Take Me Back To That Day: A Samcedes Story

Chapter 10: The Justin Bieber Experience

Everyone in the room froze, all eyes glued to Sam.

There was a long, pregnant silence before Rashad blurted out, "Wait, you can SING—OW!" He recoiled as Noelle's sharp elbow found his ribcage.

Sam chuckled, taking it in stride. "Yeah, I can. Cedes can vouch for me." He glanced at Mercedes, who responded with a small, somewhat awkward grin and a nod.

"In that case..." Tiffany stood up, gesturing to the front of the room. "The floor is yours."

"Thanks!" Sam began unpacking his guitar.

As he turned his back to the group, nearly everyone swiveled their heads toward Mercedes, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Mercedes shot back a glare that silently screamed, 'WHAT?'

Once Sam had his guitar tuned, he strummed the first chord and began to sing. As the first notes filled the room, Mercedes was instantly transported back to a vivid memory—Sam in a purple hoodie, his hair flopping over his forehead.

The Justin Bieber Experience.

As Sam launched into his classic rendition of "Baby," jaws dropped. Andrew nearly toppled off the piano bench, eyes wide in disbelief as Sam's smooth, matured voice filled the room.

Mercedes felt a swell of pride as she listened, memories swirling in her mind. It brought her back to a simpler time when Sam's biggest priority was impressing a girl. But now, things were different. She could hear the maturity in his voice, a testament to the boy who had grown into a man through life's challenges, still holding onto that heart of gold.

Before she knew it, the last chord had rung out, and the room erupted in applause. Rashad was the first to stand, raising his hand enthusiastically. "I VOTE YES!" Others quickly followed, hands shooting into the air in agreement.

Tiffany laughed, "Okay, I didn't even ask for a vote... but damn, Evans, I didn't know you had that in you."

"He's the missing piece to round out our group for Upstaged!" Heather exclaimed. Upstaged was the national collegiate a cappella competition that the Goldtones participated in at the end of the year.

Joey gasped loudly, "Does that mean I wouldn't have to sing?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Well, Heather has a point..." Tiffany mused. "Sam, are you even available for that with all your football commitments?"

Sam shrugged. "I could check, but I'm mostly free. I just have off-season conditioning some days, and I can probably get a pass for the big events."

Rashad clapped loudly, "That settles it! He's in!"

Tiffany scoffed, "Last I checked, you weren't the leader of the Goldtones, Shad, but actually... you're right. We'd love to have you as part of the team, Sam." The rest of the group cheered in agreement, with Noelle dancing in excitement.

"Thanks so much, everybody!" Sam grinned widely, his gaze lingering on Mercedes, who had remained unusually quiet during the entire exchange. The look in her eyes was unreadable.

After the meeting ended, Sam naturally fell into step with Mercedes as they exited the music building. She remained silent until they reached her favorite bench. Finally, she spun around to face him.

"What are you doing?" Mercedes asked, her expression blank.

Her question threw him off. "I-uh..." Sam rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the right words. "Can't I just want to join?"

"Why?"

"I miss Glee?" Sam responded, mirroring her frown. "What? I really do! Seeing Mike, Finn, and Kurt again made me miss those days..."