Big Girls Can Be Sexy Too!
Illiandyandra

Recommendation/Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Prince Rogers Nelson. Rest in Power Prince! You were amazingly gifted and we were all lucky to have you for as long as we were blessed with your voice and talents. 57 years wasn't enough, but I thank God for them.

BTW: I am modeling the glee competitions on Georgia's High School choir Competitions, they say write what you know. So this is what I know; besides it gives others better opportunities to shine.

THANKS: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed. You have made this story a joy to write…well the reviews, and Puck's potty mouth. When writing for Puck one never needs to search for euphemisms. But I could always use more Positive Reinforcement. ;)

Smile (Lily Allen)
Mercedes PoV

Plenty of people, especially Santana, wanted to know why it was that I hadn't beaten the breaks off Rachel considering all that she'd done since Puck and I made everything officially official. The simple truth was that I didn't have the time to deal with Berry's crazy ass. We were in serious preparation for sectionals. Two of us were running for student government. There was all the drama with the Cheerio contingency. Mr. Schue was pissing me off every other day. Finally, Kurt and I decided that enough was enough, so we went to Ms. Pillsbury and got her to distract him from his buyer's remorse over giving someone other than Rachel a damn solo. On top of all of that, we were also having a rather hard time coming up with our performance budget. It was better since we didn't have to travel, but at the same time we were trying to outfit all of us in something show stopping. Finally, we decided on a simple and elegant black and white color scheme with the guys in white blazers with black lapels, paired with white shirts, black bow ties and black slacks and shoes. We thought about putting the girls in something very similar, just with black skirts, but there was no way I was going to look like anything but a boxy mess in that jacket. Lauren would have looked even worse, but with Blaine, Rory Flanagan, Joe Hart and Sugar Motta having joined, there were enough of us that she didn't have to join in the competition performances anymore. Instead she handled all our lighting and stage production. She was freaking awesome at it too. Plus, she liked it a lot more. The arguments over what the girls should wear were getting pretty out of control. Thankfully, my mother's birthday was coming up, so I was on her favorite dress site, an online store called Unique Vintage, while I was shopping for her, I found a dress that was beyond perfect. An adorable Fifties inspired swing dress that was white on top, a black loosely ruched band went from right under the boobs to the natural waist, and the softly pleated swing skirt. The dress was cotton and hella breathable and would be perfect with the guys uber traditional suit look. The site even had some great swing shoes that would look awesome with the dress and were designed to be danced in.

Kurt and the girls all immediately loved it, well Rachel hated it, but we were all pretty much ignoring her as common practice. Sugar's dad had been kind enough to offer to handle the costume bills, but I was determined not to take advantage of his good will. I was able to call the company and given that my mother had ordered at least two hundred bucks of their stuff almost every month since she'd found their site and we were ordering seven dresses and seven pairs of shoes and seven of their white orchid hair pins…I was able to get them to give us each of the dresses for almost thirty percent off. The hair pins for forty-five percent off and the shoes for fifteen percent off. Even though he had said there was more available if we needed it, we were able to stay under the initial three thousand dollars Mr. Motta gave us for costumes and that included getting the guys shoes too. Everything came in with enough time to allow us to make the alterations needed to make the dresses and suits each look as if they were made for each of our very differing bodies.

We were as prepared as humanly possible that Saturday morning. We were perfectly uniform. Tina had done all our hair in modern victory rolls and affixed the hair pins to our right or left side depending which side of the stage we were to spend most of our time on. Our choreography was on point. Our warmups had gone perfectly, both the physical ones and the vocal. The morning went quickly. The solo, duet and trio competitions were held then and the choir performance were held after lunch with the awards ceremony starting at five.

Over the course of the morning sessions, I had competed in the women's solo competition, taking a big risk by going with 'I Will Always Love You'. I'd not just done it as a straight cover, like most people do with it, I tried my very best to make it my own. Of course, Mr. Schue had loved the idea of both Rachel and I competing in the solo competition. Her performance of 'Memories' from Cats was pretty much exactly what you'd expect and almost exactly as it was done on Broadway, except she hadn't been able to resist over singing right from the start. Traditionally, the opening of the song was a low and slow vocal piece that was invocative of the nostalgia of memories. You could tell from the looks on the judges' faces that they hadn't appreciated the changes Rachel had made to the classic, and some might say over done, piece.

Mr. Schuester had also wanted more than one New Direction in the men's solo comp…but he wasn't very happy when Finn didn't want the honor. Instead Finn demanded that Artie be given the shot. Schue couldn't say anything against that so it was Artie doing a great, and I mean epically awesome, slightly R&B, slightly gospel version of the Kenny Chesney song Puck had serenaded me with in class…completely with Puck's enthusiastic permission. In I guess an homage to me, my wonderful boyfriend had chosen to go completely outside the box and we'd reworked my signature song, 'Respect' into a kind of Bon Jovi/Franklin fusion that was perfect for him.

While I was doing going head to head with Rachel for the title of best female vocalist in our little corner of Ohio, Tina and Santana had gone in together for the duet competition. Together they had performed Whitney's Houston's 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody'. I didn't get to see it because the female solos and duets competitions were in different rooms at the same time. However, the three of us came back together for the trio competition. The three of us did Florence and the Machine's 'Shake It Out'. We were very proud of ourselves. We were also all really proud of Finn and Kurt who had competed in the male duet category together…they had done Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney's iconic 'Say, Say, Say'. Sam, Joe and Mike's rearrangement of N'Sync's remix of Johnny Kemp's 'Just Got Paid' was fire.

Immediately lunch we found out some news that could have been completely, irredeemably horrible. Somehow, our set list had been decimated. The other groups had found out what we had planned to sing and they were doing the songs and since as the hosts, we were the last to perform. There was no way that we could do the same songs. The Warblers were doing 'Control' as part of their set. The Unitards were singing 'Man In The Mirror' in addition to a piece from Evita and the Jane Adams Academy girls were performing 'ABC' along with two other Michael Jackson hits, 'Remember the Times' and 'Beat It'. Almost as one we turned and looked at a smirking Rachel. Santana cursed fluently in both Spanish and English. "You dumb Puta…you just cost me twenty bucks." She finally growled.

Without a single word, I stood up and held out my hands to collect all my winnings. Puck laughed. "You should have known she was too stupid to come up with an idea of her own." He was collecting plenty of money of his own.

Tina groaned as she handed him five bucks. "Look, I knew she was going to do something. That was a no brainer. I just thought that she was at least creative enough to come up with something new."

I just shook my head. "Why would she? When Sue did this to us, Little Miss Berry got to have solo and to do a duet with Finn. Of course, she was going to try to get her ass on stage using the same trick."

"Yeah, but she didn't count on you being smarter than her." Quinn chuckled. "Oh, that's right ManHands…Mercedes thought that you were being too superficially cooperative. She, rightly, decided that you were up to something. So she had all of us…well except you, over at her house every evening practicing an alternate set list with even more lead distribution. SO…I guess you're feeling pretty damn stupid now, huh?"

"But…you…another…" Rachel babbled incoherently.

I laughed coldly. "But I figured that this was your most likely 'end game' plan and we circumvented it. Now, when we take the stage, you are going to take your happy ass out and join Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury. You can tell them the truth or you can try and spin this so that I'm the villain. I don't really give a fuck. But what you are not going to do is try to ruin this for the rest of us." I said firmly.

As if I'd called him into being, the stage manager knocked on the door of our 'green room', also known as Ms. Clements trigonometry classroom, to tell us that it was time to take our places. It may have taken hours every day that could have been better spent alone with my Boo. It may have taken a shit load of extra time to make sure that we all came to a consensus on our second set of songs and choreography. But the look on Rachel's face as we all walked out of that room having out maneuvered her at every turn…that was priceless.

We took the stage and assembled ourselves in our opening pose, the bulk of our choir in a sunrise pattern on the risers, Puck and I at center stage, back to back, each holding a retro looking microphone on its stand. Despite the extraordinarily recognizable opening guitar riff, we'd decided to begin the song acapella. However, we didn't actually begin at the very beginning. Puck, the New Directions and I all lifted our voices together and sang the most striking lines of the song together into the still darkened stage and auditorium. "When everything feels like the movies; yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive." We dropped our heads and the lights came up.

Then the music started with the familiar and yet simple guitar strains. Puck's voice was darkly clear and rather mystifying as he started the first verse. "And I'd give up forever to touch you, 'Cause I know that you feel me somehow. You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be…"

Fifteen voices swelled and flowed over the audience. "And I don't wanna go home right now."

I let my voice go smoky, deep and darkly sensual, playing in the lower end of my range, as I took the first part of the second verse. "And all I can taste is this moment, and all I can breathe is your life, When sooner or later it's over…"

Again we all sang the last line of the verse together. "I just don't wanna miss you tonight."

Then the choir left Puck and I behind as we danced to their vocals on the chorus. Mike and Brittany joined us as in the Vienna Waltz, that they had painstakingly taught all of us…Artie, took his guitar from the stage manager and prepared for the guitar solo as the rest of us danced. Puck and I broke apart, and sang the most epic verse of the song in perfect harmony and synchronization, "And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, or the moment of truth in your lies. When everything feels like the movies, yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive," only coming back together to dance together again on the chorus and during Artie's flawless solo.

Puck's raw, almost gut wrenching solo take on the chorus was beautiful and gorgeous. I fell even deeper for him hearing his performance…it was even better than it had been in the rehearsal when we decided that he had it perfected. He was followed by the thirteen other New Directions singing the chorus and then I took a turn. I poured every single shred of insecurity and wonder at the fact that the single sexiest man I knew loved me and wanted me, into those four lines. "And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am." I finished the verse as far from Noah as we'd been all song, he repeated the last line backed by the men of the choir first and we moved towards each other. Then I followed with the same entreaty to be known, backed by our female choir members. Together all fifteen of our voices flooded the room as we begged to be known and understood. Lauren cut the lights sharply.

The applause after we finished the Goo Goo Dolls' 'Iris' was thunderous, but we had no time to enjoy it. In the mostly dark proscenium, two stage hands brought out two stools while the stage manager handed Puck his guitar. Finn and Puck settled themselves on the stools at center stage, while the rest of us took our places on the risers, Tina and I at the front.

Waiting On the World To Change
John Mayer

MERCEDES
Puck
Finn
Tina
Choir

(Finn)Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood

(Puck)They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could

(Mercedes)Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it

(Tina)We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

(Choir)So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

(Mercedes) It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
(Choir) So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change

(Finn)Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door

(Puck)And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want

(Choir)That's why we're waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

(Tina) It's not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

And we're still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change

(Mercedes)One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population

(Puck)So we keep on waiting

(ALL)Waiting on the world to change

(ALL)We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

This time we didn't bother with the lights going down. Sam, Puck and Finn ran the stools and Puck's guitar off the stage while the stage hands set up six mics evenly across the stage. We clustered around them in smaller groups, three groups of girls and three groups of guys alternating in a formation. When Lauren had nominated this song, she had called it a guaranteed pop. "Anyone who watched TV in the nineties will know this song and chances are really good that the old fogies in the audience, especially the judges, will know it and be up dancing and singing along." By half way through the first verse, she was proven totally correct.

"I'll Be There for You (Theme from Friends)"

The Rembrandts

(Mercedes) So no one told you life was gonna be this way

Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.

It's like you're always stuck in second gear

When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but

(Girls) I'll be there for you

(Boys) (When the rain starts to pour)

(Girls) I'll be there for you

(Boys) (Like I've been there before)

(Girls) I'll be there for you

(All) ('Cause you're there for me too)

(Kurt) You're still in bed at ten and class began at eight

You've burned your breakfast, so far things are going great

Your mother warned you there'd be days like these

But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees that

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(Girls) (When the rain starts to pour)

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(Girls) (Like I've been there before)

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(All) ('Cause you're there for me too)

(Mike) No one could ever know me

No one could ever see me

(Quinn) Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me

(Tina)Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with

(Sam) Someone I'll always laugh with

(All)Even at my worst, I'm best with you, yeah!

(Santana) It's like you're always stuck in second gear

When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year

(Girls) I'll be there for you

(Boys) (When the rain starts to pour)

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(Girls) (Like I've been there before)

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(Artie) ('Cause you're there for me too)

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(Girls) (When the rain starts to pour)

(Boys) I'll be there for you

(Girls) (Like I've been there before)

(All) I'll be there for you

As we sang the last note I looked into the massively applauding audience and realized that we were only one person away from receiving a standing ovation…even Mr. Chang was on his feet. Mike had shined like the star he was destined to be during the raucous and wild dancing he had choreographed for the Friends theme song. The lone holdout was dressed in the same dress I was wearing with the same flower pinned in her hair. While our faces were filled with joy…Rachel looked rather like she had swallowed month old pickle juice. Mr. Schue looked at her and almost looked as if he was going to retake his seat, but Ms. Pillsbury gave him a look that promised dire retribution if he did. I was almost satisfied with my revenge…almost.

Quite a bit more satisfaction came about two hours later during the awards ceremony. Rachel Berry came in third behind me and the lead singer of the Unitards, Harmony. I came in first and Harmony took the second place win. Rachel was shocked and appalled. She hid it pretty well if one didn't count stomping off the stage. None of us, not even Noah, was surprised that Artie took the win for the men's competition, Sebastian of the Warblers took second and Noah came in third. But he was really happy for Artie and proud of his third place win. However, Finn and Noah took the men's duet competition, and when we took the stage for the choir awards, Rachel was nowhere to be found. But she could hide and pout all she wanted…we still won first place and we were heading to regionals with the biggest point spread between us and the Warblers that took second place in Western Ohio section of the NHSSCA in the history of the competitions.

As we were celebrating, Sebastian came over and…to all of our shock…congratulated us. "See what happens when you cut out the cancer?" He asked snidely. "Your director finally figured out that Berry was holding you all back, keeping you limited to only one sound."

"Rachel Berry has been and continues to be an integral part of the New Directions." Mr. Schuester defended his golden girl despite the fact that Sebastian had clearly not been talking to him.

Sebastian just shrugged. "If you say so…but she really is quite limited in her ability to cross genres and having just the one featured soloist was beginning to work against you. The Warblers have two at any given time and they are only allowed to be a feature for two of their four years at Dalton." He said simply. "Blaine was going to have to wait until his senior year to be featured again so that the judges would have time to forget him a bit…as much as anyone could forget Blaine anyway." he said flirtatiously.

Mr. Schue looked like he was about ready to fight the tall, thin Warbler. Then again so did Kurt. I thought that Kurt was justified and Mr. Schuester was just showing his favoritism once again. But I didn't say anything. However, Blaine wasn't about to stay quiet. "Yes, but I moved to be with Kurt, and I haven't regretted it for a minute. Besides, McKinley has something Dalton will never be able to compete with…a black songstress. As long as you guys remain an all boy's school, you just can't hope to beat Miz Mercedes Jones." Blaine gave me a tight squeeze to emphasize his point.

I just laughed. "Boy stop. Sebastian, despite the fact that I find you to be an objectionable human being, you and the Warblers did a good job. And thank you for being man enough to come and congratulate us."

"Yeah," he smirked, "I suppose that I should apologize for the fact that I just couldn't resist when your 'friend'," he did the air quotes and everything, "gave us your set list. I should have realized that her betrayal was totally predictable so you'd have a backup game plan."

"I know, right." I smirked at him.

With a final acknowledgement of our talent and a wish of good luck at regionals, Sebastian took his leave of us. Mr. Schuester, however, stayed put. "I cannot believe that you all…"

"What, Schue? That we had a backup plan? That we knew that your precious Rachel was rachet as hell and would try to sink us all since she couldn't hog the spotlight? You may have forgotten that she sent a foreign exchange student to a crack house, but we didn't." Santana challenged. "We thought that you had finally learned how to be a good teacher. To find value in each of us and help us to grow into our place in this world…but you still only see that trifling perra and her bullshit." She stalked off angrily. Brittany gave Mr. Schuester a look that would make every elf in Santa's workshop cry and went off after her.

If Brittany's look was one of abject disappointment, Quinn's should have flayed the flesh from his bones. "We just won sectionals, with our highest score of any competition we've ever participated in…but you can't even congratulate us because your perfect, pitiable Rachel wasn't up there with us. Never mind that she would have been a part of this win if she could have just acknowledged that other people have talent that is just as good if not better than hers. If she weren't so jealous and envious of everyone else's moment in in the limelight that she wasn't able to stop herself from stabbing all of us and you as well in our collective backs. Do you even give a damn about the rest of us?"

"Of course I do." Schue said weakly. "I was just trying to understand all that went on today that I wasn't privy to. I mean, you have to admit that it is a lot to take in."

Finn gave him a sad look that clearly said that he wasn't buying it. But before he could say anything, Ms. Pillsbury came running up. "Oh my goodness, kids, you guys were amazing. You must have worked so hard preparing two set lists like that. I wish I could say that I couldn't believe that Rachel would do such a thing…but I knew as soon as she came and sat down with us, she was the one who had leaked your song list this time. She went entirely too far. I wouldn't blame you all if…well, I just ask please don't confront her on school grounds."

"Emma, you cannot…" Schue sounded aghast.

Ms. Pillsbury rolled her eyes. "William, I'm sure that all the kids understand that I am not condoning violence. However, I am stating that should they feel the need to avenge themselves against someone who wronged them so greatly, then I would hope that they would do so in such a way that it doesn't negatively affect their schooling. After all, for many of them this is their senior year. Speaking of which, Quinn, I've had a chance to look over your application essay…it is a wonderful second draft. The only problems are a couple of grammar things. I emailed it back to you this morning. Mercedes, your first draft is good, but I think that you could reach deeper and give them something that makes you the best of all candidates. Kurt, remind me Monday to give you a copy of the recommendation letters Coach Sylvester and I wrote to NYADA on your behalf."

We all thanked her. then she dragged Schue off, fussing at him quietly the whole time. Puck wrapped me in a huge hug. "I am so proud of you, Hot Mama. How soon can we ditch these fools and get us some place nice and quiet." He whispered next to my ear.

"Puckerman, you know I like you, but if your hand gets any closer to my daughter's no no zone, I'm gonna have to forget that and lay your butt out." My father's voice boomed through the room.

I probably should have been embarrassed, but the look on Noah's face and how fast he put his hands up in full surrender mode was just hilarious. As soon as Momma and Daddy were close enough I threw myself into their hug. "Did you see? I won and we won!" I said happily.

"Oh baby," Momma said with a big smile. "We are so proud of you. We knew that you were going to win. You had every contingency covered and you are so amazingly talented."

"Yup. Just like her Uncle." Uncle Donald's voice surprised the hell out of me. "You did good Little Girl." He said as he gave me a big bear hug. "You got voice. Puck, you didn't do too badly either. And Noah…I've got some more good news for you. I was able to get that bogus assault charge expunged from your record. We're in a key position to go after the PD for false imprisonment and a couple of other nice, big money charges…so keep up the reformation." He chuckled. "Now, what do you kids have planned to celebrate this auspicious occasion?"

I shook my head at my uncle's thinly veiled attempt at over protectiveness. "I didn't want to plan anything…I worried that it might jinx things if we got too cocky."

Of course, I was overheard. Sugar chimed in. "That's okay. Daddy was so sure that we were going to win that he told me I could have a party at our guest house. I just knew that you'd freak out that I had planned a party ahead of time. But since we won, YEA! I can tell you now. I was just getting ready to text everybody the invite. Party starts at nine at the guest house at my house. My Daddy insisted that we have chaperones, so my bodyguards, Max and Flex will be watching out for us all night. They don't have to follow me around Lima; just whenever we go to the city."

I looked over at my father and he sighed. "You have a solo tomorrow at church, so you can go, but you have to be home no later than twelve thirty."

I happily threw my arms around his neck. "Thank you Daddy." I told him with a big smile.

Momma smiled. "Well, I guess that we should gather everyone up and get to dinner so you have a chance to go home and change."

I was about to tell her that we had to clean up when Mr. Figgins' magnified voice filled the auditorium. "We here at McKinley High School have been honored to host the National High School Show Choir Association Western Ohio Sectional Competition. We are especially honored to have our own New Directions, including soloists Mercedes Jones, Rachel Berry, Artie Abrams, Noah Puckerman, duos Finn Hudson and Kurt Hummel and Tina Cohen-Chang and Santana Lopez, and trios Mercedes, Santana and Tina and Mike Chang, Sam Evans and Joe Hart who all won awards today. You all go and celebrate with your families. Mr. Schuester has volunteered to make sure that the school is put back to readiness for classes Monday."

I'm not trying to say that we all hit the door running. But not one of us wanted to risk Schue changing his mind. The parents must have coordinated something before the awards ceremony, because everyone seemed to know that there was a private dining room at The Met reserved for us. as soon as we were all seated, I stood up and looked around at all my friends. "We did it y'all. You know that Schue and Berry thought that we couldn't make it without them…but we didn't just survive…we thrived. We're going to work hard and take Regionals, and then we're going to go to Nationals and this time, we're gonna WIN!"

There were cheers all around the table. Dinner was fun. It was hard to believe that for a lot of us at the table we were approaching the halfway point of our senior year of high school. Our parents were all very different, but they all cared for us deeply. It was a great evening that followed a wonderful day. After the meal, we all retreated to our homes to change for Sugar's party. I was feeling so confident and sexy, I decided to wear something that would keep me in those feelings, and hopefully pass my father's exacting standards for what his daughter can and cannot leave his house in. I took a quick shower and changed into the smallest black lace thong I owned. The dress I was determined to rock was a racer back, red, maxi dress that was actually a bit different than the usual maxi dress. The dress stopped about half way down my thighs and there was an overlay of matching red sheer chiffon that went to my feet. It had a pretty deep V neckline too so I knew that I'd have to be careful. Fortunately, it was cool enough that I'd need to wear a sweater with it and that would, hopefully, allow me to get out without having to listen to Daddy and Uncle Duck fussing about me showing off the girls. Especially since my black lace racerback bra created a hell of a lot of cleavage. My phone chimed with a text from Puck letting me know that he was on his way to get me, so I hurriedly combed my hair down with a wide tooth comb, slapped on some lip gloss and shoved my feet into some really cute black wedges. I grabbed my purse and sweater and headed down the stairs to see if I was going to have to change.

My mother was my hero. She somehow had convinced Daddy and Uncle Duck to make a store run. Of course, that meant that she embarrassed me to death by slipping me some more condoms. But she had me out of the door and on my way before the men folks got back. Puck and I rolled into Sugar's about ten minutes late, most of the younger set were already there. Santana and Britt-Brat showed up a few minutes later. Before too long, we were all there and the party started hopping. Max and Flex looked at each of us and asked us if we had any drugs or alcohol. Puck was honest. "I've got a flask of vodka. I figured I'd spike the punch…it's probably only going to get the fifteen of us a little tipsy." They checked his story and were actually cool with that. So they disappeared and left us to our own devices.

Sugar had turned control of the massive sound system over to Artie. His musical catalogue knew no bounds. He had every single genre represented at least somewhat. Of course, given the nature of all of us, he had a wide assortment of portable, digital, music players to choose from. Her dad had gotten his house staff to lay out a decent, teen snacks spread. There were enough couches and bigger chairs for all of us to relax. We ended up kind of sitting around lunching on our victory; just talking and bonding. Lauren had brought her new boo, a multiracial dude named Guy who was six foot seven and had skin a few shades darker than Santana, and hair like my cousin who was mixed. Everyone was pretty well paired up.

At least until the door opened to admit our missing 'member'. Sugar looked up in surprise. "Oh shit…I texted to my whole New Direction contact list."

That was fine with me. I still had some satisfaction to take out of her ass. With that thought in my mind, I extricated myself from Puck's arms and stood. Crossing to her, I didn't say a word. Instead, I punched her dead in her face. "You should have ignored Sugar's text like you ignore all your home training." I snarled as Rachel looked up at me from the floor.

"I cannot believe…" She started.

"Can't believe what? That I'm sick of your bullshit? That I'm done being supportive Mercedes while you do everything you can to fuck me over and get a rung up by stepping on my back?" I asked her as I towered over her.

She looked over at our friends for help. None was offered. "Don't look at me." Kurt said with a snarl of anger. "I'm standing with my friends…my real friends. You just want to be my friend because you know that my father put everything my mother left me in trust for my college. You want my money not my friendship. I have no need of that kind of bullshit friendship."

Rachel stood and launched herself at me like she was in a stage production that called for a cat fight. I put her down with brutal efficiency. There were three hits. I punched her twice more, once to her stomach and once more to her face and she hit the floor. I learned how to stage fight long time ago…in fact, I had been in many of the same acting, singing and piano classes that Rachel had taken over the years. She was just so self-involved that she had never noticed me or recognized me at school. I told her so. Then I calmly pointed out, "but this isn't a stage. We aren't acting. I really want to kick your ass. I can do this all night because you have no idea how on earth to actually beat me. So stay down…naw, in fact, go home. You aren't welcome here. You aren't wanted here. You aren't our friend. You aren't even our choir mate anymore."

This time Rachel was much slower getting to her feet. "Fine maybe I'm not your friend…but that just means that I can tell you the truth. You are fat. It doesn't matter that you lost some weight, you're still fat. You are ugly. You only have friends because these fools are dumb enough to treat you like you really have a chance to be a famous singer. You can't possibly think that any record executive will ever give you a contract." She huffed as she stormed out.

I laughed and followed behind her to yell out the door, "I'm better looking than you are Rachel. I can sing circles around you. I will have my contract. I will make my albums and I will be famous before your dumb ass gets out of the chorus." I slammed that guest house door and was immediately swung up into Puck's arms.

He kissed me until I didn't know my own name. "Fuck you are gorgeous. Is it wrong that I got a stiffy when you knocked that bitch on her ass?"

My laughter filled the room and soon we were cuddled back up on our big arm chair. Soon the vodka in the punch and the adrenaline of the altercation with Rachel shot my discretion in the ass and Puck and I made out until we could reasonably leave. By eleven, we were in Puck's truck at our spot, using the condoms my mother had slipped me, celebrating our win in our own private celebration until we had to rush to get me home by my curfew. That was definitely one of the best nights of my life. But I couldn't shake the feeling that Rachel wasn't going to fade away like we would all have preferred.

Everyone let me know what you think of the chapter. I hope that I did Illy's work some justice.

Also...Let me know what is your favorite Prince song.

Mine has been Darling Nikki since before I knew what she was doing with that magazine.

TTFN,
Anni