge. “Mercedes, I am so sorry about what happened with my grandfather,” he said. “I really didn’t know he was like that and…nobody deserves the kind of disrespect you received there, not just from him, but from my parents. My mom and dad are not bad people, they just…”
“I know Sam,” she said gently. “I know exactly what you’re saying. They didn’t want to put themselves at odds with the guy who saved your lives.”
“I thought that my dignity was the one thing they couldn’t take from me,” Sam said honestly, sitting down at the piano bench and staring at her. He looked as though he were going to cry, but struggled against it. “I mean, they took everything else. I’ve given up everything for my family.”
“Are they asking you to dump me?” she asked, bluntly. She knew that Sam was as miserable as she was, if not more, but she just had to know the answer to that question. She had to know if this was going to take her first love away from her.
Sam shrugged a little. “Not entirely,” he admitted. “My mom just told me that it’d be best if you didn’t come around for awhile. That just pisses me off so much, you know. I mean, I really am crazy about you Mercedes. I love being with you. I haven’t been this happy in years. You’re everything that a girlfriend should be.
“Except for the fact that I’m black,” she mumbled low. She couldn’t help it. “Sam, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to help you family.”
“I’ve done everything I can to help my family,” Sam muttered bitterly. “I’m not going to give you up just because my disgusting grandfather might get wind of me dating you. It’s going to be alright. We’re going to be alright.”
Mercedes frowned a little at that. “Sam,” she said delicately, leaning over and taking her boyfriend’s hand. “I don’t hold it against you, at all. I think that you should do whatever you can to keep your family safe. You’ve been suffering so much for those kids and you don’t want to go back to that. You were struggling so hard and Stacy and Stevie were messing up in school and you don’t wanna go back there.”
“Is it really worth it to deal with a man like that?”
Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. “I guess.”
“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me,” Sam mumbled. “I never had a girlfriend who likes me for me and sees me as an equal. I really want us to work out Mercedes, but I’d understand if you wanted to dump me.”
“I don’t,” she said gently.
“I don’t want to lose you either Mercedes,” he said. “I’ll do what I have to with my grandfather but I’m with you.”
“That’s all I ask,” she said, leaning over and kissing him.