A/N: Hey guys! So, I've had this written for a while now and I thought, "What the hell?" I'm only gonna be posting this one chapter for a while until I see what you guys think. I have a few more but I'm just gonna wait and see your feedback.

Happy Reading!

And as always, REVIEWS = LOVE!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own: The Twilight Saga, Glee or anything of the characters or places from either. The OCs are mine.

THIS STORY IS UNBETA'D. ALL MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL.

It's not that I want to leave. I love my mom and my home, but she wants to go on the road with her husband Grant Johnson and his band Grand Funk Connection. No one knew them except for the very small fan base they acquired from doing gigs in and around L.A., but my mom was their number one fan. I'll miss L.A. I'll miss the smog and the heat and the loudness of the city but this is the right thing to do.

"Are you sure you want to go Mercy?" Yvette Tomlinson asked her daughter as she wrapped her into a tight hug.

"Yeah mom. I'm sure." I answered returning the hug. My mom and my father, Gordon Jones got divorced when I was still a toddler. I would spend my summers with my dad in Lima, Ohio. Literally the most boring place on Earth, if you asked me. I haven't been there in over seven years. "I know how much this means to you mom." I saw the way my mom would sulk around the house when Grant went away on his mini tours around the West coast. I knew she wanted to go with him but she couldn't just leave me alone. I love my mom, but she's impulsive. If it weren't for me and Grant, our house would be full of every knick knack and as seen on tv garbage my mom could get her hands on. I was worried about her but I know that Grant will keep her under control.

"Are you guys ready?" Grant asked, spotting us hugging. Mom wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded her head yes. She hugged me one last time before leaving me standing in the living room.

"Goodbye." I whispered, as I looked around the home I had know for my whole life. I know that this transition will be hard but I want my mom to be happy. She deserved it.

Landing in the Lima, Ohio was like a kick to the stomach. There were more trees than people and there was no gray haze in the air, no hustle and bustle. Just boredom. Ugh. Everyone on the plane seemed excited about the flight to Ohio. Maybe they weren't staying. Anyway, I grabbed my bags from baggage claim and I searched the crowded airport for my dad. To my dismay, he still had on his white lab coat with the name tag that read Gordon Jones, D.D.S..

"Hey Mercy." he said hugging me awkwardly.

"Hey." I said returning the hug. Gordon reached down and took my bag and led me out of the airport. The car ride to the house was quiet. We exchanged silent glances and sweet smiles. When he first started the car he asked,

"Oh, is Marvin Gaye ok? We can put on that um, Drake if you want." I laughed. What the hell did Gordon know about Drake.

I said, "This is fine, Gor...dad. I like Marvin." He smiled and we drove home. I was surprised to see that more than I expect had changed in Lima. There might actually be some redeeming qualities, but that's yet to be determined.

The house was just as I remembered it. Two stories, short driveway, lots of windows.

"Welcome home Merc." Gordon said placing my bags beside the bed in my second floor bedroom. "I hope that zebra print is ok. I told the saleslady that you were eccentric and she pointed the towards this."

"Yeah. Zebra print is perfect. Thanks." I said with a smile. He smiled back before nodding and exiting the room. Gordon was never one to over stay a welcome. Unlike mom, he always gave me space.

The room was just as I remembered it. A built in closet, a dresser of drawers, a small desk with a printer and space for my laptop. A window near the bed and a bay window with a window seat. The walls were painted white now instead of the pale pink of my childhood, but as much as I didn't want it to, it still felt like home.

After unpacking and setting up my laptop and emailing my mom and some of my friends back in L.A. I headed downstairs. Gordon was in the kitchen struggling with the heat controls on the stove.

"Hey." I said leaning against the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, I'm trying to get this to boil." he said twisting the knob back and forth, getting frustrated when the flat stove top didn't light up.

"You gotta have some patience." I said laughing. "Here let me do it." I said pushing him out of the way. He willingly let me take over.

"I've already registered you at the school." he said taking a seat at the small wooden table. I smile at him over my shoulder and continue to cook dinner. He watched me quietly and I began to make myself familiar with the kitchen. He set the table as I put the food in serving dishes. We ate in silence. It's not uncomfortable, it's just there. We don't need to talk. I'm like Gordon that way. I don't necessarily need people around me all the time. I like being alone.

"I'll do the dishes." he said wiping the last signs of the dinner I made away from his mouth. I gave him a nod and proceeded back upstairs. "Hey Mercy?" he called after me.

"Yeah dad." I answered turning at the top of the stairs to face him.

"Um I don't know if your mom made you go to church or anything but I'm going tomorrow if you want to come." I could see the hopeful look on his face, and he was right. My mom hadn't made me go to church. She didn't have a set religion but I often went with a few of my friends. Singing in the choir had become one of my favorite things to do.

"Yeah sure. That'd be great." I said. He smiled at me and returned to the kitchen. I showered and got ready for bed. The night felt like it drug by. Maybe it was because I barely slept. There is no noise in Lima. None. I crawled out of bed and pull up iTunes and started my Whitney playlist. After laying back down and singing a few of the songs I drifted off to sleep.

Gordon and I got ready for church in silence. Mainly because we had to get up extra early. I wore my purple knee length dress with the black patent leather belt. I made my way downstairs and found Gordon drinking his coffee over the sink. He bids me good morning as I grab a bottle of grape juice from fridge and we left for church.

It was Gordon's job as the very faithful deacon to open the church. It was warm and smelled like fresh bread. I had always loved coming here as a child. I felt safe, like nothing, no matter how bad or scary, if I was inside the church, I was safe. All of this came rushing back as I stepped inside. I still loved going to church but I wasn't so sure about going to this church.

"You ok?" Gordon asked. I took a seat on a pew near the middle and nodded yes. "Ok, I'll see you later Mercy. I've gotta check on some other things around here." I sat quietly. Thinking.

"You must be Mercy Jones." a voice says from behind me. Turning I see a tall, slender boy with hazel eyes and dirty blonde hair. "I'm Jerry Daniels." he said extending his hand to me.

"Uh yeah. It's Mercedes." I said shaking his hand. He gave me a large smile and gave my hand a vigorous shake.

"Well, I run a blog about the inner workings of the McKinley High Glee Club." Jerry said, sitting next to me on the pew.

"Oh, do you belong to any clubs or anything?" I asked.

"NO!" he cackled. "It's totally gay." I gave him a faint smile. I didn't really like this guy. He was cute but he seemed like a dick. Plus, what's wrong with being in the clubs? "So tomorrow at school, just stick with me. I'll show you around."

"Great." I said, trying to hide my less than enthused tone. He smiled at me as he went back to sit with his family. Gordon came back right before the service started. I usually try to pay attention at church but I couldn't take my mind off the next day.

"Merc, you ready to go?" Gordon asked, touching my arm. I must have completely spaced out. I nod yes and followed out of the church. "So every Sunday for dinner I go to Breadstix. Would you like to come?"

"Yeah dad. That'd be great." I said smiling at him. He smiled back and continued driving. We arrived at the restaurant and the hostess knew Gordon by name.

"Merna, this is my daughter Mercedes." he said to the waitress. She gave me a big smile and touched my shoulder.

"You are just beautiful. I always knew you would be one of those classic beauties." she said sweetly.

"Thank you." I said trying not to blush. I really didn't like people fawning over me. I never have. When I was six years old I almost had a break down because my mom wanted to throw me this big birthday party.

"Well, do you still love fettuccine alfredo? Merna asked. I nodded yes, "Ok, I'll get you two orders and I'll bring your breadsticks."

"Sorry about that." Gordon said, quietly. Like me, he didn't like people to fuss over him. Even seeing it happen to other people brought heat to our cheeks.

"It's ok. No worries." I said. We sat silently as Merna served us. The food was pretty good. I mean it wasn't L.A. food but for Lima it was good. He smiled again and we finished our dinner in silence.

"Merc, you ready?" Gordon said as he slipped into his white lab coat.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I said grabbing my backpack. The ride to school was nerve wracking. I hated being "the new kid". I'll just keep my head down and make it through the day.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Gordon asked, stopping in front of the school.

"No. I'll be ok. Thanks though." I said unbuckling my seat-belt.

"Alright then. I'll be home late tonight. I'm going to the see Travis Blue." Gordon said. "I'll send his son, Maverick, to pick you up after school."

"Maverick Blue? Oh I remember him now. We used to play Hollywood together." I said laughing at the memory.

"Yeah well, he'll be here at about 3:30pm." Gordon said, as I got out of the car.

"I'll be here." I said shutting the door behind me. I waved goodbye and I walked towards the school.

"Mercy Jones, right?" a dark skin boy with electric brown eyes asked stepping in front of me blocking my path.

"Uh yeah. Call me Mercedes." I said with a smile.

"I'm Greg Smith." He said returning the smile. "I will be your tour guide and confidant on your journey through McKinley. Is there anything I can help you with right now?"

"Can you show me where the office is?" I asked.

"Of course. Right this way." he said as he put his arm around me. I thought that the trip to the office was going to take forever. Everyone we passed was staring at me. I had forgotten what small towns were like. I tried to be friendly, giving a smile or a nod when someone waved at me, but I could feel myself blushing. "Here we are." Greg said holding the office door open for me.

"Thanks." I whispered, pushing past him. I approached the little lady sitting behind the high counter. "Hi, I'm Mercedes Jones. I'm new here." I said.

"Hello dear. Your father told me you were coming." she said smiling. I smiled back at her. The way this day is going, I won't be able to feel my cheeks by the end of the day. "You were all he's been talking about for weeks, to anyone who would listen." she said with a light laugh as she gathered some papers and sat them in front of me. "Ok dear, this is your schedule, your locker number and combination and this is attendance sheet. We require all students to get this signed by their teachers everyday and then it's turned into their homeroom teacher at the end of the week where you'll be given a new one. Ok?" she said sweetly. I smiled and nodded my head yes. "Ok. I'm Mrs. Piers. If you need anything just come to office and I'll help you. Ok?'

"Ok. Thank you." I said collecting all the paperwork. I turned from the desk and Greg was still waiting for me. "You didn't have to wait."

"I wanted to. So what's your first class?" he asked taking my schedule. "Cool, Murdoch. I've got him too. Let's go."

"Ok." I smiled and followed him out of the office. Greg talked a lot. Mostly about himself and the various sports he played. I just nodded and smiled and pretended like I was interested in what he was talking about.

"Mr. Murdoch, I've got a new student for you." he said to the teacher like he was presenting him with an award. I handed him my attendance sheet.

"Mercedes Jones. Ok, here's a book find an empty seat." he said signing the paper, handing me a book and never looking at me. Fine, don't look at your new student. Whatever. I searched the room for an empty seat. Spotting one I head toward it. I could feel everyone, including Greg watching me as I made my way to middle of the classroom. I place my book and my bag on the table and took my seat.

"What?" I asked quietly. Everyone that was staring stopped and returned their eyes to their own table. "Is everyone always so starey?" I asked the boy sitting next to me. When he doesn't answer, I turn to look at him. His dark green almost black eyes were piercing into mine. He looked, like he couldn't believe I was speaking to him. I turned away quickly and tried to listen to the lesson.

It was a hard task. This guy was worse than anyone else with the staring thing. I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. He had no shame. Whenever I was glance over at him, he didn't even avert his eyes. When the bell rang he bolted from the room. I couldn't believe him. I hadn't said or done anything to him for him to behave like that. Whatever. I collected my things and met Greg at the door.

"So we've got gym next." he said looking at my schedule.

"Great." I said unable to hide the sarcasm in my voice. As if this day couldn't get any worse.

Gym wasn't as big of a disaster as I thought it was going to be. I only hit three kids with balls, which is surprising. I'm not the graceful but I'm not a complete klutz. I can take more than a step without falling or tripping but I will never be a ballerina.

"That wasn't so bad." a wafer thin girl said following me out of the girl's locker room.

"Yeah I guess it could have been worse." I said with a small smile.

"I'm April Briggs by the way." she said pulling her dark brown hair into a ponytail. "You're Mercy Jones right?"

"Mercedes. Yeah I am." I answered politely. Was there anyone in this town that Gordon didn't talk to about me?

"Well you can sit with me and my friends at lunch, if you want." April said walking with me to the cafeteria.

"Sounds like a plan." I smiled yet again. The lunch room was filled with round tables and everyone was separated into different groups. Cliques never mattered to me, I honestly saw no reason to change that. I went through the line with April and followed her to the table where her friends were sitting.

"Guys, this is Mercedes Jones." April said introducing me. Greg and Jerry looked up and waved at me before glaring at each other. "This is Trina Duncan and Sarah Matthews.

"Hi." I said taking a seat beside Greg. The two girls gave me a fake smile and then returned back to their conversation. I wasn't really hungry. My nerves had taken hold of me so I just played with my food while the people around me laughed and joked. While I was scanning the cafeteria, my gaze landed on a group of beautiful people entering the lunch room.

"Who are they?" I asked. It was meant to be a thought but my brain made me speak it.

"Who?" Trina asked turning in her seat, following my gaze. "Oh that's the Schuesters."

"Who?" I asked as I watched them seemingly glide across the room.

"Dr. and Mrs. Schuester's foster kids. They moved here from Minnesota like two years ago." April answered.

"Yeah, but they're together." Trina said. "Like together together."

"So they aren't related Trina." April said.

"I know but they all date each other. It's weird." Trina said, a twinge of discomfort in her voice. "Ok, the really tall one, that's Finn. He's the quarterback. He's with the little one, Rachel. McKinley's resident diva."

I watched them as they walked closer. They looked at each other like they were the only two people in the room.

"So the Asian guy, that's Mike. He's like this amazing dancer. Like perfect. He's with her. Tina." Trina explained jerking her head toward them. "She's really weird."

"She's in a few of my classes." April said quietly. "I think she's sweet."

"Right. Anyway, that girl right there is Santana. She's crazy. I wouldn't talk to her, like at all. She's with Brittany." Trina said as the two girls walked past our table, their pinkies intertwined. "Here comes Quinn Evans. She the captain of the Cheerios and the top bitch at this school. She's with the kid in the wheelchair, Artie. He's really smart and creative."

I watched as Quinn pushed Artie toward the table where the other members of their family were already sitting.

"That's Kurt." Trina said as the boy entered the lunch room. "He has a boyfriend, Blaine Anderson. He goes to Dalton Academy. They've only been together for a little while but Kurt is totally fashion forward and Blaine is dreamy." When Sarah opened her mouth to speak, Trina interrupted, "And yes Sarah I know he's gay." Sarah clamped her mouth shut and sank down in her chair.

"Here comes Sarah's crush." April joked. I spotted a boy in a leather jacket and a mohawk.

"That's Noah Puckerman, but everyone calls him Puck. He's a badass. Like literally. I heard that he stabbed a guy." Trina said her voice almost excited. "He went to juvie and everything. He dates...everyone. Literally. But he has this on and off thing going with Lauren Zizes. She's on the wrestling team. See I told you. They're all together.

"Well maybe Mr. Schue will adopt me." April teased.

"Who's that?" I said spotting the boy I sat beside in my first class.

"That's Sam Evans. He's Quinn's twin brother and he's totes hot but he's not interested in dating. At least not anyone around here." Trina said in an offensive tone. "So I wouldn't waste my time.

"As if I would even have a chance." I said, my eyes following him as he walked past our table. Trina was right. Sam was hot, but there was something about him that I found...intriguing.

When the bell rang I stood and turned to see Sam staring at me. I should have been uncomfortable but I wasn't. I just gave him a small wave and exited the cafeteria.