Hell to the Divergence Sequel - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Chapter 16

"What'd we do?" Mercedes frowned.

"We let him get away with it." Marcy said flat-out.

"Who?" Quinn was dead confused on what they were talking about.

"You know who." Marcy tried to be strong. "Coach Dimitri."

Mercedes and Quinn both gasped.

"Yeah."

Mercedes burst into tears. "We said we'd never talk about that again!"

Marcy swallowed with difficulty. "I know. And I meant that. But in love, you trust. It took a lot to get to this point but I love, trust and respect Mal. So much so that I can't keep this from him. Or the redhead. They deserve to know."

"How?!" Quinn started rocking.

"Because they love me." Marcy shrugged simply.

"I just don't understand." Mercedes was so distraught. "It's been ten years!"

"Eleven years too long."

"What if he leaves?" Quinn whispered.

"Samson's not goin nowhere."

"You don't know. After Miguel, this might be too much."

"After all the crap in our past, it's too much for us. Someone else should shoulder these burdens with us."

"But he'll hate me." Mercedes didn't want that.

"'Zilla will never hate you, Mercy. He loves you."

"You have this much faith in Mal?" Quinn was incredulous.

"I think I do." Marcy searched her heart. "I think he'll be there for me and will make me feel better."

The twins looked at each other. If Marcy, who was the bravest person they'd ever known, could tell their shameful secret, so could they.

M&Q&M

Puck walked into the closet. "Hey, Mama? Where you've been?"

She said nothing.

He could hear her sniffles and came closer to come around the vanity to where she was sitting on the floor (!), cutting up her clothes! "Mama!"

She sniffled hard, slicing through another expensive dress.

"Mama, what's going on?!" He hurried to her to carefully wrestle the shears from her. "Talk to me!"

She sobbed and wailed but didn't make a lick of sense.

He held her and rubbed her back until she calmed some. "Now tell me again. What's going on?"

She rocked herself in his arms. "I was only eight years old. I didn't know how to stop him."

"What? Stop who? From what?" He kept his tone mild.

"Coach Dimitri."

"Who is that?"

"Our old gymnastics coach."

"Okay. What'd he do?"

"He was very cruel."

"Like your parents?"

"Worse."

He did a double take. "What?"

"He yelled at us over every mistake and physically abused us when we did make mistakes. When we did something right, he punished us."

That made zero sense to him. "How do you punish someone for doing what you want?"

"He did. He made us train for hours, barely fed us, breaks were for winners and- and-"