Not jealous
Unique wasn't aware of the fact that, when Jake took a seat on the chair in the middle of the quire room, right next to the piano, she had known what was coming next even though nothing had been indicating it. All she had was the unsure sensation that there was something special going on, and she sat straight up on her chair. Jake waited patiently until Finn had found a seat in their rows, leaning back slightly, all attention drawn on him. Unique furrowed her brows thoughtfully. Jake usually just dove into song, just like Brittany with her 'magic turns' and Unique whenever she had the possibility to put on her real clothes and not hide as Wade in the back rows of the choir room.
Jake seemed quite nervous for the fact that he was a performer, a dancer, even. And he somehow seemed lost in thought while getting ready for the song.
Unique had sensed it from the first moment on, that there was something special about that song. And then she knew what it was about, because of the song, and the looks and.. everything of Jake's he was putting onto his sleeve. He was way baver then she thought. He had a soft spot, especially for the girl he was singing to. Marley just sat there, astonished and maybe she had goosebumps all over because Unique couldn't imagine she wouldn't. She cared deeply for her friend, this other Glee-newbie. She liked her in all her fragility and her hidden strenght and her smiles and her fear not to be accepted. Especially with the last one Unique could relate. Maybe a little too well.
But in moments like those, Unique was there in her chair, watching Marley who melted away under the touch of Jake's dark eyes. Watching Jake who seemed just to see Marley, and no one else. And as Jake just sat there right next to the piano, singing his heart out and having his heart literally on his sleeve, open and vulnerable, just for Marley, Unique felt a little sting somewhere in her throat she wouldn't have expected.
Sometimes she wondered. If anybody would ever be able to see her real self that she contained behind her fassade. If anybody would truly accept her for being a woman in a man's body. If anybody would love her in this body she really didn't want to be in, but had to live in.
Unique wasn't jealous of her friend, who really deserved to be loved and love in return. She wasn't jealous of the attention and the kindness that showed up in Jake's eyes just for Marley. Marley lived a fairy tale.
Unique had never made up the fairy tales of princes who would come and safe her.
No, that wasn't true.
Unique had dreamed of a prince, though he had never been a prince. He was a misfit just like her, maybe hidden between too many layers of whatever his personality would show.
Her fairy tales were never fairy tales, because, somehow, deep within she had known there would be no fairy tales for her.
Just a little more time, Unique thought while cheering for her friend, just a little while, graduating, then she would be out of Lima, Ohio. She would be the woman she had always wanted to be, not limitted to dress up like a guy just to fit in and not to be bullied too hard and get through high school without broken bones. And, maybe, eventually, there would be someone who might even be able to get all of her just like Jake seemed to get Marley, Unique thought while catching a smile lifting just the edges of Jake's mouth. A beat, and he continued singing like nothing had happened while he had catched the smile in Marleys eyes. And maybe nothing had skipped a beat. Maybe it had just felt like everything had stopped moving for a skipped beat for Unique, who wanted to be desired and loved like this so much but didn't even admit it to herself.
Just a little while, she told herself, smiling slightly while the last tunes faded away and Marley and Jake returned to feel reality again.
Unique was happy for Marley, Wade thought, not daring to move his eyes from Marley who was so sweet and seemed on the edge of tears. And maybe, one day, Unique would be just as happy as Marley was right now.